Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

Chongyangzi gave his instructions. "Yes! Junior understands," Yan Huo responded.

"Regarding the two overseas cultivators you mentioned, they must have come for that item," Chongyangzi continued.

"What item?" Yan Huo asked, puzzled.

"My true self knew that this item would attract other cultivators to seek it. Although it is useless to me, my true self didn't want to make it too easy for others to take it, so he placed a rather powerful restriction on it. That item holds no value to you. It is just an ethereal legend, and I can't understand why, after all these years, people are still obsessing over finding it," Chongyangzi murmured to himself. Then he turned to Yan Huo with a serious expression. "With your current strength, you mustn't provoke those two cultivators. If they want the Golden Jade Diagram, just give it to them when you return."

"But, Senior, you're still here! What if they come here, destroy your statue, and take your treasures? What will we do then?" Yan Huo asked with concern.

"Heh! Yan Huo, you don't need to worry about me. I have been waiting here for five hundred years. Now that you've come, my task is complete, and I can return to my true self's body," Chongyangzi replied.

Once again, Chongyangzi wasn't telling Yan Huo the truth. His true self had undergone the tribulation five hundred years ago, and whether his true self had succeeded or perished, there was no chance for him to return to his original body.

"As for the treasures... they won't be able to take them because I'm giving them to you now," Chongyangzi continued, smiling.

"They...?" Yan Huo immediately understood that there were more treasures than he had thought.

"Well, calling them treasures is a bit of an exaggeration. They are just a few mid-to-high quality spiritual pills and spiritual tools. As for the top-tier items, my true self took them with him when he faced the tribulation," Chongyangzi explained. "However, with your current strength, these items will be of great help in completing the task entrusted by my true self."

Yan Huo said sincerely, "I will do my utmost to complete the task you entrusted to me, Senior. Please tell me what it is."

"My true self wants you to take all the paintings from this tower and deliver them to someone in the Southeastern Sea," Chongyangzi instructed.

"Paintings!? Southeastern Sea!?" Yan Huo could hardly believe what he was hearing. He had not expected the task to be so simple. Was it really that simple?

Not only had Chongyangzi left three mid-grade flying swords, one high-grade flying sword, and ten mid-to-high quality spiritual pills in his storage ring, but he had also left the complete set of cultivation methods for the *Xiaoyao Heart Method* and all the scrolls for the *Escape Heaven Five Elements Formation* for Yan Huo.

The *Hidden Formation* that Yan Huo had learned was just a rudimentary version of the *Escape Heaven Five Elements Formation*. The *Escape Heaven Five Elements Formation* was divided into two categories: the *Confinement Formation* and the *Killing Formation*, with five hundred scrolls in each category. The *Confinement Formation* included five types: *Hidden*, *Confusion*, *Mystical*, *Illusion*, and *Dividing* formations. The *Killing Formation* included four types: *Wind*, *Fire*, *Lightning*, and *Electricity* formations. The further one went into the formations, the more difficult they became. Every time a formation was set up, it required true energy along with numerous hand seals. To accurately combine hundreds, even thousands, of hand seals into the formation, one needed to use soul power. This made the formation an excellent way for Yan Huo to cultivate his soul power.

As Yan Huo pondered, he felt a deep sense of reflection. The power and mystery of the cultivation world filled him with longing, but the difficulty of achieving immortality made him uneasy. His unease wasn't because he doubted his ability to become immortal, but because of the promise he had made to Xiuning. He didn't know how long it would take to fulfill that promise. Chongyangzi had spent over five thousand years preparing for the tribulation, and even then, there was no guarantee of success.

"Five thousand years... Chongyangzi, Senior, took so long. I wonder how long it will take me!?" Yan Huo's consciousness had already left the statue. Although he still referred to Chongyangzi as Senior, he had already considered him a master in his heart.

Zhongyangzi gave his orders.

"Yes, Senior, I understand." Yan Huo replied.

"As for the two overseas cultivators you mentioned, they are likely here for something specific."

"What is that thing?" Yan Huo asked.

"My true self knew that this item would attract the attention of other cultivators. While it's of no use to me, my true self didn't want to let others take it easily. Therefore, he placed a rather strong seal on it. It's of no use to you either. It's just a fleeting legend, I don't understand why, after all these years, people are still so obsessed with finding it," Zhongyangzi muttered to himself, then turned to Yan Huo seriously. "Given your current strength, you must not provoke those two cultivators. When you return, just hand them the *Golden Jade Picture*."

"But Senior, you're still here! What if those cultivators come here, destroy your statue, and take your treasures? What will happen then?" Yan Huo asked anxiously.

"Hehe, Yan Huo, you needn't worry about me. I have been waiting here for five hundred years. Now that you've arrived, my mission is complete. I can return to my true body," Zhongyangzi replied.

At this moment, Yan Huo felt something strange. The so-called 'true body' of Zhongyangzi was no longer something achievable. Whether Zhongyangzi's true body succeeded in transcending the tribulation five hundred years ago or perished, it was impossible for him to return to his original form.

"As for the treasures... they will never get them, because I will give them to you now," Zhongyangzi smiled.

"**Them?**" Yan Huo immediately understood. It seemed that the treasures were not just one item.

"To call them treasures would be an exaggeration. They are merely a few medium-grade spiritual pills and spiritual instruments. The top-tier items were taken by my true self to transcend the tribulation. However, for your current strength, these items will greatly assist you in completing my true self's entrusted task."

Yan Huo solemnly said, "I will do everything in my power to complete the task you've entrusted to me, Senior. Please, tell me what to do."

"My true self wanted you to take all the paintings in this stone tower to a person by the Southeast Sea," Zhongyangzi replied.

"**Paintings? Southeast Sea?**" Yan Huo was completely shocked. He never expected Zhongyangzi's task to be so simple. Was it really that easy? Zhongyangzi not only left three medium-grade flying swords, one high-grade flying sword, and ten medium-grade spiritual pills in the storage ring, but also the complete cultivation manual for the *Carefree Heart Technique* and the full set of scrolls for the *Escape Heaven Five Elements Formation*.

Yan Huo had only mastered the basic *Hidden* formation, which was merely the surface of the *Escape Heaven Five Elements Formation*. The full formation was divided into two categories: *Confining Arrays* and *Killing Arrays*, each with five hundred scrolls. The *Confining Arrays* included five types: Hidden, Confusion, Mystery, Illusion, and Separation, while the *Killing Arrays* were divided into Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning formations. The higher-level formations were extremely difficult, requiring the use of true energy combined with numerous hand seals. To accurately place hundreds or even thousands of hand seals into the array, one needed to use soul power. Therefore, this formation was also perfect for cultivating Yan Huo's soul power.

Yan Huo's feelings were mixed. While the grandeur and mystery of the cultivation world filled him with longing, the difficulty of becoming an immortal made him uneasy. His unease didn't stem from doubt about his ability to become immortal, but rather from his promise to Xiu Ning. He didn't know how long it would take to fulfill it. After all, Zhongyangzi's true self had cultivated for over five thousand years just to transcend the tribulation, and even that wasn't a guarantee of success.

"Five thousand years! Senior Zhongyangzi spent that long. I wonder how much time I will need?" Yan Huo thought to himself as his consciousness drifted away from the statue. Though he referred to Zhongyangzi as Senior, in his heart, he already considered him his mentor.