The back mountain of Great Bamboo Peak.
Ye Xuan strode forward, walking step by step toward the center of the pond.
The water beneath his feet was as solid as level ground. Ripples spread across its surface, yet it held his weight.
The dark iron rod seemed to sense how terrifying the approaching figure was.
The black energy that had been lashing out like claws and fangs began to show something like fear.
It tried to retreat into the rod, to flee from the monster radiating terrifying golden light.
"Trying to run?"
Ye Xuan chuckled. His voice was soft, yet it echoed through the silent valley.
He stretched out his right hand. Blue light swirled in his palm, and the faint sound of thunder flickered within it.
It was a sign that Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao had reached its peak and was on the verge of a qualitative change.
He grabbed the icy iron rod.
It was heavy in his hand.
It felt less like holding an iron rod and more like gripping an iceberg.
"Bzzzz—"
The Soul Absorbing Rod began to tremble violently.
An even more ferocious will, filled with the desire to destroy, surged up his arm.
It refused to submit.
It was a strange iron from the Nine Heavens, steeped in yin spirits and ghostly energy for a thousand years.
It was the ruler of this secluded valley. How could it be controlled by a human?
Ye Xuan's expression remained calm, almost nonchalant.
The Innate Dao Body within him began to work at full force.
Spiritual energy surged through his meridians like rivers pouring into the sea.
The moment that violent baleful energy entered his meridians, his even more domineering spiritual power ground it to pieces.
"Behave yourself."
Ye Xuan's fingers suddenly tightened.
The veins on