Chapter 673: As Good as Dead


    Trantor: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97


    It was just a moment ago that she offered this secret manual to Zhang shi, but the other party turned it down, saying that it would be inappropriate for him to take a look at it. But right after, as she waspletely impressed by such noble behavior, the other party actually exerted the might of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body...


    ’So, did you look at the book or not?


    ’Wasn’t it written that even geniuses would require at least two years to master?


    ’But how long has it been since we started cultivating?


    ’To have remembered the content and finished cultivating within such a short period of time...


    ’Teacher, are you Zhang shi or a reincarnation of Wu Yangzi?’


    Luo Qiqi waspletely dumbfounded by the sight before her.


    It felt as though her understanding of the world was being overturned entirely.


    Leaping by the Dragon Severing Lock, Zhang Xuan realized that the youngdy was still dazing off within the passageway, so he turned around and beckoned her.


    "What are you waiting for? Let’s go!"


    Walking out of the passageway, Luo Qiqi couldn’t hold back her curiosity anymore, so she asked, "Teacher... did you just use the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body?"


    "I guess it could be considered that way too."


    Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan exined with a displeased expression, "I didn’t intend to learn it, but due to the urgency of the matter, I had no choice but to do so. This physical body cultivation technique is rather troublesome to cultivate so I modified it a little. Even so, significant ws still remain in it, so I’ve only cultivated to the First Incandescence!"


    Zhang Xuan was truly frustrated. Initially, he was still delighted that there were only four ws... but it turned out that he was sorely mistaken.


    The four ws just happened to be that he would require various rare materials in order to cultivate the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Incandescence.


    For example, he would require the Earth me Heart to reach the Second Incandescence, and for the Third Incandescence, he would require Origin Heavy Water...


    When cultivating the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, he only required Heaven’s Path zhenqi. When had he needed the support of external materials before?


    To still require so many items even afterpiling a few hundred physical body cultivation techniques with it, this was truly damned.


    It was fortunate that he could master the First Incandescence through just using his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, or else he would surely have died of frustration.


    While he was displeased by his situation, Luo Qiqi was about to go insane.


    ’Modified it slightly?


    ’Significant ws still remain in it?


    ’This is a Spirit pinnacle cultivation technique... or perhaps, it might even be beyond it! I have just barely finished reading through the First Incandescence, and you are already done understanding, modifying, and cultivating it...


    ’To even pick on the ws in the technique on top of that!


    ’Are you teasing me?


    ’I have seen many incredible geniuses and experts, but never have I seen one as absurd as you!’


    Luo Qiqi’s mouth twitched violently as vertigo struck her.


    She felt that there was nothing that Zhang shi was incapable of. It seemed as though doing the impossible was the norm for him.


    "Hmm? They aren’t out yet? Have they left already?"


    Just as Luo Qiqi was shocked speechless, she heard the voice of the young man. Shifting her gaze, she saw that Zhang shi had already walked ahead and was currently standing before the other stone door. A deep frown was etched on his forehead.


    Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, and the others had passed through this stone door to enter another passageway. Considering how they spent almost sixteen hours inside their passageway, they thought that the others would be out by now. But contrary to their expectations, there was not a single face to be seen amidst the dim radiance from the Night Illumination Pearl in the vast underground chamber.


    Had they left already, or were they still stuck inside?


    Luo Qiqi’s heart skipped a beat. Tossing away all other thoughts, she hurriedly rushed up to Zhang Xuan.


    After examining the area, her expression turned grim. "It seems like they aren’t out yet. Otherwise, they would have surelye to look for us. Furthermore, the locations where the Night Illumination Pearls are scattered are still the same... This means that it is highly likely they are still inside there!"


    Given her understanding of Yu Fei-er, the other party would have surely havee to look for them as soon as she left the passageway, or at the very least, she would have notified them through the Night Illumination Pearls. However, given that there was no trace of them in this vast underground chamber, it could only mean that the four of them were still trapped beyond the stone door, unable to leave.


    "Un!"


    Since she was able to deduce this much, Zhang Xuan, who possessed the Eye of Insight, was naturally able to do the same as well. At this moment, he was staring at the stone door with a perplexed expression. "But this door isn’t locked with the Dragon Severing Lock. Why aren’t they out yet?"


    "It’s not?"


    Luo Qiqi walked forward to push open the door, and it opened up easily, revealing a flight of stone steps downward. Unlike their passageway, this one wasn’t sealed with a Severing Dragon Lock.


    In other words... Luo Qiqi and the others could have left whenever they wanted!


    But if that was the case, why weren’t they out yet?


    A thought suddenly struck Luo Qiqi, and her eyes widened in fear.


    "Grandmaster Wu Yangzi said that the stone chamber, where we were previously, was a cell used to incarcerate him, and this side was the living quarters of the Otherworldly Demon... Considering how a group of Otherworldly Demons were forged into puppets under his hands, could it be..."


    Wu Yangzi had converted more than twenty Otherworldly Demons into puppets, but there was only a single one in the stone chamber previously. Assuming that all of them were still functional...


    Zhang Xuan’s face twisted in shock as well.


    "Let’s go and take a look!"


    Even though he didn’t possess much goodwill toward Yu Fei-er and the others, he didn’t bear them any hostility either. He couldn’t just stand idly when they were at risk of being ripped into pieces by the Otherworldly Demon puppets.


    "Un."


    Knowing that her close friend was in danger, Luo Qiqi dared not hesitate. She quickly followed behind Zhang Xuan and headed down the steps.


    Just like in the other, this passageway was cold and damp as well.


    The recording from the stone bridge earlier on said that one could only enter one door.


    While this door wasn’t sealed by the Dragon Severing Lock, if one were to venture this path, one would be lynched by many Otherworldly Demon puppets simultaneously, making it impossible for them to return.


    On the other hand, if one were to go through the other door and fail to obtain the heritage, one would be doomed as well. And if one managed to obtain the heritage, one would learn that the other passageway led to the Otherworldly Demon’s nest, and no sane man would possibly venture down this path after learning that.


    In retrospect, the previous decision was actually a choice between life and death!


    "I can only hope that they are fine."


    Grasping his cier Rain Sword tightly, Zhang Xuan slowly proceeded down the passageway.


    Had he known that it was so dangerous, he would have surely stopped them no matter the means. If the four of them were to really die here, he would feel guilty his entire life.


    After advancing a moment longer, they finally approached the end of the steps, and another huge underground chamber unfolded before them. Zhang Xuan turned to Luo Qiqi and said, "It’ll be too conspicuous if we were to enter together. You should wait for me up there, I will enter alone."


    "Teacher..."


    Luo Qiqi was taken aback.


    "You’re currently still too weak, and you don’t have any escape means either. If something really has happened to them, we will only be leaping to our doom pointlessly if the both of us enter together. But if they are fine... Trust me, I’ll surely bring them out!" Zhang Xuan said.


    If someone were to follow him, he would be unable to utilize a lot of his secret means. Thus, it would be better if Luo Qiqi were to head up first.


    After a moment of hesitation, Luo Qiqi clenched her jaws and nodded.


    "This... Alright!"


    She was indeed too weak to be of help at the moment. Considering how she couldn’t even wound the Otherworldly Demon puppet, all she could do was run for her life if she were to encounter one.


    Not to mention, it was likely that they were going to face more than one this time around. If they were to get entangled with them, they might very well lose their lives here.


    Even though Zhang shi managed to kill the previous Otherworldly Demon puppet, a huge part of the reason was due to the other party being immobilized by the Crimson me Cauldron. Otherwise, in a direct battle, there was no way that it would expose its neck to him!


    "Teacher, you must be careful... No matter how the others are, you must first ensure your own safety!" Luo Qiqi said worriedly.


    "Don’t worry, I can fly. Even if I can’t defeat them, fleeing isn’t a problem at all," Zhang Xuan replied.


    "Un. I’ll wait for you outside then."


    Hearing those words, Luo Qiqi suddenly recalled the various astonishing feats that Zhang Xuan had achieved, and her worry alleviated slightly. She nodded before turning around to leave. A momentter, she disappeared amidst the darkness.


    After Luo Qiqi left, Zhang Xuan didn’t enter the underground chamber straight away. Instead, he sat down and took in a deep breath.


    Hu!


    His soul tore away from his body.


    If there were really twenty or so of the Otherworldly Demons he met previously, it would be difficult for him to escape even if he was capable of flying.


    After all, his flying altitude was severely limited by the ceiling. If all of them were to rush for him simultaneously, it would be nigh impossible for him to avoid them.


    Thus, he decided to utilize his soul to scout the area instead.


    Due to the intangible and invisible nature of a soul, it would be hard for even the Otherworldly Demons to notice it.


    Hu!


    As soon as Zhang Xuan’s soul left his body, he immediately rushed into the underground chamber.


    There were a few Night Illumination Pearls in the underground chamber that Xing Yuan and the others had scattered. Despite the dimness, Zhang Xuan could still clearly see the situation around him.


    Looking around, this underground chamber was muchrger than the stone chamber Wu Yangzi had been locked in. Even when gazing across the horizon, the end couldn’t be seen.


    As it was meant to serve as the living quarters of the Otherworldly Demon, infrastructures were positioned neatly alongside one another. If not for the gloomy darkness, one might have even thought that one had stepped into a city.


    ’No wonder the Otherworldly Demons were able to survive for more than ten thousand years here...’


    Zhang Xuan nodded.


    In the end, the Otherworldly Demons did spend dozens of millenniums here. It would be hard to believe that it would be designed shabbily.


    Thinking so, Zhang Xuan followed along the trail of light.


    There was no doubt the Night Illumination Pearls were left behind by Yu Fei-er and her group. As long as he followed the source of light, it would surely lead him to them.


    ’There are signs of battle...’


    Proceeding a little further, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.


    Under the light of the Night Illumination Pearls, he could see many copsed buildings and a slight trace of blood on the ground. Clearly, a fight had just urred here recently.


    ’Eye of Insight!’


    Lines of insight flowed in Zhang Xuan’s eyes as he studied the battle traces.


    ’Fourteen hours ago... It must have been left behind by them!’


    The Eye of Insight was a technique triggered by driving his Soul Depth, so he was able to activate it even as a soul. Through studying the traces left behind here, he was able to deduce when it was left behind.


    Most likely, Yu Fei-er and the others encountered something not too long after entering the underground chamber and fought against it.


    ’But if that is the case, why is it so silent here? Are they already... dead?’ Zhang Xuan thought.


    Since a battle had urred, Yu Fei-er and the others should have encountered the Otherworldly Demons. If they were still alive, they should still be in the midst of a battle. Yet, the underground chamber waspletely silent. Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.


    He immediately examined the surroundings and saw a few sets of flurried footprints on the ground.


    These footprints weren’t too big, revealing that they were left behind by a human.


    ’These are their footprints!’


    Having gone through the Third Celestial Master Teacher acknowledgement, Zhang Xuan’s Eye of Insight was stronger than ever, allowing him to easily notice the slight footsteps above theyer of dust on the ground. Zhang Xuan quickly traced the footsteps, but not too longter, he abruptly halted.


    Geji! Geji!


    The sound of someone’s footsteps sounded not too far away. Under the light of the Night Illumination Pearls, Zhang Xuan saw a massive Otherworldly Demon puppet walking over withrge strides.


    This fellow was around the same size as the puppet whom he slew not too long ago. Its skin was also gray, as if it was coated with ayer of metal alloy.


    Zhang Xuan’s soul cultivated the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, so unlike other souls, his body didn’t emanate yin energy. As such, the Otherworldly Demon puppet didn’t notice him. It simply rushed by him. Following which, a few other Otherworldly Demon puppets also soon followed behind it.


    ’There are so many Otherworldly Demon puppets here...’


    To actually meet with eight Otherworldly Demon puppets before he could find Yu Fei-er and the others, Zhang Xuan’s heart pounded nervously.


    Given how many Otherworldly Demon puppets were here, Yu Fei-er and the others were... as good as dead!