Within the boundless expanse of the Primordial Spirit Sea, wisps of silvery-purple spiritual energy roiled and drifted like clouds everywhere. The dense spiritual mist would occasionally coalesce into vast, surging rivers, roaring through the Spirit Sea—a spectacle comparable to the spatial turbulence that stretched tens of thousands of light-years in the Subspace.

A faint, milky-white silhouette hovered motionlessly above the boundless, surging sea of spiritual mist, looking around in utter astonishment.

"You insignificant brat, Gu Xichen, where is your soul? Where, where is the origin of your soul? How is your Spirit Sea even larger than mine was in my prime?"

"That question is quite complex! Explaining it would waste too much time, so I shall refrain!" A swirl of silvery-purple mist suddenly churned, slowly coalescing into the visage of Gu Xichen. A peculiar smile touched the colossal face as a grand and resonant voice echoed through the heavens and earth: "However, I am curious, how long have you been hidden within my body?"

The milky-white silhouette let out a cold laugh. He did not answer Gu Xichen’s question, instead lowering his gaze to ponder for a moment before suddenly bursting into boisterous laughter.

"I understand! The younger generations of cultivators nowadays all tread crooked paths. Hmph, how could such a massive Spirit Sea be achieved relying solely on your own cultivation? Is it connected to that so-called fusion with Christo?"

Gu Xichen looked down from his commanding height upon the milky-white figure radiating an intense chill. Within his Primordial Spirit Sea, his will was the unchallenged sovereign. He could examine this intruder, who harbored ill intent toward his consciousness, as easily as observing the lines on his own palm. Hmm, the face was too indistinct to see clearly, but it indeed possessed an extremely powerful and pure soul origin force. Moreover, within the figure’s body lay an aura that Gu Xichen found acutely dangerous—the exact same aura as the Taiyin Xuan Yan.

With a cold smirk, Gu Xichen manipulated the giant face formed from the spiritual mist, pressing forward a few steps. He stated plainly, "You guessed correctly, but there is no reward! Hmm, would you care to introduce yourself, esteemed guest?"

The figure snorted several times, then suddenly moved with lightning speed, instantly traversing countless layers of thick, spirit-energy-composed clouds.

"Heh heh heh! This is my Primordial Spirit Sea!" Gu Xichen smiled, lips pursed. The colossal face, weightless like a phantom, swiftly pursued the figure forward. No matter how the white silhouette altered its speed or trajectory, the face, huge as a small mountain, clung tightly to him.

"Don't be so stingy. Since you intend to possess my body, we should have a proper discussion. Let me gauge just how strong your chances of success are, shall we?"

Chuckling deeply and murmuring all the way, Gu Xichen relentlessly shadowed his pursuer.

The white silhouette suddenly stopped. He realized that his erratic flight achieved nothing toward locating the origin of Gu Xichen's soul. To devour that soul origin and claim this rare Innate Body, he needed a different strategy.

There was no choice; Gu Xichen’s Primordial Spirit Sea was simply too vast—at least hundreds of times wider than that of an ordinary cultivator. Searching for a tiny core of soul origin within such an immense space of consciousness was proving exceedingly difficult.

After a few cold chuckles, the white figure slowly nodded. "Very well, it is not a bad idea to let you know my origins. To be possessed by me is, in itself, an honor for you."

Gu Xichen remained silent, watching the white figure. He was rapidly absorbing the external spiritual energy, continually pouring it into the cells throughout his body. This spiritual energy was the very first thread generated at the genesis of heaven and earth, incredibly pure and profound—a peerless Innate Qi. Cultivating the Great Desolate Scripture with this energy would allow him to advance by leaps and bounds, achieving in a day what others took a thousand miles to travel. In contrast, the so-called spiritual energy of the current cultivation world would likely require a hundred years of arduous practice to yield the benefit of just one month's cultivation using this Innate Qi.

Devouring, devouring—the black light barrier outside the warship had grown significantly thinner. Ninety-nine percent of Gu Xichen's attention was focused on hoarding the Innate Qi.

The white figure sighed deeply, letting out a cold laugh mixed with a touch of desolate pride: "This Immortal is Taiyin True Monarch, Lord of the Ice God Palace in the Ancient Brightness Domain of the Northernmost Taiyin Realm, originating from the Cave Yuan Hua Ying Sheng Tian of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths! This Immortal was born at the beginning of the Primordial Era, attained the Dao before the Three Sovereigns. Which deity or sage of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths does not know the name of Taiyin True Monarch?"

Gu Xichen disliked Taiyin True Monarch's arrogant demeanor and offered a pointedly ambiguous sarcasm: "So, you claim to be a great figure? A pity, then, that you look so utterly destitute?"

Taiyin True Monarch was so enraged his very flesh trembled. He pointed to the sky and gestured wildly, cursing loudly. Perhaps due to previous damage to his primordial spirit, his curses were disjointed and somewhat incoherent, jumping erratically between topics. Gu Xichen listened to his tirade for a full hour before he could vaguely piece together the meaning.

In essence, Taiyin True Monarch was one of those truly carefree Immortals among the gods and spirits of antiquity. He showed reverence to neither heaven above nor earth below; the Five Elements could not bind him, nor could Yin and Yang control him, and even the cycle of life and death held no sway. He barely acknowledged the Heavenly Court that governed the Three Realms back then. He was a hegemon, possessing immense power and influence, dominating a region.

In ancient times, the Great Omnipotent Ones of the Three Realms jointly established the Heavenly Court to manage all realms. Countless gods and spirits willingly or unwillingly joined the Heavenly Court to serve it. However, Immortals like Taiyin True Monarch, existing since the dawn of the Primordial Era, possessed a unique status and unparalleled strength; his seniority rivaled that of the Three Pure Ones, rendering him untouchable by any force.

Thus, beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Heavenly Court, all Immortals collectively carved out the special space known as the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for such wandering Immortals who remained outside the Heavenly Court system. All Immortals signed a pact: no god or demon residing in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was permitted to venture out easily. The Nine Heavens housed carefree Immortals like Taiyin True Monarch, while the Ten Earths were home to fierce and violent Demon Gods. The scope of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was infinite, allowing the various Immortals and gods to live freely, untouched by karma or the mortal world—a truly divine existence.

But in ancient times—exactly when, even Taiyin True Monarch had forgotten—a major event transpired. Countless Immortals and Demon Gods from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, alongside the Immortals of the Thirty-Three Heavens, departed to pursue some grand undertaking. Taiyin True Monarch, however, discovered a great opportunity, a profound providence within it, and he too left the Cave Yuan Hua Ying Sheng Tian to participate.

Yet, he gained nothing from the spoils. Instead, he encountered several sworn enemies. After a fierce battle, Taiyin True Monarch killed those adversaries, but he was also suppressed by their ** power and restrictions. Fortunately, Taiyin True Monarch possessed the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiyin Profound Pearl. A wisp of his True Spirit managed to hide within the Taiyin Profound Pearl, remaining concealed. His heavily wounded rivals could do nothing more than hastily employ the Innate Divine Fire Array to seal Taiyin True Monarch before rushing away.

Eons later, the sealing power of the Innate Array that contained Taiyin True Monarch weakened as external spiritual energy gradually dissipated. Seizing the chance, Taiyin True Monarch immediately mobilized the power of the Taiyin Profound Pearl to erode the formation relentlessly. He also utilized the great divine art of Form Shifting and Spirit Exchange, forcibly relocating the array’s core energy from its center to the outside, thereby crippling the formation’s energy supply and causing its power to wane. In perhaps another million years, Taiyin True Monarch would have found the opportunity to escape.

Fate intervened cruelly: the former director of the Federal Special Operations Bureau, Uriah, discovered the array’s displaced energy core. Those agents fumbled around in their incompetence, inadvertently doing Taiyin True Monarch a great service. With escape imminent, Gu Xichen blundered directly into the array.

What choice was left? Taiyin True Monarch immediately fled into Gu Xichen’s body.

Especially since Gu Xichen, at that time, had successfully cultivated the Hanyuan True Canon, his physical body was exceptionally superior compared to ordinary people. Although his body lacked spiritual meridians and could not cultivate, for Taiyin True Monarch, who possessed the Taiyin Profound Pearl, lacking meridians was a minor issue. In short, the quality of Gu Xichen's body greatly satisfied him, and he had already entertained the thought of immediate possession. But to be thorough, he deliberately channeled a small portion of his innate Taiyin Profound Flame to temper Gu Xichen’s body.

At that point, Taiyin True Monarch could have possessed him instantly. However, within the array that sealed him resided a final restriction. Upon escaping the array, the ultimate restriction activated, severely wounding Taiyin True Monarch's True Spirit, leaving him near death, utterly lacking the strength to attempt possession.

"So you have been stalling until today! I achieved an Innate Body, and you concurrently recovered your True Spirit by utilizing the Innate Spiritual Energy I absorbed?" Gu Xichen understood the entire sequence of events and let out a wry, helpless smile. Acting on instinct, he adopted a negotiating tone: "You are a renowned figure of the Three Realms; you needn't bully a junior like me. How about this: I will find a superior physical body for you, and you estimate what benefits you can offer me in return?"

This proposition revealed Gu Xichen’s inherent merchant nature. In his view, confronting Taiyin True Monarch head-on was unwise. Rather than fighting to the death, it was better to strive for a win-win scenario! Judging by Taiyin True Monarch’s comments about the Great Desolate Scripture, the cultivation methods within it were likely inferior to Taiyin True Monarch's own techniques. If he could trade a fine physical vessel for Taiyin True Monarch's cultivation path, Gu Xichen felt this was a good deal, one where his profit margin would be substantial! The Taiyin "Stinky Old Man" let out a string of chilling, sinister laughs. He looked mockingly at the phantom face of Gu Xichen and shook his head: "What flesh body could compare to your current Innate Body?"

With a soft sigh, Taiyin True Monarch spoke slowly: "However, as you just said, this Immortal should not bully a junior! Hmm, withdraw your spirit voluntarily, yield this Innate Body to this Immortal, and once I return to Cave Yuan Hua Ying Sheng Tian, I will directly help you find a supreme Golden Immortal Body. That counts as elevating you to heaven in one step!"

With an equally soft sigh, Gu Xichen felt helpless. He shook his head: "The essence of the father and blood of the mother forged my physical body. This vessel is mine; how can I let you steal it?"

Taiyin True Monarch’s expression shifted, and he roared sharply: "Then, this Immortal will not be polite! Hmph hmph, if you force this Immortal into a ruthless possession, devouring your soul origin, do not blame this Immortal for being merciless—I won't even give you a chance at reincarnation! Originally, this Immortal felt a touch of guilt and prepared to offer you some benefits, but now..."

As Taiyin True Monarch hissed, a fist-sized bead, dull gray-white and lightless, flew out from within his body. When it first emerged, the bead looked like a clod of earth molded from white sludge, but in the blink of an eye, billions of sinister cold lights erupted from it, instantly freezing all the surrounding silvery-purple spiritual mist with biting cold.

"This is this Immortal's Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiyin Profound Pearl. It was condensed from the first ray of Taiyin Qi when this realm was first formed; it is a supreme-grade Innate Supreme Treasure! Using it to oppress a junior..." Taiyin True Monarch shook his head, sighing deeply, "If my old adversaries knew of this matter, this Immortal would have no face left!"

The fist-sized Taiyin Profound Pearl spewed forth Taiyin Profound Flame ten thousand zhang deep. The rolling Taiyin Profound Flame emitted a grayish-white brilliance, hovering in Gu Xichen's Spirit Sea like a grayish-white sun. Taiyin True Monarch's True Spirit, shivering all over, exerted control over the Taiyin Profound Pearl to stabilize Gu Xichen's churning spiritual energy. Billions of cold rays instantly permeated every corner of Gu Xichen's Spirit Sea.

"Hahahaha, here it is! This Immortal was wondering why your soul origin was missing!"

Taiyin True Monarch laughed maniacally, driving the Taiyin Profound Pearl forward. Gu Xichen cursed furiously, constantly mobilizing his spiritual energy to bombard Taiyin True Monarch. Countless waves formed from silvery-purple spiritual energy swept toward the figure like a deluge, but no matter how many heavy silvery-purple waves crashed over him, all attacks were utterly frozen before the Taiyin Profound Pearl.

Gu Xichen felt a panic rising. He hurriedly transformed his spiritual energy into fierce winds, sharp swords, and countless slashing blades to hack at Taiyin True Monarch. But with the Taiyin Profound Pearl blazing down, the cold light emitted by the Taiyin Profound Flame swept over everything, shattering all attacks into dust.

In the time it took for five breaths, Taiyin True Monarch, panting heavily, brought the Taiyin Profound Pearl to the core region of Gu Xichen’s Spirit Sea.

Clearly, Taiyin True Monarch had exhausted the last vestiges of his immortal power. The Taiyin Profound Pearl once again floated beside him, dull and lightless. Taiyin True Monarch bent over, gasping heavily a few times. Before he could even lift his head, he exclaimed with unconcealed excitement: "Child, you still have time to flee your True Spirit! Although this Immortal’s True Spirit is severely damaged, the remaining essence is equivalent to the peak level of the Nascent Soul realm in the cultivation world! You, a mere mortal..." He looked up at the terrifying sight before him: this was the core of Gu Xichen's Primordial Spirit Sea.

An incomparably massive Taiji vortex spun slowly in the void far ahead, with golden stars orbiting the vortex at varying speeds. The Heavenly Cycle Star Chart shimmered around the Taiji vortex, and a profound, mysterious, indescribable aura washed over him. Gazing upon this Taiji vortex seemed to reveal the ultimate truth of the universe.

Five hundred and five clusters of purple clouds floated quietly nearby. The five Xin Jia brothers, stout and imposing, radiating fierce killing intent with the muscles on their faces twitching, stood rigidly upon the purple clouds with exactly five hundred subordinates, glaring menacingly at Taiyin True Monarch. Based on their formation, they had clearly arrayed the 'Heaven and Earth Snaring Grand Formation.' Taiyin True Monarch emitted a sound like a chicken choking, his voice trembling as he pointed at the gigantic Taiji vortex, the numerous nearby golden stars, and the boundless Star Chart, screaming in disbelief: "The Thirty-Three Heavens' Purple Heaven Celestial Registry... This is the treasure that the Heavenly Court uses to register and manage the Star Lords of the Heavenly Cycle, all major and minor celestial officials, celestial soldiers, and generals... How can it be here?"

Xin Jia’s two massive pectoral muscles twitched once, and he grumbled in a deep, muffled voice: "To tell the truth, we don't know either!"

"Heh, heh heh... Heh heh heh!" Taiyin True Monarch let out a series of strange laughs. He stared blankly at the twenty-four-layered azure pagoda suspended at the center of the Taiji vortex, then at the soul pearl glowing with five-colored light in the pagoda's first layer, and managed a dry, bitter laugh: "Even this damned thing is here? Heh... Gu Xichen, shall we make a deal? This Immortal will take you as a disciple, and you find this Immortal a fine physical body? This Immortal will certainly teach you the profound methods of my school wholeheartedly!" Gu Xichen focused all his attention on Taiyin True Monarch. He finally understood what that strange vortex was called: the Thirty-Three Purple Heaven Celestial Registry? Instinctively, he recalled the purple jade token from before; it seemed he had obtained something truly extraordinary.

The soul pearl emitted a dazzling beam of light, and Gu Xichen’s voice echoed throughout the entire Spirit Sea. He chuckled lightly: "You've changed your mind?"

Taiyin True Monarch placed his hands behind his back, assuming the dignified bearing of a senior Immortal master, and smiled faintly: "Indeed. Heaven favors the benevolent. This Immortal also..."

Gu Xichen roughly cut him off: "Spare me the nonsense. If you hadn't seen the Purple Heaven Celestial Registry, would you let me off? Now, I’ve changed my mind too!"

Taiyin True Monarch shuddered, and he barked sharply with false bravado: "You, what has your mind changed to? Little brat, do you know how many people wish to become my disciple?"

"Tch!" Gu Xichen let out a cold laugh. His soul pearl shimmered once more: "Xin Jia, deploy the Heaven and Earth Snare! Grind this old fellow to dust!"

If he could profit without taking action, was Gu Xichen still a qualified merchant?

Xin Jia, wearing a strange, sinister grin, activated the Heaven and Earth Snaring Grand Formation. Even Xin Jia’s body trembled slightly—was it excitement or nervousness? But Xin Jia didn't care. He knew Taiyin True Monarch’s identity: a carefree Immortal from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, a formidable figure even his own former superiors dared not offend. Such a paramount being was about to perish within his Heaven and Earth Snaring Grand Formation; this filled Xin Jia with excitement. A cry of despair erupted from Taiyin True Monarch’s mouth. As he had said, his True Spirit was only at the level of a peak Nascent Soul Primordial Spirit. If Gu Xichen had been an ordinary person, Taiyin True Monarch’s True Spirit could have devoured him a hundred thousand times over. However, Gu Xichen was no mere ordinary person! Taiyin True Monarch had never seen a commoner capable of condensing a soul pearl—something many powerful Immortals of antiquity couldn't achieve! Gazing greedily and desperately at the azure pagoda housing Gu Xichen’s soul pearl, Taiyin True Monarch shrieked, summoning his last scrap of strength to unleash the Taiyin Profound Pearl.

Gu Xichen started, about to order Xin Jia and the others to retreat, when a faint wisp of azure energy suddenly flowed from the azure pagoda, casually sweeping toward the Taiyin Profound Pearl.

This single sweep instantly refined away the trace of Taiyin True Monarch’s spiritual consciousness within the Taiyin Profound Pearl. The pearl erupted with a blinding grayish-white cold light, which was effortlessly absorbed by the azure energy. A five-colored stream of Qi shot up from Gu Xichen’s soul pearl, skillfully drilling into the Taiyin Profound Pearl. Ten thousand zhang of Taiyin Profound Flame erupted from the pearl, and billions of bone-chilling cold rays shot out from within it. The Taiyin Profound Pearl was sucked into the pagoda by the azure energy and floated silently above Gu Xichen’s soul pearl.

Streams of five-colored light continuously poured into the Taiyin Profound Pearl. Gu Xichen felt his connection with the treasure growing tighter and tighter. The Taiyin Profound Pearl, having been swept by the azure energy, began to show an intensifying affinity toward him, like a fawning puppy. Eventually, Gu Xichen felt as though he had merged completely with the Taiyin Profound Pearl, able to command it as easily as his own limbs.

Just as Gu Xichen was eager to test out the Taiyin Profound Pearl, he was startled to discover that, just like the Qilin Seal, while he felt he could command it effortlessly, this particular finger was far too enormous and heavy. Gu Xichen’s small arm couldn't budge it an inch! The feeling was akin to a newborn baby suddenly possessing the arm of a heavyweight boxing champion—though the arm belonged to him, and theoretically he could move it, in reality, he couldn't manage the slightest twitch.

"Alas! Another supreme treasure that can be seen but not used!" If it weren't for this limitation, Gu Xichen’s soul pearl would surely have been weeping by now.

But just as this suffocating feeling began to creep into Gu Wuchen’s being, the Grand Yin Profound Pearl spontaneously erupted with a streak of grayish-white cold light. With a subtle whirring sound, it darted directly downward through the Twelve-Layered Pagoda, landing in Gu Wuchen’s Dantian with lightning speed. Swoosh—whoosh! Gu Xiechen’s physical ears registered the sound of this immense vortex. Whether it was the surrounding clear Qi, the turbid Qi, or even the innate spiritual energy transformed by the Qilin Seal, everything was greedily swallowed by the black-hole-like Grand Yin Profound Pearl. Then, billions of grayish-white cold currents, each as thick as a thumb, rolled out from the Pearl and instantly filled Gu Wuchen’s body. This cold energy was unfathomably more potent than the previous Snow Soul Divine Aura, yet, just like that Aura, it obeyed Gu Xiechen’s commands with seamless fluidity, circulating through his meridians at will.