Library of Heaven's Path

by Little Merger

Traversing into another world, Zhang Xuan finds himself becoming an honorable teacher. Along with his transcension, a mysterious library appears in his mind. As long as it is something he has seen, regardless of whether it is a human or an object, a book on its weaknesses will be automatically compiled in the library. Thus, he becomes formidable. “Emperor Zhuoyang, why do you detes

33. 1025

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1025: Master Teachers Arent to Be Deceived! - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1025: Master Teachers Arent to Be Deceived! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1025: Master Teachers Aren't to Be Deceived!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, if Guild Leader Zhong still couldn't understand what was happening after hearing so much, he might as well just end his life then and there.

However, while doubts had sprouted his heart, he still couldn't really believe that Sun Jin would commit such atrocities.

Sun Jin was the elder he favored the most, and he had even intended to pass down his position as the guild leader to him. Why would the other party commit such foolishness?

However, the truth was already laid clearly before him, and he had no choice but to face it. There was no way the principal of a Master Teacher Academy would barge into the Blacksmith Guild and cause such an uproar without investigating the matter properly.

"What is going on here?" Gritting his teeth coldly, Guild Leader Zhong questioned the fellow in front of him. He really wanted to skin the other party alive at this moment.

If this matter was indeed true, not only would Sun Jin be disgraced, the headquarters would also make an example out of the Firesource City Blacksmith Guild to warn other blacksmiths from engaging in such immoral actions. As the guild leader, he would have to bear the criticisms from the public for his neglect of responsibility, perhaps even going down in historical records for his incompetence!

"I..." Sun Jin's lips twitched uncontrollably as he tried to explain. "Guild leader, I didn't do it! I really don't know what is going on!"

"You don't know what is going on?" A sharp glint flashed across Guild Leader Zhong's eyes. "You should know full well the consequences of lying to a master teacher. Come clean now, and I might still be able to plead on your behalf. Otherwise, once your sins surface, I won't be able to say a word even if Principal Zhang has you executed at this very moment!"

Master teachers weren't to be deceived!

If one were found lying to a master teacher in the midst of an investigation, their sins would engender far graver consequences. Not only would the person in question be executed on the spot, even their kin and students might be implicated, possibly being barred from joining any Upper Nine Paths occupations for their entire lives!

This wasn't the rule set by the Master Teacher Pavilion but a joint agreement made by the various occupations. This was something they had decided upon out of respect for the Master Teacher Pavilion due to their contributions to the world.

If one would deceive even the teachers, they had already lost their principles. A person who lived by no principles would only eventually become a disaster for society!

"I..."

Sun Jin's face paled, and his body began trembling non-stop.

It went without saying that he was aware of such a rule as well, but there was a spark of hope in the depths of his heart. Perhaps, if he could drag things out and the other party was unable to find any concrete evidence of his wrongdoings, he might just be acquitted of his sins.

"Is there nothing that you want to say?" Guild Leader Zhong bellowed as the disappointment in his eyes deepened.

From the moment that Sun Jin hesitated, the truth was already apparent to him. If Sun Jin had really done nothing of the sort, he would surely have fought hard for his innocence. There wouldn't have been a look of dilemma on his face.

A slight gesture, but it spoke a thousand words.

Having come to the same conclusion as well, Pavilion Master Feng Yihui harrumphed coldly by the side. "Don't harbor hopes that the Master Teacher Pavilion will let this matter pass just by dragging things out. Do you honestly think that the Master Teacher Pavilion would be so incompetent as to be unable to uncover the truth of a matter as simple as this?"

He felt that this matter was a failure on his part as well. Such an atrocity had been committed in his area of jurisdiction, and yet, he was actually ignorant of it. In the end, it even required Principal Zhang, who had barely arrived a few days ago, to point the matter out and resolve it.

Having his thoughts being voiced, Sun Jin's body froze in horror. His lips pursed tightly together in fear.

Indeed, as long as the Master Teacher Pavilion put its mind into it, there was nothing that it couldn't uncover.

Many years might have passed after what he had done, but the family members of the thirty apprentices he had taken in back then were still around. He was only able to get away with it thus far due to the lack of attention on the humble apprentices in the Blacksmith Guild. However, if a thorough investigation were to be conducted, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely be able to find evidence of his wrongdoing.

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An apprentice failing the blacksmith examination for many years might be attributed to his lack of talent, but for it to happen to thirty apprentices... even a fool could tell that something was wrong with it.

Moreover...

Gathering his zhenqi in his left hand, he discreetly reached out for the storage ring on his right hand, intending to forcefully destroy it. However, before he could succeed, a powerful surge of sword qi flashed across his eyes.

Huala!

The right hand's middle finger was severed from the major knuckle, and the storage ring fell to the ground as well.

"If I am not mistaken, the cultivation technique that he had imparted to Song Zhen is in here!" Zhang Xuan said coldly.

"I'll check it right now!" Guild Leader Zhong walked forward and picked up the storage ring on the ground.

With a surge of zhenqi, he erased the Soul Imprint on the storage ring before immersing his consciousness into it. A moment later, a book suddenly materialized in his hand.

Flipping it open, his face gradually grew darker and darker, to the point that it seemed as if he might just explode on the spot. With gritted teeth, he passed it over to Song Zhen by the side.

"Is this the cultivation technique that you practice?"

Song Zhen took the book and browsed through it. A few moments later, he nodded. "That's right. This is the cultivation technique that he imparted to us back then!"

Holding the book tightly in his grasp, Guild Leader Zhong turned his gaze back upon Sun Jin. "Is there anything else that you have to say for yourself?"

"I..." Knowing that he was done for, Sun Jin's knees fell onto the ground in despair.

It might have been possible for him to argue his way out of this a moment ago, but with that cultivation technique manual coming to the surface, there was no way he could do so anymore! That was irrefutable evidence of his wrongdoing!

"Greed blinded my eyes. I thought that if I could find a way to procure the valuable ores lying all around Firesource City, I would be able to accrue a huge fortune for myself. Even if I were to retire in the future, I will be able to enjoy a life of luxury."

"For your life of luxury, you cast aside your morals and harmed so many innocent young children. How dare you call yourself a blacksmith? How dare you call yourself a teacher?" Guild Leader Zhong roared vehemently.

While blacksmiths weren't master teachers, they had their own heritage that they passed down from generation to generation as well. As such, teaching was something they viewed with solemnity and sanctity as well. Yet, the fellow before him had actually used nurturing the next generation as an excuse to commit grievous atrocities. This was going beyond the ethical bottom line of all blacksmiths!

With a tap of his finger, Guild Leader Zhong sealed Sun Jin's cultivation before turning to Zhang Xuan and Feng Yihui, saying, "Principal Zhang, Pavilion Master Feng, it is me putting my trust in the wrong person and failing to keep my subordinate in check that allowed for atrocities. I shall resign from my position as the leader of the Blacksmith Guild and spend the rest of my life compensating the families of the thirty deceased apprentices."

As the leader of the Blacksmith Guild, it was a huge breach of responsibility of his that Sun Jin had been able to act as he pleased for more than two whole decades, harming not only Song Zhen but many more apprentices as well. Even though those apprentices had long passed away, they were bound to have kin and friends still living. To make up for his failure, he had decided to dedicate his entire life to making up for this mistake.

"You aren't the perpetrator, but you do have a heavy responsibility to play in this matter!" Zhang Xuan said with his hands behind his back.

While the crime had not been committed by Guild Leader Zhong, it was a fact that he was the one who had failed to notice Sun Jin's misdeeds and granted him the authority of an elder. The greater power that Sun Jin wielded had made it even more difficult for anyone to stand up against him, thus emboldening him to harm even more people. For one, there was no way Sun Jin could have been able to hide the deaths of so many of his apprentices if not for the power granted to him.

In this sense, Guild Leader Zhong wasn't free from blame either.

"I understand. It is a pity that there is nothing I can really do to make it up to them."

After saying those words, Guild Leader Zhong shot a glance at Song Zhen and sighed wearily.

Putting aside the deceased apprentices, even for the middle-aged man before him, there was nothing he could do that could salvage the damage done to him.

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The cultivation technique that the other party practiced was fundamentally at odds with the earth flames. Even as a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, there was nothing he could do that could change that.

"That might not necessarily be so..." Noting Guild Leader Zhong's gestures, Zhang Xuan could somewhat fathom a guess on what the other party was thinking about. Walking up to Song Zhen, he stretched out his hand and said, "Pass the book to me for a moment."

"Yes." Nodding, Song Zhen respectfully passed the cultivation technique manual that had just been procured from Sun Jin's storage ring to Zhang Xuan.

Taking the book, Zhang Xuan casually flipped through it before lowering his head contemplatively.

A moment later, he took out a book and a brush and began writing swiftly. A few moments later, he had already written out a brand-new cultivation technique. He passed it over to Song Zhen and said, "Cultivate according to the method written here."

By this point, Song Zhen had already made sense of everything that had just happened. The gaze that he directed toward Sun Jin was devoid of the respect it had before, replaced with endless hostility.

It was with a heart filled with hope that he had become the other party's apprentice. For more than twenty years, it was the hope that he harbored that drove him on, allowing him to persevere through even the toughest of times. However, the more hope one harbored, the greater the despair upon failure.

When Song Zhen took the book from Zhang Xuan's hands, his mind was completely blank.

He was very grateful toward Principal Zhang for bringing him justice, but having the goal that he had spent his entire life striving for being deemed impossible all of a sudden had left him completely lost. He had no idea what he should do from there onward.

"I have said that I will make you a blacksmith. I never renege on my promises." Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Once you are done cultivating the cultivation technique I have written down, you will be ready to take the 5-star or even the 6-star blacksmith examination!"

"5-star? 6-star?" Song Zhen was flabbergasted by what he was hearing. He dared not believe what Zhang Xuan had said to be true.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile.

Song Zhen hurriedly flipped open the book in his hand. The faint aroma from the slightly damp ink and the elegant calligraphy, which seemed as if they would leap out from the pages at any moment, calmed his unsettled mind.

It didn't take him too long to finish reading through the entire book. By the time he was done, his body had already gone completely still, unable to believe what he had just seen.

The fact that he had attained the incredible strength of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan in his thirties without the guidance of a master teacher was testimony to the incredible talent he possessed in cultivation. Even though he had only swiftly browsed through the manual once, he could already imagine the frightening might one could potentially harness after mastering it.

Not only would it resolve the conflict between the attribute of his zhenqi and the earth flames, it would even bring his cultivation to greater heights!

Seeing the daze Song Zhen was in, Zhang Xuan urged him on with a smile. "You should start cultivating now!"

"Yes!" Without any hesitation, Song Zhen hurriedly sat onto the floor and began cultivating according to the method recorded on the book.

After Song Zhen began cultivating, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward Guild Leader Zhong and said, "I will need to trouble you to find three grade-6 pills for me. They are namely the Bone Reinforcing Body Tempering Pill, Great Reversal Meridian Reconstruction Pill..."

As Song Zhen had practiced the cultivation technique from Sun Jin for more than twenty years now, it was no easy feat to alter his meridians and change the attribute of his zhenqi. Just the cultivation technique that Zhang Xuan had tailored for him wouldn't suffice to make him a blacksmith.

It was necessary to complement the cultivation technique with some pills as well.

Reconstructing the meridians to change the attribute of a zhenqi that was at odds with the earth flames previously to complement it instead was a feat that would have been impossible for anyone else to pull off. Only he, who cultivated the perfect Heaven's Path Divine Art, was capable of calculating a method that could resolve the issue.

"These pills might have been difficult to find anywhere else, but they aren't too uncommon in Firesource City. I will get it done right now!" Guild Leader Zhong said before rushing off.

A city built on a land rich in earth flames, blacksmiths and apothecaries there possessed an inherent advantage given the nature of their craft, thus making them the most popular occupations in Firesource City. Furthermore, there were many precious medicinal herbs in the area.

So, pills that would have been difficult to find anywhere else could easily be found within this city.

It didn't take too long for Guild Leader Zhong to return with the three pills Zhang Xuan spoke of.

Zhang Xuan passed the three pills to Song Zhen and gave him specific instructions on when he should consume them while cultivating.

An hour later, a resounding buzz suddenly sounded from Song Zhen's body, and his aura abruptly surged. Within this short period of time, not only did he manage to change the attribute of his zhenqi, he had even succeeded in achieving a breakthrough to Half-Saint!

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Chapter 1026: Reforging the Golden Origin Cauldron

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Miracle! It is indeed a miracle!" Guild Leader Zhong muttered with a face dazed with astonishment.

With just a cultivation technique and three pills, a person had actually managed to change the attribute of his zhenqi and achieve a breakthrough while he was at it. This was already a feat that could be considered a miracle!

Despite witnessing the entire process with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but feel as if he had been dreaming. The matter was just too inconceivable for him.

"This is the prowess... of Principal Zhang?" Pavilion Master Feng was also shocked beyond words.

As a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, he possessed an eye of discernment far superior to those of his peers. Naturally, he could also tell how valuable the cultivation technique that had been imparted to Song Zhen was.

To create such a formidable cultivation technique within moments and give it away unreservedly to another... This was how a true master teacher should act! Here was a role model that all master teachers should strive to be like!

It was no wonder he could become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy at such a young age and win the respect and admiration of all elders and students. Indeed, there was no mediocre man beneath a true legend.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Song Zhen completed his cultivation while the duo was still overwhelmed with shock, and he hurriedly rushed up to Zhang Xuan and kneeled before him respectfully.

At this moment, he was filled with nothing but gratitude and admiration for the young man before him, such that he would even end his life without any hesitation at a word from the other party.

"I am not your teacher, so there is no need for you to be so courteous around me." Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

"You have taught me such a valuable cultivation technique and given me the strength to continue living on. You are the only teacher I will acknowledge in my life, and this won't change until death!" Kneeling on the ground, Song Zhen kowtowed several times with unshakable resolve in his eyes.

Without the other party, he would have been nothing more than a cold corpse lying in an alley. His family would still have been mocked by others for his incompetence. Sun Jin would still have been the high and mighty elder he was, and the atrocities he had committed would eventually have been buried amid the dust of history. Perhaps, countless other apprentices who had harbored hopes as great as his would have ended up walking in the same footsteps as him as well.

Principal Zhang hadn't just taught him a cultivation technique; he had changed his life. Even if the other party was unwilling to take him in as his student, he would still view the other party as his teacher, and this wouldn't change until death.

Seeing the determination in the Song Zhen's eyes, Zhang Xuan eventually nodded in agreement. "Very well then. I can't take you in as my direct disciple, but since the workings of fate have brought us together, I shall take you in as my blacksmith student."

To accept a direct disciple was a heavy commitment. Song Zhen might have been extremely talented, but Zhang Xuan valued character far more than anything else. Given how short a time he had spent with the other party, it was still too early for something like that. Nevertheless, it was fine for him to take the other party in as his blacksmith student.

After all, the responsibility of a master teacher was to spread their knowledge across the world, so it wasn't rare for master teachers to have innumerable students. In a sense, this was similar to his relationship with the members of the Xuanxuan Faction as well. Thus, it wasn't anything much for Zhang Xuan to take Song Zhen in as his student

Hearing those words, Song Zhen hurriedly kowtowed earnestly in agitation. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Seeing such a sight, looks of envy surfaced on the faces of the blacksmiths gathered around the area, and this was no exception even for the elders and Guild Leader Zhong as well.

It was apparent that Principal Zhang possessed an unfathomable understanding of smithing. One who was able to become his student, even if just in name, would surely have a boundless future ahead of them.

Ignoring the looks from the crowd, Zhang Xuan said with a smile, "As your blacksmith teacher, it would be unbecoming of me if I didn't do something for you."

Flicking his wrist, a massive cauldron fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. "This is the Guardian Saint Artifact of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, a Saint low-tier artifact, the Golden Origin Cauldron! I intended to reforge it once more... but since you are my student, I will be leaving this job to you. This experience should do you much good in your future endeavors as a blacksmith, and even becoming a 7-star blacksmith shouldn't be a problem to you in the future!"

"You want me to reforge a Saint low-tier artifact? T-t-this... But I am only an apprentice! I have never successfully smithed a Mortal-tier weapon before; I can't possibly take on such a heavy responsibility." Song Zhen was scared out of his wits.

The other blacksmiths in the room, including Guild Leader Zhong, also nearly fainted from the sheer ridiculousness of what they were witnessing.

A Saint-tier artifact was something that only 7-star blacksmiths were qualified to come into contact with. Being able to work with one would indeed allow one to make huge progress as a blacksmith, be it in terms of skill or state of mind.

This was especially so for 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths. This experience might very well have opened a brand-new window for them into smithing, thus becoming the impetus for them to make a breakthrough.

But... to allow an apprentice who hadn't even succeeded in smithing a Mortal-tier weapon before to work with it... Was the other party really not afraid of breaking the Saint Guardian Artifact of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

"Master, you can't be serious..." Not only were the crowd acting in such a manner, even the Golden Origin Cauldron itself was on the brink of tears. "Actually... I think that my current cultivation is wonderful as it is; there is no need for me to make another breakthrough."

It did want to make a breakthrough, but only if it was done through its master's hands would it be able to rest assured.

To allow a fellow who has never successfully smithed a weapon in his life to work on it instead... What the heck is that?

Did I do something that so greatly offended you recently that you had to find such a reason to do me in?

"Enough! What is with this nonsense that you are spouting?" Paying no heed to the horrified Golden Origin Cauldron, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Even though his current mastery as a blacksmith was indeed at 6-star pinnacle, the reforging of the Golden Origin Cauldron didn't just involve refining and quenching. More importantly, the Violetgilt Metal would have to be smithed into the Golden Origin Cauldron, a task that involved forging.

And that happened to be something that he wasn't good at.

If he were to really attempt to reforge the Golden Origin Cauldron before so many formidable blacksmiths, not only would it be embarrassing for him, the Golden Origin Cauldron could very well be hammered out of shape in his hands, possibly becoming an unseemly slab of metal!

While Song Zhen was only an apprentice, Zhang Xuan could tell through how the other party forged his sword earlier that he had all of the basics down. Perhaps it was due to his inability to handle flames, Song Zhen seemed to have focused all of his efforts in refining his forging skills, granting him a forging mastery that was on par or even superior to most 6-star blacksmiths. Without a doubt, the other party was the ideal candidate to smith the Violetgilt Metal into the Golden Origin Cauldron!

With this success, Song Zhen would be able to gain a deep insight into smithing. It would only be a matter of time before he became a 6-star blacksmith or even beyond that.

Through this, not only would Zhang Xuan be able to avoid any embarrassment due to his inability to forge weapons, he would also be able to portray himself as an unfathomable expert, thus deepening the respect others had for him. More importantly, he could temper this newly-accepted student of his while he was at it.

In a sense, it was like killing three birds with one stone, so why not?

"Yes..." Seeing that his teacher had gotten angry at his hesitance, Song Zhen dared not say any more. Nodding, he plucked up his courage and walked over, facing the Golden Origin Cauldron with an ashen face.

On the other hand, the Golden Origin Cauldron was shaking uncontrollably, devoid of the haughtiness and arrogance it usually commanded when it crushed Saint realm experts. Its three thick legs were trembling so much that it seemed as if they would cave in at any moment.

Seeing the states that the man and cauldron were in, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Without wasting any time, he began issuing instructions. "The reforging of the Golden Origin Cauldron is an extremely important task. I will be issuing you instructions, so make sure to follow them carefully. There is no room for mistakes here!"

"Yes!" Hearing that Zhang Xuan would be guiding him along, Song Zhen heaved a sigh of relief.

"Take out the Violetgilt Metal I had you bring along earlier, you will need it in the forging process..."

After the preparations were done, Zhang Xuan began issuing more detailed instructions to Song Zhen. "First, place the Violetgilt Ore into the cauldron and drive the earth flames with your zhenqi for thirteen breaths so as to melt it. Thirteen breaths later, place the Golden Origin Cauldron inside and begin fusing the two together. Twenty-seven breaths later, take the resulting alloy out and use the Thousand Metal Forging Technique to hammer the Golden Origin Cauldron 184 times, not one more, not one less. Make sure to hammer it all over, and every strike must consist of only 80% of your full strength..."

Instead of using zhenqi telepathy, Zhang Xuan said the instructions out loud. Hearing the instructions, the blacksmiths in the area glanced at one another with shocked faces.

They had thought that the instructions that Zhang Xuan would be issuing Song Zhen would be simple, basic ones. However, after hearing those words, they realized that they had been utterly wrong. Never in the world had they seen such precise smithing before!

How in the world could the other party issue such detailed instructions? That would require a thorough understanding of the Golden Origin Cauldron, Violetgilt Metal, and even the properties of the earth flames! Not just that, the other party had to know Song Zhen's capability and strength inside out!

This wasn't something that could be achieved with just outstanding eye of discernment alone. The sheer number of calculations required in doing so were bound to be at a fearsome level as well!

"Yes!" Hearing those words, Song Zhen suddenly had a feeling that his teacher might have calculated the entire smithing process from the start to the end, and he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Swiftly memorizing what was being said, he grabbed the Violetgilt Metal ore by the side and tossed it into the cauldron.

In the Blacksmith Guild, there was no nearly no room that didn't have a formation that was connected straight to the earth flames beneath the ground. Driving his newfound strength as a Half-Saint, flames surged from the ground, and before long, the Violetgilt Metal had melted. Following which, Song Zhen placed the Golden Origin Cauldron inside...

All kinds of procedures were carried out strictly to Zhang Xuan's demands, without the slightest deviation.

"Not bad!" Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

As he had expected, the other party's mastery in forging had indeed reached the level of a true master. Even most 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths would struggle to match him.

His twenty-four years of hard work hadn't been futile. It was only due to his unyielding perseverance even in the face of failure that he had managed to achieve such a level of skill.

An hour later, a resounding chime reverberated from the Golden Origin Cauldron's body, and its Saint low-tier prowess began rising steadily. At that moment, an overwhelming aura burst into the surroundings, forcing the surrounding spectators to retreat continuously.

Hu!

A few moments later, the aura was reined back in. The Golden Origin Cauldron carried a lofty air around it and a brilliant glow.

"Saint intermediate-tier artifact? Good job!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

With just a look, he knew that he had made the right call.

The current Golden Origin Cauldron had managed to fuse perfectly with the Violetgilt Metal, reaching the level of a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, granting it strength on par with Saint 4-dan pinnacle experts!

If he were to meet the Goldenleaf King and the others once more, he would easily be able to subdue them with just a devastating crush from his cauldron! With this, the days when he would have to go through so much effort talking others into drinking his wine were finally over!

"I am still alive? Not only am I still alive, my cultivation has risen as well? Wonderful!" While Zhang Xuan was feeling glad, the Golden Origin Cauldron began pouncing about excitedly.

With a mere apprentice blacksmith working on it, it had thought that certain doom was awaiting it. Who could have known that, not only would the smithing be successful, its cultivation would even rise by a greater extent that it had initially envisioned? At this moment, it was so happy that it could hug Song Zhen and give him a good kiss.

"Teacher..." At the same time, Song Zhen also hadn't expected that he would succeed. An agitated glint rippled in his eyes, revealing the immense joy and delight he felt from his success.

While a huge reason for his success was due to his teacher guiding him along step by step, this experience had still given him a deep insight into smithing. As long as he could raise his cultivation to the required level, the 7-star blacksmith examination wasn't beyond reach!

It could be said that... this single experience had built his foundations in smithing. As long as he continued working hard, his future accomplishments would be boundless!

In order to give him such an experience, his teacher had unhesitatingly entrusted the Saint Guardian Artifact of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to him. To have such deep trust in him... this favor was something that he would never be able to repay in his lifetime!

"Alright. As long as you internalize this experience, you should be able to advance to great heights as a blacksmith in the future."

With a grab, Zhang Xuan returned the Golden Origin Cauldron to his storage ring before waving his hand. "Pavilion Master Feng, I will be taking my leave first. I will be counting on you to take care of the other matters here!"

After saying those words, he turned around and walked away. Before long, he had already disappeared from view.

Departing with a fling of the sleeves after the job is done, asking for no compensation in return for his efforts... This is a true master teacher!

Seeing how Zhang Xuan departed without the slightest hesitation, such thoughts emerged within the minds of the remaining crowd.

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Chapter 1027: I Went Easy On You Just Now!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Right after leaving the Blacksmith Guild, Zhang Xuan smiled softly.

He had only intended to prevent an innocent life from being lost, but who knew that he would end up managing to fulfil his promise to the Golden Origin Cauldron while he was at it, rising its cultivation significantly? On top of that, he had even found himself a talented blacksmith student.

It could be said that the trouble he had gone through was well worth the rewards.

As for how Sun Jin would be dealt with, that had nothing to do with him.

Nevertheless, there was no doubt that Sun Jin would have to pay a heavy price for the sins that he had committed. The death penalty would likely be on the table.

As much as Zhang Xuan hated to kill, he felt that there was no need to show mercy to those who trampled on their own students in the hope of elevating themselves.

Back when Zhang Xuan first arrived in the world, he had nary a care in the world. As long as a matter was none of his business, he would view it with perfect nonchalance, never involving himself in anything that would spell trouble. However, after everything he had gone through, he had already become a true master teacher at heart. He had begun to understand the heavy responsibilities that he bore, and he intended to live up to them as well.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled what had happened earlier in the night. Right, I wonder if Luo shi is angry at me. I should rush back to take a look.

He slapped his forehead in distress before hurriedly rushing toward Luo Ruoxin's residence.

It had not been easy for him to close the distance between the both of them, and he didn't wish for them to return to square one due to this matter.

He should have held himself back the previous night! Why had he been so brazen as to hold the other party's hand? Hopefully, the other party wouldn't blame him for this matter.

With a conflicted mind, Zhang Xuan hurried his footsteps, and before long, Luo Ruoxin's residence was within sights.

Before he could arrive at the entrance, he saw a young man walking straight toward him.

It was the battle fanatic Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall who had challenged him earlier in the day, Feng Xun!

Caught up over the Combat Master Hall's loss to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the other party had been trying to challenge him for a while now, and that had left him deeply troubled.

As such, upon seeing Feng Xun walk over, Zhang Xuan immediately tried to find a place where he could hide. However, before he could do so, the other party had already caught sight of him and immediately rushed up, his eyes blazing with fighting will.

"Principal Zhang, do you dare have a match with me? I will suppress my cultivation to that of your level!" Feng Xun challenged with a loud voice.

"I..." Zhang Xuan was conflicted.

He had intended to quickly find Luo Ruoxin to apologize to her, but judging from how Feng Xun was acting, it was apparent that the other party wasn't going on allow him to pass if he rejected the duel.

Out of consideration for his standing, the other party had not forced the matter the previous time. However, for some reason, the other party was extremely insistent on having their duel this time round.

Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan relented. Waving his hand, he said, "Very well. If you suppress your cultivation, I will have a duel with you. However, it will just be a friendly spar."

Considering how determined the other party was, he knew that it was only a matter of time before this duel would be held.

"Good!" Receiving the other party's agreement, Feng Xun's eyes lit up. He swiftly suppressed his cultivation from Saint 3-dan pinnacle to Nascent Saint pinnacle.

Hong long!

Amidst a powerful gust of wind, he charged right toward Zhang Xuan.

...

Rewinding back to the moment when Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin separated...

With a face tinged with redness, the young lady hurriedly returned to her residence.

She had lived by herself from a very young age, and never once had she really come into contact with a man before. As such, when she was touched by the other party, she flew into a fluster.

After walking a distance away, she turned around to take a look, only to find that Zhang Xuan had not followed her. A frown of displeasure emerged on her face.

This was her first time meeting someone that dense!

She was embarrassed by the touch, not angry! Those who had the slightest bit of emotional intelligence would know that this was the moment to rush up to apologize. This was the perfect opportunity for the other party to get closer to her, and she could also use the chance to resolve the awkwardness from before. Yet, that fellow... had actually disappeared from sight?

That pig-headed fool!

It was only a ten-minute walk from the tavern where they had eaten earlier, and yet, despite waiting for two whole hours, the other party was still nowhere to be seen. Rage dyed her face a shade of pink.

Giving up on waiting for the fellow, Luo Ruoxin returned to her residence, only to see Mu shi waiting outside for her.

"Luo shi!"

"Un. What is the matter?" Luo Ruoxin frowned.

Mu shi hesitated for a brief moment before speaking. "It's like this. I have just received news that there could very well be Otherworldly Demon Kings in the ancient domain, so... Luo shi, won't you consider backing out of the expedition team?"

"Are you trying to order me?" Luo Ruoxin asked with a cold face.

"I-I dare not!" Mu shi was horrified.

"That had better be true!" Luo Ruoxin waved her hands coldly as she walked past Mu shi to open the doors to her residence. However, flurried footsteps sounded at that moment, and turning around, she saw a young man heading toward her.

It was Feng Xun from the Combat Master Hall.

From the moment he first met Luo Ruoxin, he had been already spellbound by her beauty. He had been trying to find a way to get close to her, but the other party had never granted him such an opportunity.

However, with the ancient domain opening tomorrow and knowing that he could very well lose his life within, he eventually built up his courage and rushed over.

Seeing the young lady's silhouette, Feng Xun yelled, "Luo shi..."

Luo Ruoxin had disguised herself, and Feng Xun didn't wield the power to see through it either. Nevertheless, she was still an outstanding beauty even with her disguise on, possessing grace that was on par with Hu Yaoyao and the others. It was no wonder Feng Xun found himself mesmerized by her.

"I have something that I wish to say to you!" Feng Xun exclaimed.

Luo Ruoxin turned around and said, "Say your piece."

"Right here?" Feng Xun glanced at Mu shi and his surroundings awkwardly, unsure of what he should do.

On the other hand, seeing that Feng Xun wasn't saying a word, Luo Ruoxin couldn't be bothered either. Turning around, she opened the door and stepped into her residence.

"W-wait a moment! I will speak! I will speak!" Knowing that he might not have another opportunity, Feng Xun gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "From the moment I caught sight of you, I was already enchanted by your charm. Luo shi, won't you walk down the long path of cultivation alongside me?"

Feng Xun had a straightforward personality, and he didn't like to hide anything inside of him. Thus, his words were very direct as well.

"Send our guest off!"

Luo Ruoxin had been wondering what important matters the other party was going to speak of when she heard those words. She waved her hand before turning around to return to her residence.

"Luo shi, I haven't finished my piece yet..." Not expecting the other party to leave without giving him a proper reply, Feng Xun hurriedly rushed up. However, before he could follow the other party into the residence, Mu shi had already blocked his way.

"Combat Master Feng, please return for now!"

"I..." Feng Xun panicked.

Noting that Feng Xun was unwilling to give up, Mu shi frowned in displeasure. "Luo shi has already made her stand very clear by turning you away at the door."

Those words were like a pail of cold water, extinguishing the flames in Feng Xun's heart.

Indeed. He had already made things very clear, but the other party was still unwilling to allow him to enter. This was already a direct response to his confession. He would only be embarrassing himself further by pestering the other party.

"Pardon my disturbance..." Understanding this much, Feng Xun trudged away with a disconsolate look on his face. However, before he could get far, he saw Zhang Xuan rushing over in his direction.

That fellow seems to be rather close with Luo shi... Could she have rejected me because of him? Such an idea suddenly popped into Feng Xun's head, and it swiftly grew and consumed his mind. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he rushed over to block Zhang Xuan's path, thus resulting in the current situation.

...

Naturally, Zhang Xuan was unaware that the reason the other party was confronting him. Seeing the other party suppressing his cultivation to his level, he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

To be facing the other party with his cultivation suppressed to the same level as him... Wasn't that as good as bullying the other party?

But in any case, that fellow was the one who had proposed it. After a short internal struggle, Zhang Xuan felt that he should be magnanimous and go along with the other party's demand instead.

"I will bring you down!" Roaring coldly, Feng Xun raised his fist and rushed forward.

He had already heard from Liao Xun and the others that the young man before him possessed an unfathomable level of mastery in battle techniques. Thus, he decided to exploit his greatest expertise right from the start—speed!

Of the martial arts in the world, none were infallible... except for speed!

Speed happened to be what he specialized in, and as long as he made full use of it, given his superior combat instincts, he didn't believe that he wouldn't be able to defeat the other party!

Hu!

Carrying immense pressure that threatened to burst even the air, his fist arrived before Zhang Xuan in the blink of an eye.

He had thought that his amazing speed would leave the other party flustered, but to his shock, the other party... was stretching his back lazily!

In the crucial moment of a battle, instead of dodging or retaliating, you are choosing to stretch your back lazily instead? What do you mean by that?

Despite being bewildered by the nonsensical action before him, Feng Xun's fist didn't have the slightest intention of halting at all. However, before his fist could arrive at its target, the other party suddenly stopped stretching his back, and a palm abruptly flew toward him, as if striking down a pesky fly!

Padah!

He was sent tumbling into the distance. Under the immense might of the slap, his face immediately bruised red.

Truthfully, in the moment he had seen the slap, he had already begun carrying out evasive maneuvers. Yet, no matter what he did, he simply couldn't get himself out of the trajectory of the slap, as if there was some compelling power that drew the other party's palm to his face.

"Damn it!" For a combat master like him to be struck flying with but a slap, it wasn't too hard to imagine the immense frustration he must have felt. He immediately got back to his feet, intending to charge over to return the favor, but at that moment, the other party waved his hand in exasperation and said, "Why don't we just let this matter go? There is really no need for us to fight..."

"How can we end this duel without determining the victor?" In Feng Xun's eyes, it seemed like Zhang Xuan was trying to 'have mercy' on him, and that left him even more enraged. With a furious roar, he charged forward once more.

The next moment, his neck was caught by the other party's left palm, and a right palm struck his face relentlessly.

The next, next moment, Feng Xun was lying on the ground, and the other party was sitting on his back. Both fists of the other party rained down on him, as if a cotton farmer scutching 1 a bed of cotton.

The next, next, next moment, the talented combat master was lying on the ground, clutching his head tightly to his body. The other party was standing before him, kicking him mercilessly.

...

"Let's just end it here. I think this should be sufficient to consider it your loss..."

Ten minutes later, seeing how Feng Xun was completely bruised from head to toe, Zhang Xuan couldn't bring himself to strike anymore.

He had already gone easy on the other party, but the other party was simply too weak. There wasn't the slightest feeling of accomplishment he felt from pummeling the other party.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan walked past Feng Xun, and after knocking on the door, he entered Luo Ruoxin's residence.

The young lady hadn't rested for the night yet. She was standing in the main hall, deeply contemplating something. On the other hand, Mu shi was standing at an area not too far away from her with his head lowered respectfully.

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Just now, I..."

"Please leave. I intend to rest now." Luo Ruoxin waved her hand coldly.

"Erk..." Seeing how he was evicted right after arriving, Zhang Xuan was at a complete loss as to what he should do. His eyes couldn't help but swim toward Mu shi.

After a moment of hesitation, Mu shi coughed slightly before offering a friendly warning. "Senior Uncle, Feng Xun was chased away right after he confessed just a moment ago. Luo shi isn't in a good mood at the moment..."

"Confessed?" A deep frown appeared on Zhang Xuan's forehead.

"That's right." Mu shi nodded.

"Pardon me for a moment, I have some matters that I have to deal with right now." Turning around, Zhang Xuan left Luo Ruoxin's residence.

"Matters that you have to deal with right now?" Mu shi was stunned.

"Un. I just had a spar with Feng Xun, but thinking back, I think that it was disrespectful of me to have gone easy on someone who has challenged me so earnestly. I should at least give him a taste of the full extent of my might."

Shortly after Zhang Xuan left, screams of agony from a certain talented combat master resounded in the night.

Feng Xun had just been viciously pummeled, such that he could hardly bring himself to his feet to leave. How could he possibly be a match for the energetic Zhang Xuan?

"I didn't see anything," Mu shi mumbled beneath his breath, and he averted his gaze.

On the other hand, the eyes of the young lady not too far away curled into beautiful crescents.

"Pfft."

A chuckle escaped her lips.

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Chapter 1028: Opening of the Ancient Domain

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

At this moment, the thought of ending his life flashed through Feng Xun's mind.

He had thought that the other party had already exerted the full extent of his strength in the duel they had just a moment ago, but he realized that the other party hadn't even displayed a fifth of his true might.

In other words, with just a small portion of his strength, the other party was already able to crush him easily. Yet, somehow provoked by something, the other party was going all out against him at this very moment. Without a doubt, there was no way he could withstand the other party's strength. Under the vicious pummeling, he found that even his desire to live had been beaten out of him.

Honestly speaking...

What the heck is this? Didn't you say that it was just a friendly spar? On top of that, you had already won earlier... To rush back here to pummel me once more, what is going on?

Seeing how the other party was continuing to pummel him, Feng Xun couldn't stand it any longer. Releasing the cap on his cultivation, he raised his cultivation to Saint 1-dan. The outcome was that... there was no difference at all. He was still getting pummeled without fail.

What left him on the verge of spurting blood was that the other party didn't seem to have even noticed that his strength had increased!

Clenching his jaws, he raised his cultivation up to Saint 2-dan, but... the outcome still wasn't any different. He was still getting pummeled viciously!

He was a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, a top-notch genius who boasted the greatest fighting prowess among his peers. He could knock down even opponents stronger than him, and yet... even when his cultivation was two realms stronger than the fellow before him, he was still no match for the other party at all.

The crushing blow to his pride left him on the verge of insanity.

Forget it, to hell with my pride and dignity... With a look of savagery, Feng Xun cast away his final shred of hesitation and released his full might.

With the entirety of his strength as a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert released, an incredible force burst forth from him, rattling even the sky.

"I will make you pay the price for your insolence..." Roaring furiously, he raised his fist to strike the other party, but before he could do so, the sight before him turned dark.

A leg had already arrived in front of his face.

Putting aside the immense strength that the kick harnessed, it was even aimed toward one of his cultivation mingmen. Barely a moment after he had roared excitedly, he was already back to convulsing powerlessly on the ground.

In that instant, an epiphany struck him...Treasure your life, distance yourself from Zhang Xuan!

He carried the reputation of a genius as well, but he didn't even come close to the level of the young man before him; there was a world of difference between their capabilities!

It was no wonder his direct disciple was qualified to challenge the Progeny of Combat Selection, and even a feeble-looking student whom he had barely begun teaching could floor the members of their Combat Master Hall.

The young man before him was a true monster!

After knocking Feng Xun out, Zhang Xuan finally succeeded in venting the frustrations within him. Stretching his back lazily, he felt refreshed once more. Turning around, he returned to Luo Ruoxin's residence.

However, before he could enter the residence, he saw Mu shi walking out from the doors.

"Senior Uncle, Luo shi has already retired for the night. She has said to leave whatever you have to say until tomorrow."

"Ah..." Hearing that Luo Ruoxin didn't intend to meet him, Zhang Xuan could only return to his residence while scratching his head.

The night felt exceptionally long.

When dawn arrived, everyone was already gathered in the main hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion. After a night of recuperation, Feng Xun had mostly recovered from the pummeling he had suffered the previous night, but the swelling all over his body hadn't disappeared yet.

Upon seeing Feng Xun's current state, the leader of the expedition, Guild Leader Han, asked worriedly, "Combat Master Feng, what happened? Can you still join the expedition in your current state?"

The other party had been fine the day before, so how did he end up in such a state overnight?

Feng Xun hurriedly waved his hands. "I'm fine; I only met with some problems in my cultivation last night. I have already taken some medicine, so it won't pose any trouble."

To challenge a Nascent Saint and end up being pummeled badly instead... Even if someone were to threaten him with a knife on his throat, he would still be too embarrassed to admit it!

"You met with some problems in your cultivation?" Guild Leader Han shook his head.

He was not a master teacher, but that didn't mean he was a fool. How could someone end up with swelling all over his body from cultivation? It was apparent that he had been beaten up!

Nevertheless, since the other party was unwilling to speak, he wasn't interested in prying any further either. Thus, he quickly scanned through the crowd before nodding. "Alright. Since everyone is here, let's head over!"

The seal to the ancient domain was about to open, so it was time for them to set off.

Riding on the back of the saint beast, Zhang Xuan secretly sneaked Luo Ruoxin a peek. Noting the composed look on the other party's face, seemingly not blaming him for the matter yesterday, he heaved a sigh of relief internally before heading up to her.

"Luo shi, there are many dangers lurking in the ancient domain. Why don't we team up together so that we can look after one another?"

"Sure." Luo Ruoxin nodded.

"That's great!"

Taking Luo Ruoxin's acceptance of his request as a sign to indicate that she wasn't angry at him, Zhang Xuan let out another sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, the massive Swallow Embracing Mountain came into sight once more.

The crowd landed on the ground.

The seal didn't seem to be much different than how it had been a few days earlier. The flag that Zhang Xuan had planted in the ground was still sitting quietly amid the formation, and surges of powerful energy were being released into the surroundings.

"According to my calculations, the seal will be opening today. However, I am not certain of the exact timing, so we will have to wait patiently," Guild Leader Han explained.

To be able to calculate the day of the opening of such a powerful seal was already an incredible feat in itself. To calculate its timing on top of that would be demanding too much from Guild Leader Han.

Understanding this fact, the crowd waited patiently on the spot. Around two hours later, some changes began occurring to the mist-like seal. The entire depression first turned crimson with a seven-colored bridge abruptly materializing before everyone's eyes.

"It's opening!" Upon noticing the changes, the eyes of the crowd lit up.

Guild Leader Han stepped forward to assess the situation in front for a moment before turning around to brief the crowd on the happenings. "That seven-colored bridge is the key to entering the seal. It will only appear for around fifteen minutes, so we should quickly enter!"

After saying those words, he took the lead.

The others quickly followed suit.

While the seven-colored bridge was made out of the energy harnessed by the formation, it didn't feel unsteady or wobbly in the least. On the contrary, it was exceptionally sturdy. Walking on it felt no different from walking anywhere else; it didn't feel dangerous at all.

Following behind the crowd, Zhang Xuan stepped onto the seven-colored bridge. The scenery around him, an azure sky with fleeting white clouds accompanied by a verdant mountain and an emerald lake, formed a stark contrast to the world beneath his feet, a dark abyss with occasional bursts of searing currents. Such vastly different existences placed together formed quite a mystical sight, leaving Zhang Xuan feeling as if he was standing on the intersection between two worlds.

To construct such a sturdy bridge out of emptiness, the person who created the ancient domain sure is fearsome, Zhang Xuan remarked internally.

Zhang Xuan was also capable of constructing a bridge that one could walk on out of his zhenqi, but to do so through a formation... that was far beyond his current capability.

It wasn't just him; even 7-star formation masters would be incapable of such a feat.

It seemed like Zhang Xuan's prior guess was right. The elder who had left behind the ancient domain was, at the very least, an 8-star formation master!

It was no wonder the old principal was so wary, leaving even a tombstone behind for himself in the Master Teacher Academy out of fear that he would never return.

Eye of Insight!

While Zhang Xuan proceeded forward, he focused his eyes toward the very end of the bridge.

Over there, a seven-colored light barrier was positioned perpendicularly to the bridge. Crimson lava flurried beyond the barrier, generating an immense amount of heat that seemed as if it would reduce any man to ash.

After studying it for a moment, Zhang Xuan frowned. The structure of the light barrier... there is some resemblance to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery.

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel that there was something uncanny about the light barrier, so he took a closer look. To his astonishment, he realized that it was nearly identical to the seal he had seen in the Subterranean Gallery, the only difference being that the one before him was a simplified version.

Nevertheless, it still harnessed incredible power that prevented anyone from barging through it forcefully. As long as it didn't open up, it would be impossible for anyone to enter.

Otherwise, the seal in the Subterranean Gallery wouldn't have kept the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe at bay for several dozen millenniums either, only allowing a few small fries to slip through its defenses occasionally.

Before long, following the crowd in front of him, he arrived before the light barrier.

By this point, the others had also caught sight of the scenery that lay ahead of the light barrier, and their faces paled in horror.

"It's nothing but lava in front! It can't be that... the ancient domain lies in the midst of the lava?" one of the master teachers of the expedition exclaimed in shock.

With the temperature of the lava, even metal would melt in moments upon contact with it. Even though most members of the expedition had already reached Saint realm, they still dared not enter such a place haphazardly.

"The details I know about the ancient domain are severely limited. The only way we can find out is to explore it ourselves." Wu shi shook his head.

"Then..."

"Don't think too much about it. Since we are already here, let's just go in and take a look!" Wu shi said. However, there was still some hesitation on the faces of those around him, so after a moment of contemplation, he stepped forward and said, "How about this? I will try it out first, and if I meet with any danger, you all should evacuate the area quickly."

On top of being the highest-ranked master teacher among the group, he was the strongest one as well. In face of danger, he was obliged to step forward to protect the others. If even he was unable to face whatever dangers lay within the lava, it was unlikely that the others would be able to either.

After saying those words, Wu shi channeled his zhenqi out from his acupoints and wrapped his body with it. Once that was done, he charged straight through the light barrier.

Hu!

Without the slightest impediment, 'huala!', Wu shi slid through the light barrier and disappeared from everyone's sight.

A few moments later, Wu shi's silhouette emerged once more. His figure was a little indistinct and vague, but his gesture was most certainly beckoning them over. Most likely, there was no danger within.

"Let's enter," Guild Leader Han said before stepping through the light barrier.

Zhang Xuan followed suit as well. The light barrier felt slightly viscous, reminiscent of the surface of water. Stepping through it, it was as if he had stepped into another world. Intense heat, as if omnipresent, assaulted him from all directions relentlessly, leaving his skin with a slightly stinging sensation.

Gazing downward, he realized that a ten kilometers wide enormous volcano vent stood beneath him. From time to time, flames would burst forth, threatening to devour the group whole.

Is the ancient domain really beneath the lava? Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had imagined that there would be some kind of passageway beyond the light barrier to lead the group into the ancient domain, but to his bewilderment, there was nothing but lava around him.

If the ancient domain was truly located beneath the lava, this expedition would be far more dangerous than he had previously imagined.

Putting aside the searing heat harnessed in the lava, just its sheer scale of the lava pool and the inability to see past the opaque lava made it extremely plausible that one could lose their way within, possibly never returning at all.

"Where do we go?"

The first person to enter, Wu shi, turned to Guild Leader Han with a deep frown on his face.

The other party was a formation master; perhaps, there might be some kind of formation hidden in the area that they were supposed to utilize to enter the ancient domain.

"Let me take a look." Nodding, Guild Leader Han took out a compass and paced around the massive vent of the volcano. Gradually, the frown on his forehead deepened.

"The spiritual energy current in this area is extremely stable; there is no formation hidden in the area. It seems like we can only slowly explore the area to find the entrance."

"Explore the area?" Looking at the lava pool, which boasted a diameter of ten kilometers, the lips of the crowd twitched uncontrollably.

How were they supposed to explore the area?

Were they to dive into the lava?

Even if their bodies could endure the heat, their clothes couldn't possibly do the same!

A bunch of 6-star and 7-star master teachers and combat masters walking past one another stark naked...

The image was so beautiful that it was more likely that they would die of embarrassment before they found the ancient domain!

Realizing the same, Zhang Xuan subconsciously turned his gaze toward Luo Ruoxin. With a deeply conflicted expression, he mumbled unknowingly beneath his breath, "If her clothes were to be burnt as well, should I look... or not look?"

Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thought over the serious problem he was facing, he suddenly heard a feminine voice quivering with rage beside him.

"You... What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"

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Chapter 1029: The Fearsome Lava (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Turning his gaze over, he saw Luo Ruoxin's face flushed crimson, seemingly ready to explode at any moment.

While others were thinking about how they should find the entrance to the ancient domain, that fellow was assessing her from head to toe. With a look, it was apparent that he was thinking of nothing good!

"Cough cough!" Not expecting that the other party would catch him contemplating over an issue as serious as that, Zhang Xuan choked on his saliva. Posturing himself upright, he replied with a dignified tone, "I was just thinking that our line of thought might have been wrong in the start. Considering how large the lava pool is, I don't think that we are meant to search every inch of it. So, I have been thinking that it might be a trial from the master of the ancient domain instead."

"A trial?" Realizing that she had misunderstood Zhang Xuan when he was contemplating over such serious issues, Luo Ruoxin couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"That's right!"

Standing in midair, Zhang Xuan glanced at the lava pool before him and gestured grandly. "If the master of the ancient domain didn't intend for anyone to enter the land he had created, he wouldn't have constructed his formation so that it opened up once in a while, allowing others to enter. Since he has done so, I think that could be taken as a sign that the ancient domain is something that he intended to leave for the later generations, and the lava is most likely the first trial that those who seek the ancient domain have to undergo. Only those who manage to clear this trial will be able to advance further in."

"This..." Luo Ruoxin pondered over Zhang Xuan's words for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Zhang Xuan's words made perfect sense. A formation master who could create such a powerful seal couldn't have possibly made the grave mistake of having the seal open every now and then. In other words, it was likely that the opening of the seal was an effect that the master of the ancient domain had intended right from the start.

Luo Ruoxin turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Then... are you able to deduce the intention behind this pool of lava? That will likely be the key that leads us to the true entrance of the ancient domain."

"I am still in the midst of figuring that out," Zhang Xuan replied calmly as he secretly heaved a sigh of relief within.

It was fortunate that he had reacted swiftly. Otherwise, if the other party were to learn of his thoughts, she might very well have strangled him to death on the spot.

Forget it, I should put those thoughts aside for the moment. Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan tossed aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind and began assessing the situation before him.

The lava beneath flurried furiously, reminiscent of boiling water. Even without approaching it, one could still vividly feel the intolerable heat that it emitted, seemingly attempting to roast one alive.

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began studying the area carefully.

Unfortunately, the vent of the volcano was filled with a thick layer of smoke puffing up, similar to that of a sauna room filled with steam, making it difficult for one to see through it.

After scanning the area, Zhang Xuan found no trace of any formation at all. In fact, even the flow of spiritual energy was indistinct to him here.

Could the ancient domain be within a folded space? Frowning, Zhang Xuan was just about to communicate with the Myriad Anthive Queen to have the latter search the area when he suddenly heard a voice.

"This doesn't seem to be ordinary lava..."

Turning his gaze toward the source of the voice, Zhang Xuan saw Wu shi and Guild Leader Han standing side by side. At this moment, the latter had an astonished look on his face, as if he had noticed something bewildering.

The others in the area had also noticed the anomaly with Guild Leader Han, and they turned perplexed looks toward him as well.

"Take a look!"

As he said those words, Guild Leader Han flicked his wrist, and a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon appeared in his grasp. With a swing of his arm, the weapon flew straight toward the lava.

Putong!

As soon as the weapon came into contact with the lava, a sizzling sound immediately echoed loudly in the air. Within just a few moments, it had already been reduced to liquid, disappearing completely from sight.

"The lava... is able to melt even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon?" Everyone was petrified by what they had just seen.

While they knew that venturing into the searing lava would be dangerous, they had thought that they would at least be able to last for a decent period of time without sustaining any damage with their Saint realm cultivation. However, upon seeing this sight, they realized that they had been severely underestimating the dangers of the lava!

The head of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, Wo Tianqiong, hesitated for a brief moment before exclaiming in astonishment, "That is... Earth Core Lava!"

"Earth Core Lava?"

The term was foreign to the crowd, so they directed questioning gazes toward Wo Tianqiong, gesturing for him to continue on.

"I have read books on volcanoes in the past, and it is stated that the temperature of lava grows higher and higher the deeper one goes. Of them, the lava that boasts the greatest heat is the Earth Core Lava. With just a single drip, it can melt Spirit-tier artifacts and even Saint-tier artifacts! While the one before us doesn't harness as much heat as that, it is clear that the heat it possesses is far beyond that of ordinary lava. Most likely, what lies on the other side of the lava pool isn't the ancient domain but an earth core!" Wo Tianqiong analyzed.

"This..." The crowd frowned.

"Regardless of whether that is true or not, we will know once we take a look!" Wu shi said. "You all wait here for a moment; I will head down to take a look."

"Given how hot the lava at the surface is, the heat you will have to face beneath is bound to be even more frightening. Will you be fine?" Guild Leader Han asked worriedly.

"I ran a rough calculation earlier, and with my current cultivation, I should be able to venture around a hundred meters in. Don't worry, I will rush out the moment I sense any danger." Wu shi nodded grimly. "We will be stuck here if we don't try to do anything. At this rate, it is just a matter of time before we succumb as well."

While they were flying above the vent, placing them some distance away from the lava, the heat that they had to endure was still considerable due to the seal above them locking the heat in. For the time being, they were still able to endure it through their zhenqi, but it would only be a matter of time before they ran out of zhenqi and succumbed to the heat.

"You're right. Be careful then..." Knowing that Wu shi was right, Guild Leader Han hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Un, I will be fine," Wu shi replied with a smile.

The next moment, his face suddenly turned grim as he drove the zhenqi in his body furiously. An incredible aura burst forth, and it warped into the form of a majestic dragon. Then, his figure abruptly dashed downward, heading toward the lava.

Huala!

Parting the lava beneath him with forceful might, Wu shi dived in.

"Ah..." Zhang Xuan hadn't expected Wu shi to move so quickly. He had intended to persuade the latter against it, given the unknown dangers that could have been lurking beneath the lava, but he had been a little too slow.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to swallow his words. Perhaps, this might be for the best. He still hadn't made sense out of the situation yet, and perhaps Wu shi might be able to uncover new clues for them.

Gugugugu!

It took only an instant for the lava to fill the opening that Wu shi had made earlier. Nevertheless, the bubbles that surfaced continuously indicated that there was someone moving beneath the surface.

Seeing the sight below, a combat master couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Will he be fine?"

"On top of being a Saint 4-dan expert, Wu shi is also a capable master teacher who possesses many means. Even if he meets with danger, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to flee back up," Guild Leader Han replied after a moment of hesitation.

To reassure the others, his words were confident. However, he was still unable to fully conceal the worry in his eyes.

Clearly, even he had no way of saying for sure whether Wu shi would be fine or not.

"Don't worry, Wu shi might not be strongest cultivator of our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, but he is definitely the one who wields the most life preservation means. This is also why our Master Teacher Pavilion decided to dispatch him for this expedition," Mu shi said with a smile.

"Life preservation means?" Everyone was bewildered.

"Indeed. Wu shi cultivates a unique movement technique known as the 'Star Weaving Steps'. Through it, he can move at speeds comparable to even Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm experts. While it does deplete his zhenqi swiftly, there is no doubt that it is an invaluable asset in times of danger!

"As searing as the lava beneath is, with Wu shi's strength and means, escaping safely shouldn't be a problem for him. Besides, since the master of the ancient domain has left a Life Gate on the seal for us to enter, it didn't make sense for him to try to kill us right afterwards."

The eyes of the crowd lit up in realization, and they heaved a sigh of relief.

Indeed! If even a 7-star pinnacle master teacher would be scorched to death right after entering the lava, wasn't this ancient domain a little too difficult?

If that was the case, how could You Xu have gotten out alive?

Besides, there was no reason for the elder who had created the ancient domain to design it in such a manner if he was just trying to kill them.

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The other party's thoughts were similar to his.

Since the master of the ancient domain had left a visible opening to the ancient domain, it was clear that they intended for others to enter it. The trials were dangerous and difficult to clear, but there would definitely be a solution.

Hu!

Around eight minutes later, just when everyone was starting to panic, a loud explosion sounded from the lava, and a figure darted back up.

"Wu shi..." The crowd hurriedly turned their gazes over, and upon seeing what was before them, their eyebrows leaped up in astonishment.

Wu shi was in a completely different state compared to before he entered the lava. The clothes on his body had disintegrated, leaving him stark naked. If not for the massive dragon he had formed using his zhenqi that was concealing various parts of his body, he might have just died of embarrassment on the spot.

However, his clothes being reduced to ash was just the least of the worries. More importantly, his face was completely pale, and he was panting heavily, as if he had just fled from something extremely fearsome.

There were even some portions of his skin that were charred black, creating a particularly gruesome sight.

Guild Leader Han hurried forward and asked, "What happened?"

On the other hand, Wu shi swiftly swallowed a pill to recuperate his zhenqi before putting on another set of clothes from his storage ring.

"The temperature within the lava is higher than I thought," Wu shi explained with a bitter smile. "I swiftly ventured downward as soon as I entered. I thought that with my stamina and zhenqi, reaching the hundred-meter mark wouldn't be an issue for me. However... the temperature increased faster than I thought it would. By the time I reached the thirty-meter mark, I could already feel myself approaching my limit. The rate at which my zhenqi was depleting from fending away the lava was already double the rate when I was at the surface!

"With great difficulty, I managed to reach the forty-meter mark. However, by then, my zhenqi had already depleted by half. Knowing that it would be difficult for me to return if I were to venture any deeper, I decided to turn around at that point and rush back. Nevertheless, I still nearly depleted my zhenqi and died inside!"

"Even you were only able to reach the forty-meter mark?" Wo Tianqiong was astonished.

Wu shi's strength was the greatest of them all, and yet, he had only been able to venture forty meters deep into the lava. Through this, it wasn't too difficult to imagine how fearsome the lava was.

"Did you notice anything?" Guild Leader Han probed.

Wu shi shook his head. "It is nothing but lava below; I wasn't able to see anything at all. Furthermore, there was a powerful pressure crushing down on me below, limiting my Spiritual Perception to only ten meters. Anything more than that is beyond my means. I tried to peer downward when I was at the forty meters mark, and based on what I saw, it seems like there is still a very long distance away before reaching the end of the lava."

"Your Spiritual Perception can only extend to ten meters?"

"There is still a long distance away before reaching the end?"

The faces of the crowd warped in horror.

Wu shi was the one who possessed the strongest cultivation in the expedition team, and even Guild Leader Han wouldn't be a match for him.

Yet, an expert of his caliber could only extend his Spiritual Perception ten meters into the lava. Just how long would it take for them to scan the enormous volcano that had a diameter of ten kilometers?

Furthermore, if the entrance of the ancient domain was truly located within the lava... would they really be able to enter it?

"Indeed. When I was at the surface, my Spiritual Perception could still extend several hundred meters away. However, the deeper I went, the greater the constraint on my Spiritual Perception. Eventually, when I reached my limit, forty meters deep, I could only extend it ten meters." Wu shi shook his head.

"If you could only persist for forty meters, and there was still a long distance to go before reaching the other side... how are we going to find the entrance to the ancient domain like that?"

The crowd glanced at one another with helpless looks on their faces.

After waiting for the opening of the seal for so long, were they going to be stuck right before the entrance, unable to do a thing at all?

Just as everyone was overwhelmed with despair from being unable to venture any further, someone among the crowd suddenly shouted, "Sh*t, the opening to the seal has closed up, too!"

Everyone hurriedly turned around to take a look, only to see that the light barrier had reverted back to its initial white color. The seven-colored bridge from a moment ago had also vanished from sight, as if signifying the complete closure of the seal.

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Chapter 1030: The Fearsome Lava (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

One of the master teachers tried to pass through the light barrier as he had done before, but as if ramming into a wall of concrete steel, he was knocked back by a powerful might.

"This..." The eyes of the master teacher narrowed in disbelief. "How are we to leave now?"

He wasn't the only who reacted in such a manner. There were also several other master teachers who rushed up to the seal to try it too, and upon realizing that they were unable to pass through it as well, their faces paled in horror.

Passing through the seven-colored light barrier from before had been extremely easy for them. It was just like diving into water, not impeding them at all. However, the current white, misty barrier before them was like a thick block of steel in their path; no matter how they rammed at it, it just wouldn't budge.

In other words, they were completely trapped! If they couldn't find the way to advance into the ancient domain, they would be trapped there with the lava until the next opening of the seal, provided they could survive till then.

"No wonder you told us that we might face great peril in the expedition, the ancient domain is indeed fearsome," one of the master teachers muttered to himself.

Before they joined the expedition, Wu shi and the others had repeatedly warned them that great peril lay in the expedition of the ancient domain, and they could very well meet their death there. Back then, they had thought that it was just an exaggeration, and they had not thought much of it.

In the end, before they had even entered the ancient domain, they had already found themselves helplessly lost. If that was the case, it was difficult to imagine the sheer extent of danger they would face in the ancient domain.

Guild Leader Han shook his head and said, "I said earlier that the seal would close within fifteen minutes. It is impossible to open it once more. The only choice we have now is to trudge forward!

"It is pointless to dwell on this matter anymore. All of us joined this expedition knowing that we would face such dangerous situations. At this point, the only thing we can do is find the entrance to the ancient domain."

"Un." The crowd nodded.

Having been warned of the dangers from participating in the expedition, most of the expedition members had already prepared in case something unfortunate befell them in the midst of exploring the ancient domain. Since it was already impossible for them to back out at this point, they could only muster their courage and advance forward.

Understanding the same logic, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the lava. At the same time, he forged a remote communication with the Myriad Anthive Queen.

Before long, the Myriad Anthive Queen replied, "Master, there is no folded space in the area. Even if there is one, it is most likely beneath the lava, where I am unable to sense it."

"There is no folded space in the area?" Zhang Xuan's expression turned stern.

Could it be that the entrance to the ancient domain really lay beneath the lava?

But even Wu shi was unable to venture too far down, let alone them!

It was only the entrance of the ancient domain they were at, surely it wasn't designed to be so difficult?

If that was truly the case, how did the old principal and his team managed to enter the ancient domain back then?

It is a pity that I failed to obtain the map form the Poison Hall, or else we wouldn't be in such a helpless position now. Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

If he had managed to obtain the map, he would have been able to find the route in easily. He wouldn't have been in such a difficult position at the moment.

Forget it, there is no point brooding over it now. I should try to use the Library of Heaven's Path and see if I can find anything instead. Tossing away those negative thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan descended toward the lava.

As the lava was a non-living object, it couldn't possibly utilize battle techniques or that sort. Thus, the only way to make the Library of Heaven's Path to compile a book on it was through touch.

Seeing Zhang Xuan flying toward the lava, Mu shi couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Senior Uncle, what are you doing?"

Knowing that he couldn't reveal the matter regarding the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "I am just taking a closer look at the lava."

A moment later, he was standing right above the lava. An intense wave of heat assaulted him, penetrating through his skin to sear even his bones, seemingly intent on reducing him to a crisp.

Scorching! Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in astonishment.

It was no wonder Wu shi was only able to venture forty meters in. The temperature in the area was far more frightening than he could have imagined. Even if he were to exert his full strength, thirty meters would probably be his limit.

Driving his Heaven's Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan expelled the heat out of his body before extending his hand toward the lava.

Flaws! Zhang Xuan willed.

Hu!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

"This lava is made out of rocks melted under the heat of the earth flames. It harnesses great heat within. It is made out of Bluedark Rock, Granite, Lapis, and many other minerals. Once solidified, it is an ideal material to construct a house..."

Upon reading the description in the book, Zhang Xuan staggered and nearly fell to the ground.

Construct a house... Construct your head!

That is not what I want to know, alright?

As stifled as Zhang Xuan felt within, it was somewhat within his expectations. The Library of Heaven's Path could only analyze the very item that he was touching at that instant and reveal its details.

This was similar to the many times he had attempted to collect multiple books into the Library of Heaven's Path simultaneously through touching the bookshelves, only to receive information on the material of the bookshelf instead.

Similarly, touching the lava only reflected the unique properties of the lava and not the flaws of the entire volcano.

In other words, the seemingly omnipotent Library of Heaven's Path was useless in this situation.

What could he do?

Rubbing his glabella in frustration, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to return to the others.

Seeing that even the miracle-producing Principal Zhang had been forced to retreat helplessly from the lava, disappointment surfaced in the eyes of Guild Leader Han. Sighing deeply, he instructed, "If it comes down to it, we will just have to allocate a region to each person and explore the lava pool bit by bit. Since the seal can be opened, I figure that the ancient domain shouldn't be located too deep into the lava. As long as we work together, we should be able to find some clues about the ancient domain's location!"

"Explore the lava pool bit by bit?" With grave expressions, the crowd nodded.

This was the only measure they could take at the moment.

Since there was no formation or anything hidden above the lava, there was a very good chance that the ancient domain was hidden beneath the lava. With no other alternatives at that moment, they could only comb the lava inch by inch, praying that they would find something soon.

"If... the ancient domain is located beyond forty meters beneath the surface of the lava, what should we do?" the head of Luoqing Master Teacher Academy, Shen Pingchao, asked with a deep frown.

Upon hearing those words, the crowd couldn't help nod in agreement as well.

Since even Wu shi was only able to reach forty meters deep, there was no way they could go beyond that. It would be great if they could find the ancient domain within the top forty meters of the lava, but if it was located beneath that point, there was no way they would be able to find it!

At this point, Luo Ruoxin spoke up as well. "Combing the area isn't a feasible solution."

Guild Leader Han turned to Luo Ruoxin and asked, "Oh? Does Luo shi have a suggestion to offer?"

"Just as the others have said, if the ancient domain is located more than forty meters beneath the surface of the lava, there is no way we will be able to find it. Furthermore, considering the sheer scale of the lava vent and how there are only thirty of us here, how long do you think it will take us to finish combing the area?" Luo Ruoxin said with a frown.

"This..." Guild Leader Han was stumped.

While most of the expedition members did possess Spiritual Perception, Wu shi had said earlier that its range of effectiveness would gradually be compressed the further one delved into the lava.

Furthermore, they would be unable to stay within the lava for extended periods of time either. At this rate, they would probably run out of zhenqi and succumb to the heat before they were able to find the ancient domain.

"What should we do then?" one of the master teachers asked.

"I am not too sure either. However, since the master of the ancient domain left a Life Gate in the seal for others to enter, there is bound to be a route that we can take; it is just that we haven't thought of it yet. As the saying goes, the sharpening of the axe is the key to woodcutting 1 . Instead of fumbling around, it would be better for us to first identify our goal before making a move. That should heighten our chances of success," Luo Ruoxin said.

The crowd nodded in agreement.

She was right. Spreading their net thin in hopes of striking lucky was a luxury they couldn't afford.

The circumstances they were in were simply too poor. Persisting for an hour, two hours, or ten hours was still doable for them. However, beyond a day, the fire poison would probably start to set in. Two days, and they would already be too feeble from the constant assault of the heat to search the area, and it wouldn't be too long before they were reduced to dried meat.

"Indeed. We have to first have a concrete idea in mind before carrying it out." Zhang Xuan nodded as he turned his gaze back to the lava once more.

The volcano vent was circular in shape, and at irregular intervals, a powerful spurt of lava would burst forth and strike the seal above them, creating a deafening explosion.

It was fortunate that they had released the energies accumulated in the seal before, or else there was no doubt that the powerful spurt of lava would have induced a huge explosion within here.

A thought suddenly surfaced in Zhang Xuan's head. Could the key be related to... the strength of these lava spurts?

He was certain that the old principal and You Xu didn't have to go through so much effort to enter the ancient domain. Based on You Xu's testimony, the group back then had encountered an energy storm as soon as they stepped through the light barrier, and it was then that You Xu had been swept into an unknown area and met with the Otherworldly Demons.

Energy storm... In other words, when they first entered, the seal was permeated with an overwhelmingly powerful force.

Could the 'energy storm' have been referring to the energies released during the opening of the seal?

If that was the case, it would mean that, while his earlier release of the energies had made the insides of the seal significantly safer, it had also effectively terminated their route to the entrance of the ancient domain.

Wait, if that is the case... does it mean that the area where the energies would have burst forth from during the opening of the seal is the area where the entrance of the ancient domain is located?

If You Xu wasn't lying, that could very well be the case.

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned his gaze toward the lava to examine it closely.

Coincidentally, a burst of energy surged forth from the lava at this moment. It came into contact with the area where his formation flag was planted previously, and it disappeared without a trace.

The point where he had planted the flag was where the greatest opening of the seal was located, and it prevented any energies from building up within the seal. As a result, the lava was relatively calmer, such that he had even forgotten about this matter himself.

I should give it a try! Zhang Xuan nodded in resolution.

Regardless of whether his conclusion was correct or not, the only way he could know for sure was to test it out personally. And honestly speaking, he couldn't think of anything else other than that.

The Library of Heaven's Path doesn't work on the lava, so the only way I can really check on it is to venture in. Wu shi is still in the midst of recuperating from his previous exertion, so I can only do it personally!

Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a huge cauldron appeared before him.

The Golden Origin Cauldron!

With the previous breakthrough, that fellow had already become a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, granting it strength on par with Saint 4-dan pinnacle experts. While its fighting prowess might pale in comparison to veteran experts like Wu shi, in terms of resistance to heat, the latter definitely came nowhere close to matching it.

The abrupt action from Zhang Xuan drew gazes from the crowd to him. Upon taking a look, they couldn't help but freeze in astonishment.

"The Golden Origin Cauldron... has become a Saint intermediate-tier artifact?"

Most of them were aware of the existence of the famed Guardian Saint Artifact of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but according to what they knew, it should only have been a Saint low-tier artifact. When did it advance to intermediate-tier?

There might only be a minor tier difference between low-tier and intermediate-tier, but the power disparity between the two was immense, as if the gap between heaven and earth.

"A blacksmith student whom Master took in on a whim yesterday night helped reforge my magnificent body, and in the midst of doing so, I advanced to intermediate-tier. What? Are you all envious?"

Seeing the shocked gazes directed toward it, the Golden Origin Cauldron burst into hearty laughter, and with blatant glee in its voice, it continued boasting.

"There is really no need for you all to envy me. It is only due to my outstanding talent that I am able to achieve breakthroughs so easily. The likes of you can't possibly hope to emulate my greatness."

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Chapter 1031: Entering the Lava

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Shut up!" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

"Roger that!" Hearing the bellow from its master, the Golden Origin Cauldron immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word.

Even though it had halted its words halfway through, the content that it had revealed thus far was more than enough for the others to make sense of the situation. Their gazes couldn't help but drift to Zhang Xuan.

"Took in an apprentice as his blacksmith student on a whim?"

"Reforge the Golden Origin Cauldron? Principal Zhang, what is going on?"

As a Saint low-tier artifact, it would at least take the strength of a 7-star blacksmith to reforge it and raise its grade. Yet, an apprentice that he had taken in as his blacksmith student on a whim had actually reforged it? What was going on?

A blacksmith apprentice... was someone who hadn't even passed the 1-star blacksmith examination yet, right? How could such a person help to reforge a Saint low-tier artifact?

"Last night, I met an apprentice who was trying to end his life..." Noting everyone's gaze on him, Zhang Xuan began explaining the matter that had happened the previous night. It was no secret anyway, so there was no need for him to hide it.

"An apprentice who couldn't even smith a Mortal-tier weapon was actually able to upgrade the Golden Origin Cauldron with just an hour of guidance from you?"

"T-this... Surely that is impossible." Hearing the story, the crowd felt incredibly frenzied.

To actually guide an apprentice in reforging his Saint low-tier artifact... Just how confident did one have to be to dare do such a thing?

Just how deep of an understanding of smithing did one have to command to be capable of pulling off such a feat?

"I have long heard that Principal Zhang possesses incredible smithing mastery, but this... it seems like I have still been underestimating him."

"Indeed. Just by this feat alone, it can be seen that his grasp over smithing is on par with 7-star pinnacle blacksmiths."

"How can we ever expect to match up with that?"

The principals of the other three Master Teacher Academies couldn't help but sigh bitterly at this point.

They had learned from Zhao Bingxu's words that the young man before them possessed an astounding mastery of smithing. All along, they had thought that 6-star pinnacle would be the cap, especially considering the other party's young age. However, upon hearing this, they realized that they had been taking Zhang Xuan too lightly.

One must know that even a real 7-star pinnacle blacksmith couldn't possibly guide an apprentice into successfully reforging a Saint low-tier artifact!

Different from what the others were focused on, Luo Ruoxin looked at the young man before her with widened eyes and asked, "You... After parting from me, you saved a person and tore away the hypocritical mask of an elder of the Blacksmith Guild?"

Zhang Xuan nodded. "Un. I was intending to follow you after you left, but it was then that I saw someone attempting to end his life. It was due to this incident that I eventually came late!"

"I see..." Luo Ruoxin shook her head helplessly.

She had thought that the other party was pig-headed when he didn't pursue her the previous night, and she had even flown into a rage over it. However, it seemed like she had misunderstood the other party.

As a master teacher, protecting the sanctity and dignity of teaching was clearly more important than one's own personal matters.

Nevertheless, despite knowing that he had been misunderstood, he didn't use this matter as an excuse to justify himself. Had it not been for the Golden Origin Cauldron bragging about the matter, she would probably have remained ignorant of it. His character was truly worthy of respect.

Not dwelling on the matter, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and explained, "I am guessing that the ancient domain might be located at the crux of where the energy is being released from in the lava. Thus, I intend to head in to take a look."

"The crux of where the energy is being released from?"

The crowd frowned.

"Considering the rampaging energies that are bound to be at the crux, even if there is a formation or folded space there, it would have been destroyed long ago. How could the ancient domain possibly be constructed there?" Guild Leader Han remarked.

He had taken that point into his analysis as well, and it was also the first possibility that he had eliminated.

The energies that had accumulated in the lava were so great that should an explosion occur, everything within a radius of a thousand kilometers would be reduced to ashes. Under the constant assault of such a powerful force, even the stablest of folded spaces or formations would have been destroyed long ago!

"I can't deny that, but the very energy that could be used to destroy the formation could also be used to sustain it! There are strengths and weaknesses to it, and with our limited understanding of formations, there is no way we can make a conclusive judgement on the matter. The only way to find out is to head down ourselves," Zhang Xuan replied with a wave of his hand.

"This..." Guild Leader Han's mouth opened to refute Zhang Xuan's words, but to his surprise, he found that the other party's words were logical as well.

As the saying goes, 'water can float a boat or sink it'. A powerful might could destroy the formation, but if a formation master could tap into it well, it could also become a powerful source of energy that further reinforced the might of the formation.

Of course, that would be a matter for higher ranked formation masters to frustrate over. With their current level of proficiency, it was still too far away for them.

"Alright, I will be going in to take a look!"

After explaining the matter, Zhang Xuan beckoned the Golden Origin Cauldron over and leaped into its body.

With the massive size of the Golden Origin Cauldron, it could easily house three to four people in it without trouble. Thus, Zhang Xuan could hide within it while exploring the depths of the lava.

Zhang Xuan did consider sending the Golden Origin Cauldron alone—that would have been much safer for him—but considering the unreliable nature of the cauldron, it was questionable whether it would be able to provide him with any useful information or not. Thus, he decided to make the trip down personally.

Seeing Zhang Xuan leap into the cauldron, Luo Ruoxin couldn't help but exclaim worriedly, "Be careful!"

"Un." Zhang Xuan flashed Luo Ruoxin a smile before fully entering the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"Here I go!" With an excited exclamation, the Golden Origin Cauldron began charging toward the area where the energies in the lava were originating from.

The previous blast of energy had just occurred a moment ago, and judging from the past occurrences, there would be a ten minutes interval before the next one. He could make use of this interval to dive in. Otherwise, if they were caught in the explosion, it was questionable if the Golden Origin Cauldron would be able to take the impact.

Gugugugu!

As soon as the massive cauldron descended into the lava, bubbles began popping up at the surface. Seated within the cauldron, Zhang Xuan felt heat assaulting him from all directions.

The Golden Origin Cauldron was a weapon cauldron, specially forged to retain heat so that it could melt even the most durable of metals. Given so, it was inevitable that heat would seep into the cauldron from the surroundings. While Zhang Xuan wouldn't come into direct contact with the lava by hiding within the Golden Origin Cauldron, given the sealed environment that he was in, the heat he would have to endure was nowhere beneath the heat outside.

Zhang Xuan began driving his Heaven's Path zhenqi, and the heat assaulting him alleviated significantly. A moment later, he stood up and said, "Ding Ding, stop!"

"Here?" The Golden Origin Cauldron was taken aback.

They had barely entered the lava, not having even ventured ten meters deep. To stop at this point... why?

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. "There is no need to go too deep... Wait here for me!"

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan drew out his soul from his glabella and slipped into the lava.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron had raised its cultivation significantly, its limit was unlikely to be much more than forty meters. Furthermore, it was also doubtful if he would be able to tolerate the heat while hiding within the Golden Origin Cauldron if they were to venture too deep. In truth, the reason he had gotten the Golden Origin Cauldron to enter the lava with him was to protect his physical body.

His true goal was to venture in the lava with his soul!

Due to the intangible nature of souls, while his soul would still be affected by the immense heat of the lava, the extent to which he was affected was significantly lower as compared to that of his physical body. Furthermore, he could also move freely around the area without being affected by the crushing pressure of the lava, allowing him to dive deeper and possibly uncover more secrets.

Indeed, it is as I expected! By entering the lava, not only is my soul undamaged by the heat, I can even absorb the surrounding energy to strengthen it! Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

As his soul was cultivated through the Heaven's Path Soul Art, he didn't suffer from Searing Yang Decline like other souls would, making him near impervious to heat. Had it been any other soul oracle, putting aside entering the lava, their soul would have already dissipated into nothingness just from the heat inside the cauldron!

This heat is ideal for refining weapons and ridding the impurities within. Could it be used to temper my soul too?

While a soul was intangible, just like Primordial Spirits, they were very much existent in this world. Since this heat could refine weapons, perhaps it could refine a soul as well?

I should give it a try.

Thus, leaving his soul floating freely in the lava, he began absorbing the heat from the surroundings slowly.

Tzzzzzzz!

A searing surge of energy began gushing into Zhang Xuan's soul. Under the tempering of the intense heat, his soul began to growing stronger and stronger. Just like he had imagined, the impurities contained within his soul was also being expelled continuously.

As I expected, it works!

He had been thinking that his soul was a little too bloated all along, making it a little troublesome for him to squeeze into his body. He had been wanting to refine it for a while now, but he hadn't been able to find a way to do so. The immense heat within the lava happened to be an ideal opportunity for him to do so.

However, this isn't the time for me to cultivate yet. While my soul might be unaffected by the burst of energies that occur once every ten minutes, the same cannot be said about the Golden Origin Cauldron. There is a chance that it could be blasted away by the sheer might of it, and that will pose significant trouble to me.

Even though Zhang Xuan wanted to cultivate and temper his soul, he knew that this wasn't the right time for him to do so. Thus, he stopped what he was doing and began diving further into the lava.

The most important thing for him to do at the moment was find the entrance to the ancient domain. As for cultivation, he would have plenty of opportunities to do so later on.

Just as Wu shi had said, the temperature grew higher and higher the further he ventured downward. Every ten meters he descended, the heat in the surroundings intensified significantly.

According to my calculations, the limit for Saint 1-dan cultivators is ten meters, the limit for Saint 2-dan cultivators is twenty meters, so on and so forth. As a Saint 4-dan expert, the limit for Wu shi is forty meters. Anything further is beyond his scope of abilities!

Zhang Xuan's soul ventured downward swiftly. In just a few breaths, he had already reached the forty-meter mark. Upon sensing the change in the temperature at this boundary, he came up with a deduction.

The forty-meter mark sure is warm. Even in my soul state, it is still a little hard to bear.

The previous thirty meters had not posed much of a threat to his soul, but as soon as he reached the forty-meter mark, the heat around him suddenly intensified greatly. The relentless assault of blazing heat was difficult for even his soul to withstand.

Continue on!

Driving his Heaven's Path Soul Art to alleviate the heat, Zhang Xuan broke the forty-meter mark and continued diving deeper.

As soon as he treaded beyond the forty-meter mark, he suddenly felt as if he had been thrown into a pot of oil. Despite the superior durability of his soul, it still began distorting out of shape under the assault of the overwhelming heat, seemingly ready to dissipate very soon.

Zhang Xuan's face darkened. This isn't working. This is a region that only Leaving Aperture realm experts are able to enter. Even in my soul form, I am already at my limit.

He had been thinking of venturing deeper in the lava by utilizing the inherent advantage of his soul's resistance to heat. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like he had underestimated how hot the lava was.

Considering how even a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm master teacher had nearly succumbed at the forty-meter mark, it was already rather incredible that his Transcendent Mortal 9-dan soul could come this far as well.

Enduring the pain, Zhang Xuan tried to trudge on forcefully, but upon crossing the fifty-meter mark, he felt that his soul was starting to dissipate. He was at his limit.

An increase in temperature signified an increase in the activity of a material at its fundamental level, thus making its existing structure unstable. This was similar to how solid weapons melted into metallic fluids under intense heat.

Souls couldn't exactly be considered a material, but when the temperature grew too high, even space itself would become unstable, let alone a mere soul.

Alarmed, Zhang Xuan hurriedly retreated back to the fifty-meter mark, and only then did he finally feel the dissipation of his soul stopping. At this point, he couldn't help but frown in distress.

I have already reached the fifty-meter mark, but the ancient domain is still nowhere to be seen. Could it be that my deduction is wrong and it is not located here?

He had come this far, but there was nothing to be seen. The only thing that was notable was the progressively increasing temperature. Just as Wo Tianqiong had said earlier, he was probably coming close to the Earth Core Lava.

At a place as warm as that, even formation flags would melt and folded spaces would collapse. Could he really have been wrong?

While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of contemplating, a rumbling suddenly echoed from beneath like a huge machine coming into life.

With narrowed eyes, Zhang Xuan saw an immense energy blasting straight in his direction.

Sugar! Why did the energies burst prematurely this time around? This is bad, really bad...

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Chapter 1032: Great Heaven Reversal Formation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

That force was powerful and ferocious. Reminiscent of a rampaging tsunami, before Zhang Xuan could do anything, it was already right before him.

He hurriedly turned around to flee, but right when he was about to do so, the ferocious energy tore a line right through the lava, and at the very end, rows after rows of buildings came into sight. In that moment, Zhang Xuan felt as if he was seeing a mirage.

It is indeed below the lava. Barely after this thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind, he felt an overwhelming force crushing down on him. Unable to withstand it, he ended up tumbling his way up.

Hong long!

Following which, he saw the Golden Origin Cauldron, swept by the immense force, blasting forcefully out of the lava, striking heavily onto the seal. A resounding chime reverberated in the air.

It was fortunate that the fellow had advanced to Saint intermediate-tier earlier, and he had released the accumulated energies beforehand. Otherwise, this single strike could have killed both the Golden Origin Cauldron and his body within.

"Principal Zhang!"

"Zhang shi!"

"Senior Uncle!"

Seeing the Golden Origin Cauldron being knocked out by the violent spurt of lava, the crowd that had been waiting outside for Zhang Xuan leaped in shock. They hurriedly rushed toward the Golden Origin Cauldron to check on their condition.

This is bad! Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in alarm.

Only his physical body was in the cauldron at the moment. If he attempted to return under such conditions, the master teachers, with their superior eyes of discernment, would surely notice that he was a soul oracle. Once that happened, he would be in deep trouble!

If it was discovered that the esteemed principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy practiced the arts of the heinous soul oracles, how would others view him?

But if his soul didn't return to his body, his body would remain cold and lifeless, no different from a corpse. If those fellows thought that he had died and attempt to cremate him... it would be too late for tears then!

To make matters worse, his body possessed the ability of Mind of Void. It would react instinctively before danger, so if any of them tried to cremate him, his body would immediately move to stop them. If his body were to end up killing a couple of them in that state...

Zhang Xuan's head was already hurting just from thinking of it.

Anxious, he was considering if he should just try his luck and charge out of the lava. Perhaps, he might be able to return to his body before anyone noticed him. However, in the end, he changed his mind and sent a telepathic message to the Golden Origin Cauldron instead.

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm experts. With a sweep of their Spiritual Perception, they would immediately notice the peculiar nature of his soul. Given so, the best and safest solution at hand was to have the Golden Origin Cauldron return to the lava.

"Ding Ding, come back!"

"No way, it's too dangerous down there..." The Golden Origin Cauldron shivered in fear.

You must be joking! Just staying down there for a few minutes nearly made my magnificent body shatter into bits. There is no way I am going to be so foolish as to go down once more to commit suicide.

On the other hand, seeing how a weapon cauldron was actually so fearful of death, Zhang Xuan felt so enraged that his lungs could burst from sheer fury.

What the heck is this? There are so many humans here who don't fear death, and yet, a Saint artifact like you ended up being the one who treats your life most precious.

Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

"As long as you come here, I will find a way to raise your cultivation to Leaving Aperture realm!" Left with no choice, Zhang Xuan could only attempt to lure it in with benefits.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron was fearful of death, it did have unquestionable loyalty to him. At times like this, if he could blind its fear with greed, it would be willing to do as he said.

"Leaving Aperture realm? Really?" The Golden Origin Cauldron leaped up in excitement.

There was a significant difference between the Leaving Aperture realm of Saint-tier artifacts and that of humans. While humans gained the ability to draw out their Primordial Spirit and exert overwhelming might, Saint-tier artifacts would have their spirits refined to a level comparable to Primordial Spirits. While its spirit would still be unable to leave its body and travel freely, it would gain the ability to control its form and sprout arms and legs.

Well, the sight of it was indeed rather bizarre and hideous, but nevertheless, it was a huge evolution for Saint-tier artifacts, a step toward them becoming independent beings.

"Don't worry, I always mean what I say!" Zhang Xuan said.

Raising the cultivation of a Saint-tier artifact wasn't easy, but it wasn't entirely impossible. He still had the Black Goldcrystal Ore that he had obtained from the treasure left behind by Wu Yangzi. As long as he could fuse it into the Golden Origin Cauldron's body, he should be able to raise its cultivation further.

However, there were great difficulties in doing so as well. He would have to melt the Black Goldcrystal Ore entirely in order to fuse it perfectly with the Golden Origin Cauldron, but ordinary earth flames weren't capable of doing so. It was unknown if even the lava deeper beneath would be sufficient to do the job.

"Alright then!" Receiving Zhang Xuan's word, the Golden Origin Cauldron dived back into the lava with a piercing shrill before the other master teachers could surround it.

"This..." Seeing how the Golden Origin Cauldron was moving around boisterously, charging back into the lava right after being blasted out of it a moment ago, they couldn't help but fall into a daze.

Putong!

After the Golden Origin Cauldron entered the lava, Zhang Xuan hurriedly slipped back into his body before flying out of the cauldron to appear before everyone else.

"Zhang shi, are you fine?" the crowd asked worriedly.

"I'm alright!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "When venturing below earlier, I saw quite a few buildings below. If I am not mistaken, the ancient domain is really right beneath there!"

"How deep is it?" Wu shi asked.

"This..." After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan replied, "I am not too sure, but I estimate it to be around a hundred meters deep!"

Even though he had only caught a glimpse of it, it wasn't too difficult for him to estimate a distance with his sharp eye of discernment.

"A hundred meters?" The faces of the crowd warped in horror.

Wu shi had nearly died from trying to dive forty meters deep; a hundred meters was clearly an impossible mission for them!

If that was where the ancient domain truly was, then it made no difference to them at all, since there was no way they were going to be able to access it.

"Do you have any idea how we can reach it?" Wu shi asked Guild Leader Han, only to see the latter shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Even he had no way of venturing a hundred meters deep into the ancient domain.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan spoke hesitantly. "I do have an idea in mind..."

"Oh?" Many pairs of eyes immediately gathered on him.

"That lava spurt earlier is extremely powerful. At its full force, it is capable of parting the lava, creating a temporary passageway that we can pass through. That was also how I managed to see the buildings below as well. We could make use of this passageway to slip into the ancient domain!" Zhang Xuan said.

The passageway only opened up for a brief moment, but as long as they made ample preparations beforehand and charged in swiftly, it was entirely possible for them to pass through it!

"It is not a bad idea, but... I fear that it might be unfeasible!"

"Indeed! Just think of how powerful the lava spurt was; even the Golden Origin Cauldron was knocked out of it. To attempt to travel against that overwhelming force... that is an impossible feat!"

Guild Leader Han and Wu shi glanced at one another and shook their heads.

The idea was not bad, possibly the best one they had so far, but it was a pity that it couldn't possibly be executed.

In the face of the powerful surge of energies from beneath, they would already be considered lucky if they weren't torn to shreds from facing it head on. To attempt to travel a distance of a hundred meters against it... that was clearly an impossible feat.

Taking a step back, even if it was possible, it was likely to take up considerable time. If the lava were to cave in on them while they were in the midst of traveling downwards, they would, without the slightest doubt, die there and then.

"You are right in saying that traveling against that burst of energies is nearly impossible... However, what if we were to follow the burst of energies instead?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Follow the burst of energies?" The crowd couldn't comprehend what Zhang Xuan was driving at.

That burst of energies originated from the depths of the lava, and it was headed up toward the seal. How were they supposed to follow the burst of energies down when they were traveling in the opposite direction?

Abruptly coming to a realization, Guild Leader Han asked, "Does Principal Zhang mean to gather the energy from the burst of energies through a unique formation and rebound it downward?"

"Indeed." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Guild Leader Han frowned. "But... that poses its dangers as well. Given how powerful that burst of energies is, if we fail to gather it well, it could very well result in a devastating explosion."

"Gather the energy from the burst of powers through a unique formation?"

"Rebound it downward?"

Hearing the conversation between the two, the crowd finally understood what was going on, and grim expressions surfaced on their faces.

They had witnessed the might of the burst of energies from the lava with their own eyes; it was overwhelmingly powerful. To gather it together and redirect it downward into the lava... it would be fine if they succeeded, but if they failed, considering the volatility of the energies contained within the burst, it could very well lead to a devastating explosion that would kill them on the spot.

"Do you have any other ideas then?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"I..." Guild Leader Han froze.

Considering that the lava was at least a hundred meters deep, there was indeed no easy way they could bypass it. The idea proposed by Principal Zhang could very well be the best one they had.

"The seal has already closed, so we can't back out anymore. If we fail to enter the ancient domain, death is the only possible outcome. Since we are already cornered as it is, why don't we take a gamble?" Zhang Xuan said.

The crowd nodded in agreement.

There were no other alternatives; they could only give it a try. They wouldn't last long if they didn't do anything.

"What do we do then?"

Having joined the expedition knowing that they might very well face death, it didn't take long for the group to make up their minds after some discussion. They hurriedly turned their gazes toward Zhang Xuan for instructions.

"Simple. Firstly, I need all of the grade-7 formation flags that you have. After that, pay close attention to my commands and move when I tell you to. We will be entering the Golden Origin Cauldron and charging through the lava pool in it," Zhang Xuan said.

As a Saint-tier artifact, the Golden Origin Cauldron was capable of expanding its size to a certain limit. At its largest, it could easily house thirty men without its insides getting too cramped.

Considering how there was a significant disparity in the flying speed of the expedition members, it would be best for all of them to advance together within the Golden Origin Cauldron instead. Firstly, it would be safer. Secondly, they would be able to travel faster this way as well.

"Alright!" Hearing the arrangements, everyone nodded in agreement.

There were quite a few grade-7 formation flags among the expedition members, especially with Guild Leader Han. All in all, Zhang Xuan gathered roughly five hundred formation flags, and he couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

It would probably be enough with so many of them.

The most important matter at hand was to find out how he could set up a formation that was capable of gathering and harnessing rampaging energies within it.

Considering the strength of the rampaging energies, the grade of the formation could not be too low. To be safe, the minimum requirement for it was grade-7 pinnacle.

"Guild Leader Han, you are the head of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Formation Master Guild. Do you happen to have any formation books and blueprints on you?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Formation books and blueprints? I do have quite a few of them." Guild Leader Han couldn't help but be taken aback by Zhang Xuan's request.

They were already going to set up the formation, so why was the other party suddenly asking him for books at this moment?

"I need to borrow them for a moment." Then, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and said, "If anyone else has any books regarding formation, pass them over to me as well. The formation that I am going to set up later will determine our life and death, so I dare not take it lightly. Thus, I hope to do some last-minute reading in hopes of heightening the chances of success!"

"Alright!" Knowing the importance of the matter, the other master teachers hurriedly took out all of the books regarding formations that they had on them and passed them over.

As expected of the head of a Formation Master Guild, Han Xu did have a lot of books on him. Just the number of 7-star formation master books that he alone possessed was more than several thousand. Paired with those from the others, there were around ten thousand of them in total.

Zhang Xuan swiftly scanned through the books with his eyes, collecting them into the Library of Heaven's Path and compiling them to form a Heaven's Path Formation Art.

While his consciousness was immersed within the Library of Heaven's Path, trying to take in the vast knowledge contained in the 7-star Heaven's Path Formation Art, his body was flipping through those books one after another, acting as if he was studying them carefully.

Two hours later, he had finally succeeded in internalizing the 7-star Heaven's Path Formation Art.

"Alright, I am done studying. You can take back your books now!" Zhang Xuan said.

After which, he closed his eyes and began making calculations. Very soon, a formation surfaced in his mind.

Having studied the 7-star Heaven's Path Formation Art, it went without saying that his comprehension of formations had reached the level of 7-star pinnacle, perhaps even being on par with some 8-star primary stage formation masters.

With his current proficiency in formations, it wasn't too difficult for him to identify a fitting formation for the geographical terrain he was in.

The best formation to use in this situation is the grade-7 pinnacle Great Heaven Reversal Formation. However... Zhang Xuan frowned. The formation is highly demanding on one's soul. I am unable to set it up with my current strength.

Based on his calculations, the current problem that they were facing could be perfectly resolved by setting up a Great Heaven Reversal Formation. However, there was an issue with that. Due to the complexity of the formation, the soul of the formation master had to have reached a certain level before they could set it up. However, his soul cultivation was only at Transcendent Mortal 9-dan at the moment, a long way off from being able to set up the formation.

I won't be able to set up the formation, unless... I can advance my soul cultivation further.

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Chapter 1033: The Appearance of the Ancient Domain

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

His soul cultivation was only at Transcendent Mortal 9-dan at the moment. Being a soul oracle, his soul was indeed significantly stronger than most Saint realm cultivators, but it was still far too weak from being able to set up the Great Heaven Reversal Formation.

As a grade-7 pinnacle formation, it was designed with the capabilities of a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm expert in mind. While Zhang Xuan's soul possessed similar capabilities with a Primordial Spirit, it was a pity that his soul was still too weak at the moment.

Unless... he could raise the cultivation of his soul!

Of course, there was Guild Leader Han around, and there was no doubt that he did possess a sufficiently strong soul to set up the Great Heaven Reversal Formation. However, the situation was a little different here.

The formation flags had to be planted near the lava, but this meant that the formation flags would be at risk of melting. As such, the formation had to be set up swiftly just a few moments before the burst of energies. On top of that, the activation of the formation also had to be spot-on, with only just a single second of error allowed. These two feats were something that Guild Leader Han was incapable of.

Furthermore, Zhang Xuan would only have perfect control over the formation if he were to set it up himself. If the slightest error occurred, the burst of energies could end up missing the ancient domain, thus causing his efforts to end in vain. Perhaps, they might even lose their lives due to it.

Zhang Xuan looked at the crowd and said, "I have already thought of how it could be set up, but I need to make some preparations. I will be entering the lava with Ding Ding to calculate the positioning of the flags. I might end up staying down there for quite some time, but I won't be in any danger, so there's no need to worry!"

He was intending to enter the lava to cultivate his soul, so it was likely that it would take a fair bit of time. Thus, there was a need for him to inform them in advance lest they dive down to look for him out of worry. That could end up being troublesome for him.

The crowd nodded.

After some discussion, Zhang Xuan's body entered the Golden Origin Cauldron once more, and the latter plopped forcefully into the lava.

The area that was chosen this time around was some distance away from the area where the burst of energies was triggered, so they wouldn't be in any danger.

Just like the before, the Golden Origin Cauldron stopped at around the ten-meter mark to hide from the Spiritual Perception of others. Right after all preparations were done, he was just about to draw out his soul when a thought flashed across his mind.

Hu!

An identical figure appeared in the cauldron.

His clone!

This place had the unique ability of refining one's soul, so it was a good opportunity to his clone to raise his strength as well.

After communicating for a bit, the clone also learned about the current situation, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

Huala!

His clone drew out his soul as well and said, "I will be going down to take a look!"

After saying those words, he dived down into the lava right away.

Seeing how swiftly that fellow ran away, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He quickly dived down into the lava with his soul as well.

With his previous experience, he headed all the way down.

Twenty meters, thirty meters, forty meters...

In the blink of an eye, he reached the fifty-meter mark.

The higher the temperature, the greater the refining effect on one's soul. While the heat was rather unbearable for his soul at the fifty-meter mark, it allowed his soul to grow at the fastest rate possible as well.

Where's my clone? Coming to a halt, Zhang Xuan was just about to begin cultivating when he suddenly realized that the fellow who had left ahead of him was nowhere to be seen.

He quickly took a look around him, and only then did he realize that the other party had dived right down to the sixty-meter mark and was currently cultivating with his eyes tightly shut.

The searing heat in the surroundings flowed into the other party's soul, refining it further, resulting in his aura growing stronger and stronger.

He was actually able to reach the sixty-meter mark? Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment.

The soul of his clone had come from the same source as him. Despite using his full strength, he was only barely able to reach the fifty-meter marks. On the other hand, his clone was actually able to reach sixty meters.

Treating Wei Ruyan has depleted a fair portion of my soul essence, and the deposition of a fragment of my soul into the Mausoleum Tablet resulted in significant depletion as well. That fellow has been a little stronger than me from the start, and those incidents have only served to widen the gap between us. Soon, Zhang Xuan managed to make sense out of the situation, and he couldn't help but sigh gloomily.

While he had recovered from those depletions eventually, his soul didn't manage to return to the wholesome state it had been before.

It was due to this that his clone's soul was able to progress way further than him.

Staring at his clone, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. No, this won't do. I have to hurry up and cultivate. Otherwise, how embarrassing it will be if I can't even match up to my clone?

While the others were busy dominating their clones, he was being dominated by his clone. This was unacceptable!

Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan focused his attention on driving his Heaven's Path Soul Art, and the heat from the surroundings began to flow into his body. The searing heat gradually tempered his slowly dissipating soul, making it more condensed and powerful.

Gugugu!

Previously, in the Subterranean Gallery, Zhang Xuan had already gathered the soul cultivation techniques of many Otherworldly Demons to compile the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan Heaven's Path Soul Art, allowing his soul energy to reach 34,000,000 ding.

Under the refinement of the intense heat, his soul, which was larger than ten meters, was gradually being compressed, but the might it wielded was rising swiftly.

35,000,000 ding!

36,000,000 ding!

37,000,000 ding!

...

As time passed, the rate at which his strength rose increased faster and faster, and his aura was growing more powerful and heavier as well.

Kacha!

After some period of time, his soul finally broke through its limit and advanced from Transcendent Mortal 9-dan to Half-Saint.

I made a breakthrough? Zhang Xuan was astonished.

As he hadn't compiled the Half-Saint Heaven's Path Soul Art yet, he had thought that it should be impossible for him to achieve a breakthrough. Yet, who would have thought that he would be able to do it through the sheer heat of the lava?

It seemed like gauging the strength of a soul by its size wasn't the way to go. What was more important was to refine it. The higher the purity of one's soul, the more nimble and powerful it would be.

In a sense, this was similar to zhenqi as well.

After achieving a breakthrough, Zhang Xuan felt refreshed. Lowering his head to take a look, he noticed that his clone had already achieved a breakthrough. Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seemed like the other party had even reached Half-Saint intermediate stage.

Humph! Gritting his teeth, Zhang Xuan began flying over to the sixty-meter mark.

Previously, when he attempted to head toward the sixty-meter mark, he had felt a powerful strain on his soul, as if it would be torn apart at any moment. However, with the refinement of his soul, his soul had become far more durable than before, allowing it to withstand the intense heat easily.

Continue! Knowing that the only way he could catch up with his clone was to be strict with himself, Zhang Xuan didn't stop at just the sixty-meter mark. Instead, he proceeded on to the seventy-meter mark.

Upon reaching the seventy-meter mark, he felt his soul quivering once more as a powerful force threatened to rip his soul apart. Not daring to advance any further, Zhang Xuan sat down and continued refining his soul.

With the enhanced rate of refinement due to the stronger heat from the surroundings, Zhang Xuan was growing stronger at a rapid rate.

At the same time, his soul managed to compress down to ten meters.

If I can compress my soul below ten meters, my strength will surely be enhanced significantly.

The ten-meter mark was a significant demarcation point for a soul. Back then, he had accidentally crushed the Huanyu Empire's Cleansing Lake in an attempt to break through that bottleneck.

If he could use the heat to compress his soul below ten meters at this point, not only would it become easier for him to slip back into his body, his strength would also be boosted significantly.

As the searing heat circulated through his soul to refine it, Zhang Xuan felt as if someone had placed him amid the inferno of hell. The excruciating pain that he was suffering at the moment was so unbearable that he felt as if he could pass out at any moment.

However, clenching his jaws, he forced himself to hold on. Some time later, a loud buzz sounded from his soul.

His soul had been compressed back below ten meters, and his cultivation had also reached Half-Saint intermediate stage.

I succeeded!

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He instinctively turned his gaze upward to take a look, but he realized that his clone wasn't there. Thus, he turned his gaze downward, and he realized that the other party, at some point, had overtaken him and arrived at the eighty-meter mark. The other party's eyes were closed, deep in cultivation. The size of his soul was only at nine meters, an indication that he had reached Half-Saint advanced stage.

That fellow...

Not expect his clone to be even faster than him, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He hurriedly dived further down as well.

Having compressed his soul back within the ten-meter mark, he was able to pass through the eighty-meter mark without any trouble.

Advancing ahead, Zhang Xuan went straight to the ninety-meter mark before he stopped to cultivate. This time, the rate at which his soul was being refined was extremely fast. Within just ten minutes, his soul had already been compressed down to nine meters as well. Knowing that his clone was bound to be faster than him, Zhang Xuan didn't bother sneaking the other party a glance anymore. Instead, he chose to focus all of his attention on his cultivation and continued on. Twenty minutes later, his soul reached eight meters, and his soul cultivation also reached Half-Saint pinnacle, ready to achieve a breakthrough at any moment.

At his current level, the heat at the ninety-meter mark was no longer sufficient for him. Thus, he dived further down, and as he had expected, his clone was already at the hundred-meter mark.

At this moment, the other party's cultivation was also at the same level as his, Half-Saint pinnacle. However, instead of cultivating, the other party was gazing downward, seemingly assessing something.

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan headed up to his clone's side and looked down as well. What he saw left him slightly stunned.

There was no lava beneath the hundred-meter mark. Instead, there was a massive barrier with innumerable buildings constructed within it, similar to what Zhang Xuan had seen earlier.

Is this the ancient domain? It is indeed below the lava! Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

He had only gotten a glimpse of it earlier, so he had not been able to confirm whether what he had seen was only a mirage or not. However, with this, the doubts that he had been harboring before had finally been entirely dispelled.

The ancient domain they were looking for was indeed at the bottom of the lava.

But... given how deeply hidden this place was, how in the world did the old principal and the others manage to get in back then?

Zhang Xuan touched the barrier, and it felt extremely sturdy, just like the white mist barrier of the seal above. In its unopened state, it was impossible for him to break through it.

Floating along the seal, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows suddenly shot up in alarm.

The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe...

Within the seal, there were several Otherworldly Demons that were advancing alongside the buildings. Naturally, they were unable to sense the two souls spying on them from beyond the barrier.

These Otherworldly Demons each possessed a cultivation of Saint 1-dan, and the killing intent that they exuded was strong enough to leave any man petrified in fear.

What are they up to? Zhang Xuan frowned.

In order to reach the bottom of the lava, their group had to go through so much trouble, constructing the Great Heaven Reversal Formation to redirect the force of the burst of energies back downwards, in order to pass through the lava. Yet, this bunch of Saint 1-dan Otherworldly Demons had actually been able to enter the ancient domain? How?

And what were they up to?

After making a few turns, the Otherworldly Demons soon arrived at a relatively small square in the midst of all of the buildings.

At the center of the square was a square altar with a massive closed door on top. There was an exceptionally sturdy seal, driven by some kind of power, cast over the entire structure. Dozens of Otherworldly Demons were scattered around the structure, attempting to break open the seal.

Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the door at the center, and he immediately felt a devastatingly powerful heat being emanated from the depths of the door. Even in his current state, he could very well be reduced to cinders if he were to attempt to go close to it.

What pure energy! Could it be that the lava in the surroundings was caused by the heat emanated from the door?

Due to the extraordinary heat of the lava, their group had been thinking that the lava was linked straight to an earth core, where the Earth Core Lava could be found. However, from the looks of it, their deduction was wrong. Most likely, the hundred meters of lava was likely the product of that door!

Hualala!

While Zhang Xuan was still taken aback by this shocking discovery, a towering Otherworldly Demon that possessed an astounding cultivation of Saint 4-dan suddenly walked into the square. At his command, the surrounding Otherworldly Demons roared furiously and began launching a powerful wave of attacks on the seal.

Hong long!

A brilliant glow shone from the door, and a powerful burst of energies blasted up. At the same time, the seal grew slightly thinner.

That burst of energies... Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

That was the very same burst of energies that had left them deeply troubled but they were planning to make use of!

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Chapter 1034: Crushed to Death

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

To think that the devastating might that threatened to decimate everything within a radius of thousand kilometers would have originated from there!

Who would have thought that it was a result of the Otherworldly Demons' attempt to break the seal?

It was no wonder the burst of energies abruptly started acting up a few days ago. Most likely, those fellows had been trying to break the seal since then.

He recalled what he had heard from Mu shi and Wu shi, about how a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan master teacher keeping watch over the area noticed an Otherworldly Demon loitering around the seal.

That matter had left Zhang Xuan perplexed for some time, but upon seeing this sight, everything suddenly came together like pieces of a puzzle.

Most likely, the Otherworldly Demons knew that their attempts to break the seal would result in the accumulation of energies within the area, and naturally, if an explosion were to occur as a result of it, they would be the first ones to be annihilated, standing at the very center of the blast. Thus, they intentionally let out news to the local Master Teacher Pavilion regarding their activities in the area before continuing their attacks.

Naturally, when the local Master Teacher Pavilion learned about the problems occurring with the seal, they would have no choice but to step in and intervene. While their efforts did save countless lives living in the area, it would be doing the Otherworldly Demons a huge favor as well.

This also explained why the interval between each burst of energies was irregular as well.

To break the seal, the Otherworldly Demons were launching their attacks in waves, taking a short breather in between so as to recover their strength. Naturally, the short breather that they took couldn't possibly be exactly the same each time around.

If that's the case, it means that the Otherworldly Demons have a way to effectively communicate with their fellow brethren remotely, Zhang Xuan analyzed grimly.

If that was truly the case, their expedition to the ancient domain would be more dangerous than ever.

The Otherworldly Demons that were attempting to enter the ancient domain at the moment might have been able to liaise with those who had entered two years ago, along with the old principal. That would mean that the other party commanded greater intelligence regarding the ancient domain than their expedition team.

After taking a look, Zhang Xuan finally understood what was going on, and a bitter smile surfaced on his lips. If the Otherworldly Demons hadn't attacked the seal, the heat emanated by the door would have gradually accumulated, and eventually, it would have grown too powerful and induced an energy storm that would part the lava above it, creating a natural passageway straight into the ancient domain. It is likely that the old principal made use of this energy storm to enter the ancient domain.

In the end, the reason they weren't unable to find the ancient domain wasn't because they had found the wrong place but due to his formation flag releasing all of the energies accumulated within the seal! If he hadn't made a move a few days ago, the Otherworldly Demons might very well have stopped their attacks due to fears that they would die from the explosion.

When the seal eventually opened, they would have been able to enter the ancient domain with ease through the energy storm. They would have been spared a great deal of trouble.

What the heck was with that!

Forget it, I should return to set up the formation now.

Having made sense out of what was happening, there was no point in Zhang Xuan remaining there. Thus, he beckoned to his clone before diving back up to where the Golden Origin Cauldron was.

It had been roughly been four hours since he had entered the lava to cultivate, and the others were likely worried sick about him by now.

This time, his clone was extremely obedient, not causing any trouble at all. After returning his clone to the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan had the Golden Origin Cauldron surface.

Just as Zhang Xuan had guessed, the master teachers and combat masters outside were indeed very worried about him. His emergence from the lava left all of them heaving huge sighs of relief simultaneously.

Zhang Xuan scanned the crowd and said, "I am finally done scanning the geographical terrain below, so it is time to start setting up the formation. Everyone, prepare yourselves! Enter Ding Ding and await my command. Once we succeed, we will set forth immediately!"

Knowing how important the matter was, the crowd nodded grimly. "Alright!"

Hu!

With a loud bellow, the Golden Origin Cauldron expanded itself to tenfold its previous size, around twenty meters wide. The crowd hurriedly got within it.

Instead of entering the Golden Origin Cauldron like the others, Luo Ruoxin headed toward Zhang Xuan and said, "I won't be going in; I will accompany you outside."

"It will be safer for you to get into Ding Ding. I fear that you might meet with danger following behind me." Zhang Xuan frowned.

If something happened, at least the Golden Origin Cauldron could bear the brunt of the blow. If Luo Ruoxin remained outside, she would be potentially exposing herself to grave danger. Furthermore, if she couldn't keep up with the group and the lava caved in on her...

"Don't worry, I still have a couple of life preservation means up my sleeves," Luo Ruoxin said with a light smile.

"... Alright then." Seeing how confident Luo Ruoxin was and recalling how she could very well be an offspring of the Luo Clan, one of the Sage Clans, Zhang Xuan relented.

"Ding Ding, listen to my command. When I order you to set forth, you are to move immediately. There mustn't be the slightest bit of hesitation from you!" Zhang Xuan turned around to command the Golden Origin Cauldron before flying up to the area right above where the burst of energies was headed towards.

It had already been around eight minutes since the last burst of energies, so the next one was due soon.

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out more than a hundred formation flags, and they floated right before him. Activating his Eye of Insight, he stared intently at the lava beneath him, waiting for the right moment to move.

Boom!

A moment later, the lava beneath began to flurry. A sharp glint flashed across Zhang Xuan's eyes as he flicked his wrist, and the formation flags swiftly flew down into their respective positions.

"Activate!" While standing in midair, Zhang Xuan stomped his feet, and powerful gusts of air spread into the surroundings like water ripples.

Weng!

A massive formation instantaneously came to life.

Hu!

The moment that the formation was activated, the lava beneath finally couldn't house the burst of energies anymore. As if a scissors tearing across a piece of silk, a massive rip appeared in the lava as the burst of energies headed right toward the massive formation.

Hong long long!

The instant that the burst of energies collided with the formation, it was absorbed and accumulated within the formation.

The Great Heaven Reversal Formation, when used in battle, had the effect of blocking the opponent's attack and returning it back at the latter. When utilized well, it could return the attack back at one's opponent without any loss of energy.

In other words, on top of being a defensive formation, the Great Heaven Reversal Formation had offensive means as well.

Of course, that was easier said than done, and the formation had its limits, too. For one, if the absorbed energy was beyond the durability of the formation, the person who set up the formation could very well suffer strong backlash and possibly die on the spot.

Seeing how the absorption of the power contained in the burst of energies hadn't resulted in the shattering of the Great Heaven Reversal Formation, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.

In truth, he had not been too sure if the formation would be able to withstand the immense might contained in the burst of energies either. It was fortunate that he had learned the 7-star Heaven's Path Formation Art earlier. Otherwise, even if it was Guild Leader Han setting up the Great Heaven Reversal Formation, the imperfections in setting it up could have resulted in the other party's formation being unable to withstand the violent burst of energies.

Worried, the crowd in the Golden Origin Cauldron had been keeping an eye on the situation outside with their Spiritual Perception, and upon seeing this sight, Guild Leader Han couldn't help but narrow his eyes in shock. Principal Zhang sure has a deep understanding of formations!

His initial plan had been to have Zhang Xuan hide within the Golden Origin Cauldron while he set up the Great Heaven Reversal Formation. However, upon seeing this sight, he felt relieved that he had decided to go with Zhang Xuan's call instead. If he had obstinately chosen to take on the task himself, not only would the expedition team have failed to get into the ancient domain, he could very well have died from the backlash as well.

Even though the Great Heaven Reversal Formation was a grade-7 pinnacle formation, the other party had managed to set it up so perfectly that it harnessed prowess on par with a grade-8 formation. There was not the slightest flaw that he could see in it—not only was it perfectly harmonized with his surroundings, it was even further reinforced by the heat of the lava beneath, granting it unimaginable prowess.

Amidst his shock, the burst of energies finally calmed down, and the formation was done charging up as well. Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up as he flicked out a formation flag, and he tossed it forward powerfully.

Tzzzz la!

Just like how he dealt with the huge accumulation of energies within the seal a few days ago, the formation flag struck an opening of the Great Heaven Reversal Formation, and an inconceivably massive burst of might blasted forth along the formation flag.

BOOM!

Under the incredible might of the blast, a huge opening was ripped through the lava.

" Go! " Knowing that this was their chance to head through, Zhang Xuan bellowed loudly, and the Golden Origin Cauldron hurriedly dashed into the opening.

Zhang Xuan swiftly shot a glance at Luo Ruoxin before dashing into the opening as well.

Knowing that the passageway through the lava would only remain open for a brief moment before closing in on them, he executed the Heaven's Path Movement Art and darted forth at the fastest speed possible.

Over the past few months, he had been trying to merge the Heaven's Path Movement Art together with the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, and just a few days ago, he had finally managed to do so perfectly. With the strengths of the two techniques merged together, Zhang Xuan was able to move as swift as a streak of lightning, allowing him to keep up even with the Saint 4-dan pinnacle Golden Origin Cauldron.

Luo shi... Fearing that Luo Ruoxin might have been unable to catch up, Zhang Xuan turned around to take a look, only to see her only around three to four meters behind him. No matter how fast he traveled, the distance between them didn't seem to lengthen at all.

As expected of an offspring of a Sage Clan, her speed sure is fearsome! Zhang Xuan nodded in awe.

Honestly speaking, even up to this point, he was still unable to discern how powerful the young lady behind him was. Nevertheless, considering how the other party was able to keep up with his Heaven's Path Movement Art—and judging from her leisurely look, it seemed like she wasn't anywhere close to exerting her full strength yet—there was no doubt that she was an expert.

Boom!

The Golden Origin Cauldron and Zhang Xuan passed through the hundred meters of lava in the blink of an eye. With a resounding crash, they landed in the ancient domain.

"Everyone, hurry out! There are Otherworldly Demons in the area, so be careful!" Zhang Xuan roared deafeningly as he quickly took his stance in front of Luo Ruoxin.

Based on what he had seen earlier, there were dozens of Otherworldly Demons in the area. While most of them were only at Saint 1-dan, there were quite a number of them around, so it was still imperative that they remained careful.

If the Otherworldly Demons were to attempt to launch an assault on them at this moment, their unprepared expedition team could potentially suffer quite a few casualties.

"Otherworldly Demons?"

The crowd hurriedly flew out of the Golden Origin Cauldron and swiftly put up a defensive formation, assessing their surroundings warily. However, with a look, they couldn't help but fall into a daze.

Wu shi looked at Zhang Xuan with a doubtful look on his face. "Principal Zhang, is this the ancient domain you spoke of? Shouldn't it be filled with buildings? Why is it... all rubble?"

"Rubble?" Zhang Xuan was surprised by the question.

He quickly took a look at his surroundings as well, and just as the other party had said, the exquisite buildings that he had seen just a moment ago had collapsed into rubble. Huge puffs of white smoke were rising from them, indicating that they had just fallen a moment ago.

"Could it be that... the Otherworldly Demons knew that we were coming, so they decisively chose to destroy the ancient domain in advance?" Zhang Xuan remarked.

"Cough cough..." Seeing Zhang Xuan's incensed look, Guild Leader Han said awkwardly, "They weren't the ones who destroyed it. Rather... it seems like the impact of the rebounded burst of energies was too great, to the extent that it not only tore the lava apart but jolted the ancient domain into the current state it is in as well."

The rebounded blast generated by the Great Heaven Reversal Formation was so great that it had ended up devastating the ancient domain as well.

"I was the one who did it?" Zhang Xuan's lips twitched in embarrassment. He had been praising his clone a moment ago for not causing any trouble this time around, but who would have thought that he would end up causing trouble instead?

What the heck was this?

"Right, where are the Otherworldly Demons? Did they flee?" Embarrassed, Zhang Xuan hurriedly changed the topic. Recalling those fellows that he had seen earlier, he quickly scanned his surroundings, but in that moment, a sheepish voice sounded in the air.

"Master, I think that... I might have accidentally... crushed them."

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Chapter 1035: Cinque Sun Branch

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Crushed them?"

Shocked, Zhang Xuan hurriedly looked beneath the Golden Origin Cauldron, and there, he saw a pile of flattened Otherworldly Demons.

Most of them were at Saint 1-dan, but there was a slightly larger figure who had reached Saint 4-dan. Nevertheless, unable to stand being crushed by the Golden Origin Cauldron, he was still reduced into meat paste. His entire body was plastered strongly to the ground, unable to torn off it.

Seeing that the Golden Origin Cauldron was still lying comfortably on a pile of carcasses, Zhang Xuan commanded impatiently, "Hurry up and move away!"

"Yes!" The Golden Origin Cauldron hurriedly leaped away.

Zhang Xuan began tabulating the number of carcasses in the area, and it tallied with the number of Otherworldly Demons he had seen earlier in his soul form.

Those fellows probably couldn't have imagined that the burst of energies would suddenly be rebounded on them, severely injuring them. After which, before they even attempted to escape, an enormous Golden Origin Cauldron fell upon them, crushing them to their deaths. In a sense, their deaths were quite tragic.

Well, at least they died quickly, so they didn't suffer too much.

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in distress. I was intending to capture one of them to find out how they managed to enter the ancient domain, and what that door over there is, but this... How am I to interrogate them now?

Not only did the rebounded blast from the formation destroy the entire ancient domain, the Golden Origin Cauldron had even crushed all of the Otherworldly Demons to death. Without any intelligence to work with, how were they supposed to advance?

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message into the Myriad Anthive Nest. "Violetleaf King, do you recognize this fellow?"

The Violetleaf King swiftly swept the surroundings with his Spiritual Perception before responding. "Young Master, I am not too sure about those Saint 1-dan peons, but that Saint 4-dan Otherworldly Demon is one of the Upper Five Kings, the Fireleaf King!"

"Fireleaf King?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

To think that the esteemed Fireleaf King of the Five Upper Kings would end up being crushed to death like cannon fodder, not even given the chance to speak a line at all. Wasn't this a little too pitiful for him?

"Indeed. The Fireleaf King has the ability to control heat and flames. In an environment such as this, he would have been able to display prowess far beyond that of a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert. How did you manage to kill him?" the Violetleaf King asked in surprise.

The Upper Kings were not only strong, each of them also possessed their own unique secret art. For the young master to have killed one of them and yet be unaware of his identity... the Fireleaf King sure was pitiful.

Thinking about it, it seemed like the young master had already defeated six of the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage so far. He really was the nemesis of the Qingtian Emperor.

"Ah, it was an accident..." Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

Since the other party was already dead, there was no point thinking too much into it. With a grasp, Zhang Xuan took the storage rings of the Otherworldly Demons and scanned through their contents carefully. However, there was no useful information to be found. Thus, he turned to the crowd and said, "The buildings might have collapsed, but there might still be useful items lying around. Let's try combing the area and see if we can find anything."

While the place had been mostly reduced to rubble, there were still some parts of it that were intact and discernible. If the old principal and the others had been here before, they might be able to find clues on them.

"Un." The crowd nodded before scattering into the area.

Seeing that Luo Ruoxin was standing still on the spot, Zhang Xuan turned to her curiously and asked, "You aren't going to look around?"

"If there is anything of use, the Otherworldly Demons will have long found and taken it!" Luo Ruoxin shook her head and said, "Since all of the Otherworldly Demons were gathered here when they were killed, there is no doubt that there is something amiss with the door. We might not have even entered the real ancient domain at all."

"This..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback before nodding in awe.

As expected of an expert from a Sage Clan, her eye of discernment was indeed extraordinary!

If they were already in the ancient domain, the Otherworldly Demons wouldn't have been wasting their effort trying to destroy the seal on the door. Besides, even if there were some treasures of the ancient domain lying around the area, the Otherworldly Demons would have long swiped them clean and stored them in their storage rings.

They couldn't possibly have left them behind for others to take.

As expected, it didn't take long for the others to return empty-handed.

Wu shi walked up and said, "The ancient domain is constructed within a cavern, and it is only roughly several hundred meters wide. We have searched around the area, but there is nothing at all. Should we try searching once more?"

After four hours of recuperation, he had already recovered to his peak condition. He could easily get a clear picture of the entire ancient domain by scanning it with his Spiritual Perception, and if there was anything to be found, he would have surely found it regardless of whether it was hidden beneath the rubble or not.

Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan said, "I see. There should be no need to search any further. If I am not mistaken, the secret should lie in this door over here!"

Hearing those words, the crowd turned their attention toward the door.

The door wasn't too large, roughly five meters tall and wide. It was covered by a seal, and from time to time, it would emanate a fearsome heat, making it difficult for anyone to approach it.

"Back when we charged through the lava, I noticed that the Otherworldly Demons had been attacking the seal, seemingly trying to open it," Zhang Xuan explained.

He couldn't say that he had seen it with his soul, so he could only justify it by saying that in such a way.

"Attacking the seal?" Wu shi repeated with a frown. Raising his palm, he stepped forward and struck the seal.

"Don't!" Noting Wu shi's action, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt his hair stand on end. He hurriedly yelled for the other party to stop, but it was already too late. Thus, he could only quickly bellow, "Everyone, get back!"

After saying those words, he anxiously retreated from the door.

Noticing the peculiar state that Zhang Xuan was in, the crowd quickly backed away as well. Not long later, the seal emanated a brilliant light, and a powerful burst of energies blasted upward, tearing through the layer of lava above them.

However, not too long later, the powerful burst of energies abruptly returned, striking the area where they had been standing a moment before.

The flattened carcasses lying on the ground were knocked into the air forcefully like rubber balls, and under the ravaging might of the burst of energies, their bodies were torn to shreds, inducing a rain of flesh and blood in the area.

"This..." Upon seeing this sight, everyone couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat off their forehead. This was especially so for Wu shi.

Had Principal Zhang not reacted swiftly and instructed the others to back away, the weaker members of their expedition could very well have suffered grievous wounds from the earlier shockwave.

He had thought that it was just an ordinary seal, but who would have thought that it would induce such a powerful burst of energies?

More importantly... there was still the Great Heaven Reversal Formation that Principal Zhang had set up previously. Any energy that they released from below would be returned back to them at full might. Just the thought of it was sufficient to send shudders down their spines.

"Not only is the seal sturdy, we will even have a rebound from the burst of energies each time we attempt to attack it. How are we supposed to break the seal like that?"

The crowd warily returned back to the door before staring at one another hesitantly, unsure of what they should do.

There was nothing else in the area, and the only thing they had was the door. If the place they were currently in wasn't the ancient domain, it was very likely that the door was the entrance to the ancient domain! But... given that they weren't able to shake the seal in the slightest, how should they proceed?

If they were to strike it, it would generate a burst of energies that would eventually rebound back onto them. In a sense, the current situation they were in was even harder to resolve than the one before.

"Those Otherworldly Demons were here for some time, but they were still unable to find an alternative solution to the problem. It won't be easy for us to do so either."

"Considering the rate at which the seal dissipates with each strike, it will at least take several days of effort to break it open."

Just thinking how they would have to face a few days of rebounds from the burst of energies left the entire expedition team trembling in fear.

After a moment of discussion, the expedition team was still unable to find a solution to the problem. Thus, Guild Leader Han turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Principal Zhang, do you have an idea in mind?"

After everything that they had been through, everyone had deep respect and admiration for the young principal. Even Guild Leader Han had no choice but to admit that the other party was far more knowledgeable and wiser than him.

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Allow me to contemplate for a while."

Under normal circumstances, as long as he could approach the door and touch the seal, he could resolve the problem easily. However... the heat that was emanating from the door was simply too great, such that he couldn't hope to get close to it with his current strength!

The seal was currently inactive, and Wu shi's earlier strike hadn't activated it either, only jolting it. As such, he was unable to compile a book on it.

At the same time, his Eye of Insight wasn't strong enough to see through the door either.

Let me see if I can get close to the door. Clenching his jaws, Zhang Xuan tried to walk over.

As long as he could do it, he would surely be able to find the flaws of the seal through the Library of Heaven's Path and resolve it.

Driving his Heaven's Path zhenqi as he proceeded forward, Zhang Xuan still felt searing heat assaulting him relentlessly, causing sweat to rain down his forehead.

Hu!

Eventually, he came to a halt. Lifting his gaze, he found that he was still twenty meters away from reaching the door. There was no way he could touch it from that distance.

Even though he had refined his soul earlier, it had done nothing to enhance his zhenqi and the resilience of his physical body, so his body's ability to fend off heat was still the same as ever.

My physical body is still a little too weak. If only I could cultivate it now and strengthen it. Zhang Xuan sighed.

It was indeed possible for his soul to touch the door, but putting aside the fact that he could not do so in front of so many people, he wouldn't be able to compile a book through the touch of his soul either.

His zhenqi cultivation was already at Nascent Saint pinnacle, and he needed the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence to achieve a breakthrough. Thus, the only way out was to find a way to enhance his physical body so that he could quickly touch the door and compile a book on the seal.

With such thought in mind, Zhang Xuan returned to the crowd and asked, "Does anyone here have a Cinque Sun Branch?"

"Cinque Sun Branch? Are you referring to a branch of the Cinque Sun Tree that only survives in extremely arid climates?" Wu shi frowned.

The Cinque Sun Tree was an exceedingly rare plant that only lived in areas rich in earth flames. It needed to be exposed to sunlight for long hours each day, and if it came into contact with the slightest bit of rainwater, it would immediately combust and turn to ash.

Due to this bizarre property, Cinque Sun Branches were even rarer than Saint artifacts.

"Indeed." Zhang Xuan nodded.

A Cinque Sun Branch was the final artifact required to cultivating the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body. As long as he could find one and absorb the aura of the sun sealed within it, he would be able to finally achieve Consummation 1 in this physical body cultivation technique!

It might only have been a single stage of difference between the Fourth Incandescence and the Fifth Incandescence, but it signified the difference between Major Accomplishment and Consummation. Upon reaching this stage, the five incandescences would finally form a complete system within the body, creating a cyclical relationship, thus enhancing the prowess that one's physical body could exert manyfold.

Upon reaching this level, one would be able to crush Saint 2-dan experts such as the Byzantium Helios Beast with just the sheer prowess of one's physical body.

"The Cinque Sun Branch is an extremely rare medicinal herb, but I have to say that you are really lucky. Just a few days ago, when I was looking through the market of Firesource City, I happened to find one and bought it. This should be it, right?" With a chuckle, Guild Leader Han flicked his wrist and passed over a wooden branch that was almost as thick as an arm.

The area around Firesource City happened to have the climate suited for Cinque Sun Trees to grow, so it would pop up in the market from time to time. Guild Leader Han happened to spot one while loitering around the market, and thinking that he could resell it elsewhere and earn a huge profit, he had decided to buy it.

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Chapter 1036: Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, Fifth Incandescence

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Indeed, that's it!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

The wooden branch in the other party's hand wasn't too large, but reminiscent of charcoal, it emanated intense heat.

There was no doubt about it; it was a Cinque Sun Branch!

He had casually asked for it, but who knew that Guild Leader Han would really have one in his possession, and such a large one at that? It was definitely enough for him to cultivate the Fifth Incandescence!

"How much does it cost? I will buy it from you!" Zhang Xuan asked as he took it.

When he took the formation flags from the others earlier to help everyone pass through the lava, it could be considered to have been a public matter with everyone's interests at stake, so it was fine for him to not pay for it.

This time around, however, he was intending to use the Cinque Sun Branch to cultivate the Fifth Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body and raise the prowess of his physical body. This was a private matter, and thus, it was only right for him to pay for it.

"This... We are venturing into the dangerous ancient domain together, and it is only right for us to help one another. How can I charge you for this?" Guild Leader Han shook his head.

As valuable as the Cinque Sun Branch was, it was only a material possession. Other than to sell it for a couple of spirit stones, it was of no use to him.

If the other party could use it to break the seal on the door and bring them into the real ancient domain, he could consider the item to have been put to good use.

"Those are two different matters and should be kept separate. If you don't accept my payment, I won't be able to accept the Cinque Sun Branch at ease." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"This..." Knowing that master teachers were obstinate about their own values, Guild Leader Han knew that it would be improper for him to insist on the matter. Thus, he could only shake his head with a bitter smile and say, "I bought the branch at two hundred high-tier spirit stones, so I will sell it to you at the same price as well."

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded and passed two hundred high-tier spirit stones over.

With the profits from the sales of the Cloudmist Flowers and the fortune he had procured from emptying out the storage rings of the Otherworldly Demon Kings that he had subdued thus far, he had more than ten thousand high-tier spirit stones with him at the moment. This bit of money was nothing to him.

Guild Leader Han accepted the spirit stones with a helpless expression on his face, but his admiration for the young man couldn't help but deepen.

Putting aside Zhang Xuan's incredible knowledge on formations despite his young age, his self-discipline was truly admirable. He had a clear idea of what should be done and what should not be done, and he didn't allow greed to blind him.

A principled person like him was a true blessing to mankind, and there was no doubt that he would eventually go on to achieve great things in the world.

The other master teachers nodded in approval at that sight.

The young man before them was truly the embodiment of the word 'upright'.

It was no wonder he had become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy at such a young age whereas they had still been humble nobodies at his age. Just the thought of it left them reddening in embarrassment.

This was especially so for Liu Mo 1 . If only there was a hole in the ground, he would have dived in without the slightest hesitation.

Back when he first met the young man, he had thought that the other party was too arrogant, and he had even berated the other party for it. Yet, not only did the other party manage to resolve the problem with the seal, the other party was even the one who led them through the lava.

His capability was truly something that Liu Mo could never hope to match up with.

If the other party was the brilliant moon in the sky, Liu Mo was the humble dirt on the ground; that was the vast, unbridgeable distance between them.

"I am going to cultivate using the Cinque Sun Branch now, so please do make use of this time to rest and recuperate. The seal could very well be the path to the ancient domain, and it is unknown what kind of peril we will face there. To heighten our chances of survival, we should ensure that we are in our peak state so that we are ready to face any dangers that come our way," Zhang Xuan said.

The crowd nodded.

After which, Zhang Xuan headed to a quiet corner of the rubble and sat down. Holding the freshly obtained Cinque Sun Branch in his hands, he drove his zhenqi and began cultivating.

Boom!

The energy within the branch flowed through his meridians and nourished every single cell, inducing a qualitative evolution in his body.

The Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body served to strengthen the vitals of one's body and, through doing so, enhance the strength that one was able to exert.

Having patched up the flaws of the Quintuple Incandescence Body, it had become a Heaven's Path cultivation technique. Naturally, he was able to cultivate the Fifth Incandescence swiftly without any problems.

The immense energy flowing through his meridians stimulated his entire body, such that even his blood began to metamorphose as well.

Two hours later...

A resounding echo sounded from his body as the five incandescence in his heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys came together to form a smooth cyclical flow. A brilliant light shone from Zhang Xuan's body, and in that instant, it felt as if his body had become indestructible.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan's physical appearance changed slightly as well. His height grew slightly taller, his shoulders became slightly broader, and his waist grew slightly slimmer, forming a perfect streamline figure.

Feeling the power flowing through his body, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and clenched his fists tightly together. Wonderful!

With the sheer might of his physical body in itself, the current him could kill Saint 2-dan experts easily. In terms of resilience, his body was already comparable to a Saint artifact!

A Saint low-tier artifact to be exact, but nevertheless, it was still extremely fearsome.

Should someone attempt to hack the Glacier Rain Sword down on him right now, there was no doubt that it was the Glacier Rain Sword that would shatter.

In fact, even if he were to go head-to-head with the Golden Origin Cauldron, he wouldn't lose by much.

It could be said that the current him was no different from a human-shaped weapon. Even without a weapon in hand, he was still capable of causing devastating damage.

Hu!

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan swiftly concealed the changes in his body and stood up.

It was inconceivable for one's body to grow so much stronger with just a short moment of cultivation. There was no such thing as being too careful. In order to avoid any unnecessary trouble, it was still best for him to maintain a low profile.

Lowering his gaze to take a look, he noted that the energy contained within the Cinque Sun Branch was nearly completely depleted.

Stowing it in his storage ring, he stood up and returned to the door.

Before he could even reach the door, he saw the crowd sitting in a straight line before the door, creating a rather bizarre sight.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, the combat master at the very back stood up and greeted him. "Principal Zhang, you have returned."

"What are you doing?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

If you want to cultivate, so be it. But to be sitting in such a neat line as if you are queuing up at the cafeteria for food... What the heck?

"Ah, it's like this. Earlier, Wu shi realized that it is possible to use the heat released by the door to refine one's zhenqi and make it even purer. Thus, we began cultivating using it. However, due to our differing tolerance to heat, we can only select positions that are suited to us," the combat master explained.

"Differing tolerance to heat?" Zhang Xuan nodded contemplatively.

The fact that the sheer heat emanated from the door could melt the rocks within a hundred meters into lava clearly showed how fearsome it was. The extreme conditions produced by the door were indeed very suitable to refine one's zhenqi.

However, just as the other party said, everyone had a differing tolerance to heat. It was just like how his soul could only advance fifty meters at the start, but after cultivating for a bit, he was able to advance further and eventually reach the hundred-meter mark.

"Indeed. The few of us can only cultivate at a distance of forty meters away from the door, or else our cultivation could very well go berserk. Speaking of which, Wu shi and the others sure are fearsome. They are actually able to stand the heat at fifteen meters away," said the combat master as he shot a glance at the few figures in front with admiration gleaming in his eyes.

Zhang Xuan nodded. "To be able to withstand the heat at fifteen meters away, it seems like their physical bodies, souls, and zhenqi are pretty strong."

Zhang Xuan had only been able to reach twenty meters away from the door himself when he tried earlier. The fact that Wu shi and the others were able to reach fifteen meters away was indeed incredible.

The combat master suddenly recalled a matter and asked, "Right, Principal Zhang, didn't you leave to cultivate? Are you already done?"

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. "Alright, I'll leave you to cultivate here."

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan began walking forward. In the blink of an eye, he was twenty meters away from the door.

At this moment, only Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, Feng Xun, and a couple of others were in front of him. Even Wo Tianqiong and the other principals were behind him at the moment.

"Principal Zhang... walked over there just like that? Wasn't he unable to hold on earlier?"

Seeing how the young principal casually proceeded toward the twenty meters mark as he nodded at the other master teachers and combat masters while passing by them, gesturing for them to remain seated and continue with their cultivation, the lower jaws of the combat master nearly fell to the ground.

At the same time, Feng Xun, who was seated at the nineteen-meter mark, saw Zhang Xuan walk past him with a smile on his face, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He was a Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivator, a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, and coming to the nineteen-meter mark had nearly cost him his life. He had needed to sit down immediately to cultivate so that he could neutralize the fire poison in his body. Yet, that fellow was walking past him casually with a bright smile on his face, as if he was just wandering the streets, not pressured by the heat in the least. Did he have to be so exaggerated?

Wondering how far the other party would be able to proceed, Feng Xun's gaze followed Zhang Xuan, and before long, he saw the latter walk up to Wu shi and begin chatting with him.

"Wu shi, there is no need to get up. I am just heading over there to take a look, so do continue with your cultivation. There's no need to stand on ceremony."

Following which, the other party continued proceeding forward with a smile on his lips. Fourteen meters, thirteen meters, twelve meters... In the blink of an eye, he was already within ten meters of the door.

The searing heat induced a sizzling sound from his clothes, which were seemingly ready to break apart at any moment. Yet, Zhang Xuan continued walking forward with the same bright smile from before, as if he was completely impervious to the heat.

"This..."

This time, Feng Xun wasn't the only one who was shocked silly. Even Wu shi and Guild Leader Han ended up trading shocked glances with one another, and their mouths began twitching from the sheer ridiculousness of the sight before them.

Fifteen meters already left them feeling as if their bodies were going to rip apart, and that fellow had actually managed to walk within ten meters. On top of that, his face even had a smile plastered on, as if it was nothing at all. That monster...

Eight meters, seven meters, six meters...

As the other party slowly proceeded closer to the door, his eyebrows inadvertently shot up, seemingly starting to feel the pressure.

Hong long!

Zhenqi abruptly burst forth from the acupoints of the other party, wrapping his body.

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi gulped. "He is only using his zhenqi when he is five meters away from the door? Just how powerful is his physical body?"

When Zhang Xuan walked leisurely past him, seemingly unfazed by the heat, he had thought that the other party was just putting on an act. However, seeing that the other party was only driving his zhenqi when he was five meters away from the door, he realized that he had been sorely mistaken.

The other party was truly unfazed by the heat!

But still, to only have to drive his zhenqi when he was within a five meters radius of the door... wasn't his physical body a little too strong?

Could the other party have gone away to cultivate his physical body?

But... it was common knowledge that the physical body was the most difficult of all to cultivate! How did he manage to make such a huge breakthrough in his physical body cultivation within just two hours?

Amidst his shock, he saw Principal Zhang walk all the way up to the door, raise his hand, and place it on the door. After that, he abruptly retreated eight steps before coming to a halt.

He closed his eyes, seemingly musing over something.

A moment later, he opened his eyes once more, and with a deep frown, he stared at the door ahead of him with a peculiar expression on his face.

"This... how is it possible?"

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Chapter 1037: The Frenzied Luo Ruoxin!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Noting the peculiar expression on Zhang Xuan's face, Wu shi couldn't help but ask, "Principal Zhang, is there something wrong with the seal?"

In his view, Principal Zhang was a person who would retain his composure even if the world was about to collapse on them. Yet, for him to show such an expression at this moment... something huge must have happened!

"Oh, it's nothing much. I just find it a little weird..." Zhang Xuan's words petered out into silence, seemingly not intending to say anything more about it. He walked to a distance of forty meters away and beckoned everyone over. "Everyone, halt your cultivation for just a moment. Let's discuss how we should break the seal and enter the door."

Hearing those words, the crowd hurriedly rushed over with eyes lit up in excitement. "Principal Zhang, have you found a way to overcome the seal?"

"I did manage to find a way, but..."

Scratching his head, Zhang Xuan had no idea where he should start from. What he had just seen was simply too inconceivable for anyone to believe to be true. Thus, he decided to just get straight to the point. "Do any of you have the Spirit Solution of Vigor with you?"

"Spirit Solution of Vigor?"

Everyone glanced at one another in astonishment, not knowing why Zhang Xuan was asking such a thing.

Spirit Solution of Vigor was the academic name for the urine of saint beasts so that it didn't sound as crass. Usually, cultivators would take some when they travelled so that they could demarcate a zone to prevent spirit beasts from harassing them at night.

Back when Zhang Xuan challenged You Xu to a Physician Life-and-Death Duel, he had forced You Xu to drink it, leaving him feeling so indignant that he nearly spurted blood.

"Considering how old the ancient domain will be, I assumed that there wouldn't be any saint beasts and spirit beasts, so I didn't bring any along with me."

"Same as well. I usually bring some with me, but as I grew stronger, I found that the occasions I needed any were growing fewer and fewer. Furthermore, it feels a little crass to have such an item in my storage ring, so I threw it away!"

"We of the Combat Master Hall never use such a thing. If spirit beasts dare to engage us, we just slaughter them. As long as enough blood is shed, the others know better than to provoke us."

...

The crowd shook their heads.

Those who had participated in the expedition were all respectable individuals; Han Xu was the head of the Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild; Wu Rufeng and Mu Yuan were 7-star master teachers; Wo Tianqiong, Shen Pingchao, and Wu Ran were the principals of Master Teacher Academies.

Given so, they would never keep something as crass as the urine of saint beasts in their storage rings.

As for the Combat Master Hall, they didn't have the habit of bringing the Spirit Solution of Vigor with them. Thus, it turned out that there was no one in the expedition team who had it!

"None of you have any?" Zhang Xuan pinched his glabella before turning to Luo Ruoxin.

Noting Zhang Xuan's gaze on her, the young lady snorted, "I don't have any either!"

"I see. Since no one has any with them..." Zhang Xuan shook his head regrettably before taking out a pile of pots, bowls, gourds, and woks and saying helplessly, "We will just have to do it ourselves."

Pu!

Everyone staggered weakly and nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

From searching for the Spirit Solution of Vigor to having us produce it ourselves... What the heck is with this twist?

Furthermore, we are all respectable figures! To urinate like that...

Everyone felt like their mind was going to blow from the sheer insanity of the situation they were facing.

Ignoring the conflicted faces around him, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Hurry up. Also, we will need as much as possible. Whether we can break the seal or not will depend on how much you are able to produce!"

"I..."

In that moment, everyone felt like crying.

"Alright. Gauge your own personal circumstances and grab a tool that is the most suited for you," Zhang Xuan said as he gestured at the pots, bowls, gourds, and woks beside him.

He had obtained all of those from the storage rings of the Otherworldly Demons. Those were probably the tools that they used to cook, and they were exceptionally clean, making them ideal containers to store their urine.

"Alright then..."

Seeing the earnest look on Zhang Xuan's face, the crowd could tell that he wasn't just trying to make fun of them. Thus, after exchanging glances, they eventually nodded before grabbing an item each with gritted teeth.

Hu hu hu!

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight.

There was no way they were going to urinate in front of so many people; it was too embarrassing!

Soon, only Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin were left in the square.

Seeing that the young lady hadn't taken anything yet, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before picking up a cup from the ground. "Cough cough. This is for you."

"You..."

Luo Ruoxin's teeth were gritted so tightly together that it seemed as if they were going to chip from the immense pressure between them. She glared coldly at the fellow before her, tempted to kill him with a single slap.

"What's wrong?" Noticing Luo Ruoxin's look of displeasure, Zhang Xuan panicked. "Is it too small? Then... what about this?"

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan hurriedly passed a huge pot over.

"Scram!" Luo Ruoxin bellowed furiously, nearly driven insane by Zhang Xuan's actions.

She had always been considered a goddess regardless of where she went, an existence whom others looked up to. Yet, this fellow actually passed her a cup... And, as if that wasn't bad enough, he even tried to pass her a pot afterwards!

Are you trying to say that I will be able to fill that huge pot up?

Shall I show you what hell looks like?

Not expecting the other party to snub his goodwill and even bellow at him to scram, Zhang Xuan pouted in indignation. "If you are unwilling to do it, so be it. There is no need to get angry over it..."

"You..." Luo Ruoxin felt the final string of rationality in her mind threatening to snap.

In her entire life, she had never gotten emotional over anything, as if a spectator of the world or a still painting. However, ever since she met this fellow, she had found all kinds of emotions coming to her. It was as if someone had vanquished the silence from her life.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave." Seeing how Luo Ruoxin would erupt if he said a word more, Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned around and fled.

However, even after Zhang Xuan's departure, Luo Ruoxin still felt the flames of anger burning intensely within her, unable to be quelled without a good beating of him. While she was considering whether or not she should catch up to fellow back and give him a piece of her mind, she suddenly heard a distressed voice from not too far away.

"I don't have anything to pee out of! What do I do? Can anyone help me?"

Luo Ruoxin turned her gaze over and saw the Golden Origin Cauldron looking around anxiously, seemingly looking for help.

"Don't leave! Won't any of you aid me? Or, Master, can you smith one for me?"

"..."

Dark lines streaked across Luo Ruoxin's face.

Just what kind of people had she gotten involved with?

...

Oblivious to the reason behind the young lady's rage, Zhang Xuan found himself an isolated area as well. However, at this moment, a thought flashed across his mind, and he slapped his forehead in realization.

How could I have been so silly?

The next moment, he disappeared from the spot and entered the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Floating in midair, Zhang Xuan loudly bellowed, "All of you, come over!"

Hu hu hu!

In the blink of an eye, all of the saint beasts within the Myriad Anthive Nest flew over.

Knowing that the ancient domain would be dangerous, he had made sure to bring a few more saint beasts with him when he returned to the Master Teacher Academy. Taking into account the Byzantium Helios Beast and the nine kings of the Cloudmist Ridge as well, he had more than several dozen saint beasts in the Myriad Anthive Nest in total.

"I need all of you to urinate for me!" Saying those words, Zhang Xuan passed a pile of pots toward the beasts as well.

"Roar?"

"Roar!"

The beasts were bewildered by the abrupt command, but considering that the other party was their master, they dared not act against his command. Thus, they took a large pot each and turned around.

In an instant, an overwhelming stench filled the Myriad Anthive Nest.

A few moments later, the beasts returned with huge pots in their hands, each weighing ten jin 1 at the very minimum.

Quite a number of these saint beasts had massive physiques, boasting both heights and lengths of several meters. Naturally, the amount of urine they released was also proportionate to their size.

"Not bad!"

Seeing how the bunch of fellows didn't disappoint, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. With a swift movement, he poured all of the Spirit Solution of Vigor together into a massive pail. All in all, it weighed more than two thousand jin!

"Alright, you all can get back to whatever you were doing previously!" Zhang Xuan dismissed the saint beasts with a wave of his hand before leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Returning back to the door, he noted that there were quite a few people who had returned. Most of them were from the Combat Master Hall.

"Here is what you needed!" Feng Xun harrumphed as he passed a pot over.

The others also hurriedly did the same as well, but the quantity wasn't a lot. The ten or so members of the Combat Master Hall had only produced around half a pot in total.

"So little?" Zhang Xuan glanced at the pot before turning his gaze back to the powerful-looking members of the Combat Master Hall with a deep frown.

So many lively young men, and yet, this was all they could produce?

Recalling how badly he had been pummeled, Feng Xun suddenly felt a surge of rage and lashed out. "Little? What about yours? Why don't you bring yours out to show us then?"

"I..." Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when Wu shi, Mu shi, Wo Tianqiong, and the other master teachers flew over. Their faces were all reddened in embarrassment.

Putting theirs together, they realized that their amount didn't even come close to the combat masters'.

"This..." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a surge of helplessness.

It was fortunate that he was sharp enough to think of a backup plan, or else, with that pitiful amount that all of them had produced, it wouldn't even be enough to water a plant, let alone break a formation.

"Forget it, the amount you all have is too little. Let's use mine instead!" Seeing how the amount from everyone combined did not even add up to a single pot, Zhang Xuan shook his head and tossed it aside casually.

Feeling humiliated by Zhang Xuan's words, Feng Xun lashed out furiously. "Use yours? Can yours be more than all of us combined?"

"This is mine."

Boom!

A massive wooden pail weighing over two thousand jin 2 fell onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust in the air.

Pu!

"How is that possible?" Seeing the massive pail, the eyes of the combat masters and master teachers couldn't help but fly around the place, frenzied by what they were seeing.

Even if your bladder is big, surely there should be a limit to it. With so much water, it could easily drown you several times over. How in the world did you manage to find so much water within you?

The one who took the heaviest blow from this matter was naturally Feng Xun. He felt blood gushing up his throat once more.

Just how in the world did you manage to pull this off?

It is one thing for you to be strong, but to be able to urinate so much... is there a folded space in your bladder?

If we had known that you were able to produce so much, we wouldn't have bothered going through all the trouble!

"Alright, I'm going to break the seal now."

Ignoring the looks on the faces around him, Zhang Xuan raised the pail with his hand, and with a step, he flew into the sky, heading for the seal.

On the other hand, hearing that Zhang Xuan was about to break the seal, the others quickly snapped out of their frenzied states and hurriedly turned their gazes toward the door.

They had studied the seal carefully earlier, but they had not been able to find any other method to break it. Even the Otherworldly Demons that had come before them had been left with no choice but to resort to brute force, attacking it relentlessly. Yet, Principal Zhang was actually able to find a solution just by touching it, instructing them to gather their urine right afterward.

Everyone was curious to see just what the method of breaking the seal was for it to require urine.

Hu!

Before everyone's gazes, Zhang Xuan arrived directly above the door, and with a grim look, he tapped on the bottom of the pail.

Boom!

A huge hole immediately appeared in the pail, and the content stored within fell toward the seal.

Tzzzzzzzz!

As if sulfur meeting metal, upon contact with the seal, a sound of corrosion immediately sounded from the seal. In an instant, the incomparably sturdy seal dissipated into nothingness.

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Chapter 1038: How Big!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This…" Taking the scene into sight, Guild Leader Han suddenly thought of something, and his eyes narrowed. With a quivering voice, he said, "I've got it…" "Got it?"

"What's going on?"

Seeing that Guild Leader Han had managed to make sense out of what had just happening, the confused crowd immediately turned their gazes to him.

Even the full might attack from the Saint 4-dan Wu shi had barely fazed that seal, so why would pouring a little of… that kind of stuff dissipate it?

"If I am not mistaken, the seal is probably of pure yang attribute, which makes it extremely vulnerable to contamination and water. If it was only plain water, the seal wouldn't have fallen apart that easily. But if one were to use the Spirit Solution of Vigor, it would curb the pure yang attribute of the seal, resulting in its swift dissipation," Guild Leader Han explained.

"Do formations of pure yang attribute have such properties? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Wu shi frowned.

He had met quite a few pure yang formations before, but he had never heard that they could be destroyed so easily with urine. If that was truly the case, wouldn't the existence of such formations be completely meaningless?

"Ordinary pure yang formations don't have such a property, but… if it is a perfected pure yang formation, that would be a different matter. Actually, most formations are vulnerable to contamination. For example, there are reports of a group that was trapped in a Confinement Formation for an extended period of time, unable to break out. However, when one of the ladies in the group gave birth 1 , the spiritual energy powering the formation abruptly dispersed, resulting in the collapse of the formation!" Guild Leader Han said.

"That…" Mu shi nodded in agreement. "I think I have heard of such a matter as well."

It was due to this that there were those who used the blood released by a pregnant woman during childbirth to forge artifacts to destabilize and destroy formations.

After explaining the matter, Guild Leader Han couldn't help but glance at the young man not too far away and remark meaningfully, "But to be able to tell the flaws of the seal with just a single look, Principal Zhang's comprehension of formations has reached an astounding level."

In truth, breaking a perfected pure yang formation wasn't as easy as just pouring the Spirit Solution of Vigor on it. If one failed to find the crux of the formation and weaken it with the Spirit Solution of Vigor right from the start, not only would one be unable to break the formation, the formation might even retaliate.

Taking the seal for example, judging from how it would release a burst of energies whenever it came under attack, it seemed like it had been built with the ability to retaliate against any attacks. Haphazard movements against it could potentially put one in danger.

While Principal Zhang's actions seemed simple, simply pouring the pail of Spirit Solution of Vigor over the seal, in truth, the height at which the pail was at, the force that its contents fell on the seal with, and the area where its contents would land… all of these had to be precisely calculated, not the slightest margin of error would be tolerated.

It was extremely challenging on one's control.

Most probably, only that monster was able to think of such a method to overcome the formation and even succeed on his first try.

One of the combat masters couldn't help but ask, "But such a bizarre method of overcoming the seal… how did the old principal and the others manage to enter back then? Were they really able to think of the same solution as well?"

The others were also puzzled by this bewildering fact.

It was apparent that such a bizarre method could only be thought of and pulled off by the seemingly omnipotent Principal Zhang. Considering the straightforward and austere personality of the old principal, Zhang Yinqiu, there was no way he would ever have thought of or even tried such a method.

After contemplating for a brief moment, Guild Leader Han said, "I am not sure how they got in, but… it is likely that they might have possessed some information that we are unaware of, or perhaps they were in possession of a key that allowed them to bypass the seal!"

Most ancient domains were built with the welfare of the later generations in mind. As such, they often came with a key or a unique artifact that granted those in possession of it to bypass the various traps and formations laid all across the ancient domain.

"That might very well be the case." The crowd nodded in agreement.

Indeed. Had it been not for Principal Zhang's help, they could very well have been still stuck at the trial above, completely helpless as to how they should proceed. It was hard to imagine that the old principal and his team could fare better than them without a key in hand.

Geji! Geji!

While they were talking, the wooden pail had finally been emptied, and the seal began to shatter. A moment later, the massive door opened up before everyone's eyes.

"We can enter now!" Seeing that the door had finally been opened, Zhang Xuan tossed his wooden pail to the side and heaved a sigh of relief.

Through the flaws listed in the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan had learned that the formation was a perfected pure yang formation, which made the Spirit Solution of Vigor a perfect counter it. It was with this knowledge in mind that he had formulated such a daring plan, but who would have thought that it would actually work?

"Alright!" The crowd nodded before quickly moving toward the door.

Wu shi was still the first to lead the way, and only after confirming that there was no danger inside did he beckon the others over as well.

The area outside the door was incomparably hot, but upon stepping into the passageway within the door, the heat seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden. On the contrary, there was even a cooling breeze on the other side of the passageway, as if everything they had experienced just a moment ago was an illusion.

Bewildered by the abrupt changes in his surroundings, one of the combat masters asked, "Was it just my imagination?"

Given how the heat had been emanated from the door, they had thought that the other side of the door would have been so incomparably hot that it would be unbearable. Yet, it was completely different from what they had expected. Not only was it not hot, it was even… cooling?

Was everything that they had just undergone a moment ago nothing more than a figment of their imagination?

That would truly have been eerie!

"Don't panic. Our previous experiences with the intense heat and the lava were real, and what we are feeling at this very moment isn't an illusion either!" Guild Leader Han said in assurance. "It is very likely that there is a formation set up around here that allows one to alter the temperature of the surroundings freely. It is similar to the ones used in Formation Master Guilds, albeit a more extreme version."

Most Formation Master Guilds had a formation that controlled the conditions within it, such as the temperature, so as to create a comfortable environment for the formation masters to work in.

One reason there would be such a steep difference in the environment could be due to a similar formation being set up within the door.

"That's indeed possible…" Hearing the explanation, the crowd nodded in agreement.

Even though it was inconceivable to them that one could induce such a steep change in the surrounding temperature through just a formation, they also knew that the person who had left behind the ancient domain had been an expert far beyond their caliber, so it was unwise to gauge the other party by their standards.

After all, their experiences were limited by their cultivation, so what might have seemed unbelievable to them might not necessary be impossible. Principal Zhang overcoming the seal with the Spirit Solution of Vigor was one example of that.

"It isn't a formation."

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded. The one who had spoken was neither Wu shi nor Zhang Xuan, but the reticent Luo Ruoxin.

"What else can it be if not a formation?" Noting Luo Ruoxin's confident tone, the crowd couldn't help but feel a little bewildered.

"It's a type of spatial manipulation!" Luo Ruoxin replied.

"Spatial manipulation?" The crowd glanced at one another, unable to comprehend what had just been said.

"It is similar to the concepts used in storage rings. Stepping across the door has already brought us to another dimension, and it goes without saying that the environment will be completely different from before. The only reason you didn't notice it is due to the seal cast over the door," Luo Ruoxin said.

"We are in another dimension?" The bodies of the crowd jolted in astonishment upon hearing those words.

A formation was still a concept that was relatable to the crowd, but the laws of space were beyond their comprehension.

For the elder who had left behind the ancient domain to be able to manipulate even space itself, just how powerful an expert was he?

"It is said that Saint 9-dan experts are capable of comprehending the laws of space, allowing them to set up folded spaces that are capable of sustaining life. Could it be that the master of the ancient domain has reached such a level as well?" Wu shi muttered with fists clenched in agitation.

As a 7-star high-tier master teacher, he was privy to some information regarding the top echelons of the Master Teacher Continent. As rare as Saint 9-dan experts were, there were still some books regarding them in the Master Teacher Pavilion that others could learn from.

Experts of that caliber were already far beyond their reach, existences that they could barely fathom. Even a mechanism or formation that they set up on a whim could easily blow their minds.

Hearing those words, Luo Ruoxin shook her head with her eyes lowered slightly. It was hard to tell whether that gesture was directed toward Wu shi's response or a contemplative gesture on her part.

Only Saint 9-dan experts are capable of comprehending the laws of space? Zhang Xuan blinked in astonishment.

In truth, he hadn't thought that spatial manipulation would be such an advanced ability.

He had once entered a folded space back at the Saint Ascension Platform, and he had even ordered the Myriad Anthive Queen to assimilate it into her nest. If that was the case, did it mean that the place had been left behind by a Saint 9-dan expert as well?

Back then, Kong shi had only achieved a breakthrough to Saint realm, so it was impossible for him to have set it up himself. That would mean that there was already a loyal Saint 9-dan subordinate following him even back then.

However, considering the incredible prowess and the unique charisma that Kong shi commanded, it would not have been too difficult for him to take in a couple of followers who boasted strength greater than him.

Back then, when I first met Luo Ruoxin in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy during the public lecture event, she was able to maneuver through the bustling crowd without anyone coming close to touching her at all. That seems to have been spatial manipulation as well.

Such an idea emerged in Zhang Xuan's mind, but he soon shook his head with a bitter smile. No, that should be impossible. She's only a 6-star master teacher, so even if she is stronger than me, she can't possibly be too far ahead. It is probably some kind of secret art or unique artifact.

Having read all of the books in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan had learned that the Master Teacher Continent was filled with all kinds of wonders. On top of unique constitutions that could emerge randomly among fortunate individuals from time to time, there were also formidable clans who possessed special bloodlines. Through the power of their bloodline, they could draw forth exceptional strength that had the potential to exceed any battle techniques in the world.

This was also the reason the Sage Clans wielded immense power in the Master Teacher Continent, with only few daring to oppose them.

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan turned to Luo Ruoxin and asked, "How can you be certain that it isn't a formation but a type of spatial manipulation?"

Hearing those words, Wo Tianqiong and the others turned their gazes over as well.

Concepts relating to space were extremely profound, far beyond what they could comprehend at their current level.

Luo Ruoxin pointed a finger forward and said, "That's simple. Just look ahead and you will know."

The crowd hurriedly turned their eyes over, and at the other end of the passageway they were currently in, the scenery abruptly changed.

Meandering mountains that stretched into the horizon were filled with lush greenery. The air was comfortable, very different from the warm and dry environment around Firesource City. It was as if they had stepped into an entirely different world.

"Is this… a folded space? It's massive!" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had encountered quite a few folded spaces so far, and he even possessed a decent-sized one himself. However, one as large as the one before him… he had never thought that it would be possible for a folded space to be that large, let alone see one!

He had thought that his folded space was already rather incredible to span several hundred meters from one end to the other, but the one before him could house mountains and rivers that extended to the horizon. Frightening!

The larger a folded space was, the greater the pressure it would face from the external world, thus making it less stable.

How in the world did the master of the ancient domain manage to create and maintain such a large folded space?

Just as Zhang Xuan was completely astounded by the sight before him, Guild Leader Han's voice suddenly sounded at that moment. He quickly turned his gaze toward the latter, only to see the latter's body completely stiffened in shock.

"No, this isn't a folded space; this is a Spatial Formation!"

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Chapter 1039: Unbounded Voyager (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Spatial Formation?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

He had heard of Confinement Formations, Illusory Formations, and Slaughter Formations, but a Spatial Formation... How was it different from folded spaces?

"Spatial Formation refers to the construction of space within a formation itself. Its stability is inferior to folded spaces, but its structure is more suited to contain other formations within it. In other words, there could be many Slaughter Formations, Beguilement Formations, Illusory Formations, and the sort hidden within it, making it extremely dangerous. Often, those who step into Spatial Formations aren't even aware of it themselves," Guild Leader Han said with a trembling voice.

As a 7-star pinnacle formation master, he knew how fearsome Spatial Formations were. Those who stepped into one would find their minds being led on by the distorted spatial laws within it, making it impossible for them to escape it. More importantly, it was possible that there could be other formidable Slaughter Formations or the sort hidden within the Spatial Formation, making it extremely dangerous for even the strongest of experts. As long as one hadn't reached Saint 9-dan, it would be near impossible to overcome it.

After hearing those words, the crowd couldn't help but frown.

They didn't fully comprehend how frightening Spatial Formations were, but for the composed Guild Leader Han to show such a response, there was no doubt that they were something extremely frightening.

"What if we were to destroy the Spatial Formation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Regardless of how formidable a formation was, there was nothing that couldn't be overcome with a kick from him. There was really no need for the other party to be so worried over this matter!

"Putting aside the fact that it is near impossible to destroy a Spatial Formation, unless you are capable of surviving the shattering of space, it would be wiser for you not to do," Guild Leader Han said.

Zhang Xuan's lips twitched upon hearing those words.

The shattering of space was not something that he could withstand even if he were to raise his cultivation by seven realms at this very instant. In shattered space, even a Primordial Spirit would be torn to shreds in an instant!

How could beings who existed in space possibly survive in the absence of it?

To make an analogy, what would hair latch onto in the absence of skin?

"Indeed! This is precisely why we can only advance along the path that the creator of the Spatial Formation has determined step by step." At this point, Guild Leader Han's voice suddenly grew grim. "At this point, I believe that we can say that we are already in the ancient domain. Every step that we take from this point onward will be fraught with dangers."

"Fraught with dangers..."

Those words left the crowd with grave expressions on their faces as well.

It was indeed very difficult for them to bypass the first two trials that they faced, but at the very least, it couldn't really have been considered dangerous.

For the first trial, even if they had not passed through the lava to reach the area beneath it, they would have been in no immediate danger for the time being.

As for the second trial, as long as they didn't attack the seal, it would have been possible for them to have survived in the area for several years without trouble.

But at this point, Guild Leader Han's words seemed to be indicating that danger was lurking everywhere around them. Regardless of whether they chose to move or remain stationary, to take on a passive approach or explore actively, danger could still spring forth at any moment.

They were going to face the true trial of the ancient domain from this point on.

"Since we are already here, we can only look forward and deal with whatever comes our way. If we are really in the ancient domain now, Zhang Yinqiu and the others should have passed through this area as well. As long as we can find a way to trace their route, we should be able to steer clear of most danger!" Wo Tianqiong said.

"You're right!" Others quickly voiced their agreement.

They had already prepared themselves for death when they made the decision to join the expedition back then. If they were truly already in the ancient domain, they should be glad that they were on the right track.

"Zhang Yinqiu and the others came by two years ago, so any traces they have left behind should have been erased by now. However, since he was able to send his Principal's Seal out, there is a good chance that he is currently trapped at a certain part of the ancient domain. If that deduction holds true, we should be able to find something while advancing ahead," Wu shi said as he took the lead.

There was no one who could say for sure at this point whether the old principal was dead or not. However, given that the latter had been able to send his Principal's Seal out, there was a good chance that he was still alive at this point. If so, he would have surely left some traces behind so that they could find him. Otherwise, there would have been very little meaning to him sending a help signal to them.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded as he activated his Eye of Insight to examine his surroundings.

A moment later, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Regardless of whether they were in a Spatial Formation or a folded space, there was one thing for sure—the person who had created the ancient domain possessed a cultivation far greater than his. The vast disparity in strength made it impossible for him to discern anything even through the powerful Eye of Insight.

Flaws! Zhang Xuan willed.

A moment later, he shook his head once more.

The Library of Heaven's Path could only compile a book on the items that he was in contact with or were currently active.

While the Spatial Formation was a formation as well, as the mountains and rivers in his surroundings weren't the direct manifestation of the Spatial Formation, he was unable to compile a book on it in the Library of Heaven's Path. The only way he could do so was probably only if he could get an overview of the functioning of the entire Spatial Formation.

This was similar to how he couldn't possibly use the sunrise and sunset or the changing weather to compile a book regarding the flaws of the Master Teacher Continent.

Even the overpowered Library of Heaven's Path couldn't work its wonders against something as expansive as the Spatial Formation they were in.

It seems like we can only proceed forward a step at the time. Seeing that there were no shortcuts he could take, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply in frustration before following behind the crowd.

Honestly speaking, the Spatial Formation was truly incredible. Had they not known that they were deep underground, beneath a hundred meters of lava, they might have really thought that they had entered a warm mountain range in the midst of spring.

Surrounded by lush green plants, the crowd couldn't help but forget the fear of being within an ancient domain. Slowly, a feeling of leisure crept upon them.

A light mountain breeze blew, and the leaves rustled under its tugging. Such natural call of nature left them feeling incredibly relaxed, as if they had entered a utopia free of hardship and struggles.

"It doesn't seem like there is any danger around?"

"Indeed! Not only so, the area is also very rich in spiritual energy. If the day comes when I wish to retire and back away from the material world, I think I would want to live here!"

"This is indeed a good environment, very suited for cultivating one's heart..."

...

The leisurely atmosphere in the air made the combat masters and master teachers a little more talkative than usual.

Previously, when Guild Leader Han spoke about how there might be dangers pouncing on them at every step, they had been scared out of their wits. But when they began making their way through the Spatial Formation, they realized that it was far from what Guild Leader Han had said. Rather than threatened, they felt calm and peaceful.

They couldn't help but desire to live in a place as peaceful as this for the rest of their lives.

Hearing those words, a thought suddenly sprouted within Guild Leader Han's eyes, and sharpness abruptly returned to his glazed eyes. "No, something is wrong. Everyone, stay alert! We are already under attack!"

One of the combat masters chuckled. "We are under attack? Guild Leader Han, you must be joking! I'm sure that we will know if we are under attack!"

Another combat master nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I think Guild Leader Han is just being a little too apprehensive. There is no way so many of us wouldn't notice it if we are being attacked!"

As veterans of the battlefield, they were conditioned to instinctively retaliate toward any offense directed at them. If there was truly an attack against them, they couldn't possibly still be in the leisurely state they were in at the moment.

"An attack that is unnoticeable is the most fearsome of all!" Guild Leader Han exclaimed lividly.

If it was a direct attack, they would at least still have been able to put their lives on the line and fight their way out. What was truly frightening would be when one didn't even realize that one was being attacked. As if frogs being cooked in warm water, they wouldn't even notice what was happening to them until their moment of death!

"Did Guild Leader Han notice something?" Wu shi asked.

"Did you notice how our wariness has slackened ever since we entered this ancient domain? In our current state, there is no way we will be able to put up any defenses should danger abruptly spring on us!" Guild Leader Han said. "More importantly... did you notice that we have already been walking for some time now? Yet, the end is nowhere in sight. It is as if there is some kind of power pulling us along, making us walk for all eternity to come! There is something really amiss with the situation here."

"This..." Wu shi was taken aback.

Now that the other party had pointed it out explicitly to him, he also realized that there was something very wrong with the situation as well.

In the first place, it was bizarre that they would be in such a leisurely state, neglecting to even put their guards up, considering the fact that they were venturing into uncharted territory. As veteran master teachers and combat masters, there was no way they would make such an elementary mistake.

Pu!

While the duo was still speaking, a peculiar sound echoed clearly ahead of them. Turning their gazes over, they saw that the face of the combat master who had just said that Guild Leader Han was being too apprehensive had turned ghastly pale, and blood was streaming down the corner of his mouth profusely. Yet, a smile remained plastered on his face as he trudged forward resolutely.

"This..."

That fellow was clearly in a bad state, his face turning paler at a visible rate as blood rained down his chin, but his lips were still curled up into the most peaceful of smiles.

This sight left goosebumps rising on the hands of the duo.

It was simply too eerie!

As knowledgeable and well-read as they were, they had never encountered something as sinister as this.

After taking a look, Wu shi observed with an awful complexion, "His current state is caused by exhaustion. His zhenqi has about to be depleted clean, and his stamina is swiftly approaching its limits."

As a 7-star master teacher, it wasn't too difficult for him to discern the source of injury of the combat master.

But... it hadn't been long since they had started walking?

Combat masters were renowned for their astounding endurance in battle, and yet, that fellow was already at his limits after such a short walk?

Guild Leader Han couldn't help but be deeply perplexed by the bizarre matter. At this moment, Wu shi suddenly exclaimed, "Guild Leader Han, take a look at your dantian!"

"Dantian?"

Taken aback by the abrupt words, Guild Leader Han hurriedly looked into his internal state, and what he saw left his eyes narrowing uncontrollably.

To his astonishment, the overwhelming zhenqi that he possessed had nearly been depleted as well. If one were to compare a cultivator's dantian to a lake, his would be one that had dried up to the point where one could already see the seabed.

"My zhenqi... How has it been depleted so quickly?" Guild Leader Han's body trembled in shock.

As a 7-star pinnacle formation master, a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert, he was one of the strongest in the expedition, and he boasted the greatest zhenqi capacity as well. Putting aside walking, he could easily fight for four hours straight without being depleted.

But this... he had only walked for a short while—they weren't even flying—and yet, his dantian was nearly empty. What was happening?

This was really frightening!

Pu! Pu! Pu!

While Guild Leader Han was astonished over his internal state, the sound of someone spurting blood echoed around them once more. A few more combat masters who had a lower cultivation began spewing blood, and even Wo Tianqiong, Shen Pingchao, and Wu Ran had pale faces, and veins were popping from their temples. It looked like they were on the verge of running out of strength and collapsing.

This was exceptionally apparent for Wo Tianqiong, whose hair was turning white as well due to exhaustion. In this moment, it looked like he had aged by more than ten years.

"This..." Guild Leader Han's body shook fearfully as he turned a horrified glance toward Wu shi.

He knew that the Spatial Formation would be fraught with dangers, but he didn't expect such a thing to happen. In fact, he wasn't able to make sense out of what was happening either.

"I have no idea what's going on." Wu shi shook his head, too.

It was always difficult for those who were trapped within the box to obtain a clear view of their current situation. Despite the many books they had read, they were still unable to comprehend the bizarre situation they were in.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan spoke.

"It is probably the sound of the breeze in the mountain. It is placing us into a trance in which our bodies deplete zhenqi faster than normal, and even our life force is gradually being sapped as well. If we don't find a way out of this situation, we will only continue walking tirelessly forward until we finally exceed our limits and die!"

The duo hurriedly turned their gazes over, only to see the young man with a deep frown etched on his forehead, seemingly deep in contemplation over something.

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Chapter 1040: Unbounded Voyager (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Sound of the breeze?" Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, and the others were stunned before turning to look at their surroundings.

The sound of the breeze was extremely light, mixed in with the rustling of the leaves. Previously, they had thought that it sounded calm and peaceful, putting them in a state of tranquility. Listening to it once more, however, they thought that it sounded sinister, and they couldn't help but tremble in fear.

"Let's try sealing off our hearing," Guild Leader Han said.

But even after the both of them did so, the wind continued to whistle right in their head, keeping them tightly under its control.

Zhang Xuan shook his head and sent a telepathic message to them.

"It's futile. The sound of the breeze is a type of demonic tune. Even if we seal our sixth sense, it will still travel to our soul directly, making it impossible to fend it off."

If it was possible to seal of demonic tunes just by covering one's ears, it wouldn't have been worthy of the adjective 'demonic', let alone exist as a unique occupation that had been passed down for more than several dozen thousand years.

The duo released the seal on their hearing and asked anxiously, "Then, what do we do?"

Unable to ward off the demonic tune, they would be trapped in this hell of perpetual movement. It had not been easy for them to get into the ancient domain; were they really going to lose their lives at the very start?

"Principal Zhang... since you were able to sense that it's a demonic tune, do you have a solution for it?" Wu shi asked anxiously.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan replied, "This is the demonic tune from an 8-star demonic tunist; even I can only barely ward it off myself. If we intend to pull the others out of their trance, we will have to overcome the demonic tune with one of our own as well!"

He had noticed the demonic tune the moment he entered, and through his comprehension of demonic tunes and his Heaven's Path zhenqi, he was able to ward it off himself. However, he hadn't found a feasible to quell the demonic tune yet. There didn't seem to be any other way of going about doing it other than to overwhelm the sound of the breeze with his music, but to do so, he would have to achieve the level of proficiency comparable to an 8-star demonic tunist!

"Overcome the demonic tune with one of our own?"

The faces of the duo paled.

Where were they going to find an 8-star demonic tunist from out of the blue?

If they had a person of such capability in their ranks, the members of the expedition wouldn't have fallen into a trance in the first place.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "This demonic tune should be around the level of 8-star primary, or else your Primordial Spirits would have been affected by it as well, causing you to be unaware of your injuries like the others. However, my level of proficiency in demonic tunes is only at 6-star pinnacle at the moment. Even if I use my full strength, I won't be able overcome it."

The sound of the breeze was equivalent to the playing of an 8-star primary demonic tunist, or else there was no way Guild Leader Han and Wu shi would have been able to retain their consciousness before the sound.

Nevertheless, it was still at a level that Zhang Xuan couldn't stand against; his current strength was still too weak.

"What do we do then?"

"Do any of you have 7-star demonic tunist books?" Zhang Xuan asked.

If he could gather sufficient 7-star demonic tunist books to compile the 7-star Heaven's Path Demonic Tune Art, he would be able to face off with the 8-star primary demonic tune easily.

"7-star demonic tunist books?"

Guild Leader Han and Wu shi traded gazes before shaking their heads simultaneously.

One of them was a formation master whereas the other was a master teacher. While Wu shi had seven 7-star supporting occupation, it happened that demonic tunist was not one of them. As such, he didn't have such books with him.

"That will make things even more troublesome then." Zhang Xuan frowned.

If he couldn't raise his capabilities as a demonic tunist, it would be extremely hard for him to suppress the demonic tune.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said, "Why don't we do this? The both of you try to take care of the group here, make sure that they don't overexert themselves. If they are really reaching their limit, feed them a pill or something so as to replenish their zhenqi and stamina. Meanwhile, I will be trying to find the source of the sound. If I am able to find it, I might just be able to resolve the problem."

Since it was impossible for him to overcome with brute force, he would just have to search for the origin of the sound. Perhaps, he might be able to find a flaw regarding it there and destroy it at its source.

"Un. We will be troubling Principal Zhang then."

The duo bowed deeply.

Left with no other alternatives, this was the best option they had.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony." Zhang Xuan hurriedly helped them up before rushing in the direction where the sound of the breeze seemed to have come from.

The sound of the breeze was extremely faint, but there was a certain quality to it that left one feeling as if the world was spinning should one attempt to focus one's hearing on it. Had it not been for Zhang Xuan refining his soul further through the lava, he might have succumbed then and there.

Still feeling a little worried, Zhang Xuan took a glance backward and saw Wu shi and Guild Leader Han feeding a few of the combat masters who had just spurted blood earlier several pills, and their pale complexions alleviated considerably.

While the demonic tune causes a cultivator to deplete their zhenqi and stamina unnecessarily, it isn't really that dangerous. As long as the others are able to consume pills in time to replenish their energy, they should be able to hold on for quite a while, Zhang Xuan noted.

Even so, they were still marching forward uncontrollably, as if puppets on a string. At this point, they had also realized something was amiss, and they attempted to struggle against it as well. However, their efforts were completely futile.

To be completely helpless despite knowing that one was headed toward danger, unable to escape or retaliate... It was due to this that demonic tunists were so feared throughout the Master Teacher Continent, such that even the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had a specialized school devoted to the occupation.

After flying for around half an hour, Zhang Xuan came to an abrupt stop and frowned. He had flown several hundred kilometers, and yet, he realized that there was no change in the breeze sound at all. This meant that he wasn't even close to finding its source.

Wasn't the area of the sound a little too vast?

Taking himself as an example, the demonic tunes he played could place anyone within a radius of several hundred meters into a trance, and anything beyond that would be extremely strenuous and difficult for him. Even for an 8-star demonic tunist, it was unimaginable that the other party was capable of playing music that could span over a radius of several hundred kilometers!

If that was the case, wouldn't an 8-star demonic tunist be able to place several hundred million men into a trance simultaneously just by playing within the capital of any empire? Not even master teachers wielded prowess comparable to that!

At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a certain urban legend from his previous life known as the supernatural wall 1 . Could this be the work of the Spatial Formation? I am certain that I have been walking in a single direction, but somehow, it seems as if I have been walking in circles, making no progress whatsoever.

Could it have been that his senses had been distorted to make him walk in endless circles?

In truth, such happenings weren't too rare in formations either.

Many Beguilement Formations had the effect of messing with a person's sense of direction or even the compass in their hands. They might be thinking that they were headed east, but in truth, they were headed in an entirely different direction.

Since this area has the effect of confusing one's sense of direction, I should set up a formation to help me with my directions.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a couple of formation flags.

He might have been unable to oppose the sound of the breeze with his current mastery of demonic tunes, but his proficiency in formations had already reached 7-star pinnacle. He could easily set up a formation that could help him navigate his way through the Spatial Formation.

Many formations flashed through Zhang Xuan's mind, and before long, a certain blueprint stood out. With a smile, he flicked his wrist.

Hu!

The formation flags immediately scattered from his hands, landing in specific positions.

Weng!

With a buzz, the formation came to life. Standing in the middle of it, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes.

Zhang Xuan smirked. As I thought! My sense of direction has indeed been distorted!

Through the formation, he could instantaneously tell that the direction he had been heading in previously was leading him in endless circles.

It seemed like the demonic tune wasn't the only thing that one had to be aware of in the Spatial Formation. If he hadn't noticed the issue with his sense of direction, he might very well have ended up walking for an eternity without walking out of the formation.

The old principal and the others should have taken the 'Direction Probing Needle', which Wu Yangzi forged all those years ago, with them. While the Direction Probing Needle isn't a saint artifact, it is exceptionally effective in identifying directions. Most likely, it was due to such an artifact that they were able to find their way out of this Spatial Formation, Zhang Xuan thought.

It was apparent that the old principal had gotten out of the Spatial Formation. Otherwise, he would have reduced to bones long ago, and it would have been impossible for him to send out the Principal's Seal either.

Considering how they were able to find their way out despite possessing a cultivation far lower than Wu shi and the others, it was certain that they had some kind of valuable artifact on them.

After reading through the many books in the Blacksmith School, Zhang Xuan was aware that there was a treasure that Wu Yangzi had deposited in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy known as the Direction Probing Needle!

It was a unique artifact that had been forged out of the elusive Direction Probing Wood. It couldn't be considered a saint artifact, but in the field of finding directions, there were barely any situations where it would fail.

However, it wasn't often that one would be in a situation that required such a tool, and Wu Yangzi didn't think that he would need it either. Thus, he had decided to donate it to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Before heading to Firesource City to meet the others, Zhang Xuan had visited the treasure vault of the academy, but he didn't find the Direction Probing Needle in there. Most likely, the old principal had borrowed it for the exploration of the ancient domain.

It was also fortunate that he had done so as well.

Of course, how long they took to clear the ancient domain was another matter entirely. Considering the limitations of the old principal's cultivation, it should have taken him a while to snap out from the trance of the demonic tunes, and he probably needed a little more time to realize the peculiarity regarding the Spatial Formation. In any case, Zhang Xuan didn't think that the old principal and his expedition team would have been able to resolve the matter as quickly as he did.

After all, even Wu shi only realized that there was something amiss but couldn't pinpoint what it was back then. Zhang Xuan was the only one who had been able to see everything clearly due to his imperviousness to demonic tunes.

After confirming the direction, he leaped out from the formation and began flying in the direction he had identified via his formation earlier.

However, after flying roughly ten kilometers, he suddenly felt that he might have deviated from his original path once more. Thus, he quickly set up the same formation once more and swiftly found the correct direction before proceeding ahead.

After repeating the same cycle thrice, he finally found a massive stone tablet of three meters tall and two meters wide towering before him. It had a slightly pale exterior that seemed to hint at the long history behind it, battered by the wind and rain alike for many years.

It was vibrating gently, emitting a pleasant sound that intoxicated minds.

Walking up to it, Zhang Xuan saw three massive words inscribed majestically on it.

'The Unbounded World?'

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Gazing further down, he noticed several lines of smaller words written beneath the three massive words.

'All who enter the Unbounded World will be placed under the effects of a demonic tune, falling into a trance. Only those with the most resolute of minds will be able to break free of the trance and forge a path through this maze that I have built.

'Those who are capable of breaking free of the demonic tunes and find their way here within three days will be bestowed with my secret art. Those who manage to do so within ten days will be granted a life-changing encounter. Those who exceed ten days, I can only say that your aptitude is lacking. Since it is fate that you managed to find this tablet, allow me to advise you to leave this land as soon as possible!'

After reading the words on the tablet, Zhang Xuan blinked vacantly.

From the point that I stepped through the door till this moment, I think... it hasn't even been an hour yet. To bestow a secret art upon those who manage to find this tablet within three days, isn't this test a little too easy? Surely, there can't be any who are so foolish as to not realize that something is amiss even after three whole days, right? Zhang Xuan thought as he turned his gaze further lower down the stone tablet.

Several words in a different handwriting from those above came into sight.

'I, Zhang Yinqiu, together with my team, was lost within these lands for around half a month. With my humble capabilities, I dare not expect to earn anything out of this ancient domain. All I hope is that I arrived in time to stop the Otherworldly Demons.'

The old principal was lost in the Spatial Formation for more than half a month? Zhang Xuan's lips twitched awkwardly. Who would have thought that there are really people that foolish?

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Chapter 1041: Secret Art

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

In Zhang Xuan's opinion, the moment that something happened to one of the expedition members while walking in the Spatial Formation, the group should have immediately realized that something was amiss. From that, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to deduce that they had been assaulted by demonic tunes. Through some trial and error, no matter how foolish they were, two to three days should have been more than sufficient for them to get to the stone tablet.

Yet, who would have thought that the old principal would actually take more than half a month to get here?

Weren't they a little too dimwitted to take that long?

Perhaps, it was due to the limitations of their cultivation. After all, even Principal Wo Tianqiong and the others were stuck in a trance for quite some time themselves, unaware of the changes in their surroundings.

After some contemplation, Zhang Xuan came up with a possible explanation.

Most of the expedition members that the old principal had brought along were the elders of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Saint 1-dan cultivators. Even the strongest of them all would only have been at Spiritual Perception realm.

So, it was likely that they had been in the same position as Wo Tianqiong and the other combat masters. As soon as they arrived, they were already put into a trance, making them unaware of their surroundings or even the state that they were in as well.

In such a situation, it would have been a huge blessing if they knew that they should consume a pill to replenish their energy, let alone uncovering the secrets of the Unbounded World.

But since the old principal has left his words here, it goes to show that he has managed to walk out of this area alive, Zhang Xuan noted.

This was the first trace of the old principal that they had encountered so far after all of the dangers they had been through, and with this, they could be entirely certain that they were on the right path.

It is written on the stone tablet that anyone who manages to reach this point within three days will be bestowed with a secret art. Let's see what kind of secret art I will get.

Knowing that it was more important to focus on what was ahead of him at this moment, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the stone tablet.

The stone tablet was made out of some kind of particularly heavy material, planting it firmly in place.

Circling around the stone tablet, he swiftly noticed a groove on it that one could place one's palm in. It felt as if some kind of unique power would come to life just by coming into contact with it.

To be careful, Zhang Xuan closely examined the stone tablet, and only after verifying that there were no dangers regarding it did he finally heave a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, he still prepared several defensive measures before finally reaching out to place his palm on the groove.

It couldn't be helped. They hadn't gotten a grasp on the identity or personality of the master of the ancient domain yet, so it was still best to remain on guard.

Weng!

As soon as his palm came into contact with the groove, a brilliant flash of light burst into the air, and the seemingly omnipresent demonic tune abruptly came to a halt.

Seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

With the halting of the demonic tune, the other members would finally be free from the effects of the demonic tunes, and the depletion of their zhenqi and stamina should have come to a stop, putting them out of harm's way.

Jiyaya!

The stone tablet suddenly jolted once more, and as if some kind of unique mechanism or formation had come to life, a loud 'hu!' sounded. Following which, a figure came into appearance.

The figure was an elder with white hair and a beard. Despite being a mere fragmented soul, he emanated a sharp aura that exerted immense pressure upon one's psyche.

Wariness immediately surfaced in Zhang Xuan's eyes as he took a step back. Powerful...

The elder was only a mere fragmented soul at the moment, on the verge of flickering out of existence after the passing of innumerable years. However, if the old elder were to make a move against him at this moment, there would still be nothing Zhang Xuan could do about it.

Even as a fragmented soul, the elder wielded absolute power that Zhang Xuan could never hope to rival in his current state. There was no doubt that the elder had at least been a Saint 5-dan expert back when he was still alive.

Otherwise, there was no way the other party could have left him feeling so apprehensive.

"There's no need to tense up, I mean you no harm. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the master of this ancient domain." Seemingly noticing the wariness in Zhang Xuan's eyes, the figure smiled. The elder spoke in an approving tone. "Considering how you were able to see through my trap and find this location so quickly, your mental resilience and eye of discernment are far superior to others. There is no doubt that you are qualified to learn my secret art!"

He had set the time limit to be three days, but the other party had spent no more than an hour to overcome his traps and find this stone tablet. Such an accomplishment was beyond his expectations.

With his hands behind his back, the elder said, "As a fragmented soul, I won't be able to remain here for long. So, hurry up and acknowledge me as your teacher!"

"Acknowledge you as my teacher?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Indeed. If you wish to obtain my heritage, you have to become part of my lineage. Otherwise, how can I impart my secret art to you?" the elder replied with a nod.

Lineage was extremely important when it came to the impartation of techniques. It was improper to learn the secret arts of another without becoming the other party's student.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but hesitate. "This..."

In his long journey, he had never acknowledged anyone as his teacher before. Even Kong shi had ended up being rejected by him.

Thus, he couldn't help but feel extremely reluctant to acknowledge a person from a shady background and whose name he didn't even know as his teacher.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's conflicted expression, the elder asked in astonishment, "What? Are you unwilling?"

Back when he was alive, the line of people who were queuing up to become his student could easily have circled a city many times over, and yet... he was offering to take the other party as his student so as to pass on his secret art, and yet, the other party was still hesitating. He couldn't help but find this situation unbelievable.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan replied, "It is not that I am unwilling, but I already have a teacher of my own. Without his permission, it would be improper of me to take another man as my teacher."

He had created the identity 'Yang Xuan' to make things convenient for him, so naturally, he had no qualms about bringing it out in this situation either.

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan's worries, the elder chuckled softly. "It is impossible for a person to acknowledge only a single person as their teacher throughout their entire life. Even Kong shi acknowledged many teachers back then. This isn't something you need to worry about!"

Even though Kong shi was the World's Teacher, he had not been born almighty. It was through the accumulation of experiences and knowledge that he had eventually become the great man that he was. Naturally, it went without saying that he had taken many people as his teacher over the course of his journey as well, learning from their strengths to better himself.

Since that was the case for him, it should have been even more so for others. There was really no need for others to hesitate over such a matter.

"Elder, your words ring true. I was being too obsessed with appearances." Zhang Xuan nodded. A moment later, with a light smile, he continued. "I am willing to acknowledge you as my teacher, but is it possible for you to demonstrate the secret art that you are intending to impart to me first?"

"That's not a problem," the elder replied.

It was normal for a student to want to see how powerful the teacher was before acknowledging the other party. After all, there was no one who would wish to acknowledge someone who was less skilled than them as their teacher.

If he could win the other party's admiration, the other party would be more willing to acknowledge him as his teacher.

While such a request could be seen as a challenge toward his authority, considering that many years had passed since then and he hadn't revealed his identity either, it wasn't too surprising that he'd asked such a thing of him.

The elder placed his hands behind his back, and a strong air of confidence and indomitability burst forth from him.

"The secret art that I am going to impart you is a movement technique known as the Unbounded Voyager. There is a total of five dans to it, and if you cultivate it to Consummation, you will be able to disregard the confines of space itself and travel to wherever you want to in the shortest time possible!"

"Unbounded Voyager?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

He had never heard of this movement technique before, but just from the majestic name alone, he could tell that it was an extremely fearsome move.

No wonder this Spatial Formation was known was the Unbounded World. Most likely, on top of assessing a cultivator's mental resilience, it also served to examine their understanding of space and direction as well.

Only those who possessed superior aptitude would be able to sense that something was amiss and find a solution to reach the stone tablet. And truthfully, if not for Zhang Xuan's enhanced senses from cultivating the Heaven's Path techniques, it would have been difficult for him to notice that something was amiss.

"Indeed. Barriers there may be between the heavens and earth, but the true voyager treads unbounded. If one wishes to learn the most advanced of movement techniques, they must abandon the boundaries they limit themselves by. Only when one's heart is unbounded can one travel unrestrained throughout the world," the figure said calmly.

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

This was similar to how true swordsmanship, at its very core, was devoid of any maneuvers. To be limited by one's maneuvers signified that one was still stuck at the elementary level of swordsmanship.

True secret arts were techniques that had already surpassed the level of fixed maneuvers.

Even though Zhang Xuan had never seen the Unbounded Voyager before, he could tell just from those words alone that it was an extraordinary technique.

"Since you wish to see it, allow me to enlighten you!" Noticing the young man's astonishment, the elder knew that he had already succeeded in winning the other party over, and a smile surfaced on his lips.

Hu!

There was no apparent movement at all, but the elder simply vanished on the spot. In the next moment, he was already several kilometers away.

How swift! Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment.

He had been unable to follow the other party's movements with his eyes at all; it was already at a level comparable to teleportation! As powerful as the Heaven's Path Movement Art was, it appeared as slow as a snail in comparison to the Unbounded Voyager.

Of course, it didn't mean that the Heaven's Path Movement Art was an inferior technique. Rather, it was solely due to the huge difference in the tiers of both techniques.

The Heaven's Path Movement Art he was still cultivating at the moment was compiled based on the fundamental movement techniques that he had collected so far, and it hadn't even reached Saint-tier. It was understandable that it was weaker than the Unbounded Voyager.

Hu!

While Zhang Xuan was in shock, the figure in the distance suddenly blurred, and in an instant, it abruptly returned to where it had been before. It was as if the elder had never moved in the first place, and the figure in the distance had just been a product of his imagination!

"Are you willing to learn it?" the elder asked with a chuckle.

Back then, even Kong shi had been filled with praise for this movement technique of his. He didn't believe that there was anyone who could reject it.

"Your movement technique is indeed incredible, but..."

Halfway through his words, Zhang Xuan suddenly paused, seemingly hesitating over something.

"But?" The elder frowned.

"There are a few flaws with it that compromise its strength," Zhang Xuan replied with a conflicted expression.

"Flaws? What arrogance! Someone of your strength is actually able to discern flaws in my movement technique?" Not expecting the young man before him to be so arrogant, the elder waved his hand in displeasure.

Paying no heed to the elder's rage, Zhang Xuan began speaking. "Firstly, when you were moving earlier, even though it happened so swiftly that it was hardly discernible, if I am not mistaken, you utilized zhenqi threads to facilitate the movement.

"The concept behind the technique is simple. It is to first thread one's zhenqi to the area where one intends to move to before dragging one's body over like a puppet. This allows one to move from area to area with inconceivable speed, such that it is almost at the level of teleportation, but it has a major flaw as well. If an enemy were to notice the secret behind the technique and sever the thread beforehand, it could lead to one travelling to an unexpected area instead. Should such a scenario occur in battle, it could end up leading one to expose a fatal weakness to one's enemy.

"Secondly, the technique is extremely demanding on one's zhenqi. While it does allow one to escape a fatal situation and flee to a safe location temporarily, the huge depletion of zhenqi resulting from it might deprive one of the ability to stand against one's enemy. Furthermore, if one's zhenqi were to run dry from the execution of the technique, it wouldn't take long for one's enemy to catch up, thus placing one is an extremely dangerous position. As such, it is not a technique that one can frequently use in battle.

"Thirdly, moving at such speed is highly strenuous on one's body. You are able to do it easily because you are currently in the form of a soul, making you unaffected by the limitations of a body. On the other hand, a normal cultivator will require at least a body with the resilience comparable to a Saint-tier artifact before they can exert the technique without any incurring any injuries. How powerful must one be to obtain a physical body on par with Saint-tier artifacts? Do you have a physical body cultivation technique that can raise one's physical body to Saint-tier? If you don't have any... is there any meaning in learning this movement technique?"

"You..."

The elder had not paid the other party much heed at the start, but after hearing those words, his expression changed.

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Chapter 1042: Acknowledge Me as Your Teacher and I Will Teach You!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

There were no mistakes in what the other party said at all. The first two flaws were still not much of an issue. It wasn't easy for the crux of the Unbounded Voyager to be found due to its sheer speed, and if it was utilized well in battle, it could be a powerful weapon to catching one's opponent off guard.

However, the third problem was indeed an issue that had been plaguing him for much time.

The reason he had been able to cultivate the movement technique was due to the unique bloodline that flowed through his body, granting him a body superior to the others. Even without cultivating his physical body, he could still easily execute the technique without suffering any damage. However, the same could not be said about others. The Unbounded Voyager was a powerful movement technique, but it was impossible to master without a powerful body to withstand its overwhelming prowess.

If one were to attempt to cultivate it forcefully, one might end up incurring devastating damage to one's body instead, resulting in a steep decline in one's cultivation.

However, this was a problem that only those who had started cultivating the Unbounded Voyager would understand. For the other party to be able to discern such a problem with just a glance, wasn't his eye of discernment a little too formidable? Was he really just a Nascent Saint?

On the other hand, noticing the expression on the elder's face, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

Even without utilizing his Library of Heaven's Path, he could still easily find numerous flaws in the other party's movement technique.

In fact, back when he first cultivated the Heaven's Path Movement Art, he had met with the same problem as well. Due to the lacking resilience of his physical body, his body was nearly torn apart from the astounding speed he was traveling at.

It was even more so for the Unbounded Voyager. Moving at the speed nearly comparable to teleportation, if one's physical body didn't meet the prerequisite, one would suffer devastating damage just by executing the technique.

In the end, after everything the other party had said, the technique was only feasible when paired with exceptional zhenqi capacity and an incredibly resilient body, or else it would only end up hindering one.

Of course, if one could meet the two prerequisites for the technique, the Unbounded Voyager could become a powerful trump card in battle, allowing one to become invincible within one's cultivation realm.

As such, there was no way Zhang Xuan was going to let such a valuable technique slip through his fingers. But for him to acknowledge another man as his teacher, impossible!

"How is it? Is there a mistake in what I have said?" Smiling, Zhang Xuan turned to the elder with a glint in his eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, the elder replied, "There is indeed nothing wrong with what you have said. That is also the reason I only impart this technique to those who possess superior aptitude. The fact that you could pass through the lava, as well as approach the seal outside and destroy it, shows that your physical body has already reached an incredible level. On top of that, your ability to find this stone tablet within the allocated time limit also shows that you possess a powerful soul and a vast capacity of zhenqi. Since that is the case, you have already met the prerequisites for the cultivation of the Unbounded Voyager. The issues that you have stated aren't problems for you."

Be it the lava or the seal, they were trials that he had left behind to test those who entered the Spatial Formation. Since the other party had come this far, it meant that the other party had already met the basic requirements for the cultivation of the technique.

As such, the flaws that the other party had mentioned weren't issues either.

"I do possess the required ability to cultivate the Unbounded Voyager. It's just that... I happen to wield the ability to improve the Unbounded Voyager and make it even stronger. Are you willing to listen?" Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.

"Improve the Unbounded Voyager? Impossible!" The elder shook his head.

His cultivation had reached an astounding level before his death, but even so, he had still been unable to find a way to advance the Unbounded Voyager. How could the mere Nascent Saint before him possibly possess the ability to do so?

"There's no need to rush into denying the matter. Why don't we do this instead? Allow me to take a peek at the Unbounded Voyager cultivation technique, and I will point out the flaws in it for you. You can make your choice after hearing my analysis and see whether there is a mistake in it or not," Zhang Xuan said.

"I'm fine with that. In any case, I was intending to pass down the secret art to you anyway, so it's not a problem. However... I am only a fragmented soul, and the time I have is severely limited. It is probably going to be several hours before you are done reading, and I don't think that I can last until then," the elder said.

The aim of leaving behind his ancient domain was to pass down his cultivation technique to the later generations, and the young man before him was a person who had passed his trial. Naturally, he would impart the Unbounded Voyager to the young man. However, the Unbounded Voyager was an incredibly profound technique that even the most talented of people would at least require several hours before they could finish reading the entire book, let alone find the flaws in it!

As a fragmented soul, the time he had left was sorely lacking. Chances were that he would dissipate before the other party even finished browsing through the book, making it impossible for him to verify the authenticity of the other party's words.

"I don't need several hours. As long as you can allow me a look at the cultivation technique, I will be able to find the flaws in it for you within a minute!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"A minute?" The elder stared at the young man before him doubtfully.

After a moment of hesitation, the elder flicked his wrist, and a series of words reminiscent of the Milky Way abruptly materialized in the sky.

It was the manual for the Unbounded Voyager.

Sweeping through it, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but be astonished.

Just as the other party had said, there were five dans to the technique, and each dan represented a realm. Even if he just cultivated the 1-dan to Consummation, the speed that he could travel at would increase by leaps and bounds.

That meant that he would be able to display a far greater fighting prowess than before as well.

As astonished as Zhang Xuan was, he didn't allow it to show on his face. Exhaling deeply, he turned to the elder and remarked with a light smile, "This Unbounded Voyager is indeed a formidable technique, but... if I am not mistaken, there should be nine flaws in it, right?"

"You..." Shocked by Zhang Xuan's words, the elder began trembling uncontrollably.

Back then, he had asked Kong shi to evaluate this movement technique of his, and the latter did mention that there were nine flaws with it as well. However, instead of correcting the technique for him, Kong shi had only pointed them out to him and asked him to think of a way to resolve them himself.

When he opened the ancient domain, his strength hadn't reached its peak yet, and he had yet to find a way to resolve the issues in the Unbounded Voyager. Thus, he could only leave the flawed movement technique behind.

Who would have thought that the person he was intending to pass the movement technique down to would be able to come to the same conclusion just by taking a glimpse at the manual? Wasn't his eye of discernment way too terrifying?

"Firstly, in the cultivation of the 1-dan, when driving one's zhenqi through the Bimen acupoint, it will produce an effect of temporary blindness. With a bit of bad luck, it is possible that one might even lose one's sense of sight permanently. Am I right?"

"This... You're right." After a moment of hesitation, the elder nodded.

That was exactly what Kong shi had said to him back then!

Back when he had just started cultivating the Unbounded Voyager 1-dan, he had indeed encountered signs of losing his sense of sight. It was fortunate that Kong shi had saved him then and resolved his trauma.

Zhang Xuan continued. "The reason for the occurrence of such a situation is due to the zhenqi threads passing through the Mingmou acupoint. There are some problems with the circulation pathway of the technique, and as long as the correct pathway isn't found, such a situation will occur."

The Library of Heaven's Path couldn't correct the flaws by itself and provide him with a flawless Unbounded Voyager. Nevertheless, just by pointing out the flaws alone, he could still easily win the other party's trust.

Without giving the other party any time to recover from his shock, Zhang Xuan pushed on. "The second flaw is also within the cultivation of the Unbounded Voyager 1-dan. During the cultivation process, it must be completed within a single breath. If one were to run out of zhenqi in the process and fail to push into the Shenxing acupoint, there is a good chance that one might become paralyzed for life..."

The crux to the incredible speed of the Unbounded Voyager lay in the opening of the Shenxing acupoint.

However, the acupoint was located at the center of one's feet, and it was an extraordinarily difficult acupoint to open. It was highly demanding on the purity and quantity of zhenqi one harnessed. The slightest deviation that occurred in this stage could result in full body paralysis!

Even though he had been spared from that unfortunate outcome back when he was cultivating it, a couple of students he had accepted later on weren't as lucky as him. Instead of mastering the technique, they had ended up losing their ability to walk instead.

All along, he had thought that it was due to his students' weak body and lacking zhenqi. He had thought that, as long he could find someone who possessed a bloodline as powerful as his, the problem could be averted entirely. However, at that moment, the young man was saying the very same words that Kong shi had told him back then, and this left him thinking that the matter might not have been as simple as he thought it was.

"The third flaw is in the Unbounded Voyager 2-dan. While cultivating that realm, the driving of one's zhenqi through that point could lead to the breeding of Inner Demons..."

"The fourth flaw lies in the 3-dan..."

"The fifth flaw..."

...

In a single breath, Zhang Xuan spilled out the nine flaws in the Unbounded Voyager in detail.

These were all reflected in the Library of Heaven's Path, so he only had to read them out accordingly.

"... and these are the nine flaws that I have identified. Is there any mistake with my analysis?"

"T-this..." The elder trembled uncontrollably as he retracted the words in the sky before nodding. "There is no mistake at all. Your analysis is correct!"

At that moment, there was no word that could possibly describe the immense shock he was feeling.

The manual for the Unbounded Voyager consisted of over ten thousand words, and the meaning behind them was extremely profound as well. Even he would have needed several hours before he could fully make sense out of the entire manual. Yet, with a simple glance, the other party had been able to point out the flaws in it, and it was exactly the same as what Kong shi had said back then. His eye of discernment was truly frightening!

His talent was nowhere beneath that of Kong shi's!

"Do you believe that I can improve the Unbounded Voyager for you now?" Zhang Xuan said.

The elder was conflicted for a short moment before eventually nodding. "... I do."

Judging from how the other party was able to point out the flaws in the Unbounded Voyager with just a glance, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to correct them and bring it a step closer to perfection.

"Good. Right, there is something that I want to ask you. Did a group of master teachers pass by this area two years ago? May I know if they are still living?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"There was indeed a group of master teachers who passed by this stone tablet two years ago. However, as they didn't find the way out of the Unbounded World in the allocated time, I didn't impart my secret art to them, simply sending them away. However, they didn't listen to my advice and chose to continue onward. As this soul of mine is bound here, I am not too sure about how they fared in the later trials," the elder replied.

Despite being a soul fragment of the ancient domain's master, he was effectively no different from a puppet that had been left behind to stand guard in the Unbounded World. Anything beyond this trial was outside his scope of authority, so he had no way of peeking and learning about it.

"Alright then." Hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply and nodded.

He had thought that he could receive some vital news from the other party, but it seemed like he could only take one step at a time.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan was about to turn around and leave when the elder behind him suddenly spoke up. "Since you know the way to perfecting the Unbounded Voyager, can you share it with me?"

This question had been plaguing him for the longest time. As he had been left behind in the Unbounded World before these problems could be resolved, he had never had a chance to learn of the solutions to resolving the problems.

While the time he had left was limited, if he could learn of the correct cultivation technique before his dissipation, his life wouldn't have been spent in vain.

If this final regret of his could be resolved, he wouldn't mind even if he were to dissipate then and there!

Halting in his footsteps, Zhang Xuan turned around and asked, "You wish to know how to resolve the flaws of the Unbounded Voyager?"

"That's right!" The elder nodded. "If you can enlighten me, I will be extremely grateful to you!"

Since the other party had been able to see through the flaws in his cultivation technique with just a single look, he dared not pull his weight and say words about how he was going to impart the Unbounded Voyager to the other party anymore.

Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back, and an indomitable aura burst forth from him, as if a deity that had descended from the heavens.

"Acknowledge me as your teacher, and I will impart it to you!"

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Chapter 1043: Field of Lightning

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"..."

The elder staggered. For a moment there, he nearly dissipated on the spot.

The reason he had left his fragmented soul behind was to accept new students so as to pass down his secret art to the later generations, not to acknowledge other people as his teacher!

Yet, not only did he fail to score himself his student, the other party was even intending to take him on as a student. The immense frustration that he felt left him feeling like he was going to explode on the spot.

But thinking back, he was the person who had said 'If you wish to obtain my heritage, you have to join my lineage. Otherwise, how can I impart my secret art to you?'

Now that he wanted the other party to impart the perfected Unbounded Voyager to him, it went without saying that the same rules should apply as well. Why should the other party teach him otherwise?

"Alright, I was being too superficial then..." Shaking his head, the elder decided to ask no more. Turning his gaze to Zhang Xuan, he said, "The true ancient domain lies beyond me, and you will face far greater danger than this. I wish you the best in your journey."

After saying those words, the silhouette of the elder began to fade.

Normally, the other party should have been able to maintain his existence for some time. However, after suffering the heavy blow from Zhang Xuan, the other party found himself unable to hold on any longer.

Hu!

The elder vanished from sight, and cracks swiftly crept across the stone tablet before him.

Kacha, kacha!

In the blink of an eye, it had already collapsed into a pile of rubble on the ground.

"You haven't told me what your name is..." Not expecting the other party to vanish so abruptly, Zhang Xuan was dazed.

In truth, when he said that he could correct the flaws of the Unbounded Voyager and improve it, it had been nothing more than a ploy to lure the other party into taking out the manual. The movement techniques that he had collected thus far were simply too weak; it was impossible to compile them with such an advanced technique.

As such, even though Zhang Xuan could easily point out the flaws regarding the Unbounded Voyager, it was impossible for him to correct them.

Seeing how earnestly the other party was seeking guidance from him, he had no choice but to use the other party's words against him. Who would have thought that the other party would vanish shortly after he finished saying those words?

He had received the other party's Unbounded Voyager manual, but in the end, he realized that he didn't even know the other party's name.

Facing the shattered stone tablet before him, Zhang Xuan bowed deeply. "Elder, thank you for your movement technique. I will surely bring it glory so as to not let you down!"

No matter what, the other party deserved an earnest bow from him.

This Unbounded Voyager might be powerful, but I am still unable to cultivate it yet.

After paying his respects to the elder, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the movement technique that he had just obtained, and he couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.

His zhenqi and physical body did meet the required mark, allowing him to execute the technique without his zhenqi running dry or his physical body being strained beyond its limit. However, there was another issue that Zhang Xuan was particularly concerned with... there were simply too many flaws with the technique!

He really couldn't bring himself to practice such a flawed technique.

Just the flaw in the first dan of the movement technique could potentially deprive him of his vision. He didn't wish to become blind from practicing this technique.

It seemed like he would really have to find higher tier movement technique manuals to compile together with the Unbounded Voyager so as to perfect it when he got out.

In any case, the Heaven's Path Movement Art was sufficient for the time being, so there was no need for him to take the risk.

Alright, I should return first. Since the sound of the breeze has stopped, they should have all recovered from their trance too. I should head back to find them now.

Putting aside the Unbounded Voyager for the time being, Zhang Xuan turned around and returned in the direction he had come from.

The other expedition members had been under the control of the demonic tune previously, but with the disappearance of the sound of the breeze, they should have recovered from their trance.

Along the way, he took back the various formations he had set up on the way to point out the direction for him, and not too long later, he finally returned to where he had parted with Wu shi and the others. Taking a look at the surroundings, he couldn't help but frown grimly.

There was not a person in sight, but the entire area was a mess. Innumerable depressions could be seen all around, and fresh blood was scattered here and there. It seemed as if a ferocious fight had just happened in the area.

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly. What happened?

Wu shi and the others were Saint 4-dan experts. What kind of danger could they have encountered that would result in such an intense battle, such that they wouldn't even have the time to leave a message or the sort for him?

Eye of Insight!

Knowing that the expedition team might have met with danger, Zhang Xuan dared not hesitate. He swiftly scanned his surroundings carefully, and before long, a faint trail appeared before his eyes.

Follow it!

Zhang Xuan immediately tracked the trail with hastened footsteps.

The Otherworldly Demons?

Not too long later, he stumbled by yet another battlefield. This time, not only was there the blood of humans, there were also the carcasses of two slaughtered Otherworldly Demons.

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm. This is bad...

It might have taken some time for others to analyze the carcasses to deduce the power level of the Otherworldly Demons before their deaths, but as one who possessed the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan could do it with just a swift glance. He could tell that the two deceased Otherworldly Demons were Saint 3-dan experts!

With such strength, the duo could be considered experts even among the Qingtian royalty.

Hu!

With a thought, the Violetleaf King appeared before Zhang Xuan.

"Do you recognize these two fellows?" Zhang Xuan asked gravely.

Based on previous experiences, it was apparent that the Qingtian royalty had set their eyes upon the ancient domain as well. Thus, it was safe to assume that any Otherworldly Demons that appeared were related to the Qingtian royalty.

The Violetleaf King examined the two carcasses in front of him for a brief moment before turning to Zhang Xuan to report. "Reporting to Young Master, I don't know those two. However... judging from their features, they are most likely the subordinates of the Stoneleaf King!"

"Stoneleaf King?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

That was the Otherworldly Demon King who was ranked fourth of the Five Upper Kings!

"The Stoneleaf King is known for his superior physical body. When his cultivation technique is active, his entire body will gain toughness comparable to the strongest granite in the world, granting him foolproof defense! Considering how the skin of these two Otherworldly Demons is dry and rough, it appears that they have practiced a similar cultivation technique to that of the Stoneleaf King, so it is very likely that they are his subordinates," the Violetleaf King analyzed.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Back when he examined the duo with the Eye of Insight, he did notice that their skin was a little cracked and grayish, reminiscent of a stone. He had thought that it might have been a result of the poor environment they had grown up in, resulting in the aged appearance of their skin. However, judging from the Violetleaf King's words, it appeared that it was the result of the practicing of some kind of unique cultivation technique.

After understanding what was going on, the Violetleaf King remarked, "The Stoneleaf King is a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert, and he boasts indomitable physical prowess. Even I dare not stand up against him as an enemy. I fear that it will be extremely dangerous for Wu shi and the others to face him!"

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive at those words. Not daring to waste any time, he hurriedly followed the trail forward.

Hong long long!

Proceeding forward for a while longer, a rumble abruptly sounded from the front. Gazing ahead, Zhang Xuan saw that the area in front of him was filled with dark, ominous clouds. Innumerable streaks of lightning flashed furiously across the area, and the deafening rumbling of thunder roared ceaselessly in the air.

The Spatial Formation they were in had conditions that deeply resembled those of the external world. There were varying seasons and weather conditions, and naturally, there was spring lightning 1 as well.

Seeing that the trail led into the field of lightning, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but frown. They are in there...

The spring lightning before him was extremely fearsome; just a brief moment of carelessness could easily result in one being struck to death. Under normal circumstances, he would surely have fled as far away as possible, not daring to get close at all.

Yet, the expedition team had actually dared to step into such treacherous lands. It seemed like the danger they were facing was far greater than he had imagined.

I really should have left the Golden Origin Cauldron with them, Zhang Xuan thought in self-reproach.

He thought that the only danger that the crowd would face in the Unbounded Formation was from the sound of the breeze, so he didn't bother leaving the Golden Origin Cauldron behind to protect them. Yet, who would have thought that they would end up encountering Otherworldly Demons?

"Young Master, the lightning is very dangerous. Are you really intending to enter?" The Violetleaf King couldn't help but cower at the field of lightning.

"You should enter the Myriad Anthive Nest for the time being!" Knowing that an additional member would just mean an additional target for the lightning to strike, Zhang Xuan had the Violetleaf King return to the Myriad Anthive Nest. Just as he was about to step into the field of lightning, a thought surfaced in his mind, and he halted.

He quickly searched for a discreet area where he could hide at and sat down cross-legged. After ensuring that there was no one in the vicinity, he drew his soul out from his glabella.

If the expedition team was truly being pursued by the Otherworldly Demons, he had to get to them quickly to save them. If he attempted to enter with his physical body, there was a good chance that the lightning could be drawn to him, resulting in his advancement being slowed significantly. Thus, it would be much safer and faster to head in with his soul.

His soul was intangible and possessed no attribute, so as long as he didn't intentionally show himself, the lightning wouldn't be able to notice him.

Zhang Xuan swiftly stowed his physical body into the Myriad Anthive Nest as well before placing it into his storage ring. After which, holding onto the storage ring with his soul energy, he dived into the field of lightning. Tracing the trail on the ground with his Eye of Insight, he swiftly proceeded forward.

The trail had mostly been erased by the force of the lightning, making it impossible for even a 7-star high-tier master teacher like Wu shi to trace it. It was only due to Zhang Xuan's extraordinarily sharp eyes that he was still able to follow it.

After flying for a while, Zhang Xuan felt a disturbance in the spiritual energy ahead of him. The lightning streaks seemed to concentrate right ahead, and amid their thunderous roars, he could barely make out the din of combat.

Rushing forward, Zhang Xuan soon found an extremely ancient city at the very center of the lightning. Within the city, the lightning seemed to have weakened considerably.

Two groups were currently clashing with one another intensely within the ancient city. Wu shi and the others were seated cross-legged on the ground, their faces pale from the injuries they had sustained. On the other hand, there were eight ferocious-looking Otherworldly Demons surrounding them.

"Violetleaf King, is the Stoneleaf King among the group there?"

For Wu shi and the others to be left in such a state, their opponent was definitely no pushover. Knowing that he couldn't act recklessly at such a moment, Zhang Xuan hurriedly communicated with the Violetleaf King in the Myriad Anthive Nest in hopes of obtaining more intelligence regarding the enemy forces.

After taking a look, the Violetleaf King replied telepathically, "Young Master, the Stoneleaf King isn't among the group. The eight Otherworldly Demons over there are likely his subordinates. Even so, they boast superior defense and are unafraid of death, making them fearsome adversaries."

"The Stoneleaf King isn't there?"

Hearing that the Stoneleaf King wasn't amid the group, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly slipped his soul back into the Myriad Anthive Nest and returned back to his body before silently reappearing on the spot.

He was the only reinforcement the expedition team had at the moment. If he wanted to save them, he would have to defeat all of the Otherworldly Demons in a single sweep. Otherwise, if the enemy were allowed time to regroup and encircle them once more, he could very well be placed in a very dangerous position.

Zhang Xuan summoned the Golden Origin Cauldron out and instructed it grimly, "Ding Ding, you will be attacking with me in a moment."

"Young Master, rest assured. I will reduce that bunch to cinders!" the Golden Origin Cauldron declared confidently.

It had always loved fighting, but it was a pity that it didn't have many opportunities to do so. This was a rare chance for it to go all out, so how could it let such an opportunity slip through its fingers?

"Alright. Move!"

Identifying the best possible timing to strike, Zhang Xuan commanded the Golden Origin Cauldron before dashing forward.

Executing the Heaven's Path Movement Art, he charged right up furiously and rammed forcefully into an Otherworldly Demon.

His physical body was currently on par with Saint low-tier artifacts. The sheer force he harnessed in his ram was far greater than the might of any weapon that he could wield.

Peng!

The Otherworldly Demon that he struck was immediately killed on the spot. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to turn around and launch an attack toward the next enemy, he suddenly heard cries of agony behind him.

Ahhhh!

Turning around, he saw that the Golden Origin Cauldron, with its size enlarged to its maximum, had fallen down upon the remaining seven Otherworldly Demons, crushing them into meat paste.

Even in the moment before their deaths, the seven Otherworldly Demons had dazed looks on their faces, not knowing what was happening at all.

That is too savage.

Stunned, Zhang Xuan didn't even notice that his mouth was wide open.

He had thought that it was already very formidable that he could ram an Otherworldly Demon to death with his body, but who could have known that Golden Origin Cauldron would top his feat? It was as if what he had done was nothing more than child's play.

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Chapter 1044: Ancient Sage Qiu Wu

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Several minutes earlier...

Seated on the floor, the pale-faced Wu shi said, "I never thought that I, Wu Rufeng, would end up dying under the encirclement of a bunch of Saint 3-dan Otherworldly Demons."

In this moment, his confident eyes were filled with nothing but despondence.

Shortly after the demonic tune was finally dispelled, they encountered this bunch of Otherworldly Demons.

Under the torture of the demonic tunes, their expedition team had been severely depleted of their zhenqi and stamina, such that even walking was difficult for them. In their current state, there was no way they could withstand the ferocious assault of the Otherworldly Demons.

They had been left with no choice but to try their best to flee while fending off the Otherworldly Demon. Through pushing himself to his limit, Wu shi had managed to slay two of the Otherworldly Demons, but in the end, he had ended up being severely wounded by a Saint 4-dan Otherworldly Demon shortly after.

Even though they had already prepared themselves to face death in the exploration of the ancient domain, they hadn't even met the shadows of Zhang Yinqiu and the others yet! How could he die when he hadn't even managed to accomplish anything yet? More importantly, as a 7-star high-tier master teacher, he felt like it was a great humiliation to die at the hands of the Otherworldly Demons.

"If we really can't hold on any further, let's just explode our cultivation. I don't want to die and have my corpse tarnished in their hands!"

If his corpse were to be used by the Otherworldly Demons as a tribute for them to gain even more power, there was no way he would be able to rest in peace.

Instead of being humiliated in such a manner, he would rather implode himself, and perhaps, he might be able to bring some enemies down with him, bringing some value to his death.

With gritted teeth, the rest of the crowd nodded in agreement. "Very well!"

The ones present in the area came from various walks in life—master teachers, combat masters, and formation masters. However, they shared a common trait; they were all humans.

"Farewell, my friends and family. Farewell, the Master Teacher Pavilion. Farewell, mankind. I apologize for being unable to accomplish my mission."

Sighing deeply, the crowd was just about to give up their struggles and explode their cultivation when they suddenly saw a figure heading toward them.

"Principal Zhang?"

Upon seeing the other party's appearance, everyone couldn't help but clench their fists tightly, and their faces reddened in agitation.

They had thought that they were doomed, but who would have thought that Principal Chang would arrive at the very last moment?

Without utilizing any techniques, Zhang Xuan charged right into the fray. With just a single ram, he had already knocked an Otherworldly Demon into meat paste. The Golden Origin Cauldron was even more formidable. It expanded until it was several dozen meters wide and plummeted down upon the Otherworldly Demons from the sky, smashing seven of them in a single breath.

The Saint intermediate-tier Golden Origin Cauldron wielded fighting prowess on par with a Saint 4-dan pinnacle cultivator, and the Otherworldly Demons surrounding them were merely at Saint 3-dan. There was no way they could possibly withstand its strength.

"Don't kill them fir..." Zhang Xuan tried to stop the Golden Origin Cauldron, but before he could finish his words, he realized that the group of Otherworldly Demons were already all dead. Thus, the rest of the words ended up being choked in his mouth, unable to be spoken.

He had been planning on keeping one of them alive for interrogation, but who could have known that the Golden Origin Cauldron would move so quickly? Barely after he had defeated his first one, the other party had already ended the remaining ones, not allowing him any time to stop it at all.

"Forget it..." Zhang Xuan shook his head before walking up to the expedition team. "How are you all feeling?"

With his eye of discernment, he could tell that their injuries were rather significant. It would take quite a bit of effort to heal them.

"Thank you for saving our lives..."

After expressing their gratitude to Zhang Xuan, the members of the expedition team hurriedly took out recovery pills from their storage rings and swallowed them.

The injuries they had sustained were so severe that they could only afford to utter a word of thanks before rushing off to recuperate.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan knew that they had their own recovery means, so he chose not to interfere too much either. Gazing at the crowd from his position, his frown couldn't help but gradually deepen with impatience.

Wu shi was the first one to recover to a decent extent from his injuries, and he slowly opened his eyes.

It was due to them being assaulted by the Otherworldly Demons while they were in a deeply weakened state that they had fallen so easily.

Had the expedition team been at its full strength, they would have been able to deal with the enemy easily even if there were two Saint 4-dan experts on the other side.

"What happened?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"It's like this. Not too long after Principal Zhang left, we were encircled by the Otherworldly Demon..." Wu shi began going through the situation back then in detail.

After learning of the ins and outs of the situation, Zhang Xuan realized that the Otherworldly Demons who had left the expedition team fleeing frantically weren't as scary as he had imagined, and he heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he couldn't help but ask, "Where is Luo shi? Why isn't she with you?"

Zhang Xuan had been looking out for her ever since he arrived, but it was apparent that Luo Ruoxin wasn't among the expedition team. That was also the reason he was feeling deeply worried.

"As soon as the demonic tune vanished, Luo shi seemed to have noticed something, so she left the expedition team to take a look. As for exactly where she went, we aren't too sure either," Wu shi replied.

Luo Ruoxin had left right after the demonic tune vanished, and just barely two minutes after her disappearance, the Otherworldly Demons had suddenly come to attack. If she had been around, perhaps the expedition team wouldn't have faced such a crushing defeat.

"You aren't too sure either?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

She couldn't have encountered Otherworldly Demons in the midst of her journey either, could she? Even the entire expedition team had nearly been wiped out from facing them, so how could she possibly withstand their prowess alone?

"Wait a moment. You said that a Saint 4-dan Otherworldly Demon attacked you earlier, where is that fellow now?"

Earlier, Wu shi had mentioned that there was a powerful Otherworldly Demon that had severely wounded him earlier. Otherwise, with the powerful Wu shi holding the fort, they wouldn't have lost so tragically. If Zhang Xuan's guess wasn't off, that Saint 4-dan Otherworldly Demon should have been the Stoneleaf King. But... why wasn't he here at the moment?

Could it be that he had found the whereabouts of Luo Ruoxin and gone off to pursue her?

This time, it was Guild Leader Han who replied. "Shortly after entering this ancient city, he gave his subordinates some instructions and left the area hurriedly. It seemed like he was going to find some kind of treasure hidden within the field of lightning urgently."

After a moment of recuperation, Guild Leader Han had recovered a fair bit as well. While the wounds he was carrying at the moment were still rather severe, he was out of danger for the time being.

He left to find some kind of treasure? Anything is fine as long as he's not going after Luo Ruoxin. Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan turned to the Golden Origin Cauldron and instructed, "Ding Ding, stay here to protect the others. I am going to look for Luo shi first."

No matter what the Stoneleaf King was up to, Zhang Xuan's priorities were clear. There was nothing more important than Luo Ruoxin's safety to him.

After leaving the expedition team, Zhang Xuan swiftly left the field of lightning in his soul form and searched around the area. Not too long later, he managed to find a trail.

Following the trail, he eventually found a young lady standing before a shattered stone tablet with a contemplative frown etched on her forehead.

Zhang Xuan hurried forward to ask, "Are you fine?"

Upon seeing him, Luo Ruoxin chuckled and replied, "I am fine. What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Wu shi and the others met with some trouble..." Zhang Xuan quickly filled Luo Ruoxin in on the happenings in her absence.

"They came under the attack of the Otherworldly Demons?" Luo Ruoxin harrumphed coldly. "Those scoundrels! They must have followed us in."

As the seal outside had been broken, the door could no longer keep anyone out. The Otherworldly Demons had probably gotten into the ancient domain by following them discreetly.

Zhang Xuan nodded as well.

Luo Ruoxin pointed at the rubble in front of her and asked, "Are you the one who destroyed the stone tablet?"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was slightly embarrassed.

While he hadn't destroyed the stone tablet with his own hands, its destruction could be attributed very directly to him. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that he was the culprit even.

"There is something weird with the stone tablet. Did you realize that it is made of the same material as the inscribed cliff face on the Saint Ascension Platform? Furthermore, this Spatial Formation deeply resembles the folded space that Kong shi left his scroll in back then," Luo Ruoxin said contemplatively.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Now that the other party mentioned it, he realized that there was indeed a deep resemblance between the two.

Similar materials being used could be attributed to the close proximity between the Saint Ascension Platform to this ancient domain. The cliff face was indeed a material that boasted a greater longevity compared to the others, so it wasn't too surprising for the master of the ancient domain to select it. But the resemblance between both spaces was too much to pass off as a mere coincidence.

Could this ancient domain... really be related to Kong shi? Zhang Xuan thought.

There were quite a few people who had deduced that there might be a connection between the two since they were rather close with one another, but due to the silent restraint on the discussion of Kong shi's affairs, they dared not talk too much about it.

"No, that's not it... I was the one who activated the stone tablet, and the elder who appeared wasn't Kong shi..." Zhang Xuan said.

The elder who appeared earlier had claimed that he was the master of the ancient domain, but his appearance and gestures were completely different to Kong shi's!

Hearing that it was Zhang Xuan who had activated the stone tablet, Luo Ruoxin hurriedly turned her gaze over. "What was that elder's name?"

"His name? He didn't tell me... However, he did impart a movement technique to me that goes by the name of... Unbounded Voyager!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Unbounded Voyager? Could it be..." Luo Ruoxin's eyes lit up as a thought came to her mind.

Noting Luo Ruoxin's reaction, Zhang Xuan asked, "You have heard of that movement technique before?"

"If the movement technique you have been given is truly Unbounded Voyager, then the person you met was most likely Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!" Luo Ruoxin replied.

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "I think I have heard of that name before... Wait! He is the expert who created the seal in the Subterranean Gallery beneath the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!"

Back then, to repair the seal, Zhang Xuan had compiled a book on the seal, and from it, he had learned that it had been created by an expert who went by the name of Qiu Wu.

Could it be that... the elder who intended to accept him as his student was a fragmented soul of that expert?

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shudder at the notion, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.

An expert that was able of creating a seal that even 9-star master teachers were incapable of breaking open... And he actually tried to take the other party in as his student...

How could he have been so brazen?

It was fortunate that the elder hadn't gotten angry over the matter, or else, even as a fragmented soul, the other party would still have been more than capable of destroying him.

"Un. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu possesses a deep understanding regarding the laws of space. Most of the seals to the otherworldly battlefields were set up by him!" Luo Ruoxin nodded.

"While Ancient Sage Qiu Wu wasn't Kong shi's student, he was one of Kong shi's staunch followers. Possessing an unfathomable cultivation, he stood beside Kong shi no matter where the latter went. On the surface, it might have seemed as if their relationship was that between a master and a servant, but in truth, they were close like brothers. Even the 72 Sages who inherited Kong shi's heritage had to respectfully address him as Senior Uncle Qiu Wu 1 !"

"Senior Uncle Qiu Wu?"

"Indeed. Qiu Wu has devoted his life to following Kong shi, and back then, in order to fend off the offense of the Otherworldly Demons, he used his own body as the catalyst for a seal so as to stop the enemy in their tracks, thus buying precious time for the human race. Among the respected predecessors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, his contribution is definitely ranked within the top five!"

Admiration and respect couldn't help but surface in Luo Ruoxin's eyes as she spoke of Qiu Wu. "That is the reason many of the later generations respected him deeply. Putting everything aside, just Pavilion Master Gou of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion is one of his most fervent fans... Zhang shi, what's wrong?"

At this point, Luo Ruoxin turned her gaze over and noticed that, at some point in time, Zhang Xuan had collapsed weakly to the ground with a look of despair on his face. It was as if someone had slapped him hard on his face, and he looked so vexed that he was about to cry.

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Chapter 1045: Soul Tempering Through Lightning

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"It's fine..."

Zhang Xuan struggled to his feet, but his entire body still felt limp and weak.

He had actually tried to make an expert like Ancient Sage Qiu Wu acknowledge him as his teacher. It was fortunate that no one else knew, or else Wu shi and the others might just have pummeled him to death!

"Just a moment ago, I sensed a powerful fragmented soul that harnessed an ancient aura in the area, so I hurriedly left the expedition team to rush over. However, it abruptly vanished before I could reach here. It turns out that it was Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. Have you mastered his Unbounded Voyager yet?" Luo Ruoxin asked.

"I haven't learned it yet..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"You haven't learned it? Well, I have read some records regarding the Unbounded Voyager, and it appears that the movement technique is highly demanding on one's physical body and zhenqi. It is not something that can be mastered easily, so there's no need for you to rush into it." Noting the crestfallen look on Zhang Xuan's face, Luo Ruoxin thought that he was feeling down because he hadn't managed to master it, so she attempted to console him.

"Un." Knowing that there was no way he could explain the matter either, Zhang Xuan nodded with a bitter smile.

Luo Ruoxin continued. "The Unbounded Voyager can definitely be ranked within the top three movement techniques on the Master Teacher Continent, so you must take caution when using it publicly. Otherwise, if others were to notice it, you might end up bringing trouble upon yourself."

While master teachers were bound by rules, sometimes, in face of an unparalleled treasure, greed could become a sufficiently powerful force for them to cast aside their morals.

Using the current Zhang Xuan as an example, it was not that there wasn't anyone who was tempted to obtain his cultivation technique and battle techniques, considering the incredible fighting prowess he wielded. The only reason no one had done so thus far was due to their fear of 'Yang shi' and the Master Teacher Pavilion!

Had it not been for 'Yang shi's' occasional appearances reminding everyone that he had the backing of a fearsomely powerful teacher, he could have already been taken down long ago and forced to spill all of the secrets he had.

Such was the case for the Unbounded Voyager, too.

Not only was it powerful, it was also a part of the legendary Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage. Once news that Zhang Xuan was in possession of it spread... perhaps master teachers might still hold themselves back, in consideration of their standing, but the same couldn't be said about the other unaffiliated cultivators or those from other occupations. It was for this very reason that Zhang Xuan had been so fixated on the idea of maintaining a low profile.

As the old adage goes, better safe than sorry.

"Thank you for your reminder, I will take note of it!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Un. Since Ancient Sage Qiu Wu has appeared once, it is very likely that we will have many more opportunities to meet him later on. For the time being, let's hurry back to where Wu shi and the others are. If the Stoneleaf King you spoke of goes back to them, they will be in grave danger," Luo Ruoxin said.

"Yes, you're right. We will still have plenty of chances to meet him in the future. Alright, let's go!"

Zhang Xuan was still feeling deeply guilty over the words that he had spoken. Upon hearing that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu would very likely appear again in the future, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Indeed, the elder whose dissipation he had induced was just a fragmented soul. They were bound to meet more as they travel through the ancient domain. At the very most, he would just have to apologize to him later on.

The urgent matter at hand wasn't for him to be conflicted over such trivialities but to advance deeper into the ancient domain, find the old principal, and foil the plans of the Otherworldly Demons. He would only be truly letting down Ancient Sage Qiu Wu if he allowed the Otherworldly Demons' ploys in the ancient domain to succeed.

Without any hesitation, the duo began heading toward the field of lightning.

Hong long long!

Before they could even come close to the field of lightning, they could already hear the domineering thunder roaring in the distance, as if some kind of powerful force was trying to rip the world into two.

Soon, arriving before the field of lightning, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

The field of lightning had been plenty frightening when he first arrived as well, but the sight before him at that moment was a true catastrophe.

To make a comparison, the field of lightning had intensified from a drizzle into a heavy downpour.

Countless streaks of lightning assaulted the land relentlessly with frightening concentration, turning the ground pitch black. It was as if someone had carried out an entire stretch of hell and shifted it here, leaving others to keep a distance away from it fearfully.

What happened? Why did the lightning suddenly run amok? Zhang Xuan was deeply anxious and worried.

Wu shi and the others hadn't recovered from their injuries yet! In face of such a powerful lightning storm, they could very well be in danger!

Just what could have happened for the relatively calmer field of lightning to abruptly go berserk?

"How do we enter?" Zhang Xuan frowned in vexation.

When the lightning had been sparser, he had still been able to evade them easily using his soul. But with the lightning becoming so frighteningly concentrated, drowning the entire area, no matter how fast his reaction speed was, there was no way he could avoid every single one of the lightning! He would be reduced to cinders before he could even get in!

"The lightning is far too concentrated; it won't be feasible for us to charge in forcefully." Luo Ruoxin's eyebrows were also knitted together.

She was also unable to think of a workable solution to get into the field of lightning at the moment.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before turning to Luo Ruoxin and saying, "You should enter the Myriad Anthive Nest for the moment. I will try to think of a way to get through the field of lightning."

She had been with him when the Myriad Anthive Queen consumed the folded space at the Saint Ascension Platform, so it was no secret to her.

After slight hesitation, Luo Ruoxin nodded. "Alright then. You have to be careful."

"Un."

After having Luo Ruoxin enter the Myriad Anthive Nest, Zhang Xuan attempted the same ploy he had utilized before. He drew his soul out from his body and charged in.

Before such violent lightning, it wouldn't take long for even his Saint low-tier physical body to be reduced to a lump of meat. It would be far safer for him to enter in his soul form.

Due to the intangible nature of souls, it could ward off most of the energy from the lightning, thus minimizing the danger that one would face from it.

Hong long!

As soon as Zhang Xuan entered, several bolts of lightning immediately fell from the sky and struck his soul squarely. In an instant, his soul stiffened entirely, and a piercing pain threatened to tear him apart.

"Yowch..." Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth forcefully to endure the excruciating pain his soul was put under.

It was fortunate that he cultivated the Heaven's Path Soul Art, so his soul was devoid of the yin attribute. Otherwise, considering the vulnerability of the yin attribute to lightning, his soul might have just dissipated then and there.

Nevertheless, as if he had been sentenced to death by a thousand cuts 1 , he felt like innumerable steel needles were piercing into his soul. The sheer pain he was put under pushed his mind to its very limit, and he felt as if he could faint on the spot.

At this rate, I think that I will die of pain before I can persevere up to where Wu shi and the others are, Zhang Xuan thought grimly.

He had strong mental resilience, granting him great tolerance to pain. Nevertheless, the excruciating pain from the lightning striking down on him relentlessly still left him feeling as if he would faint at any moment.

He was still a distance away from the ancient city where Wu shi and the others were. He really couldn't imagine himself moving his soul over under such circumstances.

I don't have a choice at the moment. I will have to deal with the pain no matter how unbearable it is. If I am already in such a state despite my soul form, Wu shi and the others must be in an even worse position than I am.] Zhang Xuan clenched his jaws tightly.

Wu shi and the others were currently located at the very heart of the field of lightning, and there was no doubt that there were in grave danger at the moment. He had to save them as quickly as possible.

Thus, fueled by determination, he continued trudging forward.

Pilipala!

Despite the intangible nature of souls, the lightning that fell from the sky was simply too concentrated, making it impossible for him to avoid it altogether. He had advanced less than a hundred meters into the field of lightning thus far, but his soul had already been struck at least five hundred times by the lightning.

Gradually, Zhang Xuan found his mind withering away under the immense pain. Knowing that it was impossible for him to force a path ahead, he was just about to give up and leave for the time being to decide on another course of action when he suddenly noticed something, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

T-this...

Overwhelming agitation struck Zhang Xuan abruptly, causing even his soul to distort from the sheer intensity of his emotions.

The Innate Fetal Poison actually fears the Power of Lightning! It is being forced to congregate at one location, Zhang Xuan thought in shock as he looked inwardly at the current state of his soul.

That incomparably haughty Innate Fetal Poison, which had wreaked havoc in his soul previously, was currently gathered together, seemingly apprehensive of the Power of Lightning that had gathered around his soul. It was shaking fearfully by the corner, not daring to move in the least.

The amalgamation of his soul essence with Wei Ruyan's had granted his soul properties reminiscent of the Poison Soul Constitution, and that had helped him to suppress the Innate Fetal Poison considerably, forcing the latter to lie low for the time being. However, he knew that this was only a temporary measure. Given sufficient time, the Innate Fetal Poison would still find an opportunity to strike back.

But... at this moment, the Innate Fetal Poison was so frightened by the Power of Lightning that it had withdrawn entirely from the other portions of his soul, congregating together in just one location. If that was the case... was it possible for him to use the Power of Lightning to destroy the Innate Fetal Poison once and for all?

If he were to succeed, he could permanently rid himself of the ticking time bomb within him, and long gone would be the days where he lived fearfully for his life!

Since you are frightened of lightning, let me absorb some more and give you a good treat!

With that thought in mind, Zhang Xuan forcefully suppressed the vertigo he was experiencing to calm his mind.

After which, he began to actively absorb the lightning that he had been trying so hard to ward off a moment ago.

Since I am able to absorb even the heat of the lava, the same should apply for lightning as well.

If the heat contained within the lava could be used to refine his soul, perhaps lightning could have the same effects as well...

Gathering his concentration, he opened up all of the acupoints throughout his body and began driving the Heaven's Path Soul Art.

Even though he still didn't possess the Half-Saint Heaven's Path Soul Art yet, the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan Heaven's Path Soul Art was still sufficient for him to utilize the surrounding lightning to refine his soul, making it even more condensed and heavier.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

Drawn in by Zhang Xuan, the Power of Lightning gathered around his soul in the form of innumerable little lightning snakes.

It had only been a stabbing pain before, but at that moment, he felt as if someone had plunged his soul into a wok of boiling oil; there was not a single portion of his soul that wasn't hurting.

" Ahh! "

Feeling as if a devastating force was ripping through his body, Zhang Xuan let loose a deafening bellow.

If it had been anyone else, they would have long succumbed. However, as a practitioner of the Heaven's Path cultivation techniques, his physical body and soul carried the inviolable disposition of the heavens, granting him superior resilience to the forces of nature. On top of that, his transcendental state of mind also helped his mind to remain composed and rational before the immense pain, thus allowing him to forcefully retain his consciousness.

Geji! Geji!

Driving the little lightning snakes through the meridians of his soul via the Heaven's Path Soul Art, Zhang Xuan soon realized, to his delight, that despite the unbearable pain he was suffering, the Innate Fetal Poison had been forced to congregate closer and closer together, seemingly being backed into a corner, and the size of his soul was also compressed further as well.

With just a single circulation of the little lightning snakes, the height of his soul had been reduced from 8 meters to 7.9 meters.

Not only so, after absorbing the Power of Lightning, he realized that his resistance to lightning had also been boosted significantly. The penetrating pain he felt seemed to feel a little less unbearable compared to before.

Continue!

Zhang Xuan knew that, if he couldn't withstand the lightning, it was very likely that he would pass out first before he could save Wu shi and the others. Thus, he decided to cultivate his soul first.

Hu hu hu!

The raging lightning continuously seeped into his soul, condensing his soul further and further.

It was still unbearable at the start, but as his soul absorbed the Power of Lightning and grew stronger, the excruciating pain caused by the lightning also began to dull.

Hong long!

After some time, with a furious roar, his soul advanced from Half-Saint to Nascent Saint, and its height also reduced from eight meters to seven meters.

Alright, I should head over to save Wu shi now!

Zhang Xuan knew that the lightning from the surroundings couldn't knock him out anymore, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He hurriedly got to his feet and flew into the distance.

He could still cultivate his soul further by tapping into the Power of Lightning, but the urgent matter at hand was to save Wu shi and the others. If he were to waste any more time, they could very well have lost their lives before he even arrived.

Fazed by the immense power of the lightning no longer, Zhang Xuan was able to travel extremely swiftly. Within just a few dozen breaths, he arrived at the area where he had met Wu shi and the others before. After a look at the area, he couldn't help but frown.

The entire area had been devastated by some kind of powerful force, and Wu shi and the others, who had still been recuperating a moment ago, had vanished from sight.

Zhang Xuan's complexion darkened. Could it be that... the Stoneleaf King has returned for them?

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Chapter 1046: Lightning Elemental Orb

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Under normal circumstances, considering how concentrated the lightning was, it was impossible for Wu shi and the others to flee from the field of lightning. Yet, at this moment, they had vanished from sight. That could only mean one thing—the Stoneleaf King had returned, and he had assaulted the expedition team!

However, that thought only remained in Zhang Xuan's mind for a moment before being rejected.

Wait a moment... Ding Ding might be unreliable at times, but its fighting prowess is not one to be underestimated. As long as the opponent hasn't reached Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm, it shouldn't be possible for the other party to defeat it. They should be fine under its protection!

Furthermore, I haven't been gone for too long. Even if Ding Ding is no match for the enemy, it should still be able to hold on for some time. Furthermore, considering the ridiculous concentration of the lightning falling around the area, no matter how formidable the Stoneleaf King may be, there's no way that he will able to withstand it. It would be difficult for him to even protect himself at the moment, so how could he have the chance to harm Wu shi and the others?

The Golden Origin Cauldron was a Saint intermediate-tier artifact. Even though it was only capable of ramming itself into others without anyone controlling it, thus severely limiting its fighting prowess, it should have been more than capable of keeping the Stoneleaf King away from the others!

Not to mention, it would have been difficult for even the Stoneleaf King to survive the violent assault of lightning, let alone kill others.

"Hmm?"

Guessing that the Stoneleaf King hadn't returned yet, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before turning his gaze back to the rubble.

Since Wu shi and the others hadn't come under the assault of the Otherworldly Demons, the chances would be that they were currently hiding.

Taking a closer look, Zhang Xuan soon realized that something was amiss, and he chuckled softly.

Beneath the rubble of the ancient city, the dirt on the ground was fresh. If his deduction was not off, it was likely that Wu shi and the others were hidden underground.

Due to the unique constitution of humans, they would likely have drawn lightning to them had they stood above ground. As such, it was much safer for them to hide underground. That was indeed a good move on their part.

Hu!

Taking his body out from his storage ring, Zhang Xuan returned his soul to his body, and with a blast of zhenqi, he knocked away the surrounding rubble and began burrowing into the ground.

As expected, shortly after he burrowed into the ground, the intensity of the lightning strikes weakened considerably. At a depth of around eight meters underground, he saw the top of massive cauldron beneath him.

The Golden Origin Cauldron had expanded to its maximum size of around thirty meters wide. There was no one outside the cauldron, which meant that everyone was likely hiding within it.

"You are injured?"

Zhang Xuan was just about to pry open the cauldron lid to see how the others were doing when he realized that the aura of the Golden Origin Cauldron was extremely weak. It seemed to have sustained severe injuries.

"Young Master, you are here..." Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, the Golden Origin Cauldron responded with a relieved but feeble voice. "They are all fine."

"What happened?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"The lightning was too strong; the others weren't able to withstand it at all. I tried to save them, so I expanded my body to its maximum size to take the attacks in their stead. I feel very tired. I want to rest now," the Golden Origin Cauldron said weakly.

Seeing the Golden Origin cauldron in such a state, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but clench his fists tightly together.

To expand to over thirty meters wide in the face of such concentrated lightning, it was no wonder the Golden Origin Cauldron had ended up in such a state.

As a Saint intermediate-tier artifact, the lightning wouldn't deal too much damage to its body. However, the same could not be said about its spirit.

From the very start, souls and spirits were exceptionally weak against lightning.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron had managed to save the expedition team, its spirit had ended up being severely wounded by the relentless lightning strikes. As such, its consciousness was starting to fade.

"I will impart a cultivation technique to you right now, so try to cultivate it. You mustn't fall asleep at this point!" Knowing that the Golden Origin Cauldron's spirit could very well die were it to fall asleep at this moment, Zhang Xuan panicked. He hurriedly flicked his wrist and passed a cultivation technique manual over.

It was a method to temper one's soul. While he was unsure whether it was effective against spirits or not, he didn't have any better alternatives at that moment.

While the Golden Origin Cauldron was rather rowdy and unreliable at times, there was no doubt about its loyalty. Not to mention, it had only landed itself in its current state due to his order to protect the others. He couldn't allow anything to happen to it!

"Alright... I will cultivate it when I have time... Young Master, I might fear death, but I am not coward..." The Golden Origin Cauldron's voice slowly trailed off, and eventually, it fell completely silent.

"Ding Ding!" Zhang Xuan shouted in alarm, but the other party had already fallen asleep.

From the very start, the Golden Origin Cauldron had already been at its limit. It had been forcing itself to hold on until Zhang Xuan arrived.

"You aren't a coward; you are a hero," Zhang Xuan muttered softly to the Golden Origin Cauldron as he gritted his teeth tightly together. "Don't worry, I will save you."

The Golden Origin Cauldron might only have been an artifact, a very cowardly one at that, but in the crucial moment, it had still leaped in without any hesitation, choosing to sacrifice itself to protect the others.

Zhang Xuan had already promised to raise its cultivation to Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm. He couldn't just allow the Golden Origin Cauldron to remain in a coma like that. No matter what, he had to save it and fulfill its wish!

Staring at the Golden Origin Cauldron for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply, his voice tinged with helplessness, before he pried open the lid and entered it.

"Principal Zhang, you are back!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Wu shi and the others hurriedly got to their feet and greeted him.

Under the protection of the Golden Origin Cauldron, they had been spared from the frenzied rampage of the lightning. On top of that, after recuperating from their injuries for some time, they had recovered considerably.

"Un. What happened? Why did the lightning suddenly run amok?" Zhang Xuan asked.

He had gone off to find Luo Ruoxin, so he wasn't too sure about the situation within the field of lightning. On the other hand, the expedition team had been at the center of the field of lightning when it all happened, so they would have a clearer understanding of the matter.

"It should be related to the Stoneleaf King that you spoke of. Perhaps, in the midst of searching for his treasure, he might have accidentally come into contact with something that resulted in the abrupt intensification of the lightning!" Wu shi deduced.

They had been discussing the matter a while ago, and this was the explanation that they found the most viable.

Otherwise, a field of lightning of such size couldn't possibly change all of a sudden, sending so many streaks of lightning down from above.

"That might very well be the case." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Indeed!

Previously, the Saint 4-dan Stoneleaf King had said that he was leaving to find some kind of artifact, but in the end, not too long after he had left, such a situation had occurred. There was bound to be a connection between the two matters.

"In which direction did the Stoneleaf King leave?" Zhang Xuan asked with narrowed eyes.

Had it not been for that fellow, the Golden Origin Cauldron wouldn't have fallen unconscious. No matter what, he had to exact vengeance!

Besides, regardless of what the artifact that the other party was seeking, it could only spell a calamity for them. Even at the cost of his life, he had to stop the other party!

Wu shi pointed and said, "He headed into the depths of the ancient city."

They were currently at the outskirts of the ancient city, and they had seen the Stoneleaf King heading toward the very center of the ancient city back then.

"I will head over there to take a look. You should all continue recuperating here for the moment," Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

Feng Xun stood up and said, "Principal Zhang, I will follow you. The Stoneleaf King is extremely strong; you won't be able to deal with him yourself. Also, I have a unique method that allows me to track down Otherworldly Demons."

He had only been unable to fight due to his zhenqi and stamina being sapped dry by the earlier demonic tune. During the battle with the Otherworldly Demons, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han had fought hard to protect the other expedition members, so he had not suffered severe injuries. Thus, after a moment of recuperation, he was already back to his peak state and ready to fight once more.

"Alright." Seeing that Feng Xun was in a good state, Zhang Xuan nodded.

Combat masters should charge bravely ahead without allowing their fear of death to get in their way. To ask them to cower in the face of an enemy was no different from challenging their faith.

Furthermore, even though Feng Xun had been badly pummeled in the battle against him, that was only due to the latter suppressing his cultivation. If the latter used the entirety of his Saint 3-dan pinnacle cultivation, there was a good chance that he could be a match for even the Stoneleaf King.

The ability of the combat masters to rival opponents stronger than them wasn't for show.

Not to mention, Feng Xun also possessed certain means to track down Otherworldly Demons.

While the Eye of Insight was also capable of tracking down the trail of Otherworldly Demons, the problem with that was that most of the traces of the trail had dissipated under the frenzied lightning strikes. Instead of struggling to find a nearly invisible trail, he might as well bring Feng Xun along instead. This would also be a good opportunity for him to see what means the combat masters possessed.

A few other combat masters and master teachers also expressed their interest to tag along as well, but Zhang Xuan turned all of them down.

Firstly, those combat masters and master teachers hadn't fully recovered yet, so they were unlikely to be much of a match for the Stoneleaf King in their current state. Secondly, they had to protect some of the weaker and more severely injured expedition members as well. Otherwise, if the Stoneleaf King were to find their hiding spot before the exploring party found him, the others would be powerless to stand against him.

To be safe, it was better to have Wu shi and Guild Leader Han remain with the rest of the expedition team.

Knowing the concerns that Zhang Xuan had, the others eventually relented. They hurriedly turned their attention back to recuperating from their injuries and depletion so that they could return to their peak state as soon as possible.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan burrowed through the soil with Feng Xun and returned to the surface.

The rampage of the lightning had alleviated considerably in the time that he had spent underground. Even without resorting to his means as a soul oracle, he would still be able to avoid the lightning easily and travel through the field of lightning safely. Heaving a sigh of relief, he began heading toward the center of the ancient city.

Proceeding in, the lightning seemed to grow sparser and sparser. It was as if the ancient city harnessed some kind of unique power that prevented the lightning storm from wreaking havoc within.

However, while the lightning had decreased, the Stoneleaf King had used some kind of means to conceal his trail entirely. Even while using the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan found himself losing sight of the other party's trail.

"Let me take a look." Coming to a halt, Feng Xun flicked his wrist, and a unique artifact reminiscent of a compass appeared in his hand. He bit his finger and dripped a droplet of blood on the compass.

Weng!

The artifact whirred into action, and the needle on the compass pointed toward a certain direction.

"That way," Feng Xun said.

"What is this artifact? It is able to discern the route that the Otherworldly Demons have passed through?" Zhang Xuan asked in curiosity.

This was his first time seeing that artifact.

"This is the Undefiled Mirror. It is particularly sensitive to fresh blood and killing intent. Due to the Zhenqi of Slaughter that the Otherworldly Demons cultivate, killing intent is bound to linger in areas where they have passed by. This Undefiled Mirror serves to find the trail of killing intent, thus leading one to the Otherworldly Demon himself. Of course, the killing intent left behind by the Otherworldly Demons will eventually fade with time, so the effectiveness of the artifact will be very poor beyond the four-hour mark," Feng Xun replied.

"Undefiled Mirror?" Zhang Xuan nodded.

The main purpose behind the existence of the combat masters was to stand against the Otherworldly Demons. It seemed like the Undefiled Mirror was specially crafted to track down fleeing Otherworldly Demons.

The duo hurried in the direction pointed out by the Undefiled Mirror.

Every once in a while, Feng Xun would take out the Undefiled Mirror to ascertain their current location once more. After repeating the process several times, the duo soon found themselves standing before an old and tattered residence that stood at the very heart of the ancient city.

"Be careful!" Knowing that the Stoneleaf King was very likely to be within the residence, the duo glanced at one another before flying into the residence discreetly.

The courtyard of the residence had been completely destroyed. A towering Otherworldly Demon was currently seated at the centermost seat. Zhenqi gushed frenziedly out of his raised hands, seemingly attempting to defend himself against some kind of power.

In front of him, there was a relatively large lake, and a deep blue sphere, which was around the size of a fist, revolved continuously.

The zhenqi exerted by the Otherworldly Demon was directed right at the sphere, seemingly attempting to suppress the power within it.

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Chapter 1047: The Fearsome Stoneleaf King

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hong long!

As powerful as the Otherworldly Demon was, the orb wasn't any weaker either. It revolved abruptly, seemingly trying to struggle free of the other party's control. In the next moment, a deep blue flash of light surged into the heavens, and an explosion reverberated shortly after as countless streaks of lightning raged in the surroundings.

It was as if the lightning all around them was controlled by the orb.

"The orb is controlling the lightning in the surroundings? Could it be... the Lightning Elemental Orb?" Feng Xun narrowed his eyes at the sight, and he anxiously sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan.

"Lightning Elemental Orb?" Hearing that name, Zhang Xuan frowned deeply.

Having read all of the books in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he was rather well-versed with the names of various famous artifacts. However, he had never heard of the Lightning Elemental Orb before.

"It is a lightning attribute artifact. Just like how spirit stones harness spiritual energy, the Lightning Elemental Orb harnesses an immense amount of lightning energy. Once released, it could easily cause devastating damage, making it an extremely fearsome artifact," Feng Xun explained apprehensively. A moment later, a doubtful look surfaced on his face as he added, "But the Lightning Elemental Orb is only produced in areas where the Power of Lightning gathers in great amounts. In terms of rarity, it is probably even less commonly seen than a 9-star master teacher, making it an extremely elusive artifact. Why would it appear here?"

"That orb over there is that valuable?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He had never heard of the Lightning Elemental Orb before, so he didn't know how valuable it was, but he did know how elusive 9-star master teachers were. Even taking the entire Master Teacher Continent into account, it would be hard to find more than a handful of them.

For the Lightning Elemental Orb to be as rare as 9-star master teachers, it was really way too scarce!

"Putting aside the fact that it wields the Power of Lightning, more importantly, what makes it extremely valuable is the fact that it is the ideal medium to serve as the core of any lightning attribute formations!" Feng Xun said. "It wields a very similar function to a formation plate. Gaining possession of it is equivalent to taking control of a powerful formation, allowing one to call forth the great might harnessed within it anytime, anywhere!"

A thought suddenly flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind, and he asked in astonishment, "Wait... Does that mean that the field of lightning here is a formation too?"

"That must be the case. Despite the lack of a formation master controlling the formation, the field of lightning is still able to easily exert fearful might. Just by that in itself, we can verify that it is a grade-8 formation at the least. If the Stoneleaf King succeeds in taking control of the Lightning Elemental Orb, we will be placed in a very dangerous position. By then, even with Wu shi and Guild Leader Han's might combined, we won't be able to stand a chance against him!" Feng Xun exclaimed with a pale face.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's body tensed up.

As one who had suffered the battering of the lightning, he knew very well how fearsome the formation was. Had it not been for his means as a soul oracle, he would not have been able to make his way through the field of lightning at all in the first place.

Furthermore, this was under the circumstances that the formation was still uncontrolled by anyone. Should the Stoneleaf King gain ownership of the formation and drive the Power of Lightning harnessed within it against them... there would be no one who could stand against him. They would all, most likely, lose their lives.

The sudden intensification of the lightning earlier must be a result of that fellow attempting to gain control of the Lightning Elemental Orb as well, thus causing a disturbance in the formation, Zhang Xuan thought grimly.

The Lightning Elemental Orb wielded the ability to control the massive lightning formation spread out across the area. Most likely, the Stoneleaf King's attempt to gain control over the orb must have triggered its retaliation, resulting in the concentrated streaks of lightning falling from the sky earlier, nearly causing the death of the expedition team.

If even just the instinctive retaliation of the Lightning Elemental Orb was that powerful, the might that one could potentially wield from gaining full control over it was truly unimaginable.

With an awful complexion, Zhang Xuan discreetly communicated with the Violetleaf King in the Myriad Anthive Nest and swiftly received a clear answer—the towering Otherworldly Demon in front of him was indeed a member of the Upper Five Kings, the fourth ranked Stoneleaf King!

It was no wonder the other party dared to touch and attempt to manipulate an artifact as powerful as the Lightning Elemental Orb!

"We must stop him regardless of the cost! Otherwise, it will become nigh impossible to deal with him," Feng Xun said with tightly-clenched fists.

He had witnessed the battle between Wu shi and the Stoneleaf King earlier, and the latter's strength was truly formidable, such that even he wouldn't be a match for the latter in his peak state. If the Stoneleaf King were to successfully gain control of the Lightning Elemental Orb on top of that, they wouldn't stand a chance at all!

By then, their entire expedition team could very well end up being wiped out here.

"Indeed. He hasn't succeeded yet, so we might still have time to stop him." Understanding Feng Xun's worries, Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Un." Feng Xun nodded grimly. He was just about to propose a plan for them to act on when a warm blue glow abruptly burst forth from the Lightning Elemental Orb. The eye of the Stoneleaf King immediately lit up, and his hand swiftly reached forth to grab the orb.

Hula!

The orb began flying toward the Stoneleaf King's hands.

"There's no time, move!"

Seeing this sight, Feng Xun hurriedly flicked his wrist and whipped out a sword before disappearing in a flash. In the next moment, his sword was already right behind the Stoneleaf King's heart, seemingly going to impale the latter's chest.

In his view, the Stoneleaf King had already succeeded in taming the Lightning Elemental Orb. Once the orb fell into the other party's hands, the other party would wield endless Power of Lightning. At that time, they would be utterly doomed.

"Hold on for a moment..."

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was shocked to see Feng Xun charging forward without even discussing a plan with him. He hurriedly shouted while rushing forward, prepared to back Feng Xun up should the situation turn awry.

While the Stoneleaf King gaining possession over the Lightning Elemental Orb would put them at a greater disadvantage, it didn't necessarily mean that things were completely hopeless for them. As long as they were to remain patient, they would surely find an opening in the other party that they could exploit to achieve victory.

Even if it was to stop the Earthleaf King from gaining possession of the Lightning Elemental Orb, rushing forward without a concrete plan in mind was just plain recklessness, and it would only place them in a worse position.

Hong long!

Feng Xun wasn't a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall for nothing. Having achieved Sword-Man Union, his blade was completely harmonized with his entire being. His sword pierced forward with astounding speed and might reminiscent of a falling comet, such that even a Saint 4-dan expert would not dare face his attack head-on.

"Hmm? You aren't dead yet?"

On the other hand, the Stoneleaf King, who was in the midst of taming the Lightning Elemental Orb, suddenly felt a powerful killing intent behind him. Swiftly turning around, he saw Feng Xun, and his eyebrows shot up as he sneered, "Imbeciles. You could have taken this opportunity to flee as far as you could, but you foolishly chose to challenge me head-on. Since you are so eager to seek death, I shall accede to your request!"

After saying those words, the Stoneleaf King didn't bother to dodge. His right hand continued grasping firmly onto the Lightning Elemental Orb to tame it while his left hand burst forward with astounding might.

Hong long!

With a powerful blast of zhenqi, the Stoneleaf King's left hand collided forcefully against Feng Xun's stab, and as if a metal hammer crashing into a porcelain vase, Feng Xun's sword shattered into innumerable fragments.

Peng!

The remaining force struck Feng Xun squarely in his chest, sending him crashing heavily onto the ground as blood spewed wildly from his mouth.

There was simply too huge a gap in strength between the two of them. With just a single strike, Feng Xun was sent flying.

He's really strong! Zhang Xuan eyes narrowed in alarm.

He had encountered six of the Ten Great Kings, and most of them had ended up dying by his hand. Despite all of them being Saint 4-dan experts, there was a huge gap between them and the Stoneleaf King.

It was no wonder the Violetleaf King was so fearful of the Five Upper Kings, trembling non-stop upon hearing their names. They were indeed a force to be reckoned with.

However, regardless of how powerful the Stoneleaf King was, it was already too late for Zhang Xuan to back down at this point. He had no choice but to fight.

Wielding the Glacier Rain Sword in his hand, he flicked it in a beautiful arc before abruptly driving it forward with a powerful lunge.

It was similar to Feng Xun's attack, just that... his target was not the Stoneleaf King but the Lightning Elemental Orb in the latter's hand.

The most important matter at hand was to stop the other party from successfully taming the artifact. Considering the other party's superior physical resilience, it was unlikely that any attack directed toward the other party would work in the short-term. On the other hand, perhaps if he were to direct his attack toward the Lightning Elemental Orb at this moment, there could be a chance that he would be able to catch the other party off guard and succeed.

Wuuuuuuuuu!

Zhang Xuan had devoted the entirety of his strength into this single lunge, pushing his physical strength, zhenqi, and soul energy to their limits. The sheer might behind the lunge caused space itself to moan under the immense pressure, as if it would be torn apart from it

This was probably the strongest sword art he had ever executed. It was on par even with Feng Xun's previous attack.

"Humph, you think that such puny tricks will work against me?" Seeing through Zhang Xuan's intent, the Stoneleaf King narrowed his eyes menacingly.

Without moving much, he raised two fingers and flicked it lightly.

Peng!

A sharp pain assaulted Zhang Xuan's purlicue 1 , and the Glacier Rain Sword in his hand abruptly flew out of his grasp, stabbing into a wall not too far away. On the other hand, just like Feng Xun, Zhang Xuan was forcefully knocked to the ground.

It took a forceful push against the ground before he was able to regain his balance.

In that moment, grimness could be seen in his eyes.

The Stoneleaf King's strength was more fearsome than he had thought. He had already used his full strength, but he had been unable to withstand even a simple flick from the other party.

Instead of advancing toward the Stoneleaf King once more, Zhang Xuan retreated slightly as he hurriedly immersed his consciousness into the Library of Heaven's Path to check on the book compiled on the Stoneleaf King.

He had managed to force the other party to execute a battle technique in the clash earlier, thus allowing him to compile a book on the other party in the Library of Heaven's Path.

"The Stoneleaf King is one of the Upper Five Kings of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings, and he possesses a cultivation of Saint 4-dan pinnacle. He has a particularly powerful physical body that grants him superior defense... Flaws: No.1, there is a lack of zhenqi in his glabella whenever he drives his cultivation technique. No.2, due to his inability to circulate zhenqi through his armpit, the region is soft and vulnerable..."

Soon, Zhang Xuan finished reading through the entire book. However, instead of being delighted, his complexion turned even more awful.

The Library of Heaven's Path did list the Stoneleaf King's openings, but the glabella and the armpits... Those were the most well-guarded of all places, making it nigh impossible to breach their defenses! On top of that, he had to get into close quarters with the Stoneleaf King in order to attack those locations, but the other party could easily knock him back before he could even get within two zhang 2 of the other party. It was completely useless knowing those flaws!

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded. Following which, the Stoneleaf King raised his left palm and smacked it down.

A massive palm print that covered a region stretching over several dozen meters covered the area above him and Feng Xun. Before the palm print could even fall on them, the immense pressure it exerted had already made their breathing hasten. With just one look, it was apparent that the palm strike was not something they could withstand with their current strength.

"This is really bad!"

Zhang Xuan hurriedly executed the Heaven's Path Movement Art and dashed out.

Peng!

However, before he could get out of the area of the palm strike, an immense might struck his back forcefully, pushing him through eight walls consecutively before he finally came to a halt. Yet another mouthful of fresh blood spewed from his mouth.

Zhang Xuan struggled to his feet with a mix of shock and relief in his eyes.

It was fortunate that he had cultivated his physical body earlier, or else the palm strike could have landed a fatal blow on him.

Even though he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and had made significant advancements in his physical body cultivation and soul cultivation recently, he was still too far off from matching up to the strength of a true Saint 4-dan expert. Four realms of difference in cultivation was simply too huge of a gap to be bridged.

Where is Feng Xun? Zhang Xuan anxiously scanned his surroundings before seeing Feng Xun climbing out from some nearby rubble in an unkempt state.

The other party's face was pale, and the front of his clothes had been dyed crimson with blood.

Clearly, the other party had suffered far severer wounds than he had.

While Feng Xun's fighting prowess was above Zhang Xuan's, his ability to flee in desperate situations seemed to be slightly lacking. Unable to get away in time, he ended up suffering a huge proportion of the palm strike's might. Were it not for his superior physical body, zhenqi, and soul as a combat master, he could very well have died from the strike.

Even so, his entire body had become limp from the strike. Multiple bones had shattered due to the powerful impact, rendering him incapable of movement.

"This is the end!"

While continuing to tame the Lightning Elemental Orb with his right hand, the Stoneleaf King's left palm struck once more.

His movements seemed light and flimsy, seemingly devoid of strength, but Zhang Xuan knew that should the palm strike land, Feng Xun would die without fail. Thus, he hurriedly charged toward Feng Xun in an attempt to save the latter.

Despite the previous conflict between the both of them, they were comrades working toward the same goal at the moment. He couldn't just watch the other party die before his eyes.

Huala!

Driving his Heaven's Path Movement Art to its very limits, he appeared before Feng Xun in the blink of an eye. He hurriedly grabbed the latter and attempted to flee from the spot, but in that moment, he realized that it was already too late. The Stoneleaf King's palm was already right above him.

Vicious! Zhang Xuan bellowed in his mind, and in the next moment, powerful killing intent abruptly burst forth from his body.

Even though Vicious' killing intent wasn't too effective on fellow Otherworldly Demons, it could still disrupt the other party's attack for a short moment, thus possibly winning them some time to flee.

As Zhang Xuan had expected, upon feeling the powerful killing intent emanated by the young man before him, the Stoneleaf King was stunned momentarily. His palm strike also hesitated for an instant.

Hu!

In the brief moment he had bought for himself, Zhang Xuan successfully pulled Feng Xun out of the palm strike's area of attack.

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Chapter 1048: He is a Celestial Master Teacher!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Boom!

The ground trembled, and countless houses collapsed. A massive palm was abruptly imprinted into the ground, cloaking everything in the area with dust.

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan had reacted swiftly and had Vicious attack in his stead. Otherwise, the both of them would have surely been reduced into meat paste from the sheer force of that strike.

"How could he be so powerful?" Looking at the devastating damage before his eyes, Feng Xun's eyes were filled with disbelief.

As the Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, he could even an average Saint 4-dan master teacher easily. Yet, it was as if the Stoneleaf King before was an unshakeable mountain, an existence that towered far beyond them...

Could the other party have held back in the fight against Wu shi?

But that didn't make any sense? Why would the other party hold back against them?

"He must have succeeded in taming the Lightning Elemental Orb for his own use. It was through tapping into the power of the orb and the massive formation around us that he was able to wield such overwhelming might!" Feng Xun's eyes widened in horror.

After everything he had done to stop the Stoneleaf King from taming the Lightning Elemental Orb, his efforts ended up in vain.

It didn't seem like the other party had gained total control over the orb yet, but it should already be at around seventy percent, sufficient for him to tap into its power. With the augmentation from the might of the orb and formation, it was hard to say whether even a Saint 5-dan expert would be able to stand against the current Stoneleaf King, let more them!

"Who are you?"

Feng Xun wasn't the only one who was shocked. The astonished Stoneleaf King also hurriedly turned to Zhang Xuan to reassess him carefully from head to toe.

The killing intent which the young man had emanated previously possessed a fearsome level of purity which was on par even to his own. For such pure killing intent to appear on a human brat... this was inconceivable!

"Go!"

With Feng Xun around, Zhang Xuan knew that it could lead to many complications if he were to speak too much about the matter here, so he quickly pulled Feng Xun away and fled.

The Stoneleaf King before him was simply far too much stronger than the Violetleaf King, Goldenleaf King, and the others. It was impossible for the both of them to stop the other party with their limited strength. Rather than to fight to their deaths here, it would be better for them to escape for the time being, regroup with the others, and find another opportunity to strike down the Stoneleaf King.

"Trying to flee? Do you honestly think that you can get away from me?" the Stoneleaf King harrumphed coldly as he raised his hand and abruptly closed it into a fist.

Huala!

In the next moment, several bursts of lightning gushed down from the heavens, forming a tight cage that sealed the duo within.

"We are trapped..." Zhang Xuan's heart turned cold.

Judging from the intensity of the lightning, if they were to attempt to charge out of the lightning cage forcefully, the chances were that they would be reduced to ashes on the spot.

The other party had already gained the ability to control the Lightning Elemental Orb and the lightning formation. As long as they remained within the area of the formation, they would be unable to Stoneleaf King.

"Principal Zhang, our Combat Master Hall has a secret art that allows me to boost my speed by twofold for a short period of time. I will use it to buy some time for you later on, so make use of the opportunity to flee." After a moment of hesitation, Feng Xun got to his feet and said grimly.

"Boost your speed by twofold? Will you still have the strength to escape after the duration of your secret art ends?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Secret arts that granted one massive boosts in physical capabilities often brought about devastating trauma to one's cultivation foundation and physical body. Even if one were to manage to kill one's enemy using the secret art, the chances were that one wouldn't live too long after that either.

Instead of replying to Zhang Xuan's question, Feng Xun chuckled softly and said, "Principal Zhang, to be honest, I have disliked you from the first time I met you. Your students have brought great dishonor to the Combat Master Hall, and I have been trying to find an opportunity to get even with you over that. It's a pity that I have yet to succeed.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the potential that you hold within you is far greater than mine. It is just a matter of time before you become a great asset to mankind! It is depressing to speak of this, but your life is worth more than mine!

"But it's fine. If my sacrifice can bring about to brighter future for humanity, I will gladly do it. Later on, I will open up a gap in the lightning cage, so make use of the opportunity to flee as far as you can... No matter what, you must survive this ordeal!"

"Flee?" Not expecting Feng Xun to be able to cast aside his differences in the crucial moment and work for the collective welfare for mankind, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel touched within. He nodded and replied, "Alright."

"Good. Let's begin then!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan had agreed to the plan, Feng Xun heaved a sigh of relief.

In the next moment, his aura abruptly surged.

Hong long!

His aura swiftly reached its peak, and just as he was about to activate his secret art, he suddenly felt a forceful blow at the back of his head. His vision before him abruptly darkened, and his body slumped weakly onto the ground, fainted.

"We won't be able to get away even if you were to use your secret art. Pardon me..." Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

Feng Xun's plan was probably the best plan they had at hand, but... it still wasn't good enough.

Even if the other party succeeded in intercepting the Stoneleaf King and bought sufficient time for him to escape, there was no way he could escape given the sheer size of the lightning formation. As long as he remained in the lightning formation, the Stoneleaf King would surely be able to hunt him down.

Furthermore, if he were to flee by himself, the next victims would be Wu shi and the others.

Given the current circumstances, fleeing was no longer an option anymore...

As Zhang Xuan and Feng Xun had been communicating with one another through zhenqi telepathy, the Stoneleaf King was unaware of the conversation between them. Thus, when he saw Zhang Xuan knocking Feng Xun out, he couldn't help but be bewildered by the abrupt turn in events.

"Stoneleaf King, it has been long since we last met. You asked who I was previously, right? Let me answer your question right now. It's me..."

After knocking Feng Xun out, Zhang Xuan raised his gaze towards the Stoneleaf King and chuckled softly. 'Geji, geji!', creaking sounds began echoing from his body as a token in front of his chest glowed brilliantly. As if his disguise had been released, he began to grow taller and bigger. A pure and condensed killing intent began drifting into the air, sending chills down the spines of others.

"Violetleaf King?" Upon catching sight of the other party's appearance, the Stoneleaf King was stunned for a moment.

"It's me." Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was hard to tell whether the Stoneleaf King was aware of the deaths of the other Otherworldly Demon Kings, so it wouldn't do to impersonate them. The Violetleaf King was still alive and was currently in his Myriad Anthive Nest, so impersonating as the Violetleaf King was the safest option at hand.

Besides, he also had the deepest understanding of the Violetleaf King, so it was easier for him to disguise as the latter as well.

"You and the Waterleaf King have been dispatched to carry out a mission, but we suddenly lost contact of you. What happened?" the Stoneleaf King asked with a darkened expression.

That fellow and the Waterleaf King had been tasked to find the map at the Poison Hall, but the Soulbound Token of the latter shattered all of the sudden. The Soulbound Token of that fellow remained intact, but communications from him abruptly halted. Everyone thought that he might have been taken hostage somewhere, but who could have thought that he would appear here out of the blue?

"Like you have seen, I have concealed my appearance to blend in with the humans and earn their trust. If I were to be caught communicating with the rest of you, my efforts could have very well be undone..." Zhang Xuan replied.

"Blend in with the humans?" the Stoneleaf King frowned. He immediately extended his Spiritual Perception to cover the Violetleaf King.

Honestly speaking, it was suspicious that the Violetleaf King, who had gone missing for more than half a month now, would suddenly appear here. There was a need to look carefully into this matter.

Taking a close look, there wasn't the slightest problem with the Zhenqi of Slaughter in the other party's body. In other words, the person standing before him was indeed the Violetleaf King.

"Un. I happened to chance upon a huge secret of the humans. If it turns out to be true, it could spell annihilation for our kind... Thus, I dare not to act recklessly. To be absolutely certain, I decided to disguise myself as a human to mix in with the rest of them."

Zhang Xuan knew that the Stoneleaf King was secretly examining him with his Spiritual Perception, but he made no attempts to hide from it at all. Instead, with a deep, worried frown furrowed between his brows, he replied with a hushed voice.

"Annihilation for our kind?" Retracting his Spiritual Perception, the Stoneleaf King shook his head and said, "You must be joking! Even with the incredible strength that Kong shi wielded back then, he only succeeded in driving us out of the Master Teacher Continent! Just what could possibly happen that would result in an annihilation of our kind?"

On top of being the leader who had united mankind and founded the Master Teacher Pavilion, Kong shi possessed frightening strength as well. But while none of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was able to match him, they were eventually only driven out of the Master Teacher Continent. As such, how could the learning of a mere secret determine whether their kind would be annihilated or not?

This was just fear mongering!

"I didn't believe it at the start either, but... I can swear on my life that it is the absolute truth!" Zhang Xuan said grimly.

No matter how well he disguised himself as the Violetleaf King, it was hard to ensure that he wouldn't be seen through by the Stoneleaf King. In the first place, it was already suspicious for him to appear in the ancient domain.

The best way to resolve this issue was to redirect the other party's attention to something else... If he could put out big news one after another, the other party would be too shocked to doubt his identity any longer.

"Truth? Can you prove it?" Noting the conviction in the Violetleaf King's voice, the Stoneleaf King asked with a frown.

To be honest, at this point, he still didn't believe that the person before him was the Violetleaf King. Nevertheless, this didn't hinder him from listening to the other party's news.

"Have you heard of Celestial Master Teacher?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Celestial Master Teacher?" The Stoneleaf King was taken aback for a moment before his eyes narrowed in astonishment. "Of course I do! Kong shi was a Celestial Master Teacher himself. As one who has received the acknowledgement of the heavens, a Celestial Master Teacher is a truly indomitable existence. Could it be..."

"Indeed... I went to the Poison Hall to carry out my mission, but by a stroke of coincidence, I happened to find a Celestial Master Teacher. That's the reason why I suddenly changed my course of plans and disguised myself as a human to blend in with them!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"How could that be possible? According to our sources, Kong shi has been the only one in history to be conferred as a Celestial Master Teacher. There has been none after him who has achieved the same feat, not even his direct disciples, the 72 Sages... Where did you hear the news from?" The body of the Stoneleaf King stiffened. He couldn't believe his ears.

If a Celestial Master Teacher had really appeared amongst the humans, that would be truly a huge disaster for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. If that individual were to be allowed to grow to become another Kong shi, they might really well meet with annihilation.

Back then, it was under Kong shi's leadership that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe took a heavy blow and was forced out of the Master Teacher Continent. It took them several ten thousand years of rest before they managed to recover from the damage they had suffered then. If another Kong shi were to appear amongst the humans... They would truly be unable to make a comeback anymore!

While the past several ten thousand years of recuperation had allowed them to recover from the blow they had suffered back then, the mankind had also furthered its strength through the Master Teacher Pavilion, making them stronger than ever.

"There is no mistake with the news. Furthermore... I have been following behind the Celestial Master Teacher all along and intentionally lured him here..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Lured him here?" The Stoneleaf King glanced at the fainted Feng Xun as he asked doubtfully, "Are you saying that... he is the Celestial Master Teacher?"

"Indeed, that's him!" Zhang Xuan replied affirmatively.

"This..." the Stoneleaf King frowned, skeptical of Zhang Xuan's words.

While that combat master possessed the ability to rival opponents with cultivation beyond his, he seemed to be a rather reckless person. This was unlike how Celestial Master Teachers were depicted in the legends.

"Why? You don't believe me?" Zhang Xuan burst into laughter before saying, "Our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe must have certain ways to verify the identity a Celestial Master Teacher. If you don't trust me, you can verify it yourself!"

"There are indeed methods to verify that one is Celestial Master Teacher..." The Stoneleaf King frowned. "However, it will be a little troublesome to do so..."

"This bit of trouble means nothing. What is more important is that we verify his identity. Once it is proven that he is a Celestial Master Teacher, we should find ways to bring him over to our side. With his strength, our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe will grow stronger and stronger. With the immense contribution we have made, we will surely go down in history as meritorious subjects!" Zhang Xuan persuaded.

"You're right..." The Stoneleaf King nodded. He hesitated for a moment longer before eventually nodding, "To test for the identity of a Celestial Master Teacher, we will require the help of the Windleaf King. He's the only one who wields such capability. Once he comes over, we will be able to verify whether the man you spoke of is truly a Celestial Master Teacher or not!"

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Chapter 1049: An Alliance of Blood

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"The Jadeleaf King?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

That was the third strongest expert of the Five Upper Kings! Who could have thought that such a powerful figure would be here as well?

Just a Stoneleaf King had nearly caused their entire team to be wiped out. How was he supposed to deal with the even stronger Jadeleaf King?

However, given his current identity as the Violetleaf King, there was no way he could turn down the request. Besides, since the other party was in the ancient domain as well, it was only a matter of time before they encountered one another. If he could meet the other party in advance, perhaps he could gather some intelligence and formulate a plan to deal with the other party.

"He's in the vicinity. I will call him here right now..."

Flicking his wrist, the Stoneleaf King whipped out a Communication Jade Token and casually wrote a few words on it, sending a message over. After that was done, he suddenly turned his gaze back towards Zhang Xuan with a doubtful expression. "If this human is really a Celestial Master Teacher, how could he appear here? Not to mention, how could you have possibly managed to uncover his identity?"

Clearly, the Stoneleaf King was still a little iffy the claims made by the fellow before him.

It was also no surprise that he would be feeling so skeptical about the matter. The Violetleaf King had disappeared an entire half a month before abruptly vanishing. On top of that, the other party had made a move against him while the other party was disguised as a human... There were far too many doubtful points regarding the issue.

Not to mention, there had only been a single Celestial Master Teacher in the world so far, and many millenniums had passed without anyone reaching the same height. If another Celestial Master Teacher were to appear, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely place that person under the tightest of protection. It was inconceivable that the Violetleaf King was able to uncover a Celestial Master Teacher that easily and even lure the other party into a dangerous place like this.

"Now that I think of it, it's truly a huge coincidence. The Celestial Master Teacher didn't come from any Sage Clan or the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarter. Instead, he originated from a measly Unranked Kingdom, slowly making his way up through the ranks..."

Without any hint of embarrassment, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly and said. "In order to avoid unneeded trouble, he has been concealing his identity all along. In other words, not even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarter is aware of the appearance of that person. It's only through a series of coincidences that I found out about his identity. Back when I was looking into the whereabouts of the Poison Hall in Jingyuan City, I saw him undergoing the acknowledgement by the heavens, and it was only through that that I was able to ascertain his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher!"

"You are saying that... you happened to chance upon him receiving the acknowledgement of the heavens?" the Stoneleaf King asked in disbelief.

"Indeed." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Then... what kind of sight is it?" the Stoneleaf King asked in curiosity.

"A unique aura, powerful and inviolable, would descend from the heavens and surround the person. Before this aura, all master teachers would be forced to bow down to the person and acknowledge his identity and standing. At the same time, many bizarre phenomena would occur, such as the Trembling of the Myriad Tablets and so..." Zhang Xuan replied earnestly.

As someone who had undergone the acknowledgement ceremony thrice, he was extremely clear of the various happenings that would occur in the process.

"It does seem like the acknowledgement of a Celestial Master Teacher..." After hearing Zhang Xuan's account, the Stoneleaf King slowly nodded in agreement.

He had never seen the phenomena associated with the acknowledgement of a Celestial Master Teacher before, but he had heard of the various legends relating to it. The descriptions he had heard didn't differ much from the scene depicted by the Violetleaf King.

It seemed like there might be some truth to the Violetleaf King's words. Even if the man lying on the ground wasn't a Celestial Master Teacher, there was a good chance that he was closely related to the matter.

"The merit from capturing a Celestial Master Teacher and handing it over to the royalty is immeasurable..." At this point, the Stoneleaf King couldn't help but ponder over the implications of the matter.

It went without saying how important a Celestial Master Teacher was. If the news was true, the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would go into a frenzy!

Just through this itself, he would surely be able to earn the favor of the elders. Through their guidance, even if he couldn't advance to the Emperor Stratum, he would still be able to easily reach the pinnacle of Saint realm!

But to ensure that he would be entitled to all of those valuable resources, he would have to make sure that the merit only went to him and him alone. At the current moment... it seemed like he had practically done nothing at all!

After all, it was the Violetleaf King who had lured the Celestial Master Teacher into the ancient domain.

"Should I just kill this fellow straight? That's the only way I can claim full credit of the matter. In any case, he has disappeared for quite some time, so who would know whether he had betrayed the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe or not? As long as I move fast and clear up his corpse, there's no one who would suspect me..." A sharp glint flashed across the Stoneleaf King's eyes as he shot a discreet glance towards the Violetleaf King.

While they were part of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings, they didn't share any camaraderie amongst them. On the contrary, there was even strife rivalry amongst them.

The Qingtian Lineage allocated resources based on contribution, and considering the scarce resources in the otherworldly battlefield, he had been long wishing for his fellow Kings to drop dead.

This was precisely the reason why he didn't feel the slightest sympathy or sorrow when he heard that the other Kings had been killed, and he didn't bother to track down their murderer either. Instead, he was secretly delighted over the matter even!

"I am the one who brought that human here, and I know everything about him. Furthermore, after the time we have spent together, he already regards me as his true friend... If you were to kill me, not only will you be unable to make him submit to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, you might even be setting up a powerful enemy for yourself in the future!" Noticing the Stoneleaf King's killing intent, Zhang Xuan said with a wry smile.

He had already heard of the relationship amongst the Ten Great Kings from the Violetleaf King. To put it in a phrase, it was every man for himself. Given so, it wasn't too surprising that the Stoneleaf King would want to snatch a merit as large one concerning a Celestial Master Teacher.

"Violetleaf King, you must have misunderstood me... Since you were the one who found him and brought him here, it goes without saying that the merit should go to you? How could I possibly think of snatching the merit from you?" the Stoneleaf King laughed dryly as he swiftly concealed the ferocity in his eyes. However, his right hand continued grasping the Lightning Elemental Orb firmly, seemingly ready to make a move at any time.

"There's no need for us to put up such facades before one another. If I had the power to do so, I would have just taken him away right here, right now. I wouldn't have revealed his identity and wasted so many words with you." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Just a word of advice, but you should hold back any intention you are harboring against me for the moment. Otherwise, if this human were to die, it will be impossible to verify his identity. Even if you were to send him back to our tribe, you won't be able to get anything good out of this."

"This..." Hearing those words, the Stoneleaf King hesitated for a moment before finally loosening his tight grip over the Lightning Elemental Orb. "Very well, I won't make a move against you."

The other party was right. They could claim that the human was a Celestial Master Teacher for all they wanted to, but if they couldn't substantiate their claim with evidence, it would be all for naught. In other words, the human would become worthless to them.

"You won't make a move against me? I don't believe you. I want you to swear on that to the Spirit God!" At this point, Zhang Xuan's face abruptly turned grim as he spoke.

"You want me to swear to the Spirit God?" the Stoneleaf King frowned.

"Indeed. If you swear that you won't make a move against me, I will say that we have discovered and captured the Celestial Master Teacher together when reporting the matter to the elders." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Oh?" the Stoneleaf King frowned.

It went without saying that it would be best for one to claim sole credit for the matter. After all, an additional person in the picture meant less soup to go around.

"I know that the strength I wield is insignificant amongst the Ten Great Kings. If anyone were to make a move against me to snatch the merit from my hands, there will be nothing I can about it. Furthermore, the merit for capturing a Celestial Master Teacher is too great, I don't think that I will be able to swallow the rewards of it alone. It will be much safer with someone on the same boat... So, why not?" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

"This..." the Stoneleaf King fell into deep contemplation.

The Violetleaf King was right. As the saying goes, the tree that rises above the forest will be torn down by the gale. Given the Violetleaf King's current strength, there was no way he would be able to ward off those who intended to snatch the merit or rewards from his hands.

Through extending an alliance to him, the Violetleaf King would be in a much safer position. In other words, the Violetleaf King would be dependent on him for protection and wouldn't betray him for the time being.

But more importantly than that, he was stronger than the Violetleaf King. It wouldn't be too late for him to find a way to deal with the other party after the tribe affirmed the Celestial Master Teacher's identity and distributed the rewards.

"What do I have to do to gain your trust?" Having come to a decision, the Stoneleaf King turned to Zhang Xuan and asked.

"Simple. I have a gourd of wine here. We shall first have a toast of blood 1 to seal our alliance before swearing to the Spirit God that neither of us will harm the other. That's the only way that I will be able to trust you!"

Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a gourd of fine wine.

"A toast of blood?" the Stoneleaf King was a little hesitant after hearing those words.

"Indeed. I advise you to quickly make your decision. Once the Jadeleaf King arrives and learns of the matter, I fear that he will attempt to kill the both of us..." Zhang Xuan said.

Greed brought out the darkest shadows hidden within one's heart. Even master teachers were no exception to the rule, let more the unprincipled Otherworldly Demons.

Were the Jadeleaf King were to learn that the person before them was a Celestial Master Teacher, there was a very good chance that the other party would attempt to silence them so that he could claim full credit over the matter.

And more importantly, if the Violetleaf King were to choose to side against the Jadeleaf King at that point, he would be placed in a very dangerous position...

"Alright, I'll agree to it!" the Stoneleaf King made his decision.

The personalities of the Ten Great Kings was no secret, and the Jadeleaf King was particularly renowned for his greed and cruelty. He could indeed see the other party killing his own brethren to fulfill his desires.

And given the Jadeleaf King's strength, it would be hard for them to match the other party even with their combined strength, let more alone!

"Let's begin then!" Seeing that he had the other party's agreement, Zhang Xuan nodded.

He slit an incision in his finger and dripped a few droplets of blood into the gourd of wine. After shaking it slightly to mix his blood into the wine, he tossed it over to the Stoneleaf King.

Catching the gourd, the first thing the Stoneleaf King did was to extend his Spiritual Perception towards the wine. After confirming that there was nothing else mixed into the wine, he was finally able to allay his worries. Biting his finger, he dripped a few droplets of blood into the wine as well.

"Good. Let's drink it!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said.

"Very well!" The Stoneleaf King lifted the gourd to his mouth, and just as he was about to drink it, a thought that suddenly surfaced in his mind made him halt his action. "You go first!"

With just a glance at the other party's face, Zhang Xuan could instantly tell what the other party was worried about. He took the gourd of wine from the other party's hands and took two hearty gulps of it.

On the other hand, seeing that the Violetleaf King was fine after drinking the wine, the Stoneleaf King heaved a sigh of relief. He took the wine and drank several mouthfuls of it as well.

After which, he raised his palm up to the sky and vowed, "I, the Stoneleaf King, swear to the Spirit God that I shall honor my alliance with the Violetleaf King. We shall stand aside one another through adversities as brothers, never to betray the other..."

"I, the Violetleaf King, swear to the Spirit God that I shall honor my alliance with the Stoneleaf King..." Seeing that the Stoneleaf King had made his vow, Zhang Xuan hurriedly followed suit.

He was swearing in the Violetleaf King's name anyway, there was no need for him to hesitate.

"Since we are now allied with one another, I hope that we can team up against the Jadeleaf King should he try to pull off anything funny." Zhang Xuan turned to the Stoneleaf King and said.

"Don't worry!" the Stoneleaf King reassured.

Amongst the Ten Great Kings, the Jadeleaf King was the only one who had an artifact that could possibly verify the identity of a Celestial Master Teacher. If it wasn't for that, there was no way they would have invited the other party over!

"Once we verify that this human is a Celestial Master Teacher, the Jadeleaf King could attempt to snatch him from our hands or even make a move against us. So, pay close attention to me and act on my command later on..." After a moment of thought, the Stoneleaf King turned to the Violetleaf King and instructed.

While he still didn't have unreserved trust towards the Violetleaf King, at the very least, they had already sworn to the Spirit God in their names. Naturally, he was also more inclined to trust the latter instead of the Jadeleaf King.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "I will try to sound him out later on after we confirm this human's identity. If he were to make a move against me, I hope that you can immediately step forward to slay him. We are on the same boat right now, and we will either float together or sink together."

"Un." the Stoneleaf King nodded.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, a huge gale of wind abruptly blew in the surroundings. In the distance, a towering figure could be seen flying over.

"Stoneleaf King, don't you know that I have better things to do? Why are you calling me over in such a hurry?"

Huala!

A powerful Otherworldly Demon landed on the ground before them.

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Chapter 1050: Jadeleaf King

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The Otherworldly Demon's height and aura paled in comparison to the Stoneleaf King, but there was a look of utmost coldness in his eyes. His skin was smooth like jade, and the intervals between his breaths were extremely long—a sign of his deep cultivation.

"Young Master, he's the Jadeleaf King!" the Violetleaf King anxiously sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan with a quivering tone. "He cultivates the Broken Jade Technique, and not only does he possess a powerful physical body, his Primordial Spirit wields frightening strength as well. His cultivation has also reached Half-Leaving Aperture realm..."

"Half-Leaving Aperture realm?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Turning his gaze back to the Otherworldly Demon who had just arrived, he noticed that there was an inconspicuous gleam at the other party's glabella. It seemed as if the other party was just a step off from freeing his Primordial Spirit from the constraints of his body.

Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm; the term 'Leaving Aperture' referred to the Primordial Spirit fleeing from an aperture in the body and soaring freely in the heavens. In such a form, a cultivator would be more closely aligned with the world, allowing to draw forth more power from his surroundings to exert far greater fighting prowess.

The gap between Primordial Spirit realm and Leaving Aperture realm was a major demarcation line. Take the current Zhang Xuan for example, if he could catch a Primordial Spirit realm expert off guard, he would still stand a chance to slay the latter. However, if he were to encounter a Leaving Aperture realm expert, the only viable course of action he could take was to flee as far as he could.

Even a breakthrough to Saint realm wouldn't grant him the strength to face Leaving Aperture realm experts!

While Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivators had yet to wield the devastating strength that true Saint 5-dan experts possessed, they still weren't existences that could be killed with simple physical attacks.

It was no wonder why the Violetleaf King was so fearful of the Jadeleaf King. Even in comparison to the Stoneleaf King, the strength that the Jadeleaf King wielded was frightening.

"I miscalculated. I should have relayed information regarding the Qingtian Ten Great Kings to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and have them dispatch more powerful master teachers over..." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

Given that he had killed quite a few Otherworldly Demon Kings himself, and considering the fact that the seal had been closely guarded by the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan thought that it should have been impossible for Otherworldly Demons to enter the ancient domain. Thus, he didn't think much of the matter.

The most powerful experts they had at the moment was Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, Mu shi, and Feng Xun. However, even they were a far distance away from matching up to a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert.

It could be said that the overall prowess of their expedition team was on a different level from that of the Ten Great Kings...

If only he knew that there were such powerful enemies lurking in the ancient domain, he would have definitely requested for the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to dispatch more powerful master teachers over.

While it was only a branch, they should have quite a few Saint 4-dan pinnacle master teachers.

"Forget it, it's too late for regrets now. I should focus on what's before me now..." A moment after the thought surfaced in his mind, Zhang Xuan tossed it aside decisively, not allowing it to bother him.

There was no point thinking about what he could have done better back then. In any case, he did manage to kill six out of the ten of them. If he were to work a little harder than before, the remaining four should still be doable!

"There's an urgent matter which I require your help on." the Stoneleaf King stepped forward and said.

"Hm?" the Jadeleaf King looked at the Stoneleaf King questioningly.

"It's like that. According to the sources we have received, that human lying over there is said to be a very noble existence amongst mankind. Thus, we hope that you can help us verify his true identity!" the Stoneleaf King pointed to Feng Xun and said.

The Stoneleaf King decided not to speak about the matter concerning the Celestial Master Teacher first. At the current point in time, it was best not to reveal too much first.

"Verify his true identity?" the Jadeleaf King asked as he turned his gaze upon Feng Xun. "Judging from his clothes, he should be a combat master. Does he possess some other identity? Also... Violetleaf King, why are you here?"

After saying those words, the Jadeleaf King turned a piercing gaze towards Zhang Xuan.

"It's like that..." Zhang Xuan repeated the same lie that he had told the Stoneleaf King. However, he also chose neglected to mention the words 'Celestial Master Teacher' as well.

"You are saying that in order to track down that noble existence amongst mankind, you chose to blend in together with them so as to lure the other party here?" the Jadeleaf King asked with a frown. A moment later, he nodded slightly and said, "Very well then. Let me see just what kind of existence this human is for you to go so far for him. If he is really as noble as you put him out to be, I will help you report this matter to His Majesty on your behalf and beseech him to reward you generously!"

After saying those words, the Jadeleaf King whipped out an altar. It was different from the one which Zhang Xuan had procured from the Violetleaf King. Bronze and large, it was filled with many bizarre inscriptions that could send one's head spinning with just a look.

"That is the Immaculate Jade Altar that only the Jadeleaf King possesses. Of the Ten Great Kings, the Qingtian Emperor only bestowed it upon him... Through this altar, one can summon the Spirit God to ascertain a person's true identity and verify the authenticity of their words!" the Violetleaf King informed Zhang Xuan telepathically.

"The Qingtian Emperor bestowed it only to the Jadeleaf King?" the Jadeleaf King was neither the strongest or the weakest of the Ten Great Kings. Why would the Qingtian Emperor make such an exception for the other party?

"The Jadeleaf King lords over the Hall of Crime, and he is in charge of interrogating and punishing all criminals of the Qingtian Lineage..." the Violeleaf King explained.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

As one who was in charge of interrogation and punishment, it was important for the Jadeleaf King to possess such an ability. Otherwise, it could cause great disorder in their judicial system.

Taking a closer look at the altar, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little confused. Somehow, he just couldn't make the association between the ability to discern a person's identity together with an altar.

His confusion didn't remain for too long.

In the next moment, the Jadeleaf King whipped out a couple of tributes and placed it on the altar. The altar released a dim glow which consumed the tributes with a blazing flame. Following which, a sacred white glow suddenly fell upon him and Feng Xun.

Seeing how the Violetleaf King was covered amidst the glow as well, the Jadeleaf King frowned.

The Stoneleaf King's complexion wasn't too good either, and he bellowed, "Violetleaf King, we are in the midst of verifying the identity of that human. You should step aside for the moment."

"Don't worry, my presence here won't affect the results. I caught this fellow with my own hands, so I want to see for myself just who he is..." Zhang Xuan replied.

He wasn't too sure how the other party's verification technique worked, but if one thing was for sure, Feng Xun definitely wasn't a Celestial Master Teacher. If he were to step away from the glow, there was no doubt that the white glow wouldn't be able to pick up anything at all.

Standing within the white glow could potentially reveal his identity, but Zhang Xuan was confident in his ability to maintain his disguise while revealing the presence of the Celestial Master Teacher amongst them.

And of course, the revealed Celestial Master Teacher would be Feng Xun as well.

"Anything that pleases you!" Seeing the wariness in the Violetleaf King's eyes, the Stoneleaf King thought that the other party was afraid that they would steal his prey, so he could only shake his head helplessly.

"I'll continue then." the Jadeleaf King said as he continued placing more tributes on the altar.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan discreetly tapped his leg on Feng Xun's back and infused the aura unique to Celestial Master Teacher into the latter's body.

This aura was the distinctive mark of a Celestial Master Teacher, but if it wasn't driven, it would be impossible to notice it either.

It was through this means that Zhang Xuan dared to say that Feng Xun was a Celestial Master teacher without fear.

Weng!

The glow surrounding the duo gradually grew brighter and brighter. Zhang Xuan was still unable to notice anything special, but the Jadeleaf King's already had a frown deeply etched on his forehead.

"There's indeed something bizarre about that person's identity..." After saying those words, the Jadeleaf King continued placing a few more treasures on the altar.

The tributes that were previously placed on top of the altar had already been burned dry.

On the other hand, the Stoneleaf King couldn't help but tighten his fists upon the sight.

While Zhang Xuan might not have much of an understanding regarding the workings of the Immaculate Jade Altar, as one of the Upper Five Kings, he had a rough conceptualization of how it worked. The more tributes required for the altar, the higher standing the other party possessed.

After refilling the tributes time and time again, the white glow of the tribute finally gathered together as one to form four huge words—Acknowledged by the Heavens!

"As expected!" Upon seeing the words, the eyes of the Stoneleaf King reddened as his breathing hastened.

It seemed like the Violetleaf King wasn't lying. The human lying not too far away was indeed a Celestial Master Teacher just like Kong shi!

As long as he handed that human to the elders, his standing would soar through the ranks.

"Acknowledged by the Heavens... He is a Celestial Master Teacher?"

At the same time, the eyes of the Jadeleaf King also began burning with greed.

As the third strongest expert of the Five Upper Kings, he was well aware of the significance of these four words.

"That explains why these two fellows were in such a rush to find me... So they have caught themselves a huge fish..." the Jadeleaf King clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

"Jadeleaf King, this human was captured by me and Stoneleaf King. Since we have verified his identity, we intend to return to the tribe this instant to hand him over to the elders!" Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

As innocent as those words sounded, it was intended to strike a stake between the relationship of the Stoneleaf King and the Jadeleaf King.

By mentioning that he had worked with the Stoneleaf King to capture the Celestial Master Teacher before adding that they intended to return to the tribe right now, that was as good as saying that they didn't intend to give the Jadeleaf King a share of the credit!

"This..." Hearing those words, the Stoneleaf King's face immediately warped in horror.

He too understood the significance of those words. It was a given that they would have to return to the tribe to hand the Celestial Master Teacher over to the elders, but... surely the Violetleaf King didn't have to point it out at this instant? Those words were as good as saying that they were intending to keep the benefits of this matter all to themselves.

And as he had expected, the Jadeleaf King's complexion immediately turned awful. Following which, his lips curled up to reveal a smile completely devoid of warmth, "We haven't accomplished the mission entrusted to us by His Majesty yet. Don't you think that it is inappropriate for you to leave right now?"

"Inappropriate? Why would that be so? Don't worry, we won't implicate the other Kings in this matter. We will take full responsibility for this matter. We are willing to accept any punishment His Majesty accords us due to this matter..." Zhang Xuan replied earnestly.

Hearing those words, the Stoneleaf King nearly fainted on the spot.

At this juncture, they should be trying their best to soothe the other party's rage by emphasizing that the merit of capturing the Celestial Master Teacher belonged to everyone... And yet, that fellow actually said that the other Kings wouldn't be 'implicated' in this matter at all...

Were there any better words to provoke the Jadeleaf King than that?

"Jadeleaf King, that's not what he means..." The eyelids of the Jadeleaf King began twitching uncontrollably, and he hurriedly rushed forward to explain.

However, halfway through his words, the red-faced Jadeleaf King interjected, "Is that your opinion on this matter as well?"

"Of course, I have already discussed this matter with the Stoneleaf King! If you back down at this point, we can still consider letting you off. However, if you dare to lay your hands on our merit, we don't mind ending your life right here!" Zhang Xuan replied ferociously, seemingly desperate to protect his merit.

Right after hearing those words, the Stoneleaf King's body staggered, and he nearly blacked out on the spot.

When in the world did I say those words?

You said that you were going to sound him out, not to taunt him!

Are you a three-year-old kid? Don't you know how to hide your intentions? To voice it out right before the other party... you are dragging the both of us down to our graves!

"Good. Very good! It has been many years since anyone dared to threaten me like that..." With teeth gritted tightly in rage, the Jadeleaf King stared at the duo before him with killing intent raging in his eyes.

"Jadeleaf King, it's not what you are thinking! We have captured the Celestial Master Teacher to..." While cursing the Violetleaf King for being an incompetent ally, the Stoneleaf King hurriedly tried to explain the matter so as to calm down the situation when a groan suddenly sounded from not too far away.

Ahhhhh!

The human who was lying on the ground, Feng Xun, had woken up. Rubbing his head, he slowly got up with a dazed look in his eyes.

"What's going on? What Celestial Master Teacher?"

In his groggy state, Feng Xun heard a particularly striking phrase and subconsciously asked about it.

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Chapter 1051: Killing One Another

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Feng Xun had only been temporarily knocked out by Zhang Xuan's palm. As a combat master who possessed a huge reserve of zhenqi and a powerful body, it was natural that it wouldn't take him too long to recover.

His head was still spinning from the earlier impact, and in his moment of daze, he heard the words 'Celestial Master Teacher', so he instantaneously assumed that he was in a safe location. As such, he let his guard down and allowed words to spill out from his mouth.

"It's good that you have woken up." Seeing that the human had woken up, the Stoneleaf King heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to grab the other party to force him to spill out some words so as to alleviate the current situation when the Violetleaf King abruptly sent a foot into the other party's face.

Peng!

The foot struck Feng Xun's head squarely, and before the latter could even process what was going on, he had already fainted once more.

"Ah?" The Stoneleaf King was stunned.

Didn't you say that the both of you have a rather close relationship with one another? Why did you look as if... you were kicking a stray animal?

Paying no heed to the knocked-out Feng Xun, the Jadeleaf King glared at Zhang Xuan and spat, "End my life? You two?"

"Indeed, the two of us will suffice to deal with you! Since we have confirmed this human's identity, you no longer possess any value to us!" Zhang Xuan replied haughtily. "If you continue to live, you will only spread word of this matter and endanger us. Thus, Stoneleaf King and I have decided that as long as you join our alliance and swear not to speak of this matter to any soul or try to steal our merit, we will spare you this time around."

"Wonderful..." Seeing how the Violetleaf King was getting more and more arrogant, not showing the slightest respect toward him, the killing intent in the Jadeleaf King's eyes intensified. "Since you wish to kill me, it's only right for me to return the favor to you!"

Boom!

Right after saying those words, a powerful palm strike flew right for the Stoneleaf King.

In the Jadeleaf King's view, the Violetleaf King posed no threat at all. The one whom he should be wary of was the Stoneleaf King.

"Listen to me..." Seeing that the Jadeleaf King was completely enraged by the Violetleaf King's words, the Stoneleaf King anxiously tried to explain himself. However, before he could even finish his words, the Violetleaf King had already interjected with a loud bellow by the side, "Old Stone, quick, move according to our plan! Otherwise, we might very well die here!"

The Stoneleaf King nearly went insane from anger.

Plan?

When have we decided on a plan?

I only told you to follow my commands if the Jadeleaf King intended to make a move against us. Yet, before the Jadeleaf King even did anything, you went full out trying to provoke the other party. Just how in the world did I get myself stuck with an ally like you?

Furthermore, Old Stone? Stone your head! My surname is not Stone, alright?

However, he knew this wasn't the time for him to get into a conflict over the matter. It was apparent that the Jadeleaf King had already made up his mind to kill them. If he didn't fight back, he might just end up losing his life here.

Thus, clenching his fists, the Stoneleaf King twisted the Lightning Elemental Orb in his hand, and a thick congregation of lightning fell from the sky.

Hong long!

It collided with the Jadeleaf King's palm strike, and a huge shockwave burst into the surroundings, collapsing innumerable ancient buildings. The two powerful forces were equally matched, and they ended up neutralizing one another.

"And here I was wondering where you found the guts to stand up against me. So, you have to managed to tame the Lightning Elemental Orb and gained control of this lightning formation. However, if you think that you can kill me like that, you are dreaming!"

Seeing that his attack had been struck down by the other party's lightning, the Jadeleaf King bellowed furiously as he whipped out a long saber.

Huala!

He flicked the saber, and a vacuum cut through the air.

With just a single strike, the Jadeleaf King had succeeded in tearing a rift between the heavens and the earth. As if isolated from the world, the lightning, which had been descending furiously toward him earlier, suddenly found itself unable to enter the area.

While the Stoneleaf King had tamed the Lightning Elemental Orb, he had only gained control over a small portion of the field of lightning. Due to the limits of his cultivation, he was unable to bring forth its full might. He could easily devastate any cultivator weaker than him with it, but against a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert like the Jadeleaf King... it was still a little lacking.

"I was indeed not a match for you in the past, but times have changed. Who knows? You might be the one who falls in the end."

Even though the Jadeleaf King had managed to fend off the first wave of lightning, the Stoneleaf King didn't despair. Instead, driving the Lightning Elemental Orb in his hands, he called forth another wave of lightning.

Huala!

The sky abruptly grew darker, and the rumbling of the thunder sounded more fearsome than ever. In the blink of an eye, the lightning shattered the vacuum that the Jadeleaf King had formed with his saber qi and appeared right above the Jadeleaf King's head.

Upon seeing the lightning above him, the Jadeleaf King didn't choose to flee immediately. Instead, an illusory figure appeared behind his back.

At Half-Leaving Aperture realm, while one's Primordial Spirit was still unable to free itself fully from the confines of the body, it could still escape from the Yuanshen acupoint and form something like an avatar, enhancing the strength that one could call forth significantly.

As expected, as soon as the illusory figure materialized, the space surrounding them was sealed off all of a sudden, trapping the Stoneleaf King and Zhang Xuan like animals in a cage. The furious streaks of lightning struck relentlessly on the cage, but the lightning was unable to breach it at all.

"Die!" After doing that, the Jadeleaf King's eyebrows shot up. He raised the saber in his hand and hacked it down upon the Stoneleaf King.

On the other hand, the Stoneleaf King knew that he wouldn't be able to match the Jadeleaf King without the augmentation of the lightning formation, so he began to panic. He quickly whipped out a long spear to face the Jadeleaf King's saber while shouting, "He is using his Primordial Spirit to seal the surrounding space. He can only sustain this state for a very short period of time, and it will be highly damaging to his Primordial Spirit. This is the perfect opportunity to bring him down, attack!"

It would be difficult for him to stand against the Stoneleaf King alone, but with the Violetleaf King's assistance at this moment, he should be able to corner the Jadeleaf King through a pincer attack.

The sealing of space through one's Primordial Spirit was a powerful technique, but it was incredibly depleting as well. Furthermore, his lightning was also striking the seal ferociously, so no matter how powerful the other party was, he couldn't hold on for too long.

With his full might, the Stoneleaf King barely succeeded in withstanding the Jadeleaf King's assault. At that moment, he couldn't help but realize that the Violetleaf King had yet to make a move despite it being the perfect opportunity, so he quickly turned his gaze over to see what was wrong.

That glance left him nearly spurting blood.

That fellow was looking at their battle by the side with his hands crossed, seemingly not intending to help at all!

In this instant, the Stoneleaf King suddenly came to a realization. Damn it, I fell for that fellow's ploy.

From the very start, the Violetleaf King didn't intend to collaborate with him! The entire matter was a ploy to have him and the Jadeleaf King kill one another.

The previous vow had only restrained the other party from making a move against him, so it wasn't against the rules for the other party to have the Jadeleaf King deal with him.

Furthermore, no matter who died in the fight, the surviving side would still have to let him live for the time being in order to ensure that the Celestial Master Teacher remained under control. In other words, that fellow would be the ultimate victor of the fight regardless of who won!

What a fearsome scheme.

This won't do. I can't let that fellow succeed!

Understanding this, the Stoneleaf King quickly sent a telepathic message to the Jadeleaf King while fending off the latter's attacks. "Jadeleaf King, don't fall for that fellow's tricks! He is trying to turn us against each other and have us kill one another."

"Have us kill one another?"

Seeing that there was room for negotiation, the Stoneleaf King heaved a sigh of relief as he quickly replied, "That's right! The merit from finding the Celestial Master Teacher is huge; it is more than sufficient for the three of us to share it. There's no need for us to turn against one another over such a small matter."

"Hmm..." Pondering over the Stoneleaf King's words, the Jadeleaf King was about to reply when he suddenly felt cold killing intent behind him. Unknowingly, a sword had emerged behind him, and it was aimed straight for one of his flaws, making it hard for him to deal with it.

Hu!

The Jadeleaf King quickly leaped aside to dodge the attack, but even so, the sword still managed to leave a deep slash on his back, causing him grievous injuries. Crimson blood flowed down his back profusely.

Turning around, he saw the Violetleaf King retreating several dozen meters away with his sword tightly in his grasp, fleeing out of his attack range. There was an excited gleam in the other party's eyes as he shouted, "Old Stone, you were right! That spot is indeed his mingmen."

"Damn it!" the Jadeleaf King bellowed furiously.

He had thought that there was some truth to the Stoneleaf King's words, but who would have thought that it was only a ploy to distract him while the Violetleaf King launched an assault on him? With a frenzied cry that was overflowing with fury, he sent a palm strike toward Zhang Xuan while bringing his saber down upon the Stoneleaf King simultaneously.

"I..." Not expecting that the Violetleaf King to leap into battle right when he was about to convince the Jadeleaf King, the Stoneleaf King felt incredibly stifled and crazed within.

Never in his life had he encountered anyone who was so shameless!

How can you make me take responsibility for the trouble you have caused? That's really too much!

Furthermore... turning his glance over, he realized that the Violetleaf King was already standing a safe distance away from the Jadeleaf King after launching his assault. The other party's arms were crossed before his chest as he watched upon the commotion with a look of interest.

Feeling so indignant that he could spurt blood, the Stoneleaf King knew that it was futile for him to attempt to explain himself to the Jadeleaf King anymore. He had already lost the latter's trust for good, so he could only grit his teeth and focus on the battle.

Boom boom boom!

Even though the Jadeleaf King possessed higher cultivation than the Stoneleaf King, the Stoneleaf King was able to even the playing field with the powerful Lightning Elemental Orb in his hands and his superior physical defense. On top of that, the Violetleaf King's previous assault had dealt significant damage to the Jadeleaf King, so the both parties found themselves evenly matched for the time being.

However, the devastating shockwave that emanated from their powerful clashes caused the entire ancient city they were in to collapse uncontrollably, forming rubble all around.

Incredible... Seeing the strength the battling duo wielded, Zhang Xuan gave them a huge thumbs up.

No wonder they were the Five Upper Kings, the fighting prowess that they possessed was indeed frightening!

With Zhang Xuan's current strength, he could easily decimate any Saint 2-dan pinnacle cultivator. However, against experts of the Stoneleaf King and Jadeleaf King's caliber, the only option for him was to flee as far as he could.

Putting aside battling them, even the shockwaves emanated by their fight were hard for him to bear.

As time passed, the battle between the both of them intensified.

Logically speaking, with the Stoneleaf King's superior defense and control over the powerful lightning field, the Jadeleaf King should have fallen already. Yet, the both sides were still fighting on equal grounds.

Nevertheless, it was apparent that the Stoneleaf King held the decisive advantage in the battle. With the lightning formation in his hands, he was able to send wave after wave of powerful strikes at the Jadeleaf King relentlessly, causing injuries to gradually accumulate all over the Jadeleaf King's body. Without a power source like the lightning formation to fuel his attacks, the Jadeleaf King found his stamina and zhenqi depleting swiftly as well.

"Damn all of you... Even if I have to die, I will bring the both of you down with me!" Knowing that he would only be killed at this rate, the Jadeleaf King roared furiously as immense power burst forth from his body. The illusory figure behind him suddenly grew larger, and finally, as if breaking past its bottleneck, it freed itself entirely from the body.

That... He drew his Primordial Spirit out from his body forcefully! Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm.

Back then, he had encountered such a situation with the Waterleaf King as well.

Back then, in a moment of rage, the Waterleaf King had used a secret art to draw out his Primordial Spirit to attack him. However, it was a pity that the other party had chosen the wrong method of attack, resulting in his failure!

Currently, the Jadeleaf King was steadily accumulating injuries, and he knew that he would be killed eventually. Thus, he decided to go all out and use the secret art to draw his Primordial Spirit from his body.

Using the secret art, even if he were to survive the side effects, he would sustain permanent damage, and his cultivation would decline sharply. However, one thing was for sure—he would surely be able to kill the darned duo before him.

If the Stoneleaf King is killed, it is unlikely that I will be spared... I should find a place to hide in first. Considering the drastic side effects that came with the utilization of the secret art, Zhang Xuan knew that the Jadeleaf King was already determined to kill the both of them, and he couldn't help but frown.

This situation wasn't advantageous for him.

He had intended to spectate the battle from afar, but if the Jadeleaf King were to become desperate and go after him right before his death, that would be disastrous.

Thus, Zhang Xuan immediately got up and prepared to flee from the battle. At that moment, however, a figure gradually rose from the ground.

As that figure rose, he shook his head vehemently to shake out the grogginess in his mind.

That figure was Feng Xun. Due to his powerful constitution, his ability to recover was truly incredible!

"What is going on? Where am I?" Feng Xun mumbled in confusion beneath his breath.

Just as he barely opened his eyes, he saw a brick heading right toward his face.

Padah!

With his eyes rolling up, Feng Xun fainted once more.

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Chapter 1052: Fudging

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

It was not convenient to allow Feng Xun to see the current sight before him. Otherwise, how could Zhang Xuan explain how he was able to disguise himself as an Otherworldly Demon and have the Stoneleaf King and Jadeleaf King fight against one another? Not to mention, even if he could come up with an explanation, it was another matter whether Feng Xun would trust him or not. After all, anything concerning the Otherworldly Demons required caution.

Thus, the most effective method to use at this point was to just knock the other party out.

It was simple, efficient, and effective. There was no point going to so much trouble when there was such an ideal solution. Besides, the bricks from the collapsed buildings all around him only seemed to be further tempting him into it.

Zhang Xuan subconsciously lowered his gaze to shoot a glance at Feng Xun, and he saw the latter lying on the ground with his face still twitching uncontrollably. It was as if he was unable to believe that a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall like him would end up being knocked out three times consecutively. Furthermore, it seemed to be getting more and more humiliating each time.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the duo fighting in the sky, and his eyebrows shot up.

After the Jadeleaf King drew out his Primordial Spirit, the Stoneleaf King immediately fell into a disadvantage. Despite the superior defense that the Stoneleaf King possessed, it took mere moments for the Jadeleaf King to inflict injuries all over his body and even sever his arm, causing the Lightning Elemental Orb to fall to the ground. Fresh blood trickled profusely down his body, and his face turned pale.

It seemed like the Jadeleaf King had realized that the key to the Stoneleaf King power lay in the Lightning Elemental Orb. Without the augmentation from the lightning formation, there was no way the Stoneleaf King could stand against him.

"Let's die together then!" Suffering grievous wounds, the Stoneleaf King knew that he couldn't stand against the Jadeleaf King in his current state. Thus, with a furious roar, he also utilized his secret art and drew his Primordial Spirit out.

The Stoneleaf King didn't possess a cultivation as high as the Jadeleaf King. Even after drawing his Primordial Spirit out, the Jadeleaf King could still live by finding a suitable body to house himself in, but the same option wasn't open to the Stoneleaf King. Thus, this could be considered a suicidal attack by him.

Hong long long!

The two powerful Primordial Spirits began clashing with one another, and the intensity of the battle was hiking up as time passed. Zhang Xuan surveyed his surroundings, only to note that the surroundings had really been completely sealed. Thus, he could only shake his head helplessly.

Given the current circumstances, there was no way he would be able to escape. Even if he chose to hide in the Myriad Anthive Nest, he wouldn't be able to hide the nest itself. With just a scan from their Spiritual Perception, he would be found in an instant. By then, he would be completely cornered, putting him in an even worse position.

Zhang Xuan frowned. If the Stoneleaf King wins, I can just poison him to death. However, if the Jadeleaf King wins, I will be in deep trouble.

A battle at such a level was something he couldn't hope to intervene in with his current strength. If he forcefully got involved, he would be killed before he could even do anything.

If the Stoneleaf King won, he would still hold the initiative. However, if the Jadeleaf King won, considering what he had done to the other party previously, there was no way the other party would let him off.

Taking another look at the battle, he saw that the Stoneleaf King's Primordial Spirit was being overwhelmed by the Jadeleaf King, forced to retreat again and again. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Stoneleaf King lost.

I really miscalculated... Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

As expected of the third strongest expert of the Ten Great Kings. Even with the Stoneleaf King in control of the lightning formation, it seemed like the one who would emerge victorious in the end was still the Jadeleaf King.

What should I do? Seeing that the Stoneleaf King was on the verge of succumbing to the Jadeleaf King, Zhang Xuan paced around worriedly. However, in that moment, he suddenly caught sight of a certain figure not too far away.

After drawing his Primordial Spirit out, the Jadeleaf King had left his body lying completely unguarded by the side.

He likes to draw out his Primordial Spirit, doesn't he? Hehehe... With a sinister chuckle, Zhang Xuan walked over to the Jadeleaf King's body.

Zhang Xuan had to admit that the fellow's Broken Jade Technique was indeed rather powerful. It had granted his body exceptional durability and sturdiness. While it was not on par with the Stoneleaf King's, it was plenty fearsome.

Drawing the Glacier Rain Sword, Zhang Xuan hacked down forcefully on the Jadeleaf King's body, but to his astonishment, he was unable to breach the other party's defense.

It seemed like the Jadeleaf King hadn't left his body completely unprotected after all. He seemed to have used some kind of powerful secret art to reinforce his body's defense before drawing his Primordial Spirit out.

Next, Zhang Xuan tried to place his finger on the Jadeleaf King's acupoints to infuse his zhenqi in, but a short moment later, he shook his head.

The Jadeleaf King's body was wholesome like jade. With Zhang Xuan's current strength, he was unable to force his zhenqi into the other party's body to poison him.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a pile of lava appeared before him.

Previously, when he was passing through the lava, he had taken the opportunity to secretly store some of it in his storage ring, thinking that he could utilize the heat to smith better weapons. It was good that he had done so, because it happened that he had a good use for it at this very moment.

With another flick of his wrist, he threw the lava right at the fellow before him.

Tzzzzzzzzz!

As soon as the lava came into contact with the other party's body, the sizzling sound of corrosion immediately echoed loudly in the air. The body, which even the Glacier Rain Sword was unable to cut through, began melting.

Not bad... Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Honestly speaking, even when stored within the storage ring, the lava would still cool down very soon. Thus, it was good that he could find a use for it now.

As powerful as the body of the Jadeleaf King was, it still paled in comparison to the lava at a hundred meters deep in the lava pool.

"You..."

On the other hand, the Jadeleaf King seemed to have noticed something from above, and glancing downward at his body, he nearly spurted blood and died on the spot.

As he had yet to fully reach Leaving Aperture realm, it was highly damaging for him to force his Primordial Spirit out of his body. However... as long as his physical body remained unharmed, he could still return to it. He would have faced a sharp decline in his cultivation from doing so, but at the very least, he would still have been able to live. Yet, who could have known that someone would attempt to burn his body?

That was equivalent to having one's home burned down by an arsonist! His Primordial Spirit no longer had a place to return to anymore!

"You scoundrel!" the Jadeleaf King spat in anger.

In his moment of daze, the Stoneleaf King managed to get a few attacks in, which nearly caused his Primordial Spirit to dissipate.

"I will deal with you first before killing that fellow." As angry as the Jadeleaf King was, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get even with the Violetleaf King without dealing with the Stoneleaf King first. Thus, with a furious roar, he charged forward and launched a frenzied wave of attacks on the Stoneleaf King.

Boom boom boom boom!

Deafening explosions reverberated across the horizon, and the spiritual energy within a radius of several dozen kilometers was disrupted by the intense battle. Not too long later, the Stoneleaf King's Primordial Spirit finally dissipated under the relentless assault of the Jadeleaf King.

The dissipation of one's Primordial Spirit was equivalent to the complete destruction of one's soul. In such a state, not even a deity could save one.

The reason the Stoneleaf King was ranked fourth among the Five Upper Kings was due to the immense strength his physical body possessed. However, having focused too much of his efforts on developing his physical body, his Primordial Spirit had ended up being slightly weaker than his peers. As such, the only plausible conclusion in a clash with the Jadeleaf King was his defeat.

Of course, considering the situation back then, the Stoneleaf King had no choice but to pit his Primordial Spirit against the Jadeleaf King's too. His limbs had been severed, and his physical body had sustained grievous injuries. If he hadn't drawn his soul out using his secret art, he would have died as well.

The only difference was how long it took.

"It's your turn..."

After slaying the Stoneleaf King, the Jadeleaf King immediately turned to the culprit who had reduced his physical body into a puddle of goo. With a furious roar, he charged forward.

"Kill me, and I will kill this Celestial Master Teacher!" Zhang Xuan quickly held Feng Xun up and placed the latter before him. "Think about it. As long as he remains alive, you can hand him over to our tribe. With the contribution you earn from that, finding a new body for you to possess and regaining your strength will be a walk in the park."

At this moment, this was the only leverage he had over the Jadeleaf King, as well as the only card he could play.

The Jadeleaf King was tempted to skin the fellow before him alive, but there was sense in the other party's words. If the Celestial Master Teacher were to die, the battle that he had fought would have been for naught. After all he had been through, this was an outcome he couldn't accept.

"Do you think that I will trust you?" Forcing himself to remain calm, the Jadeleaf King glared at the Violetleaf King with wintry eyes.

If not for the other party, he wouldn't have ended up fighting with the Stoneleaf King, landing himself in such a pitiful state. He had decided that from this point on, he wouldn't believe a single word that the other party said... including even punctuation!

Holding Feng Xun's neck tightly, Zhang Xuan gazed at the Jadeleaf King nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter whether you trust me or not. However, there is one fact that you have to acknowledge. If this human dies, you won't be able to obtain anything."

"You're right. If he dies, I won't be able to obtain anything. However, without a body, I won't be able to live for long either. Since the eventual outcome is death anyway, don't you think that I will be better off finding another companion to accompany me on the journey to hell?" the Jadeleaf King spat coldly.

If he had reached Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm, his Primordial Spirit might still have been able to survive outside of his body. However... he had used his secret art to escape from the confines of his body, and that had dealt heavy damage to his Primordial Spirit. If he couldn't find a body to house his Primordial Spirit soon, it wouldn't be long before he breathed his last.

This was similar to how an infant that was born after forty weeks of pregnancy was the healthiest. If one were to attempt to conduct a caesarean delivery prematurely, it could potentially be damaging to both the mother and the child.

Such was the same for the Primordial Spirit as well.

At Half-Leaving Aperture realm, a cultivator would have already opened their Yuanshen acupoint, the pathway for the Primordial Soul to escape from the confines of the body. They still couldn't draw it out, not because it was impossible to do so, but because their Primordial Spirit wasn't strong enough for it yet.

Such was the case for the Jadeleaf King. His Primordial Spirit was still too weak to sustain itself, so he needed to find a body to nourish it. At the current rate, his Primordial Spirit would slowly wear thin and eventually dissipate.

In a sense, this was similar to the woes faced by soul oracles, the only difference being that the time soul oracles had was significantly shorter.

"Without a body? Isn't the Stoneleaf King's body lying right over there? You can possess it!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"You..." the Jadeleaf King's eyes were glacier cold. "There is a fundamental difference in the cultivation techniques we practice, so if I possess his body, I will be in constant anguish and suffering."

"This..." Zhang Xuan rubbed his lower jaw with a frown. "I see. That makes things a little troublesome."

Despite his lack of understanding of Primordial Spirits, through his extensive knowledge of souls from the heritage of the soul oracles, he knew that the other party was speaking the truth.

It was true that the Jadeleaf King would be able to survive by possessing the Stoneleaf King's body, but due to the fundamental differences in their cultivation techniques and constitutions, not only would he suffer a steep fall in his fighting prowess, he would be in constant misery as well.

"Right!" Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate for long before slapping his head in realization, seemingly having thought of something. "Why didn't I think of it earlier? I happen to have specially crafted a puppet not too long ago, and since it is attributeless, there is no way it can clash with your cultivation technique. Why don't you enter it to recuperate for the time being? Once we bring the Celestial Master Teacher back to our tribe and receive the reward, you will surely be able to make the breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, and by then... it won't matter whether you have a body or not!"

"Puppet?" The Jadeleaf King frowned.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He flicked his wrist, and a huge Otherworldly Demon puppet appeared before his eyes.

It was one of the puppets that he had taken out of the underground cavern where Wu Yangzi had been imprisoned. After resolving the flaws in its structure, it wielded prowess comparable to a Saint 3-dan cultivator.

"This is forged out of the body of an ordinary tribesman, so it is attributeless. It does complement with my Primordial Spirit fairly well." The Jadeleaf King took a look at the puppet and hesitated.

The puppet had been forged using the living body of an Otherworldly Demon, and it was driven by a reserve of spiritual energy at its core. While it was weak, its strength lay in that it was attributeless, so it was a better fit with his Primordial Spirit compared to the Stoneleaf King's body.

Naturally, this also meant that he could display greater fighting prowess within the body of the puppet as well.

"To tell you the truth, you have nothing to earn from killing me. In the first place, the one who tried to kill you wasn't me but the Stoneleaf King. Besides, given the limited strength I wield, there's no way that I will be able to harm you!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"It took me a great amount of effort to forge this puppet, and I was intending to use it to craft a clone. However, since you require it, I will give it to you to serve as a temporary body. Once we return to the tribe with the Celestial Master Teacher, everything can be resolved easily."

Saying so, Zhang Xuan patted his puppet fondly, seemingly a little reluctant to part with his treasure.

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Chapter 1053: Slaying the Jadeleaf King

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Humph!"

The Jadeleaf King harrumphed coldly as he swiftly analyzed the situation he was in.

His physical body had been destroyed, and if he were to attempt to kill the Violetleaf King, the Celestial Master Teacher would surely die as well... and once that happened, there would be no hope for him.

Just like what the other party had said, as long as he took the Celestial Master Teacher back to the tribe, he would be entitled to all kinds of rewards—the strengthening of his Primordial Spirit, the heightening of his cultivation, or even obtaining a powerful body would be available options for him.

I should just agree to his demands first. The most important thing for me at the moment is to remain alive. In any case, the journey back to the tribe will be a long one, so there will be plenty of opportunities for me to kill him while his guard is down.

Gradually, a plan surfaced in the Jadeleaf King's mind.

During the long journey back to the tribe, it was inevitable that the Violetleaf King would lower his guard from time to time. As soon as that happened, he would be able to strike and rid that despicable scoundrel before him.

That way, he would be able to exact vengeance without compromising the safety of the Celestial Master Teacher before him.

This would not be an ideal moment for him to make his move. The Violetleaf King was clearly guarded, and if he were to make a reckless move, he would be the one to lose out in the end.

In his Primordial Spirit form, he was indeed powerful. However, he could not maintain this state for too long.

"Allow me to take a look at your puppet." After a moment of contemplation, the Jadeleaf King flew over to the puppet and began examining it closely with his Spiritual Perception.

To his surprise, the puppet was extremely well-made. While the materials used for it were low quality, the craftsmanship did well to maximize its strength within its constraints. The puppet might have been a little weak, but once complemented with his Primordial Spirit, it would still be able to display considerable fighting prowess.

It would not match up to his prior strength, but it would be more than sufficient to deal with a mere Violetleaf King.

After making such calculations, he examined every aspect of the puppet carefully, and after confirming that there were no traps hidden within it, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Hu!

With a swift movement, his Primordial Spirit dived into the puppet.

A moment later, he opened the puppet's eyes and began moving his new limbs. He turned his gaze toward the Violetleaf King and said, "Alright, you should be able to release the Celestial Master Teacher now, right?"

"Of course!" Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan tossed Feng Xun casually to the ground.

Due to the heavy impact Feng Xun had suffered from the brick, he still had not woken up.

The Jadeleaf King was stunned. He released the human just like that?

He had expected the other party to continue holding the Celestial Master Teacher hostage so as to ensure his own safety. To obediently release the Celestial Master Teacher at his command... was the other party really not afraid that he would claim his life?

"Fool! You are asking for death!"

Regardless, this was a good opportunity to strike. The eyes of the Jadeleaf King lit up as he swiftly pulled the unconscious Celestial Master Teacher behind him to protect the latter. At the same time, he charged forward to launch a devastating attack on the Violetleaf King.

After how the Violetleaf King had made a fool out of him, how could he, the proud Jadeleaf King, possibly allow the other party to continue existing in the world?

"Jeez. I have already offered you a chance to continue living, but you just don't know how to treasure it." Seeing the Jadeleaf King charging ferociously toward him, the Violetleaf King shook his head calmly and sighed. Instead of making any attempts to dodge of counterattack, he lifted his hand casually and snapped, "Down!"

Kacha!

The charging Jadeleaf King abruptly felt a surge of intense pain assaulting him, causing his body to stiffen on the spot.

Putong!

The momentum from his previous action dragged him onto the ground.

The Jadeleaf King narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You... You laced the puppet with poison?"

In just a mere instant, he understood why the other party dared cast aside the only leverage over him without any hesitation. It turned out that the puppet had been poisoned! Furthermore, for a Primordial Spirit as powerful as his to succumb to it, it was apparent that it was an exceptionally potent poison.

"You are quite smart. If you pledge loyalty to me and obey every single one of my commands without any hesitation, I can spare you!" Zhang Xuan said calmly.

He had already foreseen this from the moment he took his puppet out. Previously, when he was tapping the puppet fondly, he had discreetly infused his Heaven's Path zhenqi into it.

His Heaven's Path zhenqi had no particular attribute, so even if the Jadeleaf King noticed it, he probably only thought that it was the innate power that the puppet harnessed, so he didn't pay it any heed.

In other words, from the moment that the Jadeleaf King sent his Primordial Spirit into the puppet, he was already doomed.

"You want me to pledge loyalty to you? Dream on!" the Jadeleaf King roared furiously as his Primordial Spirit charged toward the acupoint that he had entered the puppet from.

Since he was able to enter the puppet, naturally, he should be able to leave as well.

"You might have been able to enter the puppet easily, but it won't be that easy for you to leave it!" Zhang Xuan said with a wry smile.

The Jadeleaf King's heart turned cold upon hearing those words. He realized that every single acupoint on the puppet had been sealed by a unique zhenqi. Even with the overwhelming strength that he commanded, he found that he was unable to break out.

All of his escape routes were sealed; he was trapped.

Despite all of the precautions that he had taken, he had still ended up falling for the Violetleaf King's ploy. Stifled, the Jadeleaf King nearly spewed a mouthful of blood, but there was no blood within the puppet for him to spew. The more he thought about the matter, the more despaired and frightened he felt.

Even though the fellow standing before him being weaker than him, he found himself feeling deeply terrified of the other party. Preying on the weaknesses in his mind, the other party had managed to turn him against the Stoneleaf King and nearly had him killed. Even after he emerged victorious in the fight, it turned out that the other party had already prepared a subsequent measure to deal with him—a puppet laced with lethal poison.

Had the Violetleaf King been such a formidable figure all along? Or could it be that...

Suddenly, a possibility surfaced in the Jadeleaf King's mind. "You aren't the Violetleaf King!"

"Not bad at all, you do have some wits. At the very least, you came to the truth right before the end." Zhang Xuan chuckled as he began morphing his body back amid cracking sounds.

Geji! Geji!

A moment later, he reverted back to his original appearance.

The Jadeleaf King narrowed his eyes in shock. "You are a human? Wait, could it be... you are the real Celestial Master Teacher?"

Celestial Master Teacher, an existence that even the heavens had acknowledged. How could a person who had been acknowledged by the heavens possibly be so useless as to be captured that easily and be knocked out time and time again? Not to mention, recalling how the Violetleaf King had, for some peculiar reason, insisted on standing beside the other human a moment ago... the truth could not have been clearer to him at this moment.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. Become my servant, and you will be able to avoid death," Zhang Xuan said impassively, choosing not to respond to the Jadeleaf King's doubts.

The implications that came with his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher was simply too great. Even the notion of revealing it to the Master Teacher Pavilion left him feeling deeply apprehensive, so how could he be willing to speak of it to an Otherworldly Demon?

"You want me to become your servant? Dream on! But... to have lost to a Celestial Master Teacher like you, I admit my defeat!" the Jadeleaf King sneered coldly before shaking his head despondently.

Following that, a golden fluid suddenly flowed from the puppet's eyes before the puppet fell heavily to the ground.

"You..."

Zhang Xuan quickly rushed up to the puppet, only to realize that the Primordial Spirit within had already dissipated.

Trapped within the puppet, the Jadeleaf King was unable to escape nor explode his Primordial Spirit. At the same time, he was also unwilling to bow to a human. Thus, he had chosen to end his life!

"Decisive and very loyal to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe as well," Zhang Xuan remarked.

Choosing to end his life knowing that he had been cornered, it seemed that despite being greedy and vicious, the Jadeleaf King was deeply loyal to his kind.

Just that... it sure is a huge waste of my puppet! Looking at the lifeless puppet lying on the ground, Zhang Xuan felt his heart ache.

The Jadeleaf King's Primordial Spirit was simply too strong. While he had been unable to explode his Primordial Spirit, the energy that was released with his suicide still resulted in the destruction of the puppet's internal structure, resulting in it being effectively crippled. After all the trouble he had gone through to raise it to Saint 3-dan...

However, these two Kings do have quite a few treasures with them. Putting everything else aside, just the saber and spear they have in their possession are at Saint low-tier. Well, they are only at low-tier, but that's not too bad either...

Given Zhang Xuan's proficiency in smithing, it seemed like it would be... impossible for him to fix the puppet. Fortunately, the wealth that the two Kings possessed was more than enough to make up for the loss of his puppet.

On top of the Saint low-tier sword and spear, the Jadeleaf King had the bizarre altar and innumerable tributes. Those might just prove useful at some point in time.

I should just take everything first. Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan grabbed the storage rings of the duo before heading toward the Lightning Elemental Orb on the ground.

The orb was initially in the Stoneleaf King's possession, but after the Jadeleaf King mercilessly severed his arm, the orb ended up falling to the ground. At the current moment, it was emitting a dim light.

Stopping before the orb, Zhang Xuan squatted down and reached out to grab it.

Bzzzzzztttt!

Before his hand could even come into contact with the orb, a searing pain assault his palm. Countless mini streaks of lightning burst toward him, attempting to burn him to cinders.

Upon seeing the sight, Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched. He hurriedly leaped aside to avoid the attack.

The Lightning Elemental Orb was indeed powerful, but with his current strength, even getting close to it was difficult, let alone taming it.

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in distress. But it would be extremely wasteful of me to leave an artifact as powerful as this lying here.

It was one thing if he had not seen it, but now that he had seen it and it was within reach, would he not be letting himself down if he did not claim it for his own?

Perhaps I could try that...

After a moment of thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. Placing the body of the Stoneleaf King before him, he slowly advanced toward the Lightning Elemental Orb.

Bzzzzt!

Sensing the approach of a lifeform, the Lightning Elemental Orb immediately sent innumerable streaks of lightning toward the invader who was trespassing on its territory. However, it was all perfectly warded off by the Stoneleaf King's body.

In a few moments, Zhang Xuan was already standing right before orb, and with a swift movement, his hand reached out and touched it.

Kacha!

Right after Zhang Xuan muttered 'flaws' in his mind, he was abruptly sent flying by a powerful surge of electricity. His body stiffened, and smoke drifted from his hair, which was standing on end. At the same time, his clothes were also ripped into tatters from the surge of electricity, creating quite an unkempt look.

This... Isn't the Lightning Elemental Orb a little too powerful?

It took a long while before Zhang Xuan could recover from his daze.

It was fortunate that his soul had been tempered by the lightning previously and his body had achieved the level equivalent to a Saint low-tier artifact. Otherwise, that burst of lightning could have easily left him bedridden for several days.

Alright. Let me see if there's any way I can tame it with my current strength, Zhang Xuan thought as he turned his consciousness toward the Library of Heaven's Path.

In the momentary touch back then, he had managed to achieve his goal and compile a corresponding book regarding the Lightning Elemental Orb.

And as expected, with just a thought, a book began flying over from one of the shelves, and it landed right in Zhang Xuan's hands.

He flipped it open casually.

"Lightning Elemental Orb, an artifact produced in regions where the Power of Lightning accumulates. It can be used as the cornerstone of lightning attribute formations, as well as a tool to control them..."

The content within the book flowed into Zhang Xuan's head swiftly, and within just an instant, he had already found out what the flaws of the Lightning Elemental Orb were.

So that's the case... I should be able to tame it even with my current strength. However, it will still be difficult for me to drive it unless I reach Primordial Spirit realm.

After understanding the situation concerning the Lightning Elemental Orb, Zhang Xuan shook his head with bitterly.

Just as he had guessed, the field of lightning was indeed a grade-8 formation. As such, it could only be controlled via one's Primordial Spirit. Even if he could successfully tame the Lightning Elemental Orb, it would still be impossible for him to use it to gain control over the lightning formation.

Forget it, I should tame the Lightning Elemental Orb first and think about everything else later...

Casting the dilemmas in his mind aside, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the Lightning Elemental Orb once more.

He might have been unable to use it at that moment, but there would surely be a day when he would be able to wield it. A grade-8 Slaughter Formation... that was a treasure that countless cultivators would love to lay their hands on!

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Chapter 1054: Black Sandstorm of Oblivion

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

If I wish to tame the Lightning Elemental Orb, I will first have to use my zhenqi to nourish it. After reading the details regarding the orb in the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan had already gained a thorough understanding of its strengths and flaws.

Forcefully taming it was not a feasible solution, especially considering the limits of his current strength. Thus, he could only nourish it slowly, just as the Stoneleaf King had done earlier.

Raising his hands, he began sending out surges of zhenqi from his palm toward the Lightning Elemental Orb from a distance away.

Weng!

Sensing zhenqi encroaching on its territory, the orb began revolving as it emitted a deep blue glow. In an instant, countless streaks of lightning fell from the sky.

Zhang Xuan swiftly lifted the Stoneleaf King's body above him to fend off the lightning. Unfortunately, Feng Xun, who was lying not too far away, wasn't so lucky. Two streaks of lightning breached the lingering seal that the Jadeleaf King had set up previously and struck his body, causing it to convulse with even greater intensity than before.

It was fortunate that the seal had neutralized most of the energy contained in the lightning, or else those two strikes could have claimed Feng Xun's life.

I must proceed a little more carefully... Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

He quickly calmed himself down before gathering his zhenqi to infuse it over once more. This time, he proceeded a little more carefully and slowly, and it did not induce any retaliation from the Lightning Elemental Orb. Around twenty minutes later, delight covered Zhang Xuan's face.

With just a wave of his hand, the Lightning the Elemental Orb gradually flew toward him. After twenty minutes of effort, he had successfully managed to tame it!

It sure is a powerful artifact... Holding the sphere in his palm, Zhang Xuan could feel the immense power contained within, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

Just as he had deduced before, the Lightning Elemental Orb was the key to controlling the lightning formation. While he was unable to drive it due to his lacking cultivation at the moment, fortunately, it was still within his means to restrict the lightning formation to within the orb.

Taking a deep breath, he raised the Lightning Elemental Orb in the air and began driving his zhenqi into it.

"Return," Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath.

Hualala!

Countless streaks of lightning in the surroundings began flowing toward the Lightning Elemental Orb like countless streams converging into the vast ocean.

"Mmm?"

At this moment, Feng Xun regained consciousness once more. Upon seeing the sight before him, his eyes widened in astonishment, and his body began trembling in fear.

The sight before him was simply too frightening. A fellow who had nearly been charred black from a lightning strike was raising his hand before him, and countless streaks of lightning were converging in his direction, seemingly attempting to tear him apart.

Is this hell, or am I dreaming? That man... Principal Zhang?

Taking a closer look, Feng Xun realized that the charred black fellow was none other than Zhang Xuan!

Suddenly recalling the situation that they were in, he quickly scanned his surroundings, and soon, he saw the Stoneleaf King's body lying right beside Zhang Xuan, not moving or breathing in the slightest.

Principal Zhang managed to kill the Stoneleaf King? Feng Xun could hardly believe his eyes.

It was only in this instant that he confirmed that he wasn't dead yet.

Before he was knocked out, he had clashed face on with the Stoneleaf King, and the latter had been so powerful that he had been defeated within a single encounter.

Yet, after regaining consciousness, he suddenly found the carcass of the Stoneleaf King lying cold on the ground... Just what in the world happened while he was out? What did Principal Zhang sacrifice in order to kill the Stoneleaf King and save him?

More importantly... while he was not dead, why was his body convulsing uncontrollably? Furthermore, that dull pain that was constantly assaulting his head... just who was the scoundrel who had knocked him out time and time again?

Pondering over the matter for some time, Feng Xun was still unable to make sense of the situation, so he gave up on it altogether. Turning his attention back to the charred black fellow, he couldn't help but feel deeply touched within. Back then, he had attempted to teach the other party a lesson to bring honor back to the Combat Master Hall, and yet, the other party was still willing to cast aside their differences and save him in this crucial moment.

Just recalling what he had done previously left him deeply ashamed. He really did not know how he should face the other party after that.

It was no wonder Luo Ruoxin had chosen the other party over him. If he were Luo Ruoxin, he would have made the same decision as well!

Hu!

Not too long later, the lightning in the sky was finally contained within the Lightning Elemental Orb, and Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, he stowed the orb back into his storage ring.

Stretching his slightly stiffened body, he was just about to drive hid zhenqi to recuperate from his injuries when he saw Feng Xun walking up to him.

"Principal Zhang, you have my deepest gratitude for saving my life." Feng Xun bowed down deeply.

Zhang Xuan hurriedly waved his hand in embarrassment. "There's no need to stand on ceremony."

While he had only done it due to the compelling circumstances then, it was a fact that he had knocked the other party out thrice and electrocuted him once. Even at this moment, the other party's body was still convulsing non-stop. That was probably an aftereffect from the brick smash and electrocution. If the other party were to learn of this matter, would the other party rip him apart then and there?

Forget it, what the other party did not know would not hurt him. It would not be good for them to sour their camaraderie over a trivial matter like this.

However, just because Zhang Xuan did not speak of it, it did not mean that Feng Xun was not going to broach the subject. "Principal Zhang, I would like to ask, did the Stoneleaf King make a move on me while I was unconscious? Somehow, there is a dull pain at the back of my head..."

"That... That's not important at all!" With twitching lips, Zhang Xuan hurriedly shook his head. "Let's return now. Wu shi and the others should have recovered by now..."

With the lightning formation back in the Lightning Elemental Orb, the sky gradually cleared up. Not too long later, they arrived at where Wu shi and the others were hiding. At this moment, they had already left the insides of the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Taking a look at the unconscious Golden Origin Cauldron, Zhang Xuan heaved a deep sigh before stowing it back into his storage ring.

While he had succeeded in waking up Lu Chong and Wei Ruyan, the situation was slightly different for the Golden Origin Cauldron. As an artifact, its spirit was fundamentally different from that of a human's soul, so the means that he had utilized previously would be completely ineffective on it. He would have to find a higher tier Blacksmith Guild and gather the books there to find a solution for it.

"Principal Zhang has managed to kill the Stoneleaf King..." Returning to the crowd, Feng Xun shared the joyous news with the expedition team. In an instant, flabbergasted looks surfaced all around them.

Even Wu shi had been unable to stand against the Stoneleaf King's strength back then, and yet, Zhang Xuan had actually succeeded in killing the latter and even resolved the lightning formation. This was truly inconceivable. They could not help but turn to look at Zhang Xuan with gazes of admiration.

Zhang Xuan had initially intended to explain the situation to them, but eventually, he decided against it.

It was hard to explain how he managed to turn the Jadeleaf King against the Stoneleaf King, so revealing this matter could potentially bring him significant trouble. Since that was the case, he might as well remain silent about it.

"Most of you haven't recuperated fully from your injuries yet, and the path ahead is bound to be more dangerous than ever." Noting that there were still quite a few people who were severely wounded, Zhang Xuan proposed, "Why don't we just rest here for the night? We can proceed after we have fully recovered."

After what they had been through, the expedition team also knew that the ancient domain was filled with danger at every corner, and they would have to be in their peak state if they wanted to remain alive. Thus, they nodded in agreement and sat back down to recuperate from their injuries.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan found an opportunity to head to a remote location alone to let Luo Ruoxin out while entering the Myriad Anthive Nest himself.

Hu!

The Lightning Elemental Orb appeared in his hand.

With a thought, he drew his soul out from his glabella before grabbing the Lightning Elemental Orb.

Previously, he had used the lightning formation to temper his soul, and the effects had been considerable. Since he had obtained the Lightning Elemental Orb, the very core of the lightning formation, and he had some time on his hands, it was a good opportunity for him to cultivate and advance his soul cultivation.

Gazing at the condensed lightning packed into the orb, Zhang Xuan grasped the orb tightly with his soul before driving the Heaven's Path Soul Art.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

Streak after streak of lightning began surging out from the Lightning Elemental Orb and into his soul, tempering it.

An hour later, his soul compressed down from seven meters to six meters, and his soul cultivation advanced up to Nascent Saint intermediate stage.

Two hours later, his soul was compressed down to five meters, and his soul cultivation had reached Nascent Saint advanced stage.

Four hours later, his soul was four meters, and his soul cultivation was at Nascent Saint pinnacle!

While his soul had grown smaller, the soul energy within was purer than ever. On top of that, it was imbued with the Power of Lightning, giving it an incredibly powerful presence.

With just his soul cultivation alone, he could probably defeat a Saint 2-dan pinnacle expert.

My soul, body, and zhenqi cultivation have reached Nascent Saint pinnacle.

After cultivating for a while longer, Zhang Xuan realized that if he were to continue tempering his soul without any subsequent cultivation technique, he could very well face unexpected problems in his soul cultivation. Thus, he returned his soul back to his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Within less than a single day after entering the ancient domain, he had managed to raise his physical body cultivation and soul cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle. This expedition had truly been a fruitful one for him.

If it had been anywhere else, who knew how long it would have taken him to achieve this feat?

"Here, the Lightning Elemental Orb is an extremely powerful artifact for cultivating one's soul. You should cultivate a bit as well!" After advancing his soul cultivation, Zhang Xuan tossed the Lightning Elemental Orb to his clone before leaving the Anthive Nest and returning back to the expedition team.

After a period of rest, the expedition members had mostly recovered from their wounds, and they exuded an aura of vigor.

"Let's continue our journey!" Wu shi said, and the expedition team swiftly got up and began making their way forward.

The route ahead of them mainly consisted of a barren plain.

After walking some distance, Wu shi suddenly came to a halt. He turned to the young man beside him and asked, "Principal Zhang, does this look familiar to you?"

As he said those words, he pointed to the area just ahead of him.

Embedded in the ground was a sword. Forcefully snapped by something, only the top half of it was left.

Taking a closer look at the surroundings, there were some marks of battle around them. Some parts were buried under a layer of dirt, but it was still easily discernible.

"No, I don't think I have seen it before..." Taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the sword pierced in the ground had reached Half Saint as well. However, its appearance was unfamiliar to Zhang Xuan, and he was certain that he had never seen it before.

Wo Tianqiong walked over and remarked, "That is Zhang Yinqiu's weapon. He used it once in a duel with me."

As the principal of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, he had rather close ties with the old principal, and they had often met one another. As such, he was well aware of the weapons in the old principal's possession.

"It belongs to the old principal?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Yes, that's definitely his weapon!" Wu Ran and Shen Pingchao stepped forward and nodded in agreement.

"Since the old principal's weapon has fallen it, it means that his expedition team must have walked down this route as well... Let's move on!"

The eyes of the crowd lit up in excitement.

This was the first time that they had found traces of the old principal after entering the ancient domain, and they could not help but feel a little agitated within.

They hastened their footsteps, but it did not take long before they stopped once more.

Ahead of them was a massive sandstorm. What was particularly eerie about it was that the sandstorm was pitch-black. Without even approaching it, the crowd could not help but feel shivers running down their spines.

"What's that?"

"I have no idea either..."

Even though they did not recognize what the black sandstorm ahead of them was, they could feel the sheer power that was harnessed within it, and it left them feeling deeply apprehensive.

After a moment of silence, Wo Tianqiong suddenly spoke up with an awful look on his face. "That is the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!"

The crowd frowned in confusion. "Black Sandstorm of Oblivion?"

"Un. It is an extremely dangerous sandstorm that possesses extraordinarily potent corrosion capability. Any existence that steps into it will be swiftly reduced into nothing." After a moment of hesitation, Wo Tianqiong continued. "If you don't believe me, take a look at this..."

After saying those words, he whipped out a Spirit pinnacle sword and tossed it into the sandstorm.

Tzzzzzz!

As soon as the sword was tossed into the sandstorm, innumerable black spots appeared on it, as if it was rusty from being soaked in rainwater for many days.

After which, with a swift wave of his hand, Wo Tianqiong retrieved the sword with his zhenqi. He flicked on it lightly.

Kacha!

The incomparably sturdy Spirit pinnacle sword immediately shattered into innumerable pieces.

"This..."

The faces of the crowd distorted in horror.

Spirit pinnacle weapons were rare even among Tier-1 Empire, and yet, it did not even survive more than a few breaths within the sandstorm before being torn to pieces. Wasn't the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion a little too frightening?

"Is there any way that we can bypass this sandstorm?" one of the combat masters asked with a frown.

Guild Leader Han took a closer look at the sandstorm, and he shook his head bitterly. "I'm afraid that is impossible..."

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Chapter 1055: Luo Ruoxin's Suggestion

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Impossible?"

The crowd turned their gazes over.

"Since the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion stands in our path, it is likely that it is a trial that we are supposed undergo. If we do not clear this, we will only be able to loiter around the outskirts of the ancient domain, unable to enter its depths," said Guild Leader Han.

"Un." Hearing his words, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

That was indeed the case.

Through the past experiences, he had come to realize that the ancient domain was built in a way such that only one who had cleared the trial before them could activate the formation that led to the next level. If there was no one among them who could clear the trial, they would be stuck on the spot.

As that was the fundamental design of the ancient domain, there was no way to circumvent the trials through wits.

Not to mention, the person who had designed the ancient domain was most likely Ancient Sage Qiu Wu himself. How could an expert of his caliber possibly leave behind any openings that they would be able to exploit?

Taking a step back, even if there was truly an opening they found that they could exploit, it was more likely that it would be a trap created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. For breaking his rules, they might find themselves being placed through an even harsher trial than the one before them.

"Based on the traces, it is certain that Zhang Yinqiu and the others must have stepped through the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion as well. But... how did they do it?" Wu shi surveyed the surroundings for a moment before frowning deeply.

Since the old principal's sword had been found alongside marks of battle in the vicinity, it was apparent that the old principal's expedition team had passed through the area they were in.

But the sandstorm before them was a terrifying existence that could corrode even Spirit pinnacle weapons! How could any cultivators survive within it? Even if one could withstand the sandstorm for a short moment, who could say for sure how far the sandstorm spanned? No matter how he looked it, it seemed like it was nigh impossible to clear this trial!

Paying no heed to the anxiety of the crowd, Zhang Xuan began assessing the sandstorm before him carefully as well.

The Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was similar to the field of lightning that he had encountered before—it was a formation as well. However, just like before, as the area it spanned was simply too big and his cultivation was too low, he was unable to break the formation even with the knowledge of its flaws.

A moment later, he shook his head helplessly as well.

The conclusion that he had come to was the same as Guild Leader Han's. There was no way for them to advance forward other than to brave through the black sandstorm!

While the crowd were conflicted and distressed over their present circumstances, Luo Ruoxin suddenly spoke up.

"Have you all thought about how we encountered quite a few Otherworldly Demons in the previous trial, but here, there is not a single one to be seen? If my conjecture holds true, we could have been heading in the wrong direction all along."

"We have been heading in the wrong direction all along?" asked one of the master teachers, unable to comprehend what Luo Ruoxin was driving at.

"That's right. We have been chasing after the trial left behind by Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu, but... if the Otherworldly Demons are already ahead of us, the trail that we see before us might not necessarily be authentic. If that's the case, shouldn't we search for the Otherworldly Demon's trail instead? There is a good chance that it will be safer that way." Luo Ruoxin presented her analysis.

"That..." The crowd was taken aback by those words.

"Indeed, Luo shi's words make perfect sense!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

As one of the central goals of their expedition was to find the whereabouts of the old principal and save the other party if he was still alive, they had been on the lookout for the old principal's trail all along, thinking that it would lead them to the old principal. It was a logical deduction, but if the Otherworldly Demons had intentionally scattered the old principal's possessions around to lay a trap for them... they could very well have been headed toward grave danger!

So far, he had managed to tame one and kill seven of the Ten Great Kings of Qingtian Lineage, but the two remaining Upper Five Kings would be far more difficult to defeat. Even though he had missed the most powerful Skyleaf King at the Poison Hall, he had heard that the latter was a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, an existence beyond their current means to deal with.

Typically speaking, after obtaining the map in the Poison Hall, the Skyleaf King should have entered the ancient domain. Yet, he hadn't seen any trace of the other party ever since he entered the ancient domain.

Considering how the Skyleaf King could have dealt with them easily but had yet to do so... Perhaps, by using the map in his hand, the other party had managed to enter the ancient domain before them and was currently ahead of them.

If so, the path that the other party had taken was bound to be the safest!

"Let me take a look..."

Flying into the air, Zhang Xuan began assessing his surroundings carefully with his Eye of Insight.

Previously, he had been too concerned with finding the old principal's trail, so he had not noticed anything else. However, taking a closer look around them, he swiftly found that there were indeed quite a few suspicious details.

A group of Otherworldly Demons had passed through the land they were currently on just a few hours ago.

Zhang Xuan descended to the ground and requested, "Feng Xun, I need to borrow your Undefiled Mirror!"

The Otherworldly Demons had intentionally concealed their trail, and due to his lower cultivation, there was a limit to what his Eye of Insight could see as well. He could barely make out that others had passed through the area a few hours ago, but he could not discern for sure the direction they were headed in.

If it was just a few hours, the Undefiled Mirror of the Combat Master Hall should still be able to work its wonders.

"Un." Nodding, Feng Xun passed the mirror over and swiftly filled Zhang Xuan in on how the mirror should be utilized.

Following Feng Xun's instructions, Zhang Xuan bit his finger and dripped a droplet of blood on the Undefiled Mirror.

Weng!

An arrow surfaced in the Undefiled Mirror, and after flickering for a brief moment, it pointed toward a certain direction.

After walking in the direction pointed out by the Undefiled Mirror for some time, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to a halt. Turning to face the crowd behind him, he said, "The direction pointed out by the Undefiled Mirror indicates that they have entered the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion through here."

"They entered through here? Are they unafraid of the might of the sandstorm?" one of the combat masters asked in bewilderment.

"I don't have an answer to that either." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Through the Undefiled Mirror, they could confirm that the Otherworldly Demons did enter the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion through the area.

But after careful examination, Zhang Xuan discerned that the area before him wasn't a location where a flaw of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion could be found. The sandstorm was still as fearsome as ever, so it was perplexing to him why the Otherworldly Demons would choose to enter from this point.

At that moment, Wu shi stepped forward and said, "Let me give it a try. Perhaps, there might be a hidden passageway amid the fearsome sandstorm."

Guild Leader Han pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement to Wu shi's decision. "Be careful."

What Wu shi had suggested was something that often occurred within formations.

There were many formations where the Life Gate was hidden in the most perilous of locations, unable to be detected through any means except by stepping into it personally.

"Un." Wu shi nodded. Taking a deep breath, he drove his zhenqi, and silver armor gradually materialized around him.

Saint-tier battle technique, Silver Armor of the True Dragon!

It was his strongest defense battle technique, and it granted him an all-around defense as well. As such, it was the ideal shield to fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion.

He took a step in.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

As soon as he stepped into sandstorm, a deafening ruckus reminiscent of a violent storm mercilessly battering a banana tree 1 filled the air.

Barely after taking eight steps forward, Wu shi face paled, and he hurriedly rushed back out. As soon as he left the perimeter of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, his zhenqi armor immediately cracked before dissipating entirely. His face was entirely pale, and his footsteps were unstable. He hurriedly sat down to condition himself.

After a moment of recuperation, Wu shi turned the crowd and shook his head. "This won't work at all. Not only is the sandstorm no weaker than where we were previously, it is even stronger! There is no way we can pass through this."

The amount of zhenqi one had to exert to fend off the sandstorm was immense. He could at least enter forty meters deep into the lava, but here, eight steps were already his limit.

"This is bizarre. How did the Otherworldly Demon manage to get in unharmed?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Even if the Skyleaf King and the Scarletleaf King were the two strongest experts of the Ten Great Kings, surely it should have been beyond their means to step right into the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion without getting injured?

It did not make any sense!

"Perhaps... they used some kind of artifact to ward off the sandstorm!" Guild Leader Han suggested.

"Artifact?"

"Un. As powerful as the sandstorm is, there are still artifacts out there that can fend it off. For one, if we had a Saint high-tier artifact here with us right now, we would be able to run right in without any fear of getting injured," Guild Leader Han said.

The Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was a terrifying existence against Spirit pinnacle and even Saint low-tier artifacts, but even it could do nothing to faze the powerful Saint high-tier artifacts.

If they had an artifact of that caliber, they would not have needed to bother with finding the Life Gate of the formation at all. They could easily have run right through the sandstorm.

"Saint high-tier artifact... Where are we supposed to find that?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Despite going through a flawless reforging session, the Golden Origin Cauldron barely met the mark as a Saint intermediate-tier weapon. Given so, it was not too hard to imagine how difficult smithing a Saint high-tier artifact would be. In fact, it could be said that it was an impossible feat for anyone who had not achieved the proficiency equivalent to an 8-star blacksmith!

Luo Ruoxin examined the situation for a moment before saying calmly, "Actually, aside from Saint high-tier artifacts, there are some unique artifacts that might work particularly well against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion as well. Considering how the sandstorm carries the property of corrosion, it would be hard for most physical artifact to withstand its might. However, it would be a different story for soul-type artifacts. Souls are impervious to the corruption caused by the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, so through the soul energy that soul-type artifacts emanate, it should be possible to keep the sandstorm at bay."

As one who could very well be the offspring of a Sage Clan, it was not surprising for her to be well-versed in such knowledge.

"Soul-type artifacts? But such artifacts are harder to find than Saint high-tier artifacts," a combat master remarked.

As long as a decently proficient blacksmith had sufficient materials at hand, smithing a Saint high-tier artifact would not be a problem. However, the same could not be said about a soul-type artifact.

Most of the soul-type artifacts in circulation were formed by the workings of nature due to the immense difficulty in smithing them. In fact, blacksmiths who were capable of smithing soul-type artifacts possessed an extremely high standing in society, comparable to an equivalently ranked master teacher or even above that.

"Indeed! It's simply too difficult to find soul-type artifacts. We don't even have a single one of those in our Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"The same for our Yunxu Master Teacher Academy as well..."

The crowd nodded in agreement.

Even if soul-type artifacts could really be used to fend against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, it was still futile if they did not have one in their possession.

"I heard that the Hongyuan royal family has a soul-type plant known as the Bodhi Saint Tree. If only I knew that we would encounter such a trial in the ancient domain, I would have surely borrowed it from them in advance." Mu shi sighed deeply in lamentation.

"How could we have possibly known that there would be so many peculiar formations in the ancient domain?" Wu shi shook his head.

"Actually, that probably wouldn't have worked either. I've heard that the Hongyuan royal family's Bodhi Saint Tree is dying, so it probably wouldn't be strong enough to ward off the sandstorm either. Besides, it's the very foundation of the strength of their royal family, so there's no way that they would have willingly lent it to us," Wo Tianqiong said.

"Indeed. How could they be willing to lend us something that directly concerns the survival of their monarchy? Unless we were to snatch it forcefully or offer them something equivalent in value to it, there is no way that it would have worked!"

Before the group could finish letting out their regrets, Zhang Xuan suddenly spoke with a dazed look on his face. "What did you say? The Bodhi Saint Tree would work as well?"

"Of course! While it's not a soul-type artifact, it's still a soul-type plant. Naturally, it will still emanate soul energy, thus helping us fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!" Guild Leader Han replied. He was just about to continue speaking when the young man before him suddenly flicked his hand, and a giant tree appeared on his palm. "Will this work?"

"That is... a whole Bodhi Saint Tree?"

The crowd was dumbfounded.

"Principal Zhang, did you... ransack the Hongyuan royal family?"

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Chapter 1056: Trap

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Anyone who had visited Hongyuan City in the past would know the significance of the Bodhi Saint Tree to the Hongyuan royal family. It was the very foundation of the Yu Clan's rule. As such, they were reluctant to allow anyone to come close to it, let alone borrow it.

Given so, it was no wonder their thoughts would wander when they saw Zhang Xuan taking out an entire Bodhi Saint Tree with a casual flick of the wrist.

"Of course not! I planted the tree myself..." Not expecting the crowd to have such wild imaginations, Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words.

Naturally, the Bodhi Saint Tree in his hand was not the one from the royal palace but one that he had nurtured himself through the Bodhi Seed. He had been cultivating it in his Myriad Anthive Nest all along, and he was just retrieving it from there.

After hearing that Zhang Xuan did not forcefully snatch the Bodhi Saint Tree, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief. They were afraid that this would cause a conflict between the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hongyuan royal family.

After the initial shock, a wave of excitement gradually spread across the crowd as they realized that they might have found the key to crossing the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion.

Wu shi stepped forward and said, "Let me give it a try and see if it's effective."

So far, it was still nothing but a hypothesis that a soul-type artifact would be able to fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. It still required some testing to confirm whether it would work or not.

Wu shi took the Bodhi Saint Tree from Zhang Xuan's hand, and driving his zhenqi, he propped the massive tree up and held it over his head. After which, he infused a surge of soul energy into the tree trunk, and the tree swiftly emanated a warm and comfortable glow.

The Bodhi Saint Tree did not just have the ability to nourish souls. It could also draw forth a peculiar strength if one infused one's soul energy into it.

After the preparations were done, Wu shi began making his way toward the black sandstorm.

Under the embrace of the warm glow of the tree, Wu shi stepped into the violent black sandstorm. This time, he was not battered by the sandstorm. The warm glow had neutralized the sandstorm that was heading his way. What Luo Ruoxin had said was true, soul-type artifacts were indeed effective against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!

"This is wonderful!"

"The Otherworldly Demons must have prepared a soul-type artifact in advance knowing that there was such a trial, thus allowing them to walk straight through the sandstorm without any trouble."

"With this, we will be able to pass through the sandstorm easily as well."

The eyes of the crowd lit up at that sight.

At the same time, a mystery that had been plaguing Zhang Xuan's mind suddenly unraveled before his eyes.

He had been wondering why the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would go to the trouble of instructing You Xu to poison the Hongyuan royal family's Bodhi Saint Tree. Back then, it seemed like an excessive action—it was not like the Hongyuan Empire posed a significant threat to them. However, from the looks of it now... it seemed that they were just taking precautions.

As long as the Bodhi Saint Tree died, the master teachers would be helpless before the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. They would be left standing helplessly at the starting line, lamenting their helplessness.

However, despite all of their calculations, they had failed to factor in Zhang Xuan's involvement. Who would have thought that someone would actually succeed in reviving the Bodhi Saint Tree and obtain the Bodhi Seed? Not to mention, to cultivate the Bodhi Seed into the mature Bodhi Saint Tree within such a short period of time...

Somehow, the aid that he had provided to the royal family back then ended up helping him in this crucial moment.

While he was deep in thought, Wu shi had finally returned from the black sandstorm.

At this moment, he did not look as excited as the others did. With a pale face, he placed the Bodhi Saint Tree back down onto the ground. Facing the crowd with a bitter smile, he said, "Infusing soul energy into the Bodhi Saint Tree does allow us to fend off the sandstorm, and the area of effect of the glow is sufficient for all of us to pass through simultaneously... However, this depletes soul energy simply far too quickly. Even with my current strength, I can only progress around a hundred meters before being sapped dry."

"A hundred meters?"

The crowd frowned.

From the looks of it, the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion covered at least several kilometers. As a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, Wu shi possessed the strongest soul of their expedition team. If even he only had sufficient soul energy to fuel the Bodhi Saint Tree to travel a hundred meters, there was no way they would be able to get to the other side.

It was not easy for a member of their expedition team to possess a soul-type plant, and they had also verified that it was effective against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. Were they really going to stumble here just because they did not have sufficient soul energy to push on?

"Let me give it a try..." Zhang Xuan took the Bodhi Saint Tree and propped it up above him. After which, he sent a surge of rich spiritual energy into it.

After roughly gauging the rate of depletion of his soul energy, Zhang Xuan smiled and said, "Everyone, gather under the tree. Make sure not to wander off!"

Right after saying those words, he began making his way toward the black sandstorm.

The crowd glanced at one another with conflicted expressions, but considering how confident Zhang Xuan was, they swiftly made up their minds and followed suit.

As soon as they stepped in, they could feel the calamitous power of the black sandstorm sweeping toward them, desiring to devour their existences whole. But when it came into contact with the warm glow of the Bodhi Saint Tree, the black sandstorm seemed to dissipate with a flicker.

Seeing that the sandstorm was unable to make its way through the Bodhi Saint Tree's defenses, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before proceeding forward.

Due to the intangible nature of souls, it was often viewed a far less effective defensive means as compared to utilizing one's zhenqi or physical body. Yet, to think that it would be the key to fending off the devastating sandstorm before their eyes... A cyclical balance of power, the world sure worked in wondrous ways.

As Zhang Xuan marched forward, he discreetly sneaked a peek at the young lady not too far away from him. Luo shi seems a little too knowledgeable... Is she really just a 6-star master teacher?

Be it seeing through the Spatial Formation or figuring out that soul-type artifacts could fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, those were things that even Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were ignorant of! And yet, Luo Ruoxin seemed well-versed in such matters. The depth and breadth of her knowledge was truly astonishing.

Is this the capability that the offspring of Sage Clans wield? If that is truly the case, it was the right call to have Yuan Tao return to his clan, Zhang Xuan thought.

He had been a little reluctant to part with Yuan Tao back then, but it seemed like that was for the best. Not only would the latter be able to awaken his Emperor's Bloodline swiftly, his fighting prowess would also rocket.

Under the protection of the Bodhi Saint Tree, the crowd advanced steadily without any worries. However, after walking for some time, they gradually noticed that something was amiss, and shocked gazes were beginning to gather upon the young man before them.

So far... they should have already traveled around three hundred meters? And yet, the fellow before them did not seem to be exhausted in the least. In fact, he even had the leisure to allow his mind to wander, not even slightly strained by his exertion. Weren't the reserves of his soul energy a little too big?

This was especially so for Wu shi. At this point, his lower jaw was already on the verge of falling to the ground.

He had personally experienced the fearsome power of the black sandstorm himself, and it had caused his soul energy to deplete even before he could get far. On the other hand, Principal Zhang had extended his glow to cover everyone—a significantly larger rate of depletion as compared to his—and they had already traveled for more than three hundred meters now, and yet, the other party did not seem fatigued in the slightest.

It was truly hard for him to believe that a Nascent Saint possessed even greater soul energy than a Saint 4-dan expert.

That fellow is a true monster, Wu shi thought bitterly.

To think that he had intended to leave such a formidable figure out of their expedition team at one point in time... Now that he thought of it, he could not help but feel deeply ashamed of his ignorance then.

It was fortunate that he had eventually chosen to bring the other party along, or else they probably wouldn't even have passed the lava at the very start, let alone reach this point.

If I can only persist till a hundred meters, even if he's blessed with an innately powerful soul, five hundred meters should be his limit.

Thus, as they advanced forward, Wu shi kept a close eye on the young man before him, prepared to make a substitution should the latter run out of strength. Yet, they trod past the five hundred meters mark, and there were still no signs of exhaustion on the Zhang Xuan's face. It seemed as if the depletion of his soul energy that he had incurred so far was not even worth mentioning!

600 meters!

800 meters!

1,000 meters!

It did not take too long for them to travel a whole 5,000 meters. Walking at the very front, Zhang Xuan still had the same nonchalant expression on his face, as if the depletion of his soul energy was insignificant. Not only so, his footsteps also seemed to be getting lighter and lighter...

Wait a moment, h-he... he can't be cultivating while walking, can he? Wu shi eyes nearly bulged out from his eyes.

A rate of depletion that even he was unable to withstand, and yet, the other party could easily bear it and even cultivate while he was at it. Monster! That freaking monster!

Forget it. If I continue comparing myself with him, it is just a matter of time before I die of despondency. Consoling himself that the young man before him was an anomaly, Wu shi was finally able to soothe the turmoil in his heart.

With Zhang Xuan's seemingly endless supply of soul energy, the end of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was soon in sight. There, a beautiful and resplendent manor reminiscent of a celestial palace could be seen. Floating before an enormous waterfall, it left the crowd feeling as if they were stepping into a heavenly realm.

"How is that done?" Feng Xun widened his eyes in disbelief.

A cultivator had to reach Saint realm before they could free themself from the shackles of gravity and soar in the sky. Yet, for an entire palace to be floating in midair, creating such a mystical and wondrous sight... Just how powerful was the person who had achieved such a feat?

This was too exaggerated!

After a moment of pondering, Guild Leader Han said, "It is a clever manipulation of space. Even though it seems like it is floating in midair to our eyes, its true form could be something very different from that."

Hearing those words, the crowd slowly nodded.

Limited by their experiences and knowledge, it was extremely difficult for them to comprehend advanced formations. What seemed bewildering and inconceivable to them could very well be realized at a higher level.

"This is probably the core of the ancient domain. Let's hurry over to take a look!" Wo Tianqiong said with a gladdened smile.

They had overcome numerous trials in order to reach that point. Surely, they should have been nearing the end by now.

"Alright!"

The spirited crowd quickly made their way over to the celestial palace.

Not too long later, a massive heavenly gate that carried an air of divinity appeared before their eyes. Stepping through it, they immediately felt rich spiritual energy gushing in their direction.

Stepping into the celestial palace, Zhang Xuan frowned doubtfully. "Why do I feel like there is something peculiar about this place?"

While the entire building was shrouded in an air of divinity, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel that there was something off with the place.

"Peculiar? Principal Zhang, it must be your imagination this time around..." Laughing heartily, Wu shi was just about to continue speaking when the ground abruptly jolted beneath them.

In an instant, the resplendent celestial palace seemed to have suddenly turned into a living hell. An air of desolation swiftly permeated the area.

Sou sou sou!

An overwhelming aura of maliciousness swept across their surroundings like a raging storm. Following which, surge after surge of sword qi burst forth, weaving a huge net that left them trapped like insects in a cage.

Wu shi's eyes narrowed as he hurriedly bellowed, "Damn it, it's a formation trap by the Otherworldly Demons!"

Only the Otherworldly Demons could possibly release such a sharp and cold aura of maliciousness!

Peng peng peng peng!

In the next moment, three Nascent Saint combat masters were sliced into pieces under a simultaneous burst of sword qi. Even Feng Xun's shoulder was wounded by the sword qi, causing a stream of crimson blood to flow down his arm.

The formation had changed so swiftly that there were already casualties even before they could process what was going on. Swiftly recovering from his daze, Guild Leader Han quickly roared, with veins popping from his temples, "Defense!"

"Yes!"

In that instant, they all realized that they had fallen into a trap laid by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. They swiftly drew their weapons and drove their zhenqi.

Ding ding ding ding!

No matter what, their expedition team was still made up of elite master teachers and combat masters. Even though they had been caught off guard, the fighting prowess they wielded as a whole was still spectacular once they got back on track.

With their collective might, the sword qi aimed toward them was easily deflected away.

"To be able to come here so quickly, I must say that you are not too bad. However, I'm afraid that this place will be your burial ground..."

At this moment, a cold and eerie voice sounded in the air.

Following which, the horrified voice of the Violetleaf King sounded in Zhang Xuan's ears.

"Scarletleaf King..."