One month later.
Atop Pingdu Mountain in Da Li, stands the refreshed 'Qingxu Palace'.
All traces of the former branch of the Seven Sects Alliance have been erased, and what needed to be demolished and reconstructed was done without hesitation.
On this matter, the Lingyang Sect, the Dugu Family, and other forces have exerted great effort, with the only untouched part being the array, which awaits the personal handling by the Lord of the Southwest.
Half a month ago:
As the Golden Core Ancestors of Da Li, Dayu, and Dachang returned to their nations and issued announcements, it was officially declared that the Southwest Land has been substantially unified, welcoming a new ruler.
The extent of the profound sensation this caused need not be elaborated, but the fierce open and hidden struggles surrounding the rebuilt Qingxu Palace have been intense, remaining unsettled to this day.
"Boom!"
A grand escape light descended from the sky, landing within Qingxu Palace.
The crisp and urgent toll of the bell rang out, and numerous attendants and Daoist officials frantically gathered before the main hall, kneeling and bowing:
"Welcome back to the palace, Elder Qingxu!"
Zhang Yao slowly stepped out, his simple cyan Daoist robe fluttering as his gaze swept over the Daoist officials and attendants.
For decades, he spent little time in Qingxu Palace, yet this palace, symbolizing his authority, continued to hold great prestige and influential power within the Da Li Territory.
From the time he selected thirty-six Daoist officials and attendants, many forces have rallied under Qingxu Palace.
But through decades of turmoil, especially the chaos of the Seven Sects Alliance, only nine of those original thirty-six Daoist officials and attendants remain to this day.
"You, you, and you..."
Zhang Yao gently pointed out these nine, slowly speaking:
"Regardless of your intentions, enduring until my return is commendable."
With a wave of his sleeve, nine streaks of light fell, containing spiritual artifacts, secret treasures, and second grade Spirit Pills, items he no longer needed.
"These are your rewards."
"Thank you, Elder!"
The nine were instantly overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly.
The remaining crowd naturally envied them greatly, but, being recent replacements, they feared being expelled by Zhang Yao, thus dared not to speak indiscreetly, not even daring to alter their respectful expressions.
Though merely a position of an attendant, their sects and noble families had paid a steep price to push them through channels like those of Lingyang Sect.
"You, and you."
Within those nine, Zhang Yao pointed out two beautiful young ladies who appeared to be twins.
"You two will serve me closely from now on."
Destined to stay at Qingxu Palace for quite some time, he naturally did not want to shortchange himself on comfort.
The path of cultivation emphasizes relaxation along with effort; having endured toil in the underworld for decades, he deserved some respite.
"Thank you for your grace, Elder."
The twin young ladies were overjoyed, their eyes slightly moist with emotion.
Heaven was kind; they were once the favored daughters of noble families, gifted and with promising futures, adored by their parents.
Yet, sent to Qingxu Palace years ago to curry favor and increase chances of selection as concubines, they even sacrificed their immortal Dao future, practicing the Yin Furnace Method.
All their sacrifices were for their family's future.
After decades of cultivation, they relied on talent and resources to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, resisting various temptations to maintain their Primordial Yin, seeking that slim chance.
After years of waiting and enduring, they finally met the turning point, a reason for great joy.
"Oh, by the way..."
Zhang Yao spoke again, instructing the myriad attendants and Daoist officials on several other matters.
Of course, he was unaware of the inner thoughts of these two small maidservants, nor would he care if he knew, merely directing everyone with a few orders before dismissing them.
He then took out a large quantity of spiritual materials and treasures, began to reconfigure the array of Qingxu Palace.
It was said that the treasure vault of Qingxu Palace had been plundered clean by the branch of the Seven Sects Alliance, but the Lingyang Sect and their allies replenished it, for which he casually transmitted some commendation.
Everything proceeded methodically; the tempest brought by the new ruler to the Southwest Land spared the storm's center at Qingxu Palace.
...
Several days later.
Zhang Yao rose from the cloud bed, leaving behind the twins slumbering deeply from exhaustion.
He bathed briefly, donned a loose Daoist robe, casually tied a Daoist hat, and strolled through Qingxu Palace, admiring its beauty.
"After reaching the middle stage of the Golden Core, a new world has unfolded..."
Zhang Yao stood in a pavilion, gazing at the spectacular scene of the Nine Rivers Waterfall before him, contemplating the path ahead.
Since breaking through to the middle stage of the Golden Core, he had fought his way out of Mo Yuan, battling the Seven Sects Alliance. A series of events had followed, leaving him with little time until now to organize his own path.
With the Five Elements Divine Wheel already accomplished, there remained four great divine techniques and six rare treasures for his Golden Core path:
'Supreme Profound Golden Body' required The Precious Luminous Golden Nectar and Divine Essence Pill Jade, the former he had already acquired, and he had obtained crucial clues about the latter from Elder Monk Tongxing;
'Cave Abyss Divine Light' required Water of the Ruins, and he had likewise received crucial clues from Elder Monk Tongxing;
'Sun and Moon True Pupil' required top-tier treasures of both Taiyin and Great Sun attributes, the former of which he already had leads on, waiting for years to attend the Taiyin Tide event; the latter remained elusive, with no clues yet.
Finally, there was 'True Body of Ten Thousand Souls', which needed the 'Celestial Human True Soul'.
Zhang Yao had known about this clue for a long time, and he even knew how to collect and refine the "Celestial Human True Soul", but he was reluctant to address this issue.
It was because even ordinary evil path cultivators and demons dared not refine such an object, as the process of collecting and refining it was too cruel, making Zhang Yao unwilling to confront this dilemma.
"But what's meant to be will come, and it can't be avoided forever."
Zhang Yao sighed, his emotions complex.
After refining the Five Elements Divine Wheel, the subsequent four divine techniques, aside from 'Sun and Moon True Pupil', could be cultivated in any order.
However, for Zhang Yao, the most challenging was not even 'Sun and Moon True Pupil', but rather the terrifying cost of 'True Body of Ten Thousand Souls'.
The refining of the Celestial Human True Soul required starting from mortals, covering every age, different identities, and fixed birth dates and fates from birth to a hundred years, then moving up to Qi Refining Stage One to Perfection, as well as Foundation Establishment...
Layer by layer, the conditions were incredibly strict, making it extremely difficult to gather all that's needed.
Though the requirements in terms of quantity weren't high, the issue was that such heinous acts, intolerable to the righteous, necessitated massacres where the number of people involved was incalculable.
In the past, Liu Cang was a ruthless person, secretly infiltrating the millions of mountains at the Southern Border and spending decades slaughtering over ten thousand villages, killing millions of mortals and cultivators alike.
But his luck ran out—he was discovered in the final stages because too many people had died, alerting the top ten strongholds of the Southern Border, who sent numerous Nascent Soul Lords to search everywhere, driving Liu Cang to the brink of death.
Ultimately, it was only because the Southern Border's Nascent Soul Lords dared not enter the Central Earth Realm that Liu Cang managed to escape with his life.
Since then, the Southern Border had become taboo for him, never daring to set foot there again, and even while traveling in the East Sea and Western Wilderness, he had to be exceptionally cautious of cultivators from the Southern Border.
"I can't follow Liu Cang's path."
"Not to mention the Southern Border is on guard, such methods go against my very nature."
Zhang Yao's eyes were resolute, clearly unwilling to repeat Liu Cang's old path.
He considered himself selfish, but he wasn't an evil or demonic cultivator who could slaughter millions of mortals without flinching.
If there were no other way, if he were utterly desperate, he might force himself, but he was inherently immortal and didn't need to torment his heart like this.
"Oh, this Celestial Human True Soul is indeed a conundrum. For now, one step at a time."
"Hopefully, the boat will straighten when it reaches the bridge."
Zhang Yao sighed inwardly.
For now, the issue of the Celestial Human True Soul had to be set aside, as he had no better solution.
If nothing else worked, he had even prepared himself to spend thousands of years, concealing his identity to slowly collect and refine the Celestial Human True Soul, minimizing the slaughter where possible.
Call him hypocritical or principled, for now, this was his intention.
"First, attend the Taiyin Tide event in Liangyue River of Jing Kingdom in over a decade to acquire enough Taiyin Dew."
"Secondly, go to the Shen Dao Sect in Donglang Prefecture of the Celestial Continent to obtain the Divine Essence Pill Jade, to refine the 'Supreme Profound Golden Body' together with The Precious Luminous Golden Nectar!"
"Finally, travel to the Yuanhai Region of the East Sea, waiting for the chance to penetrate to the sea eye of the Sea of Ten Thousand Stars to acquire at least one drop of Water of the Ruins and refine the 'Cave Abyss Divine Light'..."
As Zhang Yao pondered, he further clarified his 'three-step' plan.
As for seeking news on treasures of the Great Sun attribute and seeking alternative methods for the celestial human true soul, it could only be done midway through implementing the plan.
"Oh yes, there's one more thing!"
Zhang Yao suddenly remembered something crucial—the Zhuoxiu Technique!
He had exchanged the Benevolent All Living Beings Great Technique with Wuhe in the Underworld for the Zhuoxiu Technique he was interested in, which was the Wujin Tribe's Celestial Crow Crying Marsh Skill.
He had thoroughly memorized this skill, but while in the Underworld, his mind was solely focused on escaping, with no time to comprehend or attempt to cultivate this technique.
Until today, having some free time, he recalled this technique, which held his hopes.
"Following the path of the Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature, stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm would be like entering a dead-end."
"To forge a new path, untouched by predecessors, I fear I still have to find a way on the Path of Zhuoxiu Technique, just that the timing isn't right now..."
In the Underworld, Muddy Qi was omnipresent, but it was different in the Surface World.
The only place Zhang Yao knew that could access a large amount of Muddy Qi was the Demon Cave of Mani Kingdom.
"Looks like this matter can only be reconsidered after returning to Mani Kingdom."