Where in the World Am I?

"A lot of unfamiliar Body Integration cultivators?" Lu Yang was full of question marks. He didn't know many Body Integration cultivators, and the ones he did know were mostly from his own sect. When inviting outside Body Integration experts to the celebration, Su Yiren was the only one he actually knew personally; as for the rest, he only recognized their names. For instance, he hadn't recognized the Qi Control Sect Master who had walked past just moments ago. The *Great Xia Dynasty Body Integration Roster* he had just received did contain brief biographies and portraits of every Body Integration cultivator, but Lu Yang had been so busy wandering the festival stalls that he hadn't found time to read it yet. Unlike the unreliable Immortal Fairy, Eldest Senior Sister was someone whose words carried immense credibility. Lu Yang had to take this seriously. "Could they be reclusive Body Integration experts?" Cultivators living in seclusion, like Su Yiren, maintained such a low profile that hardly anyone knew them. Eldest Senior Sister shook her head, dismissing the possibility. "I know most of the reclusive Body Integration cultivators. It's improbable that the only ones I haven't met just happen to all be gathered here." Lu Yang frowned in thought. That made things very strange indeed. Why would so many unknown Body Integration cultivators suddenly show up? Were they friend or foe? Foes? To attack the Dao Seeking Sect, even someone whose head had been kicked by a donkey wouldn't dare entertain such an idea. Friends? Then why had they come uninvited? Lu Yang couldn't quite fathom the train of thought of these Body Integration cultivators. "Not just Body Integration," Yun Zhi added suddenly. "There are also three or four Tribulation Transcendence cultivators. Strangers as well." Lu Yang was startled. If that was the case, this was no small matter. "Should we catch them and question them?" Lu Yang proposed. If they grabbed the wrong people, the worst that could happen was that he, the Acting Sect Master, would have to apologize. "All right." Yun Zhi nodded. Lu Yang's idea aligned with her thoughts. A wooden placard blocked their path ahead. Written upon it was: *Hold your breath before entering the area ahead.* "That placard wasn't here when we walked past earlier, was it?" Lu Yang wondered aloud. The two of them had nearly completed a full circuit. "Sixth Elder put it up." Yun Zhi had clearly seen this sort of sign before and recognized Sixth Elder's handiwork at a glance. Lu Yang understood. That explained it. Those attending the celebration were all exceptional geniuses and mighty cultivators; holding their breath took nothing more than a thought and posed no trouble at all. Sixth Elder's arrival hadn't caused much disruption. Soon, the two spotted Sixth Elder in a familiar spot—right where Luo Hongxia had been fishing. Luo Hongxia and Sixth Elder were close confidantes, and they were taking advantage of the celebration to catch up. Although they couldn't speak aloud, judging from their relaxed expressions, they seemed to be having a wonderful conversation. Lan Ting and Tao Yaoye followed behind their respective masters, chatting through divine sense as well. "Palace Master Luo." "Fellow Daoist Yun." The two exchanged cupped-fist salutes. "Lu Yang, it's been so long since we parted in Qingzhou!" Lan Ting greeted him warmly. "Junior Sister Lan Ting, do you know Junior Sister Tao?" Seeing both of them beaming with radiant smiles and seemingly on great terms, Lu Yang asked curiously. Both possessed Immortal Physiques, so perhaps they shared a lot of common ground. "I had long heard from my master that Palace Master Luo accepted a junior sister with extraordinary talent no less than my own, and today I finally get to meet her." Tao Yaoye took the initiative to clasp Lan Ting's hand, subtly shifting her footing to place herself between Lu Yang and Lan Ting. Lan Ting chimed in as well, her voice soft and delicate: "I felt like old friends with Junior Sister Tao the moment we met. Junior Sister Tao even wants to use my likeness to act in a Dream Bubble." Tao Yaoye chuckled and gently swayed Lan Ting's arm. "I've always wanted to feature a beautiful cultivator in a Dream Bubble. Seeing Junior Sister Lan Ting today took my breath away—I never imagined such a beauty existed in this world! She couldn't be more suited to act in a Dream Bubble." "Oh, stop calling me a beauty! Junior Sister Tao is far prettier than me. The only thing I can show off is my cultivation." Lu Yang sensed that the atmosphere was rather subtle, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why. For a moment, he remained silent. Yun Zhi noticed the Light-Confining Treasure Box sitting at Luo Hongxia's feet and spoke up: "Palace Master Luo, may I ask why you brought out the treasure box? Have you finished what you were doing?" Luo Hongxia thought it over. Pretty much all the senior figures of the cultivation world she recognized were already locked inside the box, so there shouldn't be anything left to do. "I'm finished with it." "Would you mind lending it to me?" With the Light-Confining Treasure Box, rounding up those unfamiliar Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators would be much easier. "This..." Luo Hongxia wore a conflicted expression. Although the Light-Confining Treasure Box was a supreme treasure of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, borrowing treasures among the Five Great Immortal Sects was commonplace, so she couldn't easily use that as an excuse to decline. Besides, Luo Hongxia felt guilty. Locking up mighty cultivators attending the gathering on Dao Seeking Sect territory would look terrible for the Dao Seeking Sect if word got out. Furthermore, Yun Zhi was right in front of her; releasing the prisoners now was out of the question. Unable to come up with a reason to refuse, she had no choice but to lend the treasure box out. "My thanks to Palace Master Luo, then." Yun Zhi offered a salute, hooked her finger, and the treasure box drifted up from the ground. "Little Junior Brother, let's go." Hearing Eldest Senior Sister call him, Lu Yang let out a sigh of relief, hurriedly bid farewell to the two women, and jogged after her. *** True Monarch Wangyue was squatting in front of a stall, thoughtfully examining the goods on display. He had been ordered by the Imperial Preceptor to investigate the celebration, and he hadn't expected an unexpected harvest. "Interested in this?" The stall owner was an elderly man who looked like a rustic farmer. He wore a simple smile as he picked up an old book from the stall. "I found this old book in a certain secret realm. Inside, it records an entity of the Heavenly Court Cult known as the Hundred Herb Heavenly King. If you're interested, I'll sell it to you for eight hundred thousand spirit stones!" True Monarch Wangyue was tempted. The Imperial Preceptor was currently vexed over the sudden emergence of the Heavenly Court Cult; to stumble upon a clue about them right here would be a tremendous merit. For a Body Integration cultivator, eight hundred thousand spirit stones wasn't expensive. He wasn't worried about it being fake, either. This was the Dao Seeking Sect's home turf after all—who would dare sell counterfeit goods here? That would be slapping the Dao Seeking Sect in the face. "I'll take it!" Without a second thought, True Monarch Wangyue tapped his storage ring against the old man's, transferring eight hundred thousand spirit stones over. Just as he reached out to take the book, a beam of light engulfed him, drawing him straight into a treasure box. *Clack.* The old book slipped from his grasp and tumbled to the ground. "Junior Niece Yun, what are you..." Old Ba looked at Yun Zhi in mild surprise. "Eldest Senior Sister wants to ask him some questions," Lu Yang answered on Yun Zhi's behalf like a dutiful lackey. True Monarch Wangyue looked around in a daze, unable to fathom what had just occurred. He was right in the middle of buying a book, so how did he end up here? And why were there so many people here? He saw two mighty cultivators looking at him with sinister grins, cracking their knuckles and slowly striding over, alongside a kind-faced old monk brimming with murderous intent. Further off, a whole crowd of black-and-blue mighty cultivators lay groaning on the ground, a sight that sent a shiver down his spine. Where in the world was he? "Don't recognize him. Who's this?" Qiu Jin'an hesitated, having never laid eyes on True Monarch Wangyue before. "Who cares? Since Fellow Daoist Luo sent him in, he must've come to laugh at us! Giving him a beating can't go wrong!" Yang Ding analyzed simply, reaching a firm conclusion. "Makes sense."