Chapter 365: Not Being Expelled is Entirely Due to My High Cultivation

The pressure of the peak Body Integration Stage blanketed the entire grand gathering. Most had never even beheld a cultivator of the Nascent Soul Stage, let alone felt pressure of this magnitude; the faces of countless cultivators turned deathly pale in an instant, their bodies swaying until they could no longer stand, collapsing onto the ground with heavy thuds.

"Lie flat on the ground! Maximize your contact with the earth!"

A government cultivator bellowed, guiding the crowd to minimize the damage.

Meng Jingzhou, Bai Ming, and the other two held spiritual treasures close to their chests, neutralizing the influence of the Body Integration Stage pressure upon themselves.

These were spiritual treasures issued to every single disciple of the immortal sects; Meng Jingzhou held a pebble shaped like the Body-Refining Peak, Bai Ming held a five-colored disc, Lan Ting held a circular embroidery of the full moon, and Yan Tianzhi held a palm-sized cage... each of the five great immortal sects possessed its own unique traits.

Disciples of the immortal sects represented their sects when traveling abroad; if they were to kneel upon the ground under the pressure of a Body Integration Stage cultivator, it would be a direct slap to the face of their sects.

Originally, Lu Yang should have possessed a pebble shaped like the Heavenly Gate Peak as well, but with the Immortal Fairy residing within him, he feared this level of pressure not at all; even if a cultivator of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage arrived, they could never hope to crush Lu Yang with their pressure.

"What is going on? Which Body Integration Stage cultivator has lost their mind to dare strike here?" Meng Jingzhou was astonished; by historical precedent, battles between those of the Body Integration Stage could not involve commoners, otherwise the populace of the Great Xia would have perished long ago.

A battle of the Body Integration Stage could destroy heaven and earth, causing the very land to collapse; let alone ordinary commoners, even those with cultivation bases could not withstand it.

"They are not Body Integration Stage cultivators of the current era, but ancient cultivators!" Lu Yang learned from the Immortal Fairy that the source of the aura belonged to two ancient Body Integration Stage cultivators, a man and a woman, radiating murderous intent.

Bai Ming frowned: "That explains it."

He pointed toward the source of the pressure and said: "There is a secret realm in that direction. Exploring the secret realm is part of this grand gathering; someone must have explored it and awakened the sleeping ancient cultivators, causing them to fly into a rage and attempt to destroy everything."

This was not the first time such an incident had occurred; to ancient cultivators, why should they follow the rules of the present day? In their era, the Body Integration Stage possessed supreme authority, holding the power over life and death.

"What audacity!" A furious roar echoed from the horizon, none other than the State Governor.

In the blink of an eye, the State Governor appeared above everyone's heads, holding high his grand seal as a strange energy surged upward, scattering the pressure of the ancient Body Integration Stage cultivators.

"Oh, what a peculiar power." The Immortal Fairy remarked in surprise, having never seen this kind of energy before.

Lu Yang, Lan Ting, and the others were also seeing this energy for the first time, while only Meng Jingzhou knew something of it.

"This is the power of the National Destiny," Meng Jingzhou explained.

"I heard from my family that beneath the Great Xia Dynasty lies a miraculous energy which serves as its foundation. Every State Governor and the Prefects of large commanderies and counties can temporarily mobilize this power for combat and protection. It is precisely because of this that the losses from ancient Body Integration Stage cultivators are minimized every time."

"Quite interesting." The Immortal Fairy used her immortal sense to observe and analyze the power of the National Destiny; the small amount of power mobilized by the State Governor was negligible in her eyes, but if the entire Great Xia Dynasty were covered by this power, it would be an extremely terrifying force, which made it very interesting indeed.

"It is rather creative. Apart from that girl Yun, this era does have some quite powerful individuals."

"You have grand audacity, daring to make trouble right beneath my eyes!"

The State Governor's hair and beard flared upward, looking like an enraged lion.

The man and woman, the two ancient Body Integration Stage cultivators, showed no fear of the State Governor, speaking coldly: "Fellow Daoist, aren't you throwing a false accusation? It was clearly your people who woke us, causing us to awaken ahead of time. How has it become us making trouble?"

The male cultivator narrowed his eyes, harboring some wariness toward the State Governor and his grand seal: "I perceive that your Primordial Soul is perfect, a realm equal to ours, qualifying you to contend for the great era. You should also know how many matters were disrupted by allowing our husband and wife to awaken early. Is it not reasonable for us to kill a few people to vent our anger?"

"Of course it is not reasonable!" Three more figures flew in from the horizon, all of them at the Body Integration Stage.

"Sect Master Mi, Daoist Master Zhang, Principal Hong, you have arrived." Upon seeing these three, the pressure on the State Governor lessened greatly; if he were to wage war, he might not necessarily be able to protect the cultivators attending the grand gathering below.

"Those are the Vice Sect Master of the Frenzy Sect, the Vice Daoist Master of the Heavy Tower Pavilion, and the Vice Principal of the Baihua Academy—all three are at the mid-Body Integration Stage!" No longer affected by the pressure, the crowd could now stand up. A local great cultivator of Qingzhou recognized the identities of these three and was overjoyed.

The Frenzy Sect, the Heavy Tower Pavilion, and the Baihua Academy were local sect forces of Qingzhou and were also the organizers of the Qingzhou Grand Gathering.

According to custom, the sects had sent their seconds-in-command to attend this time to go through the motions; they had arrived upon invitation and were joyfully exchanging cultivation insights at the residence when they never expected two ancient cultivators to suddenly appear.

Seeing that the opponents had strength in numbers and that the State Governor could employ an incomprehensible energy, the two ancient Body Integration Stage cultivators feared an unexpected mishap if they fought recklessly: "Humph, since that is the case, then out of respect for you, Fellow Daoist, we shall not pursue this matter for now. Retreat!"

Having spoken, the two intended to flee.

"Humph, you wish to leave? Stay right here!" Allowing these two to go would invite endless future troubles; how could the State Governor let them depart?

The State Governor and the other three took positions in the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—surrounding the two ancient cultivators.

"Are you not worried about the safety of the people below?" The two ancient cultivators discerned that the State Governor was different from them as a married couple, taking the protection of weak cultivators as his highest priority.

The State Governor had long since prepared; the four of them nodded and invoked the power of rules.

The four spoke simultaneously: "A rule is hereby established: the area below three thousand meters shall not be affected by the attacks."

The highest peak where the Qingzhou Grand Gathering was held stood three thousand meters tall.

"Laughable! Even if you establish a rule, how will you maintain it during the battle? To maintain the rule, one of you will surely be unable to fight!" The female cultivator sneered coldly; three people could not possibly detain their husband and wife.

"This is not for Senior to worry about, for I can maintain the rule." A voice drifted from behind Lu Yang, giving the five of them quite a fright.

The newcomer wore official robes, looking up at the sky with a smiling face, leisurely and at ease.

"It's you?!" Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi were astonished.

"You know him? Who is this?" Lu Yang asked via voice transmission.

"He is a subordinate of the State Governor. Yesterday evening, I, Senior Brother Bai Ming, and Senior Brother Yan Tianzhi visited the State Governor together; it was this man who invited us into the residence and arranged for our lodging."

"We thought he was just a minor clerk, but to think he is also a Body Integration Stage cultivator."

Only those at the Body Integration Stage could maintain a rule.

"Normal enough; it's impossible for the State Governor not to have even a single Body Integration Stage cultivator under his command." Meng Jingzhou was not surprised, being very familiar with the ways of officialdom.

What Lan Ting and the other two did not know was that the man had initially suggested the three of them stay in the jail cells.

Seeing that Lu Yang was safe, the Immortal Fairy relaxed and let out a yawn: "And here I thought that girl Yun would have to make a move, but it seems there is no need."

Lu Yang's brow furrowed deeply; he always felt that things would not be so simple.

Those two Body Integration Stage cultivators had awakened from the secret realm; could the government have failed to conduct a detailed search of the secret realm, failing to discover these two?