A Sudden Turn

Before coming here, City Lord Liu had already inquired about the identities of the immortal sect disciples who had arrived in Chunjiang City. Among them, the most eye-catching was Lu Yang. Apprenticed to Daoist Buyu, he was the most popular character in the pingshu tales, and in all likelihood the future sect master of the Dao Seeking Sect. Since he was Daoist Buyu's fourth disciple, whether he was telling the truth was naturally subject to doubt. Thus, when Lu Yang claimed they had found clues regarding the demonic cult in Chunjiang City, City Lord Liu had been half-believing and half-doubting. Yet once Shi Chan confirmed it, he believed Lu Yang's words. Shi Chan was an esteemed disciple of the Hanging Temple, a monk through and through, of impeccable monastic background; he would not tell lies. "In that case, I will have to trouble Virtuous Nephew Lu to continue investigating the clues about the demonic cult in our city. After all, the safety of a million citizens is at stake." "If the three of you have any requests, feel free to ask. I will do my best to accommodate them." Confirming that Lu Yang's group had indeed found demonic cult clues in Chunjiang City—and that four Nascent Soul cultivators were involved—made it a matter demanding utmost seriousness. If the slightest oversight resulted in major casualties, whether he could even keep his position as city lord would be up in the air. "City Lord Liu is too courteous," Lu Yang said with righteous conviction, looking as solemn as a general marching to the battlefield. "Eliminating demons and defending the Dao is our duty to begin with. Why speak of trouble?" Meng Jingzhou chimed in by his side, clenching his fist firmly, the light of righteousness gleaming in his eyes. "City Lord Liu, rest assured! With the three of us martial brothers here, the demonic cult won't stir up any trouble!" Seeing this, City Lord Liu marveled inwardly: *Truly youthful talents!* Shi Chan kept turning Lu Yang's earlier words over in his mind. Every single sentence Senior Brother Lu spoke was the truth, and indeed none of it counted as 'false speech,' yet why did it feel completely disconnected from the objective facts? "Very well. Since the three of you still need to pursue the demonic cult's trail, I will not disturb you any longer. I must return and prepare to receive an important figure." "An important figure?" "Venerable Yiqi of the Qi Control Sect. Today at noon, he is to escort the members of the Dark Night Pavilion to the Imperial City. The provincial governor worried that further complications might arise, so he specially requested Venerable Yiqi to oversee the escort." Lu Yang understood. He had seen Venerable Yiqi during the Dao Seeking Sect's hundred-and-twenty-thousand-year celebration. He was one of the invited Tribulation Transcendence stage ancestors—a genuine veteran of the realm, completely incomparable to half-baked Tribulation Transcendence cultivators like Lu Baqian. The three of them saw City Lord Liu off. Returning to the second floor of the inn, they saw the Fu Ling sisters poking their heads out timidly. "Are they gone?" The two of them had never met such an important figure as a city lord; hearing that he had arrived had nearly frightened them out of their wits. "They've left," Shi Chan replied. "Young heroes, just who are you...?" Even for Nascent Soul cultivators, it shouldn't warrant the city lord visiting in person. "Immortal sect disciples." "Immortal sect disciples?!" the sisters gasped, their lovely eyes widening slightly. Only then did they realize that although Lu Yang's trio had helped them multiple times, they still didn't know their names. "This humble monk's Dharma name is Shi Chan, and these two are my senior brothers, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou." "The Chosen Lu from *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect: Lu Yang's Chapter*, who could challenge Soul Formation cultivators while still in the Foundation Establishment stage?!" "Young Master Meng from *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect: Meng Jingzhou's Chapter*, whose Dao heart is like iron and who remains unfazed even with a beauty in his lap?!" Lu Yang: "..." Meng Jingzhou: "..." Although it was technically true, why did it sound so strange? And why were the two sisters reacting so dramatically? Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou rarely listened to pingshu storytelling, so they had no idea that they were currently the most popular figures among the common folk. In order to flatter Meng Jingzhou, Clan Head Jin had fabricated and embellished countless tales about him, such as: "A saintess threw herself into his arms, yet Young Master Meng sat unmoved." "Young Master Meng was poisoned by a lewd flood dragon's venom, yet endured it through sheer willpower—an unprecedented feat." "When Meng Jingzhou travels, a hundred ghosts retreat." "A man plagued by ghosts in his dreams was guided by an expert to hang a painting of Meng Jingzhou Catching Ghosts on his wall, and the hauntings ceased entirely." "Meng Jingzhou eats three imps every day," and so on. Hearing his own legends, Meng Jingzhou's face turned dark. What on earth was all this nonsense? In the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy let out a soft exclamation and poked Lu Yang's back. "Ask those two girls whom they met." "What's wrong?" "Someone left a dream imprint on them. That person's cultivation isn't low either, and they don't feel well-intentioned." Lu Yang was startled. That certainly didn't sound good. He hastily asked, "Did you two encounter any strange people or odd occurrences today?" The Fu Ling sisters were puzzled as to why Young Hero Lu would suddenly ask this. "Now that you mention it, on our way back from concluding our business deal, a person did walk toward us. He was acting very mysterious and told us to have a sweet dream." "What did he look like?" "Tall and skinny, like a bamboo pole." ... "Venerable, everyone is here." City Lord Liu brought all the members of the Dark Night Pavilion out of the dungeon. Bound in shackles capable of suppressing spiritual energy, they had been guarded day and night by several Body Integration stage cultivators to ensure not the slightest mishap occurred. Venerable Yiqi gave a composed nod, his gaze sweeping across Ye Xiao and the rest, sending chills down Ye Xiao's scalp. To have a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator escort them was flattering them far too much. City Lord Liu ordered his subordinates to load them into cages and apply talismanic seals. Venerable Yiqi nodded. "Let us depart." Suddenly, an ethereal voice drifted from the sky, chilling and sinister: "Heh heh. Taking away the people I have my eyes on won't be so easy." "Who goes there?!" Venerable Yiqi spread his divine sense, scanning every inch of the surrounding space. A slender, pitch-black figure stepped out from the void, looking at Venerable Yiqi with a faint, mocking smile. "Tribulation Transcendence cultivator of Great Xia, stay right here." Venerable Yiqi swept his sleeve abruptly, blowing City Lord Liu and the others back. "Get out of here at once!" Knowing full well who he was, the enemy still dared to attack—they had clearly come prepared! "Leave?" The slender, pitch-black figure sneered coldly as an invisible power washed over the entire city. "I'd like to see which of you can leave this place." Venerable Yiqi was instantly on high alert. Before he could react, his vision blurred, and the scenery shifted before his eyes. It was still Chunjiang City, except all the colors had turned dull and faded. ... Outside the city, travelers about to enter Chunjiang City watched as the entire city vanished into thin air, leaving a massive crater in the ground, completely dumbfounded. ... "What place is this?!" Venerable Yiqi stood as if facing a mortal enemy, having not even grasped what had just happened. Whether it was City Lord Liu or the members of the Dark Night Pavilion, everyone was still right here, without having shifted positions in the slightest. But here, whether person or object, everything was dim, as though bleached of all color. The slender, pitch-black figure opened his arms wide. "Tribulation Transcendence cultivator of Great Xia, welcome to my world. I call it... the Void Realm." Hearing the words 'Void Realm,' Venerable Yiqi recalled a historical account. His eyes widened in realization, and he drew out his natal magical treasure: "The power of a rudimentary Dao fruit—you are a half-immortal!"