Chapter 207: The Fish Takes the Bait!
Jiangbei, [Kingdom of Qing].
An old man with white hair and beard was strolling leisurely in a courtyard filled with bird songs and fragrant flowers, playing with an armored scaled bird in an iron cage in his hand.
Immediately after, a streak of magnificent light landed first.
“Old Monster Hua, the Demonic Sect Perfected Lord personally issued a conscription order, causing a stir across nearly half of Jiangbei, yet you are in such high spirits, still in the mood to walk your bird here.”
From the magnificent light, a middle-aged man paced out.
The “Old Monster Hua” he spoke of had quite a reputation in Jiangbei. He was the Sect Master of the [Five Elements Sect], possessing cultivation at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, and was known as Perfected One Five Elements.
At this moment, Perfected One Five Elements held the birdcage and laughed:
“Soldiers come, generals block; water comes, earth covers. Xia Weiming, you have already finished migrating your clan.”
“The entire [Zhaoxia Clan] has moved into the [Kingdom of Qing]. Is it not the same for the Five Elements Sect? No matter what, we can only walk this path until it gets dark.”
After speaking, the middle-aged man seemed somewhat melancholic.
“Hmph, so what if we walk this path until it gets dark?”
Just then, another voice rang out. This time, a young man walked out in response: “Under the rule of the Demonic Sect, we had no way out to begin with.”
“Joining the Dao Court, at least we can still gamble for a future!”
“Old Monster Chen…” Xia Weiming sighed upon seeing this.
The other party’s name was Chen Anze. Like him, he was the ancestor of an Immortal Clan. In fact, the fame of the [Yuanchen Clan] was much greater than his Zhaoxia Clan.
A moment later, a gust of fragrant wind suddenly hit them.
Immediately after, wisps of cloud qi drifted up in the courtyard, then condensed into a human form before dispersing suddenly, revealing a beauty in palace dress walking out from within.
“Fairy Yun He of the [Cloud-Climbing Sect] has also arrived.”
“What about the [Shangxuan Sword Sect]?”
Before Perfected One Five Elements’ voice fell, an ear-piercing sword cry rang out above the dome of the sky. Then, a streak of sword light fell suddenly, transforming into a human figure walking out.
At a glance, it was impressively a young man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. His expression was cold and stern, and a golden sword on his back continuously emitted sharp Sword Qi. Perfected One Five Elements clicked his tongue in wonder: “They say the Shangxuan Sword Sect received support from Jiangnan and possesses three Superior Spiritual Swords. Indeed, the reputation is well-deserved.”
“Sword Master Xuanjin greets Senior Hua.”
The young man cupped his hands toward Perfected One Five Elements. “The Sect Master is still in seclusion this time, attempting to break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, so he cannot come to chat with Senior.”
“No matter, no matter.”
Perfected One Five Elements waved his hand, his gaze bright. “If Fellow Daoist Shangxuan can break through to the Late Stage and achieve the position of a Great Perfected One, it will be of greater help to the war situation.”
Soon, everyone took their positions in the courtyard.
Five Foundation Establishment cultivators, clearly led by Perfected One Five Elements.
After all, only he was at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. The others, whether Xia Weiming, Chen Anze, Fairy Yun He, or Sword Master Xuanjin, were all at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.
Just then, a difficult-to-describe sense of oppression suddenly arose in the hearts of all five simultaneously. In the span of a breath, the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, which they usually wielded like their own arms, suddenly lost control. It abandoned them like worn-out shoes and surged towards another direction, where a handsome young man was walking over.
“Lord Top Scholar.”
Perfected One Five Elements was the first to cup his hands. The other four also hurried to bow. The handsome young man appeared very friendly, returning the greeting to each of them seriously.
“Junior Zhong Xin greets all Seniors.”
“We dare not accept.”
Perfected One Five Elements shook his head. “Lord Top Scholar is the top scorer of the current Imperial Examination and is deeply trusted by His Majesty. At such a young age, you already hold the position of a Rank 3 High Official…”
Speaking to this point, Perfected One Five Elements glanced at Zhong Xin again. He cultivated a True Eye Divine Ability that allowed him to see many things invisible to outsiders. Looking at Zhong Xin now, he could see the thick and heavy “Official Qi” accumulated on his body, condensing into cloud cranes and fierce tigers hovering around him as guards.
And above his head floated a prominent [Official Position]:
[Governor of Shundao Fengtian Prefecture]
This Official Position was ranked third in the [Kingdom of Qing], in charge of all matters in the capital. It was evident that his position was high and his authority heavy. With the enhancement of the Official Position, he could obtain cultivation at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.
This was only in this bullet-sized land of the [Kingdom of Qing].
After all, the system of the [Kingdom of Qing] was adopted from the Dao Court, but because the territory under its rule was limited and the population was not large, it could not truly achieve the level of the Dao Court.
Otherwise, in the Jiangdong Dao Court, a Rank 3 High Official would be a true “Heavenly Official,” starting as a Great Perfected One at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. How could they only have Initial Stage cultivation? Even looking at the entire [Kingdom of Qing], only the current King of Qing could condense an Official Position comparable to a Great Perfected One at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.
However, even so, obtaining cultivation so easily was still enviable.
In the next second, this Rank 3 Lord Top Scholar of the [Kingdom of Qing], Zhong Xin, asked curiously, “Senior summoned us this time; I wonder what major matter is there to discuss?”
“…It concerns the enemy coming from Jiangbei.”
Perfected One Five Elements gathered his thoughts and solemnly took out a flying letter. “Two good friends I won over in Jiangbei sent a message saying they encountered a Perfected One from the Demonic Sect.”
“That good friend invited us to go together.”
“My friend’s cultivation is not weak; he is also at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. The person he wants to besiege and kill is likely also at the Middle Stage in nine cases out of ten, not to mention coming from the Demonic Sect…”
“I suspect that the other party is very likely the person in charge sent by the Demonic Sect to attack our kingdom this time.”
Perfected One Five Elements adapted very quickly. He was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Jiangbei, yet his words now treated himself as a person of the Kingdom of Qing.
Zhong Xin revealed a look of temptation upon hearing this. “What does Senior mean?”
“I wish to go and besiege him!”
Perfected One Five Elements raised his brows slightly and said with a vibrating voice, “The great war is imminent. If we can kill a Demonic Sect Perfected One before it starts, we will definitely dampen the enemy’s momentum.”
Hearing this, Zhong Xin showed hesitation. After pondering for a long time, he shook his head: “The Dao Court’s Directorate of Astronomy sent a decree saying that Perfected One Chong Guang of the Demonic Sect has already reincarnated. Our urgent task should be to find the location of Chong Guang’s reincarnation first. Senior only needs to defend firmly here…”
“Lord Top Scholar is mistaken!” Perfected One Five Elements shook his head.
Defend firmly? How can one establish merit by defending firmly!
He brought the entire Five Elements Sect to join the [Kingdom of Qing], seeking refuge with the Dao Court. To carve out a future in the Dao Court, he had to make some achievements.
And beheading a Perfected One of the Primordial Saint Sect was undoubtedly an achievement.
Otherwise, if they won later, and the person who caught Chong Guang’s reincarnation took the greatest credit, what about them who waited for reinforcements?
The hat of a “freeloader” would likely be pinned on them!
Therefore, Perfected One Five Elements was eager for battle at this moment, wishing he could immediately go out and kill a few Demonic Sect Perfected Ones to let the Dao Court know of his hard work and high merit.
He wasn’t the only one thinking this way.
The other four Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones standing behind him, who had also sought refuge with the Dao Court and came to help the [Kingdom of Qing] resist the Saint Sect, had the same thought.
Seeing this scene, Zhong Xin could only nod helplessly. “…I understand.”
“I can agree to this matter.”
“However, after all, it is deep behind enemy lines. Please be extremely careful, Senior. If success is difficult, it is better to return as soon as possible. Do not get trapped in the land of the Jiangbei Demonic Sect.”
“Rest assured, Lord Top Scholar!”
Having obtained Zhong Xin’s permission, Perfected One Five Elements instantly revealed a look of excitement and turned to look at everyone. “Gentlemen, the opportunity for you and me to establish merit has come!”
Walking out of the trade fair, Lu Yang flew all the way toward Mount Gaizhu. However, he was not in a hurry. Instead, he rode his escaping light slowly, looking leisurely and contented.
“It should be about time for them to catch up, right?”
“If they truly harbor malicious intentions and chase over to kill me, then it won’t count as me committing highway robbery, but legitimate self-defense. No matter how you put it, I am in the right…”
That’s right, Lu Yang was fishing.
“These Jiangbei rogue cultivators are still too young. These tricks might fool a Saint Sect Perfected One like Wu Cang, who also has roots as a rogue cultivator…”
Using it to fool him was still a bit too green.
Not to mention himself, even Perfected One Yin Shan couldn’t be fooled.
Soon, seeing a streak of escaping light emerging in the distance and speeding toward him, Lu Yang revealed a smile. He simply clasped his hands behind his back and stayed in place to wait.
“The fish has taken the bait!”
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