Chapter 1247: Eunuch Emperor (Part 1)

Others might not know, but having followed Zhang Xuan and his students all this way, he knew very well the depth of Zhang Xuan's feelings for them.

For Lu Chong, he single-handedly challenged a kingdom. For Zhao Ya and Wang Ying, he threatened a major power. For Wei Ruyan, he willingly faced danger...

The bond between master and disciple was as eternal as the sun and moon.

If something truly happened to Liu Yang, it was predictable that his young master would rush directly to the Qingyuan Imperial Palace and wouldn't stop until he turned everything upside down.

"What should I do?"

His face showed anxiety.

He had told outsiders that the young master was in seclusion, but he knew Zhang Xuan had gone to a very distant place and couldn't possibly return anytime soon.

If something happened to Liu Yang in the meantime, the young master would surely skin him alive upon his return.

“Thank you, Young Master Chu Xiang, for informing me,” Sun Qiang said. “I am deeply grateful. I will go report to the young master now.”

After asking for details and understanding the situation, Sun Qiang cupped his fists towards Chu Xiang and turned to walk back.

It wasn't long before he arrived at Hall Master Zhou's residence.

“...That's how things are,” Sun Qiang explained. “I hope the Hall Master can send someone with me to the Imperial Palace to rescue him!”

Sun Qiang explained the information he knew in detail.

“Rescue someone from the Imperial Palace?” Hall Master Zhou hesitated. “This involves the relationship between the Combat Master Hall, the Master Teacher Pavilion, and local powers. Although I can send combat masters to demand his release, it could easily spark conflict! We need to report this to the Master Teacher Pavilion first; a decision can only be made after it’s reported to headquarters.”

“Report to the Master Teacher Pavilion, headquarters?”

Sun Qiang frowned.

Liu Yang was imprisoned inside, and no one knew his exact condition. Every day's delay meant another day of danger. If they had to follow procedures, who would take responsibility if something went wrong?

It was just like when he himself was imprisoned and suffered greatly.

“The combat masters of the Combat Master Hall are equivalent to the empire's army,” Hall Master Zhou explained. “To deploy them, a warrant from the Master Teacher Pavilion is required! I have no way to do it... Don’t be anxious. Young Master Liu is Master Zhang’s student; Chu Tianxing probably won’t act recklessly…”

Hall Master Zhou offered words of comfort.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to help, but sending combat masters to the imperial palace to demand someone's release would be tantamount to a complete breakdown of relations. The responsibility was so immense that even as a Hall Master, he couldn't bear it.

If the Pavilion Master were here, perhaps a decision could be made, but unfortunately, the Pavilion Master was absent. If a major conflict were to arise, not only his status as Hall Master but even his identity as a combat master could be completely stripped away.

Combat masters, crucial tools of the Master Teacher profession, could not be deployed casually.

If everyone deployed them for their personal affairs, what authority would the Master Teacher Pavilion have to command the world?

“Since you won't agree to rescue him, I'll find my own way!” Seeing the other party's numerous concerns, Sun Qiang’s face turned ashen. He waved his hand and turned to leave.

The other party had various concerns, so he would use his own methods to resolve the matter.

Leaving Hall Master Zhou’s residence, he soon arrived at the Combat Master Hall’s designated area for poison masters.

“Benefactor!” Seeing him arrive, all the members of the Poison Hall greeted him with joyful faces.

Elder Xu was especially filled with gratitude.

If it weren't for this person before them, they might have long been tortured to death by King Zhongqing, let alone becoming combat masters and living in the light!

“Alright, I’m here this time because I need your help!” Without any pretense, Sun Qiang directly stated his purpose.

With his strength, going to the Imperial Palace to rescue someone was definitely impossible. He could only rely on others.

And for some reason, these poison masters respected him greatly and were willing to obey his commands, making them the most suitable choice.

“Please speak, Benefactor,” the poison masters replied. “As long as we are capable, we will not hesitate, even if it means being torn to pieces!”

Numerous poison masters looked at him with bright, eager eyes.

Having cultivated the poison arts taught by their Patriarch, everyone’s strength had greatly improved. Especially Elder Xu You, who had now reached Saint 3-dan.

While their strength advancement was secondary, their understanding and application of poison were even more remarkable.

As long as the poison’s level was sufficient, even a Spirit Soul Realm expert could be killed.

“Don’t rush to agree,” Sun Qiang said. “Consider it after I’ve finished speaking.”

Seeing them agree directly, Sun Qiang waved his hand and continued, “It’s like this: Young Master Liu Yang was captured by the Qingyuan Emperor. I hope to use your help to rescue him!”

Soon, Sun Qiang explained his plan.

“Go to the Qingyuan Imperial Palace to rescue someone?”

“This dog emperor, by harboring King Zhongqing, is clearly not a good person!”

“Daring to lay hands on Young Master Liu clearly shows disrespect for our Benefactor. What do you need us to do?”

“Should we poison the entire imperial family to death? We’ll turn everything upside down!”

Upon hearing Sun Qiang's request, everyone in the Poison Hall erupted.

Not a single person offered an excuse or refused.

The Benefactor's matters were more important than their lives, and besides, they weren't Master Teachers, so they weren't bound by rules.

“Very good!” Seeing this group of poison masters agree without any hesitation, Sun Qiang nodded, deeply moved.

For some reason, this group from the Poison Hall had a special affection for him, showing him unusual respect upon meeting him. More importantly, they agreed to such a dangerous task without any fear...

This was probably... charismatic appeal!

Even for a powerful person like the young master, they didn’t show as much respect, but instead showed him great deference. Just from this, it was clear that in the eyes of the Poison Hall members, he was indeed extraordinary and invincible.

“Then let's discuss a strategy and prepare to act!”

Filled with pride, feeling that he finally possessed the aura of a king, Sun Qiang waved his hand.

Although so many poison masters acting simultaneously would wield extraordinary combat power, the opposing side was, after all, the imperial family of a Conferred Empire, making them even more formidable!

If they charged in blindly, they might be annihilated before even seeing Liu Yang. They had to plan thoroughly.

“When King Zhongqing annihilated our clan back then,” Elder Xu You said, his eyes narrowed. “It was because it happened in the dead of night when everyone was asleep and unprepared... That doesn't mean we poison masters are easy to bully!”

The hatred for their annihilated clan could not be lessened. Although those who acted followed King Zhongqing's orders, in reality, they were truly soldiers of the Qingyuan Empire and acted under the authority granted by Chu Tianxing.

Therefore, the greatest enemy in their hearts was none other than His Majesty, the Emperor.

They already harbored hatred, and now even their Benefactor's people were being bullied. How could they let this go?

“Benefactor, King Zhongqing gave us many medicinal ingredients back then to refine Qingfeng Powder,” one poison master stepped forward. “These ingredients are enough to refine a full ten tons!”

“When we were captured by them, we were resigned to death and didn’t refine them. However, the medicinal ingredients were kept in our storage rings and brought along. These past few days, while studying the poison arts taught by you, Benefactor, we’ve also refined some when we had time... We've condensed quite a bit, and it’s all reached the Supreme level! If we truly want to go to the Imperial Palace to rescue someone, we can use this…”

“Supreme Qingfeng Powder?” Sun Qiang was stunned.

He knew nothing about poisons and had never even heard of this name.

However, as the Benefactor and the great expert in everyone’s eyes, how could he admit he didn’t know?

He furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “How much is there in total?”

The defenses of a Conferred Empire’s imperial family were imaginable. If the quantity was too small, it couldn’t succeed.

“Benefactor, you don’t need to worry about the quantity. There’s over 500 jin!” the poison master chuckled.

With so many poison masters studying the unique arts left by their Patriarch and no other ways to practice, they happened to have so many medicinal ingredients, so they naturally refined them at their convenience.

“Over 500 jin?” Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched, and he was filled with shock.

Even though he didn’t know much about poisons, he knew that these things were usually measured in 'qian' (a small unit of weight). A few 'qian' could poison a large number of powerful experts. Over 500 jin... The thought alone was terrifying.

“Qingfeng Powder is colorless and odorless and can travel with the wind,” Elder Xu explained. “As long as we scatter it into the Imperial Palace under the cover of night, no one will be able to escape!”

“Alright then, it’s decided! We’ll act at midnight…” Sun Qiang was originally a fearless person. Since the other party had already prepared the poison, rescuing the person was the priority.

They meticulously refined the plan several times, and once everyone agreed there were no issues, they rested on the spot to conserve their energy.

Soon, it was midnight.

Led by Sun Qiang, a group of poison masters simultaneously stood up and quietly left the Combat Master Hall.

They had already been incorporated into the Combat Master Hall, and with Master Zhang’s butler personally taking action, it did not attract the attention of others.

Taking advantage of the night, they moved stealthily and quickly. It wasn't long before they arrived at the leeward side of the Imperial Palace.

Along the way, there were many patrolling guards and soldiers guarding the palace walls. Before they could even react, they were poisoned on the spot by the group of poison masters, without even a chance to send a message.

“Alright, this is the spot,” Elder Xu, a seven-star poison master, said after looking around and confirming the location. “Although the wind isn’t strong, the location is high enough to spread all the powder throughout the Imperial Palace…”

Their target was the Qingyuan Imperial family. They couldn’t harm the common people while rescuing someone. Therefore, the location had to be chosen carefully.

“Understood!”

Everyone nodded simultaneously. They then floated into the air, taking their positions.

*Whoosh!*

They opened their palms and scattered the poison powder.

The Supreme Qingfeng Powder drifted with the wind, slowly descending towards the Imperial Palace without anyone noticing.

Although the Imperial Palace possessed numerous formations, they only activated during an attack. Even the imperial family of a Conferred Empire wasn't extravagant enough to keep them running at all times.

Furthermore, Qingfeng Powder could infiltrate through pores. As long as one breathed, it was impossible to resist.

It was precisely because of this that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was caught off guard back then, suffering countless casualties.

Even the Combat Master Hall, when suddenly encountering it, was nearly wiped out. How much more so the imperial family, who were sound asleep?

The poison powder slowly drifted. It wasn't long before those in the air saw the palace guards falling to the ground one after another, all losing consciousness.

Qingfeng Powder only temporarily rendered people incapable of fighting and wasn’t lethal. Although the Supreme level’s power was greater, it merely caused them to remain unconscious for a few more hours.

“Alright, they’ve all passed out,” Elder Xu said after scanning with his spiritual sense. “Now, let’s go directly find that dog emperor!”

“Good! Let's first catch this dog emperor and castrate him!”

Sun Qiang's gaze turned cold.