Only half a day later, Yin Yang, who had vanished somewhere, finally returned. He brought several enormous bundles containing food, clothing, spices, and more—enough to last several years. However, his expression was grim, several times worse than when he had left.

Returning to the carriage, he broke his long-held silence. He called both Chu Xue and Zong Shou into the compartment. Facing Zong Shou directly, he cut to the chase.

“I have concealed things for too many days. The situation is now perilous and unpredictable. Yin Yang dares not deceive the Young Lord any longer. The truth is, His Majesty has sent no word for several months. I just inquired, and word is that half a month ago, someone personally witnessed His Majesty being forced into the Sunken Cloud Sea.”

With a soft clatter inside the carriage, Chu Xue accidentally knocked over the teacup beside her, her face utterly drained of color.

Zong Shou merely narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.

His current location was the Eastern Cloud Continent of the Cloud Realm, suspended above the Cloud Sea. Spanning twelve million li, it was one of the five largest continents in the Cloud Realm.

The Sunken Cloud Sea lay to the south of the Eastern Cloud Continent. Ancient legends spoke of numerous profound mysteries within it. Any human or beast that entered was certain to perish.

Millennia later, the esoteric secrets of that place had long been uncovered. Yet, even at this juncture, the Sunken Cloud Sea remained a death trap.

Especially before the explosion of spiritual energy, perhaps no one in the Cloud Realm, save for the ancient figures, could venture deep within its confines.

It was no wonder that esteemed cousin possessed such audacity. Entering the Sunken Cloud Sea indeed offered slim chances of survival.

Chu Xue managed to steady her nerves, then gritted her teeth, forcing composure. “It is only the Sunken Cloud Sea. Given His Majesty’s capabilities, he might yet find a way out!”

Yin Yang cast a fleeting glance at her before dismissing her. “His Majesty is not destined for a short life; I am well aware of his methods. The issue now is the succession struggle for the Throne of Qiantian Mountain. His Majesty’s brothers and nephews are all ambitious individuals. Take, for instance, Zong Yu—”

Chu Xue gasped, ceasing her argument. She furrowed her delicate brows. “Is it not simply about claiming the Lordship of Qiantian Mountain? At worst, the Young Master need not be the Heir Apparent!”

“But if he cannot borrow the power of Qiantian Mountain, how will the Young Lord deal with His Majesty’s powerful enemies in the future?” Yin Yang let out a cold laugh, clenching his fists until his tiger eyes blazed with chilling killing intent.

“My word, Yin Yang, is ironclad. Since I promised His Majesty to guard the Young Lord his entire life and ensure his succession to the Qiantian Mountain Demon King’s seat, I would rather die without a burial place than break my oath! In any case, this location is no longer safe. Before His Majesty left, he ordered the two of us to escort the Young Lord to join the Lingyun Sect. In retrospect, this must have been anticipated. Only by reaching Danling Mountain a day sooner can he be completely secure! Danling Mountain operates under strict rules, unlike the Linhai Academy. This journey ahead will be even more perilous, so I urge the Young Lord to be mentally prepared!”

Chu Xue sighed in relief, then hesitated. “Leave now? Just now, the Young Master and I saw Zong Yu. And Li Lingli was there too. Perhaps his fellow disciples are also involved—”

Before she finished speaking, Yin Yang flicked his sleeve again, forcefully interrupting her. “For now, it’s just Zong Yu and the Li brothers. Give it a few days, and those with ulterior motives will surely flock here. It will be even harder to step out of Ancient Spirit Market!”

His words brooked no argument. Yin Yang acted with decisive swiftness, immediately rising and stepping out of the carriage.

Chu Xue’s expression flickered rapidly. Only when the Cloud-Turning Carriage ascended into the air once more did she slump in defeat. “It is Xue’er who has harmed the Young Master! Had I known, it would have been better to let the Young Master remain at the Linhai Academy.”

Zong Shou, however, had already accepted the situation, smiling as if it concerned someone else. He felt a touch of worry for Chu Xue.

His father having him summoned away from Linhai Academy at this critical juncture suggested that the Academy’s power was far from sufficient to protect him, indicating the strength of his enemies.

Zong Shou cared little for the title of Heir Apparent. He too had considered yielding the throne, letting his cousins fight over it.

But listening to Yin Yang, that path seemed no sound strategy. Besides daringly fleeing to Danling Mountain, there appeared to be no other way out.

Inevitably, they would have to tread across a blade’s edge.

In comparison, his father’s identity was what truly piqued his interest.

Qiantian Mountain had once been one of the sacred lands of the Demon Race. Even after the surge of spiritual energy, it still governed millions of demons in the western part of the Eastern Cloud Continent.

Vaguely, he recalled that Qiantian Mountain had seen several Demon Kings cycle through the throne in a rapid succession of decades.

There were certainly no outstanding figures among them. And the heroes who appeared one after another during the Divine Emperor Era were simply too dazzling.

This had relegated Qiantian Mountain to a blind spot in his memory; he didn't even know the names of those Demon Kings.

Let alone those figures from before the Divine Emperor Era.

These past few days, he had managed to recall that ten thousand years ago, there was indeed a highly prestigious Sky Fox Clan in the Cloud Realm.

However, without new clues, it remained difficult to discern which Demon King his ‘father’ actually was.

Chu Xue sat beside him, still frowning deeply. Zong Shou raised his eyebrows, silently retrieving a Willow Leaf Talisman Knife. He twirled it between his fingertips like fluttering butterflies. It was thin as a cicada’s wing yet possessed considerable weight, distinctly different from his Ironwood Flying Daggers.

The runes carved onto the blade were almost identical to those on the Pine Grain Wind Sword he had purchased: one for ‘Speed’ and one for ‘Sharpness.’

These inscriptions allowed the knife to shoot out with greater velocity and possess a far keener edge. If there was any difference, it was the refinement achieved after thirteen thousand years, pushing its effect far beyond the standards of this era.

Additionally, some entirely useless lines had been added—lines that did not impair its efficacy but served to obscure the true secrets of the talisman array from casual observers.

The moment the talisman knife rested in his hand, Zong Shou felt the Spiritual Forgemaster who served the Precious Arms Pavilion was truly exceptional. The dimensions were precise to the smallest fraction, and the addition of Blood Copper was exactly right, distributing itself within like fine blood vessels. The spiritual energy patterns on the blade were meticulously rendered.

He continued rotating it until the knife's shape, center of gravity, weight, and thickness were all imprinted in his mind. Then, the flashing gleam of the blade abruptly halted.

This was one of the essential tenets of the Six Gods Blade Art: how could one possibly achieve a hundred-percent fatal strike without truly knowing the flying knife as intimately as one’s own hand?

The optimal method was self-forging. But current conditions made that impractical; he had to make do with this.

The hilt faced outward, the tip pointed inward toward his palm. Zong Shou lightly grasped it, closed his eyes, and sat in meditation. Wisps of True Qi were channeled into the blade, then circulated inward through the crimson copper pathways.

At this moment, besides his Sea of Qi and his Fetal Wheel, Zong Shou had opened four other acupoints. In his right arm and left chest, five brighter points of light existed, separate from the nine wheels of his main meridians.

These were the Extraordinary Acupoints, classified under the Wind attribute. Later medical texts named them Spirit Pool, Luan Platform, Wind Haze, True Clarity, and Wind Observation. After the four Fetal Wheel acupoints were opened, the refined essence extracted from the cyan crystal had been used by Zong Shou to assault these five extraordinary points.

Not only were these points now cleared, but they were filled with True Qi converted from the essence of Wind Beasts. The quantity stored in almost every single extraordinary point far surpassed the circulating ‘Qi’ within the Fetal Wheel.

This was a rare technique he had sought out in later ages: opening extraordinary acupoints to enhance physical might.

The Six Gods Blade Art utilized Qi to control the blade and Spirit to nourish the edge.

He was far from achieving the latter, but with the True Qi stored in these five points, he could barely manage the former: using Qi to command the blade.

As the subtle True Qi continuously poured in and circulated, in less than half an incense stick’s time, Zong Shou began to feel a faint spiritual connection to the knife in his hand.

He stopped there, switching to another throwing knife. At his current level, achieving perfect spiritual nourishment—controlling the blade as easily as a limb, moving at will—was impossible.

In just over half an hour, the Cloud-Turning Carriage beneath them passed through Ancient Spirit Market and began speeding across the open plains once more.

The scenery outside flashed by rapidly. Several figures standing on distant hills jumped into his field of vision.

A sharp prickling sensation shot through his brow. Zong Shou temporarily set down the knife and looked out the window.

“It’s Zong Yu and that pair of Li brothers. Hmm? Xue’er, do you know who that person is?”

Beside Zong Yu now stood an elder. His face was withered, a long sword hung at his side, and his hands resembled bird talons.

Chu Xue had noticed the figures outside before him. Now, her pupils shrank to pinpricks.

“That is Wu Wei, Fiery Sword Wu Wei!”