Chapter 248: The Reliable Tao Yao Ye

"Oh, this is a good method!" Meng Jingzhou exclaimed with a laugh, relaxing. Since Tao Yaoye was now controlling all three of their bodies, there was nothing they needed to do.

"I just came up with this idea on the spot. It just goes to show how clever Junior Sister Tao is; I just gave her a look, and she understood what I meant," Lu Yang said, feeling quite proud of his ingenuity.

At first, Mang Gu hadn't fully understood what was happening and tried to resist the illusion, but Lu Yang talked him out of it. "This is an illusion created by Junior Sister Tao; it'll prevent us three from getting dizzy."

In reality, Lu Yang and the two others fought with broad, sweeping movements, reminiscent of ancient generals conquering armies. Tao Yaoye became increasingly adept at controlling the three, overwhelming their opponents.

The Five Hawks of Eagle Mountain exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes. As expected of Dao Seeking Sect disciples, their fighting style was truly different from that of ordinary cultivators.

"What kind of fighting technique is this!?" the people in the mud pit exclaimed in astonishment.

Throughout history, when three people attacked simultaneously, they often failed to unleash their full power due to a lack of unity or insufficient coordination. For example, even though seven of them were attacking Lu Yang, the power they actually unleashed was only equivalent to that of three or four people. In contrast, Lu Yang and his two companions, after merging, saw their combat power triple, and their seamless coordination allowed them to fully unleash their strength.

"Is this the Buddhist fighting style!" One couldn't blame them for speculating this way. Buddhist practitioners rarely made a move, and Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou clearly appeared to be Buddhist disciples. The fierce-looking Mang Gu, who appeared later, was likely being trained by the Buddhist sect as a protector.

"A Buddhist fighting style is a rare sight; we finally get to witness it today." This was certainly something to brag about. Shaved hair could grow back, but a Buddhist fighting style was not so easily seen.

By the lake, Tao Yaoye was panting, exhausted. She had to simultaneously maintain the illusion and figure out how to make the three move to break through the blockade. Perhaps because Lu Yang had drawn so much animosity, the crowd adamantly refused to let him leave.

"Since the goal of this trip is the Twin Lotuses, then taking the lotus flowers should be enough, right?" Tao Yaoye used her illusion to erase her presence, secretly jumped into the mud pit, and retrieved the Twin Lotuses.

"The lotus is gone..." Someone accidentally looked back and found the lotus missing. Just as he was about to shout, Tao Yaoye extended her index finger and gently touched his forehead, plunging him into a deep illusion. Seeing that she had the lotuses, Tao Yaoye took off, leaving a graceful silhouette behind her.

"The lotuses are gone!" Finally, someone realized that the most important objective of their trip – the Twin Lotuses – had been stolen.

"She's the one who took them!" someone shouted, pointing at the retreating Tao Yaoye.

"Chase her!"

More than half of the people went to chase Tao Yaoye, and only then did Lu Yang and his companions finally relax. The remaining twenty or thirty late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators no longer posed a significant threat. The three weren't worried about Tao Yaoye; she was skilled in illusions and could easily escape pursuit. Even Meng Jingzhou wasn't entirely confident he could discern Tao Yaoye's illusions. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, Tao Yaoye's illusions could be considered the strongest. Only Lu Yang, with his unique cultivation method, was immune to illusions.

"Young Hero Lu, Young Hero Meng, Miss Tao just asked you to wait for her later at the Yuanming Inn," the hawk-nosed leader said, quickly rushing over to relay the message after seeing Lu Yang swiftly defeat the remaining opponents.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your trouble, Elder Hawk."

The hawk-nosed leader quickly waved his hand, "Please don't say that. We weren't able to help at all this time."

Mang Gu added, "The Yuanming Inn is where Senior Sister Tao and I are staying in Zhenyao Pass." Among the top five of their generation, Tao Yaoye ranked third, and Mang Gu ranked fourth.

Lu Yang chuckled, "What a coincidence, Meng Jingzhou and I are also staying at the Yuanming Inn."

"Let's head back. Junior Sister Tao might even be back before us."

The group returned to the inn, and sure enough, Tao Yaoye was already waiting for them. She was leaning against a wall, yawning from boredom, a wooden box in her right hand.

"What kind of get-up is this, you three?" Tao Yaoye asked, looking at Lu Yang and his companions with a strange expression. Lu Yang and the two others were wearing black hoods and covering their faces, as if they had done something illicit. This kind of attire was quite common in Zhenyao Pass, but not so much for Lu Yang.

Lu Yang sighed, "It's because we ran into some cultivators whose heads I'd shaved on the way back. We were worried about being recognized, so we disguised ourselves."

"This time, we've probably offended all the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in Zhenyao Pass."

Tao Yaoye rolled her eyes. "You brought this on yourself, insisting on using the Arhat Fist? And why does the Arhat Fist make people lose their hair? Is its effect to turn people into Arhats?"

"This is called 'urging people towards good,' and it's a sign of mastery in the Arhat Fist. Besides, who knew the hair loss effect of the Arhat Fist was so potent?" Lu Yang tried to argue.

Tao Yaoye ignored Lu Yang's defense and held up the wooden box she had been carrying. "The Twin Lotuses are in here. Let's go upstairs." It was a high-quality sandalwood box, capable of blocking spiritual sense detection to ensure the Twin Lotuses' aura wouldn't leak out.

"Then, Young Heroes, we shall take our leave," the Five Hawks of Eagle Mountain said, cupping their fists and bidding farewell to Lu Yang.

"Let's go. Meng Jingzhou and I are also staying at this inn."

"What a coincidence?" Tao Yaoye paused, remembering Meng Jingzhou's identity. "Is it because this is the most expensive inn in Zhenyao Pass?"

"You got it," Meng Jingzhou replied with a smile. He always opted for the most expensive, and inns were no exception.

The four went to Meng Jingzhou's room.

"How did you two end up in Zhenyao Pass too?" Lu Yang asked, curious. "Did you two also risk asking Senior Sister's age and get banished here?"

"A few days ago, I had some insights from my cultivation and wanted to discuss them with someone. So I went to Tianmen Peak to find you, but Senior Sister told me you weren't there and had already gone to Zhenyao Pass for ten days of training with Meng Jingzhou."

"Senior Sister said she had been keeping an eye on your movements and saw that your training in Zhenyao Pass was effective, so she suggested Mang Gu and I also come here."

"We originally wanted to invite Li Haoran, but for some reason, Senior Sister said it wasn't safe for him to leave Dao Seeking Sect right now, so she didn't allow it."

"So, that's how the two of us came here."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou broke out in cold sweat. Senior Sister truly possessed boundless power and insight. They were fortunate they had been careful with their words and actions these past few days and hadn't spoken ill of her. Meng Jingzhou, in particular, felt a surge of belated fear. He recalled that when they first arrived in the dense forest, he had even said Senior Sister had banished them to the frontier. Thankfully, Lu Yang's reminder prompted him to quickly correct himself, thus narrowly escaping disaster.

As Tao Yaoye spoke, she opened the sandalwood box. Inside the wooden box, the Twin Lotuses rested quietly.

"We finally managed to get the Twin Lotuses. How should we divide them?"

"Lu Yang, I want the lotus seeds! Lotus seeds are delicious!" the Immortal Fairy shouted in the spiritual space, banging the ground to get Lu Yang's attention.

Lu Yang pretended not to hear the commotion in his spiritual space.