The third matter concerned Kong Yao. Imprisoned for over a month, the Central Imperial Dynasty had surprisingly made no move.

It was, however, that subordinate of hers named Li Zhile who had tried repeatedly to probe the location of Kong Yao's confinement.

The final item was the Eight-Tailed Celestial Fox, the Xue Clan. After nearly two years of quiet, this once-reigning Celestial Fox lineage appeared to be stirring once more.

The dark guards of Ruoshui had recently detected an increasing presence of Xue Clan members. A portion of their outer personnel had already infiltrated Qiantian Mountain City. Only by holding back to avoid alerting the enemy had they managed to avoid annihilation, thereby preserving the chance to capture the bigger fish lurking behind.

“This Xue Clan truly refuses to die—”

Zong Shou gave a cold laugh, yet upon closer consideration, with the enemy privy to his movements while he remained blind, he truly had no excellent means to counter them at present.

He could only wait passively, to see what tricks this Celestial Fox Xue Clan was planning. All he could do was ensure he amassed more trump cards in his own hand.

After lingering only half a day in Qiantian City, Zong Shou set out, heading east. Driving his spirit artifact, it took him two days to reach the Eastern Cloud Sea. Here, he temporarily left Zong Yuan and the others behind and headed south. Half a day later, the distant horizon was enveloped in furious winds and thunderstorms.

But as he stepped into the storm, Zong Shou paused slightly, gazing intently into the distance. This was the Sinking Cloud Sea; once entered, one would sink forever. Zong Shou held no fear, but what unsettled him was the person trapped within this sea.

After a brief hesitation, Zong Shou pressed forward again. This time, however, he adopted the guise of Tan Qiu. Traveling inward, it was as if he knew the way by heart, weaving effortlessly through the tempest.

Yet, as he neared the outer perimeter of the Sinking Cloud Sea, a faint alarm suddenly stirred within Zong Shou’s heart. He immediately halted, looking toward the south. Moments later, a middle-aged man flashed into existence before him.

“This is the Sinking Cloud Sea. My Shangxiao Sect is handling business here. Irrelevant parties are advised to retreat quickly—”

He was unmistakably dressed in the attire of the Shangxiao Profound Spirit Sect, his aura restrained and subtle—clearly an Eighth-Tier Martial Venerable. His face was that of a man in his forties, squarely built. Without waiting for Zong Shou to speak, he flicked his wide sleeve. A mighty surge of wind sought to tear Zong Shou’s figure away, throwing him back toward the periphery.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, let out a cold snort, and remained rooted to the spot. He made no move, yet a surge of sword intent erupted, shattering the gale before it could even approach.

The middle-aged Martial Venerable started, then in the next instant, felt a vast and supreme martial intent suddenly press down upon him! The intent locked on, making his spirit feel as if he were submerged in an endless ocean, where a single rogue wave could utterly crush him.

His consciousness struggled violently, and only after a long moment did he manage to break free from the pressure of the sword intent. The Martial Venerable’s pupils instantly contracted, and his expression shifted to one of caution and suspicion.

“The ultimate of sword intent—who exactly are you?”

The aura of the man before him was clearly only Seventh-Tier, still following the path of spiritual techniques. Yet, his sword intent had reached its apex, firmly surpassing his own by several degrees! In a flash, the middle-aged Martial Venerable thought of one person, though he dared not be certain—the one whose reputation had recently soared, shaking the Cloud Realm. If this was truly him, even an Eighth-Tier like himself would likely be no match.

“Cangsheng Tan Qiu!”

A simple sentence confirmed the middle-aged Martial Venerable’s suspicion. Zong Shou then watched the depths of the Sinking Cloud Sea with a smirk.

“Your Shangxiao Profound Spirit Sect is handling business here?”

His tone was saturated with mockery. The middle-aged Martial Venerable first cursed inwardly, confirming his suspicions, and grew even more vigilant. Then, despite his rising anger, he felt a measure of helplessness. To a behemoth like the Cangsheng Dao, the Shangxiao Profound Spirit Sect was indeed insignificant. The Cangsheng Dao’s three Sects and six Gates had always held together, but the Daoist lineage itself had split into three branches—nominally one path, but in reality, divergent streams. Aside from the Grand Supreme lineage, the others were noticeably weaker.

His wariness deepened. If this youth had come under the command of the Cangsheng Dao, he could not be disregarded.

“So it is the rumored Sword Sovereign Tan Qiu. Forgive my offense! I am Tie Xuan of Shangxiao. Greetings, Chief Tan. Our Shangxiao Sect indeed has urgent matters here. And it is not only Shangxiao—”

Before the man could finish speaking, a loud laugh echoed from the distance: “Zhu Ming of the Daoist Sect, greetings to Chief Tan!”

With the sound, a figure suddenly stepped out from the distant mist. His strength, however, surpassed Tie Xuan’s—a full Ninth-Tier. The moment he appeared, a massive pressure radiated out, meeting Zong Shou’s presence in a distant confrontation. In terms of the attainment of martial intent, this man was indeed inferior to Zong Shou. But combined with his formidable Ninth-Tier true power, he could easily suppress Zong Shou!

At this moment, it was not just Tie Xuan and Zhu Ming in the distance. Successively, more than a dozen soaring auras flickered in and out of visibility, imbued with a subtle intent to intimidate.

Seeing Zong Shou’s brow slightly furrowed, Zhu Ming also smiled: “We do not know why Chief Tan has come here? If it is not an extremely urgent matter, we ask that you return. Seven Sects have gathered here to conduct business. We ask Chief Tan to carefully consider this—”

Zong Shou offered no reply, merely gazing quietly around. After a moment, he spoke again: “You gather here seeking Zong Weiran and that Chronicle of the Zenith Fate?”

Zhu Ming’s expression immediately stiffened, then he chuckled softly. “Chronicle of the Zenith Fate? Does the Cangsheng Dao truly believe in it? Even the Ten Great Sacred Grounds have shown no reaction. To be frank, Chief, we are here with the intent to test things out. But more importantly, we seek Zong Weiran. When this man fled, he slaughtered hundreds of disciples from our Daoist Sect and the various Shangxiao Sects. A deep-seated hatred has formed; my Daoist Sect must execute this man! Therefore, we ask for your understanding, Chief. We truly cannot afford to give him any opportunity to escape!”

Though he spoke thus, Zhu Ming’s gaze was exceedingly sincere. Zong Shou secretly sneered. If it were truly just for revenge, why would the seven assembled sects, while blockading the Sinking Cloud Sea, also engage in internal maneuvering? Had he not revealed his identity just now, Zhu Ming likely would not have shown himself until Tie Xuan was dead. The situation with the dozen or so experts in the distance was the same. While jointly applying pressure on him, they maintained their separate positions, showing no inclination to converge.

Within the Sinking Cloud Sea, ferocious beasts were numerous and often traveled in packs. To be alone increased the peril manifold. Even an Eighth-Tier could perish if careless. These people preferred to remain dispersed rather than group together. He surmised that even without the Chronicle of the Zenith Fate, they must know that Zong Weiran possessed some crucial treasure. And if it were recent, then Zong Lan and the thousand Black Fox Iron Cavalry would never have survived.

Moreover, for some unknown reason, the moment Zhu Ming uttered the words ‘Zong Weiran’ and claimed ‘deep-seated hatred,’ a sharp pain immediately seized Zong Shou’s heart, and a killing intent flared up so violently that he could barely restrain it. He desired to slaughter Zhu Ming, Tie Xuan, and the dozen experts lurking in the mist, tearing them to shreds! He also felt an intense, almost frantic urge to rescue the person inside the Cloud Sea!

His expression remained unchanged, cold and placid, but Zong Shou took several deep breaths before suppressing the berserk killing intent, allowing his mind to temporarily clear. After a brief contemplation, he realized that the strength of the assembled sects here was surely far greater than what he currently perceived. There should be more than one Ninth-Tier like Zhu Ming. Lingering here, he could not guarantee that the murderous fury accumulating within him would not erupt.

Unwilling to stay any longer, he shot a cold glance at Zhu Ming, let out a light snort, and turned back the way he came.

Leaving the Sinking Cloud Sea, he traveled north for a full ten thousand li before stopping, falling deep into thought. That near-loss of control moments ago was truly rare. That impulse had nearly made him draw his sword.

It must have originated from the instincts of the original owner of the body named ‘Zong Shou.’ But the problem was, this body, two years later, had thoroughly fused with him in spirit and flesh. And ‘Zong Shou’s’ original soul had long since been completely devoured by him, having ‘willingly’ yielded. Even if remnants existed, they should have been utterly eliminated when his Black and White Cave Manifestation was achieved. Where would any ‘instinct’ remain?

Yet, that killing intent just now clearly originated from the deepest recesses of his original soul.

“What mystery lies within this?”

Zong Shou instinctively recalled that cryptic sentence uttered by ‘Zong Shou’ before his disappearance. Yet, his heart filled with a tremor of disbelief. He had anticipated encountering obstruction from the various sects when coming to the Sinking Cloud Sea; this was merely a probing action, not expecting such an outcome.

Not only did the mention of Zong Weiran ignite killing intent, but upon approaching the Cloud Sea, instead of anxiety regarding that ‘father,’ there was instead an impulse of ‘filial piety’ and ‘closeness’!

The location was not far from where Zong Yuan and the others were waiting. Just as Zong Shou sank into contemplation, Zong Yuan, Ruoshui, and Chu Xue—who was still asleep on the back of the Cold Gold Tiger—all arrived.

“My Lord, what is the situation over there?”

As soon as Zong Yuan arrived, he inquired. His expression, however, was calm; his loyalty lay with Zong Shou, and he was indifferent to the life or death of Zong Weiran. It was Ruoshui whose eyes held a hint of inquiry.

“Bloodline connection detected; Father-King is still alive! But rescuing Father-King from there will likely not be easy—”

These two sentences brought immediate joy to Ruoshui. Zong Shou, however, remained deeply troubled: “Send word to investigate what recent changes have occurred in Yin Dragon Gorge!”

Ruoshui’s gaze sharpened instantly, and she produced several golden talismans. Moments later, she cast them out, flying toward the western horizon.

Zong Shou lingered for another moment, then continued his journey eastward, proceeding via artifact. This trip to the Sinking Cloud Sea only solidified his resolve to journey east. The matter of Zong Weiran was murky and unpredictable; he could not guarantee his ability to manage it. Increasing his strength would never be wrong.

His wings were now strong; he was qualified to grasp certain things, and certain people.