Yang Xiao merely stood outside the Poison King Valley and took a single glance.
Then, he left.
His Thousand Mechanism Eye had alerted him that he was not yet qualified to challenge this place.
'In that case, I'll focus on fully comprehending the Time Secret Pattern first.'
With that thought, Yang Xiao's form flickered.
He appeared outside the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion's sole Inheritance Tower.
He didn't immediately begin to comprehend the Secret Patterns of the 7th Layer. Instead, he started from the 1st Layer, reinforcing his foundation step by step.
The more layers an Inheritance Tower possessed, the more new, previously unseen Secret Patterns would appear, even starting from the very first layer. Although they were mostly minor details...
...they represented different levels of understanding.
And so...
Layer by layer.
Yang Xiao gradually advanced toward the 7th Layer.
Soon.
He had reviewed the Time Secret Patterns of the first six layers completely.
His comprehension grew even more profound.
He had laid an unshakable foundation.
Only then did he raise his head and quietly begin to memorize the Secret Patterns of the 7th Layer.
With the foundation of the previous six layers, the Secret Patterns of the Seventh Layerâdespite being ten times more numerous, a hundred times more profound, and a thousand times more difficult to comprehend than the first six layers combinedâwere not insurmountable.
In fact, Yang Xiao's progress...
...was exceptionally good.
In just ten short days...
...he had memorized the entirety of the Seventh Layer's Time Secret Patterns.
He swallowed a Desolate Divine Fruit.
And began his comprehension.
At this point, the Desolate Divine Fruits in Yang Xiao's possession were no longer a rarity.
The Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion had accumulated them for hundreds of thousands of years. Every fruit that fell was collected by the Inheritance Altar. Adding these to the ones Yang Xiao had previously obtained...
...and those from Xuan Tianzhan...
...the total now exceeded thirty thousand.
While Yang Xiao wouldn't be wasteful, he no longer needed to be overly frugal with them.
With the help of so many Desolate Divine Fruits...
...Yang Xiao's comprehension of the Time Secret Pattern...
...progressed at an absolutely breakneck pace.
ăMeanwhile, in the outside worldă
ăWithin the Carefree Sectă
The Eight Great Guardian Beasts were listlessly standing guard within the Eight Extremes Heaven-Burning Array.
Xuan Tianxin, on the other hand, was looking much the worse for wear.
"Look, the old coot is much better behaved now. Who knows what he was scheming before, with that ecstatic look on his face."
The Three-Headed Cyan Nether Snake chuckled sinisterly.
Just a moment ago, it and that show-off, the Undying Firebird, had schemed together to mess with Xuan Tianxin.
A few pillars from the array had slammed down.
Not only did they beat him until he spat blood...
...they also singed off a good portion of his eyebrows.
He was a truly miserable sight.
Of course, this wasn't because the Eight Extremes Heaven-Burning Array had suddenly grown stronger. It was because Xuan Tianxin was so focused on welcoming the arrival of that great personage that his mind was divided, giving the two beasts an opportunity to exploit.
Otherwise...
...though the Eight Extremes Heaven-Burning Array was powerful, Xuan Tianxin was no pushover. With one foot practically in the Small Divine Ability Realm, he was considered a top-tier powerhouse in the entire Celestial Cloud Region.
How could he be truly injured by an Eight Extremes Heaven-Burning Array controlled by just eight Fifth Tier Barbarian Beasts?
At most, they could only trap him as they had before.
But the eight Fifth Tier Barbarian Beasts didn't know any of this.
Besides, just keeping Xuan Tianxin trapped was dreadfully boring.
Having a bit of fun was a welcome change.
That was why, even though the other Guardian Beasts didn't participate directly, they were more than happy to play along.
"I still think we shouldn't be too careless," the most level-headed of them, the Moonlight Rhinoceros, rumbled. "There's something off about his mood. It seems like he's waiting for something..."
Its opinion, however, was not taken seriously.
The Undying Firebird shot it a disdainful look. "Crying wolf again? This Array was laid down by the Young Master himself. When the eight of us operate it, not even a Tier Six Barbaric Beast King could dream of escaping. This old coot only has the power of a junior Tier Six Barbaric Beast King. How could he possibly get away?"
"That's right, the Red-Feathered Bird is right."
The Heaven-Swallowing Golden Dog said, its tail wagging.
"Greedy Dog, what did you just say? You dare call me 'Red-Feathered Bird'? Are you looking for a fight?"
The Undying Firebird instantly blew its top.
"All right, that's enough out of both of you. Behave," the Single-Horned Evil Flood Dragon finally spoke. It had remained silent until now, too lazy to bother with the others. Its temperament was the fiercest, its Evil Qi the heaviest, and its power the greatest among them.
Ever since being subdued by Yang Xiao, its disposition had become even colder and more withdrawn.
That was why it rarely spoke.
However, whenever it did...
...the other seven Barbaric Beasts immediately fell in line.
After all, the world of Barbaric Beasts revered strength far more than the human world did.
This was no exception, even though they were all now servants to Yang Xiao.
Instantly.
The Undying Firebird and the Heaven-Swallowing Golden Dog, who had been on the verge of fighting over a single remark, fell silent.
Their gazes simultaneously shifted to Xuan Tianxin inside the array.
They exchanged a look.
And understood each other perfectly.
With a shared thought...
...two massive pillars of energy instantly slammed into the distracted Xuan Tianxin.
The blow sent him flying.
SPLURT! He coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood.
Having landed their attack, the Undying Firebird and the Heaven-Swallowing Golden Dog burst into raucous laughter.
They were like a pair of best friends.
Nothing like the pair that had been bickering and on the verge of an all-out brawl just moments ago.
'Fuck! These damn beasts! When the Lord Immortal Master arrives, I, Xuan Tianxin, will make you all pay! Just you wait! And the Carefree Sect, Yang Xiao... all of you bastards are going to die!'
Knocked flat on the ground, Xuan Tianxin's mouth was full of blood and grit.
He was seething with rage.
But he could only bury his face in the dirt, not daring to let them see his expression.
In his heart, however, he had already sworn a silent oath to destroy the Carefree Sect, no matter the cost.
And just then...
...a message arrived.
A look of ecstatic joy instantly appeared on his face.
'Two hours! In just two more hours, the great personage will arrive! He told me to prepare a welcome! Haha! Yang Xiao, you're a dead man! And these damn beasts! Hmph, in just two more hours, you're all going to die!'
Xuan Tianxin's face twisted into a savage grin.
ăAt that very momentă
Several hundred miles away from the Carefree Sect...
...a group of people was making their way toward it.
A careful count would reveal exactly nine people.
Eight men and one woman.
The man in the lead had an air of authority, clearly someone long accustomed to a position of power.
His aura was also incredibly formidable. He had already reached the Martial Grandmaster Peak, with one foot about to step into the Martial Saint Realm, on the cusp of becoming a lofty Half-Step Martial Saint.
The remaining seven men had varying auras, but each one of them radiated a menacing Evil Qi.
They were extremely powerful, each at least at the Martial Grandmaster First Layer.
And then there was the woman.
She was a young girl, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, who looked lively and adorable, yet her aura was even more terrifying.
Incredibly...
...she had already reached the level of a Half-Step Martial Saint.
At the same time, two strange energies could be faintly sensed within her body, intertwining and nourishing one another.
One was the power of the Water Attribute.
The other, the power of the Wood Attribute.
They shared a common source, yet each possessed its own distinct might.
This group, needless to say, was none other than Yang Zhentian and his seven adopted sons. The young woman was Yun'Er, who had already formed a Dual Treasure Body.
Missing Yang Xiao dearly...
...they had left the Greater Yang God Palace and traveled all this way toward the Carefree Sect.
If nothing unexpected were to happen...
...at their current speed...
...they would arrive in approximately two hours.
This was the exact time that the great personage Xuan Tianxin was waiting to receiveâthe True God Level Powerhouse, Nangong Tianlingâwas scheduled to arrive.
Events...
...seemed to be developing exactly as the Thousand Mechanism Eye had foreseen.
Yang Xiao...
...would he make it in time?