Chapter 1914: Borrowing the Sword

They had thought death was certain this time, but to their complete surprise, Zhang Xuan, who hadn't been on friendly terms with them, suddenly appeared and charged forward without the slightest hesitation.

Witnessing the magnificent spear in the air, a display of power that Ancient Sage Yan Qing realized he couldn't achieve even with all his life's strength, he felt a sudden enlightenment and a flush of shame. "Yes," he murmured, "he is a Master Teacher. For the good of humanity, personal grievances are insignificant. I've been small-minded!"

For humanity's sake, this individual was willing to endure infamy, even feigning death to infiltrate and pacify the Spirit Xuan race. This alone spoke volumes about his noble character, making him no less virtuous than Master Teacher Kong himself.

How could such a noble person, witnessing the current predicament, stand idly by and let them perish?

While Ancient Sage Yan Qing was filled with shame, Kong Shiyao and the others were too stunned to utter a word. They found it impossible to describe the immense power of that spear strike, which perfectly aligned with the Heavenly Dao, feeling utterly natural and seamless. In that single moment, their pain and weakness seemed to dissipate, their entire minds captivated and lost within the beauty of that strike, unable to break free.

The "deity" suspended in mid-air seemed equally dumbfounded, having never expected such a powerful expert, no weaker than himself, to be hidden here. In that brief moment of hesitation, the spear had already reached his throat.

*Thwack!* Blood spurted. The spear pierced his skin and entered, yet it penetrated less than an inch before hitting what felt like an impenetrable iron plate, unable to advance another millimeter.

"I didn't expect such a powerful individual to emerge from a place with such scarce spiritual energy," the "deity" remarked. "Impressive, impressive. You, too, will be mine..."

A cold glint flashed in the "deity's" eyes as he gave a chilling smile, immediately reaching out to grasp the spear protruding from his throat.

Zhang Xuan gave his spear a flick. Its dark shaft instantly transformed into a massive black dragon, coiling around the "deity's" entire body in an instant.

The "deity" froze, utterly surprised by the spear's unexpected power, and then erupted in furious rage.

For a dignified expert from the Higher Heavens to be bound by a mere mortal from the lower realm was an unbearable humiliation. "You're seeking death!" he roared.

He strained his arms, his muscles bulging, intent on shattering the black dragon. But then, his vision went black as a massive brick dropped from the sky, crashing directly onto his face.

The Golden Origin Cauldron, which Zhang Xuan had refined into a Great Sage supreme treasure, had absorbed the power of Ancient Sages during its month-plus stay among the Spirit Xuan race, elevating it to the Ancient Sage level. Though still far from reaching the Void Shattering realm, its formidable weight combined with its sturdy material meant that even the transcendent "deity," struck squarely on the head, felt dazed and disoriented, nearly blacking out on the spot.

But more than the physical impact, it was the humiliation. A supreme expert from the Higher Heavens, having his face smacked by a brick wielded by a mere local... The sheer indignation was almost enough to make him explode.

Just as he was about to unleash his fury, he heard the "brick's" voice: "A disclaimer first: I am not a brick, I am a cauldron. What hit your face was my backside!"

Having said that, it deliberately rubbed its 'bottom' on his face a few times.

Kong Shiyao and the others stared in utter disbelief. How could this supreme expert possess such a… crude weapon? And furthermore, this thing claimed to be a cauldron? What kind of cauldron? It was clearly just a gigantic brick! What about it resembled a cauldron at all? Were their eyes deceiving them?

"Aaaargh!" Feeling the ceaseless rubbing of the 'bottom' on his face, and as if bits of ash were getting into his eyes, the "deity" completely lost his composure. "Get off me!" he shrieked.

A powerful aura surged from him, and the Dragonbone Divine Spear wrapped around his body could no longer withstand the force. It was blasted backward, transforming once more into a spear that Zhang Xuan caught in his palm.

The "deity" slammed a fist onto the Golden Origin Cauldron. "My backside!" the cauldron shrieked, shooting straight up into the sky, its body spinning rapidly as if it had been set ablaze.

"You will all die!" Hearing the 'cauldron' shriek about its 'backside,' the "deity's" face twitched again. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he furiously lashed out at the young man before him.

Zhang Xuan's body swayed, activating his Zhang Clan bloodline. With a mere twitch, he traversed hundreds of meters. Then, with a shake of his spear, it sliced through the air once more.

"A True Understanding of Time?" The "deity" snorted coldly, seeing the young man evade his attack as if by teleportation. Just as he intended to use his power to restrain him, a "clanging" sound echoed through the air once more. He hastily looked up, his pupils involuntarily constricting.

Without him realizing, the sky was now filled with weapons – longswords, broadswords, iron hammers, spears… hundreds of them in total.

*Whoosh!* His vision blurred as they rained down upon him.

"Do you truly believe these worthless weapons can harm me?" the "deity" sneered.

"I didn't expect them to hurt you," Zhang Xuan responded.

These weapons had been acquired from slaying Spirit Xuan experts and from within the Temple of Confucius. While numerous, they offered little utility to ordinary Ancient Sages, let alone those in the Void Shattering realm.

"No expectation?" The "deity" was momentarily stunned. Just as he was about to speak, he felt his body constrict once more. He quickly looked down to see that the spear, unnoticed, had once again transformed into the black dragon, binding him so securely that escape was impossible.

"You..." He gritted his teeth, practically seething with rage.

So, after all that, the rain of weapons was merely a diversion; the true maneuver was this!

But what if he was bound? With enough force, he could break free in no time. And how many times could this black dragon endure? Although it was a weapon, refined multiple times, its cultivation was inferior to his. Forcibly binding him meant it would sustain damage with every struggle. From his perspective, he could tell it absolutely could not withstand five consecutive attempts.

Just as he prepared to unleash all his strength to fling off the spear again, he saw the young man before him suddenly look down. "Kong Shiyao, right? Lend me your longsword for a moment!"

"My longsword?" Kong Shiyao was taken aback, but realizing the gravity of the situation, she didn't hesitate. With a flick of her wrist, the sword in her palm instantly flew towards Zhang Xuan.

"This sword of mine is a treasured heirloom of our Kong Clan," Kong Shiyao quickly interjected, her silver teeth gritted, seeing the young man grasp the longsword, ready to use it. "Without the Kong Clan bloodline, it cannot be truly refined. If you wish to use it, I can lend you a drop of my blood..." This longsword, forged by an ancestor of their clan, had reached the peak of the 'Blood Rebirth' realm, only a hair's breadth away from the Void Shattering realm. Without the proper bloodline, it couldn't be fully activated. She herself had spent nearly three years refining it to unlock only a fraction of its power, unable to wield it completely.

"There's no time," Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head. He flicked his wrist. The longsword emitted a sharp hum, and the next instant, it meekly obeyed, like a domesticated pet.

"He... he refined it?" Kong Shiyao's mouth hung open in disbelief.