Chapter 1365: Killing Intent

Zhang Xuan had always considered himself a disciple of "Yang Xuan," believing it was just a made-up name. He never dreamed it would actually be real! To his astonishment, there really was a Master Teacher named Yang Xuan at the Master Teacher Continent headquarters—and he was one of the three Grand Elders!

How could a randomly made-up name turn out to be real? No wonder Luo Chengxin was so flustered when he heard the name "Yang Xuan" and wanted to teach him a lesson back then! It wasn't because Zhang Xuan's disguise was good; it was because such a person genuinely existed, leading to Luo Chengxin's terror and preconceived fear.

All this time, whenever he mentioned his master, the Master Teacher Pavilion would actively suppress the information. It was likely reported to the higher-ups, and upon realizing a Grand Elder was involved, they ceased their investigation and proactively buried the news.

"So that's how it is..."

He had always thought his disguise was simply too convincing, which prevented people from bothering him or coveting his Heaven's Path Divine Art. But it turned out there really was a person named Yang Xuan! He had secretly borrowed the other person's formidable name, like a fox pretending to be a tiger, which was why his journey had been so smooth.

"How could it be such a coincidence?"

He was still in shock, finding it hard to believe. The name "Yang Xuan" had been completely made up on the spur of the moment. How could it be such a coincidence that such a powerful individual actually existed?

"It must be it..."

With a thought, his consciousness quickly immersed itself in his Sea of Knowledge. He found himself outside the library once more. The five large characters above the entrance carried an ancient, timeless aura, as if they had torn through space from another world, exuding an indescribable sense of antiquity.

"The creation of Heaven and Earth... everything conforms to nature. What I said unintentionally back then has actually come true. Everything is under the control of the Heavenly Dao, and everything follows a pattern..."

His muscles tensed. He didn't believe that "Yang Xuan" had simply appeared out of thin air. It was more likely that when he first thought of creating a disguise, the Library had already integrated a subconscious suggestion into his mind, prompting him to blurt out that specific name.

In other words... there was a divine will at play! The will of Heaven cannot be defied, and the Heavenly Dao cannot be altered!

"Although I am in control, what if the Heavenly Dao wants to eliminate me? Would it also be irresistible?"

A chill ran down his spine as he considered this possibility.

"Master Zhang, Master Zhang? What's wrong?"

While he was lost in thought, a voice reached his ears. He looked up to see Yun Lianhai gazing at him with what seemed to be concern.

"Oh, I'm fine!"

Zhang Xuan sighed in relief, a smile returning to his face as he completely concealed the shock and worry in his heart. With his current mental cultivation, if he truly wished to conceal his inner turmoil, no one else would be able to perceive it. It was his greatest secret, and it absolutely could not be revealed.

"I was startled just now, hearing that Feng Ziyi possesses such a background. I haven't quite recovered yet..." He awkwardly scratched his head.

"Indeed, I was incredibly shocked the first time I heard it too, to be honest. The Grand Elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters are exceptionally mysterious; even few people at the headquarters have ever seen them. For him to receive their guidance and be taken as a direct disciple—such an opportunity is truly rare!"

Yun Lianhai nodded, then suddenly looked over with some curiosity. "By the way, Master Zhang, for you to possess such talent and strength at such a young age, you must have also received guidance from a teacher, right? May I ask who your esteemed teacher is..."

"Well..." Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

In the past, he would have directly stated, "My master is 'Yang Xuan'." But he had just finished talking about Feng Ziyi. If he said that again, and the other party asked if Feng Ziyi was his senior brother... he wouldn't have an answer.

"If it's inconvenient to answer, then never mind. Some reclusive experts prefer their students not to constantly mention their names, to avoid the 'fox borrowing the tiger's might' and to ensure it doesn't hinder their growth!" Yun Lianhai waved his hand. He had only asked casually, not intending to pry. After all, everyone has their secrets, and their relationship hadn't reached a point where he was obligated to share. It was perfectly normal for him not to want to speak.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and clasped his fists.

"You're welcome..." Yun Lianhai smiled and said nothing further.

After chatting for a while longer, they each began to cultivate. Zhang Xuan also suppressed the terror in his heart, closed his eyes, and slowly consolidated the strength he had just gained from his breakthrough. For him, dwelling on these matters now was impractical; the best course of action was to rapidly improve his strength. Everything else was secondary; only strength was truly real.

They flew continuously without a word. During this time, he quietly questioned Yuan Xiao. However, Yuan Xiao had been at the Saint Son Hall all year and hadn't returned to his family, so he was unaware of the new genius, Yuan Tao. Filled with regret, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to give up.

Five days later, the Seven-Colored Heavenly Crane halted. Before them lay a vast, undulating mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. After these few days of cultivation, his recently advanced cultivation base was thoroughly consolidated. Without the aid of spirit stones, he hadn't made further progress, but he had adapted to his new cultivation, and his combat power had grown stronger. If Jian Qinsheng were to spar with him again, carefully controlling his strength as he had before, Zhang Xuan might be able to defeat him in a single move, leaving him no chance to react.

"The Void Gourd is located right here..." With a command, the Seven-Colored Heavenly Crane descended into a valley, where Luo Xuanqing pointed downwards.

Following his gaze, they saw a canyon, winding like a colossal snake, stretching straight ahead for an unknown distance. The surrounding mountains completely concealed it; one would never discover it without flying high into the sky.

"This terrain gathers wind and converges water, which can create spirit veins..." Zhang Xuan's heart stirred. His understanding of formations had long reached the peak of eight-star. This canyon connected all the surrounding mountain ranges, forming a place where spiritual energy gathered.

"However, it seems the spirit veins have been altered, preventing the formation of spirit ore..." He observed for a moment longer, his brow furrowing. While the valley could gather spiritual energy, under normal circumstances, spirit ore would eventually form over time. However, whether it had been previously mined or if some other issue had arisen, the entire Earth Vein had been thoroughly damaged. Though spiritual energy could still gather, the formation of spirit ore was now impossible.

"Let's go down!" Feeling curious, the Heavenly Crane descended, its body swaying, and soon everyone landed at the canyon's entrance.

"This place is called Earth Spirit Canyon. Due to its abundant spiritual energy, it's home to numerous sacred beasts, some even reaching Saint 8-dan, who reside here," Luo Xuanqing explained. "Therefore, we cannot fly directly in. Otherwise, if we're ambushed, no one will escape!"

Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment. He had thought the Seven-Colored Heavenly Crane was the most powerful sacred beast he had ever seen, never expecting even more formidable ones to exist within this canyon. The Master Teacher Continent truly held hidden depths and powerful beings, proving it was not as simple as he had imagined. However, upon reflection, he understood: if this valley didn't harbor such powerful sacred beasts, the Void Gourd wouldn't have remained undiscovered until now; it would have been found long ago.

"Everyone, as we enter, try to conceal your aura and leave no traces. Otherwise, we might encounter trouble before even reaching our destination..." Luo Xuanqing reiterated, arranging for the Heavenly Crane to provide support from above, then led the way into the canyon. The others followed closely behind. Zhang Xuan, having the lowest cultivation, was placed in the middle, so he could be protected if anything happened.

The canyon was quiet; as they entered, only the mournful whistling of the wind could be heard all around them. The spiritual energy within the valley was indeed denser than outside, but due to the terrain, it couldn't accumulate. While it was suitable for cultivation, forming a spirit ore vein was almost impossible.

Following behind Luo Xuanqing, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and scanned his surroundings. Within the valley, streams of spiritual energy flowed gently, like quiet rivers.

"This place can allow the Void Gourd to grow?" The more he looked, the stranger it seemed. Although he wasn't clear about the Void Gourd's growth environment, Luo Xuanqing had previously mentioned it required spirit veins to survive. Yet, the spiritual energy here was dispersed, and there were no spirit veins. How could it have grown here?

"Actually, we are already within the formation set up by that expert!" As if sensing his confusion, Luo Xuanqing sent a telepathic message.

"Within a formation?" His understanding of formations had already reached the peak of eight-star. If there truly was a formation, he wouldn't fail to see it! Unless... it was a nine-star formation! A nine-star formation... how powerful must the person who left the Void Gourd be?

"Exactly. This formation altered the flow of spiritual energy, making it impossible for people to discover the spirit veins or the treasure. Otherwise... the Void Gourd would certainly have been found long ago!" Luo Xuanqing nodded. "The reason I discovered it was purely by chance..."

"Chance?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "If it were purely by chance, discovering it wouldn't be so easy!" He couldn't detect anything amiss even with his Eye of Insight, so the likelihood of discovering the Void Gourd purely by chance seemed slim.

"Actually... I overheard my younger sister mention it once," Luo Xuanqing admitted, a blush creeping onto his face. "She loves reading and is especially fond of deduction. Based on a formation's layout method and the map of this area, she once deduced that a nine-star concealment formation might be present here. I paid attention then... and came specifically to search, which is how I discovered some irregularities!"

Discovering it based purely on luck would indeed be incredibly difficult; throughout tens of thousands of years of history, it surely would have been found long ago. The reason he knew about it was thanks to his sister.

"Based on the formation layout and a map... she could deduce all that?" Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment. She was truly worthy of being his girlfriend! Her insight and analytical abilities were in no way inferior to his.

"By the way, Brother Luo, there's something I'm curious about, and I was hoping to ask you about it!" Zhang Xuan paused before sending a telepathic message.

"Go on!" Luo Xuanqing nodded.

"It's like this: the Luo Clan is incredibly powerful, no weaker than the Zhang Clan. So why... would you agree to have your esteemed clan head marry into another family?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask. This had been bothering him for the past few days. Since the Sage Clans determine status by bloodline, and Luo Ruoxin was already the Clan Head, why would she still need to enter into a marriage alliance? Wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over the entire clan?

"Who told you to ask that?" Luo Xuanqing's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed.

Zhang Xuan immediately felt a chill surge through him, sensing a potent killing intent emanating from Luo Xuanqing.