Xu Fu stood still in the void, hands clasped behind his back. A half-smile played on his lips as he gazed into the distance ahead.

There, a lone figure stood blocking his path. And behind him, an equally perilous spiritual sense locked onto his very Yuanshen.

It was like a predator on the hunt; the slightest movement from him would bring an immediate strike.

Yet, Xu Fu seemed unfazed, treating the situation with serene indifference.

This very demeanor caused surprise in the figure opposite. Emerging from the black mist was none other than Daoist Qingxuan: "Seeing your composure, you don't seem surprised?"

"It should be said that it was entirely within expectation!"

Xu Fu nodded: "From the moment I, Xu Fu, resolved to lend strength to His Majesty, the Qian Emperor, I foresaw this. I expected that Daoist Lords Qingxuan and Taihuang would inevitably have questions."

"Oh? Truly worthy of the name Penglai Recluse, your calculations are impeccable—"

Daoist Lord Taihuang also stepped leisurely out of the fog, his eyes flickering slightly: "Then Fellow Daoist Xu, you must surely know why the two of us have come?"

Inadvertently, they had positioned themselves on either side of Xu Fu, sandwiching him with Qingxuan, compressing the space Xu Fu could utilize to its absolute limit.

Even though the two were currently using External Avatars, they were still suppressed by the Twelve Town-Guarding Bronze Men. Facing them, Xu Fu had absolutely no chance of escaping their presence.

However, instead of answering, Xu Fu posed a counter-question: "Fellow Daoists, are you employing the technique of Yiqi Hua Sanqing? Such external avatars are extensions of your primary Yuanyun entities. If these are reduced to dust here, though it won't affect your true bodies, recovering them would be exceedingly difficult, causing some hindrance, wouldn't it?"

Qingxuan paused upon hearing this, wondering what Xu Fu was attempting to convey.

He then heard the latter smile once more: "I advise you both to retreat quickly while you still can. If you delay, unforeseen disasters may befall you."

At these words, Qingxuan and Taihuang exchanged glances, feeling even more bewildered and perplexed.

Taihuang shook his head, too dismissive to probe the meaning further. Though this avatar was not his main body, it possessed sixty percent of his true power.

Its depletion would certainly be troublesome. However, unless Li Biexue genuinely intended to turn hostile against the two of them, they could handle any sudden change.

Since their true bodies were safe, only if Li Biexue had gone mad would he strike at these avatars.

"Save the empty talk. Daoist Friend Xu, you only need to explain clearly: why did Li Biexue discard the previous agreement, and how were you, Xu Fu, persuaded by Zong Shou—"

"My two Daoist Brothers truly possess the sharpest perception! What Li Biexue plots, and why I, Xu Fu, returned to the Cloud Realm, indeed concerns the same matter. It is something that can allow Li Biexue to attain Dao, and also allow me, Xu Fu, to break the Qin Emperor’s forbidden technique."

As he spoke this, the expressions of both Qingxuan and Xu Fu tightened slightly.

To enable Li Biexue to attain Dao? What sort of divine treasure was currently in Zong Shou’s possession?

Xu Fu’s tone shifted again, accompanied by a slight smile: "It’s just that I fear you two Daoists no longer have the chance. If you don't leave now, it will truly be too late."

He let out an 'En' sound, looking thoughtfully into the distance: "It is already too late!"

Others could not perceive it, but he shared a peculiar resonance with the True Spirit of the Qin Emperor.

He could now clearly sense that the True Spirit imprint of the Qin Emperor within the Twelve Town-Guarding Bronze Men was being quietly replaced, erased—

In truth, he felt little guilt about betraying Zong Shou. However, his way of navigating the world was to always stand beside the victor.

And both the Great Qian Dynasty and the Cang Sheng Dao sect were currently like the morning sun, ascending.

Crucially, Ao Kun would never erase the Qin Emperor's curse imprint for someone who betrayed his sworn brother.

Therefore, how he answered Qingxuan and Taihuang today was already predetermined.

Qingxuan’s eyes flashed with anger; he was growing visibly annoyed.

Then he looked up at the sky and saw countless vast white lights pouring into the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Spirit Slaughtering Array.

First, Qingxuan was stunned, then his expression abruptly changed.

Xu Fu also showed surprise: "Is this the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder?"

In an instant, their expressions drastically altered. This was a variable they had not anticipated in the slightest beforehand.

The Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder interrogated the mind and manifested in response to one's Qi. It was one of the most perilous types of tribulation lightning during the ultimate realm calamity.

It possessed no inherent destructive force, but once unleashed, even someone like Xu Fu would have no possibility of surviving the tribulation.

All beings possess Qi, and Qi arises from the heart. The divine power controlled by a deity, amassed from the collective will of countless people, is essentially a form of 'Qi'. Similarly, the Imperial Way Qi possessed by a sovereign ruler is generated from the confluence of a nation's momentum and the populace's intentions.

A righteous person, performing good deeds consistently, radiates grand, upright Qi, surrounded by the gratitude and benevolent thoughts of others. A wicked person, having committed evils and incurred resentment, is naturally enveloped by malevolent Qi and resentment. A lustful and greedy individual is encircled by sinister Qi.

Although the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder is said to interrogate the mind, if one's thoughts are unified during the tribulation, they can usually evade it.

But one’s surrounding Qi cannot be controlled in this manner, so no one has ever been able to directly withstand the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder and emerge unscathed.

In this world, individuals representing absolute good, absolute evil, absolute madness, or absolute wickedness cannot exist.

Yet, the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder tribulation is one of the rarest tribulations in heaven and earth, only triggered under extremely specific circumstances.

How is this Zhu Zi able to control it? And with such immense might?

"This is not the true Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder; it only resembles it!"

Taihuang shook his head, falling into deep thought: "I once heard this Zhu Zi claim in his early years that he wanted to fashion a lightning technique mimicking this tribulation to punish evil and promote good. The kind-hearted survive, the wicked perish. If everyone practiced virtue, the rule of the three ancient dynasties could be restored. Has he truly succeeded?"

"How is that possible!"

Qingxuan sneered: "It still contains the essence of the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder. Who knows where this Zhu Zi gathered the material? Combined with his half-baked lightning technique, it creates a composite monster. Only the most purely virtuous in the world can survive it; even Zhu Zi himself might not emerge unscathed if he took that lightning head-on."

With a cold chuckle, Qingxuan's disdain grew: "This fellow has certainly gone to great lengths! Only because the Holy Monarch carries remnants of malevolent Sha will he perish under the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder. Because he perishes under the Nine Profound Returning Concealment Divine Probing Thunder, Zong Shou is definitely not a true Sage, nor a Holy Monarch. Therefore, the Li School remains the orthodox path of Heaven and Earth. Thus, Zong Shou must die today—"

Xu Fu’s complexion had been fluctuating between pale and ashen, but in the next instant, a thought stirred in his heart, recalling the black Qilin he once saw Zong Shou summon in the Qin Emperor’s tomb.

When combined with the technique of black and white, it drove away all evil Sha, purifying everything in its path.

That scene had left a deep impression on him. "The Black and White Qilin? Or perhaps—"

Xu Fu's mind settled, and the look of indifferent amusement returned to his eyes. He casually produced a mass of spiritual fluid and smeared it across his forehead.

But then, two thousand zhang away, a mass of pure white and clean Imperial Radiance shot into the heavens. Dragon roars and phoenix cries echoed, sounding like celestial music. (To be continued)