After an unknown period, the world finally calmed down.
Everything within a radius of several kilometers was reduced to ashes. The mountain peaks were shattered, the plants were destroyed, and even the land had sunk more than 33 meters. The Heavenly Disaster’s power was clear to see.
After the thunderclouds dispersed, the lazy sun came out.
Ou Yangming let out a long howl, and his aura swept through the void. Wherever the sound wave passed, the space revealed a touch of darkness that made one’s heart palpitate. Spiritual Qi was destroyed and formed, formed and destroyed, forming a scene that moved one’s heart.
Zang Jian lamented as he rushed over from afar. He expressed in a deep voice, “Brother Yu, Congratulations on becoming a Venerable One and surviving 9 Heavenly Thunderbolts.”
“Brother Zang, you sound too distant. Back in the Big Ruins, if it wasn’t for your help, I’m afraid that I would’ve fallen at the hands of the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon.” Ou Yangming smiled warmly.
Zang Jian thought to himself, ‘You have the luck of an era and Heaven’s secrets. Even if I didn’t make a move, someone would, so how could you have died?’
Nonetheless, he responded, “Brother Yu, you’re being modest. Given how capable the 3 of you are, it would’ve been easy for you to get away.”
Ou Yangming touched his nose, not knowing what to say.
Zang Jian’s throat moved slightly. He wanted to say something but stopped. His eyes were burning.
“Brother Zang, if you have something to say, just say it,” Ou Yangming said softly.
“Brother Yu, are you Ou Yangming?” Zang Jian asked the question that had been hiding deep in his heart.
Ou Yangming’s eyes seemed to have a mysterious look. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded slightly. ‘I suppose you knew when you saw me refine the Thunderbolt-resistant Suit, but you just weren’t sure then.’
After all, there were only a few top figures in Danzhou and Zhangzhou.
Especially when it came to equipment smithing. This way, the scope was smaller. Among the younger generation, who could be on par with Ou Yangming? Therefore, it was not strange that Zang Jian could guess it. Instead, if he could not guess it, it would be a little unbelievable.
Hearing this answer, Zang Jian’s eyes were fiery like magma that could melt everything.
He spoke seriously, “Brother Ou, I have an unreasonable request.”
“Oh,” Ou Yangming lightly responded, then he used his eyes to signal for Zang Jian to continue. When he was in the Jiang Residence, he could sense faint melancholy from Zang Jian but since the Daoist disciple did not say anything, he could not ask too much. Thinking about it, it must have something to do with this.
Zang Jian sucked in 2 mouthfuls of spiritual Qi consecutively, and his blood flow increased. He expressed in a deep voice, “This time, I actually went to the Big Ruins to search for spiritual herbs that can delay the peak master’s life force but… In the end, I failed.” He stopped and looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, he also knew that the Eternal Pill was too precious. It could be described as priceless, so he still could not bring himself to ask for one just like that.
Ou Yangming understood what he meant halfway through.
Without any hesitation, he tapped his interspatial bag with his right hand and took out a porcelain bottle. A pill that was as clear as glass lay quietly inside, and a faint fragrance floated in the air. With just a sniff, one would feel as if all of one’s pores had opened up. It was so comfortable that it was difficult to describe. Even one’s life force would become richer. This was the Eternal Pill. It had the power to reverse Yin and Yang, thus every single one was a priceless treasure.
Ou Yangming held the porcelain bottle and smiled as he handed it over. “Here—take it.”
In short, Ou Yangming was a person who would always repay kindness. It was the same when he asked Wen Zhou for the slot to enter the Big Ruins, it was the same when he was with the Jiang family in the Big Ruins, and it was the same this time.
Nevertheless, if there was a grudge, he would also take revenge for the smallest grievance.
Zang Jian’s arm trembled incessantly as he said in a trembling voice, “Brother Ou, thank you.”
“You’re my brother, so why are you being so polite?” Ou Yangming intentionally glared at him.
It was this casual action that caused a warm current to flow through Zang Jian’s body.
He rubbed his eyes and said jokingly, “The wind today is too strong. It blew sand into my eyes.”
Ou Yangming smiled and did not say anything. He looked into the distance and was anxious to return home.
After a long while, Ou Yangming said, “Brother Zang, let’s part ways here. I have to go back to Danzhou. I miss home.”
“Brother Ou, in the future, tell me whenever you need me, and I’ll be willing to do anything for you!” Zang Jian made a promise with a sincere face.
Ou Yangming nodded slightly. With his cultivation base at the moment, even a Daoist disciple was insignificant to him. Despite that, he had to be careful when dealing with people. He could not disappoint others. Moreover, he could see that Zang Jian was sincere.
He cupped his hands and flashed to fly in the air.
Zang Jian had an envious look on his face. With a sigh, he turned into a light stream and soared into the sky.
※※※※
The Seven Stars Sect was domineering in Zhangzhou. They had 7 peaks in total, and each peak was stronger than the other.
In the sect, the Ultimate Sword Peak was even more known for their tyrannical combat powers. No one could compare to the offensive techniques of sword cultivators.
The Ultimate Sword Peak was 3.2 kilometers tall, and the peak was like a long sword that radiated cold light in all directions.
In a stone room on the peak, the peak master sat cross-legged. His aura was blocked, and his face was dry, filled with the traces of time. His aura was dead as if he had climbed out of a coffin. It was obvious that he did not have much time left.
He carried an old sword case on his back. The sword case was covered in rags, and a clear crack was carved on the sword case.
All of a sudden, the old man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were clean, and there was no turbid in them. Instead, they were filled with wisdom. He looked outside and asked softly, “You’re back?”
“Yes!” Zang Jian chuckled.
The old man let out a soft exclamation, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were squeezed together. He asked, “Look at you—you must’ve gained a lot from this trip, right?”
A rare cunning look appeared in Zang Jian’s eyes. As if he was presenting a treasure, he took out a porcelain bottle from his interspatial bag. Inside it was the Eternal Pill.
“This is…?” Elder Jian’s pupils constricted slightly. He guessed what it was, but he was not sure.
“An Eternal Pill,” Zang Jian said.
At this moment, even with elder Jian’s calm temperament, his heart was in turmoil.
His breathing quickened as he asked, “Where did you get it?” He was too curious. Now that news about the Eternal Pill was spread by Li Xin, everyone knew about it. Who knew, Zang Jian took one out just like that, hence he was shocked.
“Ou Yangming gifted it to me.” Zang Jian did not hide anything and told the elder everything that happened after he entered the Big Ruins.
Elder Jian was silent for a moment and immediately grasped the key point. He asked, “Are you saying that he broke through 2 realms in a row and became a Venerable One? On top of that, he overcame 9 Heavenly Thunderbolts?” His voice trembled slightly. 9 Heavenly Thunderbolts? Could someone really overcome them?
“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes,” Zang Jian answered solemnly.
Elder Jian was silent for a moment. After a while, he said, “I understand.”
As soon as he finished, he tapped his sword case and slowly walked out.
※※※※
Ai Hongli had been in a bad mood recently. Li Xin’s move of pulling firewood from the bottom of the cauldron made him fall into a dilemma. He could not make up his mind whether he should go against Ou Yangming or not. After all, the young fellow was still the Phoenixes’ messenger. Even so, Ai Hongli was reluctant to give up the Eternal Pill. No matter what choice he made, there would be gains and losses.
The candlelights were dim, and his figure was reflected on the bamboo window, swaying with the wind.
He smiled bitterly and said, “Brother Li, Brother Li, you’ve really created a difficult problem for me…”
Not long after, there was a gentle knock on the door.
“Come in!” Ai Hongli collected his emotions, and his voice became calm. After all, he was the sect leader of the Seven Stars Sect and had held a high position for a long time.
Elder Jian pushed the door open. His steps were slow, but each step carried a lingering charm.
Seeing Jian Yi, Ai Hongli did not dare to be arrogant. He took the initiative to welcome the peak master to the table. He brewed a pot of high-quality White Flower Tea and forced a smile on his face as he introduced, “Elder Jian, try this. The leaves were freshly picked this year, and the tea tastes pure. If you like it, I’ll ask some disciples to bring some to you.”
Elder Jian picked up his teacup and took a sip. He commented, “Good tea. It’s fragrant, pure, and not greasy.”
Ai Hongli also took a sip. He tapped his finger lightly on the table and asked softly, “Elder Jian, may I know why you came to find me?” He did not believe that Jian Yi would come to his study for no reason.
“I know you’re upset, so I came,” Jian Yi answered.
“Huh?” Ai Hongli looked at Jian Yi with a puzzled face.
Jian Yi did not say anything. He shook his head, waved his sleeve, and retrieved a porcelain bottle. He asked in a deep voice, “Sect Master, you should recognize the Eternal Pill, right?”
Ai Hongli was shocked at first, but his face instantly turned cold. He asked coldly, “Elder Jian, what do you mean?”
“Exactly what I asked.” Jian Yi took another sip of tea.
After a moment, he shook his head and said, “Sect Master, Ou Yangming’s the Phoenixes’ messenger, so you can’t provoke him. You should know that that race is unreasonable.” Ever since the news about the Eternal Pill spread, many things about the young fellow had been uncovered. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was his identity as the Phoenixes’ messenger.
“Elder Jian, you’re old,” Ai Hongli retorted softly.
“He has broken through and became a Venerable One…” Jian Yi’s eyes focused, and he took a deep breath.
Ai Hongli’s pupils contracted slightly without being noticed. He could really keep a calm look on his face no matter what happened, but a storm had already stirred up in his heart. The waves that were stirred up were enough to drown the world in his heart. He thought to himself, ‘How’s that possible? How old is he?’
He recalled that when he met Ou Yangming on Mount Wuzhi, the young fellow was still an Intermediate Spiritualist. How long had it been since? How could the young fellow become a Venerable One so quickly? Even if he had taken a rocket, he could not have done it so quickly, right?
Elder Jian did not know how complicated Ai Hongli’s thoughts were at the moment. He enunciated each word as he added, “Besides, he overcame 9 Heavenly Thunderbolts.” His voice was not loud, but it was clear.
When it reverberated in the study, even Ai Hongli was stunned for a moment and was speechless for a long time.
In his mind, countless bolts of lightning struck.
After a full 10 breaths, he asked softly, “Is that true?”
“Zang Jian witnessed it,” Elder Jian replied.
After hearing this, for some reason, the complicated thoughts in Ai Hongli’s heart disappeared instantly. Instead, he felt as if he was relieved of a heavy burden. He made up his mind that he would not participate in the feud between Ou Yangming and Li Xin.
Ou Yangming was a God-favored one who had overcome 9 Heavenly Thunderbolts. He had grown wings and could soar through the heavens. He was unstoppable.
When Jian Yi saw this, he knew the purpose of his visit had been achieved. He got up and walked out. As he walked, he said, “The tea is great. Send 1 kilogram of it over.”
