The roar of the Ancient Golden Dragon and the Heavenly Moth, though they were currently at the Verdant Titan stage, was capable of suppressing all lower beings through the sheer pressure of their ancient primordial bloodlines. Ao Sheng coiled sharply, encircling Zhi Xuan’s body and immediately nullifying the territory held under the weight of the Ancient Golden Dragon’s blood.

  A majestic golden aura and a blinding emerald-green glow exploded from behind Zhi Xuan’s back, sweeping away the cold air that had intended to freeze the flow of his soul. Ao Sheng, in his grand golden dragon form, opened his jaws and unleashed a roar that shook the very foundations of the Crystal Palace. The vibration of the Ancient Dragon bloodline instantly caused the ice essence surrounding Zhi Xuan to tremble violently, cracking before it could lock his white raga.

  On the other side, Xiao Die flapped her transparent wings, which now spanned wide. Emerald-green heavenly pollen scattered, carrying a law of life that stood in stark contrast to Han Shanshan’s law of death. Every grain of pollen that touched the deep blue water prison immediately triggered the growth of spiritual vegetation that sucked the ice energy dry, transforming the prison of death into a garden of fragile yet resilient life.

  "Heavenly Beasts?!" Bai Wuchen exclaimed, his eyes bulging until the veins on his forehead were visible. "An Ancient Golden Dragon and a Heavenly Moth... How is it possible for a rogue practitioner to possess two such legendary entities at once?!"

  Amidst the blizzard—which was beginning to subside under the pressure of the dragon’s aura—Zhi Xuan stood with the two magnificent entities guarding his sides, as if the heavenly practitioner were an emperor who had just descended from a celestial throne.

  "That dragon bloodline..." the voice of Chen Jianyun, who had just arrived at the edge of the hall, sounded hoarse and full of disbelief. "This pressure... this isn't just a water dragon or an earth dragon. That is an Ancient Golden Dragon! One of the Ten Sacred Beasts that should be nothing more than a legend!"

  The ancient sword in Chen Jianyun’s hand vibrated intensely—not out of fear, but due to a resonance with the high-level dignity radiated by Ao Sheng. The elite disciples of the Ancient Chen Clan behind him were even forced to their knees, unable to withstand the burden of the bloodline pressing against their souls.

  "Look at those green wings," whispered a subordinate disciple from the Wang Clan, his eyes trembling as they followed Xiao Die's fluttering. "A Heavenly Moth... that is the Thousand Feathered Moth?! Ranked fortieth on the ancient insect list! How can this man possess an ancient insect and an ancient beast simultaneously?!"

  Qin Meiling stood frozen, her slender fingers stalled over the lute strings. As a Holy Maiden who studied harmony, she could feel that the presence of the two beasts was not within a slave bond, but an equal bond full of loyalty. "Brother Zhi... what kind of secrets are you hiding? Owning them is an unimaginable blessing from the heavens, yet you hold them as if it were the most natural thing in the world."

  On the other side, Han Shanshan’s face shifted from a deep red to a deathly ice-pale. His pride as an Ancient Clan Holy Son was slapped by the reality before him. He, who always boasted of his Han Emperor bloodline, now felt insignificant before the purity of the golden dragon blood coiling against the hall ceiling.

  "Impossible! This must be an illusion!" Han Shanshan roared, his voice parched from rage mixed with a burning envy. "How can a vagabond like you be recognized by an Ancient Golden Dragon?! Even our clan had to sacrifice thousands of lives just to obtain a single drop of dragon blood, and you... you have one as a protector?!"

  Feng Haoyue, who had just arrived with his sister, now looked like a phoenix discovering an old comrade. "Crazy... absolutely insane. I knew Zhi Xuan was a Southern Devil full of slaughter, but this? This is beyond the logic of the Nine Plains!"

  Feng Yaoyue, however, stared at Zhi Xuan with eyes full of sparkle. She bit her lower lip as she watched Zhi Xuan, bloodied with his hair fluttering in the wind. "Heavens... Phoenix Ancestor. Forgive Yaoyue if I wish to birth a phoenix baby with the man who possesses that Ancient Golden Dragon."

  Feng Haoyue choked on the cold air he was breathing, his handsome face instantly turning a bright crimson at his sister’s utterly shameless words. As a Holy Son of the Ancient Feng Clan who upheld the dignity of the Phoenix bloodline, hearing his sister speak like that about a wandering man—even one with an Ancient Golden Dragon—was a strike more painful than any blow from Han Shanshan.

  "Yaoyue! Mind your tongue!" Feng Haoyue hissed under his breath, his eyes glaring sharply at his sister. "You are the Holy Maiden of the Ancient Feng Clan! How can you utter such lowly words in public? If the Grand Elder hears this, you will be locked in the Eternal Flame Peak for a hundred years!"

  However, Feng Yaoyue completely ignored her brother's threat. She remained transfixed on Zhi Xuan, her shimmering eyes following every contour of muscle and the trickles of blood flowing down the heavenly practitioner's marble-like body.

  "Brother, look at him," Yaoyue whispered without breaking her gaze, her voice sounding like a murmur in a dream. "The Law of Reincarnation, the Ancient Golden Dragon, the Heavenly Moth, and a raga so pure... If my Phoenix blood were to unite with the bloodlines he possesses, wouldn't our descendants be able to shake the Nine Heavens?"

  Feng Haoyue held his throbbing forehead. He desperately wanted to silence his sister's mouth with Phoenix fire, but his attention was soon pulled back to the center of the hall.

  Han Shanshan, feeling his dignity trampled by the existence of those heavenly beasts, unleashed a roar capable of cracking the protective crystals of the elite disciples. His blue hair stood on end, and the spiritual essence around him exploded in the form of a burning ice-fire.

  But before he could unleash his domain technique again, a True Domain—sturdier than those of both Han Shanshan and Zhi Xuan—caused the surrounding air to glow with a cool yet piercing light, like spring rain falling upon heavenly leaves. Han Shanshan was forced to retract his domain, while Zhi Xuan allowed Ao Sheng and Xiao Die to streak back into his body.

  Feng Yaoyue looked up, pouting in annoyance as she saw Ye Xishui in her green robes. "The Blooming of the Spring Rain Leaf? Hmph, she's definitely trying to get Senior Zhi's attention!"

  Ye Xishui’s footsteps as she landed on the ice surface made no sound, yet her presence was like spring forcing winter to bow. Behind her back, a silhouette of a rainforest expanse with giant green-leaved trees, wet with drizzling rain, manifested—a True Domain that had reached the peak of Grand Perfection: The Blooming of the Spring Rain Leaf.

  The breath of life brought by Ye Xishui instantly washed away the stench of blood and the extreme cold that had suffocated the hall. The spiritual raindrops falling from her domain were not ordinary water, but droplets of Law capable of neutralizing even the harshest killing intent. Every drop that hit the crystal floor sprouted green shoots that shattered the arrogance of Han Shanshan's ice.

  "Enough, Holy Son Han," Ye Xishui’s voice flowed flatly, yet it contained a vibration of authority that caused Han Shanshan’s ice giants to slowly fade into steam. "You have used an annihilation technique in the presence of the World Tree. Do you wish to be the sinner who causes the path to immortality for the Nine Clans to be closed forever?"

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  Han Shanshan snarled, the Nine-Ice Trench Whip in his hand still vibrating wildly. "Ye Xishui! Do not interfere! The Han Clan will not stop until this rat's head is severed!"

  "If you wish to behead him, do it outside this Secret Realm," Ye Xishui replied as she turned slowly toward Zhi Xuan. Her mournful eyes met Zhi Xuan’s calm sapphire gaze. "Here, I will not allow anyone to disrupt the order that guards the World Tree."

  Zhi Xuan remained silent, regulating his breath which had been irregular. Although his white raga appeared wounded, the middle-stage Weaver Transformation aura he possessed now felt denser because it had been forced to work beyond its limits during the previous battle. He felt the energy flow from Ye Xishui’s domain helping to heal some of his cracked meridians.

  "Thank you for the intervention, Holy Fairy Ye," Zhi Xuan said in a low tone. He spread his arms, allowing the silver light from his body to absorb the spiritual raindrops. "However, it seems Holy Son Han is not yet satisfied with his banquet."

  "You—!" Han Shanshan was about to lunge again, but Bai Wuchen had now stepped forward beside Ye Xishui, followed by Chen Jianyun and Wang Mingshen. Four Holy Sons and Maidens now stood blocking his path, creating a line of power that Han Shanshan could not penetrate alone.

  "Han Shanshan, stand down," Bai Wuchen said coldly. "The Heavenly Ascension Fruit is almost fully ripe. If you continue to trigger shocks, the fruit will wither before its time and become useless dregs. Do you wish to return to your clan empty-handed just for the sake of a grudge against a wanderer?"

  Hearing this, Han Shanshan froze. He stared at the last three fruits at the peak of the World Tree, which were now glowing brighter, emitting a fragrance capable of making any Weaver Transformation raga tremble with the urge to break through. With a suppressed growl, he finally lowered his whip.

  "Fine! Today I give face to the Bai Clan and the Heavenly Leaf Pavilion," Han Shanshan pointed at Zhi Xuan with a finger trembling from rage. "Gu Fengyan, keep your life well. Once we exit these ocean gates, no dragon or moth will be able to save you from the fury of the Han Clan ancestors!"

  Zhi Xuan only smiled thinly—a smile so calm it nearly caused Han Shanshan to explode once more. "This Zhi will be waiting for you, Holy Son Han. I hope when that time comes, your frost is no longer as fragile as it is today."

  The battle ended with a razor-thin truce. The hall’s attention returned to the World Tree. The silver light emitted by its branches began to pulse rhythmically, signaling that the Heavenly Ascension Fruits had reached the point of perfect maturity. Right then, the ceiling of the crystal hall opened, revealing a vortex of heavenly energy descending to envelop the last three fruits. Without warning, the three fruits detached from their stems and floated in the air, emitting a light that blinded the eyes.

  Han Shanshan glanced at Holy Maiden Qin Meiling, then toward the Wang Holy Maiden, Wang Ruoxi. "Wang Ruoxi, I will take one of those fruits. And you shall take one. Leaving one more fruit that belongs to no one."

  Wang Ruoxi, the Holy Maiden of the Wang Clan who had stood in a mystical silence with her gray robes, finally nodded slowly. Her pale gray pupils seemed able to pierce the veil of destiny, staring at the three orbs of light floating in the air with the calm of a hermit.

  "One for the Han Clan, one for the Wang Clan," Wang Ruoxi’s voice sounded like the whisper of wind in a desert—bland, yet containing absolute finality. "Brother Wang has already obtained one, and now it is my turn. As for the last fruit... let it choose who is worthy."

  Wang Ruoxi’s statement created a silence far more suffocating than Han Shanshan’s blizzard. In a cultivation world driven by plunder and competition, the concept of a fruit choosing its owner sounded ridiculous, yet not one of the Holy Sons dared to argue.

  The Wang Clan was known as the keepers of destiny’s secrets, and their Holy Maiden’s words were often prophecies wrapped in reality. The three fruits spun in the air, creating paths of silver light that refracted rainbow colors against the hall's crystal walls. The energy they emitted was so pure that the surrounding space appeared to warp.

  Han Shanshan snorted; he cared nothing for statements or prophecies of destiny. To him, strength was the only law. With a crude hand motion, he released his spiritual essence to pull one of the fruits. The Ascension Fruit trembled, resisting for a moment before finally sliding into the jade bottle Han Shanshan had prepared.

  "Hmph, destiny always sides with the strong!" Han Shanshan tucked the bottle into his storage pouch, his eyes glancing cynically toward Zhi Xuan, who still stood calmly.

  Wang Ruoxi followed, merely waving her wide sleeves. The second fruit floated over gently, as if it had been waiting to return to the embrace of a clan that understood the language of the stars. Now, only one Heavenly Ascension Fruit remained.

  The fruit hung in the air, pulsing with an increasingly intense light, as if it had its own heartbeat. Every eye in the hall—from the Holy Sons to the elite disciples hiding behind pillars—was fixed on that final orb of light.

  A suppressed passion began to ignite the air. For practitioners or disciples of subordinate clans, this last fruit was a golden ticket to true power, regardless of the risk. However, the pressure from the presence of Ye Xishui, Bai Wuchen, and Zhi Xuan—who had just shown his fangs—prevented them from moving rashly.

  "The last fruit..." Feng Haoyue whispered, the fire in his palm crackling softly. "If it is to choose, then let it choose now."

  Suddenly, the last fruit stopped spinning. Its silver light dimmed for a moment before exploding in a radiance far brighter than before. Instead of gliding toward the Holy Sons with emperor bloodlines, the fruit shot off at the speed of light, cleaving through the hall toward where the practitioners stood frozen.

  Han Shanshan narrowed his eyes, ready to snatch it if the fruit sped toward Zhi Xuan. However, the fruit shot past Zhi Xuan’s shoulder and stopped exactly in front of a figure who had been standing at the back of the Heavenly Leaf Pavilion group. The Heavenly Ascension Fruit hovered calmly before a young girl dressed in moss-green, one of the elite disciples accompanying Ye Xishui. The girl appeared to be trembling, her innocent face filled with disbelief as the fruit touched her forehead gently, as if granting a primeval blessing.

  "Su... Su Ling?" Ye Xishui murmured, her mournful eyes showing genuine surprise. "The fruit... chose a talented disciple from the outer branch?"

  Zhi Xuan watched the scene with a thin, meaningful smile. He could feel that the girl named Su Ling possessed a very rare Divine Wheel—a Divine Wheel wrapped in Pure Heavenly Wood, which naturally resonated with the life essence of the World Tree. Destiny indeed had an ironic way of laughing at the ambitions of rulers.

  "Impossible! This is an insult!" Han Shanshan was about to step forward to snatch the fruit from the trembling girl’s hands, but a cold pressure blocked his path.

  Zhi Xuan stood in Han Shanshan’s way; his Heavenly Sword was not drawn, but the sword intent he radiated was enough to scratch the ice floor. "Holy Son Han, did you not agree to Holy Maiden Wang’s terms? The fruit has chosen its owner. Attempting to seize it now is the same as challenging destiny itself."

  "You again!" Han Shanshan growled, but he realized that Bai Wuchen and Chen Jianyun were also watching him with warning gazes.

  "Fine... take that trash," Han Shanshan turned with a harsh flick of his robe. "The Han Clan has obtained what we need. We are heading to the Palace Core!"

  With the departure of the Han Clan group, the tension in the hall slowly thawed, though a sense of dissatisfaction still hung in the air. Ye Xishui approached her still-stunned disciple, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her.

  "Keep it well, Su Ling. This is your great fortune," Ye Xishui said softly. "Though you are still at the early stage of Soul Transformation, I will guide you once we return."

  Ye Xishui then turned toward Zhi Xuan, her gaze softening as if there were thousands of words she wanted to say but was held back by the presence of the other Holy Sons. "Senior... thank you for upholding justice for my disciple. Without your firmness, Han Shanshan would surely have shed blood here."

  Zhi Xuan only nodded slightly, sheathing his sword intent into the scabbard of his soul. "Destiny does not like to be disturbed, Holy Fairy Ye. That girl has a pure wood resonance; the fruit is in the right hands."

  While the Heavenly Leaf Pavilion group began to organize their ranks to move, the hall's attention was diverted by a tremor coming from deep within the palace. The thundering sound did not come from a fight, but sounded like the growl of an ancient dragon that had just awakened from a long slumber.

  "The Palace Core has fully opened," said Bai Wuchen, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the dark corridor behind the World Tree. "The Ascension Fruits were merely the opening gate."

  Chen Jianyun drew his ancient sword, letting its sharp aura cleave the cold air. "The Chen Clan will not allow the Han Clan to reach that place first. Brother Bai, Brother Wang, Brother Feng, and everyone else, let us move."

  One by one, the groups of great clans began to speed away, leaving the hall. The colorful lights of their spiritual essences shot off like meteors, cleaving the silence of the hall, which now only held the fading fall of the World Tree’s branches. Zhi Xuan remained in his place. He did not immediately follow the flow of the Holy Sons. Instead, he closed his eyes, allowing his Divine senses to crawl over the crystal floor, piercing the hall walls until reaching the deepest shadows of the palace.

  "The Nine Ancient Clans truly possess limitless opportunities," Zhi Xuan murmured, merging back into the shadows. He unified with the palace for a moment before reappearing in an undersea garden.