Chapter 400: Speedrun Classic Plot

Lu Yang thought Desolate Province truly lived up to its name; its fierce customs alone would take an outsider like him some time to get used to.

"The Landing Money Merchant Guild has no information about Mahayana-stage combat, so it seems there genuinely hasn't been any such combat."

The Immortal Maiden explained that living corpses could only store enough Yang energy to remain active for a maximum of two months. So, Lu Yang gathered all intelligence from Desolate Province over the past two months. Aside from reports of a couple arguing, there was no information about any Mahayana-stage combat.

"Did it happen covertly, escaping even the merchant guild's intelligence network? Or did this group of living corpses simply get lost?"

Before reviewing the Desolate Province intelligence, Lu Yang would have suspected the former possibility. After reading through it, he now suspected the latter.

"Alright then, for now, I should focus on solving Old Meng's problem."

"According to the intelligence, the Valley of Seven Emotions specializes in cursing arts. Should I go there?"

"Excuse me, do you know where the Valley of Seven Emotions is?" Lu Yang inquired with the merchant guild staff.

Lu Yang had just spent a fortune buying the most detailed intelligence, so the merchant guild was naturally willing to provide additional information for free. Besides, the location of the Valley of Seven Emotions wasn't exactly secret; cultivators of a certain level all knew where it was.

The merchant guild directly provided Lu Yang with a map, on which the location of the Valley of Seven Emotions was clearly marked.

As Lu Yang left the merchant guild, he heard a scream.

He followed the sound and witnessed a young ruffian on horseback brazenly abducting a woman in the street. Several lackey servants cheered him on. The ruffian seemed to wield significant local power, as the onlookers, though visibly angered, dared not speak up. The ruffian cackled maniacally, while the woman wept uncontrollably.

"Isn't this just endless?"

Lu Yang sighed, feeling his peculiar knack for attracting trouble related to women was getting a bit absurd.

"No, wait. Could it be a reward for saving Meng Jingzhou's life from the Immortal Maiden, accumulating immense merit?"

Never mind. Regardless, he needed to resolve the immediate situation first.

"Stop that."

Lu Yang's voice was soft, yet it cut through the commotion, making it conspicuous enough for everyone to hear.

Ignoring the astonished stares of the onlookers, he swiftly approached the ruffian and helped the woman to her feet.

"What nerve! You must be an outsider, do you even know who I am...!" Before the ruffian could finish his sentence, Lu Yang, without a flicker of hesitation, raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap.

The ruffian, roughly Lu Yang's age, was quite powerful, having reached the Great Completion stage of Qi Condensation.

Witnessing their master being struck, the lackeys brandished various weapons and charged. Lu Yang, annoyed, casually swept his hand, conjuring a strong gust of wind that sent them all flying.

These lackeys were not weak, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation.

The astonished onlookers watched as Lu Yang dared to strike the ruffian.

"I've never seen him. Is he an outsider?"

"He must be an outsider. Who in Yuanshan City would dare provoke the Gu family, especially their eldest young master?"

"It's satisfying, but I doubt this person will be able to leave Yuanshan City alive."

"He can easily defeat Foundation Establishment stage servants. What exactly is this young hero's background?"

"A Golden Core cultivator! He must be a Golden Core cultivator!"

The woman gazed at Lu Yang with adoration. "My benefactor," she said.

The woman was quite beautiful, a veritable little beauty. Lu Yang saw the admiration in her eyes and suspected her next words would be the classic "this humble maiden has no way to repay you, save by offering herself."

"The Gu family is a vast and powerful clan, the true overlords of Yuanshan City. Benefactor, your cultivation is exceptional, but facing the Gu family, you are still in danger. You should flee quickly."

"Haha, trying to run? You dared to strike my son, and you still think you can leave Yuanshan City alive!"

An angry laugh echoed, audible to nearly half of Yuanshan City. A formidable middle-aged cultivator appeared, glaring ferociously at Lu Yang, his teeth clenched in rage.

Lu Yang didn't give him a chance to utter another word. He casually unleashed a sword gleam, pinning the newcomer to the wall.

After his strike, Lu Yang turned to the woman and asked, "Is that the head of the Gu family?"

The woman nodded stiffly, utterly astonished by Lu Yang's decisive and powerful action. In a single move, he had subdued the Gu family head, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

The Gu family head was certainly formidable, but even more terrifying was his father...

Before the woman could finish, a second furious roar erupted from the distance.

"How dare you bully my son and my grandson...!"

Following the instructions of the Invincible Pill, Lu Yang drew his Azure Edge Sword and executed the 'Severing Character Art'. The opponent didn't even finish his sentence before Lu Yang pinned him to the wall, right beside the Gu family head.

An early Nascent Soul cultivator was powerful enough to warrant Lu Yang employing his sword techniques.

"Are there any more members of the Gu family?" Lu Yang continued to ask.

The woman was stunned for a good while before finally reacting, nodding stiffly once more. "Yes," she confirmed, "the Gu family has a Soul Transformation stage old ancestor."

The woman subtly observed Lu Yang's expression, noticing no change in his demeanor. She couldn't help but mentally raise her estimation of his cultivation level even further.

While she was still dazed, the Gu family head secretly contacted their old ancestor, requesting his intervention.

"What audacity, youngster! To dare bully my Gu family members! Even if they were in the wrong first, it is I who should discipline them, not some outsider..."

Lu Yang said nothing, instead taking out the identity jade token hanging from his waist.

"How could a fellow Daoist possibly need to intervene?! Gu here thanks you deeply for teaching these unworthy descendants a lesson on behalf of this old man!"

Upon seeing the jade token, the Gu family's old ancestor halted abruptly in mid-air, descended, clasped his hands in gratitude, and bowed deeply.

While Lu Yang genuinely couldn't defeat a Soul Transformation stage old ancestor, there was no need for him to fight. Before a behemoth like the Dao Seeking Sect, a Soul Transformation stage old ancestor was utterly insignificant.

Without even needing an elder to step in, any randomly selected senior brother or sister could easily help Lu Yang reclaim his honor.

The reputation of the Five Great Immortal Sects alone was enough to command the reverence of any local aristocratic cultivator.

Lu Yang wasn't afraid to deal with the younger generation, and he was even less afraid to face their elders.

"Did you all hear what the Gu family's old ancestor just said? The Dao Seeking Sect? Is it *that* legendary Dao Seeking Sect?"

"It's the very Dao Seeking Sect from the storytelling 'Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect'!"

"The head of the Five Great Immortal Sects!"

The onlookers gasped in admiration, utterly astonished by Lu Yang's extraordinary background.

The woman also gazed at Lu Yang with profound shock, her admiration for him deepening further.

"There's no need for thanks," Lu Yang declared loudly, his words intended for both the Gu family's old ancestor and the surrounding commoners. "However, I urge you, Fellow Daoist Gu, to keep a close watch on your descendants. Be cautious, lest they bring utter ruin upon you. You see, my Dao Seeking Sect is currently lamenting the scarcity of tasks posted in our Mission Hall."

The Gu family's old ancestor, of course, understood Lu Yang's implied warning, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his brow.

With a forced smile, he replied, "Absolutely, absolutely! Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist. After this incident, I, Gu, will certainly impose strict control over my descendants. Should anything like this happen again, they will face the agonizing punishment of tendon pulling and bone extraction!"

The woman gracefully bowed to Lu Yang. "This humble maiden has no way to repay you..."

"Just repay me by being a cow or a horse in your next life," Lu Yang interjected, cutting her off just in time.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he left Yuanshan City and headed back the way he came.

"I hope I don't run into anything like this on the way back."

He felt that he hadn't gained much useful information on this trip, but he had certainly encountered plenty of incidents.

"May the Immortals protect... No, wait, Immortals' blessings aren't reliable. I'll just have to rely on myself."