Yet, this was a blessing in disguise; though the Heaven Realm within was shattered, for the next two thousand years, this boundless realm would serve as a holy land for cultivation.

Imbued with the blood of the Ultimate Realm, countless fragments of the Great Dao were scattered, along with the residual will of that supreme being, the 'Dao Marks' left by the battle between the Sacred Venerables. For cultivators, these were treasures beyond measure, impossible to seek out. What was even more fortunate was that all of this remained under the control of the Thirty-Three Heavens Array, meaning the possibility of accidents was vanishingly small. And the one hundred and seventy thousand cultivators of the Dao of Sentient Beings present today, witnessing this battle by fate, would undoubtedly see a great many of them advance to higher realms in a short span of time, barring any unforeseen shifts.

"However, this Black Qilin might not entirely be destined to be swallowed whole by this little fellow."

Zong Shou was startled, looking at Xiu Guan with considerable surprise. From the meaning conveyed by this Martial Uncle, was he intending to keep this Black Qilin? Yet, this beast was an embodiment of calamity, a convergence of the world’s malice. Wherever it passed, misfortune would surely follow. People in the world would flee from it as if it were the plague.

"Well said; in this world, neither ultimate good nor ultimate evil is a truly good thing. It is much like your Path of Beginning and End—light and shadow intertwined, one within the other, where can you clearly distinguish them? Even at high noon, there are places the sunlight cannot touch. And even in the dead of midnight, there exists a glimmer of light—"

The one speaking was Long Ying, who had now strolled over. Perhaps with this great calamity passed, and having repaid Wei Xu's favor, this old man’s face was now beaming with a relaxed, contented smile.

"This Black Qilin, no one else could raise it, unless they were utterly wicked, or a peerless powerhouse like Tai Shi. But for you, it is a unique destiny? For both you and Xiaori, there are immense benefits—"

Zong Shou paused, unique destiny? Immense benefits? What did Long Ying mean by this? Thinking back, Zong Shou had certainly done his share of questionable deeds. However, they were mostly done openly and without shame toward others. He did not possess the sheer quantity of malevolent qi necessary to nurture an evil spirit like the Black Qilin, which fed on such energy—

Xiaori, however, seemed to sense something, continuing to greedily inhale the Black Qilin's essence of vital energy, storing it within the mark between its brows.

"It is the hearts of men. No matter how pure the Qi of Kingship is, it contains impurities. Everything in the world has both a black and a white side. Otherwise, why would this Black Qilin have been born? Zong Shou, if you possess this Black Qilin as your guardian, it could effectively substitute for ten Nine Heavens Pagodas—"

Xiu Guan pointed this out directly. Then, just as the Black Qilin’s expression grew visibly weak, its true essence plummeting below the Sacred Realm,

He suddenly thrust a finger out again, landing it precisely on the mutated divine beast’s brow. Instantly, a series of violent, strange explosions erupted from within the Black Qilin’s body. The expression of the strange beast turned to one of unbearable agony, its eyes filled with despair and fury.

Zong Shou did not need to look to know that Xiu Guan had just destroyed the divine thought imprint that Tai Shi had planted upon the Black Qilin. He was still reeling from the shock of Xiu Guan’s earlier words, a sudden, violent surge within him. Ten Nine Heavens Pagodas? That was almost equivalent to two Abi Emperor Thrones.

The so-called Nine Heavens Pagoda was the name of the nine-storied golden tower Wei Xu had given him. It was a Royal Artifact and one of the central control nodes for the Thirty-Three Heavens Array. Before obtaining the Abi Emperor Throne and the Illusionary Heart Mirror, Zong Shou had relied entirely on this artifact to suppress the contamination of the Qi of Kingship. If Xiu Guan’s words were true, then the effect of this Qi of Kingship on him would truly become negligible.

But how was this beast to be subdued? This Black Qilin had followed Tai Shi for at least three to five thousand years; it was impossible to subdue it merely by placing some simple restrictions on it. The Qilin was proud, and the Black Qilin was no exception. Xiaori had submitted to him because its father had entrusted it to him, drawn in by his Saintly King Qi, and treating him as a parent. But this Black Qilin clearly harbored the will to die. Even if restrained by secret arts, the moment Zong Shou released his control, it would surely self-destruct immediately.

"Crude!"

A single cry of the Dao interrupted Zong Shou's thoughts. When he recovered his senses, he saw Xiu Guan grab the Black Qilin’s head, silver light-patterns fiercely penetrating into it. Brilliant and vast, they swept across the Black Qilin’s body. Following a series of humming sounds, the resistance and hatred in the Black Qilin’s eyes finally melted away. Its gaze slowly became one of pure bewilderment. Its eyes, which had previously held a dark, frantic gleam, now held a hint of unblemished purity.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, deeply surprised. He finally understood Xiu Guan’s plan: he was using his unparalleled power to forcibly scrub away every single memory of the Black Qilin, rendering its primordial spirit utterly blank, like a freshly wiped slate.

About half an incense stick’s time later, a massive vortex formed in Xiu Guan’s hand once more. The Black Qilin’s body condensed, shrinking down into a black, dark sphere. Then, just as Zong Shou watched, baffled by the intent, Xiu Guan’s hand sharply tapped the center of Zong Shou’s brow. Instantaneously, a torrential force flooded into his Divine Heaven Mud Pill Palace, finally crashing directly into his primordial spirit. A beam of black light shot in, plunging directly into the Black Hole Dharma Image.

Zong Shou was startled, his eyes wide with bewilderment. He immediately checked his internal primordial spirit. The Dharma Image showed no anomalies; the Black Hole Dharma Image was even more stable— No, it was perhaps even more stabilized— Within it, a creature seemed to be gestating and taking form.

"The beast's primordial spirit memories have all been washed away; its entire consciousness is blank, like a newborn. More than half of its source was absorbed, leaving it severely damaged. Cultivating within your Dark Great Sun Dharma Image is the most suitable arrangement."

Xiu Guan sensed a flicker of annoyance in Zong Shou but smiled faintly, "Once this beast is nurtured and revived, and regains its spiritual awareness, it is destined to be your innate guardian. By relying on your Boundless Path of Beginning and End, its foundation in the Dao of Dark Termination will become far more pure—"

Zong Shou was half-convinced, but since these were the words of someone from the First Ultimate Realm, there should be no falsehood. Such a judgment must have its basis. Still, he felt somewhat uneasy; after all, a vicious beast was now residing within his own primordial spirit. If it ever went berserk one day, would it not annihilate his soul?

And Xiaori, ever since the Black Qilin burrowed into his Black Hole Dharma Image, had been agitated, circling him anxiously and letting out bursts of dissatisfied yelps. Zong Shou didn't understand at first, but slowly grasped the meaning. This little fellow actually wanted to barge into his primordial spirit as well. It wanted to enter that now unconscious Black Qilin— Did this little creature consider his Sea of Consciousness to be some kind of animal cage or den? He truly didn't know what to say—

"It is fine!"

Long Ying, standing nearby, said with a half-smile, "Your Dharma Image of Beginning and End emphasizes the way of balance. Since there is a Black Qilin to suppress the limitless Black Sun within, then correspondingly, the limitless White Sun must also have a Sacred Qilin to guard it."