Chapter 640

Chapter 640: Cheating?

The main purpose of visiting Huanyu Empire was for the Cleansing Lake. After such a long wait, under everyone’s expectant gazes, the Cleansing Lake finally opened.

“Let’s go over!”

Without wasting any time, Zhang Xuan and Xing Yuan hurried over to the crowd.

Seeing the raging currents within the Cleansing Lake, everyone immediately realized that Ye Qian wasn’t over-exaggerating at all.

The massive waves within the lake did emanate concentrated spiritual energy, but the energy flowing within it was also frightening in itself. Anyone who dares to enter it recklessly would surely be crushed into bits.

“Look!”

Amidst everyone’s astonished gaze, Ye Wentian flicked his wrist, took out a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, and threw it into the lake.

Kacha!

In the blink of an eye, the weapon which even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find difficult to destroy melted into a mass of liquid, which then sank to the bottom of the lake.

“This…”

Everyone’s faces twitched in fear.

Even though their physical resilience was far above ordinary humans, how could they possibly compare to a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon? If even such a tough weapon was reduced to a puddle in the lake instantaneously, they could already see themselves turning to dust should they enter it.

It was no wonder Crown Prince Ye Qian said that even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert wouldn’t survive in the Cleansing Lake. Those words indeed rang true.

Ye Wentian wrapped it up with a warning.

“Given how violent the lake water is, I suggest everyone to cultivate calmly within the Lake Eye and not to venture beyond it. Otherwise, even a deity wouldn’t be able to save you!”

“Don’t worry, we won’t get reckless!”

“We cultivate to grow stronger, not to die. Your Majesty need not worry about this matter!”

“That’s too scary! There’s no way we’ll take such a risk…”

…

Everyone hurriedly shook their heads.

Given even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon was reduced into a puddle in an instant, who would possibly dare to venture into that fearsome lake?

“Alright. Everyone, pick a Lake Eye. The ten Lake Eyes possess equivalent effectiveness, so there’s no need to worry. If it’s preferable, those from the same Vassal State can choose to remain together in order to look after one another…”

Ye Wentian waved his hands and said no more.

Since the ten Lake Eyes had the same effectiveness, there was no difference between picking one over the other.

Zhang Xuan scanned the Lake Eyes for a moment before walking over to a cluster of Lake Eyes closest to the lake with Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai.

The furthest Lake Eyes in the Cleansing Lake were shrouded with thick mist produced by the concentrated spiritual energy in the region. Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find it hard to see through the mist. Zhang Xuan had specifically picked this region so that no one would be able to see him as he cultivated, especially since he intended to keep the Heaven’s Path cultivation techniques a secret.

“Let’s cultivate here!”

After finding the region where the spiritual energy and mist were the thickest, Zhang Xuan stopped and turned around to instruct Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai. “You two should cultivate at these two Lake Eyes. This way, if anything happens, we can help one another!”

“Alright!”

The duo nodded, and just as they were about to enter with the Spirit Cleansing Incense in their hands, they heard a shout.

“The two of you, pick another Lake Eye!”

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi walking over.

“We…”

Seeing that a princess was actually vying for their spot, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were stumped.

“The two of you should take the Lake Eyes over there. We hope to get a position closer to teacher!” Luo Qiqi said.

“That… Yes!”

Given that this was an order from Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi, they dared not talk back. Thus, they quickly rushed over to the other Lake Eyes.

In any case, since the Lake Eyes were all equal, it didn’t matter where they were cultivating.

Noticing Zhang Xuan’s gaze on her, Princess Fei-er harrumphed.

“Humph, you need not think too highly of yourself. Since we have a wager on, I want to check if you are cheating!”

“Think too highly of myself? I say you’re thinking too much.”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I’m just trying to see which nerves of yours have turned psychotic…”

“You…”

Princess Fei-er clenched her jaws angrily. “You won’t stay gleeful for long. Your sharp words won’t help you in the Cleansing Lake!”

Flinging her sleeves, Princess Fei-er leaped into the Lake Eye without any hesitation.

The Spirit Cleansing Incense that she was holding immediately floated to the water surface and lit up. A wisp of smoke began drifting into the air.

Hu hu hu!

Closing her eyes, Princess Fei-er began to cultivate. The spiritual energy in the Lake Eye seemed to flow faster and faster into her with each breath. At the same time, the smoke drifting from the Spirit Cleansing Incense thickened as it started to burn down even more swiftly.

Seeing how this lass dived straight into cultivating just to defeat him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and jumped into a Lake Eye himself.

Luo Qiqi also jumped into a Lake Eye, picking one that would flank Zhang Xuan between her and Princess Fei-er.

While Zhang laoshi was her apothecary teacher, it hadn’t been long since the both of them met, so they were naturally not close enough for her to be coming over to cultivate with him. The only reason why she came here was to prevent a fight between her good friend and her teacher.

Princess Fei-er was obstinate, proud, and hated losing. If the two of them were to be left alone, who knew what would happen? As such, Luo Qiqi decided to tag along so that she could intervene if a fight were to occur.

Otherwise, the situation yesterday might just happen once more.

While the Sixth Princess didn’t reveal the culprit behind the two footprints on her bottom, it wasn’t too difficult to deduce from her words that it had something to do with this apothecary teacher of hers.

Usually, one would first strip their clothes before entering the Cleaning Lake. However, due to being in a public location, the two ladies decided against it. Even so, their drenched clothes that stuck to their skin still shaped out the beautiful curvature of their bodies.

Zhang Xuan glanced around for a moment before calming his mind. After which, he placed a Spirit Cleansing Incense into the lake and began to cultivate.

Closing his eyes, he immediately felt a surge of concentrated spiritual energy flowing through his entire body via his meridians and eventually nourishing his soul. A feeling of relaxation slowly spread across his entire body.

“This rate of absorption is too slow…”

After a moment later, Zhang Xuan realized that even though the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was highly beneficial to his soul, it had to go through his body first, and this significantly weakened the effectiveness of the spiritual energy, as well as lowering the rate of absorption.

Furthermore, the body acted like a shackle whereas the soul was like a cotton inside the steel cage. Even the slightest growth had to take a painful amount of time.

A thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

“Can’t I just draw my soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?”

With his soul in his body, the body would become a natural barrier limiting the absorption of spiritual energy by it. However… what if he could draw his soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?

Would his rate of cultivation improve?

“I should give it a try.”

With this in mind, he took a look around and confirmed that the two ladies around him were currently deep in their cultivation and that there was no one who could see what he was doing. After which, he activated the Soul Guiding Method and drew a soul that was perfectly identical to him in appearance from his glabella.

As soon as his soul entered the Lake Eye, dense spiritual energy immediately gushed into his soul, leaving him revitalized.

“Indeed, this is much more efficient!”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t even started cultivating yet and the rate at which the spiritual energy was nourishing his soul was already faster than before. Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan immediately drove the Heaven’s Path Soul Art and began pulling in the spiritual energy from the air frenziedly.

Hong long long!

The entire Lake Eye began to shake. Concentrated spiritual energy rushed toward his soul, causing the size of his soul to grow gradually.

As his Heaven’s Path Soul Art was only up to Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, he was unable to advance on to 6-dan. As such, the spiritual energy began to build on his soul instead, causing the size of his soul to grow bigger and bigger.

To make an analogy, it was just like water and mercury.

A difference in cultivation realm was qualitative, such as the difference between the two liquids.

However, even among fellow ‘water’, a tub of water and a lake of water were different—a difference in quantity.

While Zhang Xuan wasn’t able to advance his soul cultivation to Transcendent Mortal 6-dan yet, he could make his Transcendent Mortal 5-dan soul grow stronger by piling up more soul energy.

“Hmm?”

As Zhang Xuan started to absorb spiritual energy frenziedly, Princess Fei-er suddenly felt an irregularity in the surrounding spiritual energy. She immediately turned her gaze to the side, and the scene she saw left her on the verge of fainting.

Two of the Spirit Cleansing Incense by Zhang Xuan’s side had already burned out, and the third one seemed to be on the verge of burning out as well.

Are you for real?

How long… has it been?

Five minutes? Or was it ten minutes?

The Spirit Cleansing Incense was meant to be depleted within three days, and yet you are going to finish in within five minutes?

Is there a black hole within you?

Princess Fei-er’s body trembled, and the urge to spew blood welled up in her.

She thought that as a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan expert with a far stronger soul than the other party, the other party stood no chance at all… Who could have known that right after she started, when she had yet to burn off the tip of the first Spirit Cleansing Incense, the other party was already about to finish all three incenses…

Did you need to be so exaggerated?

How am I supposed to compete with that? Am I going to lose?

“What’s going on?”

Luo Qiqi was also alarmed by the agitation in the spiritual energy in the air. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s Spirit Cleansing Incense, she nearly died from shock. “His incense…”

“He’s already about to finish absorbing all of the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye. How am I supposed to compete against that?”

Princess Fei-er was on the verge of tears.

“This…”

Luo Qiqi scratched her head.

Neither of them was a soul oracle, and they did not possess the Eye of Insight either. With his soul hidden beneath the water and shrouded by the spiritual energy in the surroundings, it was impossible for them to notice it. From afar, it looked as though he was cultivating normally.

“Hmm?”

Hearing the discussion between the duo, Zhang Xuan stopped his cultivation, and his soul returned back to his physical body. Lifting his gaze to look at his Spirit Cleansing Incense, he nearly leaped in shock.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan bellowed, “Who stole my Spirit Cleansing Incense?”

He was certain he had three incense a moment ago, how could there only be one left in the blink of an eye? Someone must have stolen his incense!

“Stole?”

The two ladies were rendered speechless.

“You were the one who burned them out…”

“Me?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “That can’t be. If there is so little spiritual energy in here, how could it possibly be sufficient for three days?”

Zhang Xuan had barely started absorbing when the spiritual energy was already about to run out. Was this for real?

He was still intending to make use of this Cleansing Lake to boost his cultivation significantly. Yet, his training session was already nearing its end, almost before he’d even started… Must the situation be so damned?

“So little?”

Hearing the other party’s words, both Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi’s eyebrows twitched violently.

They had also tried cultivating as well, and while the Lake Eye might be small, it was extremely rich in spiritual energy. It felt as though no matter how hard they cultivated, it would never run out. Only a monster like you would think that it was lacking in spiritual energy!

“Teacher, it is probably due to you absorbing the spiritual energy a little too fast… How did you do it?” Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but question him.

When Zhang laoshi began to cultivate previously, the Lake Eye began bubbling and the spiritual energy in the surroundings grew agitated—these were signs of spiritual energy being rapidly absorbed. To think that not only would a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle cultivator be capable of absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his soul, he would also be able to cultivate so swiftly…

How did he do it?

“Indeed. Are you cheating?”

Princess Fei-er’s eyebrows shot up.

Even a Grade 2 top student like Luo Qiqi couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Could this fellow be cheating?

Chapter 641: Frenzied Absorption

 

“Cheating?”

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

In a sense, what he did could really be considered as cheating.

While the others were using their physical bodies as a bridge to nourish their soul, he was plunging his soul straight into the Lake Eye and absorbing the spiritual energy directly.

This was just like how a retailer’s profit margin would be cut should there be an intermediary between them and the manufacturer.

But to be fair, he didn’t make use of any artifact or weapon; it was all done through his own ability. Thus, it couldn’t really be called cheating in the strictest sense.

“Indeed, cheating. If that’s not the case, how could you absorb spiritual energy so quickly?”

Princess Fei-er widened her eyes.

“This…” Zhang Xuan had no idea how he should reply to that.

The matter regarding soul oracles mustn’t be made known or things could prove to become troublesome.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan replied, “If I had cheated, surely you should know how I did it. If even a princess from Hongyuan Empire couldn’t find a way to cheat, how could I have possibly done so? If you don’t believe me, why don’t we swap Lake Eyes?”

“Your Lake Eye is nearly empty already, who would want to switch with you?” Princess Fei-er rolled her eyes.

Dream on! You have nearly finished absorbing your Lake Eye already. If I were to swap with you, what am I supposed to absorb?

“Teacher, I’ll swap with you…”

On the other hand, Luo Qiqi offered her own Lake Eye to Zhang Xuan.

She was the strongest among the group who came from the Master Teacher Academy, having reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle.

Given her cultivation, the effects of the Cleansing Lake on her were already terribly limited.

As such, she was willing to trade it for a chance to see how the other party managed to absorb the spiritual energy from the Lake Eye so quickly.

“This…”

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded.

His soul cultivation had only advanced by a small bit before his Lake Eye started to run low on spiritual energy. He couldn’t possibly just wait idly for everyone to be done!

Leaving his Lake Eye, Zhang Xuan stepped Luo Qiqi’s, and Luo Qiqi stepped into his.

“Alright, you can start cultivating now. If you can cultivate as fast as before, I’ll believe that you didn’t cheat!”

Princess Fei-er harrumphed.

This time, she stared at Zhang Xuan’s Lake Eye without even blinking. She wanted to make sure the other party didn’t put anything into the lake to cheat.

“Un!”

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan’s body jolted slightly as his soul was drawn out from his physical body.

Even a 6-star soul oracle was unable to see his soul, needless to say, they couldn’t see it either.

Hong long long!

As he started to cultivate, the Spirit Cleansing Incense floating on the Lake Eye began burning down swiftly. In less than five minutes, the three incense sticks were on the verge of burning out once more.

Zhang Xuan returned his soul back to his body helplessly.

He had thought that things would improve if he changed to another Lake Eye, but he didn’t expect the results to be the same.

The lake dried out once more before his soul managed to get much spiritual energy in…

The spiritual energy inside was simply too little, how was he supposed to cultivate like that?

One should remember that for his soul to improve, he had sucked the entire seed water of the Yin-Yang Lake dry back then.

Frustrated, Zhang Xuan raised his head to look at the lady before him.

“You saw everything just now, did I cheat?”

“This…” Princess Fei-er fidgeted awkwardly, and her face reddened. “No!”

She had cast doubt on the other party’s integrity, and yet the other party used his impressive capability to prove her wrong… What do you expect me to say?

She felt so stifled inside that she could spew blood at any moment.

If only she knew that this fellow absorbed spiritual energy so swiftly, she would have never competed with him.

Wasn’t this just looking for a face slap?

It seemed like there was no point continuing this wager, she was already destined to lose…

“Alright, you should hurry up and cultivate.”

Seeing that the lady was on the verge of tears, Zhang Xuan felt awkward. He waved his hands and said, “There’s no need to get anxious now, there’s a chance that you might still win…”

He did promise Xing Yuan to allow the other party to win. He couldn’t possibly allow the other party to give up as soon as the bet began!

“A chance…”

Luo Qiqi rolled her eyes.

Who do you think you are fooling?

You finished nearly three Spirit Cleansing Incense in five minutes whereas both of our incense have barely burned through the tip. How could Fei-er win like that?

Surely you could put more sincerity into your consolation!

“Teacher is right, we should hurry up and cultivate! Let’s not waste this opportunity…”

Even though Luo Qiqi felt frenzied by Zhang Xuan’s words, she still spoke up to advise her good friend.

“Un!”

Princess Fei-er nodded before closing her eyes to cultivate.

While she knew that her odds of victory were nearly zero, cultivating here was highly beneficial to the soul, and this was an opportunity not to be wasted.

Seeing that her good friend was still in the mood to cultivate, Luo Qiqi heaved a sigh of relief. She shot Zhang laoshi a glance before shutting her eyes.

While the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was nearly depleted, given her rate of cultivation, it was still sufficient to last her half a day.

Watching as the duo continued cultivating, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella.

If he were to continue using his soul to absorb, this Spirit Cleansing Incense would surely burn out in less than one minute.

It was a hard-to-come-by opportunity to enter the Cleansing Lake; was he going to walk out of here without gaining anything?

After all he had done, he felt like he had made a huge loss!

But there was nothing else he could do at the moment.

There was no point intentionally slowing his cultivation by absorbing it via his body.

“What should I do?”

Frustrated, Zhang Xuan was just considering if he should finish absorbing the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye and leave when a thought suddenly struck him, and his eyes lit up.

“Right! How did I forget about the Library of Heaven’s Path?”

He had been too busy cultivating that he forgot about it.

Placing his finger into the lake, he willed.

“Flaws!”

Following which, his head jolted, and a book appeared before him.

“Master Teacher Continent, Huanyu Empire Cleansing Lake’s Lake Eye. It possesses spiritual energy capable of nourishing one’s soul and raising one’s soul cultivation. Flaws: No.1, there is too little spiritual energy inside as compared to the water in the lake. If one were to absorb it directly via one’s soul, it’ll dry up very swiftly. No.2…”

Various flaws were listed in the book.

“Too little spiritual energy as compared to the water in the lake? That’s right! The spiritual energy from the Lake Eye originates from the lake, so if I can absorb the spiritual energy straight from the lake, I won’t need to worry about it the spiritual energy drying up anymore!”

Upon seeing the first flaw, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he turned his gaze to the lake beside him.

The furious surges of energy intersecting one another within the Cleansing Lake induced fear in those that set their eyes on it, leaving them daring not to approach.

In comparison, the Lake Eye was visibly much calmer. The spiritual energy here seemed much more inviting as compared to the raging ones on the other side.

Similar to how a pit dug on a beach would be filled in soon by the waves of the sea, the Lake Eyes were formed by the spiritual energy from the lake permeating into these depressions. Naturally, the concentration of spiritual energy it contained was as good as a drop within an ocean.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to absorb more spiritual energy, the massive Cleansing Lake was his best bet.

“Just that… given how the Cleansing Lake was able to even melt a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon in an instant, it’s impossible for me to withstand it as well!”

While Zhang Xuan knew there was plenty of spiritual energy inside the lake, he didn’t dare move recklessly, especially with the previous sight still fresh in his mind.

That lake actually melted even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon! Even though Zhang Xuan was confident in the resilience of his body, he knew he couldn’t compare up to a weapon of that tier.

After a long moment of contemplation, just as Zhang Xuan was about to give up, he suddenly slapped his forehead, and his eyes gleamed in excitement. “Hmm? Why am I so foolish?

“My physical body might not be able to enter the lake, but my soul can!”

If others were to separate their souls from their bodies, death would be inevitable. However, Zhang Xuan was an exception. Having inherited the several dozen millennia heritage of the soul oracles, he could easily separate his soul from his body and have it enter the Cleansing Lake independently.

The searing energy contained within the Cleansing Lake which melted the Spirit intermediate-tier weapon previously would prove to be fatal to the souls of other soul oracles—they would be reduced to nothing in an instant. But having cultivated Heaven’s Path Soul Art, the concept of the Five Soul Declines didn’t apply to Zhang Xuan. Thus, his soul would be completely unfazed by the searing energy!

Furthermore, given the intangible nature of a soul, the violent energies rampaging in the Cleansing Lake that would have torn apart nearly anything easily wouldn’t pose a threat to his soul.

“I should give it a try!”

Having thought things true, Zhang Xuan sat cross-legged to maintain a meditation position. Then, he drew his soul out of his body.

His soul flew through the air all the way to the boundary between land and the lake. After a moment of hesitation, he finally stuck his hand in.

Hu!

His hand plunged into the water.

“I’m completely fine…”

After confirming that his soul didn’t suffer the slightest damage or discomfort, Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed in excitement. He immediately plunged his entire soul into the lake.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

The raging currents of the Cleansing Lake that could melt even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon was completely ineffective against him.

“Absorb!”

Moving to the center of the lake, Zhang Xuan sat cross-legged and began to drive the Heaven’s Path Soul Art.

Hong long long!

Spiritual energy immediately gushed into his soul through various acupoints, raising his cultivation swiftly.

Zhang Xuan moaned in pleasure.

“What concentrated spiritual energy…”

Indeed, when one door closes, another opens.

He initially thought that the Cleansing Lake would be ineffective on him considering how swiftly the Spirit Cleansing Incense burned down, but to his delight, his soul was actually able to absorb spiritual energy straight from the Cleansing Lake.

The quantity of spiritual energy in the Lake Eye couldn’t even start comparing to this. There was no need for Zhang Xuan to hold back at all!

‘Right, I should have clone out to absorb some as well!’ Zhang Xuan thought.

His clone also had to raise its soul cultivation. Since this was a valuable opportunity, it would be best to have him cultivate here as well.

With a thought, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness connected with the ring, and in the next instant, his clone appeared in the Lake Eye.

To prevent anyone from realizing that there were two Zhang Xuans, he swiftly instructed his clone to sneak here. Fortunately, under the cover of the veil of spiritual energy, the two ladies didn’t notice anything at all.

“Given that clone is crafted of Nine Hearts Lotus, it shouldn’t fear the water of this lake.”

Considering that the material used to craft his clone was a God artifact, it was impossible that the water of the Cleansing Lake could possibly faze it.

But to be safe, he had his clone put his hand in first, and as expected, nothing happened.

“Come over here!”

Zhang Xuan had his clone move over to where his soul was, and the two sat side by side one another.

“Let’s start cultivating!”

The clone drew out his soul, and the two souls began to absorb the spiritual energy from the lake.

Hong long long!

Hualala!

It was as though two gigantic vortices had appeared in the center of the Cleansing Lake. Spiritual energy flooded in at an insane rate.

Geji! Geji! Geji!

As though consuming an immensely nutritious pill, the two souls grew non-stop. From a size equivalent to their physical body, they grew larger and taller.

Two meters, three meters, four meters…

Back then, after consuming the spiritual energy from the seed water of the Yin-Yang Lake, Zhang Xuan’s soul grew to three meters large. However, this was even more exaggerated.

Under the huge influx of spiritual energy, after four hours, the two souls had grown to a size of five to six meters.

It could be said that they were no different from giants at this point.

Chapter 642: Zhang Xuan Is Dead?

 

“But I’m still far from Lu Chong’s size…”

Recalling Lu Chong’s mountain-sized soul body, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Five meters was already an astounding size for an ordinary soul oracle, but it was still far from matching up to Lu Chong.

“I should continue absorbing!”

Thus, Zhang Xuan continued to take in spiritual energy from the Cleansing Lake.

As he picked up his pace, his clone did the same as well.

Just like that, another four more hours passed. In this period of time, the spiritual energy in the Cleansing Lake visibly declined as the furious currents and rampaging energies dampened.

“The spiritual energy in the area has thinned, but I’m just a little way off to reaching ten meters…”

The spiritual energy in the air had thinned to the point that it seemed as though it would dry up at any moment. However, seeing that he was nearing his goal, Zhang Xuan decided to quicken his pace.

He was just a little off from reaching ten meters. Once he broke this limit, his soul cultivation would reach newer heights. With this breakthrough, he wouldn’t be too far off from matching the Lu Chong back then.

While Lu Chong’s soul was indeed huge, Zhang Xuan’s soul had been tempered with the Heaven’s Path Soul Art. While Heaven’s Path Soul Art required extremely pure spiritual energy, it also made his soul far stronger than other soul oracles’.

Hong long!

At that moment, his clone’s soul suddenly jolted lightly. The other party had managed to surpass the ten meters mark.

To think that his clone would actually absorb spiritual energy at a rate faster than him!

Perplexed as to why one soul could absorb spiritual energy faster than the other despite being the same entity in essence, Zhang Xuan lowered his head to take a glance, and the sight he saw immediately rendered him speechless.

His clone had his body to absorb spiritual energy from the lake as well.

Forged out of a God artifact, the Nine Hearts Lotus, his clone’s body wasn’t fazed by the violent energies raging throughout the lake. Even though its rate of absorption was significantly slower than its soul, the additional boost from it allowed his clone’s soul to cultivate much faster than the main soul.

After reaching ten meters, the soul of his clone grew visibly stronger. At the same time, its rate of absorption was also hiked up a notch.

“I should speed up as well!”

Feeling threatened by his clone, Zhang Xuan absorbed the spiritual energy from his surroundings with greater tenacity.

But no matter how much effort he put into absorbing spiritual energy, he seemed to be gradually slowing down. Lifting his gaze, he realized that a giant vortex had formed around his clone, taking in the spiritual energy around him. It was no wonder his growth was slowing.

A qualitative change would be induced in one’s soul upon reaching ten meters. The other party’s rate of absorption was at least three times faster than him now.

Seeing the other party frenziedly absorbing spiritual energy from the Cleansing Lake as though he wouldn’t be content until the lake ran dry, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a surge of rage. He slapped the other party’s head and hollered, “What are you doing? Leave some for me!”

What the heck was this!

Get this clear, you’re my clone!

Stop being so ungrateful. It’s one thing for you to send me flying with a punch, now you’re even snatching spiritual energy from me?

Where did your sense of shame go?

As an upright master teacher, how could I possibly have a shameless clone like you?

“I…” Slapped, the clone stopped his cultivation indignantly.

Zhang Xuan had the other party return to his physical body, and then back into the storage ring. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

“Hehehe. With no competition, I should be able to break the ten meters mark easily!”

Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan opened up all of the acupoints inside his soul.

With his clone no longer vying with him for spiritual energy, he could finally hasten his rate of cultivation.

“Start.”

Muttering softly, he began to draw in spiritual energy furiously through his acupoints.

Hong long!

The spiritual energy flowing into his soul was swiftly converted into soul energy. At this moment, a violent rumbling suddenly sounded, and the Cleansing Lake beneath him began to shake violently before eventually bursting apart.

Hualala!

The lake water flooded into the surroundings as though a leaking dam.

“What happened?”

Stopping his cultivation, Zhang Xuan immediately looked around him to see what was going on, only to see that all of the cultivators had opened their eyes, alarmed by this sudden turn of events.

All of them had confused looks on their faces.

‘This is bad. If other people notice my motionless body, it will be hard to explain the matter!’

His body was currently lying by itself in the Lake Eye. At this moment, there was still some spiritual energy mist shielding his body from the eyes of others. However, once the water from the lake ran dry and the mist scattered, he would be exposed before others.

Given that everyone had already opened their eyes and that he was the only one ‘cultivating’, everyone would surely notice that something was amiss.

…

Outside the Cleansing Lake, Emperor Ye Wentian and Pavilion Master Wei Jiang were looking over the entire lake from a distance not too far away.

“Lying in the east of the Cleansing Lake is the Verdant Mountain whereas connecting from the west is the Dragon-scaled River. With the breath of the mountain and river, as well as the accumulation of energy from the earth vein, those that cultivate here will surely find their souls being enhanced, becoming even more resilient.”

Stroking his beard, Ye Wentian smiled.

As the foundation of Huanyu Empire, the effects of the Cleansing Lake couldn’t possibly be just to nourish one’s soul. Absorbing the spiritual energy tempered by the earth vein could make one’s soul more resilient, and this would be highly beneficial for future cultivation.

This was especially beneficial for one’s breakthrough to Transcendent Mortal 8-dan, Ethereal Treading realm.

The term ‘Ethereal Treading ‘ originated from the idea of stepping on the intangible, treating the void as stairs. Using one’s soul as an intermediary, one could borrow the strength from the surroundings to allow one’s physical body to float in the air for a short period of time.

Without a strong soul, not only would one be unable to float in midair, one might even find one’s cultivation being capped. Perhaps even reaching Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm would be a huge struggle.

While the spiritual energy in the Lake Eyes was much tamer, it had also been tempered by the furious energies flowing through the river. Absorbing such spiritual energy was much more beneficial than absorbing the plain spiritual energy contained in spirit stones.

This was precisely the reason why the Cleansing Lake was so famous.

“Indeed!” Wei shi nodded. “A huge volcano lies under the Cleansing Lake, thus drawing in spiritual energy from the world. This spiritual energy would then be tempered by the volcano, thus raising its purity! On top of that, it also imbues a yang attribute to the spiritual energy, granting one the ability to ward off yin energy.”

“Un!” Ye Wentian chuckled. “Look at the spiritual energy bubbling from the lake, it’s as though a pot of boiling water. Only through endless tempering will a gem finally show its glow… Hmm? Th-this… What is going on?”

Just as Ye Wentian was commenting on how incredible the Cleansing Lake was, he suddenly froze, and his voice quivered in shock.

Noticing the peculiarity in his companion, Wei shi quickly turned his head, and what he saw stumped him.

It was as though someone had poured a huge bucket of ice water into the bubbling lake water, thus returning it calmness.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Wei shi suggested, “Perhaps… it might have been bubbling for too long, and it wants a rest?”

Having lived for more than a hundred years, he had witnessed the opening of the Cleansing Lake many times. In fact, he had even once cultivated in it as well… Logically speaking, under the ceaseless clash between the various energies harnessed within the lake water, its bubbling should have never stopped… so why did it suddenly turn stagnant all of the sudden?

“Impossible!” Ye Wentian’s face paled. “Our ancestors set up a formation around the lake water, and it is powered by the spiritual energy in the lake. If the lake were to turn stagnant, it could only mean that the spiritual energy has been sapped dry. If that’s the case, the formation could break down anytime now…”

Hong long!

Before he could finish, the ground suddenly shook, and a huge crack slowly spread across the Cleansing Lake. Following which, the lake water immediately gushed out frenziedly.

“It really broke down…”

Wei shi felt the sight before him turning dark.

The Cleansing Lake was the greatest treasure of Huanyu Empire. If it were to fall apart, the number of future experts the empire would have would surely sharply decrease, and the entire empire would fall into panic!

How did this happen?

Everything went as it should… There was no reason why cultivators cultivating in the Lake Eye would cause a sharp decrease in spiritual energy in the Cleansing Lake, thus resulting in instability in the formation!

Watching as the water gushed out from the lake rapidly, Emperor Ye Wentian anxiously said, “I’ll get Sixth Princess and the others to evacuate now. Once all of the lake water runs dry… the pressure suppressing the volcano will be released, and this could result in a catastrophe! Wei shi, you should hurry up and get Guild Leader Wu and the others from the Formation Master Guild over here to fix the formation!”

The Cleansing Lake had been regulated by a massive formation to create a balance among the energies from the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and earth vein. However, with the formation breaking apart, the balance that had been suppressing the earth vein had been shattered, and as the earth vein grew more and more active, there was a good chance that an eruption may occur.

Given the massive size of this volcano, no one incapable of flight would be able to escape should an eruption occur, not even a Half-Saint. Everyone here would surely be reduced to dust.

The might of nature is unrivaled. Only a true Saint could still stand their ground before it. Anything else would be nothing other than mere ants.

It was one thing for him to meet with danger, but if some kind of mishap were to come unto the Sixth Princess and the others… the entire Huanyu Empire could possibly be destroyed under the wrath of Hongyuan Empire!

He thought that by inviting the Sixth Princess here to train, he could make use of this chance to please the other party and raise Huanyu Empire’s status. Who knew that the usually stable Cleansing Lake would suddenly explode!

What the hell was this?

Why did Cleansing Lake simply explode without any warning at all?

If he were to know that Zhang shi was the culprit behind it, he would surely feel extremely stifled inside.

“Alright! I’ll go invite them over now!”

Understanding the severity of this matter, Wei shi whistled sharply, and an aerial beast immediately flew over. Jumping onto its back, the duo headed straight for the capital.

They had to repair the formation as soon as possible to keep the situation in check. Otherwise, with the earth vein becoming more and more active, it was just a matter of time before the volcano erupts. The land in a radius of several hundred kilometers would be flattened, and countless lives would be lost.

“Un!”

On the other hand, Emperor Ye Wentian immediately rushed toward where the Sixth Princess’s Lake Eye was.

…

At this moment, Princess Fei-er had already awoken from her cultivation. Along with Luo Qiqi, she was staring at a young man in bewilderment.

Despite the huge commotion, and the entire Cleansing Lake being on the verge of exploding, this Zhang shi was actually still in the midst of his cultivation? How could he possibly keep his composure under such circumstances?

If he really was cultivating, they would have admitted it… But the Spirit Cleansing Incense floating before them was still as long as before… In other words, in the previous eight hours, this fellow didn’t absorb the slightest spiritual energy!

But if he wasn’t cultivating, what else could he be doing?

“Zhang laoshi…” Luo Qiqi shouted, unable to hold herself back any longer.

No response.

“Since something happened to the Cleansing Lake, and I’m unable to beat your record, we’ll take this as your victory…’

Princess Fei-er harrumphed.

The other party had already expended five Spirit Cleansing Incense whereas she wasn’t even done with her first one yet. Without a doubt, this bet was her loss.

Since I’ve already admitted defeat, stop putting on an act and come out!

But the young man before her remained completely motionless. There was no response whatsoever.

“What’s wrong with him?”

No matter how foolish they could be, it was certain that something was amiss.

“I’ll take a look!”

Anxious, Luo Qiqi rushed forward and jumped into Zhang Xuan’s Lake Eye. She nudged the other party, but the other party remained completely motionless. Stumped, she instinctively raised her forefinger to the other party’s nostril, only to leap in shock.

The young man wasn’t breathing at all.

With trembling lips, Luo Qiqi uttered in horror, “He… he… he’s dead!”

Chapter 643: Zhang Xuan Losing His First Kiss?

 

Shouldn’t the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye be gentle and safe?

How could someone die in here?

A person couldn’t actually cultivate to death here, could they?

“He’s dead? How is that possible?”

Princess Fei-er was also shocked.

She had been thinking about how she could win a bet against this unreliable fellow, but never in her dreams did she expect the other party to simply drop dead like that…

“Let me take a look!”

She immediately leaped into the Lake Eye and touched the other party’s body. In an instant, her face paled as well.

The fellow who was still smug over burning down five Spirit Cleansing Incense eight hours ago was now as hard as a rock, devoid of his breath and heartbeat.

To think that… he was actually dead!

Even though she didn’t bear the slightest goodwill toward this fellow, she was still the other party’s maid… how could this fellow die before she could even redeem herself?

Was this status going to remain with her for her entire life, unable to be dispelled?

“It can’t be that he fell into this state because… he absorbed too much too quickly while trying to win the bet against me?” Princess Fei-er’s body trembled, and her face paled at this realization.

The fellow had never left the Lake Eye, and this leaves only one single possibility—in an overly tenacious attempt to emerge victorious in this bet, he absorbed the spiritual energy from the Cleansing Lake too vigorously, resulting in a fault which eventually killed him.

“That’s a possibility.”

Luo Qiqi nodded grimly. “But if that’s the case, there’s a high chance it might be a pseudo-death!”

As a talented apothecary, she knew a fair bit about various medicinal conditions as well.

“Pseudo death?” Princess Fei-er was taken aback.

“Yes. If one were to absorb too much spiritual energy within a period of time, it might result in one’s meridians being clogged up, thus obstructing one’s blood flow. As a result, one might suffer from asphyxiation, resulting in a state of pseudo-death. However, this kind of ‘death’ isn’t true death—as long as one is treated promptly, one can be saved… I’ve once read of such a condition on a book. Given that Zhang shi was still perfectly fine a moment ago, this is very likely to be the situation!” Luo Qiqi said.

“Then… do you how to save him?” Princess Fei-er asked worriedly.

Frowning, Luo Qiqi contemplated for a moment before replying, “If I recall correctly… we need to remove the spiritual energy from his body in one swift stroke!”

“In one swift stroke?” Princess Fei-er couldn’t understand the intent behind these words.

“His meridians are currently bloated with spiritual energy, thus putting them under high strain. If we were to remove the spiritual energy from his body using traditional palm-to-palm method, it might cause a pressure difference in the spiritual energy in his body, and this could potentially result in his meridians rupturing. If this were to happen, it could complicate matters and make it even harder to save him. Even if we were to save him from such a condition by chance, he would be crippled for life. Thus, we have to remove the spiritual energy from his body in one swift stroke…”

At this point, Luo Qiqi’s face suddenly reddened. “In other words… we need to remove spiritual energy from his body mouth-to-mouth!”

“Mouth-to-mouth?”

Princess Fei-er’s face twitched.

Removing the spiritual energy from the other party’s body palm-to-palm would indeed be inefficient, and a failure to maintain an apt pressure difference in the body could easily cause his meridians to rupture, given the feeble state it was in. Should his meridians rupture entirely, his life as a cultivator would be over.

But they were of different gender! To remove spiritual energy mouth-to-mouth…

With a face scarlet in embarrassment, Princess Fei-er urged, “Since he’s your teacher, you should hurry up and save him!”

“Me?”

Luo Qiqi shook her head swiftly. “The relationship between a teacher and student is sacred. This… is a little too intimate, I cannot sully this relationship with this… Rather, aren’t you intent on beating him in a bet? If he were to die, you’d have to carry the name of being his maid for your entire life…”

“This…” Princess Fei-er’s face paled.

The other party had struck right at her vitals. This was exactly what she felt the most conflicted about.

Given that she had lost the bet, she would remain as the other party’s maid. If this fellow were to die here, this shame would follow her for life!

Others might even think that she had killed him out of rage from losing. She could never cleanse her reputation were that to happen.

What the heck was this!

Just a mere bet, and she suddenly became responsible for the other party’s life. The thought of it left her incredibly stifled.

Seeing that her good friend was still hesitating at this point, Luo Qiqi urged her again. “You should hurry up if you want to save him. The longer you delay, the lower the possibility of him being resuscitated!”

Conflicted, Princess Fei-er contemplated for a short moment before gritting her teeth. “Fine, I’ll save him!”

She had always been doted upon ever since she could remember, and never had she suffered such a huge humiliation. Not only did this fellow beat her in a bet, he even made her his maid and left her bottom swollen with a kick, leaving her nearly unable to walk.

She was furious, but what she wanted to do was to beat him fair and square.

If he were to die, how could she get even with him?

This regret would follow her for life!

Before this, the gender difference seemed less significant in comparison.

Gritting her teeth tightly, she drove her zhenqi and slowly approached the other party’s mouth.

“What are you doing?”

Zhang Xuan, who had just rushed over from the Cleansing Lake, happened to arrive on the scene at this moment, and he nearly fainted from the sight.

Due to the rapid growth of his soul, his control over it was lacking. Thus, to prevent anyone from noticing his soul, he had travel underwater, and as such, he wasn’t aware of what was happening above. Just as he was about to re-enter his physical body, he saw the Sixth Princess holding his body, ready to kiss him, and he nearly died of shock.

The Sixth Princess looked normal on the surface, and yet as soon as he was gone, she actually tried to kiss him! Indeed, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Stifled, he was just about to push the other party apart when an anxious voice sounded.

“Sixth Princess!”

At that crucial moment, Xing Yuan arrived on the scene.

While he feigned calmness on the surface, his heart was crumbling within.

He had spent so many years wooing the Sixth Princess, only to be ignored and snubbed. Yet, the other party was now taking the initiative to kiss a fellow who nearly angered her to death a few days ago. What was with this crazy twist?

“Ah? Xing Yuan, you came at the perfect timing!”

Upon seeing that fellow, Princess Fei-er blushed in embarrassment. At the same time, she also heaved a sigh of relief. She quickly beckoned the other party over. “Hurry, come and save him!”

“Save him?” Xing Yuan was taken aback.

“That’s right. There isn’t much time to explain the matter in detail, but to save him… it would require one to draw the spiritual energy in his body out in a single breath through mouth-to-mouth contact. Hurry up, or else he’ll die…” Princess Fei-er rushed the other party.

“Mouth-to-mouth contact?” Xing Yuan’s body swayed weakly. “Me and him?”

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan’s sight also darkened.

While I might not show too much interest in ladies… this doesn’t mean that I’m interested in guys!

If I were to really be kissed by him, wouldn’t I die of disgust…

“Indeed, hurry up. Otherwise, we won’t make it in time!” Princess Fei-er nodded.

“I…” Zhang Xuan was about to puke blood. On the other hand, Xing Yuan was also on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Seeing the conflicted expression on the other party’s face, Princess Fei-er said, “If you won’t, I’ll do it!”

Xing Yuan clenched his jaws and replied, “Never mind, I’ll do it…”

He would rather sacrifice himself than see his goddess’s lips stolen by another man!

Thus, he leaped into the Lake Eye, held Zhang Xuan’s body in his grasp, and his lips began to approach the latter’s.

“The heck!” Zhang Xuan was on the verge of crying.

“No, I must return to my physical body now. Otherwise, I’ll lose my first kiss to a man…” At this moment, he couldn’t care any longer. His soul immediately rushed straight toward his physical body.

As long as his soul entered his physical body, his body would regain its consciousness, and he would be able to salvage the situation before him.

“Hmm?”

But Zhang Xuan’s soul came into contact with his glabella, he suddenly stiffened.

Due to his soul growing far too much in this round of cultivation, reaching a level beyond the tolerable limit for his physical body, he actually found himself unable to re-enter his body!

To put it simply, his soul was too big for his physical body, causing him to be unable to squeeze back into his body.

But… that fellow’s lips were on the verge of touching his already!

“I can’t care anymore…”

Seeing that the two lips were about to meet, Zhang Xuan couldn’t hold it back anymore. Gathering his soul energy, he sent a kick at the other party.

While a soul may be intangible, it could materialize soul energy to fight with another.

Peng!

Not expecting that someone would attack him, Xing Yuan didn’t even have the time to react before he was kicked in the face. With an anguished shout, he was sent flying into the Cleansing Lake!

“AH, SAVE ME…” Xing Yuan screamed in desperation.

He thought that, just like the Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, he would melt into goo upon falling into the water. But after shouting for a little longer, he realized that he was perfectly fine, and his face began to slowly flush.

As the spiritual energy in the Cleansing Lake had been sapped dry, it had lost its violent nature and its corrosive ability as well. Let alone him, even an ordinary human would be fine in there now.

It could be said that the Cleansing Lake was no different from an ordinary pool of water at this moment.

“What are you trying to do?” Princess Fei-er’s face was as dark and cold as the middle of winter.

She had thought that this fellow would be able to save Zhang shi swiftly, but who knew that before he would end up jumping here and there, screaming and shouting? What was he up to?

Did he suffer a stroke?

While an attack comprising soul energy might be intangible, they, as 5-star master teachers, should be able to notice that something was amiss if they were to pay closer attention. However, with everyone’s attention on saving Zhang shi, no one noticed anything at all.

“If you don’t wish to save him, just say so! There’s no need to put on such an elaborate act.” Not even waiting for the other party to explain himself, Princess Fei-er stomped forward angrily.

There was clearly nothing there at all, and yet this fellow leaped backward all of the sudden. It was clear that he didn’t wish to save the other party. If he didn’t want to do so, he should have said so earlier. This delay had robbed them of precious time.

“I…” Xing Yuan nearly burst into tears.

Can’t you see this huge footprint on my face…

However, Princess Fei-er couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. Puckering her lips, she began moving her face closer to Zhang Xuan’s.

“Sixth Princess, Xing Yuan gongzi, Luo Qiqi xiaojie, this is…”

Before her lips could come into contact, a shocked voice sounded. Lifting their gaze, they saw Emperor Ye Wentian standing before them.

Ye Wentian was also completely stumped by the situation before him. He was going to evacuate the Sixth Princess and the others out of the Lake Eyes as soon as possible when he stumbled upon such a scene.

While he was feeling extremely awkward, he couldn’t help but sigh…

Youngsters nowadays are getting more and more liberal! Even in the middle of a day, in a public pool, they would do such stuff…

Upon seeing Ye Wentian, Princess Fei-er heaved a sigh of relief and said, “You came at the perfect time. Something has gone wrong with Zhang shi’s cultivation, so take a look quickly and see if you have any ideas on how he can be saved!”

The other party was a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert, as well as the emperor of a country. In terms of eye of discernment and scope of knowledge, he was surely far above Luo Qiqi. Perhaps, he might have a better idea than mouth-to-mouth

“Something has gone wrong with Zhang shi’s cultivation?” Ye Wentian was taken aback for a moment before redness slowly crept across his face. He thought that the duo was giving in to their carnal needs, but it turned out that something bad had happened.

Following which, his eyebrows slowly came together to form a tight frown.

This young man was an existence that could potentially become a combat master in the future. More importantly, he was also a person protected by Pavilion Master Mo of Hongyuan Empire. If something were to happen to him, he could probably retire from his position as the emperor…

Leaping into the Lake Eye, he walked up to Zhang Xuan, took a look, and frowned.

Seeing the grim expression on the other party’s face, Princess Fei-er asked nervously, “What’s wrong?”

“It seems like…”

Ye Wentian’s eyes were widened, as though he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“… his soul has left his body!”

Chapter 644: Crawling Back In

 

“His soul has left his body?”

Princess Fei-er, Luo Qiqi, and the others were stunned.

Such an issue was also known as ‘missing soul’, and it was one of the most feared things of a cultivator. If one’s soul fails to return back to its body, the body would turn into an empty shell and die.

However, for one’s soul to leave its body, it must be sufficiently strong first. One must be at least Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle or even Cosmos Bridge realm to achieve that. How could such a situation occur on a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator?

Ye Wentian spoke grimly. “There are many causes for a soul leaving the body. For example, one’s soul could be attracted by some kind of unique formation or fail to suppress one’s inner demons… Zhang shi might have used a secret art beyond his means to cultivate his soul, resulting in such a situation… If we don’t quickly return his soul to his body, he might really die soon!”

While soul oracles were the most adept at it, they weren’t the only ones capable of drawing their souls out of their bodies. There were some formidable formations or secret arts that could achieve the same effect as well.

“Is there a cure for it?” Luo Qiqi asked anxiously.

This young man was her apothecary teacher, and she couldn’t watch as the other party died because of this.

“There’s indeed a cure. However, it’s extremely troublesome, and there isn’t any time for it now…”

Turning to look at the Cleansing Lake, which was being drained at an astounding rate, Ye Wentian frowned.

The steps to summoning one’s soul were extremely complex and troublesome. Without several hours or even days of effort, it would be difficult for him to succeed. However, given that they were just moments away from the water in the Cleansing Lake running dry, and a volcano eruption was imminent, time simply wasn’t on their side.

“Then what should we do?”

“Pull him up first!”

Knowing that this wasn’t the place to speak, Ye Wentian picked Zhang Xuan’s body up and leaped to shore.

“…” Watching as his physical body was being carried away, Zhang Xuan’s massive soul was on the verge of tears.

Are you all trying to save me or kill me?

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan decided against following his body.

‘While it would have been difficult for my soul to enter like that, with sufficient time, I could still have succeeded. However, you actually allowed Ye Wentian to take my body away… If my soul were to try to enter my body now, Ye Wentian might just try to dissipate my soul, thinking that I’m just a specter…

‘I can only wait for a chance to snatch my body back…’

While a soul formed via Heaven’s Path Soul Art didn’t carry a heavy yin aura, thus making it hard for one to sense it, there was still a good chance that he would be noticed if he were to run right up to the other party’s face.

This was especially so given that Ye Wentian was a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert. If he tried to creep up on the other party, he might just be killed before he could even identify himself.

Besides, even if he were to report his identity to the latter, he had to win the latter’s trust first.

A Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator possessing a ten-meter large soul that could leave its body and cultivate individually… How was he supposed to explain all of that?

Thus, the best course of action he could do now was to remain hidden.

As long as he could find a suitable opportunity to dive back into his physical body, everything would be solved. At the very most, he could just blame it on his anxiety to accomplish greater heights that resulted in his erring.

…

While Zhang Xuan’s soul was still camping in the water, waiting for a suitable moment to strike, Ye Wentian had already carried his body over to the courtyard where they were previously.

Seeing that the other party was completely motionless, Hong shi, Luo shi, and the others immediately rushed up anxiously and asked, “How is Zhang shi?”

“Most probably, his soul has left his body!” Ye Wentian said with a grim voice.

“His soul has left his body?” Hong shi’s face paled as his body shook in agitation. “How could that be?”

Zhang shi’s teacher was an incredibly powerful existence that could possibly be an 8-star master teacher. To actually cause his student to lose his soul… If he were to learn of it, not only Huanyu Empire, perhaps even the entire Hongyuan Empire would be a goner!

“If I’m not mistaken, it could be due to the sudden agitation of the Cleansing Lake in the midst of his cultivation that caused his soul to be jolted away, thus leaving behind this empty shell,” Ye Wentian said.

This was the only explanation he could think of.

Otherwise, how could others be fine while he was in such a state?

It must be due to the abrupt change in the lake that jolted his soul out of his body!

If his soul was still intact after the impact, it would still be possible to find him. However, if his soul were to have dissipated, it would be extremely difficult to save him.

“This…” With a pale face, Hong shi was just about to ask if Zhang shi could be healed when the ground suddenly shook. A searing aura suddenly burst forth from the center of the lake.

“This is bad; the volcano is about to erupt!”

Ye Wentian face immediately warped in shock. He quickly placed Zhang Xuan’s ‘corpse’ down on a stone table and turned his sight over.

The situation at the Cleansing Lake also caught the attention of others.

At this moment, the lake water was bubbling violently. Searing heatwaves flowed into the surroundings, and the ground shook non-stop. It was as if a massive savage beast was rampaging beneath the ground, threatening to leap out at any moment to slaughter them all.

“What’s going on?”

Feeling the shaking intensify, everyone frowned.

“I think it’s about to reach its limit…”

Clenching his fists tightly, Ye Wentian’s face was turning paler by the moment.

He thought that even though the formation was breached, given how many years that the Cleansing Lake had been maintained for, it should be able to suppress the volcano for another few more hours. Who knew that everything would unfold so quickly!

If everything were to go down at this rate, in less than ten minutes, the rampaging energy contained in the volcano and the earth vein would come gushing out!

“Ye Qian, quickly take Sixth Princess and the others away!”

Ye Wentian turned around and quickly instructed.

As the emperor, he couldn’t leave the scene. However, nothing bad must happen onto the Sixth Princess and the others.

“Alright!”

Ye Qian also understood the severity of the incident, and he rushed forward to Princess Fei-er. “Sixth Princess and Senior Xing Yuan, the Cleansing Lake isn’t going to hold on for much longer, and an eruption is imminent. This area is dangerous, so allow me to bring you to a safer location…”

“Alright!”

Xing Yuan nodded, and he quickly turned around to beckon Princess Fei-er to leave as well. However, the latter simply looked at Ye Qian with a frown and said, “Since this fellow’s soul isn’t in his body, does that mean that his soul is currently in the Cleansing Lake?”

“This…” Ye Qian was taken aback. “That should be the case.”

“Then what should we do? If we don’t find his soul and deliver it back to his body, he really will die…” Princess Fei-er said anxiously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have my men look for it. Senior, you should hurry up and make use of the little time we have left to leave…” Ye Qian reassured.

“Un!” Nodding her head, Princess Fei-er turned to her good friend and said, “Let’s go first!”

The reason why she wanted to save Zhang Xuan was because she couldn’t bear the shame of being the other party’s maid for her entire life. Since the other party’s soul had escaped from his body, there was nothing else she could do. Even if she were to remain here, she would be completely useless. Thus, she decided to simply leave.

Luo Qiqi shook her head.

“You go first. I’m indebted to Zhang laoshi, and given that his life and death is uncertain at the moment, I really cannot leave at this moment!”

Zhang shi had once taught her pill forging, thus inducing huge growth in her pill forging skills… and above all, she had already acknowledged the other party as her teacher!

How could she leave on her own now that the other party was in a coma? She couldn’t bring herself to do so!

“Since you aren’t leaving, I’ll stay here too. I’m also interested to see what is happening to the Cleansing Lake…”

Seeing her good friend refusing to leave, Princess Fei-er decided to remain here as well.

“Ah?”

Hearing that the duo had decided to remain here, Ye Qian nearly went insane on the spot. Just as he was wracking his brains to find a way to persuade the two obstinate ladies, a gust of wind suddenly howled above them, and a massive aerial spirit beast appeared before the crowd.

Hu hu hu!

A few figures leaped down from the sky.

Taking a closer look at the men falling from the sky, Ye Qian’s eyes lit up.

“It’s Wei shi, and Guild Leader Wu from the Formation Master Guild!”

He knew about the secret of the Cleansing Lake as well, and this situation was clearly due to the energies in the lake being in imbalanced, resulting in the collapse of the formation. As a 5-star pinnacle formation master, Guild Leader Wu might be able to find a way to reverse the situation.

“How did this happen?”

Reaching the ground, Guild Leader Wu looked around him and saw the lake water flowing into the surroundings, and the ground trembling violently, as though it would collapse under them at any moment. He frowned.

The Huanyu Empire royal family would invite him over each year to reinforce the formation, so he knew a great deal about the formation as well. If it was just cultivating in the Lake Eye, it should be impossible for such a situation to occur… then why was everything crumbling now?

“I don’t know the exact reason, but now isn’t the time to be talking about this. Guild Leader Wu, hurry up and see if there’s a way to salvage the formation so as to stop the volcano below from erupting!” Ye Wentian instructed anxiously.

Nothing would change even if they were to point fingers now.

The urgent matter at hand was to see if there was a way to salvage the situation. Otherwise, none of them here would survive this ordeal.

“Un!”

Knowing the severity of the matter, Guild Leader Wu nodded. He turned his sight over to the lake.

“Elder Lu, you will take the kan position. Elder Han, you will take the gen position…”

After assessing the situation, he quickly issued orders to the other elders who came with him.

The few elders nodded and quickly got into their respective positions. Then, they each took out a formation flag and stabbed it deeply into the ground.

Hong long!

As soon as all of the formation flags got in place, the spilling lake water was suddenly held in place, as though it was being sealed by something.

However, it was as if sealing a rampaging dragon. The ground tremored more and more violently, like it would tear past whatever that was restraining it to burst forth.

“This isn’t right…” Guild Leader Wu frowned.

Emperor Ye Wentian walked up to the group and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Located precisely at the intersection of the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and the earth vein, the Cleansing Lake should be rich in spiritual energy. The formation set up here tapped into the concentrated pool of spiritual energy here to suppress the violent energies from the three sides at this intersection… How come there’s no spiritual energy here now?”

Guild Leader Wu was astonished.

“No spiritual energy here?”

Ye Wentian froze. He closed his eyes and tried perceiving the surroundings carefully, and he realized that something was indeed amiss.

Just a few hours ago, the spiritual energy here was so powerful that even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would be slaughtered easily if he were to enter the lake. How could it disappear so abruptly?

“Indeed…”

Guild Leader Wu nodded. He was just about to speak when someone behind him shrieked.

Hearing the voice, Ye Wentian quickly turned around to see what was going on.

He immediately saw Luo Qiqi and the Sixth Princess staring doubtfully at the master teacher known as Luo Xuan.

“Where’s Zhang laoshi?”

On the stone table right before them, Zhang shi’s ‘corpse’ had disappeared without a trace.

“H-he…”

Hearing the other party’s questions, Luo Xian’s mouth quivered uncontrollably. His eyes were widened, and he looked as though he was about to cry at any moment. He pointed at the lake not too far away and said, “He was still lying there a moment back, and in the moment that my attention was somewhere else, he… crawled back into the lake…”

Chapter 645: Physical Body Too Weak

 

“He crawled back in himself?”

Everyone stared at one another in bewilderment, as though someone had struck the back of their heads with a wooden bat.

“Do you take me a for a fool? His soul has left his body, and he’s no different from a corpse now. How could he possibly crawl back into the Cleansing Lake himself?”

Princess Fei-er glared at Luo Xuan angrily.

Even if you wish to scare us, you should find a more believable story!

I took a look at Zhang shi myself, and his heartbeat and breathing had halted, and his body was stiff and cold. He was no different from a corpse.

Under such circumstances, how could his body possibly crawl back into the lake by itself?

Ye Wentian, Hong shi, and the others shared the same thoughts as well. They turned to look at Luo Xuan, wanting to hear his explanation.

“I’m not lying!”

Seeing how everyone was staring at him as though he was a lunatic, Luo Xuan found himself on the verge of really going insane.

The commotion caused by the Cleansing Lake previously was too large, and everyone’s attention was captured by it. He was no exception as well. However, at that moment, he saw a black shadow in his peripheral vision.

It was from the corpse-like Zhang Xuan!

Somehow, the fellow seemed to have found a surge of strength within him. Through pushing his hands against the ground, that fellow swiftly crawled toward the lake. Everything happened so quickly that Luo Xuan barely saw a gray blur.

Seeing the incredibly stifled expression on the other party’s face, Luo Qiqi asked, “Calm down, how did he crawl into the Cleansing Lake? Did he wake up, or was he still in his previous state?”

“H-his eyes were still closed, and his body was still stiff and lifeless. It didn’t seem like he had woken up at all…”

Even though it was just a momentary glance, as a half 5-star master teacher, Luo Xuan was still able to notice some details regarding the incident.

While that fellow did move, his movements looked like a puppet on a string that was being drawn forward instead.

But of course, that was also the limit of his eye of discernment.

“His body was stiff, and his eyes were closed… and he crawled to the Cleansing Lake by himself?” Princess Fei-er frowned. “You mean that… he has been possessed?”

“Cough cough!”

Ye Wentian choked on his own saliva. “Zhang shi’s soul has only escaped his body, he isn’t truly dead yet… so it is impossible for him to be possessed!”

“Then… what was with him crawling away by himself?” Hong shi asked.

Among those present at that moment, only he and Luo Xuan knew that Zhang Xuan was the direct disciple of an 8-star master teacher. Even though Bi Jianghai had participated in the Hongfeng Empire Master Teacher Tournament as well, he wasn’t present for the affairs that night, so he wasn’t too sure about the details.

If Yang shi were to learn that on top of having his soul missing, his disciple had his body possessed as well… Hong shi trembled.

“I’m not too sure either.” Ye Wentian shook his head.

He had never stumbled before such a bizarre incident in his life before.

Hong long!

Just as everyone was completely perplexed by how a fellow who had his soul missing could possibly crawl away, the ground suddenly shook violent once more.

Everyone immediately staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

“We’re in a dire state now! The strength of the earth vein is growing by the moment, and the formation is on the brink of collapse. Everyone, we need you to infuse your zhenqi into the lake to maintain its stability!” Guild Leader Wu yelled anxiously.

Hearing the shout, no one could spare a single thought for Zhang Xuan anymore. They quickly turned their attention to the formation before them.

The lake water which had been sealed by the formation flag bubbled once more. As though it was set on fire, it threatened to knock down the barrier.

In order to stabilize the barrier, Elder Lu, Elder Han, and the others had infused all of their zhenqi in, and their faces paled in frailty. They seemed as though they would collapse at any moment.

“Alright, quickly infuse your zhenqi into the lake!”

Hearing his words, Ye Wentian understood that they were at an extremely crucial and dangerous moment. Thus, without any hesitation, he stepped forward and pumped his zhenqi into the lake.

Hong long!

With the infusion of fresh zhenqi into the lake, the shaking formation flags stabilized slightly.

Following which, Wei shi, Hong shi, Luo Qiqi, Princess Fei-er, and the others who were cultivating at the Lake Eye stepped forward and did the same as well.

Under the massive influx of zhenqi, the shaking formation flag began to show signs of stabilization. The rampaging lake water below also gradually regained its calmness. Even so, the furious rumbling of the volcano could still be heard below. It was as if even though the massive beast had been suppressed for the time being, it would still break free with sufficient time.

“Guild Leader Wu, such a forceful measure isn’t feasible in the long-run!” Wei shi commented.

For the time being, they were still able to maintain the formation and suppress the earth vein and the volcano with brute force… but once everyone’s zhenqi ran dry, the situation could possibly rebound on them!

Besides, as time passed, the earth vein would gather more and more strength. In a way, it was similar to a spring. The further one tried to suppress it, the greater it would rebound back at one. By then, they would be placed in an even more dangerous situation.

“Indeed. You all continue suppressing the formation first, I’ll study the formation and see how I can re-establish the balance between the earth vein, Verdant Mountain, and Dragon-scaled River to control the volcano below!” Guild Leader Wu said.

The might of a formation was dependent on many factors, such as the geographical terrain or even the position of celestial bodies.

While the formation had been reactivated through the use of the formation flag, the intense trembling from a moment ago had changed the geographical terrain. Thus, some adjustments had to be made to the formation to bring out its greatest might.

If he could get the formation working properly once more, it would be able to draw in spiritual energy once more and possibly resolve the crisis they were in.

“Alright!”

Understanding the intent of Guild Leader Wu, Ye Wentian, Wei shi, and the others nodded their heads silently. Spreading their palms wide, they continued to infuse their zhenqi into the lake frenziedly so as to suppress any movement from the volcano.

On the other hand, with a compass in hand, Guild Leader Wu slowly walked around the formation in order to find the layout to best bring out the might of the formation.

…

While a tense atmosphere weighed on the shore, within the lake, Zhang Xuan’s soul heaved a sigh of relief.

It was fortunate that an abrupt movement in the lake had caught everyone’s attention. Otherwise, it would never have been so easy for him to take back his body.

As his soul was simply too big, he wasn’t able to slip in instantly. Thus, he could only forcefully control parts of his body to have it walk over by itself. His original thought was to move his legs, but due to the extreme stiffness in the region and the immense complexity of making his body walk, he had to give up on the idea. Thus, he had no choice but to move his arms and have his body… crawl into the lake.

However, Luo Xuan coincidentally caught sight of him, thus resulting in the ‘possession’ issue.

“Regardless, I should first have my soul enter my body first!”

Zhang Xuan could easily imagine the uproar that was happening outside, but he didn’t have the luxury to be thinking about it now. His soul immediately rushed straight to his glabella in an attempt to enter his body.

No matter how difficult it may be, he had to do so. Otherwise, his body might just really die on him.

Tzzzzzz!

His massive soul trying to squeeze into his physical body was similar to an elephant trying to squeeze into a human-sized door.

“I can’t get in…”

Zhang Xuan gave it all his might, but it was simply an impossible feat. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

A ten-meter-tall soul forcefully entering a body of 1.8 meters… If not for his soul being intangible, his bones would probably have shattered into countless fragments by now.

His soul was squeezed to the extent that it was distorted scarily, but he still couldn’t even get half of it in.

“Right, how did clone manage to get into his body so easily then?”

Zhang Xuan suddenly froze.

His clone’s soul was much larger than him, but the other party didn’t have any problems entering his body at all. Why was he having so much trouble then?

Hu!

Doubtful, Zhang Xuan brought out his clone and communicated with him. Soon, he found himself being rendered speechless.

His clone’s body was forged using the Nine Hearts Lotus, granting it extraordinary flexibility. Putting aside a ten-meter-tall soul, even a hundred-meter-tall soul would be able to slip in easily without any trouble.

On the other hand, his main body was still mortal…

Staring at the clone, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel frustrated at how his main body ended up being inferior to his clone’s.

But this couldn’t be helped. Anything forged from a God artifact was bound to be extraordinary at birth.

“It seems like I have to focus my attention on cultivating my physical body when I finally get back into my body. Otherwise, it won’t be able to withstand the further cultivation of my soul!”

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella.

After communicating with his clone, Zhang Xuan finally understood that the main reason why he couldn’t get into his body was because his body was still too weak!

If his body possessed abilities equivalent to the Nine Hearts Lotus, he would never have ended up facing such a difficult time now.

He had cultivated his physical body twice, but those were both when he hadn’t reached Transcendent Mortal realm yet. While his physical body was superior to ordinary cultivators, it was still insufficient to house such a large soul.

“What the hell is this…”

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

To absorb too much spiritual energy and be unable to re-enter his body… he was probably the only one in the entire history of the Master Teacher Continent to meet with such a ridiculous situation.

“The only way I can resolve this problem is to find some way to cultivate my physical body…”

Only a strong body could harness such a huge soul. However, given that his body had no soul, how could he possibly cultivate?

This paradoxical relationship sure made one’s head hurt.

Boom!

Just as Zhang Xuan was troubled over the matter, the lake water around him suddenly shook intensely. Lowering his head, he saw a searing heat wave suddenly rising from the bottom of the Cleansing Lake.

“This is… geothermal heat? Could there be a volcano underneath?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

With his soul energy protecting his physical body, he was in no danger at all. However, to be able to cause the entire lake to boil in the blink of an eye, there must be a massive volcano beneath the lake.

Only the earth flame could possess such searing heat!

Back then, when retrieving the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed, Zhang Xuan happened to see it, and he understood how fearsome it could be.

At that moment, a thought struck Zhang Xuan, and his eyes lit up.

“Right! If I can draw the earth flame over and create an amalgamation of yin and yang through fusing it with the lake water… perhaps, I might be able to temper my physical body without controlling it!”

In his long journey, he had collected innumerable books, and a huge portion of them were regarding tempering one’s physical body.

Some involve the usage of poison, some involve pushing oneself to the limit… and some require earth flame and a spiritual energy lake.

Earth flame was a flame created naturally formed by the movements of the earth veins, and it harnessed the weight of the earth. On the other hand, spiritual energy lake was formed in a region where spirit veins intersected, and it carried the majesty of nature. If these two were to be fused together, they would create the perfect mix for tempering one’s physical body.

“However… My clone and I have nearly sapped the spiritual energy in the lake dry…”

With an idea in mind, Zhang Xuan felt a little more relaxed. However, a new problem soon emerged.

It took innumerable years for so much spiritual energy to gather in the Cleansing Lake, but in just eight mere hours, he and his clone had nearly sapped it dry… Without spiritual energy, the entire lake would only be engulfed by the earth flame.

If he didn’t resolve this problem before drawing the earth flame up, instead of tempering his physical body, he would only be barbecuing himself!

Give a few minutes and add a pinch of salt and cumin, and he would be ready to be tucked into.

Chapter 646: A Shoe

 

“Forget it, this is a dire situation. I’ll use that!”

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the spirit stone that he obtained as the prize for the Master Teacher Tournament.

The spiritual energy harnessed within a high-tier spirit stone was immense. Since there was no better choice, Zhang Xuan could only make use of it to temper his physical body first.

Hong long long!

While he was still hesitating over the issue, the ground trembled once more. Then, he heard some muffled voices above the water surface.

Following which, many surges of zhenqi began gushing into the lake, and the dying spiritual lake came to life once more.

“This…”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

He was just troubled about how he should return spiritual energy back into the lake when someone suddenly sent zhenqi over. It was as if a pillow was delivered when one was about to nap, or a feast was spread out just as one was hungry!

“Furthermore, this is zhenqi, refined spiritual energy. It’ll be easier for me to absorb it…”

If Zhang Xuan were to use spirit stones, given that the spiritual energy contained inside wasn’t refined yet, it would be inconvenient for him to absorb it. However, zhenqi was different.

Zhenqi was similar to a concentrated extract of spiritual energy, thus making it much easier to absorb.

“Could someone above know that I’m in dire need of tempering my physical body and intentionally delivered zhenqi over?”

Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion.

He had been too busy trying to return his soul back into his body to care about what was happening above. Could the others have realized that he needed spiritual energy, and decided to expend their own zhenqi to help him?

They were all too kind!

Touched, Zhang Xuan turned to his clone.

“You should draw the earth flame up. I’ll find the most suitable place to temper my physical body!”

“Alright!”

His clone nodded before rushing to the center of the lake, where the source of the heat was coming from.

As a God artifact, the Nine Hearts Lotus was fazed by neither heat nor cold. While the earth flame might be a formidable force, it wasn’t sufficient to damage it.

After the clone left, Zhang Xuan carried his physical body to look for the location most suited to temper his physical body.

Soon, Zhang Xuan came to a stop. He maneuvered his body such that it was sitting cross-legged on the ground. After a lot of trouble, he managed to open the pores throughout his body, and only then did the zhenqi floating in the river begin to gush into his body.

The single origin conceives two, two conceives three, and three conceives all. Heaven’s Path zhenqi was refined from the most fundamental and most accurate cultivation technique. It possessed no attribute, and it could fuse together with zhenqi of any attribute. Thus, even though there were many different types of zhenqi around him, it made no difference to him at all.

Just by drawing it into his body and driving it toward his dantian, it would be automatically refined to remove all impurities and form the purest Heaven’s Path zhenqi.

And under the tempering of these aura, Zhang Xuan’s body was gradually getting stronger and stronger.

…

With a compass in hand, Guild Leader Wu walked a few rounds around the entire lake silently. Seeing the sight, Wei shi couldn’t help but ask, “Guild Leader Wu, have you found a solution yet?”

“Calm down, this is a grade-6 formation. With my capability, I can only reinforce it. It would be extremely difficult to modify it.” Guild Leader Wu frowned deeply.

He was only a 5-star pinnacle formation master, and even if he were to give it his all, he still wouldn’t be able to set up a grade-6 formation. The most he could do at the moment was just to sustain the formation. Even though he did say he intended to modify the formation based on the change in geographical terrain, it would be rather unlikely for him to succeed.

“Then what should we do? We can’t possibly go on infusing our zhenqi in like this!” Wei shi exclaimed.

Infusing zhenqi into the Cleansing Lake could postpone the danger, but it wouldn’t resolve the problem they had at hand.

“Give me some time!” Guild Leader Wu waved his hands. “Even though it’s out of desperation that we’re infusing zhenqi in, the consumption in maintaining the barrier through such isn’t too high. With so many people, we should be able to last for two hours!”

As a lake that was concentrated in spiritual energy previously, it carried the ability to store spiritual energy and zhenqi. While this method might be troublesome, it should still buy them a decent length of time. Within this time period, perhaps he could find a solution to repair the formation!

“Alright then…”

Knowing that there was no better solution, Wei shi nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Wentian’s face suddenly warped in shock. “Wei shi and Guild Leader Wu, look…”

Turning their gazes over, they saw the center of the lake shaking violently, and a huge vortex gradually appeared.

Tzzzzz!

The vortex gradually grew larger. The zhenqi which the crowd had just pumped into the water seemed to have been swallowed whole, disappearing entirely.

“It seems like it’s consuming our zhenqi…”

“That seems to be the case. My zhenqi has disappeared…”

“It’s our zhenqi that is preventing the formation from collapsing. Once it is consumed dry…”

…

Everyone stared at one another with widened eyes.

What was going on?

Wasn’t this lake a place that could be used to store zhenqi? If that was the case, how was all of their zhenqi consumed in the blink of an eye?

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Wei shi turned around and exclaimed, “Guild Leader Wu… the lake is consuming our zhenqi. I fear that… we won’t be able to last two hours!”

“Then… How long can you all hold on for?”

Guild Leader Wu frowned.

Wei shi did a rough calculation based on everyone’s cultivation and said, “At most… ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?”

Guild Leader Wu’s face warped in shock, and he clenched his jaw. “Ten minutes is fine too. As long as the earth flame doesn’t surge up, we will be safe. I’ll try to find a solution within this period of time. Or else…”

As he spoke, he stared at his compass intently to study the formation. However, at the moment, the ground shook once more.

“What happened this time?”

Turning his gaze back to the Cleansing Lake, he saw Wei shi and Ye Wentian looking at him with tearful faces. “It seems that the earth flame has surged up!”

“…” Guild Leader Wu felt as though he was about to faint.

What the heck was this!

When he thought that the Cleansing Lake could store spiritual energy, and by infusing zhenqi into it, the formation could last for a significant period of time, all of the zhenqi ended up being consumed instead. Just as he said that they would be safe as long as the earth flame doesn’t surge up from the volcano, it immediately happened…

Dear heavens, are you toying with us?

Hong long long!

As the earth flame threatened to leap out from the lake, the Cleansing Lake raged once more, and unable to take the impact, an elder was sent flying as mouthfuls of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

‘Kacha!’, the formation flag before him also broke into two halves.

“We’re done for…”

With a pale face, Guild Leader Wu couldn’t help but stagger backward feebly.

The formation was already on the verge of breakdown when there was no spiritual energy in the Cleansing Lake to maintain it. Now that even the earth flame was gushing up to the earth… the eruption of the volcano was inevitable now.

“We should hurry up and leave…”

Guild Leader Wu waved his hands in desolation.

With the eruption of this volcano, the entire Huanyu Capital would be plunged into a massive catastrophe. Countless lives would die due to this disaster.

“Is there really no solution at all?”

Ye Wentian clenched his jaws tightly.

“None at all, unless…”

Upon recalling something, Guild Leader Wu shook his head and said, “No, it’s impossible to pull off!”

“Unless what?”

Ye Wentian and Wei shi turned their sights over to Guild Leader Wu.

“There’s no point. It’s something that can’t possibly be achieved!” Guild Leader Wu sighed.

“Why don’t you tell us? Maybe we can find a solution together,” Ye Wentian said anxiously.

With the earth flame gushing up, the group probably didn’t even have three minutes left. If Guild Leader Wu had a solution in mind, they could at least give it a try. After all, they couldn’t possibly watch idly as millions of lives were extinguished before them.

“The main purpose of the formation is to maintain balance among the energies from the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and the earth vein, thus suppressing the volcano underneath. This was the reason why Huanyu Capital was able to enjoy so many years of peace. However, in the end, a formation can only be considered as an external regulator… If we could find the exact point where the energies of the trio intersect and direct them to cancel one another out, we would be able to return stability to the region even without the formation!”

“But… we don’t have the luxury of time to do so at this point. Besides, this matter involves the energies from the entire Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and earth vein. If we were to make a mistake here, we might just make things much worse…” Guild Leader Wu said.

Wei shi and Ye Wentian fell into deep contemplation.

The both of them understood the meaning behind Guild Leader Wu’s words.

In truth, the main purpose of the formation was to regulate the energies from the three sides to create a balance.

If they could find the balancing point where the three energies intersected and direct their flow such that they canceled one another out, they could create an equivalent effect as well.

But… how were they supposed to find this point?

Putting aside how the Verdant Mountain and Dragon-scaled River stretched for thousands of kilometers, just the fact that the earth vein was located underground already made it impossible for one to determine the intensity of its energy at specific locations.

If they were to make an error and have the energies superimpose on one another instead of canceling one another out, they could possibly worsen the disaster!

This was similar to balancing a gold coin. The slightest deviation would lead to the coin falling… it was no easy feat to balance the three energies!

Not to mention, they had no time now!

The earth flame was surging up, the zhenqi everyone pumped into the Cleansing Lake had been devoured, and one of the formation flags was destroyed… In less than three minutes, this entire area would be turned into ruins. Nothing would be left behind at all.

“Let’s evacuate everyone now…”

Guild Leader Wu waved his hands.

“Yes!”

Knowing that there was nothing they could do, Ye Wentian hurriedly issued instructions to everyone.

Hualala!

The beast tamers on duty were immediately beckoned, and eight aerial spirit beasts came flying over.

Knowing how dangerous the situation was, Ye Wentian had already made preparations should the worst occur.

“Everyone, hurry up and get on the aerial beast…”

Ye Wentian beckoned the group over. But at that moment, the ground trembled once more.

Hong long long!

The shaking was much more intense this time round. In that instant, it was as if the Cleansing Lake had been overturned. A searing heat wave gushed forth as though a majestic dragon from the bottom of the lake.

Seeing that an explosion was imminent, Hong shi asked, “What will happen to Zhang shi if we were to leave like that?”

“It’s too late to save him, let’s go…” Ye Wentian shouted.

Hong long!

Before he could finish his words, a huge pillar of fire gushed into the air. Everyone felt a searing gust of wind rushing at them, burning their skin.

“It’s too late… We can’t get away anymore…”

Ye Wentian thought that they would at least have three minutes, but before they could even get onto the aerial beasts, the volcano was already erupting. A tight squeeze gripped his heart, and subconsciously, he closed his eyes, awaiting his imminent death.

But after waiting for a moment, he realized he wasn’t engulfed by the flames. Just as he was perplexed by what was happening, someone amidst the crowd suddenly shouted, “Wait a moment, look! Why is there a person on the flames?”

Ye Wentian quickly raised his head and looked over, only to see a man standing above the fire dragon. The other party had a sharp gaze reminiscent of a bolt of lightning.

Amidst curious gazes, the other party took off his shoe and threw it casually.

Jiya!

The fire dragon immediately withered. The clash among the energies from the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and earth vein immediately calmed down, as though a balance had been achieved.

Chapter 647: Yang shi Reappears

 

“This?”

Wei shi and Ye Wentian stared at one another in astonishment, as though they had seen a ghost.

Guild Leader Wu’s entire body was trembling non-stop, as if someone was grabbing his neck. His eyes were widened so much that they were about to pop out. “I-it’s the balance point! By throwing his shoe, he directed the energies to cancel one another out at the balancing point…”

The main difficulty with balancing the energies from the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and earth vein was finding the balance point. Once it was found, it wasn’t too difficult to re-establish a balance.

Just that… Of all the things he had thought of that could resolve the situation, be it a formation plate, a formation flag, or some kind of formidable artifact, to think that it was a mere shoe that saved them from their impending doom… This was nearly inconceivable!

How formidable must that person be to achieve such a feat?

Who in the world was that person?

Just as Guild Leader Wu was completely dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word, Hong shi and Luo Xuan’s lips trembled, and they hurriedly kneeled to the ground.

“Junior Hong Qian pays respect to Yang shi!”

“Junior Luo Xuan pays respect to Yang shi!”

The duo immediately recognized the figure as soon as he appeared in the air—it was no other than the man who subdued the alliance of the fourteen strongest regional powers in Hongfeng Empire singlehandedly, the supreme expert… Yang Xuan!

They thought that they would surely die this time, but who knew that Yang shi would actually appear at this crucial moment and resolve their crisis.

At this current moment, Yang Xuan was standing silently in the air, exuding a calm but unfathomable disposition.

Ye Wentian, Wei shi, and the others turned to look at Hong shi and Luo Xuan questioningly.

“He is…”

They were all in the midst of dire trouble when the other party suddenly appeared and resolved the entire crisis with the toss of a shoe. Upon seeing Hong Qian and Luo Xuan greeting the other party with utmost respect, they immediately turned to them for answers.

Given how the other party was able to easily resolve a situation that was beyond them, it couldn’t be clearer that the other party was a formidable figure.

Hong shi swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he said, “This elder is… Zhang Xuan’s teacher, Yang shi! Even Pavilion Master Mo from the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion has to respectfully address him as senior!”

Even though this wasn’t his first time meeting Yang shi, the pressure which the other party exerted on him was still as powerful as always.

This was especially so on his soul. He felt as though he was facing an immovable mountain, rendering him incapable of even conjuring the slightest thought of aggression.

“Even Pavilion Master Mo has to respectfully address him as senior?”

“Zhang shi’s teacher?”

Wei shi, Ye Wentian, Guild Leader Wu, and the others narrowed their eyes, and their lips twitched violently.

One must know that Pavilion Master Mo was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, an expert who had reached Sainthood!

And yet, even a person like him had to address this person as ‘senior’… How strong must this Yang shi be?

Furthermore, they had lost Zhang shi’s body, and after the previous burst of flames, it was unlikely that even cinders were left of him. For his teacher to appear at this instant… how could they possibly explain this matter to the other party?

If only they had known that the other party had such a fearsome teacher, they would have surely braved through danger to look after Zhang shi!

The more they thought about it, the more nervous they became. Thus, the trio hurriedly bowed down.

“Huanyu Empire’s Ye Wentian, Wu Zun, and Wei Jiang pay respect to Yang shi!”

With his hands behind his back, Yang shi stared down at the group coldly.

“If my student Zhang Xuan has erred, you can reprimand and correct him. To leave him to fend for himself in the river… do you think that there’s no one behind him?”

“We dare not think so…”

Seeing that the other party had come due to this matter, everyone froze in fear. At the same time, they felt indignant as well.

We really tried to save your student, but in just a moment that our attention was away from him, he leaped into the lake himself. The situation back then was simply too complicated, there was nothing we could have done…

“You’d better not.”

Harrumphing coldly, Yang shi turned his gaze away from the crowd. He turned his hand to the Cleansing Lake and grabbed. An unconscious figure slowly rose from the water.

It was Zhang Xuan!

Just by stretching his hand forward, this Yang shi actually managed to find Zhang Xuan and fish him up.

“Despite grabbing through space, there isn’t the slightest sign of energy ripple in his movement at all?”

“Even a Saint 1-dan wouldn’t be capable of doing so!”

Ye Wentian and Wei shi glanced at one another, and their bodies trembled in fear.

That movement might not seem like anything special, but as Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle experts, they had a clear grasp of how difficult the feat was.

They were also capable of grabbing something remotely through space as well, but to find a grab a person over a distance of several dozens of meters from the huge Cleansing Lake without the slightest energy ripple… This was a feat that no ordinary man was capable of!

Even Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan from Hongyuan Empire was probably incapable of such a feat!

Expert!

He was a true expert!

Ye Wentian, Wei shi, and Guild Leader Wu glanced at one another, and their bodies stiffened.

There were some master teachers who were very protective of their students, and they would take it personally if one dared to bully their students. If Yang shi were to really settle this score with them… while they might be esteemed figures in Huanyu Empire, they knew that they were nothing to him.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Wentian stepped forward.

“I apologize for failing to take good care for Zhang shi. I ask of Yang shi to… punish me!”

The Cleansing Lake was a possession of Huanyu Empire’s royalty, and he was the one who invited the others over as well. In a sense, the entire matter was intricately related to him, and he wouldn’t be able to shirk his responsibility.

Yang shi harrumphed.

“Punish you? If I wished to punish you, do you think that you would be talking to me at this very moment?”

Flicking his wrist, the unconscious Zhang Xuan came to a halt in midair, floating calmly just beside him.

Upon seeing this movement, everyone’s faces were drained of all color.

Even without coming into contact with the other party, just by the energy he leaked, Yang shi was actually able to allow someone to float by his side… This was a feat completely inconceivable to them!

“The Cleansing Lake is formed by the energies from the Verdant Mountain, Dragon-scaled River, and earth vein. If this power is not controlled well, it could result in mass destruction. As a master teacher, this isn’t a sight that I wish to see, so I’ve resolved this problem for you!”

Glancing at Zhang Xuan and noticing that there was nothing wrong with the other party, Yang shi’s complexion alleviated slightly. Flinging his sleeves, he said, “However, this incident has caused massive damage to the Cleansing Lake. It will take around fifty years before it can recover back to its original state… however, with the three energies in perfect balance, your cultivators can now enter the Cleansing Lake directly to cultivate. Since there’s no longer any dependence on the Lake Eyes, the ten-year limit can be abolished!”

“Can enter the Cleansing Lake directly to cultivate? Ten-year limit can be abolished?”

Initially, when Ye Wentian heard that it would take fifty years for the Cleansing Lake to recover, he was slightly disappointed. However, when he heard that there was no longer any need to be dependent on the Lake Eye and that the ten-year limit was no longer applicable, he nearly leaped in joy.

Even though the Cleansing Lake was highly beneficial to one’s cultivation, the spiritual energy contained within was simply too violent. One could only cultivate in a Lake Eye, thus creating a natural restraint of three days every ten years.

Once this restraint was gone, given the size of the Cleansing Lake, a few hundred people would be able to cultivate simultaneously. Furthermore, there was no need for any interval in between… He could already foresee the exponential increase in experts in Huanyu Empire fifty years from now. With this, they would surely be able to rise to the top among Tier 2 Empires.

While it was impossible for them to become a Tier 1 Empire with just this, this would surely bring their entire nation to greater heights.

“Thank you, Yang shi!”

Kneeling on the floor, Ye Wentian bowed in earnest gratitude.

When something happened to the Cleansing Lake, he’d thought that Huanyu Empire would come to an end under his rule. Who could have known that this would actually be a blessing in disguise? Not only did Zhang shi’s teacher resolve the issue, he even removed the previous limits on the Cleansing Lake!

With this, the other party saved Huanyu Empire and granted it the potential to stand among the top of other Tier 2 Empires!

This favor was so great that there was nothing equivalent Huanyu Empire could offer!

Seeing Ye Wentian kneeling before him, Yang shi waved his hands casually before walking on thin air into the distance. Zhang shi’s body floated closely behind him.

Soon, the duo disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“To be able to bring another person along with him in a flight…”

Everyone swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Due to their limited cultivation, most people present here weren’t aware of exactly how fearsome Yang shi was. Even so, the fact that he could settle the Cleansing Lake, even though it was on the verge of explosion, just by tossing a shoe and bring another person on a flight with him had left them indescribably shocked.

No matter how dull-witted they may be, it was clear that Yang shi was someone they should never trifle with.

Even though Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Ethereal Treading realm cultivators could step on empty space as well, they were only capable of vertical translation. In a sense, there wasn’t much difference from leaping upward.

Only upon officially becoming a Saint and reaching 1-dan Void Pursuit realm would one be capable of true flight.

But even so, this ability would only be confined to the individual. To actually bring another person with him so casually… the other party’s cultivation was beyond their imaginations!

“Zhang shi… actually has such a powerful teacher?”

Xing Yuan gulped down his saliva.

In truth, he had been thinking of finding an opportunity to teach this brat a lesson so that he would never cause Princess Fei-er any trouble in the future. But at this moment, he realized how foolish his thoughts were.

It was fortunate that he didn’t make a move. Otherwise, even his entire clan combined wouldn’t be able to withstand a single slap from the other party’s teacher!

The gap between the both of them was this huge!

Even though the strongest man in his clan, the old ancestor, was capable of flight as well, he knew very well that the old ancestor wouldn’t be able to bring another person along with him so casually.

‘It seems like I’ll have to get on good terms with Zhang shi in the future!’ Xing Yuan thought.

‘Zhang shi’s teacher…’ Yu Fei-er also widened her eyes in shock.

It was no wonder Zhang Xuan was able to defeat her time and time again. It turned out that he had such a formidable teacher!

With such a formidable figure grooming him, even if she was an incredible talent, it was inevitable that she wouldn’t be a match for the other party…

‘Humph! Even if you have a strong teacher, I refuse to be your maid. Let’s see who will have the last laugh…’

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

‘So what if the other party has a powerful teacher? I, Yu Fei-er, am not one to trifle with either. Do you think I’ll serve as your maid obediently?

‘Dream on!

‘If an opportunity comes, I’ll surely defeat you in a bet and redeem myself…’

But at this moment, she suddenly recalled that she had just lost another ten thousand spirit stones… how frustrating!

“That’s a relief…”

Seeing Yang shi arriving on time to save Zhang shi, Hong shi and Luo Xuan each heaved a sigh of relief.

Luo Qiqi also came to a realization at this moment.

She had been wondering why Zhang shi possessed such astounding knowledge in pill forging. However, Yang shi’s presence explained everything. With such a formidable teacher, it was impossible for the student to be ordinary.

“The crisis in the Cleansing Lake might have been resolved, but given the current circumstances, we can’t continue cultivating any longer!”

After seeing off the incredible Yang shi, Ye Wentian turned to Luo Qiqi, Princess Fei-er, and the others and apologized.

He had invited them over to cultivate so as to get on their good side, but it turned out to be fraught with dangers, and they even almost died here. This was indeed a tragic failure.

“That’s right!”

Everyone nodded as they turned to look at the ruined Cleansing Lake with twitching lips. At the same time, a doubt sprouted within their minds.

Wasn’t this lake supposed to be safe? Why would it suddenly… act up?

Chapter 648: Verdant Mountain

 

While everyone was staring at the Cleansing Lake with doubts in their mind, Yang shi, who had impressed all of them with his previous incredible feats, suddenly plummeted from the sky as soon as he got out of everyone’s sight.

Peng!

Following which, pained moaning echoed. Slowly, the face of the majestic Yang shi slowly turned into Zhang Xuan’s face.

“Can’t you give me a hand instead of watching as I fall from the sky?”

Grabbing his spinning head, Zhang Xuan turned to glare at his clone in anger.

Naturally, he was the one feigning Yang shi whereas that ‘Zhang Xuan’ was his clone.

Back then, at the bottom of the Cleansing Lake, after absorbing everyone’s zhenqi and the earth flame, he managed to strengthen his physical body considerably, thus allowing his ten-meter-large soul to enter his body.

Only after this all was done did he realize that the Cleansing Lake was on the verge of explosion.

In order to preserve his life, he immediately checked on the situation with the Library of Heaven’s Path, and only then did he realize that he and his clone’s action of absorbing all of the spiritual energy from the Cleansing Lake had disturbed the balance among the three energies, thus causing such a huge commotion.

In an instant, he felt embarrassed.

The other party had kindly brought him over to cultivate, but he actually caused their lake to explode instead…

It was indeed wrong of him to do so.

But honestly speaking, he didn’t do it intentionally either!

All of this had to be blamed on… his clone! If not for that fellow absorbing the spiritual energy with all of his might, how could the balance have been disturbed?

But it was useless to be pointing fingers now. If he were to run out and explain the situation to Ye Wentian now, the other party would probably kill him with a single slap out of rage.

Left with no choice, he could only summon ‘Yang shi’ once more.

With this ‘expert’ appearing, he would be able to openly resolve this issue, as well as compensate the other party for the damage.

In order to make the entire matter more believable, he even instructed his clone to pass off as the unconscious him.

This way, he would be able to brush off everything when he returned. He could simply say that he didn’t know anything other than the fact that his teacher saved him.

Given that the others had witnessed the previous sight, they probably wouldn’t pursue the matter either.

And of course, the method of flight that Zhang Xuan used was the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Step. On the other hand, his clone was slightly different. As a God artifact, the Nine Hearts Lotus possessed the innate ability of flight, and this ability was transferred to his clone.

With these two working with one another to put on the act, even Wei shi, a 5-star high-tier master teacher, failed to see through it.

Right after reaching this area, Zhang Xuan suddenly found his zhenqi being depleted. Due to the breakthrough his soul and physical body had just undergone, he wasn’t able to gauge his zhenqi accurately. As such, his vision just darkened all of the sudden, and he plummeted from the sky!

He thought that his clone would at least lend him a hand to help him land safely on the ground. Who knew that this fellow would simply watch idly as he crashed all the way down…

Zhang Xuan felt so angry that he could explode at any moment.

While he wasn’t severely injured due to his physical resilience and the low altitude of his flight, he thought that his clone should at least share some of his burdens.

What the heck was this?

Remember, as a clone, you should rush forward when you see that I’m in difficulty…

Just as Zhang Xuan was just about to give this fellow an ‘ideology lesson’ so that he would learn his priorities, the other party slowly closed his eyes… It looked as though he was saying that ‘it’s not my fault that you’re so dumb’.

“…”

Zhang Xuan spurted blood.

Just because I said you shouldn’t just ‘watch as I fall from the sky’, you closed your eyes… How in the world did I create a fool like you?

The clones of others were fierce and loyal. When they saw their main body in trouble, they would immediately rush forward to save him. And yet, this fellow actually simply watched as the main body fell to the ground… Just the thought of it left Zhang Xuan light-headed!

What a darned clone he had!

“Forget it, let me see how much stronger I have grown first!”

Since he couldn’t be bothered to lash out at this fellow, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to his growth instead.

Under the nourishment of the earth flame and spiritual lake, his physical body had grown by leaps and bounds. At this moment, every single cell of his felt strong and flexible, as though they had just gone through a metamorphosis.

Raising his arm, he sent a fist forward.

Hong long!

The might of his punch shot through the tree as though a fist-sized bullet, rattling the entire tree with its force.

“My physical body has grown this strong?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

In the previous attack, he used neither his soul cultivation nor his zhenqi, just solely the strength of his physical body. He wanted to see how much power he could tap into. He didn’t expect the force of his punch to be able to create a gaping hole in a gigantic tree a dozen meters away.

Even a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm cultivator would find it hard to execute this kind of attack.

“Just my physical body itself wields a strength of 2,000,000 ding!”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

With this, he had confirmed the might his physical body wielded. It was actually on par with his zhenqi, reaching 2,000,000 ding.

In other words, without zhenqi or soul energy, just by the might of his flesh itself, he could destroy a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage cultivator.

Fearsome!

“What about my soul cultivation?”

After testing his physical body, Zhang Xuan raised his palm and drove his soul energy.

Hong long!

A small hill dozens of meters away was immediately reduced to dust.

“Even though the might is still capped at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle – 3,200,000 ding – my stamina has improved. I’ll be able to sustain my soul energy longer in a fight…”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Even though Zhang Xuan’s soul had grown to a height of ten meters, the might he could tap into didn’t increase. It was still at 3,200,000 ding.

What improved instead was his stamina.

Making an analogy, if an ordinary human were to harness all of their might, they might be able to lift an object of 100kg. However, that would be their limit, and they would need to rest for quite a while before they could do so once more.

3,200,000 ding referred to the maximum might one could harness in an attack. In other words, it was impossible for one to launch such an attack continuously without rest.

However, as Zhang Xuan’s soul reached a height of ten meters, the limits of his stamina were released. He was now able to launch attacks of 3,200,000 ding without tiring himself out.

This was an extremely fearsome ability. If he could sustain a might of 3,200,000 ding in every single attack, he could even kill a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage cultivator.

“With 2,000,000 ding from my physical body, 2,000,000 ding from my zhenqi, and 3,200,000 ding from my soul cultivation, I can rival even a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle cultivator in a fight!”

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan could feel overwhelming power flowing through his body, as though an undefeatable titan.

Despite being at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, he already harnessed a might superior to Cosmos Bridge pinnacle experts, who wielded a might of 6,400,000 ding. There was probably no one who wouldn’t feel excited at that thought.

“Come, let’s cross fists!”

Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan turned to his clone.

Due to the limits of his physical body, he was sent flying by the other party’s fist the previous time. However, with a breakthrough in all aspects, it would be difficult for the other party to do the same now!

Perhaps, he might even be able to teach the other party a lesson and let him know the difference between the main body and a clone!

“Un!” His clone nodded his head. Gathering might in his fist, he punched forward.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan gathered the might from his body, soul, and zhenqi, and in an instant, his strength was brought to its peak.

With the current might he possessed, he felt that even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan primary stage expert could be killed with a single punch.

Boom!

The two fists collided.

“You…”

A scream in agony echoed in the air. While his clone stood completely motionless on the spot, Zhang Xuan was sent flying backward. His body tore through a dozen huge trees over a distance of several hundred meters before finally coming to a stop. Blood spewed profusely from his mouth.

The heck!

Did you need to be so vicious?

He thought that with such a massive improvement, he would be able to easily teach the other party a lesson. Who knew that the gap between them only seemed to have widened…

He had used his full strength, but not only was the other party completely fine, he also nearly died from the encounter himself…

How could reality be so darned? Are you the clone or am I?

Struggling to his feet, Zhang Xuan glared at the other party.

“Your physical body is still too weak, so you aren’t able to bring out the full might of your soul!”

Just as Zhang Xuan was feeling displeased, his clone walked over with his hands behind his back, carrying an authoritative disposition. “If you wish to defeat me, you still need much more practice. But of course, if you acknowledge me as your teacher, I can teach you…”

“Scram!”

With a darkened face, Zhang Xuan put that fellow straight into his storage ring.

His clone actually tried to take him as a student? What was the world turning into?

If you’re that capable, why don’t you try ascending to the heavens?

“That fellow’s words might be infuriating, but he does make sense.”

After putting away the other party, Zhang Xuan frowned.

It was indeed true that his physical body wasn’t unable to bring out the full might of his soul cultivation.

While his physical body had made massive progress under the tempering of the earth flame and spiritual lake, the duration was too short. It was only sufficient for his massive soul to slip into his body.

It still wasn’t enough for his soul to fuse perfectly with his body and bring out the full extent of his strength.

“With a certain degree of incompatibility between my soul and physical body, I won’t have precise control over my strength…”

A powerful soul needs a powerful body to house it. Otherwise, it would be like an adult taking control over an infant’s body. No matter how powerful the adult was, it was impossible for him to bring out his full might through an infant’s body. In fact, the difference between the strength of the two might even cause the adult to be unable to control his own strength precisely as well.

This was exactly the situation that was happening with Zhang Xuan. Even though his soul had finally grown to be capable of housing his massive soul, it was still comparatively much weaker than it. As such, his control over his soul cultivation and physical body wasn’t as thorough as it used to be.

In a sense, it was similar to the situation when he first cultivated Heaven’s Path Golden Body in Master Lu Chen’s house.

Although he didn’t feel that he had used too much strength, he ended up sending Master Lu Chen flying with a touch.

Just that this time, the lack of control worked both ways. His strength could be either much stronger or weaker than the what he perceived himself.

“It seems like… I’ll have to train my physical body!”

Zhang Xuan massaged his glabella.

The momentary tempering just now was clearly insufficient. It seemed that he had to hurry up and raise the strength of his physical body. Otherwise, if he were to suddenly have a burst of strength and a moment of frailty now and then, others might just think that he was a lunatic.

“Or else, I could ask Emperor Ye Wentian for some cultivation techniques for training one’s physical body. As long as I can compile Heaven’s Path Golden Body 3-dan, my physical body should grow significantly stronger!”

As long as he had sufficient physical body cultivation techniques, his Library of Heaven’s Path would be able to form a Heaven’s Path Golden Body, and he would be able to improve swiftly.

“Where am I?”

Only after deciding on his next course of action was Zhang Xuan’s attention brought back to his surroundings. Taking a glance, he was stunned.

“This is… the Verdant Mountain?”

Back then, he was in a hurry to escape as soon as possible so he didn’t take note of it, but it seemed like he had traveled a long distance away from Huanyu Capital, reaching the depths of Verdant Mountain.

Chapter 649: Heartthrob

 

A towering, winding mountain range filled with a light fragrance from primitive and foreign flora and fauna. Even though it was already deep into winter, the spiritual energy in the region was still filled with the vitality of spring.

After taking a look, Zhang Xuan complimented his surroundings.

“This Verdant Mountain is indeed a blessed land for cultivation!”

To rise above innumerable kingdoms to become a Tier 2 Empire, while having a strong Master Teacher Pavilion was important, so was attracting capable talents and possessing a good geographical terrain.

Be it the Verdant Mountain or the Dragon-scaled River, their lands carried a soothing atmosphere and gentle spiritual energy that boosted one’s cultivation.

“Let’s return first!”

After resting for a moment to recuperate from the injuries incurred from the previous fall, Zhang Xuan prepared to return to the capital when the leaves not too far away rustled.

‘Shh shhh.’

Following which, a massive Armored Beartiger came into view. It was trudging forward warily in a certain direction.

“Hmm?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The Armored Beartiger was an incredibly ferocious Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast. Known as the Autarch of the Forest, even a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan primary stage cultivator would find it hard to defeat it.

This fellow usually hunted openly since nothing could possibly stand in its way. Why was it moving around carefully as though it was some kind of wolf?

More importantly, since Zhang Xuan was able to see the other party, the other party should have noticed him as well, given its cultivation. Yet, it actually continued moving along its path, ignoring him entirely. This left some doubts in his mind.

‘Let’s see what that fellow is up to…’

Zhang Xuan’s curiosity was immediately piqued. He leaped onto a tree branch and followed behind the Armored Beartiger.

Soon, the large fellow bent low, looking around his surroundings in alarm as it advanced slowly.

Hu hu!

At a distance not too far away, Zhang Xuan could see a massive Grandlion Spirit Beast.

Just like the Armored Beartiger, the Grandlion Spirit Beast was a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast as well. Given that they were equally matched in strength and shared the same prey, they were usually in a hostile relationship.

‘It seems like its nemesis has appeared. Perhaps these two are intending on assaulting one another.’

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

He was still wondering what was happening, but it turned out that two nemeses had just met one another, and they were prowling around for an opportunity to strike at the other.

‘I should pay careful attention to their battle. Perhaps, I might be able to learn some new techniques to infuse into my battle techniques!’ Zhang Xuan thought.

Since everyone knew that he was taken away by his teacher, he was in no hurry to return.

Such a ferocious battle could broaden his horizons, so it would be a pity to miss it.

In fact, there were many incredible techniques that were created after watching spirit beasts fight one another.

Squatting on a tree branch, Zhang Xuan watched as the Armored Beartiger and Grandlion Spirit Beast slowly approached one another. Before long, they had already circled around the shrubs and saw one another.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan thought that a magnificent battle would break out instantly, but contrary to his expectations, the duo simply nodded their heads, seemingly coming to an agreement, before heading forward side by side.

‘This…’

Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in surprise.

When did these two nemeses become good friends?

Furthermore, from the looks of it, they seemed to be working in unison.

Curious, Zhang Xuan followed behind them. A little distance away, the loud roaring of the wind echoed from above. A massive aerial spirit beast swooped down from the air.

‘Transcendent Mortal 5-dan aerial spirit beast… Dracoeagle Beast?’

Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

This fellow was extremely famous as well. With steel talons that could even rip apart Spirit intermediate-tier weapons, it was given the majestic name of Sky Overlord.

Even three of his Demon Cinque Beast wouldn’t be a match for the Dracoeagle Beast!

Were these two spirit beasts working together to deal with it?

But that shouldn’t be possible. The spirit beasts on land and in the sky usually didn’t cross one another. Besides, the other party was capable of flight, so how could the duo possibly attack it?

This was similar to how a lion would usually prey on rabbits and deer instead of sparrows and crows.

Since they were from two completely different worlds, there was no need for them to cross one another!

Huala!

By the time Zhang Xuan had recovered from his astonishment, the Dracoeagle Beast had already landed before the other spirit beasts. Just like before, it nodded its head toward the duo, and as though coming to an understanding, the trio advanced forward together.

‘The Dracoeagle Beast… is collaborating with them as well?’

Zhang Xuan’s shock was gradually deepening.

It was already baffling that two nemeses of the forest were working with one another. Now that even the Sky Overlord was cooperating with them, what in the world could they be up to?

What could have happened for them to put aside their differences and ally with one another?

Ssssssss!

Walking on, the group stumbled by a massive python, a ferocious ape, a swift sparrow… Before long, more than thirty spirit beasts were gathered together.

All of them possessed a cultivation of at least Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, and given their natural advantages as spirit beasts, Zhang Xuan would have a difficult time defeating even a single one of them. Yet, so many of them were gathered together at this instant. Even a person as brave as Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel his goosebumps rising in fear.

‘It will be difficult for me to escape if they notice me!’

Zhang Xuan moved carefully in fear, afraid that he would accidentally make a noise that would catch their attention. His palm was drenched with cold sweat.

If they were to manage to surround him, there was a chance that he would even be done in.

Flying, crawling, running, slithering… There were truly spirit beasts of all sorts. Every single one of them possessed might that an ordinary Transcendent Mortal 5-dan pinnacle cultivator would find hard to stand against. Together, not even a 7-dan expert would escape from their clutches.

‘What is it that brought so many spirit beasts together? Are they going to fight an enemy?’

Despite the danger involved in this matter, Zhang Xuan couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

So many different species of spirit beasts were present here, and a huge bunch of them were even nemeses of one another. And yet, here they were, working together with one another. What could have happened?

‘Could it be that… they have found some kind of treasure?’

A thought popped into Zhang Xuan’s mind, and excitement begin to tingle within him.

It was rumored that true treasures would attract the presence of countless spirit beast or even incur a stampede. Could these fellows be gathered for some kind of incredible treasure?

‘That’s not it. If it’s a treasure, they would probably be fighting with one another over it at this instant…’

However, Zhang Xuan soon rejected the idea.

There would be no one who wouldn’t wish to claim a treasure for themselves. If that was truly the case, it would be impossible for them to work together—it would be a scene of bloodshed instead.

‘No matter what, I should just watch on. The answer should unfold itself soon!’

Since he was already up to this point, he had to get to the bottom of the matter. Thus, he followed behind the group discreetly.

Hualala!

While he was following behind the group, a slight rustling sounded from the trees ahead, and a group of silhouettes appeared.

‘This…’

Upon seeing those silhouettes, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

All that came before were all spirit beasts, but this group were all humans!

There were seven to eight of them, and just like the spirit beasts, they had all reached Transcendent Mortal 5-dan as well. There was a slight but distinct scent of blood coming from them.

‘They are… beast hunters!’

A name appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind, and excitement immediately overwhelmed him.

A spirit beast’s skin, bones, blood, and inner core were extremely valuable treasures to cultivators.

In fact, there was even a market specializing in such sales.

Given how lucrative the market was, there was naturally a group of people who specialized in hunting down spirit beasts and procuring the useful body parts, thus giving rise to a unique occupation… beast hunters!

However, just like herbologists, the beast hunter occupation wasn’t acknowledged by the Master Teacher Pavilion.

It wasn’t due to how cruel the occupation was but that it had no complete heritage.

Most people chose this life due to compelling situations, and as such, there were no organizations nor guilds regulating them and passing down knowledge. Furthermore, the death toll of this occupation was simply too huge. The hunters would often become hunted themselves, thus making it difficult to pass down their heritage.

As such, it couldn’t really be called a ‘unique occupation’.

But even so, there was quite a number of them over the entire continent, and they were recorded in books too. Just that… this group of beast hunters had actually come together with the spirit beasts!

The beast hunters simply walked up to the pack of spirit beasts, nodded, and then they began advancing together.

Beast hunters and spirit beasts were mortal enemies, and yet they were walking side by side at this moment… What the heck was going on?

What should have been a great battle between the spirit beasts and the beast hunters ended up as though an amicable meeting among old friends. This was contradictory and bewildering!

As the group slowly grew larger, in order to prevent himself from being noticed, Zhang Xuan could only fly amidst the lush leaves using the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps.

After advancing a little further, they arrived at the bottom of a waterfall. The water cascaded from a height of three thousand chi, creating a deafening roar.

A slight vapor rose from the bottom of the waterfall, nourishing the brilliant greenery in the area.

Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

‘It’s the middle of winter… how come the greenery is so verdant?’

While the greenery in Verdant Mountain wouldn’t wither due to the rich spiritual energy in the area, the color of the greenery would still darken in the middle of winter.

But the greenery in this region had a bright shade of green, as though it was the onset of spring. This very sight was baffling.

Could there be something special about this waterfall?

Hualala!

Beneath the waterfall was a massive lake. A white, furry spirit beast was swimming freely in it.

That fellow was around the size of a watermelon, and its bright eyes only made it more adorable.

‘This is a Snow Fox! Furthermore, it seems that it is a newborn!’

Zhang Xuan immediately recognized the spirit beast.

Snow Fox was an extremely rare spirit beast. It possessed nearly no offensive ability, but its inner core was exceptionally valuable. Rumor had it that it contained a unique energy that could allow both cultivators and spirit beasts to unconditionally raise their cultivation by a big realm!

This wasn’t just primary stage to intermediate stage, or intermediate stage to advanced stage, it was a big realm… In other words, it could allow a Clarifying Turbidity realm cultivator to reach Consonant Spirit realm directly!

It was among one of the most sought after treasures in the world!

‘But… a mere Snow Fox shouldn’t require all of these fellows to work together though?’

The Snow Fox might be valuable, but considering its lack of offensive power, the Armored Beartiger, Grandlion Spirit Beast, or any of the other spirit beast could easily tear it apart. Why would they march here in such a large group then?

Furthermore, considering that this was a newborn Snow Fox, surely these fellows need not proceed so warily?

‘No, it seems like the one they intend to deal with is…’

Baffled, Zhang Xuan took a closer look and realized that the spirit beasts and beast hunters were looking at a specific direction. Tracing their gazes, he was taken aback.

By the side of the lake stood a white-robed lady. She stood silently amidst flowers and grass, as if a peaceful painting.

It was simply too tranquil that even with a soul as strong as Zhang Xuan’s, he didn’t notice her presence at all!

As Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over, the white-robed lady also turned her face over. Her beautiful features seemed to meld together with the peaceful scenery. With just a momentary glance, Zhang Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

For the first time since he arrived in this world, Zhang Xuan’s composed state of mind was sent into disarray.