I Probably Have a New Ailment
The tedious wait at the Lishan Underground Palace is not a pleasant experience; no matter how well it is built, it is still just a basement.
Before the new emperor could successfully break through to his True Self, Zhang Xuezhou, who was waiting idly, had already felt the pulling force of the time travel back.
Sending Daojun away was indeed the right choice. Even if Zhang Xuezhou had time to stay, he would be terrified if he didn't know Daojun's background.
Daojun still has trump cards up his sleeve, but his opponent has very few; at most, they can only protect themselves.
With their shift from sharp, offensive cultivators to a more conservative approach, Dao Lords are no longer a significant threat. Furthermore, Dao Lords are no longer known for their wisdom, and without power, they find it difficult to forge alliances for revenge.
Zhang Xuezhou's gaze fell on the throwing knife on the stone table.
Even today, the Holy Mother of Wudang still dares not touch Daojun's flying knife.
The throwing knife was missing two pieces, but it was still perfectly intact. The knife could be scattered into fragments, but it could also be reassembled into a whole through Law Power.
The Daoist's second technique involves dividing the flying knife, originally refined using the Immortal Gourd, into parts. The cultivator then refines these parts, ultimately transforming them into a whole, thus achieving a transformation between the cultivator and the Immortal Gourd. This division process also prevents the flying knife from collapsing due to excessive power.
This cultivation method only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause, which ultimately led Daojun to turn to the third method, the Innate Qi Technique.
Zhang Xuezhou was bored out of his mind, and his thoughts became even more chaotic when he glanced at the quiet room where the new emperor was.
"This tiny throwing knife actually broke into nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces!"
If we don't count the piece hidden by Zhang Xuezhou and ignore the fragment in Tian Fen's head, the throwing knife on the stone table could break into 997 fragments.
These fragments, when gathered together, are like knives; when scattered, they can turn into fragments again.
Zhang Xuezhou examined the object for a while, while the Holy Mother of Wudang's eyelids twitched repeatedly.
"You dare to play around with Daojun's knife like that?" Wudang Shengmu complained. "Other things are one thing, but his throwing knives are definitely forged with his lifeblood. Before their power is worn away, they still have the potential to attract attention. If you handle them carelessly, you might get cursed!"
"It's just a knife, no harm in taking a look!"
Zhang Xuezhou responded calmly, his gaze fixed on the fragments. His face was reflected on the flying knives, which resembled shattered glass, much like the crystal fragments that Huang Daoxian had once used.
This mapping stems from the unique properties of the materials and is also related to the cultivator's abilities; proper use of it can lock onto an opponent.
This is also why Daojun's flying knife was unavoidable.
Without this knife, even if Daojun still has the ability to use flying knives, it would be difficult for him to use the flying knife technique he used in Mayi, let alone shoot it at Donghua.
How did Donghua escape Daojun's first strike? Has his 'fast and slow' domain been restored?
The good news is that Daojun's threat has subsided; the bad news is that Donghua escaped Daojun's flying knife technique, proving his abilities to be even greater than Zhang Xuezhou had imagined.
While studying Daojun's Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife Technique, Zhang Xuezhou also studied Daojun's flying knives and then speculated on Donghua's strength.
"How did he complete the fusion of his strength so quickly? Is his strength inferior to or surpasses that of the Emperor?"
Unable to find a solution immediately, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to return to the real world to consult the Emperor.
"Speaking of which, there are still six ferocious spider beasts to deal with. Those beasts involve the Principle. The Spider God Cave might allow us to truly touch upon the Principle and understand Principle. Donghua's power could not possibly reach that level!"
If we focus all our attention on Donghua, it will inevitably lead to the unknown, thus guiding our mindset towards caution or fear.
However, Zhang Xuezhou remained remarkably calm when other comparative cases were available.
"The throwing knife he gave you had a flaw; remember that!"
Zhang Xuezhou played with the throwing knife for a moment, then put it down and pointed to the two notches on it.
"I didn't cause this flaw," said the Holy Mother of Wudang.
"I know!"
"Then you have to testify for me that I didn't damage his throwing knife, and that the Daoist Master will ask me for it back later..."
The Virgin Mary of Wudang kept babbling on and on.
Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly.
His purpose in communicating with Zhang Xuezhou was simply because he also possessed a fragment of a flying knife. If Zhang Xuezhou wanted to cultivate the Innate Qi Technique in the future, he would need to try it from simple to complex. He might very well use the fragment that had been knocked out by the Dao Lord without any future problems to refine it. He wanted to say something in advance to avoid misunderstandings later. However, he did not expect that the Holy Mother of Wudang was even more cautious and also joined forces with him to eliminate any suspicion.
As the two were chatting idly, they heard a knocking sound coming from the walls of the underground palace.
"Your Majesty has successfully achieved the breakthrough to your True Self?"
Zhang Xuezhou's eyelids twitched. He appeared cautious in front of the Holy Mother of Wudang and waved his hand to open the wall of the quiet room.
The wall slowly opened, and a sharp aura immediately swept over us.
"It's time to go!"
In the quiet room, the new emperor stood up, his entire body resembling a sharp sword radiating cold light, inspiring fear in those who looked at him.
He called out calmly to Zhang Xuezhou, then looked with regret at the four sword paintings hanging on the wall. When his gaze swept over the long sword on the ground, he felt even more reluctant to part with it.
It was not yet the seventh day stipulated in the contract, but the new emperor knew very well that he had to leave the pass.
Zhang Xuezhou's coma is about to end, and he needs to avoid the risks of infection in unfamiliar areas as much as possible.
Daojun is gone, but they still have many rivals. The new emperor obviously cannot only look after himself; he also needs to consider the safety of his capable ministers.
His good fortune was due to his own efforts, but even more so to Zhang Xuezhou's eloquence.
The True Self Realm, which was originally difficult to reach, was forcibly pushed upwards, and the new emperor barely escaped this calamity.
Although the aftereffects of the Seven Arrows Nailhead Incantation Technique still lingered in his body and the new emperor discovered flaws in his attempt to break through to the True Self Realm, everything he had gained had already exceeded his original expectations.
"Would you like to give us a ride, or can we just leave?"
Zhang Xuezhou asked the Holy Mother of Wudang, but she had already hurriedly driven away in her bronze chariot.
"Let's go, let's go!"
When this bronze carriage, which had the ability to escape from the earth and could travel underground, rushed towards us, Our Lady of Wudang urged her repeatedly, feeling the need to send these two plague gods away quickly.
She couldn't allow the new emperor to leave his rightful place; otherwise, there would be endless troubles later.
As usual, they traveled underground, and after nearly half an hour, they saw the sunlight in Laoshu Hutong again.
She hurriedly helped Zhang Xuezhou and the others off the carriage, then Wudang Shengmu dove into the ground. The ground quickly condensed and closed, and the carriage and the people disappeared without a trace.
The new emperor stood under the big tree in Laoshu Hutong, and looked at the sunlight filtering through the leaves. He felt as if he were dreaming.
But the consistent flow of Qi and Blood in his body was genuine, his memory of the four sword formation diagrams was undeniable, the sword-grinding pellet was genuine, and his touching of the three-foot-six-and-a-half-inch Qingping Broken Sword was even more genuine.
Having reached the True Self Realm in his cultivation, the new emperor never imagined that his swordsmanship had such vast potential for improvement.
He felt that something was missing from his True Self Realm, and he found it difficult to fully utilize the various wondrous sword techniques on the sword formation diagram.
"The sword diagram was filled with crisscrossing Sword Qi: sharp swords, cursed swords, magical swords, and the Ruyi Sword..."
The new emperor was in a daze for a few seconds before speaking to Zhang Xuezhou about the many wondrous sword techniques he had witnessed. He also felt the profound mystery of the swordsmanship of the owner of the Qingping Broken Sword.
After speaking repeatedly, the new emperor blinked and turned his head to look, but Zhang Xuezhou was nowhere to be seen beside him.
While he was rambling on and on, Zhang Xuezhou had obviously already run off and lay down.
This forced the new emperor to shut his mouth.
He scanned his surroundings for a few seconds, then moved with the speed of a dragon emerging from a sword, his speed no less than Zhang Xuezhou's use of the Cloud Soaring Technique.
As they marched, it seemed as if ten thousand swords were whistling around the new emperor, the sound of swords whistling incessantly.
I think I have a new problem!
The new emperor sighed.
He was an experienced person who had seen many cultivators at the True Self Realm True Self Realm, but none of them had such a booming and deafening sound as him.
Whether he was flying swiftly or wielding his sword, the sound of swords whistling in his ears was incessant.
Having contracted this new illness, the new emperor originally wanted to discuss the origin of the ailment with Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhang Xuezhou simply ran away.
He had no choice but to return to the palace to recuperate for a period of time.
Moreover, he had to return to the palace. Wei Qing had rewarded many soldiers who had participated in the battle at Yanmen Pass, and the new emperor also needed to reward them at the Weiyang Palace, so that high-ranking officials could see the direction of the Great Han Dynasty clearly.