In the air, Zhi Xuan's body shot through at a shameful speed, as if he were a marble thrown by a God. He flew straight over the silent bamboo forest, leaving the rumble of thunder and mocking gazes behind him. His newly grabbed black robe flapped in the air, failing to shield his greatest disgrace.

  BOOM!

  He slammed into an ancient bamboo tree, its trunk as thick as a temple pillar. The tree cracked and broke, and Zhi Xuan bounced off, hitting another tree, creating an unhonorable trajectory of destruction. His body finally fell and slid among the dense bamboo clumps, stopping in an inelegant position beside the dry river rocks.

  Zhi Xuan groaned softly, not from physical pain, but from the shock to his Dao. Zhu Qinglan's slap, driven by Five Element anger and a tumultuous Karmic Bond, had transcended logic. It was a slap that literally tore his honor and broke his concentration.

  He slowly rose, sitting back against a large dry jade rock. His body, forged by the Perfect Divine Organs, suffered no structural injury, but the sensation of the slap still lingered, as if the entire Heaven had slapped him and left him in laughter.

  "Beautiful women are always dangerous," Zhi Xuan hissed, his murmur sounding hoarse. He picked up his fallen robe, quickly putting it on, as if the robe was the only thing that could save his dignity. The thin red circle around his pupils pulsed, reflecting his internal chaos.

  On his shoulder, Xiao Die, the Thousand Feathered Moth, fluttered its soft rainbow wings anxiously. The moth channeled calming rainbow dust, trying to soothe the surging Ancient Devil Will inside its master's Sea of Consciousness.

  "I am fine, Xiao Die," Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice calmer. "I just need... time."

  He closed his eyes, focusing all his attention into his Sea of Consciousness. The silent bamboo forest environment, with the faint gurgling sound of a nearby river, was a perfect contrast to his internal storm. Inside the Sea of Consciousness, which had now become a stable Consciousness Realm, the Devil Tree of Life towered majestically, splitting the Consciousness Realm sky.

  Its golden and dark trunk radiated a strong life aura, adorned with dark Runes newly carved into the sky. The Perfect Five Divine Organs spun in a harmonious rhythm, drawing energy from the Tree of Life and sending it through the Heavenly Samsara Wheel. This was a perfect Resonance.

  The sky above him was very beautiful with Aurora and pooling Clouds, colored orange and like a beautiful night. Zhi Xuan was stunned for a moment, seeing how he had managed to grow a Heaven. And how he had surpassed Consciousness Realm Transformation in just one step and the sacrifice of experiencing death.

  Zhi Xuan looked at the small island in the middle of his Consciousness Realm, he walked on the Sea of Consciousness which felt denser. However, something was surging at the bottom there. As if the Ancient Devil Monument, which had been silent and unmoving all this time, began to force itself to reappear above and release the shackles of the Nine Heavens Bead. The remaining seven Dragon Chains, which were supposed to bind it to the bottom of the Realm, trembled violently. It was not a passive tremor; it was a scream of liberation.

  CRACK! WHUMPP! ECHO!

  Simultaneously, the remaining seven Dragon Chains, made of the essence of Ancient Dragon Law, released a deafening rattle. Each chain exploded, shattering into blood-red powder that flowed rapidly, not as disposal, but as sustenance. The blood powder, the last remnants of the Ancient Dragon Soul Consciousness and ancient bonds, was sucked into the Ancient Devil Monument. The Monument, which was only a pile of shattered stone, now pulsed with an ancient heartbeat rhythm.

  The Devil Aura radiated by the Monument surged wildly, enveloping the Consciousness Realm in an all-consuming darkness, a darkness that was not merely the absence of light, but Absolute Nothingness, a space where all Dao ceased to spin. This was the concept of the Ancient Holy Devil—a Singular Entity, undivided, holding the weight of unimaginable Cruelty.

  However, this darkness did not last long. After reaching its peak, the darkness began to condense, shrink, and form a terrifying focal point right above the shattered Monument. From that focal point, a sacred and pristine aura that was once feared in the Era of the Nine Heavens' Fall began to radiate.

  ECHO! WHOOSH!

  In the middle of the Consciousness Realm, the true form of the Ancient Devil began to rise. A Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox, one of the most revered and feared Saints of its time, appeared in an instant. Its jet-black fur, radiating a cosmic void sheen, floated for a moment above the Sea of Consciousness. Its Nine Tails, each carrying the weight of an extinguished Star, spun and circled its body with cruel elegance.

  The Fox form was only momentary. In a blinding flash of dark purple light, the Ancient Devil condensed into the figure of a Woman. She wore a Robe Embroidered with Eternal Black Embers that was deep dark red, carrying the burden of an unimaginable Era.

  The robe flowed as if dragging on the surface of the Consciousness Realm, every embroidery a slowly pulsing Ancient Devil rune. Unidentified ancient carvings spread across the shoulder of the robe, as if marking dominion over every epoch. The majesty radiated by this figure was so Ancient, so Oppressive, that Zhi Xuan's Devil Tree of Life, which had just towered high, bowed slightly towards her, its roots subtly trembling at the base of the Sea of Consciousness.

  The figure stood on the Island where the Tree of Life resided. Her slender back, covered by the robe like an Empress of the Heaven-Destroying Era, was a beautiful and piercing sight in a way that could not be interpreted by mortal will. That the figure, now with her back to Zhi Xuan, could easily reverse Life-Death with just one will.

  Slowly, the figure wearing the Robe of Eternal Black Embers turned her body. In Zhi Xuan's eyes, time seemed to stop, and his entire Consciousness Realm became silent. There was no longer the sound of the Realm's sigh, no longer the rumble of the Samsara Wheel, only the absolute silence of a long-vanished Era.

  The face revealed was so majestic, as if the Beauty of an unimaginable Era was steeped in all Epochs. Features perfectly carved, radiating a sacred and immaculate aura shrouded in an ancient cruelty aura. She was the definition of beauty capable of collapsing Great Saints, a majesty that threatened not only the body but also the Dao.

  However, the most terrifying thing was her eyes. Her pupils were the twin Sun and Moon, a cosmic contradiction that unified Yin and Yang. Her Right Pupil was a burning Sun, radiating blinding golden light and the weight of boundless Fire Law. Her Left Pupil was a cold Moon, radiating a calm pale silver light, a reflection of the cosmic void and the annihilating Water Law.

  Beside the burning Sun Pupil, a small pupil appeared in the shape of a dark purple crescent moon. And beside the calm Moon Pupil, a small pupil appeared in the shape of a perfect eclipse sun. The doubled eyes, a manifestation of the Ancient Supreme Yin-Yang Law that the Ancient Devil had mastered and twisted, stared at Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan, who had just traversed the harshest Dao, felt his entire Devil and Heavenly Will tremble. He could not resist the impulse to kneel. This presence was so Ancient, so Oppressive, challenging every Rune he carved. It was no longer Ruo Xianxue the Red Stone who was merely a mist; this was Ruo Xianxue: the Great Saint of the Era of the Nine Heavens' Fall, who had now regained most of her soul fragments.

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  "You exceeded the limit I allowed, Monkey," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice no longer sounding like a mockery, but like the grinding of a spinning cosmic Dao. She raised her graceful hand, and in her hand, the Nine Heavens Bead, which had been invisible, appeared. The Bead trembled violently, and the layer of dust covering it began to be swept away.

  "You forced a foul Perfect Cycle. You unified what should have remained separate. You are an extraordinary Vessel, Zhi Xuan," Ruo Xianxue said, her name spoken by herself sounding like an ancient decree carving destiny.

  She took one step, her Robe of Eternal Black Embers dragging on Zhi Xuan's Consciousness Realm. Every step made the Sea of Consciousness ripple and the Devil Tree of Life bow deeper.

  "Now, you have awakened me, and you have paid with the Nine Dragon Chains. Those Nine Dragon Chains were the last fragments of my memory sealed in the past. I now have a more complete memory," Ruo Xianxue hissed, a cruel smile etched on her majestic face. "And I no longer need you, except to complete the remnants of my soul in the Forbidden Plains. We will carve the true Devil Dao. A Dao that bows neither to Heaven nor Earth."

  Just as Ruo Xianxue was only an inch away from the Tree of Life, her intent to seize Zhi Xuan's vessel seemed to burn his air. Her awakened soul remnant, which was spiritual in form, spread out again, as if fading due to being too far from the source of Vitality. Her majestic body, wrapped in the Robe of Eternal Black Embers, froze in place, and her Great Saint aura trembled violently, as if the Eternal Law was pulling her back.

  Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice, which had been magnificent, now sounded like a cruel snarl again. She quickly retracted her step, moving closer to the Island where the Devil Tree of Life towered. Her twin Sun and Moon pupils narrowed, radiating unmatched cruelty.

  "Damn it!" Ruo Xianxue hissed, the weight of her Great Saint ruthlessness turned back to strike her. "I am only a soul remnant that has been imprisoned for too long."

  She stared at the Devil Tree of Life with her double eyes that radiated anger and cold calculation. Although the Tree bowed before her, the life aura it radiated was so pure and dense, capable of stabilizing the remnants of her shattered soul. The Tree was her savior, as well as her new prison.

  Zhi Xuan, watching all this, staggered back. He had just escaped the abyss of destruction. Ruo Xianxue's intent to seize his vessel felt so real and absolute, a decree from the Ancient Era. However, the Great Saint's weakness in the mortal Realm had saved his life.

  A cold calm returned to Zhi Xuan. He stared at Ruo Xianxue, who now stood a few steps from him, radiating a threatening Great Saint aura. He no longer saw an invincible Great Saint; he saw a prisoner bound to his Tree of Life.

  "Great Saint," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice returning to a flat and cold tone, replacing the previous respect with sharp calculation. "You have gained a more complete memory. You have gained your majestic form. And you want to seize my vessel, after I risked everything to awaken you."

  He stepped forward, the Devil Tree of Life behind Ruo Xianxue resonated with him, radiating a vitality that solidified his claim of ownership. He waved his hand and formed a seal, summoning his Divine Cauldron and the Cauldron immediately spun around the Tree of Life. Binding the helpless Ruo Xianxue with a Contract Seal, a seal that bound her to the Tree of Life.

  "You," Zhi Xuan said calmly and coldly, his eyes radiating sharpness towards Ruo Xianxue who was now standing near his Tree of Life. "Are now at my mercy."

  In the middle of the majestic Consciousness Realm, the cold calm broke. Zhi Xuan's words were shackles, and his action was a decree. The Nine Heavens Bead in Ruo Xianxue's hand trembled violently, and the Bead seemed to throw all the essence it stored, refusing the new authority.

  Ruo Xianxue's majestic body, wrapped in the Robe of Eternal Black Embers, tensed. Her twin Sun and Moon pupils narrowed until they were almost lines, and her sacred aura mixed with her Devil cruelty exploded. The pressure released was enough to destroy ten thousand Consciousness Realm Transformation cultivators, but the towering Devil Tree of Life behind her acted as a lightning rod, absorbing and stabilizing the storm.

  "Insolent!" Ruo Xianxue roared, her voice now a mixture of the scream of a humiliated Great Saint and the howl of an imprisoned Ancient Devil. She raised her graceful hand, and above the Consciousness Realm, the Supreme Law of Nine Heavens Darkness that she had offered to Zhi Xuan, now manifested as a pitch-black disk ready to swallow the light. The disk spun at a deadly speed, releasing an aura of absolute destruction.

  "Silence." Zhi Xuan interrupted with one word, his voice flat and cold, unaffected by the Ancient Devil's fury. He no longer used physical force; he used the authority of his newborn Dao.

  Beneath his palm, the Contract Seal carved from the Essence of the Devil Tree of Life shone. The Seal did not attack Ruo Xianxue, but locked the Devil Tree of Life where the Ancient Fox stood.

  The Contract Seal was driven by two clashing Laws: the Ancient Devil Law merged with the Tree's foundation, and the Pure Life Law enforced by the Perfect Cycle. This Seal was not physical restraint; it was a Dao Seal.

  "You are bound to my vessel through the existence of the Nine Heavens Bead," Zhi Xuan said, his voice weighted. "And now, you are bound to the only source of vitality that sustains the remnant of your soul. You will vanish if you try to destroy my Tree of Life, or you will be silent there and act like the red stone you ought to be. There is no third option."

  The manifestation of the Nine Heavens Darkness disk above Ruo Xianxue's head trembled violently, its energy finding no outlet, as if the entire Consciousness Realm had become a vacuum that rejected her Law. Her anger was so great that the twin Sun and Moon pupils almost exploded, but the absolute defeat was clearly visible.

  After a long and tense silence, the Darkness disk faded into a single dark purple tear, disappearing without a trace. Ruo Xianxue clenched her majestic jaw. She no longer screamed; she only stared at Zhi Xuan with unmatched hatred and cruelty.

  "A vile contract," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice now returning to a cold and controlled tone, but containing the weight of an ancient oath. "You, Black-Haired Devil, you will pay dearly for this humiliation. I am your Weapon, not your Slave."

  "You are not a slave," Zhi Xuan countered. He relaxed his hand, and the Contract Seal seeped into the Devil Tree of Life. "I respect you as a Senior and Teacher. Although I do not trust you, I acknowledge you are the Path that guided me."

  In the middle of the majestic Consciousness Realm, with the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron gently spinning around the Devil Tree of Life, Zhi Xuan and Ruo Xianxue stood facing each other. The contrast between them was sharp: Zhi Xuan in a simple black robe, his aura cold and sharp as a newly forged blade; Ruo Xianxue in the Robe of Eternal Black Embers, majestic, radiating the aura of a bound Great Saint.

  "Hollow respect," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her twin Sun and Moon eyes staring straight into Zhi Xuan's soul. "You imprison me to your vessel, and call it respect. You cut the last thread that bound me to the promise of destruction, and gave me a promise of foul eternity. Tell me frankly, Monkey. What do you want from me, now that you have reached the peak of the earthworm realm?"

  Zhi Xuan sighed, the breath exhaled by his Cleaving Metal Lungs felt cold and contained the weight of sharpness. He did not avoid the Ancient Devil's gaze, letting his Peak Consciousness Realm Transformation aura clash with the controlled Great Saint pressure.

  "I know you will not be able to return to your glorious past," Zhi Xuan said calmly, he stared at the face that had been the Ancient Devil Monument all this time with a slight disbelief. "You cannot build a body, cannot possess your majesty as in the past. Yet, I also cannot waste you away by letting you melt into forgotten emptiness. All my paths, there was your intervention. And I am not a stone-faced will who forgets everything you did, even if you are the Devil of Devils itself."

  Ruo Xianxue snorted, the formless laugh sounding like the clash of ice crystals against ancient rock. "You want to pretend to be a grateful Taoist? After you bound me to your foul energy source? How funny. So, you want me to be... what? A ghostly advisor? A walking library? Do not be foolish, Monkey. Your ambition is greater than mere mortal realm knowledge."

  Zhi Xuan shrugged, the simple movement carrying the weight of exhaustion after transcending death. But his eyes radiated an eternal will he always wanted to tread, a promise to step over the heavens and stand above all life.

  "The Path of the King. The Path of the Emperor. The Path of the Eternal." Zhi Xuan said with a pure and strong will. "Help me, fulfill my Dao Vow. That, someday I will step onto the Emperor's Path and stand above the Nine Heavens and Hell. Until that day comes, I will restore your glorious past."

  Ruo Xianxue's majestic figure, in the Robe of Eternal Black Embers, fell silent. Her twin Sun and Moon pupils stared straight into Zhi Xuan's soul, searching for a flaw, searching for doubt, but only finding a cold mirror reflecting immeasurable arrogance. The weight of the silence was so heavy that even the Devil Tree of Life held its breath.

  "A promise to restore a glorious past?" Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice containing a mixture of mockery and dark temptation. "You speak of restoring the Era of the Nine Heavens' Fall, Monkey. That is a promise only thrown by the most insane or the most foolish Great Desolate Emperors."

  She walked slowly around Zhi Xuan, every step forcing the air around Zhi Xuan to become dense, testing the stability of the newborn Consciousness Realm.

  "I see your Devil Tree of Life," she continued, her voice lowering to a deadly whisper. "I see the Perfect Five Divine Organs. Your foundation is indeed worthy of bearing this weight. But the promise of a Mortal before a Great Saint who has witnessed the Rise and Fall of Eras is... a water bubble that will burst."