Sage Qing Xuan merely gave a faint nod, allowing Ling Huo to step toward the swirling vortex of burning red light. The moment Ling Huo’s body made contact with the energy, she instantly vanished, leaving behind a stinging trail of heat in the air.

  Ye Ming then stepped forward, glancing at Liu Feng who still appeared dazed. Gently, Ye Ming placed a hand on his comrade's shoulder. "I will accompany Liu Feng to the Immortal Garden of the Seven Suns, Sage. I feel that the natural laws there will harmonize with my landscape scroll, and I wish to ensure Liu Feng returns with a whole Dao Heart."

  The Eighth Prince of the Empire, who had been standing in a heavy silence, finally raised his head. He bowed toward the Xing Luo Empire Elder before gazing at the golden gate. "I also choose the Immortal Garden. This weak frame of mine requires the purification of the pure sun before I am capable of bearing the Nine-Dragon Seal once more."

  "A wise choice," replied the Holy Woman of Yao Gu in a soothing tone. "The Immortal Garden will provide tranquility for those who wish to rebuild their foundations from the remnants of ruins."

  The three figures—Ye Ming, Liu Feng, and the Prince—then stepped into the warm golden vortex, disappearing into the dimension promised to bring healing and enlightenment.

  Now, the hall fell silent, leaving only Zhi Xuan standing like a statue before the remaining gate of light: a vast and cold swirling silver light, radiating the aura of the Second Great Constellation.

  Sage Qing Xuan narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhi Xuan with a gaze that seemed to want to pierce the youth’s inner veil. "Zhi Xuan, you do not choose the Immortal Garden to restore your eye? Or are you uninterested in the Phoenix Fire Valley which could strengthen your bloodline?"

  Zhi Xuan raised his head, letting the silver light of the constellation reflect in his lone sapphire eye. "Sage, physical healing is a trivial matter in the face of the grand truth of the Dao. The Great Constellation is a place where the stars record forgotten history. I wish to go there, to the place where light and darkness no longer fight."

  "The Second Great Constellation," Sage Qing Xuan murmured, the corners of his lips trembling slightly. "That place is the loneliest land among the three. Though remnants of the Eternal Law exist there, are you certain?"

  Zhi Xuan did not answer with words. Instead, he glanced toward the Xing Luo Empire Elder, giving a brief nod laden with meaning—a promise that he would return as something far greater than a mere envoy.

  "Brother Zhi Xuan!" The voice was like the chime of a small bell suddenly filling the room. From the Main Hall doors, Hua Lian Xi arrived alongside Hua Tianming and Zhu Yanghai, while little Mei Hua stared at Zhi Xuan with sparkling eyes.

  Hua Lian Xi walked closer, her beautiful face filled with uncontrollable relief. Behind her, Hua Tianming and Zhu Yanghai stepped with restored dignity, while little Mei Hua immediately broke free from Lian Xi’s hand and ran toward Zhi Xuan, hugging his leg tightly as if afraid her brother would vanish into the energy crater again.

  Zhi Xuan bowed his head, his hand—still wrapped in the star-embroidered cloth—gently stroking the top of Mei Hua’s head. The small warmth spreading from the girl's hug momentarily dampened the cold chill of the Heavenly Dao fragments residing within his bone marrow. In the middle of a hall filled with the intrigues of rulers, the moment felt like a drop of dew in a barren desert.

  "Brother will be gone for a while," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice—once cold—now softening, though his eyes remained wary as he looked toward Sage Qing Xuan. "Wait for me in Xing Luo. The Ancient Clans will care for you for me, Mei Hua."

  Mei Hua looked up, her round eyes welling with tears, but she nodded obediently. She felt a different strength from her brother’s body—something heavier, more ancient, and more silent.

  "Brother must return one day to see Mei," Mei Hua said with a small sniffle. "Mei will stay with Auntie Disciple Hua and tell the beautiful Sister Zhu about Brother."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly. He knelt on one knee to level himself with Mei Hua, pulling the little girl into an embrace. "Brother will surely return. When that time comes, Mei must stay within the circle of those who care for you, alright?"

  Zhi Xuan released Mei Hua's hug slowly, as if every inch of movement was a ritual of parting with the remaining humanity within him. He stood tall again, facing Hua Tianming and Zhu Yanghai who now stood before him.

  "I hope you will look after Mei Hua for me," Zhi Xuan said calmly and with hope. "If the heavens possess such a vast Dao, then I will not return anytime soon. I shall return when my blade has become sharper."

  Hua Tianming stepped forward, raising his hand to firmly pat Zhi Xuan’s shoulder, a gesture of the highest respect from an Ancient Clan. "Zhi Xuan, you have given Xing Luo a face that our clans could not repay in a thousand years. Mei Hua is no longer just your responsibility; she is the blood of our sovereignty. As long as the Hua clan stands, not a speck of dust will touch the hem of her clothes."

  Zhu Yanghai nodded firmly, his golden aura glowing softly as if giving an internal oath. "Do not worry about what you leave behind. Focus on the path ahead. The Second Great Constellation is a cruel place; it knows no mercy for those whose hearts waver."

  Zhi Xuan turned his gaze for the last time toward Mei Hua, who was now being held again by Hua Lian Xi. The little girl waved slowly, her large eyes following Zhi Xuan’s every move until the youth turned his back on them all.

  "Everyone, this Zhi is departing," Zhi Xuan said without looking back.

  He stepped into the silver vortex of light. Instantly, a biting cold enveloped his senses. Blinding white light swallowed his vision, and the pressure of space-time began to tug at his frame, attempting to tear his existence into spiritual dust. However, with the foundation of his strengthened Heavenly Samsara Wheel, Zhi Xuan remained standing tall in the middle of the turbulent dimensional tunnel.

  BOOM!

  A silent explosion occurred, and Zhi Xuan found himself standing upon a floating stone altar in the middle of the universe's void. Around him, there was no blue sky or the green mountains of Yao Gu. There was only eternal darkness adorned by thousands of stars glowing in various colors—purple, blue, and silver.

  The stars were not still; they moved in complex circular trajectories, creating a melody that seemed to resonate with the Nine Heavens above the sky itself—this was what was said to have once had a direct connection to the Nine Heavens.

  The air in the Second Great Constellation did not feel like mortal air; it was thin, sharp, and carried the scent of burnt ancient metal. Every breath Zhi Xuan took seemed to suck in pure yet wild stardust, piercing his newly recovered meridians. In the distance, spiral galaxies spun like giant discs, emitting enough light to illuminate the altar where he stood, but not enough to banish the haunting sense of loneliness.

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  "This place..." Ruo Xianxue appeared beside him, manifesting in her transparent spiritual body. She gazed at the expanse of stars with an expression difficult to interpret—a longing mixed with deep-seated hatred. "This is a fragment of the fallen Nine Heavens. Here, the Laws of Heaven feel closer and more real."

  Zhi Xuan stepped to the edge of the altar. Beneath his feet, the abyss of the void stretched without a bottom. He could see a river of silver light flowing between star clusters, a manifestation of spiritual essence so dense it had crystallized into a river of stars.

  "Your goal is not just to reach Soul Transformation, brat," Ruo Xianxue continued, her voice now serious, devoid of any mocking tone. "In this place, you must temper your soul so it can bear that Heavenly Eye you are keeping. Without a mind as steady as a constellation, that eye will swallow your sanity in an instant."

  Zhi Xuan closed his lone eye, letting the astral wind hit his new white-and-black robe. He felt the resonance between the Heavenly Dao fragments in his bone marrow and the vibration of the stars around him. It was as if he had just returned to a home he had never left, yet felt foreign at the same time.

  "Then, let us begin by refining the Devil Seed," Zhi Xuan said calmly. He sat cross-legged and reopened his eye. "That Devil Seed... it is time for it to become a part of me completely, no longer a grape seed hiding behind the Sea of Consciousness."

  He patted his waist, and the ancient white-jade scroll he had been keeping—a scroll radiating a thick aura of wisdom—came forth. Zhi Xuan remembered; this was a gift from Elder Yan Shen, who had recognized the Devil Seed during their first meeting, and now he would use it. The Fifteen Formations of Devil Purification.

  "Elder Yan Shen," Zhi Xuan murmured, his eyes looking far toward the stellar horizon. "If this Fifteen Formations of Devil Purification Scroll is true, then you are the one I acknowledge as my Senior."

  Zhi Xuan spread the jade scroll across his lap. Instantly, the ancient characters etched upon it glowed, releasing strands of golden light that danced amidst the astral darkness. This scroll was no ordinary purification technique; it was the crystallization of the understanding of an elder who had spent his life taming the darkness without having to extinguish it.

  "The Fifteen Formations of Devil Purification," Zhi Xuan hissed, his fingers touching the cold jade surface. "Not to annihilate, but to temper. Not to reject, but to unite."

  Ruo Xianxue, standing by his side, narrowed her eyes, her dark purple aura fluctuating slightly as she felt the intent of the formation. "Yan Shen... that Taoist actually gave you something very dangerous. If you fail, that Devil Seed will blow your soul apart. But if you succeed, you will no longer be a slave to that bloodlust, but its master."

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand, and his Divine Furnace floated out of his Sea of Consciousness, hovering over his palm. The furnace carried the weight of Xuan-Huang, pressing down on its surroundings as if it were the physical manifestation of his slowed cultivation due to his absorption of Xuan-Huang.

  "Ao Sheng, Xiao Die, come out," Zhi Xuan called calmly, looking at the Divine Furnace with a gentle gaze.

  Instantly, golden and emerald-green light exploded from within the furnace. Two small figures shot out, manifesting in the cold air of the Great Constellation.

  "Ah! Senior Zhi Xuan!" Xiao Die exclaimed loudly, her voice sounding like a small bell breaking the silence of the universe. Her round eyes widened in horror as she saw Zhi Xuan's condition. "Oh my goodness! Senior's eye! Why is there only one?! What happened?! We only heard a massive shock, but Senior lost his eye?!"

  Xiao Die immediately hovered closer with her transparent rainbow wings, her tiny emerald-glowing fingers reaching for Zhi Xuan’s face, as if wanting to heal the wound in his right eye. "Oh! This must hurt so much! Did Senior bear a great heavenly wrath? The Three Plains Competition wasn't worth making Senior like this!"

  Ao Sheng, on the other hand, landed more gracefully. His short body radiated a grand dragon aura, while in his hand he gripped a miniature Dragon King Spear. The golden horn on his forehead wrinkled slightly, showing discomfort from the pressure of the Second Great Constellation. He looked at Zhi Xuan’s condition, then turned to the still-whining Xiao Die.

  "Be quiet, Xiao Die," Ao Sheng hissed in a voice deep for his tiny size. He swung his Dragon King Spear with an indifferent motion. "Don't embarrass Senior Zhi Xuan. This is sacred ground, which means Senior has successfully won—our journey was not in vain!"

  Ao Sheng then turned to Zhi Xuan, his golden dragon eyes much more serious and sparkling with pride. "Senior, you did it! Soul Transformation is right before your eyes this time!"

  "Ruined! Completely ruined!" Xiao Die screamed even louder, her beautiful wings flapping wildly until they created a small storm of rainbow dust around Zhi Xuan’s face. "Senior Zhi Xuan, by the roots of the great tree of life! Who dared to ruin this handsome face? If Xiao Die finds the culprit, Xiao Die will curse them so that poisonous moss grows in their Dao Heart! Look... this eye socket carries the remnants of horrific judgment lightning!"

  Xiao Die began to sob heavily, her tears turning into grains of green light before touching the altar floor. "Senior... can you still see me with that one eye? Do I look like two? Or half? Oh, Heaven is so heartless!"

  "Shut your mouth, little moth!" Ao Sheng snapped, slamming the butt of his Dragon King Spear onto the jade altar. DUNG! The vibration rippled, slightly dampening Xiao Die’s hysteria. "Senior Zhi Xuan lost an eye to understand the Heavenly Dao, not to hear your spirit-dampening wails! Look around you! We are in the grand Constellation!"

  Ao Sheng looked up, the golden horn on his forehead pulsing, emitting sparks of golden light as he tried to withstand the burden of the astral force pressing upon his soul. "This pressure... it’s insane. Senior, this Second Great Constellation feels like it's slowly skinning dragon scales. But you're right, Xiao Die, Senior Zhi Xuan does look much scarier now."

  Zhi Xuan remained silent, letting the two small creatures bicker in the middle of the universe's silence. He watched Ao Sheng struggle to maintain his dragon dignity under the pressure of the stars.

  "Ao Sheng," Zhi Xuan called in a low but powerful voice. "How long were you two just meditating inside the Divine Furnace?"

  "Long enough to miss the moment you almost turned into ash, Senior!" Ao Sheng replied, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "We felt a violent shock, as if the furnace were being struck by the hammer of a God. I wanted to come out, but the Xuan-Huang energy inside locked everything. Only after you sat cross-legged here did the door open."

  Xiao Die was still hovering in front of Zhi Xuan’s face, ignoring Ao Sheng’s explanation. "Senior, don't listen to this Golden Dragon brother! I will use my entire Life Essence to patch your eye! Even if you can't see, at least I can plant jasmine flowers there so it doesn't look horrific!"

  "Don't you dare plant flowers on my face, Xiao Die," Zhi Xuan interrupted in a flat tone, though a spark of warmth flickered behind his remaining eye. "This eye was a fair price for the understanding I gained. Now, stop crying. I called you out because I want to move my soul artifacts away while I refine the Devil Seed."

  Zhi Xuan moved his fingers, and instantly his Divine Furnace floated slowly toward Ao Sheng and Xiao Die. "The two of you are important to me. If this Devil Seed rebels during the purification process, I do not want you trapped in a vortex of darkness that could destroy your origin essence. Take this furnace, stay at the edge of the altar, and ensure the Xuan-Huang burden within it does not explode."

  Ao Sheng received the weight of the furnace with his small hands, his legs trembling slightly as the legendary weight of Xuan-Huang pressed on his knees. "Senior, are you really going to do it now? Refining the Devil Seed in a place full of Heavenly Dao pressure like this... isn't that the same as pitting two ancient dragons against each other in one small cage?"

  "That is the goal, Ao Sheng," Zhi Xuan replied, regulating his breath. "The pressure of this Great Constellation will be the external suppressor, while the Fifteen Formations of Purification will be the internal one. The Devil Seed will have no choice but to submit."

  Xiao Die, who finally stopped crying though her nose was still red, looked at Zhi Xuan with worry. "But Senior... what if the Devil Seed gets angry? It's so naughty and dark! The last time I peeked into your Dao Heart, I felt like I was looking into a bottomless hole that wanted to eat my wings!"

  Zhi Xuan looked at Xiao Die, a gaze so sharp the little fairy flinched. "Then I will let it eat every inch of my consciousness before I turn it into fertilizer for my strength. Xiao Die, go. Look after Ao Sheng."

  "Alright, Senior... but promise, okay? Don't die!" Xiao Die finally gave in, pulling the collar of Ao Sheng who was still struggling to hold the furnace. "Come on, Dragon Brother, let's retreat! Let's not disturb Senior while he's trying to be scary!"

  Ao Sheng snorted, dragging his steps away from the center of the altar. "I'm not afraid, Xiao Die! I'm just gathering strength to help him if he fails! Stop pulling my clothes, you'll ruin the dignity of my Dragon clan!"

  Once the two small figures were at a safe distance, Zhi Xuan focused back on the jade scroll before him. Ruo Xianxue, who had been silently observing, finally spoke in a very low tone. "Brat, do you know what is most dangerous about this purification? It isn't the pain, but the fact that your Heavenly-Blood Body Law and your half-devil frame will eventually become a treasure desired by many cultivators."