Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 1065

Chapter 1065: The Scarletleaf King Coughs Blood

“I see…” Hearing that explanation, Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

No wonder!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh?” The Scarletleaf King frowned in incomprehension.

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

“This…” The Scarletleaf King was taken aback.

He had never considered such a possibility.

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

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

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

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

“Hmm…” The Scarletleaf King mused over those words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Set up a formation? Alright.” The Scarletleaf King nodded.

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

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

“Alright,” the Scarletleaf King replied as he took the formation flags from Zhang Xuan’s hands.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why were they constructing a Slaughter Formation instead?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sou sou sou sou!

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

Hong long!

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

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

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

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

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

Peng!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Pu!”

The Scarletleaf King spurted blood.

Chapter 1066: Fusing the Maps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You…” The face of the Scarletleaf King paled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The Scarletleaf King?”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weng!

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

This… The map was actually divided into two?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracing the map, they soon saw the celestial palace.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Is that… carved using spirit stones?”

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

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

“Is there such a huge spirit stone in the world?”

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

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

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

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

A few hundred thousand? A few million?

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

“Qiu Wu Palace… Could the creator of this ancient domain be Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?”

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1067: The Depths of the Ancient Domain

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

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

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

“Kong shi’s follower?”

“Beyond Saint 9-dan?”

Those who were not aware of it previously were astonished.

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

“Me too…”

The other combat masters also nodded in agreement.

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

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

“Alright!”

Nodding, the crowd continued walking forward.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“There’s one over there as well!”

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

“There’s one here too…”

“This one over here is a Saint low-tier artifact…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Alright, let’s continue moving on…”

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

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

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

The square was filled with many depressions and debris. There were also dozens of corpses scattered around the area.

“There was an intense fight here.” The crowd narrowed their eyes in alarm.

Walking up to one of the corpses, Wo Tianqiong exclaimed in alarm, “This is… Vice Principal Mu Renxu of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Yinqiu’s close aide!”

Upon reaching Saint realm, one’s physical body would gain extraordinary resilience, so it would not decompose as easily. As such, even though it had been quite some time since Mu Renxu’s death, his body still looked no different from how it was when he was alive.

“Vice Principal Mu Renxu?” Zhang Xuan asked as he walked over.

He had read about the other party through the records stored in the academy.

On top of the principal, Zhang Yinqiu, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had four other vice principals. However, all of them had followed Zhang Yinqiu into the ancient domain and never returned. It was also for this reason that Lu Feng was able to serve as the stand-in principal for the past two years.

Mu Renxu was known to be the strongest among the four vice principals. Who would have thought that he would lose his life here?

After searching the area for a while and not finding Zhang Yinqiu’s body, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He had never met the old principal before, but there was a painting of the latter in the academy records, and none of the dozens of corpses fit the description.

“There are the corpses of 13 master teachers and 21 Otherworldly Demons here!” Wu shi said with a sigh after tallying the numbers.

All thirteen of them were 6-star master teachers, but they had ended up dying silently in the ancient domain. This was a huge loss to both the Master Teacher Academy and the Master Teacher Pavilion.

“The fight must have been intense,” Zhang Xuan remarked solemnly.

He could not help but recall the tombstone that Zhang Yinqiu had left for himself in the Mausoleum of Principals.

Those who came with him would have surely known the great dangers of venturing into the ancient domain as well, but they had still chosen to join the expedition anyway. Their selflessness was truly worthy of respect.

“Let’s take them back with us. They might have been unable to return to the Master Teacher Academy when they were still alive, but at the very least, they should be granted a peaceful rest within the academy after death.” Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan carefully placed the corpses of the master teachers within his storage ring.

After what they had done for mankind, their corpses could not be left exposed in the open. The least he could do for them was bring them back home and give them a proper burial.

After Zhang Xuan was done collecting the bodies of the fallen master teachers, Guild Leader Han looked around his surroundings and asked, “But why would they be fighting here? And where did the rest of them go?”

“I am not too sure, but my guess is that Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu must have found out that the Otherworldly Demons were planning to enter the ancient domain, so he swiftly gathered an expedition team and entered the ancient domain as well. Eventually, they ended up encountering one another here, and a bitter fight ensued,” Zhang Xuan said.

Based on the words left behind by Zhang Yinqiu in the Mausoleum of Principals, he had only chosen to enter the ancient domain because there were no alternatives before him.

From this, it could be deduced that the Otherworldly Demons must have learned of the ancient domain in advance, and Zhang Yinqiu was trying to stop them.

Of course, that was still only a deduction on Zhang Xuan’s part. They would have to hear the story from the person in question in order to confirm what had happened back then.

“Everyone, come here…”

At that moment, a master teacher suddenly shouted. Everyone quickly turned their gazes over, only to see the master teacher examining a massive boulder in the square with a perplexed look.

The master teacher was one of the elders from the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy. His combat ability was so-so within the expedition team, but he was an extremely meticulous person.

The crowd quickly walked over to the boulder, and after taking a closer look, frowns emerged on their faces as well.

There was a palm print on it. It was hard to tell whether it was left behind in the midst of the fight or by the creator of the ancient domain.

“That is the switch to trigger a mechanism in the area. I saw a similar one in the Unbounded World,” Zhang Xuan remarked.

Back when he was in the Unbounded World, he had seen something similar. Rather than a palm print, it was probably more exact to call it a groove. As long as one put their palm on it and infused zhenqi into the groove, it would trigger some kind of mechanism in the surroundings.

Most likely, it had been left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu.

“A switch?” Wu shi examined it carefully before nodding. “Stand back, I’ll give it a try…”

There was no saying what could happen once the switch was triggered, so it was best to take caution.

Everyone quickly stepped back as they prepared their defenses.

With a grim expression, Wu shi placed his palm onto the groove.

Weng!

A buzzing sound echoed, and the wall ahead of them abruptly burst open, revealing nine identical round doors, each around the height of a human. Within each round door was an aura vaguely resembling what they had felt before stepping into the Unbounded World—folded spaces.

Seeing that there was no danger, the crowd slowly walked up to the doors with bewildered expressions.

“There are so many choices?”

“Nine is the limit of a number. The nine doors probably represent the extremities,” Guild Leader Han explained.

The crowd nodded.

Nine, the limit of a number, as well as the number derived from the Six Yin-Yang Three-Three Derivation.

In this world, there were many things in nature that were nonet. For example, Fighter 9-dan, Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, Saint 9-dan.

Nine heavens, nine provinces, nine trials, nine realms, nine dragons, nine bestowments…

“Nine doors, that is probably just like the formation. There is life and death, panorama and fright. Which one should we choose?” a combat master asked.[1]

“This…” Having no answer to the question, Guild Leader Han subconsciously turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan.

[1] This originates from the Eight Gates of Qi Men Dun Jia, Chapter 529.

Chapter 1068: The Ancient Sage Appears

Every formation was bound to have at least eight doors: the Origin Gate, Hibernation Gate, Life Gate, Impair Gate, Panorama Gate, Death Gate, Closed Gate, and Fright Gate.

Depending on which gate one encountered, one would face a different fate. Perhaps it would be life, perhaps it would be death, perhaps it would be escape, perhaps it would be eternal incarceration.

One wrong move could mean the end.

It was due to this that few dared to move recklessly within a formation. Otherwise, one wrong step and they would face confinement or even death!

At this moment, there were nine doors before them. It wasn’t completely aligned with the Eight Gates, but it was sure to be bound by the same rules. Thus, they dared not enter any of them recklessly.

Noting Guild Leader Han’s actions, the others also turned their gazes toward the young man as well.

Seeing that all eyes were gathered on him, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

Those before him were all esteemed master teachers and formation masters, existences who were deeply feared and respected. Yet, all of a sudden, in this trip to the ancient domain, they seemed to have suddenly lost their backbones and ended up relying entirely on him.

Every time they were stuck in a dilemma, they would end up turning to him for instructions.

He wasn’t omniscient, alright? He didn’t have the answer to every single question in the world.

There were things that he was incapable of as well.

Seeing through Zhang Xuan’s thoughts, Guild Leader Han said with a smile, “Principal Zhang, in the journey, you have displayed an understanding of formations and an eye of discernment far superior to ours. We trust you, and we will enter any door that you point out!”

“Indeed, we trust you!”

“We don’t have much of an understanding of formations, so we are completely helpless before this. You are probably the only one who can lead us into the correct door!”

…

Everyone began speaking up.

Seeing their attitude, Zhang Xuan knew that he would be unable to turn the matter down, so he eventually relented with a nod. “I will give it a try!”

After saying those words, he activated his Eye of Insight and began observing the doors carefully.

From experience, he knew that the Library of Heaven’s Path would only reflect the composition and structure of the doors instead of informing him whether it was safe inside or not. In such situations, it would be better for him to rely on his Eye of Insight.

“Hmm?”

After taking a look around him, his gaze soon stopped before a door. He lowered his head to take a closer look at the ground before the door.

Perplexed, the crowd rushed over and saw a smear of blood on the ground. As too much time had passed, it had already dried up, so it was not overly conspicuous.

Wu shi frowned. “It seems someone left it behind intentionally.”

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

The bloodstain had not been left behind by blood dripping from someone’s wound. Instead, someone had intentionally left a mark here so as to serve as a hint to those coming afterward.

Frowning deeply, Zhang Xuan continued staring intently at the bloodstain.

As lines of insight swam within his eyes, a scene of when the bloodstain first appeared seemed to vaguely reconstruct before his eyes.

Zhang Xuan stood up and said, “This bloodstain was left by Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu. This is the door that he entered!”

“Let’s enter this door then!” Guild Leader Han said.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Their main goal at hand was to find Zhang Yinqiu and the remaining survivors. Since the latter had chosen to enter this door, it went without saying that this was the door they should head into as well.

Furthermore, one thing to note was that while they had encountered so many life-threatening dangers on their journey through the ancient domain, such that their expedition team could have been easily wiped out in any phase, the old principal’s team seemed to have breezed through the trials without facing much trouble despite the relatively lower average cultivation of his team. Most likely, he must have known about the secrets of the ancient domain beforehand. Thus, following in his footsteps should lead them to safety.

“Alright!”

Wu shi began leading the way forward, and the crowd followed closely behind him.

As soon as they stepped through the door, the scenery before them immediately changed. A small garden filled with a field of resplendent flowers appeared before their eyes. A slight fragrance drifted in the air.

Everyone was taken aback.

They had thought of many possibilities before stepping through the door. Perhaps they might meet grave danger. Perhaps they might find themselves forced to face some kind of incredibly difficult trial. But one thing they had not thought of was that they would end up walking into a seemingly ordinary flower garden.

“Look…”

A combat master pointed toward the center of the flower garden. A massive sculpture of an old man dressed in a master teacher robe towered there.

Forged out of some kind of unique material, the sculpture was extremely lifelike, giving one the feeling as if it would start moving at any moment.

“It’s Ancient Sage Qiu Wu…” Upon seeing the other party’s appearance, Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched.

It was the old man who had wanted to take him in as his student!

“Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?”

Upon seeing the sculpture, the eyes of Feng Xun and the others immediately lit up. They hurriedly rushed forward and kowtowed deeply to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in reverence.

This was the man whose seals had brought several dozen millenniums of peace to mankind. Most definitely, he was a man who was worth their respect.

Wu shi and the others also quickly bowed down as well.

Seeing how earnestly the others were paying respects to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel a little awkward.

It was not too long ago that he had offered to take the other party in as his student. If the group over here were to learn of this matter, would they pummel him to death?

Boom!

All of a sudden, the ground began shaking, and the sculpture wobbled along with it. A bright glint flashed in the eyes of sculpture.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was coming to life!

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi, Feng Xun, and the others were startled. They quickly lowered their bodies fearfully.

Zhang Xuan was initially taken aback by the situation as well, but after taking a closer look, he heaved a sigh of relief. It’s not Ancient Sage Qiu Wu coming back to life. There’s a will infused within the sculpture.

The current situation was similar to how Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul first appeared in the Unbounded World. There was the same authoritative aura and immense pressure that he felt from before. It was probably a phenomenon that would occur whenever the other party’s fragmented soul awakened.

That was to be expected. After all, how could a man who had already died several dozen millenniums ago possibly come back to life?

Most likely, the kneeling crowd must have triggered some kind of mechanism which awoke the will within the sculpture.

Since there was a will hidden within the sculpture, it meant that they had chosen the right door to enter.

Hu!

The sculpture opened its eyes and gazed down upon the kneeling crowd before him, and with an impassive voice, he said, “I am Qiu Wu. You should have already learned that by now.”

Just like before, his voice had an ancient quality to it, reminiscent of one who had lived through history.

“Paying respects to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!” Hearing the other party acknowledging his identity, the crowd could not help but tremble in excitement.

That was a figure who had stood as an equal with Kong shi back in that legendary era. He was an ancient sage, one of the most renowned master teachers in the world. Countless viewed him as their idol and role model!

Seeing the respectful attitude of the crowd, the sculpture nodded slightly before continuing. “The fact that you were able to come to this point shows that your mental resilience and judgement are top-notch. I will just skip with all of the pleasantries and conduct a trial to assess your wisdom. I will accept those who are able to clear the trial as my students, and they will be entitled to my heritage. As for those who are unable to clear the trial, I can only have you remain here so as to prevent word from leaking. Is there anyone who wishes to give it a try?”

This Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was the exact same as the one whom Zhang Xuan had encountered in the Unbounded World. Without the slightest dawdling, he revealed his intentions and got straight to the matter at hand.

“A trial to assess our wisdom?”

“Entitled to… elder’s heritage?”

Everyone’s breathing quickened.

Putting aside how Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s cultivation had already achieved a level beyond Saint 9-dan, just his grasp over space itself was something that most 9-star master teachers couldn’t even come close to matching.

If they could receive his heritage, they would surely rise through the ranks, and it would only be a matter of time before they scaled to the peak of the continent.

“Indeed. Talent and mental fortitude allow a cultivator to emulate the successes of the predecessors and achieve the same level of strength as them. However, it is only wisdom that allows one to create that which is unique to them and create their own schools of cultivation. Perhaps… they might even be able to surpass the countless geniuses that came before them. Accept the trial, and you will be granted a chance to join my lineage. Otherwise, turn around and leave my Qiu Wu Palace!” the sculpture said.

“This…”

The crowd did not rush into making a decision. Instead, they looked at one another with grim looks on their faces.

Of course, it would be for the best if they could obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage. However… considering the difficulty of the trials they had been through thus far, the final trial was bound to be something nigh impossible for them to clear.

If they were to fail the trial, they would be trapped in the Qiu Wu Palace, unable to leave.

Succeed, and they would attain power and glory. Fail, and they would be damned.

“Zhang Yinqiu and the others must have decided to take the trial. That should be why they ended up being trapped within Qiu Wu Palace,” Wu shi remarked.

That would explain why the old principal had disappeared for two years.

As one who had managed to become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, it went without saying that Zhang Yinqiu was a man who possessed great wisdom. On top of that, he also had quite a few vice principals and elders by his side. Every single one of them was an outstanding talent in their own right, but despite two years passing, they were still trapped within Qiu Wu Palace. This was a clear indication of how difficult the trial was.

“But even with the risk of being trapped within the Qiu Wu Palace, I still must undergo the trial. This kind of opportunity is too valuable for me to pass!” Feng Xun said with determination.

“Indeed. For an opportunity to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage, I am willing to brave through even death itself!” Jiang Yuan and the others nodded in agreement.

Combat masters were trained to charge through all adversity with a relentless and fearless attitude. The heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was a treasure that countless master teachers dreamt of laying their hands on. If they failed the trial, they only had their own weakness to blame.

“I will participate in the trial!”

“Me too!”

…

Wu shi, Mu shi, Wo Tianqiong, and the others nodded affirmatively as well.

As master teachers, how could they give up on an opportunity to obtain the heritage of the venerated Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?

It was not just about the cultivation technique, but their pride and honor as well.

“Wait a moment, something is not right here. I can understand why the old principal would have been trapped within Qiu Wu Palace for failing the trial, but why would the Skyleaf King be trapped within too? Are Otherworldly Demons allowed to undertake the trial as well?”

While the others were making their decisions, at the very back of the crowd, Zhang Xuan abruptly spoke up with a deep frown.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage was greatly tempting to him, but it wouldn’t really be a huge loss even if he didn’t obtain it.

For one, he had seen the other party’s Unbounded Voyager, and while it was indeed strong, it had plenty of flaws as well. To risk his future over a flawed secret art… it just was not worth it!

After all, the most urgent thing for him at the moment was to become a 9-star master teacher before thirty. Otherwise, the only thing that would be awaiting him was death!

As such, he did not spare much thought to whether he should undertake the trial or not. Instead, he found himself wondering a very different issue instead—if Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu was truly trapped within the Qiu Wu Palace, why would the Skyleaf King be trapped as well?

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had constructed many seals in his lifetime to seal the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe out of the Master Teacher Continent, and eventually, he had even lost his life in the midst of battling them. Through this, one could easily sense the hostility that he harbored toward the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. With his sculpture and fragmented soul standing guard here, how could the Otherworldly Demons possibly be given a chance to undertake the trial and claim his heritage for themselves?

“Could it be that… this fellow is a fake?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

There was a total of nine doors outside, and each of them probably led to a different outcome. For this fellow to suddenly appear and claim that he would be passing down his heritage to them… Wasn’t it a little too easy and convenient?

Zhang Xuan could not help but be deeply skeptical of the situation before him.

The sculpture spoke once more. “Most of you should have made up your minds by now. Make your decisions!”

“Yes!” Wu shi and the others stood up, and with unwavering resolution in their eyes, they began marching forward.

Of the twenty-two of them remaining, other than Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin, the rest had actually decided to take the trial!

“Wait a moment!” Seeing that they were going to enter, Zhang Xuan bellowed loudly to stop them.

“What’s wrong?” Surprised by Zhang Xuan’s sudden outburst, Wu shi and the others hurriedly placed a finger to their lips to gesture for him to quieten down.

It was extremely disrespectful to be shouting so loudly before an elder as venerated as Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

“It’s nothing much. I am just deeply perplexed…”

Frowning, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger at the sculpture.

Chapter 1069: Would You Believe Me?

Hu la!

A powerful surge of sword qi burst toward the sculpture with astounding sharpness, severing the air in two. Even Spirit pinnacle artifacts would have been destroyed in the face of that sword qi.

Upon seeing this sight, the bodies of Wu shi and the others jolted, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

That is Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s sculpture, and there is even his consciousness within it.

To make a move against him without any warning beforehand, are you insane?

Alarmed, Wu shi hurriedly rushed forward, and with a slight wave of his hand, he easily dispelled the sword qi. After which, he turned to Zhang Xuan and asked with a deep frown, “Principal Zhang, what are you trying to do?”

“Nothing much. I just think that there is something wrong with this fellow, and I want to test him!” Zhang Xuan replied with a frown.

He did not think that Wu shi would rush back so anxiously to deflect his sword qi.

“Test him?”

Hearing those words, the crowd nearly fell to the ground in fear.

Who was the man standing before them?

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

A legendary expert who stood as Kong shi’s equal, and Zhang Xuan actually wanted to test him?

“Principal Zhang, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu is a respected elder of our Master Teacher Pavilion. It is a deeply insolent act to raise one’s hand against him!” Guild Leader Han anxiously sent a telepathic message to Zhang Xuan.

The hierarchy of seniority was an order that the Master Teacher Continent operated by. Students were not to raise their hands against their own teachers, let alone a venerated elder like Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!

Even if Zhang Xuan wanted to go on an insane streak, he should first have looked at the occasion. If it were made known that he had attacked Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, he could very well become an enemy of all master teachers on the continent!

“This…”

Seeing the anxious looks around him, seemingly tempted to bind him to prevent him from recklessly attempting any more foolishness, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He knew that Wu shi was right. His actions were indeed lacking consideration. No matter what, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was one of the strongest master teachers in history, a figure who had once fought alongside Kong shi.

Even if the other party was a fake, it would still be very reckless of him to make a move against the other party.

However, if he could not force the other party into executing a battle technique, he would be unable to use the Library of Heaven’s Path to compile a book on the other party and confirm his identity.

Just as Zhang Xuan was conflicted over what his next course of action should be, the sculpture suddenly turned toward him and frowned.

As Zhang Xuan had been standing at the very back all along, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had not noticed him. However, now that he had a clear glimpse of the other party’s appearance, his eyelids immediately began twitching as he let loose an unintentional exclamation. “It’s you?”

“You recognize me?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback as well.

The sculpture harrumphed coldly. “A person who listed the flaws in my Unbounded Voyager and spoke such words to me, how could I not recognize you?”

“You possess the memory of what happened in the Unbounded World?” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

Doomed… He really made a mistake this time around.

Since the other party was aware of what had happened in the Unbounded World, it could only mean that the fragmented soul before him belonged to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as well.

Otherwise, he could not possibly have known about the Unbounded Voyager.

Did he really guess wrongly?

“I am able to access the memories of my fragmented soul in the Unbounded World. He could have survived for at least two more days, but with mere words, you actually managed to discompose his psyche, causing him to dissipate on the spot. Are those in the current generation really that formidable?” the sculpture replied.

The fragmented soul deposited in the Unbounded World only served one aim—to find a fitting successor, take them in as his student, and impart the Unbounded Voyager to them. Eventually, the fragmented soul did manage to find a fitting successor, but not only was the other party unwilling to become his student, the other party even scorned the Unbounded Voyager for having too many flaws.

What was even worse was that the other party even attempted to take him in as his student. Having suffered this series of blows, it was no wonder his fragmented soul dissipated!

“Discompose his psyche?”

“Principal Zhang… has met Ancient Sage Qiu Wu before?”

Hearing the conversation between the two of them, the crowd glanced at one another with confusion in their eyes.

Just what in the world did Principal Zhang say that discomposed the psyche of even the great ancient sage from the same era as Kong shi, causing his fragmented soul to dissipate on the spot?

“Those words slipped out of my lips unintentionally. Allow me to earnestly apologize to elder right here.” With a reddened face, Zhang Xuan hurriedly clasped his fist.

He had only said those words to change the topic back then. He had not really thought that it would end up like that.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, what you said is true. The Unbounded Voyager is an advanced movement technique, but it isn’t perfect. Back then, Kong shi also said the exact same words to me,” the sculpture replied without the slightest hint of anger.

Even though the cultivation of the young man before him was not too high, his eye of discernment was truly extraordinary. Despite having lived so many years, the young man was the second person who had managed to point out all of the flaws in his Unbounded Voyager in a single breath.

“The duration that I can remain conscious for is limited. If you wish to obtain my heritage, move on. You might command a deep understanding of movement techniques, but I have created my own unique school in the field of spatial manipulation. It won’t be easy for you to comprehend it,” the sculpture remarked confidently.

In the field of spatial manipulation, not even Kong shi was close to a match for him. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the number one expert in the field back in his era.

Thus, he had absolute confidence that he would not be bested in this field.

The fact that the young man before him was able to see through the flaws in the Unbounded Voyager in a single glance showed that he possessed a deep aptitude in battle techniques. However, it would not be easy for him to achieve the same success in the field of spatial manipulation.

There was no such thing as a perfect human being who was knowledgeable about everything.

After all, there was only one Kong shi.

“Understood. Elder, I have a doubt in my mind, and I hope that you will be able to enlighten me,” Zhang Xuan said with a nod.

“Speak!”

Thinking that it would be improper for him to ask Ancient Sage Qiu Wu directly whether he had allowed an Otherworldly Demon to take the trial—after all, that would be equivalent to questioning the latter’s loyalty—Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking.

“A senior of mine entered the ancient domain around two years ago, and there should be a powerful Otherworldly Demon pursuing them from behind. Based on what we know thus far, it seems like they are trapped in Qiu Wu Palace, unable to escape. May I ask if they managed to clear your trial?”

“There was indeed a group who arrived at my Qiu Wu Palace two years ago, and there were some Otherworldly Demons among them as well. However, they didn’t choose this door,” the sculpture replied.

“They didn’t choose this door?” Zhang Xuan had not expected to hear this response.

That did not make sense. Since the old principal had marked this door, this should have been the door he entered as well. Why would he not have entered this door?

“Indeed. They took a detour around the nine doors and advanced straight ahead, so they are currently trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall,” the sculpture replied.

“Saint Ascension Hall?” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin glanced at one another, and they could see the bewilderment in each other’s eyes.

In the first place, the ancient domain was not located too far away from the Saint Ascension Platform, and for there to be a Saint Ascension Hall within here as well… Could there really be a connection?

“Un.” The sculpture nodded. “That is a gift that Kong shi left for the later generations. Of course, if you wish to head there, you have to clear my trial first. Otherwise, if you head straight there like they did, you will only be trapped like the rest of them, unable to leave for all eternity!”

“This…” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

If the old principal had headed straight to the Saint Ascension Hall, why did he leave a mark before this door?

The more he contemplated over the matter, the more perplexed he felt

The sculpture looked at Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin and said, “Now that I have answered your question, it’s time for you to make your decision, too. My trial won’t be easy, but the rest of them still decided to challenge it. What about you two?”

They were the only ones who had not expressed their decision yet.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said, “I… wish to undertake the trial!”

Since he had already confirmed that Zhang Yinqiu and the others were currently in the Saint Ascension Hall, he would have to clear the trial in order to get to them. Otherwise, if they were to head there through the same route that Zhang Yinqiu and the others took previously, they would only end up being trapped in there as well.

Besides, it would be a delight to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage.

Take the Unbounded Voyager for example, while it had plenty of flaws at the moment, once he found sufficient high-tier movement techniques to compile together with it and perfect it, the prowess it harnessed would be frightening. Once that happened, Zhang Xuan’s fighting prowess would be raised by leaps and bounds in a single breath. Just by mastering the Unbounded Voyager 1-dan, he would be able to easily escape even from the real Skyleaf King.

He would not be as powerless as he was before.

Luo Ruoxin shook her head. “I won’t be entering.”

“You aren’t going to enter?” Zhang Xuan was startled. He did not think that Luo Ruoxin would make such a decision.

“Un. I have my own heritage. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage is great, but it’s not compatible with me. Instead of wasting my effort inside, I think I will just wait outside for all of you,” Luo Ruoxin explained with a smile.

“I see… Alright then.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Luo Ruoxin was right. Those who possessed unique constitutions or bloodlines could often only practice specific types of cultivation techniques and battle techniques. Take Zhao Ya for example, before meeting Zhang Xuan, she had practiced the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill, which was deeply incompatible with her Pure Yin Body. As a result, not only did her cultivation stagnate, it had even resulted in great suffering for her.

“Don’t worry about me, you should go ahead with the trial. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage is very valuable. It will definitely be beneficial to you if you can learn it!” Luo Ruoxin said.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded. “I’ll go in and take a look. Don’t worry, I’ll surely clear the trial!”

He had no idea what the trial would be on, but he had absolute confidence that he would be able to clear it.

Hearing those words, Luo Ruoxin nodded with a smile. “Good luck.”

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan began walking toward the door behind the sculpture along with Wu shi and the others.

Hu!

In just a few moments, they disappeared from sight.

…

A moment later, Zhang Xuan and the others found themselves standing within a courtyard, and a row of stone tablets stood before them.

There were around twenty of them in total, and they formed a circle around the crowd. Each of them was densely inscribed with all kinds of characters.

Knowing that they were already within the trial, Wu shi, Feng Xun, and the others dared not dawdle. They quickly rushed forward to examine the stone tablets.

A quick sweep of the tablets left each of them with bizarre expressions on their faces. It was not that they were unable to learn whatever was on top of the stone tablets, but that… they could not even understand it.

The inscriptions on the stone tablets consisted of words from many different languages. There was the language that they used, the Ancient Beast Language, and even the words of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Dozens of languages were inscribed side by side one after another on the stone tablets, making it nigh impossible for one to decipher it.

“Near, qing, hua, sheng, break, ming, xiao… This… How are we supposed to comprehend this?”

Wu shi happened to know quite a few languages and could read some of the inscriptions, but the words did not string together to construct a proper sentence, and this left him completely bewildered. He had no idea how he was supposed to interpret the inscriptions.

Perplexed, he turned his gaze toward the others, only to see Feng Xun, Wo Tianqiong, and the others with equally confused expressions on their faces.

He shot a glance at Zhang Xuan and saw that the latter had a baffled look as well.

They thought that the trial to assess their wisdom would require them to learn a particularly profound cultivation technique, as such events trials usually went, but… they could not even read the stone tablets! How were they supposed to clear the trial?

They had already guessed that a trial from Ancient Sage Qiu Wu would be anything but easy, but who knew that it would be so bewildering?

Wu shi continued examining the stone tablets before him, but nothing came to him. Unable to stand it anymore, he headed over to Zhang Xuan and asked, “Principal Zhang, have you discovered anything yet?”

If any of them was capable of comprehending the secrets behind the stone tablet, it could only be the young man before him.

“Not yet…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

To be honest, he was also at a complete loss as well.

Recalling the conversation between Ancient Sage Qiu Wu and Zhang Xuan earlier, Wu shi couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t Ancient Sage Qiu Wu praise you earlier for your deep understanding of battle techniques? Since you were able to comprehend his other battle technique, this shouldn’t be too much trouble for you, right?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly. “I only happened to successfully decipher his movement technique, but this… I really have no idea what’s going on.”

At this point, Feng Xun walked up to them and said, “It’s already a formidable feat for you to have been able to decipher his movement technique, so you don’t have to feel dismayed. Right, Principal Zhang, what did you speak to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu about for him to remember you so clearly?”

Hearing that question, everyone quickly turned their gazes over as well.

In truth, this was also a matter that they had been very curious about.

Words that could make a fragmented soul of an ancient sage who had lived for several dozen millenniums lose his composure and dissipate… Just what could they be?

Seeing that everyone was looking at him with eyes gleaming with curiosity, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “If I were to say that I tried to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as my student… would any of you believe me?”

Chapter 1070: Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm

“Accept Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as your disciple?”

The lips of Wu shi and the others twitched for a moment first before they quickly shook their heads.

They didn’t think that Zhang Xuan was being serious. They felt that it was inconceivable that anyone would dare speak words like that.

After all, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was an expert that stood beside Kong shi in that chaotic era. Even the current head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a true 9-star master teacher, would have to respectfully address him as ‘elder’, not daring to show the slightest discourtesy towards him.

Yet, Zhang Xuan actually said that he attempted to accept the other party as his student?

If he were to really dare to utter such words, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu would probably have him killed in a single slap.

Through everyone’s expression, Zhang Xuan could tell that they didn’t believe him. He knew that this would happen.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t be bothered to explain either. It was his intention to keep a low profile anyway, so this was for the best.

“Let’s continue examining the stone tablets. Since this is part of a trial, there’s bound to be a solution to it.” Not wanting to dwell on that topic, Zhang Xuan waved his hand as he turned his attention back to the stone tablets before him.

Through his Eye of Insight, he could tell that there was nothing special about the material of the stone tablets before him. They were just ordinary boulders, and the only exceptional quality about them was just their durability.

In other words, the crux to the stone tablet had to be the inscriptions on it.

Just that… there were simply too many languages on the stone tablets! Furthermore, even if they managed to translate it, they didn’t form proper sentences, making it impossible to figure out what they meant.

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone tablet.

Hu!

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

Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped it open.

“Ashened Stone Tablet, inscribed by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. It contains the complete formula to cultivating the [Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm]. There are 27 flaws regarding the inscribed battle technique: No.1, the effectiveness of the battle technique is highly dependent on the state of mind the cultivator is in. As such, the cultivator will have to ready his emotional state before the battle, or else he will be unable to display the full prowess of the technique. This makes it highly ineffective in abrupt situations. No.2, it has a high requirement of one’s zhenqi…”

Detailed on the book were the many flaws of the battle technique.

“As expected, it is a battle technique!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.

It seemed like Ancient Sage Qiu Wu wasn’t lying to them. The stone tablets were indeed a kind of trial.

Soon, after he was done reading the book, Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

He did get the name of the battle technique, and he had a thorough understanding of its flaws as well, but… he still couldn’t understand the battle technique manual!

Knowing the flaws but not the technique itself was like having a remedy in hand but not knowing what illness it applied to… It did nothing to help the situation that they were in!

He had to think of a way to understand the words on the stone tablet so that he could obtain the battle technique.

Thus, retracting his consciousness from the Library of Heaven’s Path, he continued examining the stone tablets before him intently.

The same seemingly meaningless combination of characters came into sight, leaving his eyes hurting a little. Those words just simply didn’t form something coherent together!

“Wait… Even though I am unable to understand the words on the stone tablet, perhaps I might be able to translate it through compiling it together with other books…” Suddenly, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as a thought came into his mind.

If he were to go about it the normal way, it was likely that he would first have to translate the many different languages on the stone tablets into a single language first. However, just that step in itself would likely take up a significant period of time.

Furthermore, given that it was a trial of wisdom, it definitely wouldn’t be as simple as simply translating the words. There were bound to be many stumbling blocks waiting ahead of him.

Instead of going through the trouble, wouldn’t it be much simpler if he could just compile the other palm art manuals with it?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan turned to the crowd and asked, “Do you have any palm art manuals in your possession? Can you allow me to take a look at them?”

“Palm art manuals?”

The crowd was perplexed by Zhang Xuan’s sudden request, unsure of what he was up to.

The urgent matter at hand was to figure out what the trial was through deciphering the stone tablets which Ancient Sage Qiu Wu left behind. Why was the other party asking for palm art manuals all of the sudden?

“I have quite a few here with me. I copied them from the Palm Hall of our Combat Master Hall branch just a while ago!” Jiang Yuan said as he flicked his wrist, and a stack of over several hundred books appeared before his eyes.

While the was perplexed by what Zhang Xuan was up to, he knew that the latter wasn’t one to make a request for no reason.

As the warriors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, combat masters devoted much of their time to studying all kinds of battle techniques. As such, every single one of them had a huge collection of battle techniques in their storage rings.

“I have some over here too!” Feng Xun flicked his wrist and took out a bunch too.

Before long, the combat masters had already whipped out more than three thousand palm art manuals.

“I don’t have as many palm art manuals as they do, but mine are of relatively higher tier…”

With a smile, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han took out roughly a dozen books combined.

Most of the palm arts detailed in the dozen books had already reached Saint low-tier, making them exceptionally valuable. Nevertheless, since Zhang Xuan said that he needed it, they took it out without any hesitation.

“Thank you…” Zhang Xuan nodded as he quickly collected those books into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

“Compile!” Zhang Xuan muttered softly.

Hu!

Countless books flew together and merged together with the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm’s manual.

Huala!

A brand new book appeared before Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

He reached forward to grab it before swiftly flipping it open.

“As expected, quite a few flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm have been resolved…” Sweeping through the contents, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Just like what he had guessed earlier, the compilation of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual with the other several ten thousand palm art manuals he had in the Library of Heaven’s Path had the number of flaws successfully reduced from the initial 27 to just 9.

Considering that the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was an extremely advanced palm art, it was inevitable that the books he had collected thus far wouldn’t be sufficient to perfect it. In truth, it was already a huge blessing that they were able to resolve 18 of the flaws.

“Let me see if I can cultivate it…”

Zhang Xuan took a quick look through the newly compiled manual, and eventually, he shook his head in disappointment.

Even though it was very close to being a Heaven’s Path battle technique with only nine flaws remaining, some parts of it were still gibberish.

To be more exact, the portions which had been corrected by the compilation of the other books were readable, there was no problem interpreting them, but the flawed portions still remained the jumbled mess of languages they were.

“Let me compare the readable portions with the stone tablet and see if I can decipher it…”

Memorizing the parts which had been translated perfectly, Zhang Xuan began examining the corresponding portions of the text on the stone tablets, only to realize that he was as confused as before. It was as if the two were completely unrelated to one another!

Somehow, he felt like a student who had the model answer in hand but was still unable to comprehend the question.

After studying the stone tablets for a while longer, Zhang Xuan mumbled with a conflicted expression, “These words don’t seem to have anything to do with battle techniques…”

All along, he had been able to find the flaws of any battle technique easily through the Library of Heaven’s Path and shock others. Yet, despite having the model answer in hand, he still couldn’t understand what was on the stone tablet at all… it was extremely frustrating.

“It has already been four hours now… Should I just use the eighteen resolved flaws to see if I can clear the trial with just that?” Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella as he thought.

Typically speaking, the requirement for clearing the trial was for him to learn the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, but there was nothing he could do if the stone tablets made perfectly no sense to him… Perhaps, if he were to submit the eighteen resolved flaws, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu might not think too much into the matter and clear him for the trial?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan stood up to call for Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, but in that moment, he caught sight of a certain inscription by the corner of a stone tablet in his peripheral vision.

These inscriptions were made up of the language of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. They made no sense when read as a whole, but in the moment which Zhang Xuan stood up, the inscriptions seemed to have danced slightly.

It was a similar feeling to what he felt from the inscriptions carved by the Greenleaf King’s subordinates back in the Subterranean Gallery.

“Could it be that… we aren’t supposed to regard these inscriptions as words but figures instead?”

Suddenly, such a thought came into Zhang Xuan’s mind.

If the inscriptions were truly just words, he should have been able to decipher them by matching the translated content in his Library of Heaven’s Path with the stone tablets, but that didn’t work out. However, if they were figures, it would all make sense!

With a sharp glint in his eyes, Zhang Xuan began examining the stone tablets before him closely once more.

This time, with his focus on the form of each inscribed word, they suddenly seemed to float out of the stone tablet before his eyes and string together as one.

Taking a closer look, he realized in astonishment that it was drawing out a zhenqi circulation pathway.

“Let me try cultivating it…”

After gaining a thorough understanding of the various zhenqi circulation pathways of the battle technique, Zhang Xuan began driving his zhenqi through his body in the same manner reflected on the stone tablets.

Geji! Geji!

With the overwhelming might of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the acupoints along the zhenqi circulation pathway were opened instantaneously. Whenever Zhang Xuan encountered flawed sections of the technique, he would utilize the correct version which he had compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path previously instead.

Cracking sounds echoed relentlessly from Zhang Xuan’s body.

“So this is how the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm should be cultivated…”

Soon, after driving his zhenqi a circulation through his body, he had finally managed to master the palm art.

As there were too many flaws in the palm art, Zhang Xuan ended up being unable to compile it into a Heaven’s Path battle technique, leaving it only at Saint intermediate-tier.

Nevertheless, it was still an advanced battle technique that was far beyond the means of ordinary Nascent Saints to cultivate. In fact, it would be difficult for even Saint 4-dan experts to grasp the technique.

However, Zhang Xuan was an exception as he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher previously. The zhenqi which he harnessed within his body was boundless like the vast ocean, granting his sufficient energy to execute the technique. At the same time, the exceptionally pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi was able to reach and open up even the smallest meridians within his body. As such, he actually succeeded in cultivating the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm to Minor Accomplishment!

The cultivation of battle techniques could be divided into Novice, Initiate, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Consummation.

“With so many flaws remaining in the palm art, it’ll suffice for me to cultivate it to Minor Accomplishment. I should find an opportunity to head to the Palm Hall of the Combat Master Hall to find more books to perfect the technique into a Heaven’s Path Palm Art before cultivating it further…”

Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan stood up.

There were simply far too many flaws in the palm art. It was fortunate that the flaws had only weakened the might of the palm art and increased the depletion of zhenqi required in its execution instead of inflicting permanent harm on his body like the Unbounded Voyager. Otherwise, he would have never cultivated it.

“It’s really too crude…” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

This must have been the most flawed battle technique that he had practiced ever since he started cultivating. He couldn’t help but shake his head at this great embarrassment.

“Principal Zhang, how is it?”

Noting that Zhang Xuan seemed to have dawned on something, Wu shi and the others hurriedly turned their gazes towards him.

After studying the stone tablets for some time, they had succeeded in translating quite a few portions of the stone tablets and gathered some insights of their own. However, the stone tablets still remained as much of an enigma to them as before.

“The battle technique contained within the stone tablet is a palm art. I have managed to decipher it, and I have practiced it for a little too…” Zhang Xuan replied with a nod.

“A palm art?”

“You practiced it for a little?”

Everyone was stunned.

While all they could see were a bunch of jumbled up words, the young man before them had already managed to decipher the text and even begun practicing it it… Wasn’t his wisdom a little too earth-shattering!

“A palm art? You have managed to decipher and grasp it?”

Hong long!

Zhang Xuan was just about to speak when the ground suddenly rumbled deafeningly. Taking a look, he saw that Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s sculpture had leaped into the courtyard and was currently staring at him with a perplexed look in his eyes.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu knew how difficult the trial he had left behind was. Even the most talented of his students required at least several months in order to decipher the secret behind the stone tablets. Yet, the young man actually managed to grasp the palm art he had left behind in less than six hours?

Was it really possible for a human to have such high wisdom?

Chapter 1071: Crossing Palms

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded. “If I am not mistaken, the name of your palm art is Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm!”

The sculpture widened his eyes in astonishment. “You… know the name of the palm art?”

He had only recorded the zhenqi circulation pathway of the palm art in the form of figures on the stone tablets; nowhere on the stone tablets was the name of the palm art stated. Just where in the world did that fellow learn of the name?

“This…” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before his eyebrows shot up.

It suddenly dawned on him as well that the name of the palm art was not stated anywhere on the stone tablets. Even though he had practiced the battle technique, he would only know that it was a palm art and not what palm art it was.

“Elder, I happen to have read some of your records and learned that you have a powerful palm art named Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, which has been lost with time. While practicing the palm art recorded on the stone tablets, I realized that it is very similar to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, so I deduced that this palm art might be it,” Zhang Xuan replied.

One thing was for sure, he could not reveal the details concerning the Library of Heaven’s Path. Whether the other party believed him or not, that was not his concern anyway.

The sculpture was stunned. “You have read some of my records?”

You did not seem to have read my records when I tried to take you in as my student back in the Unbounded World though…

Nevertheless, he knew that there was no point pursuing this matter. Thus, the sculpture turned to Zhang Xuan once more and asked, “You said that you not only deciphered the palm art, you have even grasped it as well, correct?”

“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

The sculpture shook his head. “You would have cleared the trial just by deciphering the palm art. But to practice it as well… Reckless, you are really too reckless!”

He was the one who had created the palm art, so he knew full well how difficult it was to practice the technique.

Even the strongest among their expedition group, the Saint 4-dan pinnacle master teacher, would not have sufficient zhenqi to practice the technique. For a Nascent Saint to try it out… wasn’t he just asking for trouble?

“This fist art has reached Saint intermediate-tier, and it would be difficult for even Saint 5-dan experts to master the technique. Those whose cultivation don’t meet the mark will only injure themselves by practicing it. Back when I first created the technique, it took an entire year and three months just to achieve Novice mastery, three years to reach Initiate, and Minor Accomplishment… nearly eight years! Of my disciples, even the most talented of them took forty years in order to reach Minor Accomplishment!” the sculpture said as he reminisced about the past.

It had not been easy even for him, the creator of the fist art, to master it. Just reaching Minor Accomplishment had taken him twelve whole years.

His students had fared much worse than him, such that they were not even worth mentioning.

Just from that alone, it could be seen how difficult it was to learn the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm.

“You must have given up after realizing that it will be extremely difficult for you to grasp the technique with your current cultivation, right? That’s the right way to go. Without my guidance, there is a good chance that you might end up cultivating it incorrectly, and that could lead to disastrous consequences…”

Before he could finish his words, the young man before him scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “While practicing the technique earlier… I think that I accidentally reached Minor Accomplishment.”

“You accidentally reached Minor Accomplishment?” The sculpture shook wildly, and it nearly burst apart on the spot.

It was just a moment ago that he said that he, despite being the creator of the palm art, took twelve years to reach Minor Accomplishment. How long had it been since the young man before him started practicing it?

Even assuming that the other party had deciphered the stone tablets as soon as he arrived, he would still only have had around six hours to practice the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art…

And yet, Minor Accomplishment?

Was he for real?

“Indeed. To be honest with you, your Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is indeed very strong, but it’s a pity that it simply has too many flaws.” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply. “It’s really distressing for me to practice a technique like this.”

“You!” As soon as the sculpture heard those words, he nearly fainted from rage.

Back in the Unbounded World, that fellow directed those words to another one of his soul fragments, and eventually, that fragmented soul ended up losing its composure and dissipated. And now… he was off again!

Just what did I do to offend you?

If it’s so distressing for you to practice my technique, why the heck did you cultivate it to Minor Accomplishment?

“You said that you cultivated it to Minor Accomplishment?” Frowning, the sculpture glanced at Zhang Xuan and said, “It is possible for me to gauge if you have learned my palm art correctly and how deep your mastery of it is through the might you exert with it. How about this? I’ll suppress my cultivation to Nascent Saint and execute my Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm at Minor Accomplishment mastery, and as long as you can withstand my attack, I will acknowledge that you have indeed grasped the essence of my palm art!”

There was probably no one who could remain calm after having his capabilities doubted by a mere Nascent Saint cultivator multiple times.

It was not the first time that the young man before him had said such words.

Thus, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu decided to teach the other party a lesson so as to make him learn that there was a greater world beyond the world he saw. Otherwise, with such a complacent attitude, the other party would not go far in life, and that would truly be a huge loss to mankind.

“This…” Hearing that the other party intended to cross palms with him, Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment. “You are able to execute battle techniques despite being a sculpture?”

“Of course! I might only be a sculpture at the moment, but through my fragmented soul, I am still able to easily utilize strength comparable to a Nascent Saint!” the sculpture replied before raising his palm.

An indomitable aura immediately permeated the area, exerting an incredible pressure on all lifeforms standing in the vicinity.

“Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was already a renowned top-notch expert in the Master Teacher Continent before he joined Kong shi’s ranks. He was known to be a peerless existence even among those who had reached the same height in their cultivation as him. Even if Ancient Sage Qiu Wu suppresses his cultivation to Nascent Saint, there’s no way Principal Zhang will be able to take his palm!”

“That’s a definite. After all, the palm art was created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, and he has practiced it for innumerable years. On the other hand, Principal Zhang has barely had six hours to grasp the technique. Within such a short period of time, no matter how talented he may be, how much could he possibly have comprehended?”

“Indeed, there is simply too huge a difference between the both of them; Principal Zhang doesn’t stand a chance.”

…

Upon seeing this sight, Wu shi and the others shook their heads.

In their view, there was no way Zhang Xuan stood a chance against Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. One had barely cultivated the technique for six hours whereas the other had years of experience. Not to mention, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was one of the strongest experts in the continent. Even with his cultivation suppressed to Nascent Saint as well, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to be able to match him.

“This…” Seeing how adamant the other party was on the matter, Zhang Xuan could only relent with a nod. “Alright then.”

To be honest, even though he had said that he had practiced the palm art, he had not had an opportunity to execute the technique yet. All he had done was drive his zhenqi through the circulation pathway as stated in the palm art manual. This spar would serve as a good opportunity for him to gauge the strength harnessed within the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art.

If it was still decently powerful, he could consider using it in future battles.

“Let’s begin then!” the sculpture said as he thrust his palm forward with overwhelming momentum.

Boom!

A devastating aura that was reminiscent of innumerable heavenly demons descending upon the lands pervaded the surroundings. It exerted a crushing pressure not only on one’s physical body but on one’s soul as well.

The prowess of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm did not just lie in its physical might but its ability to assault souls and Primordial Spirits as well.

This was precisely why it was extremely well-known back in the ancient era despite only being a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique.

“How strong…”

“Despite standing such a long distance away… Even though the attack isn’t directed toward me, my body still instinctively stiffened in fear, rendering me incapable of retaliating at all!”

“As expected of a battle technique created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! If I could master it, my fighting prowess would surely be enhanced by at least twofold!”

“This palm art requires the user to infuse their soul energy into the palm strike as well in order to bring forth the immense might it harnesses. It won’t be easy to grasp it.”

…

Feeling the might of the palm art, Wu shi and the others found their bodies stiffening uncontrollably, and their faces paled in astonishment and fear.

It was simply too powerful!

To be honest, the sculpture’s movements were not fast, and there was not anything particularly profound about it either. Yet, it harnessed a might that left one feeling deeply helpless before it, both physically and mentally.

This was a sensation that none of the battle techniques they had cultivated could ever hope to evoke in their opponents.

Truly terrifying!

“No wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu said that the palm art won’t be easy to practice, I can now see why. I wonder how deep a mastery Principal Zhang has achieved in the technique,” Wu shi said.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm had already transcended the level of being a mere maneuver involving the use of one’s palms. In order to execute the technique, one’s spirit, psyche, and mind had to be perfectly aligned with one’s movements. Without years of training, it would be impossible to pull it off.

As talented as Principal Zhang was, he was simply too young. The experience he could have accrued would inevitably be terribly limited. As such, it was truly unlikely that he would be able to grasp the very essence of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art.

The reason most cultivators chose to journey through the world to experience the many facets of life, be it joy, anger, sorrow, or envy, was to temper their state of mind, making it more wholesome and resilient. There were also many cultivation techniques and battle techniques that were built upon such experiences, and without personally going through those experiences, it would be difficult for one to grasp its essence.

With such thoughts in mind, Wu shi could not help but turn his gaze toward the young man in question, only to see the young man standing calmly with his hands behind his back, not in a rush to prepare his defense. He glanced at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking about, but unspeakable sorrow was reflected in the depths of his eyes.

Perhaps his lover had left him behind, or maybe his kin or a close friend had passed away before his eyes, but in that moment, he exuded a forlorn aura that felt as if the whole world had abandoned him.

Wu shi narrowed his eyes before exclaiming in shock. “That is… a terpsichorean art?”

It was just a simple posture, but it emanated a deep sorrow that spectators could vividly feel with their entire existence. This was no longer just a state of mind but a technique involving the soul as well.

“Terpsichorean art? I thought that terpsichorean arts utilize dance in order to assault one’s opponents?” Feng Xun asked in confusion.

In his view, terpsichore was an occupation that put others in a trance through their resplendent clothes and graceful movements. Due to the nature of the occupation, it was usually practiced only by females. How could Principal Zhang be a terpsichore as well?

Not to mention, even if he was a terpsichore, all he was doing was standing still in his plain and unspectacular master teacher robe. How could something like that be considered a terpsichorean art?

“It’s true that most terpsichores utilize dance as a medium to launch soul attacks against their opponents. However… it’s said that if one achieves a deep mastery in terpsichorean arts, one will be able to put others into a trance even with the simplest of gestures. Even though Principal Zhang isn’t moving, I’m certain you can feel your soul resonating with his state of mind…”

At this point, Wu shi raised his finger and pointed. “Look at them…”

Feng Xun turned his gaze over and saw that the combat masters behind him had their emotions deeply moved by Zhang Xuan, and tears were flowing uncontrollably down their faces.

“This…” Feng Xun narrowed his eyes in shock.

He thought that it was already an amazing feat for Zhang Xuan to possess a deep understanding of formations and wield strength comparable to his. Who would have thought that he possessed such fearsome means to deal with the soul as well?

Even though the combat masters behind him only possessed cultivations of Saint 1-dan and Saint 2-dan, they were all experts who were capable of easily rivaling opponents far stronger than them, so it would be a huge mistake to measure them solely based on their cultivation realms. Furthermore, they had also undergone training to temper their souls and fend off soul attacks. Yet, with just a glance, they had all succumbed to Zhang Xuan’s terpsichorean art, completely helpless to retaliate.

In that moment, Feng Xun felt goosebumps rising all over his skin.

“Look, it’s starting!”

Amid his shock, Wu shi suddenly exclaimed loudly, jolting him back from his daze. He hurriedly turned his gaze over and saw Principal Zhang raising his palm lightly to face the sculpture’s strike squarely.

His movements could not have been considered fast, and there was nothing elegant or impressive about them either. It resembled nothing but a simple push, and yet, it left the crowd feeling as if they were standing atop a small boat amid a violent storm in the ocean.

In that instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to have morphed into a gigantic heavenly demon, and his presence crushed their souls so tightly that none of them could even gather the slightest courage to stand against him.

“Hmm?”

Noticing the abrupt change in the young man’s disposition, the sculpture’s initial calm expression turned slightly grave. Frowning deeply, he infused more strength into his palm strike.

Peng!

The two palms finally collided with one another, and an incredible shockwave surged into the surroundings.

Sou!

Before the sculpture could even process what was going on, he was sent flying into a stone tablet and shattered into pieces.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

“This…”

“The same cultivation realm, the same palm strike, and the same level of mastery… and Principal Zhang was still able to defeat Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in a single strike?”

Chapter 1072: Ancient Sage Qiu Wu Dissipates From Shock… Again

None of them had doubted that Principal Zhang was going to be sent flying from Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s palm strike, but the situation ended up being the complete reverse. The expert who had stood beside Kong shi for many years ended up being instantly destroyed instead!

More importantly, the fellow who had instantly destroyed him had done it using his palm art after practicing it for barely six hours!

“How in the world can I ever match up with that monster?” Feng Xun, whose hair had been devastated by the shockwave, was on the verge of tears.

Even though he had lost to Zhang Xuan the previous time around, he had been able to accept his loss calmly because he thought that as long as he cultivated diligently after returning to the Combat Master Hall, he would eventually be able to return the favor and cleanse himself of the humiliation. However, after witnessing the insane might that Zhang Xuan was able to exert on a whim… he should just abandon all hopes of that then and there.

Otherwise, he would only be treading down a path where he would suffer blow after blow until insanity finally consumed him.

“You… Are you sure that you have only reached a mastery of Minor Accomplishment?” Just like the shocked crowd, the sculpture’s head rose from its destroyed remains and stared at Zhang Xuan, flabbergasted.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was a technique that he had created after long years of studying and experimentation, and he thought that no one would be able to top him in it. Yet, he was still sent flying so easily. How could the might wielded by the other party’s attack be so much greater than his?

“Un, it is only at Minor Accomplishment!” Zhang Xuan had never used the palm art before, so he had not thought that it would be so powerful either. If he had known earlier, he would have made sure to hold back so that he did not destroy the other party’s body. He could not help but feel a little embarrassed. “There were too many flaws in the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm previously, so I altered it slightly. I really did not think that it would be so powerful. My sincere apologies…”

The sculpture widened his eyes in shock. “Altered? You altered my palm art?”

In just six short hours, not only did that fellow decipher the battle technique he had left behind and practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even… thought that it was too weak and modified it.

Man, you are really heading for the stars!

“Un. Your Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is a decent palm art indeed, wielding considerable strength. However, it is simply riddled with too many flaws; there are exactly 27 of them! Due to the limitations of my shallow knowledge, I was only able to resolve 18 of them, so there are still 9 remaining, which I can’t find a solution to at the moment.” Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply.

If he had sufficient palm art manuals at hand, he never would have practiced such a flawed palm art. Just thinking about it was sufficient to leave him deeply frustrated.

Huala!

The sculpture was in the midst of regathering his shattered body when he heard those words, and he shook intensely, nearly shattering once more.

Shallow knowledge… And furthermore, what is with that frustrated look on your face?

Will you die if you stop showing off for a while?

It is a fist art I created, and even I was unable to correct it any further. With just a look, you were able to resolve two-thirds of the remaining flaws, and you call that having shallow knowledge?

If that’s considered as shallow, should I just end my life right here and right now?

It is a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, and you actually feel frustrated from practicing it.

I am the one who should be frustrated!

Due to the intense fluctuations in his state of mind, more and more cracks began appearing on the regathering sculpture.

He had left behind his ancient domain to find himself an outstanding student to pass down his heritage so as to return glory and honor to his lineage. Who would have thought that instead of displaying his awe-inspiring might as an esteemed elder, he ended up suffering blow after blow instead?

Suppressing his vexed emotions, the sculpture asked, “Which 18 flaws did you alter?”

Given that they were at the same cultivation realm using the same palm art with the same level of mastery, the fact that the might harnessed by the other party’s palm was far greater than his went to show that the other party had successfully improved his palm art. As the one who had painstakingly created the technique, it was natural that he wanted to know what mistakes his palm art had.

“You wish to know? I can teach you!” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

Kacha!

A huge crack appeared on the sculpture, and Ancient Sage Qiu Wu felt a sharp pain assaulting its chest.

“There’s no need for it…” As much as he wanted to know where he had gone wrong, he did not think that he could take it if the other party were to ask him to acknowledge him as his teacher once more.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. It’s actually quite simple. The first flaw is that when one’s zhenqi is directed toward the Spiritual Sea…” Zhang Xuan began explaining the flaws.

As he did not have sufficient advanced movement arts to fuse together with the Boundless Voyager, he only knew of its flaws and not how they should be resolved. As such, he was unable to respond to the other party’s query back then. However, for the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, he already had the solutions for those eighteen flaws, so it was not a big deal for him to recite them to the other party.

Kacha! Kacha!

Hearing those words, more and more cracks appeared on the sculpture. Too overwhelmed with shock, it seemed to be at the limits of its endurance.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had only left a sliver of his soul in the ancient domain. Furthermore, with the passing of innumerable years, his fragmented soul had already grown incredibly weak and unstable. As such, after suffering consecutive traumas from Zhang Xuan, he was already nearing the point of dissipation.

It was not that his mental resilience was too weak, but the fellow before him was simply too exaggerated.

To his shock, the 27 flaws listed were also identical to what Kong shi had said back then. Kong shi had not solved them for him back then either, tasking him to find a solution himself. Zhang Xuan’s words had truly enlightened him. The flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm were an issue that had plagued his mind for a very long time, and learning the solutions to them had left him feeling as if he would be content even if he were to die at that very instant. His mind inadvertently slackened, and that single lapse in concentration triggered the start of his dissipation.

“… These are the eighteen flaws that I have altered. As for the remaining nine, there’s nothing I can do about them at the moment.”

Very soon, Zhang Xuan was done reciting the portions of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that he had corrected. Raising his gaze, he looked at the sculpture once more, and his eyes immediately widened in horror. “Ah! What… happened to you?”

The sculpture, which had been trying its best to regather its body earlier, suddenly collapsed onto the ground as if a slab of mud. Even the previously intact head was completely covered with cracks, reminiscent of a spider web. It looked as if it was on the verge of shattering altogether.

“I see, I see… So, all along, I have been practicing it in the wrong manner. It is no wonder I was unable to reach greater heights despite many years of hard work.” Seemingly oblivious to Zhang Xuan’s words, the sculpture muttered in a daze beneath his breath, and more and more cracks crept across its head.

After a momentary lamentation, the sculpture raised his gaze and looked at Zhang Xuan. “Thank you for your guidance. Not only did you manage to decipher my palm art, you even altered it to such perfection. You have cleared my trial, and you are qualified to obtain my heritage. My heritage is… is… is…”

Halfway through his words, however, a loud ‘kacha!’ sounded.

Huala!

The sculpture’s head shattered.

Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck. He hurriedly rushed forward in an attempt to piece the sculpture’s head together, but upon contact, the shattered fragments were reduced to dust. The fragmented soul deposited within it had already vanished.

“You haven’t said what your heritage is!” Zhang Xuan’s body trembled in anxiety as he nearly spewed blood.

Isn’t this Ancient Sage Qiu Wu a little too unreliable?

Didn’t you say that anyone who cleared your trial will be entitled to your heritage?

So, how can you shatter before revealing what your heritage is? Heck, this is too much!

He was not the only one who was feeling frenzied by the turn of events. Wu shi and the others also had their eyes widened in shock, and they nearly burst out crying.

After going through so much trouble, just when the heritage seemed to be within reach… the will of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu ended up being so heavily traumatized by Principal Zhang that he dissipated on the spot before managing to utter a word about the heritage.

At this moment, they felt as if someone had taken a treasure that was right before their reach and tossed it into the ocean!

What the heck was with that?

Moments earlier, they had still been thinking that it was a good thing that they entered the ancient domain together with Zhang Xuan. His talent, sharp wits, and comprehension of formations were top-notch, and they felt that they would be safe following behind him. If the expedition team were to obtain something good in the ancient domain, they would at least gain a share of it as well.

However, at this moment, it dawned on them that they were gravely mistaken!

Now that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul was traumatized to the point of dissipating on the spot, the heritage had disappeared for good. In other words, there was not even a morsel left for them anymore!

“This… Perhaps his time was up, so the sculpture ended up shattering apart.”

While the crowd was feeling depressed by the situation before them, Zhang Xuan suddenly spoke up with an apologetic look. “Even though we did not manage to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage, we still have the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm. Mastering it should induce a significant rise in your individual fighting prowess.”

“Un.” The crowd nodded.

There was no way around it anymore.

Since Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul had already dissipated, who else would possibly know what the heritage was and where it could be found?

There was no point brooding over it anymore.

At the very least, they still had a powerful palm art left.

With this thought in mind, the crowd turned to the stone tablet once more, but a familiar, crisp sound echoed yet again.

Kacha! Kacha!

Innumerable cracks crept across all of the stone tablets with an unstoppable momentum.

Guild Leader Han was the first to realize what was going on, and he quickly explained to the dumbfounded crowd, “These stone tablets have long exceeded their lifespan. It was only with the reinforcement of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul that they were able to hold on for so long. With the dissipation of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul, they are rapidly deteriorating as well…”

However, before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began shaking intensely as well. It felt as if the countdown to the utter destruction of the folded space had just begun ticking.

“Let’s quickly leave! Just like the stone tablets, the folded space for the trial was held in place by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul as well. We have to get out of here as soon as we can.” Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed off, leading the way forward.

Knowing that any delay could result in them being trapped eternally within this collapsing folded space, they hurriedly followed Guild Leader Han as well, not daring to hesitate.

Zhang Xuan also stuck close to the group.

Not too long later, they returned back to the flower garden, only to see that Luo Ruoxin was no longer around. They quickly rushed back the way they had come from, and right after they stepped out from the door, the nine doors behind them abruptly collapsed before vanishing altogether. It was as if what they had gone through earlier was only a mere dream.

“This…”

The crowd looked at one another, and cold sweat gushed down their backs.

It was fortunate that they had cleared the trial, thus causing the seal that prevented them from leaving to collapse. Otherwise, they might have just disappeared along with the folded space.

That was really a close shot!

“Where is Ruoxin?” Zhang Xuan asked as he scanning his surroundings anxiously.

She was not in the flower garden earlier, so why was she not outside either?

Worried, Zhang Xuan was about to use his Eye of Insight to track Luo Ruoxin’s whereabouts when he suddenly saw the latter flying back from the distance.

Luo Ruoxin landed before him and asked, “How was it? Have you obtained the heritage?”

“Cough cough… We didn’t obtain the heritage. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul ended up dissipating after being traumatized by Principal Zhang’s words before he could even present us with the heritage,” Mu shi explained awkwardly.

“Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul dissipated?” Luo Ruoxin turned a curious gaze to the young man before her.

“I…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head, not knowing how to respond to her gaze.

All he had done was share the alterations he had made to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with the other party. It was not like he had said anything much. How was he to know that the other party would be so trauma-prone?

To think that he was even known as an ancient sage…

“This is the manual of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that I altered earlier. Feel free to cultivate it. Consider it compensation for joining the expedition to the ancient domain.” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan began writing down a copy of his corrected Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual before passing it over to the crowd.

Regardless of whether Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had dissipated due to his words or not, it was a fact that he had prevented the others from obtaining the heritage. The least he could do was offer the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual to them as compensation.

“Thank you…”

The eyes of the crowd lit up in agitation.

Wu shi flipped open the manual, and the others quickly turned their eyes over.

Not too long later, they were done going through the secret manual, and they could not help but turn their gazes toward the young man before them with horrified looks.

“Principal Zhang… is this really the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm? Did you really achieve Minor Accomplishment in it within just six hours of practice?”

They gulped subconsciously.

Without a doubt, the palm art was indeed very powerful. However, it was for the very same reason that mastering it was an extremely difficult feat as well.

Putting everything else aside, even if a 7-star high-tier master teacher like Wu shi were to devote his effort to the technique, it would at least take ten years for him to achieve Novice mastery, let alone Minor Accomplishment.

Yet… such a difficult battle technique, and the fellow before them had actually managed to achieve Minor Accomplishment within just six hours. Furthermore, he was able to harness greater strength than Ancient Sage Qiu Wu when both of them were at the same cultivation. Just how in the world did he do it?

It was no wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul ended up being traumatized to the point of dissipation. If it had been them, they would have reacted in the same manner as well!

Thinking back, his previous claim of saying that he had attempted to accept Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as his student is likely true as well…

That freak! the crowd thought in their minds.

Chapter 1073: Meeting the Skyleaf King Once More

Zhang Xuan watched as the crowd cultivated the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, but even after a while had passed, none of them was able to reach Novice mastery. He couldn’t help but shake his head at that sight.

While he had altered eighteen of the palm art’s flaws, there were still nine more to go. As such, practitioners of the technique would still require a vast amount of zhenqi in order to execute it.

The members of the expedition team weren’t weak either, but unlike Zhang Xuan, they hadn’t cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher and were lacking in comparison.

It couldn’t be helped that they wouldn’t be able to master the technique in a moment’s time.

As the saying goes, ‘even the most capable of housewives are unable to prepare a meal without ingredients’. No matter how good a teacher Zhang Xuan was, there was nothing he could do if the crowd’s zhenqi capacity and purity were lacking.

“I am heading to the Saint Ascension Hall to find the old principal. Is there anyone who wishes to tag along?” Knowing that they wouldn’t make much progress at this rate, Zhang Xuan spoke up and said.

In any case, he had already imparted the complete Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm to them, so how far they could take the palm art to would depend on their own aptitude.

Previously, Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had said that the old principal and the Skyleaf King had gone into the Saint Ascension Hall. If they intended to save the old principal, they would have to head there as well.

“Let’s go there together!” Wu shi and the others replied with a nod.

They had already memorized the formula to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, so it was pointless for them to hang around the area anymore. It would be better for them to quickly find Zhang Yinqiu and the others and get out of the ancient domain.

“Where did you go earlier?”

As the group headed forward, Zhang Xuan suddenly remembered how Luo Ruoxin had left for a brief moment in their absence, so he sent a telepathic message over to ask out of curiosity.

“I just wandered around the area to take a look…” the young lady replied with a smile.

“I see…” Seeing that the other party was unwilling to speak, Zhang Xuan chose not to press any further too.

Following the markings on the map, it didn’t take long for the crowd to arrive before a grand pavilion. There was no plaque above its entrance to indicate its name.

Shrouded by mist, it emanated an aura of divinity.

Taking a closer look, Guild Leader Han remarked with a grim expression, “There’s a particularly powerful formation constructed around the area. Those who enter might find themselves unable to leave anymore. How about this? Why don’t I, Wu shi, and Principal Zhang enter to take a look first? The rest of you should just wait outside for the moment!”

The pavilion had an illusory presence that felt as if it was concealed amidst the void—it was apparent that it was shrouded by a massive formation. Furthermore, recalling what Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had informed them earlier regarding the Saint Ascension Hall, there was very high chance that they might end up being stuck within. Given so, there was no need for all of them to undertake the risk together.

“Wu shi, none of us here fears death…” Feng Xun said with a grim expression.

“It’s not a problem of whether you fear death or not, but that it will be the end of us all if we were to be trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall together. For the time being, it’ll be better for the rest of you to stand guard outside. If we aren’t out by three days, we may require you to seek help for us.” Wu shi said grimly.

“Alright then…” Feng Xun and the others hesitated for a while before nodding reluctantly.

“You should wait outside as well. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…” Zhang Xuan looked at Luo Ruoxin and smiled.

He had no idea what would happen within, but there was no doubt that great danger lay within. He didn’t want the other party to undertake the risk as well.

“Let’s go together. At the very least, we will be able to look out for one another.” the young lady said.

“But…” Zhang Xuan was planning to dissuade Luo Ruoxin, but upon meeting the latter’s resolute gaze, he hesitated for a brief moment before eventually nodding. “Alright. However, you must be very careful after we enter. No matter what happens, your safety comes first!”

With a light smile, Luo Ruoxin nodded.

Afraid that the escaped fragmented Primordial Spirit of the Skyleaf King would endanger the lives of the remaining group, Zhang Xuan had Guild Leader Han construct a grade-7 pinnacle Slaughter Formation to protect the surroundings. Only after that was done did they step into the pavilion.

The formation constructed around the pavilion worked in a similar fashion to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery in the sense that it was unidirectional. One would face no impediment entering the pavilion, but after stepping in, the formation would turn into an unbreakable wall confining them within.

“We are indeed trapped inside…”

Upon walking into the pavilion, they could feel that the space behind them was sealed up, and they glanced at one another with grim expressions.

They quickly scanned their surroundings, and after realizing that there was no apparent danger in the area, they heaved a sigh of relief before advancing ahead.

The first floor of the pavilion was extremely vast. There were several rows of stone tablets, and every single one of them was densely inscribed with words.

“These are… insights to achieving a breakthrough to Saint realm?”

Taking a closer look and realizing what the content inscribed on the stone tablets were, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin traded surprised gazes.

They had seen the words on the stone tablets before. They were identical to the insights inscribed on the road up the mountain leading to the Saint Ascension Platform!

“It seems like the Saint Ascension Hall does have a close connection to the Saint Ascension Platform…”

Similar names and stone tablets with identical contents, that was far too much to pass off as a coincidence.

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han seemed to have been to the Saint Ascension Platform before as well, and when they saw the content on the stone tablets, they were stunned for a brief moment as they frowned in bewilderment.

Proceeding ahead, they were about to enter the second floor when a surge of sword qi suddenly flew at them from the depths of the Saint Ascension Hall.

Boom!

Wu shi and Guild Leader Han immediately drove their zhenqi to the maximum and rushed forward to face the sudden assault of sword qi.

Even without a formation between them, they were still able to synergize their strength together to produce a might far greater than what they could achieve individually.

Peng!

Upon collision with the sword qi, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han were immediately forced back several steps as their faces paled.

“It’s the Skyleaf King…” Zhang Xuan exclaimed.

To overwhelm the combined might of two Saint 4-dan experts with just a sword qi in itself… The only one who was capable of this feat was only the Skyleaf King, who was trapped in the Saint Ascension Hall as well.

“Hehehe, not bad! Zhang Xuan, I might not have been able to do anything to you if you hadn’t entered the Saint Ascension Hall. But since you chose to come in, don’t even dream about getting out of here alive!” With a cold harrumph, the Skyleaf King’s voice echoed deafeningly throughout the Saint Ascension Hall.

In the next moment, a towering figure slowly walked out from the depths of the pavilion.

Unlike the Primordial Spirit whom they had seen before, the Skyleaf King before them possessed a tangible body. He had a tall stature which towered over even the Scarletleaf King and the Stoneleaf King.

“You recognize me? Then, that fragmented Primordial Spirit…” Zhang Xuan was stunned for an instant before realizing that the fragmented Primordial Spirit must have reported the happenings back to the Skyleaf King through some unique means.

Or perhaps, the fragmented Primordial Spirit might have even flown back in to fuse back together with the Skyleaf King.

“Since you are so audacious as to harm my Primordial Spirit, I’m going to make sure that you suffer a fate worse than death!” Sneering coldly, the Skyleaf King raised his finger and flicked it lightly toward Zhang Xuan.

Alarmed, Wu shi and Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed forward to cover Zhang Xuan, driving their zhenqi to their full capacity to fend off the Skyleaf King’s attack.

Peng! Peng!

With two dull thuds, the duo was sent flying.

They were top-notch experts even when taking the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire into account, but their cultivation was still a step away from matching up with the Skyleaf King, and this single step produced a world of difference in their fighting prowess.

“Principal Zhang, run away!”

Wu shi forcefully twisted his body so as to regain his balance and land back onto the floor, but the rebound from doing so caused a spurt of blood to spew from his mouth. Knowing that it would be difficult for them to fend off the Skyleaf King, Wu shi bellowed.

Even before the other party had drawn out his Primordial Spirit, the both of them were already no match for him. If the other party were to really use his full strength, they could be annihilated in an instant!

“Run away? Are you really that delusional as to think that you can still run away at this point?” the Skyleaf King burst into laughter as he grasped at the space before him.

Huala!

In an instant, a powerful force shrouded the entire hall, sealing all paths of escape for them.

“This is truly bad…” Not expecting that they would meet with a fully-powered Skyleaf King right after entering the Saint Ascension Hall, Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

The other party was already guarded against him, so it would be impossible for him to beguile the other party to go along with his flow anymore. At the same time, fighting the other party face-on wasn’t an option either. Were they really going to meet their end here?

“Break!”

Raising his palm, he executed the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, directing it towards the seal which the Skyleaf King had just set up.

Weng!

Similar to the surface of a lake, upon striking on the seal, the force rippled on it for a moment, but it didn’t break it apart. Instead, a force suddenly surged back towards Zhang Xuan, forcing him to retreat several steps back.

“This is a secret art which I have come up with in the two years I have been trapped here. Not even a Saint 5-dan expert will be able to break it open, so do you think that a Nascent Saint cultivator like you will be able to do so?” Noting Zhang Xuan’s actions, the Skyleaf King scoffed coldly.

Guild Leader Han and Wu shi stood up and attempted their strongest battle techniques against the seal, but they were completely ineffective as well.

“I still need to comprehend those stuff that Kong shi left behind, so I have no time to be idling here with you. Let’s end this quickly.” Gazing upon the group coldly, the Skyleaf King raised his finger and shot a burst of sword qi towards them once more.

This time, the might harnessed within the sword qi was greater than the ones before. It was directed straight towards Zhang Xuan, and if it were to strike, not even a deity would be able to bring him back to life.

“It won’t be easy to get out of here alive…” Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He wasn’t even a match for a fragment of the Skyleaf King’s Primordial Spirit, let more the other party at full strength. Furthermore, it seemed like the other party had also advanced his cultivation a fair bit over the past two years, placing them in an extremely disastrous position.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t one to give up without a fight. Just as he was about to let his clone out to withstand the might of the sword qi, a brilliant radiance suddenly burst in the area. A loud buzzing sound reverberated before a thick layer of mist abruptly set into the area.

“It’s a grade-7 pinnacle formation plate…”

Only a grade-7 pinnacle formation plate could produce such a thick layer of mist which even Saint realm experts couldn’t peer through in an instant.

But… grade-7 pinnacle formation plates were incredibly rare, such that even Guild Leader Han didn’t have any of it. Why would it suddenly appear here?

“Everyone, follow me…”

Just as the crowd was feeling deeply perplexed, a voice abruptly sounded in their ears. Following which, the silhouette of an elder appeared before their eyes.

“That is… Vice Principal Ji Yan?” Upon getting a closer glimpse of the other party’s appearance, Wu shi couldn’t help but exclaim.

“I’m indeed Ji Yan. Wu shi, please follow me…” the elder nodded hurriedly as he gestured forward.

“Alright!” Nodding, Wu shi beckoned for the others to follow them closely before heading in the direction gestured by the elder.

“Vice Principal Ji Yan?” Hearing the conversation between the duo, Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

Just like the previous Vice Principal Mu Renxu, the elder before him was a vice principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy as well. The other party had entered the ancient domain together with Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu back then, and one way or another, they had managed to survive til now.

“His cultivation…” While following behind the group, Zhang Xuan discreetly sneaked a peek at the elder, and his eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

Vice Principal Ji Yan should have only possessed a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle two years ago, just like Vice Principal Mu Renxu and the others. Yet, at this moment, his cultivation was already at Saint 4-dan, on par with Wu shi and Guild Leader Han!

To leap three realms within just two years, and in Saint realm at that… This was too exaggerated!

“Your strength…” Having noticed the anomaly in Vice Principal Ji Yan’s strength as well, Wu shi couldn’t help but ask.

“The spiritual energy in here is significantly more concentrated as compared to the external world, and Kong shi has also left behind a fair bit of treasures. On top of that, we had to pit our wits and strength against the Skyleaf King day after day in the past two years, so we would have long died if we hadn’t managed to grow that quickly…” Vice Principal Ji Yan replied with a bitter smile.

Noting a particular word in Vice Principal Ji Yan’s words, Zhang Xuan asked, “How many people are left in your group?”

The expedition team which the old principal had brought into the ancient domain back then consisted of roughly a group of thirty. Considering how there were roughly a dozen corpses outside, there should have been at least seventeen or eighteen of them survivors who were still unaccounted for.

“There are less than three of us remaining…” Vice Principal Ji Yan sighed deeply.

“Less than three of us?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed by the response.

There must be either two or three of them remaining in the group. What did less than three mean?

Could there be two and a half of them remaining?

Chapter 1074: We Can’t Escape!

“You will know once you come along with me…” Noting the perplexed looks on the faces around him, Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head bitterly and replied.

Traversing through the mist, they soon arrived at a certain room.

There were all kinds grade-7 pinnacle seals and traps lying all around the area. Even for an expert of the Skyleaf King’s caliber, there was no doubt that he would be torn into shreds if he were to be trapped within them.

Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Judging from the current situation, it seemed like the Skyleaf King wielded the absolute advantage within the Saint Ascension Hall. Unable to stand up against him, they could only remain within this room and set up formations and traps so as to fend off the other party.

Pushing open the door and entering, the room was only roughly several dozen square meters large. There wasn’t a single window within the room, and the only source of light within it was the dim radiance of a Night Illumination Pearl.

Leaning against the wall was an old man whose both legs and right arm had been severed. Nevertheless, upon seeing the group which had returned, he hurriedly flew up and rushed towards them with eyes filled with disbelief.

“Vice Principal Ji, this…”

For the past two years, they had been the only humans within the Saint Ascension Hall. Thus, it wasn’t too difficult to imagine his shock upon seeing Zhang Xuan and the others.

“Vice Principal Tan, this is Wu shi from Qingyuan Conferred Empire.” Vice Principal Ji Yan introduced.

“Vice Principal Tan? You are Tan Qing from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?” Finding the name familiar, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, and a figure abruptly surfaced in his mind.

The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had a total of four vice principals, and Mu Renxu, Ji Yan, and Tan Qing were three of them.

“That’s indeed me…” Tan Qing nodded. With a perplexed look, he turned to Ji Yan and asked, “May I know how I should address these master teachers?”

“This… Actually, I encountered them while they were being pursued by the Skyleaf King, so I quickly saved them and led them back here. I haven’t really gotten a chance to ask them for their names yet…” Vice Principal Ji Yan replied.

As the situation was very precarious earlier, there wasn’t any time for them to introduce themselves to one another. As such, he wasn’t too sure whom the other three besides Wu shi were either.

“This young man over here is the newly-appointed principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang shi. This young lady is Luo Ruoxin, Luo shi. Last but not least, this elder is the head of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Formation Master Guild, Han Xu.” Wu shi swiftly introduced the group.

“Newly-appointed principal?” Upon hearing the introduction, the eyes of the duo quickly turned to Zhang Xuan, and deep frowns appeared on their foreheads.

They weren’t able to report the matter to the headquarters before heading to the ancient domain due to the urgency of the matter back then, so their abrupt disappearance was bound to create some chaos in the leadership of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. It was understandable that a new principal would be elected as soon as possible in order to stabilize the situation, but still, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was still one of the Four Great Academies… How could they allow a mere Nascent Saint cultivator, not to mention such a young child, to become the principal?

Weren’t they making too light of Hongyuan?

“Principal Zhang might be young, but he possesses extraordinary capabilities. It’s due to him that we were able to advance through the ancient domain safely!” Noting the complicated looks on the duo, Wu shi could tell what they were thinking, so he hurriedly stepped forward to speak on Zhang Xuan’s behalf.

To be honest, Zhang Xuan was simply too young, so it was inevitable that others would doubt his capabilities. Even he himself had doubted the legitimacy of the other party’s qualifications to succeed as the principal back then, let alone the duo before him.

“… You’re right. How could a person who was able to venture so deeply into the ancient domain possibly be someone ordinary?” After hearing Wu shi’s words, the duo pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

They had experienced the brutality of the Qiu Wu Palace firsthand, so they knew very well the dangers that lurked all around. Without outstanding capability, it was impossible for one to venture safely from the entrance to this point.

Not to mention, even a person as esteemed as Wu shi had chosen to speak on the behalf of Zhang Xuan.

Scanning the room, Zhang Xuan realized that a certain person was nowhere to be seen, so he asked with a perplexed frown, “Where is Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu?”

Since the two vice principals were still alive, the old principal who had just sent the Principal’s Seal out shortly before should still be alive as well. Why wasn’t he anywhere to be seen? Not to mention, Vice Principal Ji Yan had earlier replied to his question with not a ‘two’ but a ‘less than three’…

“Principal Zhang Yinqiu…” Ji Yan and Tan Qing glanced at one another as the light in their eyes dulled. After a moment of silence, Ji Yan was the one who spoke up, “He’s already dead…”

“Dead? But Vice Principal Ji, didn’t you say earlier that there were ‘less than three’ of you remaining? There are only two of you here…”

The one who spoke this time around was Guild Leader Han. Clearly, he had also noticed the anomaly in Vice Principal Ji’s words earlier.

If there were only two of them remaining, an ordinary person would respond with a ‘two’. However, Vice Principal Ji Yan had replied with a ‘less than three’ instead… There was bound to be a deeper reason behind it.

There was no way a 6-star pinnacle master teacher would make such an elementary verbal mistake.

“Indeed. There is still one more person other than us around, and he is Principal Zhang Yinqiu. However, the current state he is in… It’s truly no different from being dead… However, he isn’t here at the moment. I can only bring you to meet him within a specific timing!” Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

“No different from being dead?”

Wu shi and the others glanced at one another in bewilderment, unsure of what the two vice principals were driving at. However, looking at the duo, it seemed like they were reluctant to speak of it anymore, so they decided not to probe too deep at the moment as well.

After a momentary pause, Wu shi turned his gaze over and asked, “What happened two years ago? Why didn’t you report the matter to the headquarters?”

In truth, Wu shi wasn’t the only one who had been pondering over this question. Even Zhang Xuan found the matter incredulous as well.

Considering how the old principal had erected a tomb for himself in the Mausoleum of Principals, there was no doubt that he was aware that the dangers lurking in the ancient domain were far beyond his means. Given so, the logical course of action should have been to report the matter to the superior Master Teacher Pavilion. So, why did he remain silent on the matter, choosing to assemble an expedition team out of his own academy instead?

“It’s not that he didn’t want to report the matter to the headquarters, but that there was no time for it!”

Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. “Wu shi, you are quite close with Principal Zhang Yinqiu, so you should be aware that he idolizes Elder Wu Yangzi a lot. The greatest interest in his pastime was to explore the history of Elder Wu Yangzi and investigate his disappearance… Under his relentless efforts, he eventually found some intelligence and an important artifact concerning the ancient domain. His immediate response was to report the matter to the headquarters, but somehow, the news managed to travel to the ears of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe before he could do so. In the end, not only did the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe manage to dupe the important artifact away, they even managed to learn of the deeper secrets concerning the ancient domain…

“Shortly after, he learned that the ancient domain was on the verge of opening, and there was no time to be lost. Thus, he gathered all of us overnight and rushed over as soon as possible!”

Vice Principal Ji Yan’s explanation only served to deepen the frown on Wu shi’s forehead, “Zhang Yinqiu has a Communication Jade Token connected straight to the headquarters. As long as he wished to, he could have informed the headquarters of the matter any time he liked. It wouldn’t have delayed him by too much… So why didn’t he do so?”

It wouldn’t take more than ten breaths for Zhang Yinqiu to send a message to the headquarters to inform them in detail of the entire incident. For a person who gathered an expedition team overnight and rushed right towards the ancient domain… Surely sending a message shouldn’t have been too difficult?

Claiming that ‘there was no time for it’ was truly a poor excuse!

“If I am not mistaken, instead of saying that the news traveled to the ears of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, perhaps it might be more accurate to say that they had insider news on the matter? In other words, a spy of the Otherworldly Demons had intercepted the message before it reached the headquarters, and that spy happened to be from the headquarters as well, and this left Old Principal Zhang Yinqiu deeply distrustful of the headquarters… Am I right?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before stating his deduction.

Since Zhang Yinqiu didn’t send out the message to the headquarters to inform them of the matter, that could only mean that there was something preventing him from doing so.

“This… Zhang shi is indeed astute. It’s indeed as you have said…” Hearing those words, Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing couldn’t help but nod their heads in awe.

To be able to deduce this far based on the nuances of their words, this young Zhang shi’s discernment ability was truly outstanding. It was no wonder why he was eventually elected to succeed Principal Zhang Yinqiu as the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

“Spy? From the headquarters?” Wu shi was stunned for a moment before he clenched his fists tightly together.

He was a smart person as well, and it didn’t take him too long to figure out what was going on.

In the first place, Zhang Yinqiu didn’t have much of an understanding of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. Thus, when he was duped of the important artifact and intelligence from a fake master teacher from the headquarters, he became deeply apprehensive. He didn’t know whom he could trust, so eventually, he didn’t send out a message at all.

Perhaps Zhang Yinqiu was intending to pay a visit to the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to inform them of the matter personally, but he abruptly received news that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was about to enter the ancient domain. Left with no choice, he could only assemble an expedition team by himself and head in personally, and eventually… none of them managed to return back.

“Who is it?” Wu shi’s eyes narrowed menacingly.

He knew all of the master teachers in the headquarters, so who in the world could the spy be?

“We are all trapped here, so it’s meaningless even if we were to reveal the name to you now…” Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head in disconsolation.

It was not like any one of them could escape and apprehend the spy, so what was the point of them speaking about the matter at the moment?

Since that was going to be the case, they might as well just remain silent, so that at the very least, there would be one less frustration for them to bother about.

“Is it really impossible to escape from here?” Guild Leader Han asked.

“Un. I’m sure you should have seen the seal outside. It’s constructed in a manner that makes it unidirectional, only allowing one to enter but not to leave. It is most probably set up by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu himself, so… unless one were to obtain his heritage and comprehend the secret behind the seal, otherwise it will be impossible to escape from here!” Vice Principal Tan Qing shook his head.

At this moment, he suddenly recalled a matter, and he looked at Wu shi and the others and asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes, “Right! Back then, the Skyleaf King was tight on our trail, and we weren’t able to shake him free. As such, we could only escape here directly. However, on your journey here, you should have noticed the door leading to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage, right? How is it? Did you obtain the heritage?”

“This…”

Hearing those words, a look of awkwardness surfaced on the faces of Wu shi and the others.

They did manage to enter the correct door, they successfully met Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s sculpture as well, and they even cleared the trial smoothly… But, they still failed to obtain the heritage!

Would the two vice principals believe them if they were to tell them of such a bizarre matter?

“What’s wrong? Could it be that… you didn’t notice the mark Principal Zhang Yinqiu left behind?” Noticing the peculiar expressions on the faces around him, Vice Principal Ji Yan couldn’t help but ask.

The mark was very apparent, so surely master teachers of their caliber should have noticed it easily!

“You were indeed the ones who had left the mark behind! But since you knew that the heritage lay within the door, why didn’t you enter to take a look?”

It was Guild Leader Han’s turn to be perplexed this time around.

Since the mark was left behind by them, it was apparent that they had opened the doors and confirmed the correct one to advance to. Since that was the case, why didn’t they enter it? If they had chosen to enter it, the Skyleaf King could have died under the might of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu.

“Back then, we did manage to trigger the mechanism in the square that causes the nine doors to appear… However, shortly after we confirmed the right door, before we even had the opportunity to check it out, the Skyleaf King arrived at the square as well. The implications of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage is simply too great. If the Skyleaf King were to obtain it, it could become a calamity for all of mankind! We couldn’t afford to take such a gamble, and we dare not to either! Thus, Principal Zhang Yinqiu secretly left a mark on the door before rushing over here. Having a skeptical personality, even though the Skyleaf King saw the nine doors, he dared not to enter to check them out either for fear of it being a trap, so he continued pursuing us instead. Eventually, all of us ended up here…” Vice Principal Ji Yan recounted the situation back then.

His words and description were nonchalant, but Zhang Xuan and the others could feel how intense the situation was back then.

The fact that Vice Principal Mu Renxu had lost his life in the square, and that the others had to flee without having an opportunity to collect his corpse went to show how dangerous the situation was back then.

“By the time we entered the pavilion, we were already all exhausted. Even though we managed to slaughter all of the Otherworldly Demons aside from the Skyleaf King, we also suffered great casualties in the process, to the point that we are the only survivors of the initial expedition team… It is fortunate that the terrain within here is complicated, that’s why we were able to survive till now. Otherwise, we would have surely been wiped out long ago…” Vice Principal Ji Yan sighed.

“I see!” The crowd nodded in response.

They had all experienced the fearsome might of the Skyleaf King themselves—even a collaboration between the powerful Wu shi and Guild Leader Han wasn’t sufficient to match him. Considering how Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were only at Saint 1-dan pinnacle back then, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how helpless they would have been.

It had truly been difficult for them to have survived two years while being trapped with the Skyleaf King.

“Right, you still haven’t told us whether you have managed to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage or not?” After explaining the matter, Vice Principal Ji Yan asked once more.

This matter involved whether they would be able to escape from here or not, so he was determined to clarify this matter.

“This… We managed to clear the trial, but before Ancient Sage Qiu Wu could reveal to us what his heritage was, his fragmented soul had already dissipated after suffering multiple traumas from Principal Zhang!” After a long moment of silence, Wu shi finally spoke up.

Chapter 1075: Celestial Saint? I Can Give It a Try

“Dissipated… after suffering several traumas? What do you mean?” Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were stunned, unable to process what they had just heard.

If the other party were to say that they failed to find the correct door or that they did not even trigger the mechanism that induced the appearance of the nine doors in the first place, they would still be able to understand it. But… to dissipate Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s soul by traumatizing him…

Why did it sound so profound that they could not understand a word of it?

May I trouble you to clarify the matter a little more?

Noticing the two bewildered faces before him, Wu shi’s face reddened. He really had no idea how he was supposed to explain the matter to them, so he turned to Guild Leader Han for help. “I think it’ll be better for you to say it instead…”

“Alright. The situation is like this…” With a deep sigh, Guild Leader Han contemplated over his choice of phrases before he began recounting the matter.

“You are saying that… Zhang shi managed to see through the flaws in Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s palm art? Not only did he manage to practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even corrected it on top of that?”

“Not to mention, he offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?”

The two vice principals widened their mouths in shock, and they nearly blacked out on the spot.

Surely, they must have been listening to a fictional story!

How could there be such a ridiculous master teacher in the world?

That was Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! All who had heard of his affairs would revere him like a deity, not daring to even breathe loudly before him. Yet, that fellow actually offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?

Do you not understand the meaning of what taking a person in as your student means, or are your guts so inflated that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu means nothing to you?

“Cough cough…” Noticing the shocked gazes of the duo on him, Zhang Xuan quickly explained himself. “All I did was share the flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. I didn’t expect that he would be so brittle, collapsing at the slightest trauma. Jeez, he really does need to temper his mind a little more.”

To be honest, he also did not intend for such a situation to happen. It was not as if he had done it intentionally.

“Brittle?”

“Temper?”

The duo was rendered completely speechless by Zhang Xuan’s words.

One of the most renowned Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a figure who had stood alongside the World’s Teacher through numerous crises… It was already a blessing that he did not die from anger from having a several-dozen-millenniums-younger junior like Zhang Xuan attempting to take him in as his student, and yet, the young man expected him not to be traumatized by the matter?

Not to mention, he altered the prided palm art that the other party created on the spot, strengthening it significantly. The fact that Qiu Wu was still able to talk to him after that was already testimony to his incredible mental resilience.

A moment later, Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. “So, you didn’t receive the heritage either… It seems like we really won’t be getting out of here today…”

A treasure trove was right before them, but that fellow ended up pushing it right off the cliff. How in the world did such a ridiculous master teacher become their new principal?

They were really starting to worry about the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy’s future.

But in any case, without the heritage, they would not be able to escape from the place either. Their worry would not change a thing at all.

They were still hoping that those who had received their news would come to their rescue, but from the looks of it… their expectations might have truly been a little too high.

Paying no heed to the disappointed looks around him, Zhang Xuan asked, “What exactly is the Saint Ascension Hall? How is it related to the Saint Ascension Platform?”

Saint Ascension Hall and Saint Ascension Platform… Given how similar their names were and that they were both related to Kong shi, it was hard to believe that there was no relation between the both of them.

“There’s indeed a relationship between the both of them. If I’m not mistaken…” Vice Principal Ji Yan began to reply, but before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began trembling intensely, and it felt as if the pavilion would cave in on them at any moment.

Alarmed, Wu shi and the others asked anxiously, “What’s going on?”

Vice Principal Ji Yan seemed to be very used to the trembling, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, “This happens every single day at irregular intervals… Let’s go, I’ll bring you to meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu. However, just a word of warning, we will only have an incense’s time. We will have to return here before then, or else we will face grave danger like before.”

“Meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu?” The crowd was stunned for a moment before nodding. “Alright!”

“Let’s go!”

Without wasting any more time on words, Vice Principal Ji Yan led the way forward. As Vice Principal Tan Qing had lost three of his limbs, and there were several places where he would be unable to fly, he decided to remain behind.

Bypassing the many formations and traps outside, the group advanced forward, and before long, they arrived at the very top of the Saint Ascension Hall. The roof of the Saint Ascension Hall was flat, and at the very center, there was a round platform, which emanated a brilliant glow.

The previous tremor seemed to have originated from the energy released by the round platform.

“This is…” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The round platform before him was identical to the one that had appeared after the cliff face on the Saint Ascension Platform collapsed previously.

Back then, after he had pointed out the flaws in Kong shi’s writings, the cliff face broke apart, and a round platform emerged from within. Standing above it, he and Luo Ruoxin had ended up being transported into a folded space.

Back then, he had thought that the round platform was the place where Kong shi was seated when he ascended to become a Celestial Saint. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like he was mistaken.

Noticing Zhang Xuan’s confusion, Vice Principal Ji Yan explained, “Indeed. This is real Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi left behind when he ascended to Sainthood. The one outside is nothing more than an imitation…”

“This is the real Saint Ascension Platform?” Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

The conferment of a Celestial Saint was not a small matter. The lands where the conferment occurred would surely be suffused with the energy of the world, so how could there only be a few halos here and there? Furthermore, how could such an important landmark be left open on the top of a mountain, not fearing that it would be found by anyone?

Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began examining the Saint Ascension Platform carefully.

There was a peculiar sheet of light covering the top of the round platform, and ripples of energy were flowing on top of it. The ripples of energy seemed to carry an extraordinary quality to nourish the Saint aura within one. It felt like one could advance one’s cultivation significantly just by taking in a whiff of it.

“Even a sliver of energy emanated from a Celestial Saint is a great nourishment to ordinary cultivators like us. It is due to this that I was able to advance my cultivation so quickly,” Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

The others nodded in agreement.

The energy emanated by the round platform felt warm, as if one was bathed amid sacred light. Even though it had not been long since Wu shi and the others had arrived in the Saint Ascension Hall, they could feel that their thought process had quickened significantly, and the cells in their bodies had grown more vigorous as well. Under such circumstances, their rate of cultivation would be enhanced immensely.

As long as one’s talent was not too bad, advancing three realms within just a short two years under such circumstances was entirely possible.

At this point, Vice Principal Ji Yan stepped forward, and pointing to an area not too far away from the round platform, he said, “Principal Zhang Yinqiu is here…”

Taken aback, the crowd hurriedly turned their gazes over, only to see a statue standing in the direction Vice Principal Ji Yan pointed out.

The statue was extremely lifelike, and it bore a striking resemblance with the paintings of Zhang Yinqiu within the Master Teacher Academy.

A calm voice suddenly came from the statue. “Wu shi? You are here…”

To their astonishment, just like the situation with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu earlier, the statue had opened his mouth and begun speaking.

“Zhang Yinqiu, why would you…” Seeing the plight his old friend was in, Wu shi could not help but feel a dull ache in his heart.

It was no wonder Vice Principal Ji Yan said that there were less than three of them remaining. The fact that Zhang Yinqiu was still able to speak and recognize them meant that he still retained consciousness, so he could not be considered dead yet. But… trapped within a lifeless statue, could he really be considered alive?

“In the midst of saving us, Principal Zhang Yinqiu’s body was destroyed by the Skyleaf King. By a stroke of luck, the Saint Ascension Platform suddenly whirred into action at the moment, and under the nourishment of the sacred light, his soul managed to avoid dissipation, and he ended up latching onto a statue in the vicinity. Even though he retained his consciousness, he is unable to move or leave the premises,” Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

The situation back then had been extremely complex. Principal Zhang Yinqiu’s physical body had been forcefully destroyed by the Skyleaf King, and just as everyone thought that he would have died, the Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi had left behind suddenly worked its miracles. Under the warm glow of the sacred light, his soul managed to survive despite having lost its body, and he eventually ended up latching onto a nearby statue for survival.

As time passed, the statue began shaping itself into him. However, he was still unable to move at all. All he could manage to do was stand quietly and await the end of time. Honestly, there truly was not much difference from death.

Realization suddenly struck Zhang Xuan. The contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast wasn’t a soul contract but a blood contract. Given that the old principal’s physical body was destroyed, the contract between them was naturally dispelled as well. That explains why I was unable to tell whom his master was through the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Most of the saint beasts and spirit beasts he had tamed were contracted to him via a soul contract. Such a contract would place the souls of the tamed beasts under his control, thus making it impossible for them to betray him.

Naturally, most saint beasts and spirit beasts would not commit to such a disadvantageous contract to them unless they were forced into a corner. Thus, the norm was to establish a blood contract, and that was also the type of contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast.

While blood contracts would grant the master a certain degree of control over their tamed beast, unlike soul contracts, the relationship would be automatically dispelled once the physical body of the owner died.

It was also due to this that the Library of Heaven’s Path did not reflect the old principal as the Byzantium Helios Beast’s master, thus resulting in the huge farce back then.

Seeing the sorrowful faces all around him, as well as the pale face of his old friend, Principal Zhang Yinqiu said with a smile, “Don’t worry, this is actually not too bad. At the very least, I’m still alive…”

Being trapped in a statue was not something that he desired, but at the very least… it was better than having his soul dissipated entirely.

After consoling the crowd for a while, Zhang Yinqiu asked, “Since you were able to come this far, I’m sure you should have seen the marks I left behind. Did you obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage?”

As long as they had obtained the heritage, they would be able to finally escape from the Saint Ascension Hall for good.

Zhang Yinqiu himself would not be able to leave the area, but at the very least, Ji Yan and Tan Qing would be able to get away, thus preserving some strength for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

“They didn’t manage to obtain the heritage…” Ji Yan quickly filled Zhang Yinqiu in on the matter.

“You…”

Upon hearing the explanation, Zhang Yinqiu’s eyes widened in shock. He looked at Zhang Xuan as if he had seen a ghost. Many words lingered at the tip of his tongue, but eventually, he said helplessly, “Without the heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, it’ll be impossible for us to leave. Unless one of us can receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint, we will be trapped in here for life!”

“Conferred as a Celestial Saint?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“Un. The Saint Ascension Hall contains the true Saint Ascension Platform, as well as innumerable insights from other cultivators when they achieved Sainthood,” Zhang Yinqiu said. “All of this is just for a single aim… Kong shi is hoping to raise another Celestial Saint among the later generations! As long as one can achieve a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform and become a Celestial Saint, the seal surrounding the Saint Ascension Hall will fall apart immediately!”

Upon hearing the conditions to leave, a bitter smile emerged on the lips of Wu shi and the others. “That’s impossible…”

“Indeed, how could that possibly be done?”

In the whole of history, only Kong shi had managed to receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint. This was clear proof of how difficult the feat was, so how could they possibly hope to emulate that?

Ji Yan sighed. “When we joined this expedition, we resigned ourselves to death and made arrangements accordingly. It’s already a blessing of the heavens that we are still alive at this point.”

“Actually…” Noting the air of desolation among the crowd, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before looking at them.

“A breakthrough to Celestial Saint, I can give it a try!”

Chapter 1076: He Slaughtered Nine of Them

“You?” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s interjection, everyone paused for a moment.

All of them looked at him as if they were looking at a fool.

“Cough cough!” Unable to stand the awkward silence that drifted in the air, Wu shi coughed loudly before continuing on, “Principal Zhang, I know that you possess superior talent, and you have a unique interpretation to cultivation. However… Celestial Saint is not something which anyone can just become. In fact, it could be said that it is impossible for anyone to succeed!”

“Indeed. I have specially looked into the process of how Kong shi ascended to Sainthood, traveling to the Saint Ascension Platform myself and flipping through many records. Based on my deduction, the first requirement to becoming a Celestial Saint is to be a Celestial Master Teacher. Only when the heavens recognize your occupation will you be qualified to become a Celestial Saint. Other than that, you must also practice a peerless cultivation technique which grants you incomparably condensed zhenqi. That is the basic requirement for you to knock on the doors of the world and rid yourself of all impurities, thus stepping on the path to unparalleled greatness!”

Hearing Zhang Xuan speaking such words, Zhang Yinqiu couldn’t help but offer a word of advice as well. “The fact that you are able to decipher the secret hidden amidst Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s palm art shows that you have an exceptional understanding of battle techniques. Also, considering how you were able to come so far through the ancient domain despite only being a Nascent Saint, you must possess an extraordinary cultivation technique as well. However, just that in itself wouldn’t suffice for you to become a Celestial Saint!”

“Ascending to Sainthood is no child’s play. Throughout history, how many geniuses do you think have emerged amongst the Sage Clans and the Combat Master Hall? Yet, for several dozen millenniums, there was not a person who was said to have succeeded in becoming a Celestial Saint. This goes to show how difficult it is. Principal Zhang, you can give it a try, but you really shouldn’t put too much hope into it…” Guild Leader Han said with a bitter smile.

There was not a person who thought well of Zhang Xuan.

“This… Alright then!” Zhang Xuan was considering whether he should reveal his identity, but eventually, he chose to shake his head and remain silent.

In truth, while he was a Celestial Master Teacher and he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Decipher, he was still unsure whether he would truly be able to become a Celestial Saint either. He didn’t want to give them false hope only to have it shattered eventually.

Besides, he was a humble person at heart, and boasting about his own achievements wasn’t something that a person like him would do anyway.

“Un. It’s good that you have managed to think it through. Becoming a Celestial Saint is no easy task. Of course, it’ll be best if one of us succeeds in doing so, but otherwise, there’s no need to get too disappointed either…” Vice Principal Ji Yan nodded. He was just about to continue speaking when the layer of light atop the round platform abruptly wavered, and gradually, it began dimming.

Upon seeing this sight, Vice Principal Ji Yan’s face immediately turned grave. “Time’s up, everyone. We have to leave quickly. Principal Zhang Yinqiu, we will visit you again tomorrow…”

After saying those words, Vice Principal Ji Yan quickly led the group down.

Seeing how anxious Vice Principal Ji Yan was, the crowd quickly followed behind him. Not too long later, they finally returned to the narrow room they were in previously, and only then did Vice Principal Ji Yan heave a sigh of relief.

“What’s going on? Why do we have to rush back so anxiously?” Wu shi couldn’t help but ask.

“Didn’t I say earlier that we only have an incense’s time?” Vice Principal Ji Yan asked.

“Un.” The crowd nodded.

The other party did say such words before.

“For nearly a year now, the Saint Ascension Platform has been releasing a brilliant glow every single day. During the period of time when the Saint Ascension Hall is permeated by the light, the Skyleaf King would have no choice but to remain in his hiding spot, not daring to move in the least. Otherwise, he would risk being burned by the sacred light and suffer severe damage to his Primordial Spirit. We have been making use of this period of time to explore the Saint Ascension Hall… However, the light will only remain for roughly an incense’s time, and once it retreats, the Skyleaf King will rush out and slaughter any of us who is still loitering vulnerably in the area!” Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

Everyone came to a realization.

This explained why Vice Principal Ji Yan was so anxious when he saw that the sacred light was about to die out. If the Skyleaf King were to assault them before they made their way back to the room, they would have been in grave danger.

“I was wondering why the rest of you are able to make such a great advancement in your cultivation realm over the past two years whereas the Skyleaf King still remains in Leaving Aperture realm primary stage… It seems like the sacred light that you have spoken of does play a huge role in this matter!” Wu shi remarked in realization.

“You’re right. Master teachers are able to raise their cultivation by absorbing the sacred light, but Otherworldly Demons aren’t able to do the same. As such, the Skyleaf King hasn’t been able to grow as quickly as the rest of us. However, he has conquered the entire Saint Ascension Hall for himself… Back then, probably in order to ensure that there would be at least one amongst the later generation who would be able to become a Celestial Saint as well, Kong shi had left quite a fortune behind, but it is currently being dominated by the Skyleaf King! Over the past two years, even though he hasn’t achieved a breakthrough yet, his Primordial Spirit has been getting more and more powerful. With our current strength, we won’t be able to deal with him.” Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head.

“You said that the Saint Ascension Platform only began releasing a brilliant glow every single day within the past year? Did that not happen in the past?” Zhang Xuan’s focus was a little different from the others. He was more interested in the Saint Ascension Platform.

“A year ago, the Saint Ascension Platform was still rather normal. While it would emanate sacred light from time to time back then, the intensity was nothing close to what we saw previously, and its frequency was irregular as well. It was only around the end of the eighth month last year that it suddenly began releasing huge bursts of light, as if heralding the arrival of a certain someone. Well, I don’t really know the details myself either…” Ji Yan pondered for a moment before replying with a nod.

Trapped within the Saint Ascension Hall, where the concept of day and night didn’t exist, they were gradually losing their grasp over time. Nevertheless, as master teachers, they were still able to fathom a rough guess

“Who could it be waiting for? Kong shi?” Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Han shook his head with a helpless smile.

Kong shi had gone missing several dozen millenniums ago. Even the 72 Sages knew nothing about his whereabouts, let alone anyone else.

It was inconceivable that he would return all of a sudden after so many years.

“Not even Saints possess a longevity of several dozen millenniums, so I don’t think it’s possible that the Saint Ascension Platform is waiting for Kong shi. Perhaps, you might have triggered some kind of mechanism within the Saint Ascension Hall after arriving here, thus resulting in the emanation of sacred light every day…” Wu shi remarked.

“That might be the case…” Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing nodded.

Limited by their strength and eye of discernment, there were many things that were beyond their understanding. Putting everything else aside, they had no idea where the sacred light emanating from the Saint Ascension Platform had come from. It was also inconceivable to them why it could keep the Skyleaf King at bay while benefiting the master teachers.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this matter anymore. Those are simply too far away from us at the moment, so there’s no point discussing it. Vice Principal Tan Qing, I have a Grand Intermittence Pill here. Give it a try, perhaps it could resolve your current condition…” Shaking his head, Wu shi turned to Vice Principal Tan Qing and whipped out a jade bottle.

At this moment, Vice Principal Tan Qing had both of his legs and right arm severed, crippling his movements. Only the legendary grade-7 Grand Intermittence Pill, said to be able to induce the regrowth a severed limb, would have a chance to resolve his condition.

Back then, Zhang Xuan had also had a Grand Intermittence Pill forged for Wei Ruyan in order to restore her physical health.

“Thank you, Wu shi!” Upon seeing the pill, Vice Principal Tan Qing’s eyes lit up in excitement.

He had already spent two years as a cripple, and there was no way he could turn down an opportunity to regrow his severed limbs.

He swiftly took the jade bottle and corked it open. There was exactly one Grand Intermittence Pill inside, but its tier wasn’t too high, having only achieved Formation.

Consuming the pill, an incredible surge of vitality immediately gushed through his body. In that instant, Vice Principal Tan Qing felt an incredible itch overwhelming his body. The severed stumps of his limbs began to slowly grow out, but before they could form complete limbs, everything abruptly came to a halt.

Vice Principal Tan Qing shook his head bitterly and said, “The Grand Intermittence Pill can indeed resolve my condition, but the tier of the pill is simply too low. Furthermore, as my limbs were severed by the Skyleaf King, there is still some of his killing intent lingering there that hinders the regrowth of my limbs… It seems like I won’t be able to recover for the time being…”

The Grand Intermittence Pill contained an immense amount of vitality that allowed for the regrowth of a limb, but Vice Principal Tan Qing was simply too severely wounded. A single pill wouldn’t suffice for his recovery.

“That… I only have one pill here…” Wu shi frowned.

The Grand Intermittence Pill was extremely valuable, such that it would be extremely difficult to find even one of it in the markets of Qingyuan Conferred Empire. Even Wu shi had to pay a heavy price in order to procure one, and he hadn’t been too willing to use it due to its immense value. However… who could have thought that even the seemingly miraculous pill wouldn’t be enough to bring about Vice Principal Tan Qing’s recovery?

“I have forged the Grand Intermittence Pill before. If we have sufficient medicinal herbs here, we can try forging it…” Zhang Xuan said.

“Forge it right here?… I should have most of the medicinal herbs required for its forging within my storage ring at the moment, but… I am still lacking the main ingredient, Grand Intermittence Grass.” Wu shi said with a frown.

“Grand Intermittence Grass is simply too rare, I don’t have any of it here either…” Guild Leader Han shook his head.

Zhang Xuan could only smile bitterly upon seeing this sight too.

The Grand Intermittence Grass was a rather elusive medicinal herb. Back then, he had to specially apply for one from the Qingyuan Empire Apothecary Guild in order to forge the Grand Intermittence Pill.

Even though he had obtained quite a lot of good stuff from slaying the Otherworldly Demon Kings, there wasn’t any Grand Intermittence Grass in their storage rings.

“Actually, there is a Grand Intermittence Grass right in this Saint Ascension Hall!” At this moment, Vice Principal Ji Yan suddenly spoke up.

“There’s one here?” The crowd was taken aback.

“Un. Didn’t I say earlier that Kong shi has left quite a fortune behind here so that those of the later generations can successfully achieve a breakthrough to become a Celestial Saint? It happens that there is a Grand Intermittence Grass amongst the fortune he has left behind… Back then, I secretly sneaked into the area to take a look, so I am confident of it. However, the area is currently dominated by the Skyleaf King.” Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

“This…” Hearing those words, bitter smiles emerged on the lips of the crowd.

If the Grand Intermittence Grass was just lying around the area, they could still secretly head over there while the Saint Ascension Platform was emanating its sacred light and retrieve it. However, if the Skyleaf King were to keep it with him… it would be nigh impossible for them to lay their hands on it.

“Regarding the fortune you spoke about, where is it stored? I can secretly head over to take a look. If I could sneak the Grand Intermittence Grass away while I am at it, Vice Principal Tan could be relieved from his suffering.” Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing those words, Wu shi and the others frowned, “That’s too dangerous, the Skyleaf King is bound to be in the vicinity. Let’s think of another way instead!”

“Indeed. The Skyleaf King is a Leaving Aperture realm expert, so there’s no way you will be able to stand against him. Furthermore, just like us, he’s bound to have installed all kinds of formations and mechanisms in his base so as to prevent us from assaulting him while his guard is down. If you were to head over recklessly and get caught in one of his traps, there’s no way that we will be able to save you…” Vice Principal Ji Yan added.

“Don’t worry, I have my means. Besides, I will just be taking a look. I will only grab the Grand Intermittence Grass if I spot an opening, or else, I will return straightaway. Rest assured, I am not so foolish as to challenge the Skyleaf King head on…” Zhang Xuan said.

“This…” The crowd glanced at one another hesitantly. Wu shi opened his mouth once more to dissuade Zhang Xuan from the matter, but before he could speak, Zhang Xuan had already interjected, “Don’t worry. Even if I am captured by the Skyleaf King, I do have some means of my own to escape from him!”

“… Alright then.” Seeing how confident Zhang Xuan was, Wu shi eventually relented.

…

“Alright, I will be heading out first then…”

After Vice Principal Ji Yan pointed out the directions, Zhang Xuan left the room with a reassuring smile, and after making a few turns, he disappeared from everyone else’s eyes.

“This… Wu shi, it’s too reckless to have him go on his own. He can’t possibly deal with the Skyleaf King himself!” Vice Principal Tan Qing couldn’t help but speak up worriedly.

He didn’t want others to lose their life in the midst of saving him.

Vice Principal Ji Yan also shared the same thoughts as well, and he couldn’t help but pace around the room anxiously.

“Well, I do think that it’s a little reckless as well, but… if you were to know about Principal Zhang’s accomplishments in his battles with the Otherworldly Demons, you will probably think that he just might succeed as well!” Knowing that they would respond in such a manner, Wu shi replied.

“Accomplishments? What accomplishments?” The duo looked at him curiously.

“Since you have been together with the Skyleaf King for so long, I believe that you should have heard of the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage, right?” Wu shi asked.

“Of course. They are said to be experts on par with the Skyleaf King. Every single one of them wields incredible strength that could easily devastate any Tier-1 Empire. They are truly frightening existences!” Vice Principal Ji Yan nodded.

“Indeed. Most of them possess strength on par with me, some superior even. But singlehandedly, Principal Zhang…”

At this point, a helpless look appeared on Wu shi’s face as he continued.

“… managed to slaughter the other nine of them!”