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Chapter 548: Chapter 544: Arrival
Jiaoyang City.
One of the Outer Ring Thirty-Six Cities.
A group of more than ten people rode a Flying Boat and landed outside this city, switching to walking.
If Gu Jinlai were here, he would definitely be able to recognize it immediately.
The leader was none other than Bai Yuxin, the master of Bai Ze Palace who had originally planned to turn him into a Dao Mark in Qingyang Valley.
By her side was another Void Immortal of Bai Ze Palace, Bai Muling, along with a group of Saint Realm experts.
To elevate from Saint to Void Immortal Realm, one must guide the Great Dao of heaven and earth with one’s own Dao, which would draw upon a Heavenly Tribulation.
This stage was trivial for those who owned vast lands and possessed rich resources like the Great Sect Elders, as they could cultivate a Thunder Origin Divine Body among other methods to minimize the damage from the Heavenly Tribulation.
Like the Holy Dynasty Royal Family, or the Six Great Grotto Heavens, even though nearly all resources were procured through exploitation of external forces, the ratio of Saints to Void Immortals was still an astonishing ten to one.
Yet, as a force dependent on the Aries Star Lord, Bai Ze Palace, despite dwelling at the periphery of the Immortal Country, had to act cautiously; maintaining the scope of two Void Immortals over the years was reliant solely on the legacy left from before, and over ninety percent of Saints couldn’t receive any special treatment at the moment of their Tribulation.
In such a scenario, the only Void Immortals they could deploy were Bai Yuxin and Bai Muling.
"Although the Holy Dynasty falls far behind the Immortal Country... especially the recent years with the assistance of external forces, thanks to the propaganda spread before the collapse of the Holy Land, by deceiving and incorporating many forces who believed they could serve as the second defense line against the Devils, many strong individuals were born, including six Supreme Void Immortals with combat power comparable to True Immortals. I think, for this mission, we should first inform the Holy Dynasty Royal Family to avoid any misunderstandings," Bai Muling said.
"Inform? What is there to inform? And in what capacity shall we inform them?"
Bai Yuxin shook her head, "The Holy Dynasty and the Immortal Country are far from harmonious! The Immortal Country has always wanted to meddle in the affairs of the Holy Dynasty, aiming to tap into the vast Spiritual Mechanism Power of its four billion people, but the Holy Dynasty fears their rulership might be influenced and would never forgive once discovered, so we must proceed in secret with our search for Gu Jinlai."
"Having some new faces of Void Immortals and Saints in the Holy Dynasty, it probably won’t take long before we are noticed, which would make it easier to cause misunderstandings," Bai Muling continued.
"As long as we move quickly enough, by the time the Holy Dynasty realizes what we are doing, we will have already captured Gu Jinlai and called upon the Aries Star Lord to descend. By then, it will not matter if the people of the Holy Dynasty do not show up, if they do, they will have to submit to the grand presence of His Majesty the Aries Star Lord!" Bai Yuxin’s eyes flashed with sharp light.
After a moment of contemplation, Bai Muling nodded, "Correct, we need to act without delay... Upon our arrival, we noticed a Sect just outside the city. Judging by the scale of the Sect, it’s feared there might be a Martial King, or even a Deva in charge; we should take control of this Sect covertly and then reach out to their backing forces to help us search for Gu Jinlai!"
"A sound plan. Gu Jinlai himself is not weak in Cultivation. By the local standards, he might be at the level of a Martial King; such a person wouldn’t just be an unknown nobody," Bai Yuxin remarked as the group quickly headed to a small town three hundred miles outside the city.
This small town housed a Sect called Mountain Sword Sect, led by Yang Kaishan, a Peak Martial King, with several other Martial King experts in the Sect.
And they had significant ties with the Liu family, a major power in Jiaoyang City.
Yet to Bai Yuxin and Bai Muling, neither Yang Kaishan, a Peak Martial King, nor the entire Liu family were worth mentioning.
The group, leaving behind some Saints to seal off the area, led by Bai Yuxin and Bai Muling, directly approached Mountain Sword Sect and swiftly subdued Yang Kaishan and several leading Martial Kings with crushing force.
Throughout the process, the Martial Kings did not have the slightest ability to resist.
Even... 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
On sensing the terrifying Qi from the two, they did not dare to resist.
In the hall, Yang Kaishan, trembling with fear, looked at the two fairy-like figures and mustered his courage, "May I know where Mountain Sword Sect has offended the two of you..."
"I need you, and the Liu family behind you, to help us with a task. If you do it well, you will be handsomely rewarded," Bai Yuxin said indifferently.
Yang Kaishan was initially shocked, then he sighed with relief.
He thought as much; with his status, how could he possibly provoke such formidable beings likely at the level of Void Immortals.
"Please give your orders, as long as our Mountain Sword Sect can manage, we will do our utmost," Yang Kaishan quickly responded.
"Good, I hope you are wise. We are also working for another powerful individual, and if word leaks out, not only you and your Liu family but even the Six Great Grotto Heavens of the Holy Dynasty won’t be able to protect you," Bai Yuxin said.
These words made Yang Kaishan’s pupils constrict.
An existence that even Void Immortals must address as a powerful individual?!
Could it be...
For a moment, the Peak Martial King trembled slightly and promptly promised, "Yes..."
"I need you to mobilize all your forces to search for a person named Gu Jinlai. His power is not weak, and if you search carefully, you should be able to find some clues..."
"Gu Jinlai?!"
Yang Kaishan let out a sudden cry of surprise.
"Hmm!?"
Quickly realizing something, Bai Muling sternly asked, "You know this person!?"
"I... I do... I just don’t know if this Gu Jinlai is the same person you speak of..."
Yang Kaishan said and immediately added, "This Gu Jinlai appeared suddenly in our Holy Dynasty about a year ago, rose rapidly, and as of today, has been appointed as the Outer Ring Thirty-Six City Inspector..."
"A year ago!?"
Bai Yuxin quickly matched up the timeline, then waved her hand ethereally, and a projection materialized: "Could this be him!?"
"Yes! It’s him! It’s him! It’s definitely him!"
Yang Kaishan’s eyes flashed with a hint of fear, "He is Gu Jinlai!"
Then, it seemed he thought of something. Could these people...
be enemies of Gu Jinlai!?
He quickly said, "Ever since Gu Jinlai was appointed as the Outer Ring Thirty-Six City Inspector, he has been oppressing and extorting in the Outer Ring Thirty-Six Cities, committing all manner of evil deeds, killing countless people. In just under three months, at least thousands of experts and prominent families in the Outer Ring Thirty-Six Cities have been cruelly harmed or killed by him for various reasons. His actions are simply outrageous..."
"Outer Ring Thirty-Six City Inspector? Committing all manner of evil deeds in the Outer Ring Thirty-Six Cities?"
Bai Yuxin was somewhat surprised. She subtly glanced at Bai Muling and telepathically said, "It seems Gu Jinlai has improved quite a bit over this year, and is also highly valued by the Holy Dynasty. It’s good that we haven’t rashly contacted the Holy Dynasty, otherwise..."
Bai Muling also felt somewhat relieved, "It looks like we need to be even more careful in our actions from now on."
At this time, Yang Kaishan spoke again, "Gu Jinlai has been exploiting and oppressing, city by city. To date, a total of twenty-nine cities in the Outer Ring have suffered under his tyranny! Although many people have fled to the Inner Ring or hidden outside the cities, their properties have been completely confiscated. The people have long suffered under Gu Jinlai. Calculating the time, in another day or two, Gu Jinlai will probably have purged our Jiaoyang City too. If you esteemed lords truly come to oppose Gu Jinlai, our Mountain Sword Sect, and even the Liu family behind me, are willing to offer our utmost effort!"
"Oh?"
Bai Yuxin looked at Yang Kaishan, quite taken aback.
Yang Kaishan also looked expectantly at Bai Yuxin.
The ones called ’esteemed personages’ by a Supreme Void Immortal...
Ninety percent of them are True Immortals.
Only a True Immortal can fight another True Immortal.
He and the Liu family behind him couldn’t bear to just run away and let decades of establishment be washed away like running water.
Moreover, even if they ran, they might not be able to escape.
If these two Supreme Void Immortals’ illustrious backers are indeed willing to intervene against Gu Jinlai...
He and the Liu family, while preserving the Liu family’s Fire Seed, would truly be willing to take the risk.
After all, too many have already fled the Outer Ring, leaving many places in Jiaoyang City an empty zone of influence. If the Mountain Sword Sect and the Liu family could seize this opportunity to take them over, the benefits would be unimaginable.
"You’re saying Gu Jinlai will be arriving in Jiaoyang City in a day or two?"
Bai Yuxin suddenly asked.
"Yes!"
Yang Kaishan nodded emphatically, "He might even arrive tomorrow, which is why half of the big shots in Jiaoyang City have already fled. Those remaining are either lucky to survive or too reluctant to abandon their ancestral foundations."
"Tomorrow? Good, then we will wait for him at your Mountain Sword Sect."
As Bai Yuxin spoke, she transmitted her voice directly, "Seal off the Mountain Sword Sect and also, do not just take his word for it; send someone to investigate the general situation of Gu Jinlai in the city."
"Yes."
Outside, a Saint’s response came quickly.
"Be careful, Gu Jinlai seems to have a close collusion with the upper echelons of the Holy Dynasty; do not startle the snake by hitting the grass."
Bai Yuxin instructed gravely.
The Saint acknowledged and soon left.
And the news about Gu Jinlai did not even need detailed scrutiny.
In just half a day, news had already returned.
In Jiaoyang City, the nobility saw Gu Jinlai as a devil, wishing nothing more than to kill him quickly.
The common people, however, saw him as a clear sky, eagerly awaiting his arrival.
And...
Just as the Saint had found out, Gu Jinlai was indeed about to arrive at Jiaoyang City very soon.
Some of his subordinates had already arrived in advance, taking over the city defenses of Jiaoyang City.
This was also why the Saint had hurried back.
"Heaven helps us too."
As Bai Yuxin heard the Saint report, she could not help but show an ecstatic expression, "Quick, set up the Descent Array at the Mountain Sword Sect! Call upon His Majesty the Great Aries Star Lord, his Dao Mark has appeared!"
But at this moment, the Saint hesitated a bit, "Palace Master, apart from this news, I’ve also heard a folk rumor... Gu Jinlai... is extremely powerful, said to have slain a Demon God."
"Slain a Demon God?"
Bai Yuxin was startled.
Immediately, she couldn’t help but laugh, "A year ago, Gu Jinlai was just a mere Peak Martial King, and now a year has passed, and you tell me he has slain a Demon God?"
"It’s mentioned in several places..."
The Saint hesitated, "Do you think we should wait a bit longer, get a clearer picture of the detailed intelligence before making a move?"
"We can wait, but His Majesty cannot."
Bai Yuxin scoffed coldly, "Besides, even if he truly did slay a Demon God, so what? How powerful is His Majesty’s True Body in the Spirit Realm? Once he descends, even if Gu Jinlai is a true Demon God, he will have only one way to go, which is death!"
Upon hearing this, the Saint eventually had absolute confidence in the Aries Star Lord, an ancient existence who ruled the world a thousand years ago, and immediately nodded heavily, "We will set up the Array at once, and invite His Majesty the Great Aries Star Lord to descend."
