Chapter 1086: Deep Within the Ruins

“Ancient Sage Qiuwu? Who is that?” A combat master looked over. Ancient history was something even many true master teachers knew little about, let alone combat masters.

“Ancient Sage Qiuwu was a follower of Master Kong. He battled north and south alongside Master Kong, fighting the Spirit Xuan Clan and cutting his way through their ranks repeatedly. He is one of the most renowned ancient sages in the history of the Master Teacher Pavilion, whose strength during his lifetime surpassed Saint 9-dan, reaching a level that inspired awe…” Master Wu explained.

“A follower of Master Kong?” “Surpassed Saint 9-dan?” Those who hadn't known before simultaneously gasped in astonishment.

Putting everything else aside, these two facts alone were enough to deter countless people. To have been by Master Kong’s side, receiving his tutelage, meant that he was undoubtedly exceptionally powerful among his peers, not to mention a super expert who had surpassed Saint 9-dan… No wonder the ruins he designed were so terrifying, almost leading to their complete annihilation.

“Ancient Sage Qiuwu was not only powerful but also made immense contributions to humanity. The seals in the underground caverns that hold back the Spirit Xuan Clan were mostly left by him… Hall Master Gou of our branch is a devoted admirer of his. If he had known these ruins were left by Ancient Sage Qiuwu, he would certainly have come himself…” Master Wu continued.

“To have single-handedly held back the Spirit Xuan Clan for countless years, this ancient sage is indeed one of the most outstanding seniors in our Master Teacher Pavilion…” “Yes, although his accomplishments might be slightly less than Master Kong’s, they are certainly enough to secure his fame for eternity…” Hearing the many tales of Ancient Sage Qiuwu, everyone’s eyes lit up, and deep admiration was evident on their faces.

For both combat masters and master teachers, the most important duty was to protect humanity from the Spirit Xuan Clan. If it weren't for this senior’s seals, battles would likely have continued for countless years, and humans would never have been able to live such peaceful and stable lives. They had initially thought this was merely the ruins left by an ordinary Saint realm expert, never dreaming it belonged to such a powerful ancient figure.

“If there’s a statue of this senior in these ruins, I’ll respectfully kowtow a few times…” Feng Xun was also greatly excited. He deeply revered this senior and had never expected to personally visit the ruins left by him.

“Me too…” The other combat masters nodded in agreement.

“Senior Qiuwu, since he left such a grand set of ruins, he must have left behind some thoughts or intentions. Let’s keep moving forward. According to King Hongye, Old Dean Zhang Yinqiu and the others aren't dead; they're just trapped somewhere! King Tianye is also trapped with them. Let’s hurry to avoid any unnecessary complications.” Zhang Xuan said, suppressing the urge to dig up the stone tablet and sell it for money. Although the tablet was valuable, seeing the reverence of the master teachers and combat masters, he knew trying to take it would surely lead to a desperate fight, so after careful consideration, he decided against it.

“Alright!” Everyone nodded and moved forward.

After only a few steps, a combat master’s eyes suddenly lit up. He stopped and pointed forward, saying, “Look…” Following his gaze, they saw a long spear stuck diagonally into a nearby wall, with half of it exposed.

Master Wu stepped forward and gently pulled out the spear. “This is… a Half-Saint artifact?” His pupils constricted. This spear was actually a Half-Saint artifact, just like the Ice Rain Sword. Weapons of this caliber were extremely rare in Hongyuan Empire, and even in Qingyuan Empire, they weren't plentiful. To find one simply stuck in a wall here, looking like trash, seemed incredibly exaggerated.

“There’s more over there!” While they were still in shock, someone else exclaimed. Immediately after, they saw him pull a Half-Saint level longsword from another section of the wall. “There’s one here too…” “This one is actually a low-tier Saint artifact…” As they continued forward, more and more exclamations arose. Before long, almost everyone had acquired a weapon, with the lowest being Half-Saint level and some even reaching low-tier Saint artifacts. The Golden Origin Cauldron used to be a low-tier Saint artifact, and to find such items discarded everywhere here was astonishing to contemplate.

“The spiritual essence of these Saint artifacts seems to have been severely damaged and has vanished… This means that while these Saint and Half-Saint artifacts are still sharp, they lack sentience and cannot unleash their former power!” Master Wu said after examining all the weapons. Although these items were high-grade, sharp, and durable, without their spiritual essence, their combat effectiveness would be significantly diminished.

“They weren't severely damaged; rather, their spiritual essence has been eroded by time due to their ancient age…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Although the spiritual essence of weapons lasts longer than human life, it still decays over time, gradually fading away and unable to exist forever. Otherwise, powerful individuals could simply seal their primordial spirits within weapons to live eternally. The Golden Origin Cauldron had lasted so long because it had mostly been in slumber, with its conscious periods being brief. This touched upon the mysteries of the soul, about which even many master teachers were unaware.

“Let’s keep going!” After putting away the weapons, Zhang Xuan and the others continued onward, discovering many scattered treasures such as elixirs and medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, like the weapons, many had lost their efficacy due to the passage of time. Even so, collecting these items still amounted to a huge fortune, far exceeding the value of the high-grade spirit stone tablet they had seen earlier.

Perhaps because they had the complete map, or for some other reason, they encountered no dangers along the way. After a short walk, a spacious plaza appeared before them. The plaza was covered in pits and shattered marks, with dozens of corpses scattered around.

“There was a battle here…” Everyone’s pupils constricted, and they rushed forward.

“This is… Mu Renxu, the former Vice Dean of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Dean Zhang Yinqiu’s right-hand man!” Wu Tianqiong recognized him upon approaching one of the corpses and said urgently. Although the body’s owner had been dead for some time, those who reached the Saint realm transcended the ordinary and did not decompose easily. The corpse still looked lifelike, much like when he was alive.

“Vice Dean Mu Renxu?” Zhang Xuan came closer. After becoming dean, he had read the detailed introduction of the academy and heard of this person. Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy originally had Dean Zhang Yinqiu and four vice deans, but all of them had gone with him into the ruins and never returned. This was why Lu Feng, the dean of the Apothecary Guild, had overstepped his authority to become the acting dean. Mu Renxu was precisely the strongest of the four vice deans, and it was unexpected to find him dead here.

After a thorough search, Zhang Xuan did not find the body of Old Dean Zhang Yinqiu, which made him sigh in relief. Although he had never met the old dean, there was a portrait of him in the academy's library, and the Ziyang Beast had also described him in detail. None of the dozens of corpses matched the description.

“There are thirteen master teachers and twenty-one Spirit Xuan Clan members here!” After counting the bodies, Master Wu was filled with sadness. These thirteen, mostly six-star master teachers at Saint 1-dan, had all died here silently, a great loss to both the Master Teacher Academy and the Master Teacher Pavilion.

“It seems the battle was very intense…” Zhang Xuan also looked somewhat downcast. He recalled the memorial tomb Zhang Yinqiu had left behind in the Dean’s Mausoleum. Zhang Yinqiu knew he was doomed, and the master teachers who accompanied him must have known it too, yet they still came without hesitation. This spirit was truly admirable.

“Let’s take these bodies back. If they couldn’t return to their homes in life, at least they can return to the academy after death!” With a grab of his hand, he collected the master teachers’ corpses into his storage ring. Like fallen leaves returning to their roots, they had died, and their bodies could not remain here forever.

“Why did they fight here? And where did they all go afterward?” Seeing him finish collecting the bodies, Guild Leader Han asked.

“I don’t know, but my guess is that Dean Zhang Yinqiu and the others, knowing the Spirit Xuan Clan would enter the ruins, followed them in, met them here, and a major battle ensued!” Zhang Xuan speculated. Based on the words Zhang Yinqiu left in the Dean’s Mausoleum, they must have been forced to come. From this, it was evident that the Spirit Xuan Clan must have known about the ruins in advance, and the humans followed them. Of course, without witnessing it firsthand, the exact circumstances remained unknown based on mere speculation.

“Everyone, come here…” While they were speculating, a master teacher called out. They all looked over to see him standing at one side of the plaza, staring at a large stone before him, appearing somewhat perplexed. He was a master teacher from Green Bamboo Academy, not particularly strong, but very observant.

Everyone walked over, approached, took a look, and simultaneously frowned. It was a palm print, and they weren’t sure if it was left by a combatant or the person who designed the ruins.

“This is a mechanism to activate some kind of seal; I’ve seen it before!” Zhang Xuan approached it. During his time in the Boundless Realm, he had seen something similar on the side of a stone tablet. Although it was called a handprint, it was actually an indentation. By placing a palm into it and infusing *zhenqi*, one could activate the imprint within and unlock a seal. It was likely left by Ancient Sage Qiuwu.

“A mechanism?” Master Wu examined it carefully for a moment, then nodded. “Everyone, step back. I’ll give it a try…” Mechanisms could be safe or dangerous, and no one knew what would happen the next moment after touching one, so it was better to be cautious. Everyone promptly retreated and prepared for defense.

Master Wu’s expression was solemn as he gently pressed his palm. With a roar, the wall before them immediately cracked open, revealing nine small, circular doorways, each taller than a person. They emanated an aura of seals, making it clear at a glance that folded spaces lay within, their depths unknown.

“Why so many?” Seeing no danger, everyone approached, full of curiosity.

“Nine is the numerical limit. Nine doors should represent a vast, infinite quantity,” Guild Leader Han explained. Everyone nodded. Nine symbolized the extreme of numbers, derived from the three-times-three permutations of the six hexagrams. In this world, many cultivation techniques honored nine, for instance, the nine levels of cultivators, the nine levels of Transcendent Mortals, and the nine levels of Saints. They also had Nine Heavens, Nine Provinces, Nine Doubts, Nine Layers, Nine Heads, Nine Crossroads, Nine Confluences, Nine Departures, Nine Passes, and so on.

“With nine doors, it’s probably like a formation, some leading to life, some to death, some to pleasant scenes, and some to danger. Which one should we choose?” A combat master couldn’t help but ask.

“This…” Asked this, Guild Leader Han was momentarily stunned and couldn’t answer. He couldn’t help but look at Zhang Xuan, who was nearby.