Chapter 964: Tombstone Incident

Zhang Xuan’s storage ring still contained over twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets and one powerful being.

He was very familiar with this aura. The moment he sensed it, he knew it was an Otherworldly Demon; there was no doubt.

“Isn’t this the academy’s most sacred place, a forbidden area where successive deans rest in peace? Why is there such an intense murderous aura from the Otherworldly Demons here? The Otherworldly Demons, who prey on humans, are cruel and tyrannical. They are natural enemies of the Master Teachers and cannot coexist. Why would their aura appear in this place?”

He looked around. The place he was in seemed to be inside the tombstone, very spacious but incredibly dim, with no light or discernible aura. If he weren’t a soul, he certainly wouldn't be able to survive here.

“Not only is there a murderous aura here, but also a noble and upright presence…”

He soon realized something was amiss. In this place, he sensed not only slaughter but also the noble righteousness unique to human Master Teachers.

He walked forward along the spacious room and soon saw a huge black hole before him. The murderous aura emanated from it. Around the black hole were soul-dividing treasures, similar to the Azure Soul Bell, arranged into a formation that covered the surroundings. He counted them: exactly one hundred and two items.

“These must be the lingering thoughts left behind by the various deans…” Zhang Xuan nodded. The other deans must have used these soul-dividing treasures to preserve their lingering thoughts. However, these thoughts were not like Witch Souls, substantial enough to move freely; they merely resided within the treasures, like inanimate objects.

“Could it be… these lingering thoughts weren’t preserved merely to test new deans, but rather… to suppress something?” Realizing something, Zhang Xuan was startled.

The black hole nearby emitted a dense murderous aura, and the lingering thoughts of the many deans were arrayed around it. Coupled with the tombstone’s aura of suppression… He immediately understood that these thoughts, preserved for ten millennia, were certainly not merely for testing new deans. It was likely to suppress something in this place.

“Could this be… the connection point between the Otherworldly Demons’ planar battlefield and the continent?”

Hongyuan Empire, though not among the most powerful first-tier empires in the vicinity, allowed the Master Teacher Academy to be built here. It was rumored that this was because there was a node connecting the Otherworldly Demon planar battlefield to the continent here. The academy was established to suppress this location and protect humanity’s destiny.

Could it be… right here? Is this the passage to the planar battlefield, explaining the intense murderous aura? And the purpose of these deans’ lingering thoughts and the tombstone remaining here is to guard this place?

If this were true, it would explain why the Dean’s Tomb was so concealed, forbidding entry to anyone but the deans. It was likely to prevent the murderous aura from leaking out and causing unnecessary panic.

“If that’s the case, then the successive deans are indeed admirable…” Once a dean, even after death, they remained through their lingering thoughts, guarding this place and protecting the safety of the region. Master Teachers truly made indelible contributions to humanity. This was likely the main reason other professions respected them.

After observing for a while, he quickly confirmed his conjecture. The black hole nearby continuously emitted a murderous aura, making it difficult to approach. Without the formation set up by the deans’ lingering thoughts, the aura would likely grow stronger, eventually destroying the tombstone and impacting the entire Hongyuan City.

“It’s a Grade-7 formation, very skillfully arranged…” Zhang Xuan secretly nodded. The formation before him was not fixed; one lingering thought could activate it, as could two. Furthermore, its power increased with the number of thoughts assisting it.

“It also incorporates the Dean’s Token…” The Dean’s Token was formed by the condensed thoughts of all Master Teachers in the academy, carrying the most resilient power of humanity, making it perfectly suited for suppressing this place. After their deaths, these deans left behind the Dean’s Token to maintain the formation. This was why the entire Hongyuan Empire had not suffered large-scale persecution from the Otherworldly Demons for ten millennia, enjoying prolonged peace and stability.

With a sigh of admiration, he was calculating where his own lingering thought should go to maximize the formation’s power, when he suddenly heard a roaring sound from the black hole before him.

*Rumble! Rumble!*

Like a tidal wave, a powerful force caused the entire tombstone to shake violently, as if it could collapse at any moment. Immediately after, Zhang Xuan felt a dense wave of murderous aura surge from the black hole, crashing repeatedly against the formation before him.

The formation lit up, suppressing the murderous aura. However, the latter grew increasingly fierce, and the former seemed like a fishing net struck by a large fish, on the verge of giving way and tearing apart at any moment.

“At this rate, the formation won’t last much longer…” His face paled, and Zhang Xuan’s brows furrowed deeply. With his discernment, he could easily see that although the formation could currently block the murderous aura, it was at its limit, like a spent force, and could be torn apart at any moment.

“No!” His expression darkened. He approached the formation, circled it, his eyes gleaming, and kicked a particular node. Under his power, the formation suddenly emitted an intense light, its power greatly increasing. The precarious formation, which had been on the verge of shattering, stabilized.

Ten minutes later, the surging murderous aura subsided and returned to calmness.

“Phew!” Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and withdrew his foot. His kick only temporarily increased the formation’s power; it wouldn’t have held for long. Fortunately, this surge of murderous aura didn’t last for an extended period.

Although this lingering thought didn’t possess the Library of Heaven’s Path, with his understanding of formations and the Eye of Insight, finding the nodes to increase its power was easy.

“Why is there such a strong murderous aura?” Zhang Xuan frowned, pondering for a moment without understanding. He then went to the various treasures containing the deans’ lingering thoughts, looked around, and tapped one with his hand. The treasure activated, and a lingering thought appeared before him, belonging to Master Mu Kai.

“Thank you, Dean Zhang, for your timely assistance just now. Otherwise, years of effort would have been ruined!” Master Mu looked at him with gratitude. Although their lingering thoughts resided within the treasures, they could still perceive the outside situation. If the newly appointed dean hadn’t intervened just now, they likely wouldn’t have been able to withstand the murderous aura from below any longer. Years of their efforts would have been in vain.

“What was… that just now?” Zhang Xuan asked, waving his hand. If it had been a continuous torrent like that, the formation would surely have collapsed long ago. How could it have lasted until now?

“As you’ve seen, our lingering thoughts are here to suppress the interface between the planar battlefield and the continent. Originally, everything was peaceful; at most, there would be a slow emanation of aura, which was manageable as long as we were here… But for some unknown reason, two years ago, a torrent like the one you just witnessed began appearing once a day!”

Master Mu looked at the black hole before them, his expression solemn: “Initially, the torrent wasn’t so powerful, and we could still resist it. However, over the past month, it has grown increasingly stronger, to the point where even with our full strength, we can barely withstand it! Especially today, if you hadn’t come, even if the formation hadn’t been torn apart, irreparable damage would certainly have occurred, making it impossible to continue.”

“Two years ago?” Zhang Xuan’s brows furrowed.

“Yes!” Master Mu nodded.

“Have you found the reason?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Our lingering thoughts have merged with the formation, rendering us immobile. We don’t know what happened. However, if my guess is correct, there’s been a change in the seal between the planar battlefield and the continental node!” Master Mu hesitated before speaking.

“The seal?”

“The seal is deep within the underground cavern, not here. This is the last barrier; once it’s breached, it means direct confrontation with humanity!” Master Mu explained.

There were several seals at the connection point between the planar battlefield and the continent. The strongest one, left behind by countless Master Teacher ancestors, was deep within the underground cavern. This place, however, was the final pass, humanity’s last bastion.

“Dean Zhang, since you sent your lingering thought here, your main body must also be present. Would it be possible for you to enter the underground cavern on our behalf to investigate what’s happening? That way, the news can be relayed, allowing humanity to prepare in advance! Otherwise, I fear that if these torrents continue to strike and we can no longer hold out, a great disaster will ensue!” Master Mu looked at him, his eyes filled with pleading.

Their lingering thoughts had been constantly resisting this murderous aura for years, leading to excessive wear and tear. They no longer possessed their former strength and had long since merged with the formation, making them unable to move. Even if they wanted to investigate, they were powerless! Furthermore, if they were to leave, the raging murderous aura would strike again, and without their suppression, the formation could easily collapse, leading to an unpredictable situation.

“Enter the underground cavern?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Yes, just go in and take a look. Knowing the reason beforehand will allow us to devise a solution. Otherwise, I fear a stronger outburst, and if the formation cannot withstand it, the entire academy will suffer!” Master Mu was deeply worried.

“How do I enter the underground cavern?” Understanding the other party’s concern, Zhang Xuan asked.

“The murderous aura inside the underground cavern is dense; a solitary lingering thought cannot go very deep. Your physical body… must enter along with it!” Master Mu hesitated before saying, “Dean Zhang’s physical body can carry the Dean’s Token and come here. At that time, I will open a small gap in the formation, and you can directly enter the underground cavern! This spot is closest to the seal deep within the cavern, which will save a lot of trouble.”

Zhang Xuan frowned. The danger of the underground cavern was obvious; entering it meant there was a high probability of never returning. However, if he didn’t go in, he wouldn’t know the cause and thus couldn’t resolve the problem of the murderous aura. Once this final barrier gave way, the entire Hongyuan Empire would immediately be plunged into misery and war.

“I know this is difficult, but… we truly have no other choice!” Master Mu also knew the danger of the underground cavern and that asking him to go was indeed inappropriate. However, this concerned the rise and fall and very survival of humanity, and the future of the Master Teacher Academy, so he had no choice but to ask. However, if he just went down to observe and was careful, with the protection of the Dean’s Token, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“Alright, please wait a moment. I will contact my main body and have him come in!” Zhang Xuan nodded.