The three Forest Bandits, although surprised by Zhi Xuan's Sanctum aura, were not completely intimidated. A life on the razor's edge had instilled a cruel madness and instinct for survival in them. They were rogue cultivators, and for them, honor meant nothing; there was only life and death, strength and spoils.

  The Zenith Bandit leader, named Hong, took a long, sharp breath, ignoring the pain in his Sea of Consciousness.

  "Sanctum or not, you are only one person, Arrogant Brat!" he roared, his eyes filled with a deadly, desperate glint.

  "We are the Three Forest Wolves! We have killed over a dozen Sanctum cultivators in these corners of the Southern Continent! Your wealth is on you, and you will die here!"

  Hong snapped his fingers, and his poisonous dagger that had fallen to the ground leaped back into his hand. Simultaneously, the two Eclipse Bandits behind him—named Lin and Gou—rose with a snarl, ignoring Zhi Xuan's aura pressure by channeling their crude and wild Essence.

  "Wolf Killer Cauldron Formation!" Hong roared.

  The three bandits immediately spread out, forming a triangle around Zhi Xuan. Their spiritual Essence, though chaotic and crude, swirled together, creating a layered pressure field. Hong's dagger, Lin's thorny whip, and Gou's large axe all emitted a unified aura of murderous intent.

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, his composure slightly fading, replaced by sharp concentration. He knew these bandits were not fazed—they were accustomed to death.

  "Ruo, they are channeling crude Essence through a formation, this is going to be a dirty fight," Zhi Xuan muttered.

  Zhi Xuan did not allow them to complete their formation. He waved his hand, and the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron on his palm shot out. The dark jade-gold Cauldron did not strike with pure force; it targeted Hong's legs, the weakest point in their triangular formation.

  WHIRR!

  The Cauldron shot out like a shadow. Hong, being a Zenith, reacted faster. He channeled Essence into his poisonous dagger and threw it towards the Cauldron.

  CLANG!

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron and the dagger collided in mid-air. The silver dagger was immediately deflected, but the Cauldron was also momentarily halted. Hong did not release his Essence; he used the attack as a diversion.

  "Now!" Hong shouted.

  Lin and Gou attacked in unison. Lin's six-meter-long thorny whip shot from Zhi Xuan's right, while Gou's heavy axe, emitting a violent aura, swung from the left, aiming to cleave Zhi Xuan in two.

  Zhi Xuan channeled Essence into his left hand. The dark purplish aura of the Devil Blood Sword immediately enveloped his arm, forming a thin, deadly gauntlet.

  CRASH!

  Zhi Xuan parried Lin's thorny whip with his left arm covered by the Devil Blood Sword. The Devil Blood Sword, manifested from ancient Devil Essence and the Law of Spring, did not just hold the whip; it severed the whip in two, leaving the remaining crude Essence shattered.

  However, he had no time to counterattack. Gou's axe had already arrived.

  Zhi Xuan leaned back. The axe only grazed his black-red robe, but the sheer force of the Eclipse attack was enough to send him sliding backward, his feet scraping the forest floor and leaving a two-meter-long trail.

  "Quick and ruthless!" Hong roared, leaping into the air and attacking from above with his poisonous dagger, which was back in his hand, targeting Zhi Xuan's neck.

  Zhi Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his Sanctum Essence shaken. These bandits, though lower in realm, relied on deadly teamwork and a madness that made them ignore injury.

  "Too slow, Monkey!" Ruo Xianxue protested in the Sea of Consciousness. "Use your Laws! They rely on physical strength!"

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw. He rotated the Celestial Samsara Wheel and immediately channeled the Law of Four Seasons—Winter.

  WHOOSH!

  As Hong leaped in the air, a bone-chilling cold suddenly spread from Zhi Xuan's body. It was not ordinary Spiritual Essence; it was pure Winter Essence, a Dao law that caused the Essence of objects to become slow and stiff. Hong's aggressive movement suddenly slowed in the air. His poisonous dagger, which should have struck Zhi Xuan's neck, now moved as if in thick syrup.

  This was the gap Zhi Xuan needed. He did not attack Hong. He recalled the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron back to his side, and this time, he channeled the Law of Autumn into it.

  "Wither!" Zhi Xuan hissed.

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shot towards Gou, who was still in the axe attack position, trying to pursue Zhi Xuan.

  BAM!

  The Cauldron struck Gou's chest. The dull collision sound was immediately followed by a terrifying scream of agony. The Law of Autumn contained within the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron instantly drained Gou's Life Essence.

  Before Lin and Hong's eyes, Gou's body, a formidable Eclipse cultivator, suddenly withered. His skin turned gray, and his Essence instantly dimmed, as if he had aged over a hundred years in one second. Gou fell to the ground, his body trembling, his spiritual Essence nearly exhausted.

  Seeing the instant death of their comrade, Lin and Hong did not retreat; instead, their madness intensified. They were true bandits; they would fight to the death.

  "You killed Gou! We will skin you, Brat!" Lin roared, his Essence surging. The thorny whip in his hand suddenly lengthened, emitting a stronger poison aura. He swung the whip wildly, creating a net of poisonous thorns aimed at Zhi Xuan.

  At the same time, Hong, who had successfully freed himself from the Winter restraint, moved extremely fast. He dropped his poisonous dagger and summoned a low-level Spiritual Sword, the Snake Tail Sword.

  Zhi Xuan knew he could not let these attacks land. He took a deep breath, letting the Azure Holy Flame Essence in his Sea of Consciousness spin wildly. He condensed his Sanctum foundation to the highest level.

  BOOM!

  Zhi Xuan's spiritual pressure increased again, far exceeding what was normal for Sanctum. He was not just using realm pressure; he was using the pressure of the Ancient Heaven Clan he had just inherited.

  "I will purify you!"

  Zhi Xuan channeled the Law of Summer into his Devil Blood Sword. The dark purplish gauntlet suddenly released a wave of scorching heat. He ran forward, instead of dodging.

  ZZZZZTTT!

  When Lin's poison-filled whip made contact with the Law of Summer, the whip did not just burn; it was purified. The poison instantly evaporated, and the whip itself melted into a smoking liquid, leaving Lin weaponless and with severely burned hands.

  Hong, seeing his comrades neutralized in an instant, leaped backward, his face pale. "What artifact is that? And what kind of Law is this?"

  "The Law of Four Seasons. A Dao that surpasses your crude elements," Zhi Xuan replied coldly. He swung his Devil Blood Sword forward—a quick horizontal motion.

  Hong desperately raised his Snake Tail Sword to parry.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  CLANG!

  Hong's Spiritual Sword, though poisonous, only managed to withstand Zhi Xuan's attack for a split second before the Devil Blood Sword, shrouded in the Law of Summer, sliced it in two, then continued its path.

  Hong screamed in pain as the Devil Blood Sword cut across his right shoulder. Black blood spurted, Hong's crude Essence surged, and he was thrown against a hard tree.

  Zhi Xuan wasted no time. He was not looking for information from them. His main goal was to clear his path.

  He kicked Gou and Lin aside. He walked slowly towards the gasping Hong, who was leaning against the tree, his severed shoulder bleeding.

  Hong, though injured, did not lose his spirit. He grinned with blood on his teeth. "Damn you, Brat! Even if you kill us, you will get nothing!"

  "I don't need your treasures," Zhi Xuan retorted. He summoned the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron back. The Cauldron, emitting a calm jade-gold aura, hovered beside his head.

  "I need you to stabilize my Soul Flame," Zhi Xuan hissed.

  Zhi Xuan channeled the Azure Holy Flame, and the dark purplish aura enveloped the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. He did not use it to attack; he used it as an Essence Absorbing Cauldron.

  "Law of Autumn!"

  The Cauldron shot into the air above Hong's head. An Essence vortex immediately formed. Hong, who was already severely wounded, felt his spiritual Essence being pulled with irresistible force.

  "NO! DON'T TAKE MY ESSENCE! ARGHHH!" Hong screamed.

  Hong's chaotic and crude spiritual Essence, forged over years of slaughter, was absorbed by the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. The Cauldron did not absorb it into Zhi Xuan; it purified it inside the cauldron, transforming the crude Essence into a stable clump of pure energy.

  Zhi Xuan used the remaining energy from the Cauldron to annihilate the other two bandits. In a matter of seconds, the three formidable Forest Bandits were reduced to dry ash, and their Essence had become nourishment for the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron.

  Zhi Xuan took a long, satisfied breath.

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron landed calmly in his hand, emitting a pleasant warmth. Inside it, he sensed a small clump of purified energy—enough to help him condense his Sanctum foundation a little further.

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and the Cauldron immediately returned to a bead in his hair. Zhi Xuan held his stomach and coughed up blood again. Using the Law of Four Seasons severely drained his essence. Even though he only mastered a primitive level, it was enough to suck his essence until he was exhausted.

  "Ugh... I can't always use this," Zhi Xuan muttered, gritting his teeth. "Even if it's just a primitive law, the Dao runes in my Divine Wheel are barely holding up."

  Zhi Xuan wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. He knew the vomiting of blood was not due to a serious injury, but due to acute Essence exhaustion. Activating the Law of Four Seasons integrated with the Celestial Samsara Wheel required a massive amount of Essence—a steep price for power that transcended the realm.

  Zhi Xuan walked towards the dry ash remnants of the three bandits, searching for their storage bags. A cultivator's storage bag would not burn; only by changing the seal on the storage bag could a cultivator steal the contents inside another cultivator's storage bag.

  He found three shabby storage bags made of wild animal skin. Although the contents were undoubtedly crude, for Zhi Xuan who was still lacking formulas and resources, it was an unexpected treasure.

  Zhi Xuan picked up the storage bag of Hong, the Zenith leader, and carved a simple seal in the air with his finger. His subtle Black Jade Essence quickly penetrated and destroyed Hong's crude and chaotic spiritual seal.

  Zhi Xuan flipped the storage bag, and its contents spilled onto the flat stone he had cleared. There were no extraordinary treasures—mostly low-level spiritual herbs hunted wildly, some blood-stained spiritual coins, and, most interestingly, a few shabby scrolls.

  He ignored the herbs and coins, focusing on the scrolls. Most were regional maps marked with the locations of wild beasts and trade routes, but one scroll caught his attention. Zhi Xuan picked up the scroll and opened it.

  "Green Cloud City," Zhi Xuan muttered, staring at the painted letters that showed a city, marked with the shape of a green mountain. Shoutuo City was very far away. The map also showed that Zhi Xuan's current position was the periphery of the Southern Continent, and when he widened the scroll.

  Zhi Xuan held his breath, his eyes glued to the shabby map scroll spread out on the stone. The map was far more valuable than all the Pure Spiritual Stones he had obtained in Shoutuo. It was not just a regional map; it was a rough sketch of the Xingluo Plains, covering five continents—East, North, South, West, and Central. Shoutuo City, which had been the center of his world, was just a small dot on the periphery of the Southern Continent.

  "Xingluo Plains..." Zhi Xuan muttered. Zhu Qinglan had returned to the Eastern Continent, indicating she had powerful backing and strength. This map, though crude, gave him a picture of the scale of the journey awaiting him. He never knew, the plain adorned by stars every night, the talk of other continents, was so small in his mind.

  The scale shown by the map completely destroyed the remnants of the worldview he carried from the past. The Southern Continent, which he considered vast, was only one of the five pillars of the Xingluo Plains surrounded by primordial forests, meteorites, and an impossibly thick Spiritual Essence that could not be penetrated without high-level artifacts.

  "I think... All this time I have misunderstood the continent." Zhi Xuan knelt, touching the map scroll with his fingertip. His Essence exhaustion and blood-vomiting felt trivial compared to this realization.

  'Don't let your drool drip!' Ruo Xianxue scolded, jolting Zhi Xuan back to reality. 'This is only one plain out of the Nine Plains in the lower realm. You will know the higher realms when you reach the limit of the lower realm later. Now, stop acting like a duckling and continue the journey!'

  Ruo Xianxue's reprimand felt like a cold whip of awareness. Zhi Xuan took a deep breath, refocusing his attention from the cosmic scale to the reality before him. Zhi Xuan sighed, closing the map scroll with a careful gesture. He realized that his journey had just begun. He was not just a cultivator seeking immortality; he was a cultivator fighting to challenge an unimaginable scale.

  "You are right," Zhi Xuan muttered. He carefully rolled up the map and stored it in his storage bag, now his most precious treasure. "I must move forward. There is no use lamenting my insignificance."

  He turned to the shabby storage bags of the other two Eclipse bandits. Their contents were almost the same: some withered spiritual herbs, hunting gear, and a small amount of spiritual coins—only enough for a few days of a mortal cultivator's meals.

  However, inside Lin's storage bag, he found something useful. A thin jade scroll wrapped in lizard skin. Zhi Xuan channeled a little Divine Sense. The scroll glowed faintly.

  "Low-level Blood Bone Pill Formula," Zhi Xuan hissed, his eyes shining.

  Although this was not the ideal high-level Blood-Shedding Pill, this formula could help stabilize the Essence within his body and reduce the risk posed by the remaining Taiyin Essence, buying him the time needed to seek the actual Blood Transformation ingredients. It was a perfect compromise for now.

  Zhi Xuan patted his waist, storing the formula scroll and other herbs in his storage bag. He stood up straight, exhausted, but his heart filled with a new and tangible purpose. Zhi Xuan rotated his Divine Wheel, and in a flash, he darted like a shadow through the primordial forest paths. He did not want to risk using the moth again, which would be easily suspected and pursued.

  Zhi Xuan sped through the forest, his speed in the Sanctum realm making him appear like a shadow gliding between the trees. Although he had just experienced Essence exhaustion, his motivation was now much stronger. He had a map showing a new horizon, and he had an alchemy formula that promised stability.

  He knew his nearest destination: Green Cloud City, a location he had identified from Hong's map. The city must be larger and more important than Shoutuo, and he would seek two things there: more alchemy formulas to start his business, and information about the whereabouts of an Azure King.

  On his shoulder, Xiao Die emitted a gentle rainbow hum, as if giving silent approval.

  "Xiao Die," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice filled with a cold promise. "We are no longer playing in small sandboxes. Now, we will begin hunting in the larger plains."

  He sped up, leaving the ash traces of the three Forest Bandits behind him. Within him, the seeds of Heaven and Devil began to coalesce, condensed by the newly stabilized Soul Flame. Zhi Xuan was no longer burdened by past fears; he was obsessed with the future he had to conquer, step by step, from the mortal realm towards the vast Xingluo Plains.

  Zhi Xuan leaped from root to root, his movements fluid and flawless, as if the ground was yielding a path for him, not him searching for one. His black robe trimmed with red silk still clung to him, his long black hair flowed like an autumn wind, his sharp sapphire-blue eyes scrutinizing every path.

  As evening approached, he decided to stop by a clear river. Gathering some firewood, he then made a small bonfire sufficient for himself. He flicked the Azure Holy Flame, in a slightly exaggerated manner, he flicked the fire onto the firewood which immediately ignited.

  "Look, how handsome I am while lighting a fire for you, young maiden."

  Zhi Xuan muttered to himself, his eyes focused on the firewood now blazing with a high-level Soul Flame. He was speaking to Xiao Die, who was sitting sweetly beside the bonfire, but he made gestures as if he was charming a beautiful young girl.

  Xiao Die merely tilted her head, her compound eyes reflecting the purplish light of her master's Soul Flame. She let out a low hum that sounded like laughter, then gracefully flew and landed on a nearby tree branch, away from the heat of the fire.

  'Young Master Zhi Xuan, you truly haven't changed. Ten years in isolation and you are still trying to charm an insect, and failing,' Ruo Xianxue scoffed.

  However, that was immediately replaced by Ruo Xianxue's low, hoarse chuckle, making Zhi Xuan shiver down his spine.

  'Oh... Do you miss Holy Fairy Zhu already?' Ruo Xianxue whispered, which Zhi Xuan immediately responded to with a jolt in his body. His face warmed for a moment before he coughed lightly.

  "I do not. Don't you remember what I said? Beautiful women are scary."

  Zhi Xuan sighed, sitting cross-legged beside the bonfire which radiated stable heat. He took out a spiritual fruit he had saved from the Jade Dragon Ridge and began chewing it. The taste was pure and cool, replenishing his drained Essence.

  'Scary? Zhu Qinglan saved your ass from the entire Gu family and the Poison Sect. She cleared your path, ensured you lived and prospered. That is not scary, Monkey. That is Heaven-Level Karma Binding Strategy,' Ruo Xianxue corrected, her tone returning to an authoritative primordial being. 'You promised to be her Dao Protector, and she ensured that promise was kept. She is a patient predator.'

  Zhi Xuan swallowed his mouthful of fruit with difficulty. "That's what scares me, Ruo. She is not just strong; she is too smart. I would rather fight ten Azure Kings than negotiate with a woman who has already planned ten years ahead for me."