Chapter 1245: Liu Yang's Crisis (Part 1)

"Teacher Zhang, we'll hold them off for you; try to find a way to escape..."

Stepping forward, the *zhenqi* within Master Wu and Hall Master Xing surged out frantically, forming a barrier against the encroaching power and shielding everyone in the center.

The colossal, terrifying human face before them made it clear they couldn't escape. However, if they risked their lives, they might just be able to allow Teacher Zhang to get away! He was the future of humanity; he couldn't die here!

"Escape? If we had turned and left before the island fully levitated, perhaps we could have escaped. But now..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Do you truly believe he spoke so much because he's a chatterbox, or that he was just looking for someone to confide in?"

"This..." The others were stunned. The opponent's explanation, which involved too many shocking secrets, had momentarily made everyone forget about escaping. Now, it seemed, it was likely a tactic to buy time.

"His consciousness has only just escaped suppression, and it requires some time to take full control of such an enormous island! Therefore, he used information to capture our attention. During that period, he fully asserted control over the head. Even if we managed to break free, this vast swamp... we wouldn't escape. We might even, in our haste, stumble into perilous areas and walk straight into our deaths!" Zhang Xuan gave a bitter smile. Given the opponent's power, even if Master Wu, Hall Master Xing, and the others fought to their last breath, it wouldn't buy them much time. And even if they escaped, how far could they possibly get? They'd likely be caught within a dozen kilometers.

"Teacher Zhang, since you knew about this situation, why didn't you escape earlier...?" Ji Tianxiong couldn't help but ask. "Since you saw through his intentions in advance, why didn't you leave? Why did you stay here asking questions? Now the opponent has complete control of the island, their power is at its peak, and escaping is no longer an option."

Without answering, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and looked up at the human face before him. "It's clear we can't escape, and we're no match for your current strength... All I want to know now is, who exactly is the puppet you spoke of?"

"Heh heh, to be frank, to still care about such a matter in this situation, your temperament and resolve, even if not quite on par with Master Kong from back then, are certainly close! Such a genius, I almost don't wish to kill you..." The ruthless man's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes glinting. "How about this: if you pledge allegiance to me and offer your soul as a sacrifice... I'll not only tell you, but also spare your life. Later, when you obtain the World-Passing Heavenly Talisman, I can even lead you to find the Spring and Autumn Codex, helping you become a Master for Ten Thousand Generations..."

"Pledge allegiance?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Once a Master Teacher, always a Master Teacher! I cannot betray my kind and join the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe... However, even if you don't tell me who that puppet is, I've already figured it out."

"Oh?" The ruthless man's eyes held a playful glint, seemingly disbelieving that Zhang Xuan could have guessed correctly.

"It should be Emperor Chu Tianxing of the Qingyuan Empire!" Zhang Xuan stated calmly.

"Hmm?" The ruthless man's eyes narrowed.

"To have access to information even more up-to-date than Vice Hall Master Tian Qing, he must hold a very high position... Master Wu is a true Master Teacher, and Hall Master Gou was also killed... The only remaining possibility is His Majesty, the Emperor!" Zhang Xuan explained.

In truth, this wasn't difficult to deduce. Within the Qingyuan Empire, anyone privy to information about the World-Passing Heavenly Talisman had to be immensely powerful and hold a high position. Given that even King Zhongqing's true identity wasn't known, there was no one else who fit the description except His Majesty the Emperor. Furthermore, the Emperor's own actions had always been suspicious. When King Zhongqing was arrested, the Emperor paid a hefty price to secure his bail; and when he visited King Zhongqing, eight Master Teachers from the Master Teacher Pavilion had their souls captured... It had been baffling before, but now, upon hearing that the ruthless man had tamed this puppet, the pieces fell into place.

"As expected of a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher, your mind is truly swift; you immediately grasped the core..." The ruthless man gave a cold smile, no longer bothering to conceal anything. With the truth laid bare, further pretense was pointless.

"A Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher?"

"Teacher Zhang is... a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher?"

Ji Tianxiong, Hall Master Xing, and the others were all dumbfounded. Among the group, only Master Wu knew Zhang Xuan's true identity; the others were completely unaware. Hearing the Otherworldly Demonic being say this, they were all utterly astonished and couldn't believe it. Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teachers were incredibly rare, one in a million. In all the years of recorded history on the Master Teacher Continent, only Master Kong had ever appeared... and this person before them was also one!

"What? You didn't know? Haha... He is a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher! An existence recognized by the heavens and earth! As long as he lives, with his cultivation growing, he will absolutely become a Master for Ten Thousand Generations!" Noticing their ignorance, the ruthless man snorted, his gaze turning chilling. "However, there's no chance now! I've battled Master Kong many times, and I'm extremely familiar with his tactics. Any methods you possess now would be useless! So, what do you say? Submit to me, and you can live. Otherwise, not only will you die... your students, your family, and your friends will all be completely annihilated!"

"To tell you the truth, by the time you arrived here, I had already instructed Chu Tianxing to capture your students... Unless something unexpected happened, they should be under control by now." The ruthless man sneered.

"Capture my students?" Zhang Xuan's eyes instantly turned cold. He hadn't expected that the other party, an emperor, would stoop to such a disgraceful and despicable act.

"Precisely!"

"Do you truly believe I'd fall for that? My student is cultivating within the Combat Master Hall, protected by countless combat masters. Even Chu Tianxing wouldn't dare make a move there!" Zhang Xuan scoffed.

He currently had only one direct disciple, Liu Yang! Before leaving, he had specifically instructed him to cultivate within the Combat Master Hall... Surely, even if Chu Tianxing was His Majesty the Emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, he wouldn't dare cause trouble within the Combat Master Hall!

"For Chu Tianxing to act directly, certainly not... But what if he extended an invitation?" The ruthless man chuckled.

"An invitation?" Zhang Xuan's fist clenched. Before they came here, they had only suspected Chu Tianxing and had assigned Master Teachers to observe him... there was no concrete evidence. As the Emperor of a nation, personally inviting his student to be a guest at the palace—Liu Yang would likely have no reason to refuse... Once he was inside the imperial palace, there truly would be no recourse! With the Hall Master of the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Hall Master of the Combat Master Hall both here, rescuing anyone would be incredibly difficult.

"Did you think I'd come here to face you without preparing some measures, especially after fighting Master Kong?" Seeing Zhang Xuan's expression, the ruthless man sneered. "Very well, I'll give you time to choose. Surrender to me, and both you and your student can live. I can even impart to you the complete Witch Soul secret art... aiding you to become a Master for Ten Thousand Generations. Refuse to submit... and I'll have the pleasure of killing your student first!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed as he found himself in a difficult dilemma. This was the first time... he had ever been threatened in such a way.

Qingyuan City, Combat Master Hall.

On the third day after Zhang Xuan and the others departed, a guest arrived at the hall: Emperor Chu Tianxing of the Qingyuan Empire.

"Hall Master Zhou, I may have to trouble you once more. King Zhongqing is still detained by the Master Teacher Pavilion, though his fault wasn't truly significant—it was mostly a misunderstanding with Teacher Zhang. I've come today hoping you could facilitate an introduction, so I may offer my apologies!" Chu Tianxing said with a pleasant smile. Behind him stood several guards, while seated opposite him was Hall Master Zhou of the Armory Hall.

With Hall Master Xing, Hall Master Wei, Hall Master Liao, and others away, Hall Master Zhou was temporarily overseeing the Combat Master Hall's affairs. "My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, but your timing is truly unfortunate. Teacher Zhang is currently in secluded cultivation and is unable to receive visitors..." Hall Master Zhou shook his head, a wry smile on his face.

Hall Master Xing had specifically instructed before his departure that they were not to reveal news of their absence. If anyone came inquiring, and they couldn't politely refuse, they were to claim Zhang Xuan was in secluded cultivation. The visitor was the Emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, and even though the Combat Master Hall operated independently and answered solely to the Master Teacher Pavilion, a direct refusal would be impolite.

"Secluded cultivation? In that case... I heard Teacher Zhang has a direct disciple named Liu Yang? Might I possibly meet him? I understand he's seventeen, and I happen to have a daughter of similar age and respectable appearance. Perhaps I could introduce them..." Chu Tianxing quickly added.

"Well..." Having already felt awkward about declining the Emperor's request to see Zhang Xuan, refusing a meeting with a mere student would seem rather unreasonable. "How about this: I'll send someone to inquire. If Liu Yang doesn't wish to come out, then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do!" Hall Master Zhou stated after a brief pause.

"Then I shall trouble the Hall Master..." Chu Tianxing smiled. "As you know, I've come specifically to mend relations, and I hope the Hall Master can speak favorably on my behalf..."

"Indeed!" Nodding, Hall Master Zhou gave a signal, and a combat master immediately excused himself.

This combat master hurried towards Liu Yang's residence. Before he even reached the door, he heard a continuous series of "bang, bang, bang!" sounds. He knocked and entered, immediately seeing Teacher Zhang's direct disciple cultivating with intense fervor. Sweat poured down, soaking his clothes completely, and his face was somewhat pale from overexertion.

"Young Master Liu, you... you should take it easy. It seems you're overexerting yourself... If you continue like this, not only will your cultivation progress slowly, but you could also easily damage your foundation!" the combat master advised. The Combat Child had explicitly instructed that Zhang Xuan be treated with the utmost respect due to a teacher. As for Liu Yang, who was neither a Master Teacher nor a Combat Master, the combat master could only address him as "Young Master Liu" or "Sir Liu." Although just a regular combat master, anyone accepted into the Combat Master Hall was an exceptional Master Teacher. He could tell at a glance that Young Master Liu was pushing himself too hard and was verging on exhaustion.

Diligent cultivation is commendable, but overdoing it, pushing beyond one's physical limits... once the foundation is damaged, repairing it becomes incredibly difficult! Crucially, being too eager for quick success can lead to a collapse of one's mental state, easily creating inner demons and even causing qi deviation.

"I know... but time waits for no one!" Wiping away sweat, Liu Yang paused, his fists involuntarily clenching.

The teacher had seven direct disciples. Zhao Ya, Lu Chong, Yuan Tao, Wei Ruyan, Zheng Yang, Wang Ying... all had found their own paths, and each was more formidable than the last. He, however, despite following closely behind his teacher, found his cultivation progressing extremely slowly... A heavy sense of pressure weighed on him. Witnessing Zheng Yang become the Combat Child and single-handedly dominate all directions only intensified his anxiety, causing his mindset to become somewhat imbalanced. He longed to be strong, to become stronger, to not be inferior to anyone else! Holding his breath, he cultivated with all his might, determined to persist even when his body could no longer bear it.

"What do you need?" Liu Yang looked over. "If it's nothing urgent, I need to continue my cultivation!"