Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 659

Chapter 659: Be Careful

Seeing the other party’s depressed expression, Luo Qiqi asked, “In other words, you can’t decipher it, right?”

“If I said that I could decipher it… would you allow me to continue?” Wu Zhen asked.

Everyone swiftly shook their heads.

Xing Yuan gritted his teeth and said, “If you dare to continue deciphering it, do you believe that I won’t kill you right now?”

You must be joking! Even though I am really interested in opening the pathway to the true underground chamber, I still don’t want to die yet.

Putting everything aside, after only three attempts at deciphering the stone tablet, his face was already swollen due to those needles. If this were to continue, he would probably die before the tablet was deciphered.

“Then what should we do?”

Since they weren’t able to decipher the mechanism, they couldn’t possibly just wait here for their entire lives!

“Let me give it a try!”

Seeing the look of frustration on everyone’s faces, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

When he touched the stone tablet previously, a book had already been compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path on it. It wasn’t that he was interested in seeing Wu Zhen make a fool of himself, but that the complex mechanisms contained within the stone tablet were simply too fascinating that he found himself absorbed into it. By the time he had come to, Xing Yuan’s face was already filled with silver needles.

“You?”

Seeing him step forth, Wu Zhen frowned and asked, “Are you… well-versed in the ways of a celestial designer as well?”

Given how formidable this fellow was in pill forging and formations, he couldn’t possibly be an expert in mechanisms as well!

While celestial designers weren’t as prestigious as formation masters and apothecaries, it didn’t impede the ingenuity of their craft. Their work was extremely complex and difficult to master. Even the slightest deviation in the details could cause a vast difference in the results

And in this occupation, he could be considered as a rare genius already. Even so, despite his years of study, he had only reached 5-star. Considering how even he was unable to solve it, a fellow who was younger than him… It couldn’t be that the other party was more capable than him?

But that was impossible!

Zhang Xuan chuckled. “I dabble.”

“Dabble?”

Wu Zhen shook his head. “If you only dabble, it will surely be impossible for you to decipher it. You witnessed the situation just now; even the slightest mistake will trigger the silver needle mechanism. There was no poison on the needles previously, so we were still able to get by, but what if the needles from now on are coated with lethal poison? If that happens, none of us will get out of here!”

“So, if you don’t have absolute confidence in your ability to decipher it, it’ll be best not to give it a try. I fear that we might all die here…”

Seeing Wu Zhen obstructing his path, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Absolute confidence? Aren’t you the same too?”

Despite not being completely sure, didn’t you try three times? Still able to get by… Why don’t you ask Xing Yuan whether he agrees with your words!

Let’s see, he would surely pummel you to the ground if you were to utter such words before him.

“Humph, how could I be the same? I’m from a family of celestial designers, and I created my own automated mechanism when I was three. By seventeen, I was already a 4-star celestial designer, and after I entered Hongyuan Academy, I became the student of the only 6-star pinnacle celestial designer within the empire…”

Flinging his sleeves, Wu Zhen raised his head proudly. “Even though I’ve failed three times, that doesn’t mean that I’m unconfident. Even though this is a booby-trapped mechanism from a 6-star celestial designer, as long as I attempt it a few more times, I’m certain that I can decipher it…

“But if you really insist on going ahead, there’s little I can do to stop you either. How about this, why don’t I ask you two basic questions, and if you can answer them, it will mean that you do possess some basic knowledge regarding celestial designers, and that you aren’t just fooling about!”

Wu Zhen turned to look at him.

“Hmm?” Zhang Xuan came to a halt.

“Who is the most famous celestial designer in the past ten thousand years of Hongyuan Empire?” Wu Zhen asked.

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion.

He had barely read any books on celestial designers, so how could he possibly know who the most famous celestial designer in Hongyuan Empire was?

Besides, he didn’t even know the name of the incumbent emperor of Hongyuan Empire was nor the name of the Master Teacher Academy’s principal, so how could he know anything about that?

“You don’t even know this?”

Seeing the embarrassed look on the other party, Wu Zhen frowned. “Since that’s the case, I don’t think you know who is the one who created the concept of a booby-trapped mechanism then?”

“I don’t.”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I’m just going to decipher the stone tablets, what do the questions you asked have to do with it?”

“Of course, it has everything to do with it!”

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Wu Zhen’s eyes flashed in disappointment. “This is the most basic knowledge that every celestial designer knows, and the fact that you don’t know it means that you don’t know a thing about the occupation. How are you supposed to find the core and decipher the mechanism like that? I don’t deny that you do possess a unique interpretation of pill forging and formation, but mechanism is something very much different from that. One cannot solve it with confidence alone…

“Why don’t I tell you about the origin and fundamental theories regarding mechanisms so that you can understand the complexity of the subject? By then, you can consider once more if you really intend to continue on…”

The more Wu Zhen spoke, the more Zhang Xuan felt that calluses would start growing on his ears. Bored of the other party, he stepped toward to the stone tablet, flicked his wrist, and took out the Glacier Rain Sword.

“What are you doing? This is a mechanism! Using a sword against it will only draw more aggression onto ourselves…”

Just as Wu Zhen was rambling on, he saw the other party draw a sword, and he nearly fainted from anger.

Are you kidding me?

Due to the small parts of the mechanism, there was very little room for any error. That was the reason why I had to search the stone tablet so thoroughly for the core before using the Thousand Umbrella Thorn to pierce it precisely. And yet, you actually took out a sword? Are you for real?

Just as he was thinking that the other party was just causing needless trouble, the young man before him seemed to have heard his words of advice and put his sword away.

“That’s more like it…”

Just as Wu Zhen was thinking that fellow was still acceptable given how receptive he was to advise, the other party flicked his wrist and whipped out a huge hammer.

The hammer was even larger than the ones used by blacksmiths to forge weapons; it was on par with those used by workers on construction sites. On top of that, its material was also sub-par. It was hard to understand why a master teacher like Zhang Xuan would have such a weapon on him.

“What are you going to do…”

Wu Zhen was so shocked that he was even starting to stutter, but seemingly paying him no heed, the young man before him raised his metal hammer and smashed it against the stone tablet.

“The heck!”

Wu Zhen’s sight darkened, and a stifled sensation welled up in his chest. In that instant, he felt an urge to spew blood.

Even when using the Thousand Utility Thorn, he nearly ended up being killed by the onslaught of needles. Yet, you actually used a metal hammer to strike it… Even if you’re seeking death, that’s not the way to do it!

Wu Zhen opened his Thousand Utility Umbrella in a panic and hid behind it as though a quail, not daring to move at all. Following which, a sound reminiscent to a grandfather clock reverberated in the room, sending goosebumps up the skin of others.

Kacha! Kacha!

A series of crisp clicks sounded, as though an egg being peeled of its shell… and everything fell silent.

Just as Wu Zhen was doubtful why there were no needles shooting over this time, he suddenly heard the nonchalant voice of the young man from the stone tablet.

“Alright, the passageway has opened!”

He carefully emerged from the back of his Thousand Utility Umbrella, and upon taking a glance, he suddenly froze.

“This… this…”

His eyes widened as though he had seen a ghost.

The stone tablet before him had disappeared entirely from view, and in its place was a huge stone door and a series of stone steps, leading downward, toward the bottom of the stream not too far away.

“It’s open?”

Not just him, Luo Qiqi and Xing Yuan were stunned as well.

A famed 5-star celestial designer of the academy had gone through so much trouble and triggered the trap multiple times, only to fail miserably… and yet, this fellow simply smacked it hard with a metal hammer and it was immediately deciphered.

Wasn’t there something very wrong about this?

Was Wu Zhen the 5-star celestial designer, or was Zhang shi?

After a moment of shock, Luo Qiqi said, “The true underground chamber lies beneath the stream. It’s no wonder we can’t find the source of the ventilation despite the smooth air currents here!”

When she first discovered that the air in this room was fresh, she tried looking for the source of ventilation, but to her surprise, she couldn’t find it at all. However, with the revelation of the underground passageway, she finally came to a realization—the secret lay beneath the stream.

The fresh air in the underground chamber originated from the stream!

Princess Yu Fei-er nodded. “Since we managed to find the underground chamber, let’s hurry down and check if this place is related to Grandmaster Wu Yangzi!”

Even though she detested Zhang Xuan, she had to admit that the other party did possess extraordinary capability.

There were simply too many things that had happened for her to deny it.

“The underground chamber may have opened, but I think we shouldn’t go in yet,” Zhang Xuan said.

“Why?” Princess Yu Fei-er turned her sight to him.

Given that there was such an elaborate mechanism hiding an underground chamber, the answers they sought were probably inside. Since what they were looking for were right before them, why shouldn’t they enter?”

“All in all, we have seen a total of two stone tablets on both sides of the bridge; one is marked with Yearning Abode Lodge while the other Burying Sorrow Lodge. I think that there’s another pathway hidden in the other stone tablet, so we should make a decision before entering,” Zhang Xuan explained.

Since an underground passageway was found in one of the two stone tablets, perhaps the same could be said for the other as well.

“That’s right!”

The group nodded.

Blinded by their excitement in uncovering the stone tablet, they neglected this point. Thinking of it, it was indeed highly possible that another passageway hid behind the other stone tablet.

If that was really the case, then Zhang Xuan’s conjecture would be spot-on—two names, two choices.

“Un. What we should do now is decipher the other stone tablet before making a decision…” Seeing that everyone had realized what he was talking about, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt his hand being relieved of the weight in it—someone had taken the metal hammer from his hand.

Following which, an impassive voice spoke. “I’ll decipher the stone tablet over there…”

By the time Zhang Xuan lifted his gaze, Wu Zhen was already at the other side of the bridge. Lifting the metal hammer up, he smashed it powerfully on the stone tablet.

That fellow was too desperate to prove himself.

Despite being a 5-star celestial designer, he failed to decipher the mechanism behind the stone tablet despite three attempts. Yet, an amateur actually opened it with a smash of a metal hammer. The embarrassment and frustration he felt was understandable.

However, there stood another stone tablet for him to redeem himself and prove his own capability. How could he possibly just give up this opportunity to showcase his ability to the other party? Thus, he snatched the hammer and rushed over immediately.

Recalling the direction, trajectory, and might of the other party’s hammer strike, he bellowed loudly and smashed the hammer down onto the stone tablet.

“Be…”

Not expecting the other party to move so quickly, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Before he could finish his words, the sound of heavy grinding sounded from the stone tablet at the opposite side of the river.

Following which, a whole rain of thin needles came flying forth.

Puhe! Puhe! Puhe!

Unprepared, Wu Zhen didn’t even manage to open the Thousand Utility Umbrella before the rain of needles blurred his vision. In an instant, he turned into a cactus.

“… careful,” Zhang Xuan uttered, as he stared at the sight before him.

Chapter 660: Another Bet

“…” Wu Zhen cried silently.

I really only wanted to prove myself…

Who in the world did I offend for this to become of me?

Even though he had exerted his zhenqi at the final moment to protect his vitals, he was still pierced by several hundred needles. Furthermore, each of them had pierced at least an inch deep, leaving him in deep pain.

What is the use of saying be careful now?

Didn’t you use the metal hammer to smash the stone tablet just now as well?

Why didn’t it work for me?

The same location, the same strength, and the same technique… and yet, you opened up a passageway whereas I transformed into a human cactus…

Tears streamed down Wu Zhen’s face as he trembled in indignation. Driving his zhenqi through his body, he flexed his muscles, and the needles lodged into his flesh were immediately jolted out. With a flick of his wrist, he took out the wine gourd he received from Zhang Xuan.

As Princess Fei-er didn’t use it all back then, he still had a portion of the ‘Saint recovery medicine’. Since he was wounded all over at the moment, this was the perfect time to use it.

“Since this is an external wound…”

Wu Zhen deduced the logic behind Zhang shi’s words before uncorking the cap and pouring the wine all over his body.

On the opposite side of the river, Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched upon seeing the sight.

“Cough cough…”

Of course, he remembered this wine! He had no choice but to feign it as a gift due to Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and Chen Yue cornering Hong shi back then… The basis behind its healing property was Heaven’s Path zhenqi, but considering how a few days had passed, the zhenqi contained within the wine had already long dried out. In other words, what was within the gourd was just ordinary wine… and to pour alcohol on such gaping wound would surely be excruciating…

“AHH…”

While Zhang Xuan was still in his thoughts, the sound of a pig being butchered echoed in the air. Wu Zhen’s entire body convulsed as though it had been shocked.

In terms of pain, rubbing alcohol on one’s wounds was really not much different from rubbing salt on them. The immense suffering that he felt threatened to steal his consciousness away from him.

Watching as white foam started pouring out from the edges of the other party’s mouth, Zhang Xuan immediately instructed, “Little Qi, quickly feed him a recovery pill. Otherwise… I fear that he might just die!”

“Yes!”

Luo Qiqi quickly rushed over, pinched open the other party’s mouth, and fed him a recovery pill.

Only with the consumption of the recovery pill did the other party’s complexion finally recover slightly.

While the needles weren’t fatal, there were simply too many of them. Not to mention, the alcohol also had other ingredients in it that would only aggravate one’s wounds.

Thus, even though Wu Zhen had managed to survive the ordeal with the help of the recovery pill, he was in terrible shape. His vision was a little unclear, his face was entirely swollen, and he felt listless.

Standing up, he shot a glare at Zhang shi and began weeping silently.

You liar!

Be it the metal hammer striking the stone tablet or the Saint recovery medicine…

I must have been a fool to trust you!

“Allow me.”

Not expecting Wu Zhen to be so rash as to rush to the other stone tablet without allowing him to finish his words, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. Along with Xing Yuan and the others, he walked over to the other side.

He took the Thousand Utility Umbrella from Wu Zhen’s hands, and with a flick of his wrist, the Thousand Utility Thorn appeared. Then, he aimed it at the stone tablet before him and stabbed it in.

Ding ding ding!

Three crisp mechanical clicks sounded.

Jiya! Jiya!

The stone tablet slowly split apart, revealing a towering door.

“Aren’t you supposed to use the metal hammer…”

Wu Zhen staggered at that sight.

“Ah. Adaptability is a very important in deciphering mechanisms. The Thousand Utility Thorn works perfectly fine on this stone tablet!” Zhang Xuan said.

“…” Wu Zhen.

Ignoring Wu Zhen, who was on the verge of a breakdown, the group walked over to the entrance.

Within it was a flight of stone stairs leading to the bottom of the stream as well, but the direction was the complete opposite to the other passageway’s. Most likely, the two passageways led to different places.

“There are indeed two underground chambers…”

A grim expression appeared on everyone’s face. At that moment, the surface of the bridge not too far away from them shook, and the sound of cogs whirring into action echoed through the chamber.

A cold voice abruptly boomed.

“Congratulations for opening the two entrances. However, each one of you can only choose one door to enter. You’ll have an incense’s time to choose, and once you make your choice, retreat is no longer an option!”

Knowing the importance of this matter, Wu Zhen put aside his grudges and began explaining.

“It’s ‘Mechanical Recorder’!”

“Mechanical Recorder?” Everyone was confused.

“Un. On top of creating traps reminiscent of formations, there are some formidable mechanisms that are capable of recording human speech as well. Upon triggering it, the voice recorded within will play,” Wu Zhen explained.

“I see!” Zhang Xuan was surprised, but his astonishment didn’t last for too long.

There were plenty of similar gadgets in his previous life as well. For example, the music box consisted of various mechanisms to play a specific melody. Given the incredible technology celestial designers wielded, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to create a machine that could emulate human speech.

Interrupting Wu Zhen, Princess Yu Fei-er said, “Now isn’t the time to be bothering about that, let’s discuss which passageway we should choose instead!”

“Un!” The group nodded.

The trigger to the recorded voice was probably the opening of both entrances. According to the words from the voice in the Mechanical Recorder, they had to choose between the two entrances within an incense’s time.

They hardly had the luxury to be thinking about anything else at the moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Qiqi revealed her own conjecture.

“From the words left behind on the stone tablets, it should be clear how we should choose. On this side is ‘Yearning Abode Lodge’, which is highly likely to reflect Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s nostalgia for his own homeland. Since that’s the case, it’s likely to be the underground chamber where Grandmaster Wu Yangzi lived in. On the other hand, ‘Burying Sorrow Lodge’ is likely to refer to the place where those who confined Grandmaster Wu Yangzi here lived!”

“I agree with Qiqi’s point of view!” Princess Yu Fei-er nodded.

Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and Ye Qian also expressed their approval of that view.

They had agreed on this conclusion as soon as they saw the stone tablets, so it wasn’t too hard for them to agree with Luo Qiqi’s point of view.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan said, “I have an alternative point of view.”

“May I know what teacher thinks of this matter?”

Luo Qiqi turned her eyes over.

The others also gathered their gazes on Zhang Xuan.

This young man had displayed outstanding performance ever since their arrival, so no one dared to take his words lightly anymore.

“Contrary to your perspective, I feel that ‘Burying Sorrow Lodge’ is where Grandmaster Wu Yangzi lived instead. As for the reason, I can’t really put it out in words for you all!” Zhang Xuan said.

Touching the stone tablet only showed Zhang Xuan the mechanisms hidden within it. It didn’t explain the interior of the underground chamber within and whether it had anything to do with Wu Yangzi or not. As such, this conclusion actually came from his own hypothesis, and there was no concrete evidence behind it.

“How can that be?”

Princess Fei-er’s lips curled up into a sneer, and she harrumphed coldly. “Captured by others to become a weapon-forging machine, Grandmaster Wu Yangzi is surely filled with indignation and wrath. How could he possibly bury his sorrows under such circumstances?”

“Indeed. Captured, Grandmaster Wu Yangzi would surely be missing his own homeland. I agree with Sixth Princess’s view!” Xing Yuan nodded.

Knowing that her teacher wouldn’t raise claims without any basis behind them, Luo Qiqi asked, “Teacher, for you to say so… could it be that you have noticed something peculiar?”

“I didn’t notice anything out of ordinary, just that I am a little perplexed by the killing intent contained within the words ‘Yearning Abode Lodge’. I have some understanding of painting, and I find it hard to believe that those words were left behind by a grandmaster blacksmith. On the other hand, the words ‘Burying Sorrow Lodge’ seemed to emanate calmness and contained a far deeper intent into it. It felt more like the work of a grandmaster. That is the reason why I think so!” Zhang Xuan said.

“I got the same feeling as well…” Ye Qian interjected.

As a 5-star painter, he also felt similar intents from the two inscriptions on the stone tablets.

“Like we said before, it’s normal for there to be killing intent infused into his words. Captured and imprisoned, it would only be bizarre if he didn’t have such emotions. Burying Sorrow Lodge… Hehe, probably only those who captured him could live their days happily without any sorrow!”

Princess Fei-er shook her head. “I’ll still choose this passageway!”

From the very start, she harbored a great dislike for Zhang Xuan. Seeing that there was no strong basis behind the other party’s words, her confidence began to increase.

“I also choose this passageway!”

Xing Yuan nodded.

He would follow Princess Fei-er no matter where she went… Besides, he also thought that her words were more reasonable at the moment.

Princess Fei-er turned to Wu Zhen.

“What about you?”

“I…”

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Zhen nodded and replied, “I’ll choose here as well!”

He also felt that Princess Fei-er’s words were correct.

Seeing another person standing on her side, Princess Fei-er felt as though she was finally going to achieve victory over the other party. Delighted, she turned to the crown prince and asked, “Ye Qian, what about you?”

“I… agree more with Zhang shi’s words…” Ye Qian replied, but halfway through, he suddenly noticed the eyebrows of the princess in front of him shooting up all of the sudden, and his courage immediately faded. “However, I’ll still choose this passageway!”

“That’s more like it!”

Seeing her junior supporting her as well, Princess Fei-er nodded her head in satisfaction. She turned to Zhang Xuan with a triumphant look and said, “Alright, four of the six have made their decisions. What about you?”

Aren’t you good at betting?

Let’s see how you’ll win this time!

“I’ll still choose the passageway on the opposite end!” Before the other party’s provocation, Zhang Xuan could only shake his head. Turning to Luo Qiqi, he asked, “What about you?”

“I…”

Luo Qiqi hesitated for a while before eventually replying, “I’ll follow teacher!”

“Qiqi!”

Not expecting her close friend to actually betray her at such a moment, Yu Fei-er hurried forward and tried to persuade her otherwise. “Don’t you agree with our deduction as well? That passageway definitely has nothing to do with Grandmaster Wu Yangzi at all…”

Hearing the other party spouting such words, Zhang Xuan interjected with a smile. “Definitely? You sure sound certain. Do you dare to bet on it?”

“Of course!”

Yu Fei-er flung her sleeves majestically.

She possessed absolute confidence regarding this.

“Good. With so many people witnessing this, I doubt that you would refuse to pay up. This time, instead of ten thousand middle-tier spirit stones, the bet will be one high-tier spirit stone instead…”

Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly. “The victory will be decided by which passageway leads to Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s living quarters. If the path I chose is correct, you’ll have to pay me one high-tier spirit stone. On the other hand… I’ll relieve you of your duties as my maid, and we’ll owe each another nothing!”

“Fine! But if you lose, not only must you relieve me as your maid, you must also repay the 700 middle-tier spirit stones back to me. Also… also…”

Princess Yu Fei-er gritted her teeth. “You must also serve me wine!”

“Sure, I’ll serve you wine if you win!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

“It’s a deal then!”

Princess Yu Fei-er sneered coldly, “Just you wait! Let’s go!”

After which, she began walking into the stone passageway.

Xing Yuan, Ye Qian, and Wu Zhen followed closely behind her.

“Let’s go as well!”

Seeing them walking down the stone stairs, Zhang Xuan beckoned Luo Qiqi, and the duo crossed the bridge and descended down into the other passageway.

Chapter 661: An Arm

A dark world lay behind the stone door. Luo Qiqi stepped forward and hurled a few Night Illumination Pearls down to light up the interior.

The further the duo walked down the stairs, the louder the flow of the stream above them sounded.

Even though they were beneath a stream, it didn’t feel humid at all. On the contrary, it felt extremely dry. On top of that, the air seemed to be getting fresher and richer in spiritual energy.

“The spiritual energy is drawn in from the stream above. Most probably, a unique Spirit Gathering Formation was inscribed on top,” Luo Qiqi uttered with a hushed voice as she studied the surroundings.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

By building a huge Spirit Gathering Formation in the river, they would be able to draw in spiritual energy from the surface discreetly.

With this influx of spiritual energy, this underground chamber would become an excellent location to cultivate in.

Jiya!

However, a moment after they walked in, they heard the sound of something crashing down above them. Looking upward, they realized that the opening from the entrance where they came from had disappeared.

“This is bad…”

Their faces darkened, and they hurriedly rushed back to the entrance. However, some kind of mechanism had already sealed the entrance tightly.

“This is a Dragon Severing Lock which only 6-star celestial designers can forge!” Luo Qiqi’s face paled.

A grave expression surfaced on Zhang Xuan.

“Un. It seems like the other party meant it when he said that we would only get a single chance at choosing the passageway. Once the Dragon Severing Lock is in place, even a 6-star celestial designer would be troubled to overcome it. No one amongst us would be able to get in or out!”

They didn’t take the voice on the stone bridge seriously, thinking that it was just a figure of speech. Who knew that he would actually be serious about it!

He had encountered the Dragon Severing Lock back at the soul oracle tomb as well. Once this artifact was in place, unless one possessed the might rivaling a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator, one would never be able to overcome it. On top of that, for some reason, the Dragon Severing Lock installed here seemed to be much stronger than the one in the soul oracle tomb, making it even more impossible for them to bypass it.

In other words, they were both trapped in this underground chamber.

Luo Qiqi turned to look at Zhang Xuan anxiously.

“Teacher, what should we do now?”

Even though she was a feared genius among her fellow peers, before Zhang shi, she felt as ignorant as a child. For some reason, she found herself developing a dependency on the other party, and it felt as though the ideas that came out from the other party’s mind would always be the best.

If not for this deep trust in the other party, she wouldn’t have chosen to follow Zhang shi despite feeling that Yu Fei-er’s words were more logical.

Frowning, Zhang Xuan replied, “Since we can only pick one passageway, it means that the other passageway where Xing Yuan and the others are at must be locked as well. Let’s just advance for now. Perhaps there might be another exit here…”

“Un!”

Luo Qiqi nodded in agreement.

Thus, the duo continued downward. Soon, they arrived at an average-sized room. Under the illumination of the Night Illumination Pearls, they could see that there was a stone table and two stone chairs in here—a very simple layout.

There were no windows or doors here. They had come to the end of the path.

“So small?”

Luo Qiqi frowned.

The hall they were in previously spanned over a few hundred square meters, so they thought that the underground chamber below here should at least be larger. Who knew that it would only be around twenty square meters, not to mention, empty? Rather than an underground chamber, it felt like a cage instead.

“We’re at the end? Could it be that… I’ve really picked the wrong passageway?”

Zhang Xuan’s complexion also turned rather awful.

He didn’t pick this road on a whim… but judging from the narrow room and the lack of any further passage for them to walk down on, could his instincts have truly failed him?

Were they doomed to die here?

Looking around, Zhang Xuan suppressed his anxiety and said, “Regardless of whether I am mistaken or not, judging from how deep the underground chamber is, and the effort put into installing the Dragon Severing Lock, it’s not logical for the passageway to end with this small room. There must be some kind of trick to this room!”

Dragon Severing Lock was an extremely valuable artifact, even for a 6-star celestial designer. Putting aside the technology required to install it, just the resilient material that made it difficult for even a normal Saint to break it was incomparably expensive in itself.

It truly didn’t make sense to use such a valuable object to seal a passageway just to have such a small room at the very end of it.

“I’ll try looking around.”

Luo Qiqi nodded. She walked to the stone table and touched it, but she instantly withdrew her fingers with a shocked expression. “There’s no dust at all!”

Astonished, Zhang Xuan rushed up and touched the table as well. His face immediately turned grim.

The stone table and stone chairs had been here for innumerable years, and yet, there wasn’t the slightest dust to be found on them. It was as if someone had dusted them regularly…

“Could it be that… someone actually lives here?”

Luo Qiqi narrowed her eyes.

It was one thing for a voice to be recorded on a Mechanical Recorder, but if someone was alive… that would change the essence of things!

First and foremost, they would be in even graver danger than before.

This was a power that could even kidnap the 6-star pinnacle Blacksmith Wu Yangzi alive… Their true strength was unimaginable.

If someone were to be alive, given the current cultivation realms of the duo, it would be hard for them to escape with their lives!

“I took the formation flags outside one by one, and based on my observations, it should have been at least two thousand years since anyone has touched them… To remain in this underground chamber for two thousand years? No one has that long of a lifespan!” Zhang Xuan said with a grim expression.

Even after reaching Transcendent Mortal realm, and one’s physical constitution improves by leaps and bounds, one’s lifespan would still be limited to a maximum of around three hundred years. It was impossible to go beyond them!

In fact, even upon reaching Saint realm, where one’s level of existence evolved once more, a thousand years would still be the limit. It was completely unheard of for any Saints to live for more than two thousand years.

Even Empyrean Kong shi also couldn’t withstand the test of time, and eventually vanished in the annals of history.

Given that the formation flags hadn’t been touched for two thousand years, it would mean that no one had come out and entered the underground chamber in this period of time. To still be living after such a long period of time… how could that be possible?

Even soul oracles had a limit to their lifespan as well. Back then, if not for the protection from the Nine Hearts Lotus, under the corrosion of the Five Soul Declines, it would have been impossible for Mo Hunsheng to live so long.

“But… if there are no living beings here, why is there no dust in here?”

Luo Qiqi also understood the logic behind this. However, it was extremely clear that this table had been cleaned on a frequent basis.

One must know that they were in an underground chamber which was filled with rocks and dust. It was perfectly normal for dust to accumulate on furniture… If no one was living here, how could the cleanliness of the furniture be explained?

Zhang Xuan interrupted her thoughts.

“That… I’m not too sure either. Let’s not think about it now. The urgent matter at hand is to find if there any mechanism that can get us out of here. Otherwise, it will just be a matter of time before we run out of food and water!”

The urgent matter at hand wasn’t whether there was anyone here or not—even if there was, given the size of this underground passageway, there was nowhere they could hide anyway.

The thing they had to do now was to find an escape route. The longer they remained here, the more likely it was that something bad would happen to them.

He didn’t want to die here just for a mere mission.

“Un!”

Luo Qiqi nodded as she started placing her hands on the walls to feel them.

Zhang Xuan also placed his fingers against the wall while shouting ‘flaws’ in his mind.

Hu!

A book immediately appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Zhang Xuan swiftly opened it up.

“Virescental Stone, a strong mineral found in the ground, created by the collision of earth veins…”

Taking a look, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

The Library of Heaven’s Path only analyzed whatever it came into contact with. As what Zhang Xuan touched was the wall and not a mechanism, the Library of Heaven’s Path only reflected the properties of the rock.

He slowly slid his fingers along the wall.

He was certain that there was some mechanism along the wall, but due to the other party’s ingenious camouflaging of the mechanism with the surrounding Virescental Stone, he was unable to see it at the moment.

Kacha!

While Zhang Xuan was moving along the wall, he suddenly heard the crisp click of a gear. Following which, Luo Qiqi excitedly called out.

“I found the mechanism!”

Turning around, he saw the portion of the wall where Luo Qiqi’s hand was pressing against sinking several inches in, as though she was pressing on some kind of button.

Geji! Geji!

The mechanism released deep creaking sound, and an average-sized stone door slowly appeared in front of Luo Qiqi.

“Teacher, look…”

Exclaiming in excitement, she fetched a Night Illumination Pearl with her other hand to throw it in so as to see what was inside when ‘hu!’, an arm suddenly stretched out and grabbed her up by her neck.

That arm was incomparably thick, similar to the thigh of a human. The muscles, tendons, and junctions looked swollen. The skin was a dark shade of gray, unseemly of the tone a human should have.

“Damn it!”

Everything happened so quickly that Zhang Xuan didn’t even have time to react. He narrowed his eyes and hurriedly rushed forward by executing his Heaven’s Path Movement Art.

In his path of motion, he whipped out his Glacier Rain Sword and slashed down on that arm.

Before the sharp gleam of the sword, the palm released Luo Qiqi and flicked its finger toward the sword instead.

Ding!

As the black fingernails came into contact with the tip of the sword, a mighty force suddenly came gushing toward Zhang Xuan as though he was struck by a meteorite. With a stifled feeling in his chest, he was sent flying in an instant.

Peng!

His back crashed heavily against the wall, forming a human-shaped depression in it. A sweet sensation welled up in his throat, and fresh blood seeped from the edge of his mouth.

With his recent breakthrough, his fighting prowess had improved tremendously. In terms of strength, he could even rival a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm intermediate stage cultivator. Yet, he couldn’t even withstand a single finger flick from the other party!

‘The opponent must be at least Transcendent Mortal 8-dan… or even higher!’

Zhang Xuan’s face turned livid, and his grip on his sword tightened to the point that the edges of his fingers were turning white.

Back then, he instantaneously realized the danger of the situation and executed the Heaven’s Path Sword Art with all the might he could harness. Yet, he was still sent flying with a single flick.

The huge disparity between him and his opponent left despair creeping up on him.

Hu!

While Zhang Xuan was sent flying, the massive palm came grabbing at Luo Qiqi once more.

“Damn it!”

At that moment, Luo Qiqi also recovered from the shock from the sudden attack.

No matter what, she was one of the top geniuses of the Master Teacher Academy, a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan pinnacle expert. It was only due to her carelessness that the other party managed to grab her neck so easily. Having recovered her senses, she immediately bellowed loudly and stabbed her sword forward.

Her swordsmanship was forceful and elegant. Just from her movements itself, it could be seen that her understanding and mastery of swordsmanship wasn’t beneath Zhang Xuan by too much!

She had reached the Sword Heart realm as well!

Hu la!

Seeing Luo Qiqi retaliate, the giant palm swiftly changed the trajectory of its motion and slapped her sword instead.

Ding!

Luo Qiqi’s sword immediately flew out of her hands and stabbed deep into the ceiling of the room. The immense force from the motion left the sword impaled into the ceiling, shaking non-stop.

“Run!”

Knowing that it would be impossible for them to stand against that huge hand with their cultivation, Zhang Xuan immediately executed the Heaven’s Path Movement Art and appeared before Luo Qiqi. Covering her with his zhenqi, he picked her up and immediately retreated to the corner.

Chapter 662: Miscalculated

“Teacher, what’s that?”

Until now, Luo Qiqi’s face was still pale in shock.

She had used her full might for that attack, and yet her sword was sent flying so casually without even harming the other party in the slightest. A sense of helplessness was rising within her.

“I don’t know either, but that thing isn’t something that we can deal with given our current capability!” Zhang Xuan said as he drove the Heaven’s Path zhenqi within him to recuperate from his previous injuries. “Most probably, you might have triggered the wrong mechanism and released it…”

“I released it?”

Luo Qiqi’s figure jolted in shock, and regret surfaced on her face.

Indeed.

It was only after she pressed a certain mechanism did that massive hand appear.

“Un. Even though I can’t tell exactly what the other party is, the appearance of the arm did remind me of something…”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

“What is it?” Luo Qiqi asked grimly.

“Otherworldly Demons!”

Upon exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Zhang Xuan had completely healed from his previous injuries.

“You mean the tribe which Kong shi expelled from the Master Teacher Continent long ago… the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?” Luo Qiqi’s entire body stiffened, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Indeed. I’ve seen an Otherworldly Demon before, and while the skin tone seemed a little different, there doesn’t seem to be much difference in terms of the skeletal structure!” Zhang Xuan said.

There was a specific reason why he chose this passageway instead of the other one where Yu Fei-er and the others went to.

‘Yearning Abode Lodge’, the killing intent infused within those three words wasn’t something that a human could possess… but an Otherworldly Demon!

Back during the Master Teacher Tournament, in order to test their courage, Hong shi had brought out an Otherworldly Demon. There was no way Zhang Xuan could forget the feeling from the killing intent back then.

And it was identical to the killing intent he felt from the three words.

As such, he didn’t think that it belonged to Grandmaster Wu Yangzi.

But even so, Zhang Xuan wasn’t too sure at the start. After all, it had been a long time since the Otherworldly Demons had disappeared… but to think that there would really be some here!

Furthermore, it appeared in the underground chamber he had specifically chosen to avoid them!

Could he have really made the wrong choice? Could it be that the Yearning Abode Lodge was truly the living quarters of Wu Yangzi whereas residing in this Burying Sorrow Lodge was a huge monster?

Geji! Geji!

While the duo was speaking, a creaking sound continued to echo from the mechanism, and the stone door kept opening.

The initial crack was only sufficient for a hand to pass through, but at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the entire stone door opened and the monster trapped within charged out.

Hearing of the Otherworldly Demon and recalling the killing intent from a moment ago, cold sweat trickled down Luo Qiqi’s head, and her face paled.

“Teacher, let’s go up…”

Even though she was a 5-star master teacher, she was still young, and she had never come into contract with the Otherworldly Demons before. In a sense, she wasn’t faring any better than Ruohuan gongzi and the others back then.

Having dealt with an Otherworldly Demon once, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic. Instead, he activated the Eye of Insight and began to analyze the situation rationally.

“There’s a Dragon Severing Lock up top, not to mention, the stairway is also narrow. We would be cornered over there, and that would spell our death!”

Escaping this narrow stone room was indeed his first thought as well, but it was far from the most correct move.

There was only one road in this passageway, and the duo could barely stand side by side with its width. If they were to escape up there, it would just be a matter of time before they were cornered.

“What should we do then?” Hearing the other party’s words, Luo Qiqi also realized that the idea wasn’t feasible, and her face paled in anxiety and fear.

“There’s no other option before us now. We have to find another mechanism to escape this room. Otherwise, we’ll die here!” Zhang Xuan said.

Under the effects of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi and his Soul Depth of 16.0, the astounding killing intent from the Otherworldly Demon had little effect on him. As such, he was still capable of rationally analyzing the situation.

“I understand!”

Luo Qiqi clenched her jaws in determination.

Naturally, her reputation as the top genius of Grade 2 students didn’t come from nowhere. Panicked as she may be, she knew that there was no mistake in her teacher’s words, so she nodded and hurriedly moved to the wall.

Zhang Xuan also moved to the wall and yelled ‘flaws’ in his mind as he touched every single part of it.

The stone room wasn’t too large, spanning only several dozen square meters. It didn’t take long for the duo to go around the entire room. Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped through the books in the Library of Heaven’s Path, but a huge frown appeared on his forehead.

All of these books were on the type of mineral the walls were made of—there wasn’t the slightest part detailing about a mechanism or that sort. Could he have been mistaken? Was there really no other mechanism in the room?

“How is it?”

He turned to look at Luo Qiqi.

Even though she may not specialize in mechanisms like Wu Zhen, as a 5-star master teacher, she still possessed an astounding eye of discernment. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have triggered the previous mechanism and accidentally let that huge fellow out.

“Nothing at all!”

Luo Qiqi shook her head. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she immediately paled. With a nervous look, she turned to look at Zhang Xuan and asked, “Teacher… is it possible that the mechanism to the exit is actually…”

Unable to continue speaking, she lifted her shaking finger and pointed.

Seeing where she was pointing at, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows twitched.

It was the stone door that the Otherworldly Demon was in.

In truth, when he found no other mechanism in the room, he also stumbled upon this thought. However, unwilling to accept it, he shoved the thought to the side of the mind. However, as Luo Qiqi pointed it out at this moment, he had no choice but to face it now.

“This will be a gamble. If the exit is down there, we might still stand a chance at survival… otherwise, the only path remaining for us is death!”

Looking at the stone door slowly creaking open, Zhang Xuan knew that it was just a matter of time before that fellow leaped out to slaughter them. They had to make up their minds now

Should their suspicions prove to be false, and it was actually a dead end beyond the stone door, they would be doomed!

However, if there was a passageway in there, they would get a shot at getting through this ordeal.

“Yes!” Understanding this, Luo Qiqi nodded in consent to the operation.

“You should hide behind the stone door first. Once that fellow leaps out, I’ll draw him away from the front. Meanwhile, you should enter the stone door, and if there’s a passageway, run away immediately. There’s no need for you to wait for me,” instructed Zhang Xuan telepathically with a grim frown on his forehead.

“I can’t!”

Hearing the other party’s arrangement, Luo Qiqi’s face flushed in agitation, and she yelled out.

She had experienced the strength of that fellow inside, so she knew that Zhang shi was putting himself at terrible risk just to create a chance to escape for her!

In times of danger, most would be thinking of how they could preserve their own life. On the other hand, Zhang shi was actually volunteering to sacrifice himself for her…

There was no way she could repay this favor.

“Teacher…”

Her eyes reddened in agitation.

Only in times of trouble would one’s true colors shine through.

This is what a real teacher is!

To be able to sacrifice everything for the welfare of their student!

Even though she was a 5-star master teacher, she realized that she would be unable to do the same if she were to be placed in the same position.

“Quick, stop hesitating! Otherwise, neither one of us will get away!” Zhang Xuan bellowed to her.

“I… Alright!”

Gritting her teeth, Luo Qiqi nodded before rushing to the side of the stone door.

Jiya! Jiya!

Just as she succeeded in concealing her figure, the stone door finally opened entirely, and a towering figure emerged from beyond it.

It was a three-meter tall fellow. Its entire body was dyed a shade of gray, and it carried an aura of death.

“This is… a puppet made from the corpse of Otherworldly Demons?”

Narrowing her eyes, Luo Qiqi covered her mouth in shock, her slender body trembling uncontrollably.

Otherworldly Demons were an existence blessed with superior strength at birth. Be it their physical body, soul, or cultivation, their innate abilities were far higher than an average human. In a sense, a puppet forged out of a corpse would be similar to the Soulless Metal Humanoid, but due to the superior physical body, it would be far stronger. In fact, due to the nature of its body, it would be able to exert the full might the Otherworldly Demon possessed before its demise.

This explained the mystery of the cleaned furniture from before…

They were wondering how there could be any survivors after a lapse of two thousand years, but to think that it would be a puppet instead!

This kind of artifact was driven by spiritual energy, and as long it wasn’t damaged, it could be said that there was no definite limit to its lifespan. Even though they were underground, the region was rich in spiritual energy, sufficient to fuel the puppet no matter how high its consumption of spiritual energy was.

Most likely, the furniture was cleaned by him.

Even though it possessed no sentience, it would still accomplish the mission its master commanded of it.

Just as Luo Qiqi was immersed in shock, Zhang shi abruptly bellowed and slashed his sword.

“Die!”

Tzz la!

The immense might of Zhang Xuan’s slash, along with the emanation of sword qi, creating a sharp buzzing noise in the air as the sword qi flew toward the puppet.

The puppet stepped forward from the stone door and slapped down Zhang Xuan’s sword qi with its thick hands.

Hu!

The collision between Zhang Xuan’s rampaging might and the puppet’s slap was reminiscent of a lone boat before a tsunami, it dissipated entirely under the immense force of the slap without stopping the puppet for too long.

Just as Luo Qiqi was hesitating, unable to decide whether to assist Zhang shi or flee, the other party’s anxious shout suddenly echoed in the room.

“Hurry up and leave!”

“Un!”

Knowing that the other party was doing this so as to offer her a chance at survival, Luo Qiqi clenched her jaws and rushed toward the stone door.

Teacher, thank you…

If we can get out of here alive, I’ll obey every single instruction you have of me. I’ll be your student and your guardian for life…

Hong long!

While she was dashing through the stone door, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt an immense force crushing down on him. With a sharp exhalation of breath, he was sent crashing into the wall once again.

‘This shouldn’t be!’

Struggling off the wall, Zhang Xuan looked at the rampaging Otherworldly Demon puppet in bewilderment.

It wasn’t out of his kindness that he drew this huge fellow to himself and allowed Luo Qiqi to escape first… Rather, he wanted to make use of the other party’s gratitude to form a golden page!

With that, he was confident of destroying even a Saint!

Since the other party had acknowledged him as her teacher, and she did possess deep gratitude toward him, he thought that a golden page would surely be formed. Who could have thought that… there would be nothing at all!

Could it be that he failed to induce the other party’s gratitude?

But that shouldn’t be! From her eyes, he could tell that she was earnestly grateful to him for his sacrifice. However, if that was the case, why didn’t the golden page form?

Suddenly, an idea popped into Zhang Xuan’s head.

‘Could it be that… there’s a difference between the gratitude I receive from guiding someone and from saving someone?’

All along, the golden pages formed in the Book of Heaven’s Path were due to him imparting a battle technique, cultivation technique, or clarifying the doubts of another.

But this situation was clearly much different from the others.

This time, the gratitude the other party had for him was for saving her life. While it was indeed a huge favor, it wasn’t the kind of gratitude between a teacher and a student. Rather, it was directed toward his magnanimity and his noble character.

‘I miscalculated…’

Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched, and cold sweat started dripping down his forehead.

He thought that the criteria for forming a golden page would be the relationship between of a teacher and a student, and gratitude between them. As long as a golden page was formed, he would be able to get out of this desperate situation. Who knew that he would actually fail…

This time, he would really have to fight against this huge fellow head on!

And clearly, he was no match for the other party at all.

Hu!

Just as he was stifled by the darned situation before him, the Otherworldly Demon was already right before him. Its massive fist smashed right toward his head.

From this moment on, every action Zhang Xuan took could spell his death.

This was the greatest crisis Zhang Xuan was in ever since his transcension!

Chapter 663: Crimson Blaze Cauldron

“Clone!”

Knowing that he would be a goner if this fist were to land on him, Zhang Xuan immediately brought out his clone while his main body dodged to the side.

“Main body, did you find some good stuff again? Ah?!”

The clone had been in the storage ring all along, so he wasn’t aware of what was going on outside. When he was summoned, he thought that there would be something for him, similar to how it was with the Cleansing Lake back then… but just as he was getting excited, a massive fist was already right before his eyes.

Peng!

Before he could even process what was going on, he was already punched in his head, and his head flattened as though a squashed pancake. His rage immediately flew off the charts.

“To dare to strike me, you’re courting death!”

Not expecting to meet with something like this as soon as he appeared, the clone was frenzied. In a moment, the clone’s flattened head immediately puffed up back to normal, and he raised his fist to punch the Otherworldly Demon puppet!

As the clone’s body was molded out of Nine Hearts Lotus, it had no specific form, thus allowing it to recover even if it were to be reduced to a pile of mud. In a sense, it could be said to be indestructible. This was also the reason why Zhang Xuan used the latter as a shield at this crucial moment.

Hu hu!

Clashing fists with the Otherworldly Demon puppet, ‘peng!’, the clone was immediately sent crashing into a wall.

Despite its unparalleled physical resilience, the clone’s cultivation and true strength were still way too low. As such, it wasn’t a match for this monster either.

It was just like how a diamond might be tougher than steel, but a steel hammer could still shatter it into bits.

Hong long!

But while the clone couldn’t stand on equal footing with the Otherworldly Demon puppet, it did manage to provoke it with its fist. The furious Otherworldly Demon puppet immediately rushed forward and kicked at the clone.

“This is bad…”

Just the fist itself nearly caused his entire body to fall apart, the clone instinctively knew that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the might of this kick. Frightened, he swiftly dodged to the side.

“Die!”

At the same moment, Zhang Xuan, who was wielding a sword, immediately raised his sword and cut down on the Otherworldly Demon puppet’s neck.

The main body and the clone shared their consciousness, allowing them to work together with exceptional synergy. While the clone drew attention away from the Otherworldly Demon puppet, Zhang Xuan made use of this opportunity when the other party’s attention wasn’t on him to launch an attack.

Ding!

However, as the sword struck the neck of the puppet, a crisp metallic sound echoed with a burst of sparks.

Zhang Xuan felt a dull pain in his arm. It was as if he had struck a metal pole with a wooden stick; his sword nearly fell out of his hands.

“Isn’t he simply way too tough?”

Taking a look, Zhang Xuan realized that he had only managed to leave nothing but a white scar on the other party’s neck. His face immediately darkened.

The sword he was wielding was a Spirit intermediate-tier pinnacle sword, and yet, an attack with his full might actually failed to even cut through the other party’s skin. How formidable must this fellow’s defense be?

“Could it be that… on top of the corpse of an Otherworldly Demon, some other materials were used to forge this puppet into a weapon?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

With an immense strength exceeding 9,000,000 ding and the might of a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, even the head of a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would be easily lopped off. And yet, he barely scraped the other party’s skin. That could only mean one thing…

This fellow wasn’t just an ordinary puppet forged out of a mere corpse. It was highly likely that its body was coated with a layer of some extraordinary alloy, turning it into a weapon exceeding Spirit intermediate-tier.

That was the only plausible explanation as to why Zhang Xuan’s attack was rendered ineffective!

“How do I fight against something like this?”

Zhang Xuan’s face turned exceptionally awful.

Even his strongest weapon wasn’t sufficient to break through the other party’s defense. In other words, he was incapable of hurting the other party, needless to say, kill it!

Hu!

While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of despairing, the Otherworldly Demon puppet, infuriated by his backstab, turned around and smashed its massive fist at him.

Its fist seemed to wield strength comparable to a mountain, compressing the air in space with a loud sonic boom. Even before it could reach Zhang Xuan, he could already feel a searing heat in his surroundings, as though he had been placed in a massive cauldron.

Might of a Searing Cauldron!

Legend has it that when one’s fist reached a certain strength, the shock wave of one’s punch would become reminiscent of a searing cauldron, capable of even melting steel.

Zhang Xuan had always thought that it was just an exaggeration of old legends, but to think that he would experience it himself!

“Retreat…”

Knowing that it was impossible to stand against such a powerful punch, Zhang Xuan immediately rushed backward.

Peng!

However, the room was simply too small. Barely after retreating two steps, he felt the cold wall pressing tightly against his back.

“Dragon Scale Amulet!”

Knowing that it would be impossible for him to dodge this attack, Zhang Xuan was left with no choice but to activate the amulet from before.

There were only three uses to this object. He had used it once in the soul oracle tomb, and this was his second use.

A light barrier appeared and shrouded him.

Boom!

As the fist came into contact with the light barrier, an ear-splitting sonic boom sounded, and the latter immediately burst.

In an instant, Zhang Xuan felt an immense force transferring from the barrier and on to him. The stone wall directly behind him was reduced to dust while he spurted a mouthful of fresh blood.

If not for the physical body tempering he had undergone in the Cleansing Lake, his bones would have been shattered by that blow.

“To be able to destroy a barrier that could even withstand an attack from a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan pinnacle, this fellow’s strength must have reached Saint realm…”

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan swiftly moved aside to create room for himself while driving the Heaven’s Path zhenqi within him to heal his injuries.

He thought that as long as he collaborated with his clone, even if they couldn’t defeat it, he would at least be able to escape. Who could have known that, on top of being strong, the other party’s defensive capabilities would be extraordinary as well?

Only a Saint could possibly possess such capabilities.

At Zhang Xuan’s current cultivation, it was impossible for him to defeat the other party.

Unless…

“… there’s a Spirit pinnacle weapon for me to wield!”

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Due to the other party’s overwhelming defense, even though he knew its flaws, with his current strength, it was impossible for him to exploit them against the other party. However, it was possible for him to make up for his weakness through a stronger weapon… If there was a Spirit pinnacle weapon here, he might still stand a chance against the puppet… otherwise, the only fate that awaited him would be death!

What should he do?

Ever since his transcension, everything had been smooth-sailing. He never thought that a day would come where he would meet with such a dangerous situation.

If the other party was a living being, he might still be able to hoodwink it through his Impartation of Heaven’s Will, just as he had done with the Otherworldly Demon back then…

But a puppet possessed no sentience at all! No number of words could possibly sway a being whose only purpose of existence was to accomplish the instructions asked of it.

While Zhang Xuan was at a loss, he suddenly heard Luo Qiqi’s telepathic voice in his head.

“Teacher, there’s a passageway in here, come in…”

Many things had happened, but it had only been ten breaths since she entered the stone door. It seemed as though she found something within it.

“Alright!”

Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and exerted another wave of sword qi. At the same moment, he had his clone attack from behind. After all was done, he immediately turned around and fled for the stone door.

His clone was indestructible, so he had nothing to fear, but Zhang Xuan was different. Should his head be caved in by that fearsome fist, he would really die on the spot.

Geji! Geji!

Seemingly sensing Zhang Xuan’s intention, the Otherworldly Demon puppet flew into a greater rage. Paying no heed to his sword qi, it charged forward right at Zhang Xuan.

It wanted to use the fearsome might of its charge to smash Zhang Xuan’s body!

“Damn it!”

Zhang Xuan gritted with his teeth in frustration.

If it was just a single punch, he could still avoid it with his movement art. However, if it was an entire body… this narrow room had no space for him to dodge at all! Once that massive body crashed into him, even if he were to survive, he would be as good as dead.

“Scram!”

At that moment, his clone suddenly charged forward and struck the Otherworldly Demon puppet’s side.

Peng!

Even though his clone wasn’t sufficiently strong to knock down the puppet, he still managed to cause a slight deviation in the direction of its charge.

What should have struck Zhang Xuan’s body squarely ended up sweeping by his shoulder.

Weng!

At that crucial moment, Zhang Xuan activated the last Dragon Scale Amulet, and with a loud ‘kacha!’, the light barrier broke. Under the immense force of that charge, Zhang Xuan fell through the stone door.

“Clone, come back!”

While Zhang Xuan was flying through the air, he returned the clone into his storage ring before crashing into the wall once more.

A worried voice called out from in front of him.

“Teacher…”

Turning around, he saw a passageway behind the stone door. It seemed like there was some kind of mechanism in here which Luo Qiqi had triggered in the time she was in here. The passageway was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through at a time.

The place where he had crashed into was the wall of this exact passageway.

Knowing that the huge fellow could come rushing in at any moment, Zhang Xuan immediately stood up and dashed inward, not daring to hesitate in the slightest.

The passageway wasn’t too long, only around ten meters or so. Zhang Xuan came to the end within half a breath, and a vast stone chamber appeared before him.

It was much larger than the room from before, spanning over several thousand square meters.

“This…”

Not expecting that there would be such a huge space behind that narrow passageway, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

While Zhang Xuan was examining the area curiously, Luo Qiqi said excitedly, “Teacher, you’re right! These are indeed Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s living quarters. Here are the books and cauldron that he left behind…”

Lifting his gaze, he saw the young lady looking at her excitedly.

She was, of course, delighted to see that her teacher was fine, but it was something else that was causing her excitement.

“Books? Cauldron?”

Lifting his gaze, under the illumination of numerous Night Illumination Pearls, there was a row of giant bookshelves behind the young lady. Not too far away from the bookshelves stood a massive cauldron.

Unlike the cauldrons used for pill forging, this one looked like a huge furnace instead. Even though it wasn’t lit, one could still feel a violent energy rampaging within it.

With just a glance, it was clear that it was an extraordinary artifact!

“Un. I’ve examined it, and it’s the forging cauldron that Grandmaster Wu Yangzi used back then, the ‘Crimson Blaze Cauldron’!” Luo Qiqi said.

A blacksmith’s cauldron was equivalent to his pride and his life. The fact that his cauldron was here meant that he had definitely lived here before.

In other words… they were at the right place!

The Burying Sorrow Lodge was indeed where Grandmaster Wu Yangzi had lived after he had been kidnapped.

As long as they brought this Crimson Blaze Cauldron back to the academy, it would mean that they had succeeded in clearing their mission!

“Great! Have you found the exit yet?” Zhang Xuan asked.

In truth, he wasn’t too interested in the mission. His current priority was to find an exit to leave this damned place!

The narrow passageway could hold back the massive fellow for a moment, but it would only be a matter of time before it charged in there and kills them. Before they could enjoy whatever treasures were in there, they had to ensure their survival first.

“Exit? I… I haven’t found it yet…”

Luo Qiqi’s face paled.

In truth, the sight of the Crimson Blaze Cauldron and the books had left her so excited that she had forgotten her current goal.

Furthermore, given the size of the room and poor lighting, it would be hard for them to find it in an instant either.

Boom!

Before she could finish her words, the duo suddenly felt a powerful killing intent assaulting them. The puppet from before walked into the hall.

“This is really bad…”

Zhang Xuan’s face paled.

Chapter 664: Zhang Xuan Sets Up a Formation

Before they could find the exit, the other party had already rushed into the chamber. They were now cornered like rats.

Not giving Zhang Xuan any time to think, the Otherworldly Demon puppet rushed straight toward Zhang Xuan as soon as it entered the room.

Clearly, it was currently blinded by rage such that it couldn’t care less about Luo Qiqi.

“Damn it!”

Knowing that it was impossible for him to withstand the fearsome might of this fellow, Zhang Xuan immediately flew into the sky.

It was fortunate that the ceiling of the chamber was also much higher than the stone room, being over several dozen meters high. Even though Zhang Xuan was unable to fight against the Otherworldly Demon puppet, he could escape to the sky temporarily to think of a plan.

Sou!

As soon as he flew up, he immediately felt a powerful force rushing up to him. The puppet had leaped up in pursuit of him.

Limited by the nature of its existence as a puppet, this fellow wasn’t capable of flight. But even so, a height of several dozen meters wasn’t difficult for a puppet possessing might equivalent to a Saint to cover.

“Teacher, I’ll help you!”

Seeing how that fellow was pursuing her teacher relentlessly, Luo Qiqi was anxious. She immediately whipped out a bow, drew an arrow, and shot it right toward the puppet in the sky.

Wu!

Harnessing the full might of a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan pinnacle expert, it appeared right before the puppet in an instant. However, with a single flick of its arm, it patted away the arrow easily.

However, this brief lapse in its concentration granted Zhang Xuan an opportunity to alter the direction of his flight to Luo Qiqi.

On the other hand, as the puppet was ‘flying’ through the force of its leap, it could only continue on with the trajectory of its motion.

“Teacher…”

At that crucial moment, there was no time for Luo Qiqi to question why Zhang Xuan was flying. She worriedly looked over and asked, “Are you fine…”

“I’m fine now, but if we don’t find the exit anytime soon, we will be goners soon…” Zhang Xuan said grimly.

Although he was able to maneuver around the ceiling to dodge the other party’s attacks, once his zhenqi ran dry, they would still be done for.

Knowing that there was no time to talk any further, Zhang Xuan quickly instructed, “Take the Crimson Blaze Cauldron and quickly look for the exit…”

“Yes…”

Luo Qiqi hurriedly nodded before rushing over to the cauldron. She placed her palm on it, intending to place it within her storage ring.

But before she could move it, the gears of a mechanism suddenly clicked, and a voice sounded.

“I am Wu Yangzi! Guests, if you can forge a Spirit high-tier weapon, you’ll be entitled to my heritage. Otherwise, if you were to forcefully claim my Crimson Blaze Cauldron, the entire underground chamber will collapse. Only through earning my heritage will I reveal the exit to this chamber. Otherwise, be prepared to be buried with me!”

“Collapse?”

“Buried with him?”

Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi were stunned for a moment before frenzy overwhelmed them.

Who in the world wants your heritage!

With such a damned puppet chasing after their lives, who has the time to forge your freaking weapons?

You must be trying to kill us!

Besides, forging a Spirit high-tier weapon… Only 5-star pinnacle blacksmiths can do so!

Even though Luo Qiqi had dabbled in weapon forging before, she was only a 5-star primary blacksmith. How could she forge a weapon which only a 5-star pinnacle could forge?

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan… could be said to know nothing about weapon forging at all. He wasn’t even qualified as a 1-star blacksmith, so that was even more impossible for him…

Boom!

While the duo was still depressed about their current predicament, a shock wave suddenly burst in the chamber. The Otherworldly Demon puppet had already landed on the ground, and after determining its next path of motion, it dashed forward.

Given the latter’s speed, it would be just a few breaths before it reaches them.

“Teacher, what do we do?” Luo Qiqi asked, panicking.

At the same time, Zhang Xuan also felt goosebumps rising up on his skin.

He had just crossed hands with this huge fellow, and despite working together with his clone, they could hardly even fend off a single move… To face it in a direct battle, they would probably be destroyed in just a few blows!

And according to Wu Yangzi’s words, only those who had obtained his heritage could leave…

To obtain his heritage, they would have to forge a weapon… but under such circumstances, even if they wanted to give it a try, this huge fellow couldn’t possibly give them any!

“Unless… there was some kind of formation that could trap this huge fellow temporarily. Otherwise, we won’t be able to forge anything at all…” Luo Qiqi said anxiously.

“Indeed. Furthermore, the formation must be at least grade-6, or else he would break out in an instant…”

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. He was just about to continue speaking when an epiphany suddenly struck him. “Grade-6 formation?”

“Little Qi, help me by distracting this fellow for a few breaths!”

Suddenly recalling something, Zhang Xuan leaped up and flew into the sky.

“Alright!”

Judging from her teacher’s expression, he must have noticed something. Luo Qiqi immediately took out another handful of arrows and shot at the puppet.

Sou sou sou sou!

Every single arrow of hers harnessed immense might, leaving the puppet no choice but to deflect them properly.

Knowing that it was impossible for Luo Qiqi to sustain this, Zhang Xuan hurriedly flicked his wrist, and a bunch of formation flags appeared in his hands.

These were the ones which he had procured at the mountain valley outside earlier on.

Zhang Xuan knew a lot of the grade-3 formations, but his knowledge for anything beyond grade-4 was terribly limited. The only grade-5 formation he knew was a Spirit Gathering Formation.

As such, it should be impossible for him to set up a grade-6 formation.

Without the formation blueprint and formation flags, how could he possibly succeed?

But due to sheer coincidence, he did have the formation blueprint and formation flags for a grade-6 formation.

Yu Fei-er had used a Formation Destroying Silver Needle to trigger the formation, thus creating a detailed book on its flaws to be compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path. This had given Zhang Xuan perfect knowledge regarding the formation.

And this Hidden Formation happened to be grade-6… and he also had those flags in his storage ring as well!

Back then, he was only thinking that it would be a huge waste to leave behind such valuable objects. Who would have thought that it might actually save his life now?

Zhang Xuan examined the hall from his position in the sky.

‘The chamber is sufficiently huge for me to lay out the formation…’

He intended to use this formation to hide the region where the cauldron and books were gathered.

As long as he could keep the puppet out for a period of time, they would be able to try to obtain Wu Yangzi’s heritage through forging a weapon!

However, this Hidden Formation required substantial space to lay it out, and it was fortunate that this chamber was large enough. Otherwise, there would be nothing Zhang Xuan could do.

“Alright!”

Confirming the positions, Zhang Xuan flicked his fingers.

Weng!

A couple of the formation flags in his palm scattered across the entire room.

“Formation flags? Is teacher going to set up a formation?”

Luo Qiqi, who was busy stopping the puppet with her arrows, couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered by Zhang Xuan’s actions.

Even though she hadn’t studied formations before, her close friend was a 5-star formation master, so she had many opportunities to see how formations were laid out.

Even the most formidable formation master in the Master Teacher Academy had to use a compass to assess the surroundings first, searching inch by inch and placing flag after flag into the ground…

Yet, this fellow actually simply threw a bunch of formation flags down from the sky at once…

Was this for real?

Would a formation set up so casually really work?

Wasn’t this taking formations too lightly?

While she was overwhelmed by astonishment, one of the arrows was accidentally shot with insufficient strength. As such, with a furious roar, the puppet on the receiving end stretched out its hand and grabbed it, before throwing it back at her.

Wu wu!

Even though the arrow was hurled with the puppet’s bare hands, its strength was simply too great. It whizzed through the air, heading straight back at Luo Qiqi.

Alarmed, Luo Qiqi’s eyes narrowed, and she quickly stepped aside. But even so, the sheer wind pressure from the trajectory of the arrow ripped the cloth by her shoulder and deeply cut her snow-white skin.

Roar!

At the same time, the Otherworldly Demon puppet, freed from the previous barrage of arrows, roared furiously and leaped at Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan swiftly twisted his body and changed his trajectory. At the same time, he continued to hurl flags downward to specific locations below.

“Your enemy is me, don’t even think of going after teacher!”

Seeing that the fellow was pursuing Zhang Xuan once more, Luo Qiqi clenched her jaws and drew her arrows once more.

Weng!

This arrow pulled out of rage harnessed nearly her entire might. With a speed as swift as a shooting star, it appeared before the Otherworldly Demon puppet in an instant.

Ding!

Before the puppet could even react, it was already shot in its glabella.

However, this fellow’s defense was simply too strong. Not to mention, as a puppet, concepts such as acupoint and the like didn’t apply to it. As such, striking what that should have been a vital didn’t damage it in the least; on the contrary, it only infuriated it further.

Roaring furiously, it changed its target from Zhang Xuan to her.

With that previous attack, its aggression had been pulled from Zhang Xuan to her. Its massive arms threatened to smash the woman before it into a lump of meat.

Hu!

Astonished, Luo Qiqi could hardly react when the Otherworldly Demon puppet was already standing right before her. With opened fingers, its hand stretched forward to grab her.

Even though its attack wasn’t reinforced with zhenqi, the sheer brute force behind it still made the young lady’s breathing hasten.

“Get lost!”

There was no time for her to shoot an arrow anymore. Thus, with an enraged roar, she smashed her bow at the huge fellow before her.

Even though it was unlikely to help her much, she had no other choice before her—her sword was still deeply lodged in the ceiling of the stone room. Besides, even if she wanted to draw another weapon at this moment, she wouldn’t make it in time.

Huala!

Before the bow could strike the puppet, the latter had already grabbed it firmly and twisted it forcefully.

Feeling an immense force threatening to rip her hands, Luo Qiqi swiftly released her grip.

Even Zhang Xuan couldn’t stand toe-to-toe against this monstrous puppet, so how could she possibly do so?

Kacha!

With the bow in its hands, the Otherworldly Demon puppet ripped the Spirit intermediate-tier weapon into two before casually tossing it aside. Then, it reached out with its hand to grab Luo Qiqi once more.

Pi li pa la!

An incredible sonic boom exploded in the air. Luo Qiqi hurriedly backed away, but she was still too late. She managed to avoid the grip, but she was struck in her chest by a fearsome shock wave, causing her to flip several rounds in midair before crashing forcefully into a wall not too away.

Pssst!

A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out, and Luo Qiqi’s face turned incredibly pale.

To think that a Grade 2 genius of the Master Teacher Academy would be incapable of even withstanding a single attack from the other party. This left her feeling incredibly frustrated and helpless.

‘No, I must stall for some time for my teacher!’

Seeing as the puppet turned its eyes back to Zhang Xuan once more, Luo Qiqi clenched her jaws, climbed to her feet, and dashed forward.

With a furious roar, she threw her fist forward.

“Your opponent is me!”

Luo Feng Fist!

This was a Spirit high-tier fist art that her ancestors left behind. It was the most powerful technique she had at hand.

With this battle technique, she could even stand toe-to-toe with a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage expert.

A pity it was, but this monster was neither a human nor a Perfect Harmonization realm expert. The Otherworldly Demon puppet lifted its finger and tapped lightly on Luo Qiqi’s fist.

Pu!

Spewing blood frenziedly, Luo Qiqi was sent flying back into the wall once more.

Severely injured, if she were to crash into the wall one more time, she might just end up crippled. However, at that moment, a surge of zhenqi embraced her, cushioning the impact.

Following which, she heard a nonchalant voice by her ears.

“Leave the rest… to me!”

Chapter 665: Heaven’s Path Smith Art

Hearing those words, Luo Qiqi’s eyes immediately reddened. Unknowingly, Zhang Xuan was already standing before her.

Looking around, she saw more than a hundred formation flags erected in the surroundings. While they were placed in a unique formation, there wasn’t the slightest disturbance from them.

“Teacher, are you done laying out your formation?”

“Almost!”

Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a formation plate flew out.

Weng!

The formation plate was activated in midair, and spiritual energy was immediately drawn to it, forming a huge vortex.

“This is… Spirit Gathering Formation?”

Luo Qiqi was taken aback.

Wasn’t he setting up a formation in the surrounding? Why was he activating a Spirit Gathering Formation now?

Besides, a Spirit Gathering Formation should be used for cultivating. She had never heard of anyone using it in a battle, especially against one that possesses the strength of a Saint.

Roar!

The puppet seemed to be taken aback by the formation plate as well, but after realizing that nothing had happened at all, it immediately charged forward like a rampaging beast.

As the other party swiftly closed the distance between them, Luo Qiqi grew tenser and tenser. But at that moment, the young man before her harrumphed coldly.

Following which, he stomped on the ground, and the area before him suddenly distorted. The puppet had disappeared, and silence returned to the chamber.

It was as if the earlier sight was only a figment of her imagination.

“What is going on?”

Luo Qiqi examined her surroundings anxiously, but she realized that the Crimson Blaze Cauldron and the books were still present. However, the area where the puppet was earlier had disappeared completely from view and from touch, replaced by deep darkness.

It seemed as though the young man’s stomp had torn this space away to an entirely different dimension.

“This is… a Hidden Formation?”

A thought suddenly emerged in her mind.

There was only one type of formation which could produce this type of effect—Hidden Formations!

On top of hiding the formation itself, it would also hide a specific space. That was also the reason why they couldn’t find the entrance to the underground chamber no matter how thoroughly they searched.

If not for deciphering the formation, even if they were given three more years and dug up the entire ground in that valley, they would not find the entrance leading down here.

She was curious as to what Zhang shi was setting up earlier, but after seeing this bizarre sight, she suddenly recalled the formation flags and such a thought came to mind.

‘However… Hidden Formations require an immense amount of spiritual energy to trigger. One has to be at least a 6-star formation master to activate it. How did teacher manage to do so…’

Even though there was no doubt about the matter, she still found it hard to believe.

Grade-6 formations, not to mention such a profound Hidden Formation, required one to possess a cultivation of at least Transcendent Mortal 6-dan to activate. Given that Zhang shi was only at the Consonant Spirit realm… this was inconceivable!

‘Could it be… the Spirit Gathering Formation from earlier?’

Luo Qiqi narrowed her eyes.

Just a moment ago, Zhang shi threw out a Spirit Gathering Formation. She didn’t think much of it earlier, but putting everything together, she immediately came to a realization.

That grade-5 Spirit Gathering Formation must have served as the engine to activating this Hidden Formation.

Using a formation to activate another… this was the legendary Augmented Formation! Even 6-star pinnacle formation masters would find it hard to install something as complex as this!

Yet, not only had Zhang shi managed to do so, he even did it with incredible ease…

Luo Qiqi’s eyes were about to pop out from their sockets.

Formations were formed by harnessing spiritual energy to influence the magnetic field in the environment to create specific phenomena. The concept of ‘one plus one equals two’ didn’t apply here. The interference between two formations could easily prove to be destructive, thus rendering both formations ineffective simultaneously.

To use a Spirit Gathering Formation to activate a Hidden Formation… even though she had just seen it with her own eyes, she still found it hard to believe.

How formidable must one’s understanding and control over formations be to achieve such a feat?

Oblivious to Luo Qiqi’s shock, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and said, “Alright. Now that we’re hidden, let’s hurry up and forge the weapon to obtain Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s heritage!”

Given his current capability, it was impossible for him to activate a grade-6 Hidden Formation. In fact, even if he were able to activate it, he didn’t have sufficient zhenqi to maintain it for too long.

In a sense, it was similar to a snail pulling a carriage. Even though he did possess strong zhenqi, it was insufficient to maintain the operation of a grade-6 formation.

Left with no other choice, he could only resort to the grade-5 Spirit Gathering Formation in his storage ring.

With this and a few hundred middle-tier spirit stones in his possession, he could activate and maintain the grade-6 Hidden Formation for a fair amount of time.

As for complementing the Spirit Gathering Formation with the Hidden Formation perfectly with one another, with the Library of Heaven’s Path in hand, it truly wasn’t a difficult problem for him at all.

And as expected, he succeeded eventually.

“Indeed. The urgent matter at hand is to forge a Spirit high-tier weapon, meet the requirements of Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s heritage, and uncover the way to leave this underground chamber…”

Recovering from her shock, Luo Qiqi nodded. Then, with a doubtful voice, she asked, “Is teacher going to forge the weapon personally?”

Even though her teacher was younger than her, he had shown capability that astounded her far too often.

At this point, she wouldn’t be astonished even if the other party were to forge a Spirit high-tier weapon.

“Me?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He couldn’t do so even if he wanted to!

Blacksmith was one of the occupations of the Upper Nine Paths as well. Similar to pill forging, smithing emphasized heavily on one’s basics. As such, it required many years of practice to refine one’s movements. Given that Zhang Xuan had never forged a weapon before, how was he supposed to forge a Spirit high-tier weapon all of the sudden?

After all, despite his extensive knowledge of pill forging, he still wasn’t able to forge a single pill at all. This was even more so for smithing.

“Teacher won’t be doing it?” Luo Qiqi was taken aback.

“I won’t. You should do the forging instead!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Me?” Luo Qiqi was astonished.

“Un. It won’t be appropriate for me to acknowledge another person as my teacher. If the other party insists on taking me in as his student after I win his recognition, I would be put in a tight spot!” Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly.

“This… Your teacher is Yang shi, right? He… imparts the Way of Smithing to you as well?” Luo Qiqi was taken aback.

That day, at the Cleansing Lake, Yang shi rose from a blazing dragon and resolved the calamity with a single shoe. This astounding feat had left her incredibly impressed.

She’d thought that Yang shi was only Zhang shi’s cultivation teacher, but to think that he would be teaching the latter smithing as well…

“Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“But…”

Luo Qiqi was filled with envy upon hearing those words. But soon, a bitter smile surfaced on her lips, and a deep frown appeared on her forehead. “… I’m only a 5-star primary blacksmith. I don’t think that I can forge anything that could satisfy Grandmaster Wu Yangzi…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you along,” Zhang Xuan said.

“Thank you!” Hearing that the other party would guide her along, Luo Qiqi’s face flushed in agitation.

One must know that Zhang shi was the person who guided her to forging a grade-6 pill!

“Un. You should quickly recuperate from your injuries first. Otherwise, you might collapse while you’re smithing…” Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

“Yes!”

Knowing that her severe injuries would impede her from forging a satisfactory weapon, Luo Qiqi immediately sat down and swallowed a recovery pill.

Gugugu!

Warm medicinal energy flowed through her body, healing her wounds slowly.

Hu!

While the other party was in the midst of recuperating, Zhang Xuan hurried over to the bookshelves.

Honestly speaking, while he did possess some knowledge of smithing, it was terribly limited.

While he had read some books on smithing in Tianxuan Kingdom and Tianwu Kingdom, they were limited in quantity, and as such, he was unable to form a complete system of the art. In other words, his Heaven’s Path Smith Art was incomplete.

Under such circumstances, while it was possible for him to guide another to forge an ordinary weapon, a Spirit high-tier weapon was far out of his league.

Thus, the only course of action he could take at the moment was to quickly brush up on his knowledge.

Unlike the Hidden Formation set up outside previously, where the formation was harmonized with nature and gathered spiritual energy from the entire mountain range spanning over several thousand kilometers, this formation was only powered by his middle-tier spirit stones…

Once his hundreds of middle-tier spirit stones were sapped dry, the Hidden Formation would immediately fall apart.

By then, the puppet would be able to get in, and they would be doomed!

Fortunately, the books on the shelves were all regarding smithing.

It was either Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s own collection or it was given to him by the group who kidnapped him so that he could refer to it.

But nevertheless, the presence of these books was good news. Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan placed his finger on the first book and began running.

In a tea’s time, he finished gathering the hundred thousand books on the shelves into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

‘Compile!’

With a thought, the hundred thousand books fused together to form six books.

They were the [Heaven’s Path Smith Art] books from 1-star to 6-star.

As long as he studied all of them, his understanding of smithing would become on par with a real 6-star blacksmith.

He began flipping through it.

‘Smithing is the art of creating tools suitable for human use. The best tool is a human’s body, and the essence to Heaven’s Path Smith Art is to forge a weapon through a human’s body…’

The profound logic contained within the book left him refreshed, and countless doubts that had baffled him before immediately resolved themselves.

There might be countless variations to pill forging and smithing, but standing at the center of each of them was a set of fundamental laws. And those were exactly what the Heaven’s Path books recorded.

Mastering the knowledge within the Heaven’s Path Smith Art books meant to master the fundamental laws of smithing. With this, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to smith any weapons.

Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan began studying them book by book.

One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours…

Soon, twelve hours passed.

Zhang Xuan had finished mastering the knowledge within the six Heaven’s Path Smith Art books.

At the same time, he had also turned from an ignorant amateur into a true grandmaster blacksmith.

Even if Wu Yangzi were to come to life now, it was unlikely he could compete with Zhang Xuan in the field of smithing.

But of course, this only applied to knowledge, not skill. Despite his extensive and profound knowledge of the art, it was likely that he would fail terribly if he were to try to smith a weapon.

Smithing is was a profound art that required many years of practice. Just forging the ‘Metal Ingot’ in itself required much practice.

It would be impossible to master the art within an instant.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to pursue this path, he would have to devote substantial time into practicing.

‘Looks like there’s no physical body cultivation technique here!’

After studying the Heaven’s Path Smith Art, Zhang Xuan went through the remaining books and shook his head in disappointment.

His main purpose here was to obtain Wu Yangzi’s physical body cultivation technique, but there wasn’t one on the bookshelves.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan stood up and looked at Luo Qiqi. However, a frown immediately appeared on his face.

“You haven’t… recovered from your injury yet?”

Luo Qiqi was still meditating on the spot, recuperating from her injury. Even though her aura felt significantly stronger than before, she hadn’t completely recovered from her internal injury yet. Judging from her ragged breathing, she was still in pain.