My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

The next moment, Gu Changyuan had returned to the quiet room on the top floor of the Heavenly Demon Tower.

Ye Qingxue was sitting cross-legged at the core of the formation, and the sharp, soaring sword intent around her was rapidly receding and settling.

She slowly opened her eyes, where countless tiny sword shadows seemed to appear and disappear before finally settling into a clear and profound tranquility.

Upon seeing Gu Changyuan appear before her, a genuine and bright smile instantly appeared in Ye Qingxue's usually cold and aloof eyes.

She immediately stood up and gave Gu Changyuan a respectful yet intimate bow:

"Master."

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over her carefully.

At this moment, Ye Qingxue's aura was even more condensed and vast than before, and her cultivation level had broken through from the peak of the eighth level of the Half-Immortal realm to the ninth level of the Half-Immortal realm in one fell swoop.

The sword intent surrounding her had become more integrated into the void, omnipresent and perfectly harmonious, clearly indicating that her understanding of the Taixu Sword Dao and the Laws of the Sword had reached a new level.

"good."

Gu Changyuan praised. To be able to initially refine the Sacred Bone and make such great progress in such a short time demonstrates Ye Qingxue's solid foundation and exceptional talent.

"These are all mystical sacred bones bestowed by our Master."

Ye Qingxue replied.

Gu Changyuan smiled and didn't say anything more polite.

He walked to the side of the large bed covered with soft brocade cushions, sat down casually, and then gently patted the empty space next to him.

Ye Qingxue understood and, without the slightest hesitation, walked to the bedside and sat down next to Gu Changyuan.

The two sat side by side, their gazes simultaneously fixed on Bai Ling'er, Yue Lingxi, and Tu Shan Youyao, who were still diligently refining themselves within the formation.

Since there was nothing else to do for the time being, the master and apprentice began their casual conversation in this quiet and private space.

The conversation naturally turned to Ye Qingxue's experiences over the past thousand years—how she took charge of the Holy Land, how she dealt with various forces...

Only in front of her master could Ye Qingxue relax so completely, becoming the person she could confide in, rely on, and who didn't have to be strong all the time.

The two chatted casually, and time slipped by unnoticed.

About two or three hours later, a second powerful aura emanated from the direction of the council hall on the third floor of the Heavenly Demon Tower. Its nature was ethereal and dreamlike, as if it could lull people to sleep—it was Lan Caiyou who had completed the refining of the sacred bone.

Gu Changyuan and Ye Qingxue exchanged a glance and stood up together.

"Let's go take a look."

As Gu Changyuan spoke, he led Ye Qingxue to the second-floor lobby in an instant.

Inside the hall, the massive "Ten Thousand Demons Returning to Origin Array" still shone brightly, and the vast majority of the nearly four hundred elders were still refining it.

Near the high platform, Lan Caiyou was surrounded by a dreamlike blue halo, and the giant phantom of the spirit butterfly beneath her became even more solid and dazzling.

Not long after her, a profound wave involving the passage of time and fragments of time spread out—and Zhu Jiuyin awoke in the process.

Next came Lu Jiuyi, Tu Shan Youyao, Bai Ling'er... and finally Luo Qingchen finished.

During this time, the elders below who were refining the Supreme Demon Bone also began to succeed one after another. Their auras surged, and they stood up with joy on their faces, but they dared not make a sound. They just stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, waiting.

The last elder finished absorbing the nutrients and slowly stood up.

His gaze swept over the elders below, whose spirits had been completely renewed and whose eyes were filled with gratitude and fervor, as well as the disciples beside him whose cultivation had greatly improved, and he felt satisfied.

"Elders, the Supreme Demon Bone has been initially refined. Go back and consolidate it, cultivate diligently, and do not waste this opportunity."

Even semi-divine artifacts require careful refinement. That's all for today, disperse.

Gu Changyuan announced in a calm voice.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Lord Pavilion Master! I shall take my leave!"

The elders responded in unison, their voices loud and clear, full of enthusiasm.

They bowed respectfully once more before leaving the council hall in an orderly fashion, each one moving with the speed of the wind, eager to return and continue their seclusion to consolidate or refine the semi-immortal artifact.

After the elders dispersed, Gu Changyuan led his disciples back to the top floor.

After chatting for about an hour, the disciples, having just refined the sacred bones, needed time to further consolidate and adapt to their surging power. Gu Changyuan then told them to return to their respective pavilions to cultivate in seclusion.

After the disciples left, the meditation room returned to silence.

Gu Changyuan then remembered that Tu Shan Hanyan was still waiting by the window of the First Pavilion, and Xiao Bai was still with her.

He flashed and reappeared on the top floor of the First Pavilion.

Tu Shan Hanyan was still holding Xiao Bai, her sitting posture unchanged, but the shape of the sugar figurine in her hand had long since disappeared, leaving only a bare, thin wooden stick.

And she would occasionally stick out her pink little tongue to carefully lick the last trace of sugar residue that might remain on the stick, her little face full of reluctance.

Upon seeing this, Gu Changyuan was first taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh out loud with a mixture of helplessness and doting affection.

He walked over and sat down next to Tu Shan Hanyan.

"No need to lick it so clean," Gu Changyuan said gently, suppressing a laugh.

"There are still many here, Grandmaster."

As he spoke, he took out an ordinary-looking storage ring and handed it to Tu Shan Hanyan.

Tu Shan Hanyan took it with a puzzled look and probed inside with her divine sense—it was full of all kinds of colorful sugar figurines.

Her large, white eyes widened instantly, bursting with astonishing brilliance.

"Wow! Thank you, Grandmaster!!"

She was so happy she almost jumped for joy, clutching the ring tightly, her smile sweeter than candy.

Seeing her excited expression, Gu Changyuan's mood also improved.

Suddenly, he remembered something and gently patted his forehead.

"Oh, by the way, I've got something good to show you."

He raised his right hand, and with a flash of light, a square "picture" appeared in his palm.

He handed the picture to Tu Shan Hanyan.

Tu Shan Hanyan curiously leaned closer to take a look.

The background of the picture appears to be the edge of a misty, cold pool.

In the center of the picture is a girl.

She has beautiful short purple hair, a pair of purple, fluffy fox ears on her head, and a purple tail behind her.

However, the appearance of this purple-haired little fox girl at this moment was completely different from the master in Tu Shan Han Yan's memory.

She was soaking wet, her purple hair bristling, and her beautiful purple eyes were wide open, baring her teeth warily and even fiercely as she breathed on something outside the picture.

It's like a little wildcat that's been cornered and is trying to protect itself by bluffing.

Gu Changyuan pointed to the little fox girl with bristling fur in the picture and couldn't help but chuckle as he said to Tu Shan Hanyan:

"Look, this is what your grandmaster looked like when I first met him."

Tu Shan Hanyan looked at the cute yet fierce purple-haired fox girl in the picture, and then thought of her master's usual elegant and wise demeanor.

"Pfft—!"

She couldn't help but chuckle softly, her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to hold back her laughter. Even the little white dog in her arms was startled and twitched its ears in dissatisfaction.

"Hahaha... Master... so this is what she was like when she was little..."

Just as she was laughing heartily, a delicate hand suddenly patted her shoulder, and a familiar voice, tinged with grime, rang in her ears.

"Xiao Yan, what did you see? Why are you so happy?"