Chapter 1069: Jade Leaf King

This spirit race member was not tall, and his aura was not strong. Compared to Shi Yewang, who was not far away, he was clearly inferior. However, his eyes conveyed an extreme sense of indifference. His skin, in particular, was as clear as jade, and his breathing was incredibly slow, indicating profound cultivation at a glance.

"Young Master, he is Yu Yewang!" Ziye Wang's voice whispered into Zhang Xuan's ear, her tone seeming to tremble slightly. "He cultivates the 'Broken Jade Art.' Not only is his physical body powerful, but his Primordial Spirit is also terrifying. He has already reached the half-step Embryonic Soul stage..."

"Half-step Embryonic Soul?" Zhang Xuan was startled. He looked again and indeed found that the spirit race member before him had a shimmering spot between his eyebrows, as if his Primordial Spirit could take the final step at any moment, emerging to soar through the sky.

The fifth stage of Saint Realm, the Embryonic Soul realm, refers to the Primordial Spirit leaving the body and being able to fly freely. Individuals at this stage can more easily merge with nature and harness its power to unleash greater combat strength. The Embryonic Soul realm and the Primordial Spirit realm mark a significant dividing line. Just like Zhang Xuan now, he could launch sneak attacks and kill experts in the Primordial Spirit realm, but if he encountered someone in the Embryonic Soul realm, he would flee as far as possible, as he couldn't defeat them at all. Even if he broke through to the Saint Realm, he wouldn't be able to! Although the half-step Embryonic Soul stage wasn't as terrifying, it also couldn't be killed by ordinary physical attacks. No wonder Ziye Wang was so wary; this level of strength was far greater than that of Shi Yewang.

"I miscalculated. I should have informed the Qingyuan Master Teacher Pavilion branch about the Ten Kings of Qingtian and asked them to send more powerful master teachers..." Zhang Xuan felt a bit helpless.

At that time, having consecutively killed several kings, and with the Master Teacher Pavilion guarding the seal, he believed it was impossible for the spirit race to enter, so he hadn't paid too much attention. Now, on their side, the only Seven-Star Master Teachers were Teacher Wu, Teacher Mu, and the three academy deans. Feng Xun and others from the Combat Master Hall had also reached Seven-Star, but their true strength was still a long way from the half-step Embryonic Soul stage. It could be said that their overall strength, compared to the Ten Kings, was not on the same level at all. If he had known they would be so passive, he would have reported it earlier and asked for more formidable master teachers to be dispatched. Although the Master Teacher Pavilion of the Qingyuan Empire was just a branch, there should be quite a few master teachers who had reached the peak of Saint Realm Fourth Stage.

"Forget it, it's useless to say anything now..." This thought flashed through his mind, and he no longer dwelled on it. Anyway, what was the point of agonizing? Besides, six out of ten had already been dealt with. With a bit more effort, the remaining four shouldn't be too difficult!

"There is indeed something I need your help with, which is why I urgently summoned you..." Shi Yewang took a step forward.

"Hmm?" Yu Yewang looked over.

"It's like this: This person lying on the ground is said to be a very distinguished individual among humans. We hope to use your abilities to verify his true identity!" Shi Yewang pointed to Feng Xun, who was lying on the ground. He didn't mention the matter of the Heaven-Acknowledged Master yet. After the other party verified it, if the results were consistent, there would be no more doubts.

"Verify his true identity?" Yu Yewang looked over. "From his attire, he appears to be a combat master. Does he have any other identity? And... Ziye Wang, why are you here?" After speaking, he fixed his gaze intently on Zhang Xuan.

"Well..." Zhang Xuan repeated the lie he had told Shi Yewang earlier, except he still didn't mention the Heaven-Acknowledged Master.

"You mean you went undercover, disguised as a human, and deliberately lured this high-status human here, all to track him?" Yu Yewang found it a bit strange, but still nodded. "Alright, I'll see what kind of identity he possesses to warrant such effort from you. If he is indeed very distinguished, I will help you apply for credit from Emperor Qingtian!"

With a flick of his wrist, he produced an altar. This object was different from the one Zhang Xuan had obtained from Ziye Wang. It was entirely cast from bronze, larger, and inscribed with many strange runes that made one feel dizzy and as if their soul would be swallowed just by looking at them.

"This is Yu Yewang's unique Jade Purity Altar. Among the Ten Kings, Emperor Qingtian only bestowed it upon him... If you use this altar to sacrifice to the spirit deity, it can verify true identities and distinguish authenticity!" Ziye Wang secretly transmitted.

"Only him?" Zhang Xuan wondered. The person before him was neither the strongest nor the lowest-ranked among the Ten Kings, so why was he the only one granted this?

"Yu Yewang oversees criminal law and interrogations within the Qingtian lineage, managing the Criminal Affairs Hall..." Zhang Xuan nodded. One who handles criminal affairs naturally needs the ability to discern truth from falsehood, otherwise, random judgments would cause chaos even without any attacks. Looking at the altar, he couldn't help but feel curious. Judging and discerning should be a special ability; what did it have to do with this object?

His confusion didn't last long, as Yu Yewang solemnly took out a pile of sacrificial items. The altar emitted a faint glow, burning the sacrificial items. A white light enveloped both him and Feng Xun, who was beside him.

Seeing the light encompass them, and Ziye Wang not coming out, Yu Yewang frowned. Shi Yewang's expression also wasn't good, and he couldn't help but call out, "Ziye Wang, we are currently verifying this person's identity. Please step aside..."

"No need... This fellow was captured by my own hands, and I want to witness this firsthand..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. He wasn't clear about the principle behind the other party's test, but Feng Xun was definitely not a Heaven-Acknowledged Master. If he himself left, surely nothing would be detected. Being enveloped might risk exposing his identity, but he was confident that he could make the other party discover the Heaven-Acknowledged Master's identity before they saw through his disguise. Of course, this Heaven-Acknowledged Master identity was to be framed onto Feng Xun.

"As you wish!" Seeing that he absolutely refused to leave, his eyes filled with vigilance, Shi Yewang thought he was worried about his own safety and couldn't help but shake his head.

"Continue!" Yu Yewang said no more and continued placing the necessary sacrificial items into the altar.

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He lightly tapped Feng Xun's back with his foot, activating the special aura of the Heaven-Acknowledged Master within him and subtly sending it into Feng Xun's body. This aura allowed master teachers to easily identify the status, but if not activated, it would remain hidden and undetectable. It was precisely because of this reliance that he deliberately claimed Feng Xun was a Heaven-Acknowledged Master, without any fear.

The light enveloping the two grew increasingly dense. Zhang Xuan didn't see anything special, but Yu Yewang's brows opposite him involuntarily furrowed. "This person's identity is indeed extraordinary..." After speaking, he continued throwing treasures into the altar. The items on it were already completely consumed.

Shi Yewang also involuntarily clenched his fists. Zhang Xuan didn't quite understand this type of ritual, but Shi Yewang understood very well that the more items required for the sacrifice, the higher the status of the person being verified.

After an unknown number of times throwing items, the light on the altar finally slowly stopped, displaying four large characters: "Heaven and Earth Acknowledged!"

"It really is!" Seeing the words clearly, Shi Yewang's eyes immediately reddened, and his breathing became somewhat hurried. It seemed that the Ziye Wang opposite him had not lied. The person lying not far away was indeed a Heaven-Acknowledged Master, just like Master Kong. As long as this person was handed over, it was foreseeable that his status and position would undergo earth-shattering changes.

"Heaven and Earth Acknowledged... A Heaven-Acknowledged Master?" A fervent look also appeared in Yu Yewang's eyes. As the third-ranked among the Upper Five Kings, he naturally knew what those four words represented. "No wonder these two fellows were so eager to find me... So they caught such a big fish..." Yu Yewang clenched his fists.

"Yu Yewang, this fellow was captured by me and Shi Yewang. Since the verification is complete and his identity confirmed... I hope to receive approval for the two of us to immediately escort him back to our clan!" Seeing his plan succeed, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said. This sentence sounded simple, but it actually carried a provocative undertone. Deliberately saying that he and Shi Yewang captured him, then requesting to leave, was equivalent to excluding Yu Yewang from the credit.

"This..." Hearing this, Shi Yewang immediately understood and his expression changed. Their return to the clan was inevitable, but it shouldn't be said now. Otherwise, the other party would certainly think they wanted to monopolize the credit. Sure enough, before he could explain, he saw Yu Yewang's brows furrowing, his expression not looking good. Immediately after, the corners of his mouth turned up in a half-smile, "The task assigned by the Emperor hasn't been completed yet. Leaving like this, I'm afraid it will be very troublesome!"

"No trouble. Anyway, this fellow was captured by the two of us, and it has nothing to do with the other kings. If there's truly a punishment later, the two of us are willing to bear it..." Zhang Xuan nodded. Hearing this, Shi Yewang almost vomited blood and fainted. Yu Yewang was already displeased. At most, they could have placated him, saying the credit belonged to everyone... But this guy, he directly said it had nothing to do with the other kings... Clearly, he showed no regard for the other party.

"Yu Yewang, he doesn't mean that..." He quickly jumped up, about to explain, when he saw Yu Yewang's face darken like blood, about to explode. "You mean it has nothing to do with me, is that it?"

"Of course! Shi Yewang and I have already discussed it. If you're sensible and don't say anything, fine. But if you truly want to cause trouble and try to usurp our credit, we won't hesitate to kill you!" Zhang Xuan nodded, looking over with an indifferent expression.

His body swayed, and Shi Yewang's vision went black. *When the hell did I say that? I told you to probe, not to challenge... Even if you genuinely thought that, you should have done it secretly... Saying it directly, losing the initiative, isn't that seeking death?*

"Very well, very well. I, Yu Yewang, have been campaigning for so many years; it's been a long time since I've been threatened like this..." Gritting his teeth, a fierce glint flashed in Yu Yewang's eyes. He stared coldly at Shi Yewang and the other, filled with murderous intent.

"Yu Yewang, it's not what you think. Capturing this Heaven-Acknowledged Master..." Secretly cursing him as a "pig teammate," Shi Yewang hastily explained, just as he was about to defuse the tension, he heard a "Humph!" from not far away. Feng Xun, who was lying on the ground, rubbed his head, seemingly intending to stand up.

"What's going on? What Heaven-Acknowledged Master?" In his daze, Feng Xun heard a term and couldn't help but speak.