Chapter 945: The Stele's Change

In Zhang Xuan's storage ring, there were still over twenty Heterodox clan puppets and one ruthless person.

He was very familiar with this aura.

As soon as he sensed it, he knew it was the Heterodox clan, no mistake.

Wasn't this the most sacred place of the academy, the forbidden ground where past principals rested?

Why was there such a dense aura of Heterodox clan slaughter?

The Heterodox clan fed on humans, cruel and brutal, natural enemies of master teachers, unable to coexist—why did the former's aura appear here?

He looked around.

The place he was in should be inside the stele, very spacious, yet extremely dark, without light or aura.

If not for his soul, he definitely couldn't survive.

"Not only is there an aura of slaughter here, but also a righteous aura..."

Soon, he sensed something amiss.

This place not only had slaughter but also righteous qi, the unique aura of human master teachers.

Walking along the empty room, he soon saw a huge black hole before him, from which the slaughter aura emanated.

Around the black hole were soul-dividing treasures like the Azure Soul Bell, arranged in a formation covering the surroundings. Counting them, there were exactly one hundred and two.

"These should be the lingering wills of the many principals..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The other principals must have used such soul-dividing treasures to preserve their wills.

However, these wills, unlike the Witch Soul, were not tangible and could not come out freely; they merely resided within the treasures, like dead objects.

"Could it be... these wills were preserved not just to assess the new principal, but to... suppress?"

Realizing something, Zhang Xuan was startled.

The black hole not far away had a dense slaughter aura, while the wills of the many principals were arranged around it, and the stele gave a feeling of suppressing all directions...

Without thinking, he understood that these wills, preserved for ten thousand years, were certainly not just for assessing the new principal.

They were likely meant to suppress this place.

"Could this be... the connection point between the Heterodox clan's otherworldly battlefield and the continent?"

The Hongyuan Empire, among the many first-class empires around, was not considered powerful, yet a master teacher academy was built here. It was said that this place had a node connecting the Heterodox clan's otherworldly battlefield to the continent.

To suppress this place, the academy was established to protect humanity's fortune.

Could it be... right here?

Was this the passage to the otherworldly battlefield, hence such a dense slaughter aura?

And were these principal wills and the stele left here to guard this place?

If so, it would explain why the Principal's Tomb was so hidden and forbidden to anyone but the principal—likely to prevent this slaughter aura from leaking and causing unnecessary panic.

"If that's the case, the past principals are truly admirable..."

Once a principal, even in death, one must leave a will to guard this place and protect the region. Master teachers indeed made indelible contributions to humanity.

This might be the main reason other professions respected them.

After a round, he quickly confirmed his guess.

The black hole not far away constantly emitted a slaughter aura, making it hard to approach. Without the formation arranged by the principal wills, it might grow stronger, eventually destroying the stele and impacting the entire Hongyuan City.

"It's a seventh-level formation, very cleverly arranged..."

Zhang Xuan nodded to himself.

The formation before him was not fixed; one will could drive it, two could as well, and the more wills, the greater its power.

"It also incorporates the Principal's Token..."

The Principal's Token was condensed from the wills of all the academy's master teachers, carrying the most resilient power of humanity, most suitable for suppressing this place.

These principals, after death, left behind the Principal's Token to maintain the formation, ensuring that the Hongyuan Empire had not suffered large-scale persecution by the Heterodox clan for ten thousand years, enjoying long-term peace.

Sighing, he was calculating which position his will should take to maximize the formation's power when he heard a whistling sound from the black hole.

Rumble! Rumble!

Like a tidal surge, a powerful force shook the entire stele, making it seem ready to collapse.

Sizzle!

Then, Zhang Xuan felt a dense killing aura from the black hole, rushing like a giant wave, continuously battering the formation before him.

Hum!

The formation lit up, suppressing the killing aura, but the latter grew fiercer, and the former, like a fishing net struck by a large fish, seemed ready to tear apart.

"At this rate, the formation won't hold much longer..."

His face pale, Zhang Xuan's brows were tightly knit.

With his insight, he could easily see the formation's limits and the power of the killing aura. Though it could hold for now, it was at its last gasp, ready to tear at any moment.

"No!"

His face darkening, he approached the formation, circled it, his eyes flashing, and kicked a node.

Hum!

Under his power, the formation suddenly emitted intense light, greatly increasing its power. The formation, which had been precarious and about to shatter, stabilized.

Whoosh!

Ten minutes later, the surging killing aura stopped and calmed down again.

"Phew!"

Relieved, Zhang Xuan withdrew his foot.

His kick only temporarily increased the formation's power; over time, it wouldn't hold either. Fortunately, this surge of killing aura didn't last long.

Though this will lacked the library, with his understanding of formations and the Eye of Insight, finding nodes to increase power was easy.

"Why is the killing aura so strong?"

Zhang Xuan frowned, puzzled. He approached the treasures containing the principal wills, searched, and tapped one.

Hum!

The treasure was activated, and a will appeared before him—it was Mu Kai, Master Mu.

"Thank you, Principal Zhang, for your timely assistance. Otherwise, years of effort would have been destroyed!"

Looking over, Master Mu was grateful.

Though their wills resided in the treasures, they could still perceive the outside. Had the new principal not acted, they might not have withstood the underground killing aura.

All their years of effort would have been in vain.

"What was that just now?" Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan asked.

If such torrents were constant, the formation would have long collapsed. How could it have lasted until now?

"As you see, our wills are here to suppress the interface between the otherworldly battlefield and the continent. It was usually peaceful, with only this slow release of aura, manageable as long as we were here... But for some reason, two years ago, torrents like this began, once a day!"

Looking at the black hole, Master Mu's expression was grave. "At first, the torrents weren't so strong, and we could resist. But in the last month, they've grown stronger. Even with full effort, we can barely hold on! Especially today, had you not come, even if the formation wasn't torn, it would have suffered irreparable damage, making it hard to persist."

"Two years ago?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes."

Master Mu nodded.

"Have you found the cause?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Our wills are fused with the formation and cannot move, so we don't know what happened. But if I guess correctly, it should be a change in the seal at the node between the otherworldly battlefield and the continent!"

After a pause, Master Mu said.

"Seal?"

"The seal is deep in the underground cavern, not here. This is the final barrier; once breached, it directly faces humanity!"

Master Mu said.

The connection point between the otherworldly battlefield and the continent had several seals. The strongest was left by countless master teacher ancestors, deep in the underground cavern.

And this place was the final checkpoint, humanity's last fortress.

"Principal Zhang, since you sent your will here, your physical body must have arrived. Could you enter the underground cavern to investigate and relay the news so humanity can prepare? Otherwise, I fear if these torrents continue to strike and we can't hold on, disaster will strike!"

Looking over, Master Mu's eyes held a plea.

Their wills, having fought against this killing aura for years, had depleted much of their strength. Besides, they were fused with the formation and couldn't move.

Even if they wanted to investigate, they couldn't!

Moreover, if they left, the狂暴 killing aura would strike again, and the formation, lacking suppression, might collapse, leading to unpredictable consequences.

"Enter the underground cavern?"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes, just go in and take a look. Knowing the cause in advance allows us to respond. Otherwise, I fear a stronger eruption will come, and the formation won't hold, bringing disaster to the entire academy!"

Master Mu was worried.

"How do I enter the underground cavern?"

Knowing his concern, Zhang Xuan asked.

"The underground cavern is dense with killing aura. A mere will cannot go deep; you must... enter with your physical body!"

After a pause, Master Mu said, "Principal Zhang, your physical body can hold the Principal's Token and come here. Then I will open a gap in the formation, and you can enter the underground cavern directly! This place is closest to the deep seal, saving much trouble."

Zhang Xuan frowned.

The danger of the underground cavern was obvious; entering might mean never coming out.

But if he didn't go in, he wouldn't know the cause and couldn't solve the killing aura problem. Once this final barrier failed, the entire Hongyuan Empire would immediately suffer devastation and war.

"I know this is difficult, but... we have no other choice!"

Master Mu knew the danger of the underground cavern. Asking the other to go down was indeed improper, but this concerned the rise and fall of humanity and the future of the master teacher academy, so he had to ask.

However, just going down to observe, with caution and the protection of the Principal's Token, shouldn't be too problematic.

"Alright, wait a moment. I'll contact my main body now and have him come in."

Zhang Xuan nodded.