Chapter 673: Ominous Signs

Just now, he took the initiative to give this secret manual to Teacher Zhang, saying it was a legacy, too embarrassed to look at it. I was impressed by such virtue, and then he performed it...

Did you read it or not?

And... didn't he say even a genius would need at least two years to master it?

How long has he been practicing?

He memorized the content and then immediately mastered it, and so powerfully...

Teacher, are you really Teacher Zhang, or is Wu Yangzi resurrected?

Luo Qiqi was utterly dumbfounded, her whole being unsettled.

She felt her worldview was overturned.

"Let's go?"

Zhang Xuan leaped over the Dragon-Breaking Lock in one bound, and seeing the girl in a daze, called out.

"Teacher... was that the Five Radiance Golden Body you just used?"

After stepping off the stone steps, unable to hold back, Luo Qiqi asked.

"In a way, yes, in a way, no."

Zhang Xuan shook his head, looking displeased: "Expediency forced my hand. I didn't want to learn it, but without it, I couldn't open this Dragon-Breaking Lock, so I learned it. However, this technique is troublesome to cultivate, so I casually modified it. Even so, it has major flaws; I only cultivated the first layer!"

He was truly frustrated. Initially, seeing only four flaws, he was delighted. But upon cultivation, he realized... he had been duped.

These four flaws were in the second, third, fourth, and fifth layers respectively. To cultivate them, he needed various rare items.

For example, to cultivate the second layer, he needed Earth Core Lava Rock; for the third layer, he needed Primordial Heavy Water...

Previously, the Heavenly Dao Golden Body only required Heavenly Dao True Qi; when had he ever prepared such things?

Having fused hundreds of body-tempering techniques, he still needed these items—this technique was too much of a scam!

Fortunately, the first layer required no other medicines, only Heavenly Dao True Qi to master; otherwise, he would have been frustrated to death on the spot.

He was deeply annoyed, but Luo Qiqi beside him was about to go mad.

Casually modified?

And... major flaws?

This was a peak Spirit-level technique, maybe even higher! I just finished reading it, and not only did you comprehend it, you modified it, and not only modified it, you mastered it...

And you even think it has flaws!

Are you a prodigy or just messing with me?

I've seen many geniuses, many heaven-defying experts, but never one so heaven-defying!

Her vision blurring, Luo Qiqi's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

She felt that this Teacher Zhang could make anything impossible seem natural and理所当然.

"Hmm? Did they not come out, or have they already left?"

Just as she was too shocked to speak, she heard the young man's voice continue. She quickly looked up and saw Teacher Zhang had crossed the small bridge and arrived at another stone door, frowning.

Yu Fei'er, Xing Yuan, and the others had entered this stone door, while they had entered another. After spending at least seven or eight hours, they thought the others would have waited long enough. But now, in the spacious stone chamber, only a few night pearls shone, and no one was in sight.

Had they left or not come out?

Startled, she stopped her wild thoughts and hurried over.

After looking around, Luo Qiqi's face turned pale: "They probably haven't come out. If they had returned, they would have come to find us. The night pearls haven't been moved, and there are no traces, which means... they are likely still inside the stone door, not out."

From her understanding of Yu Fei'er, once out, she would definitely come find them. Now, with no traces left in the underground palace, it meant that Xing Yuan, Yu Fei'er, Wu Zhen, and Ye Qian, after so long, were likely still trapped inside the stone door, unable to get out.

"Mm."

She could judge that, and Zhang Xuan, with his Principle-Seeing Eye, had already confirmed it. But his gaze at the stone door was full of doubt: "This door doesn't have a Dragon-Breaking Lock, so why haven't they come out?"

"No?"

Luo Qiqi then noticed that behind the stone door was a row of downward stone steps, with no Dragon-Breaking Lock sealing the door.

In other words... the door was open!

If so, why hadn't they come out?

"Teacher Wu Yangzi said that the underground palace we went to was a prison specifically for him, and this side was where the Spirit Race lived... He also said that all these Spirit Race people were turned into puppets by him. Could it be..."

Thinking of something, Luo Qiqi's pretty face turned pale.

Wu Yangzi had killed so many Spirit Race people. In the underground palace we just visited, we only saw one. If all of them were here...

"Quick, let's go see!"

Zhang Xuan's face also changed.

Although he had no great fondness for Yu Fei'er and the others, he had no ill will either. He couldn't just watch them be killed by these Spirit Race puppets.

"Mm."

Knowing her sisters and classmates might be in danger, Luo Qiqi didn't dare delay and quickly followed him down.

The stone steps were as cold and chilly as before.

Earlier on the stone bridge, it was said that each person could only enter one door. Now it seemed that once you entered this side, with so many Spirit Race puppets besieging you, there was no return, and you couldn't enter the second door.

As for entering the one they had gone to, if you didn't get the legacy, you died; if you got it, you knew this place was likely the Spirit Race's lair and wouldn't enter either.

Choosing between the two was essentially choosing between life and death!

"I hope they're okay."

Gripping the Ice Rain Sword in his palm, Zhang Xuan clenched his fist.

If he had known it was so dangerous here, he would have stopped them no matter what. If the four of them really died inside, he would feel some guilt.

After walking for a while, just before entering the underground palace, Zhang Xuan stopped: "Don't go in. Wait up here. I'll go alone."

"Teacher..."

Luo Qiqi was startled.

"You're too weak and not good at escaping. If they're in trouble, going in won't help; it'll just get more people caught. If they're fine... I'll bring them out."

Zhang Xuan said.

With someone following, he couldn't use many of his techniques. It was better to let Luo Qiqi go up first.

"This... okay."

After hesitating, Luo Qiqi gritted her teeth and nodded.

Her strength was indeed insufficient, especially against those puppets. If she went in, she might end up in a tough fight like before.

This time, it wasn't just one; there could be many. Once entangled, even with the Ice Rain Sword, a half-saint weapon, it would be hard to escape.

After all, Teacher Zhang had only managed to kill that creature by using a trick, trapping it with the Red Flame Cauldron. Otherwise, in a direct confrontation, the opponent wouldn't have given him a chance to kill.

"Teacher, be careful... No matter what happens to them, you must ensure your own safety first!" Luo Qiqi looked at him with concern.

"Don't worry, I can fly. If I can't win, I can still escape." Zhang Xuan said.

"Mm, I'll wait for you outside."

Hearing this, Luo Qiqi recalled his many miraculous abilities, felt somewhat relieved, nodded, turned, and walked away, disappearing into the darkness after a moment.

Seeing her leave, Zhang Xuan didn't enter the underground palace immediately. Instead, he sat cross-legged and took a deep breath.

Whoosh!

With a thought, his soul left his body.

If there were indeed a dozen or so of those Spirit Race puppets like the one he encountered earlier inside, even if he could fly, he wouldn't escape.

After all, this was an underground palace, not the open sky. Limited by height, if they all charged at once, he couldn't dodge.

Thus, using his soul to scout the terrain and find Yu Fei'er and the others was the best approach.

The soul was formless and intangible; even the Spirit Race couldn't detect it.

Whoosh!

His soul left his body and immediately flew up, heading straight into the underground palace.

Inside the palace, there were night pearls placed earlier by Xing Yuan and the others. Though the light was dim, it was enough to see the surroundings.

Looking around, this place was much larger than Wu Yangzi's dungeon, with no end in sight.

No wonder it was where countless Spirit Race people lived—various buildings stacked upon each other. If not for the gloom, one might think they had entered a city.

"To have allowed the Spirit Race to live here for tens of thousands of years, no wonder..."

Zhang Xuan nodded to himself.

This place had housed an entire Spirit Race clan for tens of thousands of years. If it were built like a prison, just a straight tube, even he wouldn't believe it.

He flew forward along the light.

Since there were night pearls, they must have been left by Yu Fei'er and the others. Following the light would surely lead to them.

"Traces of battle..."

After flying a short distance, his face darkened.

Under the night pearls' glow, many buildings ahead had collapsed, and there was blood on the ground. Clearly, someone had fought here.

"Principle-Seeing Eye!"

The patterns on his eyes writhed as he looked.

"Seven hours ago... It seems they left this."

The Principle-Seeing Eye was a reward from the Heaven-Approved Master. Even as a soul, he could still use it, easily discerning when these traces were left.

After observation, he confirmed they were from over seven hours ago.

It seemed that shortly after Yu Fei'er and the others entered, they encountered something and fought.

"Why is it so quiet? Could they... have been killed?"

He found it strange.

Since there was a battle, they must have encountered danger. If they were still alive, they should be fighting. Why was this underground palace so silent, without a sound?

His eyes glowing, he continued looking forward. The ground then seemed to reveal a row of messy footprints.

These footprints were small, clearly human.

"They are their footprints."

After the third Heaven-Approved Master ceremony, the Principle-Seeing Eye's power had grown stronger. These uncovered footprints were easily discerned. Zhang Xuan followed them closely, but after flying a short distance, he stopped abruptly.

Creak! Creak!

Footsteps approached from not far away. By the light of the night pearls on the street, he saw a huge puppet striding over.

This big fellow was similar to the one he had killed earlier, its body bluish-gray, as if cast from steel.

Zhang Xuan's soul cultivated the Heavenly Dao technique, lacking any yin-cold aura, so the puppet didn't detect him. Just as he flew over its head, he saw several more puppets walking side by side.

"So many indeed..."

Before even finding the people, he had seen at least seven or eight puppets made from Spirit Race people. Zhang Xuan's heart clenched.

Encountering so many, even he would surely die. It seemed that Yu Fei'er, Xing Yuan, and the others... were in grave danger.