Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 1053

Chapter 1053: Slaying the Jadeleaf King

“Humph!”

The Jadeleaf King harrumphed coldly as he swiftly analyzed the situation he was in.

His physical body had been destroyed, and if he were to attempt to kill the Violetleaf King, the Celestial Master Teacher would surely die as well… and once that happened, there would be no hope for him.

Just like what the other party had said, as long as he took the Celestial Master Teacher back to the tribe, he would be entitled to all kinds of rewards—the strengthening of his Primordial Spirit, the heightening of his cultivation, or even obtaining a powerful body would be available options for him.

I should just agree to his demands first. The most important thing for me at the moment is to remain alive. In any case, the journey back to the tribe will be a long one, so there will be plenty of opportunities for me to kill him while his guard is down.

Gradually, a plan surfaced in the Jadeleaf King’s mind.

During the long journey back to the tribe, it was inevitable that the Violetleaf King would lower his guard from time to time. As soon as that happened, he would be able to strike and eliminate that despicable scoundrel before him.

That way, he would be able to exact vengeance without compromising the safety of the Celestial Master Teacher before him.

This would not be an ideal moment for him to make his move. The Violetleaf King was clearly guarded, and if he were to make a reckless move, he would be the one to lose out in the end.

In his Primordial Spirit form, he was indeed powerful. However, he could not maintain this state for too long.

“Allow me to take a look at your puppet.” After a moment of contemplation, the Jadeleaf King flew over to the puppet and began examining it closely with his Spiritual Perception.

To his surprise, the puppet was extremely well-made. While the materials used for it were low quality, the craftsmanship did well to maximize its strength within its constraints. The puppet might have been a little weak, but once complemented with his Primordial Spirit, it would still be able to display considerable fighting prowess.

It would not match up to his prior strength, but it would be more than sufficient to deal with a mere Violetleaf King.

After making such calculations, he examined every aspect of the puppet carefully, and after confirming that there were no traps hidden within it, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Hu!

With a swift movement, his Primordial Spirit dived into the puppet.

A moment later, he opened the puppet’s eyes and began moving his new limbs. He turned his gaze toward the Violetleaf King and said, “Alright, you should be able to release the Celestial Master Teacher now, right?”

“Of course!” Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan tossed Feng Xun casually to the ground.

Due to the heavy impact Feng Xun had suffered from the brick, he still had not woken up.

The Jadeleaf King was stunned. He released the human just like that?

He had expected the other party to continue holding the Celestial Master Teacher hostage so as to ensure his own safety. To obediently release the Celestial Master Teacher at his command… was the other party really not afraid that he would claim his life?

“Fool! You are asking for death!”

Regardless, this was a good opportunity to strike. The eyes of the Jadeleaf King lit up as he swiftly pulled the unconscious Celestial Master Teacher behind him to protect the latter. At the same time, he charged forward to launch a devastating attack on the Violetleaf King.

After how the Violetleaf King had made a fool out of him, how could he, the proud Jadeleaf King, possibly allow the other party to continue existing in the world?

“Jeez. I have already offered you a chance to continue living, but you just don’t know how to treasure it.” Seeing the Jadeleaf King charging ferociously toward him, the Violetleaf King shook his head calmly and sighed. Instead of making any attempts to dodge or counterattack, he lifted his hand casually and snapped, “Down!”

Kacha!

The charging Jadeleaf King abruptly felt a surge of intense pain assaulting him, causing his body to stiffen on the spot.

Putong!

The momentum from his previous action dragged him onto the ground.

The Jadeleaf King narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “You… You laced the puppet with poison?”

In just a mere instant, he understood why the other party dared cast aside the only leverage over him without any hesitation. It turned out that the puppet had been poisoned! Furthermore, for a Primordial Spirit as powerful as his to succumb to it, it was apparent that it was an exceptionally potent poison.

“You are quite smart. If you pledge loyalty to me and obey every single one of my commands without any hesitation, I can spare you!” Zhang Xuan said calmly.

He had already foreseen this from the moment he took his puppet out. Previously, when he was tapping the puppet fondly, he had discreetly infused his Heaven’s Path zhenqi into it.

His Heaven’s Path zhenqi had no particular attribute, so even if the Jadeleaf King noticed it, he probably only thought that it was the innate power that the puppet harnessed, so he didn’t pay it any heed.

In other words, from the moment that the Jadeleaf King sent his Primordial Spirit into the puppet, he was already doomed.

“You want me to pledge loyalty to you? Dream on!” the Jadeleaf King roared furiously as his Primordial Spirit charged toward the acupoint that he had entered the puppet from.

Since he was able to enter the puppet, naturally, he should be able to leave as well.

“You might have been able to enter the puppet easily, but it won’t be that easy for you to leave it!” Zhang Xuan said with a wry smile.

The Jadeleaf King’s heart turned cold upon hearing those words. He realized that every single acupoint on the puppet had been sealed by a unique zhenqi. Even with the overwhelming strength that he commanded, he found that he was unable to break out.

All of his escape routes were sealed; he was trapped.

Despite all of the precautions that he had taken, he had still ended up falling for the Violetleaf King’s ploy. Stifled, the Jadeleaf King nearly spewed a mouthful of blood, but there was no blood within the puppet for him to spew. The more he thought about the matter, the more despaired and frightened he felt.

Even though the fellow standing before him was weaker than him, he found himself feeling deeply terrified of the other party. Preying on the weaknesses in his mind, the other party had managed to turn him against the Stoneleaf King and nearly had him killed. Even after he emerged victorious in the fight, it turned out that the other party had already prepared a subsequent measure to deal with him—a puppet laced with lethal poison.

Had the Violetleaf King been such a formidable figure all along? Or could it be that…

Suddenly, a possibility surfaced in the Jadeleaf King’s mind. “You aren’t the Violetleaf King!”

“Not bad at all, you do have some wits. At the very least, you came to the truth right before the end.” Zhang Xuan chuckled as he began morphing his body back amid cracking sounds.

Geji! Geji!

A moment later, he reverted back to his original appearance.

The Jadeleaf King narrowed his eyes in shock. “You are a human? Wait, could it be… you are the real Celestial Master Teacher?”

Celestial Master Teacher, an existence that even the heavens had acknowledged. How could a person who had been acknowledged by the heavens possibly be so useless as to be captured that easily and be knocked out time and time again? Not to mention, recalling how the Violetleaf King had, for some peculiar reason, insisted on standing beside the other human a moment ago… the truth could not have been clearer to him at this moment.

“I’ll give you some time to think about it. Become my servant, and you will be able to avoid death,” Zhang Xuan said impassively, choosing not to respond to the Jadeleaf King’s doubts.

The implications that came with his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher were simply too great. Even the notion of revealing it to the Master Teacher Pavilion left him feeling deeply apprehensive, so how could he be willing to speak of it to an Otherworldly Demon?

“You want me to become your servant? Dream on! But… to have lost to a Celestial Master Teacher like you, I admit my defeat!” the Jadeleaf King sneered coldly before shaking his head despondently.

Following that, a golden fluid suddenly flowed from the puppet’s eyes before the puppet fell heavily to the ground.

“You…”

Zhang Xuan quickly rushed up to the puppet, only to realize that the Primordial Spirit within had already dissipated.

Trapped within the puppet, the Jadeleaf King was unable to escape nor explode his Primordial Spirit. At the same time, he was also unwilling to bow to a human. Thus, he had chosen to end his life!

“Decisive and very loyal to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe as well,” Zhang Xuan remarked.

Choosing to end his life knowing that he had been cornered, it seemed that despite being greedy and vicious, the Jadeleaf King was deeply loyal to his kind.

Just that… it sure is a huge waste of my puppet! Looking at the lifeless puppet lying on the ground, Zhang Xuan felt his heart ache.

The Jadeleaf King’s Primordial Spirit was simply too strong. While he had been unable to explode his Primordial Spirit, the energy that was released with his suicide still resulted in the destruction of the puppet’s internal structure, resulting in it being effectively crippled. After all the trouble he had gone through to raise it to Saint 3-dan…

However, these two Kings do have quite a few treasures with them. Putting everything else aside, just the saber and spear they have in their possession are at Saint low-tier. Well, they are only at low-tier, but that’s not too bad either…

Given Zhang Xuan’s proficiency in smithing, it seemed like it would be… impossible for him to fix the puppet. Fortunately, the wealth that the two Kings possessed was more than enough to make up for the loss of his puppet.

On top of the Saint low-tier sword and spear, the Jadeleaf King had the bizarre altar and innumerable tributes. Those might just prove useful at some point in time.

I should just take everything first. Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan grabbed the storage rings of the duo before heading toward the Lightning Elemental Orb on the ground.

The orb was initially in the Stoneleaf King’s possession, but after the Jadeleaf King mercilessly severed his arm, the orb ended up falling to the ground. At the current moment, it was emitting a dim light.

Stopping before the orb, Zhang Xuan squatted down and reached out to grab it.

Bzzzzzztttt!

Before his hand could even come into contact with the orb, a searing pain assault his palm. Countless mini streaks of lightning burst toward him, attempting to burn him to cinders.

Upon seeing the sight, Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched. He hurriedly leaped aside to avoid the attack.

The Lightning Elemental Orb was indeed powerful, but with his current strength, even getting close to it was difficult, let alone taming it.

Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in distress. But it would be extremely wasteful of me to leave an artifact as powerful as this lying here.

It was one thing if he had not seen it, but now that he had seen it and it was within reach, would he not be letting himself down if he did not claim it for himself?

Perhaps I could try that…

After a moment of thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. Placing the body of the Stoneleaf King before him, he slowly advanced toward the Lightning Elemental Orb.

Bzzzzt!

Sensing the approach of a lifeform, the Lightning Elemental Orb immediately sent innumerable streaks of lightning toward the invader who was trespassing on its territory. However, it was all perfectly warded off by the Stoneleaf King’s body.

In a few moments, Zhang Xuan was already standing right before orb, and with a swift movement, his hand reached out and touched it.

Kacha!

Right after Zhang Xuan muttered ‘flaws’ in his mind, he was abruptly sent flying by a powerful surge of electricity. His body stiffened, and smoke drifted from his hair, which was standing on end. At the same time, his clothes were also ripped into tatters from the surge of electricity, creating quite an unkempt look.

This… Isn’t the Lightning Elemental Orb a little too powerful?

It took a long while before Zhang Xuan could recover from his daze.

It was fortunate that his soul had been tempered by the lightning previously and his body had achieved the level equivalent to a Saint low-tier artifact. Otherwise, that burst of lightning could have easily left him bedridden for several days.

Alright. Let me see if there’s any way I can tame it with my current strength, Zhang Xuan thought as he turned his consciousness toward the Library of Heaven’s Path.

In the momentary touch back then, he had managed to achieve his goal and compile a corresponding book regarding the Lightning Elemental Orb.

And as expected, with just a thought, a book began flying over from one of the shelves, and it landed right in Zhang Xuan’s hands.

He flipped it open casually.

“Lightning Elemental Orb, an artifact produced in regions where the Power of Lightning accumulates. It can be used as the cornerstone of lightning attribute formations, as well as a tool to control them…”

The content within the book flowed into Zhang Xuan’s head swiftly, and within just an instant, he had already found out what the flaws of the Lightning Elemental Orb were.

So that’s the case… I should be able to tame it even with my current strength. However, it will still be difficult for me to drive it unless I reach Primordial Spirit realm.

After understanding the situation concerning the Lightning Elemental Orb, Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly.

Just as he had guessed, the field of lightning was indeed a grade-8 formation. As such, it could only be controlled via one’s Primordial Spirit. Even if he could successfully tame the Lightning Elemental Orb, it would still be impossible for him to use it to gain control over the lightning formation.

Forget it, I should tame the Lightning Elemental Orb first and think about everything else later…

Casting the dilemmas in his mind aside, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze toward the Lightning Elemental Orb once more.

He might have been unable to use it at that moment, but there would surely be a day when he would be able to wield it. A grade-8 Slaughter Formation… that was a treasure that countless cultivators would love to lay their hands on!

Chapter 1054: Black Sandstorm of Oblivion

If I wish to tame the Lightning Elemental Orb, I will first have to use my zhenqi to nourish it. After reading the details regarding the orb in the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan had already gained a thorough understanding of its strengths and flaws.

Forcefully taming it was not a feasible solution, especially considering the limits of his current strength. Thus, he could only nourish it slowly, just as the Stoneleaf King had done earlier.

Raising his hands, he began sending out surges of zhenqi from his palm toward the Lightning Elemental Orb from a distance away.

Weng!

Sensing zhenqi encroaching on its territory, the orb began revolving as it emitted a deep blue glow. In an instant, countless streaks of lightning fell from the sky.

Zhang Xuan swiftly lifted the Stoneleaf King’s body above him to fend off the lightning. Unfortunately, Feng Xun, who was lying not too far away, wasn’t so lucky. Two streaks of lightning breached the lingering seal that the Jadeleaf King had set up previously and struck his body, causing it to convulse with even greater intensity than before.

It was fortunate that the seal had neutralized most of the energy contained in the lightning, or else those two strikes could have claimed Feng Xun’s life.

I must proceed a little more carefully… Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched.

He quickly calmed himself down before gathering his zhenqi to infuse it over once more. This time, he proceeded a little more carefully and slowly, and it did not induce any retaliation from the Lightning Elemental Orb. Around twenty minutes later, delight covered Zhang Xuan’s face.

With just a wave of his hand, the Lightning the Elemental Orb gradually flew toward him. After twenty minutes of effort, he had successfully managed to tame it!

It sure is a powerful artifact… Holding the sphere in his palm, Zhang Xuan could feel the immense power contained within, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

Just as he had deduced before, the Lightning Elemental Orb was the key to controlling the lightning formation. While he was unable to drive it due to his lacking cultivation at the moment, fortunately, it was still within his means to restrict the lightning formation to within the orb.

Taking a deep breath, he raised the Lightning Elemental Orb in the air and began driving his zhenqi into it.

“Return,” Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath.

Hualala!

Countless streaks of lightning in the surroundings began flowing toward the Lightning Elemental Orb like countless streams converging into the vast ocean.

“Mmm?”

At this moment, Feng Xun regained consciousness once more. Upon seeing the sight before him, his eyes widened in astonishment, and his body began trembling in fear.

The sight before him was simply too frightening. A fellow who had nearly been charred black from a lightning strike was raising his hand before him, and countless streaks of lightning were converging in his direction, seemingly attempting to tear him apart.

Is this hell, or am I dreaming? That man… Principal Zhang?

Taking a closer look, Feng Xun realized that the charred black fellow was none other than Zhang Xuan!

Suddenly recalling the situation that they were in, he quickly scanned his surroundings, and soon, he saw the Stoneleaf King’s body lying right beside Zhang Xuan, not moving or breathing in the slightest.

Principal Zhang managed to kill the Stoneleaf King? Feng Xun could hardly believe his eyes.

It was only in this instant that he confirmed that he wasn’t dead yet.

Before he was knocked out, he had clashed face on with the Stoneleaf King, and the latter had been so powerful that he had been defeated within a single encounter.

Yet, after regaining consciousness, he suddenly found the carcass of the Stoneleaf King lying cold on the ground… Just what in the world happened while he was out? What did Principal Zhang sacrifice in order to kill the Stoneleaf King and save him?

More importantly… while he was not dead, why was his body convulsing uncontrollably? Furthermore, that dull pain that was constantly assaulting his head… just who was the scoundrel who had knocked him out time and time again?

Pondering over the matter for some time, Feng Xun was still unable to make sense of the situation, so he gave up on it altogether. Turning his attention back to the charred black fellow, he couldn’t help but feel deeply touched within. Back then, he had attempted to teach the other party a lesson to bring honor back to the Combat Master Hall, and yet, the other party was still willing to cast aside their differences and save him in this crucial moment.

Just recalling what he had done previously left him deeply ashamed. He really did not know how he should face the other party after that.

It was no wonder Luo Ruoxin had chosen the other party over him. If he were Luo Ruoxin, he would have made the same decision as well!

Hu!

Not too long later, the lightning in the sky was finally contained within the Lightning Elemental Orb, and Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, he stowed the orb back into his storage ring.

Stretching his slightly stiffened body, he was just about to drive his zhenqi to recuperate from his injuries when he saw Feng Xun walking up to him.

“Principal Zhang, you have my deepest gratitude for saving my life.” Feng Xun bowed down deeply.

Zhang Xuan hurriedly waved his hand in embarrassment. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

While he had only done it due to the compelling circumstances then, it was a fact that he had knocked the other party out thrice and electrocuted him once. Even at this moment, the other party’s body was still convulsing non-stop. That was probably an aftereffect from the brick smash and electrocution. If the other party were to learn of this matter, would the other party rip him apart then and there?

Forget it, what the other party did not know would not hurt him. It would not be good for them to sour their camaraderie over a trivial matter like this.

However, just because Zhang Xuan did not speak of it, it did not mean that Feng Xun was not going to broach the subject. “Principal Zhang, I would like to ask, did the Stoneleaf King make a move on me while I was unconscious? Somehow, there is a dull pain at the back of my head…”

“That… That’s not important at all!” With twitching lips, Zhang Xuan hurriedly shook his head. “Let’s return now. Wu shi and the others should have recovered by now…”

With the lightning formation back in the Lightning Elemental Orb, the sky gradually cleared up. Not too long later, they arrived at where Wu shi and the others were hiding. At this moment, they had already left the insides of the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Taking a look at the unconscious Golden Origin Cauldron, Zhang Xuan heaved a deep sigh before stowing it back into his storage ring.

While he had succeeded in waking up Lu Chong and Wei Ruyan, the situation was slightly different for the Golden Origin Cauldron. As an artifact, its spirit was fundamentally different from that of a human’s soul, so the means that he had utilized previously would be completely ineffective on it. He would have to find a higher tier Blacksmith Guild and gather the books there to find a solution for it.

“Principal Zhang has managed to kill the Stoneleaf King…” Returning to the crowd, Feng Xun shared the joyous news with the expedition team. In an instant, flabbergasted looks surfaced all around them.

Even Wu shi had been unable to stand against the Stoneleaf King’s strength back then, and yet, Zhang Xuan had actually succeeded in killing the latter and even resolved the lightning formation. This was truly inconceivable. They could not help but turn to look at Zhang Xuan with gazes of admiration.

Zhang Xuan had initially intended to explain the situation to them, but eventually, he decided against it.

It was hard to explain how he managed to turn the Jadeleaf King against the Stoneleaf King, so revealing this matter could potentially bring him significant trouble. Since that was the case, he might as well remain silent about it.

“Most of you haven’t recuperated fully from your injuries yet, and the path ahead is bound to be more dangerous than ever.” Noting that there were still quite a few people who were severely wounded, Zhang Xuan proposed, “Why don’t we just rest here for the night? We can proceed after we have fully recovered.”

After what they had been through, the expedition team also knew that the ancient domain was filled with danger at every corner, and they would have to be in their peak state if they wanted to remain alive. Thus, they nodded in agreement and sat back down to recuperate from their injuries.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan found an opportunity to head to a remote location alone to let Luo Ruoxin out while entering the Myriad Anthive Nest himself.

Hu!

The Lightning Elemental Orb appeared in his hand.

With a thought, he drew his soul out from his glabella before grabbing the Lightning Elemental Orb.

Previously, he had used the lightning formation to temper his soul, and the effects had been considerable. Since he had obtained the Lightning Elemental Orb, the very core of the lightning formation, and he had some time on his hands, it was a good opportunity for him to cultivate and advance his soul cultivation.

Gazing at the condensed lightning packed into the orb, Zhang Xuan grasped the orb tightly with his soul before driving the Heaven’s Path Soul Art.

Tzzzzzzzzzzz!

Streak after streak of lightning began surging out from the Lightning Elemental Orb and into his soul, tempering it.

An hour later, his soul compressed down from seven meters to six meters, and his soul cultivation advanced up to Nascent Saint intermediate stage.

Two hours later, his soul was compressed down to five meters, and his soul cultivation had reached Nascent Saint advanced stage.

Four hours later, his soul was four meters, and his soul cultivation was at Nascent Saint pinnacle!

While his soul had grown smaller, the soul energy within was purer than ever. On top of that, it was imbued with the Power of Lightning, giving it an incredibly powerful presence.

With just his soul cultivation alone, he could probably defeat a Saint 2-dan pinnacle expert.

My soul, body, and zhenqi cultivation have reached Nascent Saint pinnacle.

After cultivating for a while longer, Zhang Xuan realized that if he were to continue tempering his soul without any subsequent cultivation technique, he could very well face unexpected problems in his soul cultivation. Thus, he returned his soul back to his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Within less than a single day after entering the ancient domain, he had managed to raise his physical body cultivation and soul cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle. This expedition had truly been a fruitful one for him.

If it had been anywhere else, who knew how long it would have taken him to achieve this feat?

“Here, the Lightning Elemental Orb is an extremely powerful artifact for cultivating one’s soul. You should cultivate a bit as well!” After advancing his soul cultivation, Zhang Xuan tossed the Lightning Elemental Orb to his clone before leaving the Anthive Nest and returning back to the expedition team.

After a period of rest, the expedition members had mostly recovered from their wounds, and they exuded an aura of vigor.

“Let’s continue our journey!” Wu shi said, and the expedition team swiftly got up and began making their way forward.

The route ahead of them mainly consisted of a barren plain.

After walking some distance, Wu shi suddenly came to a halt. He turned to the young man beside him and asked, “Principal Zhang, does this look familiar to you?”

As he said those words, he pointed to the area just ahead of him.

Embedded in the ground was a sword. Forcefully snapped by something, only the top half of it was left.

Taking a closer look at the surroundings, there were some marks of battle around them. Some parts were buried under a layer of dirt, but it was still easily discernible.

“No, I don’t think I have seen it before…” Taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the sword pierced in the ground had reached Half Saint as well. However, its appearance was unfamiliar to Zhang Xuan, and he was certain that he had never seen it before.

Wo Tianqiong walked over and remarked, “That is Zhang Yinqiu’s weapon. He used it once in a duel with me.”

As the principal of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, he had rather close ties with the old principal, and they had often met one another. As such, he was well aware of the weapons in the old principal’s possession.

“It belongs to the old principal?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“Yes, that’s definitely his weapon!” Wu Ran and Shen Pingchao stepped forward and nodded in agreement.

“Since the old principal’s weapon has fallen it, it means that his expedition team must have walked down this route as well… Let’s move on!”

The eyes of the crowd lit up in excitement.

This was the first time that they had found traces of the old principal after entering the ancient domain, and they could not help but feel a little agitated within.

They hastened their footsteps, but it did not take long before they stopped once more.

Ahead of them was a massive sandstorm. What was particularly eerie about it was that the sandstorm was pitch-black. Without even approaching it, the crowd could not help but feel shivers running down their spines.

“What’s that?”

“I have no idea either…”

Even though they did not recognize what the black sandstorm ahead of them was, they could feel the sheer power that was harnessed within it, and it left them feeling deeply apprehensive.

After a moment of silence, Wo Tianqiong suddenly spoke up with an awful look on his face. “That is the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!”

The crowd frowned in confusion. “Black Sandstorm of Oblivion?”

“Un. It is an extremely dangerous sandstorm that possesses an extraordinarily potent corrosion capability. Any existence that steps into it will be swiftly reduced into nothing.” After a moment of hesitation, Wo Tianqiong continued, “If you don’t believe me, take a look at this…”

After saying those words, he whipped out a Spirit pinnacle sword and tossed it into the sandstorm.

Tzzzzzz!

As soon as the sword was tossed into the sandstorm, innumerable black spots appeared on it, as if it was rusty from being soaked in rainwater for many days.

After which, with a swift wave of his hand, Wo Tianqiong retrieved the sword with his zhenqi. He flicked it lightly.

Kacha!

The incomparably sturdy Spirit pinnacle sword immediately shattered into innumerable pieces.

“This…”

The faces of the crowd distorted in horror.

Spirit pinnacle weapons were rare even among Tier-1 Empires, and yet, it did not even survive more than a few breaths within the sandstorm before being torn to pieces. Wasn’t the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion a little too frightening?

“Is there any way that we can bypass this sandstorm?” one of the combat masters asked with a frown.

Guild Leader Han took a closer look at the sandstorm, and he shook his head bitterly. “I’m afraid that is impossible…”

Chapter 1055: Luo Ruoxin’s Suggestion

“Impossible?”

The crowd turned their gazes over.

“Since the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion stands in our path, it is likely that it is a trial that we are supposed undergo. If we do not clear this, we will only be able to loiter around the outskirts of the ancient domain, unable to enter its depths,” said Guild Leader Han.

“Un.” Hearing his words, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

That was indeed the case.

Through the past experiences, he had come to realize that the ancient domain was built in a way such that only one who had cleared the trial before them could activate the formation that led to the next level. If there was no one among them who could clear the trial, they would be stuck on the spot.

As that was the fundamental design of the ancient domain, there was no way to circumvent the trials through wits.

Not to mention, the person who had designed the ancient domain was most likely Ancient Sage Qiu Wu himself. How could an expert of his caliber possibly leave behind any openings that they would be able to exploit?

Taking a step back, even if there was truly an opening they found that they could exploit, it was more likely that it would be a trap created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. For breaking his rules, they might find themselves being placed through an even harsher trial than the one before them.

“Based on the traces, it is certain that Zhang Yinqiu and the others must have stepped through the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion as well. But… how did they do it?” Wu shi surveyed the surroundings for a moment before frowning deeply.

Since the old principal’s sword had been found alongside marks of battle in the vicinity, it was apparent that the old principal’s expedition team had passed through the area they were in.

But the sandstorm before them was a terrifying existence that could corrode even Spirit pinnacle weapons! How could any cultivators survive within it? Even if one could withstand the sandstorm for a short moment, who could say for sure how far the sandstorm spanned? No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like it was nigh impossible to clear this trial!

Paying no heed to the anxiety of the crowd, Zhang Xuan began assessing the sandstorm before him carefully as well.

The Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was similar to the field of lightning that he had encountered before—it was a formation as well. However, just like before, as the area it spanned was simply too big and his cultivation was too low, he was unable to break the formation even with the knowledge of its flaws.

A moment later, he shook his head helplessly as well.

The conclusion that he had come to was the same as Guild Leader Han’s. There was no way for them to advance forward other than to brave the black sandstorm!

While the crowd were conflicted and distressed over their present circumstances, Luo Ruoxin suddenly spoke up.

“Have you all thought about how we encountered quite a few Otherworldly Demons in the previous trial, but here, there is not a single one to be seen? If my conjecture holds true, we could have been heading in the wrong direction all along.”

“We have been heading in the wrong direction all along?” asked one of the master teachers, unable to comprehend what Luo Ruoxin was driving at.

“That’s right. We have been chasing after the trial left behind by Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu, but… if the Otherworldly Demons are already ahead of us, the trail that we see before us might not necessarily be authentic. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we search for the Otherworldly Demon’s trail instead? There is a good chance that it will be safer that way.” Luo Ruoxin presented her analysis.

“That…” The crowd was taken aback by those words.

“Indeed, Luo shi’s words make perfect sense!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

As one of the central goals of their expedition was to find the whereabouts of the old principal and save the other party if he was still alive, they had been on the lookout for the old principal’s trail all along, thinking that it would lead them to the old principal. It was a logical deduction, but if the Otherworldly Demons had intentionally scattered the old principal’s possessions around to lay a trap for them… they could very well have been headed toward grave danger!

So far, he had managed to tame one and kill seven of the Ten Great Kings of Qingtian Lineage, but the two remaining Upper Five Kings would be far more difficult to defeat. Even though he had missed the most powerful Skyleaf King at the Poison Hall, he had heard that the latter was a true Leaving Aperture realm expert, an existence beyond their current means to deal with.

Typically speaking, after obtaining the map in the Poison Hall, the Skyleaf King should have entered the ancient domain. Yet, he hadn’t seen any trace of the other party ever since he entered the ancient domain.

Considering how the Skyleaf King could have dealt with them easily but had yet to do so… Perhaps, by using the map in his hand, the other party had managed to enter the ancient domain before them and was currently ahead of them.

If so, the path that the other party had taken was bound to be the safest!

“Let me take a look…”

Flying into the air, Zhang Xuan began assessing his surroundings carefully with his Eye of Insight.

Previously, he had been too concerned with finding the old principal’s trail, so he had not noticed anything else. However, taking a closer look around them, he swiftly found that there were indeed quite a few suspicious details.

A group of Otherworldly Demons had passed through the land they were currently on just a few hours ago.

Zhang Xuan descended to the ground and requested, “Feng Xun, I need to borrow your Undefiled Mirror!”

The Otherworldly Demons had intentionally concealed their trail, and due to his lower cultivation, there was a limit to what his Eye of Insight could see as well. He could barely make out that others had passed through the area a few hours ago, but he could not discern for sure the direction they were headed in.

If it was just a few hours, the Undefiled Mirror of the Combat Master Hall should still be able to work its wonders.

“Un.” Nodding, Feng Xun passed the mirror over and swiftly filled Zhang Xuan in on how the mirror should be utilized.

Following Feng Xun’s instructions, Zhang Xuan bit his finger and dripped a droplet of blood on the Undefiled Mirror.

Weng!

An arrow surfaced in the Undefiled Mirror, and after flickering for a brief moment, it pointed toward a certain direction.

After walking in the direction pointed out by the Undefiled Mirror for some time, Zhang Xuan suddenly came to a halt. Turning to face the crowd behind him, he said, “The direction pointed out by the Undefiled Mirror indicates that they have entered the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion through here.”

“They entered through here? Are they unafraid of the might of the sandstorm?” one of the combat masters asked in bewilderment.

“I don’t have an answer to that either.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Through the Undefiled Mirror, they could confirm that the Otherworldly Demons did enter the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion through the area.

But after careful examination, Zhang Xuan discerned that the area before him wasn’t a location where a flaw of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion could be found. The sandstorm was still as fearsome as ever, so it was perplexing to him why the Otherworldly Demons would choose to enter from this point.

At that moment, Wu shi stepped forward and said, “Let me give it a try. Perhaps, there might be a hidden passageway amid the fearsome sandstorm.”

Guild Leader Han pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement to Wu shi’s decision. “Be careful.”

What Wu shi had suggested was something that often occurred within formations.

There were many formations where the Life Gate was hidden in the most perilous of locations, unable to be detected through any means except by stepping into it personally.

“Un.” Wu shi nodded. Taking a deep breath, he drove his zhenqi, and silver armor gradually materialized around him.

Saint-tier battle technique, Silver Armor of the True Dragon!

It was his strongest defensive battle technique, and it granted him an all-around defense as well. As such, it was the ideal shield to fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion.

He took a step in.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

As soon as he stepped into the sandstorm, a deafening ruckus reminiscent of a violent storm mercilessly battering a banana tree[1] filled the air.

Barely after taking eight steps forward, Wu shi face paled, and he hurriedly rushed back out. As soon as he left the perimeter of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, his zhenqi armor immediately cracked before dissipating entirely. His face was entirely pale, and his footsteps were unstable. He hurriedly sat down to condition himself.

After a moment of recuperation, Wu shi turned to the crowd and shook his head. “This won’t work at all. Not only is the sandstorm no weaker than where we were previously, it is even stronger! There is no way we can pass through this.”

The amount of zhenqi one had to exert to fend off the sandstorm was immense. He could at least enter forty meters deep into the lava, but here, eight steps were already his limit.

“This is bizarre. How did the Otherworldly Demons manage to get in unharmed?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Even if the Skyleaf King and the Scarletleaf King were the two strongest experts of the Ten Great Kings, surely it should have been beyond their means to step right into the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion without getting injured?

It did not make any sense!

“Perhaps… they used some kind of artifact to ward off the sandstorm!” Guild Leader Han suggested.

“Artifact?”

“Un. As powerful as the sandstorm is, there are still artifacts out there that can fend it off. For one, if we had a Saint high-tier artifact here with us right now, we would be able to run right in without any fear of getting injured,” Guild Leader Han said.

The Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was a terrifying existence against Spirit pinnacle and even Saint low-tier artifacts, but even it could do nothing to faze the powerful Saint high-tier artifacts.

If they had an artifact of that caliber, they would not have needed to bother with finding the Life Gate of the formation at all. They could easily have run right through the sandstorm.

“Saint high-tier artifact… Where are we supposed to find that?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Despite going through a flawless reforging session, the Golden Origin Cauldron barely met the mark as a Saint intermediate-tier weapon. Given so, it was not too hard to imagine how difficult smithing a Saint high-tier artifact would be. In fact, it could be said that it was an impossible feat for anyone who had not achieved the proficiency equivalent to an 8-star blacksmith!

Luo Ruoxin examined the situation for a moment before saying calmly, “Actually, aside from Saint high-tier artifacts, there are some unique artifacts that might work particularly well against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion as well. Considering how the sandstorm carries the property of corrosion, it would be hard for most physical artifacts to withstand its might. However, it would be a different story for soul-type artifacts. Souls are impervious to the corruption caused by the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, so through the soul energy that soul-type artifacts emanate, it should be possible to keep the sandstorm at bay.”

As one who could very well be the offspring of a Sage Clan, it was not surprising for her to be well-versed in such knowledge.

“Soul-type artifacts? But such artifacts are harder to find than Saint high-tier artifacts,” a combat master remarked.

As long as a decently proficient blacksmith had sufficient materials at hand, smithing a Saint high-tier artifact would not be a problem. However, the same could not be said about a soul-type artifact.

Most of the soul-type artifacts in circulation were formed by the workings of nature due to the immense difficulty in smithing them. In fact, blacksmiths who were capable of smithing soul-type artifacts possessed an extremely high standing in society, comparable to an equivalently ranked master teacher or even above that.

“Indeed! It’s simply too difficult to find soul-type artifacts. We don’t even have a single one of those in our Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion!”

“The same for our Yunxu Master Teacher Academy as well…”

The crowd nodded in agreement.

Even if soul-type artifacts could really be used to fend against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, it was still futile if they did not have one in their possession.

“I heard that the Hongyuan royal family has a soul-type plant known as the Bodhi Saint Tree. If only I knew that we would encounter such a trial in the ancient domain, I would have surely borrowed it from them in advance.” Mu shi sighed deeply in lamentation.

“How could we have possibly known that there would be so many peculiar formations in the ancient domain?” Wu shi shook his head.

“Actually, that probably wouldn’t have worked either. I’ve heard that the Hongyuan royal family’s Bodhi Saint Tree is dying, so it probably wouldn’t be strong enough to ward off the sandstorm either. Besides, it’s the very foundation of the strength of their royal family, so there’s no way that they would have willingly lent it to us,” Wo Tianqiong said.

“Indeed. How could they be willing to lend us something that directly concerns the survival of their monarchy? Unless we were to snatch it forcefully or offer them something equivalent in value to it, there is no way that it would have worked!”

Before the group could finish letting out their regrets, Zhang Xuan suddenly spoke with a dazed look on his face. “What did you say? The Bodhi Saint Tree would work as well?”

“Of course! While it’s not a soul-type artifact, it’s still a soul-type plant. Naturally, it will still emanate soul energy, thus helping us fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!” Guild Leader Han replied. He was just about to continue speaking when the young man before him suddenly flicked his hand, and a giant tree appeared on his palm. “Will this work?”

“That is… a whole Bodhi Saint Tree?”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

“Principal Zhang, did you… ransack the Hongyuan royal family?”

[1] Banana trees have huge leaves, making it rather noisy when the rain strikes them.

Chapter 1056: Trap

Anyone who had visited Hongyuan City in the past would know the significance of the Bodhi Saint Tree to the Hongyuan royal family. It was the very foundation of the Yu Clan’s rule. As such, they were reluctant to allow anyone to come close to it, let alone borrow it.

Given so, it was no wonder their thoughts would wander when they saw Zhang Xuan taking out an entire Bodhi Saint Tree with a casual flick of the wrist.

“Of course not! I planted the tree myself…” Not expecting the crowd to have such wild imaginations, Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words.

Naturally, the Bodhi Saint Tree in his hand was not the one from the royal palace but one that he had nurtured himself through the Bodhi Seed. He had been cultivating it in his Myriad Anthive Nest all along, and he was just retrieving it from there.

After hearing that Zhang Xuan did not forcefully snatch the Bodhi Saint Tree, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief. They were afraid that this would cause a conflict between the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hongyuan royal family.

After the initial shock, a wave of excitement gradually spread across the crowd as they realized that they might have found the key to crossing the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion.

Wu shi stepped forward and said, “Let me give it a try and see if it’s effective.”

So far, it was still nothing but a hypothesis that a soul-type artifact would be able to fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. It still required some testing to confirm whether it would work or not.

Wu shi took the Bodhi Saint Tree from Zhang Xuan’s hand, and driving his zhenqi, he propped the massive tree up and held it over his head. After which, he infused a surge of soul energy into the tree trunk, and the tree swiftly emanated a warm and comfortable glow.

The Bodhi Saint Tree did not just have the ability to nourish souls. It could also draw forth a peculiar strength if one infused one’s soul energy into it.

After the preparations were done, Wu shi began making his way toward the black sandstorm.

Under the embrace of the warm glow of the tree, Wu shi stepped into the violent black sandstorm. This time, he was not battered by the sandstorm. The warm glow had neutralized the sandstorm that was heading his way. What Luo Ruoxin had said was true, soul-type artifacts were indeed effective against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion!

“This is wonderful!”

“The Otherworldly Demons must have prepared a soul-type artifact in advance knowing that there was such a trial, thus allowing them to walk straight through the sandstorm without any trouble.”

“With this, we will be able to pass through the sandstorm easily as well.”

The eyes of the crowd lit up at that sight.

At the same time, a mystery that had been plaguing Zhang Xuan’s mind suddenly unraveled before his eyes.

He had been wondering why the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would go to the trouble of instructing You Xu to poison the Hongyuan royal family’s Bodhi Saint Tree. Back then, it seemed like an excessive action—it was not like the Hongyuan Empire posed a significant threat to them. However, from the looks of it now… it seemed that they were just taking precautions.

As long as the Bodhi Saint Tree died, the master teachers would be helpless before the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. They would be left standing helplessly at the starting line, lamenting their helplessness.

However, despite all of their calculations, they had failed to factor in Zhang Xuan’s involvement. Who would have thought that someone would actually succeed in reviving the Bodhi Saint Tree and obtain the Bodhi Seed? Not to mention, to cultivate the Bodhi Seed into the mature Bodhi Saint Tree within such a short period of time…

Somehow, the aid that he had provided to the royal family back then ended up helping him in this crucial moment.

While he was deep in thought, Wu shi had finally returned from the black sandstorm.

At this moment, he did not look as excited as the others did. With a pale face, he placed the Bodhi Saint Tree back down onto the ground. Facing the crowd with a bitter smile, he said, “Infusing soul energy into the Bodhi Saint Tree does allow us to fend off the sandstorm, and the area of effect of the glow is sufficient for all of us to pass through simultaneously… However, this depletes soul energy simply far too quickly. Even with my current strength, I can only progress around a hundred meters before being sapped dry.”

“A hundred meters?”

The crowd frowned.

From the looks of it, the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion covered at least several kilometers. As a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, Wu shi possessed the strongest soul of their expedition team. If even he only had sufficient soul energy to fuel the Bodhi Saint Tree to travel a hundred meters, there was no way they would be able to get to the other side.

It was not easy for a member of their expedition team to possess a soul-type plant, and they had also verified that it was effective against the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion. Were they really going to stumble here just because they did not have sufficient soul energy to push on?

“Let me give it a try…” Zhang Xuan took the Bodhi Saint Tree and propped it up above him. After which, he sent a surge of rich spiritual energy into it.

After roughly gauging the rate of depletion of his soul energy, Zhang Xuan smiled and said, “Everyone, gather under the tree. Make sure not to wander off!”

Right after saying those words, he began making his way toward the black sandstorm.

The crowd glanced at one another with conflicted expressions, but considering how confident Zhang Xuan was, they swiftly made up their minds and followed suit.

As soon as they stepped in, they could feel the calamitous power of the black sandstorm sweeping toward them, desiring to devour their existences whole. But when it came into contact with the warm glow of the Bodhi Saint Tree, the black sandstorm seemed to dissipate with a flicker.

Seeing that the sandstorm was unable to make its way through the Bodhi Saint Tree’s defenses, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before proceeding forward.

Due to the intangible nature of souls, it was often viewed a far less effective defensive means as compared to utilizing one’s zhenqi or physical body. Yet, to think that it would be the key to fending off the devastating sandstorm before their eyes… A cyclical balance of power, the world sure worked in wondrous ways.

As Zhang Xuan marched forward, he discreetly sneaked a peek at the young lady not too far away from him. Luo shi seems a little too knowledgeable… Is she really just a 6-star master teacher?

Be it seeing through the Spatial Formation or figuring out that soul-type artifacts could fend off the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion, those were things that even Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were ignorant of! And yet, Luo Ruoxin seemed well-versed in such matters. The depth and breadth of her knowledge was truly astonishing.

Is this the capability that the offspring of Sage Clans wield? If that is truly the case, it was the right call to have Yuan Tao return to his clan, Zhang Xuan thought.

He had been a little reluctant to part with Yuan Tao back then, but it seemed like that was for the best. Not only would the latter be able to awaken his Emperor’s Bloodline swiftly, his fighting prowess would also rocket.

Under the protection of the Bodhi Saint Tree, the crowd advanced steadily without any worries. However, after walking for some time, they gradually noticed that something was amiss, and shocked gazes were beginning to gather upon the young man before them.

So far… they should have already traveled around three hundred meters? And yet, the fellow before them did not seem to be exhausted in the least. In fact, he even had the leisure to allow his mind to wander, not even slightly strained by his exertion. Weren’t the reserves of his soul energy a little too big?

This was especially so for Wu shi. At this point, his lower jaw was already on the verge of falling to the ground.

He had personally experienced the fearsome power of the black sandstorm himself, and it had caused his soul energy to deplete even before he could get far. On the other hand, Principal Zhang had extended his glow to cover everyone—a significantly larger rate of depletion as compared to his—and they had already traveled for more than three hundred meters now, and yet, the other party did not seem fatigued in the slightest.

It was truly hard for him to believe that a Nascent Saint possessed even greater soul energy than a Saint 4-dan expert.

That fellow is a true monster, Wu shi thought bitterly.

To think that he had intended to leave such a formidable figure out of their expedition team at one point in time… Now that he thought of it, he could not help but feel deeply ashamed of his ignorance then.

It was fortunate that he had eventually chosen to bring the other party along, or else they probably wouldn’t even have passed the lava at the very start, let alone reach this point.

If I can only persist till a hundred meters, even if he’s blessed with an innately powerful soul, five hundred meters should be his limit.

Thus, as they advanced forward, Wu shi kept a close eye on the young man before him, prepared to make a substitution should the latter run out of strength. Yet, they trod past the five hundred meters mark, and there were still no signs of exhaustion on Zhang Xuan’s face. It seemed as if the depletion of his soul energy that he had incurred so far was not even worth mentioning!

600 meters!

800 meters!

1,000 meters!

It did not take too long for them to travel a whole 5,000 meters. Walking at the very front, Zhang Xuan still had the same nonchalant expression on his face, as if the depletion of his soul energy was insignificant. Not only so, his footsteps also seemed to be getting lighter and lighter…

Wait a moment, h-he… he can’t be cultivating while walking, can he? Wu shi’s eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets.

A rate of depletion that even he was unable to withstand, and yet, the other party could easily bear it and even cultivate while he was at it. Monster! That freaking monster!

Forget it. If I continue comparing myself with him, it is just a matter of time before I die of despondency. Consoling himself that the young man before him was an anomaly, Wu shi was finally able to soothe the turmoil in his heart.

With Zhang Xuan’s seemingly endless supply of soul energy, the end of the Black Sandstorm of Oblivion was soon in sight. There, a beautiful and resplendent manor reminiscent of a celestial palace could be seen. Floating before an enormous waterfall, it left the crowd feeling as if they were stepping into a heavenly realm.

“How is that done?” Feng Xun widened his eyes in disbelief.

A cultivator had to reach Saint realm before they could free themself from the shackles of gravity and soar in the sky. Yet, for an entire palace to be floating in midair, creating such a mystical and wondrous sight… Just how powerful was the person who had achieved such a feat?

This was too exaggerated!

After a moment of pondering, Guild Leader Han said, “It is a clever manipulation of space. Even though it seems like it is floating in midair to our eyes, its true form could be something very different from that.”

Hearing those words, the crowd slowly nodded.

Limited by their experiences and knowledge, it was extremely difficult for them to comprehend advanced formations. What seemed bewildering and inconceivable to them could very well be realized at a higher level.

“This is probably the core of the ancient domain. Let’s hurry over to take a look!” Wo Tianqiong said with a gladdened smile.

They had overcome numerous trials in order to reach that point. Surely, they should have been nearing the end by now.

“Alright!”

The spirited crowd quickly made their way over to the celestial palace.

Not too long later, a massive heavenly gate that carried an air of divinity appeared before their eyes. Stepping through it, they immediately felt rich spiritual energy gushing in their direction.

Stepping into the celestial palace, Zhang Xuan frowned doubtfully. “Why do I feel like there is something peculiar about this place?”

While the entire building was shrouded in an air of divinity, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel that there was something off with the place.

“Peculiar? Principal Zhang, it must be your imagination this time around…” Laughing heartily, Wu shi was just about to continue speaking when the ground abruptly jolted beneath them.

In an instant, the resplendent celestial palace seemed to have suddenly turned into a living hell. An air of desolation swiftly permeated the area.

Sou sou sou!

An overwhelming aura of maliciousness swept across their surroundings like a raging storm. Following which, surge after surge of sword qi burst forth, weaving a huge net that left them trapped like insects in a cage.

Wu shi’s eyes narrowed as he hurriedly bellowed, “Damn it, it’s a formation trap by the Otherworldly Demons!”

Only the Otherworldly Demons could possibly release such a sharp and cold aura of maliciousness!

Peng peng peng peng!

In the next moment, three Nascent Saint combat masters were sliced into pieces under a simultaneous burst of sword qi. Even Feng Xun’s shoulder was wounded by the sword qi, causing a stream of crimson blood to flow down his arm.

The formation had changed so swiftly that there were already casualties even before they could process what was going on. Swiftly recovering from his daze, Guild Leader Han quickly roared, with veins popping from his temples, “Defense!”

“Yes!”

In that instant, they all realized that they had fallen into a trap laid by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. They swiftly drew their weapons and drove their zhenqi.

Ding ding ding ding!

No matter what, their expedition team was still made up of elite master teachers and combat masters. Even though they had been caught off guard, the fighting prowess they wielded as a whole was still spectacular once they got back on track.

With their collective might, the sword qi aimed toward them was easily deflected away.

“To be able to come here so quickly, I must say that you are not too bad. However, I’m afraid that this place will be your burial ground…”

At this moment, a cold and eerie voice sounded in the air.

Following which, the horrified voice of the Violetleaf King sounded in Zhang Xuan’s ears.

“Scarletleaf King…”

Chapter 1057: Illusory-Slaughter Formation

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

“Strong!”

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

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

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

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

Boom!

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

“There’s no one there?”

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

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

Huala!

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

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

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

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

Hu!

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

“T-this… How can this be possible?”

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

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

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

“We must have stepped into some kind of powerful formation…” Wu shi remarked warily.

The crowd nodded.

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

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

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

“It won’t make any difference?”

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

“This…”

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

If they were truly in an Illusory Formation, wasn’t the image before them a little too realistic? They could be considered as elites amongst the master teachers and combat masters, and every single one of them possessed superior eyes of discernment. Yet, for all of them to be unable to discern that they had fallen into an illusion before… Just the thought of it left chills running down their spines.

Was this the strength that advanced formations wielded?

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

“This…” Zhang Xuan’s face turned grim as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hu!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hualala!

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

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

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

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

“Illusory-Slaughter Formation?”

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

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

“Yes!”

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

Hualala!

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

Ding ding ding ding!

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

“What an incredible sword formation!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in awe upon seeing the sight.

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

Huala!

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

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

“Don’t worry, it isn’t possible for such attacks to be launched endlessly…” Guild Leader Han said.

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

Hula!

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

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

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

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

Hu!

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

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

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

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

“This is… a demonic tune!”

The faces of the expedition team warped in horror.

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

“What do we do?”

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

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

“AHHHH… I CAN’T HOLD ON ANYMORE…”

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

“Hu Chen!”

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

Hulala!

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

Puhe! Puhe!

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

“Everyone, retreat!”

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

“Alright!”

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

Chapter 1058: You Are the Skyleaf King (1)

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

“Damn it, it’s a type of Beguilement Tune…” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dong dong dong!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ding ding ding ding!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Where do we go now?”

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

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

“Principal Zhang…”

The gazes of the crowd naturally gathered upon Zhang Xuan.

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

“I am not too sure either…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

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

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

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

“Alright.” The crowd nodded.

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

Hula!

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

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

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

Huala!

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

“What!”

Cold sweat gushed down the bodies of the crowd.

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

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

That was too fearsome!

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

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

Hu!

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

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

Jiya!

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

“Drat!”

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

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

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

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

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

“Everyone, this way!”

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

The crowd immediately followed him.

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd nodded in agreement.

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

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

“What do we do?” the crowd asked worriedly.

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

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

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

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

“Scarletleaf King?” the crowd asked with a frown.

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

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

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

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

“Not bad, it seems like you still have some self-awareness… Hehehe!”

Chapter 1059: You Are the Skyleaf King (2)

“Scarletleaf King?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Play a game?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

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

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

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

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

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

“You want us to kill our own comrades?” Zhang Xuan’s face turned livid.

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

How vicious!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The others instinctively turned toward Zhang Xuan for directions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those words swiftly won nods of approval from the crowd.

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

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

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

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

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

“What do we do then?”

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

Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly. “I have no idea…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ding!

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

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

They had to think of another plan.

“Don’t stop me! Let me die…” the combat master continued bellowing loudly.

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

“Since you aren’t going to allow us to end our lives, allow me to do the job then…”

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

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

Peng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But if we do so, we will be playing right into the Scarletleaf King’s hands…” Wu shi frowned.

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

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

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

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

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

Luo Ruoxin frowned. “Go ahead.”

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

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

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

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

“Now that he has pointed that out, it does indeed seem a little fishy…”

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

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

“Let’s see how she responds to that…”

Huala!

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1060: Jiang Yuan

“Skyleaf King? Shouldn’t the Skyleaf King be a male?”

“Indeed! From what I know, the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage are all men…”

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

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

“This…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Indeed, Principal Zhang. There’s something amiss about Luo shi…”

The others also chirped in anxiously.

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

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

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

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

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

“There’s something wrong with me? What could there possibly be wrong with me?” Jiang Yuan shook his head.

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

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

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

“Un.” The crowd nodded.

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

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

Zhang Xuan looked at the crowd and said, “Don’t you think that it’s bizarre?”

“This…” The crowd fell silent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This…” Everyone glanced at one another with bewildered expressions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This…”

The crowd was stunned by the questioning.

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

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

The crowd was rendered speechless.

That was indeed the case.

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

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

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

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

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

“Indeed! Could it be that you aren’t affected by the formation?”

Innumerable gazes immediately turned toward Jiang Yuan.

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

“You are right. Just the fact that you are unaffected by the formation isn’t enough evidence to suspect you…”

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

Chapter 1061: The Skyleaf King Appears

“This…”

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

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

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

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

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

“Then…” Jiang Yuan frowned doubtfully, unsure of what Zhang Xuan was getting at.

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

“I…” Jiang Yuan was stunned.

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

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

“What? You can’t even name your own subordinates?” Zhang Xuan mocked coldly.

“Combat Master Jiang, what’s wrong?” Feng Xun was taken aback.

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

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

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

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

Boom!

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

“He is at the Leaving Aperture realm…” Wu shi’s narrowed in astonishment.

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

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

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

Peng!

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

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

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

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

“Skyleaf King?”

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

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

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

Boom!

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

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

“Humph!”

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

Sou sou sou sou!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hong long long!

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

Hu!

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

“Hold it right there!”

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

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

Peng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peng!

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

“Principal Zhang!”

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

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

Peng peng peng peng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huala!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1062: Him!

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

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

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

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

“What’s happening?” Wu shi asked in bewilderment.

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

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

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

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

The others also turned perplexed gazes toward Guild Leader Han.

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sever his Primordial Spirit?”

Everyone was stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd was horrified.

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

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

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

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

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

“Alright!” Feng Xun nodded as he gazed as Jiang Yuan’s body reluctantly.

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

“Map?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Didn’t you snatch it from the Poison Hall?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Sure thing!” Feng Xun excitedly nodded before sending fist after fist into Jiang Yuan’s body once more.

Pilipala!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I see…”

The crowd turned toward Zhang Xuan with looks of admiration.

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

“What do we do now?” Wu shi asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boom!

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

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

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

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

“Him!”

Everyone pointed their finger toward Feng Xun.

“…” Feng Xun

Chapter 1063: Zhang Xuan’s Confession

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

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

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

“Principal Zhang, Wu shi, save me!”

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

“This formation sure is difficult to decipher!”

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

“Isn’t the weather great today?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Have the Scarletleaf King do it for us?”

The crowd was taken aback.

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

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

“Go.”

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

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

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

Weng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded in response to Guild Leader Han’s words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thank you.”

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

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

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

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

“Oh? You know of this formation?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

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

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

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

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

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

“This… You are saying that the formation also harnesses the laws of space as well?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will she really ignore me from now on?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very soon, everyone had gathered together discreetly.

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

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

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

“You…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1064: You Are a Good Man!

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

“I…” Not expecting Zhang Xuan to suddenly say such words, Luo Ruoxin’s body tensed up. “I-I need to consider…”

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

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

“I won’t. Once I let go, you will start avoiding me,” Zhang Xuan said determinedly.

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

“I won’t!” Zhang Xuan replied resolutely.

There was a brief moment of silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

That silly man!

Shaking her head, Luo Ruoxin said, “Let go.”

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

“You… How can you be so unreasonable?” Luo Ruoxin said in agitation.

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

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

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

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

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

Even death would not change his mind!

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

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

“Alright, I will tread down this long journey along with you…”

So what if the future is unknown?

So what if the road ahead is filled with thorns?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Un.” Luo Ruoxin nodded.

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

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

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

The duo quickly stepped into it.

Hu!

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

“We have managed to escape from the formation!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in agitation.

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

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

“Wait a moment, the celestial palace isn’t real?”

“That… You’re right! Why didn’t we notice it before?”

…

Shocked voices sounded from Wu shi and the others.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Alright then.”

“Be careful!” Luo Ruoxin said.

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

Geji! Geji!

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

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

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

Hu!

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

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

“Violetleaf King? Why are you here?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[1] This is similar to being friendzoned. This term originates from one of the common responses of how ladies tend to kindly reject the confession of men, and it goes something like this, “You are a good man, but we aren’t suited for one another/I already have someone that I like, etc.”