In a secluded, tranquil valley, a figure stood silently before a cottage. This was a young man of unremarkable appearance, yet his eyes were profoundly unique, holding the stillness of countless ages washed over them, as if nothing in heaven or earth could stir their depths.
He was none other than the Void-Calm Grand Sovereign!
“Is that Nie Kong?”
Lifting his gaze slightly towards the Central Domain, the Void-Calm Grand Sovereign’s eyes remained placid. “He has finally ascended to the rank of Grand Sovereign. Very well, very good!”
To the west of the Grand Sovereign Spiritual Realm, in the Pangutian Palace.
“Lou Kong!”
The Pangu Grand Sovereign abruptly opened his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips. “He truly did not perish, and he has returned to the Heaven Spirit Continent. It seems there is indeed a passage connecting that continent with the Primal Chaos Grotto-Heaven.”
“This is good. Nie Kong achieving Grand Sovereign status might compel that person to awaken sooner!”
“Hmm? Another soul has ascended to Grand Sovereign?”
In an instant, a look of stunned surprise appeared in the Pangu Grand Sovereign’s eyes. “Could it be that old tree? No, it’s not him. This Heaven Spirit Continent hides such a powerful expert?”
The Seven-Colored Divine Realm.
Within a lake, a pavilion floated, where Gu Quan, Yu Longyue, Gu Xian, Qing You, and Lan Ling were gathered, listening to the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign expound upon the Dao of cultivation.
“Master, what just happened?” Gu Quan’s face suddenly showed alarm. In that fleeting moment, he had felt an inexplicable pang in his heart. His sudden exclamation drew the attention of Yu Longyue and the others. They exchanged bewildered glances, unsure why Gu Quan would suddenly ask such a question.
The Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign smiled faintly. “Your junior brother is now a Grand Sovereign.”
“What? So fast!”
Gu Quan cried out, while Yu Longyue and the others were struck dumbfounded. But after a brief moment, expressions of irrepressible joy spread across their faces.
“Oh?” The Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign suddenly showed a hint of surprise, chuckling at Gu Quan. “It seems not only your junior brother, but your sister-in-law has also advanced to Grand Sovereign.”
“……………”
This statement left Gu Quan and the others utterly stunned.
After a considerable pause, Yu Longyue slowly blinked her eyes in disbelief. “Grand Sovereign, are you referring to that girl Tai Yan? Before she left with Nie Kong for the Primal Chaos Grotto-Heaven, she seemed to be only a Seventh Grade Spirit God. To ascend to Grand Sovereign almost simultaneously with Nie Kong—that speed is terrifying.”
Gu Quan, Gu Xian, and Lan Ling watched the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign expectantly. Only Qing You had already recovered, covering his small mouth to suppress a giggle.
“It is indeed Tai Yan,” the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign declared expansively. “When I first saw Tai Yan, I felt something peculiar. Now, I finally understand. If I haven't guessed wrongly, Tai Yan was already an expert on the brink of becoming a Grand Sovereign before. However, she was constrained by her spirit-artifact body, always unable to take that final step. Thus, she devised the technique of ‘condensing her true body into an avatar and replacing the avatar with the true body.’ Alas, at the last moment, her effort fell short; her soul and power suddenly split, resulting in a body that was neither the original nor the avatar, becoming two entities that were independent yet intimately connected.”
“Qing You, is my assessment correct?” The Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign’s empty-looking eyes suddenly turned toward the secretly giggling Qing You, his own face filled with amusement.
“Ah? Ah…”
Qing You blinked his eyes foolishly. Among everyone present, only he, who had personally followed Nie Kong into the Netherworld, knew the details. Yet, the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign, based only on a momentary sensation, had deduced the entire sequence of events with perfect clarity.
Seeing this, Yu Longyue and the others suddenly grasped the situation. Having spent much time with Qing You, they could tell what the young fellow was thinking just by his demeanor.
The Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign laughed again. “After that split, Tai Yan had no hope of achieving Grand Sovereign status. But with Nie Kong’s ‘Great Sun Chaos True Fire,’ her two bodies could perfectly merge. After a period of harmonization, ascending to Grand Sovereign status would be as natural as flowing water.” He paused. “It seems that when Nie Kong returned to the Heaven Spirit Continent, he not only found Tai Yan’s other body but that both her bodies already possessed the strength of a Ninth Grade Spirit God.”
Everyone nodded in agreement as they listened.
At this point, the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign burst into hearty laughter. “Nie Kong, Tai Yan, Wood Ancestor, plus myself—that should be enough to contend with them.”
Them? Who were they referring to?
Hearing the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign’s cryptic words, Yu Longyue and the others exchanged surprised glances, but a flicker of understanding smiled in Gu Quan’s eyes.
The Heaven Spirit Continent, Ling Xian.
“We have ascended to Grand Sovereign.”
In the Medicine King Palace, the figure of exquisite charm stood up. The voices of Tai Yan and the Great Yan Spirit Venerable sounded almost simultaneously, their brows alight with excitement and fervor.
After achieving Grand Sovereign status, her temperament became even more unique.
Tai Yan’s purity and the Great Yan Spirit Venerable’s icy allure fused together flawlessly, causing the entire form to exude a strange, compelling grace.
After a moment, the body split back into two, transforming once more into Tai Yan and the Great Yan Spirit Venerable.
“Brother became a Grand Sovereign even earlier than us. Why isn’t he showing any signs of waking up yet?”
Her spiritual sense swept across the Spirit Mansion, and Tai Yan murmured with slight suspicion. Her figure vanished instantly. “When Brother wakes up, he will surely be delighted to see how big my little baby has grown.”
“Little baby again!”
The Great Yan Spirit Venerable nearly ground her teeth upon hearing the latter part of her words. With an annoyed groan, she too vanished without a trace from the Medicine King Palace.
In the next instant, Tai Yan and the Great Yan Spirit Venerable appeared at the foot of Cai Mei Peak.
Mu Xueyi, Hua Mei, Long Ping, Long Ting, Ling Yanluo, Hulu, and Qing Yue were already waiting there in attendance………
At the summit of Cai Mei Peak.
Amidst a pale white aura, Nie Kong’s Chaos Body was slowly reforming. The soul born from the Chaos then infused itself back within.
“This is the Grand Sovereign!”
Nie Kong abruptly opened his eyes; countless lives seemed to be revolving within his pupils, and an indescribably powerful sense of might surged through him. In virtually an instant, Nie Kong’s spiritual sense spanned the entirety of the Heaven Spirit Continent and the Netherworld—a consciousness that seemed capable of piercing all obstacles to probe the secrets between heaven and earth.
Immediately, Nie Kong captured a terrifying aura.
The Yin Xu Wood Ancestor!
It was an immense concentration of vitality, a dense verdure imbued with boundless power. Once unleashed, that power could shatter the heavens and destroy the earth.
At this moment, Nie Kong suddenly understood.
The Wood Ancestor’s realm was indeed suppressed at the Heaven Spirit realm, but the Wood Ancestor’s true strength was not merely the peak of Spirit God, as Nie Kong had previously speculated. His power was sufficient for him to cross the Heaven Spirit threshold and break through the peak of Spirit God at any moment, stepping directly into the Grand Sovereign realm.
But for some reason, he had not done so. Otherwise, the three ‘Dark Blood Spirit Worms’ of the Great Yan Spirit Venerable could not have ambushed him back then.
His spiritual sense brushed past the Wood Ancestor, conveying a clear sense of approval.
Subsequently, Nie Kong captured several other extremely powerful auras: the Void-Calm Grand Sovereign, the Pangu Grand Sovereign, the Thunder Dragon Grand Sovereign, the Panling Grand Sovereign, and his Master, the Seven-Colored Grand Sovereign.
All these auras originated from the distant Grand Sovereign Spiritual Realm.