Will all the women of the Cangling Realm no longer suffer the sorrow of losing a child due to the innate Marrow of Fire Essence?

Zong Shou’s expression grew solemn; ultimately, he had become entangled in this affair.

Very well, since he cultivated his body using the world’s Vows of Power, he was inextricably linked by karma. Doing something for the people of this realm would count as repayment. It would also fulfill Jing Yin’s wish, paying back the debt for saving his life.

Lost in thought, he glanced once more at the hermitage nestled beneath the cliff.

These pregnant women seemed to be delivered in batches, and indeed, a portion were due to give birth within these few days.

He hadn't noticed it before, but examining things closely now, he realized something was truly amiss. A secret art had indeed been cast upon these women. As the fetuses developed, they ceaselessly siphoned the mother’s vitality. Upon birth, the children would not only be exceptionally robust and healthy, but the innate Marrow of Fire Essence would also be exceptionally pure.

However, though this method was ingenious, it had one critical flaw.

That is, if not controlled properly, the mother would succumb first, weakening and dying. This was likely the very reason the Tianyan Prefecture had entrusted these pregnant women to the care of Xiaoyue.

“Even beasts would not commit such a cruel act—”

With a cold, dry laugh, Zong Shou withdrew his gaze. Then, he turned his wheelchair and returned alone to the single small hut atop the cliff.

“I need ten days of seclusion. Best not to disturb me!”

Ignoring Xiaoyue and Jing Yin’s stunned gazes, Zong Shou waved his sleeve, scattering several spirit stones in all directions, completely isolating the thatched hut from the outside world. He also thoroughly shielded Xiaoyue’s sight and divine sense.

Then, with a thought, all thirty-seven Dao-Controlling Dragon Fang Flying Swords materialized before him.

Zong Shou’s gaze fixed upon the white flying sword emitting faint starlight at the very center. This was the first Immortal Artifact-grade sword he had refined, using the Ten Absolutes Dao-Controlling Annihilation Formation Diagram as a reference.

Strictly speaking, it couldn't be called a true Immortal Artifact. This sword could only function when relying on the sword formation; it could not be used independently. This was why Zong Shou had managed to refine it in just a few short days.

Yet, he felt an intense surge of excitement. With this sword forged, his sword formation truly possessed a core.

The reality was evident: once this sword integrated into the formation, the entire Ten Absolutes Dao-Controlling Annihilation Sword Formation underwent a change. The previous eight swords had merely given the formation its skeleton, supporting the flesh and blood. This sword, however, gave the other thirty-six swords a true soul!

Though not a Sword Spirit, the feeling was perhaps even superior!

“Its might should increase nearly twofold! Just this sword formation alone, without my direct control, should face few rivals among the Immortal Ranks—”

Zong Shou hadn't had the chance to test the array yet, but he could roughly estimate its power. He also had an emerging realization: if only four more Immortal Swords of the same rank were added, this sword formation could manifest a complete Artifact Soul.

“No, not manifest, but resurrected! The Artifact Soul of the ancient Ten Absolutes Dao-Controlling Annihilation Sword Formation could reappear in this world using this as an anchor. What an exquisite sword formation—”

Zong Shou sucked in a sharp breath, disbelief coloring his eyes. If not for the certainty that even a resurrected and reborn Artifact Soul would be tied to his divine sense, completely unconnected to the ancient master, he would have abandoned this sword formation immediately.

However, if that were the case, he might be able to find the whereabouts of the remaining swords from the complete ancient formation—

Special techniques and blood sacrifice using spiritual materials could yield results no worse than swords refined by his own hand. While tedious and requiring many precious spiritual materials, it was still better than him refining one from scratch.

He immediately shook his head; that matter was still extremely distant for him.

“If this sword formation can be truly completed, perhaps it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Myriad Lives Sword Formation refined by Master Xizi before his death and sealing—”

Zong Shou then summoned the Dao Seeds of the Stars from the heart-mind void. There were now sixty-four in total, circling around him. He then poured the massive spiritual energy stored in the myriad Immortal Stones directly into the Cosmos Extreme Life Chronicle.

At this moment, he couldn't mobilize his true power or divine sense, so further refining swords was impossible. His task for these ten days—about a hundred days by mortal reckoning—was to make fine adjustments to the entire sword formation, making it more perfect and enabling his control to be more intuitive.

The second task was to add eight more Star Dao Seeds to these, reaching the count of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends within a hundred days. Once achieved, his foundation would be incomparably solid. While he might not break through to the late Spirit Realm in one go as when facing Tribulation at the peak of the Celestial Realm, he would still be unrivaled among Immortal Rank cultivators—

He also eagerly anticipated the outcome of his future battle with Lu Wushuang.

“Having been hunted for several whole months, I must return all this pent-up frustration before I feel satisfied—”

Zong Shou then moved his thought, looking at his sleeve with slight surprise.

“It’s healed? So fast!”

With a casual shake, a streak of blue light flew out of his sleeve. It was the Azure Fire Profound Turtle, which had sustained minor injuries while directly blocking Lu Wushuang’s spear strike that day. It had now shrunk its body, transforming into a small turtle, proudly fluttering before him.

“Can grow large and small, manifesting Heaven and Earth; does this mean it has advanced?”

Tapping the turtle’s shell, Zong Shou confirmed his suspicion. This fellow had definitely reached the mid-Immortal Realm. After being hunted by Lu Wushuang, the creature had fought several battles with him. Apparently, it gained some insight and rushed into the middle stage in one leap.

Furthermore, the Vows of Power within the turtle’s body had vanished. It should have been digested and used to strengthen its body. The turtle shell was also glowing. This shell of a Divine Realm Black Tortoise must have been completely refined by it. This object was comparable to a top-tier Immortal Artifact; during the fight with Lu Wushuang, even when struck by the silver spear, it remained unharmed. Only the Azure Fire Profound Turtle’s physical body was slightly fragile, sustaining only minor shock injuries.

Zong Shou couldn't help but marvel at the turtle's peculiar divinity. After only a year in the Immortal Realm, its cultivation had advanced again, not allowing Xiao Jin, Han Xi, and the others to catch up. Even in terms of true combat power, it was extraordinary.

Zong Shou became even more expectant of the other little ones slumbering in his Spirit Beast Pouch. The Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Art had certainly caused him unbearable pain, driving him to the brink of giving up and dying several times, but it had also benefited him immensely—

By mental sensing, Han Xi was naturally an innate variant, which was to be expected. Xiao Jin, the Sun-Howling Beast, and the Thunderwing Dragon would benefit even more than him. He truly wondered to what extent they would grow upon awakening.

“Perfect, it can stand guard for me—”

The awakening of the Azure Fire Profound Turtle made Zong Shou even more secure. He directly closed his eyes, meditating into stillness. With this beast guarding him, even Lu Wushuang personally would be unable to harm it in a short time. This was especially true now that it had entered the mid-Immortal Realm…

The Tianyan Prefecture was built atop the highest peak in the Cangling Realm, standing seven thousand three hundred and forty-three zhang tall, allowing one to look down upon all living beings. The summit was shrouded in a sea of fire clouds, stretching for ten thousand li.

However, when Lu Xichen stepped through the gates of the Tianyan Prefecture, a chill rushed to meet him. The temperature was moderate and just right. Although the Lu family excelled at controlling fire, they did not enjoy constantly staying amidst flames, prioritizing fire essence.

Without needing an announcement, Lu Xichen headed straight for the central courtyard. After crossing several enclosures, he reached a garden. He cautiously looked around, his gaze settling on the center of the garden.

There, two individuals were seated opposite each other across a stone table. One was the master of the Tianyan Prefecture, his lord Lu Yantian. The other’s identity was also significant: one of the thirty-seven Crown Young Masters of the Lu family, Lu Wushuang, the Third-Rank Inspector of the Burning Sky Immortal Court. In terms of status and position, he ranked above Lu Yantian, a mere Realm Lord.

Several servants stood nearby, attending to them with equal caution. Most conspicuous was the lake not far away. In the center of the lake coiled a massive, snake-like fiery beast, a thousand zhang long, covered in crimson scales. Although a fire beast, it seemed to prefer staying in the water. Ever since Lu Xichen entered, its vertical pupils stared coldly toward him, the gaze seeming to appraise him as food.

Lu Xichen broke out in a cold sweat. This was Lu Yantian’s guardian spirit beast, named Jiao She (Flood Serpent). It was an innate variant that reveled in slaughter. Although there was only one, it was enough to equal hundreds or thousands of ordinary guardians. Even an Immortal Realm late-stage cultivator might not be its match; it required a Divine Realm cultivator. At this moment, even knowing the beast was controlled by Lu Yantian and wouldn't harm him, he felt his heart tremble with fear.

“Did you just go to the Water Moon Nunnery?”

The voice, light and flat, came from the side of the stone table, instantly pulling Lu Xichen’s mind back to attention.

“Yes! I was searching for Zong Shou. Someone witnessed a ball of white light descending near the Water Moon Nunnery recently, which made me suspicious—”

“You were looking for that woman named Jing Yin, weren't you? After all these years, you still can’t forget her.”

Lu Yantian appeared to be around thirty years old, dressed in scholarly robes, possessing an elegant, cultured aura.

“You are so infatuated with this woman that you disregard the rules I, Lu Yantian, have set!

Lu Xichen’s back was soaked with sweat. He bowed deeply: “Xichen acts according to established norms and would never dare to compromise the Prefecture Lord’s great affairs.”

“If you had compromised them, you wouldn’t be alive now. I know you are infatuated with that woman and intend to fulfill your desire. However, everything must be settled first. Before then, do not create needless complications. Do you understand?”

Seeing Lu Xichen bow submissively in assent, Lu Yantian smiled faintly, then asked, “Since you have been there, what is the situation over there?”

Hearing this, Lu Xichen’s tension immediately eased, and he bowed again.

“Master Abbess Xiaoyue’s medical skills seem to have advanced further. I observed that for this batch, all two hundred-plus people appear to be in good spirits—”

Lu Yantian’s eyes lit up, and he tilted his head back, draining the wine in his cup.

“A large toast is in order!”

Without needing instruction, a group of attendants approached. The first few carried trays, each bearing a shao er (toddler) who slept soundly, making no sound or fuss. Lu Yantian casually tapped the brow of one small child, piercing it. Moments later, he extracted a drop of crimson blood from within and swallowed it. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ