The Zhongshan Clan and the Great Stud Bull

The three divine formations in Beast God Ridge erupted, shaking the entire Great Wilderness. The shockwaves were even felt outside the Great Wilderness.

Nearly all Qi Refiners in Sword Gate forgot their tasks at hand and looked towards Beast God Ridge. They saw the Dragon Steed, the black dragon, and the Sword Qi still rampaging within the eight-hundred-mile expanse of Beast God Ridge. After a long while, the three formations finally subsided, and the Dragon Steed, black dragon, and Sword Qi dispersed, restoring peace to Beast God Ridge.

However, the impact of these three formations on the Qi Refiners of Sword Gate was not so easily dispelled.

Furthermore, the activation of the three formations buried over a thousand Qi Refiners from Xiankong City's Demonic Race, heavily wounded two island masters of Xiankong City, and dealt a severe blow to Xiankong City's vitality. The repercussions of this event would not fade easily.

The Totem Spirits of Sulfur Island and Brocade Island in Xiankong City were both buried in Beast God Ridge. The losses were undeniably heavy, especially the Demonic Race Qi Refiners who died there, all of whom were elites of Xiankong City. It would be impossible for this sacred land of the Demonic Race to recover its vitality in a short period!

Within the higher echelons of Sword Gate, a storm was brewing. Many elders immediately reacted and debated whether to seize this opportunity to kill Island Master Yan Yunsheng of Sulfur Island and Island Master Xiu Tianchen of Brocade Island.

This was a rare opportunity. Xiu Tianchen and Yan Yunsheng were two of the three great powers of Xiankong City. If their lives could be taken, the Demonic Race would no longer be a threat!

But some elders worried that if they failed to eliminate these two Demonic Race powers, they would thoroughly offend the Demonic Race. Moreover, there was another great power in the Demonic Race, the City Lord of Xiankong City, who would certainly not stand by and watch his two island masters be killed.

Besides, although these two island masters were heavily wounded, they were still overlords who had dominated for many years. Killing them would not be easy.

The elders debated heatedly, arguing incessantly, with no conclusion in sight.

"Fu Shan, let's go."

With white robes fluttering and a giant turtle like a mountain, Fang Jiange walked out of Sword Gate, soaring through the air. The giant turtle Fu Shan followed behind, rushing towards the fleeing Xiu Tianchen and Yan Yunsheng.

"Fang Jiange, wait!"

An elder chased out of Sword Gate and shouted, "Our elders' council has not yet reached a decision. You cannot act rashly! Whether to pursue and kill the two island masters of the Demonic Race concerns the future of Sword Gate and Xiankong City. It's not something you can decide alone!"

Fang Jiange did not look back and said calmly, "I'm going to kill them. When you make your decision, send someone to notify me."

The elder was furious and was about to retort when he suddenly saw a young man flying through the air, leaving Sword Gate. He laughed, "Senior Brother Fang speaks wisely. Opportunity is fleeting. The elders can discuss their meeting slowly, but the opportunity must be seized. Senior Brother Fang, I'll go with you!"

"Count me in."

A woman also flew out of Sword Gate and laughed, "Chasing down two Sect Master-level existences, and two of them at that! How could I be left out of such an event?"

"Hahahaha, three Senior Brothers and Sisters, wait for me!"

Lei light surged like a tide, and one person rode the lightning, laughing loudly, "The heads of the Sulfur Island Master and Brocade Island Master must be taken by my own hands!"

The elder's face turned ashen. He watched helplessly as the four figures departed, heading towards the border of the Great Wilderness to pursue the two great island masters of the Demonic Race. He trembled and said, "Lawless, utterly lawless..."

"Let them go. Our Sword Gate's four young masters need a trial, a competition for the next Sect Master position. To become the Sect Master of our Sword Gate, one must possess the strength to conquer all directions."

The Great Elder of the Youyu Clan came to his side and whispered, "Moreover, this is also the Sect Master's intention. Let's go, we'll continue the meeting."

On this day, the four young masters of Sword Gate set out together to pursue Island Master Yan Yunsheng of Sulfur Island and Island Master Xiu Tianchen of Brocade Island. There was a buffer zone of tens of thousands of miles between the Great Wilderness and Sulfur Island, and a spectacular chase and counterattack was destined to occur there!

A magnificent battle was surely to unfold between the two great powers of the Demonic Race and the four young masters of Sword Gate!

However, all of this was no longer related to Zhong Yue, the instigator.

Zhong Yue accelerated towards Sword Gate. After half a day, he returned to the Upper Court of Sword Gate. Without even taking the time to greet Yu Feiyan, Li Xiuniang, and the others, Zhong Yue fell into a deep sleep in his room.

The past dozen days had been a non-human ordeal, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. Only upon entering Sword Gate could he finally relax.

Encountering Demonic Race disciples in Beast God Ridge, facing Demonic Race Qi Refiners with the Beast God Seal, killing Qi Refiners with formations, obtaining the Beast God's Inner Core, demonizing the Dragon Steed, completing the three divine formations, being pursued and ambushed by Shuitu Clan Qi Refiners, crossing the Weishui River, and battling across the great river – these were not experiences that an ordinary Upper Court disciple could endure, yet he had gone through them. The pressure from surviving several near-death experiences was unprecedented.

Only in Sword Gate, the guardian of the Great Wilderness, could he finally let go of all pressure and catch his breath.

After a night's sleep, Zhong Yue woke up with a yawn, but a dragon's roar came from his mouth. He was startled and quickly looked down, only to see that he had transformed into a Dragon Steed again, lying on the bed!

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

Zhong Yue calmed himself and looked into his Sea of Consciousness. On his soul's shoulder, a small flame burned quietly. Xin Huo was also fast asleep.

"So Xin Huo is also asleep."

Zhong Yue did not wake him, thinking, "Xin Huo has been working tirelessly these past few days to help me escape one deadly situation after another. Without him, I would have died long ago. I should let him rest more. Fortunately, my cultivation has improved significantly. The essence overflowing from the Beast God's Inner Core overnight cannot completely transform me into a Dragon Steed."

His current cultivation was much deeper than when he went to Beast God Ridge. His Sea of Consciousness was three thousand acres wide, and he refined the Beast God Essence faster. Although he had turned into a Dragon Steed, as long as he continued to visualize, transforming back into a human was not difficult for him.

After a while, Zhong Yue finally suppressed the Dragon Steed form and restored his normal appearance.

"Junior Brother Zhong, Junior Brother Zhong!"

A maiden's voice called from outside, and it wasn't just one. Zhong Yue was puzzled and opened the door to see dozens of girls gathered outside his door. They were all surprised and delighted to see him and crowded around him, chattering, "Junior Brother Zhong is indeed still alive!"

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

"Yesterday, I heard someone say they thought they saw you return, so we came over. Junior Brother Zhong must have been resting and didn't answer, so we didn't disturb you. This morning, we sisters came over, and you have indeed returned safely!"

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

"You don't know, something big happened in Beast God Ridge! With a boom, a large Dragon Steed leaped out of Beast God Ridge, it was so huge!"

"I heard that the Shuitu Clan Qi Refiners encountered a small Dragon Steed. When they returned yesterday to get reinforcements, they mobilized the entire clan's Qi Refiners to hunt it down. That Dragon Steed was so cute, I really want to hug it and raise it..."

Ting Lanyue, Tao Daier, and other maidens, along with many female disciples from the Lishan Clan – thirty to fifty people in total – were chattering and singing joyfully. Zhong Yue had no idea who to answer first. After a moment, Zhong Yue smiled, "Senior Sisters, why don't you come in for a chat?"

The girls swarmed into his courtyard. Li Xiuniang and Yu Feiyan also walked in. With so many young women accompanying him, Zhong Yue felt his courtyard had become much smaller.

Outside, many male disciples from the Upper Court looked over enviously.

"The Great Stud Bull from the Zhongshan Clan is back. As soon as he returned, so many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters surrounded him. Doesn't this guy get tired?"

Someone said indignantly, "Why?"

After a long while, Zhong Yue sent the young women away from the Men's Court. Li Xiuniang chuckled, "Junior Brother Zhong, we'll come find you next time we need something. Also, I still want to spar with you and see who is number one in the Upper Court!"

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

Li Xiuniang giggled, "Easy peasy. If Junior Sister Yu is willing to concede, I, your senior sister, will naturally oblige."

The two women's fighting spirit soared, making the disciples of the Men's Court stare wide-eyed. They mumbled, "As expected, even the two senior sisters from the Women's Court are going to fight over the Zhongshan Clan's Great Stud Bull. Does this guy really have that much charm?"

"Why?"

Zhong Yue returned to his small courtyard, clearing his mind. He thought, Xin Huo is still resting and probably won't wake up for a day or two, but my cultivation can't be neglected. With the Beast God Essence now, I can continue to cultivate Thunder to temper my soul! I wonder if my current strength is enough to temper my soul with Thunder directly, without the Dragon Scale Sword?

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

The Dragon Blood Sword Box clicked open, and sword light shot into the sky, flying to the Lei layer in a single breath.

"Senior Brother Zhong, you're here!"

In the Lei layer high above, Qiu Jin'er was both surprised and delighted. Her soul flew over, and she smiled, "It's been a while since I've seen you. Did you go down the mountain to train, Senior Brother?"

Being called Senior Brother by this female Qi Refiner, Zhong Yue inwardly felt ashamed. He smiled, "Junior Sister Jin'er, your guess is correct. I did go out to train recently. I narrowly escaped death and almost didn't make it back."

The young woman said with concern, "It's very dangerous down the mountain. My mother always tells me not to go down easily. I was worried for you these past few days since you weren't here."

The two continued to cultivate in the Thunder, not noticing the passage of time. In these past ten-plus days, Qiu Jin'er's cultivation had progressed rapidly. She was indeed a natural Spiritual Body; her soul existed from birth, and her cultivation was much deeper than before. Her soul was already entwined with Thunder.

"Senior Brother Zhong's progress is also very fast after going down the mountain to train."

Qiu Jin'er observed the Dragon Scale Sword. She saw Zhong Yue's soul stealthily peek out from within the Dragon Scale Sword. Zhong Yue's soul, which was originally as small as a bean, was now about an inch long. It stood on the sword, receiving the tempering of the Thunder, while simultaneously visualizing Suihuang, transforming into a dragon-headed human form.

Qiu Jin'er's soul was also not large, but it was much bigger than Zhong Yue's, about half a foot tall. Clearly, her mastery of the soul far surpassed Zhong Yue's.

This was understandable. She was a natural Spiritual Body, and her innate soul was countless times stronger than others.

When the two could no longer continue cultivating, they each withdrew their souls, agreeing to continue cultivating tomorrow.

"Mother, that Senior Brother is back again."

Qiu Jin'er returned to her physical body and said to the beautiful woman, "His cultivation has improved so quickly. He can temper his soul without relying on a Soul Weapon now!"

"Mmm hmm..."

The beautiful woman was somewhat absent-minded. "The Sect Master's Great Freedom Sword Qi is not easy to obtain. I've been worried sick these past few days... This ultimate technique is the highest classic of the Sword Gate. The Sect Master wouldn't possibly not leave behind any records. Where could it be hidden?"

----My brothers are so fierce and awesome. In the last four hours of April, you threw a whopping 460 recommendation tickets!! Zhai Zhu thanks you all for your love. It's May now, and Zhai Zhu will wholeheartedly write to repay you all. At the same time, I still need recommendation tickets. Zhai Zhu will continue to work hard, and you brothers should also continue to work hard!