Chapter 365: The Only Reason I Haven’t Been Expelled is Because I’m Powerful

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

The pressure from the Unity Stage Cultivators blanketed the entire event. Most people had never even seen a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, let alone experienced pressure of this magnitude. Countless cultivators instantly turned pale, their bodies trembling as they struggled to stand. With a thud, many collapsed to the ground.

“Get down! Increase your contact area with the ground as much as possible!” A government cultivator shouted, guiding the crowd to minimize the damage.

Meng Jingzhou, Bai Ming, and the other two each held spiritual treasures to counteract the effects of the Unity’s pressure on themselves.

These spiritual treasures were standard issue for disciples of the Immortal Sects. Meng Jingzhou held a stone shaped like the Body Refinement Peak, Bai Ming had a colorful disk, Lan Ting held a moon-shaped embroidery, and Yan Tianzhi carried a small cage—each representing the unique characteristics of their respective sects.

When disciples ventured out, they represented their sects. Kneeling under a Unity Stage’s pressure would bring shame to their sect.

Originally, Lu Yang should have had a Heaven’s Gate Peak-shaped stone, but with Everlasting Fairy by his side, he had nothing to fear from pressure of this level. Even a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator couldn’t hope to use their pressure to suppress Lu Yang.

“What’s going on? Which Unity Stage is so reckless to act here?” Meng Jingzhou was shocked. Unity Stage Cultivators were forbidden from engaging in battles that affected civilians. Otherwise, the people of Great Xia would have long been wiped out.

Unity Stage battles could devastate everything, turning the earth into wasteland. Even cultivators would struggle to endure such destruction, let alone ordinary people.

“They’re not contemporary Unity Stage Cultivators; they’re ancient cultivators!” Lu Yang learned from Everlasting Fairy that the aura came from two ancient Unity Stage Cultivators, a man and a woman, radiating murderous intent.

Bai Ming frowned. “That makes sense, then.”

He pointed in the direction of the pressure’s source. “There’s a secret realm over there. Exploring the secret realm is part of this grand event. Someone must have triggered the awakening of these ancient cultivators, and now they’re enraged, wanting to destroy everything.”

This wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. Ancient cultivators had no reason to follow modern rules. In their time, Unity Stage Cultivators held supreme power and the authority over life and death.

“How bold!” A furious shout echoed from the horizon—it was the governor.

In the blink of an eye, the governor appeared above the crowd, holding a grand seal. A strange energy rose from it, dispersing the pressure of the ancient Unity Stage Cultivators.

“Huh, what a peculiar power,” Everlasting Fairy remarked, surprised. She had never seen such energy before.

Lu Yang, Lan Ting, and the others were also witnessing this energy for the first time, but Meng Jingzhou knew a bit about it.

“This is the power of national fortune,” Meng Jingzhou explained.

“I’ve heard from my family that beneath the Great Xia Dynasty lies a mystical force, the foundation of the dynasty itself. Every governor and the magistrates of large counties can temporarily harness this power for battle and protection. It’s why they can minimize the damage from ancient Unity Stage Cultivators each time.”

“Interesting,” Everlasting Fairy observed, analyzing the power of national fortune with her immortal sense. In her view, the small amount of power the governor wielded was insignificant, but if the entire Great Xia Dynasty were to channel this power, it would become an incredibly formidable force—truly fascinating.

“Quite creative. Seems like there are some pretty strong people in this era besides Little Yun.”

“You’ve got some nerve, causing trouble right under my nose!” The governor’s hair and beard fluttered as if he were a furious lion.

The ancient Unity Stage Cultivators, a man and a woman, were not afraid of the governor. The man replied coldly, “Aren’t you twisting the truth? It was your people who awakened us, forcing us to wake up early. How is this us causing trouble?”

The male cultivator squinted at the governor and his grand seal, showing some apprehension. “I see that your primordial spirit is complete, putting you on par with us. You have the qualifications to compete in the great era, so you should understand how much trouble our premature awakening has caused us. Is it not reasonable for us to kill a few people to vent our anger?”

“Of course, it’s not reasonable!” Another three figures flew in from the horizon, all of them Unity Stage Cultivators.

“Master Mi, Daoist Zhang, Dean Hong, you’ve arrived,” the governor greeted them, his pressure greatly relieved. If he were to fight alone, he might not be able to protect the cultivators attending the event below.

“That’s the Vice Sect Master of the Frenzy Sect, the Vice Dao Master of the Chonglou Temple, and the Vice Dean of the Baihua Academy. All three are mid-stage Unity Stage Cultivators!” Now free from the pressure, the crowd could stand up, and a local Qingzhou cultivator recognized the three, rejoicing.

Frenzy Sect, Chonglou Temple, and Baihua Academy were local sects in Qingzhou and organizers of the Qingzhou Festival.

Traditionally, these sects sent their deputies to participate in the event, just as a formality. They were invited, exchanged cultivation insights at the governor’s residence, and enjoyed pleasant discussions, not expecting the sudden appearance of two ancient cultivators.

Seeing that the other side had the advantage in numbers and the governor could wield a mysterious energy they didn’t understand, the two ancient Unity Stage Cultivators hesitated to fight, fearing unexpected outcomes. “Hmph, fine, in deference to your face, we won’t pursue this matter for now. We’re leaving!”

With that, they turned to flee.

“Hmph, trying to escape? Stay!” Letting them go would only bring endless troubles later, and the governor couldn’t allow their departure.

The governor and the other three positioned themselves in the north, south, east, and west, encircling the two ancient cultivators.

“Aren’t you worried about the safety of the people below?” The two ancient cultivators realized the governor and his allies were different from them; they prioritized protecting weaker cultivators.

The governor had anticipated this and was prepared. The four of them nodded and activated the power of rules.

In unison, they declared, “We establish a rule here: ‘No attacks will affect anything below 3,000 meters.’”

The highest peak where the Qingzhou Festival was held was 3,000 meters tall.

“Ridiculous! Even if you set this rule, how will you maintain it during battle? To keep the rule, one of you will inevitably be unable to fight!” the female cultivator sneered. With only three combatants, they couldn’t hold back her and her husband.

“That’s not something you need to worry about, Senior. I can maintain the rule.” A voice came from behind Lu Yang, startling the five of them.

The newcomer was dressed in official robes, smiling as he looked up at the sky, utterly at ease.

“It’s you?!” Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi exclaimed in surprise.

“You know him? Who is this?” Lu Yang asked via voice transmission.

“He’s a subordinate of the governor. Yesterday evening, Senior Brother Bai Ming, Senior Brother Yan Tianzhi, and I visited the governor, and this man was the one who invited us into the residence and arranged our accommodations.”

“We thought he was just a minor official, but it turns out he’s a Unity Stage cultivator.”

Only Unity Stage Cultivators could maintain rules.

“It’s to be expected. The governor’s staff wouldn’t be without at least one Unity cultivator,” Meng Jingzhou commented, unsurprised due to his familiarity with government structures.

What Lan Ting and the others didn’t know was that this official had initially suggested that the three of them stay in a prison cell.

Everlasting Fairy relaxed after confirming Lu Yang’s safety and yawned. “I thought Little Yun might need to step in, but it looks like that won’t be necessary.”

Lu Yang frowned, feeling uneasy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to be simple.

Those two Unity Stage Cultivators had awakened from the secret realm. Hadn’t the authorities thoroughly inspected the secret realm? How could they have missed these two?

(End of the chapter)