Chapter 1016: Imperial Expedition

"Rest easy, Young Cult Master, I certainly will not stay my hand."

Jin Caiwei spoke in all earnestness, gesturing for Lu Yang to set his mind at ease, and before he could even register her words, she lunged straight toward him without leaving a breath of time to react.

"That is well… wait, what did you just say?" Lu Yang had been about to praise Jin Caiwei for her sensible nature when he realized something was terribly amiss with her statement.

With an excited gleam, Jin Caiwei revealed her golden, slitted pupils as a pair of white tiger ears sprouted forth, her lips curling into an irrepressible smile that bared two small fangs; like a ravenous beast striking its prey, she pounced on Lu Yang with a fierce roar.

How could Lu Yang possibly react in time to an assault from Jin Caiwei? In a desperate scramble, he raised the Chengying Sword to meet the blow.

They were currently within the small world of the Qingfeng Sword, where Lu Yang could not wield the Qingfeng Sword itself and was forced to rely solely on the Chengying Sword.

"Oh? Blocked it?" Jin Caiwei expressed her surprise; though she had exerted only the slightest fraction of her strength in that punch, it was still something far beyond what a cultivator at the Deity Transformation stage ought to withstand.

The impact left Lu Yang's arms completely numb, forcing him back two steps before he could stabilize his footing.

He had half-expected Jin Caiwei's initial strike to send him crashing directly into the trees.

"Thank goodness I tempered my body—"

Just as Lu Yang was sighing in relief, Jin Caiwei launched herself like a rocket, her feet driving off the ground as she used her head to ram him clean into the air.

Crack— Snap—

This time, exactly as he had anticipated, he flew like a kite with its string severed, snapping several large trees in succession before finally grinding to a halt.

Now having gauged the limits of what Lu Yang's physique could endure, Jin Caiwei understood exactly how much force to employ in the battle.

Lu Yang felt as though every bone in his body had shattered, yet after a hundred days of physical tempering, his body had not only ascended to a new level of durability but his regenerative powers were also vastly different from before.

Without the need for healing elixirs, his nearly broken form began to rapidly piece itself back together!

Fueled by Lu Yang's extraordinary recovery, Jin Caiwei’s onslaught remained relentless, denying him even a momentary breath of respite.

"Shrink the Earth!"

Seizing the momentum as he was blown away once more, Lu Yang dove into the ground, emerging from an entirely different direction to put some distance between himself and Jin Caiwei.

"County Seat within the Palm!"

With the elevation of Lu Yang's cultivation, the once-modest village technique now possessed a might that could not be compared to the past!

A massive hand, vast as an entire county, filled Jin Caiwei's entire field of vision, tearing through the clouds to press down upon her!

"That is not how one utilizes spatial divine abilities."

Jin Caiwei roared toward the heavens, her tiger-cry shattering the very fabric of space; before the county-sized hand could even touch her, it disintegrated in mid-air.

Lu Yang's right hand trembled as he felt the sheer terror of Jin Caiwei's roar; only an absolute mastery over the Dao of Space could allow one to execute such a flawless countermeasure.

Faced with a formidable adversary like Jin Caiwei, Lu Yang dared not hold back, unleashing all his hidden techniques in quick succession.

"One Sword Transforms into Ten Thousand!"

"Samadhi True Fire, Golden Crow True Flame!"

"Tree-Planting Mantra, Primordial Soul Separation!"

"Sword-Washing Pool!"

"Arhat… ah, this one cannot be used." Lu Yang checked his hand just in time, not daring to unleash the Lu Style Arhat Fist upon Jin Caiwei, lest it result in a disastrous self-inflicted blow that harmed himself far more than the enemy.

Spells and sword techniques poured out in a ceaseless torrent, yet before a half-immortal of Jin Caiwei's caliber, every single technique felt like an ant trying to shake a giant tree, utterly futile.

"Go, Little Yang! Go, Little Yang!" The Immortal Fairy proved true to her word; having promised to aid Lu Yang, she was indeed providing her support.

While Lu Yang battled Jin Caiwei, the Immortal Fairy waved her flags and cheered from within his spiritual space, akin to an emperor personally leading an expedition to the front lines—a grand spectacle worthy of a prominent place in the history books, one could well imagine how deeply inspiring such a sight would be to the soldiers.

Despite the fact that Lu Yang had formed factions, usurped control of the court, thrown the government into chaos, and deceived those below while flattering those above, his loyalty to the Great Soybean Dynasty remained unshakeable; he was a faithful minister through and through, harboring no treacherous thoughts.

Seeing his emperor hold him in such high regard, old tears welled in his eyes as he felt profoundly inspired; yet while a first surge of energy carries all before it, a second falters, and by the third it is spent—he was utterly routed by Jin Caiwei.

Just as Jin Caiwei prepared to deliver her next strike, she heard the Immortal Fairy cheering for the Young Cult Master, and something suddenly felt rather amiss.

Jin Caiwei recalled all her past interactions with the Young Cult Master.

Back in the Imperial City, Lu Yang’s temperament had been highly volatile; looking back now, it was clear that Sister Immortal must have possessed him, taking over his body and returning it at a whim.

Sister Immortal was the chief leader of the Immortal Lineage, the Young Cult Master was the second-in-command, while Sister Ao Ling and Sister Jiang Lianyi both had to address the Young Cult Master as Senior Brother, yet they called the third-in-command, Yun Mengmeng, their Junior Sister.

Furthermore, the Young Cult Master showed none of the reverence toward Sister Immortal that one would typically display before an immortal or a superior; his attitude was casual in the extreme.

Sister Immortal referred to him simply as "Little Yang," completely indifferent to his casual demeanor.

And now, she had personally come out to cheer him on.

The relationship between the Young Cult Master and Sister Immortal seemed far less simple than it appeared on the surface.

With this thought entering her mind, Jin Caiwei hesitated, the force behind her strikes visibly slackening.

In this match, should she win, or should she lose?

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Ancestor!"

The Seven Stars Sword Formation revolved around the Chengying Sword, the eight blades merging into one as a massive swath of sword qi stretched out for a hundred chang, causing the surrounding space to shudder the moment it manifested with majestic power.

"Ah—"

Jin Caiwei let out a soft, feeble cry as she was struck by the sword light and sent flying backward; clutching her chest, she tried to spit blood but found she couldn't, leaving her with no choice but to tilt her head aside to deliver her final words.

"Splendid skill, Young Cult Master, you have won…"

Lu Yang’s head was filled with question marks.

Wait, how did I suddenly win? This single strike of mine couldn't even finish off Old Meng!

Lu Yang turned his gaze toward the Immortal Fairy: "Fairy, did you do this?"

The Immortal Fairy wore a face of pure innocence: "I didn't do anything at all."

"Strange."

Lu Yang could not fathom how a perfectly fine situation had suddenly reversed itself so completely.

Sheathing the Chengying Sword, he began to assess the gains from this encounter: "Speaking of which, this battle was indeed of great help. Senior Jin dismantled my County Seat within the Palm using the Dao of Space; if I study this carefully, I can enhance the technique's might significantly. There are also insights gained regarding spells and swordplay."

Reflecting upon every single battle allowed one to rapidly increase their strength.

Hearing Lu Yang’s clear and orderly analysis, the Immortal Fairy slapped her thigh in sudden realization: "Ah, exactly! That is precisely what this Celestial had in mind."

The Immortal Fairy nodded repeatedly, highly pleased with Lu Yang’s performance: "It seems your comprehension is not lacking, Little Yang, to be able to grasp this deeper layer of this Celestial’s intent."

"……"

Lu Yang had swept through Jin Caiwei like autumn leaves chasing the wind, but on the other side, the clash among the four half-immortals raged on, ample proof of the genuine caliber of Lu Yang’s standing as the second-in-command, a reputation fully deserved.

Though Yun Mengmeng and Bu Yaolian lacked combat experience and fell short in cultivation, leaving them at a disadvantage against Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi, they were nonetheless possessors of embryonic Immortal Dao Fruits and would not suffer defeat anytime soon.

Lu Yang prayed silently in his heart: regardless of who wins or loses, the four of you need to finish up quickly; if you keep fighting, this small world of mine will turn into a small ruin, and restoring it to its original state will be a nightmare.

Above the small world, a rift in space tore open and Yun Zhi stepped through, her eyes falling upon the fierce battlefield of the four half-immortals.

"Why have they started fighting?"