Chapter 140: Sword Pointing at the Holy City

Boom!

As the final bolt of lightning fell, Kongque Wang's expression was one of uncertainty, and Yan Ruyu was also extremely shaken.

Yet, amidst the vast lightning, Zhang Xuan walked straight out, his body completely free of any wounds.

He wore only a simple animal skin wrapped around his lower body, revealing his strong muscles; faint electric sparks still danced across his robust physique, making Yan Ruyu's eyelids twitch and Kongque Wang feel quite delighted.

Kongque Wang, in particular, cast a glance at both Yan Ruyu and Zhang Xuan.

He was unsure exactly how long Zhang Xuan's lifespan was, but based on the high-spirited Essence and blood Zhang Xuan currently displayed, his overall age was definitely not great, certainly under thirty years.

To achieve such cultivation at this age, and with the foreseeable prospect of rapid progress in the future.

Kongque Wang was naturally very joyful and wished he could find a way to bind Zhang Xuan to the Demon Race as much as possible right now.

The best way to do this at present was undoubtedly marriage, and Yan Ruyu was the best choice under the current circumstances; after all, Zhang Xuan had a very close relationship with Qingdi, as did Yan Ruyu, so in such a situation.

If the two could strike a spark, it would be a great thing for the Demon Race.

However, this thought could only be kept in his heart for now; after all, the time they had known each other was still too short, and the overall situation of their interaction would have to be determined after some time.

Zhang Xuan recovered from the infinite lightning, feeling joyful in his heart as well.

Having spent so much time and energy, he was now truly and properly standing on the same starting line as the heaven-proud experts of Beidou Gu Xing.

Or rather, he had gradually become a leading figure among the younger generation.

At least at this stage, top heaven-proud experts of the younger generation like Jin Chi Xiao Peng Wang of the Demon Race, as well as that Divine Body Ji Haoyue among the Human Race cultivators, were still only at the third secret realm, the Four Extremes.

As for discussing the younger generation, Zhang Xuan's cultivation was already that of a leading figure.

Of course, Zhang Xuan was not proud; instead, he warned himself inwardly.

"I have only just touched the Dragon Transformation Realm, which barely compares to the older generation; if I want to be truly carefree and at ease, I still need to make further efforts."

Knowing the direction and ending of the entire story, Zhang Xuan, despite having achieved good results, was not that excited.

"With the current situation, some popular items I want are still hard to get."

Zhang Xuan assessed his own state; the easiest thing to get was undoubtedly the Soldier Secret. The Soldier Secret was in Qinling, but that sect possessed the Duren Sutra passed down by the Ruthless Great Emperor, and one might accidentally be converted into a Protector God of their sect if not careful.

Of course, their vetting process was not very strict; only those who truly wanted to join the core of the sect would be converted. There were records of even a Great Accomplished God King being converted from within.

Going to Qinling was a good opportunity to obtain the Soldier Secret.

As for the Xing Secret still on Sheng Ya, the Killing Art left behind by the Heavenly Court, and the corpse of that Great Accomplished Saint Body, Zhang Xuan drooled just thinking about them.

He hadn't even fully refined the remains of that Desolate Ancient Sacred Body in his Wheel Sea yet; he estimated that after refining it, he could charge into the Immortal Embryo Realm.

That was just a Saint-level Desolate Ancient Sacred Body; Zhang Xuan didn't dare imagine how powerful the effects of a Great Accomplished Desolate Ancient Sacred Body would be.

But it would certainly allow him to soar; as long as his comprehension was sufficient, Zhang Xuan was confident he could achieve the Saint level in a short time by relying on the Origin of that Great Accomplished Saint Body, or even touch upon higher levels.

As for the Queen Mother of the West and the body of that Great Accomplished Saint Body beneath Yaochi, Zhang Xuan did not entertain that thought.

The karma was too great; not to mention anything else, Wushi Dadi was still alive and would become a Red Dust Immortal in the future, or even a powerhouse in higher-level realms.

That body of the Great Accomplished Saint Body was taken by someone like Ye Fan to resist the Dark Turmoil, turning into flesh and mud during the Dark Turmoil. Wushi Dadi wouldn't say much if he knew, and might even praise Ye Fan.

But if Zhang Xuan used it to practice the Indestructible Heavenly Art, he felt the future would be dire.

Even if Zhang Xuan also intended to flatten the Seven Forbidden Zones and suppress the Dark Turmoil, the overall things said and done would ultimately be lacking.

"Having the Origin of one Great Accomplished Saint Body is enough; there is no need for two..."

Zhang Xuan whispered to comfort himself, while increasingly feeling that Qingdi really hadn't been doing much work lately.

If Qingdi were willing to take action, the Chat Group would definitely be much better than before.

"At least I wouldn't need to show my face here, taking significant risks to cultivate; the whole thing isn't stable enough."

Zhang Xuan muttered softly, feeling a little sad.

"However, the current Beidou isn't too dangerous, and many things can still be done. After all, the Heaven and Earth Essence hasn't recovered yet, and the Ancient Myriad Tribes haven't emerged from the Divine Source; there are still many things that can be manipulated."

Zhang Xuan hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming to Beidou; he came to Beidou to forge a weapon powerful enough to grow alongside him.

He had hoodwinked Yan Ruyu and Kongque Wang also to have a backer, so he could better and more easily obtain weapons.

As far as the current moment was concerned, Zhang Xuan felt the timing was about right.

"Kongque Wang and Yan Ruyu's trust in me is already sufficient; next, going to the Holy City in the Southern Region to dig out that Dragon Pattern Black Gold is feasible."

Zhang Xuan never forgot his goal. With his current strength in the Dragon Transformation Realm, it was enough to deal with ordinary people, and with Kongque Wang and the Demon Race backing him, many things could be done.

"I don't understand Source Technique, but Ye Fan does."

Zhang Xuan carefully recalled the top-tier items Ye Fan unearthed in Covering the Sky, especially those that were expensive and had distinct characteristics.

He prepared to go to the Holy City for a harvest.

"The Dragon Pattern Black Gold Sword is inside an unfinished Nine-Orifice Stone Man, at the position of the glabella, and I remember there are some other top-tier strange stones, some with seeds of Undying Divine Medicine, and Sheng Huangzi is inside too."

If I go over, there is still a lot of room for operation.

Zhang Xuan's eyes sparkled.

If it were before, he definitely couldn't do it; not to mention anything else, he couldn't even afford the Source Stone to open that Nine-Orifice Stone Man. He remembered Ye Fan spent ninety thousand or something to open that Nine-Orifice Stone Man's Source Stone?

"If I remember correctly, Source is quite precious. Ye Fan was initially chased by a disciple of the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family just because of a fist-sized piece of Source, almost dying. Now I'm about to use hundreds of thousands of units of Source; sigh, times are different now!"

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh, though there was not much dejection or unease on his face.

What he wanted most now was just materials to forge a weapon; as for other items, his demand was not high.

If he opened the relevant items, he wouldn't care much; at worst, he would just give these things to the Demon Race to make up for their losses.

"At most, I have a certain need for the seeds of the Undying Divine Medicine; as for other things, they don't have much meaning to me."

Zhang Xuan thought carefully; he was not a Source Heaven Master after all, so he could only focus on those expensive Source Stones, and specifically famous ones.

Only then could he open things up; Zhang Xuan couldn't grasp other things at all and couldn't harvest wildly throughout the Holy City like Ye Fan.

After thinking carefully, the ones he remembered were the Source Stone of Sheng Huangzi, the Undying Divine Medicine, and that Nine-Orifice Stone Man. He didn't remember others very clearly, but no panic; anyway, Qingdi had the entire Covering the Sky ancient scroll, and Zhang Xuan could flip through it bit by bit.

Once his thoughts were settled, Zhang Xuan did not leave immediately.

Chatting and talking with Kongque Wang, Yan Ruyu, and others, Zhang Xuan felt his own progress was quite steady for a period of time, not too fast.

With the addition of the Covering the Sky cultivation methods, before the Immortal Embryo Realm, there is basically no need for much accumulation of insight; as long as the corresponding cultivation resources are in place, one can advance by leaps and bounds. After thinking it over carefully and comparing it with the insights of Qingdi, Zhang Xuan felt there were no major issues.

Then, he silently went into seclusion for another week, consuming a large portion of the Origin from the remains of that Desolate Ancient Sacred Body. His strength advanced by leaps and bounds, surging to the peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm. Only then did Zhang Xuan truly feel a sense of security.

Zhang Xuan felt slightly unstable about breaking through to Immortal Embryo, and since he had not yet forged his personal weapon, he suppressed his cultivation for the time being.

Only then did he find Kongque Wang to state his intentions.

"You want to go to the Holy City?"

Upon hearing this, Kongque Wang frowned. Rationally, he still hoped that Zhang Xuan could stay in the safe zones of the Demon Race for a while longer, at least until he had sufficient self-preservation strength to walk the world, rather than like now—where his cultivation is considered top-tier among the younger generation, but among the older generation...

Hmm, as this thought crossed his mind, Kongque Wang took a moment to look at Zhang Xuan, and his pupils immediately contracted.

In just a short period of time, Zhang Xuan's cultivation had broken through again on its original foundation, reaching the peak of Dragon Transformation.

Kongque Wang was shocked by this astonishing and terrifying speed.

After a moment's pause, he advised: "Even if a senior has relevant cultivation experience and is practicing again, one must still pay attention to the foundation. Otherwise, cultivation in the later stages will likely be quite difficult, and when that time comes, it will be hard to break through, which would become a lifelong regret."

He had expected these words to displease Zhang Xuan, but unexpectedly, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement and said full of approval: "That is correct, I think so too. That is why I am trying hard to suppress my cultivation realm and not break through to Immortal Embryo right now. Otherwise, I fear there might be some unexpected disputes when I go to the Holy City. After all, the things I need to acquire are many and very precious, and I fear that insufficient strength and realm will cause problems."

Kongque Wang: "..."

Kongque Wang fell directly into silence.

Is this how I advised you to solidify your foundation and stabilize your cultivation? Is breaking through to the peak of Dragon Transformation not enough, and you want to break directly into Immortal Embryo?

And is cultivation breakthrough really that easy in your mouth? Is it like eating and drinking, or buying Chinese cabbage on the street, where you can have as much as you want?

Thinking carefully, not much time has passed since he first met Zhang Xuan, yet Zhang Xuan's strength and realm have been higher each time; breaking through is indeed as simple and direct as eating and drinking.

Looking at it this way, the clown was actually himself!

How did I cultivate back then?

Relying on the shade of my ancestors, plus family cultivation techniques, combined with my own hard work, I struggled for decades or even a century to reach the Immortal Embryo Realm from a person who had never cultivated, and furthermore, became a king among the Immortal Embryo Realm.

And Zhang Xuan?

Kongque Wang was howling in his heart and had the urge to vomit blood, but he still tried hard to suppress the fluctuations in his heart.

He could only constantly admonish himself in his heart.

"People are different from one another. They are an old monster re-cultivating, while I started from scratch; it must be different."

While howling in his heart, he had completely accepted that Zhang Xuan was an old monster. Only an old monster re-cultivating could be like this, with cultivation both fast and stable.

He himself did not encounter such terrifying Heavenly Tribulation when he broke through to the Dragon Transformation Realm back then. The other party's foundation is much more stable than his; what qualifications does he have to advise the other party?

"Going to the Southern Region is not too troublesome, but if you fly yourself, it will take too long. After all, the distance between the two is too vast; it is still necessary to use a domain."

Kongque Wang did not want to talk and just wanted to be quiet, but with Zhang Xuan in front of him, he had no way to just walk away.

Therefore, he began to try hard to arrange the next steps.

"I wonder what business the senior has in the Holy City?"

"I lack a personal weapon and corresponding materials, so I want to visit the Holy City to pick up some materials."

Hearing this, Kongque Wang's eyes lit up, and he spoke directly: "Why go to the Holy City for weapon-refining materials? My cave dwelling has many secret treasures, all of which are rare gems. If the senior needs them, feel free to take them; there is no need to be overly formal with this junior..."

He had long wanted to get closer to Zhang Xuan, but Zhang Xuan seemed to need nothing; even the Origin stones and pills needed for daily cultivation were never seen being used by Zhang Xuan, yet he broke through rapidly on his own.

He had always felt that Zhang Xuan might possess a heaven-shaking treasure left over from a past life. Now that Zhang Xuan had taken the initiative to say he lacked weapon-refining materials, he was naturally very happy and wanted to further his relationship with Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan listened and looked at Kongque Wang with a smile that was not quite a smile. Seeing Kongque Wang feel a bit embarrassed, Zhang Xuan then laughed: "The materials I need are not things that ordinary people can provide."

Without waiting for Kongque Wang to guarantee anything, Zhang Xuan continued: "What is useful to me is nothing more than Dragon Pattern Black Gold, Immortal Tear Green Gold, or All-Things Mother Qi. Other materials have no great significance to me. What I want to forge is an Emperor weapon; ordinary materials capable of forging a Transmitted Saint Weapon are of no great use to me."

Zhang Xuan said these words calmly and naturally, but to Kongque Wang's ears, they sounded like a thunderclap.

Zhang Xuan was not being grand or impassioned, yet he spoke so naturally. He did not aim for the achievement of a Saint at all; his target was directly an Ancient Great Emperor, and he was truly practicing it, not like the ignorance of the world seen in young people.

Rather, it was after experiencing the vicissitudes of life that he still firmly held this as his goal, and he had extremely strong confidence in it.

(End of chapter)