The Shanhe Sheji Tu (Map of Mountains and Rivers), within which an entire world was contained—this was a divine artifact belonging to the Sage Nüwa. Nüwa was the pioneer of the Human Race, her cultivation reaching the heavens and penetrating the earth. Even Divine Venerable figures like Zhu Rong and Tian Wu held her in deep reverence, so how could they not know of her artifact?

They truly never imagined this artifact would appear in the mortal realm. Did the Sage Nüwa perhaps not take this artifact with her back then?

Ye Jingyu took the Sheji Tu with a slight tremor. It wasn't because the artifact was so priceless to him; possessing the Eastern Emperor Bell, the foremost divine artifact of the Three Realms, meant no other treasure could truly excite him. The tremor stemmed from his understanding: by accepting the Shanhe Sheji Tu, he was inheriting everything belonging to that predecessor.

That predecessor’s cultivation was transcendent. Now that he was dead, some massive event must have transpired. Shanhe Sheji, mountains and rivers—perhaps the burden of these four characters would fall upon his shoulders in the future.

"Xiangyi, what exactly happened? Tell me slowly!" Ye Jingyu tucked the Shanhe Sheji Tu into his Sea of Consciousness, helped Gongsun Xiangyi onto a nearby chair, and spoke softly.

No matter what happened, no matter what burdens arose, he would bear them. Even if his original intention was merely to live a carefree life with the one he loved, now that he had reached this juncture, he understood that some duties he was bound to fulfill, whether he wished to or not.

It seemed Ye Jingyu’s words took effect. Gongsun Xiangyi’s emotions gradually calmed, and she recounted everything that had occurred over the past year or so, all of which, she explained, had been told to her by that humble predecessor.

More than a year ago, after Yuan obtained the Yuantu Sword, he immediately headed for the Demon Realm. However, the humble one intervened personally for the first time to stop Yuan. Now, neither the power of the Demon Realm nor the Human Realm could withstand the demonic invasion. Furthermore, Dugu Bachén, Xuanyuan Jue, and Yu Luosha, who guarded Qin Mountain, were clearly no match for Yuan. Apart from the humble one, perhaps no one else in the Human Realm could stop Yuan.

The humble one’s cultivation was still superior to Yuan’s, but besides the Shanhe Sheji Tu, a supreme artifact, he possessed no other decent magical items. The Shanhe Sheji Tu itself lacked overwhelming offensive or defensive capabilities. After acquiring the Yuantu Sword, Yuan’s strength surged, and he also wielded a book with formidable defensive properties that managed to withstand most of the humble one's attacks. Relying on these two artifacts alone, Yuan and the humble one were locked in fierce battle, a stalemate that lasted a full year. In the final moments, Jin Lisi Jūn, who had since been promoted to Demon Emperor, suddenly appeared and launched a sneak attack from behind, while Mu Helin, who was accompanying Yuan, simultaneously chose self-detonation, severely wounding the humble one.

Yuan seized this opportunity, striking the humble one with the Yuantu Sword, causing his injuries to worsen critically. With his strength plummeted, the humble one could no longer hold back Yuan. Yuan, wielding the Yuantu Sword, was now charging toward Qin Mountain in the Demon Realm, where Dugu Bachén and the other two still stood guard. However, by the humble one's estimation, Dugu Bachén, Xuanyuan Jue, and Yu Luosha might already be dead by now.

And Yuan had likely already used the Yuantu Sword to break the seal...

Upon hearing that Dugu Bachén was still alive, Ye Jingyu felt a surge of surprise. But when he learned that Dugu Bachén might have already met a terrible end, the heart that had just been rekindled turned cold again.

"Xiangyi, tell me, what exactly happened to my Master and the others?" Ye Jingyu, emotionally stirred, grasped Gongsun Xiangyi's shoulders and asked.

Gongsun Xiangyi frowned slightly but proceeded to explain why Dugu Bachén and Xuanyuan Jue had been reborn. When she mentioned the reason why their power could not advance even after rebirth, Ye Jingyu immediately thought of Zhuge Yi Shi. After all, Dugu Bachén and Xuanyuan Jue had burned their Soul Origin; it was already a miracle they could recover at all.

But was there truly no way in this world, other than that one entity, to repair a person's Soul Origin?

"Young Master, after these years under the teacher's guidance, Xiangyi has learned to refine some spirit medicines capable of aiding the Soul Origin. However, if the damage is too severe, there is nothing I can do..." Seeing the disappointment on Ye Jingyu’s face, Gongsun Xiangyi spoke again.

She was adept in all manner of concoctions, having been accepted as a disciple by the humble one. A century spent cultivating within the Shanhe Sheji Tu had focused not on combat techniques or killing skills, but on refining various elixirs: salvation pills, Soul Restoration Pills to mend the Soul Origin, and the Nine Revolutions Yuan Pill to boost cultivation—she could refine them all.

Hearing that Gongsun Xiangyi could actually refine such potent spirit medicines, the faces of Ye Jingyu and the others lit up with sheer joy. Did this mean that Zhuge Yi Shi’s soul could also be repaired? And thus, the Soul Origins of Dugu Bachén and the others could potentially be mended too?

"Quickly, Eldest Brother, we must go to the Demon Realm!" Dugu Bachén’s possible demise was merely the humble one’s speculation. Even if there was a sliver of hope, Ye Jingyu could not abandon it. He never wished to experience the pain of losing Dugu Baché again.

Liang Xiaoke understood Ye Jingyu’s sentiment perfectly. Now, even if Dugu Bachén and the others’ Soul Origins were beyond saving, Ye Jingyu would rush to the Demon Realm instantly just because they were still alive. What did cultivation level matter then? Gongsun Xiangyi also understood the depth of Dugu Bachén's importance to Ye Jingyu. She hurriedly produced two golden pills and handed them to him—these were the Soul Restoration Pills capable of mending the Origin.

In addition, Gongsun Xiangyi shoved into Ye Jingyu's hands all the spirit medicines she had refined over the years for increasing cultivation. With these pills, Ye Jingyu’s side would gain a new cohort of fighting strength, especially the marvelous "Heavenly Enlightenment Pill" (Tian Wu Dan), which allowed those stuck at a bottleneck to gain deeper insights into the Heavenly Dao, thus breaking through. Although the success rate was only ten percent, for those lingering at the edge of stagnation, it offered an extra ten percent of hope.

Currently, Jiu Feng, Lin Xiaoyi, Xue Ming, Xue Wuqing, Hu Yanqi, Hu Yanmeng, and Nangong Shang were all at the Ninth Heaven Realm. If they took the Tian Wu Dan, perhaps they could break through to the Celestial Realm.

Without further delay, Ye Jingyu summoned everyone around him and distributed these elixirs. Even Luo Ruofeng received a Nine Revolutions Yuan Pill and a Tian Wu Dan to enhance his power.

After ingesting the pills, everyone immediately entered seclusion to seek breakthroughs. The first to succeed was Jiu Feng. Perhaps driven by her constant thoughts of Ye Jingyu, just half a day after taking the Tian Wu Dan, Jiu Feng successfully advanced to the Demon King realm. With the Haotian Bead, transcending heavenly tribulations was naturally effortless.