Wayfarer

Chapter 758: An Unjust Cause

In a hall in Hongyue's capital, a palm technique shot toward Lou Yujing, seated on a draconic throne.

"Please calm down, Saint!" Lou Yujing exclaimed.

Badly wounded, the saint's avatar didn't have much strength. Lou Yujing was able to defend against his attack readily.

Tu Jiuniang and Tu Siniang fretted anxiously by the side of the hall. "Please calm down, Saint! Please!"

They wanted to hold him back, but didn't dare interfere.

"Calm down? And how do you expect me to calm down? My main body has been sealed. I can't call on heavenly law any longer! You've ruined me!" the saint's avatar roared.

"Saint, I've been supporting you to the best of my ability. You devised the plan with Tang Zhengqi yourself, and I did as you instructed. Even my ancestral zombie avatar has been badly hurt because of you. When have I harmed you? If there's anyone to blame, it's Tang Zhengqi," Lou Yujing asserted.

"Where is he? Where's Tang Zhengqi?" the saint's avatar demanded.

"He ran off. No one knows where he is now," Lou Yujing replied.

"Is Tang Zhengqi Xiao Nanfeng's spy? He must be!" the saint's avatar suddenly roared.

"That's the only explanation for this series of events." Lou Yujing nodded.

"How could you not have known that he was Xiao Nanfeng's spy? You even made him the Minister of Rites! Lou Yujing, you did this intentionally, didn't you?!"

Lou Yujing shook his head. "To be honest, Saint, Tang Zhengqi was never part of my inner circle. When I sent a delegation to you, you killed all the important officials of my Department of Rites, leaving only him and his subordinates unscathed. Because you deliberately praised Tang Zhengqi, we believed that Tang was your subordinate. That was why we appointed him Minister of Rites. Siniang and the others have long suspected that something was wrong with Tang Zhengqi and tried to argue against him several times, but you continued to trust him because of his flattery. There was nothing we could do."

Tu Siniang sighed in relief. She had finally cleared her name, but at what cost? The saint's avatar was still fuming mad, and she didn't dare draw attention to herself.

"How could I have let Tang Zhengqi trick me? No!" the saint roared.

Lou Yujing said nothing, but he was inwardly very happy. He disdained Saint Chi Hai's love of flattery and belief in his self-importance. That was his fatal flaw. If Tang Zhengqi hadn't taken advantage of him now, someone else would have done so in the future. He had survived for so long largely because no ordinary person would dare try; only Xiao Nanfeng, backed by Yu Fuli, dared to take advantage of this exploit.

"Hunt down Tang Zhengqi. I'll crush him! I'll pulverize his corpse and destroy his soul and body!" the saint's avatar howled.

"I think you ought to figure out how to rescue your main body first, Saint," Lou Yujing replied.

"You're right. My main body is more important," the saint murmured.

"Where is it?" Lou Yujing asked.

"It's trapped in a cauldron. I can sense that the cauldron is moving rapidly."

"In other words, it's likely being sent to the Imperial Court. We still have a chance to save it right now, but not after it ends up in Yu Fuli's hands. You had better contact the other saints you know to help."

"I've already done so."

"You have other avatars?" Lou Yujing exclaimed in surprise.

The saint snorted. "Evidently!"

Deep within a forest, Saint Chi Hai's avatar rapped at the void. The void rippled to reveal a towering palace formed of light, within which a man was playing around with a group of women.

"Chi Hai? What brings you here?" the man exclaimed.

"I'm in trouble. Yu Fuli has caught my main body, and I need your help saving it. Here's my spiritual trace," Chi Hai said urgently.

"Oh?" The man focused.

He waved an arm, and the women around him retreated.

Saint Chi Hai recounted what had happened to date.

The man claimed Saint Chi Hai's spiritual trace. A pillar of blue light manifested from him and pierced into the heavens. The light infused tremendous energy into his body; he pinched his fingers as if calculating something.

"Have you found it?" Chi Hai asked.

"I have. A group of cultivators are escorting your cauldron to the Eastern Gate of the Sieve of Heaven. They're on their way."

"Hurry and reclaim it for me! You just have to open up that cauldron," Chi Hai exclaimed.

The man shook his head. "I won't. It's clearly a trap."

"What? Why not? What trap?"

"Yu Fuli must be aware that your main body has been caught. He can easily fish you into the Imperial Court. The reason he chose not to do so but instead to have the cauldron be conveyed across thousands of miles—can't you see?"

"I, but—"

"I can't save your main body because Yu Fuli is surely eyeing the escort. He can fish the cauldron away at any time and attack me simultaneously. I don't want to expose myself, not even as an avatar. I'm not prepared to attack him just yet."

"What about me, then? I've been caught!" Chi Hai shouted anxiously.

"You asked for it. Why did you reveal yourself? The heavens have already intimated that Yu Fuli will be killed soon enough. Why didn't you wait?"

"I—"

Chi Hai gritted his teeth. How foolish he was! If only he could have gone back in time and slapped himself. Why did he have to take on Xiao Nanfeng? He was just causing more trouble for himself!

"I can tell you where this cauldron is located, but I won't make a move myself," the man reiterated.

"What am I going to do about my main body, then?!"

"Who knows? It might just survive unscathed."

"How can that be? Yu Fuli has wanted to kill me for a long time!"

"So be it, then. Blame yourself for being unlucky. Once you die, the heavens will just elect a new saint."

"Won't you save me? I'll promise you anything, anything!"

"I don't want to die. Don't waste time here. If you have so much energy, go seek out other saints and hope for the best." The man shook his head.

"No! You can't just leave me in the lurch. The heavens will hold you accountable!" Chi Hai exclaimed.

The man glanced at him disdainfully, then waved a hand. The void flashed, and he vanished from sight.

"You can't just ignore me!" Chi Hai's avatar roared.

He knew that the other saints would only treat him the same way. He might very well be done for.

In the imperial study in Hongyue's capital, Lou Yujing was going over a series of edicts when a howling wind blew by. The saint's avatar barged into his study.

"Guard His Majesty!" a group of guards shouted from outside.

"I'm alright," Lou Yujing called out. "Leave me be!"

"Understood!" The guards returned to their positions.

"Saint Chi Hai, what are you still doing here? Haven't you gone to request aid from the other saints?" Lou Yujing asked.

"Before that cauldron reaches the Imperial Court, accompany me to retrieve my main body. Inform all the Boundless Immortals among your subordinates. Hurry!" Chi Hai urged.

"Are the other saints unwilling to help?"

"Just obey my commands! You were the one who requested that I help you take down Xiao Nanfeng. Now that I've been trapped, are you going to ignore me? I'll take you down even if it costs me my life!" Chi Hai roared.

"This is a trap, isn't it? Yu Fuli will attack us the moment we show ourselves," Lou Yujing murmured.

Chi Hai frowned. Was Lou Yujing aware of this, too?

"Will you go or not?" Chi Hai gritted out.

"Of course I will, Saint. I can hardly leave you be, but none of us have any respectable treasures to our name. I know you have plenty. Would you loan them to us for the time being? It'll allow us to assist you better, at the very least."

"Fine! Just follow me now, or it'll be too late!"

"Of course."

Lou Yujing immediately summoned Tu Jiuniang, Yuan Wudi, and Li Qianjun, leaving only his ancestral zombie avatar to guard Hongyue's capital.

Within the clouds, Xiao Nanfeng, Ye Sanshui, Yang Chuan, and the Demon Child were escorting a bright-red cauldron toward the Imperial Court. They were flying rapidly.

"Is the saint's main body in this cauldron?" Yang Chuan exclaimed.

He had been shocked by Xiao Nanfeng's missive stating that he had caught the saint's main body. He had almost perished just trying to deal with the saint's avatar, but Xiao Nanfeng had caught his main body out of nowhere! How could he have done so? Yang Chuan shook his head, still feeling as if he were in a dream.

"I'm sure of it. His Majesty has commanded us to bring him to the Imperial Court, and we may face enemy assailants along the way. How are your injuries?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I've recovered fully, Your Majesty," Ye Sanshui replied.

Yang Chuan frowned. "I can fight as well."

"Good. In that case, I'll focus on protecting the cauldron, and all of you on guarding me and taking on any enemy assailants."

"What if a new saint shows up?" Yang Chuan frowned.

"That's what we're hoping for, but I wonder if it'll happen." Xiao Nanfeng laughed.

"The Heavenly Emperor's watching over us, then?" Yang Chuan murmured.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Let's go!"