Zong Shou’s heart gave a violent thud, a flicker of grave apprehension crossing his eyes. It had finally come! The culprit who had always lurked behind the scenes, the one responsible for Xi Zi’s demise.

The war between Da Qian and the Night Demons was already lost. With both sovereigns fallen, the Dark World Demon Court would be precarious for at least a century, utterly incapable of further expansion.

With the external foe retreated, this was the perfect moment for that entity to intervene. If this opportunity were missed, by the time Da Qian and the Cang Sheng Dao were fully formed and established, neither the Dao Gate nor that entity would ever have another chance.

With a deafening boom, the overwhelming, unparalleled force did not strike Zong Shou, but rather the Twelve Bronze Figures of the Nation-Guards.

Though he was not the target, the impact plunged Zong Shou’s consciousness into near desolation, leaving no room for thought. It was as if his very mind, and the surrounding space-time, had frozen solid. A wave of despair washed over his chest.

It was akin to how Ye Wuji and Ye Wuhen had faced his Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger before. He could sense it, could see it, yet he was utterly unable to move or even conceive of a defense.

Within his Sea of Souls, the jade-colored disc left by Xiu Guan was spinning frantically, radiating a fierce, brilliant light. It had spontaneously activated upon sensing his precarious situation, attempting to summon Xiu Guan from several worlds away.

Yet, in this moment, Zong Shou felt incapable of resisting, even if he had not a fraction of a second, but three million, thirty million, or thirty trillion fractions of a second.

Before this absolute power, he was as insignificant and humble as a speck of dust.

But in the very next instant, an ancient voice drifted faintly from another direction.

“Fellow Daoist, you have finally shown yourself here today! Xi Zi once told me that if truly such a person as yourself existed in my Cloud Realm, then the only thing you would fear is these Twelve Bronze Figures of the Nation-Guards! His words were indeed not false—”

As the words faded, a Taiji Diagram materialized, arcing like a rainbow from afar, transforming into a golden bridge within the void rift, completely suppressing all surrounding primal energy and spiritual essence.

Even the surging, vast force that had crossed the void was blunted by fully seventy percent by this golden bridge. The Twelve Bronze Figures simultaneously flashed brilliant light and completely broke free from Zong Shou’s mental control. They all launched their fists toward an unseen spot in the void.

Zong Shou’s consciousness finally broke free from the restraint, but in that fleeting moment, his mind was utterly blank. Before he could process anything, another burst of sound erupted nearby. The residual energy from the clash buffeted Zong Shou and the other two figures, throwing them out of the spatial rift.

Zong Shou looked around and realized they were only two or three worlds away from the World-Severing Altar and the Tian Fang World.

At this moment, both the Night Demon Saint Venerable known as ‘Empty Night’ and Long Ying and the others watched with grim expressions, focusing their spiritual senses toward the disturbance.

However, the Void River of Realms began to tremble again. The fierce battle occurring within the spatial rift had finally begun to affect the outside. Fortunately, the entire domain absorbed the shock, and though the overflow of power was immense, no catastrophic consequences materialized.

Only then did Zong Shou regain the capacity to think. A myriad of thoughts surged through his mind at once.

The Compassionate Dao Sovereign, founder of the Dao Sect and patriarch of the Sword Sect, had indeed been lurking nearby, just as he had predicted.

But the only thing that person feared and dreaded was the Twelve Bronze Figures of the Nation-Guards? Had Xi Zi foreseen this long ago?

Those twelve bronze figures were no longer under his control; they seemed to possess an independent sentience. He hadn't sensed it before, nor did he know their origin. Could it be that Xi Zi had set up a contingency plan millennia ago?

If that were the case, Xi Zi’s entry into the Qin Emperor’s Tomb ten thousand years ago was not to guard against the Qin Emperor rising to cause havoc, but rather to plant this very contingency against this person?

Then, has Patriarch Xi Zi also foreseen today’s battle?

Zong Shou’s expression grew strange, and just one breath later, the spatial rift not far away was breached again.

First, an elder holding a purple sacred book stepped out calmly from within. Following him, the Twelve Bronze Figures of the Nation-Guards also flew out one by one. Their metallic bodies were now covered in impact marks, though thankfully, no vital areas were damaged. With the refining techniques of the Mohists, these bronze figures could repair such minor defects themselves.

However, what truly held Zong Shou’s attention was the aura emanating from these figures—it bore a faint resemblance to his own God-Refining Sword.

Was it truly Xi Zi? Had he laid this hidden card ten millennia ago? And the elder nearby was the Compassionate Dao Sovereign. His current might far surpassed that of Empty Night and Long Ying.

Was that book the Cosmic Creation Record, famed alongside his Chronicle of the Universe? Then the one who had manipulated Shi Yue in Xiang Wang’s Tomb was this very Compassionate Dao Sovereign?

In an instant, Zong Shou seemed to grasp something, his expression becoming vividly complex. It was the Simulated Reality! He sensed an energy signature incredibly similar to the Simulated Reality that would become popular across the Cloud Realm ten thousand years later!

There was no mistake! If that were true, the vast illusory space ten thousand years hence was based upon the divine treasure, the ‘Record of the Universe’? Then what role did the Compassionate Dao Sovereign play within it?

But at this crucial juncture, no matter how many questions he held, he had to forcefully suppress them.

What he needed to know now was where that person was.

Zong Shou followed the gaze of the Compassionate Dao Sovereign and saw in the boundless void, a black dot had appeared sometime earlier. It seemed both within and outside this realm, elusive and untraceable.

In the next instant, one-millionth of a second later, a figure emerged from within his Sea of Souls.

It was Xiu Guan, holding a golden pagoda, his expression cold and composed, yet imbued with an indescribable, sharp intent.

“After eight thousand years of patient waiting, the day has finally arrived when your true form is revealed!”

The black light trembled, and a wave of soul power instantly spread out. Ye Xuan and Lu Wubing could not withstand it, revealing pained expressions.

Xiu Guan let out a cold smile, seemingly sensing information from that soul (thought/will), and stated firmly, “The reason Xiu Guan departed was because Brother Compassionate advised me two years ago to distance myself from the Cloud Realm to lure your presence out. Therefore, from beginning to end, Xiu Guan has not been oblivious to any changes in the Cloud Realm. Everything is part of the scheme laid by Elder Brother. After ten thousand years, he did not ultimately lose the entire game—”

Zong Shou understood immediately. Xiu Guan’s hasty departure when the situation was still unstable was not to search for Xi Zi’s sealed remnant soul, but rather to make that entity lower its guard.

The Twelve Bronze Figures remained silent, yet the Chaotic Divine Art they employed was constantly adjusting, their suppression of the fundamental laws now far exceeding what Zong Shou could manage. Even the several Order Talismans near the World-Severing Altar had little effect.

Just as Zong Shou felt amazement mingled with shame, he heard Xiu Guan’s voice again: “Nephew Disciple Zong Shou, might I borrow the use of the Profound-Enhancing Dharma Wings?”