Chapter 1415: The Acting Hall Master Appears

“This…”

Elder Ge and the young man stood frozen, mouths agape, utterly dumbfounded. The scene before them had completely transcended anything they could have imagined. If Sun Qiang possessed the blessing left by Master Yang, memorial tablets of individuals whose strength hadn't surpassed Master Yang's during their lifetime would typically fall over. This is a sign of respect for a more powerful figure, similar to how they respond to recognized master teachers. They knew Master Yang’s power; among the revered figures in the Saint Son Hall, few could surpass him. Normally, a significant majority of the tablets would have toppled, leaving only the past hall masters and a handful of other powerful individuals standing. But now... instead of simply falling, they had outright exploded... What was happening?

They hastily looked straight ahead, only to see numerous memorial tablets exploding at an ever-increasing rate, as if they had witnessed something utterly bizarre. Within a few breaths, all of them had disintegrated into dust, not a single one remaining.

“Fortunately, the statues of the hall masters remained…”

Seeing that the statues of Revered Sage Kuang and others were still intact, Elder Ge breathed a sigh of relief. At least the entire Saint Son Hall hadn't been completely obliterated.

He had barely finished speaking when he heard a series of “crack! crack!” sounds again. Then, he watched as the Ninth Hall Master’s statue developed cracks that rapidly grew larger, collapsing to the ground within a single breath. Immediately after, the statues of the Eighth Hall Master, the Seventh Hall Master… Even the Ancient Sage Bu Shang’s statue couldn't hold together, shattering into two halves. Only the statue of Master Kong remained, standing quietly in its place.

Shaking violently, Elder Ge and the young man were utterly dumbfounded. Each successive hall master of the Saint Son Hall had been a peerless genius, rarely seen in the world. Their strength and insight were at least equal to, if not superior to, the Grand Elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. Ancient Sage Bu Shang, in particular, as a direct disciple of Master Kong, possessed cultivation that transcended all ages. No previous head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters had ever reached his level... How could such a figure acknowledge Master Yang to the extent that his own statue shattered? When had Master Yang reached such a realm? If that were truly the case, they, as members of the Saint Son Hall, would surely know.

Not only were they bewildered, but even Sun Qiang, the instigator of this chaos, was utterly confused. He had expected to be exposed and suffer terribly this time, never dreaming that such an unexpected turn of events would occur! His master hadn't left any blessings within him, but the Young Master had left a few streams of zhenqi to protect him in times of danger. He had thought them mostly useless and had merely circulated them casually. Who would have thought they could make so many memorial tablets vie to explode? It was as if they had encountered someone they worshipped and dared not contend with. This was simply too bizarre!

“You…”

As he pondered this, he saw Elder Ge looking at him, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Do you believe now… that I am Master Yang’s butler?” Seeing the other party’s shock, Sun Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but ask.

“This…”

Elder Ge responded mechanically and was about to nod when he heard another “crack!” sound. He then watched as the statue of Master Kong before him clasped its hands together, as if performing a peer’s salute. With a crash! Immediately afterward, cracks appeared on the statue as well, shattering it on the spot. Subsequently, the entire Sealed Master Hall began to shake incessantly, dust rising as large sections of the building broke off. Then, a mighty rumble! In less than two breaths, it completely collapsed, becoming a pile of rubble.

“What in the world is going on?” Elder Ge and the young man exchanged glances, their faces contorted with frustration. They had simply brought this guy over to confirm if he possessed a blessing from Master Yang, and they had never dreamed that the entire Sealed Master Hall would be destroyed in such a manner… This place contained the wills of all their ancestors. Under normal circumstances, even if foreign enemies invaded or the Otherworldly Demons launched a full-scale attack, destroying it would be incredibly difficult. Yet, a mere test had reduced it to this state… “You’re the King of Destruction, aren’t you!”

“What happened?” No sooner had they emerged from the rubble than they heard a question. Several figures swiftly flew over. The leading elder’s body trembled continuously, his lips quivering, as if he could not believe what he was seeing. It was none other than the current acting Hall Master of the Saint Son Hall, Master Zhan Tiancheng.

“Master Zhan…” Seeing the acting Hall Master arrive in person, Elder Ge quickly clasped his fists and thoroughly recounted what had just happened.

“Testing for a blessing, Master Kong’s statue saluting, and all other tablets shattering directly?” Master Zhan and the various elders in the air all looked as if they had seen a ghost. Making Master Kong salute… You must be joking! Who else in this world could withstand a peer’s salute from the Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations?

“What I said is absolutely true. If you don’t believe me… you can repair the Sealed Master Hall and have him try again…” Seeing their expressions, Elder Ge hastily said.

“The Sealed Master Hall involves the wills of countless ancestors. Repairing such damage would be difficult, taking at least half a year…” Shaking his head, Master Zhan’s brows furrowed. “How about this: a few of us will seal our cultivation and use the same testing method to investigate him, and figure out what exactly happened!” Their own strength was no weaker than that of the ancestors. Using the same method, they could also detect if he possessed a blessing and simultaneously determine what had truly occurred.

“Agreed!” Elder Ge nodded.

“Let’s begin…” Master Zhan commanded. The remaining elders surrounded Sun Qiang in a circle, and with a simultaneous gesture of their palms, a special energy enveloped him. With a boom! Light shot out from their bodies, forming a halo around Sun Qiang, just as before.

“I guess I’ll just have to keep circulating the Young Master’s zhenqi…” Seeing that they still wanted to test him, Sun Qiang shook his head helplessly and once again circulated the zhenqi left by the Young Master.

With a dull thump! He heard a dull thump, and then saw one elder plummet straight down from the air, collapsing limply to the ground like a noodle dropped into a pot, as if he had witnessed something terrifying. He turned to look at another. Then, a “splat!” This elder also dropped.

“This…” Sun Qiang scratched his head and turned to look at the third one. Thump! Thump! Thump! As his gaze swept across them, all the elders in the air continuously plummeted, and in the blink of an eye, only Master Zhan remained standing.

“You…” Seeing Sun Qiang’s head turn towards him, Master Zhan involuntarily flinched in terror. Just as he was about to speak, it was as if a magnificent figure abruptly appeared before him, seeming to obscure heaven and earth—or perhaps was heaven and earth itself—representing the majesty of the Heavenly Dao. With a “thump!” His heart filled with shock, his zhenqi stalled and became unmanageable, causing him to plummet straight down from the air and land headfirst in the ground, his face covered in dust.

Watching the acting Hall Master and numerous elders of comparable strength all fall from the sky, Elder Ge’s teeth chattered, unsure of what to say.

“The Young Master’s zhenqi… is it really this effective?” While everyone else was utterly flabbergasted, Sun Qiang’s eyes lit up with excitement as he once again circulated the zhenqi left by the Young Master. Immediately, he watched Master Zhan and the others lying on the ground, twitching repeatedly; each circulation caused a new twitch, an incredibly amusing sight.