Zhi Xuan, without blinking a single eye, allowed the tip of the True Ice Blade to remain only a hair's breadth from his robe. The suffocating cold aura of the sword was unable to pierce his spiritual protection, but he acknowledged that this young woman, Zhao Xue, possessed sharp intuition and a deep connection to higher realms. He had not expected that the Snow Phoenix Jade would become another point of vulnerability.

  "Stealing?" Zhi Xuan repeated the word with a mocking tone, a thin smirk appearing at the corner of his lips, a smirk filled with the same arrogance and indifference as his Devil Thought. "The Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan is my Dao Tie; how could I be said to have stolen it if she placed it in my hair herself?"

  Those words, spoken with a flat and confident tone, struck Zhao Xue like a blizzard. The cold expression on her beautiful face cracked, replaced by pure astonishment. The True Ice Blade in her hand trembled, emitting a wilder True Ice Law, as if responding to a vile lie.

  "Liar!" Zhao Xue hissed, her eyes burning with anger. "The Snow Phoenix Jade is an artifact containing the pure essence of the Water and Ice Laws of the Ancient Zhu Clan! It is a heritage and symbol that can only be worn by direct descendants of the Zhu Clan, or by those who have a Dao Tie recognized by them! Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan is a sacred figure whom I respect. Do not speak her holy name so lightly!"

  Ao Sheng, standing behind Zhao Xue, grew even more confused. He looked at his Senior, who had just brutally slaughtered six cultivators and harvested their souls, now claiming such an intimate relationship with an exalted figure—the Holy Fairy of the Ancient Zhu Clan. Zhi Xuan sighed, as the pain from the soul backlash he was suppressing made him lose his patience. He did not want to waste time pacifying a shocked, self-righteous cultivator.

  "If you admire Qinglan," Zhi Xuan murmured lazily, though he truly did not wish to reveal this and only did so because the young woman before him seemed intent on killing him, "then you surely know of the title of the Black-Haired Devil who bound his karma with the Holy Fairy Zhu."

  This statement was a thunderclap exploding in the silence of the Heaven Mirror Lake. Zhao Xue stumbled back a step, her face that was previously filled with anger turning as pale as snow. The True Ice Blade in her hand lowered slightly, pointing to the ground instead of Zhi Xuan's chest. Zhao Xue did not just know the title; she knew its terrifying implications.

  The Black-Haired Devil. The title was a legend among the factions close to the Ancient Clans, a secret that was not to be spoken in public. It was the tale of a mysterious cultivator practicing a vile Primordial Devil Dao who had somehow managed to bind his karma with Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan, the symbol of purity and the Pure Water Law.

  Furthermore, Zhao Xue had not forgotten the recent news regarding the Tomb of the Great Emperor Zhu Yan Tian in the Ancient Desolate Lands, where the bloodline restriction for entry had been lifted thanks to the Messenger of Fate—the Black-Haired Devil who was said to have emerged alive from the Great Emperor's Tomb bearing the message of the Eternal Will.

  Moreover, the Elders of the Zhu Clan whispered that the Black-Haired Devil had brought back the Seven Lotus Yin Fruit, the fruit required for the Holy Fairy Zhu's ascension to the Soul Transformation realm. Zhao Xue had heard these whispers some time ago, but she never expected to see the spoken-of Black-Haired Devil standing right before her.

  A suffocating silence enveloped the edge of the Heaven Mirror Lake. Only the subtle ripples of the water, turbulent from the previous battle, broke the stillness. The corpses of Shi Yue and the six Shi Clan cultivators lay as silent witnesses to the brutality of the Black-Haired Devil.

  "You," Zhao Xue whispered, her voice choked and filled with genuine shock, no longer containing anger but a mixture of fear and deep wonder. "You are the Messenger of Fate. The man hailed by the sects in the shadows."

  "I am not hailed," Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat and indifferent. He stepped forward, causing Zhao Xue to instinctively take a step back due to the pressure of his aura, which now felt even more dangerous. "And you say you admire Qinglan. Who are you?"

  Zhao Xue, despite being a strong and tempered cultivator, could not hide her shock. She quickly controlled her emotions, took a cold breath, and allowed the True Ice Law around her to help calm her inner chaos. She understood that the man before her was a figure who could not be measured by ordinary sect rules, and every word from his mouth could have massive implications.

  "I am Zhao Xue, a disciple of the Pure Ice Pavilion in the Heavenly Glacier Mountains, and a Daoist who cultivates the Pure Ice Law," Zhao Xue replied, her tone now becoming more formal and cautious, a tactical acknowledgment of Zhi Xuan's unspoken authority. She pressed the True Ice Blade into its scabbard, a peaceful gesture indicating that she recognized Zhi Xuan's identity.

  "The Ice Glacier Mountains," Zhi Xuan murmured coldly, stopping his steps and simply standing tall. He turned toward Ao Sheng, who was just staring at the exchange. "Ao Sheng, do you still wish to enter the Black Dragon Tomb?"

  Ao Sheng, who had been trapped in a vortex of shocking information, snapped out of his daydream. The names of the Black-Haired Devil and Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan were legends beyond his reach, yet his Senior truly was that legend. He looked at Zhao Xue, who had now sheathed her sword, and then back to Zhi Xuan, whose eyes radiated firmness.

  "Yes, Senior!" Ao Sheng replied without hesitation, his voice filled with burning determination. He clutched the ancient wooden box he held tightly. "I must redeem the dignity of my bloodline. I must take back what the Shi Clan stole from my ancestors!"

  Zhi Xuan nodded slightly. He glanced down at the lake where faint fluctuations of the Black Dragon Tomb emitted a chaotic aura after the previous battle. Zhi Xuan knew that with the understanding that Yan Xu and Nian Qin had significant connections with the Shi Clan, they would not let the Shi Clan disturb him regardless of what he did.

  Zhi Xuan exhaled and looked at Zhao Xue, who was still silent before him. "Do you wish to enter as well?"

  Zhao Xue blinked her ice-cold eyes. She looked at Zhi Xuan, then at Ao Sheng, and finally her gaze settled on Shi Yue's floating corpse. She had witnessed with her own eyes the brutality and efficiency of the Black-Haired Devil. Zhao Xue's own strength was enough to cripple Shi Yue, but Zhi Xuan had destroyed six Consciousness Transformation cultivators and absorbed their souls, making her shiver slightly, though faintly.

  The Black Dragon Tomb was one of the ancient relics scattered across the Zhao State; although it did not reach the level of a Great Emperor's Tomb, it still contained a significant heritage. Zhao Xue was at the border due to her duty, and knowing the tomb was under the supervision of the Shi Clan, she had come only to ensure the Shi Clan did not overstep their bounds into the Zhao State. Now, the opportunity was before her.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "The Black Dragon Tomb is a tomb sealed by an Ancient Formation; only a descendant of the Black Dragon can open it," Zhao Xue replied, her tone turning professional again, setting aside all personal emotions. "And the tomb is filled with water aura and ice essence. I can help map the formation and purify any Water Poison aura that might have been left by the Shi Clan."

  Zhao Xue did not mention the fact that she wanted to know more about the Black-Haired Devil associated with Holy Fairy Zhu Qinglan, but that intent was clearly etched in her mind. If she could fight by Zhi Xuan's side, she could judge the character and strength of his Primordial Devil Dao.

  "Good," Zhi Xuan replied coldly, as if Zhao Xue's agreement were merely a formality. He turned completely, putting his back to Zhao Xue. "Ao Sheng, where is the key to the tomb?"

  Ao Sheng immediately moved forward, his joy and enthusiasm surpassing his fear of the Snow Phoenix Jade and the slaughter that had just occurred. He now saw the door of his destiny opening wide. He took out the ancient wooden box he had clutched tightly since the Minor Auction. The box was not made of heavenly material but merely fragile, ordinary wood—a symbol of the Shi Clan's oppression.

  "Here, Senior," Ao Sheng said, offering the box with both hands. "The key to the tomb is inside. The key that those rats were supposed to use to take my destiny."

  Zhi Xuan took the wooden box, his sapphire eyes radiating a light of calculation. He did not use force. He focused his spiritual essence, channeling a bit of the Thunder Law into his fingertip, and touched the lid of the box that had been sealed by a spiritual seal.

  KRAK!

  The seal was easy enough to open since Ao Sheng had only been tasked with carrying it. He opened the ancient wooden box, revealing a small bronze key that looked ancient. Though it possessed no fluctuations, Zhi Xuan looked around for a moment. He waved his hand, and the Heavenly Cauldron immediately hummed with the Autumn Law.

  WHIRLL! WHUSHH!

  The light emitted from the Autumn Law was not intended to decay, but rather to weaken the corpses and remnants of the Shi Clan Guardians and Elders and absorb them into the Heavenly Cauldron, storing the bodies which might be useful for the requirements of the Ancient Nirvana Puppet Technique in the future.

  "Just to clear the tracks," Zhi Xuan said casually and indifferently, ignoring the startled Zhao Xue and Ao Sheng. "Of course, before a Soul Transformation expert from the Shi Clan arrives and finds the corpses of their clan scattered about."

  Zhi Xuan channeled essence into the Heavenly Cauldron, and with a soft hum, the corpses of the Shi Clan cultivators, including Shi Yue who had been pierced by the snow sword, were absorbed by the dense vortex of the Autumn Law. No blood remained, only bodies and spiritual aura vanished. The Heaven Mirror Lake returned to calmness, as if the slaughter were merely an illusion. At the very least, if a Soul Transformation expert tracked them, it would take a bit longer.

  He then focused his gaze on the bronze key in his hand. The key emitted no fluctuations, but he felt a subtle spiritual connection with the bottom of the lake—a connection that could only be activated by the pure Golden Dragon bloodline. Zhi Xuan handed the key to Ao Sheng.

  "You must be the one to use it," Zhi Xuan said, his tone cold and demanding. "This is your destiny, not mine."

  Ao Sheng nodded firmly, his eyes shining with determination. He took the bronze key, letting his spiritual essence, which carried a hint of Golden Dragon blood, seep into the key. The key reacted immediately, emitting a pulsating, pitch-black light—a response from the Dragon Bloodline beneath the lake.

  Zhao Xue, witnessing the brutal clearing of tracks, could only take a cold breath. She was used to killing, but the harvesting of corpses for an unknown purpose, which might be a Devil Technique, made her even more wary. She stared at the Snow Phoenix Jade shining in Zhi Xuan's hair, doubt and curiosity mixing in her eyes.

  "A Dao Tie with the Holy Fairy..." Zhao Xue murmured in her heart. If that were true, then this man was not merely a low-level Devil Daoist, but someone who possessed a destiny so great that it involved the Ancient Zhu Clan.

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and brought out the Seven-Star Boat again. Zhi Xuan stepped calmly onto the bow of the boat. Ao Sheng's eyes brightened again and he jumped into the boat; as before, though he did not fall flat, he merely nearly slipped.

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and let the Heavenly Cauldron spin around the boat, acting as a pure shield carrying the Law of the Four Seasons, enough to allow them to breathe properly beneath the Heaven Mirror Lake, which felt piercing and filled with poison. Zhi Xuan did not need to offer Zhao Xue a seat; instead, Ao Sheng would do so.

  Ao Sheng looked back, seeing Zhao Xue still standing stiffly at the edge of the lake. "Sister Zhao Xue, hurry! It will be very cold under the water, and there might be remaining Water Poison Seals!"

  Zhao Xue did not wait for a second command. She was a cultivator of the Pure Ice Law, yet sailing on a boat protected by a Heaven-grade artifact that radiated the Law of the Four Seasons—which she could not understand how a cultivator like Zhi Xuan could comprehend, as it felt oppressive even to a Five Elements cultivator like herself—was an opportunity.

  However, the chance to board the boat with the man who was the Dao Tie of the Holy Fairy she admired was an opportunity too good to miss. Zhao Xue jumped gracefully, her snow sword blade radiating a calming cold aura, and she landed lightly on the deck, maintaining a polite distance from Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan allowed Zhao Xue and Ao Sheng to take their places on the deck. He stared at the bronze key in Ao Sheng's hand, then nodded faintly. Without saying a single word, he channeled purified spiritual essence into the key.

  The key, which had absorbed a bit of Golden Dragon blood from Ao Sheng, immediately reacted. The pitch-black light that had been pulsating now radiated strongly, piercing the surface of the Heaven Mirror Lake. The light formed a dark spiritual path leading straight to the center of the lake, where the whirlpool created from the previous battle was slowly subsiding.

  "Use the key," Zhi Xuan hissed, his tone cold and urgent.

  Ao Sheng nodded. He raised the bronze key high, pointing it at the center of the whirlpool. With burning determination, he pushed the key downward into the depths of the lake. As soon as the key touched the water's surface, the entire Heaven Mirror Lake shook violently. The lake water, which had been calm, now surged wildly, emitting a thick and suffocating aura of ancient dragon essence.

  KRAKK! KRAKK!

  The sound of spiritual cracking echoed from the bottom of the lake. The Ancient Seal that had protected the Black Dragon Tomb for centuries, controlled by the Shi Clan and locked by dragon aura, was now destroyed by the bronze key activated by the pure bloodline. The whirlpool in the center of the lake immediately formed a dark spatial hole, an ancient gate opening the way to the buried tomb.

  "The path is open," Zhi Xuan murmured. The Heavenly Cauldron spinning around the Seven-Star Boat immediately radiated a denser Law of the Four Seasons, acting as a spiritual anchor that locked the space around them. Zhi Xuan moved his finger, and the Seven-Star Boat immediately shot forward toward the dark spatial gate.

  WHUSSH!

  The boat pierced the surface of the water, diving into the depths of the Heaven Mirror Lake. As they entered the spatial hole, the sensation of space and time twisted briefly, and a sharp cold immediately attacked. Even though the Heavenly Cauldron protected them, Ao Sheng and Zhao Xue still felt the seeping cold of the essence—an ancient aura of water and ice mixed with the remnants of rotting poison from the Shi Clan.

  Below the surface, their vision was filled with a different sight. They were not in ordinary water. They were inside a massive underground chamber shrouded in thick water mist and ice essence. An ancient corridor, carved from black basalt rock that radiated an oppressed dragon aura, stretched into the distance.

  Along the corridor walls, carvings of a black dragon bound by chains of essence were clearly visible, radiating sadness and anger. Everywhere, they could feel the fluctuations of the Ancient Formation, which, despite having weakened, still emitted a terrifying defensive aura.