Chapter 902: Zhang Xuan's Transformation

"A Witch Soul? The Emperor is a deity, a sacred beast that has lived since ancient times! You dare to harm Cloudmist Ridge; you have already violated its dignity. It will surely tear you to shreds, extract your soul, and avenge me!"

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast roared.

It appeared deeply loyal, even devoutly worshipful, towards this so-called Emperor.

It refused to believe the entity was merely a Witch Soul, instead defining it as a divine being.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. It was only a remnant soul; no matter how formidable, how truly powerful could it be?

If it were genuinely that terrifying, it wouldn't have remained confined to Spirit Mist Mountain.

"If this Emperor is truly as powerful as you claim, it would have surely emerged by now, seeing your current state, wouldn't it?" Zhang Xuan said.

"The Emperor would never abandon me! Since you're treating me like this, it will surely kill you!" the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast roared.

Despite its words, a look of panic flickered in its eyes.

Its relationship with the Emperor was purely transactional: it offered sacrifices, and in return, received power or vital essence from the earth veins.

Even if it were beaten to death, the Emperor would simply choose another proxy. It was impossible for the Emperor to intervene and save it; otherwise, it wouldn't have stood by and watched the large cauldron brutalize it to this extent.

Noticing its panic, Zhang Xuan knew his attempts at alienation were working. With a mental shift, his Teacher's Heart stirred, and the Teacher's Impartation of Heavenly Will resonated: "I just heard you intend to sacrifice Elder Mi and me. Have you been using the lives of master teachers for these sacrifices all these years?"

The creature had just mentioned sacrificing Elder Mi, himself, and numerous other master teachers, to which the other party had immediately agreed. It seemed this arrangement had long been an unspoken agreement.

Coupled with the numerous skeletons he had previously seen here, it wasn't hard to deduce that these so-called sacrifices involved the lives of master teachers.

Such matters had far-reaching implications, and the other party would certainly keep them secret from other sacred beasts. He had to ask to find out.

Perhaps he could obtain the answers he sought.

"You're talking nonsense—"

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast frantically shook its head, but mid-sentence, it saw the young man before it growing taller and more imposing, like a majestic deity. It wanted to deny, yet found the words impossible to utter. Its voice shifted, as if its mouth moved beyond its control, and it blurted out, "That's right! The Emperor devours the flesh and blood of master teachers, then bestows vital essence and grants spirit beasts the opportunity to achieve breakthroughs!"

Previously, Zhang Xuan's Teacher's Impartation of Heavenly Will was primarily effective on humans, with limited impact on spirit beasts. However, having now comprehended the Teacher's Heart, even spirit beasts could be easily influenced.

"Devours the flesh and blood of master teachers?"

Elder Mi clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.

He had always believed the sacred beasts of Cloudmist Ridge were merely a threat, not a major concern, but it turned out they were man-eating demons.

Had he known this sooner, he would have surely eradicated them long ago.

Given that the entity sacrificed master teachers, this practice likely spanned countless years, and untold numbers of master teachers must have perished at its hands.

"Are those skeletons in the cave the remains of master teachers?" Zhang Xuan asked, his expression grim.

"Yes! Those are master teachers who challenged the mountain over the years. The Emperor devoured their flesh and blood, leaving only piles of bones! In return, it used immense power to alter the terrain, forming a natural grand array that gathers vital essence from the earth veins, making Cloudmist Ridge's spirit beasts increasingly powerful!"

The Bear-Tiger Beast continued.

Although it dared not openly hunt master teachers on a large scale, a significant number disappeared each year during trials for various reasons. Killing dozens or even hundreds in a single year was effortless.

"Since this Emperor devours the flesh and blood of master teachers, it surely isn't a mere Witch Soul. Where is it located?"

With anger burning in his heart, Zhang Xuan continued to question it.

A Witch Soul is a soul; to survive, it requires physical nourishment. Otherwise, it would easily succumb to the Five Declines of Soul Power, growing progressively weaker.

Mo Hunsheng's ability to survive for tens of thousands of years was due to the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo. Without that divine artifact, he would undoubtedly have vanished into history long ago.

To have lived for an unknown number of years and subsisted on the flesh and blood of master teachers, it must be far more than just a Witch Soul.

"Its... exact location, I'm not sure. It only appears whenever a sacrifice is made here..."

The Bear-Tiger Beast replied.

"Sacrifice here?" Zhang Xuan frowned, scanning his surroundings with his Eye of Insight.

He had visited this location once before and thoroughly examined it, yet found nothing unusual.

Since this "Emperor" appeared and was worshipped here, could there be something unique about this spot?

Even under the illumination of the Eye of Insight, the surroundings appeared unremarkable—just an ordinary cave.

"Wait, that entity appeared just now. I can trace its path..."

A sudden thought made Zhang Xuan's eyes light up.

The entity was a Witch Soul, moving without a trace, undetectable by others. But with his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan believed he could find clues if he investigated.

Concentrating his mind, the patterns in his eyes grew more intricate as he gazed towards the spot where the "Emperor" had appeared. Sure enough, he saw faint traces extending deeper into the cave.

"Ding Ding, this fellow is all yours... Do with him as you please!"

Seeing a path to follow and having asked all his questions, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and strode deeper into the cave.

This Golden Bear-Tiger Beast, having aided evil and hunted master teachers, had crossed his bottom line and naturally could not be allowed to live.

"At my disposal? Wonderful! This is just how I like it!"

With an excited howl, the Golden Origin Cauldron leaped up and flew directly towards the Bear-Tiger Beast.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing the cauldron's excited, menacing gaze, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast stiffened in fright. "Master Zhang, I'm willing to acknowledge you as my master! Please don't kill me, ah..."

Before it could finish, it let out a miserable cry as the colossal cauldron descended from above, settling directly onto its face. The raging charcoal fire beneath instantly sizzled, and a distinct aroma wafted through the air.

"Gulp!"

The Scarlet Flame Lion, Iron-backed Bear, and the other beasts all gulped, their throats suddenly dry.

Holy crap.

This was utterly twisted. Luckily, they had surrendered; otherwise, they would likely end up like this creature, unable to live or die.

Especially the Bear-Tiger Beast's face... once majestic like a bear and a tiger, it was now flattened like a toad.

"Master Zhang!"

Ignoring the Golden Origin Cauldron, which was happily thrashing the beast, Elder Mi quickly followed Zhang Xuan.

Here, he dared not openly address Zhang Xuan as Dean, only as "Master Zhang."

"That 'Emperor' is incredibly powerful. I believe it's best to avoid unnecessary trouble. Let's report this to headquarters later and then decide how to proceed..."

As he drew closer, Elder Mi hastily transmitted a message.

Just moments ago, that Emperor had elevated a heavily injured Saint 1-dan cultivator to Saint 3-dan with a mere wave of its hand. Such an ability was truly terrifying.

If the Dean rashly pursued it, especially without Senior Golden Origin, Elder Mi feared he would be in danger.

The best way to handle such a matter was to report it to headquarters and await the arrival of higher-ranked master teachers.

"That Emperor, upon seeing its loyal subordinate killed, will surely escape. It would take at least ten to fifteen days for headquarters to send people, and by then, it would be too late!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

That entity was a remnant Witch Soul, which could be of immense help to him. How could he let others handle it?

If master teachers from headquarters arrived, he would at most receive a few commendations, but no substantial benefits. It was far better to resolve the matter himself.

"But..."

Elder Mi paused. "Then I'll ask Master Mu and the other elders to come over. That way, we can all look out for each other..."

"No need. You stay here. I'll just go in and take a look. If there's any danger, I'll escape on my own without you needing to tell me!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

This "Emperor" had to be at least at the Half-Transcendent 4th or 5th layer. The reason Zhang Xuan dared to pursue it was, firstly, he had a formidable ally at hand, and most importantly, he still possessed a Tome of Heaven's Path in his mind!

This Tome had formed when he accepted Dean Jiang Qingqin as his student, and he had been reluctant to use it. No matter how powerful that entity was, could it truly surpass the Heavenly Dao?

With one Tome, even a formidable expert would be brought to their knees, let alone a mere remnant Witch Soul.

Of course, he couldn't tell anyone about this, not even Elder Mi, despite the latter's sincerity.

"Dean..." Seeing Zhang Xuan disregard his advice and insist on entering, Elder Mi quickly stepped in front of him.

"Alright, you go out now. Have the Scarlet Flame Lion and the other kings summon all the battling spirit beasts back to Cloudmist Ridge! Then, inform Elder Zhao Bingxu that negotiations are complete and that the students who participated in the battle should return to the academy to rest!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "They must be exhausted after fighting for so long!"

"Understood!"

Seeing the Dean's direct order, Elder Mi dared not refuse and could only nod.

"Here are two hundred high-grade spirit stones. Please investigate how many students died in this incident, compile a detailed record, and use these for their compensation."

With a sigh, Zhang Xuan produced a pile of high-grade spirit stones.

Not a single one more or less; precisely two hundred.

Although he cherished wealth, some things simply had to be done.

The beast tide at Cloudmist Ridge had been caused by his theft of vital essence from the earth veins. With so many students having died, he felt he ought to do something for them.

While spirit stones could not bring back the dead, they could provide comfort by allowing the families to live better lives.

"Dean, the academy itself handles student compensation. How could we possibly let you pay out of your own pocket?"

Elder Mi was startled to see him produce so many high-grade spirit stones at once and quickly waved his hand in protest.

Even though Zhang Xuan was the Dean and wished to assist with the student fatalities, he didn't need to use his own funds; the academy and even the Master Teacher Pavilion had established policies for such situations.

These master teachers had died for humanity, for a righteous cause; naturally, they could not be allowed to disappear silently and without recognition.

"Take them!" Zhang Xuan declared, raising an eyebrow and waving his hand. "Regardless of what the academy does, this is from me!"

"Understood!"

Seeing the clear sincerity in Zhang Xuan's eyes, realizing he genuinely wanted to give these spirit stones to the students who had perished in battle, Elder Mi had no choice but to accept them.

His admiration for this new Dean deepened further.

Only truly selfless individuals, those who regarded wealth as trivial, were truly qualified to be Dean!

"From now on, I must also learn from the Dean's noble conduct and integrity..."

With a silent thought, he made a firm decision.

"Alright, go quickly and do as instructed. Just leave me here; there's no need to worry..."

After giving his instructions, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, said no more, and strode deeper into the cave, following the path revealed by his Eye of Insight.