Half a month later.

Lin Xun awoke from his meditation, revealing a pair of clear and tranquil eyes.

At present, he had familiarized himself with the power of the Supreme Saint Stage and understood how difficult each step of the Saint path was.

While hard work and practice were still the fundamentals, numerous revelations and experiences were also required to progress along the Saint path. Those who solely relied on isolated cultivation were doomed to stagnate.

Additionally, qi cultivation, spirit cultivation, physical cultivation, studying dao power, and tempering martial dao also needed plenty of time and energy investments.

Currently, Lin Xun had managed to stabilize his True Saint cultivation and was at the perfect initial stage. He was still a step away from the intermediate True Saint stage.

However, his Origin Dao Mountain was extremely sturdy, making him almost unrivaled among those of the same cultivation stage.

Of course, this was only in the aspect of cultivation.

A Saints combat power was intricately related to ones dao power, martial dao power, and the treasures that one wielded.

Lin Xun had touched the threshold of creating his own Saint Dharma Art and had comprehended the secret of when the three ways are united, the essence of one is formed.

In other words, he would soon become invincible among the Supreme Saint Stage!

"Old tree, whats the progress on my treasure refining?"

With a thought from Lin Xun, a green branch emerged and transformed into an ancient tree with lush leaves and a strong trunk amidst a flash of light.

It was the spirit refinement ancestral tree that he had brought out from the underground palace secret realm.

The spirit refinement ancestral tree quickly answered, "Only the final step is left."

As it spoke, its branches and leaves shook and the snow-white Broken Blade flew out with a ring.

"Even I have never imagined that this treasure would be so incredible. Any other spirit weapon would have already been tempered to perfection with my power but this treasure is like a bottomless pit that has consumed copious amounts of my origin energy over the past year."

Toward the end, the spirit refinement ancestral tree looked as if it was grumbling in agony.

"Young man, my vitality has been greatly depleted, and Ill require some divine resources to replenish my vital energies such as the primal chaos soil, five-colored spirit soil, or the turbid star sand."

Lin Xun casually replied as he examined the Broken Blade, "I promise that youll be rewarded in the future."

Half a year ago, when he decided to rebuild the City of Protection, Lin Xun passed the Broken Blade to the spirit refinement ancestral tree to be nourished and tempered.

This was also why he had used the Yuantu Sword in the battle against the seven domains army.

Lin Xun soon revealed an expression of surprise as he praised, "Not bad, not bad at all."

After half a year of tempering, the Broken Blade had clearly undergone a tremendous transformation. Its sharpness and light were now withdrawn and restrained, making it look less illusory than before and instead giving off an obscure charm.

"This is an occurrence known as a divine treasure not showing off its brilliance. In other words, this treasure must have extraordinary origins."

The spirit refinement ancestral tree continued, "I once traversed the world and even the cosmos with the Sky Splitting Great Emperor and have seen countless peerless treasures. However, Ive never seen anything as peculiar as this Broken Blade. Regrettably, its incomplete. Can you fathom how powerful it would be if it were in its complete state?

"On the other hand, youre fortunate that the blade was incomplete because that was the only way you could subdue it and refine it into your life-bound treasure. Otherwise, your supreme Saint cultivation would have been far from enough to make it your own!"

Lin Xun couldnt help but feel surprised as he glanced at the chatty ancient tree.

One must know that the Broken Blade, the God Devourer Insects, the purple blood sealed in the refining gourd, and the Luohou horn had been obtained from the Ancient Spirit World.

It was a world that was still a mystery to Lin Xun because he had been teleported there from the Omega Secret Realm!

"Look, the three mysterious dao patterns imprinted on the blade resemble the words Yuan, Extreme, and Zhu."

The spirit refinement ancestral tree swiftly elaborated, "However, they are clearly an incomplete set and there should be one final word that has yet to appear. However, that final word will never appear unless you find the missing piece of the Broken Blade."

Lin Xun had also noticed this problem long ago and agreed with the trees evaluation.

He asked, "Can the Broken Blade be repaired with my power?"

The ancient tree answered without hesitation, "Impossible. A rare treasure like this is entwined with inheritance power which cannot be replaced by another material.

"However, if you nourish it with your Saint dao power, the treasure will gradually transform into your life-bound Saint weapon."

Lin Xun nodded and stored the Broken Blade in his Chaos Hole World to nourish it.

The aura of the Broken Blade surged in his heart, causing him to feel refreshed.

He had a strong premonition that a single turning point was all that separated the Broken Blade from becoming his life-bound Saint weapon!

"Come to think of it, I still don't know how I should address you."

Lin Xun raised his head and looked at the spirit refinement ancestral tree.

The spirit refinement ancestral tree felt like crying at this moment.

Damned kid! You dont take this ancestor seriously at all, do you?!

In the most solemn voice it could muster, it said, "Remember this well, my dao name is Shenxu, a name that was personally bestowed upon me by the Sky Splitting Great Emperor himself!"

Kidney deficiency?[1]

Lin Xun was taken aback and the corners of his mouth twitched. He quickly caught himself and exclaimed in admiration, "What an apt and astounding name."

Shenxu appeared very pleased. "Of course, it is a dao name bestowed by an Emperor!"

Lin Xun smiled and said, "You definitely wont suffer if you follow me in the future. If things go as planned, Ill eventually visit the Kunlun Dominion where Lucky Kun Wood, Mysterious Qi Earth Marrow, Primal True Water, and many other treasures are said to be found..."

As he listed these rare and precious treasures, Shenxu nearly drooled and anxiously said, "Old Brother, you must take me with you!"

Lin Xun readily agreed. "Of course!"

The spirit refinement ancestral tree named Shenxu clearly possessed an extraordinary background. Moreover, it was also a rare divine tree so it would naturally be great to keep it at his side.

Sometime after, Lin Xun pushed open the door and walked out.

The City of Protection had undergone tremendous changes. Its streets were now wide and well-connected and lined by rows upon rows of buildings. Additionally, teahouses and restaurants had also appeared in various locations.

The crowded and bustling streets were filled with all kinds of cultivators. However, regardless of gender, age, or cultivation level, everyone had a relaxed smile on their face that came from the heart.

Without personally witnessing this, Lin Xun would have suspected that he wasnt the Nine Domains Battlefield but a peaceful and busy city.

After some thought, Lin Xun understood. Since even the weakest cultivator in the city was at the longevity tribulation stage, it would be a piece of cake for them to build something as simple as a city.

"Brother Lin!"

"Young Master Lin!"

"Elder Lin."

Along the way, Lin Xun would be greeted by voices filled with admiration, respect, and enthusiasm wherever he appeared.

Some of the more reserved individuals even called Lin Xun Elder!

As the saying went, a capable person can be a teacher. Since Lin Xun had reached the supreme Saint stage, it wasnt wrong to call him Elder based on cultivation.

Not to mention, he had single-handedly and miraculously built the City of Protection, providing a safe shelter for the Ancient Wasteland Domain experts. How could any of them not respect him?

Lin Xun soon found out the whereabouts of Shaohao and Ruowu. Just as he was about to head over, he heard quarreling in the distance.

"Hmph, why should we, the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan, have to act as scouts to investigate the enemy's situation in the outside world?"

Some distance away, a black-robed elder with a dark and frosty expression said, "Are you sending our experts to their deaths? Dont even dream about it. Ill make this clear today, no one in my clan will agree to this!"

Numerous experts from various powerful factions of the Ancient Wasteland Domain were gathered nearby and watching.

The black-robed elder was a True Saint from the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan and was named Gou Tianqi.

Opposite Gou Tianqi, a graceful and beautiful woman calmly said, "Gou Tianqi, were all part of the same Ancient Wasteland Camp. As everyone knows, the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan excels in scouting the enemy. So theres nothing wrong with my Young Master's arrangement."

Wanyin!

Lin Xun recognized her at a glance. She was Shaohaos personal maid and had served him together with Yao Li, Yu Xi, and Bai Qian in the Supreme Realm.

"Nonsense!"

Gou Tianqi's face darkened as he sneered, "Want to send someone to their death? Sure, let Shaohao go and die on his own. The Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan will not accompany him!"

Wanyin couldnt help but grow angry. "You..."

Gou Tianqi grinned slightly and said, "Little girl, remember this well. The Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan is also a member of the Ancient Wasteland Camp and the affairs of the Ancient Wasteland Camp arent decided by Shaohao!"

Wanyins eyes turned icy. "Gou Tianqi!"

Gou Tianqi frowned and said, "Little girl, you would have been dead long ago if you dared to use such a tone with me in the Ancient Wasteland Domain. Even if Shaohao was here, he wouldn't dare to take advantage of his position to bully others!"

Several people in the crowd laughed loudly. Most of them were experts from factions that were on good terms with the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan.

With a deep breath, Wanyin regained her composure and said, "Do as you wish!"

"Heh heh."

Gou Tianqi's expression was filled with ridicule, clearly not taking her threat seriously at all. Although Shaohao was powerful, did he dare to kill anyone in the city?

After all, wouldnt that only draw resentment from the experts of the Ancient Wasteland Camp?

Suddenly, a nonchalant voice sounded in Gou Tianqis ears, "You seem to be very happy, old dog."

He looked up and saw a young man in moon-white clothes approaching from a distance with his hands behind his back.

The surrounding crowd was taken aback but their expressions soon changed when they realized the mans identity. They fell silent and even began to distance themselves from Gou Tianqi.

Gou Tianqi was initially angered when he heard the derogatory term as murder flashed in his eyes and his expression darkened even more.

When he identified the speaker, however, his entire body abruptly froze and his expression fluctuated with uncertainty, displaying a terrified appearance.

Meanwhile, the surrounding atmosphere also turned eerily silent.

1. phonetically sounds like Shenxu