Chapter 421: Gathering of the Swords
Jiang Yuebai hurriedly departed.
After parting ways with Chu Liang, she left the woman in the care of the Tang family and quickly set out to investigate. When she discovered that Chu Liang had been detained by the City Supervisory Division, she wasted no time and returned to Mount Shu without delay.
It only took her a moment of thought to guess Chu Liang's intentions.
Now that she had solid evidence, her only concern was that the city lord might try to use his influence to forcibly quash the matter into nothingness. However, she was confident that as long as an esteemed sect elder intervened, even the city lord, with all his authority and power, would be unable to meddle in matters concerning the immortal sects of the Divine Nine.
Although the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were merely sects, they held enough power to negotiate with the imperial family—the Xia Family. The idea that government officials could intimidate these immortal sects was nothing more than a fantasy.
In a way, these otherworldly cultivators acted as overseers beyond the law, like a sword hanging over the heads of government officials.
Although the Yu Dynasty had long attempted to control the actions of immortal sect cultivators, the most they could do was encourage them to communicate with the Imperial Supervisory Bureau and let the imperial court handle matters, rather than taking the law into their own hands to punish wrongdoers.
It was impossible to completely stop such actions.
After racing back to Mount Shu, she first went to Silver Sword Peak, only to find that Di Nufeng had yet to return.
There weren't many people at Mount Shu who were close to Di Nufeng. The first was Jiang Yuebai's teacher, who was currently in closed-door cultivation. The second person... was hard to track down, but fortunately, Jiang Yuebai remembered her teacher mentioning someone.
The Discipline Master, Tian Lingxin.
Few among the younger generation at Mount Shu knew that Di Nufeng had been raised by the Discipline Master. In truth, the Discipline Master was of the same generation as Chu Liang's grandmother, and therefore, of the same generation as Xu Hongqiu's great-grandmother. It was best not to dwell on the complexities of generations and titles too deeply.
When Jiang Yuebai arrived at the Hall of Discipline, the Discipline Master was already scolding someone, despite it being just dawn. This was her daily routine.
If a disciple from any peak violated the rules of Mount Shu, the Discipline Master wouldn't reprimand them directly. Instead, she would summon the peak master and give them a stern scolding. If a supervising elder or disciple in the Hall of Discipline wasn't meeting her standards, she'd call them in for a rebuke. She would even summon Venerable Wen Yuan for a scolding if he ever behaved improperly.
When the Discipline Master got angry, even Venerable Wen Yuan wouldn't dare talk back.
She always dressed in black, her hair meticulously tied back, and her eyes sharp as swords. Wherever her gaze fell, all of Mount Shu trembled.
However, Jiang Yuebai wasn't afraid of her. She was the kind of girl adored by elders, having grown up showered with their affection. Of course, it wasn't just the elders who loved her.
"What's the matter?" The Discipline Master, noticing Jiang Yuebai's sudden approach, set aside her current task and immediately focused on her.
"I have urgent news to report," Jiang Yuebai replied.
She then recounted what she and Chu Liang had discovered in Wu'an City, including how Chu Liang was now detained in the City Supervisory Division.
After listening to the story, the Discipline Master nodded calmly and said, "Don't worry."
With that, she stood up and led Jiang Yuebai out of the Hall of Discipline.
Upon arriving at the vast square on the Heaven-Reaching Peak, she raised her hand and sent out a jade talisman. In an instant, a beam of light shaped like a flying sword shot into the sky with a sharp whoosh!
Jiang Yuebai's eyes widened in surprise.
Jiang Yuebai followed closely beside the Discipline Master. Though her face remained calm, concern weighed heavily on her heart as she silently urged, "Chu Liang, you must be careful."
...
"Be careful, be careful," the bald giant whispered to his underlings as he leaned against the wall, "Don't wake up that fiend."
Everyone in the prison was resting on straw mats at this hour, and Chu Liang was no exception, lying alone on one. The bald giant, however, dared not sleep. He only allowed himself a bit of relaxation while Chu Liang was asleep.
If Chu Liang so much as turned over, the giant would immediately kneel again.
This bully, who had spent years tormenting others, had ample experience in being bullied, so he knew how to handle himself.
He had been channeling all his qi and blood to heal his injuries, and after most of the night had passed, he finally managed to stop the bleeding from his broken arm. But with his limited cultivation, regenerating the limb quickly was impossible. He could only let time do its work.
Just as he was about to catch his breath and perhaps doze off for a moment, a sudden explosion erupted beside him!
Boom—
The source of the explosion grazed past his eyes—it was an enormous fist, larger than his own head!
The prisoners in the cell were startled awake, and moments later, the clamor of battle echoed from outside. However, the noise quickly faded, suggesting that the prison guards of the City Supervisory Division had been swiftly brought under control.
The punch had shattered the enchanted formations on the wall, and a massive figure burst through. It turned out to be an actual enormous giant that was even taller than the cell itself.
His skin was an ashen gray, as if it were carved from solid rock, with muscles bulging like mountain ridges. His features resembled those of a rough, burly man, but they were far larger than those of an ordinary human.
As he lowered his head and scanned the tiny prisoners on the ground with wide eyes, he called out in a deep, resonant voice, "Advisor?"
The prisoners should have taken the chance to flee, but with the giant's gaze fixed on them, not a single one dared to move. They all trembled in silence.
The frail middle-aged man who had previously spoken to Chu Liang quickly stood up and said, "I'm here."
"Heh," the giant chuckled as he scooped the man up in one hand. "Let's move—reinforcements from the City Supervisory Division will be here any minute."
"Wait..." The middle-aged man, struggling against the giant's grip, managed to stretch out his arm and point at the bald man. "Take off his limbs."
"Huh?" The bald man was suddenly struck with terror.
Who would have thought that this middle-aged man, who had always been so submissive and never fought back when bullied, held such power?
He wanted to beg for mercy, but it was too late. In the presence of the giant, his pride in his physique and strength meant nothing. Without a word, the giant set the middle-aged man down, grabbed the fleeing bald man with one hand, and with a casual, effortless motion, tore off all his limbs, sending blood splattering everywhere!
The giant did it as easily as a child tormenting insects, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
The frail middle-aged man finally looked satisfied. Just as the giant was about to leave with him, the man pointed at Chu Liang, who had been silently watching the scene unfold. "Bring this brother with us too."
"Huh?" Chu Liang muttered.