Chapter 953: The Real and the Fake Goldenleaf King (3)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
It was no wonder the Goldenleaf King felt frenzied.
The words that the Greenleaf King had just told him made him feel as if someone had patted him down head to toe, to the point that even the color of his underwear wasn’t a secret anymore.
For a person he had never met before to know so much about him... To make things worse, he didn’t even know who the other party was! The immense fear he felt from this perplexing situation left him feeling incredibly frenzied.
"Who am I? I am the Goldenleaf King!" Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves in rage and bellowed. "Just stop that pointless struggle and come clean. Why are you impersonating me?"
"Impersonating you? Damn you!" The Goldenleaf King’s breathing hastened.
"Greenleaf King, like you have seen, my version is far more detailed than his."
Paying no heed to the Goldenleaf King, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the Greenleaf King and said grimly, "However, there is no point pursuing this matter. At this rate, we will just become laughingstock before this bunch of master teachers! Why don’t we just do it this way then? I still have some business with them that isn’t convenient for the rest of you to learn about, so allow me to finish interrogating them privately first. If you still harbor some reservations toward me, you can seal the area completely so that no one will be able to escape. This mission was entrusted to me by the superiors, and it concerns a great secret of our race. It must be accomplished regardless of the cost!"
Zhang Xuan’s goal wasn’t really to convince the others that he was the Goldenleaf King.
It was infeasible to do so. After all, the real Goldenleaf King was standing opposite him.
What he was aiming to do was stall for time instead. As long as he could confuse them sufficiently to buy some time alone with the master teachers, that would suffice.
"You want to interrogate them privately?" The Greenleaf King frowned.
"Rest assured, there are so many people stationed outside. There is no way they will be able to escape. After I am done with my interrogation, I will come out to match testimonies with you once more so as to prove my true identity!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand casually.
"What is it that you wish to question them about? Why can’t we remain here to listen in?" the Greenleaf King asked doubtfully.
"Like I said, this concerns a great secret of our race! It is due to the great responsibility I bear that I paid a heavy price to bypass the seal in advance. None of you will be able to bear the responsibility should something go wrong in the mission and affect our great plan!" Zhang Xuan said with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Don’t listen to his nonsense! He is just changing the subject..." the Goldenleaf King argued.
However, before he could finish his words, Zhang Xuan turned around and glared at the Goldenleaf King coldly, as if wanting to rip the fool before him into pieces. "Changing the topic? How dare you! For so many years, our tribesmen have suffered after that darned Kong shi drove us out. It wasn’t easy for us to find an opportunity to rise up once more, and you... Let me just ask you this! If something happens, do you think that a mere King like you can face the consequences?"
Under the great pressure from Zhang Xuan’s gaze, the Goldenleaf King stuttered, "I-I..."
Back then, after their Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was driven out of the main continent by Kong shi, they had been forced into the sunless and sinister otherworldly battlefield. For many years, their tribesmen had viewed returning to the main continent as their ultimate goal. If he were to really mess up this matter, he wouldn’t be able to pay for his sins even if he were to die ten thousand times over!
Just as he was at a loss, the Goldenleaf King suddenly heard a telepathic message from the Greenleaf King. "Brother Yin, do you know who he is?"
In the depths of his heart, the Greenleaf King still trusted the person that he had come here with.
"I wouldn’t be so frustrated if I knew who he is!" the Goldenleaf King cried in exasperation.
After a moment of hesitation, the Greenleaf King said, "Forget it, let’s just leave for now. In any case, those in the surroundings are our men, so there is no way he will be able to get away. If, on the off chance, his words are true, that will be an extremely heavy sin for us to bear. We can’t afford to take the risk!"
From the beginning to the end, he had never believed that Zhang Xuan was the real Goldenleaf King. However, the fact that the other party had been able to point out the Goldenleaf King’s cultivation flaws and the incredibly pure Zhenqi of Slaughter the other party harnessed indicated that the other party was no ordinary figure.
If the other party was an envoy dispatched by their superiors and had a mission at hand to accomplish, they would be in deep trouble if they were to hinder his mission.
"This..."
The Goldenleaf King was in a dilemma.
Doubts filled his mind.
As angry as he was at being impersonated, considering the fact that the other party was able to maintain a fearless attitude before him and have such a deep understanding of him, it was very likely that the other party had some kind of backing.
"Regardless of whether he has impersonated you or you have impersonated him, that is a matter we can resolve internally. As long as we have sufficient time on hand, it will be easy for us to resolve the issue. If it really comes to it, we can have the both of you execute your strongest moves, and through the movements, we should be able to tell who the real one is!" the Greenleaf King said.
"At least for the moment, I think we shouldn’t interfere with the other party’s mission. This could very well involve directions from the superiors, and we won’t be able to bear the consequences if anything goes wrong."
In the eyes of most Otherworldly Demons, they were esteemed Kings who wielded great power. However, they themselves knew that their standing was truly not worth a mention at all.
Even within the King Stratum, they were among the weakest.
"You are saying that we should leave for the time being?" the Goldenleaf King asked.
"Indeed, I think that we should leave for the time being. Don’t you specialize in formations? If you are still worried, you can set up a formation around the area so that they won’t be able to escape. Once he is done with his interrogation, we can continue to decide how to deal with the matter. Don’t worry, you came over with me, and I trust you more than that fellow!" the Greenleaf King said.
The Goldenleaf King hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "Alright then."
What the Greenleaf King said made sense. In terms of zhenqi purity and strength, the other party was on par with or even superior to him. If they were to fall out and battle here, there was a good chance that they would end up harming the Otherworldly Demons in the area and destroy the base they had built painstakingly, thus affecting their great plan.
The superiors had paid an astronomical price for them to bypass the barrier. If they were to screw it all up over a minor matter like that, they would become the sinners of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!
As the saying goes, a lack of forbearance for the trivial can foil the greater scheme.
The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had waited far too long for this opportunity. They could not allow it to fail because of him.
Upon seeing that he had the Goldenleaf King’s approval, the Greenleaf King heaved a sigh of relief. Turning toward Zhang Xuan, he clasped his fist and said, "Since you are going to interrogate them, we will wait for you outside. Pardon us, but we can only give you an hour at most."
"Un, that’s fine." Nodding, Zhang Xuan turned around and waved his hands, indicating for them to leave.
The Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King glanced at one another before making their way out. However, before they could get far, they suddenly heard the voice of an indignant master teacher from within the hall.
"Didn’t you say that you are principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan, in disguise and that you are going to set us free? When did you become the Goldenleaf King?"
The one who spoke was Lu Feng.
That fellow had a deep-rooted notion that Zhang Xuan was an Otherworldly Demon. Knowing that it was impossible for him to kill the latter himself, he wished to make use of this opportunity to create a rift between the Otherworldly Demons so that they could destroy one another!
You... Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nearly spurted blood and fainted.
It hadn’t been easy for him to dispel the doubts in the minds of those few, and success was just around the corner. Yet, that fool had suddenly dumped this farce on him. Are you that intent to see me dead?
As the previous head of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy Apothecary School, how can you be so brainless?
Zhang Xuan felt truly enraged by Lu Feng’s foolish actions, but he could still understand the rationale behind why the latter would do so.
It was just a moment ago that he had insisted that he was a master teacher, but in the next moment, he was suddenly trying to convince the others that he was the Goldenleaf King, and he had even produced a relatively convincing argument. In any case, that further convinced Lu Feng that he was indeed an Otherworldly Demon King, and this prompted him to make use of this ideal opportunity to stir internal strife between them.
Zhang Xuan felt so vexed that he could explode, but he knew that this wasn’t the time for him to lose his cool. Swiftly turning around, he saw that the Greenleaf King and Goldenleaf King had stopped in their footsteps and directed doubtful gazes his way.
"Principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy? Zhang Xuan?"
"Set them free? What is going on?"
The duo stared at Zhang Xuan with sharp eyes, seemingly trying to peer through his disguise.
"This..."
Zhang Xuan’s body stiffened as his brain swiftly whirred into action. A moment later, he chuckled softly and calmly replied, "Indeed, I am the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan!"