Yang Xuan frowned. "The insides of this planet should be filled with boiling lava!"
If the temperature on the surface was several hundred degrees, how hot would it be down there? How did the ruler end up here?
The spirit artifacts of the Dry Origin Realm had their own consciousness. As a Saint artifact, the Heaven Measuring Ruler naturally had its own consciousness as well. Yang Xuan had no idea what it would do after his death.
"Teacher, can you sense the exact location of the ruler?" Su Yin asked.
After a moment of silence, Yang Xuan pointed. "It's up ahead!"
Su Yin flew forward, and soon, a gigantic canyon appeared in front of him. Countless heatwaves surged out from within, spreading outwards like a scorching solar wind or an aurora. It illuminated the entire region, making it look like the sunset.
"It's deep within the canyon!" Yang Xuan could already sense it clearly.
Su Yin asked, "Since it's Teacher's weapon, can you summon it out?"
As long as he tamed the True Dragon Sword and frying pan, he would be able to command them to fly over no matter how far away they were. Since the ruler was a Saint-tier artifact, would it be able to do the same as well?
Yang Xuan paused for a moment before saying, "I'll give it a try!"
Saying so, he closed his eyes, and his figure flickered.
A moment later, he shook his head and said, "There's boiling lava in the depths of the canyon. I'm too weak right now, so I can't communicate with it. Naturally, I can't summon it out!"
Su Yin released his Spiritual Perception and extended it into the depths of the canyon. As expected, he found boiling lava flowing within the canyon. Heatwaves would sweep over from time to time.
The temperature had reached at least four thousand degrees.
As soon as his Spiritual Perception came into contact with the lava, he immediately felt a searing heat.
"Let's go down and take a look …"
Su Yin took a deep breath and flew toward the canyon.
Below him was boiling lava. Fiery red flames spurted out continuously, reducing everything in the surroundings to charcoal.
He took out a low-tier Immortal artifact and tossed it in. It quickly melted into liquid metal.
Su Yin's scalp turned numb.
The temperature of several thousand degrees in the Dry Origin Realm was nothing to him, given his Half-Sage physique. However, even though the temperature of the lava here was the same, it contained the power to tear through spacetime. Even a Saint would not be able to withstand it for long, let alone him.
In the words of his previous life, this kind of flame was even more powerful than the True Samadhi Fire. It could burn one's soul and destroy everything. Not even Immortal Artifacts could withstand it.
"The ferule is beneath the lava. It might be hidden in the core of the earth …" Yang Xuan said.
"Earth's core?" Su Yin frowned.
Yang Xuan replied, "Most likely, it's afraid that someone might find it and tame it, so it chose to hide here. There's only one way to find it, and that is to enter the lava and get close to it. As long as we aren't too far away, I should be able to think of a way to lure it out of its own accord."
Su Yin's scalp went numb. "It's very difficult!"
"I know it's difficult, but there's no other way!"
Yang Xuan said, "Don't worry, your physical body has been strengthened by the Dragon Transformation Pool and is not much weaker than an ordinary Saint. Coupled with the Invincible Sword Qi protecting your body, you should be able to hold on for some time. As long as you can reach a place where my will can reach, the ferule will not refuse my call!"
Since they were already here, it was only natural that they wanted to take the other party away. Hearing his words, Su Yin no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, and the Zhen Yuan in his body rumbled.
Whoosh!
A thin layer of scales appeared on the surface of his body, fusing together with his skin, reminiscent of the scales of a dragon.
Previously, he had absorbed a large amount of Dragon Qi from the Dragon Transformation Pool. While it was impossible for him to become a Pureblooded Dragon, his defensive prowess was on par with Dragon Tribe experts of the same cultivation realm.
"Invincible Sword Qi!"
Once again, Su Yin covered his entire body with sword Qi. Every scale on his body was like a sword that could pierce out at any moment. Only then did Su Yin heave a sigh of relief. Then, with a slight sway, he entered the lava.
Xiong xiong!
The searing heat seeped through his skin and into his organs, causing his soul to tremble slightly. In fact, even the circulation of his Zhen Yuan was a little affected.
"This temperature has definitely exceeded ten thousand degrees celsius …" Zhang Xuan muttered grimly.
It was no wonder why a low-tier Immortal artifact was reduced to liquid metal in less than a breath. Upon entering the lava, he realized that the temperature within was much higher than he had expected.
Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Su Yin hastened his pace as he dived deeper into the core of the earth. The lava parted under the might of his Sword Qi.
A moment later, he had already traveled over a hundred li.
The deeper he went, the hotter it became. At this moment, the temperature of the lava was at least three times higher than when he had first entered. In other words, it was at least thirty thousand degrees celsius now. Even a pinnacle Immortal artifact would not be able to withstand such heat.
Su Yin could feel cracks appearing on the dragon scales covering his body, and the water in his body seemed to have evaporated. He felt as if he would die at any moment.
"How is it, Teacher?"
Knowing that he would really be burnt to a crisp if he were to proceed any further, Su Yin decided to stop.
"It's still not working. I can't contact it …" Yang Xuan shook his head.
The reason why he could sense the Heaven Measure Ruler was because it was a powerful Saint-tier artifact. On the other hand, he was only an extremely weak Fragmented Soul at the moment. Even if he were to search carefully, it would be difficult for him to detect his presence.
As such, he could only transmit his soul ripples to the Heaven Measure Ruler in order to confirm his identity. However, it was clearly impossible for him to do so at the moment.
Su Yin sighed helplessly. "But I can't hold on any longer …"
He had already expended all of his strength to reach this point. If he still could not contact the Heaven Measure Ruler, there was nothing he could do.
"We're still quite a distance away from the Heaven Measure Ruler. Let's head up first before we think of a way out …" Yang Xuan sighed.
The Heaven Measure Ruler was at least several hundred li away from where he was. It was impossible for him to reach it.
Without saying anything else, Su Yin quickly flew out. It did not take long for him to return to the canyon.
As soon as he came out, he felt pain all over his body. Due to the exhaustion of his stamina, he felt a little dizzy.
However, it was not without its benefits. Due to his rapid advancement in cultivation, the Celestial Energy in his body was impure. However, after being tempered by the lava, the Celestial Energy in his body had become as pure as water. Even some Half-Sage pinnacle cultivators would not be as pure as him even after several thousand years of tempering.
Not only so, his physical body had also become stronger and more resilient after being tempered by the lava. While his physical body was still unable to match up to a grade-1 Sage, he would not be able to withstand the might of an expert like Fairy Jiuqu.
After Zhang Xuan recovered a little, Yang Xuan said, "Based on my earlier observation, the deeper you go, the hotter the lava gets. The area you entered was already the limit of a grade-1 Sage. In other words, one would have to be at least a grade-2 Sage in order to surpass you!"
Su Yin nodded in response.
He had also noticed it. If he wanted to proceed any further, he would have to be at least a level higher than that.
"The ferule is at least five hundred li away from the surface. In other words, one would have to be at least a grade-5 Sage to reach it! Even if you were to borrow the Invincible Sword Intent to boost your fighting prowess, you would still have to be at grade-4 Sage at the very least! "
Yang Xuan explained.
"Grade-4 Sage?" Su Yin was rendered speechless.
It was no wonder those from the Master Teacher Pavilion had refused to take the ferule away despite knowing that it was there. Even Li Qiaofu, who had been at his peak, possessed strength comparable to a grade-5 Sage. There were only a handful of such cultivators in the entire Celestial World!
Furthermore, even with such strength, he would only be able to pass through the lava. It was hard to say whether he would be able to subdue the ferule.
As a Saint-tier artifact of the Sage Teacher, the ferule's prowess was unimaginable.
"Is there any way to deal with it?" Su Yin asked with a helpless look on his face.
Yang Xuan replied, "I tested it earlier, but the strength of my Fragmented Soul is too weak. It can only extend for a hundred li at most. In other words, as long as you reach grade-3 Sage, I'll be able to make it fly out on its own!"
Su Yin's lips twitched.
If only he possessed such strength, he would not have to go through so much trouble.
"Of course, there are other methods. Firstly, you can recover some of my Fragmented Soul. As long as I can recover a tenth of my strength, I'll be able to extend my Spiritual Perception to an additional three hundred li. At that time, you'll still be able to communicate with it.
"Secondly, you can find a way to temper your physical body and strengthen it. If you can achieve Sainthood with your physical body, you might be able to reach a distance of four hundred li!"
Yang Xuan listed out two more methods.
"That's impossible …" Su Yin shook his head.
Only by reaching Saint realm would he be able to heal Yang Xuan's Fragmented Soul. As for achieving Sainthood with his physical body …
There were many Ancient Divine Beasts who were able to do so, but they relied on their unique bloodlines. Take the Dragon Emperor, Phoenix Monarch, and Feng Qiqiu for example. Through the power of their bloodlines, they were able to exert fighting prowess that far exceeded that of a Sage.
Even though Zhang Xuan possessed the Immortal Bloodline, he was still a human through and through. It was impossible for him to achieve Sainthood with his physical body.
In other words, even though Yang Xuan had mentioned three methods, he had not mentioned a single one at all!
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, but he was still unable to come up with a good solution. Thus, he turned to the other Ancient Sages.
They all shook their heads simultaneously. Even the opinionated Song Yu was at a loss as well.
"Forget it. Even if I can't obtain it, others won't be able to either. I should just wait until I'm stronger before coming over to investigate …"
Su Yin sighed deeply.
He had gone through so much trouble only to fail to obtain it. It would be a lie to say that he did not feel frustrated.
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to leave the canyon and head back to the Master Teacher Pavilion to think of other ways to obtain the saint remains, he suddenly saw three streaks of light heading in his direction. Thus, he quickly hid behind a boulder and concealed his aura within the Taiji Diagram.
Hu hu hu!
As soon as he was done, he saw three silhouettes landing on a massive boulder above the lava.
Two of them were familiar faces — Xue Qianqiu and Sage Liu Yun.
As for the third figure, he had never seen him before. It was a white-bearded elder with an extremely high cultivation. He was even stronger than Sage Liu Yun and Lv Kang when he was undergoing his Ascension Ordeal.
Recognizing the other party, Yang Xuan sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan. "He's Lingxiao Sage, a disciple of the Firmament Domain. He's as famous as the Jadelake Sage, and he's at grade-3!"
"Lingxiao Sage?" Su Yin was taken aback.
"The Firmament Domain took in quite a few disciples back then. Lingxiao Sage, Jadelake, Jadelake, Celestial Palace, Toad Osmanthus, Golden Crow … All of them were powerful, and they were all True Sages!"
"True Sages?" Su Yin widened his eyes in astonishment. It was only at this moment that he realized how fearsome the Firmament Domain was.
Putting aside his cultivation as a grade-7 Sage, just his disciples alone were more than enough to dominate the world. It was no wonder why even thirty-six Ancient Sages were no match for him.
"What about the Yellow Springs?" Zhang Xuan asked.
The Yellow Springs, who was equally famous as the Firmament Domain, should not be too weak either!
"He has a few disciples as well, such as Netherworld, Forgetfulness, Limbo, Granny Meng, Yama, and Fengdu … However, there's no need to worry. None of them are as strong as the woodcutter. Of course, that was ten thousand years ago, so I'm not too sure what realm they are at now … "
"…" Su Yin was speechless.....
This bunch of teachers was really too much.
If he had known that the Firmament Domain and the Yellow Springs were so powerful, he would have long left them alone.
His biggest wish was to find a place with beautiful scenery to live in, grow flowers, plant grass, and feed his donkey ….
But now that he had gotten himself involved in the War of the Sages, it was too late for him to leave.
…
Oblivious to Zhang Xuan's frustration, Xue Qianqiu scanned his surroundings with a deep frown. He could not help but turn to the elder not too far away.
"Senior Lingxiao, are you certain that the Heaven Measuring Ruler is beneath the lava?"
Sage Lingxiao nodded. "I've been here with Jadelake once, and I'm a hundred percent certain that it's here. However … it's hidden deep within the lava. Even with my strength, I'm unable to bring it out!"
He had met this junior of his in the Eternal Sands of Time, and the reason he had come here was to retrieve the Heaven Measuring Ruler.
Since the Master Teacher Pavilion was able to find the location of the Heaven Measuring Ruler, it went without saying that he would be able to do the same as well.
"Since you're certain, I'd like to take a look," Xue Qianqiu said.
"Junior, you can give it a try. If you find yourself unable to proceed any further, you can return right away!" Sage Lingxiao instructed.
"Alright!" Without saying anything else, Xue Qianqiu flicked his finger, and the Firmament Pearl appeared. It warped into a bubble and wrapped around him. Then, he dived right into the lava.
Gugugugu!
The lava seemed to be bubbling, and a deafening rumble echoed in the air.
"Teacher actually gave the Firmament Pearl to Junior …" Sage Lingxiao's eyes were filled with envy.
The Firmament Pearl was something that his teacher had paid a hefty price to forge, and it had long reached the level of a Saint-tier artifact. If he could obtain it, he would be able to defeat a fourth-rank Sage with his strength as a third-rank Sage.
"The Great Dao that Junior Xue has comprehended is a type of Great Dao of Time. If he succeeds, he might even be able to surpass the Firmament Sage!"
Sage Liu Yun said.
At this moment, his legs and feet were pitch-black, and his face was ghastly pale. He did not look as spirited as before. It seemed like he had suffered great damage in the Eternal Sands of Time, and he had yet to recover from it.
"That's true … The Great Dao of Time is one of the most profound Great Daos in the world. Even our teacher has only comprehended the surface of it, and yet, Junior Xue is able to comprehend it.
Sage Lingxiao nodded.
While the two of them were speaking, the lava beneath them rumbled, and Xue Qianqiu dived out with a pale face.
Pu!
As soon as he returned to the boulder, he spurted a mouthful of blood.
He hurriedly took out a pill and swallowed it. He drove his zhenqi to assimilate it, and it took him a long while before his blood returned to normal.
"How is it?" Sage Lingxiao asked.
"I'm still far from it …" Xue Qianqiu shook his head.
Even though he had the Firmament Pearl with him, his cultivation was still too weak, and he was unable to reach the Heaven Measure Ruler.
"The Firmament Pearl is an artifact that our teacher forged. It's formidable, but it's unable to withstand the searing heat. It's already not bad that it can help you advance two hundred li. It'll be difficult for you to advance any further!"
Sage Lingxiao consoled Xue Qianqiu. "Unless you can achieve a breakthrough to Sainthood and surpass the Great Dao of Time!"
(Author's note: I recommend Zhou Zi's new book, 'The Naming Art of Night'. It's good, and Old Horizon has been following it.
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