Chapter 152: Father and Son Go to Battle Together

In the martial arts training ground of the City Lord's Mansion, the elderly Patriarch of the Lu family and Tian Heng, an elder of the Golden Sun Sect and master of Lu Hui, clashed fiercely.

The razor-sharp blade light of the Lu Patriarch collided with Tian Heng’s all-encompassing shadow of fists.

"Boom!"

The biting blade aura emitted a piercing shriek. Without changing his expression, Tian Heng delivered a ferocious, downward punch. The elderly Lu Patriarch hurriedly crossed his hand-blade to parry.

Immediately after this direct exchange, the elderly Lu Patriarch swept past with a swift hand-blade.

"Rrip!"

Although Tian Heng was protected by profound energy, the fabric over his chest was still sliced open by the blade aura. Sensing the danger, Tian Heng tapped the tips of his toes, leaped into the air, and landed lightly on the ground. Steadying his stance, he looked at the elderly Lu Patriarch with a trace of surprise in his eyes.

"This... Could it be that Lu Hui's master is no match for Grandfather?"

Lu Hai watched the situation in the training ground nervously. Seeing the fabric across Tian Heng's chest slashed open, he could not help but mutter to himself.

"That's wonderful! I knew as long as the old Patriarch is here, nothing will go wrong."

"The old Patriarch is invincible!"

"Invincible!"

The surrounding Lu family disciples could not help cheering aloud.

"How could it be that simple!"

Lu Tianhong watched the Lu family members and could not help shaking his head.

Although the elderly Lu Patriarch had gained a slight advantage in the past few exchanges, Lu Tianhong was acutely aware of the reality.

The realm of the unity of man and blade was not something everyone could achieve. It demanded extremely high standards not only in cultivation realm but also in state of mind; at least Lu Tianhong himself could not reach it yet.

"Father seems to have the advantage, but that was achieved by Father going all out! A sixth-layer Profound Monarch—truly, Heaven is determined to destroy our Lu family!" Lu Tianhong muttered involuntarily.

Reaching the unity of man and blade was already the peak state the elderly Lu Patriarch could muster without deploying martial arts techniques. Conversely, Tian Heng was merely fighting with his own innate profound energy, and even the surprise element of the unity of man and blade had failed to injure him. The window of opportunity had closed.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Several figures flew rapidly into the martial arts ground.

"Patriarch!"

These were several Lu family elders who had been in seclusion of death, attempting to break through to the Profound Monarch realm. Unless the family faced a life-or-death crisis, they would not easily emerge; this time, they had been startled awake by the profound aura of a Profound Monarch.

"Elders, this person is beyond the power of our Lu family to contend with. Quickly assist Steward Fu and the Lu family guards to evacuate the children, women, and non-combatants. Go, now!"

"Once they are safe, we will return immediately!"

The elders did not dally. They departed swiftly, knowing full well that Lu Tianhong would never sound a false alarm. Old men like them could afford to die, but those children must remain safe at all costs—they were the fresh blood and future of the Lu family.

"To have actually attained the unity of man and blade! Had I not reacted quickly enough, I might truly have been injured by you. If you were not aged and nursing an injury from a severed arm, you might well have remained undefeated even against a fourth-layer Profound Monarch. What a pity that you ran into me!"

Tian Heng said slowly.

Deep down, he genuinely admired the elderly Lu Patriarch. In such a remote, small city, with thoroughly mediocre cultivation manuals and martial arts techniques, he had actually managed to master the unity of man and blade—a feat none in their Golden Sun Sect could accomplish. Yet, as he had stated, it was unfortunate that he had encountered him, Tian Heng, an elder of the Golden Sun Sect at the sixth layer of the Profound Monarch realm.

Tian Heng's beard fluttered as a golden sun materialized behind him. Almost instantly, the formidable aura of a sixth-layer Profound Monarch erupted from his body, an oppressive pressure that caused even Lu Tianhong in the distance to feel immense strain.

The elderly Lu Patriarch's eyes flickered. He glanced down at his empty, missing left arm and sighed softly. Had he not lost his left arm, that unexpected strike of the unity of man and blade might have had a chance. If he could have injured Tian Heng, at the very least the evacuation time for the Lu family would have been greatly extended. Now, however, not a sliver of opportunity remained.

Knowing he had no way out, the elderly Lu Patriarch took several steps forward, extended his right hand with four fingers pressed together, and condensed a fierce blade aura at his fingertips that resembled a golden sabre, charging directly toward Tian Heng.

Seeing the elderly Lu Patriarch take the initiative to charge, Tian Heng sneered and met the incoming blade aura with a direct palm strike.

Fists and hand-blades collided once more, unleashing a violent surge of profound energy. A visible circular shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

In a flash, fists and hand-blades clashed over a dozen times. The terrifying profound energy spilling over filled Lu Tianhong with profound dread.

"Crash!"

After all, the elderly Lu Patriarch had lost his left arm, and his cultivation realm was inferior to Tian Heng's.

Seizing an opening during a brief lull, Tian Heng violently grabbed the elderly Lu Patriarch's hand, while his other hand whipped up a fierce gale, his profound energy surging exponentially. Capitalizing on this fleeting moment, he drove his profound energy up by another half-notch, pressed his fingers together, and struck forward ferociously. A formidable burst of energy punctured the elderly Lu Patriarch's left shoulder!

"Bang!"

The force surged like a tidal wave into the old Patriarch's shoulder, blasting a bloody hole right through it.

This immense impact of profound energy also sent the elderly Lu Patriarch flying backward. He crashed heavily onto the open stone floor of the training ground, the sheer momentum gouging a small crater into the ground.

Tian Heng withdrew both hands, resting them behind his back, and wore a mocking sneer. "Utterly overestimating your own strength. You actually dared to charge straight at me?"

Clutching the bleeding hole in his shoulder, the elderly Lu Patriarch watched as fresh blood dripped continuously onto the ground.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Slowly, the old Patriarch forced himself back to his feet.

"Rrip!"

He tore off the sleeve of his right arm and bound his wounded shoulder tightly.

At that exact moment, none of the people present noticed Lu Hui.

Watching the blood dripping from the old Patriarch onto the ground, Lu Hui’s eyes turned crimson. Grayish-red vicious energy condensed within his hands, exuding a foul, bloody aura. Though Lu Hui himself was unaware of it, the malevolent energy was on the verge of materializing into a solid form, and a faint, bloody mist began to swirl around his body before dissipating just as quickly!

"Hong'er, take them and run! I cannot hold out much longer!"

The elderly Lu Patriarch shouted toward Lu Tianhong, then charged at Tian Heng once again.

"Lu Hai, hurry up and take them away! My father and I will buy you some time. It doesn't matter if I die, but you are the hope of our Lu family!" Lu Tianhong called out to Lu Hai.

"Clang!"

Drawing the profound gold sabre exclusive to the head of the Lu family, he charged toward Tian Heng as well.

"Grandfather, Second Uncle, if you aren't leaving, I'm not leaving either!"

Lu Hai declared stubbornly.

"That's right, none of us are leaving!"

"Right!"

At that moment, not a single Lu family disciple retreated; instead, every single one of them stepped forward in unison!

Lu Tianhong was filled with both anxiety and fury, but he no longer had the luxury of dwelling on it, for he had already closed the distance to Tian Heng.

"Hmph! A bunch of junior mortals in the Xiantian realm—what difference does adding two more make?" Tian Heng sneered coldly.

Seeing the elderly Lu Patriarch and Lu Tianhong charging at him together, Tian Heng advanced instead of retreating.

"Since you refuse to know what's good for you, I'll start with you!"

"Great Spirit Golden Sabre!"

Lu Tianhong knew that without employing his ultimate technique, it would be utterly ineffective. Therefore, he unleashed his currently most powerful martial art right from the start: the Profound-grade low-tier technique, *Great Spirit Golden Sabre*.

A golden blade projection, over ten meters in length, slashed fiercely toward Tian Heng as Lu Tianhong swung the profound gold sabre in his hands.

Tian Heng raised his head, watching the golden blade projection grow steadily larger within his field of vision...