Chapter 109: A Very Big Deal

Xu Cheng thought to himself that with the golden light of merit gained from this transaction alone, he would have a chance to cultivate a Pure Yang Primordial Spirit.

"Time is short; we had best conclude our business quickly!"

The Heavenly Master Patriarch tossed the large golden sphere directly to Xu Cheng, who nodded and asked, "May I ask for the Patriarch’s honorable name?"

"I am Zhang Huamao," the Heavenly Master Dao Patriarch replied, stroking his beard.

Xu Cheng then communicated with his Yellow Springs Token. With a few adjustments, he added six hundred years to Zhang Huamao’s already dwindling lifespan. Immediately, beams of light descended from the void onto Zhang Huamao. His aura surged, yet he controlled it masterfully, ensuring no harm came to Xu Cheng or Zhang Taiping.

Xu Cheng could feel that if the man were to release his full power, he would be reduced to ash in an instant, and even Zhang Taiping standing nearby would likely be severely injured.

A moment later, the man’s aura retracted sharply. He seemed to be savoring the increase in his lifespan before abruptly opening his eyes. A flash of lightning seemed to spark in the room, and Xu Cheng asked, "May I ask the Patriarch a question?"

"Oh? Speak your mind," Zhang Huamao replied.

"With your cultivation, Patriarch, you are already capable of ascending to the Heavenly Realm. Why have you not gone?" Xu Cheng asked, voicing his confusion. The man’s cultivation level was surely comparable to that of the Extreme Star Patriarch; why stay in the mortal world?

Zhang Huamao did not answer immediately. He looked between Xu Cheng and Zhang Taiping before slowly saying, "Indeed, my cultivation is sufficient for the Immortal Realm. However, the mortal world is turbulent. If I were to leave in haste, what would become of the Heavenly Master Dao’s lineage? It might end up like the Great Zen Temple."

"The old abbot of the Great Zen Temple possessed profound cultivation, but his disciples were all incompetent. When his mortal lifespan neared its end, he was forced to release his cultivation and ascend. Once in the Upper Realm, he would become an Earth Immortal with ten thousand years of life. Had it not been for that, the Great Zen Temple would not have ended in total destruction."

Speaking of the Great Zen Temple, Zhang Huamao sighed repeatedly, lamenting the old abbot’s helplessness and the suffering within the temple.

It was no wonder the True Person Tiangui was so eager to ascend. Once she regained her mortal body, her lifespan would be nearly exhausted, and only by becoming an Earth Immortal could she gain ten thousand years. If one remained a ghost or spirit, existing between life and death, one could live indefinitely—provided they could endure the need to consume the blood of the living.

"Alas, I wonder if the Great Zen Temple’s unique secret technique, the 'Great Infinite Wisdom and Enlightenment Buddha Dharma,' ever fell into the hands of Xia Hao."

Xu Cheng was stunned; he had not expected Zhang Huamao to mention the Great Infinite Wisdom and Enlightenment.

When the technique was empowered by Buddhist energy, it was indeed called Buddha Dharma. However, when Xu Cheng utilized the secret technique using the energy of the Yellow Springs, it could only be called an Immortal Art, not Buddha Dharma. Naturally, when empowered by Buddhist energy, the technique was orthodox, and its effects were far more potent than what Xu Cheng could achieve.

Listening to Zhang Huamao’s sighs, Xu Cheng kept silent about his possession of that miraculous technique. As the saying goes, a man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a target. Zhang Huamao was a supreme expert who had survived nine heavenly tribulations; even leaving aside the Patriarch, if Zhang Taiping were moved by greed, Xu Cheng might find himself dead without knowing why.

"I see, I understand now!" Xu Cheng mimicked Zhang Huamao’s sigh. "However, I have one more request."

"Oh? What does the Envoy wish of me?" Zhang Huamao asked, his expression curious.

"I wish for you to attack my Primordial Spirit with your own."

Xu Cheng hoped to use the Patriarch's attacks to shatter his own spirit and rebuild it, thereby increasing its strength.

"Attack your Primordial Spirit with mine? Do you possess a formidable spirit technique?" Zhang Huamao guessed.

"Indeed, I have a technique that allows me to stimulate my potential and consolidate my spirit during moments of crisis," Xu Cheng replied simply, though he felt a pang of recklessness. If a master of this caliber discovered the Great Infinite Wisdom and Enlightenment Immortal Art, what would happen?

"Hahaha! How interesting. Very well, let us test it!" Zhang Huamao said with excitement.

Xu Cheng’s eyes filled with fighting spirit; he had cast Zhang Huamao as his whetstone.

"You are currently at the 'Materializing' stage of the Primordial Spirit. Let us begin with that level of cultivation!"

With that, lightning flickered around Zhang Huamao, and a spirit attack as fast as lightning struck Xu Cheng. The latter braced himself, startled by the sudden assault, though it caused him little damage.

"Good, your spirit is quite solid. Let us try an attack of the Pure Yang level!" Zhang Huamao nodded, increasing the intensity.

A white blade of light, sharp as a razor, sliced into Xu Cheng’s spirit. He barely managed to block it.

Zhang Huamao gave a soft "Oh," recognizing the boy’s talent, and launched another attack. This time, the spirit assault, crackling with purple lightning, was immensely powerful—equivalent to the strike of a cultivator who had undergone one heavenly tribulation.

Though it was an arduous struggle, Xu Cheng held his ground.

Seeing this, Zhang Huamao, as if refusing to believe it, increased the power again. Next came an attack equivalent to a cultivator who had survived two tribulations. Cracks began to appear across Xu Cheng’s spirit.

"Still standing?" Even Zhang Taiping was astonished. He could not believe that someone at the Materializing stage could withstand his Patriarch’s attacks.

Zhang Huamao let out a cold snort, seemingly feeling his pride at stake, and abruptly boosted the attack to the level of a four-tribulation expert.

With a sound like shattering glass, Xu Cheng’s spirit disintegrated, plunging him into darkness.

"Patriarch, it seems something has gone wrong!" Zhang Taiping said with a bitter smile. He could see Xu Cheng’s spirit fading away. He wasn't sure if Xu Cheng had overreached or if the Patriarch had gone too far. If the Patriarch didn't intervene, the Yellow Springs Envoy might vanish from this world entirely.

"If you were the one in trouble, he would still be fine. Do not interfere; just watch," Zhang Huamao said calmly, showing no intention of acting.

"This..." Zhang Taiping was speechless.

"With your temperament, how could I trust you with the Heavenly Master Dao? You are soft-hearted, and despite your age, you often only see the surface of things," Zhang Huamao scolded. Though he appeared as a man in his late twenties, he berated the white-haired, white-bearded Zhang Taiping like a grandfather scolding a child. It was a comical sight. He continued, "Watch. This Yellow Springs Envoy possesses powerful secret arts; he will not die so easily. He would not have taken on this task if he lacked the diamond drill to handle such porcelain."