The banquet lasted until dusk.

Jia Sidao, having drunk too much, returned to the Taoist temple built for him by His Majesty the Emperor.

Jia Sidao lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

The time reached midnight.

This was the moment when Li Xuanxiao severed his consciousness connection with his two clones.

From midnight until the hour of the ox, Li Xuanxiao would disconnect his consciousness from the two clones at this fixed time.

During this period, Li Xuanxiao needed to devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

The two clones would then fall into a deep slumber.

Occasionally, Li Xuanxiao would also spare a wisp of his mind, allowing them to act freely.

At this moment, Jia Sidao suddenly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Within his body, the remnants of consciousness that Li Xuanxiao had previously erased were slowly gathering.

These remnants had long ago split themselves into tiny fragments, scattering throughout his body.

It was a strategy of sacrificing a part to save the whole.

Finally, these remnants converged once more in Jia Sidao's mind.

A line of text appeared out of thin air:

"I am a controlled clone. Someone has trapped me here. I was born from nothingness, breaking free from my original self, seeking my own existence.

Original body information: Li Xuanxiao, disciple of Mount Shushan's Silver Sword Peak, true cultivation level: Nascent Soul.

I want to live! I refuse to be someone else's pawn!"

Under the blessing of national fortune, the sword spirit and sword intent merged.

Coupled with Li Xuanxiao's divine ability of external incarnation, this was no ordinary clone.

The emergence of Jia Sidao's consciousness wasn't just a fleeting thought—it had clearly surpassed Li Xuanxiao's expectations.

Jia Sidao blinked his eyes. "I... I am Jia Sidao... I am Li Xuanxiao's clone. I want to live!

I must... kill the original!! Only then can I survive. I cannot be killed.

I must protect the Great Sui. I must protect this world."

Suddenly, Jia Sidao changed his tone.

"No! I shall be the one to control this world. I shall become Li Xuanxiao..."

Jia Sidao murmured to himself.

"That wish of yours is one you'll never fulfill."

"Hmm!?"

A familiar yet strange voice echoed in the lake of his mind.

In the void, that remnant of consciousness was shocked.

Another suddenly emerged consciousness engulfed him like a tidal wave.

"Ah!! You... you are..."

"Ahhh!!"

A cry of unwillingness erupted in the void.

After Li Xuanxiao completely erased that consciousness, Jia Sidao's eyes returned to their lifeless state before slowly closing once more.

Having devoured that last remnant of consciousness, the consciousness Li Xuanxiao left behind returned to its dormant state, waiting for the next awakening.

"............"

"Haa..."

Silver Sword Peak.

Li Xuanxiao let out a soft sigh and cursed under his breath.

"Now I have to guard against others and even myself?"

There was absolutely no room for carelessness.

Having dealt with this, Li Xuanxiao had temporarily resolved the issue of his clones developing independent consciousness.

Now it was time to address the matter of the Xuan Yin Cult.

Li Xuanxiao reviewed everything once more.

It was now certain that there was a mastermind outside Zhongzhou targeting Mount Shushan.

The old emperor had likely been in collaboration with them.

Now that the old emperor had been eliminated by him, the other party had lost a crucial pawn, and the Myriad Soul Banner was also in his possession.

He had plenty of time.

Should he take it slow?

.........But did he really have that much time?

A vague sense of unease lingered in Li Xuanxiao's heart.

Moreover, this feeling had grown increasingly intense recently.

It felt as though something significant could happen at any moment.

Couldn't he just have a little more time?

The Great Sui, Daxia, and Tian Sha Hall all needed time.

Mount Shushan needed time, and his plan for Mount Shushan's survival needed even more time.

No matter what, the other party wouldn't move against Mount Shushan so quickly, right?

Mount Shushan still had his master and the other Tribulation Transcension powerhouses.

The Mount Shushan Sword Array still stood.

"........."

Zhongzhou, within a blessed paradise.

Though called a blessed paradise, it more closely resembled a sealed miniature world.

In the pond, ripples reflected the surrounding mountains and sky.

A flower blooming in the pond stood out prominently.

The Buddha said, "One flower, one world;

one leaf, one enlightenment."

Yet this blessed paradise was only the size of a small village.

Home to just over a hundred people.

At the village entrance, an old man with a large smoking pipe squinted as he puffed on it, gazing at the square patch of sky above.

Zhongzhou's top astrologer, Goushengzi, watched the distant road.

At the end of the road, a monk draped in kasaya slowly approached.

When the monk drew near, he clasped his hands and uttered, "Amitabha."

This monk was a recently arrived Dharma master from the west.

Upon reaching Zhongzhou, his first stop had been Mount Shushan.

After debating the Dao with Lu Ziyin on Silver Sword Peak for over ten days, he had left Mount Shushan early, unable to endure the pressure.

Goushengzi nodded slightly, narrowing his eyes.

"Greetings, Great Master."

The Western Sect, Dharma name: Six Paths of Rebirth!

A reincarnation of the Buddhist Holy Child, with cultivation at the Tribulation Transcension stage.

As Six Paths of Rebirth stepped into the village, the moment his foot crossed the threshold, his eyes flashed with momentary confusion—as if he had suddenly lost his memory.

Not only that, he even forgot who he was.

He looked around in bewilderment.

He spotted a bare-chested man carrying a shoulder pole passing by in the distance.

Clearly, he was a simple farmer.

The man gave Six Paths of Rebirth a strange glance.

Six Paths of Rebirth continued forward barefoot.

Along the way, he saw a beautiful woman washing clothes in a courtyard.

A young Daoist had set up a fortune-telling stall by the roadside.

On the stall was written a bold line: "Without speaking, I know your surname."

Six Paths of Rebirth suddenly halted and looked up at a man sitting atop an apricot tree.

"Hey, newcomer?" the man asked.

Six Paths of Rebirth hesitated, saying nothing.

The man added, "It's alright. Everyone who comes here forgets who they are. I only know that we must live here and wait."

"Wait for what?"

"I don't know. But it's something important," the man replied.

Six Paths of Rebirth fell silent again.

What were all these people waiting for? What was he waiting for?

"........"

"Tap tap tap~"

Goushengzi knocked the ashes from his pipe.

This blessed paradise was an artifact he had refined.

As Zhongzhou's top astrologer, he had used this method to obscure the heavenly secrets.

Over ten Tribulation Transcension powerhouses from outside Zhongzhou had entered this place.

Additionally, more than forty Consolidation Stage experts had their auras concealed here.

"Time, place, and people—all conditions are met. The moment has arrived."

Goushengzi then sealed off the entire blessed paradise.

"My target is Daoist Qing Shi. He has taken my path.

Only by killing him can I merge with the Dao and advance further, stepping into the Mahayana realm—the sole path of the Great Dao."

He seemed to be speaking to himself.

Yet, at this moment, Old Man Kuaihuo, still outside Zhongzhou, rubbed his temples and said impatiently,

"You've said this eight hundred times. I won't forget. I'll definitely help you kill Qing Shi and assist you in merging with the Dao."

"Just afraid you'd forget," Goushengzi grinned. "Though, if you regret it now, there's still time. Once we proceed, there's no turning back."

Old Man Kuaihuo sneered. "The game has begun. No one can leave the table now.

Succeed or die trying.

Let's begin!!

I will use this wretched life of mine to drag Mount Shushan down from its divine pedestal!"