Tiancang''s brows furrowed deeply as he turned his gaze behind him. Sure enough, the Realm Protecting Formation had already been activated. And it was radiating a thick, ominous blood-red glow.


    He immediately tried to contact Zhao Kai and the others through transmission. But every attempt seemed to sink into an abyss, with no response at all.


    Tiancang''s heart sank to the bottom.


    What is this? I''ve been battling here, and now there''s a fire burning in my own backyard? How is it that so many Nascent Soul cultivators can''t deal with the demonic cultivators from Northern Cold? What have they been doing this whole time?!


    Blood Wine True Master, grinning, taunted, "Look at what you''ve been protecting. Even now, you''re still not leaving?"


    Tiancang''s face darkened, and with a final glance, he commanded a flying shuttle to swiftly disappear into the distance.


    The Realm Protecting Formation had fallen into the hands of the enemy. With the formation fully activated, it was powerful enough to resist the combined efforts of two Deity Transformation cultivators. There was no need for him to stay any longer.


    Blood Wine True Master laughed loudly, his figure heading toward Mystic Azure Star.


    ...


    On Mystic Azure Star, in the Central Continent, on Spirit Feather Island.


    Chu Xuan and his group were waiting in the grand hall. As the strongest cultivator, Chu Xuan held the highest position of honor, seated at the far left. Behind him were Wei Ji, Liu Ruoshui, Zheng Ji, and Wan Hun.


    Seated at the far right were Shi Juntian and several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Blood Alliance.


    The cultivators of the Heavenly Blood Alliance had arrived via the ancient teleportation array provided by the Commercial Star. They had managed to delay many Nascent Soul cultivators from Northern Cold in the Eastern Border. Without their help, the pressure on Chu Xuan and the others would have been far greater.


    In addition to the Nascent Soul cultivators, many Golden Core cultivators stood respectfully by.


    Wan Wuying, Bai Jinkun, and others all stood quietly, not daring to slack off in the slightest.


    However, Wan Wuying''s gaze repeatedly drifted toward Chu Xuan. Because the current Chu Xuan had shed all his previous disguises, revealing his true identity. He was the same junior brother Wan Wuying had known—the one who had disappeared all those years ago!


    At that time, during the chaos, Wan Wuying and Chu Xuan had seized the battle token and successfully made their way to the extraterritorial battlefield. But Chu Xuan had fallen in the western part of the battlefield, where he was swarmed by a horde of Nether Crocodiles and had vanished without a trace.


    Wan Wuying had always believed that Chu Xuan had died.


    But now...


    After so many years, Chu Xuan had returned as a fully-fledged Nascent Soul cultivator. He had even slain Zhao Kai, the substitute palace master of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace, and made a tremendous contribution to the victory in this battle.


    Yet here was Wan Wuying, still a mere Golden Core cultivator, struggling to advance toward Nascent Soul. How many cruel jokes had fate played?


    The rise and fall of life truly felt like an endless rollercoaster.


    "Hahaha! Shi Juntian, you really did an outstanding job! I thought the cultivators from Northern Cold wouldn''t be able to stop the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace, but not only did they hold their ground, they even turned the tables and took down the Realm Protecting Formation!


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Such a brilliant achievement! If this is reported back to the sect, it will surely make the Sect Leader happy for a long time! Shi Juntian, you''re going to rake in a huge amount of contribution points for the sect with this one!"


    A loud, boisterous laugh rang out from outside the hall. Before the person even arrived, his voice had already filled the room.


    Everyone in the hall turned to look at the entrance, and immediately saw a stout yet short figure walking in.


    The man was wearing only a tiger skin vest slung over one shoulder, and his attire looked as if he had stepped out of an ancient era. Around his waist were four wine gourds and a storage pouch. His wrists and ankles jingled with blood-red bells, but despite the noise they would have made, not a single sound came from them as he walked.


    It was Blood Wine True Master!


    He laughed heartily as he walked into the hall, his gaze falling immediately on Shi Juntian. A satisfied smile spread across his face.


    Shi Juntian quickly stood up and immediately said, "Blood Wine Uncle Master, it wasn''t me..."


    Blood Wine True Master burst into another round of hearty laughter. "If it wasn''t you, then who was it? You''re at the sixth level of Nascent Soul, and you''re the personal disciple of Blood Wing True Master. Who else could have pulled off something like this?"


    Shi Juntian''s face showed signs of discomfort. "Blood Wine Uncle Master, really, it wasn''t me, it was…"


    Blood Wine True Master''s smile faded into a displeased frown. "You brat, stop being so humble! It''s boring! I rarely praise anyone, so just accept it! Keep on with your nonsense, and I''ll tear your mouth off!"


    Shi Juntian quickly fell silent. Because the Blood Wine True Master was exactly the type to carry out such threats.


    The Blood Wine True Master strode to the highest point, cleared his throat, and adopted the dignified air of a senior expert.


    "Everyone here has made great contributions in the Mystic Azure War. On behalf of the Divine Sect, I thank you all. However, even though the Mystic Azure star is now under our control, we must remain vigilant against the shameless sneak attacks from the Reincarnation Divine Sect. Starting today, we will be establishing a brand-new fifth-tier cultivation sect on Mystic Azure."


    As for the few of you from the Heavenly Blood Alliance, you''ll be heading back for now, and that is that. You, the juniors, will be the core figures of this new sect. As for the name of this new sect, feel free to choose, but Feather Transformation Heaven Palace is off the table. It''s simply too ugly. Once the sect is established, it will be protected for five hundred years. Should any practitioner reach the Deity Transformation stage during this time, the Divine Sect will officially recognize it."


    The Blood Wine True Master waved his hand dismissively.


    "Alright, let me see the list of merits from this battle. I need to take it back to report to the Divine Sect. The rewards will be distributed to you soon enough."


    Shi Juntian hastily stepped forward, handing over a jade slip imbued with spiritual sense. The Blood Wine True Master pressed it to his forehead. After a long pause, he suddenly jumped up.


    "Those who killed Cheng Qi—Chu Xuan. Those who delayed the Dragon Puppet—Chu Xuan. Those who killed Zhao Kai—Chu Xuan. The greatest contributor to the Mystic Azure War… is still Chu Xuan? Who is Chu Xuan?"


    The Blood Wine True Master’s gaze swept over the crowd, astonished.


    Chu Xuan cupped his hands in salute. "Senior Blood Wine, I am Chu Xuan."


    The Blood Wine True Master immediately furrowed his brows and extended his spiritual sense, scanning with intent. Chu Xuan made no attempt to block it, standing calmly in place. His Myriad Realm Mirror had long fused with his body.


    As a Deity Transformation cultivator, the Blood Wine True Master might have some difficulty detecting the presence of the Myriad Realm Mirror.


    As for the rest…


    Chu Xuan had little to hide.


    Most of his secrets were concealed within the Myriad Realm Mirror, in the Blue Star, the Soul Star, and the Cave World. And it was precisely because he knew the Blood Wine True Master would scrutinize him so thoroughly that he allowed his disguise to fall away completely. After all, the other party was a Deity Transformation cultivator.


    To attempt any concealment, any change of appearance would only anger him. If he had offended a Deity Transformation cultivator from the very beginning, how could he expect to survive in the Shaking Heaven Divine Sect?


    "Not bad, young man! From the moment I felt your Spiritual Qi, I could tell you''re a proper cultivator of the demonic path! Tsk, tsk, and you even have impressive physical refinement!"


    The Blood Wine True Master found nothing amiss and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Thank you for the praise, Senior," Chu Xuan smiled.


    Shi Juntian whispered, "Uncle Master, see? I told you it wasn’t me…"


    "Ahem… my mistake, just pretend you didn''t see it."


    The Blood Wine True Master cleared his throat nonchalantly.


    The others kept their eyes focused on their own matters.


    Fine. You’re a Deity Transformation cultivator. If you say you didn’t see anything, then we won’t mention it.