In the hollow silence of the Nine Heavens Bead dimension, the sound of Zhi Xuan’s heartbeat echoed like the beating of war drums, shattering the stillness. A thin gray light enveloped his frame, gradually dampening the surge of spiritual essence that had just exploded following the severing of Yaoyue's seal.

  He sharpened his divine senses, peering at the reflection of the outside world from within the Nine Heavens Bead. In the distance, on the high floating plains characteristic of the Ancient Clans' territories, the Nine Ancient Clans along with the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion were each seated in a courtyard shaded by sheltering trees. Before them were tables laden with offerings, and beneath them were cushions of fine silk.

  The masters from various clans appeared to be enjoying a deceptive silence before the storm. The aroma of spiritual tea aged for thousands of years drifted through the air, competing with the heavenly, soul-soothing fragrance wafting from the surroundings. To Zhi Xuan, however, the scene was nothing more than a row of tigers and dragons sharpening their claws behind a veil of luxury.

  Zhi Xuan withdrew his consciousness, turning his face away from the spatial mirror. He let out a long sigh, attempting to stabilize his Divine Wheel, which still throbbed with pain.

  "Your state is more tangled than a bird's nest, little Zhi," a cold yet melodic voice greeted him from the direction of the Devil Tree of Life.

  Zhi Xuan turned. Ruo Xianxue still sat with the elegance of a dark empress upon a pitch-black branch. Petals of life fell around her, yet her aura remained untouched by time. The Great Saint's eyes flashed, dissecting every inch of Zhi Xuan's internal condition.

  "Great Saint," Zhi Xuan gave a short salute. "Those three women... they nearly tore my existence apart with their gazes alone. Especially that karmic resonance—it acted like a lantern in the dead of night."

  Ruo Xianxue descended from the branch, her bare feet touching the cold altar floor without a sound. "That is the price to be paid by those who dare to bind their fates with Holy Maidens. You did not just bind their bodies, Zhi Xuan; you bound the Heavenly Laws they represent. When they call upon you as their Dao Protector, they unconsciously use the entire weight of their Plains to find you."

  She walked closer, her pale fingers brushing the air in front of Zhi Xuan’s chest, where the Nine Heavens Bead resided. "But you should be grateful. If that Holy Maiden Feng hadn't released her seal at the last moment, you might currently be an ornament inside the Zhu Clan’s ice prison or wrapped in the life-webs of the Heavenly Leaf."

  Zhi Xuan snorted bitterly. "Released me? She only released the bird so she could chase it again with a larger net. Now, the Nine Ancient Clans have gathered. And their goal is the Heavenly Ascension Fruit."

  "You will not be taking that fruit," Ruo Xianxue said with a thin smile—a smile that carried both gravity and a warning. "That fruit might allow even an early-stage Weaver Transformation practitioner to leap to Divine Transformation with a solid foundation. But for you, you will gain no benefit from it."

  Zhi Xuan frowned, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the Great Saint before him. "No benefit? Are you implying that my Heavenly-Blood Body foundation rejects such divine herbs, or is there a hidden poison behind the shimmer of the Heavenly Ascension Fruit?"

  Ruo Xianxue walked around the altar, her long black robe sweeping the floor like a thick night mist. She moved her finger and pointed toward Zhi Xuan’s forehead, where the Slaughter Seal crept across his brow, highlighting the pattern of the Slaughter Pillar that now seemed to support the sky above his head.

  "The Heavenly-Blood Body has granted you unparalleled physical strength," Ruo Xianxue said, her dual Sun and Moon pupils glowing as she stared at him. "You already possess six thousand Slaughter Seals—the price you took while slaughtering the southern regions. And now, you are nearly touching the second pillar."

  "Six thousand Slaughter Seals are your fertilizer, Zhi Xuan," Ruo Xianxue continued, her voice now as heavy as an ancient mountain. "Your path is one of self-actualization through destruction and rebirth. That Heavenly Ascension Fruit, though grand, is a fruit of the Heavenly Law. Consuming it as the owner of a Heavenly-Blood Body is like pouring holy water into a lava crater; it will not strengthen you. Instead, you will lose your current physical form."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent, his hand unconsciously touching his forehead, feeling the hot throb of the Slaughter Pillar manifesting there. "Then, if not that fruit, what should I seek? The Heavenly-Blood Body demands blood from everyone I kill with my own hands. Must I seek out a slaughterhouse once more?"

  Ruo Xianxue stopped directly in front of Zhi Xuan, her face only inches away. The cold scent of death blossoms drifted from her breath. "Oh? That would be far too easy for you, Zhi Xuan."

  "A slaughterhouse is a crude method for you now," Ruo Xianxue whispered, her cold fingers finally landing on Zhi Xuan’s forehead, right at the center of the smoldering Slaughter Seal. "The Divine Creation Devil Art."

  Zhi Xuan flinched slightly, his head pushed back as Ruo Xianxue’s finger tapped his forehead, instantly dispersing the Divine Creation Devil Art into his mind. If she had previously given him the Blood Slaughter Devil Art to form the Heavenly-Blood Body, this Divine Creation Devil Art provided the understanding of how to replace the need for Slaughter Seals to reach the second pillar.

  "The Devil Path strengthens the body through blood," Ruo Xianxue said, her pupils shining with intensity. "If you wish to forge this body without a slaughterhouse, then let yourself be split to create a second self. Meanwhile, the main body will sink into an endless silence, absorbing every energy to form an unparalleled physique. The second body will perform heavenly cultivation, walking upon the heavens and the earth."

  Zhi Xuan felt an agonizing explosion of consciousness, as if his soul were being sliced by thousands of daggers made of void. The ancient mantras of the Divine Creation Devil Art crawled into his marrow, transforming his spiritual essence lines into pulsing, hungry devil scripts.

  He saw silhouettes of Ancient Demons under the guidance of Ancient Devil Ruo Xianxue, splitting themselves; some cultivated this way to double their own power. But Zhi Xuan's path was different—he cultivated both the Heavenly Path and the Devil Path simultaneously. And now, Ruo Xianxue was offering him the comprehension to split those paths using the Divine Creation Devil Art.

  "Split into two?" Zhi Xuan hissed, his teeth clashing as he endured the pain splitting his Divine Wheel. "You want me to create a second body born with my consciousness? My True Domain will be shattered and destroyed!"

  "Not destroyed, but rather separating the laws," Ruo Xianxue replied in an undeniable tone. She pressed her finger deeper into his forehead, forcing the black scripts to sink into his sea of consciousness. "Your True Domain is the Law you understand, bound by your soul. With the Divine Creation Devil Art, you are not dividing your power into two weak parts, but planting the same seed of consciousness into two different vessels."

  "Zhi Xuan, this technique will give you distinct awareness," Ruo Xianxue continued, her voice sounding like a tempting yet sacred devilish whisper. "The main body—the one separated by the Divine Creation Devil Art—will continue to exist beneath storm and blood. It needs a place rich in Heaven and Earth materials to devour every energy present there."

  "As for the second body," Ruo Xianxue whispered, her fingers moving from his forehead and hovering before him as if sculpting the air, "it will carry the path of Heavenly cultivation. It will be the 'you' that walks above the clouds, piercing the mysteries of the Upper Realms without the shackles of darkness. One body becomes an Ancient Devil; one body becomes a Heavenly Practitioner. Both will share the same soul-root, but the Ancient Devil does not require a Dao."

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  Zhi Xuan felt his sea of consciousness erupt in turmoil. This concept surpassed any understanding of cultivation he had ever heard. It wasn't a standard avatar or a typical clone bound to the main body's awareness, but two simultaneous existences sharing one soul root. This was far more dangerous than simply splitting the sea, for it involved the separation of his very core being.

  He fell silent, his breath heavy as if the entire atmosphere inside the Nine Heavens Bead were pressing against his lungs. He stared at his own palms, which began to be enveloped by thick black mist on one side and pure silver light on the other. This separation was not just a technique; it felt like a betrayal of the unified body he had painstakingly built.

  "If I do this," Zhi Xuan said, his voice hoarse and trembling, "then who am I really? Am I the Devil crawling in the darkness, or the Heavenly Practitioner gazing at the sun?"

  Ruo Xianxue smiled coldly, her dual-pupiled eyes staring deep into his soul. "You are the will that controls both. The needle that pierces the cloth does not care if the cloth is white silk or black jet. You are the single will crossing two paths. Did you not want to become the Sky for your people? The Sky does not choose to be day or night; it is both."

  Zhi Xuan gritted his teeth, unleashing his energy and clenching his fists tight. "Tell me, what must be sacrificed to separate this body? Is it a divine herb or an artifact?"

  Ruo Xianxue laughed, a melody that sounded like ice scraping against silver. She walked slowly away, back toward the shadows beneath the Devil Tree of Life. "Artifacts? Divine herbs? Zhi Xuan, you underestimate the arts of the Ancient Era too much. Something capable of splitting fate cannot be bought with dead objects."

  She turned, her black robe spiraling like a vortex of darkness. "The price is that you must partition your consciousness, causing the main body and the second body to have different awareness. Ancient Devils do not walk upon the Dao; they do not know the Heavenly Dao."

  "Both bodies are you. However, your main body remains the Ancient Devil," Ruo Xianxue said with a sharp, low tone. "And of course, your Ancient Heavenly bloodline will belong to the main body. Zhi Xuan, are you worried about your second body rebelling?"

  Zhi Xuan remained silent, his pupils trembling as he digested the implications. The concern wasn't just a shadow; if the second body had its own consciousness cultivating the Heavenly Path, wasn't it possible it would view the main body as a devil to be purged for the sake of Daoist purity? That was his doubt.

  "Ancient Heavenly bloodline..." Zhi Xuan murmured, feeling his blood boil with heat. "If you separate them, will my second body be born without this blood foundation? Will he start from zero in a world filled with the predators of the Nine Ancient Clans?"

  Ruo Xianxue nodded slowly, her silver hair shimmering like flowing water under an unseen moon. "He will have your memories, your understanding of laws, but his frame is one that will not be as strong as the main body."

  "And about starting from zero," Ruo Xianxue continued, her melodic, raspy laugh mocking his understanding. "The Ancient Heavenly memory inheritance seemingly has no knowledge of Ancient Devils, which is why you are so foolish. No, your cultivation will remain at the Weaver Transformation stage. The Ancient Heavenly memory inheritance will belong to both the main and second bodies."

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes, feeling the storm within him begin to subside, replaced by a cold, deadly calm. He knew this opportunity wouldn't come twice. Outside, the Nine Ancient Clans were preparing to fight for the Heavenly Ascension Fruit—a competition that would change the world's order. If he remained in his current state, he was merely a dragon bound by too many karmic threads.

  "Then, I must find a way to get down there," Zhi Xuan said, reopening his eyes with a cold glint. "Even if I have to show my face and act helpless before the Ancient Clans. Only that path will lead me beneath the ocean."

  Zhi Xuan took a deep breath, letting the spiritual essence within the Nine Heavens Bead dimension swirl around him one last time before solidifying his intent. The decision was made; he would not be the Dao Protector fought over by the Sacred Fairies, but the figure who would stand in their path without letting them be stained by his way.

  "Wait for me at the deepest point of that ocean, Great Saint," Zhi Xuan said in a low tone filled with resolve.

  Ruo Xianxue did not reply; she only gave an elegant wave of her hand as her figure faded into the dimness of the Devil Tree of Life, leaving behind a mysterious smile that seemed to have already seen the end of this bloody path.

  WUUUNNGG—!

  Zhi Xuan’s existence suddenly vibrated violently. The Nine Heavens Bead released its black mist, returning the warrior's body to the Nine Plains dimension. He reappeared in a corner of the now-deserted East Ocean City pier, where the lingering scent of Zhu Qinglan’s ice and the fragrance of Ye Xishui’s leaves still hung thin in the air, like ghosts from a past that refused to leave.

  He looked toward the floating land where the Ancient Bai Clan was hosting the noble guests. "Must I appear there? Perhaps not. I will simply wait for an opening and let those who would pull me into the ocean do so themselves."

  Zhi Xuan stood frozen in the shadows of a coral pillar, letting his black-and-white robes blend with the damp darkness of the pier. His sharp eyes stared far into the horizon, where the golden and silver lights of the Ancient Clans' vessels glowed like stars falling into the ocean's embrace.

  He began to walk, but this time his movements were no longer lightning-fast. He intentionally weakened the pulse of his Divine Wheel, allowing the gray aura that was usually sharp and threatening to become dim and unstable—as if he were a practitioner suffering from severe internal injuries from a forced escape.

  This was the bait he cast; a figure that appeared fragile yet still held a strong karmic resonance. Sure enough, only a few breaths after he revealed himself to the world, the aura from the sky surged once more.

  WUUUSH—!

  A green strand emitting massive spiritual fluctuations sliced through the sea mist with suffocating elegance. At almost the same moment, a strand of sky-blue light also appeared. Zhu Qinglan and Ye Xishui appeared simultaneously before Zhi Xuan, their faces—once tense and full of the intrigue of the Ancient Clan gathering—now softened as if they had found their pillar.

  Zhi Xuan froze, his body feeling as hard as a coral reef frozen in the depths of a trench. His heart pounded, not from bloodlust, but from a pressure far more ancient and deadly: the presence of two women each holding an end of his fate.

  The atmosphere at the deserted pier suddenly became a silent battlefield. On the left, Zhu Qinglan stood in her sky-blue robes emitting a biting chill, her pearl veil trembling slightly with her bated breath. On the right, Ye Xishui hovered a few inches off the ground, her soft green aura feeling like a tangle of vines that couldn't be escaped.

  Zhi Xuan cleared his throat softly, his voice sounding incredibly stiff even to his own ears. He tried to take a step back, but the gazes of the two Sacred Fairies locked onto him as if he were the only prey in the entire Cang Hai Plain.

  "So..." Zhu Qinglan began, her voice cold and clear, yet with a sharp edge of sarcasm that pierced the air. "This lost pearl has finally decided to show its face in the mud of the pier. You spoke of wandering to Huang Tu, and yet you end up in Cang Hai. Is this not... a bit too far?"

  Zhi Xuan grew even stiffer. He wanted to answer in the soothing tone he usually used with Zhu Qinglan, but before a single word could escape, Ye Xishui interrupted with a small laugh as soft as the rustle of leaves, though her gaze remained sorrowful and searching.

  "Senior... you have reached Weaver Transformation," Ye Xishui said, taking a step forward and narrowing the distance between them. "Xishui is very happy for senior's achievement. The last time senior visited the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion, Xishui waited for senior to return."

  Zhi Xuan swallowed hard. His throat felt drier than the Huang Tu desert he had just left. He, who was usually able to stand tall before thousands of enemies or stare into the eyes of a Great Saint without blinking, now felt like he wanted the earth beneath his feet to split open and swallow him whole.

  "That... I..." Zhi Xuan began, but his tongue felt tied. He looked at Zhu Qinglan, who radiated an icy aura, then glanced at Ye Xishui, who smiled gently but held an unshakable authority.

  "Senior Zhi seems very busy," Zhu Qinglan interrupted with a piercing, flat tone, her eyes staring sharply at Ye Xishui before returning to Zhi Xuan. "So busy that he had to be accompanied by the Holy Maiden of the Feng Clan. Does the Shell Pavilion provide comforts that the Zhu Clan residence cannot?"

  Zhi Xuan's face turned pale. He thought frantically to himself, "How does Qinglan know about that inn? Wasn't that kept secret?"

  "Oh?" Ye Xishui tilted her head, her slender fingers touching her chin in a seemingly innocent gesture. "Holy Maiden Feng? Senior, Xishui did not expect your tastes to have evolved toward the Sacred Phoenix. And here I was, having prepared the purest morning dew tea in the pavilion, waiting for the return of the senior who once said he was leaving briefly to disguise himself as a mortal and weave the laws of Weaver Transformation."

  Zhi Xuan cleared his throat loudly, trying to find the remnants of his dignity as a warrior. "This is all a misunderstanding. Holy Maiden Feng—I don't even know her name! I was simply kidnapped by that Holy Maiden Feng. Sacred Fairy Zhu, Sacred Fairy Ye, this Dao Protector was merely framed."