Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

But this was to be expected!

Perhaps a Half-Saint or Nascent Saint might find it difficult to notice him when his aura was completely concealed, but the same tricks would not work on a Saint.

Upon reaching Sainthood, one's entirety would become completely aligned with nature. The authority of nature would be imbued into every single gesture and movement of one. Even if Zhang Xuan had been buried deep inside the snow, it was likely that the Byzantium Helios Beast would still have been able to notice him.

Just like how Transcendent Mortals were higher existences to Fighters, Saints were superior existences to Transcendent Mortals.

'I was still noticed in the end.'

Knowing that there was little point to continue hiding, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath before standing up.

It should have been that slight spiritual energy disturbance which he'd caused by a slight mistake earlier that had betrayed his presence. Most likely, the only reason the Byzantium Helios Beast allowed Zhang Xuan to continue listening to their conversation was because it was certain that he was unable to comprehend the Ancient Beast Language. Thus, there was no worry about information leaking out.

As such, it decided to first finish the discussion with the aerial spirit beast before dragging Zhang Xuan out from his hiding place.

The Byzantium Helios Beast assessed Zhang Xuan and asked, "You are a new student in the Master Teacher Academy?"

Upon reaching Sainthood, spirit beasts would undergo an evolution which allowed them to speak human speech.

"Yes!" Knowing that it was impossible for him to play any tricks before the other party, Zhang Xuan nodded obediently.

"To be able to reach Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle and find this location despite having yet to officially enroll at the academy, you are truly not bad at all. Even if you aren't the top of this batch, you won't be too far from that."

After taking a look at Zhang Xuan's cultivation, the Byzantium Helios Beast nodded in agreement.

"It's nothing much!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly in response. At the same time, his hands were fiddling behind his back, seemingly trying to do something.

"Don't try those little tricks with me I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to control my temper!"

Noticing the little actions Zhang Xuan was up to, the Byzantium Helios Beast harrumphed.

"Temper?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head as he assessed the Byzantium Helios Beast impassively. "Those are my words. I'm afraid that I might just lose control myself and accidentally pummel you to death!"

"What did you say?" The Byzantium Helios Beast was visibly stunned by the arrogant words spouted by the young man before it. As the shock gradually retreated, fury swiftly took its place.

It was a saint beast whereas the other party was nothing more than a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator. Even without moving a single inch, it could kill that young man with just its soul itself. Yet, the other party still dared to threaten it, saying that he couldn't control his temper and might pummel it to death?

'Do you know what kind of existence you are speaking to?

'Conceited fool!'

"You seem to be very confident in yourself." With a livid face, the Byzantium Helios Beast harrumphed coldly. A blazing fury ignited in its eyes, threatening to burn down everything in sight.

"This is not confidence; I am merely stating a fact. Alright, I'll give you a chance. As long as you acknowledge me as your master, I can spare you from death," Zhang Xuan said casually with his hands behind his back, seemingly thinking nothing of the situation before him at all.

"It is always the ignorant who are fearless, it seems you have no idea who you are speaking to. Since that's the case, allow me to hammer humility into your bones!"

Not expecting that an existence which was little more than an ant to it would arrogantly command it to acknowledge him as its master, even boasting to kill it should it refuse the offer, the face of the Byzantium Helios Beast turned livid. The fur across its entire body suddenly rose in fury, and with a wrathful roar, it abruptly raised its palm.

Huala!

A dense congregation of spiritual energy gathered instantaneously to form a massive palm that seemed to cover the entire sky. It felt as if the entire mountain could be flattened should the Byzantium Helios Beast will for it to happen.

Saint beasts might still be unable to cultivate zhenqi, but in exchange, they possessed earth-shattering physical might that could move mountains and split oceans. Putting aside a mere mountain, even wiping away an entire nation such as Tianxuan Kingdom was as easy as breathing to it.

Before the palm could even land, the immense pressure from the palm had already melted the thick layer of snow in the area. It felt as if a comet was hurtling toward this area.

"Hammer humility into my bones? I wonder who the one being arrogant here is"

Zhang Xuan stood composed even before the devastating might of the palm. Instead, he chuckled lightly and clapped. "Vicious, rip him a new one!"

Even against a Saint, Zhang Xuan had his own trump cards as well.

The twenty or so puppets he had obtained from the underground chamber all possessed the might of a Saint. Beating a Saint 1-dan saint beast should be no trouble at all!

After all, the supreme existence which had boasted to rival Kong shi in a fight in the past was lying right in his hands Vicious!

This fellow might be trapped in the Book of Heaven's Path at the moment, leaving him immobilized and vulnerable, but his strength was still no joke. Even if ten Byzantium Helios Beasts were to turn up, it would be far from sufficient to slaughter him!

Boom!

As Zhang Xuan raised his hand, an opened book suddenly appeared above his palm. A beating heart could be seen on a page in the book.

"Break!" commanded an authoritative voice.

Huala!

It was as if the word carried some mystical might. The palm which the Byzantium Helios Beast struck out suddenly shattered like glass, turning into spiritual energy that dissipated swiftly into the surroundings.

"What"

Seeing how the young man's artifact overcame his attack just by uttering a single word, the eyes of the Byzantium Helios Beast narrowed in astonishment.

With a cultivation realm of Saint 1-dan pinnacle, its true strength ranked among the top experts of Hongyuan Empire!

It thought that dealing with a Cosmos Bridge realm brat would be a walk in the park, but who knew that the other party would possess an artifact which could overcome its attack with just a single word?

'Run!'

An ominous foreboding gripped the Byzantium Helios Beast. True to its instincts, it leaped into the sky without any hesitation.

Even though it didn't possess wings, as a saint beast, it was still capable of flight.

It didn't fear the young man; what it feared was the enigmatic artifact the other party wielded. Unsure of the capabilities of the artifact, the Byzantium Helios Beast chose to run away and rally additional help to deal with the young man instead of taking the risk.

"You wish to escape before my presence? Dream on!"

Barely after flying to a height of several dozen meters, a frigid voice suddenly sounded below. Following which, an overwhelming killing intent suddenly assaulted the Byzantium Helios Beast's mind, leaving its consciousness blank.

'Otherworldly Demonic Tribe'

That momentary lapse in its consciousness dispelled the force which was levitating the Byzantium Helios Beast, resulting in its plummet from the sky. Putong! It fell head first into the snow.

"Little Vicious, not bad at all. It seems you aren't all talk!"

Not expecting Vicious to be so formidable, crushing the Byzantium Helios Beast's attack with a single utterance and felling it with a single thought, Zhang Xuan stroked the heart in the book in commendation.

"" Vicious twitched violently in response to the praise, unable to utter a single word in response.

The Byzantium Helios Beast also happened to see this sight just as it raised its head off the surface of the ground, and it nearly spurted blood.

Even though it had no idea what was sealed in the book, there was no doubt that the being inside was an existence that used to stand at the very top of this continent. The Byzantium Helios Beast had suspected that it might be the young man's teacher or guardian, but who could have thought

The young man would actually stroke the supreme expert as if he were a pug!

Wasn't there something very wrong with this picture here!

Who in the world was the young man?

'That killing intent That heart is most probably an expert of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. As such, could this young man be an Otherworldly Demon who is hoping to infiltrate the Master Teacher Academy?'

Upon realizing this possibility, the Byzantium Helios Beast suddenly felt its blood turn cold.

Legend has it that the royal family of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe possessed the ability to disguise themselves as humans and even master teachers, and no one would be able to tell the difference.

Back then, there was one such Otherworldly Demon that had successfully infiltrated the core group of the master teachers. With the secrets it had obtained, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had nearly crushed the Master Teacher Pavilion.

If not for Kong shi's astuteness which led him to notice that something was amiss, the ones who would be ruling the Master Teacher Continent now would be the Otherworldly Demons and not the human race!

No matter how it looked at the young man, he was no different from an ordinary human. Could he really be Otherworldly Demon royalty? Otherwise, how could he possibly get off unscathed after treating such a powerful expert of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe like a dog?

"I will kill you"

Realizing the potential threat that the young man posed to the Master Teacher Pavilion, the eyes of the Byzantium Helios Beast immediately turned crimson in rage.

If its conjecture was right, it would have to stop this young man from getting into the Master Teacher Academy at all costs. Otherwise, who knew what kind of danger he would bring upon the academy or even the entire human race in the future?

Hu!

Pushing against the ground, the Byzantium Helios Beast suddenly lunged toward Zhang Xuan like a bolt of lightning. With the astounding might it possessed in its body and the frightening speed it was moving at, there was little doubt that Zhang Xuan would be reduced to dust if its body were to crash into him.

Vicious was still contemplating how he should negotiate with Zhang Xuan regarding his release considering the merits he had just achieved when he noticed the Byzantium Helios Beast charging over once more. Angry that the other party was getting in his way, it bellowed furiously, "Kneel down!"

'Just because I am sealed in a book now doesn't mean that you can climb over my head!

'To dare to kill a Celestial Master Teacher recognized by the heavens itself, as well as the man who governs my fate, how brazen you are!'

Boom!

With his bellow, the unique killing intent which Otherworldly Demons possessed assaulted the Byzantium Helios Beast's mind once more. As if a fly swatted down, the latter immediately crashed into the ground and slid uncontrollably.

While Vicious' strength was severely impaired at the moment, dealing with a mere Saint 1-dan beast was not much different from smacking a mosquito.

Suppressed on the ground by an incredible force, the Byzantium Helios Beast glared at Zhang Xuan with crimson eyes. It bellowed frenziedly in indignation, "Damn you, I will rip you into pieces"

"You are so eager to kill me?"

Seeing the other party's attitude, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

This lapdog of the Otherworldly Demons sure was arrogant!

It must have realized the threat he posed to the Otherworldly Demons due to his superior talent, so it had decided to end him while his abilities hadn't matured yet.

"That's right! Even if it costs my life, I'll drag you down to hell with me!" the Byzantium Helios Beast roared.

"I see"

Those words had helped Zhang Xuan make up his mind. Snapping his finger, he pointed to the Byzantium Helios Beast and ordered, "Put your feet in that beast!"

Huala!

All of a sudden, twenty puppets suddenly materialized amidst the white snow.

Since that fellow was bent on killing him, there was no need to stand on ceremony with it.

Roar!

The puppets roared simultaneously as they stormed forward furiously.

Hu!

The first puppet to arrive planted its feet right into the Byzantium Helios Beast's face, sending it flying into the air. Before the latter could even respond, another puppet that had been lying in wait behind shot a fist onto its back, pushing it back to the ground.

Peng peng peng peng!

The Byzantium Helios Beast was thrown around the place, and bright, red swellings swiftly emerged all over its body. Large mouthfuls of blood spilled from its mouth.

'Otherworldly Demon puppets? As expected, he is a member of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe's royal family Damn it, damn it!'

The appearance of so many Otherworldly Demon puppets at once only served to reinforce the Byzantium Helios Beast's conjecture. After all, other than the royal family of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, who else could command such a powerful expert and so many Otherworldly Demon puppets?

Rage and indignation permeated its soul. If only it had noticed earlier and killed the young man swiftly, he could have avoided a calamity. But alas, it was too late now

Under the assault of twenty Saint 1-dan puppets, it was completely helpless!

Not to mention, it was currently immobilized by the killing intent from the heart!

After countless fists and kicks had landed on its body, the Byzantium Helios Beast found its sight slowly darkening, and its consciousness was slowly drifting away.

Just as the Byzantium Helios Beast thought that it would be killed, the impassive voice of the young man suddenly sounded once more.

"How about now? Have you changed your mind yet? If you acknowledge me as your master, I can spare you from death!"