Chapter Sixty-Seven: Sudden Upheaval

Lu Han’s pupils contracted sharply—there was no way he could withstand this sudden palm strike. How could someone at the eighth level of Postnatal cultivation possibly take on the dying blow of a Xuan Lord? Old Master Lu could do nothing but worry—he was gravely wounded, and not a drop of Xuan energy remained in his body.

“Kid Han, it seems our fate as master and disciple ends here. From now on, you’ll have to rely on yourself.” Old Man Ling sighed deeply.

“No!”

“No!”

These two cries came from different sources. Lu Han’s was filled with anguish. He knew that if Old Man Ling, in his current state, forced himself to intervene, his soul would likely dissipate on the spot; then, no elixir or treasure could save him. The other cry was from Lie Rugao, who, seeing Wen Hao’s fatal strike, was frantic with desperation. Having already lost Lu Han once, she could not bear a second loss. Like one possessed, she dashed forward, wanting to shield him from the blow. But how could she possibly be faster than a Xuan Lord?

Just as Old Man Ling was about to act, his expression changed. “What is this…”

At that moment, the entire Lu family estate was suffused with a crimson glow.

Wen Hao, meanwhile, was heedless of all else. Knowing he was doomed, he only sought to kill the young man before him.

Lie Rugao now seemed like a blazing red lotus, suspended in midair, her body radiating a fiery light. Her stunning features, bathed in that glow, made her appear as though a goddess had descended from the heavens. In the center of her brow, a mark shaped like a crimson lotus slowly emerged.

“Stop!” Lie Rugao uttered softly.

As those two words left her lips, a visible wave of energy rippled out from her.

Boom!

Just as Wen Hao’s palm was about to strike Lu Han, a surge of powerful force rushed toward him. The wave blasted Wen Hao a dozen meters away, where he collapsed, his fate uncertain.

“Earth King?” The old Patriarch of the Li family, who was crossing swords with Lie Zhong, murmured in astonishment at the sight.

Lie Rugao floated in the air—such a feat was reserved for those of the Earth King rank, whose Xuan energy was so condensed it could be shaped into wings to soar the skies. Yet this girl, not yet twenty, showed no sign of the legendary Xuan wings.

A thought of retreat took root in his heart. With Wen Hao dead, what fight could he possibly muster?

He was just about to flee when Lie Rugao, still aloft, suddenly turned her gaze on him. The crimson glow around her flared.

A chill of dread ran through the Li Patriarch. One thought filled his mind: Run!

Lie Rugao did not move. The lotus mark on her brow flashed, and a fiery lotus shot toward him like a bolt of red lightning. He had no time to dodge.

With a deafening roar, both the lotus and the Li Patriarch vanished, leaving only a vast pit where he had stood—as if he had never existed at all.

The crowd could not help but swallow hard.

A Xuan Lord, slain in an instant—body and soul obliterated! And by a young girl at the ninth level of Postnatal cultivation! If word got out, none would believe it.

Suspended in midair, Lie Rugao’s face suddenly turned pale as the lotus mark on her brow faded and the crimson light receded. Her eyes closed, and she fell from the sky.

“Rugao!” Lie Xiong cried, but he was too far away.

Lu Han, snapping out of his shock, reached out and caught her.

Seeing Lie Rugao’s deathly pallor, Lu Han’s heart ached. “Little one, please, you must be all right. You must!”

He cradled her in his arms.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—three figures landed in the Lu family courtyard.

Qian Santong frowned deeply at the scene before him. Moments ago, he and the princess, accompanied by an elderly matron, had seen the crimson glow erupting from the Lu estate and hurried over at full speed.

…

Far away, in the heart of the Heavenly Realm continent, within the Central Ancient Domain.

Deep beneath a volcano, a figure sat cross-legged, hands weaving mysterious seals, seated directly atop the searing magma—unscathed by the heat. What level of mastery was this, to ignore the very temperature of molten rock?

Suddenly, the man’s eyes snapped open, twin beams of crimson light shooting forth and piercing the stone before him. His gaze was as vast and unfathomable as the stars.

“Lie Batian, appear before me at once!”

Though his lips barely moved, the entire volcano seemed to tremble with his words.

Moments later, a fiery figure appeared before him. “Forebear, what are your orders?” the newcomer inquired respectfully.

“A divine body has appeared in the Lie clan!”

“A divine body? Forebear, are you certain? If our clan bore a divine body, I should have sensed it.” The man frowned slightly. If such a thing had appeared, it ought not to have escaped his notice.

“My perception does not err. It is not here—it is to the north, toward Beiyue.” The ancient one’s voice was calm.

“Not here? Our clan has sent no disciples abroad in years, barely any even to Tongtian City—unless… unless it is the line of my fourth brother!” The man’s excitement was palpable.

He had long harbored regret for what befell his fourth brother—he could only preserve his life by expelling him from the clan and sealing his descendants’ bloodlines. Now, to hear that a divine body had appeared among that branch—how could he not be thrilled?

“Then there can be no mistake. I am aware of what happened to your third brother, but there was nothing I could do,” the ancient one said, his tone tinged with regret.

“Forebear, I understand.”

“Send someone to retrieve the girl at once. No—go yourself. If you fail to bring her back, you are no longer fit to be head of the clan!”

“A girl? Forebear, how can you be sure it is a girl? Could it be… that kind of divine body?” The man’s face lit with wild joy—for that was the most legendary divine body of the Lie clan.

“Yes. Go.” The ancient one nodded, closing his eyes and slowly sinking beneath the magma once more.

The other, his face aglow with excitement, left in haste.

…

Back at the Lu estate.

Lu Tianlin and Li Zhengcheng sat collapsed on the ground. Li Zhengcheng muttered, “It’s over. Everything is over…”

Wen Hao, their greatest support, was dead, and their Li clan’s Xuan Lord had been utterly destroyed. Even if the Li family survived, they would be relegated to a second-tier family in Maple Leaf City. Would the Lus or the Lies let them be?

Lu Tianhong’s expression darkened when he saw Qian Santong and his companions. If Tianshen Pavilion had come now to seize advantage, the consequences would be dire.

“Brother Qian, may I ask, who are your two companions?” Lu Tianhong sensed a dangerous aura from them. The veiled girl in purple was formidable enough, but the elderly matron at her side—her power seemed to surpass even his father’s.

“Brother Lu, the princess and I mean no harm in coming here. After so many years of friendship, do you still not trust me?” Qian Santong said with a genial smile.

Indeed, his relationship with Lu Tianhong was quite close.

“Wen Hao is dead?” The girl in purple looked coldly at Wen Hao’s motionless body in the distance.

Qian Santong had called her ‘Princess.’ From her youthful voice, she seemed quite young. Still, the city lord was a functionary of the Great Xia Empire, and by Qian Santong’s implication, the princess was not going to interfere on Wen Hao’s behalf—but he needed to be certain.

“Princess, Wen Hao plotted against my Lu family. We had no choice but to resist…”

“There is no need to worry. I have no ties to Wen Hao. In fact, when word of this reaches the capital, a great figure will likely thank you. But the Wen family may not let this rest. You should know that Wen Hao was from the imperial capital—not only that, he was a direct descendant of the Wen family!”

The Princess’s words shocked everyone.

The Wen family was one of the Five Great Clans of the capital, and if Wen Hao was a direct heir, this affair would not end easily.

“I witnessed today’s events with my own eyes. I will personally report everything. Even the Wen family will have to weigh their actions.” The Princess’s assurances brought a collective sigh of relief to the Lu family.

“Princess…” The elderly matron’s face changed slightly.

“I know what I’m doing,” the Princess said firmly.

The matron, seeing her resolve, said no more.

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