Chapter 970: True and False Golden Leaf King (Part 1)

Tong Yue froze, startled, his lips trembling: "Gold... Leaf... King..."

One just arrived, and now another has appeared?

Isn't there only one Gold Leaf King? Since when did they start appearing one after another?

"When you see the King, why aren't you bowing? You've been away for a while and seem to have lost all sense of decorum!"Seeing his subordinate staring wide-eyed, as if he'd seen a ghost, and completely forgetting his manners, the Azure Leaf King frowned.

"It's because your subordinate was too shocked for a moment; I apologize for my rudeness..." Tong Yue quickly knelt down.

"Shocked?" the Azure Leaf King asked, puzzled.

Although his subordinate wasn't strong, he was exceptionally capable; otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with such an important mission here. What could have happened to make him lose his composure and forget his manners like this?

"Yes, yes... Earlier, a powerful clansman arrived, claiming to be the Gold Leaf King. Hearing that this person was also the Gold Leaf King, I lost my composure..."Tong Yue quickly explained.

"Claiming to be the Gold Leaf King?"The Azure Leaf King and the Gold Leaf King exchanged glances, both stunned.

"What do you mean? Are you saying someone is impersonating me?" His face darkened, and the Gold Leaf King stepped forward.

"This..." Tong Yue didn't know how to answer.

"What exactly is going on?" the Azure Leaf King asked, looking over.

"Reporting to the King, it's like this: just now, I sent men to surround and kill the master teachers when a clansman appeared, claiming to be the Gold Leaf King. He is currently... interrogating those master teachers and hasn't left yet."Tong Yue hastily recounted what had just happened.

"Claiming to be the Gold Leaf King?""Interrogating master teachers?"Both kings frowned simultaneously.

"Lead us there. I want to see who dares to impersonate me!"His face darkened, and the Gold Leaf King's killing intent surged, as if he might explode at any moment.Any dignified Otherworldly Demon King would find it unbearable to be impersonated.

Tong Yue glanced at his own King, and seeing him nod, he responded and led the way: "This way, Your Royal Highnesses!"

"Don't rush. First, send people to quietly seal off the surroundings. We must not alert them before we go over there!"After taking two steps, the Azure Leaf King stopped and instructed.

"Yes!"Tong Yue nodded.

If the other party was indeed an imposter with malicious intentions, which would be chilling, they naturally had to capture and interrogate him to ascertain his purpose.

Stepping out of the room, Tong Yue gave a few commands. Hearing his orders, the two hundred-plus Otherworldly Demons previously present simultaneously darted out, silently surrounding the palace Zhang Xuan had entered.These Otherworldly Demons moved with disciplined coordination. During their encirclement, they sealed off all blind spots, making it almost impossible for anyone, let alone Zhang Xuan, even a Saint 3-dan expert, to escape.

"Alright, lead us over to see!"Seeing that preparations were complete, the Azure Leaf King waved his hand, and the group hurried towards the palace ahead.

"You can disbelieve me, but consider this: if I truly were an Otherworldly Demon King, would I be wasting words with you? I'd probably just send people to slaughter all of you!"Seeing that no one believed a single word he said, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

"You definitely want to get information from us... deliberately showing goodwill to lull us into complacency..." a master teacher gritted his teeth.

"Get information?"Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I am the head of the Master Teacher Academy. What secrets don't I know that I'd need to get from you? Do you think... your identities are comparable to that of a headmaster?"

"This..."Everyone was taken aback.

"Everyone, don't believe his slick words! Even if the head of the Master Teacher Academy holds a respected position, it's impossible for him to know everything! He captured us; he definitely wants to know the secrets of the underground!"Lu Feng roared.He had fallen for this guy's tricks once before and would never believe his words again.

"That's right, don't believe him! Not of our kind, their hearts are sure to be different! If he isn't, how could he be here? How could he make so many Otherworldly Demons obediently follow his orders?""These people are full of schemes; showing goodwill deliberately must be for some ulterior motive... Everyone, don't fall for it!"Another master teacher howled.

"You all..."Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes.Saving people to the point of begging and pleading, and they still weren't grateful... This was truly infuriating.

"Ulterior motive... What could I possibly want from a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled individuals who could kick the bucket at any moment?" Unable to hold back any longer, Zhang Xuan scoffed.Looking at all of you, collectively tens of thousands of years old, what could I possibly scheme to gain?

"We..."Just as a master teacher was about to speak, the Ziyang Beast's expression suddenly darkened. "Master, this is bad! The surroundings have been sealed off..."It had already reached the Divine Sense realm, making it more sensitive than anyone else present. Although the movements outside were subtle, it had still detected them.

"Sealed off?"Zhang Xuan was startled. He quickly turned, his Eye of Insight shifting, and looked out through a window. Indeed, in the dark night, countless Otherworldly Demons had completely sealed off the surroundings. Although they were all concealing their auras, if anyone tried to escape, a thunderous strike would inevitably follow."What's going on?" His heart sank instantly, and Zhang Xuan's expression became grim.Wasn't everything fine just a moment ago? Weren't they convinced by his words?How did it come to this so quickly, with the area completely sealed off, as if they wouldn't stop until he was dead?

"You go back first..."With a glance, Zhang Xuan knew that escape was impossible. He waved his hand at the Ziyang Beast.

"Yes!" The Ziyang Beast nodded, its body flickering as it was drawn into the Myriad Ant Hive.

After putting it away, Zhang Xuan's body rippled, and he once again transformed into the appearance of an Otherworldly Demon.

Just as he finished transforming, the palace door creaked open from the outside, and three figures strode in.The one in front was precisely Tong Yue, while the two behind him were complete strangers. However, the power surging within their bodies was immense, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

"Saint... 4-dan experts?"His face twitched, and Zhang Xuan's fists clenched uncontrollably beneath his sleeves.These two were actually Saint 4-dan experts.He had been thinking earlier that if all else failed, he could use the Golden Origin Cauldron to carve a bloody path and escape, but with experts of this level present, it was essentially hopeless.

Knowing escape was impossible, Zhang Xuan, though nervous, also knew he had to stay clear-headed. His mental state quietly shifted, and he quickly regained his composure.

"Tong Yue, didn't I tell you not to let anyone disturb me? What, do you truly believe I wouldn't dare kill you?"His face darkened, and killing intent radiated from between his brows.Although he didn't know where he had slipped up or what had given him away, he could only continue his disguise now. Otherwise, he might very well die here.If these idiotic master teachers had believed him earlier, they might have already escaped by now, instead of being in such a passive situation!

"It's not that I was reckless, but... our King and the Gold Leaf King have arrived. They heard you also claim to be the Gold Leaf King, so they came to see..."Tong Yue said.

"Your King? The Gold Leaf King?" Zhang Xuan's vision went dark; he nearly fainted.Could he really be this unlucky?He had only just put on the disguise and borrowed the title, and the actual person showed up? Was this real?Last time, it was the Poison Hall, where he impersonated a special envoy, and before long, the real one arrived, nearly causing his plan to capsize. This time was even worse: impersonating the Gold Leaf King, not only did the real one arrive, but the Azure Leaf King also came...How could his luck be so terrible?

"Who are you? Why are you impersonating my name?" Seeing this person in front of him, impersonating himself, the Gold Leaf King's face turned ashen, like the bottom of a pot.

"Who are *you*?"Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.With no other way out, he could only bluff.

"I am the Gold Leaf King!" the Gold Leaf King declared.

"What audacity! Where did this fellow come from, daring to impersonate my name? Tong Yue, send men to apprehend this fellow at once!"With a sweep of his hand, Zhang Xuan loudly reprimanded, his hands clasped behind his back, releasing a powerful aura and boundless energy. "I am the true Gold Leaf King!"As he finished speaking, the muscles on his face rippled, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed to look exactly like the "Gold Leaf King" opposite him.He had only disguised himself according to his own puppet's appearance before. Now that the real Gold Leaf King was here, of course, he had to match him.

"You..."Seeing this guy not only impersonate him but also transform into his exact likeness right before his eyes, the Gold Leaf King was furious, almost exploding.Could he possibly make it any more obvious?Changing into his appearance right in front of him—did he think everyone was blind?

"This is my true appearance. Before, I was merely in disguise, not wishing to reveal my true face!"After transforming into the other's likeness, Zhang Xuan said.

"Who exactly are you? The Gold Leaf King and I came through the seal together; his identity absolutely cannot be false!"Seeing the other party so brazen, the Azure Leaf King could no longer stand it and spoke.Since he had arrived with the Gold Leaf King, he naturally trusted the one beside him more.

"Cannot be false?"Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan sighed, a look of regret on his face. "Azure Leaf King, you're thinking too simply! You don't know this fellow, but I know him very well. He impersonated me before, and after I discovered him, I taught him a lesson, but he was too cunning and escaped! I never thought he'd put on such a show here. Had I known, I should have killed him on the spot, so my identity wouldn't be so indistinguishable..."

"What did you say?"The more he listened, the more absurd it sounded. The Gold Leaf King was furious, almost exploding, his killing intent boiling, ready to strike at any moment.Not only was this guy impersonating him, but he was also speaking with such righteous indignation and confidence... Where did he get such nerve?"Impersonated you... taught a lesson..."Blatant lies, just spouting nonsense...Has he no shame?

"Don't you know what I'm talking about in your heart?"Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan wore an expression of disappointment. "You beast, why don't you reveal your true form? I've raised you for so many years, treated you like my own child, personally taught you cultivation techniques and martial skills, only wanting you to become stronger. Yet, you learned my habits, even my unique martial arts, and went around impersonating me and swindling others... You are utterly ungrateful!"At this point, Zhang Xuan looked at the Azure Leaf King and Tong Yue. "To be frank with you, he's actually a beast pet I raised. Because he's been with me for so many years, he knows all my habits inside out, which is why he's able to transform into my appearance..."

"A beast pet?"The Azure Leaf King and Tong Yue were both stunned.The latter couldn't help but look over. "Our Spirit Tribe doesn't even have spirit beasts or sacred beasts. Where would a beast pet come from?"