The Overlord of Puluo

Li Banfeng entered Bei Wushuang's territory to deliver him a message.

"Meng Yuchen has trapped Pan Dehai?" Bei Wushuang sneered. "As far as I know, Pan Dehai is at the third level of the Cloudborne Layer, while Meng Yuchun is only at the first. If you told me Pan Dehai showed mercy and spared her life, I'd believe that. But saying Meng Yuchun managed to trap Pan Dehai? That's a bit of a joke."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Pan Dehai's cultivation level is indeed higher than Meng Yuchun's, but this is Meng Yuchun's territory, and she's a Homebound Cultivator. Surely, you've heard of the Homebound Cultivator's ability Hermit's Lockdown? It isn't easy for her to defeat Pan Dehai, but trapping him isn't difficult."

Bei Wushuang flicked out his tongue. "So, since you can't beat him yourselves, you want me to go fight him for you?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it helping us. We've heard a thing or two about the grudge between you and Pan Dehai. If he leaves here alive, you'll never sleep peacefully again."

"What would I have to lose sleep over?" Bei Wushuang shook his head. "I already told you. Old Pan is my friend. There's no grudge between us. Everything you've heard is just a rumor."

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat. "So you're saying you do not wish to get involved."

"No, it's simply none of my business. This is between Old Pan and you. Since you know him, have a proper talk with him. Old Pan is the Great Moral Paragon. Perhaps he'll spare your lives."

"And if he refuses?"

"Then there's nothing to be done. You'll only have yourselves to blame for the bad luck of offending someone you shouldn't have."

"Actually, we don't necessarily have to remain enemies with Pan Dehai. You make a fair point. We can sit down and have a proper talk with him."

Li Banfeng left it at that. Pulling down his hat brim, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Bei Wushuang watched Li Banfeng disappear into the distance, his enormous camel eyes blinking for a long while.

Would Bei Wushuang really stay out of it? Li Banfeng was convinced that Bei Wushuang would definitely take action.

Every time Li Banfeng entered Bei Wushuang's territory, Bei Wushuang had noticed immediately. That alone showed how vigilant he was and that he had many informants planted throughout the surrounding territories. Bei Wushuang had countless ways to verify whether Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai had truly engaged in a fight. Once he confirmed it, he would certainly make his move.

The reasoning was simple. Given Pan Dehai's strength, Meng Yuchun had no chance of winning. There were only two possible outcomes.

The first was that Meng Yuchun would die in battle, allowing Pan Dehai to seize her territory and establish himself right beside Bei Wushuang, waiting for an opportunity to strike. That was obviously not an outcome Bei Wushuang wanted.

The second was that Meng Yuchun would surrender and join forces with Pan Dehai against Bei Wushuang. That outcome was even less desirable.

A mole burrowed out of the ground, came to Bei Wushuang's feet, and respectfully reported, "Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai got into a fight. Meng Yuchun has trapped—"

"I know," Bei Wushuang replied.

He shook his head, and the camel bell around his neck rang twice. As the ringing lingered in the air, Bei Wushuang vanished.

Meng Yuchen had indeed trapped Pan Dehai. Surrounded by layer upon layer of boundary lines, the old man was covered in bloodstains.

Still, he kept trying to reason with her. "Miss Meng, there has been a misunderstanding between us. Perhaps I failed to explain myself clearly. If any of my words offended you, I ask for your forbearance. At my age, I'm humbling myself and apologizing to you. Even if the fault truly lies with me, I hope you'll show me some understanding."

Standing halfway up the hillside and looking down at him, Meng Yuchun suddenly felt Pan Dehai become much taller and larger, looking immensely imposing. His entire body was covered with the character for "virtue" in all sorts of sizes, making Meng Yuchun's head spin.

This was no illusion. It was the Moralism ability The Weight of Virtuous Prestige. As Pan Dehai spoke his righteous arguments, he elevated his prestige and, in turn, greatly intimidated Meng Yuchun.

The boundary lines on the ground flickered on and off, becoming fragmented. Meng Yuchun was on the verge of collapse, and Pan Dehai finally had an opportunity to counterattack. Yet, Pan Dehai chose not to take the risk. Instead, he prepared to use The Weight of Virtuous Prestige. once more.

At that moment, Pan Dehai's entire focus was fixed on Meng Yuchun. Meng Yuchun was already at her limit. If she were to continue forcing herself to endure the effects of Pan Dehai's ability, she might lose her mind. Large gaps had begun appearing in her boundary lines.

Meanwhile, Bei Wushuang had been hiding in the shadows, watching the fight. Just as Pan Dehai was about to break through the boundary lines, Bei Wushuang prepared to strike.

Meng Yuchun didn't see Bei Wushuang. Even Pan Dehai, an expert at concealment, failed to notice him.

However, Li Banfeng noticed him. Pushing his Keen-Eyed Perception to its limit, he saw a faint outline of Bei Wushuang.

The Gramophone had imparted the ability Keen-Eyed Perception to Li Banfeng. Even now, Li Banfeng still didn't know which cultivation level the ability was from, but it had repeatedly saved him from deadly danger.

Now that Li Banfeng had spotted Bei Wushuang, what should he do—rush over and fight him? He certainly couldn't defeat Bei Wushuang. Should he shout a warning to Pan Dehai and Meng Yuchun?

One warning might work, but what if Bei Wushuang changed positions? Was Li Banfeng supposed to stand there giving updates on Bei Wushuang's position in real time? If they were to fight like that, Bei Wushuang would simply toy with them to no end.

Li Banfeng decisively swung an iron ladle and splashed a ladleful of golden juice toward Bei Wushuang.

Bei Wushuang was momentarily startled. He hadn't paid any attention to Li Banfeng. A level-seven Homebound Cultivator was simply too easy to overlook.

The golden juice vanished in an instant after landing on Bei Wushuang, leaving no visible traces. Nevertheless, it certainly left a smell.

Carried by the breeze, the odor of the golden juice reached Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai. They covered their noses at the same time as they discovered Bei Wushuang's location. Meng Yuchun instantly redirected her boundary lines, trapping Bei Wushuang within them.

After throwing that ladleful of golden fertilizer, Li Banfeng retreated from the battlefield. His task was complete. Now, he only needed to make sure he didn't get caught in the crossfire.

***

Earlier in the cave, the two characters Li Banfeng had written on Meng Yuchun's plump peach were the characters for "pain" and "ruse". He had wanted to write three characters to form a phrase that meant "self-injury ruse"[1], but the middle character of the phrase, which meant "flesh", would have had to be written in the middle where the cleft of Meng Yuchun's peach was, making it a little troublesome. In any case, there was certainly no shortage of flesh on Meng Yuchun's peach, so Li Banfeng assumed she would understand what he meant.

And indeed, she had. Not only had she understood, but she had also acted her part convincingly. She had sensed that someone seemed to be watching them from a spot near the cave, so all this time, she had been fighting Pan Dehai solely to sell this self-injury ruse.

Why had they not discussed this with Pan Dehai beforehand? That was because Li Banfeng had suspected there was a spy in Meng Yuchun's territory, and there was likely more than one. If they had openly discussed the plan, the ruse would have failed.

But Li Banfeng had not explained the plan. Why was he unafraid that Pan Dehai would go all out and try to kill Meng Yuchun? That was because Li Banfeng trusted in Pan Dehai's intelligence.

Pan Dehai was despicable, underhanded, and ruthless, but there was no denying that he was very clever. He had surely suspected that the cave was not secure and likely realized that there might be someone nearby eavesdropping.

When Meng Yuchun suddenly turned hostile, Pan Dehai had gotten quite angry, thinking this young local land deity had no sense of proper conduct. However, after exchanging a couple of blows, Pan Dehai quickly noticed something was off. Meng Yuchun was not trying to kill him. She was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of strength, yet she was still holding back. That unusual behavior allowed Pan Dehai to understand her intentions, and he likewise began restraining himself when he attacked her.

The two were engaged in a real fight, but neither of them was going all out. Both were injured, though neither suffered serious harm.

***

The moment Li Banfeng splashed the golden juice onto Bei Wushuang, Bei Wushuang realized he had fallen into a trap. Meng Yuchun trapped him within her boundary lines.

Next, Pan Dehai roared, "Taking advantage of another's peril is unvirtuous!"

He used the Moralism Cultivator ability Carrying All Things with Great Virtue.

Bei Wushuang stumbled, and his concealed figure became visible. Nevertheless, he was incredibly tough. A single layer of Carrying All Things with Great Virtue was not enough to pin him down. He forced himself upright and charged toward a boundary line, attempting to escape.

He knew the attempt would injure him, but he believed he could endure it. If he stayed and fought Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai, his chances of surviving were practically nonexistent.

Pan Dehai shouted, "Fleeing from battle is unvirtuous!"

Another heavy virtue descended upon Bei Wushuang. Just as he reached the edge of the boundary, he was forced to slow down. More than half of his fur was burned away, and blood streamed all over his body.

Bei Wushuang was clearly stronger than the Mountain-Uprooting Lord, since he could withstand even injuries like these. Nonetheless, he had no desire to fight; he only wanted to escape.

Pan Dehai yelled, "Being improperly dressed is unvirtuous!"

That accusation hit the mark. Bei Wushuang's fur had been burned away, so naturally he now appeared "improperly dressed."

Bei Wushuang's forelegs buckled, and he was about to collapse. Meanwhile, Meng Yuchun had already laid down a second layer of boundary lines.

If Bei Wushuang were to try charging through the boundary again, he would inevitably suffer grievous injuries. But if he did not do it now and gave Pan Dehai more time instead, he might lose his chance to escape altogether.

After weighing his options, Bei Wushuang stopped. He violently shook his neck, causing the camel bell hanging around it to ring loudly. Bei Wushuang let out a deep, rumbling roar in rhythm with the bell. The bell's ringing and the roar blended together.

Meng Yuchun's breathing faltered, and her boundary lines dimmed significantly.

This camel is a Sound Cultivator?

She had always assumed Bei Wushuang was a Physique Cultivator.

Li Banfeng had assumed the same. After all, Bei Wushuang had always appeared as a camel. He was practically wearing a sign on his face that read "Physique Cultivator."

Yet, Bei Wushuang was the one who got the real surprise; Pan Dehai was completely unfazed by his reveal. Pan Dehai had already known that Bei Wushuang was a Sound Cultivator. He had prepared for it beforehand, and with the superiority of his own cultivation, he neutralized Bei Wushuang's ability.

"Bei Wushuang, you resorted to underhanded attacks, yet I chose not to hold it against you. Now, I'm challenging you openly and honorably. Where do you think you're going?" Pan Dehai asked.

He used the ability The Weight of Virtuous Prestige.

Pan Dehai kept growing larger. The character for "virtue" appeared countless times and drifted across his body. The sight made Bei Wushuang's head spin until he could no longer bear the crushing weight upon him and collapsed flat on the ground.

Pan Dehai stepped forward, removed the camel bell from Bei Wushuang's neck, and smiled. "This is quite the treasure. It suits your Daoist path perfectly. Now, tell me. Who ordered you and Huang Xiliang to spread those pests throughout the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs?"

Bei Wushuang said nothing. They had not dealt with each other often, but he knew Pan Dehai's nature well enough. Once Pan Dehai got the answers he wanted, he would immediately send Bei Wushuang to his death.

Right then, Bei Wushuang drew in a deep breath as if preparing to roar.

However, Pan Dehai bellowed, "The unvirtuous shall not speak!"

He used another Moralism ability Words of Virtue Shall Not Be Defied.

At that moment, Pan Dehai forbade Bei Wushuang from speaking. The camel's mouth truly refused to open.

Words of Virtue Shall Not Be Defied wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful ability. Bei Wushuang still possessed the strength to break free from its restraint. Nevertheless, he didn't resist it, because he had never intended to speak in the first place.

The hump on his back swelled... and exploded.

Boom!

After the deafening explosion, Pan Dehai stood perfectly still, like a clay statue.

Meng Yuchun was a little farther away. The tremendous blast disrupted her boundary ability, and she briefly lost consciousness.

Li Banfeng was even farther away, yet he could not escape the explosion either. His vision turned completely white, a shrill ringing filled his ears, and waves of pain shot through his chest.

This was the Sound ability Blood-Splattering Thunderous Sound.

Bei Wushuang struggled to climb back on his feet. He had practically wagered his entire life for this opportunity to escape.

Even He Yuxiu heard the tremendous explosion from dozens of kilometers away. The aftershock made her chest ache.

Beside her was Nectarine, who had a lower cultivation level. She was left gasping for air for quite a while.

Little Gen nearly dropped his bucket. Zhang Wanlong steadied him and looked in the direction of the explosion.

After a moment, Zhang Wanlong warned, "Your Master Qi may be in danger."

Inside the Mountain-Uprooting Lord's cave dwelling, the Gramophone was helping the Pocket Dwelling build a railway platform. They were not done building the railway station, but the Pocket Dwelling's front door was already open, and the Gramophone also heard the tremendous blast.

"It's a Sound Cultivator's ability!" the Gramophone cried out in alarm. She urged the Pocket Dwelling, "Hurry! Go save my husband!"

The Pocket Dwelling replied, "I can't go right now."

It was not that he did not want to go. When the Pocket Dwelling said he could not go, it was because his current condition simply did not allow it.

Feeling anxious, the Gramophone wanted to go and rescue Li Banfeng herself.

After thinking for a moment, the Pocket Dwelling said, "Use my train whistle and sing a couple of lines to him. Only he will hear it. It can't be used against enemies."

"After being struck by Blood-Splattering Thunderous Sound, I'm afraid he won't be able to hear anything."

"He'll hear it," the Pocket Dwelling declared confidently. "That whistle is used for calling him to board the train. Only he can hear it."

1. To make the enemy think they’ve got the upper hand. ☜