The overwhelming might was as powerful as a raging tsunami. Before Zhang Xuan could even make a move, it had already appeared before him.
Zhang Xuan's soul jolted, and just as he was about to flee, his vision blurred. In the next moment, a building appeared before his eyes, reminiscent of a mirage.
"It's indeed below …"
Barely after the thought surfaced in his mind, he felt a crushing force crushing down on him. Unable to withstand it, he was sent flying upward.
Hong long!
Following which, Jin Yuan Ding was sent flying out of the lava as well. He crashed heavily into the seal above, and a resounding chime echoed in the air.
It was fortunate that Jin Yuan Ding had been upgraded to a Saint intermediate-tier artifact. Otherwise, he would have been severely injured even if he didn't die.
"President Zhang …"
"Zhang Shi!"
Seeing how Jin Yuan Ding was sent flying out of the lava, the crowd standing guard outside leaped in fright, and they hurriedly rushed over.
"This is bad …"
Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in alarm.
There was only his physical body within the cauldron. If the crowd were to surround it, given their strength, they would surely be able to discover his soul, and it would be difficult for him to return!
If they were to discover that the principal of the Master Teacher Academy was a soul oracle, how would they view him?
However, if his soul didn't return, he would be no different from a corpse. What if those fellows felt that he had died and cremated him out of grief?
Even if they didn't do so, given that his physical body would be completely devoid of thoughts and thoughts, he could easily kill a few of them while he was in danger … that would be a huge headache for him.
Anxious, Zhang Xuan was just about to charge out of the lava when he suddenly stopped himself. He hurriedly sent a message to Jin Yuan Ding.
Wu Shi, President Han, and the others were all Saint 4-dan experts. As long as Zhang Xuan's soul left the lava, he would surely be able to sense it. Thus, the best solution was for him to send that fellow back into the lava.
"Come back!"
Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message over.
"No, it's too dangerous …"
Jin Yuan Ding's body trembled uncontrollably.
You must be joking! It had only gone down for a short while, and it had nearly been torn apart.
Seeing that a weapon cauldron was actually so afraid of death, Zhang Xuan felt like his lungs were about to explode.
What in the world was this … There were so many master teachers around, but none of them were afraid of death. Yet, you, a Saint-tier artifact, were so afraid of death. Just the thought of it left one speechless.
"As long as you come over, I'll find a way to help you reach Leaving Aperture realm!"
Helpless, Zhang Xuan could only agree to the benefits.
Although this guy was a little afraid of death, his loyalty was unquestionable.
"Leaving Aperture realm? The Golden Origin Cauldron leaped up in astonishment.
The Leaving Aperture realm of a Saint artifact was different from that of a human. Humans were able to draw their Primordial Spirits out of their bodies, allowing them to traverse a million li in the night. On the other hand, upon reaching the Leaving Aperture realm, a Saint artifact would gain a clearer spirit, making it as powerful as one's Primordial Spirit. While it was still unable to leave its body to traverse the world, it was already able to control its form and grow limbs!
Even though it was extremely ugly and strange, it was equivalent to having a life of its own. To a Saint Artifact, it was definitely a great improvement.
"Don't worry, I always keep my word!" Zhang Xuan said.
As difficult as it was to help a Saint-tier artifact achieve a breakthrough, it wasn't impossible. He still had the Black Goldcrystal Ore left behind by Wu Yangzi. As long as he could assimilate it into this fellow's body, he should be able to achieve a breakthrough easily.
But of course, the Black Goldcrystal Ore was extremely difficult to assimilate, such that ordinary earth flames wouldn't be able to do it. Even the lava below might not be able to do it.
"Alright!"
Hearing Zhang Xuan's promise, the Golden Origin Cauldron ignored the crowd that had gathered around it and dived right into the lava.
"This …"
Seeing how that fellow was rushing toward the lava once more, everyone was dumbfounded. They looked at one another in bewilderment, not knowing what was going on.
Putong!
After diving into the lava, Zhang Xuan stealthily withdrew his soul back into his physical body before flying out of the cauldron and returning to the crowd.
"Zhang Shi, are you alright?"
The crowd turned to look at Zhang Xuan worriedly.
"I'm fine!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I saw many pavilions below earlier. If I'm not mistaken, the ancient domain should be right below!"
"How deep is it?"
Wu Shi couldn't help but ask.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan replied, "This … Based on my estimation, it should be around a hundred meters!"
Even though he had only caught a glimpse of it, given his prowess, this distance shouldn't be too far away.
"A hundred meters?" Everyone's face warped in shock.
Even Wu Shi had only ventured forty meters in, and he had nearly lost his life. A hundred meters … This was an impossible mission!
What was the difference between knowing where the ancient domain was and not being able to enter it at all?
"Do you have any ideas?"
Wu Shi turned to President Han, only to see the latter shaking his head with a bitter smile.
It was impossible for them to enter the depths of the lava.
"I do have an idea …"
Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before replying.
"Oh?" The crowd turned their gazes over.
"That surge of energy earlier was so powerful that it caused the lava to split apart. In other words, a vacuum will appear in the lava once the surge of energy occurs, creating a passageway wide enough for a human to pass through. We can make use of this opportunity to enter the ancient domain!"
Zhang Xuan said slowly.
The reason they were able to see the situation below with their souls earlier was because the lava had split apart. As long as they were quick enough, they would be able to dive down.
"That's not a bad idea, but … it's nearly impossible!"
"Indeed. That surge of energy is so powerful that even Jin Yuan Ding was unable to withstand it, and he was forced out. How is it possible for us to go against the flow of energy?"
President Han and Wu Shi glanced at one another before shaking their heads.
It was a good idea, and it seemed to be the best one they could come up with at the moment, but it was a pity that it was impossible.
It would already be a blessing if they weren't torn apart on the spot if they were to dive into the lava. Going against the flow of energy and traversing a distance of a hundred meters within a short period of time was simply impossible.
Even if they were able to advance, if they were only halfway through, the lava would close up, and that would be their end.
"It's indeed difficult to go against the flow of energy … but what if we follow behind the energy?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"Follow behind the energy?" The crowd was perplexed.
The energy was gushing up from below, so how could they follow behind it?
Coming to a realization, President Han asked, "President Zhang, do you mean to say that … we should gather the energy using a unique formation and attack it from above?"
"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
"But … that will only be more dangerous. Given how powerful the energy is, if we fail to gather it properly, it could very well collapse …" President Han said anxiously.
"Gather the energy using a unique formation?"
"Increase the energy?"
Hearing the conversation between the duo, the crowd came to a realization, and their faces warped in horror.
They had seen the energy gushing out from below with their own eyes. It was extremely powerful, and if they were to gather it together and attack it from below … it would be one thing if they were to succeed, but if they were to fail, they could very well be killed on the spot.
"Do you have any other ideas?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"I …"
President Han froze, unable to say a word.
It was indeed impossible for them to enter the hundred-meter-deep lava. Perhaps, this was the best solution they could come up with.
"The seal has already closed, and we won't be able to get out. If we can't enter the ancient domain, we'll be doomed. Rather than that, we might as well give it a try!" Zhang Xuan said.
The crowd nodded in agreement.
They had no other options at the moment, so they could only give it a try. Otherwise, they would die if they were to remain here.
"What should we do?" As master teachers, they were decisive in their actions, and they had come here with the resolve to die. It didn't take long for them to finish their discussion, and they turned to Zhang Xuan.
"Simple. Pass all of your Seven Star formation flags to me and listen to my commands. When the time comes, all of you will enter the Jin Yuan Ding and charge in together!"
Zhang Xuan.
The Jin Yuan Ding was a Saint-tier artifact, and it could expand or shrink at will. It could accommodate three to five people or even thirty people at the same time, and it wouldn't feel cramped at all.
If they were to fly around randomly, they might as well stay in the Jin Yuan Ding. Firstly, it would be safer, and secondly, it would be faster.
"Alright!"
Hearing the arrangements, the crowd nodded in agreement.
There were quite a few Seven Star formation flags in their possession, and this was especially so for President Han. Zhang Xuan took the flags and counted them. There were more than five hundred of them, and he couldn't help but nod in approval.
With so many of them, it should be more than enough.
At the moment, the most important matter at hand was how to set up a formation that could gather the rampaging energy below.
At the very least, it had to be at Seven Star pinnacle.
"President Han, you are the leader of the Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild. Do you have any formation manuals or formation blueprints on you?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"Formation manuals? I have quite a few of them … "
Hearing that Zhang Xuan wanted books, President Han couldn't help but be taken aback.
They were going to be setting up a formation soon, so why would he need books?
"Take all of them out … If anyone else has any books on formations, feel free to take them out as well. The formation that we're going to set up later on is of great importance, so even I wouldn't dare to neglect it. I'll have to take a look at it to find a direction!"
Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings.
"Alright!"
Knowing that this matter was of great importance, the crowd hurriedly took out their respective formation manuals.
As expected of the leader of the Formation Master Guild, Han Xu had a huge collection of books on him. Just the books on Seven Star Formation Master alone numbered in the thousands, and the others added up to more than ten thousand books.
Zhang Xuan swiftly scanned through the books, and the content was immediately imprinted into his mind, forming a Heaven's Path Formation Master.
His consciousness continued to study the newly formed manuals while he flipped through them one by one, pretending to be studying them.
Two hours later, Zhang Xuan had finally mastered the Seven Star Heaven's Path Formation Master.
"Alright, I have found the solution. You can take back your books now!"
After which, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and began analyzing the formation in his mind. Soon, a formation appeared in his mind.
After mastering the Seven Star Heaven's Path Formation Master, his comprehension of formations had already reached Seven Star pinnacle. In fact, he was even on par with some 8-star primary formation masters.
If he could design a formation based on the terrain, it would be much easier.
"I'll just set up a Seven Star pinnacle [Heaven Reversal Formation]. However … this formation has a huge demand on my soul, and I'm still unable to set it up with my current strength …"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
Given the current situation, setting up a Seven Star pinnacle Heaven Reversal Formation should be sufficient to resolve the problem. However … this formation had a huge demand on his soul energy, and he was only a Nascent Saint. Even if he was able to defeat opponents stronger than him, he would only be able to match a Saint 2-dan cultivator at best. He was still a long way off from being able to set up this formation.
"Unless … I can advance my soul cultivation to a higher level …"
A thought flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind.
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