"To the Northern Continent," Zhi Xuan continued as he settled upon the deck, channeling his essence into the Seven-Star Boat. The artifact let out a low, resonant roar and streaked toward the east, distancing itself from Golden Gate City and the throng of cultivators at the Dark Border. The biting morning air was swiftly replaced by the whistle of wind-cleaving speed, carrying them across an apparently boundless ancient forest.

  "The path we take," Zhi Xuan explained, his eyes closing briefly as he summoned a mental map from the Ancient Heaven Memory Legacy. "Will lead us across the Sea of Verdant Winds before we reach the frontier of the Northern Continent. I have planned this trajectory."

  Ao Sheng, sitting cross-legged behind him, nodded in silent acknowledgement. He could feel the extraordinary velocity of the Seven-Star Boat. Even without utilizing spatial rifts, the vessel's pace surpassed most flying artifacts used by cultivators, making the journey feel like a blur through the heavens.

  "The Sea of Verdant Winds," Ao Sheng repeated. "If its name contains 'Wind,' does it mean the Wind Law dominates that region?"

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, a faint, enigmatic smile playing upon his lips. "Precisely. It is a realm perpetually ravaged by Gale Storms. We shall seek a small island in the heart of that sea; we will remain there while I contemplate the Law of Wind."

  Zhi Xuan exhaled a spiritual breath, funneling more Pure Lightning Law into the foundation of the boat. The artifact vibrated violently, and their speed surged. The ancient forest below blurred into a single wash of emerald, and the rugged mountains began to give way to flatter, more expansive plains.

  Zhi Xuan felt a sense of grim satisfaction. The Sea of Verdant Winds was a strategic halt—not merely an escape route from the Hongmeng Empire and the Shi Clan, but a crucible to test the Wind Law, the fifth element he sought for his foundation.

  Though the immediate goal was the Sea of Verdant Winds, the Fire Law remained a pressing challenge, of equal weight to the Extreme Ice. He hunted what could be hunted, mapping hidden elemental resources through his inherited memories.

  "Gale Storms," Zhi Xuan murmured, his mind already drifting into a meditative state regarding the Wind Law. "To pass through a storm without understanding it, without being within it—would that not be a waste? Let the Wind be tempered before my Primordial Fire and Extreme Ice."

  He drew a deep spiritual breath, the essence around him spiraling. Having gained the piercing enlightenment of Extreme Ice from the Kun Peng, Zhi Xuan realized that every forging of his Dao must be a direct confrontation with primordial essences. The Sea of Verdant Winds was the perfect theater to challenge the Pure Wind Law.

  "Two weeks," Zhi Xuan muttered. He opened his eyes and flicked his fingers, carving runes into the air—a formation that streaked into the hull of the Seven-Star Boat. "We make for the Sea of Verdant Winds."

  The Seven-Star Boat flickered momentarily before erupting in a brilliant silver light, lunging forward like a projectile of pure radiance. The Ancient Heaven Legacy allowed Zhi Xuan to utilize a formation that maximized the distance and speed of the artifact beyond its natural limits.

  Streaking eastward, they bypassed vast, sparsely populated plains. In these lands, spiritual energy was abundant, but the Laws of the Wild were more dominant than the ordered laws of sect territories. Zhi Xuan did not allow the boat to drift too high; the speed and the concealment formations were enough to evade low-realm cultivators and flying beasts.

  Ao Sheng was struck with awe as he watched the ancient runes Zhi Xuan carved into the air. The boat's speed now defied logic; it was as if they were slicing through the fabric of space itself, even without a teleportation technique. He realized just how profound the legacy held by his Senior Devil truly was.

  Within Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, Ruo Xianxue, the Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox, sat with poised elegance. Her Sun and Moon dual pupils watched the spatial ripples created by the newly installed formation.

  "You are far too extravagant, using spiritual energy for mere mortal speed, Zhi Xuan," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her nine tails fluttering in mock disdain. "In my era, I could exist in all times and places simultaneously without laboring over such crude formations."

  Zhi Xuan exhaled spiritually, ignoring the Saint's mockery. He knew she spoke the truth; a primordial entity commanding the Ultimate Darkness Law could manipulate the Laws of Space and Time with an ease unreachable by mortal minds. Yet, he would not waste a single moment.

  "That was you, not I, Great Saint," Zhi Xuan replied within his mind, his tone flat. However, a spark of curiosity flickered within him. "You could be in all times and places... Do you mean you could step into the past and be anywhere you desired?"

  Ruo Xianxue snorted, a soft, condescending laugh echoing through the Sea of Consciousness. Her voice took on the tone of an immortal whose sanctity transcended the mundane. "The past is but the dust of cultivation. I nearly reached the Origin itself before the Forbidden Plains struck me. Life and Death are but falling dew; why must the Heavens bleed?"

  She drifted closer to Zhi Xuan's spiritual form, her expression one of feigned pity. "I can exist wherever darkness dwells, even in the crevices behind the folds of Space and Time. With me, the Ultimate Darkness Law becomes the Ultimate Majesty. The Ancient God Clans and the Ancient Heaven Clans were but large specks of dust in my sight."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent. He gazed at the Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox, not with arrogance, but with a rare, cold admiration. Her words did not sound like a boast; they were the simple statements of an existence that had once stood at the absolute apex of the cultivation pyramid—one that had nearly touched the boundary of the Origin.

  "The Origin," Zhi Xuan spiritualized the words, his tongue feeling bitter. He knew that despite being a Heavenly-Devil with Pure Lightning Blood, the distance between the Five Elements realm and the Origin realm Ruo Xianxue hinted at was not a gap between Heaven and Earth, but a void beyond definition. "So, you can traverse the river of time?"

  "The Karma is immense," Ruo Xianxue replied, her Sun and Moon pupils rotating slowly. "Traversing the river of time is not something you can imagine today. In the face of the Forbidden Plains, even I, who walked through all ages, could not endure."

  Zhi Xuan shook his spiritual head, the chilling reality of her words washing away his lingering arrogance. An entity that nearly touched the highest realm, capable of operating across space and time, could still be defeated by the Forbidden Plains—a name he heard mentioned again and again.

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  "Very well, enough of your sorrows, Old Fox," Zhi Xuan hissed, waving his hand lazily as he turned his gaze toward the Heavenly Samsara Wheel. "You promised me that you would grant me understanding of your Supreme Law when I reach Soul Transformation. I shall achieve that within two hundred years."

  Zhi Xuan pointed toward the Devil Seed, the size of a dark wooden ball, at the base of his Sea of Consciousness. There, a soul with dark purple hair and a face identical to his own occasionally manifested, causing him to tremble with the sheer force of its malevolence—a force that could not be subdued until he reached Soul Transformation.

  "Refining that Devil Seed," Zhi Xuan hissed, his eyes sharpening as the pillar pattern on his forehead flickered. "That is the path to becoming the strongest."

  Ruo Xianxue turned her celestial gaze toward the Devil Seed shrouded in Eclipse Runes. She let out a soft, mocking laugh.

  "Two hundred years?" she jeered. "You underestimate yourself, Devil. With the foundation of Pure Lightning, the Heavenly-Devil Blood, and the Ancient Heaven Legacy, you should be able to do it within a century—perhaps even faster, if you are not blinded by your own arrogance."

  "Arrogance," Zhi Xuan exhaled spiritually. "Arrogance is my means of survival—of remaining sane amidst the Devil's madness. If I acted like the ancient devils such as yourself, I would no longer be me, but merely that Devil Seed."

  Ruo Xianxue narrowed her dual pupils, watching the seed pulse beneath the Eclipse Runes. She did not argue. she understood the pressure Zhi Xuan endured. The Devil Seed was both a curse and a blessing—the remnants of a primordial soul hungry for ruin, which Zhi Xuan's Primary Soul had to conquer or be consumed by.

  Using arrogance as a mental shield was a clever strategy—a refusal to buckle under the weight of an iron fate. Zhi Xuan chose to remain himself, not merely a vessel.

  "Fine then, Foolish Devil," Ruo Xianxue decided, her voice calming into a tone of reluctant approval. "Focus on the Wind Law and the Primordial Fire. Your Dao is the priority. I shall remain silent and observe."

  She drifted back to her place beneath the Devil Tree of Life, absorbing the tranquil essence emitted by her Ancient Devil Monument. The Sea of Consciousness grew quiet once more. Zhi Xuan drew his soul back to his physical form.

  On the deck of the Seven-Star Boat, a fierce wind howled. The speed was incredible, and the geography below began to shift. The green plains were now interspersed with high, whitening limestone formations—a sign they were nearing the Sea of Verdant Winds.

  He glanced at Ao Sheng, who remained submerged in meditation. The Azure King's face showed a steady resolve; he was a reliable ally, even if occasionally vulnerable to the lack of combat experience.

  WHUSH! WHUSH! WHUSH!

  Zhi Xuan looked ahead, sharpening his divine sense. In the distance, between the rippling clouds, great cyclones swept across the sea. The fluctuations of the Wind were so fierce they whipped his long black hair, a testament to the savagery of the storms there.

  "Incredible fluctuations," Zhi Xuan murmured. He could feel every fiber of the Wind Law in the air, resonating with his own Pure Lightning Law's affinity for speed.

  The Sea of Verdant Winds stretched before them, not as a sea of water, but as an endless ocean of spiritual mist, punctured by massive waterspouts of air that reached the heavens like spinning pillars of jade. Each vortex radiated Pure Wind Law so dense it could cleave bone and shred ordinary flying artifacts.

  "Even Fei Sheng's Wind Law likely never encountered winds this potent," Zhi Xuan muttered. He tightened his essence, and the boat surged to close the final few hundred li to the nearest dock. "The nearest city—I need information before stepping into that storm."

  Zhi Xuan funneled more essence into the boat, pushing it past mortal limits. Within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the sea loomed before them as a terrifying natural barrier.

  The boat slowed drastically as they reached the edge of the land. The nearest city on the map was an outpost of heavy timber and solid stone, built atop a high cliff overlooking the swirling mist. It was called the Port of Flying Jade—an ironic name, given the gales that threatened to rip it from the earth.

  Zhi Xuan stowed the boat and leaped onto the windswept cliff. Ao Sheng landed gracefully beside him, his Black Water Dragon King Spear vibrating faintly in his storage bag in response to the wild winds.

  The air in the port was cold and filled with a never-ending whistle. The Wind Law here was hyperactive, piercing to the marrow and disturbing unstable seas of consciousness. Most cultivators here wore thick robes covered in intricate Wind-protection runes.

  They walked toward the port gates, made of ancient logs distorted by years of buffeting. The guards were sturdy cultivators of Earth and Wind, their eyes reflecting weariness and grit.

  "Entrance fee: ten low-grade spiritual stones per person," one guard said, his voice nearly swallowed by the wind.

  Zhi Xuan produced twenty stones and handed them over without a word. He cared nothing for such pittance; his focus was on the elemental chaos ahead. Once inside, the city felt like a bustling beehive. The Port of Flying Jade was a stopover for wandering cultivators specializing in Wind Laws or those seeking unique resources from the islands within the sea.

  Shops along the streets sold Wind Talismans, reinforced flying artifacts, and herbs that grew only in the eye of a storm. The streets were dominated by bold, rugged cultivators, many carrying scythes or flying daggers—weapons designed to cut through air currents.

  Zhi Xuan led Ao Sheng toward a simple teahouse of stone and thick wood, located in a relatively quiet corner. He spread his Divine Sense, listening for whispers and information. Inside, the atmosphere was warmer, protected from the gale.

  Cultivators sat around tables, drinking spiritual wine that emitted a soft Fire aura to combat the chill. Zhi Xuan chose a corner table, ordering Wind Wine and a plate of Storm Bird meat.

  As the order arrived—the wine sharp with spiritual essence and the meat smoked to perfection—Zhi Xuan downed a cup before turning to observe two cultivators in heavy robes. They appeared rugged, with tanned skin and visible scars, radiating a Wind Law aura tempered by hardship.

  "Fellow Daoists," Zhi Xuan greeted calmly, raising his cup. "I wish to know if the storms of the Sea of Verdant Winds can be crossed with a mere Flying Artifact?"

  The two cultivators raised their heads, their tired eyes fixing on Zhi Xuan. They were clearly surprised by the direct address, and Zhi Xuan's clean aura, contrasting with the port's ruggedness, made them wary.

  The elder of the two, who had a small flying scythe hanging at his waist, snorted and drained his cup.

  "Where does this Young Master hail from? The Sea of Verdant Winds is no small pond behind your house, boy," he replied, his voice raspy. "A mere Flying Artifact? That is an invitation for your soul to be shredded by the Dragon Vortices."

  The younger man, whose aura was sharper, added a warning tone, "The storms in that sea are no ordinary winds. They are Storms of Wind Blades."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly and set down his cup, shifting to face them with his hands clasped. "This junior is Zhang Shui," Zhi Xuan introduced himself with his pseudonym. "I have recently traveled from the Zhao Kingdom with the youth beside me, and intend to cross the Sea of Verdant Winds to reach the Northern Continent."

  The elder man narrowed his wrinkled eyes. He scanned Zhi Xuan with a cautious Divine Sense, but Zhi Xuan's Heavenly-Blood Body Law, which masked his aura, allowed the old man to see only a Five Elements practitioner slightly younger than themselves.

  The old man sighed, a hint of pity in his eyes. "The Zhao Kingdom, I see. The Central Plains. You come from a place of peace and quiet. Here, the Laws of the Wild are far more cruel. My name is Li Han, and this is my junior brother, Feng Ya."

  Li Han pointed toward the swirling mist outside the thick stone window. "The Sea of Emerald Winds is not merely a Wind Blade Tempest, friend Zhang. It is a storm fueled by the Ice ruins of the Northern Continent. No mortal ship can withstand the vortexes; even the strongest flying artifacts would be torn to dust. Special spiritual vessels, such as Jing Zi's Wind Phoenix Ship, might survive, but the cost is exorbitant, and they only sail if you pay with high-grade spiritual stones."

  "And speaking of that Jing Zi," Feng Ya chimed in, setting his cup down with a light clack. "She can only take you halfway, if that. She will drop you at a hill... I forget the name, and the rest you must travel alone. That is, of course, if you are not a youth from the great Sects whose great-grandfathers personally escort them."