Chapter 604: It’s Not About the Number of Leaves
Lu Zhou was slightly surprised to see a Great Yan cultivator at the peak of the Imperial city. Although the cultivator was masked and dressed in all black to hide his ident.i.ty, he was completely exposed under Lu Zhou’s gaze.
Name: Wei Zhuoran
Ident.i.ty: Great Yan Human
Realm: Nascent Divinity
…
Under the golden mirror’s light, Wei Zhuoran’s Six-leaf avatar was exceptionally bright and dazzling. It seemed like he had been working hard all this time to raise his cultivation base to the Six-leaf stage. Moreover, the once stiff and awkward Wei Zhuoran now held the air of someone in high office.
Conch retreated slightly.
Lu Zhou stood before her and said, “There’s no need to be afraid.”
Wei Zhuoyan regarded Lu Zhou with a complicated gaze. He looked at Lu Zhou intently as he said, “Although I don’t know how you fooled the others, the golden mirror has shown me the truth.”
“Truth?” Lu Zhou said apathetically, “What do you think is the truth?”
Wei Zhuoyan glanced at the chaotic city out of the corners of his eyes. The spies were being singled out and executed on the spot. However, these spies had nothing to do with him. He smiled and said, “There is a guardian deity in Xiufan Temple. Neither doves nor birds can enter or nest there. Bodhidharma said, ‘I have seen the truth. Regardless of the time, there’s only one truth.’”
“Eloquently spoken,” Lu Zhou said as he stroked his beard, “However, how can you be certain that what you see is the truth?”
Wei Zhuoran pointed at his own head, eyes, and the skies before he said, “Some are smart while some are stupid. Some are born to be enslaved… just like them…” He pointed at the civilians in the city and the cultivators who were trying their best to take down the spies. Then, he stepped forward and continued to say, “Some are born with the tendency to deceive. They will act as though they’re knowledgeable, as though they have everything under their control, and spout nonsense to trick those who don’t know any better…”
Clearly, in Wei Zhuoran’s eyes, the old man and young girl before him were prey to be hunted.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and called out indifferently, “Wei Zhuoran.”
“Hm?” Wei Zhuoran’s eyes widened in shock. He instinctively took a step back as he looked at Lu Zhou. ‘How did he recognize me?’
“Do you think your wings are strong now? I put you in that position to replace Wei Zhuoyan. You should be thanking me…”
Wei Zhuoran calmed down and said, “That was a different time! Senior Ji, since you discovered my ident.i.ty, don’t blame me for this!”
Wei Zuoran looked down at the city; he knew he did not have much time. With swift movements, he charged toward Lu Zhou. He extended his hands and turned them before pus.h.i.+ng his palms out. He was certain his palm strike would heavily injure Lu Zhou, if not kill him.
Like a Buddha, Lu Zhou raised his hand and pushed a palm forward. A golden palm seal with a tint of blue from the extraordinary power flew out.
Bam!
Wei Zhuoran was too close. There was no time for him to dodge. The palm seal that was as tall as an adult man sent him flying. The black cloth around his face was torn, revealing his nose and forehead that seemed concave.
Boom!
Wei Zhuoran crashed into a tower at the peak of the Imperial city. Cracks spread along the tower, threatening to fall.
“If I can save your life, I can take it from you as well!” Lu Zhou stepped forward with his hands on his back.
Wei Zhuoyan widened his eyes in shock and confusion. His speech was impeded from fear. “N-no, no, no…” He pressed a hand against his wound and prepared to summon his avatar to flee when he felt a strong force pulling him back.
The Fiend Monk’s Hand Seal!
Wei Zhuoran was firmly held in its grasp and was forcibly pulled back. His heart sank. Impossible. He could believe this.
Alas, nothing in this world was impossible.
‘Against me, anyone below the Eight-leaf stage is the same to me. Even those who are more powerful can still be dealt with by a palm strike or two.’
Lu Zhou looked at Wei Zhuoran and asked, “Who are you working for?”
Wei Zhuoran’s eyes widened, but he remained silent.
Lu Zhou pulled Wei Zhuoran toward him and tossed him on the ground.
Wei Zhuoyan released a breath and said, “Is your Five-leaf stage fake?” After that, his head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last breath.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 1,500 merit points.”
Lu Zhou noticed even in death, Wei Zhuoran’s eyes were widened in shock and the fearful expression on his face did not disappear.
The Fiend Monk’s Hand Seal had not closed yet. The palm strike before this should not be fatal for him. Why did Wei Zhuoran suddenly die? Did he die from shock?
Meanwhile, Ye Tianxin continued to move swiftly. Her flowing white robes fluttered under the golden mirror’s light. The Eight-leaf Golden Lotus avatar beside her made for an awe-inspiring sight.
“Eight-leaf!”
“The Evil Sky Pavilion’s Miss Sixth!”
As Ye Tianxin moved toward her master, the cultivator finally noticed that the white-clad woman with white hair who looked like a G.o.ddess was an Eight-leaf cultivator!
“How many Eight-leaf cultivators are there in the Evil Sky Pavilion?”
“With this… that makes it three, I think.”
For most sects, Eight-leaf cultivators would be the undisputed candidate for the position of a sect master. Some sects did not even have Seven-leaf cultivators, let alone Eight-leaf cultivators. And yet, the Evil Sky Pavilion had three Eight-leaf cultivators! What kind of monstrous strength was this?
Ye Tianxin ignored the shocked cries in the surroundings as she quickly flew to the peak of the Imperial city.
Lu Zhou noticed that Ye Tianxin was sweating. Clearly, she was not at the stage where she could handle intense battles with ease yet.
After Ye Tianxin landed at the peak of the Imperial city, she bowed and said, “Master.”
“Sixth Senior Sister!” Conch ran up to Ye Tianxin.
“Protect Conch,” Lu Zhou said.
“Yes, master.” Ye Tianxin walked to Conch’s side.
Lu Zhou glanced at the golden mirror. Then, he observed the situation in the Divine Capital.
Due to the absence of powerful enemies, the entire process was rather smooth. There was not as much bloodshed compared to when the Nether Sect was attacking the city.
Every spy was exposed and captured.
Although the Divine Capital was huge, with so many Nascent Divinity realm elites thoroughly searching the capital, it would not take long to find all the spies.
In the sky, the Golden Taixu Mirror was still absorbing the power from the curtain-like barrier in the sky.
At this moment, Lu Zhou saw a huge northern goshawk circling above it. “Hm?”
Usually, wild beasts would not easily approach human settlements.
Some cultivators had observed that wild beasts that mutated without absorbing Primal Qi would not easily approach human settlements. They seem to have a natural inclination to avoid places with a high human population. Naturally, this did not mean the wild beasts would not attack humans. On the contrary, some weaker villages or cities were frequently attacked by wild beasts. However, humans began cultivating and grew stronger. In addition to the protection of barriers, it deterred the wild beasts even more.
Strangely, this northern goshawk was so bold. Usually, it would have already been shot down by the ballistae.
Lu Zhou studied the northern goshawk.
At this moment, the northern goshawk lowered its alt.i.tude and closed in on the Golden Taixu Mirror.
“Cursed livestock!”
Lu Zhou turned around and said, “Conch.”
“Master?”
“Chase that northern goshawk away,” Lu Zhou said. There was no need for him to use his extraordinary power on a little wild beast.
“Mhm.” Conch raised her Lantian Jade Flute to her lips.
A sharp and grating tune rang in the air. The tune sounded like a spinning drill. The notes rose very high before they glided down again.