The clansmen of the Mo family likely hadn't sparred with an opponent of equal strength to hone their skills for tens of thousands of years. Compared to everything in the cultivation world, the members of this family were utterly ignorant; their actions were no different from those of ordinary mortals. Facing the sudden attack by Gu Xiechen, the infant seated atop the Undying Lingzhi Grass actually spewed out its Natal Primordial Spirit Qi to resist the enemy, its two small hands frantically reaching for the three exquisite magic artifacts nestled within a small, purple jade disc by the cloud platform.

As a cultivator, not carrying one's magic artifacts was, in Gu Xiechen's view, a path to self-destruction. Wielding the True Magnetic Bifurcating Sword Qi with the power of the Extreme Yin Qi, the path it cleaved through the void left a thin, delicate mark. With a series of sounds—"**"—the infant's Natal Primordial Spirit Qi was pierced by the sword energy.

A thread of the sword Qi entered through its brow, instantly traversing its entire body and sealing all its cultivation. Then, a spot of bean-sized Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze ignited within the infant's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, drawing out its primordial spirit to meticulously peruse its memories. This infant turned out to be the founding ancestor of the Xianzhi family, the interstellar merchant who had fortunately inherited the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art.

This lucky fellow was, in fact, ill-fated. He discovered that the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art had massive flaws. Besides the inability of his clan members to leave Vol Star, where white jade lingzhi grew everywhere, the greater defect was the omission of the incantations for realms beyond the Void Realm.

As an ancient cultivation method, the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art's meridian pathways were vastly different from those of the current cultivation world. Cultivating according to this technique required reaching the Celestial Immortal realm before ascension was possible; merely possessing Void Realm strength offered no access whatsoever. If that were all, it would be fine; the Xianzhi family could have lived a carefree life as local overlords.

The problem was that, missing certain crucial elements, the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art was actually a disaster magnet for heavenly lightning. Excessive accumulation of wood-attribute spiritual energy in the body would cause heavenly tribulations and lightning strikes to descend constantly. If one failed to pass the tribulation, the only options were to use a secret method to transition into a Loose Immortal or be reduced to ash.

Over the past tens of thousands of years, countless Xianzhi family members cultivated to the Void Realm, yet only the dozen or so present had successfully converted into Loose Immortals after the lightning struck; the remaining Void Realm cultivators numbered only forty-something. If it had been cultivators from the Asian Dao Alliance, they would have had a decent chance of resisting this lightning bombardment—which wasn't a true heavenly tribulation—using various artifacts and arrays. However, the Xianzhi family lacked methods for artifact refining and array setting; they could only withstand it with their own cultivation.

While the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art possessed unique merits in securing one's life and cultivating the mind and nature, it offered little special advantage in offense or defense. Generally, once they reached the Void Realm, Xianzhi family members endured minor lightning tribulations once every hundred years and major ones once every thousand years. They could usually survive the minor ones, but not a single one had ever withstood the major tribulations; the vast majority were annihilated, their souls scattered.

This interstellar merchant was extraordinarily lucky. With the aid of this Undying Lingzhi Grass, he managed to endure eighteen major lightning tribulations, clinging to life for eighteen thousand years. Finally, unable to bear the immense psychological pressure any longer, he stripped away his physical body and attached a wisp of his primordial spirit to the Undying Lingzhi Grass, transforming himself into a being similar to a flesh-and-blood congealed immortal (Zhizhixian).

Indeed, after his transformation, the heavenly tribulations never troubled him again. He continued cultivating using the power of the Undying Lingzhi Grass, even showing faint signs of breaking through to the Celestial Immortal realm. Then, Gu Xiechen arrived.

The entire Xianzhi family had never truly mixed in the actual cultivation world; they possessed no worldly experience. The strongest beings they had ever seen were merely the powerful bodyguards of interstellar merchants who had visited Vol Star to purchase skincare products made from white jade lingzhi. Those three-star and four-star powerhouses were, in their eyes, nothing more than ants.

Thus, the entire Xianzhi family considered themselves the most powerful beings in the universe. Besides setting up a few dilapidated arrays to prevent outsiders from recklessly intruding upon the entire manor, they took no other precautions. Even when all their high-ranking members gathered for cultivation, their personal magic treasures, flying swords, and other items were not prepared; even the three magic artifacts the ancestor obtained alongside the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art were placed nearby without any defense.

"Heaven intends to destroy you!" Gu Xiechen sneered. The infant shrieked in agitation and shouted, "We can negotiate. Whatever you fancy from the Xianzhi family, just take it.

We absolutely have no objections!" Gazing deeply at the infant, Gu Xiechen sighed, "An infant carrying ten thousand pieces of gold walks through a bustling market surrounded by tigers and wolves. It's truly difficult for you to have survived this long." With a sigh, the Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze suddenly intensified, completely incinerating the infant's wisp of true spirit, leaving behind only a body purely composed of the Undying Lingzhi Grass's spiritual energy, one that was already close to the Celestial Immortal level. Gu Xiechen moved with lightning speed; strands of sword light swept past, instantly erasing the true spirits of all the Loose Immortals present and sealing the spiritual energy of all the Void Realm masters, causing them to collapse onto the cloud platform like corpses.

The Loose Immortals and the infant were energy forms, only useful for artifact refinement. However, these cultivators with Void Realm strength still possessed physical bodies, which could be converted into various Dharma-Protecting Zombies using the Nine Nether Dao secret methods, retaining about eighty percent of their original strength. His divine sense instantly swept across the entire Xianzhi Manor.

Gu Xiechen raised his right hand, and countless fine sword qi shot towards the sky, instantly lifting the entire estate. According to the memories of the Xianzhi family's first ancestor, the sword qi pierced the vital points of all Xianzhi clansmen, sealing their cultivation and mobility. The rest, the young servants used for cultivating and harvesting white jade lingzhi, were left entirely unharmed.

He tapped his communicator, connecting to Ducart: "Call the disciples from the Nine Nether Dao, Mount Zhongnan, and Mount Kunlun down to assist. All members of the Xianzhi family are to be handled by the Nine Nether Dao—whether refined into Dharma-Protecting Zombies or consumed alive—they can choose. Others, take those young boys and girls aside; I need to redecorate this place properly." With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the dozen Loose Immortals and the infant were tucked into his sleeve.

Gu Xiechen gently stroked the Undying Lingzhi Grass, revealing a satisfied smile. Gu Xiechen also grasped the three artifacts surrounded by green light and overflowing with spiritual energy from the jade disc beside him. These were a defensive jade disc, a storage jade bamboo tube, and an offensive jade blade.

Each treasure was barely an inch long but wrapped in immortal energy, imbued with a strong vital essence. These were three extremely high-quality, wood-attributed immortal artifacts, forged from incredibly rare materials. In fact, among the immortal artifacts Gu Xiechen possessed from the Heavenly Craft Hall, only a sparse few dozens could compare.

Scanning his divine sense over the three immortal artifacts, Gu Xiechen couldn't help but shake his head. This Xianzhi family ancestor was truly oblivious to the great treasures he possessed. At least three layers of restrictions on these immortal artifacts had not been broken by him.

What he could mobilize was merely a fraction of the power these three artifacts emitted externally. If one could break those three restrictions and unleash the true nature of these immortal artifacts, their quality could rival the Qilin Seal personally forged by Gu Xiechen. What rendered Gu Xiechen even more speechless was the intense consciousness hidden within the jade disc.

This contained the entirety of the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art incantations. However, following the initial section of Void Realm incantations, the original owner of the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art had set up a minor illusionary restriction that any Golden Core cultivator from the cultivation world could easily break to obtain the full technique. Yet, the Xianzhi family remained blocked at this juncture for tens of thousands of years, pointlessly wasting over a hundred millennia.

Sighing, Gu Xiechen flicked his wrist, shattering the restriction in the jade disc and reading through the complete cultivation method of the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art. Profound, subtle, and indescribably marvelous—this was an exceedingly advanced wood-attribute cultivation technique. It was only slightly inferior to the Wood Origin Scripture that Lili cultivated.

The original owner of the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art must have been a paramount figure in the Heavenly Court, only to perish here. Following the cultivation technique, the immortal recorded the historical account narrated by Luo Zhu Star Lord. However, this immortal was unfortunate; he lacked the formidable power of the Innate Great Sages who arose from the new universe’s earth and clay.

During the expulsion by those Innate Great Sages, this immortal and a group of fellow comrades accidentally fell behind. Over ten thousand Heavenly Court immortals were slaughtered by nearly a hundred Innate Great Sages, most of whom were utterly annihilated. Only this immortal narrowly escaped relying on the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art’s powerful life-extending ability.

Despite his narrow escape, a single Innate Great Sage inflicted irreparable, grievous injuries upon him. This immortal struggled on for just over ten days before being forced to perish on Vol Star, leaving behind only his cultivated Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art and three Natal Spirit Treasures. Gu Xiechen was startled, gripping the jade disc, his brow furrowed tightly.

He hadn't expected such hidden history from the ancient times. His Haotian Pagoda must have been destroyed in that great battle, only to fall into the hands of Buddhist cultivators and be altered beyond recognition. As for the original owner of the Extreme Yin Profound Orb, True Monarch Taiyin, he must have enthusiastically joined this massive war only to be sabotaged by his own rivals.

In an instant, Gu Xiechen thought of Mu Daoren, Lili’s father, this man who claimed to be a legitimate descendant of Kunlun and a successor of the Three Pure Ones. It was highly likely that he, like the ancestor of the Xianzhi family, had fortunately obtained the inheritance of a Kunlun Immortal. According to the records in this jade disc, during that ancient war, countless Innate Great Sages suddenly "hatched" from the new universe’s earth and clay.

There were as many as nine Sages on the level of the Three Pure Ones, forcing the Haotian God and others to retreat in disarray. At least hundreds of millions of ordinary Heavenly Court immortals perished. It was entirely plausible that one or several Kunlun lineage immortals perished, barely leaving behind their cultivation methods, which were discovered by someone many years later.

No wonder Gu Xiechen always felt that the cultivation method Mu Daoren practiced was somewhat strange, and the aura surrounding him felt unnaturally disordered and unstable, like a cheap imitation. It was likely that, just like the Xianzhi family, they had obtained the inherited technique but not the true essence of the "Dao Method." It was akin to how foreigners in the ancient Earth Federation couldn't grasp the essence of ancient Huaxia thought; how could these outsiders truly comprehend the mysteries of the Great Dao? With a few cold laughs, Gu Xiechen blasted forth a large stream of Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze from his palm, completely destroying the triple restrictions in the jade disc, jade bamboo tube, and jade blade.

After so many years, the power of the restrictions left by that immortal had already weakened. Moreover, the grade of the Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze was too high; the triple restrictions were swept away as easily as crushing dry weeds. Casually tossing the three spirit treasures into the air, a stream of True Magnetic Bifurcating Sword Qi swiftly swept them over to Lili, who had just arrived at Mount Yunhua.

Gu Xiechen’s voice traveled through the sword light: "Little girl, these three good things are naturally yours! Review the Xianzhi Azure Spirit Art in the jade disc; hehe, there are many practical methods inside." Lili, who was leading a group of clone soldiers in driving out hundreds of terrified manor servants, paused. She immediately fell in love with the three exquisite treasures shimmering with green light.

After a slight hesitation, Heli reached out and grasped the three spirit treasures, softly saying to the black-and-white sword light before her, "Thank you, Brother Gu Xiechen!" Gu Xiechen raised an eyebrow, revealing a faint smile. He nodded: "Don't be polite... Hmm, hurry and lead everyone out of this mountain range; I'm about to make my move!" Gazing with pleasure at the massive spirit jade sphere and feeling the immense spiritual energy emanating from its outer layer, Gu Xiechen was deeply moved.

If this single Mount Yunhua was managed well, it would be enough for the disciples of Mount Kunlun and Mount Zhongnan to multiply and rest for hundreds of thousands of years. A vast spiritual aperture formed by the convergence of one hundred and eight spiritual veins—he truly wondered if this was naturally formed or the work of that ancient immortal. If it were the immortal's arrangement before his demise, his power would be terrifyingly immense, capable of such planning before sitting in meditation—truly formidable and lamentable.

After waiting for a while, several hundred disciples of the Nine Nether Dao excitedly rushed down and carried the forty-something Void Realm masters onto the ground. Gu Xiechen waited another moment until everyone within Mount Yunhua had evacuated before beginning his actions. All the earth vein spiritual energy of Mount Yunhua was deeply hidden underground, which was very effective for cultivating various types of lingzhi and spiritual herbs.

However, the disciples of Kunlun and Zhongnan might not be willing to act like earthworms. It was too wasteful that the hundred and eight massive underground spiritual veins only converged into a single spiritual aperture. According to Gu Xiechen's plan, each of these spiritual veins was sufficient to create a grotto-heaven and blessed land, which would be even more ideal with some additional arrangements.

Lifting the massive spirit jade sphere with both hands, he sent it up to the surface and into the sky. Gu Xiechen stood at the core area of the Xianzhi Manor, directly above the spiritual aperture. He concentrated all his spiritual consciousness within his Sea of Consciousness and actively moved towards the giant Taiji vortex.

For many years, it was always that Taiji vortex and the golden stars surrounding it that actively aided Gu Xiechen. This time, Gu Xiechen approached the Taiji vortex and those golden stars proactively for the first time. He tentatively released a thread of friendly inquiry toward the Taiji vortex, slowly and cautiously drawing his hidden consciousness closer.

For the first few hours, the immense Taiji vortex showed absolutely no reaction. But as Gu Xiechen’s spiritual consciousness gradually drew near and attached itself to the Taiji vortex, an ancient, world-weary voice—as if it had witnessed the changes of the Primordial Chaos—yet immensely authoritative and inviolable, suddenly resounded from Gu Xiechen's Soul Pearl. "The Dao cannot be spoken, yet it can be acted upon.

A person existing within the Dao, their self is the Dao. "The Dao cannot be reversed, yet it can be deceived. The human heart deceives the Dao heart; the human heart is the Dao heart.

"The Dao cannot be resisted, yet it can be made to serve. If human effort serves the Dao's power, then it aligns with the Dao. "If one asks how to achieve the Dao?

This statement is flawed. Since the self is the Dao, why speak of achieving it? Of the three thousand Great Daos, some stumble along them, others leap past them in a single step.

What is the Dao?" As this voice slowly chanted, the Haotian Pagoda abruptly swelled, growing immense enough to encompass the sky and earth, absorbing this vast Taiji vortex, the countless golden stars, and the boundless star map into itself. Gu Xiechen's Soul Pearl, which was currently spewing forth Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze to refine the soul of the True God of the Sun's physical body, spun up and instantly merged into the Taiji vortex, transforming into a black fish eye that slowly rotated with the vortex. Consequently, every moment, a mighty, primordial aura continuously poured into Gu Xiechen's soul and circulated throughout his entire body.

A stream of black and white Qi erupted from the Taiji vortex, enveloping the physical body of the True God of the Sun. The formidable body that Gu Xiechen had spent years trying to refine was instantly reduced to a pool of golden-red blood under the shroud of this black-and-white light. Golden flames continuously flew out from the molten blood, dancing amidst the black-and-white Qi.

Gradually, the strands of flames merged, and the vast expanse of golden flames finally condensed into a single black flame thinner than a strand of hair. The Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze on Gu Xiechen's Soul Pearl suddenly erupted, surging wildly, transforming into boundless Yin Qi that enveloped the black flame. The black-and-white Qi from the Taiji vortex surged forth again, forcefully suppressing the restless Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze within Gu Xiechen’s Soul Pearl.

With a crack, the black-and-white light struck Gu Xiechen's Soul Pearl, shattering it into countless motes of light. Gu Xiechen, however, remained unhurried, calmly observing everything, completely unconcerned about any harm to himself. The motes of light drifted within the Taiji vortex, finally congealing into a thumb-sized humanoid figure glowing constantly with black and white light, identical in appearance to Gu Xiechen.

Gu Xiechen’s heart surged with ecstasy; the Innate Spiritual God recorded in the Extreme Yin Sutra had finally been cultivated. This Innate Spiritual God was equivalent to a cultivator's primordial spirit, holding immense significance for the immortals and saints of the myriad heavens. Only upon cultivating an Innate Spiritual God could one be considered a true Innate Divine Being.

The Taiji vortex gradually shrank, slowly merging into Gu Xiechen's Innate Spiritual God. Then, the vast golden stars and the Circumstellar Star Map began to revolve around Gu Xiechen's small Innate Spiritual God. The profound and mysterious aura gradually merged into Gu Xiechen's spirit, and threads of inscrutable, marvelous truths gradually revealed their true forms before his eyes.

Thus, Gu Xiechen understood what that sliver of black flame extracted from the True God of the Sun's physical body was: it was a wisp of primordial solar energy corresponding to the Yin Qi, stemming from before the creation of the cosmos. The so-called "Sun" represents the absolute zenith of Yang, born within the Innate Primordial Chaos, the fundamental root of all Yang Qi in heaven and earth—entirely different from the stellar suns of today. The True God of the Sun was born bearing the pure Yang Qi of heaven and earth, naturally nurturing this wisp of Solar Qi within his body.

With a slight movement of his thought, the astonishing quantity of Yin Qi Gu Xiechen had cultivated merged into the right eye of his spirit, transforming into an eye wrapped in swirling white mist. That wisp of black Solar Qi merged into his left eye, becoming a minute black spark flickering erratically in the center of his pupil. As his Spiritual God transformed, the eyes on Gu Xiechen’s physical body changed accordingly.

Within his crimson eyes, a mass of churning white mist suddenly appeared deep in his right eye. In his left eye, a fiercely burning black flame materialized, radiating boundless light and heat. Ripples of gentle air currents spread from Gu Xiechen’s spirit.

The blood water derived from the massive body of the True God of the Sun was gradually absorbed by the left eye of his spirit. The previously faint black flame suddenly roared to life. Every fraction of the True God of the Sun's flesh it incinerated caused this cluster of black flames to multiply its power dozens of times.

In the blink of an eye, the imposing might of this black flame surpassed that of the Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze in his right eye. Gu Xiechen suddenly knew the name of this black flame: it was the Solar Blazing Fire, derived from the Innate Solar Qi, corresponding perfectly to the Extreme Yin Dazzling Blaze. "Damn it, where can I find the Solar Scripture?" Gu Xiechen let out a helpless, bitter laugh.

That Taiji vortex was too disruptive; why did it cause him such trouble? Of course, possessing both the supreme Yin and supreme Yang powers was an excellent thing, but how was he to make this Solar Qi gradually strengthen? Relying solely on the flesh of the True God of the Sun as fuel?

Did he have to find several other attribute-matching Innate Divine Beings to burn once the sun god’s body was consumed? Shaking his head and dismissing the vexing issue, Gu Xiechen focused all his attention on the countless golden stars revolving around his spirit. He seemed to have acquired the power to control these numerous golden stars, similar to the Taiji vortex.

He easily located the one hundred and eight golden stars he intended to use—the one hundred and eight Star Lords of the Zhou Tian: the thirty-six Heavenly Dipper Stars and the seventy-two Earthly Fiend Stars, perfectly corresponding to the one hundred and eight massive spiritual veins underground. "Fire Crow! It's your turn!"

Ignoring the mysterious changes within his body, which were clearly beneficial, Gu Xichen turned his attention to Mount Yunhua. With a gentle clap on the shoulder of the stunned and motionless Fire Crow, he murmured a low command. At his words, the Fire Crow shot up several hundred zhang into the air, and with a flap of its wings, the surrounding conflagration surged. In the blink of an eye, a three-legged fire crow, a hundred zhang long, wrapped in coiling golden light, roared in the sky. It opened its massive beak, and a stream of golden flame, accompanied by a deafening sound like the shattering of the Milky Way, shot toward the ground.

The land spanning hundreds of li below instantly melted, all mountains and forests liquefying into gleaming, almost transparent red magma. Massive impurities evaporated under the intense heat, purifying the mass. Streams of various colors erupted from the magma with tremendous noise, instantly rocketing into the upper atmosphere to form churning, foul-smelling cloud masses that roiled across the sky.

Several overjoyed disciples of the Nine Nether Dao (Demon Cultivators) rushed forward, recklessly grasping their storage artifacts to capture these stench-filled clouds. This foul odor was transformed from the yin-evil impurities deep within the earth, objects of extreme yin and malice. They were useless to righteous cultivators, but demon and evil cultivators could use them to temper overwhelmingly potent magical artifacts.

The Fire Crow beat its enormous wings, and in barely a dozen breaths, it circled Mount Yunhua once. Centered on the mountain, a territory spanning ten thousand li was scorched into a sea of churning magma by the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire spat out by the bird. The soaring heat turned half the sky a blazing crimson.

The leaders of the Kunlun, Zhongnan, and Nine Nether Dao disciples gave the command, and thousands of Daoist cultivators brought forth their finest magical treasures. A sky full of artifact light tightly enveloped the sea of molten rock, allowing not a single trace of heat to escape. Had this not been the case, all mortals on Planet Vol would have been incinerated by that terrifying heatwave.

Gu Xichen observed the vast lava sea below with satisfaction. He recalled the Fire Crow, then lifted and pressed down with both hands.

“Youyou, sheng zhong,” Gu Xichen unleashed his full Celestial Immortal strength, the Primordial Yin Profound Barrier within him surging out like a tide, instantly blanketing the ten thousand li of magma. With a mighty shout, the ceaselessly churning lava rapidly calmed, becoming as transparent as crystal. Looking down through this smooth, ripple-less giant crystal, one could see impurities that even the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire could not smelt slowly sinking into the depths.

Gu Xichen’s eyes snapped open, the black and white energies within his crimson pupils dominating. The impurities that defied even the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire gathered together, condensing in the blink of an eye into a mass over three hundred li in diameter. Gu Xichen sharply called out, “Nine Nether Dao disciples, descend quickly! Sculpt the material condensed from this core earth yin-evil energy into cave dwellings according to your desires. Henceforth, these dwellings shall be the sacred cultivation grounds for the Nine Nether Dao disciples here!”

An object condensed from yin-evil energy that even the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire could not smelt—one could imagine the sheer density of yin, evil, baleful, and death energies contained within. Ordinary cultivators would either die or be gravely incapacitated upon encountering such material, but for the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, this material was more precious than any heavenly treasure.

Immediately, several hundred of the highest-cultivated Nine Nether Dao disciples excitedly charged down to the surface, employing their techniques to casually sculpt the yin-evil material, which had been rendered soft as mud by the heat. However, the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao possessed meager artistic refinement. The cave dwelling they constructed was absolutely massive, comprising nearly a hundred great halls in total, yet every single hall’s—their—walls were covered entirely with the skulls of ferocious beasts, demonic and divine heads, and all manner of grotesque monsters and fiends.

When all the halls were connected, the structure resembled a single skull undergoing boundless suffering, struggling and roaring. The pitch-black eye sockets and gaping mouth perfectly aligned with the three subterranean yin-evil caverns below, forming three ultimate killing formations. Black mist surged from these three points, instantly enveloping the entire dwelling.

The Nine Nether Dao disciples cheered and applauded, believing the cave dwelling to be exquisitely beautiful, perfectly fitting their tastes. Still, some lower-level disciples felt the structure had minor shortcomings—if only there were more ghostly winds and spectral fires, and more tombstones and coffins scattered about, they could feel more at home.

Gu Xichen acted as if he hadn't heard the nonsensical chatter of these fiends. Once the subterranean yin-evil dwelling was formed, he swung his arms down, unleashing the celestial power to reshape the heavens and earth before their very eyes. The giant crystal surface formed by the ten thousand li of magma instantly swelled upward, creating one hundred and eight mountain ranges. The mountains intertwined and shielded one another, gradually forming the likeness of one hundred and eight colossal dragons vying for a central celestial pearl.

These one hundred and eight mountain ranges, shaped like dragons, were majestic, precipitous, magnificent, or gorgeous. One hundred and eight immense spiritual veins meandered down from the mountains, fusing seamlessly with the mountainous terrain. The dragon heads and tails of the one hundred and eight dragons were scattered across the ten thousand li expanse. Wherever a dragon head lay was an optimal spiritual nexus; with the dragon’s mouth open towards the sun and moon, wisps of purple vital energy naturally descended from the heavens. Occasionally, when the sky rained, even the raindrops carried a faint purple hue.

Gu Xichen took a deep breath, his cells releasing vast amounts of Primordial Chaos Qi and Primordial Purity Qi to replenish his expenditure. He was surprised to find that not only was the Primordial Yin Profound Pearl devouring this primordial spiritual energy, but the solar energy within his own spirit was also consuming it. Large quantities of black Solar Blazing Flame began to generate within Gu Xichen, gradually circulating throughout his body. This Solar Blazing Flame had no conflict with the Primordial Yin Blazing Flame; the yin and yang energies mutually refined Gu Xichen’s body, granting his physical form substantial benefits at every moment.

“What a pity, if only I could acquire another Solar Profound Pearl.” Just as this thought crossed his mind, Gu Xichen shook his head self-deprecatingly. Surely, not all the good fortune in the world could fall to him alone? Where would such an easy arrangement be found? One Primordial Yin Profound Pearl and one Primordial Yin True Scripture were already his immense blessings.

The Innate Spiritual Deity slowly opened its eyes. Its hands wheeled and danced like lightning towards the swirling golden stars surrounding it, striking one hundred and eight times. One hundred and eight streams of soul origin power flew out from the Innate Spiritual Deity’s body, infusing the golden stars. The Deity’s silhouette blurred, and its form shrank slightly. It hastily drew a deep breath, continuously absorbing the Primordial Yin and Solar Qi into its body. Instantly, the black and white radiance within the Innate Spiritual Deity surged, its silhouette gradually becoming clear, its body stabilizing, and even its diminished form rapidly recovering.

“Ha!” Gu Xichen roared upwards. One hundred and eight golden stars burst forth from his brow. The Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends rushed out of his Sea of Consciousness. The one hundred and eight voices merged into one high-pitched cheer: “Your subordinates greet the Honored One. Command us, and we dare not disobey!”

Gu Xichen laughed three times, pointing at the one hundred and eight mountain ranges that were just beginning to take shape below, and laughed grandly, “All Star Lords, return to your positions! Draw upon the earth’s spiritual veins and the power of heaven and earth’s stars to reconstruct your physical bodies!”

The One Hundred and Eight Star Lords cheered in unison, “Excellent!” A rain of golden light descended, and the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends all returned to their places.

The one hundred and eight great mountains that Gu Xichen had smelted were arranged precisely according to the positions of the One Hundred and Eight Heavenly Stars. Thus, when the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends settled into the spiritual nexuses at the dragon heads of these mountains according to their heavenly positions, one hundred and eight purple-silver beams of light shone down from the firmament. The essence of the stars, condensed into a tangible reality, descended with the roar of a surging waterfall, shaking the earth's surface.

The disciples of Kunlun and Zhongnan were stunned, their hands and feet trembling.

Legend held that in ancient times, the cave dwellings of Immortal Sect disciples were illuminated by the power of the Zhou Tian Stars, causing them to shine for ten thousand li, devoid of seasons or distinction between day and night. But as time went on, the Celestial Court suddenly sealed the passages between heaven and earth, and even the Immortals who often strolled the mortal realms disappeared. The legendary Immortal Abodes became mere stories.

Yet what they witnessed today was clearly the scene of a legendary Immortal Abode. Those one hundred and eight light pillars, each as thick as a li, condensed from stellar power—the stellar power received by ancient Immortal Abodes was no more than a faint mist, how could it compare to such vast and awe-inspiring pillars of starlight?

These cultivators did not know that the Immortal Abodes of antiquity merely begged a favor from the Zhou Tian Stars, receiving a mere trickle of starlight as a gesture of goodwill. But the one presiding over this Mount Yunhua range now was the True Spirits of the One Hundred and Eight Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends—they were the chief administrators in charge of their respective stellar powers. Now that they needed stellar power to reform their physical forms, how could they not deploy it wholeheartedly?

If these Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends had not just received the power of Gu Xichen’s soul origin to reform their spirits, and their magical abilities had not been so depleted, what they displayed would be far more. With their true power from ancient times, even easily refining the entire Spiral Star Domain with the power of the Heavenly and Earthly Martial Stars would be simple.

“Hualala, honglonglong…” The stellar power roared down, and in a blink of an eye, the overly concentrated stellar energy filled the entire Mount Yunhua range.

The One Hundred and Eight Star Lords also activated the spiritual energy of the earth’s core veins. Immediately, dense, almost substantial earth vein spiritual energy surged skyward. The disciples of Zhongnan, Kunlun, and the Nine Nether Dao saw a blur; it was as if one hundred and eight different colossal dragons roared into the sky, plunging into the ten-thousand-ren-high mountain at the center of the mountain range.

Dragon roars were incessant. Gu Xichen shouted sharply, “Decree!” And instantly, one hundred and eight great banners shot out from the mountaintops where the dragon heads lay. These banners, condensed from stellar power, danced wildly in the air, frantically devouring starlight. Gradually, the true forms of the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends materialized on their surfaces. The banners shook once in mid-air, and a surge of white mist shot up, enveloping the Mount Yunhua range in a colossal illusory formation.

From a distance, Mount Yunhua looked exactly as it had before. Approaching closer, one found that the mountain was filled with rising moisture and scattered white clouds, clearly extraordinary. If one attempted to walk into the mountain, after only a few steps, they would experience vertigo, gently being ushered back outside by the great formation. Should anyone with ill intentions enter, the Star Lords residing within would immediately sense the malice in their hearts, and an Immortal-Slaying Divine Thunder condensed from stellar power would descend upon them, reducing them to dust.

This great formation drew upon the earth’s spiritual veins and converged the power of the heavenly stars, drawing upon almost all the power of heaven and earth surrounding Planet Vol. Although the Star Lords who had just flown out of Gu Xichen’s body possessed cultivation levels equivalent to only the Golden Core stage, relying on their innate command over the stellar power of the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, even the most formidable Late-Stage Celestial Immortals entering would only be able to flee with their heads covered, likely sustaining serious injuries.

Once these Star Lords reformed their physical bodies and recovered their Void Realm cultivation, no Golden Immortal would dare approach this grand formation.

However, the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends were innate Star Lords; their fundamental origins were too robust. They needed not only to condense physical bodies but also to repair their Immortal Arts cultivation, so this process would certainly not be fast. According to Gu Xichen’s estimation, it would be a good outcome if these one hundred and eight could reform their physical bodies within a millennium; other matters could wait a thousand years. He would be satisfied if they reached the Nascent Soul stage by then.

Of course, once they repaired their physical bodies, no matter how frail their new forms, their cultivation progress would be meteoric due to their inherent strength, completely different from the present. Having a suitable physical body made a world of difference for these Innate Star Lords.

Having arranged the protective formation and the layout of the Mount Yunhua ranges, Gu Xichen signaled the heavens.

Hundreds of small transport ships poured down from the high altitude, and countless seeds of rare flora and fauna unique to the Earth Federation were scattered down. In just a few hours, they were evenly layered across the ten thousand li expanse of the Mount Yunhua range.

Gu Xichen shouted to the sky, “Holi, all you Star Lords—”

Lily stepped lightly down upon a swath of azure cloud, holding a white jade bamboo tube less than three chi long. She gently tapped the tube.

“Hualala,” the sound echoed as the wood-attribute spiritual energy stored in the tube for countless millennia surged out, instantly flooding the entire Mount Yunhua.

The one hundred and eight Star Lord banners danced in the air, and the Zhou Tian Light Rain intensified. Countless raindrops carrying stellar power tumbled down, merging with the wood-attribute spiritual energy Lily had scattered.

Lily then opened her small mouth and continuously exhaled Primordial Azure Wood Qi downwards. In an instant, Mount Yunhua was covered in auspicious clouds, and dense azure vitality swept upward.

The rainwater gathered into streams, then into lakes, then into pools, and gradually, the raging fire within Mount Yunhua completely vanished, replaced by boundless life force. All the floral and arboreal seeds grew at incredible speed, in just three to five days maturing into towering, lush, and robust forms, as if they had centuries of accumulated climate.

Before the mountains and behind the ridges stood towering ancient trees; by the watersides and alongside the streams flourished exotic flowers and rare herbs. Ganoderma lucidum danced on the treetops, and orchids emitted fragrance beneath the trees—a true land of immortals.

Gu Xichen secretly estimated that the spiritual energy density within this entire Mount Yunhua was several hundred times higher than that of the Kunlun and Zhongnan mountain ranges on Earth in those days. Here, even a pig, provided it lived long enough, would likely become a spirit, let alone these carefully selected disciples from the three factions?

The disciples of Zhongnan, Kunlun, and the Nine Nether Dao were dumbstruck. This was to be their future mountain gate? Such a grotto-heaven and blessed land was something they had never dared to dream of, even in their sleep.

The greater surprises lay ahead.

Gu Xichen placed the enormous spirit jade sphere into the spiritual nexus at the core of Mount Yunhua. One hundred and eight streams constantly flowed into the jade sphere. Once full, the stream water flowed everywhere, carrying the faint medicinal properties of the Undying Ganoderma and various rare medicinal herbs. As long as one frequently drank this water steeped with rare herbs, the cultivator’s physical body would naturally become increasingly pure and tough, bringing immense benefits to their cultivation.

More precious still, having been touched by the medicinal efficacy of the Undying Ganoderma—even just a trace of its aura—this stream water possessed miraculous effects of extending life, curing ailments, and improving natural aptitude. Basically, with these one hundred and eight streams, the cultivators on Mount Yunhua would have almost no major obstacles to their longevity. Perhaps the only thing they would need to worry about in the future was the Heavenly Tribulation!

But protected by the Grand Formation of the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, whether a mere Heavenly Tribulation could even breach the barrier depended on the moods of those Star Lords.

An Immortal’s Abode without disaster, a Daoist master without worry—Mount Yunhua was truly the supreme blessed land for Daoist cultivation.

Leaving aside the joy and excitement of the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, Zhongnan, and Kunlun, and ignoring them as they explored this ten-thousand-li blessed realm in groups, Gu Xichen had already rushed back to Ducat’s mothership to supervise the scientific researchers cloning various special terrestrial creatures from Earth.

With such a prime grotto-heaven, they absolutely needed several thousand pairs of White Cranes. A few hundred Giant Pandas should also be introduced. The honest bears were adorable, and their intelligence was high enough; releasing two thousand initially, perhaps in a few centuries there would be a batch of mountain-guarding Black Bear Spirits. Of course, the clever and agile monkeys were indispensable. White apes presenting fruits—this was also a required scene for an Immortal’s Abode.

Other creatures, such as the Chinese Giant Salamander, Siberian Tiger, Golden Leopard, and even wolves and weasels, Gu Xichen ordered cloned in large numbers, some out of goodwill, others with malice.

He had once avidly read through the Daoist Canon and various tales of deities and monsters. Any species capable of cultivating into a spirit, he ordered cloned and sent down. While the Zhongnan and Kunlun mountains likely rarely accepted demons as disciples, the Nine Nether Dao accepted anyone regardless of their origin—demons or monsters, they welcomed them. Gu Xichen was contributing something to his own sect.

Concurrently deployed were many mature animals brought from Paradise Star in refrigerated containers; Gu Xichen also sent them down.

When releasing these cloned creatures, Gu Xichen specifically scanned their brains with his divine sense. Only after confirming that souls identical to those generated by natural reproduction had appeared in their brains did he release them with confidence. Though he didn't understand the reason, perhaps the great sages who established the rules of the Underworld and reincarnation had considered the appearance of clones? Perhaps a vacant body was simply supplied with a soul fragment?

Gu Xichen neither understood nor cared to understand these profound Daoist rules. As long as these cloned animals had the potential to become monsters, that was enough!

While he was busily occupied, an urgent communication arrived from Planet Vol.

The entire Vol Federal territory had been secured by the immigrant fleet. Following a process of "open, fair, and free" popular election, Du Lang’s eldest son, Du Meng, had replaced the former President of the Vol Federation and was now the new President, currently working to stabilize the civilian order across the Federation.

The urgent communication was from Du Meng, reporting that the merchant guilds which frequently did business with the Vol Federation had arrived, presenting conditions that Du Meng found unacceptable.

The merchants hailed from the Heath Empire; they were the “Hans Guild,” the number one merchant guild in the Heath Empire.

They proposed that given the political turmoil in the Spiral Star Domain and the inevitable impact the establishment of the Yafik Empire would have on the Vol Federation, the latter should completely submit to the Heath Empire and become one of its provinces! They generously offered to recommend to the Heath Emperor that Du Meng be conferred the title of an honored noble of the Heath Empire. Perhaps he would receive the title of Hereditary Knight!

Gu Xichen found this amusing. The Heath Empire?

He immediately notified Du Meng that he would handle the matter personally, then excitedly rushed to the capital of the Vol Federation.

Just outside the reception hall of the Vol Federal Presidential Palace, Gu Xichen heard an arrogant voice.

“If you refuse to submit, the entire Vol Federation will be utterly erased!”

Gu Xichen smiled as he pushed open the reception door, revealing a gorgeously dressed young woman, proud as a little hen.