Library of Heaven’s Path

Zhang Xuan stopped roughly a hundred meters away from the flames and hid behind the leaves of a large tree.

He reined in his aura to conceal his presence before discreetly peeking at the sight ahead of him.

The bonfire was lit right in front of a cavern. Seated in front of the bonfire was a powerfully-built young man. He was roasting a skinned gazelle above the bonfire.

Roasted to golden perfection, a thin layer of juicy oil could be seen seeping out of the gazelle. Even from a distance away, one could smell the saliva-inducing fragrance.

Roasting out here in the middle of the night? Zhang Xuan frowned in confusion.

He had encountered a gazelle during his time at the Grand Spirit Mountain. He had tried to capture it in hopes that it could improve the diet of the group, but even though the gazelle was not too strong, it was fast on its feet. The rate at which it was able to climb cliffs was even faster than a monkey climbing a tree.

Even with his current strength, he felt that he would still have some difficulties trying to capture one. Yet, this brawny young man was actually able to hunt one down. Furthermore, he was even roasting it so openly in the middle of the night, not fearing the high-tier God realm Phosphor Armored Beast at all.

From the looks of it, it seemed like he possessed strength that should not be underestimated.

Zhang Xuan was perplexed, but he waited quietly on the spot.

Soon, the gazelle was finally cooked. The young man tore off a leg and began biting the meat in large mouthfuls. Between bites, he would gulp down wine from the gourd placed beside his foot heartily.

It did not take him long to finish the gourd of wine, so he casually took out another one from his storage ring and continued drinking.

In less than fifteen minutes, he had already eaten half of the gazelle and downed three gourds full of wine.

His face was flushed from intoxication, and his head was swaying from side to side. It appeared as if he was going to doze off very soon.

Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

Does he really have the skill to back it up, or is that just blind courage?

He had learned from experience that the darkness of the jungle was fraught with danger. Many ferocious beasts would choose to make a move at this time, yet the young man still roasted his meat so openly.

Just the scent coming from the meat was enough to cause him a great deal of trouble!

More importantly, he even drank wine! What if someone attacked him at this moment? Would he really be able to protect himself properly?

Zhang Xuan was a little bewildered by the young man’s actions, but he still chose to keep his distance and watch on.

The reason he had gone there was to hunt down the Phosphor Armored Beast. There was a good chance that the young man was there for the same purpose, making them competitors.

It would be to his benefit for the young man to drink himself silly. That would spare him a great deal of trouble.

Hu hu!

Soon, the sound of thunderous snoring filled the air.

Less than an hour after stuffing himself full, this fellow fell asleep without any hesitation. Furthermore, it looked like he had completely dropped his guard, not even maintaining a basic level of awareness.

Forget it, I should just circumvent him!

Zhang Xuan slid down the tree and proceeded to take a detour around the cavern.

Based on what he had heard from the manager, the Phosphor Armored Beast resided in this valley. After walking around for so long, he was nearing the end of the valley. He should be able to find the Phosphor Armored Beast ahead.

Since the young man was asleep, it was a good chance for him to proceed and take the lead.

Barely after taking a few steps, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows suddenly shot up in alarm. He swiftly flitted to the side and hid amid the crown of a large tree.

After he hid himself, two cold flashes of light appeared amid the bushes not too far away from where he was.

With a grim look on his face, Zhang Xuan activated the Eye of Insight to take a closer look. It allowed him to peer through the darkness to discern the happenings around him clearly.

There were two figures dressed in black garbs hidden amid the bushes. The two cold flashes of light had originated from the reflection of the moon off their weapons.

Zhang Xuan was slightly surprised by their presence because he had not noticed them till just a moment ago, so he could not help but wonder when they had gotten there.

While he was still deep in thought, the two figures suddenly flitted quietly out of the bushes and charged right toward the intoxicated young man snoring loudly next to the bonfire.

It was clear that those two figures were skilled assassins just by looking at how their bodies glided alongside the wind, not causing the slightest disturbance in the airflow at all. The two of them swiftly flanked the young man before converging their swords together to slay the young man in a single strike.

Their movements were sharp, precise, and controlled, which showed that they had practiced these maneuvers many times. Even if the young man woke up right then, it was unlikely that he would be able to react on time.

Damn it! Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

He had never liked to interfere in the affairs of others, but he was quite fond of the young man’s hearty personality. It would leave a bitter taste in his mouth if the latter died right before his eyes.

Forget it, I guess I’ll just save him. We might be competitors vying for the same Phosphor Armored Beast, but that doesn’t mean I should simply watch as he gets killed, Zhang Xuan thought.

Thus, he leaped down from the tree he was on and shouted, “Be careful!”

As he spoke, he tossed his sword right toward the two assassins.

Weng!

Channeling his full strength into this strike, the sword whizzed through the air like a falling comet, producing loud sonic booms in the path of its trajectory. In the blink of an eye, it surged thirty meters ahead to deflect the attacks of the two assassins.

“How dare you foil our plan!” One of the assassins harrumphed coldly as he deflected Zhang Xuan’s sword.

Ding!

With a crisp echo, the sword that Zhang Xuan had tossed out was deflected back to where he was. At the same time, Zhang Xuan had managed to close to distance till he was less than ten meters away from the two assassins, allowing him to get a closer look

He was a middle-aged man in his late forties, and his cultivation had already reached high-tier God realm. His body was charged with divine energy, ready to unleash great strength at any moment.

In the face of this, Zhang Xuan did not step forward any further. Instead, he turned his gaze to the intoxicated young man, who had already woken up after hearing his shouts.

However, instead of getting to his feet, he simply stretched his hand out and grabbed the other assassin’s sword.

No matter how that assassin struggled, he was unable to shake his sword free of the young man’s grasp.

“Did you think that you could assassinate me just because I’m drunk? Shameless weaklings!” the young man sneered coldly as he flicked his wrist.

Kacha!

The sword in his hand was immediately snapped apart.

This sight made Zhang Xuan widen his eyes.

He could tell that the assassin’s sword was a middle-tier God artifact, and even if he used his full strength, it would still be difficult for him to destroy it. It was already shocking to see the young man grabbing the sword with his bare hands, but he was even able to snap it apart just like that.

His strength was truly horrifying!

“Sh*t! Let’s go!”

The loud snapping of the sword brought the two assassins to their senses. Realizing that there was no way their assassination could succeed anymore, they immediately turned tail and fled.

As decisively as they launched their assault, they had no hesitation in making their escape.

The assassin whose sword was snapped to two immediately released his sword and sprinted off in the direction that Zhang Xuan had come from.

“Rude fellows. Don’t you know it’s customary to leave a gift when you are paying someone a visit?” the young man scoffed coldly as he rose to his feet.

Roar!

A sound reminiscent of a lion’s roar shook the entire mountain valley, causing small pebbles and rocks to roll down the cliffs. It was almost as if a landslide was going to occur.

Pu! Pu!

As if struck by a hammer in the back, the two assassins stumbled forward as blood spewed from their mouths. That roar actually inflicted them with severe internal injuries!

Zhang Xuan was shocked. Is that a technique like the Lion’s Roar[l] or something?

It was a soul art that used sound as a medium, reminiscent of the means of the demonic tunists. He had never seen anyone utilizing such moves in battle ever since his time on the Master Teacher Continent, so he was a little surprised to see how proficient the young man was.

“Damn it! Go!”

Knowing that they would really die at this rate, the two assassins flicked their wrists, took out a jade token each, and threw them on the ground.

Boom!

The two jade tokens exploded, causing dust to rise all over the air.

By the time the dust settled, the two of them had already vanished from sight.

From their assault to their retreat, their movements were very fluid. Not once throughout the battle did uncertainty or hesitation induce any brief pauses in their movements. From this, it could be seen that they were veterans in the field.

Hu!

Instead of attempting to chase the two assassins, the powerfully-built young man sat back down by the bonfire before assessing Zhang Xuan curiously. Intrigued, he asked, “Why did you save me?”

“Save? I think you are overstating it. Given your prowess, even if I didn’t warn you, there’s no way those two would have been able to injure you. It looks like I interfered unnecessarily,” Zhang Xuan replied with a wry smile.

He had thought that this young man was in a precarious position earlier, which was why he had stepped forward to save him. Yet, who could have known that the young man was more powerful than he thought? In fact, it appeared that the young man had feigned sleep in order to lure those two into action!

So, it would indeed be inaccurate to say that he had saved the young man.

“If I say that you have saved me, it means that you have saved me. Why can’t you just cut the nonsense and accept it?” The young man frowned in displeasure. Then, he lifted the wine gourd beside him and threw it over. “Want a drink?”

“Thanks!” Seeing how open-minded the young man was, Zhang Xuan decided to drop all formalities. He uncorked the gourd and took a gulp of it. With a refreshed sigh, he exclaimed, “Fine wine!”

Even though Zhang Xuan rarely drank, he could still discern good wine from bad ones.

The wine in the gourd had a smooth texture and refreshing taste. At the same time, one could still feel the impact of its high alcohol content without feeling discomfort. It was very different from the wine sold on the market.

Seeing how Zhang Xuan had taken a huge mouthful of his wine heartily, the young man nodded in approval.

Such meetings between strangers in the outdoors would inevitably carry some wariness. Most would usually turn down food and drinks offered to them by strangers for fear that it might be laced with poison. Yet, this fellow drank his wine candidly without appearing too pretentious.

He liked people with such personalities.

“Have some meat too!”

The young man tore off the front leg of the gazelle and tossed it over to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan was already starving, so he did not hesitate to take a bite out of the gazelle.

He had to admit that the flesh of divine beasts was indeed on a whole new level. He expected the gazelle meat to be tough and difficult to chew, but contrary to his expectations, the meat seemed to melt right in his mouth before sending a surge of warmth throughout his body.

After finishing the gazelle meat given to him and drinking a few mouthfuls of wine, Zhang Xuan felt deeply satisfied. It was almost as if the fatigue he had accumulated over the day had vanished.

With a smile on his lips, he got up from the bonfire side and stretched his body lazily before saying, “I will take your meat and wine as repayment for saving your life then. I still have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be heading off.”

After saying those words, he continued into the depths of the mountain valley.

It was on a whim that he had decided to lend the young man a hand. This was nothing more than a momentary stopover for him. He still needed to find the Phosphor Armored Beast so that he could raise his cultivation quickly.

The young man took a glance at the direction Zhang Xuan was heading in and said, “It’s the middle of the night. What are you going to do in the valley at such a time?”

Great dangers lurked within the mountain valley in the middle of the night. Why would the young man choose to travel then instead of waiting for dawn?

“To be frank with you, I have reached a bottleneck in my cultivation, so I’m seeking a way to overcome my current bottleneck,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“A way to overcome your bottleneck?” The young man nodded contemplatively.

He had taken a look at the other party’s cultivation, and it was true that the other party was already on the verge of becoming a middle-tier God. It was understandable that he was anxious to take the final step forward given how close he was to a breakthrough.

“I have been to this mountain valley many times, so I am still quite familiar with the surroundings. Tell me what you are looking for. I’ll help you look for it,” the young man offered.

“Well, it’s like this…” Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before deciding to be honest with the young man. “Due to the unique nature of my cultivation technique, I’ll need to achieve a breakthrough in my physical body and my soul cultivation before I can advance my zhenqi cultivation. I have already found a way to raise my soul cultivation, but I’m still having some trouble finding a way to temper my physical body.

“Just earlier today, I heard that there’s a Phosphor Armored Beast here whose blood is particularly useful for tempering one’s physical body. So, I decided to head over to take a look.”

“Phosphor Armored Beast? You want to procure its blood?”

The young man was surprised by what he had just heard. With a bizarre smile on his lips, he asked, “Do you think that someone of your fighting prowess will be able to deal with a high-tier God realm divine beast?”

[1] This is a technique from Louis Cha’s famous novel, Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre.