Chapter 581: Stepping Through the Void

Previously, the other party was clearly still apprehensive and had been deterred by his words. Now, however, they seemed utterly reckless. What exactly happened that made this group disregard even the Master Teacher status of their young master, a Four-Star Master Teacher at that?

"What do you think you're doing? Don't pretend you don't understand!" Sect Leader Luo Huang sneered, "Where is Master Zhang? Tell him to come out immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Indeed. Although the Master Teacher Pavilion has rules against arbitrarily harming ordinary people, with our status, disabling a butler or a few students... even if the headquarters investigates, they won't say anything!" Raising an eyebrow, Sect Leader Bai displayed a look of disdain.

Master Teachers were not pushovers; otherwise, they wouldn't have eradicated the profession of soul-witches without batting an eye, or even driven the Spirit Tribe from the continent. These two feats alone involved countless acts of slaughter. If these few individuals refused to cooperate, disabling or even killing them wouldn't be a major issue. As Master Teachers, they possessed certain privileges; it would merely affect their reputation slightly.

"The Young Master is in seclusion; he cannot be disturbed. Gentlemen... if you truly wish to see him, please return tomorrow!" Knowing the other party spoke the truth, Sun Qiang still gritted his teeth. The Young Master had specifically instructed not to disturb him. Unless Sun Qiang died protecting the entrance, barging in while the Young Master was present was absolutely forbidden!

"Since you're seeking death, don't blame us!" Unexpectedly, this fellow was quite stubborn. Sect Leader Bai raised an eyebrow and flicked a finger. A sword qi darted forth. Before Sun Qiang could react, he was struck in the chest, sent flying backward, spitting blood, and severely injured. Even the Demonic Crystalline Beast and Xue Yiyao couldn't withstand it; how could he possibly resist? If not for the Sect Leader maintaining his status and not aiming to kill, Sun Qiang would likely have died from that single blow.

"Damn it!" Zheng Yang and the others' eyes turned bloodshot, bulging with fury. With a furious roar, they charged forward. However, they hadn't even reached Half-Zongshi realm; how could they withstand the opponent? Sect Leader Bai flicked his fingers a few more times, and they all lay injured on the ground. Feeling that they couldn't harm the opponent in the slightest, even with all their might, the few realized how insignificant their strength was. Having always cultivated carefree and without a worry under their teacher's protection, they now understood that without their teacher, they were nothing. Faced with true danger, they could do nothing but hold others back.

"Our patience is limited. Tell him to come out quickly, and we can spare your lives!" With his hands clasped behind his back, Sect Leader Luo Huang's gaze was like lightning.

"I told you, the Young Master is in seclusion; no one can disturb him..." Sun Qiang struggled to his feet, and Zheng Yang and the others also stood in front. Although they knew they couldn't resist, they absolutely would not back down. Zhang Xuan was their Young Master, their teacher, and their very life. Anyone who wanted to trouble him would have to step over their corpses.

"Since you wish to die, I shall grant it! I'll kill a few people in a row, and we'll see if he can still hide!" Seeing these ant-like individuals actually disregard his authority and still try to resist, Sect Leader Luo Huang's face darkened, and killing intent flashed in his eyes. You're hiding and not coming out, are you? Very well, I'll kill a few people today and see if you can still tolerate it.

He pressed his index and middle fingers together, and a sword qi shot out from between them. Just as Sect Leader Luo Huang was about to strike the group, two figures swiftly rushed over. The first figure, an elder, exuded a powerful aura, his brows etched with anxiety.

"Sect Leader Luo, what is the meaning of this?" Before he even arrived, a loud shout echoed throughout the courtyard. "Master Zhang is a Master Teacher of our Myriad Kingdom City. Coming to his residence and injuring his servants and students, are you openly declaring war on Myriad Kingdom City?" His tone was laced with fury, like a sharp blade. It was Kang Gan, the Head of the Myriad Kingdom City Master Teacher Pavilion!

Following behind him was a middle-aged man with an authoritative demeanor, clearly someone who had long held a high position... It was Alliance Head Zhao, the father of Zhao Feiwu, from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. With such a huge commotion here, it was impossible to keep it hidden from them. However, neither of them had expected that Sect Leader Luo, with so many super-experts, would specifically come to trouble a Four-Star Master Teacher who had just successfully passed his assessment. It could be said that the two were completely unrelated. Even if Zhang Xuan had performed outstandingly in the selection trial, it was still only at the level of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. It shouldn't warrant so many experts coming together!

"Declare war?" Seeing Head Kang arrive, Sect Leader Luo Huang smiled faintly, retracted the sword qi from his fingertip, and clasped his hands behind his back. "Head Kang, you're overthinking it. The reason we are here is merely to address an unfair complaint from someone and deal with the scum among Master Teachers. It has nothing to do with your Myriad Kingdom City Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Dealing with scum? What do you mean?" Head Kang's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowing into a knot. Sun Qiang and the others were also utterly bewildered. These people came straight for Master Zhang without explaining their intentions, talking about "dealing with scum"... What scum?

"It's simple. Someone approached us, claiming that this Master Zhang stole his treasure. Not only that, but he also killed his family members and destroyed his kingdom!" Sect Leader Luo Huang raised an eyelid. "As a Master Teacher, he caused widespread chaos to a major power without the Master Teacher Pavilion's consent, violating order. How... as Half-Step 5-Star Master Teachers, are we not qualified to inquire about this?"

"This..." Head Kang was stunned, completely at a loss. He had been busy preparing for the Master Teacher Grand Competition these past few days and was unaware of many events. Furthermore, the incident involving Xuanyuan Kingdom had been suppressed by Zhao Feiwu, and almost no one leaked information. Luo Qianhong and others felt it was too humiliating to report even now. Even he wasn't very clear on what had happened.

"Stole his treasure? This matter might not be so simple!" Alliance Head Zhao had heard some things from his daughter, but he only had a partial understanding of the specifics and wasn't entirely clear.

"Not so simple? The witness is right here; he can personally testify..." Sect Leader Luo Huang gestured, and a one-armed elder stepped forward from behind the crowd. It was Ding Hong! Knowing that Zhang Xuan lived in this courtyard, his eyes burned with intense hatred.

"My grandson, Ding Mu, was killed by this Zhang Xuan. My Xuanyuan Kingdom was occupied by his people, and even this arm was severed by him, leaving me like a stray dog, unable to return to my kingdom or my home..." With a roar, Ding Hong shouted, "The reason he committed such atrocities was for a treasure... Kong Shi's Handbook!"

"Kong Shi's Handbook?" Head Kang's eyebrow twitched. Although he didn't know what it was, anything related to Kong Shi was incredibly precious.

"Indeed, because of a Kong Shi's Handbook, he caused my family's ruin and destruction! Is this the conduct of a Master Teacher?" Ding Hong roared. His words were highly misleading, making unsuspecting listeners believe that Zhang Xuan had caused his plight solely for Kong Shi's Handbook. In truth, his previous statements weren't entirely false; the handbook indeed led to this outcome, but he deliberately twisted the cause and effect.

"You... nonsensical! It was your grandson who forcibly seized..." Hearing the other party call a deer a horse and twist black into white, Zheng Yang felt his lungs about to explode with rage and let out a furious shout.

"Presumptuous! How dare a minor figure like you interrupt us while we're speaking?" Before he could finish, Sect Leader Luo Huang waved his large hand. A force surged towards Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others, sealing their mouths, making them unable to speak no matter how hard they tried.

"What are you doing?" Head Kang's face darkened.

"Nothing much. I just don't want to hear others babbling while I'm explaining things!" Sect Leader Luo Huang glanced over coolly. "What, Head Kang, did you not hear what I just said clearly? As a peak Four-Star Master Teacher, you should be able to easily discern whether this King Ding Hong is lying, shouldn't you?"

Master Teachers could observe expressions and discern truth from falsehood, especially at the Four-Star level. If the cultivation gap wasn't too wide, it was nearly impossible for someone to lie without being detected. Precisely because of this, everyone present believed Ding Hong's account of Kong Shi's Handbook without question, simply by hearing it once. Because they could easily determine that, on this specific point, the man had not uttered a single falsehood.

"This..." Head Kang was unable to refute. Although the one-armed King Ding Hong's words were fierce, when he spoke, Head Kang had specifically observed him. His fury burned from his very core; it was not faked. Master Zhang killed his grandson, destroyed his kingdom? All because... he wanted to seize Kong Shi's Handbook? If it were any other item, he certainly wouldn't believe it. After all, he had interacted with Master Zhang for a considerable time and had some understanding of his character. Master Zhang could casually give a mid-grade spirit stone to Young Master Ruohuan, which Head Kang had given him, showing he wasn't greedy for wealth. But... Kong Shi's Handbook, the implications of that were simply too immense. No Master Teacher could refuse it. Could it be... truly because of this?

"Zhang Xuan, disregarding the etiquette of Master Teachers, wantonly plundered, even resorting to murder and destroying a kingdom, thus violating the proper conduct for a Master Teacher. Furthermore, we Half-Step 5-Star Master Teachers came to visit in a proper manner, yet not only did he refuse to come out, he even incited his servants to insult us. Based on this alone, his disrespect for teachers and the Dao is enough to revoke his Master Teacher rank and hand him over to the Hall of Punishments for sentencing!" Seeing his doubt, Sect Leader Luo Huang stepped forward, his voice clear and resonant. His tone carried the soul interference of a Harmonious Spirit Realm expert, making people involuntarily believe his words were true.

"This matter definitely isn't that simple. It's best to investigate thoroughly before proceeding..." Head Kang still couldn't believe that Master Zhang could commit such acts.

"Investigate thoroughly? Is there any need to investigate? Just have him come out, and ascertain if he has Kong Shi's Handbook on him. Wouldn't everything then become clear?" Sect Leader Luo Huang flicked his sleeve.

"This..." Head Kang was speechless. If Zhang Xuan truly possessed Kong Shi's Handbook, then even an explanation would be futile.

"Enough! Hand over this Master Zhang quickly. Do you expect so many of us to waste our time here?" Raising an eyebrow, Sect Leader Luo Huang was about to speak further when he suddenly felt an extremely powerful aura shoot straight into the sky, followed by a cold, emotionless voice that resonated like thunder.

"Openly plundering, yet making the reasons sound so grand and righteous. Master Teachers from the Phantasm Feather Empire have truly shown me something!" As the voice faded, a figure stepped through the air, robes fluttering, like a celestial being descending.

"Flying? A Saint... a Saint cultivator?" Sect Leader Luo Huang and the others' pupils contracted.