Chapter 975: Almost in Tears, King Jinye

Outside the palace where many master teachers were imprisoned, two great kings frowned as they looked inside.

"Why is there no movement at all?" King Qingye's face was gloomy.

They had been waiting outside for nearly half an hour, originally expecting at least a struggle or a few killings to assert dominance. Instead, there was complete silence, as if everyone inside had perished.

"I find it strange too. If nothing else, we should use our spiritual sense to investigate!" said King Jinye.

"The other party is a king whose strength is comparable to ours. Directly probing with spiritual sense would be too impolite! Furthermore, what if it involves top-level secrets? Acting so rashly might cause significant problems..." King Qingye's face was filled with apprehension.

If the other party hadn't been an equally powerful king with a special mission, they would have long ago used their spiritual sense to investigate, rather than waiting anxiously outside.

"That's true..." King Jinye nodded.

Boom!

As the two were speaking, the ground suddenly rumbled, and countless spiritual energies from the surroundings rapidly converged towards the central grand hall.

"What's happening?" King Qingye looked over.

"Reporting, Your Highness, it seems to be coming from the Rune Hall..." Tong Yue glanced, his face turning pale.

The Rune Hall was the core of this vast architectural complex; if anything went wrong there, all their previous efforts would be for naught.

"The Rune Hall? Let's go see!"

With a raised eyebrow, King Qingye was about to give instructions when he felt the ground shake violently.

Crash!

Dust rose, and smoke billowed.

Everyone then watched as a section of buildings before them collapsed like an avalanche. The various formations that had been set up dissolved and scattered like melting ice and snow; many even exploded suddenly, severely injuring numerous unprepared subordinates.

All formations were activated by the spiritual energy of the Rune Hall; the more powerful the formation, the greater the backlash once destroyed. It was like a balloon filled with air: if the air inside was drawn out, it would immediately contract, leading to unpredictable results.

"My buildings..." Tong Yue's face turned pale, and he nearly burst into tears on the spot.

More than two months ago, after emerging from the seal, they had begun constructing this complex, expending countless effort, energy, and immeasurable cost. Now, in the blink of an eye, it had turned into ruins. Tong Yue felt his vision dim and a stifling sensation in his chest, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Looking at the widespread ruins, King Qingye shuddered. "It's the disappearance of the Rune Hall's spiritual energy that caused this change..." he muttered.

With his discerning eye, he could easily deduce the reason. However, such complexes typically protected the Rune Hall exceptionally well, preventing any issues. How could it suddenly collapse?

While they were still wondering, King Jinye's expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed, "Something's wrong!"

"What's wrong?" King Qingye and Tong Yue looked over simultaneously.

"Look ahead..." King Jinye's face was pale as he pointed forward.

The two frowned and looked forward simultaneously.

They saw that the palace before them had also collapsed, with dust and smoke hanging in the air, creating a scene of utter ruin.

"What's wrong? Although this palace was built very solidly, using uniform green steel rock and reinforced with many formations, there's nothing special about it. If everything else collapsed, it naturally couldn't withstand it either..." Tong Yue said, puzzled.

"Collapsed, my foot! Where are that fellow and those master teachers? This place has collapsed to such an extent, yet they haven't emerged. Don't you find that strange?"

King Jinye roared.

"This..." Only then did the two react, their expressions changing simultaneously. King Qingye's body stiffened, especially after his spiritual sense swept over the area.

The ruins before them were empty; there wasn't a single soul. It was as if that tribesman and the many master teachers had vanished into thin air.

"They're gone..." King Qingye glanced at King Jinye, whose face was ashen, teeth clenched, fuming as if he were about to explode.

"We've all been tricked by this fellow! Quickly, to the Rune Hall!"

Reacting first, King Qingye cried out and flew straight forward, disregarding the other two.

He arrived before the collapsed Rune Hall in the blink of an eye, and after just one look, his vision went dark.

With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that this was not an accident, but rather caused by human intervention.

In other words, someone had been in the Rune Hall just now, absorbed all the spiritual energy, destroyed the runes, and detonated its power, leading to the complete collapse of all the buildings.

Otherwise, even a malfunction in the Rune Hall wouldn't have caused such widespread destruction.

"It's a master teacher! That fellow must be a master teacher!"

His fists clenched, King Qingye realized.

Aside from master teachers, it would be difficult for ordinary people to discern the connection points between the Rune Hall and the other buildings, and even if they tried to destroy it, they wouldn't be able to do it so thoroughly. Coupled with the disappearance of the master teachers, even an idiot would realize the other party wasn't conducting an interrogation but a rescue.

"How did they escape? We've been guarding this place, and there are formations protecting it..."

King Jinye also arrived.

To think that a dignified Otherworldly Demon King, a powerful expert of the Saint 4-dan, had been manipulated without even realizing it, was maddening.

"No matter how he escaped, having just destroyed this place and taken so many people, he certainly couldn't have gotten far. Men, pursue him in all directions! Once any trace or news is found, notify me immediately. Absolutely do not act rashly."

King Qingye gritted his teeth and turned to give orders.

He didn't believe they could run very fast, burdened with so many old, weak, sick, and disabled master teachers!

"Yes!"

Tong Yue and the others responded, then shot out in all directions simultaneously.

"Damn it, damn it! Who exactly is this fellow?!"

After sending out all their subordinates, the two great kings recalled their recent experience, gritting their teeth in anger, feeling like they were about to explode.

"If it was indeed a disguised master teacher, could it be Zhang Xuan, the Master Teacher Academy Dean they spoke of?"

Suddenly, King Jinye remembered something and mused.

At the time, Vice Dean Lu Feng had personally mentioned that the fellow claimed to be Zhang Xuan. However, they had dismissed it, believing it was merely their tribesman's tactic to deceive the other party and gain trust.

Now, it seemed highly likely to be true.

"Zhang Xuan?"

King Qingye nodded.

Although the name was still unfamiliar to them, anyone who could become the Dean of the Master Teacher Academy surely wouldn't be simple!

"Whether it is him or not, let them investigate first. Once he's caught, I will tear him into a million pieces..."

King Qingye roared.

While they were raging, at an unknown distance from the complex of buildings, a storage ring fell from the sky, and immediately afterward, a figure suddenly appeared.

The figure was initially a bit stiff, but after a moment, it moved and stretched.

"Whew!"

He exhaled, then smiled slightly, revealing his white teeth. It was precisely Zhang Xuan, who had escaped from the Rune Hall.

"Not bad. These puppets have all reached the Saint 3-dan level, and their energy has been fully replenished. From now on, even if I encounter a lone Saint 4-dan, I won't have to fear..."

Although his recent absorption caused the Rune Hall to collapse, his numerous puppets greatly benefited. Their internal energy was fully replenished, and they even reached the Saint 3-dan level.

With so many powerhouses, even if they encountered a Saint 4-dan in the future, they could rely on a concerted attack to win.

His life-saving capabilities had greatly increased.

"Come out!"

With a flick of his wrist, a large group of master teachers appeared before him.

These were precisely the individuals he had stored inside the Myriad Ants Hive.

"Where are we? Have we escaped?"

"It's the southernmost part of the underground cavern. I've been here once before... It's roughly over a hundred kilometers from the complex of buildings constructed by the Otherworldly Demons."

"Over a hundred kilometers away?"

The master teachers quickly confirmed their location, periodically looking around and finding no Otherworldly Demons following them. They then looked at the figure before them again, filled with gratitude.

It seemed the other party had been truthful; he had indeed come to rescue them.

Seeing their gazes, Zhang Xuan also changed back from his Otherworldly Demon appearance, simultaneously switching into his master teacher robe, with six stars shining brightly on his chest.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for saving our lives..." an elder said, cupping his fists, with others following closely behind.

"No need to be so polite. We are all master teachers; saving lives is what we should do..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

These people were willing to disregard life and death for the sake of their principles, so since he had encountered them, he couldn't leave them unrescued.

"Now is not the time for pleasantries. We escaped quietly, so the Otherworldly Demons must be furious and are surely searching everywhere. It's only a matter of time before they find us. I suggest you first find a place to rest and recover. Absolutely do not be discovered!"

Interrupting their politeness, Zhang Xuan spoke.

"Rest and recover? No!"

An old master teacher frowned deeply. "The Otherworldly Demons are building fortifications, and two kings are personally present. They must be plotting something sinister. We must stop them, or else I fear... unpredictable changes will occur!"

The Otherworldly Demons had come with such aggressive momentum; it was not yet time for them to rest and recuperate in peace.

"You don't need to worry about them. I can handle it alone!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He had come down this time precisely to deal with the unusual activity of the tombstone. Now that he had only managed to collapse the fortifications, and over two hundred Otherworldly Demons were still alive and well, how could he simply leave?

"You alone? That won't do, it's too dangerous..."

Everyone said hastily.

"In your current state, if you come along, not only will you be unable to help, but you'll only cause trouble! What you need to do most is recover from your injuries, and once you're healed, then you can fight them!"

Knowing their good intentions, Zhang Xuan still shook his head.

It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but the Otherworldly Demons were too numerous and powerful, simply beyond what their current strength could contend with.

If they were to go, he would likely have to trouble himself to rescue them yet again.

"This..." Everyone's faces flushed red.

The other party was right. Although they were all peak six-star master teachers, facing over two hundred Otherworldly Demons and two Saint 4-dan kings, they were indeed willing but powerless, with no viable solution.

"Master Zhang, although we are not strong enough, you alone will surely find it difficult too! Even if we can't offer significant help, we can certainly offer minor assistance. By supporting each other, we can definitely give them a hard time!"

"That's right, we are nearly forty people. If each of us kills one more, it could alleviate some of the pressure..."

"Let us go with you. This time, as long as we are careful and don't get surrounded, we shouldn't end up as battered as before!"

Everyone was still worried.