These words left Piao Miaoxu feeling stifled.

"Rest assured... there is still another way."

Piao Miaoxu said indifferently, "Do you really think I'm the type not to have a backup plan?"

"But... what other way could there be?" Shuo Wuji couldn't fathom. Nine Provinces! The mere sight of the known Ascension Experts is enough to make countless cultivators tremble. And Dongfang Mu, a man blessed with immense Qi Fortune... The Eight Desolate Netherworld was thought to be the only means to counteract him. Yet, even here, Dongfang Mu's beloved confidantes are present...

"His several beloved confidantes..." Piao Miaoxu said indifferently, "are all unlikely to ascend."

"Why is that?"

"From the situation with Yan Qingwu, if they haven't ascended after so many years of cultivation, there's only one possibility... They are closely tied to Dongfang Mu; perhaps, that scoundrel is their Heart Demon obstruction."

"Even if they could ascend, they probably wouldn't. Yan Qingwu is a clear example."

"So what of it?" Shuo Wuji frowned slightly, not quite understanding.

"Fool." Piao Miaoxu said coldly, "Now that the era of cultivation is grand, and the Heavenly Gate is open, since that is the case, then I shall achieve ascension and ascend first, becoming the prime ascender of this millennium."

"When the time comes, I will lead you, the Demon Sect, to take that step before him. We will ascend amidst rosy clouds, reach the highest pinnacle, and then we can cleanse them."

Shuo Wuji was left speechless. The plan seems flawless. But is it feasible? You failed to out-cultivate him in the past. Now, with the support of so many beloved confidantes, his ascension is merely a matter of time... How could we possibly get ahead? All our schemes have proven ineffective. And now you intend to defeat Dongfang Mu through straightforward cultivation? Isn't that just wishful thinking? Besides, you're merely a residual soul... You don't even have a physical body to cultivate with... That doesn't conform to the Great Tao of this world either...

"Rest assured… there will be an opportunity."

Piao Miaoxu's eyes were deep. Ice Immortal, oh Ice Immortal. I am no longer the same antiquated relic from bygone ages. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. After contending in this world for so many years, I am no longer solely reliant on absorbing Karma to return to my peak condition. Having reincarnated multiple times and by adapting to the prevailing circumstances, perhaps I can discover an entirely different realm of possibilities. Dongfang Mu... Destiny...

"I don't believe in any destined fate in this world!"

"Lose?"

"Just wait and see..."

When Wang Mu woke up, he was still in the Dark Border, in the familiar little stone house.

Faintly, Wang Mu heard two voices conversing.

"The first time I saw him... he had only a few breaths left..."

"He said he had lost his power... so I took him in..."

"After that?"

"I helped him for a while. Then, when I encountered danger... he disguised himself as a member of the Foreign Clan to learn their secrets... um... he's quite a foolish person."

"Later... to help me retrieve my parents' relics... he didn't hesitate to touch the Foreign Clan's evil artifact. I almost killed him..."

"Um... Saber Technique? Oh, that one... I taught him..."

"This saber?"

"This saber, I gave to him. It's called the Shadow Hong Saber. He chose 'Shadow' from my name... and 'Hong' means wild goose... I mentioned I like wild geese, so he combined those words..."

"Later, he taught me many things... and told me a lot about your outside world..." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"After that, he said he had to leave... I asked him if he wouldn't return, and he said he would."

"I waited for a very long time. Whenever I had nothing to do, I'd go and kill members of the Foreign Clan. I lost track of how long I waited; I only knew that I had almost wiped them all out, yet he still hadn't returned. I thought he had lied to me. No one had ever deceived me before. So, I resolved to find him and kill him."

"..." Wang Mu listened.

"Later, I sensed that he seemed to have returned and even left something for me. Perhaps I wasn't present at the time. So, I didn't venture out, because it meant he hadn't lied to me. I continued to wait. Members of the Foreign Clan were dying in such large numbers that they were nearly eradicated, which felt like fulfilling my parents' last wishes.

"So, I sealed this place using the corpses of the Foreign Clan. It was right about then that a significant influx of special energy began pouring in from the outside world. I entered meditation to perceive it and subsequently fell into a semi-hibernative state, which has lasted until this very moment...

"Suddenly, I sensed the aura of the Shadow Hong Saber, and the Silent Annihilation Saber Technique... thinking that he might have come, I came out..."

...

Wang Mu pretended not to be awake, keenly sensing the changes within his body. Evil Qi has entered me, and my Nascent Soul seems to have undergone a peculiar transformation. A surge of maliciousness is rising in my heart. Especially that Demon Skill in my Sea of Consciousness—the Wuji Treasure Book. This is the Demon Skill Piao Miaoxu cultivates, a true Demon Skill. Demon Skill... This Piao Miaoxu harbors ill intentions. Knowing that Evil Qi had entered my body and would be temporarily difficult to control, she deliberately passed this Demon Skill to me. Is she trying to sabotage my cultivation? That Piao Miaoxu is incredibly cunning. Hold on... Heroine Yan gave me a part of the Prajnaparamita Holy Scripture, which is a Buddhist cultivation method. In terms of Body Refining, ever since the Mountain and Sea Body Refining Technique reached fulfillment, I've made no progress with the subsequent Divine Demon Body because its cultivation is excessively demanding. The Divine Demon Body... it requires one to first 'enter the demonic path'... which means cultivating a Demon Dao Skill. Then, by simultaneously cultivating a Buddhist Taoist Skill to Great Success, one uses the demonic nature to nurture a Buddhist seed, integrating it into oneself to achieve the Divine Demon Body. The Wuji Treasure Book is a genuine Demon Skill... If I use this to enter the demonic path, and then cultivate the Prajnaparamita Holy Scripture... then I can proceed to the next stage of Body Refining. All the way to Ascension... However, the difficulty involved must be extraordinarily high. Back then, the Sea Demon King lost control after succumbing to the demonic path, unable to restrain himself, which led to immense chaos throughout the Sky Sea Continent and devastating loss of life...