Chapter 1669: The Dragon-Tiger Mountain Underground Cave

Zhang Xuan was startled.

He had previously thought that the so-called Confucius Temple only contained the Spring and Autumn Annals and the legacy of Confucius, but now it seemed that, like the ruins, it held countless treasures and opportunities.

"Not only that, the Confucius Temple contains the literary aura and literary fortune left by Confucius. Even if one cannot find treasures, cultivating there would yield rapid progress, advancing by leaps and bounds. Especially for those who have hit a bottleneck in cultivation, it is said to contain the Heavenly Sound of the Sage's Words; if one listens carefully, breakthroughs come easily."

Looking at the second sun in the sky, Luo Ruoxin said solemnly, "In short, the opening of the Confucius Temple is a major event for all cultivators on the continent. At that time, not only humans, but also the Otherworldly Tribe and hidden sacred beasts will not miss this opportunity... Therefore, if you want to enter and gain something, you must be prepared and not act blindly!"

Zhang Xuan felt a chill.

The Otherworldly Tribe had countless experts, and many sacred beasts were also extremely terrifying. With such allure, once the Confucius Temple opened, even if the Master Teacher Academy had the power to block them, they would not do so.

The stakes were too high. If they tried to block it, it would be equivalent to cutting off the cultivation prospects of others, directly triggering a great war and causing countless casualties.

If the Otherworldly Tribe then took the opportunity to appear, the trouble would be immense.

The only solution was to get ahead, obtain the Spring and Autumn Annals, control the Confucius Temple, and seize the overall situation.

Although he possessed the Heaven-Transcending Talisman, Confucius had originally forged six of them, plus one mother talisman, making seven in total. As far as he knew, the Master Teacher Academy headquarters, the Zhang Clan, and the Luo Clan each had one, leaving three more, whose whereabouts were unclear.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Otherworldly Tribe and the Hundred Schools of Thought must also have them.

Moreover, those with special constitutions could also enter. Thus, not counting the outer areas, the number of people who could enter the Confucius Temple was unknown. Without prior preparation, they would indeed be at a disadvantage.

Not to mention others, the experts of the Hundred Schools of Thought had all kinds of treasures. If he encountered them, even with his greatly improved cultivation, he would certainly not gain any advantage.

His strength had increased, but he was still far from being able to look down on all the world's experts.

"Let's return to the Zhang Clan first and see how they are preparing!"

He did not know much about how to enter the Confucius Temple or how to find the Spring and Autumn Annals, but a large clan like the Zhang Clan must have been preparing for a long time.

Understanding this, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin did not hesitate. They tore through space and flew back.

With his cultivation greatly increased, the space he tore was more stable. Before long, the massive mansion of the Zhang Clan appeared before them.

Returning to the clan and walking a short distance, Zhang Xuan immediately sensed something amiss.

In the past, the Zhang Clan was always bustling with people, but now the huge mansion was deserted, with hardly a soul in sight.

"What's going on?"

He finally found an elder and asked hastily.

"Almost all the clan members above the Saint realm have gone to various underground caves to resist the offensive of the Otherworldly Tribe. The old clan leader and the matriarch have also set out!"

Seeing it was the clan leader, the elder quickly bowed and replied.

"All gone to the underground caves?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

At the Master Teacher Academy, he had sent a message back, asking the three great clans to prepare to support the academy. He hadn't expected that the entire clan would be almost empty, and even Xing and Meng Jian Sheng had already left.

"Which underground cave did they go to? Take me there!"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan said.

With the Confucius Temple opening, the Otherworldly Tribe certainly would not want to miss the opportunity. If this large-scale attack could not be repelled, what use would obtaining the Spring and Autumn Annals be?

Although that item could greatly increase one's strength, resisting another race required tens of thousands of master teachers. If the defenses were breached at this time and a crisis ensued, it would be truly troublesome.

No wonder the Master Teacher Academy was anxious. When they saw him, without any preparation, they gave him the green light and directly passed his Nine-Star Master Teacher assessment.

Otherwise, a single new educational concept would require countless students to verify over several years.

"Among the 108 underground caves, although all have shown signs of unrest, after investigation, most are feints that local master teacher academies can suppress. There are six that are truly under large-scale attack: first, the underground cave at the Master Teacher Academy headquarters, the Dragon Gate Underground Cave, the Ice Sea Underground Cave, the Cloud Sea Underground Cave, the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Underground Cave guarded by the Zhang Clan, and the Star Underground Cave guarded by the Luo Clan!"

"At the Master Teacher Academy headquarters, many Nine-Star Master Teachers are stationed, so no help is needed. For the Dragon Gate and Cloud Sea Underground Caves, War Son Zheng Yang has taken command in a time of crisis, succeeding as the head of the War Master Hall, leading countless war masters to suppress them. For the Ice Sea Underground Cave, the Ice Plain Palace, the Yuan Clan, the Saint Son Hall, and the Spirit Awakener Guild have gone to resist... Other sage clans and powerful guilds and forces are patrolling other underground caves to prevent changes. The Jiang Clan, together with our Zhang and Luo Clans, are jointly suppressing the Dragon-Tiger Mountain and Star Underground Caves!"

"The Otherworldly Tribe in these two underground caves are coming fiercely. The seal left by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu can no longer hold. All Zhang Clan members above Six-Star Master Teacher have already gone!"

The elder explained, "I am left in the clan to coordinate. In case of a crisis, I will transfer the remaining clansmen to preserve the bloodline!"

"The Dragon-Tiger Mountain Underground Cave? Is it right below here?"

Zhang Xuan's brows jumped.

He had long known that master teacher academies across the land not only gathered human destiny but, more importantly, suppressed scattered underground caves. He hadn't expected the Zhang Clan to be the same.

Dragon-Tiger Mountain was the mountain range adjacent to the Zhang Clan. The underground cave named after it was probably not far away.

"Yes, the entrance is below. If the clan leader wants to go, I will take you there now!"

The elder quickly nodded.

"Good, I'll go take a look!"

Zhang Xuan replied.

Even if the Confucius Temple had not yet opened, and even if it did, it was not as important as this.

"Clan leader, please follow me!"

Without hesitation, the elder led the way and soon arrived at a certain place, stopping.

"This is the Zhang Clan's ancestral cemetery?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

"Yes, the underground cave is right below!" The elder nodded.

"Using the spirits of ancestors to suppress it..." Zhang Xuan fell silent.

This was somewhat similar to the underground cave at the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Countless ancestors had fought against the Otherworldly Tribe all their lives, and after death, their spirits guarded the entrance of the underground cave, preventing them from breaking the seal and entering the continent.

"Only the spirits of ancestors can make them wary and dare not escape. Clan leader, the underground cave is ahead. I still have to transfer the clansmen, so I won't go further!"

The elder pointed ahead, then turned and left.

Once the Otherworldly Tribe broke through their defense here, the Zhang Clan would surely suffer a catastrophic disaster. They had to be transferred in advance; otherwise, if everyone perished, how could they continue to resist the enemy?

"Mm!"

Ignoring the other, Zhang Xuan stepped into the ancestral land of the Zhang Clan before him.

Countless stone tablets stood upright, each inscribed with a name. Every one of them was a pinnacle figure of their time... Unfortunately, none had escaped the erosion of time, all turning into a handful of yellow earth.

Even with unparalleled talent and immense natural endowments, after a thousand or ten thousand years, they would become like these people—lonely names on tombstones.

Without life, without consciousness, they would completely vanish into the river of history, leaving only their spirits to endure forever.