Su Chuxue furrowed her delicate brows, seriously contemplating the possibility. On Mount Qiantian, there were countless maidservants, many of them nimble and efficient, and among them were many from noble lineages. She only held the advantage of cultivating both Spirit and Martial arts, possessing martial strength slightly above that of ordinary women her age, which is how she was chosen as the Heir's personal attendant.

The more she considered it, the more dejected she became, until her gaze turned vacant as she stared at the unconscious youth in her arms.

At her moment of deepest despair, Zong Shou, the one she was supposed to protect, had appeared before her. When hope seemed utterly lost, he had slain Zong Yu and his company in mere moments, forcibly yanking her back from the precipice of hell.

The heroic image of him standing alone, sword drawn against six opponents, was indelibly etched into her heart—a vision she could not, and would not, wish to forget.

Her gaze grew increasingly distant until Yin Yang, too, arrived alongside the two with several swift steps.

"These few, the Heir killed them all by himself?"

Examining the corpses scattered near the carriages a hundred paces away, Yin Yang, despite having an inkling of the truth, could not help but draw a sharp breath.

"Such swift blades! Such overbearing swordsmanship! Three Martial Artists and three Martial Masters, yet it took less than forty breaths in total—truly astonishing—"

After only a brief contemplation, Yin Yang drew a piece of purple crystal from his pouch and placed it precisely between Zong Shou's brows.

Seeing this, Chuxue’s face immediately clouded with annoyance. "Uncle Yin, the Young Master still remembers things from his childhood!"

Yin Yang paid her no mind, shaking his head slightly. "What manner of man was that Ferocious Sword Uwe, Xue'er, you should know better than I. Three or four Secret Martial Masters of the same rank would only end up slaughtered by him. For him to take Uwe's right eye while only having first-opened the Fetal Wheel, how could that not raise suspicion? Whether the Heir is truly himself or not, it must be verified!"

After just a moment, a patch of sky-blue luster shone upon the crystal, pure and incomparably brilliant.

Yin Yang’s eyes lit up. He quickly retrieved the purple crystal, clicking his tongue in admiration. "This divine soul is truly pure. The Heir's aptitude for cultivating spiritual arts must also be one of divine talent! It is said that Heavenly Rank Martial Saints and Spirit Masters attempting possession fear nothing more than a mixed soul essence; the original soul must never remain. Since the Heir still retains memories of his youth and his divine soul is so pristine, he absolutely has not been possessed!"

Noticing the tension gradually receding from Chuxue's expression beside him, Yin Yang smiled knowingly, then looked at Zong Shou once more with profound emotion. His eyes held anticipation, joy, and a slight trace of envy.

"Since this is not residual wisdom from a past life, then today's battle is entirely the Heir's own prowess. He must have cultivated some secret art unknown to us to achieve such might. Before, we only knew the Heir, due to the coexistence of two meridians, could not practice any martial dao incantations. We never imagined his martial genius was so astounding. At the first stage of the Fetal Wheel, he could surpass four full ranks and slay a Martial Master. If the Heir could shed his dual-meridian constitution and ascend to a Heavenly Rank Martial Saint, who in this world could possibly stand against him?"

※※※※

When Zong Shou next awoke, three days had passed. His head felt as if it had been split in two—dizzying, yet accompanied by unbearable pain.

With great effort, he opened his eyes only to find himself lying on the soft couch inside the carriage, his head resting on Su Chuxue’s lap.

"Hehe! This pillow is so comfortable, and it smells so sweet—"

His spirit indulged, and even the throbbing pain in his head seemed to lessen. Zong Shou sniffed deeply, and in the next moment, his vision caught a long, red mark before him.

The constitution of the Tiger-Cat Clan was indeed robust. The medicinal efficacy inherited over tens of thousands of years by the Demon Race was astonishing.

In such a short time, most of Chuxue’s wounds had already healed. Only faint red traces remained upon her snow-white skin. It would likely take a few more days for those marks to fade completely.

Having slept for several days, the life-and-death battle felt like it had only just concluded in Zong Shou's perception.

Recalling the shocking wounds on Chuxue’s body, his heart trembled, and he quickly tried to sit up. However, every muscle in his body felt as if it had been torn apart, causing Zong Shou to involuntarily gasp in cold air.

Su Chuxue, who had been dozing against the carriage wall, was startled awake. She murmured something unconsciously before stretching languidly.

Then, in the next instant, she saw Zong Shou looking at her with a knowing, half-smile. Her pretty face instantly flushed crimson, and she hurried to stand up straight.

"Young Master, you are awake?"

Her voice was filled with delight, but Chuxue kept her head bowed so low that her chin rested against her chest, as if she desperately wished to dig a hole and bury herself.

Zong Shou let out a soft laugh, feeling slightly puzzled, thinking that she had been quite bold when tending to his pulse earlier. Why had she suddenly become so shy?

He considered teasing her a little but knew that in Chuxue’s current state, a few careless words might send her fleeing.

He could only shake his head and look out the carriage window. The scenery outside was no longer a desolate wilderness. They were traveling on a main road, surrounded by mountains and canyons, though he had already seen quite a few travelers and carriages along the way. They had likely left the Dragon Marsh plain and entered the Sudian Mountain Range near the Eastern Extreme Cloud Sea.

Not far from here should be Danling Mountain, one of the strongholds of the Lingyun Sect, the foremost sect in the Eastern Extreme Cloud Continent.

The Lingyun Sect’s influence spanned the entire Cloud Realm, comprising nine total strongholds distributed across the Five Directions Cloud Continents and four large Cloud Islands.

Danling Mountain was merely one of these; its true main gate was situated within an ancient, remnant Cloud Palace. In his previous life, Zong Shou had fortunately seen it, and its scale was indeed magnificent.

Looking at the continuous mountain ranges flanking the road, Zong Shou’s brow flickered slightly. "Are we still rushing toward Danling Mountain? I heard Danling Mountain is hidden within layers of misty seas, only revealing itself at specific times every three years. It surely isn't time yet—"

Su Chuxue had managed to regain her composure and smiled upon hearing this. "Young Master, have you forgotten? This year is the Year of the Great Hurricane! Calculating the time, there should only be about two months left!"

Zong Shou vaguely recalled that all continents and cloud islands in the Cloud Realm floated above the clouds. Approximately every ten years, massive hurricanes would sweep across the cloud seas, driven by magnetic forces or temperature differences—though this was knowledge from his later life. At that time, even the thickest fog here would be completely blown away, which was precisely when Danling Mountain would manifest.

He pursed his lips, feeling a slight reluctance. Subconsciously, he did not wish to go to Danling Mountain.

The grudges he held against the Lingyun Sect from the game in his previous life were secondary. More importantly, his father, the one known as the Mad Blood Demon Saint, Nine-Tailed Fox King Zong Weiran, slew eleven Heavenly Rank Martial Saints from the Lingyun Sect after ascending to Martial Saint status and reappearing.

Legend said that due to the tragic death of his beloved son, Zong Weiran annihilated the entire Heavenly Fox Clan, then, redirecting his wrath toward the Lingyun Sect, single-handedly attacked Danling Mountain, causing countless of their strong cultivators to perish.

For decades following this battle, the Lingyun Sect suffered a severe decline in prestige until the late Divine Emperor Era when they regained some vitality. This battle was hailed as world-shaking, alerting all realms. However, at that time, Zong Weiran was not recognized as the Demon King; he acted alone, which is why Zong Shou hadn't immediately recalled the details.

Zong Shou did not know the secret history involved, only that the original Demon King's son had fled alone into Danling Mountain, only to be heartlessly cast out by the Lingyun Sect afterward. This led to him being set up as a puppet and later publicly executed.

"What exactly happened within Danling Mountain? If the Demon King arranged for his beloved son to seek refuge with the Lingyun Sect, it could not have been without reason. For what cause was he then expelled? Never mind, I will know the truth once we go. After all, I must visit Danling Mountain sooner or later. Some matters require verification—"

《Soul Martial Soaring Sky》 by Yi Shui Qian Shan Dying unjustly and becoming a ghost, yet unable to enter reincarnation; since I cannot be reborn, I shall dedicate myself to cultivating the Ghost Immortal path! One《Celestial Master Scripture》forges an extraordinary life. Book ID: 2243073 [bookid=2243073,bookname=《》]