Within a certain obscure mountain range was a group of people. This group had been completely isolated from the world. They were none other than the Overlord Legion that had survived the ancient battlefield. It had been three months since the Heaven Battling Ranking Competition was over.

During the three months, everyone had fully healed. They had also seen remarkable progress in their cultivation, thanks to the experience they had gained in the ancient battlefield.

Liu Qingchen, in particular, had advanced faster than the others. He could already feel the Rebirth Realm calling upon him. The moment Xiang Shaoyun left seclusion, it would be his turn to enter seclusion to attempt his breakthrough.

Yu Caidie had become a fifth-stage pseudo-God, Devil Concubine had become a second-stage pseudo-God, Lu Xiaoqing had become a peak Saint, and Lady Shura had also become a peak Saint. One could say that each of Xiang Shaoyun's women had grown into an extraordinary cultivator.

As for Devouring Ghost, he had also advanced smoothly, becoming a fourth-stage pseudo-God. His progress was slightly slower than Yu Caidie, but that was still a speed far surpassing what an ordinary cultivator was capable of. One ought to know that at their level, it would be incredibly hard to advance even by a tiny bit.

Of the Four Night Saints, only Ye Long had survived the final battle. Even so, he had lost a leg to the battle, becoming a cripple. Tang Longfei had lost a hand, but he had also gained an indescribable baleful aura that made him look much more ferocious than before.

Xia Liuhui and Liang Zhuangmin had both benefited from the ancient battlefield as well, gaining increased levels in cultivation. Unfortunately, Xia Liuhui's lover, Min Rourou, had perished during the final battle. Xia Liuhui hasn't smiled since then.

No matter how others comforted him, he had the same cold and emotionless expression. Grief had hit him so hard it was as though his heart had died as well. One could say that Min Rourou's death had entirely changed Xia Liuhui's life.

...

Within a cave, a large amount of primal chaos energy was surging. If the celestial darkdevil tree was greeted with this scene, he would probably be incredibly excited. Primal chaos energy was something rare even outside the dominion, but the cave was actually filled with it. All the energy was wrapped around a corpse.

"Why can't I create something new? Why?" a vexed voice rang out.

That voice belonged to none other than Xiang Shaoyun. He wanted to use his power of creation to create a new head for Dong Ziwan. But even after doing all he could during the past three months, he had not succeeded. He was on the verge of mental collapse.

"Shaoyun, calm down. You need to stop. Otherwise, I will dissolve my soul and finalize my death," said Dong Ziwan with a look of heartache.

Sure enough, her words finally calmed Xiang Shaoyun down.

"Sorry, Ziwan. I'm useless," said Xiang Shaoyun with guilt.

"No. Shaoyun, you have done a lot. I'm happy with how things are," said Dong Ziwan as her soul drifted over and gently caressed Xiang Shaoyun's face. "In fact, you have been stuck in a single line of thought during this period of time. In fact, there are other ways of resurrecting me."

"There are other ways?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.

"When you become the strongest person in the world, your comprehension of the profundity of powers will reach an unprecedented level as well. At that time, I believe you will gain the ability to create everything, right?" said Dong Ziwan.

Xiang Shaoyun calmed down and gazed at Dong Ziwan wordlessly. He finally understood what she was thinking. She was only trying to make him accept the destruction of her body. At the same time, she hoped that he would regain his calm and not lose himself chasing after the impossible.

After a long time, Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, "Thank you, Ziwan. I know what I should do."

"Is that true? Have you thought it through?" asked Dong Ziwan, gladdened.

Xiang Shaoyun nodded and said, "I have comprehended the various profundities, but what I actually know is far from full mastery. It won't be easy to create life. Like you said, I might be capable enough to do it in the future. You'll have to suffer and stay in this form for now. I will most definitely return you to how you were one day."

"Um. I will be happy in any form so long as I can stay by your side," said Dong Ziwan.

"I'll keep your corpse preserved," said Xiang Shaoyun as he froze Dong Ziwan's corpse. He also wrapped a layer of primal chaos energy around it to keep the corpse nourished, preserving it until the day he could resurrect her.

Xiang Shaoyun then left his seclusion. The Overlord Legion members hurriedly surrounded him.

"I'm fine. Sorry for making all of you worried," apologized Xiang Shaoyun.

"Overlord, there is no need for an apology. Without you, all of us would have died in the ancient battlefield," said Jiang Qi.

"That's right. Without the overlord, we would have died by now. Overlord, you're my benefactor," said Zhuge Zhantian gratefully.

In fact, both Ouyang Chuanqi and Han Chenfei had perished in the final battle. Thus, he felt incredibly lucky to be alive. Regardless of how talented they were, a day would come when they died. When they decided to enter the ancient battlefield, they had decided to accept that entering was akin to gambling with their lives. 

Thus, they would have no complaints even if they ended up dead. Even if Xiang Shaoyun was an actual God, he wouldn't have been able to keep every single one of them alive. He was already pushing his limits by trying to keep so many of them alive.

"Let's part ways here. I'm going to return to the Ziling Sect," said Xiang Shaoyun.

Jiang Qi, Xia Liuhui, and Liang Zhuangmin were Sacred Deer Academy disciples. Zhuge Zhantian, Baili Yixiao, and the others were Dragon Phoenix Academy disciples. There were also some experts they had recruited in the ancient battlefield with them. None of them was Xia Liuhui's subordinate, so he did not expect them to return to the sect with him.

"Overlord, I wish to return and pay a visit to my master," said Xia Liuhui, who had not spoken for three months.

"Overlord, the academy doesn't have much to teach me anymore. I wish to stay by your side. My formation mastery has reached a high enough level that I can stand on my own with it now," said Zhuge Zhantian.

"Overlord, I, Ba Ji, am willing to follow you!" pledged a pseudo-God solemnly.

Ba Ji was an unaffiliated cultivator they had recruited in the ancient battlefield. He was an eighth-stage pseudo-God, and after witnessing Xiang Shaoyun's true strength, he had decided to follow Xiang Shaoyun until the end.

"Without the overlord, I would already be dead. I'm willing to follow the overlord!" pledged a Great Saint that had been lucky enough to survive the final battle.

His name was Zhao Linfei, someone who had nearly been killed by the aliens in the ancient battlefield. At that time, Xiang Shaoyun had saved him. To repay Xiang Shaoyun, he joined the Overlord Legion. He had decided to continue following Xiang Shaoyun to repay the favor of saving his life.