A chill shot up their spines, instantly surging through their entire bodies.

F... Fellow Daoist??

They stared blankly at the scene before them, a wave of dizziness washing over them as their scalps prickled with terror!

Then, they noticed something even more terrifying.

The Saint Lu who walked out of the Daoist Temple... was identical to the young man standing before them!

Th-th-this...

As if their bones had been removed, the three of them collapsed, immense terror flooding their hearts.

Lu Xuan ignored them and spoke softly to Xuan Yuan Fusheng:

"I will comprehend Dao Generating One to a higher level as soon as possible. Then, I will be able to perceive all karmic sins. Those deeply mired in such transgressions will not require sanctuary."

"Fellow Daoist, I understand." Xuan Yuan Fusheng cupped his hands and gave a sharp nod.

Lu Xuan nodded, then turned to look coldly at the three young people who had almost fainted. The flamboyant youth at their head dropped to his knees and began kowtowing frantically. THUD! THUD! THUD!

"We know we were wrong! We know we were wrong! We haven’t done anything else evil! Saint Lu, spare us! Spare our lives..."

The three of them wailed, tears streaming down their faces.

"Is that so?"

Lu Xuan let out a soft sigh. The breath itself billowed out, transforming into a violent gale that howled past them.

The three stood frozen. An instant later, a thin red line appeared on each of their necks. The gale had decapitated them, and their heads fell heavily to the ground.

The light in their eyes faded into nothingness. Even as they died, they couldn’t understand. ’It was just torturing an animal for fun... How could this happen? How...’

Xuan Yuan Fusheng bowed to Lu Xuan once more before slowly retreating into Sanqing Temple. The entire Daoist temple then vanished into the void.

Lu Xuan stood in place for a long time before asking wistfully,

"Yang Jian, was I wrong?"

"You were not wrong, Uncle," Yang Jian said, stepping forward. "It’s just not perfect yet. There are still many flaws. You have to take it one step at a time."

Lu Xuan was silent for a long while before giving a slight nod. He glanced at the still-whimpering tigress, let out a gloomy sigh, and strode away.

In a mere instant, he was already standing before a verdant mountain.

"Wait out here for me."

After giving his instructions, a somber Lu Xuan walked to the foot of the mountain and activated his [Form Acupoint]. The scene before his eyes began to shift, alternating between a majestic, vibrant mountain and a Heaven-Reaching Stele engraved with the words "Forever Suppress This Place."

The two images alternated faster and faster... until the mountain and the Stone Stele briefly overlapped.

Lu Xuan took a single step and walked in.

.........

「Beneath the Heaven-Reaching Stele.」

"Hm?"

The stunningly beautiful woman, who was curled into a ball, seemed to sense something. She lifted her head, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

"You’re here."

Lu Xuan walked steadily out from within a raging inferno, his eyes sweeping over the decaying, deathly-still world as he spoke with reverence,

"Lady, I have come to see you."

"Good, good, good..."

The beautiful woman rose to her feet, and countless chains rattled, tugging on the entire sky until it shook violently and let out a low, droning hum.

Her gaze swept over the case of milk and the fruit basket in Lu Xuan’s hands. Possessing an innate knowledge of all things, she instantly understood, and was visibly stunned for a moment.

The beautiful woman became a little flustered.

"For... for me?"

Though she already knew the answer, a hopeful light still appeared in her eyes.

Lu Xuan nodded and said with a smile,

"Lady, there’s a custom in the Human World. When visiting an elder, one must always bring something... otherwise, it’s impolite."

As he spoke, he walked forward and gently placed the milk and the fruit basket at the beautiful woman’s feet.

Not far away, both the skeleton nailed to the cliff face and the Dying Buddha on the charred, black peak quietly opened their eyes in unison to sneak a look.

The Emperor Corpse and the Buddha were both a little speechless. ’This guy... he really just brought *that*?’

And yet, a brilliant smile blossomed on the beautiful woman’s face.

"Thank you."

"You are too kind, Lady."

Lu Xuan’s gaze was clear as he chatted calmly with the beautiful woman. Their conversation didn’t touch upon any secrets, nor did it involve Immortals and Buddhas or the Dao Fruit. They just made ordinary small talk, catching up like old family.

The omniscient, beautiful woman fussed over him, asking after his well-being. She was like an elderly mother seeing her wandering son return home, and also like a child left alone for a very, very long time who had finally found a loved one to talk to.

She chattered on. Despite knowing everything already, she still meticulously asked about Lu Xuan’s recent experiences, inquiring about every little detail of his life.

Lu Xuan smiled as well, answering each question in turn.

After she was done asking, the beautiful woman began to speak of her own life, telling Lu Xuan how many times the flames had surged in the past month and how many fragments had fallen from the Celestial Vault. Trapped here year-round, these were the only things she ever saw or heard. Listening to her story made Lu Xuan’s nose sting.

Finally, the beautiful woman gave a charming smile.

"Oh, right. Chu Tai came to visit. He asked for permission to place a pawn from his true self into the Current World. That would be the Taiyi that appeared in your Spiritual World."

Lu Xuan was startled, clearly not having expected this turn of events.

Before he could even ask, the beautiful woman propped her chin on her hand and laid everything out in detail.

"That mountain, formed from a fragment, is intrinsically linked to you. You’ll understand the next time you return to the past. I can’t tell you more than that; it would be bad for you to know too soon."

She paused, then quickly added, as if afraid Lu Xuan might misunderstand,

"What Taiyi has done can’t be called good or bad, but it represents an opportunity for you to attain the Dao Fruit in the future. That’s why I agreed... Child, if you’re against it, I’ll go and rip that mountain right out."

"There is no need, Lady." Lu Xuan bowed solemnly. "You should be able to see the path I intend to walk. Attaining the Dao Fruit is a hurdle on my journey. It is one I must cross, and I *must* become the Dao Fruit."

"Good."

The beautiful woman nodded solemnly as well. Then, as if remembering something, she smiled playfully. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I can see there is another custom in the Human World... giving red envelopes to juniors who come to visit. I should give you one, too."