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

55. 1729

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1729 - Where Is Zhao Ya? - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1729 - Where Is Zhao Ya? Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1729: Where Is Zhao Ya?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Knowing that it was a show of filial piety from their son, the Xingmeng Sword Saints did not reject Zhang Xuan's gift and accepted the blood droplets from him.

Despite the miniature sizes of the blood droplets, when they fell into the hands of the Xingmeng Sword Saints, they nearly dragged the duo down into the ground.

This weight was not unique to just the blood of Ancient Sages. Even a single strand of those who had reached Ancient Sage was as heavy as a mountain. If not for the Xingmeng Sword Saints' recent advancement in cultivation to Sempiternal realm consummation, they might not even have been able to lift it up!

"You should hurry up and assimilate it into your bodies!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"Un!"

Without any hesitation, the duo sat down, and they each absorbed a blood droplet into their body. Following which, they slowly channeled it toward their dantian.

A short moment later, they abruptly opened their eyes.

"Have you succeeded?" Zhang Xuan asked with a doubtful frown.

"How can it be that easy to assimilate the blood of an Ancient Sage? We have only stored it in our dantian separately so that we can constantly wash our zhenqi through it constantly. Over time, our zhenqi will be suffused with the aura of an Ancient Sage, and this will be highly beneficial to our cultivation!" Sword Saint Xing said with a smile.

If it was that easy to absorb Ancient Sage blood, it would truly be unworthy of its reputation as the ultimate treasure that countless cultivators sought.

It was something that would require at least several years or decades of hard work.

As such, they had chosen to store the blood droplet in their dantian for the time being. By washing their zhenqi through it, they would be able to slowly assimilate it into their bodies. With sufficient time, the blood droplet would be completely suffused throughout their body, granting them the ability of Blood Reincarnation!

"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded in realization. "I'll give it a try as well!"

After saying those words, he sat down on the floor. With a light tap of his finger, he absorbed a droplet of the Ancient Sage blood in the jade bottle into his body.

Hula!

As soon as the blood droplet entered his body, it fused right into his body. Not only was there a complete lack of resistance, he even felt the blood droplet pulsating joyfully through his body. It was almost as if it had finally returned to its place of origin.

Ads by Pubfuture

"This..." Zhang Xuan was utterly confused by the situation occurring in his body. "How have I assimilated the blood droplet just like that?"

They said that it would be a difficult process that required much time and effort, did they not?

Why was it so easy for him then?

"You have already assimilated it?" Hearing that his son had successfully assimilated the blood droplet into his body, Sword Saint Xing raised his head and directed a doubtful gaze over.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded as he swiftly elaborated on the happenings after the blood droplet entered his body.

"I think I understand," Sword Saint Xing said. "Twenty years ago, when our old ancestor incurred severe injuries, he needed the blood of a Zhang Clan offspring in order to sustain his life. Back then, the only person in the Zhang Clan whose bloodline purity met the mark was you... In other words, a portion of your blood flows through his body!"

"My blood flows in his body?" Zhang Xuan's face twitched upon hearing those words.

Somehow, he could not help but find something really weird with those words. It was almost as if he had been reunited with his long-lost son!

"The primary reason that we infused your blood into the old ancestor's body was to sustain his life, but the sheer purity of your bloodline induced an evolution in the old ancestor's constitution, thus further enhancing his fighting prowess! As such, when you tried to absorb the blood of the old ancestor, it was as if that blood droplet was returning to its source. Naturally, it goes without saying that it would be much easier for you to assimilate the blood droplets than us," Sword Saint Xing explained with a smile.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded as he decided not to think any deeper into the matter.

He focused his attention on perceiving the Ancient Sage blood that he had assimilated into his body, and he found that it had fused impeccably with his own blood. Not only so, he found overflowing vitality sprouting in the depths of his body.

It was truly a mysterious feeling. It was as if life itself was coursing through his body. If he had to put this feeling into words, it would be that even if someone snapped off his arm, he would be able to grow a new one the next instant. There was no need for him to worry about getting hurt anymore.

However, he could sense that while there was an immense volume of vitality in his body, it was not infinite. It would deplete and run dry eventually.

There was a pill known as the Grand Intermittent Pill that could allow a person's severed limbs to regrow, but its effects were far inferior to those of the Ancient Sage blood.

Firstly, the Grand Intermittent Pill had minimal effectiveness on Great Sage cultivators due to the limited energy harnessed within it. Secondly, Ancient Sage blood was capable of reviving a person no matter how tattered their body was, even if their head was lopped off. On the other hand, the Grand Intermittent Pill would only regrow a cultivator's severed limbs. If a cultivator's head was lopped off, no number of Grand Intermittent Pills would be able to heal them.

I should give a droplet to Ruoxin as well, Zhang Xuan thought with a smile as he placed the remaining two blood droplets into his storage ring.

It was not easy to acquire such treasures, and he had no intention of keeping them to himself. He also had people whom he held dear and wanted to protect.

As for the blood of the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage, I should find some time to see what I can do with it...

Considering how his Heaven's Path zhenqi was able to emulate the zhenqi of Otherworldly Demons, he might be able to use these blood droplets of the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage... But with so many master teachers around, this was definitely not the time or place to be experimenting with the blood droplets. He would just have to leave it for later on.

"Oh right! You have acquired news on Zhao Ya. Where is Zhao Ya?" Zhang Xuan stood up and looked at his parents.

Ads by Pubfuture

He was going to ask them about the matter concerning Zhao Ya when the Otherworldly Demons suddenly came to challenge Sword Saint Xing, so there had been no time to inquire. Since the Otherworldly Demons had already been dealt with, it was time to get back to that.

"There are four pavilions here. We are residing in the Pavilion of Warm Spring, and the Otherworldly Demons have dominated the Pavilion of Irate Summer. Beasts have swarmed the Pavilion of Cooling Autumn, and the Pavilion of Frozen Winter is being taken up by an unknown group of people. Prior to your arrival, I sensed a hint of cold aura coming from their group, so I took a closer look. For a split moment, I seemed to see your student!" Sword Saint Meng said.

Sword Saint Meng was hot-tempered at times, but she was extremely meticulous when it came to details. Considering that this was a matter that concerned her son, she had been keeping a close eye on it. Even though the cold aura was indistinct, it had still caught her attention.

"So... there's a good chance that Zhao Ya is in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter?" Zhang Xuan asked in agitation. He hurriedly rose to feet and walked to the windows to take a look.

Of the four pavilions, Spring corresponded to Autumn, and Summer corresponded to Winter.

From the Pavilion of Warm Spring, the Pavilion of Frozen Winter happened to be hidden by the other two pavilions, not allowing him to peer into the situation there.

"However, I only took a quick glance before the other party disappeared back into the group. I thought that she resembled your student, but I was unable to confirm whether it's really her or not!" Sword Saint Meng said.

"We'll know once we head there to take a look!" Zhang Xuan said imposingly.

So long as there was a chance that Zhao Ya could be in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, it was his responsibility as her teacher to check the area out.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan intending to head over, Sword Saint Xing hurriedly added, "I'll follow you. I should at least be able to lend you a hand..."

"It's fine! I can handle this on my own!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and turned down Sword Saint Xing's offer to help.

In no way could the Xingmeng Sword Saints be considered weak, but the very fact that the other party had been able to kidnap Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan discreetly likely meant that the other party was a formidable foe. Furthermore, he had not ascertained whether the kidnappers were truly an enemy or not. It would be much safer for him to head there alone.

Knowing that his son possessed means far beyond him, Sword Saint Xing could only shake his head helplessly and instruct, "Be careful!"

"Un!" Zhang Xuan replied before swiftly making his way over to the Pavilion of Frozen Winter.

"Intruder, please halt!"

Before Zhang Xuan could even approach the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, he had already heard a voice in the air. Following which, an overpowering pressure crushed down from the sky.

"An Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in shock.

He had experienced such formidable might just a moment ago—it was a force that could only have been exerted by an Ancient Sage!

It was unlikely that an Ancient Sage would easily make a move on him. More likely than not, the pressure served as a warning to remind him that the Pavilion of Frozen Winter was under the protection of an Ancient Sage as well.

Of course, that was only to be expected. If those in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter did not possess such strength, they would have been eliminated by the others already. There was no way that they would have been able to safely occupy a pavilion by themselves.

"Elder, I don't harbor any malicious intentions. I have a junior who is very likely within the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, and I wish to enter to take a look!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist politely.

Even though the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan was likely in the vicinity as well, he did not dare push his luck.

"I know you. Zhang Xuan, twenty years old, the head of the Three Premier Clans and the Sanctum of Sages. You single handedly destroyed an army of 110,000 Otherworldly Demons strong in the Subterranean Gallery, sparing mankind from a catastrophe. Impressive," the Ancient Sage said.

Zhang Xuan was surprised by how the anonymous Ancient Sage was aware of his affairs. He clasped his fist and bowed. "I'm unworthy of your praise!"

"Given your contributions to mankind, I would have welcomed your visit with the warmest hospitality from my side if it had been on any other occasion. However, I'm afraid that I cannot permit you to enter the Pavilion of Frozen Winter at the moment, and I beg your pardon for that," the Ancient Sage said.

"Why?" Zhang Xuan frowned. As he pondered over the other party's words, a thought surfaced in his mind, and he asked, "Elder, are you a master teacher?"

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1730: Ten Breaths Is All It Takes

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The other party did not show the slightest hostility to him despite knowing of his deeds in the Subterranean Gallery. Instead, the other party even labeled his deeds as 'contributions to mankind'. Those were words that would only typically be spoken by master teachers!

Could the other party be one of the Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters?

But if the other party was a master teacher as well, why was the other party stopping him from entering the Pavilion of Frozen Winter?

"I am not from the Master Teacher Pavilion, but..."

The Ancient Sage began explaining, but before he could finish his words, a crisp echo suddenly sounded from the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, as if some kind of seal had just been broken. Concentrated cold energy burst out from the broken seal into the surroundings, cloaking the Pavilion of Frozen Winter with a layer of frost in the blink of an eye.

"Zhao Ya is indeed in there!" Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

It was the exact same cold energy that Zhao Ya had emanated after he successfully altered her meridians! There was no mistake!

Hu la!

Paying no heed to the Ancient Sage, Zhang Xuan dived right into the Pavilion of Frozen Winter.

It was apparent to him now that the other party was simply stalling for time to achieve their goals!

So what if the enemy that he had to face was an Ancient Sage?

If worst came to worst, he would just have to use his golden page and toss the Book of Heaven's Path at the other party!

For his student's safety, this was a price that he was willing to pay!

Hu la!

Light flooded out from the Pavilion of Frozen Winter and formed a thin barrier around the building. Zhang Xuan rammed right into the barrier, but he found that he was unable to breach it with his current strength.

"You can't enter now!" the imposing voice of the Ancient Sage exclaimed.

"Scram!" Zhang Xuan roared as he whipped out the Dragonbone Divine Spear and pierced it toward the light barrier.

Weng!

The attack of the Dragonbone Divine Spear caused the light barrier to waver a little, but the light barrier swiftly stabilized without the slightest scratch on it.

"Break!"

Unwilling to give up, Zhang Xuan infused all of his strength into the Dragonbone Divine Spear and thrust it toward the light barrier once more. This time around, however, bundles of black flames began emerging from the surface of the spear.

Having undergone the trial of the Empyrean Heavenly Flame thrice, his body was already able to harness this devastating force of nature. Focusing all of the Empyrean Heavenly Flame that he had absorbed into the tip of the Dragonbone Divine Spear, it did not take long for the light barrier to be set alight.

"Empyrean Heavenly Flame?"

The Ancient Sage hidden by the side was astonished. He was just about to raise his hand to extinguish the flame when the sound of a millstone scraping against the ground reverberated loudly in the air. Following which, the four pavilions began trembling simultaneously.

"What's going on?" Knowing that something major had just happened, Zhang Xuan could only abandon his attempt to breach the light barrier in order to scan his surroundings.

A loud explosion sounded from the towering Hall of Great Accomplishment, and a crack opened between the tightly shut entrance gates.

An aura of history poured forth from the depths of the Hall of Great Accomplishment, suffusing the Pavilions of Warm Spring, Irate Summer, Cooling Autumn, and Frozen Winter. In an instant, the crowd could vaguely see the passing of the seasons unfolding swiftly before their eyes.

As the Celestial Amulet of Legacy in Sword Saint Xing's hands came into contact with the aura of history, a warm glow burst forth from it, forming a light sphere that covered a diameter of ten meters.

Tzzzzzz!

Tugged by a compelling force, the Xingmeng Sword Saints and the others found their bodies being pulled uncontrollably toward the depths of the Hall of Great Accomplishment

"The Hall of Great Accomplishment has opened! Xuan-er, let's go," Sword Saint Xing shouted anxiously.

"I have to save Zhao Ya first!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed anxiously as he turned his sights back to the Pavilion of Frozen Winter once more.

Since he had finally found Zhao Ya, as her teacher, he was obliged to bring her back unharmed!

Kacha!

Launching a barrage of stabs with the Dragonbone Divine Spear, it did not take long for the light barrier to be pushed to its limits and shatter under the pressure. Zhang Xuan immediately made use of this opportunity to dash into the pavilion.

However, just as he was making his way in, a light sphere formed of cold energy bolted out from the Pavilion of Frozen Winter. It followed closely behind the Xingmeng Sword Saints and the others, heading into the Hall of Great Accomplishment.

Within the light barrier, Zhang Xuan noticed a slender figure shrouded in an icy aura. Who else could it be other than Zhao Ya?

The light sphere seemed to have been formed using her powers.

The Xingmeng Sword Saints and the others were able to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment successfully due to the Celestial Amulet of Legacy in their possession. However, the group that was in the light sphere constructed by Zhao Ya was able to pass through the cracks in the entrance of the Hall of Great Accomplishment without any problem as well.

"Zhao Ya..." Seeing that Zhao Ya had entered the Hall of Great Accomplishment, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in panic.

Huhuhuhu!

Following that, twenty beasts charged out of the Pavilion of Cooling Autumn and dashed straight toward the entrance of the Hall of Great Accomplishment. It seemed like they intended to sneak into the Subordinate Hall in the midst of the chaos. However, just inches away from the Hall of Great Accomplishment, they found themselves being halted by an invisible barrier. No matter how they tried to push forward, they were not able to advance a single step forward.

Most of these beasts were at Great Sage 3-dan and 4-dan, but it was apparent that their strength was nothing in comparison to the barrier. It was almost as if they were termites trying to bring down a towering tree! Even if they pushed with all their might, the barrier would not waver in the least.

"Those scoundrels have entered the Hall of Great Accomplishment by making use of Zhao Ya's unique constitution!" Zhang Xuan nearly exploded from fury as realization struck him.

How could he get so careless at a time like this? He should have known that the other party would make use of Zhao Ya to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment! Blinded by his anxiety to save Zhao Ya, he had ended up missing the opportunity to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment together with his parents. Now that they had all entered the Subordinate Hall, he was the only one left outside. What the heck was that?

"This won't do. I must enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment as well!" Zhang Xuan muttered anxiously as he charged furiously toward the entrance of the Subordinate Hall.

It had not been easy for him to find his student once more. He would never forgive himself if he lost this chance to save her because of a careless mistake on his part!

If worst came to worst, he would just have to make use of the Library of Heaven's Path to find the flaws in the barrier. Even if he had to tear the entire place down, he was determined to get in!

Hu!

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuan reached the invisible barrier. He had thought that he would be kept out just like the other beasts clawing desperately ahead of them, but contrary to his expectations, a warm glow suddenly embraced his body. Before he knew it, he was already on the other side of the barrier.

Zhang Xuan was startled for a moment before realization struck him. How I could have forgotten about that? I have the Prime Amulet in my hands!

Previously, Luo Ruoxin had told him that the Celestial Amulets of Legacy only worked against the Subordinate Halls that they corresponded to whereas the Prime Amulet granted entry to all of the Subordinate Halls and the Prime Hall.

It was due to how useless Little Amulet had been in the outer dimensions that he had ended up forgetting about its existence. After all the disappointments that it had brought him, it was finally proving its value at a crucial time like this!

"Elder, please bring us along with you..."

Before Zhang Xuan could charge all the way into the Hall of Great Accomplishment, he suddenly heard desperate voices behind him, so he turned around to take a look.

They were from the beasts who were clawing frantically at the invisible barrier but to no avail.

Zhang Xuan gazed deeply at them for a moment before saying nonchalantly, "Become my tamed beast, and I'll bring you in!"

"This..."

Hearing those words, the beasts were stunned for a moment before a huge commotion broke out.

"You want us to become your tamed beasts? You're dreaming!"

"The reason we of the Beast Tribe cultivate is so that we can live freely without deferring to anyone. You might be powerful, but there's no way you are going to make us submit to you!"

"At the very most, we'll just give up on the opportunity to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment! We'll still be able to improve quickly by cultivating around the exterior of the Temple of Confucius anyway..."

"Even if I die here, I, the Verdantcloud Beast, will never submit to anyone!"

The main reason that they had entered the Temple of Confucius was to find their own fortuitous encounter and advance their cultivation. However, if they had to submit to a human and lose their free will over it, they would rather give up on this rare opportunity.

"Heh!" Hearing the words from the beasts, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

With a flick of his spear, he crossed the invisible barrier once more, dashing right into the horde of beasts.

Pipa! Pilipala!

Ten breaths later, he flicked his spear behind his back as he gazed quietly at the subdued beasts before him. "Are you ready to submit now?"

"... Paying respects to master!"

Hualala!

The beasts swiftly got to their knees and bowed down to Zhang Xuan. The arrogant Verdantcloud Beast even took the lead in offering its blood essence to Zhang Xuan to seal a contract with him.

The other beasts anxiously followed suit as well. It was as if they were afraid that their new master would not recognize them if they were too late in professing their submission.

"..." The old ancestor of the Zhang Clan.

"..." The anonymous Ancient Sage.

When did those of the Beast Tribe become so subservient?

Even they, as Ancient Sages, would not be able to force those of the Beast Tribe to do anything against their will. Otherwise, any Ancient Sage would have been able to easily form an army of Great Sage beasts.

Yet, this young man actually managed to do it within seconds.

In an instant, all the experts who were unable to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment found themselves dumbstruck.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1731: Hall of Great Accomplishment

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Let's enter!"

With all of the beasts pledging their loyalty to him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He moved all of the beasts into the Myriad Anthive Nest before making his way through the invisible barrier once more.

But things did not go as he had expected this time around. He found himself colliding with the invisible barrier that had halted the footsteps the beasts. Unlike before, he was not able to pass through it.

"What's going on?" Zhang Xuan's lips twitched at this unexpected situation.

Could it be that he had waited for too long and was no longer able to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment?

If that was really the case, he might burst into tears on the spot.

"Master, you are bringing too many beasts in with you..." Just as Zhang Xuan was trying to make sense of the bizarre situation before him, Little Amulet's voice sounded in his head. "Normal Celestial Amulets of Legacy can bring ten people in. As the Prime Amulet, I can bring fifteen people in. However, you tamed over twenty beasts earlier..."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was not that he could not enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment anymore but that he had exceeded the load capacity. He sent a telepathic message back to Little Amulet and asked, "Won't it work if I place them in a folded space?"

"It won't work! Otherwise, your parents would have been able to bring everyone into the Subordinate Hall!" Little Amulet explained.

"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded in comprehension.

There was no way that Kong shi would have allowed the rules that he had imposed on the Subordinate Halls to be circumvented that easily. Otherwise, there would be no point in setting those restrictions in the first place!

Thus, Zhang Xuan released the beasts whose cultivation were lower till there were only fourteen of them left. He tried walking through the invisible barrier once more, and this time, he was able to pass through it without any issues.

Shortly after passing through the light barrier, Zhang Xuan suddenly said, "Wait a moment, that isn't right. The Heavenwood Greenserpent is in my folded space as well. If we factor them in as well, doesn't it mean that the number of people I have with me has already exceeded fifteen?"

The fourteen beasts only included those which he had just tamed a moment ago. Other than them, he also had the Heavenwood Greenserpent, Goldspirit Cloudtiger, Crimsonfrons White Tiger, and so in the Myriad Anthive Nest. Thus, the total number of beasts he had with him was, in fact, more than twenty!

"They are considered native lifeforms to the Temple of Confucius, so they are allowed to pass freely through the barriers in the Temple of Confucius. As such, they aren't counted in the quota!" Little Amulet explained.

"There's such a thing as well?" Zhang Xuan asked in astonishment, not expecting there to be such an exception to the beasts in the Temple of Confucius.

Shaking his head, he hastened his footsteps and swiftly advanced into the Hall of Great Accomplishment.

It had been over a minute since the others had entered the area, so he would have to up his speed in order to catch up with them.

Passing through the massive gates, he found himself standing in the midst of a humongous hallway. Sculptures of many different demeanors and postures were placed neatly on both sides. Some were deep in thought, some were looking into the distance, some were reading a book, some were in the midst of their cultivation... They were sculptured so lifelike that it seemed almost as if they would come to life at any moment.

"Are these... the seventy-two Sages?"

It did not take long for Zhang Xuan to recognize the models behind those sculptures. They were none other than the seventy-two Sages under Kong shi's lineage.

Kong shi was known to have had over three thousand students and seventy-two direct disciples. His seventy-two direct disciples were known as the seventy-two Sages, and the strongest ten of them, which included Ancient Sage Ran Qiu and Ancient Sage Bo Shang, were respectfully referred to as the Ten Apostles.

Each of the seventy-two Sages had their fair share of legendary exploits, achieving astounding accomplishments in their lifetime. Their deeds had been recorded by the Master Teacher Pavilion in the form of literature and artwork so as to remind the world of their greatness and the sacrifices that they have made for mankind.

Zhang Xuan had once seen some of their artwork, so it was not too difficult for him to recognize the sculptures.

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, Ancient Sage Zi Qian, Ancient Sage Zi Liu, Ancient Sage Ran Geng...

Familiar names surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind as they overlapped together with the sculptures before him. Looking at those ancient figures, he could almost see the devastating battles against the Otherworldly Demons back in their era.

Without their support, there was no way that Kong shi could have quelled the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe singlehandedly back then!

They were the cornerstone to mankind's swift development across the years. In that era of despair, their existences were symbols of hope to mankind. Even after the passing of tens of thousands of years, their names still remained unforgotten by the world.

Zhang Xuan solemnly bowed to them to express his deepest respect to these great men before moving on.

The sculptures of the seventy-two Sages emanated slight pressure on those walking past them, tempering one's state of mind and soul. Without a doubt, this was extremely beneficial for the advancement of one's Soul Depth.

After taking a few more steps, Zhang Xuan saw a few master teachers sitting cross-legged on the floor, unable to advance any further. They were the grand elders of the Zhang Clan.

Due to the limitations of their Soul Depth, it was likely that they would incur severe injuries if they forced themselves to advance ahead. Since that was the case, it would be wiser for them to make use of the pressure to swiftly raise their Soul Depth.

Seeing that they were deep in concentration, Zhang Xuan chose to pass them by without disturbing them.

Until that moment, he still was not too sure who the culprits who kidnapped Zhao Ya and the others were. However, the fact that they were able to pass through the hallway consisting of the sculptures of the seventy-two Sages meant that their Soul Depth did not pale in comparison to his.

With such high Soul Depth, it was likely that their cultivation had reached Sempiternal realm consummation. If that was the case, they would pose a major threat to his parents and the other members of the Zhang Clan.

Coming to the end of the hallway, Zhang Xuan found himself arriving before a grand hall.

His parents and the other grand elders of the Zhang Clan were standing in the middle of the hall, and opposite to them were eight youths who emanated imposing auras. Just as he had guessed, all of those eight youths were Sempiternal realm consummation experts!

Seeing that his parents were fine, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. After which, he turned his gaze to the eight youths.

A young lady stood at the center of the crowd. Her eyes were tightly shut, and surges of cold energy were flowing out from her body. It seemed like she was trying to activate some seal on a wall in the hall.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up, and he exclaimed anxiously, "Zhao Ya!"

He hurriedly rushed over toward her.

"Xuan-er, it doesn't seem like she's able to hear our voices!"

Before he could reach Zhao Ya, the Xingmeng Sword Saints quickly sent a telepathic message to inform him.

"She can't hear our voices?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Un. We tried calling for her earlier, but there was no response from her. She didn't even turn her head around, as if she couldn't hear us at all," Sword Saint Xing replied.

"She must be too engrossed in deciphering the painting on the wall. We can't really tell what her purpose for doing so is," Sword Saint Meng said as she secretly pointed to the wall.

"Painting?" Tracing Sword Saint Meng's finger, Zhang Xuan finally noticed the massive painting on the wall. The painting was of remarkable verisimilitude, as if an entire world was sealed within it.

Zhao Ya was continuously channeling her cold energy into the painting, seemingly trying to undo the seal cast on it.

Normally, Zhao Ya should have noticed his presence as soon as he stepped into the hall, not to mention that he had even called for her. The fact that she was not reacting at all likely meant that she was in a trance.

Seeing that Zhao Ya was unharmed, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, and his unnerved heart finally settled down for the time being.

He turned his attention to the eight youths standing opposite to them and narrowed his eyes. "Who are they?"

"I asked them earlier, and they said that they are the offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!" Sword Saint Xing said.

"Hundred Schools of Philosophers?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "They are the descendants of the seventy-two Sages, right? Why did they kidnap Zhao Ya, and what is the painting on the wall?"

All along, he had thought that it was the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe who had captured Zhao Ya, Wei Ruyan, and Yuan Tao.

Considering the callous nature of the Otherworldly Demons, it was completely within their nature to pull off something like this... Yet, who would have thought that the culprits were really from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers?

While he had stumbled upon some clues that pointed to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, he had still held some reservations toward suspecting them. After all, their lineage originated from Kong shi, who had held principles and propriety in high regards. It was hard to believe that they would commit something as impetuous as kidnapping a person to achieve their own goals.

This did not fit with the common perception of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!

Not only so, what was even more bizarre was that these offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were actually more interested in a painting than the sculptures of their ancestors outside! Could it be that some kind of incredible secret was hidden within the painting?

Harboring such thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan could not help but take a closer look at the painting before him.

The first thing that he noticed was the antiquated aura emanated by the painting. It felt like an artifact that had survived through history. He activated his Eye of Insight in an attempt to take a closer look at it, but he found that the painting seemed to have fused perfectly together with the time and space of the hall, thus obscuring it from his view.

This was probably the seal that Zhao Ya was trying to break.

Nevertheless, he could still feel an air of grandeur coming from the painting. It seemed as if one's consciousness would be absorbed into the painting with just a single look.

"Is it possible for this to be the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn?" Sword Saint Xing's voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Xuan's ears.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1732: An Opportunity to Achieve a Breakthrough to Ancient Sage

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

"The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn is said to be the strongest artifact that Kong shi left behind. There are those who say that it's a book, there are those who say that it's a weapon, and there are also those who say that it's a spatial artifact. In any case, no one has seen the true form of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn before. So, wouldn't it be possible for it to be a painting?" Sword Saint Xing analyzed.

"Otherwise, why would the experts of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers rush right here as soon as the Hall of Great Accomplishment opens in order to decipher this seal? Furthermore, it's apparent that they are aware that Zhao Ya's strength is crucial to deciphering this seal, which explains why they kidnapped her!"

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

There was some sense to what Sword Saint Xing was saying.

Most information available about the Temple of Confucius came from rumors, so it might not necessarily be true. While the name 'Great Codex of Spring and Autumn' suggested that the artifact existed in the form of a book, the artifact might be able to assume multiple forms.

This was similar to how the Dragonbone Divine Spear was able to alternate between the form of a spear and a skeletal dragon.

Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the magnificent painting on the wall and scrutinized it closely through the Eye of Insight. While its contents were a little obscure due to the seal, he was still able to make out the scenery of a barren snowfield. It seemed like a world of permafrost lay on the other side of the painting.

"There are temporal laws infused within the painting..."

Through examining the painting carefully, he could feel the power of space and time infused within the painting. It was likely that the flow of time within the painting was different from that of the real world.

If a separate concept of time existed within the painting... could the painting really be the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn?

If that was the case, he would have to snatch the painting regardless of the cost. Even if the other party was the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, he would not pull his punches!

An idea suddenly flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind. Even though I might not recognize the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, Little Amulet should be able to discern it!

He was lacking in knowledge concerning the ancient era, but Little Amulet was different. It had specially been forged by Kong shi to serve as the key into the Temple of Confucius, so it should be able to recognize the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn!

Thus, he sent a telepathic message to Little Amulet to ask about the matter.

"Great Codex of Spring and Autumn? Hahaha, that's the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard in my life! That's the Canvas of Four Seasons, which Kong shi drew personally!" Little Amulet replied amid guffaws in the Myriad Anthive Nest.

There was a light breeze in the Myriad Anthive Nest, which caused Little Amulet to flutter.

"Canvas of Four Seasons?"

"Didn't you notice the four pavilions prior to entering the Hall of Great Accomplishment? Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—those are the four seasons of the world!" Little Amulet explained.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Thinking back, Kong shi's superior breakthrough method to Great Sage also involved conceptualizing one's body as the world to emulate the four seasons of nature. He had thought that it was on a whim that those pavilions were named after the seasons, but it seemed like there was more to it.

"What use is the Canvas of Four Seasons that those of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would go to such lengths for it?"

While Zhang Xuan was slightly disappointed to learn that the painting was not the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, there was no denying that he was intrigued by the painting.

Even if it was not the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, it was likely a formidable artifact of some sort. It would not have caught the attention of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers otherwise.

"The Canvas of Four Seasons harnesses the concept of the four seasons—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—allowing one to use the forces of nature to temper oneself," Little Amulet replied. "On top of that, time flows faster within the painting compared to the external world, roughly around twofold. In other words, a cultivator who cultivates for two years in the painting would find that only one year has passed in the real world... As such, it's the ideal artifact to groom aspiring talents!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The reason that the Zhang Clan had been able to remain the number one Sage Clan even after the passing of so many years could mostly be credited to its Blood Reservoir. Utilizing the difference in the flow of time, the offspring of the Zhang Clan were able to comprehend secret arts and master occupations much faster than their counterparts.

The same went for the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Of course, the pointers of 9-star master teachers were invaluable in reducing the detours in one's cultivation, but more than that, the difference in the flow of time in the Hall of Spring and Autumn ensured that the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would have powerful experts in every generation.

In fact, it was largely due to cultivating in the Hall of Spring and Autumn that Zheng Yang had been able to advance his cultivation far faster than the rest of his students.

Given how the Canvas of Four Seasons allowed one to cultivate for two years within the span of a year, it could be considered a decently powerful artifact.

"However, based on what I know, what is truly valuable about the Canvas of Four Seasons isn't the difference in the flow of time but that Kong shi has sealed a fragmented piece of the world within it!" Little Amulet added excitedly.

"Sealed a piece of the world?" Zhang Xuan contemplated for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I see. Considering how the cycle of seasons in the painting is still persisting to this day, I suppose it's to be expected that it contains a fragmented piece of the world!"

There were several tiers to folded spaces. The most ordinary folded space involved creating a dimension that was suited for storing objects but insufficient to sustain life. An example of that would be storage rings.

Folded spaces that were of a tier higher could be viewed as greenhouses. It was possible to create conditions capable of sustaining life in these folded spaces, but they were highly dependent on external inputs in order to maintain these conditions. If one persistently neglected to supply spiritual energy to these folded spaces, their condition would gradually deteriorate to the point that it would be hard to sustain life.

Zhang Xuan's Myriad Anthive Nest was at such a tier. He had to supply his spiritual energy into it in order to ensure that it developed positively. This was different from the Master Teacher Continent, which was able to produce its own spiritual energy and breed new life dynamically.

The fact that the painting was able to emulate the cycle of the four seasons likely meant that it was a space similar to that of the forest dimension. It could produce its own spiritual energy to support life, which placed it at a higher tier than his Myriad Anthive Nest.

Considering the strength that Kong shi had wielded, his ability to seal a fragmented piece of the world into his painting was not surprising.

"It's to be expected? You don't seem to understand the significance behind this. The fragmented piece of the world infused into the painting is not the same as the world you see before you right now," Little Amulet explained. "It's a fragmented piece of the ancient world!"

"A fragmented piece of the ancient world? Is there anything different about it? At the very most, won't the difference simply lie in the concentration of spiritual energy..." Zhang Xuan did not think too highly of the matter.

It was likely that the concentration of spiritual energy had been much higher in the ancient era, considering how the world had been able to support the rise of Kong shi, the seventy-two Sages, and so many powerful experts. However, what about it? Even if Kong shi had sealed a fragmented piece of the ancient world into the folded space, it was ultimately just a fragmented piece. It could not be compared to the vast lands of the current Master Teacher Continent!

Before Zhang Xuan could finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly narrowed as a thought rose from the depths of his mind. "No, that's not all. You are saying that the fragmented piece of the world sealed within the painting comes from tens of thousands of years ago, back in the era when cultivators were still able to advance to Ancient Sage. So, if one were to cultivate within the Canvas of Four Seasons, there's a chance that one could achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, right?"

Yang shi and Sword Saint Xing had shared several pieces of information with him regarding Ancient Sages. Around ten thousand years ago, a certain 'quality' seemed to have vanished from the atmosphere of the world. Without this quality, the many Sempiternal realm consummation of the world found themselves unable to take the final step forward to reach Ancient Sage.

It was due to this change that human Ancient Sages willingly went into hibernation in order to prolong their lifespan as much as possible so as to protect mankind from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

Considering that this 'quality' had only gone missing in the last ten thousand years, if the fragmented piece of land that Kong shi had sealed within the Canvas of Four Seasons was truly from his era, did that not mean that it would harness the 'quality' required for one to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage too?

"That's right! Why else do you think they would go so far for this painting?" Little Amulet nodded smugly in agreement.

"I see... This painting represents an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage... Since that's the case, I should give it my all to acquire it!" Zhang Xuan nodded determinedly.

Given his rate of cultivation, while he was only at Aureate Body realm consummation, it was likely that he would be knocking on the bottleneck of Ancient Sage soon enough. If he could not advance any further than that, it would truly be torture for him!

Since the opportunity was right in front of him, he had to seize it by hook or by crook!

"Thanks for your reminder. Little Amulet, you aren't as useless as you seem after all..." Zhang Xuan burst into hearty laughter.

If not for Little Amulet explaining the significance of the Canvas of Four Seasons to him, it might have slipped right through his fingers!

"..." Little Amulet.

On the other hand, Sword Saint Xing stared speechlessly at his son, who had abruptly broken out in huge peals of laughter amid the tense silence between both sides.

Did his son just lose his mind due to sheer joy?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1733: The Use of the Icy Crystal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

As Zhang Xuan and Little Amulet had communicated through telepathy, Sword Saint Xing was unaware of their interaction. He thought that it was because he had said that the painting could be the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn that his son had suddenly gotten so excited.

However, to only start laughing after several minutes had passed... his reaction speed was a little slow!

"Xuan-er..."

Seeing how his son's laughter did not stop even after some time, Sword Saint Xing could not help but call him out of worry.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan quickly recovered from his laughter and nodded. "No matter what, we'll have to get that painting!"

He might still have been a distance away from Ancient Sage, but his parents were already at Sempiternal realm consummation. They were ready to take the final step forward at any moment. If they could acquire the painting and successfully achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, there would be very little for him to worry about for the rest of the journey through the Temple of Confucius!

"Very well!" Hearing the words of their son, the Xingmeng Sword Saints nodded.

Weng weng weng!

While they were chatting, the seal on the Canvas of Four Seasons was starting to waver under Zhao Ya's ceaseless attacks. It seemed as if it would break open at any moment.

"Very soon..."

Upon seeing this sight, the eyes of the eight youths lit up in anticipation.

Kacha! Kacha!

While everyone was waiting expectantly for the seal to be undone so that they could take the painting away with them, the sound of something shattering apart suddenly broke the silence in the hall.

Astonished by this abrupt noise, the crowd quickly turned their gazes over, and to their horror, the frozen river depicted in the painting had actually begun melting.

"This is bad. We need to hurry up! Once spring arrives in the painting, we won't be able to undo the seal with cold energy anymore!" one of the eight youths exclaimed.

He quickly rushed to Zhao Ya's back and channeled his zhenqi into her body, providing her with the extra energy required to decipher the seal as quickly as possible.

The others also realized the urgency of the matter, so they quickly rushed over and channeled their zhenqi into Zhao Ya's body through a secret art. In an instant, the surge of cold energy exerted by Zhao Ya intensified, hastening the rate at which the seal was being undone.

"Spring arrives in the painting?" Knowing that Little Amulet was knowledgeable about the issue, Zhang Xuan quickly asked, "Does that mean to say that the seal is interrelated with the current season depicted in the painting?"

"As the Canvas of Four Seasons moves from one season to the next, the seal also has to alter accordingly in order to seal the energy in the painting and ensure that it doesn't leak out," Little Amulet explained. "I reckon that those fellows from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers calculated that it would be winter in the Canvas of Four Seasons at the moment, so they kidnapped your student to decipher the seal.

"The seal takes on the cold attribute when it is winter in the painting, allowing those who possess the Pure Yin Constitution to easily manipulate and decipher the seal. However, once spring settles in, the seal will change accordingly. If they don't have a corresponding power, it'll be impossible for them to continue deciphering the seal anymore!"

"Judging by how the glaciers are melting and rivers are starting to flow once more, the Canvas of Four Seasons has already started progressing from winter to spring. Should I help them decipher the seal?" Zhang Xuan asked.

To be honest, he had no idea what kind of energy would correspond to the spring seal. If he did not lend a hand to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, there was a good chance that there would not even be a painting for them to fight over. If that was the case, he might as well help them for the time being and battle with them over the ownership of the painting afterward.

In any case, he had the Five Monarchs, more than a dozen tamed beasts, and many Great Sage artifacts in his possession. No matter how powerful the eight youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were, he did not think that they would be a match for him.

"Do you think that it's a sheer coincidence that you arrived at the Hall of Great Accomplishment after breaking out of the snow dimension?" Little Amulet harrumphed.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was first taken aback for a while before his eyes lit up in comprehension. "The Canvas of Four Seasons is in its winter season at the moment, and the snow dimension is filled with frost as well. If there's a connection between the two of them, could it mean that..."

Having thought it through, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and the icy crystal that had been placed on the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe's altar materialized in his grasp.

The icy crystal was no longer as cold as it had been previously. On the contrary, he felt warmth and nourished by the crystal, as if life was finally returning to the world after a long period of frost. Reminiscent to the painting before him, the energy in the icy crystal was gradually progressing toward spring.

"I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

He had been addressing the third dimension that he had entered as the snow dimension all that time, but that was not an accurate term. To be more precise, it should have been called the dimension of four seasons.

The season in there was not limited to winter. It would cycle between spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

It just so happened that it was winter when he entered the dimension, which was why all he could see was snow.

The artifact that was controlling the weather in the dimension of four seasons was the crystal that he was holding onto. Had he not taken it away, the snow in that dimension would have started melting, thus ushering spring back to the world.

"That crystal in your hand is the crux to breaking open the seal!" Little Amulet said.

"Un!" Seeing that it was just as he had guessed, Zhang Xuan nodded. Then, with a slightly doubtful voice, he asked, "I thought you didn't know anything at all? Why are you suddenly so knowledgeable about all of this?"

From the forest dimension all the way to the dimension of four seasons, Little Amulet had been completely useless. Yet, at that moment, it was speaking with absolute confidence. If it had known all this information from the very start, why did it not say so?

"Hmm..." Little Amulet pondered for a moment before proudly replying, "It might be because Kong shi has sealed my memories in a manner such that I only regain the relevant memories when I enter specific places. Unless I enter the hall itself, I will be completely ignorant to whatever is in it. For example, if you ask about what is in the other five Subordinate Halls, I wouldn't be able to tell you anything!"

"Alright then..." Zhang Xuan sighed helplessly.

He could see why Kong shi would impose such a restriction on the Prime Amulet. Otherwise, all of his heritage and treasures would have been swept away by a single person, and that was unlikely what Kong shi wanted.

"With this crystal, I should be able to decipher the Canvas of Four Seasons as and when I like. Since that's the case..." Realizing that he was in an advantageous position instead because he had entered the dimension of four seasons, Zhang Xuan shot a glance at the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, who were desperately trying to release the seal within the limited time that they had, and a smile crept onto his lips.

The eight youths were standing in a straight line behind Zhao Ya, connected to each other palms to backs. They had channeled all of their zhenqi into Zhao Ya's body, supplying her with sufficient energy to exert a steady surge of cold energy toward the seal.

"Since you had the guts to kidnap Zhao Ya and put her in a trance so as to make her do your bidding, I don't think you can blame me for what I'm going to do next," Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath.

Chuckling softly, he calculated his timing carefully before dashing forward swiftly, as though a bolt of lightning.

His movements were extremely swift, and he had even ignited his Zhang Clan bloodline for this. As such, before anyone could even react, he was already right above Zhao Ya.

"Sever!"

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger and sent a surge of sword qi to sever the contact between the palms and Zhao Ya's back.

Boom!

As the contact was severed before the eight youths could retract their zhenqi from Zhao Ya's body, the resulting effect was no different from the eight youths donating their energy to Zhao Ya.

Under the guidance of Zhang Xuan's zhenqi, the huge influx of energy within Zhao Ya's body swiftly tore through all of the bottlenecks in her cultivation, causing her strength to surge furiously.

Kacha! Kacha!

In just two breaths, she had already reached Sempiternal realm consummation.

"Teacher..."

The rise in her cultivation seemed to have broken whatever mind control technique was placed on Zhao Ya. She swiftly regained her consciousness, and upon seeing Zhang Xuan's figure above, her eyes lit up in agitation.

"Seal the remaining zhenqi in your body away from the time being. You can use it when you are pushing for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!" Zhang Xuan instructed as he sent the method to sealing that huge bundle of energy to her.

Even with the furious surge in Zhao Ya's cultivation all the way to Sempiternal realm consummation, she still had a tremendous amount of energy lingering in her body. After all, in her body was the full zhenqi of eight Sempiternal realm consummation experts!

Zhang Xuan was thinking of having Zhao Ya seal it away for the time being and use it in the future when she attempted for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. Otherwise, it would be a pity to allow such precious energy to go to waste.

"Zhang Xuan, you are courting death!"

Not expecting their zhenqi to be suddenly stolen in such a manner, the eight youths exploded in rage.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1734: Breaking the Seal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Courting death? Look who's speaking here!"

Floating in the air, Zhang Xuan glared down at the eight youths beneath him with utterly cold eyes.

"You kidnapped my students and limited their freedom. With no regards to her will, you forced her to expend her strength to help you decipher the seal on the painting... Is this the kind of propriety that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers abide by? Is this what you have inherited from Kong shi?"

Even the final shred of goodwill that Zhang Xuan harbored toward the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had vanished by that point.

Not only did they go around forcing the Luo Clan and the Zhang Clan to accept their challenges to acquire the Celestial Amulets of Legacy, they even captured his students and collaborated together with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. It seemed like they had already lost sight of what they stood for at the very start.

"We're doing this for mankind!" one of the youths amid the group shouted angrily.

"For mankind? What a coincidence! What I'm going to do right now is for mankind as well. Get them!" Zhang Xuan replied with a cold sneer.

Knowing that it was meaningless to argue with the other party, he flicked his wrist.

Huala!

The Five Monarchs and countless weapons materialized around the area and charged for the eight youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

"You..."

The eight youths did not think that Zhang Xuan would make a move on them without any hesitation. They were angered by his actions, but given the current situation, they had no choice but to focus their effort on fending off the incoming enemies.

"Teacher..." Seeing that her teacher was confronting the youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers directly, worry rippled in the depths of Zhao Ya's eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not so weak as to be done in by them! Tell me how you were kidnapped by them and what happened afterward. I'll redress your grievances!" Zhang Xuan said.

"This was what happened..." Zhao Ya began to recount her story.

Back to the time at the Empire Alliance City, she ordered the members of the Glacier Plain Court to return back to the City of Glacier while she remained in the Empire Alliance for a period of time to reinforce her cultivation. Wei Ruyan also stayed behind to protect her during her cultivation. Thinking that there would be few who were able to pose a threat to the two of them, Zhang Xuan did not think much about it and returned to the Zhang Clan.

But just when the two of them were finally about to leave Empire Alliance City, they encountered a young man.

The young man did not make a move on them right away. Instead, he informed them that he was from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, and there was something important that he needed their help with. However, due to confidentiality issues, he could not tell them what it was yet.

Naturally, the two of them could not possibly accept such a questionable request. Thus, they ended up battling one another, and they swiftly found themselves being outmatched and captured.

By the time they realized that they were in a dire situation, it was already too late for them to send any help messages out.

After that, they were confined in a solitary location. However, the other party did not mistreat them. Instead, they supplied them with sufficient cultivation resources to further their cultivation, and there were even experts who helped them on the difficulties that they were facing with their cultivation.

On top of that, they imparted the method to deciphering the seal to them.

As for the reason that Zhao Ya had been in a trance earlier, it was actually in order to protect her. The seal on the Canvas of Four Seasons was extremely powerful, and it would inflict tremendous pressure on one's mind while trying to decipher it. Through placing her in a trance, the chances of her losing concentration and sustaining irrecoverable damage would be significantly lowered.

"Despite their forceful measures, you went along with them and did whatever they asked you to. Why?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He knew Zhao Ya's personality very well. She was an obstinate individual who would never yield to force. When had she become so obedient as to obey the orders of someone who had kidnapped her?

This was completely unlike the Zhao Ya that he knew.

"They said that..." At this point, Zhao Ya's face reddened as she bit her lips. "As long as I helped them to decipher the seal, they would offer you an opportunity to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage..."

"Offer me an opportunity to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"That's right. They said that you are the most talented master teacher on the Master Teacher Continent. The roots of both the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Master Teacher Pavilion trace back to Kong shi, and they be considered close allies. As long as we were willing to do them this favor, they would reciprocate as well," Zhao Ya replied awkwardly.

"So, you followed their instructions..." Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan felt both a little angry and touched at the same time.

Sighing deeply, he shook his head and said, "I appreciate your intentions, but when have I ever succumbed to a challenge before? It might be difficult to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, but I haven't fallen so far that I need to sacrifice my own students in exchange for an opportunity for a breakthrough! Rest assured, if there's truly such an opportunity in the world, I will be able to obtain it with my own strength!"

"Teacher, I was wrong..." Zhao Ya's voice grew a little meek.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Considering that you had good intentions, I won't pursue this matter any further!"

After which, he turned in the direction of the eight youths and ordered, "Stop!"

Hu la!

The Five Monarchs and his many Great Sage artifacts swiftly returned to Zhang Xuan's side, leaving eight incapacitated youths lying powerlessly on the ground. The pummeling that they had been put under had completely ruined their dashing appearance.

"This is just a small punishment for kidnapping my students. Anyone who dares to touch my students will have to bear the consequences of their actions. Since Zhao Ya hasn't sustained any injuries as a result of your doings, I'll spare your lives. However, I want you to answer my questions first before I set you free."

Looking at the eight youths on the ground coldly, he asked, "Firstly, what is the Hundred Schools of Philosophers intending to achieve by snooping around and kidnapping my students? Secondly, has the Hundred Schools of Philosophers already allied with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe... or could it be that you have converted those Otherworldly Demons into your subordinates?"

Upon learning that those of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers did not intend to harm Zhao Ya, a thought surfaced in his mind.

Could it be possible that the Otherworldly Demons whom he had seen alongside the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were actually their subordinates?

He, for example, had managed to forge a Soulless Metal Humanoid out of an Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage, and he had Vicious subdued in his Book of Heaven's Path as well. However, that did not mean that he was working with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

The Hundred Schools of Philosophers might have something similar to that.

"We are only obeying the orders from our superiors. We aren't too sure about the specific details of the matter, so pardon us for being unable to answer your question," one of the youths answered while hissing in pain.

"You are unable to answer my question?" Zhang Xuan gazed down at the youth intently, as if peering right into his mind.

Faced with Zhang Xuan's eyes, the youth hesitated for a moment before replying affirmatively, "... Yes!"

"It's fine if you are unwilling to speak. I'll find out soon enough. Now, scram!" Zhang Xuan turned around and flung his sleeves coldly.

He was indebted to Kong shi, and Ancient Sage Bo Shang and Ancient Sage Ran Qiu had indirectly helped him as well. Since these youths were their descendants, and it did not seem like they had forsaken mankind to ally themselves with the Otherworldly Demons, there was no need for him to claim their lives.

"We aren't leaving," one of the youths protested resolutely.

"Throw them out!" Zhang Xuan commanded imposingly.

The Five Monarchs and the many Great Sage artifacts charged forward once more, and it did not take long for the eight youths to be thrown right out of the Hall of Great Accomplishment.

Without Zhao Ya's unique constitution escorting them in, they would not be able to enter the Subordinate Hall again.

After dealing with the youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, Zhang Xuan finally turned his gaze back to the Canvas of Four Seasons. The snow in the painting had mostly melted, and the seal had assumed another form. It was completely different from the seal that Zhao Ya had spent so much effort deciphering earlier.

"Teacher, the seal has changed... The seal releasing technique that I have learned won't work on it anymore," Zhao Ya said anxiously with a pale face.

She tried to channel her cold energy toward the seal, but she realized that she was unable to control the seal anymore.

The attribute of the seal placed on the painting had already changed accordingly to match the season of the painting.

"Don't worry, I have my own ways!" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he flicked his finger.

Weng!

The icy crystal that he had obtained earlier materialized before him, and he lightly pushed it forward.

Hu!

The icy crystal immediately surged toward the seal, and as soon as it came into contact with the seal, it began to revolve on the spot. It swiftly formed a vortex that devoured the seal on the painting in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that the icy crystal was indeed effective against the seal, just as Little Amulet had said, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly beckoned the Xingmeng Sword Saints over.

"Let's head in to take a look!"

Following which, he took the lead and stepped into the unsealed painting. The others also quickly followed suit without any hesitation.

Silence returned to the majestic hall.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1735: The Requirements to Achieving a Breakthrough to Ancient Sage

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Those who had reached the pinnacle of painting were capable of constructing worlds that anyone could enter and live in. More frighteningly, the world that they created could be so lifelike that one would not even realize that one was in a painting.

It was said that tens of thousands of years ago, the Painter Guild had been blessed with a painter of unparalleled talent. He had created his masterpiece, consisting of a massive world and a ravishing beauty, when he was in his prime. Obsessed with his work, he had spent much time in his masterpiece along with the ravishing beauty, and as time passed, he had even fallen in love with the ravishing beauty. One day, he had entered the painting and never left it again.

As a painting created by Kong shi himself, the Canvas of Four Seasons was a work far above the tier of any 9-star painter, be it in terms of conceptualization of the work or the grasp of space-time. The painting was almost no different from a massive folded space, where the end was nowhere in sight.

"There's spiritual energy within this painting, and it's extremely concentrated at that!"

Standing on top of a boulder, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath, and he could not help but be astounded by the capabilities of Kong shi.

There was no doubt that this painting had surpassed the level of 9-star painters, achieving the realm of Unadorned Reality.

Everything that was within the painting felt perfectly natural, such that it was impossible to discern any difference between it and the world outside. With an attack of the Dragonbone Divine Spear, Zhang Xuan was still able to open dimension rifts within the painting and traverse through it. More astoundingly, the dimension rifts would slowly repair themselves as well.

Had he not known that it was a painting, he would have never been able to imagine that it was a simulation of reality.

Zhang Xuan swiftly found a clearing before calling the shocked Xingmeng Sword Saints over. "Give it a try and see if you are able to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage here!"

As his cultivation was only at Aureate Body realm consummation, he was unable to sense the 'quality' that was required for one to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. However, his parents were already at Sempiternal realm consummation, and they were just a step away from reaching that legendary level.

"Un!"

Knowing that there was bound to be a reason behind their son's words, the duo swiftly sat down and began cultivating quietly.

Hong long long!

As they began cultivating, the spiritual energy in the area swiftly converged on them and surged into their bodies. Slowly, their auras grew stronger and stronger.

Some time later, the two of them halted their cultivation and stood up.

"We are able to feel the bottleneck of our cultivation, and it feels like we'll be able to overcome the bottleneck with sufficient time... At this rate, it might really be possible for us to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!" Sword Saint Meng said.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

It was only a deduction from him and Little Amulet that one would be able to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage in the Canvas of Four Seasons. However, if that was truly the case, the value of this painting was truly phenomenal!

"Since that's the case, why don't you two try to push for a breakthrough right now?" Zhang Xuan suggested with a smile.

Considering how he had kicked out the offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, it was likely that the Ancient Sage who had stopped him from entering the Pavilion of Frozen Winter earlier would be enraged.

If his parents could achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage right now, they would at least be less defenseless against other Ancient Sages.

"Right now?" Hearing those words, the Xingmeng Sword Saints exchanged glances before shaking their heads bitterly. "You are thinking too lightly of Ancient Sages!"

"It's true that a fragmented piece of the ancient world is sealed here, and the 'quality' of the air in here allows one to take the final step forward and achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. However," Sword Saint Xing said, "it will still take a lot of time and effort in order to do so. It's not something that can be achieved in the spur of the moment!"

"Even among Kong shi's three thousand students, only seventy-two of them successfully reached Ancient Sage. This is not an undertaking that anyone can succeed in! It's true that the aura lingering in this painting is crucial to achieving a breakthrough to Ancient Sage... but if one's accumulation is insufficient, the presence of the 'quality' in the air won't make any difference!"

Zhang Xuan was startled for a moment before nodding. "You're right..."

His parents were right.

Reaching Ancient Sage was a major breakthrough, and it was highly demanding on one's comprehension of the world. If one could not even meet the prerequisites for a breakthrough, it was impossible to succeed even if one was in a suitable environment.

Even in the ancient era, not every cultivator was able to become an Ancient Sage. Those who were able to reach that realm were all top-notch geniuses.

"What exactly is the 'quality' in the air that allows one to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"I can't point out exactly what it is either, but I do know that people named it the Aeon of Ancient Sages. As long as one's accumulation reaches a certain level, one will be able to tap into the Aeon of Ancient Sages to rise to greater heights!" Sword Saint Xing explained.

"Aeon of Ancient Sages?" Zhang Xuan nodded contemplatively. "Does this thing exist naturally in our environment, or is it something that could be depleted?"

"There aren't any records as to where the Aeon of Ancient Sages comes from and why it exists in our world, so I have no way of answering your question for sure," Sword Saint Xing explained slowly. "However, based on my deduction, it's likely to be a depletable resource just like rare ores. Once we run out of it, it'll be nigh impossible to bring it back.

"Back when people realized that it was no longer possible to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, a huge panic broke out amid the upper echelons of the Master Teacher Continent. There were many remarkable talents who had already accumulated enough to push for a breakthrough, but for some reason, they just weren't able to take the final step forward. It was also around that period of time that they discovered the existence of the Aeon of Ancient Sages!"

As the ex-head of the Zhang Clan, he had heard of this story from his predecessor.

The realization that no one was able to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage anymore had cast a cloak of despair over the Master Teacher Continent. Those who had cultivated all their life and reached Sempiternal realm consummation with much difficulty suddenly found their cultivation limited. No matter how hard they pushed themselves, they had simply been unable to advance any further. It was inevitable that they would be terrified.

Furthermore, the Otherworldly Demons had also made use of the opportunity to launch attacks on the Master Teacher Continent. It had truly been a period of nightmares for mankind. Humans had nearly succumbed to despair then.

It was fortunate that the Ancient Sages had then decided to devote their lives to protecting mankind by going into hibernation!

Realizing that they were still able to fend against the Otherworldly Demons for the time being, the panic had gradually calmed down.

Were it not for the sacrifices made by the Ancient Sages, mankind would have already ceased to exist!

"I understand that the Aeon of Ancient Sages is a crucial quality to making a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, but exactly what else is required other than that?" Zhang Xuan asked.

His parents had said that they were unable to achieve a breakthrough due to their accumulation being insufficient, but what exactly did that mean? What did they have to accumulate that was insufficient?

Or to put it in other words, what requirements did one have to meet in order to push for a breakthrough to the highest realm?

"Ever since ancient times, Ancient Sages have been the symbol of the highest fighting prowess in the world. There has been a lot of research done on it to study the requirements in order to achieve a breakthrough to that pinnacle realm. Firstly, the presence of the Aeon of Ancient Sages is necessary. Secondly, one's Soul Depth must reach 30.0. Thirdly, one must achieve a soul span of a million kilometers!" Sword Saint Xing explained.

"Soul span of a million kilometers?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "What does that mean?"

He could understand the first two requirements that Sword Saint Xing had mentioned, but what did the third one mean?

"It's really simple. When you refine your soul energy into a soul thread and extend it outward, the longest distance that your soul thread is able to reach will be your soul span!"

Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

Hid soul had been tempered by lightning and heavenly flames, making it extraordinarily powerful. He had also used his soul energy to perceive his surroundings before. However, he had never tried threading his soul energy and extending it as far as possible.

Seeing the expression on Zhang Xuan's face, Sword Saint Xing could tell that his son had never tried testing his soul span before, so he asked with a chuckle, "Do you want to give it a try and see what your soul span is?"

Those who were unaware of the conditions required to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage would not bother testing their souls in such a manner. It was dangerous to spread one's soul too far outward. If the soul thread snapped, one could potentially incur severe damage.

"Alright, I'll give it a try!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. He was also curious how far he could go.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan began refining his soul energy into a soul thread before pushing it outward.

100,000 kilometers!

200,000 kilometers!

300,000 kilometers!

In the blink of an eye, he had already passed the 500,000 kilometers mark, but his soul thread showed no signs of slowing down. In fact... he realized that he had not even used a tenth of his soul energy yet!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1736: Achieving a Breakthrough to Ancient Sage

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu!

Zhang Xuan finally came to a halt.

"How is it?" the Xingmeng Sword Saints asked curiously.

They knew that their son was the head of the Jiang Clan and had a soul oracle student. Without a doubt, he was likely to be highly proficient in the field of soul arts. However, they were not too sure what realm he had reached, so it was inevitable for them to be interested in his results.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly. "The world in here is simply too small. My soul thread has already reached the end of the world."

While this was a world that Kong shi had created through extraordinary means, it was ultimately still a folded space. There was no way that it could be boundless like the Master Teacher Continent. All in all, the world was less than a million kilometers wide in diameter.

It was not large enough for him to push himself to his limits!

However, if one thing was for sure, when it came to souls, he was already comparable to the Ancient Sages!

Of course, he would only be comparable to them in terms of quantity. When it came to quality, he was severely lacking. At the very most, he would only be able to protect himself from the soul offense of the Ancient Sages. He was still lacking sufficient power to be able to quell experts of that level.

"Even though the world in the painting is small, the fact that you were able to reach the end of the world shows that you possess extraordinary soul span. As long as you raise your Soul Depth and cultivation up to the mark, you should be able to reach Ancient Sage!" Sword Saint Xing remarked in astonishment.

His son's talent was truly overpowered.

While other cultivators struggled to keep up with their soul span even after their cultivation had reached Sempiternal realm consummation, he had already met the requirement despite only being at Aureate Body realm consummation.

Perhaps, the bottleneck that had made Ancient Sage unreachable to most cultivators might be a mere mini hurdle for him, just like any other cultivation realms.

"Actually, it's not too difficult to increase your soul span. I have a soul cultivation technique manual over here that you two can cultivate..." Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a book.

As one who had comprehended the Soul Quintessence and inherited the heritage of the soul oracles, he had long formed his own school of study regarding souls. The soul cultivation technique manual that he was offering to the Xingmeng Sword Saints was tailored to the constitution of those in the Zhang Clan. As it was completely unrelated to the heritage of the Jiang Clan, it could not be considered betraying the Jiang Clan's secrets.

"This cultivation technique is indeed highly effective in increasing one's soul span. As long as we cultivate it diligently, we should be able to reach a soul span of a million kilometers within a month!" Sword Saint Xing remarked in agitation after swiftly browsing through the manual.

"Un. I'm looking forward to the day that you two become Ancient Sages!" Zhang Xuan said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad that you think highly of the two of us, but it really isn't as easy as that!" Sword Saint Xing shook his head. "Other than the three core requirements, there are many other factors that can affect the possibility of one's breakthrough to Ancient Sage, such as one's understanding of cultivation, one's ability to harmonize with the world, one's state of mind... In any case, a breakthrough to Ancient Sage is truly no easy feat. As powerful as your soul cultivation technique is, it'll only increase our chances of success by ten percent!"

"Only ten percent?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Indeed. Stepping into the Ancient Sage realm symbolizes overcoming one's fundamental limits to reach a higher level of existence. To make an analogy, it's no different from a carp leaping across the Dragon's Gate! One's constitution changes completely, including one's meridians. There's no way to make that leap that easily..." Sword Saint Xing explained.

However, before he could finish his piece, he suddenly felt the world around him quaking intensely. Surges of spiritual energy were swiftly gathering in a certain direction.

Following which, an overwhelming burst of energy gushed into the heavens, splitting the world in half.

"This... Someone is achieving a breakthrough to Ancient sage?" Sword Saint Xing widened his eyes in disbelief.

He felt as if his head was going to explode. Not a moment earlier, he had said that it would be incredibly difficult to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!

Who in the world was it?

Sword Saint Xing quickly turned his sight to the center of the vortex, and he saw an eerie-looking saber floating quietly in the air, greedily devouring the spiritual energy and Aeon of Ancient Sages in the air. Its strength swiftly grew greater and greater.

It was as if rivers of spiritual energy were filling up an ocean. The flow of energy was so quick that it caused the saber to shake nonstop.

"This is... your weapon?" Sword Saint Xing gulped.

The dazed Zhang Xuan nodded in response. He was taken aback by the situation as well.

The one that was achieving a breakthrough at the moment was the Infernal Blacksaber.

He did not place it back into his storage ring after chasing the eight youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers away, so it had ended up following him into the Canvas of Four Seasons.

In the first place, the Infernal Blacksaber was a Half-Ancient Sage artifact, and it had devoured the fresh blood and souls of 110,000 Otherworldly Demon soldiers. It had already accumulated enough for a breakthrough, but it had just been lacking the final catalyst to do so. The Aeon of Ancient Sages in the painting just so happened to be what it lacked, thus allowing it to successfully advance to Ancient Sage!

Hualala!

A tremendous amount of spiritual energy swept across the area as if hurricanes, causing the ground to tremor intensely. As the Infernal Blacksaber continued to absorb spiritual energy furiously from the painting, the surrounding space began to dissipate.

"The spiritual energy in here isn't sufficient for it to make a breakthrough! If this goes on, I fear that the world in the painting will be completely destroyed!" Sword Saint Xing narrowed his eyes in horror.

Usually, when a cultivator pushed for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, they would prepare ample cultivation resources so that they would not abruptly run out of energy in the midst of their breakthrough.

However, the Infernal Blacksaber was just a weapon, so it was inevitable that it would neglect something like that. Zhang Xuan had not expected it to achieve a breakthrough at that moment, so he had not made preparations in advance.

If they were on the Master Teacher Continent, there might still have been ample spiritual energy in the air to sustain its breakthrough. However, they were in a painting. Considering how its foundations were not too stable in the first place, the surrounding space was already starting to collapse due to the strain that it was under. At that rate, the entire painting might just be utterly destroyed.

It had not been easy for him to find the Aeon of Ancient Sages required for one to make a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. It would be a huge waste if the painting was destroyed just like that!

"Infernal Blacksaber, absorb this!"

Knowing that there was no time to lose, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger.

Hula!

A droplet of blood harnessing a concentrated reservoir of energy surged toward the Infernal Blacksaber.

It was the blood that Old Geezer Yu had shed after he was injured.

The old ancestor of the Zhang Clan had collected the blood and given it to him. If there was anything that he had that could provide sufficient energy for the Infernal Blacksaber to achieve a breakthrough, it was that.

Tzzzzzz!

As soon as the Infernal Blacksaber came into contact with the blood, it swiftly absorbed it. However, it seemed like the spiritual energy harnessed within a single droplet was not enough for its breakthrough.

Thus, Zhang Xuan flicked the other droplets of blood over one after another.

Soon, he had already depleted all five droplets of Old Geezer Yu's blood.

It was only after absorbing the fifth droplet of blood that the Infernal Blacksaber finally calmed down. An aura of invincibility drifted off from its body, and it felt as if it could split the painting in two and escape with just a single slash.

Hong long long!

A dimension rift appeared in the sky of the painting, and ominous clouds swiftly gushed in.

It was a cultivation ordeal, the Ancient Sage Ordeal!

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for one to summon a cultivation ordeal within a folded space. However, the Ancient Sage Ordeal was simply so powerful that the world within the painting was not able to stop it.

Kacha!

Lightning and heavenly flames descended from the sky and shrouded the Infernal Blacksaber. The Infernal Blacksaber swiftly channeled the remaining energy from Old Geezer Yu's blood to alleviate the destructive might from the cultivation ordeal, allowing it to absorb the energy safely. Slowly, crimson marks surfaced on its blade.

Under the tempering of the lightning and heavenly flames, the Infernal Blacksaber became more and more sinister. Just a glance at it was more than enough to unnerve one's will.

Hu!

Some time later, the ominous clouds finally began to dissipate, leaving the Infernal Blacksaber floating quietly in the air. With a light slash, the space in the painting was sliced apart as easily as a blob of tofu.

"I have finally reached Ancient Sage! Hahaha!" The Infernal Blacksaber burst into laughter. Following which, it turned to Zhang Xuan and kneeled on the floor. "Thank you, Master!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1737: Assimilating the Ancient Sage Blood

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Rise!"

With a wave of his hand, the Infernal Blacksaber fell into Zhang Xuan's hand. He immediately felt the destructive energy harnessed within it.

Before, he would need to resort to all kinds of means in order to defeat a Sempiternal realm consummation expert. However, with the Infernal Blacksaber in his grasp, he would be able to easily slay dozens of Sempiternal realm consummation experts with just a simple slash.

Even though there was only a realm of difference between Ancient Sage and Sempiternal realm, the gap between the two realms was as great as the distance between the heavens and the earth. This difference was not something that could be breached with just quantity.

"I'll finally be able to protect myself from other Ancient Sages now..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in agitation.

Even though the golden page did grant him the ability to kill other Ancient Sages, it had its limitations too. For example, if Old Geezer Yu had continued hiding quietly, he would have been unable to do anything about the other party even if he had the golden page in mind. However, the situation was completely different now that the Infernal Blacksaber had reached Ancient Sage!

If Old Geezer Yu made a move on him again, the Infernal Blacksaber would surely be able to trace the origin of his aura and injure him!

That was also how the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan managed to drive Old Geezer Yu away.

This was another invaluable trump card in his possession. If he used it together with the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage corpse, he would be able to kill other Ancient Sages in a surprise assault!

He was no longer as reliant on the golden page as he was before.

"Alright, you should reinforce your cultivation!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

The Infernal Blacksaber nodded, and it began flitting into the distance to find a quiet spot to cultivate. However, before it could get far, it ran into the Dragonbone Divine Spear, which was making its way over. It hurriedly bowed respectfully to the latter before going on its way.

It was only after reaching Ancient Sage that the Infernal Blacksaber realized just how powerful the seal placed on the Dragonbone Divine Spear was. Once its seal was released, there was no doubt that it would not stand a chance at all against the Dragonbone Divine Spear.

"Xuan-er, your spear..."

Upon seeing this sight, Sword Saint Xing widened his eyes in astonishment.

The hierarchy among artifacts was extremely straightforward; they would only bow to artifacts stronger to them. If the Infernal Blacksaber had paid its respects to the Dragonbone Divine Spear, did it not mean that the latter was even stronger than an Ancient Sage artifact?

He knew that the Dragonbone Divine Spear was no ordinary power, but he was not too sure just how powerful it was.

"It's nothing much. It's just another minor fortuitous encounter," Zhang Xuan explained with a smile.

"It's just another small fortuitous encounter?" Sword Saint Xing staggered on the spot and nearly broke down.

Do you have some kind of misunderstanding as to what 'minor fortuitous encounter' means?

If your Dragonbone Divine Spear, Infernal Blacksaber, and all those Great Sage artifacts you have are only minor fortuitous encounters, what in the world could be called a major fortuitous encounter?

"Wait here for a moment. I'll go tame this painting..." Without explaining himself, Zhang Xuan quickly made his way toward a certain direction.

Not too long later, he arrived before a cave. With a simple grasp, a scroll appeared in his hand.

It was the original painting of the Canvas of Four Seasons. He had found the painting while threading his soul energy together to extend it as far as he could.

With a few taps, the painting swiftly acknowledged him as its master, and he stowed it into his storage ring.

Hu la!

With a jolt, the Xingmeng Sword Saints suddenly found themselves returning to the hall. They instinctively turned their sights toward where the painting had been placed previously, only to find that it had completely disappeared from sight.

A short moment later, Zhang Xuan also left the painting and materialized on the spot. "Do you want to cultivate here or follow me?"

The greatest treasure in the Hall of Great Accomplishment was the Canvas of Four Seasons. However, the sculptures of the seventy-two Sages, the rich spiritual energy, and the inscriptions on the walls were all invaluable resources for cultivation as well.

They would be able to advance their cultivation tenfold faster in the hall than anywhere else.

The Xingmeng Sword Saints glanced at one another before shaking their heads in unison. "We won't be following you anymore. It's peaceful here, and it's a good opportunity for us to cultivate our souls and state of mind, as well as to assimilate the Ancient Sage blood. We'll try to achieve a breakthrough here!"

They had realized that they would only be a burden to their son if they followed him with their current strength. Since that was the case, it would be better for them to remain in the Hall of Great Accomplishment and cultivate. If they could achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, they might still be able to continue supporting their son in his endeavors.

"I'll remain here, too!" Hu Yaoyao said.

She had only recently achieved a breakthrough to the Introspective Convalescence realm, and she would be even more of a burden if she insisted on following Zhang Xuan around.

Zhao Ya stepped forward and said, "Teacher, I'll follow you. I know where they took Wei Ruyan and Yuan Tao!"

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He pondered for a moment before flicking his finger, sending a droplet of Ancient Sage blood toward Zhao Ya. "Absorb this droplet of blood first!"

Many dangers lay ahead of them. Even though every droplet of Ancient Sage blood was an invaluable treasure, there was nothing more important to him than his student's safety.

"Yes!"

Zhao Ya quickly sat down and absorbed the droplet of blood into her body. Power flurried through her body, but in less than ten minutes, she stood up once more with brilliant light shining from her eyes.

"Have you... managed to assimilate the Ancient Sage blood?" Zhang Xuan asked in astonishment.

The reason for him being able to assimilate the blood swiftly was because the blood from the old ancestor had originated from him. However, why was Zhao Ya able to do it so quickly as well?

"Yes, Teacher!" Zhao Ya nodded. "After you reconstructed my meridians, I realized that I am able to convert any energy into my zhenqi swiftly. Even though the droplet of blood harnesses a lot of energy, it still doesn't pose too much of a problem for me to assimilate it!"

"Meridians?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He tapped his finger and sent a surge of zhenqi into Zhao Ya's body to check on her condition. It seemed like after the alteration in Zhao Ya's meridians, her ability to assimilate energy into her body had become far stronger than other cultivators.

In that respect, even Zhang Xuan would pale in comparison to her.

Then again, considering how her meridian network was even more rational than that of an Ancient Sage, it was no wonder that she had been able to assimilate Ancient Sage blood so swiftly!

"Let's go!"

The fact that Zhao Ya had assimilated the Ancient Sage blood meant that she, at the very least, had a life preservation method if anything bad happened. Bidding farewell to his parents, Zhang Xuan began making his way out of the Hall of Great Accomplishment together with Zhao Ya.

Looking at the departing duo, a bitter smile crept onto Sword Saint Xing's face as he remarked, "He might be my son, but I have to say that he and his students are really overpowered..."

Just to assimilate a droplet of Ancient Sage blood, they had to store it in their dantian and absorb it bit by bit over a month or so. On the other hand, those two were actually able to assimilate it into their bodies within moments. This was truly an inconceivable feat.

"We need to work much harder as well. Otherwise, if our son and his students surpass us, we won't be able to maintain our dignity as elders before them!" Sword Saint Meng said.

"Indeed, indeed!" Sword Saint Xing nodded.

The two of them sat down on the floor and began cultivating.

...

"Old ancestor, you have to redress our grievances!"

Outside the Hall of Great Accomplishment, the eight youths who had been driven out were crying with snot and tears dripping down their faces.

They had dedicated much time and effort to preparing for the expedition before they were finally able to get into the Hall of Great Accomplishment. They had never expected that they would be viciously pummeled before being thrown out of the Subordinate Hall before they could acquire anything at all.

"You can only blame yourselves for your lack of strength!" the hidden Ancient Sage remarked with a hint of resignation in his tone.

"It's not that we are weak, but that fellow has tamed so many beasts and powerful artifacts! If not for those, there's no way that he would have been a match for us!" One of the youths gritted his teeth hatefully.

What was great about that fellow?

All he had were his tamed beasts and artifacts. Without those two, there was no way that he would have stood a chance against them!

"That's right! Old ancestor, we beseech you to create a chance for us to have a fair duel with him!"

"If he's able to defeat us without those external aids, we'll willingly admit our defeat!"

The other youths quickly nodded in agreement.

"This..." The old ancestor for silent for a moment before speaking up once more. "Brother Hongtian, my descendants would like to have a fair duel with your descendant. Will you grant me this favor?"

"Feel free to discuss any arrangements with my descendant. Rest assured, as long as you don't resort to anything unprincipled, I don't intend to intervene in his matters!" the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan said.

While Zhang Xuan and the others had entered the Hall of Great Accomplishment, he had remained hidden in the vicinity.

"That's a relief..." the old ancestor of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers replied.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1738: Assaulting an Ancient Sage

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu!

The seal of the Hall of Great Accomplishment glowed, and Zhang Xuan and Zhao Ya flew out.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The eight youths with a couple of others from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers swiftly surrounded the two of them as soon as they appeared.

"What? Do you still want a pummeling?" Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly.

He had already spared their lives, but they did not know gratitude. Did they really think that he was a pushover?

"We want a fair duel with you, one-on-one. You aren't allowed to your weapons or tamed beasts. Do you dare take up our challenge?" one of the youths spat coldly.

"Fair duel? What are the stakes then?" Zhang Xuan shot a nonchalant glance at the youth.

Without any stakes involved, he could not be bothered to waste his time fighting a meaningless battle with this crowd.

Before the youth could reply, the voice of the Ancient Sage sounded in the air. "Earlier, Brother Hongtian gave you five droplets of Ancient Sage blood. If you are able to win the duel with them, I'll also offer you five droplets of Ancient Sage blood as the wager!

"This is the stake that we are willing to offer. What do you have to offer us then?"

"What do I have to offer?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, "I can spare their lives!"

"..." The Ancient Sage suddenly felt an uncomfortable throbbing in his heart.

In the first place, it's uncertain who will win in the duel. Furthermore, I have offered you five droplets of Ancient Sage blood, but is this really all you have to offer me? Are you that certain that you'll be able to win?

"If you lose to us, you have to hand over the Canvas of Four Seasons!"

"Indeed! You have to bring out the Canvas of Four Seasons as your wager!"

...

The other youths shouted vehemently.

However, before they could finish their piece, they found Zhang Xuan looking at them with a gaze that seemed as though he was looking at fools. "Are you dreaming? Do you think those few droplets of blood from your old ancestor are worth me bringing out the Canvas of Four Seasons as a wager?"

"T-then... Your wager won't work either! If you lose the duel, we will have nothing to gain from the battle!"

The crowd from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers protested furiously.

The Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers felt even more stifled than before.

"That isn't any of my business, is it? It's not as if I'm really interested in having this duel with you. If you don't want to battle me, we can always call the duel off," Zhang Xuan uttered as he stretched his back lazily.

He had not intended to duel with those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers in the first place, so it was not as if it would hurt him dearly not to have the duel.

"How about this? We'll bet five droplets of blood for an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough in your Canvas of Four Seasons," the Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers suggested.

"Hmm... That wager does sound fair to me, but I'm only at Aureate Body realm consummation whereas your descendants are all Sempiternal realm consummation cultivators. There are two realms of difference between us, so isn't it extremely disadvantageous for me to be unable to use my artifacts and tamed beasts?" Zhang Xuan said.

"I'll have them lower their cultivation to your level!" the Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers replied.

It was indeed unfair for them to impose so many restrictions on the other party and yet send cultivators of higher realms against him.

"That would be great. Let's begin then!" Zhang Xuan nodded before taking a step forward. With a light chuckle, he remarked, "So that we don't waste each other's time, you may come at me together. However, if you come at me all at once, I might not be able to hold myself back. I'll have to ask for your pardon if a couple of you lose your lives in the process!"

"You want to kill us? Try it then!" one of the youths sneered coldly.

He suppressed his cultivation down to Aureate Body realm consummation before charging toward Zhang Xuan, making the first move.

Using some mysterious secret art, the movement of the youth became extremely swift. In the blink of an eye, the youth had already arrived before Zhang Xuan, and his palm struck diagonally down toward Zhang Xuan's head.

In that instant, the youth thought that he had already gotten Zhang Xuan for good, but before his palm could connect, he suddenly felt a sharp sensation in his chest as air gushed out of his lungs. Turning his eyes downward, he found that the other party's palm had already sunk right into his chest.

Peng!

The youth flew into the distance before he crashed wretchedly on the floor, coughing out huge mouthfuls of blood.

To his astonishment, he could not even discern how Zhang Xuan had made a move on him at all! It was as if the other party's palm had simply teleported right in front of him!

"Come at me together. There's no way any of you stand a chance against me in a one-on-one!" Zhang Xuan shot a glance at the remaining youths.

"Let's get him together!"

The crowd had seen the earlier exchange, and they realized that the other party's fighting prowess was far greater than theirs in the same cultivation realm. There was no way that they could possibly hope to defeat him alone. Without hesitating for long, they nodded at one another before charging at the other party simultaneously.

Peng peng peng peng!

Before the crowd could even reach Zhang Xuan, the person in question had already charged right into them. As if a tiger around a pack of lambs, there was not a single person who was able to withstand a blow from him.

They were the top geniuses from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, and they had prided themselves on their superior fighting prowess against their peers. Yet, before the young man before them, the strength that they were so confident of was so laughably pathetic that it seemed as if they were little kids parading before an adult.

"How could he be so powerful?"

Witnessing this scene, the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers could swiftly tell that his descendants had lost the battle!

Even though the other party was only at Aureate Body realm consummation, his true fighting prowess was already on par with Sempiternal realm cultivators!

Of the entire Hundred Schools of Philosophers, the only one known to possess such superior capability was Kong Shiyao!

Watching the battle a little longer, it was painfully apparent that even in a group battle, they were not close to being a match for Zhang Xuan.

As much as he did not want to admit it, the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers still sighed deeply and advised, "You aren't a match for him... Admit defeat!"

However, barely after he spoke those words, an unexpected situation occurred.

Under the relentless assault from the group from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, Zhang Xuan accidentally made a fatal mistake, leaving him open for a brief moment. One of the youths keenly noticed this opportunity and pierced his finger toward Zhang Xuan's blind spot.

In the face of this unexpected crisis, perhaps it was because Zhang Xuan thought that it was too late for him to avoid the attack, he lifted his palm to strike the youth's head instead.

This was a move of mutually assured destruction! The youth might be able to pierce his finger through Zhang Xuan's heart, but he would also have his head smashed to bits by the latter and die on the spot!

More importantly, judging from the frightening momentum of the duo's movements, it was already too late for them to retract their attacks.

"Halt!" the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers roared anxiously.

A powerful surge of energy swiftly shrouded the entire area, sealing the surroundings space. It seemed like the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had decided to make a move in order to prevent a tragedy from happening.

However, a moment after he released his energy, the young man below, who was moments away from having his heart pierced, suddenly moved in an awkward trajectory and mysteriously avoided the deadly move.

Following which, a saber materialized in his palm.

Huala!

To the astonishment of the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, the target of the saber was not his descendants but him!

"That is... an Ancient Sage weapon!" The Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers narrowed his eyes in shock.

He did not think that the young man would intentionally reveal a flaw just to lure him into making a move and confirm his location.

He immediately attempted to flee, but it was already too late. The saber had wrapped its aura around him, keeping him firmly in place.

Puhe!

A sharp glint flashed across the air, and fresh blood spurted in the air.

"Haha! You have my deepest gratitude for your generosity!" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he swiftly caught all of the blood with a gourd that he had prepared.

All in all, there were over twenty droplets of blood.

Those five droplets of Ancient Sage blood were no longer enough for him to make a move. From the very start, this was what he was aiming for!

The Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had been polite to him on the surface, but he had overlooked the despicable actions committed by his descendants, turning a blind eye as they kidnapped his students and made use of them for their own gain. Not only so, he had even used his powers to suppress him so as to stop him from getting to Zhao Ya.

There was no way that he would miss an opportunity to get even with the other party!

"You..."

Having lost too much blood, the face of the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers paled from frailty. Infuriated by the sudden assault, he was just about to make a move when he suddenly felt an imposing aura raging by the side.

It was the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Hongtian, warning him against making a move on his descendant. Knowing that he could not afford to fight with Zhang Hongtian at the moment, he suppressed his raging fury and held himself back.

To think that an Ancient Sage like him had actually been fooled by an Aureate Body realm brat, even suffering injuries in the process! Such a thing was completely unthinkable!

"The young head of the Zhang Clan sure is a remarkable figure! I am impressed. Our Hundred Schools of Philosophers admit our loss. Farewell!"

Hu la!

With a powerful gale, the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers swiftly pulled his descendants back to his side before turning around, preparing to leave the area.

"Wait a moment. Where are the five droplets of Ancient Sage blood that you promised me for losing the challenge? Are you intending to renege on your promise?" Zhang Xuan shouted after the Ancient Sage.

The Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers staggered upon hearing those words. He nearly spurted out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Suppressing the stifled feeling in his chest, he flicked a jade bottle over before leaving decisively.

He was afraid that he would be choked to death if he continued conversing with the young man!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1739: Poison Dimension

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That's more like it!"

Catching the jade bottle, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Those who wanted to force him into a duel had to pay a corresponding price for their actions. Not even Ancient Sages would be an exception to that rule!

"Your saber's made a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, has it?" the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan asked in shock. He could hardly believe what he had just seen.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively.

"Great. That's great!"

There was a brief moment of silence before the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan burst into hearty laughter.

Over the years, he had been singlehandedly propping the Zhang Clan up, and it was extremely tiring for him. He knew that if he passed away, the Zhang Clan would swiftly fall into decline, and that was not something that he was willing to see. However, the breakthrough of that saber meant that the Zhang Clan had another Ancient Sage to rely on.

Furthermore, the lifespan of an artifact was far longer than a human's. There was no doubt that its existence would ensure the safety of the Zhang Clan for a very long time.

"I still have some students who are in the hands of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, so I'll be taking my leave!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

With the departure of the Ancient Sages of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, there was nothing else that could pose a threat to them there.

"Go on!" The old ancestor of the Zhang Clan waved his hand.

If not for the interference of the old ancestor from the Zhang Clan, his earlier assault would not have succeeded. In the worst-case scenario, he might have even died to the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage earlier. Thus, he bowed deeply to the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan before prompting Zhao Ya to lead the way ahead.

The two of them flew an extremely long distance, and it was not until the Hall of Great Accomplishment was nothing but a blur in the scenery that Zhao Ya finally came to a halt.

"I entered this space with the Hundred Schools of Philosophers from here!" Zhao Ya said.

Taking a look, Zhang Xuan realized that this was the place where he and Hu Yaoyao had entered from. It seemed like it was the same for the others as well.

"Break!"

Zhang Xuan had only managed to arrive in the exteriors of the Hall of Great Accomplishment through the offerings of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, which had opened a spatial passageway there. However, with the Infernal Blacksaber upgraded to Ancient Sage tier, he did not have to depend on such elaborate techniques anymore.

Huala!

With a slash of the Infernal Blacksaber, a black rift appeared in midair.

Zhang Xuan pulled Zhao Ya and leaped right into the black rift.

The next moment, the two of them returned to the dimension of four seasons.

However, what that stood before him was no longer a field of snow. Flowers had bloomed amid verdant greenery, replacing the monotonous whiteness from before.

If not for the fact that the Introspective Convalescence realm elder was still in the area, he would have wondered if he had entered another world.

Having been in this dimension before, it did not take him too long to find the exit to the world. The duo swiftly dived through the spatial seal to enter the next dimension.

Hu!

Before they knew it, they found themselves standing in the midst of a mountain forest filled with miasma.

Zhao Ya took a look at the surrounding environment. "Wei Ruyan is likely to be in the Subordinate Hall corresponding to this dimension!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. He flicked his wrist, and a pill appeared on his palm. "Swallow this!"

"Alright!" Zhao Ya popped the pill into her mouth before asking doubtfully, "Teacher, is this an antidote?"

"The air and water here are poisonous. Monitor your condition and be careful!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Due to his Innate Fetal Poison, he had devoted a fair portion of his time to studying poison. With a glance, he could tell that the mountain forest was not as simple as it seemed. Despite the silence drifting in the area, there were no formidable beasts that posed a threat; the truth was that the entire area was suffused with lethal poison that would callously suffocate the unwary.

Following closely behind her teacher, Zhao Ya asked, "Teacher, what do we do now?"

"Let's find the exit of this dimension for the time being. If my guess is correct, the location of the Subordinate Hall should be directly above the exit!" Zhang Xuan said.

Having gone through a couple of dimensions, he was already fairly well-versed in the rules.

He randomly picked a direction with his Dragonbone Divine Spear, confounding Zhao Ya in the process, before trudging off in the chosen direction.

There were venomous scorpions and snakes all over the jungle, but as one who possessed the Heaven's Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan did not fear them. They carried on ahead without facing much danger.

After traveling for roughly an hour, they encountered a group of master teachers whose faces had turned frighteningly pale. It was apparent that they had been poisoned.

Zhang Xuan gave them a couple of pills infused with Heaven's Path zhenqi to cure them of their poison. Following which, he asked them a few questions to determine the approximate location of the exit before rushing over.

...

"This should be it!"

Roughly two hours later, the duo finally halted right before a medium-sized pond.

"This seems to be nothing more than an ordinary pond. Teacher, why do you think that this is the exit?" Zhao Ya asked doubtfully.

She had also heard the answers provided by the group of master teachers, but even they had been oblivious to the true location of the exit. How could her teacher be so certain about the matter?

"That's simple!"

Without bothering to explain himself, Zhang Xuan swiped his hand through the air and grabbed an ant in between his fingertips.

This ant was crimson in color, and it was roughly the size of a bean. With just a glance, it was clear that it was an extremely venomous creature.

With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan placed the ant on the back of his hand.

Puhe!

Without any hesitation, the ant bit through Zhang Xuan's skin, injecting venom right into his bloodstream. At the same time, Zhang Xuan did not use his Heaven's Path zhenqi to neutralize the poison, allowing it to spread freely through his body instead.

In the blink of an eye, the back of his hand had already started turning black, and blisters were starting to form here and there.

"Teacher..."

Not understanding the intentions behind her teacher's actions, Zhao Ya panicked.

She could tell that the venom that had just been injected into her teacher's body was deadly. If it made its way toward her teacher's heart through the bloodstream, that could result in instantaneous death!

"Calm down, there's no need to worry!" Zhang Xuan said calmly.

With a casual wave of his hand, the water in the pond splashed into the air and scattered over his wound.

Tzzzzzzzz!

It was as if the lethal poison on the back of his hand had encountered its nemesis. White smoke rose into the air, and the blackness and blisters from before swiftly retreated. Before long, his hand had reverted to its original state, as if it had never been poisoned before.

"This..." Zhao Ya was taken aback. "Is the water in this pond actually an antidote?"

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "As treacherous as these dimensions seem, Kong shi left them behind in order to test the future generations to see if they are qualified to inherit his treasures. His aim was never to cause meaningless deaths! As such, there was bound to be an antidote of some kind near the exit. Otherwise, it would be meaningless for him to leave his heritage behind, only to have no one alive to inherit it!"

Zhao Ya nodded in realization.

"I asked the previous group of master teachers that we encountered earlier where the most dangerous location, the place that has the greatest number of venomous creatures, is in this dimension. They pointed me toward here. The cultivation technique that Kong shi practices emphasizes the harmony of nature; where there is yin, yang is bound to exist as well. Wherever the density of venomous creatures is the greatest, it's likely to be where the antidote lies. That's why I was certain that this is where the exit lies!" Zhang Xuan said confidently.

He knew that it was impossible for the group of master teachers that he had encountered previously to know where the exit was. If they knew, they would have escaped from the poison dimension instead of wandering helplessly around the area.

While they did not know where the exit was, in the long period of time that they had spent there, they should have gotten a rough idea of where the more treacherous terrain was.

After they made their way there, the first thing that Zhang Xuan realized was that there were no venomous creatures around the perimeter of the pond. That was more than enough to back up his deduction.

Realizing that they were right before the exit, Zhao Ya asked, "Teacher, should we tear a dimension rift right now to save Ruyan?"

Based on what her teacher had said, the Subordinate Hall where Wei Ruyan had been taken to was likely right above the pond.

"We are going to save her, but before that, there's one more thing that we have to do. Wait here for me while I go into the pond to take a look. The fact that the antidote that neutralizes the poison from the venomous creatures in this dimension can be found within the pond means that the crux to the dimension is likely to be in there as well. We'll have to grab that first!" Zhang Xuan said.

The crux of the forest dimension was the Five Monarchs. In the desert dimension, it was the Berserk Yellowsand Wood. In the dimension of four seasons, it was the crystal. There was little doubt that something similar could be found in the poison dimension as well.

Like the crystal, it was likely to be an artifact that would play a crucial role in whatever they encountered within the Subordinate Hall.

In any case, it was always better to be prepared.

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan leaped right into the clear pond without any hesitation.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1740: Fishing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

With a depth of around ten meters, the pond was not too deep. Beyond that was where the spatial seal that led to the next dimension lay.

Instead of entering the spatial seal, Zhang Xuan chose to swim around its vicinity to take a closer look.

But even after swimming all the way around once, he was unable to find anything at all. Putting aside any lifeforms, he could not even find any rocks, ores, or anything that could remotely resemble an artifact. It was all clear water.

"Did I guess incorrectly? Does the crux of the dimension not lie here, or could it be that... someone has beaten me to it?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "No, that's not right. If someone had claimed the crux of the formation, the poison lingering in the air would have receded by now..."

In the desert dimension, the desert had vanished after he took the Berserk Yellowsand Wood. In the forest dimension, as he had left together with the Five Monarchs, it was not clear what had happened after they departed. Nevertheless, no longer restricted by the authority of the Five Monarchs, it was unlikely for the beasts in the dimension to remain so orderly.

The same applied to the poison dimension as well. Considering how poison was still lingering in the air and the pond still possessed the properties of an antidote, it was likely that the crux of the dimension had not been found.

"Eye of Insight!"

Zhang Xuan scrutinized every nook and cranny within the pond, and soon, he noticed that something was amiss.

The substance that would neutralize the surrounding poison seemed to be growing scarcer and scarcer.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before flying out of the pond. He waited for a few seconds before checking on the pond once more, only to find that the substance had fully regenerated within.

"Teacher, have you found it yet?" Zhao Ya asked.

"Not yet. However, I have a good guess as to what the crux of the formation is. Bring me a bamboo pole!" Zhang Xuan instructed with a smile.

Zhao Ya left the area. Shortly after, she returned with a bamboo pole in hand.

Taking the bamboo pole, Zhang Xuan shook it lightly, jolting the leaves off. Driving his zhenqi through the bamboo pole, he manifested his zhenqi as a thin thread at the other end of the bamboo pole before concentrating his zhenqi at the very tip of the thread, as if preparing a delicious bait for the prey to be reeled in.

"This is... a fishing rod? Teacher, are you intending to fish at this pond?" Zhao Ya was taken aback.

" Fish with a rod and not with a net; hunt not those back in their nests 1 . If I'm not mistaken, the crux of this dimension can only be fished out. Other methods wil only drive it further away!" Zhang Xuan explained with a smile.

In the past, he had read a book about Kong shi, and one of them depicted 'Fish with a rod and not with a net; hunt not those back in their nests'. What it meant was that Kong shi fished with a fishing rod and not through fishing nets, and even though he did use the bow and arrow to hunt animals, he would never attempt to shoot down those that were resting.

This was an analogy to display Kong shi's benevolence, but it seemed like it had a deeper meaning. Using forceful means would not get him what he wanted within the pond. The only way was to literally fish!

Zhang Xuan placed a venomous worm inside the pond before sitting quietly by the side.

Fishing could temper one's state of mind and rid one of restlessness and anxiety, allowing one to be more aligned with nature.

Even ordinary mortals could fuse into their surroundings while fishing, creating a scene as still as a painting, let alone cultivators at his level of cultivation.

As the fishing line that he had made out of zhenqi swayed along with the ripples on the pond, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt that the poison dimension was not as frightening as it seemed. It was another creation of nature, and it was both real and authentic.

In ancient times, when the world was rich with spiritual energy, no humans would dare to step into the primordial forests. Miasma lingered in those places, and venomous creatures prowled the area, ready to sink their toxins into any unwary souls. It was rather similar to the poison dimension that he was in.

This dimension was not an artificial creation. It was one of the primordial forests that had withstood the test of time.

In there, one could experience the true nature of nature.

Driving the cultivation technique that he had practiced while achieving a breakthrough to Great Sage, Zhang Xuan seemed to have become a part of the natural world as well, fusing in with the boulders, trees, and dirt around.

Under the extreme calmness, his Soul Depth began to rise...

29.91!

29.92!

...

Huala!

While Zhang Xuan was in a trance, the water before him suddenly rippled. Following which, an anxious voice filled the air.

"Teacher, a fish has taken the bait!"

Lowering his head, Zhang Xuan saw a bright red koi hanging on his zhenqi thread, struggling desperately. Water splashed all around the area.

"What a pity!"

It was great that he had caught the fish, but it had also jolted him out of his trance.

Had it not, his Soul Depth might have reached 30.0, thus hitting the prerequisite for him to become an Ancient Sage!

Hu la!

Zhang Xuan lowered his wrist lightly before swinging it backward powerfully. The bright red koi fish was flung right out of the pond.

Hu la!

Thrown out of the water, the koi fish struggled on the ground a while as its mouth opened and closed desperately, as if it could not catch its breath. A moment later, it flipped over with its eyes bulging from their sockets, seemingly having breathed its last breath.

"Teacher, is the fish... dead?" Zhao Ya asked in uncertainty.

Isn't this the crux of the dimension?

Why did it die as soon as it was fished up?

Was it not meant to be fished up?

"Alright, that's enough!" Zhang Xuan kicked the body of the koi fish lightly, and it bounced up a few times in response to the stimulus before falling still once more, as if it was truly dead this time around.

Rendered speechless, he flicked his finger and gathered a bundle of black flames infused with the lightning and threatened, "Haven't you had your fun yet, or do you want to be roasted?"

"Cough cough!" The koi fish on the ground flipped upward and stood up on its tail. "My apologies, it's just a habit of mine. I haven't been on the shore for so long that I had some trouble breathing when I came up, and I thought that I would suffocate to death..."

Zhao Ya's cheeks twitched upon hearing those words.

A fish actually stood up and began speaking.

Furthermore... the fish seemed to have quite an eccentric personality.

"Don't estimate this fellow. It's a Sempiternal realm consummation cultivator. Put aside coming onto shore, he wouldn't die even if he was thrown into a pot of boiling oil!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Zhao Ya's initial shock slowly turned into intrigue as she asked, "If it possesses such strength, how did it end up being fished up?"

A Sempiternal realm consummation fish was likely to be a being of great intelligence. Yet, it had been fished up by an ordinary bamboo pole... This was unbelievable!

"I can't help it—it was out of habit! In the past, Kong shi would often come to fish me. He would hook me up each and every time before releasing me shortly after. Each time, I would be caught dozens of times, so I eventually got used to it!" the koi fish explained.

Zhao Ya's cheeks continued to twitch.

Despite its strength, it still allowed itself to be hooked up each and every single day... Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seemed like it enjoyed the process. Was it really that bored?

More importantly, to fish the same fish every single day... Kong shi must have been bored to death!

"Don't listen to his nonsense. If I'm not wrong, Kong shi also used his zhenqi as his fishing line and bait. What that fellow is interested in is not just the bait but the fishing line as well, am I right?" Zhang Xuan shook his head with a light chuckle before turning his gaze to the koi fish.

"This... It's all fleeting clouds!" the koi fish said in embarrassment.

"I see!" Zhao Ya widened her eyes in realization.

It was no wonder an ordinary fish was able to cultivate to Sempiternal realm consummation. It turned out that it had been consuming Kong shi's zhenqi all along.

Naturally, there was no way that it would pass on such a delightful task to any other fish.

"I thought that I'd hidden myself quite well earlier. How did you find me?" asked the koi fish doubtfully as it turned to Zhang Xuan.

The way that it had hidden itself was extremely discreet, such that it would have been nigh impossible for even those who possessed the Eye of Insight to see through its disguise. There were a few other groups who had arrived prior to them, but they had failed to notice its presence.

Yet, the young man had actually known that he needed to use a fishing rod to hook it up, and that had left it feeling itchy all over. As a result, it could not help but bite the bait and allow itself to be hooked up.

"The antidote that you have left inside the water is similar to my zhenqi. It's not something that anyone could create," Zhang Xuan explained. "If I'm not mistaken, it probably originated from Kong shi, right?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1741: Meeting Luo Qiqi Once More

Translator:# StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The reason that he had allowed a venomous creature to inject its toxins into his body was to prove his deduction to Zhao Ya, as well as to feel how the antidote within the pond neutralized the toxins of the venomous creatures.

He had swiftly realized that the antidote worked in a similar manner to his Heaven's Path zhenqi.

Other than Kong shi, he could not think of anyone else who possessed such an ability. That was also why he had thought of making a fishing rod with his own zhenqi. To be honest, he had not really been sure whether it would work out or not!

"It's indeed Kong shi's unique zhenqi, but... why do you possess the same ability as him?" the koi fish asked questioningly.

"It's because I'm a Celestial Master Teacher as well!" Zhang Xuan answered with a chuckle.

"You are a Celestial Master Teacher? That explains a lot..." The koi fish widened its eyes in realization. "Alright, I have made up my mind! I'm going to be with you from now on! Back then, Kong shi instructed me to stay here, saying that I should only leave when the next Celestial Master Teacher comes by. That way, I'll be able to be fished every day!"

"Fished every day?" Zhang Xuan recoiled in disgust.

That koi fish sure was a masochist, wanting to be caught every day.

"You should enter my folded space for the time being. I'll call you when I need you!" Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

"Roger that!" the koi fish replied excitedly.

The next moment, it entered Zhang Xuan's Myriad Anthive Nest and found a massive brick lying before it.

"Woah! This brick is forged so exquisitely..." the koi fish complimented.

It had seen quite a few bricks in its lifetime, but it had never seen one with so many good materials wasted on it.

"You are the one that is a brick. Your whole family are bricks! I am the Golden Origin Cauldron, a true cauldron through and through!" the Golden Origin Cauldron roared in fury.

"You are a cauldron?" the koi fish scoffed in disdain. "So, you should be able to light up a fire, right? Why don't you come grill me then? People have told me that I taste wonderful grilled! Don't you want to try a slice of me? Quick, I can't hold myself back anymore..."

"..." the Golden Origin Cauldron.

"There's no need to go through that much trouble. Raw slices are good enough!" the Infernal Blacksaber harrumphed coldly as a cold glint flashed off its blade.

"Ah. I'm sorry..." Horrified by the appearance of an Ancient Sage artifact, the koi fish immediately lowered its head subserviently, not daring to run its mouth anymore.

...

Unaware of the little drama that had just happened within the Myriad Anthive nest, Zhang Xuan brought Zhao Ya to the area above the pond.

Just like before, he was unable to advance any further upon reaching an altitude of thirty meters. Thus, he whipped out the Infernal Blacksaber and sliced the air above him.

Huala!

Space was torn apart, and a dimension rift emerged in its place. The duo continued heading upward, and it did not take long for them to arrive on flat ground.

Similar to before, a massive palace could be seen right in front of them in the distance.

"This should be the Subordinate Hall," Zhang Xuan said. "Let's head over!"

So, the two of them swiftly made their way forward.

"This is... the Hall of Lull 1 ? Is this where Kong shi used to stay in?"

On the plaque hung right above the entrance of the Subordinate Hall, the three words 'Hall of Lull' were written. It was likely where Kong shi had stayed back in his time.

"Teacher, the gates to the Subordinate Hall have already been opened. Let's hurry in!" Zhao Ya urged.

Given that the Hall of Lull had already opened, it was likely that someone had already entered its premises. They would have to hurry, or else they could potentially miss Wei Ruyan.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Xuan took out Little Amulet, who swiftly enveloped the duo with its light. After that, the two of them passed through the gigantic gates and entered the Hall of Lull.

Just like before, there was an invisible barrier shrouding the Subordinate Hall. Those who did not have the corresponding Celestial Amulet of Legacy or unique constitution would not be able to pass through the invisible barrier. However, through the authorization of the Prime Amulet, Zhang Xuan could enter any Subordinate Hall without any trouble.

One thing that Zhang Xuan could not help noting was that the Infernal Blacksaber was actually able to pass through the barrier around the Hall of Lull despite being an Ancient Sage artifact. Based on what he knew, Ancient Sages were not permitted to enter the Subordinate Halls and Prime Hall. He had actually been ready to leave the Infernal Blacksaber outside if it bounced right off the seal.

Thinking about it, it might be because the restriction was not imposed upon those who had achieved a breakthrough in the Temple of Confucius or that it was not imposed on artifacts at all.

In any case, this was good news for him as it meant additional security.

The interior of the Hall of Lull was vastly different from the Hall of Great Accomplishment. If the latter was a manifestation of extravagance, the former was a symbol of frugality.

It was not to say that the Hall of Lull was small and shabby; on the contrary, it was extremely vast. Yet, it was oddly empty. All that could be seen was a simple bedstead positioned in the innermost location of the room.

There were no inscriptions or paintings on its blank, white walls, nor were there any sculptures or ornaments to inject some vibrance into the room. The entire Hall of Lull was simply dyed the clean color of white and nothing else.

"Is this where Kong shi once stayed?" Zhao Ya widened her eyes in disbelief as well.

Even she could hardly believe that this was the place where the great Kong shi had resided.

Kong shi was respected as the World's Teacher, having nurtured innumerable experts in his lifetime, especially the seventy-two Sages. Yet, who would have thought that his living environment had actually been so modest?

"Kong shi truly saw past the facade of power and wealth!" Zhang Xuan remarked as he examined the room carefully.

Similar to the poison dimension, the layout of everything in the room felt perfectly natural. It was an environment that stripped a person of their worries and frustrations, leaving them refreshed and invigorated.

Cultivating in such an environment would surely be highly beneficial to raising one's Soul Depth.

"Since the gates have already opened. Wei Ruyan and the others should have already entered this Subordinate Hall. Where are they?" Zhao Ya scanned her surroundings doubtfully as well.

The entire room was visible with a glance; there was nowhere for one to hide. It was apparent that they were the only two people in that room. This did not make sense. There should have been quite a number of people there.

Boom boom boom!

Just as they were perplexed by this bizarre situation, they suddenly felt a disturbance in the spiritual energy ahead.

"They should be right there!" Zhang Xuan said.

Tracing where the disturbance was coming from, Zhang Xuan hurried ahead and left the room through the back door in front of them.

The moment they walked out, a gush of concentrated zhenqi suddenly washed over them, exerting immense pressure on them.

Beyond the back door of the Hall of Lull was a garden.

"We have already reserved the Bodhi Fruits on the tree. I'll have to ask you to return from where you came!" a voice harrumphed coldly.

"There's no one in the world who doesn't desire treasures, but these are things that we have put a great deal of effort into obtaining. We can't give them to you!"

"The treasures of the world go to those who are capable enough to acquire them. We are the ones who made sufficient preparations to acquire them, so it goes without saying that they belong to us!"

...

From where the voices were soundings from, Zhang Xuan could see two factions standing opposite one another, the air between them a little tense.

The group on the right side consisted of ten members, and Wei Ruyan was among them as well. The other nine were dressed in identical clothes, which indicated their identity as offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

On the other hand, the group on the left side only consisted of a single person. A round orb twirled with a light hum in front of her.

Dimension Silencer!

The person was actually Luo Qiqi!

Upon the entrance of Zhang Xuan and Zhao Ya, the crowd swiftly turned their eyes over to take a look at the two new guests.

"Zhang shi!" Luo Qiqi's eyes lit up with a hint of anticipation.

Zhang Xuan directed a nod at Luo Qiqi before turning his gaze to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

Among them, only Wei Ruyan paid no attention to his arrival. She was in a trance, just like Zhao Ya before. Her hands were directed toward the Bodhi Tree, which was located not too far away from her, and the fruits were gradually becoming more and more crimson under the influx of her zhenqi. It seemed as if the fruits would mature at any moment.

"This isn't an ordinary Bodhi Tree; it's Great Sage tier!" Noticing Zhang Xuan's doubt, Luo Qiqi hurried over. "Unlike the one in the Hongyuan Empire, consuming the Bodhi Fruits growing on it increases the chances of a cultivator reaching a Soul Depth of 30.0 by thirty percent, thus reaching the level equivalent to an Ancient Sage!"

"It allows one's Soul Depth to reach 30.0?" Zhang Xuan was startled for a moment as his eyes widened in shock.

It was a common saying among master teachers that Soul Depth was the hardest to cultivate, and that was something that he could relate deeply with!

Be it his zhenqi, physical body, or soul cultivation, as long as he had the corresponding cultivation techniques, he would be able to advance with ease. However, he could not do the same with his state of mind.

It had already been a few days, but he had only managed to raise his Soul Depth from 28.1 to 29.99. He was still lacking a bit to reaching 30.0.

It might have appeared to be a simple 0.01, but this final step happened to be the greatest hurdle to overcome. Who knew how much time and effort would be required to overcome this challenge?

If the Bodhi Fruit really could raise one's Soul Depth to 30.0, one's chances of achieving a breakthrough to Ancient Sage would really be raised significantly!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1742: Bodhi Fruit

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"That's right. If not for that, there's no way they would have gone through the trouble of bringing Wei Ruyan here!" Luo Qiqi replied.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes deeply.

He really had to say that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had a far deeper understanding of the Temple of Confucius than the Master Teacher Pavilion.

First, it was the Canvas of Four Seasons imbued with lingering Aeon of Ancient Sages, and then, it was a Bodhi Fruit that allowed one's Soul Depth to hit 30.0, reaching a level comparable to an Ancient Sage.

It seemed like they had already studied the entire Temple of Confucius thoroughly and had made elaborate preparations for that very moment.

Hong long long!

Under Wei Ruyan's relentless infusion of zhenqi, the Bodhi Fruits on the tree began to sway a little, emanating a deep fragrance.

This was a sign that the fruits had matured!

Hu!

Wei Ruyan finally halted her flow of zhenqi. It was clear that she had overexerted herself trying to hasten the maturity of the Bodhi Fruits. Her face was slightly pale, and she was panting heavily.

"Wei Ruyan!" Zhao Ya anxiously sent a telepathic message over.

"Senior Zhao Ya?" Wei Ruyan was beginning to recover from the trance that she was in. With a dazed look on her face, she scanned her surroundings in search of a familiar face. She swiftly found Zhao Ya, and at the same time, she also noticed the young man standing next to her. Her eyes slowly widened in astonishment as she softly muttered in disbelief, "Teacher..."

"Un!" Seeing that Wei Ruyan was unharmed and that her cultivation had risen a little, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

"Teacher!"

Realizing that it was not her imagination, Wei Ruyan immediately rushed over to Zhang Xuan and Zhao Ya's side. However, barely after taking a few steps, a young man suddenly stepped forward and blocked her way.

"You can't go over yet. You need to pick the Bodhi Fruits for us first!" the young man said.

The irritated Wei Ruyan coldly hissed, "Get lost!"

"Don't forget what you promised us!" The young man's face darkened as he reminded haughtily.

"You dare to threaten me?" Wei Ruyan narrowed her eyes in fury as an imposing aura emanated from her body. She was ready to let all hell break loose if pushed too far.

However, before she could make a move, the voice of her teacher sounded in the air. "My student has helped you hastened the maturity of the Bodhi Fruits, but you still need her help to pick them for you? Ruyan, come here!"

Completely disregarding the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, Zhang Xuan turned to Wei Ruyan and urged her to come over.

"Yes, Teacher!" Wei Ruyan swiftly walked around the young man to go to Zhang Xuan's side.

"You are Wei Ruyan's teacher, Zhang Xuan?" The young man frowned in displeasure.

"I am," Zhang Xuan replied curtly.

"You came at a good time. Since Wei Ruyan follows your orders, I need you to order her to harvest the Bodhi Fruits. Of the six fruits here, we can give you one as a reward for your hard work!" the young man said haughtily.

As if doubting what he had just heard, Zhang Xuan asked incredulously, "Did you say that you'll only give one Bodhi Fruit to Ruyan in exchange for her hard work?"

"That's right!" The young man nodded. "Our Hundred Schools of Philosophers requires the remaining five Bodhi Fruits, so we have to bring them back with us. The only reason that we are willing to spare a Bodhi Fruit to you is in view of the hard work that she has put in all this time. If you don't want the Bodhi Fruit, you can choose something else equivalent in value!"

"Spare?" Seeing the young man putting on airs, Zhang Xuan shook his head wryly. "Since you know that Ruyan has put in plenty of hard work, allow me to speak a few words of fairness!"

"Feel free!"

"You were able to enter this Subordinate Hall due to Ruyan's unique constitution, right?"

"That's right!"

"The Bodhi Fruits are mature and ready for picking because Ruyan has been using her zhenqi to stimulate its growth, right?"

"That's right!"

"Then it's really simple then. Since you have done nothing at all, all six Bodhi Fruits should go to Ruyan. What's there to fight about? Alright, Ruyan, go and pluck all of the fruits!" Zhang Xuan remarked earnestly.

"You... What do you mean by that?" Not expecting Zhang Xuan to snub them in such a manner, the young man widened his eyes in fury.

"I don't mean anything by that. I'm just speaking a few words of fairness!" Zhang Xuan said. "Since you played no part in entering the Subordinate Hall and maturing the Bodhi Fruits, what right do you have to claim possession of the Bodhi Fruits?"

"Audacious! Do you know who you are talking to?" the young man roared furiously, angered by Zhang Xuan's impudence.

Hualala!

The remaining eight from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers quickly surrounded the three of them and released their auras, attempting to pressure them into submission. Just like the group from the Hall of Great Accomplishment, they were all Sempiternal realm consummation experts!

"Teacher..." Wei Ruyan's complexion turned ugly upon seeing that someone dared to threaten her teacher.

But just as she was about to say something, her teacher raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"

"Yes, Teacher!" Wei Ruyan nodded.

She knew her teacher capability very well. Since her teacher had told her not to worry, it really meant that there was nothing for her to worry about.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the youths surrounding him, and a wry smile crept onto his face. He took a step forward.

These youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were indeed formidable, but the Infernal Blacksaber had just advanced to Ancient Sage tier, and he had many artifacts and tamed beasts with him. If he wanted to, he could easily subdue all of them.

Just as he was about to make a move to teach those arrogant fellows a lesson, Luo Qiqi suddenly spoke. "Allow me to do it instead!"

Without waiting for Zhang Xuan's response, she dived into the crowd.

As soon as she made her move, the incredible strength that she wielded immediately showed.

Just like Zhao Ya, she had actually reached Sempiternal realm consummation!

"..." Zhang Xuan felt his head hurt a little.

Previously, when he unintentionally wreaked havoc at the Luo Clan and left, she had only been at Saint 9-dan.

Yet, within such a short period of time, she had actually managed to advance her cultivation all the way up to Sempiternal realm consummation!

The rate at which she was achieving breakthroughs was ridiculous!

Everyone around him told him that he cultivated extremely quickly, but whenever he looked at his students, he felt like he still had a long way to go!

Weng weng weng!

The Dimension Silencer rotated with a light hum in the air, keeping the surrounding space tightly sealed. Luo Qiqi flitted around the crowd as if a butterfly amid a field of flowers.

There was no doubt that the youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were powerful, but it was painfully obvious that they were no match for Luo Qiqi!

"It seems like her grasp over the Dimension Silencer has improved!" Zhang Xuan nodded in approval.

He had seen the young lady using the Dimension Silencer to halt the elders of the Luo Clan before. Back then, her control over the Dimension Silencer's powers had still been a little unrefined, and it had felt like she was only tapping into its raw strength. However, at this moment, her control felt wholesome, to the point that her movements almost felt like an artform in itself.

In this moment, it was no exaggeration to say that she had become one with the Dimension Silencer!

"Luo Qiqi won't lose to them. Let's harvest the fruits!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile as he turned his sights to the Bodhi Tree.

The Bodhi Tree before him was a little similar to the one that he had seen at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. However, it was far lusher, and the aura that it emanated felt significantly deeper.

They say that cultivating under the Bodhi Tree can enhance one's soul cultivation and state of mind! Zhang Xuan thought excitedly.

Ordinary Saint realm Bodhi Trees had the effect of calming a person's mind and dispelling their inner demons. Considering that the Bodhi Tree before him had reached Great Sage, its effects were likely to be more pronounced!

If I cultivate under this tree, perhaps I might be able to advance my state of mind beyond 30.0!

His state of mind had already reached 29.99, a sliver away from reaching the level of the Ancient Sages. It would be a huge waste for him to ingest the Bodhi Fruit only to advance his Soul Depth by 0.01. As long as he sat beneath the tree and meditated, he should be able to make a breakthrough soon enough!

While Zhang Xuan was pondering over that matter, Wei Ruyan walked up to the Bodhi Tree and reached out to grab one of the Bodhi Fruits.

Weng!

A pulsation of energy burst forth from the Bodhi Fruit. It was a natural defensive mechanism of the Bodhi Tree in order to keep those who intended to harvest its fruits.

However, the pulsated energy was easily neutralized by Wei Ruyan using a secret art.

Kacha!

The fruit was plucked from the branches.

Tzzzzz!

The moment that the fruit was harvested, black smoke gushed forth from the branch that the fruit had been snapped from, and it swiftly shrouded Wei Ruyan.

"That's... poisonous gas?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He did not expect the Bodhi Tree to have such a defensive mechanism as well.

It was no wonder those youths had been unwilling to pick the fruits themselves, insisting that Wei Ruyan do it. If they had really tried to do it by themselves, there was a good chance that they would have ended up being poisoned to death.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1743: The Ability of the Koi Fish

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The poisonous gas released by the Bodhi Tree would have been extremely tricky to resolve for any other cultivator, but to Wei Ruyan, it was no different from tonic. As she absorbed all of it into her body, an excited gleam flickered across her beady eyes.

"You can raise your cultivation through the black smoke too?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Wei Ruyan nodded.

"As expected of the Innate Poison Body," Zhang Xuan remarked in awe.

This unique constitution sure was powerful.

If others were afflicted with that poison, they would die within moments. Yet, Wei Ruyan was actually able to make use of this deadly material to raise her cultivation. Even Zhang Xuan could not help but envy that overpowered ability of hers!

It did not take long for Wei Ruyan to finish assimilating the energy within the black smoke. She quickly retrieved a jade container from her storage ring and placed the Bodhi Fruit inside. Once that was done, she moved on to the next Bodhi Fruit and repeated the process.

The same black smoke poured forth and shrouded Wei Ruyan. This time around, however, it seemed to be significantly denser than before. Under its onslaught, the young lady shuddered a little, and her face turned pale.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

"The poisonous gas is too powerful. There's only so much that I'm able to absorb," Wei Ruyan replied frankly.

Even as one who possessed the Innate Poison Body, the amount of poison that she could take in and assimilate at once was limited. If she attempted to take in too much poison, she risked overloading her body with power.

The poisonous gas released by the second Bodhi Fruit was far greater than the first fruit, and this was something that she had not expected.

It took a long while before she finally managed to curb the rampaging poisonous gas within her body, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she turned her sights to the third Bodhi Fruit.

Tzzzzzz!

This time, the black smoke released by the Bodhi Tree was even greater than before. Forced to assimilate so much poisonous gas at once, Wei Ruyan's body began shuddering uncontrollably, and her face gradually turned paler and paler. Just as she was about to reach her limits, she felt someone placing his palm against her back.

Following which, her teacher said, "Use the black smoke to push for a breakthrough!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Knowing that her teacher was intending to help her raise her cultivation, Wei Ruyan quickly focused her concentration on channeling the poisonous gas toward overcoming her bottleneck.

The poisonous gas emanated by the Bodhi Tree was lethal, but it was an exceptionally powerful catalyst to temper one's state of mind. Zhang Xuan used his Heaven's Path zhenqi to help clear the various blockages within Wei Ruyan's body so that she could circulate her zhenqi easier.

With every Bodhi Fruit that Wei Ruyan picked, the poisonous gas emanated by the Bodhi Tree would grow significantly stronger. By the time she came to the sixth fruit, the poisonous gas emanated was so powerful that it seemed as if it would corrode even the surrounding space.

Zhang Xuan meticulously facilitated Wei Ruyan's flow of energy in order to ensure smoothness in driving her zhenqi.

Geji! Geji! Geji!

Some time later, sounds echoed from Wei Ruyan's meridians. It was a sign that showed that she had successfully cleared the bottlenecks in her way. Her aura surged, and before long, her cultivation had already reached Sempiternal realm consummation, just like Zhao Ya.

After reinforcing the overwhelming power coursing through her body, Wei Ruyan clasped her fist and bowed in agitation.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

If not for her teacher's help, she would have wasted a good half of the poisonous gas there. If things had gone wrong, she might have sustained heavy injures because her body was unable to withstand the stress imposed on it.

With her Sempiternal realm consummation cultivation and her overpowered Innate Poison Body, it was unlikely that she would find anyone who was a match for her beneath Ancient Sage.

The heartened Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. Then, his face visibly turned cold as he turned his gaze toward the nine youths battling with Luo Qiqi.

If not for the fact that he was around, Wei Ruyan would have sustained irreparable damage from the growing intensity of poisonous gas emanated from the Bodhi Tree. This kind of harm was not something that a mere Bodhi Fruit could compensate for!

These fellows expected Wei Ruyan to harvest the fruits for them, but they did not take any preventive measures in order to protect her. It was apparent that they saw her as no more than a tool that they could dispose of after squeezing her dry!

Peng peng peng!

At that moment, the battle between Luo Qiqi and the nine youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers finally came to an end. The fighting prowess exerted by Luo Qiqi with the Dimension Silencer was simply too powerful. Even with the eight of them collaborating with one another, they did not stand a chance. Their faces were pale from the injuries that they had sustained in the battle, and their complexions looked incredibly awful.

The fact that they had been chosen to enter the Subordinate Hall to seek the Bodhi Fruit meant that their standing in the Hundred Schools of Philosopher was considerably high.

They had grown up basking in the respect of those around them, but they had ended up being so viciously pummeled during such an important mission. This was not something that their pride could accept.

"Zhang Xuan and Wei Ruyan, those fruits are of the utmost importance to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. I hope that you can hand them over..." the young man who seemed to be the de facto leader of the group said through gritted teeth.

However, in response to the request from the young man, Zhang Xuan simply waved his hand and said, "Break their limbs and throw them out!"

Whether they did it intentionally or not, he could not accept the fact that they had placed his precious student in such a dangerous position. They had to suffer the consequences of their actions.

"Sure thing!" The Golden Origin Cauldron leaped out and charged toward the nine young men.

Soon enough, their limbs were all fractured by the Golden Origin Cauldron before they were tossed pathetically out of the Hall of Lull.

None of them would have feared the Golden Origin Cauldron at their peak, but after Luo Qiqi's attacks, they no longer wielded the strength to retaliate.

"Teacher, I'll leave these Bodhi Fruits for you to decide what to do with them!" Wei Ruyan said as she passed the fruits over.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan took the Bodhi Fruits and placed all of them but one into his storage ring. He passed the Bodhi Fruit over to Wei Ruyan and said, "You're the one who collected so many Bodhi Fruits, so you should hold onto one. However, don't rush into using it. I have a formula here that can raise your Soul Depth. I want you to cultivate under the Bodhi Tree and raise your Soul Depth to 29.9 first. Once you're done, you can use the Bodhi Fruit and push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!"

"Yes!" Wei Ruyan nodded.

With a tap of his finger, Zhang Xuan imparted the secret art to temper one's state of mind over to Wei Ruyan.

"Zhao Ya, this one is for you!"

Zhang Xuan took out another Bodhi Fruit and passed it to Zhao Ya together with the secret art.

Due to their unique constitutions, they were able to advance their zhenqi cultivation swiftly. However, this had also led to the cultivation of their minds severely lagging behind. This would be a good opportunity for them to cover the gap.

"Qiqi, this one is for you..."

After sorting his two students out, Zhang Xuan took out another Bodhi Fruit and passed it over to Luo Qiqi.

Luo Qiqi had arrived in the Hall of Lull earlier than them. Even if he did not come, with her fighting prowess alone, she was bound to have been able to obtain one for herself.

"Thank you!" Luo Qiqi took the fruit, but her eyes remained firmly upon Zhang Xuan. There was a conflicted look in her eyes as she said, "Zhang shi..."

Seemingly knowing what she was going to say, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "I have taught you pill forging before, which affirmed our relationship as teacher and student. It's impossible to dictate one's feelings, but propriety is not something that can simply be disregarded. It's impossible for us to come to be! In the first place, the engagement between us was a huge misunderstanding... I believe that you are aware that there's someone whom I love as well, so... I'm sorry."

Since it was impossible for him to give her happiness, it would be better for him to break it off decisively.

Dragging it out would only cause more harm to the other party. He did not want the other party to spend her life pursuing something futile.

"I..." Luo Qiqi's face collapsed as her body trembled in agitation.

She knew that the odds were in her favor, and she knew that it would be nigh impossible to achieve what she desired. Nevertheless, she had not thought that she would be rejected so bluntly.

By the side, Zhao Ya's face also darkened upon hearing those words.

As the saying went, 'A day as my teacher, a father I'll respect for life'!

A student was not allowed to have any other relationships with their teacher, or else it would be considered a breach of propriety. Such a thing was frowned upon in the Master Teacher Continent.

She wanted to pursue her happiness, too, but she knew that her attempts to do so would only sully her teacher's reputation. This was a dilemma that had left her deeply conflicted.

Noting the depressed look on Luo Qiqi and Zhao Ya's faces, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply internally as he smiled. "Alright! For the time being, you should focus on raising your cultivation. You are still young, and there is much more to life that you haven't seen or experienced yet. One day, you'll find someone far more suitable for you than me!"

If there were any alternatives, he would not have wanted to hurt the two of them. However, if he failed to maintain a firm attitude toward this matter, he would only give them false hope, and there was nothing more painful than pursuing something that would never come to be.

Knowing that they needed some time to themselves in order to calm down, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "I'll leave you all here to cultivate. Try your best to raise your Soul Depth as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, I'll go look for Yuan Tao..."

Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind. "Master, I can dig up this tree for you. Do you want to take it away with you?

"You are able to dig this tree up?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Heh, I am the crux of an entire dimension, you know! Of course I am able to dig up a mere tree!" the koi fish replied proudly.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1744: Gongxi Qing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Is that so? Let's take it away then!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

That whole time, he had been thinking that it would be wonderful if he could take the Bodhi Tree away with him. After all, this was an ideal impetus for him to push for a breakthrough in his Soul Depth to 30.0. Who would have thought that the little koi fish would be able to do it for him!

But after giving it some more thought, the matter made sense.

The koi fish was the crux to the poison dimension, and the poison dimension corresponded to the Hall of Lull. It was likely that there was some inseverable connection between the two. There had to be some reason for Kong shi choosing to groom the koi fish and leave it in the poison dimension in the first place.

"Alright!" Hearing Zhang Xuan's approval, the koi fish immediately flew out, and with whip of its tail, it leaped into the pond located at the center of the backyard.

Gugugugu!

The water in the pond began to swirl into a massive spiral.

Gradually, the water spiral rose into the air and enveloped the Bodhi Tree, pulling it off the surface of the ground.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan did not think that it would be so easy to retrieve this precious Bodhi Tree. His eyes lit up in excitement.

Hula!

He swiftly stowed the Bodhi Tree into the Myriad Anthive Nest, choosing an empty clearing in the area to plant it. Shortly after it was planted, a pond formed in its vicinity, and koi fishes swam delightfully within it, splashing water into the air from time to time.

Zhang Xuan quickly examined the replanted Bodhi Tree and noted that it did not wither due to the movement. Instead, its trees grew even lusher. Furthermore, it seemed to harmonize with the other Bodhi Tree that he had acquired from the Hongyuan royal family, and they swiftly fused together into one body, forming a passageway that could temper one's soul and Soul Depth.

"With this, I shouldn't face any troubles trying to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly beneath his breath.

With this tree placed in the Myriad Anthive Nest, he would be able to cultivate whenever he had time. Reaching a Soul Depth of 30.0 was simply a matter of time!

Of course, the fastest way was still to consume a Bodhi Fruit. However, even though his Soul Depth was already on the verge of a breakthrough, his cultivation was severely lacking. He felt that the Bodhi Fruit would be put to greater use with his parents and the others.

"Teacher..."

Seeing that the Bodhi Tree had been taken away, Zhao Ya and the others were slightly bewildered. It was just a moment ago that their teacher had prompted them to cultivate under the Bodhi Tree, but the next moment, he had suddenly taken it away.

In response, Zhang Xuan cleared his throat and said, "You should head into my folded space to cultivate!"

Since he had taken the Bodhi Tree away, there was no reason for them to remain in the area. Thus, he waved his hand and helped the three girls into the Myriad Anthive Nest as well, leaving them to cultivate their Soul Depth.

Then, he quickly made his way out of the Hall of Lull.

...

Huhuhu!

Thrown out of the Hall of Lull with their limbs broken, the nine youths from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers trembled in fury. Frenzied looks covered their faces, and it seemed as if they were on the verge of going berserk.

After consuming a grade-9 Grand Intermittence Pill, their shattered bones had already begun to heal, but their rage only deepened with time.

Unable to take it any longer, one of the youths asked, "Gongxi Qing, what do we do now?"

The young man named Gongxi Qing was the de facto leader of the group, the person who had given orders to Wei Ruyan and Zhang Xuan earlier. He was a descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Hua.

"We can't let this matter go just like that!" Gongxi Qing gritted his teeth furiously.

As offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, the populace of the Master Teacher Continent were no different from barbarians in their eyes.

In the first place, those barbarians should have taken pride in the fact that they were of use to them in the Temple of Confucius. Yet, not only did they snatch all of the treasures away, they had even pummeled them into such a state. It was a heinous crime! Unforgivable!

"We have to teach them a lesson so that they'll know never to cross the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!"

"Zhang Xuan doesn't seem too strong, but that young lady known as Luo Qiqi is far beyond our means to deal with at the moment!"

"Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan's cultivation has reached Sempiternal realm consummation as well. We wouldn't stand a chance against them in a fight!"

...

The others discussed the situation worriedly.

They were infuriated, but they also knew that their opponents were beyond their means to deal with.

"We might not be a match for them, but the loss of the Bodhi Fruits is a huge matter. The old ancestor will surely intervene. I'll send him a message right now..." Gongxi Qing harrumphed coldly.

Bearing the excruciating pain from his newly healed bones, Gongxi Qing took out a unique jade token and sent the details of the conflict over. However, he did not go in depths about who the culprit was. He only mentioned that the Bodhi Fruits had been stolen and that they had sustained severe injuries.

A moment after he sent the message, tremendous pressure suddenly weighed down from the heavens. It was so intense that it left the crowd feeling deeply suffocated.

Following which, an elderly figure suddenly appeared before the crowd. Upon seeing the states of the nine youths, the face of the elderly figure turned livid as he demanded, "What happened?"

As he spoke, a droplet of blood oozed out from the tip of his finger. The droplet of blood split into nine portions, with each portion entering the body of one of the nine youths. In an instant, the injuries that they had sustained began healing at a visible rate due to the sheer vitality contained within the blood. It did not take long for them to be restored to full health.

This was one of the abilities that Ancient Sages possessed, Blood Reincarnation!

The elderly figure was an Ancient Sage expert!

"Old ancestor, you must redress our grievances!"

After recovering from their injuries, Gongxi Qing and the others immediately kneeled onto the ground and cried sorrowfully.

"Who's the culprit?" The elderly figure narrowed his eyes as the aura that he emanated grew even colder.

The elderly figure appeared to be in his sixties, and he did not have a beard. His eyes carried a hint of desolation, but his face was slightly pale. It was hard to tell whether he was exhausted from traveling there through space too swiftly or had met with some danger and been injured.

"The culprit is a master teacher from the Master Teacher Continent!" Gongxi Qing spat through clenched teeth. "We brought Wei Ruyan into the Hall of Lull and had her help us mature the Bodhi Fruit. However, that fellow came over and snatched the ripened fruits from our hands. He even injured us and broke our limbs..."

"Did you tell him your identity?"

"We did! We told him that we are from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and that these Bodhi Fruits are of vital importance to us. We even offered to give one of the Bodhi Fruits to him as compensation. Yet, that scoundrel still chose to make a move on us!" Gongxi Qing continued indignantly.

"When did the master teachers of the Master Teacher Continent become so arrogant?" the elderly figure sneered in fury.

In an instant, it was as if someone had set his aura ablaze. A rampaging aura poured forth from his body, crushing everything around him. All of those who stood in the face of this aura could only shiver in fear, not daring to speak a word aloud.

The Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Master Teacher Pavilion both had their roots from Kong shi, and propriety was something of the utmost importance to them. Since their people had already matured the Bodhi Fruit, it was inappropriate for the other party, especially given that he was a master teacher, to snatch it away by force. If one resorted to brute strength for everything, how would one be any different from the Otherworldly Demons?

"Old ancestor, you must redress our grievance! We beseech you to kill that fellow for us!"

"Even if we spare his life, the least we should do is cripple his limbs so that he will learn a painful lesson for his arrogance!"

Sensing that they had successfully invoked the rage of the old ancestor, the crowd roared furiously.

"Rest assured, I'll surely redress your grievances!" The elderly figure nodded.

Spreading his Spiritual Perception into the area, the elderly figure's voice boomed in the surrounding area. "The master teacher who has just entered, may I know whose descendant you are? I hope that you can offer a fair explanation as to why you have treated my descendants in such a manner. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Hu!

A wind blew silently in the area, but there was no response at all.

"From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like he's the offspring of any Ancient Sage. Since he isn't under anyone's protection, I won't stand on ceremony..." The elderly figure harrumphed coldly as a malicious aura drifted forth from his body.

At this moment, the descendants behind the elderly figure suddenly exclaimed in agitation. "Old ancestor, that fellow is coming out!"

Shortly after, a slight glow emanated from the entrance of the Hall of Lull, and a figure appeared before the crowd.

"We must make him understand that those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers aren't to be trifled with!" Gongxi Qing sneered coldly.

However, the very next moment, he saw the old ancestor's body stiffening as an incredulous expression crept onto the latter's face. "The person whom you were referring... The person who stole the Bodhi Fruit from you... is Zhang Xuan?"

"That's right! He's the scoundrel who made a move on us!" Gongxi Qing nodded vehemently.

"I see... I forgot that I had some matters that I still have to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave. A matter as trivial as this doesn't require my intervention, so settle it among yourselves!"

Hu!

And with a poof, the old ancestor disappeared from sight.

"..." Gongxi Qing.

"..." The crowd.

Chapter 1745: Stone Forest Dimension

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Gongxi Qing and the others were utterly dumbstruck by what they were seeing.

That was their old ancestor, an Ancient Sage expert! It was just a moment earlier that he had declared that he would redress their grievances, but as soon as he learned that the culprit was Zhang Xuan, he turned tail and fled without any hesitation!

What the freaking hell was that?

Was the other party not just a mere Aureate Body realm consummation cultivator?

Why did it seem like their old ancestor... feared the other party?

While Gongxi Qing and the others were feeling stifled at being left in the lurch by their old ancestor, the old ancestor was on the verge of spurting blood as well.

He was actually the same Ancient Sage who had been injured by the Infernal Blacksaber back at the entrance of the Hall of Great Accomplishment!

Of course, given the tremendous strength he wielded as an Ancient Sage cultivator, there was no way that he would fear a mere Aureate Body realm cultivator. However, the young man had an Ancient Sage saber in his possession, which changed the very nature of things. Furthermore, he could feel that Zhang Hongtian was hidden somewhere around the area, discreetly protecting the young man from the dark.

If he was really caught between an Ancient Sage cultivator and Ancient Sage saber in his wounded state, he could end up losing his life!

Ancient Sages were extraordinarily resilient creatures. However, if one successfully slew an Ancient Sage, one would find that the body of an Ancient Sage was filled with treasures from head to toe.

He had thought that the reason why Zhang Xuan was able to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment was because he had studied the Zhang Clan's Celestial Amulet of Legacy thoroughly, to the point that he was able to decipher its seal and overcome it even without the amulet in hand. The possibility that Zhang Xuan would have been able to enter the Hall of Lull as well had never crossed his mind.

Who would have thought that even after fleeing there, he still ended up encountering the other party?

"The rest are in the midst of preparing for that matter, so I can't bother them at the moment. However, once they are done with that, we'll surely get back at them!" The old ancestor harrumphed.

It went without saying that the powerful Hundred Schools of Philosophers did not just have him as their only Ancient Sage. However, it just so happened that the others had more important matters to attend to, so he was the only one free enough to take care of the younger generation.

He had thought that with him standing up for the younger generation, neither the Master Teacher Pavilion nor the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would dare cross their path. Yet, contrary to his expectations, he ended up being severely wounded as soon as he made an appearance...

The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt.

However, as one who had survived to become an Ancient Sage, there were hardly any challenges that he had never encountered before. He would just have to tolerate it for the time being. Once the others were free, it would be time for him to exact his vengeance!

...

With the Infernal Blacksaber in his grasp, Zhang Xuan walked out of the Hall of Lull.

He knew that his actions in the Hall of Lull would surely draw an Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers over, so he had taken out the Infernal Blacksaber in advance to counter any assault.

It was impossible for an Ancient Sage to kill him while keeping his location hidden. As soon as the other party revealed his location, the Infernal Blacksaber and golden page would swiftly rush forth to reap the other party's life. Thus, there was nothing to fear.

Walking out of the seal, Zhang Xuan saw the nine youths standing completely unharmed before him. Infernos of rage were burning in their eyes, but they did not attempt to make any moves against him.

"Oh, you've recovered," Zhang Xuan remarked nonchalantly as he cast a sweeping gaze across the surroundings.

While it was possible for them to recover from their fractured limbs using the Grand Intermittence Pill, they would still have to rest for at least a couple of days before they could make a full recovery. Considering how their injuries had completely vanished within ten minutes of being thrown out, it was very likely to be the doing of an Ancient Sage.

However, even after scanning the surroundings, he could not find anything at all. At the same time, the Infernal Blacksaber also reported that there were no Ancient Sages around.

Knowing that the trembling nine youths did not even pose a threat to him, Zhang Xuan shot them a piercing glare, which caused them to drop to their knees, before walking back down the road that he had come from.

It did not take long before he returned to the poison dimension. Without the koi fish around, poisonous creatures had swiftly swarmed around the pond. It seemed like it would not be long before the tiny 'safe haven' in the poison dimension was devoured by poison.

After passing through the exit, Zhang Xuan found himself standing in the midst of a world filled with boulders of all sizes.

It was as if he had stepped into the midst of a bald mountain range, filled with nothing but massive rocks. His visuals were instantaneously assaulted by the overwhelming onslaught of monotonous gray; there was not the slightest greenery in sight.

From the looks of it, it seemed like he was standing in the center of a stone forest.

The area was not as dry as the desert dimension, and it was not as rich in spiritual energy as the forest dimension either. If he had to use a single word to describe the current dimension that he was in, it would be 'bizarre'. The boulders around him had extremely bizarre shapes, and just taking a swift glance at the surroundings was enough to leave his eyes spinning.

"It seems like these boulders are depicting a certain kind of move." Zhang Xuan leaped onto one of the taller boulders and pondered with a frown.

Looking at the general shape of the stone forest, he found that it resembled multiple experts executing their secret arts all at once.

"I'll know it once I give it a try!"

He swiftly found a cluster of boulders and began studying them. Emulating the shapes of the boulders, he felt his zhenqi flowing in a unique trajectory, and the next moment, his palm shot forward lightly.

Padah!

A sonic boom reverberated in the air, and a small dimension rift was torn apart at the tip of his palm.

"It's indeed a battle technique! Furthermore, the prowess it wields is incredible!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

So far, he had only casually emulated the movements; he had not even tried to practice it seriously! Could it be that... the boulders formed multiple sets of incredibly powerful secret arts?

If that was the case... where should one start cultivating from? Was there a sequence to it?

If he studied it randomly, would it cause any unintended side effects?

"Forget it! I should look for the exit first!" Zhang Xuan soon made up his mind.

If he found the exit, he would be able to find the corresponding Subordinate Hall. Ultimately, the outer dimensions were only trials that Kong shi had posed to those who ventured into this dimension. The true treasures lay within the Temple of Confucius.

This time around, Zhang Xuan chose to spin the Infernal Blacksaber before swiftly flitting in the direction that it had pointed out.

An hour later, he finally found some signs of human activity. Following the trail, he soon stumbled upon a group of master teachers. They were standing in a clearing in the stone forest, and they were arguing vehemently with one another.

"The sequence of my movements is right! You won't face any problems as long as you cultivate in accordance to my moves!"

"Rubbish! My sequence is the only one that is correct. Look, those two movements of yours don't even connect to one another. It's apparent that you've gotten it all wrong!"

"You dimwits! I have already cultivated in this sequence, and I can feel my mastery of my technique deepening significantly. If you really think that you are right, why don't we have a spar and see whose sequence is superior?"

"Indeed! What's the point of arguing so much? Let our strength do the talking!"

...

In the midst of their arguments, the master teachers really ended up coming to blows with one another. A furious gale whipped up in the surroundings and shockwaves from colliding blows rippled destructively into the surroundings.

However, they did make sure to construct an isolation barrier around them to avoid damaging the boulders around to the best of their abilities.

"Just like the group of sword practitioners I encountered at the Sword Lagoon, these fellows are unknowingly losing their sanity..." Zhang Xuan shook his head lamentably.

He had encountered such a situation back in the Qianchong Empire. The sword practitioners there had come to blows as soon as they had a disagreement with one another, which was atypical of sword practitioners. He did not think that he would see the same sight here as well.

The battle ended as quickly as it started. Before long, a man stood victorious over the others.

"See, the sequence that I have followed is the most powerful of all. This should be enough to show that I'm right. Alright, hurry up and start making your offerings!" The victorious master teacher nodded in contentment.

"Alright, we'll follow your sequence then!"

The others reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Making your offerings?"

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was confused as to what was going on.

The more he looked at the situation, the more bewildering he found it.

Master teachers were supposed not to be superstitious. Why were they talking about making their offerings?

Hiding by the corner, Zhang Xuan continued watching the movements of the master teachers in bewilderment.

The victorious master teacher took out a couple of valuable artifacts and placed them before the boulder, as if making an offering to it. Not too long later, the artifacts began to burn up, and a golden glow shone from the boulder.

Following which, a silhouette suddenly surfaced on the boulder and began moving around, seemingly demonstrating some sort of battle technique.

"The secret art that the master teachers were practicing earlier is just the form, so is this the zhenqi circulation pathway that goes along with the movements?" Zhang Xuan wondered.

The silhouette moving on the boulder was currently demonstrating a kind of internal breathing technique that seemed to go along with the movements that the master teachers had executed earlier, but there were still some imperfections between the two.

"How is this still not right? The sequence I deduced doesn't link up with the internal breathing technique... Pu!"

The triumphant master teacher followed the movements of the silhouette on the boulder, but a moment later, his face paled, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his lips.

If the movements were at odds with the internal breathing, there was a high chance that one's cultivation might go berserk. He had been extremely confident with the sequence that he had deduced, but who would have thought that it was still wrong?

"Let's continue studying the movements. We can't afford to make a mistake anymore, or else we'll be trapped here for good!" The triumphant master teacher shook his head helplessly.

He was just about to continue examining the boulders around the area when a young man suddenly flew over and said, "Hello, I have arrived in this dimension just a moment ago. If I may ask... what are you all doing?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1746: Sequencing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The newly arrived young man was, of course, none other than Zhang Xuan.

He was truly bewildered by the deeds of this bunch of master teachers.

Master teachers believed not in the supernatural, and they did not subscribe to the idea of karma either. Yet, this bunch of people were actually making offerings just like Otherworldly Demons. Furthermore, judging by their tone, it seemed like the exit was somehow related to what they were doing. Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, he had flown out to ask them.

With the Infernal Blacksaber advancing into an Ancient Sage artifact, he would be able to protect himself even against the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sages. Thus, there was no need for him to conceal his identity anymore, so he did not bother doing so this time around.

However, it seemed like the master teachers did not know him as they stared at him warily, seemingly trying to determine whether he was an enemy or not.

Zhang Xuan was perplexed for a moment before realization struck him. Most of the master teachers that had entered the Temple of Confucius were actually the grand elders of major powers who had gone into seclusion awaiting the opportunity to make a breakthrough to Ancient Sage.

Having abandoned the secular world for long periods of time, they were unaware of the huge fuss that Zhang Xuan had kicked up on the Master Teacher Continent in recent times. Going by this logic, it was not surprising that they had not heard of him.

Facing the wary master teachers before him, Zhang Xuan pinned his master teacher emblem on his robe before clasping his fist with a smile. "I'm actually a master teacher, too!"

Upon seeing the master teacher emblem, the group visibly heaved a sigh of relief.

"So, you're a fellow ally. How did you end up alone here?" the triumphant master teacher asked.

"I was too engrossed in my cultivation, and I lost track of time. By the time I knew it, the group I was in had already gone on without me," Zhang Xuan said.

"I see... This dimension contained many powerful secret arts, so it's understandable that you lost track of time while trying to practice them. However, I must say that it's truly a miracle that your cultivation hasn't gone berserk while attempting to practice these techniques individually!" the triumphant master teacher remarked.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Xuan found out that the name of the triumphant master teacher was Mu Xu. He was from the Five Elements Mu Clan.

He had been in seclusion for three hundred years, and he had only left his seclusion recently due to the emergence of the Temple of Confucius. Thus, he was hardly aware of the current affairs of the world.

As a result, even when Zhang Xuan introduced himself with his real name, there was not much of a reaction from the other party.

"I apologize for peeking earlier, but I noticed that you practiced your moves before making an offering to the boulder. Following which, a silhouette appeared on the boulder. May I know what's going on?

After chatting for a while to get familiar with one another, Zhang Xuan finally posed the doubt that had been plaguing his mind for quite a while.

"The boulders in this stone forest are profound artifacts harnessing incredible heritages. Formidable secret arts can be found on them. I believe that you should have noticed this too by now!" Mu Xu explained. "However, these secret arts are distributed across multiple boulders in random sequences. If one wants to grasp any of these secret arts, one must decipher the sequence and awaken the memories of the predecessors sealed in the boulders. As long as one's form and internal breathing are aligned with one another, one will be able to leave this dimension and enter the corresponding Subordinate Hall!"

"Enter the corresponding Subordinate Hall?" Zhang Xuan was surprised to hear these two words coming from Mu Xu.

This was the first time that he had heard a master teacher trapped in one of the six dimensions saying such words.

"Indeed. Someone has already successfully cleared the dimension; we are already considered the slower bunch, having yet to succeed till now," Mu Xu said with a bitter smile.

"You mean to say that... someone has already entered the Subordinate Hall? Then, do you know what the name of the corresponding Subordinate Hall is?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"It seems to be called the Hall of Divine Crusade. It contains the details of the crusade that Kong shi and seventy-two Sages went on to subdue the Otherworldly Demons. In fact, this stone forest contains the secret arts that they have left behind. Those who manage to enter the Subordinate Hall will probably be able to obtain their true heritage... As such, we have been trying our best to figure out the pattern to these boulders. Since you are here, why don't you join us as well? If we can uncover the sequence of the movements from these boulders, we'll be able to enter the Subordinate Hall just like the others!" Mu Xu said.

Those words gave Zhang Xuan a good idea of what was going on.

It seemed like the method to entering the Subordinate Hall in the stone forest dimension was vastly different from the other dimensions.

For the other dimensions, the Subordinate Halls were located directly above the exits. As long as one sliced open the space above the exit, one would be able to reach the exterior of the corresponding Subordinate Hall. However, the stone forest dimension actually necessitated one to find the sequence of the secret arts hidden amid the boulders.

"With so many boulders around here, how do you figure out which one you should examine?" Zhang Xuan asked on.

There had to be at least ten thousand boulders in the area. Wouldn't he die of exhaustion before he could sequence all of the movements in these boulders?

"The boulders are divided into multiple regions too. Each secret art has its individual region. In each region, there are boulders with smooth surfaces like this one lying around in a circle, and they contain a silhouette of the predecessors. There are roughly ten thousand of them, but only a thousand of them contain traces of the secret art. What we have to do is figure out the sequence behind these one thousand boulders!" Mu Xu explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

On his way there, he had also noticed that not every boulder within this dimension harnessed a portion of a secret art. However, he had been too focused on searching for the exit and did not pay too much attention to them.

With this, his search area was considerably decreased, and his workload diminished significantly as well.

"There's no time to be wasted, so let's start studying the boulders once more!"

After chatting for a while longer, Mu Xu prompted everyone to get back to work. He took out a sword himself and began carving on the ground, seemingly trying to make sense of the movements that he had seen from the boulders.

Seeing that the group had returned back to their intensive debate, Zhang Xuan leaped onto the highest boulder in the area and scanned his surroundings.

Due to the reminder from Mu Xu, he quickly realized that the boulders with a smooth surface were distributed orderly in a circular fashion around the area. Approaching them one by one swiftly, he found that exactly a thousand of them harnessed the silhouettes of the predecessors.

Flaws!

With a thought, the boulders were swiftly compiled into a book in the Library of Heaven's Path. He glanced at the hundreds of sequences that the master teachers had come up with and inscribed on the ground.

Hula!

Putting all of this information together, Zhang Xuan finally opened the book carefully.

"There are still forty-seven flaws..."

Zhang Xuan quickly browsed through the forty-seven flaws before reorganizing the sequence of the movements to resolve some of these flaws. When he checked once again, the number of flaws reduced to forty-five. He had to continue this process roughly a dozen more times before there were finally no more flaws remaining.

"I guess this sequence should be the correct one!" Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before finally turning back to the crowd.

At this moment, Mu Xu and the others seemed to have deduced another 'correct' sequence, and a fervent debate broke out among them all.

"Stop spouting nonsense and settle it with a spar. The strongest among us is bound to have the most accurate sequence of us!" Mu Xu said with a wave of his hand.

"Alright!"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

They were just about to begin their duel when Zhang Xuan, who had been watching the situation all the while, suddenly flew over and said, "Hey, I have also found a sequence that I find logical. Can I join the duel?"

"Can't you see that we're in the middle of a serious debate? Stop troubling us and go away! You just arrived just a moment ago, so what can you have possibly found? We have already been here for roughly eighteen hours, but we still haven't found the right one yet!" Mu Xu frowned in displeasure.

"Young man, learn some humility. Don't set your eyes too high. Since you have just arrived, you should focus on watching and learning rather than trying to impress!"

"We are dueling in order to determine whose order is the most accurate. You should go to the side and rest. We can talk after you have made sense of what the boulders mean!"

"You do know that each of these boulders represent a different move, right? How many of them can you recognize and distinguish? If you haven't done at least that much yet, it's pointless to try sequencing them!"

...

The other master teachers waved Zhang Xuan away dismissively.

They had studied the boulders in the region for a very long time, but they were still unable to find the correct sequence. Given that, what could a fellow who had just arrived possibly know?

To even think that he could possibly come up with the correct sequence within this short period of time, that was a completely ridiculous notion!

"I..."

Not expecting to be spurned, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed.

That being said, it was not as if he could not understand the dismissive response from the others. In the five to six minutes since he had arrived there, it was impossible for an ordinary master teacher to memorize the forms on the thousand boulders in the area. Putting aside finding the correct sequence, they would not even have been able to put together a remotely logical battle technique!

"Ignore him! Let's continue our discussion..."

Not wanting to waste any time on an attention seeker, Mu Xu gathered the crowd and carried out a duel using the sequences that they had just deduced. However, before there was a conclusion to their duel, they suddenly felt a burst of energy pulsating not too far away.

Unbeknownst to them, the young man had already activated the smooth boulder by the side, and a silhouette appeared on its face.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1747: Hall of Divine Crusade

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"He's wasting a precious artifact for nothing..."

Not expecting the young man to actually make an offering to the predecessors after they had ignored him, Mu Xu frowned in disapproval.

Each attempt to invoke the predecessors would require them to tribute an invaluable amount of treasures, such that they did not dare do it recklessly despite the wealth that they possessed as 9-star master teachers.

Yet, the young man actually invoked the predecessors within ten minutes of his arrival, before he could even make sense of what was going on.

Just what kind of unreliable ally did they find themselves?

"He seems to be terribly conceited. Whatever. Once he fails, he will understand the difficulty in sequencing the moves. It isn't something that one can possibly come up with on the spur of the moment!"

"What a waste of artifacts though!"

...

The silhouette on the boulder began moving amid the discussions of the master teachers, and Zhang Xuan hurriedly followed it while executing the movements that he had compiled using the Library of Heaven's Path.

The internal breathing method and the movements harmonized impeccably with one another.

"This..."

The crowd was stunned.

They had studied the boulders for eighteen hours, but they had not managed to sequence the movements to such an extent. This fellow had only been there for six minutes, but he had already managed to harmonize his movements with the internal breathing.

Their eyes widened into huge circles as they watched the sight before them with incredulity.

"No, that's not it. His movements are starting to diverge with the internal breathing method of the silhouette!" Mu Xu suddenly remarked.

The crowd quickly turned their gazes over. Just as Mu Xu had said, some discrepancies were starting to show between the movements of the young man and the internal breathing technique of the silhouette in the boulder. Disharmony was starting to appear.

"See, it's just as I have guessed. It's impossible to succeed in one try!"

It should not have been something to celebrate over, considering how they were supposedly on the same front, but somehow, the crowd could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

They did want to leave this dimension and enter the corresponding Subordinate Hall. However, if the young man successfully found the right sequence within five minutes, all of their pride, dignity, and ego would be completely shattered! Their hearts were not strong enough to accept something like that!

As a result, they could not help but feel gladdened by the young man's failure.

However, their gladness did not last too long. The young man suddenly halted his movements and glared at the silhouette on the boulder with a disapproving frown. As if an elder disappointed by the incompetence of a junior, he sternly lectured, "The sequence you are practicing the internal breathing is wrong!"

Pu!

The silhouette in the boulder spurted blood.

"..." Mu Xu and the others.

"Follow my movements!" Zhang Xuan commanded sternly before continuing on with his execution. The silhouette in the boulder visibly hesitated for a moment before following Zhang Xuan's movements as well.

"..."

Mu Xu and the others were shocked speechless. This had to be the uncanniest sight that they had ever seen!

They had spent eighteen hours there desperately searching for the correct sequence in futility, but within minutes of his arrival, that fellow had not only found the correct sequence but was even lecturing the silhouette in the boulder, berating the latter for having gotten it wrong.

The one who had left behind this secret art was either Kong shi or one of the seventy-two Sages, and yet, to tell the other party that they were wrong...

It was as if a mini explosion had occurred in their heads! All of a sudden, they did not feel so good.

"That's more like it! After giving my version a try, don't you think that the technique has gotten much stronger? Aren't the movements harmonizing much better with the internal breathing?"

Soon, the demonstration came to an end, and Zhang Xuan looked at the silhouette on the boulder with a slight smile.

Kacha!

Before it could respond, the silhouette suddenly wavered lightly before vanishing from sight. Following which, the boulder split open, revealing a massive stone portal.

Beyond the portal, one could vaguely see a majestic palace. It was likely to be the Hall of Divine Crusade that Mu Xu had mentioned earlier.

"Let's go together!" Zhang Xuan beckoned for others for follow him before taking the lead into the portal.

"This..."

The crowd glanced at one another uncertainly before eventually entering the portal. Even at that point in time, they could not help but feel a little dreamy on the inside.

Crossing the stone portal, they swiftly found that they were transported into another world. Not too far away, the Hall of Divine Crusade towered in the air.

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Mu Xu walked up to Zhang Xuan and asked, "The sequence that you have come up with is clearly incompatible with the internal breathing method shown by the silhouette. Why were you still able to open the stone portal?"

Mu Xu was not the only one who was curious about this. The others also found this occurrence unbelievable.

It was apparent to them that the young man's sequence of movements did not harmonize with the internal breathing method shown by the silhouette. Yet, why did the silhouette choose to follow his movements instead and even open the stone portal?

In the past, when the sequence differed, the one to spurt blood was them!

"I looked through the movements and realized that there were some fundamental flaws with the secret art left behind by the silhouette. So, I modified it a little in order to make it more logical and stronger. Seeing that the secret art that I modified was more correct than his, it goes without saying that it learned from me instead!" Zhang Xuan replied as a matter-of-factly.

Any cultivation technique filtered through the Library of Heaven's Path would eventually end up in its most perfect form.

Since the secret art practiced by the silhouette was flawed. It went without saying that the silhouette would be delighted to have him correcting the flaws for it.

"Not only did he find the right sequence, he even corrected the mistakes made by the predecessors..."

In this moment, Mu Xu and the others found themselves so suffocated that they could not say a word at all.

Just what kind of monster had they encountered?

Proceeding ahead in the Subordinate Hall, it did not take long before they arrived in a massive square. There was a huge crowd gathered in the area. It was likely that they had entered there from the stone forest dimension, just like Mu Xu.

However, as they did not have the Celestial Amulet of Legacy, they could not enter the Subordinate Hall and had no choice but to remain outside.

Murals were inscribed on the walls of the Subordinate Hall, detailing countless formidable techniques. The crowd was studying them intently, completely absorbed in them.

Back in the stone forest dimension, they could only deduce the sequence and hope that what they had deduced was right. However, at that moment, the correct sequence was shown to them through the murals on the walls.

This was similar to a diligent student being shown the answer sheet after going through a difficult examination. It went without saying that they would have to internalize everything on the answer sheet so that they could do better next time around!

Zhang Xuan quickly took all of those murals into the Library of Heaven's Path with a swift glance before turning his gaze to the entrance of the Subordinate Hall.

The plaque above the Subordinate Hall displayed the words 'Hall of Divine Crusade'. Those words carried an imposing presence, weighing in the hearts of those gazing upon them.

The massive gates at the entrance were open, and access was only restricted by the invisible barrier shrouding the Subordinate Hall. Most likely, someone had already entered it.

"Let me go in to take a look!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan took out the Little Amulet and began making his way in.

Unlike the crowd gathered outside, he passed right through the barrier and entered the Subordinate Hall without any problems.

Sou! Sou!

Before Zhang Xuan could properly land his footing into the Hall of Divine Crusade, he suddenly felt two surges of sword qi surging right toward his heart.

His face immediately darkened as he halted his footsteps. With an agile sidestep, he narrowly dodged the two surges of sword qi.

Gazing forward, he saw two young men standing in front of him with a sword in their hands. Intense killing intent could be felt from the depths of their eyes, leaving the blood of others running cold.

These two young men were dressed in master teacher robes. From the exterior, they seemed no different from other master teachers. However, the sheer intensity of their killing intent left one feeling as if one would be dragged down into the netherworld.

"Otherworldly Demons?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in alarm.

He did not think that he would actually encounter Otherworldly Demons in there!

Since that was the case, it meant that they had managed to lay their hands upon the Celestial Amulet of Legacy corresponding to the Hall of Divine Crusade!

There were six known Celestial Amulets of Legacy in the world. One of them was with the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, one was with the Zhang Clan, and one was with the Luo Clan. As for the rest, their whereabouts were a complete mystery.

Judging by the current situation, the Zhang Clan's amulet corresponded to the Hall of Great Accomplishment, and it was likely that the Luo Clan's amulet corresponded to the Hall of Lull. Otherwise, Luo Qiqi would not have been able to get into that Subordinate Hall!

Since there were Otherworldly Demons there, it was likely that one of the Celestial Amulets of Legacy had fallen into their hands.

Huala!

However, it did not seem like the two Otherworldly Demons were about to give him any more time to ponder about this matter. They flicked their wrists and sent a barrage of sword qi over, not allowing them to rest for a breather at all.

It was as if a roaring river was charging right at him, threatening to sweep him away with its force.

These two Otherworldly Demons were actually Sempiternal realm consummation experts!

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

With a flick of his wrist, he whipped out the Dragonbone Divine Spear and pierced it toward one of the two Otherworldly Demons. At the same time, he brought out the Golden Origin Cauldron along with his other artifacts and sent them toward the other Otherworldly Demon.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1748: Stone of Divine Crusade

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

A few breaths later, the two Sempiternal realm consummation Otherworldly Demons were killed on the spot.

Even without resorting to the Five Monarchs, the seedling, and the koi fish, Zhang Xuan was still able to subdue the two Otherworldly Demons with ease.

He hurled their corpses into his storage ring before proceeding deeper in.

What appeared before his eyes was a stately hall. Its walls were filled with paintings that emanated a warm glow. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he found a powerful pressure pressing down on him. Had his soul energy been weak, it would have been hard for him to take even a single step forward.

This is a good place to temper one's soul! Zhang Xuan thought as he strolled leisurely around the hall.

The Hall of Great Accomplishment contained the Aeon of Ancient Sage, the energy required for one to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. The Hall of Lull contained a treasure that raised one's Soul Depth. Clearly, the Hall of Divine Crusade was a place for one to temper one's soul, thus strengthening one's soul energy and soul span.

Wandering around the room, Zhang Xuan did not find anyone else around, and a frown emerged between his brows.

It was clear that the two Otherworldly Demons were serving as sentries to ward off any possible intruders from interfering in their business. As such, it was certain that there were more Otherworldly Demons doing something within the Subordinate Hall, perhaps scouring for the ultimate treasure there.

But why was there no one in sight?

"What's in this hall?" Zhang Xuan asked Little Amulet telepathically.

Little Amulet had its memories sealed, and they would only awaken when it came to the areas corresponding to each memory. It was likely that it would know what was inside the Hall of Divine Crusade.

"The greatest treasure in the Hall of Divine Crusade is the Stone of Divine Crusade left behind by Kong shi. It contains the lingering will of Kong shi, and it's extremely effective in strengthening one's soul," Little Amulet explained based on the memories it had awakened.

"Stone of Divine Crusade?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up upon hearing those words. "Where is it?"

His soul cultivation had come to a halt after reaching Aureate Body realm consummation. If he could find the Stone of Divine Crusade, he might be able to push his soul cultivation a step further, perhaps even achieving a breakthrough to the Intuitive Impulse realm!

"It's located right behind the Subordinate Hall. You'll be able to see it after passing through that door!" Little Amulet said as it wiggled its body to point out a direction.

"Alright!" Knowing the rough location of the Stone of Divine Crusade, Zhang Xuan swiftly made his way over with widened strides.

Walking out of the stately hall, he found himself standing before a relatively vast courtyard.

There were boulders all around the courtyard, forming a mini stone forest by its own.

A few Otherworldly Demons were sitting not too far away from Zhang Xuan. There were deep frowns on their faces, and some of them were scratching their heads in frustration, seemingly trying to figure out something incredibly profound.

At the very center of the stone forest was a stone platform. A spherical boulder was placed atop the stone platform, and it emanated a warm glow. A silhouette seemed to be dancing along the spherical boulder. Somehow, the silhouette appeared a little familiar.

Instead of rushing forward to confront the Otherworldly Demons, Zhang Xuan hid himself and asked Little Amulet, "What are they doing?"

Most likely, the spherical boulder at the very center was the Stone of Divine Crusade that Little Amulet had mentioned. Why were the Otherworldly Demons squatting around the area instead of going right in to claim it?

"It's not that they don't want to enter the stone forest, but they are unable to do so. It may seem simple enough to walk into the stone forest and claim the Stone of Divine Crusade, but the truth is that there's only a single way to enter the forest. All it takes is one wrong step to be completely devastated by sword qi!" Little Amulet harrumphed.

"Sword qi?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback

He quickly took another look and found that there were a couple of Otherworldly Demons lying by the side with their eyes tightly shut. They had already breathed their last breath.

"Do you know the correct path to entering the stone forest?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"I don't!" Little Amulet replied with a shake of its head. "This is a trial left behind by Kong shi to test the later generations, so there's no way he would grant me knowledge of the answer. However, it's likely to have something to do with what you encountered in the previous domain. Take a closer look. Each of those boulders contain a certain movement of a technique. As long as you can sequence these movements correctly, you should be able to enter the stone forest without any trouble!"

"I see," Zhang Xuan replied contemplatively.

He took a look at the boulders around the stone forest and found that they were made of a similar material to the other boulders in the outer dimension. It seemed like there was some kind of move infused into them.

Flaws!

Having prior experience tackling such a puzzle, Zhang Xuan swiftly gathered all of the movements in the stone boulders and compiled them into a manual in the Library of Heaven's Path.

As there was nothing that he could reference, there were a lot of mistakes.

He altered the compiled manual according to the movements of the Otherworldly Demons in the stone forest, and the number of flaws immediately decreased.

He continued to alter the manual over a hundred times more before the sequence was finally corrected to its flawless form.

"Alright, I am done deducing the sequence. Will I be able to pass through the stone forest by following this sequence?" Zhang Xuan asked once more for verification.

"As long as the sequence is correct, you should be able to get in without any trouble. However, there cannot be any mistakes at all. Otherwise, you'll have difficulties overcoming Kong shi's sword qi," Little Amulet remarked worriedly.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Going through the sequence once more, he was just about to enter the stone forest when he suddenly halted.

The movements of the boulders came together to form a complete technique. However... what if the technique in this stone forest was flawed?

He was confident in the competence of the Library of Heaven's Path. Any technique that had gone through the verification of the Library of Heaven's Path had to be in its most perfect form. However, there was no guarantee that the person who had set up the stone forest would be correct!

Such a situation had happened earlier in the stone forest dimension! The errors made by the silhouette there could still be corrected, but errors here could easily result in his death!

"Infernal Blacksaber!"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan whipped out the Infernal Blacksaber.

Even if he came under a barrage of sword qi, the Ancient Sage Infernal Blacksaber should still be able to withstand it.

Following which, he summoned the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Five Monarchs. "I'll be entering now. The rest of you, follow behind me. If any of the Otherworldly Demons dare to wreak havoc, kill them without any hesitation! Don't let any of them escape!"

Then, he went through the sequence that he had derived using the Library of Heaven's Path once more before making his way in.

So far, he had not found the exit of the stone forest dimension. However, going by the rules of the other dimensions, it was likely that the exit was amid the boulders that reflected the technique that he had just grasped.

After all, the crux of each dimension had always been the key to obtaining the ultimate treasure in the Subordinate Hall! If he had managed to get to the crux of the dimension, he would have known the correct sequence to clearing the stone forest before him and acquired the Stone of Divine Crusade.

Since he was already there, it was too late for him to return to the stone forest dimension and experiment. Thus, he could only take a step at a time and pray fervently that the technique that Kong shi had personally created had no flaws at all!

Zhang Xuan walked up to the very first boulder and brushed past it. However, he did not invoke the attack from the stone forest. He quickly continued proceeding deeper in.

"You..."

Taking a few more steps, he finally stumbled upon the Otherworldly Demons, who were scratching their heads for a solution. Too lazy to even make a move on them, Zhang Xuan simply flitted past them and proceeded ahead.

"Heh! A fool rushing to his death..."

Seeing the human who had appeared out of nowhere charging in without the slightest hesitation, the Otherworldly Demons sneered coldly.

It had taken the deaths of several of their companions in order for them to comprehend the rules of the stone forest. They knew that they could not mess around in the stone forest, or else they would suffer tragic deaths before they knew it.

On the other hand, that fellow had actually charged randomly around the area as soon as he arrived. This worked in their favor, too. They could use that fellow as a sacrificial pawn to help them scout out the road.

With such thoughts in mind, they gazed upon the young man with contemptuous smiles on their faces. Yet, contrary to their expectations, the young man proceeded deeper and deeper into the stone forest, not sustaining the slightest damage at all. Slowly, the smiles on their faces faded.

"This isn't right... He seems to know the correct path! Quick, follow him!"

No matter how foolish they might have been, the truth could not have been more apparent after seeing this sight. It was obvious that the young man knew the right path! Thus, the leading Otherworldly Demon barked out an order and quickly traced Zhang Xuan's trail.

However, after taking a few steps, they suddenly felt an intense killing intent pouring down on them. Turning around, they saw a bunch of beasts and artifacts charging up to them.

"Get them!" Ding Ding bellowed coldly, and the hordes of beasts and artifacts charged forth.

Piliipala!

A few minutes later, the Otherworldly Demons were left lying on the ground, their eyes bulging in disbelief even after they had breathed their last breath.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1749: Advancement in Soul Cultivation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Passing through boulder after boulder, it did not take long for Zhang Xuan to reach the stone platform at the very center. He could not help but frown in astonishment.

I'm not getting attacked at all... Could it be that this technique has reached the level of a Heaven's Path technique as well? If that's the case, who in the world would be able to cultivate it?

The sequence that he had used was based on the perfect manual that he had compiled using the Library of Heaven's Path, and it was actually the correct answer to clearing the stone forest!

Did this not mean that the secret art left in this stone forest had also reached the level of a Heaven's Path technique?

Could Kong shi really possess the Library of Heaven's Path, just like me? Zhang Xuan deduced contemplatively.

Considering that this trial was in one of the Subordinate Halls, it was likely that the secret art had been left behind by Kong shi. Zhang Xuan was certain that it would be impossible for anyone who did not possess the Heaven's Path zhenqi to successfully practice any Heaven's Path technique.

Otherwise, he would not have had to impart a simplified version to them each and every time.

The fact that Kong shi had created such a secret art meant that it was highly likely that the other party possessed the Heaven's Path zhenqi and was able to practice Heaven's Path techniques. The only possibility of that happening was if Kong shi possessed the Library of Heaven's Path as well!

Zhang Xuan pondered on this matter for a while, but he knew that the only way to verify it was for him to meet Kong shi once more. Thus, he decisively tossed the matter to the back of his head and calmed his mind down. Following which, he slowly walked up to the Stone of Divine Crusade on top of the stone platform and grabbed it.

Weng!

Sensing Zhang Xuan's approaching hand, the Stone of Divine Crusade emanated a blinding light. In an instant, Zhang Xuan felt as if someone had plunged his soul into the midst of burning lava, causing searing heat to suffuse his body.

"Humph!"

Given how Zhang Xuan was able to survive even the Empyrean Heavenly Flame, what could heat of this level possibly do to him? He swiftly suppressed the burning sensation within before biting his finger and dripping a droplet of blood on the Stone of Divine Crusade.

It did not take long before the Stone of Divine Crusade finally abandoned all attempts to retaliate and acknowledged him as its master.

As soon as he received the acknowledgement of the Stone of Divine Crusade, the searing sensation swiftly vanished, replaced with a feeling of warmth. As the silhouette on the Stone of Divine Crusade moved, a surge of concentrated soul energy gushed into his body, nourishing his Primordial Spirit.

Zhang Xuan immediately knew that this was a good opportunity for him to push for a breakthrough, so he crossed his legs and sat down. He drew his Primordial Spirit out of his body and touched the Stone of Divine Crusade.

Hong long long!

As concentrated soul energy flowed from the Stone of Divine Crusade into his Primordial Spirit, Zhang Xuan could feel himself growing stronger and stronger. It did not take long before his current bottleneck was torn down, and his soul cultivation surged into higher realms.

Two hours later...

He had already reached Great Sage 3-dan Intuitive Impulse realm consummation.

After reaching that realm, the rate of advancement of his soul cultivation suddenly slowed considerably. Lowering his gaze, he noticed that the silhouette dancing on the Stone of Divine Crusade had already come to a halt, as if fatigued from all its dancing.

"It seems like the Stone of Divine Crusade needs to recharge..." Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

The Stone of Divine Crusade harnessed concentrated soul energy that could be used to raise one's soul cultivation, but just like spirit stones, the amount of soul energy within it was limited. It could not supply an endless stream of soul energy.

However, after taming the Stone of Divine Crusade, Zhang Xuan knew that unlike spirit stones, the Stone of Divine Crusade was not a one-time use artifact. It could be reused once more after it was allowed to recharge for some time.

Otherwise, it would not have been placed at the center of one of the Subordinate Halls, requiring one to overcome numerous trials to acquire.

Now that my soul cultivation has reached the Intuitive Impulse realm, I wonder if that is possible...

At the Intuitive Impulse realm, a cultivator would be able to vaguely sense the will of the heavens, allowing him to take steps to avert danger. As one who possessed the Library of Heaven's Path, he knew that he would suffer the backlash of heavens if he raised his cultivation to that level. So, he wondered if it would be the same for his soul cultivation as well.

Thus, he returned his Primordial Spirit to his physical body and tried to grasp at the intangible will of the heavens.

Kacha! Kacha!

The next moment, a powerful streak of lightning descended from the heavens, causing his body to convulse under its might.

"Indeed..." Zhang Xuan's cheeks twitched as he grumbled with a darkened face.

He had thought that his Primordial Spirit might be an exception to the rule, but it seemed like that was not the case.

From the looks of it, it was impossible for him to try peering into the secrets of the heavens. Divine retribution would instantaneously fall upon him the moment that he tried to do so.

However, the most powerful ability that Intuitive Impulse realm experts wielded was their ability to predict the future in advance. If he could not utilize that ability, his fighting prowess would be severely compromised.

Since that could not be helped, he would just have to regard this as a simple advancement in his zhenqi and strength.

Previously, he would still have struggled a little to confront a Sempiternal realm consummation expert with the Dragonbone Divine Spear. If he wanted to kill the other party, he would have to either launch an unexpected assault or use other means to support him. However, with the advancement in his soul cultivation, he could already crush the other party through sheer strength.

Hu!

Knowing that it would be hard for him to further advance his cultivation within a short period of time, Zhang Xuan was just about to place the Stone of Divine Crusade back into his storage ring when he heard an anxious voice. "Master, can you lend me that stone in your hand?"

Hearing that voice, Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in agitation.

"Vicious, when did you wake up?" he asked anxiously.

The voice came from none other than Vicious, who had gone into hibernation while trying to assimilate his upper body.

Zhang Xuan did not think that the other party would awaken at a time like this.

"I woke up after sensing the soul energy emanated by the Stone of Divine Crusade. Master, can you lend me that for a use? My soul is currently a little weak, and that stone will help me swiftly recover from my weakness!" Vicious requested.

Zhang Xuan was slightly surprised to see that Vicious was able to recognize the Stone of Divine Crusade, but considering that he had fought on equal terms with Kong shi in the past, it was indeed likely that he would be well-versed in the treasures of Kong shi.

"But I have already absorbed all the soul energy in the Stone of Divine Crusade," Zhang Xuan replied with a frown.

Similar to a spirit stone devoid of spiritual energy, he did not see how the empty Stone of Divine Crusade would be of any use to Vicious.

"Master, if all the Stone of Divine Crusade is capable of was storing soul energy, it would be unqualified to be considered as one of Kong shi's prized possessions. Master, please bring me out and pass the stone to me!" Vicious implored.

"Alright then!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out the Book of Heaven's Path and placed the Stone of Divine Crusade on it.

Huala!

The Book of Heaven's Path opened, revealing half of Vicious' body. With a light tap, the Stone of Divine Crusade flew out and revolved steadily around the Otherworldly Demons who had been killed in the stone forest earlier.

Weng!

A few moments later, the silhouette on the surface of the Stone of Divine Crusade began moving once more as a brilliant light shone from it.

"This... The Stone of Divine Crusade is absorbing the souls of others!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

Through the Eye of Insight, he could see the Stone of Divine Crusade purifying the souls of the deceased Otherworldly Demons and converting them into concentrated soul energy.

"Un. The Stone of Divine Crusade has the ability to cleanse and devour souls. To soul cultivators, it's a treasure on par with Ancient Sage artifacts. In fact, the Seal of Souls of the Soul Oracle Guild is made out of the same material as the Stone of Divine Crusade!" Vicious explained.

"The Seal of Souls is made out of the same material?" Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before widening his eyes in realization.

It was no wonder he found the Stone of Divine Crusade rather familiar. So that was the reason!

One must know that the Seal of Souls was currently sitting quietly in his storage ring. It was just that he had not really used it yet.

"To be able to absorb souls and convert them into concentrated soul energy... the ability of the Stone of Divine Crusade is indeed terrifying!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

If all the Stone of Divine Crusade was capable of doing was supplying one with concentrated soul energy between long intervals, it would be unworthy of being called an ultimate treasure. After all, there were probably plenty of resources out there that could substitute it. However, if it was able to recharge swiftly as well by absorbing and cleansing souls, it would indeed be a formidable artifact worthy of becoming any major clan's family heirloom!

"You can hold onto it!"

The ability of the Stone of Divine Crusade could be said to be a malevolent one. However, Zhang Xuan believed that it was foolish to classify artifacts as 'malevolent' or 'benevolent'. Ultimately, it depended on who was using it. In the hands of a good person, even the most vicious weapon could be used for good. Conversely, in the hands of a bad person, even the most seemingly harmless object could be used for evil.

Thinking back, the trial to obtain the Stone of Divine Crusade had been unbelievably harsh. The requirement to clear the stone forest was actually to cultivate a secret art that had reached the level of Heaven's Path... and this was a feat impossible for any cultivators without the Library of Heaven's Path!

Somehow, Zhang Xuan felt as if Kong shi was aware of his existence. It was as if the Stone of Divine Crusade had been left just for him.

After all, no one other than him could have reached the Stone of Divine Crusade!

"Thank you, Master!" Vicious thanked Zhang Xuan in agitation.

Following which, he began to absorb the soul energy of the Stone of Divine Crusade and reinforce his soul.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1750: Apricot Pavilion

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"How far has your strength recovered after assimilating your upper body?" Zhang Xuan asked as he watched Vicious recovering more and more as he absorbed the energy from the Stone of Divine Crusade.

Vicious had recovered a great deal by assimilating his finger, head, and eyes. Considering how huge his entire upper body was, he should be able to raise his cultivation significantly by assimilating it as well.

"Master, my strength is currently equivalent to a newly ascended Ancient Sage!" Vicious replied.

"Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

He had been wondering if Vicious' fighting prowess would be raised to Ancient Sage after assimilating the upper body, and that was indeed the case!

Even if Vicious only wielded strength comparable to a new Ancient Sage, given his previous fighting experience, the chances were that he would be far stronger than the Ancient Sage Otherworldly Demon corpse that he had forged.

Paired with the Infernal Blacksaber, that would be equivalent to having a real Ancient Sage protecting him all the time. He would not have to be too worried about his safety for the time being.

"Un. My upper body has been suppressed under the Sanctum of Sages for tens of thousands of years, and all of the killing intent within has pretty much been squeezed out, leaving behind nothing but pure power. In my current state, I should be able to pass off as a master teacher while using my powers without anyone seeing through it!" Vicious added.

"That's really great!" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Even with his standing on the Master Teacher Continent, it would still be unsafe for him to get too involved with the Otherworldly Demons. Considering the tension between mankind and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, a simple accusation that he was colluding with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe could land him in deep trouble. Thus, as far as he could, he wanted to distance himself from any possible connections with the enemy.

Considering how Sage Kui was Kong shi's grandstudent, as well as the fact that he had made use of his sculpture and the academic aura in the Sanctum of Sages to suppress Vicious' upper body for tens of thousands of years, it was no wonder that the killing intent within had been purified.

With this, he would be able to use Vicious without worrying about others misunderstanding him.

"Alright, I'll leave you to recover your soul. Try to get to your peak as soon as possible!" Knowing that he had yet another powerful trump card in his possession, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before making his way out of the stone forest.

The opened Temple of Confucius had attracted many Ancient Sages, and it was likely that some of them bore malicious intentions toward him. The stronger Vicious was, the greater the guarantee on his safety.

In any case, it would never hurt to be more careful.

Stowing his artifacts and tamed beasts away, Zhang Xuan returned to the hall and collected the paintings on the wall one after another. Then, he turned around and headed to the entrance.

Leaving the Hall of Divine Crusade, he saw that there was a large group of master teachers outside sitting around the perimeter of the Subordinate Hall, still deeply focused on learning the secret arts inscribed on the walls.

"Where else could Yuan Tao be if he isn't here?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

The fact that there were only Otherworldly Demons there meant that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had not been there. If that was the case... where did Yuan Tao go?

Zhang Xuan intended to return to the stone forest dimension to continue searching for Yuan Tao when he suddenly felt something. He flicked his wrist and took out his Communication Jade Token.

There was a line of words on the token.

"Zhang Xuan, come to the Apricot Pavilion as soon as you can!"

"A message from Luo Ruoxin? Apricot Pavilion... Where is the Apricot Pavilion? Wait a moment, is it possible to send messages across different dimensions?" Zhang Xuan was confused.

He had tried when he first arrived, and the conclusion that he had come to was that the Communication Jade Token only worked when they were in the same dimensions. Yet, he had received Luo Ruoxin's message...

He was certain that the Apricot Pavilion was not in that dimension, or he would have already seen it.

When did it become possible to send messages across different dimensions? If it was possible to do so, why had he not been able to reach Luo Ruoxin or his parents earlier on?

As if sensing Zhang Xuan's doubt, Luo Ruoxin sent another message over. "The Apricot Pavilion corresponds to the desert dimension. I'll wait for you in the desert dimension."

"Desert dimension?" Zhang Xuan repeated with a frown.

He pondered for a brief moment before returning to the stone forest dimension.

As he knew where the various exits were, it did not take him long to backtrack to the desert dimension.

At that moment, there was no longer any sweltering heat in the desert dimension. Spiritual energy suffused the area. Except for the fact that there was no greenery or native beasts in the dimension, its environment bore some similarities to the forest dimension that he had been in.

Most of the cultivators who had entered the desert dimension chose to sit down on the spot to cultivate, and their hard work had been significantly rewarded.

The Intuitive Impulse realm cultivator whom he had been with earlier had achieved a breakthrough to the Sempiternal realm as well after several hours of absence. At the same time, he also looked much younger in terms of appearance.

Knowing that this was the mystical effects of the Temple of Confucius, Zhang Xuan did not dwell too much on it. He quickly determined the direction to the oasis and flitted over. It did not take long before he found Luo Ruoxin and Wu Chen.

"You're here," Luo Ruoxin remarked with a smile. As if seeing right through Zhang Xuan's doubts, she explained, "The dimensions in the Temple of Confucius have already been opened. It's no surprise that we are able to send messages to one another now that the space has been joined together.

"The space has been joined together?" Zhang Xuan taken aback for a moment before widening his eyes in realization.

It seemed like when he opened an exit, he was effectively joining two dimensions together. Considering how master teachers were now able to traverse from dimension to dimension without any trouble, it was not surprising that messages were able to do the same.

"How did you know that this dimension corresponds to the Apricot Pavilion?" Zhang Xuan asked.

It was impossible to know what the name of the Subordinate Hall was before entering it. If Luo Ruoxin knew such details about the Temple of Confucius, why did she not tell him in advance?

"Considering how some people have already been to the exteriors of the Temple of Confucius, it isn't too surprising that I know. Not only so, I have also managed to find out the details of the other Subordinate Halls," Luo Ruoxin said.

"All in all, the six Subordinate Halls are the Great Kui Hall of Literature, Apricot Pavilion, Twin Auxiliary Halls, Hall of Great Accomplishment, Hall of Lull, and Hall of Divine Crusade. Those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers possess the Celestial Amulet of Legacy to enter the Great Kui Hall of Literature, and they have already taken away Kong shi's entire collection of books. The Master Teacher Pavilion has the amulet to enter the Twin Auxiliary Halls.

"The amulets in the possession of the Luo Clan, Zhang Clan, and Otherworldly Demonic Tribe correspond to the Hall of Lull, Hall of Great Accomplishment, and Hall of Divine Crusade respectively. Those places have already been opened and explored, leaving only the Apricot Pavilion behind. If I'm not mistaken, you are the one who took the crux of the desert dimension away, right? Let's enter the Apricot Pavilion together and see how we can obtain the ultimate treasure of this Subordinate Hall!"

"Are you referring to this seedling?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Un." Luo Ruoxin nodded in response. "We need to hurry up. There are already a couple of people there, and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers are also intending to use Yuan Tao's Emperor Bloodline to get into the Apricot Pavilion. I'm not too sure what exactly they are intending to do."

"I understand!" Hearing that Yuan Tao was in the area as well, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let's go in!" Luo Ruoxin turned to Wu Chen.

"Un!" Wu Chen nodded before tapping his finger upward.

Si la!

A crack appeared in the space above the oasis, and a spatial passageway formed before their eyes. Vaguely, one could see a grand palace at the very end of the passageway.

"Tearing apart space with just a single finger?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Having been to the desert dimension before, he knew how resilient its space was. At the very least, one had to reach Ancient Sage in order to be able to tear apart its space. Yet, Wu Chen was able to pierce through it with just a single finger, much more easily than what the Infernal Blacksaber was capable of. Could it be that he had stumbled upon his own fortuitous encounter and successfully advanced to Ancient Sage?

"Let's go."

Luo Ruoxin noted the confusion in Zhang Xuan's eyes, but perhaps because they were in a rush, she did not explain the matter to him. Instead, she took the lead and flew into the spatial passageway.

Zhang Xuan followed closely behind her.

Just like the previous few times that he had arrived in an exterior of the Temple of Confucius, he found himself standing before a towering building after traveling for some time. There were two massive words inscribed on the entrance plaque that radiated faint light—Apricot Pavilion!

Just as Luo Ruoxin had said, there were a lot of people gathered outside the Apricot Pavilion. There were some from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, some from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and a couple of those from the Beast Tribe as well. Heavy tension weighed in the air although the different parties did not come to blows with one another. They seemed to be waiting patiently for the final Subordinate Hall of the Temple of Confucius to be opened.

Vaguely, one could feel overwhelming auras lingering in the background. It seemed like the only reason that they were enjoying this eerie, transient peace was because of the Ancient Sages tying one another down.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1751: Apricot Tree

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Zhang shi!"

As soon as Zhang Xuan arrived in the area as well, Ren shi from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters immediately headed forward to greet him.

Following which, the Luo Clan's Luo Ganzhen, Jiang Clan's Jiang Fangyou, and a couple other powerhouses from the Master Teacher Continent gathered around him.

It seemed like those people had stumbled upon their own fortuitous encounters as well. Just like his parents, they had all reached Sempiternal realm consummation!

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Xuan realized that other than the six outer dimensions and the Subordinate Halls, there were a few unique space-time regions in the Temple of Confucius. Those who managed to stumble upon one would find their flow of time accelerating, and overcoming the bottlenecks that they faced in their cultivation would be much easier.

From the looks of it, it was clear that they had benefited greatly from the Temple of Confucius, and their journey had not been wasted.

On the contrary, it seemed like it was only Zhang Xuan, who had been busy wandering around the area and did not spend too much time cultivating, who was lagging behind the others.

"First and foremost, I should save Yuan Tao..."

While he was chatting, Zhang Xuan caught sight of Yuan Tao's figure amid the crowd where the offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were gathered.

Just like Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan, Yuan Tao's senses had been sealed, so he could not sense that Zhang Xuan was in the vicinity.

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan was intending to head over, Ren shi hurriedly tried to persuade him. "Zhang shi, the Ancient Sages have already announced that the different powers aren't to make a move on one another. Anyone who violates the rules will be killed on the spot!"

"That's a rule that the Ancient Sages decided upon in order to secure the safety of the younger generation. Otherwise, if a battle erupted and all of their geniuses who have a chance of advancing to Ancient Sage were killed, their journey here would have been in vain!" Luo Ganzhen added.

"Given the current circumstances, it would be best not to get into a conflict with them. Besides, with our Ancient Sages around, I doubt that they will dare harm Yuan Tao!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan knew that what Luo Ganzhen said was right, but he could not help hesitating.

"They're right," Luo Ruoxin remarked with a smile. "The Hundred Schools of Philosophers won't harm Yuan Tao yet. If we make a reckless move here, the situation could take a turn for the worse. It would be better to save him after we enter the Apricot Pavilion, where the Ancient Sages can no longer interfere. Besides, this might also be a good opportunity for Yuan Tao!"

"Good opportunity?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Un. The Apricot Pavilion is the area where Kong shi imparted his teachings to others, so his words echo within the entire building. Since the Hundred Schools of Philosophers has kidnapped Yuan Tao, it's certain that they have made preparations for something with his Emperor Bloodline. This could be an opportunity for him, and it would be a huge loss if we saved him right now. Taking a step back, even if he is placed in a dangerous position, we can step in and save him at any moment!" Luo Ruoxin said.

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

He did not know that the Apricot Pavilion was the place where Kong shi had imparted his teachings to others.

Back then, when he was still in the Hongyuan Empire, he had made a reputation for himself with his Impartation of Heaven's Will by inducing the breakthrough of cultivators, animals, and even plants. Considering that Kong shi was far stronger than him, his teachings were bound to be on a far higher level.

It was no wonder a mere root was able to trap so many powerful experts at once. Most likely, the root had also listened to Kong shi's teachings, and its sentience blossomed, thus bestowing it extraordinary capabilities!

"It's going to open very soon!"

While the few of them were talking among themselves, a loud rumbling sound reminiscent of thunder echoed from the underground. Following which, the seal shrouding the Apricot Pavilion emanated a brilliant flash of light.

With the experience from the Hall of Great Accomplishment, Zhang Xuan knew that this was a sign that the Subordinate Hall was about to open, and his hands could not help but tremble slightly in anticipation.

Weng!

Soon, the massive gates slowly creaked open.

"Let's go!" a person amid the crowd bellowed.

After that, Yuan Tao made an incision at the tip of his finger and squeezed out a droplet of blood. The energy within the blood swiftly enveloped the group from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, and they began making their way to the seal. They were able to slip right through the seal without any issues.

A lot of the Otherworldly Demons also made their way to the seal as well. It was unsure what kind of secret art they used, but shockingly, they were actually able to bypass the seal to enter the Apricot Pavilion!

Noting the doubtful look on Zhang Xuan's face, Luo Ruoxin telepathically explained, "There are some Otherworldly Demons who possess similar constitutions to Yuan Tao."

Hearing that, Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Unique constitutions were not a trait unique to just humans. It was not too surprising that the Otherworldly Demons had unique constitutions similar to those of humans.

Hu la!

After the Otherworldly Demons entered, those from the Beast Tribe quickly flew toward the seal as well.

Unlike the other two groups, they threw an amulet into the air, and the amulet swiftly enveloped them in a unique layer of energy. It was the last Celestial Amulet of Legacy!

As many had guessed, it was really in the hands of the Beast Tribe!

"Let's enter as well!" Seeing that most of the powers had entered the Subordinate Hall, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took Little Amulet.

He was just about to shroud the entire crowd with the powers of Little Amulet when Wu Chen suddenly clasped his fist and said, "Milady and Zhang shi, I'll wait outside for the two of you."

After saying those words, he took a step back and retreated from the area shrouded by Little Amulet.

As if knowing that Wu Chen would make such a decision, Luo Ruoxin nodded calmly in response. "Un. Let's go!"

"He..." Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

"He's already an Ancient Sage. Even with the powers of the Prime Amulet, he won't be able to enter the Subordinate Hall!" Luo Ruoxin explained.

"As expected..." Hearing Luo Ruoxin admitting it, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

He had guessed that earlier, but to think that it was actually true!

It seemed like the Aeon of Ancient Sage in the Hall of Great Accomplishment was not the only way for one to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage in the Temple of Confucius. Most likely, Wu Chen had stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter of his own.

Hulala!

Zhang Xuan released some of the tamed beasts from his Myriad Anthive Nest and brought Luo Ganzhen, Jiang Fangyou, and the others into the majestic palace before him instead.

Unlike the other Subordinate Halls, what lay beyond the entrance was not a vast room but a courtyard that spanned a diameter of a hundred meters. At the very center was a towering altar locked down by some kind of seal. Nevertheless, an oppressive aura could be felt drifting forth from it, keeping everyone at bay.

On the two sides of the towering altar were dozens of apricot trees planted neatly in two rows. It was still in the midst of winter in the Apricot Hall, so the trees had already shed their leaves, leaving behind forlorn branches.

The space directly in front of the towering altar was filled with round cushions. With just a swift glance, Zhang Xuan could tell that there were at least three thousand of them. Most likely, this corresponded to Kong shi's three thousand students.

"So, this is the Apricot Pavilion." Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had thought that the place would appear to be more sacred or deific. Contrary to his expectations, it looked very ordinary.

"When Kong shi imparted his teachings, his students would be listening below!" Luo Ruoxin explained with a nod. "Don't underestimate this place. As shabby as it might appear to you, it's actually the most important location in the Temple of Confucius aside from the Prime Hall!"

"It's the most important location aside from the Prime Hall?" Zhang Xuan frowned in confusion.

Other than the towering altar and a couple of trees, there was nothing that seemed to be of significance within this courtyard. It did not feel like a place where treasures would be kept. He honestly could not tell how important this place was supposed to be.

"Kong shi's Impartation of Heaven's Will reached an advanced level. Those cushions and apricot trees likely possess lives of their own. Otherwise, those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would have already charged right ahead to the altar. They wouldn't be standing there motionlessly, clearly biding their time!" Luo Ruoxin told Zhang Xuan telepathically.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows leaped up in astonishment.

When he utilized the Impartation of Heaven's Will back at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he had managed to instill spirit even within ordinary weapons. As such, it was no wonder that Kong shi was able to bestow sentience upon mere cushions and trees.

Seeing that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were dawdling in front, refusing to proceed at all, one of the beasts impatiently growled, "Are you all heading forward or not? Otherwise, we'll be making our way over first..."

"If you aren't going to enter, we'll be moving ahead of you. You'd better not dream of snatching whatever treasure we obtain from us, or else we'll give you hell to pay for!" another beast spat coldly.

A young man from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, seemingly their leader, chuckled softly and said, "Feel free to enter if you wish to. We're intending to wait a little longer!"

He was none other than the scholarly young man whom Zhang Xuan had encountered at the White Creek Mountain, the descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, Yan Xue.

"So be it!" Seeing that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers was really not intending to make a move, the beast harrumphed coldly. "A useless bunch of cowards you lot are. Since they don't dare enter, let's go in!"

With that, the beast began dashing toward the cushions right in front.

From experience, the beast knew that even the most ordinary looking object in the Temple of Confucius could possibly be an invaluable treasure. Considering how these cushions had remained perfectly intact even after the passing of tens of thousands of years, there was no doubt that there was something special about them.

Hula!

But before the beast could even reach the cushions, the sharp sound of something piercing through the air echoed. It hurriedly turned its head around, only to see a tree branch surging in its direction. The branch's movement was so forceful that it tore a black rift in its path of motion.

Wuuuuuuu!

At the same time, a couple of apricot trees marched forward and encircled the beasts.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1752: Yan Xue's Astonishment

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"A mere couple of trees actually dare to block our path? Dream on!"

The beast who had spoken earlier raised its talons and swiped it down.

Its talons were incredibly sharp, possibly on par with Great Sage artifacts. With its aggressive move, the surrounding space shuddered a little, and small pitch-black dimension rifts appeared in the air.

The talons and fangs of those from the Beast Tribe were top-notch materials for forging Great Sage artifacts. Furthermore, the beast wielded strength on par with the Five Monarchs. Even Sempiternal realm consummation master teachers would have trouble defending against its assault.

Under normal circumstances, such sharp talons should have been more than enough to tear the tree branches into shreds. Yet, before those talons could reach their target, a resounding 'pah' sound suddenly echoed in the air.

A glaring laceration appeared on the face of the beast. A tree branch had materialized from nowhere and whipped the beast right in its face!

"Roar!"

The burning pain on its face left the beast feeling deeply humiliated and frenzied. It swiped its claws furiously against the tree branches ahead of it, creating a nearly impregnable wall of attacks before it. Despite that, the tree branch was still able to slip past its defenses during crucial moments and accurately strikes its areas of weakness.

Before long, the body of the beast was already covered with glaring lacerations, and fresh blood flowed ceaselessly from its body.

Seeing that their leader was in a disadvantageous position, the remaining beasts immediately rushed forward to offer their support. However, as tree branches whipped through the air, it did not take long for them to be grounded on the floor, completely powerless to retaliate at all.

"This..."

Seeing such a sight, the eyebrows of the crowd twitched frenziedly. They were unable to believe what they were seeing.

Those of the Beast Tribe were known to possess superior physical prowess compared to average cultivators, yet they were all done in by a single apricot tree.

"Heh!"

Witnessing such a sight, the scholarly young man, Yan Xue, chuckled softly before closing his eyes, as if he had expected things to end in such a manner.

A young man from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers walked up to Yan Xue and asked with a suppressed voice, "Shall we make a move? If we could save them right now, we might be able to win their gratitude and successfully tame them."

Considering how badly those beasts were being pummeled, if they could intervene at this moment and save them, it was very likely that they could win their goodwill and convince them to serve as their tamed beasts.

"There's no need for that. Putting aside the fact that it's uncertain whether we'll be able to save them or not, just the fact that we didn't stop them earlier is enough to turn their hostility toward us," Yan Xue replied calmly. "Besides, these apricot trees only serve to halt intruders from proceeding any further. They won't kill anyone, so you don't have to worry!"

"Alright then!" The young man nodded.

It was indeed likely that those beasts would harbor some grudges toward them for not stopping them when they attempted to advance earlier. Even if they were to step forward and save them right now, those beasts would only take it as if they were trying to humiliate them. In the worst-case scenario, the beasts might even direct their wrath toward them!

"Those beasts won't be able to get away. Once we succeed, they will follow us around obediently. Then, we won't be able to shake them off even if we want to..." Yan Xue chuckled softly.

At this moment, however, a young man at the very back of the crowd suddenly dashed forward as swift as a bolt of lightning.

Hu!

In the blink of an eye, he was already right before the beasts. He adeptly weaved a net using his zhenqi and dragged all of the beasts out of the attacking range of the apricot trees.

"Thank you for saving our lives..."

Knowing that the young man was trying to save them, the beasts turned to him with looks of gratitude. However, contrary to expectations, the young man suddenly dashed right into their midst and...

Pilipala!

Fists and kicks were hurled here and there.

The beasts were stunned.

Those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe were stunned as well.

They had thought that the young man had saved those beasts in order to win their goodwill and successfully recruit them to his side. Yet, after saving them from the whipping branches of the apricot trees, he proceeded to pummel them by himself. What the heck?

The apricot trees also stared at one another in confusion. The tree branches that they had extended to teach the young man a lesson for interfering in their affairs retracted in apprehension.

They had thought that the young man was trying to save those beasts from them, but it turned out that he wanted to pummel them as well! Was it because their whipping had awakened something in the depths of his heart and he wanted to give it a try?

"This is our opportunity!"

Yan Xue was stunned for a moment before a confident smile crept onto his lips. He immediately turned to the other offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and urged, "Those beasts are being unjustly tortured by that young man over there! As long as we step forward to stop that young man, we'll be able to win their gratitude and loyalty!"

"Yes!" Hearing those words, the crowd nodded in agreement.

The beasts there had all reached Sempiternal realm consummation. Taming any one of them would mean a massive surge in their fighting prowess. If they could return to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers with even one of them, their standing would surely rise through the ranks!

"Let's save those beasts from the distress they are in!"

Thus, the young men hurriedly rushed forward and brandished the swords in their hands toward the young man physically abusing those beasts.

"What are you doing? Stop your ridiculous actions!"

"It's fate that we met here. Friends from the Beast Tribe, we can't watch idly as you are bullied by this young man!"

"Friends from the Beast Tribe, we are here to save you!"

The young men issued resounding declarations, spouting righteous words one after another. In that moment, they seemed like heroes who had taken it upon themselves to vanquish the world of evil.

"Those fellows sure catch on fast." Yan Xue nodded in approval. "They know what they have to do in order to win the gratitude of those beasts. As long as they win the goodwill of the beasts, it will be much easier for them to tame them afterward."

He was just about to continue issuing a few more orders to direct the situation when his eyes suddenly bulged out of his eyes. An utterly horrified expression appeared on his face as an expletive escaped from his mouth. "Sh*t! What the heck is happening now?"

Before the swords of his comrades could even strike the young man pummeling those beasts, the beasts roared furiously. They swiped their claws and swept their tails toward his comrades, and in the blink of an eye, the geniuses of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were lying on the ground, bruised all over.

Not only so, the de facto leader of the Beast Tribe even howled in fury. "What the heck are you lot from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers trying to pull? Try hindering us one more time from getting pummeled, and I swear that I'll eat all of you alive!"

"This bunch of idiots! Can't you all see that we are enjoying the pummeling that this expert is bestowing upon us?"

"Shameless hero wannabes! Scram and stop bothering us!"

The beasts bellowed with the utmost fury. After sending the crowd flying, they turned back to the young man and pitifully pleaded, "Please continue to hit us as hard as you can! Please! Harder! Harder!"

"..." Yan Xue and the others clutched their hair in frenzy.

The eyes of the Otherworldly Demons also grew as wide as chicken eggs, and they even forgot to gulp down their saliva.

The apricot trees had also stopped moving, and their branches had fallen to the wintry ground out of utter shock. It was as if they could not process what was going on.

Those of the Beast Tribe had always been known to be haughty and egoistical. Why in the world were they deriving joy from being pummeled like that?

There had been cries of agony, not cries of delight, when the apricot trees were pummeling them earlier. Did something weird awaken in them during this short period of time?

"Submit to me, and I'll beat you up whenever I have time!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand grandly.

The hide of the beasts was a little too thick. His hand was starting to hurt from all the pummeling that he had done.

"That would be our pleasure! Paying respects to Master!"

"Long live our Master! Woo..."

Huala!

The next moment, all of the beasts kneeled onto the ground with proud looks on their faces. It was clear that they did not think that it was beneath them to acknowledge the young man as their master.

Kacha!

Yan Xue tugged out a clump of hair from the top of his head, but too overwhelmed with shock, he could not feel anything at all.

The heck! What the hell are you all feeling so proud about!

You are going to become someone's tamed beasts! No matter how high your standing may be, it doesn't change the fact that you are a mere pet. A pet, do you get it? Is this something to be happy about?

To actually submit to someone else after being pummeled... When did those of the Beast Tribe become so easy to tame?

After taming the beasts, the young man waved his hand before walking into the midst of the apricot trees. "Alright, I have exacted vengeance for you!"

Seeing how the young man had become so bloated up after taming those beasts, Yan Xue could not help but sneer coldly. "He's courting death!"

Whatever tricks he had used on the beasts in order to tame them, there was no way that it would work on the apricot trees.

Those apricot trees were existences that had heard Kong shi's teachings! Confronting them was no different from courting death!

Before Yan Xue's contemptuous gaze, the young man had finally arrived right before the apricot trees.

Hula!

The apricot trees swiftly encircled the young man, leaving no room for the latter to retreat at all.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1753: Dictum of Absolute Truth, Decree to Dictate Spring and Autumn

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The young man who had tamed the beasts and stepped into the midst of the apricot trees was, of course, none other than Zhang Xuan.

Seeing that there were so many beasts who wielded strength on par with the Five Monarchs, there was no way that he was going to pass on this ideal opportunity to bolster his forces. Thus, when he saw the tree branches whipping them viciously, his first reaction had been to dash forward and save them before pummeling them himself.

Through injecting the Heaven's Path zhenqi into their bodies, he was able to heal their injuries and remove whatever traumas were within their bodies. His actions had immediately won him the respect and gratitude of the beasts, and they had willingly acknowledged him as their master.

At that very moment, he was completely surrounded by a thick layer of apricot trees. They were eyeing him intently, and it seemed as if they would lash him dead the moment that he showed an opening.

Nevertheless, Zhang Xuan did not panic at all. Instead, he flicked his wrist and took out a jade-like root.

Huala!

It was as if the apricot trees had seen a seal of approval, and they quickly opened up a path for Zhang Xuan to pass through.

Zhang Xuan had intended on passing right through the opened path, but he suddenly halted and pondered for a moment. Then, he sent a telepathic message to the apricot trees. "Wait a moment. The reason you are so powerful is that you listened to Kong shi's teachings, right? Why don't I conduct a lecture for you, too?"

The apricot trees were so formidable because they had listened to Kong shi's teachings. Previously, Zhang Xuan had wondered if Kong shi had the Library of Heaven's Path as well, especially given the fact that the latter was able to cultivate a technique at the level of Heaven's Path. Since these apricot trees had heard Kong shi's teachings before, they should be able to deem whether his lecture or Kong shi's was better.

This could serve as a gauge for him to determine whether Kong shi really possessed the Library of Heaven's Path or not.

It was an indirect manner of doing so, but this was the best he could do at the moment.

"Huala?"

The apricot trees shook their branches in confusion.

We have already opened up a path for you to pass. Why do you still want to conduct a lecture for us?

Paying no heed to the confusion of the apricot trees, Zhang Xuan began on his lecture. "The path of cultivation isn't just limited to men and beasts. Plants are able to seek enlightenment through cultivation as well..."

"Hulala?"

The apricot trees were a little perplexed at the start, but after listening to a portion of the lecture, they began to dance excitedly around the area. It seemed as if they could not curb the overflowing exhilaration in their hearts!

The content of the other party's lecture was as deep and profound as Kong shi's, and every single word that he spoke seemed to hammer right into the core of their existence.

In other words... while the young man before them might not seem like anything much, in terms of imparting knowledge, he was already on par with Kong shi!

While Zhang Xuan was busy imparting knowledge to the apricot trees, Yan Xue, the other offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, and the Otherworldly Demons frowned in incomprehension to the bizarre situation before them.

They had expected that fellow to be whipped viciously once he stepped into the midst of the apricot trees, similar to what had happened with the beasts. Yet, contrary to their expectations, the apricot trees did not make a move on him at all. Instead, they seemed to have fallen into a daze.

"He's sat down. He seems to be saying something... Is he conducting a lecture for the apricot trees?" shouted someone in the crowd.

Upon hearing those words, the crowd swiftly noticed that the lips of the young man were moving nonstop. It was hard to tell what he was saying—it could have been a lecture, or he might just have been conversing with the apricot trees.

Huala!

Before they could recover from their shock, a few apricot trees suddenly lowered all of their tree branches on the ground, as if earnestly paying respect to the young man before them.

"They are trees that have heard Kong shi's teachings, yet... they are acknowledging the young man's lecture?"

Everyone was stunned.

These were trees that had grown to Sempiternal realm consummation listening to Kong shi's lectures. They were strong enough to subdue any cultivators in the same realm as them... So, why in the world were they so obedient toward the young man?

This did not make sense at all!

Hong long long!

At this moment, the ground suddenly quaked. Following which, the crowd saw the wilting leaves fallen on the ground standing up one after another, and they sprinted agitatedly toward the young man, as if drawn in by his teachings.

"Even tree leaves are able to benefit from his teachings?"

The crowd felt as if the boundary between reality and fantasy had been blurred.

It was one thing if trees were able to listen to his lecture. After all, Kong shi had imparted his teachings there for many years, so it was no wonder that the trees had gradually become sentient and gained the ability to cultivate. But those tree leaves... they were already half wilted, and they were on the verge of returning to the earth at any moment. Yet, they were still able to run over to listen to the lecture!

Was this not a little too exaggerated?

A thought suddenly flashed across Yan Xue's mind as he exclaimed in astonishment, "Wait a moment. These trees have already reached Sempiternal realm consummation... so why would they still shed leaves? More importantly, why would these leaves wilt?"

"This..."

Hearing those questions, the crowd behind was stunned.

Indeed! If the tree was able to reach this level of cultivation, every single one of its branches and leaves was comparable to Great Sage artifacts. Be it spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the changing of the seasons would not be able to faze it at all!

"Perhaps the fallen leaves and their wilting might just be a natural process it follows... In other words, when spring comes, these leaves automatically return to the branches instead of growing out new ones!" Yan Xue remarked deeply.

Barely after he finished his words, the wilted leaves that were in the midst of listening to Zhang Xuan's lecture suddenly shuddered a little. Following which, they flew atop the branches of the apricot trees, and their yellowish exterior gradually returned to their former lush green.

At the same time, the apricot trees seemed to have welcomed a new spring.

A youth from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers suddenly recalled something, and he gulped in shock.

" Dictum of Absolute Truth, Decree to Dictate Spring and Autumn 1 ... this is an ability that only Kong shi possessed..."

Legend had it that while Kong shi was traveling around the world, he stumbled upon an old tree that had withered to death. Out of compassion, he held a lecture beneath the old tree, and not long later, the old tree was born anew. Strength and vitality returned to its trunk, fresh green leaves began sprouting on the branches, and delectable fruits grew from blossoming flowers. The old tree had ushered in its new spring.

Out of awe for Kong shi's deeds, his students came up with the analogy 'Decree to Dictate Spring and Autumn'...

Could it be that the young man before them possessed such an ability as well?

"This isn't Dictum of Absolute Truth! The old tree that Kong shi lectured under was already dead whereas these apricot trees are all Sempiternal realm experts. How can the two feats possibly be compared to one another?" Yan Xue exclaimed through gritted teeth.

The Hundred Schools of Philosophers boasted the most complete heritage from Kong shi. Yet, it was ironic how they ended up finding themselves completely helpless in the Temple of Confucius. On the other hand, the fellow was able to make astonishing moves one after another.

This had left Yan Xue feeling deeply humiliated.

"Yan Xue, since the apricot trees and the leaves are in the midst of listening to that fellow's lesson, can't we make use of this opportunity to slip through? It not now, when else should we strike?" a young man said to Yan Xue telepathically.

"This..." Hesitation surfaced in Yan Xue's eyes.

There was some truth to what the young man had told him. The greatest obstruction to them was those apricot trees, and their attention was focused on the young man before them. This was indeed an ideal opportunity for them to strike.

Yan Xue pondered for a moment longer, but he still felt a little worried about the matter. Thus, he turned to the young man who had proposed the idea earlier and said, "You can give it a try then..."

The young man nodded in agreement before making his way forward.

Sou sou sou!

However, before he could even get close to the apricot trees, a sharp moaning sound suddenly resonated in the air. Turning his head anxiously, he saw a huge chunk of tree leaves darting right his way!

Pu!

In an instant, the young man found his chest impaled by dozens of leaves, and fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

Everything happened too quickly. Before the thought of retaliating could even formulate in his mind, he was already severely injured!

Silence!

No one had thought that the tree leaves would be so powerful. After witnessing the sight, no one in the area dared to step forward.

Yan Xue's lips quivered in shock. For a very long time, he was unable to find any words.

He had thought that it was an opportunity for them to strike, but who would have thought that the tree leaves would remain fully on guard even while they were in the midst of listening to the fellow's lecture? It seemed like they were determined not to allow anyone to get past them.

"A wind..."

The crowd was plunged into silence. Just as everyone was at a complete loss as to what to do, a light breeze suddenly whistled from the distance, and it lightly caressed their faces. However, it swiftly grew stronger and stronger, to the point that the tree leaves began rustling noisily.

Soon, the earth also started to quake as well.

"Look!"

Everyone hurriedly raised their heads, and they saw that the altar nearby had started radiating a blinding light. There seemed to be a figure floating quietly in the air. Following which, a grand voice filled the air.

"T-this is... the Empyrean Resonance! It's finally here..." Yan Xue's eyes lit up as his body trembled in agitation.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1754: Yuan Tao Lifts the Altar

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan turned his head over and saw a silhouette on the towering altar conducting a lecture. His words were few, and they were extremely difficult to hear and comprehend at the start. However, as those words struck his consciousness, the doubts that he had harbored regarding cultivation seemed to suddenly clear up.

It was as if he had just spent years immersed within a sea of knowledge, bringing his comprehension of cultivation to a far profounder level.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened in surprise.

He could vaguely sense the intentions behind those indistinct words. They were the interpretation of Heaven's Path techniques verbalized in a concise and very understandable manner, such that any cultivator could easily assimilate it into their field of knowledge.

In imparting the wisdom contained within Heaven's Path techniques to others, it was clear that Kong shi had achieved a far higher level than him!

It was his belief that even though his cultivation was beneath Kong shi, his ability to impart knowledge did not pale too much in comparison to the latter. However, upon hearing the words of the silhouette, he realized that they were not even standing on the same level at the very start!

"This is Kong shi's Simple Words of Profound Wisdom!" Luo Ruoxin's voice suddenly appeared beside Zhang Xuan's ears.

Turning around, Zhang Xuan realized that Luo Ruoxin had come right beside him at some point in time.

"Simple Words of Profound Wisdom?" Zhang Xuan repeated Luo Ruoxin's words with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"It's using the simplest words to depict the most profound logic. His ability to impart knowledge reached a level comparable to the teachings of heavens," Luo Ruoxin said. "There's no denying that Kong shi is a person of great talent, perhaps even surpassing you!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

The words spoken by the silhouette were simple, but they contained the deepest understanding of the world. They brought epiphanies to their listeners, making them aware of things that they had never even considered.

The blue sky, the four seasons, so on, and so forth; there are many phenomena that are very natural to us, and we take them for granted. It's inevitable that we think that we know them very well, but when we try to explain why it is so, we find ourselves unable to verbalize them in a manner that's convincing and credible.

This was similar to the case of Heaven's Path techniques. Beneath their deceptively simplistic exterior, they contained innumerable transformations and profound logic in order to overwhelm any opponent with apparent ease.

Simplifying the profound had never been an easy task, and it would continue to trouble future generations of master teachers.

Yet, Kong shi actually managed to do it!

Finally making sense of what was going on, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a certain matter, and he turned to the young lady beside him and asked, "How were you able to come here?"

Even while he was imparting knowledge to the apricot trees, the latter would still attack whoever dared get close. How did Luo Ruoxin manage to come to his side?

"The phantasm left behind by Kong shi has started its lecture, and those apricot trees and leaves have gone to listen," Luo Ruoxin explained with a smile.

Only at that moment did Zhang Xuan realize that the apricot trees, which had gathered respectfully around him a moment earlier, were already standing beneath the towering altar. They swayed ceaselessly along with the slight breeze, and it was hard to tell whether they were shaking out of agitation or twitching.

"..." Zhang Xuan felt a suffocating sensation in his chest.

In the past, it had always been those who listened to his lecture that became uninterested in the lectures of others. But this time around, the tables had turned. Even after the long lecture that he had conducted, the apricot trees and leaves still left him for a couple of words from Kong shi.

Hualala!

Just as Zhang Xuan was feeling a little uncomfortable on the inside, the Otherworldly Demons and Hundred Schools of Philosophers in the area suddenly rushed forward and sat down on the round cushions in front of the towering altar.

"Is this the opportunity that they have been waiting for?" Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before realization struck him.

Ever since they entered the Apricot Pavilion, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had opted to remain in the outer perimeters of the courtyard, refusing to step in as if they were waiting for something. From the looks of it, they had been waiting for Kong shi to begin his lecture.

"While the altar where Kong shi imparts his teachings from is made out of ordinary materials, years of Kong shi's lectures blessed the altar with his spirit and power, forming some kind of phantasm," Luo Ruoxin explained. "Rather than saying that the silhouette on the altar is Kong shi, it would be more accurate to say that it is traces left behind of him over time.

"At specific times, the phantasm activates, and it begins conducting a lecture. Even though these apricot trees and leaves have listened to this lecture many times over, they are still able to gain new insights from it each time around, thus filling them with anticipation each time it happens. This is also the greatest strength of Simple Words of Profound Wisdom!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

This was also the greatest difference between Kong shi and Zhang Xuan's lectures. The crux of Simple Words of Profound Wisdom was not to tear down a concept into bite-sized pieces so that even a child could comprehend it. Rather, it served to deliver a profound concept in an easier to understand manner while still evoking deeper thoughts within one, allowing one to form one's own perspective and viewpoint.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan's lectures were too explicit and direct, and as a result, they lost some of their meaning.

It was true that simplifying a concept would make it much more comprehensible, but if done to extremities, it would only encourage rote learning and stifle creativity.

"Your lessons are too detailed, and they're filled with your own interpretation of the topic," Luo Ruoxin said. "Other cultivators will adopt your line of thought strictly and emulate your cultivation style, effectively creating models made out of the same mold.

"On the other hand, Kong shi's Simple Words of Profound Wisdom encourage cultivators to formulate their own interpretation of a topic through the knowledge that he has imparted, and through doing so, he's able to nurture many different types of experts!"

Cultivation should not and must not be a process of emulation.

If a teacher imposed their system of cultivation and ideologies upon their student, they would be robbing their student of the chance to unleash their imagination and form their own interpretation of matters.

In truth, simple words were more than enough. What a student truly required was a spark to set them upon a path. Only when they were walking paths that they had selected themselves would they be more likely to reach heights that no other had ever reached.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded deeply in agreement. He could not help but turn to the young lady before him with a slightly complicated look in his eyes.

Despite the time that they had spent together, the young lady still remained a complete mystery to him. The more he came to know her, the more there seemed to be to her.

It was as if he was swimming across a vast ocean. No matter how far he swam, the shore was nowhere in sight.

Her words seemed to be casual, but often, they would point him in a direction, as if a mentor guiding a mentee quietly by the side.

He knew that she would not reveal her identity even if he probed her, so he sighed deeply inwardly before asking, "Aren't you going to listen to Kong shi's lecture?"

As Zhang Xuan cultivated the same Heaven's Path techniques as Kong shi, the lecture by the phantasm was not valuable to him. However, the same could not be said for Luo Ruoxin.

"This lecture is just the start. In a moment, we should be able to see some movements from Yuan Tao. If things go well, he might just be able to get something good out of this," Luo Ruoxin said.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Previously, Luo Ruoxin had said that there was a chance that this would be a fortuitous encounter for Yuan Tao, but nothing had happened so far even after Kong shi's phantasm had started on a lecture. Most likely, the main show had not started.

Intrigued, Zhang Xuan scanned the area to look for Yuan Tao, only to see the latter walking silently toward the towering alter with a dazed look in his eyes.

"He has sealed his senses, so he's unable to hear Kong shi's lecture..." Zhang Xuan was first slightly stumped by Yuan Tao's bizarre actions before widening his eyes in realization.

There were so many experts there, and as soon as they heard Kong shi's voice, they immediately took their seats on the round cushions to listen obediently to the lecture. Despite that, Yuan Tao was still able to move. Most likely, this had something to do with his sealing of senses.

Since he was unable to hear Kong shi's voice, it was no wonder that he had remained unaffected.

Geji! Geji!

Walking up to the towering altar, Yuan Tao suddenly lowered his arms and exerted immense pressure upward. It seemed like he was trying to forcefully pry something out of the ground.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He had been wondering what Yuan Tao was up to, but to think that he was intending to take the entire altar!

"This is the altar where Kong shi imparts his teachings. It has long surpassed mortality, so ordinary zhenqi won't be able to faze it," Luo Ruoxin said. "As one who possesses the Emperor Bloodline, Yuan Tao boasts astonishing strength even without the augmentation of zhenqi. There's no better candidate than him to move the altar!

"As long as one is able to take this altar away, through Kong shi's phantasm, one will be able to produce generations of experts with ease..."

Hualala!

Yuan Tao's strength poured forth, and under the tremendous might propping it up, the towering altar shook nonstop. Eventually, it began to budge and rise from the ground.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1755: Strike Down the Phantasm!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Weng weng!

Seeing the altar being plucked off the ground sent the apricot trees into a rage. In an instant, branches and leaves shot forth to strike down Yuan Tao.

"This is bad..." Zhang Xuan's face warped in horror.

He had witnessed the prowess of the apricot trees and their leaves earlier. Even he would have sustained severe injuries if he was struck, let alone Yuan Tao, whose cultivation was far lower than his.

Zhang Xuan wanted to dash forward to save him, only to be stopped by a tug on his wrist. Turning his head, he saw Luo Ruoxin shaking her head at him.

He was deeply conflicted within, but he knew that Luo Ruoxin had her reasons for stopping him. Trusting her, he chose to suppress his worries and watch how the situation unfolded.

Weng!

The branches and leaves had already arrived by Yuan Tao's side at that moment. In response to their assault, a light hum echoed from Yuan Tao's body as he seemed to have activated some kind of defensive barrier. A warm glow wrapped itself around his body and materialized in the form of light armor.

The armor was not too thick, but no matter how the branches and leaves struck the armor, they were unable to penetrate it.

"Is that the Panoply of Golden Words of the Ancient Sages?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He had heard of this before. Similar to the Golden Warriors of Mentor's Calligraphy, the Panoply of Golden Words was a kind of manifestation of an Ancient Sage's power in the form of armor that was impenetrable by anyone beneath Ancient Sage.

It seemed like the experts from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had foreseen the dangers in retrieving the altar, so they had prepared such a trick in order to protect Yuan Tao.

Pipah!

However, under the furious lashing of the apricot trees, the Panoply of Golden Words shrouding Yuan Tao gradually faded. It was ultimately still a manifestation of energy, so it would eventually be depleted especially when placed under furious assault.

"Rise!"

Even though Yuan Tao's six senses were sealed, which made it nigh impossible for him to perceive his surroundings, he was still somehow able to sense the aggression launched against him. With a furious roar, he pushed his strength to its very limits.

Xiong xiong xiong!

The Emperor Bloodline coursing through his body ignited, and the avatar of a Longxi 1 manifested vaguely behind him. Its head was held high toward the sky, and its feet were pressed firmly into the earth.

The manifestation of the avatar seemed to have granted Yuan Tao even more strength. At the same time, the bottleneck in his cultivation was suddenly torn down amid the immense pressure that he was under, causing his cultivation to surge.

Even though he had awakened his Emperor Bloodline, his cultivation had been stuck at the Aureate Body realm for a very long time. However, due to the immense pressure that he was under, he was forced to his very limits, which eventually led to a breakthrough.

Geji! Geji!

Yuan Tao's strength grew along with the surge in his cultivation, allowing him to lift the altar significantly higher. It seemed like its connection with the earth would be severed very soon.

"Incredible..." Zhang Xuan complimented deeply.

Currently, Yuan Tao was relying on the solidity of the world to draw upon tremendous strength. As long as his feet did not leave the surface of the ground, it seemed like he would command boundless might.

Was this the true prowess of the Emperor Bloodline?

As long as he was grounded, no one would be able to breach his defenses or overcome his might, as if a true conqueror.

"The Emperor Bloodline is of the earth attribute. Tapping into the weight of the earth, those of the Emperor Bloodline are able to bring forth superior fighting prowess. If the bloodline was fully awakened, it would be no weaker than Wei Ruyan's Innate Poison Body or Zhao Ya's Pure Yin Body," Luo Ruoxin remarked with a nod of her head. "You have the Terra Qilin with you, right? Retrieve its blood essence."

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He quickly established connection with the Five Monarchs in the Myriad Anthive Nest, and before long, a few droplets of blood essence were floating in front of him.

The Five Monarchs of the forest dimension corresponded to the Five Elements, and the Terra Qilin happened to correspond to the earth attribute.

"Infuse the blood essence into Yuan Tao's glabella," Luo Ruoxin instructed.

Zhang Xuan flicked his finger.

Wuwu!

The blood essence of the Terra Qilin immediately darted toward the fatty attempting to lift the altar and right into his glabella.

Huhuhu!

As soon as the blood essence fused with Yuan Tao's body, it seemed as if his bloodline had been set ablaze. The Longxi avatar floating above Yuan Tao seemed to have taken in some huge nourishment, and it swiftly grew larger and more tangible. As it stomped on the ground, it felt as if it could bear even the weight of the heavens on its shoulders.

Kacha!

The connection between the altar and the ground was finally completely severed. Yuan Tao successfully tore the altar away from the Apricot Pavilion!

An intense quaking in the surroundings quickly followed, and the voice coming from the phantasm on top of the altar faltered. The crowd listening to the lecture from the round cushions were jolted out from their trance states, bewildered by the happenings around them.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You are seeking death!"

The Otherworldly Demons roared furiously.

Kong shi's teachings were all-encompassing, and the earlier lecture was beneficial to their cultivation. Yet, that fellow had actually lifted the altar and interrupted their cultivation. That was as good as stripping them of their opportunity to push for a breakthrough!

The Otherworldly Demons were mortal as well, and they desired to obtain greater strength and advance to greater heights! This was a fortuitous encounter for them, and they felt entitled to it!

"Stop them!" Yan Xue commanded calmly, and those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers immediately took their stance around Yuan Tao to protect them.

It was their plan to have Yuan Tao prop up the altar and carry it away. They would not allow anyone to interfere with their plans at this crucial moment.

With both sides glaring at one another furiously, heavy tension drifted in the air. It seemed as if a battle would break out at any moment.

Kacha!

Zhang Xuan was not bothered about the conflict between the two of them, so he turned his gaze toward Yuan Tao. However, at that moment, the Panoply of Golden Words around Yuan Tao finally succumbed to the relentless assault from the apricot trees and shattered into fragments.

"Sh*t..." Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in horror.

Yuan Tao had been able to stand his ground due to the protection of the armor around him. However, now that it had shattered, would he not swiftly lose his life under the offense of the apricot trees and leaves?

"Don't worry, there's someone who is even more anxious than you..." Luo Ruoxin chuckled softly.

Right after those words were spoken, Yan Xue suddenly took out a huge cloak and tossed it toward Yuan Tao, wrapping the latter's body in it.

Weng!

Once again, the attacks from the tree branches and leaves were deflected from Yuan Tao's body.

"This is... an artifact left behind by the Ancient Sages?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

He could tell that it was a top-notch defensive artifact. Not even the Infernal Blacksaber would be able to shatter it in a single blow.

As expected of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. The treasures that they had in their possession sure were numerous.

Kacha! Kacha!

With the protection of the cloak, Yuan Tao had even more time. Carrying the heavy altar in his hands, he toiled out of the Apricot Pavilion.

As the altar moved, the phantasm on top wavered unsteadily.

"This is the moment. Zhang Xuan, strike down that phantasm and insert it into Yuan Tao's body," Luo Ruoxin instructed.

"Alright!"

Zhang Xuan leaped past the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and Otherworldly Demons to arrive right on top of the altar.

Most cultivators from the Master Teacher Continent and perhaps even Otherworldly Demons as well would be filled with deference for the artifacts that Kong shi had left behind, but coming from another world, Zhang Xuan did not share their sentiments. With a thrust of his palm, the phantasm lost its balance and fell from the top of the altar.

Following which, Zhang Xuan wrapped the phantasm with his Heaven's Path zhenqi and guided its movements.

Hula!

Everything happened in an instant, so those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had no time to react at all. Before anyone could make a move, the phantasm was struck right into Yuan Tao's glabella.

There was a brief moment of absolute silence before a huge commotion broke out in the area.

"What the heck are you doing?" Yan Xue's goosebumps rose up from the sheer horror of what he had just seen, and he roared maniacally.

The reason that they had attempted to steal the altar was to acquire the phantasm, but the young man had actually struck the phantasm into Yuan Tao's body. Overwhelming indignation and rage flooded Yan Xue's mind, and he was actually lost for a moment.

It was completely ridiculous!

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan quietly landed on the ground and returned to where he had stood earlier.

However, he then saw Yuan Tao's body expanding furiously after accepting the phantasm. His plump body further swelled up into a balloon, such that it seemed as if he would rise into the air at any moment.

Geji! Geji!

In the blink of an eye, he had already become completely round. His height and width exceeded two meters, and he looked like a massive boulder.

"What is going on?" Zhang Xuan was stunned by the changes in Yuan Tao's body.

Never in his wildest dream did he think that something like this would actually happen.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1756: Failure?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan quickly turned to Luo Ruoxin, only to see her directing a smile of assurance toward him. It seemed like she had known that this would happen right from the start.

Knowing that this was not an unexpected development, Zhang Xuan internally heaved a sigh of relief before looking at Yuan Tao worriedly once more. The latter's body was still continuing to bloat up. In less than a minute, his height had already shot up to eight meters tall, and it seemed as if he would blow up at any moment.

Should worst come to worst, Zhang Xuan was prepared to step in at any moment to save his student.

"This is a trial for him. If he's able to take in the phantasm, he'll be able to rise above the rest," Luo Ruoxin said telepathically.

"Take in the phantasm?" Zhang Xuan was surprised to hear those words. A thought flashed through his mind, and he narrowed his eyes in shock. "Do you mean that... Yuan Tao is currently trying to assimilate the phantasm into his body?"

Zhang Xuan had wrapped the phantasm together with his Heaven's Path zhenqi before striking it into Yuan Tao's body. He had thought that he would only be temporarily storing the phantasm inside Yuan Tao's body, but based on what Luo Ruoxin was saying... Yuan Tao was trying to assimilate the phantasm.

The phantasm was a manifestation of Kong shi's many years of lectures! It was impossible to gauge how powerful it was in terms of energy, but the knowledge of cultivation and battle techniques that it boasted would leave anyone frenzied over it!

Just the lengths that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had gone to in order to acquire the altar gave a good idea as to how invaluable the phantasm was!

Assimilating that trove of knowledge was a far greater fortuitous encounter than even advancing one's cultivation to Ancient Sage!

"The Terra Qilin is a beast tamed by Kong shi himself, and it serves as the crux of a portion of the Temple of Confucius. It shares a similar origin as the phantasm, thus allowing the phantasm to fuse flawlessly together with it. You have already done what you can as a teacher. As for how far he can go, that's something that he'll have to decide on his own!" Luo Ruoxin remarked as she gazed at Yuan Tao calmly.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan could not help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

His girlfriend sure was extraordinary! There was probably no one on the Master Teacher Continent would ever dream of violating a phantasm left behind by Kong shi. Yet, his girlfriend had actually designed a ploy to allow Yuan Tao to assimilate the phantasm into his body. This was really unthinkable!

Previously, he had thought that she was an expert from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. However, from the looks of it, that was unlikely to be the case. There was no way an offspring from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would treat Kong shi's phantasm in such a manner.

"Spit it out right now!"

At the same time, Yan Xue and the others finally managed to make sense of what was happening, and their faces reddened in fury. It looked as if they would explode at any moment.

They had put in great effort in order to bring the altar and phantasm over... But who would have thought that despite all their planning, the treasure would end up going into someone else's belly?

Hula!

Yan Xue was unable to take it anymore. He whipped out a sword and directed it toward the heart of the bloated Yuan Tao from behind.

As he drove his sword forward, it produced a metallic resonance in the air, as if he was weaving his sword through the surroundings. With each movement of his sword, it seemed to gain greater strength and speed, as if the very world was augmenting his swordsmanship.

Despite his young age, it seemed like he had comprehended Sword Quintessence... and just like Zhang Xuan, it seemed like he had grasped at least two of them!

"Humph!" Witnessing Yan Xue's attack, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up, and he harrumphed coldly.

He drew the Dragonbone Divine Spear and darted in front with a swift flit, appearing behind his student in an instant. Raising his arm, he pushed the spear forward with astounding momentum.

With Zhang Xuan's soul cultivation having reached Intuitive Impulse realm consummation, he was already able to stand toe-to-toe with Sempiternal realm consummation cultivators without a problem.

Ding ding ding ding!

The tip of his spear met Yan Xue's blade. In the blink of an eye, they collided with one another multiple times. A frightening shockwave rippled into the surroundings, crushing everything in its path. Even space seemed to be creaking under barrage of attacks as small dimension rifts appeared in the area.

"Zhang Xuan, do you know what you are doing? Without Kong shi's phantasm sealing the area, the entire Temple of Confucius will lose its grounding! This space will swiftly be struck by a space-time turbulence, and we could be permanently stuck in the rifts of space-time, unable to return to reality!" Yan Xue bellowed furiously as he launched frenzied assaults one after another.

"Since you know the consequences, why did you still make my student steal Kong shi's phantasm?" Completely unfazed by Yan Xue's questioning, Zhang Xuan replied calmly as he fended perfectly against Yan Xue's attacks.

In the first place, it was the Hundred Schools of Philosophers who concocted the entire scheme to steal the altar, but when something did not go according to their plans, they immediately pointed their fingers to him instead. Was this how the descendants of the seventy-two Sages conducted themselves?

"I admit that we are the ones who first attempted to steal the phantasm, but we have other motives..." Before Yan Xue could finish, an overpowering aura suddenly swept across the area. It was as if huge tidal waves were crashing around the area, interrupting the battle between the two of them.

Sou sou sou!

Both Zhang Xuan and Yan Xue were forced to part and retreat a far distance away from one another.

Zhang Xuan quickly drove the Heaven's Path zhenqi through his body to heal his injuries before standing up to look at the very center of the overpowering aura. He saw that Yuan Tao's height had already risen beyond ten meters, and it seemed as if he was a giant who wielded peerless strength in the world.

Hula!

Raising his head and howling ferociously, Yuan Tao swallowed the avatar of Longxi above his head. The next moment, his aura began to surge steadily.

Aureate Body realm intermediate stage... Advanced stage... Pinnacle... Perfection... Consummation!

Intuitive Impulse realm intermediate stage... Advanced stage... Pinnacle... Perfection... Consummation!

Sempiternal realm...

In the blink of an eye, Yuan Tao had already reached Sempiternal realm consummation!

Even so, his strength was still surging, showing no signs of halting.

"Is he going to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage now?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in agitation.

He did not think that this would be such a huge fortuitous encounter for his student. At this rate, Yuan Tao could very well exceed Zhao Ya and the others and reach Ancient Sage!

"The energy required to reach Ancient Sage it simply too great. His accumulation is too low at the moment, so it'll be hard for him to do so." Luo Ruoxin shook her head with a deep look in her eyes. "Furthermore, the Aeon of Ancient Sage is required in order to push for a breakthrough, and there isn't such a thing here."

"Don't worry, I am here!"

Knowing that this was a rare opportunity for his student, there was no way that he would allow this chance to slip through his fingers. Without any hesitation, he flicked his finger and sent a jade bottle toward Yuan Tao.

Tzzzz!

As soon as the jade bottle came before Yuan Tao, its cap opened, and crimson droplets flowed into his mouth. Before long, tremendous energy was coursing through Yuan Tao's body, granting him the strength that he required to push for a higher realm.

Blood of the Ancient Sages!

Fortunately, he had acquired quite a few droplets of Ancient Sage blood after scheming against the Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. This was the ideal situation to use them.

At the same time, he opened the Canvas of Four Seasons and allowed the Aeon of Ancient Sage to flow out into the surroundings.

Kacha!

With these two factors in place, Yuan Tao's on-the-verge-of-exploding body seemed to have finally burst through the resilient bottleneck holding him back, and his aura surged once more.

His aura became so powerful that it seemed like clouds would billow and thunder would rumble at a wave of his hand. Even space did not seem to be able to restrain his might any longer.

Hong long!

A cultivation ordeal appeared.

Heavenly flame and lightning gushed down from the sky as if it was the end of the world.

Even Yan Xue and the others, who wanted to force Yuan Tao into spitting out the phantasm, did not dare approach him.

They could tell that Yuan Tao had just summoned the Ancient Sage Ordeal, the final trial that one had to undergo in order to push for a breakthrough to a higher level of existence. Death would swiftly befall them if they approached a power of this scale.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

The relentless searing of the heavenly flame and the ceaseless tempering of the lightning bolts swiftly refined the rampaging energies within Yuan Tao's body, causing his figure to become compact once more. He returned from a height of ten meters to his usual size.

Lightning and flames appeared to crackle on the surface of his body, and it seemed like he was slowly learning how to wield these two frightening powers of nature. Even space seemed to cower in the face of his strength.

"The Ancient Sage blood has been fully depleted!"

However, very soon, Yuan Tao's growth sputtered to a stop. He was going to push through the final bottleneck that stood in between him and a true Ancient Sage, but the energy that he had proved to be insufficient.

The amount of energy required for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage was simply too great. Zhang Xuan had harvested quite a few droplets of blood from the Ancient Sage of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers earlier, but it was apparent that they were still lacking.

Huhuhu!

As the amount of energy in Yuan Tao's body swiftly depleted, the cultivation ordeal also seemed to slowly dissipate. However, it was not because Yuan Tao had cleared the ordeal but that it was abruptly terminated. In other words, his attempt to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage was a failure.

A chance to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage was extremely hard-to-come-by, such that it could be said that it happened by sheer chance. If one failed to achieve a breakthrough, it was hard to tell when an impetus to make a breakthrough would come once more. It might not even come at all!

To make matters worse, the difficulty of the Ancient Sage Ordeal the second time around would at least be two times harder.

In other words, it was nigh impossible for a cultivator to successfully push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage if they failed the first time.

It was a truly lamentable situation to fail due to a lack of energy.

"Will his effort be wasted just like that?" Zhang Xuan mumbled beneath his face with a livid look on his face.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1757: The Appearance of the Prime Hall

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Luo Ruoxin glanced at the young man in the sky and said, "His efforts won't be wasted. Haven't you realized that Yuan Tao is intentionally suppressing his cultivation so as to not achieve a breakthrough?"

"He's intentionally suppressing his cultivation?" Zhang Xuan frowned in confusion.

"That's right." Luo Ruoxin nodded. "It's true that it is much harder to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage on one's second attempt. For this reason, most people are determined to succeed on the first try. However, this also makes for the weakest Ancient Sage!

"A breakthrough to Ancient Sage can be seen as an attempt to wrestle power from the heavens so as to become an existence equaling to the heavens themselves. Those who achieve a breakthrough on the first try are able to achieve this feat as well, but at the same time, the strength that they gain from the heavens is severely limited. The very attempt to oppose the heavens is a good opportunity to temper one's power and refine one's use of energy. Subsequent attempts to overcome the Ancient Sage Ordeal do become much harder, but if one can pull through, it makes the future progression of one's cultivation much easier!"

"This... Is it similar to Kong shi's superior breakthrough method to Great Sage? Is it some form of trial as well?" Zhang Xuan asked.

There was the Saint Ascension Decipher to achieve a breakthrough to Sainthood, as well as a superior breakthrough method to reaching Great Sage. They were much harder ways to push for a breakthrough, but those who succeed would attain power far greater than their peers. Could there be something similar for Ancient Sage as well?

Luo Ruoxin placed her hand behind her back as she looked into the distance with deep eyes. "You could put it that way. Pushing for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage is similar to having a huge tidal wave washing away the sand within one's body. The more times one confronts the Ancient Sage Ordeal, the finer and more condensed one's zhenqi will become.

"During his breakthrough, Kong shi held himself back three times when he was on the verge of breakthrough to Ancient Sage, and it was only on the fourth time that he finally succeeded. That was also how he managed to rise as the World's Teacher, becoming an existence that rivaled the world!

"Even though it might seem like Yuan Tao has failed to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, his physical body has successfully assimilated the power of the Ancient Sage blood. In other words, he already possesses the body of an Ancient Sage. While he isn't a true Ancient Sage yet, the power that he wields is already sufficient to deal with nascent Ancient Sages!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

It was already plenty impressive that Yuan Tao wielded strength comparable to nascent Ancient Sages despite still being at Sempiternal realm consummation. Yet, Kong shi had actually held himself back three times before finally pushing for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. If so, how powerful could he have been?

There was no cultivator in the world who did not desire to surpass their limits and become an existence that towered above the heavens. Yet, Kong shi had been able to overcome such temptation and calmly temper himself before finally surpassing his limits. From that, it could be seen that his mental resilience was extraordinary.

It was no wonder that he had led mankind to prosperity. Even though Zhang Xuan did not harbor the reverence that those of the Master Teacher Continent had toward Kong shi, he had to say that he was filled with respect for the latter.

Zhang Xuan suddenly froze on the spot. "Hmm? Wait a moment, there shouldn't be too many people who knew about this secret, right? Why would Yuan Tao do it?"

It was likely that not even Yang shi nor Sword Saint Xing and the others were aware of this fact. Knowing that Luo Ruoxin likely originated from some incredible power, it was not too surprising for her to be aware of all this. However, Yuan Tao had followed him from the Tianxuan Kingdom, so how did he know it as well?

The temptation to reach Ancient Sage was incredible. If one did not have such knowledge in advance, it was unlikely that one would take a gamble and forsake what could be said to have been their only chance to achieve a breakthrough.

"He has assimilated Kong shi's phantasm, so his understanding of cultivation probably surpasses even the seventy-two Sages at this point," Luo Ruoxin explained. "It's just that assimilating the phantasm makes one very susceptible to being influenced by Kong shi, and that would be extremely disadvantageous to your growth. Otherwise, I would have had you assimilate the phantasm instead."

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head bitterly. "Disadvantageous to my growth?"

He had known that if he could make a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, there was hardly anyone in the world who would have been able to pose a threat to him. By then, what would he have to worry about growth?

"You are a Celestial Master Teacher as well, and you are destined to walk a different route from Kong shi. If you attempt to walk his route, all you will become is another one of the seventy-two Sages. You would never be able to surpass him," Luo Ruoxin said calmly.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.

To surpass the predecessors, one had to first denounce their path.

If all one could do was emulate the actions of the predecessors, it would only eventually lead to stagnation.

For example, each of the seventy-two Sages were astoundingly talented individuals who achieved great things in their time. While it could be said that it was Kong shi who brought them to their eventual heights, ironically, it was very likely that Kong shi was their limitation as well. They had been so confined within Kong shi's heritage that they were unable to truly surpass themselves and discover their own paths.

In fact, this could also be why the Hundred Schools of Philosophers was unable to surpass their founders.

At the same time, to cast away one's heritage and attempt to search for one's own path could be considered an act of lunacy. It was a heritage that guaranteed a path to greatness, and casting it aside could condemn one to a life of mediocrity.

Ultimately, surpassing one's predecessors was an act easier said than done.

To tread on a path that was bound to greatness or to cast everything aside to struggle for an incredibly slim chance of overcoming one's limitations...

There was no right or wrong answer to this question, and this was a choice that one would have to make by oneself.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

As Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, a brilliant ray of light suddenly rose from the altar ahead of him, soaring right into the heavens.

Following which, he saw another five rays of light converging from the distance as well. The tremendous energy pierced through the deep blue sky, and a pitch-black dimension rift slowly expanded from the point of convergence of the six rays.

Beyond the pitch-black dimension rift, the silhouette of a humongous palace came into sight.

"T-this... this is the Prime Hall! The Prime Hall of the Temple of Confucius has finally surfaced!" Ren Qingyuan exclaimed in agitation.

So far, the crowd had only explored the six Subordinate Halls, but none of them had found the Prime Hall. However, with all six Subordinate Halls activated, the energies that they released destroyed the final seal on the Temple of Confucius, causing the Prime Hall to appear.

The legendary artifact that was said to be able to dictate the fate of the Master Teacher Continent lay within the humongous palace right before them—the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn!

"Let's head over!"

Yan Xue took a look at the Prime Hall in the sky before turning to glance at Yuan Tao and Zhang Xuan. Even though he was deeply reluctant, he knew that there was nothing that he could do anymore. Thus, he beckoned the crowd from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers over before dashing toward the dimension rift.

The Otherworldly Demons also quickly made their way toward the dimension rift.

Seeing that Ren shi and the others were trembling in excitement, Zhang Xuan said with a smile, "You go on ahead!"

He knew that there was still some time before the entrance of the Prime Hall would be opened, so he was in no hurry to head over. Instead, he turned his attention to Yuan Tao.

At this point in time, his student had already reinforced his cultivation, and the Ancient Sage Ordeal had fully retreated as well.

"Teacher!"

Opening his eyes, Yuan Tao felt the strength coursing through his body, and he could not help but tremble in agitation. He swiftly walked up to his teacher and kneeled before him.

His six senses had initially been sealed, but the seal had broken as soon as he took the phantasm into his body. He knew that it was all thanks to his teacher's help that he possessed his current strength.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

This was truly a huge fortuitous encounter for Yuan Tao. To assimilate Kong shi's phantasm and push for multiple breakthroughs all at once, he had surpassed Yuan Tao, Wei Ruyan, and even Zhang Xuan in a single shot.

"Even though you possess the physical body of an Ancient Sage, your state of mind and soul are still slightly lacking. I have a cultivation technique and Bodhi Fruit over here that will do you much good!" Zhang Xuan said as he passed the Bodhi Fruit over.

While Yuan Tao had inherited Kong shi's phantasm, he still had to temper his state of mind a step at a time.

"Yes!" Taking the Bodhi Fruit, Yuan Tao quickly swallowed it, and the next moment, he could feel his state of mind swiftly reinforcing itself.

Had it been Zhao Ya or Wei Ruyan, they would still have had to make some preparations and condition their bodies before consuming the Bodhi Fruit. However, possessing the body of an Ancient Sage, Yuan Tao did not have such concerns.

Huhuhu!

After dealing with Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan brought Zhao Ya, Wei Ruyan, Luo Qiqi, and the others out from his Myriad Anthive Nest.

"The Prime Hall has opened. Do you want to follow me to search for more fortuitous encounters or continue cultivating here?"

This was the first time that the Prime Hall of the Temple of Confucius had opened in dozens of millennia, and it was likely filled with both risks and opportunities. Even though he was their teacher, he felt that he should entrust the choice to them.

"I wish to enter the Prime Hall to take a look!" Zhao Ya said firmly.

"Me too!"

The other two replied in unison.

Meanwhile, Luo Ruoxin shot a glance over when she saw Luo Qiqi coming out of Zhang Xuan's Myriad Anthive Nest, and an inconspicuous frown crept onto her forehead. However, she chose not to say a word.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1758: Ancient Sage Yan Qing

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Noting the slight frown on the young lady's face, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in realization. He quickly rushed over and frantically explained, "I met her earlier in the Hall of Lull, so I brought her and Wei Ruyan out together..."

"Let's go!"

However, completely nonchalant to Zhang Xuan's explanation, Luo Ruoxin took the lead and headed to the Prime Hall first.

"This..."

Bewildered by Luo Ruoxin's reaction, Zhang Xuan quickly followed behind her.

The exterior of the Prime Hall was much grander than that of the Subordinate Halls. At that moment, the massive square in front of the Prime Hall was already completely filled with people.

Most of the experts who had been trapped in certain dimensions for one reason or another had made their way there, thus forming a crowd that numbered several thousand.

Even if they were unable to enter the Prime Hall, it would not have been a waste of a trip if they got to witness the mystical abilities of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn.

"Master, I have already regained my memories. The six Subordinate Halls have to be opened in order for the gateway to the Prime Hall to surface..." Little Amulet's voice sounded in Zhang Xuan's mind. "I can get you in but not now. The Prime Hall has yet to fully open!"

"I see!" Seeing that the useless amulet had only managed to regain its memory after everything was in place, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He walked up to Luo Ruoxin, and upon seeing that the latter's face was still as cold as ice, he shuddered a little as he tried to explain the situation. "This... That's really not it... We only met by coincidence..."

Luo Ruoxin turned to look at Zhang Xuan, but just as she was about to speak, an excited voice sounded by the side.

"Zhang shi, I knew that you would be here!"

Following which, a figure excitedly rushed up to him.

"Fei-er, you're here as well!" Luo Qiqi's eyes lit up as she quickly walked toward the approaching figure.

It was none other than her good friend, the princess of the Huanyu Empire, Yu Fei-er!

Spotting Luo Qiqi as well, Yu Fei-er gave her a warm hug and said in gratitude, "I already know that Ji laoshi took me in as his student because of you..."

She was only a small princess of the Huanyu Empire. To be able to catch the eye of Elder Ji Ruochen of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and even be accepted as her direct disciple... it went without saying that her good friend, the little princess of the Luo Clan, had played a part in that.

Otherwise, even if she was truly talented, there was no way that she would have been able to catch the eye of the upper echelons of the Master Teacher Continent from where she was.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony!" Luo Qiqi replied with a smile.

They swiftly caught up with one another before Yu Fei-er turned to look at Zhang Xuan with a smile. Her voice sounded firm and resolute as usual, but there was a hint of conflict that one could sense from her tone. "Zhang shi, it has been quite a while since we last met!"

She harbored some feelings for the young man before her, but she had already heard of what happened with Luo Qiqi, and that made her acutely aware that the two of them did not have a future together. She felt indignant, and she was reluctant to accept the truth as well. However, she was a prideful person, and she was not one to demean herself and cling to someone. Thus, she chose to put on a bright smile and greet the young man like normal.

"Yeah, it has been a while..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he turned to Luo Ruoxin awkwardly. "Look... it really is a coincidence..."

Luo Ruoxin shot a glance at the young man before her, who was flustered from trying to explain himself but was unable to find the proper words to do so, and her lips curled up slightly. Without saying anything, she continued looking ahead.

Unknowingly, the square in front of the Prime Hall was already divided into four clear factions. The Master Teacher Pavilion and the major clans of the Master Teacher Continent formed one faction, the Hundred School of Philosophers formed one faction, the Otherworldly Demons formed one faction, and those of the Beast Tribe formed the final faction.

The members of each faction were grouped close together, eyeing those of the other factions warily.

Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and carefully perceived the surroundings. It was vague, but he could certainly feel numerous powerful auras hidden in the surroundings.

Most likely, the reason that a delicate peace could be constructed between the four powers was due to the Ancient Sages restraining one another.

"Senior!"

Zhang Xuan was just about to consider if he should slice an Ancient Sage or two to procure some fresh blood when he heard a call not too far away. Turning his head, he saw Yang shi flying over with a smile on his face.

"You... have achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage!" Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up in agitation.

The aura coming from the elder before him was as vague as ever, making it hard for one to gauge the depth of it. At first glance, it seemed like the other party was only slightly above him, but when he attempted to take a closer look, he realized that he was gazing into a boundless ocean. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like there was no end to his strength.

Without a doubt, it was apparent that this junior of his had stumbled upon some kind of fortuitous encounter, thus becoming the first cultivator to have successfully reached Ancient Sage.

"I had good luck!" Yang shi remarked with a light smile.

"There's no such thing as luck in cultivation," Zhang Xuan replied.

Yang shi had long reached Sempiternal realm consummation, and the reason that he had been traveling around the world was to find the Aeon of Ancient Sage, the final impetus required for him to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. It was due to his previous accumulation that he had been able to grasp the opportunity when it finally knocked on his door.

"Everyone..."

A crisp clear voice suddenly echoed in the air.

The crowd quickly turned their heads over and saw an elderly man standing in the air in front of the Prime Hall.

"It's an Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!"

The elderly man was wearing clothes identical to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, so there was no question of which faction he belonged to.

"Since the Prime Hall has appeared, I don't see any reason for us to continue hiding in the shadows. Come out!" the elderly man said lightly, but his voice reverberated through the area.

"Indeed, there's no need for us to continue hiding!"

"It's clear that we all have the same goal. Since the Prime Hall has finally surfaced, there's no reason for us to continue lurking in the shadows!"

"Let's come out then!"

Boom!

As these voices sounded one after another, numerous figures swiftly appeared in the sky above the square. The number averaged out to around six to seven Ancient Sages for each faction.

"There are so many Ancient Sages here!" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

His initial estimation was that there would be around five to ten Ancient Sages in the Temple of Confucius, but in an instant, the area was already filled with twenty people.

The person whom he had injured previously was standing among the Hundred Schools of Philosophers' Ancient Sages.

While other cultivators could have gone there in seek of other fortuitous encounters, the aim of the present Ancient Sages was clear—the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. Previously, when the Subordinate Halls were beginning to open, they had chosen to hide in the background in order to protect their descendants from others, as well as to avoid unnecessary conflicts with other factions.

However, the opening of the Prime Hall signified that they were swiftly approaching the finish line. At such a point in time, there was no point in them hiding anymore. It was time for them to lay out their cards.

"Having been through the six Subordinate Halls, I believe that we have gained a rough idea of how the Temple of Confucius works. The Prime Hall has indeed surfaced, but its entrance is still shut tight. There's another important process that we have to do in order to open it once and for all!" the elderly man said.

An Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage harrumphed. "Ancient Sage Yan Qing, you are already the strongest one of us here. Stop beating about the bush and cut to the chase. What do you expect us to do?"

"Ancient Sage Yan Qing? Is he a descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan 1 was the leader of the seventy-two Sages, the First Senior of Kong shi's direct disciples. Yan Xue seemed to be his descendant, and it was very likely that Yan Qing was Yan Xue's predecessor.

"Junior, do you recognize that Ancient Sage Yan Qing?" asked Zhang Xuan in a telepathic message to Yang shi.

"I don't know him... While our Master Teacher Pavilion shares the same origin as the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, we rarely come into contact with one another," Yang shi, who had joined the Master Teacher Pavilion's group of Ancient Sages, replied telepathically.

"You don't recognize him, but those of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe are able to refer to him by his name so confidently..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

From what he knew, the Ancient Sages from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had not appeared for tens of thousands of years, such that even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters were not sure about the current situation within the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. Yet, for an Otherworldly Demon to be able to address the other party directly and even remark that the other party was the strongest of them all...

He could not help but recall the uncanny interactions that he had spotted between the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

"I'll just make things clear. Since we are all here, I expect to get a share as well. So far, our Beast Tribe hasn't managed to obtain anything from the Subordinate Halls. If you wish to leave us behind, I can only say that you should be prepared to face our wrath!" a massive beast from the Beast Tribe uttered coldly.

This beast had also reached Ancient Sage, and the space around him seemed to be oddly firm.

"White Overlord, please calm down. The reason that I had everyone come out is to discuss the allocation of the slots for entry into the Prime Hall. As for what kind of fortuitous encounters those who enter will find within, that will depend on their own skills and luck!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing said with a smile.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1759: White Overlord

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Alright, I'll listen to you what you have to say. However, I'll make things clear first. We of the Beast Tribe want at least two slots. If you can't satisfy our demand, you can be assured that we'll lay waste to everything here!" the beast known as the White Overlord sneered coldly.

The original body of the beast was a white fox that spanned a length of ten meters. Even without exerting any strength, its very presence seemed to send shudders through space.

If it really went berserk, it was likely that it could bring massive devastation upon at least half of the crowd in the square.

"To ask for two slots right from the start, don't you think you are being a little too greedy?" a middle-aged man floating above the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters sneered back.

"So what?" The White Overlord turned to look at the middle-aged man, and a malicious air burst forth from it, jolting onlookers' souls.

From the looks of it, it seemed like it was exceptionally skilled in soul offense.

"Try it then! Let's see if the sword in my hand agrees with that! If I recall correctly, a predecessor of our Zhang Clan, Zhang Yu, single-handedly subdued nine of your Ancient Sages with his sword twenty millennia ago!" the middle-aged man scoffed. "Let's see if I can achieve what he did today!"

"Zhang Clan? So, he's the Ancient Sage of our Zhang Clan." Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

Even though the Ancient Sage of the Zhang Clan had helped him previously while they were outside the Hall of Great Accomplishment, he had not met the other party in person. He knew that the other party was a very forthright person, but who would have thought that he would actually be able to stand on equal ground with the strongest Ancient Sage of the Beast Tribe!

Taking a closer look at the middle-aged man, he saw that the other party was dressed in a green robe, and he had eyebrows shaped like crescent blades. Other than a sword hanging by his waist, there were no ornaments to him. Yet, despite his seemingly ordinary appearance, he wielded strength that no one would dare to snub.

"He's the last Ancient Sage of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Hongtian! A man of great talent, he achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage at a very young age. At the same time, he has a carefree and righteous personality. He abhors evil to an extreme extent, such that he will never hesitate to stand up in the face of injustice. He was still very young when the Aeon of Ancient Sage first began fading from the world, and he should have been able to spend his youth happily and without much worry. However, he still made the choice to hibernate so that he would be able to protect mankind for as long as he could..." Yang shi sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan, explaining the background of the Ancient Sage of the Zhang Clan.

Rumor had it that the Ancient Sage had only been in his early five hundreds when he achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage. That was the age when most cultivators in the upper echelon started to settle down and make their own families, enjoying the prime of their lives. Yet, he unhesitatingly chose to bid farewell to his loved ones in order to go into hibernation.

There was no way such a decision could have been easy for him to make. Without a doubt, he was someone worthy of respect.

"You..." Not expecting Zhang Hongtian to snub it entirely, the White Overlord turned its massive fox head and harrumphed. "I admit that your Peerless Sword is formidable, but it won't be easy for you to kill me... And as long as you fail to kill me, you can be certain that I'll hunt down every single member of your Zhang Clan. I sure do want to see how many of your descendants you will be able to protect!"

"Hahaha! Sure, be my guest! If I recall correctly, there are quite a few communities of White Foxes around, and you have a fair number of descendants as well. Touch a single offspring of my Zhang Clan, and I'll slay ten of your foxes. Kill ten offspring of my Zhang Clan, and I'll massacre your entire race!" Zhang Hongtian scoffed with his back straightened.

"You lunatic! You dare..." the White Overlord roared with its teeth gritted tightly together.

"Try me then! I, Zhang Hongtian, have never feared doing anything ever since I started cultivating! Try asking that lot!" Zhang Hongtian spat calmly as he tilted his head toward the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sages.

"Humph!" The Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage who had spoken earlier harrumphed coldly in displeasure.

"That's probably Old Geezer Yu..." Zhang Xuan was able to vaguely recognize the other party from that harrumph.

He had already found the other party's voice familiar with they were dealing with Ancient Sage Yan Qing, but it was only upon hearing Zhang Hongtian's words that he finally put the two together. It was the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage that he had encountered in front of the Hall of Great Accomplishment!

"There's indeed nothing that you dare not do. I seem to recall that a large bunch of the White Overlord's descendants were tamed by an offspring of your Zhang Clan a while ago, back at the Apricot Pavilion?" Old Geezer Yu said with a cold sneer.

"Tame? What did you just say?" The White Overlord was visibly stunned for a moment before it growled menacingly.

Clearly, it was still unaware of this matter.

"If you don't believe me, you can take a look yourself. Are the offspring that you dispatched to the Apricot Pavilion still with you? Are you still able to communicate with them?" Old Geezer Yu replied calmly as he glanced at Zhang Xuan with a sinister smile.

The last time that human lad schemed against him, he had suffered a deep laceration. Since he had an opportunity to return the favor, it went without saying that he had no intention of allowing it to go to waste.

The White Overlord glared at Old Geezer Yu before turning around to relay commands to one of the Ancient Sage beasts behind it. A moment later, the Ancient Sage beast whispered something to the White Overlord's ear, and the latter's face immediately darkened as it turned its gaze in Zhang Xuan's direction.

Its eyes glowed like an inferno that would burn down anything in sight.

"How did I end up getting implicated here?" Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

He was an insignificant Aureate Body realm cultivator among the cluster of Ancient Sages, so why in the world did they pull him into this conflict?

Noticing the malicious intentions in the White Overlord's eyes, Zhang Hongtian suddenly recalled what had happened outside the Hall of Great Accomplishment, and he could not help but turn around and ask, "Did you tame its descendants?"

The beasts that Zhang Xuan had tamed outside the Hall of Great Accomplishment had not been all that strong, and they were not the White Overlord's descendants. However, those who had entered the Apricot Pavilion were very different.

Anyone who had investigated the Temple of Confucius in advance would understand the importance of the Apricot Pavilion. Those who had been selected to enter it were the top-notch talents from each power. Could it be that his descendant was able to tame even proud geniuses like that?

"Those are its descendants? I didn't know... Earlier, when I went into the Apricot Pavilion, I saw a bunch of beasts getting pummeled by the apricot trees. Seeing that they were on the verge of death, I quickly dived in to save them. Out of gratitude to me, they ended up submitting to me... However, I don't recall there being any white foxes among the group!" Zhang Xuan said.

The truth behind the submission of the beasts was due to his Beast Pummeling Taming Method, but of course, it was not a convenient moment to mention something as controversial as that.

"They submitted to you out of gratitude?" Unable to hold himself back any longer, Zhang Hongtian burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You did great!"

As an Ancient Sage, he could tell that Zhang Xuan was lying with just a single glance. The reason that he burst into laughter was because he suddenly recalled how haughty the White Overlord had been a moment ago, only to find out that its descendants had submitted to his the next instant.

This was such a timely face slap that words could not begin to describe how exhilarating it was to him!

Amid his laughter, Zhang Hongtian said, "White Overlord, since your descendants have already submitted to my descendants, why don't I give you a chance to submit to me as well? As long as you become my tamed beast, I'm more than willing to give you two slots!"

"You're courting death!" Hearing those words of ridicule, the White Overlord was unable to hold himself back anymore.

With a furious roar, he leaped forward to tear Zhang Hongtian apart.

A pitch-black claw imprint sliced across space, tearing dimension rifts open.

It was apparent that the White Overlord was extremely strong, even among the Ancient Sages.

"I could be courting death, but there's no way in hell will I ever die by your wretched hands..." Paying no heed to the rage of the White Overlord, Zhang Hongtian chuckled softly as he drew his sword and drove it forward.

Wuuuuu!

The whistling sword clashed together with the White Overlord's claws.

Boom boom boom!

A huge, spherical dimension rift was produced as a result of the collision. The White Overlord was forced to take a step back, but it immediately prepared itself to charge forth once more to launch a follow up attack.

However, at that moment, Ancient Sage Yan Qing suddenly stepped forward and stood in between the two of them. With a wave of his hand, he produced a barrier reminiscent of a cloth that prevented the two from getting close to one another.

"Enough. The urgent matter at hand is entering the Prime Hall, not fighting with one another. If you really wish to settle the scores between the two of you, I won't stop you once this matter is over. However, for the time being, I'll have to ask you to take a step back," Ancient Sage Yan Qing remarked calmly.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 1760: I Have Many Cruxes

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Hongtian gave it a try, but he realized that the cloth-like barrier before him was frighteningly resilient. He immediately realized that the prowess of Ancient Sage Yan Qing was far above his, so with a cold harrumph, he turned around and said, "Since Ancient Sage Yan Qing has spoken up, I'll spare you for the time being!"

He flicked his wrist to return his sword back to his waist before regrouping with those from the Master Teacher Pavilion, standing quietly on the spot. It was as if he was completely unaffected by the conflict that had just occurred.

At the same time, it seemed as if the White Overlord knew that it was not a match for Zhang Hongtian or Ancient Sage Yan Qing, so it whipped its tail back and quietly returned to its group, not daring to utter a word of complaint.

"Given that the Prime Hall of the Temple of Confucius hasn't even opened yet, it's unwise for you to leap at one another to tear each other apart." Seeing that the two of them had finally calmed down, Ancient Sage Yan Qing retracted his palm and smiled. Turning to the crowd, he said, "Moving back to the topic at hand, since everyone knows how the Prime Hall is opened, let's discuss how we should allocate the slots to entering the Prime Hall!"

Hearing that the other party was raising the matter regarding the allocation of slots once more, Zhang Hongtian said with a frown, "I'm sure that you already have your own ideas. Feel free to state your suggestion. If we find it appropriate, there's no reason for us not to agree with it!"

"Indeed, I do have some thoughts in mind!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing admitted with a smile. "Having cleared the six Subordinate Halls, we know that even if the Prime Hall opens, we'll also have to bypass the seal that Kong shi has personally left on it. Without the corresponding Celestial Amulet of Legacy, there's no way that we will be able to enter!"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

They had tested the six Subordinate Halls, and there was indeed no way of bypassing the barrier without the corresponding Celestial Amulet of Legacy or unique constitution. This was especially with regards to Ancient Sages. If they attempted to forcefully tear down the barrier, they would only end up suffering a severe backlash!

There was no doubt that Ancient Sages were extremely powerful, but Kong shi was a man known as the World's Teacher. There was no way an ancient domain left behind by him could be breached through forceful means, even by Ancient Sages!

"To enter the Prime Hall, we'll need the Prime Amulet. All in all, the Prime Amulet can bring a total of fifteen people into the Prime Hall," Ancient Sage Yan Qing said.

Some discussions broke out amid the crowd shortly after. They were starting to plan their next moves.

The White Overlord harrumphed coldly. "We don't even know where the Prime Amulet is at the moment. If it's not in our hands, won't we be forced to watch in futility while others harvest the treasures in the Prime Hall for themselves?"

It was pretty much common knowledge who was in possession of the six Celestial Amulets of Legacy at this point in time, but the Prime Amulet had yet to make its appearance.

Most people thought that the reason that Zhang Xuan had been able to enter the Subordinate Halls without any problem was because he was in possession of the blood essence of his students. After all, the Subordinate Halls that he had entered were indeed the ones that corresponded to the unique constitutions of his students.

Furthermore, there was a widespread misconception that the Prime Amulet only granted one entry into the Prime Hall. No one, including the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, was aware that it granted passage into the Subordinate Halls as well.

"The reason I said such words is because I know where the Prime Amulet is!" With a light chuckle, Ancient Sage Yan Qing's eyebrows shot up proudly. "To be honest with you all, the Prime Amulet is currently in my hands!"

Right after saying those words, an amulet materialized right before him. He flicked it lightly, and an imposing air of authority suffused the area.

"That's the Prime Amulet?"

"What a formidable aura!"

"It's clearly much stronger than the other Subordinate Amulets!"

"We'll be able to enter the Prime Hall with that?"

A commotion broke out in the square as everyone turned to look at the amulet in the sky with a heated gaze.

That was the entrance ticket into the Prime Hall right in front of them! If they could acquire it, they would only be a single step away from the ultimate treasure of the Master Teacher Continent!

"That is..."

While the crowd was staring intently at the imposing amulet in the air, Zhang Xuan frowned slightly before shaking his head speechlessly.

He recognized the amulet in Ancient Sage Yan Qing's hands. It was the one that he had fought Yan Xue over at the White Creek Mountain. In other words, the Prime Amulet in the other party's hand was a fake!

Despite being an Ancient Sage, is he really unable to tell that the Prime Amulet in his hands is a fake? Zhang Xuan wondered doubtfully.

Ancient Sage Yan Qing was an individual who boasted strength even greater than Zhang Hongtian. Yet, he was unable to discern the authenticity of the amulet that he had in his possession.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's doubts, Luo Ruoxin sent a telepathic message over to explain. "The Prime Amulet was personally forged by Kong shi, and not even the seventy-two Sages saw its true form. Even I was unable to see through it when I first laid eyes on it, so how could he possibly be able to discern its authenticity?"

So far, it seemed like Yan Xue and the others still thought that they had taken the real Prime Amulet, which meant that the only ones who knew that the Prime Amulet was a fake were Zhang Xuan, Luo Ruoxin, and Wu Chen.

"You're right!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement as his lips crept upward. "This will be interesting. Even though their Prime Amulet's a fake, they are still making conditions. Let's see what they can come up with..."

The crowd had no choice but to follow the arrangements made by Ancient Sage Yan Qing because they thought that the Prime Amulet was in his hands. However, once the crowd realized that his Prime Amulet was actually a fake, there would surely be a huge uproar. In an instant, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would draw the ire of everyone present in the square.

Zhang Xuan could not help but wonder how they would salvage the situation later on.

But other than that, there was also one thing that piqued Zhang Xuan's curiosity. If the Hundred Schools of Philosophers truly thought that they had claimed the real Prime Amulet, why did they declare their possession of it and even offer to share the slots with other powers?

Were they not simply asking for trouble?

"The Prime Amulet is the key to entering the Prime Amulet, so I believe that none of you will have any qualms with us taking away a third of the slots on the grounds that we are in possession of it, right?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing stowed the amulet back into his storage ring before turning to address the crowd.

"I have no objections to that." Old Geezer Yu was the first one to voice his approval.

"We are fine with it as well."

"Sounds rational to me."

The others hesitated for a moment before expressing their agreement as well.

Without the Prime Amulet, even if the Prime Hall opened, they would only be able to watch helplessly from the outside. It could be said to be a very fair arrangement for the Hundred School Philosophers to only take away a third of the total slots.

Seeing that he had everyone's agreement, Ancient Sage Yan Qing heaved a sigh of relief inwardly before continuing. "Since our Hundred Schools of Philosophers have taken away five slots, we'll first distribute a slot each to the four powers respectively as a token of goodwill so as to prevent any unnecessary conflict. It should be fine, right?"

"I have no issues with that," the White Overlord replied.

Considering how the Beast Tribe had obtained nothing so far, it would take anything that it could get.

The experts of the Master Teacher Pavilion also glanced at one another and hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement.

They were not in a good position to negotiate either, so they could only make do as well.

"Nine out of the fifteen slots of the Prime Amulet have been taken up so far. How do you intend to distribute the remaining six slots?" Old Geezer Yu asked.

"It's very simple!" As if expecting such a question, Ancient Sage Yan Qing chuckled softly before replying. "We will have to open the entrance of the Prime Hall in order to enter its premises, and in order to do so, we'll need the cruxes of the six outer dimensions. Each of these six cruxes will correspond to a slot. Whoever is in possession of a crux will be given a slot. I believe that none of you will have any qualms with such an arrangement, right?"

"This..."

"I guess it's fair."

"If we wish to enter the Prime Hall, we'll have to open it first. It's only right to reward those who have aided in the opening of the Prime Hall, so they are indeed entitled to a slot each..."

The Ancient Sages nodded in agreement.

In this negotiation, the only ones who had a voice were the Ancient Sages. Great Sage cultivators had no say in the matter at all.

A crux corresponds to a slot each? Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He scratched his head blankly as he pondered, I seem to have quite a few cruxes with me at the moment...

Report chapter Comments