Chapter 308 - 245: Meeting (Part 2)

"Enough. No matter what, I have to make this trip. Elder Jiang showed me great kindness in the past, and now he’s being used as leverage against me. How could I possibly ignore it?"

"Besides, I’m eager to see for myself just what the number one in the Divine Land is truly capable of," Zhao Xuanqi said, his expression calm.

Though he hadn’t yet reached his former peak and was likely no match for his opponent, he had no intention of backing down.

’I’ll face whatever comes my way.’ Perhaps the pressure of a life-or-death battle could even help him break through to a new realm.

Hearing Zhao Xuanqi’s words, Li Ping and Yang Xun opened their mouths to object, but ultimately said nothing.

A man of his caliber wouldn’t have his mind changed by a few simple words.

"Be careful."

In the end, this was all the Three Elders could say. After all, they couldn’t just stand by and watch Jiang Wu come to harm.

...

...

「Northern outskirts of Jinmen, at the summit of the Central Peak in the Eight Dragons Muddled Pearl Land.」

Yuan Tianhao, clad in a black robe, stood with Jiang Wu on the mountaintop. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled around as if he owned the place, casually lifting the cover to the wine cellar. Peering inside at the empty space, he said with a hint of suspicion, "Huh? Elder Jiang, why isn’t there a single drop of your Liquor Brew left? Don’t tell me you foresaw my arrival and hid it all on purpose?"

"It’s gone," Jiang Wu said, his expression cold. "You’re too late. Someone drank it all not long ago—the very person you came to see."

"Oh? He drank it all?" Yuan Tianhao asked, frowning slightly. "How many days did it take him?"

Back when he was based in Shangjing, his realm had been steadily improving, reaching a profoundly mysterious level. At the time, he’d needed a massive amount of nourishment to strengthen his body quickly, so he had barged in here and used his superior strength to drink every last drop of Jiang Wu’s Liquor Brew. Though he had later compensated for the loss with double the resources, Jiang Wu still never had a kind look for him.

"He only took three days. And at the time, he had just entered the Harmony realm. I recall your own realm was higher than his is now, yet it took you a full twenty-one days to finish my Liquor Brew."

As he said this, a strange smile crept across Jiang Wu’s long, horse-like face, clearly mocking Yuan Tianhao.

"Only three days?" Yuan Tianhao murmured, his thoughts unreadable.

"I expect you to remember your promise. You’re only here to meet him for an exchange of pointers, not to take his life. Otherwise, I will protect him, even if it means this Blessed Land is utterly destroyed in the process."

Jiang Wu’s large, bell-like eyes stared fixedly at Yuan Tianhao. If not for this promise, he never would have contacted the Martial Arts Association; he would have rather fought to his last breath than do something that violated his principles.

"I am well aware of your righteousness, Elder Jiang. But you should also know that I am a man of my word. Still, I must ask you one more time: are you certain you won’t come out of seclusion? The Divine Land is in turmoil, and in the past, your clan protected it on numerous occasions. If not for that, you would not have been allowed to remain here after the ancient war."

"The thousand-year agreement has passed," Jiang Wu said in a deep voice. "I no longer wish to interfere in the affairs of the Divine Land."

"Is that so?" Yuan Tianhao shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

Just then, however, the Illusion Barrier at the edge of the Blessed Land began to churn violently as a fierce wind swept through. The barrier was abruptly sliced in half. A streak of silvery-white light flashed by, and a figure leaped through the newly formed gap into the Blessed Land.

Zhao Xuanqi had arrived.

Watching the figure from the distant summit, a glint of interest flashed in Yuan Tianhao’s eyes. He turned to Jiang Wu. "Elder Jiang, in a moment, I’ll have to trouble you to use the Blessed Land’s Array to conceal the celestial anomalies. It is only here that I can unleash my full power without being detected by the outside world."

"Rest assured, that will be simple enough," Jiang Wu said.

"Simple, is it?" A meaningful smile touched the corners of Yuan Tianhao’s lips.

...

...

Meanwhile, upon entering the Blessed Land, Zhao Xuanqi felt a peculiar Sensing. The world around him was vast and indistinct, yet he could perceive a single focal point within the natural magnetic field.

He snapped his head in that direction.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

The wind howled as two figures, one behind the other, rapidly approached. A man in a black robe then landed abruptly, standing directly in front of him.

This man was the focal point of this entire plane.

The heavens have celestial phenomena; a man has his personal aura. This man’s aura overshadowed that of heaven and earth itself. No matter where he stood, he seemed to be the center of the world.

Zhao Xuanqi tried to get a better look, but the man’s figure was blurry, as if shrouded in a dense Fog, making it impossible to discern his true features or build.

Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes narrowed. He knew this was the effect of a spiritual influence that the man’s body was constantly emitting.

A Martial Arts Expert practices Stepping on Gang and Walking the Stars, their movements shrouded in Gang Qi, repelling falling rain and deflecting splashed water.

But this man had gone a step further. He constantly influenced the magnetic field around him, making him impervious to external evils and unapproachable by ghosts and gods.

Ghost God Realm!

Zhao Xuanqi had opened his Five Dragon Extreme Acupoints, allowing his hands and feet to reach this realm. The terrifying thing about this man, however, was that his entire body seemed to have achieved it.

This was the peak of Harmony!

In that instant, Zhao Xuanqi understood just how powerful this man’s realm had become.

Yet, even in the face of such a master, he felt not a single shred of fear.

ROAR!!

A silver light flashed in his eyes as he unleashed his Spiritual Secret Technique, forcibly using his Spiritual Power to pierce through the magnetic field enveloping his opponent.

This time, he saw the man’s face and form clearly.

The man was tall and powerfully built, dressed in a black robe. He had a broad face and a prominent Divine Court. Stars seemed to twinkle within his calm eyes, and overlapping halos of light emanated from behind his head, giving him the appearance of one of the Gods and Buddhas residing in a grand temple.

He was naturally imposing, his Divine Intent blazing like the sun!

The next moment, a smile appeared on Yuan Tianhao’s face.

BOOM!!

His Qi and Blood suddenly erupted, surging like a tidal wave. In an instant, his Physical Ability swelled to an immense level, and his Spirit became intensely Fierce.

His aura exploded outward, vast as the starry sky itself. Instantly, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as dark clouds gathered overhead.

Jiang Wu, arriving a moment later, took in the scene with an exceptionally grave expression.

He possessed the power of a Mountain God; with a single Divine Transformation, he could summon wind and rain, changing the very face of the heavens.

Yuan Tianhao was different. His magnetic field was so intense it pierced the heavens, and the natural surge of his Qi and Blood and the eruption of his Spirit were enough to change the environment around him.

When a true powerhouse became angry, the very world changed color.

This was also why Yuan Tianhao had chosen to meet Zhao Xuanqi in this Blessed Land.

His status was unique, and this was a critical time. With all eyes on him, any move he made would be accompanied by strange phenomena. If his location were to be exposed, it would surely lead to a great deal of trouble.

Only within this Blessed Land, with Jiang Wu using his power as a Mountain God, could such anomalies be concealed.

In an instant, an aura as vast as the starry sky enveloped Zhao Xuanqi.

This aura surpassed that of any expert he had ever seen.

And this included every master he had ever encountered—not only in this life, but in his past life as well!

In both his past and present lives, this was quite possibly the strongest person Zhao Xuanqi had ever encountered!

The terrifying pressure of that starry-sky aura was boundless. A man’s power might move mountains and part seas, but how could it possibly stand against the cosmos itself?

With his aura alone, this man could force a Harmony realm expert to their knees!

However, under the terrifying pressure, Zhao Xuanqi’s body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from excitement.

He had been reborn into this world precisely to meet stronger opponents. Only a greater challenge could help him break through the barriers holding him back and allow him to reach a peak he had never before dreamed of.

A smile touched his lips. Even though he had yet to reach his peak in this life, he would still give it his all.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!!

His arms blurred into motion as he activated the power of the Ghost God. His palms, now able to touch the intangible, instantly tore a hole through the oppressive aura.

"Indeed, the Ghost God Realm. A Ghost God Realm practitioner under the age of twenty... truly astonishing."

Yuan Tianhao remarked with a sigh of admiration. Even he himself had only reached this level when he was close to forty.

He had never witnessed such talent in his life; it likely surpassed even that of the legendary figures recorded in the annals of Martial History.

’But does he think he can shatter my aura with just this?’