Chapter 1776: Yuan Tao Charges at the Ancient Sage

Zhang Xuan looked at the girl, perplexed. She had a faint smile on her face, showing no surprise.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan continued to watch. Yuan Tao’s barrel-shaped body kept expanding, reaching seven or eight meters in height in less than a minute, as if he could explode at any moment.

“Whether he can withstand it depends entirely on him,” Luo Ruoxi’s voice chimed in.

“Withstand it?” Zhang Xuan was filled with confusion and stunned for a moment. Then, remembering something, his pupils contracted. “Could it be… the imprint just now, which I struck into Yuan Tao’s body, will be absorbed by him?” He had assumed that the imprint, which had fallen from the platform and which he had propelled into Yuan Tao with Heaven’s Path True Qi, was merely being stored temporarily. Why did the girl’s words suggest it would be absorbed?

That was an imprint left by Master Teacher Kong after years of teaching. While its energy strength was unknown, its profound understanding of cultivation and combat techniques was absolutely astonishing—a fact evident from how the Hundred Schools of Thought had paid exorbitant prices to acquire it. If something so precious could truly be absorbed, the benefits would be immense, perhaps even more profound than achieving Ancient Sage status!

“The Houtu Qilin was a beast pet once tamed by Master Teacher Kong and also served as the core of a formation guarding a realm. It shares the same lineage as this imprint. Its blood, when perfectly fused with the Dragon Rhinoceros’ bloodline, prevents the imprint from resisting. You’ve done what was necessary; now, what achievements he can attain depends entirely on him,” Luo Ruoxi explained with a faint smile.

Seeing that his suspicions were confirmed, Zhang Xuan swallowed hard, his throat dry. An imprint left by Master Teacher Kong would undoubtedly be revered by anyone else, who wouldn’t dare to slight it in the slightest. Yet, this woman had deliberately arranged for Yuan Tao to consume it—the thought alone was infuriating! He had previously thought she might be a powerful figure from the Hundred Schools of Thought, but now it was clear she had no connection to them. Otherwise, she would never have acted this way.

“Spit it out!” At that moment, Yan Xue and the others finally understood what had happened, and they were furious. They had put immense effort into trying to take the platform and the imprint, but they had never dreamed that someone would actually swallow it!

Whoosh! Unable to restrain himself any longer, Yan Xue moved, thrusting his long sword straight forward. Sword energy surged like a dragon, and the air hummed. Despite his youthful appearance, he, like Zhang Xuan, had comprehended the true essence of the Sword Dao, and at least two different forms of it!

“Hmph!” Seeing this person, who had just protected Yuan Tao, now launching an attack, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow. With a swift movement of his Dragon Bone Divine Spear, he transformed into a streaking meteor, appearing behind his student. His arm shot up, the spear tip poised across the air. His Witch Soul had reached the Grand Completion of Instinctual Awareness, further increasing his power, allowing him to face an Immortal Realm Grand Completion expert without losing any ground.

Clang, clang, clang! The spear tip and the opponent’s sword tip clashed repeatedly, creating a series of impacts. The resulting energy waves spread outwards, seemingly crushing the air. Even the surrounding space appeared unable to withstand the force, as dark fissures began to appear.

“Zhang Xuan, do you understand what you’re doing? Without Master Teacher Kong’s imprint to suppress it, the entire Confucius Temple will lose its sealing power! Time and space could fall into chaos, and we might be forever exiled in the spatial-temporal pathways, unable to return to reality!” Yan Xue gritted his teeth, shouting as he continued his assault.

“Since you know the consequences, why did you send my student to seize Master Teacher Kong’s imprint?” Zhang Xuan retorted, completely unfazed, as he fought back. The other party had initiated the attempt to snatch it, yet now they were shifting the blame onto him. Were the Hundred Schools of Thought truly so lacking in accountability?

“We were attempting to seize it, but for a different purpose…” Before Yan Xue could finish, a powerful aura suddenly swept over them, like a crashing wave, instantly disrupting their attacks. Whoosh! Both Zhang Xuan and Yan Xue were simultaneously sent flying backward, out of the combat zone. His injuries quickly healed as Heaven’s Path True Qi circulated within him, Zhang Xuan quickly stood up and looked towards the center of the surging power. Yuan Tao now stood over ten meters tall, a towering figure like a giant.

Whoosh! Yuan Tao let out a long roar, tilting his head back to swallow the phantom of the Dragon Rhinoceros hovering above him. Immediately, his aura began to surge dramatically. He rapidly ascended through the stages: Visionary Immortal (mid, late, peak, perfect, grand completion), Golden Body Realm (early, mid, late, peak, perfect, grand completion), and then to Instinctual Awareness… In the blink of an eye, he reached the Grand Completion of the Immortal Realm! Even then, his power continued to ascend without any sign of stopping.

“Is he going to directly attempt to break through to Ancient Sage?” Zhang Xuan’s pupils constricted, and he clenched his fists. He had never imagined that Yuan Tao’s fortuitous encounter would be so profound, far surpassing even Zhao Ya and the others, potentially allowing him to directly assault the Ancient Sage realm.

“The power required to become an Ancient Sage is simply too immense. His current accumulation is too low; he likely can’t achieve it yet… Furthermore, it requires Ancient Sage power, which isn’t present here…” Luo Ruoxi had appeared before him once more, her gaze distant, without him noticing.

“It might not be here, but I have it!” Knowing his student was on the verge of a breakthrough, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. With a flick of his finger, a jade bottle flew out. Hiss! Reaching Yuan Tao, the bottle cap popped open, and a torrent of pure, potent energy poured forth, enveloping him in an instant. It was Ancient Sage Blood! He had acquired a considerable amount of it after ambushing the Ancient Sage who had plotted against the Hundred Schools of Thought, and now it was perfectly suited for Yuan Tao’s use.

At the same moment, the Spring and Autumn Artwork unfolded, and the Qi of Ancient Sages poured furiously into Yuan Tao’s body. Crack! With the supply from these two sources, Yuan Tao’s body, which had been on the verge of exploding, seemed to shatter a bottleneck, and his power surged once more. With every movement, thunderclouds seemed to roll, and the very space around him was torn into fissures.

Boom! The Heavenly Tribulation appeared. Heavenly fire and lightning rained down relentlessly, like a torrential storm. Yan Xue and the others, who had previously demanded that Yuan Tao expel the imprint, no longer dared to approach. This was a cataclysm for advancing to Ancient Sage; if they dared to draw closer with their current strength, they would undoubtedly perish.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The heavenly fire continuously seared him, and the lightning relentlessly tempered him. Yuan Tao’s towering form became increasingly solid, eventually shrinking from over ten meters tall back to the size of an ordinary person. With every slight movement, lightning seemed to crackle around his body, a force that space itself struggled to contain.

“The Ancient Sage Blood… it’s all used up!” Soon, Yuan Tao’s ascent of power halted. He was on the cusp of crossing the final threshold, but the energy was insufficient. The power required to advance to Ancient Sage was truly immense; although Zhang Xuan possessed some Ancient Sage Blood, it wasn’t quite enough to enable Yuan Tao to fully break through.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The surging power began to wane, and the Heavenly Tribulation in the sky, seemingly lacking resistance, slowly began to dissipate. The opportunity to break through to Ancient Sage was exceptionally rare and not something one could easily find again. If he failed this time, it was uncertain when or even if he would ever find another chance to attempt the breakthrough. Moreover, the most critical factor was that if the first attempt failed, the difficulty of a second attempt would at least double! This meant that if he couldn’t succeed now, achieving it next time would be almost impossible. For this to happen simply due to insufficient energy… it was truly a profound pity.

“Could it be… that he will fall short at the final hurdle?” Zhang Xuan’s face turned ashen.