Outside the cabin, the atmosphere returned to silence, but the stillness felt heavy, like oppressive mercury. The new disciples still on the deck of the Continent Crossing Vessel hurriedly returned to their cultivation cabins, not daring to glance in the direction of the top three geniuses who had just finished their clash. The tension, which had just broken realm boundaries, left a profound sense of dread.

  On the main deck, Fei Sheng let out a long sigh, clearing away the remnants of Consciousness Transformation pressure still clinging to his Law of Wind. He turned to Feng Yi, whose face was still pale, but her eyes radiated a brighter, more dangerous light.

  "Verdant Titan," Fei Sheng muttered, opening his jade fan with a slow movement. "The only reason we could remain standing firmly against Wang Mao was because we were backed by the authority of the Thousand Heavens Sect. But Zhi Xuan... he used an Ancient Law. He created his own Sky."

  "Not just a Sky," Feng Yi replied, her voice sharp and low. "The Thousand Feathered Moth will not submit to an ordinary bond. That is a sign. A sign that Zhi Xuan's Dao—be it rotten or pure—holds a majesty that Ancient Beasts cannot refuse."

  She looked towards where Zhi Xuan had stood before the youth stepped back into his cabin. "Those tears were mortal weakness, Brother Fei. But that weakness is the root of his Dao. He knows what he must protect, and he will use anything to protect it."

  Fei Sheng smiled faintly, a smile full of understanding and a touch of admiration. "A unique Dao. A defiant Dao. Perhaps that is why Elder Yan Shen is so interested in him."

  In the cramped cultivation cabin, Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on the jade mat. He closed his eyes, allowing his newly tempered Black Jade essence to circulate, clearing the remnants of anger and arrogance he had just displayed.

  He did not regret his decision to let Xiao Die act. Weakness was a luxury he could only show in front of Mei Hua. In front of Wang Mao, weakness meant death and usurpation.

  "Good, Monkey," Ruo Xianxue hissed, his tone now containing cold satisfaction. "You learn to use the power at your disposal. The fortieth ranked Heavenly Insect is not an ornament. It is a living Law that you control."

  "I know," Zhi Xuan replied. "I will not sheathe a sword when I can use a spear. I just do not want to attract unnecessary attention."

  Zhi Xuan could feel that Han Jue's calm demeanor, unlike Fei Sheng, but the aura Han Jue radiated seemed capable of tearing him apart from the inside without him realizing it. He did not know what would happen, but he did not have a good feeling about that first genius.

  "I must be more careful," Zhi Xuan muttered, his voice dripping with sharp calculation. "Han Jue is only one step away from understanding to reach Five Element. He is not an easy opponent."

  "Monkey, attention is unavoidable when you have a Sky-level Artifact and a Verdant Titan Ancient Beast hiding in your robes," Ruo Xianxue interrupted with a piercing tone. "Wang Mao is merely an earthworm consumed by rage. Han Jue is the real problem. He, with his Golden Dragon Law, understands the true weight of your Dao."

  "He covets the secret of my Dao," Zhi Xuan said, his voice as cold as a newly formed ice surface. He opened his eyes, a sharp sapphire flash quickly crossing them. "He does not care about the Soul Artifact or even Xiao Die. He covets the secret of my will, I could feel that intent when facing him."

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw, the composure he had just gained immediately replaced by sharp, cold calculation. Han Jue was not provoked by the Artifact, nor by the Beast. He was only interested in the anomaly—how a seemingly fragile, early-stage Organ Transformation cultivator could control an Ancient Law and project will that transcended the realm.

  "If he seeks my Dao, let him seek," Zhi Xuan hissed in his mind. "My Dao is not a book that can be read. It is a path carved with blood and humiliation. Before he can understand my Dao, he must see its strength."

  He shifted his focus from external threats to internal needs. The journey was still long, and he had successfully broken through the realm, purifying the Wood Heart. His Wood Heart pulsed with stable energy, sustaining his vitality. Zhi Xuan closed his eyes, sinking into his sea of consciousness.

  "What if that Zhu girl is in the Thousand Heavens Sect?" Ruo Xianxue said in a guessing tone. Almost unethical for a Holy Devil to do. "Perhaps you could ask for her help?"

  Zhi Xuan, who had just felt the cold composure of his Wood Heart, suddenly flinched. His entire cultivation system seemed to malfunction, and his black jade essence spun with a chaotic rhythm. He opened his eyes, the sapphire flash that had just been sharp was now filled with pure horror.

  —That Zhu girl? Do you mean Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan?—

  His voice in the sea of consciousness sounded shrill and panicked, as if he had just been told to jump from the Continent Crossing Vessel without protection. The Organ Transformation composure he had just obtained vanished completely.

  "Who else? You have a thick karmic bond with her, and she is the Holy Daughter of the Zhu Clan, one of the Nine Ancient Clans. Of course, she has enough Divine Black Jade Stones to patch up your earthworm foundation," Ruo Xianxue replied, his voice annoyed. "Besides, you promised to be her Dao Protector, did you not? It is time to reap the karma."

  Zhi Xuan immediately closed his eyes again, his rigid body trembling violently. He did not know how the Ancient Devil sealed in the Ancient Devil Monument still remembered the details of his relationship with Zhu Qinglan, but the idea—asking Zhu Qinglan for help—made him want to flee to the Devil Continent.

  —Devil Ancestor, I beg you, do not mention that name!— Zhi Xuan wailed internally, his rationality completely lost. —Beautiful women are always dangerous! Especially her! She is a walking disaster wrapped in jade silk!—

  "A disaster that can give you thousands of Divine Black Jade Stones," Ruo Xianxue hissed. "And she is at the Five Element realm, monkey. You promised to return after surpassing her realm. If she is in the Thousand Heavens Sect, this is your chance. You can use that Dao Protector promise to squeeze her a little."

  —Squeeze Zhu Qinglan? I do not even dare to breathe near her!— The tears he had just dried in front of Wang Mao now felt like they wanted to flow again, but this time, they were tears of mortal terror, not relief. —She will break my legs, Red Stone! And Qin and Liu, even though I hold grudges against them, those two Zhu Clan guards, they want to mince me!—

  In his sea of consciousness, he could imagine Zhu Qinglan, wearing an elegant light blue jade robe and a pearl veil, standing amidst the celestial mist, but in her hand was a Law whip ready to strike him.

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes again, he leaped from his jade mat and paced back and forth inside the cramped cabin, ignoring the fact that he was an early-stage Organ Transformation cultivator who should be calm.

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  "No, no, no," Zhi Xuan muttered, his voice hoarse and panicked. He scratched his head, covered in jet-black hair. "I will go back to the Arena. I will find five thousand Low-Grade Spiritual Stones, exchange them for fifty High-Grade Spiritual Stones, and sheathe them into my Divine Furnace to be converted into divine jade. That is safer than facing Holy Fairy Zhu."

  —Ridiculous action!— Ruo Xianxue roared. —Convert divine jade? You are not a holy alchemist, you are just a monkey with a good furnace!—

  Zhi Xuan ignored the Ancient Devil's contempt. He only saw the Divine Black Jade Stone, or rather the black dust indicating he no longer possessed that Divine Stone. If he forced himself to temper the Earth Spleen now, he would spend all his capital.

  "I must save," Zhi Xuan whispered, with the tone of an old grandfather counting pennies. He immediately took the hundred High-Grade Spiritual Stones from the box, tied them with the red cloth embroidered with stars, and sheathed them into his interspatial pouch.

  "This is for emergencies. When I arrive in the Central Continent and officially enter the Thousand Heavens Sect. I cannot touch it!" He spoke to himself, or rather, to the Ancient Devil Monument inside him.

  Zhi Xuan cleared his throat for a moment, neutralizing his expression back to cold and sharp. He roughly combed his long black hair which did not reflect his usual attitude. Zhi Xuan dropped himself back onto the mat. Closing his eyes, but all he remembered was Zhu Qinglan's elegance when sitting on a silk cushion, and himself kneeling bound on the floor, exchanging sharp glances with those holy tear-clear eyes.

  "Calm down, Zhi Xuan," Zhi Xuan said to himself, convincing himself that Holy Fairy Zhu was a crazy girl who only appeared in the eastern continent. "Holy Fairy will not appear in the central continent, besides the Thousand Heavens Sect is under the Hongmeng Empire. I will be safe, just relax."

  "Safe?" Ruo Xianxue snorted, if Ruo Xianxue had a form, his forehead would be furrowed now. "The Zhu Ancient Clan and the Hua Ancient Clan are the Pillars of the Hongmeng Empire. You already knew that when you returned to Shoutuo city and asked the merchant. And you? Say it is safe?"

  Zhi Xuan flinched again. He opened his sapphire eyes, staring at the cabin ceiling as if he had just discovered that the sky itself was made of fragile glass. Ruo Xianxue was right. He knew it! The rotten information he obtained from the female merchant in Shoutuo City, the city where he resolved his major karma problem, now came back to haunt him.

  The Hongmeng Empire—a name that sounded magnificent and majestic, but beneath that splendor, the power of two Ancient Clans was hidden. The Zhu Clan was one of them.

  "No... that is impossible," Zhi Xuan mumbled, his voice now trembling hoarsely, similar to the hum of a frightened moth. He again held the Heart Preserving Jade on his arm, seeking warmth from the red cloth embroidered with stars, but the warmth could not dispel the bone-chilling cold caused by the memory of Zhu Qinglan.

  "The Zhu Clan is in the eastern continent, eastern continent, eastern continent," Zhi Xuan muttered repeatedly to convince himself, a person who had just radiated a Heaven Defying Dao, now huddled in the corner of the mat like a child.

  The Thousand Feathered Moth, Xiao Die, who was obediently settled in the fold of his robe, felt this wave of panic. Soft rainbow dust began to radiate from its wings, not from joy, but a desperate attempt to calm its master. Even for an Ancient Beast, this kind of mortal fear was a confusing anomaly.

  "Xiao Die, calm down," Zhi Xuan whispered, his hands trembling as he touched the small head of the moth. "I am fine. Just... just thinking about a piece of past memory."

  —A memory that makes your Dao collapse like a sandcastle!— Ruo Xianxue sneered, his tone filled with limitless shame. —You defied the Sky, you shattered realms, and you oppressed the second-ranked genius. And now, you tremble because of a mortal girl? Even in my era, Holy Devils did not behave this strangely!—

  "She is not an ordinary mortal girl, Red Stone! She is Zhu Qinglan!" Zhi Xuan roared in his mind, his voice reaching an embarrassing high pitch. "She possesses an untouchable Holy aura, but her will is sharper than my Thunder Sword! Remember, she solved the problem of the Poison Sect and Young Master Gu just because it was a side mission of her clan! A side mission that made me spend years!"

  —She even sat on a silk cushion and stared at me as if I were prey! She only cares about my promise to be her Dao Protector!— Zhi Xuan's hidden sob now sounded pitiful in his sea of consciousness, he felt the Heart Preserving Jade on his arm, warming the red cloth embroidered with stars.

  Ruo Xianxue fell silent. Even the Great Ancient Devil who devoured a Great Saint had to process this information. Zhi Xuan had offered Dao protection at that time to make Zhu Qinglan release him, but the foolish thing was that it was a double-edged sword when Zhu Qinglan waited for that promise. Cruel. Even his rotten Devil Law would not operate with this level of social strangeness.

  —Truly an... efficient girl,— Ruo Xianxue finally hissed, his tone slightly bewildered. —She does not waste brain space on trivial matters. Only focused on her main goal. You should learn from her, Monkey.—

  "Learn from her? I will learn how to run away from her!" Zhi Xuan roared. He sat cross-legged again, but his Organ Transformation meditation posture looked like someone trying to tie himself to a chair to prevent escape.

  He stared at the Divine Black Jade Stone which had now vanished into dust, he wanted to see it again, but all he found was dust. He took a long and dramatic sigh, like an emperor who had just lost his Empire.

  "I will stabilize my foundation," Zhi Xuan muttered calmly, putting himself into a single thought so as not to be disturbed. "Do not bother me for the rest of the journey, I will wake up by myself when this Ship arrives at the Thousand Heavens Sect."

  Zhi Xuan channeled his black jade essence into his newly tempered Wood Heart. The flow of essence felt warm and calming, gradually subduing the wave of panic caused by the memory of Zhu Qinglan. He had to focus. He had to cultivate. Only absolute strength would free him from the shackles of promises and the horror of that Dangerous Holy Fairy.

  The warning bell, which should only ring when the ship approached the complex Trans-Continental Formation, now clanged with a chaotic rhythm, followed by a deafening explosion. The tremor threw Zhi Xuan from his meditation position, his body slamming into the cabin wall made of celestial ironwood.

  BOOM!

  The tremor, which came without warning, struck the Continent Crossing Vessel like a hammer of the Law of Heaven. The Ancient Rune Formation enveloping the ship's hull flickered hysterically, and the spiritual essence protecting it immediately collapsed.

  Zhi Xuan, thrown against the wall, immediately recovered with the sharp reflexes of years of battle. The horror of Zhu Qinglan vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a cold instinct for survival. He grabbed the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron from his sea of consciousness, allowing the Sky-level artifact to spin above his palm as a shield.

  Outside, the panicked screams of the new disciples immediately spread. The ship, which had been a quiet cultivation incubator, was now a den of chaos. Zhi Xuan immediately opened his cabin door. The air on the deck felt cold and fishy, filled with the smell of burned blood and distorted spiritual essence. The majestic and grand Continent Crossing Vessel now looked tilted, and the Rune Formation on its hull had cracked in several places, emitting suffocating black smoke.

  Above the starry sky, shadows of black clouds and lightning surged. Above all the surprising waves of explosion hitting the ship, precisely behind the clashing clouds, a man in a light blue robe stood above the void. His long silver hair flowed like a god stepping across the sky.

  "Zhao Xu, the Thousand Year Pact has come," the man in the light blue robe said, his voice, though low, caused a thick spiritual wave that struck all around him. "We must resolve the old grudge immediately."

  Behind the man in the silver robe, a large bright golden circle, with black, contrasting disks appearing on each side of the circle. And from the center of the sphere, a manifestation of three moon-sized hills emerged. The Three Moons felt like they were shaking the starry sky. It was a Domain, a Domain that manifested the Law of Personal Domain within the desired scope.

  "Mo Yuan, you truly cannot be patient," said the man in the dark robe, known as Zhao Xu. "Things from the past should indeed be resolved."

  Zhao Xu stepped into the air. Staring flatly at Mo Yuan. Every step was a clash between his Personal Law and Mo Yuan's. Then, with the third breath, a Domain shaped like a Painting Canvas appeared behind his back. The Painting Canvas spread wide and was clasped by two hands that seemed to emerge from hell.

  Two Domains, two realms that transcended mortal imagination, clashed above the Continent Crossing Vessel. That was the weight of Weaver Transformation, the realm where one begins to carve their Personal Law and manifest the Will of Law wherever they manifest their Domain.

  BOOM!

  The Domain clash did not produce a loud explosion sound, but a deadly resonance, like the collision of two ancient stars. The Continent Crossing Vessel, which was a High-level Flying Artifact, groaned under the unbearable pressure of the Law. Its Rune Formation completely exploded, and its hull, made of celestial ironwood, began to crack into intricate patterns.