"Ha ha, get up!" To be honest, Liang Xiaoke's nature was perfectly suited to Tongtian. He only cared about results and never hesitated in his methods. When he wanted something done, he simply did it—especially since he valued loyalty so greatly. For a mere blood corpse, one he himself had cultivated into existence, he had abandoned the final step toward transcendence itself! How many beings across all three realms could truly claim such devotion?

Even among those disciples of his from long ago, none would have made that sacrifice.

For them, they might defend fellow sect members in ordinary matters. But when it came to opportunities for sainthood? They'd turn against their own kin without hesitation. That was why Duobao had been stolen away by that bald monk toward the West.

The thought of his most gifted disciple, Master Duobao, betraying him and joining Buddhism sent a wave of sorrow through Tongtian. Once upon a time, Jie Sect boasted ten thousand immortal beings bowing at his command. Under his guidance, all sect disciples had stood united. But after the Battle of Sealing Heaven, his followers either died or defected. The great leader of an ancient school now found himself alone - more a relic than a power. That's why he hadn't taken any new disciples in so many years.

But now, Liang Xiaoke had awakened something long buried within him. The dominant, fiercely protective, unyielding Tongtian who would dare challenge the Four Great Lords for his disciples' sake was returning...

"Thank you, Master!" Liang Xiaoke chuckled as he gently tugged Gong Sun Lu's small hand. She followed suit with a respectful "Master" of her own.

"Hahaha! Very well then," the Immortal Lord laughed heartily. "For you to cultivate sentience from just a blood corpse is no easy feat indeed." With a single finger strike, a clear light pierced into Gong Sun Lu's body. Instantly her power surged wildly within while the death energy clinging to her form began receding under that light. Slowly, vibrant life energy replaced the decaying aura.

The glow in her eyes brightened with each passing second, becoming sharper and clearer until suddenly - her cultivation broke through from Cosmic to Universal level entirely!

Liang Xiaoke beamed at this display of favor toward his disciple, ready to thank him when Tongtian's voice interrupted. "Enough pleasantries for my disciples, you two haven't yet taken that final step. But with one life force and one death essence - yin harmonizing with yang, death merging into life - crossing that threshold may not be impossible." With those parting words, the immortal vanished but left behind an ancient cultivation technique in both their minds.

The depth of this teaching sent excitement through Liang Xiaoke and Gong Sun Lu. They had once believed they'd never reach that final stage, yet here was a method handed down by their master himself! Especially for Gong Sun Lu - her guilt over Liang Xiaoke sacrificing his own breakthrough lessened greatly now. In her heart she silently vowed to work with him in perfect harmony to achieve transcendence.

To become immortal...

But at this moment, both understood the true meaning of 'ascending to sainthood' wasn't about eliminating desires and thoughts entirely. They were still human beings after all. And they knew once they crossed that threshold, they would be recognized as saints - not yet equal to the Three Pure Ones but capable of transcending heavenly laws themselves.

With respectful bows toward where the Immortal Lord had disappeared, Liang Xiaoke took his disciple's hand and headed for Xueyuan City. A sudden urge burned within him - a desire to marry! He wanted every soul in this world to know she was his woman, her existence forever bound only to him.

As for Gong Sun Lu, the transformation by Tongtian had completely changed her body. The cold aura of a blood corpse faded entirely, replaced now with vibrant vitality. Her skin glowed with newfound softness and whiteness that made her more captivating than ever before...

Yejingyu remained unaware of Liang Xiaoke's trials as he led Jiu Feng, Xiyang, Bingming, and the monkey toward the Earth Alliance. The little peach girl continued her cycle of eating and sleeping while Nibie constantly challenged the monkey - though losing each time - his progress was nothing short of miraculous! In just over a month he'd advanced from being defeated in one move to withstanding over a hundred strikes.

The monkey admired this relentless determination, often taking time to teach some combat techniques. After all, during his rebellion against Dragon Palace even couldn't subdue him. These teachings accelerated Nibie's growth beyond comprehension - now at the peak of Cosmic realm from mere beginner stages!

Xiyang and Jiu Feng had also absorbed Ejingyu's insights, their cultivation spiking like rockets. Bingming, through revelations fromYin, was certain to break into Universal soon enough.

Even his remaining blood demon legions trained with renewed vigor - especially Yan, Yue, Wu, Kuang...

But Ejingyu himself no longer practiced martially. With his perfected Chaos Body and mastery of combat techniques, all that remained were refining the divine powers he'd obtained. And most importantly, he spent countless hours studying the Heavens Book - a text containing insights from Fu Xi and Da Yu. This ancient tome had proven invaluable for understanding various divine abilities.

More critically though, under the observation of his Wheel Eye, Ejingyu sensed something crucial hidden within its pages - some great secret that would prove decisive to him...

Before he could fully decipher these secrets, Ejingyu's group returned to Earth Alliance territory. The monkey and Ejingyu both masked their auras, suppressing their power to Cosmic levels as they strolled openly into Man City.

When Mu learned Ejingyu had returned, she eagerly personally greeted them at the gates. Naturally, Ejingyu relayed the story he'd previously arranged with Liang Xiaoke about evading assassins and escaping danger while eliminating numerous immortals including two Heavenly Kings. Given these impressive accomplishments, Mu readily accepted his tale and informed him that Earth Alliance's three Grand Lords had emerged from seclusion and awaited their return in Disha City...

At the mention of the three lords being active again, Ejingyu's brow furrowed instantly...