Chapter 954: Trust Zhang Xuan
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"The principal of the Master Teacher Academy?"
Hong long!
Upon hearing that a human, the principal of a Master Teacher Academy at that, had actually snuck into their ranks, disguised as one of their own, the Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King's faces darkened as a powerful force burst from their bodies. They eyed Zhang Xuan coldly like an eagle staring at its prey, seemingly prepared to make a move at any moment.
From the very start, the other party's identity had been very dubious. If the other party was truly a master teacher, they would have to kill him on the spot.
Ignoring the two who were going to make a move, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to Lu Feng and urged anxiously, "Indeed, I am Principal Zhang. Look, they are going to make a move on me, so you can believe me now, right? So, hurry up and tell me that thing! Are you really intending to take the secret to your graves?"
"That thing?" Lu Feng was taken aback.
From the start to the end, the other party had been speaking about how he wanted to rescue them. The other party hadn't said anything about 'that thing'!
"Allow me to introduce to you two!"
Paying no heed to Lu Feng's dumbstruck expression, Zhang Xuan turned to the Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King and said, "This is the stand-in principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, half 7-star master teacher Lu Feng..."
"Stand-in principal?" The Greenleaf King and the Goldenleaf King glanced at one another and frowned.
"Indeed, I am Lu Feng! Kill me if you want to, but you won't be getting anything out of my mouth!" Lu Feng stood up and raised his gaze proudly.
"What is a stand-in principal of a Master Teacher Academy doing here?" The two Kings were bewildered.
"Kill you? Why would I kill you? I am here to save you! Didn't I tell you that I am your principal? Trust me!" Zhang Xuan said earnestly.
The Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King glanced at one another before realization struck them, and they burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Indeed. I can testify that he is your principal!"
"I can vouch for that, too. We have been doubting his identity from the start, and it seems like we have an answer now..."
They had long heard of the obstinacy of the master teachers; not even death could pry open their lips. Most likely, the other party was trying to impersonate their principal in the hope of winning the other party's trust so as to uncover more of their secrets.
In fact, it was a joke in itself for the other party to be the principal of a Master Teacher Academy.
Would the principal of a Master Teacher Academy have such an appearance? Would the principal of a Master Teacher Academy wield such pure Zhenqi of Slaughter?
What a joke!
Besides, considering the lofty standing of the principal, why would he descend to the Subterranean Gallery and seek death?
More importantly, given that Lu Feng was the stand-in principal, how could he possibly betray his own leader, uttering his name loud for them to hear?
It was apparent that the other party was trying to sow discord among them!
To try to use such poor deception on us? You are still too young, my boy! We are Otherworldly Demon Kings; it is ludicrous that you actually think such small ruses could work on us!
Hearing the words from the two, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief within. "Look, even they have testified in my favor..."
In the previous situation, it would have seemed suspicious no matter how he tried to explain it. Since that was the case, he might as well admit it candidly.
This way, he would confuse them further, forcing them rethink the entire situation and fill in the incongruencies in the story with their rich imagination.
It also happened that Lu Feng's identity was rather sensitive, and that worked in his favor as well. By dropping these hints, it wasn't too difficult for him to lead the other party on in the direction he wanted.
From the looks of it, it was working pretty well.
On the other hand, Lu Feng still had no idea that he had been used, and he bellowed at Zhang Xuan furiously, "Humph, you want me to believe you? Dream on."
"Why are you just so stubborn? I have already proven my identity to you again and again, but you just won't believe it..."
With a bitter sigh, Zhang Xuan glanced at the two Kings and shrugged helplessly.
The Greenleaf King harrumphed with a frown. "In my view, there is no need to go through so much trouble to get close to them. You should just burn them on the rack, and when their skin bursts open from the intense heat, toss them into the ice cavern. Repeat the cycle a few times, and there is no way they will be able to keep their spunk!"
The Goldenleaf King also nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Such knaves should be dealt with severely to make them talk. What backbone or dignity? Those are nothing more than mere words. Just wear them thin for a few days, and I believe that they will spill everything out obediently!"
"Un. If it doesn't work out, I will try your method." Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "However, for the time being, I still have other methods to try. You should leave for now."
"Alright!" The Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King nodded before leaving the area.
Jiya!
The door closed, leaving Zhang Xuan alone with the other master teachers once more.
"Kill us, mince us, do your worst! Just don't expect to get a word out of us!"
"Indeed. We have already lived long enough anyway; the worst that can happen now is death!"
"You must be dreaming if you think that we master teachers will to submit to you Otherworldly Demons!"
Hearing that Zhang Xuan was going to interrogate them, the master teachers stiffened their necks proudly.
Master teachers could die, but they couldn't submit to another race!
This was the bottom line in their hearts, as well as the dignity and honor they had lived by.
Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Their attitude was indeed admirable, but he was really there to save them!
After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply and said, "I know that none of you believe me, but you should be well aware that there is only one fate awaiting you if you wait here. You will either die or suffer a fate worse than death. However, if you follow me, I can get you out of here. As for whether I am Zhang Xuan and the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy or not, we can always talk about that once we are safe!"
Seeing the sincerity in the other party's eyes, which contrasted deeply to the savagery reflected in the gazes of Otherworldly Demons, the master teachers glanced at one another doubtfully.
Seeing that the group was starting to waver, Zhang Xuan pushed on. "If I wanted to kill you, do you think that any of you would be able to stop me in your current state? Considering that I am Hongyuan's principal, there is no need for me to interrogate you either. Is there any secret you have that is worth me going through so much trouble for?"
"This..." The crowd fell silent. Even the hostile Lu Feng opened his mouth several times but didn't utter a word of protest.
The other party was right. If he intended to kill them, there was no need for him to waste his breath on them. If he intended to procure valuable intelligence from them, he would have fared much better torturing them than acting chummy with them. Could the other party really be there to save them?
"Even if you don't believe me, surely you recognize this, right?" Seeing that his words were finally working, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Flicking his wrist, a token appeared in his hand.
Principal's Seal!
"This is... an Impeccable Principal's Seal? How could that be possible..." Upon seeing the seal, Lu Feng was stunned.
As Hongyuan's previous stand-in principal, he was well-aware of the various tiers of Principal's Seal. The token in the other party's hands was clearly the Impeccable Principal's Seal of legend! It was said that only one who had gained the recognition of all the academy's teachers and students could form it. Due to the impossibility in doing so, it had never appeared in history before.
Yet, for it to appear in Zhang Xuan's hands... How was that possible?
"Impeccable Principal's Seal? What does that mean?"
The other master teachers weren't too sure about the significance of it, so they glanced at one another in confusion.
"It's..." Lu Feng hesitated for a moment before explaining everything to them.
"It is a Principal's Seal that is formed by earning the earnest recognition of every single teacher and student in the Master Teacher Academy?"
"If he possesses the Impeccable Principal's Seal, doesn't that mean that even all of the predecessors trust him? If that's the case, what right do we have to doubt him?"
"Could he have killed the real Principal Zhang Xuan and stolen his token?"
"That's impossible! The Principal's Seal is formed by gathering the wills of the teachers and students together for the principal. If the principal is killed, the gathered wills will begin to dissipate!"
...
After hearing the explanation, everyone's gazes turned to Zhang Xuan once more. Even though they still harbored some reservations toward him, they weren't that resistant to the notion of following his orders anymore.
"Time is not on our side, so I don't have the luxury to explain everything to you now. If you trust me, follow me and I will bring you out of here!" Seeing that the others didn't have as much hostility toward him anymore, Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly. "We only have one chance. Only by living on can you slay more Otherworldly Demons in the future and protect mankind. Courage and righteousness are good traits, but only under the right circumstances. If you remain here, your blood will only be used as tributes by the Otherworldly Demons to bring even more of their tribesmen over!"
"This..." Hearing those words, everyone's faces froze.
The other party was right. They had also heard that the reason the Otherworldly Demons had spared them thus far was to use them as tributes to bypass the seal so that more powerful Otherworldly Demons would be able to come over to this side.
If they were to remain there, such would be the fate awaiting them. Not only would their sacrifice be in vain, they would have even potentially harmed more humans.
The eldest master teacher of the group asked, "How do you intend to escape? We will listen to your commands!"
"Even if you are lying to us, it will still be much better than remaining here!"
The other master teachers nodded in agreement as well.
"Un, the plan is simple. All I need you to do now is not resist, and I will bring you into a folded space," Zhang Xuan said.
He had already given some thought to how he could escape with the master teachers.
It would clearly be impossible to take them out of the Otherworldly Demon's base discreetly given the security in the area. As such, the only way was to move them into the Myriad Anthive Nest and find a way to sneak out himself.
"Alright!" The others were surprised when they heard that they had to enter a folded space, but knowing that time was limited, they hurriedly nodded.
This was indeed the best solution they had at hand.
"Alright, come in!"
Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the Myriad Anthive Nest before extending his consciousness toward them.
The other master teachers also slackened their mental guard, not resisting Zhang Xuan's pull.
Hu!
With a light buzz, the room of forty or so master teachers vanished, entering the Anthive Nest.
Returning the Myriad Anthive Nest to his storage ring, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
It was indeed frustrating to deal with those obstinate master teachers when they were against him, but ultimately, it was clear that their hearts were aligned with mankind, and the lengths they were willing to go for mankind was worthy of respect. No matter what, he felt that he should save them.
Now... how do I get out?
Having put everything into the Myriad Anthive Nest, all that was left was for Zhang Xuan was to find a way out of this place.
Taking a glance out through the windows, he saw that the two Kings were indeed guarding the area from the outside. On top of that, there were several additional formations set up around the area. Should Zhang Xuan attempt to leave the area abruptly without a valid reason, he could very well find himself lynched the next moment.
I was able to persuade them to leave before through forcefully arguing my way through, but as soon as they notice that the master teachers are missing, they will surely realize that something is amiss and take me down! Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella in frustration.
There was no way he could explain the disappearance of the master teachers to the two Kings, and there was no way the two Kings would believe him either. The only way he could survive in this situation was to flee discreetly, but... how could he flee given the tight guard placed around the hall?
Eventually, Zhang Xuan came to a decision. Seems like I will have to rely on my means as a soul oracle!
He had weighed his options, and it seemed like the best and possibly only way he could possibly get out of this situation was to flee in his soul form.
Having made up his mind, he sat on the floor and drew his soul out from his glabella without any hesitation.
After which, he stowed his physical body into his storage ring before discreetly carrying his ring to flee from the door.
This was same as the situation back at the Cloudmist Ridge. Perhaps, through making use of the intangibility and invisibility of his soul, he would be able to sneak away discreetly.
Life or death, it would hinge on this!