Chapter 2262: Master Kong Can Resurrect?

At Saint Son Hall, he and Zhang Xuan had hit it off immediately, becoming the closest of friends. Later, they fell out over his younger sister and ceased all contact, but deep down, he still regarded Zhang Xuan as both a rival and a friend.

However, Zhang Xuan’s cultivation had progressed incredibly fast, breaking through level after level and creating countless legends… He had thought he could never catch up, but he never dreamed that there was such a significant time difference between the Master Teacher Continent, the Firmament, and the God Realm.

Given this, catching up with him… shouldn’t be too difficult! Factoring in the time in the God Realm, Zhang Xuan had only cultivated for a little over a month longer than him. As long as he worked hard and diligently, catching up to Zhang Xuan’s cultivation and giving him a good thrashing wouldn't be hard at all!

"Defeat Zhang Xuan?"

Hearing his confident words, Hu Yaoyao and Yu Feier exchanged glances and shook their heads, each thinking, “Whatever makes you happy…” They couldn't catch up before, and they didn't think they could catch up even in the God Realm. However… if he truly was just a High-tier God as they suspected, the gap wouldn't be too wide, and perhaps there was indeed hope… Even if they couldn’t surpass him, they could at least keep pace and advance together! The thought filled both of them with renewed motivation.

"How beautiful… This powerful being, recognized by Heaven and Earth, is truly our idol…" Looking up at the sky, both sighed in admiration.

Ignoring the astonished gazes of the surrounding Nine Emperors, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes tightly, sensing the changes within his mind.

Early-stage Conferred God King!

Mid-stage Conferred God King!

Peak Conferred God King!

In less than a minute, his soul had progressed from the peak of an ordinary God King to the peak of a Conferred God King! Most crucially, it hadn't stopped; it was still increasing. The Heaven and Earth Conferred title instantly boosted his soul by several levels, a more terrifying effect than even the power of wishes.

"Now is not the time to break through to Emperor…"

Letting out a breath, Zhang Xuan suppressed the continuously growing soul power. Being conferred as a King of Nine Heavens was akin to being an Emperor of Nine Heavens. With such a title conferred simultaneously, his power was as immense as nine ordinary conferred titles combined. Under normal circumstances, he could have instantly ascended to Emperor. However, his True Qi cultivation was still too low. If he were to attempt it, the resulting Great Emperor Heavenly Tribulation would predictably crush him into dust, leaving him utterly defenseless… If that happened, he would become the first Emperor in history to be annihilated by a tribulation immediately after breaking through. The sheer embarrassment of such a fate would be beyond measure! Therefore, he made a snap decision to suppress his soul, which was on the verge of ascending. Anyway, he had already comprehended Emperor-level cultivation techniques. It wouldn't be too late to break through once his True Qi and physical body had accumulated enough power.

"Thank goodness…"

Seeing him remain so rational under such circumstances, Luo Ruoxi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Cultivation isn't always about breaking through as fast as possible; sometimes, it requires a steady, step-by-step approach to unleash greater combat power! The man she loved and admired truly possessed superhuman courage and perseverance.

"I need to go find a way to resolve the conflict of the Heavenly Dao. Will you come with me, or…" With his power stabilized, Zhang Xuan exhaled and looked at the girl before him. Having reunited and resolved their inner demons, he naturally didn't want to part ways.

"I need to go back… there are some things I must do… I'll come find you after I'm done!" Luo Ruoxi's gaze was filled with reluctance. There was something she had to do quickly, and she couldn't put it off.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded, then looked at the little yellow chick, "Let's go!"

"Mmm!" The yellow chick nodded, gestured with a large hand, and the two of them simultaneously tore through space, vanishing from the spot. Luo Ruoxi glanced at them, then disappeared immediately after. Only then did the other Great Emperors teleport away. The recent battle had shocked them, and now, it seemed they were about to witness the birth of another Great Emperor. Before, with the Heavenly-Spanned Great Emperor, they might have entertained other ideas—either trying to win him over or secretly preventing his growth. But with this one, the Spirit Rhinoceros Emperor was his girlfriend, and the Undying Emperor was his beast pet… They truly wouldn't dare!

They returned to the mountain gate where Master Kong had resided.

"Master Zhang!"

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan and the others gathered around him.

"Master Kong… he…" Zhang Xuan’s expression turned somber.

"We already know…" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan nodded. "Just now… Master’s statue in the room shattered. That’s how we knew he had vanished, body and soul!"

"My condolences…"

Zhang Xuan offered his condolences, knowing that Master Kong's students had spent countless years with him, and their bond transcended that of father and son.

"There's no need for condolences. We don't believe Master would simply leave us like this!" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan shook his head.

Zhang Xuan was stunned. "I saw him vanish, body and soul. Doesn't that mean… he's completely dead?" To vanish, body and soul, meant a person had completely disappeared, representing utter annihilation. Yet, the other party didn't believe it and didn't seem as sorrowful.

"Vanish, body and soul, doesn't necessarily mean death," Ancient Sage Zi Yuan said. "Didn't the Ghost Pool in Ghost Heaven revive those whose souls had scattered? And didn't the Undying Emperor, decades ago, seemingly vanish too, only to completely recover now?"

"This…" Zhang Xuan's entire body trembled. That’s right! The Ghost Pool could indeed use the power of wishes to restore those whose souls had scattered… and the Undying Emperor could achieve nirvana after death. How could Master Kong, a fated individual whose power surpassed all of ancient and modern times, not have some contingency? How foolish of him to have been heartbroken just moments ago; perhaps Master Kong already had other means for nirvana and rebirth!

But…

"Even if he is reborn, will he still be himself?" A doubt emerged. The Undying Emperor, though reborn, had become a little yellow chick… he was utterly different from before, no longer his former self. Even the Ghost Pool could only restore the soul! No one knew if the newly formed soul would retain the same memories and consciousness as before.

"He definitely will!" Ancient Sage Zi Yuan nodded.

"Why are you so certain?" Seeing his expression, Zhang Xuan frowned. Clearly, Ancient Sage Zi Yuan knew something, otherwise, he wouldn't have that expression.

"Emperor," Ancient Sage Zi Yuan looked at him, "could you please seal off this grand hall and block out all of the Heavenly Dao's presence?"

"Alright!" The yellow chick nodded, and with a sweep of his hand, a surge of power enveloped the entire hall, completely isolating it from the outside world.

Ancient Sage Zi Yuan then looked at Zhang Xuan again.

"I'll try!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Isolating the grand hall from the Heavenly Dao was pointless, as Zhang Xuan himself embodied the Heavenly Dao, and he still had the Heavenly Dao Library in his mind. It was like the former Heavenly Diviner Branch; no matter how much they tried to obscure the Heavenly Secrets, as long as he was present, it meant they were being observed by the Heavenly Dao. With a thought, his powerful mental energy enveloped the library. Previously, he might not have been able to do this, but now that he had comprehended an Emperor’s cultivation technique, it wasn't difficult at all.

"It's done!" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

Seeing that the Heavenly Dao was completely cut off, Ancient Sage Zi Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhang Xuan. "Master Zhang, have you ever heard of a cultivation technique Master Kong practiced… called 'Severing the Three Corpses'?"