Chapter 138: Everyone is Scheming

Outside the Town of Plain Cloth, five all-powerful masters of the Body Integration Stage unleashed their might, a battle that had already raged for five long days.

Four ancient figures of the Body Integration Stage maintained their domains, sealing the battlefield so not a single shred of the violent aftershocks could leak into the world, while the Silent Daoist unfurled his own domain, launching strikes of unparalleled ferocity.

"Damn it, how did we end up facing a sword cultivator, the most troublesome of them all!" One of the ancient masters grimaced, his brow furrowing deeply. Since time immemorial, sword cultivators possessed the most devastating offensive power; for their first clash against a master of the current era to be with such a foe was the absolute zenith of misfortune.

The four of them were all in the late or peak echelons of the Body Integration Stage, a lineup that could hardly be called anything less than formidable, coordinating with flawless precision as a single, seamless entity. They had never met their match in this realm, yet against the Silent Daoist, they could not gain even the slightest advantage, knowing that a single lapse in judgment could carry the risk of their permanent demise.

This was, of course, partly because they were still maintaining the laws of the Town of Plain Cloth and had not yet fully awakened from their long slumber, but even so, it bore testament to the sheer terror of the Silent Daoist.

"Even in our era, a sword cultivator of the Body Integration Stage never possessed this level of prowess!" Another ancient master spat a mouthful of essence blood, his aura fluctuating wildly; he had carelessly taken a sword strike just moments ago and now needed to focus entirely on suppressing and healing the wound.

"No matter. There are four of us and only one of him. A prolonged battle plays entirely to our advantage. Let us drag this out for another ten days; I refuse to believe he can remain this vigorous and full of life!"

"Will the Town of Plain Cloth be alright? If someone exploits the laws and finds a legitimate way to leave the town, we will suffer a severe backlash."

The Silent Daoist's method of using raw sword qi to shatter the laws of the Town of Plain Cloth was, quite obviously, far from what anyone would call "legitimate."

"What is there to fear? The Fifth is the town mayor. Though he possesses that body through a soul-take, he is still not someone two little brats can hope to contend with."

"True enough." Reassured by the thought of the Fifth being stationed inside the Town of Plain Cloth, the four relaxed their minds, settling into a slow, grinding battle with the Silent Daoist.

Hearing these words, a faint ripple of worry stirred within the Silent Daoist's heart for Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

"I told them to stay put and behave themselves in the Town of Plain Cloth. They should be obedient, right?"

Reflecting on the nature of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the Silent Daoist consoled himself with the thought that they were surely obedient, good children, and proceeded to fight the four ancients at a leisurely pace.

Little Yun would certainly be uneasy about him taking Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou away; as time dragged on, she would inevitably come looking for him.

"One Sword Transforms into Ten Thousand!" the Silent Daoist roared suddenly, as if preparing for a full, explosive burst to end the battle quickly, striking a wave of panic into the hearts of the four.

The technique of One Sword Transforming into Ten Thousand had been profoundly famous since the ancient era, and they naturally recognized the sheer gravity of the move.

They watched as the Silent Daoist raised his weapon high, the golden radiance of his sword qi shining as blindingly as the midday sun. With a swift shake of the sharp blade, ten thousand manifestations of the sword materialized, every single one a physical entity, impossible to distinguish the true from the false.

The ten thousand swords cascaded downward like a roaring mountain torrent or a crashing tsunami, carrying an unimaginable force.

"Be careful, he is putting everything into a desperate gamble!" one of them shouted a warning.

Yet, the Silent Daoist’s sword stance shifted once more: "Unity of Man and Sword!"

His figure vanished completely, merging flawlessly with the sharp blade.

There were a full ten thousand swords present; the four had absolutely no way of knowing which specific blade the Silent Daoist had fused with, unable to find him at all.

The four ancients felt so utterly stifled they wanted to cough up blood. They had never in their lives heard of using such a technique merely to stall for time!

"And you call yourself a proud sword cultivator!"

...

[Rules for the Yamen Runners of the Town of Plain Cloth]

[Rule 1: Those wearing black clothes belong to the official government. Once put on, the clothes cannot be removed.]

[Rule 2: You may call out to anyone at will. The neck of the person you call out to will snap.]

[Rule 3: There are only fifty yamen runners and one town mayor within the government. If you see anyone else, please ignore them.]

[Rule 4: From the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen, you must remain inside the government building.]

[Rule 5: Your only food consists of meat buns. If you do not eat for three days, you will die.]

[Rule 6: The town mayor possesses only one head and two arms.]

[Rule 7: If you experience dizziness, vertigo, or grow black hair upon your arms, and fail to return to normal within one hour, you may ignore Rule 4 and proceed immediately to the Ancestral Hall.]

[Rule 8: You will not see the town mayor from the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen. If you do, firmly believe it to be an illusion.]

[Rule 9: If one hundred people have their necks snapped because of you, you may choose whether or not to leave the Town of Plain Cloth. Upon leaving, you will lose all memories associated with the town.]

[Rule 10: Under the premise of not violating the aforementioned rules, you must obey the orders of the town mayor.]

[Rule 11: At the center of the town stands a three-hundred-year-old scholar tree. From the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen, the scholar tree will transform into the Ancestral Hall.]

"We finally know the location of the Ancestral Hall," Meng Jingzhou said with a grin. Originally, the two had planned to stir up more trouble just to uncover its whereabouts, but now things had become simple, a complete stroke of unexpected luck.

Lu Yang, however, was focused on another detail, as their entire purpose in going through such lengths to acquire the [Rules for the Yamen Runners of the Town of Plain Cloth] was to track the movements of the town mayor.

"This is going to be a bit tricky. The rules state that 'From the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen, you must remain inside the government building,' and 'You will not see the town mayor from the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen. If you do, firmly believe it to be an illusion.' This indicates that during these hours, the town mayor is not in the government building."

Without knowing the exact location of the town mayor, they ran the risk of crossing paths with him when they headed to the Ancestral Hall.

"We cannot confront the town mayor lightly. He shouldn't possess only a single ability, and we have no clear grasp of how much power he truly holds."

"We must do our best to bypass him."

Suddenly, Lu Yang seemed to realize something: "Have you noticed? From the hour of Hai to the hour of Chen, the town mayor is absent from the government building, while the thatched cottages and the inn remain safe during this period. That means the only dangerous place left is the street!"

"What is on the street? Only the monster! It is highly probable that the town mayor is the monster itself!"

Meng Jingzhou frowned: "But look, the rules also specify that 'The town mayor possesses only one head and two arms.' Does the monster fit that description?"

Lu Yang nodded: "Do you remember the dark shadow outside the window we encountered on our first night? It was two stories tall, and its upper body resembled a human. This does not contradict the rule's description at all."

"The rules make absolutely no mention of what the lower body looks like!"

Meng Jingzhou came to a decision: "We won't return to the inn at the hour of Hai. We will stand right beside the scholar tree. The moment it transforms into the Ancestral Hall, we will charge inside, smash the Buddha statue, throw the jade pendants in, and then split into two paths to rush back to the inn."

By splitting up, even if one of them encountered the monster, the other would remain safe, ensuring that at least one of them would survive the ordeal.

"The monster might not even dare to consume us anyway. Our lives are bound to our soul lamps. The moment we die and our soul lamps extinguish, masters from our sect will descend upon this place, and these Body Integration Stage figures will surely face annihilation!" Lu Yang spoke these words seemingly to Meng Jingzhou, but in truth, he was projecting his voice for the all-knowing town mayor to hear.

The two arrived before the great scholar tree at the center of the town, watching as time slipped away minute by minute.

"The hour of Hai arrives—" Accompanied by the night watchman's cry and the striking of the gong, the space occupied by the scholar tree began to warp, gradually morphing into an ancient, wooden Ancestral Hall. On the exterior of the hall, the [Rules for the Ancestral Hall of the Town of Plain Cloth] were clearly inscribed.

Tension gripped them both as they subconsciously reached for the jade pendants at their waists, only for their expressions to change drastically.

"The jade pendants are gone!" both cried out simultaneously.

Right then, a heavy, muffled voice echoed from within the Ancestral Hall: "Heh, two arrogant children who know nothing of the vastness of heaven and earth. If you could seize upon the chaos to find the parchment bearing the [Rules for the Yamen Runners of the Town of Plain Cloth], could I not simply command the yamen runners to use that same chaos to steal away your jade pendants?"

Rule 10 for the Yamen Runners of the Town of Plain Cloth: [Under the premise of not violating the aforementioned rules, you must obey the orders of the town mayor.]