Zong Shou instinctively frowned, though alongside the confusion, a touch of worry surfaced. Even with nearly ten millennia of insight surpassing this era, he couldn't discern what these shadows truly were. Whether they benefited him or posed any harm remained utterly unknown. He loathed the sensation of having foreign elements forcibly crammed inside his body.

After a moment of thought, Zong Shou suddenly slashed out with his sword. Behind him, the shadow of a great dragon reappeared, and where the pure, crisp purple sword light passed, a small pavilion nearby was cleanly severed!

In that precise instant, Zong Shou's eyes shone with brilliant light. He could clearly sense that as this sword technique was unleashed, the nine shadows within him became extraordinarily active, as if nine new centers of control had manifested, directing the energy within him.

Previously, his Hansei Ling Jue and the core cultivation method of the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword had possessed slight disharmony, but now, that issue was gone.

Jin Buhui, standing near the pavilion, was startled by the sudden attack and leaped away like a frightened bird, crying out, "Zong Shou, are you trying to kill me?" A moment later, he regained his composure. "Zong Shou, has your Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword seen progress again?"

The two women beside them were equally alarmed. Seeing the clean cut, they realized that while the pavilion appeared to be wood, its core was constructed from densely interwoven starmetal, refined through countless hammerings. To cleave through six pillars as thick as a man's thigh—pillars tougher than peak sixth-tier spirit artifacts—just how sharp must this sword strike have been?

Zong Shou shook his head solemnly. It wasn't that progress had been made; rather, the former flaws in his cultivation had been completely erased by these snake-like shadows flowing through his meridians. His previous techniques and this sword art, while not polar opposites, weren't perfectly aligned either. To wield this sword effectively before required consuming vast amounts of True Qi to compensate for the mismatch. But now, that problem was gone; there was no need for unnecessary expenditure, and the might of this single strike had increased.

It seemed, then, that these shadows were likely beneficial. Besides, at this moment, he had no means of expelling them anyway.

He then took out the small porcelain bottle he hadn't had time to examine earlier. However, just as he executed that sword strike, he vaguely felt a sudden agitation emanating from within, as if something were straining to break free. Thus, Zong Shou could no longer suppress his surging curiosity.

As the cork was opened, Zong Shou sucked in a sharp breath, immediately jamming the stopper back into place.

The three figures surrounding him, in that instant, felt a vast, surging dragon might spilling from the bottle.

Jin Buhui sensed that whatever was contained within must be something extraordinary. He couldn't help but swallow hard and inquire, "What exactly is inside? Though, if it’s too precious, you don't have to tell me..."

Zong Shou blinked, then offered a sly, wicked smile. "An eighth-tier Dragon Soul, a ninth-tier Dragon Pill. And one other thing I won't mention!"

Hearing the first two items, Jin Buhui’s expression cycled through various states of shock, regretting the impulsive question so deeply his heart ached. Hearing the last sentence, his curiosity became an unbearable itch. Yet, having already spoken, he couldn't retract the previous statement. This itching curiosity of Ziwei’s was little better than his regret.

Zhao Yanran and Xuan Yunlan also drew sharp, cold breaths. An eighth-tier True Dragon Soul implied that the entity was at least ninth-tier before its demise. Unlike common spirit beasts, True Dragons were classified as Divine Beasts. If subdued as a protector, it would be equivalent to having two or three eighth-tier experts on hand—a considerable boon for any sect. The value of a ninth-tier Dragon Pill was even greater; if used wisely in alchemy, it might even forge several Heaven Rank experts. And the value of the item Zong Shou refused to name was likely beyond measure.

Zong Shou himself was momentarily lost in thought. He found it strange that the people from Jue Long City hadn't pursued them more vigorously. The contents of this bottle were not comparable to that untraceable Immortal Talisman. Even the City Lord of Jue Long might personally track down these items. Could it be that even the people of Jue Long City were unaware of what was inside this bottle?

He tossed the seemingly plain yet genuinely artifact capable of imprisoning a True Dragon back into his Qiankun Pouch. Zong Shou remained utterly perplexed and lost interest in examining the golden needles.

When he finally snapped back to attention, Zong Shou saw Zhao Yanran gazing with keen interest at his fox tail. A tender, jade-like finger extended, seeming ready to touch.

Zong Shou let out a cold laugh. "Short-haired wench, you dare touch it?" Then, turning to Jin Buhui, he warned, "If you dare lay a hand on that jade, don't blame me for not giving you a final warning before you die here."

Zhao Yanran was momentarily confused. After a pause, she realized that the "short-haired wench" Zong Shou referred to was none other than herself! A surge of fury instantly rose, and she was about to snap back, but then she recalled that this man’s seniority was already several generations above hers—with five 'Grand' prefixes before her own Ancestor Master. She could only huff, stiffen her face, and retract her finger.

Jin Buhui also chuckled sheepishly. He too felt that leaving the jade where it was might cause trouble, which was why he had only observed it and never attempted to take it.

Zong Shou paid no mind to the other two. Utilizing the power of the white jade talisman, more than half of his injuries had already healed. His entire body now felt refreshed. All the chaotic True Essence he had absorbed was expelled, and the scattered, disordered thoughts in his spirit were purified.

With a slight shift of intent, control over his demonic body was restored. The fox tail and ears retracted completely.

He walked to the iron gate, knelt, and with solemn reverence, bowed three times to the elderly relief carved upon it. Sure enough, after only a moment, the gate began to creak and groan, lifting upward, revealing an immense, boundless space before the four of them.

Zhao Yanran and Jin Buhui were struck dumb. So, unlocking this door was this simple?

Xuan Yunlan’s face flushed with shame and embarrassment. "I am ashamed," she murmured. "I was so focused on reaching the upper level quickly to see the true projection of the Martial Saint, I forgot that since we studied the sword techniques of this Elder Longying, we are effectively his disciples. We presumed comprehending the sword art was natural, never thinking to show proper respect to our teacher..."

Zong Shou rose and stepped slowly inside. The four walls within were completely blank. One side, particularly smooth and ash-grey, showed flickering shadows; two figures, both in their thirties or forties—seven-tier experts they had seen outside—were already present. Upon seeing Zong Shou arrive, their expressions showed slight surprise, but they only briefly lost focus before instantly returning their complete attention to the stone wall, not daring to miss a single moment, as if the blank surface held some supreme beauty or treasure that utterly captivated them.

Zhao Yanran and the others followed them in. Then came a series of scraping sounds from behind as the iron gate descended again, slamming shut. Yet, none paid it any mind; all were fixed upon the shifting shadows within the stone wall.

At this moment, the four were astonishingly silent, observing with an almost reverent, worshipful state of mind. Even the usually talkative Jin Buhui did not utter a sound. Here and now, even a slightly heavy breath felt inappropriate, a defilement of this sacred ground of martial pursuit that stunned the world.

Zong Shou also held his breath, watching the image transition: sometimes a figure wielding a sword, sometimes transforming into a dragon's shape, sometimes morphing into a spirit beast. At times, it became an irregular, interlocking circle, and at others, countless star-like points scattered without pattern.

Zong Shou didn't know how these shadows appeared to others, but within moments, he felt a sudden understanding and immediately sat down cross-legged. At first, he had merely perceived shadows, but as he gradually became immersed, it felt as if he were witnessing a world-shaking battle from the Primordial Era, one on the scale of Immortals! An old man—bearing the exact likeness of the one carved on the door—was engaged in a life-or-death struggle using a single sword against a foe whose skin was dark as pitch, shrouded in swirling black mist. Every strike cracked the earth for hundreds of miles and shook mountains and rivers. The more focused he became, the more real the scene appeared, with minute details becoming perfectly clear to his eyes.

"This must be a battle that occurred when this Elder Longying was still in the Divine Realm." With his past life's experience, Zong Shou could instantly gauge the cultivation level of these two combatants.

Then, in the next instant, Zong Shou’s gaze sharpened slightly. He realized that the more vivid this miraculous spectacle became, the stronger the formidable martial intent emanating from the two clashing forces within the wall projection grew! It violently surged into his mind, threatening to shatter his very spirit.

Barely sustaining his consciousness, he watched the battle imagery conclude, and the martial intents of the two Divine Realm experts began to recede. A line of blood immediately trickled from the corner of Zong Shou's mouth. Even when he had fought dozens of Profound Martial Grandmasters from the Snow Shattering Sail, Dead Man's Cone Han Zhong, and the Lingyun Sect factions combined, he hadn't been wounded so severely that he couldn't suppress it. Yet this wall projection had nearly crushed his soul into dust!

Fortunately, after the scene ended, flowing script of sword techniques appeared, maintaining the same cryptic, incomplete style as seen in the lower levels, rendering them incomprehensible. This was followed by patterns of networked lines and those star-like points, even clearer than the shadows seen before. Zong Shou was initially baffled, but after staring intently for a moment, he began to perceive these lines and points as if watching a person standing before the stone wall, wielding a sword, constantly thrusting and slashing. Radiant sword arcs and brilliant starlight imprints struck directly into his mind. At this moment, Zong Shou seemed to hear a massive dragon roar, bellowing with boiling battle fervor. He hastily memorized these sword arcs and starlight patterns. Moments later, the scene before him shifted once more. (To be continued)