Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 98: Fail-Safe Plan

As more and more people congregated on the Big Stone Bridge, Lu Yang suggested that they leave the place first and find a more secluded spot.

When the four arrived in the remote mountain forest, Lu Yang took out the map of Yanjiang Commandery which marked the nodes of the Lifespan-Reversal Array they had previously deduced. “The nodes of the Lifespan-Reversal Array should still be in the same position. Before we proceed, I would like to confirm something. Lan Ting, when you mentioned ‘blood sacrifice,’ do you mean killing people at the nodes or offering cultivators’ essence blood to activate the array?”

Lan Ting was confused by Lu Yang’s question. “Both methods are possible, but the former would usually be opted for since it only requires the killing of mortals. If too much of a cultivator’s essence blood is used, it would affect their cultivation and be detrimental to their future training.

Lu Yang pondered for a bit. “Then the person who set up the array would likely use the second method.”

The other three were bewildered. They believed that the person who set up the array could only be a diabolic cultivator. For a diabolic cultivator, killing people would naturally be much more convenient than using essence blood.

Lu Yang challenged, “Who do you think has such influential power to hide the Lifespan-Reversal Talismans within the small flags and deliberately have them completely set up overnight to benefit from the cover of the night since no one would be suspicious even if someone got sleepy?”

The answer instantly clicked in Meng Jingzhou’s mind. “Someone from the authorities, and of high rank at that!”

Lu Yang nodded. “That’s right, or to be more specific, it’s the commandery governor!”

“What?!”

The color drained from Man Gu’s and Lan Ting’s faces, while Meng Jingzhou was not that taken aback, having already made similar speculations. Back when they just entered Yanjiang Commandery, Meng Jingzhou had already mentioned that it wasn’t uncommon for the authorities and diabolic path to collude with each other.

“Last night, I overheard people from the authorities saying that Commandery Governor Li personally oversaw the placement of the small flags, demanding that there must be no mistakes with their positions.”

“Would something like this really require the commandery governor’s personal supervision? Even the excuse that he was meticulous and dedicated to the people is too far-fetched!”

“This can only mean that Commandery Governor Li had made use of these small flags to set up a Lifespan-Reversal Array that covers the entire commandery!”

Man Gu suddenly realized how dark the world truly was. “That is to say that the spy planted by the Yanjiang Branch in Yanjiang Commandery is Commandery Governor Li. With his cultivation and position, the term ‘collaboration’ would be more apt to describe their relationship, right?”

Lu Yang shook his head. “He’s neither a spy nor a collaboration partner. I suspect that Commandery Governor Li and Branch Leader Chu are the same person! I don’t have any direct evidence, but there are two points of suspicion.

“First, Branch Leader Chu always summons us at night. I checked with the other administrators, and they said that it’s not the case in the other branches.

“Second, both Branch Leader Chu and Commandery Governor Li are about to be promoted, and the timings are nearly identical.”

Man Gu drew in a breath of cold air. The world is even darker than I had thought. If Branch Leader Chu and Commandery Governor Li are the same person, doesn’t that mean he is taking advantage of both the righteous and diabolic paths?!

“Of course, they might still be two different people. Ultimately, this is just speculation. But regardless of which possibility it is, the way to activate the Lifespan-Reversal Array is definitely not killing mortals!”

Man Gu still hadn’t fully wrapped his head around it, so Meng Jingzhou explained, “Commandery Governor Li is looking forward to his promotion. If a mass slaughter goes rampant during the Spring Harvest Festival, do you think he’ll still get that promotion? Even if he is connected to the higher-ups, they still can’t blatantly promote him under such circumstances. Besides, with his position of commandery governor, how hard would it be for him to obtain essence blood from cultivators? He could easily pick a few cultivators from the prison.”

Lan Ting still had some questions. “Regarding Commandery Governor Li and One Zhang Red setting up the Lifespan-Reversal Array, is it a coincidence, or are they related?”

“I believe they are closely related,” Lu Yang postulated. After figuring out the relationship between Branch Leader Chu and Commandery Governor Li, Lu Yang gained new perspectives on many matters.

“Capturing three Foundation Establishment diabolic cultivators alone is clearly an immense political achievement for Commandery Governor Li. If there is no diabolic branch, a small commandery wouldn’t have that many Foundation Establishment diabolic cultivators. It would essentially be equivalent to wiping out the leaders of the diabolic cultivators in a commandery.

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“After the Lifespan-Reversal Array is activated, things might not be discernible on the surface, but over time, people will definitely start to notice something amiss.

“If One Zhang Red hadn’t acted first, the authorities would have spared no efforts in tracking down the culprit. Had that been the case, Yanjiang Branch and Commandery Governor Li would have been at risk of getting exposed.

“Commandery Governor Li was clever enough to arrange for One Zhang Red’s role. With One Zhang Red involved with setting up the Lifespan-Reversal Array first, even if Commandery Governor Li activates the array and reduces the lifespan of the mortals, the authorities would only place their sights on One Zhang Red.”

Man Gu was astounded. “But One Zhang Red didn’t succeed.”

Lu Yang snickered. “Not succeeding is only One Zhang Red’s side of the story. Maybe the array has been activated, but due to One Zhang Red’s improper handling, only reducing lifespans without boosting one’s cultivation is highly probable. After all, it is an unfamiliar array; any accident can happen.”

Man Gu still couldn’t grasp the full situation. “But One Zhang Red’s two companions could have also verified whether the setup was successful.”

Lu Yang objected, “Companions? Since when did diabolic cultivators have companions? They’re just mutually exploiting one another. It’s totally reasonable for One Zhang Red to not have told those two people the truth.

“With such an obvious suspect readily available, who else could they suspect? Besides, based on One Zhang Red’s lengthy list of crimes, the death penalty is inevitable. By the time the authorities realize that the Lifespan-Reversal Array has been activated, One Zhang Red might already have been sentenced to death. Who would still suspect Commandery Governor Li when there is a scapegoat like One Zhang Red around?”

Meng Jingzhou and Lan Ting nodded repeatedly at Lu Yang’s viewpoint.

Lu Yang questioned again, “Also, are there seven nodes that require a blood sacrifice?”

Lan Ting looked at Lu Yang in astonishment and nodded. How did Lu Yang know that? Didn’t he say that he doesn’t understand arrays?

“When I left last night, I encountered seven administrators; Branch Leader Chu had summoned them on short notice, probably because of some mission. I figured that it was to assign them the task of carrying the essence blood to the nodes and waiting for the right moment.

“How about you tell us more about the Lifespan-Reversal Array?”

Lan Ting didn’t hesitate and circled seven points on the map of Yanjiang Commandery. “These seven places are the key nodes for activation. They are located near scenic spots in Yanjiang Commandery, and the array’s focal point is...halfway up Pine Mountain!”

Using the Lifespan-Reversal Array to break through would naturally require a desolate place.

“Let’s remove some of the Lifespan-Reversal Talismans first to prevent the array from activating. However, in doing so, it is highly possible that we’ll attract the attention of Branch Leader Chu. Rather than waiting for him to come after us, we should set an ambush beforehand and catch him off guard,” Lu Yang proposed.

As Lu Yang had been worried that they might have to fight Branch Leader Chu, he had purposely not left their combat styles recorded by the recording orb.

The other three felt uneasy. Branch Leader Chu was at the Golden Core Stage; when the time came, it would be a fight to the death.

“Can we report this to the authorities? Inform Fang Qingyun about this?” Man Gu asked.

Lu Yang shook his head. “Once Fang Qingyun finds out about the arrays on the small flags, he’ll definitely link it to Commandery Governor Li, and if Commandery Governor Li gets caught, our identities as members of the diabolic creed will also be exposed.”

Lan Ting hesitatingly said, “But with just the four of us against a Golden Core cultivator, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to defeat the other party.”

On the contrary, Lu Yang was pretty confident. “Not to worry. Let’s just prepare ourselves to the fullest. If the worst-case scenario happens, I still have a fail-safe plan.

“What is it?”

“Big Senior Sister Animal Form Fist!”

When Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu heard what he said, their expressions changed drastically. Lan Ting didn’t understand their extreme reactions. “What is Big Senior Sister Animal Form Fist?”

Lu Yang proudly replied, “It’s the ultimate technique of the Lu-Style Animal Form Fist!”

Lan Ting nodded, despite not truly understanding.