Whoosh!!!!
Sun Yourong felt her ears ringing, her mind a complete blank.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never experienced this kind of surreal feeling—like stepping into thin air and plummeting straight through the clouds.
She pointed at Lu Chen, then at Zeng Rou, who was kneeling nearby, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. “You… what did you just say?! You’re the leader of the Raksha Cult?!”
Lu Chen was also seeing Sun Yourong lose her composure for the first time, but he completely understood her reaction.
“I know this news is hard to swallow, but… it’s the truth.” Lu Chen didn’t waste time. “Alright, there’s no time to lose—I need to deal with this quickly. You said Lord Yu has already gathered a heavy army and is preparing to crusade against the Raksha Cult? How many men total?”
“Over thirty thousand.” Sun Yourong blurted it out instinctively, almost in a daze.
The moment the words left her mouth, she jolted awake, her rationality snapping back.
Clang—
A flash of mystic light streaked by, and her Xuánhuā Battle Axe was already in her grip.
“Demon, you dare bewitch my friend! You must have cast some evil spell on Lu Chen!”
With a fierce cry, Sun Yourong raised her axe and charged forward.
Lu Chen quickly blocked her. “Sister Sun, you’ve got it wrong—I’m not under any spell. And even if I were, would she really kneel down and call me leader?”
“Then what the hell is going on here? You had absolutely nothing to do with the Raksha Cult—you even learned about them from me! How did you suddenly become their leader? Put yourself in my shoes—what would you think?!”
Lu Chen let out a sigh.
Well, considering their friendship, it wouldn’t hurt to let her in on a little bit.
He sent a telepathic message: “It’s simple. The evil god worshipped by the Raksha Cult has some connections with the Plague Ministry. This time, I managed to get in good with the Plague Emperor, and He was pleased enough to gift the Raksha Cult to me.”
Sun Yourong’s body trembled violently as she stared fixedly at Lu Chen.
After a long moment, a look of utter disbelief mixed with reluctant acceptance spread across her face. She put away her battle axe, took a deep breath, and gritted her teeth. “Lu Chen, you absolute monster!!!!!”
“Hehe, thanks for the compliment!”
Sun Yourong nearly spat blood. Forcing herself to stay calm, she asked, “So what are you planning to do now? Lord Yu has already drawn up his battle lines and is ready for a full-on assault.”
Behind her, Zeng Rou’s brows had long since furrowed. “I didn’t expect Yu Feng to be this sharp. We’ve done our best to stay hidden, yet he still managed to pick up our trail.”
Lu Chen knew that Yu Feng was an old adversary of the Raksha Cult.
In fact, back when Yu Feng had been stationed in Southern Hunan, his failure to completely wipe out the Raksha Cult had become a lingering obsession.
Lu Chen was certain that now that Yu Feng had found traces of the cult again, he would go all out!
“Leader, would you allow me to return first and arrange for our followers to evacuate?” Zeng Rou asked.
“Return?” Sun Yourong was still eyeing this female demon lord warily. “Right now, all four gates of Jiangdu City are sealed. Not even a fly could get out, let alone you!”
“Alright, enough arguing, both of you.” Lu Chen cut in. “Let me make a phone call first.”
At this point, he had no choice but to activate his backup plan ahead of time.
Lu Chen quickly walked out to the balcony, slid the glass door shut, and dialed Elder Zheng’s number.
Brrr… Brrr…
After just two rings, the call was picked up promptly.
“Mr. Lu!”
“Elder Zheng, I’m sorry for bothering you.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Elder Zheng got straight to the point. “Mr. Lu, if you’re in difficulty, just say the word!”
“Elder Zheng, I do indeed need your help this time…” Lu Chen didn’t beat around the bush. He gave a concise account of how he had become the leader of the Raksha Cult. As for the connection to the Plague Ministry, he decided to leave that out for now, simply saying that it was a fortuitous turn of events.
Sure enough, a long silence followed on the other end of the line.
Clearly, this earth-shattering news was just as hard for Elder Zheng to digest.
It wasn’t until a long moment later that a sound of disbelief—a sharp intake of breath—came through. “This… truly exceeds my imagination. The Raksha Cult has plagued the world for at least a century, and now you, Mr. Lu, have miraculously become their leader. As far as I know, the Raksha Cult has always been governed by a council of elders throughout its history—there’s never been a single leader. Mr. Lu, you are the very first.”
Zheng Changguo certainly wasn’t going to suspect that Lu Chen was pulling his leg.
If Lu Chen said it, then it had to be an ironclad fact.
Even if there were any discrepancies, Zheng Changguo would take Lu Chen’s word as final.
“What would you like me to do, Mr. Lu?”
“Elder Zheng, now that I’m in charge of the Raksha Cult, there’s no way I’ll let them keep walking the old crooked path. From now on, there will be no Raksha Cult—only the Hall of Benevolence. If I remember correctly, when you were chatting with Lord Yu before, you brought up the idea of amnesty several times. So! I want to seek amnesty for the Raksha Cult!”
“Good! I understand! Leave this to me. Rest assured, Mr. Lu—this is an enormously meritorious deed. Even for the sake of the people, I will do everything in my power!”
“Thank you, Elder Zheng! But right now, Lord Yu has already received word that the Raksha Cult has amassed troops outside Jiangdu City, and he’s gathered a heavy army. I’d also like to ask you to give Lord Yu a call, to avoid… unnecessary casualties.”
“Has Yu Feng already made his move?”
“Well…” Lu Chen yanked open the glass door and called out to Sun Yourong in the living room. “Sister Sun, has Lord Yu dispatched his troops yet?”
In the living room, Sun Yourong and Zeng Rou were still locked in a tense standoff, each maintaining a defensive posture.
Especially Sun Yourong—she looked like she might whip out her battle axe again at any moment and start a fight with Zeng Rou.
Zeng Rou, by contrast, appeared much calmer.
Hearing Lu Chen’s shout, Sun Yourong shook her head. “Not yet. He’s still holding position at the city walls.”
“Elder Zheng, they haven’t marched out yet.”
“Good. I’ll contact the Jiangzhou provincial government immediately and have them issue an amnesty decree. In truth, the imperial court has long considered offering amnesty to the Raksha Cult—now is the perfect opportunity, and things will fall into place naturally. As for Yu Feng, I’ll reach out to him personally.”
“Thank you, Elder Zheng! Then I’ll head over to Lord Yu’s position right away and explain the situation face to face, so we can avoid a major clash between both sides.”
“Alright, go quickly.”
Lu Chen hung up and strode briskly into the living room. “Sister Sun, hurry—take me to see Lord Yu. We must get there before they deploy!”
Sun Yourong didn’t say another word. She turned and headed straight for the door.
“Wanwan, stay home and behave. I’m stepping out for a bit.”
“Okay!” A clear, crisp reply came from Lu Wan’s room.
“Let’s go!”
The group pushed through the door and headed straight for the western defense line where Yu Feng was stationed.
On the way, to be safe, Lu Chen dialed Yu Feng’s number directly, hoping to inform him about the Raksha Cult situation in advance and prevent him from striking early.
However, the phone rang for a long time, and no one answered.
“Oh no! Could they have… already set out?”
Lu Chen’s heart tightened. In an instant, he floored the gas pedal, and the car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, tearing toward the western part of the city.
…
At the same time, on the western defense line.
The city defense forces were poised and ready, their killing intent saturating the air.
Yu Feng, clad in crimson battle armor, stood like a crouching tiger, his sharp gaze fixed on the distance.
Ring ring ring~
A phone rang at his waist.
Yu Feng remained unmoved, utterly indifferent.
At this moment, he had no interest in any outside distractions.
The only calls he would ever answer were those with special ringtones he had set long ago.
Any call without that specific ringtone was, in his current situation, nothing but trivial clutter.
“Milord!!”
Just then, a subordinate rushed over in a panic.
“We found them! We’ve located the Raksha Cult!”
“Where?!” Yu Feng’s eyes blazed with intensity, his killing intent sharp as a blade.
“Thirty miles west of the city—Black Wind Ridge!”
“Are you certain?!”
“Absolutely certain!”
“Good! Good! Good!” Yu Feng threw his head back and laughed heartily, his entire body suddenly erupting in roaring flames.
In an instant, he had transformed into a blazing rainbow of fire, shooting into the sky.
“All officers of the second rank and below, hold your positions! Those of the third rank and above, follow me into battle!”
“Yes, milord!!!”
The roar shook the heavens, and in the next moment, dozens of figures streaked upward in colorful beams of light, trailing behind Yu Feng as they pierced through the sky.
“Let’s move out too.”
Sun Qingcang glanced at the other three family heads. From within his sleeve, a cold-glinting long sword slid out and came to rest beneath his feet.
He was actually a sword cultivator.
His flying speed was astonishing—even with a late start, he was nearly keeping pace with Yu Feng.
The other family heads also summoned their respective magical treasures. One rode atop a spiritual leaf, another on a gourd of wine, and still another mounted a ferocious, serpentine dragon as his steed.
In an instant, hundreds of spiritual practitioners of the third rank and above surged forward in an awe-inspiring wave, pressing toward the direction of Black Wind Ridge!
They carried the unyielding determination of not turning back until the Raksha Cult was destroyed!
