Chapter 584: Transformation of the Mortal Triple Peak

"Invincible within a Conferred Empire...?"

Luo Xuan stiffened, and the faces of all the disciples from Flowing Cloud Sect who had accompanied him turned pale with fright. Flowing Cloud Sect was similar to the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, akin to an unranked empire. Above them was the second-tier Phantom Feather Empire, then the first-tier Grand Harbors Empire, and only above that was a Conferred Empire. This meant that Master Yang transcended them by three entire levels of nations, operating on a completely different plane! No wonder he showed no regard for their lives, not even bothering with rules. A strong cultivator of his caliber indeed possessed the capital and ability to disregard regulations.

"Teacher, what about Master Kong's notes...?" Luo Xuan asked after the initial shock. They had come to seize Master Kong's notes, but with the opponent being so powerful, acquiring them was clearly impossible. What should they do next?

"Regarding Master Kong's notes, you must keep absolutely silent about it; do not leak any information. For a Master Teacher of Master Yang's caliber, even if he possessed Master Kong's relics or was a descendant of Master Kong, I would believe it... It's best not to get involved in matters concerning such high-level Master Teachers, or you'll die without knowing how!" Sect Leader Luo Huang explained with a solemn expression. One must have self-awareness. If this Yang Xuan were only a Half-Step 5-star or a 5-star, even if they couldn't obtain the notes, they would certainly publicize the matter to prevent him from finding peace. But if the other party was likely an 8-star, that was terrifying. If a strong cultivator of that level didn't want you to speak, and you dared to casually discuss them, the Master Teacher Pavilion would find a way to silence you without him even needing to act! At that level of power, every individual was a crucial peak figure in the Master Teacher Pavilion. Spreading rumors about such a person was only done if one truly wished for death.

"Yes!" Everyone quickly nodded. The lower ranks do not speak of the higher, nor subjects of their ruler. Common people must have the awareness of common people; idly discussing the emperor himself was a transgression. If pursued and executed for it, there would be no injustice.

"Furthermore, from today onwards, do not associate with anyone from the White Sun Sect. That sect... is finished!" Sect Leader Luo Huang instructed again. The White Sun Sect was a super sect comparable to their Flowing Cloud Sect, even having the chance to replace them as the dominant force among the 28 surrounding powers. Unfortunately... they had offended Master Yang, and their esteemed sect leader was instantly killed. Even if Master Yang no longer held it against them, other sects would certainly keep their distance, or even take advantage of the situation. It wouldn't be long before they were annexed by other powers, completely vanishing into the river of history. This was the influence of a high-level Master Teacher. Every action could trigger a chain reaction. Even... Master Yang didn't need to act just now; if he had merely said, "Destroy the Flowing Cloud Sect," other forces would certainly have rushed forward to slaughter them. It was precisely because of this that he would rather commit suicide than fail to secure the survival of his sect. As long as Master Yang agreed, other sects, bound by Master Yang's promise, would not dare to act against them. Otherwise, it would be openly defying Master Yang—what else could it be but courting death?

A similar scene unfolded among the other sects and powers. The pressure Master Yang's appearance exerted on them was immense. For a Master Teacher suspected to be 8-star, not only did they not dare to speak carelessly, but even the Master Teacher Pavilion of the Phantom Feather Empire would certainly issue a gag order.

The courtyard fell silent once more. The fourteen forces, with dozens of powerful cultivators, who had aggressively come seeking trouble, finally slunk away after each surrendering 20 mid-grade spirit stones.

"Master Yang..."

Looking at the powerful figure flying in the air, Hall Master Kang, Master Su, and others bowed respectfully.

"Hmm, very good. I will visit your branch to give a lecture when I have time!" Master Yang nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Master Yang!" Upon hearing this promise, Hall Master Kang and the others were ecstatic. This was a Master Teacher suspected to be 8-star; one lecture from him would surely be more effective than a year of their diligent cultivation.

"Alright, you may withdraw now!" Having made his promise, Master Yang waved his hand casually.

"Yes!" Nodding quickly, Hall Master Kang, Alliance Leader Zhao, and the others were about to leave when they heard Master Yang in the air faintly say, "Oh, don't rush. Unseal them before you go!"

Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others had tried to explain earlier but were sealed by Sect Leader Luo Huang's True Qi, still unable to speak a word. It was unexpected that such a formidable Master Yang would ask them to solve such a simple problem. Hall Master Kang and the others were momentarily stunned, then stepped forward, quickly released the seals on the individuals, and took out healing pills for them to consume.

Once everything was done, they cupped their fists: "We take our leave!"

"Mm!" Master Yang nodded, his head slightly raised, eyes gazing askance at the sky, as if recalling something profoundly deep. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he seemed to walk through the air, stepping away into the distance.

"What an expert, this is a true expert!" Seeing his demeanor and his method of traversing the air, Hall Master Kang and Alliance Leader Zhao were once again utterly impressed, bowing deeply to the ground. What is an expert? This is! What is a powerful cultivator? This is! As a high-level Master Teacher, he was never ostentatious, remaining humble and reserved. Even when provoked at his doorstep, he merely resolved the matter by collecting some spirit stones, then departed quietly, concealing his achievements and reputation... Aside from admiration and shock, they could think of no other words to describe him.

As they respectfully saw him off and were about to look up, they suddenly heard something falling, followed by sounds like "Thud!" and "Ouch!" as if someone had fallen from the sky. They quickly looked ahead, but Master Yang had vanished; there was no trace of him in the vast sky.

"Was that... Master Yang who just fell?" The few looked at each other, blinking. Hearing someone fall from the sky, could it have been Master Yang...? However, as soon as the thought emerged, they immediately shook their heads. What a joke! Master Yang was a supreme being, suspected to be an 8-star Master Teacher, capable of continuous flight without tiring for a day and a night. How could he possibly fall from the sky? He must have been moving too fast and simply disappeared from their sight. Understanding this, they didn't dare to ponder further and turned to leave.

"I can't believe the master is so powerful!"

"Grandteacher is so strong!"

As the others left, the courtyard quieted down. Sun Qiang, Zheng Yang, and the others were all thrilled recalling Master Yang's impressive display, but only Wang Ying hurried towards the inner courtyard. Everyone else had been focused on dissolving the medicinal effects and recovering from their injuries, but she had kept her eyes on "Master Yang," personally witnessing his face turn pale, unable to hold on, and falling from the sky. If he were truly an 8-star Master Teacher, how could he possibly be unable to maintain flight and fall from the sky? It must have been Master Zhang using some special technique, at great cost, to resolve today's crisis.

Entering the inner courtyard, she looked towards where Master Yang had fallen, finding a small indentation in the ground, seemingly made by a head impact – as if he had landed face-first after falling from the sky. However... there was no one on the ground.

"Where is he?" Using a technique beyond his capabilities and then falling from the sky meant he must be injured. How could he just disappear? Wang Ying was full of worry.

"Wang Ying, why are you here instead of dissolving the medicinal effects and recovering from your injuries?" Just as she was about to continue searching, a faint voice sounded. She quickly looked over and saw Master Zhang standing not far away, looking at her with a frown.

"Teacher, just now... I, I saw Master Yang seemingly fall here from the sky. I was afraid he was injured, so I came to check!" Wang Ying's face flushed, and she quickly explained.

"Injured? What a joke! Your teacher is an unparalleled figure, how could he be injured?" Frowning, Master Zhang then waved his hand: "Alright, go down. I am currently discussing with my teacher how to treat Lu Chong, and I don't want to be disturbed. Leave for now!"

"Yes!" Seeing that he was fine and didn't look like he had just fallen from the sky, Wang Ying had no choice but to cup her fist and leave, her mind filled with confusion. Could it be... she was mistaken? Master Yang was Master Yang, and Master Zhang was Master Zhang; they weren't the same person at all? Otherwise, how could he have no injuries and such a steady aura after just plummeting from the sky?

"Even if I guessed wrong, the mark Ink Soul imparted on Teacher's neck surely cannot be wrong!" Clenching her teeth, Wang Ying's confidence surged again. Even if her speculation was incorrect, that mark couldn't be wrong! She had seen it with her own eyes and confirmed it multiple times; how could it be a mistake?

"Next time Master Yang appears, I'll look for Teacher again; I'm sure I'll notice something..." A thought sparked in her mind. Since Master Zhang wouldn't admit it, and as his student, she couldn't directly ask, it would be better to wait for an opportunity. When Master Yang appeared, she would look for Master Zhang. If the two couldn't appear simultaneously, it would prove... they were definitely the same person. At that point, he wouldn't be able to deny it even if he wanted to.

Having made her decision, Wang Ying walked out. As soon as she left, Master Zhang, with a wry smile, quickly walked towards his room. If Wang Ying had been there and seen his back, she would have confirmed without a doubt that he was the same person as Master Yang. Because... the back of Master Zhang's head was covered in dust, and his pants hadn't been changed, still dirty and disheveled from the fall. If not for the stone pillars in the courtyard providing cover, it would have been obvious.

Returning to his room, Zhang Xuan changed his clothes and finally let out a breath. The Master Yang who had appeared earlier was indeed him, just as Wang Ying had suspected. The situation was critical; if he had appeared as himself, a fierce battle would have been unavoidable, and his current cultivation was clearly no match for so many powerful cultivators. Having no other choice, he brought out "Yang Xuan." As for the powerful aura he exuded, it belonged to Ink Soul. That fellow was trapped in the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, unable to fully exert his power, but he could emanate an aura, which Zhang Xuan could conveniently borrow. The soul aura, accumulated for unknown years, was incomparably powerful, on par with a Half-Saint's presence. Combined with his hovering in the air, it made everyone initially mistake him for a Saint, establishing a preconceived notion and instilling reverence, thus preventing his disguise from being exposed.

As for injuring Sect Leader Luo Huang with his soul, he had used his abilities as a Witch Soul Master. His Witch Soul power had reached the peak of Mortal Transcension 4-dan. In terms of combat prowess, it would be difficult to injure Sect Leader Luo Huang, a Spirit Unification realm expert. However... in a soul-to-soul confrontation, the latter was far too weak. After all, those in Mortal Transcension 5-dan Spirit Unification realm had only just begun refining their souls, far from being able to manifest their souls outside their bodies, let alone compare to a Witch Soul expert like him who had been tempered in the Yin-Yang Pool. However, his ability to crush him was also thanks to the prestige of "Master Yang." If his true self had appeared, he probably would have been knocked unconscious with a single slap before he could even exert his soul power. Sect Leader Luo Huang, knowing that "Master Yang" was a Saint, dared not resist, which led to him being crushed and severely injured. As for the soul power transmission of cultivation techniques later, it looked impressive but was quite simple to explain. Ink Soul had once used soul power to transmit cultivation knowledge to him, and after learning this method, transmitting it to Xue Yiyao was nothing. Helping the Demonic Beast Yao Chen break through was also something he had done before.

Everything before that had been perfect. The only flaw was that the Ethereal Steps still consumed a great deal of True Qi. Although his cultivation had improved recently and his True Qi reserves had increased considerably, he could only maintain flight for a maximum of ten minutes or so. He finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell... Fortunately, no one noticed; otherwise, all his previous efforts would have been ruined.

"Oh, what a mess..." One moment he was awe-inspiring, making everyone fearful and speechless, and the next he was face-planting on the ground, nearly spitting blood. Zhang Xuan was utterly dejected. Although the Ethereal Steps were miraculous and flight was exhilarating, the fact that he just dropped straight down without any warning once his True Qi ran out was truly frustrating. Fortunately, he had diligently cultivated these past few days, and his True Qi was sufficient to last until the end. Otherwise, if he had been threatening everyone and then plummeted, he probably wouldn't have just fallen; he might have been beaten senseless by the crowd, and no amount of explanation would have helped.

"It seems... Wang Ying figured it out!" Recalling Wang Ying chasing him in with a suspicious look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. If Wang Ying could figure it out, others might too. Once people knew that this super Master Teacher "Yang Xuan" was merely fictional and not a real existence, those earlier groups would certainly return for revenge. It would be a miracle if they didn't beat him to death.

"It seems I need to quickly condense a clone... With a clone, both identities can appear simultaneously, and then no one will dare to suspect anything!" He clenched his fists. He had learned the method of soul splitting from Ink Soul, and with the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo as a foundation, condensing a clone was not difficult. However, it required a vast amount of spirit qi. He hadn't done it before because he lacked mid-grade spirit stones. Now, having extorted at least six hundred from so many forces, he had enough to lavishly spend and consume.

"First, I'll raise my cultivation!" The Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo was not yet mature. For it to mature, it required sufficient nourishment from Heavenly Dao True Qi. However... with so many mid-grade spirit stones, everything became simple.

With a flick of his wrist, the Spirit Gathering Formation array plate appeared before him. He sat cross-legged in the center, casually throwing out over ten mid-grade spirit stones. All his pores opened, and the Heavenly Dao cultivation technique circulated, directly devouring the rich spirit qi from his surroundings. Feeling the abundant spirit qi surging into his acupuncture points, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a wave of exhilaration, tears welling up in his eyes. For the past month or two, his cultivation had been a struggle, using spirit stones one by one. When had he ever been so extravagant? It seemed that if he got the chance in the future, he should extort those guys a few more times. To accelerate his cultivation speed, spirit stones were essential.

Rumble!

With ample spirit qi, his previous consumption was quickly replenished, and True Qi continued to accumulate. Before long, with a resounding boom, he reached the peak of Mortal Transcension 2-dan! With his strength increasing, Zhang Xuan didn't stop but continued to push forward. Peak Primordial Qi realm! Early Yin-Yang realm! Peak Yin-Yang realm! An hour later, he had already reached the peak of Mortal Transcension 3-dan! His True Qi strength had also reached a full 1,000,000 ding, which was 200,000 ding more than other cultivators. He could already rival an early Corrupted Clarity realm cultivator.

(For ordinary cultivators, early Yin-Yang realm is 500,000 ding, mid-stage 600,000, late-stage 700,000, peak 800,000! Early Corrupted Clarity realm is 1,000,000 ding, mid-stage 1,200,000 ding, and so on.)

If combined with his soul power of 1,600,000 ding, the power he could now exert had reached 2,600,000 ding! With this strength, he could even contend with a mid-stage Spirit Unification realm expert! (Spirit Unification realm: early 2,000,000, mid-stage 2,400,000, late-stage 2,800,000, peak 3,200,000!) Terrifying!

"Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, grow..." Without enough cultivation techniques for Mortal Transcension 4-dan, he couldn't advance further. Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, took out the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, and with a grasp of his hand, True Qi surged wildly into it.

"Ah... Don't kill me..." As soon as the True Qi entered the lotus platform, Ink Soul's pig-like squeal immediately rang out from within.

"Uh, my bad, I forgot about you..." He had been so focused on maturing the lotus platform quickly that he forgot how utterly terrified this guy was of Heavenly Dao True Qi.

"..." Ink Soul cried. "I just helped you create such a grand aura, and I almost kicked the bucket, and you forget me so quickly... Do you have to be so cruel?"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out first, and then I'll ripen the lotus embryo!" Knowing that the guy was inside, he couldn't recklessly use Heavenly Dao True Qi, Zhang Xuan said. As a 6-star Witch Soul Master, as long as this fellow could escape the lotus embryo, he could survive in the air for a long time without issue. If not, there were still the Soulless Golden Men that could be lent to him.

As for how to get him out, he had also figured out a method these past few days. The other party needed a substitute soul to emerge. If that's the case... then he'd find a soul.

"Soul Split!" Sitting cross-legged, with a thought, his Witch Soul left his body and floated in the air. Following the method Ink Soul had taught him earlier, he began to split his soul. If he couldn't find another soul to substitute, he would use his own. Conveniently, he also wanted to refine the lotus platform into a clone, and his soul entering it now, rather than later, wouldn't affect anything.

Spirit qi surged all around as his Witch Soul absorbed and split simultaneously. Soul splitting involved dividing a complete soul into two parts, akin to cleaving a person in half, incurring immense pain. A slight mistake could lead to his soul scattering. Had he not already refined this method to the Heavenly Dao level beforehand, he wouldn't dare to cultivate it, because... the success rate was simply too low. Ink Soul's success back then was also partly due to luck.

After an unknown period, the three-meter-tall Witch Soul, condensed in the Yin-Yang Pool, was successfully divided into two parts, both roughly the size of a normal person.

"Done..." Having separated it, he allowed one part to return to his physical body. Zhang Xuan let out a breath, his face pale.

"It'll probably be over a month before I can use soul power again!" This time was unlike treating Lu Chong, where he only split a small portion of his soul; even if damaged, it could recover quickly. With his soul split into two, it would be difficult to fully recover to its original state without one or two months of effort. This meant that for the next one or two months, it would be best not to use soul power, or the injuries would only worsen.

(Two chapters in one. One more update to come. A new volume has begun!)