Chapter 958

Chapter 958: Grade-7 Formation Plate

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Holding the grade-7 formation plate in his hand, Zhang Xuan began pumping his rich zhenqi into it.

Tzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Different from before, the formation plate began to tremble violently under the infusion of his zhenqi.

Boom!

A brilliant light burst into the surroundings, forming a sphere with a radius of several hundred meters.

As the sphere expanded, mist started to appear within, shaping out an entirely different world, an extremely bizarre one. Putting aside anyone else, even he could easily lose his sense of direction within it.

This is the grade-7 formation… Lu Xu Beguilement Formation? Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Without activating the formation plate, it would be hard for him to see through what kind of formation was inscribed on it. Even though the Library of Heaven’s Path did state the flaws regarding the formation plate, that was only limited to the material and the formation blueprint.

Only by activating it and seeing it with his own eyes would he know what kind of formation it was and how powerful it would be.

Lu Xu had been a skilled formation master five thousand years ago. Back then, while he was trapped amid a misty mountain range, he had suddenly found the inspiration to create this Beguilement Formation. Even though it was only a grade-7 intermediate formation, it could exert might comparable to an advanced or even pinnacle formation, such that even Saint realm 5-dan experts could potentially fall for its beguilement briefly.

This was also the reason this formation was extremely famous, and there was a record of it in the library of the Formation Master School. It was also through the record in there that Zhang Xuan had learned about it.

An idea popped into Zhang Xuan’s mind. His surname is Lu as well. Could Lu Xu possibly be Lu Feng’s ancestor?

However, knowing that this wasn’t the time to be thinking about such miscellaneous matters, Zhang Xuan swiftly shrugged it off.

In any case, with this formation, I will stand a significantly better chance of dealing with those Otherworldly Demons. Nevertheless, I still have to plan my operation carefully first…

With a surge in his cultivation and a formidable formation plate in his hands, Zhang Xuan’s confidence was boosted. He left the Myriad Anthive Nest and returned to the Subterranean Gallery.

Just like before, the area was still filled with killing intent and darkness.

Contorting his muscles and bones, he turned into the form of an Otherworldly Demon he had seen previously before heading in the direction he escaped from previously.

Before he could get far, he saw two Otherworldly Demons flitting in his direction.

“Don’t you think that it is weird? There are nearly forty of them, so how could they escape from our encirclement without the slightest trace?”

“I also find it very weird. I was standing on alert the whole time, my both eyes staring intently at every movement around the hall. I am certain that not a person has come out from it, but the people inside just simply vanished into thin air. More importantly, we have already searched for such long a time, but there is not a person to be seen. Could it be that they were not master teachers we caught but ghosts?”

The two Otherworldly Demons were chatting with one another as they scanned the ground from the sky.

Not even the Goldenleaf King and Greenleaf King had been able to make sense out of Zhang Xuan and the many master teachers’ disappearance, let alone the rest of them.

More importantly, it was inconceivable to them that so many people had been able to escape from right under their noses without them noticing anything at all.

At that moment, they suddenly saw a tribesman flying toward them, and they frowned.

“How is it? Did either of you find anything?” the tribesman asked them as soon as he noticed them.

One of the two Otherworldly Demons couldn’t help but ask doubtfully upon seeing the other party, “Hua Wu, weren’t you dispatched in another direction? Why are you here?”

The two hundred or so Otherworldly Demons who had passed through the seal were from the same squadron, so they knew one another very well.

They clearly remembered that the fellow before them had been dispatched in another direction, so why would he appear where they were?

“Oh, I found a clue while searching there, and it was through tracing the clue that I got here!” Hua Wu explained.

“Clue? What clue is it?” The eyes of the two Otherworldly Demons lit up.

“Here it is…” Hua Wu flicked his wrist, took out a jade token, and passed it over.

Curious, the duo hurriedly lowered their heads to take a closer look. However, before they could see what was written on the jade token, they suddenly sensed that two fists were heading right toward their heads.

Hong long!

The fists carried immense strength that threatened to blast apart the air. The shock wave that rippled from the fist was so powerful that even the ground beneath was jolted apart.

“You…” Knowing that there was something wrong with the other party, the faces of the two Otherworldly Demons darkened, and they hurriedly sent out a fist each to protect themselves.

Peng! Peng!

Four fists collided, and the two Otherworldly Demons felt a devastating might coursing through their bodies before they swiftly plummeted toward the ground.

Boom!

Their bodies formed two massive depressions in the ground.

“Nascent Saint pinnacle, it is indeed as strong as I expected!” Hua Wu remarked as he descended to the ground. He then raised his leg and stomped on the heads of the duo who had sunk into the ground.

Peng! Peng!

Before the two Otherworldly Demons could process what was going on, their heads were crushed, reducing them to mere corpses.

“Good!”

Seeing how easily he had subdued the two Saint realm 1-dan Otherworldly Demons, Hua Wu’s eyes lit in excitement.

Naturally, Hua Wu was Zhang Xuan in disguise.

With the surge in his cultivation, he had wanted to try out how powerful he was at the moment. It was only after trying it that he realized how fearsome the Saint Ascension Decipher was. Putting aside those of a similar cultivation realm, even an Otherworldly Demon possessing a higher cultivation was no match for him at all!

They weren’t even able to withstand a blow from him.

Let me see what they have. Zhang Xuan grabbed the storage rings from the fingers of the two Otherworldly Demons and immersed his consciousness into them. A moment later, he shook his head.

While these fellows possessed strength comparable to 6-star master teachers, their wealth was clearly nowhere near their master teacher equivalents. Adding up the both of their entire fortune, it wasn’t even worth ten high-tier spirit stones!

It is no wonder these Otherworldly Demons wish to invade the Master Teacher Continent. Most likely, the otherworldly battlefield is lacking in resources as well.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan tapped on the two bodies, destroyed them, and smoothed out the depressions in the ground. After all was done, he was prepared to set off and find his next target. However, at that moment, a thought came to his mind, and he morphed his appearance into one of the two Otherworldly Demons he had just killed.

It was impossible for him to kill the two hundred or so Otherworldly Demons simultaneously, but it was still possible for him to dwindle their numbers bit by bit.

In any case, he had plenty of time to spare, so he was in no hurry.

After thoroughly preparing, he advanced ahead, and not too long later, he encountered two more Otherworldly Demons. Using the same method, he slayed them easily.

Most of the Otherworldly Demons who were out combing the area were only at Saint realm 1-dan. Given his current prowess, dealing with them wasn’t a problem at all. Even without making use of his puppets, he could eliminate them easily.

Proceeding forward like that, he arrived at the base an hour later.

It had been entirely reduced to rubble, but a significant number of Otherworldly Demons were standing upon it, seemingly attempting to rebuild the base even though they knew what they were doing wouldn’t amount to much.

After all, they had spent nearly two months constructing the base. To restore it entirely within a short period of time was completely impossible.

The Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King seem to be around here. Among the crowd, there were two extraordinarily powerful Otherworldly Demons floating in the air. It was the two Kings from before.

At this moment, there was a deep frown on their foreheads, indicating their displeasure.

“Reporting to Your Highness, there isn’t any signs of the master teachers in this direction.

“Reporting to Your Highness, there was nothing on my side either.”

“It is as if they have vanished into thin air, there is nothing over here either.”

From time to time, there would be Otherworldly Demons stepping forward to report the current situation to them.

As Zhang Xuan had fled in his soul form, which was both intangible and invisible, he hadn’t left any traces behind. It would take a miracle for these Saint realm 1-dan Otherworldly Demons to be able to track him down.

“Damn it, how could forty people just vanish into thin air like that? Just what is happening?”

“How did that bastard do it?”

Not only were the Otherworldly Demons perplexed by the situation before them, even the Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King were baffled as well.

Around forty old, weakened master teachers, who seemed like they were on the verge of collapsing, actually succeeded in fleeing from right under the noses of two hundred of them, and they actually weren’t able to find anything at all. It was simply too inconceivable and eerie.

At this point, the Goldenleaf King suddenly recalled the bizarre sensation he had felt while waiting outside the hall earlier, and he narrowed his eyes. “Could it be… the means of a soul oracle?”

“Soul oracle?” the Greenleaf King replied doubtfully, unsure of what the Goldenleaf King was getting at.

“Un. When we were guarding outside the hall, didn’t I tell you that I felt something pass by us? I feel that he might have gotten away then. Think about it, to be able to escape right in front of our eyes without being discovered, there can only be one possibility… that fellow has utilized the means of a soul oracle!” the Goldenleaf King said.

The Greenleaf King frowned. “Soul oracle? Didn’t the Master Teacher Pavilion eradicate that occupation because they pledged loyalty to us?”

Soul oracle was a rather unorthodox occupation in the Master Teacher Continent. Back then, they had pledged loyalty to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and after the Master Teacher Pavilion found out about it, the Master Teacher Pavilion had launched a devastating assault to wipe them off the face of the world, terminating their heritage for good.

But for a master teacher, who was most likely the principal of a Master Teacher Academy, to be skilled in the means of a soul oracle… that didn’t sound too likely.

“The heritage of the soul oracles has indeed disappeared from the face of the world, so I am rather puzzled by the situation, too. But other than that, I can think of no other possibility,” the Goldenleaf King answered with a frown.

While the duo was speaking with one another, a tribesman suddenly flew before them hurriedly and reported, “Your Highness… I think I found the trail of the master teachers!”

“You found their trail?” Hearing those words, the eyes of the duo immediately lit up as they turned their gazes to the tribesman hurriedly.

“Un. I found traces that are distinctive of the footsteps of humans, but I dared not follow them too far. Thus, I rushed back here to report the matter to you!” the tribesman explained.

The Greenleaf King nodded. “Well done!”

Considering that their tribesmen were only at Saint realm 1-dan, it was very likely that they would have been killed if they had attempted to follow the trail recklessly.

“Which direction is it in? Bring us over to take a look!” the Greenleaf King swiftly commanded.

“It’s in that direction…” the tribesman replied.

“Alright, we shall head over to take a look.”

Nodding, the Greenleaf King was just about to get that fellow to lead the way when the Goldenleaf King suddenly stopped him. “Wait a moment!”

The Greenleaf King glanced at his companion in bewilderment. “What’s wrong?”

“Have you forgotten about the bizarre means that fellow possesses?” the Goldenleaf King asked.

“This…” The face of the Greenleaf King immediately tensed as he recalled how that fellow was even able to disguise as an Otherworldly Demon King. If the tribesman before them was that fellow in disguise, it was very likely that the other party was trying to lead them into a trap.

“I will take a look!” Frowning, the Greenleaf King swiftly extended his Spiritual Perception to the tribesman before him.

“Your Highness…”

The tribesman also didn’t expect that the two Kings would suddenly do this, and his face immediately paled with fright. The fists hidden within his sleeves tightened subconsciously.

“He is…”

After taking a closer look at the tribesman before him with his Spiritual Perception, the Greenleaf King was just about to speak when a loud explosion sounded.

Boom!

Mist swiftly pervaded the surroundings, shrouding a radius of several hundred meters around them.

Tzzzzzz!

Those who were trapped in the mist found themselves losing their ability to discern which direction they were facing altogether. It was as if their senses had been confounded all of a sudden, robbing them of the basic ability to perceive their surroundings properly.

The Goldenleaf King’s eyes narrowed as his body stiffened in astonishment. “This is… a grade-7 Beguilement Formation!”

Against a Beguilement Formation of such a high grade, even he would be unable to escape from it in the short term.

He swiftly shot a glance toward the Greenleaf King beside him, only to find the latter had disappeared without a trace. He tried to look around him, but he found that his mind was a complete mess. He had already lost track of where he was.

Chapter 959: Secret Code

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“No doubt about it, that tribesman is definitely that Zhang Xuan fellow in disguise!”

At this point, everything was as clear as the day to the Goldenleaf King, and his face turned livid in rage.

They had just been thinking about how they could capture that fellow, but who would have thought that he would appear before them, disguised as one of their own, to release this formation plate on them?

Had they been prepared beforehand, they might still have been able to destroy the formation with brute force in the moment that it was activated. However, with them standing within the activated formation, it wasn’t as easy to do so anymore. They had to find the center of the formation first.

“Humph! A grade-7 formation might be formidable, but I happen to be skilled in formations. I don’t believe that I won’t be able to unravel this!”

The Goldenleaf King felt extremely furious, but he knew that it wasn’t the time for him to lose his temper. Thus, he suppressed his anger and began to assess the formation calmly.

Of the many Kings, he was the one who was the most skilled in the field of formations. This was also the reason he had been chosen to cross the seal. If the other party had used a grade-7 pinnacle formation to trap him, it would still have taken him a fair bit of effort. However, not only had the formation not reached grade-7 pinnacle, it had also been activated from a formation plate instead of formation flags. It was impossible for a formation of such caliber to trap him!

The Goldenleaf King flew in the direction that he perceived as upward, and a few breaths later, he realized that his surroundings were still completely hazy. After which, he stopped and attempted to fly front, back, left, and right as well.

“To be able to distort the surroundings and one’s sense of direction to such an extent, this formation sure is formidable!” the Goldenleaf King remarked with a grim expression.

Based on his analysis, the formation wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

He was confident that he would definitely be able to break apart the formation with time, but it would be extremely difficult for him to succeed in the short run!

“Argh!”

The Goldenleaf King had just taken out a compass, hoping to analyze where the Life Gate of the formation lay, when he suddenly heard a scream of agony from the depths of the formation. Following which, the sound of an object crashing to the ground echoed loudly.

“That fellow is assaulting our tribesmen?” The Goldenleaf King narrowed his eyes menacingly

Beguilement Formations usually didn’t wield the power to kill others, so being trapped within one wasn’t a big deal. Furthermore, the formation that had trapped them was activated from a formation plate, which was extremely taxing on the cultivator’s zhenqi. It might have been able to trap them for a short period, but once the other party ran out of his zhenqi, the formation would automatically be released, and the tables would be turned around. They would be at their full might, unharmed, whereas the other party would have experienced a dip in his fighting prowess from being sapped of his zhenqi.

He had just been thinking that he could stall for time within the formation since it would be more disadvantageous for the other party the longer the battle continued. However, who could have known that the fellow would have the strength to attack their tribesmen while the formation was still activated!

That fellow was courting death!

With a leap, he immediately rushed in the direction of the scream, and as expected, he found a tribesman who had been killed with a single punch. The storage ring that should have been on the tribesman’s finger was missing, presumably taken away.

“Argh!”

The next moment, another scream of agony was heard. Yet another tribesman had been done in.

They had dispatched all two hundred of their tribesmen to comb through the area to search for the master teachers, and those who were currently in the base were those who had returned after finding nothing at all. There were around fifty of them in total.

From the looks of it, it seemed like that fellow was intending to wipe out all of the personnel they had stationed at the base.

The price they had to pay in order to send these tribesmen over was unimaginably large. The loss of every single one of them was a huge price to pay, and yet, the other party intended to wipe out their forces. He was dreaming!

Flicking his wrist, the Goldenleaf King took out a jade token.

It was a Correspondence Jade Token, an artifact unique to the Otherworldly Demons.

With it, he could easily sense the closest distressed tribesman to him and lend him his aid.

Hu!

The jade token flew from his hand, headed in a certain direction, and the Goldenleaf King hurriedly followed it.

But by the time he arrived, there was nothing more than a mere corpse lying on the ground. The tribesman had already been killed.

After seeing that, he immediately activated his Correspondence Jade Token once more, hoping to save the next one, but the other party was still a step faster than him.

By the time he stumbled upon the eighth corpse of his tribesman, the Goldenleaf King was already completely frenzied.

Whenever he used the Correspondence Jade Token to seek the next distressed tribesman, he could sense from the jade token that the tribesman was still unharmed. Yet, no matter how fast he traveled, the distressed tribesman would be dead by the time he arrived. It felt like the other party was forever a step ahead of him no matter what he did, as if the other party knew of every movement that he was making.

“To be able to maneuver around the formation so easily and hunt down our tribesmen, that fellow’s comprehension of formations is at least equivalent to the human standards of 7-star,” the Goldenleaf King remarked with a darkened face, realizing how fearsome the opponent he was facing was.

If that fellow was only able to activate the formation plate but knew not of the internal functioning of the formation, he would have only been able to trap them but not maneuver around freely to slay them. On top of that, it was clear that the other party was tracking his whereabouts through his formation. In terms of comprehension of formations, the other party could be said to be on par with him!

Or perhaps… even superior to him!

“Damn it! You’d better pray that you never fall into my hands, or else I will make you suffer a fate worse than death!” the Goldenleaf King spat furiously through clenched jaws.

At that moment, he suddenly felt an overwhelming killing intent gushing into the air, following which, the sounds of battle drifted over.

“It’s the Greenleaf King!” The Goldenleaf King’s eyes lit up as he quickly rushed over.

He had fought with that Zhang Xuan fellow when he was disguised back then, and the latter wielded strength on par with him. Given the strength of the Greenleaf King, he should be able to stall that Zhang Xuan fellow for a fair amount of time. As long as he could arrive on time and team up with the Greenleaf King to fight against that Zhang Xuan fellow, their combined force would be more than sufficient to overpower the other party and kill him!

Hu la!

In just a few moments, he arrived at the area where the fighting sounds originated from. The Greenleaf King was indeed clashing with another fellow.

The opponent that the Greenleaf King was facing was indeed the Otherworldly Demon who had released the formation while reporting the news to them.

The both of them were incredibly powerful, raising powerful shock waves as they crossed hands.

“Greenleaf King, I will help you!” Roaring furiously, the Goldenleaf King charged into the battlefield to aid his companion.

At the same moment, that Zhang Xuan fellow seemed to have noticed his presence and swiftly turned around to flee. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the depths of the Beguilement Formation.

“Where do you think you are escaping to!” the Goldenleaf King roared as he prepared to give chase, but at that moment, he heard the voice of the Greenleaf King.

“Don’t! He is the one controlling the formation. We risk falling into his trap if we give chase recklessly!”

The Goldenleaf King paused for a moment before realizing the same too and nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

Turning around, he saw the Greenleaf King clutching his chest. There was a massive palm print of roughly two inches deep imprinted on the other party’s chest, nearly crushing his heart.

The Goldenleaf King was astonished. “You… How did you suffer such heavy injuries?”

Given that his strength was roughly equal to that fellow’s, the Greenleaf King should have been able to at least stand his ground against the other party. Even if it had been an unexpected assault, it shouldn’t have been possible for the Greenleaf King to have been so severely wounded.

Had the palm print been just a little deeper, the Greenleaf King might already have died!

“Cough cough! That fellow… he disguised himself as you… I let my guard down for a moment…”

As he spoke, the Greenleaf King spurted a mouthful of blood as his face paled feebly.

“He disguised himself as me?” Hearing those words, the Goldenleaf King clenched his fists tightly.

Indeed, he had nearly forgotten that the fellow had the ability to disguise himself as one of their own flawlessly. Back then, the other party had even been able to list the flaws of his cultivation technique accurately. If the other party had disguised himself as him, it was understandable that the Greenleaf King would unwittingly have let his guard down.

“That fellow has the ability to morph his appearance at will, and he can even imitate the aura of one’s weapon and soul, making him an extremely dangerous opponent. You must be careful as well!” the Greenleaf King advised.

“Un.” The Goldenleaf King nodded grimly.

In the first place, the limited visibility and inability to discern directions in the Beguilement Formation was already a huge handicap for them. The other party’s ability to disguise himself as them only served to worsen the situation, making it difficult for them to trust one another.

In other words, any single person he encountered could very well be that fellow in disguise.

In a direct battle or even a sneak attack, given that their fighting prowess was near equal, he would at least be able to protect himself. But if it was an attack from an enemy disguised as a friend while his guard was down… even he couldn’t say for sure whether he would be able to survive it or not.

After a brief moment silence, the Greenleaf King sent a telepathic message over. “I need to recuperate for a moment, but we can’t allow that fellow to continuing killing our tribesmen like that! You should head out to stop him first, and I will meet up with you once I have recovered. To prevent him from disguising himself as me, why don’t we set a password? We will say the passwords when we meet, and if they tally, it can serve to verify our identities. Otherwise… it can only mean that the other party is that fellow in disguise!”

“That is a good idea!” The Goldenleaf King’s eyes lit up after hearing those words.

To better save their tribesmen, it would be ineffective and inefficient for them to remain together. But if they were to separate, that fellow could make use of this opportunity to disguise himself as the other to assault them. They needed an effective method to verify they were who they claimed to be.

“Un, you can decide on the password. You will say the first line, and I will return with the next. If I am unable to reply with the password, it can only mean that the fellow is disguising as me. If so, just sneak up on him and launch a fatal blow!” the Greenleaf King replied telepathically with a grim expression.

“Very well!” The Goldenleaf King nodded. “How about this? I will say ‘Slay all master teachers,’ and you will reply with ‘the Demonic Tribe shall dominate!’ If I fail to say the password upon meeting you, you should just head straight up and deal a lethal strike!”

“Alright!” The Greenleaf King nodded.

“It’s settled then.” The Goldenleaf King heaved a sigh of relief. At that moment, another scream of agony was heard, and he quickly said, “I will head over to take a look. You must be careful!”

“Don’t worry. Having fallen for his ploy once, I won’t be so foolish as to fall for it once more,” the Greenleaf King replied confidently.

The Goldenleaf King nodded before hurriedly leaving.

Arriving at the origin of the scream, he found another dead tribesman, killed in the same brutal method as before.

“No, this won’t do. At this rate, our forces will be annihilated. I have to undo the formation as soon as possible.” Seeing how the formation was showing no signs of dissipating even after such a long period of time, it could only mean that the other party had plenty of zhenqi reserved.

At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to outlast the other party. The Goldenleaf King couldn’t help but frown in dilemma.

“Where are you escaping to?” Just as the Goldenleaf King was beginning to devote himself to studying the Beguilement Formation, he suddenly heard a furious roar, and a figure abruptly rushed for him. Raising his gaze, he realized that it was none other than the Greenleaf King.

At the same time, the Greenleaf King also noticed him and hurriedly asked, “Brother Yin, did you see anyone passing by here earlier?”

“I didn’t.” The Goldenleaf King shook his head as he began to assess the Greenleaf King before him carefully.

This Greenleaf King was completely unharmed, the palm print that had struck his chest was nowhere to be seen. His sharp eyes were gazing at him intently, as if trying to peer through him.

Without any hesitation, the Goldenleaf King immediately sent a telepathic message over. “Slay all master teachers!”

“Indeed, we have to slay all master teachers. There is no doubt now; that fellow is definitely a master teacher. He tried to launch a sneak attack against me earlier, but it’s fortunate that I reacted swiftly and dodged his attack!” The Greenleaf King waved his hand and harrumphed coldly.

“At all costs, we must kill that fellow!” Upon hearing the Greenleaf King’s response, a sharp glint concealing deep killing intent flashed across the Goldenleaf King’s eyes as he slowly walked toward the Greenleaf King.

The Greenleaf King nodded earnestly. “Indeed!”

“That fellow possesses fighting prowess on par with us. The only way we will be able to defeat him is to collaborate with one another. I happen to have something here that might be useful in dealing with that fellow. Here, take a look at it,” the Goldenleaf King said as he flicked his wrist and passed a jade token over.

“What is it?” the Greenleaf King glanced at the item in the other party’s hand doubtfully.

“It is…”

Seeing that the other party was completely unguarded, a savage glint glowed in the Goldenleaf King’s eyes as he roared, “Die!”

The next moment, his fist crushed heavily into the body of the Greenleaf King!

Hong long!

Due to the close proximity and swift strike, by the time the Greenleaf King reacted, the fist was already right in front of his chest.

“Brother Yin, what are you doing?” the Greenleaf King hollered with narrowed eyes as he hurriedly channeled all of the zhenqi in his body to protect his vitals.

“What am I doing? Do you think that this flawed disguise of yours will be able to fool me? Die!”

Boom!

An incomparably powerful fist landed directly on the Greenleaf King. He felt a crushing pressure tearing through his chest before he was sent flying.

Pu!

Fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

Chapter 960: Annihilation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Peng!

The Greenleaf King crashed onto the ground, and his back tore a deep gorge of a dozen meters long on the ground.

Following which, blood spurted from his mouth furiously. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, as if he had been depleted of his blood and vitality.

He and the Goldenleaf King were cultivators with strength equaling one another. The latter had struck him suddenly with his full might, and even though he had managed to remain alive through channeling his energy at the very last moment, all of his organs had ruptured, leaving him in a state of near death.

At this rate, it was likely that he wouldn’t last for too long.

The Greenleaf King clenched his jaws tightly together and howled frenziedly, “Why?”

He and the Goldenleaf King were both Otherworldly Demon Kings. While the both of them didn’t have much interaction with one another, they were still comrades undertaking the same important mission for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Yet, in face of an enemy, the latter had actually attacked him instead of the enemy. Why?

He just couldn’t understand it. At this moment, a voice suddenly shouted, “Why? Because he is the master teacher in disguise! Greenleaf King, kill him! Otherwise, we might both end up losing our lives here!”

Turning around, the Greenleaf King saw another Goldenleaf King standing right behind him. Following which, the second Goldenleaf King charged forward to attack the first Goldenleaf King ferociously with a finger jab.

Hong long!

A pure and concentrated killing intent crushed down on the first Goldenleaf King.

On the other hand, the first Goldenleaf King’s face was completely flushed. He opened his mouth several times, seemingly wanting to say something, but his voice just wouldn’t come out.

“He is the master teacher in disguise?”

“Indeed! That fellow disguised himself as me so as to conveniently attack the both of us! Help me, I can’t hold my ground against him alone!” the second Goldenleaf King roared anxiously as he was pushed back under the retaliation of the first Goldenleaf King.

Upon hearing the explanation and glancing at the two Goldenleaf Kings, how could the Greenleaf King still be ignorant to the situation?

That Zhang Xuan fellow who had saved all of the master teachers was using the same ploy against him once again! How could he have been so foolish as to fall for the same trick twice?

“So that’s the case! Damn it…”

Roaring angrily, the Greenleaf King ignited the blood in his body, and in an instant, his withered vitality was abruptly restored. Regaining his strength, he charged at the first Goldenleaf King, who had severely wounded him earlier.

The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe’s Blood Ignition Art! Once activated, one would die without fail. But in the short period of time before then, one would obtain strength far beyond one’s limits.

Upon seeing the Greenleaf King using that move, the first Goldenleaf King immediately panicked. He quickly shook his head as fear and horror appeared in his eyes.

However, his body had been completely suppressed by the other party’s unbelievably pure killing intent, rendering him unable to speak for the moment.

“It’s too late for regrets. I will have you know that master teachers aren’t the only ones who are unafraid of death. For our ultimate goal, we, the Otherworldly Demons, are willing to give our all as well!” With a determined glint in his eyes, the Greenleaf King’s fist crashed down, like a comet from the heavens, upon the first Goldenleaf King with a frenzied roar.

On the other hand, the first Goldenleaf King struggled with all his might, but his body was temporarily immobilized under the powerful suppression of the second Goldenleaf King. Eventually, he wasn’t even able to put up any defense against the immensely powerful strike of the Greenleaf King.

Peng!

Struck squarely in his chest, the first Goldenleaf King was sent flying while furiously spurting blood. He crashed heavily onto the ground before blacking out altogether.

It was impossible for him to hold his ground against the simultaneous assault of two equally powerful Kings.

Pu!

After activating the Blood Ignition Art and utilizing his ultimate strike, the Greenleaf King’s injuries aggravated further, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth. His body collapsed powerlessly to the ground as he gasped desperate for air, unable to speak a word.

However, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. He knew full well how mighty his strike was. There was no way the other party could have survived after taking it head-on.

At least he had killed that human principal before his death. His sacrifice was not in vain.

However, in that moment, in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of the first Goldenleaf King struggling desperately to his feet with deep indignation in his eyes, as if unwilling to meet his end just like that. The body of the first Goldenleaf King trembled weakly as he stared at the second Goldenleaf King with a look of disbelief on his face and said, “Y-you… You are that human principal, aren’t you?”

At this point, he finally understood everything.

From the moment he saw the second ‘him’ appear, he had already realized that something had gone really wrong and that he had fallen for that wretch’s trap.

From the very start, the very first Greenleaf King he had met was this bastard in disguise while the human he had been fighting against was his ally in disguise. Seeing the two of them clashing, he had automatically assumed that the Greenleaf King before him was the real one.

The setting of the password was also a scheme of the other party to make him mistake the real Greenleaf King to be a fake!

Naturally, there was no way the real Greenleaf King could have been aware of the password. Thus, when he tried to challenge the latter with the password, the latter had been unable to respond.

After which, when he made his move against the Greenleaf King, that fellow had appeared once more, this time disguised as him, to collaborate with the Greenleaf King against him.

Truly killing two birds with one stone! With just mere words and a Beguilement Formation, he had turned the both of them against one another, becoming the victor of the battle easily!

“Not bad, you are quite sharp after all!” The second Goldenleaf King chuckled as his appearance and physique warped into the form of a twenty-year-old human.

Zhang Xuan!

The two Kings were Saint realm 4-dan experts. Even with twenty Saint realm 3-dan puppets and a grade-7 Beguilement Formation, it would still have been nigh impossible for him to achieve victory.

After all, the Beguilement Formation only messed with one’s sense of direction, but it couldn’t isolate sound. If he were to attempt to focus his attack on one of the Kings, the ruckus and disturbance in the spiritual energy would surely have drawn the other King in too. He would then have had to face two of them simultaneously, and the only possible conclusion in that situation was defeat.

Thus, the best way was to make them turn against one another.

The Beguilement Formation could confound one’s senses, making it impossible for one to perceive one’s surroundings clearly. Making use of this advantage, as well his and his clone’s ability to disguise themselves, he was able to convince the Goldenleaf King that he was the real Greenleaf King and turn the Goldenleaf King against the real Greenleaf King.

Then, when the Greenleaf King was injured by the Goldenleaf King, the Greenleaf King would naturally think that the latter was him in disguise, especially considering what had happened earlier that day.

It was not that the two Kings were fools, but Zhang Xuan had crafted each situation convincingly, manipulating their current emotions and thoughts to nudge them to act. On top of that, his ability to wield the killing intent unique to Otherworldly Demons and almost perfect disguise made it even more difficult to guard against him. Even the smartest of people could have been easily tricked in the spur of a moment.

“You…” The Greenleaf King’s face paled in horror, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. At this point, seeing the second Goldenleaf King morphing into the form of a human, how could he still not understand what was going on?

The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had spent an astronomical price to send the both of them over, but before they could even push their forces beyond the Subterranean Gallery, they had turned against one another due to the despicable schemes of the young man before him. The immense frustration he felt at that moment sent another spurt of blood gushing out of his mouth.

“Even if I die, I will bring you down with me!” Roaring furiously with gritted teeth, the Greenleaf King struggled to his feet to launch a decisive blow against Zhang Xuan, but in that instant, an Otherworldly Demon puppet abruptly kicked his head before he could gather his strength.

Peng!

Completely unprepared, his body tumbled forcefully backward on the ground.

That puppet only wielded the strength of Saint realm 3-dan, and under ordinary circumstances, it would not have been a match for him. However, with the severe injuries that he had sustained and the backlash from activating the Blood Ignition Art, he was already completely depleted on the inside, making him powerless to fend against the attack from the Saint realm 3-dan puppet.

Lifting his gaze, he saw another dozen or so Saint realm 3-dan puppets encircling the Goldenleaf King tightly, pummeling the latter viciously, not giving him any chance to activate the Blood Ignition Art at all.

It would have been difficult for them to deal with so many puppets even at their peak, let alone in their current situation. It didn’t take long for the Otherworldly Demon Kings to be gasping weakly for air as they slowly fell into death’s embrace.

“You despicable…” the Greenleaf King uttered weakly as he glared ferociously at the young man before his eyes.

To think that he, an Otherworldly Demon King, an existence possessing unparalleled power in his territory, would actually have been toyed with by a twenty-year-old brat like that!

The overwhelming indignation that he felt left him so furious that he felt he might explode on the spot.

Facing the Greenleaf King’s rage, Zhang Xuan simply gazed down on the other party coldly, his eyes devoid of any compassion or pity. “Despicable? As one who has committed countless atrocities and feasted on the blood and flesh of humans, do you think that you are in a position to call me despicable?”

As a race who cultivated the Zhenqi of Slaughter and feasted indiscriminately on the blood and flesh of all other intelligent lifeforms to further themselves, it was just a matter of time before justice was brought upon them.

“This is simply survival of the fittest. It is the honor of lowly lifeforms like you humans to be ingested by us!” the Greenleaf King replied coldly.

“Honor?” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan chuckled coldly. “I see. Since that’s the case, why don’t I offer you the same honor as well?”

Zhang Xuan raised his hands and commanded, “Beat him to death!”

Roar!

The twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets immediately nodded upon hearing the command and began launching another wave of vicious attacks against the two Kings.

Pilipala!

Three minutes later, the two Kings were lying powerlessly on the ground, devoid of any strength to retaliate anymore.

Not only so, their dantians had been crushed as well, causing the immense strength that they had once harnessed to disappear without a trace.

Gesturing for the puppets to stop, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and asked, “Alright, it’s time to come clean about how you managed to bypass the seal and get here, and what your motives are!”

If he wished to kill the two Kings, there would have been no need for him to waste so much effort on them. The reason he had kept them alive was to interrogate them on this.

“You want us to betray our tribesmen? Dream on!” the Greenleaf King spat coldly.

“Our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe doesn’t have despicable traitors who would sell out their kind for their own benefit!” the Goldenleaf King roared as well.

After which, a fresh mouthful of blood abruptly spewed from the Goldenleaf King’s mouth as his eyes burst apart. Following which, his head slumped weakly to the side, and his body fell completely motionless.

“What?” Astonished, Zhang Xuan quickly turned his gaze toward the Greenleaf King, only to witness the same happening to the latter as well.

“There was probably some kind of lethal poison placed in their teeth, which granted them instant death once activated. It is a countermeasure in case they were captured by the humans,” Vicious explained.

Zhang Xuan harrumphed in anger. “If you knew earlier, why didn’t you tell me?”

He had just been a step away from possibly acquiring the intelligence he needed, and yet, the two fellows had actually committed suicide before his eyes. How could he possibly not be angry at this situation?

“I only recalled it just a moment ago,” Vicious replied awkwardly.

“Forget it!” Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan waved his hands in exasperation. As frustrating as it was, what was done was done.

Besides, it wasn’t guaranteed that he would have been able to pry open the mouths of those two.

After all, those who were dispatched here could only have been the most loyal of the Otherworldly Demons, and it would have been difficult to obtain any crucial information from them.

With his Soul Depth reaching a level equivalent to a 7-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan’s Impartation of Heaven’s Will was effective even on Spiritual Perception realm experts. However, against a Saint realm 4-dan experts like the other party, not to mention, ones with strong mental fortitude, it was impossible for his Impartation of Heaven’s Will to work.

To be honest, even if the two Kings were still alive at this point, the chances to obtain any important information from them was extremely slim.

“Alright. Kill all of the remaining Otherworldly Demons in the formation!” Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan issued an instruction, and the Otherworldly Demon puppets swiftly dispersed in all directions.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan walked up to the two Kings and took off their storage rings.

Immersing his consciousness within the rings, he took a peek at the contents inside.

S-so many treasures?

Upon seeing what was within, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Chapter 961: Lu Feng and the Master Teachers’ Shock

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The storage rings of the two Kings could easily qualify as a treasure vault. Putting aside the many powerful weapons and potent pills, there were more than ten thousand high-tier spirit stones within!

Most likely, these are the resources they were given for the mission, Zhang Xuan guessed.

Given that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had paid a heavy price to allow two Otherworldly Demon Kings to bypass the seal and enter the Subterranean Gallery, there was no doubt that they were on an important mission. Naturally, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would have offered them the best resources so as to ensure that the mission would be successful.

However, it seemed like it had only ended up benefitting him.

Their superiors probably couldn’t have imagined that the many subordinates they had dispatched to the Subterranean Gallery would have been wiped out by a mere Nascent Saint lad before they could achieve anything at all.

“Hmm? What is this?” Flicking his wrist, a round platform appeared before his eyes. It was inscribed with innumerable unique runes that bore some resemblance to those he had seen back in the Palace of Runes.

Vicious took a glance at it and said, “This is an altar!”

“Altar? Could this be the artifact the Otherworldly Demons used to transport their tribesmen over?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

Given the seal their predecessors had left in the depths of the Subterranean Gallery, it should have been impossible for the Otherworldly Demons to appear in the Subterranean Gallery. Yet, not only did they appear, there were so many of them on top of that.

Could it be the effects of this altar?

Vicious took a look at the runes on the altar and said, “That is unlikely. This altar is used for offering tributes to summon certain special items. It has little to do with spatial transportation.”

“Summoning certain special items?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He didn’t have much of an understanding of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. After studying the altar for some time, he was still unable to make sense out of it, so he could only return it to his storage ring.

After which, he rummaged through the items in the storage rings once more, and a pile of books appeared before his eyes.

Upon glancing at them, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Are these… books on the study of souls?

To his delight, the pile of books before his eyes were all related to the cultivation of souls.

Beyond Spiritual Perception realm, the importance of one’s soul became more and more important. As Saint realm 4-dan experts, it was normal for these two to have a handful of books on the topic in their possession.

After collecting them into the Library of Heaven’s Path with a glance, Zhang Xuan began to browse through the books.

However, a frown soon emerged on his forehead. Something is wrong here. Didn’t the soul oracles pledge loyalty to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe back then? It follows that the soul cultivation techniques that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe should be superior to those of mankind… but why are there so many mistakes in here?

Those soul cultivation technique manuals were extremely flawed, each of them having over several thousand mistakes. It was truly a wonder those fellows had managed to cultivate their souls safely.

He had thought that the soul cultivation techniques of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would be far superior to those he could procure from the Master Teacher Continent, allowing him to advance his soul cultivation further through them. However, that clearly wasn’t the case.

If he were to cultivate using their soul cultivation techniques, even if his cultivation didn’t go berserk, it would also be extremely weak, possibly collapsing at any moment.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. Perhaps it is due to humans and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe being of two different species, so the soul cultivation techniques do not overlap.

This was the only logical explanation he could come up with at the moment.

During the time he spent studying the items within the storage ring, the puppets slew all fifty of the Otherworldly Demons trapped within the formation and returned with their storage rings in hand.

Searching through them, Zhang Xuan gathered quite a few artifacts, spirit stones, and a handful of books regarding souls as well.

After dealing with that, he calmly retracted the Beguilement Formation and had the puppets clear up the corpses of the Otherworldly Demons. After which, he assumed his disguise as the Goldenleaf King and stood on the spot.

There were more than two hundred Otherworldly Demons, and he had only killed fifty of them thus far. There were still another a hundred and fifty or so combing the area. Since Zhang Xuan had begun making his move, he had to make sure to eliminate all of them to be safe.

Standing on the spot, it didn’t take long for the Otherworldly Demons to return one by one.

Zhang Xuan had the Saint realm 3-dan puppets lying in wait in the surroundings, and the arriving Otherworldly Demons would be instantly killed and removed from the spot by them. Knowing that these ordinary soldiers couldn’t possibly know anything about the secrets concerning the seal, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to interrogate them either.

Within just four hours, the Otherworldly Demon scouting party was completely annihilated.

I should take a look at the seal now…

He had already found out where the seal was located from Lu Feng and the others earlier.

After eradicating all of the Otherworldly Demons, he began making his way toward the seal.

…

Hu!

In a small valley within the Subterranean Gallery, a group of master teachers had removed their Concealment Formation with a sharp glint in their eyes.

They were Lu Feng and the others.

After the past few hours of recuperation, they had recovered most of their strength. There were some severe injuries that they couldn’t resolve at the moment yet, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Since we have recovered considerably from our injuries, we should head over to help!”

“Indeed, Zhang shi won’t be able to deal with so many Otherworldly Demons alone. Even if he does possess some life preservation means, his true strength is still a little too weak. I fear that he might meet with danger!”

“He risked so much in order to save us, so how can we simply watch idly as he braves through a dangerous situation alone?”

“No matter what, we should head over to take a look first!”

…

The master teacher stood up with a resolute gaze in their eyes.

Zhang shi had willingly gotten himself in deep trouble in order to save them, not giving up on them despite the trouble they had caused him. How could they simply sit still, knowing that he was in a perilous situation?

Seeing that everyone shared the same opinion, Lu Feng said, “Since that’s the case, let’s go look for him together.”

Even though he wasn’t the eldest master teacher amid the group, he had the highest standing and strongest cultivation. On top of that, he was an old acquaintance of Zhang shi, so naturally, he had the greatest say as well.

“Alright!”

The crowd nodded as they took out their weapons and began making their way over to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe’s base.

The further they flew, the stranger they found the situation to be. Eventually, a master teacher couldn’t help but ask, “Weird, why is there no movement at all? Furthermore, did you all notice that the killing intent in the area seems to have thinned?”

Each of them had been in the Subterranean Gallery for at least two months, so they had gained some understanding of its layout. The killing intent within the Subterranean Gallery was known to be particularly concentrated in this area, creating a constant, heavy pressure on them.

However, that pressure seemed to have weakened considerably, to the point where they could hardly feel it anymore.

And more importantly, if Zhang shi had truly gone to eradicate the Otherworldly Demons in the area… how could there be no movement at all? Not a single Otherworldly Demon, who were supposed to be combing the area for them, was in sight.

A slightly older master teacher of the group said, “There is something peculiar with the situation. Everyone, remain on guard!”

The others nodded in response as they group carried on.

Not too long later, they arrived at the base constructed by the Otherworldly Demons.

They had tried to scout it on numerous occasions, but each time, they would either be discovered or fall to its formation. Over the past two years, there were at least ten of their comrades who had died due to it.

But at this very moment… there was not a person to be seen. More importantly, the grand buildings, which had once stood tall, had been reduced to rubble.

“These buildings…”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

Scattering to comb the area for clues, a master teacher suddenly shouted, “Come over, look! What is this?”

Hearing his shout, the others hurriedly rushed over as well.

On the ground before that master teacher was a puddle of blood that carried overwhelming killing intent, completely different from the blood of a human.

Lu Feng walked over and sliced the ground beneath the puddle of blood lightly with his finger.

Huala!

A bunch of corpses that were hidden in the ground came into appearance. Stacked on top of one another, there were more than two hundred on them. To the astonishment of the master teachers, even the strongest two Kings were among them.

“T-this… they are all dead?”

“Could it be that… Zhang shi actually killed all of them?”

“How could that be possible? More than two hundred Saint realm 1-dan and two Saint realm 4-dan Otherworldly Demons… Even if all of the elders of the Master Teacher Academy were brought here, there is no guarantee that we could win. For a person to do it all alone…”

…

Everyone was bewildered by the sight before their eyes.

Having fought with the Otherworldly Demons on multiple occasions, they knew full well how powerful they were. Even with the entire force of Hongyuan Empire combined, it would be difficult to achieve a victory against them. Yet, for Zhang shi to have annihilated them singlehandedly… and within such a short period of time at that…

How did he do it?

“I can now confirm that he is indubitably Zhang Xuan; only he is capable of pulling off such inconceivable feats that others dare not even imagine,” Lu Feng said with a bitter smile.

If he had still harbored some doubts before, the sight before his eyes had vanquished all of them.

He couldn’t imagine anyone else in the world who could pull off such an unbelievable deed other than that unfathomable young man.

With just a Perfect Harmonization to Ethereal Treading realm cultivation back then, he had been able to raise a huge ruckus in the Master Teacher Academy, unimpeded by anyone. Considering that he had already reached Half-Saint pinnacle at this point in time, it went without saying that those Otherworldly Demons couldn’t have been a match for him.

“Slaying so many Otherworldly Demons and foiling their ploy… the contribution he has earned from this deed is tremendous! We have to report this matter to the headquarters swiftly so that Zhang shi’s deeds will be not be buried,” a master teacher said.

“Indeed!” The others nodded in agreement.

Protecting mankind from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe wasn’t an individual’s responsibility but the collective responsibility of the entire human race.

A person who had killed so many Otherworldly Demons and foiled their plot would surely be generously rewarded by the headquarters. There was no one who could refute that.

It was based on such impartiality that the Master Teacher Pavilion had been able to operate for several ten thousand years without its reputation being sullied.

Lu Feng nodded. “Alright, I will report the matter then.”

…

While the master teachers were intending to report Zhang Xuan’s contribution to the headquarters, the person in question finally halted his footsteps.

He had arrived at the very end of the Subterranean Gallery, where the barrier that severed the connection between the otherworldly battlefield and the Master Teacher Continent was located.

From a distance away, one could see that it was a vast light barrier that stretched for several hundred kilometers, sealing the entire path, blurring whatever was on the opposite end.

But walking up to the barrier, Zhang Xuan could still feel concentrated killing intent spilling forth from the other side from time to time, seemingly trying to rip apart everything.

The cold aura within the Subterranean Gallery had probably come to be after innumerable years of such killing intent spilling over.

This is the seal? Examining the light barrier before him, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in astonishment.

It was even more formidable and sturdier than he had thought. For one of his strength, his attacks wouldn’t even leave a mark on it.

Such a powerful seal, how did the Otherworldly Demons and the Greenleaf King bypass it? Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be perplexed.

He could still have understood it if the seal was worn out or damaged, but the seal before him felt powerful and wholesome. In other words, it wasn’t damaged at all! How did the Otherworldly Demons manage to bypass it under such circumstances?

Baffled, Zhang Xuan willed in his mind, Flaws!

Chapter 962: Second Group from the Combat Master Hall Arrives!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hu!

A book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

The seal had been whirring in action all along to fend off the killing intent from the otherworldly battlefield, so the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to peer into its flaws easily.

Flipping open the book, the knowledge contained within swiftly flowed into Zhang Xuan’s mind.

The seal had been created by an expert known as Qiu Wu. Possessing an extremely deep understanding of space, Qiu Wu had designed the seal to sever the space between the two worlds, making it impossible for anyone to breach. Even a 9-star master teacher would find it extremely difficult to destroy the seal.

This was also the reason it had been able to fend off the Otherworldly Demons for so many years.

But nothing could last forever. Even a seal as formidable as that would be worn out over tens of thousands of years. On top of that, the Otherworldly Demons had been striking it relentlessly over the years, whittling it down bit by bit. As a result, there were several weakened areas on the seal.

Even so, not just anyone would be able to cross these areas easily. To order to pass, one would have to pay an extremely heavy price.

With the knowledge Zhang Xuan possessed, however, he was unable to tell what that price was.

There is only one way to stop the Otherworldly Demons from coming over and resolve the threat once and for all—repairing the weakened areas and make them whole again.

After studying the content of the book, Zhang Xuan lowered his head in deep thought.

Through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he knew that even if he had killed the Otherworldly Demons who had bypassed the barrier for the time being, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would still be able to send more of their kind in by paying the price.

There would be no end to this.

The only way to resolve the problem for good was to repair the weakened areas.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been helpless, even if they knew the root of the problem.

However, Zhang Xuan was different. The flaws of the seal were reflected clearly in the Library of Heaven’s Path. As long as he worked backward from the flaws, he could easily deduce the method to repairing the seal. However… the amount of zhenqi required for this operation would be immense.

Even as a Nascent Saint pinnacle expert who had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher, the rich zhenqi he harnessed within his body was insufficient to repair the seal within a short period of time.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before making his decision. Forget it. Since Mu shi and the others have made this request of me, I should resolve it once and for all before heading up. This is for the welfare of mankind, too.

After staying at Hongyuan Empire for four months, he had already come to bear deep feelings for it. On top of that, this was the home of the countless members of his Xuanxuan Faction. If he were to leave and the Otherworldly Demons were to breach the seal once again, it would be hard to say if they would be lucky to have this situation resolved so simply as it had been this time around.

Since he was already there, he ought to make sure that he weeded out the problem at its root.

Time to begin!

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan quickly leaped into action. He walked up to the seal and lightly placed his palm on an area where a flaw of the seal was located.

Hu!

In the next moment, with an abrupt jolt, his body entered the seal.

This…

Looking at his surroundings, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

This seal was an extremely skillful manipulation of space. This was also the reason it was able to sever the connection between the Master Teacher Continent and the otherworldly battlefield.

Intending to only repair the flaws, Zhang Xuan hadn’t thought that he would get to peer into the internal structure of the entire seal from within.

The structure of the seal was built in a manner that was aligned with the laws of space, reinforcing and stabilizing it further.

It bears a striking resemblance to the Saint Ascension Decipher.

Studying the internal structure with his Eye of Insight for a moment, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but clench his fists in excitement.

To his astonishment, the layout of the seal, when studied carefully, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Saint Ascension Decipher, which he was cultivating at the moment, to the point where it could be said to be nearly identical. However, the structure in the seal was a little more complex, and this enhanced complexity allowed the deciphers to be tied together in an even more compact manner.

A thought emerged in Zhang Xuan’s mind. If I cultivate the Saint Ascension Decipher according to this format, will it become stronger?

There was no apparent flaw in his Saint Ascension Decipher, but it wasn’t as grand and profound as the structure he was seeing before his eyes. If he were to alter his Saint Ascension Decipher according to this, would it become even stronger?

I should give it a try!

Zhang Xuan began to make some calculations to determine the feasibility of the matter, and after confirming that there was no problem with it, he began to multitask. He used his zhenqi to further reinforce the weakened portions of the seal, while at the same time, sitting quietly on the floor to cultivate.

Under the discerning glint of the Eye of Insight, the intricacies of the seal’s internal structure appeared clearly before Zhang Xuan’s eyes. Slowly, he turned his attention to his dantian and began rearranging the deciphers that he had constructed before. He didn’t make any progress in his cultivation, but his Origin Core did become significantly more stable and stronger.

…

While Zhang Xuan was cultivating in the Subterranean Gallery without any regard for time, the crowd that was guarding outside the Mausoleum of Principals was becoming more and more anxious by the moment.

“It has already been three days, why isn’t Principal Zhang out yet?” School Head Mo asked as he paced around the area anxiously.

“Could it be that something has happened inside?” Zhao Bingxu asked.

School Head Mo hesitated for a moment before saying, “The Mausoleum of Principals is the ground where the preceding principals of our academy rest. Considering that Principal Zhang has gained the recognition of all our preceding principals, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

But despite the words he spoke, he still couldn’t help but feel worried and unnerved within.

He had checked through the records, and it was said that the preceding principals would usually only spend a day in the Mausoleum of Principals. For their principal to spend three days inside… could something have gone wrong?

“Cough cough, I am not worried that something will happen to our principal, but that… he might cause something in the Mausoleum of Principals that might cause the many predecessors… to be unable to rest in peace!” Zhao Bingxu replied with the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Ah…” School Head Mo fell into a daze.

Their current principal was a formidable young man, and he would have been perfect if not for his tendency to… be reckless at times. If their principal were to cause a devastating ruckus in the Mausoleum of Principals, how would they answer the many predecessors before them?

School Head Mo rubbed his glabella as he said with uncertainty, “We can’t interfere in what Principal Zhang does… In any case, he is the man who has received the approval of the wills of the preceding principals, so… he shouldn’t mess around there.”

There was nothing they could do about the situation at the moment, especially since they couldn’t enter the Mausoleum of Principals in the first place. Even if they knew that something bad could very well happen, the most they could do at the moment was pray for the best.

At this moment, Zhao Bingxu suddenly recalled something and asked, “Oh right, the men from the Combat Master Hall should have arrived by now, right?”

“Combat Master Zhuo did say that the combat masters that will be assessing Zheng Yang and the others would be arriving in three days’ time back then, and it should be about time now. Let’s head over to take a look!”

“Un.”

Thus, the two school heads took one final hesitant glance at the Mausoleum of Principals before heading off to the Elder Hall.

It was one thing if their principal wasn’t around to welcome the arrival of the representatives of the Combat Master Hall, but if even they weren’t around either, it would be a huge breach of etiquette on the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy’s part.

…

Outside the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, an aerial saint beast descended from the sky, and around a dozen cultivators began walking into the academy. They were dressed not in the robes of a master teacher or a combat master but ordinary clothes.

“Liao shi, I heard that Zhuo shi and the others came over to conduct the selection, but they ended up being utterly defeated by Hongyuan’s candidates. May I know if that is true?” a Chrysalis realm combat master walking in the middle of the group asked.

“Un, that is indeed the news that we have received. It seems like Hongyuan’s candidates this year are exceptionally powerful. There is even one candidate who Combat Master Zhuo was unable to stand against when his cultivation was equal to the other’s! This is why he requested that we rush here to assess the candidate,” the middle-aged man at the forefront of the group replied with a nod.

That middle-aged man looked like he was in his mid-forties, and he exuded a vague but unfathomable aura, reminiscent of a majestic dragon lying dormant in wait. Just like Combat Master Zhuo, he was a Saint realm 2-dan expert as well.

But while the two possessed equal cultivation, the middle-aged man commanded an aura that felt far more powerful and fearsome than Combat Master Zhuo.

Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, Liao Song!

The Chrysalis realm combat master harrumphed in disbelief. “I have checked the history of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and it has always been at the very bottom of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies. There were hardly any talents among them that met the requirement of the Combat Master Hall, so how could their candidates suddenly grow so strong as to defeat our combat masters? Something feels amiss about the situation.”

Another young man nodded in agreement. “I also think that there is something weird about the situation.”

Of the combat masters behind Liao Song, three of them were at the Ethereal Treading realm, three of them were at the Chrysalis realm, three of them were at Half-Saint, and three of them were at Nascent- Saint; altogether, there were twelve of them.

Each of these men were extremely strong. Their presence in itself carried a sharp edge that few would dare approach.

It felt like each of them would be equal to Combat Master Zhuo were they to fight at the same cultivation realm.

These young men were all Hundred Men Commanders of the Combat Master Hall!

The Combat Master Hall ranked its members not by their cultivation but by their ability to display strength beyond their current cultivation.

Zhuo Qingfeng might have reached Spiritual Perception realm, but he was still only a Hundred Men Commander, possessing equal standing to these young men and a rank lower than Liao Song.

“I also find that hard to believe. Our combat masters are all top-notch geniuses sieved out from countless cultivators, and yet, all one hundred candidates chosen by an academy actually managed to clear the harsh selection? This is something unprecedented in the history of the Combat Master Hall! The reason I came here today is to verify this matter as well!” Liao Song said with a deep frown on his forehead.

Honestly speaking, he also found it hard to believe the news that Combat Master Zhuo had sent to him.

The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was a weak institution that only had a candidate or two clearing each Master Teacher Selection. Yet, for a hundred people over the five grades to all clear the selection in this year… This notion in itself was inconceivable!

The others nodded in agreement.

While they were speaking, the group entered the academy. Raising their gazes, they saw innumerable students walking about with a spirited look in their eyes.

“Ruohuan, I am still a little unsure about the maneuver that Principal Zhang lectured us on. Can you explain it to me?”

On the training grounds alongside the pavement, a few students were gathered together in a group, seemingly conversing about their insights and learning from one another.

“It’s simple… Watch closely!”

The young man named Ruohuan chuckled softly before raising his palm and abruptly striking forward.

Huala!

A series of sonic booms resounded deafeningly in the air as a gush of hot air currents blasted into the surroundings. Under the immense pressure of the air currents, the bluestone pavement beneath the feet of the student began to crack.

“What a powerful palm strike!”

The combat masters couldn’t help but stop and narrow their eyes in astonishment.

The palm strike seemed simple, but it took incredible skill in order to bring forth its strength to such an extent. They would have struggled to execute a palm strike of this caliber back when they were at the young man’s cultivation realm.

“Could this be the fellow who intends to participate in the selection?” one of the young men amid the combat masters asked.

Even though the fellow on the stage was only at the Cosmos Bridge realm, the prowess he had exerted in that previous blow was definitely on par with a Hundred Men Commander. Most likely, he was the genius whom Combat Master Zhuo had spoken about.

“That seems very likely. Liao shi, I hope to challenge him to a duel!” one of the combat masters said.

After a moment of hesitation, Liao Song nodded and instructed, “Alright. However, make sure to go easy on him. If the other party is not the person in question and you end up severely injuring him, it will cause a great deal of trouble if Hongyuan report this matter to the headquarters.”

Every single combat master was a top-notch combat genius, and naturally, ordinary master teachers were no match for them at all. If they were to go too far and injure the other party, the headquarters could punish them for abusing their strength.

“Don’t worry, I will be careful!” The young man smiled before leaped onto the training ground not too far away.

“This friend over here, my name is Zhou Ye. I saw your palm strike earlier, and I am impressed by its might. If it isn’t too much, I would like to have a spar with you. Of course, I will suppress my cultivation to Cosmos Bridge realm for the spar,” the young man, Ye Zhou, said with a smile.

Chapter 963: We Are from the Xuanxuan Faction

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Sparring was not uncommon in the Master Teacher Academies. Frequently, there would be master teachers, who after receiving some inspiration or learning a new battle technique, would challenge a master teacher stronger than them so as to test out their skills and see where they stood.

Facing the challenge from Zhou Ye, the young man named Ruohuan was taken aback for a moment before replying with a slight smile, “I am more than willing to.”

Nodding, Zhou Ye took a deep breath as he began suppressing his zhenqi. It didn’t take long for his cultivation to reach Cosmos Bridge realm, the same as the opponent before him.

Zhou Ye smiled. “It seems like that you are skilled in palm strikes, so I won’t use a weapon either. Alright, let’s begin!”

After which, he flicked his wrist and charged forward with astounding speed.

Despite having suppressed his cultivation to Cosmos Bridge realm, Zhou Ye’s movements were incredibly nimble, as if a specter flitting across the battlefield. It was difficult for his enemy to determine exactly where he would strike.

“Not bad!”

Ruohuan’s eyes lit up in excitement. He raised his palm and adeptly struck the area right in front of him.

Principal Zhang had once said, if a cultivator panicked before a complex or foreign maneuver, he would be falling into his opponent’s trap. He would swiftly be pulled into his opponent’s momentum, and it would be extremely hard to turn the tables against his opponent by then.

As such, against moves consisting of many feints, one had to study it closely to peer right into its essence. No matter how complicated the opponent’s moves were, there was a limited number of directions in which the opponent could strike from. The best way for one to deal with such a situation was to wait and adapt accordingly.

“Not bad!” Seeing that the other party didn’t make a reckless move out of panic, Zhou Ye’s eyes lit up in admiration.

Just as the other party had thought, the motive of his move was to lure the other party into action. As soon as the other party moved, he would immediately find the flaw in the other party’s movement and strike at it.

Facing Ruohuan’s palm strike, Zhou Ye maneuvered nimbly to the other party’s side and thrust his palm forward.

He thought that as long as he exerted sufficient strength in this strike, he would be able to force the other party to admit defeat. However, before his palm could land, he suddenly felt a stifling sensation on his chest.

Narrowing his eyes in alarm, it was only in this instant that he realized the other party had already seen through his maneuver and placed a palm right in his path!

In other words, the other party’s initial strike had just been a feint to lure him in. As soon as he appeared to make his strike, the other party swiftly launched an assault with the other palm.

Peng!

At this point, it was already too late to dodge. An immense pressure struck his chest and sent him flying from the training ground before crashing onto the street.

“He subdued Zhou Ye in a single strike?”

“Could that man really be the person we are going to assess?”

“That is likely to be the case. Otherwise, how could he wield such great power?”

The group from the Combat Master Hall leaped in shock at that sight.

Liao Song’s eyebrows also shot up in astonishment.

He could easily tell from the previous battle that the fellow named Ruohuan was weaker than Zhou Ye in terms of zhenqi strength and reaction speed, but Ruohuan had still managed to easily achieve a victory against Zhou Ye. This showed that he possessed exceptional talent in the field of combat.

Most likely, Ruohuan was the genius that Zhuo Qingfeng had spoken of.

Otherwise, how could he be so powerful?”

At this point, Liao Song pondered for a moment before raising his hand and gesturing. “Hu Chen, go up and test him!”

To confirm the matter, he would have to continue assessing the other party.

“Alright!” Hu Chen nodded before leaping onto the training ground.

“I am awed by your profound moves, so I would like to spar with you as well!”

After saying those words, Hu Chen began suppressing his cultivation.

“Fine by me!”

Nodding, Ruohuan was just about to begin the fight when the young man beside him suddenly stepped forward and said, “Ruohuan, it is rare for us to have such easy opponents to practice with. Will you let me fight him instead? After all, I am the weakest of our group, and even after so long, I am still unable to fully comprehend the essence of Principal Zhang’s lecture. This is a good opportunity for me to try my hand!”

Hearing his close friend saying such words, Ruohuan smiled bitterly before nodding in agreement. “Alright then!”

Due to his lacking aptitude for combat, this close friend of his had been lagging behind the others. Due to the power gap between him and the other students, it was hard for him to learn anything in a battle against the others. Perhaps, if he could try his hand against this weakling who had come out of nowhere, he might receive an epiphany that could enhance his comprehension of combat.

Naturally, Ruohuan was the person who had come to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy along with Zhang Xuan from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Ruohuan gongzi. After training diligently recently, he had managed to advance his cultivation to Cosmos Bridge realm.

Having journeyed with Zhang Xuan from back when they were still in Myriad Kingdom Alliance, he had received Zhang Xuan’s guidance on multiple occasions, and this had helped to gain a deep comprehension of combat. On top of that, as one of the founders of the Xuanxuan Faction, he felt the dire need to work harder than anyone, or else he could very well be overtaken by others swiftly. Due to the great effort he had put in, he had managed to make tremendous progress in his eye of discernment and fighting prowess within this period of time.

In his view, these opponents who had popped out of nowhere weren’t exactly weak, and their maneuvers were innovative and profound as well, but compared to the insights that Principal Zhang had imparted to them, there was nothing to fear from them.

What Principal Zhang had imparted to them was the foundation of combat, and no matter how grand or majestic a battle technique was, they were built on this very foundation. Ultimately, battle techniques were means to attack another, and as long as there was movement, there would surely be flaws that one could exploit!

Ruohuan felt that his close friend had everything he needed to achieve a victory, all he needed was to internalize Principal Zhang’s teachings during combat.

“Easy opponents?” Hearing the conversation between the duo, Hu Chen nearly exploded out of sheer rage.

Pal, open your eyes and take a close look! I am a Chrysalis realm combat master! I am suppressing my cultivation to battle with you! Yet, you said that I am an easy opponent…

He wasn’t the only who felt that way. The other combat masters also nearly spurted blood after hearing those words. They had always been existences whose fighting prowess far exceeded their opponents. This was their very first time being looked down on by another like that.

A combat master who couldn’t hold back his rage anymore sent a telepathic message over. “Hu Chen, don’t go easy on him!”

“I understand!” Hu Chen replied as a savage glint flashed across his eyes.

He had been thinking that he would hold back a little if the other party couldn’t cope so as to spare his dignity. But since the other party was acting so arrogantly, he didn’t mind teaching him a harsh lesson.

“Let’s begin!” Hu Chen said as he beckoned his opponent.

“Un.” The young man on the opposite side nodded before stepping forward. “Principal Zhang has lectured us on the various combat techniques in dealing with certain situations, but I am a little slow on the uptake, so… if I accidentally injure you later on, I hope that you can forgive me.”

“Cut with the nonsense, come!” Unable to take the nonsense his opponent was spouting, Hu Chen pushed his feet against the ground and charged forward as he got into the stance to launch a palm strike.

His movements were large and forceful, giving an impression that he could overwhelm anything in the world.

Seeing Hu Chen’s move, the young man didn’t flinch in fear. On the contrary, his eyes lit up as he yelled, “Good move!”

After saying those words, under the shocked gazes of the crowd, he charged forward and faced Hu Chen directly with a fist.

Boom!

The fist and the palm collided, and Hu Chen suddenly felt a numbing sensation engulfing his arm before a massive force came crashing down on him with incredible momentum. Unable to withstand the massive force, his face reddened, and he was knocked flying.

Peng!

Just like the previous Zhou Ye, he tumbled across the training ground before his head was planted into the earth.

If Hu Chen hadn’t used his full might, the backlash could have been considerably weaker, and he would have suffered less severe injuries. However, with both sides going at full force against one another, Hu Chen’s arm ended up being severely injured under the immense pressure from both ends. In his current state, it would be impossible for him to use his arm for the next five days at the very least.

“This…”

“In a direct clash of strength, Hu Chen wasn’t a match for him?”

The combat masters were stunned.

Liao Song’s mouth began twitching as well.

He had seen with his own eyes how Ruohuan’s zhenqi strength was far beneath that of his subordinate. Yet, the person who had sought him for guidance had actually sent Hu Chen flying with a single fist. This was way too incredulous!

Just as the crowd was perplexed by the bewildering sight that had occurred, on the stage, Ruohuan suddenly shook his head in disappointment and began lecturing the young man before him. “Didn’t Principal Zhang emphasize that a battle isn’t all about brute force? Technique, you need technique! How can you be so dimwitted?”

Ruohuan gongzi was indeed very angry. That fellow had grasped the physical body cultivation technique and zhenqi condensing method imparted by Principal Zhang, but he had failed to comprehend the more important combat techniques. Precisely due to this, he lost every single battle against others. It wasn’t easy for them to find a person with a weak understanding of combat techniques for him to practice on, but… that fellow had still resorted to mere brute strength in the end! How could he be so dumb?

“I…” The young man scratched his head awkwardly. “I saw him rushing straight at me, so I couldn’t hold myself back, and… this just happened!”

After which, he turned his gaze to the combat masters and asked, “Do any of you want to battle with me? I promise that I won’t crush you with brute force this time around.”

“You…”

Hearing the young man’s words, the combat masters felt so enraged that they could lose their minds.

This was the first time that someone had dared say that he wouldn’t crush them with brute force…

Arrogant, he was being way too arrogant!

“Allow me…”

Unable to tolerate this humiliation, another combat master stood forth. It was the last Chrysalis realm cultivator of the group.

The combat master swiftly suppressed his cultivation before beckoning with his hand. “Come!”

“Alright!”

The young man nodded, but just as he was about to make his move, another student by the side suddenly uttered in displeasure, “Zhao Qing, are you planning to hog them all for yourself? This is a rare opportunity to practice, so how can you be so selfish as to keep them all for yourself?”

“I…” The young man scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Enough. These friends over here aren’t too weak, and opportunities to spar with others don’t come easily. Zhao Qing, you should step down and let Song Ying have a go!” Ruohuan said.

The young man, Zhao Qing, glanced at the combat master in front of him with a look of disappointment before reluctantly nodding. “Alright…”

“You…”

At this point, the combat masters were already nearly on the verge of tears.

What do you mean by not too weak?

We are strong, alright?

Just that… Looking at their two fallen companions, they couldn’t help but feel incredibly stifled within.

For them to have been defeated so easily… Could they really still be considered strong?

In the view of such powerful opponents, perhaps they were indeed only worthy of being ‘not too weak’!

Clenching his jaws tightly in anger, the combat master said, “Cut the crap, come!”

Walking onto the training ground, Song Ying took a look at his opponent before shaking his head in disappointment. “A perturbed mind, how can you fight in such a state?”

“You…” The combat master was provoked by Song Ying’s words, but he also knew that he had indeed allowed rage to cloud his mind, and he wouldn’t be able to display the full extent of his fighting prowess in this state. Thus, taking a deep breath, he suppressed the emotions deep in his heart before looking at his opponent once more. “Let’s begin!”

On the other hand, seeing his opponent suppressing his emotions so quickly, Song Ying was awed for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

After which, he stepped off forcefully from the ground and charged forward.

Peng peng peng peng!

The duo began their clash.

On the third blow, Song Ying managed to exploit a flaw in the combat master’s movements and sent a forceful kick in.

With a reddened face, the combat master was sent flying before crashing onto the ground.

“This…”

Seeing how three of their members were no match for the Hongyuan academy’s students, the combat masters couldn’t help but glance at one another, flabbergasted.

They had thought that Zhuo Qingfeng had exaggerated the strength of Hongyuan’s candidates, making them out to be more fearsome than they were. However, after seeing them with their own eyes, they had no choice but to admit that Hongyuan’s students were indeed formidable.

One of the combat masters couldn’t resist asking, “Could you be the ones who will be participating in the Combat Master Selection later on, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and the others?”

“Zheng Yang? Liu Yang?”

Hearing those words, Ruohuan gongzi shook his head and said, “They are Principal Zhang’s direct disciples, and they are at least a hundredfold stronger than the rest of us. How can we possibly be them?”

“You aren’t? Then… could you all be among the hundred candidates who have cleared the Combat Master Selection this year?” Liao Song asked.

“Amongst the hundred candidates?” Ruohuan gongzi shook his once more after hearing those words. “We are too weak, so we were unqualified to participate in the Combat Master Selection.”

Unqualified to participate in the Combat Master Selection?

Liao Song’s body staggered as a stifling sensation struck his chest. “Then, you are…”

“We are from the Xuanxuan Faction!” Ruohuan gongzi replied earnestly, looking straight at the combat masters.

“Our strength is nothing much. There are at least thirty thousand other members within the faction who possess fighting prowess on par with us!”

Chapter 964: Progeny of Combat

“Nothing much?”

“There are at least thirty thousand other members who possess fighting prowess on par with you?”

The combat masters stared at one another, and they could each see the mental breakdown the others were suffering through their eyes.

They had arrived proudly as invigilators, thinking that they were the pinnacle of fighting prowess in their respective cultivation realms. Yet, before they could even meet the talent they were supposed to assess, they were defeated by just a few students playing by the roadside!

Must reality come crushing down on them so heavily like a sledgehammer?

More importantly, it was one thing if there were only one or two of such experts throughout the entire academy. However, according to the other party, this Xuanxuan Faction or something had thirty thousand people possessing such strength.

In that moment, Liao Song could only feel his entire mind blanking out, unable to comprehend the meaning of those words.

Despite being a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, he felt like Granny Liu paying a visit to the Grand View Gardens 1

. He couldn’t help but doubt everything that he thought he knew, and even life itself!

“What, you don’t believe me?” Seeing the shocked expression on everyone’s faces, Ruohuan suddenly chuckled softly, and he gestured behind him. “It happens that the members of our Xuanxuan Faction have gathered over there. Why don’t I take you over to have a look?”

“Gathered?”

“Un. Follow me!” Nodding, Ruohuan gongzi beckoned the group to follow him.

Liao Song and the others exchanged glances with one another before hurriedly following behind him.

Not too long later, they saw a huge group of people gathered in a massive square in front of them. They were gathered in groups, seemingly discussing something. From time to time, a couple of people would spar with one another.

“Is that the fundamental fist art, Flood of the Grand River? Isn’t it an extremely weak battle technique severely lacking in strength? How did they manage to draw so much power from it?”

“That is the Fallen Gale Sword Art, a Spirit intermediate-tier battle technique! I once attempted to cultivate that technique, but due to the excessive complexity of the move and the limited prowess one can exert through it, I eventually gave up on it. Why does it seem to possess prowess comparable to a Spirit high-tier battle technique in his hands?”

“That fist art and movement art over there might be simple, but they are aligned with the very essence of combat itself, making it extremely hard to guard against it. Even I would find it hard to withstand it if an opponent were to use such a powerful move against me in a battle!”

“What is that move? Wait, aren’t those just a few basic maneuvers being chained together? Is it really possible to draw strength comparable to a Spirit high-tier battle technique just like that?”

…

Upon seeing the offense and defense of the various sparring students, the cheeks of the combat masters began twitching uncontrollably.

They hadn’t fought any of the students here yet, but through their eyes of discernment, they could tell that they would wield fighting prowess on par with that Ruohuan person in a real battle.

In other words, if their group were to be thrown amid the thirty thousand students gathered here, not only would they not stand out, they would even be among the very bottom of the group!

Just what in the world was going on?

They were combat masters, top-notch combat experts sieved out from countless other master teachers and cultivators!

Unable to hold himself back anymore, Liao Song turned to Ruohuan gongzi and asked, “How did you gain such incredible fighting prowess?”

“At the start, we were also just ordinary students. It was only after going through an entire afternoon of lectures from Principal Zhang that we gained such strength!” Upon speaking of Principal Zhang, Ruohuan gongzi’s eyes began gleaming with excitement and respect.

He could still remember the exhilaration he had felt when he listened to Principal Zhang’s teachings. During those lectures, he knew that if he could internalize everything that Principal Zhang was imparting to them, his fighting prowess would advance by leaps and bounds.

It was as if the cultivators in the world could be divided into two categories—those who had listened to Principal Zhang’s lecture and those who hadn’t—and a huge, unbreachable rift stood between the two groups.

This was precisely the reason countless students had knocked on the doors of the Xuanxuan Faction over the past few days, hoping to join the faction. However, so as to not undermine the academy through the faction, the faction had chosen to limit its numbers, and that had left countless extremely regretful that they hadn’t joined back when they had been given the chance to do so.

“An entire afternoon of lectures?” Liao Song was stunned.

A mere afternoon of lectures was sufficient to make your fighting prowess rise to such an unbelievable extent? Are you joking with me?

If one’s fighting prowess could be raised so easily, doesn’t that mean that the unimaginable suffering that we, combat masters, have been put through day after day has been in vain?

“Indeed.” Ruohuan gongzi sighed in lamentation. “However, it is a pity that Principal Zhang is an extremely busy man. Otherwise, if he were to just hold a few more lectures, our fighting prowess would surely be much stronger than it is now.”

“Much stronger?” Liao Song’s mouth began twitching once more.

This group of students was already so powerful that even they, combat masters, were no match for them. If they were to get even stronger… that would be unthinkable!

If so, wouldn’t the existence of combat masters become redundant?

While Liao Song was still feeling incredibly stifled within, Ruohuan gongzi suddenly asked, “Right, who are you? Why did you come to the academy?”

“We… we are… We came to find Combat Master Zhuo!”

Liao Song had intended to say that they were combat masters, but in the end, he swallowed those words.

“So, you are Combat Master Zhuo’s friends! Give me a moment, I will have someone show you to him.” Coming to a realization, Ruohuan gongzi beckoned for a faction member over and instructed him to lead Liao Song and the others to Zhuo Qingfeng’s accommodation.

“Thank you!” Liao Song said before hurriedly leaving with his group, fearing that the morale would take another fatal blow if they were to remain there for a moment longer.

Shortly after Liao Song and the others left, a student walked up and asked doubtfully, “Ruohuan, who are these people?”

“I am not too sure either. I thought that they were combat masters initially, but after fighting with them, I am certain that isn’t the case. After all, how could combat masters, who devote their time and effort to furthering their combat ability, be so lacking in terms of combat sense? Forget it! As long as they aren’t combat masters, we can try to recruit them into the Xuanxuan Faction. I can tell that they are rather talented. If we train them for a few days, they could very well become a powerful addition to our group!” Ruohuan gongzi replied.

“Our Xuanxuan Faction is currently only taking in talents. If they wish to join, we should put them through the examination first before deciding whether to accept them or not. If they can’t even clear the examination, they are clearly unqualified to become esteemed members of our faction,” the other student sneered.

“That goes without saying. Our Xuanxuan Faction chooses its members very carefully. Their fighting prowess is still decent, but they seem to be a little lacking to clear our examination,” Ruohuan gongzi said proudly.

…

As the group of combat masters followed behind the member of the Xuanxuan Faction, one of the combat masters couldn’t help but turn to Liao Song and ask, “Liao shi, how are those fellows so powerful?”

“I have no idea,” Liao Song replied with a deep frown.

All along, he had thought that combat masters were the representation of the strongest fighting force in their respective cultivation realms. But after meeting the members of the Xuanxuan Faction, this long-established belief that he had held onto for many years had suddenly come crashing down!

After a moment’s silence, Liao Song remarked deeply, “It is no wonder Zhuo Qingfeng had us come here. There is truly something peculiar about this Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.”

Even a few passers-by they had met on the street was capable of utterly overpowering them, leaving them incapable of retaliating at all. It was fortunate that they weren’t enemies, or else they might just have met their end there.

“Combat Master Liao, you’re here.”

Before entering the residence, Zhuo Qingfeng, who had heard of the news beforehand, had already come out to welcome the group. Upon seeing Liao Song, a look of agitation immediately appeared on his face. However, a moment later, he realized that something was amiss with the group.

Combat masters tended to carry a proud and might aura before others, but the group before him looked listless, as if eggplants battered by the cold 2 .

“What happened to you all?” Zhuo Qingfeng couldn’t hide his curiosity.

“Tell me the situation with the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.” Liao Song didn’t respond to Zhuo Qingfeng’s question.

He couldn’t help but remember the young man from before saying that the origin of their strength had come from an afternoon of lecture from their principal, so he requested more information from Zhuo Qingfeng upon seeing the latter.

“You mean Principal Zhang? Alright…” Zhuo Qingfeng pondered for a moment before telling everything that he knew about Principal Zhang to Liao Song.

“Just an hour-long lecture from that Principal Zhang, and our combat masters were no match for Hongyuan’s candidates at all? A night of supplementary lesson, and Hongyuan’s candidates achieved zhenqi purity and physical strength far beyond our combat masters?”

Liao Song and the combat masters behind him felt as if they were listening to a ghost story. Their goosebumps rose up as horror surfaced on their faces.

“Indeed!” Zhuo Qingfeng nodded with a bitter smile. “Oh right, Principal Zhang’s four direct disciples have been waiting for you in the residence for some time now. I will be depending on you to assess them later on!”

“Principal Zhang’s four direct disciples? How strong are they?” Liao Song immediately asked.

“I would say that they are invincible in their respective cultivation realms. At the very least, I am no match for them at all!” Zhuo Qingfeng replied.

“Even you are no match for them?” Liao Song was astounded. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “If they are that strong, I think… we should assess them through the Dragon Gate Formation!”

“Dragon Gate Formation? Isn’t that our Combat Master Hall’s trial for the ‘Progeny of Combat’? Liao shi intends to… assess if they are qualified to become the ‘Progeny of Combat’?” Zhuo Qingfeng was astonished.

“Indeed. Considering how Principal Zhang is able to raise the fighting prowess of the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to such a tremendous extent with just a few hours of lecturing, his direct disciples… might just be able to clear the Dragon Gate Formation. If they succeed, we, as the ones who have found the Progeny of Combat, will gain significant authority and power within the Combat Master Hall!” Liao Song said.

“This…” Zhuo Qingfeng fell silent.

Indeed, if one were to view the Combat Master Hall as a clan, the position of Progeny of Combat would be equivalent to the successor of the clan!

In other words, as long as the Progeny of Combat matured, he would become the new head of the Combat Master Hall!

Countless combat masters drove themselves to the limits, hoping to become the Progeny of Combat, but it was a pity that it was simply too difficult.

For three hundred years, the Combat Master Hall had gone without a Progeny of Combat or a hall master… Would Principal Zhang’s direct disciples really be able to clear the trial?

Even Combat Master Zhuo, who had tested Zheng Yang’s strength personally, had no confidence whatsoever.

The Dragon Gate Formation was difficult to the point that most would think it impossible to beat!

If Principal Zhang’s direct disciples were really able to clear the trial and become the Progeny of Combat, they, as the ones who had discovered the next Progeny of Combat, would have made a great contribution to the Combat Master Hall for finding its next leader. Naturally, their standing would rise, and they would gain access to better resources as well.

“We are unable to set up the complete Dragon Gate Formation, but we can emulate a simplified version. As long as they succeed in clearing this trial, we will be able to bring them back to the headquarters to apply for the real trial… Regardless of whether they succeed or not, this will be something good for us!” Liao Song said.

It would be best if Principal Zhang’s direct disciples could become the Progeny of Combat, but even if they were to fail, their great talent ensured that they would rise to a position far higher than them if they entered the Combat Master Hall.

Naturally, it would be wonderful if they could gain such powerful backing.

Without hesitating for long, Zhuo Qingfeng replied, “Alright then. Let’s have them challenge the simplified Dragon Gate Formation.”

“Un.” Liao Song nodded.

Having decided on this matter, the combat masters began making their way into the residence.

Shortly after entering the residence, School Head Mo, School Head Zhao, and a few others stepped forward to welcome them, followed by Wo Tianqiong, Wu Ran, and the others.

So as to spectate the assessment, the other three academies had decided to extend their stay in Hongyuan.

Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, and Wei Ruyan were also in the residence, and they stood by the corner with an upright posture reminiscent of a sharp spear.

“Allow me to make the introductions, this is the Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, as well as my senior, Liao Song! He will be in charge of Zheng Yang and the others’ assessment,” Zhuo Qingfeng said.

“Paying respects to Combat Master Liao!”

The crowd clasped their fists and greeted him.

“Un, there is no need to stand on ceremony. If I am not mistaken, these four should be Principal Zhang’s direct disciples who are participating in the assessment, right?” Liao Song shot an acknowledging nod to the crowd before turning to Zheng Yang and the others.

“That’s right; we are students of Zhang Xuan!” Zheng Yang and the others nodded.

“Indeed, impressive young talents,” Combat Master Liao said with a smile. “I have already heard about your affairs from Combat Master Zhuo earlier, and I intend to have you challenge the Dragon Gate Formation trial!”

“Dragon Gate Formation?” Zheng Yang and the others asked with a look of confusion.

Wo Tianqiong and the others also didn’t seem to have heard of the term before.

“The name of the Dragon Gate Formation originates from the story about the carps leaping beyond the Dragon Gate 3 . As long as you can clear this trial, you will immediately rise to a position far beyond others and become one of the few powerhouses of the Master Teacher Pavilion or even the entire Master Teacher Continent!” Liao Song said.

Chapter 965: Dragon Gate Formation

“Rise to a position far beyond the others?”

“One of the few powerhouses?”

The crowd couldn’t help but frown upon hearing those words.

The Combat Master Hall was indeed powerful despite being a branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion, but for a single trial to shake the entire Master Teacher Continent, wasn’t this too much of an exaggeration?

Seeing the looks of disbelief on the faces of others, Liao Song explained, “I am not exaggerating when I say those words. Clearing the Dragon Gate Formation is no easy feat at all. The Combat Master Hall has innumerable outstanding young combat masters, but in the past three hundred years, not a single person has succeeded in clearing the trial. I believe this is more than enough to show how difficult it is. If any individual succeeds in clearing the Dragon Gate Formation, the main headquarters of the Combat Master Hall will take them away and devote its resources to groom them. It will only be a matter of time before he becomes one of the strongest figures on the continent!”

“Not a single person has cleared the trial in the past three hundred years?”

Everyone was astonished.

The Combat Master Hall was an organization that gathered the greatest combat talents throughout the Master Teacher Continent, and its strength was irrefutable. Yet, for all the talents it had, none of them had actually succeeded in clearing the Dragon Gate Formation? This was unbelievable!

School Head Mo couldn’t help but ask, “How does the Dragon Gate Formation work?”

The others also turned their gazes over.

Considering how exaggerated it sounded, the Dragon Gate Formation trial was bound to be something extremely difficult. Otherwise, it couldn’t have stopped so many combat masters in their footsteps.

“Simple. The Dragon Gate Formation is divided into three main sections, the Dragon’s Tail, the Dragon’s Back, and the Dragon’s Head. In each section, the challenger will have to face three combat masters! Of the three combat masters the challenger will be facing in the Dragon’s Tail, one will possess cultivation equal to the challenger, one a cultivation stage stronger than the challenger, and one two cultivation stages stronger than the challenger,” Liao Song said.

“Three combat masters? And their cultivations are getting progressively higher?” The crowd couldn’t help but frown.

Combat masters wielded the strength to challenge opponents stronger than them, making them nigh invincible figures within their own cultivation realms. To face three of such opponents at once, and two of them even being stronger than challenger by a cultivation stage and two cultivation stages… This was truly a frightening trial!

“The same applies for the Dragon’s Back, just that the three combat masters are three cultivation stages stronger than the combat masters on the Dragon’s Tail. In other words, the three opponents which the challenger will be facing opponents will be three, four, and five cultivation stages stronger than him!” Liao Song explained.

“Take Zheng Yang for example, given that his cultivation is current at Chrysalis realm primary stage, the combat masters he will be facing on the Dragon’s Back will be at Chrysalis realm pinnacle, Half-Saint primary stage, and Half-Saint intermediate stage!”

“This…”

Everyone’s face twitched in astonishment, and even Zheng Yang and the others couldn’t help but clench their fists tightly.

“Last but not least, on the Dragon’s Head, the challenger will face three combat masters that are six, seven, and eight cultivation stages stronger than them. Using Zheng Yang as an example once more, he will face opponents at Half-Saint advanced stage, Half-Saint pinnacle, and… Nascent Saint primary stage!

“To clear the Dragon Gate Formation, one will have to defeat all nine combat masters. These combat masters will be a Hundred Men Commander at the very least, and what makes the trial even more difficult is that these combat masters are skilled in collaborating with one another. The combined fighting prowess they display will be far beyond what they can do individually. With my strength, I wouldn’t be able to clear even the easiest Dragon’s Tail…” Liao Song said grimly.

After hearing the rules, everyone fell silent.

Honestly speaking, the trial was truly difficult.

Each Hundred Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall wielded strength far beyond their cultivation realm, and to face three of them simultaneously, especially when their cultivation realms were equal or greater than one… That was impossible to succeed!

It was no wonder no one had cleared this trial in the past three hundred years! This trial was simply too difficult!

Not even the powerful Captains of the Combat Master Hall would be able to clear it!

“How is it? Do you want to give it a try?” After explaining the Dragon Gate Formation, Liao Song turned his gaze to Zheng Yang and the others and asked.

Instead of responding immediately, Zheng Yang and the others lowered their heads contemplatively.

Zhuo Qingfeng was a Hundred Men Commander himself, and having crossed hands with him, Zheng Yang knew how powerful the other party was. To have to defeat nine of such opponents consecutively, each one stronger than the other, and not to mention, having to deal with their collaboration on top of that… The trial was indeed terrifyingly difficult!

“To tell you the truth, the Dragon Gate Formation I am speaking about is only the simplified version. The Dragon Gate Formation at the headquarters requires the challenger to face the Dragon’s Pearl as well. At the Dragon’s Pearl, an incredibly powerful expert awaits,” Liao Song said.

The simplified version of the Dragon Gate Formation was usually used to assess one’s qualification to face the complete Dragon Gate Formation. But even so, the number of people who had successfully cleared the simplified version over the past three hundred years could be counted with one’s fingers.

In other words, of countless geniuses that had risen in the Combat Master Hall in the past three hundred years, less than ten had managed to clear the simplified version of the Dragon Gate Formation. This went to show how difficult it was.

Soon, Zheng Yang raised his head and looked at Liao Song with a determined glint in his gaze. “I wish to give it a try.”

He felt that he had to give it a try.

To be honest, he knew that he could easily grow to become one of the strongest experts on the continent following his teacher, but if he were to do so, he would only remain as excess baggage to his teacher.

Throughout this journey, he had seen what his teacher had done for them.

Advancing his cultivation from Fighter 1-dan to Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, he had used up many resources and innumerable spirit stones, and the amount of resources he would require would only increase exponentially after he reached Saint realm. As a student, it would be extremely unfilial of him to have his teacher continue bearing this burden for him!

But if he were to try to obtain the resources required for his cultivation by himself, he didn’t have the means to do so, and his teacher wouldn’t allow it either.

Thus, after much consideration, he felt that the best way was for him to enter the Combat Master Hall.

As an organization that nurtured experts boasting the greatest fighting prowess on the continent, it possessed the best resources across the entire Master Teacher Continent. If he could become one of their members, he wouldn’t be a burden to his teacher anymore. In fact, he might even be able to shoulder some of the heavy responsibilities that his teacher shouldered.

Thus, despite the immense difficulty and danger of the trial, he felt that he had to do it!

Just like how his teacher was willing to do anything for him, he was willing to do anything for his teacher as well!

“You wish to give it a try? Very well!” Seeing that he had Zheng Yang’s approval, Liao Song nodded with a smile. After which, he turned his gaze to Wang Ying and the others. “What about the rest of you?”

Wang Ying and the others also raised their faces and replied, with resolute gazes, “We wish to give it a try as well!”

They shared Zheng Yang’s thoughts as well. Their teacher had simply done too much for them over the past few months. As students, they really couldn’t bear to see him working so hard for them anymore. As such, they wished to become independent.

As combat masters, they would be able to make a name for themselves in the world. Perhaps, their teacher would be heartened to see this as well.

There was no teacher in the world that didn’t wish for their students to spread their wings and soar into the boundless skies.

Seeing that Zheng Yang and the others had agreed to the matter, School Head Mo stepped forward and said, “Let’s head to the sparring grounds then.”

“Alright!” Knowing that this wasn’t the place to fight, the others nodded, and the huge crowd began making their way to the sparring grounds.

The sparring ground was packed to the brim. Hearing that this assessment would be far more difficult than the previous one, innumerable students had arrived earlier in the morning in order to claim better positions to view the battle.

The news had also spread far and wide over the past three days, and many experts from Hongyuan Empire and the neighboring empires had arrived to spectate this grand moment.

They wished to see what kind of harsh assessment one who was not a master teacher would have to undergo in order to join the Combat Master Hall.

As soon as Zheng Yang and the others arrived on the scene, a huge wave of cheers rippled through the crowd.

“They are Principal Zhang’s direct disciples? They look rather young.”

“Principal Zhang isn’t very old either!”

“Is it true that Principal Zhang’s direct disciples are guest elders of the Master Teacher Academy?”

“Indeed. Their comprehension of battle techniques has reached an unbelievably profound level.”

…

Many discussions could be heard beneath the stage.

When the visiting experts learned that Zheng Yang and the others were actually guest elders in the Master Teacher Academy, they were stunned.

There was no one in a Tier-1 Empire who was unaware of the significance of being a guest elder in the Master Teacher Academy. For young cultivators who weren’t twenty yet and weren’t even master teachers to become guest elders, just how powerful were they to have been awarded such prestige?

“Principal Zhang and his students are truly legends…”

“We really should keep our eyes wide open today. We could very well be witnessing the birth of a new legend today!”

After listening about the affairs regarding Principal Zhang and his direct disciples, everyone fell silent.

It was one thing for the teacher to be so formidable, but for his students to be so outstanding as well, this was truly amazing!

“Alright, let’s begin the Dragon Gate Formation!”

After completing all of the arrangements, Liao Song whistled, and the nine combat masters by his side leaped onto the stage in a winding formation, reminiscent of a massive dragon crouching on the ground, preparing to rise into the boundless sky at any moment.

Pilipala!

With several crisp echoes, the nine combat masters swiftly suppressed their cultivation to the respective levels, ranging from Chrysalis realm primary stage all the way to Nascent Saint primary stage.

“I am Liao Song, a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall. I request for the permission to set up the Dragon Gate Formation to assess candidates for Progeny of Combat!”

After all was ready, Liao Song took out a token and flicked it into the air, following which the token floated above the grounds, and he began to speak grandly.

Boom!

Following which, spiritual energy began to gather in the surroundings as an immense power from very distant lands suddenly permeated the surroundings.

“This aura… the Combat Master Hall headquarters? Just what is this Dragon Gate Formation for it to actually require the permission of the headquarters?”

“I have no idea, but for it to require the headquarters’ permission, just like the Master Teacher Confrontation… It seems this is no ordinary assessment!”

“Indeed. If the supervision of the headquarters is required to conduct this assessment, it can only mean that Combat Master Liao doesn’t have the authority to conduct or judge this assessment!”

The crowd beneath had no idea what the Dragon Gate Formation represented, but upon seeing Liao Song communicating with the headquarters to request permission, their expressions swiftly changed to ones of astonishment.

For an examination to actually require permission from the headquarters, just how difficult could it be?

Hualala!

While everyone was still in shock, the spiritual energy from the heavens was suddenly reflected onto the ground, seemingly setting up some kind of peculiar formation. Under the effects of the formation, the nine combat masters were divided into three hidden portions, and the only part that was revealed at this moment resembled the powerful trail of a gigantic dragon. It felt as if a single lash of the tail could cause stir up a powerful storm, and its presence felt incredibly pressurizing to those standing before it.

“This is… the prowess of the combat masters has been enhanced by the formation?”

The faces of Wo Tianqiong and the others twitched.

The three combat masters in the Dragon’s Tail were already plenty formidable themselves. For them to be augmented by a formation on top of that, how was anyone supposed to defeat that?

Putting aside a Chrysalis realm primary stage cultivator, even a Half-Saint would fall in an instant!

“Zheng Yang… be careful!” Wang Ying said with a frown.

“Don’t worry!” Zheng Yang nodded. He took a deep breath before leaping up onto the stage. With a faint smile on his lips, he declared loudly, “I am the direct disciple of Zhang Xuan, Zheng Yang! I will be challenging the Dragon Gate Formation!”

Hong long!

As soon as the declaration was made, a ray of light shot down from the heavens, shrouding Zheng Yang’s body, seemingly confirming his identity and strength.

Soon, the verification was complete, and the light faded. A huge word appeared in the sky. “Permitted!”

Similar to the Master Teacher Confrontation, this battle would be supervised by the Combat Master Hall headquarters.

Seeing that the headquarters had agreed to it, Liao Song heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Alright, you can begin now…”

“Un!” Zheng Yang nodded as he flicked his wrist to take out a long spear.

With a spear in his hand, his aura immediately changed. It became ferocious and powerful, reminiscent of a mighty tiger. A powerful surge of zhenqi emanated from his body, causing his hair to float in the air. In that moment, he bore some resemblance to an indomitable god of war.

“How powerful!”

Feeling that incredible aura, the faces of the nonchalant combat masters turned grim.

Even though the cultivation of the young man before them was only at Chrysalis realm primary stage, the sheer might of his aura exceeded even that of a Half-Saint cultivator.

“Come!”

After sharpening his aura to its limit, Zheng Yang released a furious war cry as he dashed forward toward the three combat masters in the Dragon’s Tail. In an instant, his spear seemed to converge into a single spot of light as it burst ferociously toward his opponent.

Boom!

Amidst the incredible might of the spear, a huge shockwave rippled into the surroundings, and a deafening blast reminiscent of the roar of thunder silenced the surroundings.

Chapter 966: Zhang laoshi’s Students (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Hah, do you think we will give you an opportunity to close in on us?”

“Humph!”

Seeing Zheng Yang’s spear warping into a bolt of lightning, the three combat masters maintaining the Dragon’s Tail harrumphed coldly. They converged their zhenqi together, and in that moment, the spiritual energy within several dozen kilometers felt as if it had been absorbed cleanly by the formation, resulting in the surrounding air becoming extremely dry and stifling. Following which, the gigantic Dragon’s Tail lashed at an unbelievable speed toward Zheng Yang.

Knowing that the combat masters would retaliate in such a manner, Zheng Yang stepped forcefully against the ground, creating a three cun 1 depression beneath him, and calmly executed a powerful flick to fend off the Dragon’s Tail.

Tzz la!

As the spear and the Dragon’s Tail met one another, overwhelmingly powerful gales rippled forth from the collision with incredible momentum, causing the crowd beneath to squint their eyes before the strong winds.

“Scram!”

Widening his eyes, Zheng Yang roared as he pushed his spear forward with even greater force.

Boom!

Under the incomparable might of his spear, the massive Dragon’s Tail was forcefully flicked up into the sky.

With a single strike, he had overpowered the three combat masters and fended off the Dragon’s Tail!

Pu! Pu! Pu!

With the Dragon’s Tail being flicked away, the three combat masters each spurted a mouthful of blood as they hurriedly took a single step back. They raised their gazes to look at the young man before them once more, but this time, with incredulity etched into their faces.

They had guessed that they might not be a match for Zheng Yang when they heard that Combat Master Zhuo wasn’t a match for the latter, and the other party accepting the challenge of the Dragon Gate Formation trial despite hearing of its difficulty showed his confidence. But… they never could have imagined that they would be overpowered in a clash of brute force! The other party had actually succeeded in flicking the Dragon’s Tail away in a clash of brute force!

And more importantly… this was only the first move, and they were already injured!

How were they supposed to continue the battle?

“The Dragon Gate Formation is supervised by the Combat Master Hall headquarters, so no cheating of any sort is allowed. He might have flicked away the Dragon’s Tail, but if he wishes to clear this section, he must defeat us!” one of the combat masters said grimly.

So what if the other party had managed to flick away the Dragon’s Tail?

The three of them were only lightly injured in the encounter. With the combined force of three Hundred Men Commanders, it was not entirely impossible for them to stop the other party!

“You’re right!” Another combat master nodded in agreement as he prepared his stance.

However, in that split moment, the weakest of the three, the Chrysalis realm primary stage combat master, was abruptly impaled by a spear in his shoulder and collapsed to the ground.

“His spear is so swift?”

The other two combat masters narrowed their eyes in shock.

They might have been talking, but they had been on guard all along, prepared to retaliate should Zheng Yang attempt anything. Yet, the other party had actually managed to breach their defense so easily and defeat one of their comrades.

If they were to just speak a few more words, would their team be completely annihilated?

“Humph!”

But as combat masters who had braved through countless battles, as shock as they were, they didn’t allow themselves to panic. Roaring furiously, the remaining two combat masters made their moves simultaneously.

Their teamwork was seamless. One of them took care of the offense while the other one covered them both. Two men with four hands, there were far more maneuvers they could execute than their opponent. If their opponent couldn’t deal with their attack promptly, he could very well find himself cornered.

In face of the offense of the two combat masters, Zheng Yang raised his spear and pushed it forward to perform a pierce.

Huala!

Even before the spear reached its target, it had already devoured the spiritual energy in the surroundings to warp into a majestic dragon, threatening to devastate all in its path.

Peng!

The spear tip struck the sword of the combat master responsible for defense, and with a resounding metallic clang, the combat master felt his arm numbing under the immense force, and his purlicue 2 ripped apart glaringly.

The other party’s attack was not only focused and powerful, it was also relentless like a river current. As powerful as his defense was, he still failed to fend off the other party’s spear.

Zheng Yang successfully knocked away the combat master’s sword, but he didn’t push his spear on. This was because the attack of the combat master in charge of offense was already right before him.

“Go!” Instead of dodging, Zheng Yang made a sharp swerve in the trajectory of his spear, sweeping it sideward in an arc toward the other combat master.

Peng!

It struck the other combat master’s waist squarely. Before the combat master had any time to react, he was already sent flying under the immense might of the slash, spurting blood furiously as he flew through the air, eventually crashing to the bottom of the stage.

Weng!

After sending the combat master flying, Zheng Yang twisted his spear once more and drove it forward furiously, stopping it only right before the throat of the combat master in charge of defense.

“We… have lost!” Feeling the cold killing intent from the tip of the spear, the sole remaining combat master’s face turned ashen in despair.

Of the three of them guarding the Dragon’s Tail, their opponent first move swiftly incapacitated the weakest of them with a swift pierce before turning the assault toward him. However, the assault turned out to be only a feint to draw in the attack of the other combat master. While the other combat master launched his attack, the opponent swiftly turned his pierce into a sweep, catching the other combat master off guard and knocking him off the stage, thus undoing their teamwork. With that, he was the only one left.

There was no way he could win at this point anymore.

“They lost, just like that?”

“That Zheng Yang only used three moves…”

“Indeed! To defeat the Dragon’s Tail in just three moves… that is too fearsome!”

“Even though it was only three moves, did you notice how he was able to transition from a pierce into a sweep without any pause in between? Such an abrupt change in motion will cause the zhenqi in one’s body to collide forcefully with one another… How strong is his body to be able to endure the backlash without a problem?”

“You’re right. This kind of forceful change in motion can easily result in one’s meridians rupturing, but not only was he fine, his sweep was extremely powerful as well. This only goes to show that his body is powerful, his meridians are resilient, and his zhenqi is incomparably pure. Without any of the three, it would be impossible to pull off such a stunt!”

“If it was me, even without an opponent, I would have surely sustained severe internal injuries…”

Upon seeing this sight, everyone’s faces paled in astonishment.

Zheng Yang’s movements seemed simple, but they were highly demanding on one’s body, zhenqi, meridians, and reflexes.

If any of those were to fail to meet the mark, not only would he have failed to achieve victory, he would even have sustained severe internal injuries on the spot.

On top of that, it was apparent that he had grasped the flow of battle precisely to defeat the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Tail in the shortest time with the minimal depletion. This went to show that not only did he possess superior strength, his comprehension of combat had also reached an unbelievable level.

“Their loss was inevitable…” Liao Song shook his head.

He had been thinking that it was unlikely for Zheng Yang to successfully clear the Dragon Gate Formation, but after seeing this, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps the young man before him might just be able to accomplish this impressive feat that none had accomplished in the past three hundred years.

The three combat masters that Zheng Yang had faced earlier were his subordinates, and he knew very well how formidable their fighting prowess was when they collaborated with one another. Yet, despite the augmentation from the Dragon Gate Formation on top of that, they hadn’t been able to withstand three blows from him.

The other party’s strength was indeed fearsome. With his cultivation suppressed to be of an equal level to the other party, even three of him were unlikely to be a match for the other party.

Hu!

While the crowd below was still recovering from the shocking scene they had just witnessed, on the stage, Zheng Yang exhaled a mouthful of turbid air before he raised his gaze toward the Dragon’s Back and walked with widened strides.

To the others, it might have seemed as if he had achieved an easy victory. However, he knew very well that it hadn’t been as easy as he’d made it out to be.

Had he not internalized the essence of his teacher’s impartation, it would have been impossible for him to defeat the combat masters so swiftly.

Even so, he still felt a stifling sensation in his chest and a sharp pain in his meridians, as if someone had attempted to rip them apart.

Facing the Dragon’s Tail head on and the sharp change in his maneuver had caused him some injuries, but fortunately, they weren’t too serious.

While walking forward, he drove his zhenqi in a way that his teacher had taught him to heal his injuries. By the time he was on his tenth step, he felt the stifling sensation in his chest alleviate, and his strength was restored back to its peak.

Even though he had only cultivated a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, his zhenqi did share some of the miraculous properties that Heaven’s Path zhenqi possessed. He could heal his wounds and stamina far swifter and more efficiently as compared to cultivators with other zhenqi.

“Time to challenge the next opponents!”

With his strength restored, Zheng Yang smirked as he drove his spear forward toward the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Back.

Even the weakest of the combat masters of the Dragon’s Back had a cultivation of Chrysalis realm pinnacle while the other two were Half-Saint experts. Their combined fighting prowess was several times stronger than that of the Dragon’s Tail combat masters.

Grasping the initiative, he pushed forcefully against the ground, and as if a bolt of lightning, he was already standing before the three combat masters in the blink of an eye. With immense force, he thrust his spear forward toward them.

Seeing the abrupt burst of speed from Zheng Yang, Liu Yang couldn’t help but turn to the young lady beside him and ask, “Wang Ying, you imparted your movement technique to him?”

“Un.” Wang Ying nodded.

Their teacher had only imparted the movement art to her, but as fellow disciples, they shared a close relationship and often interacted and learned from one another. In those interactions, she had imparted the movement technique to Zheng Yang, and the latter had also imparted his spear art to her.

However, it was a pity that Zheng Yang’s talent in the field of movement arts was beneath hers. Nevertheless, he was still able to move at incredible speeds with it, making it was a powerful tool he could utilize in battle to catch his opponent off guard.

Zheng Yang’s spear was directed at the blind spot of two of the combat masters, catching them off guard. However, the remaining combat master was able to react swiftly, and he slashed his sword toward Zheng Yang’s back.

At this point, it was already too late to retract his spear. Left with no choice, Zheng Yang twisted his body slightly and sent a punch toward his back.

Peng!

His fist collided with the combat master’s sword, and the pale-faced latter was forced to retreat seven steps.

Upon seeing this fight, Wang Ying glanced to Liu Yang and asked with a smile, “You also imparted your fist art to him?”

“That’s right.” Liu Yang nodded.

He had also imparted his fist art to Zheng Yang. In other words, the latter possessed a strong fist art, movement art, leg art, and spear art, granting him plenty of options to maneuver around in a battle.

“It will be difficult for those three to defeat Zheng Yang,” Wang Ying remarked with a meaningful smile.

They knew very well how powerful the battle techniques that their teacher had imparted to them were, especially given that they had cultivated the techniques themselves.

Just by learning a single maneuver in their battle technique, a cultivator could easily go unrivaled by any of their peers in the world. On the other hand, Zheng Yang had learned the full battle technique and achieved deep mastery in each of them.

The three combat masters on the stage each possessed a higher cultivation than him, two of them even reaching Half-Saint, but it would still be difficult for them to defeat Zheng Yang.

While his fellow disciples were conversing, on the stage, Zheng Yang was alternating his usage of fist art, spear art, and movement art, making it difficult for the three combat masters to defend against him.

His fist was forceful, his spear was swift, and his movement art was unfathomable. Facing such powerful battle techniques, cold sweat began to trickle down the foreheads of the three combat masters as the pressure they felt grew progressively greater.

“This won’t do. At this rate, we will surely lose,” one of the combat masters exclaimed.

As they had suppressed their cultivation to the required levels as demanded by the requirement of the Dragon Gate Formation, their eyes of discernment and combat sense exceeded those that were typical of their current suppressed cultivation realm. Yet, despite utilizing all of their means, they were still unable to clinch the upper hand. On the contrary, if they were to make the slightest mistake, they could very well find themselves pierced by a sharp spear. The pressure they were under was so great that they felt like they were going to collapse from it.

The young man before their eyes was young, but his physical strength, zhenqi, eye of discernment, and comprehension of combat were clearly far above them individually. It was as if their opponent had no weakness that they could exploit at all!

“Use our strongest move!” another combat master yelled as he swung the sword in his hands furiously. The immense zhenqi he exerted in the move formed a huge curtain in the air, looming above Zheng Yang like a huge wave that would soon crash down on him.

Not wanting to be outdone, another combat master grabbed his spear tightly, imbuing it with a brilliant blue light. After which, he tossed his spear forward with astounding momentum, and in that instant, even the heavens seemed to have darkened in fear before its sharp tip, seemingly fearing that the spear would pierce a hole through it.

“Don’t forget that there is still me!”

The third combat master leaped into the air and swung his gigantic hammer down furiously. In that moment, it felt like a massive pot lid had appeared above the stage, covering the entire area as it descended with frightening force.

The teamwork of the three combat masters was seamless. Without even communicating with one another, they had each assumed a certain role in the attack, be it offense, defense, or sealing the opponent’s movement. In that moment, Zheng Yang fell into a perilous situation.

Upon seeing that sight, the faces of School Head Mo and the others paled. “This is bad. They have devoted the maximum strength that they can draw from their current cultivation in that attack. I fear that Zheng Yang will be unable to survive the attack.”

If it had been them challenging the Dragon’s Back, it was unlikely that they would have been able to even withstand a single blow. It was truly not easy for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth to have held on until this point.

But facing such a dire situation, was it still possible for him to turn the tables and achieve victory?

At this point, everyone felt as if their hearts were about to leap out of their throats.