Chapter 1773: Words Are Law, One Word Decides the Course of History

Stepping into the Apricot Forest, the one who tamed numerous Saint Beasts was none other than Zhang Xuan.

With so many Saint Beasts, each as powerful as the Five Kings, he naturally couldn't let them go. Seeing the branches wildly lash out, he immediately felt a pang of sympathy, rescued them, and then... beat them himself!

As expected, the Heaven's Path zhenqi helped heal their injuries and eliminated hidden ailments, immediately making these creatures deeply grateful and willing to become his beast pets.

Seeing the apricot trees surround him, glaring menacingly as if they could strike him down at any moment, Zhang Xuan showed no rush. Instead, he flipped his wrist, and a jade-like root appeared in his palm.

Swish!

Upon seeing the root, the numerous apricot trees, as if recognizing a token, uniformly parted, creating a path.

“Hold on,” Zhang Xuan transmitted, hesitating slightly. “The reason you’re so powerful must be because you listened to Master Kong’s lectures. In that case, I’ll give you a lesson too!”

He suspected that these powerful trees, having benefited from Master Kong’s lectures, might also be cultivating Heaven’s Path cultivation techniques. Since the trees had attended lectures, they would surely be able to compare whether his lesson was better or Master Kong’s. He also wanted to better determine if Master Kong’s cultivation was truly Heaven’s Path level.

“Swish?”

The apricot trees swayed their branches, each filled with confusion. You hold the token, and we’ve given you passage. Why would you suddenly want to give a lecture?

“The path of cultivation isn’t just for humans and beasts; plants can also advance...”

Ignoring their confusion, Zhang Xuan’s voice spread forth.

Initially, the apricot trees found it strange, but after listening for a moment, they began to sway excitedly, unable to contain themselves. The explanation of cultivation was as profound as Master Kong’s, hitting their vital points perfectly! This meant that... this seemingly unremarkable fellow was, in terms of lecturing, on par with Master Kong.

As he lectured, Yan Xue and the various members of the Spirit Race all frowned. They had expected him to be beaten black and blue, just like the previous Saint Beasts, losing all semblance of a human. They never imagined... that the numerous apricot trees would not attack, but instead stand there, entranced...

“He’s sitting down, and he seems to be saying something. Could it be... he’s lecturing?” Someone exclaimed. Hearing this, the crowd indeed noticed that the young man, surrounded by trees, was moving his lips, seemingly lecturing or perhaps conversing with them.

Swish!

Before their astonishment could subside, a few more trees rushed over, all their branches simultaneously pressing against the ground in a posture of reverence.

“These trees have listened to Master Kong’s lectures... and now they’re acting like this while listening to this guy’s lesson?” Everyone was dumbfounded.

Trees that had heard Master Kong’s lectures, each with cultivation reaching Great Perfection of the Undying Realm... How could such powerful trees be so docile, listening to this guy?

Rumble!

As they stood in shock, the ground began to shake. Then, everyone saw the withered leaves that had fallen to the ground also stand up, scurrying forward as if utterly mesmerized.

“Leaves can listen to lectures too?” In that instant, everyone felt their worldview completely overturned.

It was one thing for trees to listen to lectures; after all, Master Kong had lectured here for years, and it was understandable for them to develop sentience through subtle influence. But these leaves... they were withered and could turn to mud at any moment... and yet they came running to listen? Wasn’t this too exaggerated?

“These trees have all reached the Great Perfection of the Undying Realm... How could they shed leaves? More importantly, how could the fallen leaves wither?” Yan Xue suddenly spoke.

“This...” The crowd behind him simultaneously froze.

Right. If the trees had reached such a level, every branch and leaf would be comparable to a Great Sage artifact. No matter how the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter changed, they surely wouldn't be affected!

“Shedding leaves, including wilting, is merely a form,” Yan Xue explained, as if realizing something. “Meaning... when spring arrives, these leaves will automatically fly back onto the branches, instead of new ones growing!”

No sooner had he spoken than they saw the withered leaves, which had been listening to the lecture, suddenly sway a few times and then uniformly fly back onto the branches. Their original dull yellow turned vibrant green again. The trees, too, seemed to have regained their youth.

“Words becoming law, determining the seasons with a single word... This is an ability only Master Kong possesses...” A young man from the Hundred Schools of Thought swallowed hard, his pupils contracting as he thought of something.

Legend had it that when Master Kong traveled years ago, he saw an ancient tree wither and die. Filled with compassion, he lectured beneath it. Moments later, the ancient tree blossomed, the withered wood came back to life, growing new leaves and even bearing fruit for him to taste. His numerous disciples were astonished, giving rise to the idiom “determining the seasons with a single word”...

Could it be that this guy could do the same?

“This isn’t ‘determining the seasons with a single word’!” Yan Xue gritted his teeth. “The withered tree Master Kong lectured to was already dead, while these are Undying Realm experts. How can they be confused?”

They, from the Hundred Schools of Thought, held the most complete inheritance of Master Kong. Yet... here they were, unable to do anything but wait, while this guy kept performing astonishing feats... This filled him with profound humiliation.

“Yan Xue... these trees and leaves are listening to the lecture. Can’t we take this opportunity to pass? Otherwise, how long will we have to wait?” A young man transmitted.

“This...” Yan Xue paused, showing hesitation.

Indeed. The biggest obstacle preventing their advance was these apricot trees. Now, these creatures were captivated by this man named Zhang Xuan, making it a truly excellent opportunity for them.

“You go and try...” He paused for a moment, still uneasy, and pointed at the person who had just spoken.

The young man nodded and stepped forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Before he could get close, a rapid, wailing sound erupted, followed by a vast flurry of leaves rushing towards him! The next moment, dozens of leaves had impaled his chest, causing blood to spray everywhere! With just one attack, he was severely wounded, unable to even resist!

Silence! No one had expected the leaves to be so ferocious, and no one dared to take another step forward. Yan Xue’s lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

He had thought it was an opportunity, but to his surprise, these leaves, even while listening to the lecture, wouldn’t allow anyone to take even half a step forward.

“The wind is rising...”

A deep silence fell over the crowd, unsure of what to do, when a gentle breeze brushed their faces. It quickly grew stronger, making the leaves rustle loudly. The ground began to shake again.

“Look!”

Everyone hastily looked up and immediately saw the high platform in the distance. At some unknown moment, it began to emit dazzling light, and a figure seemed to float in the air, followed by a grand voice that slowly resonated.

“It’s... the Saint’s Voice! The Saint’s Voice has finally arrived...” Yan Xue’s eyes lit up, his body trembling with excitement.