Chapter 94: The Chamber's Most Powerful Weapon

Fang Qingyun yawned listlessly. With less than an hour remaining until the grand Spring Picking Festival, they were fortunate to have completed all preparations and arranged various emergency plans. As a result, the festival had proceeded without incident so far.

Earlier in the day, Fang Qingyun had heard about an elephant falling into the water and then flying out. He dispatched someone to issue a warning: flying without permission was prohibited in the county due to the danger. Furthermore, since the beast had entered the city without proper registration, the elephant's owner had to dutifully take it for registration. Fang Qingyun had spent the entire day handling a myriad of similar minor issues.

"I hope nothing goes wrong tonight—no one lighting bonfires that start forest fires, no stampedes from watching plays, no one fighting in the streets out of jealousy..." Fang Qingyun muttered on, recounting all the mishaps that had occurred in previous years.

"'Qingyun, I'm off now,' Governor Li said, bidding farewell to Fang Qingyun before departing."

"'Take care,' Fang Qingyun replied, showing more respect to Governor Li than ever before. He had heard that there would be no outside appointment this time, and his succession to Governor Li's position was entirely due to Governor Li's favorable recommendation. He would not forget this kindness.

Although Governor Li wasn't technically required to be present during the Spring Picking Festival, his attendance reflected his diligence and would be well-received when word got out. Governor Li had always been meticulous about his reputation. He had discovered that uttering pleasing words was far more conducive to promotion than merely doing the work. Promotion also entailed requirements for one's cultivation realm, an unspoken rule within official circles.

"'It's almost time,' he thought. 'Once I advance to the Nascent Soul stage today, both my identity as governor and as a sect leader will be transformed.' As this thought crossed his mind, Governor Li's steps became noticeably lighter. He slipped into a narrow alleyway, where he first altered his face, then donned a mask. This way, even if someone were to remove the mask, they would believe it to be his true visage, never suspecting his identity as Governor Li. Navigating both the righteous and demonic paths required utmost caution.

Given his innate talent, he should not have been able to cultivate to the late Golden Core stage. However, his dual role within both righteous and demonic factions granted him access to resources far beyond the imagination of ordinary individuals, enabling his current achievements. Over the past decade, he had encountered a bottleneck, realizing he couldn't reach the Nascent Soul stage through conventional methods. To elevate both his status and cultivation realm, he conceived of the 'Reverse Lifespan Array'.

"'How peculiar,' he mused. 'The Inspector should have reached Yanjiang County by noon today. Why are they still not here?'"

Governor Li—or rather, after donning the mask, Helmsman Chu—was somewhat displeased by the Inspector's tardiness. He had specifically instructed the Inspector to arrive before noon today, promising a surprise. The 'surprise' was the activation of the Reverse Lifespan Array alongside the Inspector, which would simultaneously elevate both their cultivation realms.

"'Could something have gone amiss?' he wondered. 'What a waste that I specifically waited for the peak hour to activate the grand array. No matter. If he isn't coming, I will advance my cultivation alone.'"

Mount Song was remote and heavily wooded, its paths merely trodden by travelers. Those celebrating the Spring Picking Festival for recreation would not venture to such an uninteresting place as Mount Song. Helmsman Chu concealed his aura and made his way toward Mount Song. As he progressed, the number of passersby dwindled, until by the time he reached the base of the mountain, he was utterly alone. He eventually stopped at a level clearing, where talismans subtly different from ordinary Reverse Lifespan talismans hung from the surrounding tree branches, serving as the array's foci. He sat cross-legged, adjusted his state, and silently awaited the moment the grand array would activate. He had already dispatched six deacons to complete the blood sacrifice ritual, and by his calculations, the time was precisely now!

"'Reverse Lifespan Array, activate!' Helmsman Chu declared, raising his hands towards the sky and initiating the formation. From his central position, the silent power of the array began to spread outwards, only to abruptly halt at a certain distance.

"'Someone pulled out the flags!' Helmsman Chu exclaimed, momentarily startled before quickly realizing what had occurred. This wasn't merely one or two flags accidentally removed; the perpetrator clearly possessed knowledge of the Reverse Lifespan Array, otherwise, their actions wouldn't have been so precise!

"'Who could it be?' he muttered. 'Officials? No, nothing from the authorities could ever escape my notice. Could it be an unknown traveler? Or... could it be Lu Yang, who has previously encountered the Reverse Lifespan Array!'" Lu Yang's behavior was often unconventional; it was entirely possible he would do something like this! Helmsman Chu's gaze turned icy. This act was tantamount to severing his future path, a torment worse than death itself!

"'Oh, is that truly the kind of person you imagine me to be, Helmsman Chu?' Lu Yang's languid voice echoed from nearby."

"'Lu Yang!' Helmsman Chu's fury ignited upon seeing him. 'Don't assume that just because the Grand Master favors you, I can't kill you. Accidental deaths among demonic cultivators are far too common; you've just given me a perfect pretext!'"

Lu Yang paused, then replied earnestly, "'Didn't you instruct me to cause trouble during the Spring Picking Festival? I figured the greatest trouble I could stir up would be eliminating the county governor. And wouldn't you know it, after tracking the governor for several days, we discovered that you are indeed the governor. I believe in seeing things through to the end, so I decided to simply dispose of you. After all, isn't insubordination a long-standing tradition in our Demonic Sect?' Lu Yang said with a chuckle."

"'You seek death!' Helmsman Chu roared, utterly incensed."

"'Not at all,' Lu Yang countered. 'I still aspire to immortality.'"

"'A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to bluster here? Die!' Helmsman Chu bellowed, unleashing a furious palm strike. Its terrifying force was devastating, turning every tree it touched into mere dust. Lu Yang swiftly employed a spatial shrinking technique to evade the palm strike. Helmsman Chu then stomped his right foot, causing the very ground to heave as if an earth dragon were stirring. The entire earth was upturned, sending Lu Yang flying.

Lu Yang's heart lurched. This was the might of a late Golden Core cultivator, capable of dislodging him with a single stomp.

"'Tsk, truly a formidable opponent.'

Helmsman Chu moved with the speed of surging thunder, closing in on Lu Yang. He clenched his fist into a seal, his punch like a gale, intending to bludgeon Lu Yang to death. The Azure Edge Sword appeared horizontally before Lu Yang, its blade poised upright. Should Helmsman Chu dare to strike, the Azure Edge Sword would be ready to cleave off his fist bone! Helmsman Chu promptly withdrew his fist and launched a kick. Lu Yang, having anticipated this, met it with his own kick. The two legs collided, and Lu Yang used the momentum to propel himself backward.

Helmsman Chu launched another attack, only to find his spiritual energy seemingly shackled, unable to muster even a fraction of it. "'A Spirit-Sealing Array, just like those in prisons! You truly do understand formations!' Helmsman Chu glared intently at Lu Yang. Even without his spiritual energy, his physical defenses meant Lu Yang could barely inflict any harm upon him.

The Spirit-Sealing Array had been temporarily set up by Lan Ting; Lu Yang's objective was simply to lure Helmsman Chu to this spot. Lu Yang smiled, waving goodbye to Helmsman Chu.

Helmsman Chu scanned his surroundings, detecting nothing amiss. Then, he suddenly looked up and saw a flying vessel hovering directly overhead. It was the flying vessel Meng Jingzhou had just purchased from the Merchant Guild. It was already night, and Mount Song was so dark that human figures were barely discernible. Otherwise, Helmsman Chu would have long noticed that he was standing in the shadows. Spiritual energy was also unusable above the Spirit-Sealing Array, so the flying vessel lost power and plummeted rapidly. Meng Jingzhou, strapped with a parachute, leapt out.

The flying vessel was enormous. With his spiritual energy unavailable and his speed restricted, Helmsman Chu couldn't evade it. Lu Yang, having calculated the precise distance, quickly retreated to a safe spot. The flying vessel plummeted like a meteor from the low sky, hurtling towards Helmsman Chu! The crashing vessel kicked up an immense cloud of dust, creating a deafening roar that sent tremors throughout Mount Song. The flying vessel appeared to be laden with explosives; at the moment of impact, they detonated, sending colossal flames erupting skyward with a deafening roar!

Lu Yang gave Meng Jingzhou a thumbs-up. "'It's certainly nice to be rich,' he remarked. 'You just buy a flying vessel on a whim!'"

Meng Jingzhou returned the gesture with his own thumbs-up. "'If that merchant had more than one flying vessel right now, I would have bought several!'"

No magical artifact from the merchant guild could possibly match the raw power of a crashing flying vessel.

Fang Qingyun, who had just been musing about the tranquility of the times, saw a flying vessel plummet and was so startled he nearly had a heart attack.

"'Are you kidding me?!'"