After Xu Xian finished speaking, he chose a corner within the formation and sat down cross-legged.
He sent a telepathic message to Tu Sisi, informing her that he might need to remain in seclusion for a few days and asking her to protect him.
Tu Sisi didn't ask questions and agreed. It wasn't that Xu Xian didn't trust Lu Yuan; it was simply that it was unnecessary to ask him specifically.
As for the four surviving demon gods—even Jin Qing and Chi Ming, who were stronger than those at the tribulation transcendence stage—they were indeed slightly inferior to the few remaining demon immortals and saints.
Without his protection, they likely would have perished long ago.
Xu Xian didn't think these people would actually move against him.
In fact, he felt they wouldn't dare to cause trouble. Because they simply didn't have the courage.
However, there were always exceptions to everything, and some things had to be guarded against.
He was no longer living only for himself.
Now that the Heavenly Gate of Fanzhou had been cut open, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth would eventually run dry. The Wendao Sword Sect and the common people of the world were all still waiting for him.
He had to survive, and then fight his way back, clear the Chaos Mist, and bring them all up here.
Therefore, he had to be even more cautious.
Finally,
Xu Xian didn't forget to set up another defense formation around himself. Then, he summoned the book of the Sword Tower and, together with the little book spirit, entered it with his soul.
His vision blurred, and then he saw a sea of clouds, a world of floating white.
Xu Xian had never realized that ordinary white light could be so brilliant.
Looking at the five-story Sword Tower before him, Xu Xian reached across realms to retrieve the spirit stones he had prepared in the Divine Sword Pool.
After becoming an immortal, he had immediately come to the Heavens and had been fleeing ever since; he had never been able to find the time.
Now that Li Shuhe had promised her protection,
It was time to raise the sixth floor of the Sword Tower.
And it was time to pull the sixth sword.
The conditions on the sixth page of the book were now fully met; all that was needed was to build it with spirit stones.
Although,
The little book spirit had once said that after the fifth floor, building the Sword Tower no longer required special materials, only an increase in Xu Xian's realm.
However,
Using spirit stones to construct the main body was unavoidable. It had been true in the past, it was true now, and it would remain true in the future.
But,
Compared to cultivation, spirit stones were not difficult to obtain and didn't require too much effort.
Xu Xian: "Let's begin."
Little book spirit: "Alright!"
Spirit stones gathered in his palm, were refined, and then condensed within the tower. The sixth floor of the Sword Tower gradually began to rise...
...
Outside the world of the Sword Tower,
In the Heavenly Sword Province of Cangming, everything was as usual. Tu Sisi sat down near Xu Xian, her divine sense constantly monitoring the others.
Lu Yuan understood her intent and also remained on high alert.
After a brief rest, Jin Qing, Jin Yu, Chi Ming, and Huang Chao also moved closer to them.
Li Shuhe still stood atop that mountain peak, her bridal gown as red as blood.
She seemed to enjoy standing; she had been like this for nearly ten thousand years, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed affectionately at the barren land beneath her feet.
Time trickled by,
One day,
Two days,
Three days...
Xu Xian did not wake.
Over the past few days, the people in the gorge within the one-mile formation had already finished recuperating.
They did not let down their guard just because Xu Xian was in a meditative state.
On the contrary, as their energy recovered, the suspicion they felt toward one another grew even heavier.
The demons formed one group,
The beasts another,
The spirits another,
And the saints yet another.
More than twenty people, all from the same place, had tacitly split into several factions.
At first, everyone was very quiet, not saying a word.
Gradually,
Different voices began to emerge. They started to discuss things, and slowly, they lost their patience.
Their disputes were nothing more than whether to stay or leave, whether to wait or go.
They,
Were all old monsters from Fanzhou who had lived for a very long time. Naturally, their perspectives on problems and events were different, and their worries and concerns reached much further into the future.
During their previous flight, although Xu Xian had always been at the forefront, they were well aware that he didn't care about their lives at all.
Their survival depended entirely on their own luck.
They didn't blame Xu Xian;
Humanity was simply like that.
They had experienced the dangers Above the Heavens; if not a complete death trap, it was still fraught with peril. They couldn't say they had any real friendship with Xu Xian. Their only connections were the World Sword Challenge four hundred years ago and their arrival Above the Heavens a few days ago.
Thinking carefully, the few bonds they shared were entirely rooted in hatred.
Therefore,
Just like Xu Xian, they had never fully trusted him from start to finish. They were constantly on guard, and it was no different now.
After several days of waiting, many of them felt the urge to leave. Frequent whispers of grumbling and complaining began to rise.
Someone asked, "How long are we supposed to wait?"
Someone said, "This ghost of a place has no spirit qi at all. Waiting any longer is just waiting to die."
Someone remarked, "There's been no movement outside for days. The heat must have died down. Now is the best time to leave..."
Each had their own argument. Some even said that following Xu Xian might be even more dangerous.
Especially that red-clad woman; there was bound to be some dark connection between the two.
Lu Yuan and his group turned a deaf ear to all of this.
Xu Xian had said it before:
They were free to come and go. It would actually be better if they left; staying might not help, and they would still have to be watched constantly.
After the several demon immortals reached a consensus, the qingluan approached Tu Sisi.
She said, "Sisi, the few of us have talked it over and decided to leave first. You and I are both from the North Sea; why don't you come with us?"
Tu Sisi looked at her deeply. She didn't understand the decision, but she respected it.
After all, everyone had their own concerns and motives.
She simply refused. "You all go ahead. I have to stay."
Hearing this, the qingluan still tried to persuade her. "Some things might not sound pleasant, but Xu Xian is not simple. The karma he carries is too heavy; following him will only bring trouble."
She didn't spell it out, but at their level, some things were understood the moment they were hinted at.
Anyone could see that Xu Xian was not simple, and anyone could tell that he harbored unknown secrets.
Such a person, though strong and gifted with immense talent and many means, often attracted trouble easily.
Killing tribulations.
Especially here, Above the Heavens, where everything was completely foreign.
Tu Sisi didn't explain herself and stated resolutely, "My mind is made up."
The qingluan hesitated to say more. It wasn't that she and Tu Sisi were exceptionally close, but she felt that if Tu Sisi came along, they would have more confidence whether it came to survival or joining certain factions in the future.
This one,
Was fundamentally different from divine beasts like them. She was a fox demon born from the fortune of heaven and earth, possessing nine lives.
She was beyond compare.
"Sisi, Above the Heavens, there must be a place for our race. The world is vast..."
Unfortunately, before she could finish, she was interrupted.
"No need to say more!"
The qingluan took the hint and shut her mouth, wishing her well.
The several demon immortals and the few remaining demons from the North Sea stepped out of the formation into the gloom and vanished into the vastness.
Seeing that someone had taken the lead, many who had already been considering it began to grow restless until, finally, they could no longer sit still.
The God of the Three Rivers, a spirit, said, "Staying is death, and going out is death. I refuse to believe that I, a god of three great rivers, cannot find a place to stand Above the Heavens. Who is coming with me?"
"Well said. I'll go with you."
Next were the saints of the Central Plains and some hidden experts. One after another, they left the formation.
Even Fang Xiaoyao, the only surviving Daoist Ancestor among the Three Sects' ancestors, had vanished at some point.
However,
He left alone.
He felt that,
By acting alone, his profile would be smallest, and his chance of survival would be greater.
They considered themselves clever, fearing they would be tainted by Xu Xian's karma, entangled with the woman in the bridal gown, or worse, that Xu Xian would turn on them and use them as cannon fodder, just like those who had died before...
And so, they left.
It wasn't a matter of right or wrong, nor was it a matter of wisdom or folly.
At least from their perspective, it was the most sensible choice. Heaven knew how much longer Xu Xian would remain in his trance; they simply wanted to leave this godforsaken place early and find a way to survive for themselves.
...
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