Chapter 145: The Mighty Sovereign of the Sixth Celestial Realm

While Lu Tianhong was lost in a thousand thoughts, a guard from outside the City Lord’s Manor hurried in.

“City Lord, Young Master Lu Hui… Young Master Lu Hui has returned. He is already in the main hall.”

The guard was a member of the Lu family, so he knew about Lu Hui’s affairs. As the saying went, without rules, nothing could be accomplished. Lu Tianhong was still the head of the Lu family, and at first, the family members had not been accustomed to addressing him as City Lord Lu. Later, Uncle Fu informed them that since Lu Tianhong had become the City Lord of Maple City, they were to address him as such from then on.

“Lu Hui… What must come will come.” Lu Tianhong sighed.

Lu Hui was the eldest son of Lu Tianhong’s elder brother, Lu Tianlin, and thus his nephew. From an early age, Lu Hui had displayed astonishing martial talent. At fourteen, he had crossed the Dragon Gate and broken through to the sixth level of the Acquired Realm—faster even than Lu Han, who had been fifteen when he crossed the Dragon Gate.

Later, an elder of the Golden Sun Sect happened to pass through the area and took Lu Hui as his direct disciple. Lu Tianhong had been delighted for his nephew at the time. But everything Lu Tianlin did afterward left him utterly disheartened.

First, Lu Tianlin had tried to make Lu Han fail in his breakthrough. Fortunately, Lu Han had been lucky, and Lu Tianhong had arrived at the Lu family’s training grounds in time. Otherwise, no one knew what might have happened.

After that failed, Lu Tianlin had schemed to deceive Lu Han into entering the Cold Abyss Forest, then sent assassins to knock him into the abyss. Had Lu Han not possessed extraordinary luck, he would have become nothing more than a pile of bones by now.

Lu Tianlin had also joined forces with the Li family and the City Lord’s Manor in an attempt to seize the position of head of the Lu family. After his defeat, Lu Tianhong and their third brother, Lu Tianbei, had both tried to persuade him. They were brothers, after all, bound by blood. They had regarded his actions as nothing more than a moment of foolishness and believed that as long as he admitted his mistake before the clan, the matter would no longer be pursued. Lu Tianhong and Lu Tianbei would even speak to the Old Master Lu on his behalf.

No one had expected Lu Tianlin to be unable to accept his defeat. He had actually activated the Tiger-Toad Venom, intending to die together with Lu Tianhong. If the princess had not happened to pass by and produced an antidote pill that temporarily suppressed the venom’s effects, how could Lu Tianhong be standing here as City Lord now? He would have long since become a wandering spirit.

The old master had probably still not emerged from the grief of losing his son. After all, Lu Tianlin had been his flesh and blood. He claimed to have entered seclusion, but “seclusion” was probably only a more pleasant way of saying that he was hiding from reality. Lu Tianhong understood this, but did not expose it.

Then there was Lu Ran, Lu Tianlin’s younger son. When Lu Han had appeared at the Lu family assembly, the two of them had fought a fierce battle. At that time, however, Lu Han had already reached the eighth level of the Acquired Realm—one level higher than Lu Ran. Moreover, whether in cultivation methods or martial techniques, Lu Han was more than a match for him. With a single punch, he had defeated Lu Ran and knocked him unconscious.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Ran would at most have been punished, or perhaps expelled from the family. But during the ensuing chaos, the brothers Lu Kun and Lu Cheng—who had previously helped Lu Tianlin trick Lu Han into going to the Cold Abyss Forest—realized that the Li family and the City Lord’s Manor had lost all momentum. Knowing that Lu Tianlin would eventually fail, they had foolishly killed Lu Ran in an attempt to atone for their crimes.

At the time, even Lu Han had found it strange. Although his punch had been powerful, it should not have been enough to kill Lu Ran. Only after the battle ended did he learn the truth. Lu Kun and Lu Cheng were expelled from the family by Lu Tianhong for this crime and forbidden from ever setting foot in Maple City again.

Lu Tianhong knew that no wall could keep out every wind. It would not be long before Lu Hui learned what had happened. In fact, Lu Tianhong had already intended to send someone to Golden Sun Mountain, the headquarters of the Golden Sun Sect, to explain everything to Lu Hui. He had never expected Lu Hui to receive the news and return to Maple City himself.

“Then I’ll go and meet him. I’ll explain everything clearly. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease either.” Lu Tianhong strode toward the main hall of the City Lord’s Manor.

“City Lord, about this matter…” Uncle Fu began, but ultimately said nothing more.

As Lu Tianhong had said, the matter had to be resolved.

Uncle Fu followed him.

…

“Huier, how many times have I told you to remain calm?”

In the main hall, Elder Tian Heng sat upright with his eyes closed. Feeling Lu Hui pacing restlessly around the room, he could not help but speak.

Still, Tian Heng understood. Lu Hui had only just turned twenty, and he now carried the weight of a family grudge. Such a reaction was only natural.

“Master, I…” Lu Hui’s eyes were bloodshot.

The sound of footsteps came from outside the hall, announcing the arrival of someone.

Lu Hui clenched both fists. His knuckles cracked sharply.

“Huier…”

Lu Tianhong entered the hall and was just about to speak when he noticed Tian Heng sitting nearby. His eyelids twitched.

The pressure radiating from the old man was greater than anything Lu Tianhong had ever felt from the Old Master Lu. There was only one possible explanation: this man was even more powerful than the Old Master. For him to accompany Lu Hui all the way to Maple City, and for him to be a Profound Lord, he could only be Lu Hui’s master—the elder of the Golden Sun Sect.

“I wonder if you are Elder…” Lu Tianhong asked cautiously.

Although the Golden Sun Sect was not as powerful as the three great sects of the Great Xia Empire, it was still one of the foremost sects in the empire. Rumor had it that its sect master had already entered the Earth King Realm.

A powerhouse of the Earth King Realm was revered wherever he went in the Great Xia Empire. It could be said that so long as the Golden Sun Sect’s master remained alive, no one could shake the sect’s position.

The Lu family had now taken control of Maple City, but they were still utterly incapable of opposing the colossal Golden Sun Sect.

“City Lord Lu? You certainly carry yourself with authority now.” Tian Heng let out a cold laugh.

The aura of a sixth-level Profound Lord poured forth like a waterfall.

Lu Tianhong’s feet trembled, and he was sent flying backward.

“City Lord!”

Uncle Fu cried out and reached out to catch him.

Lu Tianhong had been struck by the Tiger-Toad Venom, but not long ago, the family physician of the Lie household had cured him. His meridians and muscles had also been cleansed and reforged, allowing him to advance another step. He had now touched the threshold of the ninth level of the Acquired Realm, with one foot already across it. Yet against a sixth-level Profound Lord, the difference between them was simply too vast.

“A sixth-level… Profound Lord!”

Although he had long known that the Golden Sun Sect’s elder was immensely powerful, Lu Tianhong was still shaken after personally experiencing his aura.

The old man before him could probably sweep through all of Maple City alone without difficulty.

Lu Tianhong signaled for Uncle Fu to release him and asked, “May I ask what you intend by this, Elder?”

“What do I intend? Huier, you tell him.” Tian Heng turned to Lu Hui.

“Huier, regarding your father, all I can say is that I am sorry. Your third uncle and I both tried to dissuade him, but he could not accept his defeat. In the end, he used the Tiger-Toad Venom in an attempt to die together with me. The poison took his life on the spot.” Lu Tianhong spoke with regret.

“Now that you are the victor, you can naturally say whatever you wish. Tiger-Toad Venom? Do not take me for a fool. You were poisoned by it—how could you still be standing here?” Lu Hui sneered.

The man who had gone to inform Lu Hui had secretly slipped away from the Lu family before the battle was over. He had hidden in Maple City for two days before finally finding an opportunity to leave. He had heard that Lu Tianlin and Lu Ran were dead, but he had not witnessed what had actually happened.