The outside world spun quickly. News of the mysterious destruction in the Demon Mist Swamp, the disappearance of three Azure Kings, and the loss of the Pure Spring Pool became a whisper among treasure hunters and rogue cultivators in the Southern Continent.

  However, due to the lack of witnesses and the remote location, it only became a terrifying legend about a "Celestial Insect Calamity" that briefly appeared and vanished. The Jade Star Sword Sect and the Poison Sect, having lost track of Zhi Xuan, were forced to recall their Consciousness Transformation pursuers.

  They assumed that Zhi Xuan must have died at the hands of the Spiritual Beasts in the Swamp, or more likely, been sucked dry by the deadly Yin energy. With the loss of the Nine Lotus Blood Flower—the primary source of spiritual wealth—the Demon Mist Swamp slowly returned to being an avoided dead zone. The cultivators who were hunters stayed away from the place.

  The Dragon Fang Arena, upon hearing the news, considered the Black-Haired Devil to have disappeared, presumed dead and leaving behind the name as the winner of the mortal duel against fifty people. Shoutuo City continued to discuss the matter until it faded into the whispers of legend.

  One year passed. Inside the cave, Zhi Xuan sat upright, his skin emitting a dark jade glow. He had passed the Dawn phase of First Ember. The Azure Holy Flame in his Sea of Consciousness was now mature, radiating a stable heat that tempered him.

  He was not merely absorbing the Black Jade Essence from the Jade Dragon Ridge; he was also using it to condense every aspect of his existence, no longer relying on Taiyin essence, but rather converting every drop of Taiyin essence into pure energy, the Black Jade Essence that supported his Soul Flame.

  Every breath he took felt like a cosmic purification. Xiao Die, now resting on his shoulder, occasionally released a pure hum, which helped Zhi Xuan harmonize his Soul Flame with the Law of Four Seasons, especially Autumn—the symbol of falling to rise—and Summer to purify all that obstructed him.

  Three years passed. Zhi Xuan reached the Eclipse phase. His eyes, when he opened them, now contained a calm and cold depth, as if he had seen beyond the veil of life and death.

  Every movement, even when simply stretching, was filled with the latent power of the Azure Holy Flame. In this phase, Zhi Xuan began training with the ancient Devil Monument he had carved into the cave wall.

  Utilizing the essence of the ancient devil monument, which he merged with his Law of Four Seasons, he began to create a red thread on his finger. The thread was initially weak, but with continuous practice and purification by the Soul Flame, he managed to condense the red thread into a small sword that pulsed with dark energy.

  "Devil Blood Sword," Ruo Xianxue muttered, naming the manifestation of Zhi Xuan's Devil Essence and Law of Spring. It was his new primary weapon, concealed, powerful, and unique.

  Five years passed. Zhi Xuan reached the Zenith phase. His foundation had reached a terrifying level. He no longer sat still; he began to move within the cave, practicing subtle hand movements, summoning and dispelling the Azure Holy Flame in his hands.

  The heat he emitted was capable of evaporating the moisture in the cave, but he controlled it with ease. Xiao Die occasionally flew out of the cave, returning with rare spiritual fruits from the distant Jade Dragon Ridge—a sign that the Celestial Insect had now dominated and protected the territory without attracting the attention of human cultivators.

  Zhi Xuan ate the herbs, which further strengthened his Soul Flame and his body. During this phase, he decided to unpack the shabby coffin from his storage bag.

  He found an ancient jade scroll, several damaged skulls, and a pair of broken wings inside, vague clues about the coffin owner's identity, but Ruo Xianxue remained silent, only sighing. Zhi Xuan decided to put the coffin away again.

  Eight years passed. Zhi Xuan was on the verge of the First Ember Sanctum. He had perfected his Azure Holy Flame to the point where the fire felt like an extension of his will, pure and deadly. The Devil Blood Sword manifestation could now be transformed into a thin sheath around his arm.

  He had condensed the Law of Four Seasons, and was now capable of using the Celestial Samsara Wheel to channel large amounts of Essence instantly, an advantage no other First Ember cultivator possessed.

  Outside, the Southern Continent had returned to quietude. The Jade Star Sword Sect was busy with internal conflicts, and the Zhu Clan focused on developing their alchemy. The name "Zhi Xuan" was almost completely forgotten, considered a rogue cultivator who had turned to dust.

  Ten full years passed. Inside the quiet cave, a subtle rumble occurred. The spiritual energy in the Jade Dragon Ridge, which was thin, was suddenly drawn with a terrifying force, flowing into the cave. The energy wave, although not as strong as the Azure Holy Flame explosion, felt deeper, denser.

  Zhi Xuan had reached the limit of Zenith, and now, he entered the First Ember Sanctum. His Sea of Consciousness trembled, and the Azure Holy Flame at the core of his Samsara Wheel released nine layers of light, a sign of an unparalleled foundation in the Sanctum realm. His hair, which extended to his back, shone dark black under the light of the Soul Flame.

  His face, which once looked like a teenager's, now radiated the calm of a mature cultivator, yet his eyes still contained the cold mischief and madness. His figure towered before the sky, one span taller than an ordinary man, as if he was carved from a pillar of the heavens.

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. He stood up. His body, after ten years of tempering, felt like an indestructible jade vessel. He was no longer burdened by the fear of pursuit. He had become strong. His figure was tall and towering, flawless, and his hair was still loose behind his back, showing his figure was still the same as before.

  'Sanctum. You did it, Monkey,' Ruo Xianxue whispered, this time without scorn. 'In ten years, you have built a foundation that will make you undefeated by those in the same realm.'

  Zhi Xuan looked at the cave entrance. He stretched out his hand, and the dark purplish light of the Azure Holy Flame danced in his palm. On his shoulder, Xiao Die flapped her rainbow-gold wings proudly.

  "Ten years," Zhi Xuan muttered. He walked to the entrance, removing the Spiritual Diversion Formations that had been covered in Cosmic Pollen. "It's time to check in with the Zhu Clan and the Jade Star Sword Sect."

  The morning sun, which he had avoided for a decade, shone on his face. Zhi Xuan stepped out of the darkness, a First Ember Sanctum cultivator who had returned, ready to step back into Shoutuo City to see the world he had once left behind.

  The air of the Jade Dragon Ridge felt cold, pure, and refreshing on Zhi Xuan's skin. His black hair, which reached his waist, shimmered under the sunlight. He stood upright at the edge of the frozen waterfall—his retreat cave for a decade.

  "Sanctum," he repeated, feeling the deep yet satisfying emptiness of an achievement. The First Ember realm, with the Azure Holy Flame foundation, had given him a new confidence, the conviction that he could face ordinary Blood Transformation cultivators.

  Xiao Die, sitting on his shoulder, slid off his shoulder and flew in a circle in the air. She emitted a hidden Verdant Titan Aura, but Zhi Xuan could feel it. The moth grew in size and landed on the ground. Emitting a melodious hum that was menacing and sharp, befitting a Verdant Titan.

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  Zhi Xuan leaped calmly onto the moth, sitting cross-legged on it. "Xiao Die, return to Shoutuo City."

  Xiao Die did not fly, she moved with incomprehensible speed. The moth emitted a strange spiritual resonance, and in an instant, thousands of silver light threads stretched out from her shimmering wings. The threads wrapped around Zhi Xuan and Xiao Die, forming a faint cocoon of light.

  WHUUMMPPH!

  The cocoon of light disappeared with the sound of compressed air exploding. It was not ordinary flying movement, but extremely fast short-distance displacement, utilizing space. Xiao Die's Verdant Titan Aura had allowed her to ignore some minor laws, turning movement into nearly instantaneous teleportation.

  In a few hours, a journey that should have taken weeks on foot was covered. Xiao Die slowed down, the cocoon of light vanished, and they landed in a thick forest, a few kilometers outside the boundaries of Shoutuo City.

  Zhi Xuan dismounted from Xiao Die, who returned to her normal size, now sitting sweetly on her master's shoulder. His eyes scanned the environment, his Divine Sense filtering the thousands of energy fluctuations emanating from the city. Shoutuo felt more crowded, denser, as if over ten years, human ambition had grown boundlessly.

  He touched his long hair, then his shabby robe. Although he had reached the Sanctum realm, his appearance was still the same—a long black-haired youth with now-cold sapphire-blue eyes, and a spiritually purified, tattered robe.

  "Shoutuo..." Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, ten years ago he left Shoutuo as a naive youth pursued by Young Master Gu. Now, he returned with the same face.

  Zhi Xuan began to step slowly, his hair gently fluttering as if carried by the wind, his skin as white as jade and exceedingly handsome, stirring hearts even though he was not the same youth anymore. His sapphire-blue eyes now radiated a tempered sharpness. He stepped closer to a steamed bun vendor some distance before the Shoutuo entrance gate, deciding to ask for news of Shoutuo.

  Zhi Xuan walked with a disguised gait. Although he emitted the aura of a First Ember Sanctum, he deliberately suppressed it, making himself look only like an ordinary First Ember cultivator who had just returned from a mountain retreat. However, his long black shimmering hair and his jade-sculpted handsomeness still drew glances.

  He approached a simple hut selling hot steamed buns, located a few hundred meters outside the Shoutuo City Gate. The vendor was a friendly old woman, her face wrinkled but her eyes bright.

  "Mistress," Zhi Xuan greeted, his voice sounding soft and slightly hoarse after years of silence in the cave. He took out a few Spiritual Coins—the last remnants from the Dragon Fang Arena—and placed them on the table. "Give me three meat steamed buns, and would you mind sharing some stories with me about this city? I've just returned from a very long closed-door cultivation in the northern mountains."

  The old woman smiled broadly. She was stunned for a moment by the youth's handsomeness, but soon focused on the spiritual coins. "Of course, Young Master. The hot steamed buns will be ready soon. You really returned from closed-door cultivation, did you? Your face looks completely unchanged, as if time has forgotten you!"

  Zhi Xuan only smiled faintly in response, letting the woman interpret it as she wished.

  The old woman handed over the steaming hot buns. Zhi Xuan bit into it slowly. The spicy and savory taste of the meat felt like an explosion on his tongue—a refreshing contrast after a decade of herbal diet and pure air.

  "What do you want to know, dear?" the old woman asked while cleaning the table.

  "What happened to the Zhu Clan?" Zhi Xuan asked, his tone casual, as if he were only asking about a change in the weather. Xiao Die, resting on his shoulder, folded her wings tightly, ready to listen.

  The old woman's eyes widened, her voice filled with excitement. "Ah, the Zhu Clan. They are the saviors of Shoutuo City!"

  "Young Master, you must have been gone for a very long time! The Zhu Clan, they have now returned to the Eastern Continent, and that arrogant Gu Family has been wiped out!" The old woman began to tell the story enthusiastically, as if she had been waiting for someone to share this news with.

  "It happened about eight years ago, shortly after the whispers of the Celestial Insect Calamity subsided," she continued, leaning forward in a whisper, though no one else was around.

  "The Holy Maiden Zhu Qinglan—that beautiful and powerful girl!—she suddenly ended her alliance with Young Master Gu. Not only that, she brought several very terrifying cultivators from her main clan, and in one night, the Gu Family, from root to branch, was annihilated! They were accused of treason against the Hongmeng Empire. Completely wiped out, dear! Not a single one left!"

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his blue eyes, his expression calm but his Sea of Consciousness churning. Zhu Qinglan... she acted quickly. Eight years ago, right when he had just reached First Ember.

  "Then, what about the Poison Sect? And the Jade Star Sword Sect?" Zhi Xuan asked, his tone sharpening slightly.

  "Oh, that was also settled by the mighty Miss Zhu!" the old woman exclaimed, shaking her head in awe.

  "About six years ago, the Poison Sect—that terrible place that caused so much trouble in the surrounding villages—was suddenly attacked. It wasn't just the Zhu Clan, but a combined force of larger Sects funded by the Zhu Clan. Their leader, the Poison Sect Master, was captured and publicly executed in the main square! It is said that it was all part of the Holy Maiden's mission to 'cleanse' the southern trade routes. Now, the Poison Sect is under the control of an Elder who swore loyalty to the Zhu Clan."

  The old woman then sighed, her tone slightly melancholic. "As for the Jade Star Sword Sect... they were not destroyed, but they lost a lot of face. They tried to interfere when the Zhu Clan attacked the Gu Family, but the Holy Maiden Zhu only sent one messenger, and it is said that after the messenger spoke, the Jade Star Sword Sect Leader immediately turned pale. They immediately withdrew all their disciples from Shoutuo and focused on the internal conflict they had long suffered."

  Zhi Xuan leaned forward slightly, picking up his last steamed bun. He no longer needed to take revenge on the Gu Family or the Poison Sect. The karma he avoided had been resolved by someone else, and not only resolved, but done by Zhu Qinglan.

  'Tao Protector Vow'. The words spun in his mind. When he was captured by Senior Brother Qin and Junior Liu, he had made a cold promise to Zhu Qinglan to let her go, offering her to be his Tao Protector in the future.

  Now, not only was he not released, but she had also resolved Zhi Xuan's main problems in Shoutuo, indirectly resolving the problem of Star Village—something that should have been his karmic mission. Zhu Qinglan did not need his protection; she needed the promise he made, she sealed the promise he thought was nonsense and was truly waiting for Zhi Xuan to come knocking on her Holy Pavilion.

  "The Zhu Clan has returned to the Eastern Continent?" Zhi Xuan asked to verify.

  "Yes, dear," the old woman answered. "About two years ago, Holy Maiden Zhu announced her mission was complete. They returned to the Xingluo Plains, she said. Leaving Shoutuo City much safer and more prosperous than before. We all owe her a debt of gratitude."

  Zhi Xuan stood up, nodded, and left a few extra Spiritual Coins as a tip. "Thank you for the information, Mistress. You have helped me understand the world."

  The old woman looked surprised by his generosity. "May your cultivation succeed, dear. You are a kind young man."

  Zhi Xuan stepped away from the steamed bun stall, the spicy taste on his tongue feeling bland compared to the shock and complexity flooding his Sea of Consciousness.

  The Gu Family was annihilated. The Poison Sect was conquered. The Jade Star Sword Sect retreated.

  The purpose he carried when he left Star Village, the goal he hoped to achieve after years of brutal cultivation, had been fulfilled by the hands of another. Not by coincidence, but through the planned and swift actions of the Holy Maiden Zhu Qinglan.

  'She did not want you to die over such trivial matters, Monkey,' Ruo Xianxue scoffed, though there was a heavy note of recognition in her voice. 'The Zhu Clan used the Gu Family as an excuse to expand their control over the northern trade routes, and Zhu Qinglan used the Poison Sect as a pawn for the same purpose—all hidden behind her mission. But, this is the thickest thread of karma you have ever tied.'

  Zhi Xuan stopped walking under the shade of a large tree by the roadside. He looked towards the towering stone gate of Shoutuo City.

  "A thread of karma?" Zhi Xuan muttered. "She completed my mission, saved the karma of Star Village, and eliminated my enemies. All of it done to secure a promise I made under duress?"

  'Exactly,' Ruo Xianxue countered. 'You promised to be her Tao Protector. For a Holy Maiden of an Ancient Clan with talent like hers, that promise is worth more than ten Nine Lotus Blood Flowers. She did not need your Divine Wheel power then; she needed your future. And now, she has ensured your path is clear, waiting for you to come to collect the debt of that promise in the Xingluo Plains.'

  Zhi Xuan felt a cold touch on his shoulder. Xiao Die, who had returned to the size of a fist, touched his neck with her antennae, as if giving silent approval. The moth, a Verdant Titan, was not troubled by the affairs of Ancient Clans. She only recognized the thread of her master's karma.

  'Do not act like I am a man desperate for a woman,' Zhi Xuan snorted in his mind, he definitely remembered the moments when he was stared at by Zhu Qinglan in a bound state, in front of her who was then sitting on a silk cushion. 'She already said, when I reach a realm higher than Five Element. Only then do I deserve to knock on her Holy Pavilion.'