"Sixth Princess, given how knowledgeable you are, do you know what's going on?"
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Xing Yuan asked.
"I-I..."
Yu Fei-er was on the verge of tears.
As a princess, she had seen many secret manuals of the royal family and heard of many of their secret arts. However, to be able to stand up after being pummeled to the point that one was no different from plasticine, this was something that she had never dreamed of!
"What about you?"
She turned to Wu Zhen.
The latter was skilled in mechanisms, so he might be able to tell what was going on.
"I..."
Wu Zhen's face twitched uncontrollably.
He was well-versed in mechanisms, but before such a monster, he was completely bewildered!
While the group was frenzied, the two puppets were even more frenzied.
To be able to stand up after being pummeled to such an extent, are you still a human?
Hu hu hu!
The puppet with the slanted head seemed to be horrified as well. It patted the shoulder of the other puppet and pointed to the flattened fellow, gesturing for him to help as well.
The other puppet hesitated for a moment before nodding its head. Then, it charged toward that fellow as well.
The two puppets charged at Zhang Xuan with frenzied killing intent.
However, this time, Zhang Xuan, whose face was already contorted, didn't wait to be pummeled. Instead, he turned around and fled.
Hu!
With a jolt, he disappeared into the darkness.
Roar! Roar!
Not expecting the other party to be able to run so quickly even after being pummeled to such an extent, the two puppets were on the verge of going insane. They hurriedly chased after the other party, and soon, they disappeared into the darkness as well.
Yu Fei-er and the others didn't expect the other party to still be able to run even after being pummeled to such an extent, and they were dumbfounded.
Since you can run, what were you doing a moment ago?
To run only after being pummeled to death, aren't you courting death?
"Hurry up and open the light barrier. We have to leave as soon as possible!"
Just as they were perplexed by the situation, Zhang Xuan's voice sounded.
Taken aback, they turned their gazes toward the source of the voice, only to see that the one who spoke was the puppet with the slanted head.
"Zhang Shi?"
The group stared at the puppet before them with widened eyes.
"It's me. I used a secret art to lure those two fellows away. Hurry up and leave with me. Otherwise, it'll be too late once the other puppets arrive!"
The puppet with the slanted head said anxiously.
"You... are you really Zhang Shi?"
Seeing this fellow holding his head with one hand and a ferocious expression on his face, no one dared to believe it.
He had clearly seen him being beaten into a meat patty. How did he … become a puppet?
Even those who were the best at disguising wouldn't be able to disguise themselves so well!
"I really am. You lost a bet to me, and even now, you're still my maid …"
Zhang Xuan knew that he couldn't afford to waste any time. Given his current appearance, it was only natural for the other party to suspect him. Thus, he dared not hesitate. After which, he turned to Xing Yuan and said, "You specifically looked for me at the Cleansing Lake and wanted me to admit defeat..."
"I believe you …"
"You're Zhang Xuan!"
Yu Fei-er's face reddened while Xing Yuan's face darkened.
There weren't too many people who knew that Yu Fei-er had become a maid, and only they knew about the bet that Xing Yuan had with her. If it wasn't for Zhang Shi, there was no way they would have been able to speak of it so clearly.
Whoosh!
After confirming Zhang Xuan's identity, Yu Fei-er waved her hand, and the barrier of light around her vanished.
"Go!"
Knowing that his clone could only delay the other party for a moment, Zhang Xuan clutched his head and strode forward.
However, after taking two steps, he realized that no one was following him. Thus, he hurriedly turned around, only to see the four of them still sitting on the ground with pale faces.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Xuan asked.
"Our injuries are a little too severe, so … we might not be able to walk anymore …"
Xing Yuan and Yu Fei-er had awkward looks on their faces.
The other party had put in so much effort to save them, and yet, due to their severe injuries, they couldn't even stand up. They had truly let the other party down.
"We might not be able to leave anymore. I'll have to trouble you to bring Elder Wu Yangzi's corpse back and tell the academy that we've completed our mission and didn't embarrass the academy …"
Xing Yuan gritted his teeth and said.
Given how severe their injuries were, and the distance to the stone steps was at least seven to eight li. It was impossible for them to escape even if they wanted to.
Rather than letting none of them escape, it would be better for him to bring their corpses back. At the very least, they would be able to prove that they had completed their mission even in death!
"What's the point of bringing their corpses back …"
Zhang Xuan didn't expect the other party to say such words at a time like this. Shaking his head, he accidentally missed and his head fell to the ground.
He hurriedly picked it up and placed it back around his neck. Then, he turned to Wu Zhen and asked, "Do you have any more wine?"
"Wine?"
Wu Zhen was taken aback for a moment before nodding. Flicking his wrist, he took out a gourd.
He was fond of wine, so he often carried it with him.
Grabbing the gourd, Zhang Xuan began communicating with the 'corpse' in his storage ring.
As he was only a soul at the moment, he didn't have any Heaven's Path zhenqi in his body. Thus, he had to rely on his physical body to absorb the zhenqi.
If it was before, he would have had to release his physical body first before allowing his soul to enter his body. However, with his current physical body, he was able to release his zhenqi even from within his storage ring.
Gugugugu!
Zhang Xuan infused eight surges of zhenqi into the gourd before passing it over to Yu Fei-er.
"Drink a few mouthfuls!"
"Un!"
Even though Yu Fei-er didn't know what Zhang Xuan was up to, seeing the grim expression on his face, she didn't dare to hesitate. Uncorking the bottle, she gulped down the wine.
As soon as the wine entered her stomach, she felt a warm current flowing through her entire body. In less than two breaths, her severe injuries were completely healed.
"This …"
Looking at her healed body, Yu Fei-er was dumbfounded.
Could this be … the Saint recovery medicine that Wu Zhen spoke of?
Could it really be that effective?
She hurriedly fed the medicinal wine to the other three, and soon, all of them recovered.
"Xing Yuan, keep Elder Wu Yangzi's corpse. Let's go!"
Seeing that everyone had recovered, Yu Fei-er instructed. The others hurriedly followed behind Zhang Xuan.
The only problem was that Zhang Xuan had to hold onto his head continuously, or else he might just fall off from a moment of carelessness.
"Faster …"
Knowing that time waits for no one, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered anymore. He plucked his head off, hugged it to his chest, and led the way forward.
Even though his soul hadn't fully fused with the puppet yet, the latter was simply too powerful. With just a single step, he was able to cover a huge distance.
Yu Fei-er and the others had to exert their full strength before they could barely keep up.
Soon, the four of them and the puppet had already covered two to three kilometers, and they were getting closer and closer to the stone steps.
"Everyone, hurry up. As long as we get out of the stone steps, we'll be safe …" Zhang Xuan urged.
Once they got out of the stone steps, they would be able to set up a new formation to block the other party's path. That would mean that they would be able to escape safely.
Roar!
Just as they were running for their lives, they suddenly heard a furious roar. Due to their incredible speed, they finally caught the attention of the other puppets.
Along with that roar, silhouettes flickered in the surroundings. The puppets that had gone to the river to replenish their energy earlier rushed over to block their path.
"This is bad …"
Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
He had been worried that these fellows would return after replenishing their energy, so he had rushed over as fast as he could. Yet, he was still late by several dozen breaths!
"What do we do?"
Not expecting to be surrounded by so many puppets after escaping here, Yu Fei-er and the others' faces paled.
Previously, they had many means to protect themselves, so they were still able to stand against the puppets. However, now that they had exhausted all of their means and were surrounded, how could they possibly escape?
Roar!
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to explain himself, one of the puppets abruptly rushed forward and stomped its foot on his chest.
Peng!
His head was separated from his body, and his body was sent flying before crashing heavily onto the ground.
"These puppets … are actually able to differentiate between friend and foe?"
Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.
Zhang Xuan's body was still that of a puppet. Even though his head would fall off from time to time, his external appearance was still identical to that of a puppet.
They were all puppets, so under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have been able to recognize one another. Thus, they should have treated the other party as their comrade and made use of this opportunity to bluff their way out. Yet, they actually made a move on the other party … In other words, the other party was able to differentiate between them!
Weren't puppets a type of mechanism that didn't possess intelligence of their own?
How could they differentiate between friend and foe?
"Damn it!"
Zhang Xuan slapped the ground, and the headless puppet stood up once more before charging toward the puppet that had attacked him.
A gust of wind howled as he channeled all of his strength into his fist.
Peng!
The fist collided with the palm, and the headless puppet was sent flying once more.
No matter how powerful the puppet was, Zhang Xuan's soul cultivation was only at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, so he was unable to exert his full strength. Naturally, he wasn't a match for the other party.
Geji geji!
While the battle was going on, the remaining puppets also began to surround Yu Fei-er and the others.
They could easily surround and kill them at any moment.
"At this rate, they will surely die …"
Zhang Xuan was only a soul oracle at the moment, so he might still be able to escape with his life. However, Yu Fei-er and the others would surely be killed on the spot.
What should he do?
Was he really going to fail after saving them for such a long time?
"I'll just have to give it a try!"
Just as Zhang Xuan was at a loss, he suddenly recalled the massive heart he had seen in the river and the respectful looks of the puppets. Gritting his teeth, a thought surfaced in his mind.
"Since you want me dead, let's die together. I'll crush that heart right now, and we'll all die together …"
With a furious roar, the puppet under Zhang Xuan's control leaped up and charged in the direction of the river.
Roar?
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Hearing Zhang Xuan's roar and seeing the direction he was heading in, the puppets were stunned for a moment before going berserk. Ignoring Yu Fei-er and the others, they hurriedly chased after Zhang Xuan.
"Hurry up and leave, don't worry about me …"
Seeing that the puppets were really interested in the heart and had chased after him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief and bellowed at Yu Fei-er and the others.
"Zhang Shi …"
"Zhang Xuan …"
Not expecting Zhang Shi to lure all of the puppets away in order to save them, Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, and the others felt their hearts clench, and their eyes reddened.
If they had harbored some resentment or even envy toward Zhang Xuan before, at this very moment, all of it had turned into gratitude!
In order to save them, Zhang Xuan had risked his life despite knowing that there was only a slim chance of survival …
It was no wonder Zhang Shi was able to earn the respect of his students and gain the unconditional trust of those from Myriad Kingdom City …
His character was worthy of everyone's admiration.
Zhang Shi, thank you!
"Let's go!"
Xing Yuan clenched his teeth and led everyone to fly towards the stone steps.
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