Zhi Xuan felt his body fully regained, like consciousness forcibly snatched back from a deep sleep. He blinked, his sapphire pupils encircled by red rings pulsed slowly. The golden circle that had just encompassed his eyes had faded, leaving him with a cold, hollow feeling and a slight confusion.

  Suddenly, he felt a weight on his waist and a very close, intoxicating scent. His newly refocused eyes looked straight at Zhu Qinglan's face—or rather, Zhu Qinglan's veil—which was now very, very close. His left hand, whose movement he did not recall, was circled around the Holy Fairy's slender waist, pulling her tightly into an unintentional embrace.

  Zhu Qinglan's face, hidden behind the veil, was now flushed crimson, her aura swirling wildly like a sea caught in a storm, but Zhu Qinglan did not attack. She stared at Zhi Xuan with her crystal-like ocean eyes, eyes that radiated a mixture of horror, boiling anger, and an indescribable strangeness.

  Zhi Xuan's sapphire eyes widened momentarily in surprise, immediately replaced by a calm and cold facial expression, sheathing the panic and embarrassment that began to prick him. He fully realized how serious the situation was. He had just passed the foundation test, gained Zhu Qinglan's acknowledgment, and accepted the Great Emperor's mission. Yet, Ruo Xianxue had torn all that progress apart with one impulsive act driven by boredom.

  "Holy Fairy Zhu," Zhi Xuan mumbled, his voice hoarse. He immediately released his hand from Zhu Qinglan's waist as if his skin had been burned. He retreated two steps, creating a spatial distance between them, his posture returning to cold formality.

  Zhu Qinglan did not move. She stood stiffly in place, her aura still surging wildly. The silence was so heavy that the air in the Jade Immortal Pavilion felt like fragile glass. This was an insult that surpassed logic; she, the Holy Fairy of an Ancient Clan, had been forcibly embraced by a Consciousness Transformation cultivator in her own domain, and what was worse, she was unable to attack.

  Zhu Qinglan finally took a breath, a rough, anger-filled gasp. The Water Law around her exploded in a small vortex, shattering the jade rocks nearby.

  "AUDACIOUS!" Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice now containing a deadly cold tone, an aura of the Ancient Clan's Great Emperor authority that had been violated. "Zhi Xuan, you dare! What kind of Devil trick did you just use?!"

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand, a cold gesture of peace. He knew an apology was nonsense in the face of humiliated majesty. He had to use the cruel truth. However, before he could speak.

  "Holy Fairy Zhu—" his voice was cut off as his body was once again suspended and thrown out of the Jade Immortal Garden. His shout was muffled by the same Earth Law Palm, which had slapped him in the Purification Pool and now slapped him again.

  The Earth Law Palm had no form, but it carried the unavoidable weight of authority, a will driven by the Holy Fairy's wrath. The slap did not destroy him; it merely swept, sending Zhi Xuan's body soaring into the air, penetrating the layers of the Jade Immortal Peak's Great Formation.

  Zhi Xuan was flung across the night sky of the Thousand Heavens Sect, his body spinning uncontrollably. He felt the familiar sensation of the karmic slap. The slap contained a very measured force, not enough to harm his newly stable Peak Consciousness Transformation foundation, but enough to send him as far away as possible and instill deep shame.

  "Damn you, Red Stone!" Zhi Xuan grumbled in his Consciousness Realm, while his body shot like an arrow fired by a Great Saint's anger. "You will pay the price for this stupidity!"

  Below him, the disciples of the Thousand Heavens Sect who were cultivating at night or on patrol were startled by the phenomenon in the sky. On an Ordinary Disciple Peak, where First Ember and Blood Transformation realm cultivators gathered, a group of new disciples was sitting cross-legged, trying to absorb spiritual energy.

  Suddenly, a disciple screamed. “Look! A shooting star!”

  Other disciples looked up, their eyes wide. Up there, streaking across the night sky adorned by the Sect's star formations, was a dark purple streak of light moving at dizzying speed. The light radiated a strange cold and sharp aura, as if the star was not made of heavenly light, but of frozen cosmic darkness.

  “A shooting star? That's not a star!” another disciple, a stronger Blood Transformation cultivator, cried out anxiously. “That aura… it's too strong! That is a Consciousness Transformation aura! But why is he…”

  Before he finished his sentence, the dark purple streak of light slammed into an ancient tree on the edge of the Peak, causing the ground to shake violently.

  BOOM! CRACK!

  The ancient tree shattered into pieces, its large leaves and thick branches scattering in the air like confetti. Wood fragments flew everywhere, and thick dust billowed, engulfing the area. The disciples staggered backward, some even falling to the ground in shock.

  “What was that?!”

  “Was that an enemy attack?!”

  “Did a cultivator fall from the sky?!”

  In the confusion, the dust slowly began to subside. In the middle of the small crater where the tree had stood, a black figure began to become visible. His black hair was disheveled, his robe slightly dirty with dust and leaves, but his posture, somehow, still maintained a cold elegance.

  Zhi Xuan stood in the middle of the crater, his sapphire eyes encircled by red rings flickering. He let out a long sigh, ignoring the horrified stares of the disciples who now realized that the shooting star was a cultivator. His Cleaving Metal Lungs worked brutally, purifying the dusty air around him.

  “Seems this slap is stronger than the last one,” Zhi Xuan muttered to himself, his voice low and flat, as if he were just commenting on the weather. He patted his robe, brushing off the dust.

  In his Consciousness Realm, Ruo Xianxue snorted again, a rare sound of amused laughter escaping the lips of the imprisoned Great Saint. “I think that slap is proof of how much she wants to bear a child for you, Monkey. Don't be disappointed.”

  "Shut up!" Zhi Xuan grumbled, he had no time for a Great Saint's joke. He could feel the eyes of dozens of disciples on him. He was unwanted attention.

  He looked up, glancing towards the towering Jade Immortal Peak, shrouded in a calm and peaceful water aura. He could feel the fluctuations of Zhu Qinglan's angry aura still resonating there. The slap, driven by the Law of Water and Earth, was a clear message. Do. Not. Ever. Come. Close. Again.

  "Shame," Zhi Xuan hissed, a burning sense of embarrassment overcoming him. He, a Peak Consciousness Transformation who had just defeated a Five Element cultivator, was now flung from the Holy Fairy's domain like a garbage sack. This was the price of Ruo Xianxue's stupidity, and he was the one who had to bear it.

  Zhi Xuan turned, ignoring the disciples who were still staring at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity. He did not want to explain the situation. Explaining that he had just been forcibly embraced by Holy Fairy Zhu by the Ancient Devil inside him, and then slapped out of her domain, was something that would tear the remnants of his honor.

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  He began to walk, stepping out of the crater he had just created. His steps were calm, but there was a hidden speed within them. He channeled essence to his feet, carving Space Runes beneath his soles, ready to execute the Cosmic Step and disappear from view.

  However, before he could disappear, a Blood Transformation disciple, who was bolder than the others, stepped forward, his hand trembling as he pointed at Zhi Xuan.

  “You… you are… Zhi Xuan?!” the disciple exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine shock. “The new disciple rumored to have jumped realms in the Purification Pool?!”

  Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh. His Cleaving Metal Lungs worked brutally. He knew rumors spread like wildfire. Being caught in the middle of the night, thrown from Jade Immortal Peak, and landing with a crash like this, would only worsen the rumors. He had no choice.

  He shifted his gaze towards the disciple, his sapphire pupils encircled by red rings pulsed. His Peak Consciousness Transformation aura, which carried the weight of the Perfect Five Divine Organs and the Devil Tree of Life, radiated momentarily. It did not attack; it was merely a demonstration of status.

  The disciple immediately took a step back, his face pale, feeling the immense pressure of Zhi Xuan's aura. The other disciples behind him also stumbled, some even falling.

  “Indeed, it is I,” Zhi Xuan replied, his voice flat and cold. “I was conducting a low-altitude flying practice. Is there a problem?”

  "N-no! No problem, Senior Brother Zhi Xuan!" The disciple stammered, fear clearly visible on his face.

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a faint mockery on his lips. He did not wait for a reply. With one Short Cosmic Step, his figure vanished in a flash of dark light, disappearing from the Ordinary Disciple Peak, heading towards the distant Sky Sword Peak.

  The disciples who witnessed the phenomenon stared at each other, their mouths agape.

  “Zhi Xuan… he… he just said he was practicing low-altitude flying?”

  “Low-altitude flying practice that smashed a tree to pieces?”

  “And he… isn't he the receiver of the Heavenly Blessing? He is so formidable…”

  “He is really enthusiastic about training, I will also cultivate until I can fly low like him!”

  A wave of whispers and speculation immediately spread like wildfire among the disciples, mixing fear, awe, and the excitement of gossip. Zhi Xuan, the Black-Haired Devil, had become a new legend in the Thousand Heavens Sect, a cultivator capable of causing chaos wherever he went.

  Meanwhile, Zhi Xuan stepped into the Cultivation Cave on Sky Sword Peak. He sat cross-legged on the jade platform, letting out a long sigh. The chaos tonight was truly beyond his control. He closed his eyes, allowing the cold calmness of his new realm to wash away the shame. He knew the act was not his will. It was a brief manifestation of a rotting ancient will, a Great Saint's arrogance that did not respect mortal boundaries.

  On the other side, at Jade Immortal Peak. Zhu Qinglan had returned to sitting on her silk cushion. Beside her, Mei and Ling'er, her attendants, stood quietly, waiting for what the Holy Daughter of the Zhu Clan would say. They certainly knew that the Holy Daughter had just met with the Black-Haired Devil again, which was quite surprising.

  The silence in the crystal pavilion returned, but now shrouded in a suppressed angry aura, far colder and sharper than Xu Sheng's anger before. The pure water aura around Zhu Qinglan no longer flowed gently; it spun in a controlled essence vortex, ready to explode at any moment.

  Mei and Ling'er, who were in the Late Organ Transformation realm and extremely loyal, knew their limits. They did not dare ask about the boom that had just been heard, or why Young Master Zhi Xuan, the term they used to respect their Holy Fairy's karma, suddenly disappeared at a shameful speed.

  Zhu Qinglan slowly raised her graceful hand. Her delicate fingers trembled slightly, a rare expression of uncontrolled emotion. She removed her veil. Beneath the veil, her incomparably beautiful face now radiated deep anger, a shameful blush still lingering on her cheeks.

  Mei and Ling'er held their breath. They had never seen their Holy Fairy Zhu show such deep anger, not even when the Zhu Clan faced a crisis threatening their power.

  Zhu Qinglan's eyes, as beautiful and deep as a crystal sea, stared blankly at the jade teacup in front of her, as if she was not seeing her own reflection, but the shadow of the Black-Haired Devil who had just violated her honor.

  “That bastard!” Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice now containing a deadly cold tone, a vibration that could tear mortal spiritual essence. She was the majestic Holy Fairy, a respected Five Element realm cultivator throughout the Nine Plains of the Lower Realms. Yet, one unexpected act from Zhi Xuan had torn her composure.

  “Holy Fairy Zhu…” Ling’er whispered, anxious. “Did… did Young Master Zhi Xuan do something inappropriate?”

  Zhu Qinglan clenched her jaw, the shameful blush deepening on her cheeks. She could not possibly reveal the embarrassing truth: that she was forcibly embraced in her own domain, and worse, the Ancient Devil's insane whisper.

  “He disrespected boundaries,” Zhu Qinglan cut in, her tone sharp. “He forgot his place. He thought, after he fulfilled the foundation I requested, he could do anything, violating the Ancient Law of our clan!”

  She raised her hand, and the pure water essence swirling around her condensed, forming a thin, sharp ice blade. The ice blade spun in the air, radiating a deadly Law, ready to cut.

  “He has a perfect foundation, yes,” Zhu Qinglan said, her eyes radiating cold analytical light. “He has a heaven-defying Dao, and now, he has unmatched Devil arrogance. I cannot let this continue. If he dares to mix that rotten Dao with the affairs of the Zhu Clan, it will be a disaster!”

  Mei, who was calmer and more calculating, stepped forward. “Holy Fairy Zhu, if Zhi Xuan has already met the requirements you set, and is now bound to the Great Emperor's mission. Are… are you planning to cancel the Dao Protector promise?”

  Zhu Qinglan closed her eyes again, letting out a sigh that carried the weight of deep powerlessness. She was a Holy Fairy, but she could not violate karma. The karmic bond that bound them was too thick, and the Thousand Heavens Sect's Great Formation had acknowledged it.

  “No,” Zhu Qinglan replied, opening her eyes. Firmness returned to her eyes, conquering the boiling anger. “I cannot cancel the promise. It is Law, and I am bound to the Great Emperor Ancestor. I need Zhi Xuan for this mission, he is the only one capable of doing it under realm suppression.”

  "I cannot let him go," Zhu Qinglan continued, her voice now containing a more controlled, but still steel-wrapped tone. She dismissed the sharp ice blade, allowing it to return to a gently swirling pure water essence. "But, I can bind him. I can remind him that being bound to the Zhu Clan's destiny is an honor, not permission to act savagely."

  She stood up from her jade cushion. Deep within her ocean eyes, Zhu Qinglan had made a decision. A decision that would avenge tonight's humiliation, reassert her authority, and at the same time, solidify Zhi Xuan's karmic bond to the Zhu Clan.

  "Mei, Ling'er," Zhu Qinglan said, her tone now an unassailable decree. "Immediately prepare Heaven's Breath Grass, two thousand High-Grade Spiritual Stones, and prepare the 'Third Heaven Thunder Slash' Law scroll for me to give to Zhi Xuan. Send them immediately to Sky Sword Peak, right now."

  Mei and Ling'er exchanged glances. That was an extremely generous gift, especially the Heaven's Breath Grass which was a rare herb for stabilizing the foundation in the Peak Consciousness Transformation realm, and the Third Heaven Thunder Slash which was a Heaven-Grade Martial Art from the Zhu Clan. Wouldn't this just make it seem like Zhu Qinglan was spoiling the Black-Haired Devil?

  “Holy Fairy Zhu, this… this is very lavish,” Mei whispered, confused. “Aren't you angry about his audacity?”

  Zhu Qinglan smiled faintly, a smile that contained frightening cunning, a side of the Holy Fairy rarely seen. “Exactly, I am angry. And I will teach him. Zhi Xuan is a Devil who only respects strength and calculation. If he thinks he can violate the clan's honor and then only be slapped into the air, he is sorely mistaken.”

  She walked to the edge of the pavilion, looking towards the Sky Sword Peak shrouded in darkness.

  "He said he just wanted to cultivate peacefully, didn't he?" Zhu Qinglan said, her voice containing a promise of danger. "Then I will give him peace. I will give him gifts that will greatly accelerate his cultivation, herbs, spiritual stones, and even a Heaven-Grade Martial Law. But in return..."

  Zhu Qinglan's ocean eyes narrowed. "Tell him, these gifts are an advance payment for the Great Emperor's mission. And in exchange for that unintentional embrace, I demand that he personally visit me every five days at the Jade Immortal Garden, for the next six months, to report his cultivation progress and receive Dao pointers from me."

  Mei and Ling'er were shocked. That was not just a punishment, it was an absolute binding. By demanding regular meetings, Zhu Qinglan was not only interrupting Zhi Xuan's cultivation; she was openly claiming a close relationship with the Black-Haired Devil in front of the entire Thousand Heavens Sect. This was a subtle declaration of war to all other Five Element cultivators and senior disciples who might covet Zhu Qinglan's honor.

  "This is binding and retribution, not humiliation," Zhu Qinglan continued, the sly smile on her lips widening. "If he thinks he is arrogant, I will show him that a Holy Fairy of an Ancient Clan can never be underestimated. Go, execute it immediately.”