Chapter 2155: Breakthrough, Superior Deity

Ignoring the trembling Phosphor Beast, Zhang Xuan looked closely and immediately recognized the girl kneeling on the ground as Wu Xiaoxiao, whom he had met on Lingji Mountain.

The girl seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, as if her muscles and marrow had been cleansed and renewed. Her appearance was significantly more beautiful than before, and her demeanor had also changed, which was why he hadn't immediately recognized her at first glance.

"She took... the pills I made?"

He quickly realized.

This change was precisely due to the pills containing Heavenly Dao Qi.

After giving a command, the divine beast flew down and landed in the courtyard.

Sun Qiang came forward.

"What's going on?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Reporting, Young Master," Sun Qiang said, "this person claims to be the City Lord of Netherworld City and has come specifically to apologize!" Sun Qiang then recounted the events that had transpired in detail.

Only then did Zhang Xuan look towards City Lord Wu Fangqing.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, with eyes as deep as the ocean, radiating immense power.

Just as the Phosphor Beast had said, he was unfathomable.

"City Lord Wu, you are too polite. It was just a misunderstanding!" Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

While Zhang Xuan observed the other party, Wu Fangqing also looked at him, and after a moment, couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

The person before him was genuinely at the peak of a Low-tier Deity, without any peculiar features, appearing as ordinary as could be. If one didn't already know he possessed the Emperor's bloodline, it would be impossible to imagine his astonishing identity.

"Although it was a misunderstanding, it is still inexcusable. This is a small token of goodwill from my City Lord's Mansion. I hope Young Master Zhang will not decline!"

Wu Fangqing handed over a storage ring.

Puzzled by the City Lord's attitude, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment but eventually nodded.

The other party was being kind, and he couldn't refuse them. Moreover, since he was still in Netherworld City, he couldn't afford to sour his relationship with the City Lord.

Seeing him agree, Sun Qiang quickly stepped forward and took the ring.

"Please come this way!"

He arranged for the two people kneeling outside to get up, enter the room, and take their seats as host and guests. Zhang Xuan then looked over with slight confusion, asking, "I am merely an ordinary Low-tier Deity who has just arrived in Netherworld City. May I ask... why is the City Lord being so polite?"

This was also something he couldn't understand.

He had only been in Netherworld City for a day and had kept a low profile. Why would the dignified City Lord not only come in person but also offer such a grand gift?

"Young Master Zhang's actions, my daughter told me about them," Wu Fangqing quickly said. "You saved her life, so no amount of politeness is too much..."

The other party possessed such a pure bloodline, yet no news had arrived, indicating he was on an incognito visit. If his identity were revealed, it could lead to greater trouble, so it was better to pretend to be ignorant.

After asking a few more questions and seeing that the other party's words were disingenuous, Zhang Xuan stopped asking.

Shortly after, the other party left.

Opening the storage ring and taking a look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but marvel at the City Lord's generosity.

He had actually gifted ten thousand divine coins in cash, an Upper-tier divine artifact longsword, and countless medicinal herbs.

For merely saving a life, this amount was absolutely impossible.

However, since the other party intended to forge a connection, he didn't bother to dwell on it. He had Sun Qiang bring over the items Qi Ling'er had brought, and following a special method, placed the Ma Yang Beast blood and Ancient Green Beast grass together.

Returning to his room and setting up a seal, Zhang Xuan released his soul, continuously drawing the special powers from the two treasures.

Since the beast blood was found, he naturally wanted to quickly advance his soul power and spiritual strength. No matter where he was, strength was paramount; with absolute strength, nothing else mattered.

Sizzle!

The spiritual energy from the two great treasures surged into his soul, visibly increasing his spiritual power. Coupled with the Spring and Autumn Annals, his progress was incredibly rapid.

After an unknown period of time, with a crisp sound like peeling an egg, his soul's absorption of spiritual energy stopped. The Ancient Green Beast grass and Ma Yang Beast blood suspended in the air gently trembled and then simultaneously burned to ashes.

"What a pity..." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan sighed as his soul returned to his body.

He had thought that the combination of the two treasures would allow his soul to smoothly break through to the Celestial Deity realm and possess Celestial Deity-level strength. However, it seemed he had been too naive.

His soul, having endured lightning and celestial fire along its journey, had long become exceptionally tough, far surpassing ordinary people. Breaking through, therefore, was naturally more difficult.

Although the Ma Yang Beast blood and Ancient Green Beast grass were potent, they only allowed him to advance to the peak of an Upper-tier Deity. He was still some distance away from the Celestial Deity realm.

However, with both his physical body and soul having progressed, his True Qi could now also break through, no longer constrained.

After stabilizing his spiritual strength for a moment, he took out a Divine Origin Pill and swallowed it. His True Qi circulated along a special path within his body, and he quickly broke through the Low-tier Deity realm.

With an abundant supply of Divine Origin Pills and no fear of waste, he continuously swallowed them, and his cultivation rapidly ascended.

Boom!

Outside, in just a few seconds, his entire aura underwent a tremendous change. His cultivation rose from the peak of a Low-tier Deity to the early stage of an Upper-tier Deity.

If it weren't for the fact that the spiritual energy contained in Low-tier Divine Origin Pills had little effect on him, he definitely could have pushed straight through to the peak realm.

Even so, his progress was immense.

Combined with his physical body and soul both at the peak of an Upper-tier Deity, he could now even contend with ordinary Low-tier Celestial Deities!

It was uncertain if he could even defeat Zhang Jia.

In less than a day since arriving in Netherworld City, his true strength had already reached the pinnacle of Netherworld City.

"Let's see if I can create a sword art suitable for my current state..."

After consolidating his cultivation, Zhang Xuan fell into thought.

Although the Thousand Knots Sword Art he had previously created was still very powerful, it was now somewhat mismatched with his current cultivation, unable to better integrate with the "Yi Yi Brotherhood, Wei Wei Servant Driving Force" incantation.

Furthermore, the most crucial point was that the Thousand Knots Sword Art was a confinement martial skill with limited offensive power. If he truly encountered a formidable opponent, its power would clearly be insufficient.

Sword forms flowed, and various sword moves streamed through his mind. After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan shook his head again and stopped.

A sword art that transcended the Heavenly Dao was not so easy to create. He had been able to create the Thousand Knots Sword Art then because he was battling a clone of Master Kong, who had drawn upon the power of the Heavenly Dao to control him.

Now, he clearly felt the sword art was in his mind, ready to burst forth at any moment, yet he always felt it was just a hair's breadth short.

"I probably need to find someone to fight and push myself to the limit!"

Knowing that further seclusion would not be effective, he shook his head and walked out of the room.

From the start of his seclusion to its end, because he had utilized the Spring and Autumn Annals, only a little over twenty seconds had passed in the outside world. Yet, his cultivation had undergone earth-shattering changes.

He was many times stronger than before.

Outside the room, Sun Qiang looked at Zhang Jia, who was guarding the door, filled with anxiety.

He had obtained a spot for the Divine Mountain yesterday, and it was about to open. To find the divine qi, they had to go to the City Lord's Mansion as soon as possible. But now... the Young Master chose to go into seclusion!

It was almost too late!

"We cannot disturb him," Zhang Jia stopped Sun Qiang. "Anything can wait until he comes out of seclusion..."

"Did the Young Master say when he would come out?" Sun Qiang asked. "Miss Zhao Ya and the others will be late if they don't leave soon. Is the Young Master not going to watch?"

Entering the Divine Mountain to search for divine qi was surely dangerous. Could it be that the Young Master didn't care about anything and had nothing to instruct?

"Although the Young Master didn't say how long he would be in seclusion," Zhang Jia shook his head, "even the quickest seclusion would take several hours, or even a day or two! I used to seclude myself for one or two months. If I got hungry, I ate fruit; if I was thirsty, I drank spring water... Otherwise, what's the point?"

Since it was seclusion, it naturally meant abandoning all distractions and dedicating oneself to cultivation. One wouldn't pay attention to anyone in a short period of time. Otherwise, what was the point of secluding oneself?

"This..." Sun Qiang fell silent. He gritted his teeth and said, "Never mind, let's go by ourselves. By the time the Young Master comes out of seclusion, perhaps we will have already become deities..."

He turned his plump body, just about to leave, when he heard the door creak open. Zhang Xuan walked out from inside, smiling slightly, "Let's go together. How could I be absent when you are searching for divine qi and striving to become deities?"

"Young Master is not secluding himself anymore?" Sun Qiang was stunned.

"I've finished!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Finished?" Zhang Jia, standing to the side, frowned.

From entering to coming out, less than a minute had passed. What kind of seclusion was that?

Since when did seclusion become such a farce?

Filled with doubt, he looked closely at the Young Master. His face twitched violently, his body trembled again, and he nearly fainted.

"Young Master, you... you've broken through to the Upper-tier Deity realm?"

As a Celestial Deity expert, and since the other party wasn't concealing his cultivation, he could naturally discern it. After only a few dozen seconds of not seeing him, the Young Master before him had actually broken through the Low-tier Deity realm and reached the Upper-tier realm...

"Yes, that's right," Zhang Xuan said, his eyes lighting up, too lazy to explain further. "You are a powerful Celestial Deity expert, so why don't you attack me? Let me see my strength after the breakthrough!"

He hadn't been able to create the sword art just now. Since the other party was a Celestial Deity expert with such powerful strength, perhaps the pressure would give him some insight.

"This... alright!"

Wondering about the Young Master's astonishing progress speed, Zhang Jia gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and violently struck out.

Boom!

The ground trembled, and airwaves surged. With a single move, he displayed his most powerful strength. A Celestial Deity expert truly was extraordinary once they made a move; it seemed as though the entire courtyard could not withstand it and might collapse at any moment.

A Celestial Deity expert was equivalent to a Saint realm expert in the Master Teacher Continent, and could absolutely be considered a formidable master.

Heh!

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, neither dodging nor evading, and simply pointed lightly.

Zhang Jia's fist immediately stopped in mid-air, unable to advance an inch further, as if it had been completely confined.

"This..." Knowing that continuing would not only fail to harm the other party but also injure himself, Zhang Jia withdrew his fist, filled with disbelief: "Not only has the Young Master's True Qi cultivation increased and his aura stabilized, but his soul has also reached the peak of an Upper-tier Deity..."

"I had enough time just now, so I broke through!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Enough time?" Zhang Jia trembled.

This was just too provocative...

A seclusion of less than a minute... Was that really considered ample time?

Yet, in such a short seclusion, not only had his cultivation advanced by two major realms, but his soul had also progressed even more...

How did he do it...?

Zhang Jia felt completely insane.