Chapter 1234: Public Execution

"Reporting to Hall Master He, I am the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, Wu Rufeng!" Wu shi quickly stepped forward to introduce himself.

"I know of you." Pavilion Master He nodded in response.

Even though the Qingyuan Empire was the weakest among the Eight Conferred Empires subordinate to the Empire Alliance, it was considered an individual entity. As the head of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, it was his responsibility to have some understanding of the Master Teacher Pavilions directly subordinated to them.

"It's like this... We have uncovered the truth behind the deaths of Pavilion Master Gou and Vice Pavilion Master Tian, and we have established this holographic communication in order to report the matter to you," Wu shi said.

"Oh? You have already uncovered the truth? Tell me about it!" Hearing those words, Pavilion Master He's expression became grim.

The death of the head of a Master Teacher Pavilion was a huge deal, so he had been keeping a close eye on the matter. However, despite dispatching Song shi, there still had not been any response yet.

Ordinary Communication Jade Tokens were only effective within a range of around a million li. Any further than that would require a large Communication Formation.

Song shi had not activated a Communication Formation ever since arriving in Qingyuan City, so Pavilion Master He had no way of checking the progress of the investigation either.

"In truth, Vice Pavilion Master Tian was the incarnation of the will of the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage..." Wu shi swiftly told the story that he had prepared with beforehand.

There was not much deviation from the truth, just that the aspects concerning the Qingtian Emperor's teacher had been intentionally left out.

"An Otherworldly Demon Emperor has been hiding on the Master Teacher Continent for nearly two thousand years, even successfully inserting a spy into the Master Teacher Pavilion, and no one noticed a thing?" Pavilion Master He was clearly unable to believe what he had just heard.

If this matter was leaked to the populace, the repercussions would be even greater than the deaths of ten Pavilion Master Gous.

This was a huge breach in the responsibility of the Master Teacher Pavilion!

"That's right. It's fortunate that we have managed to eradicate him under Zhang shi's leadership," Wu shi said as he flicked his wrist, and two corpses fell to the ground. "These are the corpses of the Qingtian Emperor and his clone!"

Pavilion Master He quickly examined the corpses through the holographic image, and a grim expression set upon his face. "That is indeed the corpse of an Otherworldly Demon Emperor. Otherwise, there's no way he would be able to create such a powerful clone of himself."

As the head of the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, he had a deep understanding of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and he knew that only those with the pure bloodline of an Otherworldly Demon Emperor would be able to execute such a cloning technique.

This was sufficient evidence to confirm the Qingtian Emperor's identity.

"Not only so," Wu shi continued, "Zhang shi has also managed to slay the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage single-handedly..."

"To eradicate an entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe lineage single-handedly... Even though the Qingtian Emperor harnesses the weakest bloodline among the Otherworldly Demon Emperors, it's still quite a formidable feat!" Pavilion Master He nodded in approval.

"It's no wonder he was able to successfully crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. His talent and eye of discernment are indeed exceptional, perhaps even on par with some of the Sage Clan offspring! Where is Zhang shi at the moment?"

"The emperor of the Qingyuan Empire is a puppet of the Qingtian Emperor, and in order to blackmail Zhang shi, he took one of Zhang shi's direct disciples hostage. Thus, Zhang shi is currently rushing back to rescue his student," Wu shi explained.

"I see. That's a pity..." Hearing that Zhang shi was not around, Pavilion Master He sighed. "To destroy the entire Qingtian Lineage and foil their schemes to infiltrate mankind, sparing countless master teachers and innocent civilians from a tragic fate, Zhang shi has really done mankind a huge merit this time around! In view of his contribution, I hereby grant him the position of honorary elder 1 in our Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Yes!" Wu shi clenched his fists in agitation as he nodded.

While the position of honorary elder in the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion might appear to be an empty title, this position was actually associated with immense prestige and honor.

Under normal circumstances, only real 8-star master teachers were qualified to assume the role of an elder in the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, and yet, Zhang shi was actually bestowed with it despite being a 7-star master teacher.

Putting aside himself, even the head of the Qianchong Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion 2 would have to address Zhang Xuan respectfully now.

"I'll have my men prepare the documents for the bestowment as soon as possible. By the time you all return to the Qingyuan Empire, activate the Communication Wall, and it should be ready," Pavilion Master He said with a smile.

"Thank you, Pavilion Master He." Wu shi quickly clasped his fist and bowed.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. Zhang shi's accomplishments in killing the Otherworldly Demons and foiling their plans are a huge merit. In comparison to his deeds, the position of an honorary elder is really nothing at all.

"Wu Rufeng, you have also played a huge part in helping Zhang shi accomplish his mission, so I shall officially appoint you as the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion right now. At the same time, I shall grant you an opportunity to come to the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion for an exchange!"

"This... Thank you!" Wu shi could not help trembling in excitement.

To him, becoming the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion was not a big deal. What was more important was the exchange at the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion.

This exchange consisted of receiving the personal guidance of a real 8-star master teacher, and this would surely be deeply beneficial to his cultivation and eye of discernment. This was an opportunity that countless would die to have!

The reason Pavilion Master Gou was unwilling to tolerate any problems prior to his retirement was in hopes that a clean record in his term of service would grant him such an opportunity as well.

However, it was a pity that in his desire to maintain a clean record, he had neglected his responsibilities as a pavilion master. Thus, there was no way the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion would grant such a precious opportunity to him.

After dealing with Wu shi, Pavilion Master He turned to Hall Master Xing and the others and said, "As for the others, you have all bravely ventured into the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows despite the overwhelming risks in order to eliminate the Qingtian Emperor. All of you have done mankind a huge merit as well, so rest assured that I'll have this matter reported to the Empire Alliance Combat Master Hall and have them reward you all handsomely!"

"Thank you, Pavilion Master He!" Hall Master Xing and the others quickly clasped their fists and bowed.

"Alright! Send the corpse of the Qingtian Emperor over here as soon as possible. If we can examine his corpse carefully, we might be able to develop some countermeasures to deal with the Otherworldly Demon Emperors, and that'll bolster our fighting force significantly," Pavilion Master He said with a wave of his hand.

The Otherworldly Demon Emperors would never venture out of the otherworldly battlefield easily in consideration of the perils they would face on the Master Teacher Continent. On top of that, every single one of them wielded many life preservation means, making it highly difficult to kill any one of them. Even the Empire Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion did not have many corpses of Otherworldly Demon Emperors that they could examine.

"Yes, Pavilion Master He!" Wu shi nodded before making arrangements with Ji shi to have the corpse delivered to the Empire Alliance. After which, with a respectful bow, he bade Pavilion Master He farewell.

"Alright, since we are done with our report, it's about time for us to return to Qingyuan City!"

Wu shi and the others borrowed a saint beast from the Northern Meadows City Master Teacher Pavilion before swiftly making their way back to Qingyuan City.

...

After nearly six whole days of flight, the majestic infrastructure of the Qingyuan City was finally within view.

On the way back, Zhang Xuan had received two messages from Sun Qiang.

Firstly, they had headed to the royal palace to save Liu Yang. While they had managed to rescue Liu Yang, the latter had accidentally killed Chu Tianxing in a moment of rage.

Secondly, Liu Yang had abruptly left Qingyuan City, and there was no one who knew where he was.

Judging from the timing, it seems like Chu Tianxing was killed around the time that the will of the other Vicious dissipated. Chu Tianxing was bound to the other Vicious by a soul contract, so the death of the other Vicious' will would have resulted in his death too... Zhang Xuan swiftly deduced as soon as he received the messages.

In a show of loyalty toward Vicious, Chu Tianxing had offered his soul toward the other Vicious to establish a soul contract between them. A soul contract bound the life of the contractor to the contractee, such that the death of the contractee would result in the death of the contractor. Naturally, when the other Vicious died, Chu Tianxing lost his life as well.

Thus, even though it was only a conjecture on Zhang Xuan's part, he had a feeling that Liu Yan did not actually kill Chu Tianxing. Rather, it was a coincidence that Chu Tianxing's soul dissipated at that moment, resulting in the death of his physical body.

After all, even though Chu Tianxing was incapacitated at that moment, he was still a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert. It did not make sense for Liu Yang to be able to kill him with a single punch.

If that was the case, Liu Yang and the others could only be convicted of unlawfully barging into the royal palace to cause trouble. With Zhang Xuan's influence from the successful pavilion crashing, he should be able to resolve the issue with ease.

Just that... why isn't Sun Qiang replying to my messages? Zhang Xuan frowned in worry.

Even though the matter was not a big deal according to what he had seen so far, the problem was that Sun Qiang had not replied a single time to him despite sending eight messages over the days. This left him worried that a mishap might have occurred.

Furthermore, Liu Yang's disappearance had also left him feeling a little unnerved within. Many days had already passed, so had they found him yet?

With a mind filled with doubts, Zhang Xuan finally arrived in the aerial space above Qingyuan City. He maneuvered the aerial saint beast to land at the accommodation that the Combat Master Hall had prepared for him.

"Principal Zhang, you have finally returned!"

As soon as Zhang Xuan landed, he saw Ruohuan gongzi running over with a mix of anxiety and relief on his face.

Noticing the peculiarity in Ruohuan gongzi's expression, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown, "What's wrong?"

"Something bad has happened!" Ruohuan gongzi exclaimed. "Liu Yang's act of killing Emperor Chu Tianxing has caused an uproar throughout the Qingyuan Empire! In order to appease the crowd, a master teacher named Song shi has ordered the public execution of Butler Sun and the other poison masters who participated in the raiding of the royal palace that day at noon!"

"A public execution of Sun Qiang and the poison masters?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed in astonishment as his expression turned livid.

He quickly glanced at the sky and noted that the sun was nearly directly overhead. It was nearing noon!

In other words, Sun Qiang and the others could be executed at any moment!

"Yes! The entire Xuanxuan Faction has headed over to the square, intending to raid the execution platform. The only reason I stayed was to inform you of the matter as soon as you returned!" Ruohuan gongzi said anxiously.

"Raid the execution platform?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

Those fellows sure were gutsy.

The members of the Xuanxuan Faction did wield fighting prowess far surpassing that of their cultivation realm, but the problem was that their cultivation was still too low. Most of them were not even at Half-Saint yet, so how were they intending to stop the execution?

They would be captured by the soldiers guarding the execution platform before they could start anything!

"Bring me to the square right now!" Zhang Xuan bellowed authoritatively.

There was no time to be lost. If those fearless fellows really started something, it would be difficult to resolve this matter peacefully anymore.

Thus, Zhang Xuan grabbed Ruohuan gongzi and swiftly made his way for the royal palace.

While making his way over, he quickly had Ruohuan gongzi fill him in on the details.

"Who is that Song shi master teacher you spoke of earlier? How does he have the authority to order Sun Qiang's execution?"

Pretty much all of the master teachers in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion were his students, and owing to their gratitude for his enlightenment, they would not execute Sun Qiang and the others recklessly without conducting a proper investigation of Chu Tianxing's death.

"Based on what we have gathered thus far, Song shi is a quasi 8-star master teacher from the Qianchong Empire. As he's an envoy dispatched by the headquarters, the other master teachers have no choice but to heed his orders," Ruohuan gongzi explained.

"He's from the Qianchong Empire?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"That's right. After Chu Tianxing's death, the officials, nobles, and even soldiers of the royal court have been crowding outside the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, demanding justice for Chu Tianxing. Unable to withstand the pressure from the populace any longer, Song shi eventually made this judgement," Ruohuan gongzi said.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Indeed. For the emperor of a Conferred Empire to be killed so easily, if the Master Teacher Pavilion was unable to give a proper explanation for the matter, wouldn't everyone start fearing for their own lives?

"Where's Liu Yang?" Zhang Xuan asked grimly.

"After that raid on the royal palace, Liu Yang suddenly vanished. Song shi had all the master teachers comb Qingyuan City and its vicinity, but they were still unable to find him. We have no idea where he went. In fact, we believe that the reason Song shi intends to execute Butler Sun and the other poison masters is to force Liu Yang to appear. If they apprehend the culprit behind Chu Tianxing's death, they will at least be able to explain the matter to the Qingyuan Empire and restore some of the Master Teacher Pavilion's credibility," Ruohuan gongzi explained.

"Un." Zhang Xuan nodded.

Chu Tianxing's death in the heavily fortified royal palace had most probably scared the nobles and the officials of the Qingyuan Empire, as this meant that Sun Qiang and the other poison masters could effectively bypass any defense and kill anyone they wanted, and there was nearly nothing they could do to prevent it.

If they did not offer them a proper explanation, there was no way the other officials and nobles would let this matter rest. In fact, they might even start swaying public opinion against the Master Teacher Pavilion, and with the influence that they wielded, that could have proved troublesome.

"I can understand the difficult position that the Master Teacher Pavilion is in, but if they think that I will allow them to kill Sun Qiang and the others... over my dead body!" Zhang Xuan uttered coldly.