Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

Boom!

The ground trembled, and countless houses collapsed. A massive palm was abruptly imprinted into the ground, cloaking everything in the area with dust.

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan had reacted swiftly and had Vicious attack in his stead. Otherwise, the both of them would have surely been reduced into meat paste from the sheer force of that strike.

"How could he be so powerful?" Looking at the devastating damage before his eyes, Feng Xun's eyes were filled with disbelief.

As the Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, he could even an average Saint 4-dan master teacher easily. Yet, it was as if the Stoneleaf King before was an unshakeable mountain, an existence that towered far beyond them...

Could the other party have held back in the fight against Wu shi?

But that didn't make any sense? Why would the other party hold back against them?

"He must have succeeded in taming the Lightning Elemental Orb for his own use. It was through tapping into the power of the orb and the massive formation around us that he was able to wield such overwhelming might!" Feng Xun's eyes widened in horror.

After everything he had done to stop the Stoneleaf King from taming the Lightning Elemental Orb, his efforts ended up in vain.

It didn't seem like the other party had gained total control over the orb yet, but it should already be at around seventy percent, sufficient for him to tap into its power. With the augmentation from the might of the orb and formation, it was hard to say whether even a Saint 5-dan expert would be able to stand against the current Stoneleaf King, let more them!

"Who are you?"

Feng Xun wasn't the only one who was shocked. The astonished Stoneleaf King also hurriedly turned to Zhang Xuan to reassess him carefully from head to toe.

The killing intent which the young man had emanated previously possessed a fearsome level of purity which was on par even to his own. For such pure killing intent to appear on a human brat... this was inconceivable!

"Go!"

With Feng Xun around, Zhang Xuan knew that it could lead to many complications if he were to speak too much about the matter here, so he quickly pulled Feng Xun away and fled.

The Stoneleaf King before him was simply far too much stronger than the Violetleaf King, Goldenleaf King, and the others. It was impossible for the both of them to stop the other party with their limited strength. Rather than to fight to their deaths here, it would be better for them to escape for the time being, regroup with the others, and find another opportunity to strike down the Stoneleaf King.

"Trying to flee? Do you honestly think that you can get away from me?" the Stoneleaf King harrumphed coldly as he raised his hand and abruptly closed it into a fist.

Huala!

In the next moment, several bursts of lightning gushed down from the heavens, forming a tight cage that sealed the duo within.

"We are trapped" Zhang Xuan's heart turned cold.

Judging from the intensity of the lightning, if they were to attempt to charge out of the lightning cage forcefully, the chances were that they would be reduced to ashes on the spot.

The other party had already gained the ability to control the Lightning Elemental Orb and the lightning formation. As long as they remained within the area of the formation, they would be unable to Stoneleaf King.

"Principal Zhang, our Combat Master Hall has a secret art that allows me to boost my speed by twofold for a short period of time. I will use it to buy some time for you later on, so make use of the opportunity to flee." After a moment of hesitation, Feng Xun got to his feet and said grimly.

"Boost your speed by twofold? Will you still have the strength to escape after the duration of your secret art ends?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

Secret arts that granted one massive boosts in physical capabilities often brought about devastating trauma to one's cultivation foundation and physical body. Even if one were to manage to kill one's enemy using the secret art, the chances were that one wouldn't live too long after that either.

Instead of replying to Zhang Xuan's question, Feng Xun chuckled softly and said, "Principal Zhang, to be honest, I have disliked you from the first time I met you. Your students have brought great dishonor to the Combat Master Hall, and I have been trying to find an opportunity to get even with you over that. It's a pity that I have yet to succeed.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the potential that you hold within you is far greater than mine. It is just a matter of time before you become a great asset to mankind! It is depressing to speak of this, but your life is worth more than mine!

"But it's fine. If my sacrifice can bring about to brighter future for humanity, I will gladly do it. Later on, I will open up a gap in the lightning cage, so make use of the opportunity to flee as far as you can... No matter what, you must survive this ordeal!"

"Flee?" Not expecting Feng Xun to be able to cast aside his differences in the crucial moment and work for the collective welfare for mankind, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel touched within. He nodded and replied, "Alright."

"Good. Let's begin then!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan had agreed to the plan, Feng Xun heaved a sigh of relief.

In the next moment, his aura abruptly surged.

Hong long!

His aura swiftly reached its peak, and just as he was about to activate his secret art, he suddenly felt a forceful blow at the back of his head. His vision before him abruptly darkened, and his body slumped weakly onto the ground, fainted.

"We won't be able to get away even if you were to use your secret art. Pardon me" Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

Feng Xun's plan was probably the best plan they had at hand, but... it still wasn't good enough.

Even if the other party succeeded in intercepting the Stoneleaf King and bought sufficient time for him to escape, there was no way he could escape given the sheer size of the lightning formation. As long as he remained in the lightning formation, the Stoneleaf King would surely be able to hunt him down.

Furthermore, if he were to flee by himself, the next victims would be Wu shi and the others.

Given the current circumstances, fleeing was no longer an option anymore

As Zhang Xuan and Feng Xun had been communicating with one another through zhenqi telepathy, the Stoneleaf King was unaware of the conversation between them. Thus, when he saw Zhang Xuan knocking Feng Xun out, he couldn't help but be bewildered by the abrupt turn in events.

"Stoneleaf King, it has been long since we last met. You asked who I was previously, right? Let me answer your question right now. It's me"

After knocking Feng Xun out, Zhang Xuan raised his gaze towards the Stoneleaf King and chuckled softly. 'Geji, geji!', creaking sounds began echoing from his body as a token in front of his chest glowed brilliantly. As if his disguise had been released, he began to grow taller and bigger. A pure and condensed killing intent began drifting into the air, sending chills down the spines of others.

"Violetleaf King?" Upon catching sight of the other party's appearance, the Stoneleaf King was stunned for a moment.

"It's me." Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was hard to tell whether the Stoneleaf King was aware of the deaths of the other Otherworldly Demon Kings, so it wouldn't do to impersonate them. The Violetleaf King was still alive and was currently in his Myriad Anthive Nest, so impersonating as the Violetleaf King was the safest option at hand.

Besides, he also had the deepest understanding of the Violetleaf King, so it was easier for him to disguise as the latter as well.

"You and the Waterleaf King have been dispatched to carry out a mission, but we suddenly lost contact of you. What happened?" the Stoneleaf King asked with a darkened expression.

That fellow and the Waterleaf King had been tasked to find the map at the Poison Hall, but the Soulbound Token of the latter shattered all of the sudden. The Soulbound Token of that fellow remained intact, but communications from him abruptly halted. Everyone thought that he might have been taken hostage somewhere, but who could have thought that he would appear here out of the blue?

"Like you have seen, I have concealed my appearance to blend in with the humans and earn their trust. If I were to be caught communicating with the rest of you, my efforts could have very well be undone" Zhang Xuan replied.

"Blend in with the humans?" the Stoneleaf King frowned. He immediately extended his Spiritual Perception to cover the Violetleaf King.

Honestly speaking, it was suspicious that the Violetleaf King, who had gone missing for more than half a month now, would suddenly appear here. There was a need to look carefully into this matter.

Taking a close look, there wasn't the slightest problem with the Zhenqi of Slaughter in the other party's body. In other words, the person standing before him was indeed the Violetleaf King.

"Un. I happened to chance upon a huge secret of the humans. If it turns out to be true, it could spell annihilation for our kind... Thus, I dare not to act recklessly. To be absolutely certain, I decided to disguise myself as a human to mix in with the rest of them."

Zhang Xuan knew that the Stoneleaf King was secretly examining him with his Spiritual Perception, but he made no attempts to hide from it at all. Instead, with a deep, worried frown furrowed between his brows, he replied with a hushed voice.

"Annihilation for our kind?" Retracting his Spiritual Perception, the Stoneleaf King shook his head and said, "You must be joking! Even with the incredible strength that Kong shi wielded back then, he only succeeded in driving us out of the Master Teacher Continent! Just what could possibly happen that would result in an annihilation of our kind?"

On top of being the leader who had united mankind and founded the Master Teacher Pavilion, Kong shi possessed frightening strength as well. But while none of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was able to match him, they were eventually only driven out of the Master Teacher Continent. As such, how could the learning of a mere secret determine whether their kind would be annihilated or not?

This was just fear mongering!

"I didn't believe it at the start either, but... I can swear on my life that it is the absolute truth!" Zhang Xuan said grimly.

No matter how well he disguised himself as the Violetleaf King, it was hard to ensure that he wouldn't be seen through by the Stoneleaf King. In the first place, it was already suspicious for him to appear in the ancient domain.

The best way to resolve this issue was to redirect the other party's attention to something else... If he could put out big news one after another, the other party would be too shocked to doubt his identity any longer.

"Truth? Can you prove it?" Noting the conviction in the Violetleaf King's voice, the Stoneleaf King asked with a frown.

To be honest, at this point, he still didn't believe that the person before him was the Violetleaf King. Nevertheless, this didn't hinder him from listening to the other party's news.

"Have you heard of Celestial Master Teacher?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Celestial Master Teacher?" The Stoneleaf King was taken aback for a moment before his eyes narrowed in astonishment. "Of course I do! Kong shi was a Celestial Master Teacher himself. As one who has received the acknowledgement of the heavens, a Celestial Master Teacher is a truly indomitable existence. Could it be"

"Indeed... I went to the Poison Hall to carry out my mission, but by a stroke of coincidence, I happened to find a Celestial Master Teacher. That's the reason why I suddenly changed my course of plans and disguised myself as a human to blend in with them!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"How could that be possible? According to our sources, Kong shi has been the only one in history to be conferred as a Celestial Master Teacher. There has been none after him who has achieved the same feat, not even his direct disciples, the 72 Sages... Where did you hear the news from?" The body of the Stoneleaf King stiffened. He couldn't believe his ears.

If a Celestial Master Teacher had really appeared amongst the humans, that would be truly a huge disaster for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. If that individual were to be allowed to grow to become another Kong shi, they might really well meet with annihilation.

Back then, it was under Kong shi's leadership that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe took a heavy blow and was forced out of the Master Teacher Continent. It took them several ten thousand years of rest before they managed to recover from the damage they had suffered then. If another Kong shi were to appear amongst the humans... They would truly be unable to make a comeback anymore!

While the past several ten thousand years of recuperation had allowed them to recover from the blow they had suffered back then, the mankind had also furthered its strength through the Master Teacher Pavilion, making them stronger than ever.

"There is no mistake with the news. Furthermore... I have been following behind the Celestial Master Teacher all along and intentionally lured him here" Zhang Xuan said.

"Lured him here?" The Stoneleaf King glanced at the fainted Feng Xun as he asked doubtfully, "Are you saying that... he is the Celestial Master Teacher?"

"Indeed, that's him!" Zhang Xuan replied affirmatively.

"This" the Stoneleaf King frowned, skeptical of Zhang Xuan's words.

While that combat master possessed the ability to rival opponents with cultivation beyond his, he seemed to be a rather reckless person. This was unlike how Celestial Master Teachers were depicted in the legends.

"Why? You don't believe me?" Zhang Xuan burst into laughter before saying, "Our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe must have certain ways to verify the identity a Celestial Master Teacher. If you don't trust me, you can verify it yourself!"

"There are indeed methods to verify that one is Celestial Master Teacher" The Stoneleaf King frowned. "However, it will be a little troublesome to do so"

"This bit of trouble means nothing. What is more important is that we verify his identity. Once it is proven that he is a Celestial Master Teacher, we should find ways to bring him over to our side. With his strength, our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe will grow stronger and stronger. With the immense contribution we have made, we will surely go down in history as meritorious subjects!" Zhang Xuan persuaded.

"You're right" The Stoneleaf King nodded. He hesitated for a moment longer before eventually nodding, "To test for the identity of a Celestial Master Teacher, we will require the help of the Windleaf King. He's the only one who wields such capability. Once he comes over, we will be able to verify whether the man you spoke of is truly a Celestial Master Teacher or not!"