Chapter 1849: Wu Soul Assault on the Ancient Sage (Part 1)

"I know! But right now, there’s nothing we can do but wait!"

Pushing back an attacking Ancient Sage with both palms, Emperor Chen Yong was filled with helplessness. He also wanted to kill that guy, but once the sacrifice began, it couldn't be stopped. To do so would be to disrespect the gods and show dissatisfaction towards them. With so many of them, they might still have a fighting chance against a recovered Emperor Chen Ling, but against the gods, there was only one path: certain death.

"The current plan is to kill all these people first, or at least incapacitate them. That way, even if Emperor Chen Ling recovers, he'll be all alone, and we'll have a much better chance!" Emperor Chen Yong continued.

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Indeed, this was the best course of action now. Striking at the root, if they could kill all of Emperor Chen Ling's subordinates first, then even if he recovered to the Blood Reincarnation realm, with Zhang Xuan, Ancient Sage Han Xu, Ancient Sage Mo Ling, and the Dragonbone Divine Spear, it was hard to say who would emerge victorious.

Whoosh!

As the two conversed, an Ancient Sage of the Fae Tribe lunged at Zhang Xuan. The weapon in its hand was a Judge's Pen, also at the Ancient Sage level. With a swirl in the air, the world seemed to spin, and souls felt like they were being torn apart. It appeared the Ancient Sage had discerned Zhang Xuan's insufficient cultivation, while acknowledging the Dragonbone Divine Spear's immense power, and thus intended to kill him with a soul-attacking method. The divine spear was merely a weapon; it could block physical attacks but was weak in terms of soul defense. True enough, under the assault, Zhang Xuan involuntarily felt a wave of dizziness. Though his soul power was unrivaled among his peers, even he found it somewhat difficult to withstand an attack from an Ancient Sage wielding a reinforced weapon.

"Heh heh!"

Having succeeded in its first move, the Fae Ancient Sage charged straight forward, twirling the Judge's Pen once more.

"Guild Leader!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan struck, Ancient Sage Mo Ling was anxious to rush over, but suddenly felt the pressure intensify. The Ancient Sage he was fighting unleashed a series of ultimate moves, forcing him back. Emperor Chen Yong on the other side faced a similar situation. The opponents had just witnessed Zhang Xuan piercing through their comrades with his spear, recognizing that with the weapon, his combat power was the most terrifying. They decided to coordinate their efforts to eliminate him first.

"Die!"

Knowing that the others couldn't hold back Emperor Chen Yong and the rest for long, the Ancient Sage sneered repeatedly. It spun its body, rushing forward, and slammed a palm down towards Zhang Xuan's head. If this blow connected, even someone who had refined Blood Reincarnation-level blood would perish, making recovery impossible.

"Young Master!""Guild Leader!""Master!"

The pupils of the three Ancient Sages constricted simultaneously. They wanted to rush over but were powerless. Just as they thought Zhang Xuan would surely be unable to escape this time, the young man, who had appeared dazed and seemingly oblivious, suddenly smiled faintly. The spear in his hand shot up abruptly.

*Pffft!*

With a single thrust, it pierced through the Ancient Sage's heart, impaling it in mid-air.

*Whoosh!*

Blood splattered. A jade bottle appeared, hastily collecting it.

Everyone present was stunned, even the Fae Tribe members who were blocking others were bewildered. This Great Sage, who supposedly only had the ability to fight Blood Reincarnation powerhouses by relying on the Dragonbone Divine Spear, should have been certain to die if an Ancient Sage got close. How did he manage to pierce his opponent with a single thrust? Could the dizziness earlier have been a feint?

"That was close..."

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Zhang Xuan collected the blood while letting out a sigh of relief. The opponent had indeed attacked with a soul artifact, and he had been hit. The reason he was able to recover so quickly was because of the Sacred Relic Stone he had obtained from the Temple of Confucius! He had given the Soul Imprint to Lu Chong, but he had kept the Sacred Relic Stone with him all along. This item had the effect of devouring souls and nourishing the spirit. Although the opponent's attack was potent, normally, he wouldn't have been able to recover. But with this artifact, it was much easier. After piercing the Ancient Sage and collecting the blood, Zhang Xuan didn't bother with anything else. After storing the Judge's Pen in his ring, he flipped his wrist, and the Sacred Relic Stone that had saved his life appeared in his palm. Although the Ruthless Man would have intervened even without it, the ability to absorb and transform the agitated soul attacks into nourishment made this item's preciousness self-evident.

He lowered his gaze to see the Sacred Relic Stone emitting a warm glow. Its color was also slightly different from before, revealing a faint blue hue. Under the illumination of his Eye of Insight, streams of potent energy swirled within it. As his palm touched it, his soul immediately felt a warmth, as if entering a hot spring.

"This is pure soul power?"

His pupils constricted. As a powerful Spirit Awakener, he could easily discern that what was contained within was nothing other than pure soul power, capable of easily nourishing the soul and making it stronger. He clearly remembered that this Sacred Relic Stone had contained nothing before. How could so much soul power suddenly appear?

"Could it be..."

He hastily lowered his head. Under the Eye of Insight's illumination, fine threads of energy slowly converged, centered around the stone.

"Emperor Chen Ling used tens of thousands of Fae Saint realm experts for the sacrifice, and all of their souls were actually swallowed by the Sacred Relic Stone..."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel bewildered, yet also a little amused. The Sacred Relic Stone, like the Soul Imprint, possessed the ability to devour and purify souls. This ability was considered somewhat sinister by cultivators, which was why it was forbidden on the Master Teacher Continent, and Spirit Awakeners were thus hated. As a Master Teacher, Zhang Xuan naturally disdained using such methods. Yet, he hadn't expected that after Emperor Chen Ling killed tens of thousands of his own people, their souls would inexplicably be devoured by this stone.

"With so much pure soul power, can my soul directly break through to Ancient Sage?"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up, his heart filled with excitement. Although using the Sacred Relic Stone to devour others' souls was not advocated, since it had already been devoured and refined into such pure soul power, refusing to use it now would be foolish. His Spirit Awakener cultivation had long reached the Great Perfection of the Undying Realm. With such an abundance of soul power for replenishment, he might be able to attempt a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, reaching a realm everyone aspired to.

"Let's try it!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath. He instructed the Dragonbone Divine Spear and the Ruthless Man to protect his body. With a thought, his Spirit Awakener soul leapt out from between his eyebrows.

*Zizzz!*

The moment his Spirit Awakener soul touched the Sacred Relic Stone, the surging soul power within instantly gushed out. His soul, which had been constrained and difficult to improve, began to increase rapidly at a visible rate.

"Wait... I don't have the method for a Spirit Awakener to break through to Ancient Sage yet!"

Feeling his soul body growing larger and larger, expanding as if it would explode at any moment, Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched. He had been so caught up in his excitement that he had only just remembered: the methods he had studied for breaking through to Ancient Sage were mostly related to zhenqi, and he hadn't read a single book on Spirit Awakener breakthroughs. He didn't know what a Spirit Awakener breakthrough entailed, or what steps to follow.

"Ancient Sage Mo Ling, do you have any experience or secret manuals for a Spirit Awakener breaking through to Ancient Sage? Quickly give me some..."

Unable to contain himself any longer, he looked up and shouted towards Ancient Sage Mo Ling in the air.