“Seal his cultivation!”
Seeing that they had managed to catch Zhang Xuan with the massive net, the Semi-Divinities unwittingly heaved a sigh of relief. They didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.
One of the Semi-Divinity realm warriors stepped forward and tapped his finger on Zhang Xuan, intending to seal off Zhang Xuan’s cultivation.
“I’ve been waiting for you!” Zhang Xuan murmured with a faint smile.
Three swords suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and with a set of profound movements, they pierced right through the warrior’s back. Then, with a vertical motion, the warrior was sliced into two.
As soon as the warrior was killed, Zhang Xuan could feel the massive net loosened a little. It was as if a formation had lost one of its core sources of energy, resulting in some degree of instability.
Alarmed, the remaining nine Semi-Divinity realm cultivators swiftly infused their energy into the massive net, hoping to stabilize it.
But as fast as their reaction was, none of them could have been able to move faster than Zhang Xuan, who was waiting to seize this opportunity. He immediately dashed out of the massive net, leaped into the air, and brandished his sword furiously, raining a powerful current of sword qi down on one of the Semi-Divinity realm warriors.
Even though all ten of those warriors were at Semi-Divinity realm, they weren’t of equal strength to one another, Zhang Xuan was able to tell that this person was the weakest one of the remaining nine.
By using his own body as bait, he was able to swiftly get rid of one of his enemies. After that, he made use of the lapse from the crowd’s shock to assault the weakest one.
Despite his swift movements, his head was constantly calculating what was the best move he could take in order to maximize his chances of eliminating his enemies.
If he wasn’t confident of his abilities, why would he take the risk to come here?
Puhe!
The might of four swords augmented with the Gods’ Sword Intent formed a force far beyond what the weakest Semi-Divinity realm warrior could deal with. In an instant, he was sliced into multiple pieces.
None of the warriors could have expected two of their comrades to be killed so quickly. Everything happened so quickly that a hint of fear was arising from the depths of their hearts.
This fear wasn’t just directed toward Zhang Xuan but toward their leader too. It was a huge failure of their part to display such unbecoming results before their leader.
Boom boom boom!
Eight hands fell onto the floor simultaneously, and a powerful outburst of energy froze the space in the Hall of Gods. Every single movement came with humongous resistance.
With a roar, Zhang Xuan tried to bring out the Blackback Tortoise and the three sharks to assist him, but just like the Azure Bridge, he was unable to open his tamed beast sack in here as well.
With veins popping from his temples, he forcefully brandished the Tongshang Sword. At the same time, he brought out the metal chain and the halberd as well to disrupt the formation created by the remaining eight Semi-Divinities.
With the three Semi-Divinity artifacts moving together, as if a boulder had been thrown into a pond, a black rift swiftly rippled through the surroundings, blasting open the frozen space.
“It’s the end!”
Zhang Xuan had put all of his efforts into blasting the frozen space open, only to realize that one of the enemies had managed to sneak up on him. The other party raised his palm to strike down on him.
Peng!
There was no time for Zhang Xuan to dodge at all. So, he could only channel his energy to the front of his body in hopes of diverting the attack.
However, the palm strike was simply too powerful. That single strike fractured three of his ribcage bones, and he fell from the sky.
If it was three, four, or even five Semi-Divinities, he would still have been able to handle the situation. However, to face ten of them simultaneously, not to mention that all of them were experts from the Hall of Gods at that, it was inevitable that it would still be difficult for him to stand his ground despite his superior skills.
Crashing heavily onto the floor, blood seeped out from the corners of Zhang Xuan’s lips. He tried to quickly return to his feet, but a metal chain swiftly wrapped around him, binding him tightly.
“A Semi-Divinity artifact?”
Zhang Xuan could feel the metal chain digging tightly into his skin. Even with his current strength, he was actually unable to free himself at all!
“An encirclement of ten Semi-Divinities, but you were still able to kill two of them. That explains why you were able to survive even though I have sent so many people for you in the past. I would have expected nothing less from a person chosen by the heavens,” the silhouette above the flames glanced down at Zhang Xuan coldly as he spoke.
He didn’t seem to be frustrated or angered because Zhang Xuan had killed two of his subordinates.
“A person chosen by the heavens?”
Knowing that it was impossible for him to get away, Zhang Xuan gave up on struggling altogether. Instead, he focused on driving his zhenqi to heal his injuries as he asked with a tight knit on his forehead.
“Indeed. You are someone who harnesses the heavens within you, isn’t that so?” the silhouette remarked impassively.
Those words caused Zhang Xuan’s body to stiffen.
He had never expected anyone to ask such a question. The fact that he had the Library of Heaven’s Path in him should have been something that only Luo Ruoxin knew of. No one else should have been aware of it.
Yet, the words of the silhouette seemed to be hinting at the same thing as well. Did the chief of the Hall of Gods know something about the Library of Heaven’s Path?
Or could it be that the gods had the ability to see through the Library of Heaven’s Path?
As the Hall of Gods had attacked him after he comprehended the Gods’ Sword Intent, he had thought that it was simply afraid that he would attempt to steal a ‘神 (God)’ character from it after he had grown up. However, it was apparent that he couldn’t be more wrong than that!
So what if he had comprehended the Gods’ Sword Intent?
A person who had comprehended the Gods’ Sword Intent still wouldn’t stand a chance against ten Semi-Divinities!
Not to mention, the Hall of Gods should have plenty of the unique aura required for one to achieve a breakthrough to Semi-Divinity realm. Even if he were to snatch the ‘神 (God)’ character from them, it shouldn’t warrant them to make a move.
Everything would make sense if its goal had been Library of Heaven’s Path right from the start!
That would also explain why the warriors who had been sent to apprehend him had been strictly ordered to capture him alive!
Zhang Xuan tried to conceal his expression, but the silhouette still caught a hint of astonishment in the depths of his eyes.
With a light chuckle, the silhouette said, “You seem to be a little bewildered. Are you wondering how I knew that you harness the heavens inside of you?”
Instead of responding, Zhang Xuan simply glared at the silhouette coldly.
Paying no heed to Zhang Xuan’s silence, the silhouette continued speaking, “Only a person chosen by the heavens would have the ability to rise to the Forsaken Continent and advance from Ancient Sage to Heavenly High Immortal realm within less than a month. Not to mention, you are able to stand on equal grounds with ordinary Semi-Divinity realm cultivators as well.
“It’s through your superior talent that you were able to convince four of the Six Sects to toss aside their prejudice and unite together under your leadership. Isn’t that so?”
With narrowed eyes, Zhang Xuan asked, “What are you planning?”
“You are holding onto something you are unqualified for. If you continue keeping it on you, it’ll eventually lead to a disaster. It would be better if you pass it on to someone else before tragedy strikes!” the silhouette said with a wave of his hand.
Hula!
The Semi-Divinities in the surroundings raised his hands simultaneously, channeling their energy toward Zhang Xuan and wrapping him amidst it. Zhang Xuan’s body began rising to the air uncontrollably before flying to the side.
His body eventually landed not too far away on a stone step. Looking upward, he saw an average-sized circular platform.
Upon seeing the circular platform, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened, “The altar of the Starchaser Palace? So, you really are the one who captured Palace Chief Du?”
He had seen a replica of the altar in Jiang Yao’s hands before, allowing him to recognize the altar in an instant.
“Begin the ritual!”
The silhouette couldn’t be bothered to respond to Zhang Xuan’s question, so he raised his hand and hollered. Innumerable treasures swiftly descended atop the altar. Following that, a lady walked into the room and began chanting in a mysterious language.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over and saw that the lady was no other than the ‘deity’ whom Sovereign Chen Yong had summoned back then, the ex-head of the Starchaser Palace, Du Qingyuan!
It would appear that Du Qingyuan had lost her will. Even though she was moving and speaking, her eyes were tightly shut and her voice was completely devoid of emotions. It felt like there was someone controlling her body instead.
Xiong xiong!
Along with her chanting, the blue flame on the altar continued to burn furiously. Above the Hall of Gods, a massive black hole began to form, as if a connection link was being formed with a higher dimension.
“Rise!” Du Qingyuan exclaimed
Zhang Xuan’s body immediately rose up before landing lightly on top of the altar.
The flames of the altar converged and dived right into Zhang Xuan’s body. He thought that he would be burned, but to his surprise, the flames didn’t feel hot at all. On the contrary, it felt warm and soothing.
What are they trying to do? Zhang Xuan frowned.
Having read all of the books in the Starchaser Palace, he had gained a deep understanding of the various rituals conducted by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. However, he had never come into contact with such a ritual before.
Normal rituals would require one to offer treasures to a god in order to obtain greater power or information. However, this ritual clearly deviated from the norm.
If anything, it felt like he was being used as the tribute in order to achieve an insidious goal.
Tzzzzzzz!
As the flame continued burning, the illusory silhouette seated on the throne, the chief of the Hall of Gods, slowly became more and more corporeal.
“Are they trying to absorb my power?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed in astonishment.
He finally understood the intention behind the ritual.
This was not a ritual to summon a god to gather more power. Instead, the other party was trying to take his power and implant it into himself, thus replacing him!
Is he trying to take the Library of Heaven’s Path away from me? Zhang Xuan thought in alarm.
It was no wonder why the other party needed the altar of the Starchaser Palace, not hesitating to snatch it over. It seemed like he was intending to use the mysterious altar to conduct a ritual so as to replace him as the owner of the Library of Heaven’s Path!
Even though he didn’t how the altar really worked, he could feel energy slowly seeping away from his body. It felt like there was a chance that the other party would really be able to take the Library of Heaven’s Path away from him!
Weng!
Slowly, Zhang Xuan’s body grew fainter and fainter as a result of the flame burning inside of him. At this rate, the ritual might really claim his life!
At this crucial moment, the pendant around his neck suddenly released a brilliant light.
Pu!
The silhouette on the throne suddenly staggered a little.
At the same time, the flame on the altar began to flicker weakly, almost as if it would disappear in the next instant.
“What’s going on here?”
The silhouette quickly looked at Zhang Xuan intently before flitting over with light footsteps. He forcefully grabbed the pendant around Zhang Xuan’s neck and held it up.
Tzzzzz!
“Argh!”
However, as soon as the silhouette came into contact with the pendant, black smoke immediately began rising from his body.
“Sh*t!”
The silhouette cursed beneath his breath as he hurriedly released his grip on the pendant.
He tried to grab the pendant again several times, but the searing heat emanating from it made him dare not approach at all.
“I’m not going to be foiled by a darned pendant at this crucial moment. Let’s see how it can protect you after I take your life!” the silhouette roared.
The flames on the altar were already on the verge of being extinguished. At this rate, the ritual would really be foiled. The silhouette knew he had to do something in order to salvage the situation!
Huhu!
The eight Semi-Divinities immediately received the order and made a move simultaneously.
Channeling their might together, they executed a powerful surge of sword qi aimed right at Zhang Xuan’s throat.
If the strike were to really land, Zhang Xuan would be a goner without any doubt!
Boom!
At this crucial moment, the door of the Hall of Gods was blasted open by an overwhelming force. A figure rushed right into the Hall of Gods and tapped his finger ahead of him.
Peng!
The sword qi created by the eight Semi-Divinities dissipated in an instant. The faces of all eight of them paled as fresh blood spurted from their mouths.
“You!!”
Upon seeing the newly arrived figure, the silhouette widened his eyes in anger and struck downward to fend against the figure’s assault.
Peng!
As the two forces collided with one another, the two of them were forced to retreat a step each.
The newly arrived figure turned his sight to Zhang Xuan, and with a grasp of his hand, he wrapped the young man around with his energy and pulled the young man over to him.
“Let’s go!”
The figure quickly sent Zhang Xuan out of the Hall of Gods, and before leaving himself, he turned around and exerted a powerful palm thrust which devastated the interiors of the Hall of Gods. Then, with a light footstep, he swiftly flitted away together with Zhang Xuan.
In just a few instants, the two of them had already vanished on the Azure Bridge.
“Chase them!”
An aggrieved voice echoed from the Hall of Gods in their wake.
