Library of Heaven's Path

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

If I wish to tame the Lightning Elemental Orb, I will first have to use my zhenqi to nourish it. After reading the details regarding the orb in the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan had already gained a thorough understanding of its strengths and flaws.

Forcefully taming it was not a feasible solution, especially considering the limits of his current strength. Thus, he could only nourish it slowly, just as the Stoneleaf King had done earlier.

Raising his hands, he began sending out surges of zhenqi from his palm toward the Lightning Elemental Orb from a distance away.

Weng!

Sensing zhenqi encroaching on its territory, the orb began revolving as it emitted a deep blue glow. In an instant, countless streaks of lightning fell from the sky.

Zhang Xuan swiftly lifted the Stoneleaf King's body above him to fend off the lightning. Unfortunately, Feng Xun, who was lying not too far away, wasn't so lucky. Two streaks of lightning breached the lingering seal that the Jadeleaf King had set up previously and struck his body, causing it to convulse with even greater intensity than before.

It was fortunate that the seal had neutralized most of the energy contained in the lightning, or else those two strikes could have claimed Feng Xun's life.

I must proceed a little more carefully… Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

He quickly calmed himself down before gathering his zhenqi to infuse it over once more. This time, he proceeded a little more carefully and slowly, and it did not induce any retaliation from the Lightning Elemental Orb. Around twenty minutes later, delight covered Zhang Xuan's face.

With just a wave of his hand, the Lightning the Elemental Orb gradually flew toward him. After twenty minutes of effort, he had successfully managed to tame it!

It sure is a powerful artifact… Holding the sphere in his palm, Zhang Xuan could feel the immense power contained within, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

Just as he had deduced before, the Lightning Elemental Orb was the key to controlling the lightning formation. While he was unable to drive it due to his lacking cultivation at the moment, fortunately, it was still within his means to restrict the lightning formation to within the orb.

Taking a deep breath, he raised the Lightning Elemental Orb in the air and began driving his zhenqi into it.

"Return," Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath.

Hualala!

Countless streaks of lightning in the surroundings began flowing toward the Lightning Elemental Orb like countless streams converging into the vast ocean.

"Mmm?"

At this moment, Feng Xun regained consciousness once more. Upon seeing the sight before him, his eyes widened in astonishment, and his body began trembling in fear.

The sight before him was simply too frightening. A fellow who had nearly been charred black from a lightning strike was raising his hand before him, and countless streaks of lightning were converging in his direction, seemingly attempting to tear him apart.

Is this hell, or am I dreaming? That man… Principal Zhang?

Taking a closer look, Feng Xun realized that the charred black fellow was none other than Zhang Xuan!

Suddenly recalling the situation that they were in, he quickly scanned his surroundings, and soon, he saw the Stoneleaf King's body lying right beside Zhang Xuan, not moving or breathing in the slightest.

Principal Zhang managed to kill the Stoneleaf King? Feng Xun could hardly believe his eyes.

It was only in this instant that he confirmed that he wasn't dead yet.

Before he was knocked out, he had clashed face on with the Stoneleaf King, and the latter had been so powerful that he had been defeated within a single encounter.

Yet, after regaining consciousness, he suddenly found the carcass of the Stoneleaf King lying cold on the ground… Just what in the world happened while he was out? What did Principal Zhang sacrifice in order to kill the Stoneleaf King and save him?

More importantly… while he was not dead, why was his body convulsing uncontrollably? Furthermore, that dull pain that was constantly assaulting his head… just who was the scoundrel who had knocked him out time and time again?

Pondering over the matter for some time, Feng Xun was still unable to make sense of the situation, so he gave up on it altogether. Turning his attention back to the charred black fellow, he couldn't help but feel deeply touched within. Back then, he had attempted to teach the other party a lesson to bring honor back to the Combat Master Hall, and yet, the other party was still willing to cast aside their differences and save him in this crucial moment.

Just recalling what he had done previously left him deeply ashamed. He really did not know how he should face the other party after that.

It was no wonder Luo Ruoxin had chosen the other party over him. If he were Luo Ruoxin, he would have made the same decision as well!

Hu!

Not too long later, the lightning in the sky was finally contained within the Lightning Elemental Orb, and Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, he stowed the orb back into his storage ring.

Stretching his slightly stiffened body, he was just about to drive hid zhenqi to recuperate from his injuries when he saw Feng Xun walking up to him.

"Principal Zhang, you have my deepest gratitude for saving my life." Feng Xun bowed down deeply.

Zhang Xuan hurriedly waved his hand in embarrassment. "There's no need to stand on ceremony."

While he had only done it due to the compelling circumstances then, it was a fact that he had knocked the other party out thrice and electrocuted him once. Even at this moment, the other party's body was still convulsing non-stop. That was probably an aftereffect from the brick smash and electrocution. If the other party were to learn of this matter, would the other party rip him apart then and there?

Forget it, what the other party did not know would not hurt him. It would not be good for them to sour their camaraderie over a trivial matter like this.

However, just because Zhang Xuan did not speak of it, it did not mean that Feng Xun was not going to broach the subject. "Principal Zhang, I would like to ask, did the Stoneleaf King make a move on me while I was unconscious? Somehow, there is a dull pain at the back of my head…"

"That… That's not important at all!" With twitching lips, Zhang Xuan hurriedly shook his head. "Let's return now. Wu shi and the others should have recovered by now…"

With the lightning formation back in the Lightning Elemental Orb, the sky gradually cleared up. Not too long later, they arrived at where Wu shi and the others were hiding. At this moment, they had already left the insides of the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Taking a look at the unconscious Golden Origin Cauldron, Zhang Xuan heaved a deep sigh before stowing it back into his storage ring.

While he had succeeded in waking up Lu Chong and Wei Ruyan, the situation was slightly different for the Golden Origin Cauldron. As an artifact, its spirit was fundamentally different from that of a human's soul, so the means that he had utilized previously would be completely ineffective on it. He would have to find a higher tier Blacksmith Guild and gather the books there to find a solution for it.

"Principal Zhang has managed to kill the Stoneleaf King…" Returning to the crowd, Feng Xun shared the joyous news with the expedition team. In an instant, flabbergasted looks surfaced all around them.

Even Wu shi had been unable to stand against the Stoneleaf King's strength back then, and yet, Zhang Xuan had actually succeeded in killing the latter and even resolved the lightning formation. This was truly inconceivable. They could not help but turn to look at Zhang Xuan with gazes of admiration.

Zhang Xuan had initially intended to explain the situation to them, but eventually, he decided against it.

It was hard to explain how he managed to turn the Jadeleaf King against the Stoneleaf King, so revealing this matter could potentially bring him significant trouble. Since that was the case, he might as well remain silent about it.

"Most of you haven't recuperated fully from your injuries yet, and the path ahead is bound to be more dangerous than ever." Noting that there were still quite a few people who were severely wounded, Zhang Xuan proposed, "Why don't we just rest here for the night? We can proceed after we have fully recovered."

After what they had been through, the expedition team also knew that the ancient domain was filled with danger at every corner, and they would have to be in their peak state if they wanted to remain alive. Thus, they nodded in agreement and sat back down to recuperate from their injuries.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan found an opportunity to head to a remote location alone to let Luo Ruoxin out while entering the Myriad Anthive Nest himself.

Hu!

The Lightning Elemental Orb appeared in his hand.

With a thought, he drew his soul out from his glabella before grabbing the Lightning Elemental Orb.

Previously, he had used the lightning formation to temper his soul, and the effects had been considerable. Since he had obtained the Lightning Elemental Orb, the very core of the lightning formation, and he had some time on his hands, it was a good opportunity for him to cultivate and advance his soul cultivation.

Gazing at the condensed lightning packed into the orb, Zhang Xuan grasped the orb tightly with his soul before driving the Heaven's Path Soul Art.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

Streak after streak of lightning began surging out from the Lightning Elemental Orb and into his soul, tempering it.

An hour later, his soul compressed down from seven meters to six meters, and his soul cultivation advanced up to Nascent Saint intermediate stage.

Two hours later, his soul was compressed down to five meters, and his soul cultivation had reached Nascent Saint advanced stage.

Four hours later, his soul was four meters, and his soul cultivation was at Nascent Saint pinnacle!

While his soul had grown smaller, the soul energy within was purer than ever. On top of that, it was imbued with the Power of Lightning, giving it an incredibly powerful presence.

With just his soul cultivation alone, he could probably defeat a Saint 2-dan pinnacle expert.

My soul, body, and zhenqi cultivation have reached Nascent Saint pinnacle.

After cultivating for a while longer, Zhang Xuan realized that if he were to continue tempering his soul without any subsequent cultivation technique, he could very well face unexpected problems in his soul cultivation. Thus, he returned his soul back to his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Within less than a single day after entering the ancient domain, he had managed to raise his physical body cultivation and soul cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle. This expedition had truly been a fruitful one for him.

If it had been anywhere else, who knew how long it would have taken him to achieve this feat?

"Here, the Lightning Elemental Orb is an extremely powerful artifact for cultivating one's soul. You should cultivate a bit as well!" After advancing his soul cultivation, Zhang Xuan tossed the Lightning Elemental Orb to his clone before leaving the Anthive Nest and returning back to the expedition team.

After a period of rest, the expedition members had mostly recovered from their wounds, and they exuded an aura of vigor.

"Let's continue our journey!" Wu shi said, and the expedition team swiftly got up and began making their way forward.

The route ahead of them mainly consisted of a barren plain.

After walking some distance, Wu shi suddenly came to a halt. He turned to the young man beside him and asked, "Principal Zhang, does this look familiar to you?"

As he said those words, he pointed to the area just ahead of him.

Embedded in the ground was a sword. Forcefully snapped by something, only the top half of it was left.

Taking a closer look at the surroundings, there were some marks of battle around them. Some parts were buried under a layer of dirt, but it was still easily discernible.

"No, I don't think I have seen it before…" Taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the sword pierced in the ground had reached Half Saint as well. However, its appearance was unfamiliar to Zhang Xuan, and he was certain that he had never seen it before.

Wo Tianqiong walked over and remarked, "That is Zhang Yinqiu's weapon. He used it once in a duel with me."

As the principal of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, he had rather close ties with the old principal, and they had often met one another. As such, he was well aware of the weapons in the old principal's possession.

"It belongs to the old principal?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Yes, that's definitely his weapon!" Wu Ran and Shen Pingchao stepped forward and nodded in agreement.

"Since the old principal's weapon has fallen it, it means that his expedition team must have walked down this route as well… Let's move on!"

The eyes of the crowd lit up in excitement.

This was the first time that they had found traces of the old principal after entering the ancient domain, and they could not help but feel a little agitated within.

They hastened their footsteps, but it did not take long before they stopped once more.

Ahead of them was a massive sandstorm. What was particularly eerie about it was that the sandstorm was pitch-black. Without even approaching it, the crowd could not help but feel shivers running down their spines.

"What's that?"

"I have no idea either…"

Even though they did not recognize what the black sandstorm ahead of them was, they could feel the sheer power that was harnessed within it, and it left them feeling deeply apprehensive.

After a moment of silence, Wo Tianqiong suddenly spoke up with an awful look on his face. "That is the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!"

The crowd frowned in confusion. "Black Sandstorm of Oblivion?"

"Un. It is an extremely dangerous sandstorm that possesses extraordinarily potent corrosion capability. Any existence that steps into it will be swiftly reduced into nothing." After a moment of hesitation, Wo Tianqiong continued. "If you don't believe me, take a look at this…"

After saying those words, he whipped out a Spirit pinnacle sword and tossed it into the sandstorm.

Tzzzzzz!

As soon as the sword was tossed into the sandstorm, innumerable black spots appeared on it, as if it was rusty from being soaked in rainwater for many days.

After which, with a swift wave of his hand, Wo Tianqiong retrieved the sword with his zhenqi. He flicked on it lightly.

Kacha!

The incomparably sturdy Spirit pinnacle sword immediately shattered into innumerable pieces.

"This…"

The faces of the crowd distorted in horror.

Spirit pinnacle weapons were rare even among Tier-1 Empire, and yet, it did not even survive more than a few breaths within the sandstorm before being torn to pieces. Wasn't the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion a little too frightening?

"Is there any way that we can bypass this sandstorm?" one of the combat masters asked with a frown.

Guild Leader Han took a closer look at the sandstorm, and he shook his head bitterly. "I'm afraid that is impossible…"