Zhongshan Clan's Great Stud Bull

The three divine arrays of Beast God Ridge in the Great Wilderness erupted, shaking the entire Great Wilderness. Even beyond the Great Wilderness, people could feel those astonishing fluctuations.

Nearly all the Qi Warriors of Sword Gate forgot what they were doing and turned toward Beast God Ridge. They saw the dragon steed, black dragon, and sword qi still running rampant within the eight-hundred-mile Beast God Ridge. After a long while, the three great arrays finally calmed, and only then did the dragon steed, black dragon, and sword qi disperse, restoring peace to Beast God Ridge.

However, the shock these three great arrays had brought to the Qi Warriors of Sword Gate was not so easy to dispel.

Moreover, the activation of the three great arrays had buried over a thousand Demonic Race Qi Warriors from Xiankong City and severely wounded its two Island Masters, leaving Xiankong City gravely weakened. The impact of this matter would not fade so easily, either.

The Totem Spirits of Sulfur Island and Brocade Island in Xiankong City had both perished in Beast God Ridge. The losses could not have been more devastating. In particular, the Demonic Race Qi Warriors who had died there had all been elites of Xiankong City. This Demonic Race Holy Land could forget about recovering its strength anytime soon!

A storm had also erupted among Sword Gate's higher-ups. Many Sword Gate elders immediately reacted, arguing over whether they should seize this opportunity to kill Sulfur Island Master Yan Yunsheng and Brocade Island Master Xiu Tianchen.

This was a rare opportunity. Xiu Tianchen and Yan Yunsheng were two of Xiankong City's three great powers. If they could take their lives, the Demonic Race would no longer be worth worrying about!

But some elders were worried that if they failed to eliminate the two Demonic Race great powers, they would completely offend the Demonic Race. Moreover, the Demonic Race still had another great power, Xiankong City Master, who certainly would not sit by and watch the two Island Masters be slain.

Besides, although the two Island Masters had suffered severe injuries, they were still overlords who had dominated the world for many years. Killing them would not be easy.

The many elders argued heatedly, quarreling until no agreement could be reached.

"Fu Shan, we're leaving."

His white robes fluttering, Fang Jiange walked out of Sword Gate through the air. The giant tortoise Fu Shan followed behind him as they hurried toward the direction in which Xiu Tianchen and Yan Yunsheng had fled.

"Fang Jiange, stop!"

An elder chased him out of Sword Gate and shouted, "Our elders' discussion has yet to reach a conclusion. You cannot act on your own! Whether we pursue and kill the two Demonic Race Island Masters concerns the future of Sword Gate and Xiankong City. It is not something you alone can decide!"

Fang Jiange did not even turn his head. He said indifferently, "I'm going to kill them. Once you've reached a decision, send someone to inform me."

The elder flew into a rage and was about to speak when he suddenly saw a young man streak through the sky and leave Sword Gate. The young man laughed and said, "Senior Brother Fang is right. Opportunities vanish in the blink of an eye. The elders can take their time discussing the matter, but we must seize the opportunity. Senior Brother Fang, I'll go with you!"

"Count me in."

A woman also flew out of Sword Gate and said with a smile, "Pursuing and killing a Sect Master-level existence—and not just one, but two! How could I possibly be left out of something like this?"

"Hahahaha, three senior brothers and sisters, wait for me!"

Thunderlight surged like a tide as a man rode the lightning forward, laughing loudly. "The heads of Sulfur Island Master and Brocade Island Master must be cut off by my own hands!"

The elder's face turned livid. Helplessly, he watched the four leave for the borders of the Great Wilderness to pursue and kill the two Demonic Race Island Masters. His voice trembled as he muttered, "Lawless, utterly lawless..."

"Let them go. The four young experts of my Sword Gate need a trial, and they must compete for the position of the next Sect Master. To become the Sect Master of Sword Gate, one must possess the strength to pacify the Eight Wastelands with a single sword."

The Great Elder of the Youyu Clan came to his side and spoke in a low voice. "Besides, this is also the Sect Master's intention. Come, let us continue the meeting."

On this day, Sword Gate's four young experts set out together to pursue and kill Sulfur Island Master Yan Yunsheng and Brocade Island Master Xiu Tianchen. Between the Great Wilderness and Sulfur Island lay a buffer zone stretching tens of thousands of miles. A magnificent pursuit and counterattack was destined to unfold there!

Between the two Demonic Race great powers and Sword Gate's four young experts, an utterly dazzling battle was certain to take place!

However, all of this was already unrelated to Zhong Yue, the one who had started it all.

Zhong Yue hurried toward Sword Gate at top speed. Only after more than half a day had passed did he return to Sword Gate's Upper Academy. Without bothering to see Yu Feiyan, Li Xiuniang, and the others and inform them that he was safe, Zhong Yue went straight to his room and fell into a deep sleep.

These dozen or so days had been inhuman torment, leaving both his body and mind utterly exhausted. Only after entering Sword Gate did he finally relax.

He had encountered Demonic Race disciples in Beast God Ridge, encountered Demonic Race Qi Warriors at the Beast God Seal, slain Qi Warriors with an array, obtained the Beast God's inner core, transformed into a dragon steed, completed the three divine arrays, then been pursued and surrounded by Qi Warriors of the Shuitu Clan. He had crossed the Wei River and raced across the great river. None of these things were experiences an ordinary Upper Academy disciple could endure, yet he had gone through all of them. The pressure brought by repeatedly escaping death was unprecedented.

Only after reaching Sword Gate, which guarded the Great Wilderness, could he finally set aside all his pressure and catch his breath.

After sleeping, Zhong Yue woke with a yawn, but a dragon's roar came from his mouth. He could not help being startled and hurriedly lowered his head to examine himself. He saw that he had once again transformed into a dragon steed, sleeping on the bed!

Damn it, I slept too deeply. In my dream, I forgot to visualize Suihuang, and the Beast God Essence overwhelmed my bloodline again! Strange, why didn't Xin Huo wake me in time and urge me to continue visualizing?

Zhong Yue steadied himself. In his sea of consciousness, a tiny flame quietly burned on the shoulder of his soul. Xin Huo was also fast asleep.

"So Xin Huo fell asleep, too."

Zhong Yue did not wake him. He thought, These days, Xin Huo has exhausted himself helping me escape one deadly crisis after another. If not for him, I would have died long ago. I'd better let him rest a little longer. Fortunately, my cultivation has improved quite a bit. The essence released by the Beast God's inner core over one night won't be enough to completely transform me into a dragon steed.

His cultivation was now much deeper than when he had gone to Beast God Ridge. His sea of consciousness spanned three thousand mu, allowing him to refine the Beast God Essence more quickly. Although he had transformed into a dragon steed, as long as he continued visualizing without interruption, returning to human form would not be difficult.

Not long afterward, Zhong Yue finally suppressed the dragon steed form and restored his normal appearance.

"Junior Brother Zhong Yue! Junior Brother Zhong Yue!"

The voices of girls came from outside, and there was more than one of them. Puzzled, Zhong Yue opened the door and saw dozens of girls gathered outside. They were all shocked and delighted to see him and crowded around him, chattering over one another.

"Junior Brother Zhong Yue really is still alive!"

"I told you he wouldn't die, didn't I?"

"Yesterday, we heard someone say they seemed to have seen you return, so we came over once. Junior Brother Zhong Yue must have been resting and didn't answer the door, so we didn't disturb you. We sisters came over first thing this morning, and you really did return safely!"

"Junior Brother Zhong Yue, did you kill that ram? Did you encounter any Demonic Race Qi Warriors?"

"You don't know? Something huge happened in Beast God Ridge! With a boom, a giant dragon steed burst out of Beast God Ridge—this enormous!"

"I heard the Shuitu Clan's Qi Warriors also encountered a little dragon steed. Yesterday, they came back to call for reinforcements and mobilized all the clan's Qi Warriors to capture it. That dragon steed was so adorable. I really want to bring it back and raise it..."

Ting Lanyue, Tao Daier, and many female disciples of the Lishan Clan—thirty to fifty girls in all—chattered like orioles and sang like swallows. Zhong Yue had no idea whose questions to answer first. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Senior Sisters, why don't you come inside and sit for a while?"

The girls surged into his courtyard with a whoosh. Li Xiuniang and Yu Feiyan also entered. With so many girls accompanying him, Zhong Yue felt that his courtyard had suddenly become much smaller.

Outside, many of the male disciples in the Upper Academy looked over, green with envy.

"Zhongshan Clan's Great Stud Bull is back. The moment he returns, so many senior and junior sisters crowd around him. Doesn't that fellow feel exhausted?"

Someone said indignantly, "Why him?"

After a long while, Zhong Yue saw the girls off from the Men's Court. Li Xiuniang smiled and said, "Junior Brother Zhong Yue, if anything happens next time, we'll come looking for you again. Also, I still want to spar with you and see who really is number one in the Upper Academy!"

Yu Feiyan said coolly, "Junior Sister Li, Junior Brother Zhong Yue can now be said to be number one in the Men's Court, but you are not yet number one in the Women's Court. If you want to spar with Junior Brother Zhong Yue, defeat me first!"

Li Xiuniang giggled. "Of course, of course. Since Junior Sister Yu wants to yield the position willingly, I naturally have to fulfill your wish."

The two girls' battle intent soared. The surrounding male disciples of the Men's Court stared until their eyes nearly popped out and muttered, "As expected, even the two senior sisters of the Women's Court are about to fight over Zhongshan Clan's Great Stud Bull. Does this fellow really have that much charm?"

"Why him?"

Zhong Yue returned to his small courtyard and cast away all distracting thoughts. He thought, Xin Huo is still resting. He probably won't wake for a day or two, but I can't let my cultivation fall behind. Now that I have the Beast God Essence, I can continue cultivating Thunder Tempering the Soul! I wonder if, with my current strength, I can temper my soul with thunder without relying on the Dragon Scale Sword?

He was quite tempted, but then shook his head. To be safe, he still offered his soul sacrifice into the Dragon Scale Sword.

With a click, the Dragon Blood Sword Box opened. Sword light shot into the sky, and in the space of a breath, flew into the high-altitude thunderclouds.

"Senior Brother Zhong Yue, you're here!"

In the high-altitude thunderclouds, Qiu Jin'er was both surprised and delighted. Her soul flew over, and she said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for so many days. Did Senior Brother go down the mountain for a trial?"

Being called senior brother by this young female Qi Warrior, Zhong Yue felt a pang of shame. He smiled and said, "Junior Sister Jin'er guessed correctly. I did go out for a trial these days. I narrowly escaped death and almost couldn't make it back."

The girl said with concern, "Going down the mountain is very dangerous. My mother is always warning me not to go down the mountain lightly, too. Since Senior Brother hadn't come these days, I was worried for more than ten days."

The two continued cultivating amid the thunder. Before they knew it, time had passed. During these dozen or so days, Qiu Jin'er's cultivation had advanced rapidly. She truly was a naturally gifted Spiritual Body, possessing a soul from birth. Her cultivation was far deeper than before, and thunder already coiled around her soul.

"Senior Brother Zhong Yue's cultivation has also improved very quickly during his trial down the mountain."

Qiu Jin'er examined the Dragon Scale Sword, only to see Zhong Yue's soul secretly poke its head out from within it. Zhong Yue's soul had originally been as tiny as a bean, but now it had grown to the size of an inch. Standing atop the sword and accepting the baptism of thunder, he simultaneously visualized Suihuang, transforming into the form of a human with a dragon's head.

Qiu Jin'er's soul was not large either, but it was far larger than Zhong Yue's, standing over half a foot tall. Clearly, her attainments in the soul surpassed Zhong Yue's by a great deal.

This was only natural. She was a naturally gifted Spiritual Body, and her soul had been far more powerful than ordinary people's from birth.

When the two could no longer continue cultivating, they withdrew their souls and agreed to continue the next day.

"Mother, that senior brother has returned again."

Qiu Jin'er returned to her body and said to the beautiful woman, "His cultivation has advanced so quickly. He can already temper his soul without relying on a soul weapon!"

"Mm-hmm..."

The beautiful woman was somewhat distracted. "The Sect Master's Great Freedom Sword Qi won't be easy to obtain. I've been worried sick these days... This ultimate art is Sword Gate's highest scripture. The Sect Master couldn't possibly have failed to leave behind a copy of the text. Where in the world would he have hidden it?"

----Brothers, you're all too fierce and amazing! In the final four hours of April alone, you smashed me with a full 460 recommendation votes! Zhuzhu offers his thanks for everyone's love. Now that it's May, Zhuzhu will devote himself wholeheartedly to writing in return for everyone's support. At the same time, I still need recommendation votes, so Zhuzhu will keep striving, and brothers, you keep striving too!