Why Are There So Many People in the Treasure Box?

"Old Ba, this old book of yours..." Lu Yang had a strange expression on his face. He had overheard the entire conversation just now, and the old book recorded matters concerning the Hundred Herb Heavenly King. Isn't the Hundred Herb Heavenly King your venerable self? Are you writing an autobiography here? Old Ba didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest, admitting openly, "Wasn't I just thinking about how the battle at Hanshui City showed off our Heavenly Court Cult's might? I figured I'd seize the opportunity to package and promote myself a bit." He still thought that the Dou Tianzun who had appeared in Hanshui City was something Eldest Senior Sister had conjured up. "My plan was to 'accidentally' leak some intelligence to the outside world, letting them know just how mysterious and powerful our Heavenly Court Cult is. "Look at this book. Old enough, isn't it? I went out of my way to borrow a magic treasure related to time spells from Old Fifth, using its power to artificially age the book." As one of the notorious Nine Sons of the Dao Seeking Sect, Old Ba was meticulous in his craft; if he was going to run a scam, he went the whole nine yards. "Fifth Elder knows time spells?" Lu Yang was startled. Among the people he knew, only himself, the Immortal Fairy, and Suiyue could perform time spells. Time spells were exceedingly difficult to cultivate; without sufficient comprehension, one could never master them no matter what. "Nah, Old Fifth doesn't have that kind of ability. He refined it by pure coincidence—it's a cloth blanket that can alter the flow of time for whatever is wrapped inside. He treasures that thing like his life. If Eldest Brother and I hadn't stepped in together, he wouldn't have lent it at all!" Old Ba grumbled, disgruntled by Fifth Elder's stinginess. He conveniently forgot that when guarding the Herb Garden, he was even stingier than Fifth Elder; if anyone plucked a single herb or two, it felt as though they were taking his life. "The Grand Elder was in on this too?" What could Lu Yang say? Upon learning this, he didn't feel the least bit surprised. In fact, it felt entirely natural. "Let's go. We'll capture everyone we don't recognize." Eldest Senior Sister didn't interfere with Old Ba's antics. His behavior wouldn't cause any danger, nor would it tarnish the Dao Seeking Sect's reputation, so it complied with the conditions for holding festival events. Besides, there were more important matters at hand right now. She decided to seize the momentum, capture all of them into the treasure box, and find out what these unfamiliar cultivators were up to. "Let's go!" With Eldest Senior Sister by his side, Lu Yang felt bold and confident. He was the acting agent of the Acting Sect Master—what was the big deal about grabbing a few Body Integration cultivators? Senior sister and junior brother swept through the Dao Seeking Sect with the treasure box in hand, rampaging unchecked, locking up every unfamiliar cultivator they came across inside the box. Even Tribulation Transcendence experts were no exception. The Light-Confining Treasure Box was a supreme treasure passed down through Moon Laurel Immortal Palace for a hundred thousand years. Blessed by generations of Palace Masters and Supreme Elders, it was incomparably powerful, capable of confining even Tribulation Transcendence cultivators. It was just that a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator could easily escape from it. *** When the beam of light enveloped Venerable Black-White, he assumed his identity had been exposed. With a fierce glare, he resisted with all his might, but before the Light-Confining Treasure Box, he had no choice but to be drawn inside obediently. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Great Xia cultivators beating his subordinates. While the blows weren't lethal, the humiliation was extreme; his subordinates' frantic struggles were only met with even heavier fists. Seventeen or eighteen Great Yu Body Integration cultivators had been thrashed and lay sprawled across the ground, looking half-dead. *Damn it, we really were exposed!* This couldn't possibly be the Dao Seeking Sect's way of treating guests. Practically every notable Great Xia powerhouse was gathered here. Word must have leaked somehow, giving the Dao Seeking Sect leverage, and the Dao Seeking Sect had turned it to their advantage by planting an ambush inside the box to catch them all in one fell swoop! "A fine scheme," Venerable Black-White muttered coldly. The Imperial Preceptor had been right: the Dao Seeking Sect truly was an obstacle to Great Yu's restoration. Yet so what? Was he, a mighty late-stage Tribulation Transcendence expert, going to be trapped in this measly box? With a flip of his hands, a pair of spheres—one black and one white—appeared in his palms, spinning slowly and brimming with boundless destructive power. Qiu Jin'an and Yang Ding, who had been about to step forward, caught sight of the black and white spheres and hurriedly retreated. This person was definitely not at the Body Integration stage! A sneer played at the corner of Venerable Black-White's mouth. A few Body Integration juniors who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth dared to surround this venerable one? Suddenly, alarm bells rang in his mind. An old monk walked forward at an unhurried pace, wearing a look of deep compassion as brilliant Buddhist light surged around him. Another old man sat up from the ground. Purple qi stretched three thousand li from the east like a ribbon of silk, which he pinched lightly between his fingers—the ancestor of the Qi Control Sect, Venerable Yiqi. Wood scattered across the ground floated into the air, assembling into a wooden puppet—the Supreme Elder of the Yanshi Sect, Venerable Kui. Powerhouse after powerhouse rose from the ground, each radiating an aura far beyond the Body Integration stage. For the Dao Seeking Sect's hundred-and-twenty-thousand-year anniversary, senior Tribulation Transcendence figures had naturally been invited as spectators. They had all come to mock Master Jiesha; failing to find him, they had sought out Luo Hongxia instead, only to be locked into the box one after another and thoroughly beaten by Master Jiesha. There were only so many Tribulation Transcendence experts in the world. When an unfamiliar one suddenly showed up out of nowhere, he naturally had to be interrogated thoroughly. "All together now!" Lu Baqian called out, and several Tribulation Transcendence experts struck at the same time. A look of utter despair surfaced on Venerable Black-White's face. The Dao Seeking Sect was indeed thoroughly prepared! He had fallen right into their trap! *** "That should be just about all of them." Yun Zhi and Lu Yang had made several rounds; everyone left outside was now someone they knew. "Let's go inside to interrogate them." Yun Zhi was quite confident. Having captured so many people, even if one or two refused to talk, could all of them possibly keep their mouths shut? Beams of light enveloped the two of them, and they entered the treasure box. "Fellow Daoists, more people have arrived! Get them!" Lu Baqian yelled upon seeing newcomers enter, rallying everyone to charge. Charging in the lead, he failed to notice that those behind him had apparently recalled bad memories. With looks of faint terror on their faces, they all halted in their tracks, refusing to rush forward. "Y-Yun Zhi?" Lu Baqian realized who it was as well and screeched to a sudden halt. "Why are there so many people here?" Yun Zhi was quite surprised herself. She had assumed only the unfamiliar cultivators were inside the treasure box. Lu Yang's gaze darted around, observing their surroundings. The unfamiliar cultivators had all been bound tight, including the three Tribulation Transcendence experts who had been captured. One of the Tribulation Transcendence captives was currently confessing everything truthfully. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! "We are Great Yu cultivators. Following the Imperial Preceptor's orders, we took advantage of the celebration to infiltrate the Dao Seeking Sect, assassinate Lu Yang, and then annihilate the entire Dao Seeking Sect. "All of our companions are right here, captured by you." Lu Yang wore a bizarre expression, not quite sure what face to make. So these unfamiliar cultivators were all from Great Yu. That had been somewhat expected, but why on earth did they want to kill him out of nowhere? Had his identity as the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult been exposed? "Why are fellow Daoists here?" Yun Zhi asked in puzzlement. Lu Baqian stepped forward to explain, wearing a look as if he had anticipated this all along. "It's a long story. We received word that Great Yu cultivators would infiltrate the Dao Seeking Sect, so I gathered our fellow Daoists to assemble here and lay an ambush for the Great Yu cultivators!" "Right, right, exactly!" "We were lying in wait for so long before they finally showed up." The crowd chimed in, nodding in agreement to corroborate that Lu Baqian was telling the truth. Otherwise, what were they supposed to say? That they had traveled thousands of li to mock the leaders of the Four Great Immortal Sects, only to be baited into a trap and beaten black and blue? They couldn't afford to lose that much face. Evidently, they still believed the Great Yu cultivators had been dumped in by Luo Hongxia. Out of respect for her seniors, Yun Zhi did not expose their lie. Neither did Qiu Jin'an and the others expose the falsehood. They had already beaten the people up; it was best to leave them some face. Hearing this, the Great Yu cultivators were overwhelmed with regret. *I knew this was an ambush!* Venerable Black-White had the highest cultivation and was thoroughly unresigned. Things had not yet reached a complete dead end: "So what if you have the numbers? Once the Imperial Preceptor makes his move, all of you are finished!"