Though Grand Master Yuanjing desired speed above all else to reach the Tianfang World, the battle at the Imperial Capital had concluded, leaving Zong Shou with a multitude of loose ends to tie up.

Completely eradicating the bloodline of the Great Shang’s Yin clan required little effort from him; a single imperial edict proclaimed to the world was enough. No sect or great family in the Cloud Realm dared offer sanctuary, and countless others would gladly take up the task on his behalf. Next came the disposition of the Demon Gate forces, which also required arrangement. Had the armies of the Dark World Demon Court not pressed so fiercely, he would have personally led the legions to utterly annihilate every demonic sect! Beyond that, the Yin Vein Spirit Slaughtering Array, which had siphoned the vital essence and blood of eighteen million Imperial Capital citizens, also needed to be severed and destroyed.

However, the paramount concern remained Jin Buhui. The Nine Profound Return Concealment Divine Probing Thunder had not only failed to work but had instead repaired a portion of Jin Buhui’s nascent soul, though it remained incomplete.

“The good news is that I still have one Life and Death Underworld Flower left, which can restore your physical body. The bad news is that although your soul is now whole, Buhui, your cultivation remains difficult; you are capped at the Divine Realm, with a lifespan of six or seven thousand years. Still, there is hope for a complete restoration—” Zong Shou withdrew his hand that had been resting near Jin Buhui’s primal spirit, his face utterly expressionless. “Alternatively, if you choose reincarnation, we can borrow the power of the cycle of heaven and earth to mend the injuries to your soul. With my abilities, I might be able to preserve some of your memories.”

He couldn't ascertain which choice would be better for Jin Buhui. If he were to reincarnate, there was no telling where he might be born—perhaps not even in the Tianfang World. It would mean starting anew, fraught with considerable risk. A less fortunate outcome would be being born without any aptitude for cultivation. It was also highly possible, with no small chance, that the trauma to his soul would be further exacerbated during reincarnation, rather than being healed. Even if some memories were retained, they might not include everything that had transpired today—

In his view, it was perhaps better to remain as he was. Cultivation would be harder, but hope was not entirely lost. After the Nine Profound Return Concealment Divine Probing Thunder, truly few things in this world could repair Jin Buhui. Yet, not nothing. He refused to believe that, as the ruler of a nation, he could not find a solution. Ultimately, however, the decision rested with Jin Buhui himself.

Jin Buhui fell silent upon hearing this. After a long pause, he let out a dry laugh. “Reincarnation is better!”

Seeing Zong Shou's look of confusion, Jin Buhui offered a casual explanation: “Restoring the soul is simply too troublesome; reincarnation is easier. It will only delay things by a few decades. Besides, I finally played the part of a loyal minister and martyr; I should solidify that title. If I spring back to life, how will those Confucian scholars sing my praises?”

“Do you regret it?”

“My name is Buhui; what is there to regret?”

Zong Shou felt relief, yet a subtle sadness immediately settled in his chest. “It’s a pity Lei Dong isn't here—” If Lei Dong were present, he would surely join this close friend for a night of heavy drinking to vent the accumulated gloom in their hearts.

The method for reincarnation was not complex. Furthermore, Zong Shou had three Grand Masters beside him, plus Ming Rixuan, the great master of arts and numerology. With these four guarding and overseeing the process, Zong Shou easily cast Jin Buhui’s nascent soul into the Sea of Samsara.

Knowing that this parting might mean years before they met again, and wondering if Jin Buhui would even recognize him and Lei Dong then, Zong Shou felt a boundless depression. Fortunately, he was aware of the limited time he had. After only a moment of sorrow, he recomposed himself.

He boarded the Demon-Repelling Divine Shuttle, taking the Twelve Protector Statues of the Nation with him, and headed back toward Jinling City.

The collapse of the Great Shang was fracturing it into pieces. If an external force did not unify it, the rise of warlords among the noble families of the Central Cloud Continent, each carving out their own territory, was an inevitable prospect. The war between the two nations had completely concluded, meaning troops no longer needed to be stationed on the borders for the time being. None of the powers in the Central Plains were foolish enough to provoke the Great Qian at this juncture.

Thus, for this trip to the Tianfang World, besides the Twelve Protector Statues, Zong Shou prepared to draw another three hundred thousand elite soldiers from the Central Cloud Continent. The complete Demon-Repelling Divine Shuttle possessed vast internal space; even carrying the Twelve Protector Statues, it could transport over six hundred thousand troops and sustain an army for a year’s worth of supplies.

Moreover, of the three pillars of the Great Qian—Kong Yao, Zong Yuan, and Ren Tianxing—two needed to be assigned to handle the fighting in the Tianfang World. Ren Tianxing had a steady temperament; while not as gifted a commander as Kong Yao, he was far from ordinary and was perfectly suited to anchor the Cloud Realm.

Once everything was arranged, it was a full half-day later before Zong Shou truly departed the Cloud Realm. The Demon-Repelling Divine Shuttle, piloted by Grand Master Yuanjing, traveled several times faster than Zong Shou could manage himself.

Only then did Zong Shou have the leisure to examine his own condition. His true power and soul force had completely transformed into Immortal Essence, flowing within his body. It resembled liquefied white jade marrow, exuding a light of seven-colored glaze. His entire physique could be described as an Immortal Flesh and Jade Body, perhaps even superior. Every bone appeared crystalline, tinged with a purplish-gold hue. His skin looked fair and tender, seemingly soft enough to pinch, yet Zong Shou knew that a single grasp could shatter a low-grade Immortal Treasure with sheer physical strength alone!

His physical body had already been tempered to extreme might within that shard of time-space in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. Otherwise, Zong Shou could never have survived his exchange with a Grand Master today without injury. Zhu Zi’s Nine Profound Return Concealment Divine Probing Thunder had forced his body across another threshold, truly reaching a limit. The strength of his physique was now infinitely close to the Grand Master Realm, separated by just a hair’s breadth. The sheer quantity of Immortal Essence had also increased substantially, enough to equate to five or six centuries of his previous cultivation.

Most importantly, however, was the power of the Heavenly Dao contained within the Nine Profound Return Concealment Divine Probing Thunder, which profoundly benefited his Dao Foundation and root. In that instant, he had comprehended countless ultimate truths of heaven and earth. Whether useful or not, it served to perfect his 'Dao' Character Divine Art. While his cultivation level hadn't advanced significantly, his Dao Foundation, which had wavered slightly from being forced into the Divine Realm, was solidified once more. This was the greatest harvest from the events in the Imperial Capital.

“So, I can cultivate without reservation for a while. Is this a blessing in disguise?” Zong Shou chuckled lightly, yet a chill ran through him. The strange attacks and esoteric arts in this world were truly endless. If not for the Black Qilin constantly absorbing the malevolent energy surrounding him, being struck by that thunder might have instantly led to his Dao dissolving and his body perishing. Not only would the Imperial Seal have fallen into Yin Yu’s hands, but Wei Xu and Grand Master Yuanjing would have been dragged down to die with him in the Imperial Capital. Even with meticulous planning beforehand, everything nearly came to naught in that instant, only to be forcefully reversed by Zhu Zi’s power.

“Indeed, there is always someone better beyond the heavens, and someone stronger beyond man. No hero in the world can be underestimated!” Despite his massive increase in strength and possessing the Wing of Augmenting Profound Law, Zong Shou felt an ever-greater sense of his own insignificance. Who knew where some new technique or Divine Treasure might emerge that could effortlessly wipe him out?

There were countless strange arts in the world. Zong Shou had only cultivated for a few short decades and could not possibly know them all. However, in the classic texts he had reviewed, there were more than a dozen secret techniques in the Cloud Realm alone that could threaten him—similar to Zhu Zi’s Divine Firmament Heart Probing Thunder. Fortunately, most had been lost to history, and the remaining ones required extremely harsh prerequisites for cultivation.

But that was only within the Cloud Realm. What about the Outer Domains? Most of the known dozen-plus supreme divine abilities were located there! They were not comparable to the three supreme abilities he possessed that could advance to the ultimate level only through the Wing of Augmenting Profound Law. Furthermore, as he knew, Lu Huanxiao, the former primary heir of the Lu family, was cultivating one such supreme divine ability. Whether he had succeeded was unknown, but even an incomplete supreme ability possessed formidable divine might and strange powers. Geniuses like Lu Huanxiao were not unique in this sphere.

The Burning Sky Lu Family was the foremost of the Three Great Families. In the power rankings of this domain, they only ranked sixth. A single family surpassed countless great clans and Imperial Dynasties with its might, yet there were still powers capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them. This alone suggested the vastness of this domain and the sheer number of formidable figures it contained—

The Dao of Sentient Beings was confined to the Cloud Realm, yet factions like the Buddhist Sect, which boasted at least four Grand Masters, ranked only fourteenth. The Night Demon Clan was ranked twenty-fourth. The strength of the top ten powers in this domain could thus be inferred. It wasn't that Grand Masters were scarce; the Buddhist Sect and the Dao of Sentient Beings could actually rank among the top three. Even the Lu Family only possessed three Grand Masters.

But the Lu Family’s accumulation of strength over tens of thousands of years was truly overwhelming. The Eight Great Immortal Dynasties, the Guardian Gods, the numerous Divine Treasures, and hundreds of millions of spirit soldiers—if they wished, perhaps only half their strength would be needed to surround and slay Saint Venerable Xi Zi head-on in the past. Figures like Saint Venerable Jueyan and Saint Venerable Yanyuan wouldn't even need to act. The hidden strengths they possessed were countless more.

“Advancing to the Divine Realm, gaining the Twelve Protector Statues, the Wings of Augmenting Profound Law, and the Supreme Annihilation True Scripture—why do I feel like I’m standing on thin ice?” Zong Shou shook his head, yet the sense of crisis lingered persistently. “Since my cultivation cannot increase for the time being, it seems I must complete the Three Thousand Starfall and the Ten Absolute Dao-Governing Annihilation Sword Formation as soon as possible—”

Although his Dao Foundation was now mended, significant progress would be difficult in the short term. Given his attainments in swordsmanship and Dao arts, directly challenging the Saint Realm was not impossible. However, the foundation required by the 'Dao' Character Divine Art was simply too vast. With no further immediate gains in cultivation level, Zong Shou could only focus on strengthening his divine abilities and secret arts.

The Nether River Death-Announcing Sword, the Six Deities Immortal Slaying Blade, and the Boundless Beginning and End Technique—these three divine abilities had reached the limit of his mastery and could not be improved further. It was his self-created 'Three Thousand Starfall' and the Ten Absolute Dao-Governing Annihilation Sword Formation that held great potential.

Especially the former; the Three Thousand Starfall already possessed the Star Demon Core, and the one belonging to the Supreme Primordial Demon Li Biexue had also fallen into his hands. Once purified and merged, two of the Three Enclosures Master Stars would be secured. Using the core of a Grand Master Saint Venerable as a master star, the might of this Three Thousand Starfall, once achieved, was something even its creator, Zong Shou, could hardly imagine. (To be continued.)

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