"In the territory of a Conferred Empire... Invincible?"

Luo Xuan's body stiffened, and his face went pale in fright.

Similar to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the Fleeting Cloud Sect, as a whole, was an Unranked Empire as well. Above them was Huanyu Tier-2 Empire, followed by Hongyuan Tier-1 Empire, and finally, Conferred Empire...

In other words, this Yang shi was an invincible existence even in an empire three levels higher than theirs!

It was no wonder why he didn't care for their lives at all. An expert of that level did possess the qualification to look down on them.

After recovering from the shock, Luo Xuan asked, "Teacher. What about Kong shi's handwritten letter..."

Their main purpose here was to secure Kong shi's handwritten letter. But given the other party's immense might, it would surely be impossible for them to steal it from him, so what else could they do next?

"You'd better forget about the matter regarding Kong shi's handwritten letter. It is best not to get involved in matters concerning high-tier master teachers or else it could bring a huge catastrophe to our sect!" Sect Leader Luo Huang instructed gravely.

To live in this world, one had to know their place. If Yang Xuan was only a half 5-star master teacher or even a 5-star master teacher, even if they couldn't obtain the letter, they would surely spread the news around so that he wouldn't be granted peace. But given that the other party was an 8-star master teacher, if they were to get on his bad side, that would really spell a disaster.

It was an unspoken rule to never speak of the affairs of high-ranked master teachers. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion would step forward to silence them if they dared to say anything unseemly about Yang shi.

A master teacher of that level was a precious asset to the Master Teacher Pavilion. It would be wise to feign ignorance of the matter unless one was tired of living.

"Yes!" Luo Xuan hurriedly nodded his head.

Just as the saying goes, 'a retainer should never gossip about their emperor'.

To gossip about one's superior was insubordination in itself, and in the strict hierarchy of master teachers, that could possibly warrant death.

"Also, from today onward, try to avoid contact with those from White Helios Sect... They are already done for," Sect Leader Luo Huang said.

White Helios Sect was another gigantic sect of a similar scale to their Fleeting Cloud Sect. In fact, there was a chance that the other party might overtake them in the near future to become the strongest power among the twenty-eight regional powers. But... it was a pity that they offended Yang shi, and their sect leader was killed.

Even if Yang shi was magnanimous enough to spare the White Helios Sect, the other sects would still try to avoid them for fear of getting on Yang shi's bad side. In fact, there might even be some, especially their enemies, who would make use of this opportunity to get even with them. It probably wouldn't take long for them to be split among the other powers and disappear in the annals of history.

This was the influence that a high-tier master teacher possessed.

Every single action of theirs could easily cause a chain effect.

In fact... even if Yang shi didn't make a move, just a word of his could make the other sects charge forward and tear him and Sect Leader Bai apart.

It was precisely the reason why he was willing to sacrifice himself just to have Yang shi's word to spare his sect. As long as Yang shi expressed his agreement to the matter, the other sects, in deference to Yang shi, wouldn't dare go that far.

After all, if Yang shi had agreed to sparing the Fleeting Cloud Sect, an attack on them would mean defying Yang shi, and that was no different from courting death!

The same scene was also occurring in the other sects.

The pressure from Yang shi's appearance was simply too great. Even if they wanted to spread rumors about Kong shi's handwritten letter, Huanyu Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would surely stop and silence them.

...

In the courtyard, everything regained calmness once more.

The fourteen powers who had come haughtily all ended up leaving with their heads lowered after paying twenty middle-tier spirit stones each.

"Yang shi..."

Looking at the expert in the air, Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others bowed respectfully.

"Un, you've done well. I'll go to your branch to conduct a lesson when I'm free!"

Yang shi nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Yang shi!"

Hearing the promise, Pavilion Master Kang and the others were delighted.

That was possibly an 8-star master teacher! A single lesson of his could possibly save years of needless effort from their part.

"Alright, you all should leave for now!"

After making the promise, Yang shi casually waved them away.

"Yes!"

Hurriedly nodding their heads, Pavilion Master Kang, Alliance Head Zhao, and the others were about to leave when Yang shi suddenly instructed, "Wait a moment. Free their bindings first before leaving!"

Zheng Yang, Sun Qiang, and the others' mouths had been bound by Sect Leader Luo Huang's zhenqi for trying to explain Zhang shi's actions.

Not expecting the formidable Yang shi to ask them to solve something so simple, Pavilion Master Kang and the others were stunned for a moment. Even so, they stepped forward and freed the few people of their restraints and fed them pills to heal their injuries.

After all was done, they clasped their fists and bowed. "We'll be taking our leave then!"

"Un!"

Yang shi nodded with his head tilted upward, seemingly thinking of something deep and profound. Then, with an unfathomable expression, he placed his hands behind his back and started walking toward the distance.

"Expert! This is a true expert!"

Seeing the other party's disposition and means, Pavilion Master Kang and Alliance Head Zhao found themselves filled with awe for him.

If this didn't constitute as an expert, nothing in the world could!

Despite being a high-rank master teacher, Yang shi didn't abuse his authority and strength and, instead, remained humble and magnanimous. Even though the other party had already barged into his residence, he allowed them to leave after paying some middle-tier spirit stones. And after all was done, he flung his sleeves and left freely, caring not for the matters of the secular world...

At this moment, all they felt for the other party was endless respect and awe.

They bowed to see the other party off when they suddenly heard the sound of something falling from the sky. Sounds reminiscent of 'putong!' and 'aiya!' could be heard. It seemed like someone had fallen from the sky.

They quickly raised their gazes to look around, but Yang shi had already disappeared. All that was left was an endless blue sky.

"Did... Yang shi just fall down?"

The few of them glanced at one another in disbelief.

The person who had just fallen from the sky... couldn't possibly be Yang shi, right?

But as soon as this idea popped into their mind, they immediately shook their heads.

You must be joking!

Yang shi was very possibly an 8-star master teacher, at that level of cultivation even an entire day of flight wouldn't result in his exhaustion. How could he possibly suddenly fall from the sky? He must have moved too fast such that he had disappeared from their eyes.

After reasoning it out within themselves, they hurriedly left the area.

"To think that the old master would be so formidable!"

"Grandteacher is indeed incredible!"

After the departure of the few people, the courtyard fell silent. Sun Qiang, Zheng Yang, and the others were still relishing in the excitement from watching Yang shi's incredible show of strength. Only Wang Ying rushed straight into the courtyard anxiously.

While everyone had been busy recuperating from their injuries, her eyes were fixated on 'Yang shi', and she saw how his face paled and fell from the sky.

If the other party was truly an 8-star master teacher, how could he possibly get exhausted by that short moment of flight and fall from the sky?

Zhang shi must have used some sort of unique method to push himself so as to resolve the crisis.

Upon rushing into the inner courtyard, she glanced at the area where Yang shi fell toward and saw a slight depression on the ground around the size of a head. Most likely, the other party must have crashed into the ground head first. But... why wasn't there anyone around?

"Where is he?"

After overexerting himself and falling from a high altitude, the other party must be injured. But why wasn't he around?

Wang Ying was worried.

"Wang Ying, what are you doing here instead of channeling the medicinal energy from the pill to heal your wounds?"

Just as Wang Ying was about to continue searching, a nonchalant voice sounded. Turning around, she saw Zhang shi standing not too far away with a frown on his face.

With a flushed face, Wang Ying hurriedly explained, "Teacher, I... I seemed to have seen Yang shi falling from the sky, and in fear that he might be injured, I came over to take a look!"

"Injured? You must be jesting. How could a person of my teacher's caliber get injured?"

Frowning, Zhang shi waved his hands casually. "Alright, you should leave and focus on your recuperation. I'm currently discussing Lu Chong's issue with teacher, and I don't wish to be interrupted!"

"Yes, teacher!"

Seeing that Zhang shi's clothes were completely intact, devoid of any signs that he had just fallen from the sky, Wang Ying could only clasp her fist and leave. She was truly perplexed by this bizarreness.

Was she really... mistaken?

Were Yang shi and Zhang shi two different people?

Otherwise, how could Zhang shi possibly be completely fine after falling from the sky, to the extent that there wasn't the slightest disturbance in his zhenqi?

Gritting her teeth, Wang Ying thought confidently, 'Even if I'm mistaken about this matter, I'm certain about the mark Mo Hunsheng left on teacher's neck!'

She had made sure to verify the mark multiple times previously, and she was certain of it! Even if she failed to prove anything this time, she was confident of her conjecture!

'I should try to look for teacher the next time Yang shi appears...' Wang Ying thought.

Since Zhang shi refused to admit the matter, it would be inappropriate for her to ask about it. The only way she could verify her theory was to confirm that Zhang shi was absent whenever Yang shi was around. If she could prove that, then there was high chance that they were the same person!

By then, Zhang shi wouldn't be able to refute her argument anymore.

With such a thought, Wang Ying left.

As soon as she left, Zhang Xuan immediately smiled bitterly and returned to his room.

If Wang Ying was still present at this moment, she would surely be able to verify that Yang shi and Zhang shi were the same person from his back view.

That's because... the back of Zhang shi's head was cloaked with dust. In fact, even his pants were completely soiled. If not for the stone pillars hiding his figure, he would have surely been exposed.

...

Returning to the room, Zhang Xuan quickly changed his clothes, and only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

Wang Ying's conjecture was spot-on—Yang shi was indeed him.

If he had appeared as Zhang Xuan just now, it was likely that a fight would have broken out. Given his current cultivation realm, he wouldn't be a match for all of those experts.

Left without a choice, he could disguise himself and appear as Yang shi.

As for the powerful aura he exuded, that mainly came from Mo Hunsheng.

After being trapped in the Nine Hearts Lotus for so many years, the other party's grasp over his cultivation became weak, and the only thing impressive about him at the moment was his disposition. But in this situation, it happened to be what Zhang Xuan needed the most.

Due to the other party's accumulation over the years, the powerful aura the other party's soul exuded was comparable to even a Half-Saint. On top of that, in order to further convince the crowd of his cultivation, Zhang Xuan appeared from the skies. From the very start, everyone was already convinced that he was a Saint, and that was the main reason why he wasn't exposed.

As for Sect Leader Luo Huang's injuries, it was caused by Zhang Xuan's ability as a soul oracle.

His current soul cultivation was at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle. While it would be hard for him to match the other party in a straightforward fight... in a battle of souls, Zhang Xuan would never lose to the other party.

After all, a Consonant Spirit realm expert would have barely started the cultivation of his soul. There was no way a novice soul could match up to a powerful soul which had even been tempered by the Yin-Yang Lake.

But still, if Sect Leader Luo Huang had retaliated, Zhang Xuan's attack might have collapsed, and he would be exposed. It was fortunate the impression of Yang shi's invincibility as a Saint had been deeply imprinted into Sect Leader Luo Huang's mind, thus making him dare not retaliate at all for fear of inducing the other party's wrath.

As for the Soul Impartation afterward, while it did look formidable, it was actually rather simple. Back then, Mo Hunsheng had also transferred the soul cultivation techniques to him via the same method, and after grasping it, it wasn't too difficult for him to do the same to Xue Yiyao as well.

And regarding the Demon Cinque Beast's breakthrough, it was something he had done on many occasions before.

Everything was perfect, and the only flaw was the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps. Even with his higher cultivation and zhenqi capacity, he could still only sustain flight for ten minutes or so.

Naturally, the reason why he fell vertically down was due to his zhenqi being sapped dry.

It was fortunate that no one noticed it. Otherwise, all of his effort from before would have gone to waste.

"Sigh, what is this..."

It was just a moment ago that he inspired everyone's awe and fear. Yet, the next instant, he ended up crashing into the ground and nearly spewing blood. The huge contrast between the two left Zhang Xuan dismal.

The Red Dust Heaven Ascending Step was indeed formidable, and being able to fly was something to rejoice about... However, during its course of activation, one was unable to sense the amount of zhenqi one had left, thus creating a high tendency for one to abruptly fall from the sky.

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan was able to sustain all the way to the end. Otherwise, if he were to fall in the midst of threatening the others, it would have been hard to explain himself.

"Looks like... Wang Ying managed to see through my disguise!"

Recalling how Wang Ying rushed into the inner courtyard and the doubt on her face, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Given that Wang Ying noticed something as well, there was a good chance that the others might have noticed something as well.

If others were to learn that the unparalleled 'Yang shi' was just a made-up character, the group from before would surely return to cripple him.

"Looks like I should forge my clone soon... With a clone, I would be able to appear simultaneously in both identities, and no one will doubt me anymore!"

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists tightly.

He had learnt the Soul Severing Technique from Mo Hunsheng, and using the Nine Hearts Lotus as the foundation, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to forge a clone. However, it would require vast amount of spiritual energy for him to do so, and thus, he had been putting off the matter. However, with at least 600 middle-tier spirit stones in his possession at the moment, he could afford such expenditure already.

"I should raise my cultivation first!"

The Nine Hearts Lotus hadn't matured yet, and the best way to induce its maturity was through vast quantity of Heaven's Path zhenqi... With so many middle-tier spirit stones in his hand now, that wasn't a problem.

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the Spirit Gathering Formation plate, activated it, and sat in the middle of the formation. Following which, he casually threw out a dozen of middle-tier spirit stones and began driving the Heaven's Path Divine Art. The dense spiritual energy in the surroundings began rushing into his body.

The overwhelming spiritual energy flowing through his body left Zhang Xuan with an indescribably soothing sensation, and warm tears gathered in his eyes.

In the past two months, he had been suffering from a huge shortage of spirit stones, resulting in a huge need for him to be thrifty. This was the first time he could afford to cultivate so extravagantly!

It seemed like there was a need for him to extort from those fellows a few more times in the future. After all, he would surely need even more spirit stones in the future.

Hong long long!

Under the surge of spiritual energy, his consumed zhenqi was swiftly replenished, and soon, with a slight buzzing sound, he reached Transcendent Mortal 2-dan pinnacle!

But Zhang Xuan didn't just stop there.

Origin Energy realm pinnacle!

Yin-Yang realm primary stage!

...

Yin-Yang realm pinnacle!

Two hours later, Zhang Xuan successfully reached Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle!

His zhenqi strength totaled up to 1,000,000 ding, which was 200,000 ding greater than other Yin-Yang realm pinnacle cultivators. That was already comparable to a Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage cultivator!

(Ordinary Yin-Yang realm primary stage cultivators possess a strength of 500,000 ding, intermediate stage 600,000 ding, advanced stage 700,000 ding, and pinnacle 800,000 ding! Clarifying Turbidity realm primary stage cultivator start with 1,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 1,200,000 ding, advanced stage 1,400,000 ding, and pinnacle 1,600,000 ding.)

Adding the strength of 1,600,000 ding derived from his soul cultivation, the maximum strength he could wield at the moment was a hulking 2,600,000 ding!

With this strength, he could even match a Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage expert.

(Consonant Spirit realm primary stage 2,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 2,400,000 ding, advanced stage 2,800,000 ding, and pinnacle 3,200,000 ding,)

That was something completely unheard of!

"Now, I should nurture the Nine Hearts Lotus..."

As Zhang Xuan didn't have sufficient Transcendent Mortal 4-dan cultivation techniques to form the corresponding complete Heaven's Path Divine Art, he could only stop here. Thus, flicking his wrist, he took out the Nine Hearts Lotus, grabbed it, and began infusing huge amount of zhenqi in.

"AH... DON'T KILL ME..."

But as soon as zhenqi seeped into the lotus, a sound reminiscent of a pig being butchered echoed in the air-Mo Hunsheng.

"Ah, pardon me. I forgot your existence..."

Too anxious to nurture the lotus to maturity, Zhang Xuan forgot that the fellow hiding in the lotus was particularly fearful of Heaven's Path zhenqi.

"..." Mo Hunsheng was in tears.

I had just expended myself to save you and you actually forgot about me so quickly? How heartless can you be?

"Don't worry. I'll pull you out now," Zhang Xuan said sheepishly. As long as Mo Hunsheng remained in the lotus, he wouldn't be able to drive the lotus's maturity with his zhenqi.

As a 6-star soul oracle, Mo Hunsheng would be able survive for a very long time out of the lotus. Otherwise, Zhang Xuan could also loan him the Soulless Metal Humanoid to house his soul.

As for how he should get Mo Hunsheng out, Zhang Xuan had already thought of an idea.

Since the other party needed a soul to take his place so that he could escape, he would just have to make one for him.

"Soul Severing Technique!"

Seated cross-legged, Zhang Xuan drew his soul out. Then, following the method which Mo Hunsheng taught him beforehand, he began splitting his soul in two.

Since there was no other soul he could use, he would just have to use his own.

Furthermore, it just so happened that Zhang Xuan wanted to use the Nine Hearts Lotus to forge a clone. A portion of his soul would have to enter the Nine Hearts Lotus eventually, so this wasn't a problem at all.

Absorbing the dense spiritual energy from the surroundings, Zhang Xuan slowly tore his soul into two.

The severing of a soul was, in essence, no different from tearing one's body into two. The pain that one had to suffer during the process was unimaginable.

Furthermore, it was an extremely risky technique. The slightest mistake could possibly result in the dissipation of one's soul.

If not for having brought the technique up to the level of Heaven's Path, he would have surely dared not cultivate this technique. The success rate was simply too low.

Back then, it had taken astounding luck on Mo Hunsheng's part to successfully split his soul in two.

Soon, the three-meters large soul was severed into two human-sized ones.

"Done..."

After severing his soul, Zhang Xuan had one portion return back to his physical body before exhaling deeply. At his moment, his face was incomparably white.

"Most probably, I won't be able to utilize my soul energy for a period of time!"

This was unlike what he did in the case of Lu Chong, where he only needed to sever a small portion of it.

This time, his soul was divided in two. It would take at least two months for him to recover to his original condition. He had to avoid using his soul energy during this period of time or else he would risk aggravating his injuries.