Chapter 726: Save or Not Save?

"Could it be that they discovered someone was tracking them and, fearing trouble, simply retreated?" Luo Xuan asked.

"That's possible!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Look, there are people ahead!"

The group moved forward and indeed saw three new students sitting on the ground, covered in blood, with minor injuries.

All three were only at the peak of the Mortal Transcendence 4-dan. Seeing so many people suddenly appear, their expressions changed simultaneously. "We haven't hunted any spirit beasts yet..." they blurted out. Only then did they remember that master teachers were not allowed to steal from each other, and they visibly relaxed.

"I've seen these people before; they're from Luoyuan Empire!" Luo Xuan transmitted. Zhang Xuan nodded.

Like the Phantom Feather Empire, the Luoyuan Empire was a second-tier empire. They had stayed relatively close to each other during their time in the Scholars' Ocean, which was why Luo Xuan recognized them.

"Were you injured by spirit beast attacks?" Zhang Xuan asked the three without further ado. "Yes!" Knowing that Zhang Xuan and his group bore no ill will, the three did not hide anything.

"If more than a dozen Harmonization Realm spirit beasts wanted to kill you, it should have been very simple. Why did they only inflict minor injuries and then leave?" Zhang Xuan frowned. One Harmonization Realm spirit beast could easily kill three Mortal Transcendence 4-dan master teachers, let alone more than a dozen. If they had truly intended to kill, the three would have likely died within a single breath. There was no need for them to leave after merely inflicting minor injuries.

"How... how did you know we were attacked by more than a dozen Harmonization Realm spirit beasts?" one of the master teachers among the three couldn't help but ask, stunned. "We are tracking these spirit beasts, so we naturally know!" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Oh, we don't know the exact reason. We were just walking when we suddenly encountered so many. We thought we were dead, but... they just attacked us once and then turned around and left, as if they were afraid of something..." the master teacher replied.

"They were probably afraid of being caught by you!" another master teacher interjected. Since the spirit beasts had only just left before Zhang Xuan's group caught up, it seemed they were indeed afraid of being tracked and dared not linger.

"If they were afraid of us tracking them, they would surely be furious with humans. Upon seeing you, they definitely wouldn't have shown mercy..." Luo Xuan also recognized the inconsistency at this point. If these creatures had truly spotted them and feared being caught, they would have shown no mercy when encountering other humans in their path. How could they have merely inflicted minor injuries?

"What's up ahead?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask, raising an eyebrow. "Up ahead is One-Line Sky, one of the most dangerous canyons in Thunder Peak," replied the first master teacher who had spoken.

"Most dangerous? Oh no..." Remembering something, Zhang Xuan suddenly leaped up and rushed forward. Puzzled, the others quickly followed him.

Soon, they arrived at a massive valley surrounded by steep cliffs. Looking up from below, the sky appeared as a narrow line, giving the impression that one person could hold off ten thousand.

Clang, clang, clang! Even before reaching the location, they felt the violent surge of vital energy ahead, accompanied by the clashing sounds of weapons. "Someone's fighting up ahead..." Hearing the sounds and feeling the surging vital energy, everyone understood that a battle was taking place and looked on in bewilderment.

"We'll know once we go up and see..." Zhang Xuan pointed. It was a high point in the canyon, with numerous large rocks suspended in mid-air, offering a clear view of the scene ahead. The group ascended in single file, their faces turning pale.

They saw hundreds of spirit beasts, some in the Harmonization Realm and others in the Bridging Heaven Realm, surrounding over two hundred master teachers. Each beast was incredibly powerful. Although there were many master teachers trapped in the center, facing such a massive encirclement, many had sustained serious injuries and were gradually losing ground.

"They're being ambushed! Could it be... that the dozen or so spirit beasts earlier deliberately revealed themselves to lure master teachers here, and then... they're being encircled and annihilated?" Their mouths twitched, and their faces turned ashen. Although their own group was large, if they were surrounded by so many spirit beasts, they would certainly face certain death! Even if Master Zhang had his Half-Ninth Realm Purple-Winged Sky Demon Beast, its body was too massive, and the One-Line Sky was too narrow for it to maneuver. Under such a massive assault from spirit beasts, it might even be in danger and unable to protect itself.

Zhang Xuan's expression was solemn. His mental fortitude score surpassed everyone else's, and his analysis of the situation was far more profound. From the moment he noticed those creatures turning and fleeing upon seeing humans, he had felt suspicious. Now, it was clear that this was indeed a conspiracy!

Green-backed Barbarian Bears, Iron-toothed Leopards, Yellow-striped Tigers, Golden-armed Iron Apes... these spirit beasts were all extremely swift on land. If they truly wanted to flee, even a Bridging Heaven Realm initial stage master teacher would find it hard to catch them. Yet, they had deliberately taken a long detour, luring group after group of master teachers. They clearly had a motive. What they didn't expect was that the beasts had actually lured humans here to encircle and annihilate them!

"An alliance..." Everyone had been thinking of forming alliances to hunt spirit beasts, but they might never have imagined that the spirit beasts had already formed an alliance themselves. With some acting as decoys and others laying in ambush, their division of labor was clear, and their actions were orderly, aiming to wipe out humanity in one fell swoop! It was terrifying! If they hadn't stumbled upon this, would they too have fallen into the spirit beasts' trap and been surrounded?

"Master Zhang... what should we do?" A master teacher couldn't help but look over. As master teachers, they were obligated to rescue their comrades when they saw them besieged. However, if they truly went, their numbers would be like a drop in the ocean—utterly useless! Even if the Purple-Winged Sky Demon Beast arrived, it would be impossible to save so many people.

"The duty of a master teacher is to protect humanity, to ensure that the human lineage continues, no matter how dangerous it becomes... To see our kind suffer and not help, even if we left, would violate our principles and make it impossible to advance further!"

"But... if we really try to save them, we'll be completely wiped out, and it won't have any effect!"

"That's right, in this situation, saving them isn't an option, nor is not saving them..."

The group fell silent. To save them, given their strength, was certainly impossible. To not save them, to watch their comrades be slaughtered, would undoubtedly fill them with guilt and cause them to lose the moral ideals they had always upheld.

"We definitely have to save them, but going in like this certainly won't work!" Zhang Xuan frowned, tapping his fingers on his clothes, his mind racing.

"Then what should we do?" Everyone looked at him in unison. All their hopes were now resting on the young man before them, hoping he could once again create a miracle, as he had before.

"Does anyone here have five-star illusion formation flags and formation diagrams?" Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then looked at the group.

"I... I do!" replied a master teacher from the Luoyuan Empire, the same one who had spoken earlier. He was a formation master, capable of setting up formations to capture spirit beasts, which was why he dared to venture out with just two others. Otherwise, with their peak Pure Clarity Realm strength, they wouldn't have dared to leave alone.

"Give them to me!" Zhang Xuan extended his hand. "Alright!" Knowing it was to save so many comrades, the master teacher nodded. With a flip of his wrist, a pile of formation flags and a jade token appeared before them.

"This is the Five-Star Initial Stage Phantom Trace Illusion Formation. Our empire's formation master, Tao Ran, developed it by observing the tides. However... setting up this formation is extremely troublesome. Even after studying it for three years, it would take me at least an hour to succeed! The most crucial point is... how can we set up a formation in such a narrow canyon?" The master teacher looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully. Even if he were to set up this formation, it would take at least one or two hours to succeed. Moreover, setting up a formation required on-site inspection, adapting to the terrain, and using a compass to find nodes where spiritual energy converged, making it incredibly complex. With the battle raging below, even if they could set it up successfully, the besieged master teachers wouldn't be able to hold out that long against so many spirit beasts! Furthermore, how could they set it up without going down there? If they went down, they would also be caught in the encirclement and would almost certainly die! Among the more than two hundred besieged master teachers, there were certainly no shortage of formation masters, yet they were all helpless. What could Zhang Xuan do differently?

"Let me see first!" Ignoring the other's words, Zhang Xuan tapped the jade token with his finger, channeling vital energy into it. Immediately, the formation diagram for the Phantom Trace Illusion Formation, recorded within, appeared before him. "Flaws!" he whispered to himself, his eyes fixed on the jade token, but his consciousness was already immersed in his Mind Sea. The Phantom Trace Illusion Formation was a type of illusion formation, created by the Luoyuan Empire's formation master Tao Ran. It could use the terrain to disorient and trap living beings, and once caught, even Bridging Heaven Realm cultivators would find it difficult to escape. His reading speed in the Library of Heaven's Path was incredibly fast; after just a few breaths, all the key points of the formation were committed to his memory.

Opening his eyes, he looked back at the group. "Does anyone have spirit stones on them?" "Spirit stones?" Everyone nodded simultaneously. "We all have some!" Although middle-grade spirit stones were valuable, master teachers at the peak of four-star and half-step five-star levels usually kept some on hand.

"Take them all out. Each person prepare ten. If you don't have enough, borrow from someone else!" Zhang Xuan instructed. "Alright!" The group nodded. While they might not have many, ten middle-grade spirit stones was something everyone could produce.

"There are fifty-three of us in total right now. Excluding me, that's fifty-two people. Divide into four teams, named East, West, South, and North!" Seeing that everyone had prepared their spirit stones, Zhang Xuan continued. Although they didn't know his intentions, they could only obey his instructions for now. The group immediately nodded and split into four waves. As master teachers, their movements were incredibly swift. Everything was done within ten breaths.

"Alright, get ready. In a moment, listen to my command and execute it strictly. Even a slight mistake could mean we won't be able to save the people below..." Zhang Xuan looked at them with a solemn expression. "Don't worry, Master Zhang!" "We'll follow your arrangements!" Although still confused, everyone was completely encouraged by his firm gaze and brimming confidence, and they all nodded.

The three master teachers from the Luoyuan Empire had originally intended to ask questions, but seeing the others' attitudes, they swallowed their words. Taking a deep breath, they looked at the young man before them, their hearts filled with doubt. This young man was not the oldest among them, so why did everyone trust him so implicitly? In their view, given the current situation, unless a powerful expert like Elder Mi personally intervened, no one could be saved! Could it be... that this fellow really had a way?