Chapter 966: My Identity Needs No Further Explanation

Dean Lu Feng, You Xu’s good friend, had caused him quite a bit of trouble in the past. Later, the Elder Council revealed its "identity," and "Teacher Yang" appeared, demonstrating incredible power.

After the academy elders established themselves as deans and punished him, he disappeared without a trace. Elder Mi mentioned that he had voluntarily requested to go to the underground lair to atone for his sins, possibly never to return. The protagonist had long lamented his fate.

He had thought it almost impossible to meet Lu Feng in such a vast place, yet he encountered him soon after arriving, and Lu Feng was even being besieged. At this moment, Lu Feng looked haggard, completely devoid of the spirited demeanor he once had as the Dean of the Alchemist Guild. The sleeve of his left arm hung empty, his arm severed at some unknown point. He had several knife wounds on his body; although the bleeding had stopped, the grotesque gashes still looked horrifying.

Despite his injuries, his eyes held a calm and stern gaze. It seemed that fighting the Introspective Spirit race had made his state of mind more grounded. Because of this, his cultivation, which had already reached the Half-step Divine Comprehension realm, became even more stable, on the verge of a breakthrough at any moment. It seemed that the dangerous underground lair had made him abandon the schemes and petty struggles for power, allowing his mind to become more open.

Besides Lu Feng, the besieged six-star pinnacle Master Teachers all exuded a sharp aura, appearing even more powerful than vice deans of the same rank in the academy. However, they were all approaching the age of two thousand, and a decaying aura emanated from their bodies, as if their lives were nearing their end. Such individuals entered the underground lair hoping to use their remaining lives to hunt more members of the Introspective Spirit race and ensure humanity’s continued safety.

"I must find a way to save them..."

His gaze was solemn. In the past, he might have stood by idly if it didn't concern him, but after comprehending the Teacher's Heart, his state of mind had ascended. These individuals were sacrificing their lives for humanity; having encountered them, how could he possibly do nothing?

"A head-on approach definitely won't work..."

He frowned. With over two hundred Introspective Spirit beings, even if he used all his current abilities, he couldn't forcibly rescue them. Moreover, if he tried, it would backfire; if the opponents decided to kill them, he might not only fail to save them but also cause their deaths. He needed a foolproof plan that would both eliminate these creatures and successfully rescue the people.

After a moment's hesitation, he flipped his wrist, and a book appeared in his palm. "Ruthless Man," he asked, "is there a way to disguise me as an Introspective Spirit?" To rescue them stealthily from a siege of over two hundred individuals would be almost impossible... unless he himself appeared to be an Introspective Spirit, causing the enemy to lower their guard!

"Disguise you as one of my kind?" The heart within the book pulsed a few times. "That's easy! Master cultivates the Five Stellar Golden Body, so your height and weight can be changed at will. As long as you take on their appearance, I can help you unleash the Aura of Slaughter. It would be hard to fool the most elite emperors, but these insignificant fellows are no problem!"

The greatest challenge in impersonating an Introspective Spirit was the Aura of Slaughter. Once that was resolved, height, weight, and appearance were trivial. Having cultivated the Five Stellar Golden Body to the fourth stage, his muscles and bones could be freely altered, making it easy to change his appearance without detection.

"Alright, I'll try!" Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that disguise was possible. After a brief hesitation, he used a puppet from his ring as a template. With a series of crackling sounds from his muscles and bones, he transformed his appearance in less than two breaths. Stripping off the puppet's clothes and putting them on, he now looked exactly like an Introspective Spirit from the outside. Even some Master Teachers would likely find it hard to tell the difference.

"Master, conceal my finger within your hand, and the Aura of Slaughter will ignite within your body, making it difficult for outsiders to detect!" Ruthless Man instructed after seeing his transformation was complete.

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan nodded. A finger bone appeared before him, gently resting on his index finger. It slowly merged with his skin and disappeared in a moment. Immediately, Zhang Xuan felt a unique power swirling and flowing within his body, completely different from the True Qi he had cultivated before. This power was filled with savagery, giving one the sensation that it could tear apart heaven and earth. Constant cultivation would likely make one's spirit irritable and fill them with a desire for combat.

"This is the Introspective Spirit's Aura of Slaughter?" Zhang Xuan asked, his eyebrows twitching. No wonder the Introspective Spirit race was warlike; cultivating this kind of True Qi would make it difficult for anyone to control themselves.

"Yes, we call it Slaughter True Qi!" Ruthless Man replied, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Master, do you feel any discomfort circulating this True Qi?"

"Discomfort?" Zhang Xuan circulated the True Qi once within his body, then shook his head, his eyes sparkling. "It feels very powerful!"

"Powerful?" Ruthless Man was stunned. Normal humans couldn't withstand Slaughter True Qi, not even those at the Saint realm. Yet, his Master could circulate it effortlessly... feeling no discomfort at all, even finding it powerful... His body's tolerance was simply too immense!

"It's good that there's no discomfort!" He breathed a sigh of relief. As a loyal servant, he naturally thought of his Master's well-being. If there had been discomfort, he would have intended to withdraw the True Qi. Since there wasn't, there was no issue.

"Yes." Guessing his thoughts, Zhang Xuan nodded and smiled. His body could even circulate Heaven's Path True Qi; Slaughter True Qi was nothing in comparison.

"Right," he suddenly thought, "since Heaven's Path True Qi can mimic other types of True Qi, can it also mimic this?" He had previously thought this aura only carried slaughter and couldn't bear power, but since it was a type of True Qi, could it be mimicked? Heaven's Path True Qi was universal; any type of True Qi could merge with it.

With that thought, his mind stirred. Heaven's Path True Qi vibrated lightly and began to slowly boil. A surge of the Aura of Slaughter suddenly shot up from his body towards the sky. Although not as powerful as the one transmitted from Ruthless Man's finger bone, it seemed purer and more refined.

"Supreme Emperor... How is this possible? Master... is he an Introspective Spirit in disguise?" Just as Zhang Xuan was marveling at its feasibility, Ruthless Man's trembling voice sounded in his ear.

"Supreme Emperor?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback, then chuckled, "An Introspective Spirit in disguise? How could that be!" He was a Master Teacher acknowledged by the heavens; surely Ruthless Man knew that. How could he possibly be related to the Introspective Spirit race?

"The Introspective Spirit race is categorized by bloodline," Ruthless Man explained. "The Imperial bloodline is the highest, followed by the Royal bloodline, then the Marquises, Nobles, and Commoners... Each tier is further subdivided. The Supreme Emperor bloodline... is the most powerful even among the Imperial bloodlines..."

"The True Qi Master just used was incredibly pure," Ruthless Man continued, "It is unique to the Supreme Emperor bloodline..."

"Supreme Emperor bloodline?" Zhang Xuan blinked. Heaven's Path True Qi just mimicked it casually... and it's that powerful?

"Yes!" Ruthless Man's face was filled with awe, yet simultaneously, he grew more bewildered about his Master's identity. He was clearly a Master Teacher acknowledged by the heavens, and it was already strange enough that he could circulate the Aura of Slaughter without any discomfort, but to also possess True Qi unique to the Supreme Emperor bloodline... Master, just how many more secrets do you have?

"Since mine is of the Supreme Emperor bloodline, what about yours?" Zhang Xuan looked over. Heaven's Path True Qi was extremely pure; since it could mimic this, it must be the highest grade. Hearing Ruthless Man's surprised tone, could it be that he wasn't of the Supreme Emperor bloodline? Wasn't he one of the top experts among the Introspective Spirit race? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to fight against Master Kong back then!

"I..." Ruthless Man gave a wry smile, about to explain, when he suddenly noticed something and transmitted his voice: "Master, it seems we've been discovered!"

"Discovered?" Zhang Xuan was startled. He looked up, his eyebrows twitching uncontrollably, nearly fainting. Above them, forty to fifty Introspective Spirit beings had appeared at some unknown time, each exuding a powerful aura. Their Aura of Slaughter surged, completely sealing off the surroundings, leaving no chance for escape. Weren't they well-hidden? How were they discovered? They hadn't even rescued anyone, yet they were already surrounded. Could it be... there was no escape now?

"It must have been when Heaven's Path True Qi transformed into Slaughter True Qi just now; I didn't control the power..." Zhang Xuan's face twitched as he recalled. Just then, Heaven's Path True Qi had transformed into the Introspective Spirit's unique Slaughter True Qi according to his will. Although the effect was excellent, he had momentarily lost control, and its aura had shot into the sky. He estimated that this brief moment was enough for them to be detected.

Whoosh! Just as he was wondering what to do, he saw the Introspective Spirit beings in the air, who, after seeing his appearance, relaxed their tense posture. Immediately, a Saint 2-dan Introspective Spirit came forward.

"Who are you?" the Spirit asked, its tone laced with doubt.

"Me?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned, then remembered he had already changed into the Introspective Spirit's clothes and altered his appearance. At this moment, with the surging Aura of Slaughter within him, he looked exactly like an Introspective Spirit. The other party must have taken him for one of their own, but since he was a new face, they were asking.

"I..." He breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to make up a name to bluff his way through—since there were so many Introspective Spirits, they couldn't possibly know everyone—a sudden thought struck him. Immediately, his eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath, and the Slaughter True Qi from Ruthless Man's finger bone surged forth within him, a powerful killing aura shooting into the sky.

Boom! The killing aura mimicked by Heaven's Path True Qi, though incredibly pure, was only at the Half-Saint level. The one from the finger bone, however, surged and roared endlessly, making it impossible to discern its true depth; it felt like a boundless ocean.

"Th-this..." Feeling this power, the Saint 2-dan Introspective Spirit opposite him turned pale, his body involuntarily stiffening.

"I suppose I don't need to state my identity?" Zhang Xuan looked at him calmly, his hands clasped behind his back. He knew nothing about the current state of the Introspective Spirit race. Even if Ruthless Man knew, it would be based on conditions from tens of thousands of years ago, and his memory was severely damaged. While making up a random name might work, what if he picked one that didn't exist? Wouldn't he walk right into a trap? Furthermore, if he used a name no one recognized, they wouldn't take him seriously. Even if he could infiltrate their ranks, rescuing the people would be impossible. The best method was to assume an identity that would make them wary. Since the Introspective Spirit race categorized themselves by the purity of their Aura of Slaughter, he decided to intimidate them first. After all, he was well-practiced in such matters; having done it so many times, it came naturally to him, without any difficulty.

"Don't need to say more?" The Saint 2-dan Introspective Spirit was startled, his face blank. "I've never seen you before, so how am I supposed to know who you are? Don't need to say more? You'd better tell me..."