Chapter 1170: A Huge Pit

They rushed over to Zhang Xuan and saw that the young man, who moments ago had been full of vigor and strength, was now unconscious, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. It was clear he had sustained extremely severe injuries.

“We’re going to kill you…”

Luo Qiqi and the others were seething with rage. They instinctively stepped in front of Zhang Xuan and glared at Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing, who stood not far away, wishing they could tear him to shreds.

Deputy Hall Master Tian, facing their wrath, was utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe what he was seeing. His own strength was considerable, but judging by how easily this young man had crushed King Zhongqing, he should have been able to effortlessly evade his attack. In fact, he had prepared many follow-up moves for his sneak attack… Yet, none of them were needed; a single palm strike had sent him flying.

Most crucially, it seemed the other party, as if fearing he wouldn’t hit, had made subtle adjustments, actively moving to meet the attack… He willingly took the full force of his palm strike? This… His palm strike could split stone and possessed infinite power. If directly hit, even a Spirit Severing Realm 4-dan pinnacle expert would find it hard to survive. Wasn’t doing this equivalent to seeking death?

While he was still pondering in confusion, he heard an enraged roar from King Zhongqing nearby. He turned his head and saw that the Golden Soul Lock on the king’s body had fallen to the ground at some point. The countless bleeding wounds on his body were visibly healing, and in less than two breaths, he was perfectly fine, as if he had never been injured.

“When did that guy get such potent sacred medicine?” He was very familiar with King Zhongqing and had never heard of him possessing such powerful medicine. This rapid recovery ability was comparable to the method Master Zhang had just used on Sun Qiang.

“I’m going to kill you…” His body recovered, King Zhongqing could no longer contain his rage, remembering the humiliation he had just suffered. With a roar, he lunged fiercely towards the unconscious Zhang Xuan.

With a grab in mid-air, a long sword materialized, tearing through the air and piercing towards Zhang Xuan with a sharp sword gleam. During their previous hurried fight, he had been suppressed the moment he made a move, unable to even draw his weapon. Now, knowing Zhang Xuan’s terrifying power, he wasted no time and immediately unleashed his strongest attack.

Zzzzt! The sword energy was like lightning, producing a tearing sound as it pressed down. Once the long sword was unsheathed, even a Half-Departure Realm expert would have to temporarily evade it. This was his strength, his capital.

“Stop him!” Luo Qiqi, Yu Feier, and Sun Qiang simultaneously raised their weapons and charged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With three dull thuds, the trio were sent flying backward, slamming into a nearby wall, their faces flushed red as they spurted blood. The gap between them and a Saint 4-dan realm expert was simply too vast; they couldn’t resist at all.

“Die!” After severely injuring the three, King Zhongqing’s long sword continued its descent, about to cleave Zhang Xuan in two.

“Stop!” Just then, an angry roar resounded. Immediately, King Zhongqing felt a powerful surge of true qi form a massive energy shield in front of Zhang Xuan, enveloping him. Blocked by the shield, the long sword could no longer descend.

Next, his entire body trembled, and the long sword in his hand, with a whoosh, flew straight up and then lunged back towards him.

Pfft!

It pierced his shoulder, and the immense impact forced him backward continuously until he was impaled against the wall, hanging mid-air like a scarecrow.

“Argh…” The intense pain forced a miserable cry from him, his eyes filled with disbelief. Wielding his long sword, having built up his momentum, his fighting strength, though not quite Half-Departure Realm, wasn’t far off. Yet, the other party had hastily met his attack, not only blocking it but also turning his own sword to pierce him… What kind of power was this?

Whoosh! While he was still in shock, two figures appeared in front of Zhang Xuan, their faces etched with anxiety. “Master Zhang… Master Zhang!”

It was Elder Wu Rufeng from the Master Teacher Pavilion and Hall Master Xing Tianming from the Combat Master Hall! After calling out twice and realizing Zhang Xuan’s injuries were too severe, rendering him unconscious, Hall Master Xing’s face turned ashen. He stood up.

“Openly persecuting a master teacher, Tian Qing, you have immense nerve!”

Boom!

Hall Master Xing, in a furious rage, struck down with a backhand, sending a devastating blow directly at Tian Qing.

“I…” Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing tried to explain, but before he could utter a word, a single palm strike sent him sprawling to the ground, where he vomited large mouthfuls of blood. He hadn't been a match for Hall Master Xing even when they were at the same cultivation level. Now that Hall Master Xing had advanced to the Departure Realm, how could he possibly resist?

“Guards! Apprehend these two immediately!” After severely injuring him with that blow, Hall Master Xing roared.

Whoosh!

Hearing the command, Hall Masters Liao, Zhou, Chen, and Yan appeared from seemingly nowhere. In a blink of an eye, they sealed the cultivation of both men and seized them. Although they were all at the Spirit Severing Realm pinnacle, the Combat Master Hall members had superior combat power. Even if Tian Qing and King Zhongqing had been at their peak, they couldn’t have resisted, let alone now, when they were severely injured.

“Master Zhang…” After controlling the two assailants, Hall Master Xing took out a healing pill and administered it to Zhang Xuan. He used his true qi to help activate the medicine’s effects, and only then did Zhang Xuan slowly regain consciousness.

“You’ve arrived…” he said. Then, looking at Tian Qing and King Zhongqing, he spoke weakly: “There might be some misunderstanding between us. I hope you two won’t harm them… *Pfft!*” Before he could finish, he spat out another mouthful of blood.

“Master Zhang…” Seeing him so gravely injured yet still speaking up for his assailants, Master Wu and Hall Master Xing were filled with admiration. They had always known Master Zhang was righteous, but they hadn’t expected him to be *this* benevolent!

In contrast to their expressions, King Zhongqing and Deputy Hall Master Tian were nearly driven mad. Just moments ago, they had been wondering why this guy hadn’t dodged, but had stubbornly taken their attacks head-on. So… this was what he was waiting for! Now, the one severely injured was Zhang Xuan. When Hall Master Xing and Master Wu arrived, they (Tian Qing and King Zhongqing) were in the act of assaulting him… They had no way to explain themselves.

“It was this Zhang Xuan who attacked us, using that cauldron…” Deputy Hall Master Tian roared, pointing behind him, only to find that the cauldron, which he had just claimed would burn him to cinders, had vanished at some unknown point, as if it had never existed.

It had been put into a storage ring by someone without them even noticing.

“Shut up!” Hall Master Liao, who was holding him, slapped him across the face, instantly twisting his mouth. Master Zhang had made such great contributions to the Combat Master Hall; they hadn’t even had a chance to express their gratitude, yet this fellow had beaten him to such a state. If not for his identity as a master teacher, they would surely have killed him on the spot. His crime was simply unforgivable.

“Master Zhang, what exactly happened?” Ignoring the slapped deputy hall master, Master Wu looked over.

“First, save them…” Zhang Xuan weakly pointed to Luo Qiqi and the others.

“Alright!” Hall Master Xing gave a command, and one of the hall masters came forward, giving each of them a pill.

“Master Wu, do you still remember the matter of Old Dean Zhang Yinqiu and the leaked news about the ancient ruins?” Seeing that the others were not in serious danger, Zhang Xuan finally let out a sigh of relief. His demeanor was weak, and he looked over feebly. Back then, Old Dean Zhang Yinqiu discovered information about the ancient ruins, but it was subsequently taken by deceit by someone from the Qingyuan City branch… He had thoroughly explained this matter to the two of them after escaping Qiuwu Palace.

“Of course!” Master Wu nodded. “I’ve been investigating it since I returned, but… there’s no conclusive evidence yet.”

“I was also investigating this matter, and as a result… Sun Qiang was jointly apprehended by this Deputy Hall Master Tian and King Zhongqing. They claimed he… had colluded with the Poison Hall on my behalf, violating the identity of a master teacher! They said I wasn’t fit to be a master teacher and even wanted to punish me by sending me into the underground abyss… *Cough, cough!*” After saying a few more words, Zhang Xuan’s emotions flared, and his face flushed red again.

“Punish you by sending you into the underground abyss? Colluding with the Poison Hall?” With a flick of his sleeve, Master Wu’s eyes turned cold. “Nonsense! Framing a master teacher… What outrageous audacity!”

Others might not know, but he was perfectly aware. This Zhang Xuan before him was not only a Heavenly-Acknowledged Master Teacher but also one recognized and sealed by heaven and earth as a Saint… Such a figure had only appeared once in tens of thousands of years, in Confucius. To claim such a person colluded with the Poison Hall… and then try to send him to the underground abyss? It was simply an unforgivable offense!

“When I didn’t admit to it, they immediately resorted to force, intending to torture me for a confession… You know my strength; against Spirit Severing Realm experts, I have no way to fight back at all… Fortunately, you arrived quickly. Otherwise, I’m afraid all of us would have died here…”

“No way to fight back at all?” Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing and King Zhongqing exchanged glances, nearly exploding in frustration. You call *that* having no way to fight back? We were almost beaten to death by you… If anyone had no way to fight back, it was us, wasn’t it? They were so choked with suppressed rage they almost fainted, desperate to refute, but their cultivation had been sealed, rendering them unable to utter a single word. Sun Qiang, Luo Qiqi, and the others on the side also exchanged glances, their mouths twitching. Yu Feier, in particular, was utterly speechless.

Just moments ago, they had been worried to death, only to realize this guy… was feigning injury! Having been personally witnessed committing the act by Master Wu, Hall Master Xing, and numerous other hall masters and master teachers… it was estimated these two wouldn’t be able to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River. They had been wondering how Master Zhang would settle things after openly attacking a deputy hall master, but they hadn't expected… that he had already laid a trap, dug a pit, waiting for the two of them to fall in. Dare to cause trouble for Master Zhang… just wait to be utterly ruined! The three of them looked over with immense sympathy.

“We know your strength, and you are indeed not a match for Spirit Severing Realm experts!” Hearing his words, Master Wu and Hall Master Xing both nodded simultaneously. Master Wu had spent so much time with Zhang Xuan in Qiuwu Palace that he knew his strength. It was difficult for him to even defeat a Saint 3-dan expert, so how could he possibly be a match for a Spirit Severing Realm expert? As for Hall Master Xing, he had also fought Zhang Xuan before. Although Zhang Xuan was incredibly quick-witted during combat, his actual fighting power was still somewhat lacking. He certainly wouldn't be able to contend with a dignified Deputy Hall Master of the Master Teacher Pavilion and a battle-hardened king.

“The situation was critical then, which is why I sent for you…” After explaining everything that had happened, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and lay on the ground, feeling weak. It was clear at a glance that his injuries were too severe; even with the pill, he wouldn’t recover in a short time.

“Torturing for a confession, framing a master teacher… Tian Qing, King Zhongqing, you truly have immense audacity!” The more he listened, the angrier Master Wu became. He couldn’t hold back any longer and turned to face the two men on the side: “I will immediately report today’s events to the Master Teacher Pavilion Headquarters and let them carry out the judgment!” After speaking, he let out a cold snort.

“Framing?” “Torturing for a confession? Reporting to Headquarters?” Deputy Hall Master Tian and King Zhongqing both turned pale simultaneously. This trap… seemed a bit too massive… It wasn’t just a pit; it was an abyss!