The Great Battle Concludes

Wu Youdao and the other two had completely realized that the person before them was an insurmountable opponent. Defeating her was entirely out of the question; from the very start of the battle until now, they hadn't even been able to scratch her. The Heavenly Court Cult's Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable was terrifying beyond measure. "Run!" Having accepted reality, they knew that since victory was impossible, fleeing to fight another day was their only option! The movement speed of a physical body was far inferior to that of a soul. Seasoned veterans of combat, the three made the most optimal choice in the very first instant—leaving their physical bodies and scattering in soul form! "Fortunately, our opponent is only a single thought from an immortal and can't pursue all three of us at once. Moreover, the power of national destiny isn't easily moved; if she wants to chase after us, she must abandon it. Yet if she abandons the power of national destiny, her strength will dwindle, and even if she catches up, she won't be able to defeat us!" Rejoicing at their luck, the three transformed into escaping rays of light and fled. ... The Immortal Fairy watched the three depart, then withdrew her gaze. When Provincial Governor Lü saw that the battle was over and rushed to the scene, all that remained were three corpses and the unowned power of national destiny. Seeing this, he hurriedly retrieved the power of national destiny with the Great Seal of Huangzhou. Qiu Jin'an turned and clasped his hands. "Many thanks for fellow Daoist's assistance earlier. I haven't had the chance to ask where you hail from—" Beside Qiu Jin'an, there was no one left; the man in the white paper hat had long since fled. "Quite an escape art. Did he take his leave, or did he flee?" Qiu Jin'an narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself. The techniques the man in the white paper hat had used during the battle had sparked a few suspicions in his mind. However, considering the person had lent a helping hand, turning hostile on the spot wouldn't have been appropriate. Elder Gai and the others also rushed back to the Corpse Driving Sect. Upon seeing their Sect Master's remains, they wailed bitterly, tears streaming down their faces like rain. "Sect Master, what a tragic death you suffered!" "We will definitely avenge you!" The disciples' eyes were red as they broke down in tears together. For a moment, the entire Corpse Driving Sect was blanketed in a pall of grief. Lu Yang and his companions arrived at the Corpse Driving Sect as well. Seeing the three Tribulation Transcendence corpses laid out on the ground and watching the members of the Corpse Driving Sect weeping inconsolably, Lu Yang clenched his fists, veins bulging on his hands. As the Grand Elder, Gai had to shoulder the responsibilities of the Sect Master in the Sect Master's absence. Turning around to console the grieving crowd, he said, "Old Lu was an optimistic and cheerful person when he was alive. If his spirit in heaven can see this, he wouldn't want to see you all like this. Come, smile a little, if only to see him off on his final journey." "Rest assured, Old Lu. We will inherit your dying wishes and make the Corpse Driving Sect prosper!" Elder Gai let out a gentle chuckle as he mourned Lu Baqian. "You bastard, Old Gai! I'm already dead and you're telling them to smile?!" Sect Master Lu's upper body snapped straight up, glaring daggers at Elder Gai. This sudden turn of events caught everyone present off guard. Provincial Governor Lü went on high alert, thinking Sect Master Lu had turned into a reanimated corpse, and mobilized the power of national destiny once more. "Dead, my foot! Don't think I didn't know you were still alive!" Elder Gai scolded with a laugh. "Just what is going on here?" Provincial Governor Lü couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. From Elder Gai's reaction, he didn't seem surprised in the slightest by Sect Master Lu's return to life. Sect Master Lu explained, "You must be the newly appointed Governor. I believe this counts as our first official meeting. I am Lu Baqian, Sect Master of the Corpse Driving Sect." Provincial Governor Lü politely returned the courtesy, still utterly bewildered. "Governor Lü may not know, but our Corpse Driving Sect has always had a friendly relationship with the Dao Seeking Sect. Although Daoist Buyu is an exception, on the whole, our two sects get along very well." "The Corpse Driving Sect has a tradition: to demonstrate our goodwill, the high-ranking members of the Corpse Driving Sect make two sets of soul lamps. One remains with the Corpse Driving Sect, while the other is placed in safekeeping at the Dao Seeking Sect, precisely to prevent situations like today's." Qiu Jin'an nodded quietly. He had heard of this before, which was why he had never suspected any issue with the upper echelons of the Corpse Driving Sect. Friendly sects often had such customs; his Five Elements Sect also kept the soul lamps of senior figures from other sects. Lu Baqian continued, "I simply didn't expect these ancient cultivators to possess methods beyond our knowledge, allowing them to seize my body without destroying my soul." "After that man named Wu Ji seized my body, he was terrified the Dao Seeking Sect would notice. He didn't dare extinguish my soul, so he merely severed the connection between my soul and physical body completely, sealing my soul away. That was how I was fortunate enough to survive until now." "At the same time, because he couldn't access my memories and frequent interactions with Old Gai and the others would give him away, he claimed to be in seclusion ever since seizing me. He only showed his face once, to craft the Soul Expelling and Scattering Talismans." Sect Master Lu felt a lingering dread; if Venerable Wu Ji hadn't feared the Dao Seeking Sect, he truly would have perished. "Then are you a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator now?" Provincial Governor Lü recalled another matter. "A blessing in disguise, though not entirely. My physical body has reached Tribulation Transcendence, but Wu Ji was the one who underwent the tribulation on my behalf. My soul is still at its original realm. So for now, I'm only half a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. Only when my soul's realm catches up will I be considered a complete Tribulation Transcendence expert." "Still, no matter how you put it, I'm the first among our generation to break through to Tribulation Transcendence, aren't I?" Seeing Qiu Jin'an, Sect Master Lu remembered that his current realm was now the highest among his peers. "Do you have no shame?" Qiu Jin'an looked at Sect Master Lu with scorn. No wonder this fellow got along so well with the Dao Seeking Sect. "Never mind about shame! Just tell me: did I, or did I not, brave mortal peril, survive by the skin of my teeth, and become a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator?" Sect Master Lu argued self-righteously, without a shred of embarrassment. Qiu Jin'an was rendered speechless; what Lu Baqian said wasn't technically wrong. Just as Lu Yang was watching the quarrel between the Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators with great relish, the Immortal Fairy returned to his spiritual space. "Whew, this Immortal is exhausted! Well? Wasn't this Immortal magnificent just now?" The Immortal Fairy gave a thumbs-up, the corners of her mouth curving up into a brilliant grin. "Very magnificent, you're always reliable, Fairy... But might I ask what is going on with the three people behind you?" Lu Yang shifted his gaze behind the Immortal Fairy. Standing there were three soul bodies, looking very familiar—they had just crossed paths moments ago: Wu Youdao, Venerable Cang Lei, and Venerable Wu Ji. The three Tribulation Transcendence masters were ash-faced. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the entity controlling the power of national destiny was not a mere sliver of an immortal's divine sense, but an entire, complete immortal soul! Before an immortal's soul, escape was utterly out of the question! What happened to being just a sliver of divine sense?! "These three are all spoils of war! As a guest elder of the Dao Seeking Sect, capturing a few people for the sect to exchange for contribution points is only natural, isn't it?" The Immortal Fairy counted on her fingers, her mental abacus clacking away. Last time, catching an ancient Body Integration cultivator had earned her a three-day Sect Master experience voucher. Now that she had captured three Tribulation Transcendence experts, just how many goodies could she exchange them for? Lu Yang's face darkened as not-so-fond memories resurfaced. Hearing the conversation between the two, the three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were inwardly terrified. An immortal this formidable was actually only a guest elder of the Dao Seeking Sect? Just how deep were the waters of the Dao Seeking Sect?! The Imperial Preceptor had drastically underestimated the combat strength of the Dao Seeking Sect! And why was this Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable acting completely different now compared to during the battle? Lu Yang was puzzled as well and voiced the question the three Tribulation Transcendence experts were dying to ask. The Immortal Fairy shared yet another ancient secret: "Immortal Ying Tian said that maintaining an aura of lofty mystique in front of outsiders is a skill every immortal must master."