48: Chapter 48 Lu Family Patriarch Lu Changtian

The Disciples of Baicao Valley knelt on the ground, none daring to raise their heads.

Mu Qingteng was supported by Su Qianxue back to the bamboo building behind the mountain.

Inside the bamboo building, only Su Qianxue and Luo Qingxue remained.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Luo." Su Qianxue poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over. "It's just that there is one thing I don't understand. Xuanming Hall is far away in the extreme north of the Central Region; why would it suddenly appear in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and choose this specific time?"

Luo Qingxue took the teacup but did not drink.

"I came to the Central Region on the orders of the Hall Master." Luo Qingxue watched the tea leaves floating in the cup.

"Senior Jun Wudao?" Su Qianxue asked in confusion. "Why would an elder like him pay attention to a small place like Baicao Valley?"

"I dare not presume to guess the Hall Master's thoughts." Luo Qingxue set down the teacup. "He only instructed me to take a trip to the Hundred Thousand Mountains and ensure your safety. And, incidentally, to cause some trouble for the Great Xia Dynasty."

Su Qianxue was completely bewildered.

Why would the Hall Master of Xuanming Hall want to ensure her safety? She was just a Loose Cultivator from Xueluo City, having nothing to do with the leader of the Demonic Path in the Central Region.

Inside the ring, Danqingzi let out a cold snort.

"Girl, don't be fooled by her. Xuanming Hall is a place that devours people without spitting out the bones; would that old poison Jun Wudao really be so kind? There must be something fishy behind this."

Su Qianxue did not reply, only looking at Luo Qingxue.

Luo Qingxue stood up.

"My mission is complete. You can clean up the mess at Baicao Valley yourselves. The Great Xia Dynasty will not let this go, so take care of yourselves."

She turned and walked outside. When she reached the door, she stopped.

"Miss Su, the Hall Master asked me to pass a message to you."

"What message?"

"The waters of the Central Region are deep. If you want to survive, don't easily trust anyone. Including the one in your ring."

Luo Qingxue pushed the door open and left.

Su Qianxue stood frozen in place. How did she know there was someone in the ring?

...

The Forbidden Ground behind the Lu Family.

Lu Chengfeng fell from the sky, his feet slamming onto the bluestone slabs.

The ground cracked.

The Grand Elder was waiting outside the Formation and stepped forward to greet him.

"Second Master." The Grand Elder's gaze fell on Lu Chengfeng's empty waist. The storage ring filled with one million Top-Grade Spirit Stones was gone.

Lu Chengfeng ignored him and strode into the Formation.

Steam rose from the cold pond.

Inside the transparent ice coffin at the bottom of the pond, Lu Changtian looked like withered wood.

His life force was stripped away to the final stage.

Lu Chengfeng leaped into the cold pond. The bone-chilling water temperature froze his protective True Qi. Gritting his teeth, he dove to the bottom of the pond and pushed open the lid of the ice coffin with one hand.

The water poured in.

Lu Chengfeng crushed the white jade porcelain bottle in his hand.

The Nine-Turn Creation Pill fell into the water.

It did not melt. A nine-colored halo swirled on the surface of the Medicinal Pill, and it drilled into Lu Changtian's mouth on its own.

The water in the pond stopped flowing.

Time stagnated in this small space.

Lu Changtian's shriveled skin and flesh filled out at a speed visible to the naked eye. His gray-white hair faded away, and black hair grew in its place.

The crack in his chest that pierced through his Dao Foundation was filled and stitched together by the nine-colored halo.

Lu Changtian opened his eyes.

Two beams of golden light pierced through the pond water and shot straight into the sky.

The water in the cold pond evaporated instantly.

Lu Chengfeng was pushed onto the shore by this force and slammed heavily onto the bluestone slabs. He didn't care about the pain and rolled over to kneel properly.

The sky changed color.

The dark clouds dispersed, and purple Qi spread from the east, spanning thirty thousand li.

The roars of a Dragon and the cries of a Phoenix echoed from within the clouds.

The leaders of the major forces in the Central Region all looked up, gazing in the direction of the reclusive Lu Family.

Deep within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the Human Emperor of Great Xia stopped the cinnabar brush he was using to review memorials.

In the Sword Tomb of Wan Jian Holy Land, thousands of famous swords trembled in unison.

A Saint had been born.

The Central Region had not seen a new Saint in five thousand years.

Lu Changtian stepped barefoot into the air, walking step by step from the dried-up bottom of the pond onto the shore.

He wore no clothes, but his body was draped in a layer of Dao robes woven from Laws.

"Respectfully welcoming the Old Ancestor out of seclusion." Lu Chengfeng knocked his head against the ground.

The Grand Elder trembled like a sieve outside the Formation and followed suit, kneeling down.

Lu Changtian raised his hand.

The strange phenomena across the sky gathered and submerged entirely into his body.

"Rise." Lu Changtian spoke, his voice no longer hoarse, sounding as resonant as a great bell.

Lu Chengfeng stood up.

"How long have I slept?" Lu Changtian asked.

"Three hundred years."

"Three hundred years." Lu Changtian looked up at the sky. "The Heavenly Dao has changed."

He turned his head to look at Lu Chengfeng.

"Where did that Medicinal Pill come from?"

Lu Chengfeng recounted everything about the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Su Jiuer, Blind Sword, and the Everlasting Gu Family, without leaving out a single word.

When he mentioned the one million Top-Grade Spirit Stones, the Grand Elder beside him broke out in a cold sweat.

After listening, Lu Changtian was silent for a long time.

"One million Top-Grade Spirit Stones to buy a life, and it even came with a stroke of fortune." Lu Changtian evaluated. "The Lu Family profited from this deal."

"Old Ancestor, the background of the Everlasting Gu Family is unknown. Should we send someone to investigate?" Lu Chengfeng asked.

Lu Changtian waved his hand.

"Investigate? With what? For a power that can casually produce a Nine-Turn Creation Pill, the people you send wouldn't even be able to find their front door."

Lu Changtian stood with his hands behind his back.

"Prepare the carriage. I am going to Heavenly Saint City."

"The Old Ancestor is going personally?" Lu Chengfeng was astonished.

"Receiving a favor, it is only proper to thank them in person. Moreover, the sky of this Central Region is about to change. The Lu Family needs to re-evaluate its stance."

Heavenly Saint City.

The top-floor private room of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Gu Sheng sat on a redwood chair, toying with an empty teacup in his hand.

Ye Yuan stood guard outside the door like an iron tower.

Xuan Kong crouched in the corner, smoking a dry pipe.

The System panel flickered before Gu Sheng's eyes.

[Ding. The Lu Family Old Ancestor, Lu Changtian, has broken through to the Saint Realm. The Lu Family's Luck has surged.]

[The power structure of the Central Region has been changed. Obtained destiny points: 10000.]

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"Only ten thousand? A Saint is only worth ten thousand?"

[Host, please be aware that Lu Changtian is not a Son of Destiny. Being able to fleece him is already the result of this System's algorithm optimization. Do not be too greedy.]

Gu Sheng couldn't be bothered to argue with the System.

The air inside the private room rippled.

There was no spatial fluctuation, nor was there any warning from the Spiritual Qi.

An old man wearing coarse linen clothes appeared out of thin air across from the round table.

It was as if he had been sitting there all along.

Ye Yuan outside the door was completely unaware.

Xuan Kong in the corner stopped smoking. He stood up and blocked the way in front of Gu Sheng.

His aura at the Creation Realm Peak erupted fully, locking onto the old man tightly.

The old man did not look at Xuan Kong.

He simply picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea fell into the cup, making a crisp sound.

Xuan Kong let out a muffled grunt and stepped back half a step. The veins on the back of his hand holding the dry pipe bulged.

The absolute suppression of Realm.

Below the Saint, all are ants.

Gu Sheng patted Xuan Kong on the shoulder.

"Stand down. The visitor is a guest."

Xuan Kong retracted his aura and retreated to the corner, but his gaze never left the old man.

The old man put down the teapot and looked at Gu Sheng.

Golden Core Great Perfection.

There was no disdain in the old man's eyes.

Being able to have a Creation Realm Peak expert as a bodyguard, the identity of this young man was self-evident.

"The reclusive Lu Family, Lu Changtian. Greetings, Young Master Gu." The old man stood up, cupped his hands, and performed a greeting for an equal.

Gu Sheng did not stand up.

He pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Sit."

Lu Changtian sat down.

"The Medicinal Pill that Chengfeng brought back saved my life." Lu Changtian came straight to the point. "It not only replenished my Dao Foundation but also allowed me to cross that threshold. The Lu Family will keep this great favor in mind."

Gu Sheng picked up his teacup.

"Taking money to get things done, fair and honest. The Lu Family paid one million Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion delivered the goods. We are even."

Lu Changtian watched Gu Sheng's composed demeanor.

A Golden Core Stage cultivator who, when facing a Saint, didn't even change his breathing frequency.

This level of composure could not be faked.

"To be honest." Lu Changtian placed his hands on his knees. "I have lived for eight thousand years. I know a thing or two about the various forces in the Central Region and the prestigious clans of the Upper Realm. But this Everlasting Gu Family, I have never heard of it."

Gu Sheng smiled.

The System complained crazily in his mind.

[It would be a miracle if he had heard of it. You just came up with this name the day before yesterday. Host, stay steady, don't break character.]

Gu Sheng ignored the System.

He set down the teacup.

"There are many things in this world that you haven't heard of. Just because the Gu Family does not enter the world does not mean the Gu Family does not exist."