Zhi Xuan shot forward like a black arrow piercing the silence of the horizon, leaving behind the grandeur of the Core Tower, which was now tightly sealed. As he approached the Underworld Mountain, the air grew thick, carrying a chill that gnawed at the very essence of life. The sky above the peak resembled a festering wound, deep purple and streaked with flashes of black lightning.

  Each time his body touched the shadow of an energy cloud, he displaced thousands of fathoms, moving far from the tower area. Below him, the landscape that had once seemed like a paradise slowly decayed into a barren land of ash—a sign that he was nearing a zone where the laws of life no longer held sway. The Underworld Mountain loomed before him, its jagged peak shrouded in grey clouds struck by those obsidian bolts.

  "A cursed place," Zhi Xuan hissed as he landed at the foot of the mountain. The ground beneath his feet felt soft and cold, resembling the texture of long-decayed flesh.

  He released the Ruthless Heavenly Banner completely. The cloth of the banner extended, dancing wildly as if inhaling the air filled with sorrow. From within the banner, low growls echoed from thousands of demon soldiers, sensing the presence of an old kinsman.

  Zhi Xuan began his ascent, navigating sharp black stone cliffs. He kept his divine essence suppressed, allowing the aura of the banner to envelop him like a protective shroud.

  Midway through the climb, he discovered a massive opening leading to the heart of the mountain—a cave mouth spewing a foul-smelling black mist. From its depths came the heavy sound of rushing water. It was not the clear sound of a mountain spring, but the roar of the Jiu-Quan stream dragging the weight of ancient souls.

  Zhi Xuan paused for a moment to form a protective formation around himself. He sat cross-legged on a ledge facing the cavern's mouth, planting the Ruthless Heavenly Banner before him. Closing his eyes, he sank into his sea of consciousness. There, he saw Ruo Xianxue sitting on a branch of the Tree of Life, inspecting her slender nails.

  "Great Saint," Zhi Xuan said, glancing at the nine tails behind the Sacred Devil before meeting her deep gaze. "You have no interest in that scythe? You seem quite relaxed here."

  Ruo Xianxue looked up from her fingers, her blood-red eyelids lifting slowly. Her double pupils flashed, reflecting the image of Zhi Xuan's spiritual form standing firm amidst the turmoil of his own mind. She let out a soft laugh—a sound like expensive silk rubbing together, yet laced with deadly poison.

  "Zhi Xuan, you underestimate the composure of a Saint," Ruo Xianxue remarked, leaping from the branch with the grace of a darkness fox. "Interested? Of course. The Abyssal Reaping Crescent is one of the thirteen instruments—quite a fine tool for you. And that Ruthless Heavenly Banner... I can still taste the ancient demon I devoured when I took it back then."

  She walked toward him, her dark robes sweeping across the surface of the consciousness sea, which began to ripple from the external cold. She stopped directly in front of him, her nine dark tails glowing faintly.

  "Listen," Ruo Xianxue said, her tone turning serious. "Down there, you may only see a disgusting scythe. But in my eyes, there is something more interesting—something that can make that little moth and the golden dragon grow."

  Zhi Xuan's brow furrowed as he looked toward the Divine Furnace floating near the Tree of Life. "Disgusting? You speak as if that scythe is mere trash compared to your Ancient Devil Monument. But... what do you mean by making Xiao Die and Ao Sheng grow?"

  Ruo Xianxue nodded, her fingers tracing a faint projection in the air that resembled a black whirlpool. "Jiu-Quan is not just a river of death, Zhi Xuan. Beneath the base of this mountain grows a Divine Herb known as the Crimson Emperor Veil Root."

  "The Crimson Emperor Veil Root," Zhi Xuan murmured, searching through the inherited memories of the Ancient Heavens. "It is said to be a Divine Herb capable of bringing one back to life if consumed before the body is utterly destroyed. But... what can it do for two ancient beasts?"

  Zhi Xuan turned and walked toward the Divine Furnace, waving his hand so that the furnace hummed low above his palm. "The two of them might be able to pressure high-realm practitioners briefly with their ancient bloodline pressure. But look at them—they are still meditating because they overexerted themselves. Furthermore, their cultivation is only equivalent to a Verdant Titan; they couldn't even stand against a Soul Transformation expert."

  "Besides," Zhi Xuan continued, turning back to Ruo Xianxue, "they have been under the Xuan-Huang pressure of my furnace, cultivating under the Law of Four Seasons. Yet... you are right to feel they are not growing."

  Ruo Xianxue paced around the bronze furnace, her bushy tails sweeping the floor of his consciousness. "You are raising them with a method that is far too 'proper,' Zhi Xuan. Xuan-Huang energy and the Law of Four Seasons will temper their foundations as strong as heavenly steel, but you forget one thing... they are descendants of bloodlines born from ancient chaos."

  The Sacred Devil stopped beside the furnace's pillar, her double-pupilled eyes piercing the bronze walls to look at the two small figures sitting cross-legged within. There, amidst the thick mist of energy, a young boy with golden horns and a little girl with neatly folded transparent wings appeared in deep meditation.

  "Ao Sheng carries the dignity of a Golden Dragon, yet he has never felt what it is like to swallow another dragon. As for Xiao Die, the Thousand Feathered Moth—she is a bringer of life, yet her wings have never felt the weight of death," Ruo Xianxue said, her voice growing heavier. "If you let them absorb the essence of the Crimson Emperor Veil Root growing in the depths of the Jiu-Quan, that dragon will possess an indestructible body, and that moth will be able to weave life even from within a grave."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent, staring at the furnace in his hand. Inside, Xiao Die's small brow furrowed occasionally, as if struggling to break through a long-standing cultivation bottleneck. Beside her, Ao Sheng remained stiff, his miniature Dragon King's Spear resting on his lap, emitting a fading golden glow. They never complained, and Zhi Xuan only just realized how far his own cultivation had outpaced theirs.

  "That root grows by absorbing the sorrows of the underworld river, yet it produces extreme vitality as a balance," Ruo Xianxue whispered into Zhi Xuan’s ear, her words tempting yet logical. "Once these two ancient beasts enter the Crimson Lotus stage, they will begin to leave behind the cultivation of ordinary beasts that you have been teaching Ao Sheng."

  Ruo Xianxue pulled back, her fingers moving at a speed difficult to follow, weaving red threads into a glowing ancestral map in the air. The map seemed alive, showing shadows of giant creatures that once ruled the skies.

  "You nurse them as if they are infants," Ruo Xianxue said, her eyes flashing toward the map. "They will not grow in the warmth of your furnace, but from awakening, vengeance, ambition, and the blood spilled during their journey. You felt that with your doubts about Reincarnation, you would form the Beast Path in your domain."

  "And then, including your understanding of Xiao Die's reincarnation after you found her—did she truly hold no grudge against her mother and her swarm after being abandoned at the Taiyin Holy Pond?"

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Then Ao Sheng," Ruo Xianxue continued, turning to look Zhi Xuan directly in the heart. "Do you think giving him a new name would make him forget that his horns were once severed? That it would erase his memory as 'Lin Mu'? You cannot erase his dignity, wounded by the oppression of the Shi Clan, Zhi Xuan. Even if he looks like an immature youth, he harbors a grudge just as powerful as that little moth."

  Zhi Xuan was stunned; Ruo Xianxue’s words struck the very core of his understanding. He looked at his own palm, which held control over the Divine Furnace. All this time, he had seen himself as a Senior, protecting them from the outside world by keeping them inside the furnace. He hadn't realized he was building a golden cage for predators meant to shake the heavens.

  "They... indeed have become softer," Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice trembling within his consciousness. "I still remember their gazes of terror when I absorbed the Devil's Thoughts. Now, I realize I made a mistake; they are far more fragile than they ought to be."

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes tightly as the vast landscape of his consciousness shook violently, aligning with the new realization that tore through the veil of false kindness he had built. He remembered how Xiao Die always smiled innocently when called out, worrying whenever he was hurt—the little girl seemed too cheerful for her destiny as an ancient insect.

  And Ao Sheng, who once dreamed of flying with his own strength, was always obedient and never refused to follow him. Yet, Zhi Xuan had forgotten that behind that smile was a pair of wings that wanted to part storms and shatter stars, and behind that obedience were dragon claws capable of tearing the sun and moon.

  "Your kindness is a poison that paralyzes their instincts, Zhi Xuan," Ruo Xianxue’s voice flowed again, sharper this time, like nine daggers striking simultaneously. "Do you want them to be companions on your path, or merely ornaments in your furnace? If you want them to surpass mortal limits and reach the Crimson Lotus stage, you must let them drink the water of sorrow."

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes in his consciousness, his gaze now transformed, radiating a coldness far deeper than before. "I understand. If they were born from chaos, let chaos itself be their teacher."

  He waved his hand, and the Divine Furnace expanded before him. Zhi Xuan’s consciousness touched the minds of the two little beings directly. "Ao Sheng, Xiao Die... wake up."

  Inside the furnace, the two figures jolted. They opened their eyes in unison. Ao Sheng stood with a stiff expression, while Xiao Die trembled slightly at the intensity of Zhi Xuan's presence, which felt different from usual.

  "Come with me. Today, you will not cultivate under the protection of my laws," Zhi Xuan’s voice echoed, absolute and undeniable. "Today, you will crawl through the depths of the Underworld with me."

  Instantly, Zhi Xuan's consciousness returned to his physical body sitting on the ledge of the Underworld Mountain. He opened his real eyes—one a cold sapphire blue and the other a glowing golden Heavenly Eye. He stomped his foot, and from a vortex of light in his chest, two silhouettes shot out.

  Ao Sheng landed on the rotten ground, his breath ragged, his golden horns pulsing as he felt the oppressive aura of death. Xiao Die floated beside him, her wings flapping rapidly, creating dust-like light that was immediately swallowed by the mountain’s black mist.

  Before they could speak, Zhi Xuan stood up. He lowered his head and placed his hands on the heads of the two small children. "Forgive me, as the Master and the Senior you know."

  Xiao Die looked at Zhi Xuan innocently, her small brow furrowing even as she leaned into his touch. "Senior, why do you look so different? And... why are you apologizing?"

  "I have imprisoned you in a false comfort," Zhi Xuan said, his voice now sounding like the tolling of a bell in an old cemetery—flat, heavy, and without a ripple. "You are descendants of the rulers of heaven and earth, yet I treated you like water in a jar that is never poured. Xiao Die, Ao Sheng... if you die in this abyss today, it is my failure. But if you live, I will never have to hide you from the world again."

  Zhi Xuan released his hands, allowing the two children to stand tall on the ground that was beginning to vent sulfurous steam. He looked up, staring into the gaping black hole before them, where the aura of death rose like the breath of a wrathful ancient dragon.

  "Below us, the Jiu-Quan stream awaits," Zhi Xuan said, reaching for the Ruthless Heavenly Banner. "You will not hide in my embrace, nor in the furnace. You will walk on your own feet, pierce the formations that fade the soul, and find that root at the bottom of the river of death."

  "The aura of death here is very thick," Zhi Xuan continued, carving a rune in the air that formed a temporary seal on the foreheads of the two small children. "This seal will keep you within my reach. For now, follow my lead."

  He touched their shoulders and faded into a shadow that crept into the dark hole in the cliffside. The heavy sound of water grew louder, and after a moment, they appeared on a jagged rock formation inside the mountain's crater. Below them, Zhi Xuan could see the four-directional land shrouded in an invisible formation.

  Zhi Xuan stood motionless on the slick black rock protrusion, while beneath his feet, the abyss seemed to yawn wide to swallow anyone brave enough to peer in. At the base of the vast crater, the Jiu-Quan—the Underworld River—flowed with a thickness resembling boiling black ink. Its cold vapor was no longer mere dew, but a deathly aura capable of dissolving the bodies of low-level practitioners in an instant.

  "Six Paths Reincarnation Disk," Zhi Xuan said lowly. Immediately, his surroundings glowed, replaced by an expanse of six colors that manifested six gates. "Stay within the reach of my Domain; at the very least, your souls will not dissolve while I carve the domain in these few breaths."

  The six light gates of the Reincarnation Disk rotated majestically behind Zhi Xuan’s back, emitting a resonance that suppressed the deathly aura of the Jiu-Quan. The light formed a protective dome encompassing Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, giving their souls room to breathe amidst the soul-shattering pressure.

  In the middle of the roaring black river, a land divided into four directions appeared, as if four pieces of a continent were forced together by magical power. At the intersection of these four lands stood an object emitting a darkness so pure that the surrounding light seemed to be sucked into it.

  It was a giant scythe with a blade curved perfectly like a crescent moon on the darkest night. The Abyssal Reaping Crescent. Its cracked blade glowed deep purple, and from every crack flowed a cold chill that formed shadows of wailing spirits.

  "Ruthless Heavenly Banner." Zhi Xuan waved his hand, and the banner immediately hovered toward the center of the mountain. "Greet your old kinsman."

  WHUMP! WHUSH!

  The grey cloth of the Ruthless Heavenly Banner tightened, fluttering downward as if calling to the scythe below. The banner shot down, parting the black steam of the Jiu-Quan like a grey dragon descending from its heavenly throne. As the banner neared the center of the four-directional land, the resulting resonance triggered a tremor below.

  WHUNGG!

  The scythe vibrated slightly, as if finding one of the pillars originating from the same hand. However, the scythe seemed to sense that the grey banner was no longer the Calamity Banner of the Heavenly Demon; the primary demon soul inhabiting the banner had vanished somehow. The scythe began to emit a low hum, as if intending to tear the soul apart.

  Zhi Xuan felt his soul being pulled by thousands of invisible hands from the river's depths. Yet, his eyes remained fixed on the giant scythe. "So arrogant," he murmured. "Do you reject this banner because it has lost its master, or because you feel your status is higher after being washed by the underworld waters?"

  "The Calamity Banner of the Heavenly Demon is a thing of the past," Zhi Xuan said coldly, directly challenging the scythe. "You are merely a Demon; you are not worthy to look upon a Banner carried by a Devil."

  Zhi Xuan moved his fingers, merging his will with the Ruthless Heavenly Banner. The grey cloth extended until the shrieks of thousands of demon soldiers echoed from within. An armored figure emerged from the banner; Yama of the North stood over the void with a will that knew only annihilation.

  The sturdy armor of Yama of the North radiated a killing intent so dense that the surrounding air seemed to crack. As the king of all puppets within the Ruthless Heavenly Banner, his presence was a declaration of war against the arrogance of the ancient weapon below.

  "Yama of the North, give that wild scythe its first greeting." Zhi Xuan commanded coldly, releasing the puppet entirely.

  Yama of the North shot down like a collapsing cliff, his nirvana body parting the density of the Jiu-Quan vapor without a single spiritual fluctuation. He was pure destructive will encased in steel. In mid-air, his fist clenched, gathering air pressure so extreme it created an explosion that shook the mountain's foundation.

  BLAAM—!

  Yama of the North's fist struck the energy dome enveloping the Abyssal Reaping Crescent. The resulting shockwave split the black river below, splashing underworld water capable of dissolving bone. The giant scythe shook violently; its deep purple glow exploded, releasing thousands of spirit shadows that shot out like black needles toward Yama of the North.