Still on that nameless island, but the conversation now involved different people. (《》) It was Fang Ming who spoke this time.

"When I saw him coming out of the Dragon Hall just now, I sensed that the golden shuttle in his hand likely held some significance. Now it seems it must be the true form of the Demon-Slaying Divine Shuttle!

Rumor has it this item can pierce the void and cross realms in an instant! Truly extraordinary—" Opposite him was Luo Ming, his face ashen.

Beside them stood another man, clad in the casual robes of the Daoming Sect, a middle-aged man in his forties, whose physique was even less pleasing to look at. "So, what now?

With the Demon-Slaying Divine Shuttle, we probably can't catch him—" "Hmph! Brother Qiu Li, are you perhaps afraid?

Planning to give up just like that?" Luo Ming was in a foul mood, a mocking smirk curling the corner of his lips: "Are you scared of the Dragon Shadow Elder?" Qiu Li's breath hitched, followed by a muffled grunt of displeasure: "The feud over Senior Brother Shang Yue's demise, our Daoming Sect will naturally not let it go just like that. However, with the Divine Shuttle in his hand, he can vanish a thousand miles in a flash.

The Demon-Slaying Divine Shuttle is also exceptionally sturdy; it withstood our rank nine spiritual arts just now without a scratch. Instead, he broke through and injured more than ten of us.

Who among us can stop him?" He indeed felt a degree of fear, primarily because Shang Yue had acted first in this affair, meaning they were technically in the wrong. If that Zong Shou were merely some insignificant Demon King, it would be nothing.

But behind him stood the Dragon Shadow. This figure, it was said, even an expert at the Ultimate Realm had to give way three paces when he was at his peak.

How could they not be wary? Cooperating with the Demon Sect was permissible.

But if word got out, it was ultimately improper. Fang Ming seemed aware of his worries and smiled reassuringly: "Calm down, Brother Luo!

In truth, Brother Qiu Li is also helpless. With the Demon-Slaying Divine Shuttle, we truly cannot keep him trapped.

We will search this vicinity thoroughly one more time. If we find nothing, we will postpone for now.

In fact, just wait two months; the man ultimately won't escape our grasp!" Qiu Li narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded in agreement: "Indeed! A massive battle is imminent in the Eastern Cloud Continent.

(《》) As far as I know, the Thousand City Alliance will make their move within two months. If this person dies by our hands, the Dragon Shadow will certainly not let it rest.

But if he dies on the battlefield, I doubt he'll have much to say. Even if the Dragon Shadow seeks revenge, the combined strength of our sects plus the major ones like Lingyun Shangxiao means we do not fear him—" Luo Ming's brow remained tightly furrowed, seemingly unwilling to let go.

However, he also knew he couldn't push too hard. The Daoming Sect was, after all, not a mere vassal of the Primordial Demon Sect.

The assistance offered by this Master Fang also carried hidden motives. Moreover, if Zong Shou was intent on fleeing and concealing himself, tracking him would indeed be difficult.

But that Dark Demon Relic— Fang Ming then drawled, "Rest assured, Brother Luo. In this world, only a handful of people know how to use the Dark Demon Relic.

For anyone else, possessing it is useless. We only need to wait another two months.

If you are willing to lend the Lingyun Sect a hand, they will be overjoyed. Who would dare covet that Dark Demon Relic?

Brother Luo, if you are worried, let me facilitate the connection for you." Hearing this, Luo Ming finally managed a smile. Qiu Li beside him also let out a sigh of relief, his tension easing, setting aside the burning hatred for Shang Yue's death for the moment.

"It's quite ridiculous! Do you two know that the Kongqi Sect has already sided with the Qiantian Mountain?

That sect is hateful! Over the past two years, they have forged hundreds of thousands of Spirit-Grade war armors and weapons for that brat Zong Shou, and acted as his purchasing agent for another million pieces!

That old man from Tianqi must have lost his wits. Does he truly believe others are unaware?

Over two million Spirit-Grade artifacts—what a massive trump card! Does he truly think that mere Peerless General Zong Yuan will be invincible?

This old man’s lifetime of wisdom will be utterly lost in two months, and I don't know how he will ever recover!" Luo Ming's eyes narrowed, letting out a cold sneer. Fang Ming understood that Qiu Li's intention wasn't mere jest, but a desire to incite the forces of their two sects against the Kongqi Sect.

At that moment, he shook his head noncommittally: "He is indeed a bit muddled! However, this matter requires long-term consideration!

We cannot afford to be careless either; the Kongqi Sect dares to act this way because they must have some reliance! It is best to proceed cautiously—" As he spoke, he was sensing the faint, almost imperceptible trace of true dragon aura here.

—The Destruction Dragon Pill, he really managed to retrieve that thing! ※※※※ Half a day later, nine thousand seven hundred li to the west, there was another cloud island spanning roughly two hundred thousand zhang.

(《**》) A streak of light suddenly descended, landing upon a hillock. As the shuttle retracted and Zong Shou’s figure appeared, he looked somewhat astonished at the object in his hand.

This was definitely no ordinary second-tier magical treasure; its ability to withstand so many spiritual arts without damage attested to its power. Ye Feishuang had mentioned that this item was missing a few components; he wondered what it would be like once those were collected.

Ye Feishuang was also somewhat envious at the time, but now she let out a slight scoff: "I thought Your Highness was so capable, yet in the end, you still ran away!" Zong Shou shook his head, his expression serious: "This wasn't running away! This was a strategic withdrawal, evading the sharpest point, what do you know?" Ye Feishuang paused, then let out a derisive laugh.

She thought Zong Shou was simply too proud, insisting on using the term 'strategic withdrawal' when he clearly fled. Then, Zong Shou looked at the area below the mountain with a half-smile.

The terrain here was vast, and it wasn't far from the Eastern Cloud Continent. Down the mountain, a city was clearly built, along with the surrounding plains, housing a population of about one million.

"Do you remember the Primordial Demon Sect disciples we injured just now? They must have suffered considerable losses within the Dragon Hall—" Ye Feishuang raised an eyebrow; she naturally knew this, but what connection did it have to their escape here?

Zong Shou then grinned cryptically: "This location is the most densely populated, the closest to the Third Dragon Hall, yet also the most remote. Where do you think they will choose to recover their strength and replenish their previous expenditures?" Ye Feishuang was suddenly startled, understanding that the Demon Sect's arts were mostly powerfully formidable, far surpassing ordinary spiritual arts.

However, they required the blood essence and primal souls of living beings as catalysts. Since the supply an individual carried was limited and couldn't be regenerated, it required constant replenishment.

The Daoming Sect, after all, nominally held the position of a true Daoist orthodoxy; even in alliance with the Primordial Demon Sect, such matters were inconvenient to coordinate openly. Even Ye Feihan understood, her eyes filled with admiration, as if to say, Brother Shou, you truly are formidable.

But within the eyes of the original member of the Ruoshui Sect, a faint cold light flickered. "Defeat them one by one?" Ye Feishuang pondered for a moment, then couldn't resist a taunt: "Are you truly planning an irreconcilable war with the Primordial Demon Sect?

If you try to slay the tiger, be careful you aren't eaten by it—" Zong Shou let out an unconcerned laugh: "When has my Cangsheng Dao ever ceased hostility with the Primordial Demon Sect? As for the danger, Zong Shou is certainly aware!" Afterward, he bothered to pay no more attention to the woman, proceeding directly to set up his arrangements.

The Primordial Demon Sect possessed sharp spiritual senses; he wasn't aiming to set up a large-scale spiritual array. He merely suspended the three hundred and sixty-five silver needles above the city, followed by deploying dozens of high-level Illusion-elemental Beast Crystals within it, completely concealing the needles' presence.

In his previous life, he had some research into array formations, reaching the Heaven Realm stage. Combined with his Heavenly Fox Illusionary Bloodline, his understanding of illusionary arts was deeper.

He was confident he could hide his presence until those Primordial Demon Sect cultivators entered the needle formation. Even if they detected it, it wouldn't matter.

They would fight openly, honorably. Next came the Seven Star Altar.

Zong Shou placed it underground, in a concealed location where spiritual veins converged. Here, he spared no expense, establishing a massive illusionary array to mask the true location of the Seven Star Altar.

It also possessed defensive capabilities; by Zong Shou's estimation, it could withstand at least twenty consecutive rank nine spiritual arts. Even Ye Feishuang watched, dumbfounded.

Her mother was known for having many treasures and was quite wealthy. Yet, she would be reluctant to spend as lavishly as Zong Shou was here.

Looking at this spiritual array, it lacked much intricate detail, but the sheer number of Beast Crystals was overwhelming. Originally, she hadn't been optimistic, but now she felt Zong Shou held at least a sixty percent chance of victory.

She was also puzzled; this fellow had no deep, irreconcilable hatred with the Primordial Demon Sect. She truly couldn't figure out why Zong Shou would spend such a fortune insisting on dealing a fatal blow to Luo Ming.

However, it wasn't the time to ask. She guessed that even if she asked, this man wouldn't answer.

Then came the waiting. Zong Shou estimated that the Primordial Demon Sect wouldn't easily give up their search.

It would take at least two more days to reach this location. He then took out the Dark Demon Relic.

With the Seven Star Altar inside and the illusionary array outside, he no longer feared the relic's aura leaking out. Daoist practitioners, like those Divine and Fiend Beasts, cultivated Elixirs.

But Buddhist practitioners and some Demon Sects condensed Relics, which were the essence gathered throughout a lifetime. However, the one Zong Shou held was not left behind by any Demon Path powerhouse; it came from a naturally occurring demon known as the Dark Demon.

"Peak Spirit Realm?" After discerning the rank of this Heavenly Demon Relic, Zong Shou fell into deep thought. After a slight hesitation, he firmly grasped the relic.

His Heaven-Swallowing Primordial Transformation Art had already transformed into a black hole, yet it could still devour everything. With a slight suction, he drew out a few wisps of pure primal essence.

The moment it entered his body, purification and refinement began. All useless impurities were expelled far away by the white hole manifestation, even being incinerated directly.

The primary issue was the demonic breath and thoughts, which were the most troublesome. But a moment later, after this sliver of true essence was refined to its utmost limit, Zong Shou frowned slightly; he could still sense a trace of unspoken thought concealed within it.

No matter how much he purified and expelled, he could not cleanse this trace. "As expected!

That one item is still missing—" Zong Shou couldn't help but open his eyes, looking once more towards the east. Few people knew how to use the Relic, but he, Zong Shou, was one of them.

Since Luo Ming was searching for this object, it seemed highly likely he had already found the most crucial component. Indeed, he needed to take Luo Ming's life to secure it!

That item must be dependent on that person. Thinking this, Zong Shou did not stop absorbing the Heavenly Demon Relic; instead, he violently increased the force, swallowing it down frantically.

Using this vast primal essence, he began to transform the Water-Fire Spiral Force within his body.