Chapter 1278: Group Beating

"Challenge Hall Master Yue?"

"Hall Master Yue is a super expert at the Half-Domain realm..."

Everyone froze, unable to believe their ears.

Yue Yiquan, the Hall Master of the Qianchong Empire's Master Teacher Hall, had reached the Half-Domain realm. To challenge him... was Zhang Xuan mad, or simply too arrogant?

"'You challenge me?'" Hall Master Yue was momentarily stunned by the unexpected declaration, then his eyes narrowed.

"'That's right!'" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "'What's wrong? Are you scared?'"

The man had been making things difficult for him from the beginning, using various excuses, which had long since made Zhang Xuan quite displeased.

He had initially feigned weakness to entice others to bring him spirit stones, but now that his strength was revealed, no one would be foolish enough to continue approaching him.

Since that was the case... it was time to settle his scores.

Wasn't he intentionally setting a trap for him? "Well then, let's see if you have the power to back it up!"

"'Presumptuous!'" An elder behind Hall Master Yue suddenly rose to his feet. "'Zhang Xuan, remember your place! You are merely a Seven-Star Master Teacher from a first-tier empire, while Hall Master Yue is a quasi-Eight-Star Master Teacher, far beyond the Spirit Severing realm. Do you even qualify to challenge him directly?'"

"'Qualified?'" Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly. With a flick of his wrist, a badge floated in the air. "'I am a specially appointed elder of the Imperial Alliance Master Teacher Hall. I wonder... does that qualify me?'"

"'Imperial Alliance... a specially appointed elder?'"

"'This... how can this be?'"

Everyone gasped in shock, their faces flushed with disbelief.

They all knew how powerful the Imperial Alliance Master Teacher Hall was. Becoming a deacon there meant being a master among masters, holding immense prestige. A specially appointed elder, however... was practically untouchable.

It wasn't just the crowd who reacted this way; Yue Yiquan's body also stiffened.

Evidently, Song Xuan had not relayed this information to him, leaving him completely unaware.

Had he known in advance, he wouldn't have dared to confront an elder of the Alliance, even if he had ten times the courage!

"'Yes, yes... qualified!'" The elder who had spoken earlier stammered, his face turning pale.

With his keen eye, he could tell the badge was genuine. This meant that the person before him, despite his seemingly inferior cultivation and rank, was indeed a true elder of the Imperial Alliance.

Such a position was one they could only look up to, and certainly not offend.

"'Good that I qualify...'" Zhang Xuan withdrew the badge and looked at Yue Yiquan. "'Hall Master, do you dare to accept? You deliberately used this cup of Heaven Star Drunk to provoke everyone into challenging me, all for the sake of avenging your wife's younger brother! There's no need to speak so grandly and righteously; we are all master teachers, and we can see through such pretenses. So, after challenging me... and angering an elder of the Imperial Alliance, are you now going to back down?'"

"'This...'"

"'Revenge for his wife's brother? What happened?'"

"'I arrived early and heard some news. There were some incidents in the Master Teacher Hall of the Qingyuan Empire, and Hall Master Yue sent his wife's younger brother to handle them. However, he mishandled the situation, was suspected of abusing his authority, was not only crippled but also punished by the Alliance...'"

"'That happened? No wonder I felt there was something off about Hall Master Yue...'"

Everyone present was intelligent; upon hearing this, they immediately understood the situation. Their expressions changed as they looked at Yue Yiquan.

They had initially thought the Hall Master was courageous and magnanimous, but now it seemed he was rather petty.

Praising openly while tripping up secretly—his methods were truly cunning.

"'Since Elder Zhang wishes to compete with me, I accept!'" Seeing the disapproving looks from the crowd, Yue Yiquan clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes.

He was now in an impossible situation; he had no choice but to agree.

However, he was clever. By directly addressing Zhang Xuan as 'Elder Zhang,' he subtly acknowledged Zhang Xuan's superior status and positioned himself as the weaker party.

Whoosh!

Rising to his feet, Yue Yiquan took a few steps to the center of the hall and smiled faintly. "'Master Zhang, as a specially appointed elder of the Alliance, your status is highly respected. My competing with you is also a learning process, so there should be no need to suppress my cultivation, right?'"

"'Not suppress cultivation?'"

"'Does Hall Master Yue mean... he'll fight Master Zhang with his Half-Domain realm strength?'"

"'Master Zhang is only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Saint realm. Even with that cauldron weapon, it's hard to say if he could defeat many Spirit Severing realm experts, let alone Half-Domain... This is a bit of bullying, isn't it?'"

"'It certainly is excessive. I was just doubting whether Master Zhang's words were true, but now it seems they definitely are...'" A murmur of uproar spread through the crowd.

Zhang Xuan's eyes also narrowed. An old fox never dies.

As the Hall Master of the Master Teacher Hall and a quasi-Eight-Star Master Teacher, this man was indeed cunning within the rules, employing one scheme after another, making him difficult to defend against.

First, he addressed him as 'Elder Zhang' to leverage his status, then lowered his own posture... Since Zhang Xuan was an Alliance elder, instructing the other party as a senior, why should he suppress his cultivation? He had instantly shifted from a passive to an active position.

It seemed Yue Yiquan had realized that he was no match for Zhang Xuan at the same level and now aimed for a complete crushing victory.

"'Alright!'" Zhang Xuan exhaled and nodded.

He wanted to crush him? Well, Zhang Xuan wondered if his opponent's teeth were hard enough! It seemed that most people who had tried to crush him along the way, if they hadn't died, had usually ended up becoming his disciples.

"'Thank you, Elder Zhang, for the guidance!'" With a faint smile, Hall Master Yue's eyes glinted. He stretched his body, and the true qi within him immediately surged, his aura rising like a soaring dragon, piercing straight into the sky.

At the Half-Domain realm, his strength already surpassed that of the formidable 'Ruthless Man' from before. The surrounding space immediately seemed to solidify completely, rendering onlookers immobile.

Whoosh!

As his aura peaked, Yue Yiquan flicked his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm. True qi coursed through the blade, emitting a soft hum, indicating its extremely high grade—at least a Saint-tier Middle-grade weapon. With a weapon of this caliber, combined with his cultivation and understanding of the sword dao, his strength was undoubtedly terrifying!

"'He even brought out his sword?'"

"'This is clearly meant to intimidate Master Zhang!'"

"'He was publicly challenged and exposed; naturally, he wants to save face!'"

"'It looks like Master Zhang is in trouble now...'" Everyone frowned.

This Hall Master was already formidable without a weapon, but with his long sword... unless one had truly reached the Domain realm, it was unlikely anyone could defeat him.

"'He's taken out a weapon, so that means... we can use weapons in this fight?'" Zhang Xuan chuckled.

Yue Yiquan nodded. "'My forte is sword techniques, so naturally, I hope to receive Elder Zhang's guidance...'"

"'If you use a weapon, may I also use one?'" Zhang Xuan asked.

"'Elder, feel free!'" Yue Yiquan nodded.

He had seen Zhang Xuan's cauldron before; its power was not weak, but it was only comparable to a late-stage Spirit Severing realm expert. It certainly wouldn't be his match, so even if Zhang Xuan used it, it wouldn't pose a threat.

"'Very well!'" Zhang Xuan nodded, then raised an eyebrow and flicked his wrist.

Whoosh!

Over a hundred puppets appeared before them.

These were the Heavenly Craftsman puppets he had acquired from the 'Ruthless Man' in the Jibei Marsh.

These creations, crafted by Heavenly Craftsmen, carried no aura of the Spirit Devils nor were they soulless golden figures. Even if he brought them out, they would merely be considered weapons.

"'These are my weapons!'" Zhang Xuan grinned and smiled faintly. "'All of you, go together and give him a good beating!'"

"'Yes, sir!'" The many puppets, already completely subjugated, roared in unison upon hearing the command and charged directly at Yue Yiquan.

Although each puppet individually possessed only mid or late-stage Spirit Severing realm strength, over a hundred of them combined unleashed immense power. A rapid, coordinated assault began, with powerful forces raining down on Yue Yiquan, making the entire hall feel as if it had instantly descended into hell.

"'You...'" Yue Yiquan's face immediately changed. He clearly hadn't expected his opponent to suddenly produce so many puppets, each with such formidable combat power. He swung his long sword through the air, intending to split one of them, when he felt two surges of fist winds strike his back.

Before he could turn, multiple forces struck him from above, below, and behind, targeting his weaknesses. It was as if they knew in advance the flaws in his sword techniques and cultivation, and were exploiting them.

"'It's the War Master Hall's coordinated formation... and someone is directing them!'" Yue Yiquan's pupils constricted, and his entire body stiffened.

If they were just ordinary puppets, with his Half-Domain realm combat power, he wouldn't have lost too badly, even if he were defeated. But... the opponent knew his weaknesses beforehand and had the puppets form the War Master Hall's most brilliant combined attack formation... This was truly dangerous!

Indeed, after forcing himself to endure a few blows, not a single puppet was harmed, but he felt pain all over, as if he were being torn apart. *Thump, thump, thump!* He gritted his teeth and endured several more strikes, but the number of fists hitting him only increased. Sometimes, a foot would even kick him in the face. After ten minutes, his eyes were so swollen he could barely open them.

Even though his strength was formidable, he couldn't withstand being besieged by puppets that fought like War Masters.

"'If only I had known earlier, I wouldn't have used a weapon...'" Yue Yiquan felt like crying.

Just moments ago, he had been confident that as long as he didn't suppress his cultivation, his opponent would suffer greatly... He never dreamed that the man could casually produce so many puppets!

Puppets were also a type of weapon; strictly speaking, there was no violation... The most crucial part was that he had just confidently told Zhang Xuan to 'feel free' to use whatever he wished!

Well, now he was certainly being 'free'...

"'This...'" The others swallowed hard, their faces showing expressions of utter disbelief.

It was fortunate they hadn't allowed him to continue using weapons just now. If he truly continued... even if all of them attacked together, they wouldn't be able to withstand it!

"'Master Zhao, please intervene and save Hall Master Yue...'" The elder who had spoken earlier could no longer bear to watch the Hall Master being beaten so severely and cupped his fists, pleading.

Zhao Xingmo raised an eyebrow, casually picked up a piece of fatty meat, and put it into his mouth. "'Hall Master Yue personally agreed to this competition and set the rules himself. There's nothing I can do to help!'"

Even if he could help, he wouldn't. What kind of Master Teacher would a dignified student selected by the Saint Son Hall be if he couldn't even fight back when bullied!

"Besides... he even beat me black and blue. If you provoke him, aren't you just asking for death?"

"'Hall Master...'" Seeing that Zhao Xingmo wouldn't intervene, the elder couldn't help but look over. He saw Yue Yiquan lying on the ground, his face covered in footprints, spitting blood, and twitching...