Chapter 325: You High-Tier Cultivators Have So Many Tricks

"Oh, by the way, I'm with the Luoshui Guard now, not a constable anymore."

"Ah, I see. It's not the imperial capital, so it wouldn't make sense for constables to be involved in pursuing ancient cultivators." Elder Wu wasn't surprised; in fact, he was more concerned with catching up to that Great Yu cultivator.

"What's the Luoshui Guard?" Lu Yang struggled to communicate with Meng Jingzhou via spiritual sense.

He knew far less about Great Xia's official positions than Meng Jingzhou.

Li Haoran and Qin Yanyan also listened curiously with their spiritual sense. Qin Yanyan had actually heard about it from her mother, but Meng Jingzhou still knew more.

"The Luoshui Guard is a special organization established by the Great Xia Dynasty, specifically tasked with apprehending notorious cultivators—such as demonic sects, tyrannical evil cultivators, and unruly ancient cultivators."

"Do you remember the strange incident in Buyi Town? After we and the sect leader escaped, we reported the matter to the imperial court, and it was the Luoshui Guard they sent to clean up the aftermath."

"After the Immortal Cult's headquarters were breached, the Luoshui Guard was also responsible for dismantling its various branches."

"I've heard of this Constable Yu. He used to be one of the four chief constables in the imperial capital. The court likely transferred him to the Luoshui Guard because of his high cultivation, extensive experience, and seasoned methods."

"The leaders within the Luoshui Guard are called the Nine Palaces. Given his qualifications and cultivation, he should be one of them."

"That strong?!"

Qin Yanyan hadn't expected that the sudden appearance on the flying shuttle, asking for Elder Wu's help, was from such an important figure. Someone responsible for apprehending evil cultivators was undoubtedly highly experienced in combat and possessed top-tier cultivation at the Integration Stage.

"Oh, that's quite impressive then." Lu Yang, however, felt little, as he constantly heard the Immortal Fairy recounting ancient dark history, which started with immortals. He didn't even pay attention to a mere Integration Stage.

Li Haoran didn't react as strongly as Qin Yanyan either. As a disciple of the Dao Inquiry Sect, the elders he interacted with daily were all exceptional cultivators at the Integration Stage.

The four stopped communicating via spiritual sense. The flying shuttle was moving so fast that any attempt to project spiritual sense even slightly would cause it to dissipate, making communication impossible.

Elder Wu and Yu Qian remained calm and even had time to chat.

Yu Qian wasn't in a hurry either. If Elder Wu couldn't catch him, any further effort on his part would be futile.

"Oh, right, once we catch him, don't hold back. He's killed someone."

"How audacious!" Elder Wu's temper flared upon hearing this. He stomped his foot, and blue flames erupted around him, boosting the flying shuttle's speed by another two notches.

The Great Yu cultivator suddenly felt an impending disaster. He turned his head to see a flying shuttle, wreathed in blue flames, hurtling directly towards him.

"What in the world?!" His expression changed drastically. The shuttle's speed was terrifyingly fast; he would have believed it if it were a Tribulation Stage cultivator chasing him.

The shuttle was too fast for him to react. Its sharp tip slammed violently into his chest.

The flying shuttle was a meticulously refined magical artifact of flight by Elder Wu, extremely hard and nearly indestructible. Flying at a speed close to that of a Tribulation Stage cultivator, the destructive power it generated was immense.

Boom—boom—boom—

After smashing through three mountains, the flying shuttle finally pinned the Great Yu cultivator to the cliff face of a fourth peak, amidst swirling dust.

Old Chu, a Luoshui Guard member who had been following, stared in astonishment: "That's Zhou Xin's flying shuttle!"

Only then did he recall the shuttle's origin.

"Trying to outrun me?" Elder Wu scoffed, leaping down from the shuttle.

Elder Wu had deliberately held back, not intending to kill the Great Yu cultivator outright.

The Great Yu cultivator had a gaping hole in his chest where the shuttle's tip had pierced him. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, struggling to use his power of rules.

*Let a rule be established here: the mountains in this place shall transform into mountain spirits, to be used by me...*

Yu Qian sneered and knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

Using the power of rules right under his nose—did the cultivator think he was just sitting around doing nothing?

"So it was Elder Zhou Xin. No wonder Yu Qian said he needed help." Old Chu arrived and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Great Yu cultivator unconscious and bound by Elder Wu's chains.

"Chu Dalong!" Elder Wu had collaborated with the Luoshui Guard multiple times and recognized most of their Integration Stage cultivators.

Old Chu's face darkened. "How many times have I told you my name is Chu Long now?"

"This scoundrel seems to possess an unknown secret, which is crucial. Thank you so much for your help this time; capturing him is a huge favor. I'll come find you for a drink when I have time!" Yu Qian said, bowing with clasped fists.

"No need for thanks. It's rare to get to legally speed in a flying shuttle like this." Elder Wu had thoroughly enjoyed this chase. "Next time you encounter someone you can't catch, just call me. I guarantee I'll catch them!"

"This chain has sealed all his spiritual power. Consider it a gift from me for my good deed."

The Luoshui Guard had similar methods, but their effectiveness certainly couldn't compare to something provided by Elder Wu, a grandmaster of artifact refining.

Elder Wu kindly reminded, "Oh, for safety's sake, since this person holds an unknown secret, it would be best to have a few more Integration Stage cultivators escort him back. It would be troublesome if he were intercepted and escaped midway."

"Right, I'll call them now." Yu Qian nodded, sent a talisman into the sky, and soon, two more Integration Stage cultivators flew over.

These two Integration Stage cultivators evidently also knew Elder Wu. After a brief greeting, the four Luoshui Guard members escorted the Great Yu cultivator back to the capital.

"Alright, let's head back. Matters concerning ancient cultivators aren't something you can handle yet; it's too dangerous. Wait until you reach the Nascent Soul Stage." Elder Wu gestured to the four young ones, telling them not to overthink it.

Before leaving, several figures flew in from a distance. They used earth-elemental magic to repair the mountains that had been breached by the flying shuttle.

Rocks and earth floated in the air, rhythmically filling the holes in the mountains.

They then gathered the scattered trees; those still alive were replanted using the "Tree-Planting Art," while new trees were planted where others had been broken.

"Who are these people?" Lu Yang and the other three had never seen anything like it.

Elder Wu explained, "Oh, they're responsible for aftermath cleanup for the imperial court. Your current cultivation isn't high enough to cause world-shattering destruction, but once your cultivation improves, just a few casual moves could punch holes in mountains, crack the ground, or sever rivers."

"If left unchecked, the landscape would change daily, and Great Xia's map would need to be redrawn every few years."

"To prevent this, the Great Xia Dynasty hired a group of cultivators specializing in landscape repair, skilled in both earth and wood elemental magic."

"This capture was official business, so I'm not responsible for the mountains damaged by the flying shuttle; the court will handle the cleanup. However, if a fight occurs over personal matters, I'd either have to repair the damaged terrain myself or pay spirit stones to hire someone to do it."

"So, once cultivation reaches a certain level, to avoid trouble, you either fight on a battle arena or in the sky."

"Of course, if you're fighting demonic cultivators, you're not responsible for any terrain damage."

"Actually, the rule about repairing terrain after battles originated from an incident twenty thousand years ago."

"The governor of Qingzhou, the head of the province, thought the neighboring province's cities were exceptionally prosperous and began contemplating how to make Qingzhou equally flourishing."

"As it happened, he was quite powerful, at the Tribulation Stage, and he devised a clever plan. He sought out his close friend, also a Tribulation Stage cultivator."

"The two of them clashed, creating immense commotion and altering the landscape. They then used the guise of a battle to move a prosperous city from the neighboring province into Qingzhou's territory."

"When the imperial court learned of this, they found there were no laws specifically addressing such a situation, making it difficult to handle. Thus, they issued a regulation stating that all high-level cultivators must restore the terrain to its original state after a battle."

Lu Yang: "..."

You high-level cultivators certainly have a lot of tricks up your sleeves.