The Yuan-magnetic force surrounding Xu Fu had always served as a powerful shield. Yet, the 'luck' with which that single blade-shadow moved was so incredible it verged on the outrageous. It weaved through the magnetic fields entirely unaffected, sometimes even borrowing momentum from them. Its speed was incomprehensible; in the blink of an eye, it was directly before Xu Fu’s eyes. It pierced straight through, boring a clean hole right through the soul-form in his throat. Xu Fu’s expression was one of sheer astonishment, but his body immediately began to dissolve. Yet, moments later, his presence reappeared nearby, not far off. Though it was a form of the primordial soul, making his expression unreadable, the figures below simultaneously sensed that Xu Fu’s mood must be utterly grim.

After that single strike, Mingri Xuan made no further move. His body seemed to grow even more ethereal, yet he offered a faint smile and said, “Elder Xu Fu, it seems this mere incarnation is not enough to extinguish me. Moreover, this is only a stray soul-fragment; while you may not have taken it seriously, neither have I. Even if it were annihilated here, it would cause me no harm.”

Xu Fu let out a cold snort, his chilling gaze sweeping across the entire city before finally settling on the southern expanse of Xianyang. “Do you truly think I cannot locate your true body?”

“It is indeed in that direction!”

Mingri Xuan actually offered a slight nod, his face a mask of admiration. “But I surmise that Elder can only know the general vicinity, correct? If you truly were to find me now, I would have no recourse but to flee in ignominy.”

Xu Fu’s eyes flickered, and he cast another glance over Zong Shou and the others. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a cold snort: “Very well. Since you insist on being my enemy, then look out for yourselves!” With that, he flicked his sleeve. With a shimmer, he vanished from the spot.

That vast, encompassing will receded like a surging tide.

Zong Shou immediately let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding; confronting this Soul Pressure of the Ultimate Realm was anything but easy. He found himself anticipating the prospect of facing someone of Xu Fu’s caliber. Unless Guan Zizai and Jing Yin from the outside could summon all the high monks of the Cloud Realm and complete the recitation of the Limitless Prayer Sutra of the Future to borrow the power of the Buddha of Beginning and End for him— Otherwise, facing this individual, he was entirely without the strength to resist.

The crimson-robed figure, though late in the Saint Realm, was nothing compared to the two before him; it was the difference between heaven and earth. Though the gap in cultivation was merely a hairline fracture, the disparity in actual power spanned millions—they were simply not comparable.

“There is no need to worry! This one is currently stationed within the Epang Palace, his true body immobilized. At most, he can only deploy such a detached soul-incarnation.” Once Xu Fu’s soul-sense had completely dissipated, Mingri Xuan turned back. “Before this person can locate my true body, he should not have the surplus power to concern himself with other matters. Not all of the Qin Emperor’s subordinates obey this one, either. The most he can mobilize are his own disciples. You four should be cautious; they are unlikely to overpower you in a short time.”

His tone was arrogant, utterly self-assured, yet no one found it jarring or inappropriate. To force back a cultivator of the Ultimate Realm with mere an external incarnation—even if it was also a fragment of the soul—was enough to command awe.

Zong Shou, however, looked at the celestial altar beneath him with doubt clouding his eyes. He was intensely puzzled. He could now see that a completely new restrictive formation was spreading outward from the altar’s surroundings. Not only was it interfering with the circulation of the Two Poles Dragon Convergence Array, but it was slowly eroding it, constantly attempting to seize control of the inscribed spiritual patterns. This phenomenon itself was exceedingly strange. Currently, this altar was effectively providing a brand-new core for the Two Poles Dragon Convergence Array. But this action, by its very nature, should not be permitted; it would be rejected instantly by the entire grand formation. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to achieve. Before completion, it would be completely crushed by the original restrictive formation.

“Creation, fundamentally, is bringing something from nothing—generating or fabricating things that did not exist before. For us, this is naturally unbelievable, but for a Lord of Creation, it is a simple matter.” Mingri Xuan smiled, his words tinged with respect. However, he knew Zong Shou’s true confusion lay elsewhere, not just in the formation. “But you wonder why Xu Fu hasn’t sent anyone to destroy this altar? It is not that he cannot, but that he will not. Since Xi Zi left this contingency, how could he not have a countermeasure for it? As for the Corpse Generals in the tomb, they cannot approach. As for Xu Fu himself, he places great expectations upon this location! He would be struggling to preserve it with all his might; why would he personally destroy it?”

“Places great expectations?”

Yuan Wushang looked momentarily stunned, then quickly realized: “I see now!” Thinking it over, it wasn't strange. Although Xu Fu was controlled by the Qin Emperor, how could such an arrogant person be content without seeking a way to break free? He likely harbored caution and suspicion toward the resurrected Qin Emperor. From Xu Fu’s previous words, one could discern his attitude toward this matter. With Xi Zi’s restrictive formation present, it provided some measure of restraint, so naturally, he would not proactively damage it. Even during the prior battle between Xu Fu and Mingri Xuan, the former seemed restrained, afraid of causing collateral damage to this altar.

“To make a long story short, this fragment of my soul is already exhausted; it will likely dissipate within moments,” Mingri Xuan said calmly. “Though Xu Fu will not discard this place, it is crucial for neutralizing the Qin Emperor’s hand. I wish to request His Majesty to temporarily garrison this spot.”

Zong Shou frowned. Guard this altar? He had no such intention. Furthermore, this matter seemed fraught with unusual peril. Mingri Xuan spoke eloquently, but Zong Shou could sense that both the Qin Emperor’s Corpse Generals and Xu Fu himself would be utterly determined to seize this location. The strength of the four of them was wholly insufficient to cope.

‘Xu Fu cannot easily leave Epang Palace! His disciples are also no match for me, and they would certainly not dare leave Xu Fu’s protection. As for those millions of Corpse Lords, His Majesty possesses the Boundless Beginning and End Divine Ability, and leveraging the power of this altar, he should be able to manage them.’

Mingri Xuan finished speaking, and seeing Zong Shou’s expression remain impassive, he adopted a tone of helpless resignation. “Beneath this altar lie several spiritual artifacts left by Xi Zi. Only a direct descendant of the Cang Sheng Dao lineage can collect them. Over these ten thousand years, Mingri Xuan has diligently studied the ‘Fortune’ Divine Art, understanding the interdependence of destiny, and has gained some insight. I dare not hoard these minor divine abilities; they may prove beneficial to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is the sovereign of the Great Qian, and furthermore, a living Saint King. You bear the responsibility of protecting the land; I trust you will not refuse—”

Zong Shou was moved, yet he still did not agree. If it were only himself, it would be one thing, but accepting this now would lead all five of them into a trap. Even though Mingri Xuan was attempting to compel him with righteousness, he would never commit easily before fully understanding the situation within Xianyang City. There might be other ways to resolve this; one could not know. He had a nagging feeling that Mingri Xuan had ulterior motives, appearing less noble and venerable than his outward demeanor suggested.

Mingri Xuan looked helpless, but moments later, his gaze suddenly shifted: “I heard Your Majesty is skilled with flying daggers? Do you possess the Six Gods Control Blade Technique?”

Zong Shou was finally moved. That single strike Mingri Xuan had just used, which nearly annihilated an incarnation, had left a deep impression on him. If his guess was correct, this flying blade art and the Six Gods Control Blade Technique must share the same origin. He vaguely felt that this hermit, Mingri Xuan, might truly be about to offer a condition he could not refuse.

Just then, Mingri Xuan gave a slight beckoning gesture, and a streak of spiritual light shot across the distance towards them. Zong Shou’s expression changed slightly; within the Sumeru space in his sleeve, that Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Record reacted. The spiritual light arrived and settled into Mingri Xuan’s hand.

“What I used just now was not a flying dagger, but Geng Metal blade energy born from this very scroll, combined with the methods of destiny. This item, in Your Majesty’s hands, will likely be even more useful than it is to me.” What he now held was a scroll identical to Zong Shou’s Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Record—the same material, also covered in dense, yet profoundly esoteric spiritual patterns. A smile surfaced on Mingri Xuan’s face: “If Your Majesty is willing to guard this scroll here for three hours, I will offer it.”

Zong Shou stared blankly for a long time before regaining his composure. At this moment, he truly could not refuse. ※ ※ ※ ※

Only upon taking this second Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Record into his hand did Zong Shou understand why the hermit Mingri Xuan was willing to trade such a divine object. This scroll was indeed miraculous; by pouring true energy and spiritual consciousness into it simultaneously, it could generate a blade ‘qi’ imbued with the nature of immortal power, perhaps even a higher level. However, it required a long period of nurturing—perhaps a hundred years to cultivate a single strand, making it even more demanding than the Life-and-Death Underworld Flower. Moreover, this scroll only stored a maximum of three such ‘blade qi’ strands. At this moment, the demon-slaying blade qi within the scroll had long been exhausted, rendering it little different from junk. Even if he wished to use it, it would require another hundred years. Accelerating it with the Book of the Ages was possible, but who knew how many Immortal Stones it would consume to shorten the time?

However—

Sitting cross-legged upon the celestial altar, Zong Shou took out the other Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Record and merged them. The two scroll pages immediately fused as one, connecting with each other. Both underwent changes, and the page detailing the formation arrays and Dao Soldier techniques appeared significantly more complete.

“It seems there are even Dao Soldier techniques for the Profound and Yellow Ranks? Hmm? Are there higher tiers of Dao Soldiers in this world beyond the Heaven and Earth Ranks?” Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed, his heart filled with profound astonishment. If a single Heavenly Dipper Source Sea Demon Slaying Array could barely contend with a low-tier Saint Realm cultivator— Then what would a Dao Soldier composed entirely of Divine Realm cultivators, from a higher tier, be like?

“It couldn’t possibly exceed the Ultimate Realm? But this scroll is still incomplete; I cannot see the full picture—” The Profound and Yellow Rank Dao Soldier techniques in this Grand Supreme Demon Slaying Record appeared slightly stronger than the Great Qin’s Heavenly Dipper Sword Soldiers at first glance. Zong Shou had no intention of altering the structure of the Great Qian army, because the Profound and Yellow Rank techniques in this record were clearly methods for cultivating elite Dao Soldiers. Not only were they comparable to normal cultivators, but they were superior. Naturally, the threshold required for their practice was also extremely high. Furthermore, they offered greater advantages when practicing the Heaven and Earth Rank techniques later, resulting in stronger combat prowess and greater potential for breaking through to the Divine Realm.