Jianyang was a great prefecture of the Divine Dynasty in every sense.

And they were inside the city, where thick imperial qi rolled and churned across the whole sky.

The Purple Cloud Sect's Dao-companions had once been suppressed so badly they'd needed pills just to cast qi-tracking formulas. Bodhi Teaching disciples weren't reduced to that, but bringing forty or fifty percent of their strength to bear was doing well.

Ordinarily, though, hardly anyone gave it a thought.

If everyone was suppressed by imperial qi, then in effect no one was.

And the few who could sway imperial qi were all important figures in the Divine Dynasty, like the Prefect of Jianyang. No ordinary cultivator was hotheaded enough to go looking for trouble in front of them.

So what post did this young man hold in the Divine Dynasty?

And why had they never heard of him?

Zhiqing's expression clouded, and the pressure on his staff eased a little. The monk Zhikong seized the chance to knock it aside, grabbed the woman on the ground and flung her well clear.

“……” Zhiqing only glanced after her. He had no intention of going after the woman again.

He coveted the Great Dragon-Tiger Scripture, but he'd never meant to make an enemy of a court official on the Divine Dynasty's own ground. He'd simply been careless, and it had never crossed his mind before he struck.

A court official did the Human Emperor's work. How could he not understand where the Divine Dynasty stood with the Three Teachings? He was no ignorant youngster. Recklessly reading a Three Teachings scripture cost far more than it gained. It wasn't something a court official would do.

“Withdraw now, report to the elders, then come back to the Divine Dynasty bearing thorns to beg forgiveness, and this can still be settled.”

Zhikong's breath came low and ragged, like a cracked drum. He stared hard at the monk before him.

A disciple of the Bodhi Teaching himself, he knew all too well how strong these two were.

Fellow Immortal Shen had blocked that staff and even handed Zhiming…