Five cultivators from the Shenxuan Sect were captured alive, while three others fled despite depleting their vitality.
The various forces that had acted in concert immediately attempted to withdraw without hesitation.
Amidst shouts, a large number of masked men in black turned and prepared to retreat, daring not to linger for battle.
The beings of the Third Realm, in particular, each employed their own methods to disengage from the ongoing skirmish.
Upon witnessing this, those who had received prior instructions, despite feeling a surge of genuine anger, restrained themselves and watched as their opponents departed.
With their strength, it was unlikely they could capture all the remaining attackers; a few would invariably escape.
However, eliminating most of them was not an insurmountable task.
After all, besides the Jiuxuan Gate, there were also representatives from the Mingjian Division, the Shanhe Gang, and the Zhuang family present.
Yet, firstly, there was no need for such an action, and secondly, factions like the Shanhe Gang and the Zhuang family were unwilling to completely antagonize the attackers.
Although the attackers wore masks, it was merely a pretense. From the moment they initiated their attack, their identities were already revealed to others.
If these individuals were to be apprehended, the forces behind them would inevitably retaliate.
At least for the current phase, this would pose a significant problem for everyone involved.
Some matters could be pursued to their end, while others required knowing when to stop.
Ji Yuan’s gaze swept across the sky, meticulously noting down the identities of those who had acted today and the forces behind them.
Although he did not apprehend them at this moment, it did not mean he would not seek retribution from them one by one in the future.
*Bang!*
The two Shenxuan Sect cultivators, their cultivation sealed, crashed heavily onto the ground.
The formation that had enveloped the area had been withdrawn. Mingxuan Pavilion and the Shanhe Gang were arranging for the mortals who had been invited to participate in the ritual to depart.
Ji Yuan and the others descended from the sky, their immense auras gradually receding.
Even after the skirmish, traces of killing intent lingered on them.
The members of the Supervisory Division instinctively took half a step back, feeling a sense of apprehension.
Although they had done nothing previously, they were nominally tasked with apprehending Ji Yuan and his companions.
And while all were of the Third Realm, they knew their own fragile cultivation levels were no match for the individuals before them.
"Take them back and report," Ji Yuan said lightly.
Although animosity had already been forged with the Shenxuan Sect, likely leading to an irreconcilable conflict,
and it was even probable that the sect had some inextricable ties with the Wangsheng Tower,
their sect elders should still not be left in their hands. Handing them over to the imperial court would, to some extent, alleviate some troubles.
After all, some matters were still merely their own conjectures. Without concrete evidence, the Shenxuan Sect remained a formidable sect that commanded respect.
If the other party were to retaliate based on this, even the Jiuxuan Gate, despite being in a different administrative region, would find it difficult to withstand such fury.
"Be careful, the matter is not over yet."
Feng Chongguang nodded, left a parting remark, and then led his men away with the two Shenxuan Sect cultivators.
Ji Yuan and the others understood the meaning behind his words.
Repelling the Shenxuan Sect members did not mean they had won this round.
Certain individuals within the county city, and even some forces in the prefectural city, would not let this matter rest so easily.
At the very least, before sufficient evidence was gathered to prove Cai Yuanhe’s collusion with the Shenxuan Sect and their deliberate framing of them,
the fact that they had killed members of the Supervisory Division could be brought up at any moment and used to launch an attack.
Feng Chongguang’s arrival, for instance, was a probe by those individuals.
"This is more troublesome than we imagined," Elder Hong Tian sighed involuntarily.
For certain reasons, the Jiuxuan Gate had never developed its own influence outside of Feiyun County.
As a result, they had no informants or connections within the prefectural city.
While this had not been a major concern in the past, it now presented a significant headache.
"Let's clean up first, and then we'll settle the score with those people later."
Ji Yuan glanced back, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The attack had resulted in over a hundred casualties from the various attacking forces, and more than twenty masked figures were captured.
The bodies of those who died were incinerated by magical arts, leaving little trace.
The more than twenty captured masked figures had their cultivation sealed, and even their ability to speak was suppressed.
Clearly, Ji Yuan’s side did not intend to allow them to reveal their identities or backgrounds.
Once these individuals spoke, it would only complicate matters. Remaining silent was beneficial for everyone.
As they returned to the county city, the once turbulent city became remarkably quiet.
Some factions that had been restless, and even operating in the shadows, tacitly halted all their activities.
"Idiots! Such utter fools!"
In an inn in the county city, Cai Yuanhe cursed furiously.
He had not anticipated that a situation that seemed to be a sure success would ultimately end in failure.
Even two Shenxuan Sect cultivators were captured alive, and the other three had fled severely injured, with no news of them to this day.
"Weren't those guys very arrogant?" Cai Yuanhe raged. "They were overbearing in Chongyuan Prefecture, why are they so incompetent in Lingyang Prefecture?"
The cultivators of the Shenxuan Sect were always known for their power and ferocity in Chongyuan Prefecture.
Let alone ordinary sects and forces, even other major sects were unwilling to clash with them unless absolutely necessary.
And that middle-aged man with white hair was once a prodigy of the Shenxuan Sect, his strength exceptionally formidable.
Yet, someone who had condensed two Top-Grade Three Flowers had fallen to a junior?
Thinking of this, Cai Yuanhe's expression turned grim.
A prodigy who, after only twenty years of cultivation, had successfully advanced to the middle stage of the Mingdao Realm, condensed one Top-Grade Three Flower, and cultivated two anomalous phenomena.
While not entirely unprecedented in history, it was extremely rare.
At least in the more than eight hundred years since the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty, there had been only four or five such individuals.
Among those individuals, excluding one who died young, the weakest in cultivation realm was at the late Golden Core stage.
"If we cannot recruit him, we must find a way to eliminate him!"
Cai Yuanhe's expression was somber, adding another objective to his mission.
His presence in Lingyang Prefecture was not due to the machinations of the Shenxuan Sect cultivators.
Rather, a decree from above had been issued, instructing him to contact the Shenxuan Sect and use this matter to gain a foothold in Luoxia County.
A few Third Realm cultivators were not enough to warrant such a grand endeavor, let alone stir up the entire county.
Their true objective was the position of the Prefectural Governor of Luoxia County.
And to displace certain influential figures in the prefectural city, allowing their own people to ascend to power smoothly.
Some matters were indeed miscalculated by Ji Yuan and his companions.
Cai Yuanhe was not serving the Shenxuan Sect.
Furthermore, the Shenxuan Sect and the Wangsheng Tower were not in a collaborative relationship.
In reality, the two were in a superior-subordinate relationship, with the former being the subordinate and the latter the superior.