Chapter 438: The Great War Ends

Wu Youdao and the other two thoroughly understood: the person before them was an unconquerable opponent. Not only could they not defeat her, but they hadn't even managed to inflict a single scratch since the battle began.

The Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court Sect was terrifyingly powerful.

"Escape!"

The three had recognized the truth: since they couldn't win, they would flee and wait for an opportunity to rise again.

Physical movement was far slower than soul movement. As seasoned veterans of combat, the three immediately made the correct choice: their souls left their bodies, and they fled in separate directions.

"Fortunately, the opponent is only a wisp of an immortal's thought and cannot pursue all three of us simultaneously. Furthermore, the power of national destiny is inconvenient to move. If she wants to chase us, she must abandon it. But if she abandons the power of national destiny, her strength will diminish, and even if she catches us, she won't be able to defeat us!"

Relieved, the three transformed into streaks of light and fled.

Immortal Jing Si watched the three depart, then withdrew her gaze.

When Governor Lü saw that the battle had ended and arrived at the scene, only three corpses and the unowned power of national destiny remained.

Seeing this, he promptly used the Great Seal of Barren State to reclaim the power of national destiny.

Qiu Jin'an turned and cupped his fists, "Thank you for your assistance just now, fellow Daoist. I haven't had a chance to ask for your origins."

There was no one beside Qiu Jin'an; the man in the white paper hat had long since fled.

"Quite an impressive escape technique. Did he leave, or did he flee?" Qiu Jin'an squinted, murmuring to himself. The techniques the man in the white paper hat displayed during the battle had sparked some suspicions in him.

However, since the man had offered assistance, it wouldn't be proper to turn hostile immediately.

Elder Gai and the others also rushed back to the Corpse Herding Sect. Upon seeing the Sect Master's remains, they wailed loudly, tears streaming down their faces like rain.

"Sect Master, your death was truly tragic!"

"We will certainly avenge you!"

The disciples, too, had red eyes and were crying profusely. For a time, the entire Corpse Herding Sect was enveloped in an atmosphere of grief.

Lu Yang and his companions also hurried to the Corpse Herding Sect. Seeing the three Tribulation Transcendence stage corpses laid out on the ground, and the Corpse Herding Sect members weeping uncontrollably, Lu Yang clenched his fists, veins bulging.

As the Great Elder, with the Sect Master gone, Elder Gai had to assume the Sect Master's responsibilities. He turned and comforted the grieving crowd: "Old Lu was an optimistic and cheerful person in life. If his spirit is watching, he wouldn't want to see you like this. Come on, smile a little, think of it as sending him off on his final journey."

"Rest assured, Old Lu, we will certainly inherit your will and strengthen the Corpse Herding Sect!"

Elder Gai chuckled softly, mourning Lu Baqian.

"Old Gai, you scoundrel! I'm dead, and you're still making them laugh!"

Sect Master Lu's upper body sat upright, glaring at Elder Gai.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone present off guard. Governor Lü, alarmed, thought Sect Master Lu had come back to life as a zombie and once again mobilized the power of national destiny.

"Dead, my foot! Don't think I don't know you're still alive!" Elder Gai retorted with a laugh and a curse.

"What exactly is going on?" Governor Lü was confused. Judging by Elder Gai's reaction, he didn't seem surprised by Sect Master Lu's revival.

Sect Master Lu explained, "You must be the newly appointed Governor. This is our first formal meeting. I am Lu Baqian, Sect Master of the Corpse Herding Sect."

Governor Lü politely returned the greeting, still not fully understanding the situation.

"Perhaps Governor Lü doesn't know, but our Corpse Herding Sect and the Dao Seeking Sect have historically maintained friendly relations. Although Daoist Silent was an exception, overall, the relationship between our two sects is very good."

"The Corpse Herding Sect has a tradition: to signify our friendly relations, high-ranking members of our sect create two soul lamps. One is kept here, and the other is entrusted to the Dao Seeking Sect, precisely to guard against incidents like today's."

Qiu Jin'an nodded discreetly. He had heard of this custom before, which was why he had never suspected any issue with the Corpse Herding Sect's leadership.

Sects with friendly relations often had such customs; their Five Elements Sect also held soul lamps of high-ranking members from other sects.

Lu Baqian continued, "I just didn't expect that these ancient cultivators possessed methods unknown to us. They could take over my body without destroying my soul."

"After that Witch Sacrifice possessed me, he feared the Dao Seeking Sect would notice, so he didn't dare destroy my soul. Instead, he completely separated my soul from my body and sealed it, which is how I've fortunately survived until now."

"He also couldn't access my memories, and frequent interaction with Old Gai and the others would expose him. After possessing me, he always claimed to be in secluded cultivation, only appearing once to create a Soul Dispersion Talisman."

Sect Master Lu felt a wave of post-traumatic fear. If not for Venerable Witch Sacrifice's fear of the Dao Seeking Sect, he would truly have died.

"So, are you a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator now?" Governor Lü recalled another matter.

"It's a blessing in disguise, though not entirely. My body is at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, but Witch Sacrifice underwent the tribulation for me. My soul is still at its original cultivation level. So, I'm currently half a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator. Only when my soul cultivation improves will I be considered a complete Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator."

"But regardless, I'm the first among my peers to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage, right?" Sect Master Lu looked at Qiu Jin'an, remembering that his current cultivation was the highest among his contemporaries.

"Have you no shame?" Qiu Jin'an looked at Sect Master Lu with disdain. No wonder he could maintain good relations with the Dao Seeking Sect.

"Never mind shame, just tell me if I haven't gone through life and death, surviving against all odds, to become a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator." Sect Master Lu asserted righteously, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.

Qiu Jin'an was speechless; what Lu Baqian said seemed to be true.

Just as Lu Yang was watching the argument between the Fusion and Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators with great interest, Immortal Jing Si returned to the mental space.

"Phew, this immortal is exhausted! How was I just now? Wasn't I handsome?" Immortal Jing Si gave a thumbs-up, the corners of her mouth turning up in a brilliant smile.

"Very handsome, Immortal, and reliable... but I wanted to ask about the three people behind you?" Lu Yang cast his gaze behind Immortal Jing Si.

Standing there were three soul bodies, all familiar, seen just moments ago: Wu Youdao, Venerable Cang Lei, and Venerable Witch Sacrifice.

The three Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators' faces were ashen. They had never imagined that the one controlling the power of national destiny wasn't merely a wisp of an immortal's divine sense, but a complete immortal soul.

In the presence of an immortal soul, they had no way to escape!

What happened to it being "just a wisp of divine sense"?

"These three are spoils of war. As an honored guest of the Dao Seeking Sect, it's perfectly reasonable for me to capture a few people for the sect and exchange them for contribution points, isn't it?" Immortal Jing Si counted on her fingers, her mental abacus clinking loudly.

Last time, she caught an ancient Fusion stage cultivator and exchanged him for a three-day Sect Master experience voucher. Now that she had caught three Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators, how many good things should she exchange them for?

Lu Yang's face darkened, bringing back less-than-pleasant memories.

The three Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators were greatly shocked to hear their conversation. Such a powerful immortal was merely an honored guest of the Dao Seeking Sect? How deep were the waters of the Dao Seeking Sect?

The Imperial Advisor had underestimated the Dao Seeking Sect's combat prowess!

And why was this Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable acting completely differently now compared to during the battle?

Lu Yang was also puzzled and asked the question that the three Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators wanted to ask.

Immortal Jing Si once again revealed an ancient secret.

"Immortal Ying Tian said that maintaining a dignified image for outsiders is an essential skill for immortals."