Although the members of Cloud Dragon Lower Court had somewhat anticipated this, their expressions still turned grim when they heard Yuan'an openly challenge Zhou Wuji.
Cloud Dragon Lower Court and Golden Leaf Temple had already agreed to a debate in August to determine who was superior.
It's only May, Golden Leaf Temple is already eagerly challenging Zhou Wuji.
Everyone in the Lower Court felt insulted. At this moment, cultivators from all factions would unite against this common enemy.
Zhou Wuji had anticipated the other party's move and was not surprised at all.
His reputation has recently spread far and wide. Even if the Pacification Office suppresses him, the Golden Leaf Temple must know about his achievements and must be somewhat wary of him.
Yuan'an rushed out, clearly a test from Golden Leaf Temple to gauge his martial arts prowess.
The surrounding crowd erupted in commotion.
Most people were filled with excitement. Cloud Dragon Lower Court was very famous, and Golden Leaf Temple had also become very well-known in recent years.
Everyone knows that Cloud Dragon Lower Court and Golden Leaf Temple have a conflict, but both sides have maintained a respectable relationship and have not actually turned against each other.
This public challenge from Yuan'an is not only aimed at Zhou Wuji, but also at the Golden Leaf Temple's challenge to the Cloud Dragon Lower Court.
Those who enjoy watching the drama never think it's too bad.
Everyone was curious: both Daoism and Buddhism received tribute from the imperial court, but which one was more powerful?
The average person's view is very simple and straightforward: whoever can fight better is more powerful!
Zhang Yun, Peng Yuzhen, and Jin Ying all looked at Zhou Wuji with expectant expressions.
Their sources of information differed, but they knew that Zhou Wuji had slain the chaotic soldiers with his sword, killed the Five Dragons Envoys, and nearly killed Chen Dalu with a single strike.
Just hearing about Zhou Wuji's battle record seems incredibly exaggerated and unreal.
They were also very curious about just how capable this Lower Court new Daoist priest had become.
Zhou Wuji remained silent in the face of Yuan'an's provocation. With the host, Yizhen, and others present, there was no need for him to speak.
Zhiyuan seasoned experience, Zhiyuan could see the thoughts of everyone around him, including Zhang Shiheng and Peng Yue, who all hoped that the Lower Court and Golden Leaf Temple would have a showdown.
It would be good to have a showdown in front of the powerful and influential people of Yunyang Prefecture, so that they could see how formidable the Lower Court was.
It's just that Golden Leaf Temple is disgusting. Knowing that Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship is superb, they still came to ask for martial arts instruction.
Golden Leaf Temple is a branch of Great Forest Temple, and its inherited martial art is the Vajra Palm, making them extremely skilled in fist and palm techniques.
Clearly, the other party is trying to take advantage.
Although Zhiyuan's martial arts skills were mediocre, he knew that the difference between a swordsman with a sword and one without one was enormous.
Even for First Rank expert, having a divine weapon or not makes a world of difference.
The idea of using fingers as swords is utter nonsense.
Zhiyuan said directly to Xinjue, "Swords and blades are dangerous; it's best not to fight to avoid damaging harmony."
Xinjue frowned slightly. Yuan'an had made it clear, Zhiyuan was cunning and insisted on describing the martial arts competition as a sword fight.
Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw fireworks above the distant city.
Zhou Wuji also heard faint sounds of fireworks and explosions behind him.
He turned around and saw bursts of fireworks flashing above the Yunyang Prefecture.
The fireworks were dimmed under the bright morning sunlight; only plumes of black smoke could be seen drifting slowly through the air with the wind...
Zhiyuan, Zhang Shiheng, and other experts were all facing the direction of the city, and they all saw the fireworks flashing in the sky.
Zhang Shiheng's face was gloomy, Zhiyuan and Xinjue, also looked solemn.
Although Prefect Peng Yue was proficient in breathing exercises and cultivating inner energy, he did not know Cultivation Method.
He could only vaguely see smoke above Yunyang Prefecture, but he had no idea what was happening.
He looked at Zhang Shiheng: "Admiral Zhang, something happened?"
" The Pacification Office issues a warning!"
Zhang Shiheng said coldly, "Your Excellency, the matter is urgent, I must take my leave."
Without waiting for Peng Yue to speak, he quickly descended the cliff, supporting himself with his knife.
The crowd was unaware of what had happened, and seeing Zhang Shiheng leave with a murderous aura, leaning on his sword, they were all somewhat alarmed and uneasy.
Zhou Wuji could see clearly from the cliff that the Pacification Office cavalry had raised a large cloud of dust on the main road.
He had a feeling that Chen Dalu would either be rescued or killed this time...
Commander Zhang Shiheng took away a large number of elite Ironclad Guard without saying a word, leaving behind Prefect Peng Yue.
Peng Yue was still unaware of what had happened and hesitated for a moment.
Xinjue Golden Leaf Temple said, "My lord, there is no need to worry. It must be something that happened to the Pacification Office. The Admiral will lead his men back and will surely be able to resolve the trouble."
Peng Yue felt relieved. He was actually worried that the Five Dragons Gang might suddenly rebel. If someone gathered a crowd to rebel and stormed into the prefectural city, then his job as prefect would be over.
If it's just the Pacification Office that's in trouble, then it's all Zhang Shiheng's problem, and has nothing to do with him.
Peng Yue didn't entirely trust the old monk either, so he looked at Zhiyuan, "What does the master think?"
Zhiyuan pondered for a moment and said, "No matter what happens, you should return to the government office as soon as possible to take charge."
"Master is absolutely right." Peng Yue suddenly realized that he had been a bit out of his mind. At this crucial moment, no matter where things went wrong, he had to return to the government office.
The Xinjue said warmly, "I don't know what happened yet. I've sent a few disciples to escort you, sir."
Peng Yue was very interested in the proposal, but it was too conspicuous for a prefect to have several monks as his attendants.
He summoned Chief Constable Li Yuanqing and, with a group of yamen runners and guards, hurriedly returned home.
The governor and the prefect both left in a hurry; even the most oblivious person would know that something serious had happened.
Everyone's family businesses were located in the prefectural city, so no matter what happened, they were all anxious to go back and check on the situation.
In no time, only the group from the Lower Court remained on the Dragon Sacrifice Platform; everyone else had left, leaving behind a mess.
Daoist Yizhen looked at Zhiyuan and asked, "Aren't we going to the prefectural city?"
Zhiyuan shook his head. "We are a Daoist sect, we only deal with demons and monsters causing trouble, and other matters are not our concern."
Daoist Yizhen disagreed, saying, "Abbot, Xinjue doesn't think so!"
"The monk's desires are not pure; let him be."
Zhiyuan other hand, was quite open-minded and had no interest in flattering Xinjue like Xinjue.
The Daoist community has its own responsibilities and its own authority. If it oversteps its bounds, it will become disliked.
Being too deeply entangled with the interests of various parties can bring happiness when making money, but misfortune when things go wrong.
Zhiyuan preferred to be more conservative; he disliked aristocratic Aristocratic Clan, and even more so the Zhang Household.
The Zhang Household's flamboyant behavior, which even the emperor feared, was definitely not a good thing.
Yizhen, however, was unwilling to give up this opportunity to prove himself. He said, "If the Demonic Sect really causes trouble, and we don't show ourselves, it will surely cause controversy."
"Regardless, maintaining order in the city is our duty."
"That's right, let's go take a look." Zhiyuan pondered for Yizhen moment and felt that Yizhen's words made sense.
The Lower Court could ignore the Zhang Household and stand idly by at this time, but that would incur the displeasure of the entire prefecture, which would be very detrimental to the Lower Court.
Zhiyuan led everyone into Yunyang Prefecture. The long street running through the city was bustling with people, and the order was clearly not affected.
When the group arrived at the gate of the Pacification Office, they saw a large number of Ironclad Guard, each carrying a sword and a bow, looking tense.
Zhiyuan has come all this way, we should at least go in and check on the situation.
He glanced at his entourage and said, " Yizhen and Wuji, come in with me. The rest of you, return to the Lower Court."
The group accepted the order and left.
Zhiyuan led Yizhen and Wuji into the Pacification Office. The guards all recognized Zhiyuan and dared not neglect him, so they hurriedly sent someone to report.
Soon, Li Fei, the centurion, came out to greet him, bowing respectfully from afar. "Master Zhiyuan, I did not know you were coming. Please come in."
"Something happened?" Zhiyuan asked. "Is it convenient?"
The Pacification Office was the emperor's private army, wielding immense power, and the cases they handled often involved a wide range of people.
Zhiyuan really didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Pacification Office.
"Master Xinjue and the others are also here. This is a major matter, and we are waiting for the Master to come and discuss it together."
Li Fei understood Zhiyuan meant; in fact, Zhiyuan didn't come, they would still have gone to invite him.
Zhiyuan nodded, as long as it's important business.
Zhou Wuji asked in a low voice, "Lord Centurion, has Chen Dalu run away?"
"Hmm," Li Fei glanced at Zhou Wuji with some surprise. This kid reacted quickly, guessing right away that it was related to Chen Dalu.
Zhou Wuji's expression also turned somewhat grim. He had a blood feud with the Five Dragons Gang, and now that Chen Dalu had escaped, the consequences would be dire!
He wasn't afraid of Chen Dalu. Although the other party was Sixth Rank martial artist, his cultivation had been greatly reduced without the mother Gu, so he posed little threat to him.
The key point is that Chen Dalu has someone behind him who can rescue people from the Pacification Office prison. Even if Zhang Shiheng is not at home, this person must be a formidable expert.
He cursed inwardly: The Pacification Office is truly incompetent. Zhang Shiheng even claims to be the number one expert in Yunyang, but he's a complete waste...
Zhiyuan's expression was also grim. Chen Dalu's individual martial arts skills were nothing special, but he was the leader of the Five Dragons Gang. If he escaped like this, who knew how many people he would incite to cause trouble? That would be a huge problem!
Li Fei didn't say anything more. He led the three of them to the North Courtyard of the Pacification Office, which was a prison specifically for detaining criminals.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw several corpses lying there, each one mutilated and in a gruesome state.
They were all wearing iron-colored robes, clearly belonging to the Pacification Office.
Bloodstains were everywhere—on the walls, the floor, and the gate.
The heavy iron gate inside the prison was also forcibly forced open, and the gate was visibly twisted and deformed...
Zhang Shiheng and Xinjue were standing at the door, inspecting something.
Hearing footsteps, Zhang Shiheng turned around and nodded slightly to Zhiyuan, but did not speak.
Zhiyuan walked closer and looked at the deformed iron gate. He asked, "Is someone breaking into the prison?"
Zhang Shiheng frowned and said, "I didn't expect Chen Dalu to have accomplices."
The tall and Xinjue said, "The newcomer's attack was fierce and violent; he should be a Fifth Rank martial arts master."
Zhang Shiheng nodded, agreeing with the Xinjue Xinjue's statement.
The guards at the prison were almost all killed with a single palm strike, their bodies shattered, demonstrating the ferocity of the opponent's palm force.
Only Fifth Rank martial arts master could possess such strength.
Zhiyuan silent. Things had turned out so badly. Zhang Shiheng was certainly going to be in trouble this time, but once Chen Dalu recovered, he would definitely take revenge on the Lower Court.
Zhang Yunfeng suggested in a low voice, "Admiral, Chen Dalu is seriously injured and can't go far. The most urgent task is to search the entire city..."
The Pacification Office's prison is no ordinary place; they haven't let Chen Dalu rest these past few days.
It wasn't just to interrogate Chen Dalu about the Five Dragons Gang; it was also to damage Chen Dalu's body, giving this Sixth Rank martial artist no chance to resist.
They never expected that someone would dare to break into the Pacification Office prison!
Zhang Yunfeng was terrified when Chen Dalu ran away; he was now more eager than anyone else to catch Chen Dalu.
Zhang Shiheng glanced coldly at Zhang Yunfeng. How could his nephew be so stupid as to order a city-wide lockdown and search?
Yunyang City has approximately 100,000 households and over one million people. There are also many Aristocratic Clan families with hundreds of doors and various secret passages and hidden chambers.
With Chen Dalu's martial arts skills, he doesn't even need anyone's protection. He can simply hide in an empty room, and who could find him in a short time?
Besides, if the other side dared to break into the prison, they must have made thorough preparations. By now, Chen Dalu might have already drifted downstream and disappeared somewhere.
Locking down cities and conducting searches serves no purpose other than disturbing residents and drawing criticism!
Zhang Yunfeng noticed that her uncle's expression was off, and awkwardly shut her mouth.
As everyone remained silent, Zhou Wuji suddenly raised his voice and said, "Admiral, Chen Dalu has most likely returned to Old Dragon Island. Perhaps we can find him if we go to Old Dragon Island now."
Before Zhang Shiheng could speak, Zhang Yunfeng sneered, " Old Dragon Island is already under our control. Chen Dalu should either hide in the city or run as far away as possible."
"Anyone could have guessed he might go to Old Dragon Island, how could Chen Dalu be that stupid!"
Zhang Shiheng glanced at Zhang Yunfeng and suddenly realized that compared to Zhou Wuji, his nephew wasn't so stupid after all...