Chapter 432: The Number One Person of the Younger Generation

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"This is information I only managed to glean after cross-referencing numerous sources. The power of national destiny involves an incredibly elevated tier of existence, far beyond what you ought to know at your current level. You only need to know that it can be used to eradicate the backlash of karmic retribution!" Qiu Jin'an earnestly admonished the assembly; their cultivation bases were far too meager to be granted access to such esoteric secrets.

This was knowledge restricted solely to those in the Tribulation Transmutation Stage. Had he not been the sect master of an immortal sect, he too would have remained oblivious to the existence of the power of national destiny.

Lu Yang nodded in profound agreement. "Indeed. The power of national destiny is a possession held by the immortals aligned with the imperial court. It is intimately tied to the Dao Fruits and serves as one of the sublime manifestations of an immortal's methods. Those sheltered by national destiny are rendered immune to all toxins and untouched by any disease. They can instantaneously unleash a torrent of formidable combat prowess, and this power further possesses the unique property of inducing erasure from memory. Even the National Master of the Great Yu Dynasty harbors deep trepidation toward this power of national destiny, daring not to oppose it in open defiance!"

Qiu Jin'an went rigid for a moment. Why did it feel as though Lu Yang knew significantly more about this than he did?

Was this the sort of intellectual treasury a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator was supposed to possess?

Casting his mind back to his own days in the Golden Core Stage, he had only just learned that an ancient, nameless figure had once refined the Astral Continent. As for concepts like immortals and Dao Fruits, they were utterly alien to him. On the rare occasions he went out for experience, it was always to secret realms accessible only to those of the Golden Core Stage, realms left behind by long-departed Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation cultivators.

Furthermore, the power of national destiny carried the property of erasure; he himself was unaffected only because of a treasure bestowed upon him by the imperial court. How on earth had this boy Lu Yang managed not to forget?

Qiu Jin'an pondered in silence for a brief interlude but chose not to delve deeper. There were simply too many unfathomable anomalies surrounding the Single-Minded Sect, and one more centered around Lu Yang would hardly make a difference.

For instance, he had never quite figured out how, in a world of cultivation as sprawling as this, those nine banes of existence known as the Nine Disciples of the Single-Minded Sect had managed to coalesce into a single gathering.

Perhaps it could only be rationalized by the old adage that birds of a feather flock together.

"Upon obtaining this intelligence, I journeyed to the Single-Minded Sect to seek you out. That band of old, idle loafers at the sect informed me that you had departed for the Corpse-Driving Sect in the Desolate Province. Consequently, I rushed over without a moment's pause to deliver the word, happening upon that Great Yu Integration Stage cultivator just as he launched an assault against you."

Qiu Jin'an wore an expression that distinctly conveyed his relief at having arrived in the nick of time.

Lu Yang cast a sidelong glance at Qiu Jin'an. What did he mean, "happened to arrive just in time"? The Immortal Fairy had already told him that this elder of theirs had been tailing them and watching the spectacle unfold the entire way.

The commotion generated by the battle between Qiu Jin'an and Perfected Lord Meng Tian was colossal, and the government officials of Hanshui City swiftly converged upon the scene.

Judging the caliber of the combatants from the sheer residual ripples of the clash, the officials deduced that the cultivation bases of both parties were by no means trivial. The highest-ranking official rushing out from the city happened to be at the Integration Stage himself.

"So, it is Fellow Daoist Qiu." The official from Hanshui City clearly recognized Qiu Jin'an, displaying a deferential bearing as he cupped his hands in a respectful salutation.

As an imperial official, recognizing the masters of the five great immortal sects was a foundational element of one's professional cultivation.

After all, the five sect masters all wielded the rights of supervision and law enforcement, serving as a razor-sharp blade hanging over the realm.

There was once an incident where Daoist Buyu had openly flouted the law. Seeing that Daoist Buyu possessed too formidable a background, the local official had intended to bend the law for personal favoritism. To everyone's astonishment, Daoist Buyu became thoroughly displeased and bypassed the hierarchy to report the matter directly to the Emperor of Xia, resulting in the severe punishment of that official.

Daoist Buyu, meanwhile, cheerfully entered the grand prison for his crime.

When that incident transpired, the entire court and the common populace were profoundly shaken. From then on, no official dared to pervert justice for personal gain—at the very least, not in the presence of the five great immortal sects.

After all, there existed a ruthless character like Daoist Buyu, who was perfectly willing to lock himself up just to make a point.

"And you are..." Qiu Jin'an failed to recognize the newcomer.

"I am the Sima of the Desolate Province, An Ping."

"Ah, so it is Master An." Though he had never laid eyes on the man before, Qiu Jin'an seamlessly adopted an expression of sudden realization, as though the name had just slipped back into his memory.

"From within the city, I observed the sky ablaze with light and a brilliant sun suspended in the void over this location. I am unaware of what transpired here; would it be convenient for Fellow Daoist Qiu to disclose a few details?"

"Just moments ago, I encountered an Integration Stage cultivator from the Great Yu. I traded blows with him, and he was defeated within two exchanges, fleeing in utter panic."

"Judging from the information he disclosed, the current plague of spectral afflictions plaguing the city is entirely his handiwork. It remains unknown whether he has accomplices lurking in the shadows."

Master An's countenance grew exceedingly solemn. This matter was of paramount significance. The current spectral plague was a crisis of the highest order; they had consistently suspected the Nine Serenities Sect of being the perpetrators, but it now appeared to be the machinations of a Great Yu cultivator!

"Could Fellow Daoist Qiu accompany me to converse in greater detail with the Provincial Governor?"

Qiu Jin'an smiled faintly. "It so happens that I have matters to discuss with the Governor myself."

"That is splendid indeed. And might I ask who these several individuals are?"

"These three are disciples of the Single-Minded Sect. The one leading them is the youngest disciple of that old scoundrel Buyu."

Upon hearing Lu Yang's identity, Master An's respect deepened precipitously.

He was a rising star of the younger generation; when Daoist Buyu was active and dominant, he had not even been born. In essence, he had grown up listening to the legends of Daoist Buyu, and he well knew what an exquisitely catastrophic stroke of misfortune it was to become that man's disciple.

"This one here is a disciple of the Corpse-Driving Sect. This drowned ghost and that unconscious mortal woman are entangled in a case of insurance fraud, and we were just about to hand them over to your jurisdiction for processing. They also have an accomplice, a man named Liu San from Baishui Village."

Without needing any further instruction from Master An, his subordinates promptly apprehended the drowned ghost and the unconscious Huang Zao'er, while another detachment swiftly departed toward Baishui Village to arrest Liu San.

The subsequent affairs required no further intervention from Lu Yang and his companions.

"Wait for me a moment."

Lu Yang spoke up before their departure. Then, under the bewildered gazes of the onlookers, he thrust his hand into the dried-up, frigid pool. A continuous, surging torrent of briny water erupted from his sleeve, completely replenishing the reservoir.

The water that had been drained from the pool had been stored within the Village in the Palm all this time.

Master An looked upon the sight as though witnessing a deity. How old was Lu Yang, to have already mastered the divine ability of the Universe in a Sleeve?

Seeing Master An's utterly dumbfounded expression, Qiu Jin'an clapped his hands and laughed uproariously. "Unexpected, isn't it? Just a moment ago, Lu Yang engaged in combat against that Great Yu Integration Stage cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to rebuild anew, and he emerged victorious with absolute composure. His combat strength is more than sufficient to crown him the undisputed number one of the younger generation."

While his own disciple could also defeat an Integration Stage cultivator who had undergone cultivation dispersal, they could absolutely never achieve it with the effortless grace Lu Yang had displayed.

Throughout the duration of the battle, Qiu Jin'an had been observing intently from the sidelines. He discovered that from the very beginning to the final blow, Lu Yang had not even deployed his Golden Core. He heavily suspected that the boy still harbored even more terrifying methods that had yet to be unveiled.

At Lu Yang's current age, he himself would have been utterly incapable of besting him.

He was, without a doubt, a disciple personally reared by Yun Zhi.

"To think he is this powerful?!" Master An was shocked anew. He had not anticipated that Qiu Jin'an would offer such a staggering evaluation.

Given Qiu Jin'an's vast experience and discernment, there could be no error in such a judgment. Furthermore, he had absolutely no reason to indulge in hyperbole; after all, Lu Yang was a disciple of the Single-Minded Sect, not the Five Elements Sect.

The Single-Minded Sect was, as always, an unending cradle of exceptional talents.

Zhao Po remarked internally that it was precisely as he had surmised. Witnessing the ferocious display of Lu Yang's combat prowess earlier, he had faintly sensed that Lu Yang possessed the bearing of the foremost figure among the younger generation, though his own limited experience had prevented him from rashly drawing a definitive conclusion.

"Did you hear that? I am the number one of the younger generation!" Lu Yang was bursting with smug satisfaction, strutting like a victorious peacock as he flaunted his glory before Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu.

"Brother Lu is truly incredible!" Man Gu applauded from the bottom of his heart.

Meng Jingzhou curled his lip, noting that this bastard Lu Yang's tail was practically curling up into the heavens. "What kind of number one of the younger generation do you think you are? Eldest Senior Sister is the true number one."

Lu Yang chuckled merrily. "You're just consumed by envy. Eldest Senior Sister doesn't even count as the younger generation..."

Catching the playful yet thoroughly perilous glint in Meng Jingzhou's eyes, Lu Yang abruptly realized there was a catastrophic flaw in his preceding words. He choked them back just in time, glaring furiously at Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou looked left and right, completely feigning innocence as though he were not the one who had just dug that particular pit.

Under the guidance of Master An, the party encountered the newly appointed Provincial Governor of the Desolate Province without any further incidents.