Lizarius' golden gaze remained fixed upon the quietly cultivating fox for several moments.
Only after confirming there was nothing more to discuss—
did he slowly lower himself onto the stone floor.
His small body curled inward.
With a slight flick of his tail—
space rippled.
A purple-gold Golden Core floated silently before him.
Dark veins covered its surface.
The poison within it remained active.
Even now—
it pulsed faintly throughout the Core Essence.
For any ordinary cultivator—
attempting to refine such a Golden Core would have been courting death.
Even if one wished to absorb its spiritual essence naturally—
it would have been impossible.
The poison alone would have destroyed both body and soul long before the energy could ever be refined.
But—
Lizarius was different.
He slowly opened his maw.
Without hesitation—
he swallowed the poisoned Golden Core whole.
Gulp.
The Golden Core disappeared down his throat.
Moments later—
an immense surge of spiritual energy erupted within his body.
Pure Nascent Soul Essence rapidly spread throughout every meridian.
The dormant poison awakened as well.
It surged alongside the spiritual energy.
Yet—
it found nothing to corrupt.
Nothing to destroy.
His body calmly accepted everything.
Energy.
Poison.
Essence.
All of it was absorbed without the slightest disturbance.
Lizarius slowly curled into himself.
His breathing gradually became slow and steady.
Within his mind—
he quietly spoke.
*"Current Evolution Points."*
The familiar mechanical voice immediately responded.
**[Current Evolution Points: 714,060.]**
Silence filled the cavern.
After several moments—
Lizarius calmly issued another command.
*"Use one hundred thousand Evolution Points..."*
*"...To evolve my Cellular Systems."*
*"Use sixty thousand..."*
*"...To evolve the White-Scaled Lizard Bloodline Gene."*
*"Use thirty thousand..."*
*"...To evolve the Shadow Gene."*
*"Use twenty thousand..."*
*"...To evolve the Dream Crawler Gene."*
The system answered immediately.
**[Command confirmed.]**
**[100,000 Evolution Points deducted.]**
**[Beginning evolution of Cellular Systems...]**
**[60,000 Evolution Points deducted.]**
**[Beginning evolution of White-Scaled Lizard Bloodline Gene...]**
**[30,000 Evolution Points deducted.]**
**[Beginning evolution of Shadow Gene...]**
**[20,000 Evolution Points deducted.]**
**[Beginning evolution of Dream Crawler Gene...]**
**[Remaining Evolution Points: 504,060.]**
Almost instantly—
an intense heat spread throughout Lizarius' body.
Every cell awakened.
His blood began flowing faster.
The deepest layers of his flesh trembled.
His shadow quietly distorted beneath him.
Ancient instincts buried deep within his bloodline slowly stirred.
At the same time—
a strange aura silently emerged around his curled body.
The evolution...
Had begun.
Lizarius slowly closed his eyes.
The underground cavern fell silent once more.
Only the soft crimson glow of the Blood Tree—
and the quiet breathing of the sleeping fox—
accompanied the long night ahead.
---
One week later—
Cloud Sword Sect.
Upon one of the sect's most secluded peaks—
silence blanketed the mountain.
The peak was forbidden to ordinary disciples.
Only a handful of elders were permitted to enter.
Deep within the mountain—
inside a secluded cultivation chamber—
a young woman sat quietly in meditation.
Her long crimson hair flowed down her back like a waterfall of fire.
Several ancient spirit lamps burned softly around the chamber.
Their gentle light pushed back the darkness.
Dozens of swords stood upright throughout the hall.
Some rested upon the stone floor.
Others hovered silently in the air.
Each emitted a faint hum, as though breathing alongside its master.
The young woman slowly opened her eyes.
Her calm gaze settled upon the figure standing before her.
Gu Ruan.
Without the slightest change in expression, she spoke.
"...Did you find it?"
Gu Ruan remained silent for a moment.
Then he slowly nodded.
"...I found the battlefield."
The young woman's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Then you should've—"
She stopped.
Gu Ruan quietly interrupted.
"...There was nothing."
Silence filled the chamber.
"...For dozens of miles..."
"...Everything had been burned."
"...Mountains."
"...Forests."
"...Rivers."
"...Everything."
His expression gradually became solemn.
"...No lingering spiritual qi."
"...No remaining sword intent."
"...No traces of poison."
"...Nothing."
"...The entire battlefield had been completely erased."
"...Whoever did it..."
"...Left behind absolutely nothing."
A long silence followed.
Gu Ruan slowly exhaled.
"...It seems..."
"...That creature is even more dangerous..."
"...Than we imagined."
The crimson-haired young woman quietly lowered her gaze.
"...No..."
"...Dangerous isn't enough to describe it."
Her voice remained calm.
"...That creature..."
"...Is a catastrophe."
"...If it's allowed to continue growing..."
"...This entire region..."
"...Will eventually descend into chaos."
Her eyes slowly lifted.
"...None of the sects..."
"...Will remain safe."
"...Cloud Sword Sect included."
Gu Ruan nodded.
"...I intend to personally visit every major sect."
"...They deserve to know."
"...At the very least..."
"...They must understand what now exists within this region."
The young woman offered no objection.
After a brief silence—
Gu Ruan looked toward her.
"...How is your new body?"
She lowered her gaze toward her hands.
Her fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"...The fusion is complete."
"...There is no longer..."
"...Any distinction."
"...Zuo Qia..."
"...And Su Mochi..."
"...Have become one."
"...We are..."
"...The same person."
The body she now possessed had once belonged to an inner disciple of the Cloud Sword Sect.
After Zuo Qia's Nascent Soul escaped—
this body had become her final chance at survival.
Rather than simply possessing it—
the two souls had completely fused together.
The original Su Mochi no longer existed.
Neither did the former Zuo Qia.
Only a single, newly born consciousness remained.
Gu Ruan quietly observed her for a moment before asking,
"...And the body's aptitude?"
She nodded slightly.
"...Not bad."
"...A High-Grade Dual Spirit Root."
"...Fire."
"...And Wind."
Her fingers lightly brushed the hilt of the sword resting across her lap.
"...It also possesses..."
"...The Heavenly Sword Heart Physique."
A physique naturally born for the sword.
Sword intent was easier to comprehend.
Sword qi flowed through its meridians with extraordinary affinity.
Every movement naturally resonated with the sword.
A rare physique sought after by countless sword cultivators.
"...Its cultivation..."
"...Is at the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment."
"...Although far beneath my previous realm..."
"...Its foundation is exceptionally stable."
She quietly tightened her grip around the hilt.
"...Give me a few years."
"...Core Formation..."
"...Won't be difficult."
Her gaze slowly drifted toward the distant horizon beyond the cultivation chamber.
Yet—
what appeared within her eyes...
Was not the future.
But rather—
a pair of calm golden eyes.
Unmoving.
Emotionless.
The memory remained painfully vivid.
"...Next time..."
She spoke so softly that even Gu Ruan barely heard her.
"...I won't lose."
The chamber once again fell into silence.
Only the quiet humming of countless swords echoed through the hall.
---
Two months later—
Dark tribulation clouds gathered across the heavens.
They stretched for hundreds of miles.
Layer upon layer of black clouds slowly revolved.
Lightning silently crawled through their depths.
The pressure they emitted grew heavier with every passing breath.
---
Deep beneath the earth—
inside the hidden cavern—
the Crimson Vein Blood Tree stood silently.
Its roots had grown noticeably thicker after months of devouring spirit beast corpses.
Beside it—
the white fox remained curled into a ball.
An enormous amount of spiritual qi surrounded her.
The energy had become so dense that it was almost visible.
Every breath she took caused the surrounding spiritual qi to ripple.
The breakthrough...
Could no longer be delayed.
Not far away—
Lizarius' eyelids twitched.
They opened slightly.
Then closed once more.
A moment later—
they opened fully.
His golden eyes quietly reflected the crimson glow filling the cavern.
He slowly uncurled.
Stretching each limb one after another.
His joints produced several soft cracks.
Then—
he opened his jaws.
Yawn—
The fox's voice immediately echoed inside his mind.
*"Finally awake, I see?"*
Lizarius silently looked toward her.
The fox continued without waiting for an answer.
*"Honestly..."*
*"You're the most unreliable bodyguard I've ever seen."*
*"You sleep like a damned rock."*
*"No matter how much I tried waking you..."*
*"You didn't even twitch."*
She sounded increasingly dissatisfied.
*"I've been suppressing my breakthrough..."*
*"...For more than two weeks."*
*"Another day..."*
*"And I honestly thought you'd never wake up."*
A brief pause followed.
*"...At least, not anytime soon."*
Then—
her tone softened slightly.
*"Still..."*
*"I decided to hold on just a little longer."*
*"Looks like that was the right decision."*
Outside—
another bolt of lightning flashed across the heavens.
The entire cavern trembled faintly.
*"The tribulation clouds have probably already attracted attention."*
*"We need to leave."*
*"I can only suppress it for so much longer."*
Silence answered her.
Lizarius merely watched.
Then—
he yawned again.
The fox's ears twitched.
*"Seriously?"*
*"This is not the time!"*
Only then did Lizarius finally speak.
"...Hold it."
His calm voice echoed through the cavern.
"...You can't break through here."
The fox rolled her eyes.
*"Yeah?"*
*"You think I don't know that?"*
Lizarius offered no further explanation.
He simply raised one claw.
Gravity quietly descended.
The fox's body gently floated into the air.
"...Hey?"
Before she could react—
Lizarius leaped upward.
His tiny white body landed lightly upon her soft fur.
The next instant—
his body gradually disappeared.
His white scales faded first.
Then his outline.
Then even his presence.
Invisible.
At the same time—
the fox's body also began fading from sight.
Her dark brown fur blurred into the surrounding air.
Within moments—
there was nothing left.
Neither fox.
Nor lizard.
Only an empty cavern remained.
Without the slightest sound—
the invisible pair departed.
The hidden cavern returned to silence.
Above—
the tribulation clouds continued gathering.
Waiting...
For the heavenly lightning to descend.