Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric
Even though three months in the Subterranean Gallery couldn’t be considered to be a severe punishment, it couldn’t be said to be a light one either.
The Subterranean Gallery was the intersection point between the Master Teacher Continent and the otherworldly battlefields. As such, it was constantly plagued with overwhelming killing intent. From time to time, Otherworldly Demons might even appear. Without a doubt, it was one of the most dangerous lands on the Master Teacher Continent, and most of those who ventured into its depths never return alive.
Only master teachers who had committed unpardonable crimes or wanted to make one last contribution to mankind would apply to enter those lands.
This was also the same with School Head Lu Feng back then.
Putting aside the fact that Sun Qiang wasn’t a poison master, even if he was, he hadn’t committed any harm to others, so how could he be said to have committed a grievous crime? Not even a master teacher had the right to claim the life of an innocent man! And since Sun Qiang hadn’t erred, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly be implicated into the matter as well!
For the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a person who wields great authority in his hands, to judge a matter in such a manner… How ludicrous!
“Vice Pavilion Master Tian is already being magnanimous by showing you leniency for your actions, you really don’t know what is best for you!” King Zhongqing roared furiously.
“You can have this kind of leniency for yourself!” Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered with King Zhongqing any longer. Instead, he walked straight up to Sun Qiang.
Huala!
Seeing Zhang Xuan walking towards them, the two guards who were standing beside Sun Qiang swiftly drew their weapons warily.
However, barely after their swords left their sheath, they abruptly shattered into two with a crisp echo, and the tip of their swords flew into the distance. Right after that, the two guards were suddenly sent flying with a deep moan, crashing heavily onto a pillar right outside the hall before blacking out.
At this point, Zhang Xuan was already standing before Sun Qiang, and sighing deeply, he said, “You have suffered…”
In the next moment, the Golden Soul Lock on Sun Qiang suddenly flew out and fell onto the ground. Following that, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger towards Sun Qiang.
Tzzzzz!
The latter’s injuries began recovering at a pace visible to the eye.
As Sun Qiang’s cultivation was far lower than his, it didn’t take long for the Heaven’s Path zhenqi to heal his injuries.
“Audacious! Zhang Xuan, this is Qingyuan City, not your Hongyuan Empire! To disregard the earnest lecturing of a senior master teacher and act on your own accord, showing no regards for the law at all, a person like you isn’t worthy to be a master teacher. Men, take him down!” King Zhongqing roared.
Hualala!
Right after saying those words, a bunch of men suddenly barged into the hall.
“Young Master…”
Seeing that the Young Master was actually standing against the First King of Qingyuan Conferred Empire for him, Sun Qiang couldn’t help but feel a surge of warmth run through his heart.
Falling out with a vice head of a Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion could possibly mean giving his future away, and yet, the Young Master still did so unhesitatingly just to save a servant like him… To him, this was a debt of gratitude greater than the heaven itself.
Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er also swiftly moved over to Zhang Xuan and stood by his side as they warily scanned their surroundings.
Despite the sudden onslaught of guards, Zhang Xuan didn’t pay them any heed. Instead, he turned straight towards King Zhongqing and uttered coldly, “You wish to capture me? King Zhongqing, it seems like you really don’t fear death. Or perhaps, do you honestly think that I dare not kill you?”
“Kill me? You? Hahaha, it seems like becoming the principal of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy has really got to your head! A mere 6-star master teacher like you dare to speak of killing me… The fact that you disrespected Vice Pavilion Tian is more than sufficient to have you indicted on the grounds of insubordination. Today, I shall help the Master Teacher Pavilion purge its black sheep!” Sneering coldly, the aura shrouding King Zhongqing swiftly intensified, and it took a mere blink of an eye for it to reach its peak.
Under the immense power he was emanating, the surrounding air began to distort. This was the overwhelming might of a Saint 4-dan cultivator, a Primordial Spirit realm expert!
His strength had already surpassed the head of the Formation Master Guild, Guild Leader Han, reaching a level on par with Wu shi prior to entering the Qiu Wu Palace.
“King Zhongqing, no matter what, Zhang shi is still our master teacher. Even if he has erred, he can only be judged in our Master Teacher Pavilion. It’ll do to just capture him, make sure to spare his life…” Seeing that King Zhongqing was going to make a move, Vice Pavilion Master Tian instructed.
“Rest assured, Vice Pavilion Master Tian. I won’t go too far…” Sneering coldly, King Zhongqing thrust his palm forward, and in an instant, it felt as if ominous clouds had gathered within the hall, and a powerful might reminiscent of the relentless waves of the ocean began crashing down upon Zhang Xuan.
On top of that, perhaps due to cultivating some kind of secret art, the First King’s zhenqi was not only condensed and powerful, it was also imbued with the scent of the battlefield, leaving one feeling as if one was standing amidst of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
“That is… Scarlet Robe of Carnage?” Upon seeing the move, Luo Qiqi’s eyebrows knitted together warily.
“Scarlet Robe of Carnage?”
“It’s a technique that boasts of the strongest killing intent in Qingyuan Empire. Those who cultivate this technique must use fresh blood as a medium in order to advance their mastery in the technique. Once one starts practicing the technique, there’s no turning back. The very sight of blood will trigger one’s bloodlust, causing one to go into a manic. It’s a truly sinister technique. Even the Art of Drawing Oceans will struggle to be a match for it!” Luo Qiqi explained grimly.
“However, due to the innately destructive nature of the technique, there was no master teacher or combat master who is willing to learn it… Who could have thought that a King of Qingyuan Empire would actually learn such a depraved technique! Teacher, you must be careful!”
“A mere small fry!”
In contrast to Luo Qiqi’s anxiety, Zhang Xuan didn’t show the slightest hint of panic. Instead, with a derisive smile, he flicked his finger.
Sou!
The Golden Soul Lock immediately flew towards King Zhongqing at a speed as swift as a streak of lightning, and in just an instant, it collided with the powerful palm strike that King Zhongqing executed an instant ago.
Astonishingly, the palm strike didn’t even hinder the advancement of the Golden Soul Lock by even the slightest. It swiftly overwhelmed the palm thrust and arrived right before King Zhongqing
Peng!
The Golden Soul Lock struck King Zhongqing’s chest squarely, and the latter’s face immediately reddened from the impact before spurting a mouthful of blood.
Deng deng deng deng!
He swiftly retreated eight steps in order to ward off the impact before crashing into the exquisitely carved wooden chair behind him. The chair swiftly caved in to the pressure and exploded into countless smithereens.
King Zhongqing had to drive his zhenqi furiously and exert a relentless wave of might behind before he was able to finally steady his figure. At this point, he felt his blood within his body billowing furiously, and his face paled from frailty. He stared at the young man before him in disbelief, unable to accept what he had just experienced.
He was a Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert whereas the other party was only a Saint 2-dan Spiritual Perception ream pinnacle cultivator… There was a gap of two whole realms between them!
Logically speaking, this should be an unbreachable gap for any cultivator, no matter how skilled a fighter one was, and yet… the other party was actually able to neutralize his palm strike with such ease and even knock him back at that…
Too frightening!
King Zhongqing was not the only one astonished by the happenings, Vice Pavilion Master Tian was startled as well.
Zhang Xuan’s fighting prowess had far surpassed his imagination. Such an outcome had never flashed across his mind, not even once.
“No wonder you dared to act so arrogantly, so you do have something up your sleeves. However… if this is all you got, I’ll make sure you dearly regret your actions!” Gesturing to Vice Pavilion Master Tian that he didn’t have to make a move, King Zhongqing roared furiously as he flicked his five fingers forth furiously. At the same time, he flicked his wrist forcefully, and his palm fell downward with a shape reminiscent of a lotus leaf.
“Three Autumn Palm!” Zhang Xuan recognized the battle technique.
Having browsed through all of the books in the Combat Master Hall’s Martial Arts Division and internalized them, he couldn’t be any more familiar with this battle technique.
Three Autumns of Osmanthus, Ten Li of Lotus Flower! 1
The might of this technique was comparable to the Grand Constellation Finger, and it was relatively famous for its difficulty within the Combat Master Hall. There were many combat masters who had to spend decades on it before managing to achieve some degree of mastery in it. Yet, King Zhongqing had actually managed to achieve a mastery of Major Accomplishment in it!
Such a formidable battle technique paired with the Scarlet Robe of Carnage made the hall feel as if it had turned into a marshland. Crimson bloodied lotuses bloomed one after another eerily, and it felt as if they would reap the soul and life of those who dared to approach them.
“This is indeed a powerful battle technique. Even Division Head Liao and the others would have to retreat temporarily before its immense might, but… it’s a pity that you picked the wrong opponent!” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan took a step forward instead of retreating, stepping right upon one of the scarlet lotuses. He raised his finger and tapped forward.
Weng!
The brilliance of the stars shimmered on his fingertip, outshining even the radiance of the Night Illumination Pearls embedded on the roof.
A furious surge of zhenqi burst forth from his fingertip, tearing apart the Three Autumn Palm in an instant. In the next moment, blood spurted wildly from King Zhongqing’s mouth, and he was forced to retreat in a fluster yet again. A few steps later, his back crashed heavily onto the wall behind him.
Hualala!
Dust fell from the ceiling, cloaking his figure.
“You know of the flaws of the Three Autumn Palm?” King Zhongqing couldn’t believe his eyes.
Under normal circumstances, given that the Grand Constellation Finger and Three Autumn Palm were two battle techniques of equivalent might, even if they were to clash directly with one another, he shouldn’t have suffered such an utter defeat. But… somehow, Zhang Xuan seemed to have found the flaws in his technique and aimed his attack directly at it, causing his zhenqi to wither. As a result, his offense was subdued in an instant, causing him to sustain severe injuries.
Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to King Zhongqing at all. Placing his hands behind his back loftily, he calmly turned to Sun Qiang and said, “He has caused you great suffering, so how do you think we should deal with him?”
“Since he used the Golden Soul Lock to pierce my chest, it’s only right to return the favor to him!” Sun Qiang spat through gritted teeth.
“That’s simple!” Zhang Xuan smiled softly as he raised his palm once more.
Huala!
The Golden Soul Lock on the ground immediately flew into the air and slithered menacingly as if a vicious snake.
On the other hand, seeing that Zhang Xuan was actually discussing with a mere subordinate on how he should be dealt with, King Zhongqing felt deeply humiliated. His face turned crimson, and he bellowed furiously, “What are you all waiting for? Take him down!”
Huala!
RIght after those words were spoken, the guards standing in the surroundings immediately charged forward with furious battle cries.
“Hmph!”
Couldn’t even be bothered to turn around, Zhang Xuan stomped his feet on the ground.
Huala!
A surge of zhenqi rippled from his feet, and in the blink of an eye, the formation shrouding the hall came to life, blocking all of the guards outside. No matter how hard they knocked against the formation, it simply wouldn’t budge.
“Even you are nothing to me. Do you think that a bunch of small fries will be able to stop me?” Zhang Xuan glanced at King Zhongqing coldly.
Having mastered everything within the Combat Master Hall, Zhang Xuan’s prowess could be considered to be invincible amongst Primordial Spirit realm. Even if King Zhongqing was an exceptional cultivator, his strength still meant nothing before him.
Huala!
Right after saying those words, the Golden Soul Lock rose up once more, seemingly ready to devour the figure before him whole.
“Vice Hall Master Tian, save me!” In face of the monstrous strength of the young man before him, the desperate King Zhongqing could only turn to the elder beside him for help.
“This is enough. Any more than this, and I will have to issue a master teacher arrest warrant on you…”
At this point, Vice Pavilion Master Tian could also see that King Zhongqing wasn’t a match either. Shaking his head, he stepped forward and raised his palm, wanting to stop the Golden Soul Lock from making a move against King Zhongqing. However, in that instant, with a loud whiz, a massive cauldron abruptly fell from the sky.
Putong!
It fell straight on the head of Vice Pavilion Master Tian, causing the latter to collapse onto the ground, sprawled over in a ‘大’ shape.
“Master, where is the fellow whom you want me to pummel? Watch as I reduce that bastard to cinders for you!”
“…” Zhang Xuan.
“…” Vice Pavilion Master Tian Qing.
