“This is the Primal Lodestone Mountain!”
Worried that they might catch the attention of the two Sovereigns, Zhang Xuan and Wu Chen did not dare open a dimension rift and teleport over. Fortunately, the Primal Lodestone Mountain was relatively close to the capital, so it only took them two hours to arrive at their destination.
Despite bearing the name of a mountain, a more exact term would probably be ‘abyss’. The abyss was dyed with the monotonous color of absolute darkness, and it covered all that they could see. A chilling and eerie air could be clearly felt from within.
“Allow me to give it a try!” Floating above the abyss, Wu Chen took in a deep breath and shouted, “Brother Hao Xun, Chen Yong has come to pay a visit to you!”
His voice manifested in the form of thin threads of zhenqi, which transmitted his voice into the depths of the abyss, echoing countless li below.
He shouted three times before something happened. Black clouds seemed to billow from the depths of the abyss, and slowly, rays of light began shooting up from the abyss, forming auroras in the sky.
As soon as the auroras surfaced, Zhang Xuan and Wu Chen immediately felt imbalance in their flight, and their bodies began to wobble nonstop. It was as if some power was interfering with the flow of their zhenqi, and it left them on the verge of plummeting from the sky.
Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. This is the power of magnetism!
He could sense that something similar to a magnetic field had been set up in the area, but this magnetic field was designed in a manner to produce destructive fluxes against zhenqi, thus causing cultivators to lose control of their powers.
“Humph!”
Wu Chen could not be bothered to disguise himself anymore. Reverting to his regal appearance, he emanated powerful, concentrated Zhenqi of Slaughter, allowing him to finally regain balance of his body. However, as he had not recovered from his wounds yet, the act of tapping into his strength caused his face to turn sickly pale.
At the same time, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and brought out the Infernal Blacksaber. By standing on the Infernal Blacksaber, he managed to steady himself for the time being.
The magnetic field was designed with the intent to throw one’s zhenqi into chaos, but as a weapon, the Infernal Blacksaber did not have any zhenqi. Naturally, it was unaffected by the effects of the magnetic field.
Grand rays of light shot up from the abyss once more, and soon, a silhouette dressed in a black robe rose along with the rays of light.
“Brother Hao Xun!” Sovereign Chen Yong clasped his fist and greeted the other party.
Zhang Xuan also turned his gaze over to assess the other party.
Covered tightly by the black robe, the only thing that was visible of Ancient Sage Hao Xun was his blood red eyes. The aura that he emanated felt dense and immense, making it hard for one to gauge the limits of his prowess. In terms of strength, he was likely above even Old Geezer Yu and Zhang Hongtian.
It was no wonder that Wu Chen held the other party in such high regard.
“Sovereign Chen Yong, you should know that I have chosen to steer clear from the secular world. It makes no difference even if you pay a personal visit to me!” Ancient Sage Hao Xun remarked impassively as he hid his hands amid his black robe.
“I believe that you should be aware of the recent movements in the capital. Brother Hao Xun, I really require your help this time!” Sovereign Chen Yong said as he bent his back parallel to the ground.
Any cultivator could easily see that he was severely injured, and his life could come to an end at any moment. There was no need for unnecessary explanations.
“Sovereign Chen Yong, death is a natural process of life. Even a man as great as you will eventually meet his end. I’m honored that you were willing to pay me one last visit before the end of your life. If there’s nothing else, please excuse me!” Ancient Sage Hao Xun replied coldly.
With a step of his feet, the rays of light around him began to fade. It seemed like he would return to the darkness of the abyss soon.
Seeing that Ancient Sage Hao Xun was going to return to the abyss, Sovereign Chen Yong anxiously added, “Brother Hao Xun, I was betrayed by others, and my life is hanging by a thread. My only wish now is to eliminate my enemies before meeting my end…”
If not to ask for your help, who in the world would be so free to come and pay you a visit before their death?
Do I seem very close to you?
Ancient Sage Hao Xun shook his head in response. “It has been many years since I have been in a position of authority, and I no longer desire to come into contact with that mess…”
With a wave of his hand, the rays of light submerged back into the abyss, and Ancient Sage Hao Xun himself also began descending back into the dark abyss.
“Please hold on a moment!”
Just as the other party was about to disappear, Zhang Xuan suddenly called out. At the same time, he raised his hand and tapped his finger lightly.
The rays of light beneath Ancient Sage Hao Xun suddenly went berserk, and the magnetic field in the area abruptly changed its target and focused around the black silhouette.
Huala!
Crushed by the magnetic field, it was as if the abyss itself was repulsing his presence. As a result, Ancient Sage Hao Xun was spat out from the black abyss.
“What in the world… Who are you? Why are you able to control the power of magnetism?” Ancient Sage Hao Xun could hardly believe what had just happened.
The power of magnetism had never been an ability that cultivators were able to grasp. In order to achieve the impossible, he had spent more than three thousand years in the abyss before he managed to be able to achieve a basic level of control over this fearsome strength that even his peers greatly feared.
Yet, the young man was actually able to control the rays of light manifested through his power of magnetism and make them repulse him… How was this possible?
“I didn’t really control the power of magnetism. Instead, through the flaws of your body, I infused the power of magnetism in the area into your zhenqi and forcefully harmonized it with the surroundings!” Zhang Xuan explained calmly.
At the same time, with a flick of his finger, he placed the Infernal Blacksaber beneath his feet back into his storage ring. Surprisingly, even without the Infernal Blacksaber to prop him up, he was able to remain floating in the air without any problems, as if he was impervious to the effects of the magnetic field in the area.
Given how the Heaven’s Path zhenqi was able to imitate the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe’s Zhenqi of Slaughter, it was not too difficult for him to be able to alter it such that it was impervious to the magnetic field around him.
Earlier, when Ancient Sage Hao Xun launched his first attack, he had already swiftly analyzed the ability with his Library of Heaven’s Path and come up with a countermeasure against it.
“The flaws of my body? Harmonized my zhenqi with the surroundings?” Ancient Sage Hao Xun frowned.
“Indeed!” Zhang Xuan replied.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly raised his hands.
Huala!
The rays of light in the abyss swiftly rose up and gathered around him in the form of an aurora, making him look like a giant in the sky.
The properties of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi could be altered at will, so naturally, he could change its properties to allow him to control the power of magnetism in the area. In his current state, the Primal Lodestone Mountain felt like a warm spring of energy to him, granting him the ability to bring forth fighting prowess far beyond his usual means.
“You are indeed able to control the power of magnetism!” Realizing that his control over the surrounding magnetic field was not as refined or strong as that of the young man, Ancient Sage Hao Xun’s face warped in astonishment.
To think that despite devoting three thousand years of effort into comprehending the power of magnetism, he would actually lose to a young man who had only just arrived there!
Knowing that he had managed to catch Ancient Sage Hao Xun’s attention, Zhang Xuan pressed his case forward. “If you are willing to help Sovereign Chen Yong’s cause, I can impart the ability to control the power of magnetism to you!”
“This…”
As expected, Ancient Sage Hao Xun hesitated in the face of this offer.
For someone who had spent three thousand years living in seclusion on the Primal Lodestone Mountain to comprehend the power of magnetism, the offer that Zhang Xuan had made was truly seductive.
It was not on whim that Ancient Sage Hao Xun had chosen to seclude himself in this wretched land of desolation. It was out of his desire to pave a way to higher realms that he had attempted to comprehend the power of magnetism. If he could really gain the ability to control magnetic fields with ease, he was confident that his cultivation would surge, such that advancing beyond the Blood Reincarnation realm would become a distinct possibility!
Even though Ancient Sage Hao Xun was moved by the offer, he did not rush into making a decision. Instead, he turned to Sovereign Chen Yong. “Who injured you?”
Since the enemy was someone who could reduce even the number one Otherworldly Demon Emperor to such a state, he would have to think twice before accepting this offer. As confident as he was in his strength, he never allowed his ego to blind the rationality of his decisions.
If he was not absolutely certain of victory, he would not put himself in the path of danger even if to obtain the method to control the power of magnetism.
“It was Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing. They conspired with the humans to assassinate me!” Sovereign Chen Yong replied.
“They are the ones who injured you?”
Hearing that the culprits were the other two Sovereigns, Ancient Sage Hao Xun’s complexion turned incredibly awful. “I’m afraid that I’m unable to help you in this matter. Please seek the assistance of others!”
