Chapter Seventy: The River of the Xu Family

Here he comes again.

He's at it once more! That Xu Tianjiao, who once slew Golden Core cultivators with a single punch, can now kill even Nascent Soul practitioners in one blow! What kind of monstrous genius is this?

Since when has the path of the physical body become so terrifying?

Everyone stared at Xu Zhe in shock, holding their breath, not daring to move a muscle.

They knew their own strength well, and were equally familiar with the power of those five Nascent Soul cultivators who’d just been slain. Even though they were only early-stage Nascent Soul, that was still no small feat. And yet, they’d been wiped out in an instant, reduced to nothing but a mist of blood and bone, leaving every onlooker’s scalp tingling with fear.

Some among the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were already quietly preparing to retreat.

“I, Xu Zhe, at Foundation Establishment, half-step Tyrant Body, on paper, can face a hundred early-stage Nascent Soul opponents alone. Against mid-stage Nascent Soul, I could face fifty. As for late-stage Nascent Soul, I'd have to try and see.”

Xu Zhe roughly assessed his current level of strength and felt a touch of satisfaction.

His calculation of his “on paper” power was only in reference to the cultivators of Azure Domain. If he were in the Celestial Domain, with his current strength, he could at best fight evenly across realms with early Nascent Soul cultivators—with a good chance of victory, but never an easy, instant kill across two whole stages.

As for why the power gap between the same realms in the two domains was so vast—well, it couldn’t be helped. The cultivators of Azure Domain forsook their strengths for their weaknesses, following the path of beast bloodlines and relying on innate talents, little realizing that human bloodlines only grow stronger with time.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely their fault. The inheritance of human cultivation methods had been severed in Azure Domain, so they had no choice but to turn to beast bloodlines. But since they’d chosen that path, why not temper the physical body as well? The body is crucial—without a strong vessel, how can one contain powerful arts?

“Sigh.”

Whenever Xu Zhe thought of this, he couldn’t help but sigh with disappointment at these cultivators of the Azure Continent.

Look at Qi Ming’s Zhu Yan bloodline—what potential! His bone age was 9,900 years, just a hundred years short of Xu Zhe’s, with remarkable promise. Unfortunately, Qi Ming never tempered his body, relying solely on innate techniques to take shortcuts. Otherwise, even suppressing his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage back in Tianhe City, he wouldn’t have been so miserably beaten by a mere Qi Refining cultivator.

Force can shatter a thousand techniques—this saying isn’t empty talk.

Thus, both the physical body and cultivation are the basic professional qualities of a true cultivator. Both hands must be strong!

“Congratulations to Xu Tianjiao, on obtaining the fortune of the River of Burial!” At this moment, a Nascent Soul cultivator shouted, full of flattery.

Xu Zhe looked up—it was Wu Zheng, the disciple of the Golden Light Sect who had tried to curry favor earlier.

Fortune from the River of Burial? The massive increase in strength he’d just gained owed much to the void wind blades within the domain passageway beneath the River of Burial. It could indeed be considered a blessing brought by the river.

Thinking this, Xu Zhe nodded silently, not denying it.

Many cultivators’ eyes lit up at this. Was there truly such fortune beneath the River of Burial?

They all recalled where Xu Zhe had been within the river, and for a moment, some felt restless.

But now the River of Burial had awakened; its waters were no longer clear but milky white, emanating waves of chilling cold.

According to ancient accounts, once the River of Burial revived, any who entered would be instantly annihilated, leaving not even bones behind. This had been tested—during battles, some had forced their foes into the awakened river, only to confirm the ancient tales were true.

Yet now Xu Zhe had broken that rule, making many suspicious.

Xu Tianjiao had emerged unscathed from the River of Burial, and in just ten days his strength had skyrocketed. There must be great fortune beneath the river.

If he could do it, then perhaps the River of Burial was not an unbreakable barrier.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an elderly Nascent Soul expert in midair gritted his teeth and dove straight into the River of Burial.

He was near the end of his lifespan, with no hope of further advancement—so he’d chosen to risk it all.

He guessed that Xu Zhe’s survival must be linked to his physical body—if the body was strong enough, the river could not devour him.

As it happened, he had once been a martial artist, entering the Dao through martial prowess, tempering his body with skills like Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Cover. In his youth, he was nearly invincible among peers. Even after becoming a cultivator, he never neglected his physical training—rising at dawn, pounding his body, smashing into trees, walls, and anything hard.

In the Nascent Soul stage, his body reached the realm of Copper Skin and Iron Bones, earning him a reputation.

He also knew that Xu Zhe’s physical body had reached the Golden Body realm.

If a Golden Body could survive the River of Burial, then with reasonable deduction, a Silver Flesh body might barely endure, and Copper Skin Iron Bones would at least suffer some injuries.

But what was a little pain in pursuit of fortune?

Splat!

Before everyone’s eyes, the Nascent Soul elder plunged into the river, sending up a great spray.

Xu Zhe was dumbfounded—good heavens!

The domain passageway was now wide open, and when he’d left, a host of powerful void wind blades had poured into the river.

Could this old man be trying to temper his body as well? But weren’t there too many wind blades? When Xu Zhe was only at the Golden Body realm, even he didn’t dare face them all at once. With just Copper Skin and Iron Bones, did this elder have some special technique?

“Elder, take it slow, don’t just—”

Xu Zhe had just started to warn him—

With a muffled crack, the old man exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh, staining a wide swath of river crimson.

What...?

Xu Zhe was stunned.

What was this maneuver? Charging in to fight void wind blades without a special technique? Even a Transcendence cultivator wouldn’t be so bold!

The other cultivators in the air were also dumbstruck.

A Nascent Soul cultivator, gone just like that?

This River of Burial was as terrifying as Xu Tianjiao himself.

But why could Xu Tianjiao leave unscathed? Was the river also surnamed Xu?

“There’s no need to be so reckless—even body tempering must be gradual. Like me, one must progress step by step, ten days to reach half-step Tyrant Body...”

Xu Zhe sighed deeply, feeling regret for the elder’s death, which was part suicidal, part reckless, and part naively foolish.

He stepped forward and plunged into the river himself.

Countless void wind blades hidden in the water whipped violently around him, but could not harm him in the slightest.

Void wind blades are strongest in the wind—the faster the wind, the greater their power, which grows exponentially with speed. Within the River of Burial, their numbers were many, but their power was not as great as the breeze he’d faced in the domain passageway.

And so, Xu Zhe leapt in, snatching up the elder’s storage ring.

Luckily, he was fast—the ring hadn’t been too badly damaged, and his spiritual sense easily penetrated it. There were many treasures inside.

But Xu Zhe had no interest in them. He only took a few items of clothing from the old man, and built a simple memorial mound on the riverbank, placing the ring in his pocket.

The crowd watched this, convinced now more than ever—the River of Burial must belong to the Xu family!

“Such kindness and virtue—Xu Tianjiao is truly a model for our generation,” Wu Zheng of the Golden Light Sect shouted again.

Lin Yuer, the Dao-robed woman of the Moonshroud Sect, hurried to flatter him as well, “Indeed, there is no one like Xu Tianjiao. Though I have not had much contact with him, I have already benefited greatly and gained much. I hope that in the future—”

“There is no future!” Xu Zhe’s face changed, and he interrupted her sternly, his tone resolute and unwavering.

“Ah?” Lin Yuer was stunned, not knowing what she had said wrong.

“There can be no feelings between us. Without that foundation, how could there be a future? Please respect yourself, miss. I am a decent man.”

With a blank expression, Xu Zhe said his piece and turned to leave without looking back.

He knew that, when faced with such overt advances, one must refuse firmly, leaving no room for ambiguity. Not even a rejection letter was necessary—no opportunities left at all!

Lin Yuer stood there, dumbfounded.

The others quickly realized what had happened and exchanged meaningful looks.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, Xu Tianjiao is not like certain other prodigies. You’d best not play such tricks,” Wu Zheng sneered.

Lin Yuer nearly cursed aloud.

All she’d done was make a polite remark—how had it become a trick? Those wild revels on the island were a thing of the past. That prodigy has long forgotten her, yet these men still mock her at every turn?

...

Xu Zhe left the River of Burial and made his way toward the heart of the secret realm.

By his senses, the spiritual energy here far surpassed that of Eastern Qianzhou.

Most strikingly, in the fire-attribute aura on the outskirts, he detected a faint trace of wood-attribute energy.

As he ventured deeper, the wood energy grew richer, and the forests, shrouded in poisonous fire mists yet still teeming with life, convinced him that this secret realm was anything but ordinary.

There must be a great treasure here—at least on the level of a Primeval Wood Spirit Vein. Even if not a true spirit vein, it must have something to do with wood energy.

It was worth searching for.

The only problem was that only two days remained before the secret realm closed. To find such a treasure in so vast an area in that time was a daunting task.

Xu Zhe could only let fate decide—if he found it, it was meant to be; if not, it meant his “cheat” was sealed.

Yet after a day of searching and wandering, he’d absorbed plenty of wood energy, but found no such treasure.

It was proof enough—he had no cheat.

“If fate does not allow, I won’t force it. After leaving the secret realm, I’ll gather more spirit herbs and refine a few batches of pills to enhance my spiritual roots. It will be much slower, but it will do.”

Regretfully, Xu Zhe decided to leave.

He entered the fire-poison mist at the heart of the realm again, retracing his steps to find Qu Hongxiu.

“Uncle Xu, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting so long the flowers have withered.” Qu Hongxiu spotted him from afar, her enlarged Universe Fire Shield gleaming as she ran over excitedly.

Her face radiated pride and a touch of arrogance.

The results of these eleven days of cultivation were the greatest accomplishment of her life—she couldn’t wait to show Xu Zhe and earn his praise.

And after that, she’d show off those twenty storage rings...

“Little Qu, have you been slacking off again?” Xu Zhe frowned as soon as they met. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the fire-poison mist and cultivate diligently? Why do I see no progress?”

Qu Hongxiu: “...?”