This Isn't Over
When the Qingzhou Cauldron was offered as a sacrifice, it absorbed nearly 70% of the Venerable One's cultivation; when it was vomited back up, it was mixed with other substances.
Perhaps it contained the offerings from the previous sacrifices, the earth's Spiritual Qi from the Qingzhou Cauldron, and the golden light of the dynasty's fortune that Zhang Xuezhou saw in it.
Various things related to cultivation poured down. The Venerable One was unable to escape because he was drawn in, and Zhang Xuezhou could only run a limited distance. There was no way to escape by flying into the sky from the underground palace, so both of them were affected.
According to the Venerable One's calculations, he would most likely be forced to drink so much that he would die violently under the Qingzhou Cauldron.
However, things happened somewhat coincidentally. Zhang Xuezhou was drawn away by the wave, which diverted some of the power released by the Qingzhou Cauldron, thus allowing the Venerable One to survive for a longer period of time. Ying Fusu's arrival also stopped the Qingzhou Cauldron's sacrificial backlash.
After a chaotic battle, Ying Fusu, who had the upper hand, was defeated.
But it's not over yet. If another expert were to appear in this underground palace, the established situation would inevitably be reversed.
His Majesty exhausted every means to resolve Zhang Xuezhou's problem, and the process seemed simple and brutal; he treated himself no differently.
Regardless of the method, he needs to restore the confidence that cultivators have in making a living.
Blood brimming with Demon Power gushed from his body, his dragon scales twitching in the pool of blood. Every inch of his demonic bones was being torn apart by an overload of Spiritual Qi. For the Venerable One, who used to cherish his body and wouldn't even be willing to lose a single scale, this was something that could only happen in a life-or-death struggle.
But he showed no expression when he looked at the bloody holes in his body.
"Supreme Purity True Technique!"
The purple light of the spell continued to swirl around, the blood spurting slowed down, and the body regained control after the blood was expelled. The Venerable One also calmly gave instructions, trying to squeeze out as many times as possible for Zhang Xuezhou to release the Supreme Purity True Technique.
The True Fire that Entwines Dragons and Coils Pillars Refines the Golden Body can eliminate the backlash of Demon Power that affects one's mind. Even if Zhang Xuezhou uses up Law Power in his body, only his physical body will be Demonization.
If Zhang Xuezhou can use his precious blood to condense his Yuan Dan again, the hidden dangers of his demonic body can also be eliminated.
This is a two-way street. If things go smoothly, both sides can pay a price to get rid of the trouble. If the two sides fail, the Venerable One will bleed to death and his body will perish, while Zhang Xuezhou will be unable to take human form.
If they were to encounter another unexpected patrol by experts from the Qin Dynasty, they would both perish.
They not only need to face risks, but also need to buy time.
"Little Zhang's aptitude for cultivation is average, but his character is exceptionally resilient, probably not much different from that rebellious son, and Little Zhang..."
Watching Zhang Xuezhou methodically perform his magic and then quickly switch to the steps of borrowing power for cultivation, the Venerable One finally discovered another potential advantage of Zhang Xuezhou.
The other party doesn't seem to make any mistakes.
If Zhang Xuezhou has done something once, the other party can almost always do it perfectly when they repeat it.
Not a single Supreme Purity True Technique was wasted, nor was any Supreme Purity True Technique ever failed to be released.
Zhang Xuezhou needed guidance and assistance when refining his golden body with the True Fire of the Entwined Dragon and Pillar, but when Zhang Xuezhou used his precious blood to condense the Yuan Dan, he showed no signs of awkwardness and almost repeated the Venerable One's previous guidance.
This is an extremely excellent cultivation ability. With the guidance of a renowned master, the learner will learn very quickly and eventually become second only to the master.
This is not the pioneering and enterprising genius that some school leaders prefer, but rather the successor-type genius that some Western Mountain schools need.
"With a master to guide him, he might not be inferior to the Three Pure Ones!"
The Venerable One believed that Zhang Xuezhou's potential depended on his teacher; the stronger the teacher, the stronger Zhang Xuezhou would be, and the weaker the teacher, the less capable Zhang Xuezhou would be.
He could see the shadows of Zou Bugui, Hongku, and Lei Ming Zunzhe in Zhang Xuezhou. Each of these shadows was inferior to these people, but Zhang Xuezhou's combination of their abilities undoubtedly made him extremely adaptable, which also proved that he still had potential to be tapped.
The other party is even practicing his Dharma at that moment.
Ultimately, it's not that Zhang Xuezhou is incompetent, but rather that Zhang Xuezhou teacher is incompetent.
The Venerable One couldn't help but Zou Bugui and the others.
But despite his regret, the Venerable One could not possibly be Zhang Xuezhou's teacher, nor was he suitable to be a teacher of human cultivators, and he had no need for anyone to inherit everything from him.
"Supreme Purity True Technique!"
The fourth bloody hole on his body exploded, and the upper half of the Venerable's demonic body, which was tens of feet long, was able to stand upright.
A feeling of weakness and the power of control washed over him. He let out a low hiss and began to forcibly refine the immense power accumulated in the latter half of his body.
The sensation of blood seeping from the center of his forehead returned, and the Venerable One couldn't help but glance at Ying Fusu, who had been reduced to a pile of burnt remains, with extreme resentment.
"This isn't over!"
He spat out a hateful sound, and his huge, bloated lower half of the dragon body quickly contracted, constantly replenishing the power lost through bloodletting.
"Receive!"
Red dragon scales kept emerging, their waxy sheen a testament to his return to cultivation.
Aside from the lingering effects of the arrow that pierced his forehead by Ying Fusu, His Majesty's body has almost completely recovered.
His body slowly coiled, and from the coiling emerged a human torso and a snake's body.
His hundred-zhang-long body shrank to three zhang in length, and when he changed again, he had returned to his previous form as a white-haired man.
He touched his thinning white hair, then looked at the bloodstains and wax residue scattered on the ground.
When His Majesty turned his gaze back to the Qingzhou Cauldron, he couldn't help but feel a bit more shocked and hesitant.
The clues to Emperor Qin's tomb lie within the Qingzhou Cauldron and on the black Qin banner, but this is beyond His Majesty's ability to resolve. Without the cooperation of enough powerful and capable individuals, he lacks the capacity to continue the investigation.
A hundred years ago, he would have to take a detour when he saw the Emperor Qin; a hundred years later, he still couldn't do anything about the Emperor Qin's arrangements.
He felt a pang of fear, unsure whether his pursuit of Yinglong's precious blood had been a gain or a loss.
However, if he were to stop here and slowly wait for his natural death, that would not be what His Majesty desires.
"Little Zhang, where did your eye come from?"
He stared at the Qingzhou Cauldron for a long time, until Zhang Xuezhou, who was condensing the Yuan Dan, once again pulled out a ' Human Pill ' with a worried expression. Only then did he twitch his face and ask Zhang Xuezhou a question.
"Ten years ago, we saw a man-eating Ba Snake near Shu Commandery City. We ambushed and killed it several times, and cut off one of its eyes, which turned into a gemstone and remained on our body," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"Ba Snake?"
His Excellency took a deep breath, and his heart immediately settled down.
The Ba Snake is enormous, possessing immense strength and the ability to heal its body; it was the undisputed overlord of the Savage Wilderness era.
However, in the era of cultivation, the Ba Snake would be a reckless brute who would hardly amount to anything. He would need to transform into a human form to cultivate and acquire everything, and he would also face various difficulties in cultivation.
His Majesty was not very satisfied with this kind of person, especially since he had lost an eye; he was hardly even qualified to be a backup option.
"I understand!"
He thought of Shu Commandery City twice, then shook his head, deciding that it would be enough to have his men investigate the situation.
His gaze swept over the familiar demon core in Zhang Xuezhou's hand, and the Venerable One felt that the most important thing was for them to leave this underground palace as soon as possible.
Compared to the demon core Zhang Xuezhou had previously condensed, this demon core borrowed his demon blood, thus exhibiting a sense of gradual appearance and disappearance, possessing some of the characteristics of illusion when he lit a candle. However, its irregular shape also proved the poor results of Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation of the Yuan Dan technique.
This was a terrible search, and it should end as soon as possible.
Without waiting for Zhang Xuezhou to speak again, he reached out and grabbed a handful of wax clay from the palace.
A giant candle took shape under his power.
Candles that were once extremely rare and reluctant to be used are now piled up as if they were free, and there's more than enough to use.
The Venerable One had been searching for treasure for a long time, never imagining that digging for treasure would lead him to his own body.
He grunted, then lit the candle to illuminate the illusion and reality, and led the dejected Zhang Xuezhou toward the entrance.
The light in the underground palace disappeared.
After a long while, a tiny spark of phosphorescence finally appeared.
In the pale green glow of phosphorescence, a severed hand slowly extended its five fingers, and a faintly visible red longsword was then grasped into its palm.