At almost the same moment, light-years away within the Dao Spirit Heaven, the atmosphere was utterly bleak, oppressed, and profoundly somber.

"Defeated. Even with the Three Teachings allied, we still lost—"

"How is this possible?"

"Nine Ultimate Realm Saints, supported by five God-Realm Venerables, and still they couldn't breach a single Vastness Heaven Realm?"

"The terrifying Thirty-Three Heavens Formation, the terrifying Seven Swords of Vastness! That contingency left behind by a Half-True Realm millennia ago is actually this powerful."

"Without that Demon Lord of Great Qian, Zong Shou, backing them, how could these Seven Swords have been unleashed? That Thirty-Three Heavens Formation also couldn't have been completed—"

"That tyrant is truly the main culprit! I felt it was strange back then; Great Qian and the Vastness Dao were getting too close."

"Patriarch Kun Ming has fallen."

"His physical body is shattered, but fortunately, his primordial spirit can still be reformed."

"If Dao Lord Compassion were still here, this battle might not have ended this way—"

"Nonsense! How dare you say such a thing?"

Inside the Dao Palace, Qingming stood upon a cloud bridge. Two streams of clear tears traced down her cheeks, her jade-like hands tightly clenched, her silver teeth grinding audibly.

It was Zong Shou again, that wicked ruler!

The last time, he had nearly slain her; this time, it was someone even closer to her kin—

Although those in the Ultimate Realm cannot truly die, their primordial spirits can reform after a few millennia. Yet, the mere thought of not seeing him for five thousand years still felt like an unbearable agony piercing her very heart!

If she, Qingming, were to perish, if she could not attain him, perhaps this encounter would result in eternal separation!

She fiercely wished she could flay his skin and devour his flesh!

Surveying the entire Heaven Realm, she saw cultivators sitting everywhere, regulating their breaths and tending to their injuries. Most bore expressions of utter defeat.

Beyond the gloom caused by the grand defeat, there was the impact of Zong Shou's single sword strike.

Even with Qing Xuan’s intervention, he failed to truly slaughter the eight hundred thousand disciples of the Dao Gate.

However, many Dao Gate disciples had their souls battered by the backlash of the Will of the Heavenly Dao. If they could not overcome this hurdle, their cultivation would be stunted for the rest of their lives. Many naturally gifted disciples might thus be wasted.

This was the Dao Gate's calamity! The Dao Gate's great tribulation!

A look of confusion clouded Qingming's eyes, and the tight fists she held slightly loosened.

At this moment, the Dao Spirit Heaven Realm, with its Three Thousand Dao Gates, had been weakened to its absolute limit.

Kun Ming was dead, and the two Dao Lord Sect Masters were severely injured.

Teaming up with the Demonic Sect had already caused resentment among many disciples. Now, the elders within the sect and the Three Thousand Dao Gates likely harbored grievances against the Heaven Realm and the Dao Lords.

If they couldn't overcome this crisis, it would mark the beginning of the sect's decline; how could they even speak of revenge?

She abruptly rose and flew to the exterior of the Ten Thousand Lamp Grotto chamber.

As the Mistress of the Dao Spirit Palace, entering this place was her right, and she passed in without any hindrance or restrictive barrier. The young Dao attendants offered no resistance either.

Though Kun Ming had died, his death was in saving Qing Xuan from entrapment. Qingming's status and position within the Dao Gate would not diminish; if anything, she would become even more valued.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard the voice of Grand Sovereign Tai Huang: "We have indeed suffered heavy losses this time, but fortunately, the foundation of our Dao Gate remains intact. Most of the Purple Scale Flame Riders have been recalled, and the True Martial Swordsmen are almost entirely safe. Senior Brother Qing Xuan need not worry so much. It is only a pity about Kun Ming—"

A shadow of sorrow crossed Qingming’s face again.

A bitter expression curled the corner of her lips. The Purple Scale Flame Riders and the True Martial Swordsmen were indeed mostly safe.

However, the true foundation of the Dao Gate did not lie there. It lay within the true cultivators inside the Dao Gate who held promise for higher realms.

After all, even billions of Dao Soldiers are not worth as much as a single genuine Ultimate Realm cultivator.

The Seven Swords of Vastness of the Vastness Dao were, in the end, an anomaly. Without the confines of the Vastness Heaven Realm and the binding power of the Thirty-Three Heavens Formation, their effect would be negligible.

It took five Ultimate Realm experts to break the formation, but to merely hold them in check, any single Ultimate Realm expert would suffice.

Yet now, not only was nearly half the sect’s cultivators' futures ruined, but morale had disintegrated. First, Zong Shou, single-handedly, exterminated thirty-seven Dao Gate sects. Then came today’s battle, where hundreds of thousands suffered soul damage.

Having suffered such severe setbacks twice in succession, the Dao Spirit Heaven Realm and even the two Dao Ancestors were powerless to intervene, inevitably causing disaffection.

"Even so, twenty thousand disciples impacted by the Seven Swords of Vastness—does that not weigh heavily on your mind?"

Qing Xuan, seated centrally in the chamber, had a face ashen and exceedingly grim. Seeing Qingming enter, he momentarily diverted his attention, nodded gently, his eyes showing tenderness.

"This matter must be addressed; we cannot let the disciples harbor resentment. After today, I shall enter seclusion to refine two hundred Nine Revolutions Spirit Restoration Pills, all of which will be distributed. No matter the rank within the sect, any disciple confirmed to have sustained injury may claim one."

Tai Huang raised his eyelids slightly, revealing a flicker of surprise. The Nine Revolutions Spirit Restoration Pill is a top-grade Immortal Pill, something God-Realm cultivators use to temper their divine senses.

But refining this pill demands an enormous consumption of spiritual materials, and the refining process drains the alchemist’s vital essence and true core energy. Even an Ultimate Realm master’s refinement entails considerable depletion. Thus, these pills are rare; any God-Realm cultivator who obtains one would be ecstatic.

If two hundred of these pills could truly be distributed and consumed, it would indeed resolve the spiritual sense trauma suffered by those twenty thousand disciples.

In this Hall of Ten Thousand Lamps sat nearly twenty Saint-Realm cultivators of the Dao Gate, along with the masters of various sects.

Hearing this, most of the occupants shifted their bodies, their eyes showing gratitude.

To refine these two hundred Nine Revolutions Spirit Restoration Pills, Qing Xuan would certainly be unable to engage in combat for two decades. The process would deplete his vital energy, perhaps even cause his cultivation to regress—a significant cost.

"If the disciples learn of this, they will surely be grateful for Senior Brother’s heartfelt care."

Tai Huang Dao Lord smiled after his surprise: "Tai Huang cannot let Senior Brother take all the glory. Since you plan to bestow the Nine Revolutions Spirit Restoration Pills, I shall offer six hundred Sprouting Bud Pills as well."

Qingming’s expression stirred again. Returning to the Heaven Realm, the anxiety that had tightened her chest finally settled.

The Sprouting Bud Pill is a mid-grade Immortal Pill, Tai Huang Dao Lord’s exclusive proprietary formula, equally difficult to refine.

While the Nine Revolutions pill restores divine consciousness, the Sprouting Bud pill enhances cultivation.

It was clear that both Dao Lords recognized the current state of the Dao Gate; offering such a quantity of Immortal Pills was an attempt to placate unrest.

After a few exchanges between Qing Xuan and Tai Huang, the oppressive atmosphere within the Hall of Ten Thousand Souls Lamp shifted.

"The injury to the disciples' primordial spirits is one concern. My second worry remains that boy, Zong Shou! Even though the Vastness Dao now possesses four Ultimate Realm experts, none make me as wary as this individual."

Qing Xuan’s expression remained displeased and morose: "This child rules the nation of Great Qian, and his sword mastery has reached the heavens. Now, besides Saint-Realm cultivators, he is virtually unrivaled in the Cloud Realm. If this person returns to the Cloud Realm, how should our Dao Gate respond? Eliminating him is not difficult, but it risks offending the Lu Family of the Burning Sky Continent. However, if we allow him to grow unchecked, he will inevitably become an overwhelming cosmic force, impossible to shake. This will endanger our Dao Gate's century-long grand plan—"