Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
A few minutes later, the injuries of Elder Hu and the others had fully recovered. Every single one of them was overflowing with vitality.
"Thank you, Zhang shi..." The crowd expressed their gratitude.
Even though they had already paid for the services so they didn't owe anything to Zhang Xuan, the other party's medical skill was still simply way too astonishing. It was almost miraculous, and it was hard to believe that someone in the world was capable of such a feat.
"The Demon Cinque Beast has already been tamed by Zhang shi so it would be a waste of time if we were to remain here. Thus, I won't be imposing on you all any longer. Farewell!"
Hall Master Han clasped his fist and bade his farewell.
His primary objective here was to tame the Demon Cinque Beast. However, since Zhang shi had already tamed it, there was no reason for him to remain here any longer.
Even though he had failed to tame the Demon Cinque Beast, he had recovered from his trauma. With this alone, he was confident that he could triumph over Luo Ming and obtain the qualification to study at the headquarter.
So, his final objective could be said to have been met. In a sense, his trip wasn't wasted.
"Farewell!" Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Sai, and the others clasped their fists as well.
"Given how talented Zhang shi is, if I'm not mistaken, you should be participating in the Master Teacher Tournament two months from now, right? I'll definitely head there personally to support you!" Hall Master Han chuckled before leaving.
Given the extent of the other party's capability and his identity as a master teacher, and considering the major affairs surrounding the Myriad Kingdom City during this period of time, it wasn't too difficult to deduce his next objective.
No matter what, he owed the other party a debt. If there was a chance, he would like to repay it. Besides, given the other party's immense capability and his proficiency in various occupations, he was a person worth befriending.
After Hall Master Han and the others left, the area grew quiet once more.
"Zhang shi, do we enter the tomb now or do we rest here first?"
Luo Zhu looked at Zhang Xuan with a look of admiration.
The previous time he came here, he had to operate secretly for fear of being noticed by the Demon Cinque Beast. Yet, the person before him had managed to tame this notorious fellow. This was something he could never have imagined in the past.
With the threat from the Demon Cinque Beast out of the way, there wasn't any reason for them to rush anymore. They could enter the tomb whenever they liked.
"Hold on for a moment. We'll enter after I solve the problem the Demon Cinque Beast is suffering from."
Zhang Xuan waved his hands.
"Problem? It isn't injured though" The crowd was perplexed.
This big fellow possessed such mighty strength and its defense was invincible within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Even when battling against Hall Master Han and the others, it was able to crush all of them easily.
Solving its problem?
What kind of problem could it have?
"The Soul Devouring Ants don't have much of an influence on ordinary lifeforms and humans. However, they are yin attribute lifeformsotherwise they wouldn't have sustained themselves by consuming soulsand after loitering around this area for a month or two, even if the Demon Cinque Beast didn't really come into contact with them, it would still be affected by the yin energy they exude."
Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan explained impassively. "The intense battle just a moment ago caused the yin energy to seep into its internal organs. If it isn't cleared away swiftly, it'll be hard for it to achieve any breakthroughs in the future!"
"There's actually such a matter?"
"If that's the case, shouldn't we stay away from those Soul Devouring Ants as well?"
Upon hearing that even a powerful existence like the Demon Cinque Beast would be affected by the Soul Devouring Ants, everyone was alarmed. They immediately scanned their surroundings warily.
At this moment, after consuming the cooked Deerhorde Beast, the satisfied Soul Devouring Ants had burrowed back underground. Thus, there wasn't any trace of them left on the surface.
If they hadn't witnessed it personally, it would have been difficult for them to believe that this ancient creature, which hadn't been sighted for such a long period of time, truly existed in the world.
To consume even formations... It was truly a fearsome existence.
"It'll be fine as long as you all don't consume the water from the lake!" Zhang Xuan said, "The Soul Devouring Ants can sense that the soul oracle tomb is beneath the lake. Thus, even though the water may seem clean, it is actually filled with the corpses of these fellows. One of the main reasons why the Demon Cinque Beast is plagued by the yin energy of these fellows is due to drinking the water from the lake."
Everyone came to a realization.
These creatures were drawn here by the scent of the soul oracle tomb. Realizing that the tomb was beneath the lake, it was inevitable that some of them would be unable to resist the allure and attempt to head for the soul oracle tomb. As time slowly passed, the water became unsafe for consumption.
"Then... how can this problem be solved?" Luo Zhu asked.
Since even the Demon Cinque Beast could be plagued by the yin energy, what should they do if they were affected as well?
Everyone also turned their gazes over. They wanted to know the solution so that they would know what to do if they were to ingest the water from the lake accidentally.
"Simple, you just have to chew on the grass by the side!" Zhang Xuan pointed.
"Chew on the grass?" Taken aback, everyone instinctively turned to the Demon Cinque Beast, which was still busy chewing on the grass, with a dumbfounded expression.
They thought that Zhang shi's act of ordering the Demon Cinque Beast to chew on grass was a punishment, but from the looks of it now, it seemed like he had another motive in mind.
This explained why this massive fellow didn't feel displeased in the slightest, it even went on and munched on the grass excitedly.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be Bluerain Grass, right? This grass can be found all around the mountain. However, if I recall correctly, this grass should have no particular attribute at all. Why would eating this grass clear away the yin energy in one's body?"
Hall Master Sai was bewildered.
As an appraiser, he boasted vast knowledge. As such, he was able to identify the grass in an instant.
Bluerain Grass grew on mountainous areas that were near a water source. It didn't have any effect or attribute, and as such, it couldn't even be considered as a medicinal herb. Why would it be able to expel the yin energy from the Soul Devouring Ants?
"It's true that this grass primarily has no attribute or effect. However, one has to take their environment into consideration as well. If it's the patch of grass over there, it'll be completely ineffective!" Zhang Xuan pointed.
He was pointing at the dense bunch of Bluerain Grasses that grew by the side of the lake.
Everyone blinked their eyes in bewilderment.
It was just a distance of several dozen meters, why would the grass over there be ineffective? There was nothing different with their environment at all!
Seeing the doubt on everyone's faces, Zhang Xuan smiled and shook his head, "This is where the Demon Cinque Beast relieved itself... In other words, it is its toilet."
"Toilet?"
Everyone blinked.
"The Demon Cinque Beast carries the Dragon Bloodline, which is rich in yang energy. Naturally, its waste product carries powerful yang attribute. Under such nourishment, the Bluerain Grass in that area naturally took on this attribute as well."
After explaining, Zhang Xuan turned to look at them and said, "If you are worried, you can cut a few stalks and bring it along with you. The moment you realize that something is amiss, just take a bunch out and chew on it..."
"I'll pass..."
"Zhang shi, thank you for your advice. However, since you said it's fine, there should be no need to do so!"
Everyone hurriedly waved their hands.
They were still agitated over it a moment ago, but after learning that those were grass which the Demon Cinque Beast used to relief itself, they immediately lost their interest.
Knowing what the crowd was thinking, Zhang Xuan didn't touch on the topic any further. Instead, he walked up to the Demon Cinque Beast.
At this moment, this gigantic fellow had already consumed a huge quantity of Bluerain Grass already. The yang energy within its body was gradually searing the yin energy accumulated within its body.
Taking out a few silver needles, Zhang Xuan casually pierced them into several locations on the Demon Cinque Beast.
Boom!
A loud explosion sounded, and everyone immediately felt the Demon Cinque Beast's aura rising swiftly.
"Is it going to make a breakthrough?"
Hall Master Sai and Jin Conghai stared at one another in shock.
At Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, one's soul would become even more harmonized with the environment, thus augmenting one's strength greatly.
If the first four dans of the Transcendent Mortal realm, Prolonged Longevity, Origin Energy, Yin-Yang, and Clarifying Turbidity, could be considered as refining one's zhenqi and enhancing one's control over the environment, then from this realm onward, one's soul would be nourished and tempered.
This was precisely the reason why even though Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle master teachers, despite their strength, could only be only considered as 4-star master teacher. Unable to produce [Long-range Tutelage Jade Token], they couldn't be considered to have reached half 5-star.
Only when one's cultivation had reached Consonant Spirit would one be able to sever a sliver of one's soul to seal it within a Tutelage Jade Token to guide others.
One could say that the gap between Transcendent Mortal 4-dan and 5-dan concerned the metamorphosis of one's soul, and it was a major hurdle to overcome.
Many people were stuck at this step, unable to make a breakthrough until the end of their lives.
Despite the long history of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance and the innumerable talents who had come and gone, there were less than a few who had managed to surpass this boundary.
And for spirit beasts, due to their weaker souls, it was far harder for them to make this breakthrough compared to humans.
This fellow was already at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle, and yet, at this moment, its aura was currently rising swiftly. Could it really be attempting to break through to the Consonant Spirit realm?
The duo hurriedly turned their gazes over.
"It can't make the breakthrough yet!"
Seeing the agitation on the faces of the duo, Zhang Xuan replied calmly, "All beings in the world are made equal. Due to the overwhelmingly powerful physical body of the Demon Cinque Beast, it was harder for its soul to make a metamorphosis. Similarly, if one's soul is too strong, under normal circumstances, one's physical body wouldn't be too strong."
After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Xuan said, "However... after consuming the Bluerain Grass, the yin energy has melded as one with the yang energy. At the same time, I've also cleared some of its meridians. Thus, it's inevitable that it'll enjoy a huge leap in its cultivation. Even though this isn't sufficient for it to reach Consonant Spirit realm, Half-Consonant Spirit shouldn't be a problem!"
"Half-Consonant Spirit?"
"That's already very fearsome! If I recall correctly, the old ancestor of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance is also at this realm..."
Hearing those words, the duo still leaped in shock.
Half-Consonant Spirit, similar to Half-Zongshi and Half-Zhizun, referred to a person who was infinitesimally close to Consonant Spirit realm but had yet to take the last step forward.
Not only was the physical body of an expert at this level strong, his soul would tend to be exceptionally powerful as well. No Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert would be his match.
If say, the Demon Cinque Beast was already overpowered due to its Dragon Bloodline and talents, it would be even more fearsome now.
If it were to go on a rampage, even the old ancestor of Myriad Kingdom Alliance wouldn't be able to stand against it.
Formidable!
Hong long long!
Amidst the shocked gazes of the duo, the Demon Cinque Beast's rising aura finally came to a halt. Just as Zhang shi had guessed, it didn't manage to make the final breakthrough into Consonant Spirit realm, stopping at Half-Consonant Spirit instead.
Even so, with this strength, there was already no one who could subdue it in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance already.
Roar!
Knowing that it was only with his master's help that his cultivation had risen and his trauma resolved, it rushed forward excitedly to Zhang Xuan and bowed respectfully.
Previously, it had only feared the other party due to the high possibility of the other party being a Pureblooded Dragon due to his ability to utter the Dragon Language. However, at this moment, he felt truly grateful to the other party.
If not for him, it wouldn't have been able to reach this realm without a century of hard work.
Seeing its attitude, Zhang Xuan knew that this fellow was sincerely swearing fealty to him this time. Thus, he nodded his head in satisfaction and instructed, "That's right, we're diving to the bottom of the lake. Guard the area outside for us. If any human or beast dares to barge into this area, kill them without exception!"
The situation below was still a mystery, and having to watch their backs for enemies while exploring the region would've been troublesome.
With this large fellow guarding in the area, they wouldn't have to worry about any knives behind their back.
"Roar!" The Demon Cinque Beast nodded its head.
"Alright, let's set off!"
After giving out the necessary instructions, Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings before leaping into the lake along with Luo Zhu.
Zhao Ya and the others quickly followed suit.
After so much hard work... The soul oracle tomb was finally right before them.