Ao Sheng let out a guttural growl, his entire frame drenched in sweat—not from heat, but from the brutal friction of spiritual refinement. He summoned the Azure Dragon Water Law, manifesting a shield of viscous fluid that sought to dissolve the unyielding sharpness of the Metal element.

  He had to employ the tenacity of Water to overcome the rigidity of Metal. After several hours, the Metal finally yielded; its harsh essence began to integrate, bestowing a new foundation of endurance and sharpness upon his Dao.

  As the third day broke with the arrival of dawn, dewdrops still fell from the heavens. Their time at the inn had reached its conclusion, and Ao Sheng finally emerged from his meditation. At that moment, Ruo Xianxue receded back into the Sea of Consciousness, and Zhi Xuan exited the establishment alongside Ao Sheng. He surveyed the surroundings briefly, his gaze fixing upon the eastern horizon of the Golden Gate City.

  "We shall not venture toward the Starstone Expanse," Zhi Xuan murmured, looking at Ao Sheng with a calm resolve. "The void cracks are far too perilous. We will take the long road—slower, yet safer—to reach the Northern Continent."

  Ao Sheng nodded quickly, his golden-blue eyes flickering with undisguised relief. Though the passion to pursue the Emperor's Dao Traces had briefly set his heart ablaze, his newly awakened combat instincts commanded him to avoid unnecessary hazards. The void cracks, even for an Azure King, were unpredictable abysses of death.

  "I understand, Senior Zhi Xuan. A safe path is the bedrock of an enduring Dao," Ao Sheng replied, his voice regaining its stability. He felt the hardness and resilience of the newly acquired Metal Law pulsing within his Golden Core, granting him a fresh understanding of fortitude.

  Zhi Xuan gave a firm nod. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Seven-Star Boat. Ao Sheng leaped onto the deck followed by Zhi Xuan, and the vessel immediately shot toward the high firmament. The sun was still shy, barely casting its rays, and a cool breeze wafted through the air despite the sparse vegetation of the Borderlands.

  The Seven-Star Boat sped high above the eastern horizon, cleaving through the cold morning air. Below them, Golden Gate City appeared like a jagged hunk of black volcanic rock, slowly being swallowed by the retreating mist.

  Zhi Xuan stood at the prow, allowing the frigid winds of the Dark Border to lash against his face. He did not channel his Lightning Law to accelerate the boat; instead, he allowed it to maintain a steady, controlled pace. Choosing a longer journey to the Northern Continent would cost time, but it would bypass the spatial rifts of the Starstone Expanse.

  Zhi Xuan gazed into the distance. This detour would lead them through primitive mountain routes, across several mortal kingdoms and ancient forests, before reaching the true path to the north. It was a safer journey, yet it made the ten-year window mentioned by Ruo Xianxue feel increasingly short.

  ZZTTT! WHUSHH!

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly and turned with the speed of a lightning strike. He flicked his wrist, and the Heavenly Sword instantly materialized in his hand. He swung the blade, unleashing a Heaven-Sunder Slash. The crimson arc immediately collided with a cross-shaped slash coming from behind, triggering a massive shockwave in the air.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! BOOM!

  The two strikes exploded in mid-air. Zhi Xuan moved his fingers, manifesting the Four-Directional Blood Shield for a brief moment to protect Ao Sheng from the aftershocks. As the air grew still, Zhi Xuan stared at the remnants of the explosion and sharpened his Divine Sense, seeking the one who had launched the strike.

  Ao Sheng was caught off guard, staggering behind the Blood Shield Zhi Xuan had conjured. Although the shield lasted only a moment, the spiritual impact outside was devastating—enough to tear through the defenses of an ordinary Consciousness Transformation cultivator. He gripped his Black Water Dragon King Spear tightly, staring toward the rear with eyes full of vigilance.

  "Senior, who is it?" Ao Sheng hissed. He had sensed no significant spiritual fluctuations before the attack, indicating how masterfully the ambusher had concealed their aura.

  Zhi Xuan merely grunted. He leveled his sword forward, his sapphire eyes piercing and cold as he stared at the empty air behind the Seven-Star Boat. "Come forth, if you wish to do battle."

  In the center of the newly torn void, the air behind the boat began to ripple. Densely packed spiritual energy gathered—not exploding outward, but spiraling inward, consuming the surrounding light. From this vortex of darkness, three figures emerged.

  They were elderly cultivators, clad in dull gray robes embroidered with faint golden threads—the insignia of a hidden faction. The spiritual aura they radiated was heavy, weighing down the very air and making Ao Sheng's bones creak. Their auras, though not yet at the peak of the Five Elements, felt exceptionally dense and stable, marking them as experts who had long been rooted in the high stages of the Five Elements realm.

  "Black-Haired Devil, you are indeed as swift as the wind," spoke the old man in the center. His voice was raspy and carried a profound resonance, as if every word was an echo from an ancient stone. His face was a map of wrinkles, but his eyes held a chilling serenity. "We merely wish to deliver a message. Why must you respond with such fury?"

  Zhi Xuan smirked coldly, the Heavenly Sword in his hand emitting a cruel crimson blade-light infused with Pure Lightning. "An ambush is the true mark of fury. What is it you want? If you are of the Shi Clan, your hunting decree is too weak to reach this far."

  The old man on the left, who radiated a sharp Wind Law, chuckled softly. "We are not of the Shi Clan, Devil. While the Shi Clan has indeed issued a bounty, we have our own duty. We are envoys of the Eighth Prince of the Hongmeng Empire."

  Upon hearing the name of the Eighth Prince and the Hongmeng Empire, Ao Sheng reflexively held his breath. He glanced at Zhi Xuan, whose expression remained calm, yet the Heavenly Sword in his hand vibrated slightly, as if responding to the revelation with a hidden bloodlust.

  "Envoys?" Zhi Xuan repeated, his tone flat yet laced with sharp skepticism. "The Hongmeng Empire has a strange way of delivering correspondence. An ambush with a sundered sky, rather than a slip of spiritual jade?"

  The central envoy, whose aura was the most stable, offered a small smile that seemed carved from stone. He produced a scroll made of ancient beast hide from his sleeve. The scroll lacked any overt spiritual fluctuations, but its surface was draped in an aura of profound Imperial Majesty, as if it had been handled by someone of a True Sovereign bloodline.

  "We had to ensure, Black-Haired Devil, that we were not wasting our time chasing shadows. And we had to ensure the message reached the right person," the old man explained, his tone becoming more urgent. He ignored the sword pointed at him—a testament to his confidence in the faction behind him. "The Eighth Prince of the Empire wishes to challenge you in ten years' time at the Competition of the Three Plains."

  "A challenge?" Zhi Xuan repeated, his voice dripping with undisguised mockery. He lowered his sword slightly, though his sapphire eyes did not lose an ounce of vigilance. "The Eighth Prince of the Hongmeng Empire has no right to challenge me. If he wishes to meet, he must come himself. I am no slave to bow before a mortal imperial bloodline."

  The envoy was not angered by Zhi Xuan's arrogance. Instead, he let out a dry laugh that sounded like the rubbing of jade.

  "The Prince does not care for honor or bloodlines, Devil," the old man replied calmly. "He cares only for your foundation and the Immortal Artifact you carry. We have seen your likeness; we have heard the whispers of your deeds everywhere. The Eighth Prince has achieved a perfect Five Elements realm, yet he deems his own foundation inferior to yours."

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  The old man then unrolled the beast-hide scroll. Its surface contained no text, but rather a simple sketch—a blurred yet detailed depiction of an artifact resembling the legendary Seven Immortal Gods Bell, an Immortal-grade treasure sought by true practitioners.

  Ao Sheng's eyes widened, and his breath hitched. He had read legends of that artifact in the ancient archives of the Dragon Clan. The Seven Immortal Gods Bell was rumored to possess the power to toll the Seven Laws of Heaven and Earth—a treasure so rare it was meant only for the descendants of a Great Emperor.

  He looked at the scroll, then at Zhi Xuan. For the first time since leaving Golden Gate City, his Senior's face showed a flicker of emotion—a cold surprise mixed with profound understanding.

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes. The Seven Immortal Gods Bell. He knew of this artifact from the fragments of the Ancient Heaven Memory Legacy. It was an artifact designed to refine and suppress the Soul. It did not possess explosive destructive power; rather, it would crush an opponent's spirit until their mind shattered or they descended into madness.

  "The Eighth Prince wishes to challenge me," Zhi Xuan concluded quietly, his brow furrowing as he pieced the puzzle together. "He wishes to test his bell against my Heavenly Sword?"

  The Seven Immortal Gods Bell focused on the suppression of the Soul and the Sea of Consciousness. In contrast, Zhi Xuan's Heavenly Sword was a blade forged from destruction and Heavenly Calamity, its foundation now threatening to pierce the veil between the Mortal and the Immortal.

  The envoy gave a thin, darker smile. "The Eighth Prince does not dare use a newly refined artifact against a blade drenched in the aura of Heavenly Calamity. Not directly. He merely wishes to assert that he possesses an artifact of equal standing to that of the Black-Haired Devil."

  He slowly rolled the scroll back up, hiding the threatening sketch. "The Prince only wishes to ensure your presence at the Competition of the Three Plains. He desires to meet the genius who dared to shake the Ancient Zhu Clan and incite the wrath of the Shi Clan simultaneously. A battle of Dao, Devil. Not a battle of life and death. The Empire requires a new face to lead the Xing Luo Plains upon the stage of the Three Plains."

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly. His sword vibrated in his grip, but he did not attack. Ruo Xianxue was right. This was an elegant trap, fueled by greed and the need to secure a valuable asset. They were not trying to kill him; they were trying to bind him, claim him, or at the very least, exploit his worth in the eyes of the Three Great Plains.

  "Tell the Empire," Zhi Xuan said coldly, lowering his weapon and letting it hover near his hand. "That I am tethered to neither Empire nor Kingdom. I hold a connection to the Ancient Zhu Clan, but that does not grant the Empire the right to dictate my path. I bid you farewell."

  Zhi Xuan clasped his hands in a brief, formal gesture before turning away. He began to channel essence into the Seven-Star Boat to depart, but one additional voice caused him to freeze in place. The boat hung suspended in the air as a voice struck him like a bolt of lightning and ice.

  "Five geniuses shall each receive a treasure capable of aiding their ascension to the Soul Transformation realm," whispered one of the envoys, the voice sounding as if it were right next to Zhi Xuan's ear—raspy and carrying a promise of power that could not be ignored. "The Second Great Constellation shall also be opened. The five chosen geniuses will, of course, be granted entry into the Great Constellation to seek their fortunes there."

  The Great Constellation—a term so ancient it was not recorded even in the mortal texts of the Zhao Kingdom, yet it was etched into the most esoteric fragments of the Ancient Heaven Memory Legacy. It was one of the astral paths connecting the Lower Realms to the Nine Heavens. It was known as a treasure trove that held not only spiritual resources but also clues to the remnants of the Ancient Heaven Clan and lost Immortal Laws.

  "The Second Great Constellation," Zhi Xuan murmured. His voice was no longer cold or arrogant, but sharp with absolute calculation. He did not turn around; he only tilted his head slightly toward the speaker. "That is a place that should be sealed—a star path that opens only through the sacrifice of a sublime bloodline."

  The envoy who had spoken, an old man radiating the Earth Law, smiled more craftily than before.

  "The Hongmeng Empire possesses a heritage deeper than you suspect, Black-Haired Devil," the envoy replied with satisfaction. "We do not rely on blood sacrifice. We rely on ancient astral formations. The Second Great Constellation is where the five highest spiritual imprints of the Xing Luo Plains shall be permitted entry. Five Geniuses, five tickets. And the reward we promise the ultimate victor of the Constellation is something that can help a Five Elements cultivator stabilize their Dao Foundation. Reaching Soul Transformation in a mere century."

  Ao Sheng, witnessing the exchange, was no longer afraid of Ruo Xianxue or Immortal Artifacts. His eyes were fixed on his Senior's back, sensing the surge of primordial ambition radiating from the young Devil. He knew the Great Constellation was a temptation no entity pursuing the Eternal Dao could refuse.

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, processing the information. If the Hongmeng Empire could open the Second Great Constellation—even through ancient formations—then the foundation of their power far exceeded that of an ordinary mortal empire. This was a trap, but a trap laden with priceless rewards.

  "A reward to reach the Soul Transformation realm," Zhi Xuan hissed, opening his eyes. He smirked—a look now filled with irresistible arrogance and greed. "Very well. You truly know how to play the game, Hongmeng Empire."

  He turned back to face the three envoys. The Heavenly Sword floated calmly at his side, but the tension between them had dissipated. Zhi Xuan had made his choice.

  "Deliver this message to the Eighth Prince," Zhi Xuan commanded, his voice returning to its cold authority. "I shall come to the Competition of the Three Plains. Not to represent the Hongmeng Empire, and not for a battle of honor, but for the Great Constellation. If the Empire wishes for me to attend, then the Hongmeng Empire must wait ten years for my arrival."

  Ao Sheng, gripping his Black Water Dragon King Spear, saw the shift in his Senior's expression. That arrogant, greedy smile was a clear signal: Zhi Xuan had accepted the challenge, but on terms and for reasons that were entirely his own.

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand, and the Heavenly Sword shot back into his storage bag, vanishing in a flash. The act was a declaration that instant hostilities had ended—at least for now.

  The envoys of the Hongmeng Empire, particularly the one of the Earth Law, smiled with satisfaction. Their goal had been achieved. They cared nothing for Zhi Xuan's insolence; all that mattered was that the Black-Haired Devil had agreed to come.

  "Your message shall be delivered, Black-Haired Devil," the envoy replied, his voice calm and devoid of threat. "We shall meet upon the stage of the Xing Luo Plains."

  The three envoys exchanged a brief glance, and their dense spiritual auras began to spiral inward. In the blink of an eye, they vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind faint spatial ripples that slowly faded into the morning air.

  Zhi Xuan stood tall on the deck of the Seven-Star Boat, staring at the empty space where the envoys had stood. Though he had accepted the challenge, the turbulence within his Sea of Consciousness remained. The Second Great Constellation. The words felt heavy, promising both an Immortal Legacy and perils that transcended the mortal realm.

  "The Great Constellation," Ao Sheng murmured behind him, still holding his spear. There was a burning passion in his eyes, now mixed with profound concern. "Senior, that... that is a treasure that far exceeds the Emperor's Dao Traces."

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly. He did not turn. He simply channeled essence into the base of the Seven-Star Boat. The artifact let out a low roar and, in an instant, streaked toward the east at full speed. He did not wish to linger in a location now known to the Hongmeng Empire.

  "Of course it exceeds them," Zhi Xuan replied, his tone returning to a cold, efficient clip. "The Emperor's Dao Traces are merely the remnants of one or two Great Emperors. The Great Constellation is a star path—a legacy connected to the Nine Heavens. It is the place where all the Laws of Heaven and Earth converge, a place that can give birth to a true Immortal cultivator."

  He closed his eyes for a moment as the Ancient Heaven Memory Legacy swirled in his mind. Knowledge of the Great Constellation was highly fragmented and fraught with unforeseen dangers—Star Calamities, Constellation Beasts, and remnant formations that could rip a soul apart. However, the reward—the chance to stabilize his extreme Five Elements Dao Foundation and reach the Soul Transformation realm in short order—was an irresistible lure.

  "Ten years," Zhi Xuan muttered. He held out his hand, and the Pure Lightning Law pulsed in his palm. "They gave me ten years. It is an insult, yet a reprieve I value. They are certain the extreme foundation I seek will tear my Primary Soul asunder before that time comes."

  He glanced at Ao Sheng. "Listen, Golden Dragon. The Eighth Prince does not care for honor. He cares only for the Immortal Artifact you carry—the Heavenly Sword. His Seven Immortal Gods Bell focuses on the soul; my blade is forged with destruction. He wants to ensure my blade will not interfere with his artifact. He is searching for my weakness, not merely challenging me."

  Ao Sheng nodded quickly. He now understood the full scope of the political intrigue. The envoys had tested Zhi Xuan and then offered an absolute temptation. Ao Sheng felt a surge of admiration for his Senior Devil, who had turned a threat into an advantageous condition.

  "Senior, where is our next destination?" Ao Sheng asked, having stowed his spear. He refocused on the Metal within his Golden Core, forcing himself to ignore the tantalizing thought of the Great Constellation.