Chapter 1917: I Have a Brother

Fan Xiaoxu was filled with excitement.

He had thought Zhang Xuan was merely a Great Sage, or perhaps an Ancient Sage, and probably not too powerful; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Fan Xiaoxu's help to enter. Only by witnessing it firsthand did he realize how terrifying Zhang Xuan truly was!

With every movement, the heavens and earth could not restrain him. It was as if he had completely transcended the rules, soaring above the Three Realms.

Thudding sounds echoed as the two exchanged blows. Cracks appeared everywhere; the Great Scholars Hall couldn't withstand the force and could be forcefully torn from the void at any moment.

"He... he's Zhang Xuan? The one you competed against earlier?" Zhong Qing swallowed hard and looked at Nangong Yuanfeng.

"He impersonated someone from the Luo Clan back then, calling himself Luo Tianya, but later it was confirmed to be him..." Nangong Yuanfeng nodded, trembling with fear.

It had only been a few months since they last met. When had he become so incredibly powerful? If he had been this formidable during their competition, Nangong Yuanfeng wouldn't have even been able to fight; a single finger could have crushed him instantly. Even Ancient Sage Yan Qing, the ancestor of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, surely didn't possess such strength!

With a ripping sound, while everyone was still in shock, the two combatants tore through the Great Scholars Hall's space and vanished from the spot. The next moment, they reappeared in front of a mountain peak.

Here, numerous candidates who had painstakingly passed the selection were struggling to break a seal. Hearing the commotion, they all looked up simultaneously and witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Two grand masters, enveloped in lightning, battled their way through. With every strike, the sky trembled as if the world was ending. The young man in the lead, wielding a spear, moved with ethereal grace, while the powerful figure behind him was covered in blood, seemingly about to explode with rage.

"Are they... Ancient Sages?" "Only Ancient Sages could possess such formidable combat power!" "Why are Ancient Sages fighting, and to the death, by the looks of it?" "I don't know..."

A commotion arose below. Everyone involuntarily clenched their fists, filled with envy. This was how cultivators should be! From the moment they absorbed their first wisp of spiritual energy and began transforming it into true qi, who wouldn't want to become increasingly powerful? The two combatants before them represented the pinnacle of power in their current era—exactly what they dreamed of achieving.

"Don't harm my teacher!" At that moment, two thunderous shouts rang out, and two figures even younger than the onlookers charged forward. The roaring thunder across the sky intensified. The blood-soaked figure, facing the assault of three, showed no sign of weakness. After a few exchanges, the young man and woman who had just rushed up simultaneously fell from the sky.

"You're no match for him; don't come over. Just leave this person to your teacher..." The young man with the spear smiled faintly, then with a sweep of his hand, leaped into a spatial rift and vanished. "Where do you think you're going...?" The figure behind him immediately gave chase. Had they not left countless cracks in the sky, no one would have believed it was real.

"You said they might be powerful experts?" The village chief of Shiyan Village shook his head, looking at Xiu Ru, the village beauty. "How is that possible? If they were experts, do you think they'd be so polite, and compensate us so courteously for the damage to our wheat fields?"

The village beauty seemed foolish, claiming as soon as she arrived that the people she had seen earlier might be Saint Domain experts. No one in the village believed her. What Saint Domain expert would be so polite as to compensate for damaged wheat? What Saint Domain expert would ride on the back of a spirit beast to Fan City? People of that caliber were always majestic, imperious, incomparable, and looked down on others. To speak so amiably with ordinary villagers—she said they were Saint Domain experts... he truly didn't believe it!

"It's true, I saw them fly without any aid, and at incredible speed..." Xiu Ru said, her face full of anxiety. Why wouldn't anyone believe her? The image of those individuals vanishing instantly kept replaying in her mind, and even she found it hard to believe. If she had known they were Saint Domain experts, she wouldn't have tried to act cool; instead, she would have humbly asked them for guidance on cultivation techniques.

"I know you have high aspirations, but the Saint Domain only exists among the aristocratic families. People like us have no chance of encountering them..." The village chief shook his head. Just as he was about to offer more words of comfort and tell her not to fantasize, he heard a peal of thunder in the sky. Everyone looked up simultaneously and saw two figures, enveloped in lightning, appear above them. They clashed, and with every move, they tore the sky, leaving dark streaks behind.

"Isn't that young man...?" The crowd fell silent. They all recognized him: the one fighting in the sky with the spear was the very person they had hosted earlier! Just moments ago, the village beauty had said they might be powerful experts, Saint Domain cultivators, and they hadn't believed her. Now, it seemed... this was far beyond the Saint Domain; even a Great Sage couldn't achieve this!

"They're Ancient Sage experts!" The village chief's throat went dry. Although they were just ordinary villagers without cultivation qualifications, they knew something about the different levels of powerful beings. Great Sages didn't possess such immense power; the two fighting in the sky were definitely Ancient Sages, and of the most formidable kind!

"I once sat on the back of a spirit beast with an Ancient Sage, and instead of asking for guidance, I... scorned him?" Xiu Ru's eyes welled up, and she began to cry. She had always yearned to cultivate higher techniques and better secrets, yet a treasure mountain had been right before her eyes, and she had failed to recognize it. She had even wondered if the other person was trying to curry favor with her. With her appearance, while considered quite good in the village, who among the Ancient Sages would even notice her? In an instant, she was filled with regret.

On that same day, almost everyone across the Hundred Schools of Philosophers witnessed the two sides battling in the sky. They all remembered these two powerful figures, etched like brands deeply into their minds. Even tens of thousands of years later, their undying legends would persist.

"How can I not find even a deserted place...?" While the entire Kunxu Realm was in shock, Zhang Xuan looked somewhat vexed. His continuous 'escape' wasn't about showing off; rather, he wanted to find a secluded spot to unleash all his ultimate moves simultaneously. However, the world of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers was simply too crowded; there was virtually no such place! Many of his techniques couldn't be seen by outsiders. Thus, he had no choice but to fight while retreating.

After an unknown period of travel, a vast, empty mountain range appeared before him. "Finally!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. Perseverance had paid off; he had found a spacious area. He spun around, tossing out formation flags one by one, completely sealing off the surrounding space so that no aura could leak out.

"Not running anymore? Then prepare to die..." Seeing that this fellow had stopped fleeing and was instead setting up a formation, the 'Spirit' paused in surprise, then a ferocious look spread across its face. Having pursued him all this way, it had confirmed the opponent's strength; he was no match for it. As long as Zhang Xuan didn't flee, the 'Spirit' could easily kill him.

"Prepare to die? Wait a moment. I have a younger brother who also wants to fight you..." With that, Zhang Xuan's body blurred. An identical figure appeared before them.