“Brother Hongtian…”
Looking at the corpse before them, everyone was rendered silent. Grim looks could be seen all around the room.
This was especially for those from the Master Teacher Pavilion. They were incredibly silent.
They had fought together for almost ten thousand years, and they had known that such a parting would come from the very start. However, when the time eventually came, they still felt a little empty inside.
“Even those as powerful as Ancient Sages aren’t able to escape the laws of time!” Ancient Sage Yan Qing shook his head and sighed.
“Aren’t Ancient Sages existences who have exceeded the heavens? Why are they still controlled by the laws of the world?” Zhang Xuan asked.
As beings who were reputed to have exceeded the heavens, he found it incomprehensible that they were still limited by the laws of the world, incapable of controlling even their own life and death.
“Ancient Sages have exceeded the heavens, but only in the own laws they have comprehended,” Ancient Sage Yan Qing explained. “Brother Hongtian comprehended the law of swordsmanship, and his level of mastery even exceeded the heavens themselves. However, in other aspects, such as his own lifespan, he did not overcome the limitations of the world.”
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment. “Swordsmanship? You are saying that… as long as one is able to surpass the heavens in single field, one will be qualified to become an Ancient Sage?”
He had heard bits and pieces about the prerequisites to pushing for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage from his father, Sword Saint Xing. However, Sword Saint Xing was only at Great Sage 4-dan Sempiternal realm, and the things that he knew were based on rumors passed down through the generations. It was inevitable that what he knew was limited compared to the top expert of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.
“That’s right. Only those who have comprehended a law that surpasses the heavens will be able to ascend as Ancient Sages,” Ancient Sage Yan Qing replied.
“Isn’t time the field of specialty of the Zhang Clan? Why didn’t the old ancestor use his comprehension of time to push for a breakthrough to Ancient Sage?” Zhang Xuan asked once more.
The bloodline of the Zhang Clan harnessed the Time Quintessence.
Since that was the case, if Zhang Hongtian had pushed for a breakthrough using the Time Quintessence, would he not have been able to lengthen his lifespan and overcome the limitations of time?
“The temporal laws across various dimensions are all connected to one another in one way or another. This includes not just the Master Teacher Continent and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe’s otherworldly battlefield but also higher worlds such as the one the Spirit God resides in. Even those who have grasped Time Quintessence would not have understood the temporal laws of the Master Teacher Continent. To truly overcome the heavens in this field is nigh impossible! Even Kong shi failed back then, let alone those who came after him!” Ancient Sage Yan Qing said with a bitter smile.
Time was one of the most fundamental laws of the universe. Even if the world collapsed, the Five Elements were extinguished, and space ceased to exist, time would still continue ticking by.
How could such a powerful rule possibly be mastered and controlled that easily?
If Kong shi had truly been able to comprehend temporal laws, he would not have vanished into the annals of history.
“You’re right…” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
He was able to make use of the powers of his bloodline to influence the flow of time and hasten his movements, but he was unable to change the very essence of time.
“The essence of time is simply too difficult to comprehend. If I was able to comprehend it, perhaps I might still have been able to do something to save Old Ancestor Hongtian!” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.
All of a sudden, his mind jolted. As if an earthquake had happened, the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind began shaking intensely.
“This is bad…” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in horror.
Before he could do anything, his vision turned dark.
Putong!
He collapsed to the ground.
“Senior!” Yang shi rushed forward.
Ancient Sage Yan Qing swiftly stepped forward to examine Zhang Xuan’s condition before frowning in bewilderment. “It seems to be some kind of deficiency in his soul?”
As a Great Sage cultivator, considering how Zhang Xuan had not been assaulted or attacked, how could an injury just appear in his soul all of a sudden? What in the world had happened?
“I specialize in the field of souls. Allow me to take a look!” The Ancient Sage of the Jiang Clan stepped forward.
He quickly extended his soul energy toward Zhang Xuan, but before he could probe into Zhang Xuan’s body, his own body began to tremble. He hurriedly retreated a few steps backward as his face turned ghastly pale
“What happened?”
Seeing the state that the Ancient Sage of the Jiang Clan was in, everyone became perplexed.
“There’s some kind of peculiar energy protecting his soul. I’m unable to probe any deeper into his body!” the Ancient Sage of the Jiang Clan said.
“Some kind of peculiar energy is protecting his soul? Just what kind of energy is able to keep even you out?” Ancient Sage Yan Qing frowned in incomprehension.
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As an Ancient Sage who specialized in the field of souls, it would be impossible for Ancient Sages of the same cultivation realm to ward off his probing. Considering how Zhang Xuan was unconscious, it was unimaginable for him to be able to be able to ward off the Jiang Clan Ancient Sage’s probing and even injure him.
“It seems to be…” The body of the Ancient Sage of the Jiang Clan stiffened as he spoke. “It seems to be the power of the heavens!”
“He’s protected by the heavens?”
Hearing those words, the crowd widened their eyes in astonishment as they turned their gazes toward Zhang Xuan once more.
To think that a Great Sage cultivator would actually be protected by the heavens.
What the heck was going on?
“Yang shi, I’ll leave you to protect him. If anything happens, liaise with me right away. Meanwhile, I’ll lead the others to reinforce the surrounding space. Without the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn and Kong shi’s seal keeping the place intact, the entire Temple of Confucius has already fallen into the void of spacetime. If we don’t drag it back soon, we’ll all be goners!” Ancient Sage Yan Qing said worriedly.
The stars had already vanished from the sky, indicating that they were no longer on Master Teacher Continent.
“Yes!” Yang shi nodded.
“Alright, let’s get to action!” Ancient Sage Yan Qing said as he swiftly led the Ancient Sages away.
While the emergence of the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn and the major battles that had consequently broken out had damaged the Temple of Confucius significantly, it was still a sacred land left behind by Kong shi himself. As descendants of Kong shi’s lineage, they could not allow anything to happen to it.
As the crowd left, Yang shi lowered his gaze to the unconscious Zhang Xuan and frowned in concern. “Senior, just what has happened to you?”
…
Completely unaware of the happenings outside, at that very moment, Zhang Xuan was in a semiconscious state. It felt as if his consciousness had been stripped from his body.
Vaguely, he seemed to see a familiar silhouette ahead of him. She was looking at him with worry in her eyes.
“Ruoxin…” he muttered weakly.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” the young lady said. “You have to take care of yourself. Remember to keep my gift with you at all times. You mustn’t separate from it even for an instant.”
“You mean… the pendant? I have been keeping it close to me…” Zhang Xuan replied weakly. He tried to stand up, but his body felt heavy as though someone had filled it with lead.
Prior to entering the Temple of Confucius, Luo Ruoxin had given him a pendant. She had said that it was something given to her by her father, and it would save him during a crucial moment.
While he found her words inexplicable, he had made sure to keep it close to him at all times.
“That’s good… Zhang Xuan, I have to leave now. The artifact in the library is my final gift to you. Make use of it well… I’ll be waiting for you…”
Gradually, Luo Ruoxin’s voice and silhouette seemed to grow fainter and fainter, as if she would vanish at any moment.
“Library…? You… You know of the existence of the library?” Zhang Xuan’s body stiffened upon hearing those words.
The Library of Heaven’s Path had always been his greatest secret, and he had never told anyone about it. All along, he had thought that Luo Ruoxin was oblivious to its existence, but who would have thought that she actually knew about it?
“Farewell, Zhang Xuan!”
With a bitter smile and longing in her eyes, Luo Ruoxin’s silhouette dissipated.
…
“No… don’t go!”
With a shout, Zhang Xuan’s body shot upright. It was only then that he noticed that it was all a dream.
“Teacher, you’re awake!”
Turning toward the voice, he saw Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others standing not too far away with concern rippling in their eyes.
His parents, the Xingmeng Sword Saints, were in the room as well.
Swiftly scanning his surroundings, Zhang Xuan asked, “Are we… out of the Temple of Confucius?”