Chapter 266: Mystery of the Rankings

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting still had no idea what Bai Yao was trying to say. A man who rarely spoke might occasionally offer a sentence or two that was terse and to the point. That was understandable. Being inexplicable was another matter. Both men simply stared at him, waiting for whatever came next.

Bai Yao added, "It wasn't only me. More precisely, everyone ranked below 267th on the Golden Core Ranking moved up by one. Another person was also added to the ranking."

Lan Ruoting asked in confusion, "Does this have something to do with us?"

Bai Yao said, "The man ranked 267th was named Zhuo Chao. Someone killed him."

He paused.

"Niu Youdao killed him!"

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting both drew in a faint breath. Neither was part of the cultivation world, but both paid some attention to the Golden Core Ranking. What lord beneath Heaven would not want to recruit a ranked expert for his own use? So both understood very well what it meant for someone to hold a position in the two hundreds. That was a first-rate expert. Bai Yao himself was only ranked somewhere in the six hundreds.

Shang Chaozong found it difficult to believe. "Master Dao could kill an expert ranked in the two hundreds? That doesn't seem very possible. Could there be some mistake?"

Bai Yao said, "Under normal circumstances, it truly would be unlikely. But no matter how formidable a cultivator is, schemes and stratagems can still bring him down. Niu Youdao seems rather skilled at those."

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged a glance. On that point, neither could disagree. Put pleasantly, Master Dao's methods were exceptionally clever. Put less pleasantly, were they not schemes and stratagems?

Seeing that Bai Yao had apparently barged into the Hall of Martial Valor simply to discuss this, Shang Chaozong asked, "Does the matter have a major impact?"

Bai Yao said, "Not especially major, yet not insignificant either."

"It's not major because people on the Golden Core Ranking die all the time. Removing a dead man's name is nothing unusual. It's not insignificant because Zhuo Chao's death is unusual. Normally, if one ranked cultivator defeats another, the victor takes the defeated man's position. But perhaps because of Niu Youdao's cultivation level, he isn't qualified to enter the Golden Core Ranking. As a result, the entire block of people below Zhuo Chao moved up by one place."

A faint sweat seemed to rise in Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting's hearts. Put that way, Master Dao really had affected quite a few people. The Golden Core Ranking had changed the placements of more than five hundred experts because of him. Were those people supposed to thank Master Dao, or what? To affect the rankings of several hundred experts all at once...

Lan Ruoting asked, "Has anything like this happened before?"

Bai Yao said, "Once, but that time was different. The Golden Core Ranking hasn't existed for an extremely long time, but it hasn't been around for only a short while either. The previous time, someone died after reaching the end of his natural lifespan."

"More importantly, Niu Youdao isn't an unknown figure. Killing an envoy of Yan already made his name known beneath Heaven. Now he's become famous beneath Heaven all over again!"

Shang Chaozong felt a little nervous on Niu Youdao's behalf and asked, "Could there truly have been some mistake?"

Bai Yao said, "The positions on the Golden Core Ranking may not reflect absolute truth, since many of the people listed have never fought one another. But Ice and Snow Pavilion has never made an erroneous adjustment to the rankings."

"They must have verified the matter conclusively before announcing it to cultivators beneath Heaven. Nor would Ice and Snow Pavilion casually name Niu Youdao as the man who killed Zhuo Chao without confirmation. On that point, Ice and Snow Pavilion is trustworthy."

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting looked at one another. In that case, it really did seem Master Dao had done the deed.

Lan Ruoting asked, "Then what does the cultivator want from us?"

Bai Yao said, "Purchasing warhorses is no small matter. Why does Niu Youdao still have the leisure to stir up something this large along the road?"

"The matter has alarmed my sect. They ordered me to come ask for details and find out exactly what happened. From Your Highness's and Mr. Lan's reactions, it appears neither of you knows either. My sect is waiting for my reply. Could I trouble you to ask the three sects? They sent people to travel with Niu Youdao, so they should know at least something about the circumstances."

Now that something this serious had happened, Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting wanted to know the truth as well. Naturally, they agreed. After making brief preparations, the two left the Commandery Governor's residence with Bai Yao. Escorted by a party of guards, they hurried out of the city and headed directly into the mountains beyond. The people stationed in the mountains naturally came out when word of their arrival spread.

Shang Shuqing happened to be nearby and arrived first to pay her respects. She looked somewhat surprised. "Big Brother, has something happened?"

Shang Chaozong and the others rarely came here. First, their own side was busy enough already, while nothing here required Shang Chaozong's personal attention. Second, this was Niu Youdao's territory, where cultivators gathered. There was no need for Shang Chaozong to interfere. So Shang Shuqing knew that her brother would not usually come here without a reason. If he appeared, something had almost certainly happened.

"Something happened on Master Dao's side..." Shang Chaozong briefly explained what they knew.

Shang Shuqing listened in bewilderment. Even Shang Chaozong himself did not understand what had happened. Naturally she knew even less. When Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao arrived, the three sect leaders intended to invite Shang Chaozong deeper into the mountains to sit down. But the various sect residences were indeed inconvenient to reach on foot. Shang Chaozong said the nearby pavilion would be enough. They quickly came to the point.

After briefly explaining what Bai Yao had told them, Shang Chaozong finally asked, "Sect Leaders, do you know what actually happened?"

The three fell somewhat silent. Naturally they had already noticed the changes in the Golden Core Ranking. The manpower their sects maintained in places like Star-Plucking City was not there for decoration, and they understood the reason behind the adjustment. In fact, they too were puzzled. The matter had still been confidential. How had Ice and Snow Pavilion learned the news so quickly and altered the Golden Core Ranking already?

More importantly, why had the explanation for the ranking change explicitly named Niu Youdao as the one who killed Zhuo Chao?

The three sects had begun wondering whether Ice and Snow Pavilion had informants inside their own ranks, or whether some other part of the chain had gone wrong. Yet they could do no more than suspect. They did not dare investigate. What would it mean to investigate Ice and Snow Pavilion's informants?

An existence like Ice and Snow Pavilion had its rules and would not casually interfere in ordinary affairs, thereby allowing everyone a measure of reassurance. But that did not mean it would never interfere. The thought that outside eyes might be hidden inside their own organizations left everyone uncomfortable. Yet there was nothing they could do.

"Before Niu Youdao departed, he made a prediction and secretly arranged some manpower from our three sects. Then, at Boundless Pavilion, someone really did make a move against him..."

Xia Hua gave a broad account of what had happened. By now, the hidden cultivators were already traveling openly beside Niu Youdao, so there was no longer any need to conceal their existence. She did not, however, mention Xiaoyue Pavilion or the two live prisoners.

Niu Youdao had already demanded secrecy on that point because he did not want Xiaoyue Pavilion to know that two captives had fallen into his hands. The account made everyone listening feel their hearts tighten. Even Bai Yao's expression turned grave.

Someone had actually impersonated the shopkeeper of a Liuxian Sect business in order to lure Niu Youdao out and kill him. They had even sent an expert like Zhuo Chao. Whoever stood behind this had been determined to put Niu Youdao to death. Xia Hua had spoken only in general terms and concealed some of the details.

Lan Ruoting immediately asked the key question. "Was Zhuo Chao killed by everyone working together, or did Master Dao kill him?"

Xia Hua smiled bitterly. "In that vast sea of desert sand, a fierce battle broke out. Zhuo Chao chased Niu Youdao relentlessly, intent on killing him, and ignored the people from our three sects entirely. Meanwhile, our people were dealing with Zhuo Chao's subordinates."

"By the time our people finished off his subordinates, Zhuo Chao and Niu Youdao had already fought to the very end. Zhuo Chao had been severely injured by Niu Youdao. Even badly injured, Zhuo Chao was still beyond the ability of our disciples to approach. With a single desperate strike, he injured more than ten Golden Core Realm cultivators from our three sects and killed two disciples on the spot with his sword! At the critical moment, Niu Youdao struck decisively again and killed him with one sword. Zhuo Chao died kneeling in defeat at Niu Youdao's feet, and Niu Youdao took his head!"

Zheng Jiuxiao stroked his beard and nodded. "From beginning to end, the disciples of our three sects barely managed to engage Zhuo Chao head-on at all, much less kill him."

"Niu Youdao was the one who severely wounded Zhuo Chao. Niu Youdao was also the one who killed him with the final sword strike."

"Zhuo Chao's death really had little to do with our three sects. Niu Youdao did it. That's more or less what happened."

Despite the brief explanation, everyone fell silent. Even while severely wounded, Zhuo Chao had managed to kill and injure a whole group of experts from the three sects with a single strike. One could easily imagine how terrifying his strength had been. The actual scene had not been quite as tragic as everyone listening imagined.

But the picture in their minds was incomparably brutal: a bloody pursuit and battle in an endless desert, with Niu Youdao hunted by an expert like Zhuo Chao.

Bai Yao broke the silence. "With Niu Youdao's strength, how could he possibly have injured Zhuo Chao so badly? How could he have killed Zhuo Chao? I don't believe it. Are you hiding something?"

He genuinely did not believe it. Niu Youdao defeating Zhuo Chao in single combat? It was absurd. If Bai Yao himself faced Zhuo Chao, he would probably have no choice but to flee for his life. How could Niu Youdao possibly do it?

Fei Changliu said, "Truthfully, we don't believe it either. We also suspect there was more to what happened."

"At the time, Zhuo Chao was pursuing Niu Youdao. The fight went from the surface of the desert deep underground. Both of them burrowed beneath the sand. We don't know exactly what happened below. We only know that when the two emerged from underground again, Zhuo Chao was already severely injured. Niu Youdao won't explain the details, so we can't make sense of it either. But Niu Youdao was injured by Zhuo Chao as well."

"Master Dao was injured?"

Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and Shang Shuqing cried out almost simultaneously. In their imagination, being injured by an expert like Zhuo Chao was no small matter.

Fei Changliu shook his head. "Only a minor injury. Nothing serious. Niu Youdao has already left Boundless Pavilion. Judging by the time, he has probably traveled deep into the State of Qi by now."

Shang Shuqing's voice turned sharp and forceful. "Weren't the people you sent supposed to protect Master Dao? Why didn't they stop Zhuo Chao? Why did they allow Master Dao to fight such a terrifying expert himself?"

She nearly said outright that they had failed in their responsibility. After hearing about the pursuit, she could imagine how dangerous Niu Youdao's situation must have been. Her nose stung. When she heard he had been injured, she nearly burst into tears. She forced herself to hold them back, but her eyes had already reddened. Originally, Niu Youdao had never wanted to become entangled with the brother and sister at all. She had been the one who pulled him into these disputes.

There was no point revisiting everything that had happened before. But this time, he had once again come out of seclusion for the sake of the siblings. And the moment he emerged, he had run into danger on this scale, hunted by such a terrifying expert. This had happened before he even reached the State of Qi. How dangerous would everything afterward become? Once again, he had gone out to risk his life for the brother and sister. Tianyu Sect was supposedly their greatest support.

Yet even Tianyu Sect had failed to accomplish this task. What right did they have to make Niu Youdao, whose strength was far inferior to Tianyu Sect's, go out and risk his life? Niu Youdao's side possessed so little power. Were they sending him out to die? On what grounds should someone with such weak strength be made to shoulder such a heavy burden for them? Even Tianyu Sect itself had been too embarrassed to ask him! Guilt and endless self-reproach filled Shang Shuqing's heart. She felt truly miserable.

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting both lowered their heads without speaking, their expressions grave in the silence. Niu Youdao's emergence from seclusion this time could not be said to have nothing to do with the two of them. They had been the ones pressing the issue in front of him.

[End of Chapter 266]