SWNOVELXO Chapter 867 Chapter 868: Run, Cultivators
867 Chapter 868: Run, Cultivators
A flash of emerald light, and over a hundred people disappeared in an instant, leaving the entire village in utter tranquility.
Li Xiaobai let out a long sigh of relief, "That's refreshing!"
He had never acknowledged these guys as his underlings; he was just driving his war chariot around capturing people. It was they who insisted on offering themselves as laborers. Now that all the cultivators who could be bound were nearly all caught, there was naturally no further use for these folks.
Moreover, his motive for capturing people was not solely to pass the assessment test—he saw these cultivators as precious resources. Down the line, extorting all of them would surely be akin to an unexpected windfall.
Only focusing on the narrow scope of the Enforcement Team's assessment was certainly shortsighted.
"A couple more rounds through the two great dynasties should do it."
Muttering to himself, Li Xiaobai slowly steered the golden war chariot towards the two great dynasties.
With a wave of his longsword, the Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch was triggered once again.
...
In the Imperial Palace of the Sword Dynasty, amidst the grand hall.
The civil and military officials were discussing strategies to deal with the encroaching pressures from the surrounding powers, which they found exceedingly troublesome.
"City Lord, should we surrender? Except for the main cities of the two dynasties, all other territories are now occupied by the Blade Sect. The defeat of our dynasty is just a matter of time!"
"No way, we cannot surrender. We are a vassal force of the Sword Sect; how can we bow to the Blade Sect? We must have faith in the Sword Sect; the organization will not abandon us!"
"Yes, let's wait a bit longer..."
"Hmm, Elder Sun, why are you getting up?"
"Elder Wang, where are you going?"
"Eh? Why have I started running too? What's going on here?"
Inside the grand hall, a majority of the cultivators suddenly stood up and, without any warning, charged towards the outside. The whole process happened so fluidly that it left the onlookers, including the City Lord, utterly dumbfounded. Besides the ancestral elders, all other cultivators unanimously rushed towards the distance.
"What's wrong with you all? Are you possessed?"
The old ancestor looked horrified, rising to stop the people nearby, but even when he grabbed their bodies, their legs continued to kick uncontrollably.
"Where are you going?"
"Ancestral elder, we don't know either. Our bodies and cultivation levels are completely suppressed, and we can't control ourselves at all!"
"Yes, I feel an irresistible urge to rush outside and kneel down. Could this be the doing of some great power from another force?"
The cultivators' eyes were filled with panic. Outside the city were cultivators of a certain sect led by the Blade Sect. With such methods, could this be the work of an elder from the Blade Sect?
If they charged out, the city would be lost in no time.
However, when they actually made it outside, the scene was even more shocking. Not only them, but all of the city's cultivators were running, heading collectively in the same direction outside the city. Even the Blade Sect cultivators who had been stationed outside also sprinted towards a certain direction. The scene was immensely shocking, unheard of before.
Cultivators from inside and outside the city were running together, creating a striking spectacle.
The Lord of the Sword Dynasty encountered many acquaintances along the way.
"Mo Han, why are the cultivators of the Blade Sect running too? What exactly is happening?"
"How should I know? Suddenly, my body just went out of control. My little heart is still pounding furiously. City Lord, would you like to feel it?"
Spoke a charming female swordsman flirtatiously.
"Madness, sheer madness, why are even the Blade Sect cultivators running? Who is the powerful expert responsible for this?"
"Eh, Brother Yang, are you running too?"
"Yes, Brother Song, everyone is!"
"Where are we heading?"
"I have no idea and I dare not ask!"
Along the way, cultivators recognized each other and chatted as they ran. Many from the Sword Dynasty even struck up conversations with those from the Blade Sect. The run seemed to foster friendship and passion. Why should good fellows face each other in battle?
Within the various forces, a few Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivators stationed there were utterly confused, staring blankly as their sect disciples got up and dashed out of the camps to join the ranks of the runners.
In a certain tent, an elderly Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivator was in the middle of business with a young and beautiful female cultivator when, suddenly, she stood up and ran outside, leaving the elder on the bed dumbfounded.
This incident was not uncommon. Among the running crowd, many cultivators had not even pulled up their trousers. They had been in the outhouse when their bodies uncontrollably started running, their discomfort mixed with joy, emanating a 'keep away' odor.
"Elder Yang, what's going on here?"
"No clue, but look, the old sword guy is out too. All the cultivators of the Sword Dynasty have been roused!"
"Those must be cultivators from the Li Dynasty, their ancestral grandmaster has also appeared. Could this be some kind of disaster? It doesn't look like they're fleeing from calamity!"
"Let's follow and see where these disciples are going to find out who's behind this!"
The Heavenly Immortal Realm experts huddled together, watching the spectacular scene unfold before them as several streaks of light shot into the sky, following the crowd.
The cultivators' destination wasn't too far; after leaving the city and running for a while, they slowed down.
Ahead in the wasteland, a golden chariot approached at a leisurely pace, its wheels steadily turning with a youthful figure holding a longsword and a calm expression atop it.
"It's that person!"
"He's the one who used the technique!"
"He seems to be a Sword Cultivator, but who is he?"
"A Sword Cultivator with a golden chariot... There's no such expert in my memory. Could he be an eccentric hermit from the Sword Sect?"
"Look at the flag on his chariot, it's the Villain's Guild. He's from the Villain's Guild, the mysterious faction that has recently gained notoriety!"
Seeing the figure on the wasteland and recognizing the flag on the golden chariot, the cultivators were alarmed, identifying the person's affiliation. Was this the terrifying faction with the title of the strongest young genius, now challenging the two great dynasties single-handedly?
"Thump, thump!"
Immediately afterward, every disciple present, without exception, raised their hands high above their heads and knelt down, lying prostrate on the ground in a gesture of supreme worship, unable to move.
The wasteland was filled with kneeling cultivators from all sects and schools, a vast and awe-inspiring sight. To the uninitiated, it might even look like a holy pilgrimage!
The elders of the Heavenly Immortal Realm in the sky were shocked. This was indeed the deed of a cultivator who had subdued tens of thousands of top sect elites and countless ordinary disciples with a single sword strike. They questioned themselves and concluded they could not achieve such a feat. Who exactly was this person?
"Elder Wang, do you recognize this person?"
The ancestor from the Li Dynasty asked.
"Quiet, pay attention, he's moving!"
The ancestor from the Sword Dynasty chided, focusing intently on the figure below.
The youth on the golden chariot casually took out a Jade Gourd, uncorked it, and with a pat toward the cultivators on the wasteland said, "Fellow Daoists, please hold your steps!"