Yang Chan was not surprised by the Black Dragon’s words.
The moment he had asked the question, he had already guessed the Black Dragon’s purpose.
He continued to flip through the *Taiyuan Soul Sword* scroll in his hand; the contents recorded within truly piqued his interest.
After condensing a Soul Body into a Taiyuan Sword, it would possess some of the sharp characteristics of a Sword Weapon.
The conditions for condensation were stringent. For a practitioner of the Sword Dao, cultivating Sword Momentum was already quite difficult. For a Cultivator like the Black Dragon, who specialized in tempering his physique and had never practiced swordsmanship, the time required would certainly not be short.
However, the Black Dragon already had a Cultivation above the Divine Acupoint Realm at that time, so his progress in practicing swordsmanship was likely not slow.
Once the Soul Body was condensed into a Taiyuan Sword, it could be tempered, continuously improving the Taiyuan Sword and simultaneously enhancing the strength of the Soul Body. Although it required consuming Taiyuan Qi after a period of time, according to the Black Dragon, the sacrifice method could obtain Taiyuan Qi from the Taixuan Realm. For him, that was hardly a cost.
After all, his gains back in the Taiyin Celestial Tower had been immense. The accumulations of so many years had all ended up benefiting him. And as for the materials needed for the Taixuan Sacrifice Array, he had amassed quite a few, which would naturally be enough for many uses.
Once his Cultivation rose above the Divine Acupoint Realm, he could break through the Realm’s boundary and travel to the Taixuan Realm, so he naturally wouldn’t need this method anymore.
Furthermore, during this process, his Soul Body would grow continuously stronger. This was much faster than his method of using the Visualization Martial Seal, and the two were fundamentally very different.
At the same time, it could be converted into real combat power.
After his Sword Master profession advanced to Tier Two Entry and he comprehended Sword Momentum, his combat power had increased significantly, but it was still somewhat difficult to kill a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster of a higher realm.
It wasn’t that Sword Momentum was inadequate, but that his current Cultivation was insufficient. He was much weaker than a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, and Sword Momentum alone was not enough to bridge the gap between them. Condensing a Taiyuan Sword, on the other hand, would allow him to slay experts at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm.
This was because it inflicted damage on the level of Spiritual Power, which was impossible to defend against. According to the Black Dragon, the current strength of his Soul Body far surpassed that of experts at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm. Attacking with the Taiyuan Sword would be, so to speak, invincible.
This point was also very attractive to Yang Chan.
’Why have I been so passive all these times? Isn’t it just because my strength is insufficient?’
’Take the matter of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Grand Ancestor forcing my hand. If I were strong enough, I could have just killed the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou in secret. Why would there be all this trouble?’
’I could stay in the Cyan Yuan Sect if I wanted to, and no one could force me to do otherwise.’
Just like the current Sect Leader Gu An—didn’t he want Yang Chan to remain in the Cyan Yuan Sect and preferably not go out? He had even taken the initiative to reject the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s proposal earlier. If it weren’t for the immense pressure from the National Guardian Martial Saint, he never would have arranged for Yang Chan to go to the borderlands.
"After the sacrifice array is set up, will it need you to activate it?"
After Yang Chan finished reading *Taiyuan Soul Sword*, he noted that the section on the sacrifice array didn’t mention an activation method.
This kind of sacrificial Magic Array needed a guide to channel the offering to the recipient.
This was true even if the materials were being sacrificed to the Taixuan Realm.
"That’s right. I have entered the Taixuan Realm before and carry its aura. As long as I guide it at the right time, I can connect to the Taixuan Realm and cause its Taiyuan Qi to scatter across the Taiyu Divine Continent."
Hearing this, the Black Dragon nodded eagerly.
From Yang Chan’s tone, he could tell he was interested in the matter. This was, naturally, good news for him.
After all, being able to absorb Taiyuan Qi would be of great benefit to him as well.
"You’re not planning to use this opportunity to send your Soul Body into the Taixuan Realm, are you?"
Yang Chan abruptly changed the subject.
His gaze locked onto the Black Dragon’s eyes, watching for any change.
"Master, you underestimate the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch. The measures he left within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead are extremely effective at restraining me. My Soul Body has already become the Artifact Spirit of the Profound Yin Hanging Bead. If I were to leave it, the power of my Soul Body would continuously weaken until it eventually faded away!"
"My Power of Origin is contained within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, which means if I leave it, I will perish."
"Furthermore, there are other restraining forces within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead. I can’t get far from it at all before I’m forcibly pulled back."
"Even if I had ulterior motives, I simply couldn’t escape!"
The Black Dragon said with a bitter smile. Being controlled by another and bound by so many restrictions, it would be strange if he were happy.
The methods left by the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch, in particular, had sealed off all his escape routes. The various restrictions could be described as utterly ruthless.
Even if he wanted to die, he couldn’t do so directly; he would have to suffer endless torment before he could perish.
Yang Chan had used the Secret Technique on him before, leaving a deep impression. Only by continuously depleting his Power of Origin in that manner could he eventually die.
One would have to be truly desperate to even consider dying in such a way, to be completely annihilated.
At least, after enduring it once, the Black Dragon no longer had any thoughts of dying.
Besides, as long as he was alive, there was still a chance. He naturally wouldn’t give up on that possibility. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the torture.
’As a proud Black Dragon, he naturally inherited the will of his ancestors to never give up and only persevere. How could he possibly be afraid of a little torture?’
’Of course not.’
"If you have any ulterior motives and try to escape, I will use that Secret Technique from last time and let you have another taste of it!"
Yang Chan stared at the Black Dragon, not indulging him in the slightest.
From the dragon’s words, he could naturally discern his thoughts. He was still terrified of the Secret Technique contained within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead; the degree of pain it caused was even greater than he had anticipated.
Otherwise, the Black Dragon wouldn’t be acting like this now.
He was using the Secret Technique in the Profound Yin Hanging Bead to control the Black Dragon, so he knew the dragon wouldn’t be so obedient on its own. He could only truly control it by relying on the methods left by the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch.
’But once my Cultivation is high enough, it won’t matter what ideas the Black Dragon has.’
"Rest assured, Master, I will have no ulterior motives!"
The Black Dragon replied quickly, both to show his attitude and to prevent Yang Chan from using the Secret Technique.
He was being very pragmatic. He didn’t have too many ideas, nor could he afford to have them.
He knew that Yang Chan’s eyes could see through certain secrets, perceiving traces from the bottom of one’s heart with extreme astuteness.
Yang Chan had seen through some of his hidden thoughts.
"I will arrange for the Taixuan Sacrifice Array, and I will have you activate it when it’s ready. It’s getting late, so that’s all for today," Yang Chan said after he finished reading the contents of *Taiyuan Soul Sword*.
He had stayed up for quite a while today; it wasn’t good to keep burning the midnight oil.
"Yes, Master!"
Hearing this, the Black Dragon tactfully entered the Profound Yin Hanging Bead.
Seeing this, Yang Chan performed a Secret Technique to block Divine Sense, then left the secret chamber.
A warm bed was waiting for him; there was no need to stay up any longer.
Eating some pomelo would also help him sleep, allowing him to rest soundly until dawn.
With this in mind, Yang Chan’s steps quickened.
...
"A National Calamity!"
"The Calamity of Great Zhou!"
Yang Chan looked at the several intelligence reports sent by Han Bingyu. These were the most conspicuous words on them.
These were not marks left intentionally by the person who delivered the intelligence, but direct imprints from the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s own reports.
The Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou, Yang Sheng, had fallen.
Previously, when the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou returned to White Jade City from the border, there were rumors that a trail of blood stretched all the way from the border to White Jade City, and that the ground was stained red with blood when he was carried into the Imperial Palace.
This account sounded exaggerated, but it spoke to a single fact: the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou was gravely injured.
His lifespan was already nearing its end, and now he had suffered such a severe injury. The Sects in every province and domain were all guessing when this Grand Ancestor Emperor would finally perish.
There was some stirring within White Jade City as well, but because the Old Emperor had broken through to the Martial Saint Realm, the situation was suppressed. Furthermore, the Old Emperor now held more power in his hands.
The Prince who had previously been appointed as regent naturally had all his authority stripped away by him, once again becoming an ordinary Prince.
The Old Emperor was, of course, extremely adept at such matters.
He had done it too many times. It was fortunate that this regent Prince harbored no ulterior motives; otherwise, another Prince would have had to disappear.
Of course, the main reason this regent Prince had no ulterior motives was because the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had broken through to the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm. Even if he did have ideas, those who seemingly supported him would have surely delivered him to the Old Emperor Yang Yu the moment he returned.
For no other reason than to show their loyalty.
This regent Prince understood this point and naturally did not choose the most foolish course of action. After all, there were so many cautionary tales.
Weren’t the disappearances of his imperial brothers, one by one, the handiwork of this very Old Emperor?
And at that time, this Old Emperor had not even reached the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm.
After the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou passed away, the Old Emperor finally announced his death. The reason for this was that the aura of a National Guardian Martial Saint is extremely distinct. When such an existence perishes, even experts at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster level can sense it.
This is because the Qi and Blood and Essence Qi of a National Guardian Martial Saint are like a column of wolf smoke, capable of soaring straight to the heavens—incredibly powerful. But after they fall, this aura vanishes completely.
As for hiding it, once one’s Cultivation reaches the Martial Saint Realm, it’s no longer necessary.
As for the Jin Meng Empire, it was currently in a state of chaos. The fall of Great Zhou’s Grand Ancestor here would also be sensed by that Empire’s new Martial Saint.
After the Grand Ancestor Emperor passed away, the Old Emperor personally wrote of the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s great achievements, expressing his reverence and declaring that he would become the next Grand Ancestor Emperor.
The content was extensive, touching upon all sorts of matters, and could be said to have showcased all the achievements of the Imperial Family.
During this time of national mourning, he also gave various benefits to the common people to help them through this difficult period. To the alliance of major Sects, he promised many benefits, some of which had already been delivered.
Naturally, on the surface, all the major Sects joined the Great Zhou Imperial Family in mourning.
Whether this was for the benefits promised by the Imperial Family or out of genuine sentiment, only they themselves knew.
’The Grand Ancestor has fallen.’
Yang Chan sighed with emotion upon seeing this.
He remembered that Emperor in his later years, his figure ramrod straight, who had sought to defy heaven and change his fate. His life was filled with great achievements, but in the end, in his quest to extend his lifespan, he made the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty pay such a heavy price, only to fail and perish completely.
When one’s lifespan is about to end, no matter how great their achievements, it is perfectly normal for them to commit any number of insane acts just to survive. That Emperor in his later years was the perfect proof.