Chapter 1258: Saving the People from Calamity

"How dare you!"Song Xuan was fuming, almost exploding with rage.

"As Master Teachers, we lead by example, subtly influencing people to learn knowledge, change their character, and develop in a better direction! If, as you say, human nature is unchangeable, then what use are Master Teachers? Are you denying the philosophy of Master Kong, denying the Master Teacher Pavilion?"

Zhang Xuan rebuked him."I... that's not what I meant!"Song Xuan swayed.Denying Master Kong, denying the Master Teacher Pavilion... he wouldn't dare even if he had ten times the courage!

"Then are you denying the Battle Master Son and the Battle Master Hall, implying their decision was wrong?" Zhang Xuan pressed on.

"I... that's not what I meant either!"Song Xuan continued to grit his teeth.Although Battle Masters are overseen by the Master Teacher Pavilion, the Battle Master Son holds too high a status for a person like him to casually comment on.

"Then what do you mean? That you're the only clear-headed one in a muddled world, the only one awake while everyone else is drunk?"Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"You..."His face flushed with exasperation. Knowing that letting the other party continue to question him would only lead him into a trap, Song Xuan hurriedly looked at Yao Mantian in front of him, clenching his fists. "Master Yao, we Master Teachers are all well aware of the actions of the Poison Masters. Their cultivation techniques are not only malicious, but some even use human blood and lives to cultivate Gu... it's utterly barbaric! Although these individuals were incorporated into the Battle Master Hall for unknown reasons, I suspect it's merely a disguised form of custody to prevent them from doing evil! It's not a true acknowledgement of their status..."

"Malicious cultivation techniques?"Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan interrupted him. "As a Master Teacher, one must be factual... What crime is it to lie with open eyes, deliberately deceiving an eight-star Master Teacher?"

"What nonsense are you talking?"Song Xuan gritted his teeth.

"Nonsense?" Looking at Elder Xu and the others below the stage, Zhang Xuan's voice rang out, "Everyone, please activate your cultivation techniques and show Master Song here if they are truly malicious methods!"

"Yes!"Nodding, Elder Xu and the others circulated their True Qi, and streams of aura surged skyward.These auras were upright and righteous; not only did they lack any sinister or strange elements, but they also gave off a warm and comforting feeling.

"This..."Song Xuan stood frozen.As a quasi-eight-star Master Teacher, he had seen many Poison Masters, each exuding potent poison and an eerie, sinister aura.But those before him not only lacked that feeling but were full of warmth...

Ignoring his shock, Zhang Xuan cupped his fists. "Master Yao, may I ask... are the techniques they cultivate malicious?"

Shaking her head, Yao Mantian replied, "Their True Qi is pure and serene, imbued with light, and has nothing to do with malice!"

"Precisely. They have long since abandoned evil for good... becoming members of the Battle Master Hall. Yet, Master Song still treats them as Poison Masters, repeatedly calling their methods malicious... I'd like to ask, what defines 'malicious'? Is it merely your subjective perception?"Staring intently at Song Xuan, Zhang Xuan refused to yield an inch.

"I..." Song Xuan trembled, unsure how to respond.When Elder Xu and the others were apprehended, they didn't resist, so he had no idea that Poison Masters could also cultivate such righteous techniques.

"Even if their cultivation techniques are no longer sinister, the fact remains that they poisoned everyone in the entire palace with a single move. No matter what you say, that cannot be changed..."It took a long while for him to recover and say this.

"Since you put it that way, I'll explain the whole situation in detail, so you can be convinced!"Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan looked at the eight-star Master Teacher before him. "Master Yao, I wish to fully recount the entire sequence of events, and then I ask you to judge the matter fairly for me and for everyone present!"

"Please, speak!" Yao Mantian nodded.

"It's like this: Qing Tian, the emperor of the Qing Tian lineage, is not only profound in cultivation and extraordinary in strength, but also a formidable Spirit Enchantment Master! He possesses a special secret art that can seize people's souls. In other words, no matter your strength, as long as you don't surpass him and are within a certain range... your soul can be easily captured, refined, and turned into cultivation nourishment!"

"Capture souls and refine them?""Precisely!"With a flick of his wrist, an altar appeared before them and landed on the ground. Zhang Xuan said, "This is one of the formations he used. If Master Yao doesn't believe me, you can examine it!"

It was the very altar used to capture Emperor Qing Tian."These secret patterns..."After examining it closely, Yao Mantian's expression grew increasingly solemn. "Although I've never seen an altar like this before... Spirit Enchantment Masters are indeed unpredictable, and secret arts that allow one to advance by devouring others' souls do exist. It was precisely for this reason that they were not tolerated by the righteous path and were eradicated by the Master Teacher Pavilion in the past!"

Although she hadn't seen this object before, with her insight as an eight-star Master Teacher, she could easily discern its extreme aggressiveness towards souls. If activated with a special method, it could indeed extract a person's soul from their body.

"Exactly. To be honest, this method isn't only possessed by Emperor Qing Tian; Chu Tianxing, loyal to him, also learned it!" Zhang Xuan continued.

"Chu Tianxing could also be a Spirit Enchantment Master?" Yao Mantian frowned.

"Yes!"Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Do you have proof?" Yao Mantian asked.Learning Spirit Enchantment techniques and pledging allegiance to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe are serious crimes. Chu Tianxing was dead, but without evidence, it would still be considered slander.

"Proving it is quite simple. Elder Bai, please bring the bodies of Chen Zhe, Hall Master Gou, and those several seven-star Master Teachers!"With an unchanging expression, Zhang Xuan turned and instructed.

"Yes!"Below the high platform, an elder from the Master Teacher Pavilion turned and walked out.This elder had previously accompanied him to Chen Zhe's courtyard to apprehend Deputy Hall Master Tian Qing, so they were already acquainted.

It wasn't long before Elder Bai returned, and with a flick of his wrist, a row of corpses fell onto the ground.Knowing the significance, these bodies had undergone special preservation by the Master Teacher Pavilion, remaining lifelike even after many days, appearing almost as if they had just died.

"Master Yao, you can examine them closely and see the commonality among these bodies!"Zhang Xuan beckoned.

Stepping forward, Yao Mantian lowered her head and looked, her brows furrowing tighter with each corpse she examined.All these bodies were perfectly intact, showing no external injuries, yet their souls had been extinguished, completely vanishing.

"These all died from their souls being killed..."After examining all of them, Yao Mantian stated.

"Indeed, these all died from their souls being captured and obliterated... Furthermore, these seven-star Master Teachers shared a common trait before their deaths: they had all come into contact with Chu Tianxing. This can be verified with the Master Teacher Pavilion!"Zhang Xuan continued.

Chu Tianxing had previously visited King Zhongqing and had contact with all these individuals. Before, it didn't seem significant... but after learning of his allegiance to the ruthless figure in the swamp, identifying the problem became simple.Without a medium, even if that ruthless figure were incredibly powerful, it would be impossible to obliterate someone from countless miles away. The reason it was possible was likely because His Majesty Chu Tianxing had contacted these Master Teachers and provided them with fine wine and delicacies.

"I can confirm that Chu Tianxing came to visit King Zhongqing that night and brought a lot of fine wine for everyone to drink!""I can also confirm that every word spoken can be sworn upon my identity as a Master Teacher..."As soon as his voice fell, many Master Teachers below the stage called out.Chu Tianxing had been very hospitable at the time, and many remembered it clearly.

"Are you implying... that Chu Tianxing used a secret art to kill so many Master Teachers?"Hearing so many confirm it, Yao Mantian knew it couldn't be false and looked over, puzzled.

"Even if he didn't do it directly, he was certainly deeply involved!"Zhang Xuan continued, "Although Master Wu and I suspected he was problematic, we dared not act, because if we killed him, Emperor Qing Tian, hidden in the Jibei Swamp, would surely flee, making him difficult to find again! Therefore, under the guise of secluded cultivation, we secretly gathered nine experts and went to the swamp to eliminate him. Despite the immense danger, we fortunately succeeded... I mentioned this earlier!"

Yao Mantian nodded.This matter had just been explained in detail.

"Although our departure was discreet, as the emperor of a nation, he still detected something amiss after a few days. He probably guessed that he had been exposed and decided to make a last stand!"

"A last stand?"

"Exactly. According to my conjecture, Chu Tianxing was highly likely to use this soul-capturing secret art to sacrifice all living beings in Qingyuan City to boost his cultivation! It would be impossible to kill so many strong cultivators at once, but limited to those below the Saint realm, slaughtering millions, even tens of millions, should not be difficult! Once successful, the entire imperial capital would be plunged into misery, turning into a living hell!"Zhang Xuan said, his voice filled with compassion.

"Master Zhang, are you implying... that His Majesty Chu Tianxing intended to kill everyone below the Saint realm in Qingyuan City?""This... how is this possible? He couldn't be that insane!"Zhang Xuan's voice was unmasked, and a commotion immediately erupted below the stage. Everyone was in disbelief.The news was simply too shocking, beyond imagination.

"As for the consequences of betraying humanity, I presume I don't need to elaborate; everyone knows! Once exposed, one becomes an enemy of the entire continent, suffering a fate worse than death... Any extreme act is possible!" Zhang Xuan huffed.

"This..." The crowd fell silent.Faced with life and death, no one could guarantee their composure, and no one could be sure what they might do.

"It was precisely because of this concern that before we departed, I specifically instructed Sun Qiang, Liu Yang, Elder Xu, and the others that if anything unexpected happened, they must save lives, even if it meant risking being misunderstood! This is our duty as Master Teachers, our responsibility!"

"That's why... Liu Yang infiltrated the palace, pretending to be captured, and Sun Qiang and Elder Xu, among others, poisoned all the guards unconscious... What seemed reckless was actually the best solution to the problem, both minimizing impact and saving lives..."

"Therefore, I believe they are not only innocent but have also performed meritorious service in saving lives... How could I stand by and watch such heroes be sentenced to public execution by Master Song, who couldn't discern right from wrong? If I truly allowed this to happen, where would the Master Teacher Pavilion's fairness be? Where would its reputation be?"Growing more agitated with each word, Zhang Xuan spoke furiously, his voice resounding throughout the imperial capital.

"Uh..."Hearing these words, Elder Xu and the others exchanged bewildered glances.Saving countless people from dire straits... How did we suddenly become so great?Everything Master Zhang said...Why do we have absolutely no recollection of it?