Chapter 2093: Heavenly Dao Library Leak

"Seal his cultivation!" Seeing Zhang Xuan enveloped by the enormous net, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. One of the False God Realm experts approached, fingers pressed together, and pointed them at Zhang Xuan.

If hit, his entire cultivation would be instantly sealed, rendering him unable to use it.

"Excellent timing!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed softly. Three long swords appeared seemingly out of nowhere, performing an intricate sword art. In an instant, they pierced the False God Realm expert's back, and with a gentle flick, the latter was immediately sliced in two.

With one sword strike, the expert was killed, causing the immense net to lose a power source. This was like a formation losing a flag, and it immediately became unstable. The remaining nine False God Realm powerhouses quickly channeled their energy, intending to stabilize it.

Their movements were swift, but Zhang Xuan's were even swifter. Like a nimble fish, he darted suddenly, bursting out through the mesh of the net. While still in mid-air, he struck several times in quick succession.

The long sword in his hand transformed into a rain of blades, rapidly stabbing towards one of the False God powerhouses.

Even among False God Realm experts, there were variations in strength. Through the power of the vast net, it was easy to discern that this person was the weakest among the remaining nine.

He had risked himself, luring the first False God into a trap, ambushing and killing them up close. Then, taking advantage of the vulnerability in their combined formation, he targeted the weakest one.

Zhang Xuan had meticulously planned the entire battle before it even began. Without prior preparation, how could he have dared to risk coming here?

*Pfft!* Four long swords, imbued with the Sword Intent of the Gods, carried an irresistible aura. In the blink of an eye, the weakest False God Realm expert was pierced through the chest, followed by a sharp pain in their throat as their head fell off.

They never expected an Immortal Monarch to consecutively kill two of their comrades in the blink of an eye. The remaining eight False God Realm Temple Warriors felt as if they were about to explode with rage.

With their leader present and so many of them attacking, such heavy losses were utterly humiliating.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Eight palms struck downwards, and the space within the hall seemed to freeze, becoming so viscous that movement was impossible. Zhang Xuan roared, wanting to summon the Xuan-backed Tortoise and other beasts, but he discovered that, just like on the Heaven-Connecting Bridge, his beast pet bag could not be opened.

Veins bulged on his forehead as the Wutong Robe Sword danced. At the same moment, an iron chain appeared before him, and working with a long spear, he thrust them forcefully towards the palm prints in the air.

The three False God Realm weapons combined, creating dark rifts in space. It was as if a stone had fallen into a pond, sending ripples outward, and the confined space was unsealed.

"Go down!" He used all his strength to cleave through space, only then realizing that a False God Realm expert had already appeared before him at some unknown point, gently striking him with a palm.

With no time to dodge, he could only concentrate his internal energy in his chest. However, the opponent's palm strike was too powerful; with just one blow, two or three of his ribs broke, and he plunged headfirst from the air.

He could handle two, three, or even four or five False Gods. But ten False Gods, especially all of them Temple Warriors, were too much. Even with his pure True Qi and extremely profound understanding of combat, he still couldn't resist.

Falling to the ground, Zhang Xuan's mouth overflowed with blood. As he tried to resist further, an iron chain descended, binding him tightly.

"A False God Realm weapon?" Feeling the chain tighten around him, and realizing that his current strength was utterly insufficient to break free, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.

This iron chain, like the one he had previously refined, had already reached the False God level. It was not something he could break free from with his current cultivation.

"Ten people attacking you, and you still managed to kill two. No wonder all those I sent before were killed by you... As expected of the Chosen One, you possess extraordinary strength!"

The figure wreathed in flames gazed over calmly, showing no signs of distress or anger despite two of his subordinates having just been killed.

"The Chosen One?" Knowing escape was impossible, Zhang Xuan stopped struggling. Instead, he secretly circulated his True Qi to recover from his injuries, while simultaneously frowning.

"Indeed, you should... possess the Heavenly Dao, correct?" the figure said calmly.

Zhang Xuan's body stiffened. Only Luo Ruoxi knew about his unique possession; no one else was aware.

Yet, this individual before him could state it outright... Was the leader of the Temple truly this terrifying? Or was it that... the Library of Heaven's Path could not hide secrets from a god?

The Temple had besieged him right after he comprehended the Sword Intent of the Gods. He had previously considered whether they feared his growth and wanted to seize the 'God' character, but now it seemed that was not what they truly feared!

What if he became stronger? Even if he comprehended the Sword Intent of the Gods, facing a dozen False Gods, he would certainly gain no advantage!

Furthermore, the Temple possessed abundant spiritual energy that allowed people to break through to the False God Realm; taking it wouldn't be significant... The true reason for their actions was likely the Library of Heaven's Path!

That's why those sent to kill him were ordered to capture him alive!

"Are you wondering how I knew you possessed the Heavenly Dao?" Seeing his expression, the figure wreathed in flames smiled faintly.

Zhang Xuan did not reply, simply looking on coldly.

"Only those destined by Heaven possess such talent. You arrived on the Forsaken Continent less than a month ago and advanced from Ancient Sage to peak Immortal Monarch, surpassing even ordinary False Gods!"

The figure didn't seem to mind, continuing on its own, "Only such charm could lead the Four Great Sects to declare you their Sect Leader, abandoning their prejudices and uniting! Am I correct?"

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

The figure replied, "Some things, you are not qualified to possess. Keeping them will only bring disaster. It's better to give them to the one who deserves them!"

The figure made a beckoning motion with its hand. *Whoosh!* The surrounding False Gods simultaneously attacked. Zhang Xuan immediately felt a massive surge of power envelop him, lifting his body involuntarily and sending him flying to one side.

He flew a short distance before landing above a stone staircase, in front of a small circular platform.

Zhang Xuan's expression darkened. "This is... the Star Forging Palace's altar? Did you capture Palace Master Du?"

He had seen this object in Jiang Yao's possession. It was precisely the altar that Palace Master Du Qingyuan had taken from the Star Forging Palace. Palace Master Du had vanished, leading to Zhang Xuan becoming Sect Leader. Now, the altar had appeared... Could it be that Palace Master Du had been captured by them?

"Sacrifice!" Too lazy to answer, the figure let out a low growl. Countless treasures landed on top of the altar, and then a woman suddenly appeared within the hall, chanting in a peculiar language.

Zhang Xuan looked at the woman; it was Du Qingyuan, the former Palace Master of the Star Forging Palace, whom Emperor Chen Yong had summoned previously!

At this moment, Du Qingyuan appeared to be devoid of her own consciousness, her eyes tightly shut. The sacrificial language flowed continuously from her mouth, utterly devoid of emotion.

*Blaze! Blaze!* Accompanying the chanting, the flames on the altar burned relentlessly. Above the Temple, a massive black hole slowly appeared, as if connecting to a higher world, mysterious and unfathomable.

"Rise!" Du Qingyuan let out a low cry, and Zhang Xuan floated up, gently settling onto the altar.

The flames seeped into his body. He had expected to be scorched, but found no heat whatsoever; instead, there was a warm sensation, as if his soul and body were about to separate.

"What are they doing?" Zhang Xuan frowned. Although he had read all the books within the Star Forging Palace and knew a great deal about the Foreign Spirit race's sacrifices, he had never encountered or even heard of this method of sacrifice before!

Normal sacrifices involved offering treasures to deities to gain stronger power or information. What was happening now was clearly not that.

It seemed he was being used as a sacrifice for some ulterior motive.

*Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!* As the flames relentlessly burned on his body, Zhang Xuan was puzzled when he noticed the Temple leader, a figure wreathed in flames, gradually solidifying from its previously indistinct form.

"This is... extracting my power?" Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

He finally understood the purpose of their sacrifice. It wasn't to offer to deities or gain greater power, but to extract his own power into the other party's body, completely replacing him!

"Could it be... he knows what I possess and wants to replace my life?" His eyes narrowed.

No wonder this individual needed the Star Forging Palace's altar, going so far as to forcibly seize it. It seemed they intended to use the mysterious power generated by the sacrifice to replace him and gain control!

Although he didn't know the principle behind this sacrifice, he could feel his internal energy continuously weakening... This meant that the other party was very likely to succeed!

Just as Zhang Xuan felt his body was about to be incinerated into smoke and vanish by the flames at any moment, the pendant on his chest suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

"Pfft!" The figure wreathed in flames turned pale, and the flames beneath its feet flickered unsteadily, looking as though they could extinguish at any moment.

"What's happening?" Its expression darkened, and the figure quickly looked up, grabbing something from the air. It appeared before Zhang Xuan and clutched the pendant in its palm.

*Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!* "Ah..." Black smoke billowed from the figure as if it were being burned by charcoal.

"Damn it..." It tried to grab the pendant again. After several attempts, each feeling like a burn, it dared not approach it further.

"I don't believe killing you won't allow me to switch!" Seeing that the flames on the altar were nearing their end and could extinguish at any moment, and with no more time to decide, this sacrifice would end in failure. The figure let out an angry snort.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* The eight False God Realm experts received the command and attacked simultaneously.

In an instant, the combined strength of the eight converged into a powerful sword qi, striking directly at Zhang Xuan's throat.

If he was struck, there was no doubt he would die!

*Rumble!* Just then, the Temple's main door was struck by an immense force, instantly flying open. A figure abruptly appeared inside the hall and pointed a finger forward.

The sword qi formed by the combined might of the eight False God powerhouses immediately dispersed. All eight turned pale and spat out mouthfuls of blood!

"It's you..." The figure wreathed in flames saw the sudden appearance of the individual and slammed a palm down.

The newcomer met the attack with a palm strike. The two forces collided, and both figures simultaneously retreated a step.

The approaching figure narrowed its eyes, then made a grabbing motion in the air. Zhang Xuan, who was on the altar, was instantly enveloped by a force and brought before the newcomer.

"Go!" The figure struck backward with a palm, and a massive palm print surged through the Temple, blocking the charging False God Realm warriors. The figure itself flickered lightly, taking Zhang Xuan with it, and shot out, disappearing from the Heaven-Connecting Bridge in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

"Chase them!" The infuriated voice of the wreathed figure echoed from behind.