Half a month later.

Outside the capital, in a mountain valley Grotto Heaven.

This was unmistakably Tang Yan's dwelling.

A little girl was hefting a gigantic hammer taller than herself, pounding away at a spirit weapon embryo, sweat pouring down as she gasped for breath, her cheeks flushed red.

From her body radiated a wild, domineering aura, and with every strike, sparks of lightning and fire danced faintly.

This was the disciple Tang Yan had accepted: Dong Yue.

Tang Yan watched with a squint-eyed smile, occasionally offering a word or two of guidance.

The valley was surrounded by birdsong and blooming flowers, hermetically sealed from the world; though the sound of hammering echoed, it wasn't raucous.

"Xu, feeling good?"

A soft, enchanting voice sounded slowly.

"Mm, feels nice, a little lower." Xu Yang closed his eyes in contentment, savoring Su Yun's gentle hands kneading his back.

Su Yun narrowed her beautiful eyes, then suddenly exerted force.

Tss!

Xu Yang couldn't help but suck in a breath.

"You trying to murder your own husband?"

"Hmph!" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Su Yun snorted coquettishly, glanced over with suspicion, and said, "Why aren't those two sisters here yet?"

"You're on your own."

Su Yun stood up and walked away.

Xu Yang looked after her, smiled faintly, then lazily lay back on the grassy hillside, breathing in the fresh air deeply.

More than half a month had passed since that battle.

In these two weeks, everything was settled!

The Northern Territory, Qingzhou, and Leizhou had all been reclaimed.

Song Yuanhao and his son's forces were wiped out entirely!

Under the order of all the powerhouses, everything ran smoothly; the Barbaric Mountain Range and the Barbarian Race pressed forward in their campaign, and soon, the last remnants of the Barbarian Race would be subdued and their once vast territory brought under Daqian's map!

None of this required Xu Yang to worry.

Even though Can Sutian declared all of Daqian's affairs would be subject to his rule, Xu Yang had no interest in those matters.

He left everything to Zongzheng Cangyunxiao to allocate and handle.

After a year of chaos, Daqian was finally secure.

The reason for coming here was also to avoid being disturbed.

With Tang Yan's identity, few dared to visit.

It was also to fulfill the promise made to Tang Yan.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang looked down, pulling up the Cyan Jade Yin Yang Pendant, his expression odd.

"Still not out after all this time."

"I wonder what Master comprehended inside?"

Indeed, Gu Jun's will had entered the Barbarian God's spiritual light for over two weeks without emerging.

After Xu Yang left, he collected a wisp of spiritual light into the Cyan Jade Yin Yang Pendant!

If he couldn't still feel Gu Jun's steady aura, he would suspect it had been completely obliterated.

But for now, there was nothing to do but wait!

Even if Gu Jun encountered troubles during enlightenment, Xu Yang believed that a teacher who had survived life and death wouldn't be truly trapped.

"Everything is stable, and for now I have no hope of breaking through to True Monarch."

"The most important thing is waiting for Can Sutian's return; hopefully nothing untoward happens."

Staring up at the cloudless vault, Xu Yang squinted. He had no right to worry about Can Sutian; if anything befell him, it was utterly beyond Xu Yang's imagination and involvement.

"Let's just wait. I've been tense for so long—it's time for a thorough rest."

Xu Yang exhaled, cleared his mind, and gazed absently at the sky, nothing on his mind.

Meanwhile, inside the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod.

Song Yuanhao was suffering endless battering and tempering.

His flesh was slowly dissolving, the True Monarch Blood Bone that had been fused within his body transforming, inch by inch, into astonishing spiritual liquid.

Once fully refined, converted to essence, it would be truly extraordinary.

Though it couldn't push Xu Yang's cultivation over the next bottleneck, it would still see a significant rise.

Accompanied by three women, occasionally watching young Dong Yue train.

Such wonderful days slipped by in a blink—another seven days had passed.

On this day—

Xu Yang suddenly arched his brow, looking at the world in surprise.

"Why did the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi just surge?"

He was amazed, sweeping his gaze around, but found no sign of anything abnormal.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yang darted outside.

Upon emerging, he instantly realized that the spiritual qi—aura of heaven and earth—had increased here even more than inside Tang Yan's Grotto Heaven.

It was like a spiritual qi revival!

"At least three times what it was before!"

"Even here in this formerly barren land, spiritual qi is emerging."

Xu Yang was wide-eyed with amazement.

He probed the world carefully, but still, nothing out of place.

It felt like a change across the whole world!

A good thing, surely, but far from ordinary!

Xu Yang's gaze sharpened, and he suddenly stepped out into the void, his spiritual will extending powerfully in all directions.

"Heaven Locking Intent!"

In an instant—

The world for ten thousand feet around twisted and folded, then snapped back to normal.

Outwardly, nothing changed, but within this domain of ten thousand feet, all was under his grasp.

One thought and everything was imprisoned!

Guided by the Barbarian God's spiritual light, he had barely touched upon the threshold of Heaven Locking Intent.

Now, he could unleash a faint wisp of its power.

A true seal of heaven and earth!

"It's even harder to imprison heaven and earth than before."

"The fabric of reality seems tougher than ever!"

Xu Yang frowned deeply: "Could it be because of Can Sutian?"

Besides Can Sutian, he really couldn't think of another cause.

What did Can Sutian do?

Swoosh!

A gleaming jade-green light abruptly flooded the area.

"Finally out."

Accompanied by a lingering voice of dread, a phantom silhouette appeared from thin air.

"Master, you're awake!" Xu Yang looked at Gu Jun in delight, suddenly noticing that Gu Jun's manifestation was even more solid than before.

He hurriedly examined the Barbarian God's spiritual light—it was considerably dimmer.

Gu Jun's eyes were deep: "How long have I been meditating?"

"Nearly a month."

"…"

Gu Jun's face twisted.

Nearly a month… compared to Xu Yang, it made him feel like he'd utterly lost face!

"Ahem!"

Gu Jun swiftly composed himself, as if nothing had happened.

"Master, what's your harvest?" Xu Yang asked, curious.

For Gu Jun to stay in there so long—what had he comprehended?

At this, Gu Jun's face shone with pride: "I've fully mastered the Celestial Brilliance Divine Sky Seal, and gained deeper insights into the Purple Sun Heaven-Burning Fire and the Ancient Saint Cloud Tripod."

"Once my physical body recovers, my skills will be truly unfathomable. Soon, I'll be able to utterly surpass my old self!"

"That great river—its mysteries defy all description!"

A flicker of awe passed through Gu Jun's eyes as he muttered, "Even the realm above True Monarch may not be out of reach!"

Xu Yang's spirit soared; such gains were absolutely sublime!

He couldn't help but be happy for Gu Jun!

The Barbarian God's spiritual light was, in a way, no less than an enlightenment treasure.

The average True Monarch wouldn't even qualify to meditate in it.

But each use would lessen its power.

Xu Yang thought of those beside him, and couldn't help but smile wryly.

It seemed only Jian Chuan was eligible for a try.

Those with insufficient strength would be lost at the first touch.

Even with his control, they wouldn't be able to extricate themselves!

"Just having Senior Jian Chuan is good; let him meditate once, and the rest of the spiritual light I can almost fully refine myself!"

Refining that spiritual light, Xu Yang felt sure the breakthrough to True Monarch would be much easier.

His spiritual will would strengthen massively.

Before the True Monarch breakthrough, his combat power would reach an unimaginable peak.

"Eh, what place is this? The space is so sturdy; even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is remarkable." Gu Jun suddenly exclaimed with surprise, scanning his surroundings.

Looking around, he froze, then looked at Xu Yang in astonishment: "Isn't this the Great Qian Heaven and Earth? What happened while I was meditating?"