All races revere me as the Heavenly Emperor, solely because of my nine disciples!

"Shut up and look carefully at what this is!"

"Purified Immortal Gold, the supreme material for refining Emperor-level artifacts. Countless people would kill for it, so what more could you possibly want?"

Zhou Hai's rebuke immediately startled Jian Fengyun.

"What, purified immortal gold?"

"No, take it away, take it away right now..."

"what……"

Jianfeng Yun let out another heart-wrenching roar of pain. As the purifying power assaulted him, he was like snow in burning coals, his very essence constantly melting away, and an inexplicable force was continuously leaving him.

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that Jian Fengyun had been corrupted too deeply by the thieves and had forgotten his true self.

To rebuild oneself, to completely sever the connection with the thief who has become one with oneself, is an incredibly painful process. It is a million times more painful than being skinned alive.

"Purifying the immortal gold, excellent! Continue!"

Just then, Jian Fengyun suddenly changed his mind, startling Zhou Hai.

What's going on? This guy still has his own will?

"no, do not want……"

However, Jianfeng Yun soon changed his mind.

In a daze, it seemed as if two people were arguing inside the Holy King's Furnace. One wanted to continue the refining process, while the other was unwilling to bear the consequences.

This further confirms Zhou Hai's conjecture that Jianfengyun still has his own will, but he is too lost to extricate himself.

Now, with the help of the immortal gold, the source of the stolen fortune has been torn apart, the power of the lost is dissipating, and he is gradually regaining his senses.

Time passed slowly, and Jianfengyun's confusion was more than just a little bit.

It took a full half month for the Saint King's Furnace to purify the immortal gold and completely remove the stolen luck and lost power from his body.

At this moment, a bright white light shone from the Holy King's Furnace, and the purified immortal gold completely merged with the sword body of Jianfengyun, releasing boundless power.

"Congeal!"

Zhou Hai shouted loudly, formed hand seals, and cast the character "凝" (Ning), causing the sword blade of Jianfengyun to begin to condense.

Soon, a sword shot into the sky from the Holy King's Furnace, a white pillar of light soaring straight into the heavens, like a pillar of heaven.

In an instant, everyone in the academy turned their gaze in this direction.

People felt a divine power, like the sun shining in the heavens, or like celestial radiance.

There was also an immense oppressive force from the Holy King, which made many people want to kneel down.

It's so powerful, so vast.

This power is truly terrifying.

As the sword light receded, all was calm once more. A white holy sword, three feet long and two and a half fingers wide, floated in Zhou Hai's courtyard. Its entire body was like white jade, giving it an aura of utmost purity.

This sword is absolutely gorgeous. Even compared to other legendary swords, it stands out as one of the best, let alone compared to its former state of disrepair with its dog-chewed blade.

"Thank you, Elder Zhou!"

With a flick of the sword, it transformed into the shape of a sword-shaped cloud, dressed in a white robe, with a graceful and elegant demeanor, handsome and dashing.

He has miraculously become young again.

He looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time, and he was incredibly handsome.

The phrase "A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world" perfectly describes him.

"Damn it, what's going on? I feel like punching your face!"

Zhou Hai's lips twitched.

He was quite narcissistic, but seeing Jian Fengyun's face made him want to crush it. It was impossible to be narcissistic with him.

Even my self-confidence is almost gone.

Jian Fengyun was taken aback, and for a moment he didn't understand what Zhou Hai meant.

"Alright, tell me, what does it feel like to be lost by a thief?"

Zhou Hai pursed his lips, put away the Saint King Furnace, and sat down to the side.

"Traffickers?"

"Lost?"

Jian Fengyun frowned, somewhat puzzled.

But he quickly realized: "So that thing is called a Transporter. Yes, I really am lost!"

Zhou Hai looked at him and said, "Don't sigh, tell me how you feel first!"

Jian Fengyun looked thoughtful, and after a long while, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Elder Zhou, aside from the initial fear, I didn't feel anything in the end!"

"After falling into a state of extreme confusion, I began to come to my senses again. I thought everything was under my control, but now it seems that the opposite is true; it was a manifestation of complete disorientation!"

Jian Fengyun took a deep breath, and as if realizing something, he couldn't help but feel a little alarmed.

"Oh? What do you mean? Explain yourself!"

Zhou Hai raised an eyebrow; this explanation was beyond his comprehension.

What does it mean to be lost in clarity, yet be clear-headed but completely lost?

"In essence, when I merged with the Thief, I kept getting lost. But after I was completely lost, I became the Thief, and the Thief became me; we were indistinguishable, and even I couldn't tell the difference between the real and the fake!"

"Aside from a few things that I now realize are not right, I did not notice anything unusual."

"For example, apart from some changes in my personality, I'm still the one in charge!"

"If we have to make a comparison, it's like comparing the true self we were as children with the true self we are as adults. It's normal for our personalities to change and our ways of doing things to be different!"

Jian Fengyun frowned, unsure how to explain to Zhou Hai. After a long while, he finally managed to express his feelings in great detail.

"I think I understand."

"Initially, the thieves will devour you and merge with you, and you will only become more and more lost. Then it will be like you've had a dream, and when you wake up, it's like you've grown up as a child!"

"Your true self is still there, and it's in control of everything. It's just that sometimes, your true self is slightly affected, and everything changes!"

"Ultimately, the smugglers are an invisible force, and getting lost is just a means to an end. You've essentially received some benefits from the smugglers, but you've also been influenced by this force!"

"Therefore, being awake is being lost, and being lost is being awake!"

Zhou Hai nodded slightly and said in a deep voice.

That's roughly it!

"It's not comprehensive, but that's roughly the idea. It's just that I can't quite put my finger on it!"

Jianfeng Yun nodded.

Even after spending a long time with the smugglers, he could not fully understand them.

"So, you chose to save me!"

Zhou Hai suddenly said.

"That's right, I chose to save you. Part of it was my fault, but thinking about it, the other half is also related to the thieves!"

"Sword Edge Cloud said."

"Oh, tell me about it!"

Zhou Hai became interested.

"To put it another way, once upon a time, I, Jianfeng Yun, was also a peerless sword immortal, determined to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven, traverse the starry sky, and spread my ambition!"

"But even so, under the circumstances that day, I couldn't possibly risk my life to save you, Elder Zhou!"

"Because this is a struggle for lineage, a battle of the strong, I have no reason to interfere!"

"Besides, I have no connection with Elder Zhou. Even if I were passionate, I wouldn't join in the fun!"

"Although the thief preserved my true self, he lost sight of my past, causing me to lose my true nature and become driven only by self-interest!"

"At that time, I only had one thought: to curry favor with Elder Zhou. I felt that Elder Zhou could make me stronger, and only Elder Zhou could help me!"

"That's why I took action!"

"But I really don't understand whether I'm conscious or not, whether that's my true self, or the lost me, or perhaps a thief!"

At this point, Jianfeng Yun was somewhat conflicted. He was even numb to his own words, having no idea what he was saying.

The smugglers, the power of the lost, are too complex to describe clearly.

Zhou Hai also sensed his emotions and became more cautious about the thieves and the power of the lost.

This is a strange and unpredictable force, not to be underestimated or taken lightly.

"And you, are you your true self, or a lost soul?"

Just then, Zhou Hai released another person.

In an instant, in the Imperial City Hall of the new capital of the Great Qian Dynasty, the life tablet of Chen Xu, the ancestor of the Chen clan, suddenly shone brightly.

The life tablet, which could have been extinguished at any moment, indicated that the person was on the verge of death and about to perish. But then it suddenly came back to life, which greatly surprised the guards who were watching over the place.

"Your Majesty, great joy! Great joy!"

Soon, joyful sounds echoed throughout the imperial city. The guards of the Life Tablet Hall immediately located Chen Xuan.

Upon Chen Xuan's investigation, the imperial city was immediately filled with excitement.

Finally, Chenxu, the sage ancestor of the Chen clan, survived.

I just don't know where he is now.

"Ancestor, you're finally alive!"

"If you knew the situation today, you would be very happy!"

Chen Xuan stood before the Hall of Fate Tablets, his heart pounding with excitement.

At this moment, Zhou Hai released none other than Chen Xu.

To be precise, it is the lost ones, Chenxu.

No one can say for sure whether he is a thief or Chenxu himself; he can only be called a lost soul.

"Of course I am me!"

"What theft, what being lost, that was a part of me that I lost, but now it's just returning!"

Chen Xu stood in front of Zhou Hai with a cold expression and said coldly.

"Oh, tell me about it!"

Zhou Hai was taken aback, then looked at Chen Xu with great interest.

"Zhou Hai, I ask you, what is the true self?"

Chen and Xu stood with their hands behind their backs, exuding the air of enlightened beings.

"you say!"

Zhou Hai gestured for him to proceed.

"The so-called true self is just a different definition in the eyes of different people!"

"In Buddhism, being free from desires and wants is the true self. In Taoism, transcending emotions and directly pursuing the Great Tao is called the true self. But who cares about the feelings of mortals?"

"In the eyes of a spiritual practitioner, worldly people's distracting thoughts will eventually lead them astray!"

"But isn't getting lost simply a part of human nature?"

"A person is born with a prenatal mystery, and for three years they don't remember anything. Does that count as being lost?"

"It is said that ordinary people have too many distracting thoughts, but do cultivators not have distracting thoughts? Isn't pursuing the Great Dao and being high above others also a distracting thought?"

"Tell me what your true self is!"

"In my view, this is the true me at this moment. When my heart feels something, I act accordingly, and my knowledge and actions are in harmony, this is my true self!"

"If there are truly thieves in the world, they are merely a key, a key to unlock self-imposed constraints!"

"But why should people restrict themselves? Isn't it only by letting go of oneself that one can fly higher and see further?"

"Sword Edge Cloud, I ask you, if you have no ambition, if you cannot break free from your shackles and unleash your true self, can you become a Saint King in this lifetime?"

"Would you be where you are today?"

"Ultimately, aren't we all striving to become stronger?"

Once Chenxu opened his mouth, it was as if he were discussing the Dao, talking on and on.

However, these words caused Jianfeng Yun to fall silent.

Even Zhou Hai seemed to have a point, and found it to make some sense.

"So, your desire to kill me also stems from your true intentions?"

Suddenly, Zhou Hai asked coldly.