After leaving his home, Yuan immediately made his way back to the peak of the mountain. "Welcome back, Young Master." The Lord, who was unconscious when he left, had woken up. "How are you feeling?" Yuan asked. "Thanks to your blood, my condition was able to stabilize. However, with my cultivation like this, I am no longer able to control the formation that protects this world. Fortunately, the spiritual energy from the Nine Heavens has temporarily solved this situation." "Temporarily… so we’re not completely out of trouble yet." "No, not yet. Since the gateway between our worlds won’t remain open forever, we’ll stop receiving more spiritual energy once it closes. The spiritual energy won’t last forever, either. I don’t know how long the spiritual energy we received will last, but it should last a good while," said the Lord. "That said, as long as both Dragon Spiral Mountains remain standing, we’ll be able to activate the teleportation device again in the future." "Who will be able to activate the teleportation device now that your cultivation is gone?" Yuan asked. Even if the Lord were to raise his cultivation again, it’d take far too long for him to return to his original cultivation. Yuan glanced at Liya, who quickly said, "Don’t look at me. My cultivation won’t be enough." "I’m sure we’ll think of something. Anyway, Young Master, you shouldn’t linger here for too long. The gateway will be closing soon," the Lord warned him. He nodded and said, "Before I leave…" He retrieved a bunch of vials, each filled to the brim with a crimson liquid. "This is my blood. I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to Earth, so I’ll leave for you." "There’s so much!" The Lord almost couldn’t believe his eyes. "Then, until next—" "Wait." The Lord suddenly stopped him. "What is it?" "Take Liya with you." "Huh?" Yuan’s eyes widened. "I’d like you to take her to the Nine Heavens." "I heard you, but…" He turned to look at Liya, who wore a perplexed expression on her face, which surprised him, as he thought she would immediately reject such an idea. "Don’t give me that look. You know we’ve already talked about this." "That was before you lost your cultivation! You still want me to leave you when you’re in this condition? I cannot—" "My cultivation may have declined, but I will be fine." "Who will manage the Dragon Spiral Mountain?" "It can manage itself." "Then who will protect you?" "I can’t even remember the last time I was attacked. And even if someone is foolish enough to invade the mountain, the Young Master’s friends will still be here." "..." Liya fell silent when she couldn’t think of anything else to convince the Lord. "Go. You’re not fated to spend the rest of your life in this small world, wasting your potential. Young Master, please drag her to the Nine Heavens if you have to." "I’ll go…" Liya suddenly spoke in a low voice. "There’s nothing I can do if you don’t want me here." Without a word, Liya turned skyward and soared toward the rift, which was now visibly shrinking. "Are you certain about this?" Yuan asked. The Lord nodded and replied, "Yes. She and I have spoken of this ever since we first discussed linking the Nine Heavens with Earth." "One last thing before you go… If the Red Heaven Dragon Clan still exists in the Nine Heavens, please bring her there. However, only if they are worthy of her." Yuan nodded, "The Red Heaven Dragon Clan, right? I’ll do my best." "Until next time, Young Master." "Until next time." Yuan left the Dragon Spiral Mountain and chased after Liya, who was waiting for him in front of the rift. "Let’s go." Liya turned her head to look at the Dragon Spiral Mountain one last time before following Yuan into the rift. Meanwhile, in the Seventh Heaven, the battle between the Holy Dragon Clan, the Evil God’s Shadow Army, and Heaven’s Mandate neared its end. Despite the Seventh Squad’s assistance, Heaven’s Mandate found themselves still on the losing end of the battle. The Evil God’s Shadow Army was simply too overwhelming. Moreover, Dong Ye, who had been away, joined in on the battle. "Kill them! These damn dogs of the Celestial Emperor—kill them all!" Dong Ye roared as he teleported from immortal to immortal with a powerful movement technique, killing them with a single strike. "Fucking Evil God’s army! You should’ve remained in the shadows where you’ve lurked for eras. But now that you’ve revealed yourselves, we will come for you with the full might of our wrath!" General Wang roared. "Hahaha! I’d love to see you try!" Dong Ye laughed. Suddenly, as if responding to Dong Ye’s provocation, the heavens above Dragon Spiral Mountain quaked, and an unfathomable pressure descended, sweeping across the battlefield like the will of an ancient god, halting everyone’s movements. "This feeling… don’t tell me!" As though he realized something, Dong Ye immediately warned the others, "The Celestial Emperor is making a move! Withdraw!" Without hesitation, the Evil God’s Shadow Army stopped fighting and began scattering in every direction. In the very next moment, a colossal rift tore through the sky, and from its depths emerged the tip of an immense sword, as if the heavens themselves were being pierced. Realizing the situation, the Holy Dragon Emperor gritted his teeth in anger. "That technique… Are you really going that far, Celestial Emperor?!" "Holy Dragon Clan, you should also withdraw if you don’t want to die to it! This isn’t something any of us can handle!" Dong Ye warned them. Yet, they remained on the battlefield, unwilling to leave. "The Dragon Spiral Mountain is our home. We will never abandon it, even if it means we die with it," the Dragon Emperor declared. "For Dragon Goddess Yeyou!" The others shouted. "These stubborn fools!" Dong Ye turned his attention to Xi Meili before teleporting to her. "We’re leaving!" he said to her. "What?! We can’t leave the Holy Dragon Clan alone!" Xi Meili exclaimed. "They have decided to stay even if it means they’ll die, and I have no authority to stop them! However, you’re my liege’s comrade! I cannot let you die! Sorry, but I’ll take you away even if I have to use force!" Before Xi Meili could contest, Dong Ye grabbed her arm and teleported them away from the battlefield, leaving the Holy Dragon Clan and Heaven’s Mandate alone.