Chapter 675

Chapter 675: Beating Heart

Right after calling out that man’s name, Yu Fei-er’s face turned crimson, and she quickly shook her head in denial.

‘How can he possibly be here…’

Considering the duration they had been fleeing for, they were at least several kilometers into the depths of the underground chamber. On top of that, there were many Otherworldly Demon puppets patrolling the area, ready to take out any intruder. Most important of all, that fellow had clearly entered the other passageway, so how could he possibly appear here?

There was no doubt about it, she must be hallucinating!

Right after she reaffirming that she would never fall in love with that despicable fellow, she actually hallucinated his voice and thought that he would come to her rescue… How embarrassing!

“It was just a passing remark, none of you heard a thing at all… Got it?”

Yu Fei-er harrumphed furiously with a threatening edge in her tone.

“Cough cough…”

Wu Zhen and the others glanced at one another before replying, “Princess… it seems like we heard those words as well.”

“You all heard those words too?”

Taken aback, Yu Fei-er quickly scanned her surroundings anxiously. But other than the two puppets which were still striking the barrier of light relentlessly, there wasn’t anyone aside from them.

“Since all of us distinctly heard his voice, it is unlikely to be an imagination on our part…”

Xing Yuan nodded.

While he did detest Zhang Xuan, it was still consoling to hear the other party’s voice at this crucial moment.

Seeing that the other party actually doubted his existence after he had spoken, he shook his head helplessly and continued transmitting his voice to them.

“Alright, none of you are hallucinating. I’m indeed Zhang Xuan, and I am here to save you all. My physical body is still outside, and I am currently using a secret art to transmit my voice over…”

As he couldn’t reveal that he was a floating soul at this moment—this would expose his identity as a soul oracle—he could only explain it by this.

“If you’re outside, could this be… Transmission Over a Thousand Li?”

Xing Yuan and the others widened their eyes in shock.

One must know that not even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan could possibly transmit his voice so clearly over several kilometers.

Could it be that… Zhang Xuan already possessed such immense strength?

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was aware of their situation and intended to save them, Yu Fei-er heaved a sigh of relied and asked, “How do you intend to save us? Do you have an idea in mind?”

This fellow might be hateful, but he did possess incredible capabilities.

Otherwise, how could she possibly have been bullied so many times and yet still be helpless against him?

“It’s precisely because I don’t have any ideas that I’m here to discuss this matter with you…” Zhang Xuan said.

He really had no idea in mind.

His soul might have been able to sneak in without catching anyone’s notice, but if he were to attempt to bring the others out, they would surely be surrounded and killed before they could get far.

“Discuss? If we had an idea in mind, we would have already escaped from this darned place long ago…” Xing Yuan said with a darkened face.

His spirits had lifted after hearing Zhang Xuan’s voice, but who would have thought that the other party was as lost as them?

“Alright, why don’t you all tell me the situation here in-depth? This will help me find a viable solution to your current plight. For one, I saw quite a few puppets walking away from your direction when I was scouting around just now. Under normal circumstances, they should have all gathered here to get rid of you together. Why did they walk away, leaving only these two here?”

Zhang Xuan raised the doubt that had been plaguing him all along.

If all of them were to attack at once, the barrier of light would have shattered long ago, and this group would be cold corpses by now.

While the puppets didn’t possess intelligence, it was reasonable to think that they were programmed to encircle and defeat any intruders into the underground chamber. After all, the puppet he had met in the stone room before had pursued him frenziedly, threatening to grind him into meat paste. As such, how could they possibly let such a huge group off?

Perhaps, there might be some fundamental logic to it. If he were to exploit this, he might be able to find a way to save the group.

“Not too long after we entered this underground chamber, we encountered those Otherworldly Demon puppets. We were immediately overpowered by them, and they deliberately blocked the way back to the passageway. Thus, we could only retreat deeper into the underground chamber while fending them off…”

Ye Qian swiftly explained everything that happened.

Right after walking down the flight of stairs, they immediately saw this underground town, so they quickly rushed to it excitedly, thinking that they had found a vital clue. Who could have thought that they would meet with the Otherworldly Demon puppets not too long later?

That was also the region where Zhang Xuan first found the traces of battle.

Surrounded by a group of Saint realm puppets, they were naturally not a match at all.

It was fortunate that Xing Yuan and Princess Fei-er possessed many valuable artifacts on them. Hurling them out while retreating, they managed to fend the enemies off. Even so, they were still severely injured through the many encounters.

Fleeing all the way to the altar, they happened to find Wu Yangzi’s corpse and triggered the mechanism he had left behind. It was then that the barrier of light emerged, and they got a moment of breather.

Meaning, this barrier of light was indeed an artifact left behind by Wu Yangzi. It was probably a means to prevent his corpse from being defaced by the Otherworldly Demons after his death, but who could have known that it would unintentionally save the juniors who came searching for him two thousand years later?

However, judging from the current state of the barrier, it was unlikely to last too much longer.

After hearing Ye Qian’s works, Yu Fei-er harrumphed.

“Who said that those fellows didn’t gather here in an attempt to get rid of us? All twenty of them were here a moment ago, or else the barrier of light couldn’t possibly wane so quickly. Just that… for some reason unknown to us, they left abruptly!”

It wasn’t that those fellows didn’t come to encircle them, but that they were unable to break the barrier and left. Who knows when they will return?

All of the defensive artifacts they possessed were depleted. Once the barrier of light shattered, they would lose their only protection. Even if Zhang Xuan was here to support them, it was still highly unlikely that they would be able to escape.

“You said that they left after attacking the barrier for a moment?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

That didn’t make sense at all. If those fellows had continued, the barrier of light would have shattered by now. Why would those puppets march off during such a crucial moment, leaving only two of them to continue?

The group nodded.

“When did they leave?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Around ten minutes ago or so!” Ye Qian said.

“Ten minutes ago? That’s around the time that Little Qi and I left the underground chamber…”

Frowning, a thought suddenly surfaced, and Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. “Could it be…”

Could it be that… these fellows found out that he had breached the other passageway, and were heading over to support their ally?

If that was the case, he would be in great danger!

His physical body was still hidden in the passageway near the entrance of the underground chamber. If he were to be noticed by them, wouldn’t his body be smashed into pieces?

“Give me a moment, I’ll look around and figure something out…”

His physical body was of the greatest importance to him now, he couldn’t allow anything to go wrong with it. Not to mention, if his physical body were to be ruined, there was no way he could help Yu Fei-er and the others out of their current plight.

Thus, leaving behind these words, he immediately rushed off.

“Hey! …Hey!”

As his voice slowly faded, the surroundings grew silent once more. Yu Fei-er shouted in panic a few times, but she didn’t receive any response. Infuriated, she smacked the ground with her fist.

What the heck was that?

He was here to save them, and yet he disappeared without doing anything at all. What was he up to?

…

Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered with the resentment that was piling up on him at the moment. His soul rushed all the back to the passageway at the quickest speed possible.

It was due to his fear of being noticed that he moved slowly previously, but given that it was likely that his physical danger was in danger now, he couldn’t bother about that anymore. Soon, he arrived back at the flight of stairs.

‘There are no puppets here…’

On the stone steps, his physical body was still meditating quietly by the corner, untouched by anyone.

‘Was I wrong?’

He thought that the other puppets were rushing to aid their ally in the other underground chamber after learning that it had been breached by intruders, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion.

“Clone!”

Hu!

Releasing his clone, Zhang Xuan placed his physical body into his storage ring.

While his physical body couldn’t survive for too long in the storage ring, this should be the safer course of action for the moment.

Naturally, the ring was left with his clone.

Even though his clone had proven to be unreliable on many occasions, the might of the Nine Hearts Lotus wasn’t for show. Those Otherworldly Demon puppets might be formidable, but it would still be extremely difficult for them to kill his clone.

At the very least, his clone should be able to ensure the safety of his main body.

“Wait here for me, I’ll take a look to see what the puppets are up to. At the very least, I’ll be able to prepare for whatever they are up to…”

After instructing his clone, Zhang Xuan’s soul flew into the depths of the underground chamber once more.

Given that those puppets weren’t going to the other underground chamber, they must be up to something. Otherwise, they couldn’t possibly let Yu Fei-er and the others go.

Thus, Zhang Xuan felt that there was an imperative need for him to uncover what those fellows were up to!

After flying for a moment, Zhang Xuan saw the first wave of puppets once more. They were currently moving to the corner of the ‘city’.

‘What are they doing there?’

The corner of the city wasn’t lit up by Night Illumination Pearls, so it was pitch-black. Nevertheless, the puppets marched on tirelessly, disappearing into the darkness swiftly.

‘Eye of Insight!’

With the Eye of Insight activated, the pitch-black area suddenly became visible to his sight.

The Eye of Insight wasn’t just capable of seeing through facade, even darkness couldn’t conceal its vision.

Examining the surroundings closely, Zhang Xuan continued following the puppets forward.

Very soon, the puppets left the city and arrived before a stream.

‘It’s probably connected to the stream I saw above…’

Zhang Xuan’s eyes shot up.

To think that the stream above would actually flow through this area as well!

However, what were they planning to do here instead of attacking Yu Fei-er and the others?

Huala!

In the midst of Zhang Xuan’s confusion, one of the puppets stepped into the river.

Geji! Geji!

As soon as the puppet stepped in, a series of gears clicked, and a round pedestal appeared in the middle of the stream.

As soon as the round pedestal surfaced, an overwhelming killing intent immediately filled the surroundings.

The blast of overpowering killing intent induced an immense pressure weighing down on Zhang Xuan’s soul.

‘To think that the killing intent even affects souls?’

Zhang Xuan quickly drove the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, and only then did he finally recover from the impact. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

He was currently a soul, possessing no shape and no form. Who knew that the killing intent emanated from the surfaced round pedestal would be so powerful that it nearly caused his soul to plummet to the ground?

The scale was completely incomparable to the living Otherworldly Demon that Hong shi caught.

‘What in the world is that?’

Gathering more lines of insights in his energy, Zhang Xuan focused his gaze on the round pedestal. Even without thinking, it was clear that there was something wrong with the current situation.

On the round pedestal, there was an object around the size of the watermelon. It contracted and expanded at a constant frequency, creating a loud rumbling noise reminiscent of thunder along with its movements.

‘A heart?’

Zhang Xuan’s body froze.

He was doubtful at first, but the more he looked at it, the more apparent it became to him that the object placed at the center pedestal was a crimson heart!

Why was there a heart here? And more importantly… how was it still beating?

Just as Zhang Xuan was perplexed by the situation before him, he saw the puppet which leaped into the water kneeling before the round pedestal.

Hu hu hu hu!

Along with the beating of the heart, spiritual energy was drawn from the stream by the heart and infused into the puppet. The worn-out puppet immediately became energized once more.

‘The puppets are… recharging their energy?’

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists in agitation.

Chapter 676: Reduced to a Lump of Meat

Even a cultivator would eventually find himself drained and exhausted after fighting for a long period of time, needless to say, a puppet!

These puppets were installed with a Spirit Gathering Formation in their bodies, and they relied on absorbing the spiritual energy from the surroundings or from spirit stones to move. Thus, if they were to overexert themselves, it was possible for them to stop functioning due to lack of power.

This explained why the twenty or so puppets left shortly after attacking the barrier of light. It seemed that they had overexerted themselves by striking the barrier of light with their full might relentlessly, and thus needed to recharge themselves.

“This underground stream is actually a spirit vein, and it gathers the spiritual energy from the meandering mountain range that spans a thousand kilometers. There is indeed sufficient spiritual energy contained in the stream to replenish the energy in those puppets… but even so, it shouldn’t be easy for the puppet to absorb the spiritual energy in the stream so easily and quickly! There’s something very weird about the heart!”

Just as a cultivator couldn’t possibly restore their zhenqi to their full capacity in an instant, a puppet also needed some time to recharge itself.

To recover completely within a few breaths was downright absurd.

Most probably, this ridiculous situation must have something to do with the heart.

In the first place, it was already bizarre that a heart overflowing with killing intent would actually be placed within a stream of spiritual energy. Furthermore, there was something very sinister about this heart that seemed to send endless chills down Zhang Xuan’s spine as he looked at it.

This eerie sight was triggering all of his alarms!

Gugugugu!

While Zhang Xuan was still examining the beating heart in bewilderment, another Otherworldly Demon puppet stepped forward. Along with the beating of the heart, it recovered its strength.

“It’ll be disastrous if this goes on…”

Seeing the Otherworldly Demon puppets regaining their strength one by one, Zhang Xuan’s heart beat in anxiety.

If he didn’t do anything, it wouldn’t be long before all of the puppets recovered and returned to attack Yu Fei-er and the others. Should that happen, the latter would definitely die here!

“I must bring Yu Fei-er and the others out of here before all of these puppets regain their strength!”

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists together grimly.

In truth, this could be considered as an opportunity as well. Most of the puppets were currently busy recharging here, and it would take some time before they would return. This was probably the only chance he was going to get to save them. Once the other puppets returned, there would be nothing more Zhang Xuan could do.

“But even if that is the case… I am still unable to defeat the two remaining puppets to save Yu Fei-er…”

While Zhang Xuan knew that he had to firmly grasp this opportunity, the might of the two remaining Otherworldly Demon puppets was simply beyond him. Not to mention, if a fight were to occur, it was likely that the disturbance in the spiritual energy in the air, as well as the shock wave from the trading of blows, would catch the attention of the other puppets as well. Chances were the puppets would encircle them before they could get away from this underground chamber.

The main reason why Zhang Xuan was able to kill the previous Otherworldly Demon puppet in the stone chamber was due to assistance from Luo Qiqi’s side, and the apt usage of a valuable artifact, the Crimson Blaze Cauldron. Given that neither Luo Qiqi nor that artifact were here… it was nigh impossible for Zhang Xuan to slay two Otherworldly Demon puppets!

In the end, his options were restricted due to his low cultivation realm.

“Right, I could do that…”

Just as Zhang Xuan was rubbing his glabella in frustration, an idea suddenly streaked across his mind.

Carefully analyzing and fixing the various aspects of his plan, his eyes slowly grew brighter and brighter. After confirming that it was feasible, his soul immediately flew off.

He didn’t head off to the altar where Yu Fei-er and the others were waiting. Instead, he quickly returned to the passageway to return his clone to his storage ring before wrapping his soul energy around the ring and carrying it to a remote, narrow alley within the city.

Then, he summoned his clone and a humongous corpse out from his storage ring.

The humongous corpse consisted of two parts—a head and a body. It was the Otherworldly Demon which he had decapitated back in the stone chamber.

“Possession!”

Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath before his soul dived into the puppet’s body.

Hu la!

Similar to the Soulless Metal Humanoid, these puppets were forged out of real bodies as well. Thus, it wasn’t too difficult for his soul to enter the body.

Just that, due to the overwhelming killing intent infused within the body, only a person who cultivated the Heaven’s Path Soul Art like Zhang Xuan would be able to enter such a body.

Any other soul oracle would have had their soul dissipated before they could even come into contact with it.

Geji!

As soon as Zhang Xuan’s soul seeped into the body, the puppet on the ground twitched, and it began to struggle to its feet.

“It’s indeed possible…”

Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Just as Zhang Xuan was considering how he should save Yu Fei-er and the others, he’d suddenly recalled the existence of this corpse in his storage ring.

Even though the puppet’s head was lopped off, that wouldn’t hinder its ability to house a soul. As long as Zhang Xuan could possess it, he should be able to move it. Perhaps, he might be able to fool the other Otherworldly Demon puppets through this and save Yu Fei-er and the others.

The possessed puppet bent down to grab his head and place it on his neck. Then, it began to shake its limbs to adapt to the new body before running off to the altar excitedly.

But barely after taking a few steps, ‘peng!’, the puppet crashed into a pillar, and its head rolled far into the distance.

The puppet immediately fumbled its way to its head, picked it up, and installed it on its neck once more.

Typically speaking, it would be impossible for anyone to tell that the puppet was currently possessed. However, due to the puppet’s head having been severed before, it could fall off very easily, and that would be a dead giveaway.

“I’ll have to support it then…”

If the puppet’s head were to shake on top of its neck while moving around, Zhang Xuan would surely be exposed. Thus, he could only helplessly raise his palm to support his head while making his way to the altar.

The place he was hiding at previously wasn’t too far from the altar, so it didn’t take him too long to arrive there.

“We’re doomed…”

Yu Fei-er and the others were waiting expectantly for Zhang Xuan to arrive and save them, but who knew that an Otherworldly Demon puppet would appear instead. Their faces immediately sunk.

The barrier of light was already on the verge of shattering under the combined offense of the two puppets. With one more here, their fates were sealed.

Just that, there was something very peculiar about this puppet. Its head was tilting unnaturally to one side, and it seemed as though it would fall if not for a hand placed by its head to support it. It was an extremely eerie sight.

The unnaturally bent-head puppet soon arrived before the barrier of light, and it tapped on the shoulders of the two puppets who were still striking the barrier.

The two puppets ceased their attacks and turned to look at the two.

Roar!

The bent-head puppet pointed to his back, and tracing his finger, Yu Fei-er and the others saw a human figure sneaking toward them under the dim light granted by the Night Illumination Pearls.

“Zhang shi!”

After taking a close look at the other party’s appearance, Yu Fei-er and the others began to panic.

‘What the heck is that foolish man trying to do!

‘If you want to save us, you should at least try learning how to hide your presence first!

‘To actually stand right before a Night Illumination Pearl like that, aren’t you just waiting to be discovered?

‘More importantly, after being noticed by the puppet with the bent head, not only did you not flee immediately, you even continued to advance forward. Does hell really interest you so much that you are bent on charging right into it?

‘You aren’t trying to save us, you are trying to court death!’

Roar!

Naturally, the other two puppets also noticed Zhang Xuan. Roaring furiously, one stepped forcefully against the ground and charged toward him.

Against that fearsome charge, Zhang Xuan’s face immediately paled in shock. He immediately tried to escape, but there was no way he could possibly outrun a Saint realm puppet. Thus, he was struck squarely in his head.

Peng!

His face caved in as if a donut, and his body went flying through numerous buildings.

“Zhang shi…”

“Zhang Xuan…”

Not expecting that their ‘savior’ would have his head crushed before he could even reach them, the bodies of Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and the others trembled, and they nearly fainted from shock.

It wasn’t too long ago that the other party proudly declared that he would save them, and yet, he was killed as soon as he made an appearance…

This was probably the most anticlimactic rescue operation of all time!

Yu Fei-er’s eyes turned red upon that sight, and with quivering lips, she bellowed anxiously, “Aren’t you… supposed to be formidable? I haven’t won against you in a bet yet, you can’t die like that…”

‘What the heck is this!

‘Weren’t you quite formidable when you were bullying me?

‘Why did you become so weak before these puppets? How could you allow your head to be smashed in just like that?

‘Shouldn’t you have at least learned your lesson after accidentally reducing your body to a mere corpse while cultivating in the Cleansing Lake?’

The others also shook their heads in disappointment. They weren’t in the position to grieve over Zhang Xuan—after all, they were next.

On the other hand, the puppet who smashed Zhang Xuan’s head in turned around and returned to the barrier of light after eliminating the intruder.

However, before it could get far, the bent-head puppet pointed to its back once more.

Frowning, the puppet turned around, only to see the fellow from before standing before it in an upright position. While his face was caved in and his legs were shaking, he was standing firmly on the spot.

“Ah?”

“This…”

Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and the others who had just given up all hope widened their mouths in shock.

To be able to stand up after his head was caved in to such an extent… Are you serious?

The dumbfounded Yu Fei-er mumbled in a daze, “He… isn’t dead?”

Recalling something, through her quivering red lips, she muttered, “Did he… get possessed by some spirit again?”

A similar situation had occurred back at the Cleansing Lake. Back when their attention had been captured by something else, his lifeless body had secretly crept back into the lake. Could it be that history was repeating itself? After all, how could a person whose face was caved in like that possibly stand up once more?

Being possessed in itself was completely inconceivable already, and yet for it to happen twice to the same person within such a short period of time…

Just how many vengeful spirits have you offended?

Roar!

The ridiculous scene left even the emotionless puppet stunned for a moment. But after which, it immediately dashed forward and kicked Zhang Xuan.

Peng!

Under the might of the powerful kick, Zhang Xuan’s ribcage broke, and his chest sunk inward. Once again, he crashed through many buildings, disappearing amidst a cloud of dust.

Confident that it had managed to slay Zhang Xuan this time around, the puppet nodded in satisfaction. However, right after turning around, it saw the puppet with the crooked head pointing behind it with a look of fright yet again.

Turning its head around anxiously, the puppet saw an upright silhouette with a sunk-in chest amidst the cloud of dust. Its hands were placed against its waist, as if nothing had happened at all.

“AHHHHHHH…”

Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, and the others were already completely stupefied by the sight before them. All of them slapped their cheeks tightly to confirm whether they were in a dream or not.

What the heck was going on?

His face was caved in, and his chest was sunk in, and yet he was still standing… What kind of sorcery was this!

Hu!

Not expecting the fellow to still be alive after two consecutive strikes, the puppet roared furiously and dashed forward, striking Zhang Xuan relentlessly with its fists and kicks.

After a short moment, Zhang Xuan was completely disfigured.

Half of his head was blasted off, his body was crushed and had become almost as thin as a slice of a paper, and his bones had been reduced to dust.

Only after that fellow was reduced to just a lump of meat did the puppet finally end its attacks. Satisfied, it turned around and walked back.

But yet once again, the puppet with the bent head pointed behind it.

Roaring furiously, it turned its head around and saw that figure which had been crushed into something without the slightest resemblance of a human standing up once more. His crushed arms were placed weakly against his waist, and his eyes were filled with mockery.

“The heck…”

“Is that really Zhang shi?”

“How in the freaking world can he still be alive after all that?”

“I must be dreaming!”

Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and Ye Qian were completely overwhelmed by this madness.

Considering how a part of his head had been blasted away and the tragic state his body was in, it should be physically impossible for Zhang Xuan to stand up at all. This was probably not as simple as a mere possession.

Not even a spirit could possibly make this lump of meat stand up once more!

Chapter 677: Thank You, Zhang Xuan

“Sixth Princess, you are the most knowledgeable of us here. Do you know what is going on?”

Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Xing Yuan asked.

“I-I…”

At this point, Yu Fei-er was on the verge of tears.

As a princess, she had access to many secret manuals exclusive to the royal family, and she was also exposed to many unique techniques in the world. But even so, she couldn’t imagine a single technique in the world that could allow a person to stand up after being reduced to a lump of meat.

“What about you?”

Xing Yuan turned to Wu Zhen and asked.

Given how the latter specialized in mechanisms, he might be able to see the secret behind this peculiarity.

“I…”

Wu Zhen’s lips quivered as his face twitched violently.

He specialized in mechanisms, not cryptozoology! How could he possibly know what was going on?

While the few of them were rendered completely insane by the turn of events, the two puppets were also frenzied by the scene before them.

To still be able to stand up after all of that, are you still a human?

Huhuhu!

The bent-head puppet seemed to be frightened by the sight before it. He immediately patted the shoulder of the second puppet by the barrier of light and pointed to that monstrous fellow, gesturing it to head over there to support the first puppet.

The puppet hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Following which, it immediately dashed for Zhang Xuan.

The overpowering killing intent of the two puppets overlapped with one another, thus exerting a formidable pressure on those before their presence.

However, as soon as the second puppet came heading for him, Zhang Xuan immediately turned around to flee.

Hu!

With a swift leap, he disappeared into the darkness.

Roar! Roar!

Not expecting the other party to still be able to flee so quickly despite being reduced to such a state, the two puppets were astonished. They immediately rushed forward to pursue him, and before long, they disappeared into the depths of the darkness as well.

On the other hand, staring at the escaping Zhang Xuan, Yu Fei-er and the others were dumbstruck.

Since you are able to flee, what the hell were you doing just now?

To leave only after you are reduced to such a state, what is going through your mind?

“Hurry up! Lift the barrier of light and leave!”

Just as the few of them were bewildered by the situation, Zhang Xuan voice sounded.

Stunned, they immediately looked in the direction where the voice came from. To their shock, it actually came from the bent-head puppet.

“Zhang shi?”

The group stared at the puppet before them with perfectly widened eyes.

“Yes, it’s me. I managed to lure the both of them away with a special art. Hurry up and leave with me. Otherwise, it’ll be too late once the other puppets return!”

The bent-head puppet urged anxiously.

“Are you… really Zhang shi?”

Even though the voice was definitely Zhang shi’s, the savage expression on the puppet made it hard to put the both of them together.

Not to mention, they had just seen him getting smashed into a lump of meat… how did he become a puppet in the blink of an eye?

Even the most proficient disguiser wouldn’t be that exaggerated!

“I really am him. You lost a bet to me, and you are currently still serving as my maid…”

There was no time for them to waste. Knowing that it was normal for the other party to suspect him given his current appearance, Zhang Xuan immediately tried to validate his credibility. He turned Xing Yuan and said, “Back at the Cleansing Lake, you came to look for me, asking me to admit my defeat…”

“Fine, I believe you…”

“You are Zhang Xuan!”

Yu Fei-er’s face reddened whereas black lines streaked Xing Yuan’s face.

There weren’t many people who knew of Yu Fei-er becoming a maid, and the matter regarding Xing Yuan asking Zhang Xuan to admit defeat on the bet was known only by the two of them. Thus, these served as sufficient evidence to prove that the puppet was indeed Zhang shi.

Hu!

After affirming the other party’s identity, Yu Fei-er raised her hand and grabbed onto something, and the barrier of light vanished.

“Let’s go!”

Knowing that there was a limit to how long his clone could distract the two puppets, Zhang Xuan immediately led the way while holding onto his head.

But after taking two steps, he realized that no one was following him, Thus, he turned around, only to see the four of them still seated on the ground with pale faces.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked with a frown.

“Our wounds are more severe than we thought… We aren’t able to move at all…”

Xing Yuan said awkwardly.

The other party had spent so much effort planning this operation to save them, and yet they were unable to run away due to their severe injuries. The entire group felt that they had let Zhang Xuan down.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to get away, so please bring Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s body back with you. Tell the academy that we have accomplished our mission, and that we didn’t let the academy down…”

Xing Yuan said with clenched jaws.

It was at least seven to eight kilometers to the passageway. Given their severe injuries, they would surely be caught before they could reach it.

Since it was impossible for them to get away, they would rather Zhang Xuan bring back the corpse. At least, this would bring some value to their deaths.

“What is the use bringing a corpse back?”

Not expecting that fellow to utter such words at such a timing, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Of course, this action caused his head to fall down yet again.

Hurriedly picking it up and implanting it on his neck, he turned to look at Wu Zhen and asked, “Do you have any wine?”

“Wine?”

Wu Zhen was taken aback for a moment before nodding. Flicking his wrist, he took out a gourd.

He enjoyed wine, so he often carried such wine gourds along with him.

Zhang Xuan caught the wine and kept it in his storage ring. Following which, he established a connection with his main body he was currently storing inside the storage ring.

His Heaven’s Path zhenqi was contained only within his main body, so he couldn’t infuse it in through just his soul.

If it was before, he would have to bring his main body out and have his soul enter it first before he would be able to infuse Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the wine. However, having achieved Mind of Void, his physical body was able to move even without a soul in it.

Gugugugu!

After infusing seven to eight surges of zhenqi into the wine gourd, Zhang Xuan took it out from the storage ring and passed it to Yu Fei-er.

“Drink a few sips.”

“Un!”

Even though she didn’t know what he was up to, she knew that this wasn’t the time for questions. Thus, she immediately uncorked the gourd and drank it without any hesitation.

As the rich wine went down her throat, she felt a warm flow surging through her body. In less than two breaths, the excruciating pain she was suffering from turned into a mere numbing sensation, and the gaping wounds from before had healed completely.

“This…”

Looking at her recovered body, Yu Fei-er was stunned.

Could this be the… Saint recovery medicine that Wu Zhen talked about?

It was actually so formidable?

She quickly passed the wine gourd for the other three to drink, and soon, they were all fully-recovered.

“Xing Yuan, keep Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s corpse. Let’s go!”

Seeing that everyone had recovered, Yu Fei-er quickly instructed before the group hurriedly followed behind Zhang Xuan.

Having recovered their strength, they moved at a swift pace. The only problem they met was that Zhang Xuan would have to support his head carefully so that it wouldn’t accidentally fall off his neck.

“We need to speed up…”

Left with no choice, Zhang Xuan decided to just grab his head in front of his chest and charge forward.

Even though his soul wasn’t perfectly compatible with the puppet, he was still able to bring out a significant degree of the puppet’s Saint realm strength. With just a single leap, he would be able to cover a long distance.

Yu Fei-er and the others had to push themselves to the limit just to be able to catch up.

In a short moment, the four of them had already covered three kilometers. The passageway was slowly getting closer and closer to them.

“Everyone, hurry up! We’ll be safe once we escape from the passageway…” Zhang Xuan urged.

The narrow entrance of the passageway would be perfect for Zhang Xuan to set up his 6-star formation and block the Otherworldly Demon puppets, thus allowing everyone to escape safely.

Roar!

Just as they were fleeing with all their might, they suddenly heard a furious roar in the air. It seemed like the puppets had finally noticed that they were missing.

Along with that roar, shadows suddenly flashed across their surroundings, and the puppets who were recharging at the stream earlier appeared before them, blocking their path of advance.

“Damn it…”

Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

He had been rushing all along in fear that these fellows would return after they were done replenishing their energy. Who knew that despite his efforts, he would still be dozens of breaths late.

“What do we do now?”

Not expecting that they would be surrounded by so many puppets after escaping this far, Yu Fei-er and the others turned ghastly pale.

They were only able to escape previously due to their numerous defensive artifacts hindering the attacks of the puppets. Now that they were all consumed, how could they escape from this encirclement?

Roar!

Zhang Xuan stepped forward to explain, but a puppet rushed forward to kick him instead.

Peng!

His head and body immediately separated, both crashing heavily onto the ground.

“These puppets… are actually able to discern friend from foe even among themselves?”

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Zhang Xuan was currently in the body of an Otherworldly Demon puppet. Even though his head could fall off anytime, his outer appearance was no different from the others.

Under normal circumstances, the other puppets shouldn’t be able to recognize Zhang Xuan, and he would be able to blend in as their peer. Who knew that he would be struck without any hesitation… Without a doubt, the puppets were able to determine their enemy!

Weren’t puppets a type of mechanism which didn’t possess self-intelligence?

How could it differentiate between an enemy and an ally?

“Damn it!”

Pushing itself up from the ground, the headless puppet charged toward the one which attacked it.

A strong gust of wind whooshed, and immense might poured forth from his fist.

Peng!

The opposing puppet met the fist of the headless puppet with a fist of his own, and the headless puppet was immediately knocked flying once more.

Even though the puppet was strong, Zhang Xuan’s current soul cultivation realm was only at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, thus preventing him from drawing upon the full strength of a Saint realm. Naturally, he wasn’t a match for the other party.

Geji geji!

While Zhang Xuan was clashing with one of the Otherworldly Demon puppets, the others were slowly closing in on Yu Fei-er and the others.

It seemed as if they would charge forward to kill the latter at any moment now.

“If this continues, they will surely die…”

With his current form as a soul, it was still possible for Zhang Xuan to escape. However, if he were to do so, Yu Fei-er and the others would be killed the next moment.

What should he do?

Was he supposed to give up after going through all that effort?

“Forget it, I’ll gamble everything on this then!”

Just as Zhang Xuan was at a complete loss, he suddenly recalled that large beating heart he saw previously, as well as the respect the puppets showed it. An idea suddenly popped into his head.

“Since you all want to kill us, let’s go down together then! I’ll crush the heart right now…”

Bellowing furiously, the puppet which Zhang Xuan was controlling immediately leaped up and dashed straight for the stream.

Roar?

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s bellow and his direction of movement, the puppets were stunned for a brief instant before a streak of insanity infected every last one of them. Their attention were immediately torn away from Yu Fei-er and the others, and they hurriedly pursued Zhang Xuan.

“You all should leave right now, there’s no need to worry about me…”

Seeing those fellows pursue him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to Yu Fei-er and the others and howled.

“Zhang shi…”

“Zhang Xuan…”

Not expecting Zhang shi to draw away all of the puppets singlehandedly just so that they could get away, Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, and the others felt their hearts tightened, and their eyes reddened in agitation.

If they were harboring some grudges or even envy toward him previously, all that was left now was gratitude!

In order to save them, the other party willingly put himself in a position of grave danger…

It was no wonder why Zhang shi was so deeply respected by his students and deeply trusted by the group from Hongfeng Empire…

His character was indeed worthy of respect.

Zhang shi, thank you!

“We mustn’t waste this opportunity Zhang shi created by putting his life on the line. Let’s go!”

Gritting his teeth, Xing Yuan and the others quickly fled to the passageway.

Chapter 678: Zhang Xuan Is Dead Again?

For them, Zhang shi willingly lured away the puppets away into the depths of the underground chamber, using himself as bait. If they were to remain here and allow themselves to be killed, they would truly be letting everyone down.

With eyes filled with indescribable, intense emotions, they exerted strength beyond their limits, and in just a few dozen breaths, they arrived at the passageway once more.

Looking into the distance, the underground city seemed to have been blanketed by a cloak of darkness. The dim light from the Night Illumination Pearls could no longer be clearly seen from their current location.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Vaguely, the shouts of the Otherworldly Demon puppets and the sound of objects shattering could be heard.

Knowing that the passageway wasn’t safe either—just a single puppet here would be able to clear away all of them—Xing Yuan said, “This place isn’t safe, let’s go up first. Zhang shi… should have an escape plan in mind.”

“Un.”

Knowing that they would be of no help even if they were to wait here, the crowd headed up, and before long, they were standing at the entrance of the passageway.

Luo Qiqi, who was waiting on top, immediately rushed up to welcome the group excitedly upon seeing them.

“You’ve all finally returned! Are you all fine?”

“We’re fine!”

There wasn’t the slightest bit of relief or joy one should have after escaping from danger on Yu Fei-er and the others faces. Instead, they kept subconsciously sending worried gazes into the passageway.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing their peculiarity, Luo Qiqi frowned. Then, she suddenly realized something, and her body froze. “Where is teacher?”

“He…”

Xing Yuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation, and with a lump in his throat, he said hoarsely, “In order to save us, he used himself as bait to lure all of the Otherworldly Demon puppets away…”

“Bait?”

Luo Qiqi’s face immediately drained of all color. “How many puppets are there? If there is only one or two, teacher… should still be able to escape….”

Her teacher possessed incredible means. If it was only one or two puppets, he shouldn’t be in too much danger.

With an ashen face, Xing Yuan said, “There are… more than twenty of them in there.”

“More than twenty?”

Luo Qiqi felt as if her heart had been plunged into an ice chamber.

She trusted her teacher’s capability, but it was still impossible for him to stand against so many puppets singlehandedly!

It took the both of them a great deal of effort to deal with a single puppet from the previous stone chamber. In the process of doing so, the two of them nearly died as well. To face more than twenty simultaneously… this was no different from suicide!

“No! I must go and save teacher…”

Gritting her teeth in determination, Luo Qiqi rushed into the passageway. However, before she could get far, Yu Fei-er stopped her.

“Qiqi, calm down! Zhang shi had put himself into such a predicament just to save us. If you were to go in now, won’t all his effort have been for nothing?”

Even though Yu Fei-er was panicking inside as well, she understood Zhang shi’s intentions, and that was why she was holding herself back.

They were simply too weak at the moment. Even if they were to rush in, they would be of no help at all.

“I…”

Luo Qiqi trembled in agitation, and beady teardrops slowly flowed down her white cheeks.

Even back at the stone room, in order to let her get away first, her teacher chose to fight against the puppet singlehandedly, despite the risk of death!

And now, to save Yu Fei-er and the others, despite knowing that it was a lair of Otherworldly Demon puppets below, he still rushed in without any hesitation!

And now, he even allowed himself to serve as bait so that the others could get away…

‘Teacher, how can we ever repay this debt to you?’

“Luo Qiqi, we understand your feelings, but do you think that you are the only one who wants to rush in and save him? But if we were to do so, we would only be letting down the expectations and feelings Zhang shi has entrusted to us!”

Xing Yuan stepped forward and said, “There’s only one thing we can do now, that is to wait here patiently for his return! Let’s pray that… he can create a miracle once more!”

As a talented student of the Master Teacher Academy, he was able to see the crux of the matter easily.

As 5-star master teachers, they were by no means weak. But against those puppets, their strength would be no different to throwing an egg against a rock. With their current cultivation realms, there was only one outcome that would arise from rushing in—death!

“Indeed. Zhang shi will have a higher chance of survival alone. If we rush in, not only will we not be of any help, we might even become a burden to him…” Ye Qian added.

A trail of tears flowed down Luo Qiqi’s cheeks as she replied with quivering lips, “I understand…”

She did understand all of this in the depths of her heart.

After all the time she had spent with her teacher, she was well-aware of what of person her teacher was!

Her teacher was a person who would choose his morals over his life!

It was exactly this quality that made him respected and admired by so many people!

She knew deep down that the others were right. If she were to barge in now, she would only become a burden to the other party.

“The best we can do for Zhang shi now is to wait here…” Seeing that Luo Qiqi had finally given up the thought, Xing Yuan nodded. But at that moment, his body suddenly shook.

Hong long long!

Cracks started appearing on the bridge, and the river beneath abruptly raged.

“What is happening?”

The group was taken aback.

Why would there be such an intense tremor all of the sudden?

Huala!

Just as they were perplexed, fragments of rock suddenly began falling from the ceiling. The bridge and the passageway leading down into the underground chambers collapsed instantaneously.

“This is bad, the entire underground chamber is going to collapse…”

Xing Yuan narrowed his eyes as he yelled, “Quick, go out!”

If the underground chamber were to collapse on them, they would be buried alive. No one would be able to save them. Thus, without any hesitation, they immediately dashed for the passageway out of the underground chamber.

Moving at their top speed, they were able to return to the mountain valley within seven to eight breaths. As soon as they were out, they suddenly felt another huge tremor, and a huge part of the valley’s ground suddenly caved in, forming a large depression.

It was as if everything that had happened was a dream. The underground chamber had disappeared entirely without a trace.

“Teacher…”

Luo Qiqi’s legs finally caved in, and she fell weakly to the ground.

If there had still been a chance that her teacher would be able to get out previously… how could there still be any hope now?

Yu Fei-er’s face also paled, and she sat down feebly beside her close friend.

She had been competing with Zhang Xuan all along, wanting to beat him in a bet. But never had she wanted him to die!

Not to mention, all of this only happened because the other party was trying to save them.

Recalling bits and pieces about that fellow, she suddenly felt that she was very immature. In the end, all the prejudice she had against the other party was due to her indignation at being ignored.

In truth, after witnessing the other party’s formidable strength and vast knowledge, even the haughty her couldn’t help but admire him as well.

After a short moment of silence, Ye Qian clenched his fists tightly and declared, “I’ll return to the royal palace and get my father to send troops over here… Even if we have to overturn the entire area, we must save Zhang shi…”

After hearing those words, Yu Fei-er also stood up resolutely, prepared to leave with Ye Qian.

“That’s right! I’ll accompany you. If Ye Wentian doesn’t dispatch any troops, I’ll report this matter to my father!”

At this moment, her mind was only filled with a single thought… He mustn’t die!

“The both of you can’t go!”

Just as the two were about to leave, Xing Yuan dashed forward to blocked them.

“What are you doing?”

Narrowing her eyes, an aura of hostility began rising from Yu Fei-er.

The full might of a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator burst forth instantaneously, carrying fearsome power that caused even the air to moan in fear.

The reason she lost to Zhang Xuan previously was due to the latter’s attacks being aimed at her vitals, thus preventing her from utilizing her full strength. But against Xing Yuan, she wouldn’t face such a problem.

“I don’t intend to stop you, but… have you thought the matter through?”

Not expecting the Sixth Princess to actually intend to fight him, Xing Yuan’s face turned ghastly white. Gritting his teeth, he said, “This underground chamber involves both Wu Yangzi and the Otherworldly Demons. Do you know what consequences will arise if this news were to spread?”

“Screw the consequences! Get out of my way!” Yu Fei-er roared.

“Xing Yuan is right.”

At this moment, a soft but affirmative voice sounded. Luo Qiqi stood up and walked over, her body still trembling slightly. “If even a single one of the Otherworldly Demon puppets in the underground chamber were to be unearthed, it could potentially eradicate the entire Huanyu Empire… Many lives would be lost… I believe that this isn’t what teacher would hope to see either!”

“I…” Yu Fei-er tightened her fists in frustration.

“Teacher is a compassionate person. Since he is willing to give up his life for you all, how could he possibly bear to see millions of lives being lost like that?” Luo Qiqi said with reddened eyes.

A Saint realm puppet was already a formidable existence, and an army of twenty of them was nothing short of destructive!

No Tier-2 Empire could possibly stand against such a force. Even if Emperor Ye Wentian were to send every last soldier in Huanyu Empire over, they would still be unable to save her teacher. Only a real Saint could do so.

If they were to let the puppets loose while attempting to save her teacher, he would never forgive them, not even in death.

This was because…

He was simply such a noble person.

“Then… what should we do?” Yu Fei-er asked anxiously.

“What we must do now is to quickly return to the Master Teacher Academy and report this matter to the elders so that they will come here to handle the matter!” Luo Qiqi said.

Xing Yuan nodded in agreement.

“That’s right! If we wish to save Zhang shi, it’ll be best for us to quickly return to the academy and report this matter to the superiors and have them send men here. This is the best we can do at the moment.”

Yu Fei-er also nodded before issuing some instructions.

“Alright then. Xing Yuan, since Grandmaster Wu Yangzi’s corpse is in your storage ring, you and Ye Qian shall return to the academy right now. On the other hand, Luo Qiqi and I will wait here… for him to come out.”

“This…”

Xing Yuan was stunned. He didn’t think that Yu Fei-er would insist on remaining here.

“Fei-er is right, we’ll wait for him here. The both of you should hurry on. This matter is of grave importance, so you must report it to the elders face-to-face. Otherwise, there is no way the academy will dispatch Saint realm experts!”

Luo Qiqi nodded.

Even though she did have a Communication Token that allowed her to communicate with the academy, every single Saint realm expert was a valuable asset to the academy. Without sufficient evidence to back their story up, it was impossible for a Saint to be dispatched here. To do so, they would have to present Wu Yangzi’s corpse in person.

“Alright!”

Understanding the rationale behind it, Xing Yuan hesitated for a moment before nodding. “But if we take the aerial spirit beast away, how do you intend to return?”

The four of them came on a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan aerial spirit beast. If the both of them were to take it to the Master Teacher Academy, how would the other two leave the Verdant Mountain?

“There’s no need to worry about us. If it really comes to it, we’ll just head to the nearby Huanyu Beast Hall. With our identities as master teachers, it’ll surely be easy for us to loan an aerial spirit beast!”

Luo Qiqi shook her hand before turning her gaze back to the depression. Even at this moment, she was still praying for the dirt to overturn, and for her young teacher to climb out from the depression.

If that were to happen, no matter how dirty the other party was, she would definitely rush forward to hug him without any hesitation…

“Alright then. We’ll get going!”

Knowing that there was no time to waste, Xing Yuan immediately beckoned to the sky, and a loud screech sounded. Following which, an aerial spirit beast descended to the ground.

“Let’s go!”

Along with Ye Qian, he leaped onto the back of the spirit beast. The spirit beast took off, and before long, they had already disappeared amidst clouds.

After their departure, Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er stared at the depression before them, unblinking, waiting intently for Zhang Xuan to return.

With his formidable means… he couldn’t possibly be dead!

Even though they kept repeating this within their minds, they had no confidence whatsoever. With the ticking of time, their hope was slowly diminishing.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, but there wasn’t the slightest movement at all.

The flame of hope they had held dearly onto had already withered into despair.

Could it be that… Zhang shi had really died this time?

Even if he was really dead, if he could be possessed just once more and appear before them, it would still be a huge consolation to them…

Chapter 679: My Name Is Vicious

Rewinding time back to when Zhang Xuan parted with Xing Yuan.

In the underground chamber, a bizarre Otherworldly Demon puppet holding its head in its hand ran frenziedly as more than twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets pursued it relentlessly. They were howling furiously, threatening to rip the other party to shreds should they lay their hands on it.

Seeing how the idea he’d thought of on a whim had sent all of these puppets into such a frenzy, Zhang Xuan’s curiosity intensified.

In truth, this puppet body was disposable to him. As souls were intangible, it would be difficult for these puppets to stop him if he were to make a serious attempt at escaping. Not to mention, he had a golden page in the Library of Heaven’s Path as well. Even if he were to be cornered, he still had a trump card up his sleeves, so there was nothing for him to fear.

This was also the reason why he had the others flee first while he drew the puppets away.

He thought that it would be great if he could draw some of the puppets away through his taunting. Who knew that he would actually successfully draw the aggression from all of the puppets, making them chase him rabidly as if he had murdered their parents?

To actually make these unintelligent puppets get so agitated, what in the world was that heart?

‘No matter what, as long as I touch it, I should know the answer…’

The only way to let everyone escape successfully was for him to continue drawing the attention of the puppets. Thus, without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan continued dashing forward with his head in his hand. Seven breaths later, he was standing before the stream.

The small stone pedestal and the heart were still there.

‘Let’s see what it is!’

With the puppets right behind his tail, there was no room for other thoughts in Zhang Xuan’s mind. He immediately leaped forward and stepped into the stream.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan leap into the stream, all of the puppets were worried, but none of them dared rush forward. They glared at him angrily, seemingly wanting to grind him to dust.

“This…”

Seeing that the puppets didn’t even rush over as he had expected, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

In truth, back when he saw the puppets stepping into the stream one by one to accept a transfusion of energy from the heart, he was a little perplexed by the sight. And now, it seemed like his conjecture was right.

There was some kind of rule binding the puppets that only allowed one of them to step into the stream at any given time.

“Let’s see what this heart is…”

Zhang Xuan began walking to the stone pedestal that the heart was placed on.

Huala!

As soon his gaze fell upon the heart, he immediately felt an overwhelming killing intent piercing his mind just like a dagger.

Knowing that this would happen, Zhang Xuan immediately activated his Heaven’s Path Soul Art and drove his soul energy.

In an instant, that sharp pain weakened significantly, but even so, Zhang Xuan still felt as if his head was splitting apart.

Zhang Xuan stopped in his tracks.

‘It’s hard for me to stand against the killing intent without Heaven’s Path zhenqi…’

The killing intent emanated from the heart was far stronger than the Otherworldly Demon which Hong shi took out back at the Master Teacher Tournament. Even though his soul had been tempered by the Heaven’s Path Soul Art, it was still difficult for him to withstand that overwhelming killing intent without the protection of his Heaven’s Path zhenqi. Even standing at this point was sufficiently difficult for him. If he were to proceed forward any further, it was highly possible that his mind would be corroded by the killing intent, thus suffering immense damage.

Zhang Xuan turned around to take a look at the other puppets behind him. While they were infuriated by his actions, they dared not get too close. In fact, they didn’t dare to launch any attack at all. For the time being, there was no need for him to worry about his safety.

Huala!

He took out the body which he had placed inside his storage ring previously.

Then, he withdrew his soul from the puppet and returned back into his main body.

After entering his main body, he finally felt more comfortable, and he heaved a long sigh of relief.

Even though the Otherworldly Demon puppet’s body was much stronger than his current body, he wasn’t able to control it adeptly, and there was a strong feeling of incongruity when he was moving it.

‘Heaven’s Path zhenqi!’

As his soul fused perfectly with his physical body, he immediately drove his zhenqi. In an instant, the killing intent which had still been assaulting him a moment ago was immediately warded off entirely, as if it didn’t exist at all.

Heaven’s Path zhenqi seemed to possess the ability to curb the mysterious aura that Otherworldly Demons emanated; he had verified this back then during the Master Teacher Tournament.

Roar!

Seeing a human appear in the stream all of the sudden, the puppets’ anger crescendoed. They bellowed angrily at him, but in fear of something, they dared not step forward.

As long as the puppets didn’t dare to step into the stream, there was nothing for Zhang Xuan to worry about. Thus, he continued advancing to the heart slowly.

In order to trigger the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would have to come into contact with it.

With a few steps, he was already standing before the stone pedestal. His hand slowly reached forward to touch the heart.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Upon contact, Zhang Xuan barely had the time to mutter ‘flaws’ when a deranged laughter suddenly echoed in the surroundings. Following which, a huge shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes.

“This body… Great! Great! Even the heavens are on my side!” That massive shadow before Zhang Xuan roared in delight. The heart also began to beat faster and faster, as if it had encountered some precious, nourishing medicinal herb.

“With this body, I can finally revive myself after many millenniums of hibernation!”

The massive figure was shaking with agitation. With a loud bellow, its eyes suddenly opened, and a sharp glint flashed in its eyes. “Kong shi, it’s too bad you failed to kill me entirely! When I return, I’ll crush your heritage and reduce your Master Teacher Pavilion to ruins…”

While roaring furiously, that massive figure stretched its hand forward to grab Zhang Xuan up.

That heart on the pedestal also suddenly rose up and flew to the left side of his chest. With immense force, it rammed itself against him, seemingly trying to penetrate his body to replace his heart.

If it were to succeed, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness would be consumed, and he would lose his sense of identity.

‘What?!’

Zhang Xuan’s expression immediately froze.

Before that massive figure, he felt like an ant standing before a mountain. Helplessness clutched his heart.

‘It’s too powerful…’

The strongest person he had encountered in his journey was Pavilion Master Mo from Hongyuan Empire. But somehow, Zhang Xuan’s instincts told him that even a person as strong as Pavilion Master Mo would be no different from a worm before this fearsome heart.

The sensation he was feeling at this moment was similar to back when he first met Kong shi. His mind and body were no longer under his own control, and his life and death were held in the hands of the other party.

Zhang Xuan panicked.

‘Am I going to be possessed by this fellow?’

He was only interested in seeing what the heart was. Never had he dreamed that the heart would actually be alive, and he would even be possessed at that!

If the other party were to succeed in its possession, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness would be wiped clean. By then, he would be no different from a puppet.

‘Heaven’s Path zhenqi!’

Zhang Xuan immediately willed for his body to drive his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, but he realized that the mental connection between his mind and body had been snapped, preventing him from making any movements.

He felt as if he was trapped in a dream. He could perceive what was going on around him, but no matter how much he struggled, his body just wouldn’t move at all.

“Don’t even bother struggling!”

The massive figure before the heart seemed to have noticed what Zhang Xuan was trying to do, and it sneered coldly, “Even Kong shi had suffered a great deal before my prowess. You might be a Celestial Master Teacher, but you’re still too weak to stand against me! I suggest you obediently allow me to take over your body. In your body, I’ll dominate the world and make the entire world tremor beneath my might!”

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask, “Even Kong shi has suffered before your prowess? Who are you?”

Kong shi was the most powerful figure in the world several dozen millenniums ago. He singlehandedly created the Master Teacher Pavilion to fend off the Otherworldly Demons and expel them from the Master Teacher Continent. His contribution to humanity was so great that none could compare to him, and his cultivation was so high that he had no peers.

And yet, this fellow actually said he was able to injure Kong shi? Who in the world was he?

“It has been too long for me to remember my name.”

The heartbeat and an ancient aura slowly exuded from the massive figure. “But back then, everyone seemed to address me as ‘Vicious’!”

“Vicious?”

“That’s right! Are you afraid now?” Vicious asked.

“I never heard of you before,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“…” The heart.

Most of the details regarding the ancient history with the Otherworldly Demons were stored in the higher tier Master Teacher Pavilions. As a 4-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan wasn’t qualified to browse through those documents.

And thus, he had truly never heard of what ‘Vicious’ or ‘Victim’, whatever the other party was called.

“Humph, it matters not. Today, you shall witness my greatness!” Not expecting for a Celestial Master Teacher to not recognize him, the heart began beating intensely in anger, and with a loud roar, the huge hands of the shadowy figure grabbed Zhang Xuan’s neck.

Ji ya!

The crushing pressure on Zhang Xuan’s neck made him gasp desperately for air, and his sight began to darken.

In the other party’s hands, he was no different from an infant. He was unable to retaliate at all.

Under this desperate situation, Zhang Xuan forcefully uttered, “You intend to… possess… me?”

“Indeed. A Celestial Master Teacher is a person whose body has been recognized by even the heavens themselves. Even though I am a member of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, I am still able to possess their body without incurring any side effects. In fact, I am even able to disguise as you humans without anyone noticing anything…”

The heart harrumphed.

“You are able to… tell that I am… a Celestial… Master Teacher?” Zhang Xuan stuttered with difficulty.

So far, there had been not a single master teacher who had been able to discern that he was a Celestial Master Teacher. Thus, he didn’t expect this heart would be able to recognize this identity of his.

Could this heart really be an incredible expert on par with Kong shi?

To be able to stand against Kong shi… how powerful must one be?

And not to mention, if the other party had lived in the same era as Kong shi, how could he still be alive now?

The heart harrumphed coldly.

“That fellow Kong shi is one as well. Having fought with him my entire life, how could I possibly not recognize a Celestial Master Teacher?”

Back in that ancient era, he was Kong shi’s greatest nemesis, and he had fought with the latter his entire life. Naturally, this had allowed him to grow accustomed to the various abilities and distinctive traits of a Celestial Master Teacher.

“Since you are from… the same generation… as Kong shi… I must be… nothing more than an ant… before you. Why don’t you… let me down first… I won’t be able to… retaliate against you… anyway…” Zhang Xuan said anxiously.

“Do you think that your tricks will work on me?” the heart sneered.

“Given how powerful… you are… I won’t be… able to do… anything, even… if I wanted to!”

Due to the immense pressure crushing down on his throat, Zhang Xuan was finding it harder and harder to speak. “I am about to be… possessed by you soon. Before my death… I wish to know some things… so that I can… rest in peace!”

“Humph, there’s no use playing such tricks before me!” the heart replied.

“Why? You don’t… believe me? You spoke as if… you were a… formidable figure… and yet you are worried… about someone… as weak as me?” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Audacious! When I was roaming the world, even Kong shi was fearful of me. Even 9-star master teachers would be crushed easily under my hands. Why would I fear someone as weak as you?”

Hearing Zhang Xuan doubt his strength, the heart flew into a rage.

“If that’s the case… why don’t you… let me go? Anyway… someone like me… can’t possibly hurt you…” Zhang Xuan continued.

The heart pondered for a moment, and seemingly agreeing with Zhang Xuan’s words, he finally let go of his grasp.

Even though Vicious had been one of the strongest existences in the world in the past, his fight with Kong shi had left him severely injured. Even the many millennia of hibernation were insufficient for him to recover fully. With his current strength, possessing a Celestial Master Teacher would be no easy feat. If he could convince the other party to willingly give up his body, he could be spared a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Feeling the strength restraining him disappearing, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

“Ask whatever you want to, I’ll grant your dying wish at the very least!” the heart said.

“Alright…”

Zhang Xuan nodded. Feeling the connection between his mind and his body returning, he suddenly smiled. “I would like to ask if you recognize this object.”

After which, a golden book suddenly appeared before him.

“This? What is this?”

The heart was taken aback. While he was still pondering over this bizarre question, that book suddenly crushed down on him.

Following which, a frenzied howling reverberated across the entire underground chamber.

“Shit! What the hell! Who in the world are you?!”

Chapter 680: Please Trust Me!

Zhang Xuan intention was to examine what the heart was, but right after coming into contact with it, his body immediately came under the control of the other party. Left with no choice, he could only try to convince the other party to let go of him.

It was a desperate attempt, but who knew that it would really work?

As soon as he was released, he rushed right into the Library of Heaven’s Path to check the book that was just compiled on the heart, and after taking a look, he immediately realized what was going on.

Even though Vicious had described himself to be a powerful figure, he was nothing more than a fragment of his previous self. He had barely awoken from his long hibernation not too long ago, and he was still in a severely weakened state. Even if he could possess Zhang Xuan, he would have to pay a heavy price for it.

However, if Zhang Xuan were to relinquish control over his body, Vicious would be spared a lot of trouble.

In any case, this was the only opportunity Zhang Xuan was going to get to deal with Vicious. He immediately whipped out the Book of Heaven’s Path and activated the golden page.

This was the strongest weapon he currently had in his arsenal. Even if Vicious had really come from the same era as Kong shi, it was impossible for him to withstand the wrath of heaven!

As expected, with the materialization of the book, the energy from the heart that was wrapped around Zhang Xuan to prevent him from escaping vanished, and he regained control over his body.

“Who am I? I am your grandfather!” Zhang Xuan roared furiously as the book smashed down on the heart.

However, before the book could crush the heart, the pedestal beneath the heart shattered instead.

Hong long!

With the destruction of the pedestal, the formation sustaining the entire underground chamber began collapsing. Spiritual energy from the stream began diffusing into the surroundings, and the underground chamber started to shake violently.

“This is bad, I forgot that this is the core of the formation…”

Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

He was too intent on dealing with Vicious and freeing himself from danger that he forgot that he was standing before the core of the formation sustaining the underground chamber.

This underground chamber was relying on a huge formation to regulate the spiritual energy and reinforce the structures here, and the center of the formation just happened to be the location where the heart was placed—the pedestal.

With the collapse of the pedestal, the reinforcement from the formation to prevent the underground chamber from collapsing vanished, and the ceiling began caving in on them.

From his current location, it would take at least two to three minutes for him to escape from the underground chamber. Given the rate at which the underground chamber was collapsing at, it was impossible for him to escape. He would be buried alive!

But at this moment, the anxious yelling of the heart crushed under the golden book sounded, “Don’t kill me! I can bring you to safety…”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan stared at the heart hesitantly for a moment before replying, “Fine, I’ll trust you this once!”

Vicious was by no means a trustworthy person, but the dire situation Zhang Xuan was in didn’t grant him the luxury of choice. The underground chamber was going to collapse on him at any moment now, and it was already too late for him to escape. His only hope lay with Vicious.

Given the millenniums that the other party had lived for, he might be aware of certain secrets hidden in the underground chamber. Perhaps, the other party might just know of something that could save him.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan was about to withdraw the book when a thought suddenly struck him.

‘I might be unable to kill him now, but I wonder if it’s possible for me to seal him with the golden page…’

Once Zhang Xuan withdraws the golden page, it would vanish. Without this weapon to keep Vicious in check, there was no saying that the latter might just renege on his promise.

Since the golden page could assimilate the content of the books in the Library of Heaven’s Path for his own, raise his Soul Depth, and slay enemies, then perhaps… it might be able to turn into something that could seal this heart too?

If he could seal Vicious into the golden page somehow, he would not need to worry about the other party’s retaliation.

Hu la!

As soon as the thought emerged in his mind, the book suddenly opened up, and a brilliant pillar of light rose from the book.

Wham!

In an instant, the book clamped down on the heart, and the pillar of light vanished as well. It floated in the air for a few seconds before abruptly falling to the ground.

“Hmm?”

Rushing forward to grab the book, Zhang Xuan opened it up and saw a heart beating ceaselessly inside. Realizing that it was trapped within the book, it struggled with all its might, but it wasn’t able to escape from the confine of the page.

It was a mystical sight to see a beating heart within a book.

“Let me go!” the heart roared savagely.

Delighted to see that the Book of Heaven’s Path possessed the ability to seal as well, Zhang Xuan chuckled and said, “Bring me to a safe location first!”

“I am Vicious, a person whom even Kong shi fears. How dare an impertinent ant like you treat me like that…”

The heart bellowed ferociously, but before he could finish his words, he was suddenly flicked by a finger.

Peng!

As if struck by a bolt of lightning, the heart was sent tumbling into the depths of the page.

“Your name is Vicious, isn’t it? Why don’t you give me a bright smile? Let me see how vicious you can get!” Zhang Xuan smirked.

“…” The heart twitched violently, as tears of blood threatened to flow from its atriums.

To think that a day would come which he would find himself in such a position… Back then, he was the infamous Vicious who domineered the world. Even though he was still in a weakened state, having yet to recover his strength after his demise back then, the strength that he wielded was still more than sufficient for him to toy with Saint realm experts easily…

And yet, here he was, sealed by a twenty-year-old brat in a book, flicked around as if he was a mere toy…

To hell with this!

Where did my dignity as the Immortal’s Envoy go?

Even though he had no idea what kind of artifact he was trapped in, the imposing authority of heaven harnessed by the artifact induced a deep and instinctive fear within him, rendering him helpless before it.

Honestly speaking, in face of such overwhelming power, he knew that it was a blessing that he was still alive at this point.

“Why? You aren’t going to smile?”

Just as he was bubbling with rage, he saw the other party bending his forefinger, ready to send another flick at him…

The heart immediately cowered in fear.

“I’ll smile, I’ll smile…”

The heart formed a human face and smiled.

What choice did he have but to submit? He was already sealed in this book, and his fate was firmly held in the other party’s hands. He might have been a formidable figure in the past, but that was all history. It couldn’t possibly help him now.

As bright as the smile on his face was, his heart was bleeding profusely.

Back then, I stood toe-to-toe with Kong shi and crushed many 9-star master teachers.

And yet, here I am, forced to smile under the commands of a mere brat…’

“This is more like it. Now, lead me to somewhere safe!”

Having affirmed that the other party was under his control, Zhang Xuan heaved a long sigh of relief. However, this wasn’t the time for him to rest yet. At this point, the ground was shaking more vehemently than ever, and the ceiling was still moments from caving in on them.

“Yes!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan withdraw his finger, the heart heaved a sigh of relief before turning to the Otherworldly Demons and yelled, “Hurry up and lead the way!”

Roar!

Upon receiving those orders, the Otherworldly Demon puppets standing by the edge of the stream immediately rushed forward.

Grabbing the book with Vicious in it in his hand, Zhang Xuan followed closely behind those puppets. At the same time, he also established communication with his clone and urged him over.

Not too long after, his clone came rushing over, and Zhang Xuan hid him in his storage ring.

Forged using the Nine Hearts Lotus, his clone could be said to be nearing the point of being indestructible. Even the combined might of two Saint realm puppets couldn’t threaten its existence.

Just that, due to the severe injuries it had incurred, it would require a long rest to recuperate from its wounds.

With the heart held hostage in Zhang Xuan’s hands, those puppets didn’t dare to show the slightest disrespect to Zhang Xuan. In fact, two of the puppets even stepped forward to carry Zhang Xuan.

When Saint realm puppets sprinted as fast as they could, the speed was truly nothing to scoff at. In less than two breaths, they were already standing in a vast room.

At this point, the underground chamber finally gave into the massive pressure and caved in.

With its collapse, the room was abruptly plunged into darkness.

Thus, Zhang Xuan whipped out a Night Illumination Pearl to light up the surroundings.

Following which, he opened the book, and the heart immediately began explaining, “This is a sanctuary we built to escape from the humans were they to enter this underground chamber. It is specially reinforced such that it will remain standing even if the underground chamber collapses… Just that, there’s no exit from here…”

Back then, after the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe lost the war, their army was expelled from the Master Teacher Continent while the remnants were hunted down. As one of the top leaders of the Otherworldly Demons, Vicious had prepared a sanctuary in advance for such a situation.

Even if humans were to find his hiding location, he would be able to kill them all by collapsing the underground chamber while he hid in this sanctuary.

However, to prevent anyone from finding this underground chamber, there was only one entrance and exit. While they were still safe for now, it was hard to say whether they would be able to get out of here or not.

“There’s no exit?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

If there was no exit here, wouldn’t it be a matter of time before he suffocated to death?

“That’s right…” the heart replied.

“Is that the case… Since I can’t get out, I might as well absorb you to raise my cultivation!”

Zhang Xuan raised his palm and pressed it down against the page.

The Book of Heaven’s Path had sealed Vicious’ abilities, thus rendering him completely helpless before Zhang Xuan.

“Wait a moment, wait a moment…”

The heart was on the verge of tears.

Back then, there was no one who didn’t fear him, not even the most ferocious demon in hell nor Kong shi. And yet, this fellow actually threatened to beat him up and absorb him. The sudden reversal in his position left him so frustrated that he found himself losing his mind.

But throwing a tantrum would be useless now. Judging from the other party’s attitude, he might really just end up being absorbed by the other party!

What the hell was this…

It wasn’t easy for him to wake up from his hibernation, and he thought that he could finally slowly recover his strength and rule the world. And yet, before he could even leave the underground chamber, he just had to meet with this kind of pervert possessing such a monstrous artifact…

Even the ‘Great Codex of Spring and Autumn’ that Kong shi went to great lengths to craft, which was said to harness the ability to reverse yin-yang and alter the flow of time, didn’t seem to be this powerful!

Just who was this fellow? Where in the world did he pop up from?

“There’s indeed no exit, but it’s possible to dig a way out. However, it might take a few days!”

The heart quickly placated Zhang Xuan’s worries for fear of being absorbed.

“Dig a way out? True. You should hurry up and get those puppets of yours to work then!”

Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.

Considering how they were able to excavate such a huge underground chamber in the first place, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they would be able to dig a passageway out either.

And since there were so many puppets here, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to work personally, either.

“Alright,” the heart replied.

He used an unknown means to communicate with the puppets, and they started to dig upward.

These puppets were commanded might equivalent to a Saint realm expert, so digging a tunnel for a human to pass through wasn’t too difficult. However, the tricky part was that the underground chamber had just collapsed, so the surrounding ground was a little unstable at the moment. If they weren’t careful, the sanctuary could collapse as well.

While the puppets were busy digging a path out, Zhang Xuan waited patiently below.

He turned his attention to the book once more.

“Alright, I have some questions I would like to ask you. Answer me honestly.”

“Yes…” the heart replied.

“Since you came from the same era as Kong shi and even exchanged blows with him, have you ever heard of his Innate Fetal Poison?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Through the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan could tell that Vicious was telling the truth. He did belong to the same era as Kong shi, so there was a chance that he might know about the Innate Fetal Poison.

“Innate Fetal Poison? I’m not too sure either… Kong shi and I were enemies, and he was already considerably strong in the first time we met…” the heart replied.

In that era, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe dominated the humans and all other races. It was during that period of time that Kong shi suddenly rose to power. Even from a very young age, he wielded exceptional strength surpassing that of most Otherworldly Demons. Under his leadership, the armies of humanity were rallied in a campaign against the Otherworldly Demons, and eventually, humanity emerged victorious in that war.

“Are you certain that you don’t know anything about that? Are you lying to me?”

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

“I dare not…” the heart hurriedly explained, but before he could finish his words, he was flicked by the other party’s finger once more.

“AHH!”

Peng peng peng peng!

As if struck by a bolt of lightning, he was sent spinning in the Book of Heaven’s Path, and his body convulsed violently from the impact. White foam began leaking out from the heart.

“This is nothing. If I ever find out that you are hiding something from me, I’ll kill you!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Yes…”

Red tears streamed down the heart as it trembled in agitation.

‘I really am Vicious, the Vicious who dominated the ancient era, the Vicious whom even Kong shi feared…

‘Please trust me!’

Chapter 681: Qin Zhong

After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan finally closed the book.

The fellow was indeed unaware of the matters surrounding Kong shi’s Innate Fetal Poison, so it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to get anything out of him.

Being poisoned was a sign of weakness. One would hide it even from one’s allies, not to mention one’s enemies.

This was similar to how Zhang Xuan had never told anyone that he was poisoned. Most likely, Kong shi back then was the same as well.

But in any case, through the questioning session, Zhang Xuan did manage to understand the true reason for that fellow being reduced to a mere heart, and the real purpose behind this underground chamber.

The previous host of the heart did wield destructive power, and he did dominate the world at one time. Countless humans had died by his hand.

Kong shi had fought him several times, but the other party always managed to successfully get away. It was only at the very last battle that after several days of combat, Kong shi finally managed to tear apart his flesh and bones and dissipate his soul.

He had indeed died, but as one of the strongest experts of that era, one of the leaders of the Otherworldly Demon, how could he possibly have no aces up his sleeves? Before fighting with Kong shi, he had already left behind a drop of blood in this underground chamber in case anything happened.

And to protect that drop of blood, he dispatched an entire army of Otherworldly Demons to guard it.

After the passing of many millenniums, the drop of blood finally developed and metamorphosed into a heart. Slowly, he roused from his sleep, regaining consciousness.

He’d thought that he would very soon be able to rule the world, but before he could even get out from his hiding spot, he just had to meet with Zhang Xuan and end up being sealed in that book, becoming an existence that was little more than a picture.

As for those puppets, even though they had lost sentience, they were still his descendants. Their Otherworldly Demon instincts allowed him to easily control them and have them work for his resurrection.

At this point, a thought suddenly emerged in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

Wu Yangzi thought that he had succeeded in his ploy by turning these Otherworldly Demons into puppets… but could it be possible that the Otherworldly Demons had already noticed what he was up to, but still chose to go along with it anyway?

There were only twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets here, and they were all male. Clearly, it was impossible for them to reproduce anymore. Could they have intentionally allowed Wu Yangzi to turn them into puppets so that they could guard ‘Vicious’?

If so, they would be able to retain their cultivation while further tempering their defenses. More importantly, they would be able to continue carrying out Vicious’ order and protect him. Perhaps, they might even be revived once Vicious regained his strength…

After all, as a race who had once dominated the entire Master Teacher Continent, how could none of them have noticed something at all?

But, of course, this was just a theory on Zhang Xuan’s part, and it was impossible to verify his conjecture anymore.

Wu Yangzi died before the heart regained consciousness, and the Otherworldly Demons involved in the incident back then were either dead or turned into puppets.

From his answers, Zhang Xuan realized that even though Vicious had regained consciousness, his memory hadn’t completely returned yet. Many of his memories were fragmented, making it impossible for him to go into detail regarding certain matters.

This was especially so for cultivation techniques. After having sealed Vicious in the book, this was one of the first few thoughts that came to mind. However, it was a pity, but the other party only knew cultivation techniques that were exclusive to Otherworldly Demons.

This made Zhang Xuan extremely frustrated.

He thought that he would be able to obtain quite a few cultivation techniques after capturing an ancient monster and level up swiftly. Who knew that the other party would turn out to be so useless?

Zhang Xuan had to punch the other party a few more times before he was able to quell his frustration.

After asking all of the relevant questions, Zhang Xuan noted that it would still take some time before the puppets would finish digging a passageway. Thus, he sat down on the floor and began to cultivate.

Even though he had only cultivated the First Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, the might of his physical body had increased from 2,000,000 ding to 4,000,000 ding!

Adding in the 4,000,000 ding from his zhenqi and 3,200,000 ding from his soul cultivation, his overall strength added up to 11,200,000 ding. That was comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle expert!

(Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage 8,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 9,000,000 ding, advanced stage 10,000,000 ding, and pinnacle 11,000,000 ding.)

Despite being only at Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, Zhang Xuan actually wielded strength two realms beyond him. Even the most talented geniuses of the Master Teacher Academy were incapable of such a feat.

As the remaining Four Incandescence were flawed and required some kind of artifact to cultivate, Zhang Xuan could only put the thought of cultivating his physical body away from the moment. He continued to refine his zhenqi and accumulate more zhenqi in his dantian.

…

“It has been five days!”

Looking at the huge depression below her, Luo Qiqi shook her head with irrepressible gloom.

Five days had passed, and she had yet to sleep at all. She had been waiting here intently, hoping that Zhang shi would produce another miracle and emerge from the ground, but… it seemed like miracles wouldn’t be miracles if they happened as and when one willed it.

“Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan wouldn’t be able to survive so long being buried underground.”

Yu Fei-er also looked a little dazed.

When the other party was right by her side, she dearly wanted to charge forward to bite off the other party’s flesh. And yet, at this moment, the very thought of the other party being dead felt like a sharp knife pressed against her heart.

Even though the body of a Transcendent Mortal was far stronger than ordinary humans, buried several hundred meters underground, crushed by rocks and suffocated, three to four hours was likely the limit. To remain alive after several days… was completely impossible!

In other words… Zhang shi was really dead this time!

There was no doubt about it.

Gritting her teeth, Yu Fei-er stood up slowly and said quietly, “I’ll go to the Beast Hall to borrow an aerial spirit beast and return to Hongyuan City as soon as possible. I’ll report this matter to my father and have him send some men over! Even though Xing Yuan and the others might be able to mobilize the experts of the academy, I fear that they won’t put their all in to finding Zhang shi.”

It wasn’t a solution for them to continue waiting here. The only course of action they could take now was to find a Saint realm expert to help them dig up the underground chamber. Regardless of whether Zhang shi was dead or alive, they were determined to find him.

The experts from the academy might come for the Otherworldly Demons and Wu Yangzi, but it would be nigh impossible to convince them to help look around for Zhang Xuan.

While Zhang Xuan was a member of the academy in name, he hadn’t passed the entrance examination nor reported to the academy yet. Thus, there was no reason for a busy Saint realm expert to waste his time finding a nobody.

Not to mention, the other party was very likely dead already.

“Alright.”

Luo Qiqi nodded slowly.

After waiting for five days, she also understood that it was unlikely for Zhang shi to emerge alive anymore. As his student, the least she could do was unearth his body and bury him properly so that he could rest in peace.

Yu Fei-er did a rough calculation before saying, “The Huanyu Empire Beast Hall is located not too far away from here. As long as we sprint with all our might, we should be able to reach it in around half a day…”

“Half a day? There’s no need for it. We are standing at a point where those traveling between the Beast Hall and Huanyu Capital have to pass through. We can try to hitch a ride here,” Luo Qiqi said as she glanced at the sky.

Even though they weren’t too far away from the Beast Hall, they had to traverse across treacherous terrain, and it was highly likely they would meet spirit beasts lurking in the area as well. If they were to accidentally catch the attention of the spirit beasts while passing through the area, the half a day journey could easily drag on for three days.

Since that was the case, it would be wiser for them to pay a passer-by and hitch a convenient ride to the Beast Hall.

Since they were standing at a point between the Beast Hall and Huanyu Capital, there were often many aerial spirit beasts flying through the area. Perhaps very soon, they might be able to find one to ride. If so, they would be able to reach their destination within half an hour, thus sparing them a lot of trouble.

“Un.” Yu Fei-er nodded. Very coincidentally, the sound of something whizzing through the sky and the flapping of wings suddenly echoed in the sky. Raising her gaze, she saw a massive Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast flying toward them.

“Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast? This is a Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast that possesses the Dragon Bloodline. It is one of the better spirit beasts even when comparing the entire Beast Hall. Let’s take this then…”

After taking a closer look at the appearance of the spirit beast, Luo Qiqi immediately gathered her zhenqi in a dantian before shouting.

“I am Master Teacher Luo Qiqi. My friend and I wish to hitch a ride on your spirit beast!”

The identity of a master teacher was prestigious, and it was more likely that the other party would be willing to help after she reported it.

As expected, after hearing her words, the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast circled the sky for a moment before descending to the ground, right before the duo.

Instead of a usual lodging room on the back of the spirit beast, there was only a shabby rope. As soon as the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast landed on the ground, a young man immediately leaped off its back.

The young man looked to be in his thirties, and he was dressed extravagantly. His eyes had a sharpness within them that felt a little uncomfortable to look at. Just like Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er, he was a Cosmos Bridge realm expert as well!

“Beast Hall’s Qin Zhong pays respect to Luo shi!”

Not expecting that the ones who wished to hitch a ride would be such beautiful ladies, Qin Zhong’s eyes immediately lit up in agitation.

Despite his identity, he had never met ladies as beautiful as this.

“The both of us wish to hitch a ride on your spirit beast to visit the Beast Hall. May I know if you’re willing to do us this favor?” Luo Qiqi asked.

“It’s my pleasure to take the both of you with me!” Qin Zhong said excitedly. “Just that… there is no lodging room on my spirit beast, so this ride might be a little uncomfortable for you two…”

“That isn’t a problem.” Luo Qiqi shook her head.

Their current aim was to reach return to Hongyuan Empire as soon as possible so as to rally help to find Zhang Xuan. Comfort was the least of their worries now.

“May I know what an acceptable price for you is?” Yu Fei-er asked.

It was customary for one to pay after hitching a ride. Usually, the price would be agreed on by both sides beforehand so as to avoid complications after the ride.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. It’s my pleasure to have such beautiful ladies onboard my spirit beast, how can I accept your money?”

Qin Zhong placed his hands behind his back and put on his most dashing face in hopes of attracting the other party’s attention. However, the other party didn’t seem to have noticed it at all.

“We’ll feel more at ease if you accept our payment.”

Seeing the flirtatious looks from the other party, Luo Qiqi could tell that he had other thoughts in mind, and she frowned in displeasure.

If not for the urgent situation at hand, she would never have bothered herself with such an arrogant fellow.

“This…”

Upon Luo Qiqi’s insistence, Qin Zhong hesitated for a moment before replying, “How about this? You two seem to have spent quite some time in the mountains already. If you two accompany me for a meal at the Beast Hall, that’ll suffice as the payment!”

“Accompany you for a meal?”

How could Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er possibly not know what the other party was thinking about? It was already as clear as day! Their faces immediately darkened.

How dare this fellow from the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall attempt to philander with two 5-star master teachers? How brazen!

“That’s right. Don’t worry, I don’t have any other thoughts in mind. Besides, considering how the both of you are in such a hurry to the Beast Hall, you must be trying to find a formidable aerial spirit beast to ride on. As a 4-star beast tamer and the son of the incumbent hall master, I’m sure I will be able to help the both of you!”

Qin Zhong smiled proudly.

As long as he made his identity as the young master of the Beast Hall known, most people would immediately show some respect to him. Even if the young ladies were master teachers, judging from their age, they couldn’t possibly be ranked above 3-star. After learning his identity, he was confident that the duo would surely think differently of him.

And before long, there would be two ladies in his embrace.

Chapter 682: Zhang Xuan Appears

“Pick another condition!”

Seeing that the other party was actually interested in them, Luo Qiqi frowned and waved her hands in disapproval.

If not for the other party being the young master of the Beast Hall, she would surely have slapped that thought out of him by now.

They were both 5-star master teachers, not to mention Yu Fei-er was the princess of Hongyuan Empire, so how dare a mere 4-star beast tamer try to take advantage of them?

But regardless, the two of them didn’t know much about beast taming, and the other party seemed to be the vindictive type who would get back at them if they were to offend him. Thus, Luo Qiqi chose to hold herself back.

“Pick another condition?”

Not expecting the two ladies to reject even a meal, Qin Zhong frowned.

He took pride in his looks and identity, and very few had ever rejected his invitation before. They were the ones who had requested something of him, and yet, not only did they reject his invitation, they even had such displeased looks on their faces. What did they mean by this?

They were thinking too highly of themselves!

Qin Zhong harrumphed coldly.

“It’s just a casual meal, surely there’s no need for you to turn me down like this, right? If you were to continue acting so coldly and distant, I fear that it’ll be difficult for you to get a good aerial spirit beast when you arrive at the Beast Hall…”

Luo Qiqi narrowed her eyes.

“What do you mean by that? Are you trying to threaten us? Do you know the consequences of threatening a master teacher?”

“Threaten? How could I possibly dare to threaten a master teacher! I’m just giving you a word of advice out of goodwill on my part. Besides, you are the ones who asked to hitch a ride. Is this the kind of attitude one should put on when asking for a favor?”

Qin Zhong chuckled playfully as he gazed at the duo. “I have already stated my price, it’s your choice to accept it or not. In any case, I am in no hurry. As long as I am here, I doubt anyone in the entire Beast Hall will be willing to offer you a ride!”

Seeing the other party acting so despicably, how could a person with an explosive temper like Yu Fei-er possibly hold herself back? Sneering coldly, she stepped forward so as to teach that shameless man a lesson and pummel into him the fact that there were some people in the world he should never offend. But at that moment, the sound of dirt being overturned sounded from the huge depression below.

Gugugugugu!

Dirt was hurled continuously into the air, as if a gigantic bubble was trying to break out from the earth.

“Could it be…”

Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi’s bodies immediately stiffened. At this moment, they couldn’t be bothered with that arrogant fellow anymore. Their eyes stared intently at the depression, willing for the person they were hoping for to appear.

Could he really be alive?

Was he going to create another miracle as he always did and climb out from the ground alive?

The duo’s eyes turned crimson at that thought. They had spent five entire days here, and in this duration, the spark of hope they once held onto slowly withered into despair… And right when they were about to let go of the final sliver of hope, such an incident occurred.

Gulong!

Just as their hearts were hanging with anxiety, the dirt on the surface of the ground finally broke open, and a massive head emerged.

“Puppet!”

The bodies of the two ladies became tense, and their faces immediately flushed ghastly pale.

They’d thought that it would be Zhang shi, but who knew that it would be this puppet instead!

Hu!

The puppet climbed out from the hole and stood up. Then, it scanned the surroundings warily, as though waiting for someone.

Seeing that there wasn’t the slightest injury on this puppet, Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er felt as if a knife had torn through their hearts.

Zhang shi had sacrificed his own life so that the puppets would remain buried for all eternity to come, but it seemed like his sacrifice had ended in futility.

On the other hand, Qin Zhong, who was waiting for the two beauties before him to submit, saw that the duo had ignored him and turned their attention to the depression instead. Frowning, he turned his gaze over as well, and his eyebrows shot up.

What the heck was that fellow? Why would he suddenly appear from the ground?

Even though Qin Zhong was a 4-star beast tamer, the matter regarding the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was one of the greatest secrets of the continent, so he didn’t know too much about them. Not to mention, the Otherworldly Demon puppets did resemble humans in some respects, albeit being slightly larger.

A normal Otherworldly Demon was only two meters tall. The only reason the Otherworldly Demon which Zhang Xuan met in Myriad Kingdom City reached three meters and was less ‘humanly’ was because it was a hybrid between the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and a spirit beast.

Even though it was rare to meet someone two meters tall, it wasn’t something to make a fuss over.

‘Isn’t he just a little taller than average? He looks rather weak. Do these two ladies prefer this type of man?’

Seeing how the two beautiful ladies before him had ignored him and were getting ‘excited’ before that tall man, Qin Zhong’s face reddened, and a glint flashed across his eyes.

‘That fellow is just a little taller than average! Let me show you that height is nothing at all!’

With such thoughts in mind, Qin Zhong stepped forward, and with a proud gaze, he said, “I am Qin Zhong, a 4-star beast tamer from the Beast Hall. My friend over there, may I know how to address you? Is it convenient for you to come up to have a chat?”

“Hmm?”

Just as Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er were overwhelmed by grief and shock, they suddenly heard those words and froze.

Was there something wrong with this fellow’s head?

Chat with an Otherworldly Demon? How could Qin Zhong be sure that he knew how to speak human language?

Seeing the dumbfounded expression on the duo, Qin Zhong thought that he was on the right track, and his eyes lit up. Turning his gaze back to the tall fellow below, he realized that the latter wasn’t even looking at him. Furious, he howled, “What? Are you looking down on me? Fine, I’m interested to see what you are capable of anyway!”

After saying this, the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast roared and flew into the sky.

Qin Zhong leaped onto the back of his tamed beast, and the duo swooped downward to the tall fellow below.

‘You chose that tall fellow over me? Fine, I’ll beat him up right now and let you know how bad your eyes are!’

Halfway through the arc, Qin Zhong leaped off from the spirit beast. His robe fluttered along with the tug of the wind as he charged toward that tall fellow.

He had used his strongest movement technique in this leap. At this moment, he looked like he was gliding through the air, creating a dashing scene. Through this movement technique, he had incited the excited screams of innumerable beautiful ladies.

Halfway through his movement, he raised his gaze to peek at the two beautiful ladies, hoping to see eyes gleaming with excitement and admiration. But who knew that those two ladies would actually shake their heads in pity and close their eyes?

‘Closing your eyes?

‘Is my performance insufficient to awe you?’

Just as Qin Zhong was perplexed by the bizarre situation, he had already arrived before the puppet. Before he could do anything, he suddenly saw a huge fist rapidly expanding before his eyes.

Peng!

A powerful force struck his body, and he suddenly felt a stifling sensation in his chest. Blood spurted profusely from his mouth, and his figure rapidly retreated through the air.

‘Strength that exceeds Transcendent Mortal 8-dan…’

Qin Zhong’s vision turned dark, and he nearly went insane.

The strength of the Otherworldly Demon puppets was derived from their physical bodies, making it nearly impossible for Qin Zhong to accurately gauge the other party’s true strength and capability. Nevertheless, taking pride in his ability, he’d thought that it would be a piece of cake for him to take down the other party.

Never had he expected for the other party to be so powerful. It felt like he was standing against the raging storms of a boundless ocean. Even his father, the hall master of the Beast Hall, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert, didn’t wield such prowess!

But if that was the case, wouldn’t that mean that the other party’s strength had already exceeded Transcendent Mortal 8-dan?

How could that be?

He had met all of the Transcendent Mortal 8-dan experts of Huanyu Empire, but he didn’t recall one of them being of such tall stature…

Only after spurting several large mouthfuls of blood did he finally feel the stifling sensation in his chest alleviate slightly. His back crashed heavily against the edge of the depression, and the bones throughout his entire body rattled.

Just a single fist and he was already severely injured. If not for the several life preservation artifacts that he had activated in the midst of his trajectory, he just might have died from that single fist.

But even so, the injuries he had sustained would take at least a month or two to heal.

Struggling to open his eyes, Qin Zhong was just about to summon his Winged Dragon Beast to take him away when he saw yet another tall fellow climbing out from the hole, and the both of them stood respectfully beside the hole.

‘Are they… trying to welcome someone?’

Seeing the attitude of the two tall fellows, Qin Zhong was taken aback.

However, the bizarreness didn’t stop here. After which, more tall fellows emerged from the hole, and they stood on the both sides of the hole. With their heads lowered, it seemed like they were waiting patiently for the arrival of some important person.

Finally, after the appearance of the eighteenth tall man, a sedan chair slowly emerged from the hole.

Seated on top of the sedan chair was a young man, and upon seeing the sunlight outside, he stretched his back lazily. It seemed like he had been deprived of sunlight for many days and was delighted to see it once more.

To be carried by four Transcendent Mortal 8-dan experts while another eighteen stood at attention to welcome him… Who in the world was this fellow?

And why did he appear from the ground?

Qin Zhong widened his eyes in bewilderment. For an instant, he forgot about the overwhelming pain he was suffering.

At that moment, an excited call suddenly came from above, and two figures immediately leaped into the depression.

“Zhang shi…”

Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er had thought that they would never meet this young man ever again. Who could have thought that he would actually appear before them in such a fashion?

Unable to hold back their agitation, they rushed forward without any hesitation.

The depression was around forty meters deep, but this height was nothing to a Cosmos Bridge realm expert.

“Little Qi and Princess Fei-er, what are you two doing here?”

Naturally, the man seated on the sedan was Zhang Xuan.

After five days of effort, the puppets had finally unearthed a passageway for him to leave the underground chamber.

In any case, since their leader was in his hands, these fellows had no choice but to obey his words. Thus, he had them prepare a sedan chair to carry him up.

Zhang Xuan thought that after so many days, the two ladies would have already left. As such, he was surprised to see them here.

“You are fine…”

After confirming that the other party was indeed Zhang shi, Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er were finally able to release the huge burden that had been weighing down on their hearts over the past few days. But after recovering from their agitation, many doubts started to emerge in their minds.

Wasn’t he chased by the puppets when they left?

Why would the puppets be carrying him out now?

More importantly, with the collapse of the underground chamber, the supply of oxygen inside was cut off entirely. How did he manage to survive for so long?

“I’m fine. It’s a long story.”

Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “I thought that I would surely die back then, but I happened to activate an artifact that my teacher left for me then. Through the effects of the artifact, not only did I survive the collapse, these puppets were also put under my control. Honestly speaking, I was truly lucky to have survived this!”

There was no way he could talk about the heart. Otherwise, he would have to explain how he managed to seal the heart in his Book of Heaven’s Path too.

Thus, he chose to push everything onto that imaginary teacher of his.

In any case, the duo had seen his teacher’s astounding performance back at the Cleansing Lake too, so it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to believe this either.

“Yang shi?”

Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er glanced at one another before heaving a sigh of relief simultaneously.

The image of Yang shi descending for the sky and resolving the huge catastrophe with the single throw of a shoe was still inscribed deeply in their minds. Not even Mo shi would have been capable of doing the same. It wasn’t entirely inconceivable for that legendary figure to tame all of the puppets given his means.

“It’s enough that you are fine…”

Since a high ranked master teacher was involved in this matter, they knew that it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to pry into this matter. Thus, they decided to put this topic away.

“Un.”

Seeing the duo putting aside the matter, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. At that moment, he suddenly noticed Qin Zhong, whose face was swollen red from the punch earlier, and he frowned in confusion.

“Who is this fellow?”

Chapter 683: Can You Fly?

“He is…”

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Qiqi began recounting the matters earlier.

“You wish to get an aerial spirit beast to travel back to Hongyuan Empire?”

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. “Indeed, five days have passed. I really should hurry to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!”

After leaving the Cleansing Lake, Zhang Xuan had spent three days in a coma, one day in the underground chamber, and five days digging a path out of it. All in all, it had been nine days since then.

If he didn’t hurry now, he might miss the entrance examination to the academy.

While he didn’t think that it was truly necessary for him to enroll at the Master Teacher Academy, considering the history behind it, the latter must have a huge collection of books. If he could gain access to them, he could potentially raise his cultivation quickly.

Luo Qiqi nodded. “Since teacher is fine, let’s return together.”

The reason why they wanted to rush back earlier was to save Zhang shi. But while the latter was fine now, it was indeed about time for them to return too.

“Alright!”

Getting up from the sedan chair, Zhang Xuan had the puppets march back down the hole before burying it entirely.

On the surface, it seemed like Zhang Xuan was ordering them to return to the underground chamber, but in truth, Zhang Xuan’s soul was waiting below to place them into his storage ring.

As these fellows were lifeless puppets, he could carry them along with him in his storage ring.

Since he could control these fellows through the heart, it would be waste for him not to keep them around.

With this huge army of Saint realm puppets, he could easily destroy even a real Saint realm cultivator.

With this, his safety in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy would be assured, and he wouldn’t have to keep relying on ‘Yang shi’ either.

But of course, any matter regarding Otherworldly Demons was of grave importance, and it was best to keep Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er in the dark regarding this matter as well. Not to mention, there was an outsider lying not too far away.

This was the reason why he decided to go through so much trouble to keep his action of storing them in his storage ring a secret. This way, he could avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.

As for whether the experts of the academy would be able to find the puppets after they arrived, that was none of his business.

After all, the puppets were capable of moving. The experts couldn’t possibly expect for the puppets to wait patiently at the same spot.

Having made up his mind to leave, Zhang Xuan immediately turned to the battered Qin Zhong and said, “Your name is Qin Zhong, right? We wish to hitch a ride on your spirit beast, so I ask of your cooperation.”

“Alright.”

Struggling to his feet, Qin Zhong looked at Zhang Xuan as a hint of envy and rage flashed across his eyes.

The reason why he was beaten up like that was due to this fellow.

He had no idea who those tall fellows were, but considering the respect they had shown to this young man, it was likely that he was the mastermind behind his current pathetic plight!

‘Humph, I may be no match for you here, but let’s see how well you’ll fare when we are in the air!’

Qin Zhong swallowed his pill and drove his cultivation. A moment later, he felt that his injuries had alleviated slightly.

Looking at the trio before him now, even though they hadn’t utilized their zhenqi, so he was unable to determine their exact cultivation, considering their age, it was impossible for them to have reached Sainthood.

And as long as one hadn’t reached Sainthood, one would be incapable of flight!

“There is no lodging room on top of my spirit beast, and the wind has been strong lately!”

Qin Zhong stood up and leaped onto the back of his tamed beast while he ‘kindheartedly’ warned them to be careful. On the inside, he was snickering gleefully.

“That’s no problem!” Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly.

Hu!

The Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast flapped its wings and rose up into the air.

Even though there was no lodging room on top of the aerial spirit beast, its back was rather spacious. It wasn’t cramped even with all four of them standing on top.

The spirit beast flew higher and higher, and soon, they were soaring through the clouds. Due to the incredible speed of their flight, a cold gale pressed tightly against their skin.

The group had to gather their zhenqi to form a protective layer to ward off the strong wind.

Seeing the look of nonchalance on the young man, Yu Fei-er couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Zhang Xuan, that fellow obviously harbors malicious intentions. Why did you still ask to hitch a ride?”

Even she could tell that the beast tamer was up to no good! If it was her, she would have ignored the other party and left immediately!

Besides, they had nothing urgent on at the moment. At the very most, they could just walk to the Beast Hall. There was no need for them to take this risk in the first place. After all, they would be helpless if the other party were to try something in midair.

‘Aren’t you normally extremely intelligent?

‘So, why did you make such an elementary mistake?’

Luo Qiqi chuckled.

“Fei-er, just watch on. Teacher knows what he is doing!”

Yu Fei-er was unaware of it, but Luo Qiqi had once witnessed Zhang Xuan flying in the sky. Since Zhang Xuan chose to hitch a ride, he must have a plan in mind.

Zhang shi getting done in by someone else? You must be kidding! In the times accompanying him, Luo Qiqi had only seen him doing others in. Not once had she witnessed him being done in before!

“Damn it!”

Seeing the two cold-faced ladies who were unwilling to even spout a single word to him getting friendly with that average-looking fellow, Qin Zhong’s face twisted in anger.

As the young master of the Beast Hall, he grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. Not to mention, he was also blessed with good looks and considerable talent, so he had always been admired and respected by others. When had he ever allowed another to hitch a ride even after he was pummeled?

This was a huge humiliation!

“Little Brother, were those tall fellows from before your subordinates?”

But even so, Qin Zhong knew that making a move without knowing the background of his enemy was nothing short of recklessness.

The tall fellow whom he faced possessed might exceeding that of a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert. While he understood that the wiser decision was to stay out of the other party’s way, he was reluctant to simply let this matter go, especially after the humiliation he had suffered. Thus, he decided to first attempt to understand the other party’s background before deciding on what he should do.

“No, he’s just a friend who was sending me out,” Zhang Xuan replied nonchalantly.

“A friend?” Qin Zhong frowned. “Then may I know how to address you, and where do you come from?”

This question was a little more direct.

“I’m not anything much, so I don’t think Qin gongzi will have heard of me…” Zhang Xuan replied.

“Not anything much?”

Qin Zhong sneered coldly.

That was true as well. He had met nearly all of the renowned young geniuses of Huanyu Empire, but he had never met the young man before him. Thus, it was unlikely for him to be a formidable figure.

Nevertheless, he should still tread carefully.

“Then… may I know if you have studied the Way of Master Teachers?” he continued asking.

“Yes, I have. It has been around half a year since I started learning the Way of Master Teachers…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment.

He was speaking the truth. Less than a half a year had passed since he first took the master teacher examination in Tianwu Kingdom.

“Half a year? Considering how vast and profound the Way of Master Teachers is, it is indeed difficult for you to learn anything substantial in half a year. Even so, you need not feel bad about yourself!” Considering how the two beautiful ladies were master teachers, he thought that this young man would be a master teacher as well. However, after hearing that the latter had only been in the occupation for half a year, he couldn’t help but sneer in derision inside.

Every single occupation of the Nine Paths had a whole heritage of knowledge that one had to devote one’s entire life to studying before they could master it. This was especially so for master teachers, as the number one occupation in the world. Half a year… Even at best, he could only be an apprentice now!

Since the other party wasn’t a master teacher, there would be no need for Qin Zhong to hold himself back then.

“Judging from how valiant Little Brother looks, could the reason you studied the Way of Master Teachers so late is because you went to study other occupations? What about pill forging? Are you well-versed in it?” Qin Zhong continued asking.

“I have studied it for a few days,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“A few days? That’s such a pity! Learning pill forging can to temper one’s mind, allowing one to focus their concentration and cultivate better. You lost an opportunity to cultivate a good habit…”

Qin Zhong sighed before continuing. “What about… beast taming?”

“I have dabbled in it a bit,” Zhang Xuan answered.

“Beast taming can allow one to come into contact with nature. Dabbling in it a bit won’t be sufficient for you to learn anything significant. You lost an opportunity to become closer to nature…”

Qin Zhong shook his head. “What about medicine, smithing, and formation?”

Soon, Qin Zhong went through all of the Upper Nine Paths, but it seemed like the other party wasn’t well-versed in any of them. Eventually, after confirming that the other party hadn’t achieved anything substantial in any occupation, his confidence immediately burst through the roof.

Most formidable experts would choose to take on several occupations and persevere in them. Yet, this fellow only learned each of them for a few days. Considering his lack of patience, it was certain that he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything great.

Since that was the case, what did he have to worry about?

Chuckling lightly, Qin Zhong instructed, “Hahaha. Everyone, make sure you have a stable footing. I’m going to speed up now!”

Following which, the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast flapped its powerful wings and surged across the sky.

Huala!

The abrupt increase in speed along with the intense movements of the spirit beast caused Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi immediately lose their balance, and they nearly fell from the back of the spirit beast.

To a beast tamer, dealing with the passengers riding on his aerial spirit beast was a walk in the park.

“You…”

Realizing what the other party was up to, Yu Fei-er’s face turned scarlet, and she nearly exploded in rage.

Just as she was about to bellow angrily, she suddenly felt a surge of zhenqi behind her that stabilized her footing.

Turning around, she saw Zhang Xuan’s outstretched hand supporting her back.

It seemed like the sudden vigorous movements of the Winged Dragon Beast didn’t have much of an effect on this young man.

“Hmm?”

Qin Zhong thought that he could make that wastrel beg for forgiveness through shaking up the ride, but the other party maintained a nonchalant expression, seemingly not afraid at all.

Qin Zhong’s face immediately darkened once more.

If he couldn’t even make the other party scared, how could he exact his vengeance?

Just as he was about to order the Winged Dragon Beast to perform two 360 degree turns, he suddenly heard the young man asking calmly, “Brother Qin, there is a question I have been wanting to ask you all along. Do you know how to fly?”

“Fly?”

Not expecting the other party to ask such a question, Qin Zhong was taken aback. “Flight is an ability that only Saints are capable of. How can I possibly be able to fly?”

Following which, the apologetic voice of the young man was heard once more.

“I see. I have neglected to tell you this, but I am able to fly.”

“You are?”

Qin Zhong had no idea where the other party was going with this. However, at this very moment, a thunder-like boom sounded.

“Moo!”

Hu!

As soon as the sound reverberated in the air, Qin Zhong immediately felt the Winged Dragon Beast beneath him stiffening, and it began to fall to the ground.

“AHHHH…”

Scared out of his wits, Qin Zhong screamed in fear.

The aerial spirit beast beneath him was suddenly paralyzed, and he was incapable of flight. If he were to descend from an altitude of a thousand meters, he would be immediately brought to death’s door!

Amidst his screams, he suddenly heard the young man’s calm voice speaking by his ear. “I don’t know what kind of opportunities I have lost, but I do know that being incapable of flight has cost you your opportunity to live!”

Lifting his gaze, he saw the young man looking at him impassively. The other party was floating in the air with the two ladies from before standing quietly by his side, supported by his zhenqi.

“… Flight?”

Never could he have expected for the young man who had only studied a few days in every single occupation to actually be capable of flight!

What the heck was this? If he knew that the other party was capable of flight, he wouldn’t have gone through all of that!

Qin Zhong cried.