Chapter 61: Zhen Nantian’s Breakthrough

Liu Qing, along with a hundred thousand disciples, finally flew back from the eastern hemisphere of Earthly Mystery Star to the western hemisphere, returning to the Fire Phoenix Continent.
It took three months for Liu Qing to record the information of these hundred thousand new disciples in the registration pillars of Tongzhou Hall.
A hundred starships had arrived on Tongzhou Plateau, appearing majestically above the headquarters of Tongzhou Hall.
Indeed, the plateau occupied by Tongzhou Hall had finally been renamed after applying within theYuhan Sect, now known as Tongzhou Plateau.
The arrival of the starships immediately attracted the leaders of various factions in Tongzhou Hall, as well as Hall Master Yun Zhouzi and the five executors.
“Liu Qing, you’re finally back,” said Luo Ning, Lan Fei, Hua Hai, Chi Yu, and Chang Cheng, the five executors, flying into the air and shouting.
Liu Qing immediately flew out of the leading starship, smiling and saying, “I’ve brought back a hundred thousand new disciples.”
As soon as she spoke, the Disciples of Soul Energy from the hundred starships took control of their ships, landed on the ground, and quickly stepped out, standing neatly beside their ships.
A wave of energy rippled through the surrounding air.
Seeing the arrival of these hundred thousand new disciples, Yun Zhouzi’s face showed a hint of concern, filled with doubts.
“This Fire Lord recruited new disciples without informing me.”
“If these hundred thousand disciples were brought in by the Fire Lord, they will naturally be grateful to him. How can I maintain my status as Hall Master?”
“Looking at these six executors, it seems they’ve always had a good relationship with the Fire Lord. Could they be in secret collusion with him?”
“Zhen Nantian hasn’t been seen in a year. Given his current cultivation, he’s likely to reach the rank of One-Star Soul Energy Immortal. This Zhen Nantian must be supporting the Fire Lord. If he truly reaches that rank, the Fire Lord’s power will grow even more.”
“The Formation Pre-setting Method was invented by the Fire Lord. All disciples of Tongzhou Hall, as well as the faction leaders, are grateful to him. If he really wanted to do me harm, these people would surely side with him.”
In an instant, Yun Zhouzi thought of many doubts, feeling a chill in his heart as he realized the difficulty of his situation.
It was then that he suddenly realized the Fire Lord had gradually taken control of entire Tongzhou Hall, while he, as Hall Master, hadn’t even noticed and still thought he had everything under control.
Sweat beads appeared on Yun Zhouzi’s forehead.

Luo Ning, Lan Fei, Hua Hai, Chi Yu, Liu Qing, and Chang Cheng—these six people saw that Yun Zhouzi didn’t even come to greet them and noticed the change in his expression, realizing that Yun Zhouzi had finally understood their current situation. The six flew over to Yun Zhouzi’s side. “Hall Master, are you worried about Fire Lord?” Luo Ning asked with a smile. Hearing this, Yun Zhouzi was shocked and quickly said, “It’s nothing. We’re all from the Tongzhou Hall. Whatever Fire Lord wants to do is also what I want to do.” The six smiled but didn’t clarify things directly. “Hall Master, Fire Lord is just a lower-ranked Soul Immortal. You don’t need to worry. If there’s really a conflict, the six of us will stand by your side. After all, we have mutual interests,” Lan Fei transmitted through his spiritual sense, winking. Yun Zhouzi’s eyes lit up as he remembered that he and the six had already agreed that seventy percent of the benefits obtained by the Tongzhou Hall would be divided among them. Naturally, he was convinced that as long as he maintained this relationship with them, they would side with him if Fire Lord grew stronger. Besides, Fire Lord still had a long way to go before reaching the level of Earth Soul Immortal. Suddenly, Yun Zhouzi felt relieved again. Of course, Luo Ning, Lan Fei, Hua Hai, Chi Yu, Liu Qing, and Chang Cheng were deliberately helping Fire Lord cover up the truth and confusing Yun Zhouzi, keeping him as Fire Lord’s shield. These six had already been marked with spiritual imprints by Fire Lord in the Flower of Souls and had become his slaves. Once his mood improved, Yun Zhouzi immediately turned his gaze to the hundred starships and glanced at the hundred thousand new disciples. These disciples had been chosen by Fire Lord because they had arrived at South Beauty Peak first through speed competitions. Thus, most of these hundred thousand new disciples were at the level of Five-Star Human Soul Immortals, with a small number at Four-Star and Six-Star Human Soul Immortal levels. “I am Yun Zhouzi, the Hall Master of the Tongzhou Hall. Welcome!” Yun Zhouzi stretched out his hand and shouted. “Hall Master! Hall Master…” The hundred thousand new disciples responded enthusiastically. Yun Zhouzi was satisfied. With these new disciples, the Hall’s artifact-making tasks could be accelerated several times over. The task of producing one billion One-Star Human Soul Immortal-level artifacts could definitely be completed within five years.

Immediately, Yun Zhouzi turned to the peak masters standing behind him and shouted, “You peak masters, each take five thousand. The remaining fifteen thousand disciples will all go to the Juehuo Peak.”
Thus, the hundred thousand disciples were divided up.
“Yes, Hall Master,” the seventeen peak masters replied excitedly.
These peak masters had no complaints about Yun Zhouzi leaving the most new disciples to the Juehuo Peak. After all, most of Tongzhou Hall’s achievements were due to the Juehuo Peak’s contributions, and it was also the Fire Lord of the Juehuo Peak who handled the recruitment of these hundred thousand disciples.
Soon, all the hundred thousand disciples were taken away by the disciples of various weapon-forging peaks.
Yun Zhouzi, Luo Ning, Lan Fei, Hua Hai, Chi Yu, Liu Qing, Chang Cheng, and the others also returned to their own cultivation caves to begin their meditation.
Luo Ning, Lan Fei, Hua Hai, Chi Yu, Liu Qing, and Chang Cheng were assigned to cultivate in caves built in a major mountain range on the plateau. The main vein of the Soul-Devouring Bloodline also branched out within their caves, creating a special spiritual energy filled with various primordial forces.
Since these six had become his slaves, the Fire Lord would naturally help them improve their cultivation levels.
※※※
In his cultivation cave, Zhen Nantian, with the help of the Fire Lord, attracted a strand of the Soul-Devouring Bloodline, allowing him to remain in an environment filled with spiritual energy of primordial force speed.
Now, Zhen Nantian had been cultivating in his cave for over a year.
Suddenly, Zhen Nantian, who had kept his eyes closed for a long time, opened them abruptly. A glint appeared in his eyes, and his strength surged dramatically. A gust of wind arose throughout the cave. Although he remained seated, his body floated in mid-air, forming a circular afterimage in the cave.
Zhen Nantian’s speed was more than ten times faster than when he was at the level of a Soul Immortal, and his flying speed remained consistently stable.
Suddenly, Zhen Nantian stopped and sat down again.
“Haha! I, Zhen Nantian, have finally mastered the Speed of Warmth and become a Earth Soul Immortal!” he exclaimed joyfully.
The Speed of Warmth, among the six speeds of the Fire primordial forces, was a continuous speed that allowed one to maintain a steady pace using primordial force.
In his excitement, Zhen Nantian produced two flames from his palms simultaneously. The flames flew toward each other rapidly and collided between his palms, turning into a burst of sparks.

Zhen Nantian once again proved that he had mastered the speed of warmth—just now, he had emitted two flames, both moving at the same speed with a constant flight velocity, ensuring they collided between his palms. Undoubtedly, Zhen Nantian was filled with excitement at that moment. Soon, he stood up, waved his hand, and the formation of his cave dwelling was removed, revealing a passage. In no time, he flew out through the passage and landed on the ground. Shaking his large belly, Zhen Nantian returned to his Juehuo Peak. “Ah, Peak Master, you’re finally back,” said Lin Po, who was in charge of the largest refining facility on Juehuo Peak, upon seeing him. “Yes, I’m back,” replied Zhen Nantian with a triumphant smile; it was obvious he was extremely satisfied. Having followed Zhen Nantian for a long time, Lin Po understood what his state meant and his eyes sparkled after a moment. “Peak Master, have you already reached the rank of Earth Soul Immortal?” Lin Po asked excitedly. Zhen Nantian nodded as he landed. His response naturally alarmed the disciples of Juehuo Peak, who, upon seeing his reaction, immediately gathered around him excitedly. With the Peak Master having reached the rank of Earth Soul Immortal, Juehuo Peak’s status would surely rise further, and the disciples were naturally overjoyed. Zhen Nantian responded happily before his expression turned calm, tinged with confusion. He looked at Lin Po and asked, “Have we gained many more disciples on Juehuo Peak?” Lin Po was slightly surprised but soon realized that Zhen Nantian had been in seclusion and was unaware of the addition of 15,000 new disciples to Juehuo Peak. “Peak Master, Tongzhou Hall has recruited 100,000 new disciples, and Juehuo Peak has received 15,000 of them,” Lin Po replied happily. Hearing this, Zhen Nantian was also surprised, but then he realized that this recruitment plan must have come from the Fire Lord. He knew the Fire Lord all too well. “Very good, Lin Po. You’ve done an excellent job. I’ll go greet the Hall Master and the other peak masters first, then reward you,” said Zhen Nantian, determined to show off. Without waiting for the disciples’ reply, he vanished. Becoming an Earth Soul Immortal indeed allowed for astonishing speed—even the immortal senses could not detect him. Soon, Zhen Nantian arrived at Tongzhou Hall’s headquarters. In mid-air, before even landing, he shouted, “Hall Master, I have now become a one-star Earth Soul Immortal.”

With ample celestial energy, this voice immediately filled the entire headquarters, allowing everyone to hear it.
What!
Inside the headquarters, there were over ten thousand disciples of Tongzhou Hall. Hearing Zhen Nantian’s words, they were all shocked and quickly flew into the air to surround him.
Among them, Hall Master Yun Zhouzi and the leaders of various peaks naturally stood at the front.