Shen Liangshou could sense the Primal Qi in his dantian’s sea of Qi had been destroyed by that peculiar arrow. He was frightened and in pain. After he said the word ‘yield’, he spat out another mouthful of blood. He struggled as he sprawled on the ground for a while before he finally calmed down.
Lu Zhou raised a hand, and several energy blades flew toward Shen Liangshou.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The energy blades hit Shen Liangshou’s meridian points. His pain subsided almost immediately. He wiped the sweat off his face, his arrogance and anger from earlier had completely vanished.
Bi An who had finished showing off his might flew in a circle in the sky before it landed again.
The ones who were left standing in Shen Villa were only mortals and low-rank cultivators.
Lu Zhou glanced at Bi An, thinking that the mount was rather interesting. It was smart enough to pick targets who would reward him with high merit points. He checked the system dashboard. To his dismay, he only gained 200 merit points. The path of earning merit points by killing Divine Court realm targets or below was extremely slow.
Meanwhile, Steward Zhou and Feng Ping lay on the ground, unmoving. They had completely lost the ability to fight.
Shen Liangshou sat up. He rubbed his eyes. When he saw Bi An with its terrifying appearance, he instinctively shrunk back.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard, shook his head, and asked, “When did you start this shady business?”
Sheng Liangshou wiped the sweat off his face and said, “Old… Old mister, I-I’m merely trying to make a living. I’ve only just started!”
Lu Zhou was not interested in that. After all, it had nothing to do with him. “Tell me about the situation in this city.”
Little Yuan’er found a chair from the room and placed it behind Lu Zhou like a sensible child.
Lu Zhou sat down and regarded Shen Liangshou calmly, ready to interrogate him.
Shen Liangshou was no longer in pain. However, when he recalled what happened earlier, he was still overwhelmed with fear. He gulped before he asked, “The situation in the city?”
Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he waited for Shen Liangshou’s answer.
Shen Liangshou considered it for a moment before replying, “Chaotic, extremely chaotic… Before your arrival, the members of the Nether Sect battled the city’s garrison. There were many casualties.”
“What about the Other Tribes?” Lu Zhou asked.
Shen Liangshou frowned when the Other Tribes were mentioned. “There were many from Lou Lan and Rouli from the western region… However, I don’t know about the Other Tribes.”
It was understandable that Shen Liangshou did not know much about this. Otherwise, he would not even have a chance to do anything before Great Yan’s Imperial family swept in and took care of them.
“Are these the only tribes?” Lu Zhou asked in slight confusion.
“There are five nations in Rongxi and seven in Rubei… They’ve always behaved themselves. Apart from Lou Lan and Rouli, I’ve never heard about the presence of the Other Tribes here,” Shen Liangshou answered truthfully.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and nodded. He began sorting through Ji Tiandao’s memories.
Since Emperor Yong Shou defeated Rongxi and Rongbei, Great Yan had attained the position of dominance. The Other Tribes in Rongxi and Rongbei reorganized themselves. From countless scattered nations, they formed the five nations of Rongxi and the seven nations of Rongbei. These 12 nations had always existed in subservience to Great Yan. They paid tithes and offered their princesses for marriage alliances. These 12 nations did not lose their rebellious streak, however. They would frequently trespass upon Great Yan’s borders over the most trivial of matters. The Fourth Prince, Liu Bing, spent most of his time at the borders to deter the nations so they had been able to enjoy some peace as of now.
“Where’s the Fourth Prince, Liu Bing, now?” Lu Zhou asked.
Shen Liangshou was shocked. He looked at Lu Zhou skeptically and replied, “I only heard that His Fourth Highness led an army of 300,000 men and 5,000 cultivators. His troops are divided to defend the ten cities of Liang Province… I don’t know which city he’s currently in. Five of Liang Province’s ten cities are protected by Formations, five of them aren’t… His Fourth Highness won’t put himself in harm’s way.”
Lu Zhou felt that Shen Liangshou was honest enough. He stood up slowly, stroked his beard, and said, “Find out about this with your resources. If you do this well, I’ll spare you.”
Shen Liangshou was overjoyed to hear this. He hastily bowed and said, “At your service, old mister.”
…
That night, Sheng Liangshou could only stay in the villa. He did not stay far. He stayed in the room next to Lu Zhou. It was a restless night for him. After losing his cultivation base, he spent his waking hours feeling worried that his subordinates might stab him in the back. In Liang Province, the people would swallow you whole and leave nothing behind. There was no such thing as reason.
Shen Liangshou wanted to live even after his cultivation base was destroyed because he had a way to restore his cultivation base. Although it was a slightly difficult feat, he, at least, had hope. He was at the top of the whitelist after all. This title alone gave him the means to find a way to restore his dantian’s sea of Qi such as the sable magnolia. However, before anything else, he had to come up with a way to protect himself. The safest place would be next to the old man.
…
The next morning.
Shen Liangshou immediately sent his men to gather information from the ten cities. He poured all his effort into this task.
When afternoon arrived, Shen Liangshou approached Lu Zhou respectfully. “Old mister, I’ve had my men investigate the matter… His Fourth Highness is most probably in the City of Mo in the northern parts of Liang Province.”
He dared not leave before he got a reply. After waiting for a moment, he heard a voice from inside the room.
“Any movements from the Nether Sect?”
“I heard that Yu Zhenghai, the Sect Master of the Nether Sect Master, and his Four Great Protectors have gone to the City of Mo as well,” Shen Liangshou said with a sigh, “The Nether Sect has plunged the whole world into chaos. Yu Zhenghai is also the Evil Sky Pavilion’s first disciple. His cultivation base is terrifying. With him personally making a move, the Fourth Prince won’t stand a chance even if he has powerful soldiers at his disposal.”
“Continue your investigations.”
“Understood.”
…
Another day passed.
On the third day, Shen Lianghou stood at the door and reported, “Old Mister, there have been great changes in the ten cities of Liang Province. The Nether Sect has engaged the Fourth Prince in a battle. Both sides have suffered great losses. The five cities that aren’t protected by Formations are conquered by the Nether Sect overnight. I’m afraid they’ll make their way here soon…”
“Investigate some more.”
Shen Liangshou bowed and left.
On the fourth day, before the sky turned bright, Shen Liangshou hastened to Lu Zhou’s door, unlike his usual behavior. He said, “Old mister, please leave Liang Province’s city now… Liang Province City’s Formation is now under the control of the traitor… The Nether Sect has already breached the city gates.”
As soon as Shen Liangshou finished speaking, the sound of thundering hooves resounded through the city. There were also groups of cultivators flying in the air.
Smoke rose and billowed, and killing intent seemed to permeate the air.
Liang Province’s garrison was being pushed back.
Ten Worlds avatars popped up in the streets as they advanced. Although they were not as powerful as Hundred Tribulations Insight avatars, against cultivators in the Divine Court realm and below, the Ten Worlds avatar was a potent killing weapon.
The Nether Sect was in no short supply of these cultivators.
The sweeping attacks from the Nether Sect captured or killed the individuals who resisted.
Shen Liangshou was fidgeting as if he had ants in his pants when a gust of wind blew above his head…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of cultivators appeared above the villa.
“I am Yu Hong, the Second Seat of Nether Sect’s Azure Dragon Hall. Those who follow me will prosper, and those who resist will perish. Cultivators, step forward.”
The Nether Sect’s mode of operation was to control its members with a hierarchy.
Shen Liangshou did not expect the Nether Sect to arrive here so soon. Now that he had lost his cultivation base, he had no way to defend himself. He was worried to no end. He looked at Lu Zhou’s room.
Yu Hong glanced at Shen Liangshou. “You’re hurt?”
“Y… ye… yes…” Shen Liangshou wanted to point at Lu Zhou’s room, but he was not bold enough.
“Take him!”
Two cultivators descended from the sky and held Shen Liangshou in place.
Creak!
The doors opened.
Lu Zhou emerged from the room with his hands on his back. He looked at Yu Hong, the Azure Dragon Hall’s Second Seat, who was hovering in the air.
Yu Hong gauged the aura of the old man. He shook his head and said, “Regardless of the person, we won’t let anyone who opposes the Nether Sect go.”
At this moment, Little Yuan’er ran out of the room. She pointed at Yu Hong in the air and said, “Watch your tone when you’re talking to my master!”
