Chapter 1010: The Frustrated Purple Leaf King

This sincerity, seemingly from the heart, possessed a natural, irresistible charm.

"The items aren't important; what matters most are those two individuals who dared to steal from the City Lord's Mansion. If they aren't apprehended, how can Jingyuan City uphold its authority in the future?"

Swayed by the other's apparent "sincerity," the guard couldn't help but say,

"Indeed, stealing from the City Lord's Mansion is an unforgivable crime!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, speaking with righteous conviction: "However, if you search this way, and if they truly are hiding here, they'll surely be aware and might quietly slip away. How about this: let Hall Master Hu activate all the surrounding formations, making it impossible for them to escape. Then we can make other plans!"

"Uh..." The guard didn't dare to make the decision himself and turned to look at King Ziye, who was nearby.

"Yes!" After a moment of hesitation, King Ziye nodded and instructed, "Those two have a very deep understanding of formations. It would be best if you activated the most powerful formations of your Moyun Pavilion; otherwise, I'm afraid they might still be able to escape easily!"

The person who rescued Elder Xu easily altered and activated formations—something even he couldn't accomplish. This alone showed that their mastery of formations had reached an exceptionally profound level; ordinary formations simply wouldn't be able to trap them.

"That powerful? Well then, I happen to have a very powerful formation disc here. I'll activate it now!"

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

"A formation disc?" King Ziye frowned.

"I obtained it during a trial. It's already reached Level 7. I usually don't need to use it, but since you say these two thieves are so formidable, using this formation would be the most secure approach!"

"Level 7?" King Ziye's eyes lit up.

A formation disc of this level, once activated, would make even his escape difficult. It was surprising that an inconspicuous Moyun Pavilion possessed such an item; no wonder they had so many treasures for auction!

Indeed, they were not to be underestimated.

"Yes!" he replied. Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a formation disc appeared in his palm. He forcefully channeled True Qi into it, and with a rumble, the surroundings were immediately enveloped in mist.

"Impressive!" King Ziye's pupils contracted.

Although this formation was just a simple illusory maze, it was extremely stable. Even if he exerted his full strength to break it, he wouldn't be able to do so in less than ten minutes. For those at Saint 2-dan or 3-dan, escape would be impossible.

"Once those two individuals are found, I'll seize this formation disc as well..."

A glint flashed in his eyes.

He was a Spirit Clan member, inherently irreconcilable with humans. Once those two individuals were found, there would be no need to continue the pretense; he should first seize such a valuable item.

If he had possessed this back at the City Lord's Mansion, how could those two have escaped?

"This formation is good. Take our people to search!"

After a moment of thought, King Ziye waved his hand and said.

Under the shroud of the formation, if those two escaped individuals were truly in Moyun Pavilion, they would definitely not escape. However, with such a dense mist, his people certainly wouldn't be able to find them either; someone would have to guide them.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded and instructed, "Hu Yunsheng, take our friends from the City Lord's Mansion to search everywhere! Oh, and prepare some fine wine to bring over. Senior Ziye and I will sit here and wait for you all!"

"Yes, sir!" Although he didn't know why Senior Sun Qiang was so compliant with the other party's words, he knew it was definitely correct to obey. He nodded and led the numerous guards forward.

In the direction they advanced, the mist automatically dispersed, as if guided by someone.

"Just find the people as quickly as possible; never mind the wine and dishes..."

King Ziye waved his hand.

"Ah, how can we simply forget about it! To be addressed as 'Senior' by the City Lord himself and have the guards follow your command, your status is naturally immensely respected. We are merely merchants, so of course, we must establish a good relationship in advance..."

Zhang Xuan smiled.

The formation disc was under his control; deciding who went where was all within a single thought. Before long, Zhu Xiao, who had been there earlier, brought over wine and dishes.

"Senior, please!" Pouring the wine to the brim, Zhang Xuan's eyes were full of sincerity.

"Hmm!" He originally didn't want to drink, but seeing the other party's clean and pure eyes, without any hint of pretense, he nodded and picked up the wine glass.

However, even so, his spiritual sense still extended towards the wine in front of him, investigating it.

A moment later, he sighed in relief, a slight hint of shame in his eyes.

Upon investigation, he found that there was nothing wrong with the wine; the other party was sincerely inviting him to drink, while he had been suspicious...

Looking up, he saw the middle-aged man opposite him had already drained the fine wine in his glass.

"What, is this wine not to your taste? Should I have someone replace it...?"

Seeing that he wasn't drinking, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"No need..." With a faint smile, King Ziye drained the wine in his cup.

For him, it was just a cup of wine. Not to mention, he had already confirmed it was non-toxic. Even if it were poisonous, with his strength, he could certainly suppress it easily and suffer no harm.

"What spirit!" Seeing him finish drinking, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction: "King Ziye is truly straightforward, unlike that previous one... King Shuiye. I urged him for a long time, almost talking myself hoarse, and he only reluctantly drank a small cup. So troublesome!"

"King Shuiye?" He had just put down his wine glass when he heard this. King Ziye's pupils contracted, and his expression changed. "Who are you?"

The guards had only told the other party that he was Senior Ziye, not King Ziye!

And most critically... the other party also mentioned King Shuiye!

His companion had just been killed, and this guy just mentioned his name and even drank a cup of wine... Could there be a connection?

"Sit down, sit down, don't be nervous. At worst, you'll end up like King Shuiye, just killed. What's the big deal...?" Zhang Xuan waved his hand and continued pouring the wine.

"You... King Shuiye was killed by you? Are you that seven-star master teacher?"

His pupils contracted. King Ziye felt the hairs on his entire body stand on end.

If the other party could kill King Shuiye, they naturally also possessed the strength to kill him. Such a powerful expert was so close, yet he hadn't detected him at all. He simply couldn't believe it.

"What seven-star master teacher? Can't you tell? I'm also the one who rescued Elder Xu!"

Zhang Xuan looked over with a displeased expression. His entire body's muscles and bones rippled, and he transformed back into the appearance of the guard.

"You, you... Die!" Filled with rage, King Ziye roared and suddenly stood up. He clawed his hand forward, intending to strike him down.

He, a dignified member of the Spirit Clan's Qingtian lineage and one of the Ten Kings, had been so thoroughly fooled by a human without even realizing it. He felt like he was about to explode.

"Ah, young people are just so impatient..." Seeing the other party make a move, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. Without making any visible move, King Ziye opposite him turned pale, his body trembling incessantly. He directly fell to his knees, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Inside the fine wine he had just drunk was Zhang Xuan's Heavenly Dao True Qi, which, upon entering his body, had already transformed into a potent poison.

"You poisoned me..." Realizing this, King Ziye's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with terror.

"That's right. If I didn't poison you, did you think I, a mere Grandmaster, could defeat you?"

Clink! As he spoke, two wine glasses were filled to the brim, the wine clear and glistening, not a single drop spilled.

"Grandmaster? You... you're a Grandmaster?" King Ziye was filled with disbelief.

If the other party was a seven-star master teacher, he would accept being defeated by them, but for a Grandmaster to poison him... How could this be possible?

"I only have this much strength; can't you tell?" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"A Grandmaster, how could he kill King Shuiye...? I don't believe it!" With a roar, King Ziye bellowed.

Even if King Shuiye was poisoned, he was still a Saint 4-dan expert. It would be very easy to kill him using a secret technique like an out-of-body spirit. How could he have been killed without even a message being sent out?

"Don't worry, it's not just King Shuiye. King Jinye and King Qingye were also killed by me. It's no big deal! Don't worry, you'll all be reunited soon!"

Picking up a glass of fine wine, Zhang Xuan took a sip and said indifferently.

"You... *pffft!*" King Ziye's body swayed.

He had personally seen King Shuiye's corpse after he was killed. Now hearing that King Jinye and King Qingye were also dead... he nearly went insane.

Which of the Ten Kings of Qingtian wasn't a renowned figure? Let alone a mere first-tier empire like Hongyuan; even in the Qingyuan Conferred Empire, no one would dare to underestimate them.

Not to mention massacring cities, they could at least cause chaos and despair, leaving humanity helpless.

Now, three of the four kings who had emerged at great cost had died without accomplishing anything... And by the sound of it, they all perished at the hands of this Grandmaster. Was this true?

His eyes filled with terror, knowing that since the other party could name them, it was likely true, King Ziye dared not stay. He spun around, about to flee.

The three kings—Jinye, Qingye, and Shuiye—each possessed strength no weaker than his own, yet they all perished at this person's hands. He didn't believe he could defeat him!

It would be better to escape first.

As for the poison in his body, as long as he escaped this dangerous situation, there would always be a way to resolve it...

"Leaving? I've already set up the formation. Isn't it a bit impolite to leave now?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head and rubbed his fingers together again.

King Ziye, who had just flown a short distance, immediately felt pain throughout his body. He fell from the sky and lay on the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

"If I can't escape, then we'll die together..." Feeling the potent poison tearing at him inside, knowing he could die at any moment, King Ziye knew he definitely couldn't escape. Gritting his teeth, he charged at the middle-aged man again.

Since he couldn't escape, he would choose mutual destruction!

"Why do you all like to take others down with you?" Zhang Xuan sighed, his face full of dejection.

He had already dealt with several of these so-called Ten Kings of Qingtian, and every single one of them wanted mutual destruction... Truly unoriginal!

"You guys, go up and first dig out whatever is in his mouth, then give him a good beating!"

With a flick of his finger, seven or eight puppets instantly appeared before him and charged towards King Ziye.

"Spirit Clan members? No, these are puppets..." Seeing the figures charging towards him, King Ziye's body trembled.

To have so many Spirit Clan puppets guarding him—wasn't that the treatment a king should receive?

Are you the Spirit Clan king, or am I?

Why does it feel like... I'm all alone, without a single subordinate, so pathetic...