"You are telling the truth? Ling'er truly can be saved?" Ye Jingyu’s face broke into a joyful smile, a genuine expression that hadn't graced him since Luo Ling'er had departed.

"I cannot be certain, but if Ling'er did indeed use the Blood Curse, then her soul is merely enslaved by demons, not utterly annihilated!" Luo Ruofeng explained, proceeding to recount the origins of the Blood Curse.

A long, long time ago, before the Xuan Yuan, Nan Feng, and Tuoba families were great powers, the ancestors of the three clans were the closest of companions. In their quest for strength, they stumbled into a valley where, in the ancient epoch, they encountered a demon that had somehow clawed its way out of the Abyss—a demon on the verge of death.

Before that demon perished, it passed down the lineage of the Blood Curse, claiming that once activated, it could summon the demon’s power; the stronger the soul’s capacity, the greater the power drawn forth. Later, the three families turned against each other, and the Nan Feng clan was utterly wiped out. Nan Feng Yun confided this secret to Luo Xiaofeng, who naturally relayed the knowledge of the Blood Curse to his descendants, for every royal line should possess at least one desperate trump card.

That Luo Ling'er used this Blood Curse meant that, unlike Zhuge Yi who burned his own soul, her soul should still be intact, merely held captive by the demons. As to its current condition, that was another matter entirely.

Regardless, this was good news for Ye Jingyu. At the very least, it injected a sliver of hope into his previously desolate heart—even if that hope was agonizingly thin, it was still hope.

The thought that Luo Ling'er might still be saved instantly revitalized Ye Jingyu’s spirit. No matter how minuscule the chance, he would exert every ounce of effort to bring Luo Ling'er back.

However, remembering the terrifying nature of those Abyss Demons, Ye Jingyu understood that impulsiveness was out of the question. Setting aside his current inability to break the seal, even if he possessed that power, now was not the time to venture into the Abyss. Not until he condensed his fourth Golden Core, not until he had eliminated Fang Zhentian and the others—recklessness could not be afforded.

Stifling the urge to immediately descend to the Abyss to rescue Luo Ling'er, Ye Jingyu reiterated the horror of the Abyss Demons before laying out his grand plan to unify the continent, suggesting Luo Ruofeng was the most suitable choice to become the Emperor of the entire realm.

Luo Ruofeng was utterly stunned by the scope of Ye Jingyu’s proposition. The entire Dou Hun Continent, perhaps even the Empire of the Gu Hua Continent—was he dreaming? Not long ago, he nearly became a vassal captive; now, he was being offered the throne of the entire human realm. This transition from hell to heaven was almost too intoxicating.

Yet, recalling the sheer power Ye Jingyu now wielded, Luo Ruofeng felt a sense of acceptance. If Ye Jingyu could throw the Demon Realm into bloody chaos, what was the human world in comparison?

While Ye Jingyu and Luo Ruofeng discussed methods to control the Dou Hun Continent, far eastward across the Human Realm’s Eastern Sea, adjacent to the Gu Hua Continent, lay a region perpetually shrouded in thick fog, occasionally disturbed by the emergence of monstrous beasts left over from the Primordial Era. Not only ordinary people but even masters of the Martial God realm could perish there if they let their guard down.

Within this expanse of dense mist rested a solitary island, upon which stood a mountain that resembled a gigantic, upright sword piercing the sea.

The island hosted towering, ancient trees and myriad varieties of flora, yet strangely, such a vast landmass contained not a single living creature—no birds, no beasts, not even the humblest insect could be found.

It was at this juncture that a group of men and women materialized upon the island. Leading them was a middle-aged man appearing to be in his forties, followed by seven or eight elderly men with hair like snow, and then a contingent of younger men and women.

"Jiu Yuan, is this the island you spoke of?" the leader, the middle-aged man, suddenly inquired.

"Yes, Father. My Suan Ni mechanism beast that you gifted me was devoured right here. At that moment, this island was emitting an intense sword aura. If I hadn't hidden in the sea, I would not be here to see you today," replied a strikingly handsome young man, almost cherubic in appearance, stepping forward with profound deference.

This man was Fang Jiu Yuan, another notable figure among the younger generation of the Fang family, and the middle-aged man was none other than the Fang family patriarch, Fang Zhentian.

A little over a month prior, his son Fang Jiu Yuan narrowly escaped death here when the island spontaneously erupted with sword energy. Having survived by a hair's breadth, he immediately relayed everything to Fang Zhentian. An island capable of autonomously emitting sword energy surely concealed a monumental treasure. Under normal circumstances, Fang Zhentian would have been reluctant to come personally; after all, one needs to be alive to enjoy the finest artifacts. The Fang family’s reconnaissance of ancient ruins had never ceased, yielding great benefits but also sacrificing many elites. As patriarch, he dared not gamble with his own life. However, following the recent upheaval, the Fang family had suffered grievous losses, and even Fang Tian Ta was severely damaged, not yet fully repaired. He desperately needed to bolster his family’s strength quickly, making the search for these potentially existing Primordial treasures an urgent necessity.

Consequently, upon hearing of this anomaly, he personally led the few remaining Eighth Heaven elders of the Fang family to this location.

"Good. You did well. This island is less than a thousand li from the Gu Hua Continent, yet it has remained undiscovered. That alone indicates its unusual nature. If there were nothing strange within, I truly wouldn't believe it," Fang Zhentian murmured, his voice trailing off as he suddenly spoke the name of Fang Zhuguo.

"Your son is here!" Despite his deep-seated resentment towards Fang Zhentian, and despite his own cultivation reaching the Ninth Heaven realm, Fang Zhuguo dared not resist his father, at least not overtly.

"Your cultivation is the highest here. Now, you take Zhu Yu, Ling Luan, and Tian Ya—lead a few brothers onto the island to scout. Report back immediately if there is any anomaly..." Fang Zhentian’s eyes shone with admiration, feigning that he entrusted the task to Fang Zhuguo out of regard for his skill.

Fang Zhuguo felt an overwhelming urge to curse his father. Aren't you my father? You’re clearly the highest cultivated person here, yet you have the audacity to say such a thing? This island can spontaneously erupt with that level of sword energy at any moment. If anything truly goes wrong, how would I have the chance to report back to you?