The power contained within the Thousand-Eye Blood Pupil Stone was immense, surging through Zong Shou’s body. It caused the qi and blood within him to boil, refining all his true qi and soul power.

Yet, Zong Shou forcibly suppressed it, refusing to cross that boundary. At this moment, he subconsciously recalled Xiu Guan’s prior warning—advancing too quickly, beware of following the cautionary tale of Li Wuque!

Not only this foremost figure of the Cloud Realm, but even Long Ying and Lin Xuan Shuang had expressed similar concerns. Now, utilizing this Thousand-Eye Blood Pupil Stone, he could easily step into the late Immortal Realm.

However, did this also mean the hidden danger of an unstable foundation? Did he truly need to make such a move right now?

And did he have sufficient certainty that his foundation would remain unharmed? “To enter that Qin Emperor’s Tomb, every shred of strength is precious; stepping into the late Immortal Realm would nearly double my combat power.

This opportunity is truly one in a million.” Zong Shou mused silently, and as he did, an illusory projection of himself manifested within his mind. Displaying everything he possessed, one by one.

—The True Form of the Dao, the Black and White Dharmas, the unified Qi Sea of Yin and Yang. And all the great divine abilities, all the martial Dao spirit arts he had mastered, were fully revealed.

In the contemplation of his divine sense, streams and brooks appeared, finally converging in one place. Was his Dao foundation perhaps hollow?

Zong Shou watched quietly, and only after a moment did a slight smile touch his lips. “Master Xiu Guan was spot on!

My Dao foundation is indeed somewhat unsteady. However, for merely this small level shift, crossing over should be fine—” Some influence, but nothing critical.

It would only require a small amount of time to mend. Opening his eyes, a sharp glint flashed in Zong Shou’s stellar pupils.

He ceased his intentional suppression, and a torrent of majestic gang qi burst forth from his body, pushing outward in all directions. His physical energy and blood surged; it was almost effortless to breach that barrier!

Late Immortal Realm! As his true qi and soul power purified, Zong Shou gradually settled into deep meditation.

Like a withered tree, he sat cross-legged. The entire person seemed as though dead, devoid of any vital aura.

His breathing ceased, and every pore on his body tightened completely, his soul perception nearly vanishing without a trace. His entire body was almost entirely cut off from the heavens and earth, completely divided into two separate worlds: inside and outside.

This bizarre state deeply unsettled Xuanyuan Yiren and Kong Yao. If not for the persistent warmth emanating from Zong Shou’s body, they would have suspected he had died and achieved physical transcendence.

For an entire year, it passed just like that. Ten more days later, outside the Hall of Chronos, Zong Shou finally awoke from this state of suspended animation.

This was because a talisman had appeared in his hand. It was news from the Imperial Capital: the Revered State Preceptor had vanished.

He had left behind only an illusionary clone in the city. Meanwhile, Emperor Yuan Chen, Yin Yu, had not been seen by his court officials for three full days.

Rumor had it he was gravely ill. Furthermore, after countless cultivators scoured the land, some faint clues regarding the true location of the Qin Emperor’s Tomb had finally emerged.

“They are making moves already? It truly is the Double Ninth Festival—” At this moment, his entire body exuded a faint purple aura.

Zong Shou frowned, slightly retracting his magical power to suppress the pervasive violet mist around him. “Legend says that the great enlightened masters of antiquity possessed purple qi suffusing their bodies; this saying is certainly not false.” This purple energy was actually the result of interference and entanglement between his inner cosmos and the outer world.

Zong Shou had now achieved a complete inner cosmos; his body was almost equivalent to a functioning world unto itself. The next step was to continuously expand, nurture, and strengthen this ‘world.’ During this period of self-imposed isolation, he had aimed to thoroughly stabilize this ‘inner heaven and earth.’ Zong Shou then used his inner vision to examine his physical form.

He sensed an extremely unique energy circulating between the meridians and the soul sea. It possessed the characteristics of both true force and soul power simultaneously.

“Is this what is called Immortal Force?” Zong Shou pondered. According to the Daoist canons, if cultivators below the Divine Realm failed to master over thirty percent of Spiritual-Martial Unification before reaching the Divine Realm, they would likely never reach the Saint Realm in their lifetime, with only a few exceptional cases succeeding.

The reason lay precisely here: true force and soul energy combined within the inner cosmos could transform into Immortal Force. Before the Saint Realm, the greater the quantity and purity of this converted Immortal Force within the body, the higher the probability of reaching the Saint Realm.

Generally, however, Immortal Force was only expected to manifest upon reaching the Divine Realm. For him, it had appeared a full stage early, and moreover, it was quite pure.

However, considering his current fifty percent Spiritual-Martial Unification, it was not entirely surprising. When he was still in the Innate Realm, he could already achieve twenty percent unification.

Subsequently, for every major realm he ascended, the fusion degree between his soul power and true qi increased by ten percent. Reaching the Immortal Realm brought him to exactly fifty percent.

A full half-rate of fusion gave him an enormous advantage over others. Many gifted cultivators at this stage had only just completed their initial Spiritual-Martial Unification, managing perhaps twenty percent at most.

Though the ‘Immortal Force’ within him was but a mere trace, it brought immense delight. “I wonder what its true might is?” With a thought, Zong Shou summoned a top-tier magic treasure into his hand.

Applying slight pressure, the object was crushed into a mere metal disk in his palm. The artifact arrays inside lasted only a moment before yielding.

Zong Shou paused for a beat before recovering his composure. The reason Divine Realm cultivators looked down upon the Immortal Realm was due to the existence of Immortal Force.

Possessing it early meant he had preemptively grasped a portion of the power wielded by Immortal Realm experts. However, being able to crush a supreme magic treasure with his bare hands was also testament to his own exceedingly formidable physical body.

Zong Shou drew the Spirit Refining Sword and poured that trace of Immortal Force into its blade. The sword tip immediately spat out three feet of sharp, piercing purple sword energy.

Had Zong Shou not restrained it immediately, it would have surely scarred the wall. “If this strike were unleashed, its sword might would be at least ten times stronger than before!

And it is far more suited for the execution of Soul Realm sword intent—” The pity was the meager quantity; he could use it at most three times a day. The might of these three strikes could rival Ye Xuan’s full-power Great Circle Shocking Sword.

But after these three strikes, he would need a full day to recover. With a satisfied chuckle, Zong Shou willed the Chronos Book back into his Sea of Consciousness.

He had occupied this inner sanctum for nearly four months; continuing further would certainly not be welcomed by the Sword Buddha sects, even if they didn't voice their anxiety. Moreover, his spirit stones were depleted, with only the last reserve remaining—further persistence was impossible.

Stepping out of the Hall of Chronos, Zong Shou gazed westward. Only three short days remained until the ninth day of the ninth lunar month; it would arrive in a blink.