Chapter 862: Honored Yang Xuan

This aura, like an incoming tide, evoked a sense of inescapable power and utter helplessness. Everyone's hair stood on end instantly. Even Master Mu felt his heart turn cold and his body stiffen. It was as if, under this aura, no one dared to even contemplate resistance, fearing instant death, a fate they couldn't avert, regardless of their own strength.

Creak! Creak! Under the immense pressure of the powerful aura, the Elders' Council Hall, a building that had stood for countless years, could no longer bear the strain. Countless cracks appeared, followed by a series of crisp snapping sounds, and then, with a thunderous roar, it collapsed.

"Just with his aura... he shattered all the formations here and brought the walls down..." The elders exchanged fearful glances, each trembling. The Elders' Council Hall wasn't merely a structure; it was imbued with countless formidable defensive formations. Normally, even a full-strength assault from a Saint 2-dan or 3-dan expert might not breach them. Yet, this individual had caused the formations to crumble and the walls to collapse with nothing but his presence. What incredible power did he possess? And what caliber of expert was Zhang Xuan's teacher?

At this thought, everyone looked up simultaneously and saw a faint figure hovering in the air nearby. Swirling dust obscured his features, but his build suggested he was not old, perhaps only in his thirties, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty that was difficult to confront directly.

"Are you the ones who suspect my student is an Otherworldly Demon?" the figure scoffed softly. "Then tell me, do *I* look like an Otherworldly Demon to you?" The voice wasn't loud, yet it conveyed a sense of the heavens and earth collapsing. A heavy, palpable majesty descended from above, causing Lu Feng and the others to feel their bodies tighten and their breathing grow difficult.

Boom! The overwhelming pressure spread outwards. The entire structure beneath them could not withstand it and collapsed once more. But it wasn't over. The pressure rippled out like waves, and in the blink of an eye, it touched other buildings. With the slightest contact, the formations within them instantly shattered, and grand, towering structures crumbled like fragile paper.

"That's... the Hall of Enfeoffment!" Everyone simultaneously stared at the recently crumbled building in the distance, their brows twitching, nearly biting their tongues in shock. That was the Hall of Enfeoffment, a sacred place holding countless ancestral tablets and even a statue of Master Kong! Such a place was guarded by the spiritual wills of ancestors, strong enough to withstand even their full-force attacks without a scratch. Yet now... it had collapsed with just a single word from the figure!

"The collapse of the Hall of Enfeoffment means that the wills of the numerous ancestors dared not contend with this senior, and even... Master Kong's will retreated!" An elder's voice, almost a whisper to himself, broke the silence. Hearing this, everyone tensed up. He was right. The Hall of Enfeoffment, protected by the wills of Master Kong and countless ancestors, would repel even a full siege by Otherworldly Demons. Yet, this individual, without launching an attack, had caused its collapse with a mere word. There was only one possible explanation: his power was so overwhelming that even the lingering will of Master Kong receded, not daring to challenge him!

For such a thing to occur, it could only mean one of two things: either Master Kong himself had arrived, or this person possessed power so immense that it commanded even Master Kong's reverence! This... how could it be possible?

"Could it be... an expert of the Seventy-Two Sages' caliber?" An elder's pupils constricted as if a realization had struck him, and his voice involuntarily trembled. The ancestral figures enshrined in the Hall of Enfeoffment were all, at the very least, at the Saint realm. Combined with Master Kong's statue, the collective power of their wills was so formidable that even an 8-star Master Teacher at Saint 6-dan or 7-dan couldn't hope to break it with just their aura or a single utterance. Legend claimed that only those who had achieved the level of Master Kong's direct disciples, the Seventy-Two Sages, possessed such an ability. Was this individual truly an expert of that magnitude? If so, it was almost unbelievable!

After Master Kong's disappearance, the Seventy-Two Sages were considered the most powerful. However, they didn't remain for long, and tales of them grew rare. Later, many experts at the peak of the Saint realm emerged, founding various Saint realm clans. These clan patriarchs were immensely powerful, capable of obliterating places like the Master Teacher Academy with a mere flick of their wrist. Yet, even with their formidable strength, these experts were still considerably weaker than the Seventy-Two Sages!

"Even if he's not an expert on par with the Seventy-Two Sages, he's probably not far from... a clan patriarch..." Everyone swallowed hard. Causing the Hall of Enfeoffment to collapse with just an aura and a single word—such power could only be described as terrifying. If such an expert truly desired to kill, he wouldn't even need to make a move; a single thought would instantly turn them into corpses, and even the Master Teacher Pavilion's investigation would yield no clues.

"This... this... this powerful?" Mo Gaoyuan, in the crowd, felt a chill run through him. He had met Master Zhang's teacher long ago and even conversed with him. However, at that time, the other party had displayed no strength, aura, or pressure, leading Mo Gaoyuan to believe he was, at most, a 7-star or 8-star Master Teacher. Now, it was clear... he had severely underestimated him! With just a single word, this man had reduced the Elders' Council Hall and all buildings within several hundred meters of the Hall of Enfeoffment to dust. Such immense power was far beyond what an 8-star Master Teacher could command!

"I told you long ago that Master Zhang's teacher is extremely powerful! Didn't you tell the other elders...?" Mo Gaoyuan's face was ashen as he looked at Elder Mi nearby. He had known how formidable this individual was, which was why he had deliberately befriended Zhang Xuan. He had even secretly informed Dean Mizhu at Thunder Far Peak. He had warned them, so why had these fools in the academy still foolishly insisted on trying to put his student on trial? Now they had landed in deep trouble! A figure of such power, even if he disdained to directly harm them, could, with a single word, ruin their lives irrevocably!

"I... I told them, but they wouldn't believe me!" Elder Mi was on the verge of tears. He hadn't personally met the other party's teacher; he had only heard rumors, so his apprehension wasn't profound. He had merely mentioned it casually, never imagining... such terrifying power! This level of strength was beyond anything he could have conceived!

"You all..." Mo Gaoyuan's face paled with anger and fear that the figure in the air might make a move. He quickly looked up and his voice rang out clearly, "Master Yang, please calm your anger. I am Mo Gaoyuan, and you once guided me... We had no intention of troubling Master Zhang; we merely invited him here to answer a few questions..." Only he could speak now. He genuinely feared that Lu Feng, that fool, ignorant of proper etiquette, might provoke the figure beyond control.

"Questions? It seemed to me you were putting my student on trial!" the figure in the sky scoffed again, suddenly turning to face them with a chilling shout. "Do you think *he* is an Otherworldly Demon, or do you think *I* am?" A crushing pressure, as if the very heavens and earth were plummeting, descended from above, making it difficult for anyone to even breathe.

"This is... a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher?" Their faces instantly contorted. The ten elders, along with the Golden Origin Cauldron, were utterly speechless with terror. A Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher — since ancient times, only Master Kong had ever achieved such a feat. And now, the figure hovering above them was also one! Yet, they had actually dared to suspect his student was an Otherworldly Demon! This was utterly preposterous! If Heaven itself acknowledged him as a Master Teacher, how could he possibly accept an Otherworldly Demon as a disciple? This was beyond a joke!

"Ma-Master Ancestor?" As the figure turned his face and revealed his status as a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher, Master Mu finally recognized him. Zhang Xuan's teacher was none other than the Master Ancestor he had previously encountered... Yang Xuan! If only he had known Zhang Xuan was his student, why on earth would they have put him on trial?!

"We wouldn't dare..." Mo Gaoyuan's lips twitched uncontrollably as he hastily waved his hand in dismissal.

"And you?" Master Yang questioned, looking down at Lu Feng.

"I... I wouldn't dare!" Lu Feng shivered, nearly fainting on the spot. If only he had known Zhang Xuan possessed such a formidable backer, why would he have provoked him? Wasn't this just asking for death?! Now, having offended such a powerful Master Teacher, it was clear that his future prospects were utterly ruined, with no possibility of further progress.

Chen Chengxun and Dong Xin, standing nearby, also felt their vision dim. Now they had truly messed up... they had completely offended him. Even if he were to kill them, they wouldn't have the right to resist!

"It's best you don't!" The figure in the sky didn't press the matter further. With his hands clasped behind his back and his head held high, as if looking through the very firmament, he declared, "I am Yang Xuan. If any of you feel I have bullied the weak, you are welcome to report me to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters!"

"We wouldn't dare..." Mo Gaoyuan's face was chalk-white with terror. Report him? As if! If the headquarters learned they had offended a Master Teacher of this caliber, not only would they likely be denied justice, but they might also be instantly executed. Every Master Teacher of this rank was a treasure to the continent. They were irreplaceable, not even for a first-tier empire's Master Teacher Academy, let alone a Conferred Empire! If the news wasn't sent to headquarters, that would be one thing, but sending it... wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? While the Master Teacher Pavilion served humanity and upheld justice, it also operated on a system of hierarchy. The higher a Master Teacher's rank, the greater their privileges. Their own 6-star Master Teachers were utterly insignificant in comparison to him! Let alone one death, even a thousand or ten thousand of them wouldn't be worth an expert of this magnitude! The Master Teacher Pavilion would naturally weigh the importance.

"It's best you don't!" Nodding, Yang Xuan flicked his sleeve, stepped into the air, and prepared to depart.

"Master Ancestor!" Master Mu rushed forward. In the past few days, having cultivated the techniques imparted by this Master Ancestor, his internal issues had been effortlessly resolved, and his strength had greatly advanced. His heart was already overflowing with immense gratitude for this person. Now, seeing him about to leave, he could no longer hold himself back.

"Hmm! Cultivate well; returning to the Mu Clan might not be impossible!" Nodding, Yang Xuan said no more. He took a step in the air, ascending higher and higher, then with a "whoosh!", he vanished from the spot as if he had teleported.

"It's... spatial ability! A 9-star Master Teacher!" Swallowing hard, all ten elders looked utterly dumbfounded. When a Master Teacher reached 9-star, they mastered the laws of space, capable of creating folded spaces and even inner worlds. The fact that this individual had vanished instantly without a trace meant he had already mastered such power! A living 9-star Master Teacher... There were only a handful on the entire continent, and they had actually encountered one and put his student on trial... Cold sweat trickled down everyone's backs, and they were filled with profound dread. Fortunately, he was a Master Teacher and didn't stoop to their level, otherwise, the entire academy would have ceased to exist. It was evident that Master Yang, despite his immense power, held his student in very high regard. As this thought occurred, they involuntarily looked at Zhang Xuan nearby, only to see his brows tightly furrowed, appearing far from pleased.

To be honest, Zhang Xuan was indeed displeased at this moment, his mind filled with conflicted thoughts. He had always known his clone wasn't entirely reliable, but he never expected it to be *this* unreliable. Was this... perhaps a bit too much of a spectacle?