Li Zhexian sat quietly in the courtyard.

His mind was calm and focused, contemplating the final strand of sword intent.

"The radiance of the stars, the transformations of blazing frost, the freedom of the clear wind…"

"All the myriad attributes of this world— even those as obscure as time and space, as ethereal as mortal sentiment—have already been embraced by my Qinglian Sword."

He slowly opened his eyes, a contemplative look on his face.

Forming his fingers into a sword,

he lightly traced forward through the air.

Ripples immediately appeared in the void.

A hazy, indistinct "ruin" began to spread outward.

At that very moment,

a plum blossom drifted down.

When it touched the edge of that "ruin," it vanished soundlessly.

In Li Zhexian's perception,

it had not been annihilated—

but had completely detached itself from this time and space.

After a brief pause, he flicked his sleeve.

The plum pit on the table flew toward the "ruin" and, to his astonishment, likewise disappeared without a trace.

"The Primordial Sword Intent truly is unfathomable…" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"My sword dao has always been one where each sword surpasses the last."

"If the Primordial Sword Intent can already defeat a God King, could there truly be any power in this world that surpasses it?"

Li Zhexian murmured softly, his brows suddenly knitting together.

Beneath his flesh,

golden blood once again surged out of control.

Like a great river rushing forward, a ferocious dragon's roar faintly echoed from within his body.

That dragon blood was searing and violent.

Even with his current level of physical cultivation, he felt waves of tearing pain.

With a shift of his mind—

Flawless divine radiance flowed across his body.

He forcibly suppressed the boiling dragon blood, little by little.

"The Dragon God's bloodline is far too domineering. The time my Flawless Glazed Body can suppress it is becoming shorter and shorter."

This bloodline was not without a solution.

Just as the Asura God had said before—

The five God Kings could join forces to seal it within his body.

In the future, by absorbing the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, it could gradually be unsealed—perhaps even turning calamity into opportunity.

However—

Time waited for no one.

The spacetime storm was approaching.

The possibility of resolving this catastrophe rested upon him.

Li Zhaixian no longer had the luxury of proceeding step by step.

...

While the Dragon God bloodline within Li Zhexian was restless, deep within the Star Dou Forest, in the underground palace, the Silver Dragon King slowly opened her eyes.

Multicolored elemental energies surged around her like tides, rising and falling without rest.

"Brother… has descended to the lower realm."

She sensed the aura of her reverse scale.

"Brother's presence…" Her purple crystal eyes suddenly lit up.

As another incarnation of the Dragon God—

She was incomparably familiar with that bloodline of shared origin.

Yet—

Within that familiarity—

Was an utterly opposing stance.

She had inherited the Dragon God's wise and benevolent will, while the Golden Dragon King had inherited the Dragon God's violent and malevolent will.

Because of this,

she chose patience and endurance, retreating to the lower realm to accumulate strength.

The Golden Dragon King, on the other hand, chose resistance, stirring monstrous upheaval in the Divine Realm.

"Di Tian."

Outside the dragon nest—

A respectful response sounded.

"Yes, my lord."

"Go and invite my brother to come here. Tell him that…"

"I have a gift to give him."

"Yes."

The Silver Dragon King slowly closed her eyes.

She was not one who forgot kindness.

Li Zhexian bore the karmic ties of Spirit Beasts in a human body only because his Spirit Rings originated from Spirit Beasts themselves.

"Brother has a pure and sincere heart."

"But the Spirit Beast clan cannot treat this as something to be taken for granted."

...

"Hoo…"

Li Zhexian slowly let out a breath,

temporarily suppressing the surging dragon blood within him.

Just as he was about to focus again on comprehending the sword,

he sensed something, his eyes brightening slightly, a smile rising to his lips.

Creak—

A few breaths later,

the door was pushed open from outside.

Dugu Bo walked slowly into the courtyard. When he raised his eyes, he saw beneath the plum tree a white-robed youth seated there, smiling warmly at him.

He froze for a moment, then delight surged into his aged eyes.

"Zhexian! When did you come down to the lower realm?!"

Li Zhexian replied with a smile,

"It is merely a wish-powered avatar formed from an authority. However, it is no different from my true body."

"Senior Dugu, please, have a seat."

Dugu Bo nodded slightly.

In the past, Li Zhexian had indeed appeared before him and Chen Xin through a wisp of incense smoke, but it had never been as solid and lifelike as this, nor had his aura ever been so complete.

He sat down opposite Li Zhexian, everything feeling as natural as it had in the old days.

This youth—who had slaughtered gods in the Divine Realm until they dared not lift their heads—now personally poured tea for Dugu Bo, presenting the cup respectfully with both hands.

Dugu Bo accepted it, took a light sip, and said,

"This courtyard of yours has now been designated a forbidden area. Outsiders are not allowed to enter at will, so I come by from time to time to tidy it up."

"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Dugu."

Li Zhexian smiled.

Only now did he understand why the tea set looked brand new, and why even the tea leaves carried such a fresh fragrance.

"There's no need to thank me,"

Dugu Bo said, studying the young man before him with satisfaction. He then sighed softly,

"If I'd known you were returning today, I would've called Feng Bailong and Chen Xin as well."

"It's been two years since you left. They must miss you greatly."

"To be honest, I've missed all of you seniors as well." Li Zhexian spoke with a trace of emotion, lightly tapping the air with his fingertip.

A ripple of spacetime law spread outward.

In an instant,

space and time seemed to take on tangible form beneath his finger.

Streams of clear radiance burst forth, like a dragon weaving through brushstrokes, sketching through the void and solidifying into several vast corridors that spanned heaven and earth.

These corridors seemed both real and illusory, unfathomably deep within.

They appeared to pierce layer upon layer of spatial barriers, extending endlessly toward some unknowable distance, their destinations unclear.

Dugu Bo was already left dazzled and shaken by this display.

In the next moment,

voices filled with astonishment rang out from the other ends of the corridors.

"Who goes there?!"

"Where does this passage lead?"

"What an inconceivable technique!"

Hearing those familiar voices, the smile at Li Zhexian's lips deepened.

"This junior, Zhexian, extends an invitation. I ask all seniors to come to the courtyard for a gathering."

"—Zhexian?!"

As his words fell,

figures streamed out from the far ends of the corridors.

Chen Xin and Feng Bailong arrived riding their swords through the air; Yu Yuanzhen came astride a dragon; Gu Rong crossed space carrying Ning Fengzhi; and Qian Daoliu descended in radiant light together with the six Grand Worship.

More than a dozen peak experts traversed the spacetime corridors, and in just a few steps, gathered within the small courtyard.

Seeing the white-robed youth approach with a smile, Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and the others—now bearing slightly more traces of age than two years ago—hurried forward.

"Hahahaha! It really is Zhexian!"

"I said it—who else in this world besides Zhexian could possess such means?"

"Two years apart, young friend Zhexian—have you been well?"

These figures who stood at the pinnacle of the continent now surrounded Li Zhexian.

Their weathered eyes were filled with relief and pride, as though gazing upon their most outstanding junior, nodding repeatedly as they examined him closely.

"I've been well in all respects. Thank you all for your concern, seniors."

Li Zhexian's emotions were far from calm.

Though only two days had passed in the Divine Realm,

those days had been filled with turmoil and calamity upon calamity.

Seeing again these elders who had once protected him on his path, he felt as though the immense weight on his shoulders had lightened considerably.

The group sat together, laughing and chatting.

Dugu Bo raised his cup and asked,

"Zhexian, we were so happy just now that I almost forgot to ask…"

"Are Yanyan and the others doing well in the Divine Realm?"

Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, and Qian Daoliu also smiled as they looked toward Li Zhexian.

...

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