The Guanghan Heavenly Venerable was reluctant to confront the Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable.
In terms of cultivation, they were evenly matched, but in combat strength, she likely wasn’t his equal.
If he insisted on fighting, she would surely be injured.
So when he left, she naturally breathed a sigh of relief.
But suddenly, her expression changed drastically.
In the moment she let her guard down, a massive hand descended from the sky, striking fiercely at Ling Xiao.
She only managed to weaken its force, unable to fully block it.
The terrifying power struck directly at Ling Xiao’s head.
Ling Xiao thought he was doomed; even if the palm carried only a tenth of the Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable’s power, it was beyond his endurance.
But at that moment, his Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul surged wildly, its fusion with his soul skyrocketing.
When the palm hit his head, he seemed to see a figure identical to himself standing behind him, meeting the strike.
Boom~~
After a deafening explosion, Ling Xiao lost consciousness.
When he awoke from the coma, Dai Yuling and Lan Yu’er were by his side.
Dai Yuling’s face was tear-streaked, resembling a pear blossom in the rain.
Lan Yu’er wasn’t faring much better.
Seeing him awake, the two girls pounced on him like joyful magpies, grabbing his hands without regard for propriety.
“You scared us to death! You were out for three days and three nights!” Lan Yu’er said, crying and laughing with joy.
“Three days and three nights?”
Ling Xiao gave a wry smile. It felt like an instant, but three days and nights had passed—what a waste of time.
“Yes, you don’t know, but for you, the Guanghan Heavenly Venerable and Master Yang stormed the Volcano Palace, severely injuring the Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable. If the Law Enforcement Hall hadn’t intervened, he might’ve been killed,” Dai Yuling said excitedly.
“Are Master Yang and Senior Guanghan alright?” Ling Xiao asked urgently.
“They were injured too, but you know Master Yang is the Medicine Hall Master. Those injuries are nothing to him. The Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable, though, will need at least a month to recover. He violated sect rules by attacking an outer sect disciple like you, despite his elder status,” Lan Yu’er sighed. “But infuriatingly, someone in the Law Enforcement Hall protected him, saying he’s a rare genius seen once in a century. Since he’s already injured, they didn’t punish him and even sent him to the Yuehua Treasure Tower to heal and cultivate.”
“As long as Master Yang and Senior Guanghan are fine.”
As an outer sect disciple, Ling Xiao couldn’t influence the Law Enforcement Hall’s decisions. His main concern was the safety of the two seniors who avenged him.
And, of course, his master, Yuan Zun, though he couldn’t ask about that.
“Help me up. I want to see Master Yang.”
Ling Xiao was still worried about his master, believing Yuan Zun must have intervened. Otherwise, Yang Danlin and the Guanghan Heavenly Venerable together might not have been able to injure the Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable so severely.
“Forget it. Master Yang told me to tell you, ‘Your master is fine.’ Did you really take him as your master?” Lan Yu’er asked, puzzled.
“He’s fine?”
Ling Xiao relaxed. By “master,” Yang Danlin clearly meant Yuan Zun.
“Good, then I really need to rest.”
Ling Xiao closed his eyes to check his body’s condition.
During the attack in the Guanghan Palace, when the Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable’s massive hand struck, he distinctly felt something change within him.
But upon internal inspection, he found nothing unusual with his Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul, except that its fusion with his soul had reached ninety-nine percent.
Additionally, his physical strength had progressed to the tenth stage, just half a step from the fifth layer.
Now, with his body alone, he could kill an ordinary Mortal Realm first-level martial artist.
This was a significant gain.
The Demonic Flame Heavenly Venerable’s strike not only failed to kill him but inadvertently brought him great fortune—something the Heavenly Venerable surely hadn’t anticipated.
Just one final step to advancement!
Ling Xiao’s soul force was terrifyingly strong, possibly surpassing even some Heavenly Human Realm experts.
In terms of cultivation, he had fully reached ninety-nine percent of a half-step master’s power accumulation.
Physically, he was nearly at the fifth layer.
He could break through to the Mortal Realm at any moment.
But he still needed that final push, a catalyst he couldn’t rush.
He wasn’t in a hurry. Once he entered the inner sect, he’d face Hei Suo directly, so he needed to solidify his foundation to the point where, upon reaching Mortal Realm first-level, he wouldn’t fear Hei Suo.
A breakthrough was essential!
For the next half-month, Ling Xiao focused on recovering and healing.
A Heavenly Human Realm expert’s attack was terrifying. Even with his strong recovery ability, it took a full half-month to fully recuperate.
But this recovery period was crucial.
His rapid cultivation progress had caused some issues, big and small.
So, he seized the opportunity, using the Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul’s analytical and simulation abilities to address his cultivation problems one by one.
He even corrected improper martial technique executions.
On the day he recovered, Ling Xiao planned to visit Master Yang and the Guanghan Heavenly Venerable, but both were in seclusion, so he couldn’t go.
Interestingly, some outer sect disciples challenged him.
One was Zhao Zhi, another Zhao Ci.
There were also a few other top-ten outer sect disciples.
These were just outer sect challenges, not life-and-death ones.
Since he had no deep grudges with them, Ling Xiao saw it as a chance to test his theories through practice.
So, he accepted all challenges.
Unintentionally, he broke another record.
In one day, he faced challenges from thirty outer sect disciples, all half-step masters.
Especially Zhao Zhi, now the second-ranked outer sect disciple. He could’ve broken through to the Mortal Realm and entered the inner sect earlier but, learning from Ling Xiao’s steady approach, deliberately suppressed his cultivation.
This was a smart move. Entering the inner sect without sufficient foundation would mean starting at the bottom.
But with accumulated strength, he wouldn’t be the worst upon entering, avoiding a miserable start.
