456: The four continents fell, and the holy land sealed itself off.

Over the years, the three of them and the Disciples of Jade Pool Holy Land had experienced countless fierce battles together; the deep friendship forged through shared life and death had long been rooted.

Between Cao Xiaochuan and Qingzhu, threads of affection were secretly intertwined, but they both understood without needing to speak, always leaving it unsaid.

The final battle before the Holy Land was sealed took place on the Yellow Wind Plain in Xi Niu He Continent of the Immortal Realm.

In that battle, Abandon Heaven Cult, the Heavenly Court, and Jade Pool Holy Land deployed over a billion troops, and seven Great Luo Realm powerhouses struck from the sky, shaking heaven and earth.

For seven days and seven nights, immortal techniques and Demonic Techniques clashed fiercely, and divine light and black mist tore through the sky.

The corpses of immortals and demons piled up like mountains, almost covering the entire plain.

Blood flowed into rivers, the dazzling crimson under the setting sun resembling a Hellish scroll.

Initially, the Heavenly Court had a slight upper hand, but as the battle reached its Late Stage, they were encircled and slaughtered by Abandon Heaven Cult layer by layer.

Every person had to face the frenzied siege of several powerhouses of the same realm.

Even a person of Cao Xiaochuan's exceptional talent gradually felt his strength waning.

At a critical moment, Qingzhu, disregarding her own safety, resolutely shook off her opponent and blocked a fatal blow for Cao Xiaochuan.

She fell heavily wounded into a pool of blood, and Cao Xiaochuan, in a frenzy, wanted to save her, but was blocked by a Abandon Heaven Cult powerhouse, making it impossible for them to meet again.

Qingzhu's heavily injured body was at its last gasp, and her fate was imaginable.

In the end, if not for the intervention of the Heavenly Court's Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole, who saved the crumbling situation and rescued the remnants of the Heavenly Court army and the surviving Disciples of Jade Pool, the casualties would have been even more tragic.

In this battle, of the over a thousand Profound Immortal and above Disciples from Jade Pool Holy Land who participated, less than one in ten survived.

An Immortal King Elder perished, his radiant light extinguished in the long night.

The Heavenly Court also lost four hundred million Heavenly Soldiers, and was forced to retreat to the South Heaven Gate, leaving the Four Great Continents completely fallen.

After returning to Jade Pool Holy Land, there was no further news of Qingzhu.

From then on, Cao Xiaochuan became utterly dejected, not only ceasing to Cultivate but also neglecting his injuries.

He spent his days sitting alone in Qingzhu's old courtyard, drinking wine, letting the moonlight soak the empty flask and the morning light whiten his temples.

If this continued, his Dao Heart would surely be damaged, and his Cultivation would even regress.

Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xianyu saw his plight and felt the pain in their hearts, coming together to persuade him to heal and recover.

Cao Xiaochuan's face was haggard; he picked up the pot of immortal brew on the table and drank it down, head tilted back in pain. Wang Xianyu wanted to stop him, but Wang Xianzhi shook his head, halting her.

"Junior Brother, Junior Sister... there's no need to persuade me." His voice was hoarse, each word tear-stained, "Qingzhu is in grave danger, I know it in my heart... I only hate myself for being too weak! If I hadn't failed to guard against Tie Zhamu's sneak attack... why would Qingzhu have needed to block that blow for me?"

Wine dripped from his lips, mixing with tears and shattering on the stone table.

"If I hadn't dragged her down, with her Cultivation... she would have definitely held on until the Emperor arrived!"

"She wouldn't have died—!"

His words were choked with blood and sorrow, like a lone goose crying all night.

Wang Xianzhi suddenly pressed Cao Xiaochuan's trembling shoulder, his voice as firm as iron:

"Great Master! Precisely because of this, you should not be so despondent here!"

"If you truly regret your incompetence, then you should immediately pull yourself together, heal your body, and Cultivate diligently! Abandon Heaven Cult is powerful now, and that evil Cultivation Technique has not been broken. The revenge for Senior Sister Qingzhu can only be achieved if you become stronger! If you destroy yourself like this, if your Cultivation regresses and your Dao Heart is sullied... wouldn't that make her sacrifice worthless?!"

Wang Xianyu, with red eyes, also choked out, "That's right! Senior Brother... Senior Sister Qingzhu risked her life to protect you, wishing for you to live, not to see you abandon yourself like this! If you fall into depravity now, how will you face her in the future? Only by eradicating all enemies and sacrificing the blood of the Abandon Heaven Cult members to her spirit in heaven can you repay her deep affection!"

"What's more—" Her tone suddenly became firm, "Senior Sister may not be entirely without hope!"

"Hope...?"

Cao Xiaochuan trembled all over, the wine pot fell to the ground with a "CRACK," and the immortal brew gurgled out, as if suddenly reawakening his dead heart.

Wang Xianyu looked at him steadily, saying sincerely, word by word: "Revered Master."

A light suddenly ignited in Cao Xiaochuan's eyes.

Revered Master Cultivates the Great Dao of Time and Space, and had once ventured into the river of time, witnessing fragments of years.

If he returned, perhaps he could truly retrieve a wisp of Qingzhu's imprint from the river of time... The profound grief gradually transformed into a burning thread of hope, rekindling in his eyes.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The familiar immortal Qi of Jade Pool still carried the scent of blood and fire.

When he opened his eyes again, though the pain remained, there was an added tempered resolve.

"You... are right." His voice was still hoarse, but no longer scattered, "Despair is useless... I must pull myself together. Heal, Cultivate, become stronger—to avenge Qingzhu."

"When Revered Master returns, he will surely be able to save Qingzhu!"

"But before that—" Cao Xiaochuan's eyes were bloodshot, swirling with hope and hatred, "I will grind Tie Zhamu to dust, extract his soul, and refine his spirit!"

Wang Xianzhi and his Junior Sister exchanged glances, their worries not entirely dissipated.

They could see that their Senior Brother's state was still not right, like a string pulled too taut.

But it was better than giving up completely.

Nirvana Realm, Wind Capital.

Two months passed quickly.

Facing the combined suppression of the three princes, Feng Changge chose to let his forces fully contract, giving up a large number of positions of power, and even temporarily sealing Thunder Mountain.

While this preserved his strength, his prestige plummeted, and many fair-weather opportunists defected to the other three princes.

Even more suspicious was that, despite being forced to this point, Feng Changge still showed no strong reaction.

Zhao Tingzhi and the legendary Quasi-Immortal had also not appeared to assert their power.

For a time, all the great families in Wind Capital secretly looked down on this prince a little.

As Feng Changge repeatedly conceded, the Alliance between Feng Ziyi and the other two princes instantly dissolved, and they began to fiercely contend for the court positions and Wind Capital properties he had left behind.

In Prince Zi's Residence.

Feng Ziyi, clad in a purple python robe, perused the secret letter presented by his butler, his brows gradually furrowing:

"Ninth Brother can endure to such an extent?"

"What did you find out about that person who Underwent Tribulation earlier?"

"Replying to Your Highness," the butler bowed and answered, a look of apprehension on his face, "All the spies from Ziyi Tower were dispatched, and even investigations were secretly conducted in the Duanmu Imperial Dynasty and Blazing Fire Imperial Dynasty, but no records of a Quasi-Immortal matching this person's appearance and Cultivation Technique could be found."

"This person seems to have appeared out of thin air... there are no traces of his past actions!"

"Absurd! How can a dignified Quasi-Immortal be completely unknown?" Feng Ziyi's tone turned cold, "Even if he is a reclusive old monster, there should be some traces to follow."

The butler smiled bitterly: "If not an old monster of many years, then he can only come from a place beyond our reach."

"Forget it, since we can't find anything, let's put it aside for now." Feng Ziyi waved his sleeve and sat down, "What have Third Brother and Fourth Brother been up to recently?"

"Prince Zheng and Prince Zhuo seem to have allied, and tonight they will likely make a move on Yuzhu Mountain Villa."

Feng Ziyi's hand, which had just picked up the teacup, paused slightly, then he scoffed: "What useless fellows! Father is ascending to the Immortal Realm in three days, and they're still eyeing the Yin Family's assets."

The Yin Family of Yuzhu Mountain Villa were loyal supporters of Feng Changge, and had a cousin relationship with Feng Changge's birth mother, Zhao Qin. They had already obeyed orders to close their villa, awaiting the Ascension Ceremony.

The Yin Clan's Heavenly Treasure Firm was spread throughout the Changfeng Imperial Dynasty, and even the various nations of the Seven Great Imperial Dynasties, possessing wealth that could rival a nation.

Previously, when Feng Changge fully contracted, Feng Chengtian and Feng Yuzhuo had even turned their spears to attack Feng Ziyi, but were caught in his trap and suffered considerable losses.

Now, they were eyeing the Yin Family again, which showed their low ambition.

"Heh, good." Feng Ziyi took a sip of tea, a cold smile playing on his lips, "Let these two fools test Ninth Brother for me... to see how many cards he still has hidden."