Chapter 429: Uncle Sun Qiang Has Arrived (Part 2)

Zhang Xuan's pinnacle Grandmaster-level Heaven's Path zhenqi could neutralize any poison below the third grade, without even needing an antidote.

Sun Qiang might encounter unknown dangers on this trip, so it was better to be cautious.

If anyone dared to lay a hand on him, with this strand of zhenqi, even if it couldn't counter third-grade poison, it would at least ensure his survival.

"Thank you, young master!"

Feeling the zhenqi hidden within his body and knowing that the young master had his safety in mind, Sun Qiang nodded gratefully.

After spending these days together, he knew that this young master, though perhaps not as formidable as the old master, was still a man of great ability.

Since he acted this way, there must be a purpose.

After explaining in detail how to use this strand of zhenqi and seeing that the latter had fully remembered, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Since following him, Sun Qiang, though somewhat mercenary, had been quite reliable, successfully handling many matters and saving him a lot of trouble.

As a butler for the mysterious high-rank master known as "Yang shi," he naturally had to carry himself with the dignity of a butler. Although his strength was mediocre, he handled this aspect with great precision.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been brought all the way from Tianxuan Kingdom.

"These are a few medicinal pills that are greatly beneficial for cultivation. Don't slack off in your training on the road."

With a flick of his wrist, he took out some pills obtained from the Lin family and handed them over.

"Yes!" Sun Qiang quickly took them.

He wasn't stupid; he knew that his current cultivation was already holding him back. If he didn't speed up, once he became useless, he would be in real trouble.

Zhang Xuan gave a few more instructions when he saw Hall Master Xie Jiuchen return, followed by an old man—Wei Yuqing.

"The Poison Hall is dangerous. After much thought, I decided to have Elder Wei accompany you. That way, it will be safer."

Hall Master Xie said.

Wei Yuqing was a three-star beast tamer and a pinnacle Sovereign expert. Apart from Xie Jiuchen himself, he was the strongest in the Beast Hall and also knew quite a bit about the Poison Hall.

Sending this man to escort Beast Tamer Zhang's subordinate should be the safest option.

Beast Tamer Zhang was the most honored guest of the Beast Hall. Moreover, the Cyan Nightmare Beast had not yet been fully tamed. Since Zhang had entrusted this matter to them, they had to protect his subordinate no matter what.

"Then I'll trouble Elder Wei!"

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists.

"Rest assured!" Wei Yuqing nodded with a smile. "Although I've never been to the Poison Hall, I've heard many rumors. Just looking for someone won't be dangerous."

It was merely a search, not an attack on the Poison Hall, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Even if poison masters had all sorts of frightening tricks, as a beast tamer—one of the top nine professions—he was no pushover either.

"Mm." With Elder Wei personally going, Zhang Xuan felt much more at ease and said no more.

The two departed on a flying savage beast. Hall Master Xie Jiuchen stayed for a while before taking his leave as well.

The Cyan Nightmare Beast had woken up, so he needed to hurry and resolve the隐患 within its body to build a good relationship.

"Let's begin!"

After everyone left, Zhang Xuan found a quiet room, adjusted his breathing, and sat down cross-legged.

He had enough spirit beast blood; it was time to continue cultivating the second layer of the Heaven's Path Golden Body.

After adjusting his state, he flicked his finger, and a few drops of spirit beast blood appeared in his palm, filling the room with dense spiritual energy.

Such private cultivation rooms in villas were all equipped with formations that gathered spiritual energy and prevented it from dissipating easily.

With a serious expression, he circulated his zhenqi according to the method of the second layer of the Heaven's Path Golden Body. With a flick of his finger, the blood instantly turned into wisps of mist that drilled into every acupoint in his body.

Spirit beast blood—the essence blood extracted from spirit beasts. Though not as precious as inner cores, it still contained the most fundamental essence of a spirit beast. Each drop held energy far purer and denser than spirit stones.

Absorbing this power, a mighty torrent formed within his body, nourishing every cell and making them stronger.

"The effect has weakened considerably..."

Sensing the situation after absorbing the blood, Zhang Xuan's expression turned serious.

As his strength increased, his demand for spirit beast blood grew. Previously, a single drop could bring him great progress, but now it had almost no significant effect.

However, he had enough spirit beast blood on hand, so it didn't matter.

Moreover, he had calculated earlier that twenty drops of spirit beast blood should be enough to push him to the pinnacle of Sovereign.

Once his strength reached that level, with the Eye of Insight and the Heaven's Path Library, even if he encountered a Half-Step Mortal Deity, he might not be unable to fight.

Revenge would also become easier.

Zzzzz!

The second layer of the Heaven's Path Golden Body operated, constantly altering his muscle structure, causing his power to soar rapidly.

Boom!

After an unknown period, a loud rumble echoed, as if breaking some shackle binding his body, or as if he had stepped into warm water, feeling an all-around comfort.

Through cultivation, he had finally broken through the shackle of 9,999 ding and reached the Sovereign realm!

Though the difference between 9,999 and 10,000 was only one ding, it marked the distinction between Sovereign and Half-Sovereign, with entirely different life levels.

Sovereign—the pinnacle of martial cultivation. Both the physical body and the spirit had reached the limits achievable by humans.

Taking this step to achieve Mortal Deity would trigger a transformation in life level, greatly enhancing both lifespan and strength.

Failing to reach it meant being stuck at the Grandmaster realm forever, growing old with time and powerless to change.

In other words, it was a stepping stone to becoming a true expert.

Many cultivators never reached this step, regretting it for life.

Previously, Zhang Xuan had absorbed two drops of spirit beast blood and was stuck at this threshold. No matter how he cultivated, he was always one ding short.

Now, with enough blood to use freely, he had finally broken through.

Upon breaking through, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a significant improvement in his reaction speed and thinking.

Everything became clearer and more distinct.

Truly worthy of being the pinnacle of martial arts—even just the breakthrough in his physical body brought him unexpected benefits.

Although his strength had only increased by one ding, his combat power had nearly doubled.

If he were to fight the Golden Body Iron-Armed Ape again, even without the library, he could easily crush and subdue it with sheer strength.

This was Sovereign!

"Work harder!"

Knowing that breaking through this shackle would make further improvement easier, he smiled slightly and frantically absorbed the spirit beast blood from the jade bottle, rapidly circulating the second layer of the Heaven's Path Golden Body. His strength visibly increased.

10,100 ding!

10,200 ding!

10,300 ding!

...

30,000 ding!

In less than a day, he had gone from 10,000 ding to 30,000 ding, nearly matching the late Sovereign stage.

By now, he had consumed a full eighteen drops of spirit beast blood.

"It seems the consumption is greater than I expected..."

He had thought it would take at most about ten drops to reach late Sovereign, but it had taken eighteen, exceeding his estimate.

But it didn't matter; he still had twelve drops left, which should be enough.

"Continue!"

Taking a deep breath, he stopped thinking, closed his eyes, and continued cultivating.

...

While he was in seclusion, Sun Qiang, after half a day of flying, finally arrived at Wangfeng Valley in the Luoxia Mountain Range.

Like the Red Lotus Mountain Range back then, it stretched endlessly, with no end in sight, and the Poison Hall was hidden within the lush greenery.

Without knowing the exact location, not only would one fail to find it, but one might also be killed by the savage beasts and miasma within after walking a short distance.

"Be careful!"

Elder Wei Yuqing took out an anti-miasma pill in advance.

They abandoned the flying savage beast and walked along the valley.

With Elder Wei's pinnacle Sovereign strength, low-level savage beasts dared not approach. Coupled with his alertness and rich experience in the martial world, they encountered few dangers along the way.

After walking for an entire day, bypassing countless miasma zones and savage beast lairs, a massive complex of buildings appeared in sight.

Countless dark gray houses built entirely of rock stood tall and imposing, exuding an ancient, weathered feel.

They resembled the Poison Hall in Honglian City but were more magnificent and vast, covered with various powerful formations.

Rounding a huge rock, they arrived before a gate.

Before they could enter, they triggered some mechanism, producing a "creak!" sound, followed by a loud bell.

Clatter!

Several robed poison masters appeared before them.

Although the Poison Hall was well-hidden and rarely attacked, as one of the feared professions, it had ample defenses.

"Who dares to trespass into the Poison Hall?"

A young man stepped forward, looking at them coldly.

These people, around thirty years old, were all at the Grandmaster realm, with the speaker being a pinnacle Grandmaster.

Of course, the most fearsome aspect of poison masters was not their strength but their skill with poison.

Even though they were only at the Grandmaster level, even Elder Wei Yuqing dared not underestimate them.

"I am Wei Yuqing, a three-star beast tamer and elder of the Beast Hall. I've come to look for a friend!"

Stepping forward, Wei Yuqing clasped his fists.

After spending over a day together, he knew that Sun Qiang was only at the Dingli realm, terribly weak, so he took the initiative to handle the negotiations.

"Elder Wei of the Beast Hall?"

Startled, the young man's expression turned serious.

Even though they rarely ventured out, they knew something about the power levels outside. Being an elder of the Beast Hall, this man's strength was likely at the pinnacle of Sovereign, not someone they could afford to offend.

"Which poison master of our Poison Hall are you two looking for?"

Returning the courtesy, the young man spoke respectfully.

"A poison master named Gu Mu."

Sun Qiang spoke.

"Gu Mu?"

The young man was taken aback, his brows furrowing. "You're looking for Hall Master Gu?"

"Hall Master?"

Sun Qiang and Elder Wei Yuqing were both startled.

On the way, Elder Wei had learned that they were looking for Zhang Xuan's martial nephew... They had thought it was just some unknown poison master, never dreaming that he was actually the hall master of the Poison Hall.

Such a person was in no way inferior to Xie Jiuchen in status.

"Indeed!" Seeing that they didn't know Gu Mu was the hall master and had come looking for him, the young man and his companions showed a hint of caution, looking over. "May I ask what business you have with the hall master? I will report it on your behalf."

"Business?"

Hesitating for a moment, Sun Qiang recalled his identity. His obese body immediately became steady, like a great mountain.

Raising his brows, he clasped his hands behind his back, revealing an air of arrogance. "Hmph, tell him that his Uncle Sun Qiang has arrived. Come out and greet me!"