When this ‘sparring session’ was over, Lin Xun was completely and utterly exhausted. He lay on the bank of the lake like a beaten salted fish, and there was a hollow look in his eyes.

He was a supreme quasi-Emperor, with a foundation so strong that it was beyond imagination. Furthermore, the quasi-Emperor laws he had mastered were almost the same as those of a real Emperor.

However, after sparring with Xi these past few days, he was beaten to a pulp like a salted fish[1] every time.

Any attempts at resistance were futile.

What was despair?

Lin Xun had finally realized it.

A sense of powerlessness and numbness permeated him, and a long period of time passed before Lin Xun finally came back to his senses.

Yezi had already quickly rushed over, breaking a handful of rare precious medicine into pieces and stuffing them into Lin Xun's mouth.

There was no other way. Lin Xun's physical strength had already reached the point of being tapped dry, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his fingers.

"Senior, this competition is almost over, right?"

After a while, feeling the new power surging around him, Lin Xun turned his head with difficulty and looked at Xi who was sitting on the willow branch.

"Well, why are you in a hurry? When the new Nameless Emperor comes, we will end the competition." Xi's voice was indifferent.

Lin Xun's eyes went dark.

If the new Nameless Emperor never came, wouldn't he be ravaged, tortured, and beaten like this forever?

"Lin Xun, your cultivation has broken through," Yezi suddenly interjected with a hint of surprise.

Lin Xun was stunned as he felt the wonderful changes happening all over him.

Just like that...I broke through?!

His eyes became dazed again.

The last time he broke through was when he stepped into the Supreme Quasi-Emperor Stage after experiencing a bloody and brutal fight in front of the Gate of Ruination. He had become seriously injured and was on the brink of death while entering the gate.

Therefore, that breakthrough had happened while he was unconscious.

Now, only a month had passed since then, but his cultivation has transformed again. He had entered the second realm of the Supreme Quasi-Emperor Stage!

This rapid and unparalleled advancement speed was simply shocking, and even Lin Xun himself found it incredible.

"Ten days ago, you sparred with Sword Emperor Hunkong nineteen times in total. The first fifteen times ended in complete defeat. After that, you began to turn the situation around and had the strength to suppress him."

Yezi beside him continued quickly, "But after Sword Emperor Hunkong began using thirty percent of his combat power, you fell into a situation of being suppressed and defeated again.

"This kind of practice, although you were defeated repeatedly, allowed you to be extremely tempered in battle. Thus your own dao and combat power was unprecedentedly consolidated and transformed.

"Then in these past ten days, Xi sparred with you ten times. Each time she oppressed you to make you give your all and drained all your strength. This was like undergoing a rebirth again and again, allowing your power to undergo an unprecedented transformation from bad to exquisite.”

At this point, Yezi stated in admiration, "What's really important is that every time Xi attacked, the force used was just right. Any bit stronger would damage your foundation, and any bit weaker would not allow you to release your maximum potential. This method can be said to be completely wondrous.”

Lin Xun was stunned. "Now that you put it that way, I really have to be grateful instead?"

Yezi said seriously, "It's only been about a month, and your cultivation has made a breakthrough. Any other cultivator in the world would have been so happy that they would have kowtowed."

Lin Xun could feel the constant transformation around and in him, and a sense of strangeness settled in his heart. He had been tortured for so many days, but it turned out to be for his own good?

Hadn’t she just been venting her anger under the guise of ‘sparring’?

Yezi added, "Of course, during this period of time, you have consumed a total of seventy-six rare and precious medicines, each of which is priceless. Ordinary Emperors can't afford this kind of expenditure. Fortunately, you have a rich background, otherwise, it would be difficult to break through in such a short time."

Lin Xun was truly really rich and powerful now. The spoils he had collected during this period of time were huge and countless.

After all, when he was in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone, he had also won a lot of spoils, including some treasures that even Emperors would covet!

Therefore, even though he knew that he had consumed so many rare medicines, he did not feel any pain from doing so.

At this moment, he has completely recovered. He sat cross-legged in meditation, cultivating, in order to consolidate the new power he had after the breakthrough.

After hesitating for a while, Yezi still said, "So, I suggest that the sparring sessions should continue."

Lin Xun's lips twitched fiercely.

The previous ten days were like a nightmare. Not only was his body suppressed, but his mind and soul were also always under the blow of despair and powerlessness.

Even with Lin Xun's strong and resolute temperament, he was almost unable to bear such a situation.

However, when he realized that this unique way of training could transform his cultivation in the shortest time, Lin Xun hesitated for a moment then gritted his teeth and agreed.

Yezi couldn't help but admire him in his heart.

Sure enough, he’s a true masochist who likes to be tortured while cultivating…

Xi glanced at Lin Xun and said, "You have made a breakthrough in your cultivation. When we spar next, I will increase my strength accordingly. You must be prepared."

Lin Xun's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but ask, “Senior, how much strength did you use when you sparred with me earlier?"

"How much?" Xi's tone was a little weird.

Yezi thought about it and said seriously, "According to my guess... it should be... Far less than ten percent..."

Lin Xun was speechless.

Fog Spirit State.

As one of the forty-nine states in the Great Primordial Chaos World, the territory of Fog Spirit State was neither the largest nor the smallest. Consequently, the cultivation forces of this state were also neither the strongest nor the weakest.

In short, Fog Spirit State was very ordinary. No matter which aspect was being compared with other states, it was neither outstanding nor inferior. It was very mediocre and average.

The Divine Apparatus Profound Sect was entrenched in Fog Spirit State. Its foundation was extremely ancient, but its power could only rank among the top ten in Fog Spirit State at most.

After more than ten days of travel, Lin Xun successfully arrived at Fog Spirit State and came to the blessed land where the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect was entrenched–Tong Mountain.

However, when Lin Xun arrived, he suddenly discovered that there was not a shadow of a person in this famous mountain and blessed land in Fog Spirit State!

Moreover, the gate of the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect was open, and the formation covering the mountain was not operating.

When he walked into the sect, he saw that the ancient buildings were empty and everywhere showed signs of disorder.

Lin Xun searched for a long time, almost turning the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect upside down before finally confirming that all the cultivators had evacuated from Tong Mountain.

Furthermore, they had obviously been in a hurry when they left as they didn't have time to clean up some of the magical herbs in the medicine garden.

There were no signs of fighting, which only proved that the people of the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect had evacuated on their own initiative. As for the reason for the evacuation, Lin Xun could not tell.

"Darn it..."

Lin Xun frowned. At this time, he was standing in front of an ancient and desolate temple, alone. The setting sun cast a long shadow on the mottled and weathered bluestone slabs[2].

The Divine Apparatus Pavilion and the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect were from the same origin. Lin Xun had come here to inquire about some matters related to going to the True Dragon World.

Unfortunately, he had never expected that such an ancient force would disappear under such odd circumstances, leaving only an empty Tong Mountain behind.

"The evacuation of a sect will inevitably cause a lot of commotion, so there must have been some signs in advance..."

Lin Xun pondered and planned to go to the city closest to Tong Mountain to investigate this.

However, just as he was about to leave, his heart suddenly trembled and he felt a deadly sense of danger.

Almost at the same time, Xi appeared quietly and took him away with a quick lift of her hand before settling on the eaves of a palace far away.

"A powerful person has appeared, so don't make a sound."

Particles of light flowed around Xi, turning into a magical power that covered the two of them together, making it seem as if they had disappeared into thin air.

Wooooooo~

In front of the hall where Lin Xun had been originally standing, the void fluctuated, and several figures emerged. Although their auras had been suppressed, they had an invisible terrifying power shrouded around them.

They stood under the afterglow of the setting sun, resembling mighty gods and goddesses standing in the dusk!

When he saw the figure in the lead, Lin Xun's eyes immediately flickered, and the memory that had been dormant in his heart for many years was awakened.

The leader was a woman clothed entirely in purple robes. She had an extremely slender figure, a golden ribbon wrapped around her slender waist, and long purple hair that fell behind her like a shining waterfall. There was a strange luster on her hair.

She carried a war spear, standing there like a chasm across the sky, giving people a feeling of being tall and boundless and looking up.

Those who faced her felt like an ant looking up at the sky!

It's the purple-clothed woman who was chasing Mister Lu!

[3]

Pure surprise coursed through him. How could he ever forget this woman?

In the past, he had returned to the lower world and the courtyard where he had once lived in Feiyun Village. It was there that he accidentally saw a trace of will power left by Mister Lu.

The scenes preserved by this trace of will power had allowed Lin Xun to see the purple-clothed woman who was chasing Mister Lu.

This also let Lin Xun know that the purple-clothed woman had come from the other side of the cosmos, and had come specifically to hunt down his mother Luo Qingxun and Mister Lu!

However, Lin Xun never expected that he would see this purple-clothed woman in the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect, which had long been deserted!

This was undoubtedly too incredible.

"I want to go to the True Dragon World, but the sect that knows the path to the True Dragon World has disappeared overnight..."

In front of the hall, the purple-clothed woman spoke. Her voice was extremely pleasant, but it was chilly and indifferent.

Beside her, the three men who followed her trembled all over at this moment, revealing fear and panic.

An old white-haired man explained anxiously, "Senior, we have not leaked any news at all, and we don't know why all the people of the Divine Apparatus Profound Sect have disappeared overnight. You... Please don't misunderstand."

The purple-clothed woman gently patted the old man's shoulder and said, "I don't care about misunderstandings, I only care about why this situation happened, understand?"

When her slender white fingers came off the old man's shoulder, the latter's body turned into ashes like a piece of burnt paper!

1. When people dry and salt fish, they also beat the flesh vigorously ☜

2. Bluestone 青石 is a type of limestone in Chinese. The term bluestone is actually used to refer to different types of rocks in other areas of the world, but in this context it’s a type of limestone used for buildings and paving roads ☜

3. See Chapter 1395 for first mention of her. Also, back in 1395 she was referred to as ‘purple-haired’ (紫发), but now the author refers to her as ‘purple-clothed’ (紫衣). Don’t ask me why, maybe the author just forgot. ☜