Their Respective Opponents

Compared to the Twelve-Foot Golden Body Technique, cultivating life techniques is undoubtedly simpler and more enjoyable.

The ancient tree was extremely satisfied with Zhang Xuezhou, and the Longevity Fruit it provided was even better than the fruit he had consumed before, making it very easy for Zhang Xuezhou to break through to the ninth level of the Life Technique.

"It loves this place very much and hopes to receive your long-term protection. If you can provide spirit jade and spirit crystals, it will bear fruit in return!"

Besides practicing the art of destiny, Zhang Xuezhou also interacted with ancient trees.

Perhaps it didn't receive the memory of the Longevity Fruit Tree devouring corpses, or perhaps the ancient tree's spirit brought about the change; the Longevity Fruit Tree transformed from a carnivorous tree that ate flesh into a normal fruit tree that ate vegetarian food.

If the method of supplying Spiritual Qi is improved, the ancient tree can also reward you with Longevity Fruit.

"It doesn't eat cultivators' corpses anymore," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said regretfully. "I was just thinking of feeding the tree with the corpses of Jieyin and Zhunti!"

"A change of pace," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "A change of pace is a good thing. The amount of spirit jade and spirit crystals is still more than that of great cultivators!"

"That makes sense!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan already knew that Zhang Xuezhou and Antarctica had obtained the method to communicate with the Longevity Fruit Tree. He was a little regretful that he could not communicate with the Longevity Fruit Tree in person, but getting the information from Zhang Xuezhou was no different, which allowed him to quickly adjust.

"I'll bury two spirit jades here. When we get to the Western Sect, they'll definitely search their place, so my beating won't have been for nothing!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan originally intended to challenge Sect Master Jieyin and Zhunti Jiaozhu repeatedly, relying on Zhang Xuezhou to recover from his injuries and defeat one of them after ten or eight battles, making the remaining one easier to deal with.

After stuffing the corpses of the two cult leaders under the Longevity Fruit Tree, he felt he had vented his anger and could also harvest a tree full of good fruit.

The Longevity Fruit Tree has adjusted its flavor, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan) is not going to do anything that would result in a loss.

If Divine Lord Zhenyuan could obtain a batch of spirit jade from the Western Sect, he felt that the matter could be settled.

"Let's go check out the Western Sect!"

Having broken through to the ninth level of the Life Technique, the ninth Life Technique halo tightly bound to his body.

Theoretically speaking, the life-saving techniques at the eighth and ninth levels granted him nearly 1,500 years of lifespan. If combined with the lifespan Zhang Xuezhou gained from the first seven levels, his lifespan could reach around 2,000 years.

While the Emperor had cultivated the art of life to the ninth level and had a thousand years of lifespan remaining, Donghua could not extend his lifespan through the art of lifespan. He could only add to his lifespan by taking Immortality Elixir once, so his total lifespan was about 1,500 years.

By simply comparing their lifespans, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the problem of fatal oversights in the art of fate analysis had been plugged.

As a cultivator striving for survival, Zhang Xuezhou was cautious and meticulous, always striving to do his best in everything he could.

He invited Divine Lord Zhenyuan to join him on a trip, and the two of them soared into the air together towards West Ox Hezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou did not rush along the smooth path of favor. He discussed the art of flight with Divine Lord Zhenyuan along the way, hoping to improve his cloud-riding skills after entering the True Self Realm.

"What motivates you so much to cultivate yourself and advance in spiritual practice?"

Every time Divine Lord Zhenyuan saw Zhang Xuezhou, the other party was either cultivating or on the path of cultivation. Divine Lord Zhenyuan had seen Zhang Xuezhou in this situation for just as many years.

Cultivators need motivation to cultivate. When Divine Lord Zhenyuan was young, he once thought of becoming famous throughout the world and wanting to be comparable to Daojun and others. But later he found that cultivation was useless. No matter how powerful his cultivation was, he just lived a life in the Kunlun Sacred Land.

He once had lofty ambitions, but he wasted his life. Only when his lifespan was constantly depleted did Divine Lord Zhenyuan focus on prolonging his life. And because he needed to strengthen his protective measures after leaving Kunlun, he had no choice but to seek cultivation and advancement.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's mental journey over the years has been simple and real. Whenever he recalls his past, Divine Lord Zhenyuan can't help but wonder why Zhang Xuezhou has such a tenacious and unyielding motivation for cultivation.

"I was just thinking about not getting killed, so I wanted to become a little stronger!"

Zhang Xuezhou's response was serious, but his reasoning made Divine Lord Zhenyuan feel like a joke.

He found it hard to believe Zhang Xuezhou's reasons for persisting, but knowing that Zhang Xuezhou never lied when they interacted, he had no choice but to believe them.

"Who can fight you for so long without killing you?" Divine Lord Zhenyuan asked.

"My opponents have changed several times already," Zhang Xuezhou said, shaking his head. "I've gotten myself into a lot of trouble. I haven't had a moment's peace these past few years. Every time I finally manage to take down an opponent, an even stronger one pops up!"

"Can I beat him?"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan clearly wanted to stand up for Zhang Xuezhou, but seeing how diligent Zhang Xuezhou was even after entering the True Self Realm, he couldn't help but feel somewhat uncertain, believing that the probability of losing if the two sides joined forces to fight would be higher.

"You can't do it," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "They are transcendent beings, we have no conventional way to deal with them!"

"You... did you offend Houtu, the Goddess of the Earth, and then you offended Hongjun, the Sage?"

Zhang Xuezhou put it very bluntly, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan, after a simple thought, proposed that there were only two cultivators in the Three Realms who had transcended the mortal realm and entered sainthood.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou nod repeatedly, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

It would be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to even meet these two, let alone provoke them. He found it hard to understand how Zhang Xuezhou had offended them.

If he had offended only one side, that would have been one thing, but Zhang Xuezhou had to provoke both.

Under these circumstances, Divine Lord Zhenyuan believed that only by transcending the mortal realm could Zhang Xuezhou withstand the combined attack of these two.

Faced with such an opponent, the motivation is indeed inexhaustible.

"How did you provoke this? Tell me quickly, if it's something easy to provoke, I'd like to provoke it too!"

As the discussion about the art of flying was drawing to a close, Divine Lord Zhenyuan couldn't help but become curious about gossip.

"I didn't really provoke anyone. I just played around with the Reincarnation Stone in the secret realm, and then went to Zixiao Palace to see Hongjun," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Then some unpleasant things happened, and I got involved in the feud between Houtu Niangniang and Hongjun Shengren!"

"They're really on a higher level. Did you try to play along with them?"

"I'm doomed! I've managed to thwart both of them. The Goddess Houtu cast a spell on me and summoned a treasure to keep me under control. Sage Hongjun also laid a trap for me!"

After listening, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt that Zhang Xuezhou no longer needed to cultivate. He could play and have fun as he pleased, without needing to immerse himself in the tedious and boring cultivation.

Having brought so much trouble and misfortune upon himself, he felt there was no need to consider the possibility of survival anymore.

"Actually, I think I can still be saved!"

Aside from Ren Anran, Divine Lord Zhenyuan is the only one who knows anything about Zhang Xuezhou.

Upon hearing about Zhang Xuezhou's predicament, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt that opponents like Jieyin and Zhunti were utterly weak, considering he had regarded the two Western religious leaders as major threats.

When placed before Zhang Xuezhou, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt ashamed to even mention their names.