Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, stabilizing his Sea of Consciousness which still echoed with the thunder of the Nine Heavens' collapse. The images of the magnificent Golden Sky City, the Ancient Heaven Clan, and the powerful Fallen Heaven Warriors were all now imprinted within him. He saw his ancestor—that unparalleled young man—sacrificing himself and packing the remnants of the heritage to ensure a rebirth.

  But Zhi Xuan was not quick to conclude and act recklessly. He retrieved the shabby coffin back into his storage bag. His eyes stared coldly at the wilderness ahead.

  "I don't know what is right and wrong," Zhi Xuan said skeptically, he could not immediately trust the vision alone. "If that truly happened, why is the Nine Heavens Bead with me? This feels too... Odd."

  He could not accept this singular narrative just like that. History, especially when conveyed through an ancient scroll with a strong will, often favored the creator. His ancestor had created a narrative of sacrifice and downfall, but Zhi Xuan, tempered by the cruel cycle of life and death, sensed something hidden.

  He felt all of this was still too far for him to comprehend, about the Nine Heavens Bead that sealed Ruo Xianxue, about the Ancient Devil Monument, about his origins. It was all too soon to acknowledge.

  "Forget it, what should we do..." Zhi Xuan rose from the flat stone, pacing vaguely, followed by the moth. "All this is too heavy and makes my head feel like it's exploding."

  Zhi Xuan stopped and snapped his fingers, he turned and pointed at the moth, which immediately tilted its head in response. It innocently stared at its frustrated master.

  "Xiao Die! You were also abandoned by your mother, weren't you? When I found you in the Silver Moon Forest?"

  Xiao Die, the fist-sized Verdant Titan moth, blinked. Her compound eyes reflecting rainbow colors emitted profound intelligence, but her expression remained innocent, responding to the overly human question. Xiao Die flapped her wings once, creating a soft hum that felt like a calming touch in Zhi Xuan's mind.

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, patted his waist and took out an herb from his storage bag, which the moth immediately sampled to devour. Zhi Xuan sat back down on the flat stone, his long black hair fluttering gently. No longer tied with the heart-preserving jade since his closed-door cultivation for several years.

  He stared blankly ahead, the vision disturbing his mind. If that was truly his origin, why was he washed away in a mortal river? Was his parent also an Immortal? But why? He was born with a cracked mortal wheel at that time. Was that also a curse from something attacking his family? This all felt like it was not the time to ponder.

  'The Nine Heavens Bead, the Ancient Devil Monument, and the Heaven Clan Reincarnation Rune. They are all artifacts that should never be united, Monkey,' Ruo Xianxue interrupted, her voice in the Sea of Consciousness feeling heavy, as if she had just woken from a long and restless sleep.

  'Your Ancestor's heritage is about the Heavenly Dao, but the presence of the Ancient Devil Monument and myself in your Sea of Consciousness is the antithesis. You carry within you the seeds of Heaven and the Devil. That is the oddity.'

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw. Ruo Xianxue was right. He carried a cosmic conflict within the foundation of his soul.

  "Fine, enough with the ancient philosophy," Zhi Xuan decided with a firm voice, clearing his confusion. "The heritage is there, and Zhu Qinglan is in the Eastern Continent. I have two major goals, and both require resources and time. What is certain is that I must reach the Five Elements realm as quickly as possible."

  Zhi Xuan stood up again, this time with a clear purpose. He glanced at the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron which now hung in his hair as a dark jade-gold bead, emitting a stable warmth. The artifact was a weapon, but also an extremely powerful cauldron.

  "We will start with the cauldron," Zhi Xuan muttered. "I have abundant herbs, I have a high-level furnace, and I have the Azure Holy Flame soul fire. If I can transform those herbs into high-level Spiritual Pills, it will accelerate my cultivation throughout the First Ember Sanctum phase, and we can earn far more money than selling raw herbs."

  Zhi Xuan flipped his palm. The dark purplish light of the Azure Holy Flame ignited, radiating a controlled and pure heat.

  'A clever idea, Monkey. Pills are the true currency in the high cultivation realms,' Ruo Xianxue agreed. 'But remember, alchemy is an art that requires precise formulas. Don't try to mix herbs without a formula. You could blow yourself up.'

  Zhi Xuan nodded, he had to start moving again. Zhi Xuan rose once more, the moth, understanding its master wanted to continue, immediately changed to its original large size befitting a Verdant Titan. Zhi Xuan leaped calmly onto the moth's back, preparing for the long journey towards the center of the Southern Continent.

  "We will not fly at altitude, Xiao Die," Zhi Xuan commanded, his voice conveying a cold will. "Stay under the cover of the forest. We don't want to attract the attention of Foundation Transformation or Five Elements cultivators who might identify you."

  Xiao Die, now the size of a primordial eagle, emitted a melodious hum. She did not fly. Instead, thousands of silver threads from her wings extended, wrapping Zhi Xuan and herself in a faint jade light cocoon.

  WHUUMMPPH!

  Short-distance teleportation. The trees and ground beneath them blurred for a moment, and when the cocoon dissipated, they were already atop a distant hilltop, almost ten kilometers from the previous location. The Verdant Titan's movement ignored distance and obstacles, gliding straight towards the center of the Southern Continent.

  Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on Xiao Die's back, utilizing every gap in the journey to condense his Black Jade Essence. His goal was a large port city on the eastern coast of the Southern Continent, a place where he could find ancient alchemy formulas, or at least, merchants selling such formulas.

  In four days, they had covered a distance that would have taken weeks on foot. Xiao Die stopped in a thick forest, far from the main road. Zhi Xuan rose from the moth's back, landing on the ground.

  "We are close enough," Zhi Xuan muttered, calming his heart rate which had slightly increased due to the extreme concentration during Xiao Die's pseudo-teleportation.

  Xiao Die flapped her shimmering wings, returned to the size of a fist, and landed on Zhi Xuan's shoulder. Her calm presence was a counterweight to the cosmic chaos he now carried.

  "Ruo, I need guidance for alchemy," Zhi Xuan commanded in the Sea of Consciousness. "I need the formula for a Blood-Shedding Pill, one that will at least be effective for the First Ember Sanctum realm. I cannot waste my Black Jade Grass herbs."

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  Zhi Xuan knew he had survived with Taiyin essence all this time because he had the Azure Holy Flame suppressing the Taiyin essence, otherwise he would surely be gnawed from within by the remaining Taiyin essence. Only if he could reach Blood Transformation could he be at ease and free from this insecurity.

  He must find a solution to this problem first, before deciding to walk into the greater world.

  'Blood-Shedding Pill? You truly are a cautious monkey,' Ruo Xianxue retorted, her voice now sounding like an open ancient library. 'However, you won't need a Blood-Shedding Pill if you ascend to the Blood Transformation realm.'

  Zhi Xuan frowned. "Blood Transformation requires specific herbal soaking and high-level Spiritual Beast Essence. Ruo, right now I only have herbs. I cannot recklessly start Blood Transformation without it."

  'Then, you have no choice. You will stay here,' Ruo Xianxue said, her voice dripping with playfulness. 'You must immediately seek opportunities, or you will wait here forever until you reach Blood Transformation.'

  Zhi Xuan fell silent. Ruo Xianxue's words, though said in a teasing tone, contained a cold truth. Blood Transformation was the gateway to a higher cultivation realm and required a perfect foundation. Forcing it without the correct primary ingredients was suicide. However, he also could not be content with Spiritual Pills that only served as a delay.

  "Blood Transformation requires very rare Spiritual Beast Essence, doesn't it?" Zhi Xuan asked, his tone now a sharp whisper, as if seeking a crack in an impossible wall.

  'High-Level Spiritual Beast Essence that has condensed its Spiritual Blood. Seven Celestial Herbs and Fallen Petal powder—all can only be found in secret black markets, or from killing an Azure King level Spiritual Beast itself,' Ruo Xianxue answered, her voice returning to a strict instructor's tone. 'You have money, Monkey. But you have to risk your life to get it.'

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes, processing the information. Azure King. Only a few years ago, he nearly died at the hands of three of them in the Demon Mist Swamp. Facing one Azure King now, even though he was in the First Ember Sanctum realm with the Azure Holy Flame, was still a very risky gamble.

  However, high-level Spiritual Beast Essence was the absolute primary ingredient. There was no compromise in Blood Transformation. Using substandard ingredients was inviting permanent damage to his future Spiritual Blood.

  "No spiritual pill can replicate the effect of high-level Beast Spiritual Blood," Zhi Xuan muttered. "I must hunt an Azure King."

  A cold smile, filled with controlled madness, appeared on Zhi Xuan's lips. This was a risk that had to be taken. He would not let the Taiyin essence hold him back any longer.

  "We will seek the Eastern Port City," Zhi Xuan decided, his eyes open, shining with new determination. "There, we will sell spiritual pills from the herbs we have to buy information, alchemy formulas, and, most importantly, the location of an isolated Azure King."

  Zhi Xuan stepped calmly, walking into the primordial forests that characterized the Southern Continent, still too ancient with many valleys and cliffs indicating the Xingluo Plains—the plain where stars fell—was an ancient plain.

  Zhi Xuan walked slowly under the thick forest canopy. The contrast between the tranquil ancient forest and the chaos in his Sea of Consciousness was sharp. He carried within him the seed of a lost celestial civilization, yet his body was still threatened by the remnants of the deadly Taiyin essence.

  After walking some distance from the previous spot, Zhi Xuan stopped and sighed. He sharpened his Divine Sense and did not turn back.

  "You've been following me all this time, don't you want to come out now?"

  The silence of the forest suddenly felt tense. There was no answer, but Zhi Xuan felt a subtle shift in the Spiritual Essence behind him. It was not a Spiritual Beast; it was a highly skilled cultivator's Divine Sense, capable of hiding its aura until Zhi Xuan had to condense the Azure Holy Flame in his eyes to identify it.

  "A Divine Sense of First Ember Zenith," Zhi Xuan muttered to himself. He turned slowly, maintaining his calm expression, but his hand hanging by his side was ready to summon the Devil Blood Sword or unleash the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron.

  Behind the trunk of a giant tree, three cultivator figures stepped out. The three men were each tall and thin, wearing dull gray robes that camouflaged well in the forest environment. Their faces were marked with scars and their eyes radiated the sharpness only possessed by those who lived on the edge of cultivation—Forest Bandits.

  The leader of the group, a man with a sharp gaze and an aura emanating at the peak of First Ember Zenith, grinned. The two cultivators behind him were at the First Ember Eclipse level. They were clearly cultivators experienced in battle and ambush.

  "So, the Young Master does have sharp Divine Sense," the bandit leader said, his voice hoarse like burning wood. He stepped forward, his hand holding a silver dagger that emitted a low-level poison aura. "We've been following you since you passed the black moss valley. We must admit, you are very cautious. A First Ember cultivator with an appearance like yours, walking alone on the edge of this forest... It's an invitation too tempting."

  "Yes, and that spiritual beast," said one of the bandit's subordinates, staring at the moth on Zhi Xuan's shoulder. They knew it was a Beast with the Verdant Titan level. But they had adequate preparation. "Give the moth to us, and cut off your own arm. We will let you go."

  Zhi Xuan smiled coldly. The smile did not reach his eyes; it was a curve of the lips signifying disdain. Ten years in the cave had removed his past innocence, replacing it with the calmness of a cultivator who faced death as an old neighbor. He had left Shoutuo to find conflict and weave karmic threads, but what he found first were the dregs of rogue cultivation.

  "Forest Bandits," Zhi Xuan muttered, his voice soft and clear, breaking the tense silence. "Cut off my own arm? Even my hands and feet have never knelt to worship a god."

  The bandit leader's laughter sounded like grinding stone, cold and rough. "Arrogant brat! We have faced many geniuses like you. They all ended the same way: their bones stripped and their Essence absorbed by the earth. Don't think you can scare us with your handsome face and expensive robe."

  The Zenith-ranked bandit raised his poisonous dagger. "I will give you one more chance. That moth, though small, is a rare Spiritual Beast. We only want its Essence for medicine. Comply, and we will leave your corpse in a place worthy of being found."

  Zhi Xuan sighed, his gesture showing deep boredom. He glanced at Xiao Die on his shoulder. The moth tilted her head again, as if watching a bad drama.

  "You don't understand," Zhi Xuan said, his voice rising slightly, now filled with a radiating cold power. "I am not trying to scare you. I am telling you that you have just disturbed the travel plans of a cultivator who is in a hurry."

  WHUMP.

  Zhi Xuan released his aura pressure. The First Ember Sanctum level that he had been hiding suddenly exploded, not in the form of a turbulent shockwave, but in an incredibly dense and crushing pressure. The air around Zhi Xuan felt like it had turned into black jade, suppressing the surroundings.

  The three bandits immediately stumbled backward. The bandit leader's dagger fell to the ground, his eyes wide with horror. His First Ember Zenith aura, which usually dominated, felt like a candle blown by the wind in the face of Zhi Xuan's pressure.

  "S-Sanctum! An incredibly dense Sanctum foundation!" the Zenith bandit cried out, his voice trembling. "You... You are no ordinary rogue cultivator!"

  The two Eclipse bandits behind him were already kneeling, their Essence suppressed. In the First Ember realm, the difference between Zenith and Sanctum was a vast chasm, and Zhi Xuan's Azure Holy Flame foundation made that chasm feel like a cosmic void.

  Usually, cultivators only condense the First Ember Zenith, then step towards the Transformation realm. But for those with a Sanctum foundation, they would gain a foundation that would carry them further in cultivation. An unbeatable foundation only achieved by those who merge with the Soul Flame itself.

  "Of course not," Zhi Xuan retorted, stepping forward. Each of his steps felt like a small earthquake to them. "I am Zhi Xuan, and I am on my way to collect a promise made by a Holy Maiden of an Ancient Clan. Your business, compared to hers, is merely dust."

  Zhi Xuan raised his palm. He did not summon his Devil Blood Sword. He only summoned the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, which was now a dark jade-gold bead pulsating in the air above his hand.

  "You spoke of Spiritual Beast Essence for medicine," Zhi Xuan continued, his gaze as cold as ice. "I need High-Level Spiritual Beast Essence to break through to Blood Transformation, and I do not have time to hunt small fry."

  He rotated his palm, and the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron hovered in the air, emitting a calm jade-gold light. Under the terrifying pressure, the Zenith bandit tried to summon his Essence, but his Essence rebelled, suppressed by Zhi Xuan's powerful aura and the pressure from the Cauldron.