Chapter 1759: Poisonous Gas World

"That's more like it!"

Receiving the jade bottle, Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction. Forcing him into a duel naturally came with a price, and even an Ancient Sage was no exception!

"Has your blade advanced to Ancient Sage?" The Old Ancestor of the Zhang Clan seemed unable to believe it.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Good, excellent!" The Zhang Clan Old Ancestor laughed heartily.

For years, he had solely supported the clan, which was exhausting. Now, with a weapon ascending, it meant the Zhang Clan once again had an Ancient Sage expert guarding it. Moreover, the weapon's sentience and lifespan far surpassed that of humans, allowing it to protect the clan for a much longer time.

"I still have students in the hands of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. I must go rescue them now, so I will take my leave..." With the Ancient Sages from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Spirit Clan gone, only some sacred beasts and many master teachers remained, posing no further danger. Zhang Xuan cupped his fists and said.

"Go!" The Zhang Clan Old Ancestor waved his hand.

Knowing that without Zhang Xuan, he couldn't have succeeded in his sneak attack and might even have been killed by the Spirit Clan's Ancient Sage earlier, Zhang Xuan immediately bowed respectfully. He then had Zhao Ya lead the way, and they flew straight in one direction.

After flying an unknown distance, they looked back again. The Hall of Great Accomplishment was already a blur, and Zhao Ya stopped.

"The others from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and I emerged from this very spot!" Zhang Xuan glanced at it and smiled slightly.

He and Hu Yaoyao had also left the ice and snow world from here. It seemed Zhao Ya and her companions had similarly arrived from that world.

"Break!"

Previously, they could only cross the spatial barrier with the help of the Spirit Clan's sacrifices. But now, with the Ancient Sage-level Demonic Dark Blade, such a barrier was no longer an obstacle. With the long blade in hand, he lightly slashed.

Swish!

A rift appeared. He pulled Zhao Ya and jumped straight down. The next moment, they reappeared in the ice and snow world.

However, this world was now devoid of ice and snow; instead, it was filled with blooming flowers and lush greenery. If they hadn't departed from this exact spot, and if the old man with sudden insights was still present, they would have wondered if they had entered a different world.

Having been there once before, the exit of this world was easily found, and the two immediately passed through it. They reappeared in a mountainous forest filled with miasma.

"Wei Ruyan should be in this world, within the corresponding sub-temple!" Zhao Ya said, glancing at her surroundings.

Nodding, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a pill appeared in his palm: "Take this!"

"Yes!" She opened her mouth and swallowed it. After consuming it, Zhao Ya looked over with slight confusion: "Teacher, is this an antidote pill?"

"The gases and water here are poisonous; be careful!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Due to his congenital fetal poison, he had specifically studied books on poison masters. He could tell at a glance that this jungle was not as simple as it appeared. While it seemed quiet with no powerful sacred beasts, it was actually teeming with potent poisons, making it impossible to guard against.

Zhao Ya followed closely behind her teacher: "Teacher, what do we do now?"

"It's simple. Find the location of this world's exit. Unless something goes wrong, the sub-temple of the Confucius Temple will be directly above it!" With previous experiences, he already understood the pattern.

They chose a random direction and slowly proceeded. The jungle was full of venomous scorpions, poisonous snakes, and similar creatures. However, Zhang Xuan possessed Heaven's Path zhenqi and was fearless. They encountered no dangers as they advanced.

After walking for half an hour, they encountered a group of master teachers, all with ashen faces, heavily poisoned. Zhang Xuan gave them a few pills infused with Heaven's Path zhenqi to help detoxify them. He then asked them a few detailed questions, determined the location of the exit, and rushed over.

"This is the place..." An hour later, the two stopped in front of a small pond.

"This is just an ordinary pond. Teacher, why do you think it's the exit?" Zhao Ya looked over, puzzled. She had listened carefully to their previous conversation; even they didn't know where the exit was. How did her teacher determine it?

"It's simple..." Without further ado, Zhang Xuan made a grasping motion in the air, and an ant was pinched between his fingertips. The ant was the size of a bean, entirely crimson, and clearly highly venomous.

Smiling faintly, he placed the ant on the back of his hand.

In an instant, the ant's mouth pierced his skin, injecting venom. Zhang Xuan did not use Heaven's Path zhenqi to detoxify, but instead allowed the venom to spread. Within moments, the back of his hand began to blacken, becoming swollen and bruised.

"Teacher..." Not knowing why her teacher was doing this, Zhao Ya was filled with anxiety. Poison is not like other things; once it enters the heart through the bloodstream, it's beyond salvation.

"Don't worry..." Zhang Xuan made another grasping motion, and water from the pond was drawn up into the air and deposited onto the wound.

Sizzle!

The potent poison on the back of his hand, as if meeting its nemesis, emitted white smoke. The previous swelling and bruising quickly receded, and soon, his hand returned to normal, as if it had never been poisoned.

"This..." Zhao Ya froze on the spot: "The water in this pond can detoxify?"

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded: "Confucius's purpose in leaving behind these ruins was to temper his successors so they would be worthy of inheriting his treasures, not to kill them! Therefore... there must be an antidote at the exit. Otherwise, if everyone died from poison, what would be the point of leaving a legacy?"

Zhao Ya suddenly understood.

"When I asked the master teachers we met earlier where the most venomous insects were, and which places were most dangerous, they told me it was here," Zhang Xuan smiled. "Between heaven and earth, yin and yang are balanced; every effect has a cause, naturally determined. Confucius's cultivation method aligned with nature. Where there are many venomous creatures, there must also be an antidote. Therefore, I concluded that this is the exit!"

When he questioned that group of master teachers just now, he certainly couldn't directly ask where the exit was. If they knew, they would have fled long ago and wouldn't be here, living in fear. They might not know the exit, but with their long experience, they would certainly know where the most venomous insects were. Having found this place and then discovering that no venomous creatures could approach this pond, it would be foolish not to be certain now.

"Teacher, should we break through space now to find Wei Ruyan and the others?" Having found the exit, Zhao Ya couldn't help but ask. According to calculations, the sub-temple where Wei Ruyan and the others went should be directly above this pond.

"No need to rush. Wait here. I'll go into the pond first and take a look! For the pond water to continuously neutralize potent poisons, there must be an array core guarding this world within it! Let's retrieve that first!" Zhang Xuan said.

In the jungle world, it was the Five Great Kings; in the desert world, it was the tree root; in the ice and snow world, it was the ice crystal... This poisonous gas world might also have a guardian object. Like the crystal, it would be of great help in entering the sub-temple. It's always better to be prepared.

With that, without further ado, he leaped, diving straight into the pond and disappearing from view.