Chapter 679: Lost Calculation

"Teacher, what is this?" Luo Qiqi's pretty face turned pale.

Her full-force attack had been effortlessly swatted away by the opponent, without even breaking their skin. Even she found it unbelievable.

"I don't know either, but its power is beyond what we can handle right now!" Zhang Xuan said quickly, while simultaneously circulating his Heaven's Path zhenqi to recover from his injuries. "You must have triggered the wrong mechanism and released something..."

"I released it?" Luo Qiqi's delicate body swayed, filled with regret. Indeed, she had touched a mechanism just now, which caused the appearance of that enormous palm.

"Yes, although we can't tell what it is yet, the appearance of that palm reminds me of something..." Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Luo Qiqi looked over.

"Fae!" Zhang Xuan exhaled a deep breath, having fully recovered from his injuries.

"The Fae... driven away by Master Kong?" Luo Qiqi's body stiffened in disbelief.

"That's right. I've seen Fae before. This palm is enormous, and while its skin color isn't quite the same, the bone structure and joints are very similar!" Zhang Xuan explained.

He had chosen this passage over Yu Feier's for a reason, even if he couldn't articulate it fully. The aura of slaughter emanating from the three characters "Wangxiangju" (Homebound Dwelling) was not something unique to humans; it was characteristic of the Fae!

During the Master Teacher Tournament, Master Hong had released a Fae to test their courage. Zhang Xuan could never forget that aura of slaughter; it was identical to the one leaking from those three characters.

Therefore, he didn't believe this was something Senior Wu Yangzi had left behind out of resentment for being captured. He had initially thought he was mistaken, but he never expected... this thing to actually be here! And to appear in another underground palace! Could it be that he had truly chosen incorrectly, that the other place was Wu Yangzi's legacy, and this Forget-Worry Dwelling actually housed a monstrous creature?

Creak! Creak! As they spoke, the sound of machinery continued from ahead, and the stone door kept opening.

Previously, it had only opened a crack, allowing the palm to extend. As time passed, the stone door was now opening completely, and whatever was trapped inside was bound to charge out.

"Teacher, let's go up quickly..." Hearing about the Fae and feeling the aura of slaughter from before, sweat beaded on Luo Qiqi's forehead, and her pretty face turned pale.

Although she was a five-star master teacher, she had little experience with the Fae. Suddenly encountering such a situation, she wasn't much better than Young Master Ruohuan and the others from back then.

"There's a Dragon-Slaying Lock above, and the stone steps are narrow. Once this thing comes out and charges, we won't be able to dodge; we'll surely die!" Having gained experience once before, Zhang Xuan wasn't nervous about the Fae. Instead, he activated his Eye of Insight, his gaze flickering as he made the most rational analysis.

Escaping this narrow stone chamber was indeed the first thought, but it wasn't the most correct approach. The stone steps offered only one path, barely wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side. If they tried to flee back that way, they would soon be caught. At that point, with the Dragon-Slaying Lock blocking the way above, preventing escape, and the Fae attacking from below in the incredibly narrow confines, being attacked from both front and back would be far more dangerous.

"Then what do we do?" Hearing the explanation, Luo Qiqi understood, her face turning pale.

"There's no other way. We need to keep searching for mechanisms and find a way out of this stone chamber first. Otherwise, we'll all die here!" Zhang Xuan said.

With his Heaven's Path zhenqi circulating, he wasn't too nervous about the Fae. Moreover, his Mental Fortitude was above 16.0, allowing him to analyze the situation more thoroughly.

"I understand!" Luo Qiqi gritted her teeth.

As a five-star master teacher and a top genius in the second year of the Master Teacher Academy, she wasn't just a pretty face. Although nervous, she knew her teacher was absolutely right. She immediately nodded and began feeling along another wall.

Zhang Xuan didn't stop either, searching while rapidly calling out "flaw" in his mind.

The stone chamber wasn't large, only a few dozen square meters. He quickly circled it, then hastily flipped through the books in his mind. Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

These books were surprisingly all about types of rocks, with no descriptions of mechanisms. Could it be that he was mistaken, and there were no mechanisms here?

"How's it going?" He turned his head to look at Luo Qiqi.

Although this girl wasn't as proficient in mechanisms as Wu Zhen, as a five-star master teacher, she had some basic knowledge. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to accidentally trigger the spring and release that huge creature.

"Nothing!" Luo Qiqi shook her head, her pale face seeming to remember something as she looked over, filled with apprehension. "Teacher... could it be that the mechanism is in..."

She finished speaking with a pointing gesture. Zhang Xuan's eyebrow twitched, seeing the direction she pointed. It was precisely the stone door where the Fae was located.

After searching the entire stone chamber and not finding a mechanism, he had already considered this possibility, but he hadn't dared to believe it. Now that Luo Qiqi had pointed it out, he had to admit it.

"We only have one chance. If there's truly a mechanism or a passage inside, we still have a way out. If not... we'll just die in there!" Knowing they couldn't afford to waste time, as the stone door slowly opened and the huge creature could burst out at any moment, Zhang Xuan said urgently.

The stone door was even narrower. If there was no path behind it, it would be like walking into a dead end, a certain death! But if there was a passage, it would be a desperate gamble for survival.

"Yes!" Luo Qiqi understood this point too and couldn't help but nod.

"You hide near the stone door. Once this thing comes out, I'll draw its attention from the front, and then... you try to get inside. If there's a passage, escape immediately, don't wait for me!" Knowing the danger, Zhang Xuan frowned and secretly sent a telepathic message.

"No..." Hearing his plan, Luo Qiqi's pretty face flushed, and she quickly cried out.

She had witnessed the opponent's strength. Master Zhang drawing its attention from the front was like facing a tiger and wolf head-on, just to create an escape opportunity for her! When others encountered danger, they would scatter, thinking only of how to save themselves, but Master Zhang was sacrificing himself to save her life... This kindness was truly immense.

"Teacher..." Her eyes reddened. True feelings are revealed in times of adversity. This was a true teacher! Someone who would disregard everything for their student! Even if she was a five-star master teacher, putting herself in his shoes, she probably couldn't do the same.

"Hurry, don't hesitate, or neither of us will escape!" Zhang Xuan urged.

"I... alright!" Luo Qiqi gritted her silver teeth, nodded, and quickly moved to the side of the stone door.

Creak! Creak! As soon as she hid herself, the stone door fully opened, and a tall figure strode out from within.

It was a massive creature, nearly three meters tall, covered in a grayish-green hue, emitting an aura of deathly stillness.

"It's a... Fae Corpse Puppet?" Her pupils contracted, Luo Qiqi clapped a hand over her mouth, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably from tension.

The one before her wasn't a Fae, but a puppet refined from the corpse of a Fae!

Fae were naturally powerful, superior to humans from birth in terms of physical body, soul, and cultivation. Puppets refined from their corpses, like the Soulless Metal Men, were even stronger, capable of wielding their full combat strength from when they were alive!

No wonder they had been speculating that no one had left for over two millennia, and that any living person would surely have died by now... They never expected it to be a puppet! Such creatures were driven by absorbing spiritual energy. As long as they weren't damaged, their lifespan was practically infinite. Although this was underground, spiritual energy was abundant, so even if its consumption was astonishing, it could recover given enough time. It was highly likely that it had been the one cleaning the tables and chairs earlier. Though it lacked intelligence, it could still diligently carry out its master's instructions!

"Die!" Still reeling in shock, she heard Master Zhang roar from the front, as his longsword suddenly thrust out.

Swish! The sword qi, carrying the force of his entire body, caused the air to shriek as it shot straight towards the puppet.

The puppet stepped out of the stone door, its thick palm slamming down violently on the sword light. Master Zhang's ferocious power, upon colliding with it, was like a lone boat meeting a colossal wave; without any resistance, it was instantly dispersed.

"Go!" Just as she hesitated whether to go help Master Zhang, she heard his urgent shout.

"Yes!" Knowing that he was doing this to give her a chance to survive, Luo Qiqi was filled with gratitude. Gritting her teeth, she turned and rushed towards the stone door!

Teacher, thank you... If we both survive this, I will obey any of your commands, and be your student and protector for life...

Boom! As she was filled with emotion, Zhang Xuan felt a massive force hit him. He grunted again, sent flying backward, and remained plastered against the wall from the impact of the palm.

"This shouldn't be happening!" Struggling off the wall, Zhang Xuan looked at the enraged Fae puppet striding towards him, completely bewildered.

He had drawn the creature's attention to give Luo Qiqi a chance to escape, not out of an excess of kindness, but... to gain her gratitude and form a Heaven's Path Divination Record!

Once he had that, even a Saint could be crushed with a single book! Since she had already acknowledged him as her teacher, and with her gratitude, he had expected it to surely form in his mind. He never dreamed... that there would be nothing!

Could it be that she wasn't grateful just now? No, that couldn't be right. Her eyes clearly showed immense gratitude, but then why didn't anything form?

"Could it be that the kind of gratitude for imparting knowledge and solving doubts isn't... this kind of life-saving gratitude?" Suddenly, a thought popped into his head.

Previously, the Heaven's Path Divination Records formed in his mind were always from gratitude received for teaching martial arts, cultivation techniques, or solving doubts. This time, it was clearly different.

This time, it was a life-saving grace. Although it was a great kindness, it clearly wasn't gratitude for teaching. It was more about his broad-mindedness and his attitude in facing danger!

"Miscalculated..." Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched, and cold sweat broke out.

He had thought that because they had a teacher-student relationship, gratitude alone would form a golden page, resolve this crisis, and even allow them to escape. He never dreamed that it wouldn't succeed...

Now, he truly had to face this enormous creature and fight it! And clearly, his current strength was far from a match!

As he stood there, filled with gloom, the Fae puppet had already reached him, its massive fist smashing directly down towards his head!

Life and death hung in the balance, in an instant. Zhang Xuan had encountered the greatest crisis since his transmigration!