Chapter 148: Lu Tianhong's Determination

Lu Hui took step after step toward Uncle Fu and Lu Tianhong.

"Turn the Lu family into a river of blood? Have you forgotten your surname is Lu?" A hoarse, aged voice rang out from outside the door.

An old man slowly walked into the main hall. Though advanced in years, his spine remained straight, and the white hair at his temples bore witness to his age. However, his left sleeve hung completely empty.

This was the former head of the Lu family, Lu Hui’s grandfather.

In the battle not long ago, the elder Lu patriarch had traded his left arm to defeat Wen Hao, thus securing victory for that conflict. Otherwise, the ultimate outcome of that battle would have been entirely unpredictable.

"Gra... Grandfather!" Lu Hui stammered, feeling somewhat flustered upon seeing the person who had entered.

Ever since Wen Hao assumed the position of Maple Leaf City’s Lord, the elder Lu patriarch had spent year after year in seclusion, rarely appearing in the sight of the Lu family members.

It was only later that people learned the elder patriarch was forced into closed-door cultivation to seek a breakthrough precisely because of Wen Hao, knowing that Wen Hao might make a move against their Lu family at any moment—which indeed eventually came to pass.

Because of this perennial seclusion, Lu Hui had barely seen his grandfather more than a handful of times since he was a child, and the same held true for all the younger generation of the Lu family.

"Hmph, you still have the nerve to call me grandfather? Your father brought this entirely upon himself! Back when he made a move against your second uncle, I warned him. He wanted to give me his assurance, promising he would never act foolishly again, but what happened later?" the elder Lu patriarch chided sternly.

"Later, he colluded with the Li family and Wen Hao’s faction, attempting to subvert the entire Lu family! You have been a prodigy since childhood; although we haven't met often, I thought you wouldn't turn out like your father. But now, look at you—look at what you are doing! Why did you bring your master here? To annihilate my Lu family?"

Lu Hui cast a glance at Tian Heng.

"Hui'er, say whatever is on your mind. With me here, no one dares to do anything to you," Tian Heng said.

"Your Excellency must be the elder of the Golden Sun Sect and Lu Hui's master. This is an internal matter of our Lu family today, and we hope Your Excellency will not interfere," the elder Lu patriarch said.

"You said it yourself, Lu Hui is my disciple, so his affairs are naturally my affairs. If you ask me, back when I took Lu Hui up to the Golden Sun Mountain, you should have made your second son hand over the position of family head. Given Hui'er's talent, his future achievements will likely be no less than mine. By then, with a son's glory reflecting on his father, your Lu family would naturally have flourished day by day, and you would have gained the protection of our Golden Sun Sect as well. Isn't that a wonderful outcome?" Tian Heng said.

"Hmph, this old fogey only passed down the position of family head to him back then because of his bias," Lu Hui said, pointing straight at Lu Tianhong.

At this point, Lu Hui had no intention of leaving any room for negotiation. With Tian Heng backing him up, he no longer bothered to address them as grandfather or second uncle; he directly referred to them as "this old fogey" and "he."

"You... you beast!"

More than a decade ago, when Wen Hao came to assume office as the Lord of Maple Leaf City, he had even met in secret with the elder Lu patriarch once. Ever since that occasion, the elder patriarch remained in perennial seclusion, making it impossible for even his direct grandsons like Lu Hui and Lu Han to see him more than a few times.

Yet who would not wish to enjoy the domestic bliss of their twilight years? But Wen Hao hung like a long saber poised at the throat of the entire Lu family. The moment Wen Hao became confident enough to deal with the elder Lu patriarch would mark the beginning of the Lu family's nightmare.

Who could possibly understand the bitter suffering the elder Lu patriarch had endured all these years?

Just after his breakthrough, although he could not completely suppress Wen Hao, he was confident he stood on equal footing with him, believing he could finally emerge from seclusion to enjoy the warmth of family.

Little did he expect that before he could even leave seclusion, the Lu family would suffer a devastating upheaval. His eldest son, Lu Tianlin, had colluded with the City Lord's Mansion and the Li family—one of the three major clans—intending to overthrow the Lu family. If not for the Lie family refusing to abandon their allies at the critical moment, and Lu Han arriving in time, the Lu family would have been in grave peril.

Lu Hui's return in itself was not much of an issue, but the arrival of his master, an elder of the Golden Sun Sect, made things infinitely more complicated. Of course, had Tian Heng not decided to stand up for Lu Hui, Lu Hui would never have returned to the Lu family alone. Although he was invincible among the younger generation of Maple Leaf City, the older generation still outmatched him by more than a notch.

Maple Leaf City was considered the most remote and insignificant town in the entire Great Xia Empire, far inferior in strength to other cities. A colossal entity like the Golden Sun Sect was simply not something the Lu family could afford to provoke, let alone a personal visit from a Sixth-Heaven Profound Monarch elder of the Golden Sun Sect.

Things having reached this stage, the elder Lu patriarch knew this matter could not be resolved amicably.

"Very well. Hui'er, this is the last time I will call you that. The Lu family has been passed down to this day, enduring countless catastrophes both large and small, and has always pulled through with difficulty. If you truly wish to bring harm upon the sons of the Lu family, so be it—you will have to step over this old man's corpse."

The elder Lu patriarch furrowed his brows. As he finished speaking, the aura of a Third-Heaven Profound Monarch burst forth without reservation, soaring straight into the clouds. The entire Maple Leaf City Lord's Mansion seemed to shudder under this pressure, and the windows and doors of the main hall violently shattered.

In this Maple Leaf City, a Profound Monarch could dictate all things.

Lu Hui's expression changed as the elder patriarch's Profound Monarch aura pressed down on him, making it difficult to breathe.

"Thud, thud, thud." Forced backward several steps by the pressure, Lu Hui slammed the toe of his foot against the ground behind him to halt his retreat.

A look of terror flickered in Lu Hui's eyes. He had never felt such overwhelming aura even from his master; could his grandfather actually be stronger than his master?

Then, Lu Hui shook his head.

Back when he was still in the Lu family, Lu Hui had once asked Lu Tianlin why their grandfather remained in perpetual seclusion.

At that time, Lu Tianlin had told him that grandfather had to break through to the Third-Heaven Profound Monarch realm in order to keep the Lu family secure in Maple Leaf City and maintain their unshakable status.

Actually, Lu Hui had misunderstood the situation this time. Tian Heng had managed to find a disciple with such extraordinary talent; how could he bear to unleash his full aura to oppress him? When Tian Heng had previously displayed his strength in front of Lu Hui, he had used less than a tenth of his aura. But the elder Lu patriarch was different—knowing that the Lu family could not escape this calamity, he held nothing back.

"Heh heh, it hardly seems appropriate for a Third-Heaven Profound Monarch to bully a member of the younger generation, does it?" Tian Heng walked out from behind Lu Hui with a faint smile, nonchalantly blocking the pressure.

Allowing the elder Lu patriarch's aura to wash over him, Tian Heng remained completely at ease.

At that moment, Lu Tianhong suddenly stepped forward.

Although he had taken a close-range palm strike from Lu Hui earlier, he was, after all, at the Eighth-Heaven of the Mortal Realm and had not damaged his foundation, recovering after all this time.

"Hui'er, I am also deeply grieved by Eldest Brother's death, and this matter can be said to have originated because of me. If Second Uncle's death can bring you peace of mind, Second Uncle is willing to die by your hands, provided you spare the rest of the Lu family," Lu Tianhong said.

The Golden Sun Sect weighed upon Lu Tianhong's heart like a massive mountain—it was not something the Lu family could afford to offend. Judging by Lu Hui's attitude, his return this time was a resolute quest to avenge his father and younger brother. By doing so, he only hoped to minimize the casualties of the Lu family. Facing a Sixth-Heaven Profound Monarch powerhouse, they simply had no chance whatsoever.

"Really?" Lu Hui's eyes flashed as he asked.

"Your Second Uncle stands here and will not fight back in the slightest, but you must promise me not to harm anyone else," Lu Tianhong said.