Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 1755: Strike Down the Phantasm!

Weng weng!

Seeing the altar being plucked off the ground sent the apricot trees into a rage. In an instant, branches and leaves shot forth to strike down Yuan Tao.

“This is bad…” Zhang Xuan’s face warped in horror.

He had witnessed the prowess of the apricot trees and their leaves earlier. Even he would have sustained severe injuries if he was struck, let alone Yuan Tao, whose cultivation was far lower than his.

Zhang Xuan wanted to dash forward to save him, only to be stopped by a tug on his wrist. Turning his head, he saw Luo Ruoxin shaking her head at him.

He was deeply conflicted within, but he knew that Luo Ruoxin had her reasons for stopping him. Trusting her, he chose to suppress his worries and watch how the situation unfolded.

Weng!

The branches and leaves had already arrived by Yuan Tao’s side at that moment. In response to their assault, a light hum echoed from Yuan Tao’s body as he seemed to have activated some kind of defensive barrier. A warm glow wrapped itself around his body and materialized in the form of light armor.

The armor was not too thick, but no matter how the branches and leaves struck the armor, they were unable to penetrate it.

“Is that the Panoply of Golden Words of the Ancient Sages?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

He had heard of this before. Similar to the Golden Warriors of Mentor’s Calligraphy, the Panoply of Golden Words was a kind of manifestation of an Ancient Sage’s power in the form of armor that was impenetrable by anyone beneath Ancient Sage.

It seemed like the experts from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had foreseen the dangers in retrieving the altar, so they had prepared such a trick in order to protect Yuan Tao.

Pipah!

However, under the furious lashing of the apricot trees, the Panoply of Golden Words shrouding Yuan Tao gradually faded. It was ultimately still a manifestation of energy, so it would eventually be depleted especially when placed under furious assault.

“Rise!”

Even though Yuan Tao’s six senses were sealed, which made it nigh impossible for him to perceive his surroundings, he was still somehow able to sense the aggression launched against him. With a furious roar, he pushed his strength to its very limits.

Xiong xiong xiong!

The Emperor Bloodline coursing through his body ignited, and the avatar of a Longxi ¹ manifested vaguely behind him. Its head was held high toward the sky, and its feet were pressed firmly into the earth.

The manifestation of the avatar seemed to have granted Yuan Tao even more strength. At the same time, the bottleneck in his cultivation was suddenly torn down amid the immense pressure that he was under, causing his cultivation to surge.

Even though he had awakened his Emperor Bloodline, his cultivation had been stuck at the Aureate Body realm for a very long time. However, due to the immense pressure that he was under, he was forced to his very limits, which eventually led to a breakthrough.

Geji! Geji!

Yuan Tao’s strength grew along with the surge in his cultivation, allowing him to lift the altar significantly higher. It seemed like its connection with the earth would be severed very soon.

“Incredible…” Zhang Xuan complimented deeply.

Currently, Yuan Tao was relying on the solidity of the world to draw upon tremendous strength. As long as his feet did not leave the surface of the ground, it seemed like he would command boundless might.

Was this the true prowess of the Emperor Bloodline?

As long as he was grounded, no one would be able to breach his defenses or overcome his might, as if a true conqueror.

“The Emperor Bloodline is of the earth attribute. Tapping into the weight of the earth, those of the Emperor Bloodline are able to bring forth superior fighting prowess. If the bloodline was fully awakened, it would be no weaker than Wei Ruyan’s Innate Poison Body or Zhao Ya’s Pure Yin Body,” Luo Ruoxin remarked with a nod of her head. “You have the Terra Qilin with you, right? Retrieve its blood essence.”

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He quickly established connection with the Five Monarchs in the Myriad Anthive Nest, and before long, a few droplets of blood essence were floating in front of him.

The Five Monarchs of the forest dimension corresponded to the Five Elements, and the Terra Qilin happened to correspond to the earth attribute.

“Infuse the blood essence into Yuan Tao’s glabella,” Luo Ruoxin instructed.

Zhang Xuan flicked his finger.

Wuwu!

The blood essence of the Terra Qilin immediately darted toward the fatty attempting to lift the altar and right into his glabella.

Huhuhu!

As soon as the blood essence fused with Yuan Tao’s body, it seemed as if his bloodline had been set ablaze. The Longxi avatar floating above Yuan Tao seemed to have taken in some huge nourishment, and it swiftly grew larger and more tangible. As it stomped on the ground, it felt as if it could bear even the weight of the heavens on its shoulders.

Kacha!

The connection between the altar and the ground was finally completely severed. Yuan Tao successfully tore the altar away from the Apricot Pavilion!

An intense quaking in the surroundings quickly followed, and the voice coming from the phantasm on top of the altar faltered. The crowd listening to the lecture from the round cushions were jolted out from their trance states, bewildered by the happenings around them.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“You are seeking death!”

The Otherworldly Demons roared furiously.

Kong shi’s teachings were all-encompassing, and the earlier lecture was beneficial to their cultivation. Yet, that fellow had actually lifted the altar and interrupted their cultivation. That was as good as stripping them of their opportunity to push for a breakthrough!

The Otherworldly Demons were mortal as well, and they desired to obtain greater strength and advance to greater heights! This was a fortuitous encounter for them, and they felt entitled to it!

“Stop them!” Yan Xue commanded calmly, and those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers immediately took their stance around Yuan Tao to protect them.

It was their plan to have Yuan Tao prop up the altar and carry it away. They would not allow anyone to interfere with their plans at this crucial moment.

With both sides glaring at one another furiously, heavy tension drifted in the air. It seemed as if a battle would break out at any moment.

Kacha!

Zhang Xuan was not bothered about the conflict between the two of them, so he turned his gaze toward Yuan Tao. However, at that moment, the Panoply of Golden Words around Yuan Tao finally succumbed to the relentless assault from the apricot trees and shattered into fragments.

“Sh*t…” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in horror.

Yuan Tao had been able to stand his ground due to the protection of the armor around him. However, now that it had shattered, would he not swiftly lose his life under the offense of the apricot trees and leaves?

“Don’t worry, there’s someone who is even more anxious than you…” Luo Ruoxin chuckled softly.

Right after those words were spoken, Yan Xue suddenly took out a huge cloak and tossed it toward Yuan Tao, wrapping the latter’s body in it.

Weng!

Once again, the attacks from the tree branches and leaves were deflected from Yuan Tao’s body.

“This is… an artifact left behind by the Ancient Sages?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

He could tell that it was a top-notch defensive artifact. Not even the Infernal Blacksaber would be able to shatter it in a single blow.

As expected of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers. The treasures that they had in their possession sure were numerous.

Kacha! Kacha!

With the protection of the cloak, Yuan Tao had even more time. Carrying the heavy altar in his hands, he toiled out of the Apricot Pavilion.

As the altar moved, the phantasm on top wavered unsteadily.

“This is the moment. Zhang Xuan, strike down that phantasm and insert it into Yuan Tao’s body,” Luo Ruoxin instructed.

“Alright!”

Zhang Xuan leaped past the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and Otherworldly Demons to arrive right on top of the altar.

Most cultivators from the Master Teacher Continent and perhaps even Otherworldly Demons as well would be filled with deference for the artifacts that Kong shi had left behind, but coming from another world, Zhang Xuan did not share their sentiments. With a thrust of his palm, the phantasm lost its balance and fell from the top of the altar.

Following which, Zhang Xuan wrapped the phantasm with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi and guided its movements.

Hula!

Everything happened in an instant, so those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had no time to react at all. Before anyone could make a move, the phantasm was struck right into Yuan Tao’s glabella.

There was a brief moment of absolute silence before a huge commotion broke out in the area.

“What the heck are you doing?” Yan Xue’s goosebumps rose up from the sheer horror of what he had just seen, and he roared maniacally.

The reason that they had attempted to steal the altar was to acquire the phantasm, but the young man had actually struck the phantasm into Yuan Tao’s body. Overwhelming indignation and rage flooded Yan Xue’s mind, and he was actually lost for a moment.

It was completely ridiculous!

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan quietly landed on the ground and returned to where he had stood earlier.

However, he then saw Yuan Tao’s body expanding furiously after accepting the phantasm. His plump body further swelled up into a balloon, such that it seemed as if he would rise into the air at any moment.

Geji! Geji!

In the blink of an eye, he had already become completely round. His height and width exceeded two meters, and he looked like a massive boulder.

“What is going on?” Zhang Xuan was stunned by the changes in Yuan Tao’s body.

Never in his wildest dream did he think that something like this would actually happen.