Chapter 3435 — Breakthrough: Third Level, Great Perfection!

A double breakthrough, then! With that thought, Wei Zhao set his mind at ease and simply let the surrounding vital energy and true qi pour into his body.

His body was like a lodestone now, ceaselessly drawing in the surging energy around him, while the energy within him only grew—more and more, until at last he felt his body could hold no more of that vast tide. Then, all at once, he burst like a firecracker, a thunderous report tearing from him as the clothes on his back were blown to scorched black shreds that went flying in every direction.

A breakthrough! Wei Zhao hadn't expected to rise so quickly to the third level of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, to Great Perfection. It seemed hardly any time at all had passed since he'd reached Great Perfection at the second level.

Still, a breakthrough was a good thing—except for the question that now gnawed at him: when would he finally be able to open the fourth stone gate?

Before, his mental cultivation method had never reached such heights, so he'd given the matter little thought; after all, there was no use dwelling on what one hadn't yet attained. But now that the method had broken through to Great Perfection, it meant he could begin cultivating the fourth level of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art. And if he gained that fourth level—beyond hastening his cultivation and speeding the healing of wounds and the recovery of physical stamina and true qi—what other benefits might it bring?

And what rewards lay behind that fourth stone gate? Something like the universal martial technique, the jade pendant refinement, or the forging of divine weapons? Wei Zhao could hardly wait.

Yet waiting was useless. The prerequisites for opening the fourth stone gate were not only breaking the third level of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art through to Great Perfection, but also striking the gate with a fully forged divine weapon—only then would it open.

And now, Wei Zhao had the strength, but the divine weapon was not yet forged. His one consolation was that the materials had all been gathered; only the blood of the Five Fiends Dragon remained, and that was rather hard to come by—unless he entered the Five Fiends Wilderness once more. But even if he wished to go in, whether the Xuandan Sect would let him, and whether he could enter at all, was another question entirely.

It seemed he would have to find a chance to ask Kang Jingming about it...

Meanwhile, four Fire Wolf War Gods were dead, and Dr. Benjamin II and Qiu Shanlong were still anxiously awaiting word of them.

They had reported in earlier, after their show of force at the Song family, giving the Songs time to consider; and they knew the four had gone back to the Song compound today. Yet they had waited and waited—by the reckoning of time on the Chinese side, it should already be the middle of the night—and still there was no word from the four.

"Qiu Shanlong, why is there still no news of those four Fire Wolf War Gods? Could something have gone wrong, some complication arisen?" Dr. Benjamin II asked, a note of worry in his voice.

"By rights there shouldn't be any problem. They're all consummate masters at the peak of the late Heaven rank—the strongest existences in the whole cultivation world today. Never mind a mere Song family; even those ancient sects would find it hard to stand against the four of them unless they joined forces," Qiu Shanlong said with a shake of his head.

"That's true enough," Dr. Benjamin II said after hearing him out. "The reasoning holds, but I still can't shake this unease. The Center's rules are strict—once those four had the target in hand, they would have contacted us at the first opportunity."

"I'll try calling again." At Dr. Benjamin II's words, Qiu Shanlong picked up the phone once more and dialed Fire Wolf War God Number Five's number—but when the call connected, no one answered.

Fire Wolf War God Number Five hadn't taken his phone at all before leading the men to the Song family; he'd simply left it in the hotel. He was a master trained by the Center and hardly ever used a mobile phone in ordinary life, so it was only natural he'd go out without one.

Qiu Shanlong hung up and tried twice more, still with no answer, and his brow furrowed. "Doctor, no one's picking up..."

"I know. Let's wait a little longer. If it comes to it, we'll have to report to Miss Lan, the Master's wife," Dr. Benjamin II said.

But the two of them waited another two hours—long enough for Fire Wolf War God Number Five and his men to go from the hotel to the Song family and back again—and still there was no word. That set them both to panic.

"Still no answer, Doctor. We'd better report it..." This time even Qiu Shanlong, who had been so composed before, sensed that something was badly wrong, that something major might be afoot. "Nine times out of ten, something's gone wrong."

"All right!" Dr. Benjamin II dialed Miss Lan directly. And at that moment, Miss Lan was herself waiting for word from Dr. Benjamin II; to the Center, Song Lingwei was a research subject of considerable importance.

"Benjamin II, how did it go? Song Lingwei has been brought back, hasn't she?" Miss Lan asked.

"Miss Lan—Master's wife, the Fire Wolf War Gods have all gone silent. Qiu Shanlong called them and no one answered, as if they'd suddenly vanished..." Dr. Benjamin II said.

"What?" Miss Lan was startled. "What happened? Four consummate masters at the peak of the late Heaven rank, and they couldn't even take Song Lingwei away? Instead they've disappeared?"

"I suspect some mishap has befallen them. With the Song family's strength, it would be utterly impossible to kill four Fire Wolf War Gods!" Dr. Benjamin II said. "If they had that kind of power, they would have struck on our first visit to the Song house—they wouldn't have worn those helpless expressions. I suspect someone stepped in to help, or else this has nothing to do with the Song family at all, and they ran into some other trouble!"

"I understand. I'll have someone investigate," Miss Lan said. She was, after all, a woman who did great things; after a brief lapse, she composed herself. "You needn't concern yourself with this matter. Focus on studying the first- and second-grade automatic medicinal cauldrons!"

"Yes, understood," Dr. Benjamin II agreed. Miss Lan had already had the first- and second-grade automatic medicinal cauldrons sent over today, though he hadn't yet found the time to study them.

After hanging up, Miss Lan could not sit still. She left her room and hurried to where Ancestor Xuanchen was.

"Miss Lan, visiting so late—is something the matter?" Ancestor Xuanchen asked, eyeing her with some curiosity as she came in.

"There's a matter I'd like to ask Mr. Xuanchen's help with," Miss Lan said bluntly. "In the Chinese cultivation world, there should be nothing that can be kept from the Five Luminaries Sect, is that not so?"

"That is so. What is it you'd have Xuanchen do, Miss Lan?" Ancestor Xuanchen was utterly baffled—what could Miss Lan want with him, and how had the Chinese cultivation world come into it? (To be continued.)RU