Chapter 134: Chapter 97: Yanluo Sect’s Violet Robe Immortal

Liou Yuan couldn’t help but look odd as he listened to Zhao Feiyue’s serious account.

"Is my big brother really that fierce?"

Liou Zhen had always been the image of a good big brother in front of him, cultured and graceful. Liou Yuan simply couldn’t associate him with that domineering figure Zhao Feiyue was talking about.

Zhao Feiyue didn’t want to say more, so she just brushed him off vaguely: "You’ll find out later."

With that, she didn’t say anything else and hurriedly said, "Let’s focus on the important thing—we need to pass down Grandpa’s orders immediately."

"The Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jiangyang Prefecture will be here soon, too."

"Alright!" Seeing that Zhao Feiyue didn’t want to say more, Liou Yuan didn’t press further and nodded right away.

The two of them quickly disappeared from the government office.

With Zhao Feiyue, Zhao Zhuoran’s very own granddaughter, personally delivering Mr. Zhao’s oral decree—

The disciples from Five Extremes Mountain, led by Miss Lai, naturally wouldn’t doubt her.

With the Five Extremes Mountain disciples taking the lead, even Lv Jifeng’s five cultivators from Chouhuai City didn’t dare make a sound.

The moment the command was given, everyone sprang into action, gathering the citizens of Chouhuai City at the city gates.

Only a while ago, the city had been lively and bustling with reconstruction efforts, but now it fell silent in an instant as people from everywhere in town were gathered at the gate.

Then, with over a dozen cultivators led by Five Extremes Mountain standing guard on either side, they waited only for the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jiangyang Prefecture to arrive and aid them, before heading out of the city.

Liou Yuan and his two companions were naturally part of this group guarding the townsfolk.

For the upcoming battle, none of them at the Qi Cultivation stage were qualified even to spectate; naturally they would have to leave the city with the commoners.

Thankfully, the Fixed Star Compass had already locked onto the Calamity-level Star Evil, so Liou Yuan didn’t have to worry about not being able to absorb its power once it was slain.

Last time, when Liou Zhen killed that Alien Star Evil, he’d been far away, but the compass still absorbed the energy all the same.

He and Qiu Ming stood together, patiently waiting for the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jiangyang Prefecture to arrive.

"What kind of joke is this? Didn’t they say the task of guarding Chouhuai City would be over once it was done, and we could go back to Five Extremes Mountain?" Qiu Ming, clueless about the real truth, just felt that this trip to Chouhuai City had been way too exhausting, and he hadn’t stopped complaining since they got here.

"The longer this gets delayed, the worse the pay’s going to be. They’ll have to pay us extra!"

"Don’t worry, Mr. Zhao would never let us work for nothing. There’ll definitely be a boost to our merit points." Liou Yuan comforted Qiu Ming with some reassurances.

Time crawled by.

The high noon sun gradually sloped toward the west.

In its place appeared a bright clear moon, surrounded by nine Weixiu Stars gathered around it.

It was the middle of the night.

Standing atop the city wall of Chouhuai City with Qiu Ming, Liou Yuan suddenly sensed something and turned his head, looking toward the fields beyond the city walls.

He saw two streaks of spiritual light shooting across the darkness on Chouhuai City’s horizon.

In the dark, their bodies were wrapped in brilliant True Essence light, moving toward Chouhuai City at an incredible, almost unimaginable speed.

They were so fast, Liou Yuan’s eyes could only catch two blurred human figures.

"The Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jiangyang Prefecture are here!" Liou Yuan murmured quietly.

Before the words were barely out of his mouth, within just four or five breaths, those two Foundation Establishment cultivators had already soared into the air above Chouhuai City from afar.

Buzz! The city’s defensive array sensed the powerful arrivals and automatically activated, sending a red curtain rising up into the night sky.

Only now did Liou Yuan get a good look at the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

One was a female cultivator, appearing about thirty or so, dressed in a violet robe, its silken fabric flowing like water under the glow of the array. Her collar and sleeves were embroidered with intricate silver patterns that resembled ancient constellations, glimmering coldly as she moved.

Her black hair was swept up into a high bun, pinned in place by a violet crystal hairpin. The ornament was carved into the shape of a phoenix about to soar, the crystal so clear it looked like frozen flames.

A few loose strands framed her face, perfectly softening the striking lines of her otherwise icy features.

The other was an elderly monk.

He wore a simple taupe kasaya. The cloth was rustic, and the robe was patched all over in a crisscross pattern, each stitch even and neat.

Silver-white brows, like frost in winter, hung down on either side of the monk’s time-worn face.

He was dressed so plainly.

If Liou Yuan hadn’t been able to sense the Foundation Establishment-level waves rippling from that skinny frame, he would never have made the connection between this ordinary-looking old monk and a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

As Liou Yuan was sizing up the two Foundation Establishment cultivators—

The coldly-beautiful woman in violet took out a token and signaled toward the interior of Chouhuai City.

The newly risen array shield instantly opened a gap.

As the two Foundation Establishment cultivators slipped through the breach in the array and entered Chouhuai City,

Liou Yuan heard Zhao Feiyue’s voice by his ear.

"That’s the Violet-Robed True Person from Yanluo Sect, and Jiangyang Prefecture’s Honored Guest, Zen Master Du E."

Liou Yuan turned at her words and saw Zhao Feiyue—she must have come up onto the city wall when she saw the array’s commotion.

As the daughter of the Zhao Family Patriarch, she knew the names of every Foundation Establishment cultivator in Jiuli State or the Jin Dynasty with any reputation.

"Foundation Establishment from Yanluo Sect!" Liou Yuan caught the name of a familiar school in Zhao Feiyue’s sentences.

In Yanhe City, Mr. Wei was just an outer sect disciple from Yanluo Sect. That daughter of his, Wei Ying, by now probably ought to have joined too.

"This Yanluo Sect sure is tight with the Jin Dynasty," Liou Yuan mused.

Outer sect disciples from Yanluo Sect holding government posts like Mr. Wei’s in cities under Jin Dynasty’s rule was one thing.

But sending Foundation Establishment cultivators all the way out here when Chouhuai City was in trouble—that was no ordinary relationship.

Of course, now that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators had already entered Chouhuai City, with such frightening spiritual pressure, Liou Yuan didn’t dare ask more questions.

Instead, his gaze moved to Zen Master Du E.

"Jiangyang Prefecture’s Honored Guest, is this monk basically working for the imperial payroll?"

The old man, with his benevolent face, didn’t say a word, simply following quietly at the side of the Violet-Robed True Person.

After entering the city, the two of them headed straight for the government office.

They didn’t even glance at Liou Yuan and his two companions standing atop the wall.

Of course, as the two Foundation Establishment cultivators passed by, Liou Yuan’s trio didn’t dare be lax, and hurriedly paid their respects.

Even usually loudmouthed Qiu Ming was meek and quiet like a kitten.

"Holy crap, two Foundation Establishment in one go." Qiu Ming, clueless as always, watched the pair leave with shock on his face.

Liou Yuan and Zhao Feiyue didn’t bother explaining; knowing or not made no difference for this big oaf.

But two or three breaths later, Liou Yuan and Zhao Feiyue both heard Zhao Zhuoran’s voice in their ears.

"Lead the people out of the city—don’t come back in until the fight is over."

As soon as he finished, the red array screen of Chouhuai City opened a wide gap, just large enough for all the townsfolk to make their way out.

"Yes!" Liou Yuan and Zhao Feiyue answered in unison, exchanging a look. Both saw the seriousness in each other’s eyes.

They knew the big battle was about to begin.

"Hey, hey, hey! You two sure are something, flirting with each other under the cover of the array—what, you think I’m air?" Qiu Ming grumbled at the side, thinking they were secretly making eyes at each other again.

He’d overheard some gossip at the restaurant before, and had already convinced himself there was definitely something less-than-pure going on between Liou Yuan and Zhao Feiyue behind the scenes.

Zhao Feiyue just curled her lips faintly, not taking offense, and quipped back, "No wonder Mr. Liou always says Mr. Qiu is noisy."

"Shut up and get to work," Liou Yuan glared at him, not interested in further conversation.

He and Zhao Feiyue then left the wall and began rallying the Five Extremes Mountain disciples to protect Chouhuai City’s citizens, leading them out from the city gates.

Though Chouhuai City had been destroyed, tens of thousands still survived.

The people filed out in a long line, and it took nearly an hour for everyone to exit.

By then, it was well into the night.

When the last person stepped out of the city,

Buzz! The gap in the red array began to close.

The whole city became an empty shell.

Liou Yuan turned around, gazing through the array screen, and saw four streaks of spiritual light shooting up from the direction of the government office toward Lingjue Temple in the heart of the city.

No need to guess—they were Mr. Zhao and the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They were following the intelligence Liou Yuan had provided, heading for Lingjue Temple.

Liou Yuan, seeing this, tensed and clenched his fists, thinking to himself, "Four against one—whatever happens, don’t let that Star Evil get away."

With the Auspicious Star weakening the Star Evil, he wasn’t worried about the four Foundation Establishment cultivators losing.

What worried him was that Star Evil, the one that already had records left in the archives, might escape just like it did back when Qiou Daozi faced it.

Deep down, Liou Yuan just didn’t believe the city’s array could hold it in.