Chapter 1337: A Group of Eccentrics (1)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Zhang Xuan was completely stunned.
He had only met this brother-in-law of his once in the past, and the latter had even sent him flying with a punch. Why would the latter suddenly come to look for him?
Could it be that… he had come to learn of his relations.h.i.+p with Ruoxin and was agreeable to it?
As these thoughts flashed across his mind, Zhang Xuan could not help but tremble in agitation.
If he could receive the approval of this future brother-in-law of his, things would be much more convenient for him in the future.
Following the other party out of the Elite Division, Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when his body suddenly shuddered. A cold burst of energy suddenly rose from the depths of his body.
I forgot about the matter of my breakthrough…
After consuming the Wintry Spirit Essence, before he even had chance to cultivate, Fei s.h.i.+ had suddenly come over to talk to him. Right after that, his future brother-in-law suddenly appeared and dragged him out hurriedly.
Even the geniuses of the Glacier Plain Court could be turned into ice pops if they drank a single sip of the Wintry Spirit essence directly, and Zhang Xuan drank three bottles successively. Had it been anyone else, there was no doubt that the person would have already frozen to death by now. While Zhang Xuan was able to endure it due to his possession of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he could not last too long without a.s.similating the energy either.
As soon as the cold burst of energy began to act up, it swiftly grew more and more powerful with imposing momentum. Zhang Xuan felt as if his inner organs were going to be frozen solid, causing him to tremble non-stop.
This won’t do. I need to cultivate and a.s.similate the energy swiftly.
Knowing that it would be unsafe for him to remain in this state, Zhang Xuan swiftly drove his zhenqi to ward off the cold energy while converting it into zhenqi, preparing to push for a breakthrough.
“What are you doing?” Sensing the changes in Zhang Xuan’s body, Luo Xuanqing halted his footsteps and frowned.
“I… need to… cultivate,” Zhang Xuan uttered, quivering from the coldness.
The cold energy had already permeated the depths of his body, such that even speaking felt like an arduous task to him. He tried to use zhenqi telepathy as well, but he found that he was too busy trying to ward off the cold to divert his zhenqi away for other uses.
“You can always cultivate whenever you like. I have urgent matters for you right now!” Luo Xuanqing was still wondering what kind of important matter it was when he heard that it was just cultivating, so he waved his hands impatiently and said, “Hurry up and follow me. Forget it, you walk a little too slowly. I’ll just carry you there!”
Before Zhang Xuan could even explain the matter, he suddenly felt his body being wrapped a surge of energy
Hu!
His body suddenly flew forward as if leaping through s.p.a.ce.
There was a terrifying gale howling loudly in the surroundings, but Zhang Xuan could only see flickering lights around him. It was hard to tell how fast he was moving, but it seemed to be even faster than his Heaven’s Path Movement Art.
As expected of a genius from the Luo Clan… Zhang Xuan thought.
Considering how this future brother-in-law of his was Ruoxin’s brother, his grasp over s.p.a.ce was clearly more formidable than most other people. Naturally, there was no questioning his speed either.
Even though Zhang Xuan had cultivated the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel and the Unbounded Voyager, due to the limitations of his cultivation, the average speed that he was able to move at was still a little beneath that of the other party.
Forget it, I need to focus my attention on a.s.similating the power in the Wintry Spirit Essence, or else I will become an ice sculpture!
Knowing that this was not the time for him to be shocked, Zhang Xuan quickly closed his eyes and desperately processed the cold energy in his body into his own zhenqi.
As time pa.s.sed, the amount of zhenqi in Zhang Xuan’s body swiftly built up, pus.h.i.+ng him closer and closer to a breakthrough.
At some point in time, while Zhang Xuan was still busy cultivating, his body suddenly jolted.
They had finally come to a stop.
Opening his eyes, the scenery that appeared before Zhang Xuan was not the familiar buildings of the Sanctum of Sages but an empty field.
He was still sealed within the bundle of zhenqi that Luo Xuanqing had wrapped around him, and the latter was standing not too far away with his hands behind his back, seemingly thinking of something.
With his lips still quivering from chill, Zhang Xuan asked, “Brother-in… Brother Luo… where are… we? Why did you… bring me here?”
“Don’t speak!” Luo Xuanqing exclaimed sharply.
Silenced, Zhang Xuan was completely bewildered.
The other party had brought him here without saying a word at all, and when he asked, the other party told him not to speak. Just what in the world was the other party up to?
Wuwuwu!
Just as Zhang Xuan was still racking his brain to figure out his current circ.u.mstances, a sound reminiscent of the moaning of the air suddenly echoed in the area. Peculiarly, the sound seemed to echo closer one moment yet farther the next.
“Heh!” Harrumphing coldly, Luo Xuanqing took a step forward.
Boom!
A powerful aura burst forth from him, and Zhang Xuan immediately saw the s.p.a.ce before him warping due to some kind of compelling force. At the same time, his Spiritual Perception was also uncontrollably brought into some kind of dimension.
This is the prowess of a Phantasmal s.p.a.ce realm expert? Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
At Saint 7-dan Phantasmal s.p.a.ce realm, not only would one’s Dominion become harder and more unfathomable to guard against, more importantly, one would also gain the power to construct a Phantasmal s.p.a.ce. Within this area, as long as one disallowed it, it would be difficult to notice one’s presence even with one’s Spiritual Perception.
This was the ability that Luo Xuanqing was executing at this very moment. When Zhang Xuan attempted to extend his Spiritual Perception toward Luo Xuanqing, it felt as if he was dropping a stone into a marshland. Whatever entered the s.p.a.ce around Luo Xuanqing would bizarrely vanish, leaving him unable to sense anything within it at all.
He knew for sure that Luo Xuanqing was right before him, but it was as if the latter had vanished from the world. No matter how he tried to perceive his surroundings, he could not find the latter.
Phantasmal s.p.a.ce realm experts were already able to control the s.p.a.ce around them to a frightening degree. If they really hoped to conceal their presence, it would be impossible to find them, regardless of whether it was with one’s eyes or Spiritual Perception. Unless one had reached Saint 7-dan as well, one would be completely helpless before them!
Eye of Insight!
Intrigued by the prowess of Phantasmal s.p.a.ce realm cultivators, Zhang Xuan decisively halted his cultivation to examine the situation before him closely.
Hu la!
The vanished Luo Xuanqing appeared before his eyes once more. While his silhouette was still a little blurred, he was no longer imperceptible anymore.
Boom!
Under the discernment of his Eye of Insight, he could vaguely tell that Luo Xuanqing was currently fighting with someone else, and immense power was diffused into the surroundings from their clashes, causing powerful shockwaves to ripple across the field.
It had to be said that despite Luo Xuanqing’s violent and reckless personality, his fighting prowess was not to be underestimated. Even if Zhang Xuan were utilized all of his current means against him, it was unlikely that he would be a match for him.
Zhang Xuan could not help but ask, “Vicious, would you be able to defeat him in your current state?”
Vicious had once said that Saint 7-dan cultivators would not be a match for him, but it was apparent that Luo Xuanqing was no ordinary Saint 7-dan cultivator.
“I can easily destroy any ordinary Saint 7-dan cultivator, but as for that young man over there… I don’t think that I’ll be able to defeat him,” Vicious said awkwardly.
Devouring the Vicious of the Northern Marshlands had induced a significant rise in his fighting prowess, allowing him to match most Saint 7-dan experts.
However, as the elder brother of Luo Ruoxin, Luo Xuanqing was likely a figure who stood at the very center of the Luo Clan, so putting aside his superior talents, the resources that he was ent.i.tled to were bound to be top-notch. Besides, without sufficient strength, how could he become known as the King of Destruction in the Sanctum of Sages?
“I thought that you have grown so strong that no Saint 7-dan cultivators would be a match for you…” Zhang Xuan grumbled in displeasure.
Back when that fellow first regained consciousness, he bragged as if there was not a single person who would be a match for him in the world. Back then, Zhang Xuan had really thought that he was formidable, but looking at it now, it seemed it was all empty talk after all.
“This…” Hearing the displeasure in Zhang Xuan’s voice, Vicious’ voice grew noticeably anxious. “Master, as long as you let me devour that ‘智 (Erudition)’ character, I’ll definitely be able to defeat that fellow with ease! Add another ‘义 (Solidarity)’ in, and even Saint 8-dan cultivators won’t be a problem. And if you were to top up with another ‘仁 (Attainment)’ character in, Saint 9-dan cultivators might not necessarily be a match for me anymore…”
“Alright, stop bragging. Don’t even dream about devouring those characters, you hear me?” Zhang Xuan replied in disdain.
Those were the treasures that Kong s.h.i.+ had left for the Sanctum of Sages, and they held the crucial role of sealing the luck in the land. To even dream of devouring those characters… he sure was brazen!
But thinking about it again, Vicious was a figure who was able to trap even an expert like Kong s.h.i.+ for numerous days back in his peak, so naturally, the value of Kong s.h.i.+’s writing was not as significant in his eyes.
“Alright then…” Having been reprimanded, Vicious did not dare say anything.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the fight before him.
“Haha, as expected of a genius from the Luo Clan, you are indeed formidable. I’ll take you up on your offer then!”
Hu la!
The blurred scenery abruptly reverted to normal, and Zhang Xuan saw a young man of short stature standing just by Luo Xuanqing’s side. To emphasize how short that young man was, he was only half of Luo Xuanqing’s height, barely even reaching up to the latter’s chest. His skin was as black as charcoal, but his eyes gleamed with a blinding light that seemed to warp s.p.a.ce itself.
Due to the intense battle that had transpired between the two of them earlier, the field in the surroundings was filled with huge depressions and deep gorges. If Zhang Xuan had not seen the state of the field before, he would have thought that he was in the midst of a mountain range plagued with treacherous terrain.
That young man is a Saint 7-dan cultivator, too, Zhang Xuan thought.
He could not tell how powerful the short young man was at the moment, but the fact that the latter was able to clash with Luo Xuanqing and even end up in a draw, it could only mean that the latter’s fighting prowess was definitely not beneath Saint 7-dan.
“Who is he? Why did you bring him here?”
At the same moment that Zhang Xuan noticed the short young man, the latter also noticed him, and a conspicuous frown surfaced on his forehead.
“He is…”
Luo Xuanqing was just about to explain the situation when the resounding call of a crane echoed through the sky. Following which, a ma.s.sive divine crane descended swiftly in their direction.
The divine crane was not completely white in color. Instead, reminiscent of a phoenix, its tail was filled with feathers of all colors, and if one stared at it intently, it felt as if flames were flowing through them.
That’s a… Seven-colored Heaven Crane! Zhang Xuan noted in astonishment.
This crane was completely different from those buffoons he had attracted with his zither playing back when he was taking the demonic tunist examination. The Seven-colored Heaven Crane was a lineage of saint beast that came from the ancient era, and even without cultivating, they would attain strength equivalent to a Saint 7-dan cultivator upon maturity!
“The both of you sure came early!”
Raising his head, Zhang Xuan realized that there was a young man seated on top of the back of the crane.
The young man was in his early thirties, too. He had a towering stature, a head taller than Luo Xuanqing in fact, but his figure was rather plump. Placed next to him, Sun Qiang would look nothing more than a mere chubby child.
It must be difficult on the Seven-colored Heaven Crane to have to carry him… Zhang Xuan remarked internally.
To be honest, be it in his past life or his current life, this was the first time he had seen someone as plump as that. Just the thought of having to carry a person that huge sent s.h.i.+vers down his spine.
“It’s not that we came early; you arrived late. Come down!” Luo Xuanqing harrumphed coldly as he raised his hand and grabbed forward.
In an instant, the surroundings began warping once more. The divine crane in the sky seemed to have knocked into a wall, causing it to shake uncontrollably.
“Oh? Your ability to manipulate s.p.a.ce seems to have grown significantly stronger, but you will need much more than that to hurt me!” The fatty chuckled softly.
Without bothering to dodge, he stepped forward powerfully and leaped down from the back of the divine crane.
Hu hu hu hu!
Due to his weight and the momentum of his leap, it took only a moment for his speed to reach a frightening level, exceeding even the speed of sound.
Kacha!
His plump body collided heavily on the sealed s.p.a.ce, and a ma.s.sive crack swiftly slithered across the seal swiftly before shattering with a resounding explosion. Under the impact, even Luo Xuanqing was forced to retreat several steps.
Boom!
The fatty landed on the ground, creating a ma.s.sive depression beneath him.