Chapter 509

Chapter 509: The Deceived Soul Oracle

Pu!

Hearing those words, Zhao Feiwu, Hall Master Han, and the others nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Aren’t we in danger? Isn’t the other party threatening to kill us?

Soul oracles, as one of the most sinister occupation in the ancient times, are even more feared than poison masters. Not to mention, the other party is significantly stronger than them, possibly even reaching the zenith of Transcendent Mortal realm…

How did it suddenly turn out that you are going to accept the other party as your student?

Can it get even more exaggerated than this?

Even though you are a master teacher, you have only barely stepped into the Transcendent Mortal realm. On the other hand, the other party is a Transcendent Mortal pinnacle expert! The gap between the two of you is immeasurable… Aren’t you afraid of being killed for saying such words?

Luo Zhu widened his eyes in shock.

When this Zhang shi first came to the soul oracle tomb, he didn’t know anything about the occupation at all. However, just by glancing at the Soul Guiding Formula, he immediately learned about the Five Soul Declines and even found a way to solve it…

It is no wonder why even the heaven acknowledges you… Your strength is truly fearsome!

Sun Qiang and the others were also awed.

As expected of young master, he is indeed as incredible as always. It doesn’t matter whether the other party is a 6-star soul oracle or a Transcendent Mortal pinnacle expert, all have to bow before him…

“Acknowledge you as my teacher?”

The owner of the voice also seemed a little flabbergasted.

As a 6-star oracle, a being whose cultivation has reached Transcendent Mortal pinnacle, how can I acknowledge you, a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan ant, as my teacher? You must be pulling my leg!

“Audacious…”

Infuriated, his voice became sharp and piercing.

Kacha!

The sound of the mechanical trap whirring into operation sounded, and a gleam of light suddenly shot toward Zhang Xuan, as though trying to teach him a lesson for his rudeness.

Hu!

However, before it could even reach him, Zhang Xuan had already stepped away, dodging the sword qi easily.

No matter how formidable a mechanical trap was, it was inflexible. By using the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan could make judgements beforehand and dodge assaults easily with the Heaven’s Path Movement Art. It wouldn’t be easy to hit him.

“There’s no need to waste your efforts. If you were to make a move yourself, you might still be able to injure me. Mechanical traps… You should just drop this ludicrous idea. The trap at the entrance was stopped by me. Do you think that these things will be useful against me?” Zhang Xuan said impassively.

“Hmph!”

The voice harrumphed furiously.

Even though the mechanical trap at the entrance was powerful, the young man still managed to stop it with a single kick.

No matter how powerful his mechanical trap here was, it was truly unlikely for him to be able to injure the other party.

Thinking so, the owner of the voice fell silent. The mechanical traps also stopped their operation.

Even though the mechanical trap was powered by the kinetic energy of the waterfall, there was still a limit to its ammunition.

Seeing that the other party had dropped the idea of resorting to the mechanical traps, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief within.

Regarding the traps, if he had to come into direct contact with it before he could form a book, learn of its flaws, and deal with it.

However, there were many mechanical traps scattered around the room, and Zhang Xuan had no idea where they were as well. He might be able to dodge one, but if the other party were to attempt to launch all of the traps at once, given Zhang Xuan’s limited capability, it would be impossible for him to get away unscathed.

In truth, the words he had just spoken were mostly a lie. He didn’t really expect to succeed.

Facing this kind of hidden adversary, he had to use his words to outwit the other party.

“It’s such a pity!”

Even though the other party had stopped his assault, Zhang Xuan had no intentions to stopping here. Shaking his head, he sighed in dismay. “It’s such a good opportunity but you simply let it slip past you. Sigh, you are indeed such a soul—brainless!”

“You…”

Hearing those words, the voice nearly spurted blood from frustration and died on the spot.

The heck!

I am a 6-star soul oracle, who do you think you are speaking like that too?

Putting aside how you are only a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan cultivator, even a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan would have to tremble before me. Yet, how dare you dream of taking me in as your student, even going to the extent of calling me brainless…

You are the one who is brainless, your entire family is brainless!

“Don’t think that I’ll restrain myself just because I intend to possess one of you. If you are that intent to die, I don’t mind granting your wish at this instant…”

The voice was laced with threat.

“Kill me? Do you dare?”

With a look of disdain, Zhang Xuan glanced in front and said, “Besides, you are just a monster who been dead for innumerable years already. All you have left are your mechanical traps. If you can kill me, you would have done so yourself previously. You wouldn’t be threatening me now!”

“You…”

“You, what you?! If you have the capability, come and kill me now. Stop wasting time! Otherwise, hurry up and show us your three trials. To think that you are a 6-star soul oracle, how can you be so dumb?”

Zhang Xuan sighed. “Forget it. Even if you want to acknowledge me as your teacher now, I don’t want to accept you anymore. I’m afraid that you’ll pull down my reputation!”

“You…”

The owner of the voice was about to explode.

You are scared of your reputation being pulled down if I acknowledge you as my teacher?

Can you be any more shameless than that?

Seeing that the other party was leaping in anger, Zhang Xuan continued, “Why? Has all of your cultivation has gone to your mouth, and you are incapable of fighting anymore?”

“You are seeking death!”

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s annoying face, the owner of the voice exploded.

Hong long!

A violent ripple diffused in the air and an overwhelming might suddenly crushed down on the crowd.

The soul oracle was initially hesitant to fight for fear of Combat Decline. However, choking with anger from the words of the young lad before him, he could no longer hold himself back anymore.

Hula!

A force suddenly crushed on Zhang Xuan’s neck, as though an intangible hand was grabbing onto it, lifting him up.

“Teacher…”

“Zhang shi!”

Seeing that the soul oracle was provoked into making a move, everyone panicked. They hurriedly rushed forward.

“You want to kill me? It won’t be that easy!”

Despite being suffocated, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic. Instead, chuckling lightly, he willed and a gray scale-like object appeared before him.

Weng!

A light buzz.

A barrier of light embraced his body. As though coming into contact with burning oil, the hand grabbing onto Zhang Xuan quickly retracted.

“AH!”

The voice yelled in agony. From the looks of it, he seemed to have sustained significant injuries from it.

Dragon Scale Amulet!

This was the object that he’d obtained at the Appraiser Hall some time ago. Based on the evaluation of the Library of Heaven’s Path, it could ward off the attack of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert three times. The time had finally come to use it!

An amulet only had protective capabilities. However, once activated, it would return the force from the other party’s assault back to him in the form of a backlash.

This was precisely the reason why Zhang Xuan intentionally used his words to provoke the other party into action.

In any case, he could use this amulet thrice. Furthermore, as long as the fellow remained hidden, everyone else could only be manipulated by him. Thus, Zhang Xuan decided to lure him out despite the potential risks.

Besides, given the age of the tomb, the other party was likely to have been dormant for a significant period of time already. His cultivation would have surely already deteriorated greatly, and in his weakened state, it was impossible for him to break the defense Dragon Scale Amulet!

With just a single strike, the other party was already severely injured.

“This…”

Everyone thought that Zhang shi would be doomed given how the powerful soul oracle decided to make a move himself. They didn’t expect him to possess a tool so strong that it could even injure a 6-star soul oracle. As such, they were astonished by the sight.

“I will kill you…”

Severely injured, the soul oracle flew into a frenzy. He bellowed furiously as he prepared to launch a second round of attack.

“You want to kill me? You might have been able to succeed a moment ago but now… I’m afraid you don’t stand a chance anymore!”

The barrier of light could be sustained for several breaths. Seeing that it hasn’t dissipated yet, Zhang Xuan charged forward toward the stone tablet.

He didn’t know where the other party was previously so there was no way for him to attack the other party at all. However, after the other party had executed a battle technique, not only did the Library of Heaven’s Path reflect the other party’s flaws, it had even detailed his current location.

Hong long!

With the immense might of two hundred thousand ding, the stone tablet was immediately smashed to smithereens.

After smashing the tablet inscribed with the Soul Guiding Formula, Zhang Xuan didn’t stop. Instead, he continued charging all the way to the coffin. Just as everyone thought that he would forcefully smash open the coffin, the other party’s hands swiftly pat on several places over the coffin, his movements so swift that it left after images in its wake.

Pah pah pah pah!

It was a consecutive sixteen pats. There was seemingly no specific logic behind his blows, and his strikes weren’t heavy either. With such force, he might have been able to break ordinary boulders but it was completely useless against a coffin that was crafted by a high-ranked blacksmith like this. No one had any idea what he was thinking of.

After that, he paused for a moment. Just as everyone was baffled by Zhang shi’s actions, the latter suddenly turned around, “Hall Master Sai, your saber!”

“Saber? Alright!”

Hall Master Sai was taken aback for a moment before registering what Zhang Xuan said. Flicking his wrist, he took out a saber and threw it to the other party.

It was the same one that Zhang Xuan used back at the Formation Master Guild to carve the formation plate.

Grabbing the saber, Zhang Xuan’s aura abruptly changed. A sharp aura suddenly emanated from his body.

Huala!

The saber fell down with immense might.

Boom!

As soon as the saber came into contact with the coffin, a loud explosion sounded. It was as though someone had lit an explosive within the coffin, causing the thick coffin lid to blow up and burst into the surroundings. The immense force from the explosion lodged the fragments of the coffin lid onto the tough wall.

“Shattered by none, the lock of Crimson Metal, an undisturbed rest for ten millenniums… This is a Crimson Metal Coffin! Even a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan would be helpless before it. For Zhang shi to break it open with a single slash… How is this possible?”

Upon seeing the sight, while others didn’t think much of it, Luo Zhu’s body trembled in shock. He was on the verge of going insane.

“Crimson Metal Coffin? You mean… the Crimson Metal Coffin crafted by 6-star blacksmiths using an alloy of deep ocean metals?”

Upon seeing Luo Zhu’s state, Hall Master Sai fell into a short moment of contemplation when realization suddenly struck him, and his eyes narrowed.

“Indeed! It’s that Crimson Metal Coffin!” Luo Zhu nodded his head.

“Isn’t it said that… once the coffin is sealed, no one will be able to open it? Why would…” Realizing the impossibility of the matter, Hall Master Sai also went into a frenzy.

As the head of the Appraiser Hall, he had seen countless invaluable artifacts, and he had heard of many different treasures as well.

Generally, coffins could be divided into nine main grades. Take for example, the four coffins at the other chamber are known as Grade-7 Adamantine Coffin, forged using incomparably resilient top-quality metal. Even Spirit intermediate-tier weapons would find it hard to break it.

And above the nine grades of metal was crimson metal!

Crimson Metal Coffins were crafted by 6-star blacksmith. It was designed such that once it was sealed, no thief below the cultivation of Transcendent Mortal 9-dan would be able to break it.

Such came the saying ‘shattered by none, the lock of Crimson Metal, an undisturbed rest for ten millenniums’!

In order to not be disturbed after death, many powerful cultivators would specially hire a blacksmith to craft a coffin of that tier for them so as to ensure that their corpses would remain intact and that no petty tomb raiders would be able to disturb their peace.

For Zhang shi to break a coffin that only Transcendent Mortal pinnacle experts could break, how could they not be astonished?

It was already an amazing feat that they didn’t faint upon realization.

To see through the flaw of the Soul Guiding Formula with a single look, to injure a 6-star soul oracle, and to break the Crimson Metal Coffin with a single slash…

Was this Zhang shi… really just a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan?

Chapter 510: Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus

Before the duo could recover from their shock, Zhang Xuan’s saber continued slashing down and struck a corpse lying in the coffin.

Huala!

As soon as the corpse came into contact with the saber, it was immediately reduced to dust, scattering into all directions.

“The body of a Transcendent 9-dan should be as though tough as diamond, how could it possibly be reduced to dust by a single strike of saber qi?”

When one’s cultivation reached Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, not only would one’s soul energy increase, one’s physical body would also become flawless. As though a diamond, it would become impervious to corrosion and no weapon would be able to leave a mark on it.

Even after death, considering how the corpse had been protected by a Crimson Metal Coffin all along, it shouldn’t have been reduced to dust by a single strike of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan cultivator.

“Could Zhang shi’s saber art really be that strong?”

“That’s not it. While Zhang shi’s saber art and saber qi are strong, he still isn’t strong enough to break a Crimson Metal Coffin and reduce the physical body of a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan into dust,” Jin Conghai said with a grim expression.

After consuming a pill, he had recovered significantly from his previous injury.

“Then what’s going on?”

“Let’s continue watching first. Zhang shi will definitely have an explanation for it!”

Jin Conghai shook his head.

Everyone turned their attention to the man in front of them.

Zhang Xuan didn’t stop after dissipating the tomb owner’s corpse with a single slash. With a flick of his wrist, he whipped out several silver needles and tossed them into the coffin.

As the silver needle shot into the coffin, everyone suddenly heard a piercing scream.

“AH… What are you doing?”

It came from the mysterious voice from before.

At this moment, the arrogance in that fellow’s voice had disappeared altogether, replaced by fear and disbelief.

“I’m not doing anything much, just digging you up!”

Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan slotted his saber deep into the coffin and flicked his saber up. Hu! A black lotus appeared before everyone.

This lotus was around the size of a palm, and a black aura shrouded its tip. Every single one of its leaves were pierced with silver needles.

The silver needles that Zhang Xuan shot before were aimed exactly at this flower.

To think that such a peculiar lotus would be hiding beneath an indestructible Crimson Metal Coffin in this incredibly deep tomb. Even when seeing it with their own eyes, everyone still took in a deep breath, unable to believe their sight.

Hu!

In truth, it had only been a few breaths since the tomb owner attacked Zhang Xuan to when the lotus was unearthed. Only at this instant did the Dragon Scale Amulet’s glowing barrier finally disappear.

“Could this be…”

Upon seeing the lotus, Luo Zhu contemplated for a moment when something suddenly struck him. His eyes rapidly narrowed and with a quivering voice, he uttered, “Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus?”

“Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus? What is that?” Hall Master Sai asked out of curiosity.

Even though he was knowledgeable, he wasn’t omniscient.

Soul oracle was a mysterious occupation even during the ancient times, and very little was detailed about them.

“It is said to be an invaluable treasure for soul oracles. It can be used to forge a new physical body, and on top of that, the forged physical body will possess a unique constitution!” Luo Zhu explained.

“Unique constitution?” Hall Master Sai widened his eyes in shock.

As long as one’s unique constitution was activated, one’s rate of cultivation would exceed ordinary cultivators by many times.

To be able to forge a physical body that possessed a unique constitution…

That was way too fearsome!

“Indeed. However… something seems amiss!” A moment later, Luo Zhu hesitated.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus survives by absorbing energy. If I’m not mistaken, the corpse of the tomb owner must have been absorbed clean. Otherwise, it’s impossible for a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan corpse to be reduced to dust by Zhang shi’s strike!” Luo Zhu said.

“Un!” Hall Master Sai nodded in agreement.

They had been perplexed over how Zhang Xuan managed to reduce a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan corpse into dust with his sword qi. From the looks of it now, this bizarre flower must have sapped the energy remaining within the body dry.

“Since the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan corpse had been used to nourish the lotus, the lotus should have already bloomed and turned into the tomb owner’s physical body. Why… would he still be lying in the coffin, trying to possess us?” Luo Zhu finally asked doubtfully.

“This…”

Hall Master Sai and the others, realizing the bizarreness of the situation, fell into contemplation.

Indeed! If the other party had an invaluable object like the Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus which could serve as his physical body, why would he need to possess others? Not to mention, even going through all of the trouble of having everyone cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula!

Wasn’t this a completely pointless action?

“I don’t understand it either. However, I think Zhang shi might have the answer. Otherwise, he couldn’t have possibly opened the coffin and dug out this lotus!” Luo Zhu said.

“Un!” Everyone immediately turned their eyes over to Zhang Xuan.

At the coffin, that voice was still screaming.

“You… let me go!”

Being dug up, the black lotus screeched in fright.

The tomb owner who had threatened to kill everyone earlier was hiding inside.

It was no wonder that they couldn’t find the origin of the voice earlier. Given that the tomb owner was hidden in a lotus beneath the coffin, how could they possibly have found him?

“Let you go? So that you can continue killing us?”

Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes.

“Y-you… As long you as let me go, we can talk things through. As a soul oracle, I have accumulated quite a lot of treasures. I can give them all to you. If you desire, this Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus can be yours as well,” that voice said anxiously.

“Give this lotus to me? No thanks…”

Zhang Xuan harrumphed. “Also, you spoke of the treasures you accumulated? Haven’t you exchanged all of them into spirit stones to feed this lotus already?”

“How… did you know?”

A frightened voice echoed from within the lotus.

“How did I know? The dust around the lotus all came from crumbled spirit stones, it’s not like I’m blind!”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

In truth, it wasn’t that the lotus was buried underground. Rather, it was placed with a huge stack of spirit stones. However, after the spiritual energy from those spirit stones were extracted, they became a layer of dust covering the lotus.

Zhang Xuan had once used a Spirit Gathering Formation to extract spiritual energy from spirit stones and a large quantity of similar waste product had appeared before. Thus, he was able to recognize it at first sight.

Furthermore, this dust was more translucent and paler than the low-tier spirit stones that he used for his training. Most probably, the spirit stones used were at least of middle-tier.

Judging from the size of the pile, that must be at least a mountain of ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones… Even for a 6-star soul oracle, that should be his entire wealth.

Having deduced all of this, how could Zhang Xuan possibly fall for the other party’s lies?

“Y-you…”

The lotus trembled violently as though it had seen a ghost.

It seemed like in all of his clashes with the other party, he hadn’t even won once.

The other party seemed to be omniscient, knowing every single thing about him.

“All of you, come over!”

Ignoring the tomb owner’s frightened shivering, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and beckoned the rest of the group over.

Only then did the others rush forward.

Unable to stand the intrigue any longer, Zhao Feiwu asked, “Zhang shi… What is going on?”

Everyone also stared at Zhang Xuan with a look of bewilderment.

Everything had happened too abruptly. It was just a moment ago that the tomb owner was laughing gleefully at controlling everyone’s life and death when, in the blink of an eye, he was dug out from the ground…

This bizarre turn of events had left everyone completely baffled.

“What’s going on? I think you should be the one to explain…”

Zhang Xuan patted the black lotus in front of him.

Huala!

The black lotus trembled slightly. At this moment, the voice seemed to have turned mute, unable to speak a single word at all.

It seemed like being found and pummeled by a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan weakling had left it so stifled that it didn’t feel like talking at all.

“Do you think that you have a choice?”

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to cooperate, Zhang Xuan lifted his hand and a needle appeared between his fingertips. Then, with a swift movement, the needle impaled a leaf of the lotus.

“AHHH…”

A cry of agony immediately sounded within the lotus, and the voice hurriedly gave in, “You… I’ll speak, I’ll speak…”

The voice sounded much feebler than before. Clearly, the silver needle had struck its vitals, resulting in a tremendous fall in its strength.

“Let’s hurry up and begin then!”

Plucking out the silver needle, Zhang Xuan infused zhenqi into the silver needle once more, causing it to gleam coldly. It seemed that if that fellow were to hesitate for even an instant, the needle would immediately impale the lotus’s body.

“Yes…”

Terrified by the threat, the lotus trembled and hurriedly spoke, “I am a 6-star soul oracle, and my cultivation has reached Transcendent Mortal 9-dan pinnacle… However, even until the very end, I failed to make the final step. Even though my soul still managed to live on, my physical body reached its limit!”

At Transcendent Mortal realm, one’s longevity would be increased by twofold. However, that would only add up to two hundred years. Even those who were blessed with exceptionally long lifespans only managed to reach three hundred at maximum.

As long as one didn’t surpass this realm, one’s physical body would be restrained by that limit.

This was the way of the world.

Even though soul oracles could sustain themselves by possessing others, naturally, their own body was still the most compatible with their soul.

“It was then that I found this… Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus!”

The voice continued, “This item is the greatest treasure for us soul oracles. As long as it matures, it can be molded into a physical body, not to mention, the body would possess a unique constitution. With this, I might just be able to overcome the last hurdle and surpass the Transcendent Mortal realm! Thus, I began making preparations for my funeral and squandered all my wealth on building a tomb. This is all so that I can focus my efforts on nurturing this lotus.”

“Un!” Everyone nodded their heads.

In truth, they had been a little intrigue by the existence of this tomb. Since soul oracles were able to possess the body of other cultivators, why would one waste their fortune and effort on building a tomb beneath a river?

From the looks of it now, it was all so that he could nurture this lotus without any disturbances.

After all, given how rare and valuable the lotus was, it would be disastrous if other soul oracles were to learn of it.

Thus, he chose to fake his death.

Even though soul oracles were able to achieve immortality via their soul, they were impeded by the Five Soul Declines so it wasn’t entirely impossible for a soul oracle to die. Thus, the other soul oracles didn’t suspect a thing when he buried himself in his tomb.

“But if that is the case, why haven’t you succeeded yet?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Soul oracles had already been destroyed for dozens of millenniums already so this tomb surely had a longer history than that. Judging from such, the other party should have been done nurturing the lotus by now already. But if that was the case, why was he still in such a state now?

After all, if he had succeeded, he would have already molded the lotus into a new body for himself already. Why was he still stuck inside the lotus, unable to leave?

“I…”

Hearing the question, the voice hesitated for a moment before replying, “After the tomb was built, I faked my death and began nurturing this lotus. I thought that, given my strength and experience, I’d be able to succeed swiftly. However… I never thought that… I would actually fail!”

“Fail?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. “Since you went to the extent of faking your death, you must know the method to nurturing this lotus. How did you fail?”

That fellow had prepared for this matter over such a long time, converting all of his possession into spirit stones and burying himself underground, even going to the extent of finding a celestial designer to build the tomb and a 6-star craftsman to forge the coffin. With such thorough preparations, how did the other party fail?

“That’s because… because…”

The tomb owner’s voice trembled, as though recalling something fearsome.

“This… This isn’t a Seven Hearts Underworld Lotus but a… Nine Hearts Lotus!”

Chapter 511: The Truth of the Incident

“Nine Hearts Lotus?”

This time, not only did Zhang Xuan frown in confusion, even Luo Zhu was perplexed as well. He hadn’t heard of this name.

“That’s right! Seven Hearts Lotus is known as a sacred object capable of being molded into a physical body but… the Nine Hearts Lotus is an object that has never appeared in the Master Teacher Continent before. If a tier must really be assigned to it, then it can surely be considered as a God artifact!” the tomb owner said.

“God artifact?” Hearing those words, everyone froze.

Just like cultivation techniques, artifacts and tools could be classified by the ranking God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal. Saint artifacts were something that couldn’t be found even if one were to ransack the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance. As for God artifacts, they were things that belonged only to the legends only. It was a mystery as to whether they existed on the Master Teacher Continent or not.

Yet, this black object was actually an artifact of that tier?

That was way too fearsome!

One must know that even Kong shi failed to obtain any God artifacts back then!

“Given my cultivation, how can I possibly succeed in nurturing a God artifact? Not only were all of my possessions sucked dry, my soul was even imprisoned in this lotus for dozens of millenniums…”

At this, the tomb owner suddenly sounded extremely depressed.

It was no wonder why he was down. After all, he had expected to achieve great things after molding himself a new body. How could he have known that not only would be fail, he would even end up being imprisoned within the lotus, devoid of even the choice of terminating his own life… It already took a miracle for him to retain his sanity until now.

Ordinary humans would have long succumbed to the despair already. To be able to hang on until now, the other party’s mental fortitude was indeed extraordinary.

“So, you intended to have one of us replace you so that you could regain your freedom?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“That’s right,” the tomb owner replied. “After being trapped for dozens of millenniums, all that is left on my mind is how I can escape from the demonic grasp of this wretched plant. After a very long time, I finally came up with an idea!

“Since the Nine Hearts Lotus didn’t devour me after such a long period of time, it could only mean that it doesn’t possess the ability to do so. Thus, if I can find another soul to replace me, I just might be able to escape!”

In other words, the tomb owner intended to find a scapegoat.

All the Nine Hearts Lotus wanted was a soul. As long as he could find another soul to replace him, he would be able to escape from this abyss.

“After deciding on this, I began trying my best to divide my own soul. After many years of hard work, I finally managed to divide a small part of myself. However… its cultivation is only at Transcendent Mortal 3-dan. With such weak cultivation, it is unlikely for it to live for too long before it is consumed by Senescence Decline. Who could’ve known that… at this moment, a tomb raider would arrive!”

Taken aback, everyone immediately turned their gazes to Luo Zhu.

The latter’s face reddened.

Having his identity exposed in public, he felt a little embarrassed.

After all, this occupation wasn’t a glorious one. It was no different from a petty thief or burglar.

“Thus, I formulated a bold plan! I would make the entrance traps slightly easier so that the tomb raider could enter successfully. After which, I would find an opportunity to… possess him!”

The tomb owner continued, “In the end, I really succeeded. Terrified, that fellow quickly left this area. Initially, my idea was very simple. After possessing him, I would make use of the Soulless Metal Humanoid to attract more people here before choosing a suitable soul among them to replace me. However, I never expected his soul to be so strong. Not to mention, after the possession, my cultivation had been significantly weakened. Thus, I ended up in a standstill with him, and eventually, I even got killed by a weak, plump man…”

At which, the lotus trembled with deep resentment.

“Cough cough!” The weak plump man scratched his head awkwardly.

Back then, he only managed to devour the soul that tried to possess him due to the Heaven’s Path zhenqi in his body. In comparison to the other party, his cultivation indeed didn’t mean much.

At this point, everyone finally understood the entire situation.

This explained why Luo Zhu was able to enter and escape the tomb despite the presence of such a formidable soul oracle here. It turned out that the other party had intentionally allowed him to leave just to attract even more people here.

The plan was indeed feasible, just that he didn’t expect to meet a monster like Zhang Xuan. The soul that took him innumerable years to divide out was cleanly wiped away.

“Wait a moment…”

Zhang Xuan frowned and waved his hands. “Since you were able to sever a part of your soul and send it out from the lotus, why do you still need to lure more people here?”

Since the fellow’s main goal was to leave the lotus, severing a part of his soul should do the job as well. There was no need to go through so much trouble to lure so many people here. After all, he would be putting himself at risk by bringing publicity to the tomb.

Since the divided soul was also a part of him—it carried his thoughts and consciousness as well—the main issue he had at hand should have been solved.

“You’re right. However… that soul was severely damaged when I tried to push it out from the lotus. As such, it wasn’t going to survive for long! Besides, that doesn’t solve the root of the problem. The main bulk of my soul would still continue to suffer here. The only way for me to free myself completely from this lotus is to have another soul take my place,” the tomb owner said.

“Then… Why didn’t you just bewitch Luo Zhu to replace you? What if he’d left for good?” Zhang Xuan continued to ask.

It wasn’t easy for Luo Zhu to appear after countless years of waiting. How could the tomb owner be so certain that Luo Zhu would bring people here? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just have the other party replace him first?

“Tomb raiders are of yin nature. Such people will never be able to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula,” the tomb owner replied. “Besides, look at his age. He’s already got one foot in the grave. Besides, his cultivation is sorely lacking, what use would it be even if I were to possess him? Face death once more?”

Luo Zhu’s face reddened.

He didn’t expect to be snubbed just like Sun Qiang…

Hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in realization.

All of the puzzle pieces fit now.

Soul Oracles suffered from Possession Decline, and every possession would cause their cultivation to fall steeply once. Since that was the case, they should choose a good body to possess right from the start.

“Later on, when the soul that I severed was destroyed, I thought that all hope was lost. But you all came… And the rest unfolded as you know!” The tomb owner said.

“Then, you tried to make us cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula, and once our soul were out, you were going to use the name of clearing the trial to have our souls come into contact with the lotus. This way, our souls will be drawn in, thus… becoming your replacement,” Zhang Xuan said.

“That’s right!” The tomb owner didn’t deny the matter.

Only at this instant did everyone realize the entire situation, and cold sweat drenched their back.

The other party had said that he wanted to test them, but from the looks of it now, if they were to really cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula and succeeded in it, their soul would have been imprisoned by this bizarre flower and their body would’ve been possessed completely.

It was fortunate that Zhang shi caught onto the other party’s ploy. Otherwise, the aftermath would have been unimaginable.

“That’s not right!” Zhao Feiwu frowned. “Given how powerful you are, you could have totally torn our souls from our physical body to feed the lotus, right?”

The other party was a 6-star soul oracle who could even lay out the Oasis of the Mirage Deity while even the strongest of their group was only a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivator. Tearing out their soul from their body shouldn’t have been anything hard!

Why did he have to go through so much trouble of having everyone cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula?

“Allow me to explain this!”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the lotus indifferently and said, “It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it but… he can’t!”

“He can’t?” Everyone was taken aback.

“There are two reasons for this. Firstly, a soul oracle suffers from Strength Decline and forcefully using one’s soul energy to extract the souls of others would cause immense damage to oneself! Secondly, he has been trapped by the lotus for a very long time, and controlling the traps and attacking me are already the limit of his ability. It is completely impossible for him to fight with us all at once! Otherwise, he would have long made a move already. He wouldn’t have to hide himself and resort to all of these traps!” Zhang Xuan explained.

After the other party’s attack, a book was compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Otherwise, he couldn’t have been so brave as to charge forward to dig up the lotus.

Trapped by a God artifact, it was already very difficult for the other party to exert energy and force himself out of the lotus. Controlling the traps were already a huge difficulty for him. If he could kill the crowd so easily, he wouldn’t have to do things in such a roundabout manner.

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone came to a realization.

It was no wonder why this soul oracle acted so hesitantly before weaklings like them, choosing to conceal his own presence. It turned out that… this fellow was all talk. In truth, he wasn’t capable of doing anything to them at all.

The tomb owner also didn’t expect that even his weakness would be seen through by this young man, and his eyes were filled with fear and defeat.

Initially, he had been thinking that if the other party was unaware of this, he could still use this as a leverage against him. However, even his last hope had been shattered now.

On top of that, the other party’s silver needles had been pierced into the areas where he could transmit his will out of the lotus from. As such, he couldn’t even control the traps now. His life was completely in the hands of the other party now.

Now that the mystery had been unraveled and the powerful 6-star soul oracle had been subdued, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Zhang Xuan turned to the lotus and demanded, “Alright, tell us about the Dragon Severing Lock!”

The entire area had been sealed, and the only way to leave was to break the Dragon Severing Lock. Since this fellow was the one who sealed the place, he had to have a way to leave as well.

“This… There’s no other exit!” The tomb owner spoke awkwardly.

“No other exits? Then how do you intend to leave after possessing one of our bodies?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Since this fellow intended to escape from the lotus, he must have taken into consideration his escape route as well. He couldn’t possibly possess another body only to be stopped by his own Dragon Severing Lock!

“I can… escape using the means of a soul oracle!” The tomb owner said.

“Means of a soul oracle?” The crowd asked in confusion.

“Look on top. At the top of the tomb, there is a mechanism that will open up a path all the way to the surface of the lake when triggered… Soul oracles are able to fly around freely due to their light souls… On the other hand, normal Transcendent Mortal cultivators are incapable of flight… That’s why I told you all, it’s futile!” the tomb owner said.

“Fly?”

Everyone turned their gazes to the top and saw that there was indeed a portion which seemed a little bizarre. However, given the height of the ceiling, even the Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Hall Master Sai would be unable to reach it.

Needless to say, escape from this tomb.

Chapter 512: Flying? I Can Do It!

Even though Transcendent Mortals were far stronger than Fighters and possessed a significantly greater degree of control over nature, they were still incapable of flight. It was at least seventy to eight meters from the ground to the mechanism on the ceiling, and the surrounding walls were tough and slippery. It was nigh impossible to climb up!

“What can we do then? Are we… supposed to just die like that in here?”

Hearing those words, the hope in everyone’s hearts extinguished in an instant.

Since this fellow had failed to possess any single one of them, naturally, he couldn’t use his soul oracle abilities. Besides, even if he could, he wasn’t trustworthy!

This formed a huge dilemma. If they didn’t find a solution, they might just end up being trapped down here for life.

“How about this? One of you all sacrifice yourself to allow me to possess your body so that I can take all of you out. Otherwise, if this goes on, it’s just a matter of time before your rations run out, ” the tomb owner said.

Given that this was an enclosed space, no matter how much sustenance they had, it would just be a matter of time before it ran out.

Seeing that the fellow hadn’t given up yet, Zhang Xuan slapped the lotus in displeasure.

“Shut up, it’s not your place to speak here!

“You don’t need to worry about how we’re going to leave here. You currently have two choices before you. You can choose to become my servant and jot down your soul oracle ability down for me. In exchange, I’ll find a way to free you from that lotus.”

“Servant?” The tomb owner was taken aback, and he nearly burst into tears. “Aren’t I supposed to acknowledge you as my teacher?”

“The offer has already passed. If you’d agreed just now, not only would I have freed you, I’d even have imparted the complete cultivation technique to you so that you wouldn’t need to fear the Five Soul Declines. However… it’s already too late!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands impatiently.

“I…” The tomb owner sounded a little constipated, and he was so frustrated that he could die on the spot.

That was to be expected. Back then, he’d still possessed the upper hand and had some leverage over the other party. Given the other party’s identity as a master teacher, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to harm his own student… But now, he was nothing more than a captive. His life and death hinged on a thought of the other party. It was already benevolent of the other party to offer to take him in as his servant.

After a moment of silence, the voice helplessly said, “What’s the second option?”

“I’ll slowly interrogate you, and once I get my answers, I’ll dispose of you!” Zhang Xuan spoke impassively.

He couldn’t help but tremble at his words. Even though the other party had spoken calmly, the tomb owner knew that the other party would really do it.

“Alright, I, Mo Hunsheng, am willing to be Zhang shi’s servant…”

The fellow before him had overcome his assault, saw through his ploy, and even opened up a sealed Crimson Metal Coffin. His means and capability were way off charts. It would probably be a walk in the park for the other party to eradicate him. There was no need to hesitate at all.

After living for so many years, he understood the value of life.

As long as he could free himself from this wretched lotus, being a servant was the least of his worries.

After making up his mind, the tomb owner prepared to speak when the other party’s impatient voice sounded, “What are you trying to do?”

“I’m making a vow…” the tomb owner, Mo Hunsheng, replied.

Pah!

“What’s the use of making a vow? Sign a soul contract! Don’t tell me that a soul oracle like you doesn’t even know something as basic as this!” Zhang Xuan slapped the lotus.

You must be joking! Given the innumerable mysterious means that soul oracles possess, I would be a fool to trust your vow.

“Soul contract?”

The lotus trembled.

He was about to go insane. He thought that he could fool the other party with a show, and as soon as he freed himself from his restraints, he could teach the other party a lesson. Yet, who knew that… the other party didn’t even fall for his trick!

A soul contract was something similar to a contract with a tamed beast. Once it was established, one mustn’t go against it. Otherwise, one’s soul would dissipate.

For a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert like him who was just a step away to reaching a whole new realm to sign a contract and become the servant of a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan cultivator?

The more he thought about it, the more frenzied he felt.

“Why? Aren’t you willing?”

Just as he was still feeling conflicted, he felt a silver needle pierce him and a surge of pure zhenqi seared his soul.

“AH… I agree…”

It was clear that his life was in the grasp of the other party. Mo Hunsheng dared not hesitate any longer. A white light flashed, and a sliver of soul gushed into Zhang Xuan’s head.

Soul contract established!

“Alright!”

Sensing his control over the other party’s life and death, Zhang Xuan knew that the other party had completely submitted to him. Only then did he flick his wrist and put the lotus away into his storage ring.

Regardless, this was a God artifact. It might be capable of incredible things so he decided to study it after they returned.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan turned to Hall Master Sai and the others and said, “I hope that everyone here will refrain from spreading news regarding this lotus!”

Zhao Ya and the others were his student so they were trustworthy. However, the same could not necessarily be said about the rest of the group.

After all, a God artifact was a treasure surpassing that of even Saint artifacts. If news of its existence were to leak, Zhang Xuan would definitely be pursued to the ends of the world.

Even if other people didn’t dare to attack him in the open for fear of the backlash from the Master Teacher Pavilion, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn’t resort to underhanded means.

“Zhang shi, rest assured. If I reveal this matter, may the heavens smite me and my soul fall into oblivion!”

Knowing what the other party was worried about, Hall Master Sai raised his hands and vowed to the heavens.

Following which, Zhao Feiwu, Jin Conghai, Gu Mu, Luo Zhu, and the others did the same as well.

They understood the danger behind carrying something beyond one’s means to protect.

Zhang Xuan had taken away the most valuable lotus whereas Sun Qiang had kept the other coffins in the first chamber. Given that everyone had worked hard in coming here, they couldn’t possibly just leave empty-handed.

Thus, Zhang Xuan pointed to the coffins around and offered, “Un. Since you’ve all worked hard in coming here, you can’t simply leave empty-handed like that. Those coffins were forged by 6-star blacksmiths so they could be considered as treasures as well. I believe they should fetch quite a sum!”

Those were Crimson Metal Coffins forged by 6-star blacksmiths, and they were all extremely resilient. They were of equal quality to Spirit pinnacle weapons even though their utility might not match up to it.

If sold, it could definitely fetch a considerable sum.

“There’s no need for it, we ended up contributing nothing at all…”

“Zhang shi, you’re being too polite…”

Understanding Zhang Xuan’s intentions, the crowd hesitated for a moment before eventually shaking their heads.

If not for Zhang shi, they would have surely all died. To take something on top of that… they were too embarrassed to do so.

But even though they didn’t obtain any treasures, they still managed to obtain a part of the Soul Guiding Formula. If they were to study it, it could prove to be beneficial to their cultivation.

“Since you all aren’t interested in it, I won’t stand on ceremony then. Sun Qiang, collect everything here…”

Before they could finish turning down the offer, Zhang shi’s voice sounded once more.

“Great!”

After which, Butler Sun immediately rushed forward excitedly and moved all of the coffins, including the one which Zhang Xuan had wrecked previously, into his storage ring.

“…” The crowd.

The person in front of them was obviously such a formidable master teacher, and if he wished for it, everyone would rush forward to fulfill his demands. Yet, he was still such a scrooge.

That coffin had already broken into numerous fragments and yet he was still collecting all of the pieces, one at a time. If he could, would he go to the extent of even dismantling the mechanical system?

Just as they were thinking so, the other party’s voice sounded, “Sun Qiang, bring Little Mo around and take away all of the traps that can be dug up. Those are good items!”

“…” The crowd.

“Cough cough… Zhang shi, it’s still too early to be scavenging for treasure. Regardless of whether it is the mechanical traps or the coffin, we have to first be able to get out first…”

Choking on her saliva, Zhao Feiwu couldn’t help but say.

The most important issue at hand was neither the revelation of the existence of the lotus or the scavenging of the mechanical traps and coffins… It was to find a way to leave this area!

Given that the Dragon Severing Lock was in place, the group couldn’t go back the way they’d come from. On top of that, they were incapable of flight as well. If so, how were they supposed to leave here?

If they couldn’t leave this area, it would be meaningless even if he were to take everything of value here.

“Get out? Hasn’t Little Mo spoken about that already? There’s a path on top!”

Zhang Xuan pointed.

Seeing how the other party lack of depth in thoughts, everyone was speechless. Zhao Feiwu rolled her eyes and replied, “But… it’s so high! We aren’t able to fly so how are we supposed to leave?”

“It’s just flying,” Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly. “I can do it!”

“You can do it?”

Shocked, everyone widened their eyes in shock.

Are you for real?

Even a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert was incapable of flight, and yet, you, a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan cultivator, said that you are… able to do it?

“Un!”

Nodding his head casually, Zhang Xuan explained, “It’s just an ability of a Celestial Master Teacher, it’s nothing much!”

Just like the lotus, the issue regarding the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps should not be made known to outsiders. However, given the circumstances, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly hide his ability of flight any longer. Thus, he decided to attribute the matter to an ability of a Celestial Master Teacher.

In any case, Celestial Master Teacher was a completely spontaneous event and not everyone would be able to become one. Even if one was jealous, there was nothing one could do about it.

Besides, there had only been one Celestial Master Teacher in the world before Zhang Xuan—Kong shi. Thus, no one could say for sure whether Celestial Master Teachers were capable of flight or not, and there was no way they could verify it as well. As such, this was the ideal excuse.

“Just flying…”

Everyone was on the verge of puking blood.

That was flying… It was something that even Transcendent Mortal 9-dan experts were incapable of. Yet, why do you think of it as easy as though going to the market to buy cabbage?

At the same time, they also felt perplexed. Were Celestial Master Teachers really granted the ability of flight as well?

But… they didn’t recall seeing it in any of the books regarding Kong shi?

Even so, Celestial Master Teachers were a mysterious existence, and so, no one could say what they were capable of for sure.

“Wait here for a moment!”

Driving his zhenqi, Zhang Xuan began rising up into the sky, flying swiftly toward the mechanism at the ceiling.

Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps—Parallel Heaven Scroll!

Back when Zhang Xuan was at Half-Transcension, he could only sustain himself for a few breaths before falling down. Now that he was at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle, his zhenqi had become purer and thus, the duration he could sustain himself had increased.

His limit was currently dozens of breaths.

In this short period of time, it was impossible for him to travel a great distance. Even so, opening a tunnel and flying out of it was a simple task.

“He’s really flying?”

Seeing Zhang Xuan floating up, the mouths of the crowd twitched violently.

Flight had always been one of the greatest dreams of mankind. Yet, a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan was currently soaring in the air…

This was way too fearsome!

“It’s best not to reveal anything regarding Celestial Master Teachers and soul oracles to anyone else… Zhang shi is a person who will achieve great things in the future. We cannot afford to offend such a person!”

After a long moment of silence, the same thought appeared in everyone’s mind.

A hero would eventually shake the world with his name, a dragon would eventually dominate the skies.

A person destined for great things could only be befriended. By no means should one ever offend such a person.

And Zhang shi…

… was such a person.

Chapter 513: The Method to Save Lu Chong

Hu!

Ignoring everyone’s shock, Zhang Xuan reached the ceiling and touched the mechanism.

Then, his fingers began operating swiftly, tapping on various protrusions on the ceiling.

Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan could easily find the flaws within a mechanical trap. It was just like with the Crimson Metal Coffin before. Even though it was known to be ‘unbreakable’, in truth, if one were to find the flaws and exploit them, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

This mechanism was the same as well.

Kacha!

After a few taps, a crisp sound echoed and a boulder slowly split open, revealing a passageway. Zhang Xuan immediately dived into it.

The passageway was completely dark. There should be another mechanical system installed above the passageway to prevent the lake water from collapsing in.

After walking several dozen meters, he saw a gigantic boulder. As long as he knocked the boulder open, he should be able to return back to the bottom of the lake.

Just like with the entrance, there was a unique mechanical system installed here which allowed humans to pass but prevented the lake water from gushing in.

“Formidable!”

Taking a brief sweep of the mechanical system, Zhang Xuan realized that its design wasn’t inferior even when compared to formations. He couldn’t help but feel awed.

As expected of a celestial designer. Some of the systems behind the mechanical traps were so complex that many men wouldn’t get it even if they spent their entire life studying them.

After recuperating for a moment and recovering from the massive expenditure from the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, Zhang Xuan finally returned back to the crowd once more. He took a rope from Luo Zhu and fastened it to the passageway.

The group didn’t hesitate and hurriedly climbed up.

They were all cultivators so even though they weren’t capable of flight, scaling a rope was extremely simple.

Swimming up the lake, they finally returned back to the shore. Everything they just went through suddenly felt like an illusion, as though a dream they’d all had.

Even though they were only in the soul oracle tomb for a short moment, they had been on the verge of death and experienced despair. To think that they would be able to see the surface once more.

“Thank you, Zhang shi!”

After drying his clothes with zhenqi, Hall Master Sai stepped forward and bowed earnestly.

As expected of a Celestial Master Teacher. In the face of such danger, unlike the rest of them, he was able to maintain his calmness and use his wits to twist the situation around. Through doing so, he even managed to turn a 6-star soul oracle into his servant.

If he hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t dare believe this to be true.

“You’re being too polite, everyone has worked hard as well. Since we are in no hurry to leave, why don’t we rest here for the night?”

After all that they had gone through, the sun had already set. Stars shone brightly in the sky, and a crescent moon was hanging above the top of the mountain. The atmosphere felt peaceful.

There was a slight scent of autumn in the air. Green had faded from the leaves on the trees, turning into a more yellowish shade. A mountain wind blew past, caressing the group with a chilly touch.

“Alright!”

Hearing that they were in no rush to leave, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.

Their mind had been tense during the entire time in the soul oracle tomb, and that had left them in a withered state. They felt even more exhausted than if they had fought an intense battle.

This was the Demon Cinque Beast’s nest, and there weren’t any spirit beasts who would dare to wreak havoc here. Everyone started a campfire and whipped out the food they had stored in their storage ring. Before long, the fragrance of meat began wafting in the air.

Zhang Xuan was also ravenous. While he was in the midst of digging into his food, Wang Ying suddenly walked over and asked concernedly, “Teacher, what’s wrong with your neck?”

“Neck?”

Taken aback, Zhang Xuan grabbed the copper mirror that Wang Ying offered him and observed his neck carefully. Below his lower jaw, there was a portion that was slightly gray.

“Oh, it is caused by Little Mo’s soul oracle aura. Don’t worry, it’ll fade away very soon!”

Back when they were still in the soul oracle tomb, in order to bait Mo Hunsheng so as to use the Dragon Scale Amulet against him, he allowed the other party to grab him. It was probably then that the mark was left behind. Even so, it wasn’t very conspicuous and one wouldn’t notice it unless when paying close attention to it.

It was only because of Wang Ying’s meticulousness that she noticed it.

A soul oracle was a very different lifeform from a human being, and coming into contact with such a powerful soul oracle, it was perfectly normal for a mark to be left behind. However, it should gradually disappear soon.

“That’s good!” Seeing that it wasn’t a major issue, Wang Ying heaved a sigh of relief.

“I need you and Zhao Ya to bring Lu Chong over. Meanwhile, I’ll investigate some things,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

Lu Chong didn’t come here along with the crowd. Instead, he was placed on the back of Zhao Feiwu’s spirit beast. Now that the Demon Cinque Beast was tamed, it posed no threat whatsoever anymore. Thus, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to bring him over.

“Yes!” Knowing her teacher’s intention to save Lu Chong, Wang Ying nodded her head.

After delegating several tasks, Zhang Xuan stepped into the Demon Cinque Beast’s cave.

The cave was wide and clean. Finding himself a quiet place, Zhang Xuan took out the Nine Hearts Lotus.

He didn’t have any time to ask Mo Hunsheng anything when they were in the tomb previously. Since he had some time now, he could properly question him to see if there was any way to save Lu Chong.

“Master!”

Upon leaving the storage ring, Mo Hunsheng immediately realized that he was out of the tomb and a tinge of excitement could be heard in his tone.

After being trapped for several dozen millenniums, he finally managed to see the surface once more. The agitation he was feeling at the moment was unimaginable.

As such, his use of ‘master’ was completely earnest; there wasn’t the slightest sarcasm or insincerity in it.

“I want to know if you have any way of waking a dormant soul!” Zhang Xuan asked with a grim expression.

“Wake a dormant soul?”

Mo Hunsheng was stunned for a moment before replying, “To wake a dormant soul, you just have to send your soul into the other party’s body to wake him up. It isn’t too complicated!”

Zhang Xuan fell into contemplation. In truth, he knew of this method as well. But back then, his soul was still unable to leave his body so he could only drop the idea. But now… everything was different.

Having cultivated the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, his soul could already exist separately from his body. He could easily enter the Lu Chong’s body to wake up his soul.

“However, this action is very similar to possession. The slightest mistake might result in you taking control over of the other party’s body instead.” Bound to Zhang Xuan by the soul contract, Mo Hunsheng didn’t dare to hide anything from the other party.

Sending a soul into another person’s body was an action no different from possession. It was still alright if one could wake up the other party, but if it failed, it was very possible that a possession would really take place, and the intruding soul would suffer from Possession Decline.

“More importantly… if you fail to wake the other party up, your soul might just be acknowledged by the other party’s body. If so, it would be impossible to wake the other party up anymore!”

Mo Hunsheng hesitated for a moment before continuing, “After all, a soul capable of intruding into the body of another has to be incredibly powerful. Furthermore, given that the other party’s soul is in a dormant state, he must be completely defenseless at the moment. A body which hasn’t been nourished by a soul for a very long time is extremely likely to acknowledge the wrong master. If that happens, not only will you fail to save the other party, you might even directly cause his death!”

With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan clenched his fist tightly.

“Is there any way to avoid that from happening?”

Since he was going to make a move, he should ensure that there was a hundred percent chance of success. If he were to fail, how could he face his own conscience?

After all, he was the cause of Lu Chong’s current plight.

If he failed to treat him own student, he should be ashamed of being the other party’s teacher!

“Avoid that from happening? If the other party’s soul becomes resilient and powerful, then even if you fail to wake his soul up, he should still be in control of his physical body. At the very least, a possession won’t occur!”

Mo Hunsheng said. “The best method is to use Soulrouse Grass to forge Soulrouse Incense. If you were to light the incense and allow the person with a dormant soul to breathe it in first, there will be a significantly higher chance of waking him up!”

“Soulrouse Grass?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

As an apothecary, he had browsed through many herbology books but he had never heard of such a medicinal herb before.

“Soulrouse Grass isn’t a plant but a unique object bred through the nurturing of a soul oracle’s soul!” Mo Hunsheng said.

“How long does it take to grow one?” Zhang Xuan asked.

If it took too long, he would have to resort to other alternative solutions.

“Not too long, just a month! However… my soul is trapped within the lotus so I am unable to grow one…” Mo Hunsheng smiled bitterly.

Even if he wanted to help, trapped in the Nine Hearts Lotus, he was completely powerless.

Instead of replying the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan asked, “Can all soul oracles nurture one?”

“Yes. As long as one is a soul oracle who has succeeded in drawing his soul out, one will be able to nurture it. The method is extremely simple, I’ll tell you about it now!” Mo Hunsheng said.

Zhang Xuan shook his hands and said calmly, “Un, tell me the method!”

“Alright!”

Thus, Mo Hunsheng began speaking.

Very quickly, he explained the entire process for breeding a Soulrouse Grass.

Just as he’d said, the Soulrouse Grass wasn’t a specific plant but an object bred through the nurturing of one’s soul. Only then would it harmonize with one’s soul and achieve the purpose of waking up a soul.

“It can’t be that… you’re thinking of learning the Soul Guiding Formula to become a soul oracle and nurture one?”

Seeing that his master had jotted the cultivation method for the Soulrouse Grass down, Mo Hunsheng was taken aback.

“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Since this object was useful to Lu Chong, he did have the intention to plant it.

“But you’re a Celestial Master Teacher…” Mo Hunsheng was shocked out of his wits.

His master was a talented Celestial Master Teacher! If he were to cultivate the Soul Guiding Formula, that would be equivalent to giving up his identity… Wasn’t that being a little too reckless?

“Don’t worry, I’ve already revised the Soul Guiding Formula. Even if I were to succeed in drawing out my soul, it won’t have any adverse effect on my physical body such that my soul will still be able to harmonize perfectly with the body,” Zhang Xuan said calmly.

“Revised? Harmonize perfectly?” Within the lotus, Mo Hunsheng’s eyes widened into perfect circles and his lips quivered in disbelief.

The Soul Guiding Formula was the cultivation technique that was passed down among soul oracles for innumerable years. Countless experts had revised and improved it, but even so, they were unable to get past this bottleneck. Yet, just by studying the formula for a few breaths, this fellow had actually revised it such that it didn’t affect the compatibility between one’s body and soul?

How was that possible?

Just as he was thinking that the other party might be bragging, he saw his master’s body suddenly sway and an intangible shadow suddenly appeared above the body.

“He drew his soul out?”

The voice trembled.

As a 6-star soul oracle, he could clearly see that his master’s soul had already separated from his body.

“Can you see me?” Just as he was overwhelmed with shock, the other party’s soul voice sounded. Then, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and sat in front of the lotus.

“I can see you now…” Mo Hunsheng trembled.

Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction.

It seemed like the soul he drew out using the Heaven’s Path Soul Art was similar to his Heaven’s Path zhenqi. As long as he willed it to be so, if he wished to conceal his soul, even a higher ranked soul oracle would be unable to see him.

On the other hand, he could also choose to reveal it as well.

Hu!

After confirming this fact, Zhang Xuan returned back to his physical body.

“Return of the Soul… Perfect Consummation, Concord of Acupoints, Harmony of Body and Soul… Y-you really managed to improve the Soul Guiding Formula!”

Seeing that Zhang Xuan’s soul had returned back into his body without any problems, and his soul was even resonating in harmony, producing a sound reminiscent of the call of a dragon, Mo Hunsheng screeched in shock and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Chapter 514: But They Are Both Men!

The normal Soul Guiding Formula would cause one’s physical body to decline swiftly as soon as the soul was drawn out of the body.

Yet, the person before him was still filled with vitality from head to toe. His acupoints were in concord, and his soul and physical body were in harmony. Not only was he not inferior to any Transcendent Mortal cultivator, his disposition even seemed more refined. His presence seemed to create immense pressure on other souls.

With just a single look, Mo Hunsheng could immediately tell that the Soul Guiding Formula that the other party cultivated was different from his. It had already been improved such that the concept of Five Soul Declines was non-existent. It was at a whole new level.

Legend had it that the founding father of soul oracles, Liu Mozi, had stolen the knowledge of souls from the Heaven’s Path to create the occupation. However, due to the imperfection of heaven, the content he stole was incomplete, thus resulting in the Five Soul Declines and the incompatibility between one’s soul and body.

The soul oracles in the latter generations tried many means to improve the Soul Guiding Formula but to no avail. Yet, the young man before him had only taken a momentary look and not only did he manage to rid it of all its fatal flaw, he even succeeded in cultivating it…

How could he not be surprised?

“How in the world did you do it?”

After the shock came deep excitement, “A Celestial Master Teacher who is capable of improving the Soul Guiding Formula… Just his strength and knowledge in itself can probably bring me to greater heights…”

The reason why he established a soul contract with the other party was out of helplessness before. However, upon seeing the other party’s capability and means, he suddenly realized that… this might have been the most correct decision in his life!

Following such a talented figure, if he were to earn the other party’s favor and guidance, he would definitely be able to surpass his previous bottleneck!

“These are the secret techniques that I have uncovered through my years of research. It might prove useful to master!”

Thinking so, Mo Hunsheng immediately transmitted his knowledge over via his soul.

Soul oracles were capable of transmitting information directly through their souls. This method was much more efficient than reading books or verbal explanation.

Due to the contract forming a bridge between them, this transfer of information was exceptionally efficient. Zhang Xuan felt his eyes blur for a moment when in the next instant, a huge gush of information appeared in his head. They were all regarding soul oracles.

Mo Hunsheng was a 6-star soul oracle from the ancient times. Back then, the inheritance hadn’t been terminated yet so the knowledge he knew covered nearly everything regarding the occupation.

“As expected of a feared occupation, it is indeed deep and profound…”

After briefly looking through it, Zhang Xuan’s mouth widened in shock.

It was no wonder why the lineage of this occupation could be passed down for innumerable generations, even becoming a subject of fear beyond that of poison masters. Soul oracles were indeed not to be trifled with.

In comparison to all of this, Soul Guiding Formula was indeed just the foundation.

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan saw something and turned to the lotus.

“Did you create this Soul Severing Technique?”

That fellow had been trapped in the Nine Hearts Lotus for dozens of millenniums, and it was due to his intense desire to escape that he studied this technique for innumerable years so that he could sever a part of his soul to escape from the lotus.

“I created it through innumerable trial and error…” Mo Hunsheng nodded. “Using this formula, one can create another of oneself such that even if the main soul is destroyed in the future, one can still maintain his existence through this clone!”

“Clone?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“That’s right. This severed soul is a complete replica of oneself, possessing even one’s complete memories. In other words, it’s equivalent to creating a spare soul. If you were to meet with danger, this can serve as your trump card so it isn’t too bad,” Mo Hunsheng said.

Zhang Xuan nodded his head. He quickly looked through the Soul Severing Technique.

That skill was indeed incredible. Only one who had achieved a profound understanding of souls could create such a skill.

From the looks of it, if it wasn’t for this fellow being trapped within the Nine Hearts Lotus and was unable to cultivate, given his accumulation over a course of several dozen millenniums, he could have been an 8-star of even 9-star soul oracle by now.

But that was to be expected. Being trapped during this entire period of time, all he had been focused on was how he could free himself from this hell. If his understanding of souls didn’t make any progress, he would truly be a hopeless cause.

“Let me see how many flaws there are!”

Submerging his consciousness into his mind, he entered the Library of Heaven’s Path and imprinted the knowledge which the other party sent him onto blank books.

Hu!

After which, he grabbed the book regarding the Soul Severing Technique and flipped it open.

“Soul Severing Technique, created by Mo Hunsheng. Upon mastering the technique, one will be able to divide one’s soul into two… Flaws: …”

A huge amount of information was detailed on it.

Reading through the content, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but praise, “Only 120 flaws, that’s rather formidable!”

To create a technique possessing only a hundred flaws through one’s individual efforts… Even though Mo Hunsheng may seem unreliable, his talent and capability were indeed top-notch.

How could a 6-star soul oracle possibly be ordinary anyway?

“Compile!”

With a thought, Zhang Xuan fused all of the books regarding souls together to recompile the Soul Severing Technique.

Taking another look at it once more.

There were only ten flaws or so left in it.

“Seems like my books regarding souls are still sorely lacking. I should get someone to buy more for me when I arrive at the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!”

Regarding the Soul Severing Technique being able to be used as a life preservation method, Zhang Xuan was rather surprised.

It was impossible for any cultivator to completely stay out of harm’s way. If he were to successfully cultivate this technique, he would have another ace up his sleeves.

However, there were too many flaws with this cultivation technique so he wasn’t interested in it for the moment. Even if he wanted to cultivate it, he would have to collect more books and make up for its deficiencies first.

“Now, time to look at the Nine Hearts Lotus!”

Given the humongous quantity of information that the other party sent over, Zhang Xuan knew that it was impossible for him to look through all of them in just a day or two. Thus, opening his eyes, he turned his attention to the black lotus instead.

A 6-star soul oracle had called this item a God artifact. Zhang Xuan was interested to see what effects it had.

Thus, coming into contact with it, he muttered ‘flaws’.

Hu!

A book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

“Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, an object descended from the celestial. It requires the nourishment of the purest energy to grow, and upon mature, it could be used to craft the most perfect physical body. Flaws: No.1, it has yet to reach maturity, which is indicated by a white outer appearance…”

“So, it’s not called Nine Hearts Lotus but Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo! The part regarding it being able to be used to craft physical body turns out to be true!”

After reading through the first page, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

From the looks of it, even though Mo Hunsheng had been trapped within the lotus for more than several dozen millenniums, he was still unable to recognize it entirely.

Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo… Even though its exact level wasn’t stated within the book, it seemed to be a high tiered object.

“To think that there would be only five flaws!”

Flipping to the second page, Zhang Xuan was just about to continue reading when he froze.

There were only two pages detailing the five flaws of the object.

This was Zhang Xuan’s first time seeing an object with so few flaws.

“As expected of a God artifact…”

With eyes reddened in agitation, a thought suddenly appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind, ‘If I were to learn the Soul Severing Technique and create a clone while nurturing this lotus to serve as its body, wouldn’t it be equivalent to gaining another life?’

The more Zhang Xuan thought of it, the more agitated he felt.

If he were to nurture this God artifact which only had five flaws to create a clone for himself, wouldn’t his fighting prowess immediately soar?

“It’s a pity that… I probably won’t live to the day that this lotus matures…”

One of the flaws written in the book was that the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo had yet to mature.

A mature Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo should be completely white, but the lotus was currently pitch black in color.

After consuming Mo Hunsheng’s entire fortune and living for several dozen millenniums, it was still in this state. Given Zhang Xuan’s lifespan of several hundred years, it would be impossible for him to live until its maturity.

It would be impossible to mold it before the lotus reaches maturity. If he were to try it forcefully, he might just end up like Mo Hunsheng, trapped in the lotus and losing his freedom, unable to even end his own life.

Thinking so, a thought suddenly appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

‘Hmm? This lotus requires the nourishment of the purest energy to reach maturity. My Heaven’s Path zhenqi is incomparably pure. Will it suffice as a fertilizer for it?’

In the description regarding the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, in the very first line, it was stated that the lotus required nourishment from the purest energy to mature. Zhang Xuan didn’t have sufficient spirit stones to feed it but the Heaven’s Path zhenqi was incomparably pure. He could definitely give it a try.

Thus, grabbing the stem of the lotus, Zhang Xuan sent a surge of zhenqi in.

“Ah..”

As soon as the zhenqi seeped in, a loud shriek echoed in the air.

“I’ve already said all that has to be said, please don’t kill me…”

Mo Hunsheng was about to go mad. He had only just handed over the information regarding soul oracles when the other party infused his zhenqi into the lotus at the next instant. There was not a single person in his position who wouldn’t think that Zhang Xuan was trying to kill him now that his worth had been completely extracted.

“Ah…”

Realizing the significance of his actions, Zhang Xuan hurriedly stopped.

He had only been thinking of nourishing the lotus with his zhenqi. He forgot about the existence of the fellow inside.

Soul oracles carried innate fear of Heaven’s Path zhenqi, and not to mention, this fellow had been severely injured by the Dragon Scale Amulet. Thus, how could he possibly be able to withstand the onslaught of zhenqi?

It was already a blessing that he wasn’t eradicated in an instant.

Stopping the flow of zhenqi, Zhang Xuan was just about to put the lotus back into his storage ring and study it more next time when he saw that the stem where he infused zhenqi into previously had already turned white.

“It turned white? Could Heaven’s Path zhenqi really be effective?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. In a state of disbelief, he grabbed another stem and infused zhenqi into the lotus.

“Ah…”

A terrifying scream of agony sounded from the lotus once more.

A moment later, Zhang Xuan grabbed the lotus.

“It has turned white as well! Indeed, Heaven’s Path zhenqi can hasten the maturity of this object…”

Looking at the white stems, Zhang Xuan was delighted. Then, turning to Mo Hunsheng, he consoled, “I’m not trying to kill you, I’m just experimenting with this Nine Hearts Lotus. There’s no need for you to be anxious, I’m just giving it a try. Just a short moment…”

“Don’t! Ah…” Mo Hunsheng cried.

I’ll listen to your obediently in the future, alright? If you were to give it more tries, there will be no need for you to get me out of the lotus anymore. I would have already died by then…

…

At the opening of the cave.

“Did something happen? Should we take a look?”

“It sounds like Mo Hunsheng’s shout of agony. Is Zhang shi alright?”

Hearing the shout of agony, the group who was in the midst of their meal stood up.

“Zhang shi said previously that there are some things he needs to investigate so it’s best for us not to interrupt him. Why don’t we first… try to determine the current situation inside before coming to a decision?”

Zhao Feiwu advised everyone with a grim expression.

“Un!”

Everyone nodded their heads and pricked their ears. After which, they vaguely heard a faint voice.

“… There’s no need for you to be anxious, I’m just giving it a try. Just a short moment…”

“Don’t! Ah…”

…

“Give a try? Short moment? No need to be anxious?”

Everyone stared at one another with widened eyes.

Zhao Feiwu’s face turned red, and it took her awhile before she managed to speak.

“But the both of them… are men…”

Chapter 515: Zhao Feiwu’s True Identity

After testing it for a bit, Zhang Xuan confirmed that the change in the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo was due to the Heaven’s Path zhenqi. Only then did he reluctantly stop.

Possessing both the method of nurturing the lotus and to sever a portion of his soul, it was now just a matter of time before he succeeded in creating a clone.

But before that, he had to find a way to get Mo Hunsheng out of the lotus first!

Otherwise, as soon as he infused zhenqi into the lotus, an ear-piercing cry could echo in the air. Most probably, before the lotus could even mature, the person trapped inside would have already died.

In the end, a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert servant, even if he was no longer as strong as before, was still better than nothing at all.

However, he had no way of getting Mo Hunsheng out now. Thus, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the soul oracle cultivation technique.

“I should first cultivate the soul oracle cultivation technique first so that I can nurture a Soulrouse Grass!”

The Soul Guiding Formula that he had cultivated before was similar to the Figher’s Juxi realm. If one couldn’t even absorb spiritual energy, one could never become a fighter. Similarly, if one couldn’t draw out his soul, one possessed no aptitude whatsoever in becoming a soul oracle.

Soul Guiding Formula was just a technique to draw one’s soul out of his body. To strengthen one’s soul, one would require another whole new set of cultivation techniques.

As a 6-star soul oracle, Mo Hunsheng had many soul cultivation techniques in his arsenal. Adding his understanding of soul cultivation into the mix, Zhang Xuan managed to gather a thousand book to compile together.

After organizing them, Zhang Xuan realized that he had the perfected Heaven’s Path Soul Art all the way until Transcendent Mortal 2-dan. Beyond 2-dan, there were some mistakes here and there in the cultivation techniques, thus making them unsuitable to learn.

“That’s around the level of my current cultivation. I should start now!”

Zhang Xuan happened to be at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle at the moment. If his soul were to reach the same level, he could exert the strength of both his zhenqi and his soul simultaneously, and this could boost his fighting prowess significantly.

Seated cross-legged on the floor, Zhang Xuan drew his soul out and began cultivating via the method detailed in the Heaven’s Path Soul Art.

Tzzzzzz!

His soul energy swiftly surged.

After an unknown period of time.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan’s soul returned back to his body and he slowly opened his eyes.

It was already daybreak. Sunlight shone in from the entrance of the cavern, blinding Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

“After a night of cultivation, my soul cultivation has reached Transcendent Mortal 2-dan!”

Given that Zhang Xuan had the complete Heaven’s Path Soul Art all the way until Transcendent Mortal 2-dan, as well as a middle-tier spirit stone to fuel his cultivation, in just a night’s effort, Zhang Xuan had already reached Transcendent Mortal 2-dan.

In other words, his soul cultivation was currently beyond his current cultivation.

“However, being a soul oracle is a taboo in the continent. It’s best for me not to use the ability of a soul oracle recklessly…”

Just like poison masters, soul oracles were a feared existence. If someone were to know that Zhang Xuan was able to draw his soul out and his soul possessed fighting power on its own, in the worst-case scenario, he might even be unable to keep his master teacher license.

Thus, unless when put in a desperate situation, Zhang Xuan was determined not to resort to this method.

“I can start cultivating the Soulrouse Grass now!”

Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan stood up.

Mo Hunsheng had already imparted the method of cultivating the Soulrouse Grass to him.

In truth, Soulrouse Grass didn’t refer to a specific medicinal herb but one nurtured using one’s soul. A herb cultivated through such means would possess the attribute of rousing dormant souls.

But the medicinal herb used couldn’t just be any plant. It had to be one that was able to harness one’s soul energy.

Such medicinal herbs were hard to find, and so, he could only try looking through the market of the Myriad Kingdom City when he arrived there.

Walking out of the cavern, Zhang Xuan realized that everyone was awake.

All of the fright and fatigue from the journey to the soul oracle tomb had disappeared through a night of rest, and the group seemed revitalized. They had already completed all preparations for departure.

“Let’s go to the Myriad Kingdom City,” Zhang Xuan said.

Everyone jumped onto the back of Zhao Feiwu’s spirit beast and soared into the sky. The Demon Cinque Beast also followed suit as well.

As for Hall Master Sai and Luo Zhu, they had already heard of the Master Teacher Tournament and they were interested in spectating it as well. Thus, they decided to tag along.

Huala!

The spirit beast looked as though a black line shooting through the sky. With the notorious Demon Cinque Beast protecting them, there wasn’t a single savage beast or spirit beast who dared to trifle with the group.

In fact, even the experts riding on spirit beasts made sure to keep their distance upon sensing the deep hostility the Demon Cinque Beast was emanating.

Thus, the journey went smoothly without any hiccups.

Five days later, a massive city appeared before everyone’s eyes.

This city was even grander than Honghai City, and all kinds of infrastructures were ordered neatly in a specific pattern, creating a beautiful sight.

Looking out of the window from the beast’s back, Zhang Xuan could see that the massive city was located in the midst of a giant plain. It seemed as though a clean and massive river flowing through the middle of the plains, bringing it boundless vitality and liveliness.

“The Myriad Kingdom Alliance has embassies from all of the countries that it trades with. There are also markets established by powers of equal standing here. In fact, Tier 2 Huanyu Empire even has a supply point here… There are many powers in the city, but regardless of who they are, as long as they are in Myriad Kingdom City, they have to obey the orders of the Alliance Head Residence!”

Zhao Feiwu chuckled.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had heard of the Alliance Head Residence. It was known as the royalty of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the one that wielded true power within the alliance. He had heard of it from Su shi back when he was in Tianwu Kingdom.

Even though Master Teacher Pavilion possessed an esteemed standing, they didn’t interfere in governance. Usually, as long as there was no social upheaval, they wouldn’t get involved in anything. As such, the power was mainly held in the hands of the alliance head.

“There is still some time before the Master Teacher Tournament. Why don’t you all follow me to the Alliance Head Residence to rest for a few days? You can use these days to look into the situation before heading to the Master Teacher Pavilion,” Zhao Feiwu said.

There were still another two months before the Master Teacher Tournament so there was no need to hurry.

“Alliance Head Residence? Could Zhao gongzi be someone from the Alliance Head Residence?” Hall Master Sai asked doubtfully.

Zhao Feiwu had always been following behind Zhang shi. All along, the rest had thought that she was Zhang Xuan’s friend, unaware that she was a local of the Myriad Kingdom City.

Even Zhao Ya and the others only know that Zhao gongzi was an envoy from the alliance. They were unaware of her real identity as well.

“Yes. The alliance head, Zhao Tianhao, is my father!” Zhao Feiwu replied.

“You are Alliance Head Zhao’s son? That’s not right. Alliance Head Zhao only has a single son, Zhao Hui gongzi, and I’ve met him before…” Hall Master Sai was taken aback.

Alliance Head Zhao was the most influential person throughout the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance. His son was in a position similar to the crown prince, and as the head of the Appraiser Hall, Hall Master Sai had met him several times before. Zhao Feiwu clearly wasn’t him.

“I didn’t intend to deceive everyone here. Just that, for the sake of convenience, I had no choice but to disguise myself!”

Chuckling lightly, Zhao Feiwu rubbed her face and her appearance began changing. Her main appearance didn’t change much but her features became more feminine, betraying her identity as a female.

Even though she was still wearing male clothes, her disposition and her appearance were no different from a female. Her complexion was perfect, and she was no way inferior even when compared to Princess Mo Yu.

“You are a woman?”

Only then did Hall Master Sai, Luo Zhu, Zhao Ya, and the others come to a realization.

The only one who was calm amongst them was Zhang Xuan.

When he first saw the other party, the Eye of Insight had already revealed her identity as a lady. Thus, he wasn’t too surprised by her confession.

“Zhao Hui is my elder brother, and I am the second princess of the alliance, Zhao Lian!”

Zhao Feiwu introduced herself. “From young, I’ve been plagued with an affliction. In hopes that I can live like an ordinary person, he conferred me the title of the ‘Dancing Princess’. That’s where my name Zhao Feiwu comes from!”

(Feiwu means ‘dancing around’)

“So, it’s Princess Feiwu!” Hall Master and Luo Zhu glanced at one another before coming to a realization.

They had long heard of the ill second princess of the alliance head, and according to the rumors, she was suffering from Innate Muscular Deficiency. Despite searching throughout the alliance, they were unable to find a single physician capable of treating it. As such, when they met Zhao Feiwu, given the other party’s gender, they didn’t think that it would be her.

“I’ve heard that Alliance Head Zhao conferred this title to the ill second princess in hopes that she could dance lithely like the elegant swallows. However, it’s a pity that despite the reward he’s offered, no one has managed to find a cure yet. Why would…” Hall Master Sai asked doubtfully.

Princess Feiwu’s illness had shocked many. Countless physicians had stepped forward only to leave in defeat. Logically speaking, she should be confined to her bed, unable to move at all. How could she be walking around as though an ordinary human being?

Could there be some falsehood in the rumors?

“Zhang shi saved me!”

Zhao Feiwu chuckled and her bright eyes shone.

“Oh!” Hall Master Sai suddenly came to a realization.

After learning of the other party’s identity, he had been wondering why the princess, one of the most authoritative figures in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, would follow Zhang shi around and treat him with utmost respect. The other party’s reply had finally solved this lingering doubt of his.

“I’ve long heard of Zhang shi’s outstanding medical skills, but I didn’t expect you to be so formidable…”

Hall Master Sai laughed bitterly.

Back then, Sun Qiang had bragged about how formidable his young master’s medical skills were. At the Coax Ridge, he had witnessed with his own eyes how formidable the other party’s Knockout Treatment Method was. However, it was only after hearing Princess Feiwu words did he truly realize how fearsome Zhang shi’s medical skills were.

The princess’s Innate Muscular Deficiency had caused a huge uproar throughout the alliance then, and countless physicians had taken a look at her condition only to find that they were helpless against it. Just by the fact that Zhang shi was able to solve it meant that his medical skills were probably superior to most physicians in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

“Zhang shi, Feiwu didn’t mean to lie to you. I beseech for your forgiveness!”

After introducing herself, Zhao Feiwu turned to Zhang shi and bowed deeply.

Even though this young man was of the same age as her, he had already attained a high level of proficiency as a master teacher, physician, appraiser, formation master… He wouldn’t even pale in comparison to that famous elder brother of hers!

This made her feel awe for the other party.

Even though Zhang Xuan knew that the other party was a lady, upon learning that she was the princess, he was still rather surprised. Seeing that the other party was speaking to him, Zhang Xuan suddenly thought of something.

“You’re being too polite. Since you’re the princess, you should be able to gather news easily. I just so happen to have something I need your help to look into!”

“Zhang shi, feel free to speak!” Zhao Feiwu nodded.

It must be said that she was indeed extremely pretty. Even though her cultivation was so-so, she had a valiant disposition which accentuated her aesthetics.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan said, “I wish to purchase a Soulcalming Grass, and the greater its maturity, the better it is. Otherwise, Sentiment Drowning Flower would work as well. It’ll be best if they have a maturity of five hundred years and above. More importantly… They should be fresh and alive. Dried herbs will be useless for my agenda. Can Princess Feiwu help me look into the matter?”

To nurture a Soulrouse Grass, the medicinal herb must be capable of harnessing one’s soul energy. Over the past few days, Zhang Xuan had been contemplating over the matter and in the end, he concluded that it would be easiest to find these two herbs within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

The Soulcalming Grass and Sentiment Drowning Flower.

These two medicinal herbs weren’t famous but there were extremely valuable. As Zhang Xuan wasn’t well-connected in the alliance, it would be difficult for him to find these herbs. On the other hand, as the princess of the alliance, Zhao Feiwu should be able to find them easily.

“Soulcalming Grass and Sentiment Drowning Flower? Fresh ones?”

Not expecting Zhang shi to ask for these things, Zhao Feiwu frowned.

Chapter 516: Alliance Head

Soulcalming Grass could calm one’s mind, placing one in an imperturbable state.

Sentiment Drowning Flower could stabilize one’s mental fortitude, making one less affected by emotional changes.

These two medicinal herbs were extremely rare, and there were less than a handful of them in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. For those herbs to be alive and possess a maturity of five hundred years on top of that… The difficulty was extremely high.

“This… I’m not too sure either, but when we arrive at the Alliance Head Residence, I can ask my father about it. Even if he doesn’t know where he can find it, I’m sure he can help you look into it,” Zhao Feiwu replied.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Her father, as the head of the alliance, wielded immense influence and power. It should be a walk in the park for him to find a single medicinal herb.

Thus, Zhang Xuan nodded his head and fell silent. Standing quietly by the window, he continued reinforcing his cultivation.

Even though he hadn’t reached Transcendent Mortal 2-dan yet, his efforts in the past five days had made his zhenqi had become even purer and denser.

From his experience with the immense zhenqi consumption from the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, he realized that on top of purity, the denseness of one’s zhenqi was extremely important as well. As such, in the past few days, he had been working hard accumulating his zhenqi into his dantian. His efforts had increased the quantity of zhenqi had at least increased by a tenth.

One shouldn’t underestimate this tenth. Using the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps as a gauge, it could sustain him for another two to three breaths. In this time, he could descend back to the ground, thus avoiding a tragic fall.

For the rest of the journey, there wasn’t much of a conversation among the group. The spirit beast continued proceeding forward, and soon, a grand building appeared in everyone’s sight.

As the center of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the Alliance Head Residence carried an imposing aura. Even before arriving at the location, everyone could already feel a heavy pressure pushing down on them.

Chuckling, Zhao Feiwu explained, “Even my spirit beast is not allowed to fly straight into the Alliance Head Residence. Let’s alight here!”

The spirit beast they were riding on flapped its wings and descended to the ground. Soon, it stopped at a vast square right in front of the Alliance Head Residence.

Jumping off the back of the spirit beast, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings and was awed.

As expected of the center of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Not only were the buildings towering, they were even infused with spiritual energy. Without even taking a closer examination, it was clear that they were filled with formations.

If someone dared to wreak havoc here, the formations would be more than enough to slaughter them.

It was no wonder that Zhao Feiwu dared not enter the Alliance Head Residence riding on the back of a spirit beast. If she were to do so, it would probably trigger some formation.

Lifting his gaze, Zhang Xuan saw a few soldiers patrolling the Alliance Head Residence. They were all dressed in gray armor and they had a spear each in their hands. A powerful aura could be felt from them.

“Zongshi realm experts?”

Zhang Xuan was surprised. To think that even the most ordinary guards here were Zongshi realm experts!

No one of Tianxuan Kingdom had reached this level, and even in a Tier 2 Kingdom where Liu shi and the others resided in, that was the level of the old ancestor of a country. Yet, over here, they were only an ordinary guard. The huge disparity was truly astonishing.

But thinking about it, that was to be expected. After all, the Myriad Kingdom City had 4-star master teachers. Just by listening to the class of such an expert, one’s understanding of cultivation would surely experience a huge leap. Surpassing one’s bottleneck would become significantly easier.

Even if one couldn’t listen to the lessons of an expert of that caliber, the lessons of a 2-star and 3-star master teachers were fairly useful as well. Besides, as a prosperous commercial city, the Myriad Kingdom City was rich in resources. As such, it wasn’t too surprising for the overall prowess of its population to be much stronger

Zhao Ya and the others had initially thought that Zhizun realm was already formidable. However, after seeing the guards, they couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

As expected of the capital of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, it was indeed formidable!

“Your humble servant pays respect to Princess Feiwu and Lord Jin!”

Just as the group were awed by the sight, a group of soldiers walked over and a golden-armored commander stepped forward and welcomed them. Zhao Wufei’s Transcendent Mortal 3-dan mount was known by everyone in the Alliance Head Residence. Its presence surely meant that the princess had returned as well.

The commander’s aura was slightly influencing his surroundings, thus revealing his strong control over the environment. It was clear from this that he was a Transcendent Mortal expert.

“Prepare a clean and spiritual energy-rich courtyard for my friends to live in. Make sure to serve them well!” Zhao Feiwu commanded impassively.

She had never shown this side of her to Zhang Xuan and the others, but at this moment, the disposition of an authoritative princess was clearly shown through her movement and words.

“Yes!” The commander nodded his head and hurriedly got into action.

“Un!” Nodding her head, Zhao Feiwu turned around and said, “Zhang shi, let me take you to meet my father!”

“Alright!”

Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan delegated some instructions to Zhao Ya and the others before leaving with Zhao Feiwu.

The palace wasn’t too extravagant, and there weren’t many guards here as well. It was extraordinarily peaceful here, reminiscent of a tranquil garden.

If not for Zhao Feiwu leading the way and the huge number of guards defending the area outside, Zhang Xuan would have thought that he was in the wrong place.

“My father doesn’t like a ruckus so there aren’t any guards here. Besides, this is the Alliance Head Residence so there won’t be anyone so foolish as to cause trouble here!”

Noticing Zhang Xuan’s doubts, Zhao Feiwu chuckled.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Ever since his reincarnation, he had visited various palaces and without an exception, they all had tight security. Yet, this location formed a stark contrast to the norm. It seemed like Zhao Feiwu’s father had absolute confidence in his strength.

While the both of them chatted, they walked down several corridors and finally arrived at a large hall.

Someone entered the hall to report their presence. A moment later, the same person returned and invited them in.

Entering the hall, Zhang Xuan immediately saw an authoritative-looking middle-aged man seated on the seat at the direct center of the room. He was exuding an exceptionally powerful aura that wasn’t inferior even when compared to the Demon Cinque Beast. Clearly, he had reached Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle as well.

Even when compared to Hall Master Han whom he had seen before, this middle-aged man was clearly much stronger.

The both of them might be Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts, but the aura the latter was exuding showed the huge distance between their strength.

It was just like how Hall Master Han Chong and the various elders, despite teaming together against the Demon Cinque Beast, were unable to defeat it.

“Father!” Zhao Feiwu stepped forward and greeted.

“Un, you’ve returned!” The middle-aged man nodded his head. Then, his bright eyes fell on Zhang Xuan.

Being in an authoritative position for such a long time, he carried a majestic disposition that naturally commanded fear in others. Even the head of the Physician Guild, Guild Leader Meng, would stutter in fear before him. Yet, this twenty-year-old lad was able to keep his composure.

Just by this in itself, he could tell that the other party wasn’t a simple figure.

Smiling slightly, Alliance Head Zhao said, “You must be Zhang shi!”

“I am Zhang Xuan. My greetings to the alliance head!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Un!” Seeing the other party’s humble attitude, Alliance Head Zhao felt even more satisfied with the young man before him. “I’ve heard of your affairs. Despite being under twenty, you are already a 2-star master teacher. You’ve challenged Tianwu Kingdom’s Wall of Dilemma and solved all of the questions on it, undergone the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets and became certified as a 5-star appraiser, and on top of all that, you even managed to save Hall Master Han… Not to mention, you cured my daughter of her affliction as well. You’re truly a talented man!”

“Alliance master, I am unworthy of your praise!” Zhang Xuan felt a little bizarre that the other party knew his affairs so clearly, but after giving it some thoughts, he felt that it was to be expected.

After all, his daughter was traveling alone despite having only just recovered from her affliction. Even though Jin Conghai was protecting her, he couldn’t help but feel worried. Most likely, he sent some men to keep tabs on his daughter’s trail so it wasn’t too surprising for him to know of those matters.

Besides, Jin Conghai, as his subordinate, would surely report these matters to him as well.

“Having been in control of the alliance for many years, I’ve seen many geniuses. However, men of Zhang shi’s caliber are indeed rare!” Alliance Head Zhao complimented.

Just as Zhang Xuan had thought, Jin Conghai had reported most of the matters that they had gone through. Even though he had excluded the matter regarding the soul oracle tomb and the Celestial Master Teacher, the affairs that he had gone through had shocked the alliance master.

Despite being under twenty, the other party was a 5-star appraiser, quasi 4-star formation master, 3-star painter, 2-star master teacher…

His titles and capability could leave anyone and everyone awed.

As the most influential person in the alliance, he had seen countless great geniuses. However, when compared to him, they were all like fireflies before the burning sun

“Zhang shi’s aim for coming to Myriad Kingdom City must be to participate in the Master Teacher Tournament, right?” After chatting for a moment, Alliance Head Zhao asked.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Back then, he had promised Su shi and Ling shi on the matter. Since he was already here now, naturally, he should at least participate in it.

But more importantly, the reward for the Master Teacher Tournament was generous.

“The Master Teacher Tournament gathers countless geniuses from the twenty-seven Master Teacher Pavilions. Even though Zhang shi’s talent is outstanding, it probably won’t be too easy to rank amidst the top!”

Speaking of the Master Teacher Tournament, Alliance Head Zhao shook his head bitterly.

Having read through the other party’s background, he knew that the person before of him had outstanding talent. However, getting a good placing among the twenty-eight powers wouldn’t be easy.

If it was that simple, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion wouldn’t have ranked amidst the bottom all this while.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that!”

There were still two more months before the end of the tournament. Knowing that it was still too early to talk of all these, Alliance Master Zhao shook his head. “Zhang shi’s extraordinary medical skill has saved my daughter’s life. I would like to show my gratitude to you. If you have any request, as long as it’s within my means, I’ll surely try my best to fulfill it!”

“Alliance head, you’re being too polite. However… I do have a request to ask of!”

Since the other party had already made an offer, Zhang Xuan didn’t stand on ceremony.

Even though the other party was the powerful head of the alliance, Zhang Xuan had undergone many things in his journey here. Such a situation was no longer sufficient to leave him tense.

Alliance Head Zhao turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan.

“Actually, it’s like that. I need a medicinal herb but I’m not too sure where I can obtain it. I hope that the alliance head can help me look into the matter!”

Zhang Xuan raised the issue of the Soulcalming Grass and Sentiment Drowning Flower.

“Soulcalming Grass? I’ve never heard of it before. However… I do know of one Sentiment Drowning Flower of maturity five hundred years and above. Furthermore, it’s still alive!” Alliance Head Zhao hesitated for a moment before replying.

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Soulcalming Grass and Sentiment Drowning Flower were both basic ingredient required for cultivating the Soulrouse Grass. Just one stalk was enough.

“However… even though I know where it is, it won’t be easy to get it…” Alliance Head Zhao shook his head.

“Oh?”

“Zhang shi, you’ll understand once I finish my part of the story! The place where most medicinal herbs are gathered would be herb kings. Following which would be the Apothecary Guild and Physician Guild. I believe that as a master teacher, Zhang shi should be well aware of this,” Alliance Head Zhao said.

Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

Herb king actually just refers to merchants dealing with bulks of medicinal herbs. In terms of variety and quantity of herbs, there was no one who could beat them. After them would be the Apothecary Guild and Physician Guild, which used humongous quantity of medicinal herbs on a daily basis.

Due to the nature of their occupations, these three parties usually had a huge reserve of medicinal herbs.