Beside her, Chu Xue gasped in shock. She had witnessed the might of this sword before; even though it was damaged, once repaired by Zong Shou’s spirit pet through the Mimicry method, it possessed the power of a Seventh-Tier Spirit Artifact! To think Zong Shou would let Xiao Jin simply swallow such a rare Spirit Artifact! She instinctively wanted to cry out, but was embraced from behind by Ruo Shui. Turning, she saw Ruo Shui shaking her head, her slender fingers touching her lips in a gesture for silence.

The complete swallowing and digestion of the Nine Qilin Sword took a full five hours. When Xiao Jin finally softened back into a pile again, he was simultaneously ecstatic and utterly exhausted. Lying limply in Zong Shou’s palm, his body gently rubbed against him, expressing his joy in this manner. Then, after a brief moment, he fell back into a deep sleep.

Zong Shou watched quietly. After the sword was consumed, Xiao Jin spontaneously entered a state of deep meditation and comprehension. “The character ‘Swallow’ encompasses ‘the world as a mouth,’ carrying the meaning of annexation and seizure. All living things in the world must devour others to survive, naturally possessing the ability to decompose and purify. It’s not just Xiao Jin—how could I have forgotten this point?” Zong Shou felt his thoughts suddenly become illuminated, followed by a long burst of laughter. Within his Sea of Souls, without needing to test them one by one, more than a dozen True Charms instantly coalesced. Currently, the Spiritual Restrictions of the True Charms related to the characters ‘Swallow’ and ‘Purify’ within his Sea of Souls numbered over two hundred, drifting within the vortex. Whether it was the character ‘Swallow’ or ‘Purify,’ both showed faint signs of gathering. When the Spiritual Restrictions of the True Charms accumulated to a certain extent, they could spontaneously complete themselves without even needing his conscious guidance. From the Middle Stage of the Night Roaming Realm, he stepped directly into the Vital Return Realm! His Spiritual Art cultivation was now very close to advancing.

And when he gradually awoke from his meditation, Xuan Yunlan was long gone, only Chu Xue remained, watching him with concern. Ruo Shui was lying beside him, sleeping lightly. Most of the poison had been drawn from her body, but although her physical health had recovered, she was left with a problem of low stamina, spending nearly half the day asleep. During her limited waking hours, Ruo Shui would always disappear without a trace. After a long time, she would return dripping with sweat. Sometimes she was so tired she would fall asleep directly in the bathtub.

Seeing Zong Shou wake up, Chu Xue was instantly delighted, then her expression grew complicated. “Young Master, that Nine Qilin Sword is just gone?” Zong Shou smiled without answering, looking instead at Xiao Jin, who was still resting in his palm. He had initially held little hope of comprehending the characters ‘Swallow’ and ‘Purify’ quickly; he had estimated it would take at least eight months to a year to complete. Unexpectedly, it ended in a sudden turn of good fortune. He didn't know what methods Wei Xu had used to finally stabilize Xiao Jin’s foundation again, allowing it to advance once more. This breakthrough also gave him a glimmer of hope for gathering the true symbols of those two characters. Thanks to this little fellow, he had saved himself several months of arduous effort this time.

Several more hours had passed since he entered the meditative state. Xiao Jin had clearly recovered some energy, hopping about in his hand. Zong Shou’s brow twitched, and with a slight movement of his will, the body, which had been soft and jelly-like, suddenly stretched. It first elongated into the shape of a sword, then quickly solidified. When the entire process was complete, a long sword rested in Zong Shou’s hand. It was golden, also inscribed with the image of nine Qilin heads. Chu Xue was completely stunned when she saw this. After a long pause, she asked hesitantly, “Is this the Nine Qilin Sword?” Its appearance and material were undoubtedly those of the Nine Qilin Sword that had been ‘swallowed.’ Apart from its spiritual energy grade—which seemed to be only Fifth-Tier—everything else was exactly the same. Moreover, it lacked the previous volatile yet powerful aura; it was clearly stable for long-term maintenance. “It is indeed the Nine Qilin Sword!” An extraordinary light flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes as well. At the Fifth Tier, Xiao Jin’s ‘Mimicry’ ability had completely stabilized. As long as something was ‘swallowed’ by it, it could be imitated and materialized. If the mimicked object was of the same rank, not only would the effect be undiminished, but it would be enhanced. Only now did this little fellow barely show a trace of the ‘Myriad Phenomena’ aspect of a Divine Beast. When it reached the next stage, the Sixth Tier, it would not only be able to mimic Spirit Artifacts but also transform into various living spirit beasts. Not only would the imitation be perfect, but their innate divine abilities would be just as powerful. Its strength would be considered monstrous among spirit beasts of the same rank.

Over the next few days, Zong Shou had no time left to delve into martial arts or spiritual techniques. The elites selected to descend below the Sea of Clouds to hunt spirit beasts and evil spirits had already gathered in Rainbow City, boarding the ships in succession, awaiting the day of departure. The provisions, armor, and daily necessities had also been prepared and loaded onto the ships. It was only after Ren Bo had everything perfectly arranged that the cloud ships from the affiliated cities arrived one after another. The territory governed by the Five Provinces comprised three hundred and sixty-seven cities. While many held back some strength and offered excuses for not attending, just as many were wholeheartedly devoted and offered full support. Some City Lords even arrived in person. Zong Shou thus had little leisure time. Almost daily, he had to meet with several City Lords and envoys. These vassal cities that had come were all staunch loyalists of Qiantian Mountain City. Even if Zong Shou was impatient, he had to treat them with courtesy, placating them with gentle words. Although his usual conduct was unpredictable, he understood the gravity of the situation now. In his words and actions, there was no trace of former rashness; he displayed the demeanor of a mature and steady leader. This brought immense relief to Ren Bo, who had been somewhat worried.

On the tenth day of his arrival in Rainbow City, the massive fleet of cloud ships finally set sail. Four hundred and seventy warships, plus four hundred merchant vessels, left the harbor one by one, floating in the Sea of Clouds. Stretched out for a thousand zhang, it presented an undeniably grand spectacle. However, within Qiantian Mountain City, Zong Shou had not brought any of the top-ranking Black Tortoise experts. He was only accompanied by Zong Yuan, Li Luo, and Ruo Shui, and at most, Tan Tao, whose combat power was only mid-to-upper tier. Including Gu Liekong, there were a total of ten Black Tortoise experts. The strength of the Spirit Masters was not weak. The Old Priest Zong Ling, Ling Fa Kong, plus Shi Dan, who, like Li Luo, had chosen to remain in Qiantian Mountain City. The spiritual arts of these three were all unique, and their strength far surpassed that of peers at the same level. Besides these three, there were six other Spirit Masters in the Vital Return Realm. There were nine individuals at the Vital Return Realm alone. Below the Sea of Clouds were countless materials suitable for alchemy, artifact forging, and the cultivation of spiritual arts. These Spirit Masters would never miss such an opportunity. However, most of these Spirit Masters came from the Sky Fox and Eye Wolf clans. For these two clans to have remained powerful among the Demon Race for ten millennia since the Desolation of the Clouds, it was because the Sky Fox lineage produced cultivators who were nearly all dual cultivators of spirit and martial arts, and the Eye Wolf clan also had a significant chance of producing Spirit Masters whose innate divine abilities were second only to the Sky Fox’s illusion arts. He brought Ling Fa Kong precisely for this reason. After the heavenly change of that night, the Eye Wolf clan harbored some resentment toward him. At a crucial moment, it was likely only this old patriarch of the Eye Wolf tribe who could keep the Eye Wolf Spirit Masters firmly under control.

On the day of departure, Hu Ru, Qian Qiu, Chai Yun, Zong Lan, Qiu Wei, and others came to see them off. However, dissatisfaction clouded their faces, as they seemed deeply vexed that Zong Shou was leaving these ‘old retainers’ behind. Even those already aboard the ships felt some unease. Hu Zhongyuan voiced his apprehension, “My Lord, isn’t this too much of a gamble? In previous years, even when the late Lord did not lead the Qiantian Mountain hunt, my father and Uncle Chai, Uncle Lan, and their generation would have at least three or four people stationed back here. Most of the people on this fleet are new recruits with very shallow experience. It seems somewhat improper…” “His Lordship has no choice in the matter.” Without waiting for Zong Shou to reply, Tan Tao, who considered himself the strategist, replied with a wry smile, “Taoyun City is currently facing a massive army pressing in. Although Cloud Chasm and Blazing Flame Cities suffered losses in the Ruohai Strait, their foundations were untouched. Their total casualties were only a few tens of thousands, and they remain aggressive on the southeastern flanks. I dare wager that if anything untoward happens during Qiantian Mountain City’s Sea of Clouds hunt, it will be precisely when these three cities launch their attack. Precisely because Duke Baguo and the others are the pillars supporting Qiantian, His Lordship must keep them here to suppress all sides.” Hu Zhongyuan frowned but said no more. He understood that the situation in Qiantian Mountain was still severe. However, the hunting of the spirit beasts was the most critical matter. Only by successfully acquiring sufficient Beast Cores could all difficulties be resolved. If they failed, even with suppression, Qiantian Mountain would struggle to prevent the disintegration of its power structure. Still, the four directions of Qiantian truly required great generals to guard them.

Li Luo and Zong Yuan clearly agreed with Hu Zhongyuan’s assessment. However, the former had only recently joined Qiantian Mountain and lacked seniority, while the latter simply refused to doubt Zong Shou’s judgment. Zong Shou, at that moment, was reading a letter left by Yin Yang. The gist was that the sect had an urgent matter, requiring him to leave and reclaim certain things that rightfully belonged to him. This left Zong Shou surprised and uncertain about what trouble had befallen Yin Yang’s sect to necessitate such a hasty departure. Among the many people he kept close, apart from Zong Yuan, Chu Xue, and Ruo Shui, the one he valued and favored most was this Elder Uncle Yin. He hadn't shown his brilliance before, but once he did, he astonished everyone. Given three to five years, Yin Yang could rely on his solid foundation to advance rapidly into the Heavenly Rank. Zong Shou was unwilling to lose such talent under any circumstances. Frowning in deep thought for a full moment, Zong Shou suddenly clenched his hand, crushing the letter paper. “Let’s depart. As for experience in the Sea of Clouds, having Governor Gu is more than enough.” Gu Liekong raised an eyebrow, gave a slight bow, and then departed. Moments later, the massive fleet unfurled its sails and set off, gliding across the Sea of Clouds, carried by the wind. The speed was extreme; in just one day, they traversed over two thousand li, and a vast cloud island appeared in their sight far ahead. (To be continued)