Atop the ruins of a sect, Chu Xuan and the impostor met, and a fierce battle ensued immediately upon their encounter. They fought from sunrise to sunset, from the eastern islands to the western ones.

Ultimately, Chu Xuan fell victim to a trap set by the impostor, stepping into a pre-arranged array that dealt him a severe blow. After tumbling into the lake, he completely disappeared.

Yuan Zichu, Zhu Yuqiao, Zhao Benhe, and other cultivators mobilized a large number of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators to search extensively. Despite their efforts, they were unable to find Chu Xuan's body.

...

In the Treasure Ship Market, a gathering of Golden Core cultivators displayed a range of expressions—some were reflective, others regretful, some smug, and a few disdainful.

Yuan Zichu was among those who felt regret. Even though "He Liang" had used some demonic techniques and had shattered his defensive measures upon their first meeting, Yuan had always felt that he was a person worth befriending. It was unfortunate that he had now likely perished at the hands of an impostor.

Those who were smug or disdainful were the ones who had long envied Chu Xuan. They felt that he had killed too many cultivators from Myriad Islands Lake and stolen treasures that should have belonged to them. They harbored grievances against Chu Xuan and were secretly pleased at the prospect of his probable death.

Yuan Zichu spoke solemnly, "I propose to report the disappearance of fellow daoist He and request that a new Golden Core fellow daoist be sent to Myriad Islands Lake. What are your thoughts?"

"No objections," everyone nodded in agreement.

"Very well, I shall report as such," Yuan Zichu affirmed.

...

In the midst of the Hundred Refinement Sect's Golden Core cultivators discussing important matters, Chu Xuan and Wan Wuying were already toasting under the moonlight.

"Junior brother, that was quite a fierce performance. I almost thought you were serious," Wan Wuying commented while sipping wine and popping pills.

Chu Xuan chuckled, "How else to make them believe?"

The impostor Ouyang Zheng was already dead. The current impostor was naturally Wan Wuying. The daytime battle was not only a show for Yuan Zichu and others to gauge but also for Wan Wuying to see.

Chu Xuan was testing whether Wan Wuying was genuinely cooperating with him. After all, both were cultivators of the demonic path, and a true alliance or cooperation is never truly part of a demonic cultivator's dictionary.

Partners? As long as there was enough benefit, partners could always be betrayed!

Chu Xuan's cooperation with Wan Wuying was based solely on the latter's strength and their years of mentorship. He was not foolish enough to consider Wan Wuying a senior brother to depend on for life and death. Individuals like Liu Zhenxiong were indeed very rare.

"Let's drink this cup and then part ways for now," Wan Wuying smiled, raising his glass and pausing momentarily, "Junior brother, why the poison, though? There really was no need for that between senior and junior brothers."

Chu Xuan also raised his glass and replied with a smile, "Then senior brother also had no need to put a charm in the wine."

"It was merely an exchange of courtesies," he added.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing. Testing each other was a constant reality. Those who couldn't withstand testing did not deserve to be partners.

...

Taking advantage of the night, Chu Xuan quickly escaped. He removed his disguise, reverting to his original appearance, and soon found a secluded island.

After setting up a cave dwelling and arranging the arrays, he quickly returned to Blue Star.

During Chu Xuan's time in Myriad Islands Lake, the situation on Blue Star had been prospering. His army of undead had swept across the continents. The destruction of the Sunzi Country's government had also spread across all the lands.

Amid the global dominance of Blue Star under Chu Xuan's command, the intricate operations of his zombie and gu forces continued to escalate.

The Parasitic Seeds, controlling giant apes, conquered the Harsha Dynasty, eliminating the royal family and securing the third fragment of the Psionic Cube.

Meanwhile, the Zombie Empress's newly developed assault-type corpse ships penetrated the territories of the Freedom Alliance and the Arctic Army. Within a subterranean base controlled by the Freedom Alliance, they discovered the fourth fragment of the Psionic Cube.

The zombie armies also unearthed that Science City was intricately connected to the Freedom Alliance. Before the Psionic revival, the Freedom Alliance had secretly sent the "City Lord" to the Han country to establish Science City.

As for the Holy Light Theocracy, they didn't wait for the zombie army to reach their doors. Instead, they proactively submitted to Chu Xuan's forces, offering the fifth fragment of the Psionic Cube.

Chu Xuan lounged on a plush velvet recliner, intrigued by the nearly complete Psionic Cube. Even though Blue Star was almost unified, the final piece of the cube was still missing.

Chu Xuan had dispersed his zombie armies globally to watch for any signs of the last fragment. The idle Psionic Cube rapidly facilitated the growth of flesh and blood, although, unfortunately, Chu Xuan no longer had a use for body cultivation techniques.

On the other hand, the Blood Beehives produced vast quantities of blood honey, bulking up the bees to nearly the size of half a fist. Under the massive infusion of blood honey, the queen bee's realm soared, advancing into the rank of a third-stage Gu.

Besides the worker bees, soldier bees, and venom bees, a new type of bee was unlocked—the Fire Bee. Similar to the venom bee, which has a venom sac for storing toxins, the fire bee possesses a unique flame sac that stores fire, which can be expelled when necessary.

For Chu Xuan, the venom bees and fire bees were much more useful than the soldier bees. The former could store various poisons he concocted, and the latter could even hold the Corpse Refining Blood Fire.

In battle, dispersing venom and fire bees could potentially have a surprising effect.

"It's a pity that the Corpse Refining Blood Fire has not yet advanced to spawn the Blood Evil Yin Fire," Chu Xuan mused. "Perhaps it's not burning enough..."

He signaled the Zombie Matriarch and Zombie Empress to ramp up production. The wild zombies outside had grown wiser, and ultrasonic calls no longer lured the higher intelligence zombies.

Fortunately, Chu Xuan still had the Zombie Matriarch and Zombie Empress, who were akin to living zombie production factories. Increasing production merely required more large blood pearls, allowing for a self-sustaining cycle of production and combustion.

…

On the secluded isle of Myriad Islands Lake, a diminutive Nascent Soul cultivator fled in terror.

He cried out, his voice both fierce and desperate, "Shang Tianjue! Dare to slay me, and the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace will soon be upon you! Your end is nigh! If you spare my life, we can both step back and perhaps..."

But Shang Tianjue, relentless in pursuit, paid no heed to his plea. A mass of dark qi transformed into a gargantuan maw that eclipsed the sky, devouring the fleeing Nascent Soul in one fell swoop.

Chewing thoughtfully a few times, Shang Tianjue swallowed contentedly.

"Another Nascent Soul consumed, and now I've reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Even the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace, obtuse as they are, must realize by now that the Burning Heaven Sect is no more. They will make their move. The extraterritorial battlefield is about to open. Mystic Azure Star shall soon be thrown into turmoil!"

Shang Tianjue laughed heartily, his gaze alight with relentless determination and madness.

...

In the heart of the Central Continent floated a colossal island.

This island, known as Feather Transformation Island, was the very gate of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace. It was a mighty testament to the Deity Transformation cultivators' power, a whole mountain range uprooted and encircled with formidable arrays.

For every disciple of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace, it was an honor to ascend to Feather Transformation Island, for it was the true center of power within the palace.

At this moment, within the grand council hall of Feather Transformation Island, a voice thundered in anger.

"Three years! A full three years! And only now you learn of Shang Tianjue's emergence in the Southern Wilderness!"