Chapter 154: The Strength of Qian Santong

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, under the gaze of the crowd, the somewhat dim golden giant palm directly struck the elderly Patriarch of the Lu family.

The elder was blasted backward, a muffled groan escaping his lips. His already bloodless face grew even paler. A trail of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as his entire body slammed heavily into the ground, sliding over ten meters before finally coming to a halt.

The disciples of the Lu family instantly cast their gazes forward. Seeing their defeated elder, they all cried out in shock and dismay.

The elder was the sole Profound Sovereign realm expert of the Lu family, and now, he had been defeated once again!

"Patriarch!"

Amidst the cries of alarm, the elder's face flushed with a morbid red, and a mouthful of blood spewed forth. Grasping his right hand into a fist, he attempted to rise and fight once more.

"Cough, cough..."

After a fit of violent coughing, the elder still failed to stand. The previous palm strike had shattered his foundation; he was utterly incapable of continuing the fight.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Tian Heng seemed to have anticipated the elder's condition and leisurely walked toward him, unhurriedly.

"What do you want?"

"Stop right there!"

The Lu family disciples knitted their brows and stepped forward. Although the person before them was a Profound Sovereign far more powerful than their elder, every single one of them cast aside hesitation, stepping in front of the elder to form a human wall.

"You... why won't you listen? I bought you time, hurry and leave! Why stay behind to worry about an old man like me?"

Looking at the human wall formed before him, the elder said weakly.

"Patriarch, the men of the Lu family will never abandon their own flesh and blood to run away alone!"

"Big Brother Lu Ping is right!"

"That's right!"

The crowd chimed in unison.

"Hahahaha... Do you really think mere mortals like you can stop me?" Tian Heng laughed wildly.

"Your strongest pillar has already been struck down by me and possesses virtually no combat capability left."

With that, Tian Heng unleashed the overwhelming aura of the sixth-heaven Profound Sovereign realm. A flash of golden light illuminated his hand as he slammed it fiercely against the ground.

"Boom!"

An explosion erupted right in front of the crowd. Most of them were postnatal realm martial artists; aside from a few congenital realm practitioners who managed to barely stay on their feet, the rest collapsed to the ground, groaning in agony. Many vomited blood continuously from the shockwave.

The gap between a Profound Sovereign and postnatal martial artists was simply too vast. Coupled with Tian Heng's full-force strike, none of the postnatal warriors were spared—every single one fell.

Seeing this, Lu Hui's eyes flashed with a mad frenzy as he charged forward.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Stop!"

A few congenital realm warriors who were stubbornly holding on attempted to block Lu Hui's path.

"Get lost!"

Crack!

Lu Hui roared angrily, reaching out to grab a Lu family disciple attempting to stop him, snapping the man's arm right off with chilling cruelty.

Bang, bang, bang!

The remaining defenders were all knocked to the ground by Lu Hui.

Their realms were already inferior to Lu Hui's, and having been previously injured by Tian Heng, they retained less than ten percent of their strength, making it difficult enough just to stand.

"You're truly courting death!"

Lu Hui dusted off his hands and walked straight up to the elderly Patriarch.

"Old thing, don't you regret your decision back then?"

Lu Hui bent down and asked, looking at the elder with a mocking smirk.

"Beg me! Beg me, and I might spare the Lu family!" Lu Hui roared.

"I do regret it. I regret covering up the truth for your father back then. According to clan rules, he should have been expelled from the Lu family. Perhaps if I had hardened my heart then, none of this would be happening now!"

The elder coughed twice and spoke.

"Is that so?"

Lu Hui's eyes narrowed. He reached out and slammed his hand onto the elder's injured left shoulder, instantly soaking the cloth-wrapped sleeve in fresh blood.

The moment Lu Hui's hand touched the blood, a fleeting, blood-red phantom flickered across his back.

Tian Heng glanced at the red phantom behind Lu Hui and shook his head, assuming it was just an optical illusion.

"Father, you and younger brother must have been lonely down below. I'll send them right now to keep you company!"

Lu Hui hadn't originally intended to escalate things so far; after all, he had lived in the Lu family for so many years. But for some reason, after losing control of his emotions, he had become utterly irrational. Now, upon touching the blood, his mind was consumed entirely by the desire to slaughter.

A fierce viciousness flashed in his eyes as he raised his hand to strike the elder's head.

This, after all, was his own biological grandfather!

"Stop!"

Lu Tian宏 roared, trying to force himself up to intervene, but at this moment, even standing up was beyond his capabilities.

"Lu Hui, you beast! He is your grandfather!" Lu Hai, no longer caring about Lu Tianhong, charged forward as well.

Yet, Lu Hai was simply too far away.

Just as Lu Hui, channeling golden congenital Qi, was about to strike the elder down:

"Heh, so young, yet so vicious and merciless that you won't even spare your own kin. Is this how the Golden Sun Sect teaches its disciples?" A sarcastic voice suddenly rang out.

"Whoosh!"

A black bead flew from outside into the training ground, hurtling directly toward Lu Hui's palm.

"Bang!"

Lu Hui felt a searing pain in his hand, as if the bones were about to shatter. Before he could process what had happened, a second black bead struck at him. Scrambling to dodge, Lu Hui rolled awkwardly on the ground, narrowly escaping disaster.

"Phew!"

The Lu family disciples in the courtyard all breathed sighs of relief.

Lu Tianhong felt a sense of bewilderment; the voice sounded vaguely familiar, but when had Maple Leaf City ever produced such a figure, daring to mock the Golden Sun Sect right in front of its elder?

Lu Tianhong could not make sense of it.

"A rat hiding in the shadows, too cowardly to show your face? How the Golden Sun Sect instructs its disciples is not something for you to comment on!" Tian Heng bellowed.

"Hah, didn't I just arrive?"

A figure leisurely strolled into the training ground. The person was short in stature, somewhat portly, and clad in luxurious golden robes embroidered with copper-coin patterns. Around his waist hung a bowl-sized golden coin ornament, and he held a golden abacus in his hand. A close observer would notice that two abacus beads were missing.

He walked into the arena at a leisurely pace, occasionally adjusting his waistband. Under normal circumstances, this would have drawn snickers from the Lu family disciples, but no one could laugh now. Judging by his tone, he seemingly held no regard even for the Golden Sun Sect.

Lu Tianhong looked startled: "No wonder the voice sounded so familiar, it's Pavilion Master Qian Santong of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Qian Santong, the master of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Qian Santong walked up to the elder and gently helped him up. Lu Hui seemed to harbor some fear toward him and retreated to stand beside Tian Heng.

With a flick of Qian Santong's hand, the two missing abacus beads flew back with a whoosh into his grasp.

"To think that even a tiny Maple Leaf City harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers, even boasting a Profound Sovereign realm martial artist. Excellency, could it be that reaching the Profound Sovereign realm gives you the right to look down upon the Golden Sun Sect?"

Tian Heng's eyes narrowed, a glint of killing intent flashing within them. The majesty of the Golden Sun Sect was not something any random person could provoke with impunity.