Chapter 1655: Attempting to Refine the Ancient Saint's Corpse

"Let them in!"

Zhang Xuan instructed, knowing that the inevitable had finally arrived.

"Yes, sir!" The guard hurried out.

"The Luo Clan truly has no self-awareness. Do they think the prestige they lost last time wasn't enough, that they've eagerly come back just to embarrass themselves again?"

"I wouldn't know. I heard they have a Clan Head who comprehended the true meaning of Space Sealing. They've come this time to avenge their past humiliation!"

"Avenge humiliation? Hmph, they don't know their place! That Clan Head is Luo Tianya, right? What right does he have to compare himself to our Clan Head?"

"Just a lucky collateral branch member who happened to comprehend a true meaning. To dare challenge our Clan Head, he's truly audacious! This time, we'll definitely beat him so badly he won't know which way is up..."

Discussions buzzed all around them.

Hearing everyone deliberately belittle Luo Tianya while exalting themselves, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a profound weariness.

If these people knew that this Luo Clan Head was also him... would they be equally shocked into fainting?

How could he explain it to make the two clans, who were originally at odds, cease their disputes?

If he directly told the Luo Clan that Luo Tianya was him, they would easily assume he wasn't satisfied with one humiliation and was now trying to trick them a second time, deliberately toying with them. And telling the Zhang Clan that he was Luo Tianya, whose Luo Clan bloodline purity was 'nine,' would be impossible to explain; they might even come to suspect a grave deception regarding his own parentage.

He was truly vexed!

Alas, everyone wishes to be exceptional, but what benefit is there once you are? Every single day brought countless new worries!

"You all go ahead and negotiate with the Luo Clan members. I've just had some insights and need to go into seclusion to cultivate..." Zhang Xuan had no choice but to say, after pondering for a moment and finding no better solution.

It was better to avoid them for now. As long as he wasn't present, and Luo Tianya wasn't present... there would surely be no trouble. Staying would only complicate matters further.

"Very well..." Xing Jiansheng was momentarily startled but eventually nodded.

The greatest conflict between the Zhang and Luo Clans was the public annulment of the engagement. If the main culprit hid away and avoided provoking the other side, it could indeed significantly de-escalate the tension.

Having secured their agreement, Zhang Xuan said nothing further. He took Luo Ruoxi and returned directly to his living quarters.

After arranging for the girl to rest in the side room, he, with a mere thought, entered the folded space.

With his deepening comprehension of space, the folded space before him had been modified, becoming far more stable and expansive. Its diameter now spanned hundreds of miles, with various buildings standing tall, resembling a colossal city.

He found an empty spot and casually sat down. With a thought, a massive corpse landed on the ground, cracking the bluestone floor and raising a cloud of dust.

It was the Ancient Sage of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe whom he had smashed to death. Storing this massive object in a storage ring was incredibly difficult, but retrieving it without the aid of the Dragonbone Divine Spear was now possible.

Currently, his three drops of Master Kong's blood were depleted, the Library of Heaven's Path was exhausted, and the ruthless figure was dormant. With virtually no life-saving means left, he had to quickly find a way to refine this corpse into a Soulless Golden Man! Otherwise, if danger arose, he truly wouldn't know what to do.

"First, let's see if I can get inside!" With a thought, his witch soul emerged from between his brows.

Although the creature was dead, its corpse still emanated a heavy sense of oppression. Even before he drew near, it felt as if a hurricane was assailing him, making his entire body feel as though it might crumble.

"So powerful!" His expression grew solemn.

His witch soul had undergone multiple lightning tribulations and was already unimaginably sturdy; even Great Sage realm experts would struggle to harm it. Yet, at this moment, he couldn't even approach a mere corpse. How terrifying!

After several unsuccessful attempts, Zhang Xuan shook his head. To refine it into a Soulless Golden Man, his witch soul would first need to enter it. Yet, he could barely even approach, let alone begin refining it.

"It seems I need to quickly enhance the power of my witch soul! If my witch soul can break through Saint 9-dan and reach the Great Sage realm, perhaps I can succeed in making this corpse serve me!"

Returning to his physical body, Zhang Xuan mentally reviewed his most pressing concerns.

"First, I must quickly find the method Master Kong left behind to break through to the Great Sage realm! Second, I need to continue accepting students, gaining their gratitude, and condensing the Library of Heaven's Path! Third, I must achieve a breakthrough in my witch soul's power to refine this corpse!"

Although he had long known the Library of Heaven's Path was powerful, its ability to smash an Ancient Sage to death with a single strike was utterly unforeseen. Ancient Sages, in everyone's minds, were symbols of invincibility. If one hadn't reached their cultivation level, let alone fighting them, one couldn't even withstand a single thought from them without being instantly obliterated.

Yet... the Library of Heaven's Path had effortlessly smashed one to death...

It seemed he absolutely had to take on disciples quickly and find a way to earn their gratitude. Otherwise, if he were to encounter those who captured Zhao Ya again, he would truly be helpless!

"The first and second goals won't be easy to achieve, but the third... I should be able to manage!"

The situation at the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters was currently unclear. With no means at his disposal, if he encountered anyone who had surrendered to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he wouldn't even be able to escape, much less search for Master Kong's method. As for the second point, while students choose teachers, teachers must also choose their students... Given his current circumstances, he couldn't simply accept anyone he met as a disciple. Even if they weren't direct disciples, becoming Zhang Xuan's student was not so simple. Great teachers are hard to find, but powerful students are no different. Thus, while he deeply wished to condense the Library of Heaven's Path, he also knew it wouldn't be easy.

After much deliberation, only the third goal seemed achievable in a short amount of time.

Understanding this, he ceased cultivating, exited the folded space, left the courtyard, and found an elder. "Take me to the family library!" he instructed.

As the Clan Head, he possessed supreme authority, allowing him free access to the library, unlike before when he could only sigh in longing.

Two hours later, he emerged from the library. He rubbed his brow, a look of disappointment on his face.

Despite the Zhang Clan being the foremost clan on the continent, their cultivation methods concerning souls were not extensive. Although he had assimilated quite a few, none had ultimately reached the Heaven's Path level. This meant that, for now, he still couldn't cultivate it.

"How are things with the Luo Clan?" The elder who had accompanied him hadn't left yet. Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, then turned to him.

"Reporting, Clan Head. The Luo Clan members originally intended to challenge you, but their Clan Head, Luo Tianya, had urgent matters to attend to and did not accompany them. So... our clan has arranged for them to stay in the guest quarters for now!" the elder said.

"Hmm, that's good then!" Seeing that his absence had indeed prevented any conflict, he breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Xuan then asked again, "Are there any guilds or organizations of specialized professions near the Zhang Clan that are skilled in soul attacks?"

"Specialized professions skilled in soul attacks?" The elder was momentarily startled. He thought for a moment before replying, "The headquarters of the Startle-Flight Master Guild is in Startle-Flight City, less than twenty thousand kilometers from here. They possess profound expertise in soul-related matters! However, if you're looking for the deepest research into souls, that would be the Jiang Clan, one of the three great clans. Their ancestor comprehended a true meaning related to souls... It's also not far from the Zhang Clan, only half a day's journey!"