Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: The Golden Essence Sand of the Five Elements

In the Grand Hall of Xuantian, Mo Yubing said softly, "Let it be. Given the heritage of the Mo family, such a minor humiliation is nothing worth dwelling on."

Mo Yutang’s handsome face twisted instantly as he hissed, "No! The family may not care, but I do!"

Mo Yubing frowned and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"Advance to the Eighth Void Realm, then challenge him to a Life-and-Death Duel!"

Mo Yubing’s expression hardened. "A Life-and-Death Duel? Even I am not certain I could kill him."

Mo Yutang looked at him in disbelief. "You—you weren't just being careless?"

"Hmph! Careless? In a cultivator's battle, who dares to be careless?"

Mo Yubing felt a sense of gloom. If it had truly been due to carelessness, he could correct that. But at the time, he knew it wasn't. Even if he had given his all, he felt he had no chance of victory. Every single spell cast to perfection—where on earth did this young man come from?

Mo Yutang fell silent. If even an Eighth Void Realm expert couldn't defeat him, then the only option was to call for reinforcements. Fortunately, there were plenty of Mo family disciples in the southern region; any one of them would suffice.

He lowered his voice, "Then we shall have to invite Uncle Yao."

Mo Yubing shuddered. "Uncle Yao, Mo Zhimin? You know his temperament. Once he intervenes, there is no turning back. From that point on, that man will become the Mo family’s mortal enemy—a struggle to the death!"

Mo Yutang nodded fiercely. "Exactly."

"Is it really necessary?"

Mo Yutang looked up at him, surprised. "Brother, what are you afraid of? How many geniuses and prodigies has the Mo family already killed? What does one more matter? If you become more fearful the further you advance in cultivation, then there’s no point in practicing at all!"

Without waiting for a reply, Mo Yutang turned and flew out of the hall. Mo Yubing reached out to stop him, but it was too late. He couldn't help but offer a bitter smile.

True enough. While few geniuses dared to offend the Mo family, there had been some. And those geniuses were all long dead. But why did he feel such fear this time? He felt as if he were back in the sky above Haohan City, facing that young man in green robes once more.

It wasn't that he had become timid with his cultivation; it was simply that being trapped amidst a sky full of high-level perfected spells felt truly helpless. He was genuinely afraid.

Su Yizhao was naturally unaware of Mo Yubing’s thoughts. At this moment, he had already left the Profound Soul Hall and was flying south on his sword. In his storage ring, only eighty million supreme profound stones remained. Purchasing the resources for his breakthrough had cost twenty million supreme profound stones and over ten million high-grade ones. Cultivation was truly resource-intensive.

The eighth level of the *Profound Soul Canon* was the Soul Separation Realm. Upon reaching this level, one’s soul could leave the body, and it could even be split to create a clone. In this way, even if the main body were killed, the soul could escape. Of course, in reality, few cultivators did this. Splitting the soul caused one’s cultivation level to drop, and regaining it required not only time but vast resources.

Moreover, once someone had tasted the feeling of being powerful, no one was willing to become weak again.

Su Yizhao’s spiritual sense swept across the countless mountains, rivers, and forests below. Some peaks seemed protected, causing his spiritual sense to bounce off instantly upon contact. From other peaks, flashes of spiritual sense would occasionally sweep over him. He broke into a cold sweat.

They were powerful! A casual sweep of their spiritual sense made it difficult for him to breathe, nearly causing him to fall from his sword. Any one of them could likely swat him to death with a single palm. And these were merely elite disciples! What about the elders? They must be even more terrifying.

He recalled the battle between Xuan Wuji, the Sect Master of the Profound Qi Sect, and the demon race at the southwestern frontier. Xuan Wuji’s realm at the time must have been at the peak of the Seventh Spirit Realm. If he were to face his current self, Xuan Wuji would surely not be a match for him. Of course, he later heard that Xuan Wuji had sealed his physical and soul cultivation, using only profound energy.

As for Long Aotian, who had arrived later from the Xuantian Sect, his status within the sect must be quite high—at least an elder level. Even now, Su Yizhao could not guess Long Aotian’s realm. Was it the Ninth Void Realm? The Tenth? Perhaps even beyond the Void Realm!

Su Yizhao’s thoughts were in turmoil, so he quickly withdrew his spiritual sense and focused on his flight. After a quarter of an hour, having traveled over ten thousand miles, he arrived at his chosen location: an inconspicuous mountain peak with a few simple wooden huts, surrounded by lush trees and blooming flowers.

The profound energy was indeed a bit thin here. Of course, even if it was thin, it was still four or five times denser than outside the Xuantian Sect. Su Yizhao did a brief inspection and entered one of the huts. The interior was extremely sparse—a wooden table, four chairs, and a meditation cushion.

On the table lay a jade slip. He reached out to grab it, pressed it against his forehead, and couldn't help but smile. A formation! The slip contained the incantations to control the protective formation. Clearly, being disturbed during meditation was strictly avoided, even if unintentional. Hence, every peak had a defensive formation.

"They really are wealthy," he sighed again. How many peaks had he passed on his way here? And this was only the southern region! However, remembering how Long Aotian had casually taken away an entire spiritual vein, he felt at ease. The spiritual veins of the entire continent were likely stored here, which explained why the profound energy was so rich with spiritual essence.

Su Yizhao sat cross-legged on the cushion and began to chant. As he formed the hand seals, a low hum echoed, and the formation activated. A thin film of light completely covered the mountain peak.

So this was a formation? Su Yizhao flicked his finger, and his flying sword shot into the sky.

*Thud!*

The sword struck at a height of ten zhang, as if hitting a thick quilt, and was instantly repelled. The sword returned empty-handed, but Su Yizhao felt no disappointment; instead, a smile appeared on his face. A Seventh Spirit Realm cultivator could never break this formation. An Eighth Void Realm expert would likely have to spend significant effort. But in that time, the cultivator inside would surely have devised a countermeasure. It was a treasure indeed.

Su Yizhao closed his eyes, feeling a sense of urgency. He needed to advance to the Eighth Void Realm! If the Mo family's retaliation came, it would be lethal. Furthermore, he was still on the "all-sea" wanted list of the deep-sea demon race, which was even more dangerous. Although he was now within the Xuantian Sect, the deep-sea demon race had already reached the shore; who knew what plans they had in motion?

Su Yizhao unbuttoned his shirt. On his chest, the bagua-shaped birthmark remained the size of a fingernail, showing no changes. He took a deep breath, feeling a bit disappointed. It seemed he could not rely on the fourth layer of the *Profound Energy Creation Technique* for this breakthrough. He had a feeling that the next mutation of the bagua birthmark would bring him something different, but the mark was beyond his control and followed no pattern.

Worrying was useless. Relying on himself was the most reliable path.

He scanned his storage ring, and a jade bottle flew out. Su Yizhao caught it and looked closely. The bottle was transparent, revealing golden mist inside. This was the Five-Elements Golden Essence Sand. Despite the name "sand," it was in the form of mist. This single bottle had cost two million supreme profound stones, and he had five such bottles.

The process required absorbing this mist into his flesh and forming a cycle until it integrated completely, imbuing his body with the metal attribute of the five elements. It was an incredibly difficult step. But no matter how hard it was, he had to face it head-on.

With that thought, he gently uncorked the bottle.