The news Cihou Hu reported was that the Night Demon Clan and the Asura Clan had reached an accord. This was a minor matter; there had never been significant conflict between these two great clans, merely some skirmishes along the border. However, Cihou Hu knew that over the past three years, the Night Demon Clan had concluded nearly half of their ongoing wars. They had even significantly retreated from some worlds they had occupied. Naturally, this could not mean the Night Demon Clan was weakening and unable to sustain their efforts. Such a large-scale contraction of influence was merely pulling their fist back, preparing to strike out with even greater force! And whatever this clan was plotting, the objective capable of commanding the Night Demon Clan’s full attention must be imaginable. They do not move unless they do, but when they do, it will surely be like thunder!

Zong Shou sighed; this was yet another piece of bad news that plunged his spirits to rock bottom. The infighting within the Lu family, the disputes between the Daoist and Confucian sects, the opening of the Qin Emperor’s Tomb, and now the imminent invasion by the Night Demons—all these matters arrived in a chaotic rush, myriad and tangled, leaving him stretched thin and giving him an intense headache. The issues in the Cloud Realm had not been fully resolved before new adversaries emerged. He had held some expectations for the Central Plains region, but by this time, he had to abandon them entirely. That Tianfang World, he absolutely had to hold onto it!

Zong Shou couldn't help but look up at the sky. Was he truly forced to compromise with that Qingxuan Taihuang? Allowing the flames of war to spread to the Cloud Realm was likely something Qingxuan Zhuzi would also wish to avoid. But were these few Saint Venerables of the Ultimate Realm truly so noble and selfless? It would be a mercy if they weren't actively undermining him behind his back. Even he himself was reluctant to simply agree to peace—in that case, the Twelve Bronze Men in the Qin Emperor’s Tomb were an absolute necessity. And now, he felt an overwhelming sense that time was slipping away. 'It all comes down to my strength being too weak, my cultivation too low...'

Zong Shou shook his head, forcibly suppressing the urgent anxiety. Increasing his own power and strength was the most pressing task, yet the path of cultivation could absolutely not be rushed. 'However, this time, I owe Brother Cha another favor. Speaking of which, is this person male or female?' Occupying the Tianfang Realm already fulfilled his agreement with Cihou Hu; by rights, the two sides were no longer indebted to each other. But the help provided by the Asura Clan could not be calculated so simply. The two groups were previously unrelated, but it was only thanks to Cihou Hu’s timely warning that Zong Shou realized there was a colossal force tens of worlds away, eyeing the Cloud Realm menacingly. It had already, silently, completed its preparations and was poised to strike. Massively expanding the army within the Cloud Realm and redirecting focus back to the Outer Domains was now an imperative.

Sighing again, Zong Shou felt as though he had aged ten years. He shook his head and picked up a Daoist scripture titled The Evil Cloud Strategy. It should be called a demonic scripture, as the vital energy swirling around the text exuded a trace of crazed wickedness. The book’s grade was not high, merely Fourth Grade Superior Rank. In the mundane martial world, it would be an excellent and rarely seen martial art. But to someone like him, who commanded the Great Dao methods, easily surpassing the Ninth Grade Heaven Shaking Level One, it was undoubtedly trash, unworthy of mention.

Yet Zong Shou studied it intently, occasionally sinking into deep thought. These demonic texts were forcibly seized from the demonic sects that had fallen under his hand. They could not be placed in the library of Qiantian Mountain, but they were quite useful to Zong Shou. To forge the foundation of the character ‘Dao,’ he required mastery over a vast number of demonic methods. Everything in the world has Yin and Yang, opposing sides; he could not afford to ignore these demonic arts simply because they were too vicious. And this book in his hand, though not high in grade, was perfect for initiating him. It contained several remarkable insights that could provoke deep thought. If he couldn't adopt the whole system, he could simply discard the dross. 'Truly excellent! If I had cultivated this book back then, the speed at which I broke through the Heavenly Human barrier might have been even faster. But demonic methods are like that—easy at the start, increasingly arduous later on. All those trickery techniques burn out one's own life potential, forcing one to only plunder others.'

Whether it was Yin-Yang cultivation techniques or various blood sacrifice arts, they were all designed for this purpose. He acknowledged that the Heaven Swallowing Primordial Transformation Art he commanded could be considered one of the peak demonic methods. 'Hmm? What is that?'

Zong Shou’s gaze flickered outward with suspicion. Was it coincidence? Without dwelling on it, his figure flashed, and he appeared outside the Jade Carriage. He then saw a pitch-black object hurtling across the void. It was about ten thousand zhang away, about to slice overhead. Following closely behind that ball of black light were the figures of over a dozen cultivators, each blurred into a streak of light. Their cultivation was surprisingly formidable; one woman among them clearly possessed Divine Realm strength. Zong Shou gave a cold glance, channeled his magic power into a sky-supporting great hand, and reached out to seize the black light cluster forcefully. Once in hand, he realized it was an iron plate. Dark and utterly featureless, he couldn't discern the material—it was neither metal nor jade nor stone, shaped vaguely like a pair of wings. 'Strange!'

Zong Shou's face immediately showed astonishment. This object actually blocked his spiritual sense, preventing him from probing its nature. Ahead, the dozen or so cultivators halted, staring over with looks of stunned shock. The leading woman with Divine Realm power was particularly pale. Three thousand Iron Cavalry escorting, countless high-level Spirit Masters accompanying, and a Jade Carriage pulled by forty-nine dragons. In the southeast of the Cloud Realm, only one person was qualified to present such a magnificent retinue!

Zong Shou’s spiritual sense expanded further. About seven hundred li away, he detected ruins beneath the dark abyss. Even from the broken walls and scattered tiles, it was clear this place had once been an incomparably majestic and grand palace. 'A ruin from the Middle Ancient Era?'

Zong Shou's eyes showed surprise. This must be a section that sank into the dark abyss after the Cloud Desolation, and its age could not exceed eight thousand years. It seemed as if it had been forcefully smashed down. Right beside the ruins, there was a distinct handprint, approximately thirty thousand zhang in size. Even if not a Saint Venerable of the Ultimate Realm, it must have been the work of someone in the Saint Realm! Traces of spiritual formations lingered within, and many restrictive talismans had only recently been destroyed. Many cultivators were still searching inside. It seemed this was indeed a coincidence. The spiritual formations of this Middle Ancient ruin must have developed a flaw, drawing numerous cultivators here to seek opportunities.

But what exactly was this black iron of unknown material in his hand? Not understanding, Zong Shou directly addressed the dozen cultivators before him: "What treasure is this item in my hand?" The cultivators exchanged glances. Until one man from the rear bowed respectfully, his face also filled with confusion, and replied: "We do not know either, my Lord. After the seal was broken, this item flew away on its own. We assumed it was a divine iron useful for artifact refining, so we pursued it relentlessly. Surely even Your Majesty cannot identify the material of this thing?" Zong Shou scanned them, half-believing, half-doubting.

These people truly didn't know? Yet the material in his hand was undeniably extraordinary; it should be excellent for artifact refining. His gaze finally settled on the female Divine Realm expert. The others displayed genuine confusion, radiating sincerity without pretense. Only this woman, though her face showed bewilderment, betrayed a flash of subtle, hard-to-detect annoyance deep within her eyes. The others might truly be ignorant, but this woman certainly knew something. Furthermore, her identity compelled his attention. Zong Shou's eyes narrowed, flashing with a dangerous killing intent.

The woman instantly perceived it, reacting like a startled cat whose tail had been stepped on, every hair standing on end as she assumed a defensive posture: "I heard Your Majesty recently made peace with our Demonic Path. Do you intend to break the agreement? My hands have not been stained with the blood of your subjects, nor have I entered the borders of Great Qian. Merely for an object of unknown origin and purpose, does Your Majesty intend to kill?" Zong Shou frowned and let out a cold, sharp sound, ultimately suppressing the killing intent. His status was too high, too conspicuous; it was inconvenient to act against this woman personally. "Who are you? Do you know what this item is?" "I call myself Demon Lotus; my friends call me Madam Demon Lotus!"

The woman, fearful of provoking Zong Shou, dared not show the slightest disrespect, keeping her eyes downcast. However, she deliberately avoided answering Zong Shou’s direct question. "As to what this item is, Demon Lotus truly does not know. I only know its value must be extraordinary. However, if Your Majesty would be so kind as to lend it to Demon Lotus for inspection, perhaps the truth may be revealed..."

Zong Shou listened, appearing thoughtful as he observed the woman. Her response was perfectly evasive, giving him no advantage. But he felt that this woman held an unusually intense longing for the wing-shaped black iron in his hand. His spiritual sense faintly perceived that this object was likely quite important, and it must not fall into her hands. "No need. You may all depart!" With a direct wave of his sleeve, he signaled for the dozen individuals to move away. Zong Shou vanished in a flash and returned inside his carriage. As for the black iron piece, he tossed it directly into his Sumeru Spatial Ring. Though the object was bizarre, as long as something similar had ever appeared in this world, he would be able to ascertain its nature.

The three thousand Iron Cavalry and the Jade Carriage departed in grandeur. The dozen or so cultivators also left in succession. Some chose to return to the ruins, while others departed entirely. Only Demon Lotus remained suspended in the void, staring in the direction the carriage had gone with an incomparably grim expression. Just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared at her side. "How could this divine treasure end up in his hands? It is too much of a coincidence—could it truly be fate? If he possessed this item, the Blood Saint Demon Lord could directly step into the Ultimate Realm."

Madam Demon Lotus cast a strange look at the person beside her. He spoke of nobility, but if he truly obtained this treasure, he would never hand it over to that Blood Saint Demon Lord. Between the two of them, a battle to the death would instantly erupt. This was because the item was too peculiar, and too significant. "The Xuan Holding Dharma Wing, it is most likely this treasure!" Madam Demon Lotus shook her head. "I never expected that the ruins of this Middle Ancient Xu Xuan Sect would hide this divine treasure. Regardless of what, this matter must be reported to Lord Yuan Mo."