Qin Zhou waited for him to catch his breath.

Once Wen Jue had fully calmed down, his forehead pressed against Qin Zhou’s shoulder as he muffled, “Does it hurt?”

“Just a little.”

Wen Jue snorted.

He’d held back, not breaking the skin, but two deep tooth marks still remained on Qin Zhou’s neck.

“Let me go. I’m not a child. I don’t need you to hold me.”

At Wen Jue’s words, Qin Zhou chuckled softly, “I’m not holding a child.”

He was holding an adult.

Wen Jue: “…”

If he didn’t let go now, Wen Jue would explode. Qin Zhou reluctantly released him.

“What are those?” He tilted his head back to find the entire room filled with stars.

This was the space inside the barrier stone. Why was it night? Why were there stars? And why had they been twinkling nonstop while he’d been holding Wen Jue?

“When people die, they become stars in the sky.”

After saying this, Wen Jue quickly changed the subject. “Stay here. I’ll go back and help.”

“Alright.”

Qin Zhou watched him leave in a hurry, then glanced at the ‘stars in the sky’ a couple more times.

“The dead become stars in the sky…” Chewing on the meaning of those words, Qin Zhou seemed to suddenly grasp something.

Those who died within the secret realm had their qi seas torn open, their spiritual energy drained. That energy was used to replenish the barrier stone’s power. But their souls should have been set free by Wen Jue.

Imprisoning souls here meant they could not reincarnate.

No. The spiritual energy within the barrier stone was denser than anywhere in the upper realm.

This wasn’t confinement. It felt more like—

Nurturing.

What kind of souls would make Lu Yi unwilling to send them to reincarnation, choosing instead to nourish them with the boundless spiritual energy within the barrier stone?

Qin Zhou’s eyelids drooped slightly. Suddenly, two words slipped from his lips: “…Lu Shi.”

A star in the corner flickered to life.

Qin Zhou’s pupils contracted. Had his eyes played tricks on him?

After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Zhou retrieved the registry he rarely consulted and began flipping through it from the first page.

His gaze lingered on the illuminated ‘Summon’ button beneath Lu Yi’s portrait.

He could summon Lu Yi now.

But it seemed unnecessary at this moment.

After a brief pause, Qin Zhou turned the page.

On the fourth page, finally.

“Lu Si,” he called.

Stars: Ding!

A streak of starlight suddenly descended from the night sky, arriving before Qin Zhou. After circling him once, it simply burrowed straight into his character roster.

Qin Zhou tightened his grip on the roster.

He could see the character illustration on the roster glow. The young man in the illustration sat astride his horse, raising his sword with a carefree, dashing grace—truly vivid.

Two blood-red characters appeared in the status bar at the top right—

【Death】

But since the status bar could display a new status, it meant this was merely a negative condition.

【Death】could still be reversed.

“Lu Liu.”

“Ding!” Starlight descended, affectionately nuzzling Qin Zhou’s cheek before slipping into the roster.

A slender figure appeared within the character portrait. Her features were gentle, her eyes bright as the moon, her long hair held up by a single hairpin, her smile warm and welcoming.

Village Chief, it’s been a while.

Qin Zhou took a deep breath and continued flipping.

“Lu Ba.”

“Lu Jiu.”

“Lu Shi…”

Qin Zhou’s flipping grew faster and faster, the names rolling off his tongue with increasing speed.

From one to one hundred, he recited the names of roughly thirty people.

Over thirty starlights simultaneously fell from the sky, circling him in a ring of light before all entering his registry book.

Without the starlight, this corner of space plunged into complete darkness.

Qin Zhou closed the registry, feeling its weight noticeably increase in his hands.

So souls truly had weight.

The departed became stars, while the village children who had passed should return to the village chief’s embrace.

With that thought, Qin Zhou rose and walked toward his storage chest.

Its exterior remained unadorned and plain.

Qin Zhou placed his hand on his chest. As if sensing his soul, it clicked open.

Inside was a self-contained space. Qin Zhou entered the storage area, which resembled a walk-in closet filled with an array of precious items.

He specifically searched the section designated for alchemy ingredients.

Unsurprisingly, in the innermost area, he found two Soul-Birth Grasses.

Soul-Birth Grass—a top-tier seventh-grade alchemy ingredient.

The very substance capable of saving Shisi life.

Qin Zhou retrieved them and stowed them in the Cosmos Bag.

He proceeded to the section for alchemy materials, identifying a distinctive cabinet among the storage units.

These were the materials he had prepared long ago—before logging out of the game—specifically for crafting a new Dao-Protecting Alchemy Furnace for Lu Wu. Every item selected was the finest of the finest.

Only these materials could forge a seventh-tier Dao-Protecting Alchemy Furnace.

Qin Zhou thought of Baixing and realized he’d need to prepare an extra set now.

Lu Wu’s only disciple had always been a great help during visits. The gift for his grandson had to be something impressive.

As for Lu Qi’s son, Lu Xiao… he had no idea what to give him.

He’d ask next time.

After half an hour of careful selection in the warehouse, Qin Zhou took away what he deemed potentially useful.

He had no intention of moving the entire warehouse.

Nothing was safer than the barrier jointly maintained by Lu Yi and the Heavenly Dao.

After organizing everything, Qin Zhou passed through the teleportation gate and departed.

Returning to the surface, the staircase that had hovered mid-air vanished along with him.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

With all the artifact-forging materials prepared, the remaining tasks were to retrieve Galaxy from Wen Jue, return to the lower realm, and clean out the long-abandoned blacksmith’s workshop in the village.

Only after completing all these could he begin forging.

Qin Zhou returned to the entrance of the secret realm.

Many had already emerged from the secret realm, most of them now being lone cultivators. These solitary practitioners had no interest in competing for any supreme treasures, nor did they wish to get involved in the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths.

They were content with whatever gains they had made and retreated swiftly.

The longer one lingered within the secret realm, the more likely they were to attract the attention of demon cultivators. When that happened, the demon cultivators wouldn’t let them off easily; they would plunder every last item from their Cosmos Bags.

Therefore, one must have the means to enjoy their gains, but also the life to do so.

Those with lower cultivation levels naturally dared not venture too deep.

A few steps ahead, Qin Zhou encountered a familiar face.

Qin Zhou halted.

Soon, the little wind sparrow hopped over, pecking at his pant leg as if asking, “What are you doing here again?”

Qin Zhou bent down, scooped it up, and placed it in his palm.

Soon, Shen Yun’s hurried voice echoed again—

“Senior, that little bird is my spirit pet. Please don’t…” Shen Yun rushed over, but his words trailed off as he froze in surprise. “It’s you!”

Qin Zhou: “…”

“You made it to the upper realm! Congratulations.” Shen Yun recognized his face from their encounter in the lower realm and immediately smiled. “You came for the secret realm, too?”

Qin Zhou dispelled the disguise effect of the Facial Cleansing Pill. Now he was simply Qin Zhou, the man Shen Yun had briefly met at the lower realm border—not the ‘senior’ who had sheltered Shen Yun at the inn.

Qin Zhou gave a low, muffled nod.

Shen Yun didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He simply took the Little Wind Sparrow from Qin Zhou’s hand and glanced around. Not seeing the masked senior who had accompanied Qin Zhou last time, Shen Yun kindly advised, “If you’re alone, you shouldn’t go to the secret realm. The treasure this time is a hammer. I caught a glimpse of it from afar. There’ll be too many people fighting over it. With your Golden Core cultivation, you’re unlikely to get a good deal.“

”Thanks.“

Shen Yun smiled. ”You’re welcome.”

Shen Yun only offered the advice because they’d met once before. Seeing Qin Zhou didn’t seem ready to give up on entering the secret realm, Shen Yun said no more.

They passed each other in silence.

Only after Qin Zhou entered the secret realm did Shen Yun sigh softly, stroking Xiao Que’s head.

“It still feels strange meeting him again. Where exactly did that sense of familiarity with him come from?” Shen Yun shook his head, preparing to leave.

It was truly unfortunate that this time’s treasure wasn’t that illustrated compendium documenting ten thousand spirit beasts.

Though he possessed some strength, he had no desire to be drawn into the conflicts between the righteous and demonic factions.

“Little Sparrow, shall we head back down to the lower realms? Don’t you think it’s about time for that legendary spirit beast uprising to begin?”

“Cheep.”

Their voices gradually faded into the distance.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

As for Qin Zhou, he entered the secret realm once more.

This time, with no reservations, he simply mounted Tunfeng and drifted leisurely through the secret realm.

Along the way, he encountered surprisingly few cultivators.

Judging by Shen Yun’s encounter with the hammer, most cultivators had likely already located the treasures. According to Lu Yi’s plan, most who sought the secret treasures would die—either trapped in Lu Qi’s sand gravity array or slain by Lu Yi himself.

Those lacking strength or ambition merely glanced from afar before departing.

Lu Yi and Lu Qi had no intention of slaughtering every soul who entered the secret realm.

This was precisely why, in years past, news of the treasures appearing within the secret realm always spread. Once word got out, it drew even more greedy cultivators to come.

Only through this cycle could the barrier stone’s energy be replenished.

Qin Zhou’s Wind-Swallowing Steed came to a halt.

“Why have you returned?”

Lu Yi sat upon the stone platform’s steps, his hand gripping the sword hilt as the blade stood inverted in the ground. He resembled a statue, his robes billowing in the wind like a war god facing the gale.

He must have just finished one round of killing; blood still dripped from his sword.

The ground around his feet was littered with corpses sprawled in every direction. As far as the eye could see, everything was drenched in crimson.

Yet he seemed somewhat weary.

This sight made the smile vanish from Qin Zhou’s eyes.

Seeing Qin Zhou arrive, a flicker of panic crossed Wen Jue’s eyes. Even though he knew Qin Zhou was a demonic figure, he still didn’t want him to witness so much carnage.

But right now, he truly was exhausted.

“You forgot to give me Galaxy.”

Wen Jue sighed. “I really did forget.”

Saying this, he reached to search his Cosmos Bag.

“No rush.”

Wen Jue lifted his gaze, masking his weariness. “Why aren’t you in a hurry about anything?”

Not in a hurry to take the warehouse. Not in a hurry to take Galaxy.

“Let’s chat for a bit.” Qin Zhou couldn’t pass through the gravity quicksand either, so he pulled a stool from his Cosmos Bag and sat down at the edge of the shifting sands.

Wen Jue: “…”

Seems the warehouse inventory’s been done—they even brought a stool.

“What should we talk about?” As long as it wasn’t that kind of conversation where people leaned in super close or piled on top of each other, Wen Jue’s mind was perfectly clear.

“After this year, let’s shut down this secret realm,” Qin Zhou said.

Wen Jue: “…Why?”

“If it’s just the spiritual energy, I might have a solution,” Qin Zhou said.

Wen Jue fell silent after hearing this.

Did he believe it? Of course he did.

Qin Zhou was a peculiar individual. Even Wen Jue couldn’t claim to fully understand everything about him. Initially, it took them a thousand years just to realize the village chief was exceptionally powerful.

This strength wasn’t martial prowess.

It was like his alchemy, his artifact forging, like how no matter how powerful the villagers became, ten thousand years later, he’d still forcibly summon them back to farm the land.

It was an unbreakable strength. It even made one wonder if he had some connection to the Heavenly Dao itself.

But belief was one thing.

Now, it was another matter entirely.

“I’m already a demon lord. Even if this secret realm closes, I’ll still be one—killing without batting an eye,” Wen Jue said bitterly. “Those burdened by karma cannot attain enlightenment and ascend, Village Chief.”

He could no longer carry on his hopes. As a demon lord, he couldn’t fulfill his wishes.

Qin Zhou: “Hmm, I know.”

He seemed stubborn, so Wen Jue could only reply, “…Let me think about it.”

“Alright.”

He wasn’t insisting that Wen Jue follow his instructions.

The next opening of the secret realm was a thousand years away. In that millennium, he should gather enough spiritual energy from the world.

Of course, Qin Zhou harbored no grand ideals of becoming a savior or the like. He simply wished to survive, together with his villagers.

“What was this secret realm originally intended for?” Qin Zhou changed the subject. Upon arriving, he’d noticed the scenery within was quite pleasant.

“Before… I intended to relocate the village here. “ Wen Jue frowned in recollection. ”But I feared you might not find your way back, so I didn’t move. This place was originally meant to be my cave dwelling.“

Immortals all had their own cave dwellings, and Wen Jue was no exception.

”A cave dwelling is a good idea.” Qin Zhou nodded in agreement.

He hadn’t invited him to stay, so what exactly was he agreeing to? Wen Jue wondered silently.

“How did so many spirit beasts end up here?” Qin Zhou asked casually. “Did you raise them?”

“Some were raised earlier. Others were captured from the lower realms,” Wen Jue explained. “When people come to challenge the secret realm, we naturally set up obstacles for them. Spirit beasts are one aspect; the rest is handled by Lu Qi. He’s a master of formations and has trapped quite a few people.”

“What about the spirit beast uprising?” Qin Zhou suddenly recalled the rumor.

This must be the reason behind the ‘spirit beast uprising’.

If Wen Jue hadn’t suppressed his power and charged straight into the spirit beast habitat near the lower realm border…

Wen Jue cleared his throat lightly: “It wasn’t intentional.”

Each time the secret realm opened, while many cultivators perished, the spirit beasts within also suffered heavy losses. Naturally, he had to capture some to make up the numbers.

“What about the treasures within that secret realm?”

Where did those treasures taken by the wandering cultivators come from? Not a single item was missing from his warehouse.

Wen Jue: “…Out of my own pocket.”

Qin Zhou chuckled.

”Don’t laugh!” Wen Jue flushed.

Thinking about it, Wen Jue suddenly felt utterly disheartened.

He’d been digging into his own pockets, bustling about for thousands of years, only to end up with the unflattering title of demonic tyrant.

The Way of Heaven truly owed him dearly.

“For the next thousand years, the secret realm won’t open,” Wen Jue declared coldly.

“Hm?”

“Too many die each time. No matter how tempting the treasures, those cultivators won’t dare come anymore. Only demon cultivators still venture in.”

Perhaps this year’s secret realm could barely sustain the energy needed for the pillar barrier stones.

Given that, there really was no point in continuing.

Of course, the main reason was still…

He was a little tired.

Wen Jue tossed aside his sword, burying his head wearily between his arms. It seemed to block out the wind and sand outside, and the world grew a little quieter.

He didn’t want to be a demonic tyrant either.

He just wanted to be Lu Yi.

He wanted to be the Lu Yi Qin Zhou could proudly show off.

Qin Zhou said nothing, only watching.

Watching the scenery, or watching him.

Suddenly, Wen Jue sensed something and lifted his head.

Qin Zhou:?

“Galaxy. It’s smashing my Cosmos Bag.” Wen Jue looked down, his expression strange.

What the hell is this hammer doing?

Qin Zhou smiled faintly. “Let it out.”

He hadn’t seen his old friend in a long time, either.