Wang Ping was no hot-blooded youth. He glanced back at his master, Yu Cheng Taoist, who remained calm. Then, he said to Hu Qianqian and Guangxuan, "Don’t act rashly." With that, he activated the Spirit Gathering Array on his right wrist and shot up above the clouds at top speed.

Just as the air grew thin, Wang Ping halted. Looking toward Shang’an Prefecture, he saw eight Entering Cultivators with the projected insignia of the Daoist Scripture Hall above their heads in pursuit of five Taiyin Cultivators. Two of the Taiyin Cultivators were at the Second Realm, while the remaining three were at the First Realm.

The leader of the group from the Daoist Scripture Hall was Dan Chen. His method of attack was peculiar: he used a Pill Furnace, blazing with fire, to smash the Evil Cultivators. This was the most common method used by Upper Dan Sect Cultivators. Although it looked neither elegant nor graceful, its power was surprisingly great—terrifying, even.

The chase was about to spill into the territory of Shang’an Prefecture. From the five Evil Cultivators’ escape route, it was clear they intended to flee to the sea through Shang’an Prefecture, escaping the bounds of Nanlin Road.

"These people have a clear objective. This must be a pre-planned escape route. They might even have someone waiting for them at sea." After muttering this to himself, Wang Ping took Yu Lian, concealed themselves within the Wood Spirit Qi, and flew rapidly toward the north of Shang’an Prefecture City.

Dan Chen had called him out by name. As the one in charge of Shang’an Prefecture, it would be hard to justify not taking action.

「Half an hour later.」

Wang Ping collided head-on with the five fleeing Evil Cultivators. Or, to be precise, his twenty Golden Armor Soldiers collided with them. The two Second Realm Cultivators on the other side paid Wang Ping no mind at all. They simply directed the specially refined Corpse Soldiers following them to charge forward, and then—BOOM!

They had decisively used the Corpse Soldiers to self-destruct. These were Corpse Soldiers specially refined by Second Realm Taiyin Cultivators to serve as Magical Artifacts. The energy storm kicked up by their self-destruction not only blocked the Golden Armor Soldiers’ interception but also caused half of the soldiers to lose their energy supply, vanishing in a streak of light.

Meanwhile, they used the blast’s propulsive force to fly even faster toward the sea.

Wang Ping didn’t give chase. One of the three First Realm Evil Cultivators was charging toward him, also intending to self-destruct. The other two charged toward the pursuers behind them, with the same intention.

’These lunatics!’

Wang Ping glanced at the land below, which had been completely ravaged by the Corpse Soldiers’ self-destruction, and at the small town situated upon it. The seven longswords at his side, long since impatient, streaked across the sky. The offensive power of the Seven-Star Killing Array instantly shredded the incoming Taiyin Evil Cultivator, preventing him from self-destructing.

The blood that spattered from his body was insignificant against the vast sky. Wang Ping couldn’t understand his actions. He was an Entering Cultivator, after all, with over a hundred years of cultivation, yet he had thrown it all away.

Looking up, he gazed into the distance... Of the other two Evil Cultivators, one had been smashed into a bloody pulp by Dan Chen’s Pill Furnace, his Qi Sea undoubtedly destroyed. The other was swarmed by various attacks and likewise didn’t get the chance to self-destruct.

After dealing with these three, neither Wang Ping nor Dan Chen and his group pursued the two fleeing Evil Cultivators. It was no longer necessary.

With a flick of his finger, Wang Ping sent out a wisp of Wood Spirit Qi to cleanse the Netherworld Aura left on the land below from the Corpse Soldiers’ explosion. Only then did he cup his fist to Dan Chen from a distance and say, "Fellow Daoist, you’ve caused quite a commotion today."

He remained appropriately on guard.

Dan Chen noticed Wang Ping’s wariness. He put away his Pill Furnace and glanced back at the farmlands, villages, and forests destroyed during the chase. A flash of guilt crossed his face as he said, "A pity we couldn’t catch the two ringleaders."

After saying this, he whispered a few words to the people beside him. His fellow Cultivators then cupped their fists to Wang Ping in a salute before flying off toward Jinhuai Prefecture.

"Speaking of which, this matter has something to do with you, Fellow Daoist."

"Me?"

Wang Ping found this incredible.

Dan Chen nodded. Moving closer to Wang Ping, he pointed at a nearby mountain peak and said, "Let’s go over there to talk."

Wang Ping also put away his Sword Talisman and Soldier Talisman. The two then landed silently on a nearby peak. Gazing at the distant, faintly visible Shang’an Prefecture City, Dan Chen said, "Wenhai Daoist was investigating the attack on you and somehow managed to find an Evil Cult’s lair. We had already drawn up an encirclement plan, but just as I expected, the news was leaked, and the biggest fish got away."

"This..."

Wang Ping was at a loss for words. After a few moments of silence, he said frankly, "I thought the ones who attacked me were disciples of Wulang Taoist."

Dan Chen was even more direct. "They were indeed his disciples. They’ve always had murky dealings with Evil Cultivators."

Once again, Wang Ping didn’t know how to respond.

Dan Chen paid no mind to Wang Ping’s thoughts. He gazed at the bustling Shang’an City and continued, "Cooperating with Evil Cultivators isn’t such a big deal, especially when it’s tied to ascending to the Fourth Realm. I wouldn’t even be surprised to learn they were plotting to sacrifice the tens of millions of people in the Southern Four Roads."

He spoke with detachment, yet for some reason, his words held a peculiar sort of worldly wisdom.

Hearing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but nod. "Will there be any follow-up to this?" he asked.

"There won’t be. This has been messy enough. A whole street in Jinhuai Prefecture City was destroyed. The Lord is probably displeased. All he wants is peace under heaven right now."

Dan Chen’s tone was full of sarcasm toward the Lord. Then, changing the subject, he said, "I saw you were asking about when the Holy Heart Grass in Hu Mountain Country matures. It should be ready next autumn. I still have some say in the Upper Dan Sect, so I can spare you two stalks then."

"What do you want in return?"

Wang Ping asked. Two stalks of Holy Heart Grass were enough to refine half a vial of Sacred Heart Pills. While not enough for him to completely digest the locust tree’s soul, having these two stalks as a foundation would make his future trip to Hu Mountain Country a bit simpler.

"What I want is simple. Your Qianmu Temple has some influence over the Court’s affairs. If the Emperor ever has a brain fart and decides to attack the Northern Country, I need you to let me know. There’s something I need to do."

Dan Chen added, "Don’t worry. What I need to do has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Alright, deal!"

This was a deal Wang Ping couldn’t lose. If the Court really were to send troops against the north, he would know at most a month in advance. It was just a one-month heads-up.

"In that case, farewell..."

After saying this, Dan Chen cupped his fist to Wang Ping and silently rose into the air.

As Wang Ping watched Dan Chen’s departing figure, Yu Lian floated up beside him and said, "He’s the same type of person as Taishan. He’s just better at hiding it."

"That’s because the Six Heart Sect isn’t backing him."

With that, Wang Ping also submerged himself in the Wood Spirit Qi and flew quickly toward Qianmu Temple.

「Crisis averted...」

Everything returned to normal. Hu Qianqian and Guangxuan left one after the other.

Wang Ping didn’t go back to his design blueprints. He suddenly felt like brewing some tea and resting for a bit. The water had just boiled when an acolyte came to report that Zuo Xuan had arrived.

"I’d like to borrow your precious land to attempt my breakthrough," Zuo Xuan stated his purpose directly.

"Where do you have in mind?"

"The place where the Taiyin Qi gathers. My Cultivation Technique is heavily yin-aligned."

"Fine. It’s not like anyone’s over there anyway."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"

"You seem quite confident."

"Yes. The Blood Pill I unexpectedly obtained is very important to me. Originally, I only had a ten to twenty percent chance of success. With the Blood Pill, that increases by another ten percent. If I can also borrow your precious land, Fellow Daoist, I might be able to increase my chances by another ten percent."