CHAPTER 348: CHAPTER 211 DEMON RACE CONSPIRACY! SUBDUED ON THE SPOT! (8000 WORDS)_4

It was not that Ye Guhong intended to affect others in any particular way. It was his innate aura, along with the solitary pride inherent in a peerless genius, that was enough to deter a great many people. They were not of the same circle, and no amount of effort could force entry.

But Wang Xiu was different. He was like the ocean, or perhaps the spring breeze, capable of encompassing all things and allowing a myriad of flowers to bloom beside him. He got along well with everyone, and being in his presence was like basking in a gentle spring wind. Many of the prodigies watched this scene with admiration in their hearts. Such was Wang Xiu that they couldn’t even muster jealousy.

...

With matters here concluded, Wang Xiu continued onward with the group.

「Several days later.」

In the midst of a battle to annihilate a Void Beast, Li Zuoyue had a sudden breakthrough. She at last unleashed all twenty-four strikes together, mastering the Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture. In a single burst of effort, she stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm and condensed a Seven-Colored Yuanying, stunning everyone.

The vast majority of prodigies only formed Nascent Souls of three or four colors. A five-colored Nascent Soul gave one a glimmer of hope to advance to the Saint Manifestation Realm. The fact that the Longhu Saint Heir, Zhang Yuge, had condensed a Seven-Colored Yuanying had already left everyone astoundingly shocked. Unexpectedly, Li Zuoyue was also able to condense a Seven-Colored Yuanying, by no means inferior to Zhang Yuge’s.

Xiang Tiange seemed stimulated by this. Previously, Li Zuoyue was ranked below him on the Golden Core Ranking, yet she had reached the Nascent Soul Realm before him. He threw caution to the wind and engaged several Void Beasts in close-quarters combat. Despite being covered in wounds and unable to achieve victory, he ignited the kindling in his chest. On a sudden impulse, he condensed the vital essence manifestation of nine dragons and two tigers, erupting with infinite battle intent and fighting on despite repeated defeats.

He successfully broke through, achieving the Nascent Soul. It was also a Seven-Colored Yuanying!

Everyone couldn’t help but marvel that a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Sanqing Immortal Sect not only had a peerless monster like Wang Xiu, but its other disciples were also like dragons and phoenixes among men, not to be underestimated.

All of this seemed exaggerated, yet it was perfectly reasonable. People like Li Zuoyue and Xiang Tiange had only been slightly behind Zhang Yuge and the others on the Golden Core Ranking to begin with. Furthermore, after entering the Holy Realm, Wang Xiu had led them everywhere to pick up treasures, consuming all sorts of Spiritual Fruits and Precious Medicines as if they were common fruit, allowing their strength to improve by leaps and bounds. After also experiencing fortuitous encounters like the God and Demon Murals and the Nurturing Soul Cliff, it was only natural for them to condense a Seven-Colored Yuanying.

As for prodigies like Ji Zidian and Jiang Ling’er, although they hadn’t broken through to a major new realm, the aura they exuded was far superior to that of other prodigies at the same level. This still came as a great shock to those who were secretly keeping an eye on Sanqing.

The Sanqing Immortal Sect is truly defying the heavens this generation! Other Immortal Sects would be incredibly fortunate to have one or two such top-tier prodigies, yet the Sanqing Immortal Sect has them in droves!

Of course, it wasn’t just the people from the Sanqing Immortal Sect. The prodigies from other Immortal Sects had also gained many opportunities under Wang Xiu’s leadership over the past few days. Many had made significant breakthroughs. Their auras were powerful, far greater than when they had first entered the Void Ancient Path.

Tens of thousands of people cultivating together always provoked a vast phenomenon. The river of stars stretched for thousands of miles, and Spiritual Energy surged like the tide.

...

In the distance, on a hillside, two figures hid beneath wide hoods, their eyes glowing as they stared at the cultivators.

"Boss... how long are we going to keep an eye on them?"

"Until we no longer need to," the boss said gravely.

"Oh," the underling nodded, not fully understanding, then asked, "So when will that be?"

Hearing this, the boss gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then rapped him on the head. "If I knew everything, what would I need you for?"

The underling howled, clutching his head.

"Keep it down, or they’ll discover us!" the boss hissed, his face stern. "It wasn’t easy for me to get this assignment from the Holy Envoy. If we do a good job, we’ll have a chance to become true saints. Don’t you dare mess this up for me!"

The underling rubbed his head and said plaintively, "But... didn’t the Holy Envoy hold a scythe to your neck and force you to do this? And you just had to drag me along as your scapegoat..."

"Nonsense!" the boss said earnestly. "That’s called ’playing hard to get.’ Don’t you understand ’passive bragging’? The more reluctant I appeared, the more the Holy Envoy will think highly of us when we complete the mission... And what do you mean, ’dragging you along as a scapegoat’? I’m mentoring you! We’ve been in the organization for months and still haven’t become true saints. Aren’t you worried at all?"

The underling thought for a moment. "So that’s why you were on the ground, rolling around and throwing a tantrum?"

The boss was speechless.

"You and your big mouth... always yapping..."

"AHHHH!"

After a brief scuffle, the boss straightened his clothes and patted the underling. "Get up and stay alert. Continue watching and don’t miss anything! Remember, the others don’t matter. The Holy Envoy specifically said to keep a close watch on that Wang Xiu. Report his every move!"

The underling climbed up, watched for a moment, and suddenly exclaimed, "Boss, I can’t see anymore!"

The boss frowned, suddenly tense. "Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t even hit your head. It’s not my fault if you’ve gone blind!"

"No," the underling explained, "I mean I can’t see that Wang Xiu anymore. He was right there a moment ago..."

"How can that be?" The boss was puzzled. He focused his gaze, but after scanning the area, he couldn’t find a trace of Wang Xiu.

Where did he go?

"Gentlemen, are you looking for me?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind them.

They tensed up and stiffly turned around, coming face to face with a pair of eyes that were smiling, yet not quite.

...

「A moment later.」

"Ouch, go easy on us! It’s our first time, please spare us!"

"Ah... it really is the first time! We swear it won’t happen again!"

"We don’t know anything..."

...

Wang Xiu emerged from behind the hillside, dusting his hands off and adjusting his clothes. His expression was somewhat grave.

Trouble has arisen.

A new group of powerful individuals had broken into the Void Ancient Path. They were formidable, all over a century old—some even hundreds of years. They should not have been permitted entrance to this space, yet they had defied the will of the Holy Ancestors.