Chapter 455: Painfully Losing the Opportunity

Daoist Buyu had already figured everything out the moment he received the letter from his good disciple. Battle was unavoidable. While he could temporarily hold his own against a Tribulation-Transcending cultivator from Dayu, he would surely be at a disadvantage in a prolonged fight. The letter stated that powerful cultivators from the imperial court and the Five Great Immortal Sects had already been dispatched. His task was to unleash a grand and imposing battle, drawing attention and holding out until they arrived to assist.

“Senior Chen Tao,” Daoist Buyu murmured, looking up at the ongoing confrontation with Venerable Pixiao, his heart finally at ease. The Luoshui Guard was an imperial organization specifically tasked with handling rogue cultivators and ancient cultivators. Its nine most powerful members were known as the 'Nine Palaces,' and Chen Tao, as their head, possessed unfathomable strength and cultivation. In terms of seniority, Chen Tao was even older than Daoist Buyu’s own master, a true ancient powerhouse. The deployment of Chen Tao demonstrated the imperial court's serious concern regarding the cultivators within Dayu.

“Ptooey!” Daoist Buyu spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, wincing in pain, feeling as if his body was about to fall apart. During the earlier fight, he had used sword qi to support his body and temporarily boost his physical strength. Now that the sword qi had dissipated, his injuries flared up. Every acupoint was bleeding, and within a few breaths, his clothes were soaked with blood, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

“That was a brutal fight,” Daoist Buyu muttered, pulling out several supreme-grade pills from his sleeve. They bore distinct pill patterns and emitted a rich, fragrant aroma. He swallowed them whole. His wounds gradually healed, and he felt much more comfortable.

“Cleanse body, cleanse clothes.” Daoist Buyu activated the Body Cleansing Art and Clothes Cleansing Art. The bloodstains vanished, his clothes became pristine, and his body felt lighter.

“Seventh Senior Brother’s pills are truly effective,” he commented. The supreme-grade pills he had just consumed were rare elixirs refined by Seventh Elder using the roots of a Lesser Medicine King. They were priceless, capable of being the grand finale item at a Fusion-stage auction, making them incredibly precious. Daoist Buyu frequently traveled, inevitably encountering dangers, which was why he always carried life-saving pills with him.

“Chen Tao of the Luoshui Guard?” Venerable Pixiao stared intently at the sudden appearance of the elderly man, not daring to show the slightest carelessness. He sensed a profound threat emanating from Chen Tao.

“Run!” This was no place to linger; he had to escape quickly!

“Let’s see where you can run!” Another voice appeared behind Venerable Pixiao. Venerable Pixiao whirled around, realizing yet another Tribulation-Transcending cultivator had arrived! Below, Daoist Buyu recognized the newcomer as another member of the Luoshui Guard's Nine Palaces.

“The Luoshui Guard has three Tribulation-Transcending cultivators in total, and the imperial court sent two at once. They’re really going all out,” Daoist Buyu thought. The more people arrived, the happier he became, as it meant Venerable Pixiao’s chances of escape dwindled.

The newcomer gave Venerable Pixiao no chance to react. The Grand Dao of Runes flowed like a mighty river from the void, converging into chains of mystical law, intending to capture Venerable Pixiao alive! Seeing the grim situation, Venerable Pixiao realized that the opponent's runes were innately formed, flowing like an endless river, signifying mastery in rune cultivation. If a rune cultivator's woven chains bound him, he feared he wouldn't be able to break free in a short time. He shot into the sky, attempting to break out of the two Tribulation-Transcending cultivators' encirclement.

“Trying to run? Have you asked my Wen Dao Sect first!” Grandpa Ba’s voice boomed above Venerable Pixiao’s head, as he delivered a direct stomp. Grandpa Ba stood at the array's core, forming a blockade high above Dingxin City, while Third Elder and others positioned themselves at the seven-star points. The Seven Stars Guarding the Polaris Array!

Venerable Pixiao did not entangle himself with Grandpa Ba and the others. He activated his Asura Body, and the enraged Asura shattered space. Just as he was about to slip into the spatial rift, a voice echoed from within.

“Do you think my Town Prison Sect is absent?” From the spatial rift emerged numerous ancient ferocious beasts: Dijiang, Golden-winged Great Peng, Chaos, and others. They had hideous faces, bared fangs, were as large as mountains, and exuded terrifying primordial aura! Eight powerful figures stepped out from the spatial rift, their bodies adorned with tattoos of these ancient ferocious beasts. The Battle Tattoo Cultivation Method of the Town Prison Sect!

“My Five Elements Sect…”“My Moon Laurel Immortal Palace…”“Hanging Temple…” The Hanging Temple had only sent one person, their Supervisory Monk, whose combat power was no weaker than Qiu Jin'an’s! Additionally, civil and military officials dispatched by the imperial court were present, all brimming with fighting spirit and eagerness.

The two Nine Palaces members of the Luoshui Guard, possessing the highest cultivation, arrived the fastest. Soon, Fusion-stage cultivators from the Five Great Immortal Sects began arriving one after another above Dingxin City, completely surrounding it. All in all, there were over forty Fusion-stage cultivators who had gathered here. Furthermore, these were all Fusion-stage cultivators from the Five Great Immortal Sects; any one of them was more formidable than an ordinary Fusion-stage cultivator. With two members of the Nine Palaces in addition to the Fusion-stage cultivators from the Immortal Sects, if this lineup were to engage, even if Wu Youdao and his two companions arrived, they would only be able to passively take a beating. Even if Wu Youdao and his two companions gained the power of the Desolate State's national destiny, and Wu Youdao’s Dragon-Tiger Qi completed its transformation, they still wouldn't be able to defeat these individuals!

To prevent another Hanyue City incident, the imperial court and the Immortal Sects had specifically mobilized a large number of personnel to thoroughly clear out all potential dangers in Jizhou! It could be said that any Dayu cultivator who dared to show their face would be met with a combined assault from the righteous path! By the same token, Daoist Buyu also kept a low profile.

The people of Dingxin City had never witnessed such a spectacle. They couldn't distinguish between a Tribulation-Transcending cultivator and a Fusion-stage cultivator, nor did they even realize that any random person among them was stronger than Dingxin City's Lord. Dingxin City’s Lord was only at the Void Refinement stage. However, this didn't prevent them from becoming excited and cheering joyfully. They had been tormented for too long by the rules imposed by Venerable Pixiao; even a minor violation meant facing the threat of death, forcing them to live each day with extreme caution.

“Boss, I’m leaving now. Until next time,” Daoist Buyu bade farewell to the tea shop owner, who was still in a daze. The tea shop owner was actually a cultivator himself, albeit one with low cultivation, who had opened a tavern in Dingxin City to pass the time. He could vaguely discern that these cultivators possessed higher cultivation than the City Lord, truly top-tier powerhouses of the cultivation world. In nearly a century, such a large number of cultivation powerhouses had never acted together. Even now, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

“Ah, are you leaving?” The tea shop owner wanted to persuade Daoist Buyu to stay. Just moments ago, Daoist Buyu had spoken of facing death bravely, as if ready to fight Venerable Pixiao to the death. Why, now that Hanyue City was saved, was he leaving?

“If I don’t leave now, I won’t be able to,” Daoist Buyu didn't explain much to the tea shop owner. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on Venerable Pixiao, he slipped away.

“Capture him alive!” Chen Tao commanded, but it was he who moved first. He bit his fingertip, and drops of golden blood flew out, transforming into divine weapons and sharp artifacts that rained down upon Venerable Pixiao.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Senior Chen Tao’s Hundred Refinements of Divine Weapons!” the Immortal Sect members exclaimed, while simultaneously attacking alongside Chen Tao. Their diverse assault left Venerable Pixiao with no power to retaliate. Venerable Pixiao felt despair. He was ultimately bound by the chains of law, formed by runes, and completely unable to mobilize his cultivation.

“Finally, we’ve caught one!” Chen Tao sneered. Up until now, Dayu cultivators had all been captured by the Wen Dao Sect. Now, it was finally the imperial court’s turn.

“By the way, where did the cultivator who fought evenly with Pixiao go?” When Chen Tao arrived, his full attention was on Venerable Pixiao, so he hadn't noticed who was fighting him.

“Ask the City Lord; he must have seen,” Grandpa Ba suggested. Under the gaze of a group of powerhouses whose cultivation far surpassed his own, the City Lord trembled with fear and drew a face that was very familiar to everyone.

“Damn it, that brat Buyu got away!” Everyone excitedly slapped their thighs, as if they had missed an enormous opportunity. If Daoist Buyu were here, what a perfect opportunity for revenge that would have been!

“Interrogate Pixiao relentlessly! If it weren’t for him, that brat Buyu wouldn't have been able to escape!”

Venerable Pixiao: “…”

Didn't they say cultivators in Daxia lived in peace? This doesn't look like it.