Chapter 1180: Chen Zhe Died

“Do you think we shouldn’t have let King Zhongqing go?” Zhang Xuan asked with a slight smile, observing his expression.

“Yes!” Master Wu nodded. “A master teacher cannot be humiliated. This isn’t about compensation; it’s about the dignity of the teaching profession. If we set this precedent, I fear that in the future, everyone will dare to insult master teachers…”

Although he disagreed with the other party’s actions, having experienced the Qiuwu Palace incident, he knew that the young Master Zhang possessed astonishing judgment. He understood that Zhang Xuan must have had his own reasons for doing this, so he hadn't interrupted earlier. Now, however, he could no longer hold back.

“I will explain,” Zhang Xuan said. “But before that, I want to ask Master Wu something… will you directly tell other master teachers about the matter of the Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher?”

“A Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher must remain a secret. I absolutely will not mention it to anyone, not even to high-ranking members of the Master Teacher Pavilion…” Master Wu said, his expression serious, hurrying to assure him.

He knew that the person before him was a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher. However, this matter could not, and dared not, be revealed. Otherwise, it would surely provoke a full-scale assault from the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, causing immense suffering and potentially leading to the early demise of this master teacher. If that happened, he would be a sinner in history.

“But… Deputy Hall Master Tian mentioned it!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Earlier, during his interrogation at King Zhongqing’s residence, the other party had said: "With a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher appearing, the living Ancestor of the Poison Hall is nothing…" At the time, Zhang Xuan had felt something was off. Any master teacher would know the significance of those four words. For the other party to say that in front of outsiders upon their first meeting… it clearly violated the proper etiquette for a master teacher. It was precisely for this reason that Zhang Xuan had beaten the man mercilessly.

“He… knew you were a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher?” Master Wu’s pupils contracted, and his face darkened.

“It seems he didn’t know for sure; it was probably just a test!” Zhang Xuan continued, “From his tone, he likely didn’t know, but he probably said it to sound out his suspicions. However, my state of mind is strong, my expression remained normal, and I didn’t show any nervousness, so he shouldn’t have deduced anything.”

“That’s good, but Master Zhang, you must be careful. From now on, wherever you go, take me or Hall Master Xing with you…” Master Wu said with a grave expression.

If the news hadn't leaked, Master Zhang was merely a super genius. While such individuals were rare, they did exist. However… if people learned about the Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher, that would be disastrous.

“Not yet,” Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head in refusal. “There shouldn’t be any issues for now. If we actually did that, it would only make people more suspicious and confirm something that’s currently uncertain.”

His own methods were far more powerful than any protection these two could offer. Having them around would be inconvenient for him to act and would actually make things less safe.

“This…” Master Wu hesitated. He agreed. If he and Hall Master Xing truly followed Zhang Xuan day and night, it would only make people suspicious, even if they weren't already. It would be too obvious.

“Deputy Hall Master Tian has issues, and King Zhongqing colluded with the Poison Hall to refine poisons, which is an even bigger problem… For His Majesty the Emperor to come personally and guarantee him at such a great cost… I don’t believe it’s merely because Zhang Xuan saved his life!” Master Wu was stunned.

The imperial family was ruthless; they would even kill their own brothers for power. For a dignified emperor to risk offending the Master Teacher Pavilion for one of his ministers… it would be strange if there wasn't a problem!

“Since there’s a problem, instead of keeping him here where interrogation would be difficult, it’s better to let him go. That’s like untying a knot; things will be easier later…” Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

Capturing King Zhongqing was like tying a dead knot in a rope. Letting him go… might lead to unexpected results.

“Indeed, this is a good method…” Master Wu suddenly understood, filled with admiration. As expected of Master Zhang, he truly saw things more thoroughly. If the other party insisted on not speaking during interrogation, even the Master Teacher Pavilion would be helpless. But… to loosen the reins and let them reveal themselves would be much easier.

“Alright, the rest of the matters are in your hands. There’s still some time until evening; if it’s convenient, I’d like to visit the Master Teacher Pavilion’s library…”

Now that a method was established, Master Wu could handle the remaining matters entirely; Zhang Xuan’s involvement was no longer crucial. His most important task now was to quickly cultivate the Heaven’s Path cultivation technique for Saint 3-dan, raise his strength, surpass Zhang Jiuxiao, and successfully enter the Saint Son Hall.

“I’ll take you…” Knowing Master Zhang enjoyed reading, Master Wu smiled. Just as he stood up, he heard urgent knocking from outside the door.

“Come in!” Master Wu frowned, and then saw the master teacher who had left earlier, his face filled with anxiety.

“What’s wrong?” Knowing that something significant must have happened to make a dignified Six-star Master Teacher act with such urgency, Master Wu asked.

“Teacher… it’s bad! Chen Zhe… he’s dead!” The master teacher swallowed and reported.

“Chen Zhe is dead?” Master Wu’s pupils constricted, and he abruptly stood up. Chen Zhe was a crucial figure in the case; it was he who went to Hongyuan Empire to retrieve Zhang Yinqiu’s information, ultimately leading to the leak… He had been held in the Master Teacher Pavilion, his cultivation sealed. How could he have suddenly died?

“I don’t know the exact cause of death. I checked on him earlier, and he was fine… Just now, after King Zhongqing was released, I took another look and found that he had already stopped breathing…” The master teacher’s face was filled with tension.

Chen Zhe, a student of Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing and a Seven-star Master Teacher at the initial stage… Regardless of his identity, his sudden death would have a significant impact.

“Let’s go take a look!” With a grave expression, Master Wu took a step and looked at Zhang Xuan, who was nearby. “Master Zhang… would you mind coming with me?” The young man’s insight was far sharper than his own; together, they might be able to uncover what was wrong.

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded. He was also very curious. Logically, under the Master Teacher Pavilion’s custody, not only was murder impossible, but even suicide was prevented. Yet, Chen Zhe was undeniably dead… It was inexplicably strange.

Following behind the Six-star Master Teacher, they walked for a while and arrived at a secluded room. Indeed, they saw a middle-aged man lying on the ground, his body cold and lifeless. Instead of approaching the corpse immediately, Zhang Xuan looked around the room. The room was equipped with a strict formation array that prevented any messages from being sent out or divine sense from spreading. Once inside, there was no way to communicate with the outside world.

Approaching the corpse, the Eye of Insight flickered as he examined it carefully. “The physical body has no damage whatsoever, but… the soul has been completely annihilated!” His pupils contracted. He had already discerned the cause of death… the soul was scattered!

“Soul annihilated?” Master Wu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly looked. A moment later, his face turned ashen. Clearly, with the hint, he also recognized it.

“Could it be… that soul-restraining method?” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows rose as something came to mind. Previously, one of the Twin Heroes of Jibei, Zang Xu, had attempted to use a soul-restraining method to kill him, but unfortunately, he was trampled to death by the house on the spot and did not succeed. Zhang Xuan had thoroughly examined that method through soul-searching; it was somewhat similar to the techniques of Witch Soul Masters, capturing a person’s soul and easily killing them… Once successful, the physical body would also die completely, leaving no trace. Could it be… that this guy was killed using that method?

“Could it be… that the Ruthless Man, besides teaching this method to Zang Xu, also taught it to someone else, who then killed Chen Zhe?” Zhang Xuan was full of doubts, unable to comprehend it. Chen Zhe seemed to have no connection whatsoever to the Ruthless Man, so how could they be linked?

“Take the corpse to Hall Master Qiu of the Combat Master Hall and have him examine it to see what happened!” After studying it for a while, still baffled, Master Wu stood up and instructed. “Yes!” The master teacher nodded. Hall Master Qiu was the head of the Soul Hall in the Combat Master Hall, deeply knowledgeable in soul research. If Master Wu couldn’t figure it out, Hall Master Qiu would surely detect something.

“No need!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. With the soul gone from this body, consulting Hall Master Qiu would be useless.

“Master Zhang…” Master Wu was distraught. “With Chen Zhe’s death, we’ve lost the evidence. Even if Deputy Hall Master Tian acted against you, he could claim he was merely disciplining a junior as a Seven-star Master Teacher, or that he was misled by malicious individuals… If that’s the case, I’ll no longer have the right to detain him!” Deputy Hall Master Tian, regardless of anything else, was a peak Seven-star Master Teacher. If there was evidence that his disciple was involved in leaking information, he could be detained. But now that the witness was dead… there was no reason to hold him. The accusation against Zhang Xuan… could be blamed on King Zhongqing, and any remaining minor charges would be negligible given Tian's status!

“If you don’t have the right to detain him, then release him!” If Zhang Xuan hadn’t known through his insights that Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing had a flaw in his primordial spirit, he would have suspected that Tian himself killed his own student.

“Release him?” Master Wu was stunned. “But Master Zhang, the humiliation you suffered…”

“My humiliation is insignificant,” Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head. “His identity is special. Without sufficient evidence, keeping him detained indefinitely would greatly affect the Master Teacher Pavilion. Your position as a newly appointed Deputy Hall Master would also become unstable. If that happens, subsequent matters will be even more disadvantageous to us!” Zhang Xuan continued, his own humiliation was nothing. If Master Wu’s position was shaken, they would truly be in a passive state.

“Alright!” Knowing that Zhang Xuan’s words made sense, Master Wu could only nod. He looked back at Zhang Xuan and asked, “Then… what should we do next?”

“What do you think we should do?” Zhang Xuan asked with a faint smile.

“I think we should publicize Chen Zhe’s crime to make everyone suspect Deputy Hall Master Tian. That way, whatever he does, he’ll be on the defensive, and it will be easier for us to proceed!” Master Wu mused for a moment before replying. Currently, very few people knew about Chen Zhe leaking the news of Qiuwu Palace. Only by formally establishing his guilt could Deputy Hall Master Tian be put on the defensive. Otherwise, with Chen Zhe dead and Tian seemingly cleared, all their previous efforts would have been in vain.

“Wrong! That won’t work!”

“Won’t work? Then what should we do?” Master Wu was startled.

“It’s simple,” Zhang Xuan said, smiling. “Bury Chen Zhe with all the rites befitting a Master Teacher, generously reward his family, and grant them commendations! Praise him as a true Master Teacher… and call on everyone to learn from him.”

“This… what kind of method is this?” Master Wu stood dumbfounded, completely bewildered.