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Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, beneath an ancient pine tree.

Qi Yun sat cross-legged, his eyes gently closed and his expression serene. The corners of his Deep Blue Daoist Robe remained perfectly still in the faint breeze.

There were no earth-shattering vortexes of Spiritual Mechanism around him, nor was there any dazzling radiance of Magical Power.

Only wisps of an aura, as gentle as a spring breeze in the woods, slowly expanded and contracted with his long, deep breaths.

With each exhale, the aura radiated outward, rustling like a clear wind through pine needles, as if measuring Heaven and Earth and embracing all of creation.

With each inhale, the aura retracted, like a great whale swallowing the sea. It drew in all the pure Spiritual Mechanism from his surroundings, which was steeped in Dao Rhyme, along with the stray threads of Primordial Daoist Intent drifting between Heaven and Earth.

Within this deeply rhythmic cycle of breaths, a hazy, illusory phantom of a Realm Heaven flickered in and out of existence in the void behind him.

That was the very core of his Dao Foundation: Daluo Heaven.

At this moment, the phantom of Daluo Heaven expanded and shrank in time with Qi Yun's breathing, constantly changing size.

When it grew large, the phantom expanded slightly, seeming to contain phantoms of mountains and rivers and the flow of Starlight, faintly exuding an air of devouring the eight desolates.

When it shrank, the phantom condensed into a single, chaotic speck of light pressed against Qi Yun's back, dense and heavy, like the origin point of all Great Daos.

Right now, Qi Yun was using this Foundation Establishment Mirror Heaven to absorb the Spiritual Mechanism of Heaven and Earth and refine his physical body.

The path of the Dao was like climbing a treacherous peak.

Qi Yun knew this with perfect clarity.

To seek the True Monarch Dao Fruit, one must attain the three Samadhis: the Dharma Body, the Immortal Appearance, and the Fruit Position.

The Dharma Body is the vessel of the Great Dao, the foundation that bears the cultivator's path. It is the embodiment of the deep fusion between one's own Dao Principles and the very source of their life.

By a stroke of fortune, he had used the immense Creation within the Imperishable Golden Core gifted by Desolate Halberd True Monarch to coalesce his Primordial True Body, taking the most solid and extraordinary first step toward achieving a Dharma Body.

And to obtain two of the three Samadhis was to reach the Realm of the Great Master.

Now that his Dharma Body was newly formed, if he could also obtain a fitting Immortal Appearance or find a Fruit Position to comprehend and bear, he could attempt to ascend to the Great Master Position—a rank countless Foundation Establishment Masters dreamed of.

However, with a crisis looming, he no longer had the luxury of leisurely planning for an Immortal Appearance or a Fruit Position.

'Wu Dao True Monarch now leads the Holy Sect, and Black Mountain is his subordinate. He's bound to use the authority of his new position to come after me.' Qi Yun's thoughts flowed with clarity, yet the process of refining his Dharma Body remained undisturbed.

'Desolate Halberd True Monarch has already stepped down. Even if he intended to protect me, it would be difficult for him to interfere directly.

Besides, given Wu Dao True Monarch's temperament, personal feelings and bonds mean next to nothing to him.'

'To survive this ordeal, or even turn the tables, the key is... Wu Dao True Monarch himself.' Qi Yun's thoughts grew increasingly calm and sharp.

'According to Desolate Halberd True Monarch, Wu Dao is the one among the five Great True Monarchs who most embodies the style of the Holy Sect.

For a being like him, the only things that matter are the Great Dao, power, and tangible benefits that can help him advance further or solidify his authority.

Sentiment is unreliable; benefits can move even the gods.'

'But... what kind of benefit could possibly sway a True Monarch who already stands at the pinnacle of this realm and commands a colossal power? Ordinary heavenly treasures, Cultivation Skills, or Secret Techniques would hardly catch his eye,' Qi Yun wondered.

Just as his mind raced, repeatedly weighing the information he had against the bargaining chips at his disposal—

—a voice he hadn't heard in a long time, tinged with the laziness of someone just waking up, echoed without warning from the depths of his Purple Mansion:

"The only thing that can sway a True Monarch is, of course, a Fruit Position!"

Qi Yun's heart skipped a beat, but a moment later, an indescribable sense of relief and warmth washed over him.

That voice... It was Cai Shen!

"Elder Cai? You're awake?" Qi Yun responded with a Heart Thought, a genuine smile in his voice.

Ever since he sealed his body and mind for nearly a sixty-year cycle in the Cangque Realm to practice his Deceiving the Heavens technique, Cai Shen, who resided in his Purple Mansion, had fallen into a deep slumber along with him.

After returning to the Profound Yellow world, he had tried various methods to awaken this old elder, who seemed to be deeply bound to him, but nothing had worked. He could only wait passively.

He never expected Cai Shen to awaken on his own at such a critical moment.

"Mmm... YAWN..." The voice sounded as if it had truly stretched, the yawn still lingering in its tone.

"That was... a really solid sleep.

It's been a long time since I've had such a long, peaceful, and undisturbed nap.

If you hadn't made such a racket swallowing that Imperishable Golden Core—turning your body into a Heaven and Earth Furnace and shaking this old man awake—I could've slept for another few hundred years."

As he spoke, a speck of golden light quietly emerged from between Qi Yun's eyebrows and landed on his shoulder. It transformed into the palm-sized, entirely golden, and vividly expressive phantom of a little old man—the very image Cai Shen projected.

He rubbed his non-existent, sleepy eyes and, sitting on Qi Yun's shoulder, even swung his chubby little legs back and forth a couple of times.

"It's good that you're alright, Elder Cai," Qi Yun said warmly, maintaining the rhythm of his breathing exercise.

"You mentioned a Fruit Position just now?

Could it be, Elder... that you have a clue about a Fruit Position?"

This was the key!

If Cai Shen truly had a lead on a Fruit Position, it would be a godsend—a critical bargaining chip that could turn the entire situation around!

Hearing this, Cai Shen pursed his lips and tilted his head up slightly, his tone filled with self-evident pride:

"It's just a clue to a Fruit Position. Look at you, getting all worked up.

Kid, don't you forget what my true form is!"

"The God of Wealth!

Forget a mere clue to a Fruit Position. If you could truly and perfectly command my true form..."

He paused intentionally, his small eyes glancing at Qi Yun before he continued in a leisurely tone:

"...I could pluck a few fresh, piping-hot Fruit Positions right out of thin air for you, from across the boundless heavens and the endless Void Sea."