Taiyi Dao Fruit

Jiang Li was flying, perched atop a long sword in a rather uncomfortable flying experience.

Among cultivators, there is Object Flying Manipulation, with the most famous being the Sword Immortals' Sword Control, which involves the magic artifact emitting treasure light, enveloping the cultivator and allowing them to enter and leave the Azure Netherworld, rather than standing on the magic artifact and having it carry them through flight.

The former creates a treasure light that opens a path through the winds of the high skies, allowing one to fly through the air as freely as a fish swims through water.

The latter, however, is akin to flying on an airplane, and one without windshields, no less. One small mistake and you could even fall from the sky.

And—It is incredibly unsightly!

If it were just standing on a sword, it would at most be a hassle and might look a little strenuous, perhaps even awkward. From the right angle, it could even convey a sense of drifting grace.

But if one were standing on a cauldron, a long weapon, a flower basket, or a fan, then it would not just be generally awkward.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue were doing.

Sword Control that enters and leaves the Azure Netherworld is a capability exclusive to those of the Sixth Rank. Gongsun Qingyue, not having reached the Sixth Rank, could only resort to a lower-tier version of standing on a sword for flight.

This mode of flight had many drawbacks, such as facing strong winds at high altitudes head-on, the constant consumption of a large amount of True Qi, and most importantly—

Jiang Li placed his palm on her waist to secure himself from being thrown off.

And just thinking of the "torture" those hands had previously inflicted made Gongsun Qingyue feel as if ants were crawling over her body, and a phantom sense of soreness seemed to emerge at her waist.

With Jiang Li's current level of cultivation, Gongsun Qingyue's Protective True Qi would absolutely not block the Innate Qi. That meant with just a light movement, Jiang Li could induce that ultimate sensation in Gongsun Qingyue.

Although Jiang Li had no such intentions, Gongsun Qingyue's psychological discomfort could not be helped. Once his hand was placed on her waist, even the Flying Sword they stood on almost flipped over.

"Senior Sister, be careful," Jiang Li hastily let go.

There's a saying that careless driving leads to tears from loved ones, and Jiang Li, who had never been in a traffic accident in his previous life, certainly didn't want to encounter a crash simply due to careless flying in this world.

He had to let go of his hands and circulated his Innate Qi through the Yongquan acupoint, attempting to adhere his feet to the Flying Sword to maintain balance.

However, when this suction was applied to the Flying Sword, he felt a void, as if what he was standing on was just a wisp of air, devoid of any substance to hold onto. Coupled with Gongsun Qingyue's adjustment of the Flying Sword, Jiang Li almost really fell off by accident.

If he were to fall from this height, even if Jiang Li was adept in talismanic magic and could lighten his body, it would still be quite dire.

He immediately placed his hands on Gongsun Qingyue's shoulders and called out, "What kind of sword is this?"

Gongsun Qingyue still felt uncomfortable, constantly worried that Jiang Li would touch her waist again, but fortunately, her shoulders weren't as sensitive, so she could endure it.

While maneuvering the Flying Sword, she said, "This sword is cast from the Tai Shi Sword Stone, possessing form without substance, taking shape through my Sword Intent. The sword body appears with the rise of Sword Intent and vanishes when it fades."

Jiang Li didn't know how rare the Tai Shi Sword Stone really was, but just from the name and description alone, he knew this sword was worth a fortune, perhaps even an understatement.

His senior sister indeed seemed to be a treasure all by herself.

The freeloading life with the Gongsun Family was getting more and more tempting, and Jiang Li now had a strong urge to simply give in.

'But if I were to give in, perhaps Senior Sister would lose interest. Women, you are more complex than the human heart,' Jiang Li sighed internally with resignation.

Freeloading was too tempting, so much so that Jiang Li thought about enduring a bit longer, hoping to turn the tables one day, that no one should underestimate an affiliated son-in-law. However, if he endured, the freeloading opportunity might slip away.

In resignation, he could only continue to grapple, waiting to see who would triumph before he could truly enjoy the free life with the Gongsun Family.

During their conversation, the Flying Sword swept across the sky, and Jiang Li casually dropped a large number of flyers, causing a flurry of chaos.

If everything had followed the usual script, then after discovering that the County Magistrate had become a member of the Taiping Sect, Jiang Li should have used a counter-strategy, luring the snake out of its hole to trap the Taiping Sect instead and incidentally gather evidence of the County Magistrate's collusion with the Taiping Sect to expose him.

But now, with his senior sister by his side, none of that was necessary.

Gongsun Qingyue could manipulate court officials; naturally, she would maximize this advantage, bringing hidden schemes into the light as the most appropriate response.

First, they would expose the conspiracy of the Taiping Sect and then—

Directly take down the county government.

In the name of the government, they would help accelerate the spread of the news while eliminating an arm of their enemy's forces.

Simple, brutal, but incredibly practical.

The Sword Light swept across; in the blink of an eye, they could see the government office standing tall in the center of the county town.

Gongsun Qingyue guided the Sword Light down with a gesture, and like immortals descending from the heavens, a man and a woman shot straight toward the county government.

...

...

In the back house of the county government, within a side hall, the steward Jiang Huaimin was praying in front of a portrait.

As a recipient of the Earth God Dao Fruit, Ren Zihe could set up beacons within his own Divine Domain. If someone prayed to these beacons, the message could be directly transmitted to Ren Zihe's ears.

At the moment, steward Jiang Huaimin was reporting the situation within the county town to Ren Zihe.

"The official already understands the situation. Go find the leading households in the town right away, instruct them to lead in dispelling rumors, and take county government staff out on patrol. Arrest anyone distributing flyers on my order. I will return immediately."

A soft glow emanated from the portrait as Ren Zihe's voice came through.

There were not many literate people among the citizens of Great Zhou, but they did exist. If just one literate person saw a flyer and read it aloud, everyone around would know.

The County Magistrate was clearly aware of this, hence his orders for the county officers to take to the streets. From this, it was evident he had a clear understanding of the people's situation and was very decisive in dealing with unforeseen events.

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately agreed and was about to go issue the commands.

But before he could even reach the door, a thunderous boom suddenly sounded, shaking the building violently.

Above the county government, a pale gold Qi Shield was dome-shaped, inverted overhead. A Sword Light descended from the sky, slashing through the Qi Shield, scattering sword waves in every direction.

"Which madman dares to attack the county government!"

The steward trembled with fear, while the County Magistrate, shining with Divine Light in the portrait, commanded presence and authority.

Then, in the next instant, the doors of the side hall were blasted open by a surge of Qi Force, and Jiang Li, accompanied by Gongsun Qingyue, entered, their gazes sweeping around the room before settling on the portrait.

"It's naturally us."

Gongsun Qingyue bore a faint cold smile, looking at the portrait, "County Magistrate Ren, you left first, but now that I, the Upper Envoy, have arrived at the county government, where are you?"

The Divine Light on the portrait dimmed, and Ren Zihe, who was far away, also felt his heart skip a beat.

The worst had happened.

The flyer was distributed by the Upper Envoy who had suddenly appeared.

Ren Zihe didn't know where he had slipped up, but he knew one thing for certain—he was finished.

It was unclear how the Taiping Church would fare, but as for him, County Magistrate Ren, he had thoroughly fallen.