Phew!
Hua Yixing and the other women let out a long breath.
Shen Ying withdrew the peach blossom miasma surrounding her, came to Lu Zheng’s side, and looked at the old monk with disdain.
Liu Qingyan remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Hmph!
With his spell broken, the old monk couldn’t help but grunt, feeling as if his chest had been struck by a sledgehammer, his qi and blood in turmoil.
Who are you? The monk looked at Lu Zheng in disbelief.
The aura Lu Zheng revealed when he acted wasn’t overwhelming, but it precisely dismantled the Enchantment Realm’s hold, breaking it with finesse, causing the monk to suffer a hidden loss, otherwise he’d be fleeing now, not asking foolish questions.
Are you a disciple of the Flower Cloud Sect, or from the lineage of the Imperial Maiden Sect? The monk narrowed his eyes, slowly stepping back, I didn’t expect you’d infiltrate Yizhou instead of clashing with the Anomaly Suppression Bureau in the south. I’m from Enchantment Valley, we have no grudges with you.
Flower Cloud Sect?
Imperial Maiden Sect?
The names alone sounded dubious, how could the monk mistake Lu Zheng for one of them?
Hua Yixing and the others looked at Lu Zheng, while Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying’s gazes were full of oddity.
Pfft! Lu Zheng spat, declaring righteously, I’m a disciple of an upright, prestigious sect!
Impossible! The monk instinctively retorted, You’re more cunning than me, I’ve lived decades and still fall far short of you in blissful temptation, if you’re not a century-old devil, you must have a major sect’s inheritance!
Hua Yixing and the others: (⊙o⊙)
What just happened? Did Lu Zheng break the monk’s spell? How? Why was the monk looking so impressed?
Damn it…
I was just giving pointers on a whim, how did I become an old devil?
These are just things any young Chinese man could point out, alright? Are all Chinese youths old devils now?
Enough nonsense! You’ve made your move, now it’s my turn!
Lu Zheng let out a light rebuke, flicked his hand, and a red jade sword shot out, transforming into a three-foot blade, flying toward the monk.
Flying sword?
The monk was startled, You’re not from the Flower Cloud Sect, are you from the Blissful Sword branch of the Imperial Maiden Sect?
Lu Zheng: ???
The monk retreated, pulling out a begging bowl to meet the red jade sword.
Clang!
The sword was knocked aside.
The monk continued, Since a fellow cultivator got here first, I won’t compete, these women are yours, may you use them to refine your emotions and advance your cultivation.
With a sly chuckle, the monk set a trap for Lu Zheng, then turned to leave.
He’d already pegged Lu Zheng’s identity, assuming his dealings with the women were either out of interest or part of some cultivation method.
So when Lu Zheng broke his spell, the monk deliberately called out his supposed identity to make the women wary.
Though Enchantment Valley had no real enmity with the Imperial Maiden Sect, there was no friendship either, you broke my spell without a word, so why can’t I expose your plans?
Think you can leave?
Lu Zheng sneered, his sword fingers lightly turning, the red jade sword arcing back to strike at the monk’s neck.
Joking aside, Lu Zheng wasn’t about to let the monk go, you tried to wipe us out, and now that you can’t win, you just walk away? What kind of logic is that?
Hm?
The monk spun around, You think you can keep me here?
Lu Zheng sighed, his fingers moving lightly, six red jade swords shot out, darting through the courtyard.
Shen Ying formed a hand seal, endless peach blossom miasma instantly enveloping Wuxiu Manor.
The monk’s eyes narrowed, Lu Zheng and Shen Ying’s cultivation wasn’t below his, with his Enchantment Realm broken, he couldn’t win, but keeping him here… weren’t they overestimating themselves?
Glaring at Lu Zheng, the monk’s bowl emitted radiant light, laced with traces of spiritual energy, twisting the paths of the flying swords and miasma, letting them pass harmlessly by.
When he looked back, he was at the manor’s gate, waving as he prepared to leave.
Supreme Infinity, Three Pure Ones’ Command, Freeze!
A soft shout, and the monk felt his body stiffen, the space before him warping, revealing Lu Zheng’s figure.
Illusion? The monk tried to speak, but aside from his thoughts, his body was completely immobile.
Binding Spell? The monk realized, his true qi surging, breaking the spell’s hold in the next moment.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
But the instant he broke free, countless peach blossom miasmas flooded into his body, turning it into a battlefield, clashing fiercely with his true qi.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed from the monk’s mouth as he fell backward.
Lu Zheng followed, striking a palm at the monk’s lower dantian, true qi pouring in to lock his meridians and acupoints, then activating the *Nine Heavens Golden Palace True Soul Transformation Technique*, shooting an arrow of energy into the monk’s mind.
Ah!
The monk screamed, collapsing back into the courtyard’s center, his mind in chaos, his spirit heavily damaged.
Unable to cast spells or use mental techniques, he forced his eyes open, seeing the courtyard filled with peach blossom miasma and red jade swords hovering in the air, his heart pounding, he quickly raised a hand in surrender, Hold on!
Cautiously eyeing Lu Zheng, the monk hurriedly said, We’re all from South Xinjiang, with the Dajing Dynasty’s pressure in the north, why fight among ourselves? Any misunderstanding can be cleared up, I’m willing to apologize and compensate, just name your terms!
The monk looked at Lu Zheng expectantly.
He’d realized Lu Zheng likely wasn’t from South Xinjiang, but his earlier performance made him think Lu Zheng might be an unorthodox cultivator from within Dajing.
So to save his life, the monk played along, ignoring the discrepancy, hoping Lu Zheng’s greed would spare him.
Lu Zheng didn’t kill him immediately, clearly having questions.
Are many sects from South Xinjiang infiltrating the Central Plains? Lu Zheng asked.
Yes! The monk nodded, there was no need to hide this.
Why?
Several major South Xinjiang sects formed an alliance, ceasing internal conflicts to disrupt Dajing, the monk said, this wasn’t a secret either.
Which sects are infiltrating, and what are their cultivation methods?
Finally, a chance to bargain, the monk smiled, Please, fellow cultivator, release the spell and let me leave, I’ll record the sects’ secrets and have them sent to you.
