Zhi Xuan, in his spiritual form, staggered, kneeling in the center of the Sea of Consciousness. He touched his aching chest, not from physical wounds, but from the deep spiritual shock. He had won the battle of wills, but he knew that he had strengthened his own greatest enemy. This victory was a setback.

  "Ridiculous," Zhi Xuan murmured. He allowed the exhaustion and internal tremor to envelop him for a moment, digesting the consequences of his brutal fight. He had no time to mourn this setback. The battle of wills had drained his spiritual soul, and his tattered physical body on the Seven Stars Boat demanded immediate recovery. He withdrew his focus to the outside world, to the Seven Stars Boat speeding through the night sky of the Eastern Lands.

  Zhi Xuan opened his physical eyes. He leaned weakly on the bow of the boat, pain radiating from his chest to his Perfect Five Divine Organs. The burns from Sheng Ye's attack felt hot, but the internal shock from forcing the Divine Furnace and the spiritual battle with the Devil Soul were far more lethal. He coughed up thick black blood—spiritual blood that contained a trace of the newly purified Devil essence.

  Zhi Xuan touched his chest, feeling how brutal the backlash from the Devil manipulation was. He had etched a victory through wickedness, but the price of controlling the fire of chaos was his near-lost sanity. He forced himself to sit cross-legged, ignoring his torn robe on the boat floor and the cold night wind hitting his injured body.

  He channeled his remaining pure essence, ignoring the part of the essence contaminated by the Devil's will. His focus was on the recovery of his vital organs and suppressing the spiritual cracks caused by the Devil Soul. This recovery would take hours, time he did not have.

  Zhi Xuan snorted coldly. He had no heavenly herbs left—all had been given to Xiao Die. He had no time to search for rare Heavenly Medicine. There was only one resource he could rely on in this desperate situation: the promise and karmic bond that still shackled him.

  “Beautiful women are always dangerous, but sometimes they are also the best medicine,” Zhi Xuan murmured hoarsely, his voice filled with a self-amusement only he could understand.

  He steered the Seven Stars Boat north, manipulating the internal formation of the boat with the remnants of his divine sense. The speed of the Seven Stars Boat shot forward again, splitting the night sky, leaving the Primordial Ancient Tomb and the trace of Sheng Ye’s anger far behind. Time passed mercilessly, but the speed of the Heaven-Grade Artifact was unmatched.

  For several hours, Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged, enduring the internal tremor and piercing pain. He maintained a thin control over his essence, refusing to let the newly awakened Devil's Thought take over. He no longer attempted to cultivate; he was merely trying to stay alive.

  Towards dawn, the Seven Stars Boat sped past the boundaries of the Thousand Heavens Sect. The landscape below had changed drastically. At the foot of the mountains, hundreds of golden lanterns and red silks had been set up, radiating a warm and festive light, a piercing contrast to the darkness of the Dead Mist. Several main towers were adorned with large banners announcing the arrival of young geniuses from all factions of the Thousand Heavens Sect territory—preparations for the Thousand Heavens Sect Annual Disciple Celebration.

  Zhi Xuan ignored the crowd and luxury preparing to welcome the geniuses. He had no time for mortal merriment. His pale, tattered face was focused on only one destination: Immortal Jade Peak. And not his own Heaven Sword Peak.

  The Seven Stars Boat shot upward, slicing through the Thousand Heavens Sect's defensive formation without hindrance, thanks to the Thousand Heavens Sect disciple emblem that now faintly glowed on his jade ring. Immortal Jade Peak, the residence of Holy Fairy Zhu, was enveloped by a pure and soothing spiritual mist, an aura of thick and rich essence.

  On the jade courtyard in front of the main Pavilion, Holy Fairy Zhu, Zhu Qinglan, was sitting quietly on a silk cushion, supervising her two maids, Mei and Ling’er, who were tidying a jade carving formation. Her beautiful black hair was softly unbound, and her snow-white robe radiated a pure aura, and her face was still covered by a pearl veil that concealed her eternal beauty. A sharp contrast to all the wickedness Zhi Xuan had just experienced. Her Five Element aura felt stable and calm, a solid foundation.

  WHUSH!

  The Seven Stars Boat slammed onto the jade courtyard with a forcibly slowed speed. The boat whirred softly, radiating an aura of exhaustion. Zhi Xuan stumbled from the bow; his trembling legs could barely support his weight. He coughed violently, thick spiritual blood staining the pure white jade courtyard.

  This rough and sudden arrival immediately broke the tranquility of Immortal Jade Peak. Zhu Qinglan opened her beautiful eyes that radiated Five Element calmness, her gaze cold and slightly startled. Mei and Ling’er, the two maids who were tidying the jade formation, let out a small shriek of surprise.

  In the presence of the graceful and holy Fairy, Zhi Xuan stood in his most miserable state. His body, bare-chested to the waist, was covered in blackish burn scars left by Sheng Ye’s Thunderstorm, and a torn wound on his waist reminded him of the lost robe. His face was pale, and the red rings in his sapphire pupils pulsed slowly, an indication that his essence was struggling fiercely to suppress the internal Devil turmoil.

  Zhu Qinglan rose from her silk cushion, her pearl face veil gently clinking, the silk scarf adorning her robe drifting like an eternal dream. Meanwhile, her pale gray eyes stared directly at Zhi Xuan's tattered body.

  "Zhi Xuan," Zhu Qinglan called, her voice calm, but a hint of surprise was hidden within it. "What happened? You've only been in the Primordial Ancient City for six days and you're already like this?"

  Zhi Xuan ignored the maids and the Seven Stars Boat hovering low. He stepped forward with a stumbling gait, his hand gripping his aching chest. Every step was a struggle against the internal tremor and piercing spiritual exhaustion. He walked straight toward Zhu Qinglan, ignoring the fact that he was covered in dried spiritual blood.

  With his last step, he felt his consciousness darkening; exhaustion and his drained spiritual blood felt pungent upon seeing Zhu Qinglan. With a string of final glances, Zhi Xuan stumbled slightly and his tall body, which contrasted with everyone in the place, collided with Zhu Qinglan in a gentle impact, although Zhi Xuan still stood.

  "Qinglan, help me," Zhi Xuan said weakly, his eyes dimming, and he did not have time to show reverence by calling the Holy Fairy's name as he usually did. "This time's Dao guidance, I need recovery."

  Zhu Qinglan was startled; her pure aura churned slightly. She did not expect this youth to crash into her after such a dramatic and brutal arrival. Zhi Xuan’s body, hot, smeared with dried spiritual blood and burns, provided a harsh contrast to the softness of her robe and her holy aura. She felt the sudden weight of Zhi Xuan leaning on her, a weight that contained the pressure of suppressed Devil essence and deep spiritual shock.

  "Holy Maiden! That Black-Haired Devil is so presumptuous!"

  "Holy Maiden, let me handle this!"

  Mei and Ling’er screamed in shock, almost running closer. However, Zhu Qinglan’s cold gaze directed at them froze the two maids in their tracks.

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  “Both of you, stay away,” Zhu Qinglan commanded, her voice cold and firm, allowing no debate. Her Five Element realm power radiated a gentle, soothing aura toward Mei and Ling’er, forcing them to retreat and stand still in tense silence.

  "What are you doing!" Zhu Qinglan hissed back at Zhi Xuan, her tone cold and slightly displeased, but her slender hands unconsciously held Zhi Xuan up, preventing his trembling body from falling onto the jade floor. Her Five Element essence instinctively flowed out, creating a protective layer between Zhi Xuan’s tattered body and her holy body.

  She allowed Zhi Xuan to lean on her, feeling the rough burns on his back. Her gaze, hidden behind the pearl veil, swept over Zhi Xuan’s tattered body, from his dirty jet-black hair to the red rings in his sapphire pupils which were now fading rapidly, a desperate attempt to regain sanity.

  “I warned you about the Primordial Ancient City,” Zhu Qinglan replied, her tone returning to flat, but now covered with hidden concern. She did not try to push him away, but slowly wrapped her arms around him to support Zhi Xuan from falling onto the cold jade floor. “You truly have no fear of the height of the Heavens, even now you are nearly dead after six days.”

  She could feel the brutal turmoil within Zhi Xuan—an essence storm, spiritual cracks, and most worryingly, a strange, ferocious resonance. It was clear that Zhi Xuan had not just fought cultivators but had pushed himself to the limit to fight that Cultivator with a realm gap. Zhu Qinglan could feel the Five Element resonance that was the cause of the wound.

  "You are truly full of audacity," Zhu Qinglan said coldly, before she walked, dragging Zhi Xuan gracefully though slightly roughly. She waved her hand gently, enveloping Zhi Xuan in the Law of Water. "You are heavy, but your shamelessness is heavier than anything."

  Zhu Qinglan walked with elegant but hurried steps, dragging the unconscious Zhi Xuan into her Jade Pavilion. A gentle Law of Water flowed from her hand, enveloping Zhi Xuan’s body. Not to heal, but to cleanse the dried spiritual blood and primordial dust from his injured skin. She did it with cold efficiency, as if cleaning a jade statue that had just been thrown into the mud.

  Mei and Ling’er stood frozen, witnessing a scene they had never imagined: their holy and untouchable Holy Maiden dragging a wild youth, tattered and covered in blood, into her residence, violating all the etiquette of the Thousand Heavens Sect and the Ancient Zhu Clan.

  Inside the Pavilion, Zhu Qinglan finally released her grip. Zhi Xuan’s body collapsed onto the white jade sleeping couch covered in heavenly silk. The contrast between Zhi Xuan's dirty and injured skin and the purity of the bed felt piercing.

  Zhu Qinglan stood beside the bed, staring at Zhi Xuan with a cold and judgmental gaze. She raised her hand and her pearl face veil came off, revealing her face that radiated eternal beauty, a beauty so perfect it felt unreal. However, in her pale gray eyes, there were now traces of fatigue and fine wrinkles.

  "What terrible luck," Zhu Qinglan muttered. She stretched out her hand and pressed her two slender fingers onto Zhi Xuan's chest, right where his Divine Heart was located.

  Her Five Element aura, as gentle as a spring water source, flowed in, scanning every inch of Zhi Xuan’s Perfect Five Divine Organs. Her beautiful face immediately showed an increasingly serious expression.

  "External injuries are severely bad, brutal internal shock, and cracks in the Sea of Consciousness," Zhu Qinglan hissed, her tone cold and displeased. "He fought a Five Element cultivator. And even worse, there's an essence manifestation that surpasses Five Element. What kind of essence is this?"

  She could feel cold, black strands of essence at Zhi Xuan’s foundation, an essence struggling fiercely to be suppressed. The essence radiated a familiar and disturbing aura of primordial darkness, reminding her of the past few days at the Jade Purification Pool, when Zhi Xuan shook with the Heavenly Tribulation displaying his madness.

  Zhu Qinglan withdrew her hand, hidden anger enveloping her aura. This youth was a Variable who always attracted disaster. A simple Thousand Heavens Sect mission should not have caused such self-destruction. However, she also felt a thick karmic resonance. The karmic bond that bound them now demanded fulfillment.

  “Mei, Ling’er!” Zhu Qinglan called without turning, her voice containing sharp authority. The two maids, still standing in the courtyard, immediately darted in a string of shadows and entered, their faces showing tension and worry.

  “Fetch the Seven Spirit Purifying Jade and the Thousand Night Grass Root from my private storage,” Zhu Qinglan ordered. These items were high-grade Heavenly Medicine, precious and usually only used by Five Element cultivators to stabilize their Dao. "Don't let anyone know that this devil is here."

  Mei and Ling’er, though filled with fear and confusion, did not dare to object. They knew that when the holy maiden spoke with that icy tone of command, the situation was a matter of life and death. They shot out, disappearing in a string of shadows towards the Thousand Heavens Sect Medicine Pavilion. They had to move quickly and without arousing suspicion, hiding the fact that a near-dead devil was now concealed on Immortal Jade Peak.

  Zhu Qinglan stood beside the jade bed, her eternal beauty without the face veil now looking tense. She closed her eyes, taking a deep spiritual breath, calming the turmoil of hidden anger. This youth was a walking disaster, yet she was bound to a karmic will that she could not avoid.

  "I can kill him anytime," Zhu Qinglan muttered, opening her eyes again, she raised her hand and from her palm appeared five element essence spinning like a mini-galaxy. "This devil truly is a bringer of calamity."

  Zhu Qinglan stared at the five element essence spinning gently above her palm—a colorful mini-galaxy reflecting the calmness and harmony of the Law of Nature she controlled. Just one strong push, and the variable lying helplessly on her jade bed would vanish. There would be no more disturbing Devil aura, no more ridiculous Guardian Dao promise, and no more bare-chested youth rudely colliding with the Holy Maiden of the Ancient Zhu Clan.

  She turned to Zhi Xuan’s face, staring at the face adorned with traces of spiritual blood that felt thick and radiated an aura of cruelty and chaos. Zhu Qinglan stared at the spiritual blood; she had seen so much blood from all her intrigues and strategies to defeat enemies and disruptors challenging the Zhu Clan, but this thick blood seemed like blood forged only by murder and rooted in the Devil Path foundation.

  "Devil Blood, is it?" Zhu Qinglan muttered, she had not paid much attention to Zhi Xuan when he was injured before. But seeing him up close like this, the blood painted on his face actually made her own blood rush. "His blood is so dirty... yet so strong."

  She glanced at Zhi Xuan’s tattered and bare-chested body. Burns still emitted faint steam, and his muscles, though tight and perfect from being forged by the Heavenly Tribulation, now twitched weakly from essence exhaustion. Zhu Qinglan, who was used to seeing men in the Ancient Clan covered in silk robes and elegance, was forced to admit that this sight... was very wild.

  She flicked her finger, and a piece of silk appeared, hovering gracefully. She reluctantly bent down and very carefully began cleaning the dried spiritual blood that stained Zhi Xuan’s face and neck. Her cleaning motion felt awkward and stiff, like a Goddess forced to clean muddy shoes.

  As she cleaned the blood, she looked closer at the contours of Zhi Xuan’s face—the sharp jawline, the straight nose, and the lips that often curved into a cold smile and arrogance. Although his face was pale from exhaustion, there was a wild beauty hidden beneath the chaos.

  "Who gave him the right to look... fine even when covered in blood," Zhu Qinglan muttered, her tone full of dissatisfaction that gnawed at every second she was in the same room with the Devil. "He is a Devil; even the Heavenly Gods would try to kill him."

  But then, she remembered Zhi Xuan’s desperate and exhausted expression when he pleaded for help. That request, spoken without the Devil's arrogance or annoyance, touched a corner of her frozen heart. She had seen Zhi Xuan as a bringer of calamity, but had never seen him as a fragile human. Her cheeks flushed pink, which she immediately brushed away.

  Zhu Qinglan pulled the silk cloth away, throwing it to the floor with a gesture of disgust. She stood straight, allowing her pure aura to erode the momentary warmth created by the physical contact. Her job was not to admire or lament; her job was to solve the problem lying helplessly on her bed—a living variable that had to be protected because of a karmic bond.

  "I am not doing this for you," Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice as cold as deadly ice. The words were directed at the unconscious Zhi Xuan and at the disturbed part of her own heart. "Don't think I am softening toward you just because you asked for help."

  Zhu Qinglan let out a long spiritual sigh; the Five Element aura around her swirled coldly, a sign of deep frustration. She flicked her finger once more, making a silk on the bed hover and move to slap Zhi Xuan’s face, but even Zhi Xuan, in his unconscious state, remained unconscious.

  She snorted coldly, her expression returning to a hard, eternal calmness. The light silk slap was an outlet for her annoyance, a reminder that although she would help, the price Zhi Xuan would have to pay would be far greater. She would not allow momentary warmth to disrupt her cold and pure Dao.

  "Qinglan, help me..." Zhu Qinglan muttered, repeating the voice Zhi Xuan used when pleading; it was a pleading voice wrapped in arrogance. She stomped her foot onto the eternal jade floor, with one flick of her finger she slapped Zhi Xuan's face with the bed silk. "Don't ask for my help!”