Chapter 1386: The Nine Saints Become Seven

Niu Youdao looked back and saw Yun Ji still standing there with lingering fear on her face. He called out, "Stop dawdling. Hurry. We need to find out how many of those fellows came back out, or we may have created a massive problem."

Yun Ji did not understand. "Didn't we already get through that?"

Niu Youdao looked up. "Get through what? We may have opened a huge hole!"

Yun Ji's heart jumped again. "Don't scare me."

Niu Youdao splashed several handfuls of water across his face and sighed. "Right now, we have no idea how many of the five Saints who went inside have come back out. Suppose only Zhangsun Mi failed to emerge. Then Du Wuxu and the other three were waiting for Zhangsun Mi."

Yun Ji still did not grasp the problem. "So?"

Niu Youdao straightened. Water dripped from his face.

He almost wanted to ask what this woman's head was filled with.

"If five went in and four came out, leaving only Zhangsun Mi dead inside, then Xi Haitang tricking those four into going back in is essentially the same as saying Zhangsun Mi was the one fighting the Holy Rakshasa. But Wu Chang and the other three personally witnessed Zhangsun Mi's death! Who could still be fighting the Holy Rakshasa? Why would Xi Haitang lie?"

Yun Ji abruptly understood.

Her expression changed.

Niu Youdao continued, "If four truly came out, then this lie can fool Du Wuxu and the others only briefly. The only thing I can judge for certain right now is that at least one among Wu Chang's group came out. I don't know how many, and I don't know whether they told Du Wuxu's group what happened. Even if they did, the reason Xi Haitang's lie still managed to send those four inside is that they may believe the people who emerged earlier deceived them. They went in to verify it themselves."

He finished with a sigh.

There had been no other option at the time.

The situation had been too dangerous.

If they were exposed directly beneath the Four Saints' eyes, they would not even have been able to escape.

Once exposed, there would have been no road left at all.

That level of risk was impossible to bear. There was no room for even the slightest stroke of luck. In the emergency, the only choice had been to get out of immediate danger first and win enough room to maneuver before thinking about what came next.

Yun Ji understood now.

Still shaken, she immediately stepped into the stream and began washing as well. She no longer dared delay.

After cleaning themselves thoroughly, the two retrieved clothes hidden nearby, changed, tidied themselves, and hurried away.

...

Inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, Xi Haitang was leading Myriad Beasts Sect disciples in battle against the Butterfly Rakshasas.

Several figures returned through the air.

One blasted a whole cluster of Butterfly Rakshasas away.

Luo Qiu descended and swept his sleeves several times, clearing the creatures entangling Xi Haitang. Then he shouted heavily, "Xi Haitang, where was the fighting with the Holy Rakshasa?"

The Four Saints had swept through the surrounding area but found no battle taking place anywhere.

Xi Haitang looked around to orient himself, then pointed in one direction. "Roughly a hundred li that way. That is also the direction where our sect repeatedly discovered signs of the Holy Rakshasa before."

Luo Qiu and the other three looked toward the direction he indicated.

Xi Haitang added, "Sacred Venerables, there are simply too many Butterfly Rakshasas. Our disciples cannot hold on much longer and are no longer able to protect the Sacred Venerables. I beg permission to withdraw!"

"Get lost!" Luo Qiu barked.

As if any of them needed this rabble to protect them.

He and the other three immediately fought their way toward the direction Xi Haitang had indicated.

"Withdraw!" Xi Haitang shouted.

He led his disciples in a hurried retreat from the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm.

Outside the entrance, they took a quick count.

More than half of the disciples who had gone in were dead or wounded.

Xi Haitang fell silent and looked up at the sky, guilt weighing on his heart.

At least he had used the opportunity to bring out the disciples who had previously been hiding in the ravine, though they too had suffered casualties.

Many things could not proceed smoothly.

Losses had to be faced.

Put more pleasantly, they were sacrifices.

Xi Haitang gathered himself and walked over to Qi Wantong. Cupping his hands, he asked, "Elder Qi, what exactly happened with those Sacred Venerables earlier?"

Qi Wantong sighed. "Yesterday morning, five Sacred Venerables arrived..."

He carefully recounted the entire sequence of events.

Xi Haitang occasionally interrupted to ask questions, focusing especially on what had happened after Wu Chang and the others emerged.

...

Luo Qiu's group did not remain inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm for long.

Altogether, their trip lasted little more than an hour before they emerged one after another, all wearing somewhat grave expressions.

They would have liked to search the Illusory Realm more thoroughly, but circumstances did not allow it.

The Butterfly Rakshasas inside were behaving completely differently from anything they had seen before. They seemed crazed, patrolling everywhere through the air.

Even with the Four Saints' cultivation, there was no way to keep exhausting themselves indefinitely.

As for what exactly had happened and why the situation had become like this, only Wu Chang and the others who had gone inside and experienced it could probably explain.

After waiting this long without seeing Mu Lianze or Zhangsun Mi emerge, and after personally witnessing the conditions inside, the Four Saints had already realized those two were unlikely to come out again.

With their cultivation, if they were still alive and free to move, they should never have needed this long to escape.

Having made the trip personally, the Four Saints lost interest in remaining any longer.

They prepared to go together and find the three who had emerged, intending to ask exactly what had happened.

Even so, they prepared for the unlikely possibility.

Before leaving, Luo Qiu instructed Xi Haitang, "Myriad Beasts Sect will guard the entrance. If Mu Lianze or Zhangsun Mi comes out, report it immediately!"

"Yes!"

Xi Haitang cupped his hands and accepted the order.

...

That same night, in the mountains not far from the Illusory Realm entrance, Xi Haitang met Niu Youdao again and told him everything he had learned.

Only after questioning him in detail did Niu Youdao finally relax. "We were lucky!"

Only three had emerged.

After Yuan Se and Granny Xue left, Wu Chang had remained waiting at the Illusory Realm entrance for some time.

That meant Wu Chang and the others had not personally witnessed Mu Lianze's death.

In other words, Xi Haitang's story that someone was still fighting the Holy Rakshasa had survived scrutiny.

There was no obvious hole in it.

Xi Haitang sighed. "From the look of things, Mu Lianze has probably met the same end as Zhangsun Mi."

Niu Youdao nodded. "Most likely. Otherwise, with Mu Lianze's cultivation, he couldn't possibly remain inside this long without coming out. The only other possibility is that he was badly injured and is hiding somewhere inside to recover. But that is unlikely. If his injuries are so severe he can't even escape, then it also means he probably can't evade a pursuit by Butterfly Rakshasas on that scale."

He added, "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that he fears the others may plot against him and wants to hide inside until his wounds heal. But that possibility is small too. He should understand that if he doesn't emerge soon and at least prove he's alive, the others may begin moving against his forces."

Niu Youdao gave a small laugh. "These people really are something. The moment an opportunity appears, each one wants to kill the others."

Xi Haitang asked, "You mean the other Seven Saints will move against Mu Lianze's and Zhangsun Mi's forces?"

"If they don't move quickly, are they supposed to wait until news of Mu Lianze's and Zhangsun Mi's deaths leaks out and the people under those two scatter, then spend far more time and effort hunting them down?" Niu Youdao said. "Just watch. Other things are hard to say, but the different sides will certainly join forces and launch a sudden purge against those two Sacred Lands. It probably won't take more than a few days before something happens that shocks all beneath Heaven."

Xi Haitang slowly nodded. "That makes sense."

Then he hesitated. "If that's the case... don't you have a channel for contacting people inside the Sacred Realm? Why not warn those two Sacred Lands in advance and let their people escape first? It would leave the others with more trouble."

Niu Youdao glanced sideways at him. "Right now, the only outsiders who know what happened are people from your Myriad Beasts Sect. If a warning gets through, aren't you afraid of bringing trouble down on your sect? You should understand why I had Myriad Beasts Sect report the Holy Rakshasa through the normal channels even though doing so put the Holy Rakshasa in such danger."

Xi Haitang fell silent.

He had wanted to say there were certainly Misty Pavilion people inside as well, but after considering it, he realized that was still too risky.

Niu Youdao sighed again. "Better to let them be purged. Those people have spent too long standing above everyone else. They aren't people of the same road as us, and we don't know the details of their factions. Rushing into cooperation would be difficult. In the present situation, expecting anything useful from them is meaningless. Having more of them or fewer makes little difference. There's no need to create new complications."

"Whether or not any fish slip through the net, once I return I'll immediately contact Yan Zhutian, Wen Hua, and Gong Lince. They are not to make contact with any survivors. If survivors approach us voluntarily, report them immediately to Misty Pavilion. We need to guard against someone using them as bait. It would be no fun at all to draw fire onto ourselves."

Niu Youdao looked steadily at Xi Haitang. "Sect Leader Xi, now that we've come this far, be careful in everything. One careless step and there will be no redemption."

"Then we'll do it that way." Xi Haitang nodded.

Afterward, he lifted his head toward the night sky and gave a long sigh. "Only seven of the Nine Saints remain!"

"Yuan Se and Granny Xue should both be injured as well," Niu Youdao said. "With that result, there should be no trouble for the Holy Rakshasa's side for the time being."

They had personally participated in planning this and witnessed an unimaginable upheaval with their own eyes. The experience had shaken all three of them deeply, though it also left them feeling as if an enormous weight had been lifted.

For Niu Youdao in particular, he now possessed a far more objective understanding of the Nine Saints' individual strength.

That would have a major influence on every plan he made from this point onward.

...

Exactly as Niu Youdao predicted, only a few days after he returned to Nanzhou, he received a shocking announcement Misty Pavilion had issued to all beneath Heaven.

Tianmu Sacred Land and Wuming Sacred Land had attempted to alter the rules governing all beneath Heaven and had therefore become intolerable to the world. The Sacred Realm had already eradicated them. Mu Lianze and Zhangsun Mi had been executed!

The moment the announcement spread, all beneath Heaven erupted.

The Nine Saints had become Seven Saints.

How could the world not be shaken?

Niu Youdao had received no advance warning.

Before the Sacred Realm took action, it had completely sealed its entrances and exits to prevent anyone from escaping. No one had been allowed to enter or leave, cutting off normal communication between Niu Youdao and Sha Rulai.

Reclining beside his desk, Niu Youdao casually tossed the report back onto the tabletop. "Send word to Jia Wuqun. Tell him Mu Lianze and Zhangsun Mi did not die at the hands of the Seven Saints. They were killed by the Holy Rakshasa inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. Yuan Se and Granny Xue were also gravely wounded and barely escaped with their lives. Have Jia Wuqun pass the message to Shao Pingbo after reading it. Let them know the Seven Saints merely picked up the spoils."

Yun Ji raised a hand and rubbed her forehead.

She truly did not want to make herself look foolish, but she genuinely did not understand. In the end, she could not help asking, "Is there really any need to tell them something like this?"

"I simply want them to know the Nine Saints are not invincible," Niu Youdao said. "It's time they saw some results too. The Seven Saints are using this to bolster themselves. We can't simply let others take the credit. This is for morale and confidence, and it is also deterrence. Where the hearts of the people turn decides victory or defeat."

He continued, "Send the same message to Yan Zhutian, Wen Hua, and Gong Lince as well."

Yun Ji nodded.

She understood now.

Just then, Guan Fangyi entered and said, "Master Dao, the Commandery Prince wants to see you."

Niu Youdao rose. "After something this large, naturally they feel uncertain. I'll meet him."

He led the two women out of the secret chamber.

[End of Chapter 1386]