Chapter 408: Speedrunning a Classic Trope

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

(TL Note: Another chapter up. I really really appreciate the comments. They give me motivation to continue.)

Lu Yang thought that the Desolate Lands certainly lived up to its name; the fierce and unruly customs here were something that an outsider like him would need time to adapt to.

“The Land of Gold Commerce doesn’t have any reports of Unity Stage combat, so it seems there really hasn’t been any.”

The Fairy had mentioned that with the amount of yang energy a Living Corpse could store, it could remain active for up to two months. Thus, Lu Yang had gathered all the information about the Desolate Lands from the past two months. Aside from some marital quarrels, there was no sign of any Unity Stage battles.

“Did the battle happen in secret, so even the commerce network didn’t detect it? Or did these Living Corpses get lost?”

If he hadn’t seen the information from the Desolate Lands, Lu Yang would have suspected the former. But after going through it all, he leaned towards the latter explanation.

“Whatever, let’s deal with Old Meng first.”

“Based on the intel, Seven Emotions Valley is skilled in the art of curses. Should I go to Seven Emotions Valley?”

“By the way, do you know where Seven Emotions Valley is located?” Lu Yang inquired with the people from the commerce association.

Having just spent a fortune purchasing the most detailed information, the association was more than willing to give him an additional map for free. Besides, the location of Seven Emotions Valley wasn’t exactly top-secret information; anyone with sufficient cultivation would be aware of it.

The association handed Lu Yang a map, clearly marking the location of Seven Emotions Valley.

After leaving the commerce association, Lu Yang suddenly heard a scream.

Following the sound, he saw a local thug forcefully abducting a woman in the street, while a group of sycophantic servants cheered him on. The thug seemed to have considerable influence in the area, as the surrounding crowd was enraged but too fearful to speak up. The thug laughed arrogantly, while the woman sobbed pitifully.

“Does this never end?” Lu Yang sighed softly. He felt that his luck with women was becoming absurdly strong lately.

But wait, could it be that after saving Meng Jingzhou from the brink of death, earning great karmic merit, this was some sort of reward in the form of romantic fortune?

Never mind. In any case, he decided to take care of the current situation first.

“Stop.”

Lu Yang spoke quietly, his voice not loud but unusually noticeable in this setting. As a result, everyone heard him.

Ignoring the surprised looks from the onlookers, Lu Yang strode up to the thug and helped the woman to her feet.

“How dare you! You must be an outsider, do you know who I am…” The thug hadn’t finished his sentence when Lu Yang, without blinking, slapped him across the face.

The thug was around the same age as Lu Yang, and his cultivation wasn’t weak either; he had perfected the Qi Training realm.

Seeing their master being hit, the thug’s lackeys drew various weapons and charged at Lu Yang. Feeling impatient, Lu Yang waved his hand, summoning a gust of wind that sent the lackeys flying.

These lackeys weren’t weak either, having reached the Foundation Building Stage in cultivation.

The surrounding crowd was astonished to see someone daring to strike the thug.

“Never seen this guy before. Is he an outsider?”

“He has to be an outsider! Who in Yuanshan City would dare provoke the Gu Family, especially their eldest young master!”

“Sure, it feels good to see someone stand up to him, but this guy won’t make it out of Yuanshan City alive.”

“To defeat servants at the Foundation Building Stage so easily, who is this young hero?”

“Golden Core Stage! He must be at the Golden Core Stage!”

The woman gazed at Lu Yang with deep admiration. “My savior…”

The woman was delicate and pretty, a true little beauty. Seeing the look of adoration in her eyes, Lu Yang suspected her next words would be something along the lines of: “I have nothing to repay you with but my body.”

“Gu Family is a powerful, dominant force in Yuanshan City. Though savior’s cultivation is formidable, facing the Gu Family is still dangerous. My savior, you should flee quickly.”

“Haha, flee? You dare hit my son, and you think you can leave Yuanshan City?”

A furious voice echoed, loud enough to be heard throughout half of Yuanshan City. A middle-aged cultivator appeared, glaring angrily at Lu Yang with clenched teeth.

“You…”

Lu Yang didn’t give him a chance to say a second word. With a casual wave, he sent out a sword beam, pinning the man to the wall.

After the fight, Lu Yang turned to the woman and asked, “Is this the Gu Family Patriarch?”

The woman stiffly nodded, surprised by how decisive and powerful Lu Yang was, subduing the Late Golden Core Stage Gu Family Patriarch with a single move.

“The Gu Family Patriarch is indeed fearsome, but even more terrifying is his father…”

Before she could finish, a second furious roar came from afar.

“You dare bully my son and my grandson…”

Following the guidance of his Invincible Core, Lu Yang took out his Qingfeng Sword and performed the Slash Word Technique. Before the man could finish his sentence, he was pinned to the wall next to the Gu Family Patriarch.

This one was at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, a worthy opponent for Lu Yang to use sword techniques on.

“Anyone else from the Gu Family?” Lu Yang continued to ask.

The woman stood in shock for a long moment before nodding again stiffly. “Yes, the Gu Family has an elder at the Spirit Transformation Stage.”

The woman cautiously observed Lu Yang’s expression, but when she saw no change, her estimation of his cultivation rose even higher in her mind.

While she was dazed, the Gu Family Patriarch secretly contacted the family’s elder, begging for his intervention.

“Young one, how dare you bully the Gu Family. Even if my family was in the wrong first, it’s my responsibility to discipline them, not yours…”

Lu Yang said nothing and instead pulled out the identity token hanging at his waist.

“… No need for respected fellow cultivator to intervene. I, Gu XXX, deeply thank you for teaching my unworthy descendants a lesson!”

Upon seeing the token, the Gu Family Ancestor halted abruptly mid-air, immediately clasped his hands in thanks, and bowed deeply.

Lu Yang certainly couldn’t defeat a Spirit Transformation Stage elder, but there was no need to. In the face of a giant like the Dao Seeking Sect, even a Spirit Transformation Stage elder wasn’t worth mentioning.

There was no need for an elder to act on his behalf. Any of his senior brothers or sisters from the Dao Seeking Sect could easily take care of the situation for him.

The reputation of the Five Great Immortal Sects was enough to command the respect of local family cultivators.

Lu Yang wasn’t afraid to deal with the younger generation, and he certainly wasn’t afraid to meet their elders.

“Did you hear what the Gu Family Ancestor just said? Dao Seeking Sect… Is it really that Dao Seeking Sect?”

“The same Dao Seeking Sect from the tales in 《The Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect》?”

“The leader of the Five Great Immortal Sects!”

The onlookers were astonished, exclaiming in disbelief. No one had expected Lu Yang to come from such a prestigious background.

The woman, too, looked at Lu Yang with even deeper admiration.

“No need for thanks,” Lu Yang said loudly, addressing both the Gu Family Ancestor and the surrounding crowd. “Please keep a closer watch on your descendants. If they cause trouble again, they might bring about your doom. You should know, my Dao Seeking Sect is always in need of more tasks to fill our mission hall.”

The Gu Family Ancestor instantly understood the hidden meaning behind Lu Yang’s words and broke out into a cold sweat.

He chuckled nervously, “Of course, of course. Many thanks for your reminder, fellow cultivator. After this incident, I will strictly discipline my descendants. Should anything like this happen again, I will personally flay and punish them!”

The woman respectfully bowed to Lu Yang. “I have no way to repay you…”

“In your next life, repay me by becoming a horse or ox,” Lu Yang cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, Lu Yang left Yuanshan City and retraced his steps.

“Let’s hope I don’t run into anything like this on my way back.”

He felt that while he hadn’t gained much useful information on this journey, there sure had been a lot of unnecessary trouble.

“May the immortals bless me… No, wait, trusting immortals is unreliable. I’ll have to rely on myself for luck.”

(End of the chapter)