Chapter 308: Chapter 146: Battle with Elder Mu, Fiendish Encirclement

One of the Observatory members let out a quiet sigh.

"Sigh..."

The sound seemed contagious, as sighs began to rise one after another across the open ground.

Many of them were young, and in Shen Bai, they saw an insurmountable mountain, one that crushed them until they could barely breathe.

Seeing this, Liu Wufeng snorted. "All of you, pull yourselves together," he said coldly. "There are plenty of people in this world stronger than you. If you don’t even have this much mental fortitude, then get the hell out of the Observatory and go waste your lives in the Jianghu. Don’t stand around here being an eyesore."

After Liu Wufeng’s words, the spirits of the Observatory members lifted slightly.

Liu Wufeng had a point. They had all been promoted from the ranks of constables in various counties, chosen because they were the most outstanding among their peers.

Even though they felt a profound sense of helplessness, they quickly regained their composure.

It made them far tougher than the sheltered "hothouse flowers" cultivated by the great powers.

"Alright, that’s enough. Dismissed," Liu Wufeng said, then turned to Shen Bai. "You’ll be leaving soon. There are some things I need to discuss with you in detail."

Hearing the State Governor speak, the surrounding Observatory members finally dispersed from around the Martial Arts Arena’s stage.

Only Ouyang Sword remained where he was.

Shen Bai and Elder Mu stepped down from the stage. Elder Mu glanced at Ouyang Sword, who immediately became very stiff and awkward.

"Uh... greetings, Martial Uncle. I’m Ouyang Sword, my master’s disciple. That makes me your martial nephew," he stammered, his voice lacking any confidence.

’Ouyang Sword knew full well that the rivalry between his master and this martial uncle was quite intense.’

’He was terrified this martial uncle would throw martial virtue to the wind, grab him, and give him a thrashing. That would be a complete loss of face.’

Fortunately, Elder Mu wasn’t the type to abuse his seniority. He turned, glanced at Shen Bai, and spoke.

"I’m heading back to the resource room. Join me for a couple cups of tea before you leave. Also, I’ll have to trouble you to look out for this kid on the journey."

Ouyang Sword’s eyes widened in surprise.

’He never expected this. Not only was Elder Mu not going to thrash him, but he was even asking Shen Bai to look out for him.’

’It was completely absurd.’

’After all, his master had described this martial uncle as incomparably vicious.’

’Shen Bai found it rather funny. Elder Mu might seem unapproachable, but deep down, he was a senior who cared for the younger generation.’

After Elder Mu left, Shen Bai turned to Liu Wufeng and asked.

"Lord Liu, I’m supposed to set out today."

The day of his departure had arrived.

Reaching the Inner Examination Land would be a long journey.

’During the journey, I can also grind the Skill Level of my other Divine Powers. It’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone.’

Liu Wufeng nodded, then took out a map and handed it to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai took it, unfurled the map, and studied it carefully. "So the destination is in Yunxi State."

Yunxi State was extremely far from Fenglin State; the journey there would take a whole month.

Since Shen Bai was departing early, even if he took the official roads and traveled nonstop, day and night, it would still take him nearly half a month.

’Of course, I can’t travel day and night without stopping. With rest stops, it’ll probably be a twenty-day journey.’

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Exactly. The location was chosen deliberately. It’s the most accessible route for the various State-level Cities. Considering how remote some states are, it was the perfect compromise."

Shen Bai put the map away.

Liu Wufeng continued, "There are some potential issues with this trip that I need to discuss with you."

Shen Bai looked up and smiled. "You’re talking about the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect, aren’t you, Lord Liu? I imagine those two factions have been eagerly awaiting my departure date."

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Exactly. Once you depart, we can’t offer you any protection. The journey is too far. If we left, Fenglin State would be left undefended, and that would be dangerous."

’Shen Bai understood perfectly. The only reason the Demonic Forces didn’t dare to cause chaos was that the Observatory was there to keep Fenglin State in check.’

’If they left Fenglin State, their home base would be vulnerable, which would be an even greater danger.’

Shen Bai smiled. "Lord Liu, I suspect you’re telling me all this because you have something else in mind."

’He’d already considered all of this, so he had a good idea of what Liu Wufeng was getting at.’

’But I need him to say it out loud. If I’ve misunderstood him, things could get awkward.’

Liu Wufeng nodded. "If you hadn’t fought—and defeated—Elder Mu, I might have devised another way for you to leave Fenglin State. It would still have been dangerous, of course, but I would have minimized the risk as much as possible."

"But now that you’ve defeated Elder Mu, I’m not so sure that’s necessary. The final decision, of course, is entirely up to you."

Shen Bai nodded but remained silent, signaling for Liu Wufeng to continue.

After a moment of thought, Liu Wufeng said, "You have two options, and the choice is yours. The first is to follow the original plan and take a secret route to your destination. Threats will still exist, but the likelihood of an encounter will be much lower."

"The Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect might not be able to find you."

Shen Bai rubbed his chin and asked, "And the second option?"

Liu Wufeng spoke slowly. "The second option is to take the public, official route. The Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect will be certain to move against you. But this is also an opportunity. Your strength has already surpassed both mine and Elder Mu’s. Killing them might not be much trouble for you."

"I’m putting the power to decide in your hands. Whichever you choose, I will make the arrangements."

Shen Bai considered this for a moment. "If I choose the second option," he said, "the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect will surely come out in full force."