The dizziness gradually faded.

A rush of hot, dry air filled his nostrils.

Qin Xuan’s eyes snapped open. Before him lay a completely unfamiliar world.

’He thought he’d returned to the Holy Sect.’

However, once Qin Xuan got a clear look at his surroundings, he was stunned.

"This isn’t right. This isn’t the Holy Sect, and it’s certainly not Daqian... What the hell is this place?"

The sky wasn’t the familiar azure.

Instead, it was a deep crimson, as if an eternal flame burned across the heavens.

Two colossal stars hung in the sky.

One was a blazing white, emitting the terrifying True Flame of the sun.

The other was a dim yellow, strangely casting a gentle, sun-like afterglow.

’This place... it seems to be related to the Life Stars!’

Qin Xuan closed his eyes and looked inward.

Within his Dantian, three exquisitely detailed and perfectly crafted Star Mansions floated in the air.

Taiyi, Sun, and Ziwei!

Three brilliant Life Stars resided within their respective Star Mansions. The Ziwei Emperor Star shone the brightest, and a gentle sense of familiarity emanated from the two massive stars in the sky.

’This place isn’t the Circulation Realm!’

At least, in Daqian...

...he had never seen a place with two suns in the sky.

Qin Xuan immediately realized that the Taiyin and Sun Life Stars had pulled him here.

’If I want to get back, I have to find Shen Xiyue and use her Taiyin Life Star!’

’It’s actually better that I’m not in Daqian. This gives me more time to improve my Cultivation. If I went back to the Holy Sect right now, I’d probably be sliced into mincemeat...’

Qin Xuan heaved a long sigh of relief.

Liu Mobai might have taken the fall for him, but he only drew in the Black Emperor Life Star. If I go back now, I’ll be exposed immediately.

’Three Star Palaces, plus five major Positional Divine Techniques.’

’Damn it, not even Chen Xuanba was this outrageous!’

’Not to mention the Purple Mansion Altar Masters, Jiang Xiaofeng and Ruan Fusheng, who hate my guts over that Earth Vein Spiritual Qi incident.’

’Back in Daqian, Xiao Dinglan is probably dying to eat me alive.’

’And the Profound Cliff Du Family, Xiao Dingjiang, Xiao Dinghai, Xiao Weizhen...’

’Fuck, how did I make so many enemies?!’

Qin Xuan was even shocked at himself.

’Oh, right, I’m a Demon Cultivator... Never mind, then.’

An urgent desire to improve his Cultivation surged within him. He had clearly already reached the Purple Mansion Realm, and with the strongest Star Mansion in history, no less.

And yet, Qin Xuan felt a persistent unease.

’Why do I feel like a pair of eyes is always watching me from the shadows?’

Just then, Qin Xuan noticed an unconscious figure lying beside him: an ugly, dwarf-like Demon Cultivator in a black robe.

"Hou Qi?" Qin Xuan started.

’How did this old bastard end up here with me?’

He instinctively moved to activate his Ten Thousand Forms Blood Talisman.

But he found that his Ten Thousand Forms and Godslayer Sword Talismans, housed within his Dantian, were sealed by some unknown, immense power!

’Fuck, why can’t I even use my Sword Talismans in this godforsaken place?’

’Logically, now that I’ve established my Purple Mansion, I should be able to nourish my Sword Talismans. But since this place has them sealed, how the hell am I supposed to nourish anything!’

Everything about this place felt strangely off.

’Watched from the shadows, Sword Talismans sealed... I have to be careful. Very, very careful.’

Hou Qi slowly stirred and woke up.

His face lit up with joy when he saw Qin Xuan.

"Senior Brother Qin, you’re not dead! That’s wonderful!"

But a moment later, Hou Qi’s smile vanished.

"What the hell is this place... Fuck, it’s hot!" Hou Qi yelped.

He raised his hand and saw that blisters had already formed on his scorched palm.

Only then did he realize he was in a thicket of low, crimson shrubs.

The ground beneath him was cracked and crimson red.

In the distance, majestic mountain ranges snaked across the landscape. The mountains themselves were pitch-black, with a faint, dark red light flowing within them.

"I get it! It was that bastard Liu Mobai! When he drew in the Ziwei Emperor Star, it reversed yin and yang and transported us here..."

Hou Qi slapped his thigh. "It’s not just us! I’m afraid Xiao Dinglan, Wei Qingyi, and the others are here too!"

Looking around...

...Hou Qi quickly found Ye Danggui in a nearby thicket. She was still unconscious, dressed in an emerald palace gown, and he promptly sealed her Cultivation.

Qin Xuan’s face darkened.

"Hou Qi, you’ve got some nerve, bad-mouthing Director Liu out in the open!"

"Senior Brother Qin, we’re not in the Star Ruins anymore, and this place most likely isn’t the Holy Sect. There’s no need to be so careful about what we say."

Hou Qi gave a sinister smile.

Qin Xuan felt as if a cold, venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him. A cluster of eerie, green, snake-shaped flames inexplicably flared up within his Dantian.

’Clever boy. He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve.’

His Sun Life Star stirred slightly. Without even needing to call upon the Ziwei Emperor Star, the eerie flame was instantly extinguished.

Qin Xuan understood at once.

"Junior Brother Hou, it seems you’ve fully awakened your past-life Innate Wisdom!"

Hou Qi was dumbfounded.

’What’s happening? Why is the Divine Sense Secret Technique from my memories—one powerful enough to suppress a Star Mansion Second Level Cultivator—having no effect on Qin Xuan?’

’Could he be a reincarnated True Demon too?!’

At this thought, the look in Hou Qi’s eyes as he stared at Qin Xuan became reverent.

"Senior Brother Qin, I was momentarily confused just now. I hope you won’t hold it against me."

Hou Qi’s face was full of sycophantic praise. He changed his tune faster than one could flip a page.

Qin Xuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with Hou Qi. They still didn’t know where they were, so having an extra lackey to use as cannon fodder was a good thing. Otherwise, he would have run him through with his sword long ago.

With his current strength, he wouldn’t need to fear even three more wastes of space like Hou Qi.

"First, let’s conceal our auras. We need to find someone and gather information as soon as possible. We’re new here and have no idea what this place is. Caution is our top priority. Remember, do not reveal who we are."

Qin Xuan, ever the veteran, immediately gave the order.

"Right!" Hou Qi nodded.

The two of them, carrying the unconscious Ye Danggui, cautiously crept toward a settlement in the distance.

As they drew closer, they saw it wasn’t a town, but the outskirts of a crude Marketplace.

A group of shabbily dressed Cultivators had set up stalls on the ground.

Crimson ores, the roots of some heat-resistant plant, a scattering of Low-Tier Magical Artifacts infused with Fire Spiritual Power...

Hiding in the shadows, Hou Qi looked at Qin Xuan, his eyes filled with shock.

"The Cultivators setting up stalls here... they’re all in the Purple Mansion Realm!"

’What the hell kind of place is this?’

’Since when was the Purple Mansion Realm so worthless?’

But if the Cultivators’ Cultivation was so high, then the items on their stalls were ridiculously low-grade.

Forget the Holy Sect—even in the Daqian Marketplace, Foundation Establishment Cultivators would turn their noses up at this stuff.

"Stay alert. Let’s go."

Qin Xuan shot Hou Qi a meaningful look.

With a swipe of their faces, the two disguised themselves and blended into the outskirts of the Marketplace.

The people here didn’t just dress as shabbily as peasants.

Their speech was also different from the refined language of Daqian; they had a strange, raspy accent with heavy, rolling Rs.

Strangely, however, Qin Xuan and Hou Qi could understand most of what was being said.

Just then, Qin Xuan’s gaze fixed on a small, remote hillock at the edge of the Marketplace.

A girl who looked to be about ten years old was squatting on the ground, using a Spiritual Hoe to dig up some kind of red tuber.

The girl’s face was sallow and her lips were cracked.

She looked as if she’d suffered from long-term malnutrition and overwork.

Her hands were covered in small cuts and thick calluses, a stark contrast to her tender, young face.

And yet, her Cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, just one step away from Foundation Establishment!

Intrigued, Qin Xuan walked over.

Sensing their approach, the girl leaped up like a startled rabbit. She clutched a deflated Beast Skin bag to her chest and stared at Qin Xuan and Hou Qi in a panic, her body trembling.

"Lord Star Envoy, I didn’t mean to steal the Star Lord’s property! I know I was wrong, I..."

The girl’s voice was tinged with tears as she dropped to her knees and kowtowed, her forehead thudding against the ground.