Chapter 133: All in Calculation

Outside Buyi Town, five mighty figures in the Integration Stage were locked in battle, a conflict that had already lasted for five days.

Four ancient Integration Stage cultivators controlled their domains, preventing the battle's destructive aftershocks from spreading. Daoist Buyu, on the other hand, had unleashed his own domain, launching a fierce assault.

"Damn it, why did we have to encounter the most difficult type of sword cultivator?" one of the Integration Stage cultivators frowned. Throughout history, sword cultivators were renowned for their overwhelming offense. Their very first encounter with a contemporary Integration Stage cultivator turned out to be a sword cultivator, making their luck exceptionally bad.

All four of them were late-stage or peak-stage Integration cultivators. Their formation was undeniably powerful, and their coordination was seamless; they had never met their match among Integration Stage cultivators. Yet, against Daoist Buyu, they couldn't gain even a slight advantage. A moment of carelessness could even lead to their demise. While this was partly due to them having to maintain Buyi Town's rules and not having fully awakened from their long slumber, it still demonstrated Daoist Buyu's terrifying power.

"Even in our era, an Integration Stage sword cultivator wouldn't possess this level of skill!" another Integration Stage cultivator spat out a mouthful of vital blood, his aura fluctuating wildly. He had just been inadvertently struck by a sword and needed to focus on recovering from his injuries.

"Fortunately, there are four of us and only one of him. A prolonged battle is to our advantage. I refuse to believe he'll still be this vigorous after another ten days!"

"Is Buyi Town alright? If someone uses the rules to find a legitimate way to leave, we'll suffer a backlash."

Daoist Buyu's method of breaking Buyi Town's rules with sword qi clearly didn't fall under "legitimate."

"What's there to fear? The Fifth Elder is the Town Master. Even though he's a soul-transplanted entity, those two youngsters won't be able to handle him."

"You're right." Thinking of the Fifth Elder in Buyi Town, the four cultivators relaxed and continued their unhurried fight with Daoist Buyu.

Hearing this, Daoist Buyu felt a pang of worry for Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "I told them to stay put in Buyi Town; they should be obedient, right?" Considering Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were in Buyi Town, Daoist Buyu believed they would be obedient children and slowly continued his fight with the four cultivators. Xiao Yun definitely wouldn't be at ease with him taking Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Given enough time, she would come looking for him.

"One Sword Transforms into Ten Thousand!" Daoist Buyu shouted, seemingly intending to unleash his full power for a quick resolution, which startled the four greatly. "One Sword Transforms into Ten Thousand" was renowned even in ancient times, so naturally, they were familiar with this technique.

Daoist Buyu raised his sword high. Golden sword qi glowed as dazzling as the sun. With a flicker of his blade, ten thousand sword replicas appeared, all solid and indistinguishable from the real one. When the ten thousand swords pressed down, it was like a mountain roar and a tsunami; their power was unimaginable.

"Be careful, he's going for an all-out strike!" one of them warned.

Daoist Buyu's sword technique changed again: "Man and Sword as One!" His figure completely vanished, merging with his sword. With tens of thousands of swords present, the four had no idea which one Daoist Buyu had merged with, making him impossible to find.

The four were so frustrated they felt like spitting blood. They had never heard of such a time-wasting tactic! "How dare you call yourself a sword cultivator!"

***

**Buyi Town Rules:**

1. Those wearing black clothes are government officials. Once worn, the clothes cannot be removed.2. You may call anyone you wish. Anyone you call will have their neck twisted.3. Within the government office, there are only fifty constables and one Town Master. If you see anyone else, ignore them.4. From Hai Shi (9 PM-11 PM) to Chen Shi (7 AM-9 AM), you must remain in the government office.5. Your only food is meat buns. You will die if you do not eat for three days.6. The Town Master has only one head and two arms.7. If you feel dizzy, disoriented, or black hair grows on your arms, and these symptoms do not normalize within one hour, you may disregard Rule 4 and immediately proceed to the Ancestral Shrine.8. You will not see the Town Master between Hai Shi and Chen Shi. If you do, firmly believe it is an illusion.9. If one hundred people's necks are twisted because of you, you may choose to leave or stay in Buyi Town. Upon leaving, you will lose all memories of Buyi Town.10. Without violating the above rules, you must obey the Town Master's orders.11. In the center of the town stands a three-hundred-year-old Sophora japonica tree. Between Hai Shi and Chen Shi, this tree will transform into the Ancestral Shrine.

***

"Finally, we know the location of the Ancestral Shrine," Meng Jingzhou chuckled. Originally, they had planned to stir up more trouble to discover the shrine's location, but now it was simple—this was a complete unexpected bonus.

Lu Yang focused on something else. After all, their efforts to obtain these rules were primarily to track the Town Master's movements. "This is a bit tricky," Lu Yang said. "The rules state that from Hai Shi to Chen Shi, you must remain in the government office, and you will not see the Town Master during this period. If you do, you must firmly believe it's an illusion. This implies that the Town Master is not in the government office during Hai Shi to Chen Shi."

Without knowing the Town Master's whereabouts, they might encounter him when heading to the Ancestral Shrine. "We can't confront the Town Master easily. He shouldn't have just one ability, and we don't know the extent of his power."

"We need to try and bypass him."

Suddenly, Lu Yang seemed to discover something. "Did you notice? From Hai Shi to Chen Shi, the Town Master isn't in the government office. During this time, the thatched huts and the inn are safe. That means the only dangerous place left is the streets!"

"What's on the streets? Only monsters! It's highly probable that the Town Master *is* a monster!"

Meng Jingzhou frowned. "But look, the rules also state the Town Master has only one head and two arms. Do monsters look like that?"

Lu Yang nodded. "Do you remember the black shadow outside the window we saw on the first night? It was two stories tall, and its upper body resembled a human. This doesn't conflict with the rule's description."

"The rules don't describe what its lower body looks like!"

Meng Jingzhou made a decision: "At Hai Shi, we won't return to the inn. We'll stand by the Sophora japonica tree. As soon as it transforms into the Ancestral Shrine, we'll rush in, smash the statue, throw in the jade pendant, then split up and quickly return to the inn." Splitting up ensures that even if one of them encounters a monster, the other remains safe, guaranteeing at least one of them survives.

"The monsters might not even dare to eat us," Lu Yang said, seemingly to Meng Jingzhou, but in reality, addressing the omniscient Town Master. "Our lives are connected to our soul lamps. If we die and our soul lamps extinguish, the sect will send people, and these Integration Stage cultivators are bound to die!"

The two arrived at the Sophora japonica tree in the town center, and time passed minute by minute.

"Hai Shi has arrived—" accompanied by the night watchman's cry and gong, the space around the Sophora japonica tree gradually distorted, slowly transforming into an old wooden Ancestral Shrine. Outside the shrine, the rules for Buyi Town's Ancestral Shrine were written.

The two were very nervous. Subconsciously, they reached for the jade pendants at their waists, and their expressions drastically changed.

"The jade pendants are gone!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

At this moment, a dull voice emanated from the Ancestral Shrine: "Heh heh, two ignorant children. If you can find the written paper amidst the chaos, why can't I order the constables to steal your jade pendants during the same chaos?"

Rule 10: Without violating the above rules, you must obey the Town Master's orders.

(End of chapter)