Library of Heaven's Path

“You plan on fighting against me?”

The face of the middle-aged man turned livid. He drew his sword, causing a metallic reverberation reminiscent of a dragon’s roar to echo in the air.

The next moment, the middle-aged man suddenly appeared right before Zhang Xuan. His sword tore through the air to strike right down on Zhang Xuan’s waist.

As a God King, his cultivation was strong enough to put him in the highest echelon of the Firmament.

His offense did not appear to be as imposing as the attacks from a Celestial God, but that was only because his strength was fully channeled into harming his enemy. There was not the slightest bit of energy wasted as heat or sound.

Furthermore, the world seemed to sway along with his movements, reinforcing the might of his attack.

“Humph!”

Seeing how the middle-aged man made a move on him as soon as negotiations broke down, Zhang Xuan knew that the other party had other means to extract the pill formulas from him even after he was dead. After all, the concept of Soul Search and similar techniques existed on the Firmament as well.

It was clear that there was nothing he could say that would make the middle-aged man hold back on him.

Since words would make no difference at this point, Zhang Xuan immediately retreated using the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps.

However, even though the movement technique allowed him to fly, the speed at which he could move was drastically beneath that of a God King.

Zhang Xuan could barely retreat a dozen steps before another slash was right before him.

In that moment, Zhang Xuan opened his arms.

As he drove his zhenqi to its limits, he took out the six spears that he had collected from the six assailants earlier and directed them toward the middle-aged man.

Each of these spears was infused with his Spear Quintessence, granting them superior might. Furthermore, they were positioned in a manner that allowed them to synergize their powers through a collaborative formation.

“You do have some means!”

The middle-aged man did not expect Zhang Xuan to be such a skilled spear practitioner. With a cold harrumph, he redirected his sword away from Zhang Xuan to deal with the spear formation instead.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

With a single strike, the six spears were broken at their intersection by a sword, causing the formation to collapse.

The difference in the tier of the weapons and their cultivation made the result of this collision a foregone conclusion.

“You would have been a truly terrifying adversary if you had been able to become a God King. It’s a pity that such a day will never come,” the middle-aged man remarked as he swung his sword once more.

His movements were not too large, but the despairingly powerful pressure produced by the slash made no question of the might of the attack.

Even with the Pathos of Heaven, it was still difficult for Zhang Xuan to bridge the humongous gap that existed between a God King and a Celestial God.

If not for that, God Kings would not have been so revered in the world.

“I think that I’m already plenty terrifying as an adversary for you as I am right now though,” Zhang Xuan retorted nonchalantly.

He admitted that his strength was indeed lacking compared to the middle-aged man, but the latter was just a mere God King. A good smash from a golden page would probably be enough to grind even a Conferred God King down to smithereens, let alone a God King!

The only reason the middle-aged man was still alive was because he did not want to waste his treasure on the likes of him!

“Conceited, aren’t you?” the middle-aged man scoffed as he brandished his sword furiously.

In an instant, the entire sky was covered with sword qi, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

This time around, instead of dodging, Zhang Xuan dashed forward.

He gathered his sword qi at the tip of his finger, producing a spark of light amid the darkness. It felt incomparably insignificant compared to the barrage of sword qi that was swarming the surroundings, yet there seemed to be some compelling power to it that one simply could not ignore.

It was a very weird feeling.

Despite being a God King, the middle-aged man could not help but feel a little apprehensive at the congregation of sword qi at the tip of Zhang Xuan’s finger. It made him feel like he was wrapped in layers of silk, leaving him unable to run.

Huala!

The sword qi covering the sky suddenly surged into the congregation of sword qi at the tip of Zhang Xuan’s finger, as if it was being devoured. At the same time, the aura of the congregation of sword qi surged to a terrifying extent.

“What is that sword art?” the middle-aged man asked with eyes widened in shock.

The sword art was already so powerful even though the young man was only using his finger. If the young man had a sword in his hand, would the sword art have been even more powerful?

He had never seen such a ridiculously powerful sword art before!

Even God Kings would have some difficulties trying to execute such a powerful move!

Feeling goosebumps rising all over his body, the God King immediately raised his sword in preparation to deal with whatever was coming. At the very same time, the young man before him muttered, “Only on demise will a silkworm run out of thread; only as ashes will the tears of a candle dry up.”

The third level of the Pathos of Heaven’s sword art had finally been created!

Prior to the assault, he had figured out what kind of sword art he wanted to create, and in this moment of danger, he had managed to connect with his emotions to pull it off.

A day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father! [1]

A teacher had to have the same sternness that a parent would have when educating their students, or perhaps even more than that.

A teacher should also be a friend. They should communicate with their students with care and concern so as to understand their circumstances and guide them based on their nature.

A teacher, as though a nanny, would also worry about everything relating to their students, taking everything about them into consideration regardless of how large or small they were.

The relationship between a teacher and a student was complex, and it could not be summarized with just a few words. This was a bond that could be so powerful and lasting that it could linger till death.

Only on demise will a silkworm run out of thread; only as ashes will the tears of a candle dry up!’

This sword art was built upon the deepest emotions in his heart, and like a black hole, it swallowed the middle-aged man whole.

Even as a God King, he was unable to stand against the prowess of the sword art. Before he knew it, he was struck square in the chest.

A gaping laceration appeared right across his chest.

“You…”

The middle-aged man did not think that he would be injured in a fight against a high-tier Celestial God, and he could no longer keep his composure. With a furious roar, he was just about to toss everything aside to slay the young man when he felt a chill behind him.

Acting solely on his instincts, he channeled his energy to his back to fortify his body. Padah!

With a resounding sonic boom, a powerful force rippled across his back as his body catapulted forward before tumbling to the ground.

The middle-aged man adeptly leaped to his feet before turning around, only to see another figure that was identical to the young man he was facing.

“This is… a clone?”

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.

It was a clone that shared the same strength as the main body.

Where in the world did that fellow manage to find something like that?

“Attack!”

Paying no heed to the middle-aged man’s shock, Zhang Xuan charged forward as he flicked sword qi from his finger. At the same time, the clone also dashed forward.

Due to the unique nature of the Nine Hearts Lotus, the clone did not have to temper its physical body at all. As long as it had an ample amount of God Essence Pill, it was able to strengthen its body and raise its cultivation sufficiently.

If not for the Pathos of Heaven, even Zhang Xuan would not have been a match for it.

The coordination of the two of them was terrifying. Even with his strength as a God King, the middle-aged man found himself under a lot of stress.

Usually, God Kings should have been able to suppress high-tier Celestial Gods easily with just a single finger, but he found himself struggling to cope against the two opponents before him. This made him feel extremely stifled.

He had never felt so indignant fighting with someone who was not a God King!

“It seems like I was looking down on you. However, it doesn’t make a difference. You won’t be getting away alive!”

The middle-aged man released his full strength, and in that moment, it felt like the surrounding space had frozen in place. Zhang Xuan and his clone immediately felt great resistance to their movements, causing them to slow down significantly.

Zhang Xuan’s sword art was powerful, but he did not have an appropriate weapon to use it with. The clone boasted a powerful physical body, but his real cultivation was a little too low. As such, it was still hard for them to match up to a God King.

Peng peng!

Zhang Xuan and his clone were struck simultaneously, causing them to fly backward.

Hu!

The clone’s body wiggled a little, and its injuries vanished without a trace. At the same time, Zhang Xuan channeled his zhenqi toward his injuries, and they swiftly healed up as well.

You…”

The middle-aged man was stunned.

He was certain that he had dealt a near fatal wound to Zhang Xuan and his clone in that earlier strike, but the two of them were able to heal up in the blink of an eye.

Just what kind of freakish enemy did he just get himself tangled up with?

Lowering his head, he saw that the gaping laceration across his chest was still dripping blood, and he immediately felt less well.

With his constitution as a God King, he would usually be able to heal up from most wounds fast enough as long as he channeled his energy to it. However, he dared not lose his concentration in his fight against the other party, so his injuries only got more and more severe with time.

His vigorous movements had caused the laceration to tear further, and a greater amount of blood was flowing out from it.

He had thought that as long as he could wound the enemy, he should be able to catch a breather to heal his injuries.

And he did manage to wound the enemy eventually… but how was he to know that the enemy could heal up in the blink of an eye?

Furthermore, it felt like their auras had grown even more violent and powerful after healing up…

Are the two of you the incarnation of the God of Cockroaches?

Just what in the world do I have to do in order to kill you?

At this rate, the situation would only get more disadvantageous to him the more it dragged out.

“Let’s comer him!” Zhang Xuan said as he rushed forward with his clone once more.

It was clear that their greatest trump card against the middle-aged man was the difference in their recovery ability. They could afford to attack recklessly whereas the middle-aged man had to tread carefully.

Peng peng peng!

Three minutes later, the middle-aged man’s face had already turned ghastly pale from weakness. On the other hand, even though his opponent was in an unkempt state as well, there was not the slightest injury to be seen on them.

They were still as vigorous as ever.

The middle-aged man clutched his hair in frenzy.

How am I supposed to win this battle?

He should have been able to kill a high-tier Celestial God easily enough, but before he knew it, the tables had already turned on him. He was the one who was going to be killed.

“Damn!”

Knowing that he was in a disadvantageous position, the God King immediately turned around and ran away.

Even though he had concealed the area with a formation, it did not change the fact that they were in proximity to Drifting Specter Royal City, if he could not kill his opponent fast enough, he might draw the attention of the Conferred God Kings.

You must be thinking that I am a pushover. I should make an example out of you so that others know better than to cross me!”

If he let his assailant get away so easily, he could be certain that he would face more ambushes in the future!

So, Zhang Xuan stowed his clone away and chased the God King using the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps.

However, the speed of his flight was simply too slow. He could not catch up with the middle-aged man.

“Hahaha! I might be unable to kill you, but you aren’t able to stop me from leaving!” The middle-aged man turned around and harrumphed. “Just you wait! It’ll be the date of your death the next time we meet!”

Right after saying those words, he turned around and bolted away.

But before he could get far, he was forced to come to a halt.

“Ah? What is…”

Before he could finish his words, a massive beak appeared before him.

Glub!

Just like that, the middle-aged man was swallowed whole.

Then, a small chick in front of Zhang Xuan.

Burp!

It released a resounding belch as it shook its bottom leisurely.

“Little Chick, you’re awake?” Zhang Xuan asked in agitation.

The Little Chick that had gone into hibernation after dying in the Lucid Lunar Lake had awakened once more, and judging by the tremendous power within it… it had actually become a God King!

Zhang Xuan had thought that he would be able to become a God King soon enough, but he was unable to gather the Anima of Yearning fast enough, causing his soul cultivation to lag behind. As a result, he was still some way off from making a breakthrough.

In the end, this chick even beat him to it!

A God King chick!

Just the thought of it filled him with excitement.

[1] This saying literally means: You might be my teacher for a day, but I’ll view you as my father for a lifetime.