Chapter 1100: Exchange

He had previously stated that the key to becoming a Celestial Sage was first to become a Celestial Master Teacher! Yet, throughout the entire continent, aside from Kong Shi, no one was known to have successfully become a Celestial Master Teacher… He had thought that escaping this place was an impossible dream, but seeing the power emanating from the other party, he was utterly stunned. This Master Teacher Zhang… was actually a Celestial Master Teacher?

It wasn't just him; everyone else, except Luo Ruoxi, was also dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost. Although they knew that Master Teacher Zhang possessed unparalleled talent and exceptional comprehension, they had never dreamt that he was a Celestial Master Teacher! No wonder even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was shamed into disappearing! This identity was no less significant than that of Kong Shi himself.

"Do I… have the qualifications to become a Sage?" Zhang Xuan retracted his aura and looked at Ji Yan.

"Of course!" Ji Yan's lips trembled; he wouldn't dare retort a single word. If even a Celestial Master Teacher couldn't become a Sage, then no one else should even think about it.

"Then let's hurry. Otherwise, if something happens to the old principal, it will be too late to regret it…" Seeing that everyone believed in his ability, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the others didn't believe he could become a Sage and kept stalling here, there would be no point in saving the old principal. The only option now was to reveal his identity and make them cooperate. Besides, once he became a Sage, his identity as a Celestial Master Teacher would inevitably be exposed. It was better to reveal it now for a greater impact than to have them find out later. Judging by their expressions, the effect was quite good.

"Then let's hurry! Otherwise, if the old principal's soul scatters, none of us will be able to escape responsibility!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright!" Everyone swiftly flew towards the top floor. At this moment, the Sage Sealing Platform was not emitting holy light, so King Tianye had no fear and could easily approach to trouble the old principal. They had to speed up.

Boom! As soon as they reached the top floor, they saw King Tianye's primordial spirit clutching the old principal's remnant soul. The stone statue that housed the principal's soul had already shattered into powder.

"Don't come any closer! I'm already a dead man; there's no need to make unnecessary sacrifices for me…" Seeing them appear, the old principal anxiously shouted. Although he hadn't cultivated soul arts, his soul had been nourished by the holy light for so long that it was already substantial. Even if the statue shattered, his soul wouldn't dissipate quickly.

"Shut up!" With a flick of his finger, the old principal's voice immediately ceased. King Tianye's gaze was cold as he looked at them: "I thought Master Teachers were all cowards, too afraid to come?"

"Release the principal! As the esteemed King Tianye, an expert of the Ethereal Realm, isn't it beneath you to deal with a mere remnant soul?" Tan Qing gritted his teeth, seeing Zhang Yinqiu in the other party's hands, his life not his own.

"Beneath me? If I weren't concerned about my status, do you think I would have let this fellow live until now?" King Tianye's face twisted into a grimace. Zhang Yinqiu was trapped within the stone statue, unable to escape or move. When this place had no holy light, he could have easily killed him. He hadn't done so for two reasons: firstly, out of concern for his status; and secondly, just as Ji Yan and the others suspected, if all the Master Teachers were dead, he would be the only one left, making him even lonelier. Anyway, this fellow posed no threat, and living would only be more painful for him.

"What will it take for you to release the old principal?" Zhang Xuan frowned and looked at King Tianye, realizing he hadn't acted yet, clearly wanting to negotiate.

"It's simple. Hand over the one who struck me, and the map, and I'll release him. Otherwise, you can just watch him dissipate into nothingness before your very eyes!" King Tianye gritted his teeth as soon as the one who struck him was mentioned. After reigning supreme for so many years, it was the first time he had been ambushed, and most importantly, directly struck on the head, completely destroying his physical body. Just thinking about it made him feel like exploding.

"The one who struck you?" Zhang Xuan blinked. He had thought the other party would utterly detest him, but unexpectedly, he only wanted to kill the clone… It was understandable. The clone had shattered him with one punch, creating a significant amount of hatred… A big boss of this level would naturally only want to target those with the greatest animosity.

"Precisely. Hand him and the map over, and I'll release Zhang Yinqiu!" King Tianye nodded.

"Alright, I can give them to you. However, you must swear an oath to the Spirit God that you will not only refrain from killing the old principal but also from attacking us within a short period!" Zhang Xuan stated. "Otherwise, if you immediately try to kill us after we save the old principal, our exchange will be completely meaningless!" With the Seven-Colored Earth-Jade Liquid, breaking through wouldn't take long. Giving the items to the other party was fine; as long as King Tianye didn't act within a short time, he could successfully become a Sage and then kill him.

"You know about the Spirit God?" King Tianye was momentarily stunned. Swearing an oath to the Spirit God was the most feared thing among their Spirit race. Once taken, they would never dare violate it; otherwise, their souls would inevitably be taken by the Spirit God, leaving no chance of resurrection.

"What? Are you afraid? If you don't agree, we can simply perish together. You won't get the map, and we'll fight to the death. Since none of us can get out anyway, dying here won't matter!" Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Xuan spoke.

"Alright, I agree!" Without much deliberation, King Tianye's eyes flickered, and he nodded.

"Then let's begin!" With a flip of his wrist, an altar of the Sempiternal race appeared before Zhang Xuan, the very one he had obtained from King Yu Ye.

"It seems you're quite well-prepared… Very well, I shall now offer a sacrifice to the Spirit God!" Seeing that this fellow not only knew about the Spirit God but even possessed an altar, King Tianye realized he couldn't deceive him and let out a cold laugh.

Boom! Innumerable treasures appeared on the altar. As his obscure words resounded, the items immediately burst into flames. Creak! Creak! The sky above instantly turned pitch black, as if a massive gateway had appeared. Everyone's bodies stiffened. The aura emanating from the gateway was incredibly powerful; their cultivation levels felt as though they could easily be crushed into dust. Zhang Xuan's heart also trembled. Although he had witnessed Sempiternal tribesmen making sacrifices before, it had only been to ascertain the identity of a Celestial Master Teacher, and this gateway had never appeared. He hadn't expected it to be so terrifying. The gateway slowly opened, and a silhouette appeared before them. Although it was only a silhouette, it gave a feeling of soul-crushing power, as if its true form were to descend, not only would they be unable to bear it, but the entire Master Teacher Continent would instantly collapse.

"This silhouette… where have I seen it before?" Although the silhouette in the sky was completely dark and unclear, Zhang Xuan possessed the Eye of Insight and felt as if he had seen it somewhere before. However, before he could ponder further, King Tianye, seeing the silhouette appear from not far away, revealed a solemn expression, and his voice resounded.

"I, King Tianye, swear to the Spirit God that as long as I obtain the culprit who harmed me and the map, I will immediately release Zhang Yinqiu and not harm them in the slightest within a short period. Should I violate this oath, I am willing for my soul to scatter and for the Spirit God to claim my life…" Swish! As his oath concluded, a beam of light shot straight out from the gateway, landing on his head and entering his mind. It seemed the Spirit God had accepted his request. After completing these actions, the gateway slowly dissipated. King Tianye's face looked somewhat pale as he looked at Zhang Xuan again: "Well, I have made my oath. You can trust me now, right?"

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to take out his clone and the map, Master Teacher Wu's voice transmission sounded in his ear.

"King Tianye agreed too quickly, even willing to swear an oath to the Spirit God… Could it be a trick?"

"It's definitely a trick…" Zhang Xuan nodded. With his strength, King Tianye actually held the advantage, yet he agreed without hesitation. If someone said there was no trick, Zhang Xuan wouldn't believe it.

"Then…" Master Teacher Wu frowned.

"The old principal is in his hands; we have no other choice! He might have a trick, but we also have a trump card. As long as we can stall for a while, I can successfully become a Sage, then kill him and resolve this crisis…" Zhang Xuan transmitted his voice. They were currently at a disadvantage, so getting the other party to agree to the conditions was already good. Even if it was a trick, there was no better alternative.

"This…" Master Teacher Wu was speechless. What the other party said was true; they only had this path to take, with no other options. If an Ethereal Realm expert truly wanted to act, even all of them combined couldn't stop him.

"Where's that fellow? Where's the map?" King Tianye asked.

"Here…" Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan flipped his palm, and his clone appeared before them. Since this guy caused the trouble, he should naturally be responsible. Anyway, the clone was refined from a Nine-Heaven Lotus Embryo; it wouldn't die even if flattened into a meat patty. Even if the other party captured it and tried to kill it, they certainly wouldn't succeed. At this moment, the clone's pancake-like face had completely recovered. To prevent startling the others too much, it had also altered its appearance within the beehive, disguised as Sun Qiang. It hadn't met many people, so disguising itself as Sun Qiang was the most familiar and convenient.

"Is he the one who attacked me earlier?" Seeing an unfamiliar chubby man appear, King Tianye frowned.

"That's right, he's skilled at disguise. That King Hongye was also him…" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Very well…" With anger and killing intent in his eyes, King Tianye nodded. He then made a grasping motion in the air, and the clone was enveloped by a huge force, flying straight towards him.

"Where's the map?" After seizing the clone, King Tianye didn't immediately act, but looked over again.

"Here!" Zhang Xuan extended his palm, and an ancient parchment scroll appeared in his palm, slowly floating and exuding an ancient aura. This item wasn't of much use to him; it had only transformed into a rainbow bridge to allow him passage through the Celestial Palace and had no other effects. If the other party wanted it, giving it away was no big deal.

"Bring it over…" A fervent gleam flashed in King Tianye's eyes, and he hastily extended his hand.

"Alright!" With a flick of his finger, the map slowly flew towards the other party.

"Wuwuwu…" Seeing the map about to be given away, the sealed soul of Zhang Yinqiu looked extremely anxious, wanting to say something but unable to make a sound.

"Here, take this!" King Tianye pushed with his palm, and Zhang Yinqiu flew towards the group. Zhang Xuan and the others hastily caught the old principal's soul, and Master Teacher Wu stepped forward to remove the seal on him.

"The map concerns the entire ruin; don't give it to him…" As soon as the seal was lifted, they heard the old principal Zhang Yinqiu's anxious shout.

"Haha, it's too late!" King Tianye gripped the map in his palm mid-air, his eyes shining. His excited voice made the entire Sage Sealing Pavilion tremble.