Other than the Guardian Formation, the next strongest trump card of the Sanctum of Sages was the Formation of the Sages formed by the elders.
This formation allowed all of the elders to channel their powers together to launch a devastating attack, thus making it a highly fearsome weapon.
Putting aside Zhang Xuan, even the Saint 9-dan beast might not necessarily be a match against the Formation of the Sages.
Huala!
Before Chen Leyao could finish her words, the net in the sky had already finished forming, sealing the entire area.
“Roar!”
Sensing danger from the newly formed net, the Inferno Qilin roared ferociously and charged right for it, intending to ram it down before it stabilized.
Huala!
The net that extended across the entire sky formed a massive network of zhenqi. It gathered together under Zhan shi’s manipulation, instantaneously forming a pulse of energy that raced right for the charging Inferno Qilin.
Boom!
As if a forlorn boat drifting in the stormy oceans, the Inferno Qilin swiftly found itself overwhelmed by the tremendous might in the pulse. The pulse shoved it right into to the ground, raising a huge cloud of dust above it.
Roar!
The Inferno Qilin bellowed angrily as it struggled desperately against the raging pulse battering on it, but it was unable to break free of it at all.
While most of the elders hadn’t reached Saint 9-dan, their combined prowess, which was further augmented by the unique energy seeping out of the Sanctum of Sages, still formed a force which even the Saint 9-dan pinnacle Inferno Qilin was unable to match.
It was only after a massive pit had been blasted in the ground did the pulse finally slow to a halt. The Inferno Qilin spurted a mouthful of golden blood as it attempted to return to its feet, only to find itself too wounded to stand.
“Hmph!” Seeing that they had finally managed to down the Inferno Qilin, Zhan shi swiiftly turned his gaze coldly toward another direction as he prepared the formation for another attack.
Huala!
Another white pulse of energy burst forth, headed in the direction where Zhang Xuan was standing.
In terms of might, it was far stronger than the one which had struck the Inferno Qilin earlier. If it were to really strike Zhang Xuan, he would die without any doubt!
“Master!”
The alarmed Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast immediately dashed back, but it was still a step too late. Before it could reach its master, the white pulse of energy had already swallowed the young man whole.
“Zhang Xuan…” Not too far away, Chen Leyao watched the sight in utter shock. A sudden feeling of weakness consumed her legs as she fell onto the ground, paralyzed.
From where she stood, she could clearly feel the energy pulsating from the attack. It was a force which even her teacher, a Saint 8-dan pinnacle expert, wouldn’t be able to withstand.
Would the young man really die like that?
“He actually didn’t dodge?” Up in the sky, Zhan shi couldn’t help but freeze in astonishment as well.
While the attacks launched by the Formation of the Sages were incredibly powerful, they needed considerable time to charge up. He had expected Zhang Xuan to flee before the attack fell, and he was banking on the shockwaves of the pulse to incapacitate that fellow instead.
But who could have thought that that fellow would remain rooted to the spot, allowing the pulse to strike directly on him!
“Hmph, he deserves it! Given the heinous deeds he has committed, destroying the Guardian Formation and tearing down the Sanctum Head Hall, not even Yang shi would be able to speak on his behalf!” Elder Ge harrumphed as he discreetly shot a glance toward Zhan shi.
He knew that the latter was still harboring some reservations toward this matter. After all, Zhang Xuan was Yang Xuan’s direct disciple, and it was hard to tell what that legendary man would do once he heard of this matter.
However, they couldn’t be blamed for this matter either. There are many students here who could testify that the actions that they had made were out of self-defense. To actually dare to run rampant just because he had tamed a strong beast, that fellow deserved to meet with such an outcome!
“I’m not worried about that. It’s just that it’s saddening to see someone as talented as him passing away just like that…” Zhan shi shook his head.
As high as Yang shi’s standing was on the Master Teacher Continent, he was still a person who respected the rules. Considering the actions that Zhang Xuan had done, there was no way Yang shi could still side with his direct disciple!
But… that young man was truly extraordinarily talented. It was a huge loss for mankind to lose such a talent.
“Given that fellow’s character, his talents would only eventually become a huge scourge to humanity!” Elder Ge harrumphed.
What was the use of being talented?
If he were to devote his capabilities to doing evil, his talent would only turn out to be a bane for mankind.
In the history of the Master Teacher Continent, there was no lack of talented geniuses who ended up straying from the right path due to their difficult temperament.
“I guess you’re right…” Zhan shi shook his head, deciding not to think too much into it anymore. “Clear up the place. We have to report this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters as soon as possible.”
“Yes!” Elder Ge replied.
He lowered his head to look at the rubble below when he suddenly caught sight of something that made his eyes narrow in shock. He nearly lost control of himself and plummeted to the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Zhan shi frowned.
“Zhan shi… look!” Not knowing how he should explain the matter, Elder Ge anxiously exclaimed as he pointed to the ground.
In a huge pit in the ground where the energy pulse had struck previously, Zhang Xuan stood completely unharmed. There were dozens of formation flags planted in front of him, and light was shimmering off their surface. The space around the pit was rippling a little, emanating warm energy.
“That’s… Teleportation Formation? He managed to construct it?”
There was no mistaking it—the formation constructed by those formation flags was definitely a Teleportation Formation! Not only so, the space around the formation was considerably stable, which meant that there wasn’t the slightest mistake in the construction!
It was one thing for a mere Phantasmal Space realm cultivator to emerge completely unharmed under the attack of the Formation of the Sages, but to successfully construct a Teleportation Formation in the meantime as well…
Was this for real?
“Inferno Qilin, Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast, and Chen Leyao, come over. We’re leaving!”
The young man in the pit chuckled softly before turning his gaze to the sky, “Zhan shi and fellow elders of the Sanctum of Sages, I really have to thank you all for your energy. Otherwise, god knows how long it would take for me to finish this formation… Alright, I still have things to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave first. Let’s meet again in the future!”
After saying those words, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and kept his two saint beasts into the Myriad Anthive Nest. At the same time, he quickly grabbed Chen Leyao and wrapped her in his zhenqi before activating the Teleportation Formation. A brilliant light shrouded the both of them, and they immediately vanished from the spot.
“Don’t let him get away!” Dumbfounded by the sight before him, it took some time before Zhan shi could think once more. He shouted angrily as he dashed right for the Teleportation Formation, intending to head into it as well so as to chase Zhang Xuan.
However, just as he was getting close, he suddenly noticed a surge of energy swiftly swelling up in the formation, reminiscent of a full dam that was on the verge of collapsing. Following which…
Boom!
In the next moment, the formation abruptly collapsed. Dozens of formation flags were rooted off the ground and swept into the surroundings, causing the Teleportation Formation to vanish altogether. Everything happened so swiftly that it was almost as if the formation hadn’t appeared in the first place at all.
“The Teleportation Formation he created has a self-destruction sequence too?” Zhan shi felt as if his sanity was on the verge of crumbling.
Naturally, he was a skilled formation master himself, or else he wouldn’t have grade-9 formation flags in his possession.
For the young man to be able to create a Teleportation Formation under their attack and even embed a self-destruction sequence with it… Wasn’t he able to do a little too much within too short a period of time?
With the destruction of the Teleportation Formation, there was no way they would be able to figure out where he had been teleported to and chase after him anymore.
They had lost their only lead to the young man.
Glancing at the rubble all around him, Zhan shi’s eyes turned wintry.
“That fellow’s escape will eventually culminate into a catastrophe for mankind. Elders and students of the Sanctum of Sages, hear my command! From this day onward, if anyone were to catch sight of Zhang Xuan, report upward without any delay! If there’s a chance to strike, kill him without any hesitation!”
I read some of your comments in the previous few chapters. I don’t deny some of the things mentioned, but I would like to offer another point of view too.
Firstly, it has been mentioned multiple times that Zhang Xuan mustn’t reveal his identity as a sanctum head candidate, just that the removal of candidacy hasn’t been mentioned. Throughout the entire duration of time, Zhang Xuan also hadn’t revealed his identity as the sanctum head to a single person as well. So, it’s not as if this thing was completely conjured out of nowhere. It’s in line with the plot and past events, and it has been somewhat implied in past context too. Of course, I do acknowledge that it would have been better to state it out clearly.
Just to quote the exact words said in 1296
<"I'll just repeat it one last time. Until you fulfill those three conditions, you won't be able to release the seal on the Sanctum Head Token, and you won't be able to tap into the power harnessed in it. As such, I hope that you can disguise yourself as an ordinary student and study diligently in the Sanctum of Sages, slowly taking a step at a time to the peak. This is the best way for you to win the respect of others, as well as my test to you," Sage Kui advised.>
Secondly, I would like to mention that there’s a subtle difference between using the token and parading it around. While both the situation with the First Elder and with the Sanctum of Sages are both severe circumstances, there are some differences in the context.
If I recall correctly, Sage Kui’s spirit should have been infused within the Sanctum Head Token, especially since they communicated about the sculpture and Vicious’ upper body the first time around.
For the Zhang Clan, since it was a severe situation, there were very few people around and none of them were from the Sanctum of Sages, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about him being the sanctum head, so at the very least, even if it was considered breach of the rules, Sage Kui could afford to turn a blind eye to it since his identity isn’t revealed.
On the other hand, in the Sanctum of Sages, everyone there knows of the Sanctum Head Token. True, it might be severe circumstances too, but rules are still rules. Once Zhang Xuan’s identity is revealed as in that case, he could only be deemed to have lost his candidacy.
