Chapter 439: Originally, This Move Was Not Meant to Be Used Against You...

Lord An activated the great array at the very instant the Governor of Lyu Province clashed with Wu Youdao, a semicircular barrier like an inverted bowl clamping down upon Hanshui City to ensure that the aftershocks of their battle would not affect the town below.

A clap of thunder seemed to strike midair over Hanshui City, deafeningly loud as the two fought desperately, fists and feet colliding to unleash blinding rays of light that made it impossible for mortals to look directly upon the combat, while even those of lower cultivation felt a tightness in their chests as if they were vibrating in resonance with the clash.

Wu Youdao dared not use his Universe in the Palm technique to pierce through the Governor again, lest his other hand also become permanently fused with the Governor’s body.

With one of his arms currently merged into the Governor’s chest, Wu Youdao’s movements were severely restricted, and combined with the Governor’s astonishing speed of regeneration, the Governor had actually gained the upper hand for the moment!

"Damn it, get off me!" Wu Youdao found no rhythm in his strikes, utterly unable to fathom how the Governor had devised such an absurd tactic.

Wu Youdao landed a punch squarely on the Governor’s face, snapping the Governor’s head aside, yet the Governor flexed his neck with brute force, slowly forcing his head back into place.

"This move was originally meant to deal with that old thief Buyu, I never expected you would be the first to enjoy it!" A look of pure madness flickered in the Governor's eyes.

"The old thief Buyu? Could it be Taoist Buyu?!" Clearly, Wu Youdao had heard of this name before.

"Rumor has it that Taoist Buyu has enemies all over the world. Could it be that he seeks to raise the combat prowess of the Grand Xia cultivators by deliberately making enemies?" Wu Youdao pondered, his mind sharp as an emperor, thinking far deeper than ordinary men.

"The Wendao Sect truly is the greatest obstacle to the restoration of our Great Yu!" Wu Youdao recalled the warnings of the State Preceptor, who had urged him to be wary of the Wendao Sect, calling them a formidable foe.

Fortunately, up until now, he had not encountered anyone from the Wendao Sect.

"As expected of the Governor, fighting like this means he can actually win." Lu Yang’s eyes shone with excitement, not expecting the Governor to be so reliable, while also feeling relieved that he hadn't revealed his own sect lineage.

Judging by the Governor's brutal style of fighting, the grudge he held against his master was no small matter.

"He cannot win. This style of fighting simply relies on the fact that Wu Youdao has never seen it before and cannot react in time; once Wu Youdao adapts, Little Lyu will fall into a passive position." The Immortal Fairy possessed brilliant natural talent and had experienced countless battles of all sizes, discerning the flaw in this method at a single glance.

The only way to achieve victory was to restrain Wu Youdao and then use absolute power to kill him before he could react.

Regrettably, the Governor did not possess that kind of absolute power.

Just as the Immortal Fairy predicted, after taking a few beatings, Wu Youdao devised a countermeasure in the shortest time possible.

He transformed his left hand into a heavenly blade and hacked down toward the Governor, who shifted his body to dodge the strike.

Little did anyone expect that Wu Youdao was not aiming for the Governor at all, but rather for his own right arm!

Slash—

The heavenly blade cleaved down, severing the right arm as blood erupted like a surging river, showering over Hanshui City and creating a terrifying sizzling sound of corrosion as it hit the transparent barrier.

If the barrier failed to hold, the falling blood of a Tribulation Transmutation cultivator would undoubtedly cause a catastrophic disaster.

Fortunately, the transparent barrier was strong enough to endure until the corrosive nature of the blood was fully depleted.

Wu Youdao's severed arm regenerated at a rapid pace.

"The Melodious Voice of Heaven!"

Having regained his freedom, Wu Youdao opened his mouth to emit a piercing sound imbued with magical power, sounding like the hushed murmuring of tens of thousands of gossiping voices, defying all of the Governor's attempts to cover his ears or seal his five senses.

"The Triple Strike of Daluo!"

Wu Youdao seized the opportunity to throw a punch, his fist bursting with a brilliant, dazzling radiance that shone as fiercely as the scorching sun.

"Even a high monk who has cultivated the Six-Foot Golden Body would have his defense broken by this punch of mine!" Wu Youdao laughed uproariously.

Plagued by the heavenly voice, the Governor was unable to perceive the external movements and took the full force of the punch squarely on his body.

Puff—

The Governor vomited blood incessantly as the power of the national destiny rapidly healed his wounds, yet this single punch contained three layers of force, the first severely wounding him while the second and third layers actively impeded his regeneration.

"Not dead yet? Let me add another punch!" A look of greed appeared on Wu Youdao's face, as if the power of the national destiny was within his immediate grasp.

"The Emperor of Great Yu certainly puts on a grand display."

A calm laugh echoed out as a five-colored halo suddenly materialized, blocking the path in front of the Governor.

Wu Youdao's punch was far too heavy, and the five-colored halo managed to hold it back for only two breaths of time.

Crack—

The halo shattered into pieces, and the Governor vanished without a trace.

"Over there!" Wu Youdao turned his head sharp, spotting the Governor being supported by Qiu Jin'an.

"Are you alright?"

"Not dead yet."

"It's you, the Sect Master of the Immortal Sect. At this hour, you ought to be at the Baihua Tavern!" Wu Youdao stared coldly at Qiu Jin'an, for the two most powerful ghosts under his command had been stationed at the Baihua Tavern.

At the Baihua Tavern.

A massive ghost lay upon the ground with its body hollowed out, its three souls pulverized by three chopsticks, a bowl of rice forcibly stuffed into its mouth, while countless lesser ghosts had their necks snapped, their heads severed from their bodies and scattered all over the main hall.

"Are you speaking of the Bloated Ghost and the Starved Ghost? They were mediocre at best; it might have been somewhat interesting if they had devoured each other to fuse into a new ghost, but even then, it amounts to nothing more than that."

"As for those lesser ghosts that lock away the three souls and seven po spirits just by riding on someone's neck, those are old tricks that the Wendao Sect grew tired of playing long ago."

The Bloated Ghost and the Starved Ghost were entities with excellent compatibility; the Bloated Ghost had stuffed itself to death in life and would eat endlessly without ever feeling full as a ghost, while the Starved Ghost had starved to death and likewise ate continuously without ever being satisfied, so when the two devoured each other, they would fuse into an entity known as the Taotie Ghost, a creature that spelled certain death for any ordinary cultivator who encountered it.

"To think you intended to deal with me using the Bloated Ghost and the Starved Ghost is simply looking down on me too much."

Wu Youdao narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that an untold number of Soul Integration stage cultivators had been devoured by those two ghosts, including no small number of late-stage Soul Integration masters, making them entities that no ordinary Soul Integration cultivator should have been able to handle.

The combat capability of this man named Qiu Jin'an exceeded his expectations.

"You tank the damage, and I will strike, how about it?" Qiu Jin'an transmitted his voice.

"Very well." In terms of pure combat power, the Governor was far inferior to Qiu Jin'an.

"My Lord, we have arrived!" Several Soul Integration stage cultivators appeared to join the fray.

They had previously been held back by the ghosts appearing within the city, but when Qiu Jin'an arrived, he had conveniently eliminated the threats for them, allowing them to free themselves to assist.

"Go down and help your colleagues deal with the ghosts, maintain order within the city!" The Governor waved his hand dismissively, knowing this battle could not be decided by a few additional ordinary Soul Integration cultivators, for even a peak master of the Soul Integration stage like himself would die in a single exchange without the empowerment of the national destiny.

Right now, only a supreme powerhouse among the Soul Integration stage like Qiu Jin'an could be of any help.

Yet the question remained, where could one easily find masters of the same caliber as the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects?

Wu Youdao attempted the same trick again, seeking to control Qiu Jin'an: "The Melodious Voice of Hea—"

Qiu Jin'an's combat experience was far superior to the Governor's, and he raised a palm to support a lotus of fire that radiated an intent of absolute destruction.

"The Karmic Fire of the Red Lotus!"

Boom—

The destructive energy erupted as a massive red lotus blossomed above Hanshui City, each petal possessing the power to shatter a pocket dimension, and with twenty-eight petals unfolding at once, the sheer magnitude of the released destructive energy was unimaginable, allowing Lu Yang to feel the rushing waves of heat even through the barrier.

As the smoke cleared, it revealed Wu Youdao in a thoroughly wretched state, his clothes disheveled, his entire body covered in burns, his skin wrinkled, and his head completely bald, stripped entirely of his usual composed and worldly arrogance.

"This move was originally meant to be used against the Wendao Sect, what a pity it had to be wasted on you first."

Qiu Jin'an slowly shook his head, once again condensing a red lotus within the palm of his hand.