Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 398 - 374: To Avoid Future Troubles, In a Moment of 100 Years [Vote for Monthly Ticket!]

To the north of Southern Pass Road, near the territory of Shangchuan Dao.

Splash!

A vast river appeared, and within it a small flat boat followed the currents. On the boat, a middle-aged scholar held a roll of letters in his palm facing upward. Immediately, the boat vanished, and the river disappeared.

Four figures landed on the ground.

Bai Ziyue, Zhu Xuanji, and Gongyang Yu steadied themselves and bowed to Gan Ziang, saying, "Thank you, Lord Gan, for saving our lives!"

The situation just now was indeed perilous.

When Yuan Lake Water Lord heard the words "Tianxin Sword Master," his eyes turned red with rage, almost vowing not to stop until he captured the three. Although the trio's backgrounds were notable, the Yuan Lake Water Lord, as the Min River Dragon Son-in-law, was even more esteemed.

Once captured, their fate would surely not be in their own hands.

Fortunately, Gan Ziang intervened.

"Yuan Lake Water Lord's actions were too outrageous; I naturally could not stand idly by," explained Gan Ziang to the three, respectfully returning their greeting. Though he considered the strength of Luo Fuzi, a sense of gravity weighed on his heart.

Such a dangerous man entering the Yuan Lake Water Palace and acting on the commands of Yuan Lake Water Lord heralded troubled times ahead for Southern Pass Road.

Gan Ziang looked at the three with a grave expression and advised, "This place is not safe to linger in. It would be wise for you three Daoist brothers to quickly return to Beihan Dao and report all that has occurred to the seniors at Yuan You Tongshen Palace."

"The grace of your rescue, my lord, we will never forget and will surely repay another day," they responded.

Knowing their predicament, Bai Ziyue and the others didn't linger for long conversations with Gan Ziang and turned into tunneling light, disappearing without a trace.

"Tianxin Sword Master's inheritance."

"Truly a stroke of good fortune."

Gan Ziang watched them leave, his eyes showing a hint of envy. It was, after all, an inheritance from a renowned Sword Immortal of the Immortal Qin Period. Even though Yuan Lake Water Lord had meddled and prevented Bai Ziyue and the others from silently prospering, returning to Yuan You Tongshen Palace might still pose some difficulties, but their gains would not be small.

With that thought, Gan Ziang shook his head, put away Jiang Xian's letter, took the Spring and Autumn Pen and wrote the character "Haste" in mid-air, then swiftly flew towards Zhen Nan Pass.

To the north.

Bai Ziyue, Zhu Xuanji, and Gongyang Yu rode side by side, with Gongyang Yu trembling the most, clearly yet to recover from his injuries. The silence of their swift travel felt heavy.

After a long silence, Gongyang Yu broke it, "Could it be that Yuan Lake Water Lord was crying 'thief' to cover his tracks?"

"Yuan Lake Water Lord has been the Min River Dragon Son-in-law for three hundred years, chosen from thousands of talents. He entered the Dragon Palace at the age of sixteen and started his cultivation at nineteen. Now at one hundred and twenty-seven years old, he has only cultivated for a hundred and eight years, switching midway from Nature Dao to Life Dao," Zhu Xuanji quietly recited Yuan Lake Water Lord's background.

Gongyang Yu fell silent immediately.

Such a clean and clear background made it impossible for him to have the capability to ignore Tianxin Sword Master's cave's arrays and take those inheritances and treasures without leaving a trace.

This suspicion was truly far-fetched.

"Do not overthink," said Bai Ziyue sternly. "Once we return to the palace, we will report everything just as it happened, and the elders will investigate."

Whether Tian Xinzi was playing tricks on the younger generation or someone else had a head start, this trip into Tian Xinzi's cave, returning empty-handed, had planted a seed of distrust among the three.

Or rather.

The three had come together because of the "Tianxin Sword Order," and under such circumstances, mutual suspicion was inevitable.

They traveled in silence.

Heading straight for Beihan Dao.

...

Inside the Yuan Lake Water Palace.

Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le entered hand in hand.

Boom!

The palace doors closed.

"Phew."

"This major hidden danger has finally been eliminated."

Lu Qingfeng sighed with relief, sat down at the table, and poured a cup of tea for both Ao Le and himself, gulping it down.

Ao Le also sat down and couldn't help but laugh, "Husband, you've really upset those three from Yuan You Tongshen Palace this time."

"Sneaking into my territory of Yuan Lake to steal treasures, they had this calamity coming."

In this world, those with virtue possess the treasures.

Bai Ziyue, Zhu Xuanji, and Gongyang Yu returned empty-handed, which only meant that fate did not favor them. Framing them was just a minor punishment for their surreptitious entry into the territory of Yuan Lake.

Moreover, the Min River Dragon Palace, Yuan You Tongshen Palace, and even the Nine Luminaries Extreme Fire Sect were adversaries, constantly clashing both inside and outside Qi Country. Lu Qingfeng felt no guilt about harming the cultivators of Yuan You Tongshen Palace.

"My husband's plan was brilliant, totally duping Gan Ziang and the others."

Ao Le sipped her tea, laughing continuously.

Seeing Lu Qingfeng masterfully orchestrating everything, even Ao Le, who was in on the plan, was almost deceived, not to mention others.

"We should never underestimate the people of this world," she said.

"But today's battle is enough to clear any suspicions off me."

Lu Qingfeng had died unexpectedly in mid-journey in several past lives, so he did not dare to be overconfident. At one point, he even considered leaving treasures like the Nine Palace Star Plate or the Green Origin Pearl inside the empty Tian Xinzi's cave.

This would make those who entered the cave willingly take the blame, and he could benefit from their misfortune.

But considering the unfathomable depths of the Immortal Qin Realm, he ultimately refrained.

Just clearing his name was trouble enough.

And this scheme was multi-faceted—

For one, it extricated him from the remnants

Bai Ziyue and two others collided head-on, and Lu Qingfeng naturally took advantage of the situation.

Even better, Lu Qingfeng did not detain the trio or kill them. Instead, he naturally let them go, thereby solidifying the matter further.

Once the trio returned to Yuan You Tongshen Palace, explanations were inevitably needed.

It was unlikely that anyone, whether inside Yuan You Tongshen Palace or outside, would believe that they came back empty-handed.

Indefensible, that's what it was.

Secondly, it created an image of Bai Ziyue and his comrades as harmless, somewhat naive, which would reduce many troubles in the future.

Provoking others would require no substantial reason—

Why should a naïve person explain his actions to anyone!

And then, the third point.

Luo Fuzi's display of power served as a precursor to the cleaning up of a vast stretch of demons over a hundred thousand miles. After that battle, it was expected that no demon would dare stay within those hundred thousand miles. Yuan Lake Water Palace could be taken without a single soldier, preserving military and financial resources while also concealing the true strength of Yuan Lake Water Palace.

Fourthly, having acquired relics and treasures of a Fifth Realm power from the Immortal Qin Period within both Min River and Yuan Lake jurisdictions, Yuan You Tongshen Palace would inevitably attract trouble, which also provided a pretense for future confrontations between Min River and Yuan You Tongshen Palace.

Of course,

it was a situation of achieving multiple things at once.

Nevertheless, the most important was the first point—

Thoroughly disentangling Lu Qingfeng from the inheritance of Tian Xinzi.

"My husband's suspicions are cleared, and my father would pummel his chest in his grief if he knew," Ao Le couldn't help but laugh.

"Father,"

Lu Qingfeng looked westward, thinking of his father-in-law in the Dragon Palace, and he couldn't help but laugh.

…

The battle at Southern Pass Road shook all directions.

Most notably among them were Bai Ziyue, Zhu Xuanji, and Gongyang Yu from Yuan You Tongshen Palace.

They infiltrated the territory governed by Yuan Lake, seized the relics and inheritance of Immortal Qin Qi Cultivator Tian Xinzi, fought fiercely with Yuan Lake Water Palace, and were finally rescued by South Pass Road Inspector Gan Ziang. The news spread from Southern Pass Road throughout Qi Country, even reaching the Demon Swamp in the south.

Attention from all corners converged on Yuan You Tongshen Palace.

The Min River Dragon Lord, unable to contain his fury, sought them out and battled Daoist Xuan Jue of Yuan You Tongshen Palace fiercely for three days and nights, fighting from the skies in the Gang Wind Layer down to the Nine Layers Abyss.

Only then did they cease and return to Min River.

Beyond this event, Luo Fuzi, who had recently joined Yuan Lake Water Palace, demonstrated immense strength by annihilating enemies in all directions.

Initially, his killing of the Tianxuan Demon was known only locally in Southern Pass Road within Qi Country.

This time, his fame spread instantly across Qi Country.

Consequently, Yuan Lake Water Palace, taking advantage of this moment with Luo Fuzi as their leader, swept across a hundred thousand miles. Yuan Lake Water Palace, which had lain low for a century, finally demonstrated its might with Luo Fuzi's arrival.

Time passed.

With Luo Fuzi at the helm, Yuan Lake Water Palace controlled its vast territory unchallenged.

Peace prevailed, and a hundred years flickered by.

…

In the inner hall of Min River Dragon Palace.

Min River Dragon Lord sat at the head with Minister Turtle beside him, and a white-robed swordsman sat cross-legged below—his posture straight as a soaring sword.

It was indeed Luo Fuzi.

"Time rushes by; a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"If my memory serves me right, after today, the time Luo Fuzi promised to aid my son-in-law Guang Yuan would have passed," Min River Dragon Lord's voice boomed as he looked at Luo Fuzi.

"Correct."

"It is indeed tomorrow at the hour of Hai."

Luo Fuzi stated indifferently.

His nature was to honor his promises and cherish the sword. Apart from his promises and the Sword Dao, nothing else could capture his attention or stir his emotions.

Even the promises were only meant to keep his mind unencumbered, allowing him to focus single-mindedly on advancing his sword skills.

A simplistic character made it easier for Lu Qingfeng to control him, preventing complications from arising due to a more complex disposition.

"Haha."

"My friend remembers clearly."

The Dragon Lord laughed heartily. After a century of knowing Luo Fuzi, he did not beat around the bush or test him but asked directly, "Now that the term has ended, would you consider officially joining Min River Dragon Palace? If you agree, any Fourth Grade Divine Position within Min River is yours to choose from."

In the past hundred years, although Luo Fuzi appeared to serve Lu Qingfeng, since revealing his Third Realm invincible combat abilities in that battle a hundred years ago, Min River Dragon Lord had frequently borrowed him, increasingly so over time.

Throughout those hundred years,

Luo Fuzi spent far less time in Yuan Lake than he did being utilized by Min River Dragon Lord.

Min River Dragon Lord greatly valued Luo Fuzi, having offered multiple times to take him as his direct disciple, unfortunately being refused each time. Now, with the hundred-year term ending and without mishaps, Luo Fuzi would leave, severing ties with both Yuan Lake Water Palace and Min River Dragon Palace, prompting Min River Dragon Lord to inquire one last time.

"I would not."

"I do not favour restrictions."

Luo Fuzi declined without a second thought.

Lu Qingfeng already possessed a Fourth Grade Divine Position; acquiring another was not largely beneficial, and official recognition could risk exposure.

In fact,

Lu Qingfeng had originally intended for this split of his, 'Luo Fuzi,' to safeguard Yuan Lake while continuing his cultivation and refining personal constraints to enhance his power.

But it all ended up disrupted by Min River Dragon Lord.

Ordered to fight wherever pointed, though this enriched his combat experience and he gained much from these battles, his cultivation had been delayed.