Chapter 822: Cellmates Are All Gone

The Minister of Justice listened to his subordinate's exhaustive report, ensuring he had not misheard: it was indeed that wretched vagabond, the Nameless Daoist, who had captured Su Moran.

"To Yecheng at once. And summon the Luoshui Guards—tell them to keep it quiet, lest the Relentless Cult catches wind of our movements!"

Leading a small faction of elites toward Yecheng, the Minister simmered with resentment, vividly recalling how he had been made a fool of by the Nameless Daoist back in the Imperial City during their youth.

"Even a scoundrel like him can ascend to the Tribulation Transmutation Stage? Is there no justice left under heaven?!"

"With all this tedious statecraft, His Majesty can handle it from now on. I am going to seclude myself and cultivate!"

Along the road to Yecheng, the Luoshui Guards converged with the Minister. They were spearheaded by Luo Changhe, master of one of the nine palaces of the Luoshui Guard, a cultivator of the mid-Tribulation Transmutation Stage.

Regrettably, they arrived a step too late; Su Moran's soul had already been ferried back to the Single-Dao Sect by the Daoist Master of the Boundless Ocean.

Yet their arrival was not entirely in vain; the Nameless Daoist and his cellmates were still here serving their time.

"Old Xu! Over here, over here!" Below them, the Nameless Daoist waved his hand cheerfully, hailing Xu Xin, the Minister of Justice.

Xu Xin realized with a jolt that he truly could not pierce the depth of the Nameless Daoist's cultivation, confirming that the man had indeed attained the Tribulation Transmutation Stage, rather than relying on some fleeting secret technique to vanquish Su Moran.

The moment Xu Xin touched down, the Nameless Daoist adopted the patronizing tone of a venerable elder: "Little Xu, you are an old hand at this. There is no need for me to remind you of the ways of the cultivation world—might makes right. Seeing as we were once peers, you may simply address me as Senior Nameless."

Xu Xin rolled his eyes, utterly refusing to entertain the man's antics.

Only then did his gaze drift toward the Nameless Daoist's cellmates.

"Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou? Why on earth are you two here as well?"

Years ago, when he himself had been lured into a prison cell by the Nameless Daoist, he had crossed paths with Lu Yang, who had come to visit the prisoner.

As for Meng Jingzhou, how could he not recognize a scion of the Meng clan? That family was a formidable power, practically a legislative force that constantly pushed the boundaries of the Great Xia legal codes.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou opened their mouths but could not bring themselves to confess that they had robbed each other just to accompany their ancestral grandmaster in prison.

Observing their sheepish expressions, Xu Xin understood immediately; they had undoubtedly been dragged into this quagmire by the Nameless Daoist.

"Where is Su Moran?" Xu Xin recalled the true purpose of his journey.

"Sent back to our Single-Dao Sect by Ancestor Boundless Ocean," the Nameless Daoist replied with a sly grin.

Hearing this, Xu Xin turned on his heel to depart for the Single-Dao Sect, but the Nameless Daoist caught him by the sleeve.

"Ah, wait, wait, wait! I went through immense hardship to capture Su Moran. Surely that counts as a monumental service? Help me clear the paperwork and let me out."

The Nameless Daoist's original intention in entering the prison was to let Patriarch Jin experience the grit of ordinary life. But after the turmoil in Yecheng, this place was no longer fit for such edification; he might as well take his leave.

The Nameless Daoist pointed to Patriarch Jin beside him: "And my junior here, just call him Goldie. He also subdued a Body Integration Stage cultivator of the Relentless Cult—another monumental service."

Xu Xin cast a long, scrutinizing look at Patriarch Jin. In this day and age, there were actually people rushing to entangle themselves with the Nameless Daoist? Was the man simple-minded?

"Fine. I will settle the paperwork with the city lord shortly. Is that all? If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." Xu Xin was anxious to reach the Single-Dao Sect.

"Wait, there is one more. You must release this person too."

"Can you not finish your thoughts in one breath? Who is this now?" Following the line of the Nameless Daoist’s finger, Xu Xin spotted the Daoist of Primordial Virtue sitting quietly in a dark corner.

"A disciple of our Single-Dao Sect. He originally intended to infiltrate the Relentless Cult as a spy, but who would have thought the cult's stronghold would be smashed by Yecheng? He was too ashamed to reveal his affiliation with the Single-Dao Sect, fearing he would tarnish our reputation, so he let himself be locked up."

Xu Xin was struck with genuine astonishment. He had never imagined the Single-Dao Sect could possess a disciple of such pure and noble character. Judging by his recent entry into the Foundation Establishment Stage, he had likely spent a year in that sect.

To spend a whole year within the Single-Dao Sect and still emerge untainted like a lotus from the mud was nothing short of a miracle.

"This can also be arranged easily."

Just as Xu Xin turned to leave, he paused, looking back suspiciously: "There is truly nothing else this time?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Safe travels."

Before long, the imperial officials departed from the dungeon, followed closely by the Nameless Daoist, Patriarch Jin, and the Daoist of Primordial Virtue, leaving only Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou behind.

The two youths stared at each other blankly. In the blink of an eye, how had their bustling cell emptied out, leaving just the pair of them?

"Come to think of it, we really do not have a legitimate reason to be released."

They had contributed nothing to the battle, nor had they been wrongfully imprisoned like their ancestral grandmaster.

"How many more days do we have left?"

"Ten days."

The brothers shook their heads and sighed; they would just have to behave themselves and cultivate here for the remaining ten days.

"We do not even have a proper roof to shield us from the elements." Lu Yang looked upward. Above them lay a clear, star-studded sky; the roof had been entirely blown away by the Relentless Cult's Body Integration expert at the very start.

Within his spiritual consciousness, Lu Yang was still cultivating while bearing the weight of spiritual shackles. He could only look longingly toward the other side of the cage, where the Immortal Fairy was thoroughly enjoying her leisurely life, a sight that filled him with profound envy.

"It seems doing good deeds truly brings no reward."

The moment the Daoist Master of the Boundless Ocean returned to the Single-Dao Sect with Su Moran’s soul, he immediately convened the child-grandmaster of the Prisoner's Peak and Old Tao of the Library Pavilion, while requesting the presence of Yun Zhi.

The corpse of Wu Lei was handed over to the Fifth Elder, to be refined into whatever magical treasure he fancied.

Su Moran’s corpse, however, was spared from refinement; it was, after all, the Nameless Daoist’s spoils of war, and could be utilized to reinforce the Nameless Daoist's personal sword.

With the pinnacle forces of the Single-Dao Sect gathered, they initiated a direct soul-search, unraveling every strand of Su Moran’s memories.

At that moment, the officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Luoshui Guards arrived in desperate haste to coordinate with the Single-Dao Sect regarding the Relentless Cult.

Sharing the gathered intelligence, the Daoist Master of the Boundless Ocean knit his brows and spoke grimly: "The Relentless Cult is indeed a formidable foe. According to Su Moran’s memories, the appearance and age of the Cult Leader are entirely unknown; he is suspected to be a Demi-Immortal. Su Moran speculated that the Leader established the Relentless Cult solely to gather all emotionless souls under heaven, observing their comprehension of the Path of Relentlessness to perfect his own cultivation."

"Does that mean since the inception of the Relentless Cult, the Cult Leader has always been the very same man?" Luo Changhe of the Luoshui Guards gasped in surprise. The Relentless Cult was the oldest of the four great demonic cults, having existed since the dawn of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"It is highly probable!"

"Enough, let us not deliberate on this for now. According to Su Moran’s memory, his life-tablet resides in the cult's headquarters. The moment his soul parted from his flesh, that tablet would have shattered. The cult's high echelon will immediately abandon the headquarters and relocate."

"I shall open a spatial portal directly to their headquarters. If luck favors us, we may yet catch them."

The assembly stepped through the spatial rift, emerging at the headquarters of the Relentless Cult, situated deep beneath the waters of Canglong Lake in Yunzhou.

Alas, when they arrived, the cult had already vanished into thin air. The entire lakebed had been relocated by a tremendous display of divine ability, causing the water level of Canglong Lake to drop by several dozen meters.

"Then we strike the branch altars!"

From Su Moran’s memories, the locations of every single branch altar were laid bare. The Daoist Master of the Boundless Ocean immediately conjured countless spatial corridors, leading straight to those hidden sanctuaries.

Each branch altar of the Relentless Cult was guarded by powerful cultivators, the weakest among them being at the Nascent Soul Stage. Yet such cultivation was utterly inconsequential before the combined might of the Single-Dao Sect and the imperial court.

A few branch altars held higher status and possessed means of direct communication with the cult's upper echelons; upon learning of the Vice Leader's capture, they fled instantly.

These fortunate branches were few, accounting for a mere tenth of the total. The remaining ninety percent were utterly uprooted by the Single-Dao Sect and the court forces, subjected to overnight interrogations.

Even the remaining tenth fared little better; though they could run, their speed was severely constrained by their cultivation. A significant portion of them were hunted down and captured by the arriving Body Integration experts.

The very foundations of the Relentless Cult were severely shaken, their vitality grievously wounded.