Neither of the two Sovereigns were weaker than him; in fact, due to their positions, they had countless protectors guarding them. Challenging the two of them was tantamount to suicide!
Even if he could acquire a technique to control the power of magnetism, he would need to be alive in order to enjoy the benefits of it!
“It can’t be that Ancient Sage Hao Xun is afraid of the two Sovereigns, can it?” Zhang Xuan asked with a faint smile.
“I don’t wish to involve myself in the power struggle within the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and I have no intention of putting myself in danger for the sake of it,” Ancient Sage Hao Xun replied with a calm wave of his hand. “If you think of me as a coward due to that, so be it!”
“Since you have already said so, Ancient Sage Hao Xun, it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to impose on you any further. However, before we take our leave, there is one thing that I would like to advise you on,” Zhang Xuan said with narrowed eyes.
“The power of magnetism is a unique force that naturally occurs in the world. I can understand the rationale behind having chosen to tap into this power in order to surpass your limitations and reach the Dimension Shatterer realm, but such an action is no different from attempting to devour the power of the heavens. Your soul and physical body will suffer backlashes as a result of your actions…
“If I’m not mistaken, you have remained within the Primal Lodestone Mountain for the past three thousand years not because you are unwilling to leave the area but because it has become extremely difficult for you to do so, right?”
Despite Ancient Sage Hao Xun’s powerful front, he was actually in a very precarious position. His act of devouring the power of magnetism could be viewed as defying the will of the heavens. If he left the Primal Lodestone Mountain, there was little doubt that a heavenly tribulation would swiftly fall upon him.
As a result, despite being a proud Blood Reincarnation realm cultivator, he had ended up holing himself up in that wretched place, not daring to leave at all.
Ancient Sage Hao Xun widened his eyes slightly after hearing those words from Zhang Xuan, but he swiftly refuted them with a cold harrumph. “With my current strength, do you think that I would fear a mere heavenly tribulation? If I wish to leave, there’s no one who can stop me, not even the heavens!”
It was true that he was frightened of the heavenly tribulation, but as long as he gave it his all, he was confident that he would still be able to get out of it alive. It was just a matter of how much he would risk losing as a result of it.
“I see… I’m glad to hear that you are confident. Pardon me for being a little naggy, but I would just like to offer you one last piece of advice. The power of magnetism is an incredible source of strength, but it isn’t a good idea to fuse it into your bloodline. Otherwise, you expose yourself to endless trouble in the future. You won’t be able to predict how your meridians and body will mutate as a result of that!”
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan turned to Wu Chen and said, “Let’s leave!”
“Leave?” Wu Chen was stunned.
The reason that he had gone all the way there was to recruit Ancient Sage Hao Xun to his faction. They had barely traded a few words and had not even settled on anything, but they were already going to leave the area.
Engaging the help of Ancient Sage Hao Xun was not a choice but a necessity to them. If they could not get his help, their chances of success would be extremely slim, perhaps even non-existent!
Hu!
While Wu Chen was still deep in thought, Zhang Xuan had already left the area. He hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to follow the young man.
Having entered the ancient domain at the White Creek Mountain with him, Wu Chen knew that the young man possessed extraordinary capabilities. The young man probably had his reasons for choosing such a course of action.
After flying for a moment, the young man suddenly came to a halt. Floating quietly in the air, he gazed in the direction that he had just come from.
“What do we do now?” Wu Chen asked with a deep frown.
“We’ll wait here. Who knows? Perhaps, Ancient Sage Hao Xun might just change his mind and join us!” Zhang Xuan replied with a mysterious smile.
Countless questions arose in Wu Chen’s mind.
Ancient Sage Hao Xun had just confirmed that he would suffer a heavenly tribulation if he left the Primal Lodestone Mountain, so why would he suddenly change his mind and risk going all the way there just to join their faction?
However, Wu Chen also knew that Zhang Xuan would not have said such words needlessly. Thus, he stood quietly beside the latter and gazed in the direction of the abyss.
…
“How did that fellow know that I’m assimilating the lodestones in the abyss into my body?” Ancient Sage Hao Xun murmured in bewilderment.
The reason that he had been able to grasp control over the power of magnetism was not because of his extraordinary talent but because he had spent three thousand years in the depths of the abyss assimilating lodestones into his body.
Lodestones were a type of magnet that emanated a powerful magnetic field of their own. If one could manipulate the magnetic field of the natural world, one would be able to wrestle control of the zhenqi of one’s opponent, thus rendering the other party powerless.
“Forget it! There’s no point mulling too much over what that young man said. I’m just a step away from fully assimilating the lodestones into my body, so I should hurry up and accomplish it before any more trouble comes knocking on my door…”
Unable to make sense of the young man’s words, Ancient Sage Hao Xun decided to ignore it altogether. He dived back into the darkness of the abyss, and before long, he had already reached the deepest region.
There was a five-colored stone right before him that emanated brilliant light. It seemed like it was the source of the overwhelming magnetic power in the area.
Placing his palm on it, Ancient Sage Hao Xun took a deep breath before circulating his power through the lodestone, attempting to assimilate it.
He had spent a thousand years trying to get close to this lodestone and another thousand years attempting to place his hand on it. Right now, as long as he could infuse the lodestone with his zhenqi, he should be able to successfully assimilate it!
All that was lacking was this final step.
Once he succeeded, he would be no different from a mobile Primal Lodestone Mountain. He would not have to fear any heavenly tribulation, and he would be able to crush any opponents with ease.
Gugugugu!
As he pumped more and more zhenqi into the lodestone, his body became more and more compatible with the power of magnetism. Before long, the lodestone began to cave in to his strength, and it gradually assimilated together with his palm.
“Success!” Ancient Sage Hao Xun’s eyes glowed in excitement as he quickly channeled his energy to facilitate the assimilation process.
Tzzzzzzz!
As the five-colored stone became one with his hand, a brilliant light burst forth from his body, as if indicating his evolution to a higher being.
Feeling the power of magnetism coursing through his body, Ancient Sage Hao Xun laughed heartily in triumph. He attempted to drive his zhenqi to test out his new fighting prowess when his body suddenly stiffened. For some reason, the zhenqi in his body seemed to have been bogged down by some force, preventing him from driving it freely as he could before.
“What’s going on?” Ancient Sage Hao Xun narrowed his eyes in shock.
He quickly inspected his own body, and the next instant, his face flushed white in horror.
He found that his meridians had lost their previous suppleness. Instead, they reflected a metallic glint as if they were made of steel. The change in the property of his meridian made it extremely difficult for zhenqi to pass through them.
“It’s slowly turning into stone… Am I being petrified?”
This change was not limited to his meridians. His muscles and veins were starting to stiffen as well, and he could clearly feel his senses dulling. It was as if death was encroaching on him, slowly stripping him of his consciousness.
At that moment, there was no way that he could still be oblivious to what was going on.
While he attempted to assimilate the lodestone to convert the power of magnetism to his own, the power of magnetism had also discreetly been changing the structure of his body, wanting to convert him into a massive magnet!
In a sense, this was similar to how ferromagnetic materials would gain the properties of a magnet if they were exposed to a consistent magnetic field for extended periods of time.
Gradually, the insides of his body had been reconstructed without him noticing.
If he was a non-living being, such a change would not have made much of a difference. However, he was a living being! Once his body and meridians had all turned into stone, would he still be able to talk and battle? Would he still be able to retain his consciousness?
Even my soul is being assimilated by the power of magnetism, Ancient Sage Hao Xun thought in horror as cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
It was not just his meridians and body that were growing stiffer. Even his blood and soul were not spared! Was a powerful Ancient Sage like him going to meet his end just like that?
“Endless trouble, mutate… That young man must know something about this…” Knowing that he was already on the verge of death, Ancient Sage Hao Xun suddenly recalled the words that he had heard from the young man, and his fists suddenly clenched tightly together.
Not only did the young man notice that he was assimilating a lodestone, he even seemed to know the effects of doing so. If he wished to free himself from his current predicament, his best bet was to seek the young man’s help!
Boom!
Knowing that his life was already on a countdown, how could he possibly hesitate? He immediately flew out of the abyss and dashed in the direction that Zhang Xuan and Wu Chen had disappeared.
