Beyond them, the incandescent storm of time and space still raged. Countless black rifts flickered incessantly, vanishing the next moment. All the Spirits of Time and Space were utterly agitated, churning like vortices.

If this were merely a Minor World shattering, it would not cause such a commotion.

However, simultaneously breaking apart was a massive Two Poles Gathering Dragon Formation.

When the explosion occurred, it affected sixty worlds; the periphery had gradually quieted down. Yet, around the Cloud Realm, the situation showed no sign of improvement.

Zong Shou currently resided within an egg-shaped fragment of spacetime.

The surrounding environment, for a region roughly three thousand zhang around him, was perfectly preserved. Maintained by the immense essence of Dragon Qi, from the topmost palace to the subterranean vault, everything retained its original form.

This kept the spatial fragment from collapsing further.

Zong Shou still sat atop the stone tortoise. He was completely naked; his clothes had long since been pulverized into dust during the impact of the Dragon Qi essence.

His skin, at this moment, resembled flawless white jade, crystal clear and utterly immaculate.

This was the result of being broken down and reconstructed hundreds of times over, perfecting the physical body by meticulously mending every flaw and deficiency until it reached absolute perfection.

At this point, even Zong Shou himself was unaware of the extent his physical body had reached. How much had his strength increased—

It was inconvenient and inappropriate to test this newfound power right now. However, Zong Shou had allowed Chu Xue to try; even a strike from a peak Immortal Weapon had only managed to scratch a line of blood across him.

This was partly due to Chu Xue’s insufficient cultivation and lack of Dao power; a cultivator in the Saint Realm would certainly not have achieved such a result.

Nevertheless, the sheer might of Zong Shou's physical body was evident from this.

The foundational flaws Zong Shou had acquired by prematurely advancing to the Divine Realm were largely rectified by this impossibly resilient body.

It would only take some time to fully repair, about the same time normal advancement would require—no significant impact.

That true essence of Dragon Qi remained incomparably vast, continuously washing into his body.

But it was no longer like scores of days ago, when it nearly burst his physical form apart.

Zong Shou had grown accustomed to it now, even wishing these vital essences could be endless.

His current body required a massive influx of pure vital energy for even the slightest improvement.

Under normal cultivation, achieving such a tiny gain would take a century.

“The Saint Realm possesses an Indestructible Body, allowing them to wield the primal power of the Great Dao. My body should also qualify as indestructible. I wonder how it compares to the Ultimate Realm?”

Zong Shou mused, then looked down at his palm. A mass of spiraling, black-and-white energy, resembling a Yin-Yang fish, hovered above it.

It was neither true power nor manifested from spiritual consciousness, but Immortal Force.

Moreover, it was no longer the meager three wisps he possessed before. Now, nearly ninety percent of the true power and soul energy within him had fused into Immortal Force.

“Is this the Divine Realm?”

A sword capable of resisting a Saint-tier cultivator, like the one he used before, could only be drawn three times at most.

But now, he could wield it for three days and three nights without fear of depletion—this was a fundamental enhancement.

Once the conversion to Immortal Force was complete, the next step would be further purification based on that Immortal Force.

This was typically reserved for the Saint Realm and beyond, but Zong Shou had mastered the Unity of Spirit and Martial Arts since his Innate stage. He estimated he could start this process early, perhaps by the mid-Divine Realm.

By the time he broke through to the Ultimate Realm, the purity of his Immortal Force would reach a level unimaginable to ordinary people.

At that moment, Su Xiaoxiao, still nestled in his embrace, unconsciously stirred.

Zong Shou immediately let out a low groan; a thrilling, numb pleasure surged within the warm paradise of her lower body, causing his blood to rush and his mind to drift toward ecstasy.

This sitting posture, derived from the dual cultivation technique, was a solution he had devised on a whim then: to use himself as a barrier, filtering and intercepting the harmful, dead Dragon Qi meant for Su Xiaoxiao.

At that time, enduring it felt like torture, overwhelming pain, but he barely noticed.

But now, it was almost unbearable. Cradled in his arms was Su Xiaoxiao’s graceful, slender, and perfectly sculpted erotic form. Just holding her made his mind restless, filled with wanton thoughts.

That unique, feminine fragrance occasionally drifted into his nostrils, inciting fantasies. Her small chest was anything but small; it was magnificent in scale. Pressed against his chest, their skin touching, it possessed an elasticity that was indescribably comfortable, yet made his heart itch unbearably. Especially the two crimson points on her chest, which were particularly alluring.

The worst part was below, where his essence met its sheath. Even without moving, the sensation was bone-deep arousal.

Zong Shou could only try his best to distract himself, forcing his mind away from such thoughts.

Otherwise, he truly wished to push Su Xiaoxiao down and engage in a fierce battle for three hundred rounds.

But the problem was that although he had remade Xiaoxiao’s foundation, she was still in a state of comatose, feigned death.

If he acted on his impulses now, what difference would he be from a beast?

Yet, his lower abdomen felt as if it were burning. That branch of his being was also engorged with blood, swelling to its limit. His heart ached, urging him to move—

“Young Master, you look quite comfortable and blissful right now?”

A cold snort came from beside him. Zong Shou violently shook his head, expelling all the seductive thoughts from his mind.

He then saw Chu Xue looking at him with an expression tinged with disdain.

“What comfortable? Xue'er, do you think I had any other choice then? I told you, it was a necessary evil—”

Zong Shou let out a cold snort, though his face flushed slightly, showing a hint of embarrassment. However, he had always possessed a thick skin; Chu Xue, with her cultivation level, absolutely couldn't perceive it.

“Focus on digesting this essence. Cultivate properly and mind your own business. Do you think it’s easy for your Young Master to separate out this essence?”

Inside this eggshell-like Minor World fragment, the essence and primal energy were as thick as liquid.

While this maintained the spatial fragment, it also kept the essence trapped within.

But he didn't assume Chu Xue could use this essence. The Dragon Qi mixed within remained fatal, something ordinary people couldn't withstand.

Since Zong Shou couldn't absorb it all himself, he transformed a portion of it, allowing Chu Xue and her five Divine Beasts, along with Little Jin and the others, to benefit as well.

Even if they couldn't raise their realm immediately, they could, like him, strengthen their physical bodies.

Zong Shou’s gaze drifted, momentarily lost. Chu Xue at this moment was also completely naked.

The essence was too potent and