Chapter 145: The Strongest Person Among the Five Great Immortal Sects
Meng Jingzhou patted Lu Yang on the shoulder. “You’re finally also outstanding enough to have someone knocking on your door to propose marriage.”
Lu Yang glanced at Meng Jingzhou. “Also?”
Meng Jingzhou proudly shared, “Since I was a child, imperial relatives, influential ministers, and righteous sect members have come to my house to propose marriage, wanting me and their daughters to become my fiancée. However, my parents and clan elders firmly objected. Otherwise, right now, I would definitely—”
Lu Yang finished the sentence for him, “Definitely end up with kidney deficiency?”
Meng Jingzhou retorted angrily, “Definitely be a dashing young master!”
The two wrestled with each other, howls echoing through the clouds as they both used the Tiger Fist at the same time. Yun Zhi focused on flying, completely ignoring the two of them.
Lu Yang transformed himself into a tiger demon, pressing Meng Jingzhou down with one paw and forcing Meng Jingzhou to beg for mercy. The latter’s Tiger Fist was ultimately no match for Lu Yang’s true tiger form.
After their tussle, Lu Yang still couldn’t understand how his performance in Yanjiang Commandery was so outstanding to have people coming to him for a marriage proposal. Besides, why do terms like “knocking on the door to propose marriage,” “the bride’s side having a change of mind,” and “a powerful soul within” sound so familiar?
~~~
Within the imperial palace in the imperial city of the Great Xia Dynasty, a dignified man clad in black robes adorned with golden patterns sat at a high position on the dais, his expression stern. In a similarly solemn and heavy atmosphere, the officials below called him “Your Majesty.”
“Dear subjects, please rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Xia Emperor swept his gaze across the officials and held up a court document. “I just received a court document from the provincial governor of Qing Province, stating that five ancient Fusion cultivators had awakened in a place called Buyi Town, which then formed a territory. The sect leader of the Dao-Seeking Sect happened to pass by with two disciples, so they killed three of those Fusion cultivators.”
The officials heaved a sigh of relief. The awakening of five Fusion cultivators is no small matter. Fortunately, the Taciturn Daoist Priest bumped into them. Had it been another Fusion cultivator, they would have immediately been brought down in Buyi Town.
Although the Taciturn Daoist Priest did not have the best reputation and had sabotaged many of them in their youth, his strength was undeniably the pinnacle of Fusion cultivators.
“But there were still two Fusion cultivators who escaped, and they are both at the Apex Fusion Stage,” the Xia Emperor warned the officials, hinting to them the crux of the issue. He wasn’t hoping they would abide by the rules, but cultivation methods from ancient times were very crude and treated human lives as chaff. Furthermore, this group of people had awakened precisely for the goal of seizing fortuitous opportunities in the Great Era, and they would resort to any means necessary. The Great Xia Dynasty had already learned its lesson.
The officials whispered among themselves. If the two Fusion cultivators revealed themselves, there was nothing to fear, since there were many people in court who could handle them. However, the possibility they dreaded was that the two would hide themselves and plot something in secret. It would also get more troublesome if they colluded with the diabolic creeds.
“This bunch of ancient Fusion cultivators!” The Xia Emperor sensed another headache coming. As the spirit opportunities of heaven and earth became increasingly active, more and more ancient cultivators were awakening. This resurgence of this group of Fusion cultivators was a menace. If left unchecked, they could cause catastrophic disasters and countless civilian casualties.
The good news is that no Transcendent Tribulation cultivator has awakened yet.
According to the intelligence gathered thus far, those who had awakened were at the Basic Fusion Stage, and those who awakened later possessed higher cultivation. The five Fusion cultivators that awakened in Buyi Town consisted of four Apex Fusion cultivators and one Advanced Fusion cultivator.
One could predict that there would soon be news of Transcendent Tribulation cultivators awakening. At that time, trouble would erupt from the sea in the east, the Buddhist Kingdom in the west, the Demon Region in the South, the Extreme North, and the Four Great Diabolic Creeds. The reign of the Great Xia Dynasty would become unsteady, and the rumor that every dynasty would last for only a hundred thousand years might very well prove true.
“All of this is for the sake of becoming an immortal!” The Xia Emperor’s gaze turned frosty. He was cognizant of many secrets. All this chaos was orchestrated from the shadows, and the mastermind wanted more Dao Fruits to appear.
The Xia Emperor suspected it was the doing of the Ancient Nameless One, also one of the five ancient immortals.
“Is becoming an immortal really that important?!” The Xia Emperor’s heart swelled with rage, but he displayed none of it outwardly. If the person behind the scenes truly thinks that the Great Xia Dynasty is a mere pawn they can manipulate, they’re gravely mistaken.
Not contemplating the matter of the Ancient Nameless One further, the Xia Emperor shifted his attention back to the two Fusion cultivators.
Just then, the eunuch supervisor received a court document. Upon seeing who the sender was, he hurriedly passed it to the Xia Emperor.
After reading it, the Xia Emperor’s face brightened with delight. “Good, very good!”
The officials were puzzled, curious about what the court document could have contained to make the Xia Emperor so elated.
“No need to worry about those two Fusion cultivators anymore! Yun Zhi from the Dao-Seeking Sect has caught them!”
“Yun Zhi?” Some less-informed officials were baffled, not knowing who Yun Zhi was. Among the Dao-Seeking Sect’s eight elders, there doesn’t seem to be anyone called Yun Zhi.
On the other hand, those well-informed old ministers not only knew Yun Zhi’s identity but also her terrifying abilities, so they were naturally aware that capturing those two Fusion cultivators was no difficult task.
“The Demon Region sent envoys...” the Xia Emperor began discussing other affairs with the officials.
~~~
After the court assembly adjourned, the Xia Emperor returned to the Mental Cultivation Hall[1] and reviewed the court documents.
“Your Majesty, Duke Qin, Jing Yansong seeks your audience,” the eunuch supervisor said softly.
The Xia Emperor didn’t even look up. “Come in.”
After Duke Qin entered the Mental Cultivation Hall, he saw the Xia Emperor busy reviewing the court documents and stayed silent, standing deferentially at a side and waiting for the Xia Emperor to go through the most urgent court documents.
“What is the matter, Duke Qin?” The Xia Emperor looked at Duke Qin with a solemn expression that would scare timid individuals from meeting his gaze.
“Your Majesty, we mustn’t let our guard down against the Dao-Seeking Sect. When Yun Zhi was still a disciple, she once defeated the sect leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects, setting a one-of-a-kind record. Ever since then, she has kept a low profile, but every time she takes action, it is bound to be astonishing. Over the past hundreds of years, her cultivation would have certainly reached a terrifying level.
“I am afraid that her existence may undermine the foundation of the dynasty. After all, the Dao-Seeking Sect was established during the Great Yu Dynasty, and it had witnessed the ‘division of the world into two’ and the ‘founding of the Great Xia Dynasty.’ They might entertain thoughts of replacing us.
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“This is not merely my opinion. On my way to the court assembly, I even heard a waiter singing ‘The Dao-Seeking thrives, a peaceful world rises.’”
The Xia Emperor furrowed his brow, and it didn’t escape Duke Qin’s eyes. Seeing that the Xia Emperor had begun harboring suspicions toward the Dao-Seeking Sect, he made no further comments and simply took his leave.
That was when the Xia Emperor summoned the eunuch supervisor. “Go investigate who Duke Qin has met recently. Focus on his interactions with the Demon Region.”
“Understood.”
The Xia Emperor scoffed inwardly. Looks like not everyone in the court has their allegiance with the Great Xia Dynasty.
“Creating a rift between me and the Dao-Seeking Sect? What an astute idea.”
After the Xia Emperor ascended to the throne, he had visited the Five Great Immortal Sects one by one. Upon meeting Yun Zhi at the Dao-Seeking Sect, he was stunned by her unfathomable abilities. He sent people to dig deeper, but they couldn’t uncover her background and secrets, so he directly went to the imperial palace’s forbidden ground to consult the old ancestor whether he knew anything about Yun Zhi.
His old ancestor had remained silent for a long time before replying with a single sentence, “The strongest person among the Five Great Immortal Sects.”
The Xia Emperor pressed further. “And how does she compare to you, old ancestor?”
“Don’t ask anymore.”
The Xia Emperor was unceremoniously kicked out by the old ancestor, who seemed to be fuming from embarrassment.
1. Yangxin Hall was the residence of the emperor, especially during the Qing Dynasty. ☜