After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan finally closed the book.
The fellow was indeed unaware of the matters surrounding Kong shi's Innate Fetal Poison, so it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to get anything out of him.
Being poisoned was a sign of weakness. One would hide it even from one's allies, not to mention one's enemies.
This was similar to how Zhang Xuan had never told anyone that he was poisoned. Most likely, Kong shi back then was the same as well.
But in any case, through the questioning session, Zhang Xuan did manage to understand the true reason for that fellow being reduced to a mere heart, and the real purpose behind this underground chamber.
The previous host of the heart did wield destructive power, and he did dominate the world at one time. Countless humans had died by his hand.
Kong shi had fought him several times, but the other party always managed to successfully get away. It was only at the very last battle that after several days of combat, Kong shi finally managed to tear apart his flesh and bones and dissipate his soul.
He had indeed died, but as one of the strongest experts of that era, one of the leaders of the Otherworldly Demon, how could he possibly have no aces up his sleeves? Before fighting with Kong shi, he had already left behind a drop of blood in this underground chamber in case anything happened.
And to protect that drop of blood, he dispatched an entire army of Otherworldly Demons to guard it.
After the passing of many millenniums, the drop of blood finally developed and metamorphosed into a heart. Slowly, he roused from his sleep, regaining consciousness.
He'd thought that he would very soon be able to rule the world, but before he could even get out from his hiding spot, he just had to meet with Zhang Xuan and end up being sealed in that book, becoming an existence that was little more than a picture.
As for those puppets, even though they had lost sentience, they were still his descendants. Their Otherworldly Demon instincts allowed him to easily control them and have them work for his resurrection.
At this point, a thought suddenly emerged in Zhang Xuan's mind.
Wu Yangzi thought that he had succeeded in his ploy by turning these Otherworldly Demons into puppets… but could it be possible that the Otherworldly Demons had already noticed what he was up to, but still chose to go along with it anyway?
There were only twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets here, and they were all male. Clearly, it was impossible for them to reproduce anymore. Could they have intentionally allowed Wu Yangzi to turn them into puppets so that they could guard 'Vicious'?
If so, they would be able to retain their cultivation while further tempering their defenses. More importantly, they would be able to continue carrying out Vicious' order and protect him. Perhaps, they might even be revived once Vicious regained his strength…
After all, as a race who had once dominated the entire Master Teacher Continent, how could none of them have noticed something at all?
But, of course, this was just a theory on Zhang Xuan's part, and it was impossible to verify his conjecture anymore.
Wu Yangzi died before the heart regained consciousness, and the Otherworldly Demons involved in the incident back then were either dead or turned into puppets.
From his answers, Zhang Xuan realized that even though Vicious had regained consciousness, his memory hadn't completely returned yet. Many of his memories were fragmented, making it impossible for him to go into detail regarding certain matters.
This was especially so for cultivation techniques. After having sealed Vicious in the book, this was one of the first few thoughts that came to mind. However, it was a pity, but the other party only knew cultivation techniques that were exclusive to Otherworldly Demons.
This made Zhang Xuan extremely frustrated.
He thought that he would be able to obtain quite a few cultivation techniques after capturing an ancient monster and level up swiftly. Who knew that the other party would turn out to be so useless?
Zhang Xuan had to punch the other party a few more times before he was able to quell his frustration.
After asking all of the relevant questions, Zhang Xuan noted that it would still take some time before the puppets would finish digging a passageway. Thus, he sat down on the floor and began to cultivate.
Even though he had only cultivated the First Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, the might of his physical body had increased from 2,000,000 ding to 4,000,000 ding!
Adding in the 4,000,000 ding from his zhenqi and 3,200,000 ding from his soul cultivation, his overall strength added up to 11,200,000 ding. That was comparable to a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle expert!
(Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage 8,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 9,000,000 ding, advanced stage 10,000,000 ding, and pinnacle 11,000,000 ding.)
Despite being only at Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, Zhang Xuan actually wielded strength two realms beyond him. Even the most talented geniuses of the Master Teacher Academy were incapable of such a feat.
As the remaining Four Incandescence were flawed and required some kind of artifact to cultivate, Zhang Xuan could only put the thought of cultivating his physical body away from the moment. He continued to refine his zhenqi and accumulate more zhenqi in his dantian.
…
"It has been five days!"
Looking at the huge depression below her, Luo Qiqi shook her head with irrepressible gloom.
Five days had passed, and she had yet to sleep at all. She had been waiting here intently, hoping that Zhang shi would produce another miracle and emerge from the ground, but… it seemed like miracles wouldn't be miracles if they happened as and when one willed it.
"Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan wouldn't be able to survive so long being buried underground."
Yu Fei-er also looked a little dazed.
When the other party was right by her side, she dearly wanted to charge forward to bite off the other party's flesh. And yet, at this moment, the very thought of the other party being dead felt like a sharp knife pressed against her heart.
Even though the body of a Transcendent Mortal was far stronger than ordinary humans, buried several hundred meters underground, crushed by rocks and suffocated, three to four hours was likely the limit. To remain alive after several days… was completely impossible!
In other words… Zhang shi was really dead this time!
There was no doubt about it.
Gritting her teeth, Yu Fei-er stood up slowly and said quietly, "I'll go to the Beast Hall to borrow an aerial spirit beast and return to Hongyuan City as soon as possible. I'll report this matter to my father and have him send some men over! Even though Xing Yuan and the others might be able to mobilize the experts of the academy, I fear that they won't put their all in to finding Zhang shi."
It wasn't a solution for them to continue waiting here. The only course of action they could take now was to find a Saint realm expert to help them dig up the underground chamber. Regardless of whether Zhang shi was dead or alive, they were determined to find him.
The experts from the academy might come for the Otherworldly Demons and Wu Yangzi, but it would be nigh impossible to convince them to help look around for Zhang Xuan.
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While Zhang Xuan was a member of the academy in name, he hadn't passed the entrance examination nor reported to the academy yet. Thus, there was no reason for a busy Saint realm expert to waste his time finding a nobody.
Not to mention, the other party was very likely dead already.
"Alright."
Luo Qiqi nodded slowly.
After waiting for five days, she also understood that it was unlikely for Zhang shi to emerge alive anymore. As his student, the least she could do was unearth his body and bury him properly so that he could rest in peace.
Yu Fei-er did a rough calculation before saying, "The Huanyu Empire Beast Hall is located not too far away from here. As long as we sprint with all our might, we should be able to reach it in around half a day…"
"Half a day? There's no need for it. We are standing at a point where those traveling between the Beast Hall and Huanyu Capital have to pass through. We can try to hitch a ride here," Luo Qiqi said as she glanced at the sky.
Even though they weren't too far away from the Beast Hall, they had to traverse across treacherous terrain, and it was highly likely they would meet spirit beasts lurking in the area as well. If they were to accidentally catch the attention of the spirit beasts while passing through the area, the half a day journey could easily drag on for three days.
Since that was the case, it would be wiser for them to pay a passer-by and hitch a convenient ride to the Beast Hall.
Since they were standing at a point between the Beast Hall and Huanyu Capital, there were often many aerial spirit beasts flying through the area. Perhaps very soon, they might be able to find one to ride. If so, they would be able to reach their destination within half an hour, thus sparing them a lot of trouble.
"Un." Yu Fei-er nodded. Very coincidentally, the sound of something whizzing through the sky and the flapping of wings suddenly echoed in the sky. Raising her gaze, she saw a massive Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast flying toward them.
"Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast? This is a Consonant Spirit realm spirit beast that possesses the Dragon Bloodline. It is one of the better spirit beasts even when comparing the entire Beast Hall. Let's take this then…"
After taking a closer look at the appearance of the spirit beast, Luo Qiqi immediately gathered her zhenqi in a dantian before shouting.
"I am Master Teacher Luo Qiqi. My friend and I wish to hitch a ride on your spirit beast!"
The identity of a master teacher was prestigious, and it was more likely that the other party would be willing to help after she reported it.
As expected, after hearing her words, the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast circled the sky for a moment before descending to the ground, right before the duo.
Instead of a usual lodging room on the back of the spirit beast, there was only a shabby rope. As soon as the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast landed on the ground, a young man immediately leaped off its back.
The young man looked to be in his thirties, and he was dressed extravagantly. His eyes had a sharpness within them that felt a little uncomfortable to look at. Just like Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er, he was a Cosmos Bridge realm expert as well!
"Beast Hall's Qin Zhong pays respect to Luo shi!"
Not expecting that the ones who wished to hitch a ride would be such beautiful ladies, Qin Zhong's eyes immediately lit up in agitation.
Despite his identity, he had never met ladies as beautiful as this.
"The both of us wish to hitch a ride on your spirit beast to visit the Beast Hall. May I know if you're willing to do us this favor?" Luo Qiqi asked.
"It's my pleasure to take the both of you with me!" Qin Zhong said excitedly. "Just that… there is no lodging room on my spirit beast, so this ride might be a little uncomfortable for you two…"
"That isn't a problem." Luo Qiqi shook her head.
Their current aim was to reach return to Hongyuan Empire as soon as possible so as to rally help to find Zhang Xuan. Comfort was the least of their worries now.
"May I know what an acceptable price for you is?" Yu Fei-er asked.
It was customary for one to pay after hitching a ride. Usually, the price would be agreed on by both sides beforehand so as to avoid complications after the ride.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony. It's my pleasure to have such beautiful ladies onboard my spirit beast, how can I accept your money?"
Qin Zhong placed his hands behind his back and put on his most dashing face in hopes of attracting the other party's attention. However, the other party didn't seem to have noticed it at all.
"We'll feel more at ease if you accept our payment."
Seeing the flirtatious looks from the other party, Luo Qiqi could tell that he had other thoughts in mind, and she frowned in displeasure.
If not for the urgent situation at hand, she would never have bothered herself with such an arrogant fellow.
"This…"
Upon Luo Qiqi's insistence, Qin Zhong hesitated for a moment before replying, "How about this? You two seem to have spent quite some time in the mountains already. If you two accompany me for a meal at the Beast Hall, that'll suffice as the payment!"
"Accompany you for a meal?"
How could Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er possibly not know what the other party was thinking about? It was already as clear as day! Their faces immediately darkened.
How dare this fellow from the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall attempt to philander with two 5-star master teachers? How brazen!
"That's right. Don't worry, I don't have any other thoughts in mind. Besides, considering how the both of you are in such a hurry to the Beast Hall, you must be trying to find a formidable aerial spirit beast to ride on. As a 4-star beast tamer and the son of the incumbent hall master, I'm sure I will be able to help the both of you!"
Qin Zhong smiled proudly.
As long as he made his identity as the young master of the Beast Hall known, most people would immediately show some respect to him. Even if the young ladies were master teachers, judging from their age, they couldn't possibly be ranked above 3-star. After learning his identity, he was confident that the duo would surely think differently of him.
And before long, there would be two ladies in his embrace.