During the downtime, Zong Shou had also overhauled the Cloud-Overturning Carriage, fitting it with precisely ten third-tier Wind-elemental Beast Cores and a number of Spirit Formations to boost its speed and enhance the comfort within.

This was simply Zong Shou’s nature: if the means existed, he would never be stingy about improving his quality of life.

It was a pity that the Wind-Riding Steeds remained undiscovered. He had encountered two at the base of the Demon Corpse Mountain in the Blood Valley that day, but one was shredded by him, and he dared not ride the other. Such an item that so easily betrayed one’s identity was something he wouldn’t even touch.

The person accompanying them had a full complement of ten Seventh-Tier Secret Martial Masters at their side; their backing force was certainly not weak, and who knew what their origins were.

He watched leisurely as Chu Xue, with surprising clumsiness, led the Pace-Cloud Steeds one by one to the carriage and harnessed them.

Only then did Zong Shou begin his unhurried approach. But before he could reach the carriage, he heard a silvery, bell-like voice ring out from behind him: “Where are you going? Are you leaving Cloud Saint City?”

Zong Shou sighed internally. He didn't need to turn around to know it had to be Xuanyuan Yiren. Why now, of all times, had she chosen to return?

Pretending he hadn't heard, Zong Shou continued toward the carriage. Then, with a rush of air, a crimson shadow flashed past him, and he saw Xuanyuan Yiren already blocking the carriage door.

Looking Zong Shou up and down, the confusion in Xuanyuan Yiren’s eyes deepened immediately. “Why are you dressed like that, looking so utterly drab? And why are you walking like one of those mechanical puppets? Don't you know people will laugh and call you a fool? You still haven’t answered me: are you leaving Cloud Saint City?”

Zong Shou was enveloped in a voluminous, loose robe that made him appear twice his normal size. Yet, that delicate, young face remained exquisitely sharp, creating a bizarre contrast. His movements were unnaturally stiff, matching the gait of a clockwork automaton exactly. This was, in fact, a trait of the ‘Thunder Step, Spirit Bone’; it made his ordinary movements somewhat mechanical.

He swayed slightly. Seeing that Xuanyuan Yiren had no intention of moving aside, Zong Shou could only stop, resigned. He faced her seriously. “Zong Shou is indeed departing, returning to my Skyward Mountain. Miss Xuanyuan, your future is boundless. Why must you follow someone like me, who is constantly walking a razor’s edge? The severance document is prepared here. I request that you return soon; I imagine your mother and father have been worrying for quite some time.”

Xuanyuan Yiren remained unmoved, staring directly into Zong Shou’s eyes. “You actually have the nerve to say that, Zong Shou? Where do you intend to place the honor of me, Xuanyuan Yiren? Have you never heard that starvation is a minor matter, but loss of integrity is paramount?”

Chu Xue failed to detect the tension, but Li Yunniang, who had followed behind, instinctively twitched her eyebrows. She was utterly bewildered; how had this devolved into a matter of honor?

Zong Shou suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He coughed lightly and decided to change tactics. “Even if Miss Xuanyuan truly intends to marry me, it must be done openly and with proper arrangement. Though we are betrothed, the commands of our parents and the words of the matchmaker are both still absent. Before we are formally wed, how can we travel together?”

He reasoned that since this girl was so stubbornly attached to concepts like fidelity, righteousness, and feminine virtue, dealing with her using the strictures of propriety would surely succeed. Xuanyuan Yiren did hesitate for a brief moment, but then decisively shook her head. “These are minor details. You face peril on your journey; how can I, your fiancée, stand idly by? Honestly, in my view, it would be better not to go to Skyward Mountain at all. Zong Shou, why don't we set sail together? You could renounce that Demon King title, and I wouldn't have to bother the Pill Spring Sect—”

Zong Shou was stunned speechless. How had the conversation spiraled into elopement? Li Yunniang’s expression shifted drastically, and she made anxious, meaningful faces at him.

Xuanyuan Yiren, however, seemed not to notice, her tone resolute. “No matter where you go, I will follow you until you are truly safe and your life is no longer in danger!”

Zong Shou gave a wry smile. “I, Zong Shou, stand upright under the heavens; why would I require protection from a mere woman? Yesterday, in the back courtyard, you should have sensed something. In Miss Xuanyuan’s estimation, how many people below the Martial Sovereign realm could truly stand against me?”

At this, Li Yunniang immediately snickered, nearly exclaiming ‘modest for once.’

Xuanyuan Yiren also looked puzzled. “Sense what? Are you referring to Uncle Yin? His Blade Rhyme is complete, almost reaching the state of Presence; he is worthy of his esteemed origins. However, to protect you, Uncle Yin still requires some more time!”

Zong Shou pressed his hand to his forehead. He recalled that Xuanyuan Yiren had been in a state of shock then, her breath erratic; she likely hadn't sensed anything happening outside.

Shaking his head slightly, Zong Shou felt a flicker of intent. The Black Wave Sword hidden in his sleeve was about to pierce the air. At this point, words were less convincing than a single spirit sword capable of slicing through the sky.

But then, another thought struck him, and the Black Wave Sword abruptly stilled within his sleeve. He considered whether demonstrating his full strength would even be effective against this girl’s rigidly single-minded nature; it might even backfire.

Before he could fully decide, Xuanyuan Yiren spoke again. “Even if one day, Zong Shou, you gain true self-preservation ability—could this engagement then be so lightly cast aside? If you truly do not want me, Yiren can only yield to you, but I vow to remain unmarried for life to preserve my integrity! Oh, where is Uncle Yin?”

Zong Shou was entirely out of patience. He bypassed Xuanyuan Yiren with an impatient gesture. “What Uncle Yin? Seeing that I wasn't having an easy time, he left on his own yesterday!”

Xuanyuan Yiren was startled, then her delicate eyebrows knitted together. “I don't believe it! Yin Yang is incomparably loyal; how could he flee from his master? You are lying!”

She was about to hurry after him, but Zong Shou, already stepping into the Cloud-Overturning Carriage, looked down with a teasing smile. “Does Miss Xuanyuan wish to share this carriage ride? Zong Shou doesn't mind, I only ask if it would be convenient for you?”

He glanced over Xuanyuan Yiren’s figure, the sight of her graceful curves still vivid in his mind from just yesterday. He remembered that before his Profound Moon Wood Brilliance Art reached minor completion, he needed to practice it naked every three days. If one had fire-resistant clothing, it was fine, but without it, he would enjoy an unobstructed view, just as before.

A blush immediately stained Xuanyuan Yiren’s face. She snorted, turned, and stormed away in anger.

“Sister Yunniang, go find someone from the Soaring Cloud Sect and borrow me a Cloud-Overturning Carriage!”

Li Yunniang nearby was pale with shock, unable to recover for a long time. She felt that there was an indescribable hint of shame woven into Xuanyuan Yiren’s words.

Zong Shou breathed a sigh of relief. If he had let that girl board the carriage, he wouldn't have had to do anything at all on this journey.

The contrast was stark: entering the city had been accompanied by a throng of followers, yet departing felt rather desolate. As they passed the city gate, he happened to see Zong Ling standing at the entrance, riding a Wind-Riding Steed, staring coldly. His eyes were filled with mockery, as if to say, Thirteen days ago, did you ever imagine this day? When you chased me away from the city gate, did you ever consider that today you, Zong Shou, would be the one scurrying out of Cloud Saint City in disgrace? Did your words from a few days ago prove true?

The next moment, Zong Ling spurred his horse forward, seemingly about to gallop toward them.

Zong Shou decisively rolled up the carriage window and shouted for speed. Chu Xue immediately snapped the whip, urging the eighteen Pace-Cloud Steeds into a full gallop, their speed almost matching that of Zong Ling’s Wind-Riding Steed. The latter likely had no real intention of pursuit; within moments, he was left far behind.

Zong Shou genuinely couldn't be bothered to argue with that man, but inwardly, he still felt intensely frustrated. He wished a group of assassins would appear right then, allowing him to unleash the sword from his sleeve in a bloody slaughter, leaving everyone stunned.

“Heh! It seems I, Zong Shou, still cannot achieve true impassivity. Though I believe my mind is still as water, it is like the moon reflected in a well. When met with sand and wind, ripples still form. In this chest, the desire for victory and the yearning for fame and gain still linger…”

Gathering his thoughts, Zong Shou gradually cast aside distracting notions and sat down on the soft couch, sinking into deep meditation.

If observed closely at this moment, one could detect his entire musculature trembling almost imperceptibly. This was the Inner Breath Guidance technique, which Zong Shou had been employing almost constantly since absorbing the Thunder Luan Egg, solidifying the innate vital energy deposited throughout his body to facilitate faster future integration.

Zong Shou’s consciousness, meanwhile, soared far into the void, drifting through the long river of his own memories.

In his previous life, he had managed to lodge half a library—one hundred thousand volumes—directly into his mind. He had read countless martial arts secrets, including peak ultimate skills from certain grand sects dating back ten millennia. However, cultivation methods truly suitable for a dual-meridian physique were exceedingly rare; a spiraling meridian like his was unprecedented. Finding anything genuinely tailored for his half-demon body was utterly impossible.

“If I am to create my own cultivation art, I should use the Undetermined Spirit Sovereign Art as a reference. As for the Thunder Luan, my memory holds the Nine Extinction Raging Thunder Method. While it’s not as profound as the secret transmissions of the Upper Heaven Profound Spirit Sect, it is sufficient for designing a foundational Qi refining technique below the Martial Sovereign level. The difficulty lies in my human bloodline; its traits are unknown, so this Qi refining art must be comprehensive. Oh, wait! How could I forget the Heaven-Swallowing Primal Transformation Grand Method? It posits that the essence of all phenomena in the world is just Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy. Using that as a foundation, perhaps it’s feasible… Wait? Someone ahead?”

Zong Shou’s previous thoughts had been like a streak of light flashing in the darkness, filling him with immense joy. But only a moment later, a trace of deep vigilance appeared on his brow.

They were now fifteen li outside Cloud Saint City, and there were occasional travelers on the thoroughfare. However, none of them drew his attention. Even a Xiantian Martial Master was regarded by Zong Shou as non-existent. The meaning of “someone ahead” was that there were people on the road who genuinely posed a mortal threat to him.

After a brief discernment, their auras felt somewhat familiar, and they contained no killing intent.

“So, it’s them…”

Zong Shou shook his head, walked to the front of the carriage, and instructed Chu Xue to halt. He then saw several figures standing quietly by the roadside, waiting. Zong Shou’s gaze went directly to one of the figures, a man around sixty. “Are you, perhaps, the City Lord Xu Zheng of Cloud Saint City?”

In the Eastern Cloud Continent, Skyward Mountain was akin to a great nation; therefore, Zong Shou, as the direct descendant, addressed him by his personal name.