This Move Wasn't Meant for You in the First Place...

The very moment Provincial Governor Lü and Wu Youdao clashed, Official An activated the grand formation. A hemispherical barrier, like an overturned bowl covering Hanshui City, ensured the aftershocks of their battle would not affect the city below. Midair above Hanshui City, it sounded as if thunderclaps were detonating one after another, deafening the ears. The two were locked in a fight to the death; their fists and kicks collided, bursting with blinding, multicolored light. Mortals could not even look directly at the battle, and even cultivators of lower cultivation felt a suffocating pressure in their chests merely watching it, as if their inner organs were resonating with the blows. Wu Youdao did not dare unleash Universe in the Palm again to punch through Provincial Governor Lü, lest his other hand also merge into Lü's body. With one arm fused into Provincial Governor Lü's chest, Wu Youdao's movements were severely restricted. Coupled with Provincial Governor Lü's astonishing regeneration speed, Lü unexpectedly gained the upper hand for a time! "Damn it, get off me!" Wu Youdao couldn't fight comfortably no matter what he did, unable to fathom how Provincial Governor Lü had come up with such an outrageous method. Wu Youdao landed a punch square on Provincial Governor Lü's face. Lü's head snapped sideways, but then he flexed his neck, slowly forcing his head back into place. "This move was originally meant for Old Scoundrel Buyu. Who would've thought you'd be the one getting the bargain first!" A crazed look glinted in Provincial Governor Lü's eyes. "Old Scoundrel Buyu... Could it be Daoist Buyu?!" Clearly, Wu Youdao had heard of the name. "Rumors say Daoist Buyu's enemies span the entire world. Could it be that Daoist Buyu's goal in making enemies everywhere is to raise the combat strength of Great Xia's cultivators?" Wu Youdao pondered. As a sovereign, his thinking was sharp, and he considered far more angles than ordinary people. "The Dao Seeking Sect truly lives up to its name as the greatest obstacle to the restoration of our Great Yu!" Wu Youdao recalled the Imperial Preceptor's stern warning to beware of people from the Dao Seeking Sect, for they were their greatest adversaries. Fortunately, he had not encountered anyone from the Dao Seeking Sect so far. "As expected of the provincial governor! If he keeps fighting like this, he can win!" Lu Yang's eyes shone. He had not anticipated Provincial Governor Lü would be so reliable, while also feeling fortunate that he hadn't revealed his master's identity. Judging by Provincial Governor Lü's ruthless fighting style, the grudge between him and his master was definitely no small matter. "He can't win. This fighting style works only because Wu Youdao hasn't seen it before and couldn't react in time. Once Wu Youdao adapts, Little Lü will fall onto the defensive." The Immortal Fairy possessed brilliant wit and had experienced countless battles large and small; she saw the flaw in this tactic at a single glance. The only way to achieve victory was to restrain Wu Youdao and then, catching him off guard, kill him with absolute power. Unfortunately, Provincial Governor Lü did not possess absolute power. Just as the Immortal Fairy had predicted, after taking several pummelings, Wu Youdao devised a solution in the shortest possible time. He transformed his left hand into a Heavenly Blade and slashed toward Provincial Governor Lü, who dodged to the side. Who could have guessed that Wu Youdao was never aiming for Provincial Governor Lü in the first place, but his own right arm! *Shhh—* The Heavenly Blade cleaved downward. His right arm severed cleanly, and blood gushed forth, turning into a river of blood that poured toward Hanshui City. When it hit the transparent barrier, it produced a terrifying sizzling, corrosive hiss that struck fear into anyone listening. If the barrier failed to hold, the blood of a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator falling onto the ground would undoubtedly cause a catastrophe. Fortunately, the transparent barrier was sturdy enough. When the blood's corrosiveness was fully exhausted, the barrier still held. Wu Youdao's severed arm rapidly regenerated. "Pleasant Heavenly Sound!" Having regained his freedom, Wu Youdao opened his mouth and emitted an ear-piercing sound. The noise carried a demonic power, like ten thousand gossiping mouths whispering in low murmurs. No matter how Provincial Governor Lü covered his ears or sealed his five senses, the voice continued to echo beside his ears. "Grand Luo Triple Force!" Taking advantage of the opening, Wu Youdao threw a punch. His fist erupted with a brilliance as fierce and dazzling as a blazing sun. "Even an eminent monk who has cultivated the sixteen-foot golden body would have his technique shattered by this punch of mine!" Wu Youdao laughed uproariously. Tormented by the heavenly sound, Provincial Governor Lü could not perceive the outside world in time and took the punch squarely. *Pfft—* Provincial Governor Lü spat out mouthfuls of blood. The power of national destiny rushed to heal his wounds, but this punch contained three layers of force: the first heavily injured him, while the second and third actively suppressed his regeneration. "Still not dead? Let me finish you with another!" A greedy look appeared on Wu Youdao's face, as if the power of national destiny were already within his grasp. "The emperor of Great Yu puts on quite the impressive display." A calm chuckle sounded, and a Five-Colored Light Wheel suddenly appeared, blocking the way before Provincial Governor Lü. Wu Youdao's punch was far too heavy; the Five-Colored Light Wheel held for only two breaths of time. *Crack—* The light wheel shattered, but Provincial Governor Lü was nowhere to be seen. "Over here!" Wu Youdao whipped his head around and saw Provincial Governor Lü being supported by Qiu Jin'an. "Are you all right?" "Not dead yet." "It's you, a sect master of the immortal sects. You should be at the Hundred Flowers Restaurant right now!" Wu Youdao stared coldly at Qiu Jin'an. The two most powerful ghosts under his command had been placed in the Hundred Flowers Restaurant. ... The Hundred Flowers Restaurant. A colossal ghost creature lay on the floor, its torso hollowed out and its three souls churned to shreds by three chopsticks. A bowl of rice was forcefully stuffed down its throat. Innumerable minor ghosts had their necks snapped and their heads severed from their bodies, strewn across the entire dining hall. ... "You mean the swollen ghost and the starved ghost? Mediocre at best. If they devoured each other and merged into a new ghost, it might be worth a look, but even then, it's nothing special. "As for those little ghosts that can lock down three souls and seven mortal forms by riding on someone's neck, that's just old tricks the Dao Seeking Sect got bored of long ago." Swollen ghosts and starved ghosts were highly compatible spectral creatures. In life, a swollen ghost died of overeating; after turning into a ghost, it would eat ceaselessly, never feeling it had eaten enough. In life, a starved ghost died of starvation; after death, it too ate constantly, yet could never feel full. When the two ghosts devoured each other, they would merge into a creature known as a Taotie ghost. An ordinary cultivator who crossed paths with a Taotie ghost faced certain death. "Thinking you could deal with me using just a swollen ghost and a starved ghost is looking down on me far too much." Wu Youdao narrowed his eyes. An untold number of Body Integration stage cultivators had been devoured by that swollen ghost and starved ghost, not a few of whom were even in late Body Integration. These were ghosts that cultivators at the Body Integration stage should not have been able to handle. This man named Qiu Jin'an possessed combat prowess that exceeded even his expectations. "You take the hits, and I'll attack. How about it?" Qiu Jin'an sent a voice transmission. "Fine." In terms of combat capability, Provincial Governor Lü was far inferior to Qiu Jin'an. "Sir, we have arrived!" Several Body Integration stage cultivators appeared, coming to lend their support. Previously, they had been tied down by the ghosts that had appeared throughout the city. On his way over, Qiu Jin'an had casually taken care of those specters, allowing them to free up their hands to come help. "Go down below, assist your colleagues in dealing with the ghosts, and maintain order in the city!" Provincial Governor Lü waved his hand. This battle was not something a few ordinary Body Integration cultivators could decide. Even a powerhouse like him at the peak Body Integration stage would be killed in a single exchange without the empowerment of the national destiny. Right now, only a supreme figure among the Body Integration stage like Qiu Jin'an could be of any help. The trouble was, where could one casually find Body Integration stage cultivators on the level of the Five Great Immortal Sect masters? Wu Youdao repeated his old trick, attempting to incapacitate Qiu Jin'an: "Pleasant Heavenly Sou—" Qiu Jin'an's combat experience was far superior to Provincial Governor Lü's. In his palm, he raised a fiery lotus radiating an aura of destruction. "Red Lotus Karmic Fire!" *Boom—* Destructive energy erupted. A colossal red lotus blossomed above Hanshui City, each petal bearing the might to shatter a grotto-heaven. When all twenty-eight petals bloomed, the resulting wave of destructive energy was unimaginably vast. Even through the barrier, Lu Yang could feel the scorching blast of heat wash over them. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Wu Youdao in a thoroughly battered and disheveled state. His clothes and crown were in disarray, burns covered his body, his skin was blistered and wrinkled, and his head gleamed bald and shiny. Gone was every trace of his usual calm, composed demeanor that looked down upon the world. "This move was originally meant for the Dao Seeking Sect. A pity it had to be used on you first." Qiu Jin'an slowly shook his head, once again condensing a red lotus in his palm.