Zong Shou narrowed his eyes, a sudden realization dawning. No wonder Lin Xuan Shuang had time to see him. Had that divine treasure finally been completed?

If the divine treasure was finished, where was the heavenly tribulation? And Su Xiao Xiao—had she truly been resurrected?

Zong Shou turned back, his confusion mixed with a fragile hope, only to find Lin Xuan Shuang offering only a cryptic half-smile, refusing to confirm or deny his speculation about the treasure.

Resigned, Zong Shou bowed low, his posture earnest and humble. "Master, how is Xiao Xiao now? Has she awoken?"

Lin Xuan Shuang finally broke into a triumphant smirk. "You should call her Junior Sister! Bringing Xiao Xiao back to life took a great deal of effort from your Master. How will my little disciple thank me?"

Zong Shou paid no heed to Lin Xuan Shuang's taunts. His gaze was already fixed upon a graceful, ethereal figure approaching from the distance.

Clad in flowing white robes, her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her features exquisitely drawn—it was Su Xiao Xiao, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yet, Zong Shou almost failed to recognize her. The Su Xiao Xiao before him possessed none of her former tender allure. Her eyes were sharp, her expression icy, and her bearing utterly detached. Her clothing, too, was drastically different, no longer revealing, but instead tightly enveloping her tempting, milky-white skin and graceful figure.

Upon arrival, she seemed not to notice Zong Shou at all, proceeding directly to salute Lin Xuan Shuang. "Disciple greets Master. May I ask the purpose of your summons?"

Lin Xuan Shuang smiled with satisfaction, then casually waved a jade hand. "Go greet your Senior Brother. If he doesn't see you, I fear he won't be at ease."

"Senior Brother?"

Su Xiao Xiao frowned slightly, yet her gaze swept coldly toward Zong Shou, carrying a complex, unsettling emotion. "Is this the one who took advantage of my weakness and stole my virtue while I was unconscious?"

Zong Shou stiffened, then fell silent, a nameless sense of injustice choking him—he had no way to refute it. Lin Xuan Shuang merely paused, then erupted into delighted, prolonged laughter, savoring Zong Shou's discomfiture.

※※※※

Right up until she departed with Lin Xuan Shuang, Su Xiao Xiao treated Zong Shou with absolute coolness, her demeanor distant. Though she addressed him as Senior Brother, she looked upon him as a complete stranger.

Zong Shou felt a strange melancholy and restlessness; for several days, his spirit remained unsettled, sighing often. He knew that Su Xiao Xiao's previously fierce devotion to him stemmed from the backlash of the Primordial Demonic Seven Passions Decree.

But now that this foundation had been changed, the Decree washed away, and she cultivated the Genesis Vital Breath Decree instead, her attitude toward him had shifted drastically. Her words were cold, pushing him a thousand miles away—the change felt too profound.

The damage to his pride was secondary; Zong Shou simply could not forget the scenes in the ancient tomb of the Qin Emperor.

They had shared moments of life-or-death intimacy, and now they were strangers passing by—

Chu Xue watched from the side, her expression odd, her tone strangely affected. "No wonder people say men are the most stubborn creatures! When Su Xiao Xiao was pestering you relentlessly, loving you to death, Master treated her like a discarded rag, utterly unconcerned. Now that she's finally come to her senses and ignores you, Master feels regret and can't stop thinking about her—"

Zong Shou twitched the corner of his mouth. Why did Xue'er’s words sound so slightly bitter?

Finding it both absurd and exasperating, Zong Shou asked directly, "Who taught you to say such things? Was it that enchantress Zhao Yan Ran?"

Given Xue'er's innocence, she certainly wouldn't have thought to say such things to him.

Chu Xue indeed stammered, struggling to appear composed. "It was not! I thought of it myself, no one told me—"

Zong Shou didn't let her finish. He grabbed Chu Xue's arm, pulling her forcefully into his embrace, and immediately captured her lips. His tongue deftly found the opening between her teeth, slipping inside, their mouths locked in a deep, clinging embrace.

Chu Xue's face flushed scarlet, her breath catching in ragged gasps. Her entire delicate body went soft; if Zong Shou hadn't held her, she would have collapsed entirely.

After a long while, when Zong Shou's hands began to roam and knead her magnificent peaks, she snapped back to awareness.

With a sudden surge of energy she didn't know she possessed, she shoved Zong Shou away fiercely and bolted out in a fluster.

Zong Shou shook his head slightly, realizing Chu Xue was still not quite ready. Then he laughed heartily, a feeling of elation washing over him, temporarily suppressing the melancholy from before.

If Xiao Xiao was determined to forget that period of their relationship, then so be it. Everything before could be considered a karmic entanglement.

Having gone through the Su Xiao Xiao ordeal, he had largely come to terms with things. He must cherish those around him now, lest he regret it later.

After forging the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, Zong Shou had an additional task. He needed to spend time nurturing the treasure daily, aiming for a complete communion of heart and mind so it could integrate into his soul sea and become a vital artifact. Only then could the full might of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd be unleashed.

Meanwhile, with each passing day, the blood cloud situated seven worlds away from the Tian Fang Realm grew denser, continuously expanding outward.

Zong Shou occasionally observed through his Burning Eye Blood Pupils and discovered that the several minor worlds surrounding it were already affected by the cloud. Numerous mutated spirit beasts had begun to appear, born from the world's innate malevolent energy. Beneath the World-Severing Altar, the baleful aura was already thick and palpable, condensing into substance.

Lu Wu Bing’s efforts to delay the construction of the Altar seemed effective. Recently, construction had nearly halted for several consecutive days, and afterwards, it continued only sporadically.

However, to maintain the progress made on the Altar and prevent total waste, the Night Demon Race was forced to slaughter massive numbers of living beings daily, feeding the structure with blood-fiend energy. The tally of dead sentient beings was actually rising.

Zong Shou could only sigh inwardly. Though he felt a slight pang of regret, he harbored no desire to intervene. His sympathy did not extend to the point of allowing these outer-realm aliens to run rampant. Nor would he ever casually place the safety and lives of the millions of elite Great Qian soldiers and the hundreds of millions of citizens under the rule of the Qian Kingdom in jeopardy.

He proceeded methodically, continuing to refine the Dao-Governing Dragon Fang Swords and Dragon Cores mouthful by mouthful, perfecting the Six God Dao-Governing Saber Technique.

Two years flashed by in the Grand Heaven Immortal Mansion. Unbeknownst to him, the number of Dao-Governing Dragon Fang Swords beside him had grown to four hundred and forty. The Star Dao Seeds matched this, reaching four hundred and thirty-two—precisely four minor celestial cycles, corresponding to the Four Symbols. The materials were no longer limited to just the Instantaneous Void Dragon Cores; Zong Shou deliberately incorporated many beast cores to increase the variation within the 'Three Thousand Stars Fall' technique.

The Saint Silver Demon-Slaying Formation, deduced within the Grand Supreme Demon-Slaying Diagram, finally yielded results. It aligned closely with Zong Shou's earlier estimation, capable of increasing his magic power by at least fourfold.

In other words, although he currently possessed only the Divine Realm cultivation, with the boost from this Saint Silver Demon-Slaying Formation, he was equivalent to a mid-stage Divine Realm expert.

Everything proceeded smoothly, except for the intensifying resonance between the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and the World-Severing Altar, which grew stronger daily.

And then, on the ninety-fourth day, a colossal, blood-red blade suddenly materialized within the blood cloud.

Zong Shou was jolted awake from his meditation, his heart surging, his spirit unable to settle. He knew then that the decisive battle was at hand and could no longer be delayed.