A flicker of joy crossed Nie Kong’s brow, and he couldn't help but press the question urgently, "Wood Ancestor, you have now completely merged with the 'Void Secret Realm.' Have you sensed the existence of the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit'?"

"No."

The Wood Ancestor let out a wry chuckle. "Little fellow, your excitement has made you muddle-headed. Merging into the spatial barrier has indeed reinforced the 'Void Secret Realm,' but it has also constrained my sensory abilities. Right now, I am limited entirely within this barrier and am utterly ignorant of the true state of the 'Void Secret Realm.'"

Nie Kong laughed, realizing his oversight. "Indeed, I was confused; I completely forgot about that point. Wood Ancestor, then quickly familiarize yourself with it, and open the 'Void Secret Realm.' I must enter immediately! We absolutely have to seize the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' before Chong Xu and the others blast open the realm gate passage."

"........."

Without waiting for the Wood Ancestor's reply, Nie Kong’s spiritual sense withdrew from the mouth of the vase, returning to his physical body.

At the bottom of the spring eye, Nie Kong’s eyes snapped open. After instinctively looking around, his pupils constricted slightly, and a hint of astonishment touched his expression.

By now, the spirit vein had completely vanished, leaving only a deep pit where the spring had been. Inside this pit, the vase-shaped "Void Secret Realm" stood towering, its form incredibly immense.

Nie Kong shot out like lightning, leaping clear of the pit, which was several thousand meters deep. He discovered that this chasm merely accommodated the base of the vase. Above, below, left, and right, there was only an endless expanse of green, stretching as far as the eye could see—a scene identical to when he had first encountered the true form of the Wood Ancestor.

After the Wood Ancestor’s true form and the Yin Ruins Spirit Vein merged into the "Void Secret Realm," the latter had taken the Wood Ancestor’s original place, "planting" itself here. Green energy permeated outward from the vase body, bathing the area in vibrant life. The spectral image of the giant tree within the vase seemed to have come alive, rendered with stunning realism.

Nie Kong moved like a stream of light, rocketing upward. At an altitude of ten thousand meters, he finally reached the mouth of the vase. Peering inside, the depths seemed unfathomable, as if concealing infinite mysteries.

"Nie Kong, opening this 'Void Secret Realm' might take two or three days," the Wood Ancestor's voice suddenly resonated.

"Two or three days?" Nie Kong paused, surprised.

"The spatial barrier contains countless pieces of information that the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' has received from the outside world since gaining consciousness. The vast majority of this data is useless. I must absorb all of it before I can find the method to unlock the 'Void Secret Realm.'"

"Then I can only wait a few more days!"

The Wood Ancestor spoke the truth, and Nie Kong could only forcefully suppress the anxiety gnawing at his heart. This "Void Secret Realm" hadn't been willingly handed over to the Wood Ancestor by the "Chaos Immortal Spirit"; the Wood Ancestor had forced the merger. Successfully merging didn't instantly grant control over the realm.

The entity in control, from beginning to end, was the slumbering "Chaos Immortal Spirit." The Wood Ancestor merely possessed usage rights. Fortunately, any independent space retains the memories of its owner. Only by absorbing and digesting this massive volume of data could the Wood Ancestor truly open the "Void Secret Realm."

Now, all Nie Kong could do was wait.

With a quiet sigh, Nie Kong’s spiritual sense entered the Zilu Space.

Hua Mei, Tai Yan, Hulu, and the others were all cultivating within this domain. Nie Kong had brought them all out of the Spirit Abode before heading toward the Realm Gate, and he had even specifically partitioned a small area for Hua Mei, Long Ping, Long Ting, and Ling Yanluo—the girls whose cultivation was slightly weaker. This small zone contained only incredibly abundant spiritual energy elements, devoid of divine power elements, ensuring their cultivation proceeded without interference. As for Bai Yuqing, Hulu, and Qing Yue, who were already Heavenly Spirit powerhouses, they mingled among Long Tiangong and Hua Pianxian and the others.

A sweeping scan of his spiritual sense confirmed the cultivation status of everyone in Nie Kong’s mind.

Before entering the "Zilu Space," Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian were all close to being Second-Grade Spirit Gods. After cultivating here for a significant period, coupled with the effect of the "Ling Long into God Pill," Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian had all advanced to Fourth-Grade Spirit Gods.

Zhan Xinzi, in particular, was at the peak of Third-Grade Spirit God before taking the medicine. Since then, he had broken through twice consecutively, achieving Fifth-Grade Spirit God status.

Among the newly ascended Spirit Gods on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, Xu Tuo, Xu Ba, Long Tiangong, Hua Caidie, and Nie Kong's mother, Mu Xueyi, were all already Third-Grade Spirit Gods. During the time Nie Kong was assisting the Wood Ancestor in merging with the "Void Secret Realm," several other Heavenly Spirit Masters and Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Masters had also broken through.

To achieve such an overall increase in strength for both the Heavenly Spirit Continent and the Underworld in such a short span was certainly commendable, but it still bore no comparison to the "Grand Exalt Spirit Realm." If Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Da Yan were excluded, any moderately sized sect in the "Grand Exalt Spirit Realm" could easily overpower the Heavenly Spirit Continent and the Underworld. The sheer number of Third and Fourth-Grade Spirit Gods mattered less than a single Ninth-Grade Spirit God, or even an Eighth-Grade one.

It was a pity; there wasn't enough time... If Nie Kong had been given two more years, he would have been confident enough, relying on his "Zilu" and "Zi Ling" dual spaces, to cultivate enough Spirit Gods on the Heavenly Spirit and Underworld Continents to contend with the Grand Exalt Spirit Realm.

Fortunately, they were not entirely defenseless now; the Underworld had Chi Lian, and the Heavenly Spirit Continent had him and Tai Yan.

"Brother."

A soft voice suddenly reached Nie Kong’s ears. He turned to see Tai Yan floating over, a broad smile on her face as she proudly presented her rather substantial belly to him. A warmth spread through Nie Kong’s heart, and he couldn't resist reaching out to gently stroke her round abdomen a few times.

Not far away, Da Yan Ling Zun, suspended in the void, seemed to sense something. She abruptly opened her beautiful eyes and glanced over. Upon seeing Nie Kong's hand, her gaze chilled slightly, and she let out a muffled, almost resentful hum. But immediately after, she shook her head, a mixture of frustration and helplessness coloring her features. Her current strength was too far beneath Nie Kong's; no matter how displeased she was with his actions, she could do nothing to stop him.

"Tai Yan," Nie Kong began to softly utter her name, but the sound cut off abruptly as both their gazes shifted to the left.

"Boom!"

Elemental energy exploded, and a pillar of smoke, condensed from a surge of power, suddenly materialized. Another person had broken through the shackles of Ninth-Rank Heavenly Spirit, stepping into the Spirit God realm.

This person was Mo Tian, the master of the Luosheng Mountain.

As the smoke dissipated, Mo Tian opened his eyes and examined his body, his face alight with unconcealed, ecstatic joy. He had never dreamed he would one day transcend life and death to achieve Spirit God status. The feeling of explosive power growth made the confidence in his chest swell limitlessly.

However, the moment he caught sight of Nie Kong standing to the side, gazing at him with a gentle smile, Mo Tian felt his balloon of confidence instantly deflate. He harbored a deep, ingrained reverence for Nie Kong. Back at the founding ceremony of the Medicine King Palace, if he hadn't been quick to understand the shifting tides, he would have long since turned to dust alongside She Qianbian and the others. Later, during the subjugation of the Spirit God Hall, he even served as a willing vanguard to prove his loyalty. Since then, the Luomara Holy Mountain had followed the Medicine King Palace’s lead in every endeavor. When the various levels of alchemist academies were established on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, the Luomara Holy Mountain contributed significantly.

His actions had brought generous rewards: not only did he earn the opportunity to enter the Zilu Space, but he also received a "Snake Dragon Entering God Pill" refined by Nie Kong, ultimately leading to his breakthrough into the Spirit God realm today. Yet, the stronger he became, the more profound Nie Kong's inscrutability appeared to him.

A Spirit God is to the Grand Exalt what an ant is to a giant elephant!

This thought flashed rapidly through Mo Tian's mind. He bowed deeply and respectfully to Nie Kong until Nie Kong waved a hand, whereupon Mo Tian settled back into a cross-legged position.