Chapter 670: Extermination of a Clan

"Teacher!" Luo Qiqi clasped her fists as she approached.

She had just fallen into an epiphany and was unaware that the man before her had completed the Heavenly Recognition as a teacher. She only knew that after this enlightenment, her understanding of alchemy and artifact forging had undergone a qualitative leap.

Previously, she was merely talented in artifact forging, but now, even against the famous geniuses of the Artifact Forging Academy, she was confident she could defeat them on the spot!

"Not bad!"

Seeing the brightness in her eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction, knowing she had gained immensely.

After all, she was his student, and as a teacher, he felt proud of her progress.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher!"

Luo Qiqi bowed solemnly to the ground, filled with gratitude.

Whoosh!

Just as he was about to help her up, Zhang Xuan felt the Library tremble, and a golden book appeared.

The Book of Heaven's Path!

He had tried to obtain it before but failed; now it appeared directly.

"Excellent..."

With this, he could smash that puppet master into a pulp with a single book, and there would be no more worries.

"It seems that only gratitude for teaching can yield this page!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Previously, he had entangled the puppet to let her escape, a great favor, yet it didn't form. Now it did, clearly because she was grateful for his teaching, which allowed her to learn and progress.

It appeared that the Book of Heaven's Path could only be obtained through teaching as a teacher; other forms of gratitude were ineffective.

"Rise. Since you've forged a weapon surpassing the superior-grade spirit level, let's see if we can obtain Wu Yangzi's inheritance and find a way out!"

With the Book of Heaven's Path in hand, Zhang Xuan was in high spirits. He helped the girl up, flipped his wrist, and placed the Ice Rain Sword on the forging platform beside the Red Flame Cauldron.

Creak...

As if detecting the sword's quality meeting the standard, the stone platform shook, and the sound of mechanisms running echoed again.

"Congratulations on forging a weapon surpassing the superior-grade spirit level. You are now qualified to be my student. I will now pass on my life's work to you!"

Whoosh!

With his words, the ground before them shook, and a stone platform slowly emerged.

There were even mechanisms beneath the ground.

"On the stone platform are three items. First, my life's summary of artifact forging and a detailed explanation of my独创 'Zither Forging Method.' Second, my body-tempering technique, the Five Radiance Golden Body. Third, my experiences here and the way out!"

"Trapped here, unable to leave, yet without resentment, I spent my days with artifact forging, forgetting worries in joy... But alas, life is short. I longed to forge a saint artifact but failed, leaving only sorrow."

"I hope that a successor who receives my inheritance can fulfill my wish and forge a saint artifact using the [Zither Forging Method], comforting my spirit in heaven. Only then can I rest in peace!"

"If you are willing, take an oath, and I will impart a piece of information to you. This information concerns an ancient treasure. Once obtained, breaking through the Zangtai realm to become a saint may not be difficult!"

The voice continued.

"Breaking through Zangtai to become a saint?"

They exchanged glances, and both Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi breathed heavily.

The ninth level of Mortal Transcendence, the Silkworm Cocoon realm, also called the Zangtai realm, the Fetal Concealment realm, or the Nascent Soul realm.

It meant accumulating cultivation to condense a primordial fetus (nascent soul) within the body. Once the fetus succeeded and merged with oneself, one could break through the shackles and become a spirit or saint.

Breaking through Zangtai to become a saint was the greatest barrier at the spirit level, with countless people stuck there, hopeless for life.

For example, His Majesty Ye Wentian and Hall Master Wei Jiang had been at the peak of the eighth level of Mortal Transcendence for a long time but could not break through.

If there were something that could help one break through this realm, the value of this treasure would be terrifying.

"I agree!"

Glancing at Teacher Zhang and receiving his nod, Luo Qiqi stepped forward to the cushion, performed the apprenticeship ceremony, and inherited the legacy.

Zhang Xuan was only her alchemy teacher; although he had also taught her artifact forging, he had not accepted her as a disciple, so it was not against the rules for her to apprentice under someone else.

Moreover, it involved the so-called treasure and inheritance.

After she took the oath, the voice within the mechanism continued.

"Since you have sworn, I will no longer hide it. Before I was captured, I hid the secret of this treasure underground in my old residence, at the Three Star Earth Dragon location. You only need to set up a Three Star formation there, place three formation flags, and the item will appear!"

The voice gradually ended.

"Three Star Earth Dragon? Old residence?"

Both Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi were stunned, almost fainting.

Are you kidding me?

You died over two thousand years ago. Who knows where your old residence is? And what the hell is the Three Star Earth Dragon?

Knowing this was a recorded message, even if they asked, they wouldn't get an answer. They were baffled.

Mentioning a treasure but speaking unclearly—it was exasperating.

"Since Senior Wu Yangzi was captured, he naturally wouldn't dare keep the treasure on him, and he didn't know who would inherit his legacy after his death. It's normal for the message to be vague."

Although frustrated, Zhang Xuan could understand the reasoning.

Since he was captured and couldn't escape, he was certainly not in control. If he had carried the treasure's secret on him, it would inevitably be lost!

"But... where is his old residence?"

Zhang Xuan couldn't help asking.

"I don't know, but... Teacher Wu Yangzi used to live in Hongyuan Imperial Capital, the city where Hongyuan Academy is located." Luo Qiqi recalled. "If all else fails, we can search carefully when we return to the academy. Two thousand years isn't that long; we should be able to find clues."

"Hmm."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Two thousand years might bring great changes to a small kingdom like Tianxuan Kingdom, but for a behemoth like the Hongyuan Empire, the changes were less pronounced.

The empire had Saint realm experts. With their lifespan of about a thousand years, two thousand years was only two or three generations. If they really wanted to find it, it should be possible.

"Let's look at his inheritance."

Now that they knew about the treasure, they wouldn't worry about finding it. Zhang Xuan stopped dwelling on it and gestured.

Luo Qiqi nodded and walked to the stone platform.

On it were three items left by Wu Yangzi for his successor. Without looking at the first two, she directly picked up the third.

This concerned how to leave, so it was naturally the most important.

"Teacher!"

She handed the book over.

"Hmm." Zhang Xuan took it, flipped through it casually, and his face showed a strange expression.

"What's wrong, Teacher? Is there no way to leave?"

Seeing his expression, Luo Qiqi was nervous.

It would be terrible if they really couldn't get out.

"We can leave. I just saw something interesting. This Senior Wu Yangzi seems different from what I imagined..."

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

"Different?" Luo Qiqi was puzzled.

"See for yourself."

He handed the book to Luo Qiqi.

Puzzled, the girl took it and read it. After finishing, she also looked strange.

Having expected this reaction, Zhang Xuan chuckled.

This Wu Yangzi had actually been captured by the Heterodox Spirit Clan.

In other words, this underground palace was the lair of the Heterodox Spirit Clan!

The Heterodox Spirit Clan once ruled over humans with great glory, but now the remnants could only survive in underground palaces, naturally feeling that the outside world was their homeland.

Thus, the first stone tablet inscribed with "Wangxiang Ju" (Homeward Gaze) carried a longing for home, referring not to Wu Yangzi but to them.

For the same reason, the three characters bore a unique aura of slaughter.

This underground palace was built by the Heterodox Spirit Clan to escape persecution, housing dozens of clan members. It was skillfully constructed so that even with many people living inside, it wouldn't feel stuffy.

As for why they captured Wu Yangzi, it was simple: this group of Heterodox Spirit Clan members, hiding from the Master Teacher Pavilion, had been around for tens of thousands of years. Due to the small population and inbreeding, the birth rate had gradually decreased, and the population was dwindling to the point of extinction.

Knowing he was skilled in artifact forging and mechanisms, they captured him to help temper their bodies in hopes of extending their lifespans.

Though the idea was good... tempering the body to extend life was extremely difficult!

Not to mention Wu Yangzi was only a six-star artifact forger; even an eight- or nine-star one probably couldn't do it!

Otherwise, this news would have spread throughout the Master Teacher Continent, attracting countless people.

Who wants to die if they can live?

After being captured, Wu Yangzi was locked in this stone chamber. Though it seemed spacious, it was actually a cage. To escape, one had to go through the narrow stone door, which was impossible if someone was guarding it.

In other words, he was imprisoned, deprived of freedom. Even with artifact forging to accompany him, it must have been tedious, making "Forget Worries" hard to understand.

But knowing what happened later, one could understand why he named it that.

The Heterodox Spirit Clan members who captured him wanted him to temper their bodies to extend their lifespans. But this guy was ruthless: he used every means to make their bodies stronger and more durable...

But... they lost their consciousness and became puppets that only followed orders.

In other words... the puppet outside was actually one of the Heterodox Spirit Clan members who captured Senior Wu Yangzi, but he had refined it into this thing!

Later, they must have discovered the problem, and Wu Yangzi's life also came to an end. In the end, he never left.

The weapons that had been spread outside earlier were released through mechanisms he designed, hoping someone would find them and rescue him. But he waited... for over two thousand years!

Two thousand years, great changes. The Heterodox Spirit Clan here, except for those he had refined into puppets, had mostly died out. That was why when they arrived, it was empty.

Knowing his end was near, Wu Yangzi left behind his inheritance, leading to what they saw. As for the big guy outside, it had been guarding the place to prevent his escape. Even at death's door, he couldn't eliminate it, so he had to let it continue "living."

"This..."

Luo Qiqi still couldn't believe it.

Wu Yangzi had a reputation throughout the Hongyuan Empire for being upright and righteous. She never dreamed he could be so treacherous.

Turning all the Heterodox Spirit Clan members who captured him into puppets... that was truly ruthless!

This wasn't just ordinary ruthlessness; it was cutting off their roots and exterminating their clan!