The upper echelons of the Ruthless Sect were well aware that Wu Lei was always serious and humorless, devoid of emotional fluctuations, and had walked far on the merciless path.

But now, he truly struggled to maintain a tranquil mind.

Years ago, Daoist Buyu's actions had severely damaged the fortune of the Ruthless Sect, leading to a considerable decline in the sect's vitality.

When the Ruthless Sect recovered its strength, many privately wished to seek revenge on Daoist Buyu as their peace of mind had been disrupted by him.

But by that time, Daoist Buyu had progressed from the Divinity Transformation Stage to the Body Integration Realm and had even become a Sect Leader, making him not so easy to kill anymore.

Moreover, this bastard Daoist Buyu had too many enemies; when someone from the Ruthless Sect intended to kill him, it was highly likely a Righteous Path cultivator at the Body Integration Realm would suddenly appear, also seeking revenge on Daoist Buyu.

The problem was that if the people from the Ruthless Sect were present, the Righteous Path Body Integration cultivator would definitely take care of them first before dealing with Daoist Buyu.

Ironically, the improved version of the 'Path Enhancement via Spousal Sacrifice' proposed by Daoist Buyu was approved by the Master and even described as "highly praised," so much so that it remained in use within the Ruthless Sect even after Daoist Buyu's defection.

This led to very few people within the Ruthless Sect thereafter seeking to augment their cultivation through marriage without affection.

The thought of entering into love and marriage with the aim of sending one's wife away... who the hell could carry on with that?!

In the matter of cultivation, the higher the cultivation level, the more one's mind state is required to be. After the Daoist Buyu incident, many high-ranking members of the Ruthless Sect were stuck at their current cultivation levels, and it took them hundreds of years to finally recover their original mind state.

Now, Wu Lei was on the verge of failing to maintain his mind state.

"Are you Daoist Buyu... the Sect Leader?" the City Lord had not expected Daoist Buyu to come to the rescue. Was he just happened to be in Ye City?

Daoist Buyu scratched his chin: "Actually, I've been in your Ye City's prison all along, but since I was concerned about being surrounded by old friends and disrupting the order of Ye City's prison, I thoughtfully used a false name and changed my appearance."

"I'm only stepping up to face this crisis for Ye City, to atone for my sins and earn merits."

Daoist Buyu had an expression that clearly stated they had better reduce his sentence after his meritorious deed.

Upon hearing Daoist Buyu's words, Wu Lei's heart stirred, and he quietly crushed a jade slip.

Daoist Buyu then started reminiscing with Wu Lei: "You seem quite without prospects staying in the Ruthless Sect. Why not join our Seek Dao Sect's Captive Peak? It's full of great powers capable of guiding you, a mere cultivator at the Body Integration Realm."

"I'll tell you, I don't inform others about such a great place within our Seek Dao Sect. It's because we know each other that I'm telling you about it."

"Shut up!" Wu Lei barked in a low voice.

His palms came together, and the lightning around him surged as he instantly summoned a storm cloud. Amid the thunderous roar, countless lightning bolts darted out like agile snakes, striking at Daoist Buyu.

They were all in the late stages of Body Integration; he himself had lingered in this stage for two thousand years, a true veteran, and still he was supposed to be unable to kill you!

The longsword left its sheath, Sword Qi soaring across, like a Milky Way waterfall, resembling a flowing ink painting. The Sword Qi waterfall surged backwards into the sky and collided with the thunderclouds.

The thunderclouds seemed to be made of paper, pierced through by the Sword Qi waterfall.

Daoist Buyu twisted his wrist, and with a light flick of his sword tip, it resonated with heaven and earth, drawing in the scattered Sword Intent around. The sharp Sword Intent gathered on the blade, incredibly fine and fast.

The Sword Intent erupted, illuminating Wu Lei's horrified face.

Wu Lei quickly created armor from lightning, protecting his vitals, but even this strike was not enough to withstand the concentrated Sword Intent, which pierced through his shoulder blade.

Wu Lei retreated continuously, putting distance between him and Daoist Buyu.

"We're both at the Body Integration Realm, so how come you can't even take one of my moves? How is the gap between us even greater than I imagined?"

"Daoist Buyu, you thief!"

Wu Lei could no longer suppress his anger. By seniority, he belonged to the same generation as the children's grandmaster, and Daoist Buyu was just a younger member!

Daoist Buyu shook his head gently, worried about Wu Lei's prospects: "Look at you, with such an unstable mind state, how are you supposed to get ahead in the Ruthless Sect?"

Wu Lei formed hand seals and chanted a thunder spell. Instantly, the clouds in the sky roiled and rumbling thunder ensued, followed by several thick lightning bolts heeding his call and striking down ferociously.

The light from the clashing sword glares and lightning illuminated the entire city, causing a deafening explosion to erupt.

-Pfft-

As the light dissipated, Wu Lei spurted blood from his mouth; his right arm shorn off, and at the stump, Sword Qi flickered, preventing the wound from healing!

Wu Lei had not expected that, although both at the late stage of the Body Integration Realm, the gap between him and Daoist Buyu was so immense—just a few rounds in and he had already sustained such injuries!

Daoist Buyuh's eyes narrowed slightly; he had been on guard for Wu Lei's escape, yet the opponent seemed intent on dragging the fight, continuously engaging him in a battle of wits.

What was he waiting for?

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure enveloped Daoist Buyu. Daoist Buyu, who was flying in the air, could hardly bear the pressure and almost fell from the sky!

The aftershocks of the pressure wreaked havoc in Ye City, chilling the civilians to the bone; they shivered uncontrollably, teeth chattering.

"Buyu, you little brat, I didn't expect to find you here."

"Here, I set the rule, [No information may be transmitted out of Ye City]."

"Here, I set the rule, [No one may leave Ye City]."

As the two rules were established, a curtain blacker than the night sky appeared above the man's head and spread rapidly to the surroundings, until it enveloped the entire Ye City.

"Now, it's time for us to settle our scores."

The middle-aged man with a cold look in his eyes gazed at Daoist Buyu, his voice booming like thunder, causing the space to tremble with his mere words.

Daoist Buyu looked up at him, laughing: "I was wondering why that waste Wu Lei kept not running away, turns out he wanted to hold me back for you, the Grand Master Su, to come over."

The Vice Sect Hierarch of the Ruthless Sect, Su Moran, at the mid-stage of Transcendance Tribulation.

With Su Moran's support, Wu Lei suddenly felt emboldened: "You little thief Buyu, today is the day you die!"

As Daoist Buyu just said, no cultivator on the righteous path knew that Daoist Buyu was here and now Ye City has been sealed off by Vice Hierarch Su, allowing entry but no exit.

The huge gap in cultivation level laid bare; without reinforcements, this was a once-in-a-millennium chance to kill Daoist Buyu!

Su Moran was also a victim of an event from the past; in fact, he was the highest in cultivation among the victims. His hatred for Daoist Buyu ran deep into his bones, yet he was always cautious and would not act without being certain of a kill.

If Daoist Buyu truly escaped, it would be even harder to kill him later!

"Grand Master Su, you old man, how come you're just like that idiot Wu Lei? Over a thousand years have passed, and you're still stuck at the mid-stage of passing tribulation?"

"Have you reached the limit of your cultivation level, or is it that... there's a flaw in your mind state?"

Su Moran remained unmoved, pulled out two axes, and said in a heavy voice, "You little brat Buyu, wasting time is useless. You will not be able to find a loophole in the rules and escape from Ye City."

"For today's opportunity, I have waited for over a thousand years."

Unless he killed Daoist Buyu, Su Moran would always have a flaw in his mind state, tormented by hatred. To progress further in his cultivation and reach the late stage of Transcendance Tribulation, he had to kill Daoist Buyu; no other method would work!

Daoist Buyu wanted to say something more, to delay time and look for a chance to survive. Although his strength was half a step into the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, he was ultimately just at half-step and not yet capable of contending with Transcendance Tribulation cultivators, let alone his opponent being an old-hand at the mid-stage of Transcendance Tribulation.

Su Moran had been investigating Daoist Buyu and knew that if he let him speak any further, he might indeed find an opening.

The way to deal with Daoist Buyu was to not let him speak.

Whiz!

Su Moran's muscles tensed, and the two massive axes crashed down with a thunderous roar. The axes were broad and their blades sharp beyond compare—meant to be wielded with two hands, yet Su Moran held one in each.

The axes slammed down on Daoist Buyu, who crossed his sword in defense, but the force was far more than Daoist Buyu could withstand.

Daoist Buyu spat out blood, being directly smashed into the artificial mountain in the City Lord's mansion and ended up in a spread-eagled "big" character.

"If you attempt to flee, these three million civilians of Ye City will have to pay with their lives for your actions," said Su Moran coldly, aware that this was a leverage point on Daoist Buyu.

"Flee? Why should I run?"

Daoist Buyu slowly raised his head, half of his face drenched in blood, looking exceptionally terrifying, with a wicked smile forming on his lips.

"Do you know why I have not ascended to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage?"

With strength, he shattered the artificial mountain and stepped towards Su Moran, his aura rising like climbing bamboo segments.

"I was afraid that after ascending to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, you old fart wouldn't dare come after me!"