Felling the Lotus, Turning It to Dust

A dim, yellow, ethereal escape light approached from afar and revealed its figure at the edge of a land blanketed in golden glazed lotus flowers. It was a gaunt male cultivator of towering stature and ancient, unadorned features. His bearing was extraordinary, carrying much of an immortal's air, yet it was impossible to tell from his appearance whether he was young or old.

Of course, without exception, those who became Fourth Tribulation Heavenly Sovereigns were old monsters who had lived for thousands, even tens of thousands, of years.

After drawing the Power of Calamity inward, Shi Xuan saw an unfamiliar Fourth Tribulation Heavenly Sovereign arrive. He withdrew his sword light, which became a resplendent river of stars circling his body. Though the man's words suggested he stood on Shi Xuan's side, this was deep within the Western Wilderness Inner Layer, where Heavenly Sovereigns were scarce to begin with. Moreover, Shi Xuan had become entangled in the affairs of Nine Nether. Basic vigilance was still indispensable.

This Heavenly Sovereign and Shi Xuan stood on opposite sides, hemming in the White Clad Great Master. He gave Shi Xuan a Taoist salute. "This humble Taoist is Jian Taiqing. While searching for a Half-step Golden Immortal Grotto-Heaven in the Western Wilderness Inner Layer, I encountered this matter by chance, and it stirred something in my heart. We Fourth Tribulation Heavenly Sovereigns have endured untold hardships to climb step by step to our present realm. Whether this senior acted deliberately or not, explaining the mysteries of Dao Heart Decay before Fellow Daoist was truly the destruction of one's Dao path—a blood feud that could end only in death. This humble Taoist feels this deeply and is willing to join hands with Fellow Daoist."

Shi Xuan and Jian Taiqing could have figured it out even with