Nie Kong was suddenly startled. The seal of the Chongxu Grand Venerable vanished in an instant, the imprisoned soul fully awakened, and immediately grasped the little one's intent.

Upon realizing he faced an irresistible crisis, the little one had actually dissolved its own body, releasing the memories held within the seal. Those memories contained his countless years of cultivation history since birth from the void, as well as his various experiences regarding that supreme Taizhi Realm.

Originally, after the little one reawakened and its strength increased, these memories would naturally be released and integrated into its newborn soul. As long as its strength recovered to the peak of the Grand Venerable level, the Taizhi state within the memories would allow him to achieve the Taizhi Grand Venerable realm smoothly once more.

However, in the very moment before his consciousness was about to solidify, the little one poured this entire memory hoard, without reservation, into his soul.

The most important thing to the little one was not its physical body, but the Taizhi Realm it possessed. Chongxu and Pangu had plotted for over ten millennia precisely because by refining the little one, they could completely absorb its realm and claim it as their own, allowing themselves to step into the Taizhi Realm.

The little one’s choice deeply shook Nie Kong’s heart. The instant the soul broke through the seal, he discovered a Void Body rapidly generating itself from the chaos...

"The seal is broken, what happened?"

The mountain peak abruptly stilled. The figure of the Chongxu Grand Venerable manifested outside that mass of chaos, a look of undisguised astonishment spreading across his face.

"Time, freeze!"

Chongxu Grand Venerable roared, abruptly raising his right hand and pointing his index finger at the mass of chaos. Wisps and threads of fiery-red energy spread out like a spiderweb, instantly enveloping the chaos. In a flash, not only did space congeal, but time itself seemed to be frozen solid.

"Crack!"

Moments later, a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out. A long fissure appeared on the surface of the chaos mass.

Chongxu Grand Venerable’s face, which had just relaxed, stiffened again. A flicker of disbelief crossed his eyes, which held infinite vicissitudes.

Crack, crack...

Crisp sounds followed one after another, and the fissures on the chaos surface increased.

The mass of chaos was like an egg that had been incubated for a long time, with the chick inside constantly pecking at the shell, striving to break free from its confinement.

In the blink of an eye, the surface of the chaos was riddled with cracks.

"Freeze!"

Chongxu Grand Venerable hissed, pointing his finger down again. The fiery-red energy surged forth from his fingertip, actually penetrating deep into the thousands of cracks.

"This, this..."

In just a brief instant, Chongxu Grand Venerable recoiled as if bitten by a snake, hastily retracting his finger. His face instantly filled with horror, and he muttered in disbelief, "Void Body... Void Body... He actually refined the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit'! Impossible, impossible, how could he refine the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' when his soul was sealed?..." By the end, his expression had become extremely ferocious.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion suddenly vibrated outward.

The mass of chaos disintegrated into dust, and the fiery-red energy covering it shattered instantly. A nearly transparent body soon manifested from the pulverized chaotic power. Judging by the vague outlines of its features, this person’s appearance was identical to Nie Kong’s.

"Nie Kong, you deserve to die!"

Mixed with panic, shock, and disappointment, the Chongxu Grand Venerable had long lost his composure. He roared, unleashing a palm strike with blinding speed.

Whoosh!

The body seemed nonexistent, as Chongxu Grand Venerable’s palm passed right through it.

"I absolutely refuse to believe you could refine the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' after being sealed!" he shrieked hysterically. Chongxu Grand Venerable’s figure merged into the mountain, and the fiery-red peak began to expand and contract wildly, an unparalleled crushing force surging in from all directions.

Terrifying power incessantly annihilated the body, then exploded outwards in layers, yet it seemed unable to inflict any damage upon him.

Not only that, but the shadowy, transparent body actually grew more solid.

In just a few seconds, a brand-new Nie Kong emerged, standing silently within the peak like a statue. At this point, although Nie Kong’s exterior appeared identical to the real person, within him, there seemed to be no power at all; the whole being was like a void.

"It wasn't me who refined the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit'; rather, the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' integrated its realm into my soul." Nie Kong opened his eyes, stepped forward, and walked out of the violently expanding and contracting giant peak as if strolling leisurely. The waves of crushing force offered him no resistance.

"Tai... Tai...—"

The mountain fell silent abruptly. The voice of the Chongxu Grand Venerable trembled out, the tone holding an incomprehensible complexity, tinged with both fear and rage. But immediately after, Chongxu Grand Venerable roared uncontrollably, "Idiot! Idiot! That 'Chaos Immortal Spirit' is such an idiot!—"

"Chongxu, to enhance your power, you could use the 'Primordial Void God Formation' to siphon the souls of countless living beings. How could you possibly comprehend the 'Chaos Immortal Spirit's' actions? After wasting so much time, it’s time to end this!" Nie Kong sneered, suddenly pressing his right palm lightly toward the giant peak.

Wherever the palm passed, the majestic form of Chongxu Grand Venerable's mountain shattered into pieces.

"Nie Kong, you..."

Chongxu Grand Venerable seemed to finally realize the vast gulf between the Grand Venerable and the Taizhi realms. Before he could finish speaking, a miserable cry escaped him, and a figure shot out from the giant peak, fleeing into the distance. The moment this figure vanished, the entire mountain manifestation was pulverized by Nie Kong's palm.

"Freeze!"

Nie Kong turned leisurely, watching the figure that had fled dozens of miles away, and calmly uttered this single syllable. As his word took effect, the Void Secret Realm instantly solidified. Chongxu Grand Venerable remained frozen in the posture of having his leg raised and arm swung, like an eternally unmoving sculpture suspended in the void.

With a step, Nie Kong appeared beside the Chongxu Grand Venerable.

When Nie Kong was still at the Grand Venerable level, the Chongxu Grand Venerable, who had one foot stepped into the Taizhi Realm, seemed immensely powerful and utterly arrogant. But now, in the hands of a true "Taizhi Grand Venerable," Chongxu Grand Venerable was like fragile clay and rotten wood, easily crushed.

Yet, looking at Chongxu’s frozen form, Nie Kong couldn't feel joy. His Taizhi Realm had been bought by the little one's self-sacrifice.

"Yiya!"

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed deep within his soul.

Nie Kong could hardly believe himself. Soon, he saw countless specks of white light separating from his soul, coalescing into the chubby, milky-white "Chaos Immortal Spirit."

The little one at this moment had dim eyes and was extremely weak.