Watching the receding figures of Tai Yan and Tai Ling Zun, Nie Kong felt the heavy boulder crushing his heart suddenly vanish, replaced by a wave of profound relief.

Now that Xiangxiang had managed to coalesce into a physical form, the little fellow could exist entirely independent of Nie Kong.

Away from Nie Kong, the Zixuan Space and the Illusionary Spirit Space would become the safest havens on the Celestial Spirit Continent, even the Underworld. As long as the little fellow concealed himself, even Chongxu Tai Zun and Pangu Tai Zun would be unable to locate him. Nie Kong held absolute certainty on this point.

Of course, this was predicated on Chongxu and Pangu not advancing to the Tai Yi realm.

The “Tai Yi Heavenly Venerable,” who surpassed the Tai Zun level, was truly monstrous, having spawned every single form of spiritual power and divine might in this world, even differentiating the Tai Zun Spirit Realm and the Illusionary Spirit Continent. If such a figure were present, Nie Kong couldn't guarantee the efficacy of the little fellow’s hiding spot.

Fortunately, throughout history, there had only ever been one Tai Yi Heavenly Venerable: the "Primordial Immortal Spirit."

This fact kept Nie Kong from falling into complete despair. Just moments ago, Nie Kong’s spiritual sense had swept out, not only gathering Long Mei Xian, Long Xue Chan, Yu Ting Lei, and his two daughters, but also summoning his two Masters from Jiyang City and Mu Hongling and the others from Luocheng.

Beyond that, he had also extracted a wisp of soul from many others.

Now, Nie Yan had absolutely no remaining concerns.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the roar at the World Gate intensified several times over, causing the entire void to violently surge, as if the firmament enveloping the Celestial Spirit Continent was about to shatter.

At this moment, Nie Kong could still clearly perceive the four terrifying auras beyond the World Gate. Three of these auras were quite familiar to Nie Kong: Pangu, Pan Ling, and Lei Long, the three Tai Zuns. The fourth aura’s intensity was equal to Pangu’s—it must be Chongxu.

"The World Gate won't hold!"

Nie Kong’s expression darkened slightly, and his body shot upwards, arriving instantly at the bottleneck of the "Void Secret Realm," "Wood Ancestor, what is the situation now?"

"Whoosh!"

Almost the instant Nie Kong’s words fell, a dense surge of emerald green energy erupted from the bottleneck like a tornado.

"Nie Kong, hurry in, the entrance to the Secret Realm is already—" Wood Ancestor's urgent voice followed.

"Boom!"

As if the apocalypse had descended, an earth-shattering explosion suddenly rang out, drowning out Wood Ancestor’s voice. Waves of sound rolled outward, instantly spreading to every corner of the Celestial Spirit Continent and the Underworld, shocking nearly every human inhabiting these two continents.

The World Gate was broken!

Nie Kong’s face changed drastically; the worst-case scenario had materialized: the opening of the "Void Secret Realm" and the breaching of the World Gate occurred almost simultaneously. Through the spatial barrier at the Yin Ruins, Nie Kong seemed to see the dark, gaping hole at the center of the celestial canopy now transformed into a pale, swirling vortex.

Spirit Control City, Jiyang City, Dragon Island, the Myriad Peaks Mountain Range in the Underworld…

Meng Feiyang, Xutuo, Xuba, Long Tiangong, and Mo Huang, who had just returned, all wore expressions of extreme gravity. With the World Gate breached, there was virtually no barrier left between the Celestial Spirit Continent, the Underworld, and the Tai Zun Spirit Realm. The true bodies of the supreme powerhouses from that place could cross over at any moment.

War God Mountain, in the depths of the War Clan's nether regions.

Hoo! Hoo…

Chi Lian sat quietly in meditation, the "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" floating above his head. Vast sheets of fiery clouds permeated from it, swirling around his robust figure.

The deafening sound of the World Gate breaking caused barely any disturbance to him.

At this moment, Chi Lian had entered an extremely profound state of mind, his form growing increasingly faint, as if he might dissipate at any second.

The bottleneck entrance of the Yin Ruins "Void Secret Realm."

Nie Kong took a deep breath, his turbulent thoughts instantly calming. Just then, two musical notes echoed in his mind: "Nie Kong…"

"Master?"

It was the voice of the Seven-Colored Tai Zun!

Nie Kong willed it, and a leaf materialized in his right palm. The surface of this leaf was dotted with seven colors; it was precisely the Seven-Colored Tai Zun’s amalgamation of seven spiritual leaves, tempered together. Before entering the "Great Beginning Cave Heaven," the Seven-Colored Tai Zun had given it to Nie Kong for self-protection; it stored enough power for two uses.

The first time, Nie Kong used it to repel the gravitational pull of the Blissful God Venerable. The second time was for protection when entering the sixth secret realm of the Cave Heaven. This “Seven-Colored Spiritual Leaf” bore the mental imprint of the Seven-Colored Tai Zun, but since Nie Kong’s return to the Celestial Spirit Continent, that imprint had severed contact with the main body of the Seven-Colored Tai Zun.

"Master, are you sealed in the Seven-Colored Divine Realm?" Nie Kong’s heart tightened in an instant. Through the mental imprint, he immediately grasped the Seven-Colored Tai Zun's predicament, causing him worry, as not only his Master and senior brother were in that Seven-Colored Divine Realm, but Qing You, Lan Ling, and Yu Long Yue were there as well.

"Do not worry, your Master and the others are not in immediate danger," the Seven-Colored Tai Zun sighed. "I didn't expect Chongxu and Pangu were plotting for the 'Primordial Immortal Spirit.' You must enter the 'Void Secret Realm' immediately; you absolutely cannot let them succeed. Cast this spiritual leaf outside the Yin Ruins, just drop it casually; Chongxu and Pangu will never notice it. I have my own way to make it return to the Tai Zun Spirit Realm to help me break the seal and leave the Divine Realm."

The instant the World Gate shattered, the Seven-Colored Tai Zun became aware of everything perceived by this mental imprint: "You must take extra care yourself."

"Yes, Master, you take care too."

This exchange of intent between Nie Kong and the Seven-Colored Tai Zun concluded in a flash.

With a wave of his right hand, Primordial Chaos Divine Power enveloped the "Seven-Colored Spiritual Leaf," sending it rushing past the Yin Ruins barrier. Then, without any delay, Nie Kong plunged into the emerald green tornado at the bottleneck. He noticed that Chongxu, Pangu, Lei Long, and Pan Ling had already entered the World Gate passage.

The moment Nie Kong’s figure vanished into the entrance of the "Void Secret Realm," the vortex at the Celestial Spirit Continent’s World Gate vibrated violently, and a figure flickered out—a young man with an ordinary appearance.

This person was Chongxu Tai Zun.

His eyes moved slightly, and Chongxu Tai Zun’s gaze seemed to pierce through the void, breaking the Yin Ruins barrier, and landing directly on the impossibly massive vase-shaped isolated space. His face remained undisturbed: "The 'Void Secret Realm' is actually within the Yin Ruins, fused with that ancient tree. It was indeed hidden deeply enough."

"Whoosh!"

Another figure stepped out of the World Gate passage.

This was a sturdy old man clad in gray robes, with frost-white hair and a face like dried orange peel, making him look extremely ancient, his back somewhat hunched. This was Pangu Tai Zun.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Following Pangu, a man and a woman arrived one after the other: Lei Long Tai Zun and Pan Ling Tai Zun.

"Over twenty Spirit Gods, and one of them is actually a Fifth-Grade Spirit God! In such a short time, to have allowed so many people to evade the interference of the Heart Demon Divine Mirror and advance to Spirit God—Nie Kong truly cannot be underestimated."

Pan Ling’s eyes flickered slightly, and the situation on the Celestial Spirit Continent and the Underworld was instantly clear to her.

But quickly, Pan Ling grew astonished: "Chi Lian is really still alive, and his power has recovered to the level of a Ninth-Grade Star God. Not good, he is attempting to break through to the Tai Zun realm!"