It was indeed because of him that the poison masters of the Poison Temple had been implicated. If they were to be handed over to Mingshi Tang, they would surely be ostracized by the righteous, and there was no telling what would happen in the end.
However, if they could be recruited into the Combat Master Hall, things would be different.
Not only would they be given a chance to clear their name, they would also be bestowed with a better identity. Surely, the poison masters would not turn down such an opportunity.
More importantly, if they could make good use of the poison masters, the overall prowess of the Combat Master Hall would surely soar!
"That won't do!"
Hall Master Xing's face twitched, and he hurriedly waved his hands.
"Why?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
"As you know, poison masters have always been undisciplined and undisciplined. I fear that it will be difficult for us to control them if we were to join the Combat Master Hall. More importantly, many of their cultivation techniques are extremely bizarre, and they aren't from the orthodox path. Master teachers wouldn't do such a thing … "
Hall Master Xing shook his head.
In order to raise their cultivation, poison masters would rear venomous worms, consume venomous beasts, and even use their lives to raise Gu … Many of these methods had crossed the line of the master teachers.
Combat masters were a subdivision of the master teachers, and if they were to accept them, how could they possibly have the respect of others in the future?
Combat masters could raise their fighting prowess, but they had their own rules as well. Not just anyone could be recruited as a member of the Combat Master Hall.
"That's simple. I will redesign a poison cultivation technique for them, one that is upright and in line with the way of the world. On top of that, I will make them obedient so that Hall Master Xing can have complete control over them! "
Zhang Xuan.
There were indeed many aspects to the cultivation of poison, such as ethics and etiquette. However, this matter wasn't too difficult to deal with.
As long as they cultivated the simplified version of the poison cultivation technique, not only would they be able to raise their cultivation swiftly, they wouldn't have to resort to unorthodox means either!
"This …" Hall Master Xing hesitated.
He was well aware of the capabilities of the young man before him.
Given how the other party was able to cultivate his poison cultivation technique to Consummation within eleven breaths, it was indeed possible for him to modify the poison cultivation technique.
If these two problems could be resolved, the Combat Master Hall would be able to recruit the poison masters into their ranks.
Putting everything else aside, if not for Zhong Qingwang's poison back then, how could he have reached his current level in just a short twenty-odd years?
"Master teachers should be impartial in their teachings. Even though the reputation of the poison masters isn't good, the fact that the headquarters hasn't ordered for them to be eradicated means that they are still giving them a chance … If Zhang Shi can find a way to convince the poison masters to willingly serve mankind, I'll report this matter to the headquarters.
Hearing the conversation, Wu Shi interrupted.
Poison masters were feared by others, but if they were put to good use, their fighting prowess would be equally fearsome.
Especially in the face of a group attack.
Even though the headquarters of the Poison Temple was well-hidden, Mingshi Tang's headquarters was bound to know about it. Yet, they did not make a move to eliminate them like they did to the soul oracles back then. This meant that they were not unforgivable.
Not to mention, most of these poison masters were born and raised on the small island beside Jingyuan City. Even though they had learned how to use poison, they had never harmed anyone before.
He had never harmed anyone or committed any evil deeds. If he were to be killed just because of his occupation, what difference would there be between a master teacher and any other occupation?
"Alright!"
Hearing Wu Shi's agreement, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Even though Hall Master Xing's cultivation was above Wu Shi's, in terms of standing, the latter was still a notch higher. Since he had said such words, it was likely that he had a plan in mind.
"The two of you, please wait here for a moment. I'll head to the underground prison to take a look at the people from the Poison Temple and see if I can persuade them. If it doesn't work out, we'll discuss the matter further!"
Zhang Xuan.
"This … Alright then. However, Zhang Shi, your injuries …" Wu Shi was a little worried.
"I've consumed some recovery medicine, and with my constitution, I should be fine for the time being!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands with a smile.
"It's good that you're fine. However, poison masters are known to be cunning. No, I'll accompany you!"
Recalling the means that the young man before him possessed, Wu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. "Forget it.
Given your current standing and identity, I'm afraid that you will bring pressure to them. I'll head over alone … "
Zhang Xuan turned down the offer.
If he wanted to persuade Xu You and the others to join the Combat Master Hall obediently, he would have to bring out his identity as Sun Qiang. If Wu Shi were to head over, it would be as good as confirming his identity as a poison master, so it would be best for him to proceed cautiously.
"This …"
Wu Shi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright then. We can choose not to head to the underground prison, but we'll have to wait outside. If anything goes wrong, we'll make a move right away!"
"I'll be troubling the two of you then!"
Knowing that the other party was truly concerned about him, Zhang Xuan nodded.
Under the lead of the master teacher from before, the group soon arrived at the underground prison.
After instructing Wu Shi and Hall Master Xing to wait outside, Zhang Xuan walked in alone.
The underground prison of the King's Residence was a little eerie. There were all kinds of formations set up around it to prevent the imprisoned cultivators from escaping.
Walking in, Zhang Xuan's bones creaked, and he reverted back to his previous appearance as Sun Qiang.
"Elder Xu …"
Soon, Zhang Xuan saw Elder Xu. Just as the master teacher from before had said, the other party had suffered severe torture. Compared to two months ago, the other party was much thinner, and his aura was a little dispirited.
With a single look, it was clear that the other party's injuries were severe.
There were only around a hundred people who had been imprisoned as well.
As for the other members of the Poison Temple, it was hard to say whether they were still alive or not.
"Founder …"
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Elder Xu and the others were stunned for a moment before agitation welled up in their hearts.
Poison Master Hai and Poisoner White had already proven the identity of Sun Qiang, so they did not doubt the other party's identity at all.
"I am only the person who escorted the founder, not the founder. You can just call me Sun Qiang …" Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "You have suffered a lot. Here are some recovery pills for you. Hurry up and consume them so that you can recover some of your stamina …"
With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a few jade bottles and passed them over.
After killing the Qingtian Ten Great Kings, he had plenty of such nourishing pills. As long as he secretly infused some Heaven's Path zhenqi into them to recover their stamina, it would be effective.
"Yes!"
Without any hesitation, Elder Xu and the others took the pills and swallowed them.
As soon as the pills melted in their mouths, the Heaven's Path zhenqi hidden within them flowed through their bloodstream and into their bodies. The injuries that they had sustained previously immediately healed at a visible rate.
"This …"
Feeling the changes in their bodies, Xu You and the others were dumbfounded. They could hardly believe what they were seeing.
This was far more effective than the pills they had concocted … As expected of the person who escorted the founder, he must have inherited the founder's heritage!
"What happened to the Poison Temple?"
Zhang Xuan asked upon seeing that they had recovered their stamina.
"The Poison Temple …" Xu You's eyes reddened. "It has been completely destroyed. Only the few of us are still alive. Everyone else has been massacred …"
As the vice head of the Poison Temple, Ming Zhen knew all of the secrets of the Poison Temple. It was through this that he was able to sneak into the Poison Temple easily, catching everyone off guard, resulting in an unprecedented calamity.
"Massacred? That Zhong Qingwang massacred them? "
Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.
He had thought that they had met with powerful resistance, and both sides had sustained heavy casualties. However, judging from the other party's tone, that didn't seem to be the case.
"That's right! They attacked at night, and we were completely caught off guard. In a single night, blood flowed like a river, and the ten thousand years of heritage of the Poison Temple was destroyed just like that … "Xu You clenched his fists tightly as his face reddened in agitation.
"This …" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
He had been to the Poison Temple, and not only were there poison masters, there were also many ordinary citizens. Since they didn't possess the talent to concoct poison, they didn't cultivate much either. Who would have thought that the other party would be so merciless?
As fearsome as the occupation of poison masters was, they had always been holed up in their own islands, amusing themselves. They had never ventured out to harm anyone. To think that Zhong Qingwang would actually go so far as to make a move against the other party!
He had been wondering if he had gone too far in plotting against the other party, but from the looks of it now, it seemed like he had gone too easy on him!
It wouldn't be too much even if he were to kill the other party a hundred times over!
"Zhong Qingwang massacred the entire Poison Temple before gathering all of us 5-star poison masters here, sealing our cultivation, and imprisoning us here to torture us daily. All of this is to force us to concoct a large amount of poison for him!"
Speaking of the First King of the Poison Temple, Xu You clenched his jaws tightly, and the intense hatred in his eyes threatened to tear a person apart.
"Concoct a large amount of poison?"
Zhang Xuan frowned. "What kind of poison?"
In the Qingyuan Empire, Zhong Qingwang was second only to the First King of the Poison Temple. Not only was he powerful, he wielded immense authority as well. If he only intended to poison his political opponents, there was no need for him to concoct a large amount of poison for him.
"It's Scattering Breeze Powder!"
Xu You said.
"Grade-5 poison, Scattering Breeze Powder?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. "This poison is colorless and odorless, and it drifts with the wind. It's only effective on those beneath Saint realm. After inhaling it, one's muscles and bones will go limp for a short period of time. How much does Zhong Qingwang intend to concoct?"
Scattering Breeze Powder couldn't be considered as a lethal poison, but it could spread far and wide. Anyone who caught a whiff of it would be poisoned.
"Ten tons!"
Xu You said.
"Ten tons?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.
A bottle of ordinary Scattering Breeze Powder could easily knock out several hundred people. Ten tons … could probably poison tens of millions of people to death!
What did that fellow need so much for?
"He's the enemy of our Poison Temple, so how could we possibly work for him? That's why I haven't agreed to it yet …" Noticing the worry in Zhang Xuan's eyes, Xu You explained. At the same time, he looked at Zhang Xuan with a perplexed expression and asked, "Elder Sun … Elder Qiang, how did you know that we are here? You shouldn't have been noticed if you entered just like that, right? "
In their current state, their deaths were nothing to be regretted. However, if they were to implicate the young man before them, they would really be letting down their ancestors.
"I have severely injured Zhong Qingwang, and he has been captured by Mingshi Tang's men for interrogation. The reason why I'm here right now is to save you all!"
Zhang Xuan.
"Severely injured?"
"Save us?"
The crowd stared at one another in disbelief.
They had thought that they were doomed after being captured and brought here, but who could have thought that the elder who had escorted their founder would return and exact vengeance for them?
"Un. However, given your current identities, it'll be rather awkward for you all to leave the Poison Temple. I would like to change your identities, but I'm not sure if you are willing to do so," Zhang Xuan said.
"Change our identities?" Xu You frowned. "What?"
The others also turned their gazes over.
"Combat master!" Zhang Xuan said.
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