Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

Ignoring the group of Land Creation Realm cultivators that emerged after his divine sense swept through the intact city, Xuan Hao found his attention entirely focused on heavenly treasure carefully suspended in some kind of ancient storage formation within one of the eight clans. His joy over the discovery of this heavenly treasure wasn’t just because he had discovered a heavenly treasure, but instead because the heavenly treasure wasn’t one aligned with the Dao of Earth, Nature or other similarly easier to find heavenly and earthly treasures like he had encountered in the past. Instead, it was a heavenly treasure aligned with the Dao of Ice.

How a heavenly treasure of the Dao of Ice had even formed in an environment that was close to a desert in terms of temperature, he had no idea and just chalked it up to the heavenly treasure having been found somewhere a bit colder within the small world in the past before it had been transported over and ultimately stored within the city.

At the end of the day, the only thing that mattered was that this heavenly treasure would give him a very real opportunity to push his Dao of Ice even further in the future and maybe even give him a chance to reach the Origin Realm in the Dao of Ice before the Dao of Space, that by far was the Dao he had gone the furthest with so far.

”ARE YOU IGNORING ME!? HOW BOLD OF-”

But even if it did grant him a chance at potentially reaching the Origin Realm with the Dao of Ice, it was clear that it had been sealed for a reason, as a quick glance at the ancient storage formation that not only kept it safe but also suspended midair served another important function of ensuring that the block of ice that was the heavenly treasure was kept in an optimal environment and wouldn’t end up degrading over time in quality.

”I... Think he is ignoring us...”

”That...”

This problem did have a few solutions, but the one he was leaning towards for now was either absorbing it directly after breaking the ancient storage formation or spending some time researching the storage formation before trying to come up with a similar one that he could take with him. Maybe even one that could be placed inside an interspatial ring, as it was clear that the current storage formation it was being kept in couldn’t be moved without breaking.

”All of you are cowards! Let this old man make the first move!”

RUMBLE-!

And as he was lost in his own thoughts wondering how to solve the problem of transportation of the heavenly treasure in the shape of a large block of ice, a large axe made entirely out of fire more than a hundred meters high manifested above him before cutting down with a terrifying momentum that directly tore through the space around it.

Bang!

Not that this fire axe posed much of a threat, as Xuan Hao casually used his Dao of Ice to create a wall of ice above his head to block the descending fire axe before in similarly easy-going manner condensing a three-meter-long icicle above his head that he waved off in the direction of the older cultivator at the Early Stage of the Land Creation Realm that had just attacked him.

Swish-!

Ptsh!

Sending the simple-looking icicle flying towards this old cultivator at a terrifying speed that left him with no chance to defend before the icicle had already pierced through his stomach. ”Wha... What?” Only able to silently mutter a few words to himself as he stared down at the icicle that had penetrated his stomach in horror before the terrifying cold qi stored within the icicle exploded outwards and rapidly froze his body and soul alike. Killing him before he even had the chance to react to what had just happened.

In the process, Xuan Hao not only managed to display the clear difference in strength between himself and these older cultivators who had barely reached the Early Stage of the Land Creation Realm but also found a new way to use the Dao of Ice and the Dao of Space together.

After all, simple as the icicle looked, it contained not just the terrifying power of the Dao of Ice, but also that of the Dao of Space. Allowing the icicle to reach the older cultivator at the Early Stage of the Land Creation Realm before he even had the chance to react. Not that he would have been able to do much in the face of an attack by some at the Late Stage of the Land Creation Realm cultivator that incorporated both the Dao of Space and the Dao of Ice at the Perfection Realm.

”””...”””

As for the reaction of the remaining seven Land Creation Realm cultivators who were no stronger than this old one who had just perished from a single attack... It was clear from a glance that none of them thought about attacking Xuan Hao after what they had just witnessed.

Whoosh~

Not that Xuan Hao cared much for their reaction, as he had already reached the hidden vault where the heavenly treasure had been stored. Fondly watching the giant block of ice spinning aimlessly above the artifact that served as the core of the ancient storage formation that kept it in place.

Coincidentally, the great clan he had entered just so happened to be the one belonging to the older cultivator he had just killed off. Making it seem to the other seven Land Creation Realm cultivators like he was someone who had some kind of grudge with the now dead older cultivator and had specifically come to take revenge.

But then again, they also understood that this was just their own wishful thinking, as his initial arrival didn’t suggest him coming with the sole intention of taking out the now dead older cultivator.

Still, though they knew this, none of the seven dared to do anything as they silently remained awkwardly floating in the air above the city.

Not even one of them daring to escape or even move. Fearing that any movement might end up turning them into the next target of this terrifying cultivator who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and smashed their city guardian formation.

”Looks like it should be simple enough for me to copy the storage formation and transfer it over to an empty interspatial ring specifically for storing this heavenly treasure.” Not caring about the situation outside. Assuming those seven floating vaults of information didn’t try to run away. Xuan Hao realized that the ancient storage formation was far simpler to copy onto an empty interspatial ring than he had originally anticipated.

The main difficulty coming from the fact that one would need to not only have reached the Small Success Realm in the Dao of Formations, but needed an even higher attainment in the Dao of Ice while also needing some comprehension of the Dao of Space to inscribe the storage formation into an interspatial ring for easier storage and transport. Something that wasn’t a problem with his current attainments in the three Daos.

Even then, the creation of the special interspatial ring using an interspatial ring he had emptied out into another interspatial ring, still ended up taking a little over an hour before the block of ice that was the heavenly treasure had been safely stored inside the new interspatial ring.

During this time, the seven Land Creation Realm cultivators outside remained in place. Not even moving as the people below them began moving a few minutes after things had calmed down and started escaping from the city without the slightest care in the world. Understanding that staying within the boundaries of the city might result in them being caught up in the battle between the great figures above.

As for why these great figures had come to a stop in the air for seemingly no reason? Most people guessed that this was these great figures giving them a chance to leave before they began their great battle.

Unknowingly, this caused the countless rumors that had been circulating about the eight great clans being demons that swallowed people alive to lose ground among the general populace.

After all, what kind of demon would willingly stop their battle and give all of them the chance to escape?

From what these weaker civilians knew, senior figures like those above who cared for those below were incredibly rare.

Not only were they not great demons in the eyes of these civilians, but instead, they transformed into kind saints compared to other similarly powerful figures that controlled the other cities that remained intact following the great war a few hundred years earlier.

Something that the seven floating up above were fully aware of them thinking with how they weren’t exactly silent about their thoughts. Praising the seven seniors above as benevolent saints while making a quick escape from the city without the slightest bit of hesitation.

And this wasn’t just the civilians. Even their own clan members were the same... And they knew full well what they had been up to over the past few years...