Chapter 1378: Zhang Xuan Gets Beaten

The river was a spiritual vein, its vital energy so dense it was almost tangible.

The gourd hung below, absorbing power and slowly growing.

“Just pick it and take it away...”

Zhang Xuan let out a breath and smiled faintly.

To advance his cultivation, he only needed to collect Heavenly Dao cultivation techniques and enough spirit stones. While the Void-Glimpse Gourd was precious, its use to him was relatively minor. He considered it better to use it to build a good relationship. If Luo Xuanqing could speak a few good words on his behalf, it would be far more beneficial than his own desperate efforts.

His arm extended, and he swiftly reached out to grab it.

Although he still didn't use his full strength, his comprehension of space had reached the third stage of the Void-Space Heavenly Tome. With a single grab, the surrounding space seemed to solidify, and the gourd was trapped as if in a cage, all its escape routes sealed.

Just as his palm was about to land on the gourd, the emerald-green object suddenly seemed to awaken, shaking violently.

*Crack!*

The sealed space instantly shattered, and Zhang Xuan felt a tremendous force pressing down, as if it would pulverize his arm.

“Hmm?”

His pupils contracted. Unable to hold back any longer, he immediately activated the power within him. True Qi surged forth, forming a massive barrier.

With his enhanced comprehension of space, he knew that using force at this moment would not trigger an attack from the surrounding environment.

The gourd on the vine wiggled slightly.

*Rip!*

The barrier, like torn paper, developed massive cracks. Then, something like a colossal mountain crashed down from above. Zhang Xuan met it with both hands, feeling intense pain. With a *boom!*, he was sent flying backward.

He landed hard on the ground, his face pale.

When he stood up again, he found his entire arm was numb, and his bones felt as if they were about to shatter.

His physical body had already reached the level of a half-step high-grade Saint artifact; a mid-grade Saint artifact striking him wouldn't cause much discomfort. Yet, a mere shake had caused him excruciating pain. The gourd's power far exceeded his imagination.

“Damn it!”

His Heavenly Dao True Qi circulated, and his injuries quickly healed. He glared at the gourd not far away, his eyes bloodshot.

“I refuse to believe I can't catch you!”

Taking a deep breath, he flipped his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm. With a light flick, the sword light transformed into a lotus and shot forward.

The Spirit Void Sword!

Since this Void-Glimpse Gourd could help people comprehend the Void Glimpse realm, its grade was likely not low. Having just suffered a significant setback, he dared not underestimate it and immediately unleashed his strongest weapon.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss!*

The moment the Spirit Void Sword appeared, the surrounding space immediately warped, as if it might tear apart at any moment.

The folded space was inherently less stable than the outside world, and with his comprehension of space reaching the third level, even if he couldn't break its constraints entirely, causing a momentary distortion was effortless.

“Seeing” the sword energy approach, the gourd wiggled again, like a large-bottomed fellow trying to show off.

*Zzzt!*

With a gentle sway of immense power, the magnificent sword energy halted, as if a piece of wood had hit steel, unable to advance even an inch further.

“This...”

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched in surprise.

Although he hadn't used the full Spirit Void Three Swords technique, this move still incorporated the true essence of aggressive offense. Combined with the Spirit Void Sword, even an early-stage Saint 7-dan Void Glimpse realm expert wouldn't dare to block it head-on... yet the opponent simply twisted its body and stopped it, rendering his efforts futile...

It was simply too powerful!

“Go!”

Holding nothing back, one hundred and eight long swords appeared before him.

Sword qi crisscrossed, and sword intent surged like a tide. As the true qi in his body was instantly drained, over a hundred long swords converged, forming a long rainbow that shot straight towards the gourd.

*Thud!*

The gourd also sensed the power of this move and wiggled even more enthusiastically. Its vigorous wiggling caused it to *plop* off the vine. It then changed direction and charged forward.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

As it collided with the sword energy, ripples appeared in the air, emitting a kaleidoscope of light.

The "Sword Piercing the Sea" technique, despite its immense power, seemed utterly ineffective against the gourd. The sword lights clanged against it, leaving not even a faint mark. On the contrary, the gourd's speed increased, and in the blink of an eye, it completely shattered the sword technique.

“That strong?”

His pupils constricted, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"Sword Piercing the Sea" was currently his strongest ultimate technique. When fully unleashed, he wouldn't even greatly fear opponents like Yuan Xiao.

Yet... such a formidable technique had been so effortlessly shattered, leaving him utterly incredulous.

It was too powerful!

However, the opponent seemed to give him no time to react. After breaking "Sword Piercing the Sea," it appeared before him the next instant, slamming viciously into his chest.

After unleashing the Spirit Void Three Swords, the true qi in his body was almost completely depleted. Seeing how ferocious the opponent was, with no time to dodge, he stopped deliberating and met it with both palms, simultaneously activating his Witch Soul to boost his soul power.

Previously, exhausting his true qi would leave him with zero combat power. However, now that his physical body and Witch Soul cultivation had advanced, he possessed considerable strength relying solely on those two.

With a series of bone-cracking sounds, Zhang Xuan's arm was instantly fractured.

His body was sent flying backward once more, crashing to the ground. Several of his ribs and his sternum were fractured.

The opponent was simply too powerful; not only did it shatter "Sword Piercing the Sea," but it still inflicted severe injuries upon him.

If his previous sword technique hadn't absorbed some of the impact, he would likely have been dead or near death from that blow.

Limp all over, he hadn't even managed to get up when he saw the gourd, now detached from the vine, sway in the air and charge at him viciously again.

This time, its speed was even greater, as if it intended to break through spatial constraints and wouldn't stop until it had slammed him to death.

His face turned ashen.

Even at full strength, he had been no match. Now, with his true qi depleted and severe injuries, allowing the gourd to attack would likely result in his immediate death.

“Spatial Lock! Clone!”

He was unsure of the situation outside, but to prevent Luo Xuanqing and the others from seeing, he flicked a finger, sealing off the surrounding space from outside observation. Simultaneously, he released his clone.

The clone had cultivated the secret technique of the Heavenly Dao Witch Soul, and its strength had surged once more. Its combat power was considerably greater than his, so it should be able to hold off the gourd for a moment.

The clone appeared, and through mental communication, instantly understood the situation. It clenched its fist and charged towards the gourd.

However, despite its speed, it was still somewhat slower than the gourd. Before its fist could land, the gourd was already upon it.

*Smack!*

It slammed directly into its face, instantly flattening it into the shape of a gourd.

“What the...!”

The clone went berserk. “How dare you injure me? I'll kill you!”

Every time it appeared, it would thoroughly ridicule and boast to its main body. This time, before it could even utter a word, it was flattened by a gourd. The intense rage made it feel like it was about to explode.

Amidst its roar, its fist shot out to meet the attack.

They clashed, and the clone's body swayed. Its lips trembling, it quickly turned its head, “I can't beat it! Run!”

While its combat power was indeed stronger than Zhang Xuan's, it was still significantly weaker compared to the gourd before them.

“Run?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He had come to retrieve the gourd, yet he was being beaten so badly that he had to flee before even touching it... This was a bit outrageous!

“If you don't run, then you take the blows! I'm not sticking around with you...”

After continuously blocking the gourd's attacks, the clone was disfigured beyond recognition, no longer resembling a human, and roared through gritted teeth.

You hid behind me while I got pummeled so badly, and you still have the nerve to ask why I'm running...

If you're not running, then why don't you step up and face it?!

“Alright!”

His face flushed. Knowing that his true qi was completely depleted and he was no match, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated. He swept his hand, storing the clone and numerous long swords into his ring. His body swayed, and he swiftly retreated the way he came.

*Crack!*

The gourd seemed unwilling to let him go, pressing down on him again. Zhang Xuan continued to resist, feeling his body on the verge of exploding once more, and was sent flying backward. However, by this point, he had retreated to the area where the illusion had first appeared. His figure flashed, and he vanished from the spot.

As he flew through the air, he vaguely saw the gourd, after knocking him back, return contentedly to its vine, give a gentle sway, and reattach itself.

The vine returned to its original state in the blink of an eye, as if the gourd had never detached from it.

Outside.

Watching the figure walk in nearby, Luo Xuanqing and the others were filled with worry.

“Teacher Zhang... he should be fine, right?”

“Teacher Zhang has an exceptional understanding of formations. Even if this isn't strictly a formation, it's similar enough; he should be alright!”

“Indeed, as long as he can resist unsealing his cultivation, he should be fine...”

Everyone discussed, but despite their words, they all felt uneasy.

Luo Xuanqing, in particular, had brought so many people and invested so much. If they couldn't even glimpse the gourd, he truly wouldn't know what to do.

“Look, Teacher Zhang just moved forward...”

Yuan Xiao suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone quickly looked and indeed saw Zhang Xuan, who had been nearby moments before, take two steps forward and abruptly vanish.

“He must have passed through...”

His eyes lit up, and just as Luo Xuanqing was feeling a surge of excitement, he saw a figure fly straight backward with a *thud!*, crashing nearby and spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.

“Teacher Zhang...”

Everyone was startled. They rushed forward, their eyes filled with concern.

“I'm fine...”

Struggling to sit up, Zhang Xuan let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had been quick. The moment he entered the illusory space, he had immediately jumped back out. Otherwise, he would probably be dead by now, killed by that thing.

“Did Teacher Zhang also unleash his power and get attacked by the formation like this?”

Seeing his severe injuries, Luo Xuanqing couldn't help but ask.

They had all been injured by the formation after inadvertently releasing their power. This person before them looked even worse off. Could the same reason apply to him?

Had he also encountered something utterly unbearable?

“No...”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Then what injured you?”

Yuan Xiao looked at him, filled with curiosity.

Could it be that in this space, besides the formation, there was something else that could cause harm?

If that's the case, they needed to be careful...

“I was...”

Zhang Xuan's face was flushed with shame. “I was beaten by a gourd...”