52 Chapter 1209: Heading to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows (1/2)
Zhang Xuan could see through Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er's thoughts, but as he already had someone that he loved, he did not want to get involved with anyone else. While it was inevitable that they would be depressed for a period of time, this was at least better than prolonging their pain.
Often, hesitation and indecisiveness were what hurt others the most in a relationship.
After watching Yu Fei-er depart, Zhang Xuan stood quietly for a moment to calm down his vexed mind before heading to look for Hall Master Xing.
What was more important at the moment was to resolve the issue with Vicious. Otherwise, if they let that fellow be, it was only a matter of time before a calamity befell the Qingyuan Empire. Many master teachers would lose their lives, and even Zhang Xuan would be placed in a deeply precarious position.
After all, as a Celestial Master Teacher, his significance was simply too great to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Even if Vicious was trapped at the moment and could not make a move himself, as long as he leaked the news, Zhang Xuan's good days would be over, and he would be forced into an endless game of hide-and-seek.
Upon hearing the story from Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Xing replied with a resolute gaze, ”Our Combat Master Hall is a part of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so there's no way we can stay out of this! Zhang shi, I'll head to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows with you!”
Given that an Otherworldly Demon actually dared make a move against the Master Teacher Pavilion, as the head of the Combat Master Hall, it was his responsibility to step up and vanquish that Otherworldly Demon!
”Alright. It'll suffice to bring two of your strongest subordinates along. It'll be best for our expedition team to not be too big, or else we will catch the enemy's attention easily. If the enemy notices our presence and guards against us, it'll make our mission more difficult than ever,” Zhang Xuan said.
As an existence who had rivaled Kong shi in the past, Vicious was an opponent who they could not afford to underestimate. They might still stand a chance against him if they caught him off guard, but it would be a different story if he anticipated their arrival and made preparations to deal with them.
Even if Vicious had fallen from his former glory, the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over countless years were still far beyond theirs. The slightest carelessness against such an opponent could very well cost them their lives.
”I understand.” Knowing how grave the matter was, Hall Master Xing nodded before taking his leave to make preparations.
Not too long later, Hall Master Xing appeared once more with Division Head Liao of the Heart Division and Division Head Wei of the Inner Breath Division behind him.
”They are the ones who started to cultivate the Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra the earliest, so their mental resilience could be considered the strongest within the Combat Master Hall at the moment. If the other party is truly a soul oracle who specializes in soul arts, they will be the best candidates to bring with us for the expedition!” Hall Master Xing said.
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
Soul oracles were skilled in confounding the soul, producing illusions and the sort to incapacitate one. Those with stronger mental resilience would be in a significantly safer position.
As the head of the Heart Division, there was no doubt about Division Head Liao's mental resilience. On the other hand, Division Head Wei was one of the first few to have learned the revised Vitreous Heart Tempering Sutra that Zhang Xuan had given to the Combat Master Hall, and his mental resilience had been reinforced significantly. Furthermore, the fighting prowess of the duo was second only to Hall Master Xing, so they were indeed the ideal candidates to fight against Vicious.
Zhang Xuan looked at them grimly. ”This expedition to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows will be very dangerous. Our opponent possesses means far beyond our imagination, and there's a good chance that you might not return alive. Even so, are you still willing to follow us there?”
Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao replied without any hesitation.
”Principal Zhang, we know that.”
”The purpose behind the creation of the Combat Master Hall is to deal with potential threats that humanity may face on the frontlines. As long as we are able to protect our brethren, death is nothing to fear!”
Seeing the resolve that the both of them had, Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. ”Well said! Alright, let's head to the Master Teacher Pavilion to liaise with Wu shi.”
Thus, the four of them began making their way over to the Master Teacher Pavilion.
Upon arriving at the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan saw that Wu shi had also prepared four personnel to follow them to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows. Three of them were 7-star pinnacle master teachers, old elders who had been in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion since a very long time ago, so their loyalty was indubitable. The last one was surprisingly a familiar face—Zhang Jiuxiao.
”Jiuxiao has been to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows before, and he entered the Ghost Cavern as well. I believe that the hiding place of the mastermind behind the Qingtian Emperor is likely related to that mysterious place, so I think that it would be good to have him lead the way for us,” Wu shi said.
”This…” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.
There was not much about Vicious in the Qingtian Emperor's memory, and it had not been too detailed either. It was not due to the lacking ability of his Soul Search but because Vicious was a highly capable soul oracle as well, and he had erased the Qingtian Emperor's memory about him in advance in case a mishap happened.
As such, the information that Zhang Xuan had of Vicious was not complete.
Since Zhang Jiuxiao had been to the Ghost Cavern before, it would be for the best if he could lead them there.
Zhang Jiuxiao turned to look at Zhang Xuan and said with determination, ”Zhang shi, I know that we had some conflicts in the past, but this matter concerns the future of mankind. As fellow master teachers, I hope that we can put our differences aside and work together on this matter.”
Bewildered by Zhang Jiuxiao's words, Zhang Xuan replied in a daze, ”My thoughts exactly…”
Due the affairs concerning Luo Ruoxin, he had inevitably become a little prejudiced against the Zhang Clan, thinking that it was a snobbish and domineering clan that paid no heed to the feelings of others. However, seeing how Zhang Jiuxiao was willing to put aside their personal grudges during a crucial moment like this, his opinion of the Zhang Clan could not help but change slightly for the better.
Just as Zhang Xuan was still harboring such thoughts in his mind, the eyebrows of the young man before him shot up as he continued. ”You might appear to be an insurmountable wall before me at the moment, but it'll only be a matter of time before I surpass you. I'll have you know that I, Zhang Jiuxiao, am a true genius!”
”Surpass me?” Once again, Zhang Xuan did not expect Zhang Jiuxiao to have such thoughts in mind. He shook his head helplessly and said, ”Whatever pleases you…”
Surpass him?
Perhaps there might really be geniuses in the world who were capable of pulling it off, but without a doubt, the young man before him was not one of such people.
Be it in terms of state of mind, fighting prowess, supporting occupations… Forget it, he could probably list on till the end of time. As a human, it was still good to have dreams, no matter how implausible they were.
”Since everyone is here, let's set off!”
After confirming the personnel for their expedition, Wu shi found the strongest aerial saint beast in the Master Teacher Pavilion and had everyone step aboard it. Before long, they were already on their way to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows.
The Marshlands of the Northern Meadows was slightly north of the Northern Meadows City, roughly several million li away from Qingyuan City. Even though the aerial saint beast they were riding on had already reached Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, it would still take around six days before they arrived at their destination.