Chapter 1222: Master Hall Incident

The Master Teacher Hall of the Qingyuan Empire.

Eight bodies lay on straw mats arranged side by side on the floor. Each body was dressed in master teacher robes, with seven stars shining on the chest, indicating their identity.

Zhang Xuan was very familiar with the old man in the center. It was because of the unfair treatment he had received from this man that he had forced his way into the hall and even fought him. Zhang Xuan had expected this man to be interrogated by headquarters and eventually stripped of his hall master qualification, but he never imagined he would die here.

"What happened?" Zhang Xuan asked, frowning as he looked at Wu Shi.

"It happened this morning," Wu Shi replied, his face ashen. "I had just interrogated eight people according to the list you gave me, and then... eight master teachers in the hall were found dead!"

Zhang Xuan had obtained the list from Emperor Qingtian and given it to Wu Shi. To avoid alerting anyone, Wu Shi had been quietly conducting interrogations. Just as he was questioning the eighth person, his subordinates reported that eight seven-star master teachers had died in the hall. This included Hall Master Gou.

Zhang Xuan's expression darkened. Eight people interrogated, eight master teachers dead, all of them seven-star—it was clear that the opposing party was sending a warning.

"What's more, they died the same way Chen Zhe did: their souls were extracted, leaving only their bodies behind..." Wu Shi continued.

Zhang Xuan fell silent. As soon as he entered, he had noticed that everyone, including Hall Master Gou, had their souls forcefully removed, leaving behind only their empty bodies.

"It's... the formidable expert!" He clenched his fists. To be able to do this, to the point where even Hall Master Gou couldn't escape, likely only that formidable expert was capable.

But... according to Emperor Qingtian's confession, that formidable expert was supposedly confined in the Jibei Swamp, unable to leave. How could he have used such a secret art to kill so many master teachers?

"Where were they found?" he asked, turning his head, his mind filled with doubt.

"They were all found in their own residences. Their families thought they were resting and only discovered they had stopped breathing when they couldn't wake them up at dawn!" After explaining, Wu Shi couldn't help but look at Zhang Xuan. "Is this related to Emperor Qingtian? But Emperor Qingtian... wasn't he killed?"

Zhang Xuan had already told him that Emperor Qingtian, as a Witch Soul Master, possessed this unique secret art and had used it to kill Chen Zhe. But since Emperor Qingtian was dead, who could have possibly used such an eerie technique?

Dying without cause or even a single symptom had already thrown the entire Master Teacher Hall into a state of panic and fear. People naturally feared the unknown and incomprehensible, and this situation was precisely that. Hall Master Gou was arguably the most powerful individual in Qingyuan City. If even he couldn't withstand being silently assassinated, anyone would feel a chill down their spine.

"Emperor Qingtian is dead, but... the person behind him isn't!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"The person behind him?" Wu Shi asked, confused. The matter concerning the formidable expert was too vast in scope, so Zhang Xuan had not revealed it, and even Wu Shi was unaware.

"Yes. Although Emperor Qingtian was a monarch of the Otherworldly Demons, the legacy of Witch Soul Masters has long been severed. The fact that he was able to learn it means someone taught him! The person responsible for this must be that individual!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Someone who taught Emperor Qingtian Witch Soul arts? What is this person's strength? If it exceeds the level of a titled empire, I can immediately report it to headquarters and request them to send someone!" Wu Shi's pupils contracted, and he quickly added.

The Master Teacher Hall had its own rules. Under normal circumstances, matters that a branch could resolve would, at most, be reported in writing, without requiring higher-ups to intervene. Firstly, headquarters personnel were very busy and had no time to clean up messes for their subordinates; secondly, it also served as excellent training for those in the branch divisions. If everything required the headquarters' intervention... wouldn't the truly high-level master teachers be worked to death?

However... if the strength of the threat exceeded the level of a titled empire, it was different. Such a situation could lead to untold devastation, and it would be perfectly acceptable to request the headquarters to dispatch a higher-ranking master teacher to handle the matter.

"How long would it take for them to send someone?" Zhang Xuan asked, frowning.

"The closest Titled Empire to us, Qianchong, has half-step eight-star master teachers... it would take them about ten days to send someone. As for the Empire Alliance, which has eight-star master teachers, even if we notify them now, the fastest they could arrive would be twenty days!" Wu Shi calculated and replied.

"Ten days? Twenty days? That's too late..." Zhang Xuan shook his head, his expression grim. "By the time they arrive, I'm afraid many more master teachers in the hall will have died!"

"What should we do then?" Wu Shi was starting to get anxious. Ten or twenty days was indeed too long. The perpetrator killed invisibly, and eight had already died overnight... If they truly intended to act, by the time that much time passed, probably all the seven-star master teachers in the entire Qingyuan Empire would be annihilated.

"I'm not sure of the exact strength of the person behind Emperor Qingtian, but... they shouldn't exceed the Out-of-Body realm! Otherwise, the Master Teacher Hall headquarters would surely have detected them long ago..." Without directly answering Wu Shi's question, Zhang Xuan began to analyze.

Although the Master Teacher Hall headquarters delegated authority and allowed its subordinate branches to handle difficulties, it also regularly patrolled the world. If any life forms exceeding a certain level appeared, they would personally intervene. The peak existence in a Titled Empire was typically the Out-of-Body realm... The fact that this formidable expert had remained undetected here suggested that they likely hadn't surpassed that limit.

"Even if they don't exceed the Out-of-Body realm... there's still a huge difference between each sub-realm within it... As long as they're past the initial stage, we won't be able to contend with them!" Wu Shi stated.

In the Out-of-Body realm, practitioners could project their primordial spirit, leveraging natural forces to control their surroundings. Each small advancement in this realm required surviving a lightning tribulation; the more tribulations one endured, the stronger they became. There were vast differences between each sub-realm, practically a chasm between them. For example, an early-stage Out-of-Body realm practitioner and a mid-stage one, despite being only one small sub-realm apart, would have a several-fold difference in combat power. Ten early-stage practitioners, even if they combined their strength in an formation, might not be a match for a single mid-stage one. Therefore, even if the opponent was still within the Out-of-Body realm, reaching its peak would create a chasm in power compared to the early stage, making victory impossible.

"I know, but I'm not clear on their exact level," Zhang Xuan said, frowning. He knew that relying solely on such speculation would not reveal the opponent's true strength. He walked around the bodies on the floor and continued, "However, now isn't the time to dwell on that. Aren't you curious how this person managed to kill them?"

"How they were killed?"

"Exactly. That day, when Emperor Qingtian ambushed me, I learned of their methods. They can invade others' consciousness and seize their souls using an altar or even their own soul. In other words, no matter how powerful a soul-snatching secret art is, it requires a medium to be cast. What was the medium used to kill these eight people? Did you investigate thoroughly?"

The formidable expert could directly use soul-binding methods at close range, but over tens of thousands of kilometers, they would need various artifacts as a medium. For example... an altar! But Wu Shi had already taken the altar away for headquarters' examination. So how did these people die?

"That... I hadn't considered that point..." Wu Shi stammered, unsure how to reply.

"Investigate thoroughly; we might find something..." After giving the instruction, Zhang Xuan said no more. He activated his Eye of Insight and once again examined the many corpses lying before him.

Hall Master Gou's expression before death was one of terror, suggesting he had encountered something he couldn't believe. Patterns flowed within his vision, but after a while, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Hall Master Gou's cause of death was identical to Chen Zhe's: their souls had been captured, leaving them as mere corpses. Even his Eye of Insight couldn't discern anything new.

"Oh, right, what about Prince Zhongqing? Where is he being held?" Zhang Xuan asked, remembering someone.

"He was re-arrested and is being held in the Master Teacher Hall's dungeon. No messages can possibly get out from there," Wu Shi replied after a moment's thought. "Last night, His Majesty Emperor Chutianxing sought an audience... but I refused him!"

"Emperor Chutianxing sought an audience?" Zhang Xuan frowned. This man was just a prince, not even the current emperor's direct son. Why would he come here as soon as something happened, even at a great cost?

"Yes, but the two of them didn't meet... There shouldn't be any issues, right?" Wu Shi asked.

"I'm not sure, but... Emperor Chutianxing could very well be involved!" Zhang Xuan's expression was grave. Prince Zhongqing had already been confirmed as problematic through Emperor Qingtian's memories... Yet, this emperor was so close to him. Zhang Xuan found it hard to believe there wasn't a problem.

"Should we apprehend him for interrogation?"

"Not yet. Once we start interrogating him, the commotion will immediately escalate, leading to even greater unrest. The immediate priority is to discover the medium used to kill these people... and then find a way to eliminate the mastermind!" After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan analyzed, "Only when the mastermind is dead will everyone truly be safe."

"That's true!" Wu Shi nodded. Master Zhang was right. Acting against an emperor of an empire could easily lead to widespread panic. Not only could it incite chaos, but more importantly, without concrete evidence, it would damage the Master Teacher Hall's credibility. For a Master Teacher Hall overseeing a region, to act against an empire, it must possess irrefutable evidence that cannot be denied. Otherwise, what would other empires think? Wouldn't everyone feel insecure? Mere suspicion was far from enough.

"I'll dispatch people to investigate immediately..." Wu Shi said, having understood.

"Not only investigate, but you might also need to prepare some people. Then, we'll all make a trip to the Jibei Swamp together!"

"The Jibei Swamp?" Wu Shi asked, puzzled.

"I suspect the mastermind is hidden there..." Zhang Xuan explained.

"Alright, I'll select the most elite forces from the Master Teacher Hall, and experts from the Combat Master Hall, to go together!" Wu Shi said.

"Good. You make your preparations, and I'll make mine..." After giving his instructions, Zhang Xuan nodded.

To go to the Jibei Swamp and find that formidable expert, Zhang Xuan needed to do two things: First, further enhance the strength of the Golden Origin Cauldron, aiming for it to reach the Out-of-Body realm. Second, he needed to quickly help the formidable expert who had devoured Emperor Qingtian pass their lightning tribulation. Only then would his own strength truly reach the Out-of-Body realm. Otherwise, with his current cultivation and the formidable expert not yet strong enough... venturing there rashly might result in him becoming a supplement for the enemy, and then nothing could be done.