Chapter 708

Chapter 708: To Rescue or Not to Rescue?

“Perhaps they feared trouble, so they left immediately after noticing that they were followed?” Luo Xuan suggested.

“That’s possible.” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

At that a moment, a member of their group suddenly exclaimed, “There are a few people in front!”

The group immediately turned their gazes forward and saw three freshmen sitting feebly on the ground. They had sustained significant injuries, and blood was flowing from their wounds.

The trio were all Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle cultivators. Upon seeing such a huge crowd, their faces immediately paled in fear. “We haven’t caught any spirit beasts yet…”

But soon afterward, they recalled that fellow examinees were not allowed to steal from one another, and they heaved a sigh of relief.

“I’ve met these people before. They are from the Luoyuan Empire’s party!” Luo Xuan informed Zhang Xuan telepathically.

Zhang Xuan nodded in response.

Just like Huanyu Empire, Luoyuan Empire was a Tier 2 Empire as well, and both parties lived in proximity to one another in the Academic Sea. As such, Luo Xuan was able to recognize the trio easily.

“Did your injuries come from the spirit beasts?” Zhang Xuan asked the trio.

Knowing that he meant no hostility, the trio answered truthfully, “Yes!”

“It shouldn’t be difficult for the dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts to kill you. How did you manage to escape from them?” Zhang Xuan asked.

If the dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast were to charge at the trio simultaneously, they would probably be dead in a breath.

There should be no reason for the spirit beasts to leave those who had come to slaughter them alive.

“H-how did you know that we were attacked by a dozen Consonant Spirit realm spirit beasts?” one of the three master teachers asked in astonishment.

“We are tracking that pack,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“I see. I am not really sure what happened either. We were just walking around when we suddenly encountered the pack. To be honest, we thought that we would be goners, but for some reason, those spirit beasts suddenly left in a panic after a brief encounter, as if they were scared of something…”

“Perhaps they were afraid of you catching up to them?” another one of the trio added.

Zhang Xuan and the others had arrived not too long after the spirit beast pack left, so they might just be apprehensive about staying for too long.

“But nevertheless, all they require is a brief instant to get rid of three Transcendent Mortal 4-dan master teachers. Furthermore, if they really noticed that we were tracking them, they would surely be filled with hostility toward humans. There’s no reason for them to show mercy to them…”

The more Luo Xuan thought about it, the more doubts surfaced in his mind.

Assuming that the spirit beast pack was indeed escaping from them, if they were to meet other humans in the midst of their escape, there was no reason for them to spare them, especially since a brief instant was all it would take. How could the trio possibly be able to get away alive?

Frowning, Zhang Xuan continued questioning them.

“Where does the path ahead lead to?”

“It leads to Heaven’s Thread, one of the most dangerous gorges of Leiyuan Peak,” replied one of the master teachers.

“A canyon? This is bad…” Seeming to have thought of something, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows suddenly shot up. He hurriedly rushed forward to the canyon, and the baffled crowd quickly followed behind.

Not too long later, they arrived at a massive gorge surrounded by steep cliffs. Looking up from below, the sky looked just like a thin thread. Somehow, an ominous feeling slowly spread across the group.

Ding ding ding ding!

Before they even walked into the gorge, they could already feel a massive disturbance in the spiritual energy ahead, and the sound of weapons clashing reverberated in the air.

“There is a battle going on over there…”

With these signs, how could the group still remain oblivious to what was going on ahead of them?

Zhang Xuan pointed forward.

“The answer to the mystery lies ahead…”

There were numerous large floating rock platforms around the gorge. Climbing to a high altitude, the group caught a clear glimpse of the battle ahead, and their faces were immediately drained of color.

Two hundred master teachers were tightly encircled by several hundred spirit beasts.

The cultivation of these spirit beasts ranged from the Consonant Spirit realm to the Cosmos Bridge realm, and every single one of them was incomparably powerful. Even though the surrounded master teachers weren’t weak, their opponents were simply too powerful, and they were outnumbered at that. As time went by, more and more master teachers were being incapacitated by grievous wounds.

“Could it be that the dozen spirit beasts were intentionally luring the master teachers over… so as to eradicate them all in a single sweep?”

Upon realizing this fact, the mouths of the group twitched in astonishment.

Even if the entire Huanyu Empire party were to head down to offer their support, they wouldn’t be able to turn the tides of the battle. They would only end up contributing to the casualty toll.

Furthermore, as the name Heaven’s String suggested, the gorge was extremely narrow, not to mention that it was filled with numerous floating rock platforms of various sizes, thus making it difficult for the Great Violetwing Beast to maneuver around. It would be dangerous for the Great Violetwing Beast if it were to be attacked by the army of spirit beasts under such circumstances.

Zhang Xuan’s face was extremely grave.

His high Soul Depth granted him a far greater analytical ability compared to the other members of the group. When he first noticed the presence of the spirit beast pack and the situation surrounding them, a seed of doubt had already been planted in his mind. From the looks of it now, it was indeed a huge set-up!

Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Armmetal Ape… These spirit beasts were known for their speed on land. If they were to go at full speed, even a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage master teacher would find it hard to keep up with them. And yet, they went through the trouble of circling around the peak and drawing in group after group of master teachers. It was clear that they were up to something.

Yet, Zhang Xuan hadn’t expected that the spirit beasts were luring the humans into a trap to eliminate them!

“The spirit beasts are in an alliance as well…”

The master teachers had been thinking of allying with one another to hunt the spirit beasts, but little did they know that the spirit beasts were doing the same as well. They had organized themselves orderly with a clear role for each spirit beast in the team. Some would serve as bait while others would lie in ambush to receive the prey. With this, they intended to wipe out a large group of master teachers in a single move!

Fearsome!

If they were put in the same circumstances, would they have fallen for the scheme as well and landed themselves in grave danger?

One of the master teachers turned to Zhang Xuan and asked worriedly, “Zhang shi… What should we do?”

As master teachers, they couldn’t simply watch idly as their comrades were being killed in battle… but even if their entire group were to offer their support, it would still be insufficient to defeat the spirit beasts!

“The main purpose of a master teacher is to protect humanity. Even in the face of danger, we must fight to ensure the survival of mankind… If we were to leave our comrades in such a situation, even if we successfully escape with our lives, we won’t be able to live with the guilt, and our faith will be shaken. This will surely weigh us down in the future, limiting our accomplishments!”

“But… given the current circumstances, even if we do lay down our lives to save them, nothing will change at all!”

“That’s right. This is truly a dilemma…”

Everyone fell silent.

With their current fighting prowess, it would surely be impossible to rescue the master teachers from the clutches of the spirit beasts. But if they chose to leave them in a deadly situation, the guilt would shatter the morals they had stood by and believed in for their entire lives.

“There is no doubt that we have to save them, but charging straight in will not work,” Zhang Xuan said with a deep frown. Tapping on his thigh with his finger, he fumbled through his head to search for a solution to the crisis.

“What do we do?”

The helpless crowd turned to Zhang Xuan to lead them.

They had pinned all of their hopes on this young man, hoping that he could produce a miracle as he always did.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked, “Does anyone here have the formation flags and blueprint of a 5-star Beguilement Formation?”

“I do!”

One of the Luoyuan Empire master teacher raised his hand.

The only reason the trio dared to operate in such a small team was due to his ability as a formation master. Otherwise, given their Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle cultivation, how could they possibly dare to leave the group on their own accord?

“Pass it to me.”

Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand.

“Alright!”

Knowing that this was a critical situation, the master teacher flicked his hand, and a stack of formation flags and a jade token appeared in his hands.

“This is a grade-5 primary ‘Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation’. It was created by a great Formation Master Tao Ran from our empire when a stroke of inspiration struck him while he was studying the waves. However… this formation is extremely troublesome to set up, and even after studying it for three years, it still takes me two hours at minimum to set up a workable formation. Furthermore… considering how narrow the gorge it, I’m afraid that it is nigh impossible to set it up,” the Luoyuan Empire master teacher said.

Even if he were to set up this formation personally, it would be difficult for him to succeed without spending two hours on it. More importantly, setting up a formation required one to study the geographical terrain and measure the flow of spiritual energy in the air using a geomantic compass. All in all, it was an extremely complicated process.

Considering the intense battle below, putting aside whether it was possible to set up the formation or not, it was a huge question in itself whether the master teachers could last that long against the ferocious assault by the spirit beasts!

More importantly, how was the formation supposed to be set up? To set up the formation, Zhang shi would have to head down to plant the flags. However, if he were to do so, he would be putting himself in the midst of the spirit beast encirclement as well!

There were surely plenty of formation masters among the two hundred master teachers below as well, but even they were helpless against this situation. What could he possibly do?

“Let me take a look first.”

Ignoring the other party’s doubts, Zhang Xuan touched the jade token with the tip of his finger, and the blueprint of the Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation immediately came into sight.

‘Flaws!’

Muttering silently, Zhang Xuan’s eyes remained fixated on the jade token while his consciousness had already dived into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

The Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation was created by Formation Master Tao Ran from Luoyuan Empire. Through utilizing the geographical terrain of the surroundings, it was able to trap all lifeforms in the area of the formation and confuse them. Once activated, even a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator would find it difficult to escape from the formation.

It only took Zhang Xuan a few breaths to grasp the important details regarding the formation through the Library of Heaven’s Path.

When he finally opened his eyes once more, he turned to the crowd and asked, “Do any of you have spirit stones on you now?”

Everyone nodded in response to the query.

“Spirit stones? We do have some with us now!”

Even though middle-tier spirit stones were valuable, most 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star master teachers would still keep some with them at all times.

“Take them out, I need each of you to be holding ten spirit stones. If you don’t have enough, borrow from someone else,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

“Alright!”

Ten middle-tier spirit stones were still within their means, so they had no problem taking this sum out.

“Other than me, we have a total of 52 people. Split yourself into four teams, namely North, South, East, and West!” Zhang Xuan continued instructing.

Even though they had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, there was nothing else they could do at the moment other than follow his instructions.

As master teachers, they were extremely efficient. In just a few breaths, they were already done dividing themselves.

With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan instructed seriously, “Alright, prepare yourselves. Make sure to follow my orders strictly later on. The slightest mistake can spell the failure of our operation. If that is the case, we won’t be able to save the master teachers below…”

“Zhang shi, don’t worry!”

“We will listen to your arrangements!”

Even though the crowd still had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to, the latter’s previous deeds, as well as his confident and firm gaze inspired trust in them.

The three master teachers from Luoyuan Empire harbored some doubts about Zhang Xuan’s credibility, but after seeing the reaction from Huanyu Empire’s party, they could only swallow their words. They couldn’t help but reassess the young man before them.

This young man was the youngest among the group, but why did everyone possess such deep trust in him?

In their eyes, unless an expert of Elder Mo’s caliber were to arrive on the scene, there was no way they could break out of this dire situation!

Did this fellow… really have a feasible idea in mind?

Chapter 709: Hundred Flags of Void Sealing

Before the doubtful gazes of the three master teachers, the young man stared intently at the land below with the formation flags in his hand, seemingly calculating the positioning of the flags.

“Zhang shi intends to set up the Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation?”

Seeing his actions, the eyebrows of the three master teachers shot up in astonishment.

Putting aside how narrow the gorge was, just the battle below was sufficient to cause immense chaos in the spiritual energy in the air. Even with a compass in hand, it would be impossible for one to accurately read the flow of spiritual energy. As such, how could one possibly set up a formation?

Even if a 7-star formation master were to arrive on the scene, he would surely be unable to successfully set up a formation as well!

More importantly, the moment the first formation flag was planted on the ground, the spirit beasts would surely notice them. Considering the number of spirit beasts in the gorge, even if just a small proportion were to come after them, they would still become goners!

Was this really the idea he had in mind?

Sensing the nervousness in the trio, Ruohuan gongzi said with a consoling smile, “There’s no need to panic. Since Zhang shi says that it is possible to rescue them, he must have a feasible idea in mind!”

Of the entire group, he had known Zhang shi the longest, and he also boasted the greatest understanding of the latter. This young man seemed to possess some kind of incredible power. So many times, what he viewed to be impossible had been easily accomplished by the other party.

Taking the Otherworldly Demon in the Master Teacher Tournament as an example, he actually managed to talk it into committing suicide… This was a feat that many could not even imagine, but he actually achieved it!

In fact, the very reason he could be here despite his lacking capability was due to the young man’s help.

Thus, even though the situation before them might look hopeless, it didn’t hinder him from believing in the young man’s ability to turn the tables.

“Let’s just hope so…”

The trio could only reply with bitter smiles.

While they were talking, Zhang Xuan had already finished examining the geographical terrain. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly sent a telepathic message to everyone.

“Prepare yourselves!”

Hearing those words, everyone immediately gathered their attention as they waited for Zhang shi’s further instructions with the middle-tier spirit stones in their hands.

Hu!

Just as they were wondering what the young man would do, they suddenly saw the other party leaping down from the platform, headed toward the battlefield between the spirit beasts and the master teachers.

“This…”

Alarmed by Zhang Xuan’s actions, everyone narrowed their eyes in shock.

Hundreds of powerful spirit beasts were prowling ferociously below! To charge in like that, are you sure you aren’t attempting to commit suicide instead?

Roar! Roar! Roar!

As expected, upon noticing Zhang Xuan’s presence, the spirit beasts immediately howled furiously. Following which, a ferocious string of attacks rained down on him like a frenzied storm.

These attacks harnessed an immense force which could threaten even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan expert.

Hu!

Just as the crowd thought that Zhang Xuan was done for, the young man’s path of trajectory suddenly mysteriously shifted three chi (10cm) to the right.

A mere three chi, but it caused all of the attacks to fly past him.

Roar!

The unsuccessful primary assault seemed to have provoked even more spirit beasts. With another wave of deafening battle cries, dozens of attacks suddenly came from all directions.

It was slightly different this time around.

In the first assault, the spirit beasts had harnessed their full might to crush the defenses of their opponent. On the other hand, this wave of attacks was scattered in all directions to seal their opponent’s escape route.

“These attacks aren’t sufficient to deal any grievous injuries to Zhang shi, but their force is sufficient to push him to the ground. Once Zhang shi falls to the ground, he will immediately fall into the encirclement of the spirit beasts. By then, it will be difficult for him to escape with his life, let alone, rescue the others…”

Many master teachers clenched their fists tightly in agitation.

The attacks from the spirit beasts weren’t sufficiently powerful to kill a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator, but the force of the attacks could send Zhang Xuan plummeting to the ground. Once he fell to the ground… just the weight of the spirit beasts itself could squash him to death.

“Look!”

Just as everyone was worried, someone suddenly shouted, and the crowd turned their gazes over. With a single look, they were all dumbfounded.

Through stepping on the floating rock platforms, Zhang Xuan was able to alter his movements in air. For some reason, it was as if he could predict where the attacks would come from.

At each crucial moment, he would move ever so slightly, and the attacks would pass him by. It was an incomparably dangerous situation each time, but he would always escape completely unharmed.

“This fearsome calculation ability, and this frightening eye of discernment!”

The crowd above narrowed their eyes.

As master teachers, they clearly understood how difficult this feat was. One had to be familiar with each of the spirit beasts’ habits, attacking patterns, movement speeds, strengths… Only with a thorough and accurate understanding of each and every aspect of the spirit beasts could one make such precise predictions!

In other words, in that brief moment that Zhang Xuan was examining the situation, not only did he calculate the locations of the formation flag, he even thoroughly predicted the various possible attacking trajectories of the spirit beasts and planned his path of descent!

Otherwise, how could he possibly maneuver around so smoothly and adeptly in the midst of that huge torrent of attacks?

How formidable must his eye of discernment be? How powerful must his mental calculation capacity be?

Was this still humanly possible?

Hu hu hu!

Oblivious to everyone’s shock and frenzy, Zhang Xuan adeptly maneuvered around the spirit beasts, and around ten breaths later, he finally arrived at the space in the direct center of the gorge, right above the fighting master teachers and spirit beasts.

“Go!”

Weng weng weng!

The hundreds of formation flags which he held in his hands suddenly buzzed sharply, and ‘sou!’, they flew into the surroundings.

“T-this… Isn’t this the ability that only 7-star formation masters are capable of utilizing… ‘Hundred Flags of Void Sealing’?”

The master teacher who passed the formation flags and jade token to Zhang Xuan earlier on turned pale, and he nearly fell from the floating platform from fright.

“Hundred Flags of Void Sealing? What is that?”

However, most of the master teachers present were unaware of what it represented.

After all, this was technical jargon used only by formation masters, so most of those who hadn’t learned this occupation were unaware of it.

“Rumor has it that the psyche of a 7-star master teacher is so powerful that even without a compass, they can accurately determine the spiritual energy intersection points where each flag should be placed. Thus, by throwing the flags to their respective position simultaneously, they can set up a formation instantaneously… B-but how can he possibly do it as well?”

The lips of the master teacher were trembling uncontrollably.

To set up a formation, a formation master would have to do all kinds of calculations to align their formation with the geographical terrain so as to better bring out its might.

Even for 7-star formation masters, executing the Hundred Flags of Void Sealing was no easy feat. They would usually only use this technique to set up lower grade formations, such as grade-4 or grade-5… However, the young man before him was only at the Consonant Spirit realm, so setting up a grade-5 formation should already be an extremely difficult task for him. And yet, he was still able to use such a profound skill…

‘Is this for real?

‘Are my eyes playing tricks on me?’

Boom!

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, the formation flags flew to their respective positions with the sharp whistle of the wind. Some of them fell in between the fighting master teachers and spirit beasts while some lodged themselves into the cliffs of the forge.

It should have been possible to activate the formation as soon as the formation flags fell in place, but after seeing that there was no response after some time, a master teacher suddenly thought of something, and his face distorted in horror.

“This is bad… The spiritual energy in this land is far too chaotic for the formation to tap into. Without external spiritual energy to support the formation, the formation cannot be activated…”

The reason he was able to set up a grade-5 primary formation despite having yet to reach Cosmos Bridge realm wasn’t due to his superior talent but because those flags had been imbued with the zhenqi of his teacher.

The imbued zhenqi would help the formation flags gather sufficient spiritual energy to bring out the might of the grade-5 formation. However, this could only be done in an environment where the flow of spiritual energy was stable.

But… the huge battle in the gorge had resulted in a massive turbulence in the spiritual energy in the surroundings. Even if the formation flags were put in position, Zhang shi would still be unable to tap into the zhenqi imbued in the formation flags to activate the formation!

Just as the group was at a complete loss before the dire situation, the anxious voice of the young man before boomed in their ears.

“Prepare yourselves! East, throw your spirit stones two steps to your left! West, throw your spirit stones four steps to the right…”

“Yes!”

They had no idea what the other party was up to, but they didn’t have time to think so much about it anymore. The master teachers in the four teams, North, South, East, and West, gathered their zhenqi and tossed the spirit stones in their hands out.

Wu wu wu!

52 people threw out a total of 520 middle-tier spirit stones simultaneously into the battlefield.

Roar!

Upon seeing the huge rain of spirit stones, the spirit beasts were taken aback. Sensing danger, they pounced into the air and attacked the spirit stones.

Huala!

As if a storm, the powerful torrent of attacks swept the spirit stones away from their original trajectory.

“It’s over…”

The group stared at the sight in trepidation.

Zhang shi had most probably calculated the trajectory of the spirit stones’ descent accurately before issuing precise instructions. However, with the trajectories messed up by the attacks of the spirit stones, their plan was going to fail.

Wneg weng weng weng!

Just when they thought that this operation was a failure, the spirit stones which had their trajectories altered struck the ground beneath Zhang Xuan at the very same instant.

Boom!

As soon as they came into contact with the ground, a powerful surge of spiritual energy suddenly burst into the surroundings, sweeping across the formation flags.

“This…”

“Zhang shi… actually predicted the attacks from the spirit beasts as well?”

Innumerable pupils dilated upon that sight.

The sight before them was within Zhang shi’s calculations as well?

In other words, he knew that the spirit beasts would attack the spirit stones upon seeing them. Taking that into account, he made the precise calculations for the spirit stones to clash with one another beneath his feet before issuing specific instructions to each group as to how they should toss their spirit stones!

This…

The situation was so inconceivable that it felt like some supernatural power was at work.

Just as everyone’s face was pale with shock, Zhang Xuan coldly bellowed, “Activate!”, and with a furious stomp, a surge of zhenqi shot out.

Weng!

Taking in the concentrated spiritual energy in the air, the formation flags began to buzz, and a thick layer of mist cloaked the master teachers and spirit beasts in the gorge instantly.

Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation, activated!

“Through the burst of spiritual energy caused by the collision of spirit stones, order was re-established in the flow of spiritual energy in the surroundings for a brief instant, allowing the formation to be activated… How deep must one’s understanding of formations be to do this? Even Grandmaster Tao Ran who created this Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation would surely be incapable of such a feat!”

The three master teachers from Luoyuan Empire were completely dumbstruck by the sight before them.

It had only been a few short breaths since Zhang shi had leaped down from the floating rock platform, but heck had it been frightening!

One after another, the impossible had been realized easily by that young man’s hand!

“With the activation of the formation, all of the spirit beasts and master teachers are trapped. As long as we move carefully now, we should be able to save all of the master teachers!”

Seeing the activation of the formation, Luo Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi, and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

With the Beguilement Formation veiling their sight and confounding their senses, it was impossible for the spirit beasts and master teachers to continue battling. At least, until the formation was inactivated, the master teachers were safe.

“Indeed! As expected of Zhang shi, to be able to think of and carry out such a plan…”

The crowd nodded.

Hong long!

Just as everyone had just heaved a sigh of relief, a deafening reverberation suddenly sounded in the formation, and the mist billowed furiously.

“Shit… the spirit beasts are intending to… break the formation using brute force!” a Luoyuan Empire master teacher exclaimed.

Chapter 710: Barging into the Beguilement Formation

It was no easy feat for an amateur to break a formation, but with sufficient strength, it was still possible to do so through brute force!

If someone were to attempt to trap Zhang Xuan with a grade-3 formation now, even without using the Eye of Insight of Library of Heaven’s Path, he would be able to crush the formation with just his fists.

No matter how powerful a formation might be, there would surely be a limit to its durability. If it were to suffer damage beyond its durability limit, it would instantaneously collapse.

Before supreme power, everything else was fleeting.

The Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation that the Luoyuan Empire master teacher had provided was a grade-5 primary formation. While it could trap Cosmos Bridge realm cultivators, it would be hard for it to do the same to stronger opponents.

The strongest of these spirit beasts were only at the Cosmos Bridge realm, but there were too many of them. Put their prowess together, and even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm expert would have to retreat in fear. With this force directed toward the formation, it was unlikely that the formation would be able to hold on for too long.

“Break the formation using brute force?”

Hearing those words, the faces of the crowd turned pale.

It was just a moment ago that they’d thought that they would be able to save everyone in the gorge, but in the next moment, the formation was already on the verge of breaking. What should they do now?

Were they to watch by from the sidelines as the formation was torn apart, and the master teachers were plunged into danger once more?

After everything they had done?

Luo Xuan turned to the master teacher from Luoyuan Empire and asked, “You possess the deepest understanding of this formation. Is there any way to salvage the situation?”

The gazes of the others also hurriedly shot over.

The formation flags and blueprint were provided by him, so perhaps he might have a way to sustain the formation.

“Salvage the situation?”

With a bitter smile, the Luoyuan Empire master teacher shook his head and said, “There is indeed a way, but it’s impossible to succeed!”

“Impossible to succeed? What is it? With so many of us here, we might just be able to find a way to accomplish it,” Luo Xuan urged.

They had 52 master teachers here, and a handful of them were formation masters as well. As long as the other party could point out a direction for them, they just might be able to accomplish it somehow.

“At this moment, our numbers don’t mean anything!”

The Luoyuan Empire master teacher sighed. “The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation is a grade-5 primary formation, but if reinforced by a 5-star formation master, it could display the strength of a grade-5 intermediate or even advanced formation! By then, it would be impossible for these spirit beasts to break out of the formation using brute force.”

“5-star formation master? Zhang shi’s understanding of formations should be on par with a 5-star formation master, wouldn’t that work?” Ruohuan gongzi couldn’t help but ask.

Since Zhang shi was able to set up even a grade-5 formation so easily, surely reinforcing a formation wouldn’t pose any trouble at all.

“You don’t understand what I am saying. By 5-star formation master, I am saying that the person’s cultivation must reach Cosmos Bridge realm as well! Zhang shi’s comprehension of formations is indeed formidable, but his cultivation is still limited at the Consonant Spirit realm. Without sufficient strength, he won’t be able to bring out the true might of the power my teacher has imbued into the formation!” the Luoyuan Empire master teacher explained.

“This…”

Everyone clenched their fists tightly in frustration.

With their collective strength, they would have been able to help with anything else, but the Cosmos Bridge realm…

With the formation on the verge of collapsing, it was impossible for anyone to achieve a breakthrough within this short period of time.

In other words, it was impossible for them to reinforce the formation!

“That Brother Yu from before has reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, but it’s too late to look for him now…”

Luo Xuan clenched his jaws in frustration.

Among the freshmen, the only one he knew to have reached Cosmos Bridge realm was the Brother Yu whom he had met just before the entrance examination. However, the other party was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Besides, considering the conflict between Zhang shi and him, it would be nigh impossible to gain his assistance!

After a moment of hesitation, one master teacher suggested, “Since it has come down to this, why don’t we leave the gorge to try and get the help of other examinees in the area? Otherwise, once the formation collapses and the spirit beasts break loose, we will all be doomed…”

However, halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed the bizarre silence amidst the group. Looking up, he saw each and every one of them staring at the battlefield below with a frenzied look on their faces.

“What happened?”

Frowning, he shifted his gaze downward, and his mouth slowly widened.

In the midst of the wavering formation, Zhang shi stood on a floating rock platform, and his aura was rising steadily.

Hong long long!

He furiously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy through his acupoints, and the absurd speed of his absorption induced a deep rumbling reminiscent of thunder in the gorge. A magnificent bridge connecting him to the world could vaguely be seen behind him. At this moment, he looked exceptionally tall and powerful, as if an undefeatable god of war.

“This… He is trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm?”

The master teacher’s lip quivered uncontrollably, and he nearly burst into tears.

To advance to the Cosmos Bridge realm, other Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivators would have their teacher stand guard for them in case of any problems, and all kinds of resources would be prepared by their sides so as to prevent exhaustion whenever required. Even so, it would still take several days of hard work before they could achieve the breakthrough… And yet, this fellow actually made the breakthrough on the spot just because he required his cultivation to be at the Cosmos Bridge realm in order to reinforce the formation…

What the heck was this!

Boom!

Amidst his shocked trembling, Zhang Xuan widened his mouth and swallowed the faint bridge in the air. His body rumbled, and his aura began to surge furiously.

Hu!

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid gas, the young man opened his eyes, and a bright gleam shone from his eyes. His movements were extremely graceful, seemingly aligned with nature itself.

“Cosmos Bridge realm… He really made the breakthrough just like that?”

“Isn’t this a little… way too easy…”

Everyone swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Never had they ever seen someone achieve a breakthrough so quickly in their life.

After two or three breaths, a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator had become a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator…

‘Brother, are you sure you aren’t an expert who came here just to toy with us?’

Oblivious to the frenzied crowd, Zhang Xuan glanced at the shaking formation beneath him and muttered, “There’s no time for me to continue…”

Under normal circumstances, possessing the entire Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he would strive for Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle in a single breath. However, with the formation teetering on the brink of collapse, he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

“Stabilize!”

With a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi shot out from his hand. The surge of zhenqi further divided into several hundred streams, permeating throughout the entire formation.

Geji! Geji!

Under the nourishment of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the thinning mist abruptly thickened once more. The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation, which had been shaking violently under the rampage of the spirit beasts, gradually stabilized as well.

“He succeeded…”

“The formation has been reinforced…”

The excitement and agitation of the crowd were palpable. Admiration seeped into their gazes as they looked at the young man below.

To reach Cosmos Bridge realm on a whim… Was that young man still human?

This was especially so for Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and the others. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, they were on the verge of fainting from shock.

They had seen the other party making the breakthrough for Yin-Yang realm to Clarifying Turbidity realm during the Master Teacher Tournament in Myriad Kingdom City with their own eyes. Barely a month had passed, and he was already a Cosmos Bridge realm expert…

They were still thinking of competing with him after reaching the Master Teacher Academy, but they could no longer muster the confidence to do so.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan climbed back up and instructed, “Alright. Since the Beguilement Formation has stabilized, let’s hurry up and save the master teachers inside!”

“You’re right. However, given that spirit beasts are roaming inside the formation as well… how can we ensure that we will be able to stay out of their path?” a master teacher within the crowd asked.

The activation of the Beguilement Formation had halted the battle momentarily and trapped the spirit beasts, thus providing an opportunity to save the master teachers. However… things weren’t as simple as they seemed.

The spirit beasts weren’t dead yet. It was still possible to encounter them in the Beguilement Formation, and the chances of that were indeed relatively high considering the number of spirit beasts trapped inside the formation.

Furthermore, the Beguilement Formation didn’t discriminate against friend and foe. In other words, the master teachers inside were also affected by it.

Of course, the master teachers could try leaping up onto the floating platforms and attempt to escape from the Beguilement Formation. However, under the circumstances where even their sense of direction was confounded, it would be difficult for them to differentiate between up and down. On top of that, to truly escape from the formation, they would have to find the Life Gate first.

The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation wouldn’t be called a grade-5 formation if it were so easy to escape from.

In the end, the Beguilement Formation was just a means to buy some time for those inside.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the Beguilement Formation and replied, “I see. Wait here then, I’ll head in to save them.”

“Zhang shi, you mustn’t! Even though you are a formation master, your senses will still be confounded in the Beguilement Formation. It’ll be a disaster if you were to be trapped with the spirit beasts inside…”

Everyone was horrified by Zhang Xuan’s words.

Even though Zhang Xuan had reached Cosmos Bridge realm, there were plenty of Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts inside the formation as well. There was no way he could stand against so many powerful spirit beasts!

“Trapped?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head before instructing, “There will be some injured among the master teachers inside, so prepare to receive and treat them!”

After which, leaving no time for the crowd to react, he leaped straight into the Beguilement Formation.

“Zhang shi…”

The crowd’s vision darkened, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

To leap right into the Beguilement Formation, what if he leaped right into a swarm of spirit beasts? Even if he was tired of living, this wasn’t the way to seek death!

A master teacher amid the crowd asked, “What do we do?”

“There’s no need to panic. Zhang shi would never do anything reckless. Since he dared to leap into the formation, he must have his own plan!” Ruohuan gongzi assured.

Others might not know Zhang shi well, but he knew that the other party would never do anything he was unconfident of. Considering how the other party jumped in without any hesitation, he must have a plan in mind.

“Indeed. Didn’t Zhang shi tell us to prepare to receive the casualties? Since he said those words, he must have found a way to save the master teachers inside!” Luo Xuan added.

“A plan in mind? What plan could he come up with? Even if he has a thorough understanding of formations, he still can’t possibly stand against so many spirit beasts alone…”

“That is unless he finds a way to circumvent the spirit beasts to save the others!”

“Since Zhang shi was able to set up a grade-5 formation and achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm so easily, he might just really accomplish this impossible feat…”

After a momentary discussion, the crowd turned their gazes back to the battlefield. Zhang Xuan had already disappeared amidst the thick layer of mist.

It was impossible for him to fight against so many spirit beasts single-handedly. The only possible solution was for him to circumvent the spirit beasts and guide the master teachers out.

However… there were several hundred spirit beasts in the Beguilement Formation. Even if Zhang shi knew how to navigate around the formation, was it really possible to circumvent all of them?

Roar! Roar! Roar!

While everyone was tense, ferocious roars abruptly sounded from the midst. It seemed like Zhang Xuan had encountered with some of the spirit beasts.

“Did Zhang shi encounter the spirit beasts?”

If that was really it, he would be in grave danger!

“What do we do?”

Anxious, everyone was tempted to rush in to help him. However, before they could even move, another wave of roars sounded. However, it wasn’t ferocious roars this time. Rather, it seemed like the spirit beasts had encountered something sinister and terrifying.

It was tinged with fear and apprehension.

Roar? Roar? Roar?

Following which, screams of agony reverberated throughout the gorge, threatening to burst one’s eardrum. Rather than Zhang shi, it seemed like it was the spirit beasts who were in danger…

“What is going on?”

Everyone stared at one another bewilderedly.

Chapter 711: Tamed!

Within the mist, Zhang Xuan slowly advanced.

Before his Eye of Insight, a grade-5 Beguilement Formation meant nothing to him at all. The spirit beasts and master teachers in the formation might be unable to see him, but he could see every single movement they were making as clear as day.

With a swift motion, he silently snuck up to a spirit beast and struck it with his palm!

Putong!

The spirit beast immediately collapsed to the ground.

Having reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, his zhenqi strength had reached 5,500,000 ding, a might comparable to a Cosmos Bridge realm advanced stage expert. Even though the spirit beasts weren’t weak, how could they stand against such powerful might?

(Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage 4,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 4,800,000 ding, advanced stage 5,600,000 ding, pinnacle 6,200,000 ding!)

The spirit beast tried to struggle to its feet in order to fight its assailant, but at that moment, a voice sounded by its ear.

“Submit or die!”

These words were spoken in the Ancient Beast Language.

Roar!

Given that the master teachers had come to the mountain to hunt them, it thought that the only option it had was to fight to its death. Thus, when Zhang Xuan presented an offer to the spirit beast, it hesitated. It could choose to fight its assailant to the death, but having experienced the immense might of the other party, it knew that its chances of victory were extremely slim. After a short moment of contemplation, it gritted its teeth and kneeled down.

As soon as it submitted, it felt a warm surge of energy flowing into its body. In an instant, not only did it recover from its injuries, its bloodline also became purer under the nourishment of the energy.

“Roar?” The spirit beast’s eyes reddened in agitation. It knew that this was a hard-to-come-by opportunity for it to raise its cultivation, so it immediately bowed earnestly to express its submission.

“Un.”

Following which, Zhang Xuan instructed the spirit beast to stay put before advancing ahead.

Even though Elder Mo had said that these spirit beasts had hurt many innocent civilians, a life was still a life. If there was an option, he would rather tame them than kill them.

Of course, if the spirit beasts refused to submit, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them either. On a battlefield, showing mercy to one’s enemy was foolish.

As he proceeded deeper into the mist, the screams of agony from the spirit beasts continued to echo ceaselessly in the gorge. As time passed, the number of tamed spirit beasts increased, and the casualties from the ‘obstinate faction’ piled up as well.

As Zhang Xuan headed from spirit beast to spirit beast in the formation, he also made use of this opportunity to absorb the spiritual energy in the air to advance and reinforce his cultivation.

A whirlpool of spiritual energy had formed in the Beguilement Formation due to the burst of spiritual energy from the 520 middle-tier spirit stones. Since he could save some spirit stones, it would be a waste if he didn’t make full use of this opportunity.

Two hours later, he successfully reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle.

At the same time, he had also finished dealing with the several hundred spirit beasts in the area. The only ones remaining in the area were those who chose to submit to him.

Having reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, his strength had increased to 8,000,000 ding, a might comparable to Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage cultivators.

Taking into account the 4,000,000 ding from his physical body and 3,200,000 ding from his soul cultivation, he could match up to even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan primary stage expert.

If he were to encounter that young man from the Yuan Clan once more, he would be able to defeat the latter easily even without using his clone.

“I am done dealing with the spirit beasts. It should be fine to deactivate the formation now!”

After scanning the area once more with his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan verified that he had finished dealing with all of the spirit beasts. With a chuckle, he stomped his feet.

Hu!

The formation came to a halt, the thick mist in the gorge abruptly vanished, and the battlefield came into sight once more.

…

At the very center of the gorge, two hundred master teachers were sitting on the floor. Some were treating their own injuries while others were attempting to recover their zhenqi.

They had followed the spirit beasts in hope of hunting them down, but who knew that it was actually a scheme, and they would end up being the prey instead.

Nearly every single one of them had sustained significant injuries. If not for the Beguilement Formation the young man had set up, they might have all died by now.

A pale-faced master teacher who was still recuperating from his injuries exclaimed, “I know that man, he is Zhang Xuan Zhang shi from Huanyu Empire! He possesses a half 9-dan Great Violetwing Beast. I had the honor of meeting him at the bazaar previously!”

Even though he had only caught a glimpse of Zhang Xuan amidst the crowd back in the bazaar, he was still able to recognize the latter.

This fellow had offered Transcendent Mortal 8-dan inner cores in exchange for Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals, and this matter had caused a huge storm in the bazaar. There were none who were present in the bazaar then who would be unfamiliar with his name.

Just that, as only a small proportion of the thirty thousand freshmen had visited the bazaar, there were also many freshmen who were unaware of Zhang Xuan’s identity.

“Half 9-dan tamed beast? Does that mean that there’s hope for us?”

A master teacher clenched his fists expectantly.

“It’s not that simple!”

Another slightly older master teacher shook his head. “There are around four hundred spirit beasts here, and nearly half of them have reached Cosmos Bridge realm. On top of that, due to the narrow space in the gorge, this place is highly disadvantageous to the Great Violetwing Beast, who specializes in speedy maneuvers. Even though the other party has set up a Beguilement Formation to rescue us, considering how it is unlikely that he will be able to maneuver through the formation himself, all it does is to delay the inevitable.”

A single spirit beast might not pose much of a threat, but surely several hundreds of them together would.

If an army of soldiers were to strike simultaneously, even a top-notch expert could be destroyed. This was precisely how each royal family was able to maintain firm control over their nation.

Such was the sight before them as well.

The fact that four hundred spirit beasts were lying in wait to ambush them here meant that they had already formed an alliance. In this narrow gorge, an aerial spirit beast would find it hard to avoid all of the attacks from the spirit beast alliance. It would just be a matter of time before it was worn down and defeated.

“Then… are we to just wait for death?”

The master teacher’s complexion looked extremely awful.

“There’s no point thinking about it. Let’s just recuperate for the time being and face whatever comes our way. Our only hope is for Elder Mo to notice the dire situation we are in and come over to save us. There’s nothing else we can do.”

The older master teacher sighed deeply.

He was partially at fault for putting everyone into this crisis.

It was his greed that had led them into this trap.

“Wait, something is amiss. Ding shi, why do I hear screams of agony from the spirit beasts? Is it possible that Zhang shi is maneuvering around the formation to deal with them one by one?” another master teacher asked.

Quite a few desolate screams from the spirit beasts had sounded since the activation of the Beguilement Formation. Could someone be dealing with the spirit beasts?

“You are too naive!”

Ding shi shook his head. “The spirit beasts are clearly exploiting the lack of visibility to lure us in. Even if that isn’t the case, the sound is likely just an effect of the Beguilement Formation!”

“Lure us in?”

“Un. As a 4-star beast tamer, I can discern the emotions behind the voices of spirit beasts. Even though their voices sound anguished, there is an excited undertone to it… Clearly, they think of us as fish in a net. They know that we are cornered, and they are waiting excitedly for the moment when the Beguilement Formation runs out of energy and collapses!” Ding shi said.

Even though he couldn’t comprehend the Ancient Beast Language and couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind the spirit beasts’ words, that didn’t hinder him from perceiving their emotions.

Their voices were intermixed with anguish and excitement. Perhaps, they might have found an idea to clear them in a single sweep.

“Alright, let’s focus on recuperating so that we can pull as many of those bastards down to the grave with us…”

At this point, Ding shi was just about to advise the master teachers not to pin their hopes on the uncertain when the formation before them suddenly shook violently.

Grim expressions surfaced on the master teachers’ faces in the area.

Ding shi got to his feet and yelled furiously, “The formation is going to collapse soon! Grab your weapons and prepare for battle…”

Weng!

But before he could finish his words, the thick mist concealing their sight vanished completely. Following which, they saw a young man slowly walking up to them.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

“Alright, you are saved!” the young man said calmly.

“Saved?”

Astounded by those words, everyone hurriedly turned to look at the surroundings, only to see the spirit beasts which had bared their fangs at them just a few hours ago kneeling on the floor respectfully.

And walking through the kneeling spirit beasts, the young man resembled an indomitable conqueror.

“This…”

“They are all… tamed?”

“Taming four hundred spirit beasts in just two hours?”

Soon, everyone realized what was going on. However, coming to understand the reality of the situation only deepened their shock.

Other beast tamers had to offer all kinds of artifacts and fawn on a spirit beast in order to persuade it to submit to them. Yet, just by setting up a Beguilement Formation, this young man had actually managed to tame so many spirit beasts within two hours…

Was this for real?

They weren’t the only shocked ones. Upon seeing the formation disappear, Ruohuan gongzi and the others also thought that they would be in for a difficult battle. However, upon seeing this sight, they nearly fainted from astonishment.

How powerful must one be to tame four hundred spirit beasts in two hours…

‘Brother, is there anything that can contain you in this universe?’

Amidst the shock, someone suddenly shouted, “Wait, something isn’t quite right… Take a look at Zhang shi’s cultivation!”

Hearing those words, everyone’s gazes fell on Zhang Xuan.

That single glance made their bodies tremor uncontrollably, and they nearly fell from the stone platform.

It was just a moment ago that Zhang shi had just reached the Cosmos Bridge realm. But currently, his strength felt perpetual, reminiscent of an unrelenting river. Somehow, it reminded them of the sight of myriad tributaries converging into an ocean.

“Convergence of Myriad Tributaries, this is a sign of one being on the verge of reaching Perfect Harmonization realm. He has reached Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle!”

“Didn’t he just reach Cosmos Bridge realm a moment ago?”

Rubbing their eyes forcefully, everyone felt as though they were going mad.

They had all met top-notch geniuses who advanced swiftly in their cultivation, but never had they witnessed anything as stupefying as this.

Right after a breakthrough, he actually shot from primary stage to pinnacle in a single breath…

How the heck did he cultivate?

Even bamboo shoots didn’t grow as quickly as him!

“Zhang shi must have used some kind of secret art to raise his cultivation so as to save them… Otherwise, how could he possibly tame so many spirit beasts within such a short period of time?”

“Indeed! There are four hundred spirit beasts here. Unless one wields overwhelming strength, how could one win the loyalty of all of them?”

The crowd clenched their fists tightly.

As master teachers, they knew how difficult cultivating was, so they immediately discounted the possibility that Zhang Xuan had achieved a breakthrough. Instead, they thought that he had paid a heavy price using some secret art to temporarily raise his cultivation.

Given that half of the spirit beasts present here possessed the strength of Cosmos Bridge realm, the only way to tame them quickly was to overpower them.

His self-sacrificial spirit to save his fellow peers was indeed worthy of respect!

Amidst everyone’s astonishment and admiration, Zhang Xuan suddenly announced, “The spirit beasts I have killed and tamed should provide sufficient points for all of you to clear the examination. There’s no need for you to hunt spirit beasts anymore; you should report back to the starting line.”

Following which, the young man leaped up the floating rock platforms.

“Sufficient points for us to clear the examination?”

“Zhang shi means that… he wants us to take these spirit beasts and inner cores back to clear the examination?”

“But these are the spirit beasts he tamed and killed personally! Is he giving them to us? This…”

Staring at the figure disappearing from the gorge, the crowd clenched their fists tightly, and their eyes reddened.

To selflessly act with the welfare of humanity in mind…

This was a true master teacher!

Chapter 712: Myriad Anthive Queen

After a moment of silence, Ding shi glanced at the master teachers in the surroundings and asked, “Even though Zhang shi cares not for these spirit beasts, can we really… shamelessly claim these spirit beasts for ourselves?”

As master teachers, they had their pride and moral compass.

“If not for Zhang shi, we might have died by now. If we were to claim his hard work for ourselves after all that, we would be worse than beasts!”

They already owed a debt of gratitude to Zhang shi for saving them. If they were to take the other party’s items for themselves after all of that, how could they possibly face the other party in the future?

How could they face their own consciences?

Scanning the surroundings, Ding shi said, “Since everyone here shares the same thoughts, I have a suggestion!”

At this moment, Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and others from Huanyu Empire’s party had also scaled down the floating rock platforms and into the gorge.

“Ding shi, please speak!”

The crowd’s gaze fell on him.

“Since Zhang shi told us to return, let’s listen to his words. We’ll take these spirit beasts to report back at the starting line. However…”

Ding shi suddenly paused.

“Each of us shall only claim a single point to clear the examination. We will place whatever is left under Zhang shi’s name!”

“It is only right that we do that!”

“Indeed. These spirit beasts were tamed and killed by Zhang shi, of course we should put the points under his name!”

…

Hearing those words, the crowd immediately nodded in agreement.

Elder Mo had already said that the points were cumulative and transferable. Since these spirit beasts were tamed and killed by Zhang shi, they could just claim a single point to pass the examination while passing the remaining sum to Zhang shi.

Such respectable conduct should be made known to the teachers and elders of the academy!

This was what they should do, and this was what they believed in as well.

Having decided on the matter, the group quickly brought the spirit beasts and inner cores down the mountain.

…

Oblivious of their decision, Zhang Xuan leaped out of the gorge and flitted alongside the cliff, headed to the top of the mountain.

A conjecture of his had been confirmed while he was in the midst of taming the spirit beasts earlier on.

Previously, when he realized that the spirit beasts were luring master teachers into an ambush they prepared orderly, a doubt had emerged in his mind… How did these fellows uncover the tracks of the master teachers and avoid the traps they had laid for them?

After all, the spirit beasts that were in charge of luring the spirit beasts were only at Consonant Spirit realm. It was impossible for them to notice traps that even most master teachers had difficulty perceiving. Unless… someone had been guiding them from behind!

With this deduction in mind, Zhang shi interrogated the spirit beasts he had tamed to gather news from them.

Under his questioning, he managed to uncover some significant information.

The reason they were able to precisely locate the master teachers and avoid their traps was indeed due to a spirit beast guiding them from the rear!

‘Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast… Myriad Anthive Queen!’

Through interrogating the spirit beasts, he had managed to uncover the mastermind behind the entire operation!

The Myriad Ant was an extremely rare savage beast. It was around the size of an ant, and it was able to fly freely in the mountains without being noticed.

These little things might mean nothing much to experts—they could easily crush one with their fingers—but what was truly fearsome was the being that stood behind them… Anthive Queen!

The Myriad Anthive Queen had a physique comparable to a human. While it was incapable of flight, it could control several ten thousand Myriad Ants simultaneously to scout an area.

The reason why those spirit beasts were able to notice the master teachers’ ambushes in advance was due to the Anthive Queen scouting via the Myriad Ants and relaying the news.

As Zhang Xuan advanced in the direction pointed out to him by the spirit beasts, with a deep frown on his forehead, he muttered, “Why would the Myriad Anthive Queen help those spirit beasts?”

The Myriad Anthive Queen was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast. On top of that, with so many Myriad Ants scouting in its stead, it could easily predict the movements of those that could pose a threat to it and take precautions in advance.

As such, it was extremely difficult for the examinees to harm it!

There was no reason for it to organize the other spirit beasts to deal with the humans!

After all, if Elder Mo were to find out that it was doing so, it would be difficult for it to preserve its life.

After some thought, Zhang Xuan was still unable to figure out the aims of the Myriad Anthive Queen. Thus, he shook this question out of his head.

‘Its motive doesn’t matter at all. What I am interested in is the Myriad Anthive Nest!’

Naturally, Zhang Xuan wasn’t so magnanimous as to give the spirit beasts he had tamed and killed away to others. The only reason he did so was because he heard mention of the Myriad Anthive Queen, and there was an artifact that the latter possessed that he dearly wanted.

Myriad Anthive Nest!

It was through the Myriad Anthive Nest that the Myriad Anthive Queen was able to bring and summon Myriad Ants wherever it went!

The Myriad Anthive Nest was similar to a storage ring, but its interior was imbued with spiritual energy, allowing lifeforms to survive in it.

In other words, as long as there was sufficient space in the Myriad Anthive Nest, one could even put a human in it!

As a storage ring wasn’t suited for storing living beings, it was extremely troublesome for Zhang Xuan to switch place with his clone. However, if he could obtain the Myriad Anthive Nest, he would be able to hide within it whenever he needed his clone to appear in public.

In fact, he could even store the Great Violetwing Beast inside. He would be able to catch his opponent off-guard by summoning it in the midst of a battle.

This was especially so given his identity as a beast tamer. He could store all of his tamed beasts inside the nest, and he would have a mobile army with him at all times!

As such, he immediately rushed over as soon as the situation at the gorge cleared up.

There was nothing more important than this at the moment. He was even willing to give the spirit beasts and tamed beasts to the master teachers just so that he could get to the Myriad Anthive Queen as soon as possible.

After all, the Anthive Queen should have known by now that he had saved the master teachers. If it were to escape or hide, it would be difficult to find it once more.

Through the Eye of Insight, he was able to see the usually indiscernible Myriad Ants clearly in the air. Flapping their wings furiously, they were all heading in a certain direction.

Concealing his aura, Zhang Xuan silently followed behind them.

Since these Myriad Ants had to report back to the Anthive Queen, he would surely be able to find the latter by following them.

Given his current cultivation, there was no difficulty in hiding his presence from the Myriad Ants, who were mere savage beasts.

Advancing ahead, he saw a few more groups of spirit beasts attempting to lure the examinees into a trap. However, seeing that the situation wasn’t as dangerous as the previous encirclement, he chose not to interfere.

An hour later, he reached the middle mark of Leiyuan Peak.

At the current point, he was already several thousand meters above ground level, and the air was even colder than before. White clouds drifted in the surroundings, creating an illusion as if one were treading on clouds.

The further Zhang Xuan proceeded up the mountain, the fewer examinees he saw. At this point, he barely saw anyone else anymore.

‘Could the Anthive Queen be in the valley ahead?’

Watching as the Myriad Ants dive into a lush valley, Zhang Xuan chose to hide behind an enormous tree to assess the area inside before making a move.

The valley was huge, extending far into the horizon. Around three hundred meters away, there was a large cavern hidden beneath the shadows.

‘To think that there would be some familiar faces here…’

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

There were two men standing at the entrance of the cavern, and surprisingly, Zhang Xuan was actually able to recognize them.

They were Senior Feng and Brother Yu, the man who made the bet with him earlier before the examination!

At this moment, the duo was standing outside the cavern with a burning incense stick in their hands.

The smoke of the incense slowly drifted into the interior of the cavern.

‘Beastscale Incense? It’s no wonder that fellow dared to make the bet with me. It seems like he does have a trump card to fall back on…’

Upon seeing the incense, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Unlike normal incense sticks, the surface of the Beastscale Incense was marked with grayish inscriptions, reminiscent of scales.

After lighting it with one’s zhenqi, the smoke produced by the incense would drift in the direction determined by the will of the person who lit it.

This item was crafted using the scales of high-tier spirit beasts, and it carried a unique scent that possessed a deadly charm to weaker spirit beasts. If they were to inhale too much of it, it could even lull them to sleep.

Rumor had it that the method of producing Beastscale Incense had already been lost, so they were extremely rare and invaluable.

It was probably due to this artifact that Brother Yu dared to make the bet with him.

With this artifact in hand, he would be able to attract countless spirit beasts over to him easily.

It seemed like that fellow had slain quite a few spirit beasts and procured their inner cores already.

As for the reason why they were here, could it be that they had noticed the Myriad Anthive Queen and intended to kill it?

Standing in front of the cavern, Feng Wu asked in disbelief, “Brother Yu, is there really a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside?”

“Don’t worry! I have made many preparations for this examination. Not only did I procure a Beastscale Incense, I even brought a few Seeking Mice here!” Brother Yu chuckled as a snow-white mouse jumped from his bosom.

The Seeking Mouse was a unique savage beast that possessed an exceptionally sensitive nose. Once it locked onto a scent, it would be able to find the source even when worlds apart.

Back then, when Lu Chong had been attacked by Lin Lang and hid in the royal palace’s Book Collection Vault, this creature had been the one that betrayed his location.

“This… isn’t an ordinary Seeking Mouse?”

Taking a glance, Senior Feng realized that there was a black streak trailing down from the Seeking Mouse’s head to its tail, and this had left him perplexed.

He had seen a Seeking Mouse in the past as well, but he recalled its fur to be completely white like snow. Why would it have a black streak trailing down from its head?

“Of course not. Considering how ordinary Seeking Mice are only savage beasts, how could they possibly accurately pinpoint the location of spirit beasts? This is a mutated breed, Golden Seeking Mouse, and it has long reached the level of a spirit beast. What is unique about it is that it has been fed with the feces of high-tier spirit beast from young. Once let loose, it is able to track down all spirit beasts in a radius of several dozen kilometers!”

Brother Yu stroked the Golden Seeking Mouse in his hand gleefully.

He had spent a hefty price to purchase this Golden Seeking Mouse just so as to achieve results so astounding that he could attract the eyes of the elders to him.

And from the looks of it… it seemed to be working as planned.

“This Golden Seeking Mouse is the one that told me that there is a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside…” Brother Yu chuckled.

“Considering that it is a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, what should we do if the Beastscale Incense fails to work on it?”

Hearing the confirmation form the other party, Senior Feng still felt a little unnerved.

His cultivation realm was only at Half-Cosmos Bridge whereas Brother Yu’s was at Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage. If the Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast managed to maintain its consciousness before the Beastscale Incense, their lives would be in danger.

“It is not like you are unaware of the properties of the Beastscale Incense. There’s no spirit beast beneath Transcendent Mortal 8-dan that can withstand its potency. Furthermore… even if it fails, I still have other aces up my sleeves. You need not worry!” Brother Yu declared confidently.

How could he possibly rush to this cavern knowing that there was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inside if he hadn’t prepared anything else!

Other than the Beastscale Incense, he also had a grade-5 formation plate in his possession.

If that fellow really dared to come charging at them, that would be the last thing it ever did!

Chapter 713: Taming the Anthive Queen

‘Even though the Beastscale Incense has the effect of inducing drowsiness in spirit beasts, it is unlikely to work on the Myriad Anthive Queen!’

Taking the scene before him into sight, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The Beastscale Incense had a powerful trancing effect that would put even Transcendent Mortal 7-dan pinnacle spirit beasts to sleep with just a single whiff. However, it just so happened that the Myriad Anthive Queen was an exception.

A lifeform that could control thousands of Myriad Ants—how powerful must its soul be?

How could it be easy to make it faint?

If they were to continue down this path, they would be in trouble once the Myriad Anthive Queen emerged.

‘I must get the Myriad Anthive Nest by all costs. It won’t be easy for me to get the Anthive Nest once they realize that the spirit beast inside the cavern is the Anthive Queen…’

Zhang Xuan didn’t worry about the safety of the duo. After all, how could one who could acquire even the invaluable Beastscale Incense not possibly have even more formidable life preservation means?

What he was more concerned with at the moment was how he should keep the others from realizing what was inside!

The Anthive Queen was an incomparably rare spirit beast. Even if one were to comb through the entire Hongyuan Empire, they might not be able to find a second one. To actually stumble upon one here already took a huge stroke of luck. If it were to land in the other party’s hands, it would be impossible for him to get it back anymore.

After all, who would be willing to give up an artifact capable of storing an army?

‘Should I knock them out?’

Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw as he contemplated what he should do.

The easiest way to obtain the Myriad Anthive Nest was for him to rush in. However, the duo was blocking the entrance to the cavern. To get past them, he would have to knock them out.

‘But if Elder Mo found out and judged it as a violation of the rules, I might be deemed to have failed the examination. That would be a huge loss…’

As soon as such the thought came into his mind, Zhang Xuan quickly shook his head.

He had little understanding of the capability of a Saint, so he couldn’t tell whether Elder Mo had some way of enforcing the rules. Since the latter had spoken against harming other candidates to compete for their prey, if he were to be caught knocking the other party out and taking the Myriad Anthive Queen, he could land himself in serious trouble.

“Clone!”

Thus, Zhang Xuan chose to summon his clone.

Communicating telepathically with the other party, Zhang Xuan executed the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps while hiding himself amidst the lush tree crowns as he moved closer to the cavern.

If he had used some movement technique instead, it was unavoidable that he would produce some noise. Such a problem wouldn’t occur when he was in flight.

As long as he didn’t wish to be found, the other party wouldn’t be able to notice him easily even if they had reached Perfect Harmonization realm.

Soon, Zhang Xuan arrived at a location just several dozen meters away from the cavern, and he hid himself within the shrubs.

…

“It has been some time since we lit the Beastscale Incense; the spirit beast inside should be asleep by now. Should we go in to take a look?”

After multiple reassurances from Brother Yu, Senior Feng was finally able to put aside his worries. With nothing weighing on his mind, he couldn’t help but flush in agitation at the thought of procuring a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast inner core.

Elder Mo had said earlier that Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle spirit beast inner core was worth 1 point, a Consonant Spirit realm primary stage spirit beast was worth 10 points with an increment of 10 points for each small cultivation realm higher, and a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast was worth 100 points with an increment of 100 points for each small cultivation realm higher… so on and so forth. Going by this calculation, a Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage spirit beast inner core was worth 1000 points!

This was equivalent to killing ten Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beasts! With such a score, he would be able to earn a good placing despite the strong competition from the other examinees.

“There’s no rush. A Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast possesses an exceptionally powerful soul. We should wait a little longer. It would be foolish to get careless now!” Brother Yu said.

He was also excited by the situation before him, but he wasn’t about to allow his anxiousness to get in the way of his success.

As confident as he was in the Beastscale Incense, he still felt that he should be careful considering that it was a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast he was dealing with.

“Alright!”

Senior Feng nodded with glowing eyes. “If we can hunt down this one, Brother Yu’s points will near 2000. By then, Zhang Xuan will surely be unable to catch up with you even with the help from his half 9-dan spirit beast!”

Recalling the matters that had happened between him and Zhang Xuan, he couldn’t help but feel slightly stifled.

Defeated by a single finger of the other party, he was utterly humiliated to the point that his confidence was shattered. If Brother Yu could defeat the other party in his stead, he might just be able to reassemble the vestiges of his confidence.

“No matter how powerful his tamed beast may be, he has to be able to find spirit beasts to hunt first. If he can’t even find the spirit beasts, how can he obtain any points?”

Brother Yu sneered coldly as confidence beamed on his face.

So what if Zhang Xuan had a half 9-dan spirit beast?

Given the other party’s capability, he would only be able to find and hunt down a single Cosmos Bridge spirit beast. On the other hand, he was going to hunt down a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast!

The other party’s defeat was already inevitable!

“Indeed…” Senior Feng nodded in agreement. But at that moment, a strong wind suddenly sounded beyond the valley.

“Someone is here!”

Brother Yu’s face darkened.

Senior Feng also hurriedly turned his sights over.

It wasn’t easy for them to find such a formidable spirit beast. Sharing it with another was the last thing on their mind.

Just as Brother Yu and Senior Feng tensed up warily, the sound of the wind suddenly stopped. Following which, a deep voice echoed.

“Those are the marks of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast!”

“Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast?”

Hearing those words, Brother Yu and Senior Feng’s eyebrows leaped in shock.

To be found with such convenient timing, it couldn’t be that the other party had followed them here to steal their prey from them, could it?

Hu hu!

However, it seemed like they were overthinking it. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew in the surroundings once more, but it gradually grew softer and softer. It seemed like the master teacher had gone off in another direction to pursue the Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast he had just spoken of.

“Take care of the Beastscale Incense, I’ll go take a look!” instructed Brother Yu before heading out of the valley, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Could there really be another Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast here? Surely things couldn’t be so coincidental?

Thus, he dashed out of the forest, only to see a figure rushing up the mountain. However, the figure was already extremely far away, making it hard to identify him clearly.

As for the marks of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, he combed through the area several times but there was nothing at all.

‘Now!’

At this moment, Senior Feng’s curious gaze was also directed in the direction where Brother Yu left. The hidden Zhang Xuan chuckled softly, and ‘hu!’, he dived discreetly into the cavern without alarming anyone.

The one who exclaimed and fled earlier was Zhang Xuan’s clone.

Naturally, his goal was to serve as a distraction so that Zhang Xuan could find an opportunity to slip in.

Of course, he had his clone mask his voice and warp his appearance so that it was impossible for the matter to be traced back to him.

Hu!

After slipping into the cavern safely, Zhang Xuan immediately activated his Eye of Insight and scanned the surroundings.

The interiors of the cavern were dark, cold, and damp. A layer of Myriad Ants lay unconscious on the ground, passed out under the potent effects of the Beastscale Incense.

Since the Beastscale Incense could knock out even a normal Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, how could mere savage beasts possibly remain conscious before it?

Zhang Xuan slowly ventured deeper into the cavern. A moment later, his eyes lit up.

Not too far away, there was a hive around the size of a football hanging from the ceiling. However, it felt warm and smooth as if it was forged out of jade. With just a single glance, it was apparent that it was an extraordinary artifact.

Beside the hive was a spirit beast with snow-white fur. With a plump physique, it was around the size of a human. From afar, it resembled a snowman.

‘This is the Myriad Anthive Queen?’

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He’d only learnt about the Myriad Anthive Queen from a brief introduction in a book. There wasn’t much of a description on its appearance, so Zhang Xuan had assumed that it would look as hideous as the Myriad Ants. Who knew that it would have such an adorable appearance instead?

Hu hu hu!

Deep in thought, Zhang Xuan failed to control his zhenqi for an instant. The next instant, the snowy white Myriad Anthive Queen’s eyes suddenly locked onto him.

Sou!

It abruptly pounced over, and its claws tore down upon Zhang Xuan.

As expected of a Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast, it possessed astonishing offensive power. Before the claw had even reached him, Zhang Xuan could already feel an immense pressure pushing down on him, threatening to tear him and the space around him to shreds.

Perfect Harmonization reflected the eventual convergence of all paths of a cultivator. With this convergence, one’s zhenqi would become denser, purer, and more aligned with nature, allowing one to harness greater strength. At the same time, such a convergence also nourished one’s soul.

A simple claw it might be, but it was derived from a harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. Unimaginable might was harnessed behind that simple claw.

“Humph!”

Knowing that it was too late to hide, Zhang Xuan gathered his might and countered with a fist.

His zhenqi raged furiously in his body. The might of his Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation, along with the enhancement from his physical body and soul, granted him strength comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan.

Kacha!

The fist and claw collided, and before the Myriad Anthive Queen could even process what was going on, its snowy body was suddenly sent spinning through midair. It crashed into a wall, leaving a huge dent in it.

It was simply too weak to stand against Zhang Xuan in a clash of strength.

If not for the resilient constitution that spirit beasts possessed, it might have died from that fist.

Weng!

After being sent flying in the first encounter, the Myriad Anthive Queen was forced to acknowledge the prowess of the man before it. Realizing the danger it was in, it hurriedly got onto its feet and dashed forward, intending to grab its hive before escaping.

“You want to escape?”

Knowing that it would be difficult for him to capture it once it escaped, Zhang Xuan stepped against the ground and executed the Heaven’s Path Movement Art. Hu! In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared in between the Myriad Anthive Nest and the Myriad Anthive Queen.

With a surge of zhenqi, he sealed the air around the Myriad Anthive Queen, locking its movements.

Given Zhang Xuan’s current strength, it would be difficult for a Perfect Harmonization realm expert to break through his seal.

“Weng! Weng!”

Seeing the human before it preventing it from getting its nest, the Myriad Anthive Queen panicked. Anxious, it bared its fangs, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

‘I must deal with it quickly…’

Zhang Xuan knew that he couldn’t waste too much time on the Myriad Anthive Queen, especially since he had no way of telling when Senior Feng and Brother Yu would come into the cavern. Furthermore, there were countless Myriad Ants sprawled all over the area. With their numbers, they would be a difficult foe to deal with once the effect of the Beastscale Incense wore off.

Thus, without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan gathered his strength and stepped forward. His palm whipped forward swiftly, striking the furry head of the Myriad Anthive Queen.

Peng!

Under that powerful palm strike, the Myriad Anthive Queen was sent crashing back into the wall once more. Large mouthfuls of blood spilled from its mouth.

This time, Zhang Xuan had utilized a significant portion of his strength. Even despite the resilient defenses of a spirit beast, the Myriad Anthive Queen still suffered severe injuries.

Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan gazed down on the grievously wounded Myriad Anthive Queen impassively. His throat vibrated slightly as he spoke in the Ancient Beast Language.

“Submit to me and become my tamed beast, and I can heal you and raise your cultivation. Otherwise… be prepared to die!”

After which, he flicked a surge of the incredibly pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the other party’s body.

As if a refreshing stream of water was cleansing its body, the Myriad Anthive Queen felt its pores opening up in relaxation.

Weng! Weng! Weng!

After witnessing the incredible purity of the surge of zhenqi and its rapid recovery, the Myriad Anthive Queen realized that its life was no longer in its control, and hesitance would only lead to its demise. Thus, it lowered its head in submission.

“Yes. Let’s form the contract!”

Knowing that the other party had chosen to submit after realizing that it was in a position of weakness, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

With the prowess of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi and Ancient Beast Language, taming spirit beasts had become easier than ever for him. There was no need for excessive words.

“This…”

Soon, after the contract was completed, Zhang Xuan exhaled a mouthful of turbid breath. Following which, he glanced at the hive before him with a peculiar expression.

Chapter 714: Byzantium Helios Beast

After forming a contract with the Myriad Anthive Queen, a mental connection was forged between both of their souls. Through this connection, Zhang Xuan gained a level of understanding toward the Anthive Nest.

Immersing his consciousness into the Anthive Nest to take a look, Zhang Xuan’s eyes began twitching uncontrollably.

This football-size hive was indeed capable of housing lifeforms, however… the diameter of the area inside was only around two meters. At the very most, it could only store his body and the Anthive Queen simultaneously, nothing more than that.

Zhang Xuan’s initial thought had been to store the Great Violetwing Beast inside as well and form a huge spirit beast army who would follow him wherever he went. However, from the way things currently looked… it seemed like this was destined to remain as nothing more than a dream!

‘There are varying tiers to the Myriad Anthive Queens. The one which I have tamed is the weakest of the lot, so the hive it built is slightly on the weaker end as well. Unless I induce a Bloodline Evolution in it and raise its cultivation, its hive will only remain the same size forever…’

Soon, Zhang Xuan understood the reason behind this matter.

The Myriad Anthive Queen he’d tamed was the weakest among its peers. Due to the limit of its strength, the hive that it had built could only house itself. If Zhang Xuan wanted a larger nest, he would have to find a way to raise the Myriad Anthive Queen’s cultivation.

It was no wonder the Myriad Anthive Queen was able to remain safe on this mountain! In the eyes of a true expert, the functionality of such a hive was severely limited, and thus was not worth the effort!

‘What the heck is this…’

Zhang Xuan had thought that he’d stumbled on a gold mountain, but to think it would be rocks that were lying beneath the golden exterior. He could only smile bitterly to himself.

“There are disturbances in the spiritual energy inside. Let’s hurry in to take a look…”

At that moment, a voice sounded outside the cavern. Following which, anxious footsteps could be heard. It seemed like Brother Yu and Senior Feng had noticed that something was amiss, and they were on their way in!

Battling against the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Myriad Anthive Queen, there was no way that Zhang Xuan could conceal his aura. Considering the disturbance of spiritual energy in the surroundings and the loud crashing noise from the spirit beast crashing into the wall, how could they not have realized that something was amiss?

“Let’s take a look first!”

A deep frown emerged on Zhang Xuan’s face.

He immediately had the Myriad Anthive Queen enter the Anthive Nest before placing the Anthive Nest into the storage ring.

Even though the Anthive Nest was a spatial artifact, it possessed certain unique properties that allowed it to be stored within a storage ring.

Otherwise, if Zhang Xuan were to be carrying a football-sized object everywhere he went, even the most foolish of people would know that there was something wrong with it.

Hu!

After all was done, just as Zhang Xuan was about to leave, the footsteps seemed to have arrived at the entrance of the cavern. Following which, a Night Illumination Pearl was suddenly tossed in, lighting up the surroundings.

‘This is bad!’

Not expecting the other party to have reached him so quickly, Zhang Xuan swiftly flicked his fingers.

Peng!

The Night Illumination Pearl which had just been tossed in immediately exploded, and the light was swiftly swallowed by darkness. Knowing that there was no time to be lost, Zhang Xuan stepped forcefully against the ground.

Peng!

Executing the Heaven’s Path Movement Art, Zhang Xuan’s figure suddenly vanished. Before Brother Yu and Senior Feng could process what was going on, a swift blur flashed across their eyes.

“Someone is here…”

Astonished, the duo hurriedly put up their guards. However, the other party didn’t seem to have any intention of fighting them. In the blink of an eye, the other party had already disappeared from view.

“Who was it…”

Brother Yu hurriedly gave chase. However, when he dashed out of the forest in the valley, there was no one in sight at all.

“The spirit beast… is missing?”

After which, he returned to the cavern to comb the area. However, there was no spirit beast in sight either. Brother Yu and Senior Feng traded glances with one another. They would have to be a fool if they still couldn’t understand what was going on!

“Damn it… To think that the spirit beast which I knocked out with great difficulty was stolen! Who in the world is that b*stard?” Brother Yu bellowed furiously.

From his point of view, he had already crippled the spirit beast through his Beastscale Incense, but a b*stard had sneaked in to kill and loot his prey.

Otherwise, how could there be signs of battle but not a single Perfect Harmonization realm spirit beast in sight?

To think that the spirit beast he’d spent so much Beastscale Incense on would end up as a gift for another. It was fortunate that he didn’t explode on the spot.

…

Outside the valley, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

‘That was a close call…’

It was fortunate that he had slipped out in time, or else his reputation could have been tarnished if the other party had insisted that he’d stolen his possession.

It was fortunate he’d moved swiftly to destroy the Night Illumination Pearl, thus turning the cavern completely dark. Otherwise, given the eye of discernment of the duo, they would have surely been able to recognize him.

After ensuring that he was a safe distance away and that there was no one around, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and released the Anthive Queen.

There were still some doubts that he had to clarify with it.

“Why did you offer your services to the spirit beasts to deal with the master teachers?”

Based on Zhang Xuan’s understanding, the Myriad Anthive Queen was a callous being. Furthermore, it had no ties with the spirit beasts here, so why would it help them deal with the freshmen?

Wasn’t this just bringing itself unnecessary trouble?

“It’s… the Byzantium Helios Beast who forced me to do so!” the Anthive Queen replied.

“Byzantium Helios Beast?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Having collected and assimilated in countless books from the Beast Halls that he had visited, he had gained knowledge of most savage beasts and spirit beasts in the world. However, never had he heard of the Byzantium Helios Beast.

What in the world was that?

“That’s right! The Byzantium Helios Beast came by a few days ago, and he commanded me to offer help to the spirit beasts. On top of that, he even gathered all of the spirit beasts together and rallied them to unite against the humans…”

The Anthive Queen revealed the truth of the incident.

“You are saying that a Byzantium Helios Beast organized all of the spirit beasts across the entire Leiyuan Peak a few days ago so as to deal with the freshmen during the entrance examination?” Zhang Xuan asked with a grim expression.

If the Byzantium Helios Beast truly intended to protect these spirit beasts, it could have commanded them to leave instead, especially considering that the warning came several days ago. The time interval was more than sufficient for them escape to a safe distance away!

Yet, it chose to rally the spirit beasts against the humans…

Could it be that the Byzantium Helios Beast… intended to deal with the budding stars of the Master Teacher Pavilion here?

With a grave expression on his face, Zhang Xuan asked, “How strong is the Byzantium Helios Beast?”

“I have no idea; I am unable to gauge the depths of its strength. The only thing I know is that I am no match for him at all…” The Anthive Queen shook its head. “Right, the Byzantium Helios Beast is currently at the very top of Leiyuan Peak. It is still personally overlooking the entire situation and issuing commands!”

“At the top of Leiyuan Peak?”

Zhang Xuan was bewildered. What was the background of the Byzantium Helios Beast? Why would he rally the spirit beasts to fight against humans?

“Yes!” The Anthive Queen nodded.

After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan managed to get a clearer glimpse of the picture. However, this only served to deepen his doubts.

The spirit beasts across Leiyuan Peak were indeed captured and released here by Elder Mo. However, a few days ago, the Byzantium Helios Beast appeared from nowhere and rallied the spirit beasts to cooperate with one another to deal with the humans.

So as to not become the sacrificial tool for the humans, those spirit beasts immediately agreed to cooperate with it.

Due to the unique capabilities of the Myriad Anthive Queen, it was given the role of gathering intelligence. On the other hand, the Byzantium Helios Beast was serving as the commander of the entire operation, issuing instructions to the spirit beasts to gather and encircle the master teachers so as to destroy them.

Returning the Anthive Queen to the hive, Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and fell into deep thought.

‘If we allow the Byzantium Helios Beast to continue issuing instructions to the spirit beasts, many examinees will surely be killed…’

Everyone participated in this entrance examination understanding that there was a clear risk of death, but there was a huge difference if someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes to deal with the master teachers.

While it was a huge pity to see so many genius master teachers fall here, what Zhang Xuan was even more furious about was being played for a fool by a spirit beast.

“Allow me to see what kind of incredible being the Byzantium Helios Beast is!”

For a mere spirit beast to disregard Elder Mo and the Master Teacher Academy and tamper with the entrance examinations, intending to do the examinees harm, Zhang Xuan was interested to see what kind of incredible existence the other party would be.

Thus, turning his gaze toward the peak, Zhang Xuan began making his way up.

Leiyuan Peak was over 10,000 meters tall. The area beyond the halfway mark was cloaked with a deep layer of snow, and the terrain was treacherously steep. Without half a day of arduous effort, it should have been impossible for anyone to reach the peak.

However, through the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, it took Zhang Xuan a mere ten minutes of flight to reach his destination.

The area at the top of the peak was rather vast, spanning several li. A white layer of snow cloaked the bare peak, creating a natural mirror which threatened to sear one’s eyes through the reflected sun rays.

With Zhang Xuan’s cultivation, he couldn’t possibly be harmed by mere sun rays. Nevertheless, the endless white snow in sight was extremely taxing on the eyes. Thus, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and began scanning the area.

Without understanding the true strength of the Byzantium Helios Beast, Zhang Xuan knew better than to act recklessly. Thus, he switched to a set of white clothes to blend in with his surroundings before slowly advancing while keeping his body close to the ground.

‘There are spirit beast footprints ahead!’

After a moment of flight, Zhang Xuan soon noticed a set of massive footprints heading in a specific direction.

These footprints were roughly half a meter large, and they were deeply depressed in the thick layer of snow. This indicated that the owner of the footprints possessed an exceptionally large and heavy body.

‘What spirit beast is this?’

Zhang Xuan frowned, perplexed.

These footprints were somewhat similar to a human, but there were some differing features, the main one being the size. Having read many books regarding beast taming, Zhang Xuan was confident in his knowledge regarding savage beasts and spirit beasts. Even rare beings like the Myriad Anthive Queen weren’t beyond him. Yet, the footprints before him felt extremely foreign.

‘Nevertheless, through the footprints, I will be able to track it down. My answer will lie at the end of this trail…’

Knowing that the mystery would be resolved at the end of the trail of footprints, Zhang Xuan hurried forward.

After a moment of flight, a massive straw cottage came into view. The footsteps disappeared at the doorstep of the straw cottage.

‘A straw cottage? Could it be that… someone is living here?’

Spirit beasts usually resided in caves and such. Since there was a straw cottage here, did it mean that this was the residence of a human? And for the massive footprints which led to the straw cottage, did it mean that the spirit beast was actually a tamed beast of this human?

If that was the case, what motives did that human have?

‘Or perhaps… could it be an Otherworldly Demon? This would explain the motive behind rallying the spirit beasts against the master teachers,’ Zhang Xuan thought grimly.

If one had to name a race which bore deep hostility toward the master teachers, the Otherworldly Demons were surely the first to come to mind. Considering how the Byzantium Helios Beast had commanded the spirit beasts to deal with the master teachers, there was indeed a real possibility that Otherworldly Demons were pulling the strings!

Otherwise, why would anyone build a straw cottage on the top of this desolate snow mountain and live here?

At this moment, all of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to snap together.

‘I should take a look first…’

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan slowly approached while holding his breath so as to prevent his aura from leaking out.

As expected, he soon noticed a massive spirit beast lying within the straw cottage through the opened doors. Its massive eyes were lightly shut, making it difficult to tell whether it was awake or asleep.

‘Is this the Byzantium Helios Beast that the Myriad Anthive Queen spoke about? There’s no spirit beast in mind that matches its description…’

The massive spirit beast in front of him was covered in a slightly grayish fur, reminiscent of a massive ape. It was a species which Zhang Xuan had never heard of, and this made him frown in frustration.

If it was a species unknown to him, there would be no record of the other party’s strength, personality, and ability either.

A foreign spirit beast whose cultivation exceeded Transcendent Mortal 7-dan. Even for Zhang Xuan, this was a fearsome power to reckon with.

Hu hu hu!

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to approach to scout the situation, the sound of wind suddenly echoed from afar. An aerial spirit beast slowly flew over from the distance.

This fellow carried an astonishing aura that exerted an immense pressure even from a distance away.

A Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast.

“It must be in cahoots with the Byzantium Helios Beast!”

Seeing how that huge fellow rushed in without concealing its aura, and how the Byzantium Helios Beat didn’t seem to pay the matter any heed either, Zhang Xuan could tell that the two were well-acquainted with one another. Thus, he slowly lowered himself to the ground and hid amidst the snow.

His movements were extremely light, and his clothes camouflaged with the surroundings as well. Even with the aerial view of that flying Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, it still failed to notice him.

Chapter 715: Poor Brother Yu

Hu!

The Transcendent Mortal 7-dan aerial spirit beast landed right before the straw cottage. As it withdrew its wings, the massive gale from its movements lifted a cloud of snow from the ground.

Roar!

After descending to the ground, the aerial spirit beast howled.

Had any other beast tamer been here in Zhang Xuan’s place, he would surely have been at a loss as to what was happening. However, fluent in the Ancient Beast Language, Zhang Xuan was able to comprehend the intent he was conveying through the roar.

“Lord, I have carried out your instructions and trapped those master teachers! There are at least three hundred to a thousand of them encircled at the moment, and most of them are injured!” the aerial spirit beast said.

Upon reaching the Transcendent Mortal realm, spirit beasts would acquire intelligence that was on par with humans. Even though they were still incapable of complex arts such as the setting up of formations and forging of weapons, they were already capable of analyzing the situation as a whole and carrying out orders.

Take Zhang Xuan’s tamed beast for example, the Great Violetwing Beast. To exact vengeance for the Draconic Granite Beast, it had wreaked havoc upon the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall multiple times. However, while it was doing so, it would assess the situation before striking. For example, there was a period of time when a 6-star beast tamer was brought in to deal with it, but it wisely chose to steer clear during that period of time, leaving the Beast Hall completely helpless before it.

‘As expected, they are intending to deal with the master teachers on the mountain!’

Hearing the words from the aerial spirit beast, Zhang Xuan’s expression turned livid.

Considering how this spirit beast had reached Transcendent Mortal 7-dan and was capable of flight, there were nearly no master teachers on the mountain who possessed the means to rival it on the peak!

Eight out of ten of the examinees were still at the Clarifying Turbidity realm while the rest were mainly at the Consonant Spirit realm. Even though a very small handful such as Brother Yu had reached Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage, they were still far from matching up to this Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast!

Not to mention, it was ruling over countless savage spirit beasts at that!

Judging from the aerial spirit beast’s report, it seemed the master teachers Zhang Xuan had saved were only a portion of the victims in this scheme.

Considering how these two fellows had actually dared to lay their hands on the freshmen of the Master Teacher Academy, there was an extremely good chance that they had a close relationship with the Otherworldly Demons. Even if that wasn’t the case, it was clear that they were hostile toward humans.

“Well done!”

The Byzantium Helios Beast climbed to its feet, and it slowly walked out of the straw cottage.

Its movements were slow and casual, but it was brimming with power. Zhang Xuan felt as if he were staring into an abyss, leaving him incapable of determining the depths of the other party’s cultivation.

‘Eye of Insight!’

Several lines rippled in Zhang Xuan’s eyes as he tried to peer into the other party’s cultivation. But to his shock, he realized that even the Eye of Insight was incapable of seeing through the other party.

‘Could this mean that… the Byzantium Helios Beast has reached Transcendent Mortal 9-dan… or even beyond that?’

While Zhang Xuan’s current cultivation was only at Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, his fighting prowess was already on par with a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan primary stage cultivator. As such, his Eye of Insight was capable of seeing through the might of a weaker Transcendent Mortal 9-dan spirit beast.

Yet, he was unable to see through the mountain-like fellow before him. Did this mean that the other party had reached a deep mastery in Transcendent Mortal 9-dan? Or perhaps… had the other party surpassed the limits of a Transcendent Mortal already?

Beyond the 9-dans of Transcendent Mortal lay Half-Saint!

A spirit beast of this level was known as a saint beast.

If that was the case, this would explain why Zhang Xuan had never heard of the Byzantium Helios Beast. Given the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall’s tier, there was no one who was sufficiently powerful to record books regarding saint beasts.

Overwhelmed with astonishment, Zhang Xuan accidentally caused a slight disturbance in the surrounding spiritual energy. This action immediately attracted the Byzantium Helios Beast’s attention, and it turned its head over.

Startled, Zhang Xuan hurriedly retracted his gaze and focused his efforts on concealing his presence.

With Zhang Xuan’s current ability, even dealing with a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast would pose a huge threat, needless to say a Half-Saint beast!

With the incredible pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi and his refined control over his physical body, Zhang Xuan was able to conceal his presence thoroughly. Even a Saint would find it hard to notice him.

After glancing over momentarily, the Byzantium Helios Beast didn’t seem to notice anything of interest, so it chose to turn its attention back to the aerial spirit beast.

“Has any master teachers noticed yet?” the Byzantium Helios Beast asked.

“Not yet. However, the two hundred master teachers trapped at Heaven’s Thread have been saved by someone, and…”

At this point, the aerial spirit beast suddenly stopped. Its face was marked with hesitance, and it seemed as if he could hardly believe what he was about to say as well.

“And what?”

The Byzantium Helios Beast gazed deeply at the aerial spirit beast, and in that instant, it felt as if the sky was pressing down on them.

‘Saint beast!’

Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows leaped in shock.

Even though his gaze was no longer on the duo for fear of being noticed, he was familiar with this immense pressure. It was something he had felt from Elder Mo before the commencement of the entrance examination!

In other words, the other party wasn’t a Half-Saint or a Nascent Saint but a true Saint!

To think that it was a Saint who had plotted the scheme against the examinees…

Cold sweat immediately trickled down Zhang Xuan’s back!

Even if all of the examinees were to gather at this spot, they would still be no match for the other party! This was the immense might that a true Saint possessed!

“Furthermore, all of the spirit beasts assigned to Heaven’s Thread have terminated communications with me. It seems that… they have betrayed us!” the aerial spirit beast reported.

“They have terminated communications? To dare betray me, they sure are brazen…”

The Byzantium Helios Beast narrowed its eyes. “Who are they? I’ll teach them a lesson after this matter comes to an end!”

“It’s the Bluebacked Ferocious Bear, Steelfang Panther, Southern Yellow Tiger, Metal-arm Ape… These, and the Anthive Myriad Queen as well!” the aerial spirit beast said.

After hearing that even the Myriad Anthive Queen had terminated communications as well, the Byzantium Helios Beast asked seriously, “The Myriad Anthive Queen as well? Have you looked into the matter yet?”

The Myriad Anthive Queen was the source of its information. Even with the prowess of a Saint, the Byzantium Helios Beast was still unable to extend its radar across the entire Leiyuan Peak to keep track of the movements of the master teachers.

“I suspect that it has been killed!” the aerial spirit beast replied. “After losing communications with the Anthive Queen, I flew to its nest and saw two master teachers snooping suspiciously around the area with a Beastscale Incense in hand…”

“Beastscale Incense? That artifact has the effect of inducing drowsiness in one. Are they intending to lay their hands on the Anthive Queen?” The Byzantium Helios Beast roared furiously, and the pressure pushing down on the mountain peak suddenly intensified, as if reflecting its rage.

“I’m afraid that seems to be the case. After knocking the two fellows out, I combed through the cavern, and while I saw marks of battle, I wasn’t able to find the Anthive Queen itself. Thus, I took their storage rings thinking that I might find traces of the Anthive Queen inside.”

Under the rage of the Byzantium Helios Beast, the aerial spirit beast hurriedly explained with a trembling body, “As a spirit beast, I don’t possess zhenqi, so I am unable to access the storage ring to ascertain whether the Anthive Queen has been captured or killed by them.”

Following which, the aerial spirit beast raised its giant claws, and two storage rings came flying toward the Byzantium Helios Beast.

There were two conditions to opening a storage ring. First, one had to be the owner of the storage ring, or the storage ring had to be ownerless. Second, one had to possess zhenqi. For some reason, the Byzantium Helios Beast had ordered them strictly against killing any of the master teachers in this operation, so Senior Feng and Brother Yu were still alive. On top of that, he didn’t possess zhenqi, so he was unable to access the interiors of the storage ring.

“Allow me to take a look!”

While the rules above applied for most cases, with its immense might as a saint beast, the Byzantium Helios Beast could still access the storage ring through brute force. After grabbing hold of the rings, it placed its massive claws on it.

Following which, an overwhelmingly powerful soul seeped into the storage ring.

A moment later, the Byzantium Helios Beast shook its head and said, “The Myriad Anthive Queen isn’t inside, and there is no inner core either. Most likely, it managed to escape from them. You should try looking for it once more.”

“Yes!” Hearing that its companion was fine, the aerial spirit beast heaved a sigh of relief.

While the Soul Imprints were forcefully wiped off the storage rings, two unconscious figures lying halfway up the mountain suddenly spurted blood simultaneously before waking up.

They were Brother Yu and Senior Feng, who had been knocked out by the aerial spirit beast just a moment ago.

The forceful erasure of their Soul Imprints had inflicted internal injuries on them, leaving them with splitting headaches.

“My clothes and storage ring…”

Lowering their heads, the duo suddenly froze for an instant before their bodies started trembling.

Fearing that they might have hidden some other storage rings on them, the aerial spirit beasts had taken away their clothes as well. As a result, not only were the possessions of the duo taken away, they were also stark naked at the moment.

“What the heck is this?”

They were there to hunt spirit beasts, but to think that they would end up being stripped clean by the other party instead…

They would have understood it if it had just been their storage rings, but for their clothes to have been taken away as well… What the heck was going on?

Could it be that… the spirit beasts weren’t just interested their possessions but their bodies as well?

With such a thought in mind, the duo hurriedly turned their gazes downward to look at their own bodies. Seeing that there were no signs of being taken advantage of, the duo heaved a slight sigh of relief. This was perhaps their only blessing amidst this misfortune.

It was only a while earlier that Brother Yu had declared confidently that he would compete with Zhang Xuan to see who was the superior one when such a situation occurred. How was he supposed to emerge victorious in such a state?

Putting aside competing with Zhang Xuan, he didn’t even have a single inner core, putting him at risk of failing the examination!

What the heck was this!

While the other master teachers were gathering the skin, bones, and even inner cores of the spirit beasts, they were losing their storage rings and clothes…

It was fortunate that no one had seen them in their current state. Otherwise, they would have been too ashamed to face the world.

Standing up, Brother Yu hurriedly searched for a sufficiently large tree leaf to conceal his private parts. After which, with an indignant expression on his face, he said, “Let’s quickly hunt down a few spirit beasts to make some clothes first… We can decide what to do afterward!”

“Yes!”

Senior Feng nodded in agreement.

The urgent matter at hand was to find something to wear. It was embarrassing to run around with one’s bottom bare in public, even if there was no one around!

“It is fortunate that the Beastscale Incense is still here. With this, we can hunt even Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts easily…”

After wrapping a layer of tree leaves around his waist, Brother Yu looked around the area and saw a half-burnt Beastscale Incense lying in the vicinity. It seemed that the spirit beast who had attacked them hadn’t taken it away from them.

Seeing that he still had this artifact with him, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

As long as he still had the Beastscale Incense, there was still a chance that he could make a comeback.

After all, while Zhang shi might not be weak, defeating a Cosmos Bridge realm primary stage spirit beast would likely be his limit. On the other hand, with the Beastscale Incense, they could easily hunt down any Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beast and procure their inner cores.

“Let’s hurry!”

After covering whatever that needed to carry with leaves and vines, the duo hurriedly headed to the top of the mountain.

The higher up the mountain, the more likely it was that they would encounter stronger spirit beasts. With half of the time gone, their only hope of making a comeback was to go for quality instead of quantity.

As they flitted swiftly through the forest, the leaves on their waists swayed, revealing a sight consisting of both fairness and darkness…

…

“As long as the Myriad Anthive Queen is still alive, it will surely send its Myriad Ants to liaise with us soon. But until that happens, you’ll have to fill in for it and ensure that everything goes according to plan!”

At the pinnacle of Leiyuan Peak, the Byzantium Helios Beast gave the aerial spirit beast its orders.

The aerial spirit beast nodded its massive head and confidently replied, “Don’t worry!”

Without the Myriad Anthive Queen to relay messages here and there, they could only depend on this aerial spirit beast to scout the area and relay messages around.

“You can leave now!”

The Byzantium Helios Beast waved its massive claws.

“Yes!” The aerial spirit beast nodded before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. After a short moment, it had already disappeared from view.

After the departure of the aerial spirit beast, the Byzantium Helios Beast’s body tightened, and its massive body floated up slightly. It turned its head to the side to glance at a certain direction with a sharp gleam in its eyes.

“That fellow hiding over there, you can come out now!”

This wasn’t spoken in the Ancient Beast Language but in the human tongue.

“So, I have been noticed…”

The Byzantium Helios Beast was looking directly at where Zhang Xuan was hiding. Realizing that he had been spotted, Zhang Xuan’s body stiffened, and the blood running through his veins froze.

He thought that he had done a good job hiding his presence, but to think that… he was still discovered!