Chapter 1380: You Poisoned?

The vines were removed, and the spiritual energy river in the sky, as if losing its support, exploded with a "boom!" Violent spiritual energy swept across, causing countless ripples to appear throughout the entire folded space.

Sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations, everyone paused for a moment, but they paid it no mind and continued their relentless assault.

Thump, thump, thump, thump! The four masters continuously employed various techniques. Long swords, great sabers, spears, hammers... numerous weapons rained down. Before long, the gourd was beaten to the brink of collapse, on the verge of breaking apart.

"Keep hitting it and it'll be smashed into a pulp. Let's rest for a bit!" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched as he returned to a spot not far away, trying to dissuade them.

"Mhm!" Luo Xuanqing nodded and waved his hand, and everyone stopped. At the same moment, he grabbed at the air, and the space before them twisted, forming a bubble-like sphere that enveloped the gourd.

"Alright..." After securing the gourd, Luo Xuanqing immediately looked as if all the strength had been drained from his body; his face turned pale, and he appeared extremely weak.

Activating the bloodline had a limited duration. Back then, Zhang Qian could only use three moves before he was too weak to even lift his fist. The fact that Luo Xuanqing had fought the gourd for so long, continuously using far more than a hundred moves, was already astonishing.

"Congratulations!" Though envy flickered in their eyes, Yuan Xiao and the others still clasped their fists in respect.

They had accepted the invitation to help capture the Void Gourd. Although they also greatly desired this treasure, they would not violate their moral principles and standards. Furthermore, Luo Xuanqing's identity and status were such that he was not someone they dared to offend.

"Without everyone's help, it wouldn't have been possible to succeed..." Luo Xuanqing nodded and replied. He was about to place the spatial bubble into his storage ring, intending to completely refine the gourd once his body recovered. Suddenly, however, the very gourd that had been on the verge of being smashed to pieces violently trembled.

Rip! A hole immediately appeared in the bubble, and the gourd shot straight out.

"Oh no..." His pupils contracted, and Luo Xuanqing was filled with anxiety.

The power from activating his bloodline was completely depleted. At this moment, although his cultivation wouldn't drastically drop, he was completely weak, with no strength at all. If the gourd escaped now, he wouldn't be able to catch it!

"Stop right there!" Yuan Xiao and the others tried to block it, unleashing their powers simultaneously.

They had spent so much effort, and their bodies were covered in marks from being kicked by the gourd. To see success within reach only to have it fail at the last moment would truly make them cry.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The gourd seemed to already know the trajectory of their attacks. It twisted its body slightly, dodging the torrential rain of power, and in the blink of an eye, it exceeded the speed of sound, rushing towards one specific direction.

It was Zhang Xuan! "This..." His scalp tingled, and Zhang Xuan nearly fainted.

He had come here this time and hadn't made a single move, just standing by in the corner... Why was it coming towards him?

"Teacher Zhang, be careful..." Everyone shouted, filled with anxiety.

The gourd's speed was swift. Knowing it was too late to dodge, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and, just like before, met it head-on.

As his palm made contact with it, he immediately felt a searing pain in his palm. A gaping wound was torn open by the gourd, and blood splattered.

The blood splattered onto the gourd, but it didn't dodge, swaying once more.

Swish! It arrived directly in front of his abdomen.

The gourd was so powerful; if it really crashed into him, his intestines would surely rupture and his abdomen would be torn, causing immediate severe injury!

Every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt has its owner. They were the ones who wanted to catch you, so why come after me...?

Zhang Xuan was almost in tears, but he knew this wasn't the time to hesitate. His true qi circulated within him, and he tried to grab it, but found himself grasping empty air. Upon touching his abdomen, the gourd didn't cause the imagined pain; instead, it simply vanished.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned, somewhat confused. The others also looked over in unison, full of doubt.

"Where's the gourd?" He looked around but found nothing. Zhang Xuan then spiritually inspected his body, and suddenly his lips trembled. "How... how did it run into my dantian?"

Inside his dantian, he saw a gourd lazily lying there. Seeing his spiritual sense scan over, it even deliberately wiggled its bottom, full of smugness.

"What?" Luo Xuanqing hurriedly came closer, spreading his spiritual sense, and then plopped down onto the ground. "You... you refined it!"

"Refined?" "The Void Gourd can help its master comprehend the Void Realm; once refined, it integrates into the dantian..." Luo Xuanqing was filled with disbelief. "It's just that refining it is very complex. Not only does it require essence blood, but more importantly, one's cultivation must reach the peak of Saint 7-dan to make it submit and willingly acknowledge its master. Your strength is only at the peak of Nascent Embryo realm, a difference of two entire major realms! What exactly happened?"

He had spent countless resources and invested endless effort, finally finding the Void Gourd, yet before he could even refine it, it had run into someone else's dantian. Luo Xuanqing clutched his chest, gasping for breath.

"I didn't want to refine it... Gourd, get out of there..." Zhang Xuan also turned pale and said urgently.

He had truly come this time to help his brother-in-law acquire a treasure and had no intention of stealing anyone's things. So why did it run into his dantian? The righteous and glorious image he had worked so hard to build... it was completely ruined!

Hmph! The gourd continued to wiggle its bottom.

"You..." Seeing the gourd's smug, triumphant expression, Zhang Xuan trembled with anger but was helpless. He could only look up at the young man before him. "Brother Luo, I really didn't intend to refine it..."

"I know!" Luo Xuanqing shook his head. "Treasures have spirits. It seems this item doesn't belong to me; one cannot force such things..."

Although he was so depressed he almost wanted to vomit blood, he had also come to terms with it.

Treasures have spirits. Despite all the effort he had spent, it hadn't acknowledged him as its master. Instead, it had rushed directly into Teacher Zhang's dantian, clearly indicating that it simply didn't favor him!

"I..." His face turned beet red, and Zhang Xuan didn't know how to explain.

What kind of situation was this? He had only come to help, and now look what happened. Who would dare to ask him to go treasure hunting in the future?

"Brother Luo's purpose in refining the gourd was to break through to the Void Realm. If I can help you break through, then whether or not you have the Void Gourd shouldn't matter, right?" After a while, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Help me break through?" Luo Xuanqing was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "Breaking through to the Void Realm is incredibly difficult... Countless people are stuck at this realm, unable to advance. Without the Void Gourd, how could it be so easy to succeed!"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Zhang Xuan, but that Saint 8-dan Void Realm involved the Great Dao and was simply too difficult. Countless 9-star master teachers couldn't achieve it even with their guidance; one could only rely on their own comprehension. What's more, Zhang Xuan was merely a nobody at the peak of the Nascent Embryo realm!

"Since things are already like this, we might as well try!" Zhang Xuan said.

In the past, he hadn't read any books on Saint 8-dan, and even if the Library of Heaven's Path showed flaws, he wouldn't know how to correct them or guide others. But now, his comprehension of space had reached the third level of the Heaven's Path Void Art, and he had refined both the Void Gourd and the vines. He already had a certain understanding of the power that only Saint 8-dan experts could master. With the additional help of the flaws provided by the Library of Heaven's Path, perhaps he could truly help him break through and reach a higher realm.

"Try? I'm like this, how can I try?" Luo Xuanqing gave a bitter smile.

Having just activated his bloodline, his body was weaker than an ordinary person. Let alone attempting to break through a realm, even normal walking was difficult.

"I'll figure out a way to help you remove the effects of activating your bloodline..." His mind returned to his Sea of Consciousness, and Zhang Xuan carefully examined the books he had just acquired.

When the few people fought the gourd, books were formed. It wasn't that he was intentionally monitoring them, but rather to study the conditions after a Saint Clan's bloodline was activated, preparing in advance for his future "snatching of the bride" from the Zhang Clan.

"Activating the bloodline is equivalent to consuming one's vital essence, qi, and spirit. Once used, the body will be in an extremely depleted state, unable to exert any power. If forced to use, it will not only fail to unleash maximum combat strength but will also cause cultivation to regress, wasting years of pure effort and causing all efforts to fall short at the last step..." Reading the records in the book, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

A person's potential, vital energy, and stamina are limited. Activating the bloodline is equivalent to overdrawing them in advance. Without time to accumulate, recovery is almost impossible.

"Heaven's Path True Qi can heal injuries, break through blocked meridians, and restore damaged vital essence, qi, and spirit... Would it have an effect on activated bloodlines?" A thought suddenly sparked in his mind.

The true qi he cultivated was extremely pure; it could easily enter a person's meridians and cells to repair damaged areas. While activating the bloodline seemed somewhat different, it essentially involved consuming one's origin, so perhaps it could also be useful.

Thinking of this, he looked over. "Brother Luo, I've thought of a way that might help you recover from your current weakness quickly!"

"Oh? What method?" This fellow before him had brought too many miracles along the way. Although Luo Xuanqing felt that a quick recovery was impossible, he still looked over.

If such a method truly existed, the Saint Clans would have used it long ago, and wouldn't be at a loss as they were now.

"It's very simple!" With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a jar and handed it over, a look of certainty on his face. "Drink this wine..."

"Drink wine?" Luo Xuanqing's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch, as he had expected some ingenious method, but this was the outcome.

"Luo Xuanqing's strength is currently depleted, and his vital energy is severely damaged; he can't even move. Drinking wine would harm his body. I think it's better to forget about it!" Bi Hongyin interjected to stop him.

He was already sitting on the ground, unable to stand after fighting, and Zhang Xuan was asking him to drink wine... He couldn't be serious, right!

"Teacher Zhang, if you really want to drink, I'll accompany you!" Yuan Xiao stepped forward.

"I'm trying to help him recover from the damage caused by activating his bloodline..." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan stared at Luo Xuanqing before him. "Brother Luo, if you trust me, you can try. If it succeeds, I can find a way for you to break through to Saint 8-dan today. If it fails, it's just a jar of wine at most, and it shouldn't have much impact on your body!"

"This... Alright!" He paused for a moment, then, seeing that Zhang Xuan was persistent, Luo Xuanqing nodded. He reached out and took the wine jar, tilting his head back to pour the fine wine down.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp! As the wine went down his throat, a spicy sensation spread. Luo Xuanqing was just thinking that the young man before him was being a bit absurd, when suddenly his pupils contracted and his body trembled uncontrollably. "This wine... there's something wrong with it!"

"Did you poison him?" Yuan Xiao's expression darkened, and his aura surged.

"..." Luo Xuanqing.

"..." Zhang Xuan.