388: Xiao Xuan awakens

Qing Hui's gaze fell upon Xun Xiuyuan, who had suddenly appeared beside him and Titan. A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth as he teased lightheartedly,

"It seems the results of your seclusion are no small matter. Even I can feel your shocking aura fluctuations; it truly forces one to look at you in a new light."

Although Qing Hui's words were somewhat subtle, the underlying admiration was unmistakable.

At this moment, although Xun Xiuyuan had only integrated three Systems of cosmic cores into his body, his comprehension of the main laws had reached a completely new level during his seclusion. The increase in his combat power had far exceeded common imagination and could no longer be measured by conventional logic.

Facing Qing Hui's praise, Xun Xiuyuan merely gave a faint smile and said calmly, "Actually, it was just a matter of luck; I simply had some new insights during my seclusion."

In reality, although Xun Xiuyuan was still at the Great Saint Realm cultivation level, this was only because the System had strict exotic beast value requirements, causing him to be temporarily unable to achieve a Breakthrough to a higher Realm.

Otherwise, with his current strength and foundation, he would have already been a bona fide Three-System Saint King.

More importantly, the main laws integrated and contained within Xun Xiuyuan's divine body were so numerous that even among Three-System Saint Kings, he could be considered an extremely anomalous existence. His true combat power could no longer be measured by the standards of the Great Saint Realm.

Seeing that Xun Xiuyuan did not seem to want to discuss his cultivation progress further, Qing Hui tactfully stopped prying. Instead, he cut straight to the chase and stated his purpose for coming to find Xun Xiuyuan.

"I have a set of coordinates here. After various investigations, there is a high probability that it's the place where the Sect Master is trapped. I would like to ask you to personally make a trip to confirm the situation."

Titan, standing nearby, also nodded in agreement at the appropriate time. "Xiao Yuan, given our current strength, the risk of going to that place is far too great. You are now the most powerful among us; having you go is undoubtedly the safest choice."

This statement was undoubtedly an indirect admission that Xun Xiuyuan had firmly taken the throne as the number one person in the current Yuan Ling Universe.

Hearing the request from Qing Hui and Titan, Xun Xiuyuan couldn't help but frown.

His original plan was to set off immediately for the depths of the Cosmic Abyss to rescue Jiu You after the Fusion of the fire-System cosmic core. He had already discussed this plan in detail with Grand Elder Hong Chen.

Xun Xiuyuan did not hide his thoughts; instead, he informed Qing Hui and Titan of his original plan truthfully.

After hearing this, Qing Hui pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Rescuing the Sect Master and Jiu You are both urgent and necessary matters; there's nothing to hesitate about. Communicate with Grand Elder Hong Chen again and see which place is more appropriate to go to first."

Qing Hui was indeed an experienced and wise man, cleverly leaving this difficult choice to Grand Elder Hong Chen herself.

Xun Xiuyuan also understood that Qing Hui's approach was undoubtedly the wisest choice. Having no better alternative, he temporarily left the Southwest Fortress to discuss it with Grand Elder Hong Chen.

At this time, Grand Elder Hong Chen was as usual, leisurely sipping wine atop the city wall.

Seeing Xun Xiuyuan's arrival, she showed no sign of surprise, as if she had long expected him to come looking for her.

"Go rescue the Sect Master first."

Grand Elder Hong Chen said in a calm tone.

"We, the older generation of Saint Kings, can't even protect our own home. The hope for the future still rests on the shoulders of the younger generation like you."

Clearly, the fierce attack by the Phantom Poison King had given the Six-Element Saint Kings of the Yuan Ling Universe an unprecedented sense of defeat, and their pride had been severely suppressed.

Before Xun Xiuyuan could even speak, Grand Elder Hong Chen had already made the decision.

This left Xun Xiuyuan feeling somewhat awkward; he could only scratch his head and ask tentatively, "Grand Elder Hong Chen, you already knew my purpose for coming?"

Grand Elder Hong Chen smiled slightly and said, "Whether it's the Sect Master or Jiu You, they are both pillars of the Yuan Ling Universe. Both have been trapped for a long time; rescuing them a bit earlier or later doesn't actually make a huge difference."

Hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan nodded in deep agreement, acknowledging Grand Elder Hong Chen's perspective.

Just then, the voice of Xiao Xuan suddenly echoed in Xun Xiuyuan's mind:

"Master! I'm awake."

Hearing this news, Xun Xiuyuan was instantly overjoyed. He quickly gave a bow to Grand Elder Hong Chen and said, "Grand Elder Hong Chen, I still need to make some preparations. I will set out to rescue the Sect Master later."

Grand Elder Hong Chen nodded, expressing her understanding. "For such a major matter, it's naturally better to be as prepared as possible. Do not be in a rush."

After receiving Grand Elder Hong Chen's approval, Xun Xiuyuan turned and left the South Fortress, entering his secret chamber once again.

Almost the moment he stepped into the secret chamber, Xiao Xuan manifested. She was still dressed in red, but she was no longer the young girl from before. Instead, she was like a queen looking down upon the world, her majestic aura washing over him.

Although her appearance hadn't changed much, the feeling she gave Xun Xiuyuan was entirely different.

Xiao Xuan looked at Xun Xiuyuan's stunned expression and let out a soft laugh, teasing him,

"What? Do you find my changes to be very large? Are you surprised?"

Xun Xiuyuan snapped out of it, nodded, and said honestly, "Yes, your changes are indeed very significant."

Xiao Xuan explained with a light smile, "During your seclusion this time, the increase in your Mental Energy was extremely startling. This allowed me to recover all of my memories, and I've even remembered some distant past events."

Hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan nodded and did not ask too many questions.

He knew that if Xiao Xuan had anything important to say, she would naturally take the initiative to tell him.

"Xiao Xuan, can the Time Layer be opened now? I need to fuse two cosmic cores, and I'm afraid I won't have enough time." Xun Xiuyuan asked urgently.

Now that Xiao Xuan had fully recovered her memories, she was no longer as impulsive as before. She chuckled softly,

"Master, you really are different from before. To think you didn't burst from the pressure during the last cosmic core Fusion, and now you can even continue fusing more. It's truly surprising."

Upon hearing Xiao Xuan's words, Xun Xiuyuan's expression immediately turned somewhat sour.

Back then, it was Xiao Xuan who had egged him on to fuse that light-System cosmic core.

Now, Xiao Xuan had changed her tune, saying it was quite a feat that he hadn't burst from the pressure.

Seeing Xun Xiuyuan's disgruntled face, Xiao Xuan's smile became even more radiant. "The Time Layer is already open. It has a hundredfold time flow rate inside; you may enter."

Xun Xiuyuan glanced at the smiling Xiao Xuan, said nothing more, and with a flash of his body, he entered the Time Layer within the Ling Tian Pagoda.

Xiao Xuan, meanwhile, remained in the secret chamber, murmuring to herself, "Master! You can definitely do it. With your anomalous strength, there will certainly be no problem."