Chapter 1881: Terrifying Stele

"With your snobbish personality and looks worse than a maid's, do you really think you could ever make me fall for you?"

Knowing it was best to distance himself completely, Yun Xiang snorted, "If it weren't for the treasure beneath your house, why would I have feigned interest in you for so long?"

"Enough!" Zheng Yang flicked his sleeve.

Yun Xiang was struck hard in the chest, sent flying backward, and landed heavily on the ground. His face flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zheng Yang sneered, "Answer only what I ask. Don't say anything irrelevant!"

"Yes! Yes!"

Suppressing the turmoil in his chest, Yun Xiang felt a sense of relief, knowing he had finally cleared his name. He dared not speak another word of nonsense. "I don't know what the treasure is," he began, "but after almost a year of digging, we're close to finding it. The problem is, the surrounding formations are too powerful. I'm not strong enough to break them yet..."

Zheng Yang frowned, "Take us to see it!"

If a powerful expert from the Saint Cloud Family had gone to such lengths to dig here, the so-called treasure was clearly not ordinary. Now that they knew about it, they naturally had to investigate.

"Yes!"

Yun Xiang nodded hurriedly. His life was in the other's hands; he couldn't refuse.

After lifting the power suppression on Yun Xiang, Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan followed. Su Feifei hesitated for a moment but eventually followed closely behind.

Inside the mansion, they saw countless aura-isolating formations that completely enveloped the courtyard, preventing anything from escaping. Soon, they arrived at a magnificent and spacious hall. Upon opening the door and stepping inside, they saw that the entire floor had been excavated, revealing a large hole filled with piles of white bones and an eerie silence.

"For the sake of treasure, you actually killed so many people?"

Zheng Yang's eyes narrowed, and his killing intent surged. The Combat Master Hall not only combated the Otherworldly Demons but also protected the safety of ordinary people. This man's rampant slaughter for treasure had crossed the Master Teacher Pavilion's moral boundaries.

"I didn't kill them..." Yun Xiang quickly shook his head, "They were workers I hired at a high price. But then... they unearthed a stone tablet, and for some unknown reason, an aura leaked out, killing over a hundred workers instantly... I couldn't risk the news getting out, so I had no choice but to let their bodies decompose into bones and leave them here..." He hastily shook his head, his face full of anxiety. "I provided generous compensation to the workers' families. Although I desire the treasure, I would never dare to indiscriminately kill innocent people..."

"A stone tablet?" Zheng Yang asked, knowing that since the workers were already dead, further investigation into their deaths would be futile.

"It's right under the dirt over there. I've already sent ten deathsworn to investigate, but every single one died the moment they reached the spot. Not even a single useful piece of information was sent back. I truly don't know what's going on..." Yun Xiang's face was bitter. He had expected a great treasure, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine so many would die. Now, he was caught in an impossible situation. Retreating was not an option, as he had already invested so much. Yet, no one dared to continue the investigation. That was why he had sought out Emperor Shen Zhui, hoping to acquire some deathsworn from him. To his surprise, he encountered these two powerful individuals the moment he stepped out.

"Let's go down and see!"

The fact that a mere stone tablet had caused so many deaths piqued Zheng Yang's curiosity even further.

"My... strength is too low, esteemed sirs, you two should go yourselves..." Yun Xiang's face turned pale. He hadn't dared to go down there himself in days, fearing he would meet the same fate as the others and become just another pile of bones.

"Enough of your nonsense..." Wei Ruyan snorted coldly. With a gentle lift of her hand, Yun Xiang let out a muffled cry as he was propelled forward, following closely behind them, flying towards the deep pit.

The pit was hundreds of meters deep, illuminated as brightly as day by the numerous luminous pearls scattered throughout its depths. As they reached the bottom, Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan simultaneously frowned while surveying their surroundings.

"This aura... is a bit strange!"

A moment later, Zheng Yang nodded.

"It's an Ancient Sage!" Wei Ruyan replied, then turned to Yun Xiang beside her, "Where is the stone tablet?"

"Right down here..." Swallowing, Yun Xiang pointed to a spot not far away.

Sensing the anomaly of the place, Zheng Yang took a deep breath. A long spear suddenly appeared in his hand, and he gave it a gentle shake. Whoosh! A large section of soil was overturned, revealing a massive stone tablet.

The patterns carved on the stone tablet were indecipherable, but powerful waves of murderous aura continuously emanated from it, causing a splitting headache with just a glance. The Ancient Sage aura they had sensed was indeed originating from it.

"It's this stone tablet... Esteemed sirs, my strength is too weak, I'll take my leave first..." Yun Xiang's lips trembled. Unable to restrain himself, he turned to flee.

"With us here, you won't die! If we die, and no one can detoxify you, you'll die too..." Wei Ruyan's face was calm.

Yun Xiang's face twitched, a tearful expression appearing. His body stiffened, and he no longer dared to move. What she said was true. He was poisoned, and if these two died, he would surely follow, no matter where he tried to escape.

"I'll go take a look first!"

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Yang spun the long spear in front of his chest and strode towards the stone tablet with a low grunt. Before he even reached it, he was immediately assaulted by waves of dense murderous aura, as if trying to tear his head in two. Even a Great Sage would likely crumble and die from the confusion, but Zheng Yang had already reached the Ancient Sage realm. As the head of the Combat Master Hall, he had specifically cultivated his will to counter the murderous *qi* of the Otherworldly Demons. Thus, even these potent auras posed no threat to his life.

In a few steps, he stood before the stone tablet. Carved from an unknown material, it emitted a gentle glow. It appeared newly carved, showing no signs of damage despite having seemingly rested underground for tens of thousands of years.

"These are ancient texts, I can't recognize them!" Gently running his fingers over it, Zheng Yang shook his head. The stone tablet was inscribed with special characters from ancient times. His limited knowledge prevented him from recognizing them; perhaps his teacher would have understood.

"Chatter! Chatter!"

Yun Xiang's teeth chattered in fear upon seeing Zheng Yang dare to touch the stone tablet. The workers and deathsworn he had sent had died simply from being in the tablet's vicinity, yet this man could approach it, even touch it... How incredibly powerful was he? Why would such a formidable person come to a small place like Tianxuan Kingdom?

"He knows Su Feifei, and he uses a spear... And this junior sister is skilled in poison... Could it be that..." His body suddenly stiffened as two names flashed through his mind. As a descendant of the Saint Cloud Family, even though he had been away for years and information was scarce, he had still heard of that name and the deeds of his many disciples. It seemed... they all hailed from Tianxuan Kingdom. Could it be that the person before him was none other than Hall Master Zheng, the most gifted member of the Combat Master Hall? He only knew his surname was Zheng, but not his full name... Now that he thought about it, it sounded like Zheng Yang... Could a seemingly ordinary girl like Su Feifei truly be favored by the Hall Master of the Combat Master Hall?

This...

Sweat poured from Yun Xiang's forehead, and his throat felt dry, as if he might faint at any moment.