Chapter 521: Mr. Tao

"Here, your spiritual stones." After leaving the chamber of commerce, Lu Yang handed the storage ring given by the chamber to Squire Song.

Squire Song was greatly startled, nearly dropping the storage ring to the ground; this was six million spiritual stones, given to him just like that?

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare accept so many spiritual stones, ten thousand, ten thousand is enough." Squire Song was a mere mortal, and if people knew he possessed so many spiritual stones, he wouldn't dare gamble on whether Great Xia's public security could deter them.

Refusing entirely wouldn't be good either, so he would take just a tiny bit.

Seeing Squire Song like this, Lu Yang knew he had misgivings and did not force the matter, escorting him back to Yuanhe County.

Afterward, he divided two million each to his two junior sisters.

Lu Yang had never placed much importance on spiritual stones; for one, he had patent fees and a share from the barbecue shop, and combining these two, apart from those dog-rich heirs like Meng Jingzhou who relied on their ancestors and Tao Yaoye who possessed ideas ahead of her time, no one in the younger generation was wealthier than Lu Yang.

Secondly, he had no need for spiritual stones.

For Dharma treasures, he had the Qingfeng Sword gifted by his Eldest Senior Sister, as well as the Underworld Moon Sword used by the Qilin Immortal.

Natural treasures and great elixir-soils used for cultivation could be exchanged at the Mission Hall at any time, or he could just pluck a few root whiskers from the Ginseng Baby.

As for cultivation techniques, they were all available in the Scripture Library.

This was the advantage of a great sect; cultivation resources were provided in abundance, allowing one to focus solely on cultivation.

The establishment of the Mission Hall was not meant to make disciples run themselves ragged just to complete tasks, but to let them travel down the mountain, punish evil and promote good, so they wouldn't lose their emotions as they cultivated.

The Dao Seeking Sect had never advocated the doctrine of supreme detachment from emotion.

Seeing the five ancient immortals like this, Lu Yang estimated that not a single one of them practiced supreme detachment from emotion, especially the Qilin Immortal.

The most famous faction that advocated supreme detachment from emotion was the Emotionless Sect.

"This Immortal actually encountered a few who claimed to have achieved supreme detachment from emotion, babbling about single-minded devotion to the Dao, yet they were truly ruthless when they struck; there were three who killed their wives or killed their sons to prove their Dao, and another two who refined their entire clans into Dharma treasures, not sparing a single family member, and they kept expressionless faces all day long, looking at everyone as if they were owed spiritual stones, but they couldn't take a beating, and this Immortal killed them all with just a single self-detonation."

"In this Immortal's view, they did not possess true supreme detachment from emotion."

"That doesn't count as supreme detachment from emotion?" Lu Yang wondered, considering what they did was already ruthless enough.

"Of course it doesn't count, if nothing else, do they dare to go without clothes?"

"Going without clothes means they still possess a sense of shame, and if they have a sense of shame, how can that be called supreme detachment from emotion?"

Lu Yang pondered it, and it really was the case.

He hadn't expected that while the Immortal Immortal appeared simple, cute, and none too bright, she actually thought through problems quite clearly.

Leaving Yuanhe County, on the way back to Qingshui County, Lu Yang remembered that he was a sword cultivator and could fly on a sword, so there was no need to ride a horse.

The Qingfeng Sword floated up, three feet off the ground, and Lu Yang leaped upon it, standing with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering, looking infinitely magnificent.

"Now this looks like a sword immortal."

Lu Yang had heard that sword cultivators had a special method of fighting where two sword cultivators would stand facing each other, fly on their swords toward one another, and whichever side was knocked down would lose.

Lu Yang felt that if he were to participate in this kind of fighting method, he could probably only use a flying carriage.

"Lu Yang, a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator has targeted you guys," the Immortal Immortal reminded him.

"A Soul Transformation Stage cultivator?"

Lu Yang abruptly halted his flying sword, his hairs standing on end, and with a booming crash, the front exploded, a figure dispersing the smoke and dust to intercept Lu Yang and the other two.

"What audacity, to dare sell this seat's Dharma treasure to the chamber of commerce! You truly must be tired of living!"

The fluctuations emitted by that figure made Lu Yang and the other two feel trepidation, and even the Invincible Pill was issuing warnings, urging Lu Yang to flee quickly.

The opponent's aura was cold and sinister, stemming from the same lineage as the scroll picture, clearly an old demon of many years who knew not how many people he had killed in secret.

"Your Dharma treasure?"

Tao Yaoye was still puzzled; if the scroll picture was a possessed item, how could it be stored into a storage ring?

Lu Yang put himself in the other's shoes and understood the crux of the matter: "You were worried that Great Xia would trace it back to you based on the Dharma treasure, so you erased your own imprint within it, waiting for the Dharma treasure to refine a person before you showed up to harvest?"

"A clever one indeed." The cold, sinister figure had not expected Lu Yang to figure out the reason so quickly.

However, this still did not change Lu Yang's ending.

"Looking at the jade plaques at your waists, two from the Dao Seeking Sect, and one from the Laurel Celestial Palace?"

"Knowing our identities, you still dare to make a move against us?"

The cold, sinister figure chuckled twice: "So what if you are from immortal sects, if you few die here, even if the immortal sects possess the ability to reach the heavens, they won't be able to detect me!"

Lu Yang narrowed his eyes, wondering if the opponent truly did not know or was just pretending; if disciples of immortal sects met with mishap, the immortal sects could calculate cause and effect, and the murderer certainly could not escape.

Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, silently gripping their weapons, preparing for a violent sudden strike.

"To dare harm our boss's guests, die!"

Another cold and detached voice rang out, originating from the sky, as a figure holding a nine-section whip, with sinister ghost fire burning upon the whip, lashed out toward the cold, sinister figure, the azure charm ghost fire like maggots clinging to bones, pursuing relentlessly.

The two sides engaged in a great battle, each deploying Dharma treasures, and in less than a hundred rounds, the cold, sinister figure was captured by the master of the nine-section whip.

"Several of you, come with us, our boss wishes to see you."

The master of the nine-section whip looked coldly at Lu Yang and the other two, his tone carrying an indisputable weight.

The master of the nine-section whip was also in the Soul Transformation Stage, but judging from how easily he defeated the cold, sinister figure, his strength was among the best even within the Soul Transformation Stage.

Tao Yaoye's palms felt slightly cold; she had seen this master of the nine-section whip before, when she went to the barbecue shop with Senior Brother Lu Yang, at which time the opponent stood behind Vice Sect Master Shi, presumably being Vice Sect Master Shi's right-hand man.

He seemed to be called... Huo Huashen?

How could the people of the Nine Underworlds Sect be looking for them?

What was their purpose?

Tao Yaoye did not dare to continue thinking further down that line.

Although Lan Ting did not know Huo Huashen, judging from the aura the opponent emitted, the newcomer did not come with good intentions.

Should they run, but the opponent's strength clearly exceeded theirs by a large margin, how could they run?

"Who is your boss, and what is the purpose of looking for us?" Tao Yaoye looked at Huo Huashen with vigilance.

Huo Huashen glanced coldly at Tao Yaoye: "You will know once you go."

Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting looked to Lu Yang for help, and Lu Yang nodded: "Let's follow and take a look."

Along the way, none of the four spoke, the atmosphere terribly oppressive, as Huo Huashen walked in front, leading the three to a small pavilion.

The small pavilion was far from any village or shop, extremely secluded, with not even a single pedestrian.

A person sat inside the small pavilion, dressed in black, resembling an abyss, and a single glance made one feel as if falling into an ice cavern, truly a great demon who killed without blinking.

This person was precisely one of the three vice sect masters of the Nine Underworlds Sect, Shi Huagu.

"Boss, the people have been brought, it has been confirmed that no one will come over."

"Understood, go stand in the back."

Huo Huashen gave an assent, then stood behind Shi Huagu, speaking not a word, like a statue.

"This must be Mister Tao, who created the Dream Bubble, your name has long been known to me, and today I finally see the real person."

"The Dream Bubble is a huge hit, Mister Tao must have earned quite a few spiritual stones, it is truly worthy of congratulations."

Tao Yaoye's heart turned cold, cold sweat breaking out on her back, having never expected that the purpose of the Nine Underworlds Sect was herself.

Are they targeting the Phantom Illusion? Is it to seize our fortune, or to demand the patent?

"It is only the common folk who watch, and the earnings are meager," Tao Yaoye said, steeling her resolve.

"The earnings are meager? There is no wit in such modesty, Mr. Tao."

"What is it that you truly want?"

"Men die for wealth as birds die for food. With your intellect, Mr. Tao, surely you can divine my purpose?"

Shi Huagu's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.

"Could you perhaps use the Phantom Illusion to advertise our barbecue shop, Mr. Tao? Our budget is ample, and the price is highly negotiable."

(End of Chapter)