Chapter 2078 - Fraudsters
Chapter 2078: Fraudsters
Translator:StarveCleric
Editor:StarveCleric
Zhang Xuan made sure to jot the matter concerning Luo Qiqi in his mind.
The Forsaken Continent was massive, but as the head of four sects, it still shouldn't be too difficult for him to uncover the whereabouts of an individual.
After parting from Luo Xuanqing, Zhang Xuan chatted a while with Yang shi and the others to catch up with time before imparting to them the cultivation techniques and battle techniques he had newly compiled so that the Master Teacher Pavilion could share the knowledge with the world.
Just like that, a day passed in a flash.
"The main reason why I returned this time around is to borrow the altar. There are still a lot of things I have to deal with back at the Azure, so I won't be staying here…"
Zhang Xuan knew that he was tight on time. So, after he received the altar, he called Wu Chen over. He was intending to break open the dimension barrier directly and return back to the Azure right away.
At this moment, though, a voice suddenly cried out.
"Young Master, bring me with you!"
Sun Qiang rushed forward as he looked at Zhang Xuan with pleading eyes.
Shortly after Zhang Xuan left, he swiftly realized that his indolence was going to cost him the opportunity to rise to higher grounds. He was made aware of the painful fact that he was no longer able to keep up with Zhang Xuan anymore.
Thus, over the past year, he trained desperately. In view that he used to be Zhang Xuan's butler, the Master Teacher Pavilion and the Zhang Clan also provided him with ample resources for his cultivation.
Just like that, he actually managed to reach Ancient Sage 4-dan primary stage as well, just like the rest.
"You wish to head to the Azure as well?" Zhang Xuan asked with a questioning frown.
"Yes, I wish to follow you!" Sun Qiang replied in determination.
He was aware of the fact that he was materialistic, and he enjoyed exploiting his influence and reputation as Zhang Xuan's butler and an Ancient Sage. The respect and admiration that others showered him with swelled him up with pride. But for some reason… he felt as if something was missing, leaving him with an odd feeling of emptiness inside.
Those should have been the things that he desired all his life.
But now that he had acquired it all, he found himself reminiscing about the old days. Remembering those exciting days where he confidently berated experts far beyond his league made his heart thump with excitement
He realized that those were actually the golden days of his life, and he missed them dearly so.
He didn't want to limit himself to a boring life in this small world. He wanted to follow the Young Master. He knew that only then would he be able to experience the vibrant life he had before!
"We are intending to break open the dimension barrier directly to enter the Azure. It's too dangerous for you at the moment, and I don't have the confidence that I'll be able to protect you like this. However, if you really wish to follow me, you can enter the Azure through the spatial passageway.
"Here are some medicine. Swallow them before you enter the spatial passageway; they should heal your injuries and prevent you from losing consciousness!"
With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a bottle of chicken soup and a protective artifact before passing them over to Sun Qiang. Then, he looked at Sun Qiang and said, "After you arrive at the Azure, head to the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion and report my name. Someone will bring you to me."
The pressure of passing through the dimension barrier directly was extremely great, such that it was unlikely for even an Ancient Sage 4-dan cultivator to survive the journey.
Sun Qiang nodded his head in agitation.
After dealing with everything that he had to, Zhang Xuan unhesitatingly released the seal on his cultivation, causing a resounding echo in the air.
Following that, he felt the entire world rejecting his existence. An unknown force was trying to push him out of the world.
Hu!
Zhang Xuan allowed the force to push him out without resisting. In a few moments, he was already out of the Master Teacher Continent's dimension barrier. However, the danger wasn't over yet.
Amidst the space in between the two worlds, Zhang Xuan could see spatial turbulence raging in his direction, threatening to rip him apart.
He quickly drove his zhenqi to form a protective barrier around him so as to ward off the spatial turbulence. At the same time, he allowed the force of rejection from the Master Teacher Continent to continue propel him forward.
Soon enough, light returned to his sight. With a slight shake, he was squeezed out of the void and landed in the air right after Xuanjiang City.
"We were indeed able to return easily," Zhang Xuan remarked with a light chuckle.
He turned to look at Wu Chen, and the latter seemed to be a little surprised by the matter as well.
From the looks of it, it seemed that even though moving from a stronger world to a weaker world was extremely difficult, returning back to a stronger world from a weaker world was much easier in comparison.
They had to rely on Luo Ruoxin's disguise amulet and disguise art in order for them to conceal themselves from the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent. Otherwise, if they were to just suppress their cultivation, there was no way they could have fooled the heavens of the Master Teacher Continent.
They would have likely been pushed out before they could even enter the world.
"Let me first take a look around to see if Zhao Ya and the others are still around…" Zhang Xuan said as he extended his consciousness all around Xuanjiang City.
At his level of cultivation, as long as he willed so, he could even sense the slightest flutter of one's eyelashes all over Xuanjiang City.
"They are there!"
A moment later, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
He was worried that his direct disciples would have already left Xuanjiang City given that it had been nine days since they arrived. He was glad to see that they were still around.
However, he also realized that the residence they were in was preparing aerial beasts. It looked like they were preparing to set off.
So, Zhang Xuan quickly headed over without any hesitation.
…
"Zhang Yuanwai, why are you in such a hurry to borrow my aerial beasts? Is there something that you need to do?"
A pot-bellied middle-aged man walked over and looked at Zhang Yuanwai doubtfully.
There weren't too many clans in Xuanjiang City who had the power and wealth to rear aerial beasts, but the middle-aged man, Wu Jiangcheng, happened to be one of them. After the downfall of the Xue Clan, the aerial beasts of his clan became the strongest and fastest ones of the entire city.
It was for this reason that Zhang Yuanwai paid a visit to him in hopes of borrowing his aerial beast.
"Do you remember the group of youths whom I have saved?" Zhang Yuanwai asked with a smile.
"I remember that. Are you going to try your luck just like Dan Xiaotian?" Wu Jiangcheng asked with a chortle.
Dan Xiaotian's encounter was one-of-a-kind. No one could hope to emulate what he had done. After all, there could only be a single Sect Leader Zhang Xuan in the world.
Surely someone like Zhang Yuanwai wouldn't be so naive as to think that he would strike gold just by saving a couple of people off the streets?
How could something that good happen so easily?
If that was the case, he wouldn't bother doing anything anymore. He would simply devote his time to saving people out there!
"To be honest with you, I think that lady luck really shone on me this time around…" Zhang Yuanwai replied with a mysterious smile on his lips.
He was on good terms with Wu Jiangcheng, so he had no intentions of hiding the matter from the other party.
"Is it?" Wu Jiangcheng was slightly surprised to hear those words from Zhang Yuanwai. "Don't tell me that you have saved a sect leader or an elder… Even if you want to joke with me, there should be a limit to it! There can't be that many sect leaders or elders who are in a dire situation in the world!"
"Haha, of course not! You are thinking too much into it!" Zhang Yuanwai looked around him warily before leaning closer toward Wu Jiangcheng. "I'll only be telling you this. The nine people whom I have saved are actually… the direct disciples of Sect Leader Zhang Xuan!"
"The direct disciples of Sect Leader Zhang Xuan? Hahaha! You really are good at kidding around!" Wu Jiangcheng burst out laughing.
"Sect Leader Zhang Xuan is the head of four sects, the strongest man in the world. There are countless people in the world who desire to come under this tutelage… Just walk around the streets and you will easily find a handful of people who want to become his student, and some might even go to the extent of proclaiming that they had learned something from him before… Are you sure you want to take those words for real? Just a few days ago, I caught a horse from the wilderness, and that fellow actually used his hooves to write out that he's a student of Sect Leader Zhang Xuan!"
"Even a horse is doing that too?" Zhang Yuanwai was stunned.
"Indeed! It's not that I want to shatter your dreams, but you really shouldn't pin your hopes on this. It's almost guaranteed that those youths you have captured are trying to scam your money, and only a fool like you will fall for their tricks…" Wu Jiangcheng harrumphed.
"Just think about it. As the head of four sects, who would dare to offend Zhang Xuan's direct disciples and injure them? And how could it be so coincidental that all of them would be saved by you as well? It's obviously a planned scheme!"
Zhang Yuanwai was rendered speechless.
There was so much sense to what Wu Jiangcheng was saying that he had no idea how to refute the other party's words.
Thinking back, the only evidence he had regarding their claim that they were Zhang Xuan's disciples came from their words… and it was too easy to spout falsehoods from one's mouth.
Could he have really been scammed?
"Aiyo, let's head over to meet them together. I'll expose the true faces of those liars for you!" Seeing the conflicted look on his good friend's face, Wu Jiangcheng tucked in his tummy—though it didn't make much of a difference—and spoke vehemently.
"I'll be troubling Brother Wu then…" Zhang Yuanwai heaved a sigh of reli
He quickly led the way to the courtyard where Zhao Ya and the others were residing in.
…
"You are the ones who claim to be Sect Leader Zhang Xuan's direct disciples?"
Upon arriving in the courtyard and seeing a bunch of feeble-bodied young men, Wu Jiangcheng was even more convinced of his thoughts, and he sneered coldly.
On the other hand, Zhao Ya and the others swiftly sensed Wu Jiangcheng's hostility, and a slight frown appeared on their faces.
Every single one of them were existences who could make the Master Teacher Continent tremble with a stomp of their foot. As such, they were displeased to see someone acting so disrespectful to them when it was only their first meeting.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Wu Jiangcheng looked at the frowns on their faces and scoffed. "Do you know what's the crime for impersonating Sect Leader Zhang Xuan's direct disciples? Putting aside heading to the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, if I were to just report you to the city lord right away, the nine of you will be immediately thrown to the jail!"
Those words caused the hot-tempered Yuan Tao to take a step furiously. The others were also glaring at Wu Jiangcheng coldly, as if they were going to pummel his head into the ground.
Afraid that they would really come to blows, Kong Shiyao stood forward and clasped her fist, "We aren't impersonators. Zhang Xuan is indeed our teacher."
"Who doesn't know how to spout a couple of words from their mouths. Do you have any evidence to prove the matter?" Wu Jiangcheng sneered.
Kong Shiyao fell silent.
It was impossible to bring their storage rings or anything else with them through the spatial passageway, so they had nothing that could prove their identity with them at the moment… Furthermore, even if they could bring it out, there was no way the other party would be able to recognize it either way!
"Did cat get your tongue? Why aren't any of you talking anymore?"
With a grand wave of his hand, Wu Jiangcheng's voice suddenly became much louder and sharper, "How dare you try to impersonate Sect Leader Zhang Xuan's direct disciples? Just what gave you the audacity to do something as ridiculous as this?"
"We really are Zhang Xuan's direct disciples," Kong Shiyao frowned in displeasure.
"Enough! I'm not like Zhang Yuanwai, who would easily fall for your lies. If you are really Sect Leader Zhang Xuan's direct disciples, I would be his teacher then. Men!" Wu Jiangcheng harrumphed coldly.
WIth a raise of his hand, he beckoned for his subordinates to capture these fraudsters and bring them over to the City Lord Manor.
But at this moment, a faint voice echoed in the air, "You said that you are my teacher? Why don't I know about it?"
"Who is it?"
Taken aback, Wu Jiangcheng quickly raised his head, only to see two figures floating quietly in the air. One of them was gazing downward with a faint smile on his lips.
"Sect Leader Zhang Xuan…"
Wu Jiangcheng's body stiffened up on the spot. His knees knocked together from fear, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
He watched Dan Xiaotian's court proceedings at the City Lord Manor back then, and there, he had the honor to meet Sect Leader Zhang Xuan in person. The person above him shared the same appearance as Sect Leader Zhang Xuan, and the very fact that he was flying in the sky meant that he was at least a High Immortal…
If so, there wasn't much to be said about the other party's identity…
"Teacher!"
Contrary to Wu Jiangcheng's shock, upon seeing the figure in the sky, the eyes of Zhao Ya and the others reddened, and they quickly kneeled onto the ground.
"Un, it has been hard on you all…"
Seeing how far his direct disciples had grown in his absence, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. With a wave of his hand, he passed nine jade bottles to them.
"Drink it."
"Yes, teacher!"
The nine of them gulped down the chicken soup inside the bottles, and in the next moment, they felt incredible energy washing through their meridians. In just a few moments, their injuries had already vanished.
"This… They are all Ancient Sage 4-dan cultivators?"
Wu Jiangcheng and Zhang Yuanwai nearly passed out from shock.
This was especially so for Wu Jiangcheng. He really wanted to burst into tears at this very moment.
Even the city lord, the most powerful man in Xuanjiang City, was an Ancient Sage 4-dan cultivator. Yet, these young men and women had actually reached that level as well…
It was fortunate the Sect Leader Zhang came in time. Otherwise, given what he had just said, these nine youths would have surely wrangled his neck out of rage!