Chapter 472: Immortal Sect Civil War

The Emperor of Xia searched his memories; aside from guessing that Lu Yang would lose every single time, he really hadn't done anything else to provoke him.

Considering that those inside the treasure box could not perceive the outside world, the answer was blindingly obvious—Lu Yang simply wanted to give him a beating.

The Emperor of Xia was absolutely resolute that he would never engage in a one-on-one duel with Lu Yang.

What a joke; even Grandmaster Jie Sha had been defeated. He himself was not known for his martial prowess, and stepping up would surely result in a beating far more wretched than Luo Hongxia's.

Judging by the ruthless methods Lu Yang employed—forcing Luo Hongxia to chew on leaves, driving Yang Ding into monkhood, and making the Grandmaster return to secular life—the boy would likely show no reverence for age or youth, nor any respect for a pathetic old man like himself, who was but a flickering candle in the wind.

Clap, clap, clap.

He applauded gently, pretending not to hear the Immortal Fairy's invitation to battle, his face wearing a smile as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.

"Splendid, truly splendid! Worthy indeed of being called a supreme genius of the younger generation. To possess such staggering combat power at such a tender age, your future is bound to be limitless!"

The Immortal Fairy nodded, accepting the Emperor's praise with absolute equanimity, as though it were only natural; her invincible momentum had been forged through endless battles, defeating countless adversaries until she successfully ascended to immortality.

"So, do you want to have a fight with me then?"

The Emperor of Xia experienced a sudden, temporary bout of deafness, turning instead to shower Lu Yang with effusive compliments: "Sect Master Lu, famous in your youth, possessing an extraordinarily sharp and majestic presence, brimming with high spirits—in the great era to come, there will surely be a place reserved just for you!"

The Immortal Fairy continued to nod. As the leader of the Five Ancient Immortals, she had once been unrivaled beneath the heavens, but after her untimely demise and subsequent rebirth, she discovered that the world had forgotten both her name and her legends; now that a great era was dawning, one capable of recreating the grandeur of antiquity, she was determined to reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her.

"I do like the sound of that. So, do you want to cross blades with me or what?"

The Emperor of Xia continued smoothly, "Though your master is Daoist Buyu, which prevents you from entering official governance, you are, after all, a subject of my Great Xia. Once you step down from the position of Sect Master, I shall grant you the extraordinary privileges of entering the court without hurried steps, addressing the throne without stating your name, and wearing your sword and shoes directly into the imperial hall."

This was no minor reward; such honors were typically bestowed only upon those who had rendered monumental service to the state, achievements sufficient to leave one's name etched in the annals of history.

Leaving aside the staggering combat prowess Lu Yang demonstrated by taking down the four great immortal sect masters, his vital role in the eradication of the Immortal Cult, along with his grand achievement of establishing the Heavenly Court Cult to stabilize the Jiuyou Cult, was more than enough to justify the Emperor bestowing such a reward.

Of course, the real reason was that the Emperor of Xia desperately wanted to buy time.

The Emperor cast frantic glances at Qiu Jin'an and the others, signaling them to help change the subject.

He knew better than to rely on Yun Zhi; when he shot her a meaningful look, she merely returned it with an utterly expressionless stare.

Qiu Jin'an coughed twice, praising Lu Yang as though he hadn't just been the one taking a beating moments ago: "Sect Master Lu's combat instincts are truly extraordinary. Though I held back a trick or two, forcing me to such a state is no small feat. Reflecting on my own days in the Golden Core stage, I fought across the world without an equal, never tasting a single defeat."

Yang Ding nodded, stroking his smooth, gleaming bald head as he evaluated the battle that had just transpired.

"Well said. Sect Master Lu's combat intuition is the finest I have witnessed in all my life, the mark of a natural-born warrior; to master the essence of unity between fist and intent at such a tender age is truly worthy of a junior brother raised by Fellow Daoist Yun. It is a pity that my clash with him just now amounted to the old bullying the young, so I felt too embarrassed to use my full strength, leading to that inadvertent loss. Were I truly in the Golden Core stage, I would certainly have a proper bout with Sect Master Lu; when it comes to Golden Core battles, I have never feared anyone."

Luo Hongxia looked upon the two shameless men with deep disdain, feeling that sharing the title of immortal sect master with them was an absolute disgrace.

"The techniques Sect Master Lu employs are not bad either, utterly unheard of, as if he belongs to a school of his own. With this hand alone, defeating those rogue cultivators who dispersed their cultivation to rebuild would pose no problem at all. If I were still in the Golden Core stage, facing those rebuilt cultivators, I would only have a mere ninety percent chance of victory—hardly worth mentioning."

What did it mean to be the master of an immortal sect? It demanded not only profound cultivation but also the heavy burden of representing the sect's prestige to the outside world, a standard of the highest order; Lu Yang felt that these three were truly worthy of their positions, for their thick-skinned nature could easily rival that of his own master.

The Immortal Fairy was indeed successfully distracted, making no further mention of a duel with the Emperor of Xia, and asked curiously, "Since the three of you were all so formidable during your Golden Core stages, who exactly was the strongest among you?"

"Haha, what a question! I was the strongest when I was in the Golden Core stage," the three sect masters declared in unison.

The moment those words left their lips, the air instantly fell still, and the atmosphere grew abruptly tense.

Even Lu Yang, safely ensconced within the spiritual space, could feel the sudden chill of this taut, murderous aura.

The three sect masters exchanged looks, shifting their steps to stand apart, each harboring a subtle vigilance.

Qiu Jin'an narrowed his eyes slightly, uttering a soft grunt before saying casually, "Could the strongest Golden Core cultivator be anyone but me? In my Golden Core days, I challenged those of higher realms, wiped out an entire branch of the Immortal Cult by myself, and even captured both their branch leader and vice leader alive, both of whom were in the Nascent Soul stage."

Yang Ding sneered, "Laughable! Back then, I was only placed in solitary confinement because that old scoundrel Buyu set me up; otherwise, my fame would have shaken the world long ago. As if you're the only one who could defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Luo Hongxia was equally filled with absolute confidence, refusing to show any weakness, "During our Golden Core days, everyone united against external foes to deal with the Nine Disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, so we never had the chance to fight one another. It seems the timing is perfect now."

"Then let us begin!"

"Who's afraid of whom!"

"Fight!"

Luo Hongxia activated the precious treasure box, which shot forth three brilliant beams of light, sucking the three of them inside while suppressing their cultivation bases back down to the Golden Core stage.

As the three entered the box, the murderous tension vanished, and the air fell silent once more.

The Immortal Fairy blinked her eyes, utterly bewildered as to why the three of them had suddenly started fighting each other.

"I thought they said the five great immortal sects stand together through thick and thin? This doesn't look united at all," she murmured, reflecting that even her Five Ancient Immortals were more cohesive than this.

Lu Yang: "..."

Fairy, would you care to guess exactly why they started fighting?

After waiting a while, seeing that the precious treasure box showed no signs of movement, the Immortal Fairy knew it would be difficult to determine a victor in a short amount of time.

"Is everything done? If there's nothing else, shall we head back?" As the meeting dwindled in numbers, the Immortal Fairy's enthusiasm began to wane; since everything that needed to be said had been discussed and the fighting was finished, it was time to return.

As the Acting Sect Master, she had to govern the vast Dao Seeking Sect, a duty that kept her occupied with myriad affairs every day.

"Yes, everything is resolved. You may return." The way the Emperor of Xia looked at Lu Yang had completely changed, wishing nothing more than to quickly send this formidable deity on his way.

Even when Daoist Buyu was in the Golden Core stage, he had never been quite so capable of causing trouble.

"Let us go." Yun Zhi was highly satisfied with the Immortal Fairy's performance, as no catastrophic blunders had occurred.

Swinging her arms, the Immortal Fairy swaggered grandly out of the imperial palace, while Yun Zhi followed half a step behind her, observing the proper etiquette meticulously.

The two of them departed upon a cloud, leaving behind only the Emperor of Xia and Grandmaster Jie Sha.

"Grandmaster, you..."

Grandmaster Jie Sha said no more, tearing through the void to take his leave.

In truth, he had also wanted to enter the treasure box to show these youngsters what it truly meant to be invincible in the Golden Core stage, but as an elder after all, he could not bring himself to lower his dignity for such a display.

Of course, there was another reason: he suspected that if he entered the box, he would face the combined assault of all three opponents, a force he estimated he might not be able to withstand.

The Vow of Silence was truly difficult to practice; during the meeting, he could do nothing but nod or shake his head, unable to utter a word, which left him feeling thoroughly stifled.

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of Chapter)