Chapter 1709: Ren Qingyuan and Others' Surprise

"An alliance?" Ren Qingyuan was startled.

"According to the information I've received, the other side has amassed a hundred thousand soldiers. Once their agreement is finalized, they could attack at any moment... The intel is solid; it's indeed the grotto here at the Master Teacher Pavilion!" Jiang Fangyou stated with certainty.

"Most of the Grand Elders at the Great Sage pinnacle realm from the Master Teacher Pavilion have gone to the Temple of Confucius. Ordinary master teachers are dispersed, guarding various grottoes. Even if we summon them, their cultivation wouldn't withstand the pressure of the teleportation array, and flying back would take too much time..." Ren Qingyuan's brows furrowed.

If the news was true, this crisis was immense. For a moment, even he had no good solution.

"I understand this concerns the survival of humanity, so I've brought the top experts from my clan. I also asked Brother Luo to bring his family's powerful cultivators as well, to help the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters guard the grotto!" Jiang Fangyou said.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Jiang. In that case, there's no time to lose. We can discuss the detailed battle plan once we're inside the grotto. Otherwise, I fear the enemy might already begin their attack before we've even decided anything..." Without hesitation, Ren Qingyuan and the others ceased their discussion and hurried towards the grotto.

Similar to the Zhang Clan's Dragon Tiger Mountain grotto, behind the seal lay a massive city, suppressing the exit. If the Spirit Extinction Tribe wanted to enter the Master Teacher Continent, they had to pass through this point.

"What's the situation on the other side?" Standing on the observation deck, Ren Qingyuan looked at a Nine-star Master Teacher nearby.

"There's been no movement. We just received a report from the scouts that all enemy soldiers have retreated behind the seal. They seem to be plotting something. Because the killing aura of the ancient battlefield can affect one's mind, we didn't venture too deep. The specific situation is still unknown!" the Nine-star Master Teacher said.

"Understood," Ren Qingyuan acknowledged.

In the ancient battlefield where the Spirit Extinction Tribe resided, a blood moon hung in the sky, and the killing aura was dense. Ordinary master teachers entering it would quickly be corrupted by the aura, transforming into killing machines. It was for this reason that humanity generally maintained a defensive posture against the Spirit Extinction Tribe, rather than initiating attacks. Otherwise, over tens of thousands of years, with countless strong individuals in the Master Teacher Pavilion, it would have been impossible for the Spirit Extinction Tribe to become so powerful.

"Waiting here indefinitely isn't a solution. Since there aren't many guarding the seal, I'd like to go personally and investigate. That way, everyone can prepare in advance!" Jiang Fangyou said after a moment of thought.

"Brother Jiang, I'll go with you. I've recently gained new insights into space, and in terms of concealment, it's very difficult to detect me unless one's strength surpasses mine!" Luo Qianzhen stepped forward.

"This..." Ren Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, then turned and instructed, "Arrange for all master teachers to be ready for battle at any time. Brother Jiang, Brother Luo, and I will go scout and return quickly!"

"Acting Pavilion Master..." numerous Nine-star Master Teachers urged in dissuasion.

"It's fine. We're only gathering information, and with Brother Luo and Brother Jiang accompanying me, there won't be any major issues!" Ren Qingyuan interrupted them and made his decision.

Seeing his resolve, they knew he wouldn't change his mind and said no more.

Time was pressing, so without delay, the three concealed themselves and swiftly flew forward.

Soon, they arrived before the seal. Just as they had been told, the Spirit Extinction Tribe indeed had little defense. The stationed soldiers were not strong and couldn't detect their presence at all.

Upon entering the ancient battlefield, the killing aura surged. Knowing that prolonged exposure would cause even them to be infiltrated by this aura, making it difficult to expel, they accelerated their pace.

"There are significant spiritual energy fluctuations over there, let's go check it out..." After flying a short distance, they immediately felt a chaotic spiritual energy, like a storm. They exchanged glances and rapidly flew towards it.

Before reaching their destination, the three concealed themselves, fearing that any energy fluctuations might reveal their presence to the enemy.

Finally arriving, they looked into the hollow beyond the mountain peak. With a single glance, Ren Qingyuan's body swayed, and he nearly fell.

"What's wrong?" Seeing his expression, Jiang Fangyou couldn't help but look over, puzzled.

"See for yourselves..." Ren Qingyuan's lips trembled.

Luo Qianzhen and Jiang Fangyou, full of doubt, stood up and looked as well, their eyes widening in shock.

"All these people... they're dead?" They saw the valley before them densely packed with countless corpses of the Spirit Extinction Tribe. They had been so worried, putting in immense effort to prepare their defenses... yet, these Spirit Extinction Tribe members hadn't even emerged and were already all dead... What on earth had happened?

"Let's go take a look!" With everyone dead, there was nothing more to fear. They swiftly flew over.

Arriving overhead, they circled continuously.

"The hundred thousand soldiers of Emperor Xing and Emperor Ling should all be here. It looks like... they died fighting each other!" Jiang Fangyou's lips trembled, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

The senior Soul Oracle hidden among the Spirit Extinction Tribe had secretly sent word that the two emperors were allied and that their attack, once launched, would be unstoppable, urging humanity to prepare in advance... Knowing this, they had been deeply worried, fearing they wouldn't be able to resist... But now, the forces hadn't even appeared, and they were all dead... What the hell happened? Could anyone explain this?

"Could it be that the two emperors didn't finalize their alliance and fought each other here instead... ultimately leading to the annihilation of their entire army?" Luo Qianzhen couldn't help but ask.

Though it sounded preposterous, he truly couldn't think of any other explanation.

"If two emperors fought to a standstill, even if both sides suffered losses, it's impossible for an entire army to be annihilated... Someone must have been here and killed the remaining ones! Look, the thousands of Spirit Extinction Tribe members over there died in very similar ways: over a thousand were crushed into pulp by some strange force, over a thousand had their hearts pierced, and another group had their heads severed..." Ren Qingyuan shook his head.

As a Nine-star Master Teacher, he was meticulous in his observations. While two masters might fall fighting each other, it was inconceivable for a hundred-thousand-strong army to perish entirely without external interference, leaving no one alive, no matter how intense the battle.

"Pavilion Master Ren is right. Not only that, all the equipment and supplies for this hundred-thousand-strong army are gone. And there isn't a single storage ring to be seen on their bodies... Someone definitely collected them!" Jiang Fangyou said.

Luo Qianzhen quickly looked and indeed saw that the countless dead and injured Spirit Extinction Tribe members had bare hands, devoid of any rings. Moreover, there were burn marks around the tents, but no sign of military provisions within.

It was impossible for such a large army to operate without supplies and resources. The current lack of anything pointed to only one explanation... Someone had already been here, and it was highly probable that this entire conflict was their doing.

But... Who had such power to annihilate a hundred thousand Spirit Extinction Tribe members in less than a day?

Just then, an aura swept past, and a figure abruptly appeared above the valley.