"Exactly, brat," Ruo Xianxue replied. The misty illusion on his face shifted, as if the Ancient Devil was smiling widely. "You are the vessel, and the vessel needs to be filled correctly. Severing one chain has drained a small portion of the scattered soul essence I managed to collect over thousands of eras. I need time, and most importantly, I need more pure energy."

  "Pure energy?" Zhi Xuan repeated, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to project calmness even though his spiritual body was still trembling under the pressure. He ignored the spiritual pain in his meridians and focused on cold logic. "You just siphoned the essence of three Golden Azure Kings. If that is not pure enough for you, what do you want? A Heavenly God's Core?"

  "And wait a moment," Zhi Xuan interrupted before allowing Ruo Xianxue to speak again, his sapphire blue eyes scrutinizing the illusory figure before him. With one movement, he attempted to... Slap? Yes, he slapped the illusion and only produced misty smoke.

  Zhi Xuan flinched, and he quickly stepped back. His previously frightened face now erupted in laughter, as if returning the mockery of the misty illusory figure, his hand hovering and pointing at the illusion like mocking a lost little girl.

  "You, you do not even have a spiritual body," Zhi Xuan chuckled, unable to suppress a low, pure laugh. "And what is that? Your face is even made of mist!"

  The Sea of Consciousness instantly fell silent, only the low rumble of the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel vibrating far above broke the stillness.

  Zhi Xuan's pure laughter, although driven by suppressed panic, flowed freely. In the face of the menacing Ancient Sacred Devil, Zhi Xuan suddenly found a fundamental weakness: Ruo Xianxue was nothing more than a scattered shadow, an imprisoned will. His impulsive nature and ability to find crazy angles that made him seem foolish had emerged.

  "Ha! Look at you! The Ancient Sacred Devil of the Fall of Nine Heavens Era! Who claims himself to be Heaven, who became the Devil itself—you do not even have a face to be proud of!" Zhi Xuan scoffed, he pointed with his trembling finger, now radiating mockery instead of terror.

  Ruo Xianxue, the illusory figure shrouded in ancient mist, froze. His sacred and oppressive majesty suddenly felt awkward amidst the childish laughter attack.

  "Impudent monkey!" Ruo Xianxue hissed, his voice now containing genuine anger, no longer just cold arrogance. The mist forming his figure churned wildly, and the oppressive aura that was previously as cold as an icy abyss now heated up with fury. "You dare to laugh at my destruction?! I, who once trampled Seven Saints before the gates of the Forbidden Realm?!"

  "That was in the past!" Zhi Xuan countered, he leaped back two steps, maintaining distance, but his eyes still radiated sharp mockery. "Now, you are just a bubble afraid of being popped! Try to touch me! I dare swear, your touch will not even feel like a tickle!"

  Ruo Xianxue did not attack. He could not. His will, divided and bound by the eight remaining chains, forced him to limit direct attacks in the Sea of Consciousness. His anger peaked, and the mist forming his figure spun at high speed, as if the Ancient Devil was struggling to restrain himself from exploding.

  "Monkey. Enough." Ruo Xianxue's voice, though still made of ancient echoes, suddenly became chillingly cold, as cold as Millions of dead Stars. His anger was no longer fiery, but concentrated into a will that was able to hold Zhi Xuan's laughter in his throat.

  The wild fluctuation of anger was immediately caught by the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel, which spun faster, dampening the waves of chaos in the Sea of Consciousness. Zhi Xuan flinched, the abrupt end of the laughter making him cough once. He returned to his calculating demeanor, clenching his jaw, but he did not retract his last taunt. He had found a weakness.

  "Alright," Zhi Xuan said, his voice returning to a flat and cold tone. "I have interrupted your majestic destruction, Your Eminence Ancient Sacred Devil. Now answer my question honestly. What do you need?"

  Ruo Xianxue's illusory figure, which had now stabilized its mist, looked like a silhouette that was much more terrifying because it was restraining its anger.

  "The pure energy I speak of is not a Heavenly God's Core or your foolish thoughts," Ruo Xianxue hissed. "Pure energy is like a pool of jade essence, like the one you found previously in the Southern Mountains. But now, you will get a better one when you pass the heavenly selection."

  "Heavenly Selection?" Zhi Xuan asked. "You mean, the legacy and insights of the Great Path that Fei Sheng spoke of? The resources obtained by the top ten?"

  "Precisely," Ruo Xianxue replied, his voice now returning to a cold and majestic tone. "The top ten candidates will be granted access to the Three Heavens Jade Purifying Pool in the Thousand Heavens Sect. That Pool contains essence collected from the best spiritual vein roots in the Central Continent. It is energy clean of mortal karma and Yin impurities."

  Ruo Xianxue stepped forward, and Zhi Xuan instinctively did not back down. His cold will was locked.

  "I need the essence of that Three Heavens Jade Purifying Pool to restore a small fraction of my complete soul, not just the scattered essence," Ruo Xianxue explained. "The essence of the three Azure Kings was only enough to awaken me and sever one chain. I need that Pool to restabilize the Ancient Devil Monument, preventing the nine remaining chains from randomly tearing your soul apart."

  "So, I must be in the top ten," Zhi Xuan said, processing the information quickly. "And in return?"

  "In return?" Ruo Xianxue's voice now sounded gentle, yet contained a terrifying promise. "You borrow my power. I sever a chain. You give me the Three Heavens Jade Purifying Pool, and I will give you the Knowledge of the True Dao that I have collected for tens of thousands of years. The legacy from the Era of the Fall of Nine Heavens, monkey."

  "Knowledge," Zhi Xuan repeated. That was an impossible offer to refuse. Knowledge of the Ancient Dao was a treasure far more valuable than all the artifacts in the Lower Districts. "I mean, shouldn't extensive knowledge be gained from individual understanding?"

  Ruo Xianxue let out a long sigh, an ancient sigh that sounded like dust crumbling from a forgotten pyramid. The illusory figure tilted his head slightly, as if weighing Zhi Xuan's pathetic spiritual progress.

  "Individual understanding... is the boast of superficial Heavenly Dao cultivators," Ruo Xianxue scoffed. "The Law of Heaven only offers incomplete Laws. The Great Dao is for those who tread the Heavenly Path by submitting to the Heavenly Law."

  The figure stepped forward again, this time his mist became denser, revealing an elegant yet menacing silhouette, as if a statue of a goddess made of shadow.

  "The knowledge I offer is not insight into the Law of Four Seasons or that foolish technique of yours, brat," Ruo Xianxue hissed, his voice containing majestic authority. "I will give you knowledge of the Ancient Sacred Devil Grand Scripture, a Dao I formed myself, one that rejects the Law of Heaven—knowledge that will give you an unparalleled foundation in any realm, even when you ascend to the Immortal Realm."

  Zhi Xuan, whose heart had long been cold towards grand promises, felt an undeniable pull. A Grand Scripture that rejected Heaven—a Dao formed by an Ancient Sacred Devil who once challenged the Forbidden Realm. It was knowledge that could change Destiny.

  "This knowledge," Zhi Xuan said, his voice choked by seriousness. "Is it good for me? Will it deviate my own Dao? Although I do not trust you, I do not even trust the vision of the fallen Ancient Heaven Clan, saying I am their descendant. I will not step onto an uncertain Path."

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  Ruo Xianxue, whose illusory figure now looked like a statue of a goddess carved from night itself, laughed softly. The laughter was no longer unsettling or childish; it was the laughter of an Ancient Saint witnessing the hesitation of a withered stalk.

  "Deviate your Dao?" Ruo Xianxue hissed, his voice filled with majestic scorn. "What is your Dao right now, monkey? Blood Transformation Dao? The Dao of a forest brat who crawls towards survival? Law of Four Seasons Dao? You, do not even possess an absolute Dao."

  "You do not possess a Dao, admit it. You only have potential that needs to be shaped. And for that, you need sharp insight and proper guidance, not just running aimlessly in the wilderness. Your rotten Dao right now will only lead you to a pathetic death." Ruo Xianxue flipped his hand, and on his slender illusory palm, an ancient symbol consisting of the dual pupils of the Sun and Moon appeared and vanished in an instant.

  "What I give you is an unparalleled Grand Scripture; my Dao is the Dao that devours, that absorbs, and that carves," Ruo Xianxue said, his voice now containing a deep vibration of Law. "It will give you a Path—and develop your Path to a level that even Heaven dare not dream of. You will only become a stronger vessel, not a slave. And I, the Ancient Sacred Devil, do not need weak slaves."

  The threat was uttered honestly. Ruo Xianxue, in his majestic arrogance, would not admit that he was afraid, but he admitted that he needed Zhi Xuan—and that he would only use Zhi Xuan if Zhi Xuan was strong.

  Zhi Xuan was silent. Ruo Xianxue's scheme was cruel, but the reward promised absolute greatness. A Great Path that rejected Ancient Heaven. This surpassed the Devil Purifying Formation offered by Yan Shen, which only promised stability and prevention; Ruo Xianxue promised Mastery.

  "Five Golden Azure King cores," Zhi Xuan said, his voice cold and calculating, returning to his sharp mindset. "If I pass and obtain the Three Heavens Jade Purifying Pool, you will get what you want. But in return, you must give me a portion of that Grand Scripture now. I need a foundation to face this Heavenly Selection, not just empty grand promises."

  'Clever monkey. You dare to negotiate with the Venerable Ancient Sacred Devil,' Ruo Xianxue hissed, there was a tone of agreement in his voice.

  "You dare to demand?" Ruo Xianxue countered, but his mist did not churn with anger, but with approval. "You are not even worthy to see a sliver of the Ancient Sacred Devil Grand Scripture, with your current self. When you reach a place equivalent to Yan Shen, no. When you reach Soul Transformation, you will understand what the true Great Path is."

  "I am not demanding the entire Grand Scripture," Zhi Xuan retorted, he stepped forward with cold will. He looked at Ruo Xianxue's illusory figure, his sapphire eyes radiating an unstoppable sharpness, a will that had been etched by countless dangers and calculations in the wilderness.

  "I only demand something that will give me absolute control over what you have implanted in me," Zhi Xuan continued, his voice calm, letting the threat and negotiation be balanced. "You have severed one chain. My essence is now chaotic. I need a way to control my essence efficiently, at least until this selection is over. If I cannot control that energy, I will never reach the top ten, and you will return to sleep, waiting another million years."

  Zhi Xuan raised his left hand, showing the hidden Devil Seed deep in his Sea of Consciousness, a dark vortex point in the middle of the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel.

  "I need a basic understanding of the Law of the Nine Heavens Darkness, a sliver of insight to stabilize and understand the power you lent just now."

  Ruo Xianxue's illusory figure tilted his head. The previously oppressive aura now trembled, as if the Ancient Devil was contemplating. He had planned to let Zhi Xuan suffer from essence instability until he reached the Jade Purifying Pool, but now Zhi Xuan demanded an understanding of the Law.

  "Do you know what you are saying?" Ruo Xianxue hissed sharply, his voice whistling and making the sea of consciousness turbulent. "The Law of the Nine Heavens Darkness is not a technique scroll or artifact game. This, is the Supreme Law, brat. And you, with your current strength, will not be able to bear the suffering if you see a sliver of the Supreme Law."

  From the tremor, Ruo Xianxue manifested a vision, a vague memory of the Fall of Nine Heavens. The Supreme Law, was a law created by the Great Immortals in the past, of which only fragments of the Great Law now remained. The Fall of Nine Heavens, was a terrifying collapse. Heaven and Hell fell and were destroyed by the attacks of the Immortals from the Forbidden Realm.

  Zhi Xuan was stunned, his eyes widened and saw how Heaven and Hell were destroyed in the midst of a great war, how the bones of Immortals were scattered, how countless realms collapsed with just a single slash.

  It was absolute destruction, where even the most majestic strong person seemed like an easily destroyed toy. The spiritual pain piercing his soul was far worse than the Lightning Leopard's attack.

  'This... is the Fall of Nine Heavens,' Zhi Xuan muttered in his consciousness, he could feel the despair, anger, and unmatched arrogance in that vision—Ruo Xianxue's own emotions as he witnessed his clan being destroyed by the Immortals from the Forbidden Realm.

  In an instant, the vision vanished, replaced by Zhi Xuan's turbulent Sea of Consciousness. Zhi Xuan collapsed, clutching his head. Spiritual sweat drenched his illusory body in the Sea of Consciousness.

  "This... is not Law," Zhi Xuan hissed, his voice filled with shock and also a horrifying understanding. "This is... destruction. The manifestation of the End of Everything."

  "Precisely," Ruo Xianxue replied, his voice returning to calm, yet containing a hint of satisfaction for having scared his vessel. "And you, want to understand what I understand as a Saint? You are too naive, brat. Even this entire lower realm, with just a flick of my finger in my prime, would vanish, not shatter."

  Zhi Xuan took a deep spiritual breath, allowing the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel to rotate the mist of his Sea of Consciousness, calming the wave of terror he had just faced. The vision of the Fall of Nine Heavens was more terrifying than all the dangers he had ever faced in the real world. It was a fleeting glimpse of the end of everything.

  Zhi Xuan found himself standing straight again, forced by his stubborn Dao will. He ignored the throbbing pain deep in his soul. He had seen absolute destruction, a vision that should drive any Blood Transformation cultivator insane, yet he only found his core hardening.

  "I am not asking for the Supreme Law," Zhi Xuan countered, his voice now returning to cold and sharp, a perfect reflection of the youth carrying the burden of ancient Heaven karma on his shoulders. "I only want understanding, understanding for stability and comprehending the power you lent just now. That is all I need to reach the top ten."

  Zhi Xuan pointed at his Divine Wheel, which trembled faintly. Although instinctively, his spiritual essence and spiritual blood absorbed the essence from the Secret Realm. However, he would not be able to progress, and certainly this weakness would allow Feng Yi or Fei Sheng to do something unexpected to him.

  Ruo Xianxue was silent. His majestic illusory figure hovered in the turbulent sea of consciousness. He no longer saw Zhi Xuan as an impudent monkey, but as a stubborn piece of jade—one capable of enduring a glimpse of the Fall of Nine Heavens and still standing firm. This potential surpassed Ruo Xianxue's calculations.

  "Stubborn monkey," Ruo Xianxue hissed, his voice containing a tone of cold acknowledgment. "Your request is cunning. You are not asking for power, but control."

  The illusory figure raised his slender hand, and the black mist in the sea of consciousness was immediately drawn to his fingertip, condensing into an intricate rune. The rune extended and surrounded Zhi Xuan with a complicated majestic light.

  "This, is a sliver of understanding," Ruo Xianxue said, his tone calm and cold. "I am not giving you cheap techniques or heavenly understanding, because you are too foolish. I am only giving you an understanding of how you increase control over yourself, control over the essence you release."

  Zhi Xuan immediately sat cross-legged on the sea of consciousness, closing his eyes and absorbing the understanding that the rune radiated. It was inner control, a sliver of understanding of how Zhi Xuan should treat his essence, treat his spiritual blood, and increase control over his essence.

  The rune flowed into the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara Wheel, which responded with a gentle rotation. The Law of Four Seasons immediately spread, not to reject, but to analyze and assimilate. Zhi Xuan felt his essence, which was previously drained and chaotic, now slowly returning to a regular circulation pattern. The control given by Ruo Xianxue was understanding, a key to managing the chaos to come.

  'This is only a basic control understanding,' Ruo Xianxue hissed, his voice returning to a cold tone of scorn. 'I am not wasting grand knowledge on you. You only get the key to lock the door so your vessel does not crack.'

  "This is enough," Zhi Xuan muttered, he opened his sapphire eyes, which now radiated the calm depth of an icy abyss, no longer any trace of madness or panic. He stood up, his spiritual body feeling solid again, his mental exhaustion receding.

  Zhi Xuan let out a spiritual sigh, a sign that he had returned to full control. He then stared at Ruo Xianxue's illusory figure, who was now passive again, satisfied with the exchange.

  "I will obtain the Three Heavens Jade Purifying Pool," Zhi Xuan said, his tone cold, not a promise, but a statement. "And you will give me the Ancient Sacred Devil Grand Scripture when I reach the Soul Transformation realm. This is a contract."

  "The contract has existed since you were born with the Nine Heavens Bead, monkey," Ruo Xianxue replied, ending the argument. The illusory figure began to fade, returning to the black mist shrouding the bound Ancient Devil Monument at the bottom of the Sea of Consciousness. "Now, go back and use this efficiency that you have paid for dearly. Those Three Azure King Cores are waiting for you in the mortal world. Do not waste this exchange. They are my first small seeds."

  In an instant, the ancient aura vanished, and Zhi Xuan returned to the outside world, his consciousness returning to his physically weakened body slumped on the volcanic ground.