Chapter 847: I Am the Old Dean's Beast Pet

Unaware that Dong Xin had already discovered the Purpleflame Beast's secret, Zhang Xuan was currently making his way to the Formation Master Academy.

The Concealment Formation he had previously set up, though of good quality, was too low-level. Although the Purpleflame Beast was confined within the Thousand Ant Hive and unable to stretch, it was, after all, a Saint realm expert with astonishing regenerative abilities. After several days of recuperation, its injuries from the beating were mostly healed.

The moment it was freed from its constraints, it immediately revealed its fierce nature, shattering the formation and attempting to escape. Fortunately, he had been prepared. The Fierce Man and the puppets worked together, once again beating the creature into submission. While it was knocked unconscious and couldn't cause trouble for a short time, he couldn't keep it like this indefinitely. He still needed to extract information about the Otherworldly Demons from it, and keeping it perpetually confined was not an option.

After much consideration, he decided to learn higher-level formations. Only by deploying a more advanced formation, one from which it could not escape, would he be able to properly interrogate it and uncover the opponent's true motive for targeting numerous master teachers. This would allow him to locate any hidden Otherworldly Demons in the vicinity beforehand and prepare a suitable response. Thus, upon leaving his courtyard, he headed directly there.

"I'll start by reading some books."

He inquired about the library's location, then sat down in a small pavilion nearby. With a thought, his Soul flew out of his body, stealthily entering the library to begin reading.

The Formation Master Academy was the third-largest institution among the Master Teacher Academies. Its library was bustling with visitors, unlike the deserted libraries of the Demonic Tune and Glazed Pagoda academies; at least several hundred people came to read daily. Without waiting long, he blended in with the crowd. As he was already a four-star formation master, he could skip all books below that level and proceeded directly to the fifth floor. His gaze swept across, and layers of books imprinted themselves upon his mind.

Two hours later, he had collected all the books from the fifth and sixth floors of the library, which then formed the corresponding Heaven's Path secret arts. His Soul returned to his body, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately began to study. An hour later, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes, which gleamed with renewed vigor. His comprehension of formations had now reached the peak six-star level, making him as proficient as, if not more so than, the dean of the Formation Master Academy.

"Should I go ahead and take the six-star formation master examination while I'm here?" He stood up, stroking his chin in thought. Since he was already at the Formation Master Academy, should he casually take the six-star formation master exam just for the sake of it? Once he passed, he would effectively have six six-star sub-professions, qualifying him to take the six-star master teacher examination.

"No, forget it. I've taken quite a few examinations lately. I shouldn't overdo it and attract suspicion. My top priority right now is to finish interrogating that Purpleflame Beast!" After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Xuan shook his head. He had taken too many sub-profession examinations recently: Blacksmith, Glazed Pagoda Master, Physician, Alchemist, Demonic Tune Master... each one had caused quite a stir. Besides, his cultivation was not yet high enough to become a six-star master teacher, so it was better to put it off for a while. He would resume once the attention on him had died down. Knowledge doesn't disappear; taking the exam now or later makes no difference.

With his decision made, he did not return to the library but turned and headed towards his residence.

Upon returning to his courtyard, he retrieved his formation flags and set up a Level 6 aura-isolating formation, then nodded in satisfaction. This type of formation, which was purely for isolation and not offense, could be set up even with insufficient cultivation. In contrast, other Level 6 illusion formations, maze formations, or confinement formations would be impossible to establish without a cultivation base at the Silkworm Seal realm, or even Half-Saint. Once the formation was set up, he scrutinized it and found that even if the Purpleflame Beast were at its peak, it would struggle to break it. The formation could completely block out information, ensuring true security.

He entered the formation, positioned his many puppets to guard the surroundings, and then released the Purpleflame Beast once more.

"You... if you want to kill me, just do it!"

Three or four hours had passed, and the Purpleflame Beast was already conscious. It lay motionless on the ground, glaring at the young man with intense hatred. As the Dean's beast pet, it had never endured such mistreatment since birth! If it had been able to resist, it would have devoured this fellow alive long ago.

"If I intended to kill you, Lei Yuanfeng would have already done so; I wouldn't have waited until now!" Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly, "If you wish to avoid suffering, then tell me your purpose in harming so many students and who commanded you from behind the scenes... Perhaps I can spare your life. Otherwise, I will slowly torture you, making you wish you were dead!"

This creature was unlike the Red Ape Beast of Cloudmist Ridge. The latter had willingly submitted and was already psychologically intimidated, making soul-searching an easy way to extract information. This beast, however, possessed an unyielding nature; even after such a beating, it wouldn't utter a single word. If a soul-search were to fail, he would truly gain nothing. Even Zhang Xuan felt utterly helpless against such a stubborn creature.

"Torture? If you have the ability, then kill me!" The Purpleflame Beast gnashed its teeth, its eyes blazing with infinite hatred. "My master was killed by you Otherworldly Demons! You want me to submit? Dream on!"

Its master had fought against the Otherworldly Demons his entire life. As his beast pet, it had long possessed the ability to distinguish right from wrong, knowing what to uphold and what not to. If it were to side with the Otherworldly Demons, even if it survived, it would never again have the face to meet its master! Rather than that, it would rather die.

"Otherworldly Demons?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't bother pretending with me! You must be a king among the Otherworldly Demons, right? Only a king could perfectly conceal their aura and disguise themselves as a master teacher without being detected!" the Purpleflame Beast asserted.

"Disguise myself as a master teacher?" Zhang Xuan burst into a wry chuckle. This was truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black! He had captured this creature precisely to ascertain the whereabouts of the Otherworldly Demons, yet unexpectedly, he was being falsely accused by it first...

"Do you think you can pull the wool over my eyes and prove your innocence like this? You controlled numerous spirit beasts to besiege the academy's new students with malicious intent. If you weren't instructed by Otherworldly Demons, then who was it?" Zhang Xuan shook his head and said.

"Besiege new students with malicious intent?" The Purpleflame Beast was stunned. "I was invited by Elder Mi to conduct a test for them. How is that malicious intent?"

"A test? Letting the Thousand Ant Hive Queen track down students' whereabouts, then gathering all spirit beasts to set traps and lead them into them... You call that a test? If I hadn't discovered it in time, tens of thousands of new students would likely have perished by your hand!" Zhang Xuan sneered.

"Before these spirit beasts were captured by Elder Mi, they had already been instructed not to kill anyone. They were merely meant to surround the master teachers, besieging them without attacking... The objective was to curb their arrogance and make them understand that master teachers operate as a collective, not as individuals relying solely on their own abilities..." Seeing the other party attempting to defame it, the Purpleflame Beast explained. Even if it died, it wanted to remain an innocent beast and would not permit itself to be framed.

"There's such an explanation?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. At the time, over two hundred master teachers were besieged by more than four hundred spirit beasts. It had appeared extremely perilous, yet... indeed, not a single person had died. He had found that somewhat odd back then. Could it be... it truly was a test? If that were indeed the case... could it be that this creature wasn't actually deployed by the Otherworldly Demons? This thought made him unable to resist asking, "You... know Elder Mi?"

"Of course. I am the Master Teacher Academy's former Dean's beast pet. How could I not know Dean Mizhu?" The Purpleflame Beast gnashed its teeth. "You can kill me, but if you think you'll extract any human secrets from me, you're dreaming!"

"The former Dean's beast pet..." Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched, and his body stiffened. He vaguely recalled hearing someone mention that the former Dean's beast pet had been captured, causing immense trouble. At the time, he had been convinced that the Otherworldly Demons were responsible... He never expected... it was actually him who did it!

"That's right. Although my master has departed, there's absolutely no way I would ever side with the Otherworldly Demons!" Unaware of Zhang Xuan's change in expression, the Purpleflame Beast's stance remained resolute.

"Side with... Do you actually think I'm an Otherworldly Demon?" Zhang Xuan questioned, looking intently at the beast.

"Are you not? Possessing the will of an Otherworldly Demon expert and having so many puppets protecting you... If you're not an Otherworldly Demon, then what are you?" the Purpleflame Beast asserted.

"This..." Zhang Xuan turned his head to glance at the numerous puppets standing around him, blinking in surprise. If one were seeing so many Otherworldly Demon puppets for the first time without knowing the full story, it was indeed possible to think that... Now, it appeared to have been one big misunderstanding... He had believed it intended to harm the new students and was sent by the Otherworldly Demons, while the beast, upon seeing so many puppets, had assumed he was an Otherworldly Demon king... What a situation! If only he had known it was a misunderstanding earlier, he would never have beaten it so mercilessly! This poor creature was beaten so badly it barely resembled a beast anymore... Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched at the memory of the relentless beating delivered by his many puppets that afternoon. It seemed... this misunderstanding was quite significant!

The Dean's beast pet, in terms of both strength and status within the Master Teacher Academy, was comparable to a dean. To have beaten it half to death... if word got out, he would be completely ruined. He would likely become a target for everyone in the academy, with no chance of escape.

*Now, there are two paths I can take. First, I could thoroughly eliminate this creature, ensuring no one ever discovers I was responsible. Second, I could tame it and make it my beast pet. Otherwise, simply letting it go like this would undoubtedly lead to significant trouble!* Realizing it was a misunderstanding, his mind raced. Given its identity, and having been tortured half to death, it would certainly harbor immense resentment. If released, the entire academy would be in an uproar, and he would likely face severe consequences! Unless... he killed it outright!

"The second option it is!" The beast's willingness to die rather than reveal human secrets earned even his admiration. Such a loyal creature — it would have been one thing to remain ignorant, but now that he knew, killing it would undoubtedly lead to a lifetime of regret. Although taming it would be difficult, it was arguably the best current solution.

Knowing what to do next, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and said, "I am not an Otherworldly Demon; I am a genuine Master Teacher!"

"Stop pretending with me..." The Purpleflame Beast utterly disbelieved him. If he wasn't an Otherworldly Demon, how could he possess so many Otherworldly Demon puppets? And such a potent aura of slaughter? *Don't think you can fool me just because I'm a beast...*

"I don't need to pretend at all. I genuinely am not. It seems there's been a misunderstanding between us!" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan's demeanor shifted, and a unique pressure surged from within his body, making him appear like an unyielding deity.

"This is..." Sensing this aura, the Purpleflame Beast first froze in surprise, then seemed to recall something, and its pupils constricted. "You are... a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher?"