Xuan-Yuan Yiren’s breath hitched, and she frowned, realizing it was impossible to change Zong Shou’s mind. She knew that while Zong Shou usually seemed easy to talk to, once his mind was set, he was absolutely unswayed by others—stubborn, even to her.

This matter concerned his authority, so there was no chance of backing down. She stopped persuading him, her tone shifting.

“Yiren only feels that this Blood Slaughter Double Banner is excessively cruel. It would be best to use it less in the future.” “Agreed!” This time, Zong Shou nodded readily.

If there was no need, he disliked such methods anyway. “If Yiren says to use it less, then we shall endeavor to do so from now on.” Only then did Xuan-Yuan Yiren break into a smile.

She knew Zong Shou was likely just agreeing to keep the peace, but she was still immensely pleased. Then, another matter crossed her mind.

“Right! For these past two years, I’ve been focused on finding a way to neutralize the toxicity of the Spirit Salamanders.

I’ve recently hit upon some breakthroughs. If my theory holds, the newly refined Spirit Salamander Blood Essence Pills will not only have drastically reduced toxicity but their efficacy could also increase by nearly seventy percent—” She then looked towards the Blood Cloud Knights.

“Even the accumulated toxins within these subordinates of yours should be largely eliminated!” Zong Shou paused, then the corners of his lips curled slightly. He mused that this was interesting; removing the toxic side effects meant these Martial Sect cultivators could advance even further beyond their current tiers.

And with the enhanced potency of the Blood Essence Pills, they would likely prove very useful even to Fifth Tier cultivators. In the near future, he would also gain control of two large Spirit Stone veins, along with dozens of medium and small ones.

He might not secure all of them, but he would certainly acquire the vast majority. A Blood Cloud Cavalry composed entirely of Sixth Tier cultivators?

He truly began to look forward to that prospect. However, Xuan-Yuan Yiren immediately showed a look of helplessness.

“But the formula for this medicine is incredibly difficult to complete! The most crucial component is the blood of a Divine Beast capable of resisting the Spirit Salamander.

That means it must rank no lower than the Spirit Salamander, and moreover, it must be from a Saint Realm being—” Hearing this, Zong Shou’s hope instantly turned to despair. The blood of a Saint Realm Divine Beast.

Where was he supposed to find such a thing? In his memory, he couldn't recall any 'Dungeon' containing the blood of a Saint Realm Divine Beast.

As for searching himself, those Saint Realm beasts probably wouldn't even need to move; a single glance could crush him. Unless he requested it from the Sect— That was a measure of last resort.

The more he owed the Azure Life Dao, the more inextricably entangled he would become with this unorthodox sect. Most disciples of the Azure Life Dao acted extremely.

There were things he could not condone, and he truly wished to avoid being drawn in casually. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Zong Shou clapped his hands together once with a sharp snap. He narrowed his eyes, smiling faintly as he looked toward a distant direction.

He thought to himself how foolish he had been. Wasn't there currently a Saint Realm Divine Beast just beyond the domain?

The Devastating True Dragon. It surely couldn't rank below the Spirit Salamander, could it?

If all else failed, he would simply have to beg that person for a ‘donation’; dragons had plenty of blood, after all. Just beyond the void, Ao Kun inexplicably felt an icy chill run through him, shuddering uncontrollably.

It felt as if something terrifyingly powerful was staring directly at him. He probed the area with his spiritual sense but found no cause, merely shaking his head in bewilderment.

At this moment, Zong Shou’s brow suddenly furrowed, revealing a sharp glint in his eyes. His spiritual sense had detected an abnormally potent and dangerous aura that was already tearing through the dimensional boundary.

It was a drop of essence blood, yet the moment it manifested, it sent a tremor of fear through everyone present, suffocating them. —It was Divine Realm!

The life essence blood of a peak Divine Realm cultivator! With Ao Kun’s Saint Realm strength, how could he have allowed this Shen Xiao to arrive safely in the Cloud Realm?

Filled with doubt, Zong Shou did not hesitate. His soul-shadow flashed, casting aside the golden armor and swords, returning to his physical body to once again grasp the blood-red halberd!

He had not anticipated such a perilous battle during the annihilation of the Upper Heaven Sect. However, Zong Shou felt no fear.

The Blood Cloud Iron Cavalry dominated a realm during the ancient Desolate Cloud Era not just because of their ability to crush lower-tier cultivators, but because they possessed the strength to contend with top-tier cultivators! With a thought, these thousands of Blood Cloud Knights, linked to him by heart and blood, rapidly converged once more.

Amidst bursts of sound, countless spiritual conduits reformed between them. The thousands of Blood Riders became one unified body again.

The Daoist Yuan Kong was now roaring with laughter. “It is the Ancestor Shen Xiao!

Our sect’s third Patriarch, True Person Shen Xiao! Heaven has eyes; our Upper Heaven Profound Spirit Sect finally has a glimmer of hope!” Zong Shou paid him no mind, casually sweeping a halberd strike, instantly harnessing the power of thousands, aimed at the remnant formation centered around Daoist Yuan Kong.

“Boom!” The surrounding spiritual energy trembled violently. Invisible ripples scattered outward.

Yuan Kong’s body was instantly shattered into a rain of blood. Most of the other cultivators were reduced to red powder, with fewer than ten remaining, all barely clinging to life, utterly incapable of resistance.

In the sky, the abruptly appeared blood drop immediately let out a piercing wail, laden with endless rage, like a monstrous beast on the verge of death. Zong Shou remained unhurried.

He poured his soul power into the ‘Blood’ and ‘Slaughter’ Double Banners, guiding them from afar, drawing all that vast soul power into the banners. Then, with a flash of light, a layer of blood-colored spiritual radiance enveloped all four thousand two hundred Blood Riders.

At that moment, the drop of essence blood rushed down, directly possessing the body of a heavily injured Upper Heaven Sect cultivator. Seeing this, Zong Shou coldly sneered.

This was precisely what he wanted. Leaving these people alive was only to lure this out.

Just as the cultivator’s consciousness was not yet completely overwhelmed, Zong Shou violently swung his halberd again, enlarging it through the air until it was over a thousand feet long, delivering a crushing blow downward! In addition to the blood-slaughtering intent of the halberd, it now faintly carried the power to devour heaven and earth!

Another thunderous impact echoed, its sound traveling for a hundred miles. The person possessed by the essence blood was instantly reduced to fine dust!

Even the few others nearby were shaken into blood by the residual force of the halberd strike. The drop of blood gave a muffled grunt.

Having no choice, it stopped trying to find a host. Instead, it manifested a soul-shadow, and its aura began to climb ceaselessly, as if without limit, pressing down upon this world!

Zong Shou narrowed his eyes and flicked his sleeve, depositing Xuan-Yuan Yiren into his spirit-storage ring. A cold, sharp look flashed in his eyes.

This person’s strength and presence had actually surged beyond the Spirit Realm! The repressive force of the Cloud Realm seemed to have been forcefully torn open by him; it was not capped at the Ninth Tier, just like in Wei Xu’s time— Fortunately, those brief moments had allowed the Kong Qi Sect and the Seven Spirit Sect, a dozen miles away, to deploy their respective grand formations.

And Qian Tian Mountain’s nearly seventy thousand elite cavalry were now under their protection. For this battle, there was no need to worry about anything else; he only needed to focus all his power against this ‘True Person Shen Xiao.’ ※ ※ ※ ※ High above in the sky, at an invisible point above the clouds, a robed elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back, frowning as he gazed down at the peak of Upper Heaven Mountain, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

“Spirit Realm strength—this already violates the limits of this realm. This Shen Xiao is truly reckless—” “It’s hard to blame him!

The seven-thousand-year foundation of the Upper Heaven Profound Spirit Sect was destroyed in a single night by this Qian Tian Demon King. If I were him, I’d go mad too!” The person speaking was a young man, his face holding a touch of malice and schadenfreude.

“This Zong Shou is quite capable too. Advancing in tiers with every step.

Two years ago, when he was with Wei Xu, he was only at the Innate stage? To think he could restore the Blood Cloud Cavalry.

The land east of Cloud Continent, painstakingly managed by the Soaring Cloud Sect, will now likely have to be handed over. Truly satisfying to watch—” “When the Blood Slaughter Banner rises, blood must flow for a thousand miles.

The slaughter today, involving millions, is a grievous sin! This Lord of Qian Tian seemed tolerable before, but now that he has submitted to the Azure Life Dao, his methods have become so tyrannical; it’s disappointing.

A true pity—” A monk beside him spoke with deep emotion, pitying all beings, seeming genuinely regretful. Then, his white eyebrows arched slightly: “Then, shall we suppress Shen Xiao?” The Cloud Realm’s oppressive force made them helpless; they would have to intervene to force him back to the Ninth Tier.

The Realm Protecting Venerables were bound by an ancient agreement of the Cloud Realm cultivators, obligated to protect this realm and possessing the power to do so. The robed scholar frowned slightly and remained silent.

However, the woman opposite him, dressed in a light lake-green sleeved robe, smiled. “Why not wait a moment longer?

Shen Xiao is severely wounded; his current strength is, at most, peak Spirit Realm. Inside the Ten Absolutes Vast Sky Grand Formation, even if something happens, it will be fine for a short while—” The robed scholar still said nothing, and the monk remained quiet.

But the gazes of the three converged on the young man. He smiled faintly, showing no sign of refusal.

“Then what benefits are there for me in this?” “How about a single Demon Breath Life Extinction Pill?” The green-clad woman turned her face. “The Azure Life Dao is unorthodox and is also a major enemy of your demonic path.

Zong Shou is the second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Life Dao. If this sect prospers, it will bring no good to your demonic gate either!” “You certainly have confidence in that Shen Xiao!” The youth gave a cynical smile, but he didn't believe Zong Shou could withstand the near-crazed Shen Xiao either.

“It’s just that our actions here seem somewhat biased. I fear those two outside will not be content to stand by—” “You jest!

One has just ascended to the Saint Realm, and the other, while trickier, is certain to perish within a few decades if he cannot overcome his inner demons. Why worry excessively?” The green lake woman shook her head slightly with an air of disdain.

“Even if we are biased, what can they do?” The youth remained curious. “Shen Xiao’s drop of life essence blood arriving now is too coincidental.

No matter how I look at it, I cannot fathom how Shen Xiao managed to escape Ao Kun. Isn't the Fairy finding this strange?” Hearing the last sentence, the woman’s expression also turned cold.

“It’s nothing more than the Azure Life Dao testing the four of us. What is there to fear?

The Azure Life Dao’s only Supreme Realm expert is still worlds away. Wei Xu is also exposed for now.

Let’s see who can possibly deal with us? Whatever happens, I will bear the responsibility.

I estimate Zong Shou won’t last half a moment. Afterward, simply taking Shen Xiao’s life as punishment will leave no room for criticism—” Hearing this, the youth smiled and said no more, having already intended to let things take their course.

(To be continued)