Library of Heaven's Path

by Little Merger

Traversing into another world, Zhang Xuan finds himself becoming an honorable teacher. Along with his transcension, a mysterious library appears in his mind. As long as it is something he has seen, regardless of whether it is a human or an object, a book on its weaknesses will be automatically compiled in the library. Thus, he becomes formidable. “Emperor Zhuoyang, why do you detes

34. 1057

Library of Heaven's Path #Chapter 1057: Illusory-Slaughter Formation - Read Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 1057: Illusory-Slaughter Formation Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1057: Illusory-Slaughter Formation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Scarletleaf King? The one who is ranked second of the Upper Five Kings?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes warily.

Having witnessed the power wielded by the Jadeleaf King and the Stoneleaf King, Zhang Xuan had been feeling a little apprehensive about facing the two strongest experts of the Upper Five Kings. Who knew that he would meet one of them in such a situation?

"Who are you? Stop putting up a farce and get out here!"

While Zhang Xuan was communicating with the Violetleaf King, Wu shi scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes reminiscent of a hawk. In the next moment, seemingly having confirmed the location of the enemy, his eyebrows shot up and the sword in his hand flew forth amidst a resounding battle cry.

Huala!

A powerful blast of sword qi burst forward with swiftness reminiscent of a shooting star, tearing a vacuum through the air. Upon coming into contact with the wall, it immediately ripped out a massive hole.

"Strong!"

This was the first time Zhang Xuan was seeing Wu shi fight for real, and the fighting prowess that the latter wielded was indeed formidable.

Along the route, the 7-star high-tier master teacher had either been injured or was on the way to becoming injured, leaving Zhang Xuan with a notion that the other party was unworthy of his rank. However, the astounding might that the other party wielded in this very moment dispelled whatever doubts he harbored regarding the other party.

It still couldn't match up to the Primordial Spirit Jadeleaf King, but it was definitely on par with the Stoneleaf King.

If both were to clash with one another at full strength, there was no saying who would emerge victorious!

Boom!

Upon striking through the wall, the sword qi abruptly exploded, causing the building in front of them to collapse entirely, raising a huge cloud of dust. However, there was not a figure to be seen.

"There's no one there?"

Not expecting that he would make a lapse in his judgement, Wu shi's face darkened as he hurriedly scanned his surroundings once more warily.

"Hahaha, you wish to challenge me? You are still far too young for that!" that voice sounded once more.

Huala!

Halfway through those words, Wu shi had already made a move once more.

This time, his movement was even swifter. His sword blurred into a series of afterimages as it crept past several hundred meters in just the blink of an eye before being brought down powerfully. BAM! As if slicing through tofu, a giant tear ripped its way through the buildings, parting the area into two distinct halves.

However, just like before, there was still not a single silhouette to be seen. It was as if the person who had just spoken didn't exist at all.

"Don't waste your efforts. Even if you were to tear the whole place down, you still won't be able to find me!" the Scarletleaf King laughed heartily upon seeing Wu shi's futile struggling.

Hu!

Right after saying those words, the collapsed buildings abruptly joined back together with one another, as if time had been rewound. In the blink of an eye, it was already reverted back to its original state.

"T-this... How can this be possible?"

The eyes of the crowd narrowed in disbelief at the ridiculous sight before them.

With their own eyes, they had seen how the powerful might of Wu shi devastated the buildings. How could they possibly recover in the blink of an eye?

Furthermore, it was a perfect recovery. The buildings had been reverted to the form identical to how they were in when they first entered!

"We must have stepped into some kind of powerful formation..." Wu shi remarked warily.

The crowd nodded.

"Could we be in an Illusory Formation?" Wo Tianqiong asked.

He had taken formation master as one of his supporting occupations as well, but the sight before his eyes was simply too bizarre. It was difficult for even him to confirm what was going on.

"Yes, we should be in an Illusory Formation." Guild Leader Han nodded. "Most probably, we have already succumbed to it when we first entered. In other words, everything that is before us in this instant is fake! It won't make any difference no matter how we attack them!"

"It won't make any difference?"

"Un. Think about it this way. No matter whether those buildings are collapsed or standing, they are still part of an illusion, so it wouldn't make any difference to the current plight we are in. As long as we are unable to see through the essence of the formation, we will be stuck in this illusion forever, unable to escape..." Guild Leader Han explained with his fists clenched tightly in nervousness.

"This..."

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Hearing those words, the bodies of the crowd tensed up.

If they were truly in an Illusory Formation, wasn't the image before them a little too realistic? They could be considered as elites amongst the master teachers and combat masters, and every single one of them possessed superior eyes of discernment. Yet, for none of them to be unable to discern that they had fallen into an illusion before... Just the thought of it left chills running down their spines.

Was this the strength that advanced formations wielded?

It was already extremely difficult for them to escape from a realistic Illusory Formation, but to make things worse, it seemed like it was under someone else's control... Would they really still be able to escape from it?

"This..." Zhang Xuan's face turned grim as well.

He did notice that there was something amiss when he first stepped into the celestial palace, but even he hadn't noticed that they were in an illusion!

With a thought, he activated his Eye of Insight and scanned his surroundings. However, the buildings around him still looked the same as ever, there was no difference from before.

All of these buildings... are real? Does that mean that we aren't in an Illusory Formation? Zhang Xuan was bewildered by the conflicting conclusions before him.

The Eye of Insight could see right into the crux of anything. If they were truly in an Illusory Formation, he should be able to see through it via the Eye of Insight easily! How could he have not sensed anything at all?

No, that's not right. Perhaps the formation is too advanced for me at the moment. Due to my low cultivation, I am still unable to see through it via my Eye of Insight... Zhang Xuan reasoned.

The Eye of Insight was indeed powerful, but it was limited by his own cultivation. He couldn't see through anything that was too far beyond him. Take for example, if an 8-star master teacher were to walk past him disguised as a passer-by, he wouldn't be any wiser even if he were to scan the other party with his Eye of Insight.

This seemed to be the case for the Illusory Formation as well.

Most likely, it is a massive formation like the lightning formation and the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion! Zhang Xuan thought.

Larger formations were not only more powerful, it also made it more difficult for others to analyze and discern it as well due to the sheer scale of it. It was probably because of this that the entire expedition team failed to notice that they had stepped into a formation itself.

Knowing that the formation was beyond the means of his Eye of Insight to analyze, Zhang Xuan deactivated his Eye of Insight. After which, turning his gaze to his surroundings, he muttered silently, "Flaws!"

While the Eye of Insight might be unable to see through the formation around him, it shouldn't pose a problem to the Library of Heaven's Path.

Hu!

With a jolt of his mind, a book appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Zhang Xuan hurriedly immersed his consciousness in and browsed through the book.

"The 172nd Door, a segment of a larger formation. There are eight flaws in total. No.1,..."

After reading through the book, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

The Library of Heaven's Path was indeed unaffected by the tier of the formation, but... the formation was simply too huge! For one, the area that they could see was only one small portion of its entirety.

According to the book, it was the 172nd Door, which meant that there should be at least 171 doors identical to the one they were in, or even more!

For there to be so many doors... it would still be fine if they were to step into a Life Gate, but what if they were to accidentally enter a Death Gate? They might just lose their lives before they know it!

The formations that I have encountered so far operated as a whole, so the Library of Heaven's Path compiled a book on the entire formation even when I am just viewing a small portion of it. However, this Illusory Formation seems to be made up of innumerable smaller formations, and these smaller formations can be activated individually. In other words, the formation is only active in areas where it perceives the enemies are at. As such, not even the seemingly omnipotent Library of Heaven's Path is able to discern the entire situation of the formation... Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together as he analyzed the current situation they were in.

The current Illusory Formation they were trapped in was segmented into many doors, and it seemed like only certain portions of the formation were activated at the current moment. As such, the Library of Heaven's Path viewed the current door they were in as a system by itself and analyzed the door only.

If Zhang Xuan wanted the Library of Heaven's Path to analyze the entire formation, he would have to get an overhead view of the entire formation. As long as he remained trapped within it, he would be unable to see through the crux of the Illusory Formation through the Library of Heaven's Path and determine the most suitable path to escaping from it.

In other words... he wouldn't be able to bank on the Library of Heaven's Path to deal with the current formation he was in unlike previous occasions!

Hualala!

Just as Zhang Xuan was conflicted over the situation before him, a sound reminiscent of a powerful gust of wind echoed in the surroundings. In the next instant, innumerable sword qi abruptly shot forth from all around them.

As if a rain of arrows from thousands and thousands of soldiers, the burst of sword qi sealed the space around them perfectly. The slightest wrong movement they made could very well result in them being sliced into innumerable pieces.

"Everyone, be careful! This isn't just an Illusory Formation but an Illusory-Slaughter Formation!" Guild Leader Han shouted.

Illusory Formation could only induce hallucinations in the minds of those trapped within it, placing them in a distraught state, so the formation in itself didn't pose a threat to those trapped within it. However, an Illusory-Slaughter Formation was a formation which harnessed the functions of both an Illusory Formation and a Slaughter Formation simultaneously. Not only would one's mind be sent into disarray, one would even have to face all kinds of attacks. If one were to get careless within it, one might just end up losing his life.

"Illusory-Slaughter Formation?"

Everyone's faces turned grim. They swiftly drove their zhenqi, preparing themselves to fend off the wave of sword qi headed towards them.

Zhang Xuan was also about to make a move as well when he heard Feng Xun bellowing at the moment, "Combat masters, the Black Tortoise Sword Formation!"

"Yes!"

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The remaining nine combat masters quickly stepped forward before brandishing their words simultaneously with incredible harmony.

Hualala!

Swiftly, a spherical barrier reminiscent of a tortoise shell formed around the expedition team.

Ding ding ding ding!

Reminiscent of rain pattering down on a gazebo, the sword qi striking the barrier created a deafening reverberation but none was able to bypass its defense.

"What an incredible sword formation!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in awe upon seeing the sight.

The combat masters weren't too powerful individually, but the synergy in their teamwork was incredible. Their perfect collaboration in the Black Tortoise Sword Formation had allowed them to deflect every single one of the sword qi—a feat which even Zhang Xuan didn't think that he would be able to achieve.

Huala!

After a wave of sword qi, the surroundings abruptly fell silent.

The combat masters withdrew their weapons as they surveyed their surroundings carefully.

"Don't worry, it isn't possible for such attacks to be launched endlessly..." Guild Leader Han said.

It went without saying that each wave of offense would sap the energy reserves within the formation. Without an endless supply of energy, there would eventually come a point where the formation would run out of energy altogether.

Hula!

Right after saying those words, yet another wave of sword qi flew towards them. The combat masters hurriedly put up their formation and deflected the sword qi once more.

Taking the scene into sight, Wu shi frowned. Scanning his surroundings, he declared loudly, "See, your formation is completely useless against us. Why don't you muster the guts to get out here and face me in a proper fight?"

At this moment, they were in the open whereas their enemy was hidden in the dark. It was an extremely disadvantageous position for them. If they could lure the enemy out of his hiding spot, regardless of whether they would be able to kill the other party or not, it could at least lessen the dangers they would face.

"You want me to face you in a proper fight? Hahaha! Sure, escape from here and I will fight you all you want!" the voice burst into laughter, not falling for Wu shi's provocation at all.

Hu!

The air abruptly tensed up, and yet another wave of offense flew towards the expedition team. This time, it wasn't sword qi but saber qi.

Saber qi possessing less penetrative powerful than sword qi, but it harnessed far greater might. Under the furious assault of saber qi, the expedition team found their arms numbing from the powerful impact.

However, the Black Tortoise Sword Formation set up by the combat masters was truly a force to be reckoned with. Once again, it successfully stood its ground against the wave of offense.

After three consecutive waves of saber qi, the surroundings fell silent once more. A short moment later, a leisurely zither melody began sounding in the surroundings. The sound didn't just linger by their ears, it seemed to resonate with their souls as well.

"This is... demonic tune!"

The faces of the expedition team warped in horror.

They had also faced a demonic tune attack back at the Unbounded World, and they were nearly wiped out due to it. It was even worse this time around. They were already in a perilous position, and if they were to fall into a trance under the effects of the demonic tunes, they might just very well lose their lives here.

"What do we do?"

The crowd immediately sealed their six senses, but they found that they were unable to isolate the sound at all. Horrified, their faces paled in anxiety.

Under such circumstances, a demonic tune attack was indeed far more effective than a physical attack.

"AHHHH... I CAN'T HOLD ON ANYMORE..."

Suddenly, a combat master let loose a ferocious roar before abruptly charging forward. He began hacking the sword in his hand around him frenziedly, as if possessed.

"Hu Chen!"

Upon seeing the combat master abruptly rushing out of the formation, Feng Xun immediately roared in alarm. He hurriedly rushed out to drag the other party back into the formation, but in that moment, a sound reminiscent of a powerful gust of wind echoed once more.

Hulala!

Innumerable sword qi burst forth, and before Hu Chen could even react, he was already sliced into many pieces, and his corpse fell heavily onto the ground.

Puhe! Puhe!

With Hu Chen missing, a huge opening appeared in the Black Tortoise Formation. Sword qi managed to bypass the formation through the openings and struck the legs of two combat masters. Crimson blood trickled down their legs and dripped to the ground from their feet.

"Everyone, retreat!"

Bellowing loudly, Wu shi stepped forward, and with a powerful slash, he eradicated all of the sword qi in the surroundings. After that was done, he turned back to the crowd and said, "Hurry up and treat the casualties, we don't have much time!"

"Alright!"

Nodding, Feng Xun quickly rushed up to his wounded subordinates to treat their wounds.

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Chapter 1058: You Are the Skyleaf King (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Right after they were done treating the casualties, the demonic tune sounded once more. This time, the zither sound carried an alluring melody that bewitched one's mind, causing one's thoughts to run amok.

"Damn it, it's a type of Beguilement Tune..." Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

Just like formations, demonic tunes could be classified into many categories, too. Beguilement Tune, Illusory Tune, Heavy Tunes, Cacophonous Tune... Of them, Beguilement Tunes were the most widely feared due to their ability to control the minds of others.

In a sense, it worked in a similar manner to the Impartation of Heaven's Will. If a cultivator succumbed to it, they might very well end up doing something beyond their control... and this included self-harm and suicide!

There had once been a Zither Demon who used such a demonic tune to massacre an entire city. This was also one of the reasons the occupation was given the prefix of 'demonic'.

As a 7-star demonic tunist, Zhang Xuan naturally understood how fearsome such a demonic tune could be. The tune that was currently being played had a particularly alluring quality to it, making it extremely easy for an individual to lose themself in it.

Once they succumbed to the music, they would be completely oblivious to the happenings around them, making them vulnerable targets. If so, their entire expedition team could very well be wiped out there.

Knowing that there was no time to be wasted, Zhang Xuan swiftly flicked his wrist and whipped out a zither. Driving his zhenqi, his fingers nimbly swiped over the strings.

Dong dong dong!

A powerful sound reminiscent of the chiming of a massive bell or the rumbling of thunder boomed by everyone's ears.

The current situation was different from the one back in the Unbounded World. Zhang Xuan failed to notice the whistling of the wind earlier, and by the time he was aware of the matter, the entire expedition team was already deeply fixated into it. Under that circumstances, given his lacking proficiency in demonic tunes, it was impossible for him to undo its effects with his demonic tunes. If he were to attempt to do so forcefully, it could result in a rebound, inflicting grievous wounds to the others instead.

However, the current situation was that the demonic tune had only started playing a moment ago, and the crowd had not succumbed to it yet. Thus, it was easier for him to deal with it.

As expected, under the loud cacophony, the crowd staggered slightly, and fresh blood spurted from their mouths and noses. They were slightly injured by the rebound between the clash of both tunes, but Zhang Xuan's tune did effectively jolt them back to attention.

"We will die if we remain here. Follow me!" Roaring loudly, Zhang Xuan identified a direction and headed over.

Even though he had no idea where the 172nd Door was located relative to the entire formation, there was one thing certain here. If they remained there, they would only gradually accumulate injuries. Pushed to their limits, they might very well have ended up succumbing like Combat Master Hu Chen earlier, rushing out of the formation in a craze only to be slaughtered by the many burst of sword qi.

No doubt, the other doors were bound to be dangerous as well, but remaining where they were wasn't an option either. It was a risky gamble, but they had no choice but to take it.

Understanding that as well, the crowd followed closely behind Zhang Xuan. Each grasping a sword tightly in their hands, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han surveyed their surroundings cautiously, ready to retaliate should they be attacked.

The both of them were Saint 4-dan experts who had already forged their Primordial Spirits. With their prowess, they could easily fend off the barrage of sword qi in moments of crisis.

Ding ding ding ding!

While proceeding forward, another burst of sword qi assaulted the crowd. However, with the two experts moving simultaneously to fend off the offense, the crowd managed to overcome it successfully and leave swiftly.

After crossing two wide corridors, Zhang Xuan took a look around him before frowning. A moment later, he abruptly dashed right into the wall ahead of him.

Just as the crowd was bewildered by Zhang Xuan's sudden action, the wall suddenly collapsed to reveal a huge courtyard.

Walking into the courtyard, the sound of the demonic tunes abruptly vanished, as if they had bypassed the demarcated zone of its area of effect. At the same time, the ferocious onslaught of sword qi stopped as well. It was as if the relentless assault against them had never happened at all.

"The onslaught of the sword qi has vanished, and the zither sound has stopped as well."

"Did we manage to flee from the Illusory-Slaughter Formation?"

Wo Tianqiong and the others could not help but ask with a hint of hope in their voices.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "That's not it; we are still in the formation. It's just that the formation is divided into many smaller ones, and we have escaped from one into another."

Grade-8 formations were not grade-8 formations for nothing. If it was that easy to escape from it, he would not have been so helpless before it in the first place.

Not to mention, there was still a Scarletleaf King camping outside the formation, waiting to prey on them.

After learning of the current situation, the expressions of the crowd tensed.

They thought that they might have finally gotten out of danger, but it seemed like they were being too optimistic.

"There's no need to worry. It seems like we have reached a safe zone for the time being." Noting the low morale among the group, Zhang Xuan consoled them with a smile before turning his gaze toward the surroundings.

The courtyard they were in was larger than the previous one, and there was a door in all four directions: north, south, east, and west.

At this moment, the wall that they had crashed through to enter the courtyard had also mended itself as well. Had they not come through it previously, it would have been impossible for them to tell that there was a path beyond the wall as well.

"Where do we go now?"

In any case, they could not return the way they had come, or else they would be compromising their safety.

But of the four doors... which one should they choose?

"Principal Zhang..."

The gazes of the crowd naturally gathered upon Zhang Xuan.

Most of the dangers they had been put through had been resolved by the young man before their eyes, and unknowingly, the expedition team had begun to subconsciously look toward him for support.

"I am not too sure either..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The formation in the current area they were in had not been activated yet, so he was unable to form a corresponding book on it in the Library of Heaven's Path. As such, he was also unsure about its flaws and where he should head to.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said, "You all wait here for a moment; I will try one of them and see what's on the other side."

For the time being, he should focus his attention on activating the formation so that he could compile a book on it. Just waiting there and praying for something to happen would not work.

"Alright." The crowd nodded.

Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and randomly chose a direction to head to. Just as he was about to head over, 'jiya!', the door before him suddenly began to creak open.

Hula!

As soon as the door opened, a blade of wind abruptly burst forth, slicing the air in two.

Noticing that something was amiss, Wu shi bellowed quickly, "Everyone, duck!"

"It's just a blade of wind; there's no need to worry. I can deal with it easily..." One of the elders of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy did not think much of it, and with a casual smile, he whipped out a massive axe and aimed it right at the wind blade.

Huala!

With incredible force, the massive axe hacked down upon the blade of wind. To the astonishment of the crowd, the massive axe was sliced apart without posing the slightest bit of hindrance to it. Before the elder could even react, his palm along with his body had already been severed into two.

"What!"

Cold sweat gushed down the bodies of the crowd.

This was especially so for Wo Tianqiong. He nearly fainted on the spot.

Others might have been unaware of it, but he knew full well that the axe wielded by the elder could easily be ranked among the top of Spirit pinnacle weapons. Such a powerful weapon, and yet, it did not even last a split second before the blade of wind.

That was too fearsome!

"The blade of wind doesn't just slice through air, it slices right through space as well," Guild Leader Han exclaimed as he hurriedly ducked down without any hesitation as well.

To the naked eye, it might have seemed like there was nothing special about the blade of wind other than being exceptionally sharp. However, Guild Leader Han had scanned the blade of wind with his Spiritual Perception, and to his shock, he found that his Spiritual Perception was not able to pass through the area where the blade of wind had cut through for a brief instant. In other words, there was a split moment when the space above and below the wind blade had been severed!

Hu!

The blade of wind flew past everyone's head, and the sharp shrill of the air in the moment that it did so left everyone's body covered in goosebumps. Zhang Xuan's body was also completely stiffened, not daring to move at all.

Even though his body had reached the level of a Saint-tier artifact, he had no doubt that he would be unable to stand his ground against such a bizarre blade of wind. All in all, it would still be wiser for him to remain cautious.

Jiya!

Right after the blade of wind flew past them, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Just when they thought that they had finally bypassed the danger, the door behind them suddenly creaked open, and another blade of wind swept over at a diagonal angle.

"Drat!"

Just one blade of wind had nearly scared their souls out of them. How were they supposed to deal with two simultaneously?

However, it seemed like their nightmare had just barely begun. The two remaining doors also opened, and yet another two blades of wind burst forth from them at differing angles. It was keenly aimed to seal the path of escape of the crowd.

"This won't do. We might still be able to last in the short-term, but at this rate, it will only be a matter of time before we are killed," Wu shi said anxiously.

Even though they could still dodge the blades of wind by dodging, there was no knowing if each door could send out multiple blades of wind at once.

If so, they could be in a very dangerous position... perhaps even more than the area they were in previously!

"This way!"

Knowing the danger they were in, Zhang Xuan hurriedly found a flaw and took the lead while beckoning the others along.

The crowd immediately followed him.

Not too long later, they arrived at yet another courtyard.

There was a bizarre formation set up in the courtyard as well. However, it wasn't blades of wind but traps this time around. They finally escaped from it after great difficulty, but unfortunately, another master teacher ended up meeting his end there in the process of doing so.

Proceeding ahead, the crowd entered two more courtyards and suffered another two casualties before finally arriving at a relatively smaller courtyard that didn't seem to have any mechanisms to it for the time being, so they decided to take a momentary breather there. By this point, all of their faces had turned pale, and they were breathing heavily.

It had only been a few minutes since they entered the celestial palace, but four combat masters and four master teachers had already met their ends. This was a casualty greater than what they had suffered from the total of the previous few trials. The crowd could not help but fall silent at that thought.

"It seems like we are only barging from one formation into another. At this rate, we will all die here," Guild Leader Han said with a worried frown.

The crowd nodded in agreement.

There were too many smaller formations within the celestial palace, and the end was nowhere in sight either. At this rate, their numbers would only gradually thin out, and the position they were in would only further worsen.

If each formation they bypassed would result in a death toll of one or two people, considering how there were only around twenty of them left, their expedition team really could end up being annihilated here.

"What do we do?" the crowd asked worriedly.

"The strength of a formation depends on the person controlling it. Otherwise, the prowess that it can exert will be severely limited. The reason we keep encountering danger is very likely due to the Otherworldly Demon from before pulling strings from the shadows. If we can find the Otherworldly Demon and kill him, we should be able to escape from the formation relatively easier!" Guild Leader Han said.

If there was no one driving the formation, this trial would have been somewhat similar to the Unbounded World and the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. It would still have been dangerous, but the formations would only have been capable of carrying out routine and predictable tasks. As long as they could get the hang of it, they should have been able to bypass the formations with ease.

"Guild Leader Han is right. What we should aim for at the moment is to slay the Scarletleaf King!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Currently, they were in the open, and the enemy was in the dark. It was obvious that the enemy had been tracking them and activating the regional formation of where they were at any given moment to deal with them.

"Scarletleaf King?" the crowd asked with a frown.

"Un. The voice that spoke to us earlier is ranked second among the Ten Great Kings of Qingtian, and he is known as the Scarletleaf King. In terms of fighting prowess, he is above even the Stoneleaf King!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Wu shi frowned. "I have read records on the Qingtian Lineage; it is a faction of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. They have quite a few experts who are collectively known as the Ten Great Kings. Of them, there are some bestowed with the title of the Five Upper Kings due to the superior strength they wield, and they are namely the Skyleaf King, Scarletleaf King, Jadeleaf King, Stoneleaf King, and Fireleaf King."

As a master teacher of the Qingyuan Master Teacher Pavilion, he had some understanding of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe powers in the region. Every single one of the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage possessed astounding power, and none of them were figures who could be dealt with easily.

Right after Wu shi said those words, the eerie voice from before sounded in the air once more.

"Not bad, it seems like you still have some self-awareness... Hehehe!"

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Chapter 1059: You Are the Skyleaf King (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Scarletleaf King?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed, it's me. To be able to recognize me by my voice... You are the one who killed those two fools, Stoneleaf King and Jadeleaf King, am I right?" the voice sneered coldly.

In the next moment, Zhang Xuan felt his body tensed up. As if a poisonous viper was eyeing him, his body suddenly jolted in alarm.

It is the pressure from the other party's Primordial Spirit... Zhang Xuan thought as sweat trickled down his cheeks.

It was not even close to the other party's full strength, but it could already vanquish all thought of retaliation in his mind.

Zhang Xuan swiftly drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi, and only then did he feel the pressure alleviating significantly.

Clenching his jaws, he scanned his surroundings and spat, "Indeed. I was the one who killed them. Are you intending to avenge them?"

The Scarletleaf King was truly well-hidden. Even when using the Eye of Insight to scan the area, he found that he was not able to find the slightest clue about the other party's whereabouts.

"Avenge? Why should I? The fact that they were killed by a Nascent Saint in the first place shows that they are not qualified to serve as Kings. Worthless flies like them are better off dead!" the Scarletleaf King sneered coldly.

The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was cold-blooded by nature. The only thing that tied them together was their allegiance to the Emperors. Other than that, even if their companions were to die before their eyes, they would not be fazed in the slightest.

"Since you were able to kill them so swiftly, such that they didn't even have any time to send a message to us, that goes to show that you are quite a figure yourself. It would be a pity to kill you so quickly." The Scarletleaf King chuckled. "Why don't we play a game instead?"

"Play a game?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The others were also bewildered by the Scarletleaf King's sudden proposal.

"Indeed. The rule of the game is simple. Aren't you all trying to escape from this place? I have five clues here, and as long as you can obtain all of them, you will be able to escape from the formation easily and meet with my real self!" the Scarletleaf King said.

"Five clues? Hah, you won't be handing them to us on a silver platter, will you? What is the price?" Zhang Xuan sneered coldly.

"Sharp, it is so much more convenient to negotiate with smart people like you!"

The Scarletleaf King chuckled softly before saying, "The way to obtain the clues is simple. Kill one master teacher, and I will give you the first clue. Kill another two more, and I will give you the second. Kill another three more, and I will give you the third... so on and so forth. So, as long as you kill fifteen master teachers, you will be able to receive all of the clues and escape from the formation safely!"

"You want us to kill our own comrades?" Zhang Xuan's face turned livid.

There were only thirty of them at the start, and eight of them were already dead, so there were only twenty-two of them remaining. If they were to kill another fifteen... their expedition team would be pretty much wiped out!

How vicious!

The expedition team was also exhausted both physically and mentally from stumbling into dangerous formations one after another. The more time that passed, the more desperate the crowd would become. Perhaps, it might really come to a point where members of the expedition would attempt to kill one another or sacrifice themselves over the matter.

The Scarletleaf King was preying on their weakened minds to turn the expedition team against one another while sitting out on the fight himself. A devious and scheming mind, it wouldn't be easy for them to outmaneuver a person like that.

"Indeed. You are a smart person, so you should know what is best for you in this situation. Even if you reject my offer, it's just a matter of time before all of you are wiped out by the formation. At the very least, if you choose to play along with me, you might still have a chance to meet me and avenge the others!" the Scarletleaf King replied leisurely.

"Despicable!" Hearing those words, the faces of the crowd reddened in anger.

Just as the other party had said, if they continued barging through the formations, it would just be a matter of time before they were killed. Only with the clues would there be a hope for them to escape from the darned formation and avenge their comrades.

"He is trying to create a rift among us! If we do so, what will be the difference between us and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? What rights will we have to call ourselves master teachers?" Wu shi bellowed in an attempt to calm the wavering minds.

They were truly in a very disadvantageous position at the moment. With a bleak hope of escaping from the formation themselves, they had to make a decision.

Should they persist with their principles or take the pragmatic way out?

"Right, I forgot to tell you. No matter who does the dirty job, as long as fifteen people within the expedition team die, I will give you the clues." At this point, the Scarletleaf King burst into a hearty laughter before continuing. "Make your decision quickly! I will give you two hours to decide. Hehehe! I am looking forward to your response..."

The piercing voice by their ears gradually drifted off, as if signifying that the Scarletleaf King had retracted his attention from them.

Wu shi extended his Spiritual Perception to his surroundings before turning back to the crowd and said, "He seems to have left."

"What do we do now?" Wo Tianqiong asked with a conflicted frown.

The others instinctively turned toward Zhang Xuan for directions.

It did not seem like a feasible solution for them to push their way through, but... were they going to start killing one another as the other party demanded?

"Don't listen to the Scarletleaf King's words, his very motive is to turn us against one another. It is even more so in such situations that we have to stand united!" Zhang Xuan surveyed the crowd and spoke forcefully.

"Indeed. Think about it. Even if we survive from killing one another, it will eventually give birth to inner demons deep in our hearts, hindering us from furthering our paths. In the worst-case scenario, the other party might even use it to leverage control over us afterward," Mu shi added.

"To be honest, there isn't much of a chance that we will be able to get out of here alive!" At this point, Wo Tianqiong abruptly interjected into Mu shi's words. "As long as you successfully kill the Scarletleaf King and avenge Elder Feng and the others, we are more than willing to lay down our lives for you!"

"Indeed. From the very start, we knew that we could meet our end in the ancient domain. Since it's only a matter of time before we succumb to the formation, I'd very much rather sacrifice myself so that the rest of you can safely find a way out of here!" Wu Ran said.

"I share the same opinion with the others. Our deaths are nothing, but nothing can be allowed to happen to Principal Zhang and Wu shi. The both of them are the hopes of our expedition team. Only with them around will we have a chance to escape from here and slay the wretched Scarletleaf King!" Feng Xun nodded.

Those words swiftly won nods of approval from the crowd.

Their line of thought was simple. Fifteen casualties was not a small price to pay, but at the very least, some of them would be able to get out of there alive. That was much better than the expedition team being entirely annihilated within the formation.

"I am touched by your sentiments, but... can we really trust the Scarletleaf King to keep his word and give us the clues? Furthermore, can the clues he gives us really lead us out?" Zhang Xuan said grimly.

They were willing to selflessly put themselves on the line to forge a route for the others to advance on. But the problem was that... their sacrifice could turn out to be futile in this case!

Taking a step back, even if the Scarletleaf King really gave the clues to them, allowing them to escape from the formation, as master teachers, there were simply some principles that they would have to hold on to, even at the cost of their life. They would not sacrifice others for their own welfare!

Otherwise, what would become of the faith they had held onto dearly as master teachers all this while?

"What do we do then?"

The crowd also understood the logic behind Zhang Xuan's words, but... after seeing so many of their comrades dying one after another, they simply could not stand it anymore. It was out of desperation that they chose such an extreme course of action.

Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly. "I have no idea..."

At this point, he had no idea how the formation operated or where the Scarletleaf King was. Without such vital information, there was no way he could formulate a feasible plan to help them get out of their current situation.

"You don't know?" Seeing that even Zhang Xuan was helpless before their current situation, the faces of the crowd sank as if deflated balloons.

In their journey together, Zhang Xuan had overcome obstacle after obstacle easily, and it felt as if there was nothing in the world that could stump him. At this point, seeing how even the most capable individual among them was helpless, they suddenly felt deeply lost.

"I can't stand it anymore! Didn't the Scarletleaf King say that it will suffice as long as fifteen of us die? Just make sure to avenge me when the rest of you escape from here!"

After a long moment of silence, a loud bellow abruptly sounded. Unable to take it any longer, a combat master raised his sword to end his life.

"Hold it right there!" Not expecting that someone would still attempt to commit suicide after he had already laid everything out so clearly, Zhang Xuan frowned deeply as he flicked his finger.

Ding!

A surge of zhenqi knocked out the sword in the combat master's hand. Wu shi also swiftly stepped forward to seal the other party's cultivation.

The problem they were facing at the moment was not an issue that could be resolved with just the sacrifice of others. They could not just stake their lives on the integrity of the Scarletleaf King, if he had any at all. That would be utter foolishness!

They had to think of another plan.

"Don't stop me! Let me die..." the combat master continued bellowing loudly.

The sealing of his cultivation did not seem to have dispelled the combat master's intention of ending his life at all.

"Since you aren't going to allow us to end our lives, allow me to do the job then..."

Almost immediately after they managed to settle the issue with the combat master, another roar sounded, and a master teacher stepped forward to launch an attack toward the combat master beside him.

"Humph!" Seeing the act of aggression by the master teacher, Feng Xun flitted forward and kicked the master teacher away forcefully.

Peng!

With a spurt of blood, the master teacher crashed heavily onto the ground, sustaining severe injuries.

"Feng Xun, what are you doing?" Shen Pingchao hurriedly rushed down to help the wounded master teacher up before glaring at Feng Xun wrathfully.

The wounded master teacher was an elder of their Luoqing Master Teacher Academy.

"What am I doing? For daring to assault our men, you should be glad that I didn't kill him on the spot!" Feng Xun roared angrily back.

Their combat masters had been standing on the spot, doing nothing at all, when the master teacher suddenly stepped forward to assault them. Had he not made a move, their combat master could have very well died! Yet, the other party was still asking what was he doing? He must be joking!

"I reckon that you are just finding an excuse to make a move against us. Since that's the case, why don't you start with me?" Shen Pingchao harrumphed coldly.

"You'd better not piss me off. Throughout this entire journey, your men have been nothing but a huge burden, and I have been wanting to give you a piece of my mind..." Feng Xun sneered coldly.

Not expecting the expedition team to end up arguing with one another while in such danger, Wu shi roared angrily, "Enough!

"We are all master teachers and combat masters! While we have come to this ancient domain with the conviction to lay down our lives for our mission, it would be utterly foolish to turn against one another under the provocations of an Otherworldly Demon. If that happens, how are we going to face our predecessors? How are we going to face Kong shi?"

"Humph!" Hearing Wu shi's lecture, Feng Xun and Shen Pingchao glanced at one another before turning away angrily. For the time being, they chose to suppress their rage.

"Alright, take a deep breath and cool down first. For the time being, let's discuss how we can escape from here," Guild Leader Han said.

"How can we escape from here? This formation has a complex layered design with traps lying in wait at every turn. Furthermore, even if we manage to escape from the formation, will we be a match for the Scarletleaf King?" Feng Xun said with a deep frown.

"I fought with the Stoneleaf King myself, and even if Wu shi utilizes his full strength, he will only be an equal to the Stoneleaf King... Considering the greater strength that the Scarletleaf King harnesses, I don't think that we stand a good chance of getting out of here alive."

"I still think that we should sacrifice fifteen among us to obtain the other party's clues. As long as we preserve the strongest of our forces, we should still be able to match the Scarletleaf King. Otherwise, who knows how many of us will die within this formation?" the other Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, Jiang Yuan, said.

"But if we do so, we will be playing right into the Scarletleaf King's hands..." Wu shi frowned.

"Playing right into the Scarletleaf King's hands? You might be right, but do we have another choice? To tell you the truth, I am very certain that there is a spy among us. Otherwise, how could the Otherworldly Demons have such a tight grasp of our movements? How could they remain constantly ahead of us? Don't you think that it's too much to consider it a coincidence?" Jiang Yuan said.

"Spy? How is that possible? We are all master teachers, so how could there possibly be any traitors among us?" Wu shi shook his head.

"You Xu was also a master teacher himself, but didn't he betray mankind eventually?" Jiang Yuan pointed it out coldly.

"This..." A conflicted expression surfaced on Wu shi's face. Frowning, he turned to Jiang Yuan and asked, "Jiang shi, for you to speak such words, could it be that you have noticed something?"

"I did notice a few things that are amiss with the situation..." Jiang Yuan harrumphed coldly before turning to Luo Ruoxin with a sharp glint in his eyes. "Luo shi, there are a few questions that I would like to ask you."

Luo Ruoxin frowned. "Go ahead."

"When we first entered the ancient domain, even Wu shi and Guild Leader Han did not notice that it was a Spatial Formation, but somehow, you were able to tell with just a glance.

"In the Unbounded World, all of us were bewitched by the demonic tune and suffered significant depletion in our stamina and zhenqi, but somehow, you were the only one who remained relatively unharmed. Not only so, shortly after you left, our expedition team immediately came under the assault of the Otherworldly Demons.

"For the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, none of us were aware that soul-type artifacts have the ability to fend off the corrosion, but somehow, you knew full well about it. In fact, thinking back, you were the one who told us to follow the footsteps of the Otherworldly Demons... but look at this. We ended up walking right into their trap!"

Jiang Yuan sneered coldly. "How do you intend to explain this?"

"Now that he has pointed that out, it does indeed seem a little fishy..."

"Indeed, isn't everything that has happened a little too coincidental? There is something wrong with this Luo shi!"

"At the very start, I thought that it was weird that Luo shi would request to join the expedition at the very last minute. Now that I look at it, there is indeed something deeper to it..."

"Let's see how she responds to that..."

Huala!

Right after hearing Jiang Yuan's analysis, the faces of the crowd immediately darkened. They quickly stepped away from Luo Ruoxin, isolating her.

"You think that I am a spy?" Not expecting the other party to suddenly point his finger at her, Luo Ruoxin frowned in displeasure.

"Indeed. Disguising yourself as one of our own, you slowly led us into trap after trap. We sure were fools for listening blindly to your words. Of the Qingtian Lineage, there is only one who possesses such wits and capability. If I'm not mistaken..."

Jiang Yuan glared at Luo Ruoxin sharply as he said, "You are the Skyleaf King!"

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Chapter 1060: Jiang Yuan

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Skyleaf King? Shouldn't the Skyleaf King be a male?"

"Indeed! From what I know, the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage are all men..."

Since the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage were all men, how could the Skyleaf King be a female?

"Who says that the Skyleaf King can't be a woman?" Jiang Yuan interjected. "The Skyleaf King has always been an enigma to the Master Teacher Pavilion. All we know is that she exists, but none of us have met her before. So, how can you be certain that the Skyleaf King is not a woman? Besides, even if the Skyleaf King is a man, given that he has already reached the Leaving Aperture realm, it should be easy for someone of his prowess to possess the body of a human and mix in among us!"

"This..."

Hearing those words, the crowd clenched their fists tightly as they directed wary gazes toward Luo Ruoxin.

Indeed, a cultivator who had reached the Leaving Aperture realm was capable of drawing their Primordial Spirit out of their body. On top of harnessing immense strength and the freedom of movement, they were capable of possessing the bodies of others as well! Furthermore, unlike soul oracles, they wouldn't suffer from the Possession Decline either. At most, their Primordial Spirit would just be incompatible with the body they were in, causing them to be unable to draw out their full strength!

It could be said that... if the Skyleaf King had truly possessed Luo Ruoxin, no one would be any the wiser, and this was including even Wu shi!

Recalling Luo Ruoxin's actions, while she had not spoken much after entering the ancient domain, every word that she had spoken was of the utmost importance to the progression of their journey. No matter how knowledgeable a twenty-year-old woman was, could she still be more well-read than Wu shi and Guild Leader Han?

Could she have really been possessed by the Skyleaf King, intentionally using her words to lead the crowd from one trap into another along the journey?

Wu shi was just about to say something when he suddenly paused for a brief moment. Frowning deeply, he turned to the young lady and said, "This... It would be best for you to explain this matter!"

To be honest, Jiang Yuan's analysis did make sense. There were indeed several doubtful aspects about the young lady before them.

While Luo Ruoxin did have a close relationship with Mu shi, whose recommendation had allowed her to join the expedition team, up to this point, Wu shi still had no idea how powerful she was. Even with eye of discernment of his level, he was unable to see through the young lady.

Despite being doubted by everyone else, Luo Ruoxin did not bother to explain herself. Instead, she shook her head before asking, "Is that what all of you think?"

"Y-you... You can't really be an Otherworldly Demon in disguise, can you?" Feng Xun's face paled as he backed away fearfully.

Had he actually fallen in love with an Otherworldly Demon, and one who could very well be a man? Just the thought of it left his hair standing on ends, and he felt like puking!

Seeing Feng Xun's response, Luo Ruoxin could not help but shake her head with a wry smile. That fellow claimed that he liked her, but in crucial times such as this, he didn't have the slightest trust in her.

Sighing deeply, Luo Ruoxin was just about to speak when a towering back suddenly appeared before her.

"Enough!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. Turning around to shoot a glance at the young lady before him, he said, "I believe that she isn't an Otherworldly Demon, and she isn't being possessed by anyone either!"

Luo Ruoxin looked at Zhang Xuan and asked, "You trust me?"

"I do." Zhang Xuan said with a smile. There was earnestness in his eyes that could not possibly be faked. "Don't worry. No matter what others say, I will always stand by you!"

Of the entire expedition team, he was the one who had come the closest with this young lady. Along the way, the latter had been walking alongside them quietly, rarely allowing anything to bother her. If she was truly the Skyleaf King, considering the strength that she possessed, the expedition team would have been wiped out long ago. There was no need for her to go the extra mile to disguise herself.

Seeing that the other party's eyes were clear, devoid of the slightest hint of doubt, Luo Ruoxin could not help but feel a warmth in her heart. "What he said is true. The Otherworldly Demons attacked right after I left, and I was also the one who recommended following the Otherworldly Demons' trail before we stepped into this trap. There's no way I can refute those claims, so why do you still believe me?"

"Must there be a reason for trust?" Staring deeply into Luo Ruoxin's eyes, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "I will trust you no matter what you do. Don't worry, you don't have to say a word. I will resolve this matter for you!"

After saying those words, Zhang Xuan turned around and said, "I am willing to use my life to guarantee that Luo shi isn't the Skyleaf King or an Otherworldly Demon!"

"Use your life to guarantee? Principal Zhang... you have to reconsider it! What Combat Master Jiang said isn't without sense..." Wu shi hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Indeed, Principal Zhang. There's something amiss about Luo shi..."

The others also chirped in anxiously.

Principal Zhang was a person whom they deeply trusted and admired. Why would such a formidable master teacher end up falling before the skirt of a lady?

Seeing Zhang Xuan stepping forward to protect Luo Ruoxin, Jiang Yuan said with a deep frown, "It is due to Principal Zhang that we are still alive right now and have managed to come so far. If Principal Zhang truly intends to protect her, there is nothing I can say. However... if she truly is the Skyleaf King, not only will all of us die here, more importantly, our mission to find Zhang Yinqiu and the others will fail as well. The reputation of the Master Teacher Pavilion could very well be sullied due to this matter!"

Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves and harrumphed coldly. "I know what I am doing. I don't need you to teach me what to do!"

"You..." Not expecting the amiable Principal Zhang to suddenly disregard him altogether, Jiang Yuan clenched his fists tightly.

"Stop with your pathetic efforts to sway others; there's definitely nothing wrong with Luo shi. Instead, the one who has something wrong is you, Combat Master Jiang!" Zhang Xuan gazed upon Jiang Yuan coldly.

"There's something wrong with me? What could there possibly be wrong with me?" Jiang Yuan shook his head.

Throughout the entire journey, he had not spoken a word at all, and he had not given the wrong direction either. How could he be a spy for the Otherworldly Demons?

At the same time, the crowd was also perplexed to hear Zhang Xuan's abrupt accusation.

Instead of replying to Jiang Yuan's words, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and said, "We have passed through many courtyards so far, and every single one of them has a formation that triggers as soon as we enter. I believe every single one of us here should have a deep impression of this matter."

"Un." The crowd nodded.

They had met many perilous situations ever since entering the celestial palace. Each time, they would barely escape with their lives. Even when their companions died right before their eyes, they did not even have the time to collect their corpses so as to give them a proper burial later on.

"Every single courtyard that we enter poses a threat of its own... but did you notice that despite having entered this courtyard for some time, nothing has happened at all? Other than the words that the Scarletleaf King said before leaving, it doesn't seem like anything has happened at all, right?"

Zhang Xuan looked at the crowd and said, "Don't you think that it's bizarre?"

"This..." The crowd fell silent.

Just as the other party said, the courtyards that they had been through thus far had been extremely dangerous, and the slightest carelessness could have resulted in their deaths. However, they had already been in the current courtyard for more than twenty minutes, but nothing had happened at all. Initially, they thought that it might just have been a safe zone, but thinking deeper into the matter at this moment... was it really possible for there to be a safe zone in this massive formation?

"Isn't it just because the Scarletleaf King didn't activate the formation? He has probably just changed his plans and is trying to have us kill one another instead..." one of the combat masters said.

"You're right in saying that he is trying to have us kill one another, but... I can tell you that the formation in this courtyard has already been activated!" Zhang Xuan said.

Guild Leader Han was taken aback by those words. "You are saying that... we are currently standing amid an activated formation at this very moment?"

As the head of the Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild, a 7-star pinnacle formation master, if a formation had truly been activated where they were standing, he should have noticed it!

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded grimly. "There is a formation in this courtyard, and it has already been active for some time. In fact, we are currently under its effects!"

"This..." Everyone glanced at one another with bewildered expressions.

They might not have been as skilled as Guild Leader Han in the field of formations, but as master teachers and combat masters, they should still have been able to discern whether they were in a formation or not. Their surroundings were completely silent, and there was not the slightest disturbance in the spiritual energy to be felt. Given so, how could they possibly be standing amid an activated formation?

At this point, Zhang Xuan turned to Shen Pingchao and asked, "Principal Shen, may I ask how Elder Gan usually conducts himself in the Luoqing Master Teacher Academy?"

The person whom Zhang Xuan addressed as Elder Gan was the master teacher who had charged forward previously to kill the combat masters.

"Elder Gan is a true master teacher through and through. Due to his amiable and patient personality, he is well-received by the students..." Shen Pingchao wasn't sure why Zhang Xuan would ask such a question, but he still answered it earnestly after pondering over it for a moment.

Normally speaking, Elder Gan could not even bring himself to reprimand students who had erred, thus earning him a good reputation within the Master Teacher Academy. It was also in view of this that Shen Pingchao was extremely protective of him... As such, he was willing to stand up against even Feng Xun for Elder Gan's sake.

Seemingly knowing that Shen Pingchao would respond in such a manner, Zhang Xuan asked calmly, "An amiable and patient teacher suddenly raised his sword to kill another... Don't you think that it's a very bizarre situation in itself?"

"This..."

The crowd was stunned by the questioning.

Guild Leader Han suddenly thought of something, and he immediately asked with a grim look, "Could it be that... there is some kind of special formation in this courtyard that interferes with our thoughts and emotions, causing us to become more hot-tempered than usual?"

"Indeed. That is precisely why the Scarletleaf King chose to appear right at this moment, saying those words so as to plant a seed in our minds. After which, he secretly activated the formation to affect our emotions... Have you all realized that, within just a short twenty minutes, we have become more violent-tempered and irrational than before?" Zhang Xuan posed.

The crowd was rendered speechless.

That was indeed the case.

Previously, when they were in the other courtyards, they would still proceed as carefully as they could so as to reduce their casualties. Yet, after entering the current courtyard, they realized that the thought that had been dominating their minds was how they could kill others or commit suicide so as to make up for the required fifteen slots!

Thinking back, their thoughts had truly been irrational. It was due to such thoughts that resulted in the conflict among them.

After hearing those words, Feng Xun and Shen Pingchao glanced at one another as cold sweat drenched their backs.

Had Wu shi not stopped them previously, they might have ended up doing something unforgivable to the other party!

"Everyone ended up succumbing to it, and not even Combat Master Feng Xun was an exception..." At this point, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward Jiang Yuan. "I am just curious to know how the great Combat Master Jiang managed to avoid the effects of the formation and even rationally argue that there is a problem with Luo shi and that she is the Skyleaf King?"

"Indeed! Could it be that you aren't affected by the formation?"

Innumerable gazes immediately turned toward Jiang Yuan.

"I..." Jiang Yuan eyebrows shot up inconspicuously for a short moment before sneering coldly. Shaking his head, he said, "Principal Zhang, please don't change the topic at hand. I might be unaffected by the effects of the formation, but the same goes for you and Luo shi, isn't that so? Each of us has differing experiences and encounters in life, and thus, our personality and mental fortitude are different. You can't cast doubt on me just because I am different from the others, right?"

"You are right. Just the fact that you are unaffected by the formation isn't enough evidence to suspect you..."

At this point, Zhang Xuan looked at Jiang Yuan with an enigmatic smile. "But both you and Feng Xun are Thousand Men Commanders of the Combat Master Hall. The both of you are equal in terms of standing, but throughout the entire journey, you have hardly spoken a word. It is as if you do not exist at all. Even when your subordinates were attacked, you acted as if it had nothing to do with you at all. Don't you think that you are being a little too... impassive?"

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Chapter 1061: The Skyleaf King Appears

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"This..."

"Indeed, how can he still remain calm before such a situation?"

Zhang Xuan's words raised many doubts in the minds of others.

Despite being a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, Jiang Yuan had been extremely silent throughout the entire journey, standing impassively by the side even when the other combat masters met with danger. Had it not been for him standing up a moment ago, the crowd might have forgotten about his existence.

Jiang Yuan's face turned livid for a moment before he waved his hands nonchalantly. "The requirement of being a combat master is to remain composed even when the sky falls. Furthermore, given how dangerous the situation is and my lack of understanding of formations, I feel that it's not my place to speak up, or else I might cause others more trouble. You can't be suspecting me of being a spy just because I have been silent all this while, can you?"

"There are many people who have remained quiet all this while just like you, such as Formation Master Liu Mo. You are right in saying that being silent isn't enough evidence to doubt you."

"Then..." Jiang Yuan frowned doubtfully, unsure of what Zhang Xuan was getting at.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan's lips curled up. "Don't worry, I just want to ask you a very simple question. Can you list the names of the combat masters who have sacrificed themselves here?"

"I..." Jiang Yuan was stunned.

Other than Jiang Yuan, Feng Xun, and Zhuo Qingfeng, there were another twelve combat masters in the expedition team. All in all, there were only fifteen of them.

Due to the strict discipline that the Combat Master Hall expected of its members, the four of them hadn't really spoken much throughout the entire duration. There was also no one who actively tried to speak with them, so not even Zhang Xuan was aware of their names. But as a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, the direct superior of those combat masters, Jiang Yuan should have been well aware of their names!

"What? You can't even name your own subordinates?" Zhang Xuan mocked coldly.

"Combat Master Jiang, what's wrong?" Feng Xun was taken aback.

Coming from the same Combat Master Hall, he knew that two of the deceased combat masters had been trained by Jiang Yuan personally. Yet, to be unable to name even those two... that was truly extremely suspicious.

The others hurriedly stepped back as they turned doubtful looks toward Jiang Yuan.

The situation concerning Luo Ruoxin could still be passed off as coincidence, but for Jiang Yuan to be unable to name his own subordinates... that could not be explained!

Jiang Yuan opened his mouth several times, but not a word came out of his mouth. The composure of his face gradually eroded before eventually forming a sneer. "You are indeed very smart... Very well, since you have noticed me... I guess this is the end of our game!"

Boom!

Shortly after those words were spoken, a powerful aura burst forth from Jiang Yuan. It exerted an incredible pressure on those around him, leaving them feeling suffocated within.

"He is at the Leaving Aperture realm..." Wu shi's narrowed in astonishment.

He hurriedly stepped in front of the crowd while driving his zhenqi to its maximum might, ready to make a move at any moment.

Just by the aura exuded by the other party, he could tell that the other party was a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, an existence that was far stronger than him.

"Do you think that you will be able to stop me?" 'Jiang Yuan' sneered coldly as he raised his finger and tapped the space in front of him lightly.

Peng!

Before Wu shi could react, he was sent flying before crashing heavily into a wall.

Leaving Aperture realm primary stage and Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, it was just a gap of two cultivation stages, but the difference between the two was like the gap between heaven and earth.

"Everyone, be careful! He is the Skyleaf King!" Wu shi roared anxiously.

Even though the other party had only used his Primordial Spirit in the attack, Wu shi could still feel overwhelming killing intent from it. Of the Qingtian Lineage, the only one who could possess such immense strength was the legendary Skyleaf King!

"Skyleaf King?"

The bodies of the crowd immediately tensed up. They hurriedly raised their weapons as they eyed the person before them warily.

They knew that they would not be a match for the other party, but they had no other choice at the moment. It was impossible for them to escape from a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, so the only choice they had was to face the other party.

"Hah, a bunch of weaklings!" Facing the attack of the crowd, Jiang Yuan stepped forward calmly before abruptly thrusting his palm forward.

Boom!

A great pressure fell upon everyone in an instant, leaving them feeling as if the world was crumbling around them.

Upon reaching the Leaving Aperture realm, one's Primordial Spirit gained the ability to move even the power of nature itself. The members of the expedition team were by no means weak, but they were still far from matching up to such strength.

"Humph!"

After holding everyone in place, 'Jiang Yuan' flicked his finger forcefully.

Sou sou sou sou!

The weapons in everyone hands immediately flew out of their grasps with such great force that their fingers began bleeding.

"I will block him. The rest of you, run!"

Realizing that they would not be a match for the other party even with their strength combined, Wu shi roared furiously as he flew toward the latter.

Saint-tier battle technique, Overlapping Waves Furious Gale Slash!

Slashing his sword furiously, Wu shi sent burst after burst of sword qi toward the other party, reminiscent of the relentless waves of the ocean. Even the surrounding air seemed to have been ripped apart by the motion, creating a huge gorge on the ground.

"Interesting..."'Jiang Yuan' chuckled softly as he raised his hands. As if playing cat's cradle, he struck the sword qi with his little finger, followed by his ring finger, middle finger, forefinger, and his thumb. Every single strike would dissipate the sword qi slightly, and after a few strikes, the furious might of the Overlapping Waves Furious Gale Slash had already been neutralized entirely.

"That is the Saint-tier battle technique Wind Treading Fingers! Isn't he the Skyleaf King? How is he able to utilize the techniques of the Combat Master Hall?" Feng Xun uttered in disbelief.

The technique the other party was utilizing was actually a move of the Combat Master Hall, Wind Treading Fingers!

"The Skyleaf King hasn't really claimed Combat Master Jiang's body for his own. Instead, he is only controlling the latter's soul. In other words, Combat Master Jiang is still alive," Zhang Xuan said with a frown.

"Combat Master Jiang is still alive? Principal Zhang, I beseech you, please save him!" Feng Xun pleaded anxiously.

Jiang Yuan was a very close friend of his, and they had braved through many battles together. In the journey through the ancient domain, he had been so concerned with the happenings around him that he did not even notice that his close friend had been possessed by the Skyleaf King. No matter what, he was determined to save him!

"Un, we definitely have to save Combat Master Jiang, but there are two things that I am still unable to make sense of for the moment," Zhang Xuan said as he stroked his lower jaw.

With his current strength, he would not be able to interfere in the fight between Wu shi and the Skyleaf King. Thus, he decided to focus his attention on analyzing the situation first.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was still contemplating in such an urgent situation, Feng Xun urged anxiously, "There's no time to think anymore! I fear that Wu shi will break Combat Master Jiang's physical body at this rate. If so, we won't be able to save him even if we do manage to force the Skyleaf King out of his body!"

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the battle.

By that point, Guild Leader Han and Mu shi had joined the battle as well.

The Skyleaf King was powerful, and Wu shi alone was not a match for him. However... with the three of them collaborating with one another, they were gradually gaining the upper hand.

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. I didn't think that the three of them will be able to pull off such a powerful formation together...

Individually, Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, and Mu shi were far from a match for the powerful Skyleaf King. However, when their powers were combined through an offensive formation, they were actually able to exert a fighting prowess far beyond their individual limits, allowing them to gain the upper hand even against an opponent as powerful as the Skyleaf King.

No, something is amiss. Even if the Skyleaf King's strength is diminished due to incompatibility with Combat Master Jiang's body, it does not make sense for him to have weakened so much.

When a Leaving Aperture realm expert possessed the body of another, their strength would be reduced. Even so... the strength that they wielded would still be far beyond what Wu shi and the others could withstand. Yet, the Skyleaf King was gradually being forced back. The situation did not add up.

"You are courting death..." After retreating for a few steps, 'Jiang Yuan' suddenly came to a halt. With reddened eyes, he roared furiously as a Primordial Spirit escaped from his glabella.

Hong long long!

As soon as the Primordial Spirit appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy began gathering together to form a giant that carried destructive might and aura at a wave of its hands.

Hu!

With a simple palm strike, the formation formed by Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, and Mu shi was unraveled. A few more strikes later, the trio was unable to withstand the incredible might of the Skyleaf King and sustained significant damage, spewing blood from their mouths.

"Hold it right there!"

Noting that the trio was in a dire position, Feng Xun quickly rushed forward to their aid.

"Heh!" The Skyleaf King sneered coldly as he raised his finger to flick Feng Xun.

Peng!

A single strike, and Feng Xun was sent flying as well.

Despite being a Saint 3-dan pinnacle combat master, he was still a long way from matching up to the Saint 5-dan Skyleaf King.

"I got it!" Watching as Feng Xun was knocked flying, a thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan's mind as his eyes lit up in excitement. Slapping his thigh excitedly, he turned around and instructed, "Everyone, I need some time. I will have to ask you to hold him back for a short moment..."

Hearing those words, the crowd nodded before gathering zhenqi on their palms and directing it toward the Primordial Spirit in the sky.

They knew that they would not be a match for the Skyleaf King, but they trusted Zhang Xuan deeply. They knew that the latter had his reasons for issuing such commands, so they immediately acted on it.

While the others were holding back the Skyleaf King, Zhang Xuan rushed up to Jiang Yuan's body and punched him in his face.

Peng!

As the Skyleaf King had departed from Jiang Yuan's body, and Jiang Yuan's soul had not regained control of his body yet, the body was completely vulnerable at the moment. Unable to withstand Zhang Xuan's attack, it was immediately sent flying into the distance.

"Principal Zhang!"

Feng Xun, who had just barely gotten back up to his feet, saw the sight, and he nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

It was just a moment ago that you said that Jiang Yuan was still alive, but a moment later, you suddenly began pummeling Jiang Yuan viciously. Do you have some kind of deep-seated hatred toward him that you are so anxious to send him off to his death?

Peng peng peng peng!

Paying no heed to Feng Xun's shout, Zhang Xuan walked up to Jiang Yuan and struck the back of his head forcefully once more.

Feng Xun was about to rush up to stop Zhang Xuan when the sight before him abruptly left him with a feeling of déjà vu, and he froze on the spot. That movement... why does it feel so familiar?

Certain memories seemed to flicker across the back of his mind, and he felt as if... he had encountered such a scene before. Furthermore, a dull pain was starting to creep to the back of his head as well...

However, that sensation vanished in an instant, and he did not have the time to devote any thoughts to it either. He continued rushing toward Zhang Xuan to stop the latter, but in a casual glance upwards, he saw the Primordial Spirit of the Skyleaf King shaking unstably as horror surfaced in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" the Skyleaf King roared furiously as he raised a hand toward Zhang Xuan to grasp him.

However, before the hand could reach, Zhang Xuan had already sent another punch into Jiang Yuan's body.

The Primordial Spirit jolted once more, and it nearly fell from the sky this time around.

Upon seeing this sight, Feng Xun and Wu shi glanced at one another as a look of delight bloomed on their faces. "Could it be that... attacking Combat Master Jiang's body will affect the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit as well?"

"Principal Zhang, allow me!" Feng Xun rushed right up toward Jiang Yuan and sent a punch toward where Zhang Xuan had struck earlier.

Huala!

Just as they had anticipated, the Primordial Spirit in the sky jolted yet again, as if having sustained severe damage.

"Help me control that fellow. There are some questions that I need to ask him..." Passing Jiang Yuan into Feng Xun's arms, he flew to Wu shi's side and looked up toward the Primordial Spirit in the sky.

"Principal Zhang, what is going on?" Wu shi and the others asked doubtfully.

Both he and Guild Leader Han were nearing Leaving Aperture realm, but they had never heard that a Primordial Spirit would be affected by attacks directed toward its body... not to mention, a possessed body at that!

"I will explain the situation to you later on." Zhang Xuan waved his hand before turning his attention back toward the Skyleaf King.

"Skyleaf King, there are some things that I just can't understand no matter how I ponder over them. Why are you going to the extent of paying such a heavy price just to conceal yourself within Combat Master Jiang's body?"

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Chapter 1062: Him!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Skyleaf King harrumphed. "A clever man you are indeed. Within such a short period of time, you managed to clearly identify my weakness."

Halfway through his words, however, Feng Xun suddenly struck the back of Jiang Yuan's head out of excitement, and the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit jolted violently, nearly collapsing back to the ground.

"There is no way I could have missed it. Under normal circumstances, it should be impossible for you to execute the battle techniques of the original host, but you still managed to pull it off. That means that you have only exerted dominance over Combat Master Jiang's soul temporarily instead of wiping it out entirely. From this, it can be deduced that your strength is currently severely limited," said Zhang Xuan.

"I see. How could I have missed that?" Guild Leader Han's eyes lit up as a thought came to his mind.

"What's happening?" Wu shi asked in bewilderment.

"This involves a huge secret regarding how Leaving Aperture realm cultivators possess others. Under normal circumstances, the possessor should only be able to utilize battle techniques that they are skilled at, but previously, Combat Master Jiang managed to execute the Wind Treading Fingers. This goes to show that his soul is still around, just that it has only been suppressed for the time being.

"As powerful as a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator's Primordial Spirit is, it is still extremely dangerous for him to attempt to control another soul in its own body. In its home ground, the opposing soul has a significant advantage against the Primordial Spirit. Even if it is unable to defeat the Primordial Spirit, it will still be able to keep it occupied, resulting in a significant decline in the latter's fighting prowess!" Guild Leader Han explained.

As his real cultivation was slightly higher than Wu shi's, he also had a greater understanding of the Leaving Aperture realm than the latter.

"Then... why would the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit be injured while attacking Combat Master Jiang's body?" Wo Tianqiong asked with a frown.

The others also turned perplexed gazes toward Guild Leader Han.

Since the Skyleaf King was only possessing Jiang Yuan's body, there should have been no connection between the two. Not to mention, even if it was the Skyleaf King's own body there, such a sight still should not have occurred. After the Primordial Spirit left the body, the body should have been nothing more than a corpse, so killing it would not have affected the Primordial Spirit in any way.

This was just like how even though Zhang Xuan had melted the Jadeleaf King's body down, the Jadeleaf King's Primordial Spirit had remained unfazed by the matter, not injured or weakened in any manner.

"This..." Guild Leader Han frowned deeply in contemplation before eventually shaking his head. "I am not too sure about the matter either."

Honestly, when he saw the Skyleaf King jolting as Jiang Yuan's body was being struck, he was baffled as well.

"It's simple!" Hearing their conversation, Zhang Xuan smiled. "The Skyleaf King definitely wields sufficient strength to kill Jiang Yuan's soul before possessing him, but he didn't choose to do so because it would have made it difficult for him to conceal the malicious aura of his Primordial Spirit and emulate Jiang Yuan's aura. Otherworldly Demon Kings harness powerful killing intent in their bodies and souls, so if the Skyleaf King had truly possessed Combat Master Jiang, we would have noticed it swiftly."

The crowd nodded.

The Zhenqi of Slaughter that the Otherworldly Demons cultivated granted even their souls deep killing intent, thus making their presence very noticeable.

"In order to avoid our notice, the Skyleaf King was unable to utilize any normal possession means. Thus, the only option he was left with was the 'Coexistence of Souls'. This secret art would allow his Primordial Spirit to take control of Combat Master Jiang's body while emanating only the latter's aura, making it difficult for others to notice his presence. However, the problem with that was that if Combat Master Jiang's soul were to be struck, he would suffer damage as well."

Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan raised his gaze to the figure in the sky and asked, "Am I right?"

"Not bad, but do you think that you can subdue me with just this? You are too naïve."

The Skyleaf King was about to continue speaking when he suddenly felt a splitting pain, and its body jolted yet again, stifling his words.

Lowering his gaze, he saw Feng Xun striking the back of Jiang Yuan's head relentlessly, as if trying to vent his frustration.

"You..." The Skyleaf King felt so furious that he was on the verge of erupting.

At that moment, Zhang Xuan spoke once more. "There's just one last problem that I have been unable to make sense of. Just what is in our expedition team that would lead even the great Skyleaf King to willingly sever his Primordial Spirit and suffer a sharp decline in his cultivation just to infiltrate our group?"

"Sever his Primordial Spirit?"

Everyone was stunned.

"This Primordial Spirit isn't the Skyleaf King himself but a portion that he severed. Otherwise, how could the number one King of the Qingtian Lineage only wield such strength?" Zhang Xuan said.

He had seen the Half-Leaving Aperture realm Jadeleaf King drawing his Primordial Spirit out to battle against the Stoneleaf King, and the strength that he had wielded was truly spectacular. There were very few who would have been able to stand in his way.

Considering that the Skyleaf King was a full-fledged Leaving Aperture realm expert, how could he only wield that little strength?

Furthermore, there was no way a person as cautious as the Skyleaf King would fuse his entire Primordial Spirit with Jiang Yuan.

If he were to do so, wouldn't that be equivalent to entrusting his life to Jiang Yuan?

Thus, from these two points, he could deduce that the Primordial Spirit within Jiang Yuan's body was not the Skyleaf King himself but just a portion that he had severed.

"Just a severed portion of his Primordial Spirit already wields so much strength?"

The crowd was horrified.

With just this small portion of his Primordial Spirit, he had managed to grasp control of Jiang Yuan and nearly decimate their entire expedition team. Wasn't the Skyleaf King a little too frightening?

Seeing how the young man below was able to even guess this, the Skyleaf King was slightly surprised. A moment later, he sneered coldly and said, "You are indeed a smart person. Since that's the case, I shan't beat around the bush either. Hand the item over, and I will spare your lives..."

He was just about to add a few more threats when his Primordial Spirit jolted yet again and plummeted eight meters from the sky. He turned his gaze toward Feng Xun, who was still busy hammering Jiang Yuan, and roared with clenched jaws, "What the heck are you doing? Stop it!"

"Ah?" Hearing the loud bellow, Feng Xun was stunned for a moment. However, after realizing that the one speaking was the Skyleaf King, he went to turn back around to continue when he saw Zhang Xuan shaking his head at him.

"Alright, you can stop for the time being. There are a few questions that I need to ask him."

"Alright!" Feng Xun nodded as he gazed as Jiang Yuan's body reluctantly.

With Feng Xun finally halting his disruptive behavior, the Skyleaf King heaved a sigh of relief. Turning his gaze back to Zhang Xuan, he said, "Alright, let's cut the crap. Hand over the map in your possession!"

"Map?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. "Didn't you snatch it from the Poison Hall?"

The Skyleaf King clearly had the strength to kill all of them, so the fact that he was willing to sever his Primordial Spirit just to infiltrate their ranks was bewildering in itself. At this moment, hearing him suddenly speak about a map, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel even more perplexed.

He had indeed heard that there was a map on the ancient domain, but wasn't it snatched away by the Skyleaf King back at the Poison Hall?

After going through all the effort to infiltrate the Poison Hall, he had ended up obtaining nothing at all. That had left him feeling quite disappointed for some time.

"The portion that I have obtained only consists of the introduction of the ancient domain, and it's written in the language of the ancient gods at that. There is no way that I can read that." The Skyleaf King harrumphed coldly. "Without a doubt, the real map was taken away by Wu Yangzi two thousand years ago. It must be in one of your hands!"

"It was taken away by Wu Yangzi?" Zhang Xuan was stunned for a brief moment before a thought abruptly came into his mind. Lifting his gaze to face the Skyleaf King once more, he said, "Elder Wu Yangzi was kidnapped by your Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, imprisoned till the day of his death. If he really had the map in his possession, it would have long fallen into your hands. Feng Xun, since that fellow is playing games with us, pummel him to his death!"

"Sure thing!" Feng Xun excitedly nodded before sending fist after fist into Jiang Yuan's body once more.

Pilipala!

Under the barrage of fists, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit jolted ceaselessly. Overwhelmed with rage, the Skyleaf King narrowed his eyes furiously and roared, "I will remember this! Zhang Xuan, is it? You'd better pray that you don't meet me in the future, or else I will tear you to pieces!"

After saying those words, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit dashed toward the sky before vanishing from everyone's view, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Upon seeing the Skyleaf King escaping, Wu shi and the others hurriedly prepared themselves to give chase, only to see Zhang Xuan waving his hand to stop them.

"Don't bother. Even when significantly weakened, he is not an opponent whom we can deal with easily. Furthermore, we are still in the formation, and danger lurks all around us. We can't discount the possibility that he might intentionally lead us into a trap."

Knowing that he would die if the situation continued, the Skyleaf King had forcefully undone the Coexistence of Souls despite the great damage he would sustain from doing so and fled swiftly. While the Skyleaf King would be significantly weakened from this course of action, he would still be a difficult opponent to deal with. It would be unsafe for them to face the other party now that they did not have Jiang Yuan's body to keep the other party in check.

Knowing that what Zhang Xuan said was true, Wu shi and the others gave up on pursuing the Skyleaf King as well.

"Principal Zhang, how did you notice that Combat Master Jiang has been possessed by the Skyleaf King? It shouldn't be possible to tell that much by his silence, right?" Guild Leader Han asked curiously.

While Zhang Xuan had reasoned the matter out with Jiang Yuan's silence, he could not help but feel that there was something deeper to it.

"It's simple. It should only be known among our expedition that I have killed the Stoneleaf King, but somehow, the Scarletleaf King was aware as well. The fact that he was able to pinpoint me even though my cultivation is only at Nascent Saint was very suspicious in itself. This hinted at the possibility that there was a spy among us who leaked the news to him. Furthermore, the fact that he was unfazed by the formation and his attempt to sow discord among the group at this moment... All of this speaks for itself!" Zhang Xuan replied.

Just as Guild Leader Han had guessed previously, the two points alone were not sufficient to deduce that Jiang Yuan had been possessed by the Skyleaf King. However, if they were to consider what the Scarletleaf King had said previously as well... it would all fit perfectly together.

"I see..."

The crowd turned toward Zhang Xuan with looks of admiration.

They did not even notice such minute details, and yet, the young man had actually been able to deduce so much from them. His capability was truly worthy of respect.

"What do we do now?" Wu shi asked.

While they had resolved the threat from the Skyleaf King, they still had not succeeded in escaping from the formation yet.

"For the time being..." After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when something caught his eye. "Cough cough. Feng Xun, that's enough. You don't have to hit him anymore. The Skyleaf King has already escaped, so there's no point in you beating Combat Master Jiang now."

Everyone quickly turned their gazes, and it was only at this moment that they noticed that Feng Xun was still attacking Jiang Yuan's head relentlessly, sending punches fully packed with power one after another.

His attacks were very precisely controlled to maximize pain without inducing lethality.

Feng Xun recovered from his trance, and he scratched his head awkwardly. "He has already escaped? I thought that... there was still a portion of the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit lingering within Combat Master Jiang, so I was trying to help expel it from his body."

"Since he chose to escape, he must have thoroughly severed the connection between him and Combat Master Jiang's soul beforehand." Zhang Xuan shook his head and said.

After which, he walked up to Jiang Yuan and placed his hand on the latter's wrist. A moment later, he whipped out a jade box, and in one smooth motion, he placed dozens of needles into the latter's head.

No matter what, Jiang Yuan was only a victim of this matter. It would be for the best if he could be saved.

Under the control of Zhang Xuan's zhenqi, the needles revolved on the spot. A moment later, Jiang Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

Boom!

At the same time, his aura abruptly surged. In an instant, he had actually made the breakthrough from Saint 3-dan pinnacle to Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm!

"A portion of the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit was fused with Combat Master Jiang's soul, and it ended up serving as nourishment for Combat Master Jiang after the Skyleaf King severed the connection between the both of them. That eventually served as an impetus for Combat Master Jiang's breakthrough. In a sense, this matter can be considered a blessing in disguise," Zhang Xuan explained.

The Skyleaf King was a Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm expert, so even a small portion of his Primordial Spirit harnessed a massive amount of energy. Given how Jiang Yuan had managed to devour it, it was within expectations that he would enjoy a surge in his cultivation.

"Where am I? Why does my head hurt so much? Who was the one that beat me?" Having just woke up from his coma, Jiang Yuan fondled the back of his head, and he scanned his surroundings in confusion.

"Him!"

Everyone pointed their finger toward Feng Xun.

"..." Feng Xun

Chapter 1063: Zhang Xuan's Confession

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

After being pummeled so badly, how could Jiang Yuan hold himself back after learning who the culprit was? Without any hesitation, he charged right up to Feng Xun.

Granted that it was in a moment of danger that Feng Xun had done so, but Jiang Yuan was still unable to quell the rage in his heart without returning the favor!

Jiang Yuan had achieved a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit realm, so naturally, Feng Xun could not possibly be a match for him. As a result, he was pummeled mercilessly. Unable to stand it any longer, he quickly looked to others for help.

"Principal Zhang, Wu shi, save me!"

However, Wu shi, Zhang Xuan, and the others simply averted their gazes, as if they hadn't heard the pleading at all.

"This formation sure is difficult to decipher!"

"Indeed. If we can find a way to decipher it, we will be able to escape from here."

"Isn't the weather great today?"

"A cloudless sky with a nice breeze, the perfect weather for an expedition!"

Save you? You must be joking! You sure had your fair share of fun when you pummeled him earlier, shouldn't you let Jiang Yuan vent his frustrations on you too? Otherwise, that would be really unfair for him, don't you think?

After a session of pummeling, Jiang Yuan's anger was finally quelled.

By that point, Feng Xun's head was already completely swollen, a truly hideous and miserable sight.

Seeing the state that Feng Xun was in, Zhang Xuan's eyes suddenly lit up as an idea came to his mind. "Right! Why didn't I think of it previously? We might be unable to break the formation, but we can always have the Scarletleaf King do it for us!"

"Have the Scarletleaf King do it for us?"

The crowd was taken aback.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded. He flicked his wrist, and a bundle of formation flags appeared in his grasp.

Previously, Guild Leader Han and the others had given him a handful of grade-7 formation flags, and he still had quite a number of them remaining.

"Go."

With a formation blueprint in his mind, Zhang Xuan muttered softly, and the formations flags swiftly flew forth from his hands.

Currently, Zhang Xuan already possessed capabilities on par with a 7-star pinnacle formation master. Even though he could not set up most grade-7 pinnacle formations due to his lacking cultivation, setting up ordinary grade-7 formations was still very well within his means.

As soon as the formation flags got into position, Zhang Xuan stomped his feet forcefully on the ground.

Weng!

The formation came to a life, and a cloud of white mist swiftly shrouded the crowd.

"Principal Zhang, are you intending on concealing us in a formation so as to lure the Scarletleaf King over?" Guild Leader Han's eyes suddenly lit up upon realizing what Zhang Xuan was trying to do.

One of the main reasons why they were in such a disadvantageous position within the formation was because they were in the open whereas the enemy was hiding in the shadows. This allowed the enemy to launch wave after wave of attacks against them through controlling the formation, and they were completely helpless to retaliate against it. However, with a grade-7 formation hiding their trail, the enemy would be unable to see them. This would level the playing field, making it harder for the Scarletleaf King to harm them through the formation.

Perhaps, this might even become the impetus for turning the tables on the Scarletleaf King.

Of course, that was easier said than done. As a 7-star pinnacle formation master, he knew full well the intricacy behind pulling that feat off.

To set up an inner formation within a larger formation was exponentially more difficult because one would need to have a near perfect understanding of the larger formation, as well as the various transformations it could pull off. Otherwise, if the conditions in the larger formation changed, the inner formation could very well unravel by itself.

Even the most talented of formation masters wouldn't dare dream of attempting it. In all likelihood, only a monster like Principal Zhang could truly pull it off.

"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded in response to Guild Leader Han's words.

Upon hearing the confirmation, the crowd also finally noticed what Zhang Xuan was up to, and their eyes lit up in excitement. Only Feng Xun was standing by the side with a dumbfounded look on his face.

So, this is what you have been thinking of while watching Jiang Yuan pummel me viciously?

"With this formation to conceal our trail, we don't have to worry about coming under the Scarletleaf King's attack for the time being. Let's rest while we can and recuperate," Zhang Xuan instructed.

Ever since entering the celestial palace, they had been leaping from one crisis into another. By this point, both their minds and bodies were completely exhausted.

"Alright!" Nodding, the crowd took a seat on the ground before whipping out several recovery pills and spirit stones to recuperate.

Seeing that they were finally out of danger for the time being, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He was just about to check on another one of his hypotheses regarding the formation they were trapped in when he suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrance. Turning around, he saw Luo Ruoxin walking up to him with complicated emotions in her eyes. She hesitated for a brief moment before speaking softly.

"Thank you."

Knowing that Luo Ruoxin was thanking him for the previous matter, Zhang Xuan replied with a smile, "There's no need to stand on ceremony!"

He knew from the very start that Luo Ruoxin was not the Skyleaf King, and all he did was to speak of the truth as well.

Shaking her head, Luo Ruoxin said, "No, what I mean is thank you for believing me."

At this point, the young lady seemed to have thought of something, and a forlorn look crept onto her face. However, that look only surfaced for a moment before vanishing. Stretching out her hand, she continued. "If you wish to break this formation, I might be able to offer some help."

"Oh? You know of this formation?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"I don't, but I do have an idea in mind. This formation is made up of many smaller formations, and if we attempt to find a way out by barging our way through the smaller formations, it is likely that we might find ourselves running in circles, unable to find the exit no matter which direction we take. To escape from a formation of this design, the best way is to leap out of the formation!" Luo Ruoxin said.

"Leap out of the formation? How can we leap out of it?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

He also understood that logic as well. If he knew how to leap out of the formation, he would have long led the expedition team out.

The Library of Heaven's Path could only reflect the flaws of the smaller formation within the door that he was presently in. It was unable to analyze the overall layout and workings of the larger formation, and without sufficient information, Zhang Xuan was unable to deduce a feasible way to leap out of the formation.

"We have been through quite a few courtyards, and every single one of them is around several hundred meters wide. Judging from the size of the celestial palace from the outside, even if we have not leaped out of it yet, we should be nearing its edge by now. However, even if we barge through a few more courtyards, chances are, we will still find ourselves within the formation. Don't you think that it is perplexing?" Luo Ruoxin queried.

"This... You are saying that the formation also harnesses the laws of space as well?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

Indeed! Judging from the distance, they should have already escaped from the celestial palace by now. Yet, for the end to still be nowhere in sight, there was only one possibility... Spatial Formation!

"You're right! Why didn't I think of it? Ancient Sage Qiu Wu is highly skilled in spatial manipulation, and it is also due to his skill that the seals he set up in the Subterranean Gallery have been able to last for so many years. Furthermore, we encountered a Spatial Formation right after we entered, so I should guessed it." Zhang Xuan smacked his face in realization.

Considering Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's expertise in spatial manipulation, he should have long guessed that the formation that they were trapped in harnessed the laws of space as well... How could he have neglected something that was so apparent?

Excited, Zhang Xuan leaped forward to peck the young lady on the cheeks before laughing heartily. "Your words have truly opened my eyes. Thank you, Ruoxin. You are really the love of my life!"

"You..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to suddenly make a move on her, Luo Ruoxin eyes widened, and a crimson blush spread across her face.

That fellow looked quite honest normally, so why would he... he...

"I'm not going to bother with you anymore." Luo Ruoxin turned around and walked away. It was after walking a distance away that she realized her face was burning red.

"I..." It was in a moment of excitement that Zhang Xuan had acted like so, and it was only after Luo Ruoxin left that he realized what he had just done. His face reddened in embarrassment, but touching his lips... he could still feel a soft, supple sensation.

Will she really ignore me from now on?

As someone who had no experience with romance whatsoever, Zhang Xuan could not help but panic upon hearing those words. In this moment, he seemed nothing like the valiant man who faced the Skyleaf King squarely a moment ago.

However, he knew that this was not the moment for him to be troubled by such affairs either. He drove his Soul Depth to calm his mind before flicking his wrist, and the Myriad Anthive Queen appeared before him.

He knew next to nothing about Spatial Formations, but the Myriad Anthive Queen had been born with the innate ability to manipulate space. Perhaps, under the latter's lead, they just might be able to find an escape route.

Thus, he swiftly informed the Myriad Anthive Queen of their current plight.

The Myriad Anthive Queen nodded before lying on the ground to sniff the surroundings.

In truth, while the Myriad Anthive Queen possessed an inherent ability to manipulate space, it actually did not have much of an understanding regarding the laws of space.

To make an analogy, it was just like how bees instinctively knew that they had to build honeycombs with hexagonal shapes because it was the most efficient geometry to use, but that did not necessarily mean that they were skilled architects!

After sniffing for a moment, the Myriad Anthive Queen stood up.

"Master, we are indeed within a folded space. I think I can find the way out of here."

"Wonderful!" Hearing that the Myriad Anthive Queen indeed knew the way out, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement. He hurriedly turned around to inform Wu shi and the others telepathically.

Very soon, everyone had gathered together discreetly.

As veterans who had braved through many battlefields, they knew how to make use of their resting time efficiently. Even though it hadn't been long since they started recuperating, they had already recovered roughly half of their strength.

"Everyone, follow the Myriad Anthive Queen closely. Make sure not to lag behind!" Zhang Xuan instructed sternly before walking over to Luo Ruoxin's side. Noting that the young lady was not intending to shun him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "Let's head over as well!"

Saying those words, he reached out to grab the young lady's hand.

"You..."

The young lady instinctively tried to pull her hand back, only to realize that the young man's grasp was growing tighter and tighter. She could not help but frown.

Just because she had not reprimanded him, he was getting more and more overboard.

As this thought flashed across her mind, she made up her mind to retract her hand forcefully and teach the young man a lesson. However, before she could do anything, the young man suddenly spoke.

"In the Verdant Mountain of Huanyu Empire, I met you for the first time. You were standing quietly before a waterfall, reminiscent of a beautiful ink painting. It was in that instant that I realized that I have a goal in life.

"When I saw that you were going to be attacked by the spirit beasts, I couldn't stop my feet from heading toward you. After we managed to flee from the spirit beasts, I suffered a rebound in my soul and fell unconscious, and you were the one who saved my life. But by the time I woke up, you had already left. I had no idea who you are or where you came from, and I thought that I would never meet you again. A feeling of emptiness struck me at that moment, and I felt as if I had lost something very precious to me.

"Thus, when I met you once more in the Master Teacher Academy, I felt as if my heart was going to explode. I knew that I had to ask for your name, or else I might regret it my entire life..."

Recalling the times together with the young lady, a sweet smile gradually surfaced on Zhang Xuan's lips.

He had met many charming women ever since his reincarnation. Some were graceful, some were gentle, some were domineering, some were adorable, and some even harbored some feelings toward him. But for some reason, only the young lady before him was able to evoke such emotions and nostalgia in him.

He knew that she was very important to him, and he did not want to miss his chance!

"We visited the Saint Ascension Platform together. Even though we managed to meet Kong shi and obtain the scroll that he wrote personally, my greatest gain from that trip was actually the time that I was able to spend with you. In those days, whenever I opened my eyes after I was done cultivating, I would always see you seated serenely not too far away. In those days, we spent our time chatting with one another and discussing the flaws and strengths of cultivation techniques. To tell you the truth, I really wished that time could have stopped forever then.

"Do you know how happy I was when you said that you wanted to come to the ancient domain as well? Everyone said that it is an extremely dangerous place, and we might very well lose our lives here. But as long as I could be together with you, I would be willing to brave through any danger.

"It was in that moment that I finally realized my feelings for you. I really want to be with you. I want to spend an eternity with you."

Turning toward the young lady beside him, determination gleamed in Zhang Xuan's eyes.

"Ruoxin, won't you allow me to continue holding your hand as we tread down this long journey together?"

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Chapter 1064: You Are a Good Man!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Up to this point, he still did not know the true background of the young lady before him, and the other party had never mentioned it to him. However, despite having encountered many people in the midst of his journey, his heart had only leaped for the young lady before him. It was embarrassing for him to say such words, but he did not want to let her slip past him just because of his own embarrassment.

"I..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to suddenly say such words, Luo Ruoxin's body tensed up. "I-I need to consider..."

"Feel free to consider all you want. In any case, just know that I won't be releasing your hand." Grasping the young lady's hand firmly as if guarding his most precious treasure, Zhang Xuan smiled.

Not expecting the fellow to refuse to release her hand, Luo Ruoxin's face turned completely red. She tried to tug back her hand, but her action only caused the young man to further tighten his grip. "You... Let go!"

"I won't. Once I let go, you will start avoiding me," Zhang Xuan said determinedly.

"I promise that I won't avoid you, alright? Let go..." Luo Ruoxin looked at her surroundings anxiously, only to realize that the master teachers and the Myriad Anthive Queen had already departed and were nowhere to be seen. Within the mist, there were only the two of them. The realization of that caused her face to redden further, and she dared not look up anymore.

"I won't!" Zhang Xuan replied resolutely.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Luo Ruoxin slowly looked up, and seeing the other party's earnest and unwavering eyes, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth. "You are... a good man."

"I am not a good man. I am a baddie, a big baddie!" Zhang Xuan quickly refuted those words.

He did not confess just to be given a good man card 1 !

"Pffft!" Luo Ruoxin burst into laughter, and in an instant, the awkwardness between them vanished.

That fellow sure was... While others were trying to show the best side of themselves in their confessions, that fellow was adamantly insisting that he was a baddie.

Where in the world could one find another who confessed in such a manner?

That silly man!

Shaking her head, Luo Ruoxin said, "Let go."

"I won't let go, not even if you beat me up!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Unless you accept my confession!"

"You... How can you be so unreasonable?" Luo Ruoxin said in agitation.

"I am just that unreasonable. No matter what, unless you agree to my confession, I will never let go!" Zhang Xuan said adamantly.

He could tell that the young lady did not dislike him. Since that was the case, he wanted to push the matter through. Otherwise, if he were to miss this opportunity, who knew when the next one would come his way?

"You..." Luo Ruoxin did not think that Zhang Xuan would be so shameless. In that moment, she could not even tell whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Several thoughts flashed across her mind, and her face sunk a little. "I don't dislike you, but... I have my difficulties. If you were to choose me, you will be put through much suffering, and even so, we might still not end up together. Despite knowing this, are you still willing to tread down this path?"

"I am!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "All along, you have never said a word about your identity, and you have never revealed your true strength either. I know that you have your own considerations for doing so, so I won't ask you to tell me everything. However, I hope that you can trust me on this. I won't allow anyone to get in our way. Even if the world stands in our way, I will shatter the heavens into pieces!"

Be it in his previous life or his current one, he had never been one to look back after making up his mind. This was the belief that he had lived by. It was either he chose to stay out of it altogether, or else he would persist with his decision and walk it to the very end!

Even death would not change his mind!

It was also with this belief that he managed to advance from an ordinary teacher in Tianxuan Kingdom to a 6-star pinnacle master teacher and the principal of a Master Teacher Academy within less than a year, becoming a figure respected and admired by many.

"You..." Despite the lack of contemplation from Zhang Xuan before his response, his words were filled with utmost resolution and earnestness. Luo Ruoxin's eyes could not help but redden as sweetness spread from her heart. She halted for a brief moment before nodding her head slightly.

"Alright, I will tread down this long journey along with you..."

So what if the future is unknown?

So what if the road ahead is filled with thorns?

As long as I have your company while walking down this road, it will suffice!

Even if the road leads to the edge of a cliff, even if our paths must diverge at the very end... at the very least, we have faced the world together.

"Really?" Hearing Luo Ruoxin's response, Zhang Xuan was stunned. For a long moment, he could not believe ears. Then, all of a sudden, he leaped up and held the young lady up in his arms as he spun her around twice on the spot.

"Really." Seeing how the young man before her was acting so childishly, Luo Ruoxin chuckled softly.

Having placed aside her worries, she decided to look straight ahead. There was no point worrying about the future now. They would just have to deal with it when it came their way.

The young man had said that he had fallen in love with her the first time he met her, but the same could be said about her as well. The first time she met him, she felt that something had struck a chord in her heart.

Those spirit beasts had come to repay her kindness, but he thought that they had intended her harm. Despite possessing unspectacular strength, he had still rushed right in and forcefully dragged her away to flee. Truly, his silliness was a little adorable.

After that, they had been through all kinds of experiences together, such as going to the Saint Ascension Platform together and meeting Kong shi. There were so many others whom she could have found to accompany her there, but she had found herself looking toward him instead. Who could say whether it was that little desire in her heart that swayed her decision?

Having said everything that she wanted to say, she felt an incredible feeling of lightness and happiness.

Chuckling, Zhang Xuan carefully placed the young lady down. "Alright, let's proceed ahead. Otherwise, we might not make it in time."

The Myriad Anthive Queen had already found the exit and was in the midst of leading the others over. If they were to continue dilly-dallying, they might just end up trapped there forever, unable to escape.

"Un." Luo Ruoxin nodded.

Grasping onto the hand of the young lady tightly, Zhang Xuan led Luo Ruoxin forward with widened strides.

He was the one who set up the formation, so he could easily sense where the others were heading. After circling a few rounds on the spot, an object that resembled a door came into sight.

It was the exit that the Myriad Anthive Queen had found and torn open.

The duo quickly stepped into it.

Hu!

A moment later, a massive waterfall appeared before their eyes. Swiftly turning around, they saw the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion ravaging behind their backs. They had returned to the entrance of the celestial palace.

"We have managed to escape from the formation!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in agitation.

Even though he had deduced it to be a feasible solution, he had not been entirely sure that it would work. It was only when they finally got out that the burden weighing down on his heart finally lifted, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

The formation within the celestial palace was simply too powerful, such that even he was helpless before it.

"Wait a moment, the celestial palace isn't real?"

"That... You're right! Why didn't we notice it before?"

...

Shocked voices sounded from Wu shi and the others.

They had left the formation earlier than Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin, and they were currently staring at the celestial palace with a flabbergasted look.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan also lifted his gaze to look at the celestial palace, and what he saw left him completely stunned.

Just like before, the celestial palace was still floating right before the massive waterfall. However, unlike what they saw before, it was currently hung on the top of the cliff together with the waterfall, as if an oil painting.

"The celestial palace is actually... a painting? In other words, we were inside a painting earlier?" Zhang Xuan widened his mouth in shock.

"Legend has it that upon reaching the very peak, a painter is able to create a world within their painting, and the lifeforms they can depict are able to reproduce and further their kind, just like humans. I always thought that it was just an exaggeration, but to think that it would actually be true..." Guild Leader Han gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

"Indeed. If I had not witnessed this with my own eyes, I never would have believed that this would actually be possible," Wu shi said hoarsely.

As a 7-star formation master and 7-star master teacher, there was no doubt that they were knowledgeable. Yet, upon seeing the painting of the celestial palace, they could not help but display expressions reminiscent of a child seeing the world for the very first time.

"Look, is that the Scarletleaf King?" someone among the crowd suddenly exclaimed with a hushed voice.

Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over, and as expected, he saw a figure sitting on a stone pillar above the waterfall with his eyes tightly closed, seemingly searching for something.

Gazing at the Scarletleaf King, who sat motionlessly on the stone pillar, a thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan. The formation that I have set up has obstructed his vision and Spiritual Perception. Perhaps, he still doesn't know that we have already escaped...

The formation within the celestial palace was at least at grade-8. Even if the Scarletleaf King was able to gain ownership of it, it would still be extremely difficult for him to fully control with his Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivation.

As such, it would be extremely difficult for him to kill the entire expedition team just by himself. It was for this reason that he had intentionally tried to turn them against one another so that they would diminish their own forces, making it easier for him to deal with them.

Zhang Xuan turned around and addressed the crowd. "He hasn't noticed us yet. Let's quickly find a place to hide first. I will try to approach him and see if I can find an opportunity to kill him."

"Principal Zhang, we'll go along with you!" Wu shi and Guild Leader Han stepped forward and volunteered themselves.

They were the two strongest experts of the expedition team, and if anyone among them could match the Scarletleaf King, it could only be them.

"There's no need for that. I have a plan in mind, so it won't be convenient for me to bring you with me. Don't worry, if I am unable to hold on anymore, I will definitely call the both of you over!" Zhang Xuan replied.

The Scarletleaf King was bound to be even stronger than the Jadeleaf King. If he became desperate, even with the combined strength of Wu shi and Guild Leader Han, it was hard to say whether they would be a match for him. Since that was the case, it would be best for him to avoid a direct encounter. This way, the risk could be minimized, and there would be more room for him to maneuver around as well.

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han knew that the young man must have had an idea in mind to say such words. Thus, after a brief moment of hesitation, the both of them nodded.

"Alright then."

"Be careful!" Luo Ruoxin said.

Zhang Xuan directed a confident smile at Luo Ruoxin before leading the expedition team to a safe hiding place some distance away. After settling everyone down, he left the group to find a remote place.

Geji! Geji!

In a few moments, he turned into the form of the Violetleaf King.

Not even Feng Xun was aware that he had turned the Jadeleaf King against the Stoneleaf King after disguising as the Violetleaf King. Naturally, Jiang Yuan was unaware of the matter as well, and so was the Scarletleaf King.

As such, disguising as the Violetleaf King would be the ideal way to catch the Scarletleaf King off guard.

Hu!

Flying ahead, Zhang Xuan soon arrived in the vicinity of the stone pillar where the Scarletleaf King was. He quickly used his Eye of Insight to scan the area.

Just as he had deduced, the stone pillar was indeed the core of the celestial palace. The person on top of it would gain control of the massive formation within the celestial palace.

"Violetleaf King? Why are you here?"

Just as Zhang Xuan was still surveying the surroundings, the Scarletleaf King's voice suddenly sounded.

"Reporting to the Scarletleaf King, while conducting the mission entrusted to me by His Majesty, I uncovered vital intelligence in the Poison Hall. In order to avoid alarming anyone, I could only lie low and observe quietly from the dark. Finally, my efforts paid off, so I quickly rushed here as fast as I could!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Vital intelligence? What kind of vital intelligence?" the Scarletleaf King asked.

In his view, while the expedition team had used a grade-7 formation to conceal their trail, it was not a matter of great concern at all. In any case, it was impossible for them to escape from the painting without knowledge of the laws of space, so he did not even think of doubting the authenticity of the Violetleaf King before his eyes.

Zhang Xuan carefully scanned his surroundings before whispering in a lowered voice, "It is regarding the map."

"It is regarding the map?" The Scarletleaf King narrowed his eyes before leaping up in agitation. "Where is it?"

"Calm down for a moment and allow me to finish speaking first. Based on the news that I have received, the booklet obtained by the Skyleaf King is only an introduction and not the complete map of the ancient domain. It is said that the real map was taken away by Wu Yangzi more than two thousand years ago," Zhang Xuan said.

"You're right. The Skyleaf King has already learned of this matter from the mouths of Zhang Yinqiu and the others!" Seeing that his intelligence was the same as what the other party had, the Scarletleaf King nodded.

Zhang Xuan heart jolted, but not the slightest hint of it could be seen on his face. Instead, with a curious look, he asked the Scarletleaf King, "Zhang Yinqiu? That old principal of the Master Teacher Academy... isn't dead yet?"

The Scarletleaf King shook his head. "Of course not! That fellow is currently trapped at the deepest region of the ancient domain together with the Skyleaf King and the others. Without the map, no one is able to enter or exit, so they can only bide their time there."

"The Skyleaf King is trapped in the ancient domain? Then, in the Poison Hall..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Didn't the Skyleaf King just head to the Poison Hall a while ago? Furthermore, they had just met several minutes ago. If even a severed portion of his Primordial Spirit could escape from the ancient domain, surely the Skyleaf King himself should have been able to do so!

"The Skyleaf King knew that he would face grave danger here, so two years ago, before he entered the ancient domain, he left a portion of his soul outside. Firstly, it was to ensure his survival even if his main Primordial Spirit dies within the ancient domain. Secondly, it also serves as an effective medium of communication to the rest of us. Most of the intelligence that we have originates from him," replied the Scarletleaf King.

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Chapter 1065: The Scarletleaf King Coughs Blood

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"I see..." Hearing that explanation, Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

No wonder!

He had been wondering why the Skyleaf King would choose to send his severed Primordial Spirit after them when it would have been safer for him to do it personally, especially for something as important as the map. It turned out that it was not that he did not want to do so, but he could not! Trapped in the depths of the ancient domain, he had no choice but to leave this job to his severed Primordial Spirit.

A thought came to Zhang Xuan's mind. Having reached the Leaving Aperture realm, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit is capable for existing for extended periods of time outside of his body. However, that is not the case for the severed Primordial Spirit. Inevitably, it is weaker and unstabler than a complete Primordial Spirit, so it is incapable of surviving independently for too long a period of time. Perhaps, the severed Primordial Spirit was hiding in the Earthleaf King's body back then.

It was possible for the Primordial Spirits of Leaving Aperture realm cultivators to survive independently, but the same could not be said for severed ones.

Most likely, the Skyleaf King had sneaked into Jingyuan City while possessing the Earthleaf King.

Later on, when the severed Primordial Spirit realized that what he had received was only an introduction and not the full map, he decided to possess Jiang Yuan's body and infiltrate the expedition team. He deeply believed that the map was within the expedition team, and he was hoping to steal the map once it appeared.

If not for that reason, the severed Primordial Spirit would have probably killed them long ago when it had the chance to do so.

After finishing his story, the Scarletleaf King looked at the contemplating Violetleaf King and asked, "So, where is the map?"

"According to what I know, it seems like the map is in the hands of that fellow who goes by the name of Zhang Xuan!" replied Zhang Xuan.

"Zhang Xuan?" The Scarletleaf King shook his head. "The Skyleaf King has been paying close attention to him, and while that fellow has many tricks up his sleeves, it is unlikely that the map is in his hands. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been trapped in the celestial palace in the first place!"

While that Zhang Xuan had been able to lead the expedition team through trial after trial, it was mainly through his wits. It was unlikely that he had the map on his map.

Otherwise, he would have long reached the depths of the ancient domain!

Zhang Xuan shook his head and replied, "He doesn't know about the map, but the map is definitely in his hands!"

"Oh?" the Scarletleaf King frowned in incomprehension.

"That fellow managed to obtain Wu Yangzi's inheritance, and the map was within it as well. However, as he could not understand the language of the ancient gods, he was unable to make sense of it, so he was unaware of the ties between it and the ancient domain. As such, he ended up not using it at all," Zhang Xuan explained.

"This..." The Scarletleaf King was taken aback.

He had never considered such a possibility.

The Scarletleaf King pondered for a moment before asking, "Where did you obtain this information?"

"I infiltrated the ranks of the humans a while ago and headed to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to confirm this matter. I am very certain of the intelligence I have procured!" Zhang Xuan said confidently.

"What you said isn't entirely impossible..." The eyes of the Scarletleaf King lit up. "If what you say is true, I will report your contribution to His Majesty and request that he reward you handsomely! Alright, wait here for a moment. I will rip apart the formation that fellow set up and apprehend him..."

"Wait a moment," Zhang Xuan hurriedly interjected. "Even though I am certain the map is in Zhang Xuan's hand, I cannot confirm where he placed it or whether it is with him at the moment or not. After all, he is unaware of the ties between the map and the ancient domain, so it won't be odd if he chose to leave it in his academy."

"Hmm..." The Scarletleaf King mused over those words.

The Violetleaf King was right. If that Zhang Xuan fellow was unaware of the connection between the map and the ancient domain, given the dangers of the ancient domain, he might have chosen to leave it behind in the Master Teacher Academy so that it could be passed down to others even if something were to happen to him. If so, that would be a huge trouble.

"Why don't we do this instead? Doesn't the Skyleaf King have the introduction to the ancient domain? I think we can use it to obtain the true map," Zhang Xuan suggested.

The Scarletleaf King frowned. "Use it to obtain the true map? How?"

If there was such a convenient method, they would have long used it.

"Sage Clans possess certain means to find their lost kin through resonance in their unique bloodline. Since the introduction and the map are both written using the language of the ancient gods, I believe that it might be possible to induce a resonance between the two and find the map. It is because of this that I went to the effort of looking up and learning one such secret art back when I was at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. As long as I am in physical contact with the introduction, I am confident that I will be able to locate the whereabouts of the map!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Resonance in their unique bloodline... I did hear that there was such a thing among the Sage Clans. Well, I am a little doubtful as to whether the technique can be extended toward the introduction and map, but there should be no harm giving it a go." The Scarletleaf King frowned for a moment before eventually nodding. Flicking his wrist, he passed a jade box over and said, "Here is the introduction to the ancient domain. The Skyleaf King left it with me earlier on."

As the Skyleaf King had chosen to possess Jiang Yuan's body, naturally, he could not have kept the introduction with him. Thus, he had chosen to entrust it to the second strongest member of the Ten Great Kings, the Scarletleaf King.

"Alright." Taking the jade box, Zhang Xuan opened it lightly and took a look inside, and his eyes lit up.

There was an ancient book within that deeply resembled the map he had received from Wu Yangzi's inheritance. There was no doubt that they had come from the same origin.

Zhang Xuan lightly placed his finger on it, and the knowledge harnessed within it immediately surged into his mind.

It was written in the same incomprehensible language used for the map, making it nigh impossible to understand what was being written within.

I should be able to find a thing or two by examining it closely.

The introduction had quite a few flaws reflected, and by comparing the words, he would be able to understand some of the content. However, he knew that this was not the time to do so.

Casually closing the jade box, Zhang Xuan turned to the Scarletleaf King once more and said, "Actually... to use the secret art, I will have to set up a grade-7 pinnacle formation. As you know, my understanding of formations is far beneath yours, so I might require your help later on..."

"Set up a formation? Alright." The Scarletleaf King nodded.

Just by how the Scarletleaf King was able to control the massive formation in the celestial palace showed that he had a deep understanding of formations.

"Un. I will tell you where the flags should be positioned. I will have to trouble you to help me set it up," Zhang Xuan said as he retrieved a couple of grade-7 formation flags from his storage ring.

"Alright," the Scarletleaf King replied as he took the formation flags from Zhang Xuan's hands.

"30 meters to the left, at the Jiaxu position. After that, 27 meters to the right, at the Hangu position..." Zhang Xuan began reciting.

The terms that he was using were precise terminologies often used by 7-star formation masters. Those who had some mastery in formations would know of them.

Hearing the Violetleaf King listing out the precise positionings of the formation flags, the Scarletleaf King could not help but be impressed. Driving his zhenqi, he carefully nailed each and every one of the formation flags in place.

Halfway through the construction of the formation, the Scarletleaf King suddenly noticed something, and he frowned. "Wait a moment, something is wrong. Why does this formation resemble a Slaughter Formation?"

Even though the formation that the Violetleaf King was asking him to set up was foreign to him, through his deep understanding of formations, he was still able to deduce its core function, and it appeared to be a Slaughter Formation!

Weren't they going to set up a formation to find the map?

Why were they constructing a Slaughter Formation instead?

In that instant, doubts filled the Scarletleaf King's mind.

"Slaughter Formation? How could that be? Scarletleaf King, you are worrying unnecessarily. While the formation might resemble a Slaughter Formation, you will soon notice that it is something else entirely once it is activated."

"Something entirely else? This setup can be nothing but a Slaughter Formation! These three formation flags serve to draw in the handle of the Big Dipper whereas these positions serve to trigger the Malignant Star." The Scarletleaf King frowned. "Once trapped within it, not even a Half-Leaving Aperture realm would be able to escape from it easily."

"If you look at from that perspective, it does resemble a Slaughter Formation. However, if you look at it from below, it will be an entirely different sight altogether. This is also where the brilliance of the formation lies. If you don't believe me, come here and take a look!" Zhang Xuan moved to the center of the formation and placed a formation flag there before beckoning the Scarletleaf King over with a smile.

"Un." the Scarletleaf King was perplexed by what the Violetleaf King was up to, but he still moved toward the latter nevertheless.

In any case, the Violetleaf King was there as well, and the formation was still incomplete, so it was impossible for the other party to activate it and use it against him.

"Stay here and don't move. Look in that direction... That's right... Alright, I am going to move the formation flags right now, and once you see it, you will understand the profoundness of the formation..."

Seeing that the Scarletleaf King had gotten into position, Zhang Xuan slowly backed away and flew up while shouting, "Make sure not to move. If you move, you won't get a clear glimpse of what that is going to happen. Yes, it's that direction..."

Before finishing his words, he had already whipped out several more formation flags, and the formation flags abruptly burst forth in multiple locations.

"That is... Hundred Flags of Void Sealing? You aren't the Violetleaf King! Who are you?" The Scarletleaf King was standing still on the ground, waiting for whatever the Violetleaf King was going to show him when he suddenly noticed the formation flags in the latter's hand flying in multiple directions. His eyes immediately narrowed in wariness, and zhenqi burst forth from his body.

At this point, it was apparent that something was amiss.

Hundred Flags of Void Sealing was a technique that allowed formation masters to swiftly set up a formation so that it could be instantaneously utilized in the midst of a battle. However, it was an advanced ability that only 7-star formation masters could possibly pull off. Considering how the Violetleaf King didn't specialize in formations, how could he possibly be capable of using it?

Obviously, the fellow before him was not the real Violetleaf King!

Sou sou sou sou!

He immediately stepped against the ground to leap toward the fake Violetleaf King to end his life, but in that instant, the latter abruptly stomped his leg lightly.

Hong long!

The formation came to life, and tides of sword qi immediately came surging in his direction.

"You..." The Scarletleaf King narrowed his eyes in horror, unable to believe what he had just seen.

As a 7-star pinnacle formation master, he was capable of pulling off the Hundred Flags of Void Sealing as well. However... to be able to activate a formation with just a stomp of his feet, how did the other party manage to do it? It was inconceivable!

Him willingly stepping into the formation in the first place was based on the notion that there was no one in the world who could activate a formation so quickly. Even if the Violetleaf King meant him harm, he should have been able to escape in time.

Yet, who could have known that not only was the other party capable of pulling off the Hundred Flags of Void Sealing, he could even activate the formation so swiftly, leaving him no time to escape at all?

Peng!

Before he could react, he was already struck in his chest by the sword qi, and blood gushed forth from his wounds.

He had managed to prevent the sword qi from wounding his vitals, but he was left in a terribly unkempt state. His composure had disappeared without a trace.

Gritting his teeth, the Scarletleaf King roared furiously, "Who in the world are you?"

To think that the second strongest expert of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings would end up being fooled by another like that! So much rage was coursing through the Scarletleaf King's veins that he felt as if he could explode at any moment.

"Who am I? I am the person whom you are trying to kill!" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he reverted back to his original appearance.

"You are... Zhang Xuan? But... that killing intent... how did you..." The Scarletleaf King was so shocked that he found himself unable to speak coherently.

Humans were unable to cultivate the Zhenqi of Slaughter, so how could the other party emanate killing intent like them? Not to mention, the purity of it was even on par with Otherworldly Demon Kings like them!

At this moment, the Scarletleaf King suddenly thought of something else, and his body shook. "You... You killed the Violetleaf King?"

Right after saying those words, the young man outside of the formation stroked his lower jaw in embarrassment and said, "That... It isn't just the Violetleaf King. Other than you and the Skyleaf King, the remaining members of the Ten Great Kings have all died by my hand!"

"Pu!"

The Scarletleaf King spurted blood.

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Chapter 1066: Fusing the Maps

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage had all reached Saint 4-dan at the very minimum, and they were existences who could individually cause a great calamity anywhere, even in Qingyuan Conferred Empire.

With the Ten Great Kings moving in this operation, he had thought that they would be able to snitch the ancient domain easily and inflict great damage upon Qingyuan Conferred Empire while they were at it.

Yet, eight of the Kings had died before they could even cause the slightest stir. They thought that the Master Teacher Pavilion or Combat Master Hall might have caught wind of their movements and dispatched experts to eliminate them, thus resulting in their deaths. But who knew that they were killed by a mere Nascent Saint master teacher?

The more the Scarletleaf King thought about the matter, the more stifled he felt.

It is fortunate that the Qingtian Emperor was unaware of this matter! If he were to learn of it, would he faint from anger on the spot?

Just what kind of grudge did the other party have against them, to be hunting down their Ten Great Kings one after another?

I don't want to explore the ancient domain anymore. I want to go home...

The Scarletleaf King felt deeply dismayed, but the situation did not allow him any time to wallow in his emotions.

He was the one who had set up a huge portion of the grade-7 pinnacle formation, so he fully understood the might that it wielded. Even with the means that he possessed, he knew that he would not last for long against the might of the formation. He had to escape as soon as he could.

At that moment, however, the voice of the young man sounded from above. "Guild Leader Han, come over here and control the formation. Kill that fellow as fast as possible..."

Right after those words sounded, the might of the formation suddenly intensified, as if it was driven by some greater power.

"You..." The face of the Scarletleaf King paled.

While he was the one who had set up the formation, he was not too familiar with its entire layout and its various transformations. It would take at least an hour before he could find the Life Gate and escape.

As the other party was only at Nascent Saint, it would have been extremely strenuous for him to drive a grade-7 pinnacle formation. Given so, the Scarletleaf King would still have been able to cope for the time being. However, if it was Guild Leader Han who was driving the formation, he might really just meet his end there!

On top of being a Saint 4-dan pinnacle expert, that fellow was the head of a Formation Master Guild, a true expert of formations! With the formation being controlled by such a skilled and powerful individual, his chances of escaping were as good as null!

While the Scarletleaf King was despairing, outside the formation, the eyes of Guild Leader Han and the others were gleaming in excitement.

When they heard Zhang Xuan's shout, they immediately leaped out of their hiding spots and dashed toward the waterfall. As soon as they arrived, they found the Scarletleaf King trapped within an extremely powerful Slaughter Formation!

With the sheer might of the Slaughter Formation, they could easily kill the Scarletleaf King as long as they were to control properly.

While driving the formation, Guild Leader Han couldn't help but turn to Zhang Xuan and ask, "Principal Zhang, if I am not mistaken, this formation should be at grade-7 pinnacle, right? Were... were you the one who set it up?"

Out of fear that they would be noticed by the Scarletleaf King, they had chosen to hide quite a distance away, so they were unaware of how Zhang Xuan had managed to deal with the Scarletleaf King.

The Slaughter Formation before him could be considered one of the stronger ones even among the grade-7 formations, and even with his proficiency of formations, it would have taken him an extremely long time to set up it perfectly. Principal Zhang was only a Nascent Saint, so how could he have done it so quickly?

The humble Zhang Xuan shook his head, not taking credit for what he had not done. "I wasn't the one who set the formation up. The Scarletleaf King was the one who did it..."

"The Scarletleaf King?"

The crowd was dumbfounded.

To set up a formation just to trap himself in... Was that fellow sick in the mind?

"Perhaps he might have grown tired of the vicissitudes of life, so he wanted to seek an end... Who knows what could be going through the minds of those Otherworldly Demons?" Zhang Xuan shrugged nonchalantly.

He could not talk too much about how he had managed to trick the Scarletleaf King as it would be difficult to explain how he had managed to disguise as the Violetleaf King.

Leaving Guild Leader Han and Wu shi to drive the formation, Zhang Xuan retreated to the back of the crowd to find a remote place to sit down. After which, he immersed his consciousness into the Library of Heaven's Path to carefully examine the booklet containing an introduction of the ancient domain, which he had just obtained from the Scarletleaf King's hands.

The booklet was also written in the language of the ancient gods, as the Scarletleaf King had claimed, so he could not understand a single character. However, he could roughly tell that there were quite a few words that were similar to the one written on Wu Yangzi's map.

Flicking his wrist, an ancient sheet of goatskin appeared in his hands. On it was a map that was labelled with all kinds of bizarre words.

Studying the map carefully, Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment. There is nothing similar between what is depicted on the map and the geographical terrain of the ancient domain.

While he could not recognize the words written on the goatskin, he could still interpret the geographical terrain on it... but there was not the slightest semblance to the ancient domain they were in!

It was also for this reason that he did not think that there was a connection between the map and the ancient domain.

The map should be several dozen millenniums old by now. Could it be that the world has changed since the crafting of the map, resulting in its geography changing entirely? Zhang Xuan hypothesized.

Continents and oceans persisted through the ages, but they were not unchanging. They would gradually be reshaped with the passing of time or a major natural disaster. Could that have happened to the ancient domain as well?

That thought did not persist for too long before Zhang Xuan shook his head. That isn't right. We are in a folded space, and there are no tectonic plates or natural disasters that could cause such a significant reshaping of the geographical terrain.

Different from the external world, folded spaces were unaffected by the changes of nature. Furthermore, the ancient domain mainly consisted of formations, so even if there were changes over time, it couldn't possibly have been so thorough such that there wasn't the slightest resemblance.

"Hmm..." Frowning deeply, Zhang Xuan continued staring deeply into the goatskin and the booklet, and all of a sudden, he seemed to notice that there was something very similar about the two.

A thought came to his mind, and he placed both items together.

Weng!

With a soft buzz, the map and the booklet fused together, and in the blink of an eye, a new goatskin map appeared before Zhang Xuan.

This... The map was actually divided into two?

It was no wonder he could not understand either part of it individually. It turned out that they were each just a half of the full map.

Lifting the newly-formed goatskin up, he noticed that the features of the map had changed completely.

At some point, Feng Xun had walked up behind him, and pointing at the features on the map, he could not help but exclaim in astonishment, "Isn't that the lava from the very start? And that is the Unbounded World, the lightning formation, and the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!"

"Un." Even without Feng Xun pointing them out, Zhang Xuan could tell with his own eyes. The newly-formed goatskin map contained vivid images of the various features of the ancient domain, so much so that it looked as if the entire scenery had been brought to life.

"This red line... is the correct path? There is actually such a road? Why didn't we notice it before?" Feng Xun remarked.

After hearing those words, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over and saw a faint red line leading from the lava all the way through the ancient domain.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "The red line is indeed the correct path through the ancient domain, but most likely, it wouldn't have appeared in the first place if we didn't have the map in our possession."

If they had the complete map before entering the ancient domain, they would have been able to advance along the path laid out by the red line safely without encountering any danger. It was not that they were not sharp enough to notice the existence of a safe path, but that the path would not have appeared in the first place without the complete map in hand.

This was probably another manipulation of the laws of space, so he couldn't say for sure how it worked either.

Tracing the map, they soon saw the celestial palace.

"So, the crux of the ancient domain lies just beyond the waterfall..." After confirming the direction and road, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Standing up, he turned to Guild Leader Han and the others.

With Guild Leader Han and Wu shi working together to drive the grade-7 pinnacle Slaughter Formation, it did not take them too long to kill the Scarletleaf King.

If the Fireleaf King was pitiful for being crushed to death by the Golden Origin Cauldron before he could do anything, the Scarletleaf King definitely topped that.

To be killed by the formation that he had constructed himself... the second strongest expert of the Ten Great Kings sure died an indignant death.

In any case, after dealing with the Scarletleaf King, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let's go. Now that we have the map in hand, we should be safe," Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

After which, he raised his hand, and the goatskin map in his hands flew into the air before forming a rainbow bridge that bypassed the celestial palace, leading straight into the depths of the waterfall.

"Let's go!" Beckoning the others along, Zhang Xuan took the lead and stepped onto the bridge. A moment later, he recalled something, and with a grasp, he retrieved the formation flags used for the Slaughter Formation, stowing it into his storage ring. At the same time, with a slight flick of his finger, the Scarletleaf King's storage ring fell into his hands.

The second strongest expert of the Ten Great Kings should have quite a few good items in his possession. It would have been a waste to leave it there.

Advancing along the bridge, they soon bypassed the celestial palace and stepped through the waterfall.

Back then, they noticed that the waterfall and the celestial palace were actually a massive painting. Walking past it, the scenery abruptly changed, and a massive palace came into sight.

"What concentrated spiritual energy..." Upon stepping in, Zhang Xuan felt his pores widening as his zhenqi pulsated in excitement.

The spiritual energy contained within the palace was truly concentrated, to the point that it felt as if it would condense into water at any moment. If one were to cultivate there, one would be able to advance one's cultivation swiftly even without using high-tier spirit stones.

"Is that... carved using spirit stones?"

After taking a few steps forward, the breathing of the crowd suddenly hastened.

Ahead of them was a massive tablet, which emanated a brilliant glow. Astonishingly, it was actually carved out of a massive high-tier spirit stone!

"Is there such a huge spirit stone in the world?"

Everyone gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Even Zhang Xuan's eyes were widened.

The tablet was six meters tall, two meters wide, and half a meter thick. Such a massive tablet was actually made solely out of high-tier spirit stones. It was truly a shocking sight.

Even the largest high-tier spirit stone he had seen thus far was only the size of a baby's fist, but this sculpture should easily weigh more than a ton.

If it were to be divided into the standard size of a spirit stone, how many pieces would it be?

A few hundred thousand? A few million?

To encounter something as extravagant at this barely after walking into the palace... Just what kind of treasures would be hidden within?

"Qiu Wu Palace... Could the creator of this ancient domain be Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?"

Upon seeing the words carved on the tablet, Wu shi's eyebrows leaped up in astonishment.

Zhang Xuan swiftly turned to look at the tablet as well, and carved on it were three large words, 'Qiu Wu Palace'. The handwriting was identical to the one within the manual of the Unbounded Voyager.

"It seems like it was indeed left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu."

Zhang Xuan shot a glance toward Luo Ruoxin, and both of them nodded harmoniously.

It was just a deduction they made earlier, but at this point, they could be absolutely certain of it.

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Chapter 1067: The Depths of the Ancient Domain

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu? Who is he?" one of the combat masters asked.

As this matter concerned ancient history, other than master teachers, there were very few who knew much about him.

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was one of Kong shi's followers. He accompanied Kong shi into many battlefields and slaughtered innumerable Otherworldly Demons. Possessing a cultivation surpassing Saint 9-dan back when he was still alive, he was one of the most esteemed and respected ancient sages in the history of the Master Teacher Pavilion," Wu shi explained.

"Kong shi's follower?"

"Beyond Saint 9-dan?"

Those who were not aware of it previously were astonished.

Putting everything else aside, just that description was sufficient for the crowd to imagine Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's standing.

As one who stood beside Kong shi, he must have had many opportunities to receive Kong shi's guidance, so he was bound to have been far stronger than those of the same cultivation realm. Not only so, he was even an expert surpassing Saint 9-dan. It was no wonder the ancient domain that he built was so fearsome, such that it nearly annihilated their entire expedition team!

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu is not only strong, he also contributed greatly to humanity as well. The seals that ward off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe in the Subterranean Gallery were all constructed by him. Even the head of our branch, Pavilion Master Gou, is a loyal fan of his. If he knew that this ancient domain was created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, he surely would have come here personally," Wu shi said.

"With his overwhelming strength, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was able to keep the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe at bay for so many millenniums. He is indeed one of the most outstanding predecessors of our Master Teacher Pavilion."

"Indeed. His accomplishments are only second to the great Kong shi."

...

Upon hearing of the deeds of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, the eyes of the crowd lit up in reverence.

The main responsibility of combat masters and master teachers was to protect mankind from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Were it not for Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's seals, mankind wouldn't have possibly been able to enjoy such a long period of peace.

They had thought that the ancient domain had been left behind by a normal Saint realm pinnacle expert, but who would have thought that it was actually someone as great as Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

"If there is a sculpture of Elder Qiu Wu within this ancient domain, I will definitely kowtow to him to pay my respects," Feng Xun said in agitation.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was figure whom he deeply respected as well, and he had never imagined that a day would come when he would have the privilege of entering the ancient domain left behind by the other party!

"Me too..."

The other combat masters also nodded in agreement.

"Since Elder Qiu Wu has left behind such a massive ancient domain, he must have left his will somewhere as well. Let's continue advancing ahead. According to what the Scarletleaf King said, the old principal and the others aren't dead yet, they are just trapped at the moment. However, it appears that the Skyleaf King is also trapped together with them, so let's hurry over in case any mishap occurs," said Zhang Xuan, holding back his urge to dig up the tablet and put it in his storage ring.

As valuable as the tablet was, considering the look of reverence that the master teachers and combat masters were directing toward it, if he were to take it, they would definitely pit their life against him. Thus, after careful contemplation, he decided to drop the idea.

"Alright!"

Nodding, the crowd continued walking forward.

Barely after taking a few steps, the eyes of a combat master suddenly lit up as he pointed at the ground beside him excitedly. "Look at this!"

Following the direction that the combat master was pointing in, there was a spear deeply lodged into the wall. Only a half of it was revealed outside.

Wu shi walked over and gently pulled the spear out from the wall.

"This is... a Half-Saint weapon?" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in shock.

Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the spear was actually at Half-Saint tier as well!

Such weapons were rare even in Qingyuan Conferred Empire. Yet, in the ancient domain, it was casually tossed along the road as if it was nothing more than trash. This level of extravagance was really terrifying.

"There's one over there as well!"

In the midst of his shock, another shout sounded from the side, and following which, a Half-Saint sword was retrieved from the wall on the other side.

"There's one here too..."

"This one over here is a Saint low-tier artifact..."

Advancing ahead, more and more shocked exclamations sounded. Before long, everyone had a weapon that was of at least Half-Saint tier in their hands, and a couple of luckier ones even managed to obtain Saint low-tier weapons.

Saint low-tier, that was the tier which the Golden Origin Cauldron had been in before being upgraded. For a weapon of that level to be tossed casually around was truly bewildering to the crowd.

"The spirits within these weapons seem to have dissipated after suffering heavy blows. While these Half-Saint and Saint low-tier weapons possess outstanding sharpness and durability, they won't be able to exert their full prowess without any spirit within them," Wu shi remarked after taking a look at all of the weapons.

While these weapons were extremely high-tiered, they were devoid of spirit, and that would result in a significant reduction in their might.

"It's not that the spirits have dissipated after suffering heavy blows but that they have been worn out by the passing of time."

The spirits within weapons enjoyed a greater longevity than humans, but they still suffered from Senescence Decline. As time passed, the spirit would still gradually erode.

There was nothing in this world that could last for an eternity.

The only reason the Golden Origin Cauldron could survive several millenniums was because it had spent most of its time in hibernation, and this had helped it to reduce its Senescence Decline.

Such knowledge involved the intricacies of the soul, so most master teachers weren't aware of it either.

"Alright, let's continue moving on..."

After stowing the weapons into their storage rings, Zhang Xuan and the others continued forward. Along the way, they found quite a few medicinal herbs and artifacts too.

However, just like the weapons from before, their spirits had eroded, resulting in their diminished effectiveness. Even so, they would be able to fetch quite a fortune when sold, so the expedition team still collected them.

It was hard to tell whether it was due to them treading on the safe path or the final passageway was supposed to be like that, but they did not encounter any danger along the path. After walking for some time, a vast square appeared before their eyes.

The square was filled with many depressions and debris. There were also dozens of corpses scattered around the area.

"There was an intense fight here." The crowd narrowed their eyes in alarm.

Walking up one of the corpses, Wo Tianqiong exclaimed in alarm, "This is... Vice Principal Mu Renxu of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Yinqiu's close aide!"

Upon reaching Saint realm, one's physical body would gain extraordinary resilience, so it would not decompose as easily. As such, even though it had been quite some time since Mu Renxu's death, his body still looked no different from how it was when he was alive.

"Vice Principal Mu Renxu?" Zhang Xuan asked as he walked over.

He had read about the other party through the records stored in the academy.

On top of the principal, Zhang Yinqiu, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had four other vice principals. However, all of them had followed Zhang Yinqiu into the ancient domain and never returned. It was also for this reason that Lu Feng was able to serve as the stand-in principal for the past two years.

Mu Renxu was known to be the strongest among the four vice principals. Who would have thought that he would lose his life here?

After searching the area for a while and not finding Zhang Yinqiu's body, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He had never met the old principal before, but there was a painting of the latter in the academy records, and none of the dozens of corpses fit the description.

"There are the corpses of 13 master teachers and 21 Otherworldly Demons here!" Wu shi said with a sigh after tallying the numbers.

All thirteen of them were 6-star master teachers, but they had ended up dying silently in the ancient domain. This was a huge loss to both the Master Teacher Academy and the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"The fight must have been intense," Zhang Xuan remarked solemnly.

He could not help but recall the tombstone that Zhang Yinqiu had left for himself in the Mausoleum of Principals.

Those who came with him would have surely known the great dangers of venturing into the ancient domain as well, but they had still chosen to join the expedition anyway. Their selflessness was truly worthy of respect.

"Let's take them back with us. They might have been unable to return to the Master Teacher Academy when they were still alive, but at the very least, they should be granted a peaceful rest within the academy after death." Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan carefully placed the corpses of the master teachers within his storage ring.

After what they had done for mankind, their corpses could not be left exposed in the open. The least he could do for them was bring them back home and give them a proper burial.

After Zhang Xuan was done collecting the bodies of the fallen master teachers, Guild Leader Han looked around his surroundings and asked, "But why would they be fighting here? And where did the rest of them go?"

"I am not too sure, but my guess is that Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu must have found out that the Otherworldly Demons were planning to enter the ancient domain, so he swiftly gathered an expedition team and entered the ancient domain as well. Eventually, they ended up encountering one another here, and a bitter fight ensued," Zhang Xuan said.

Based on the words left behind by Zhang Yinqiu in the Mausoleum of Principals, he had only chosen to enter the ancient domain because there were no alternatives before him.

From this, it could be deduced that the Otherworldly Demons must have learned of the ancient domain in advance, and Zhang Yinqiu was trying to stop them.

Of course, that was still only a deduction on Zhang Xuan's part. They would have to hear the story from the person in question in order to confirm what had happened back then.

"Everyone, come here..."

At that moment, a master teacher suddenly shouted. Everyone quickly turned their gazes over, only to see the master teacher examining a massive boulder in the square with a perplexed look.

The master teacher was one of the elders from the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy. His combat ability was so-so within the expedition team, but he was an extremely meticulous person.

The crowd quickly walked over to the boulder, and after taking a closer look, frowns emerged on their faces as well.

There was a palm print on it. It was hard to tell whether it was left behind in the midst of the fight or by the creator of the ancient domain.

"That is the switch to trigger a mechanism in the area. I saw a similar one in the Unbounded World," Zhang Xuan remarked.

Back when he was in the Unbounded World, he had seen something similar. Rather than a palm print, it was probably more exact to call it a groove. As long as one put their palm on it and infused zhenqi into the groove, it would trigger some kind of mechanism in the surroundings.

Most likely, it had been left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu.

"A switch?" Wu shi examined it carefully before nodding. "Stand back, I'll give it a try..."

There was no saying what could happen once the switch was triggered, so it was best to take caution.

Everyone quickly stepped back as they prepared their defenses.

With a grim expression, Wu shi placed his palm onto the groove.

Weng!

A buzzing sound echoed, and the wall ahead of them abruptly burst open, revealing nine identical round doors, each around the height of a human. Within each round door was an aura vaguely resembling what they had felt before stepping into the Unbounded World—folded spaces.

Seeing that there was no danger, the crowd slowly walked up to the doors with bewildered expressions.

"There are so many choices?"

"Nine is the limit of a number. The nine doors probably represent the extremities," Guild Leader Han explained.

The crowd nodded.

Nine, the limit of a number, as well as the number derived from the Six Yin-Yang Three-Three Derivation.

In this world, there were many things in nature that were nonet. For example, Fighter 9-dan, Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, Saint 9-dan.

Nine heavens, nine provinces, nine trials, nine realms, nine dragons, nine bestowments...

"Nine doors, that is probably just like the formation. There is life and death, panorama and fright. Which one should we choose?" a combat master asked. 1

"This..." Having no answer to the question, Guild Leader Han subconsciously turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan.

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Chapter 1068: The Ancient Sage Appears

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Every formation was bound to have at least eight doors: the Origin Gate, Hibernation Gate, Life Gate, Impair Gate, Panorama Gate, Death Gate, Closed Gate, and Fright Gate.

Depending on which gate one encountered, one would face a different fate. Perhaps it would be life, perhaps it would be death, perhaps it would be escape, perhaps it would be eternal incarceration.

One wrong move could mean the end.

It was due to this that few dared to move recklessly within a formation. Otherwise, one wrong step and they would face confinement or even death!

At this moment, there were nine doors before them. It wasn't completely aligned with the Eight Gates, but it was sure to be bound by the same rules. Thus, they dared not enter any of them recklessly.

Noting Guild Leader Han's actions, the others also turned their gazes toward the young man as well.

Seeing that all eyes were gathered on him, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

Those before him were all esteemed master teachers and formation masters, existences who were deeply feared and respected. Yet, all of a sudden, in this trip to the ancient domain, they seemed to have suddenly lost their backbones and ended up relying entirely on him.

Every time they were stuck in a dilemma, they would end up turning to him for instructions.

He wasn't omniscient, alright? He didn't have the answer to every single question in the world.

There were things that he was incapable of as well.

Seeing through Zhang Xuan's thoughts, Guild Leader Han said with a smile, "Principal Zhang, in the journey, you have displayed an understanding of formations and an eye of discernment far superior to ours. We trust you, and we will enter any door that you point out!"

"Indeed, we trust you!"

"We don't have much of an understanding of formations, so we are completely helpless before this. You are probably the only one who can lead us into the correct door!"

...

Everyone began speaking up.

Seeing their attitude, Zhang Xuan knew that he would be unable to turn the matter down, so he eventually relented with a nod. "I will give it a try!"

After saying those words, he activated his Eye of Insight and began observing the doors carefully.

From experience, he knew that the Library of Heaven's Path would only reflect the composition and structure of the doors instead of informing him whether it was safe inside or not. In such situations, it would be better for him to rely on his Eye of Insight.

"Hmm?"

After taking a look around him, his gaze soon stopped before a door. He lowered his head to take a closer look at the ground before the door.

Perplexed, the crowd rushed over and saw a smear of blood on the ground. As too much time had passed, it had already dried up, so it was not overly conspicuous.

Wu shi frowned. "It seems someone left it behind intentionally."

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The bloodstain had not been left behind by blood dripping from someone's wound. Instead, someone had intentionally left a mark here so as to serve as a hint to those coming afterward.

Frowning deeply, Zhang Xuan continued staring intently at the bloodstain.

As lines of insight swam within his eyes, a scene of when the bloodstain first appeared seemed to vaguely reconstruct before his eyes.

Zhang Xuan stood up and said, "This bloodstain was left by Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu. This is the door that he entered!"

"Let's enter this door then!" Guild Leader Han said.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Their main goal at hand was to find Zhang Yinqiu and the remaining survivors. Since the latter had chosen to enter this door, it went without saying that this was the door they should head into as well.

Furthermore, one thing to note was that while they had encountered so many life-threatening dangers on their journey through the ancient domain, such that their expedition team could have been easily wiped out in any phase, the old principal's team seemed to have breezed through the trials without facing much trouble despite the relatively lower average cultivation of his team. Most likely, he must have known about the secrets of the ancient domain beforehand. Thus, following in his footsteps should lead them to safety.

"Alright!"

Wu shi began leading the way forward, and the crowd followed closely behind him.

As soon as they stepped through the door, the scenery before them immediately changed. A small garden filled with a field of resplendent flowers appeared before their eyes. A slight fragrance drifted in the air.

Everyone was taken aback.

They had thought of many possibilities before stepping through the door. Perhaps they might meet grave danger. Perhaps they might find themselves forced to face some kind of incredibly difficult trial. But one thing they had not thought was that they would end up walking into a seemingly ordinary flower garden.

"Look..."

A combat master pointed toward the center of the flower garden. A massive sculpture of an old man dressed in a master teacher robe towered there.

Forged out of some kind of unique material, the sculpture was extremely lifelike, giving one the feeling as if it would start moving at any moment.

"It's Ancient Sage Qiu Wu..." Upon seeing the other party's appearance, Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

It was the old man who had wanted to take him in as his student!

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?"

Upon seeing the sculpture, the eyes of Feng Xun and the others immediately lit up. They hurriedly rushed forward and kowtowed deeply to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in reverence.

This was the man whose seals had brought several dozen millenniums of peace to mankind. Most definitely, he was a man who was worth their respect.

Wu shi and the others also quickly bowed down as well.

Seeing how earnestly the others were paying respects to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel a little awkward.

It was not too long ago that he had offered to take the other party in as his student. If the group over were to learn of this matter, would they pummel him to death?

Boom!

All of a sudden, the ground began shaking, and the sculpture wobbled along with it. A bright glint flashed in the eyes of sculpture.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was coming to life!

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi, Feng Xun, and the others were startled. They quickly lowered their bodies fearfully.

Zhang Xuan was initially taken aback by the situation as well, but after taking a closer look, he heaved sigh of relief. It's not Ancient Sage Qiu Wu coming back to life. There's a will infused within the sculpture.

The current situation was similar to how Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul first appeared in the Unbounded World. There was the same authoritative aura and immense pressure that he felt from before. It was probably a phenomenon that would occur whenever the other party's fragmented soul awakened.

That was to be expected. After all, how could a man who had already died several dozen millenniums ago possibly come back to life?

Most likely, the kneeling crowd must have triggered some kind of mechanism which awoke the will within the sculpture.

Since there was a will hidden within the sculpture, it meant that they had chosen the right door to enter.

Hu!

The sculpture opened its eyes and gazed down upon the kneeling crowd before him, and with an impassive voice, he said, "I am Qiu Wu. You should have already learned that by now."

Just like before, his voice had an ancient quality to it, reminiscent of one who had lived through history.

"Paying respects to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!" Hearing the other party acknowledging his identity, the crowd could not help but tremble in excitement.

That was a figure who had stood as an equal with Kong shi back in that legendary era. He was an ancient sage, one of the most renowned master teachers in the world. Countless viewed him as their idol and role model!

Seeing the respectful attitude of the crowd, the sculpture nodded slightly before continuing. "The fact that you were able to come to this point shows that your mental resilience and judgement are top-notch. I will just skip with all of the pleasantries and conduct a trial to assess your wisdom. I will accept those who are able to clear the trial as my students, and they will be entitled to my heritage. As for those who are unable to clear the trial, I can only have you remain here so as to prevent word from leaking. Is there anyone who wishes to give it a try?"

This Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was the exact same as the one whom Zhang Xuan had encountered in the Unbounded World. Without the slightest dawdling, he revealed his intentions and got straight to the matter at hand.

"A trial to assess our wisdom?"

"Entitled to... elder's heritage?"

Everyone's breathing quickened.

Putting aside how Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's cultivation had already achieved a level beyond Saint 9-dan, just his grasp over space itself was something that most 9-star master teachers couldn't even come close to matching.

If they could receive his heritage, they would surely rise through the ranks, and it would only be a matter of time before they scaled to the peak of the continent.

"Indeed. Talent and mental fortitude allow a cultivator to emulate the successes of the predecessors and achieve the same level of strength as them. However, it is only wisdom that allows one to create that which is unique to them and create their own schools of cultivation. Perhaps... they might even be able to surpass the countless geniuses that came before them. Accept the trial, and you will be granted a chance to join my lineage. Otherwise, turn around and leave my Qiu Wu Palace!" the sculpture said.

"This..."

The crowd did not rush into making a decision. Instead, they looked at one another with grim looks on their faces.

Of course, it would be for the best if they could obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage. However... considering the difficulty of the trials they had been through thus far, the final trial was bound to be something nigh impossible for them to clear.

If they were to fail the trial, they would be trapped in the Qiu Wu Palace, unable to leave.

Succeed, and they would attain power and glory. Fail, and they would be damned.

"Zhang Yinqiu and the others must have decided to take the trial. That should be why they ended up being trapped within Qiu Wu Palace," Wu shi remarked.

That would explain why the old principal had disappeared for two years.

As one who had managed to become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, it went without saying that Zhang Yinqiu was a man who possessed great wisdom. On top of that, he also had quite a few vice principals and elders by his side. Every single one of them was an outstanding talent in their own right, but despite two years passing, they were still trapped within Qiu Wu Palace. This was a clear indication of how difficult the trial was.

"But even with the risk of being trapped within the Qiu Wu Palace, I still must undergo the trial. This kind of opportunity is too valuable for me to pass!" Feng Xun said with determination.

"Indeed. For an opportunity to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage, I am willing to brave through even death itself!" Jiang Yuan and the others nodded in agreement.

Combat masters were trained to charge through all adversity with a relentless and fearless attitude. The heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was a treasure that countless master teachers dreamt of laying their hands on. If they failed the trial, they only had their own weakness to blame.

"I will participate in the trial!"

"Me too!"

...

Wu shi, Mu shi, Wo Tianqiong, and the others nodded affirmatively as well.

As master teachers, how could they give up on an opportunity to obtain the heritage of the venerated Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?

It was not just about the cultivation technique, but their pride and honor as well.

"Wait a moment, something is not right here. I can understand why the old principal would have been trapped within Qiu Wu Palace for failing the trial, but why would the Skyleaf King be trapped within too? Are Otherworldly Demons allowed to undertake the trial as well?"

While the others were making their decisions, at the very back of the crowd, Zhang Xuan abruptly spoke up with a deep frown.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage was greatly tempting to him, but it wouldn't really be a huge loss even if he didn't obtain it.

For one, he had seen the other party's Unbounded Voyager, and while it was indeed strong, it had plenty of flaws as well. To risk his future over a flawed secret art... it just was not worth it!

After all, the most urgent thing for him at the moment was to become a 9-star master teacher before thirty. Otherwise, the only thing that would be awaiting him was death!

As such, he did not spare much thought to whether he should undertake the trial or not. Instead, he found himself wondering a very different issue instead—if Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu was truly trapped within the Qiu Wu Palace, why would the Skyleaf King be trapped as well?

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had constructed many seals in his lifetime to seal the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe out of the Master Teacher Continent, and eventually, he had even lost his life in the midst of battling them. Through this, one could easily sense the hostility that he harbored toward the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. With his sculpture and fragmented soul standing guard here, how could the Otherworldly Demons possibly be given a chance to undertake the trial and claim his heritage for themselves?

"Could it be that... this fellow is a fake?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

There was a total of nine doors outside, and each of them probably led to a different outcome. For this fellow to suddenly appear and claim that he would be passing down his heritage to them... Wasn't it a little too easy and convenient?

Zhang Xuan could not help but be deeply skeptical of the situation before him.

The sculpture spoke once more. "Most of you should have made up your minds by now. Make your decisions!"

"Yes!" Wu shi and the others stood up, and with unwavering resolution in their eyes, they began marching forward.

Of the twenty-two of them remaining, other than Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin, the rest had actually decided to take the trial!

"Wait a moment!" Seeing that they were going to enter, Zhang Xuan bellowed loudly to stop them.

"What's wrong?" Surprised by Zhang Xuan's sudden outburst, Wu shi and the others hurriedly placed a finger to their lips to gesture for him to quieten down.

It was extremely disrespectful to be shouting so loudly before an elder as venerated as Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

"It's nothing much. I am just deeply perplexed..."

Frowning, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger at the sculpture.

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Chapter 1069: Would You Believe Me?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu la!

A powerful surge of sword qi burst toward the sculpture with astounding sharpness, severing the air in two. Even Spirit pinnacle artifacts would have been destroyed in the face of that sword qi.

Upon seeing this sight, the bodies of Wu shi and the others jolted, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

That is Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's sculpture, and there is even his consciousness within it.

To make a move against him without any warning beforehand, are you insane?

Alarmed, Wu shi hurriedly rushed forward, and with a slight wave of his hand, he easily dispelled the sword qi. After which, he turned to Zhang Xuan and asked with a deep frown, "Principal Zhang, what are you trying to do?"

"Nothing much. I just think that there is something wrong with this fellow, and I want to test him!" Zhang Xuan replied with a frown.

He did not think that Wu shi would rush back so anxiously to deflect his sword qi.

"Test him?"

Hearing those words, the crowd nearly fell to the ground in fear.

Who was the man standing before them?

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

A legendary expert who stood as Kong shi's equal, and Zhang Xuan actually wanted to test him?

"Principal Zhang, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu is a respected elder of our Master Teacher Pavilion. It is a deeply insolent act to raise one's hand against him!" Guild Leader Han anxiously sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan.

The hierarchy of seniority was an order that the Master Teacher Continent operated by. Students were not to raise their hands against their own teachers, let alone a venerated elder like Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

Even if Zhang Xuan wanted to go on an insane streak, he should first have looked at the occasion. If it were made known that he had attacked Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, he could very well become an enemy of all master teachers on the continent!

"This..."

Seeing the anxious looks around him, seemingly tempted to bind him to prevent him from recklessly attempting any more foolishness, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He knew that Wu shi was right. His actions were indeed lacking consideration. No matter what, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was one of the strongest master teachers in history, a figure who had once fought alongside Kong shi.

Even if the other party was a fake, it would still be very reckless of him to make a move against the other party.

However, if he could not force the other party into executing a battle technique, he would be unable to use the Library of Heaven's Path to compile a book on the other party and confirm his identity.

Just as Zhang Xuan was conflicted over what his next course of action should be, the sculpture suddenly turned toward him and frowned.

As Zhang Xuan had been standing at the very back all along, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had not noticed him. However, now that he had a clear glimpse of the other party's appearance, his eyelids immediately began twitching as he let loose an unintentional exclamation. "It's you?"

"You recognize me?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback as well.

The sculpture harrumphed coldly. "A person who listed the flaws in my Unbounded Voyager and spoke such words to me, how could I not recognize you?"

"You possess the memory of what happened in the Unbounded World?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

Doomed... He really made a mistake this time around.

Since the other party was aware of what had happened in the Unbounded World, it could only mean that the fragmented soul before him belonged to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as well.

Otherwise, he could not possibly have known about the Unbounded Voyager.

Did he really guess wrongly?

"I am able to access the memories of my fragmented soul in the Unbounded World. He could have survived for at least two more days, but with mere words, you actually managed to discompose his psyche, causing him to dissipate on the spot. Are those in the current generation really that formidable?" the sculpture replied.

The fragmented soul deposited in the Unbounded World only served one aim—to find a fitting successor, take them in as his student, and impart the Unbounded Voyager to them. Eventually, the fragmented soul did manage to find a fitting successor, but not only was the other party unwilling to become his student, the other party even scorned the Unbounded Voyager for having too many flaws.

What was even worse was that the other party even attempted to take him in as his student. Having suffered this series of blows, it was no wonder his fragmented soul dissipated!

"Discompose his psyche?"

"Principal Zhang... has met Ancient Sage Qiu Wu before?"

Hearing the conversation between the two of them, the crowd glanced at one another with confusion in their eyes.

Just what in the world did Principal Zhang say that discomposed the psyche of even the great ancient sage from the same era as Kong shi, causing his fragmented soul to dissipate on the spot?

"Those words slipped out of my lips unintentionally. Allow me to earnestly apologize to elder right here." With a reddened face, Zhang Xuan hurriedly clasped his fist.

He had only said those words to change the topic back then. He had not really thought that it would end up like that.

"There's no need for you to apologize, what you said is true. The Unbounded Voyager is an advanced movement technique, but it isn't perfect. Back then, Kong shi also said the exact same words to me," the sculpture replied without the slightest hint of anger.

Even though the cultivation of the young man before him was not too high, his eye of discernment was truly extraordinary. Despite having lived so many years, the young man was the second person who had managed to point out all of the flaws in his Unbounded Voyager in a single breath.

"The duration that I can remain conscious for is limited. If you wish to obtain my heritage, move on. You might command a deep understanding of movement techniques, but I have created my own unique school in the field of spatial manipulation. It won't be easy for you to comprehend it," the sculpture remarked confidently.

In the field of spatial manipulation, not even Kong shi was close to a match for him. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the number one expert in the field back in his era.

Thus, he had absolute confident that he would not be bested in this field.

The fact that the young man before him was able to see through the flaws in the Unbounded Voyager in a single glance showed that he possessed a deep aptitude in battle techniques. However, it would not be easy for him to achieve the same success in the field of spatial manipulation.

There was no such thing as a perfect human being who was knowledgeable about everything.

After all, there was only one Kong shi.

"Understood. Elder, I have a doubt in my mind, and I hope that you will be able to enlighten me," Zhang Xuan said with a nod.

"Speak!"

Thinking that it would be improper for him to ask Ancient Sage Qiu Wu directly whether he had allowed an Otherworldly Demon to take the trial—after all, that would be equivalent to questioning the latter's loyalty—Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"A senior of mine entered the ancient domain around two years ago, and there should be a powerful Otherworldly Demon pursuing them from behind. Based on what we know thus far, it seems like they are trapped in Qiu Wu Palace, unable to escape. May I ask if they managed to clear your trial?"

"There was indeed a group who arrived at my Qiu Wu Palace two years ago, and there were some Otherworldly Demons among them as well. However, they didn't choose this door," the sculpture replied.

"They didn't choose this door?" Zhang Xuan had not expected to hear this response.

That did not make sense. Since the old principal had marked this door, this should have been the door he entered as well. Why would he not have entered this door?

"Indeed. They took a detour around the nine doors and advanced straight ahead, so they are currently trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall," the sculpture replied.

"Saint Ascension Hall?" Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin glanced at one another, and they could see the bewilderment in each other's eyes.

In the first place, the ancient domain was not located too far away from the Saint Ascension Platform, and for there to be a Saint Ascension Hall within here as well... Could there really be a connection?

"Un." The sculpture nodded. "That is a gift that Kong shi left for the later generations. Of course, if you wish to head there, you have to clear my trial first. Otherwise, if you head straight there like they did, you will only be trapped like the rest of them, unable to leave for all eternity!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

If the old principal had headed straight to the Saint Ascension Hall, why did he leave a mark before this door?

The more he contemplated over the matter, the more perplexed he felt

The sculpture looked at Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin and said, "Now that I have answered your question, it's time for you to make your decision, too. My trial won't be easy, but the rest of them still decided to challenge it. What about you two?"

They were the only ones who had not expressed their decision yet.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said, "I... wish to undertake the trial!"

Since he had already confirmed that Zhang Yinqiu and the others were currently in the Saint Ascension Hall, he would have to clear the trial in order to get to them. Otherwise, if they were to head there in through the same route that Zhang Yinqiu and the others took previously, they would only end up being trapped in there as well.

Besides, it would be a delight to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage.

Take the Unbounded Voyager for example, while it had plenty of flaws at the moment, once he found sufficient high-tier movement techniques to compile together with it and perfect it, the prowess it harnessed would be frightening. Once that happened, Zhang Xuan's fighting prowess would be raised by leaps and bounds in a single breath. Just by mastering the Unbounded Voyager 1-dan, he would be able to easily escape even from the real Skyleaf King.

He would not be as powerless as he was before.

Luo Ruoxin shook her head. "I won't be entering."

"You aren't going to enter?" Zhang Xuan was startled. He did not think that Luo Ruoxin would make such a decision.

"Un. I have my own heritage. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage is great, but it's not compatible with me. Instead of wasting my effort inside, I think I will just wait outside for all of you," Luo Ruoxin explained with a smile.

"I see... Alright then." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Luo Ruoxin was right. Those who possessed unique constitutions or bloodlines could often only practice specific types of cultivation techniques and battle techniques. Take Zhao Ya for example, before meeting Zhang Xuan, she had practiced the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill, which was deeply incompatible with her Pure Yin Body. As a result, not only did her cultivation stagnate, it had even resulted in great suffering for her.

"Don't worry about me, you should go ahead with the trial. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage is very valuable. It will definitely be beneficial to you if you can learn it!" Luo Ruoxin said.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. "I'll go in and take a look. Don't worry, I'll surely clear the trial!"

He had no idea what the trial would be on, but he had absolute confidence that he would be able to clear it.

Hearing those words, Luo Ruoxin nodded with a smile. "Good luck."

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan began walking toward the door behind the sculpture along with Wu shi and the others.

Hu!

In just a few moments, they disappeared from sight.

...

A moment later, Zhang Xuan and the others found themselves standing within a courtyard, and a row of stone tablets stood before them.

There were around twenty of them in total, and they formed a circle around the crowd. Each of them was densely inscribed with all kinds of characters.

Knowing that they were already within the trial, Wu shi, Feng Xun, and the others dared not dawdle. They quickly rushed forward to examine the stone tablets.

A quick sweep of the tablets left each of them with bizarre expressions on their faces. It was not that they were unable to learn whatever was on top of the stone tablets, but that... they could not even understand it.

The inscriptions on the stone tablets consisted of words from many different languages. There was the language that they used, the Ancient Beast Language, and even the words of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Dozens of languages were inscribed side by side one another on the stone tablets, making it nigh impossible for one to decipher it.

"Near, qing, hua, sheng, break, ming, xiao... This... How are we supposed to comprehend this?"

Wu shi happened to know quite a few languages and could read some of the inscriptions, but the words did not string together to construct a proper sentence, and this left him completely bewildered. He had no idea how he was supposed to interpret the inscriptions.

Perplexed, he turned his gaze toward the others, only to see Feng Xun, Wo Tianqiong, and the others with equally confused expressions on their faces.

He shot a glance at Zhang Xuan and saw that the latter had a baffled look as well.

They thought that the trial to assess their wisdom would require them to learn a particularly profound cultivation technique, as such events trials usually went, but... they could not even read the stone tablets! How were they supposed to clear the trial?

They had already guessed that a trial from Ancient Sage Qiu Wu would be anything but easy, but who knew that it would be so bewildering?

Wu shi continued examining the stone tablets before him, but nothing came to him. Unable to stand it anymore, he headed over to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Principal Zhang, have you discovered anything yet?"

If any of them was capable of comprehending the secrets behind the stone tablet, it could only be the young man before him.

"Not yet..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

To be honest, he was also at a complete loss as well.

Recalling the conversation between Ancient Sage Qiu Wu and Zhang Xuan earlier, Wu shi couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Ancient Sage Qiu Wu praise you earlier for your deep understanding of battle techniques? Since you were able to comprehend his other battle technique, this shouldn't be too much trouble for you, right?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly. "I only happened to successfully decipher his movement technique, but this... I really have no idea what's going on."

At this point, Feng Xun walked up to them and said, "It's already a formidable feat for you to have been able to decipher his movement technique, so you don't have to feel dismayed. Right, Principal Zhang, what did you speak to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu about for him to remember you so clearly?"

Hearing that question, everyone quickly turned their gazes over as well.

In truth, this was also a matter that they had been very curious about.

Words that could make a fragmented soul of an ancient sage who had lived for several dozen millenniums lose his composure and dissipate... Just what could they be?

Seeing that everyone was looking at him with eyes gleaming with curiosity, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "If I were to say that I tried to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as my student... would any of you believe me?"

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Chapter 1070: Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Accept Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as your disciple?"

The lips of Wu shi and the others twitched for a moment first before they quickly shook their heads.

They didn't think that Zhang Xuan was being serious. They felt that it was inconceivable that anyone would dare speak words like that.

After all, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was an expert that stood beside Kong shi in that chaotic era. Even the current head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a true 9-star master teacher, would have to respectfully address him as 'elder', not daring to show the slightest discourtesy towards him.

Yet, Zhang Xuan actually said that he attempted to accept the other party as his student?

If he were to really dare to utter such words, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu would probably have him killed in a single slap.

Through everyone's expression, Zhang Xuan could tell that they didn't believe him. He knew that this would happen.

Nevertheless, he couldn't be bothered to explain either. It was his intention to keep a low profile anyway, so this was for the best.

"Let's continue examining the stone tablets. Since this is part of a trial, there's bound to be a solution to it." Not wanting to dwell on that topic, Zhang Xuan waved his hand as he turned his attention back to the stone tablets before him.

Through his Eye of Insight, he could tell that there was nothing special about the material of the stone tablets before him. They were just ordinary boulders, and the only exceptional quality about them was just their durability.

In other words, the crux to the stone tablet had to be the inscriptions on it.

Just that... there were simply too many languages on the stone tablets! Furthermore, even if they managed to translate it, they didn't form proper sentences, making it impossible to figure what they meant.

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone tablet.

Hu!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped it open.

"Ashened Stone Tablet, inscribed by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. It contains the complete formula to cultivating the [Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm]. There are 27 flaws regarding the inscribed battle technique: No.1, the effectiveness of the battle technique is highly dependent on the state of mind the cultivator is in. As such, the cultivator will have to ready his emotional state before the battle, or else he will be unable to display the full prowess of the technique. This makes it highly ineffective in abrupt situations. No.2, it has a high requirement of one's zhenqi..."

Detailed on the book were the many flaws of the battle technique.

"As expected, it is a battle technique!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.

It seemed like Ancient Sage Qiu Wu wasn't lying to them. The stone tablets were indeed a kind of trial.

Soon, after he was done reading the book, Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

He did get the name of the battle technique, and he had a thorough understanding of its flaws as well, but... he still couldn't understand the battle technique manual!

Knowing the flaws but not the technique itself was like having a remedy in hand but not knowing what illness it applied to... It did nothing to help the situation that they were in!

He had to think of a way to understand the words on the stone tablet so that he could obtain the battle technique.

Thus, retracting his consciousness from the Library of Heaven's Path, he continued examining the stone tablets before him intently.

The same seemingly meaningless combination of characters came into sight, leaving his eyes hurting a little. Those words just simply didn't form something coherent together!

"Wait... Even though I am unable to understand the words on the stone tablet, perhaps I might be able to translate it through compiling it together with other books..." Suddenly, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up as a thought came into his mind.

If he were to go about it the normal method, it was likely that he would first have to translate the many different languages on the stone tablets into a single language first. However, just that step in itself would likely take up a significant period of time.

Furthermore, given that it was a trial of wisdom, it definitely wouldn't be as simple as simply translating the words. There were bound to be many stumbling blocks waiting ahead of him.

Instead of going through the trouble, wouldn't it be much simpler if he could just compile the other palm art manuals with it?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked, "Do you have any palm art manuals in your possession? Can you allow me to take a look at them?"

"Palm art manuals?"

The crowd was perplexed by Zhang Xuan's sudden request, unsure of what he was up to.

The urgent matter at hand was to figure out what the trial was through deciphering the stone tablets which Ancient Sage Qiu Wu left behind. Why was the other party asking for palm art manuals all of the sudden?

"I have quite a few here with me. I copied them from the Palm Hall of our Combat Master Hall branch just a while ago!" Jiang Yuan said as he flicked his wrist, and a stack of over several hundred books appeared before his eyes.

While the was perplexed by what Zhang Xuan was up to, he knew that the latter wasn't one to make a request for no reason.

As the warriors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, combat masters devoted much of their time to studying all kinds of battle techniques. As such, every single one of them had a huge collection of battle techniques in their storage rings.

"I have some over here too!" Feng Xun flicked his wrist and took out a bunch too.

Before long, the combat masters had already whipped out more than three thousand palm art manuals.

"I don't have as many palm art manuals as they do, but mine are of relatively higher tier..."

With a smile, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han took out roughly a dozen books combined.

Most of the palm arts detailed in the dozen books had already reached Saint low-tier, making them exceptionally valuable. Nevertheless, since Zhang Xuan said that he needed it, they took it out without any hesitation.

"Thank you..." Zhang Xuan nodded as he quickly collected those books into the Library of Heaven's Path.

"Compile!" Zhang Xuan muttered softly.

Hu!

Countless books flew together and merged together with the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm's manual.

Huala!

A brand new book appeared before Zhang Xuan's eyes.

He reached forward to grab it before swiftly flipping it open.

"As expected, quite a few flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm have been resolved..." Sweeping through the contents, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Just like what he had guessed earlier, the compilation of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual with the other several ten thousand palm art manuals he had in the Library of Heaven's Path had the number of flaws successfully reduced from the initial 27 to just 9.

Considering that the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was an extremely advanced palm art, it was inevitable that the books he had collected thus far wouldn't be sufficient to perfect it. In truth, it was already a huge blessing that they were able to resolve 18 of the flaws.

"Let me see if I can cultivate it..."

Zhang Xuan took a quick look through the newly compiled manual, and eventually, he shook his head in disappointment.

Even though it was very close to being a Heaven's Path battle technique with only nine flaws remaining, some parts of it were still gibberish.

To be more exact, the portions which had been corrected by the compilation of the other books were readable, there was no problem interpreting them, but the flawed portions still remained the jumbled mess of languages they were.

"Let me compare the readable portions with the stone tablet and see if I can decipher it..."

Memorizing the parts which had been translated perfectly, Zhang Xuan began examining the corresponding portions of the text on the stone tablets, only to realize that he was as confused as before. It was as if the two were completely unrelated to one another!

Somehow, he felt like a student who had the model answer in hand but was still unable to comprehend the question.

After studying the stone tablets for a while longer, Zhang Xuan mumbled with a conflicted expression, "These words don't seem to have anything to do with battle techniques..."

All along, he had been able to find the flaws of any battle technique easily through the Library of Heaven's Path and shock others. Yet, despite having the model answer in hand, he still couldn't understand what was on the stone tablet at all... it was extremely frustrating.

"It has already been four hours now... Should I just use the eighteen resolved flaws to see if I can clear the trial with just that?" Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella as he thought.

Typically speaking, the requirement for clearing the trial was for him to learn the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, but there was nothing he could do if the stone tablets made perfectly no sense to him... Perhaps, if he were to submit the eighteen resolved flaws, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu might not think too much into the matter and clear him for the trial?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan stood up to call for Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, but in that moment, he caught sight of a certain inscription by the corner of a stone tablet in his peripheral vision.

These inscriptions were made up of the language of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. They made no sense when read as a whole, but in the moment which Zhang Xuan stood up, the inscriptions seemed to have danced slightly.

It was a similar feeling to what he felt from the inscriptions carved by the Greenleaf King's subordinates back in the Subterranean Gallery.

"Could it be that... we aren't supposed to regard these inscriptions as words but figures instead?"

Suddenly, such a thought came into Zhang Xuan's mind.

If the inscriptions were truly just words, he should have been able to decipher them by matching the translated content in his Library of Heaven's Path with the stone tablets, but that didn't work out. However, if they were figures, it would all make sense!

With a sharp glint in his eyes, Zhang Xuan began examining the stone tablets before him closely once more.

This time, with his focus on the form of each inscribed word, they suddenly seemed to float out of the stone tablet before his eyes and string together as one.

Taking a closer look, he realized in astonishment that it was drawing out a zhenqi circulation pathway.

"Let me try cultivating it..."

After gaining a thorough understanding of the various zhenqi circulation pathways of the battle technique, Zhang Xuan began driving his zhenqi through his body in the same manner reflected on the stone tablets.

Geji! Geji!

With the overwhelming might of the Heaven's Path zhenqi, the acupoints along the zhenqi circulation pathway were opened instantaneously. Whenever Zhang Xuan encountered flawed sections of the technique, he would utilize the correct version which he had compiled in the Library of Heaven's Path previously instead.

Cracking sounds echoed relentlessly from Zhang Xuan's body.

"So this is how the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm should be cultivated..."

Soon, after driving his zhenqi a circulation through his body, he had finally managed to master the palm art.

As there were too many flaws in the palm art, Zhang Xuan ended up being unable to compile it into a Heaven's Path battle technique, leaving it only at Saint intermediate-tier.

Nevertheless, it was still an advanced battle technique that was far beyond the means of ordinary Nascent Saints to cultivate. In fact, it would be difficult for even Saint 4-dan experts to grasp the technique.

However, Zhang Xuan was an exception as he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher previously. The zhenqi which he harnessed within his body was boundless like the vast ocean, granting his sufficient energy to execute the technique. At the same time, the exceptionally pure Heaven's Path zhenqi was able to reach and open up even the smallest meridians within his body. As such, he actually succeeded in cultivating the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm to Minor Accomplishment!

The cultivation of battle techniques could be divided into Novice, Initiate, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Consummation.

"With so many flaws remaining in the palm art, it'll suffice for me to cultivate it to Minor Accomplishment. I should find an opportunity to head to the Palm Hall of the Combat Master Hall to find more books to perfect the technique into a Heaven's Path Palm Art before cultivating it further..."

Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan stood up.

There were simply far too many flaws in the palm art. It was fortunate that the flaws had only weakened the might of the palm art and increased the depletion of zhenqi required in its execution instead of inflicting permanent harm on his body like the Unbounded Voyager. Otherwise, he would have never cultivated it.

"It's really too crude..." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

This must have been the most flawed battle technique that he had practiced ever since he started cultivating. He couldn't help but shake his head at this great embarrassment.

"Principal Zhang, how is it?"

Noting that Zhang Xuan seemed to have dawned on something, Wu shi and the others hurriedly turned their gazes towards him.

After studying the stone tablets for some time, they had succeeded in translating quite a few portions of the stone tablets and gathered some insights of their own. However, the stone tablets still remained as much of an enigma to them as before.

"The battle technique contained within the stone tablet is a palm art. I have managed to decipher and grasp it..." Zhang Xuan replied with a nod.

"A palm art?"

"You managed to grasp it?"

Everyone was stunned.

While all they could see were a bunch of jumbled up words, the young man before them had already managed to decipher the text and even successfully grasp it... Wasn't his wisdom a little too earth-shattering!

"A palm art? You have managed to decipher and grasp it?"

Hong long!

Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when the ground suddenly rumbled deafeningly. Taking a look, he saw that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's sculpture had leaped into the courtyard and was currently staring at him with a perplexed look in his eyes.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu knew how difficult the trial he had left behind was. Even the most talented of his students required at least several months in order to decipher the secret behind the stone tablets. Yet, the young man actually managed to grasp the palm art he had left behind in less than six hours?

Was it really possible for a human to have such high wisdom?

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Chapter 1071: Crossing Palms

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. "If I am not mistaken, the name of your palm art is Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm!"

The sculpture widened his eyes in astonishment. "You... know the name of the palm art?"

He had only recorded the zhenqi circulation pathway of the palm art in the form of figures on the stone tablets; nowhere on the stone tablets was the name of the palm art stated. Just where in the world did that fellow learn of the name?

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before his eyebrows shot up.

It suddenly dawned on him as well that the name of the palm art was not stated anywhere on the stone tablets. Even though he had practiced the battle technique, he would only know that it was a palm art and not what palm art it was.

"Elder, I happen to have read some of your records and learned that you have a powerful palm art named Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, which has been lost with time. While practicing the palm art recorded on the stone tablets, I realized that it is very similar to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, so I deduced that this palm art might be it," Zhang Xuan replied.

One thing was for sure, he could not reveal the details concerning the Library of Heaven's Path. Whether the other party believed him or not, that was not his concern anyway.

The sculpture was stunned. "You have read some of my records?"

You did not seem to have read my records when I tried to take you in as my student back in the Unbounded World though...

Nevertheless, he knew that there was no point pursuing this matter. Thus, the sculpture turned to Zhang Xuan once more and asked, "You said that you not only deciphered the palm art, you have even grasped it as well, correct?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

The sculpture shook his head. "You would have cleared the trial just by deciphering the palm art. But to practice it as well... Reckless, you are really too reckless!"

He was the one who had created the palm art, so he knew full well how difficult it was to practice the technique.

Even the strongest among their expedition group, the Saint 4-dan pinnacle master teacher, would not have sufficient zhenqi to practice the technique. For a Nascent Saint to try it out... wasn't he just asking for trouble?

"This fist art has reached Saint intermediate-tier, and it would be difficult for even Saint 5-dan experts to master the technique. Those whose cultivation don't meet the mark will only injure themselves by practicing it. Back when I first created the technique, it took an entire year and three months just to achieve Novice mastery, three years to reach Initiate, and Minor Accomplishment... nearly eight years! Of my disciples, even the most talented of them took forty years in order to reach Minor Accomplishment!" the sculpture said as he reminisced about the past.

It had not been easy even for him, the creator of the fist art, to master it. Just reaching Minor Accomplishment had taken him twelve whole years.

His students had fared much worse than him, such that they were not even worth mentioning.

Just from that alone, it could be seen how difficult it was to learn the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm.

"You must have given up after realizing that it will be extremely difficult for you to grasp the technique with your current cultivation, right? That's the right way to go. Without my guidance, there is a good chance that you might end up cultivating it incorrectly, and that could lead to disastrous consequences..."

Before he could finish his words, the young man before him scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "While practicing the technique earlier... I think that I accidentally reached Minor Accomplishment."

"You accidentally reached Minor Accomplishment?" The sculpture shook wildly, and it nearly burst apart on the spot.

It was just a moment ago that he said that he, despite being the creator of the palm art, took twelve years to reach Minor Accomplishment. How long had it been since the young man before him started practicing it?

Even assuming that the other party had deciphered the stone tablets as soon as he arrived, he would still only have had around six hours to practice the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art...

And yet, Minor Accomplishment?

Was he for real?

"Indeed. To be honest with you, your Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is indeed very strong, but it's a pity that it simply has too many flaws." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply. "It's really distressing for me to practice a technique like this."

"You!" As soon as the sculpture heard those words, he nearly fainted from rage.

Back in the Unbounded World, that fellow directed those words to another one of his soul fragments, and eventually, that fragmented soul ended up losing its composure and dissipated. And now... he was off again!

Just what did I do to offend you?

If it's so distressing for you to practice my technique, why the heck did you cultivate it to Minor Accomplishment?

"You said that you cultivated it to Minor Accomplishment?" Frowning, the sculpture glanced at Zhang Xuan and said, "It is possible for me to gauge if you have learned my palm art correctly and how deep your mastery of it is through the might you exert with it. How about this? I'll suppress my cultivation to Nascent Saint and execute my Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm at Minor Accomplishment mastery, and as long as you can withstand my attack, I will acknowledge that you have indeed grasped the essence of my palm art!"

There was probably no one who could remain calm after having his capabilities doubted by a mere Nascent Saint cultivator multiple times.

It was not the first time that the young man before him had said such words.

Thus, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu decided to teach the other party a lesson so as to make him learn that there was a greater world beyond the world he saw. Otherwise, with such a complacent attitude, the other party would not go far in life, and that would truly be a huge loss to mankind.

"This..." Hearing that the other party intended to cross palms with him, Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment. "You are able to execute battle techniques despite being a sculpture?"

"Of course! I might only be a sculpture at the moment, but through my fragmented soul, I am still able to easily utilize strength comparable to a Nascent Saint!" the sculpture replied before raising his palm.

An indomitable aura immediately permeated the area, exerting an incredible pressure on all lifeforms standing in the vicinity.

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was already a renowned top-notch expert in the Master Teacher Continent before he joined Kong shi's ranks. He was known to be a peerless existence even among those who had reached the same height in their cultivation as him. Even if Ancient Sage Qiu Wu suppresses his cultivation to Nascent Saint, there's no way Principal Zhang will be able to take his palm!"

"That's a definite. After all, the palm art was created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, and he has practiced it for innumerable years. On the other hand, Principal Zhang has barely had six hours to grasp the technique. Within such a short period of time, no matter how talented he may be, how much could he possibly have comprehended?"

"Indeed, there is simply too huge a difference between the both of them; Principal Zhang doesn't stand a chance."

...

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi and the others shook their heads.

In their view, there was no way Zhang Xuan stood a chance against Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. One had barely cultivated the technique for six hours whereas the other had years of experience. Not to mention, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was one of the strongest experts in the continent. Even with his cultivation suppressed to Nascent Saint as well, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to be able to match him.

"This..." Seeing how adamant the other party was on the matter, Zhang Xuan could only relent with a nod. "Alright then."

To be honest, even though he had said that he had practiced the palm art, he had not had an opportunity to execute the technique yet. All he had done was drive his zhenqi through the circulation pathway as stated in the palm art manual. This spar would serve as a good opportunity for him to gauge the strength harnessed within the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art.

If it was still decently powerful, he could consider using it in future battles.

"Let's begin then!" the sculpture said as he thrust his palm forward with overwhelming momentum.

Boom!

A devastating aura that was reminiscent of innumerable heavenly demons descending upon the lands pervaded the surroundings. It exerted a crushing pressure not only on one's physical body but on one's soul as well.

The prowess of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm did not just lie in its physical might but its ability to assault souls and Primordial Spirit as well.

This was precisely why it was extremely well-known back in the ancient era despite only being a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique.

"How strong..."

"Despite standing such a long distance away... Even though the attack isn't directed toward me, my body still instinctively stiffened in fear, rendering me incapable of retaliating at all!"

"As expected of a battle technique created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! If I could master it, my fighting prowess would surely be enhanced by at least twofold!"

"This palm art requires the user to infuse their soul energy into the palm strike as well in order to bring forth the immense might it harnesses. It won't be easy to grasp it."

...

Feeling the might of the palm art, Wu shi and the others found their bodies stiffening uncontrollably, and their faces paled in astonishment and fear.

It was simply too powerful!

To be honest, the sculpture's movements were not fast, and there was not anything particularly profound about it either. Yet, it harnessed a might that left one feeling deeply helpless before it, both physically and mentally.

This was a sensation that none of the battle techniques they had cultivated could ever hope to evoke in their opponents.

Truly terrifying!

"No wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu said that the palm art won't be easy to practice, I can now see why. I wonder how deep a mastery Principal Zhang has achieved in the technique," Wu shi said.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm had already transcended the level of being a mere maneuver involving the use of one's palms. In order to execute the technique, one's spirit, psyche, and mind had to be perfectly aligned with one's movements. Without years of training, it would be impossible to pull it off.

As talented as Principal Zhang was, he was simply too young. The experience he could have accrued would inevitably be terribly limited. As such, it was truly unlikely that he would be able to grasp the very essence of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art.

The reason most cultivators chose to journey through the world to experience the many facets of life, be it joy, anger, sorrow, or envy, was to temper their state of mind, making it more wholesome and resilient. There were also many cultivation techniques and battle techniques that were built upon such experiences, and without personally going through those experiences, it would be difficult for one to grasp its essence.

With such thoughts in mind, Wu shi could not help but turn his gaze toward the young man in question, only to see the young man standing calmly with his hands behind his back, not in a rush to prepare his defense. He glanced at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking about, but unspeakable sorrow was reflected in the depths of his eyes.

Perhaps his lover had left him behind, or maybe his kin or a close friend had passed away before his eyes, but in that moment, he exuded a forlorn aura that felt as if the whole world had abandoned him.

Wu shi narrowed his eyes before exclaiming in shock. "That is... a terpsichorean art?"

It was just a simple posture, but it emanated deep sorrow that spectators could vividly feel with their entire existence. This was no longer just a state of mind but a technique involving the soul as well.

"Terpsichorean art? I thought that terpsichorean arts utilize dance in order to assault one's opponents?" Feng Xun asked in confusion.

In his view, terpsichore was an occupation that put others in a trance through their resplendent clothes and graceful movements. Due to the nature of the occupation, it was usually practiced only by females. How could Principal Zhang be a terpsichore as well?

Not to mention, even if he was a terpsichore, all he was doing was standing still in his plain and unspectacular master teacher robe. How could something like that be considered a terpsichorean art?

"It's true that most terpsichores utilize dance as a medium to launch soul attacks against their opponents. However... it's said that if one achieves a deep mastery in terpsichorean arts, one will be able to put others into a trance even with the simplest of gestures. Even though Principal Zhang isn't moving, I'm certain you can feel your soul resonating with his state of mind..."

At this point, Wu shi raised his finger and pointed. "Look at them..."

Feng Xun turned his gaze over and saw that the combat masters behind him had their emotions deeply moved by Zhang Xuan, and tears were flowing uncontrollably down their faces.

"This..." Feng Xun narrowed his eyes in shock.

He thought that it was already an amazing feat for Zhang Xuan to possess a deep understanding of formations and wield strength comparable to his. Who would have thought that he possessed such fearsome means to deal with the soul as well?

Even though the combat masters behind him only possessed cultivations of Saint 1-dan and Saint 2-dan, they were all experts who were capable of easily rivaling opponents far stronger than them, so it would be a huge mistake to measure them solely based on their cultivation realms. Furthermore, they had also undergone training to temper their souls and fend off soul attacks. Yet, with just a glance, they had all succumbed to Zhang Xuan's terpsichorean art, completely helpless to retaliate.

In that moment, Feng Xun felt his goosebumps rising all over his skin.

"Look, it's starting!"

Amid his shock, Wu shi suddenly exclaimed loudly, jolting him back from his daze. He hurriedly turned his gaze over and saw Principal Zhang rising his palm lightly to face the sculpture's strike squarely.

His movements could not have been considered fast, and there was nothing elegant or impressive about them either. It resembled nothing but a simple push, and yet, it left the crowd feeling as if they were standing atop a small boat amid a violent storm in the ocean.

In that instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to have morphed into a gigantic heavenly demon, and his presence crushed their souls so tightly that none of them could even gather the slightest courage to stand against him.

"Hmm?"

Noticing the abrupt change in the young man's disposition, the sculpture's initial calm expression turned slightly grave. Frowning deeply, he infused more strength into his palm strike.

Peng!

The two palms finally collided with one another, and an incredible shockwave surged into the surroundings.

Sou!

Before the sculpture could even process what was going on, he was sent flying into a stone tablet and shattered into pieces.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"This..."

"The same cultivation realm, the same palm strike, and the same level of mastery... and Principal Zhang was still able to defeat Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in a single strike?"

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Chapter 1072: Ancient Sage Qiu Wu Dissipates From Shock... Again

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

None of them had doubted that Principal Zhang was going to be sent flying from Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's palm strike, but the situation ended up being the complete reverse. The expert who had stood beside Kong shi for many years ended up being instantly destroyed instead!

More importantly, the fellow who had instantly destroyed him had done it using his palm art after practicing it for barely six hours!

"How in the world can I ever match up with that monster?" Feng Xun, whose hair had been devastated by the shockwave, was on the verge of tears.

Even though he had lost to Zhang Xuan the previous time around, he had been able to accept his loss calmly because he thought that as long as he cultivated diligently after returning to the Combat Master Hall, he would eventually be able to return the favor and cleanse himself of the humiliation. However, after witnessing the insane might that Zhang Xuan was able to exert on a whim... he should just abandon all hopes of that then and there.

Otherwise, he would only be treading down a path where he would suffer blow after blow until insanity finally consumed him.

"You... Are you sure that you have only reached a mastery of Minor Accomplishment?" Just like the shocked crowd, the sculpture's head rose from its destroyed remains and stared at Zhang Xuan, flabbergasted.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was a technique that he had created after long years of studying and experimentation, and he thought that no one would be able to top him in it. Yet, he was still sent flying so easily. How could the might wielded by the other party's attack be so much greater than his?

"Un, it is only at Minor Accomplishment!" Zhang Xuan had never used the palm art before, so he had not thought that it would be so powerful either. If he had known earlier, he would have made sure to hold back so that he did not destroy the other party's body. He could not help but feel a little embarrassed. "There were too many flaws in the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm previously, so I altered it slightly. I really did not think that it would be so powerful. My sincere apologies..."

The sculpture widened his eyes in shock. "Altered? You altered my palm art?"

In just six short hours, not only did that fellow decipher the battle technique he had left behind and practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even... thought that it was too weak and modified it.

Man, you are really heading for the stars!

"Un. Your Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is a decent palm art indeed, wielding considerable strength. However, it is simply riddled with too many flaws; there are exactly 27 of them! Due to the limitations of my shallow knowledge, I was only able to resolve 18 of them, so there are still 9 remaining, which I can't find a solution to at the moment." Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply.

If he had sufficient palm art manuals at hand, he never would have practiced such a flawed palm art. Just thinking about it was sufficient to leave him deeply frustrated.

Huala!

The sculpture was in the midst of regathering his shattered body when he heard those words, and he shook intensely, nearly shattering once more.

Shallow knowledge... And furthermore, what is with that frustrated look on your face?

Will you die if you stop showing off for a while?

It is a fist art I created, and even I was unable to correct it any further. With just a look, you were able to resolve two-thirds of the remaining flaws, and you call that having shallow knowledge?

If that's considered as shallow, should I just end my life right here and right now?

It is a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, and you actually feel frustrated from practicing it.

I am the one who should be frustrated!

Due to the intense fluctuations in his state of mind, more and more cracks began appearing on the regathering sculpture.

He had left behind his ancient domain to find himself an outstanding student to pass down his heritage so as to return glory and honor to his lineage. Who would have thought that instead of displaying his awe-inspiring might as an esteemed elder, he ended up suffering blow after blow instead?

Suppressing his vexed emotions, the sculpture asked, "Which 18 flaws did you alter?"

Given that they were at the same cultivation realm using the same palm art with the same level of mastery, the fact that the might harnessed by the other party's palm was far greater than his went to show that the other party had successfully improved his palm art. As the one who had painstakingly created the technique, it was natural that he wanted to know what mistakes his palm art had.

"You wish to know? I can teach you!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

Kacha!

A huge crack appeared on the sculpture, and Ancient Sage Qiu Wu felt a sharp pain assaulting its chest.

"There's no need for it..." As much as he wanted to know where he had gone wrong, he did not think that he could take it if the other party were to ask him to acknowledge him as his teacher once more.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. It's actually quite simple. The first flaw is that when one's zhenqi is directed toward the Spiritual Sea..." Zhang Xuan began explaining the flaws.

As he did not have sufficient advanced movement arts to fuse together with the Boundless Voyager, he only knew of its flaws and not how they should be resolved. As such, he was unable to respond to the other party's query back then. However, for the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, he already had the solutions for those eighteen flaws, so it was not a big deal for him to recite them to the other party.

Kacha! Kacha!

Hearing those words, more and more cracks appeared on the sculpture. Too overwhelmed with shock, it seemed to be at the limits of its endurance.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had only left a sliver of his soul in the ancient domain. Furthermore, with the passing of innumerable years, his fragmented soul had already grown incredibly weak and unstable. As such, after suffering consecutive traumas from Zhang Xuan, he was already nearing the point of dissipation.

It was not that his mental resilience was too weak, but the fellow before him was simply too exaggerated.

To his shock, the 27 flaws listed were also identical to what Kong shi had said back then. Kong shi had not solved them for him back then either, tasking him to find a solution himself. Zhang Xuan's words had truly enlightened him. The flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm were an issue that had plagued his mind for a very long time, and learning the solutions to them had left him feeling as if he would be content even if he were to die at that very instant. His mind inadvertently slackened, and that single lapse in concentration triggered the start of his dissipation.

"... These are the eighteen flaws that I have altered. As for the remaining nine, there's nothing I can do about them at the moment."

Very soon, Zhang Xuan was done reciting the portions of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that he had corrected. Raising his gaze, he looked at the sculpture once more, and his eyes immediately widened in horror. "Ah! What... happened to you?"

The sculpture, which had been trying its best to regather its body earlier, suddenly collapsed onto the ground as if a slab of mud. Even the previously intact head was completely covered with cracks, reminiscent of a spider web. It looked as if it was on the verge of shattering altogether.

"I see, I see... So, all along, I have been practicing it in the wrong manner. It is no wonder I was unable to reach greater heights despite many years of hard work." Seemingly oblivious to Zhang Xuan's words, the sculpture muttered in a daze beneath his breath, and more and more cracks crept across its head.

After a momentary lamentation, the sculpture raised his gaze and looked at Zhang Xuan. "Thank you for your guidance. Not only did you manage to decipher my palm art, you even altered it to such perfection. You have cleared my trial, and you are qualified to obtain my heritage. My heritage is... is... is..."

Halfway through his words, however, a loud 'kacha!' sounded.

Huala!

The sculpture's head shattered.

Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck. He hurriedly rushed forward in an attempt to piece the sculpture's head together, but upon contact, the shattered fragments were reduced to dust. The fragmented soul deposited within it had already vanished.

"You haven't said what your heritage is!" Zhang Xuan's body trembled in anxiety as he nearly spewed blood.

Isn't this Ancient Sage Qiu Wu a little too unreliable?

Didn't you say that anyone who cleared your trial will be entitled to your heritage?

So, how can you shatter before revealing what your heritage is? Heck, this is too much!

He was not the only one who was feeling frenzied by the turn of events. Wu shi and the others also had their eyes widened in shock, and they nearly burst out crying.

After going through so much trouble, just when the heritage seemed to be within reach... the will of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu ended up being so heavily traumatized by Principal Zhang that he dissipated on the spot before managing to utter a word about the heritage.

At this moment, they felt as if someone had taken a treasure that was right before their reach and tossed it into the ocean!

What the heck was with that?

Moments earlier, they had still been thinking that it was a good thing that they entered the ancient domain together with Zhang Xuan. His talent, sharp wits, and comprehension of formations were top-notch, and they felt that they would be safe following behind him. If the expedition team were to obtain something good in the ancient domain, they would at least gain a share of it as well.

However, at this moment, it dawned on them that they were gravely mistaken!

Now that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul was traumatized to the point of dissipating on the spot, the heritage had disappeared for good. In other words, there was not even a morsel left for them anymore!

"This... Perhaps his time was up, so the sculpture ended up shattering apart."

While the crowd was feeling depressed by the situation before them, Zhang Xuan suddenly spoke up with an apologetic look. "Even though we did not manage to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage, we still have the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm. Mastering it should induce a significant rise in your individual fighting prowess."

"Un." The crowd nodded.

There was no way around it anymore.

Since Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul had already dissipated, who else would possibly know what the heritage was and where it could found?

There was no point brooding over it anymore.

At the very least, they still had a powerful palm art left.

With this thought in mind, the crowd turned to the stone tablet once more, but a familiar, crisp sound echoed yet again.

Kacha! Kacha!

Innumerable cracks crept across all of the stone tablets with an unstoppable momentum.

Guild Leader Han was the first to realize what was going on, and he quickly explained to the dumbfounded crowd, "These stone tablets have long exceeded their lifespan. It was only with the reinforcement of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul that they were able to hold on for so long. With the dissipation of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul, they are rapidly deteriorating as well..."

However, before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began shaking intensely as well. It felt as if the countdown to the utter destruction of the folded space had just begun ticking.

"Let's quickly leave! Just like the stone tablets, the folded space for the trial was held in place by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul as well. We have to get out of here as soon as we can." Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed off, leading the way forward.

Knowing that any delay could result in them being trapped eternally within this collapsing folded space, they hurriedly followed Guild Leader Han as well, not daring to hesitate.

Zhang Xuan also stuck close to the group.

Not too long later, they returned back to the flower garden, only to see that Luo Ruoxin was no longer around. They quickly rushed back the way they had come from, and right after they stepped out from the door, the nine doors behind them abruptly collapsed before vanishing altogether. It was as if what they had gone through earlier was only a mere dream.

"This..."

The crowd looked at one another, and cold sweat gushed down their backs.

It was fortunate that they had cleared the trial, thus causing the seal that prevented them from leaving to collapse. Otherwise, they might have just disappeared along with the folded space.

That was really a close shot!

"Where is Ruoxin?" Zhang Xuan asked as he scanning his surroundings anxiously.

She was not in the flower garden earlier, so why was she not outside either?

Worried, Zhang Xuan was about to use his Eye of Insight to track Luo Ruoxin's whereabouts when he suddenly saw the latter flying back from the distance.

Luo Ruoxin landed before him and asked, "How was it? Have you obtained the heritage?"

"Cough cough... We didn't obtain the heritage. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul ended up dissipating after being traumatized by Principal Zhang's words before he could even present us with the heritage," Mu shi explained awkwardly.

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul dissipated?" Luo Ruoxin turned a curious gaze to the young man before her.

"I..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head, not knowing how to respond to her gaze.

All he had done was to share the alterations he had made to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with the other party. It was not like he had said anything much. How was he to know that the other party would be so trauma-prone?

To think that he was even known as an ancient sage...

"This is the manual of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that I altered earlier. Feel free to cultivate it. Consider it compensation for joining the expedition to the ancient domain." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan began writing down a copy of his corrected Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual before passing it over to the crowd.

Regardless of whether Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had dissipated due to his words or not, it was a fact that he had prevented the others from obtaining the heritage. The least he could do was offer the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual to them as compensation.

"Thank you..."

The eyes of the crowd lit up in agitation.

Wu shi flipped open the manual, and the others quickly turned their eyes over.

Not too long later, they were done going through the secret manual, and they could not help but turn their gazes toward the young man before them with horrified looks.

"Principal Zhang... is this really the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm? Did you really achieve Minor Accomplishment in it within just six hours of practice?"

They gulped subconsciously.

Without a doubt, the palm art was indeed very powerful. However, it was for the very same reason that mastering it was an extremely difficult feat as well.

Putting everything else aside, even if a 7-star high-tier master teacher like Wu shi were to devote his effort to the technique, it would at least take ten years for him to achieve Novice mastery, let alone Minor Accomplishment.

Yet... such a difficult battle technique, and the fellow before them had actually managed to achieve Minor Accomplishment within just six hours. Furthermore, he was able to harness greater strength than Ancient Sage Qiu Wu when both of them were at the same cultivation. Just how in the world did he do it?

It was no wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul ended up being traumatized to the point of dissipation. If it had been them, they would have reacted in the same manner as well!

Thinking back, his previous claim of saying that he had attempted to accept Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as his student is likely true as well...

That freak! the crowd thought in their minds.

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Chapter 1073: Meeting the Skyleaf King Once More

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Zhang Xuan watched as the crowd cultivated the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, but even after a while had passed, none of them was able to reach Novice mastery. He couldn't help but shake his head at that sight.

While he had altered eighteen of the palm art's flaws, there were still nine more to go. As such, practitioners of the technique would still require a vast amount of zhenqi in order to execute it.

The members of the expedition team weren't weak either, but unlike Zhang Xuan, they hadn't cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and were lacking in comparison.

It couldn't be helped that they wouldn't be able to master the technique in a moment's time.

As the saying goes, 'even the most capable of housewives are unable to prepare a meal without ingredients'. No matter how good a teacher Zhang Xuan was, there was nothing he could if the crowd's zhenqi capacity and purity were lacking.

"I am heading to the Saint Ascension Hall to find the old principal. Is there anyone who wishes to tag along?" Knowing that they wouldn't make much progress at this rate, Zhang Xuan spoke up and said.

In any case, he had already imparted the complete Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm to them, so how far they could take the palm art to would depend on their own aptitude.

Previously, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had said that the old principal and the Skyleaf King had gone into the Saint Ascension Hall. If they intended to save the old principal, they would have to head there as well.

"Let's go there together!" Wu shi and the others replied with a nod.

They had already memorized the formula to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, so it was pointless for them to hang around the area anymore. It would be better for them to quickly find Zhang Yinqiu and the others and get out of the ancient domain.

"Where did you go earlier?"

As the group headed forward, Zhang Xuan suddenly remembered how Luo Ruoxin had left for a brief moment in their absence, so he sent a telepathic message over to ask out of curiosity.

"I just wandered around the area to take a look..." the young lady replied with a smile.

"I see..." Seeing that the other party was unwilling to speak, Zhang Xuan chose not to press any further too.

Following the markings on the map, it didn't take long for the crowd to arrive before a grand pavilion. There was no plaque above its entrance to indicate its name.

Shrouded by mist, it emanated an aura of divinity.

Taking a closer look, Guild Leader Han remarked with a grim expression, "There's a particularly powerful formation constructed around the area. Those who enter might find themselves unable to leave anymore. How about this? Why don't I, Wu shi, and Principal Zhang enter to take a look first? The rest of you should just wait outside for the moment!"

The pavilion had an illusory presence that felt as if it was concealed amidst the void—it was apparent that it was shrouded by a massive formation. Furthermore, recalling what Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had informed them earlier regarding the Saint Ascension Hall, there was very high chance that they might end up being stuck within. Given so, there was no need for all of them to undertake the risk together.

"Wu shi, none of us here fears death..." Feng Xun said with a grim expression.

"It's not a problem of whether you fear death or not, but that it will be the end of us all if we were to be trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall together. For the time being, it'll be better for the rest of you to stand guard outside. If we aren't out by three days, we may require you to seek help for us." Wu shi said grimly.

"Alright then..." Feng Xun and the others hesitated for a while before nodding reluctantly.

"You should wait outside as well. Don't worry, I'll be fine..." Zhang Xuan looked at Luo Ruoxin and smiled.

He had no idea what would happen within, but there was no doubt that great danger lay within. He didn't want the other party to undertake the risk as well.

"Let's go together. At the very least, we will be able to look out for one another." the young lady said.

"But..." Zhang Xuan was planning to dissuade Luo Ruoxin, but upon meeting the latter's resolute gaze, he hesitated for a brief moment before eventually nodding. "Alright. However, you must be very careful after we enter. No matter what happens, your safety comes first!"

With a light smile, Luo Ruoxin nodded.

Afraid that the escaped fragmented Primordial Spirit of the Skyleaf King would endanger the lives of the remaining group, Zhang Xuan had Guild Leader Han to construct a grade-7 pinnacle Slaughter Formation to protect the surroundings. Only after that was done did they step into the pavilion.

The formation constructed around the pavilion worked in a similar fashion to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery in the sense that it was unidirectional. One would face no impediment entering the pavilion, but after stepping in, the formation would turn into an unbreakable wall confining them within.

"We are indeed trapped inside..."

Upon walking into the pavilion, they could feel that the space behind them was sealed up, and they glanced at one another with grim expressions.

They quickly scanned their surroundings, and after realizing that there was no apparent danger in the area, they heaved a sigh of relief before advancing ahead.

The first floor of the pavilion was extremely vast. There were several rows of stone tablets, and every single one of them was densely inscribed with words.

"These are... insights to achieving a breakthrough to Saint realm?"

Taking a closer look and realizing what the content inscribed on the stone tablets were, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin traded surprised gazes.

They had seen the words on the stone tablets before. They were identical to the insights inscribed on the road up the mountain leading to the Saint Ascension Platform!

"It seems like the Saint Ascension Hall does have a close connection to the Saint Ascension Platform..."

Similar names and stone tablets with identical contents, that was far too much to pass off as a coincidence.

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han seemed to have been to the Saint Ascension Platform before as well, and when they saw the content on the stone tablets, they were stunned for a brief moment as they frowned in bewilderment.

Proceeding ahead, they were about to enter the second floor when a surge of sword qi suddenly flew for them from the depths of the Saint Ascension Hall.

Boom!

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han immediately drove their zhenqi to the maximum and rushed forward to face the sudden assault of sword qi.

Even without a formation between them, they were still able to synergize their strength together to produce a might far greater than what they could achieve individually.

Peng!

Upon collision with the sword qi, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were immediately forced back several steps as their faces paled.

"It's the Skyleaf King..." Zhang Xuan exclaimed.

To overwhelm the combined might of two Saint 4-dan experts with just a sword qi in itself... The only one who was capable of this feat was only the Skyleaf King, whom was trapped in the Saint Ascension Hall as well.

"Hehehe, not bad! Zhang Xuan, I might not have been able to done anything to you if you hadn't entered the Saint Ascension Hall. But since you chose to come in, don't even dream about getting out of here alive!" With a cold harrumph, the Skyleaf King's voice echoed deafeningly throughout the Saint Ascension Hall.

In the next moment, a towering figure slowly walked out from the depths of the pavilion.

Unlike the Primordial Spirit whom they had seen before, the Skyleaf King before them possessed a tangible body. He had a tall stature which towered over even the Scarletleaf King and the Stoneleaf King.

"You recognize me? Then, that fragmented Primordial Spirit..." Zhang Xuan was stunned for an instant before realizing that the fragmented Primordial Spirit must have reported the happenings back to the Skyleaf King through some unique means.

Or perhaps, the fragmented Primordial Spirit might have even flown back in to fuse back together with the Skyleaf King.

"Since you are so audacious as to harm my Primordial Spirit, I'm going to make sure that you suffer a fate worse than death!" Sneering coldly, the Skyleaf King raised his finger and flicked it lightly towards Zhang Xuan.

Alarmed, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed forward to cover Zhang Xuan, driving their zhenqi to its capacity to fend off the Skyleaf King's attack.

Peng! Peng!

With two dull thuds, the duo was sent flying.

They were top-notch experts even when taking the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire into account, but their cultivation was still a step away from matching up with the Skyleaf King, and this single step produced a world of difference in their fighting prowess.

"Principal Zhang, run away!"

Wu shi forcefully twisted his body so as to regain his balance and land back onto the floor, but the rebound from doing so caused a spurt of blood to spew from his mouth. Knowing that it would be difficult for them to fend off the Skyleaf King, Wu shi bellowed.

Even before the other party had drawn out his Primordial Spirit, the both of them were already no match for him. If the other party were to really use his full strength, they could be annihilated in an instant!

"Run away? Are you really that delusional as to think that you can still run away at this point?" the Skyleaf King burst into laughter as he grasped at the space before him.

Huala!

In an instant, a powerful force shrouded the entire hall, sealing all paths of escape for them.

"This is truly bad..." Not expecting that they would meet with a fully-powered Skyleaf King right after entering the Saint Ascension Hall, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

The other party was already guarded against him, so it would be impossible for him to beguile the other party to go along with his flow anymore. At the same time, fighting the other party face-on wasn't an option either. Were they really going to meet their end here?

"Break!"

Raising his palm, he executed the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, directing it towards the seal which the Skyleaf King had just set up.

Weng!

Similar to the surface of a lake, upon striking on the seal, the force rippled on it for a moment, but it didn't break it apart. Instead, a force suddenly surged back towards Zhang Xuan, forcing him to retreat several steps back.

"This is a secret art which I have come up with in the two years I was trapped here. Not even a Saint 5-dan expert will be able to break it open, so do you think that a Nascent Saint cultivator like you will be able to do so?" Noting Zhang Xuan's actions, the Skyleaf King scoffed coldly.

Guild Leader Han and Wu shi and stood up and attempted their strongest battle techniques against the seal, but it was completely ineffective as well.

"I still need to comprehend those stuff that Kong shi left behind, so I have no time to be idling here with you. Let's end this quickly." Gazing upon the group coldly, the Skyleaf King raised his finger and shot a burst of sword qi towards them once more.

This time, the might harnessed within the sword qi was greater than the ones before. It was directed straight towards Zhang Xuan, and if it were to strike, not even a deity would be able to bring him back to life.

"It won't be easy to get out of here alive..." Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He wasn't even a match for a fragment of the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit, let more the other party at full strength. Furthermore, it seemed like the other party had also advanced his cultivation a fair bit over the past two years, placing them in an extremely disastrous position.

Nevertheless, he wasn't one to give up without a fight. Just as he was about to let his clone out to withstand the might of the sword qi, a brilliant radiance suddenly burst in the area. A loud buzzing sound reverberated before a thick layer of mist abruptly set into the area.

"It's a grade-7 pinnacle formation plate..."

Only a grade-7 pinnacle formation plate could produce such a thick layer of mist which even Saint realm experts couldn't peer through in an instant.

But... grade-7 pinnacle formation plates were incredibly rare, such that even Guild Leader Han didn't have any of it. Why would it suddenly appear here?

"Everyone, follow me..."

Just as the crowd was feeling deeply perplexed, a voice abruptly sounded in their ears. Following which, the silhouette of an elder appeared before their eyes.

"That is... Vice Principal Ji Yan?" Upon getting a closer glimpse of the other party's appearance, Wu shi couldn't help but exclaim.

"I'm indeed Ji Yan. Wu shi, please follow me..." the elder nodded hurriedly as he gestured forward.

"Alright!" Nodding, Wu shi beckoned for the others to follow them closely before heading in the direction gestured by the elder.

"Vice Principal Ji Yan?" Hearing the conversation between the duo, Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

Just like the previous Vice Principal Mu Renxu, the elder before him was a vice principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy as well. The other party had entered the ancient domain together with Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu back then, and one way or another, they had managed to survive til now.

"His cultivation..." While following behind the group, Zhang Xuan discreetly sneaked a peek at the elder, and his eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

Vice Principal Ji Yan should only possess a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle two years ago, just like Vice Principal Mu Renxu and the others. Yet, at this moment, his cultivation was already at Saint 4-dan, on par with Wu shi and Guild Leader Han!

To leap three realms within just two years, and in Saint realm at that... This was too exaggerated!

"Your strength..." Having noticed the anomaly in Vice Principal Ji Yan's strength as well, Wu shi couldn't help but ask.

"The spiritual energy in here is significantly more concentrated as compared to the external world, and Kong shi has also left behind a fair bit of treasures. On top of that, we had to pit our wits and strength against the Skyleaf King day after day in the past two years, so we would have long died if we hadn't managed to grow that quickly..." Vice Principal Ji Yan replied with a bitter smile.

Noting a particular word in Vice Principal Ji Yan's words, Zhang Xuan asked, "How many people are left in your group?"

The expedition team which the old principal had brought into the ancient domain back then consisted of roughly a group of thirty. Considering how there were roughly a dozen corpses outside, there should be at least seventeen or eighteen of them survivors remaining.

"There are less than three of us remaining..." Vice Principal Ji Yan sighed deeply.

"Less than three of us?" Zhang Xuan was perplexed by the response.

There must be either two or three of them remaining in the group. What did less than three mean?

Could there be two and a half of them remaining?

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Chapter 1074: We Can't Escape!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"You will know once you come along with me..." Noting the perplexed looks on the faces around him, Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head bitterly and replied.

Traversing through the mist, they soon arrived at a certain room.

There were all kinds grade-7 pinnacle seals and traps lying all around the area. Even for an expert of the Skyleaf King's caliber, there was no doubt that he would be torn into shreds if he were to be trapped within them.

Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Judging from the current situation, it seemed like the Skyleaf King wielded the absolute advantage within the Saint Ascension Hall. Unable to stand up against him, they could only remain within this room and set up formations and traps so as to fend off the other party.

Pushing open the door and entering, the room was only roughly several dozen square meters large. There wasn't a single window within the room, and the only source of light within it was the dim radiance of a Night Illumination Pearl.

Leaning against the wall was an old man whose both legs and right arm had been severed. Nevertheless, upon seeing the group which had returned, he hurriedly flew up and rushed towards them with eyes filled with disbelief.

"Vice Principal Ji, this..."

For the past two years, they had been the only humans within the Saint Ascension Hall. Thus, it wasn't too difficult to imagine his imagination upon seeing Zhang Xuan and the others.

"Vice Principal Tan, this is Wu shi from Qingyuan Conferred Empire." Vice Principal Ji Yan introduced.

"Vice Principal Tan? You are Tan Qing from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?" Finding the name familiar, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, and a figure abruptly surfaced in his mind.

The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had a total of four vice principals, and Mu Renxu, Ji Yan, and Tan Qing were three of them.

"That's indeed me..." Tan Qing nodded. With a perplexed look, he turned to Ji Yan and asked, "May I know how I should address these master teachers?"

"This... Actually, I encountered them while they were being pursued by the Skyleaf King, so I quickly saved them and led them back here. I haven't really gotten a chance to ask them for their names yet..." Vice Principal Ji Yan replied.

As the situation was very precarious earlier, there wasn't any time for them to introduce themselves to one another. As such, he wasn't too sure whom the other three beside Wu shi were either.

"This young man over here is the newly-appointed principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang shi. This young lady is Luo Ruoxin, Luo shi. Last but not least, this elder is the head of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Formation Master Guild, Han Xu." Wu shi swiftly introduced the group.

"Newly-appointed principal?" Upon hearing the introduction, the eyes of the duo quickly turned to Zhang Xuan, and a deep frown appeared on their foreheads.

They weren't able to report the matter to the headquarters before heading to the ancient domain due to the urgency of the matter back then, so their abrupt disappearance was bound to create some chaos in the leadership of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. It was understandable that they would attempt to elect a new principal as soon as possible in order to stabilize the situation, but still, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was still one of the Four Great Academies... How could they allow a mere Nascent Saint cultivator, not to mention such a young child, to become the principal?

Weren't they making too light of Hongyuan?

"Principal Zhang might be young, but he possesses extraordinary capabilities. It's due to him that we were able to advance through the ancient domain safely!" Noting the complicated looks on the duo, Wu shi could tell what they were thinking, so he hurriedly stepped forward to speak on Zhang Xuan's behalf.

To be honest, Zhang Xuan was simply too young that it was inevitable that others would doubt his capabilities. Even he himself had doubted the legitimacy of the other party's inauguration as the principal back then, let more the duo before him.

"... You're right. How could a person who was able to venture so deeply into the ancient domain possibly be someone ordinary?" After hearing Wu shi's words, the duo pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

They had experienced the brutality of the Qiu Wu Palace firsthand, so they knew very well the dangers that lurked all around. Without outstanding capability, it was impossible for one to venture safely from the entrance to this point.

Not to mention, even a person as esteemed as Wu shi had chosen to speak on the behalf of Zhang Xuan.

Scanning the room, Zhang Xuan realized that a certain person was nowhere to be seen, so he asked with a perplexed frown, "Where is Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu?"

Since the two vice principals were still alive, the old principal who had just sent the Principal's Seal out shortly before should still be alive as well. Why wasn't he anywhere to be seen? Not to mention, Vice Principal Ji Yan had earlier replied his question with not a 'two' but a 'less than three'...

"Principal Zhang Yinqiu..." Ji Yan and Tan Qing glanced at one another as the light in their eyes dulled. After a moment of silence, Ji Yan was the one who spoke up, "He's already dead..."

"Dead? But Vice Principal Ji, didn't you say earlier that there were 'less than three' of you remaining? There are only two of you here..."

The one who spoke this time around was Guild Leader Han. Clearly, he had also noticed the anomaly in Vice Principal Ji's words earlier.

If there were only two of them remaining, an ordinary person would respond with a 'two'. However, Vice Principal Ji Yan had replied with a 'less than three' instead... There was bound to be a deeper reason behind it.

There was no way a 6-star pinnacle master teacher would make such an elementary verbal mistake.

"Indeed. There is still one more person other than us around, and he is Principal Zhang Yinqiu. However, the current state he is in... It's truly no different from being dead... However, he isn't here at the moment. I can only bring you to meet him within a specific timing!" Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

"No different from being dead?"

Wu shi and the others glanced at one another in bewilderment, unsure of what the two vice principals were driving at. However, looking at the duo, it seemed like they were reluctant to speak of it anymore, so they decided not to probe too deep at the moment as well.

After a momentary pause, Wu shi turned his gaze over and asked, "What happened two years ago? Why didn't you report the matter to the headquarter?"

In truth, Wu shi wasn't the only one who had been pondering over this question. Even Zhang Xuan found the matter incredulous as well.

Considering how the old principal had erected a tomb for himself in the Mausoleum of Principals, there was no doubt that he was aware that the dangers lurking in the ancient domain were far beyond his means. Given so, the logical course of action should be to report the matter to the superior Master Teacher Pavilion. So, why did he remain silent on the matter, choosing to assemble an expedition team out of his own academy instead?

"It's not that he doesn't want to report the matter to the headquarter, but that there was no time for it!"

Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Wu shi, you are quite close with Principal Zhang Yinqiu, so you should be aware that he idolizes Elder Wu Yangzi a lot. The greatest interest in his pastime was to explore the history of Elder Wu Yangzi and investigate his disappearance... Under his relentless efforts, he eventually found some intelligence and an important artifact concerning the ancient domain. His immediate response was to report the matter to the headquarter, but somehow, the news managed to travel to the ears of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe before he could do so. In the end, not only did the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe manage to dupe the important artifact away, they even managed to learn of the deeper secrets concerning the ancient domain...

"Shortly after, he learned that the ancient domain was on the verge of opening, and there was no time to be lost. Thus, he gathered all of us overnight and rushed over as soon as possible!"

Vice Principal Ji Yan's explanation only served to deepen the frown on Wu shi's forehead, "Zhang Yinqiu has a Communication Jade Token connected straight to the headquarter. As long as he wishes to, he could inform the headquarter of the matter any time he liked. It wouldn't have delayed him by too much... So why didn't he do so?"

It wouldn't take more than ten breaths for Zhang Yinqiu to construct a message to the headquarter to inform them in detail of the entire incident! For a person who gathered an expedition team overnight and rushed right towards the ancient domain... Surely sending a message shouldn't be too difficult?

Claiming that 'there was no time for it' was truly a poor excuse!

"If I am not mistaken, instead of saying that the news traveled to the ears of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, perhaps it might be more accurate to say that they had insider news on the matter? In other words, a spy of the Otherworldly Demon had intercepted the message before it reached the headquarter, and that spy happens to be from the headquarter as well, and this left Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu deeply distrustful of the headquarter... Am I right?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before stating his deduction.

Since Zhang Yinqiu didn't send out the message to the headquarter to inform that of the matter, that could only mean that there was something preventing him from doing so.

"This... Zhang shi is indeed astute. It's indeed as you have said..." Hearing those words, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing couldn't help but nod their heads in awe.

To be able to deduce this far based on the nuances of their words, this young Zhang shi's discernment ability was truly outstanding. It was no wonder why he was eventually elected to succeed Principal Zhang Yinqiu as the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

"Spy? From the headquarter?" Wu shi was stunned for a moment before he clenched his fists tightly together.

He was a smart person as well, and it didn't take him too long to figure out what was going on.

In the first place, Zhang Yinqiu didn't have much of an understanding of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. Thus, when he was duped of the important artifact and intelligence from a fake master teacher from the headquarter, he became deeply apprehensive. He didn't know whom he could trust, so eventually, he didn't send out a message at all.

Perhaps Zhang Yinqiu was intending to pay a visit to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to inform them of the matter personally, but he abruptly received news that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was about to enter the ancient domain. Left with no choice, he could only assemble an expedition team by himself and head in personally, and eventually... none of them managed to return back.

"Who is it?" Wu shi eyes narrowed menacingly.

He knew all of the master teachers in the headquarter, so who in the world could the spy be?

"We are all trapped here, so it's meaningless even if we were to reveal the name to you now..." Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head in disconsolation.

It was not like any one of them could escape and apprehend the spy, so what was the point of them speaking about the matter at the moment?

Since that was going to be the case, they might as well just remain silent, so as the very least, there would be one less frustration for them to bother about.

"Is it really impossible to escape from here?" Guild Leader Han asked.

"Un. I'm sure you should have seen the seal outside. It's constructed in a manner that makes it unidirectional, only allowing one to enter but not to leave. It is most probably set up by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu himself, so... unless one were to obtain his heritage and comprehend the secret behind the seal, otherwise it will be impossible to escape from here!" Vice Principal Tan Qing shook his head.

At this moment, he suddenly recalled a matter, and he looked at Wu shi and the others and asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes, "Right! Back then, the Skyleaf King was tight on our trail, and we weren't able to shake him free. As such, we could only escape here directly. However, on your journey here, you should have noticed the door leading to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage, right? How is it? Did you obtain the heritage?"

"This..."

Hearing those words, a look of awkwardness surfaced on the faces of Wu shi and the others.

They did manage to enter the correct door, they successfully met Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's sculpture as well, and they even cleared the trial smoothly... But, they still failed to obtain the heritage!

Would the two vice principals believe them if they were to tell them of such a bizarre matter?

"What's wrong? Could it be that... you didn't notice the mark Principal Zhang Yinqiu left behind?" Noticing the peculiar expressions on the faces around him, Vice Principal Ji Yan couldn't help but ask.

The mark was very apparent, so surely master teachers of their caliber should have noticed it easily!

"You were indeed the ones who had left the mark behind! But since you know that the heritage lies within the door, why didn't you enter to take a look?"

It was Guild Leader Han's turn to be perplexed this time around.

Since the mark was left behind by them, it should be apparent that they had opened the doors and confirmed the correct one to advance to. Since that was the case, why didn't they enter it? If they had chosen to enter it, the Skyleaf King could have died under the might of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu.

"Back then, we did manage to trigger the mechanism in the square that causes the nine doors to appear... However, shortly after we confirmed the right door, before we even had the opportunity to check it out, the Skyleaf King arrived at the square as well. The implications of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage is simply too great. If the Skyleaf King were to obtain it, it could become a calamity for the entire mankind! We can't afford to take such a gamble, and we dare not to either! Thus, Principal Zhang Yinqiu secretly left a mark on the door before rushing over here. Having a skeptical personality, even though the Skyleaf King saw the nine doors, he dared not to enter to check them out either for fear of it being a trap, so he continued pursuing us instead. Eventually, all of us ended up here..." Vice Principal Ji Yan recounted the situation back then.

His words and description were nonchalant, but Zhang Xuan and the others could feel how intense the situation was back then.

The fact that Vice Principal Mu Renxu had lost his life in the square, and the others had to flee without having an opportunity to collect his corpse went to show how dangerous the situation was back then.

"By the time we entered the pavilion, we were already all exhausted. Even though we managed to slaughter all of the Otherworldly Demons aside from the Skyleaf King remained, we also suffered great casualties in the process, to the point that we are the only survivors of the initial expedition team... It is fortunate that the terrain within here is complicated, that's why we were able to survive til now. Otherwise, we would have sure been wiped out long ago..." Vice Principal Ji Yan sighed.

"I see!" The crowd nodded in response.

They had all experienced the fearsome might of the Skyleaf King themselves—even a collaboration between the powerful Wu shi and Guild Leader Han wasn't sufficient to match him. Considering how Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were only at Saint 1-dan pinnacle back then, it wasn't difficult to imagine how helpless they would have been.

It had truly been difficult for them to have survived two years while being trapped with the Skyleaf King.

"Right, you still haven't told us whether you have managed to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage or not?" After explaining the matter, Vice Principal Ji Yan asked once more.

This matter involved whether they would be able to escape from here or not, so he was determined to clarify this matter.

"This... We managed to clear the trial, but before Ancient Sage Qiu Wu could reveal to us what his heritage was, his fragmented soul had already dissipated after suffering multiple traumas from Principal Zhang!" After a long moment of silence, Wu shi finally spoke up.

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Chapter 1075: Celestial Saint? I Can Give It a Try

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Dissipated... after suffering several traumas? What do you mean?" Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were stunned, unable to process what they had just heard.

If the other party were to say that they failed to find the correct door or that they did not even trigger the mechanism that induced the appearance of the nine doors in the first place, they would still be able to understand it. But... to dissipate Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's soul by traumatizing him...

Why did it sound so profound that they could not understand a word of it?

May I trouble you to clarify the matter a little more?

Noticing the two bewildered faces before him, Wu shi's face reddened. He really had no idea how he was supposed to explain the matter to them, so he turned to Guild Leader Han for help. "I think it'll be better for you to say it instead..."

"Alright. The situation is like this..." With a deep sigh, Guild Leader Han contemplated over his choice of phrases before he began recounting the matter.

"You are saying that... Zhang shi managed to see through the flaws in Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's palm art? Not only did he manage to practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even corrected it on top of that?"

"Not to mention, he offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?"

The two vice principals widened their mouths in shock, and they nearly blacked out on the spot.

Surely, they must have been listening to a fictional story!

How could there be such a ridiculous master teacher in the world?

That was Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! All who had heard of his affairs would revere him like a deity, not daring to even breathe loudly before him. Yet, that fellow actually offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?

Do you not understand the meaning of what taking a person in as your student means, or are your guts so inflated that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu means nothing to you?

"Cough cough..." Noticing the shocked gazes of the duo on him, Zhang Xuan quickly explained himself. "All I did was share the flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. I didn't expect that he would be so brittle, collapsing at the slightest trauma. Jeez, he really does need to temper his mind a little more."

To be honest, he also did not intend for such a situation to happen. It was not as if he had done it intentionally.

"Brittle?"

"Temper?"

The duo was rendered completely speechless by Zhang Xuan's words.

One of the most renowned Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a figure who had stood alongside the World's Teacher through numerous crises... It was already a blessing that he did not die from anger from having a several-dozen-millenniums-younger junior like Zhang Xuan attempting to take him in as his student, and yet, the young man expected him not to be traumatized by the matter?

Not to mention, he altered the prided palm art that the other party created on the spot, strengthening it significantly. The fact that Qiu Wu was still able to talk to him after that was already testimony to his incredible mental resilience.

A moment later, Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. "So, you didn't receive the heritage either... It seems like we really won't be getting out of here today..."

A treasure trove was right before them, but that fellow ended up pushing it right off the cliff. How in the world did such a ridiculous master teacher become their new principal?

They were really starting to worry for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy's future.

But in any case, without the heritage, they would not be able to escape from the place either. Their worry would not change a thing at all.

They were still hoping that those who had received their news would come to their rescue, but from the looks of it... their expectations might have truly been a little too high.

Paying no heed to the disappointed looks around him, Zhang Xuan asked, "What exactly is the Saint Ascension Hall? How is it related to the Saint Ascension Platform?"

Saint Ascension Hall and Saint Ascension Platform... Given how similar their names were and that they were both related to Kong shi, it was hard to believe that there was no relation between the both of them.

"There's indeed a relationship between the both of them. If I'm not mistaken..." Vice Principal Ji Yan began to reply, but before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began trembling intensely, and it felt as if the pavilion would cave in on them at any moment.

Alarmed, Wu shi and the others asked anxiously, "What's going on?"

Vice Principal Ji Yan seemed to be very used to the trembling, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "This happens every single day at irregular intervals... Let's go, I'll bring you to meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu. However, just a word of warning, we will only have an incense's time. We will have to return here before then, or else we will face grave danger like before."

"Meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu?" The crowd was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Alright!"

"Let's go!"

Without wasting any more time on words, Vice Principal Ji Yan led the way forward. As Vice Principal Tan Qing had lost three of his limbs, and there were several places where he would be unable to fly, he decided to remain behind.

Bypassing the many formations and traps outside, the group headed straight forward, and before long, they arrived at the very top of the Saint Ascension Hall. The roof of the Saint Ascension Hall was flat, and at the very center, there was a round platform, which emanated a brilliant glow.

The previous tremor seemed to have originated from the energy released by the round platform.

"This is..." Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The round platform before him was identical to the one that had appeared after the cliff face on the Saint Ascension Platform collapsed previously.

Back then, after he had pointed out the flaws in Kong shi's writings, the cliff face broke apart, and a round platform emerged from within. Standing above it, he and Luo Ruoxin had ended up being transported into a folded space.

Back then, he had thought that the round platform was the place where Kong shi had seated when he ascended to become a Celestial Saint. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like he was mistaken.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's confusion, Vice Principal Ji Yan explained, "Indeed. This is real Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi left behind when he ascended to Sainthood. The one outside is nothing more than an imitation..."

"This is the real Saint Ascension Platform?" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

The conferment of a Celestial Saint was not a small matter. The lands where the conferment occurred would surely be suffused with the energy of the world, so how could there only be a few halos here and there? Furthermore, how could such an important landmark be left open on the top of a mountain, not fearing that it would be found by anyone?

Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began examining the Saint Ascension Platform carefully.

There a peculiar sheet of light covering the top of the round platform, and ripples of energy were flowing on top of it. The ripples of energy seemed to carry an extraordinary quality to nourish the Saint aura within one. It felt like one could advance one's cultivation significantly just by taking in a whiff of it.

"Even a sliver of energy emanated from a Celestial Saint is a great nourishment to ordinary cultivators like us. It is due to it that I was able to advance my cultivation so quickly," Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

The others nodded in agreement.

The energy emanated by the round platform felt warm, as if one was bathed amid sacred light. Even though it had not been long since Wu shi and the others had arrived in the Saint Ascension Hall, they could feel that their thought process had quickened significantly, and the cells in their bodies had grown more vigorous as well. Under such circumstances, their rate of cultivation would be enhanced immensely.

As long as one's talent was not too bad, advancing three realms within just a short two years under such circumstances was entirely possible.

At this point, Vice Principal Ji Yan stepped forward, and pointing to an area not too far away from the round platform, he said, "Principal Zhang Yinqiu is here..."

Taken aback, the crowd hurriedly turned their gazes over, only to see a statue standing in the direction Vice Principal Ji Yan pointed out.

The statue was extremely lifelike, and it bore a striking resemblance with the paintings of Zhang Yinqiu within the Master Teacher Academy.

A calm voice suddenly came from the statue. "Wu shi? You are here..."

To their astonishment, just like the situation with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu earlier, the statue had opened his mouth and begun speaking.

"Zhang Yinqiu, why would you..." Seeing the plight his old friend was in, Wu shi could not help but feel a dull ache in his heart.

It was no wonder Vice Principal Ji Yan said that there were less than three of them remaining. The fact that Zhang Yinqiu was still able to speak and recognize them meant that he still retained consciousness, so he could not be considered dead yet. But... trapped within a lifeless statue, could he really be considered alive?

"In the midst of saving us, Principal Zhang Yinqiu's body was destroyed by the Skyleaf King. By a stroke of luck, the Saint Ascension Platform suddenly whirred into action at the moment, and under the nourishment of the sacred light, his soul managed to avoid dissipation, and he ended up latching onto a statue in the vicinity. Even though he retained his consciousness, he is unable to move or leave the premises," Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

The situation back then had been extremely complex. Principal Zhang Yinqiu's physical body had been forcefully destroyed by the Skyleaf King, and just as everyone thought that he would have died, the Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi had left behind suddenly worked its miracles. Under the warm glow of the sacred light, his soul managed to survive despite having lost its body, and he eventually ended up latching onto a nearby statue for survival.

As time passed, the statue began shaping itself into him. However, he was still unable to move at all. All he could manage to do was stand quietly and await the end of time. Honestly, there truly was not much difference from death.

Realization suddenly struck Zhang Xuan. The contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast wasn't a soul contract but a blood contract. Given that the old principal's physical body was destroyed, the contract between them was naturally dispelled as well. That explains why I was unable to tell whom his master was through the Library of Heaven's Path.

Most of the saint beasts and spirit beasts he had tamed were contracted to him via a soul contract. Such a contract would place the souls of the tamed beasts under his control, thus making it impossible for them to betray him.

Naturally, most saint beasts and spirit beasts would not commit to such a disadvantageous contract to them unless they were forced into a corner. Thus, the norm was to establish a blood contract, and that was also the type of contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast.

While blood contracts would grant the master a certain degree of control over their tamed beast, unlike soul contracts, the relationship would be automatically dispelled once the physical body of the owner died.

It was also due to this that the Library of Heaven's Path did not reflect the old principal as the Byzantium Helios Beast's master, thus resulting in the huge farce back then.

Seeing the sorrowful faces all around him, as well as the pale face of his old friend, Principal Zhang Yinqiu said with a smile, "Don't worry, this is actually not too bad. At the very least, I'm still alive..."

Being trapped in a statue was not something that he desired, but at the very least... it was better than having his soul dissipated entirely.

After consoling the crowd for a while, Zhang Yinqiu asked, "Since you were able to come this far, I'm sure you should have seen the marks I left behind. Did you obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage?"

As long as they had obtained the heritage, they would be able to finally escape from the Saint Ascension Hall for good.

Zhang Yinqiu himself would not be able to leave the area, but at the very least, Ji Yan and Tan Qing would be able to get away, thus preserving some strength for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

"They didn't manage to obtain the heritage..." Ji Yan quickly filled Zhang Yinqiu in on the matter.

"You..."

Upon hearing the explanation, Zhang Yinqiu's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Zhang Xuan was if he was seeing a ghost. Many words lingered at the tip of his tongue, but eventually, he said helplessly, "Without the heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, it'll be impossible for us to leave. Unless one of us can receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint, we will be trapped in here for life!"

"Conferred as a Celestial Saint?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Un. The Saint Ascension Hall contains the true Saint Ascension Platform, as well as innumerable insights from other cultivators when they achieved Sainthood," Zhang Yinqiu said. "All of this is just for a single aim... Kong shi is hoping to raise another Celestial Saint among the later generations! As long as one can achieve a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform and become a Celestial Saint, the seal surrounding the Saint Ascension Hall will fall apart immediately!"

Upon hearing the conditions to leave, a bitter smile emerged on the lips of Wu shi and the others. "That's impossible..."

"Indeed, how could that possibly be done?"

In the whole of history, only Kong shi had managed to receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint. This was clear proof of how difficult the feat was, so how could they possibly hope to emulate that?

Ji Yan sighed. "When we joined this expedition, we resigned ourselves to death and made arrangements accordingly. It's already a blessing of the heavens that we are still alive at this point."

"Actually..." Noting the air of desolation among the crowd, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before looking at them.

"A breakthrough to Celestial Saint, I can give it a try!"

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Chapter 1076: He Slaughtered Nine of Them

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"You?" Hearing Zhang Xuan's interjection, everyone paused for a moment.

All of them looked at him as if they were looking at a fool.

"Cough cough!" Unable to stand the awkward silence that drifted in the air, Wu shi coughed loudly before continuing on, "Principal Zhang, I know that you possess superior talent, and you have a unique interpretation to cultivation. However... Celestial Saint is not something which anyone can just become. In fact, it could be said that it is impossible for anyone to succeed!"

"Indeed. I have specially looked into the process how Kong shi ascended to Sainthood, traveling to the Saint Ascension Platform myself and flipping through many records. Based on my deduction, the first requirement to becoming a Celestial Saint is to be a Celestial Master Teacher. Only when the heavens recognize your occupation will you be qualified to become a Celestial Saint. Other than that, you must also practice a peerless cultivation technique which grants you incomparably condensed zhenqi. That is the basic requirement for you to knock on the doors of the world and rid yourself of all impurities, thus stepping on the path to unparalleled greatness!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan speaking such words, Zhang Yinqiu couldn't help but offer a word of advice as well. "The fact that you are able to decipher the secret hidden amidst Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's palm art shows that you have an exceptional understanding of battle techniques. Also, considering how you were able to come so far through the ancient domain despite only being a Nascent Saint, you must possess an extraordinary cultivation technique as well. However, just that in itself wouldn't suffice for you to become a Celestial Saint!"

"Ascending to Sainthood is no child's play. Throughout history, how many geniuses do you think have emerged amongst the Sage Clans and the Combat Master Hall? Yet, for several dozen millenniums, there was not a person who was said to have succeeded in becoming a Celestial Saint. This goes to show how difficult it is. Principal Zhang, you can give it a try, but you really shouldn't put too much hope into it..." Guild Leader Han said with a bitter smile.

There was not a person who thought well of Zhang Xuan.

"This... Alright then!" Zhang Xuan was considering on whether he should reveal his identity, but eventually, he chose to shake his head and remain silent.

In truth, while he was a Celestial Master Teacher and he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher, he was still unsure whether he would truly be able to become a Celestial Saint either. He didn't want to give them false hope only to have it shattered eventually.

Besides, he was a humble person at heart, and boasting about his own achievements wasn't something that a person like him would do anyway.

"Un. It's good that you have managed to think it through. Becoming a Celestial Saint is no easy task. Of course, it'll be best if one of us succeeds in doing so, but otherwise, there's no need to get too disappointed either..." Vice Principal Ji Yan nodded. He was just about to continue speaking when the layer of light atop the round platform abruptly wavered, and gradually, it began dimming.

Upon seeing this sight, Vice Principal Ji Yan's face immediately turned grave. "Time's up, everyone. We have to leave quickly. Principal Zhang Yinqiu, we will visit you again tomorrow..."

After saying those words, Vice Principal Ji Yan quickly led the group down.

Seeing how anxious Vice Principal Ji Yan was, the crowd quickly followed behind him. Not too long later, they finally returned to the narrow room they were in previously, and only then did Vice Principal Ji Yan heave a sigh of relief.

"What's going on? Why do we have to rush back so anxiously?" Wu shi couldn't help but ask.

"Didn't I say earlier that we only have an incense's time?" Vice Principal Ji Yan asked.

"Un." The crowd nodded.

The other party did say such words before.

"For nearly a year now, the Saint Ascension Platform has been releasing a brilliant glow every single day. During the period of time which the Saint Ascension Hall is permeated by the light, the Skyleaf King would have no choice but to remain in his hiding spot, not daring to move in the least. Otherwise, he would risk being burned by the sacred light and suffer severe damage to his Primordial Spirit. We have been making use for this period of time to explore the Saint Ascension Hall... However, the light will only remain for roughly an incense's time, and once it retreats, the Skyleaf King will rush out and slaughter any of us who is still loitering vulnerably in the area!" Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

Everyone came to a realization.

This explained why Vice Principal Ji Yan was so anxious when he saw that the sacred light as about to die out. If the Skyleaf King were to assault them before they made their way back to the room, they would have been in grave danger.

"I was wondering why the rest of you are able to make such a great advancement in your cultivation realm over the past two years whereas the Skyleaf King still remains in Leaving Aperture realm primary stage... It seems like the sacred light that you have spoken of does play a huge role in this matter!" Wu shi remarked in realization.

"You're right. Master teachers are able to raise their cultivation by absorbing the sacred light, but Otherworldly Demons aren't able to do the same. As such, the Skyleaf King hasn't been able to grow as quickly as the rest of us. However, he has conquered the entire Saint Ascension Hall for himself... Back then, probably in order to ensure that there would be at least one amongst the later generation who would be able to become a Celestial Saint as well, Kong shi had left behind quite a fortune behind, but it is currently being dominated by the Skyleaf King! Over the past two years, even though he hadn't achieved a breakthrough yet, his Primordial Spirit has been getting more and more powerful. With our current strength, we won't be able to deal with him." Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head.

"You said that the Saint Ascension Platform only began releasing a brilliant glow every single day within the past year? Does that not happen in the past?" Zhang Xuan's focus was a little different from the others. He was more interested in the Saint Ascension Platform.

"A year ago, the Saint Ascension Platform was still rather normal. While it would emanate sacred light from time to time back then, the intensity was nothing close to what we saw previously, and its frequency was irregular as well. It's only around the end of the eighth month last year that it suddenly began releasing huge bursts of light, as if heralding the arrival of a certain someone. Well, I don't really know the details myself either..." Ji Yan pondered for a moment before replying with a nod.

Trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall, where the concept of day and night didn't exist, they were gradually losing their grasp over time. Nevertheless, as master teachers, they were still able to fathom a rough guess

"Who could it be waiting for? Kong shi?" Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Han shook his head with a helpless smile.

Kong shi had gone missing several dozen millenniums ago. Even the 72 Sages knew not about his whereabouts, let more the others.

It was inconceivable that he would return all of a sudden after so many years.

"Not even Saints possess a longevity of several dozen millenniums, so I don't think it's possible that the Saint Ascension Platform is waiting for Kong shi. Perhaps, you might have triggered some kind of mechanism within the Saint Ascension Hall after arriving here, thus resulting in the emanation of sacred light every day..." Wu shi remarked.

"That might be the case..." Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing nodded.

Limited by their strength and eye of discernment, there were many things that were beyond their understanding. Putting everything aside, they had no idea where the sacred light emanating from the Saint Ascension Platform had come from. It was also inconceivable to them why it could keep the Skyleaf King at bay while benefiting the master teachers.

"Alright, let's not talk about this matter anymore. Those are simply too far away from us at the moment, so there's no point discussing it. Vice Principal Tan Qing, I have a Grand Intermittence Pill here. Give it a try, perhaps it could resolve your current condition..." Shaking his head, Wu shi turned to Vice Principal Tan Qing and whipped out a jade bottle.

At this moment, Vice Principal Tan Qing had both of his legs and right arm severed, crippling his movements. Only the legendary grade-7 Grand Intermittence Pill, said to be able to induce the regrowth a severed limb, would have a chance to resolve his condition.

Back then, Zhang Xuan had also had a Grand Intermittence Pill forged for Wei Ruyan in order to restore her physical health.

"Thank you, Wu shi!" Upon seeing the pill, Vice Principal Tan Qing's eyes lit up in excitement.

He had already spent two years as a cripple, and there was no way he could turn down an opportunity to regrow his severed limbs.

He swiftly took the jade bottle and corked it open. There was exactly one Grand Intermittence Pill inside, but its tier wasn't too high, having only achieved Formation.

Consuming the pill, an incredible surge of vitality immediately gushed through his body. In that instant, Vice Principal Tan Qing felt an incredible itch overwhelming his body. The severed stumps of his limbs began to slowly grow out, but before they could form complete limbs, everything abruptly came to a halt.

Vice Principal Tan Qing shook his head bitterly and said, "The Grand Intermittence Pill can indeed resolve my condition, but the tier of the pill here is simply too low. Furthermore, as my limbs were severed by the Skyleaf King, there is still some of his killing intent lingering there that hinders the regrowth of my limbs... It seems like I won't be able to recover for the time being..."

The Grand Intermittence Pill contained an immense amount of vitality that allowed for the regrowth of a limb, but Vice Principal Tan Qing was simply too severely wounded. A single pill wouldn't suffice for his recovery.

"That... I only have one pill here..." Wu shi frowned.

The Grand Intermittence Pill was extremely valuable, such that it would be extremely difficult to find even one of it in the markets of Qingyuan Conferred Empire. Even Wu shi had to pay a heavy price in order to procure one, and he hadn't too willing to use it due to its immense value. However... who could have thought that even the seemingly miraculous pill wouldn't be enough to bring about Vice Principal Tan Qing's recovery?

"I have forged the Grand Intermittence Pill before. If we have sufficient medicinal herbs here, we can try forging it..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Forge it right here?... I should have most of the medicinal herbs required for its forging within my storage ring at the moment, but... I am still lacking the main ingredient, Grand Intermittence Grass." Wu shi said with a frown.

"Grand Intermittence Grass is simply too rare, I don't have any of it here either..." Guild Leader Han shook his head.

Zhang Xuan could only smile bitterly upon seeing this sight too.

The Grand Intermittence Grass was a rather elusive medicinal herb. Back then, he had to specially apply for one from the Qingyuan Empire Apothecary Guild in order to forge the Grand Intermittence Pill.

Even though he had obtained quite a few good stuff from slaying the Otherworldly Demon Kings, there wasn't any Grand Intermittence Grass in their storage rings.

"Actually, there is a Grand Intermittence Grass right in this Saint Ascension Hall!" At this moment, Vice Principal Ji Yan suddenly spoke up.

"There's one here?" The crowd was taken aback.

"Un. Didn't I say earlier that Kong shi has left quite a fortune behind here so that those of the later generations can successfully achieve a breakthrough to become a Celestial Saint? It happens that there is a Grand Intermittence Grass amongst the fortune he has left behind... Back then, I secretly sneaked into the area to take a look, so I am confident of it. However, the area is currently dominated by the Skyleaf King." Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

"This..." Hearing those words, bitter smiles emerged on the lips of the crowd.

If the Grand Intermittence Grass was just lying around the area, they could still secretly head over there while the Saint Ascension Platform was emanating its sacred light and retrieve it. However, if the Skyleaf King were to keep it with him... it would nigh impossible for them to lay their hands on it.

"Regarding the fortune you spoke about, where is it stored? I can secretly head over to take a look. If I could sneak away the Grand Intermittence Grass while I am at it, Vice Principal Tan could be relieved from his suffering." Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing those words, Wu shi and the others frowned, "That's too dangerous, the Skyleaf King is bound to be in the vicinity. Let's think of another way instead!"

"Indeed. The Skyleaf King is a Leaving Aperture realm expert, so there's no way you will be able to stand against him. Furthermore, just like us, he's bound to have installed all kinds of formations and mechanisms in his base so as to prevent us from assaulting him while his guard is down. If you were to head over recklessly and get caught in one of his traps, there's no way that we will be able to save you..." Vice Principal Ji Yan added.

"Don't worry, I have my means. Besides, I will just be taking a look. I will only grab the Grand Intermittence Grass if I spot an opening, or else, I will return straightaway. Rest assured, I am not so foolish as to challenge the Skyleaf King head on..." Zhang Xuan said.

"This..." The crowd glanced at one another hesitantly. Wu shi opened his mouth once more to dissuade Zhang Xuan from the matter, but before he could speak, Zhang Xuan had already interjected, "Don't worry. Even if I am captured by the Skyleaf King, I do have some means of my own to escape from him!"

"... Alright then." Seeing how confident Zhang Xuan was, Wu shi eventually relented.

...

"Alright, I will be heading out first then..."

After Vice Principal Ji Yan pointed out the directions, Zhang Xuan left the room with a reassuring smile, and after making a few turns, he disappeared from everyone else's eyes.

"This... Wu shi, it's too reckless to have him go on his own. He can't possibly deal with the Skyleaf King himself!" Vice Principal Tan Qing couldn't help but speak up worriedly.

He didn't want others to lose their life in the midst of saving him.

Vice Principal Ji Yan also shared the same thoughts as well, and he couldn't help but pace around the room anxiously.

"Well, I do think that it's a little reckless as well, but... if you were to know about Principal Zhang's accomplishments in his battles with the Otherworldly Demons, you will probably think that he just might succeed as well!" Knowing that they would respond in such a manner, Wu shi replied.

"Accomplishments? What accomplishments?" The duo looked at him curiously.

"Since you have been together with the Skyleaf King for so long, I believe that you should have heard of the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage, right?" Wu shi asked.

"Of course. They are said to be experts on par with the Skyleaf King. Every single one of them wield incredible strength that could easily devastate any Tier-1 Empire. They are truly frightening existences!" Vice Principal Ji Yan nodded.

"Indeed. Most of them possess strength on par with me, some superior even. But singlehandedly, Principal Zhang..."

At this point, a helpless look appeared on Wu shi's face as he continued.

"... managed to slaughter the other nine of them!"

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Chapter 1077: Yo

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"He managed to slaughter the other nine of them?"

"Are you sure you aren't messing with us?" Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing widened their eyes in shock.

Over the past two years, they had pitted their wits, courage, and strength against the Skyleaf King day after day, and they were on the verge of being driven mad from all of that, but they were still unable to faze the latter in the slightest. On the contrary, the number of master teachers on their side was slowly growing fewer and fewer, such that only the both of them were left.

Yet, that fellow, a Nascent Saint cultivator, encountered the remaining nine of the Ten Great Kings and managed to slaughter all of them? Was that for real?

"Not only so," Wu shi continued, "on one occasion, the Skyleaf King was hidden a fragment of his Primordial Spirit among our expedition team, and he ended up nearly being crippled by Principal Zhang."

"Thus, I feel that as long as he proceeds carefully, it might just work out. In fact... I am wondering that if we place him and the Skyleaf King in the same room, would he just happen be the one to walk out from the room alive?"

"This..."

For a very long time, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing found themselves unable to speak a word at all. They glanced at one another for a very long while before they finally found their words once more. "Just what kind of principal did the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy nominate this time around?"

All this while, due to Zhang Xuan's young age, they had thought that it was infeasible for him to become the principal. After all, there were bound to be more experienced and qualified master teacher who could hold the fort much better than him. However, after hearing the latter's accomplishments...

Probably not even Zhang Yinqiu could match up to the latter.

...

While the crowd were still in the midst of a shock in the small room, Zhang Xuan had already arrived at the vast lobby of the Saint Ascension Hall.

There is no doubt that I will be found if I head there in my current form. I should switch to my soul instead.

With a swift movement, Zhang Xuan found a remote corner before drawing his soul out from his glabella. After which, he stored his physical body in the Myriad Anthive Nest before placing the Anthive Nest into his storage ring.

If he were to head there with his physical body, it would be very easy for the Skyleaf King to notice him, and it would be difficult for him to escape as well. He would be in a much safer position in his soul form.

At Leaving Aperture realm, the Skyleaf King's Spiritual Perception was probably strong enough to easily discern everything in his surroundings, but Spiritual Perception wasn't an ability that one could constantly maintain.

As the saying goes, 'even the wary tiger occasionally rests'. As long as Zhang Xuan sneaked in while the other party had his guard down, it would not be too difficult for him to sneak the Grand Intermittence Grass away.

Thus, Zhang Xuan's soul began discreetly heading to where Vice Principal Ji Yan had pointed out earlier. Not too long later, a chamber appeared before his eyes.

Just like the room that Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing dwelled in, the chamber had all kinds of grade-7 formations constructed around it. If an ordinary man were to step into it, he would find himself losing his sense of direction in an instant. However, Zhang Xuan was a 7-star pinnacle formation master himself. As complex as the formations were, they were not sufficient to keep him at bay.

After maneuvering nimbly around the formations, Zhang Xuan soon arrived at the entrance of the chamber. He secretly took a peek in.

The chamber was extremely spacious, and it was permeated with concentrated spiritual energy. Innumerable treasures were laid out neatly around the room, reminiscent of a massive treasure vault.

Most of them were medicinal herbs, pills, books on how to achieve a breakthrough to Saint realm, and the sort. In comparison, there were very few weapons in the chamber, or perhaps even none at all.

It seemed like Kong shi had really put quite some effort into preparing the room so as to ensure that the later generations would have a Celestial Saint of their own as well.

The Skyleaf King actually isn't around...

Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and scanned the room, and upon realizing that the Skyleaf King was nowhere to be found, his eyes lit up in excitement.

I should move quickly!

Zhang Xuan was still in the midst of thinking up a countermeasure for how he should enter the room if the Skyleaf King was within. However, since the latter was not around, there was no need for him to restrain himself.

Grabbing his storage ring tightly, he carefully entered the chamber in his soul form.

Medicinal herbs took up the bulk of the treasures within the chamber. All in all, there were at least several hundred types of saint herbs within the room. Despite being stored in the chamber for innumerable years, they had not lost their medicinal properties as a result of ageing. Instead, under the nourishment of the concentrated spiritual energy in the area, they were becoming more and more potent!

However, one thing that Zhang Xuan swiftly noticed was that there was a unique formation sealing away every single one of the medicinal herbs, preventing anyone from coming into contact with them.

It's no wonder the Skyleaf King didn't store the medicinal herbs into the storage ring. He probably has no way of breaking these seals, Zhang Xuan thought internally.

The seals were built in a manner similar to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery. Master teachers could pass through the seal with relative ease, but Otherworldly Demons weren't able to do the same.

In other words, despite having guarded the chamber and watching over these medicinal herbs for two years, the Skyleaf King was still unable to obtain a single one of them.

Otherwise, even with the suppression from the sacred light, he still should have made significant advancement in his cultivation through consuming the precious medicinal herbs in the room.

If I wish to obtain the medicinal herbs, it will need to be in my body.

Thus, Zhang Xuan swiftly drew his physical body out from the Myriad Anthive Nest before returning his soul to it.

He stretched his stiffened body for a while before turning his gaze toward the medicinal herbs and books around him.

Most of the books detailed the various methods of how one could achieve a breakthrough to Saint realm. He had already collected many of those and compiled a correct version of the Saint Ascension Decipher, so there was no need for him to collect any more of them.

Saint Void Heart Grass, Heavenly Dragon Flower, Woodscent Stalk... While these medicinal herbs aren't particularly high-tiered, they possess the ability to induce a metamorphosis of one's soul and physical body, thus making them ideal medicinal herbs to push for a breakthrough to Saint realm.

After a swift scan around the chamber, Zhang Xuan nodded.

The medicinal herbs within the room were all useful in one way or another in achieving a breakthrough to Saint realm. It was probably with the differing needs that different cultivators would have when attempting a breakthrough in mind that Kong shi prepared an entire room of medicinal herbs within the Saint Ascension Hall.

Soon, a certain medicinal herb appeared in Zhang Xuan's sight.

As expected, there's indeed the Grand Intermittence Grass here!

The Grand Intermittence Grass could nourish a person's vitality. If paired with suitable medicinal herbs, it could metamorphose a cultivator's physical body into the flesh of a true Saint. That being said, it would be rather extravagant for one to use such a precious medicinal herb for a breakthrough to Saint realm.

I should quickly take it first.

With a swift movement, Zhang Xuan's hand reached for the seal to grab the medicinal herb.

Weng!

As soon as his hand came into contact with the seal, he immediately felt a powerful force pushing him back, stopping his hand from stretching any further in.

If he could not touch the Grand Intermittence Grass, he would be unable to store it within his storage ring. If so, he would have made a wasted trip.

Humph, I don't believe that I can't overcome a mere seal!

Seeing that the seal only served the purpose of hindering his movements, Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly as he increased his strength, causing his muscles tighten.

Geji! Geji!

The seal dented inwards like a crushed ball, and the deeper the dent, the greater the resistance Zhang Xuan felt.

That's weird...

Despite increasing the strength exerted several times, such that his zhenqi and physical strength were already pushed to their limits, he was still unable to touch the Grand Intermittence Grass. Frowning, Zhang Xuan was just about to retract his arm and try again when he realized that the seal had bound itself tightly to his arm like glue. No matter how he struggled, he could not free himself from it.

What a bizarre formation...

Zhang Xuan did not know whether he should cry or laugh in this situation.

Other formations were dangerous and lethal, but this seal... when he tried to push his arm in, it tried its hardest to keep him out. Yet, when he tried to retract his arm, it ended up sticking onto him, not allowing him to leave. Given the current situation, it seemed like he would be trapped until he successfully retrieved the Grand Intermittence Grass.

Soul!

Since his zhenqi and physical body were not sufficient for him to reach the medicinal herbs, he had no choice but to drive his soul energy as well.

Weng!

As Zhang Xuan further increased the force he exerted, energy ripples spread across the seal as it gradually grew more and more dented.

Zhang Xuan's zhenqi cultivation had reached Nascent Saint pinnacle, his physical body had achieved the Fifth Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, and his soul had reached Nascent Saint pinnacle as well after being nourished by the Lightning Elemental Orb. With the three powerful sources of strength stacking upon one another, not even a Saint 3-dan expert would be able to stand their ground against him.

Jiya!

Go in!

Due to Zhang Xuan driving his zhenqi too quickly, steam was rising from his head.

There was a brief standstill between Zhang Xuan's hand and the seal as the both sides depleted the strength of one another. Eventually, after two minutes, Zhang Xuan's hand finally overcame the seal and touched the leaf of the Grand Intermittence Grass within.

Hu!

He swiftly stowed it into his storage ring.

Huala!

As soon as the medicinal herb was stored into his storage ring, a loud popping sound echoed from the seal as it abruptly vanished from sight.

It was as if the seal had become worthless with the disappearance of the medicinal herb inside, so it chose to dissipate of its own accord.

While Kong shi has left behind a huge collection of medicinal herbs for the later generations, it seems like he has set up a trial around them so that they would only be used by those who are qualified. Without sufficient strength, it's impossible for one to retrieve the medicinal herbs.

If I'm not mistaken, the seal automatically adjusts its durability according to the cultivation realm of the person attempting to retrieve medicinal herb, so it would be nigh impossible for cultivators who are beneath or beyond Nascent Saint to obtain it. This serves as a measure to ensure that the medicinal herbs would be used for breakthroughs to Saint realm, as well as to ensure that the Nascent Saint cultivator retrieving and using the medicinal herb is qualified to be conferred as a Celestial Saint! Zhang Xuan thought as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

As expected of the World's Teacher, he sure had everything well thought out.

It seemed like Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were unaware of this matter, which resulted in them attributing the Skyleaf King's rise in strength to the medicinal herbs.

Speaking of which, the Skyleaf King sure was pitiable. Despite having so many valuable medicinal herbs around him, he was not able to obtain even a single one of them.

It would be good to obtain all of these medicinal herbs, but... it's simply too difficult to draw them out. It'd be best for me to leave with just the Grand Intermittence Grass for the time being. Otherwise, once the Skyleaf King returns, I'll be in deep trouble, Zhang Xuan thought as he exhaled a mouthful of turbid gas.

Of course, it would be for the best if he could obtain all of the medicinal herbs in the room, but that would be extremely dangerous as well. He dared not imagine what would happen if the Skyleaf King were to return while he was in the midst of retrieving one of the medicinal herbs.

Thus, Zhang Xuan turned around, and just as he was about to leave the room, his eyes suddenly fell upon a certain peculiar object.

It was a gel-like fluid that emanated a radiance of seven colors. Flowing slowly within the seal that it cased in, it exuded a peculiar aura that seemed to draw him in.

T-this... Could it be... Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence? Zhang Xuan's breathing hastened as his entire body stiffened in shock.

His Saint Ascension Decipher required one last artifact for him to achieve a breakthrough from Nascent Saint to Saint realm, and that was the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence.

After browsing through innumerable records, he had learned that the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence only sprouted in the very depths of the earth veins, making it an extremely rare commodity, such that even the author of the book had not seen it before. As such, there were no descriptions on the artifact in the book.

Even so, he felt a peculiar feeling of intimacy to the seven-colored fluid. Furthermore, considering that it had been left behind by Kong shi himself... Without a doubt, it was definitely the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence!

With this, I should have no trouble becoming a Celestial Saint... Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Without any hesitation, he dashed forward and reached his hand into the seal.

This was an artifact that he had to obtain regardless of the cost. He had already been at Nascent Saint pinnacle ever since he left the Subterranean Gallery, and it had been a long time since then.

As long as he could assimilate the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence, he would finally be able to reach Saint realm!

Geji! Geji!

Driving his zhenqi, physical strength, and soul energy to their limits, the seal casing the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence immediately dented inwards.

"Humph, for pesky rats, you sure scrambled fast! Zhang Xuan, you'd better pray that you don't meet me ever again, or else I will tear you apart into innumerable shreds..."

Just as Zhang Xuan was in the midst of pushing his hand into the seal to obtain the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence, a cold harrumph abruptly sounded outside. Following which, a towering figure walked into the chamber.

The Skyleaf King.

He pushed open the door while mumbling furiously beneath his breath. As soon as he got into the room, he immediately noticed that something was amiss. Scanning the room swiftly, he found a hand plunged right into one of the seals, and attached to the hand was a young man who was trying his best to struggle free.

"You..."

Many emotions flickered across the Skyleaf King's face. From the initial bewilderment, it slowly warped into shock before eventually turning into rage. Clenching his fists tightly, he was just about to rush forward to make a move when the young man suddenly raised his free hand and waved.

"Yo!"

Chapter 1078: Pose, and You Will Be Struck by Lightning

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Actually, Zhang Xuan was also having a mental breakdown at that very moment.

He had not thought that the Skyleaf King would walk in on him.

With his hand trapped within the seal, he could not leave even if he wanted to. It was truly an indescribably awkward situation.

"Yo?" Hearing the other party's bizarre greeting, the Skyleaf King was taken aback.

Upon seeing him, not only did the other party not flee from fright, he was even speaking some kind of weird language to him. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation left him slightly dazed. However, it took only a blink of an eye for him to recover from it. "You are trapped within the seal? Hahaha! It seems like even the heavens are on my side!"

Not only did that fellow foil his plan, the fellow had even humiliated him, the first King of the Qingtian Lineage! Ever since then, he had been wanting to exact vengeance.

He had thought that the other party would surely coop himself up in the small room like the other pesky master teachers, and if that was the case, there would truly have been nothing that he would have been able to do. However, who would have thought that the other party would be so foolish as to wander right into his base!

He truly must have been eager to seek death!

He had studied the seals for two whole years, and he knew that once a hand touched the seal, it would be impossible to extract it unless one were to obtain the artifact within it. Judging from the other party's current state, he must have been trying to retrieve something but got stuck in the midst of doing so.

"Hahaha! Since you are already here, why don't you just remain here for good!" With his eyes glowing in excitement, the Skyleaf King reached out to grab Zhang Xuan.

But before his hand could reach the other party, the young man suddenly spoke up. "Hold it a moment..."

"Why? Are you going to plead for mercy now? Let me tell you this straight, it's too late for that!" Knowing how scheming the young man before him was, the Skyleaf King formed a massive palm with zhenqi and directed it straight toward the other party.

As a Saint 5-dan Leaving Aperture realm expert, he wielded astounding strength. Even with the combined prowess of Guild Leader Han and Wu shi, they would still be beaten into a lump of meat before the palm strike, let alone Zhang Xuan.

"Plead for mercy? You must be joking! Do you think that I'll plead for mercy with a lowly figure like you? Do you know who I am?" Zhang Xuan looked at the Skyleaf King fearlessly as an aura of majesty flowed from him.

"Who are you? You are the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the only one in history to have received the recognition of everyone within the academy. As long as I devour you whole, I will surely be able to achieve a breakthrough in my cultivation and escape from this darned place!" the Skyleaf King roared furiously as a savage glint flashed across his eyes.

Otherworldly Demons were able to raise their cultivation through devouring the flesh of master teachers. Back then, Vicious' phalange 1 had fed off the bodies of the master teachers that the beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge had offered him, and through doing so, he was able to regain his strength and regrow his flesh.

The higher ranked and more talented a master teacher was, the more an Otherworldly Demon's cultivation would grow by consuming him. For a very long time now, the Skyleaf King had been wanting to kill Zhang Xuan and devour him. Since Zhang Xuan had trapped himself within his base, how could he possibly allow this delicious prey to escape from him?

"Audacious!" Zhang Xuan's face darkened. Driving his Heaven's Path zhenqi, he swiftly converted it into the chilling Zhenqi of Slaughter unique to Otherworldly Demons. Within the blink of an eye, a powerful aura burst into the surroundings. "I am..."

Pilipala!

Before Zhang Xuan could finish speaking, a powerful current of electricity abruptly ran through the hand that was trapped in the seal.

In just a brief moment, his entire body was charred black from the powerful lightning current. His entire body stiffened under the electrocution, and his hair also stood up from the lingering static electricity.

If not for his body having achieved durability comparable to a Saint low-tier artifact, he might have just died then and there.

Zhang Xuan's eyes flew around the place, and he nearly burst into tears.

All he wanted to do was pose for a bit so as to fool the Skyleaf King, was it really that big a crime? To actually be electrocuted over such a small matter...

As stifled as Zhang Xuan felt, he swiftly understood what was going on.

Just as he had guessed previously, Otherworldly Demons were indeed unable to retrieve the artifacts within!

The moment he converted his Heaven's Path zhenqi into Zhenqi of Slaughter, the seal assumed that an Otherworldly Demon was attempting to breach its defenses, so it immediately sent a powerful electric shock over. It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan had converted his zhenqi back as soon as he noticed that something was amiss, or else even his Saint low-tier body would not have been strong enough to survive a sustained electric shock of that intensity.

How embarrassing it would have been if he had die from an electricity shock while he was in the midst of posing!

"You..."

The Skyleaf King was just about to make a move when he suddenly saw Zhang Xuan being charred black before his eyes, and he froze in shock.

For an instant, he vividly felt a killing intent being emanated from the young man before him. It was weak, but it was even purer than his own. Furthermore, he was even electrocuted by the seal on top of that. Could it be that... the young man before him was not a master teacher but one of their tribesmen?

"Cough cough, you should know my identity now, right?" Exhaling a mouthful of white smoke, Zhang Xuan turned to the Skyleaf King and spoke confidently.

"You are also an Otherworldly Demon as well?" The Skyleaf King frowned for a moment before a glint flickered in his eyes. "No, that's not right. You are a master teacher. How could a person who has received the acknowledgement of so many master teachers possibly be an Otherworldly Demon? Ah! You must have killed the Scarletleaf King and the others and drawn the Zhenqi of Slaughter from their bodies through some secret art. Do you think that you can beguile me through a cheap ploy like that? Dream on!"

Boom!

The Skyleaf King immediately gathered his strength once more and launched a palm strike against Zhang Xuan.

It was not without reason that he had managed to surpass innumerable Otherworldly Demons to become the number one expert of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings. He was indeed not as easily fooled as the other Kings.

While the Zhenqi of Slaughter was unique to the Otherworldly Demons, it was not entirely impossible for the fellow before him to have extracted the Zhenqi of Slaughter from the other Kings and stored it within his body so as to disguise himself as their tribesman.

Back then, a certain master teacher had used such a method to deal a crushing blow to them.

"You said that I killed the Scarletleaf King? Hahaha! You were fooled by that as well? That was just a ploy that I used to fool them. Take a look at who is this..." Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a figure appeared beside him.

The fellow had a towering stature and a powerful body. Upon seeing the Skyleaf King, the fellow smiled and said, "It's me..."

He was the Scarletleaf King!

"You aren't dead yet?"

Seeing how the young man trapped in the formation had dragged out a living Scarletleaf King, who should have been ripped into pieces within a grade-7 pinnacle Slaughter Formation, the Skyleaf King found himself completely lost for the first time.

What was going on?

Back then, even though his fragmented Primordial Spirit had suffered a heavy blow, he did not leave the premises immediately. With his own eyes, he had watched the Scarletleaf King being tricked by the young man, and trapped within the formation that he constructed himself, he was torn into innumerable pieces. How in the world... did he come back to life?

"No, something is wrong. The Zhenqi of Slaughter within your body does not belong to the Scarletleaf King. Furthermore, your cultivation... isn't right either..."

After a moment of bewilderment, the Skyleaf King swiftly found a few points that were off about the 'Scarletleaf King' before his eyes.

The 'Scarletleaf King' before him did harness Zhenqi of Slaughter as well, but it had an ancient quality to it. This was at odds with the cultivation technique practiced by the Scarletleaf King.

More importantly... there was a significant difference in their cultivation as well. The 'Scarletleaf King' before him was only at Nascent Saint pinnacle, not having even reached Saint realm yet.

One should know that the Scarletleaf King was a true Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert!

"In order to fool those master teachers, I had no choice but to take a fatal blow. As a result, my cultivation ended up suffering a temporary decline. Well, if you still don't believe me, surely you should recognize this guy, right?" the frowning 'Scarletleaf King' explained.

There was a momentary blur before the Skyleaf King's eyes, and another figure abruptly materialized in the chamber. It was the missing Violetleaf King.

"Paying respects to the Skyleaf King!" The Violetleaf King hurriedly clasped his fist and bowed deeply.

The frown on the Skyleaf King's face deepened.

There was nothing wrong with the Violetleaf King before his eyes. The other party's cultivation realm and aura were exactly how he remembered them to be.

For both the Scarletleaf King and the Violetleaf King to be with him... could Zhang Xuan really be one of their tribesmen?

While it looked as if he had killed the Ten Great Kings on the surface, he was, in fact, saving them all?

Recalling the incident from before, the Skyleaf King asked doubtfully, "No, that's not right either. If you are truly one of our tribesmen, why would you reveal my hidden identity to those master teachers?"

His fragmented Primordial Spirit had been hiding within Jiang Yuan all along, and with his secret art, no one would have noticed him. Yet, the other party forced him out of Jiang Yuan's body and put him through great suffering!

If the other party was truly an Otherworldly Demon, why would the other party have betrayed him?

Not even Feng Xun, Jiang Yuan's close companion, had noticed the anomaly!

"It was all to obtain the trust of those foolish master teachers so that I could obtain the map!" Zhang Xuan replied with a leisurely wave of his hand.

However, as his entire body was still charred from the previous electrocution, his 'leisurely' movement looked sinister instead.

"You have obtained the map from them?" The Skyleaf King was taken aback.

"Indeed. It's in my hands right now!" Zhang Xuan nodded, and he flicked his wrist. A map appeared in his hand.

"It really is the map..." Feeling the unique aura that emanated from the ancient goatskin resonating with the entire Qiu Wu Palace, the eyes of the Skyleaf King lit up.

The map had a distinctive quality reminiscent to the booklet that contained the introduction to the ancient domain. There was no doubt about it, it was the real map!

The Skyleaf King reached out to take the map in agitation. "Can you let me take a look?"

Hu!

With another flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan returned the map into his storage ring and shook his head. "With this, you should know who I am, right?"

"This..." Seeing Zhang Xuan keeping the map, the Skyleaf King was stunned for a moment before asking with a deep frown, "Who in the world are you?"

All of the evidence suggested that the young man before him was an Otherworldly Demon, but... he did not know of any figure within the Qingtian Lineage who possessed such pure Zhenqi of Slaughter.

Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "It's not convenient for me to tell you who I am at the moment. You just have to know that the Qingtian Emperor dispatched me to assist you in this mission."

"His Majesty sent you here to assist me?" the Skyleaf King assessed the fellow before him once more.

The zhenqi in his body felt upright, and the faint air of a master teacher lingered around him. No matter how he looked at the fellow before him, the other party did not seem to have anything to do with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

"Indeed. Alright, I will have to obtain this artifact now, so stand back a moment. I will talk to you once I'm done..." Seeing that he had finally convinced the Skyleaf King a little, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he pushed his other hand further in to touch the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence.

"Obtain the artifact?" The Skyleaf King was stunned for a moment before a ferocious glint flashed through his eyes. "Do you think that you can fool me with your cheap acting? Tell me, who are you?"

"Fool you? Why would you think that I'm trying to fool you?" Seeing how the other party was still reluctant to believe his words, Zhang Xuan felt a little headache.

If it had been any of the other Kings, they would have been sold by now. Yet, the Skyleaf King just would not believe him despite all of the evidences he had produced. Wasn't he being a little too skeptical?

"I have no way of ascertaining who you truly are, but the seal that Kong shi left behind is surely able to do so! If our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe truly had a way to bypass Kong shi's detection, we wouldn't have been in vulnerable position all along." Sneering coldly, the Skyleaf King gathered his zhenqi within his palm once more, ready to make a move.

The fact that the fellow was only electrocuted once while his hand was stuck within the seal was conclusive evidence that the other party wasn't an Otherworldly Demon at his core. Without a doubt, he was a fake!

"You..." Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan immediately panicked.

"Exposed, huh? Regardless of whether you are truly a human or an Otherworldly Demon, you won't be getting out of here alive today!" With a cold sneer, the Skyleaf King raised his palm to bring it down upon Zhang Xuan.

At that moment, however, he suddenly felt a splitting pain cutting into his head.

Peng!

His head abruptly burst apart, and his body was sent crashing into a nearby wall before collapsing back to the ground as if a lump of mud.

The 'Scarletleaf King' slapped his hand as the muscles throughout his body warped back into Zhang Xuan's appearance.

"I told you from the start, we could have just killed him with a single punch. There was no need to waste your breath. You sure like to create more trouble for yourself, don't you?"

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Chapter 1079: What Are Those Things?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Naturally, the 'Scarletleaf King' was Zhang Xuan's clone.

His clone and he were mentally connected, so they could easily transmit their thoughts to one another.

Earlier, in order to fool the Skyleaf King, Zhang Xuan had instructed the other party to morph into the Scarletleaf King's form.

As his clone cultivated a simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, he was unable to fully disguise his zhenqi to that of the Scarletleaf King nor conceal his level of cultivation perfectly, thus resulting in the Skyleaf King seeing through his clone's disguise easily.

Back then, his clone had said that they shouldn't waste their time with the Skyleaf King, and they should just end him with a single punch. However, Zhang Xuan felt that there was too huge of a disparity between their strength, so it was best for them not to move recklessly.

Even so, his clone still ended up striking the Skyleaf King anyway. It was truly fortunate that the Skyleaf King hadn't really thought that anyone would be so brazen as to attempt an assault on him, and his clone also moved at a speed beyond the Skyleaf King's expectations, so... the Skyleaf King ended up being struck in the head and died just after a single punch.

Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but fall in a daze.

The Skyleaf King's strength was centered on his Primordial Spirit, making his physical body significantly weaker in comparison, but nevertheless, he was still a Leaving Aperture realm expert. With his body reinforced by his powerful zhenqi, it would be difficult for anyone wielding strength beneath Saint 4-dan to inflict harm to him, even with a successful surprise attack.

Yet, his clone actually managed to destroy the other party's head with a single punch. That was far beyond the might that he harnessed within his physical body, zhenqi, and soul combined!

If he were to challenge his clone in his current state, there was no doubt that he would be utterly destroyed!

Was that fellow really still his clone?

To think that his rate of cultivation and fighting prowess would end up being so far beneath his own clone... At this rate, he dared not claim that he was a genius anymore.

"How did you become so strong?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

The gap was between them wasn't that huge previously. At the very least, he was still able to stand his ground against his clone to some degree in the past. But if he were to clash with his clone once more in the latter's current strength... just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine!

Could it be that his rate of cultivation was actually really slow?

"You gave me the Lightning Elemental Orb not too long ago. I thought that it was quite useful, so I absorbed it a little..." his clone began explaining with a proud look on his face when a loud explosion suddenly sounded from behind. Following which, a furious roar echoed resoundingly within the chamber.

"Shit, the Skyleaf King is a Leaving Aperture realm expert! Even with his physical body destroyed, his Primordial Spirit would still be intact..." Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled the distinctive traits of Leaving Aperture realm cultivators, and his eyes widened in horror.

Leaving Aperture realm cultivators were capable of drawing their Primordial Spirits from their physical bodies and operate independently from it. Even if their physical bodies were to be destroyed, it wouldn't affect their fighting prowess by much.

Since the Skyleaf King was a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, the same applied to him as well. In other words, they weren't out of danger yet. If anything, they were in greater danger than before.

While Zhang Xuan was speaking with his clone, his hand hadn't been idling about. Noticing the urgency of the situation, he immediately drove his zhenqi, physical strength, and soul energy to the maximum, such that he could feel a sharp pain acting on his meridians and muscles as they were pushed to the verge of tearing apart.

Kacha!

The seal dented deeper and deeper inwards, and eventually, Zhang Xuan's finger finally came into contact with the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence. He quickly kept it into his storage ring.

Hu!

The seal swiftly dissipated, freeing his hand.

"I will kill you!"

Hulala!

Along with a furious roar, a Primordial Spirit flew over with reddened eyes. Even without making a move, just the pressure it was exerting already left one feeling as if the world was being torn apart.

"Strong..." Zhang Xuan's heart turned cold.

Even though he had encountered and even fought with a handful of Primordial Spirits in the past, none of them could begin to compare up with the one standing before him at this very moment. If the Primordial Spirit of the Jadeleaf King could be said to be a ferocious cat, the Skyleaf King would definitely have to be a ferocious tiger.

They weren't even at the same level!

Just by the pressure itself, he could already tell that even with ten of him combined, he still wouldn't be a match to the other party.

"That fellow really only knows how to cause trouble, I should never let him out again... If he hadn't destroyed the Skyleaf King's head, I might still be able to stall for some time. But this... What should I do..." With his life hinging on a thin thread, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered with anything else anymore. He swiftly rushed for the exit as he cursed his clone in his mind.

Had his clone not acted so recklessly and destroyed the Skyleaf King's head, the Skyleaf King also wouldn't have gotten so furious.

He had only barely managed to flee from the seal, but at this rate, it wouldn't be long before he was captured by the Skyleaf King once more.

"Clone, you were the one who caused this trouble. You should take responsibility and fend him off..." Zhang Xuan bellowed furiously, but before he could finish his words, he suddenly saw something that caused his eyebrows to shoot up, "Hey, don't go! Wait a moment..."

With a speed even faster than him, his clone had already dashed out of the room, leaving only his back visible to him.

Who could have thought that his clone would actually be so disloyal, fleeing at a speed even faster than him? Zhang Xuan nearly died from sheer anger on the spot.

He had known all along that his clone was not a reliable teammate, but he had never thought that it would be to such an extent...

However, this wasn't a moment to dwell about the matter. Knowing that he would die if the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit were to catch up with him, he quickly flicked his wrist, and the Lightning Elemental Orb appeared in his palm.

That was currently the strongest trump card he had at the moment. As long as he could activate it, he would be able to generate a field of lightning, which could possibly stall the Skyleaf King for some time, thus opening a small window for him to escape. That being said, it was nigh impossible for him to activate the Lightning Elemental Orb given his current level of cultivation, but considering the current circumstances, he had no other choice but to give it a try.

"Lightning..." Grabbing the orb tightly, Zhang Xuan infused zhenqi into it furiously. Halfway through his words, a loud 'kacha!' sounded, and the orb was reduced to dust.

"..." Zhang Xuan was speechless.

He was still thinking how his clone had gotten so powerful within such a short period of time... It turned out that he had fully absorbed the lightning harnessed within the Lightning Elemental Orb dry, emptying out the precious artifact!

"Damn it..."

Realizing that he had lost his greatest trump card, Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears. Watching as how the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit was swiftly catching up to him, he felt despaired. He was just about to give himself up to death's embrace when he suddenly felt a burst of wind rushing past him.

He turned around to take a look, and to his shock, the Skyleaf King had ran straight past him, as if the other party hadn't seen him at all.

"Ah?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

As a large figure standing in the middle of the room, there was no way that the Skyleaf King would have missed him. So... why did the Skyleaf King run straight past him?

Nevertheless, since the Skyleaf King had chosen to overlook him, Zhang Xuan grasped the opportunity and swiftly kept the Violetleaf King back into the Myriad Anthive Nest before rushing out of the chamber.

Stepping out of the chamber, he saw his clone facing the Skyleaf King with a mocking look on his face not too far away. His clone wagged his finger provocatively while speaking in a resounding voice, "If you really think that you can defeat me, come at me then!"

Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

"Could it be that... after absorbing the Lightning Elemental Orb, my clone's cultivation has already reached Leaving Aperture realm and could defeat the Skyleaf King? If that's the case, I won't need to escape anymore..."

Zhang Xuan had thought that his clone was being disloyal for running away, but it turned out that the other party was actually luring the Skyleaf King out to face the latter one on one...

From the looks of it, his clone seemed to have gained the ability to defeat the Skyleaf King face on. There was no need for him to worry anymore.

"You're courting death..." the Skyleaf King roared as he flung a fist forward furiously.

The clone also swiftly retaliated with a punch of his own.

"My clone is actually facing the Skyleaf King head on?" Seeing how his clone was valiantly charging at the Skyleaf King, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He opened his eyes wide to see who would emerge victorious from the clash, only to see that before his clone's fist could even come close to connecting with the Skyleaf King, the Skyleaf King's fist had already fallen on his head.

Padah!

His clone's head was knocked flat.

Pu!

Zhang Xuan's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, and he almost blacked out on the spot.

Aren't you supposed to be powerful?

To be destroyed within just a single blow... Where in the world did you find the courage to behave so arrogantly before the Skyleaf King?

"He is intentionally luring the other party so that I can escape..." Zhang Xuan was dazed for a moment before realization came to him, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved. Despite how his clone usually acted, it seemed like he was still a trustworthy ally during crucial moments!

Deciding not to waste the other party's selfless sacrifice, he quickly dashed away.

Reanalyzing the situation, while his clone's fighting prowess had increased significantly after absorbing the energy within the Lightning Elemental Orb, he was still far from matching the Skyleaf King. The only reason why his clone had challenged the Skyleaf King so arrogantly to his face was so as to vie some time for him to get away.

What a noble clone!

At this moment, Zhang Xuan felt deeply embarrassed that he misunderstood the kind intentions of the other party...

With reddened eyes, he swiftly dashed back towards the room where Wu shi and the others were at. Barely after he took three steps, a figure with a flattened head abruptly sprinted past him while shouting, "Main body, you will have to deal with him yourself, I am not a match for him... Also, Skyleaf King, you should stop pursuing me. He's the real Zhang Xuan, I am only a clone..."

"..." Zhang Xuan's body shook as he spurted blood.

So, in the end, the fellow was just trying to posture but it ended in a failure...

Zhang Xuan swiftly took a glance behind him and saw that the Skyleaf King was looking at him with reddened eyes.

"Don't come for me, he's the real Zhang Xuan, I am just a clone... When have you seen a clone escaping faster than the main body?" Zhang Xuan immediately backed away fearfully.

"I will kill you first before killing him..." With a look of savagery, the Skyleaf King roared angrily as he rushed towards Zhang Xuan.

Huala!

An incredible might tore through the air, but surprisingly enough, despite standing before such devastating might, Zhang Xuan didn't show the slightest hint of panic. Instead, his lips curled up into a faint smile.

"You want to kill me? Give it your best shot then!" the young man replied calmly as he stomped his feet on the ground.

Weng!

With a loud buzz, the formations that were set up around the chamber came to life. In the blink of an eye, a dense layer of mist shrouded the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit.

Zhang Xuan had already examined the formation closely when he first arrived, and with his clone's help, they were able to successfully lure the Skyleaf King into the formation and trap him within it.

"He's the one who had set up the formation, so there's no way the formation can kill or trap him for too long. Let's go!"

While Zhang Xuan was able to activate the formation to trap the Skyleaf King temporarily, given the Skyleaf King's deep understanding of those formations, it would be nigh impossible for him to kill the other party through it. Thus, he chose to make use of this opportunity to swiftly return back to where Wu shi and the others were instead.

"I will kill you!"

Geji! Geji!

Shortly after Zhang Xuan left the formation, a series of loud explosions sounded behind him. The formations trapping the Skyleaf King had been torn into pieces.

Those grade-7 pinnacle formations could easily trap Vice Principal Ji Yan and the others, but against the Leaving Aperture realm Skyleaf King who commanded a thorough understanding of them, it could only barely last for a few moments.

On top of that, the formations required a person of sufficient strength to drive it in order to draw out its true strength, but Zhang Xuan's Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivation wasn't insufficient for him to drive a grade-7 pinnacle formation properly.

"Run!"

With the formations being torn apart, Zhang Xuan knew that he would be killed if the Skyleaf King caught with up. Thus, he pushed his body to its limits and dashed forward as fast as he could.

...

"What an incredible pulsation of energy... This is bad. The Skyleaf King must have noticed Principal Zhang, and the both of them have started fighting with one another!"

The crowd, who were resting within the small room, felt an intense disturbance in the surrounding spiritual energy, and their eyes narrowed in alarm.

"Let's go out to take a look..." Wu shi said anxiously before taking the lead to head outside.

The others quickly followed suit, and not too long after leaving the room, they saw a monster with a flattened sheet dangling on his neck sprinting over. Behind him was a person whose entire body was charred black and hair was standing on end.

"What are those things?"

The crowd was horrified.

Chapter 1080: I Want to Become a Celestial Saint!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Due to the huge commotion outside, everyone thought that the Skyleaf King had noticed Zhang Xuan and a battle had broken out among them.

Yet, when they headed out, they found two monsters running in their direction instead. What was going on?

Weren't they the only ones in the Saint Ascension Hall?

"Wait... No, those are not monsters. Take a closer look, the charred man behind is Principal Zhang!" Guild Leader Han suddenly noticed something, and he gulped subconsciously. "Look at his clothes, they are identical with Principal Zhang's. It's just that... he seems to have been struck by lightning?"

"You're right, he's Principal Zhang! But if that's the case... who's the flat-faced fellow in front?" Wu shi asked in bewilderment.

The fellow with the flattened face in front was dressed in the same clothes as Principal Zhang, and their figures were identical as well. But... surely a person whose face had been crushed flat should have died, so how could he still be running about?

Not to mention, the speed he was running at was astounding at that! Even Principal Zhang was unable to keep up with him...

"I will kill you all..."

Just as Guild Leader Han and Wu shi were perplexed by the bizarre situation, a towering Primordial Spirit suddenly appeared around the bend behind the duo. While chasing the duo, the Primordial Spirit was launching attack after attack, causing huge palm prints to appear on the ground amid intense tremors.

"That's the Skyleaf King? He has drawn out his Primordial Spirit? This is really bad; we must quickly move to save them!"

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi and the others did not have the luxury of time to slowly figure out who the duo was anymore. They quickly drew their weapons and rushed forward to save them.

Huala!

"Rise!"

Along with Wu shi's bellow, the swords in everyone's hand gathered together to form a grand rain of swords directed toward the Skyleaf King.

"How dare you hinder my path? Scram, or else I'll claim your lives!" Roaring frenziedly, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit burst forth to deflect the rain of swords with a powerful slap.

Deng deng deng deng!

The incredible might of the Skyleaf King's slap caused Wu shi and the others to retreat eight steps. That single strike had left their zhenqi running in disarray, and their faces paled from the impact.

Even before the Skyleaf King had drawn out his soul, they were already no match for him. Given that the Skyleaf King had gone on a rampage, drawing out his Primordial Spirit to face them, they stood even less of a chance.

Nevertheless, even though their attack did nothing to injure the Skyleaf King, they did succeed in slowing down the Skyleaf King's advancement, thus buying Zhang Xuan and his clone sufficient time to reach them.

"Quick, get back into the formation..." Knowing that the crowd could very well lose their lives if they were to clash with the Skyleaf King, Zhang Xuan hurriedly shouted as he continued rushing toward the formation.

The crowd also knew that they did not stand a chance against the Skyleaf King with their current strength either, so they hurriedly stepped back into the formation.

The moment Zhang Xuan managed to reach the formation, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. Turning his gaze to the figure with a flattened face not too far away, his eyebrows shot up in displeasure.

If not for the fact that he did not stand a chance against his clone, he would have taught the latter a lesson.

In the first place, his clone was the one who had acted recklessly and landed both of them in trouble. Despite that, not only did his clone not offer himself to save him, the main body, he even fled faster than him.

"You should return back to the Anthive Nest first; I will settle this with you later..." Knowing that this was not the time to be fussing over such matters, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and had his clone return to the Myriad Anthive Nest.

Weng!

Right after he did that, a light buzz sounded. Vice Principal Ji Yan had already successfully activated the formation, and a brilliant light shrouded the area.

They had set up this formation in order to fend off the Skyleaf King's assault, and after numerous uses over the past two years, they were already very familiar with it. As such, they were able to activate it instantaneously.

Being blocked outside the formation, the Skyleaf King furiously roared, "Damn you! Damn all of you..."

Shortly after, the crowd heard a loud thud on the formation. An intense force reverberated through the formation, threatening to shatter it apart.

"We won't last long at this rate."

After several strikes from the Skyleaf King, the face of the one driving the formation, Vice Principal Ji Yan, blanched, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

It was not like the Skyleaf King had never attempted to breach the defenses of their formation before, but this was the first time he had launched such frenzied attacks. If it continued, it was just a matter of time before the formation broke apart.

"There are only the few of us around here, so originally, the Skyleaf King wouldn't kill us before finding a path to escape. After all, the chances of finding a plausible escape path are greater if there are more of us around. For him to suddenly go into a rampage... Zhang shi, just what did you do?" Vice Principal Tan Qing frowned as he turned his gaze toward the charred young man not too far away.

Just how in the world did he manage to provoke the Skyleaf King into drawing out his Primordial Soul and rushing at them as if he had gone berserk?

"I... All I did was destroy his body," Zhang Xuan replied awkwardly.

His clone could hide back in the Myriad Anthive Nest after causing so much trouble, but he couldn't do the same. In the end, he was the one who had to clean up the mess made by the other party. The more he thought about it, the more exasperated he felt.

"Destroy his body?"

'You mean... you killed his physical body?"

Everyone was stunned.

They were still thinking that it was ridiculous for the Skyleaf King to go so far as to chase Zhang Xuan in his Primordial Spirit just because he had stolen a stalk of Grand Intermittence Grass from him. But who would have thought that Zhang Xuan actually destroyed the other party's physical body!

Leaving Aperture realm cultivators were capable of surviving as Primordial Spirits, but they would still have to take good care of their own body as it was the resting place for their Primordial Spirits, and it was also the foundation for them to further their cultivation. Given so, there was no one who wouldn't go into a frenzy after having their body destroyed!

"I also didn't notice it. It was an accident, really!" Seeing the horrified expressions on the faces around him, Zhang Xuan quickly explained himself.

If he had managed to stop his clone from acting so recklessly back then, they would not have been placed in such a desperate situation.

"Accident..."

Everyone's face reddened in frustration, and if they could, they would have really liked to give the fellow before them a good pummeling.

In the first place, it is already tough enough for a Nascent Saint cultivator like him to destroy the body of a Saint 5-dan expert... and he was saying that it was all an accident?

If that was the result of an accident, wouldn't the world be destroyed if he acted intentionally?

Taking a few deep breaths, Guild Leader Han suppressed the vexed emotions in his heart and spoke grimly. "Forget it, this isn't the time to be thinking about that. We have to find some way to stabilize the formation quickly, or else we might all lose our lives here..."

He was the head of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Formation Master Guild, and his comprehension of formations was extremely deep. He could tell that while the formation was still managing to keep the Skyleaf King at bay temporarily, the situation wouldn't last for too long at the current rate. To prevent that, all of them would have to devote their strength to reinforcing the formation together.

"Alright!" Knowing the urgency of the situation, the others quickly nodded.

"Wu shi, head to the Qian position and stand guard there. Luo shi, head to the Zhen position..." Guild Leader Han quickly distributed various roles among the group.

He had been studying the formation ever since he arrived at the room, so he had an idea of where the weaknesses of the formation were located. Noting that there was nothing wrong with Guild Leader Han's deployment, Zhang Xuan decided to just follow his instructions.

Hong long!

As everyone infused their zhenqi into the formation simultaneously, the formation seemed to have stabilized significantly, alleviating the tremors.

"Damn it..." Noting the changes in the formation, the Skyleaf King quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to breach the formation even if he exerted his full strength. Trembling with rage, he roared, "Since you wish to coop in your hole like tortoises, I will crush that statue!"

Hu!

Shortly after those words were shouted, everyone felt the immense pressure acting on them disappearing. It seemed the Skyleaf King had left.

"He has gone to deal with Principal Zhang Yinqiu! What do we do?" Stepping out of the formation, the group realized that the Skyleaf King had indeed left. Realizing what the other party was going to do next, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing could not help but panic.

Clearly, the statue referred to the old principal beside the Saint Ascension Platform.

The old principal's soul was currently sealed within the statue, so he could not flee even if he wanted to. Faced with the Skyleaf King, the only plausible fate for him was death!

Even though the old principal was currently trapped within a statue, he had consciousness and was capable of speaking. Surely they couldn't watch idly as their close comrade was killed by the Skyleaf King?

"What else can we do? We can only save him!" Wu shi replied gravely.

"But... there's no way we will be able to stop the Skyleaf King!" Vice Principal Tan Qing said worriedly.

The Skyleaf King was simply too powerful. Even with their might combined, they were still no match for the other party. If they were to rush over recklessly, not only would they be unable to save the old principal, their team might even be wiped out at that.

"I'm sorry, but I can't simply watch idly as a comrade dies right before my eyes. Even at the expense of my life, I want to at least try to save him. Master teachers never abandon their own brethren!" Wu shi clenched his fists in agitation.

"It goes without saying that we share the same feeling as well, but... what can we do?" Vice Principal Tan Qing shook his head and sighed deeply. "It was in order to save me that Principal Zhang Yinqiu landed himself in such a state. If we charge in recklessly and lose our life in the midst of saving him, we will only be undermining the sacrifice he made for us! He would surely blame us for acting foolishly!"

Having followed Zhang Yinqiu for many years, Vice Principal Tan Qing had a clear grasp of the other party's temperament and character.

Unmarried, Zhang Yinqiu had devoted his entirety to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and his responsibilities as a master teacher. Even if they were to succeed in saving Zhang Yinqiu at the expense of their own lives, they would only make the other party guilt-ridden for being a liability to the team.

"Is there any way we will be able to defeat the Skyleaf King?" Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

"There is a way. As long as someone achieves a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform, we will be able to call forth the energy within it and enter a temporary state of invincibility. With the temporary state of invincibility, we will be able to overwhelm the Skyleaf King easily!" Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

"Temporary state of invincibility?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Indeed. We have been studying the stone tablets on the first floor over the past two years, and according to the records left behind by Kong shi, if a cultivator successfully becomes a Celestial Saint, a burst of sacred light will descend from the sky. At the same time, the energy harnessed within the Saint Ascension Platform will be infused into the cultivator's body. As the energy harnesses the authority of the world, not even 9-star master teachers will be able to stand their ground before it!" Vice Principal Ji Yan replied.

In the two years that they were trapped in the area, other than pitting their strength and wits against the Skyleaf King, they had also been looking into how they could escape from the Saint Ascension Hall as well. As such, they had been looking around the area whenever they had chance to do so, and they had managed to find quite a few records that were related to the Saint Ascension Platform.

At this point, it seemed like there were only two solutions to escape from the Saint Ascension Hall. Firstly, obtain the heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. Secondly, be conferred as a Celestial Saint on the Saint Ascension Platform.

The first solution was no longer feasible. The fragmented soul of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had already dissipated from being excessively traumatized, so there was no way they could obtain the heritage anymore. In other words, their only hope lay in the second solution.

"That's as good as not saying anything at all... Celestial Saint? How could it be that easy!" Wu shi shook his head.

Shortly after hearing those words, the young man stepped up, and with determination in his eyes, he said, "How about this? Let's head to the Saint Ascension Platform, and the rest of you will try to find ways to stall the Skyleaf King so as to prevent him from laying his hands on the old principal. In the meantime, I will attempt to achieve a breakthrough to Celestial Saint on the Saint Ascension Platform!"

Since he had already obtained the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence, he was ready for a breakthrough to Saint realm!

With his powerful accumulation and deep comprehension of the Saint Ascension Decipher, there was at least an 80% chance that he could become a Celestial Saint!

At this moment, it seemed to be the only plausible way to stop the Skyleaf King and save the remaining soul of the old principal!

"Becoming a Celestial Saint is not as easy as you think it is. You really should drop the idea..." Seeing how the other party raised the topic once more, Vice Principal Ji Yan frowned in displeasure.

He had already told the other party about the matter previously, and it was only out of politeness that he had not hurled criticisms at him. And yet, the other party was going on about it once more.

Do you think that Celestial Saints are like cabbages in the market, available upon demand?

Stop overestimating yourself!

The displeased Vice Principal Ji Yan was just about to continue when the presence of the young man before him abruptly changed, and an inviolable aura abruptly burst forth from him.

Hong long!

That aura created a warm glow around the young man, portraying him as a deity.

"This... This is... Celestial Master Teacher?"

Upon sensing the aura, Vice Principal Ji Yan's criticisms were stifled in his throat. His eyes narrowed, and his body stiffened.

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Chapter 1081: Exchange

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

It was previously said that the requirement to becoming a Celestial Saint was to be a Celestial Master Teacher.

But other than Kong shi, there was not a single person in the entire Master Teacher Continent who had managed to receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and become a Celestial Master Teacher. As such, they had always thought that it was all a pipe dream, a solution that could never come to be. Thus, when they felt the aura the young man before them was emanating, they fell into a daze.

Zhang shi was actually a... Celestial Master Teacher?

Vice Principal Ji Yan was not the only one who reacted in such a manner. Other than Luo Ruoxin, the remaining members of the group also had their mouths widened in shock, as if they had seen a ghost.

They knew that Zhang Xuan was a person who possessed unparalleled talent and outstanding leadership, but who would have thought that he was actually a real Celestial Master Teacher?

It was no wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu dissipated in shame!

His standing could be said to be on par with even Kong shi himself!

Retracting the aura around him, Zhang Xuan turned to Vice Principal Ji Yan and asked, "So, am I qualified to become a Celestial Saint?"

"O-of course!" Vice Principal Ji Yan hurriedly replied with quivering lips. At this point, how could he dare say no?

If even Celestial Master Teachers were unable to become Celestial Saints, it would be impossible for anyone else to do it.

Seeing that he had managed to convince everyone, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "Let's move quickly then. Otherwise, once the Skyleaf King lays his hands on the old principal, it'll be too late for regrets."

If the group continued dawdling around due to their lack of confidence in his ability to become a Celestial Saint, the old principal would probably be dead before they could take any concrete action. With a life at stake, he could only reveal his identity so as to win them over.

Besides, once he became a Celestial Saint, the others were bound to learn about his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher as well. Since that was going to be the case, it made no difference whether he revealed it to them now or later.

And judging from the crowd's reaction, it seemed like he had made the right call as well.

"Alright, let's set off right now!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright!"

The crowd quickly made their way toward the roof of the Saint Ascension Hall once more.

The Saint Ascension Platform was not releasing any sacred light at the moment, so the Skyleaf King could access the area freely as they wished. They would have to make haste.

Hong long!

As soon as they arrived at the rooftop, they saw the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit grabbing the old principal's soul. The statue the latter was housed in before had already been reduced to fragments.

Upon seeing the crowd, the old principal immediately exclaimed anxiously, "Don't come over, I am already a dead man. There's no need for you to make unnecessary sacrifices for me."

Even though he had never cultivated soul arts before, his soul was still able to stabilize significantly due to the sustained nourishment from the sacred light over time. As such, the destruction of the statue did not dissipate his soul instantaneously.

"Shut up!" With a tap of the Skyleaf King's finger, the old principal's voice immediately vanished. With a cold gaze in his eyes, the Skyleaf King turned to the crowd and said, "I thought that master teachers were all spineless cowards who feared death. What a surprise!"

Seeing that Zhang Yinqiu's soul was tightly grasped in the Skyleaf King's hands, Vice Principal Tan Qing clenched his jaws and said, "Let go of our principal! As the leader of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings, a Leaving Aperture realm expert, don't you think that it's beneath you to deal with a powerless soul?"

"Beneath me? Hah! If it wasn't for that, do you think that this fellow would have been able to live to this day?" the Skyleaf King replied with ferocity.

Trapped within the statue, Zhang Yinqiu was unable to leave the rooftop of the Saint Ascension Hall at all.

There were various intervals in which the Saint Ascension Platform did not emanated sacred light, and the Skyleaf King could have easily made use of such intervals to kill Zhang Yinqiu. The reason he had not done so was out of consideration of his standing, and just as Vice Principal Ji Yan and the others had guessed, it would also be harder for him to find a way to escape if all of the master teachers were killed.

Furthermore, Zhang Yinqiu posed no threat at all, and in his current form, living would only be more painful than death.

"What do we have to do for you to release the old principal?" Zhang Xuan asked with a deep frown.

Judging from how the Skyleaf King had yet to make a move after all this while, it was apparent that he was intending to use Zhang Yinqiu as leverage to negotiate with them.

"Simple! Hand over that fellow who beat me up along with the map, and I'll let him go. Otherwise, you will have to watch helplessly as his soul dissipates into nothing!" As the Skyleaf King spoke about the person who had beaten him up, his voice grew visibly colder and angrier.

This was the first time that someone had successfully managed to pull off an assault against him since becoming the number one expert of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings. To make matters worse, his head was utterly crushed, thus rendering his physical body completely useless. Just the thought of it left him so furious that he could explode on the spot.

"The fellow who beat you up?" Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes blankly.

He had thought that the Skyleaf King would use Zhang Yinqiu as a leverage to claim his life, but who could have known that his hatred for his clone far exceeded his...

But thinking about it, that was to be expected. After all, his clone had destroyed the other party's body in a single hit, so it was only natural that the other party was filled with antagonism for his clone.

"Indeed. Hand that fellow over with the map, and I will release Zhang Yinqiu!" the Skyleaf King nodded.

"Very well. We can hand them over to you, but you must swear to the Spirit God that not only will you not kill the old principal, you are also not to lay your hands on us in the next twenty-four hours!" Zhang Xuan said. "Otherwise, if you go after us right after we save the old principal, that would render the exchange completely meaningless!"

Considering that Zhang Xuan had the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence in his hands, it would not take long for him to achieve a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform. As long as he could prevent the Skyleaf King from attacking them for the time being, he would be able to successfully become a Celestial Saint and slay the latter.

The Skyleaf King was taken aback. "You know of our Spirit God?"

Swearing to the Spirit God was an extremely sacred and solemn ritual of their Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. A vow that was sworn to the Spirit God could not be broken, or else the Spirit God would claim one's soul as forfeit.

"Why? You dare not agree to our request? That's fine as well, but you need not dream about obtaining the map either; let's all die here together. We're all trapped here anyway, so it's only a matter of time before you join us in the underworld!" Noting the Skyleaf King's hesitation, Zhang Xuan immediately pushed his case on to topple the scales in his favor.

The Skyleaf King contemplated for a long while before he eventually nodded. "Alright then, I will make a vow to the Spirit God!"

"Let's begin then." Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out an altar of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. It was the one that he had obtained from the hands of the Jadeleaf King.

Seeing how thorough Zhang Xuan was, the Skyleaf King realized that it would be impossible for him to dupe the other party, and he sneered coldly, "You sure are well-prepared, aren't you? Fine, I shall make a vow to the Spirit God here!"

Hong long!

Innumerable treasures appeared on top of the altar, and as the Skyleaf King began speaking in a foreign tongue, the items began burning up.

Geji! Geji!

All of a sudden, the sky suddenly turned pitch-black, and a massive door materialized right above him.

Everyone's body stiffened in the presence of the door.

There was an inconceivably powerful aura that was being emanated from within the door. Before such massive power, it felt as if even cultivators of their strength could be torn into shreds with just a mere thought.

Standing before such power, Zhang Xuan's heart also skipped a beat.

Back then, the Jadeleaf King had only utilized the altar to verify Feng Xun's identity as a Celestial Master Teacher, so the door had not appeared. He had not thought that the Skyleaf King's vow would call upon such a fearsome existence.

Hu!

The door slowly opened, and a silhouette came into view.

It was a mere silhouette, but its very presence left the crowd feeling as if their souls would burst at any moment. If the existence were to really descend upon this land, would the Master Teacher Continent be destroyed?

Inside the door was completely dark, making the silhouette extremely vague. However, through his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was still able to catch a decent glimpse within the door, and a deep frown emerged on his forehead.

That silhouette... Where have I seen it before?

However, before he could give the matter much thought, the Skyleaf King suddenly began making his vow, dragging Zhang Xuan's attention away from the silhouette.

"I, the Skyleaf King, vow in the name of the Spirit God that as long as I am given the map and the offender who destroyed my body, I will immediately release Zhang Yinqiu and not harm him and his comrades within the next twenty-four hours. If I ever break this vow, may the Spirit God claim my life and soul as forfeit."

Huala!

Right after those words were spoken, a brilliant ray of light burst forth from within the door and fell right on his head, entering his mind.

It seemed to be confirmation that the Spirit God had accepted the vow.

Hu!

After that was done, the door slowly dissipated from existence. With a slightly pale look on his face, the Skyleaf King turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "How is it? I have already made my vow, so can you believe me now?"

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded. He was just about to take out his clone and map when Wu shi's voice suddenly sounded in his ear via zhenqi telepathy.

"Something is not right; everything seems to be proceeding too smoothly. Don't you think that the Skyleaf King has accepted our request too quickly? He even willingly made a vow to the Spirit God at our request. Could there be a trap somewhere?"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. "There's definitely a trap somewhere..."

Given the Skyleaf King's superior cultivation, he was in an advantageous situation compared to them. Yet, he still chose to accept to their terms without much hesitation or bargaining. It was truly hard to believe that the other party was not up to something given this bizarre situation.

"Then..." Wu shi frowned.

"The old principal is currently in his hands, so we have no other choice but to go along with it. Besides, he might have his trap, but we have our own trump card as well. As long as we can stall for some time, I will be able to successfully become a Celestial Saint and slay him, thus resolving any the situation once and for all," Zhang Xuan replied telepathically.

Considering that they were in a disadvantageous situation, it was already a huge blessing that the Skyleaf King was willing to accept their terms. Even if there was trap hidden somewhere, they had no choice but to leap right into it.

"This..." Knowing that the Skyleaf King was definitely up to something, Wu shi felt a little reluctant to go ahead with the plan. However, he also understood that there was no other path they could take at the moment.

If the Skyleaf King really made a move against them, they would not be able to stop him.

"Hurry up, don't test my patience. Where is that fellow and my map?" the Skyleaf King said impatiently.

"They are over here..." Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and his clone appeared beside him.

Since his clone was the one who had landed them in the current predicament, it was only natural that he should take responsibility for the matter as well.

In any case, his clone was forged out of the Nine Hearts Lotus, so even if he were to be pummeled into a flat pancake, even with the incredible strength the Skyleaf King wielded, Zhang Xuan did not think that the other party was capable of killing his clone.

At this moment, his clone had already recovered from his flattened face. In order not to shock the others too much, Zhang Xuan had his clone alter his appearance to that of Sun Qiang's in the Anthive Nest before coming out.

"He's the fellow who laid his hands on me earlier?" Seeing a fatty whom he did not recognize appearing before him, the Skyleaf King frowned doubtfully.

"Indeed. He's capable of disguising himself. He was the one who disguised himself as the Scarletleaf King earlier, too," Zhang Xuan replied.

"Very well..."

With hatred and wrath in his eyes, the Skyleaf King raised his hand, and an immense might immediately wrapped itself around Zhang Xuan's clone. With a powerful tug, the Skyleaf King pulled the clone over to his side, holding the latter hostage.

After grabbing hold of his clone, the Skyleaf King did not rush to exact vengeance on him. Instead, he turned to Zhang Xuan once more and asked, "What about the map?"

"It's over here!" Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand, and an ancient goatskin sheet materialized above his palm. Floating calmly, it emanated an historic air around it.

Honestly speaking, the map was not much use at all. So far, all it had done was form a rainbow bridge that allowed the expedition team to bypass the celestial palace and enter the Qiu Wu Palace. If the Skyleaf King really wanted it, there was no harm in handing it over to him.

"Give it to me..." A look of fiery desire swiftly flickered across the Skyleaf King's eyes as he anxiously stretched his hand forward.

"Alright." With a flick of his finger, Zhang Xuan passed the map over to the Skyleaf King.

"Wu! Wuwuwu! Wuwuwuwu..." Seeing that the map was about to fall into the Skyleaf King's grasp, the silenced Zhang Yinqiu panicked. He tried to say something, but the binding that the Skyleaf King had cast over him prevented him to speaking a word.

"Good! Alright, I'll return this one to you then!" With a light push, the Skyleaf King tossed Zhang Yinqiu's soul toward Zhang Xuan and the others.

Zhang Xuan and the others hurriedly rushed forward to catch Zhang Yinqiu's soul, and Wu shi quickly relieved Zhang Yinqiu of his bindings.

As soon as the binding was released, Zhang Yinqiu immediately said anxiously, "The map concerns the possession of the ancient domain; we cannot let him gain possession of it!"

"Hahaha, it's too late!"

Standing in midair with the map in his grasp, the Skyleaf King's excited voice boomed in the area, and the Saint Ascension Hall abruptly began shaking intensely.

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Chapter 1082: You Are Blocking Me from Watching Zhang Xuan Pose

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Boom!

With a smooth motion, the map in the Skyleaf King's grasp opened up, and the Saint Ascension Hall suddenly began shaking intensely. In fact, the shaking seemed to extend to the Qiu Wu Palace and even beyond.

An enormous power seemed to be gushing from the depths of the ground, and it felt as if something frightening was about to surface.

Feeling the powerful aura, everyone's face warped in horror.

The aura was simply too powerful. The Skyleaf King was already an opponent that was nigh impossible for them to deal with previously, but before this aura, they felt that they did not even stand a sliver of chance.

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed. "This is... the aura of the Subterranean Gallery's seal?"

He had felt such a sensation from the seal in the Subterranean Gallery before. Vast and powerful, it felt like something no being could never hope to stand against.

Geji! Geji!

The aura grew more and more powerful, and eventually, at the summons of the map, a massive sphere slowly burrowed out of the ground.

Similar to a crystal ball, the sphere was transparent. Zhang Xuan could not tell what it was made of, but the sheer power harnessed within it could easily crush all of them.

Seeing the abrupt twist in circumstances, Wu shi hurriedly asked, "Zhang Yinqiu, what is going on?"

"It's the map!" With a pale face, Zhang Yinqiu spoke with despair in his eyes.

"Map? Doesn't the map only serve to point out a safe path through the ancient domain?" Wu shi asked with a frown.

They had seen the map when Zhang Xuan had it, and all it had done for them so far was create a bridge that led them into the true Qiu Wu Palace. Other than it, it seemed to serve no practical purpose at all.

"Point out a safe path?" Zhang Yinqiu shook his head. "It's far more important than that. That map is actually the key to Qiu Wu Palace! Inscribed on it are the words of the ancient gods and a unique Spatial Formation. Once it fuses with the sphere, the map will be able to store the entire Qiu Wu Palace within it!"

"Store the entire Qiu Wu Palace within it?" The crowd was startled.

"On your way here, you must have realized that Qiu Wu Palace is actually a folded space. The sphere over there is the core of Qiu Wu Palace, it serves to regulate the energy within it and stabilize the space.

"The map serves as the key to controlling the sphere. Once the sphere fuses together with the map, the entire Qiu Wu palace will become a painting, similar to the celestial palace outside. If that happens, not only will the Skyleaf King gain possession over all of the treasures that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu and Kong shi have left behind, we will also be trapped within the painting, and the Skyleaf King would be able to deal with us as he please!" Zhang Yinqiu said anxiously.

"This..." Everyone's body jolted in shock.

The reason they were so helpless before the Scarletleaf King back when they were within the celestial palace was because they were 'trapped within the painting' whereas the Scarletleaf King was 'outside the painting'.

The old principal was right. Once the Skyleaf King successfully fused the sphere together with the map, the entire ancient domain would be his to control. If that truly happened, they would be in deep trouble.

"Back then, on top of leaving behind his heritage for master teachers, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu has also created the map and entrusted it into trustworthy hands so that those who require its strength would be able to use it in times of crisis. Those who possess the map can fuse it together with the sphere, and that would grant them complete control over Qiu Wu Palace.

"If the Skyleaf King truly gains possession of Qiu Wu Palace, even without the heritage, he would still be able to analyze and reverse engineer the structure of the seal. Once he succeeds, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe will be able to send their armies into the Master Teacher Continent, and mankind will be in for a tough fight. It is also for this reason that I rushed over as fast as I could to stop him, having thought that the Skyleaf King had already obtained the map."

Upon hearing those words, everyone came to a realization.

Previously, Zhang Xuan had been thinking that since it was impossible for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage, why did the old principal and the others still charge into the ancient domain to stop them despite knowing the huge risks it posed?

At this moment, everything was finally clear to him.

"What do we do now?" Wu shi asked worriedly.

They were currently in a race against time. If the Skyleaf King succeeded in fusing the sphere with the map, mankind could very well be facing a calamity on an unprecedented scale.

"There's only one thing we can do now—stop the map and the sphere from fusing together!" Zhang Yinqiu said grimly.

"Alright!" everyone replied grimly.

"Principal Zhang, you should go and attempt for a breakthrough first. Leave the Skyleaf King to us!" Wu shi said.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He knew that given his current strength, he would not be of any help for the others in their fight against the Skyleaf King. Since that was the case, it was better for him to focus on achieving a breakthrough. Once he succeeded, the current adversity they were in could be resolved easily.

Not expecting the Nascent Saint cultivator to be thinking about breaking through at such a crucial moment, Zhang Yinqiu could not help but frown. "Breakthrough? Even if a Nascent Saint achieves a breakthrough to Saint realm, it still won't make a difference to the current plight we are in."

"Don't worry, Principal Zhang Yinqiu. It's not any ordinary breakthrough that he's going for," Wu shi replied with a soft chuckle. After which, he took in a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly grew solemn. With an abrupt leap, he charged swiftly toward the Skyleaf King as if a streak of lightning.

Tzzzla!

Knowing that his opponent wielded strength far beyond him, Wu shi used a secret art right from the get-go, forcing his body to exert a might far beyond his current limits.

"Wait for me!"

Guild Leader Han also swiftly leaped up to support Wu shi.

In an instant, the two Saint 4-dan experts immediately began clashing with the Skyleaf King.

Had it been any other occasion, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit would be more than able to subdue the both of them with a single palm strike. However, at that moment, he had to devote a portion of his strength and focus to facilitating the fusion of the map and the sphere, so his strength had been reduced significantly. As a result, a stalemate had actually arisen from their clash.

"Not any ordinary breakthrough that he's going for?" On the other hand, Zhang Yinqiu knew that he would not stand a chance against the Skyleaf King in his current form, so he turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan doubtfully instead.

Just what kind of breakthrough was the latter going to achieve for Wu shi to say such words?

However, this doubt did not last for too long in his mind, as he soon saw Zhang Xuan walking toward the Saint Ascension Platform.

The Saint Ascension Platform was protected by an extremely powerful seal, making it nigh impossible for anyone else to approach it. Yet, for some reason, the seal displayed an exceptional intimacy toward Zhang Xuan, opening up a path for him to pass through without any hesitation.

A thought surfaced in Zhang Yinqiu's mind, and his eyes widened in shock. The seal opened up for him? Could it be... Could it be... Celestial Master Teacher?

In terms of their understanding of Qiu Wu Palace, there was no one there who could rival Zhang Yinqiu.

There was only one possibility for the seal to open up a path voluntarily for one to pass through—the person had met the requirements to become a Celestial Saint. In other words, the young man before him was actually a Celestial Master Teacher!

Hong long!

Before his shocked gaze, the young man before him took a seat on top of the Saint Ascension Platform. With a flick of his wrist, a seven-colored fluid materialized before the young man.

"That is... the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence!" Zhang Yinqiu exclaimed.

As rare as the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence was, it had a rather distinctive and unique appearance. Those who had heard of it before could easily recognize it.

On the Saint Ascension Platform, Zhang Xuan held the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence in one hand while tapping on it lightly with the forefinger of his other hand. In the next instant, the seven-colored energy harnessed within the fluid swiftly seeped into the many acupoints throughout his body.

Geji! Geji!

A resounding echo sounded, and Zhang Xuan's aura began surging swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he had already overcome the limitations of Nascent Saint pinnacle, heading toward a far greater level.

Such incredible power... Is he really just attempting a breakthrough to Saint realm?

Zhang Yinqiu gulped subconsciously as he stared at the sight before him fixedly.

Even though the young man before him was only attempting a breakthrough from Nascent Saint to Saint realm 1-dan, the aura that he was emanating felt profound and unfathomable, as if one was staring into the deep abyss. Zhang Yinqiu had once witnessed a Saint 2-dan achieving a breakthrough to Saint 3-dan, but it paled greatly in comparison to what was happening before him.

If anything, they were not even on the same level!

Zhang Yinqiu could hardly believe his eyes. Is he really trying to become a Celestial Saint?

The fact that Kong shi had made such preparations within the Qiu Wu Palace showed that he had no doubt that there would surely come another Celestial Saint after him, but even so, Zhang Yinqiu still found it hard to believe that anyone could succeed in accomplishing that seemingly impossible feat.

After all, there was only one Kong shi in the world. None could replace him; none could match up to him.

Had the world not had Kong shi, the ancient times would have been bleak like the onset of a long night!

"He's definitely going to. After all, that fellow knows of nothing but showing off."

While Zhang Yinqiu was still caught in his state of disbelief, a slightly sour voice sounded beside him. Turning around, he saw that the fatty who had been exchanged for him had, at some point in time, taken a position beside him, his eyes fixated on the young man on the Saint Ascension Platform as well. There was a deeply displeased look on his face, seemingly angered by the fact that the limelight had been stolen by the other party.

"You... You are bleeding from your seven apertures 1 ..."

Upon seeing the state that the fatty was in, Zhang Yinqiu's lips began twitching uncontrollably.

If anyone were to bleed from their seven apertures as profusely as the fatty was at the moment, they would surely have died near instantly. Yet, the fatty seemed to be completely unfazed by it. He continued looking at the young man on the Saint Ascension Platform with his teeth gritted in envy.

"Oh, it's actually nothing much once you get used to it," the fatty replied nonchalantly.

"You can actually get used to bleeding from your seven apertures?" Zhang Yinqiu nearly fainted on the spot.

Just where in this world did this monster come from?

While others were dying due to bleeding from their seven apertures, this fatty was saying that it was fine once one had gotten used to it.

"No, it's not just that..." With twitching lips, Zhang Yinqiu continued speaking. "There's a sword stabbed into your back... I think it has pierced through your heart..."

If the fatty was only bleeding from his seven apertures, he would not have been so surprised. However, there was a sword plunged into his back, and judging from the angle, it had pierced right through the fatty's heart. Was he really still fine despite being in such a state?

"Pierced through my heart?" Perplexed, the fatty glanced downward and saw the tip of a sword protruding from the front of his chest. His eyebrows shot up before replying nonchalantly, "Oh? I wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't said so. However, that's not really an issue to be concerned over. It'll be fine once I pluck it out!"

After saying those words, the fatty bent his hand in an inconceivable angle to grab the sword behind his back and extract it. Tossing the extracted sword nonchalantly on the ground, he said, "There, it's done!"

"I..." Zhang Yinqiu was completely frenzied. The insanity that he had just witnessed made him feel as if the world had gone mad.

Just what in the heck was the monster before him made of? How could he still be living despite being in such a state?

"Curses! You sure are resilient, aren't you? Let's see if this can kill you!"

While Zhang Yinqiu was still overwhelmed by his shock, a wrathful bellow sounded from the sky. The next moment, the Skyleaf King threw a powerful palm down toward the fatty.

Kacha!

In the blink of an eye, the fatty was reduced to a flat lump of meat, glued to the ground.

" Ahh! " Horrified, Zhang Yinqiu subconsciously took numerous steps back with a pale face.

It was just a moment ago that he was still speaking to the fatty, but the latter was suddenly reduced to a lump of meat the next moment. The striking visual was something that was hard for him to accept in a moment.

"This young brother over here, rest assured. Even at the cost of my life, I will exact vengeance for you..." Zhang Yinqiu said solemnly before turning his gaze toward the Skyleaf King with eyes reddened in killing intent.

However, before he could even finish his vow, an impatient voice sounded from the ground.

"What the heck are you mumbling there? Hurry up and step away, you are blocking me from watching Zhang Xuan pose."

Alarmed, Zhang Yinqiu lowered his head, only to see that two eyes were staring at him impatiently from the lump of meat on the ground.

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Chapter 1083: Celestial Saint Ordeal

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Ah..." Leaping up, Zhang Yinqiu nearly fainted from shock.

If the other party was still living despite bleeding from the seven apertures and taking a sword to the heart, he could at least still reason it as the other party possessing a secret art of some sort which allowed him to shift his heart away from its original position... But how could a person who was smacked into a lump of meat possibly still be living?!

More importantly, you said that I was blocking your path?

Just how concerned are you with Zhang shi's posing, no, attempting a breakthrough that you are still so fixated on watching it despite being in such a state?

Just as Zhang Yinqiu was rendered at a complete loss of words, another surge of sword qi flashed across the air.

The Skyleaf King seemed to have noticed that the fellow was still alive and launched another wave of attack over out of fury.

Kacha!

Under the immense might of the Skyleaf King, the lump of meat was immediately split into two lumps as it wriggled relentlessly on the ground.

"Y-you... You should be dead this time around, right?" With quivering lips, Zhang Yinqiu couldn't help but ask.

"You're the one who is dead, your entire family is dead!" the two lumps of meat refuted furiously. After which, the two eyeballs on them turned towards the Skyleaf King and spat, "It's only out of consideration for your dignity that I chose to feign death here, and yet, you just have to persistently come for me time after time again... You are just asking to die, aren't you?"

Hong long!

The two lumps on the ground merged back with one another, and in just a few moments, he had already reverted back to his original appearance as a fatty, as if he hadn't been injured in the first place. With a furious roar, he charged towards the Skyleaf King in the sky.

Just like that, Zhang Xuan's clone joined the fray as well.

However, it was apparent that the strength of Zhang Xuan's clone was far from matching up to the Skyleaf King. Shortly after leaping up, he was knocked back down into the ground with a single slap, reduced to a lump of meat once more.

This time, before Zhang Yinqiu could even express his grief, the lump of meat gathered again once more and continued clashing with the Skyleaf King.

"This..." Not only was Zhang Yinqiu dazed, even Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were stupefied as well.

Wasn't Principal Zhang's friend a little too absurdly resilient? It was as if his body was made of rubber, and nothing could faze him at all... How in the world did he manage to cultivate a body like that?

A moment later, Wu shi recovered from his shock and bellowed, "Let's go all out. We just have to keep him stall him for a while..."

There wasn't any time for them to be surprised at the moment. No matter the cost, they had to prevent the Skyleaf King from successfully fusing the map and the sphere together. If the Skyleaf King were to succeed, they would all lose their lives here.

The collaborative offense carried out by the numerous Saint 4-dan experts brought forth a furious barrage of sword qi and zhenqi. Devastating shockwaves rippled into the surroundings, inflicting havoc upon everything that stood in its path.

With an indestructible monster joining the battle, Wu shi and the others were able to remain unharmed under the Skyleaf King's attacks for the time being. Seeing that the situation over there was stable for the time being, Zhang Yinqiu turned his sight back to the young man on the Saint Ascension Platform and saw that the energy within his body was still increasing ceaselessly, as if the power he harnessed within his body was boundless.

"Just how much energy does he have in his body..." Zhang Yinqiu couldn't help but be astonished.

Any Nascent Saint cultivators in his place would have already expended their zhenqi by now and withered into dried jerky. Yet, the young man seemed to be completely unfazed by the massive energy consumption he was making!

Just in terms of zhenqi reserve in itself, even ten of him in his peak state couldn't compare to the young man.

After watching the situation for a while, Zhang Yinqiu determined that they were still doing fine for the time being, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He was just about to turn his gaze back to the battle in the sky when he caught sight of a beautiful silhouette not too far away, and he frowned, "Luo shi, why aren't you participating in the battle too?"

The beautiful master teacher who had come along with Wu shi's expedition team, Luo shi, was currently standing nonchalantly on the spot, as if the battle that was going on in the sky had nothing to do with her.

"I need to protect Zhang Xuan." Luo shi replied calmly.

"He's just attempting a breakthrough. With the protection of the Saint Ascension Platform, he can't possibly be in any danger..." Zhang Yinqiu frowned.

Even if your cultivation might be beneath the others, given that everyone else was putting their life on the line, shouldn't you at least be doing something? To say that you are protecting Zhang shi... Zhang shi is just attempting a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform, what could possibly happen to him?

Hong long!

Before Zhang Yinqiu could finish his words, the deafening rumbling of thunder abruptly sounded in the sky above. All of a sudden, pitch-black clouds appeared in the sky right above the Saint Ascension Platform, and the destructive lightning energy harnessed within them threatened to lay waste to everything beneath it.

"That is... the Leaving Aperture Ordeal? How can it possibly appear here?" Zhang Yinqiu widened his eyes in shock, and he nearly keeled over.

It was said in the legends that when a Primordial Spirit realm cultivator attempted a breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm, he would have to undergo a lightning ordeal. The trial would temper one's Primordial Spirit, making it more resilient. It was a necessary requirement for the Primordial Spirit to be able to exist independently of the body without dissipating... In a sense, it could be considered as a life-and-death trial in order to ascend to higher ranks.

It was for this reason that even though there was only a small gap between Primordial Spirit realm and Leaving Aperture realm, there was a world of a difference in both of their fighting prowess. Only upon reaching Leaving Aperture realm could one be considered to have reached the upper echelons of the Master Teacher Continent.

However, clearing the Leaving Aperture Ordeal was no easy feat. There were many Primordial Spirit realm experts who would suppress their cultivation for several centuries for fear that their Primordial Spirit would dissipate under the devastating might of the lightning. This resulted in a disproportionately low number of Leaving Aperture realm cultivators as compared to Primordial Spirit realm cultivators.

Considering that Zhang shi was a Nascent Saint cultivator attempting a breakthrough to Saint realm, why would he be put through such a fearsome heavenly ordeal?

"Everyone wishes to become a Celestial Saint, but without sufficient strength, how could one obtain the acknowledgement of the heavens?" Luo shi remarked nonchalantly before taking a step forward. She glanced at the ominous clouds that shrouded the sky as she clenched her fists tightly together.

"A requirement to becoming a Celestial Saint... is to prematurely undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal?" Upon hearing those words, Zhang Yinqiu gulped.

He was incapable of sweating as a mere soul, but at this moment, he felt as if his back was drenched with cold sweat.

Leaving Aperture Ordeal—this was a trial which innumerable Half-Leaving Aperture realm in history had lost their life to. Given that Zhang shi was only a Nascent Saint cultivator, how could he be able to endure it?

Putting everything aside, Zhang Yinqiu could tell that even in his peak state, his body and soul would still dissipate at first encounter with the overwhelming lightning energy gathered in the sky above.

"This is not the Leaving Aperture Ordeal but Saint Ascension Ordeal! Those who wish to ascend to a Celestial Saint has to first undergo a trial to prove that they are worthy of becoming one..." Luo Ruoxin's voice was impassive, but she was unable to conceal the deep worry in her eyes. "He must overcome the heavenly ordeal with his own strength. We can only pray the best for him..."

"Saint Ascension Ordeal?"

While the others were shocked by the sudden arrival of the lightning clouds, on the Saint Ascension Platform, Zhang Xuan also came to realize what was going on, and a frown appeared on his face.

It was no wonder why no one had succeeded in becoming a Celestial Saint in the past several dozen millenniums! There were bound to be a handful of astounding geniuses who were able to comprehend the secrets behind Kong shi's cultivation technique as well, but one who wished the don the crown had to bear the weight of it. Those who wished to become a Celestial Saint had to undergo the Saint Ascension Ordeal to prove their worth!

There was no way he would be able to overcome the lightning ordeal easily.

"Come!"

Zhang Xuan knew that it was impossible for him to avoid the lightning ordeal, and the only way he could succeed was to face it straight on. Thus, gritting his teeth tightly together, he opened up his pores, and spiritual energy in the surroundings began rushing into him like a whirlpool. At the same time, he lifted his gaze and stared right into the dark clouds above.

Hong long!

Seemingly sensing Zhang Xuan's battle will, the lightning clouds in the sky couldn't hold themselves back any longer. A thick streak of lightning burst from the sky, headed towards the young man seated in the middle of the Saint Ascension Platform.

If one had to make a comparison between the field of lightning from before to the thick streak of lightning headed towards Zhang Xuan at this instant, it would be reminiscent of a young sprout standing before a towering, ancient tree. The both of them weren't even close to being at the same level at all!

Before the lightning could even reach him, Zhang Xuan could already feel an incredible force threatening to eradicate his body and dissipate his soul. He felt that if his cultivation had been any lower, he wouldn't stand a chance against the streak of lightning at all.

"The Saint Ascension Ordeal is divided into the Soul Ordeal, Body Ordeal, and Heart Ordeal, and each of them is more difficult than the previous..." Luo Ruoxin said with a slightly anxious edge to her tone.

It was impossible for others to intervene in this kind of ordeal. Not only would it not do any good, it might even trigger the wrath of the heavens, inducing the heavens to bring forth greater destruction to the world.

"Soul Ordeal?" Hearing Luo Ruoxin's words, Zhang Yinqiu frowned.

He had learned a little about the process of becoming a Celestial Saint through the writings left by Kong shi around the Saint Ascension Hall. He thought that he had already grasped a thorough understanding of the matter, but at this moment, he realized that what he knew paled far in comparison to the young lady before him.

"The Soul Ordeal is the very first trial of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, and it places the cultivator's soul through the tempering and cleansing of lightning. The slightest lapse in concentration in this phase can easily lead to one's soul dissipating entirely." Luo Ruoxin explained.

"The soul has to undergo the cleansing of lightning?" Zhang Yinqiu shuddered in fear.

As he was currently in soul form, he could vividly understand how much souls feared lightning. Lightning was the natural nemesis of all souls. Putting aside a lightning streak as thick as the one in the sky, even just the slightest electricity was unbearable to a soul.

"Zhang shi... I can only pray the best for you now..." Zhang Yinqiu said as he looked at Zhang Xuan intently.

Huala!

As soon as the lightning seeped into Zhang Xuan's body, he immediately felt a burning sensation in his soul, as if someone had lit an inferno within it. His condensed soul immediately began flickering unstably, and it seemed as if it might dissipate at any moment.

"Pain..." Zhang Xuan's face paled.

The burning sensation came from the very depths of his soul, and it was so excruciating that he felt as if he could lose his mind at any moment.

It was fortunate that he had tempered his soul through the lava and field of lightning while he was making his way through the ancient domain, or else his soul might have already dissipated by now.

"It seems like the various trials outside aren't chosen by random. Kong shi has intentionally designed it to temper the later generations so as to prepare them for a breakthrough to Celestial Saint..." While enduring the excruciating pain of the lightning, an epiphany suddenly came to Zhang Xuan.

Throughout the journey, he had been wondering what the purpose of setting up the lava and the field of lightning was. If it was to fend off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it didn't make sense why masters teachers were impeded by them as well. Looking back, it seemed like everything was for the purpose of tempering the soul so as to make it sufficiently resilient to overcome the Soul Ordeal.

Tzzzzz!

As the lightning energy raged within Zhang Xuan's body, his soul shattered into fragments before reforming once more.

It was fortunate that the process was occurring within his body, or else his fragmented soul would have long dissipated in the world.

Under the intense pain from the rampage of the lightning energy, Zhang Xuan felt his consciousness slowly growing hazy.

He hadn't expected becoming a Celestial Saint to be easy, but he didn't think that it would be so frightening either.

That kind of intense pain left him feeling as if every inch of his soul was being slowly cut apart before being sewed back together.

"Endure! I must endure it... Since Kong shi was able to do it, why can't I?" Zhang Xuan thought as he clenched his jaws tightly in determination.

Kong shi was mortal just like any of them. If Kong shi could clear the trial, why couldn't he?

After all the effort he had put into cultivating the Saint Ascension Decipher, he would be letting himself down if he couldn't even endure this much pain!

Geji! Geji!

With the further reaffirmation of his resolution, even though the lightning energy coursing through his body was still as painful as ever, it didn't seem as insurmountable and fearsome as before anymore.

"It looks like he has cleared the Soul Ordeal..." Upon seeing this sight, Luo Ruoxin heaved a sigh of relief. In the next moment, however, she frowned worriedly once more and said, "The Body Ordeal is a trial which assesses not only one's physical body but one's grasp over zhenqi and cultivation as well. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong there..."

As the Body Ordeal consisted of more aspects, it would be more difficult to overcome it than the previous Soul Ordeal, and the cultivator would be put through a greater deal of suffering as well.

The lightning streak in the Soul Ordeal was fearsome, but as long as the cultivator's soul remained within his body, he wouldn't be in too much danger as long as he didn't succumb to the pain. However, the same couldn't be said about the Body Ordeal. If the cultivator's body were to be lacking in the slightest, he could very well be reduced to ashes on the spot.

Kacha!

After a long moment of gathering energy, the second streak of lightning finally burst forth.

It was much thicker than the first streak of lightning, roughly the size of the trunk of an ancient tree. It descended to the ground with a force which seemed as if it could tear even the Saint Ascension Platform into shreds as well.

"You might be able to call forth the lightning ordeal, but do you think that I will allow you to become a Celestial Saint that easily?"

At this moment, the Skyleaf King had finally shaken free from Wu shi and the others' encirclement. Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan had successfully overcome the Soul Ordeal, his face turned livid.

Raising his palm, he sent a powerful strike right towards Zhang Xuan!

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Chapter 1084: I Am a Really Good Teacher!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Huala!

The spiritual energy from the surroundings converged together to form a massive palm print, which was then blasted toward Zhang Xuan with astounding force.

If he were struck by the palm strike, there was no doubt that he would die there and then.

"Skyleaf King, your opponent is me!"

Alarmed, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed forward to defend Zhang Xuan from the palm strike.

Not expecting there to be such an abrupt twist in events, Luo Ruoxin's face darkened as she shouted hurriedly, "Don't rush over!"

However, it was already too late. Wu shi and Guild Leader Han had already stepped into the perimeter of the lightning ordeal. Pumping their zhenqi furiously, they were able to barely deflect the powerful palm strike that the Skyleaf King had sent over. However, in the next moment, a deep rumbling sounded from above, and the dark clouds abruptly expended more than twofold.

An even more astonishing amount of lightning energy was gathering within the dark clouds, preparing to launch a lethal strike upon its target.

Upon seeing that sight, Zhang Yinqiu's face paled. "What happened?"

Why would there suddenly be a rise in the difficulty of the lightning ordeal? The previous streak of lightning was already something that even Zhang Xuan could hardly withstand, so if it were to grow stronger...

"The Saint Ascension Ordeal alters its difficulty according to the strength of the cultivator. As Wu shi and Guild Leader Han stepped into the vicinity of the lightning ordeal, the lightning ordeal mistakenly thought that Zhang shi has achieved a breakthrough, so it's sending down an even stronger streak of lightning for him to deal with," Luo Ruoxin explained with a pale face.

"What should we do then?" Zhang Yinqiu's body shook in shock.

"There's nothing we can do; we can't interfere in the matter." Luo Ruoxin gritted her teeth. "The more we try to help, the more formidable the lightning ordeal that Zhang shi will be put through..."

Kacha!

Before she could finish her words, the black clouds finally finished charging up, and the lightning grew two times larger in the blink of an eye.

Hong long!

From the first streak of lightning, Zhang Xuan's entire body was already charred black. With the descend of the second streak of lightning, he felt as if a force was tearing his entire body apart.

Pu!

Fresh blood burst forth from his mouth as his veins ruptured from the lightning energy rampaging through his body. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was dyed crimson.

"Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!" Muttering softly, the insides of Zhang Xuan's body began glowing brilliantly as he drove the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body to its very limits.

The second streak of lightning was the Body Ordeal, so he only had his strongest physical body cultivation technique to rely on to fend off the lightning.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

Under the relentless assault of the lightning from above, layer after layer of radiance shimmering around him broke one after another. As if his body was made of ceramic, cracks began appearing on his skin, and blood flowed profusely out of those cracks.

How could the lightning be so powerful? Zhang Xuan exclaimed within his heart.

Even though the previous Soul Ordeal was unbearable, it had not been beyond his limits. On the other hand, the Body Ordeal he was going through was simply too powerful. Despite having cultivated his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body to its pinnacle, facing the lightning, he felt like an egg being smashed by a hammer. There was no way he could win at this rate.

Geji!

The cracks on his body grew larger and more numerous, and the lightning energy engulfed his entirety. In that moment, Zhang Xuan felt as if his head and four limbs were torn apart by five horses heading in different directions.

It's not just five horses. It's a hundred of them, a thousand, ten thousand...

The lightning energy felt like ten thousand horses tugging every part of his body. It was as if it would not rest until he was reduced to ashes.

I can't hold on any longer.

The zhenqi in his body swiftly flowed to fend off the lightning energy, and it managed to fend off the devastating lightning energy for nine whole breaths. However, on the tenth breath, he finally came to the limit of his strength, and the lightning energy broke through the defenses of his zhenqi.

Even though he cultivated the peerless Heaven's Path Divine Art, the lightning ordeal he was currently going through exceeded his limits. He could not hold on any longer.

This won't do. If this continues, I will surely die.

So what if you are a lightning ordeal? I don't believe that you don't have flaws!

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Xuan turned a cold gaze toward the dark clouds in the sky.

You might be a powerful force of nature, but nothing in this world is perfect. As long as you have flaws, I will be able to exploit them to tide me through this crisis!

With a glance, a book materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.

Zhang Xuan quickly flipped it open.

Hu la!

A series of words appeared in his head.

"The second phase of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, Body Ordeal. Through gathering the Power of Lightning, it devastates the cultivator's physical body and zhenqi through the destructive might harnessed within it. Flaws: No.1, the nature of the lightning makes it highly destructive against material beings, but it inflicts minimal damage on immaterial beings like souls. It is considered a physical attack..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. It inflicts minimal damage on souls?

His soul was still weakened from the previous Soul Ordeal. If the lightning within the Body Ordeal was ineffective against his soul, he could very well absorb it with his soul.

"Come out, my soul!"

With a roar, his soul swiftly slipped through his glabella, and opening his mouth wide, he devoured the lightning that was still descending from the heavens.

Due to the overwhelming radiance of the lightning, no one saw his soul. They merely thought that he had used a secret art of some sort.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

As if a potent tonic, the devoured lightning was swiftly processed into soul energy, enlarging his soul once more.

When the lightning coursed through Zhang Xuan's body and exploded, it caused his body to be inflated to its limit, seemingly threatening to burst it apart. However, when it came to his soul, while it had similar effects, all it had done to its soul was only to make it slightly more condensed. That was not much of a threat at all.

Before long, his soul was finally done absorbing the energy harnessed within the second streak of lightning, and his soul reverted back to its initial size of ten meters.

While the quantity of his soul energy had increased, its purity did not take a dip at all. If anything, it seemed to be even more fearsome than before.

This... Does this mean that I have cleared the second phase of the Saint Ascension Ordeal?

Swiftly returning his soul back to his body, Zhang Xuan looked up and saw that the second streak of lightning swiftly weakening before eventually clearing altogether, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

It was fortunate that he had swiftly analyzed the flaws of the Body Ordeal's lightning with the Library of Heaven's Path, or else his body might have succumbed to it and turned into meat paste.

Hong long long!

With the conclusion of the second streak of lightning, thunder began rumbling in the dark clouds above once more as the third streak of lightning threatened to fall.

This time, the rumbling was clearly much louder, and the sheer size of the lightning spanned a diameter of a meter. It was as if it was determined to tear Zhang Xuan apart.

Kacha!

It finally descended down into the world.

"Die!"

In that moment, the Skyleaf King flicked his finger toward Zhang Xuan, and a surge of sword qi flew over.

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan had managed to clear the second phase of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, he felt deeply threatened. Thus, he intended to kill Zhang Xuan once and for all before the final streak of lightning descended.

Otherwise, if the humans were to usher in another Celestial Saint, that could very well become a catastrophe for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

As such, even though it was only a single flick of the finger, that surge of sword qi actually harnessed the full strength of his body.

Luo Ruoxin's eyes narrowed upon seeing that attack. She began to move forward to protect Zhang Xuan, but before she could do so, a figure suddenly appeared right before her.

Puchi!

That sword qi tore a huge hole through the figure, but it was eventually still stopped before it could reach Zhang Xuan.

Upon seeing that sight, Luo Ruoxin heaved a sigh of relief and stopped.

The figure was none other than Zhang Xuan's clone.

The Skyleaf King had provoked them far too many times that even someone as composed as the clone could not hold himself back anymore.

"How dare you attack my main body? You must be tired of living!" With a furious roar, the aura of Zhang Xuan's clone's body surged furiously, and with a 'hu!', he leaped right up to the Skyleaf King in the air.

"You..." Not expecting the other party to charge right up to him without any fear for his life, the Skyleaf King was stunned for a moment before sending a palm strike downward.

Kacha!

Struck by the palm strike, Zhang Xuan's clone was reduced to a pancake once more. Nevertheless, it did not erode his fighting will in the least. He continued to dash forward furiously despite the unseemly form he was in, determined to bring down the Skyleaf King.

Tzzla tzzla!

The next moment, a ferocious might struck the Skyleaf King, causing his Primordial Spirit to dissipate slightly.

"Damn it!" Not expecting the other party to risk his life to launch such desperate attacks against him, the Skyleaf King's face turned livid with rage.

Honestly speaking, he was getting vexed at dealing with the fellow before him. It was as if the fellow's body was indestructible! No matter what kind of attacks he launched against the fellow, the latter would always be able to morph back into his original shape a moment later and continue launching frenzied attacks against him. He truly had no idea how he should deal with such an opponent.

No, this won't do. It's pointless for me to engage them in conflict. As long as I can fuse the map and the sphere together, I will be able to gain complete control over the Qiu Wu Palace. By then, even if Zhang Xuan successfully becomes a Celestial Saint, he will still be trapped in my grasp, the Skyleaf King thought as he dodged the clone's attack.

As a Primordial Spirit, he dared not approach Zhang Xuan in close quarters due to the overwhelming lightning energy that had gathered around him, so he had been trying to launch long-range attacks instead. However, it had not been too effective as the others had been trying their best to intercept his attacks. Not to mention, there was even a seemingly indestructible existence among their ranks that was plaguing him. At this point, he had already realized that it was unlikely that his attacks would reach Zhang Xuan.

Thus, the best option he had was to quickly fuse the map and the sphere together. As long as he could gain complete control over the Qiu Wu Palace, he would be able to destroy the group before him easily, even if they did have a Celestial Saint among them!

"Scram!" With a furious roar, the Skyleaf King knocked the clone away before placing one of his palms on the sphere to forcefully push it against the map, hastening the fusion process.

Weng!

A loud buzz sounded as the map and the sphere fused with one another.

"Quick, we have to stop him!" Zhang Yinqiu exclaimed in a panic.

Wu shi, Guild Leader Han, and Vice Principal Ji Yan dashed over, but before they could come close, they were already knocked back by a flick of the Skyleaf King's hand.

As the battle continued, it was apparent that the Skyleaf King held the advantage in terms of stamina. On top of that, the rest of them had sustained considerable injuries over the course of the battle, resulting in a significant decline in their fighting prowess as well. As a result, they found themselves gradually becoming less and less able to stop the Skyleaf King.

"We are doomed." Seeing that the map and the sphere were close to being fully fused with one another and the shaking of the Qiu Wu Palace had stopped as well, Zhang Yinqiu's face paled in horror.

It seemed like they had come to the end of the route now. There was nothing they could do at this point anymore.

"We can only pray that Zhang shi successfully becomes a Celestial Saint. If he can achieve a breakthrough, we might still stand a chance at reversing the current situation," Zhang Yinqiu muttered as he turned to look at the young man on the Saint Ascension Platform.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan was currently facing the final phase of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, the Heart Ordeal!

This was known to be the hardest trial to overcome, and its dangers far exceeded the previous two.

"It won't be easy to overcome the Heart Ordeal. Inner Demons will sprout within one's mind and assault one's weaknesses. Even the strongest of experts will find it hard to withstand the beguilement of the Inner Demons. Let's hope that he can endure it!" Luo Ruoxin said with a worried frown on her forehead. Zhang Xuan's successful clearance of the first two trials had done little to alleviate her worries.

If Zhang Xuan were to fail this trial, his consciousness could be wiped out, resulting in his complete death.

It was known among cultivators that tempering one's body was easy, but tempering one's mind was difficult.

Countless talented cultivators in history had died not in the midst of battle but against the Inner Demons that had sprouted in their minds during cultivation.

Oblivious to the happenings outside, in that very instant, Zhang Xuan found himself sinking into a unique state of mind.

As thick as the lightning streak for the Heart Ordeal was, it did not inflict the slightest pain on his body. Instead, it brought his consciousness into a land of complete darkness. Alone and lost, he found himself unsure of where he had come from and where he should head to in the future.

Aimlessly, he walked within the seemingly boundless world of darkness. No directions and no goal, he found himself sinking deeper and deeper into confusion.

Where am I? Where do I have to go? Zhang Xuan thought in a daze.

Boom!

In the midst of his confusion, a completely dark existence reminiscent of a devil suddenly materialized before his eyes. With an alluring voice, he said, "The cultivation technique that you have cultivated so far is flawed! If you continue down this path, death is the only thing you will find at the end of the road..."

"Flawed?"

Even in his dazed state, Zhang Xuan was taken aback by those words. Then, his dazed eyes opened wide on reflex as he replied, "For you to say that the cultivation technique I have cultivated is flawed, it seems like you must have a seriously wrong interpretation of cultivation. How about this, why don't you become my student, and I will give you some guidance? Don't worry, I am a very good teacher!"

"..." Inner Demon.

Chapter 1085: Luo Ruoxin's Strength

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The Inner Demon was on the verge of tears.

All along, he had been the one to break the mental resilience of others, causing them to doubt themselves so as to create an opening in their state of mind. Using this opening, he would devour the cultivator whole.

Yet, against this fellow, he didn't even have the time to finish his words before the other party suddenly offered to become his teacher. That was not playing by the rules!

I am an Inner Demon, alright? I am here to beguile you, not to be beguiled by you!

Suppressing the exasperated emotions within him, the Inner Demon continued speaking with the same alluring voice as before.

"Cough cough! As I was saying, there is a huge problem in your cultivation at the moment. If that wasn't the case, how could someone as talented as you, the first one to come close to being a Celestial Saint, possibly be put through so much pain? Just put your trust in me, and you will be able to unleash the full extent of your potential."

His voice had a certain quality that drew others into a trance, making him even more fearsome than a demonic tunist.

"I get what you are saying, but you are the one who is severely misunderstanding something here. The fact that your cultivation technique is different from mine is sufficient evidence to say that you have a huge flaw in your cultivation. If you don't believe me, why don't you try executing a battle technique? I will analyze your situation for you." Waving his hand nonchalantly, Zhang Xuan eyes remained perfectly clear, unaffected by the Inner Demon's beguilement.

Had the other party attempted to beguile him using another topic, there was no saying whether he would have fallen for it or not. However, to attempt to make him doubt his cultivation technique... He was a person who could even make Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's fragmented soul dissipate in embarrassment, so how could a mere Inner Demon shake his faith in his cultivation technique?

Peng!

Before Zhang Xuan finished his words, the Inner Demon vanished on the spot with a loud pop.

Since it was unable to beguile Zhang Xuan, its raison d'être had already vanished. As such, it could only vanish into nothing.

Before its disappearance, it was actually suffering a mental breakdown within. How in the world did he meet with this kind of a cold and impassive figure? If he had a choice, he would never go there again.

Wuuuuu... I want to go home...

Zhang Xuan's battle with the Inner Demon had only lasted a moment.

To the eyes of outsiders, they had only seen a thick streak of lightning falling upon Zhang Xuan. The thick streak of lightning did not seem to have caused any damage to him—he had not spurted blood nor trembled in pain. His body had simply jolted abruptly for a moment before falling still.

The next moment, a ray of golden light abruptly burst down from above, and innumerable flowers formed of Origin Energy fluttered in the air.

Luo Ruoxin was dazed for a moment before her eyes widened in shock. "This... He has already cleared the Heart Ordeal? But... how did he do it so quickly?"

The Heart Ordeal was the most difficult phase in the Saint Ascension Ordeal, so Luo Ruoxin had been clenching her fists tightly in anxiety, worried that he would not be able to overcome it. Yet, who would have thought that just a brief instant after the lightning fell on Zhang Xuan's body, he cleared the ordeal? This was too shocking!

Huala!

As the flowers of Origin Energy fell to the ground, the dark clouds in the sky gradually cleared, and a pillar of pure white radiance descended from the sky. It was as if someone had broken a hole in the sky, causing energy to leak from the heavens.

Shrouded amid the white radiance, the injuries that Zhang Xuan had sustained previously were healing at a visible pace, and his aura was also growing stronger and stronger with every passing second.

Upon seeing this sight, Luo Ruoxin heaved a sigh of relief before stepping forward.

Shortly after clearing the Saint Ascension Ordeal was the period when Zhang Xuan would be the most vulnerable. Even the slightest damage inflicted in this moment could claim Zhang Xuan's life. Within this span of time, she would have to make sure to guard him tightly so that no one could lay even a single finger on him.

"The descent of sacred light... Zhang shi has managed to become a Celestial Saint!" With reddened eyes, Zhang Yinqiu's tightly clenched fists finally opened up as the tension left his body.

With this, they would finally be able to defeat the Skyleaf King!

However, in that solemn moment, a frenzied laughter sounded.

"Hahaha... I have finally succeeded..."

Following which, the ground suddenly began trembling intensely. It was not just limited to the Saint Ascension Hall; it felt as if the entire Qiu Wu Palace was coming to life.

The Skyleaf King raised his hand, and a map gradually floated toward him.

In that moment, everyone suddenly felt a restraint acting upon them, as if they were going to be trapped within the painted world once more.

"It's over..."

In this moment, everyone's heart turned cold.

Zhang Xuan had managed to clear the Saint Ascension Ordeal, but he still required some time before he could become a Celestial Saint. If the Skyleaf King managed to escape from the Saint Ascension Hall, their plan to defeat him would end in failure. Instead, trapped within the painting, they would become easy prey that the Skyleaf King could pick on at his whim.

However, they had already expended all of their zhenqi in the previous fight, and they were unable to stop the Skyleaf King anymore.

Just a step away from success, who would have thought that they would be outdone at this critical moment?

"Hahaha, it's my victory! What Celestial Master Teacher or Celestial Saint, it makes no difference at all! You will only end up dying at my hands like the other ants."

Having succeeded in gaining possession of the Qiu Wu Palace, the Skyleaf King could no longer hold back the agitation in his heart. With a furious roar, he turned his sight toward the crowd.

They had humiliated him again and again over the past few days, and he had finally found an opportunity to return the favor.

Boom!

Raising his palm, he sent a powerful palm strike toward the young man seated on the Saint Ascension Platform—Zhang Xuan.

That was the fellow whom he harbored the greatest hatred towards. Not only did he attempt to steal something from his living quarters, he even had his ally destroy his physical body. No matter what, the Skyleaf King was determined to end his life right there and right then!

Hu la!

There wasn't anything extraordinary about the strength of the palm, but for some reason, it was able to tear through even space itself, opening up a black rift in its trajectory.

Gaining possession of the Qiu Wu Palace was equivalent to becoming the new master of the folded space. In other words, the Skyleaf King wielded absolute authority over the ancient domain. Within this space, even if his opponent possessed far greater strength than him, he would still be able to crush the other party easily.

"Damn it!" With a furious bellow, Zhang Xuan's clone rushed forward to stop the palm strike.

However, upon contact with the black rift, he was immediately ripped in two before falling back to the ground.

An ability that could even sever space was far beyond what Zhang Xuan's clone could deal with at the moment, even after his abilities were augmented from absorbing the entire Lightning Elemental Orb.

"It's over..."

Seeing how powerful the Skyleaf King's attack was, everyone felt their heart turning cold in despair.

Who would have thought that the only Celestial Saint after Kong shi would actually die in such a manner?

Just as everyone thought that it was Zhang Xuan's end, the young lady who had been standing guard beside the Saint Ascension Platform all this while, Luo Ruoxin, suddenly raised her gaze to look at the Skyleaf King with a frown of displeasure on her face.

"Humph!"

She flicked her hand lightly.

Kacha!

The incomparably powerful palm strike suddenly stopped in midair before dissipating entirely. In the following moment, the Skyleaf King suddenly found his Primordial Spirit being completely immobilized in midair, as if an ancient insect trapped within a fossil. Even the gleeful look from before had frozen on his face.

Unable to believe what was happening, the Skyleaf King roared fearfully, "How can this be possible? Y-you... Who the hell are you?"

He was not too sure how powerful he had become after gaining control over the Qiu Wu Palace, but one thing was for certain—even a Saint 7-dan cultivator would have been killed before the palm strike he had launched earlier.

Yet, with a casual flick of her hand, the young lady had actually dissipated his attack and sealed his movements completely... Just how powerful was she?

If she was so powerful, why hadn't she made a move from the very start?

"As long as I am here, none of you will lay a finger on him." Completely disregarding the Skyleaf King, Luo Ruoxin placed her hands behind her back and made a cold declaration before turning back to Zhang Xuan once more, perfectly composed.

The rest of you can fight to your deaths all you wish, but I will not allow a single one of you to hurt him!

"This..."

The faces of Wu shi and the others paled upon witnessing that scene.

They had traveled through the ancient domain with the young lady, and not once had they noticed anything extraordinary about her. Who would have thought that she was actually such a powerful expert?

It was truly bewildering.

"Can you see through her cultivation?" Guild Leader Han asked Wu shi discreetly.

With a bitter look on his face, Wu shi shook his head.

With his strength and eye of discernment, he was actually unable to measure the depth of the strength of the person standing before him!

In other words, the other party was much, much stronger than him, achieving a level that was beyond his understanding.

"But if she possesses such powerful strength, why didn't she save us back at the celestial palace? Why did she watch nonchalantly as we lost so many friends?" Guild Leader Han gritted his teeth in indignation.

"To an expert of her caliber, our existences might very well mean nothing at all." Wu shi sighed deeply. "Perhaps, in the very first place, the reason she chose to come to the ancient domain was Principal Zhang."

Even though he had not had much interaction with the young lady, he could tell through the nonchalant eyes of hers that she was not one who concerned herself deeply with those around her, much like an observer watching a commotion impassively. It was only in affairs regarding Principal Zhang that the air of nonchalance around her would be broken temporarily.

How could a person like that possibly do something excessive as to save them?

Besides, the celestial palace was intended to be one of the trials set by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. If she had made a move then, there might have been unforeseen circumstances.

"This..." Guild Leader Han was rendered speechless.

Indeed.

As a cultivator advanced their cultivation and comprehended the essence of the world, life and death would gradually unravel before their eyes as an inevitable state of life. It was simply a natural cycle of the world—life was not something to be celebrated, and death was not something to grieve over either. Considering how Luo Ruoxin did not owe anything to them, she had no reason to interfere and save them either. Otherwise, she might end up finding herself being restrained by the rules of the world.

The higher one's cultivation became, the more fearful one would be of the heavens.

"Besides, it's not like she hasn't done anything at all. She was the one who had been dropping us hints all along, and due to that, Jiang Yuan even accused her of being the Skyleaf King," Wu shi said.

After a long moment of hesitation, Guild Leader Han finally nodded in response. "You're right."

While Luo Ruoxin had not helped them against the Otherworldly Demons, her advice had played a crucial role in helping them through the ancient domain. If not for her, they would not have been able to bypass the Black Sand of Oblivion or escape from the celestial palace back then.

Upon understanding all of that, Guild Leader Han was finally able to let go of some of the frustration he felt within. Glancing at the completely immobile Skyleaf King, he could not help but ask curiously, "To be able to seal the movements of the Skyleaf King so easily... how powerful do you think she is?"

"I think that she could very well be..."

At this point, Wu shi's face turned extremely grim.

"... a 9-star master teacher!"

Chapter 1086: You Are Kong shi?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"9-star master teacher?" Guild Leader Han's mouth twitched uncontrollably as his lower jaw slackened in shock.

There were not many 9-star master teachers even throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent, and every single one of them could cause the Master Teacher Pavilion to tremble with just a stomp of their feet. How in the world had a figure like that ended up joining them in their expedition?

Furthermore... how could she be so young?

Guild Leader Han couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you overestimating Luo shi's capabilities a little too much?"

It was true that Luo Ruoxin's strength felt unfathomable to them, so he would not doubt it even if Wu shi said that she was a Saint 7-dan expert, but... 9-star master teacher?

It would be no joke to say that 9-star master teachers were old monsters who had dominated their own sphere of influence for countless years. How could such a young lady possibly be a 9-star master teacher as well?

"You think that I am overestimating Luo shi capabilities? To tell you the truth, I think that I might even be underestimating her! This folded space was left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, and by gaining possession of the Qiu Wu Palace, it's not wrong to say that the Skyleaf King inherited his heritage. The fact that Luo shi was able to subdue him despite being within the Qiu Wu Palace so easily shows that her true strength doesn't pale much in comparison to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. What else could a person who wields that much strength be if not a 9-star master teacher?" Wu shi explained.

At this moment, Guild Leader Han suddenly recalled something and said, "This... Alright, what you said does make sense, but... if I recall correctly, there are some artifacts that can produce effects similar to this when driven by one possessing a unique bloodline. If I recall correctly, the Sage Luo Clan possesses one such artifact.

"Similar to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, the founder of the Luo Clan is also known for his prowess in spatial manipulation. The 'Dimension Silencer' that he left behind does have the ability to manipulate space, but... it requires one to possess a very pure bloodline in order to drive it..."

Wu shi nodded slightly before suddenly falling into a daze upon realizing what Guild Leader Han was getting at. "You are trying to say that... Luo Ruoxin... is the young princess of the Luo Clan?"

Seemingly in possession of some insider information, Guild Leader Han explained, "Indeed. If I recall correctly, the young princess of the Luo Clan is at a similar age as well. It is said that she succeeded in awakening her bloodline when she was only three, and she is known to be the offspring with the purest bloodline in the several dozen millennia history of the entire clan with the exceptional of the founder himself. She immediately received the acknowledgement of the Dimension Silencer and gained possession of it."

"Un, I have heard the same as well. It's said that despite her young age, the young princess possesses cultivation far superior to her peers, and her beauty is also matchless as well. However, it seems like due to that certain matter, she ended up falling out with her clan and left home." Wu shi nodded. "Now that you speak of it, it does seem very likely for Luo Ruoxin to be the young princess of the Luo Clan. With the Dimension Silencer and the sheer purity of her bloodline, even a true 9-star master teacher would have to tread carefully around her."

"Indeed! That would also explain her extensive knowledge of the ancient domain. If I recall correctly, the Luo Clan is ranked among the top ten of the Sage Clans, right?"

Wu shi nodded. "You're right. It can stand its ground even in the face of behemoths like the Glacier Plain Court..."

While the duo was communicating telepathically, the person they were discussing, Luo Ruoxin, continued standing in front of Zhang Xuan quietly. She watched as his aura grew stronger and stronger, and eventually, when he finally managed to break through his bottleneck as a Nascent Saint, she heaved a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan was indeed unaware of the happenings outside. The sacred light that had gathered around him was warm and comfortable, putting him in a state of relaxation. At the same time, it also nourished his body, zhenqi, and soul.

Driving the Heaven's Path Divine Art, his cultivation surged ceaselessly. As if a Taotie 1 with an insatiable appetite, he greedily consumed the sacred energy around him.

Saint realm 1-dan primary stage!

Saint realm 1-dan intermediate stage!

...

In less than two hours, his cultivation had already reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle!

Hu!

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

So far, he had only managed to form the Saint 1-dan Heaven's Path Divine Art, so he was unable to cultivate any further than that.

Taking an inward look at the current state of his body, Zhang Xuan could not help but tremble in agitation.

As expected of Celestial Saint... My Origin Core has already exceeded First Grade, achieving the level of Perfection!

Even before becoming a Celestial Saint, Zhang Xuan had already managed to raise the tier of his Origin Core to First Grade. However, after being acknowledged as a Celestial Saint, he found his Origin Core being further enhanced to a tier that far exceeded the level of First Grade, achieving a height that could only be described by the word 'perfection'.

It seems like Kong shi's Origin Core wasn't at First Grade either. He should have achieved the level of Perfection as well.

Having become a Celestial Saint himself, he instinctively understood that Kong shi must have gone through the same process.

Of the three phases of the Saint Ascension Ordeal, the Body Ordeal destroyed the Origin Core within one's body before reforming it with sacred energy, thus inducing a breakthrough in its tier, reaching a level far beyond what ordinary cultivators could ever achieve.

My cultivation is at Saint realm 1-dan, but my true fighting prowess should be comparable to a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert. With my current strength, I should be able to easily defeat Feng Xun at peak condition! Zhang Xuan thought in excitement.

He had only defeated Feng Xun previously due to the latter suppressing his cultivation initially, so he had been able to grasp the momentum of the battle right from the start and overwhelm the other party. But now... having reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle, even if Feng Xun were to go at him at his full strength, he would still be able to subdue him easily.

As for Saint 4-dan cultivators... considering how Primordial Spirits were involved in the equation, the situation would become a little uncertain.

In order to face Primordial Spirit realm experts head-on, he would have to advance his soul cultivation first!

But the heritage of soul oracles that he had obtained was only up to Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, so it would be hard for him to progress any further than that. It seemed like he would have to find some time to visit the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles that Mo Hunsheng had mentioned earlier. It would also be a good opportunity to check up on Lu Chong and see if he was facing any problems with his cultivation.

Huala!

Zhang Xuan stood up.

"You have awakened," Luo Ruoxin said. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad!" Zhang Xuan replied with a smile. Turning his gaze upwards, he could not help but be startled by what he saw. "What happened to the Skyleaf King?"

The Skyleaf King was frozen in the sky with a gleeful look on his face, not moving in the slightest. Despite his facial expression, fear could be seen in the depths of his eyes.

"He attempted to assault you, so I taught him a lesson," Luo Ruoxin replied nonchalantly, as if she had just accomplished something insignificant.

"You taught him a lesson?" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

He knew full well how powerful the Skyleaf King was, so for Luo Ruoxin to be able to subdue the latter so easily... Just how powerful was she?

In that moment, Zhang Xuan felt like he had gotten a glimpse into why Luo Ruoxin had said that it would be difficult for them to get together. Considering her strength, he was indeed a little too weak to stand by her side.

Having become a Celestial Saint, he had thought that he would at least be able to stand unrivalled among his peers. However, when he saw that Luo Ruoxin, who was around the same age as he was, possessed the strength to subdue the Skyleaf King so easily, the pride he was feeling a moment ago vanished without a trace.

No matter how fast his cultivation speed was, it had only been a single year since he started rising through the ranks. Given the sheer size of the Master Teacher Continent, the odds were that there were a significant number of astounding geniuses of his age group who possessed cultivation far surpassing him, especially among the offspring of the Sage Clans.

This further affirmed his previous thoughts. There was always a mountain higher than the other in the world, so he had to maintain a low profile. Otherwise, he might just end up dead without realizing what had come his way.

"This fellow has tried to kill me time and time again. Allow me to return the favor to him first." Smiling at Luo Ruoxin, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the Skyleaf King with a ferocious glint in his eyes.

Vice Principal Ji Yan was right. Having just become a Celestial Saint, he was still able to tap into the vast energy within the Saint Ascension Platform to exert strength beyond his current capabilities. The Skyleaf King might have been a powerful Leaving Aperture realm expert, but with the current strength which Zhang Xuan wielded at his disposal, he was confident that he would be able to defeat the other party easily.

Hu!

With a snap of Luo Ruoxin's finger, the seal around the Skyleaf King was finally released. Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and an overwhelming surge of sacred energy immediately crushed the Skyleaf King against the ground.

"You..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to become so formidable all of a sudden, the Skyleaf King widened his eyes in fear. Realizing that the odds were severely against him, he immediately gathered every ounce of strength he had and attempted to flee.

Having fused the map and the sphere together, he had managed to gain control of the Qiu Wu Palace. With the possession of such strength, he thought that he had finally reached the peak of his life. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he suddenly found himself at risk of being knocked down from the peak.

"Trying to flee? Humph!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes menacingly as he raised his palm furiously.

Through telepathy with his clone, he had already learned what had happened while he was on the Saint Ascension Platform.

Kacha!

The Skyleaf King cried in agony as he fell back to the ground once more with his Primordial Spirit convulsing uncontrollably.

Given Zhang Xuan's current state, the Skyleaf King might not necessarily have been a match even while utilizing the strength of the Qiu Wu Palace, so how could he possibly withstand Zhang Xuan's attack when all that was on his mind at that moment was to flee?

A moment later, the Skyleaf King was tossed into the Saint Ascension Platform. Exposed directly to the brilliant radiance of the sacred light, he screamed frenziedly in agony as he struggled desperately. As time passed, his screaming gradually quietened down until it eventually settled into silence.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan grasped forward, and a bundle of pure energy from the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit appeared in his hands.

The sacred light of the Saint Ascension Platform had the effect of destroying the consciousness of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. After being exposed to it for an extended period of time, the Skyleaf King had already lost his sense of self, turning into nothing more than a bundle of pure energy.

"Clone, you have done well this time," Zhang Xuan said with a smile before flicking his finger, and half of the bundle of energy flew into his clone's body.

Geji! Geji!

After absorbing the bundle of pure energy, his clone's aura began surging steadily.

His clone's strength was mainly derived from the Nine Hearts Lotus, so there was no need for him to cultivate at all. As long as his soul grew stronger, his fighting prowess would grow as well.

Absorbing only half of the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit, even if his clone was unable to reach Leaving Aperture realm, it should sufficient to grant him strength comparable to a Half-Leaving Aperture realm cultivator. Pairing that with his indestructible body, he would be a match for even a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator!

"I am very grateful to the rest of you as well." Zhang Xuan turned to Wu shi and the others with a smile. He divided the remaining energy bundle into several portions, and with light flicks, he directed them into their heads.

"Thank you, Principal Zhang!"

Knowing that Zhang Xuan had just offered them a hard to come by opportunity to push for a breakthrough, Wu shi and the others uttered their thanks before quickly sitting down to cultivate.

Boom!

Not too long later, Guild Leader Han was the first to achieve a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm.

Shortly later, Wu shi followed suit.

As for Vice Principal Ji Yan and the others, while their improvements were not as exaggerated, they still managed to reinforce their Primordial Spirit realm cultivation significantly. All in all, the Skyleaf King's Primordial Spirit had managed to induce a substantial advancement in everyone's cultivation.

Feeling the raging power flowing through their body, everyone bowed deeply in gratitude. "Principal Zhang..."

Zhang Xuan turned to look at them with a solemn expression. "I hope that all of you will keep the matter of me being a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint a secret."

For the time being, it was still better for him to keep this matter a secret. Otherwise, it could very well induce widespread fear among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, thus compelling them into extreme actions. If so, his life could be in grave danger.

More importantly... low profile, low profile, and low profile! Important matters had to be repeated thrice.

"Don't worry, our mouths are sealed!" Wu shi and the others replied earnestly.

A matter concerning a Celestial Master Teacher and Celestial Saint had already far exceeded their jurisdiction. It was something that could very well affect the future of mankind, so they dared not speak of it lightly.

Hearing their guarantee, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. "You have my gratitude for this matter!"

After which, he flicked his wrist and tossed a bundle of Grand Intermittence Grass over. "Wu shi, I will leave it to you to forge a Grand Intermittence Pill to heal Vice Principal Tan Qing. For the time being, I intend to study the map and the sphere carefully to see if I can find a way to revert the old principal back to his original form."

"Alright!" Grabbing the Grand Intermittence Grass, Wu shi nodded.

Apothecary was one of his supporting occupations. While it was not the one that he was the most proficient in, he was at least sufficiently skilled to forge a Grand Intermittence Pill.

Hu!

After he was done making arrangements, Zhang Xuan headed straight up to the sphere and placed his palm on it. A moment later, his eyes narrowed in shock.

"You are... Kong shi?"

Chapter 1087: Kong shi's Warning

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan could see a tall figure reflected within the sphere. Dressed in a tall coronet and a long robe, the figure commanded a divine aura that seemed to harmonize with his. Instinctively, he realized that the figure within the orb was a person who had been recognized by the heavens as well, a Celestial Saint and a Celestial Master Teacher.

There was only a single person in history who had achieved such a feat—Kong shi.

Hu!

As soon as the thought emerged in his mind, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a powerful suction force coming from within the sphere. His consciousness was forcefully dragged out of his body and into the sphere.

Swiftly scanning his surroundings, he found that he had entered yet another folded space. It was not too large, around several dozen meters in diameter. Perhaps due to being coarsely made, the folded space was devoid of anything. All that could be seen was white space.

Except for a figure standing in front of him.

Assessing the figure before him carefully, Zhang Xuan could not help but frown in intrigue. "Kong shi, why are you..."

The previous time he met Kong shi at the Saint Ascension Platform, the latter was young and dashing, exuding a refreshing aura of youth. But the figure standing before him at this moment... his face was slightly bruised, and the long robe he donned was a little dirty. Summarizing it with a single word, unkempt. It was as if... someone had beat him up?

But... beat Kong shi up?

How could that be?

He probably left behind his will shortly after he successfully became a Celestial Saint, Zhang Xuan deduced.

Having just undergone the Saint Ascension Ordeal himself, while Zhang Xuan had already made a full recovery with the nourishment of the sacred energy, his body and clothes were still stained with dirt and blood. In that sense, he was in an even more unkempt state than Kong shi.

That was probably what had happened to Kong shi as well. It might only have been a lingering will, but it had assumed the same untidy look that he had back then.

Perhaps it was to serve as a reminder to the later generations about the callousness of the Saint Ascension Ordeal?

Waving his hand, Kong shi said with a grim expression, "I don't have much time here."

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are also plagued with the Innate Fetal Poison, right?" Kong shi asked with a keen look in his eyes.

"Y-yes, that's right!" Hearing Kong shi raise the matter, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in agitation. Staring at Kong shi intently, he asked, "How can I resolve the Innate Fetal Poison? I beseech you to point a way out for me..."

He had intended to pose this question to Kong shi the previous time he met him, but the other party only left him with a "I am not alone in my path" and a hearty laugh before disappearing. Since Kong shi himself was raising the topic this time around, he would finally be able to resolve the issue once and for all.

As long as he could free himself of the Innate Fetal Poison, he would not have to charge forward so anxiously anymore. The nervousness that he was constantly plagued with could finally be put to rest as well.

"We'll talk about that later. I have more important matters to entrust to you at the moment." Kong shi shook his head before continuing. "The fact that you were able to ascend to become a Celestial Saint means that you are following the same path as me. Since that's the case, you are bound to find yourself faced with great trouble in the future. Thus, I want to offer you some advice here. In order to free yourself from destiny and reach a greater height, you will have to forge your own path. Walking down a path paved by the wisdom of your predecessors can allow you to grow swiftly, but it will also limit your scope and potential!"

"Forge my own path?" Not expecting Kong shi to say such words out of nowhere instead of telling him the cure for the Innate Fetal Poison, Zhang Xuan was slightly bewildered.

"Indeed." Kong shi nodded. "You should have heard that I am in possession of a certain artifact known as the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, right?"

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was an unparalleled artifact that Kong shi wielded. Back then, it was using this artifact that he had been able to suppress the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and drive them out of the Master Teacher Continent. However, that artifact had vanished along with Kong shi, and its whereabouts were a complete mystery to everyone.

"The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn concerns the future of mankind. Since you are in the same plight as me, there's a very good chance that you will be able to drive it as well. By no means should you allow it to fall into the hands of others; this is very important, so remember this! Also, you have to make sure to be wary of..." Kong shi spoke with an extremely urgent tone, as if there was something that Zhang Xuan had to accomplish urgently.

As Kong shi spoke, he slowly raised his palm. However, before he could finish what he was about to say or do, Zhang Xuan suddenly heard a worried voice. " Zhang Xuan, are you alright?"

Zhang Xuan's body jolted as his consciousness returned to his body. Opening his eyes, he saw Luo Ruoxin standing before him with worry in her eyes.

Most likely, she must have noticed that his consciousness had been drawn out from his body, and worrying that something bad might have happened, she rushed over to check on him.

Zhang Xuan reached forward to squeeze the young lady's hand as he replied with a smile, "I am fine."

He had already heard about how Luo Ruoxin had protected him from the Skyleaf King in the midst of his breakthrough. Even if her cultivation was far greater than his, even if her identity was a complete enigma to him, even if the path ahead was going to be tough, he had no intention of giving her up at all.

"It's good that you're fine." The young lady heaved a sigh of relief before flashing him a smile.

"Give me a moment, I need to check on the sphere first," Zhang Xuan said before turning his attention back to the sphere. A moment later, a helpless expression surfaced on his face.

Within the short span of time while he was conversing with Luo Ruoxin, Kong shi's will had already disappeared without a trace. It was as if his previous encounter with Kong shi had been a fleeting dream.

Zhang Xuan scratched his head frenziedly. Considering how Kong shi founded the Master Teacher Pavilion and is a figure who is deeply respected by countless master teachers, I thought that he would at least be more reliable than that. To disappear in the middle of his words, he is just as unreliable as my clone...

All he wanted to do was learn the cure to the Innate Fetal Poison, and yet, despite encountering Kong shi's will twice, the other party had ended up speaking about completely useless matters instead. Just the thought of it left him deeply stifled.

You told me to seek out the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, but I don't even have the slightest clue where it will be. How can I possibly find it and prevent it from falling into the hands of the others? Furthermore, who or what are you asking me to be wary of?

Look at Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! Despite being traumatized by me, he was at least able to finish most of what he wanted to say before dissipating. As the World's Teacher, aren't you a little too weak?

Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. It seems like Kong shi left behind his will shortly after he became a Celestial Saint, so his strength was nowhere on par with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. But still, for his will to be unable to sustain itself long enough to finish his words...

It had not been easy for him to have an opportunity to meet Kong shi, and he had intended to uncover the secret to resolving the Innate Fetal Poison from the latter. Yet, due to Kong shi's limited time, he ended up missing this chance as well.

Forget it... Knowing that there was no point brooding over the matter, Zhang Xuan decided not to think too much about it.

Ultimately, Kong shi had only been a Saint 1-dan cultivator when he left behind his will. The very fact that he could sustain himself for more than several dozen millenniums and speak with him was already an incredible accomplishment in itself.

Even if Kong shi was the World's Teacher, he was asking a little too much of the other party here.

It seems I only have myself to rely on for the Innate Fetal Poison, Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.

Sighing deeply, he turned his gaze to the sphere and thought, For the time being, I should cultivate this sphere first!

At this point, the sphere had already fused perfectly with the map, forming something similar to a globe. The various trials that they had encountered on the journey through the ancient domain could be seen on the globe.

Extending his consciousness into it, Zhang Xuan could feel the entire folded space being right at his fingertips. He could tell that as long as he cultivated the sphere, he would be able to gain control of the entire Qiu Wu Palace and obtain astounding strength.

Carefully placing his hand on the sphere, he began to infuse zhenqi into it.

Geji! Geji!

The following moment, Zhang Xuan could feel his will gradually spreading across the sky of the Qiu Wu Palace.

Be it the Unbounded World, the Black Sand of Oblivion, or the floating celestial palace, everywhere that he had been to appeared before him more vividly than ever.

In fact, he found that with just a single thought, he could easily alter the formations throughout the entire folded space, be it to intensify them or to calm them.

As expected! Cultivating the sphere grants me control over the Qiu Wu Palace, Zhang Xuan thought in agitation.

At the same time, he also found that he could store the entire folded space within the sphere at his whim.

In other words, one who had claimed possession of the sphere would be able to take the Qiu Wu Palace anywhere they went and enter it whenever they wanted.

Upon realizing this, Zhang Xuan's heart began leaping in excitement.

As the fragmented souls of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had already dissipated, there was no way for him to claim the other party's heritage anymore. However, if he could take the Qiu Wu Palace away with him and examine it carefully, he would definitely be able to advance his understanding of space significantly!

This could prove vital to him in advancing his cultivation in the future.

Zhang Xuan continued infusing his zhenqi into the sphere, cultivating every single portion of it.

After an unknown period of time, he opened his eyes once more. He had finally completed cultivating the key to controlling the Qiu Wu Palace.

Hu!

With a flick of his hand, he stowed the sphere into his storage ring.

Huala!

Shortly after stowing the sphere, he found the sacred energy that had augmented his fighting prowess earlier vanishing altogether, and his strength reverted back to Saint 1-dan pinnacle.

Kacha!

As if being drained of its energy, the Saint Ascension Platform split in two down the middle, and the divine aura that had shrouded it earlier dissipated without a trace.

Seeing how the divine platform a moment ago had been reduced into an ordinary stone platform, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Even if I tossed this thing out into public, I doubt anyone would believe that Kong shi and I ascended to Celestial Saint on top of it.

Having accomplished its raison d'être, the Saint Ascension Platform no longer had any reason to continue existing.

Tossing aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan turned around to face the others.

Wu shi was still in the midst of forging the Grand Intermittence Pill. There were quite a few errors in his forging technique, but through his sharpened senses as a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert, it would not be too difficult for him to successfully forge a Grand Intermittence Pill.

Meanwhile, Guild Leader Han and the others were in the midst of recuperating from the battle and reinforcing their cultivation.

Seeing that they did not require his help, Zhang Xuan turned to the idle Luo Ruoxin and said, "I just met Kong shi."

Hearing those words, Luo Ruoxin nodded with a smile and said, "This is the place where he truly ascended to Celestial Saint, so it's perfectly normal for him to have left his will here!"

"Indeed. He advised me to forge my own path forward instead of blindly treading down the path paved by the wisdom of my predecessors."

After musing over the advice Kong shi had given him, Zhang Xuan found that there was some sense to what the other party had said.

Ever since he started cultivating, he had been relying on the Library of Heaven's Path to compile the Heaven's Path Divine Art for him. He had never tried to think deeper into the Heaven's Path Divine Art, and he had never attempted to innovate either. In a sense, he was indeed blindly treading down the path paved by his predecessors.

Luo Ruoxin nodded. "Kong shi is right. In cultivation, it is of the utmost importance that one finds a path that belongs solely to oneself."

"It seems like I can't cultivate as I did before..." As the World's Teacher and the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Kong shi must have noticed something peculiar for him to say such words. Thus, Zhang Xuan knew that he could not take the other party's words lightly.

"I know that it'll be difficult, but to become a true expert, it won't do for you to not have something of your own!" Luo Ruoxin said. "However, there's no need for you to rush into it at the moment. As long as you continue searching, you will surely be able to find your own path eventually!"

"You're right!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

In cultivation, one could only take a step at a time. At the very least, he had overcome one of the greatest hurdles ahead of him and successfully taken the first step into Sainthood.

No matter how difficult the path in the future would be, he was confident that he would eventually stand at the very peak of the Master Teacher Continent!

Holding the young lady's hand tightly within his, Zhang Xuan declared with unwavering determination, "Ruoxin, rest assured. No matter what kind of difficulties we face in the future, I will surely stand by your side until the very end!"

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Chapter 1088: Luo Ruoxin's Identity

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Wu shi's proficiency as an apothecary was still decent, so not too long later, he succeeded in forging the Grand Intermittence Pill.

It was hard to tell whether it was due to the rise in his cultivation or the incredible maturity of the Grand Intermittence Grass using in the forging, but a total of five Grand Intermittence Pills were produced from that single cauldron.

Vice Principal Tan Qing had to consume three of them before his severed limbs finally recovered back to its original state, granting him the ability to move once more.

"Old principal, you are currently a long way from reaching Primordial Spirit realm, but your soul does possess exceptional resilience due to being bathed in the sacred light for two years. Why don't I impart to you a soul cultivation technique first so that your soul can enter this puppet for the time being? Meanwhile, I will try to find a way to forge a new body for you!" Walking up to Zhang Yinqiu, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out an Otherworldly Demon puppet.

Zhang Yinqiu's soul was far more resilient than ordinary souls due to it being nourished by the sacred energy lingering around the Saint Ascension Platform for two years. While his soul couldn't be compared to Primordial Spirits, it was still capable of existing outside of its body for an extended period of time.

As long as Zhang Xuan forged him a fitting body within this period of time, he would be able to live on like an ordinary human without any problem.

"This is... an Otherworldly Demon puppet?" Upon seeing the form of the puppet, Zhang Yinqiu immediately shook his head.

He had devoted his life to fighting against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, so how could he possibly allow himself to possess the body of an Otherworldly Demon puppet?

"Back then, Grandmaster Wu Yangzi used the flesh of the Otherworldly Demons to forge these puppets. These are the very pinnacle of his craftsmanship!" Knowing that Zhang Yinqiu revered Wu Yangzi, Zhang Xuan quickly added.

"You are saying that... these puppets are personally forged by Grandmaster Wu Yangzi?" Zhang Yinqiu widened his eyes in shock before hurriedly turning his gaze towards the puppet.

His admiration for Wu Yangzi came from deep within his heart, and it was due to that that he was able to uncover so much information regarding the ancient domain while investigating Wu Yangzi's case.

After examining the Otherworldly Demon puppet for a while, he couldn't help but nod in admiration at the exquisite craftsmanship. However, he still eventually shook his head and said, "No matter what, I am still a master teacher. To live on using the flesh and blood of an Otherworldly Demon... I really can't do it!"

"Master, you aren't dead!" Just as Zhang Yinqiu was about to turn down Zhang Xuan's goodwill, an agitated voice suddenly sounded.

Zhang Yinqiu raised his head and saw a massive ape-like saint beast diving towards him with teary eyes.

"Byzantium Helios..." Upon seeing the saint beast's appearance, Zhang Yinqiu's eyes also reddened.

That saint beast was his tamed beast, the Byzantium Helios Beast!

Both the master and the subordinate thought that they were bound to be divided by life and death, and they hadn't really thought that a day would come where they would be able to meet one another again.

"Master, I really miss you..." the Byzantium Helios Beast kneeled down and hugged Zhang Yinqiu. Tears streamed freely down his face, and in this moment, he bore no resemblance to the austere Guardian Saint Beast of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy whom everyone knew of.

"It seems like the old principal truly means a lot to him..." Seeing the state of the duo, Zhang Xuan fell into deep contemplation.

It was apparent from the Byzantium Helios Beast's reaction that he truly missed the old principal. No matter what, they had still spent several centuries together, and the connection between them wasn't something that could be replaced that easily.

Thus, with a flick of his finger, Zhang Xuan returned the soul which the Byzantium Helios Beast had offered to him previously.

"Principal Zhang..." Noting the return of his soul tribute, the Byzantium Helios Beast quickly turned his gaze towards with young man with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"From today onward, you will be free to make whatever choices you want. If you like, you can remain as the old principal's tamed beast." Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

To be honest, given Zhang Xuan's current strength, it was also pointless to attempt to retain the Byzantium Helios Beast by his side either. Since that was the case, he might as well grant the other party freedom so that the other party could remain by Zhang Yinqiu's side.

"Thank you, master..." the Byzantium Helios Beast kowtowed to Zhang Xuan in gratitude.

If not for the young man before him, he might very well never meet with the old principal ever again.

"Zhang shi, I have made up my mind. I will enter the Otherworldly Demon puppet for the time being. Previously, I have nothing to hold me back. You have already become the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and I believe that it will be brought to greater heights under your leadership. That's why I thought that it would have been better for me to die gracefully than to grasp so hideously to life..."

At this point, the old principal looked at his saint beast and smiled, "However... after seeing him, I found motivation within me to continue living!"

Zhang Yinqiu was a man who had devoted his entirety to the Master Teacher Academy, so till this day, he was still without a wife and offspring. On top of that, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had already found an incredibly talented individual to take over his place, so he thought that his existence served no purpose anymore. Yet, upon seeing the fondness that the Byzantium Helios Beast had for him, he realized that there were still much more he could do. It was still too early for him to rest.

Sometimes, a person didn't just live for himself but for others as well.

"Alright!" Hearing his agreement, Zhang Xuan nodded. Reaching forward, he imbued Zhang Yinqiu's soul with a unique energy and escorted him into the puppet.

Hu!

A few moments later, the puppet opened its eyes.

The Otherworldly Demon puppet didn't look particularly impressive on the surface, but it was still a true Saint 3-dan expert. In possession of such a body, Zhang Yinqiu's fighting prowess was significantly enhanced.

After dealing with Tan Qing and Zhang Yinqiu's affairs, Zhang Xuan led the group towards the entrance of the Saint Ascension Hall, where the seal stood.

With a snap of his finger, the sphere appeared once more. And with another flick of his finger, an opening appeared within the seal.

"Alright, let's go."

The group walked out, and before long, they met up with Mu shi, Feng Xun, and the others, who were waiting outside for them.

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan and the others had returned safely together with Vice Principals Tan Qing and Ji Yan, a wave of cheerings broke out amidst the crowd.

Since the aim of their mission had been met, they decided to head out of the Qiu Wu Palace. Thus, Zhang Xuan raised the sphere up high, and a brilliant radiance shrouded the crowd.

Hu!

In the next moment, the crowd found themselves standing on the volcano on top of the Embracing Swallow Mountain.

Having finally managed to escape from the ancient domain, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a smile, he flicked his wrist, and a pile of treasures appeared before him. "Everyone, here are the treasures contained in the storage rings we have obtained thus far from killing the Otherworldly Demon Kings in the midst of our expedition. Since we have managed to get out from the ancient domain alive, it's only natural that we should split the spoils of war amongst ourselves!"

As valuable as the treasures from the Skyleaf King, Scarletleaf King, and the others were, it was with the collaborative effort of the entire expedition team that he was able to defeat them. Previously, when they were still in the ancient domain, it was unsure whether they would be able to escape with their life or not, so it made no difference whether they divided the spoils amongst themselves or not. However, since they had managed to overcome the ancient domain safely, it was only right for them to do so now.

"This..."

"Principal Zhang, you were the one who killed the Skyleaf King and the others. We can't possibly take these items..." Not expecting Zhang Xuan to take out everything within the storage rings, everyone was startled.

They couldn't help but feel a little moved by his generous gesture.

In the depths of their hearts, they knew that it was thanks to the young man before them that they were able to defeat the Otherworldly Demon Kings and escape from the ancient domain alive. Throughout the whole expedition, they hadn't accomplished anything much, so they felt embarrassed to take the items before them.

"We have entered the ancient domain as an entire team. Without the rest of you, I might not have been able to survive till now either, so there's no need to feel embarrassed..." Zhang Xuan smiled.

Upon becoming a Celestial Saint, his state of mind had changed as well.

As valuable of these artifacts were, it would be put to better use if it could raise the cultivation of more people. That would be far better than him monopolizing it alone.

"Alright then. We will be graciously accepting your gifts then..." Seeing that Zhang Xuan's mind was made up, the crowd decided not to turn him down any longer. Even after splitting the treasures amongst themselves, the gains of every individual was still very substantial.

The expedition team left Zhang Xuan with a huge bulk of the treasure, but these were of not much use to him anymore. After all, his greatest gain in the ancient domain was gaining possession of the Qiu Wu Palace!

Hu!

With a twist of the sphere, the folded space which the ancient domain was located in was secretly transferred to the surface of the sphere. From afar, it looked as if a map was inscribed onto the sphere.

After dividing the treasures, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han walked up to Zhang Xuan, and Wu shi said, "Principal Zhang, since this matter has been settled, we will be heading straight back to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire to report. Thus, we will be bidding you farewell here..."

"Alright. May we meet again in the future." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Before we leave, we would like to have a private chat with you. Is that fine with you?" Wu shi sent a telepathic message over.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan replied.

With a grasp of his hand, he created a seal around him to prevent anyone from listening in. After which, he turned to the duo and asked, "May I know what matter it is that you would have to keep it away from the ears of the others?"

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han glanced at one another hesitantly before Guild Leader Han stepped forward to speak, "Actually, it isn't anything much, but there's just one matter which... we would like to advise Principal Zhang on!"

"Advise?" Zhang Xuan frowned doubtfully.

Just what kind of matter could it be for the both of them to offer him an advice privately?

"I'll get straight to the point then. Based on our observations over the past few days, I believe that Principal Zhang is interested in courting Luo shi, right?" After a moment of silence, Wu shi said.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively.

It was perfectly normal for a gentleman to court a lady, there was no need for him to deny the matter before others.

Not to mention, the lady was the only person whom he had found his heart beating for, and he had intended to spend his entire life together with her.

"Then... Are you aware of Luo shi's background?" Wu shi asked.

"This... Based on what I have heard so far, it seems like she's related to Sage Luo Clan?" Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking.

"That is indeed what the both of us have deduced as well. In fact, we believe that there is a very good chance she's the young princess of the Luo Clan!" Wu shi revealed his deduction with a grim expression.

"Young princess?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Un. The young princess is known to have the purest bloodline in the Luo Clan ever since the time of the founder. Not only does she possess unparalleled talents, it's said that she has also inherited the supreme artifact of the Luo Clan as well, the Dimension Silencer..."

Wu shi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Sage Clans pay particular heed to the purity of their bloodline, and as such, the choice of partner is extremely important to them. Not to mention, she is in possession of the most important artifact of the Luo Clan... So, under normal circumstances, it's impossible for her to be wedded to any outsiders!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned. "If she's not allowed to be wedded to outsiders, is she to remain single for life?"

"For those whose bloodlines are of average purity, it wouldn't matter whether if they were wedded to outsiders or not. But for those whose bloodlines are as pure as the young princess of the Luo Clan... it would be difficult!" Wu shi shook his head. "Even if she were to get married, it would very likely be a matrimony amongst Sage Clans!"

"Matrimony amongst the Sage Clans?"

"Indeed. The cultivation techniques of Sage Clans mustn't be leaked to outsiders at any cost, so those of the Sage Clans often opt to marry amongst themselves. Furthermore, if one marries to another whose bloodline is as pure as one, there will there be a greater chance for the offspring to possess equivalent or greater talent... Thus, I fear that your wish to get together with her will be fraught with difficulties. It is an arduous path you are treading on!" Wu shi hesitated for a moment before he replied.

He was not opposed to the both of them getting together, but he felt that there were some things which Zhang Xuan should know beforehand.

It was simply not that easy to wed the daughter of a Sage Clan.

"More importantly... according to what I know, the young princess of the Luo Clan is already betrothed to an offspring of a very powerful Sage Clan! It is also for this reason that the young princess fled from the clan, and to this date, no one knows where she is..."

The one who spoke this time around was Guild Leader Han.

After having guessed Luo Ruoxin's identity, the various rumors he had heard regarding her surfaced in his mind. While it was only secondhand news, so there was a good chance it was unreliable, he still felt that it was important to inform Zhang Xuan of it.

If Zhang Xuan really wished to get together with Luo Ruoxin, he would not only have to go against the Luo Clan but the other Sage Clan which Luo Ruoxin was betrothed to.

Since they had braved through danger together, he mustn't allow Zhang Xuan to dive into the matter without understanding the risks.

"Betrothed to an offspring of a very powerful clan? What clan is it?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

"It is a clan which shares the same surname as yours!" At this point, Wu shi paused for a moment before continuing on.

"Zhang Clan of the Sage Clans!"

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