Chapter 946: First Entry into the Underground Cave

Knowing the gravity of the situation, as a six-star master teacher and the dean of the Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan had no reason to refuse, so he agreed.

Back then, Kong Shi had also descended into the underground cave three times, and he wanted to see what this node connecting to the Otherworldly Tribe's domain battlefield looked like.

“I’ll trouble Dean Zhang…”

Mu Shi cupped his fist respectfully.

“It’s my duty.”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan said no more and immediately communicated with his main body, who was cultivating outside. Before long, a figure appeared before him.

It was his main body.

As the other had said, with the dean’s token, he could indeed come here.

Exchanging a glance, he quickly learned what had happened, and his main body then looked at Mu Shi.

“Open the formation; I’ll go down and take a look.”

“Be careful, Teacher Zhang. Just see what’s happening. If you can’t find anything, it’s fine—we can take our time to think of a solution. Whatever you do, don’t be reckless and charge in, or you might end up in danger…”

Mu Shi cautioned.

Investigating the cause was important, but the man before him was a Heaven’s Chosen Master Teacher, and his safety was even more critical.

“Don’t worry, I’m always cautious. I won’t rush into danger knowingly,” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

With his abilities, even if he couldn’t win, he could still escape.

“That’s good…”

Hearing his assurance, Mu Shi breathed a sigh of relief, returned to his position, and reached forward. A crack immediately appeared in the sealed formation.

Having studied this formation for over ten thousand years, it was easy for him to create a temporary fissure without hindering the blockage of the killing aura.

“Farewell…”

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan’s body flickered, and he shot straight toward the crack.

As his body entered, with a “whoosh,” he vanished.

“Will he be in danger?”

The moment he disappeared, another dean’s figure appeared before Mu Shi.

“Don’t worry. When Kong Shi was a half-saint, he entered the underground cave and returned safely. As a fellow Heaven’s Chosen Master Teacher, this Teacher Zhang will surely resolve the current crisis!”

Mu Shi said.

“I hope so…”

The dean nodded, but worry still lingered on his brow.

The underground cave—many peak Saint realm one experts who entered never returned. Could this man, only at the half-saint level, truly come out unscathed?

He was concerned.

“Worrying is useless. You know the situation—it’s already untenable… After all this time, our willpower is exhausted, on the verge of death. If we don’t resolve the problem quickly, I fear… it will lead to an irreparable disaster!”

Mu Shi shook his head with a grim expression.

It wasn’t that he wanted to send the other into danger; he had no other choice.

Their willpower was already weak, and after being tormented by this killing aura for over two years, if not for their firm resolve, they would have long since dissipated and vanished.

How could they have held on until now?

“Becoming a dean means shouldering the dean’s responsibilities. Growth cannot be smooth sailing… This is what it means to be a master teacher. Teacher Zhang understands this.”

Mu Shi said.

“Indeed,” the dean said no more.

Yes, being a master teacher was not just about honor; it was more about responsibility.

How could one who shrank from their own responsibilities become a true teacher?

This Teacher Zhang, though young, had clearly done what a true teacher should.

…

“So this is the underground cave?”

Feeling his whole body tighten, Zhang Xuan stopped and straightened up, only to find himself in a vast underground world.

All around was pitch black, without a glimmer of light. It was impossibly deep and vast, stretching endlessly. The air was thick with dense killing aura, cold and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. If he hadn’t known beforehand, he might have thought he had fallen into a boundless hell.

“No wonder no one wants to come…”

Whenever the underground cave was mentioned, all master teachers turned pale with fear. Now, he could see that it was indeed no place for humans.

Just this killing aura alone could make those with low cultivation tremble in fear and collapse mentally.

It was like when he took the four-star master teacher exam, and Teacher Hong brought out an Otherworldly Tribe member, suppressing everyone so they dared not advance.

The killing aura here was extremely intense, as if countless ferocious beasts were lurking nearby, ready to strike at any moment.

A five-star master teacher without specialized training, suddenly entering, would immediately shiver in fear and find it hard to move forward.

“If this aura leaks out… at least ninety-nine percent of Hongyuan City’s population would die on the spot…”

His expression turned solemn.

Before, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now that he was here, he understood how terrifying it was.

Such dense killing aura could easily corrupt the minds of those with weak cultivation, causing them to lose themselves and become killing machines.

If it leaked into Hongyuan City, a city with a population of over a hundred million, it could likely turn into ruins, desolate and uninhabited, in a short time.

Activating his Heavenly Dao true energy, the oppressive feeling of the killing aura vanished. Zhang Xuan then looked around.

The scenery was mostly the same—a pitch-black expanse. Even with his Insightful Eye, he could only see a few hundred meters ahead.

It was hard to discern direction.

“Following the aura will surely lead deeper…”

The denser the killing aura, the deeper into the underground palace. Standing still for a moment to sense it, Zhang Xuan found his direction and walked straight ahead.

Around him, besides the killing aura, there were also strange demonic sounds that tempted the soul. Those with weak mental fortitude, after listening for a while, would likely fall into a trance, unable to extricate themselves, and ultimately die without even knowing it.

“No wonder master teachers have such strict requirements for mental fortitude. A martial artist of the same cultivation level would probably find it hard to last long here.”

Watching his surroundings warily, Zhang Xuan walked forward slowly.

The underground cave, filled with killing aura, not only blurred one’s vision but also carried special demonic sounds that could easily ensnare those with weak minds.

Not to mention others, even a half-saint, if they stayed here too long, would go mad.

However, these things had no effect on him. Under the operation of his Heavenly Dao true energy, his mind remained vast and serene, completely unaffected.

“Hmm? Footprints of the Otherworldly Tribe!”

After walking forward for a while, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Not far ahead, the ground was covered with dense footprints, each about a foot long.

He had seen the Otherworldly Tribe before; they were usually taller than normal humans. These footprints, so deep in the ground and so large, were likely left by them.

But… wasn’t there a seal deep in the underground palace?

How could there be Otherworldly Tribe members here?

“And human footprints…”

Following the direction of the footprints for a while, Zhang Xuan saw scattered human footprints, along with traces of battle.

It seemed that humans and Otherworldly Tribe members had encountered each other and fought.

He had known that there were humans in the underground cave—mostly master teachers who couldn’t break through or had reached the end of their lifespans, coming here regardless of life or death to take a step further.

“These traces are recent. The Otherworldly Tribe outnumber them and have the upper hand… If I hurry, I might still be able to rescue them!”

His Insightful Eye flickered as he examined the traces for a moment, then his brows lifted.

From the traces, it was clear that the Otherworldly Tribe held a significant advantage, and the humans seemed to be fleeing.

“Regardless, I’ll go over and take a look first…”

As a master teacher, he couldn’t stand by and watch humans in danger.

Activating his Red Dust Heaven-Treading Steps, he gently floated up and flew straight in the direction the footprints led.

Having cultivated the Saint-Sealing Solution, his internal true energy was extremely abundant, making the consumption for flight negligible.

Concealing all his aura, Zhang Xuan’s eyes flickered as he moved swiftly.

In such a dark place, any other six-star master teacher would have to be extremely cautious, but for him, the Insightful Eye not only revealed patterns but also allowed him to see farther. Even if there were Otherworldly Tribe members, he would spot them first.

After flying for a full half-hour, though he still hadn’t seen anyone, the traces on the ground grew denser, and the battles more intense, indicating that he was getting closer to the two groups.

Moving forward a bit more, he indeed felt a violent surge of energy ahead, as if a battle was taking place.

The closer he got, the calmer Zhang Xuan became. He sealed all his acupoints and flew forward slowly. Passing a hill, he saw a group of Otherworldly Tribe members ahead.

“This…”

With a glance, Zhang Xuan’s brows jumped.

There were at least two hundred Otherworldly Tribe members, each at Saint realm one or above, with several at Saint realm two.

Fortunately, he had suppressed his aura in advance and hadn’t been discovered. Otherwise, even with the Nine Kings of the Thousand Ant Beehive, the Violet Sun Beast, and the Golden Origin Cauldron, he would only be overwhelmed by the group.

The Otherworldly Tribe were naturally fierce, a warrior race. At the same level, each one was stronger than a sacred beast. Two hundred of them… Even a Saint realm four expert would probably be beaten to a pulp on the spot.

“Why are there so many?”

His expression darkened.

Over two hundred Saint realm one and several Saint realm two—though they couldn’t sweep through the entire Master Teacher Academy, if they charged into Hongyuan City, no one could stop them. At the very least, the Hongyuan royal family couldn’t hold out!

Where did so many of these things come from?

“The impact under the tombstone must have been caused by so many Otherworldly Tribe members attacking together… Otherwise, there’s no way it could have such a huge effect, making over a hundred deans and their dean tokens unable to hold!”

Zhang Xuan understood.

The willpower of over a hundred deans, combined with a seventh-level formation, was immensely powerful. More importantly, there were over a hundred dean tokens, containing the united will of millions of students. Under such righteous suppression, it could still shake and was on the verge of breaking!

It was likely these Otherworldly Tribe members causing trouble.

“Who are they fighting?”

His brows raised as he looked inside.

He then saw a group of old men in master teacher robes, standing back-to-back in a circle, covered in blood, with looks of death-defying resolve in their eyes.

“All are peak six-star master teachers…”

There were thirty to forty of them, all peak six-star master teachers.

“Hmm? Lu Feng?”

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in his sight.