Chapter 1865: One Month Later

His spirit roamed within the enormous corpse, and Zhang Xuan’s state of mind grew increasingly stable, his soul becoming more and more attuned to it. This was already the twentieth day of refining the corpse of the Void-Shattering realm expert! When he had first taken out this body, let alone refining it, his soul couldn't even get close. Now, however, his witch soul could wander within it and take complete control at any moment.

"The Void-Shattering realm truly is powerful," he mused. "Their physical body is fundamentally different..."

After prolonged observation, Zhang Xuan fully understood that experts of this level not only possessed immense spirit and *zhenqi*, but their physical bodies were equally powerful. Only with such power could they traverse shattered space without suffering any harm. Logically, his Heavenly Dao Golden Body cultivation had already made his physical body as hard as an ancient saint artifact. However, compared to this body, it was still vastly inferior. He had been shocked before when the Dragon Bone Divine Spear couldn't pierce the *zhenqi* defense. Now he understood that even if the defense were broken, it wouldn't pierce the physical body, let alone inflict any damage. Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao Grimoire had not been used, playing a crucial role in turning the tide at a critical moment. Otherwise, facing a Void-Shattering realm expert unleashing their full power, the outcome would likely have been disastrous.

"Especially the meridians within its body; they're somewhat similar to mine..." Through observation, he also noticed that the opponent's meridian layout was more rational, very similar to his own physical body after his modifications. This allowed *zhenqi* to circulate much faster, enabling power to flow easily and unleash even greater combat strength.

"The final step: refinement!"

He thoroughly processed these thoughts in his mind. After another seven or eight days, knowing the time was fully ripe, he no longer hesitated.

*Boom!*

His witch soul fully entered the opponent's physical body, systematically breaking through the remaining defenses within.

*Whoosh!*

The tall corpse stood up, slowly opened its eyes, and spread its fingers. Zhang Xuan controlled it to move slightly and immediately felt an inexhaustible surge of power welling up within it.

"I estimate it could kill a Blood Reincarnation realm expert at their peak with a single punch..." His eyes gleamed, and Zhang Xuan could hardly contain the joy in his heart.

He still hadn't broken through to the Ancient Saint realm. Instead, he continued to suppress his cultivation at the pinnacle of the Immortal realm. With this strength, controlling the corpse to kill a Blood Reincarnation realm expert at their peak with one punch—if news got out, no one would dare believe it.

"This is my biggest trump card..."

After completely gaining control of the corpse and feeling that it operated seamlessly, Zhang Xuan reluctantly flew out of its body and returned to his own. From now on, this corpse would be his greatest trump card, allowing him to traverse the world without fear.

"Master, I have already refined the leg bones and foot bones," the Cruel Immortal said. "My current strength is just a hair's breadth away from recovering to the Void-Shattering realm; I can break through at any moment..."

He approached the Cruel Immortal. Upon entering the folded space, he had given the leg bones and foot bones to the Cruel Immortal. After nearly a month of refinement, they had been completely refined, and its strength had reached the peak, ready for a breakthrough at any moment.

"Here are ten bottles of Blood Reincarnation realm Otherworldly Demonic Tribe blood," Zhang Xuan said. "Refine that straw cape along with this; it should help you recover your physical body and successfully break through to the Void-Shattering realm!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a pile of jade bottles and handed them over. During his previous battles with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, he had collected a good amount of Ancient Saint blood, which was enough for the Cruel Immortal's recovery.

"Thank you, Master..." Taking the blood, the Cruel Immortal felt grateful. He had wanted to refine the straw cape before, but his incomplete body and insufficient power had kept him from doing so. Now, he could finally find a way to succeed and fully recover.

After instructing the Cruel Immortal, Zhang Xuan no longer concerned himself. How to recover and unleash his strongest combat power was something the Cruel Immortal needed to experience for himself; any more words would be useless. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he continued to contemplate his gains from these past days. His aura became increasingly introverted, plain and unadorned, completely lacking its previous sharpness. At this moment, even a Blood Reincarnation realm expert would likely find it difficult to discern his true strength.

"My physical body, *zhenqi*, witch soul, and also my clone," he thought, "I've essentially undergone four Ancient Saint tribulations! To advance further, I must find a way to gain insights into laws and comprehend cultivation techniques or martial arts that transcend the Heavenly Dao!"

Zhang Xuan, at this moment, after being tempered by the Ancient Saint tribulations, found that his physical body, *zhenqi*, and witch soul were all already comparable to those of an Ancient Saint. It was precisely because of this that he possessed combat power at the Blood Reincarnation level. However, this alone was not enough. He had not advanced because he wanted to wait until his comprehension of laws also surpassed the Heavenly Dao. Only then would it be most perfect, making it possible to surpass the achievements of Kong Shi (Confucius) back then, reaching the pinnacle of humanity and shattering the void.

"How difficult it is to create cultivation techniques or martial arts of this level..." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed deeply. To transcend the Heavenly Dao, one must find their own path to success. Although his talent was unparalleled, allowing him to master any cultivation technique quickly and proficiently, creating something entirely original from scratch was still difficult to achieve in a short time.

After contemplating for several days straight without any breakthrough, he then left the folded space, returning to the peak of Mount Qianye.

"It's been about a month already," he murmured. "I wonder how Liu Yang is doing..."

After over a month of arduous cultivation, feeling as if his body had grown a bit rusty, Zhang Xuan was just about to go check on Liu Yang, his student who was set to inherit the position of Emperor Yong, when he saw turbulent air currents and two figures flying towards him. They were none other than Ancient Sage Moling and Ancient Sage Huo Xu. After a month's absence, the cultivation of the human and the beast had grown even profounder. Moreover, their bodies exuded an aura of killing intent that could erupt at any moment. It was clear at a glance that countless lives had perished by their hands during this period.

"Greetings, Master (Guild Leader)!" The human and the beast bowed simultaneously.

"How are things?" Zhang Xuan asked, too lazy for pleasantries.

"The Young Master has successfully quelled the unrest throughout the Spirit Tribe," Ancient Sage Huo Xu said. "Today is his succession ceremony; he is publicly inheriting the position of Emperor Yong!"

"The various feudal lords from before have all arrived at the Imperial City," Ancient Sage Moling added, looking over with anticipation. "Guild Leader, would you like to go?"

"Succession ceremony? Excellent!" Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He had indeed grown up. This student of his was much more composed than he had imagined. Although Liu Yang had accepted Emperor Chen Yong's dying entrustment and even received his empowerment, countless experts would undoubtedly have been unconvinced due to his youth and insufficient cultivation. Rashly holding a succession ceremony would not only fail to win over the masses but might even become a laughingstock. Now that he had pacified the surroundings and no one dared to cause further trouble, carrying great momentum, he would inherit the imperial lineage, becoming the sole emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. His deterrent power would greatly increase, and no one would dare to say anything more.

"Liu Yang now controls the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and has become its emperor," Zhang Xuan said. "Naturally, I must go and witness it. Let's go!"

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan nodded. Liu Yang had always been self-conscious, feeling inferior to his other martial brothers. Now, single-handedly taking control of an entire tribe, his achievements were immense. As his teacher, Zhang Xuan felt honored, and naturally, he had to go in person.