Chapter 1485: Surrender or Die!

Hearing the heavy accusations leveled at him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and waved his hand, saying, “Stop!”

Though the words were harsh, they carried much truth.

The Hall of Saints was the highest institution on the continent; even if it couldn't quite match the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it wasn't far off. Here, commanding a spirit beast to attack the Hall Master and elders meant crossing the bottom line of the rules. Once word got out, he would be hunted across the entire continent at any moment!

“Roar!”

Hearing the command, the Qilin Beast, though furious, dared not disobey and halted its descending force.

Only then did Master Zhan and Elder Ge breathe a sigh of relief, feeling sweat drench their clothes, soaking them through.

If it hadn't stopped and the force had come down, even if they didn't die, they would have been severely injured.

“I don't wish to fight the two of you, but I have urgent matters that cannot be delayed. I hope you'll understand.”

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists.

Attacking them was a last resort.

If he didn't fight, he would have been caught and sent back to the Zhang Clan. With such a commotion, if he were taken back, that Grand Elder would surely devour him!

“Hmph!”

Shooting a wary glance at the Qilin Beast nearby, Master Zhan snorted, filled with rage but unable to vent it.

He had thought this was just a student he could easily capture, but in just a month, he had become a soaring dragon.

“The conflict with the Zhang Clan, I will resolve on my own later. This time, I only wish to borrow the Nine-Star Formation Flags. I hope Master Zhan will grant this request.”

Knowing the other's displeasure, Zhang Xuan looked over with a sincere expression.

“Fine…”

After a pause, Master Zhan flicked his wrist, and over a hundred formation flags appeared on the ground, each sturdy and of high grade.

Ninth-grade formation flags!

Seeing the other's attitude, if he didn't give them, Zhang Xuan would likely continue to command his spirit beast to attack. Rather than suffer losses, it was better to hand them over.

“Thank you, Master Zhan!”

Grabbing the flags with a wave of his hand, Zhang Xuan examined them carefully, confirming they could be used to set up a teleportation formation. Only then did he relax and turn to look outside the collapsed door.

“Come over!”

Following his actions, Master Zhan and the others noticed a figure standing not far outside the door—the genius who had entered this year from the Ice Palace, Chen Leyao!

The girl's beautiful eyes were wide, her red lips parted, staring at the rubble and the disheveled Hall Master and elders with blood at the corners of their mouths, completely stunned.

She had only come to borrow some formation flags, not to rob… Was this necessary?

With such a big mess, how would they settle it?

But worrying about it was useless; she obediently flew over and landed before them.

“Tell me the exact location of the Ice Palace…”

Ignoring her shocked expression, Zhang Xuan transmitted his voice.

“In the far north…”

Not daring to hesitate, Chen Leyao quickly transmitted the precise location of the Ice Palace back to him.

“Mm.”

After hearing her words, Zhang Xuan immediately formed a map in his mind.

Setting up a teleportation formation, especially over long distances, required no deviation in direction; otherwise, a single degree off could mean a difference of tens of thousands of miles.

Standing still, he calculated for a full five minutes before relaxing and flicking his finger.

Whoosh!

The formation flags in his palm flew straight outward in all directions.

Hum!

The flags stuck into the ground, causing ripples to shimmer as if forming a stable folded space. But before it fully took shape, with a “pop!”, it instantly exploded.

First attempt, failure!

“Still not strong enough…”

Feeling that he had already expended most of his true qi, Zhang Xuan was filled with helplessness.

That move had no issues with the placement of the flags or the distribution of power. The failure wasn't due to any mistake, but simply because his cultivation was still too low!

At the peak of the Void Ascension realm, with Heavenly Dao true qi and his comprehension of space, his combat strength rivaled the peak of the Cave Void realm, but it was still insufficient to set up a teleportation formation.

“Now's the time!”

Just as Zhang Xuan was pondering how to succeed, he suddenly heard a loud shout and saw Master Zhan and Elder Ge act simultaneously.

Sword lights filled the sky like stars, and in the blink of an eye, they pierced through the area controlled by the Qilin Beast. The next moment, the two flew up into the air.

The Qilin Beast and the Azure Dragon Beast had focused all their attention on their master, never expecting the two they had let go to suddenly attack. Under the assault, they retreated repeatedly, blocking the sword beams.

“Zhang Xuan, using his spirit beasts to attack the Hall Master and elders, disregarding rank and respect. All elders of the Hall of Saints, hear my command: capture him. If he resists, you may… execute him on the spot!”

In the air, Master Zhan flicked his wrist, and a token appeared. His voice then rang out across the surroundings.

Having been beaten by a student's spirit beast and broken free from control, he immediately issued the Acting Hall Master's decree.

Rumble!

As the command was given, the entire Hall of Saints erupted into activity, and countless figures flew into the air.

During the Qilin Beast's earlier fight, it had controlled its power to prevent sound from leaking, so despite the commotion, no one had noticed. Now, with the command issued, not only the elders but also the students heard it and came to investigate.

“Not good… Qilin Beast, knock him down!”

Not expecting the Acting Hall Master of the Hall of Saints to deliberately feign weakness and then strike after lulling him into complacency, Zhang Xuan's face darkened as he gave the order.

“Roar!”

The Qilin Beast roared, its massive body charging into the air, its hooves raised and slashing down.

“Where is the Hall Protection Formation!”

Master Zhan's brows twitched, and the Acting Hall Master's token in his palm spun rapidly, emitting a dazzling light as if connecting to some power. In an instant, the surrounding space was sealed. The Qilin Beast's upward momentum met the space and instantly froze like a sculpture, unable to advance an inch.

“Hall Protection Formation?”

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

The Hall of Saints had declined without a true Hall Master; its strongest was only at the initial stage of Saint Domain Ninth Layer, but in the past, it had been extremely powerful!

Every true Hall Master who possessed the Eye of Insight was a super expert beyond the Saint Domain Ninth Layer, far more formidable than even the Grand Elder of the Zhang Clan.

The Hall Protection Formation they left behind was such that even if the entire Zhang Clan attacked, they might not be able to break it, let alone him!

For this reason, the Hall of Saints had stood for tens of thousands of years without falling. Otherwise, with only an Acting Hall Master at the initial stage of Saint Domain Ninth Layer, it would have been destroyed by the Otherworldly Spirit Tribe countless times.

“Master, I can't break this formation. If we're trapped, none of us will escape…”

The Flame Qilin Beast also recognized the formation's power and quickly transmitted its voice.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle!

As the formation activated, the many elders of the Hall of Saints flew over, hovering behind Master Zhan, staring intently, seemingly unsure of what had happened.

“Zhang Xuan, surrender, or… die!”

Looking over coldly, Master Zhan's eyes were filled with indifference.