Chapter 1031: Hu Yunsheng's Panic

While these matters seemed complex to explain, once the other party's identity was known, deductions became straightforward.

As he was conversing with King Ziye, Poison Master Bai's spirit was seen returning to his body nearby. He strode over to the trapped King Tuye, touched him with a finger, and a special poison seeped into the latter's body. With a cold expression, Poison Master Bai demanded in a low voice, "Who sent you?"

"This is bad!"

Seeing the direct interrogation, Zhang Xuan's expression changed. He quickly rushed forward, intending to intervene, when he saw the trapped King Tuye in the middle flush red and let out a cold laugh.

"Haha... you've walked right into our trap!"

With that, he tilted his head, blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and he ceased breathing.

This individual, like King Jinye and King Qingye, carried a potent poison in his mouth. In the event of mission failure, he would commit suicide immediately to prevent any secrets from being revealed.

Knowing the person's identity, Zhang Xuan and King Ziye were speculating on how he had arrived there. They hadn't anticipated Poison Master Bai's swift use of poison, and by the time they considered acting, it was already too late.

The substances these individuals used caused instant death upon consumption. Even with medical skills comparable to a seven-star physician, Zhang Xuan was powerless to save him.

"A trap?"

Poison Master Bai and the others were unconcerned by the man's death; their priority was the map. Since he had died there, the map must surely be with him.

He stepped forward, removed the storage ring, and after searching its contents, his expression turned grim.

"What's wrong?" Poison Master Hai asked, noticing his expression.

"It's not in here..." Poison Master Bai replied.

"Not here?"

Poison Master Hai was puzzled.

He had killed Hall Master Ruo, seized the map, and then been captured by the two of them before he could even escape. How could the map not be in his possession?

"You guessed correctly; we fell for a 'lure the tiger out of its den' strategy!" Gritting his teeth, Poison Master Bai was filled with regret.

Poison Master Hai and the others were not foolish; they immediately grasped the situation upon hearing this.

It appeared someone else had stolen the map. This man had deliberately exposed himself, drawing everyone's attention and creating an opportunity for his accomplice to escape.

More than ten minutes had passed since the incident. If their suspicions were correct, the thief had likely already fled beyond the Poison Hall's territory. Once they reached the sea, all traces would disappear, making further pursuit impossible.

"It's... King Tianye!"

While everyone else was grasping the situation, Zhang Xuan had naturally also deduced it. His face was grim when he heard King Ziye's slightly trembling voice.

"King Tianye?"

"He is the strongest and most cunning among our Ten Kings of Qingtian! His cultivation has long reached the early stage of the Saint 5-dan, Out-of-Body realm! Only he possesses the ability to escape silently right under the noses of two Saint 5-dan experts..."

King Ziye explained.

"The early Out-of-Body realm?" Zhang Xuan's face was ashen.

If what King Ziye said was true, it was indeed highly plausible!

A powerful expert at that realm could easily hide their physical body outside the island, have their spirit discreetly enter, and then swiftly escape after acquiring the map. Their speed would be so immense that even a spirit-level sacred beast couldn't catch them.

No wonder even he had been deceived, and his Eye of Insight hadn't detected any flaws. He had never imagined such a formidable expert existed among the Ten Kings of Qingtian.

It seemed he would need to be more cautious in the future.

"Who are your Ten Kings, and what are their respective strengths?"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

Although he had indirectly or directly killed or subdued half of the Ten Kings, he didn't actually know the identities of all ten or their exact strengths. The thought alone was frustrating.

Of course, while Zhang Xuan found it frustrating, if the Emperor of Qingtian were to know, he would surely vomit blood on the spot.

Four of his ten most capable subordinates had been outmaneuvered to their deaths, and one had been subdued. Yet, this person knew absolutely nothing about them, a blank slate.

If he was already causing such devastation without even knowing who they were, what would happen once he gained a full understanding? Wouldn't he obliterate their entire lineage?

"Kings Jinye, Qingye, Shuiye, and Tuye are already dead. Besides me, there are five other great kings remaining: King Tianye, King Yuye, King Fengye, King Shiye, and King Huoye. Among them, King Tianye is the strongest and the leader of the Ten Kings. King Yuye is second; although he hasn't reached the Out-of-Body realm, he is at the Half-step Out-of-Body level! Below them are King Fengye, King Shiye, and King Huoye – each of them is incredibly powerful, even stronger than us. Therefore, they are referred to as the Upper Five Kings, while we are the Lower Five Kings."

Without hesitation, King Ziye thoroughly detailed the situation of the Ten Kings.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The remaining five kings were already formidable opponents, and he hadn't anticipated the existence of the Upper Five Kings. Judging by their demeanor, the other party seemed intent on acquiring whatever was in the ruins, and now they had even stolen the map. Zhang Xuan feared that when the ruins reopened, humanity would face significant trouble.

"We'll face challenges as they come!"

Such an unexpected turn of events was beyond his prediction. Not only would King Tianye be incredibly difficult to track after having escaped for so long, but even if they found him, Poison Master Bai and Poison Master Hai, despite their recent breakthroughs, would certainly be no match.

He himself was even less so.

While using King Ziye and the puppet to contend with Saint 4-dan experts might be feasible, facing a Saint 5-dan opponent would mean running as far and as fast as possible.

He had just witnessed the incredible power of the Out-of-Body realm firsthand; fighting with one's spirit allowed for astonishing feats, like flying through the sky and burrowing through the earth with seemingly infinite power. Without sufficient cultivation, one couldn't even touch their opponent's clothes.

They were simply not on the same level.

While master teachers could fight above their cultivation level, the Out-of-Body realm presented a significant hurdle. One's physical True Qi differed vastly from a spirit, akin to the disparity between a human and a deity, making it almost impossible to overcome.

Taking himself as an example, he could defeat a Saint 2-dan Spirit Acuity realm expert even before reaching the Saint realm, effectively battling across two major cultivation levels.

While this ability was significant below the Saint 5-dan, once one reached that level, even a peak Spirit realm expert would find it challenging to defeat an early Out-of-Body realm practitioner.

Furthermore, a Spirit realm expert who couldn't win could simply escape immediately; anyone with insufficient cultivation wouldn't be able to catch them. Beyond other abilities, consider burrowing through the earth: without reaching the Spirit realm, no one could accomplish this feat except for those with special bloodlines like King Tuye.

When burrowing or diving, a spirit could move without needing to breathe, completely unhindered. A physical body, however, made such feats impossible.

"The Spirit race stole the map and murdered Hall Master Ruo. This matter must be reported to headquarters immediately. Poison Master Sun, we shall take our leave now..."

As the two conversed, Poison Master Bai and the others also looked on, their faces etched with dejection.

It was clear they also realized the thief was untraceable, and continuing the pursuit would be a waste of time. Rather than struggling further, it would be better to first escort the Grandmaster back to headquarters.

"Very well!"

Zhang Xuan responded.

With the Hall Master of Hongyuan Poison Hall assassinated, the organization could not remain leaderless. Everyone unanimously nominated Elder Xu as the new Hall Master.

After presenting Elder Xu with the Earth Treasury Flower and guiding him in the art of poison refinement, enabling his successful breakthrough to a seven-star poison master, Zhang Xuan finally relaxed.

His objective for coming here accomplished, there was no need to linger further. He stood up and bid farewell to Poison Master Bai and the others.

The flying sacred beast ridden by Poison Master Bai was incredibly swift, returning to Jingyuan City in less than a day.

After dismounting the sacred beast, he reiterated his instructions. Only when the two poison masters reaffirmed their commitment to wholeheartedly protect Wei Ruyan did Zhang Xuan feel at ease.

All students eventually leave their teachers, and he was no exception.

No matter how fierce an eagle, if it is never allowed to soar alone and is constantly sheltered under its parent's wing, it will never truly develop its potential.

Students are much the same.

For this very reason, despite his reluctance, he still allowed his students to depart one by one.

First Zhao Ya, then Lu Chong, followed by Yuan Tao, and now it was Wei Ruyan's turn...

Judging by Zheng Yang, he would likely also head to the Combat Master Hall. Out of seven disciples, nearly five had now departed.

Filled with emotion, he unconsciously found himself entering Moyun Pavilion once more.

Inquiring with Pavilion Master Hu Yunsheng, he learned that the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hongyuan Imperial Family had dispatched personnel yesterday to seal off the City Lord's residence.

It turned out that the Spirit race had manipulated the City Lord's only son, which compelled the City Lord to obey their commands.

As a human serving the Spirit race, he was unforgivable regardless of the reason. He had now been escorted to the imperial capital, where Yu Shenqing would personally preside over his trial.

Upon hearing this news, Zhang Xuan sighed.

In anything one does, a single misstep can lead to a chain of errors, bringing only greater trouble in the future.

After helping Hu Yunsheng resolve the Heavenly Dao True Qi within him, Zhang Xuan stood up and bid farewell. He summoned his Ziyang Beast, stepped onto its back, and soared directly towards the Master Teacher Academy.

"A Ziyang Beast... a Saint-realm Ziyang Beast?"

Watching him depart, seemingly tearing through the air, Hu Yunsheng froze in place, utterly stunned.

"Pavilion Master, what's wrong?" Zhu Xiao asked, puzzled, having never seen his Pavilion Master lose composure in such a way.

While Ziyang Beasts were uncommon sacred beasts, there were still a fair number throughout the Hongyuan Empire. There seemed no need for such an extreme reaction.

"There are indeed many Ziyang Beasts, but... there is only one Ziyang Beast of *that* caliber in the entire Hongyuan Empire..."

Recognizing his confusion, Hu Yunsheng offered a wry smile.

"Only one?" Zhu Xiao froze for a moment. "Could it be... has the Pavilion Master already deduced Senior Sun's true identity?"

"If my guess is correct, his current appearance is a disguise, and his real name is... Zhang Xuan!"

Hu Yunsheng nodded.

"Zhang Xuan?" Zhu Xiao's body stiffened, and his face paled. "Are you referring to... the new Head of the Master Teacher Academy, Head Zhang Xuan?"

As a central hub for information, Moyun Pavilion was well-informed about Zhang Xuan's deeds. Even Zhu Xiao had read about the Head's legendary life and had always regarded him as an idol, a lifelong goal to strive for.

"It is him..." Hu Yunsheng nodded. "It just now occurred to me that Head Zhang's butler is named Sun Qiang. Furthermore, the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Imperial Family were able to deal with the City Lord so swiftly because, according to internal sources, it was Head Zhang who issued the command. Combining all these facts, I'd truly be a fool not to have guessed his identity!"

"This..."

Only then did Zhu Xiao fully understand, yet he could barely fathom that Head Zhang had personally visited their Jingyuan City, and even their Moyun Pavilion.

"By the way, Pavilion Master... I recall you seemed intent on robbing him, even killing for his wealth..."

Recalling this, he quickly looked up to see his Pavilion Master's face pale and veins bulging on his forehead. "If you dare reveal this, believe me, I will crush you to death right here, right now..."

Hu Yunsheng was now filled with lingering dread just thinking about it.

To attempt robbery, of all people, against the Head of the Master Teacher Academy... wasn't that a death wish? Fortunately, the man was a master teacher who valued reason; otherwise, Hu Yunsheng would likely have been a corpse long ago.