The oppressive aura of peak Body Integration washed over the entire gathering. Most people present had never even laid eyes on a Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone experienced pressure of this magnitude. Countless cultivators instantly turned deathly pale. Swaying on their feet, unable to stand upright, they collapsed to the ground with heavy thuds.
"Lie flat on the ground! Maximize your surface contact with the earth!" an official cultivator shouted, guiding the crowd to minimize the harm.
Meng Jingzhou, Bai Ming, and the other two held spiritual treasures close to their chests to counteract the crushing Body Integration aura.
These were spiritual treasures issued to every disciple of an immortal sect. Meng Jingzhou held a pebble shaped like Body Tempering Peak, Bai Ming held a five-colored disc, Lan Ting held an embroidery of the full moon, and Yan Tianzhi held a palm-sized cage... Each of the Five Great Immortal Sects had its own distinct style.
Immortal sect disciples represented their sects when traveling abroad. Falling to their knees under Body Integration pressure would be a slap in the face to their sects.
Lu Yang was supposed to have a pebble shaped like Tianmen Peak as well, but with the Immortal Fairy inhabiting his body, he had no reason to fear aura of this caliber. Even if a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator showed up, they could forget about suppressing him with mere presence.
"What's going on? Which Body Integration cultivator has a death wish and dares to make a move here?" Meng Jingzhou asked in shock. By long-standing convention, battles between Body Integration cultivators could never involve the common populace; otherwise, the people of the Great Xia Dynasty would have been wiped out long ago.
A clash between Body Integration cultivators could rend the heavens and shatter the earth, causing entire landscapes to sink. Forget ordinary folk—even those with cultivation couldn't withstand it.
"They aren't modern Body Integration cultivators. They're ancient cultivators!" Lu Yang learned from the Immortal Fairy that the auras belonged to two ancient Body Integration cultivators, a man and a woman, brimming with murderous intent.
Bai Ming frowned. "That makes sense, then."
He pointed toward the source of the pressure and said, "There's a secret realm in that direction, and exploring it is part of this grand gathering. Someone must have explored the realm and awakened the slumbering ancient cultivators, driving them into a fury and making them want to destroy everything."
This was not the first time such an incident had occurred. To ancient cultivators, why should they bother obeying modern rules? In their era, Body Integration cultivators held supreme authority and held absolute power over life and death.
"What insolence!" a furious roar thundered from the horizon. It was the provincial governor.
In the blink of an eye, the provincial governor appeared above everyone. He raised a massive seal, and a strange energy surged forth, dispersing the ancient cultivators' oppressive aura.
"Huh, what a peculiar power," the Immortal Fairy said in surprise. She had never seen this kind of energy before.
Lu Yang, Lan Ting, and the others were also seeing it for the first time. Only Meng Jingzhou knew something about it.
"That is the power of national destiny," Meng Jingzhou explained.
"I heard from my family that beneath the Great Xia Dynasty lies a miraculous power that serves as the dynasty's very foundation. Every provincial governor and commandery governor of a major commandery can temporarily draw upon this power for combat and defense. That's precisely why the damage caused by ancient Body Integration cultivators can be kept to a minimum every time."
"Quite interesting." The Immortal Fairy analyzed the power of national destiny with her immortal sense. The sliver of power the governor drew upon was negligible in her eyes, but if the entire Great Xia Dynasty was blanketed by this power, it would be an utterly terrifying force. That would be quite fascinating indeed.
"Pretty creative. Turns out there are quite a few capable people in this era besides that Yun girl."
"What bold audacity you two possess, daring to cause trouble right under my nose!" The provincial governor's hair and beard flared upward, making him resemble an enraged lion.
The male and female ancient Body Integration cultivators showed no fear toward the governor. The man said coldly, "Aren't you twisting the blame, Fellow Daoist? Your people were clearly the ones who disturbed our slumber and forced us to wake early. How does that make us the troublemakers?"
The male cultivator narrowed his eyes, harboring some wariness toward the governor and his grand seal. "I see your origin soul is consummate, on par with our own realm. You possess the qualifications to vie for the Golden Age, so you ought to know how much our early awakening disrupts our plans. Is it not natural for us to kill a few people to vent our anger?"
"Naturally it is not!" Three more figures flew in from the horizon, all of them at the Body Integration stage.
"Sect Master Mi, Dao Master Zhang, Dean Hong, you've arrived." Seeing the three of them, the provincial governor felt his burden lighten considerably. If a battle broke out, he wasn't certain he could protect the cultivators attending the gathering below on his own.
"Those are the Vice Sect Master of Kuangluan Sect, the Vice Dao Master of Chonglou Abbey, and the Vice Dean of Baihua Academy! All three are at the middle Body Integration stage!" Now freed from the oppressive aura, the crowd could stand once more, and several senior local Qingzhou cultivators recognized the trio, overjoyed.
Kuangluan Sect, Chonglou Abbey, and Baihua Academy were local Qingzhou factions and co-organizers of the Qingzhou Grand Gathering.
As was customary, their vice leaders had been dispatched to attend and complete the formalities. Having arrived by invitation, they had been gathered at the governor's residence exchanging cultivation insights and conversing merrily, never expecting two ancient cultivators to suddenly appear.
Seeing that the other side had superior numbers and that the governor could wield an energy they couldn't comprehend, the two ancient cultivators realized that fighting rashly might lead to unforeseen disaster. "Hmph. In that case, out of respect for you, Fellow Daoist, we won't pursue this matter for now. We're leaving!"
With that, the pair prepared to flee.
"Hmph, you think you can just leave? Stay right where you are!" Letting these two go would invite endless trouble down the line; how could the governor possibly allow them to walk away?
The governor and the other three took positions to the east, south, west, and north, encircling the two ancient cultivators.
"Are you no longer concerned about the safety of the people below?" The ancient couple could tell that the governor was different from them, prioritizing the protection of weaker cultivators above all else.
The provincial governor was already prepared. The four of them nodded to one another and channeled the power of rules.
All four spoke in unison: "A rule is hereby established: Below three thousand meters in this place, attacks shall have no effect."
The highest peak hosting the Qingzhou Grand Gathering stood three thousand meters tall.
"Laughable! Even if you establish a rule, how do you intend to maintain it in the midst of battle? To sustain that rule, one of you will inevitably be unable to fight!" the woman sneered. Three opponents would never be enough to keep her and her husband trapped.
"There is no need for Senior to worry about that. I can maintain the rule." A voice came from behind Lu Yang and his companions, giving the five of them quite a fright.
The newcomer wore official robes and looked up at the sky with a leisurely smile.
"It's you?!" Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi exclaimed in surprise.
"You know him? Who is he?" Lu Yang asked via voice transmission.
"He's a subordinate of the provincial governor. Yesterday evening, when I went to visit the governor alongside Senior Brothers Bai Ming and Yan Tianzhi, he was the one who received us and arranged our accommodations in the residence."
"We assumed he was just a petty clerk. Who would have thought he's a Body Integration cultivator too?"
Only a Body Integration cultivator could maintain a rule.
"Makes sense. It's impossible for someone in the governor's position to not have a single Body Integration cultivator under his command," Meng Jingzhou remarked, unperturbed and well-accustomed to the ways of officialdom.
What Lan Ting and the other two didn't know was that this man had initially suggested putting them up in a prison cell.
Seeing that Lu Yang was safe, the Immortal Fairy relaxed and let out a yawn. "And here I thought that Yun girl would have to step in. Looks like that won't be necessary."
Lu Yang's brow furrowed tightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple.
Those two Body Integration cultivators had awakened from within the secret realm. Could the local authorities truly have failed to conduct a thorough search beforehand and missed the two of them entirely?
Chapter 365