Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

Mu Baiyi had no doubts about the battle’s outcome. With the advantages the Heavenly Court Creed has, let alone the Balance Arbiter Divine Lord, even the Midheaven Emperor-Lord wouldn’t make a difference if he showed up.

Rather than waiting to be captured after the battle ends, we might as well turn ourselves in to Man Gu now while the battle is still ongoing.

Not only is Man Gu a Dao-Seeking Sect disciple with close ties to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, but he is also a court official and a zhuangyuan. His dual identity makes him the most suitable person to surrender to.

“Here is our creed’s roster.” Mu Baiyi even brought a token of sincerity to pledge his allegiance.

“Here is our creed’s,” Creed Leader Chi added.

“Alright, I understand that you are turning yourselves in. But can you guarantee the safety of this commandery’s citizens?” Man Gu accepted their tokens of sincerity in a daze. Now is not the time to think about performance metrics. We have yet to escape danger.

Meng Jingzhou and the six corpses of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed’s former creed leaders were all locked in combat with their shadow counterparts. In other words, fourteen Transcendent Tribulation cultivators were waging war in the skies above. Even throughout history, clashes on this scale had been exceedingly rare.

Should any one of their attacks descend upon the city below, there would be countless casualties.

“We guarantee the mission will be accomplished.” Faced with such a chance to render meritorious service, Mu Baiyi and the others naturally wouldn’t turn it down.

With the addition of three Transcendent Tribulation cultivators, the safety of the commandery’s populace was now assured. However, the battle above still required a way to break the deadlock. With that in mind, Man Gu made his way toward the prison.

The Balance Arbiter Divine Lord had transported the people of Zhongshan Commandery exactly as they were, without altering their relative positions. Hence, it wasn’t difficult for Man Gu to locate where the prison was supposed to be.

At the site, the inmates lay piled atop one another like a human pyramid, groaning in misery, while the Thief King perched right at the very top and waved at Man Gu. “Yo, Commandery Governor, you’re here.”

He patted the buttocks of the prisoner he was sitting on and remarked offhandedly, “These convicts tried to make a break for it, but I rounded them all up. How’s that? Does that count as meritorious service on my part?”

“It definitely counts,” Man Gu affirmed. He bowed solemnly to the Thief King. “Senior, could I ask you to join the battle?”

The fourteen Transcendent Tribulation cultivators in the sky were evenly matched, their yin and yang techniques canceling each other out, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. The only way to break the impasse was the addition of a new combatant.

And the Thief King is the perfect candidate.

“Sure,” the Thief King agreed readily. If that old man Thief Ancestor ever learns that I contributed nothing in this battle, he’ll likely string me up and give me a good flogging.

Besides, I love seeing those officials begging me for help. I might as well do them a favor. It doesn’t cost me much anyway.

He produced a dart coated in lethal poison and hurled it at one of the six shadows. Caught off guard, it had its arm grazed by the dart.

The Thief King frowned. “Not effective?”

The poison on that dart was potent enough to kill upon drawing blood. Even a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator would have to divert part of their attention to suppress it. Yet the shadow showed no reaction to the poison, suggesting it possessed a unique constitution immune to poison.

“I’ll have to try a different method then.”

The Thief King vanished in an instant. With unparalleled speed, he produced eight darts, which orbited around him in a protective formation.

He joined the fray directly and severed one of the shadow’s fingers with a single strike.

“Not up to snuff, eh.” The Thief King flitted across the battlefield. All the shadows tried to attack him, but not a single blow hit him, whereas every one of his attacks landed.

“Lord Man, how are my skills?”

“You’re truly impressive, Senior Thief King.”

“Good that you know I’m impressive. But I can’t do anything about the battle outside. You have to prepare yourself mentally.”

The Thief King nearly laughed at the thought of the devastation in Zhongshan Commandery after the battle. “With two half-immortals duking it out in Zhongshan Commandery, regardless of who wins, your commandery will need to be rebuilt, right?”

He had witnessed the abilities of both Balance Arbiter Divine Lord and Lu Yang. With my level of cultivation, intervening will not only be useless but may also get me caught in the crossfire.

Man Gu had not anticipated the Thief King’s consideration to be so thorough. He expressed his gratitude deferentially. “Thank you for your concern, Senior. I had previously purchased insurance for this commandery. After the battle, the Luodi Merchant Guild will compensate us for the damages.”

The Thief King was dumbfounded. Holy crap! Who signed that insurance contract? How is it that I, the president, know nothing about such a huge deal?

At that thought, the Thief King wished he could rush to Zhongshan Commandery. Maybe I can still be of use there.

However, the shadow’s onslaught showed no sign of letting up, leaving the Thief King no opportunity to escape the Fengdu City space.

“Damn it! Damn it! You bastards forced my hand!” The shadows had infuriated the Thief King. Since you won’t let me leave, all of you shall not have it easy either!

He struck with ferocity, abandoning his earlier frivolous demeanor, and his combat style became extremely aggressive.

The spells affixed to the eight darts were fully activated. These darts represented the eight directions and were based on the divination arts of Qimen Dunjia.

He also used this technique to raise eight different types of demon spirits, granting him access to a host of mighty abilities such as summoning the wind and rain and shaking mountains and earth.

“Die!”

One after another, the shadows were attacked by the Thief King, and the balance of the battlefield quickly shifted in his favor.

Not fast enough! Still not fast enough!

The Thief King’s attacks grew increasingly ruthless. Every second of delay means another building destroyed outside, and all of it will be my responsibility!

Faster! I have to go faster!

The Thief King pushed himself until his throat went dry, yet his heart still burned with impatience. He wished he could end the battle right there and then.

Suddenly, his body felt lighter, as though something had appeared within him, allowing him to move even swifter than before.

But the speed earlier was already my absolute limit.

He looked inward, and to his astonishment, a rapidly spinning fruit had materialized within him. It was dreamlike, hovering between illusion and reality.

“Is this the Speed Incipient Dao Fruit that old man Thief Ancestor told me about?”

The Thief King was overjoyed. He had long struggled to condense a Speed Incipient Dao Fruit. He never imagined this battle would push him beyond his limits and enable him to form an Incipient Dao Fruit.

I can also be considered a half-immortal now.

No, this is not the time to think so much. I must get rid of these enemies now!

The Thief King had never felt his body so light. He had become the embodiment of acceleration.

So this is the speed that old man Thief Ancestor possesses. No wonder I couldn’t escape his grasp no matter what spell I cast.

The shadows’ movements were now as slow as a tortoise in the Thief King’s eyes, no longer posing a threat. He swept through the six shadows like an autumn gale slicing through falling leaves, delivering grievous wounds to all six shadows.

He had initially considered joining the battle between Meng Jingzhou and his shadow, but their battlefield alternated between extreme heat and cold. Even with his newfound speed, he couldn’t approach, much less intervene.

Forget it. I’m not needed here. I should lend a hand outside.

The Thief King tore open a spatial rift and arrived in Zhongshan Commandery.

To his surprise, Zhongshan Commandery was remarkably intact, with hardly any signs that a battle had occurred.

What’s going on?

Suddenly, the sky above him darkened. An enormous hand seal appeared. The Thief King was certain that Zhongshan Commandery would be reduced to ruins if the hand descended.

The Balance Arbiter Divine Lord’s yin and yang bodies resisted with all their might to avoid being struck.

“Cosmos in Palm!”

Buddhist Kingdom in Palm descended, while Cosmos in Palm rose. The two colossal hand seals collided in midair, and Zhongshan Commandery survived, preserved by this delicate balance.

“Hahaha! Let’s see how long you can hold out!” Lu Yang laughed with unbridled arrogance, continuing to cast Buddhist Kingdom in Palm.

In any case, my power comes from my clone in the Buddhist Kingdom; it’s inexhaustible. I refuse to believe the Balance Arbiter Divine Lord can outlast me!

The Thief King watched the battle in silence, caught in a dilemma. Who should I help?