Chapter 1215: Siege

There were over a hundred of these soulless golden men, their pitch-black eyes reflecting red light under the glow of the night pearls, giving a sinister and terrifying feeling, as if one had suddenly entered a graveyard surrounded by countless corpses.

"Damn it!"

Everyone felt as if their heads were about to explode. They huddled together, looking around with utmost vigilance.

The cave entrance had been sealed by the Dragon-Breaking Lock, meaning there was no escape; they could only move forward. But with so many golden men before them, how could they fight?

Swish!

Before their shock had subsided, a soulless golden man charged over, its figure darting swiftly as its palm slashed down.

Palm force radiated, true energy surged, and everyone immediately felt an intense pressure.

"These soulless golden men are all at the peak of the Divine Origin realm, refined through special methods. Their physical bodies and true energy remain intact, and most crucially, they fear neither death nor pain..."

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

If he didn't enter, he wouldn't meet the ruthless man and couldn't completely resolve the隐患.

But upon entering, he hadn't expected this man to be so deranged as to capture over a hundred Saint Realm 4 masters and refine them into golden men!

"Hmph!"

Hall Master Wei stepped forward and slapped the charging golden man to the ground. Just as he was about to tear it apart, an elder from the Master Teacher Hall blocked his way: "This is Elder Wang of our Master Teacher Hall, an old acquaintance of mine... Could you spare the corpse and let me take it back for burial..."

"This..."

Hall Master Wei was about to speak when the golden man he had knocked down charged at him again, ramming him and forcing him back several steps. He felt a tightness in his chest and nearly spat blood.

As a War Master, although his combat strength far exceeded that of the golden man, this creature felt no pain or danger, making it troublesome even for him.

"If we don't kill them, we'll be killed. If you want to die here, don't drag us down!"

With his chest tight and seeing the other golden men beginning to move, ready to charge at any moment, Hall Master Wei couldn't help but shout.

"This..."

The elder's face turned ugly.

He recognized many of the surrounding corpses, some of whom were friends he had known for centuries. He had hoped to at least bring the bodies back for a proper burial, but given the current situation, that was impossible!

Boom!

Just as he was caught in hesitation, a soulless golden man charged over, its five fingers like hooks tearing at him.

"Elder Hu..."

Seeing this person, memories of the past flooded back. The elder's emotions surged, his eyes reddened, and his movements slowed by half a beat. His shoulder was slashed, blood streaming down.

"Elder Zeng, he is no longer Elder Hu. His consciousness has dissipated; he has become a dead man..."

Seeing that this elder was still immersed in past friendships, Zhang Xuan frowned.

The people of the War Master Hall, having experienced life and death, knew what to do when danger came and could quickly set aside past emotions to fight with full force.

The people of the Master Teacher Hall, however, were somewhat lacking in this regard, being too sentimental.

"He..."

Elder Zeng's face was full of conflict. He gritted his teeth: "Yes!"

Taking a deep breath, he flipped his palm and met the attack.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The surrounding soulless golden men all charged at once, encircling the group.

Clatter!

With so many Divine Origin realm experts attacking simultaneously, everyone immediately felt immense pressure, as if they might not be able to hold out.

"Master Zhang, what should we do now?"

After striking down two charging golden men with consecutive palm blows, Hall Master Liao couldn't help but ask.

These creatures felt no pain, knew no death; only by cutting off their heads would they stop moving... With over a hundred attacking at once, even though their strength was not weak, they were on the verge of serious injury at any moment.

"Soulless golden men are controlled by someone to act. Find the controller and kill him, and the danger will naturally be resolved..."

Zhang Xuan frowned.

These golden men must be controlled by someone to attack like this. As long as he found that person, he should be able to eliminate the隐患.

"Alright, we'll hold on. Master Zhang, find him as quickly as possible!"

Gritting his teeth, Hall Master Wei shouted: "Everyone, form a formation to protect Master Zhang, Hall Master Xing, and Master Wu!"

Swish!

As his words ended, everyone immediately formed a circle, guarding Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Xing, and Master Wu in the center, watching their surroundings warily.

The formation Zhang Xuan had taught them, when combined, was extremely powerful. Even with over a hundred golden men attacking, they couldn't break through in a short time.

"Master Zhang, should we take action..."

Protected in the center, Master Wu's face was full of conflict as he secretly transmitted a message.

His injuries had long been healed by Master Zhang's true energy; his current weakness was only a disguise.

"Don't rush. You two are our trump cards; you can't be exposed yet..."

Zhang Xuan transmitted back.

"But I'm afraid they won't be able to hold on..."

"It's fine. Although these soulless golden men are formidable, breaking through the formation will be somewhat difficult. Let me first see who is controlling them; perhaps I can find the whereabouts of Qingtian Emperor's teacher!"

Zhang Xuan said.

In truth, with his strength, he could easily break through the siege of these hundred golden men. The reason he hadn't acted was to follow the vine and find out who was controlling this group, and then capture that person!

If it were a ruthless person, it would be even simpler: find the location, identify the weakness, and then subdue them in one fell swoop.

Once successful, the hidden danger of the Master Hall would be completely eliminated.

The Eye of Clarity squirmed as his spiritual sense spread, and Zhang Xuan looked toward these golden figures.

They were refined from living masters, their souls erased but their bodies preserved. In each one's eyes, a flickering flame danced—likely a special form of will.

The reason they could attack the group was precisely due to the guidance of this will.

"Let's see where this will comes from!"

Picking a golden figure at random, Zhang Xuan examined it closely. His eyes flickered, the patterns on them multiplying, and a thin line appeared in the room, connecting to it.

These thin lines were like a fishing net; each golden figure was linked by one, like marionettes on strings. All the threads converged, stretching straight toward the depths of the hall.

"This guy has formidable soul power..."

Zhang Xuan's expression turned grave.

Controlling over a hundred golden figures to launch different attacks and engage in different battles... This required immense soul power; even he would find it difficult.

"There's a formation blocking the way ahead..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

Looking further inward, before the threads reached their end, a formation obstructed his view.

Without seeing the end, he couldn't locate the ruthless person's exact position, and they would remain passive.

"Everyone, hold on. I'll go ahead and take a look..."

With a flicker of his body, Zhang Xuan flew up from the protection of the group and sped off in the direction the threads were heading.

Only by fighting these golden figures could he keep the opponent controlling them; otherwise, once all the golden figures were eliminated and control ceased, the threads would break, and even finding them would be impossible.

Whoosh!

Before he had flown far, three golden figures charged at him, tearing toward him with狂暴 force.

"Master Zhang, be careful..."

Hall Master Liao hurriedly called out.

Before his words faded, he saw Master Zhang in the air, not even turning his face, not even glancing at the golden figures, as he lightly stamped his foot in the air.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The three golden figures fell from the air, lying flat on the ground, unable to lift their heads.

"Ahh..."

They struggled desperately, but it was as if a mountain pressed down on them, leaving them utterly unable to move.

"So strong..."

Hall Master Liao's mouth twitched.

These golden figures were fearless of death; even he would find it difficult to defeat them. But Master Zhang merely touched them lightly with his foot and pinned them to the ground... His strength was so great that even three of him combined would be no match!

"Half a month ago, when I fought him, I barely escaped with my life and couldn't withstand him... In such a short time, he's become this powerful. Such talent..."

He shook his head with a bitter smile.

Just over half a month ago, when he first met this Master Zhang, he, Hall Master Xing, and Palace Master Wei had attacked together and nearly killed him. Although his combat awareness was strong, his strength and attacks were too weak to withstand their onslaught...

But now, even if the three of them joined forces, they seemed no match for him!

Having lived for centuries, he had seen many geniuses, but... this man's rate of progress, even witnessed with his own eyes, was unbelievable and unheard of.

...

Unaware of the shock he had caused Palace Master Liao with a casual display, he continued walking, having pinned the three golden figures to the ground with a single stomp.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without any visible movement, every golden figure that charged at him was sent flying backward, plastered against the ground or walls, stuck so firmly they couldn't be pried off.

With his cultivation at the peak of the Fetal Infant realm, his combat power was already comparable to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, far beyond what these golden figures at the Primordial Spirit realm could contend with.

After walking forward for a while and knocking back more than twenty golden figures that came to attack, Zhang Xuan finally reached the end of the hall.

The fine lines in his eyes disappeared here, as if extending into the depths of the wall, or perhaps they simply didn't exist.

"It's a celestial mechanism!"

Zhang Xuan glanced at the wall and frowned.

This was no ordinary wall, but one constructed with mechanisms. Clearly, the one controlling the golden figures' minds was hidden behind it.

"These mechanisms might trap others, but trying to stop me..."

He shook his head and gently touched the wall with his palm.

Whoosh!

A book appeared in his mind.

The moment his fingertip touched it, the knowledge within became memory.

"So it was set up by a七星 peak Artisan... It seems among those golden figures, there is also an Artisan!"

After reading the contents, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Qingyuan City might not have an Artisan Guild, but that didn't mean the entire Qingyuan Empire lacked one.

The mechanisms laid out by a七星 peak Artisan would be hard for an ordinary person to crack without knowing the layout, but he was different. With the library's knowledge entering his mind, he now understood this mechanism like the back of his hand.

He pressed his fingers together like a sword and tapped seven or eight times on the wall ahead.

Click! Click!

A sound of springs and gears rang out, and then he saw the wall in front of him split open to both sides, revealing a passage. The thin threads that had disappeared earlier were now spreading inward.

Without hesitation, he walked straight in. After only two steps, he suddenly felt a sword aura rushing straight toward his brow, shooting at him fiercely.