It was a restless night.

All forces in the world of cultivation paid all of their attention to the three battlefields within the capital city.

“We lost. There’s no more hope to turn things around.”

Some sighed in distress deep down.

“It’s the Huaxian government’s turn to retaliate now.”

“It’s hard to imagine how we still failed after amassing that much power into the operation.”

“The biggest variable at play is none other than Lu Xuan. He seems to be the one who turns everything around almost entirely on his own.”

The respective forces got firsthand information on the state of affairs as soon as possible.

They thought they stood a huge chance at succeeding in that operation they pulled.

The only thing they did not expect was that Lu Xuan was in it.

He did more than just killing every single one of the cultivators who attacked the Heavenly Palace.

He even went on to turn things around for the Special Task Force, cutting down the undead king that the Maoshan Taoist Sect that been sealing for ages.

That undead king, who boasted power comparable to that of Airborne Realm beings, had been unable to bring its supposed might to bear in that battle.

In the current era, having command of an undead king whose powers were at Airborne Realm was equivalent to having access to nuclear weapons.

Yet, that nuclear weapon was unable to be truly put to use before it was destroyed altogether.

“He is already at Airborne Realm. There’s no doubt about it.”

The cultivation forces all became silent when they heard the news.

Lu Xuan had already been a Celestial Realm being about a year ago, enabling him to overwhelm all of his peers back then.

What he had achieved at the moment practically left all of them in the dust without a doubt.

Just how did he manage to reach the Airborne Realm at an era like this? That was a question that popped up in everyone’s mind, and nobody was able to come up with an answer.

Things would have been easy to explain if Lu Xuan was actually some ancient monster, as that simply meant that he was recovering his original supposed level of powers. However, Lu Xuan was breaking through the limits through sheer brute force.

Having one such nigh-invincible being looming above everyone’s heads was probably something that any would find puzzling.

The fighters from cultivation forces that served the Huaxian government went to work after settling the mess in the capital city, to arrest those responsible.

There were still many such people who fled, and it was time for a nationwide manhunt.

The Twelve Military Governors of the Heavenly Palace made themselves known to the public under such circumstances.

12 very formidable Celestial Realm fighters were out to hunt down the fugitives throughout the country.

Any case that required the 12 of them to mobilize personally would involve any but the ordinary. There was no doubt that their targets were Celestial Realm beings as well.

That time around, however, no one would come to think that their base at the Heavenly Palace was an empty nest without the 12 of them holding down the fort.

That place would remain a divine mountain without a disastrous monster in it, so long as Lu Xuan remained in charge of things from there.

At the foot of the mountain where the Maoshan Sect was, a group of people dressed for combat descended from jeeps and surrounded the sec’s gates.

The receptionist disciples put up an act of being calm and collected, looking at those people before them and asked, “Who are you people? This is Maoshan Mountain. Are you people going to act like you own this place?”

The leading young man of the opposing group, who was tall and imposing, smirked and replied, “I’m Duan Shan, a military governor of the Heavenly Palace. I’m here today at Maoshan Sect to take those who are responsible.”

“How insolent!” the receptionist disciple shouted in fury.

“This is the sacred ground of Taoists, and we are of a prestigious lineage. You think just anyone could step foot here without any care?”

“Do I look like I care about you Maoshan Sect people? You people are involved in treasonous actions, and I’ll have you people explain yourselves today.”

Duan Shan smirked and continued, “Move aside, or I’ll be doing this the hard way. We’d find out just how many heads you have if you dare to resist.”

There were already military forces intervening from afar, who were busy dispersing tourists on the mountain.

That receptionist disciple was furious upon seeing what happened.

It was not like he knew nothing.

What happened last night shocked the entire Huaxia, and probably even cultivators throughout the world.

He knew very well that there were several elders from the sect involved in it. That undead king that caused quite a commotion in the capital city was the undead king that was sealed by the Maoshan Sect, after all.

However, it was unthinkable to just let those government authorities in at the moment, or that would have spelled doom for the entire sect.

Duan Shan extended his hand before that disciple was able to react in time. That disciple then sensed terrifying power pulling him away right there and then.

That was a method for force activation—the Dragon Catching Skill.

“Tie him up and keep a close eye on him.”

Duan Shan flung that receptionist disciple behind him. There were immediately several fighters from the Heavenly Palace catching him and tying him up. The ropes used were crafted using special alloys, making it impossible for even formidable martial artists to shake free.

Duan Shan then brought several others from the Heavenly Palace and the military charging into the Maoshan Sect.

The sect master of the Maoshan Sect was looking furious in the great hall of their sect.

The Maoshan Sect had never been bullied to such extent for ages, after all.

“Sectmaster, you absolutely can’t allow these people to throw their weight around like that. We of the Maoshan Sect are of a lineage of the utmost prestige. We can’t just let them do whatever they please like that!” an elder shouted furiously.

“A mere military governor of the Heavenly Palace dares to mess with us of the Maoshan Sect. That punk has a death wish!” Yet another elder berated in anguish.

None of them thought much of Duan Shan at all, despite learning from surveillance that Duan Shan was definitely a Celestial Realm being, judging from how he went about things.

But then again, a mere Celestial Realm being was not worthy of their attention.

Even without the undead king, which had been their trump card, around, there were still quite a number of Celestial Realm beings in the ranks of Maoshan Sect. A Celestial Realm being had a death wish, barging in like that.

The restoration of spirit qi to the world was the best thing to happen to those sects and clans of old heritages.

Nothing else would have worked better in their favor.

A sect or clan without much history would probably be able to have one such Celestial Realm being emerge from their ranks, yet those sects and clans with a rich heritage and history would definitely have two or three such beings in their ranks.

Even with the two elders who died in the battlefield at the Special Task Force taken into account, there were still more than ten Celestial Realm cultivators present in the Maoshan Sect.

They were still a large enough force to intimidate the entire world of cultivators.

The sect master suppressed his anger, yet he crushed that armrest of his red sandalwood Taishi chair.

He then said coldly, “If they insist on carrying on with the arrest, then let them be. We sent a letter to the government the day before yesterday, telling them that those two had been excommunicated from the sect. Whatever they have done had nothing to do with the Maoshan Sect.”

Many recalled something like that. The sect had indeed sent a letter to the government, stripping the membership of those two before they joined the operation.

However, everyone knew that such ex-communication was but a fluke.

No one would have believed that what the two of them had done had nothing to do with the Moashan Sect.

But then again, all that was needed in many situations was but a way out of the deadlock.