Ruo Xianxue, the Ancient Devil, immediately rose from her meditative position. Her face, which was now calmer and more graceful, showed a new irritation. She had passively witnessed the drama between Zhi Xuan and Holy Maiden Zhu, and she did not like what she saw. It was not because Zhi Xuan was humiliated, but because her vessel had spent too much essence on a game that yielded nothing.

  "You truly are a mad monkey, Zhi Xuan," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice sharp and piercing, echoing the cold aura of Heaven Sword Peak. "You risked the collapse of your Dao just to repay a slap and flirt with a mortal in the Five Element realm. That is mortal madness, not the madness of a Devil."

  Beneath the Devil Tree of Life, the spiritual Zhi Xuan staggered and fell against a thick root. His sapphire eyes looked weary, but the sharpness remained. He took a deep spiritual breath, letting the pure essence of the Seven Spirit Purifying Jade that still remained wash over his soul.

  "Devil madness is without purpose," the spiritual Zhi Xuan countered, his voice parau. "Mortal madness is a tool. I have gained two things, Great Saint. First, I broke his dog’s tail, temporarily removing a nuisance. Second, I have bound her further, piercing the shield of her elegance. She is now focused on me, not on Sect etiquette."

  Ruo Xianxue snorted coldly, her dark robes wrapping tightly around the fragmented Ancient Devil Monument. "Restraining a tigress with a thread of silk? That is a recipe for a painful death, Monkey. The aura of anger she radiated... that is the Supreme Law of an Ancient Clan only held back by mortal etiquette."

  "Mortal etiquette is her strongest chain," the spiritual Zhi Xuan murmured, closing his eyes. He could feel Xiao Die’s cocoon now radiating a subtle pulse inside the Divine Furnace. The calm Four Seasons Resonance spun, accelerating the Transformation of that Thousand Feather Moth. "And, guess what? Did you not also possess me some time ago just to make me say she should bear my child? You are just as mad as I am."

  Ruo Xianxue fell silent. Her double-pupil gaze sharpened, and the silence within the Sea of Consciousness felt deadly, colder than the air on Heaven Sword Peak. Zhi Xuan’s words pierced her—equating her to mortal madness. As an Ancient Devil who defied the heavens, she hated most to be associated with mortal weakness, especially impulsive, unplanned actions.

  "It is the instinct of an Ancient Devil to claim a Vessel of Fortune," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her tone returning to an arrogant coldness, rejecting that filthy comparison. "Not to play around with the cheap honor of a mortal! You, Monkey, you sacrificed your Dao foundation for a moment’s pleasure. Beware, a cracked dao heart is far more fatal than a physical wound."

  "As long as Zhu Qinglan does not die," Zhi Xuan replied calmly, feeling the thick essence of Heaven and Earth filling his meridians. "Then the Dao Heart will not collapse, unlike if the issue concerned that dark purple-haired soul."

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, staring sharply toward the bottom of the sea of consciousness where, there, lay a Devil Seed far more threatening to his own foundation than defeat and helplessness in the outside world. Even a single drop of spilled blood was enough to make it rise easily; he had to be careful with his soul, not others.

  "However," Zhi Xuan continued with a thin smile. "I do not fear the collapse of my Dao; what I fear is losing my will to keep moving forward."

  The spiritual Zhi Xuan closed his eyes once more, letting the silence of the Sea of Consciousness envelop him. Dao collapse was a phantom for all cultivators, an abyss promising stagnation and spiritual death. However, for him, a carrier of the Devil Seed who defied natural Law, what was more terrifying was returning to being a will-less puppet—a purposeless entity controlled by the primal instincts of the Ancient Devil.

  "Blood Slaughtering Demon Art," Ruo Xianxue said suddenly. "An art that will not only spill more blood, but rather you will forge your physical body through slaughter."

  Ruo Xianxue, whose robes wrapped tightly around the Fragment of the Ancient Devil Monument, let out a sharp spiritual breath, her voice now filled again with the weight of a Great Saint's authority. Her presence forced silence in the Sea of Consciousness, separating Zhi Xuan from the mortal exhaustion he had just felt.

  “You have seen how fragile your physical foundation is, Monkey,” Ruo Xianxue hissed, her double pupils staring sharply at Zhi Xuan who leaned against the root of the Devil Tree of Life. "This art does not just feed your demon seed. Rather, more importantly, it is to forge your physical body with the Slaughter Seal, a Body Technique I created for my Clan in the past. If the gods forge a divine body with clan blood heritage, you forge your own body with the blood you spill."

  Ruo Xianxue did not wait for a response. With a wave of her delicate hand, a strand of cold and dark spiritual Law released from the Ancient Devil Monument. The strand was not an attack, but a vision of a technique. It pierced directly into Zhi Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness, bringing with it a series of countless runes, each rune feeling carved with the blood and wails of an era long gone.

  Despite his state of exhaustion, the spiritual Zhi Xuan had to force himself to absorb that demand of knowledge. The runes spun wildly, forming a complete technique within his mind. Blood Slaughtering Demon Art. This technique was not about attack power, but about the brutal and uncompromising strengthening of the physical body.

  The Heavenly-Blood Body Law, born from vileness and formed by wails. Every drop of blood spilled by the enemy, every soul taken, would become fuel to forge the Slaughter Seal on the skin. A thousand Slaughter Seals hold the Heavens. Ten thousand Slaughter Seals swallow the Dao.

  The concept was simple yet cruel; Zhi Xuan’s physical body would become a living artifact. The blood and essence of the enemies he killed would be purified and carved into invisible runes—Slaughter Seals—beneath his skin. The more he killed, the stronger his body became, the more he resembled the form of an unparalleled Ancient Devil.

  "It is impossible for you to obtain a Body Art better than this," Ruo Xianxue said again, her voice low and providing peerless knowledge. "Ancient Devils rely on their physical bodies, possessing four pillars. When you reach the fourth pillar, with just your physical body you will already be able to rival the Ancient Great Emperors."

  "I see it," the spiritual Zhi Xuan murmured, his sapphire eyes flickering. He had absorbed the technique, understanding its core with alarming speed. It was a brutal technique, perfectly suited to the Path he had chosen. This technique provided a perfect solution for his fragile foundation; he could not rely on realm cultivation alone, but had to forge his own vessel. "Heavenly-Blood Body Law. Formed from vileness and strengthened by slaughter. This is a very selfish Path. The body as a weapon, one hand capable of overturning Heaven and Earth.”

  Ruo Xianxue nodded slowly. Even though equated with mortal madness by Zhi Xuan, she could not hide her satisfaction. This technique was the highest heritage of the ancient clan she inherited, a brutal answer to the weakness of the mortal Dao.

  “Selfish? Which Path is not selfish, Monkey?” Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice containing sharp mockery. "The Path of Righteousness belonging to your Holy Maiden is also selfish—she sacrificed Xu Sheng’s honor to solidify her position and used you as a tool for the Ancient Clan’s mission. Every cultivator, at their core, is a selfish entity carving destiny by stepping on the backs of others. Only, the Devil Path is more honest about it."

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  The spiritual Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. The piercing pain in his meridians seemed to vanish, replaced by a cold and sharp understanding. Ruo Xianxue’s analysis, though cruel, was the naked truth. There was no holy Path; there was only a Path more honest about its motives. He rose from the root of the Devil Tree of Life, his spiritual exhaustion feeling much lighter after receiving that heritage.

  Heavenly-Blood Body Law. This was a heritage far more valuable than all the celestial herbs in the Primordial Ancient City. It was a way to forge his damaged foundation into something eternal, something capable of bearing the weight of the Supreme Law of the Heavenly Wheel of Samsara and suppressing the Devil Seed.

  “I accept this Art,” the spiritual Zhi Xuan said, his voice now filled with a new weight, heavy with the promise of slaughter. He turned toward the Divine Furnace, in which Xiao Die’s cocoon pulsed with smoldering life. “Xiao Die will soon be reborn, carrying the peak power of the Verdant Titan. And I have a Body Art capable of rivaling the Gods.”

  He realized his journey to the Divine Stone Mine to seek the Seven Lotus Yin Fruit would be the first opportunity to forge the Blood Slaughtering Demon Art. The Ancient Wasteland, a place filled with vileness, was the perfect location to begin the slaughter.

  The spiritual Zhi Xuan nodded to Ruo Xianxue, a wordless acknowledgment of the priceless knowledge. With a sharp mind, he withdrew his soul from the Sea of Consciousness, returning to his physical body leaning against the courtyard of Heaven Sword Peak.

  WHUSHH!

  Zhi Xuan’s breath, which was previously gasping, now became long and calm. His drained Consciousness Transformation aura began to swirl again, albeit slowly. He felt his spiritual essence, although thin, now felt heavier and denser, as if the foundation of his body had been strengthened by the promise of the Heavenly-Blood Body Law.

  He rose slowly, his cold hands supporting his body. With staggering steps he entered his Cultivation Cave, carving the Cave formation runes and immediately throwing himself onto the cultivation cushion. He closed his eyes again, absorbing the rich and pure spiritual essence.

  In the silent courtyard of Sky Cloud Peak enveloped in spiritual mist, Xu Sheng’s Five Element Pagoda lay beside his cushion, the crack of Dao will on its surface feeling like a gaping wound in the heart of a cultivator. Xu Sheng, who usually wore clean white robes with the elegance of a Saint, now looked haggard, his eyes red, and he gnashed his teeth with suppressed rage.

  Before him, Li Jian and Hou Lin, two core disciples who once acted as messengers to expel Zhi Xuan from Heaven Sword Peak, were merely kneeling, their heads bowed tightly. They had witnessed the shameful defeat of their Senior’s Dao in the Great Hall. They witnessed how the grand will of the Five Elements was swallowed by the Cycle of Death and Rebirth of a Consciousness Transformation.

  “You saw it,” Xu Sheng hissed, his voice hoarse and filled with bitterness. He did not shout; that bitterness was far more terrifying than burning anger. He picked up the cracked Five Element Pagoda. "He did not use realm strength; he used concepts to destroy me. He—he played with me! And in front of Holy Maiden Zhu!"

  Li Jian, who had a deep enough foundation, emboldened himself to speak, his voice trembling. "Senior Xu, that Black-Haired Devil’s Dao… it is indeed too oppressive. His will has been tempered in battlefield and blood, not in peaceful cultivation."

  “Silence!” Xu Sheng roared, and he slammed the Pagoda back onto the jade floor. The jade cracked, but the Pagoda did not. “It’s all excuses! The Path of Righteousness should not bow to the Path of Vileness! My foundation… my foundation has been tarnished. I was humiliated in front of Zhu Qinglan, and he… he dared to claim that Karma promise!”

  Xu Sheng’s face flushed. Not just because of the defeat, but because of the jealousy and humiliation that was so brutal. Zhu Qinglan, whom he served faithfully, was now bound in destiny with the Devil who had just destroyed his Dao. And even more painful, the Heavenly Silk used by Zhu Qinglan to calm him was the final insult—treated as a child who needed to be soothed.

  “What should I do now?” Xu Sheng murmured, more to himself. He suddenly laughed cruelly, making even Li Jian and Hou Lin in front of him bow even tighter. "My Dao is cracked, and I only have a few months to restore it. I heard he has a mission from Holy Maiden Zhu at the Divine Stone Mine. I cannot let that Devil take the lead!"

  Xu Sheng turned to the window to stare at Heaven Sword Peak in the distance, where it felt silent and full of threatening sword aura. But now, he had a more terrifying plan to avenge the humiliation he received today.

  "The Ancient Wasteland is forbidden territory," Xu Sheng said, not shifting his gaze from Heaven Sword Peak. "He will no longer receive protection from Holy Maiden Zhu or the Thousand Heavens Sect; it is a good place for his death."

  "The two of you," Xu Sheng hissed, his voice now returning to a dangerous cold tone, emotionless, a sign that he had made a vile decision. "I am not asking you to take revenge for me. I am only asking you to carry a message, a message that will ensure that Black-Haired Devil will never return from the Ancient Wasteland."

  Li Jian and Hou Lin looked up slightly, the fear in their eyes replaced by doubt and blind loyalty. Killing a core disciple, even one with a Devil Path, was a serious crime in the Thousand Heavens Sect, a sin that would bring about the destruction of the Clan.

  "Senior Xu... the Divine Stone Mine... it is near the Ancient Wasteland," Li Jian whispered, his voice hoarse. "Doing something there... the risk is too great. If the Thousand Heavens Sect finds out, or if Holy Maiden Zhu..."

  Xu Sheng laughed again, a cold and sharp laugh, without warmth. "Holy Maiden Zhu? You think she cares about that wild Devil? She only uses him as a tool for the Ancient Clan’s mission. And in the Ancient Wasteland, who will know? Only the Devils and savage beasts. We do not need to act ourselves. We only need to direct the right sword blade."

  Xu Sheng rose, his white robes fluttering, now no longer due to elegance, but because of a cold will filled with hatred. He walked toward his desk made of jade wood, picking up a small formation scroll enveloped by an aura of darkness and corrupt spiritual essence. The scroll felt hot in his hand, radiating a foul Law, something that should not exist on the peaceful Sky Cloud Peak.

  "In the world of cultivation, true truth is never about what happened, but about how the story is shaped," Xu Sheng hissed, his red eyes now radiating a terrifying light. "The Divine Stone Mine near the Ancient Wasteland is the Tomb of fallen Great Emperors. That Black-Haired Devil will not survive for long; just a little small trap and he will be buried forever."

  Xu Sheng’s hand gripped the scroll tightly. His slender fingers, usually used to rotate a jade fan gracefully, now felt like claws ready to tear prey. The silence in the Sky Cloud Peak Cultivation Cave felt suffocating, only broken by the terrified breaths of Li Jian and Hou Lin. They knew their Senior Master had completely stepped onto a Small Path filled with grudge and vileness.

  "This scroll," Xu Sheng said, his voice low and full of secrets, "is a remnant of Young Master Gu, who was defeated by that Devil in Shoutuo City. Young Master Gu, who was purged by the Zhu Clan due to corruption, had remnant connections with the Poison Sect in the Southern Continent."

  Li Jian and Hou Lin shuddered. The Poison Sect—an evil entity known for their expertise in poisoning Dao foundations and using dirty schemes to kill high-level cultivators.

  "Zhi Xuan’s mission to the Divine Stone Mine is close to the territory of the Eternal Killing Temple. The two of you will take a message there. Tell them, the Devil who killed Young Master Gu is now going to the Divine Stone Mine, seeking something valuable," Xu Sheng hissed. "You do not need to act. Let their hatred do the rest. Zhi Xuan will die at the hands of the Devil he himself created."

  "The Temple... Eternal Killing Temple?" Li Jian repeated tremblingly, his eyes widening with fear as he heard that. "Is it... is it not the Temple that will hunt anyone for a price?"

  It was a dirty and vile scheme—using someone else’s hand to get rid of that Devil. Letting Zhi Xuan die outside the borders of the Thousand Heavens Sect would ensure that no one could trace it back to Sky Cloud Peak. It was the Path of Righteousness that had collapsed, replaced by vileness fueled by jealousy and grudge.

  Li Jian and Hou Lin looked at each other, their faces deathly pale. The Eternal Killing Temple was not just a mercenary assassin sect; it was an organized death machine operating across the Nine Plains, accepting contracts to eliminate anyone, from Clan Kings to Sect Elders. They were notorious for being cruel, effective, and hard to trace. Awakening the shadow of the Eternal Killing Temple was an action that went far beyond the limits of a personal grudge.

  “Senior Xu,” Hou Lin whispered, his voice almost inaudible. “Will this not attract too much attention? If the Eternal Killing Temple moves, this is not just about Zhi Xuan; it is about... disaster.”

  Xu Sheng turned from the window, his red and cruel eyes staring at them. In his eyes, there was no longer a trace of the elegance of a Path of Righteousness cultivator. What remained was only madness born from a cracked Dao and profound ignominy.

  “Disaster?” Xu Sheng hissed, his tone of voice filled with a sharp sneer. “Disaster is letting that wild Devil live to claim Holy Maiden Zhu’s honor and ruin the Path of Righteousness. Go. I am not asking you to kill; I am only asking you to deliver a message to Young Master Gu’s connections. The Eternal Killing Temple will only see this as a legitimate hunt for a Devil who deserves to die.”