Zhang Xuan was a transcender, and he carried with him the fine qualities and habits of Chinese. He had never been willing to offend others, and most of the time, he preferred to live amicably, minimizing major problems and minor ones.
However, dragons had a reverse scale, and those who touched it were bound to die!
Sun Qiang had been with him ever since he was in Tianxuan Kingdom, and he had been diligently taking care of the affairs around him. While Zhang Xuan did not feel like complaining about the other party's cultivation, if not for him, it would have been impossible for him to cultivate wholeheartedly and reach his current level in less than a year.
It could be said that Butler Sun had become the most important person in his life, on par with Wang Ying, Zhao Ya, and the others.
Yet, the fellow before him actually dared to use him as a hostage to threaten him. How could he not be furious?
"You dare to hit me?"
Not expecting the other party to still dare to make a move on him with a hostage in his hands, the black-robed young man struggled to his feet with intense hatred in his eyes.
"I want you to …"
Roaring furiously, the black-robed young man charged forward, but before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt someone grabbing his neck and lifting him up.
Following which, the black-robed young man saw a pair of cold eyes staring at him.
"If you wish to die, I can grant you your wish!"
Feeling the killing intent and the frigid tone of the other party, the black-robed young man's face paled. He had wanted to say something else, but at this moment, all of his words were swallowed back into his mouth, leaving him unable to utter a single word.
Having been through life and death, he could see through the other party's attitude. If he dared to say another word, the other party would surely kill him.
"Who is your Old Master? Where is Sun Qiang at the moment? "
Seeing that the black-robed young man had no intention of speaking anymore, Zhang Xuan asked.
"I …" The black-robed young man shuddered in fear. "Our Old Master is the First King of the Qingyuan Empire, Zhong Qingwang …"
"Zhong Qingwang?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Why did he kidnap my men?"
It had only been three days since he arrived at the Qingyuan Empire, and his activities had only been limited to the Spirit Awakener Guild, Terpsichore Guild, and Combat Master Hall.
He had never been to any of the other places, so how could he possibly have offended the First King of the Qingyuan Empire?
If Zhang Xuan hadn't offended him, the other party probably wouldn't have dared to make a move on a master teacher!
Even if he was a subordinate of a master teacher, his dignity was at stake. To kidnap him and even send someone to threaten him … That fellow sure was gutsy.
"I'm just a servant … I really don't know anything else!" the black-robed young man replied.
"Lead the way!"
Looking at the other party's expression, it seemed that he really didn't know. Zhang Xuan patted him on the back and threw him to the ground.
"Yes!"
Shrinking his neck, the black-robed young man no longer had the arrogance from before as he hurriedly walked forward.
"Zhang Shi, I've heard of Zhong Qingwang before. You must be careful …"
Following closely behind him, Yu Fei-er frowned deeply.
She was the princess of the Hongyuan Empire. Although she didn't like politics, she still knew a little about it.
"Oh?" Zhang Xuan turned around.
"That King of the Qingyuan Empire used to be a commoner, but twenty years ago, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe somehow found a passageway and invaded the Qingyuan Empire. Mingshi Tang, the Combat Master Hall, and the Qingyuan Empire dispatched their forces to fend off the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe … In the end, the three powers suffered heavy losses, and the Combat Master Hall's Hall Master Xing Tianming was severely injured and nearly lost his life!
"Back then, the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, Chu Tianxing, was ambushed by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Just as he was about to be slaughtered, Zhong Qingwang appeared out of nowhere and slaughtered the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to save him. In just twenty short years, he managed to rise from an ordinary man to a Conferred King, not to mention, the number one King of the Qingyuan Empire! "
Yu Fei-er said.
"The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe invaded the Qingyuan Empire?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
The crack on Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit was left behind twenty years ago.
"Even the emperor has countless experts protecting him, so his cultivation shouldn't be too low either. Yet, he was still unable to escape from the encirclement of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Just how powerful is this Zhong Qingwang to be able to save Chu Tianxing without sustaining any injuries?"
Zhang Xuan asked.
Even Hall Master Xing had nearly lost his life to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. How in the world did an unknown fellow manage to escape from the encirclement of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?
"I'm not too sure about the details … Ah, right. I once heard my father talking about it to someone, and it seems to be … poison!"
Yu Fei-er shook her head as she suddenly recalled something.
"Poison?"
Zhang Xuan frowned. "Could it be that … King of the Qingyuan Empire is a poison master?"
If it was poison, that was indeed a possibility!
The main reason why poison masters were so fearsome was because they didn't fear group attacks. As long as one used their poison wisely, they would be able to kill all of their enemies easily.
Take the Qingtian Ten Great Kings for example, most of them had been poisoned to death by his Heaven's Path zhenqi.
If it had been a battle, he would have died several times over.
"I'm not too sure whether he's a poison master or not, but I do know that there are many officials who have opposed Zhong Qingwang, and over the past twenty years, all of them have passed away … It's for this reason that he wields great authority in the royal court. On top of that, he has saved His Majesty's life, thus making him a highly regarded figure in the royal court."
Yu Fei-er said.
Zhang Xuan nodded, but the frown on his forehead deepened.
Regardless of whether that fellow was a poison master or not, he didn't know the other party, so why would he want to capture Sun Qiang?
"Since he was able to capture Sun Qiang, it means that he doesn't care about my identity as a 6-star master teacher and the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.
Zhang Xuan paused for a moment before turning to Zhang Xuan.
Regardless of what the other party was up to, it was clear that the other party was targeting him. Since that was the case, there was no need for him to involve the two of them in this matter.
"Zhang Shi, you are my teacher. As your student, I can't just watch my teacher go into danger while I escape. Otherwise, how can I face the world of master teachers?"
Luo Qiqi stepped forward with determination in her eyes.
She was Zhang Xuan's apothecary and smithing student. Even though she wasn't his direct disciple, and she hadn't gone through the apprenticeship ceremony, she still shared a teacher-student relationship with him.
"I'm not going back either! I want to stand by Zhang Shi's side … "Yu Fei-er raised her head and said.
"This …"
Seeing the determination in the duo's eyes, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Flicking his wrist, he took out two pills and said, "These are antidotes that I have forged. They can cure most poisons. Consume them first. If the other party is really a poison master, this should be enough to ensure your safety!"
The antidotes he spoke of were just ordinary pills infused with Heaven's Path zhenqi.
"Un."
The duo knew that they wouldn't be able to bring the antidotes over if they didn't agree to it, so they swallowed the antidotes.
"Let's go!"
As they were communicating through zhenqi telepathy, it didn't affect their movement. Following behind the black-robed young man, it didn't take long for a massive manor to appear before their eyes.
The manor was massive, and while it couldn't be compared to a major power like the Combat Master Hall, it wasn't in any way inferior. There were formations set up all over the place, and even before they arrived, they could already feel the spiritual energy in the surroundings slowly converging toward the manor. It was a blessed land for cultivation.
Even an ordinary human would have their lifespan extended if they were to live in such a place.
"So, this is the King's Manor …"
The black-robed young man walked up and whispered something to the guard at the entrance. Glancing at Zhang Xuan, the guard glared at the black-robed young man for a moment before walking in.
Not too long later, the guard walked out and nodded.
"Let's go in!"
A vicious glint flashed across the black-robed young man's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and led the way in.
Feigning ignorance, Zhang Xuan followed behind the black-robed young man with Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi.
As expected of the King's Manor of the First King of a Conferred Empire. It was even grander than the Hongyuan Empire royal family, and the pathways were constructed using all kinds of rare ores. With a single glance, it felt incredibly extravagant.
"Not only was this building constructed by a formidable formation master, it seems like there was a horticulturist as well!"
Luo Qiqi remarked after taking a few steps forward.
"Horticulturist?" This was the first time Zhang Xuan had heard of this term.
"Un. Just like spirit awakener, horticulturists aren't considered as Ninth Path occupations, but they are esteemed guests of many powerful powers and clans!" Luo Qiqi replied.
"Oh? Does your Hongyuan Empire have any horticulturists? "Zhang Xuan turned to Yu Fei-er and asked.
"I've never heard of it before …" Yu Fei-er shook her head.
"I only read about it in an ancient book …"
Luo Qiqi chuckled. "It's said that horticulturists are able to design residences or sects based on the terrain, geomancy, environment, and many other factors. Regardless of whether it's a building, a formation, or a mechanism, they are able to complement each other perfectly, thus bringing out the full potential of the building. If a sect or clan can hire a horticulturist to design their residence, their overall defensive prowess will be boosted by at least twofold! "
"But of course, horticulturists are extremely rare, and there isn't a complete heritage to them. I only deduced this from the unique layout of the residence and the balanced formation in the surroundings!"
"It's indeed a balanced formation!"
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
As a Seven Star pinnacle formation master, as well as the Eye of Insight, it went without saying that he would have noticed it long ago if Luo Qiqi was able to see through it.
He had been to the royal palace of the Hongyuan Empire, and even though there were many formations in the area, they were all independent of one another, and they could only be activated by touching them. On the other hand, the formations in the residence were clearly interconnected with one another, complementing the structure in the residence. If one were to touch one of the formations, the others would surely follow suit, making it difficult for one to escape.
If one were to view the formations in Hongyuan royal palace as a series of well-placed mouse traps, such that one would only be able to cause a ruckus upon contact. On the other hand, the formations in Hongyuan royal palace were like dominoes. As long as one were to touch any one of them, it would cause a chain reaction, making it nigh impossible for one to escape.
Most likely, it was just as the other party had said.
While Zhang Xuan was still following behind the black-robed young man, he suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps, and dozens of guards rushed over.
In the blink of an eye, they had the trio surrounded.
"Lad, weren't you arrogant a moment ago? Teach him a lesson! Let him know that he can't afford to offend the members of the Zhong Qingwang Residence! "
The black-robed young man sneered savagely as he dodged to the back of the crowd.
He had thought that it would be an easy task for him to invite the other party over, but who could have known that he would nearly be killed with a single kick? His hatred for the black-robed young man had already seeped deep into his bones. When he was at the entrance of the residence, he had secretly informed the guards to prepare an ambush.
Huala!
Hearing his words, the guards in the area immediately rushed forward. The weapons in their hands fluttered furiously, and a cold glint emanated from them. Complementing the formation in the area, the aura emanating from their bodies felt as imposing as a dragon's.
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