Chapter 21: The Myriad Millions of Humanity Are All My Juniors

Though the man had done nothing at all, Zhang Xiu still felt a cold shiver run down his back.

No! I must escape! He lunged violently toward the nearby wall.

With my own realm, I can be far from this residential complex within two seconds after breaking out.

But the next moment, he was stunned to find that no matter how hard he tried, the distance hadn't changed at all.

"You went through so much trouble to reach me—why rush to leave now?"

His vision blurred, and Zhang Xiu finally came to his senses, realizing he was still standing in the exact same spot—his face darkened.

Illusion array!

An extremely sophisticated illusion array—he didn't even know when he'd been ensnared.

"Who are you?"

Without doubt, this man's realm far surpassed his own—but how could Little Lu be connected to someone of this caliber?

"Me? In a certain sense, you're the first person to discover me after my emergence." Xu Xing did not conceal it.

Boom! A thunderclap flashed through his mind, making his soul tremble.

He had assumed Xu Xing was a cultivator drawn here by the disturbance of a great master's emergence—but he never imagined it was the great master himself! How could this be?!

Why would Little Lu be connected to a recently emerged ancient cultivator? "Don't overthink it—I merely felt a karmic connection between you siblings and me, so I passed her a bit of knowledge to smooth her cultivation path."

Zhang Xiu didn't believe Xu Xing's words, but still bowed and said, "Thank you, Elder, but Little Lu's cultivation path will be smoother than most—so…"

He stopped mid-sentence, staring in disbelief at Xu Xing—more precisely, at the red jade droplet in his hand.

Inside his storage ring—gone! He frantically patted his body—also gone!

"So that's it—I wondered why she had mastered the first form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Art." Xu Xing murmured in amazement, "Interesting—someone actually thought to use these creatures' blood in this way."

Blood?

Could this recently emerged ancient cultivator know the true nature of the red jade! "The method of crafting this object is exceedingly ingenious, but it shouldn't be used as you've done."

Xu Xing looked at him and asked, "Shall I help you? But after using it, the 'form' of this object may vanish."

"I dare not trouble the Elder."

This was the only object left by his parents—he could never let it vanish, especially not through the hands of an ancient cultivator he didn't understand.

"Very well. For your current realm, the object's utility is indeed limited." The red jade in Xu Xing's hand vanished. "It's been returned."

Zhang Xiu quickly checked—there, the red jade lay quietly inside his storage ring, as if it had never left.

A chill crept into his heart.

What level of powerhouse is this! "Sit down. Ask whatever you wish—I'll answer as best I can."

Zhang Xiu wanted to say he had nothing to ask—but the chance to uncover clues about his parents' demise was right before him. If he let it slip away…

After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and sat upright on the sofa.

"Elder, you just said the red jade is 'blood'—what kind of creature's blood is it?"

"The answer to that question is too dangerous for you at present. I suggest you join Longxiang Qingtianzong. Once you achieve He Dao, you'll naturally know."

Huh? Not only must he join the Xian Sect, but he must also become a He Dao cultivator?!

Just one answer—and the threshold is this high?

His parents were still a hundred thousand miles away from He Dao when they died.

"Is this the only way?"

"You don't necessarily have to join the Xian Sect—but He Dao is mandatory. After all, you're a body cultivator; joining Longxiang Qingtianzong will make your path smoother."

"… " After a moment of silence, "What about Little Lu? What are your plans for her?"

"Her combat talent is excellent. I will help her establish a Tian Cheng Dao Base, after which she will naturally enter my Xiang Jianzong."

Because she has good combat talent, she must become a sword cultivator?

Then why not focus on body cultivation? Body cultivators need combat talent too!

"Because sword cultivators are cooler."

Huh?!

Telepathy? "Not mind-reading—but don't all body cultivators think this when they hear 'sword cultivator'?" He had no rebuttal.

In the Xuan Realm, both were recognized as brutes—but the elegant, sword-riding, wind-sweeping sword cultivators were far more popular than the muscle-bound body cultivators who constantly ripped their clothes off.

"And do you really want your sister swinging her fists to smash people?"

Zhang Xiu: "…"

Fine—he couldn't even picture that scene himself.

"Anything else you want to ask?"

"Elder, your cultivation has reached the pinnacle of creation—why would someone of your realm pay attention to lowly cultivators like us?" Zhang Xiu asked seriously.

Was he just bored and looking for entertainment?

"Don't think so darkly."

You're still using telepathy.

"I am a pioneer. Compared to you, I've merely walked a little longer through time."

"When I first began cultivation, I received the protection of many elders—now that I've reached this point, I must protect the next generation as they once protected me."

This answer was truly unexpected.

"But I'm not a member of the Xiang Jianzong," Zhang Xiu frowned.

Hearing this, Xu Xing looked at him: "Of the hundreds of millions of human beings in the Xuan Realm, all are our juniors."

…………

In the gray, hazy space, Zhang Yunlu sat cross-legged, strands of gray mist flowing and converging into the gaping wound in her abdomen.

All other injuries on her body had fully healed.

【SLAIN ENEMY: QI CULTIVATION LEVEL 9 SWORD CULTIVATOR, MASTERY OF THE CLOUD-SLASHING SWORD ART】

【TIME ELAPSED: THREE MINUTES TEN SECONDS】

Golden characters appeared, followed by a round, lustrous pill.

Zhang Yunlu opened her eyes, snatched the pill, and swallowed it.

The pill's potency took effect swiftly; her depleted dantian Qi rapidly restored—and grew much stronger.

Hadn't she been asleep? Why could she still sense the Qi in her dantian?

Why did she feel pain when injured? Was this truly how it felt when life slipped away?

Many questions weighed on her heart, but she now lacked the energy to seek answers.

Nearly a hundred unrestrained life-or-death battles had propelled her Cloud-Slashing Sword Art to rapid advancement; she had mastered all subsequent sword techniques, and now even a Sword Cultivator who had achieved Mastery of the Cloud-Slashing Sword Art could not match her.

【ENEMY: QI CULTIVATION LEVEL 9 SWORD CULTIVATOR, PERFECTION OF THE CLOUD-SLASHING SWORD ART】

【KILLING THIS ENEMY WILL END THIS TRIAL】

Seeing those words, Zhang Yunlu's eyes finally gleamed with spirit.

Finally, it can end!

She finally understood why Xu Xing had confidently assured her she could master the Cloud-Slashing Sword Art.

It was all built on the pile of her life! Energized, Zhang Yunlu rose and gazed into the depths of the gray mist.

Tap, tap! The familiar sword cultivator's phantom appeared again, faceless, its Qi level equal to hers.

Kill him, and she could leave!

This time, Zhang Yunlu decided to strike first! Her toes brushed the ground, and as she lunged toward the sword phantom, she slashed out five sword beams in rapid succession—and this was not her limit!

A clashing of metal rang out.

Puff! The blood she spat dissolved into gray mist.

Zhang Yunlu, pierced through by multiple sword beams, flew backward like a rag doll, and the sword phantom showed no mercy—it stepped forward and drove its blade through her brow.

【ENEMY: QI CULTIVATION LEVEL 9 SWORD CULTIVATOR, PERFECTION OF THE CLOUD-SLASHING SWORD ART】

【CHALLENGE FAILED】

(End of Chapter)