"These are just ordinary drugs. They definitely won't work!"
Seeing Zhang Xuan's actions, Wei Boyang shook his head and said, "Even though the Solar Trueflame Pill hasn't reached the level of a Saint-tier artifact yet, it's not too far away from it. Ordinary medicinal herbs, even if they are five thousand years old or even ten thousand years old, would still be lacking in effectiveness. If you want to truly neutralize the effects of the Solar Trueflame Pill, it would be best to use the Solar Trueflame Pill condensed from the Solar Trueflame Pill!"
Su Yin was stunned. "What's that?"
"The sun and the moon, one yin and one yang. The cold light of extreme yin is the moonlight, and the extreme yin pill is a treasure condensed from moonlight!"
"This …" Su Yin smiled bitterly.
He thought that he would be able to resolve the problem with some ordinary medicinal herbs with some effort. Who would have thought that he would have to use such a thing? Where could he find it?
"Actually, there's no need to go through so much trouble. Didn't the Phoenix Emperor give him a phoenix feather?"
At this moment, Poison Saint Du Zhuang interjected, "Primordial Divine Beasts all became Saints through their physical bodies. The strongest bloodline of the Phoenix Clan can even be reborn from the ashes … The fire poison of the Grand Sun Primordial Flame is not strong to begin with, so it can be completely neutralized with this thing."
"Un, the Phoenix Feather is indeed feasible!" Wei Boyang pondered for a moment before nodding his head.
Although he was a pill sage, he would definitely listen to this person when it came to using poisons.
Su Yin heaved a sigh of relief. "What should we do?"
After pondering for a moment, Du Zhuang said, "Just do as I say …"
…
Somewhere far away from Su Yin's planet, Xue Qianqiu, Saint Ling Xiao, and Saint Liu Yun stopped. Their faces were pale, and blood kept flowing out from the corners of their mouths.
Although he managed to escape successfully, he was severely injured.
"Damn it, damn it, Su Yin, I'll fight you to the death …" Xue Qianqiu roared at the sky.
He was just about to succeed when the other party intercepted him. The rage in his chest was about to explode.
Seeing him like this, Sage Liuyun sighed and said helplessly, "Young Master Xue, can you wear something before you scold me?"
"…" Xue Qianqiu's face twitched.
He hadn't had the time to put on his clothes when the other party had taken off his clothes earlier, so he was still clean.
"Actually, you don't have to be so angry. Even if we escape, that Su Yin won't be able to escape. I guess he's been killed by the Heaven Measuring Ruler!"
Sage Liu Yun consoled Zhang Xuan when he saw that Zhang Xuan was still unable to calm down even after putting on his clothes.
"Something's wrong!"
A glint flashed across Xue Qianqiu's eyes as he suddenly recalled something. "There's something off about the Heaven Measuring Ruler's attitude earlier. It was determined to kill us, but it didn't seem to harbor any hostility toward Su Yin …"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said. Before I left, I intentionally tried to sow discord between the two of you. You should have seen it for yourselves, but the Heaven Measuring Ruler didn't attack him even once …"
Xue Qianqiu nodded. "Su Yin has been collecting the corpses of the Sword Saints all this while. Previously, I thought that it was under the orders of the Dragon Monarch to lure the thirty-six Ancient Sages out, but from the looks of it now, things aren't as simple as they seem. There's no need for him to risk his life to snatch the corpses of the Sword Saints, and there's no reason for him to come here alone!"
"Even the Dragon Emperor admitted it last time at the Herb Mountain …"
Sage Flowing Cloud was confused. "Besides, if he isn't, why would he do that?"
Xue Qianqiu narrowed his eyes. "What if … he isn't the subordinate of the Dragon Monarch but the spokesperson of the 36 Ancient Sages?"
"This …"
Sage Flowing Cloud was stunned. "That's impossible. The Dragon Monarch has a grudge with the 36 Ancient Sages, and Sage Sang Yu is also involved in this matter. Given how intelligent the two of them are, there's no way they wouldn't notice it!"
The reason why he didn't think that Su Yin had anything to do with the 36 Ancient Sages was because he was the spokesperson of the Dragon Monarch, and everyone knew about the conflict between the Dragon Monarch and Yi Dun.
Xue Qianqiu harrumphed. "Based on the information we have, Su Yin is the guest of the Phoenix Monarch, and the relationship between the Phoenix Monarch and Song Yu should be obvious. The 36 Ancient Sages have many means up their sleeves. Could it be that Su Yin has used some kind of method to deceive the Dragon Monarch and Sage Sang Yu and win their trust? "
Sage Flowing Cloud's body turned cold. "You mean to say that he's actually sent by the 36 Ancient Sages? Is that why he's so desperate? Is that why the Heaven Measuring Ruler didn't show any hostility toward him? "
"That's right!"
The more Xue Qianqiu spoke, the clearer it became. "We were mistaken from the start, and that's why we were fooled by him!"
Sage Flowing Cloud replied, "If he's related to the 36 Ancient Sages, all we have to do is capture him. There's no need for us to search for the corpses anymore!"
"Un!" Xue Qianqiu nodded.
The reason they were searching for the corpses was to lure the 36 Ancient Sages out. Now that they knew that Zhang Xuan was likely to be their spokesperson, there was no need for them to waste any more effort on him.
"What do we do now?"
Hearing the other party's confirmation, Sage Liu Yun said.
Xue Qianqiu replied, "Even though we have lost the Firmament Pearl this time, it's still not a loss for us to confirm Zhang Xuan's identity. As long as we capture him, we'll be able to recoup everything that we've lost. However, Su Yin is currently protected by the Heaven Measuring Ruler. We won't be a match for him! "
Sage Flowing Cloud pondered for a moment before saying, "The Dragon Monarch probably doesn't know his identity yet. Once he does, he'll surely try to kill him. We can try to contact him!"
Xue Qianqiu shook his head. "Putting aside whether the Dragon Monarch will believe us or not, even if he does, he'll just make a move and kidnap Zhang Xuan.
Sage Flowing Cloud was rendered speechless.
The might of the Dragon Monarch was unparalleled. Even the Firmament Saint might not stand a chance against them, let alone the three of them.
Cooperating with them was no different from asking a tiger for its skin.
"We mustn't let the Dragon Monarch know about this matter, and we mustn't let the Yellow Spring and the others know about it. Otherwise, we'll be in deep trouble. If that happens, all our efforts will be for naught …" Xue Qianqiu said.
"Even if we don't work with the others, the three of us won't be able to defeat the Heaven Measuring Ruler!" Sage Flowing Cloud exclaimed anxiously.
Previously, they still had the Firmament Pearl, but now that they had lost it, how were they supposed to fight?
"That might not be the case!" Xue Qianqiu chuckled softly. "Even though we've suffered a setback earlier, the crisis of life and death has deepened my comprehension of the Dao of Thousand Autumns. If nothing goes wrong … I should be able to achieve a breakthrough at any moment now!"
"Achieve a breakthrough?"
Sage Flowing Cloud was incredulous. Even the silent Sage Lingxiao's eyes lit up in excitement.
To be honest, he was still feeling a little resentful for his failure earlier. He had suffered a huge loss and sustained severe injuries, but he had failed to reap any benefits at all … No one would be happy about that.
However, once Xue Qianqiu achieved a breakthrough, his strength would be on par with him. In fact, he might even be stronger than him … As long as he gave Xue Qianqiu some benefits, he would be able to cultivate faster than him!
"Un. I intend to head back to Mount Buzhou to achieve a breakthrough. Teacher has already prepared the Saint Origin Reservoir for me. If I use it to recover after the lightning tribulation, I won't be in a weakened state at all! As long as I succeed, my cultivation will increase tenfold or even a hundredfold. By then, I'll be able to kill Su Yin with ease! Similarly, I'll be able to take back the Heaven Measuring Ruler, Solar Trueflame Pill, and Firmament Pearl! "
Xue Qianqiu said.
"Saint Origin Reservoir?"
Sage Lingxiao's body jolted in disbelief. "That's an artifact that teacher has spent countless years collecting. It's said that after the thirty-six Ancient Sages were killed, most of the saint spiritual energy in their bodies was stored in it … This artifact is so valuable that even Senior Jinwu isn't qualified to use it. Yet, teacher is actually giving it to you?"
"Un!" Xue Qianqiu chuckled softly. "Teacher has already promised me that as long as I clear the lightning tribulation, he'll give me this artifact. The energy harnessed within it should be sufficient for me to clear seven lightning tribulations … Thus, I won't be in a weakened state at all!"
As the saying went, one should not flaunt one's wealth. The reason why Zhang Xuan said those words was to intimidate Senior Lingxiao so that the latter would know his standing in his teacher's heart.
As expected, as soon as Senior Lingxiao heard Zhang Xuan's name, he immediately calmed down and said, "That's great! Let's head back right away!"
For his teacher to give such a valuable artifact to this junior of his, it was clear that his teacher valued him even more than he had thought!
As long as they could achieve a breakthrough and kill Su Yin, the artifact would still belong to them.
"Un. Let's recover from our injuries first. Otherwise, it'll be difficult for us to get out …"
Seeing that everyone had agreed to his request, Xue Qianqiu heaved a sigh of relief. He took out three pills and passed one to each of them.
After receiving the pills, Sage Lingxiao's eyes narrowed in astonishment.
They were all saint recovery pills forged by his teacher, and each of them was worth more than a pinnacle Immortal artifact. Yet, the young man before him was able to take out three of them at once. What incredible wealth!
Sage Lingxiao opened his mouth and swallowed the pills. In an instant, he felt his injuries healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Sage Lingxiao was just as shocked as Sage Lingxiao. He was also looking at the young man before him in awe.
As expected of a man blessed by the Mandate of Heaven. Every time he suffered a loss, he would be able to reap great benefits and grow stronger.
Take this time for example. If not for the repeated losses he suffered at the hands of Su Yin, how could he have achieved a breakthrough so quickly?
As long as he succeeded, he would have truly reached the pinnacle.
…
On the scorching planet …
Sitting cross-legged and floating in the lava, Su Yin was as quiet as a rock.
The Phoenix Plume and Solar Trueflame Pill were artifacts that far surpassed pinnacle Immortal artifacts, comparable to Saint-tier artifacts. Given Su Yin's current cultivation, it would be difficult for him to succeed. Thus, he could only rely on the pressure of the lava to fuse them together.
After some time, Su Yin felt his body entering a unique state of mind. With a flick of his wrist, he took out the Phoenix Plume and Solar Trueflame Pill simultaneously.
Recalling the methods that the Pill Saint, the Gambling Saint, and the Medicine Saint had researched, he placed the two treasures in the lava and burned them. Soon, the Phoenix Feather and the True Fire Pill released a dazzling light at the same time, emitting a heart-palpitating power.
The two artifacts were related to fire, and the heat of the lava could stimulate them to bring out greater might.
Pushing his hand forward, the two artifacts slowly approached one another under his control.
Boom!
After reaching a certain distance, the two of them began to repel one another violently, as if they were two people who refused to admit defeat. Su Yin's eyebrows shot up as he controlled the surrounding lava to press down on the two of them. At the same time, with a flick of his finger, the Firmament Pearl appeared.
This Saint-tier artifact had been severely damaged previously, but with the means of the Weapon Sage, Su Yin had managed to repair it. As soon as he took it out, it immediately formed a massive bubble that sucked in the even more scorching lava from below.
With the addition of the lava, the pressure on the two artifacts became even greater. Like two metal strips being pressed down by a hydraulic press, the two artifacts continued to fuse together.
The method that Wei Boyang and the others had come up with was simple. As long as the external force exceeded the repelling force, it would succeed.
It was simple, crude, and did not require any technique, but it was the best method at the moment.
In the first place, the pressure of lava was much greater than that of water. Even an Immortal artifact would find it difficult to withstand the pressure of a hundred li of water, let alone here. If not for the improvement of Su Yin's physical body, he would not have been able to do it either.
Even so, he still felt as if his muscles were being torn apart, and blood seeped out of his body.
"I won't be able to hold on for too long. I have to speed up!"
Knowing that he would not be able to hold on for too long at a depth of a hundred li, Su Yin made a grabbing motion, and the Firmament Pearl flew over. With a light tap, the Primordial Flame Pill and the Phoenix Feather were sucked into it simultaneously.
"Compress!"
Since the pressure of the lava was insufficient, he had to continue compressing it. Under the driving of his Celestial Energy, the Firmament Pearl shrank by a fold, and the pressure of the lava increased by a fold as well, reaching a level similar to that of two hundred li down.
Artificial hydraulic press!
"It's still not enough!"
Zhang Xuan continued driving his energy.
Three hundred li!
Four hundred li!
At four hundred fifty li, the Firmament Pearl had reached its limit. At this moment, the Primordial Flame Pill and the Phoenix Feather at the center of the Firmament Pearl began to reach their limits, and they began to fuse together.
Boom! With an explosive sound, the two of them fused together …
Su Yin heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly turned his gaze over and saw that the Primordial Flame Pill had not changed in size, but it had become rounder. A feather-shaped image had appeared on its surface, and it felt as if it was being torn apart.
"Swallow it!"
Knowing that something like this wouldn't last for long, Su Yin opened his mouth and swallowed it without any hesitation.
A warm current flowed through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and seeped into every cell in his body. It was as if he was lying on a pile of grass in the winter, and his entire body felt limp.
When this feeling surfaced, Su Yin immediately understood that Yang Xuan laoshi was right. He had to focus his mind and fuse the energy with his body.
Hu! Absorb! Hu! Absorb!
The energy of the Sun Trueflame fused with the Phoenix Feather turned into a ball of pure spiritual energy, causing the cells in his body to shatter and reconstruct. After reconstructing, they shattered and reconstructed once more.
The cycle repeated.
After an unknown period of time, Su Yin felt a creaking sound coming from his body. Creak! Creak! An extremely powerful energy flowed through his body. The pill formed by the fusion of the Primordial Flame Pill and the Phoenix Feather had been completely refined.
The incomparably hot lava from before seemed to have lost its temperature at this moment. In fact, it even felt a little comfortable.
Su Yin clenched his fists tightly. He could feel a powerful surge of energy gushing out from his body. If he were to face Lv Kang once more, he would definitely be able to kill him with a single punch!
In other words … with just the strength of his physical body, not only could he reach Saint realm, he could even rival a 2-star Sage!
Just that …
Wasn't there a Sage Ordeal when one reached Saint realm? Why didn't he feel anything at all?
"Achieving Sainthood through one's physical body isn't the same as achieving Sainthood through laws, so there's no Sage Ordeal. This is also the reason why the Dragon Tribe and the Phoenix Tribe have so many experts on par with Sages …"
Seeing through Zhang Xuan's doubts, Song Yu's voice sounded in his head.
"Un!" Su Yin came to a realization. With a light chuckle, he said, "Let's test my strength!"
Unlike Celestial Origin Energy, one's physical body could not be directly judged based on the density of one's physical body. At this moment, it was just a feeling that he was able to kill Lv Kang. He would only know if he truly possessed the strength to do so through an actual battle.
Usually, it would be difficult for him to find someone to battle with. However, there was no need for him to go through so much trouble now. All he had to do was enter the lava and make a rough estimate.
Zhang Xuan turned around and dashed downward.
110 li.
120 li.
…
150 li.
…
200 li.
In just eight breaths, Su Yin had already reached a depth of 200 li. As expected, he was starting to feel some pressure.
Proceeding forward, he finally came to a halt at a depth of 285 li.
"Just in terms of physical body, I can already rival a 2-star pinnacle Sage!" Su Yin exclaimed in agitation.
Based on Yang Xuan's conjecture, only a 3-star Sage would be able to reach a depth of 300 li. Yet, Zhang Xuan was able to reach this depth without using any weapons or Sword Intent.
"However … the augmentation of physical body and Sword Intent isn't one plus one equals two. Instead, it's far less than two …"
Su Yin shook his head.
When his physical body was not strong, he could still rival a 1-star pinnacle Sage with his Sword Intent and Celestial Yuan. Now that his physical body had reached 2-star pinnacle, the augmentation of his Sword Intent and Celestial Yuan was not too significant. He was still a distance away from reaching 3-star pinnacle.
The higher the level of a Sage, the more difficult it was to advance. There was a huge difference between each stage. It was not as simple as adding 2-star pinnacle Sage to 3-star pinnacle Sage.
However, if he could refine the Heaven Measuring Ruler, with the ruler and the Firmament Pearl, he would have nothing to fear even when facing a 4-star pinnacle Sage!
If he could make a breakthrough to the Sage realm …
Even if his identity was exposed, he would not have to be afraid. Only then would he have the means and strength to establish himself in the Celestial World.
"Let's return!"
He had been cultivating for an hour. Yang Xuan and the Heaven Measuring Ruler must have finished their conversation. Knowing that he could not proceed any further, Su Yin swam toward the surface of the lava.
When he returned to the canyon, he saw the middle-aged scholar in the form of the Heaven Measuring Ruler walking toward him.
"Since master trusts you so much, I'll listen to you from now on … However, if you want to refine me, you'll have to fully comprehend master's Saint Dao. At the very least, you'll have to surpass me in terms of strength! If you can't do that, everything will be over! "
Su Yin nodded.
If he did not surpass his master in terms of strength, not only would he die, the 36 Ancient Sage remnant wills would die as well. In fact, the entire Dry Origin Realm might even be destroyed.
"Hurry up and return to retrieve my body. Xue Qianqiu and the others have already left for more than an hour. If they spread news of your identity, I'm afraid that it'll be difficult for you to obtain my body …"
Yang Xuan said.
"Don't worry, he won't!"
Su Yin replied with a smile. "If he does, the Dragon Emperor and the Yellow Springs will hunt me down. If I die to them, the Solar Truefire Pill, the Firmament Pearl, and the Heaven Measuring Ruler will have nothing to do with him anymore … Do you think he'll do that?"
Even though he had not met Xue Qianqiu many times, he knew the latter's personality well. He was selfish, confident, and obstinate.
Even if Xue Qianqiu managed to figure out his identity, he would not reveal it for the time being. Otherwise, the losses that he had suffered from Zhang Xuan would be taken advantage of by others …
Needless to say, Xue Qianqiu would suppress the news and seek vengeance. Otherwise, he would find a way to achieve a breakthrough before coming back for Zhang Xuan!
Only then would Zhang Xuan be able to reclaim what he had lost.
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