Chapter 1239: Listen to Me

"Master... you're incredible!"

The Golden Origin Cauldron, embedded in the ground, struggled to stand. As it took in the scene above, its lid cracked open a slit, resembling a wide grin. It had believed that after fusing with the Golden Crystal Mysterious Stone and enduring three lightning tribulations to reach the late-stage Ethereal Opening Realm, it was already a master among masters. It never imagined its master would be even more formidable. Emperor Qingtian, with his numerous techniques and powerful life-saving abilities, had been reduced to such a state; the mere thought of it was pitiful. It seemed true that one should never oppose the master in anything... Otherwise, you'd be helping count the money even after being sold.

"That's enough!"

After another beating, Zhang Xuan waved his hand. With a look of dissatisfaction, the clone was clearly not yet finished. Confined daily within the storage ring, it had eagerly awaited this rare chance to beat someone.

Emperor Qingtian's primordial spirit was now so frail it seemed on the verge of dissipating at any moment. After enduring the Soul Splitting Secret Art and continuous torment from the two Zhang Xuans, his primordial spirit was not only weakened, but his mind was also teetering on the brink of collapse.

"I... I'll kill you..."

With a powerless expression, Emperor Qingtian's eyes were filled with hatred.

"I understand, don't be nervous. I'll just do a soul search. Bear with it, bear with it, it'll be over soon!"

With a comforting remark, Zhang Xuan pointed a finger. A stream of consciousness, like a thin thread, pierced directly towards Emperor Qingtian's glabella.

"No..."

Witnessing the activation of this secret art, Emperor Qingtian's eyes widened in terror. Though he desperately wanted to flee, the altar's immense suction kept him pinned, scrambling helplessly but unable to escape.

"Clone, come over and hold him down. Let's finish the soul search and get the information we need first..." Zhang Xuan instructed, observing him thrash about and hinder the soul search.

"Alright!"

With an excited grin, the clone rushed forward and delivered a swift kick to Emperor Qingtian's head.

Thud!

The Spirit race emperor lay splayed out on the altar, forming the character for 'big' (大), utterly humiliated. His entire body writhed incessantly, desperate to break free, yet utterly powerless.

"Still disobedient?"

Shaking its head, the clone turned to glance around: "Sword, come!"

Whoosh!

The Ice Rain Sword immediately flew to its palm. "Move again," it threatened, "and I'll stick this sword right in your mouth!"

Emperor Qingtian instantly froze, rigid and unmoving, as obedient as a puppet.

"That's better!"

Nodding with satisfaction, the clone looked at Zhang Xuan. "Alright, he's not moving now, you can do the soul search!"

"Okay!"

The thin thread from Zhang Xuan's fingertip immediately entered the glabella of the opponent. Just as he prepared to observe closely and ascertain the whereabouts of the ruthless entity, the entire underground palace suddenly trembled, and a sinister voice echoed.

"'A dignified Celestial-Appointed Master Teacher actually knows Witch Soul arts... If I were to leak this information, how many would come to study you? Or kill you?'"

The voice, accompanied by a cruel chuckle, seemed to whisper directly into his ear, making it impossible to pinpoint its source.

"You finally decided to show yourself..."

Halting the soul search, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, storing both the altar and Emperor Qingtian into his storage ring, then straightened his posture. He knew the ruthless entity was certainly nearby; the so-called soul search was merely a ruse to draw it out.

"'To completely slay Emperor Qingtian, a late-stage Ethereal Opening Realm expert, while only at the peak of the Saint 3-realm... Truly worthy of a Celestial-Appointed Master Teacher. Like Master Kong in his time, you possess unique insights into cultivation and combat, far exceeding other geniuses!'" the ruthless entity mused. "'However... you are still too young. Killing you would be as easy as turning my hand!'"

As it finished speaking, Zhang Xuan immediately felt a violent tremor. His mind spun, and his Witch Soul felt as if it were being torn, threatening to detach from his physical body at any moment.

"Hm?" His expression darkened.

This sensation mirrored the one he experienced in Chen Zhe's backyard; his soul felt uncontrollable, as if it would be devoured by the opponent at any moment. As his Heaven's Path True Qi circulated, Zhang Xuan resisted the immense suction. However, the force was simply too overwhelming; in a blink, a dark black hole seemed to reappear before him, threatening to engulf him.

Whoosh!

His Witch Soul was yanked from his body, pulled forward to the altar.

"This... what a massive Witch Soul!"

The ruthless entity paused, seemingly taken aback itself. It was proficient in Witch Soul secret arts and possessed a powerful Witch Soul of its own. It had never dreamed that the one before it would be even larger, already surpassing the realm of comprehension.

"'You should know that I have the ability to kill you effortlessly, right!'"

The shock was fleeting; it quickly regained composure. A pair of eyes belonging to the ruthless entity slowly emerged from the black hole, gazing steadily at him.

"You do indeed have the ability to kill me..." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"'Good that you know!' The ruthless entity smiled. 'I can kill you, yet I haven't. You should understand... you still hold value to me!'"

"You want me to release you?" Zhang Xuan looked at it.

"'Speaking with intelligent people is simple... As long as you help me escape, I won't kill you!' the ruthless entity stated."

"'Won't kill me? Or will you simply refine me into a golden figure or a puppet once you're free?' Zhang Xuan chuckled softly."

"'Only puppets or golden figures don't babble nonsense!'" Without denying it, the ruthless entity stated calmly.

"Since that's the case, and I'm going to die either way, why should I release you?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. Since the other party intended to kill him regardless, why should he expend effort to save it?

"'That is not up to you. If you wish to witness the group of Master Teachers who accompanied you all perish here... then you need not agree!'" A cold snort from the ruthless entity echoed, and then the black hole flickered, revealing a visual display.

It was Hall Master Xing and the others. At this moment, the group remained trapped by countless soulless golden figures. Dean Wei, Dean Liao, and the others guarding outside were already severely injured and utterly exhausted. Although their strength was considerable, they were still unable to contend with so many soulless golden figures that felt neither pain nor fatigue.

The group was already barely holding on when, inside the room, an unknown mechanism activated, and another figure slowly emerged. It was another soulless golden figure, but its level was significantly more powerful than the others, having already reached the mid-stage Ethereal Opening Realm. True Qi erupted from its acupoints, imbued with intense killing intent.

"'These golden figures were already barely holding their own. If I were to make another move, how many of these people do you think would survive?'" Observing the figure's emergence, the ruthless entity glanced at Zhang Xuan and smiled coldly.

Immediately after, the soulless golden figure displayed in the vision flickered and lunged into the crowd.

"Everyone, defend well..." Dean Wei's expression changed, and he urgently bellowed. Yet, before his words fully left his lips, the opponent was already upon him, its palm descending toward his chest.

Pale-faced, Dean Wei was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the wall and spitting out large mouthfuls of blood. A gap opened in their formation where he had stood, and before the others could readjust, the figure darted into the crowd, striking at Dean Liao, the second strongest fighter.

Crack!

Normally, Dean Liao's full strength would have allowed him to block several attacks... but after fighting for so long, his true qi and stamina were nearly depleted. He, too, failed to react in time, was struck, and collapsed to the ground, his face pale.

In the blink of an eye, two of Zhang Xuan's companions had been injured.

"Damn it! I'll kill you!"

Witnessing two consecutive companions severely wounded, Zhang Jiuxiao roared. His previously used mid-tier Saint artifact appeared in his palm, and he fiercely brought it down upon the golden figure before him. As if anticipating the move, the golden figure pointed a finger.

With a hum, the longsword stopped in mid-air. His face flushed, Zhang Jiuxiao exerted all his might but remained utterly immobile, as if glued to the spot. He was merely an early-stage Primordial Spirit Realm expert. Even with astonishing combat prowess, he was still far too inferior compared to a mid-stage Ethereal Opening Realm expert.

Having immobilized him, the soulless golden figure smiled coldly, approached, and pressed gently.

Thud!

Zhang Jiuxiao likewise flew backward, but mid-air, a light flashed on his chest. It seemed a protective talisman or similar item had activated, stopping his trajectory. As a scion of a prominent family, he did possess a few life-saving artifacts.

"'Interesting... However, this thing trying to obstruct me? No chance at all!'"

Under its control, the soulless golden figure bent its knees, stomped fiercely, and charged forward again, its five fingers moving like a zither player's, unleashing a flurry of attacks.

Whirring! Whirring! Whirring! Whirring!

The talisman protected Zhang Jiuxiao, keeping him unharmed. However, as the attacks intensified, the protective light grew progressively weaker. No matter how potent a protective talisman, it possessed energy limits. While it could withstand one or two attacks, it couldn't endure an extended barrage.

The light vanished, and Zhang Jiuxiao, like the others, was also sent flying, severely injured and lying nearby. Having defeated these three, the rest was simple. Soon, the three elders brought by Teacher Wu were also injured. Aside from Teacher Wu and Hall Master Xing, who were already severely wounded, one could say their forces were entirely annihilated.

The soulless golden figure grinned, approached Hall Master Xing and the others, its palm raised, poised to strike at any moment.

"'How about it? Obey me, and I can spare them! As a Celestial-Appointed Master Teacher, you surely can't bear to watch your friends die one by one before your eyes, can you?'" Noting that these two were already severely injured and certainly couldn't resist, the ruthless entity stared at Zhang Xuan with intense provocation.

Master Teachers adhere to rules and righteousness. If one were to personally witness their friends dying before them, despite possessing the means to help but choosing not to, their mental state would inevitably shatter. Even if they survived, they would be profoundly heartbroken, making further progress difficult.

"Die before me?" Ignoring its attitude, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I don't think so!"

"Hm?"

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was still so stubborn, and just as it was about to speak, the scene on the display abruptly shifted. Teacher Wu and Hall Master Xing, who had just been severely injured, suddenly erupted, striking simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, two fierce forces slammed into the golden figure's body.

The soulless golden figure, astonished that severely injured individuals could unleash such immense attacks, didn't even react before a large hole was punched directly through its chest, and all its ribs were shattered. Filled with shock and bewildered, the ruthless entity heard Zhang Xuan's calm voice resonate.

"'How about it? Obey me, and I can spare this golden figure! As an entity that once trapped Master Kong, you surely can't bear to watch your subordinate die before your eyes, can you?'"

"..." The ruthless entity.