Neighbors.

—

Taking the Golden Branch once again, Tian Xing saw many meteors falling from the sky—meteors coming from the next heaven, in the form of numerous demons and immortals wanting to meddle with mortal lives.

Turning toward Ying Yue, he said, "Now, the next phase will begin. Does Yue want to improve your Wan Shi Tong Dao with living targets this time? Many of them will come in this general direction, and it is too late for Master to erase the karma of my daughter looking toward this place."

Nodding in excitement, Ying Yue suddenly stood up and answered, "Yes! It has been such a long time since Yue put these arrogant gods in their place! Master, let Ying Yue fight them with all her might, so she can test a new comprehension of my Wan Shi Tong Dao!"

Shaking his head, knowing Ying Yue's eagerness to fight, Tian Xing turned to Yelena, who remained silent and lacked the bloodlust or desire to punch someone in the face. Calculating with his fingers, he said, "Yelena, go with Ying Yue. Perform your Concealment Dao as best as you can to minimize the fate and karma associated with killing these gods and demons. Don't worry; your Master will handle the rest that you cannot hide."

Rising from her chair and nodding, Yelena replied, "Yes, Master. Yelena will do it." She handed her Master the formation disk to control the flying boats and added, "And here is the remote control to operate the flying boats, Master."

With that, Tian Xing saw Ying Yue circulate her internal Qi to break through to the first layers and stages of Qi Gathering, allowing her to hover slightly above the flying boat. Nodding, knowing that Qi practitioners have many mystical abilities, Tian Xing painted the fate of the flying boats with his Golden Branch to redirect the meteors. His passive Butterfly Echoes caused the meteors to alter their paths and avoid hitting the boat.

Seeing a tiger demon that had reached the Second Realm of Essence Gathering falling in their direction, Tian Xing raised an eyebrow, noting that the next heaven seems to have easier times cultivating Qi energy. But since it was not the time to ponder that, he controlled the formation disk given by Yelena, guiding the flying boat to dodge the incoming meteors.

The tiger demon flew past them, crashing into nearby mountains with a loud boom. Tian Xing then saw Ying Yue immediately start producing electricity to attract the descending Heavenly Thunder, using it to zap the demon to death. With her Wan Shi Tong Dao working at full force, he watched as she controlled the Wuxing to command the Heavenly Thunder.

BOOM!

Since the demon was not a protagonist who could shake off the Heavenly Thunder as if it were child's play, the tiger demon was reduced to ashes, leaving nothing behind. Seeing this, Tian Xing chuckled, feeling no concern for the demon, knowing that the gods who descend to the mortal world seek to be the bigger fish in the small pond.

Turning toward Ying Yue and observing her use of Intent—similar to the Sword Intent that could transform mountains and seas into a sword—Tian Xing noted how this method of borrowing power had now become a seamless extension of his beloved.

He was especially impressed with her Mei Li variants, which were very adept at controlling the Five Elements to near perfection. This control extended to the Wuxing power, which was not her own, allowing her to slightly nudge the Intent of the elements to align with her will. As a result, she could now control the Heavenly Thunder as if it were an extension of her own limbs.

With the restrictions and veils somewhat lifted, Tian Xing saw Ying Yue slaughter her way toward sovereignty, where the difference in realms seemed insignificant to those who could directly borrow Tao power. After killing the Tiger Demon, she flew with some difficulty—since the Qi she used was not her own—toward the distant meteors that kept falling.

Observing Yelena, who was speechless, realizing what they could do as the highest practitioners of a certain Dao, Tian Xing chuckled and shook his head, understanding why he preferred this form of cultivation. However, seeing Ying Yue already flying into the distance, leaving Yelena behind, Tian Xing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, realizing how much Ying Yue loved fighting.

"It seems your sister is too eager." Turning to Yelena, who was unsure of what to do since Body practitioners like her couldn't fly just yet, Tian Xing said, "Come here, my Yelena. Let Master draw out your soul so you can fly and catch up to her."

Stunned and unsure how she should feel, given that she came from the Soul Refining Sect, which once had extensive knowledge on Shen energy but now only existed in horror myths and legends, Yelena decided to trust her Master completely. After taking a deep breath, she nodded and said, "Yes, Master. Draw out my soul so I can fly to my sister's side now."

Understanding her concern, Tian Xing shook his head, puzzled by why people feared the physical manifestation of their souls. Perhaps they believed that visible souls were the true souls. Nonetheless, he knew that advancing himself further would increase the procedure's safety.

So, he did. Drawing Shen energy from his subconscious and other worldly sources, Tian Xing advanced to the second layer and first stages of Outer Beings, nearing completion from the natural meditation he had practiced over the past centuries.

After reaching the second layer, Tian Xing said to Yelena, "Come here, my dagger. Master has reached the second layer. With this, the procedure will run more smoothly, helping you catch up to your sister and erase some of the karma she has haphazardly created."

Touched by her Master's gesture and ashamed for her earlier doubts, Yelena dropped to one knee with a cold, resolute expression, like a death-bound assassin, and said, "Whatever Master desires, this hidden dagger of yours will do."

—