Chapter 567: Gazing Ahead

In the Yin Cold Realm, Zhang Sheng held a longsword emitting a deep blue glow, slowly tracing his finger along its blade. The sword was profoundly yin and cold, inherently carrying a trace of annihilation's true intent, and ranked among the upper tier of Earth-grade weapons.

Over these days, Zhang Sheng spent several hours daily within the Youhanjie, sometimes meditating to comprehend heaven and earth, sometimes aiding in the mining of Mingtie and Mingjing; his demeanor grew ever deeper, gradually becoming unfathomable.

"Fine sword!" Zhang Sheng uttered a cry of admiration.

Zhang Sheng turned to see Long Ying staring intently at the sword in his hand. Han Li stood a little farther off, also fixed on the sword. Both watched without blinking, their focus unnaturally deliberate.

Zhang Sheng, well aware of their origins, felt curious and asked: "Tell me, what makes it so good?"

Long Ying spoke first: "This sword is profoundly yin and cold, embodying annihilation and stillness—the end of all things."

Zhang Sheng was somewhat surprised. To recognize "annihilation and stillness" was already difficult; he hadn't expected him to add "the end of all things."

This was the sword's latent true intent, which would only manifest if it ascended to the Immortal grade. Long Ying had pierced this truth—his insight was extraordinary.

Zhang Sheng turned to Han Li. Han Li had consistently surpassed Long Ying, securing his position as Hall Master, and was no ordinary man. But since Long Ying had already discerned the sword's future true intent, Zhang Sheng wondered what insight Han Li might offer.

Han Li paused, then said: "This sword has already awakened a spirit. Its future holds infinite possibilities—it need not follow a predetermined path. If nurtured with fortune and destiny, it may yet give birth to a sword spirit."

Zhang Sheng was greatly startled, re-examining the sword.

The sword was named Guiji. When Zhang Sheng first forged it during the Yin Cold Realm's ascension, he had sensed its hidden potential; now, with Han Li's words, he understood its true magnitude. If it could birth a sword spirit, it would rank among the foremost Immortal Swords. Originally, Zhang Sheng had four Immortal Swords.

Zhang Sheng nodded slightly and said coolly: "Good insight."

Han Li and Long Ying each bowed, then returned to their duties. Long Ying couldn't resist stealing one last glance, while Han Li never turned back.

At that moment, Xiang Little Wei Yuan appeared like a ghost, instantly scanning the surroundings, face filled with suspicion, sniffing the air vigorously—yet detecting nothing.

Zhang Sheng raised an eyebrow and asked: "What are you looking for?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan frowned: "I have a bad feeling—as if something is targeting me. It's subtle, I can't tell where it comes from. I wondered if a Wu clan spy had infiltrated, or if Shu Li was secretly practicing some forbidden art to harm me."

Zhang Sheng said: "I feel nothing. If some art is indeed brewing, it's not aimed at me."

Though Zhang Sheng's fortune was inferior to Xiang Little Wei Yuan's, her Pure Sword Heart was nearly flawless; her perception of malice and hostility was no less acute than his. At her realm, few could ambush her.

The two exchanged a glance and instantly understood the issue. Whether malice or ill intent, it might simply be some misfortune destined for Xiang Little Wei Yuan—not affecting Zhang Sheng.

Once they grasped this, both were baffled. If the Wu clan were plotting, there was no reason to target only Xiang Little Wei Yuan—they'd aim to eliminate everyone entering the Youhanjie. But if not the Wu, then beneath this Mingshan, everyone else was part of Xiang Little Wei Yuan's manifestation—there could be no traitor.

Could his own manifestation possibly turn against him?

Xiang Little Wei Yuan had initially found the thought amusing, but as he pondered it, the humor faded. Not impossible: among hundreds of thousands of mortals, a thousand or more are born with rebellious natures. Only recently, someone had shouted: "The Immortal Sovereign is dead; the Immortal Toad shall rise!"

Zhang Sheng suddenly said: "Could it be a demon—or some creature from beyond the heavens?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan thought a moment, then said: "It's possible. If one of those celestial creatures I once saw passed through, it could indeed trigger a reaction."

The celestial creature Xiang Little Wei Yuan had seen was colossal—on the scale of Law of Heaven and Earth. A single clawfall could dwarf Shu Li's domain. If such a being passed, Zhang Sheng, who had never seen it, would not have sensed it.

Celestial creatures appeared like phantom shadows, overlapping with the Yin Cold Realm but seemingly unconnected to it. Yet when they passed, they left behind jagged, torn scars.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan had no interest in dwelling on such vague matters. He asked Zhang Sheng: "Any progress in your cultivation?"

"Significant progress. This sword has ascended." Zhang Sheng manifested Guiji before Xiang Little Wei Yuan.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan glanced at it and said offhandedly: "Decent enough."

Zhang Sheng's brow twitched—she nearly drew her sword and slew this disobedient disciple. The boy was excellent in every way, except his mouth—so utterly Tianqing Palace.

"How is it 'decent enough'?" Zhang Sheng pressed.

As expected, Han Li and Long Ying both showed faint fluctuations in spiritual energy—they were eavesdropping.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan saw nothing odd in them. Among the mortal throng, at least half now harbored private thoughts. Han Li and Long Ying were among the first to gain names—they were no longer merely sentient; their reactions were indistinguishable from true cultivators.

Hearing Zhang Sheng's question, Xiang Little Wei Yuan assumed she was testing him and replied: "You have over five hundred Immortal Swords. Even if one grows stronger, it won't decide the outcome. Don't fixate on a single sword—focus on elevating more. Even if this one ascends to Immortal grade, it still can't match a 64-Earth-grade sword array. Master, your path is the righteous way of overwhelming force with sheer power. When you hurl a horde of Immortal Swords, who can stand? Whether you add or subtract one fine sword makes no difference. Better to channel energy into raising your Dao foundation—to fully unleash its power."

"It's like two armies clashing. Whether the enemy has three thousand or five thousand elite troops, I have a million. I simply crush them. Why bother with tactics?"

Zhang Sheng had been planning to invest more effort into Guiji. Hearing this, she fell into thought. Xiang Little Wei Yuan had reminded her not to forget her current Dao path.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan did not leave immediately but sat with Zhang Sheng in meditation. Zhang Sheng cultivated her Dao energy; Xiang Little Wei Yuan managed affairs within the mortal realm.

At this moment, the black pool of Yu Mountain began to boil. The souls of the eighty thousand Wu clansmen he had absorbed had finally been fully transformed—something spiritual was about to emerge.

But the souls of the twenty thousand elite and the thirty thousand Marsh Crocodile Legion had been reclaimed by the Ancestral Wu. Later, Xiang Little Wei Yuan had tightly suppressed the girl Yin-Yang, preventing her from rising to compete with the Ancestral Wu. One theft was tolerable; repeated thefts might rouse the Ancestral Wu from slumber.

Yet the eighty thousand Wu souls, purified by karmic fire, were all sealed within Xiang Little Wei Yuan's Gates of All Realms.

The pool churned more violently. A shape slowly rose from the water.

At first, Xiang Little Wei Yuan couldn't make out the grotesque form. He tensed, fearing the first Wu clan member had appeared in the mortal realm. But as the creature emerged further, its form became clear—a massive, fearsome beast head. Xiang Little Wei Yuan finally relaxed.

Otherwise, if Wu or other alien races truly appeared in the Mind Realm, this place could no longer be called the Mortal Realm.

Zhang Sheng sensed Xiang Little Wei Yuan's unease and glanced toward him. Xiang Little Wei Yuan shook his head, signaling it was fine, and waited as the beast continued emerging from the pool.

No error. One word. One line. One content. One look!

It slowly crawled from the pool, its massive beast head followed by a serpentine body. The portion emerging grew longer, then two hind claws surfaced.

It seemed formed from condensed shadow, with only its dragon eyes glowing two points of deep light—it was a Shadow Dragon!

Each of its four paws bore three toes—it was still a Jiao. Its current strength was Fulfillment of Manifestation.

Though this Shadow Dragon had only three toes and was merely a Jiao, it was still of true dragon lineage, impossible to be inferior to Yu Jing. Its status as Fulfillment of Manifestation was likely due to Xiang Little Wei Yuan's limitations—the upper bound of the Mind Realm was Fulfillment of Manifestation.

Yet the soul energy of the eighty thousand Wu clansmen had not yet been fully consumed. In its forepaws, it clutched something.

Once the Shadow Dragon emerged from Yu Mountain, it shot straight into the sky, flying without pause into the clouds above—and vanished.

But as master of the Mortal Realm, Xiang Little Wei Yuan knew it had chosen a nest high above the clouds. Yet the location was distant—over a thousand li from the central city.

Hiding in such a desolate place, it didn't seem to like it—it seemed to be fleeing something. Xiang Little Wei Yuan pondered: what in his own manifestation could scare a Shadow Dragon so? Long Ying? Definitely not.

In the center of the Yin-Yang Furnace in the central city, the girl opened her eyes. Her emotionless gaze pierced through layers of barriers and settled upon the Shadow Dragon.

The Shadow Dragon let out a low roar, as if facing a mortal enemy, and curled into a tight ball.

At that moment, the shadow within the moon stirred to life, revealing a three-eyed bird head. One eye opened, gazing down at the tiny Shadow Dragon, as if inspecting its flesh.

The Shadow Dragon emitted a low whimper, motionless—as if feigning death.

The shadow in the moon changed again. The bird head grew larger, until the entire full moon became a single pupil of the three-eyed bird!

The full moon resembled a window. The three-eyed bird leaned close to the glass, studying the Shadow Dragon below. After a moment, the moon returned to its original form—as if nothing had happened.

This sequence of events left Xiang Little Wei Yuan increasingly baffled. The Mortal Realm was gradually slipping from his control, evolving on its own. And even now, the souls of the fallen humans from the final battle had not yet been reborn from the Gates of All Realms—something had gone awry.

In the final battle, thirty thousand elite soldiers of Qingming had died. Their souls were naturally potent; their reborn descendants might carry innate talents.

At that moment, Xiang Little Wei Yuan received a message. A baby girl had been born in Xu Family's Xincheng—the same girl who had grown rapidly by absorbing the essence of thousands of infants.

When she was accelerated in gestation, she absorbed nearly as many infant essences as Xu Xu Shiba, so Xiang Little Wei Yuan had closely monitored her, assigning a Dao Foundation warrior to guard her at all times.

Yet other girls in Xu Family's Xincheng were gestating quietly, unlike the first time, when all infants were drained by the final three, who then fought each other. Though the other two infants had survived, they died shortly after—and when they died, Xu Xu Shiba's growth accelerated again.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan greeted Zhang Sheng and left the Yin Cold Realm, heading for Xu Family's Xincheng.

After he departed, Han Li and Long Ying exchanged a silent glance. Within their pupils, countless subtle signals flickered—unseen, they had already exchanged opinions.

Regarding Xiang Little Wei Yuan's evaluation, Long Ying dismissed it as shallow; Han Li believed the Creator Immortal Sovereign was unfathomable.

(End of Chapter)