Chapter 1778: The Mediocre Emperor Must Not Die!

"Gentlemen, may I say a word?"

Zhang Xuan stepped forward, cupping his fists.

"This is a matter among ancient sages. Who do you think you are to interject?" one ancient sage snorted coldly.

He had long grown impatient with the young man before him.

Not to mention relying on his talent and opportunities to auction off slots and extort them, even bringing the Spirit of the Otherworldly into the main hall and seizing the Spring and Autumn Ceremony was an unforgivable crime!

The Spring and Autumn Ceremony was a treasure left by Confucius, key to the revival of humanity. Now that it had fallen into the hands of the Otherworldly, no one knew what would become of humanity.

Having committed such heinous sins, he still had the audacity to plead for Chen Yonghuang, who was about to commit suicide. Unable to maintain his dignity any longer, the sage rebuked him.

Swish!

No sooner had the ancient sage finished speaking than he saw a blade of light slashing straight down. He hastily shrank back, yet still the blade grazed him, blood dripping from his arm.

He looked up sharply and saw a mysterious blade in the young man's hand, its surface flickering with an eerie light.

"Do I have the right now?"

Zhang Xuan's expression was calm.

"You're asking for death!"

Having been wounded by a Great Sage's sneak attack, the ancient sage was nearly exploding with rage.

If not for the severe injuries sustained in his battle with Chen Yonghuang, a mere newly broken-through ancient sage treasure would never have been able to harm him—a pipe dream!

"What do you want to say?"

Yan Qing, the ancient sage, hadn't expected the young man to be so extreme, wounding one of his companions over a matter of 'qualification.' He frowned, restraining the furious sage.

"Chen Yonghuang cannot die yet!"

Zhang Xuan said.

"Cannot die?" The newly wounded sage clenched his teeth and flicked his sleeve. "Do you know how many human experts he has directly or indirectly killed over the years? As a master teacher, instead of avenging them, you plead for him. Zhang Hongtian, is this the way of the Zhang Clan and the Master Teacher Academy?"

Zhang Hongtian also frowned.

Clearly, he too was puzzled by his junior's actions.

With Chen Yonghuang on the throne, the Otherworldly had grown stronger, fighting countless battles against humanity with countless casualties. Since there was a chance to kill him, they must not let it pass. First, to avenge the fallen; second, to eliminate a threat. Once a tiger returned to the mountain, countless more would die by his hand.

His junior had always been sensible and understood the greater good. Why was he muddled at such a critical moment?

"Don't drag the Zhang Clan and the Master Teacher Academy into this. This is my personal decision, nothing to do with them!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

The key to Luo Ruoxi lay with Chen Yonghuang. Only he could help contact and find her.

If he died here, the last clue would be lost.

He would never allow that to happen.

"Personal decision? Do you really think, as a Great Sage, your decision can sway the judgment of ancient sages?"

Another human ancient sage sneered. "Relying on a single weapon that broke through by chance? Don't overestimate yourself!"

"Relying on this blade alone, of course not..."

Zhang Xuan snorted, glanced around, and struck out again with his mysterious blade.

Shriek!

Tearing through space and time, it appeared in an instant before Yu Laogui, who had not yet left, and slashed down at him.

"Damn..."

Yu Laogui roared, nearly exploding.

What the hell? If you want to establish authority and gain attention, go slash the one who insulted you! Why slash me?

Who have I offended?

Full of resentment, he darted sideways.

Though his vitality was greatly depleted in this battle, with only two or three percent of his original strength, he was still not something a newly broken-through eerie mysterious blade could match.

Dodging the blade's edge, he was about to counterattack when suddenly his body stiffened, enveloped by a vast aura.

"The Ruthless Emperor?"

His pupils contracted.

Though this aura lacked the previous killing intent, as an Otherworldly, he instantly recognized it as that of the Ruthless Ancestor, who had once roamed the world and fought Confucius.

This figure's status among the Otherworldly was akin to Confucius's among humans, exerting immense pressure on his bloodline.

Pfft!

In that moment of distraction, the blade light of the eerie mysterious blade struck a flaw in his cultivation. His face turned pale, and he spat blood, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

"Does this strength suffice to change your decision?" Zhang Xuan asked calmly, having wounded the man.

Yu Laogui was an expert at the third level of the ancient sage realm, the Blood Rebirth stage. The eerie mysterious blade had only just reached the ancient sage level; normally, it would struggle to harm him. However, with the pressure from the Ruthless Emperor, knowledge of his weakness and vital point, plus his injuries and slowed reactions, the strike succeeded.

"This strength qualifies you to make decisions. But we want to know the reason!"

Though Zhang Xuan's move was swift, the ancient sage's keen eyes caught something off. Clearly, besides the eerie mysterious blade, the young man had other trump cards. Together, they could even wound Bu Yu, proving he was worthy of sitting as an equal.

Zhang Xuan looked over. "I was unaware that you allied with Chen Linghuang and Chen Xinghuang to ambush Chen Yonghuang. But I've met Chen Linghuang—he's a warmonger. Expecting him to honor an agreement and maintain three hundred years of peace is extremely difficult. Moreover... if Yonghuang hadn't wounded him just now, would they have turned on you?"

The crowd fell silent.

Truth be told, if Chen Yonghuang hadn't had a hidden card and had let Chen Linghuang kill him, that fellow might well have broken the pact and attacked them.

Perhaps... he had planned it all along, letting them and Yonghuang weaken each other so he could reap the benefits.

If they died, the Master Teacher Continent would lose its last defense. Though the Hundred Schools of Thought and the Master Teacher Academy headquarters still had ancient sages, neither their numbers nor strength could match those two emperors.

"This Chen Linghuang even betrays his own kin. Breaking an agreement is nothing! I know you understand this, but you saw this as the best chance to kill Yonghuang, even to shatter the Otherworldly's morale and cause internal strife, leading to their self-destruction..."

"If you had succeeded and remained uninjured, it would indeed be good. But now, if Yonghuang truly dies, Linghuang will return and announce that we ambushed him to death. He himself, having tried to save Yonghuang, was nearly killed by humans... With his prestige among the clan, the Otherworldly will surely unite in fury against humanity... I need not elaborate; you should understand."

Zhang Xuan said.

"This..." Yan Qing, the ancient sage, was speechless.

Indeed, if Yonghuang died here, Chen Linghuang could easily exploit it to unite the entire race in common hatred. Then humanity would face even greater danger.