Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Foundation of the Path of a Saint

To dominate a region was easy. To rule the world was nearly impossible. The reason was simple, there were too many Saint-level forces in this vast world.

Holy lands, empires, dynasties, forbidden areas, sacred halls, sacred gates, and holy cities, each had histories spanning over ten thousand years, each harboring multiple saints. Expecting them to simply submit was laughable.

Even if the Primordial Holy Land of Central Continent boasted Zhan Tianque, the strongest saint in the world, or if the once-mighty Ghostly Divine Platform had the Divine King Taiyi, their influence was merely a deterrent, not true dominion over the world.

After all, many saints existed who could challenge them.

At its core, the path beyond the perfected level of a saint was completely blocked, allowing numerous saints to accumulate power over time.

Thus, no immortals reigned supreme, and saints remained the highest existences, a fact universally accepted during Eternal Night.

Now, Saint Yue Shou claimed that the Taixu Dynasty sought to rule the world.

Zhang Yang simply smirked—even if these were the words of a saint, he found them amusing.

Saint Yue Shou continued speaking, his words rambling and repetitive. As his voice weakened, it became nearly unintelligible, as if he were in his final moments.

At last, his voice faded completely.

With that, the death of Saint Yue Shou was confirmed.

Zhang Yang frowned as he processed what he had just heard.

Taixu Dynasty… Taixu Sacred Gate… These were the two major Saint-level forces in the Western Desert and Northern Plains.

The Taixu Dynasty was somewhat akin to the Ghostly Divine Platform of the Southern Region, yet it lacked the absolute dominance the latter held in its territory.

The Taixu Sacred Gate, on the other hand, was relatively weaker, not as prominent among the Northern Plains’ holy lands.

Yet Zhang Yang had some history with them.

The saint Lie Qianlong, whom he had slain in the Green Sparrow Palace, was from none other than the Taixu Sacred Gate.

Despite their differences, both groups had once belonged to the Taixu Immortal Path before the age of Eternal Night.

According to Saint Yue Shou, when Eternal Night arrived, the Taixu Immortal Path chose to scatter itself across the five regions.

This led Zhang Yang to strongly suspect that remnants of the Taixu Immortal Path’s power still lingered across each of the five regions, albeit under new names.

Perhaps this was why Saint Yue Shou insisted that the Taixu Dynasty sought to dominate the world.

Even so, Zhang Yang shook his head, unconvinced.

It was far more likely that the Taixu Dynasty aimed to monopolize the Western Desert instead.

Moreover, according to Saint Yue Shou, the Taixu Dynasty had already plotted against the Cold Moon Dynasty for over three hundred years.

He had fallen into the Abyss of the Buried Immortals after being betrayed and ambushed by a Taixu agent planted within the Cold Moon Dynasty.

Though he had managed to drag his assassin down with him, that individual had long since perished deeper in the abyss.

Even so, he was certain that many traitors still remained within the Cold Moon Dynasty.

In short, this saint had talked too much.

His final words were messy, meandering off-topic and lacking clarity—a clear sign that his mind had deteriorated in his last moments.

Yet, despite the chaotic message, Zhang Yang had still gained valuable insight into the power dynamics of the Western Desert, the Cold Moon Dynasty, and the Taixu Dynasty.

With that, Zhang Yang gathered the items from the ground.

"If I ever meet you, I will fulfill your last wish as thanks for the help you’ve provided through this cave."

Zhang Yang picked up the Holy Path Handbook written by Saint Yue Shou, which detailed his profound understanding of martial arts. It was a precious treasure to Zhang Yang.

However, his path was different—he followed the immortal path.

Concepts such as saint inheritance and bloodline legacies held little value to him.

What truly mattered were insights like these, which could fortify his martial arts foundation, continuously strengthen his inner self, and allow him to grow without instability, advancing ever forward with unwavering steadiness.

The Holy Path Handbook was thick and meticulously detailed.

He read through it carefully.

Unknowingly, the foundation of his saintly path deepened and solidified.

When he finished reading, he closed his eyes, entering meditation to fully digest the content and integrate it into his own understanding of the path of a saint. This process was not just about refining his saintly path, it was also laying the groundwork for his immortal path.

After half a day, he finally opened his eyes.

This time, he had gained tremendously. These insights would prove crucial when transitioning from soul power martial arts techniques to holy power martial arts techniques.

For instance, his Baxiang Power could now easily transform into Baxiang Saintly Power thanks to his enhanced foundation.

Stretching his body, he ignored the martial arts techniques related to the path of a saint, as they held little interest for him.

He approached the cave entrance and gazed upward.

The air remained thick with an oppressive aura of death, stretching endlessly beyond his sight.

He wanted to leave, but found no way out.

Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to train, taking out his Spirit Stones.

However, when he opened his storage bag, his expression darkened.

The aura of death had seeped inside, ruining the Spirit Stones.

More than ten other treasures had also been destroyed—including the communication stone, the recording stone, and even the Spirit Saint Stones.

All had succumbed to the corruption of the death aura.

He had been too focused on the Holy Path Handbook and had failed to notice this creeping disaster.

Realizing this sent a chill down his spine.

If he had triggered the stone furnace’s holy fire, would the aura of death have already erased his existence?

How could he possibly escape this predicament?

A heavy sense of oppression weighed upon him.

Meditation was no longer an option.

He looked downward.

The holy fire of the Inheritance Stone Furnace continued to burn, radiating the undeniable power of a perfected holy fire.

"Holy Fire!"

"My Baxiang Saintly Fire is actually stronger than the holy fire left by the Star Flame Saint in resisting the aura of death."

"Death is the essence of extreme yin."

"The Baxiang Power corresponds to the Baxiang Saintly Fire."

"Yin and yang counter each other!"

"However, my Baxiang Saintly Power is still in its initial stage—far from perfection. Since I no longer have Spirit Stones to train with, I should focus on refining my Baxiang Saintly Power. This may be a rare opportunity."

With that, he sat at the cave entrance, lowering his head to observe the stone furnace’s holy fire.

Through the cracks, he studied the Forbidden Law Patterns inscribed within the stone furnace. Each pattern manifested as a form of holy fire.

He steadied his mind and began contemplating.

Three Days Passed.

In just three days, his Baxiang Saintly Power unexpectedly broke through, reaching the small developed level.

This astonished Zhang Yang.

Previously, when cultivating Diamond Dragon Holy Power, he had struggled to progress from initial understanding to small development, even in the space of the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins. Yet now, his breakthrough had come effortlessly.

This was the benefit of a stronger foundation on the path of a saint.

Feeling elated, Zhang Yang flicked a strand of Baxiang Saintly Fire into the air.

He had no expectation that it would resist the aura of death—his goal was simply to observe its reaction and analyze the subtle interactions between yin and yang.

As soon as the Baxiang Saintly Fire emerged, it triggered a violent reaction from the aura of death, and was instantly extinguished.

Yet, since this was his own power, Zhang Yang faced no danger in testing it. More importantly, he was able to witness and analyze the entire process, studying the delicate relationship between yin and yang.

One attempt wasn’t enough.

He tried again.

Two times.

Three times.

Four times.

On the fifth attempt, he stopped.

A thought surfaced in his mind.

"Yin and yang naturally counter each other… yet this aura of death is not pure yin, it is death itself."

"Death, as extreme yin, and death as a force… these are two different concepts. I seem to have confused them."

"Saint Yue Shou was not wrong—life is the true nemesis of death. That’s why the life-boosting forbidden law remains stable."

"Life!"

He stroked his chin before shaking his head.

None of his soul powers or holy powers possessed the essence of life itself.

Which meant… he had to rely on Baxiang Saintly Power.

Zhang Yang continued to contemplate.

Immersing himself in observation, he studied the stone furnace’s holy fire while also retrieving the Holy Bell of a Thousand Powers for further analysis.

Half a day passed.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed across the Abyss of the Buried Immortals.

The entire space within the abyss trembled.

The aura of death surged wildly, rolling and roaring as if suppressed by an invisible force.

Zhang Yang snapped out of his contemplation.

He quickly channeled his Nine Extremes True Essence into his ears, attempting to perceive what lay beyond his sight.

Through the distant chaos, he vaguely heard a man’s exclamation—

"The Ghost Ship of the Buried Immortals… life and death in a cycle!"