On Blue Star, Chu Xuan stood before the hulking form of the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse, a satisfied smile on his face. After using several tons of corpse-repairing potion, he had finally brought this beast to life.


    "You''d better not disappoint me. Otherwise, all that effort would''ve been for nothing," Chu Xuan muttered to himself, snapping his fingers.


    The Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse began to stir, its movements initially stiff, but soon it was moving with ease.


    Bang!


    With a powerful push from its legs, the dragon corpse leapt out of the massive pit with a force that caused the ground to shake. It felt as though a minor earthquake had just occurred.


    Roar!


    The Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse opened its mouth and let out a roar that reverberated through the heavens. The sound of its dragon''s roar echoed across the sky, while flames shot from its mouth, soaring into the clouds. People several dozen kilometers away could see the fiery eruption clearly, and many were shocked and awestruck.


    However, the members of Black Blade were unperturbed. They remained as calm as ever, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. This vast Blue Star was protected by immortals, so what could possibly go wrong?


    If it was a tiger, it would have to lie down. If it was a dragon, it would have to coil. Whatever demons or monsters appeared, the end result would always be the same: they''d become the immortal''s beloved pet.


    At that moment, Chu Xuan was already mounted on the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse. He immediately felt a dense spiritual aura surrounding him, as the earth''s spiritual energy enveloped his body. Without warning, the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse burrowed into the ground.


    The soil and rocks split apart on their own as the creature tunneled below. Though it was dark, Chu Xuan could still sense the flow of the earth''s energy, thanks to the corpse''s earth-burrowing abilities.


    Having refined the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse, Chu Xuan now shared some of its capabilities.


    "This speed is incredible! It''s even faster than my Ice Crystal Divine Light Escape!" Chu Xuan exclaimed, impressed.


    The Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse was a master of earth-based evasion, able to appear suddenly and deliver devastating surprise attacks. Unfortunately, this creature couldn''t fly. If it could, it would completely replace flying magic treasures. While others would soar on flying swords or knives, Chu Xuan would ride his own dragon corpse—how domineering that would look!


    Whoosh!


    The Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse suddenly leapt again, reappearing by the vast, endless expanse of the East Sea.


    Chu Xuan patted the dragon''s massive head with a smile. "Not bad. You need a name. You''ll be called Dalong."


    The Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse remained silent. Despite its King-level strength, it lacked a mind of its own. It could only carry out the simplest, most basic commands driven purely by instinct—commands like attacking, defending, or retreating. For more delicate actions, such as breathing fire or swinging its tail, Chu Xuan had to exert his spiritual sense to control it.


    Naturally, the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse didn''t react to the name Chu Xuan gave it.


    "In the future, I might be able to implant a demonic beast''s soul into this thing to act as a pilot," Chu Xuan mused. "But that method... I haven''t learned it yet." He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Wei Ji''s technique for creating wooden puppets is impressive. Maybe I can apply that to control the Dryland Earth Dragon Corpse."


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    A smile appeared on Chu Xuan''s face. As the sect leader of the Heavenly Infinite Sect, it would be a simple matter to request the method from Wei Ji. Surely he would comply.


    ...


    "Take care, Sect Leader. Feel free to come by again whenever you need anything!" Wei Ji smiled broadly as he sent Chu Xuan off. But once the sect leader had left, his expression fell, and he sank down onto the steps of his cave residence.


    "That was my most prized wooden puppet..." Wei Ji muttered under his breath. "Chu Xuan, you..." He fumed with resentment, but when he thought about the terrifying way Chu Xuan had killed Zhao Kai, all of his anger instantly evaporated.


    "He''s right to take the puppet technique... it''s for the good of the sect," Wei Ji muttered, trying to convince himself. "Yes, yes. As a Nascent Soul elder of the Heavenly Infinite Sect, I must always consider the sect''s interests first."


    He sighed, trying to push his frustration aside.


    ...


    Later that night, atop Infinite Island.


    Chu Xuan and Wan Wuying raised their cups, toasting to the moon. However, before they could take more than a few sips, Wan Wuying''s face suddenly changed.


    "Sect Leader..." he forced a smile. "With the gap in our strength so large, do you really have to poison me?"


    Chu Xuan clicked his tongue, looking apologetic. "Sorry, I acted too quickly."


    Wan Wuying stared at him in silence.


    Chu Xuan tossed a storage pouch toward him. "This is the item I promised you."


    Wan Wuying opened it to find a Soul Breaking Spike. His eyes immediately brightened.


    "Thank you, Sect Leader," Wan Wuying said respectfully.


    Chu Xuan nodded.


    The Soul Breaking Spike was a spiritual tool required by Golden Core cultivators to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. It no longer held much value for Chu Xuan, but since he had promised Wan Wuying, it was only right to keep his word and give it to him.


    "You''re at the seventh level of Golden Core, right?" Chu Xuan asked casually.


    "Yes, that''s correct."


    "Then keep working hard and strive to break through to Nascent Soul before your lifespan runs out."


    Wan Wuying forced a smile. "It''s not that simple. A single Soul Breaking Spike only increases the success rate by one or two percent. But right now, I don''t have any other opportunities to obtain Nascent Soul tools. If I have no choice, I''ll have to use this needle to force my way into the Nascent Soul realm. Success or failure... it all depends on fate."


    Chu Xuan snapped his fingers casually, and Wan Wuying immediately felt a strange emptiness inside his body.


    "Now that the Heavenly Infinite Sect is under the protection of the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, we are no longer master and servant," Chu Xuan said. "I''ve removed the insect eggs from Wei Ji, Liu Ruoshui, Zheng Ji, Wan Hun, and the others. Yours has been removed as well."


    "Don''t stress when trying to break through to Nascent Soul," Chu Xuan continued. "If it doesn''t work, at least try to form a fake Nascent Soul."


    With that, Chu Xuan stood up.


    Wan Wuying remained silent for a long while before finally speaking. "If I die and my path ends, please bury me in the Extreme Yin Cave."


    "Alright, I promise you," Chu Xuan nodded.


    Wan Wuying then rose, bowing respectfully. "I bid you farewell, Sect Leader."


    Chu Xuan didn''t turn around and continued walking away, leaving Wan Wuying standing there. The elder''s expression darkened with melancholy.


    From being master and disciple, to once being senior brother and junior brother, to now, with Wan Wuying as a Nascent Soul cultivator and Chu Xuan having surpassed him as a Golden Core cultivator—he had watched Chu Xuan grow stronger and faster, to the point where the gap between them was now insurmountable.


    Chu Xuan sighed lightly to himself. The moment Wan Wuying had called him "Sect Leader," a thick, sad barrier had fallen between them. In the path of cultivation, power and rank always took precedence. Now, with their vast difference in cultivation realms and statuses, it was only natural that Wan Wuying could no longer call him by name.


    "My dear master, my senior brother... I hope you can succeed in your breakthrough to Nascent Soul," Chu Xuan thought.


    Without hesitation, he walked away.


    ...


    Three years had passed in the blink of an eye since the fall of Mystic Azure Star. Cultivators from all over Mystic Azure had flocked to the Central Continent.


    Soon, the Heavenly Infinite Sect held its first grand recruitment ceremony.


    The ceremony was held on the massive plaza of Infinite Island. The square was packed with excited young disciples, their faces filled with anticipation. These were the chosen spiritual seedlings selected from all over the Central Continent to join the Heavenly Infinite Sect.


    Only those with superior spiritual roots could qualify for cultivation in the Heavenly Infinite Sect.


    As the sect leader, Chu Xuan could not simply sit back and relax, even though he wished he could. He had to be present for such an important event. Sitting beside him were Shi Juntian, Wei Ji, Liu Ruoshui, Zheng Ji, Wan Hun, and the other sect elders.


    "Eh, that little child looks a bit familiar," Chu Xuan remarked, his eyes falling on a chubby, tiger-faced boy.