The lamplight in the room flickered on, a faint glow pushing back the immediate gloom, yet the vast expanse outside remained submerged in an immense darkness.

Inside the side chamber, Lu Yuan continued to practice with the earth puppets, learning the intricacies of their control.

Controlling a puppet required patience, mastering it step by step, familiarizing himself with every subtle movement.

"Go," he commanded. At first, the puppet would simply refuse to walk, or to jump when told. However, after hours of focused familiarization, nearly all night spent in this endeavor, he was finally achieving a degree of control.

"Move."

"Strike." Under this focused direction, the earth puppet grew steadily more agile, responding to his will to attack. He wasn't using his feet to manipulate the puppet; instead, he controlled it with his left hand. Now, he understood: once his magical power reached a higher level—perhaps the sixth stage of Qi Condensation or above—such direct, tactile control would become obsolete. Puppets of that caliber could be controlled directly by Divine Sense, possessing a rudimentary intelligence that allowed them to perform simple tasks, like fetching wine from the village below when he was high up in the mountains.

Of course, the higher one's cultivation, the more formidable the resulting earth puppets summoned. This was the Earth King Summoning Token; even Chu Fei, the Ninth Generation Sword Immortal, could not discern the true extent of the power it could call forth.

Besides the puppets, the Asura Pouch held a few other items. One was a book titled The Azure Vastness Strength. Taking it out, Lu Yuan saw it contained a cultivation manual named The Azure Vastness Strength. This technique did not focus on Qi Condensation but on absorbing the surrounding earth energy to temper and strengthen the physical body. He couldn't practice it yet; he was still focused on mastering the Cloud elemental techniques, and they were far from being profound. Starting another discipline now would be counterproductive.

There was also a jade slip in the Asura Pouch. He drew it out and swept his Divine Sense across it, only to be deeply disappointed. What did this slip record? It detailed how the Moon Demon Sect had offended a mid-sized faction in the subterranean demon world, forcing them to relocate closer to the surface.

It was for this reason the Moon Demon Sect had journeyed to this location, ultimately meeting their demise so near the earth's surface.

A final scan confirmed that the Asura Pouch held nothing else—just these few items.

Right, he almost forgot the crucial business. Though the Asura Pouch was now in his possession, without the ritual of Blood Essence Consecration, it remained ownerless. He immediately began the process. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he dashed it onto the pouch: "Heart linked to blood, blood linked to body... Heart and blood as one, consecrate with blood essence."

Following the ritual, after a considerable time, the consecration of the Asura Pouch was complete.

He stood up then, taking a moment to rest.

He walked to the window and noticed the moon already sinking toward the western mountains.

It was very late; time for sleep. This endeavor had kept him busy until the small hours. As for refining the spirit stones to boost his magical power, that could wait. The stones were safely stored in his Asura Pouch now. Having the pouch was immensely convenient; anything not excessively large could simply be stowed away inside.

—————

The following few days were utterly languid.

Having finished this expedition, he had absolutely nothing pressing to do, spending the entire day idle.

Yet, despite this leisure, he couldn't return immediately.

There was still clean-up work to be done; he couldn't just head back to the mountain now.

Slaying demons and vanquishing devils wasn't concluded the moment the monsters were dead. Like the incident in Dongye County, where only a single Asura reached the surface world, there was always a process of mopping up afterward. Now, however, an entire small sect of demons had breached the surface and retreated. Such an event demanded meticulous investigation.

The reason the Moon Demon Sect had encroached upon the surface world needed tracing. Even though Lu Yuan had offered an explanation, the Huashan Immortal Sect still required verification, dispatching spies among the subterranean demons to confirm the intelligence. Furthermore, the numerous breaches leading to the under-realm that had appeared on the surface required sealing and repair.

In short, the cleanup was a mountain of tedious tasks. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. This clean-up would be far more complicated than the last one. Fortunately, this time, there were senior Sword Immortals present; let them handle the heavy lifting. He preferred being bored out of his mind here to plunging into such tedious affairs.

Cleanup work was truly the most uninteresting chore imaginable.

Currently, Lu Yuan lay sprawled on the rooftop, gazing up at the serene blue sky and the drifting white clouds.

He couldn't recall exactly when he had grown accustomed to simply lying down and watching the heavens.

The sky seemed to encompass every possible transformation.

It was said that the Ultimate Sword God could transform all things in heaven and earth into sword intent. He wondered if, upon truly comprehending the ultimate sword intent, one could turn that very firmament into a single sword strike. If the sky itself could be reduced to a sword, then within that vast expanse, who could possibly stand against him? Who could oppose him? That would be true invincibility.

Lying on the roof, he glanced down into the courtyard and spotted the figures of Ye Fang and Ye Yuan. Judging by their well-fed, glowing complexions, they had clearly just enjoyed a feast. A wave of mock anger washed over him. "You two! How dare you go eat good food without calling me! Who forgot? Back in the under-realm, one of you promised good wine, and the other promised delicacies!"

Ye Fang laughed heartily. "How could we forget Sixth Senior Brother? We were just out for a casual stroll, grabbed a bite at a random tavern—we absolutely didn't forget you, Sixth Senior Brother."

Ye Yuan nodded. A bag was slung over his back. He reached into it and produced a flask of wine. Lu Yuan looked over: Wuliang Yellow Wine, the most famous vintage from Donglu County. The wine was exceptionally mellow, smooth on the swallow, utterly comforting. He took it without ceremony and began to drink.

"What else? You two gluttons," Lu Yuan prompted.

Ye Fang smiled. "Of course, we didn't forget Sixth Senior Brother! Look, here's Smoked Wind Roast Chicken. When we were underground, we genuinely thought this was the most delicious food in the world, and we resolved to eat lots of it on the surface. But I was ready to vomit after only the seventh one."

Lu Yuan sighed. "Down there, we were surviving on (Bigu Pills), our mouths were utterly bland. Any real food tasted divine then. But you managed seven before feeling sick—I must admire you for that." Besides the Smoked Wind Roast Chicken and Wuliang Wine, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan had brought a selection of cold dishes: Smashed White Meat with Garlic, Fire-Smoked Cured Sausage, and Salt-Brined Duck.

The Smashed White Meat had a pleasant spiciness that was quite refreshing.

The Salt-Brined Duck was perfectly cured, quite excellent.

The Fire-Smoked Cured Sausage had a satisfying chew.

But most crucial was having good wine to accompany it; without it, everything else was meaningless. The Wuliang Yellow Wine, fragrant and rich, slid down his throat.

The flavors were indeed splendid, and paired with the fine wine, it was a genuine indulgence. Still, even while enjoying himself, he stated aloud, "I'm only eating what you two left behind, so consider this the interest payment for the fine food and wine you owe me. We'll settle the principal debt next time."

"Sixth Senior Brother, you are too cruel!"

"Indeed, Sixth Senior Brother," Ye Fang and Ye Yuan cried out in mock despair.

(It's regrettable that I failed to break into the Weekly Popularity or Weekly Recommendation charts again this week, but it’s no matter. I noticed my member clicks are quite good, and recommendations are high—over a thousand daily. This is nearly double what I used to get. I must thank all my friends. Even though I didn't hit the charts, I know you are all trying hard to push me, so today I will post five chapters to show my gratitude for your tremendous support.)