Chapter 1754: Breaking the Seal

"Looking for death? I think *you* are looking for death!" Zhang Xuan's voice grew louder, filled with cold indifference, as he hovered in mid-air.

"You seized my student, confined her, and forced her to expend her power to break a seal, regardless of her willingness... Is this the etiquette observed by the Hundred Schools of Philosophers? Is this a rule left behind by Confucius that must be followed?"

He had no good impression of this group of people. On the Master Teacher Continent, they had either forced challenges against the Luo Clan or the Zhang Clan, kidnapped his student, or allied with the Otherworldly Demons... Each action filled him with rage.

"We are doing all of this for humanity..." a young man in the crowd shouted.

"For humanity? I am also for humanity... Knock them all down!" Too lazy to waste words with them, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist. Whoosh! The Five Sacred Beasts and countless weapons flew out, heading straight for the eight young men from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

"You..." The eight men were almost exploding with fury, not expecting him to attack directly. However, they had no time to ponder and quickly braced for battle.

"Teacher..." Zhao Ya looked over, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"What exactly happened? How did they abduct you? Tell me everything in detail about what happened after you were captured. Your teacher will make things right for you!" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"It's like this..." Zhao Ya recounted the events. After Zhang Xuan returned to the Zhang Clan in the Empire Alliance, she had sent the people from the Ice Palace back first. She stayed in the Alliance for a while to consolidate her newly advanced cultivation. With Wei Ruyan guarding her, and the two of them together, there were few in the world who could contend against them, so she hadn't given it much thought.

Just as she was leaving the Alliance, she encountered a young man. He didn't attack directly but revealed his identity as a powerful expert from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, stating that it was a confidential matter and he needed to take them to a certain place. Naturally, neither of them agreed. They exchanged blows and were soon captured.

By then, it was too late to send any messages. After that, they were confined in one place. However, the other party did not mistreat them. On the contrary, there were specialized experts who explained cultivation difficulties, provided ample resources, and helped them advance their cultivation.

They even taught her how to break the seal. As for why her six senses, including hearing, needed to be sealed, it was because the seal locked away a world. During the breaking process, her spirit would suffer immense backlash, and without the seals, she could easily sustain irreversible damage.

"He told you to break the seal, and you just broke it?" Zhang Xuan frowned. His student had a fiery temper, and Wei Ruyan was no pushover either. When did they become so obedient? Not only were they captured, but they were also told to break a seal, and they just did it without any resistance?

"They said..." Zhao Ya's face flushed, and she bit her lip, "that as long as I helped break the seal to obtain the opportunity to break through to Ancient Sage, they would give a spot to Teacher..."

"To me?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

"Yes, they said that you are currently the most talented person on the Master Teacher Continent. The Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Master Teacher Pavilion both inherited from Confucius and are originally one entity. As long as we contributed, granting a spot would be very simple..." Zhao Ya felt awkward.

"So, you listened to their instructions?" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan felt a mix of anger and emotion. He waved his hand, a look of powerful confidence on his face. "When did you ever doubt your teacher like this? Even if breaking through to Ancient Sage is difficult, it's not yet time for me, Zhang Xuan, to have my student seek opportunities for me! Nor would I trade a student's freedom for it! Don't worry, if such an opportunity truly exists, and others can obtain it, your teacher will certainly obtain it. If others cannot, your teacher will still get it!"

"Teacher, I was wrong..." Zhao Ya's voice grew quieter.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Considering your intentions were good, I'll let this matter go."

After speaking, he turned around and said, "Stop!" Whoosh! The Five Sacred Beasts and numerous weapons all flew back in front of him.

By this point, the eight young men had been beaten beyond recognition, no longer possessing their previous dashing appearance.

"You seized my student and disregarded the rules. This is merely a small warning to let you know that if you dare to touch my student, you will suffer the consequences! Since they weren't injured, I won't kill you. Now, just answer a few of my questions, and you can leave."

Zhang Xuan looked at them. "First, what exactly is this secret matter you're engaged in? As the esteemed Hundred Schools of Philosophers, why are you furtively and sneakily capturing people? Second, have you allied with the Otherworldly Demons? Or... are those Otherworldly Demons your tamed subordinates?"

Knowing that the people from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers hadn't harmed Zhao Ya, an idea suddenly occurred to him. Could it be that the Otherworldly Demons who were with the fair-skinned young man and others last time were actually... pets refined by the Hundred Schools of Philosophers? Just like himself, he had refined the corpse of an Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sage, and a formidable individual was even suppressed within the Book of Heaven's Path... He couldn't be accused of allying with Otherworldly Demons just because of that, could he?

"We merely follow orders; as for why, we are not clear. We regret that we cannot answer these questions..." A young man in the crowd, whose face was beaten flat like a shoe sole, gritted his teeth and replied.

"Can't answer?"

"Yes!" The shoe-sole-faced young man nodded.

"It doesn't matter if you don't say anything; I'll find out sooner or later. Now, I don't want to kill you. Get out!" With an eyebrow raised, Zhang Xuan flicked his sleeve.

He had received favors from Confucius, and Ancient Sage Bu Shang, Ancient Sage Ran Qiu, and others had also provided him much help. Since these were their descendants and they weren't allied with Otherworldly Demons, there was no need to wipe them all out.

"We're not leaving..." The shoe-sole-faced young man gritted his teeth.

"Throw them out!" Too bothered to deal with them, Zhang Xuan flicked his palm, and the numerous Sacred Beasts and weapons charged forth again. Before long, the eight men were thrown out of the Great Accomplishment Hall's area.

Once thrown out, without Zhao Ya's special physique's power, they could no longer re-enter.

After dealing with everyone, Zhang Xuan looked again at the painting before him. By now, most of the snow and ice on it had melted, and the seal had transformed into a completely different appearance from what Zhao Ya had previously deciphered.

"Teacher, the seal has changed. The method I learned before to unlock it is now useless..." Zhao Ya's face paled. She repeatedly sent forth her True Qi, only to find that the seal remained unchanged. The seal in the painting had completely transformed into a spring scene.

"No matter, I have a way!" With a light smile, Zhang Xuan pointed a finger. The ice crystal obtained from the world of ice and snow floated before him. With a gentle press, the crystal immediately flew towards the seal. As soon as it reached it, it began to spin rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, the power on the seal was devoured, forming a massive vortex.

Seeing that this item indeed had the effect of breaking the seal, just as Little Fufu had said, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He then motioned to Xing and Meng Jiansheng. "Let's go in and see!" With that, he was the first to fly towards the painting where the seal had been broken. The others followed without hesitation, disappearing from their spots in the blink of an eye.