When the time came for Zhu Xuelian to leave for the Sky Continent, they all came together to hold one last meeting in one of the palaces.

  Zhu Xuelian had spent the last few weeks cultivating, and no one disturbed her during this time. Once her gold core was stabilized, she focused on reaching a peaceful state of mind while considering many of the possibilities lingering in the future.

  In truth, she wasn’t so certain about how her plan would work. The only time she entered and left Yaoyue’s inner realm — where they were now — Yaoyue existed in the world and remained behind. From Zhu Xuelian’s perspective, she entered the sword and its inner world, and she would always emerge from the sword when leaving the inner world. But with the sword now inside her and a part of her, she couldn’t definitively state where and how she would appear. She only had a sense that it would work.

  Would she even appear on the same continent? Or in another world entirely? Somehow, she knew she would appear in the Sky Continent, but with no proof or reasonable explanation behind this feeling, she considered all the various possibilities.

  Few people ever successfully flew from one continent to another without an Ark, and she couldn’t bring the Galaxy Sword’s with her. Worst-case scenario, she would return to this place, and try to think of another way.

  The reasons for returning were many, even though they all knew that if they waited longer, they would get stronger, and their chances better. But it wasn’t that simple; with knots and unfinished business in their hearts, there was no guarantee that they could cross the boundary into Nihility. One wrong step, and they would enter Duality, damned to live the rest of their lives unable to breathe the Qi of Heaven and Earth, like living corpses waiting for death.

  The Sky Continent also just waged war with itself, and all the major powers of the continent were greatly weakened. If they waited any longer, they would lose a great opportunity.

  Most importantly, to step into Nascent Soul with Salvation Ashes, Zhu Xuelian had to quench her body in an unthinkable amount of extremely high-grade treasure materials to form a Fire Origin Seed. This was related to Yaoyue’s revival, so no matter what, she would return to the Sky Continent and achieve this goal.

  Lei Yangming was the first to speak. He held a wooden box in his left hand, and after Zhu Xuelian had finished explaining the Translocation process, he offered the box to Zhu Xuelian.

  “Sister Zhu, this past year, this Lei Yangming has enjoyed living here, free of worries. But I feel the same way as many of us do. Experiencing the rivers and the lakes is the truest path to the great Dao, and we can’t just sit around here and hope for the best,” he said.

  Zhu Xuelian took the box, and she could smell a faint trace of medicinal herbs. “Brother Lei, this is…?”

  “I made some Qi Recovery Pills for you. They are only of the Sky grade, but I would not underestimate them. They are made from Seven Snow Hyacinth, a Supreme grade herb, and it is only due to my inability in Alchemy to produce a better pill. Their recovery effect is violent and intense, and if you consume them when your vitality is injured, you won’t have a good outcome.”

  Zhu Xuelian smiled and nodded. “Thank you, brother Lei. I won’t forget this.”

  A Sky grade pill was worth a small fortune on the Sky Continent, so for Lei Yangming to give one away like this was no small favor. But it just further emphasized the boons of this place, especially if they could gather the strength to conquer it. What was a Supreme grade herb? Wars could be fought over it, but here, Yuan Qiuyue could grow them like they were weeds.

  Ren Jinhai stepped forward next, and he pulled a sheet of red silk off a black and gold decorated scabbard.

  “This is only a small token of my gratitude, sister Zhu,” Ren Jinhai said, offering the sheathed sword to Zhu Xuelian. “This is an Immortal grade treasure sword, and it was made from the materials we obtained from the Sovereign Wu Yulan killed.”

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  Everyone was stunned at the grade of the sword. Immortal was one grade higher than Supreme.

  “To think you can forge a thing like this…” Yuan Qiuyue whispered, tremendously impressed.

  Ren Jinhai chuckled. “I won’t be able to make another one like this. I have been forging this sword ever since I picked up artifact forging, and have even encountered setbacks in my cultivation to accomplish it. It was meant for Wu Yulan, and it was only thanks to her that I could even refine the materials.”

  Zhu Xuelian held the sword in her hands and then looked at Wu Yulan. “Yulan, this…”

  Wu Yulan shook her head. “It is yours now. You need it more than I do, no?”

  Zhu Xuelian chewed on her lower lip and then nodded. Ever since she became one with Yaoyue, she was without proper armaments.

  “Initially, I wasn’t going to give it a name, but I forged it from materials with a fierce yang and fire energy. It truly is like a rising sun, and its heat is unbearable. So I had to name it. This Scorching Sun Sword is now yours. I hope it serves you well.”

  Zhu Xuelian smiled and then chuckled as she caressed the hilt of the blade. It was meant for Wu Yulan? Wu Yulan practiced ice martial arts. Only one person here could utilize a sword with a dominant fire attribute.

  “Thank you, Jinhai,” Zhu Xuelian said. “My heart soars. Yulan…”

  “Don’t mention it,” Wu Yulan simply said and giggled.

  Zhu Xuelian smiled and didn't say any more.

  Next, Xiang Liling cupped her fist and bowed to Zhu Xuelian.

  “Sister Zhu, thank you for taking care of us and letting us live in this place,” she said. “This Xiang Liling can easily say that in this life, you and Yaoyue have been my greatest benefactors.”

  These words brought another smile to Zhu Xuelian’s lips. “Sister Xiang, there is still a long life ahead of us.”

  “This is a Flying Sword Talisman,” Xiang Liling said, offering a green jade talisman to Zhu Xuelian. “Ren Weisheng and I made this together, with the help of Tian Li who refined the materials. It is of the Supreme grade, and I can confidently say that if you are in trouble, with this flying sword, you can even outrun a sect elder who crossed the boundary.”

  Zhu Xuelian hummed happily and attached the talisman to the pommel of her sword as a hanging charm. “Thank you, Sister Xiang and Brother Ren. I don’t plan on running away, but I can understand your thoughts and feelings in giving me something like this.”

  Xiang Liling smiled and nodded. “You said there is a long life ahead of us. I’d like that to be true.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement with Xiang Liling, and some of them even cupped their fists respectfully to the two responsible for this talisman.

  Finally, Mu Jingyu offered a ring to Zhu Xuelian, and at a glance, everyone could tell that it was a storage ring. “It is not much, but perhaps it will help you blend in on the Sky Continent. I hope you like my design.”

  Zhu Xuelian took the ring and put it on her finger immediately. “Thank you, Jingyu. I can’t wait to try it.”

  Mu Jingyu nodded and stepped back.

  When no one else stepped forward, Zhu Xuelian nodded. “It is time, then,” she said. “I am glad you’ve come to see me off, and with so many gifts. This Zhu Xuelian is really humbled this time. I have made so many great friends, and I’ve not lived my life in vain.”

  Everyone cupped their fist again and bowed to Zhu Xuelian. They didn’t say anything, but their thoughts were evident in their demeanor. They all wished for a safe return.

  Zhu Xuelian went to the Sect Gate after bidding a temporary farewell to the disciples, and placed her hand on one of the pillars, while Wukong watched her from below.

  [ Commence Translocation? ]

  Zhu Xuelian nodded, and the gate and mountain disappeared.

  She stood before a vast pagoda, with more than twenty tiers, and it was made entirely out of wood and gold. Though Zhu Xuelian had never in her life seen this pagoda, she could never forget the place she found herself in.

  She was in the Immortal Slaying Formation at the center of the Forbidden Ancestral Hunting Grounds of the Seven Killing Swords sect — the place where her and Yaoyue’s journey began.

  Zhu Xuelian closed her eyes and chuckled darkly. She was glad she did not hesitate to return to the Sky Continent. If she had entered the Nascent Soul realm, this formation would have instantly obliterated her soul.

  She also understood, immediately, why she returned to this place, and not any other. A sliver of Yaoyue’s soul force remained behind here, though Zhu Xuelian did not know exactly why. That time, when they were in this place, the Immortal Slaying Formation suddenly disintegrated, and the willow tree spirits — of which none remained — attacked them, causing Zhu Xuelian to run for her life. But that time, Yaoyue’s consciousness disappeared for a long time, so Zhu Xuelian knew that something must’ve happened, though Yaoyue only mentioned the appearance of the calamity-defying tree and the corpse of a snake in its sea of consciousness.

  Now, it seemed as though the Seven Killing Swords sect had rebuilt the formation, and even a pagoda to cover up the bottomless hole that appeared when the first formation failed.

  Even more mysteriously, several corpses of Sovereign beasts lay scattered about the area, souls obliterated by the formation.

  Zhu Xuelian collected the corpses of the Sovereign beasts into her ring and looked in the direction of the Seven Killing Swords sect.

  “Just what is it that you are doing here?”