The blood-stained waters held only him. The monstrous tide of the Demon Race had temporarily retreated to regroup, and in the distant seaside city, the cultivators of the East Sea were urgently repairing the defenses, setting up their warship formations; a major battle would not commence anytime soon.

Yet, Ye Qin's thoughts were elsewhere.

He was currently at the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul realm, placing him among the very top cultivators within the East Sea Cultivation World. Furthermore, by continuing to consume the flesh of the Vermilion Fruit, he could potentially break through to the peak of the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul realm within another month or two.

The Divine Transformation realm was now tantalizingly close.

In the East Sea Cultivation World, high-level spiritual materials required for breaking through to and cultivating after the Divine Transformation realm were scarce.

Whether for breaking through or for subsequent cultivation, he would inevitably have to travel to either the Southern Demon Continent or the Northern Abyss Continent sooner or later. Choosing between the two was not difficult; drawing lots could even decide it.

What troubled Ye Qin the most was whether or not to abandon cultivating the Sitzuowang Sutra!

For a Nascent Soul cultivator, abandoning a long-practiced cultivation method mid-stream to switch to a new one was a major taboo in practice.

Every cultivation technique possesses its own theoretical foundation and meridian circulation methods. Switching between them risked violent internal conflict, potentially ruining one's cultivation base and inviting catastrophic deviation into demonic influence.

But if he didn't switch, the Sitzuowang Sutra's principle of achieving "unattached oblivion" was bought at the price of forgetting everything—was he prepared to forget Bing'er?!

He could not bring himself to do it.

Preoccupied with heavy thoughts, Ye Qin steered his flying sword back to the flagship of the Purple Sword Palace, landing on the bow.

Upon the flagship's bow, Sect Master Zhou, Grand Elder Zhong, and several other high-ranking cultivators immediately approached him.

"Elder Ye, Ancestor Xue Hu visited earlier. He mentioned being impressed by your strength and requested the Heavenly Dao Alliance release you so you could travel to the Southern Demon Continent soon. Elder Zhong and I have discussed this; Ancestor Xue Hu saved the East Sea Cultivation World from dire straits, and his request must be considered with extreme caution by the Heavenly Dao Alliance. We have decided to release you; you are free to leave the battlefield and proceed to the Southern Demon Continent at any time."

Sect Master Zhou’s words sounded formal, yet he felt a slight awkwardness underneath. In reality, Old Demon Xue Hu had even offered to waive two to three million high-grade spirit stones owed by the Heavenly Dao Alliance in exchange for their cooperation—a sum quite tempting. It was just a detail he found difficult to voice.

"Elder Ye, since Ancestor Xue Hu values your strength and wishes to mentor you, our Heavenly Dao Alliance naturally welcomes it. Although the Southern Demon Continent belongs to the Demonic Alliance, there are still quite a few Heavenly Dao Alliance cultivators with Fire Spiritual Root aptitude who go there because the ice plains of the Northern Abyss Continent are unsuitable for their cultivation. We have our people there, and you will still retain your Elder status in the Heavenly Dao Alliance," Elder Zhong added thoughtfully.

"The Southern Demon Continent and the Northern Abyss Continent are essentially the same to me. Let's postpone this matter for a few days... Where is Old Demon Xue Hu? I wanted to consult him about self-created techniques." Ye Qin considered for a moment, then inquired.

"Old Demon Xue Hu is not interfering with the local conflict; he is likely searching for the whereabouts of the Three-legged Crow right now. As for Sword Venerable Qing Hao, no one knows where he is, and he is probably not near Linhai City either, so he likely cannot advise you."

Sect Master Zhou and Grand Elder Zhong exchanged a look, shaking their heads. They were also uncertain about Ancestor Xue Hu's movements, only speculating. Furthermore, their cultivation levels were now very close to Ye Qin's, making them unable to offer guidance on his training.

"Then never mind; I can only seek him out if I meet him later."

Ye Qin nodded, bid them farewell, and left the Purple Sword Palace flagship, heading toward another warship not far from it—the Great Wing Warship.

The Great Wing Warship was his private vessel, manned by over a dozen Golden Core disciples from the Azure Pill Palace; no outsiders were present.

It was quiet here, and he wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed by other cultivators. The Purple Sword Palace flagship had too many Nascent Soul cultivators, making it inconvenient to find a quiet spot for meditation.

Ye Qin boarded the Great Wing Warship, and a female Golden Core disciple immediately stepped forward to report, "Martial Uncle Ye, a cultivator came looking for you yesterday, claiming to be an acquaintance. You were still on the battlefield then, so I assumed you knew her and allowed her aboard. To our surprise, she settled into a private cabin and hasn't left; she is still in the cabin now. She said that once you boarded, you should come see her."

The female disciple sounded quite indignant and disdainful when speaking of the cultivator.

"An acquaintance?"

Ye Qin frowned in confusion. Who could he possibly know? Aside from Jiang Ling and a few others from long ago, he had few acquaintances. The Wang uncle and nephew were not close enough to warrant such a visit.

Ye Qin entered the Great Wing Warship's hold and proceeded to the guest cabin, pushing the door open.

Inside the cabin, a devastatingly alluring female cultivator was leaning back, cradling a mysterious grey egg in her delicate hands. She looked at him with a smile, a soft laugh escaping her lips, "Elder Ye, you've arrived!" That smile held enough enchantment to sway the minds of countless East Sea Nascent Soul cultivators into dying for her. She seemed to have known he would enter.

"Pre... Predecessor! How are you here...?"

Ye Qin was utterly stunned, his mouth agape, barely able to speak.

Old Ancestor Xue Hu and Sword Venerable Qing Hao were searching for traces of the Three-legged Crow Demon Saint, while the Three-legged Crow Demon Saint was hunting the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint. And the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint, for reasons unknown, had entered his Great Wing Warship. The true culprit behind the upheaval of the entire Demon Realm, which had nearly brought eternal ruin upon the East Sea Cultivation World—that grey egg—was resting in her palm.

Seeing the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox right on his own ship nearly shattered Ye Qin's composure.

"Sigh~!"

The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox frowned and sighed, "Vast as the East Sea is, there is no place for a frail woman like myself. The Golden Crow is pursuing closely; its Sun Crow divine ability allows it to scan every corner of the East Sea. It was driven away by two Divine Transformation cultivators, and this humble one happened to notice you here, so I utilized your vessel to briefly evade its sight. Elder Ye won't mind, will you?"

"This junior would never dare!"

Cold sweat beaded on Ye Qin's forehead. If the dignified Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint was considered a frail woman, then no one in the East Sea Cultivation World could dare call themselves powerful.

"Do you know what this is?"

The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox seemed satisfied with Ye Qin's humble demeanor. She held up the grey egg delicately and spoke calmly. Ye Qin had seen this egg before in the Demon Realm, so she felt no need to hide anything. Moreover, she doubted Ye Qin truly knew anything significant about it.

"I don't know. This egg... it couldn't be the offspring of some Demon Saint, could it?"

Ye Qin examined it closely, then shook his head. The shell of the grey egg was covered in fine cracks, within which flickered terrifying purple and grey light—ethereal, illusory, and lighter than nothingness. It was almost identical to the grey egg he had consumed on Eagle Cliff a century ago. However, he still didn't know what kind of egg it was.

The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox let out a light scoff. "If a Demon Saint could birth such an egg, it would already be the overlord of the Demon Realm, having unified everything; the current Holy Masters wouldn't even be in power. The Holy Masters of the Eastern Demon Ancient Realm are merely rotating patriarchs of high-ranking demon clans, changing every thousand years—it's not a lasting reign."

"However, this object is the most crucial sacred relic of the Twilight Sanctuary. The Holy Masters should know what it is. I have guarded this relic in the Twilight Sanctuary since I was young, watching over it for five thousand years. It took immense effort for me to bring it out of the Demon Realm. But with the relic in hand, I don't know how to use it; I'm at a loss," the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox sighed again, speaking mostly to herself. "Even with my powerful demonic energy, pouring my spiritual power into it for three days and three nights yielded nothing, as if it were a bottomless ocean. My demonic power was nearly depleted, and it showed no reaction whatsoever. I suspect that even the power of dozens or hundreds of Demon Saints couldn't stir it in the slightest. I suspect the Holy Masters couldn't use it either, which is why they left it in the Twilight Sanctuary."

Ye Qin wisely maintained his silence. This was not his place to inquire.

"Enough idle chatter with you."

The Nine-Tailed Fox glanced at Ye Qin. "As soon as I show myself outside, Captain Wu will use the Sun Crow Great Art and surely locate me. I came here hoping to borrow your ship to hide from Captain Wu's gaze."

"There are so many warships here, Predecessor; you could choose any one, and I'm sure many cultivators would be eager to oblige!" Ye Qin felt stifled and hesitated. Having the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint aboard made him extremely restrained; he suspected even meditating would be uncomfortable. He was thoroughly unwilling.

"But there aren't many warships planning to leave the East Sea Cultivation World for other continents soon. You just consumed the Vermilion Fruit, and reaching the peak of the ninth layer of Nascent Soul will take only a month or two. You’ll soon be heading to the Northern Abyss or the Southern Demon Continent, which is exactly what this Saint requires." The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox gave a mischievous smile, employing a form of playful coercion.

"If Predecessor goes to the Southern Demon or Northern Abyss Continents, can you evade the tracking of the Three-legged Crow Demon Saint?" Ye Qin inquired doubtfully.

"Captain Wu's Sun Crow can only monitor the East Sea islands. Those two continents are extremely far away; he cannot see them... unless he also goes to those continents," the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox explained.

"Very well... Predecessor may rest in this cabin; I will instruct no one to disturb you. I will leave now. After a few days, I will arrange for the warship to take Predecessor to another continent."

Ye Qin deliberated for a long time before resigning himself to fate and leaving the cabin. He had no doubt that if he dared to refuse, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint would slice him into ten pieces and feed him to the sea beasts.

"Oh, right. My name is Qing Qiu Li. But in front of outsiders, just say I am your newly acquired maid and call me Xiao Qing." The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox seemed completely at ease, showing no concern that Ye Qin might betray her. In truth, the Three-legged Crow had chased her for so long, from the Demon Realm to the East Sea, without managing to harm her in the slightest. Killing her was not so easy. Ye Qin’s cultivation level was not enough for her to deal with using just her fox tail; even summoning those two Divine Transformation cultivators wouldn't be enough to overcome her.

"Maid..."

As Ye Qin stepped over the threshold of the cabin, he nearly tripped. He figured he was currently the most powerful cultivator in the entire East Sea Cultivation World, yet who else could claim a Demon Saint as a maid, even if the title was purely nominal?