The Heavenly Moth, now the size of a warhorse, radiated soft rainbow powder as it landed gracefully on the deck of the Seven Star Boat. This sudden arrival almost caused the Heaven-Grade vessel to lose its balance.

  Ao Sheng, who still held the Black Water Dragon King Spear warily, was so startled that his Primordial Golden Core trembled. Zhao Xue, who had only just managed to calm her Pure Ice Law after escaping the corridor, instantly drew her Thousand Winters Sword, her cold aura enveloping the deck.

  Atop the Moth, which radiated a majestic ancient aura, Zhi Xuan looked like a Devil King newly returned from a hunt. The purple-blue lightning flashes around him now dimmed, leaving behind an aura of severe exhaustion.

  "Master, your grip is too tight. My wings hurt," Xiao Die buzzed, her voice no longer a faint hum but possessing a majestic spatial resonance, a sound like hundreds of silk wings vibrating in unison.

  Zhi Xuan released his grip and jumped down from the back of the Heavenly Moth, landing with a slight stagger on the deck. He ignored his physical fatigue and the wary stares of his two companions.

  "Stop pretending to be in pain, Little Moth," Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat but containing a hint of hidden admiration. "Your speed has increased drastically. Those Divine Herbs truly worked quickly."

  Xiao Die snorted, her magnificent rainbow wings trembling slightly. "Master must give me more Blue Phoenix Tears if you want me to constantly jump through space to cover your lack of speed."

  Ao Sheng and Zhao Xue could only stare at this strange scene in a daze. Before them, a Devil Daoist who had just escaped two Soul Transformation experts was arguing about the price of divine potions with a giant talking moth that possessed spatial abilities.

  "Black-Haired Devil," Zhao Xue interrupted in a stiff, cold voice, sheathing her sword with a decisive click. "What spiritual creature is that? And where did you get it?"

  Zhi Xuan took a lazy breath. He took a cross-legged sitting position on the deck, ignoring Zhao Xue's gaze. "She is Little Moth, my pet. Do not stare at her too much. She is the fortieth-ranked Heavenly Insect, and she has just entered her adolescent phase."

  "Little Moth? Heavenly Insect?" Zhao Xue repeated, her cold eyes widening slightly. Even as a disciple of the Pure Ice Pavilion, she knew that Ancient Heavenly Insects were Primordial entities that existed far beyond the concept of ordinary Spiritual Beasts.

  Xiao Die, hearing the dismissive introduction, instantly shrank her form back into a small moth radiating soft rainbow powder. She drifted onto Zhi Xuan's shoulder, but her tone was now filled with the typical arrogance of an Ancient Insect.

  "I am not Little Moth! I am Yunyi Die! And Snow Daoist, you should be careful with your words. Your Pure Ice aura will not be able to freeze my thousand wings," Xiao Die huffed on Zhi Xuan's shoulder, her high-pitched voice now only audible to Zhi Xuan and Ao Sheng, though its spiritual vibration was clear.

  Zhao Xue fell silent, merely staring at Xiao Die who looked like an ordinary moth, yet the ancient aura she radiated could not be faked. She turned toward Ao Sheng, who also appeared confused.

  "Senior Zhi Xuan," Ao Sheng called respectfully, radiating a bit of his Pure Golden Dragon aura to calm the fluctuations in the air. "Is that an Ancient Insect?"

  Zhi Xuan nodded vaguely, reaching up to stroke Xiao Die's small head. "Yes, this is an Ancient Insect. Your Dragon Ancestor might have been from the same Era as my little moth's Ancestral bloodline."

  Zhao Xue drew a breath that felt freezing. She knew that Ancient Insects possessed power comparable to Ancient Beasts. The moth sitting on the shoulder of the Black-Haired Devil was an existence comparable to the Ancestors of Ancient Beasts, or perhaps even higher. She looked back at Zhi Xuan, her curiosity mixed with caution. This man held too many secrets: divine artifacts, Devil techniques, and now an Ancient Heavenly Insect.

  "You arrived much faster than I expected," Zhao Xue said, shifting the conversation away from Xiao Die's presence which made her uncomfortable. She noticed the traces of dried blood at the corners of Zhi Xuan's lips. "Those two Soul Transformation experts... how did you escape?"

  Zhi Xuan smirked coldly, ignoring the piercing pain in his meridians. His usually mischievous Devil smile now appeared cruel and cynical, decorated by the drop of spiritual blood he had just spat out.

  "I did not escape," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice hoarse but filled with cold victory. "I fought against their foundation, and I gave them a choice that made them suffer more than killing me would have."

  "They imprisoned me with an Eleven-Layer Earth Cage, trying to poison me inside," Zhi Xuan continued, channeling a bit of his new spiritual essence to suppress the pain from his torn meridians. He gently stroked Xiao Die's head, and she immediately channeled soothing rainbow powder into his body. "Forget it, let us focus on what lies ahead."

  Zhao Xue exhaled softly, the Thousand Winters Sword on her back vibrating faintly. She stepped forward and stood one pace in front of Zhi Xuan. She tilted her face up and looked at Zhi Xuan with a calm and decisive expression.

  "I will return to the border," Zhao Xue said coldly, returning to her persona as a disciplined woman of the Righteous Dao, clasping her hands in front of her. "This path ends here. If we meet another time, I will surely challenge your Dao and leave you sprawling on the ground."

  Zhao Xue turned to look at Ao Sheng, reaching out to stroke his hair for a moment with a faint smile. Then, she looked back at Zhi Xuan. "Ao Sheng, I entrust him to a Devil like you. If I hear news of Ao Sheng being harmed, I will hunt you with my entire life."

  Zhi Xuan only snorted, a cynical smirk returning to his pale face. He ignored Zhao Xue's threat of a lifelong hunt; he had heard such threats far too often. What interested him was that Zhao Xue, with the typical composure and caution of an Orthodox Daoist, was now entrusting the Pure Golden Dragon—the future of her Clan—to him, a Devil who had just slaughtered dozens of cultivators before her eyes.

  "An interesting threat, Snow Blade Lady," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice filled with a dry Devil smirk, yet he bowed slightly and clasped his hands. "You are a formidable cultivator; may the Heavenly Path always show you enlightenment."

  Zhi Xuan clasped his hands with a strange, polite gesture, contrasting with the aura of Lightning and Devil Blood still churning faintly around him. This made Zhao Xue, who was prepared to rebuff him, feel slightly startled. Zhao Xue felt her heart waver a little. The slaughtering Devil Daoist, the harvester of souls, who had just broken through his realm with brutality, was now giving her a perfect formal greeting like a true Orthodox Daoist. She ignored the strangeness.

  "Farewell is the Heavenly Path," Zhao Xue murmured. She nodded coldly before turning and lifting the Thousand Winters Sword which radiated a silvery aura. She looked back briefly at Zhi Xuan with a rare, slanted smile. "And you, do not be a coward who hides behind the back of Holy Fairy Zhu."

  WHUSH! WHUSH!

  Zhao Xue immediately sped away with a movement as fast as the night wind, leaving behind the scent of Snow and a silvery light that contrasted with the starlight in the night sky. Zhi Xuan only smiled coldly, nodding vaguely to acknowledge Zhao Xue as a cultivator who also recognized him.

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  Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh, a sound that was weary yet satisfied. He no longer restrained his Thunder Law; he let it dim until it was only a subtle flash beneath his skin. He closed his eyes, letting the rainbow powder from Xiao Die soothe his meridians.

  "Ao Sheng," Zhi Xuan called, turning to look at Ao Sheng who was filled with joy, still clutching his Dragon King Spear. "We will descend to recover for a few days, after which we will return to the South and go to the Devil Fire Abyss. We must fulfill the request of the Heavenly Lotus Sect to bring them the Fire Heart Fruit."

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand and descended from the sea of clouds. The Seven Star Boat dove downward and cruised through a dense Bamboo Forest. The boat landed smoothly a span above the ground. Zhi Xuan waved his hand, and the Seven Star Boat returned to his storage bag.

  He also took out a jade ring, which could serve as Ao Sheng's storage bag. Zhi Xuan carved runes and emptied the contents of the jade ring into his own storage bag, then floated the ring to Ao Sheng's hand, which had been marked with a special rune for him.

  "Take this," Zhi Xuan said calmly, then sat cross-legged on a large flat rock nearby. "You can use it to store your belongings. Because your Golden Dragon awakening does not allow you to cultivate like a human, you do not need to wait for the First Ember to be able to open that jade ring."

  Ao Sheng received the jade ring with both hands, his eyes shining with respect. He knew that a Storage Ring was no ordinary item in the mortal world. It was a very useful artifact for any cultivator.

  "Thank you, Senior Zhi Xuan," Ao Sheng replied, his voice filled with deep sincerity. He immediately channeled his Pure Bloodline spiritual essence, and the jade ring resonated, opening a small hidden spatial room. He quickly stored the Dragon King Spear, the ancient wooden box, and the Water Dragon Pearl inside.

  "Your cultivation is now the same as the cultivation of Beasts," Zhi Xuan said calmly, carving runes in the air and revealing golden runes that glowed in the middle of the night. "Sprouting Fang is your current level. It is followed by Azure King, Verdant Titan, and then Crimson Lotus. Do not worry; you are an Ancient Beast transformed into a Human. You will not encounter obstacles in cultivation like Humans do."

  Ao Sheng stared at the glowing runes, which summarized the path of Ancient Beast cultivation. The path felt foreign, yet simultaneously resonated with his heartbeat, which was now filled with the essence of the Pure Golden Dragon. He nodded, absorbing the information into his Sea of Consciousness, feeling that each level was closely connected to the awakening of his bloodline.

  "You have a fast path, but it carries risks with every advancement," Zhi Xuan continued, carving runes that showed his understanding of Beasts, which he had gained from Ruo Xianxue's memories. "You can absorb jade essence, you can directly absorb the essence of Heaven and Earth even though your level is still low, and you can also swallow other Beasts to increase your strength. Every level increase will bring a Heavenly Calamity. But do not worry, I will be there to guard you whenever you experience a Heavenly Calamity."

  Ao Sheng bowed his head deeply, understanding the implications of Zhi Xuan's words. A fast path, but one shrouded in brutal Heavenly Calamities. In the world of cultivation, a Heavenly Calamity was a Judgment of Nature handed down to entities that challenged the heavens or possessed a majestic Destiny. For Ao Sheng, who had just awakened as a Pure Golden Dragon, a Heavenly Calamity was a certainty.

  "I understand, Senior Zhi Xuan. I will not waste the bloodline you have risked for me," Ao Sheng replied, his voice filled with burning determination.

  "Sit," Zhi Xuan said calmly, a faint smile creeping into the corner of his lips. He waved his hand and brought out a fairly large Divine Black Jade toward Ao Sheng. "You can begin your cultivation; do not be in a hurry. You will not rise in level anytime soon, but this one Divine Black Jade stone will strengthen you."

  Ao Sheng was shocked. Divine Black Jade was an extremely valuable cultivation resource; even a Transformation cultivator would have to rob a Divine Stone just to possess a piece the weight of a gold coin. Now, a large chunk lay before him, radiating a dense spiritual essence aura.

  "This... this is too expensive, Senior," Ao Sheng whispered, his voice choked with disbelief.

  "Nonsense," Zhi Xuan cut in coldly, taking a calm cross-legged position on the flat rock. His new Thunder Law began to resonate with the essence of Heaven and Earth around him. "You are a Pure Golden Dragon; one stone will not make you leap into an Azure King. But this one stone will be the start of your true cultivation in this world."

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes, letting the rainbow powder from Xiao Die, who had returned to being a small moth on his shoulder, seep into his meridians. Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Ruo Xianxue acted immediately. The Divine Herbs that had been forcibly looted were not eaten raw. Instead, Ruo Xianxue, with her now strengthened essence, used the Ancient Devil Monument as a spiritual furnace.

  "You are truly going to build your Spiritual Body?" Zhi Xuan asked, sinking into his Sea of Consciousness and stepping across it to face Ruo Xianxue. "That means... you will be able to manifest a transparent spiritual body outside of my Sea of Consciousness?"

  Ruo Xianxue, now sitting gracefully atop the dark Ancient Devil Monument, snorted. Her body, which was only spiritual essence wrapped in a gray aura, radiated a purer glow thanks to the refinement from the Divine Herbs. Beside her, a cheerful-looking Xiao Die was jumping around a Heavenly Blood Orchid wrapped in the Monument's aura.

  "I am not a mortal cultivator who wastes Divine Herbs just to fill a void," Ruo Xianxue replied, her voice cold and majestic. "Star River Sand, Dew of the Gods Pearl, and Blue Phoenix Tears—all are building materials for a Pure Yin Spiritual Body. I will not only have a transparent body, but a body that can interact and fight outside of this Sea of Consciousness."

  "Spiritual Body?" Zhi Xuan repeated, his sapphire eyes radiating a combination of calculation and mischievous excitement. "That means I no longer have to shout inside my Sea of Consciousness like a madman every time I need your advice or help?"

  Ruo Xianxue narrowed her thin brow. "That is a small benefit among many grand ones. With a Spiritual Body, I can use the techniques carved on the Ancient Devil Monument without directly burdening your Primary Soul. Furthermore, I will be a more efficient catalyst to refine that lightning essence you so recklessly absorbed."

  Zhi Xuan smirked widely, his grin now not only mischievous but filled with cunning ambition. He knew that having a Primordial Devil with a Spiritual Body by his side was equivalent to having a moving and thinking ultimate weapon. He no longer had to worry about the spiritual dangers that always lurked whenever he borrowed the power of the Monument.

  "The Great Saint is indeed wise," Zhi Xuan praised, with a very clear mocking laugh. "You will be a valuable protector. Do not worry, I will harvest more Divine Herbs for you. And Little Moth, you will also get more Blue Phoenix Tears."

  Xiao Die, now hovering over Ruo Xianxue's spiritual shoulder, immediately released soft rainbow powder, showing her enthusiastic approval. Ruo Xianxue only snorted, ignoring the fake-sounding flattery and exaggerated promises, instead smiling cunningly as she drifted toward the spiritual Zhi Xuan, who immediately fell silent.

  "Of course, I truly desire a spiritual body," Ruo Xianxue hissed in a smooth tone, her hand touching Zhi Xuan's jaw as if she could rip it off at any moment. "That way, I can absorb any cultivator we meet on the road and turn them into fertilizer for the Slaughter Seals on your body."

  The spiritual Zhi Xuan instantly tensed inside his Sea of Consciousness, his mischievous smile vanishing, replaced by a sharp, wary gaze. Ruo Xianxue's spiritual touch on his jaw felt like a cold blade of ice—soothing yet threatening. He could feel the primordial madness hidden behind the thin smile of that Devil.

  "What are you saying?" Zhi Xuan hissed, channeling his spiritual essence to resist the touch of the Primordial Devil. "Do not be crazy, Old Fox; that would make me hunted across all the Plains. And no one would want to be my friend later or even be near me."

  "Nonsense," Ruo Xianxue replied, her voice now sounding like a whisper in a freezing winter, full of oppressive certainty. "You are a Devil, Zhi Xuan. Being hunted is a certainty, not a choice. If you do not make yourself strong enough to withstand that hunt, you will die, and I will return to the Monument to wait for someone else more formidable."

  Ruo Xianxue withdrew her hand, but the trace of her cold touch felt as if it clung to Zhi Xuan's spiritual jaw. Her smile now looked more like a smirk, a manifestation of Primordial ambition that cared nothing for mortal morality. She sat back on the Monument, her gray eyes radiating a light of deep calculation.

  "Your task now is to recover the lightning you have newly acquired. I will process these herbs. And remember," Ruo Xianxue continued, her voice returning to the majestic command of a Great Saint. "Never again fight against a Soul Transformation realm with raw power; it is a foolish and unnecessary act. You have speed; use it, rather than challenging them with your fists."

  Zhi Xuan snorted. He knew that Ruo Xianxue was right. He was a Devil; being hunted was an inescapable destiny. The power he gained from the Slaughter Seals was proof that his Dao was a path of blood. But the idea of intentionally attacking and harvesting other cultivators felt too hasty, even for him.

  "Ha, regardless," Zhi Xuan murmured, sitting cross-legged on his Sea of Consciousness. "At least I will get the pure Fire Law when we go to the Devil Fire Abyss later."