"Though I cannot undo this curse, I possess an amulet that can temporarily relieve the esteemed guest's predicament!"

With that, Master Shen immediately produced a golden talisman and sent it flying over.

Zong Shou caught the talisman, and his eyes instantly lit up.

The moment it entered his grasp, without needing any activation, the foreign power within his bloodline was suppressed.

However, he could still sense the spiritual energy within the talisman gradually being depleted.

He couldn't discern the exact nature of the spirit charm, only recognizing some of its origins from the faint spiritual patterns etched upon it.

It appeared to originate from the ancient era of the Cloud Wasteland, bearing an archaic style.

This discovery made him look upon the middle-aged Master Shen with even greater anticipation.

"This talisman should be able to help you suppress the curse for three months. After three months, the esteemed guest must fend for himself. The fee is ten high-grade spirit stones!"

Seeing that Zong Shou showed no objection to the price, his eyes gleaming brightly, Master Shen shook his head and chuckled softly.

"I only obtained this talisman by chance; it is an ancient heirloom. I do not know how to reproduce it, so I only have this single one. If the esteemed guest desires more, I fear you will be disappointed—"

Zong Shou’s expression faltered for a moment, then he dismissed the thought. He hadn't truly intended to evade the pursuit; merely delaying the time his pursuers had to hunt him down by several months was already satisfactory.

His visit here was for another matter entirely.

"Let that be! Zong Shou has come today for another reason. Does the Master have the capability to design a Sword Array for me?"

"A Sword Array?"

Master Shen raised an eyebrow, astonished. "I do possess several Sword Arrays here, and I am confident in their considerable might—"

Mid-sentence, he realized the implication. "Does the esteemed guest intend to forge his own swords, hoping to achieve a unity of soul and weapon? That is a venture I can undertake. What are your requirements?"

Upon hearing this, Zong Shou became somewhat hesitant.

His requirements were too numerous and far-reaching; it was difficult to articulate them clearly.

After a slight pause, he finally asked, "Does the Master know of the Daoist Sect's Zhou Tian Mi Chen Xing Luo Jue?"

"The Daoist Sect? How could I not know?"

Master Shen smiled, the strange light in his eyes deepening. "But how does that relate to the Sword Array the esteemed guest wishes to forge?"

"I also possess a divine ability called Three Thousand Star Falls, also known as the Instant Space Star Fall Technique. In the Daoist Sect's Zhou Tian Mi Chen Xing Luo Jue, every single star point represents a convergence of spiritual methods. At its peak, ten thousand stars descend, invincible and capable of repelling even a Venerable Saint. In my technique, every star point represents a Great Dao!"

As Zong Shou spoke, he noticed the pupils of the middle-aged man opposite him—whose depths he could not gauge—contract sharply. He offered a slight smile. "Naturally, this technique is still in its nascent stages. The Sword Array I require must harmonize with this divine ability, and the forging materials must involve the principles of time and space. The total count must be one thousand eight hundred! Among them, there must be at least ten Immortal-grade swords—"

Within his own stores, he possessed ten canine teeth from Saint Realm True Dragons.

Forging them into Immortal Swords would certainly be more than sufficient.

It was absolutely impossible for them to achieve the might of the Soul-Refining Sword. Even achieving one percent of that power would be considered good.

According to Wei Xu, those seven artifacts were all quasi-divine implements.

The Soul-Refining Sword was even more unique; it was rumored to possess the potential for self-improvement, eventually advancing to a divine artifact.

After some thought, Zong Shou also took out his nameless sword.

"It would be best if this sword could serve as the core around which the Sword Array is built!"

Master Shen did not reach for it, instead offering a look of helpless exasperation. "One thousand eight hundred artifacts, ten Immortal Swords. The esteemed guest truly holds me, Shen, in too high regard. A Sword Array of this magnitude is simply not something I can deduce. Unless one has been immersed in the Way of Arrays for many years, like a Saint Realm expert, perhaps there would be a chance—"

Hearing this, Zong Shou showed no particular change in expression, nor did he feel regret.

He had indeed come here merely on a tentative hope.

Thinking it over, asking Master Shen to deduce such an array for him was indeed asking too much.

Since that was the case, he would have to wait until Long Ying emerged from seclusion and ask his master, who specialized only in the Way of the Sword, to reluctantly make an appearance once.

"However, I am deeply impressed by the esteemed guest's ambition! Three thousand Great Dao Stars, ten thousand eight hundred sword artifacts—how truly magnificent! My curiosity about the esteemed guest's origins grows ever stronger. My name is Shen Yuexuan; you may call me by my name from now on."

Shen Yuexuan then knitted his brow, sinking into contemplation. After a moment, he said, "Please wait a moment, esteemed guest," and retreated into the inner room, returning shortly with an object.

"I cannot forge such a massive Sword Array. Forcing a deduction would consume too much energy. Although my lifespan still has reserves, I truly cannot afford to waste it on this endeavor."

At these words, Zong Shou's face flushed slightly.

He too wished to avoid depleting his limited lifespan, which was why he sought to hire someone else to undertake the task.

Then Shen Yuexuan laughed again. "But what luck! A thousand years ago, by a twist of fate, I acquired the schematics for an ancient Sword Array. It was passed down by the Artifact Cultivators from the ancient era of this domain, forty thousand years ago. It is said to be extraordinary, named the Ten Absolutes Dao Governing Annihilation Sword Array, which might suit the esteemed guest's needs—"

Ancient Artifact Cultivators?

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow; he had heard of this term.

When Artifact Cultivators reigned supreme, the Cloud Realm had not even come into existence.

They followed the path of integrating self and artifact, cultivating both simultaneously, often possessing terrifying combat prowess.

The Sword Cultivators and Sword Sects of the Cloud Realm, and even Long Ying, had inherited fragments of their methods.

However, this path ultimately leaned towards the external Dao; achieving the Saint Realm was possible, but attaining true Dao was extremely difficult.

Over time, it gradually declined, but the unparalleled might of those Artifact Cultivators from forty thousand years ago is still spoken of with admiration today.

He wondered what the Ten Absolutes Dao Governing Annihilation Sword Array was like.

As he took hold of the array diagram, Zong Shou gasped in surprise. The material this paper was made of was only slightly inferior to the Cosmic Fate World Book achieved through Innate means. Though thin, it carried a weight that almost exceeded his capacity to bear.

It wasn't a lack of physical strength, but the Dao contained within the array diagram surpassed the bearing limit of his nascent soul.

Holding it, his soul sea shook violently, his soul power fluctuating turbulently.

Upon closer inspection, he immediately felt strands of incredibly sharp sword qi piercing into his nascent soul.

It felt as if they were truly present, their imposing aura sharp and piercing.

Zong Shou’s forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat.

Yet, this only made him feel the extraordinary nature of the Ten Absolutes Dao Governing Annihilation Sword Array even more keenly.

"I experienced a similar shock when I first encountered it! Though mine was even more perilous; I nearly shattered my nascent soul. Legend has it that the person who once successfully forged this Sword Array fought on equal footing with several Supreme Realm beings in the ancient era, standing alongside the Venerable Saints. Sadly, no matter how strong their combat prowess, they still failed to achieve the Dao, eventually turning to dust."

Shen Yuexuan seemed to sense Zong Shou's difficulty and took the diagram back, allowing Zong Shou's mind to relax.

"This array bears some similarities to your Three Thousand Star Falls. It has no overly special requirements for materials, though naturally, the quality of the swords will affect the power of the Sword Array and its divine abilities. The number is not restricted either; a minimum of ten swords will suffice, and up to ten thousand is possible. I once considered forging this array myself, but times have changed from forty thousand years ago; there are simply not as many spiritual treasures to be found. Furthermore, I am solitary, not comparable to those great sects or noble clans, so I ultimately gave up. I wonder if this array meets the esteemed guest's needs?"

Zong Shou blinked, his clear eyes sparkling with a look of earnest pleading.

This Sword Array was too perfectly suited for him.

Although looking at the array diagram made his head spin for now, he could study it later.

However, he felt nervous; acquiring this item today would likely mean a hefty price, perhaps forcing him to pay dearly.

Shen Yuexuan could tell from his expression that asking this question was moot. Shaking his head with a smile, he took out several dozen more array diagrams and handed them over to Zong Shou again.

"Before I abandoned the idea, I did put considerable effort into researching this Sword Array. Because the grand array is overly complex, and ultimately, it does not belong to the Artifact Cultivation lineage, I tried to simplify it first, to make it accessible for beginners like us. But after deriving it, I realized I still could not complete it! If the esteemed guest is interested, you can start with this simplified array first. When you have the ability in the future, you can then proceed to complete the true Ten Absolutes Dao Governing—"

His voice suddenly stopped. Shen Yuexuan's expression turned grave and exceedingly solemn.

"However, for this array, I will not accept money or goods in exchange. If the esteemed guest wishes to take it, you must agree to a single promise: when you have the capability, you must help me accomplish one task!"

Zong Shou was startled, looking over with surprise, completely lacking the joy of discovering something free.

A task that even someone of this man's capabilities could not accomplish must be an unusual trouble.

Compared to this promise, he would much rather settle the matter with spirit stones.

But looking at it another way, for a person of his caliber to remain in this remote corner of the cultivation world as an artifact master, there must be a story behind it.

※ ※ ※ ※

Ultimately, when leaving the Celestial Fang Realm, Zong Shou agreed to the condition.

The nature of this Sword Array was too tempting; he simply could not refuse it.

Knowing it was a colossal entanglement, likely involving significant peril, he still swore an oath to accept.

Only because he knew that if he missed this opportunity today, he didn't know when he would find an array diagram for a Sword Array so perfectly suited to his needs and possessing such vast power.

However, before his departure, Shen Yuexuan’s words served as a stark warning.

"Although this Sword Array holds immense power, its consumption of mental focus is equally great. In my reckless youth, I wasted at least three hundred years of time on this array, a regret I still hold deeply. You must remember, sword artifacts are ultimately external objects; one must never become obsessed with their power, nor become too deeply immersed. We cultivators toil for millions of years, ultimately striving for the pinnacle of the Dao and eternal longevity, right? That is the true path. Think of that predecessor from forty thousand years ago—truly pitiful and regrettable—"

These words were spoken earnestly, and Zong Shou felt a deep resonance with them.

The true path? How could Zong Shou not know?

Outside the Celestial Fang Realm, Zong Shou shook his head and smiled.

At this moment, the Daoist Sect was still watching him covetously, unwilling to let him go so easily.

That major threat had not been fully resolved before the pressure from the Lu family arrived in close succession.

Killing Lu Zi had also brought forth a powerful enemy intrinsically linked to his bloodline.

If he didn't prepare some means of self-protection, how could he rest easy?

However, if he hadn't already been preparing to follow the path from complexity to simplicity, he truly wouldn't have dared to accept the diagram for the Ten Absolutes Dao Governing Annihilation Sword Array—