“Let’s enter!”
With all of the beasts pledging their loyalty to him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He moved all of the beasts into the Myriad Anthive Nest before making his way through the invisible barrier once more.
But things did not go as he had expected this time around. He found himself colliding with the invisible barrier that had halted the footsteps the beasts. Unlike before, he was not able to pass through it.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched at this unexpected situation.
Could it be that he had waited for too long and was no longer able to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment?
If that was really the case, he might burst into tears on the spot.
“Master, you are bringing too many beasts in with you…” Just as Zhang Xuan was trying to make sense of the bizarre situation before him, Little Amulet’s voice sounded in his head. “Normal Celestial Amulets of Legacy can bring ten people in. As the Prime Amulet, I can bring fifteen people in. However, you tamed over twenty beasts earlier…”
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was not that he could not enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment anymore but that he had exceeded the load capacity. He sent a telepathic message back to Little Amulet and asked, “Won’t it work if I place them in a folded space?”
“It won’t work! Otherwise, your parents would have been able to bring everyone into the Subordinate Hall!” Little Amulet explained.
“I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded in comprehension.
There was no way that Kong shi would have allowed the rules that he had imposed on the Subordinate Halls to be circumvented that easily. Otherwise, there would be no point in setting those restrictions in the first place!
Thus, Zhang Xuan released the beasts whose cultivation were lower till there were only fourteen of them left. He tried walking through the invisible barrier once more, and this time, he was able to pass through it without any issues.
Shortly after passing through the light barrier, Zhang Xuan suddenly said, “Wait a moment, that isn’t right. The Heavenwood Greenserpent is in my folded space as well. If we factor them in as well, doesn’t it mean that the number of people I have with me has already exceeded fifteen?”
The fourteen beasts only included those which he had just tamed a moment ago. Other than them, he also had the Heavenwood Greenserpent, Goldspirit Cloudtiger, Crimsonfrons White Tiger, and so in the Myriad Anthive Nest. Thus, the total number of beasts he had with him was, in fact, more than twenty!
“They are considered native lifeforms to the Temple of Confucius, so they are allowed to pass freely through the barriers in the Temple of Confucius. As such, they aren’t counted in the quota!” Little Amulet explained.
“There’s such a thing as well?” Zhang Xuan asked in astonishment, not expecting there to be such an exception to the beasts in the Temple of Confucius.
Shaking his head, he hastened his footsteps and swiftly advanced into the Hall of Great Accomplishment.
It had been over a minute since the others had entered the area, so he would have to up his speed in order to catch up with them.
Passing through the massive gates, he found himself standing in the midst of a humongous hallway. Sculptures of many different demeanors and postures were placed neatly on both sides. Some were deep in thought, some were looking into the distance, some were reading a book, some were in the midst of their cultivation… They were sculptured so lifelike that it seemed almost as if they would come to life at any moment.
“Are these… the seventy-two Sages?”
It did not take long for Zhang Xuan to recognize the models behind those sculptures. They were none other than the seventy-two Sages under Kong shi’s lineage.
Kong shi was known to have had over three thousand students and seventy-two direct disciples. His seventy-two direct disciples were known as the seventy-two Sages, and the strongest ten of them, which included Ancient Sage Ran Qiu and Ancient Sage Bo Shang, were respectfully referred to as the Ten Apostles.
Each of the seventy-two Sages had their fair share of legendary exploits, achieving astounding accomplishments in their lifetime. Their deeds had been recorded by the Master Teacher Pavilion in the form of literature and artwork so as to remind the world of their greatness and the sacrifices that they have made for mankind.
Zhang Xuan had once seen some of their artwork, so it was not too difficult for him to recognize the sculptures.
Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, Ancient Sage Zi Qian, Ancient Sage Zi Liu, Ancient Sage Ran Geng…
Familiar names surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind as they overlapped together with the sculptures before him. Looking at those ancient figures, he could almost see the devastating battles against the Otherworldly Demons back in their era.
Without their support, there was no way that Kong shi could have quelled the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe singlehandedly back then!
They were the cornerstone to mankind’s swift development across the years. In that era of despair, their existences were symbols of hope to mankind. Even after the passing of tens of thousands of years, their names still remained unforgotten by the world.
Zhang Xuan solemnly bowed to them to express his deepest respect to these great men before moving on.
The sculptures of the seventy-two Sages emanated slight pressure on those walking past them, tempering one’s state of mind and soul. Without a doubt, this was extremely beneficial for the advancement of one’s Soul Depth.
After taking a few more steps, Zhang Xuan saw a few master teachers sitting cross-legged on the floor, unable to advance any further. They were the grand elders of the Zhang Clan.
Due to the limitations of their Soul Depth, it was likely that they would incur severe injuries if they forced themselves to advance ahead. Since that was the case, it would be wiser for them to make use of the pressure to swiftly raise their Soul Depth.
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Seeing that they were deep in concentration, Zhang Xuan chose to pass them by without disturbing them.
Until that moment, he still was not too sure who the culprits who kidnapped Zhao Ya and the others were. However, the fact that they were able to pass through the hallway consisting of the sculptures of the seventy-two Sages meant that their Soul Depth did not pale in comparison to his.
With such high Soul Depth, it was likely that their cultivation had reached Sempiternal realm consummation. If that was the case, they would pose a major threat to his parents and the other members of the Zhang Clan.
Coming to the end of the hallway, Zhang Xuan found himself arriving before a grand hall.
His parents and the other grand elders of the Zhang Clan were standing in the middle of the hall, and opposite to them were eight youths who emanated imposing auras. Just as he had guessed, all of those eight youths were Sempiternal realm consummation experts!
Seeing that his parents were fine, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. After which, he turned his gaze to the eight youths.
A young lady stood at the center of the crowd. Her eyes were tightly shut, and surges of cold energy were flowing out from her body. It seemed like she was trying to activate some seal on a wall in the hall.
Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up, and he exclaimed anxiously, “Zhao Ya!”
He hurriedly rushed over toward her.
“Xuan-er, it doesn’t seem like she’s able to hear our voices!”
Before he could reach Zhao Ya, the Xingmeng Sword Saints quickly sent a telepathic message to inform him.
“She can’t hear our voices?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
“Un. We tried calling for her earlier, but there was no response from her. She didn’t even turn her head around, as if she couldn’t hear us at all,” Sword Saint Xing replied.
“She must be too engrossed in deciphering the painting on the wall. We can’t really tell what her purpose for doing so is,” Sword Saint Meng said as she secretly pointed to the wall.
“Painting?” Tracing Sword Saint Meng’s finger, Zhang Xuan finally noticed the massive painting on the wall. The painting was of remarkable verisimilitude, as if an entire world was sealed within it.
Zhao Ya was continuously channeling her cold energy into the painting, seemingly trying to undo the seal cast on it.
Normally, Zhao Ya should have noticed his presence as soon as he stepped into the hall, not to mention that he had even called for her. The fact that she was not reacting at all likely meant that she was in a trance.
Seeing that Zhao Ya was unharmed, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, and his unnerved heart finally settled down for the time being.
He turned his attention to the eight youths standing opposite to them and narrowed his eyes. “Who are they?”
“I asked them earlier, and they said that they are the offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!” Sword Saint Xing said.
“Hundred Schools of Philosophers?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “They are the descendants of the seventy-two Sages, right? Why did they kidnap Zhao Ya, and what is the painting on the wall?”
All along, he had thought that it was the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe who had captured Zhao Ya, Wei Ruyan, and Yuan Tao.
Considering the callous nature of the Otherworldly Demons, it was completely within their nature to pull off something like this… Yet, who would have thought that the culprits were really from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers?
While he had stumbled upon some clues that pointed to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, he had still held some reservations toward suspecting them. After all, their lineage originated from Kong shi, who had held principles and propriety in high regards. It was hard to believe that they would commit something as impetuous as kidnapping a person to achieve their own goals.
This did not fit with the common perception of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers!
Not only so, what was even more bizarre was that these offspring of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were actually more interested in a painting than the sculptures of their ancestors outside! Could it be that some kind of incredible secret was hidden within the painting?
Harboring such thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan could not help but take a closer look at the painting before him.
The first thing that he noticed was the antiquated aura emanated by the painting. It felt like an artifact that had survived through history. He activated his Eye of Insight in an attempt to take a closer look at it, but he found that the painting seemed to have fused perfectly together with the time and space of the hall, thus obscuring it from his view.
This was probably the seal that Zhao Ya was trying to break.
Nevertheless, he could still feel an air of grandeur coming from the painting. It seemed as if one’s consciousness would be absorbed into the painting with just a single look.
“Is it possible for this to be the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn?” Sword Saint Xing’s voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Xuan’s ears.