In the incense-scented quiet room, Zong Shou looked at the few talismans in his hand with a hint of confusion.

He was currently situated near the Cloud Realm.

The Aurora Crossing Ferry was outside, yet he himself was residing within the spatial confines of the Juntian Immortal Estate.

These talismans were meant for contacting the Divine Realm experts stationed near the Cloud Realm on behalf of the Cangsheng Dao, but every attempt had been in vain; no messages had returned.

Not only that, but even his Senior Brother Ming Yu could not be sensed.

While it was one thing for Ming Yu to be missing, Senior Brother Wei Tian, who had taken over Han Fang's post in the Cangsheng Apex Realm, had also vanished without a trace.

Furthermore, the Three Sects led by the Tai Ling Sect also had no one guarding their positions.

This was exceedingly strange, causing a slight but distinct worry.

He considered using the Star Projection Talisman, but Zong Shou was hesitant due to several concerns.

If the projection spanned all realms, and no one from their own sect arrived to assist, wouldn't that reveal the true strength—or lack thereof—of the Cangsheng Dao to other factions?

He had initially planned to contact the Reclusive Immortal Yuan Jing, who was currently somewhere unknown, through the sect elders.

However, given the current situation, that plan was likely unfeasible.

Although there were still many Immortal-ranked disciples within the Cangsheng Apex Realm, the Sacred Realm Venerables moved unpredictably; these disciples would hardly know their whereabouts.

A sudden thought struck Zong Shou, and he took an object from his sleeve.

It was the Illusion Heart Mirror. As Zong Shou channeled a spiritual decree, the mirror's light pierced into the void.

Instantly, a shadowy projection appeared within the Illusion Heart Mirror.

After several shifts and adjustments of orientation, a familiar landscape finally appeared before his eyes.

This was the Art of Reflecting Domains, one of the inherent divine abilities of the Illusion Heart Mirror. Previously, Zong Shou's strength had been insufficient to utilize it, but now that his cultivation had reached the Immortal Realm, he no longer needed to consume his lifespan.

"They really aren't here!"

Shifting his perspective throughout the Cangsheng Apex Realm, he indeed found no trace of any Divine Realm cultivators.

A few disciples with particularly sharp spiritual senses had also noticed the anomaly. They merely showed a flicker of surprise before dismissing it.

This was because Zong Shou held extremely high authority within the Apex Realm's grand formation, allowing his divine sense unrestricted passage. These disciples assumed it was an elder of the sect secretly observing the Apex Realm, thus they held no defensive posture.

"However, the Apex Realm itself is indeed peaceful. Both seniors and disciples show no alarm. Even if something has happened, it must not involve the sect's survival—"

Zong Shou withdrew his spiritual consciousness, feeling a slight ease. Then, he smiled faintly and directed the mirror's light toward another location in the Cloud Realm.

"Let's see if Yi Ren and the others are safe."

In just a moment, his intent locked onto Qiantian Mountain City.

Upon focusing his thought, another scene materialized before his eyes. He had intended to look directly at the pill formulas but unexpectedly, he did not see Xuan Yuan Yi Ren's figure.

He then checked the sleeping quarters—she was still absent. After shifting orientation several more times, he finally spotted his wife standing in the rear Flower Garden, near a small pavilion over a lake.

She was holding an infant, humming a cheerful tune.

Zong Shou paused, looking at what Yi Ren held in her hands.

He momentarily lost himself in thought, wondering if she had already given birth.

Did this mean he was about to become a father?

Right, without realizing it, he had been away in the outer world for over a year. Was this child his Hai'er? So quiet, sucking his thumb, sound asleep. Adorable—

A momentary ripple in his intent caused Xuan Yuan Yi Ren to sense him, and she looked up at the sky with a gasp of delight.

Then, pure joy flooded her delicate features. She immediately began to construct a void barrier and stepped into the emptiness.

Zong Shou was startled reflexively, but a moment later, he remembered that Xuan Yuan Yi Ren was also a Spirit Realm master. Stepping through the void outside the Cloud Realm was no longer difficult for her, and she had ample power to protect little Huan safely.

With a soft chuckle, Zong Shou extended a thread of spiritual (intent) to usher Xuan Yuan Yi Ren toward the Aurora Crossing Ferry. He then sought out Kong Yao. The mirror light shifted, locating Kong Yao in the Privy Council Hall on the mountainside of Qiantian.

She stood beside a map, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, seemingly deep in thought.

Zong Shou did not deliberately conceal his spiritual intent; he even stirred it slightly. It took Kong Yao several breaths to finally notice. First, a hint of joy flickered in her eyes.

Then, she let out a cold snort and pointed a finger. The mirror light before Zong Shou instantly scattered.

Zong Shou immediately burst into hearty laughter, unconcerned, knowing this was simply Kong Yao's nature.

When his laughter subsided, Zong Shou’s expression hardened slightly.

"So fast! They actually managed to conquer the Nanfeng Cloud Land so quickly?"

One Nanfeng Cloud Land was equivalent to half a Yuan Lian World. Decades later, the number of spirit stone veins there would be ten, perhaps even thirty times that of the latter. Compared to Kong Yao's achievements, he, as the sovereign, felt truly ashamed. At this moment, he felt exceptionally grateful that he had been able to forcefully take his Yao'er away from the Great Shang Dynasty.

The Illusion Heart Mirror flashed again, reflecting another location.

It was the peak of Mount Sheng. However, as the scene on the summit entered his view, Zong Shou’s face instantly flushed deep crimson.

The girl was still tightly bound by a chain of black iron running through her limbs, but her entire body was now naked. She was gathering water into a spring, washing her bare, delicate form.

This woman sensed the intrusion almost instantly, her face turning ashen, murderous intent erupting. With a draw of her sword art, a small green bamboo sword nearby rose into the air and slashed out. It headed directly for Zong Shou, targeting the wisp of divine sense focused there.

Zong Shou finally snapped out of his shock and hurriedly retracted that strand of divine sense. Yet, a trace of sword intent relentlessly pursued it.

Feeling a pang of fear, Zong Shou remained outwardly calm, maneuvering the Illusion Heart Mirror to continuously cast illusions. He also piloted the Aurora Crossing Ferry, rapidly shifting to several different locations.

It took a full ten breaths before he finally shook off Leng Daiyu’s probing intent.

Just as his heart settled, he heard Jing Yin beside him say timidly, "Future Buddha, although Buddhism does not forbid sensuality, peeking at a girl bathing is quite improper—"

Zong Shou’s face grew slightly red. He turned to look and saw Jing Yin beside him gazing at him with an exceptionally pure, yet slightly disdainful expression.

Another wave of awkwardness washed over him; this was impossible to explain. This was followed by shame turning to anger, and he snapped crossly, "Nonsense! Just focus on observing the Dharma form. Half a month, and you've only reached the Fourth Tier—truly useless."

Jing Yin's eyes immediately became slightly red, and she pouted, looking wronged.

However, she had no choice but to submit to Zong Shou's oppressive authority and continued to stare ahead.

Before her floated two tiny dots, one black and one white, suspended in the air. They were only one ten-thousandth the size of a grain of rice, yet they caused all light before Jing Yin to warp drastically. Hundreds and thousands of great Dao laws concerning time and space were either collapsing or transforming.

Jing Yin stared fixedly at this black hole and white light cluster. (To be continued)