Lin Xuanxuan spoke softly, yet her words stirred the hearts of the five people present. Though she spoke only of Zong Shou, here, including Chu Xue and Shen Yuexuan, all held a glimmer of hope for attaining eternal life.

With the upheaval of heaven and earth, the limitation of forty-nine Saints at the Ultimate Realm no longer applied. This meant the coming millennium might be the optimal window for achieving the Dao.

If this chance was missed, who knew how long they would have to wait? Even if they achieved longevity later, it would likely be through unorthodox methods.

Zong Shou's gaze flickered briefly before settling back into calm. He frowned slightly.

"This upheaval of heaven and earth—is the timeframe truly only a thousand years? Does that mean Master Xi Zi also needs to complete his revival within this millennium?" Lin Xuanxuan offered a bitter smile; this was another matter causing her a headache.

The first difficulty in reviving Xi Zi was that the location sealing part of his body had yet to be found, and the second was the half-step True Realm entity lurking in the shadows with unknown, malicious intent. As for the forty-nine-person restriction, the Dao of the Common People didn't concern itself overly much.

If positions didn't open up, with the current strength of the four Ultimate Realm Saints in the Dao of the Common People, they could easily join forces to eliminate any Ultimate Realm expert they found displeasing. However, the current upheaval made things troublesome.

This domain world had existed for at least a million years. How many Ultimate Realm Saints had arisen and fallen during that span was unknown to anyone.

And within these thousand years, how many cultivators would accumulate enough power to seize a chance at the Dao was also hard to estimate. In the era following this millennium, the number of Ultimate Realm experts would far exceed the usual figures.

The Dao of the Common People might have to wait at least a hundred thousand years for a vacant Ultimate Realm position to appear. "Your Senior Brother and Elder Sister Yuan Jing are also working on solutions for this matter.

There’s no need to rush," Lin Xuanxuan sighed, sweeping her sleeve to gather all the contents of the great cauldron into her robes. Yet, Zong Shou was quick-handed and swift-eyed, plucking one item from the cauldron and passing it to Chu Xue.

It was an exquisitely styled pendant, inlaid with a ruby. It should be an Immortal Treasure capable of enhancing spiritual awareness.

Zong Shou only recognized at this last moment that it was likely Phoenix Blood Cloud Stone. Besides boosting spiritual thought, wearing this item could sharpen intuition and even offer premonitions of fortune or disaster.

For others, its effects might be negligible, but for a Grandmaster of Artifice or someone like Chu Xue, possessing a Battle Martial Physique, it was an undisputed supreme treasure. Innate spiritual patterns were also generated within this item, capable of healing injuries.

Though the effect was slight, it still counted as a miraculous treasure approaching the level of a semi-divine artifact. Lin Xuanxuan was initially puzzled, but upon close inspection, a wave of understanding washed over her, her gaze turning approving.

"Phoenix Blood Cloud Stone Pendant? Sharp eyes!

While this item is fine, Xue’er, you had best not use it often. Relying on it too much will only cause your intuition to stagnate—" Chu Xue, somewhat bewildered, felt that upon wearing the pendant, her spiritual awareness, normally weaker than her true force, began to suppress the latter.

The range of her spiritual probing expanded several times over, and the entire world seemed clearer. She could even sense Zong Shou’s next move.

She adored this sensation but still followed Lin Xuanxuan’s advice. She sequentially formed several seals, temporarily severing the mental connection with the Phoenix Blood Cloud Stone Pendant.

Lin Xuanxuan had not collected everything from the cauldron. At least half of what remained was a mass of chaotic, ash-gray gaseous energy.

This was the essence of life energy condensed over ten thousand years, yet it was not as pure as the previous Jade Essence Bright Marrow, being more mixed with terrestrial Qi. However, Zong Shou needn't worry about this; Xiaori had already scurried out on its own.

It spat out a small, earthy-yellow bead and began to swallow this life essence and terrestrial Qi bit by bit. "This is the Earth Sinking Pearl?

So that’s its function—" When the Xiu Yun Sect was annihilated back then, Xiaori had specifically taken out this recently formed Earth Sinking Pearl. Afterward, Zong Shou had always been puzzled as to why the creature never used it, but it turned out it was for this purpose.

That earthy-yellow jewel was clearly different from before; as soon as Xiaori expelled it, its inner power already carried a good deal of vital, benevolent energy. Now, after swallowing and merging with this life essence and terrestrial Qi, it emitted a radiance spanning nearly a thousand feet.

The area around this celestial altar was all ashen and dead. But under the illumination of this radiance, the colors began to shift, gradually recovering and transforming.

Legend spoke of the Qilin, that wherever it walked, the land became fertile, and harvests would follow. Did this legend originate from this very phenomenon?

Judging by the appearance of this Earth Sinking Pearl, it seemed to have become Xiaori's second Golden Core. Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal, so— Zong Shou peered closely and indeed saw a trace of sharp metallic energy contained within the Earth Sinking Pearl.

It was a sharp Metal aura born from the purest form of Earth essence. Zong Shou didn't pay it much mind; even if this Earth Sinking Pearl caused Xiaori to manifest some new divine ability, it wouldn't be anytime soon.

And besides this life essence and terrestrial Qi, there was a 'person' inside the cauldron. More accurately, it was a human body frozen within a block of Eternal Profound Ice.

Zong Shou had seen countless beautiful women in his life—Zhao Yanran's eyes, Su Xiaoxiao's allure, Chu Xue's sweet innocence—all were peerless beauties of the mortal realm. Yet, none compared to the person inside this profound ice.

Her skin was like mutton-fat jade, shining brighter than snow. Her face was like a crescent moon, with cherry lips.

Her features were exquisitely perfect, achieving a state of flawlessness. Sleeping within this block of Eternal Profound Ice, she was likely not dead, merely having her vitality frozen.

However, after tens of thousands of years, reviving this person would require some effort. "Is she a concubine buried with Emperor Qin?" Zong Shou speculated, knowing that in ancient times, when a king died, his concubines—other than the main empress—were often buried alive to prevent loneliness after death.

He thought the Qin Emperor must have held this woman in exceptionally high regard; instead of granting her death, he merely froze her in profound ice. Xi Zi was also strange, hiding this woman's body in the cauldron to prevent the deathly miasma from consuming her.

Was this a display of tenderness? Yuan Wushang and Shen Yuexuan examined closely, while Su Xiaoxiao pouted, a hint of sourness in her tone.

"She’s truly beautiful. Does such a stunning person really exist in this world—" Lin Xuanxuan glanced at the few people momentarily lost in admiration of the person in the ice, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Don't be mistaken; this person is male!" If it were a woman, she would have already taken her away for proper study. "Male?" Zong Shou was momentarily stunned, then looked again carefully, indeed noticing a faint Adam's apple on the throat.

Yuan and Shen, standing nearby, also blushed slightly. However, both were figures whose composure was legendary; the latter maintained a façade of absolute propriety, making it hard to discern any true embarrassment.

Su Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief; no matter how beautiful, he was still a man— Zong Shou instinctively recalled Cha Houhu; in terms of sheer looks, he was the only male acquaintance who could compare. But who exactly was this person?

To warrant such great care from Xi Zi, preserving his life, he must possess extraordinary qualities. He was clad in silver-white armor—the standard battle gear of the First Qin—and evidently held a high rank.

However, the First Qin favored black, and this was the only one whose armor was silver-white. "He should be a great general from the First Qin era; but who could it be?" Yuan Wushang also guessed, "I heard that during the Cloud Barren Era, before the First Emperor of Qin, there was a peerless general, Lord Wu’an, whose appearance was also womanly, of devastating beauty—" Lord Wu’an had died before the First Emperor of Qin ascended the throne.

Although the Cloud Realm was unified under the First Emperor of Qin, many military strategists believed that the Qin’s success in sweeping the world was entirely due to this Lord Wu’an. He had led campaigns, crushing the main forces of the world's great powers.

The three major states that stood equal to the First Qin at the time had been utterly crippled by Lord Wu’an, their vital manpower decimated, their foundations severely damaged, allowing Qin to become uniquely dominant. This led to his merits overshadowing the sovereign, and it was rumored he was forced to commit suicide.

"Impossible! The timeline doesn't match—" Shen Yuexuan shook his head, pondering.

"It could also be Meng Tian, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, or Li Xin. But I haven't heard that any of them possessed such stunning beauty?

Could it be Lord Long Yang?" Zong Shou listened from the side, too lazy to guess. He thought the further they speculated, the more outlandish the guesses became.

However, it was a fact that many great generals under the First Emperor of Qin died off in the few decades after he unified the realm, and several were executed after his death. After some thought, Zong Shou eventually put away the block of profound ice.

If he was in a good mood later, he would revive him and see. With the Life-Death Epiphyllum, he happened to possess the necessary divine ability.

Seeing this, the others also collected their thoughts. They all knew the Corpse Army was approaching and began their preparations.

Lin Xuanxuan cast over three thousand formation flags, arranging them outside the celestial altar into a circular Yin-Yang Taiji pattern. Once the formation was complete, golden flames ignited within the flags, dispelling the corpse energy.

It blended seamlessly with the array left by Xi Zi, connecting perfectly. It was clear she had been completely familiar with the array here before entering.

This flag formation was specifically prepared to counter the Corpse Army. Shen Yuexuan was a master of arrays but could not deploy one here.

Instead, he took out countless components, and the others watched as exactly two hundred puppets wielding crimson bows and arrows were rapidly assembled. They guarded the top of the celestial altar.

One hundred Red Shield Puppets guarded the steps below. Yuan Wushang pasted talismans all around the celestial altar.

His Myriad Spirit Void Divine Ability could either drain all spiritual energy from an area or guide and converge it, ensuring those present could use their spiritual techniques without fear of energy depletion. Zong Shou also exerted his full effort, releasing Little Golden Han Xi and the Crimson Fire Golden Ants, concealing them within Lin Xuanxuan’s Red Flag Golden Flame Array.

He himself sat cross-legged in the center of the celestial altar, prepared to merge with the Buddhist power of Vows at any moment to condense the Boundless Beginning and End Buddha Body. This celestial altar occupied a prime location, gathering nearly half of this Minor Thousand World's spiritual veins, making it the optimal Dharma Altar.

With Lin Xuanxuan and the others guarding him, he could safely let his primordial spirit depart. (To be continued)