“Jian Wudi, the moment for our decisive battle has come!”
Lin Xiao’s body surged with battle intent, his eyes blazing with two scorching beams of light. Thick killing intent radiated from him.
If others knew that Lin Xiao, who had just stepped into the first level of the Martial Monarch realm, wanted to challenge Jian Wudi, they would surely think he was mad.
But only Lin Xiao knew in his heart how powerful his strength had become after entering the Martial Monarch realm.
At the ninth level of the Martial Venerable realm, he already possessed the strength to sweep through young geniuses at the fifth level of the Martial Monarch realm, even capable of battling those at the sixth level.
Upon entering the Martial Monarch realm, his strength had surged far beyond a mere fraction.
Moreover, the Haoran righteous energy fed back from the Heavenly Eye after refining the Haoran Battle Pupils was pure and immensely vast, carrying a strand of terrifying Haoran energy.
Not only did it allow him to step into the first level of the Martial Monarch realm, but it also brought him to the peak of the first level, on the verge of breaking through to the second level at any moment.
Thus, Lin Xiao was confident that he now had the strength to face Jian Wudi, who was at the seventh level of the Martial Monarch realm.
Of course, this speed surprised even himself.
He had thought it would take another year or so before he could challenge Jian Wudi.
Unexpectedly, climbing to the summit of Haoran Mountain yielded such rewards. The Haoran righteous energy and power fed back by the Heavenly Eye allowed him to directly reach the peak of the first level of the Martial Monarch realm.
This was less than a month after Jian Wudi left the Spear Dragon Sect, with over a year and a half remaining until their agreed battle.
Since he had the strength, he planned to fight as soon as possible, lest Jian Wudi have the chance to step into the ninth level of the Martial Monarch realm and enter the Gate of Life and Death.
“Climbing Haoran Mountain has taken over half a month. It’s time to descend.”
Glancing around, seeing the dense Haoran righteous energy still surrounding him, Lin Xiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the disappearance of the Haoran Battle Pupils had not caused the entire Haoran Mountain to collapse.
Otherwise, he would have no way to face the Spear Dragon Sect.
This Haoran Mountain likely still held extraordinary qualities.
Stepping downward, Lin Xiao now felt no pressure at all, easily taking two steps down.
“He’s coming down, the boy is finally coming down.” At this moment, at nine thousand zhang, the aged figure was already excited.
However, Lin Xiao was completely unaware of this.
Continuing downward, he reached nearly nine thousand zhang. At that moment, a terrifying force suddenly enveloped his body.
This caused Lin Xiao’s expression to change drastically, his heart pounding with alarm.
The Haoran Battle Pupils developing a consciousness and attempting to possess him was one thing, as they were a treasure passed down through countless years.
But at this position of nearly nine thousand zhang, how could there be such a terrifying presence?
This force left him with no ability to resist, allowing it to pull him forcefully.
“Could it be?” A thought suddenly struck Lin Xiao.
At that moment, his body was sucked into a cave at the nine-thousand-zhang mark of Haoran Mountain.
The cave was not too deep, only a few zhang, and not luxurious. There was nothing inside, just an utterly ordinary cave.
Lin Xiao’s body was pulled into the cave entrance.
Inside, he saw an emaciated, elderly man with a withered face, almost bald and toothless, sitting on a stone platform in front of him.
The old man was so frail that it seemed a gust of wind could reduce him to ashes.
On the stone platform, there appeared to be some kind of array engraved, with mysterious power surging. The old man’s body seemed to have fused with the entire platform.
“I am the Grand Elder of the Spear Dragon Sect, the master of your Eastern Sect Leader. Boy, I have a few questions for you.” At this moment, the old man’s lips, as if petrified, slowly parted, and a hoarse voice came from his mouth, devoid of joy or sorrow.
Lin Xiao’s heart jolted. This man was indeed the Grand Elder of the Spear Dragon Sect!
“Disciple of the Spear Dragon Sect pays respects to the Grand Elder!” Lin Xiao hurriedly bowed.
At nine thousand zhang on Haoran Mountain, not the summit, this was likely not an ancient relic like the Haoran Battle Pupils, which had existed for tens of thousands of years.
Rumours within the Spear Dragon Sect suggested a Grand Elder might still be alive. As expected, this person was likely that Grand Elder.
“I will answer to the best of my knowledge,” Lin Xiao added immediately. His life was in the other’s hands, so he could only comply.
The old man did not say much, directly asking, “First question, did you reach the summit of Haoran Mountain?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiao understood that even this figure, likely the Grand Elder, could not probe the events at the summit of Haoran Mountain.
“Yes!” Lin Xiao nodded, answering truthfully.
“What did you obtain at the summit of Haoran Mountain?” the old man pressed, his eyes filled with urgency.
Lin Xiao paused slightly, a trace of caution appearing on his face.
The old man seemed to see through Lin Xiao’s thoughts and quickly said, “Rest assured, I am not so low as to steal a junior’s inheritance. I only wish to know, before I depart, what is hidden at the summit of Haoran Mountain.”
Lin Xiao hesitated, then said with a hint of difficulty, “I may disappoint the Grand Elder. I did receive the inheritance left by the ancestor of Haoran Mountain, but in truth, it is not very powerful. It is a set of defensive techniques.”
“Oh?” The old man’s face showed a hint of surprise.
Lin Xiao continued, “This technique, called Haoran Unwithering, allows the dantian to produce an endless stream of Haoran power. There is also a corresponding defensive martial skill called Haoran Unbreakable, which forms a barrier of Haoran power to defend against attacks. Together, Unwithering and Unbreakable allow one to stand invincible.”
“Unwithering and Unbreakable?” The old man’s face showed a thoughtful expression.
Lin Xiao nodded, saying truthfully, “Indeed, this set of techniques was left by a senior named Meng Haoran, the founding ancestor of the Haoran Sect. According to him, our Spear Dragon Sect is merely a remnant of the Haoran Sect.”
“The Haoran Sect? The predecessor of the Spear Dragon Sect?” The old man’s face turned to shock, and he asked Lin Xiao, “The founding ancestor of the Haoran Sect, how many years ago was he? Did he leave only this inheritance? Nothing else?”
Lin Xiao shook his head. “Senior Meng Haoran left only this inheritance consciousness. The exact years are unknown.”
“Moreover, Senior Meng Haoran instructed that this technique is not exclusive to me and can be cultivated by others. He asked me to pass it on to others, to spread the righteous path of Haoran.”
“Now, I will pass this technique to the Grand Elder.”
These last few sentences were added by Lin Xiao himself.
The matter of the Haoran Battle Pupils involved the Heavenly Eye, which he dared not mention. To convince the old man, he had to say this.
As long as the old man received the technique, he would naturally believe it.
Moreover, this was his intention. The Unwithering and Unbreakable techniques were defensive, not offensive, and thus not of great use to him. Whether he passed them on or not made little difference to him.
He might as well pass them to the Spear Dragon Sect to enhance its strength.
After all, the entire Spear Dragon Sect cultivated Haoran righteous energy, with upright hearts and unity, so there was no need to worry about any issues.
This would also help spread the legacy of Unwithering and Unbreakable.
Of course, whether others could successfully cultivate it was another matter.
“Pass it to me?” The old man’s face showed a strange expression.
