Chapter 429: Revenge on His Behalf

“Lu Chong!”

Just as he was immersed in his teacher’s cultivation, he heard an urgent cry. Immediately after, he saw Lu Chong pierced through by a sword. Zhang Xuan’s mind exploded, and his eyes welled up with tears. Although he had known this student for the shortest time, Lu Chong held the deepest trust and most genuine affection for him.

“Die!” Zhang Xuan roared, and a jolt went through his mind. A golden book abruptly appeared. A power as if to shatter the world suddenly emerged. Winds gathered, and the book, heavy as a mountain, crashed directly onto Commander Liang’s head.

Splat!

Without the slightest pause, his head became a watermelon under a hammer, smashing into pieces. Under the tremendous impact, the entire mountain hollow was transformed into a massive pit, hundreds of meters deep and wide.

“What?” Ding Mu, Lin Long, and others, who had been hiding nearby, ready to ambush again, gasped in horror. They never expected Commander Liang, a formidable late-stage Grandmaster, to be instantly annihilated by something that appeared from his opponent, turning their faces pale and almost making them faint. They had long suspected that Zhang Xuan possessed a protective artifact bestowed by Master Yang, but they never imagined it would be so terrifying! To create such a massive pit with a single strike, even a Transcendent Mortal realm expert couldn't do it.

“Run…” Knowing resistance was futile, Ding Mu didn't dare to stop. He abandoned everyone and turned to flee. Beast Tamer Zhou Jin immediately followed suit. Both were Grandmaster-level experts, incredibly fast. Within two breaths, they became white blurs, escaping over a hundred meters.

“Your Highness, wait for me…” Lin Long’s face turned ashen. She never expected her husband, her greatest reliance, to turn and run without a word. She hastily gave chase.

“Die…” His eyes bloodshot, Zhang Xuan roared loudly as he saw figures emerge from behind the rocks. He instantly knew it was their trick. The golden book hovering in the air once again slammed down.

Boom!

The ground cracked, and mountains crumbled. The area spanning hundreds of meters was flattened once more. Lin Long was crushed beneath it, reduced to a pulp. Ding Mu and Zhou Jin, having fled faster, narrowly escaped.

“Ah…”

“Quick, mount the spirit beast, quick!” Seeing the scene behind them, both trembled in terror. Forgetting about the Crown Princess and their loved ones, they leaped onto the back of the Lightning Golden Scale Beast and flew straight forward. Zhang Xuan’s artifact was too powerful; it could easily crush even Transcendent Mortal realm experts, let alone them. If they didn't escape now, death was their only fate.

“Die!” Amidst his roars, just as Zhang Xuan intended to control the golden book to kill the two men and the beast on the spot, he heard a ‘buzz!’ The book vanished, immediately followed by an overwhelming wave of fatigue that made his head spin, threatening to make him faint at any moment.

“Lu Chong…” Knowing he couldn't catch up to a mid-Grandmaster spirit beast in flight, Zhang Xuan suppressed the dizziness in his head and looked at his student. He saw the student, whose face was resolute, who had endured two years of silence for revenge, and had taken poison, facing near-death, without regret, just to improve his strength. Now, his eyes were tightly closed, and he was unconscious. However, as if he had seen his teacher was safe, a faint smile graced his lips, even though he could no longer open his eyes. His hands still clutched tightly to the longsword impaled in his chest, refusing to let go. It was as if he was saying, “Even if I die… as long as Teacher is safe, that’s enough!”

“Heaven’s Path zhenqi can heal all injuries; you’ll be fine…” Tears streamed down his face. He held Lu Chong’s hand, and the Heaven’s Path zhenqi within him surged frantically into the student’s body.

“Ho-how did Teacher know I wanted revenge?”

“Please, Teacher Liu, instruct me…”

“You cannot harm him, because… he is my teacher!”

Recalling every moment he had shared with the young man, Zhang Xuan trembled from the depths of his heart. During his two years of ‘muteness,’ Lu Chong rarely spoke. Their time together involved few words, only resolute gazes and steadfast backs… To exact revenge, he had knelt at the academy for seven days and seven nights without a single word. When refining his poisonous physique, no matter how excruciating the pain, he never uttered a complaint or retreated. Knowing the Lin Clan’s power, he still charged forward… This young man, who was reluctant to speak but persevered relentlessly, might have seemed cold, but deep down, he was the most vulnerable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood in front, willing to die himself rather than let his teacher suffer any harm!

Lu Chong, my student, it's my fault for not protecting you! Wake up, quickly, give your teacher a chance to make amends…

He poured Heaven’s Path zhenqi into Lu Chong’s body without reservation, yet the young man’s lean, resolute form remained motionless, completely unresponsive.

Seeing the young man before her acting as if deranged, Mo Yu’s face paled. The previous scene had unfolded too quickly. Although she witnessed it, she was helpless. She had believed this outcome was inevitable and ominous. She never imagined that a student would willingly sacrifice his life for him. Clenching her delicate fists, she rushed forward.

“Zhang Xuan!” She called out, but there was no response.

“Zhang Xuan…” She called out again, and only then did the most dazzling genius of Tianwu Kingdom City slowly lift his head, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

“Don’t panic. Your medical skills are unparalleled. Perhaps… Lu Chong will be fine!” A pang of anguish twisted her heart, and Mo Yu couldn’t help but say.

“Right, I have medical skills…” Her reminder jolted Zhang Xuan, and his vacant eyes regained their focus. That’s right! Not only did he possess medical skills, but he also had the Library of Heaven’s Path! Under the Heaven’s Path, nothing can hide. As long as he wasn’t utterly pulverized, there should be a way! His eyes lit up, and his spirit rekindled.

“Flaws!” He whispered inwardly, and a book appeared in his mind. He hastily flipped it open.

“There’s still hope…” He glanced at the contents, and his entire body trembled. Zhang Xuan’s face flushed with renewed hope. He had thought that being pierced through the chest by a Grandmaster’s longsword would surely mean death, but to his surprise, there was still a faint breath of life. The book was densely filled with various flaws. Lu Chong’s meridians had been almost completely shattered by the Grandmaster’s zhenqi, and his internal organs were severely damaged. In such a state, anyone else would certainly have died. However, having cultivated the Heaven’s Path Golden Body and a poisonous physique, his physical body was several times stronger than an ordinary person’s. Combined with the timely infusion of Heaven’s Path zhenqi, a flicker of life was preserved.

“First, repair the meridians and internal organs!” Having assimilated all the books from the Physician Guild into his mind, understanding them thoroughly, Zhang Xuan’s medical skills were no less than a 3-star physician’s, even without the Library. He knew that the current priority was to heal the physical injuries. Without further ado, Heaven’s Path zhenqi slowly flowed through Lu Chong’s body, mending the damaged meridians and tissues. At the same time, he took out a healing pill and fed it to him. After looting the Lin Clan, he had many such healing medicines in his storage ring. Not to mention one, even if he used them all, it would be insignificant as long as it could revive Lu Chong.

“Zhang Xuan…” Seeing the young man regain his composure and begin the treatment, Mo Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She looked down, and her pupils constricted. She saw Lu Chong’s wounds visibly healing under the infusion of Zhang Xuan’s zhenqi. His previously pale, blood-drained face regained its color. Although he was still unconscious, outwardly, he appeared almost as if he had never been injured.

“Completely repairing a body with just zhenqi?” Her body trembling, Mo Yu found it hard to believe. Although she had seen him practice medicine before, it was usually with silver needles, followed by prescribing pills or herbal remedies. To be able to heal injuries and repair meridians like this… just how pure must his zhenqi be?

“Could it be… top-grade zhenqi?” Her pupils constricted. Top-grade zhenqi was incredibly pure; it could heal wounds and clear blockages in meridians… She had thought it was merely a legend, but now she was witnessing it firsthand. How powerful must Master Yang be to teach cultivation methods that produce such zhenqi? No wonder he could make Master Su and Master Ling willingly act on his behalf!

Only after fully repairing the last meridian in Lu Chong’s body did Zhang Xuan finally breathe a sigh of relief. A new book formed in his mind again. He glanced at it, and his face turned ashen.

“Teacher, how is Lu Chong?” Zhao Ya couldn’t help but look over.

“His body isn’t in critical condition, but his consciousness has fallen into a deep sleep. I don’t know when he’ll wake up!” Lu Chong’s injuries were simply too severe. Even if Heaven’s Path zhenqi possessed unparalleled power and could completely restore his physical wounds, it was powerless against his consciousness. In other words, he was like a vegetative state patient: he might wake up tomorrow, or he might never wake up.

“Then what should we do?” Zhao Ya continued to ask.

“I don’t know either!” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan’s face once again showed a look of dejection. Even though he had turned all the Physician Guild’s books into his own knowledge, he couldn’t think of a good solution for this situation. Blocked meridians, physical disabilities, inability to break through… Heaven’s Path zhenqi could heal all of these. But consciousness belonged to the soul, an ethereal and profound realm. Even if Heaven’s Path zhenqi defied all norms, how could it help with that?

“We might not have a way, but perhaps Master Yang can cure him!” Mo Yu couldn’t help but interject.

“Master Yang?” Zhang Xuan’s face became grim. Master Yang… was fake, non-existent. He himself was this ‘senior expert.’ If he had no solution, then the ‘Master Yang’ persona had none either.

“I’ve heard that Master Teachers of Rank 7 and above can not only use words to alter people’s behavior but also influence consciousness and search souls. Lu Chong has only fallen into a deep sleep. If a Master Teacher of that caliber could enter his sea of consciousness, perhaps they could awaken him!” Mo Yu continued.

“Influence consciousness, search souls?” Zhang Xuan’s fists clenched. As she said, Lu Chong’s consciousness was merely dormant. If someone truly could enter his sea of consciousness, perhaps he could indeed be awakened.

“Yes, although this is just something I’ve heard, the higher the Master Teacher’s rank, the more methods they possess. Just because we can’t find a solution doesn’t mean a higher-ranked Master Teacher won’t have one…” Mo Yu said.

“You’re right!” Zhang Xuan nodded. It was like his congenital fetal poison: Tianxuan Royal City and the Poison Hall had no solution, but the Master Teacher Pavilion did. Although it would still be difficult, at least there was a direction. They were powerless in Lu Chong’s current situation, but as his rank increased and he read more books, perhaps there would be a better method.

“I will find powerful Master Teachers, but before that…” Thinking of this, he felt a little more at ease. Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed, and a murderous aura boiled forth from within him, like raging waves, threatening to engulf the world. “I must first… avenge him!”