A faint smile played on the man's lips, utterly devoid of the dejection one might expect from being decisively defeated and expelled from the Yuan Lotus Realm.

Hong Jiuchen felt a flicker of confusion but refrained from pressing the issue. He shook his head. "So, it is Brother Tan! Today is not born of my own melancholy, but rather, Zong Shou truly possesses formidable means. In only a few months within the Yuan Lotus Realm, he managed to overturn everything, driving you and me out. Afterward, he gave us no quarter. What can be done? This time, I admit defeat wholeheartedly—"

"Heartily convinced?"

Tan Jing let out a low 'Hmph' of a laugh and strode into the hall to sit down. "I, for one, am far from convinced! And from where I stand, we might still have a chance! I truly do not wish to depart like a pair of mangy dogs!"

Hong Jiuchen glanced at his counterpart, a distinct look of incomprehension clouding his eyes.

At this moment, the two of them possessed merely twenty-seven void ships, along with the eight hundred thousand Dao Soldiers they had managed to retrieve from the Yuan Lotus Realm.

Whether through direct confrontation or decisive battlefield victory, they held absolutely no chance of overcoming Zong Shou.

If they did not retreat, what choice remained?

As for Fu Yue and Mu Fang, they were now utterly set on their decision to expel them from the Yuan Lotus Realm, and certainly would not relinquish the spoils already within their grasp.

Cooperation between their factions was simply impossible.

Yet, Hong Jiuchen straightened his posture in his seat, signaling his readiness to hear the details.

"Just five days ago, a few wandering cultivators, by sheer coincidence, witnessed a massive battle between Immortal Realm experts not far from here!"

As Tan Jing spoke those words, his face was entirely veiled in an inscrutable smile. "One of them was Lu Wushuang of the Lu family! As for the other, Brother Hong, I suspect you would never guess!"

"Lu Wushuang? How did that man end up here?"

Hong Jiuchen frowned, having certainly heard of Lu Wushuang. He was one of the most outstanding geniuses the Lu family had produced in the last few centuries.

He now served as a major general for the Lu family, commanding millions of troops and campaigning across dozens of worlds. He had even clashed with the Nine Capitals Immortal Court, suffering few defeats in his lifetime. Countless people had perished beneath his spear arts. Thus, this man’s reputation was widespread.

Shouldn't this individual be serving under the Lu Family's Lord of Xuanye? How could he be here, engaging in a fierce battle?

Considering Tan Jing’s expression and tone, Hong Jiuchen instantly seemed to grasp the implication. "Could it be that the other participant was Zong Shou?"

"Brother Hong’s mind is sharp; that man was indeed Zong Shou!"

Tan Jing nodded slightly, a cold sneer touching his lips. "We cannot touch him, but there is someone in this domain who certainly can. This individual, it turns out, is also of the Lu family bloodline. He is listed on the main lineage roster and is considered one of the candidates poised to inherit the position of the Burning Sky Saint Emperor. However, sometime ago, he seems to have forged an intense enmity after slaying the person Lu Wushuang held dear. Lu Wushuang hates him to the bone, and it appears he returned this time with the sole intent of executing Zong Shou—"

Hong Jiuchen couldn't help but draw in a sharp, involuntary breath. "Hiss—"

"And what was the outcome?"

His voice betrayed an undeniable urgency.

"The report claims that after only a few moments of engagement, Zong Shou escaped using an instantaneous void method. Since then, the whereabouts of both men have been unknown."

Tan Jing spoke, the corners of his lips lifting into a knowing, half-smile. "Although Zong Shou’s cultivation is only at the Spirit Realm, his true strength should not be underestimated. But even if this person is endowed with monstrous talent, what of it? There is an entire realm separating them. Lu Wushuang is nearly peerless among those of his own level. Even if Zong Shou can flee, how long can he sustain it? Ten days, perhaps half a month at most, before he meets his end—"

"That is indeed an opportunity!"

Hong Jiuchen rose, hands clasped behind his back, pacing the hall. After a moment, he stopped pacing.

"It is still too risky! What if this person is not dead? If you and I violate the rules, and he happens to survive, he will undoubtedly come for our heads. You witnessed Elder Du’s fate that day—the slightest overstep resulted in immediate execution. While Zong Shou’s death would benefit us, during such a critical juncture, the Dragon Shadow faction cannot touch the Lu family, but they might still turn their wrath upon us two!"

He recalled that even when Elder Du sought to use force to overwhelm and control the situation in the Yuan Lotus Realm that day, he never intended to kill Zong Shou. Merely driving him back would have sufficed—

"Furthermore, we still have the Buddhist Sect, the Sword Sect, and the Cang Sheng Dao. The former is renowned across all realms, and the latter two are hardly weak forces."

"These three factions are preparing for the struggle over that Heaven-Opening Ultimate Treasure in the Cloud Realm; they have no surplus energy to divert to other matters. Even if conflicts arise, their priority must be restraint! As for the Dragon Shadow—"

At this, Tan Jing nodded gravely. "That is why we wait a year! If he has not returned after a year, that is when we make our move. By then, Zong Shou should assuredly be dead. Our actions then will cause no issues. Even Mu Fang and Fu Yue will not let such a golden opportunity slip by!"

Hong Jiuchen frowned, sinking into deep thought.

Though his heart was swayed by Tan Jing’s words, the possibility of Zong Shou surviving gnawed at him.

He shook his head; even if the man returned in a year when everything had settled, what use was Zong Shou’s seemingly heaven-defying ability then?

As long as the Yuan Lotus Realm was secured, he was confident he could persuade a Divine Realm cultivator to act on his behalf just once… It seemed the expenditure of the Instantaneous Void Movement technique was slightly too high. But to further refine this method again was now impossible—

In a secluded corner of the Sea of Illusions, Zong Shou huddled inside his Demon-Slaying Divine Shelter, slightly troubled.

Though he grumbled inwardly, Zong Shou knew the flaw wasn't with his Three Thousand Starfall Art itself. It was that the energy flow of a peak Immortal Realm expert far surpassed his initial estimation.

Three months had passed since his initial confrontation with Lu Wushuang.

Their pursuit and evasion had led them hundreds of worlds away from the Yuan Lotus Realm.

Initially, Zong Shou was confident he could shake Lu Wushuang off his trail.

But after a month, that hope had utterly shattered.

The man possessed the ability to vanish in the void, seemingly requiring almost no spiritual replenishment. Even if he couldn't catch up due to caution, he perpetually trailed just behind, maintaining the pressure.

For a full month, Lu Wushuang had seemingly not cultivated once, yet his inner breath and soul power remained robust and inexhaustible.

In contrast, after a month of using the Instantaneous Void Movement, Zong Shou was finally showing signs of fatigue. Even with the aid of the Heaven-Swallowing Primordial Transformation technique, he could barely sustain it.

Sometimes, he was forced to rely on the Sea of Illusions between the realms to conceal his tracks and recover.

This compelled him to begin further refinements on his original Three Thousand Starfall Art, continuously compressing and compressing the consumption required for each use of the void technique until it reached its absolute limit.

Shaking his head slightly, Zong Shou summoned another Instantaneous Void Dragon Pill before him.

Then, a spark of Burning Sky Flame ignited, and he began refining it. He altered the internal structure of the Dragon Pill, destroying the useless divine power imprints of the Instantaneous Void Dragons within. He integrated his newly comprehended Great Dao, rebuilding the spirit array. This process would merge the pill with the star situated within his Sea of Soul Void, forging a brand-new Star Dao Seed.

The entire procedure required several days. (To be continued)RQ