Creak!

Half an hour later, the heavy doors of the side hall were pushed open. Li Xiaoxian stepped inside, his gaze darting cautiously toward Xu Changshou. He stood in absolute silence, as if the words had withered in his throat.

Xu Changshou keenly sensed the stifling tension radiating from Li Xiaoxian. It was blatantly obvious-this man knew of the Body Seizing ritual.

Naturally, aside from himself and Li Daotu, who walked the path of cultivation, mortals would be entirely oblivious to such matters. Li Zheng included.

"Junior Brother Xu? Are you... present?"

After a suffocating silence, Li Xiaoxian finally forced the words out.

A predatory gleam flashed through Xu Changshou's eyes. "San'er, it has been too long. Your Big Brother has missed you dearly."

The true identity of the devoured Evil Spirit was Li Xiaoming, the elder brother of Li Xiaoxian.

And 'San'er' was the familiar moniker Li Xiaoming had used for his younger sibling in life.

Li Xiaoxian shuddered violently at the sound of that name, raw fear spilling from his eyes. "B-Big Brother," he stammered timidly, before clamping his mouth shut.

Xu Changshou's voice was flat, devoid of warmth. "Zheng'er is unaware of this matter, correct?"

Li Xiaoxian nodded hastily. "He does not know. Zheng'er is but a mortal; burdened with such truths, it would serve no purpose."

"He was ignorant before, and he shall remain ignorant in the future," Xu Changshou commanded.

"Yes, Big Brother!" Li Xiaoxian bowed in profound dread.

Xu Changshou's gaze shifted, replacing the oppressive aura with a perfectly crafted facade of geniality. "From this moment forth, my name is Xu Changshou. Li Xiaoxian, if you dare to expose a single flaw in my identity, do not blame me for pruning our family tree."

Li Xiaoxian shook his head as if his life depended on it. "Rest assured, Big Brother! I will not breathe a word. I swear it!"

"Are you still calling me Big Brother?"

"Ah... my apologies... Junior Brother Xu."

"That is more like it. Etch it into your bones. If you slip up and the Sect catches wind of this, the entire Li family will be condemned to the abyss."

"Understood!"

"Third Uncle, Martial Uncle Xu, may we enter?"

The muffled voice of Li Zheng drifted in from the courtyard.

Xu Changshou gave a subtle nod. Receiving this silent permission, Li Xiaoxian finally cleared his throat. "Enter, Zheng'er."

"Yes!"

Li Zheng guided Li Ling'er into the dim side hall, immediately dropping to his knees.

"Ling'er, this statue represents your grandfather. Hurry, kowtow to your elder."

"Ling'er greets Grandfather!"

Watching the innocent girl bow her head to the unfeeling golden idol, a sardonic thought surfaced in Xu Changshou's mind: He is no longer your grandfather. I have already ground his soul between my teeth.

...

Following the ancestral rites, they rested within the Huosang Kingdom for a single day.

Xu Changshou then led Li Ling'er out of the opulent imperial palace. Petrified by the entity wearing his martial nephew's face, Li Xiaoxian hid himself away, refusing to show his face until they were completely gone.

His absence suited Xu Changshou perfectly. He harbored no desire to maintain the awkward charade any longer than necessary.

Subduing Li Xiaoxian was a trivial matter; the true tribulation was Li Daotu. The mere thought of standing before the unfathomable Foundation Establishment Patriarch made Xu Changshou's scalp tingle with cold dread.

"Big Brother Changshou, look! A spun-sugar figurine!"

"Big Brother Changshou, what a beautiful paper kite!"

"Big Brother Changshou, I want to buy a silver bell!"

Freed from the suffocating gloom of the palace walls, Li Ling'er fluttered through the mortal markets like a joyous sparrow.

Before their departure, Li Zheng had finally revealed the truth of her Awakened Spirit Root.

The revelation filled her with unbridled delight. Not only was she escaping the gilded cage of the imperial court, but she was stepping onto the path of immortality.

"Big Brother Changshou, are you really an immortal?"

"Shh!"

"Shh-"

...

Journeying at a leisurely pace, Xu Changshou eventually guided Li Ling'er to the towering edifice of the Wanbao Pavilion.

Ye Shanhu had long since settled the pavilion's affairs and was waiting for their arrival.

"So this is the Exceptional Spirit Root?"

Ye Shanhu's eyes burned with undisguised envy as she meticulously sized up Li Ling'er.

Li Ling'er met her gaze with an equal measure of awe, captivated by the older woman's breathtaking beauty and ethereal, elegant temperament.

"Indeed," Xu Changshou confirmed with a curt nod.

Ye Shanhu leaned in. "What alignment is her Spirit Root?"

"An Ice Spirit Root."

"An Ice Spirit Root... magnificent," Ye Shanhu sighed, her voice laced with complex emotion. "The Green Immortal Sect houses profound cultivation techniques for the frost attribute. This girl's future on the Great Dao is absolutely boundless."

Xu Changshou offered nothing more than a noncommittal nod. The inner workings of the Sect's upper echelons were far beyond his current purview.

"Little sister, what might your name be?" Ye Shanhu asked, her smile radiant and warm.

"My name is Li Ling'er."

"Li Ling'er. An auspicious name imbued with spiritual grace!"

Showering the girl with praise, Ye Shanhu casually tapped the Storage Bag at her waist. With a flash of spiritual light, she produced a willow-leaf sword that radiated a biting, frosty aura, pressing it into Li Ling'er's small hands.

"Junior Sister Ling'er, I am Ye Shanhu, an alchemist of Danxia Peak. As this is our first fated meeting, I have prepared a modest greeting gift. This blade is named Hanbing. Keep it by your side for amusement."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Ye!"

Li Ling'er clasped the Hanbing sword, her bright eyes shimmering with unadulterated joy.

Xu Changshou stood by, masking his profound shock. The Hanbing sword was a genuine Pseudo-Artifact! In the markets, such a weapon would command a baseline price of seventy Spirit Stones. Ye Shanhu's casual generosity was staggering.

Yet, he understood the true nature of this transaction. This was not mere kindness; it was an investment. With her heaven-defying talent, Li Ling'er stepping into the Foundation Establishment realm was virtually ordained by the heavens.

Forging karmic ties with a future Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator was an invaluable boon for both Ye Shanhu and the Wanbao Pavilion. Against such a monumental prospect, what was the cost of a single Pseudo-Artifact?

"It is ill-advised for a child to toy with a naked blade. I shall safe-keep this for you."

Acting with ruthless pragmatism, Xu Changshou snatched the sword from Li Ling'er's grasp and tossed it into his own Storage Bag.

Li Ling'er merely pouted her lips, offering no words of protest.

A peculiar light flickered in Ye Shanhu's eyes. She had vastly underestimated the depth of trust between the unremarkable Xu Changshou and the heaven-chosen prodigy.

"Curious," Ye Shanhu murmured, her Divine Sense lightly sweeping over him. "Junior Brother Xu, you seem... altered."

Only now did she truly focus her attention upon him. The man standing before her felt subtly foreign, carrying a weight that hadn't been there before.

"Altered? I am still the same humble cultivator."

Xu Changshou denied the claim smoothly, keeping his expression utterly placid.

Internally, his mind raced. He knew precisely what she sensed. Devouring Li Xiaoming's spirit body had inevitably stained his own aura, leaving a faint, lingering residue of a far older, stronger entity.

"Do not play the fool. You are distinctly different," Ye Shanhu pressed.

"In what manner?"

Ye Shanhu frowned, shaking her head. "I cannot articulate the exact flaw in your presence, but the essence you project has shifted."

"Heh heh."

Xu Changshou let out a low chuckle. "My vision has simply broadened. I have shattered the bottleneck barring the tenth layer of Qi Condensation. It is only a matter of time before I break through. Perhaps this glimpse of a higher realm has refined my bearing."

"That... is entirely plausible!"

Ye Shanhu nodded in understanding, before her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Wait. Did you just say you comprehended the threshold for the tenth layer of Qi Condensation?"

"Indeed."

"How utterly baffling. Junior Brother Xu, your innate talent is notoriously muddy, yet your cultivation speed defies logic. It seems I must redouble my efforts in Secluded Cultivation, lest I be trampled beneath your feet."

"Hahaha. Senior Sister Ye, perhaps the day will come when you must lower your head and address me as Senior Brother."

"Pah! Court death elsewhere. I would swallow burning coals before calling you Senior Brother. You are dreaming."

"Senior Sister Ye, the hour grows late. We should depart."

"Right, right. Let us hasten back to the sect. The call of Secluded Cultivation beckons me!"

Two Red-Scaled Horses thundered out of the city gates, cutting a straight path toward the western horizon.

Ye Shanhu spurred her Red-Scaled Horse forward alone, while Xu Changshou and Li Ling'er shared the saddle of the second beast.

Xu Changshou had initially suggested the girl ride with Ye Shanhu, but Li Ling'er clung to him with unwavering dependence, absolutely refusing to be parted from his side.

More than twenty days bled away on the arduous trail.

Saddled with the mortal constraints of their young companion, their pace was significantly hindered as they finally breached the boundaries of the Sect.

In total, this perilous expedition to the Huosang Kingdom had consumed the better part of two arduous months.