Chapter 1011: Purple Leaf King's Surrender

Time did not allow him to think further, nor did it leave him much time for frustration. Hearing the command, the many puppets roared as they charged forward.

Previously, King Zi Ye might have been able to put up some resistance against these Saint 3-realm puppets. But now, poisoned, he was completely defenseless. Before long, his face was covered in footprints, his head swollen like a watermelon, and he lay flat on the ground, barely breathing, on the verge of death.

Holding a glass of fine wine, Zhang Xuan approached, stared at the man, and said elegantly, "Become my beast pet, and I will spare your life!"

Based on his experience with the previous kings, the likelihood of this one surrendering was low, but it was worth a try. If successful, having a Saint 4-realm Otherworldly Demon as a subordinate would significantly enhance his self-preservation capabilities.

This would also allow him to uncover more of their secrets, like why they dispatched so many kings and why they were so determined to locate the Poison Hall.

"You... you're dreaming!"

Hearing this demand, King Zi Ye gnashed his teeth in fury, on the verge of exploding.

How could he, a dignified king, be asked to become a beast pet? It was simply intolerable!

"Very well then!"

Zhang Xuan gave a command: "Beat him mercilessly!"

He held no goodwill or sympathy for the Otherworldly Demons; if they wouldn't submit, he would simply kill them.

*Thump, thump, thump, thump!*

The puppets launched another barrage of punches and kicks. In a short time, King Zi Ye's face turned pale, and he no longer had the strength to speak.

This time, Zhang Xuan had learned his lesson. He sealed the king's acupoints beforehand, preventing his primordial spirit from escaping and ensuring he posed no further threat.

After another period of beating, seeing that King Zi Ye was on the verge of death, Zhang Xuan finally signaled the puppets to stop. He then instructed, "Ruthless Man, he's all yours. Make sure to thoroughly interrogate him about their purpose in seeking the Poison Hall..."

Since Ruthless Man had a method to handle them, Zhang Xuan decided against attempting a soul-search himself. The opponent's strength far surpassed his own, and a forced soul-search could cause significant damage to his witch soul.

"Don't worry, Young Master!"

Ruthless Man's voice echoed, and then a finger suddenly appeared, pointing directly at King Zi Ye.

"This is... the aura of an Otherworldly Demon Emperor?"

King Zi Ye's vision swam as he felt the power emanating from the finger bone.

He could clearly sense the terrifying power of this finger bone; it had undoubtedly reached the Emperor level.

A formidable Emperor actually recognized this human as Young Master?

"Don't kill me, I... I am willing to acknowledge you as my master..."

Knowing that falling into the hands of this Emperor meant a fate worse than death, King Zi Ye immediately gritted his teeth and spoke.

While acknowledging a human master would undoubtedly result in his death without burial if discovered by his tribe, he currently had no other options.

If he refused, he would surely be slaughtered like the three kings, Jin, Qing, and Shui, with his primordial spirit unable to escape.

Accepting him as master, however, might allow him to survive.

"Acknowledge me as your master?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned. He hadn't held much hope, yet the other party had unexpectedly agreed. He smiled faintly and nodded, "Then sacrifice a portion of your soul!"

To gain complete control over the other party, he needed to hold their soul in his hands.

"Yes!"

King Zi Ye's face was etched with bitterness. However, as an Otherworldly Demon King who had weathered many storms, once he made his decision, he did not hesitate. With a mental command, a portion of his primordial spirit split from within him and flew out from his glabella.

Zhang Xuan extended his witch soul, drawing the primordial spirit into his mind.

Instantly, the opponent's thoughts and even intentions became clearly visible. Any hint of resistance could be easily suppressed.

"What a powerful witch soul! Is my master not a poison master, but a witch soul master?"

As Zhang Xuan perceived the other's thoughts, King Zi Ye's primordial spirit also sensed the formidable power of his witch soul.

A soul so potent from the Saint realm level could only belong to a witch soul master; otherwise, it made no sense.

But... hadn't witch soul masters been extinct for ages? How had this master obtained their legacy and cultivated his soul to such a terrifying extent?

More importantly, wasn't he a poison master? Could poison masters and witch soul masters cultivate simultaneously?

"Master, I have completely submitted. May I ask you to remove the potent poison from my body?"

Though questions swirled in his mind, he knew this was not the time to ask them. With a bitter smile, King Zi Ye prostrated himself and spoke.

He had meticulously examined the potent poison in his body moments ago; it was unlike anything he had ever encountered, and he doubted any of his antidotes would work.

"Since you have submitted to me, it's not merely about detoxification!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, raising an eyebrow.

*Boom!*

King Zi Ye instantly felt the potent poison in his body surge again. His expression changed, and just as he was about to beg for mercy, he noticed his injuries visibly healing under the poison's strange nourishment.

"Th-this..." King Zi Ye was utterly dumbfounded.

The potent poison that he himself couldn't resist moments ago had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a supreme healing elixir.

To turn poison into medicine with a single thought—could the other party be a poison master beyond the seven-star level? If so, that would be truly terrifying!

If a poison master of this caliber entered the Outer Demonic Battlefield, the entire Qingtian lineage could be easily poisoned, leaving no survivors.

Amidst his astonishment, although his injuries weren't fully healed, they no longer hindered his movement.

Witnessing such rapid recovery, King Zi Ye was genuinely awestruck and knelt to the ground.

"Master!"

"From now on, address me as Young Master!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Since you have submitted to me, there's no harm in revealing my true identity. Actually... I am a Master Teacher!"

"M-Master Teacher?" King Zi Ye stood rooted to the spot, nearly fainting on the spot.

He had speculated his opponent was a poison master, or a witch soul master, but instead... he was told he was a Master Teacher...

Since when did Master Teachers also cultivate witch souls and refine poisons?

More importantly, weren't Master Teachers supposed to be honorable gentlemen, acting openly and fighting fairly?

When did they become so insidious, secretly luring him into a trap and tricking him so thoroughly?

Such shamelessness! Even if he were a Master Teacher, he must be an unorthodox one, surely not recognized by the mainstream Master Teacher Pavilion!

As he was still pondering, the Young Master's calm voice continued to speak.

"My identity is the Dean of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Academy!"

*Pfft!*

Unable to contain himself, King Zi Ye spat out a mouthful of blood.

Having paid a heavy price to emerge from the Hongyuan Empire's nexus, he naturally understood the significance of this Dean throughout the entire empire.

In his mind, the Dean should have been a venerable, strict, and upright individual. He had never expected him to be a sneaky, shameless person who would resort to any means to achieve his goals—and, most shockingly, also cultivate as a poison master and a witch soul master.

Had the Master Teacher Academy gone blind, or had his own understanding simply failed to keep up with the times?

"Alright, continue to disguise yourself as a human."

Unaware of King Zi Ye's inner turmoil, Zhang Xuan gave his instruction after introducing himself.

Having been mercilessly beaten and severely injured by the puppets, he had already dropped his disguise and reverted to his true Otherworldly Demon form.

Within the level-seven illusion array, it was acceptable if others couldn't see him, but once outside, his appearance would be truly shocking. It was best for him to maintain his human disguise.

"Yes!" King Zi Ye nodded. He clawed at his chest with his large hand, and a shimmer of light enveloped his entire body. Moments later, he transformed back into his previous human appearance.

"You rely on this for your disguise?"

Zhang Xuan was surprised by his action.

Unlike Zhang Xuan, who relied on the contortion of muscles and bones for his disguise, the other party used a special artifact.

"This is a Disguise Button we obtained by sacrificing to our Spirit God. As long as one possesses royal blood, it can be easily activated to assume a human form, making it extremely difficult for Master Teachers to detect!"

"Spirit God?"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan looked at him.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

"It is the deity our Spirit Race worships. We discovered this place precisely under their guidance!"

King Zi Ye explained.

"You're saying... your god guided you to the Master Teacher Continent?"

He had always assumed the Otherworldly Demons' attacks on humans were merely inter-racial conflicts, but it appeared there was a deeper connection to this Spirit God.

"Yes, I heard these details from Emperor Qingtian myself. The specific events occurred long ago and are untraceable. However, as long as we sacrifice enough Master Teacher souls and corpses, we can receive generous rewards. This Disguise Button was obtained through such a sacrifice!"

King Zi Ye explained.

"Hmm," Zhang Xuan nodded. He knew these matters were still somewhat distant for him, and the other party probably couldn't provide a clear explanation even if they tried. He ceased his questioning on that topic and instead asked, "Why are you searching for the Poison Hall?"

Since the Otherworldly Demons' goal was humanity, they could simply attack the Hongyuan Imperial Family directly. Why dispatch two kings to painstakingly search for the Poison Hall?

"To answer you, Young Master, we discovered a ruin that very likely contains a treasure capable of breaking the seal on the passage. Once we acquire it, our tribesmen can enter this realm en masse and reclaim the territory we lost!"

King Zi Ye explained, "However, that ruin is exceedingly perilous. Several kings we dispatched previously became trapped within it and have not emerged since. After extensive inquiries, it appears the Poison Hall might possess a detailed map of that area. That is why Emperor Qingtian sent the two of us here to find a way to infiltrate the Poison Hall and retrieve the map."

"A map? A ruin?"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look at him.

"Could the ruin you're referring to be in Huoyuan City?"

The old dean had previously mentioned that the ruin he intended to visit was of great importance, and that the Poison Hall possessed its map, but he had no time to search for it himself.

Now, this individual also spoke of something similar. Could they both be referring to the same ruin?

"Yes, it's in Huoyuan City!"

King Zi Ye nodded.

He was about to ask how the Young Master knew this, but then, remembering he was the Dean of the Master Teacher Academy, he immediately understood.

If the core strength of humanity were unaware of this information, they would surely have been overrun by the Spirit Race long ago. The Otherworldly Demons wouldn't still be confined to the harsh, barren lands, unable to return.

"I see..."

Hearing the confirmation, Zhang Xuan nodded.

If it truly involved a treasure capable of breaking the node's seal, it was no wonder the old dean had chosen to go despite knowing it was a suicidal mission!

For if the Otherworldly Demons succeeded, it would likely spell an immense disaster for all of humanity.