Outside the Gluttonous Palace.

Mei Ji grasped Huo Hangku's shoulders, slowly descending amidst the ruins.

Huo Hangku's face was pale, his body drenched in cold sweat. He still hadn't regained his senses, feeling as if he'd just taken a stroll past the King of Hell's gates.

In the silence, Mei Ji said, "The Azure Emperor is even more terrifying than I imagined. Truly worthy of being the greatest emperor of all time."

Huo Hangku asked, "Even when you joined forces with that senior just now, you still couldn't do anything to him?"

Mei Ji looked toward the distant, sinking land and gently shook her head. Seeing this, Huo Hangku's heart grew heavy.

Mei Ji said, "You should go. Be careful. If the Azure Emperor finds you again, I won't be able to save you."

Huo Hangku looked at his wife, sensing her indifference, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.

"Mei Ji," he suddenly asked, "you do still love me, don't you?"

Mei Ji turned to leave, her voice faint. "On this path of the Great Dao, I will not fall in love with anyone but myself."

"Master Huo, thank you for your kindness in the past," she added. "By saving your life today, my debt to you is repaid. We owe each other nothing more."

Huo Hangku watched her retreating figure, silent and overwhelmed with a thousand different emotions.

The woman of the past was trampled underfoot, pressed down and dominated.

The woman of today walked further and further away, until he could no longer see her, no matter how high he looked.

* * *

Somewhere amidst the shattered Gluttonous Palace.

Luo Xiu was on one knee, his face as pale as snow, continuously coughing up black blood.

A few meters in front of him, the Azure Dragon Venerable's Body of the Dark Land had been reduced to a pile of ashes, unable to reform. Under the power of Emperor Blood Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, the final wisp of the Azure Dragon Venerable's Residual Soul had also been scattered to the winds.

Master Ping suddenly flew above Luo Xiu's head and knocked it sharply. "I think you really have a death wish!" he chided.

"Your illness was already acting up, yet you still forcibly expended your Essence Blood to use that move!

"If you died, where would Master Ping find another Dao companion as foolish as you?"

Luo Xiu smiled, knowing Master Ping was worried about him. "It's precisely because my illness flared up that I couldn't afford a battle of attrition. I had to finish him as quickly as possible."

Master Ping sighed softly. He naturally understood this logic. In short, Luo Xiu was powerful but lacked endurance.

Master Ping suddenly asked, "Do you remember Yumian Jun's belt?"

"I remember."

"That's no mere ornament," Master Ping said. "The ruby embedded on it is a Blood Fiend Jade, forged from the pit of a Blood Bodhi and the Essence Blood of ten thousand people. Wearing it will speed up the recovery of your Essence Blood. I presume that Blood Red Mountain is a faction that practices cultivation by absorbing blood fiend energy."

As he was speaking, he realized Luo Xiu had fallen unconscious. After grumbling a few more complaints, Master Ping took Luo Xiu into the World Inside the Vase.

At that moment, Dou Dou, Yaya, and Mu Xueyan, along with Pig Dragon, were all in the World Inside the Vase. Seeing Luo Xiu suddenly appear, they immediately rushed over.

"Master Ping, what's happened to Chen Shuisheng?"

"His condition is very serious," Master Ping said. "He might die."

Dou Dou froze at his words, tears already welling in her eyes.

Master Ping said, "Xue Yan, right now, only you can save him."

Mu Xueyan asked hurriedly, "What do I need to do?"

"It's not about what you need to do, but about the choice you make," Master Ping replied solemnly. "As your mentor, I'm aware that you humans take such matters very seriously."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xueyan instantly understood. A blush crept up her fair cheeks.

"Is this the only way?" she asked softly.

"Actually, Luo Ying and that Flower Demon could also do it," Master Ping said. "But in his current state, there's no way to open a spatial entrance to the Land of Lawlessness to find them."

Mu Xueyan fell silent. After a brief moment of hesitation, she made her decision.

"As long as it can save him, I'm willing."

* * *

「Lingtian Plateau. Heaven Azure Empire.」

In a towering and majestic palace, Luo Hao sat at his desk, dressed in a splendid robe. He quietly regarded Mei Nu, who knelt on the ground before him.

Mei Nu reported, "Your Majesty, we've just received word that Princess Chang was grievously injured, but she has escaped the Lingtian Plateau."

Thinking of his sister, Luo Xian, Luo Hao's feelings grew complicated. He sighed softly and said, "If she had chosen to side with me, her own brother, she wouldn't have ended up like this."

Kneeling on the floor, Mei Nu asked cautiously, "Then, Your Majesty... should we dispatch more people to pursue her?"

"Since she did not choose me, she must die," Luo Hao replied without hesitation. "She once absorbed the Companion Green Lotus. If we don't eliminate her, she will surely become a threat in the future!"

Mei Nu nodded gently.

Luo Hao suddenly inquired, "Is there any news of Qing Xian in the Lower Realm?"

"Not long ago, Pink appeared and closed the spatial rift that was opened via the Starry Sky Ancient Path," Mei Nu replied. "As a result, we aren't receiving any news from the Lower Realm."

She then added, "Your Majesty, since we know the Azure Emperor is in the Lower Realm, why not just send people to forcibly create a rift and eliminate him?"

Luo Hao answered indifferently, "Forcibly opening a spatial rift would be too costly. Besides, do you think the Azure Emperor is so easy to kill? The only reason I said that to Luo Xian was to infuriate her and give myself a pretext to kill her.

"As for actually sending people to kill the Azure Emperor? I'm not that foolish.

"Moreover, the Azure Emperor is still of use. He cannot die yet.

"Besides, now that Pink has appeared, who's to say that madwoman won't come to the Lingtian Plateau again? For now, our top experts must remain here to hold the fort."

"Your Majesty is most wise."

* * *

A short while later, after Mei Nu had withdrawn, Luo Hao stood up and walked to the back of the study. There, he opened a hidden door in a bookshelf.

Through the door, he entered a secret chamber. The chamber was empty except for a glowing orb floating in its center, resembling a crystal ball. As Luo Hao approached, the orb suddenly blazed with light.

When the light subsided, a figure had appeared before Luo Hao. It was a blurred Divine Sense projection.

"The Earth-Slaughtering Calamity cannot be allowed to fail," the projection said. "We must quickly blood-sacrifice all living beings of the New Era."

Luo Hao knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate understands. We now await the Holy Boi Religion's move."

"The Creation Green Lotus you seized from your brother," the Divine Sense projection asked, "how is your assimilation of it coming along?"

Luo Hao replied, "It is nearly complete."

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