Chapter 1729 - Where Is Zhao Ya?
Knowing that it was a show of filial piety from their son, the Xingmeng Sword Saints did not reject Zhang Xuan’s gift and accepted the blood droplets from him.
Despite the miniature sizes of the blood droplets, when they fell into the hands of the Xingmeng Sword Saints, they nearly dragged the duo down into the ground.
This weight was not unique to just the blood of Ancient Sages. Even a single strand of those who had reached Ancient Sage was as heavy as a mountain. If not for the Xingmeng Sword Saints’ recent advancement in cultivation to Sempiternal realm consummation, they might not even have been able to lift it up!
“You should hurry up and assimilate it into your bodies!” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
“Un!”
Without any hesitation, the duo sat down, and they each absorbed a blood droplet into their body. Following which, they slowly channeled it toward their dantian.
A short moment later, they abruptly opened their eyes.
“Have you succeeded?” Zhang Xuan asked with a doubtful frown.
“How can it be that easy to assimilate the blood of an Ancient Sage? We have only stored it in our dantian separately so that we can constantly wash our zhenqi through it constantly. Over time, our zhenqi will be suffused with the aura of an Ancient Sage, and this will be highly beneficial to our cultivation!” Sword Saint Xing said with a smile.
If it was that easy to absorb Ancient Sage blood, it would truly be unworthy of its reputation as the ultimate treasure that countless cultivators sought.
It was something that would require at least several years or decades of hard work.
As such, they had chosen to store the blood droplet in their dantian for the time being. By washing their zhenqi through it, they would be able to slowly assimilate it into their bodies. With sufficient time, the blood droplet would be completely suffused throughout their body, granting them the ability of Blood Reincarnation!
“I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded in realization. “I’ll give it a try as well!”
After saying those words, he sat down on the floor. With a light tap of his finger, he absorbed a droplet of the Ancient Sage blood in the jade bottle into his body.
Hula!
As soon as the blood droplet entered his body, it fused right into his body. Not only was there a complete lack of resistance, he even felt the blood droplet pulsating joyfully through his body. It was almost as if it had finally returned to its place of origin.
“This…” Zhang Xuan was utterly confused by the situation occurring in his body. “How have I assimilated the blood droplet just like that?”
They said that it would be a difficult process that required much time and effort, did they not?
Why was it so easy for him then?
“You have already assimilated it?” Hearing that his son had successfully assimilated the blood droplet into his body, Sword Saint Xing raised his head and directed a doubtful gaze over.
“Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded as he swiftly elaborated on the happenings after the blood droplet entered his body.
“I think I understand,” Sword Saint Xing said. “Twenty years ago, when our old ancestor incurred severe injuries, he needed the blood of a Zhang Clan offspring in order to sustain his life. Back then, the only person in the Zhang Clan whose bloodline purity met the mark was you… In other words, a portion of your blood flows through his body!”
“My blood flows in his body?” Zhang Xuan’s face twitched upon hearing those words.
Somehow, he could not help but find something really weird with those words. It was almost as if he had been reunited with his long-lost son!
“The primary reason that we infused your blood into the old ancestor’s body was to sustain his life, but the sheer purity of your bloodline induced an evolution in the old ancestor’s constitution, thus further enhancing his fighting prowess! As such, when you tried to absorb the blood of the old ancestor, it was as if that blood droplet was returning to its source. Naturally, it goes without saying that it would be much easier for you to assimilate the blood droplets than us,” Sword Saint Xing explained with a smile.
“I see…” Zhang Xuan nodded as he decided not to think any deeper into the matter.
He focused his attention on perceiving the Ancient Sage blood that he had assimilated into his body, and he found that it had fused impeccably with his own blood. Not only so, he found overflowing vitality sprouting in the depths of his body.
It was truly a mysterious feeling. It was as if life itself was coursing through his body. If he had to put this feeling into words, it would be that even if someone snapped off his arm, he would be able to grow a new one the next instant. There was no need for him to worry about getting hurt anymore.
However, he could sense that while there was an immense volume of vitality in his body, it was not infinite. It would deplete and run dry eventually.
There was a pill known as the Grand Intermittent Pill that could allow a person’s severed limbs to regrow, but its effects were far inferior to those of the Ancient Sage blood.
Firstly, the Grand Intermittent Pill had minimal effectiveness on Great Sage cultivators due to the limited energy harnessed within it. Secondly, Ancient Sage blood was capable of reviving a person no matter how tattered their body was, even if their head was lopped off. On the other hand, the Grand Intermittent Pill would only regrow a cultivator’s severed limbs. If a cultivator’s head was lopped off, no number of Grand Intermittent Pills would be able to heal them.
I should give a droplet to Ruoxin as well, Zhang Xuan thought with a smile as he placed the remaining two blood droplets into his storage ring.
It was not easy to acquire such treasures, and he had no intention of keeping them to himself. He also had people whom he held dear and wanted to protect.
As for the blood of the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage, I should find some time to see what I can do with it…
Considering how his Heaven’s Path zhenqi was able to emulate the zhenqi of Otherworldly Demons, he might be able to use these blood droplets of the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage… But with so many master teachers around, this was definitely not the time or place to be experimenting with the blood droplets. He would just have to leave it for later on.
“Oh right! You have acquired news on Zhao Ya. Where is Zhao Ya?” Zhang Xuan stood up and looked at his parents.
He was going to ask them about the matter concerning Zhao Ya when the Otherworldly Demons suddenly came to challenge Sword Saint Xing, so there had been no time to inquire. Since the Otherworldly Demons had already been dealt with, it was time to get back to that.
“There are four pavilions here. We are residing in the Pavilion of Warm Spring, and the Otherworldly Demons have dominated the Pavilion of Irate Summer. Beasts have swarmed the Pavilion of Cooling Autumn, and the Pavilion of Frozen Winter is being taken up by an unknown group of people. Prior to your arrival, I sensed a hint of cold aura coming from their group, so I took a closer look. For a split moment, I seemed to see your student!” Sword Saint Meng said.
Sword Saint Meng was hot-tempered at times, but she was extremely meticulous when it came to details. Considering that this was a matter that concerned her son, she had been keeping a close eye on it. Even though the cold aura was indistinct, it had still caught her attention.
“So… there’s a good chance that Zhao Ya is in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter?” Zhang Xuan asked in agitation. He hurriedly rose to feet and walked to the windows to take a look.
Of the four pavilions, Spring corresponded to Autumn, and Summer corresponded to Winter.
From the Pavilion of Warm Spring, the Pavilion of Frozen Winter happened to be hidden by the other two pavilions, not allowing him to peer into the situation there.
“However, I only took a quick glance before the other party disappeared back into the group. I thought that she resembled your student, but I was unable to confirm whether it’s really her or not!” Sword Saint Meng said.
“We’ll know once we head there to take a look!” Zhang Xuan said imposingly.
So long as there was a chance that Zhao Ya could be in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, it was his responsibility as her teacher to check the area out.
Seeing that Zhang Xuan intending to head over, Sword Saint Xing hurriedly added, “I’ll follow you. I should at least be able to lend you a hand…”
“It’s fine! I can handle this on my own!” Zhang Xuan shook his head and turned down Sword Saint Xing’s offer to help.
In no way could the Xingmeng Sword Saints be considered weak, but the very fact that the other party had been able to kidnap Zhao Ya and Wei Ruyan discreetly likely meant that the other party was a formidable foe. Furthermore, he had not ascertained whether the kidnappers were truly an enemy or not. It would be much safer for him to head there alone.
Knowing that his son possessed means far beyond him, Sword Saint Xing could only shake his head helplessly and instruct, “Be careful!”
“Un!” Zhang Xuan replied before swiftly making his way over to the Pavilion of Frozen Winter.
“Intruder, please halt!”
Before Zhang Xuan could even approach the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, he had already heard a voice in the air. Following which, an overpowering pressure crushed down from the sky.
“An Ancient Sage?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in shock.
He had experienced such formidable might just a moment ago—it was a force that could only have been exerted by an Ancient Sage!
It was unlikely that an Ancient Sage would easily make a move on him. More likely than not, the pressure served as a warning to remind him that the Pavilion of Frozen Winter was under the protection of an Ancient Sage as well.
Of course, that was only to be expected. If those in the Pavilion of Frozen Winter did not possess such strength, they would have been eliminated by the others already. There was no way that they would have been able to safely occupy a pavilion by themselves.
“Elder, I don’t harbor any malicious intentions. I have a junior who is very likely within the Pavilion of Frozen Winter, and I wish to enter to take a look!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist politely.
Even though the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan was likely in the vicinity as well, he did not dare push his luck.
“I know you. Zhang Xuan, twenty years old, the head of the Three Premier Clans and the Sanctum of Sages. You single handedly destroyed an army of 110,000 Otherworldly Demons strong in the Subterranean Gallery, sparing mankind from a catastrophe. Impressive,” the Ancient Sage said.
Zhang Xuan was surprised by how the anonymous Ancient Sage was aware of his affairs. He clasped his fist and bowed. “I’m unworthy of your praise!”
“Given your contributions to mankind, I would have welcomed your visit with the warmest hospitality from my side if it had been on any other occasion. However, I’m afraid that I cannot permit you to enter the Pavilion of Frozen Winter at the moment, and I beg your pardon for that,” the Ancient Sage said.
“Why?” Zhang Xuan frowned. As he pondered over the other party’s words, a thought surfaced in his mind, and he asked, “Elder, are you a master teacher?”