He ignored Xiao Die's resonance, shifting his focus entirely to the tallest ancient stone tower. Its peak was marked by a colder and purer aura, the location of the most abundant Taiyin essence, the most effective place to install the Thousand Heavens Sect formation. However, the tower was guarded.

  Right at the peak of that ancient stone tower, two figures in dim golden robes hovered, radiating a strong Consciousness Transformation essence aura, with solid foundations. The emblem on their robes—a winged lion—indicated that they were disciples of the Flying Lion School, one of the factions in the gray territory known for its aggressive and protective cultivation methods. Both were setting up monitoring artifacts, guarding the peak with sharp, unfriendly gazes.

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, the faint red rings in his sapphire pupils pulsed. He understood. These factions had claimed the best positions around the Taiyin Holy Pool. If he wanted to install the Thousand Heavens Sect Formation, he had to negotiate or… take the position by force.

  "I do not have time to negotiate, nor do I have time to look for trouble." Zhi Xuan hissed in his mind. Six days. Every second was precious.

  He advanced the Seven Star Boat, sliding out of the building shadows. His movement was fast and decisive, heading directly towards the tallest tower. He did not try to hide anymore. His arrival, although without malicious intent, immediately attracted attention. Dozens of pairs of eyes, from Hongmeng Empire cultivators to Solitary cultivators hovering at altitude, all turned to stare at him, processing his identity.

  "Thousand Heavens Sect!" shouted one of the Solitary cultivators, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. "A Consciousness Transformation cultivator from that Great Sect? Why is he coming here?"

  Whispers spread in the rotten air of the Primordial Ancient City. These factions knew the weight of the Thousand Heavens Sect, but they were also aware that in the gray territory, the Law of the Great Sect did not always apply. The two disciples of the Flying Lion School at the top of the tower immediately became wary. They retracted their scouting artifacts and focused their essence aura, ready to fight.

  “Who are you? This is a place claimed by the Flying Lion School,” shouted one of the Flying Lion disciples, his voice sharp and filled with warning. “Go back to your Thousand Heavens Sect territory, mortal!”

  Zhi Xuan stopped the Seven Star Boat right in front of them, a few dozen meters below the tower peak. He hovered calmly, his pure sky-blue robe, contrasting with his jet-black hair, creating a strange Phenomenal aura. He ignored the mortal's taunt.

  “I am Zhi Xuan, a disciple of the Thousand Heavens Sect,” Zhi Xuan countered, his voice flat and cold, echoing in the Dead Mist. He showed no clear threat, but the calmness of his voice itself was a threat. “I have come to install the Thousand Heavens Sect Formation at the peak of that tower. I request both seniors to allow me to occupy that position.”

  Silence descended upon the Primordial Ancient City, even the whispers of other cultivators stopped. Zhi Xuan’s request was not a negotiation; it was a demand wrapped in minimal formality. The two Flying Lion School disciples stared at Zhi Xuan with a mixture of anger and disbelief. They were Consciousness Transformation cultivators with solid foundations, but they knew the weight of the Thousand Heavens Sect name. However, in the gray territory, the Sect's honor could not buy a position close to the Taiyin Holy Pool.

  "Allow you? Arrogant mortal!" hissed the older Flying Lion disciple, whose face was decorated with a scar. "This peak has been claimed. Are you deaf? Or do you think your Thousand Heavens Sect blue robe gives you the right to violate the Law of the gray territory?"

  Zhi Xuan sighed, his breath coming out as a sharp mist that was immediately neutralized by Xiao Die's soft rainbow dust. He did not waste time. The harsh words from the Flying Lion School disciple were an unnecessary waste of time. He had offered a peaceful path; now, he would take it by force.

  WHIRL! WHIRL! WHIRL!

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand, and the low hum of the Divine Furnace spun in his palm. The Cauldron spun and emitted a suppressing Four Seasons Will. Zhi Xuan only released the Divine Furnace to intimidate; he was not stupid enough to attack and trigger something undesirable.

  The two Flying Lion School disciples stumbled back half a step. Their eyes widened, filled with genuine shock. They could feel the weight that transcended the Cauldron's realm, a pressure that felt as if they were facing a Five Element realm, not a Consciousness Transformation peer.

  “Heaven-Grade Artifact!” shouted the younger Flying Lion disciple, his voice containing a hidden note of horror. A Heaven-Grade Artifact was an extremely rare treasure, even for the great sects in the gray territory.

  “You have three breaths,” Zhi Xuan said, his voice now emotionless, cold, and sharp like a newly sharpened Thunder Sword blade. He did not need to speak much. The slowly spinning Heaven-Grade Artifact had already become a manifestation of an unquestionable threat.

  The faces of the two Flying Lion School disciples turned pale. They were not afraid of the same realm, but they were afraid of the Heaven-Grade Artifact. Such an artifact could turn the tide in an instant, and in a place like the Primordial Ancient Tomb, an intense fight could attract other factions or, worse, disturb the Ancient Supreme Law below.

  “Arrogant mortal!” hissed the older disciple, although his voice trembled. He held the scouting artifact in his hand, but he did not dare to launch an attack. The Will of the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron was too suppressing, a Four Seasons weight that forced them to consider survival.

  Zhi Xuan ignored the hiss. He did not waste time arguing. He had given three breaths, and now, the first breath had passed.

  Just before the second breath ended, the older disciple's pupil twitched. He stared at the shining Taiyin Holy Pool, then at Zhi Xuan. The doubt in his eyes disappeared, replaced by cold calculation. Wielding a Heaven-Grade Artifact in front of cultivators in the gray territory was a declaration of war. However, fighting against the owner of a Heaven-Grade Artifact without guaranteed victory was folly that invited disaster.

  He gritted his teeth. “Fine! Take the peak, Thousand Heavens Sect Disciple! But remember, you owe the Flying Lion School!”

  The older disciple retracted their scouting artifact and gestured to his comrade. Both immediately turned, rushing quickly on their flying artifacts, moving away from the tower peak. They did not rush far, only hovering at the safe limit between the buildings, waiting to see if Zhi Xuan would obey the safe limit of the Ancient Tomb.

  Zhi Xuan let out a satisfied sigh. The spinning Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron was immediately pulled back into his Sea of Consciousness. He had won the position without shedding a drop of blood. He advanced the Seven Star Boat, gliding upwards, and landed gently on the peak of the ancient stone tower. The cold and pure Taiyin essence immediately enveloped Zhi Xuan, a pleasant purification in the middle of the Dead Mist. This essence was so pure that Xiao Die in the folds of his robe rustled with satisfaction.

  Zhi Xuan did not waste time. He disembarked from the Seven Star Boat, which immediately whirred and disappeared into his waist. He stood at the peak of the tower, feeling the cold and pure Taiyin essence washing over every pore, a refreshing sensation after the journey through the Dead Mist. He took out the Thousand Heavens Sect Formation scroll and began to channel essence into it.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  However, just as he was about to channel his essence, a cold sneer twisted his lips. He did not turn around. He did not need to turn around. His divine sense had warned him.

  From behind, two figures in dim golden robes, the Flying Lion School disciples he had just driven away, shot back with deadly speed. Their faces were adorned with cunning sneers, their eyes radiating cruelty. They no longer issued warnings; they attacked with killing intent.

  The older disciple, with the scar on his face, launched a palm strike that radiated a Golden Lion aura, a Flying Lion School attack technique capable of tearing through defensive Formations. While the younger disciple threw a spiritual net made of thin golden thread, designed to bind and paralyze.

  “Fool! Did you think we would just retreat? This peak belongs to the Flying Lion School!” shouted the older disciple, his voice filled with suppressed anger. “Die, arrogant mortal!”

  Zhi Xuan sighed, the breath that came out felt cold and sharp. He had predicted this. In the gray territory, honor and promises were just nonsense. Power was the only law. Without turning, Zhi Xuan waved his right hand behind him with a quick and measured movement.

  WHIRL! WHIRL! WHIRL!

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shot out from his jade ring, no longer spinning slowly, but enlarging rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the Cauldron had reached a massive size, its surface radiating a suppressing Four Seasons light. The Cauldron's Will exploded, not as an attack, but as a pure and absolute presence, a Law that rejected all disturbance.

  BUM!

  The Divine Furnace hit the incoming Golden Lion palm, not with explosive force, but with the infinite weight of the Four Seasons. The Golden Lion essence immediately collapsed, like a sandcastle hit by a wave. The older disciple's palm strike was completely destroyed, and his body was thrown backward at a terrifying speed.

  The spiritual net thrown by the younger disciple, which was supposed to bind Zhi Xuan, only touched the surface of the Divine Furnace. The golden threads immediately shattered into spiritual dust, unable to withstand the pressure of the Four Seasons Law emanating from the Heaven-Grade artifact. The younger disciple's body, which was behind his net, was also thrown backward, staggering in the air.

  The two Flying Lion School disciples were unprepared for such a brutal and swift retaliation. They were solid Consciousness Transformation cultivators, but they did not possess a Heaven-Grade Artifact capable of overturning Law. They were thrown far back, their essence turbulent, and their control over the flying artifacts they used wavered.

  "NO!" shouted the older disciple, his face pale, his eyes filled with horror.

  Both lost their balance in the air. Their bodies, already shaken by the impact of the Divine Furnace, now began to fall helplessly. The attraction of the Ancient Being's Will below, which was always vigilant, immediately pulled them down.

  "DON'T!" The voice was a scream of despair that transcended pain.

  However, it was too late. The Ancient Supreme Law in the Primordial Ancient City had no mercy.

  BUM! BUM!

  The two Flying Lion School disciples hit the ancient stone alley below with a deafening cracking sound. Their bodies were destroyed, but the more terrifying phenomenon was the next. A massive and invisible spiritual wave exploded from the surface of the ground, penetrating directly the spiritual fortress and plucking their Dao Will.

  Above their shattered bodies, two green Soul Fires appeared, trembling violently. The Soul Fires, which were the core of their existence, began to dim at a terrifying speed, as if being sucked into a bottomless abyss. The voiceless screams, coming from the depths of the soul, echoed in Zhi Xuan's ears, a familiar melody of horror.

  "My Will… My Soul…"

  In a matter of breaths, the Soul Fires completely extinguished, one by one, leaving two empty mortal bodies on the ancient stone alley. Cold and deadly silence once again descended upon the Primordial Ancient City. Zhi Xuan stood at the peak of the tower, the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron now shrunk back and spinning in his palm. He observed the scene below him with an emotionless expression.

  The murder he committed was not a cruel act, but a measured act, a response to the betrayal he predicted. He did not attack with killing intent, but with the intent to paralyze. The result—they fell to the ground—was a consequence of the Ancient Supreme Law, not Zhi Xuan's direct action.

  Zhi Xuan looked around, looking at the stunned cultivators with indifferent raised shoulders. "I already warned them, so of course it is not the wrong thing to do."

  Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh, a breath that carried the brutal satisfaction of a correct calculation. He ignored the shocked and horrified glances of the dozens of cultivators hovering at altitude around the Taiyin Holy Pool. The Solitary cultivator who had just whispered was now silent, his face pale. They did not witness a murder; they witnessed an execution forced by the Ancient Supreme Law.

  "Hopefully their ancestors or elders will not look for me," Zhi Xuan muttered with an annoyed and sharp tone. "Ruo, help me if their ancestors look for me. I hate dealing with so-called ancestors helping their great-grandchildren."

  “Just mortals,” Ruo Xianxue hissed inside the Sea of Consciousness, his tone containing cold disgust. “Their ancestors are ash, Monkey. They will not dare. They know that the Thousand Heavens Sect not only claims, but also possesses. The Heaven-Grade Artifact you showed has become the stamp of authority. Now, do not waste this precious Taiyin essence.”

  Zhi Xuan nodded inwardly. He knew the Ancient Devil was right. The death of the two Flying Lion School disciples was a brutal statement: this position now belongs to the Thousand Heavens Sect, and anyone who tries to claim it will face the same fate. In the gray territory, fear is the most valuable currency. Whereas, strength is the price to determine who stands above the sky.

  Zhi Xuan put away the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. He did not turn to look at the two empty corpses lying on the stone alley below, nor did he care about the anxious rustling of the dozens of cultivators hovering around him. His attention was now fully focused on the mission he had to complete within the six-day limit. He had established his authority; now it was time to harvest the fruits of the risk he took.

  He took out the Thousand Heavens Sect Formation scroll. The scroll was made of white jade material that radiated a strong and peaceful spiritual essence aura, a piercing contrast to the rotten aura and Primordial Will pressure around him. Zhi Xuan placed the scroll on the peak of the tower, right in the center of the abundant Taiyin essence.

  He sat cross-legged, his eyes closed. His spiritual essence began to flow rapidly into the formation scroll. His movements were measured and flawless. The Thousand Heavens Sect Formation that had to be installed here was an Essence Gathering and Attraction Formation, designed to absorb the pure Yin essence from the Taiyin Holy Pool. The Formation required a stable foundation and a pure essence flow to be activated.

  This formation installation process required time and subtlety. Zhi Xuan had to carve the formation runes into the peak of the ancient stone tower, ensuring every essence vein was perfectly connected to the core of the Taiyin Holy Pool. He was a Consciousness Transformation cultivator who possessed the Perfect Five Divine Organs foundation; his strong and pure essence was the perfect foundation to activate this demanding formation.

  As Zhi Xuan’s essence flowed, the fluctuation of the Essence Gathering and Attraction Formation aura began to spread. In the middle of the Dead Mist and the pressure of the Primordial Will, the appearance of a formation radiating such a measured spiritual essence aura felt like a piercing anomaly.

  "Xiao Die, you can also absorb it from here." Zhi Xuan muttered calmly. The Formation had been installed, and he could calmly allow his spiritual moth to absorb the pure Taiyin essence for a Heavenly Insect.

  Inside the folds of his robe, Xiao Die, the Thousand Feathered Moth, finally surrendered to the irresistible attraction. The obedient Heavenly Insect slid out. Its body, which was usually the size of a thumb, now seemed to radiate a brighter rainbow light. It did not fly far. The small moth hovered right above Zhi Xuan’s shoulder, its wings flapping with quick, rhythmic movements.

  The subtle chirp it emitted, which was previously a sound of restlessness, now turned into a beautiful and pure melody, a resonant song of joy. The melody could not be heard by mortal ears, but it resonated directly with the Taiyin essence around them. Xiao Die began to absorb the pure Yin essence from the Taiyin Holy Pool.

  While Zhi Xuan was engrossed in cultivation and meditation that guarded the Formation, the surrounding cultivators could only watch with wide eyes. They saw a Black-Haired Devil, who had just killed two Flying Lion School disciples, sitting calmly at the peak of the newly claimed tower, surrounded by a Formation and pure Taiyin essence.

  They saw the Thousand Feathered Moth, radiating a terrifying heavenly aura, absorbing the Taiyin essence on Zhi Xuan's shoulder. To them, Zhi Xuan was not a Thousand Heavens Sect disciple, but an incarnation of a newly descended War God to the Lower Realms, using the Primordial Ancient Tomb as his personal training ground.

  No one dared to approach, no one dared to attack. The brutal death of the two Flying Lion School disciples was a sufficient warning. In the gray territory, the Law of the Great Sect did not apply, but the fear of a Heaven-Grade Artifact and an execution forced by the Ancient Supreme Law was a stronger law.