Chapter 371: Kind Cultivator Vice Sect Master Shi

The Daoist Without Words and the Minister of Justice were carefully sizing up the Venerable Heavenly Calamity from head to toe when a faint yet immensely familiar voice floated out from behind them, causing both men to shudder violently in unison.

“Master, Lord Minister, it has been a long time.”

“It is you!” Beholding the very figure that had brought about his wretched ruin, the Venerable Heavenly Calamity shrieked in sheer terror, crawling forward with desperate frenzy.

The Daoist Without Words and the Minister of Justice cast sidelong glances at the Venerable Heavenly Calamity, thinking to themselves why this old codger’s reaction was even more explosive than their own.

Both being men of keen wit, they instantly deduced the underlying truth: this man had been hunted by Yun Zhi and had fled all the way here in hopes of using the prison's deathly gloom to shroud himself, only to be caught red-handed by the two of them.

“If my deductions serve me right, this man is the Venerable Heavenly Calamity from the mid-Great Yu Dynasty; taking advantage of the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, he commanded two ancient Body Integration stage cultivators to riot, forcing the Governor of Qingzhou to employ the State Destiny and the phantom of the Supreme Sword to engage in battle, all to achieve his end of gathering intelligence.”

“Fortunately, Junior Brother was discerning and perceived that something was amiss with the two ancient Body Integration stage cultivators, notifying me in a timely manner, which allowed me to capture him.”

“Had he managed to transmit the intelligence regarding the State Destiny and the Supreme Sword to other ancient cultivators, it would have surely wrought no small amount of trouble.”

“I thought it strange how an unfamiliar Body Integration stage cultivator suddenly cropped up; so it turns out to be yet another ancient Body Integration cultivator!” The Minister of Justice glared at the Venerable Heavenly Calamity, grinding his teeth in bitter hatred.

The Daoist Without Words also ceased his merry jesting; the tribulations of the Great Xia were precisely because of such characters.

Yun Zhi’s eyes narrowed slightly; this was the second ancient Tribulation Transmutation stage cultivator she had apprehended. Previously, she had reached a consensus with the other four sect masters of the Five Great Immortal Sects and the Emperor of Xia, concluding that the ancient cultivators would awaken one by one over time; currently, it was the Body Integration stage awakening, and in the future, it would be the Tribulation Transmutation stage.

Yet judging by the conduct of this ancient Tribulation Transmutation cultivator, he had long been aware of the State Destiny and the Supreme Sword, meaning he must have awakened quite early on.

“It appears that within the places unbeknownst to us, there lie hidden many ancient cultivators.” Yun Zhi’s cold tone betrayed a hint of displeasure; this flock of dull-witted fools, even in their pursuit of immortality, had to calculate timelines and plot countless schemes, bringing disasters upon the mortal realm.

The Venerable Heavenly Calamity’s body was as withered as dry wood, his breath so faint that he seemed on the verge of death at any given moment; seeing him in this state, Yun Zhi lightly tapped her index finger, forcibly plucking the soul of the Venerable Heavenly Calamity straight out.

Taking the soul back would be far more convenient.

Rather than dragging along a fleshly vessel on the brink of collapse, it was better to take only the soul.

Yun Zhi’s right hand pulled at an invisible chain, the other end of which held the bound Venerable Heavenly Calamity.

“Oh, by the way, Master, Lord Minister, your apprehension of the Venerable Heavenly Calamity constitutes a magnificent service; I shall inform the Emperor of Xia of this matter.” Before departing, Yun Zhi spoke suddenly.

The two men froze first, then erupted into immense joy; a grand merit of this caliber was entirely sufficient to secure their release from prison.

They had thought they were going to miss this golden opportunity to gain their freedom.

“Where should I look to seek vengeance upon those ancient cultivators?” Vice Cult Leader Shi pondered; he was a man who repaid his grudges swiftly, never letting them fester overnight.

“Fellow Daoist possesses a noble and loftier character, seeking out ancient cultivators with such purpose; this Sun deeply admires you!” A hearty laugh echoed through the air, carrying profound gladness within it.

Vice Cult Leader Shi felt the voice somewhat familiar; turning his head to look, his eyelids twitched. It was the Governor.

The Governor clasped his hands toward Vice Cult Leader Shi in sincere deference: “I know not where Fellow Daoist hails from, nor what your esteemed name is, but to heavily injure that Venerable Heavenly Calamity by seizing the opportunity of weathering a lightning tribulation is truly a monumental deed. Please accompany me back to my estate, where a grand reward awaits; afterward, I shall memorialize the imperial court to bestow honors upon you!”

Like Yun Zhi, the Governor had been trailing closely behind the Venerable Heavenly Calamity, though his speed was inferior to hers, leaving him blind to the full sequence of events.

By the time he arrived, Vice Cult Leader Shi was dragging the Venerable Heavenly Calamity through the lightning tribulation; multiple times the Venerable Heavenly Calamity sought to flee, only to be thwarted by Vice Cult Leader Shi, who laughed with malicious glee—one earful was enough to know he held a deep grudge against the Venerable Heavenly Calamity. After the tribulation passed, Vice Cult Leader Shi even bound the Venerable Heavenly Calamity tightly, terrified he might escape.

The Governor’s mind conjured up the following tableau: Vice Cult Leader Shi was a reclusive rogue cultivator enduring his tribulation in a desolate land, and discerning that the Venerable Heavenly Calamity reeked heavily of blood and was steeped in wickedness, he used the lightning tribulation to forcibly detain him.

What a virtuous soul!

Deeply moved, the Governor immediately expressed his intent to stay and reward Vice Cult Leader Shi.

Vice Cult Leader Shi shook his head repeatedly; how could he dare accompany the Governor? If the Governor discovered his identity, would it not elevate the Governor’s official rank by a whole tier?

These were not his own words, but the explicit records on the bounty notices.

“Lord Governor is far too polite. I merely could not brook the sight of these lawless ancient cultivators committing atrocities and thus meted out punishment. As for rewards, where is the sense in seeking recompense for enacting justice? Would that not be putting the cart before the horse? Farewell!”

With that, he departed in a frantic rush, granting the Governor no opportunity to detain him.

Gazing at the disappearing figure of Vice Cult Leader Shi, the Governor sighed from the bottom of his heart: “Truly a reclusive cultivator of great virtue.”

With the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony under way, the two ancient Body Integration stage cultivators had already been captured, their cultivations sealed, and kept under rotation watch by several Body Integration peers. The imperial court would soon dispatch the Luoshui Guards to escort these two ancient Body Integration cultivators away, sever their meridians, and cast them into the Heavenly Prison.

The officials performed their respective duties to maintain order; in the Governor's absence, Xia Qun held the highest office, presiding over the government office to dispatch and command, ensuring everything was being restored in an orderly fashion.

To call it restoration was somewhat inaccurate, for the impact of this incident was not material, but rather a psychological shockwave.

Ancient Body Integration stage cultivators, the State Destiny, the phantom of the Supreme Sword, an ancient Tribulation Transmutation stage cultivator, and a mysterious power capable of effortlessly suppressing a Tribulation Transmutation expert... none of these were things an ordinary cultivator could ever hope to encounter.

To say nothing of ordinary cultivators, even Lan Ting and the others stood dazed, failing to fully recover their senses.

Lu Yang, however, remained largely unfazed. What did an ancient Tribulation Transmutation stage cultivator amount to? Within his spiritual space resided the primordial First Immortal, the foremost beauty of the ancient era, who habitually spoke of primeval secrets involving deities; a mere Tribulation Transmutation expert could hardly even qualify for a mention.

He overheard passersby discussing the recent clash.

“Thanks to the intervention of that great power, otherwise we would have been in grave peril.” A Golden Core stage cultivator remarked with lingering relief; he had almost thought himself a dead man, and now felt that being alive was a tremendous stroke of fortune.

His companion concurred, the terror in his eyes not yet fully dissipated: “Who says otherwise? Speaking of which, what did that great power actually look like?”

“You have already forgotten the appearance of our savior... wait, what did that great power look like, and were they male or female?”

The two stared at each other, utterly bewildered.

On the other side, passersby were likewise debating the battle.

“Lord Governor is formidable indeed, single-handedly withstanding a Tribulation-grade magic treasure.”

“That is nothing compared to how Lord Governor nearly slaughtered that ancient Tribulation Transmutation cultivator, especially that single sword strike—it defied heaven itself!”

“A sword? What sword?”

“With a mind like yours, it was a sword composed of... composed of what again?”

“Come to think of it, what weapon did Lord Governor use to defeat the ancient Body Integration cultivator?”

The two were filled with question marks, soon forgetting the recent events entirely.

Lu Yang frowned as he witnessed this scene, his mind recollecting everything—the State Destiny, the phantom of the Supreme Sword, Eldest Senior Sister... he remembered it all with crystalline clarity.

“Fairy, what is the meaning of this?”