Chapter 1379: Vines

No wonder Zhang Xuan felt so disheartened. All along the way, he had performed exceptionally well in front of his brother-in-law, even easily taming the Azure Dragon Beast. He was so perfect, so impeccable. He never dreamed that at the very last moment, he would be beaten by a gourd!

It was one thing to be unable to defeat a Sacred Beast or a powerful weapon, but to be thrashed so badly by a mere gourd hanging on a vine that he didn't know which way was up—the more he thought about it, the more humiliated he felt.

"Beaten by a gourd?" Luo Xuanqing was momentarily stunned, then understood, his breathing quickening. "So... Teacher Zhang saw the Void Gourd? It actually exists, it's not just an illusion?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Earlier, Yun Lianhai had been unable to sense the treasure's presence, leading everyone to believe it was also an illusion. Hearing Zhang Xuan's confirmation, they all breathed a sigh of relief. If it truly existed, their journey hadn't been in vain.

"The Void Gourd can help cultivators comprehend the Void Realm, and its combat power is probably not weaker than that of an early-stage Saint 8-dan expert," Luo Xuanqing explained. "Although Teacher Zhang possesses unparalleled talent, he is only at the peak of Saint 5-dan, the Out-of-Body Realm. The difference is considerable, so it's perfectly normal that he couldn't defeat it. Even I might not be its match..." He offered these words of comfort upon seeing Zhang Xuan's disheartened expression.

If it could help people break through to Saint 8-dan, how could the Void Gourd be simple? If one's strength wasn't sufficient, they couldn't even seize it, let alone refine it after capturing it!

Hearing Luo Xuanqing's words, Zhang Xuan felt much better. He looked up at the group. "I've already deciphered the spatial arrangement here," he said. "In a little while, I'll lead everyone to find this gourd. However, it's extremely temperamental and might attack on sight. So, please take this time to fully recover from your injuries and prepare yourselves for optimal condition!"

"Alright!" Everyone nodded in unison and sat down cross-legged. Zhang Xuan also wasted no time. He opened all his acupuncture points, rapidly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish the true qi he had consumed with his sword strike that parted the sea, and to heal his internal injuries.

The spiritual energy within the folded space was dense, allowing him to fully recover in less than two hours.

"This gourd's power is indeed strong..." He thought, as he consolidated his cultivation and pondered countermeasures.

He considered several methods, but none seemed adequate to defeat it. Just as Luo Xuanqing had mentioned, the gourd likely possessed the combat power of an early-stage Void Realm expert, something Zhang Xuan currently couldn't contend with.

Unless... he released the Vicious One, and not just the finger bone, but the skull as well, to fight alongside him. However, doing so would expose the Vicious One's true identity. As a Master Teacher, raising a member of the Spirit Tribe—if word got out, the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters might launch an investigation and even revoke his Master Teacher qualifications.

"Let's go!" Just as he was pondering a solution, finding no effective method, he saw Luo Xuanqing and the others stand up.

Although their injuries had been severe, they had consumed the healing spiritual medicine Zhang Xuan provided. Furthermore, as descendants of powerful clans, they possessed many treasures, and had now almost fully recovered.

"Follow me closely; don't take a single wrong step!" Zhang Xuan instructed. Knowing the inherent danger, everyone nodded in agreement.

Without further delay, Zhang Xuan sealed his cultivation and stepped inside first. Having comprehended the third level of the Heaven's Path Spatial Manipulation Art, his mastery over space had become incredibly powerful. This, combined with his understanding of the spatial formation's secrets, allowed him to re-enter without encountering any danger.

While his direct combat use of spatial abilities might not match Luo Xuanqing's, within this specific space, Luo Xuanqing was far inferior.

With the experience of their first entry, the second time was much simpler. Before long, they once again arrived at the spiritual vein river, where a gourd hung suspended nearby.

"It's the Void Gourd..." Luo Xuanqing trembled with excitement.

It hadn't been clear from a distance, but upon closer inspection, he knew it was indeed the Void Gourd—a heavenly treasure that, once refined, offered a high chance of breaking through to the Void Realm.

"I'll wait here; you all go ahead!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. He reasoned that if he didn't use his full power, his abilities wouldn't particularly stand out among the group, making his direct intervention irrelevant.

"Good!" Luo Xuanqing and the others were filled with fighting spirit. "With the few of us acting together, we can certainly subdue it!"

Zhang Xuan raised a fist, smiled faintly, and offered encouragement: "Go for it!"

Three minutes later, Luo Xuanqing and the others reappeared outside the formation, sitting on the ground, bruised and battered, their faces etched with dejection. The four powerful experts had combined forces, displaying formidable strength and exquisite moves, but they still couldn't defeat the gourd. They had been thoroughly thrashed, especially Yuan Xiao, who bore several gourd-shaped bruises, looking particularly miserable.

"Perhaps... Teacher Zhang, you could bring the Azure Dragon Beast here? If it acts, it can definitely crush this fellow easily!" Yun Lianhai suggested after a long hesitation. The Infernal Azure Dragon Beast possessed power comparable to a peak Saint 8-dan expert; even the four of them combined were no match for it, so its intervention should be quite simple.

"This..." Zhang Xuan looked troubled. It wasn't that he didn't want to do so; rather, if he faced a truly formidable expert and couldn't win, calling upon his beast pet would be understandable. But to be unable to defeat a mere gourd... what prestige would he have left in front of them in the future?

Furthermore, this area was inherently inaccessible to Saint 8-dan cultivators. While he could indeed store the beast in a folded space, releasing it would undoubtedly destabilize the surrounding space, creating even greater problems.

"Alright then, everyone guard me while I activate my bloodline power..." Just as Zhang Xuan was grappling with the dilemma, Luo Xuanqing's eyes flashed, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Activate your bloodline power?" Bi Hongyin frowned. "You need to think this through carefully. Once you use it, you won't be able to exert any power for at least a month..."

Although bloodline power allowed for a temporary burst of much greater combat strength, its use heavily depleted the body. Even direct descendants of powerful clans would hesitate repeatedly before resorting to it.

"I know," Luo Xuanqing said. "As long as we can seize it, once my strength recovers in a month, I can find a way to refine it and attempt to break through to Saint 8-dan... No matter how great the cost, it will be worth it!"

With his current strength and accumulated foundation, under normal circumstances, breaking through to Saint 8-dan would take years, even decades. But with this item, he could succeed within three months. Even if he suffered a temporary loss of power and needed a month to recover, it would undoubtedly be a huge gain!

"Since that's the case, then let's prepare!" Bi Hongyin nodded. To obtain such a treasure, some cost was inevitable; there was no free lunch in the world. Everyone had already mentally prepared themselves for this before arriving.

With the decision made, they ceased further discussion and each focused on recovering their strength as quickly as possible.

Three hours later, they once again stood before the gourd.

"Hongyin, use your demonic sound to interfere. Yuan Xiao, try to block the gourd's main attacks. Yun Lianhai and I will launch a frontal assault. We must succeed this time!" Luo Xuanqing's expression was grim.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

"Begin!" With a low cry, Luo Xuanqing's body rumbled violently, his aura instantly surging. Immediately, the space around him began to warp.

He stepped forward, reaching out his palm, and the space around the gourd seemed to instantly freeze.

Sensing the hostility, the gourd, filled with anger, surged outward again. However, Luo Xuanqing, with his bloodline activated, had become incredibly powerful. Despite the gourd charging several times, it couldn't break free from the confined space.

*Ding-dong! Ding-dong!* Immediately, the melodious notes of a zither filled the air as Bi Hongyin began to play, while Yuan Xiao and Yun Lianhai charged forward in unison.

"They should be able to seize it this time..." Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Luo Xuanqing, who had activated his bloodline, with his combat power more than doubled and his mastery over space significantly enhanced, now no weaker than a Void Realm expert.

Truly a genius from the Saint Luo Clan; activating his bloodline transformed him completely.

Previously, when he fought against Zhang Qian, he had seen him use the Zhang Clan's bloodline. While it also boosted his strength, it was far less potent than what he witnessed now.

It appeared that the purer a bloodline was, the greater the effect it produced upon activation.

After a moment of reflection, he looked up to see the four experts pinning the gourd to the ground and stomping on it, while Bi Hongyin had even lifted her zither and was smashing it with all her might.

Under their combined assault, the gourd, which had been so arrogant moments before, was now trembling uncontrollably, looking utterly miserable.

"Let's see you be arrogant now..." Recalling his own miserable beating earlier, Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction, feeling immensely pleased.

Weren't you so cocky? Now you wouldn't dare be so arrogant, would you?

Knowing that the battle here was no longer in suspense and that the others could capture the gourd without his intervention, Zhang Xuan shifted his attention, looking up at the spiritual energy river suspended in the air.

As he had noted before, this was indeed a spiritual vein. However, having been extracted from underground to nourish the gourd and sustain numerous spatial operations, it was nearly depleted.

"What a pity..." He sighed.

If this spiritual vein had been discovered right after its extraction, though not exceptionally powerful, it would have been worth dozens, or even hundreds, of supreme-grade spirit stones. However, now, despite the abundant spiritual energy, its purity was insufficient, comparable only to high-grade spirit stones, rendering it of little use to him.

"Hmm, this vine is a good find..." He shook his head, about to withdraw his gaze, when suddenly his expression shifted, and his eyes fixed on a vine within the spiritual vein.

It was only about the thickness of a finger, yet it shimmered with spiritual energy, appearing like jade. He hadn't looked closely before, and it was also hidden within the spiritual vein, making it easy to overlook. Now, with his Eye of Insight, he discovered that not only was this object incredibly hard, but the spiritual energy within it was also exceptionally abundant, many times denser than even a prime high-grade spirit stone.

"Let's go take a look!" His eyes lit up, and unable to contain his excitement, Zhang Xuan flew directly towards it.

He quickly arrived before it. The vine was entirely green, like emerald, and cold to the touch. Within it, there seemed to be countless folded spaces, densely packed like a honeycomb.

"This..." Zhang Xuan blinked several times, utterly stunned.

He had clearly felt this power emanating from the gourd just now; it seemed like a spatial distortion but was, in fact, the power of the Void. It was precisely this power that enabled one to break through to the Saint 8-dan realm.

He had assumed this power was exclusive to the gourd, but unexpectedly, it was present in this vine too.

"Let's see if I can refine it..." His eyes lit up, and he eagerly reached out to touch the vine. Immediately, a cool sensation permeated his body, and a book appeared in his mind.

Smiling faintly, he extended a finger and gently tapped the vine.

*Crackle! Crackle!* With a series of crisp sounds, the long vine, as if it had found its master, emitted excited crackles and flew straight towards him.

"Collect!" Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Xuan reached out and grabbed it.

In the blink of an eye, the vine was stored in his storage ring and vanished from sight.