Seventy-two stars rotated slowly, reflected in the space above Zong Shou. A peculiar pressure permeated the entire thatched hut.

The Jade Fire Mystic Tortoise shrank to the size of a palm, opening its eyes—now as small as sesame seeds—to look up curiously. It crouched low, then suddenly sprang upward as if to touch them, only to grasp empty air.

Instantly, its eyes showed frustration and grievance, and it turned its head back to glare reproachfully at its master. Every one of these stars contained an aspect of the Great Dao.

If he could touch them, he would surely grasp some true meaning of the Dao, so it coveted these stars greatly. While guarding Zong Shou in the thatched hut these past days, it had spent its idle time chasing these stars daily.

Yet, the number it could actually touch was exceedingly small. Whether it could grasp them depended entirely on its master’s will.

“You little thing, you’ve secretly learned at least thirteen true meanings of the Dao from me during this time, and you’re still not satisfied?” Seeing this, Zong Shou was both amused and exasperated, and he sharply tapped the tortoise’s shell with his finger. “Your origin lies in the Daos of Hardness and Rigidity, supplemented by Cold power.

With the support of your bloodline, you only need to focus on the fundamentals and advance steadily to easily step into the Divine Rank. It is not too late to cultivate other Daos and broaden your foundation then.

Being distracted now, grasping too many miscellaneous theories, will actually harm you instead of helping!” The Jade Fire Mystic Tortoise tilted its head in contemplation, and finally, though reluctantly, it nodded its head twice, conceding the point. And at this moment, besides the seventy-two stars, there were a full thirty-seven ghostly white sword points suspended nearby.

The Three Thousand Star Fall, the Ten Absolute Dao Annihilation Sword Array. The two grand formations were now almost merged into one, blending perfectly like water and milk.

At this time, the starlight was coalescing, and sword auras were spontaneously generating; not only did it not consume Zong Shou’s own strength, but it could also feed back into his body. In his meridians, there was a continuous 'hissing' sound, and his bone joints cracked like popping corn.

This was using 'external force' to forcibly clear his bodily channels. This allowed the channels, slightly obstructed and congested from the impact of the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Technique, to return to full patency.

As for the bones, their physical strength had reached a new level again within these short hundred days. The boundless supply of devotional power allowed him to use it recklessly to strengthen his physical body.

Previously, he had some reservations, unwilling to become too deeply entangled with the Azure Spirit Realm. But now that he had decided to fulfill Jing Yin’s wish, he had no such worries anymore.

The strengthening of the physical body meant the bones benefited first. Every piece of bone throughout his body was now like fine jade.

Nearly every piece approached a million jun in weight. Legend held that upon reaching the peak of the Ultimate Realm, a single bone weighed as much as a mountain—the weight of an entire Sumeru Mountain.

Although Zong Shou’s physical body was still far from that now, within his current realm, he was already peerlessly formidable. Not long ago, he had deliberately tested it.

Ordinary magical weapons posed no threat to him whatsoever. Mid-tier magical artifacts, if he acted with full force, might perhaps breach his flesh but could not harm his bones in the slightest.

Relying solely on these two hands, resisting top-tier magical artifacts was not even an issue. “Success!” When the last trace of obstruction in his meridians was cleared, Zong Shou felt as if he had swallowed a Ginseng Fruit; his entire body was incomparably refreshed and comfortable.

The physical strengthening meant this body could now bear more power, more bloodline energy. It also directly caused the painful shock inflicted by the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse within his body to be continuously weakened.

Zong Shou no longer needed to dedicate all his strength to suppressing this secret technique. He could even reverse the process, gradually unleashing the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit effect of this technique step by step.

However, for the last few days, Zong Shou had vaguely sensed a barrier he could not cross. It was the Scorched Sky Bloodline.

Although the bloodline was still improving, what he obtained from the inheritance imprint was becoming scarcer. This situation had actually been foreshadowed before the previous day.

The might of the Scorched Sky Bloodline could only be rivaled by the Water Qilin. Yet, the inheritance imprints he had acquired from the latter far exceeded those from the former.

“Sealed? The Lu family—” Zong Shou sneered coldly.

Even guessing with his toes, he knew these must be the Saint-tier experts of the Lu family blocking him at the very source. The inherited memories he could access were only those of one Saint Realm Venerable and one Ultimate Realm expert.

He shook his head; he had never held great expectations for this to begin with, nor did he wish to accept favors from this clan. In this light, this suited him perfectly.

In truth, if he wished, he could ascend to the Divine Realm using the billions of devotional prayers in this realm, let alone this shaky, flaw-ridden seal. “My injuries are not fully healed, but I can fight.

Once the tribulation arrives, I can truly suppress this Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit. Speaking of which, today marks the tenth day—” Without the slightest hint of apprehension, the wooden door swung open automatically.

Zong Shou no longer needed a wheelchair and walked out. It was noon outside.

Although Jing Yin was absent, Zong Shou saw the food box placed next to the door. With a slight smile, Zong Shou retrieved it.

Upon opening it, a delicate fragrance filled his senses. The food was cool, so Zong Shou gently reheated it.

While savoring the delicacies personally prepared by Jing Yin in the box, Zong Shou cast his consciousness far out. However, after searching everywhere, he could find no trace of Jing Yin.

Not just Jing Yin, even Xiao Yue was gone. “That’s right!

Since the newborn children are to be delivered after the tenth day, they must set off in advance. This place is not far from the Heavenly Flame Prefecture.

Even with Xiao Yue’s escape speed, it would take a full day to arrive—” His divine sense swept over the monastery below; indeed, there was not a single child left. They must all have been taken away.

Zong Shou then looked into the distance toward that massive mountain. It was thirteen thousand li away, and with his eyesight, he could see it clearly even from here.

“Such dense resentment; I wonder how many children died. But, that is fine—” Zong Shou chuckled grimly, then rose into the air.

Since he had decided to settle the affairs of this realm, a decisive battle at the Heavenly Flame Prefecture would be best, which perfectly matched his intentions. If this occurred elsewhere, once he lost control, he would likely harm innocents.

As far as he knew, the ones who devoured the Innate Fire Essence Marrow were not limited to Lu Yantian alone; only this individual required those that were purer and more precious. His hundreds of thousands of elite troops were also supplied with Fire Essence Marrow every month.

Though lacking a bloodline connection, it could raise their own cultivation levels. Even natives of the Azure Spirit Realm serving the Heavenly Flame Prefecture were participating.

Given this, letting everyone on and around that mountain perish entirely would probably be acceptable; they deserved it. A grand spectacle would not matter much— And there was also Lu Wushuang; he would be dealt with this time as well.

The Jade Fire Mystic Tortoise seemed to sense his intent, letting out an excited cry. Its form dissolved and swelled thousands of times over, carrying Zong Shou and speeding toward the direction of that mountain.

At that moment, a tremor sounded again from within Zong Shou’s sleeve. (To be continued.

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