Zhang Xuan was seething with anger.
Where was he? The Poison Hall!
A place isolated from the world, filled with countless formidable poison masters... Shouldn't it be an extremely peaceful place where everyone diligent strove to create the best poison they could?
'Dang lang!', 'hong long!', 'boom!'... Just what the heck were those? It was not as if they were some kind of demolition company...
All he wanted was some peace so that he could finish reading all of the books in a single go... But with such noise, how was he supposed to do so?
Seriously, did the poison masters know no civility at all?
That was really too much!
He would really need to talk to Elder Xu about this matter so that he could enforce some order around here.
"Forget it, I will just have to tolerate it for this period of time!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.
In any case, he was just a guest. He would have to leave very soon, so all he had to do was to tolerate the incivility of those poison masters for the time being.
Having collected the books in the first three floors into the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan's comprehension of poison had reached 3-star pinnacle.
Even though the books were rich in content, there was nothing much regarding the cure for the Innate Poison Body. Most of the books that touched on it only introduced it as an extremely fearsome constitution. It rarely appeared in the world, perhaps not even once in ten thousand years, but the moment it did, a devastating calamity could possibly befall on the world.
According to the records, the founder of the Poison Hall possessed the Innate Poison Body as well. There was an incident where the founder of the Poison Hall had clashed with Kong shi, and even the latter had to tread carefully around it, fearful of its might.
"There is nothing at the moment, but I might be able to find a solution once I go through the books in the higher floors…" Zhang Xuan sighed deeply as he consoled himself.
However, considering how noisy it was, it was unlikely that he would be able to make much progress. Thus, he decided to leave for the moment and return later on.
Thus, he returned back to the first floor and slipped past the two guards at the entrance, leaving the Compendium Hall. However, just as he was about to return back to his residence, he couldn't help but freeze at the sight before him.
The dignified and stately buildings four hours ago had been reduced to rubble. Within an area of several dozen kilometers, there was not a person to be seen at all.
"T-this…" Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.
Through his eyes, he could tell that this was caused by a battle between experts.
But shouldn't the battles be limited to the Sparring Hall? Why would they start fighting in the midst of the city instead?
Look at what they had done to the beautiful city...
"They are indeed uncivil, these buildings have been around for several thousand years! To fight in the middle of the city, don't they know that these are important heritages that we have to protect?" Zhang Xuan muttered as he shook his head.
The poison masters sure are lacking decorum.
Just look at the master teachers; even to hold a life-and-death duel, they would apply for permission with the headquarter first before deciding on the format of the duel. Yet, this... to start fighting in the middle of the city, reducing so many beautiful buildings into rubble... It is really hard to fathom how a human could be so inconsiderate.
With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan began flying back to his residence. However, before he could get far, he suddenly realized something.
He hadn't really noticed it due to the formation around the Compendium Hall earlier, but now that he was finally out, he suddenly found that his physical body... had changed locations. It wasn't in the accommodation which Elder Xu had provided for him anymore.
"What is going on?" A look of wariness slipped into Zhang Xuan's eyes.
Typically speaking, his physical body should remain in the residence, not moving at all. For it to be somewhere else instead... Did someone make a move on him?
If so, that would be really bad.
His physical body had already acquired the ability of Mind of Void, granting it the ability to act reflexively to avert danger, but... if the enemy was an expert, such as the hall master or vice hall master of the Poison Hall, he would still be in grave danger.
After all, they were 7-star poison masters. In comparison, his Nascent Saint cultivation body was truly too weak.
If he were to return late and find his physical body completely crippled, it would be too late for tears.
Anxious, he immediately charged in the direction where his physical body was. Before long, he saw his physical body seated on the floor, not moving in the least. Opposite to it stood a disfigured old man, who was currently looking at his physical body with malicious intents in his eyes.
"It's fortunate that I returned in time…" Seeing that his physical body was safe, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
As he quickly slipped back into his body, he couldn't help but realize something.
The area where his physical body was sitting at... wasn't it the center of the destruction? Could it be that all of the destruction throughout the city was caused by him?
But that shouldn't be!
His physical body did have the ability to retaliate and flee in face of danger, but it had always been rather reliable. At the very least, he trusted it more than his clone and Vicious, and it had never caused him any trouble before... If he was truly the culprit behind the damage, how was he going to explain this to Elder Xu?
With such thoughts in mind, his soul swiftly harmonized with his body, and his eyes slowly opened.
"He is awake!"
"Un, he really is awake…"
"He is already plenty formidable with his eyes closed. With his eyes open now, there would surely be no one who will be able to stop him... Are we going to meet our doom here?"
...
Seeing the other party open his eyes, a commotion broke out in the surroundings. Many faces paled in fright.
Even with his eyes closed, the other party was able to kill fourteen of their elders and pummel the hell out of their hall master... Now that his eyes were opened, would he massacre their Poison Hall clean?
"Y-you…"
Upon seeing 'Sun Qiang' open his eyes, the hall master cowered in fear.
Everything that had happened had dealt a deep trauma to him, causing him to feel innate fear towards the middle-aged man before him.
"Cough cough, where am I? What... what is going on?" Looking at everyone's frightened look, as if he was a lunatic that had come out from a horror movie, Zhang Xuan felt a little stifled within. With a bewildered look, he gazed at the crowd around him.
All I have done is to leave for a short moment to read some books... What in the world happened in between? For so many of you to be surrounding me, and not to mention, the frightened look on your faces...
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"Where am I? What is going on?" Hearing those words, the hall master spurted yet another mouthful of blood.
The heck! The other party really was sleepwalking!
While other Saint 3-dan cultivators were being overwhelmed by Saint 4-dan and 5-dan experts, he was being done in by a sleepwalking Nascent Saint cultivator... Just the thought of him left him feeling suffocated within.
To end up in such a plight despite being the head of the Poison Hall, it sure was embarrassing.
"Calm down, don't get agitated. I just woke up from my cultivation, so I am not too sure what is going on here. Why don't you fill me in on the details?" Seeing the disfigured fellow before him spurting blood out of agitation after seeing him waking up, Zhang Xuan hurriedly consoled.
"You… Puu!"
Agitated? Agitated your head!
Not too sure what is going on?
Can you get any more shameless than that?
All of this had been done by you! The reason why I have spurted blood is due to your pummeling!
After taking advantage of us like that, you are going to shirk responsibility just by saying you don't know what is going on?
Due to the intense fluctuations in his emotion, the hall master spurted yet another mouthful of blood. He felt so furious that it felt like flames could burst forth from his eyes.
"You aren't too sure what is going on? You have fought with the hall master and came all the way here, destroying countless buildings on the way... You are unaware of all of that?" Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be feigning ignorance, an elder bucked up his courage and asked carefully.
"I fought with the hall master?" Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in confusion. "Who is your hall master? I have never met him before, so how could I have fought with him? Could there be a misunderstanding somewhere..."
On the way here, he had heard from Elder Xu that the head of the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall was a 7-star poison master, a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert who boasted incredible fighting prowess.
Against ordinary Saint 2-dan experts, his physical body, driven by the Mind of Void, might still be able to achieve victory. However, against a Saint 3-dan expert... his physical body would be crushed instantly!
A completely one-sided fight couldn't possibly be called a battle, and it couldn't have lasted so long as to cause such devastating damage to the city.
Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, the disfigured fellow before him abruptly stood up furiously and hollered, "I am the hall master!"
"You?" Zhang Xuan leaped in horror.
When he saw that disfigured fellow, he thought that the other party was just a random passer-by watching the commotion... Never once had he considered the possibility that the other party might be the strongest expert in the Poison Hall!
"I was the one... who injured you?" Zhang Xuan's lips twitched.
He actually reduced a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert to such a tragic state?
Could it be that... the strength of his Mind of Void had been enhanced somehow?
"You…" The hall master was on the verge of erupting.
"I am truly apologetic. I was in a unique cultivation state earlier, and everything I did is only out of my reflexes... I truly have no idea what is going on!" Knowing that it was likely that he would only worsen the conflict if he were to dwell on the matter, Zhang Xuan hurriedly apologized.
He was here to learn, not to make enemies. What he had to do at this moment was to find out what had happened so as to find out if there was anything he could do to salvage the situation.
After all, he had promised Elder Xu that he would keep a low profile, and such was his intention as well. As far as it was possible, he hoped to resolve this matter peacefully.
"You... really don't know?" Seeing the other party emphasize again and again that he was unaware of the happenings, the elders and vice hall masters glanced at one another with a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Thinking back, the other party had never opened his eyes throughout the entire incident. It was as if he was sleepwalking, his body moving on reflex only to retaliate against those who were making a move against him...
Could it be that this really wasn't an intentional act on his part, but just his reflexive action?
But if that was really the case, it would portray the Poison Hall out to be a clown instead.
The other party hadn't used his full strength throughout the entire course of the matter, relying solely on his reflexes, and yet, by the end of it, the Poison Hall was already on the verge of collapse... If others were to learn of the matter, their Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall would become a huge laughingstock!
"I really have no idea!" Zhang Xuan shook his head affirmatively.
He was indeed confused by everything that was around him at the moment.
His physical body possessed no consciousness whatsoever while his soul was out, so he was dumbstruck by the abrupt situation he found himself in as well.
"It's like that. You were in your courtyard cultivating, and Vice Hall Master Ming... who is the teacher of Duan Ren whom you have beaten up earlier, barged into your residence to exact vengeance for his disciple. Yet, who knew that you would disregard his existence entirely... As such, he began making a move on you…" Seeing that Zhang Xuan didn't seem to be lying, the elder began to fill him in on the matters that had occurred.
"S-so... I was the one who caused all of this?" Zhang Xuan widened his mouth in shock, and his eyeballs nearly bulged out to the ground.
He was only off for a moment to collect some books for Wei Ruyan... Who could have known that his physical body would kill fourteen elders of the Poison Hall, cripple a vice hall master, pummel the hall master, and destroy large swathes of the Poison Hall within that short timeframe...
It seemed like... he was really in deep trouble this time around!
"Indeed, you were the one who did it!" The elder nodded.
"I…" Zhang Xuan scratched his head helplessly.
His original intention was indeed to collect all of the books in the Poison Hall quietly and leave as soon as possible. Who could have thought that his physical body would place him in such deep trouble in a crucial moment like this...
Doomed!
If he had only pummeled the hall master, he could still find an excuse to put a lid on the matter and resolve the matter peacefully with a shake of the hands and a compensation of a couple of high-tier spirit stones... But he had killed fourteen elders and destroyed innumerable precious heritage buildings of the Poison Hall... Not to mention, he had even 'poisoned' the other party's precious to death...
Even if he were to take out everything he had, there was no way he could compensate for that!
At this point, this could already be deemed as an irreconcilable grudge...
"This won't do. If I were to leave this matter be, there is no way they will allow me any chance to browse through the books in the remaining four floors... Furthermore, there is no saying that I might require the help of the poison masters to resolve Wei Ruyan's Innate Poison Body, so I can't fall out with them now…"
A deep frown emerged on Zhang Xuan's forehead.