Li Chengxing’s humiliating words caused Wu Jiu’s slightly stooped frame to freeze stiffly on the spot.
Slowly, Wu Jiu raised his head, his gaze locked onto Li Chengxing, his eyes blazing with fury.
A moment later, Wu Jiu ground his teeth and squeezed out a few words through clenched jaws: “Li Chengxing, you—!”
This bastard Li Chengxing had humiliated him so mercilessly, with not a shred of decency left.
This was no longer just a personal offense—it was a blatant trampling of the Wu family’s dignity, casting all courtesy to the wind.
After all, he had clearly stated his purpose to Li Chengxing.
He bore the orders of the Wu family’s patriarch and had come on behalf of the Wu family to find Lu Xuan.
Li Chengxing, however, seemed utterly oblivious to Wu Jiu’s blazing anger. His expression was filled with nothing but disdain, as if it were beneath his notice.
A mere Supreme Elder of the Wu family—an old fossil who had reached the pinnacle of the Outer Gang Grandmaster realm—had no right to lecture him.
As for the Wu family’s reputation, Li Chengxing couldn’t care less. The Li family had no fear of the Wu family’s influence.
With his hands clasped leisurely behind his back, Li Chengxing regarded Wu Jiu with an indifferent gaze, his eyes boring straight into him.
As if Wu Jiu were nothing more than an insignificant, irritating fly.
Then, Li Chengxing parted his lips and spoke with icy detachment.
“Wu Jiu, this Lord Commander has no time to waste on you. Leave at once.”
“Otherwise, even if you are a member of the Wu family, I will not hesitate to treat you with force.”
At that moment, deep within Wu Jiu’s sunken eye sockets, a surge of murderous intent suddenly flickered—so thick it seemed ready to spill over.
That killing intent, wrapped in the Gang Yuan within Wu Jiu’s body, burst forth like ghostly flames in a frigid night—chilling and terrifying.
But just as the murderous intent surfaced, Wu Jiu’s peripheral vision swept across his surroundings.
The Xuan Niao Guards, surrounding him like an iron bucket, made his sharp killing intent vanish as quickly as it had appeared, retreating back to normal.
Fine!
Li Chengxing, you’re ruthless!
This old man will endure!
Wu Jiu knew all too well that this place was not the Wu family’s turf, but the headquarters of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty’s Xuan Niao Guards.
Even as a member of the Eight Great Clans, Wu Jiu would never dare to act recklessly or start a fight right at the gates of the Tian Du Xuan Niao Guard headquarters.
Such an irrational move would only bring trouble upon himself.
And of course, there was an even more crucial factor.
The man before him, Li Chengxing, also hailed from the Li family—one of the Eight Great Clans.
Though Li Chengxing appeared just as aged and decrepit as he did, in terms of actual years, Li Chengxing was over two hundred years younger than him.
More importantly, Li Chengxing’s martial cultivation realm far surpassed his own.
The gap in strength between them left Wu Jiu with a profound sense of helplessness.
In the end, it all boiled down to one simple truth.
He, Wu Jiu, simply could not defeat Li Chengxing.
At this moment, Wu Jiu’s heart was filled with resentment. Ever since he had stepped out of the Wu family’s gates these past days, it was as if he had been cursed with the worst luck imaginable—humiliated time and again by junior martial artists.
Especially that damned little brat. Just thinking about him made Wu Jiu’s lungs feel like they were about to explode.
And who else could that damned little brat be but Lu Xuan?
The name Lu Xuan was like a sharp thorn, driven deep into Wu Jiu’s heart.
Every time he recalled it, his hatred grew deeper.
“Li Chengxing, this old man will let this slide for now!”
Wu Jiu suppressed his raging fury and shouted hoarsely, the wrinkles on his face tightening with anger.
“Hurry up and have Lu Xuan come out to see me!”
“This old man represents the Wu family and wishes to have a proper discussion with him!”
Li Chengxing stood before Wu Jiu. Upon hearing this, his brows instantly furrowed into a deep “Sichuan” character.
The next moment, the profound Gang Yuan within Li Chengxing’s body had already begun to stir silently.
The terrifying aura around him surged like a violent undercurrent, churning fiercely.
In an instant, an overwhelming presence burst forth from Li Chengxing, sweeping outward in a magnificent wave.
The intangible air around him was distorted and trembled under the pressure of that immense power.
The clothes of everyone present fluttered noisily in an inexplicable gale.
Wu Jiu, sensing Li Chengxing’s movement, tensed up. Then, exploding with rage, he suddenly roared: “Li Chengxing, have you thought this through?!”
“If this old man doesn’t see Lu Xuan today, the next one to come will be the Wu family’s patriarch!”
As he bellowed, Wu Jiu took a step forward, his face ashen, eyes wide and bulging, fixed fiercely on Li Chengxing.
The Wu family’s patriarch… personally coming to find Old Lu?
Li Chengxing’s previously coiled and bristling momentum instantly froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
At the same time, doubt began to creep into Li Chengxing’s mind as he pondered silently.
If the Wu family’s patriarch wanted to find him, Li Chengxing wouldn’t mind.
But if that old monster truly set his sights on Old Lu, then things would become troublesome.
Old Lu, despite possessing the strength of a Primordial Spirit True Man, was up against the Wu family’s patriarch—a complete old freak who had lived for who knows how many centuries.
What if…
The more Li Chengxing thought about it, the more troublesome the matter seemed. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes.
Maybe…
Li Chengxing’s thoughts raced at lightning speed, weighing countless pros and cons in his mind.
Ah, forget it!
He’d better ask Old Lu for his opinion first. This was a matter of great importance, and Li Chengxing didn’t want to see Old Lu caught up in trouble.
Hmph!
The Wu family’s patriarch?
Old Lu is an ally of our Li family. If the Wu family wants to touch him, they’ll have to get through us first.
Back when Lu Xuan was still in Baidao Prefecture, Anzhou, in the Southern Domain, the Li family’s patriarch had already issued Li Chengxing a command.
He was to use every resource of the Li family to forge an alliance with Lu Xuan.
And if necessary, Li Chengxing could even enter the ancestral shrine’s forbidden grounds and personally request the Li family’s patriarch to intervene.
With his mind made up, Li Chengxing hesitated no longer. The violent surge of Gang Yuan instantly subsided into calm.
And the terrifying aura radiating from him dissipated along with it.
Glancing at Wu Jiu from the corner of his eye, Li Chengxing’s expression turned stern as he ordered the Xuan Niao Guards beside him.
“All of you, see to it that he leaves!”
As his voice trailed off, Li Chengxing’s figure flickered and vanished like a ghost, leaving only his words echoing in the air.
“Wu Jiu, leave at once, by order of this Lord Commander!”
Upon seeing this, Wu Jiu’s ashen, furious old face finally twisted into a sinister, chilling grin.
His gaze, venomous as a serpent’s, locked onto the direction Li Chengxing had departed, as if trying to burn a hole through that retreating back.
Hmph!
That little brat Lu Xuan, though monstrously talented in martial arts, is still nothing more than an ant before the Wu family’s patriarch—easily crushed with a single squeeze.
Thinking of his patriarch backing him up, that sinister grin spread across Wu Jiu’s wrinkled face, making him look particularly ghastly and fearsome.
Damned junior, daring to snatch away this old man’s Moon-Chasing Staff!
Wu Jiu cast one last, deep, venomous glance at the Xuan Niao Guards standing alert all around him—a look laced with resentment and greed.
Those damned Li family bastards—how had they earned the favor of that one, securing such a formidable position within the Xuan Niao Guards?
And his own family had toiled endlessly, only barely managing to obtain two Earth-rank Xuan Niao Guard positions, along with a few insignificant Xuan Niao Guard envoys.
Those posts couldn’t even begin to compare with Li Chengxing, the powerful Vice-Commander of the Xuan Niao Guards.
Then, Wu Jiu slowly turned around, his back slightly hunched, his steps heavy and sluggish, as he shuffled back the way he came.
As he walked, Wu Jiu felt confident that he would eventually see Lu Xuan, so his worries had already dissipated.
In his view, no matter how formidable Lu Xuan might be, he couldn’t possibly withstand the deeply entrenched might of the Wu family.
Wu Jiu was convinced that Lu Xuan was a sensible man.
Even if that Lu Xuan possessed extraordinary abilities, like a true dragon walking the earth,
he would still have no choice but to bow before the great mountain that was the Wu family, cowering in submission.
After all, against absolute power, any struggle was ultimately futile.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after Li Chengxing had entered the depths of the Xuan Niao Guard hall, he walked straight to one side and settled into a chair.
The moment he sat down, he didn’t pause for a single moment’s rest.
With swift, practiced movements, he reached into his robes and quickly pulled out the identity token symbolizing his rank as Vice-Commander of the Xuan Niao Guards.
The crimson crystal token gleamed with a dazzling red luster under the dim light of the hall.
Because, just a few hours earlier, Lu Xuan had sent him a voice transmission, saying he would be leaving Tian Du for a while.
So, without a moment’s delay, Li Chengxing activated the Spirit-Calling Crimson Token and sent a voice transmission to Lu Xuan.
High above the borders of the Central Domain, the vast sky stretched endlessly, clouds surging like rolling waves.
And Lu Xuan, having left Tian Du, stood amidst this boundless sea of clouds.
The empty space beneath his feet felt as solid as the earth itself, allowing him to stride forward steadily and unhurriedly.
Each step he took—seeming effortless and ordinary—nevertheless, in its silence, constantly stirred ripples of distortion through space and time.
In an instant, the scenery around Lu Xuan shifted at breakneck speed. The mountains, rivers, and lakes far below the cloud dome swept past like phantasmal illusions.
“Is that Old Li?”
Lu Xuan’s heart stirred sharply, as if sensing something.
The next instant, a streak of crimson light shot out from his chest like lightning—so fast that the naked eye could barely track it.
Then, under the control of Lu Xuan’s Primordial Spirit power, that crimson light slowly condensed and morphed in midair.
In the blink of an eye, an extremely blurry white silhouette materialized out of thin air, reflected among the layered clouds.
This hazy humanoid figure gradually sharpened, its features becoming distinct—and it was unmistakably Li Chengxing.
Now, Li Chengxing’s phantom hovered quietly before Lu Xuan, as if it had bridged the boundaries of space, instantly closing the distance between them.
With a grave expression and furrowed brows, Li Chengxing wasted no time on pleasantries the moment he saw Lu Xuan. He spoke directly, his voice low and urgent.
“Old Lu, someone from the Wu family wants to see you!”
Those few short words struck like a hammer against the seemingly tranquil clouds.
The Wu family?
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise—gone in an instant—crossed Lu Xuan’s eyes. His usually calm gaze rippled slightly.
Why would the Wu family seek him out at this time?
The news came somewhat abruptly, catching Lu Xuan off guard.
“Old Lu, have you ever had any grievances with the Wu family?”
“If so, rest assured—our Li family will fully support you.”
“The Wu family has no right to touch an ally of the Li family.”
Lu Xuan paid little attention to Li Chengxing’s latter words. At this moment, his thoughts were like a runaway horse, all focused on the Wu family’s messenger.
His mind rapidly sifted through faces, finally settling on a purple-robed elder.
“Could it be him?”
So far, Lu Xuan had encountered only three members of the Wu family.
Two of them had been reduced to ash with a single blow from him.
And that purple-robed elder, with his mysterious regenerative abilities, had managed to escape right under his nose.
That old man—Lu Xuan recalled learning from An Wang’s handmaiden, Chen Luomeng—what was his name again?
Wu Jiu.
Interesting. Did that Wu Jiu actually have the nerve to come before him again?
Lu Xuan had been wanting to refine that bronze staff in his possession into system points all along.
His expression unchanged, Lu Xuan gazed directly at Li Chengxing’s white phantom and asked slowly, with a hint of certainty.
“Old Li, is that Wu family member who wants to see me named Wu Jiu?”
Upon hearing this question, Li Chengxing answered without a moment’s hesitation, and without prying into how Lu Xuan knew: “Yes!”
That one crisp, clean word made the corners of Lu Xuan’s mouth curl upward involuntarily into a meaningful smile.
He murmured softly: “Interesting.”
Lu Xuan pondered for a while, wondering what scheme the Wu family was cooking up, that they would dare send Wu Jiu to see him.
After a long moment, Lu Xuan finally made up his mind: he would meet this Wu Jiu and see exactly what the Wu family—one of the Eight Great Clans—was plotting.
“Tell him to come to Wentai Prefecture in the Eastern Domain. I’ll be waiting for him at Mingxin Mansion.”
……….
One day later!
Eastern Domain, Wentai Prefecture, Mingxin Mansion’s capital city!
Within the city stood a mansion that, from a distance, appeared vast and magnificent—exuding an air of luxury and authority.
Deep inside the mansion, a quiet courtyard lay like a paradise beyond the world, cut off from the clamor outside.
Inside the main room of the courtyard, a man who appeared to be around thirty years old sat with a handsome, refined face.
His demeanor was gentle, and every movement radiated an air of scholarly elegance—the very picture of a gentleman.
Yet at this moment, the venomous words spilling from his mouth stood in stark contrast to that gentlemanly facade.
“That damned woman—dead is dead.”
“Just a lowly servant girl, daring to defy my will.”
“And you—for the sake of that wretch—you actually wanted to take my life. Then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
His gaze shifted to the bed before him, where a blurred, delicate figure lay.
She wore an exquisitely beautiful dress, made of fine material with intricate embroidery that shimmered softly in the candlelight.
But her aura was faint, her frail body trembling slightly—like a dying candle in the wind, on the verge of extinguishing at any moment.
