“Young miss, what are you doing here?”
They looked shocked as she appeared and started going through gestures.
Luo Yunchang smiled, “We are a family. We live together, we die together!”
They all trembled and felt immense gratitude. It was worth dying for a clan that valued them so.
“But what of Yunhai?” Lei Yuntian staggered to his feet with a pale face.
Bitterness flooded Luo Yunchang’s face, but soon replaced it with a smile, “It’s fine. He’s grown up now, almost entering the Qi Condensation Stage. I had him go look for Zhuo Fan. He will be safe with him.”
Luo Yunchang may have said so, but anyone could see it worried her still.
Sighing, the others began worrying as well. Luo Yunhai was but a child. Searching the empire for Zhuo Fan was fine as long as he did find him. But in this world, danger lurked at every turn.
“Ha-ha-ha, are you guys talking about that brat?”
A cackling came from the blackfire pyre. With a boom, the flames were repelled and the Venerable walked forward.
“Humph, your steward dared to kill 7th elder and has been sentenced to death. No matter where he runs, we’ll be close behind him! As for you, Luo clan, you have committed a heinous crime for bringing such evil into this world. Not one shall be spared. I will find even that kid of yours and grind his bones to dust!”
“You won’t even spare a child?” Luo Yunchang gnashed her teeth.
The Venerable snickered, “Not even if he is a baby. I will kill him where he stands, without the slightest hesitation!”
Luo Yunchang was enraged as she clenched her hands.
Then, a sudden childish voice came, “You don’t need to look. I’m right here!”
The others looked in shock at the speaker, “Yunhai, what are you doing here?”
Beaming a wide smile, Luo Yunhai spoke with unbending courage, “Sister, our Luo clan’s ancestors taught us to be steadfast and righteous. I cannot let you throw your lives away just so that I alone may live!”
Hearts stirring, his clansmen looked at Luo Yunhai with an indescribable look. Even Li Jingtian had to sigh in the end.
Luo clan was admirable, maybe not the strongest by far, but they had loyalty first and foremost!
[I was wrong. Was this what Steward Zhuo meant when he said this clan was the best in the world?]
Li Jingtian sighed. But even now, he misunderstood what Zhuo Fan meant. There was no way a Demonic Emperor like Zhuo Fan would value affection.
The meaning of his words were: [Wherever I am, that place is the strongest!]
But that was all unimportant. Here and now, Li Jingtian didn’t join Zhuo Fan’s gang because he was forced, but from seeing the Luo clan’s spirit. He felt that the Luo clan of now, was far better than the seven houses…
“Ha-ha-ha, since all of Luo clan is here, then allow me to send you off, permanently.” With a mad cackle, the Venerable’s eyes flashed with bloodthirst, while the other two behind snickered.
Luo Yunchang’s heart was ready for battle, “If you want my brother, you’ll have to go through me!”
Luo Yunchang’s hands moved.
The blackfire started swirling like a tornado, with that Venerable at its center. She clearly wanted to swallow him in a sea of flames.
“Blackfire Storm!”
And yet, the Venerable was standing there with an unphased look as he waited for the blackfire to storm him from all directions.
Then, a soul ripple echoed out, extinguishing the blackfire into nothing.
Luo Yunchang was forced to spit blood, under the anxiousness of her clansmen.
Snorting, the Venerable mocked, “This 5th-grade array of yours is pretty good. Too bad, your cultivation is too low. You’re not even a Bone Tempering cultivator and your control is sorely lacking. But now, you no longer have time for regrets, for I am here to send you on your last journey!”
The Venerable stretched his hand, making Captain Pang and the rest tense to take the brunt of the attack. He knew very well how fruitless it all was, yet, he still wanted to uphold his duty until the very last moment.
Suddenly, there were two groans and the Venerable’s movement slacked. He turned his head in inconceivable shock. Luo Yunchang was also wide-eyed.
Their eyes reflected two blood-red fists coming out of two people’s chests.
The two Venerables in the back were still laid back in enjoying the drama. They were just about to witness the end of the Luo clan when they suddenly felt their life ebbing from their chests.
Jerkingly turning their heads back, their eyes reflected the cold and unfeeling face of Li Jingtian.
“E-Elder Li, wh….”
“The dead don’t need to know!” Snorting, Li Jingtian flicked his hands and the two Venerable fell in pieces. The blackfire soon engulfed them and ground them to ashes.
Gasping from shock, the last Venerable was filled with suspicion. [Why is this Regent Estate’s Venerable killing us?]
[I don’t remember any of our houses having offended Regent Estate!]
But the truth was laid out right in front of him. Not only did Li Jingtian murder them, he had planned to do so for the very beginning. After all, no matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to kill two masters of that cultivation level in an instant. Such a task can only be accomplished by a sneak attack!
“E-Elder Li, what is the meaning of this?” The last Venerable ignored the Luo clan and cautiously sizing up Li Jingtian. The cold and meticulousness of his sudden strike had him filled with dread. It came without warning.
Snapping his eyes on the Venerable, Li Jingtian snorted, “Fool, are you that thick in the head? You’ve been had, duped, strung along. Need I say more?”
“What?!”
The Venerable was overwhelmed but had no time to make sense of anything. Li Jingtian was out to get him and if he didn’t run now, his end was certain.
He, a 3rd layer of Radiant Stage cultivator, could flaunt his strength before the Luo clan, but that fell through the instant he faced Li Jingtian, a 6th layer of Radiant Stage body cultivator.
It wouldn’t take even five exchanges before he’d splatter the ground with his blood.
Thankfully, their cultivations weren’t that far apart and Li Jingtian could do nothing to stop him from running.
No sooner thought than done, he bolted to escape the array while Li Jingtian was calmly making hand signs.
Suddenly, Luo Yunchang cried as she felt her control over the Blackflame Array wrested from her grip.
The Blackflame Array roared to life like an erupting volcano, forming firewalls to box everyone in. The Venerable didn’t fly far as the firewalls forced him to retreat.
When he looked intently, he was scared out of his mind!
The Blackflame Array was suddenly used to its full power. If before there were only some tongues of blackfire around, now, there was a sea of lava in every direction.
Not even a Radiant Stage expert had hope of getting out now. If just a spark touched him, he’d be soon nothing more than a charred corpse.
Shivering from fear, he turned his head to see Li Jingtian making signs. The Venerable stammered, “E-Elder Li, why do you know how to use the array?”
The same question was on Luo Yunchang’s mind as well.
Snickering, Li Jingtian’s eyes flashed with bloodthirst, “Moron, I told you already! You’ve been had! I thought of drawing you into the array then trap you here. He-he-he, didn’t you find it odd how the array was so weak? But with me in control, don’t you find it strong? He-he-he, let me clue you in. I’m with the Luo clan. Steward Zhuo Fan himself invited me into the Luo clan as its elder!”
[What?!]
This was shocking news to any who heard it, but the Venerable went pale from fright.
Luo Yunchang’s group was floored, finding it impossible to believe such a miracle had graced them.
Zhuo Fan went to recruit experts. He said so just before leaving two years ago. But who’d ever expect it would be one of such caliber?
Heavens, this Radiant Stage expert shot the Luo clan from a mere clan, all the way into the rank of a house. Their shock was completely and utterly understandable…
…
In another location, the three elders entered the Poison Dragon Array and already felt the miasma growing thick. Yan Zhenglan pulled out some pills, “This is a Poison Repelling Pill for each of you!”
They all took one and kept an ever-watchful eye on the surroundings.
Then, two figures entered their sights. One was around forty, with black hair and a black beard. None of the three recognized him. Only Yan Zhenglan had a nagging feeling of deja vu.
The other person was but a Bone Tempering Stage youth.
They were startled instantly as they took out the Hell Kill Order. [It’s him, Demon Archon Zhuo Fan!]
Zhuo Fan seemed as if only now discovered the trio and clapped in laughter, “Ha-ha-ha, everyone’s finally here. I’ve been waiting!”
Faces dark, the elders felt bitter.
They knew of the havoc he stirred in Drifting Flowers City, killing three experts and ruining another’s hand. They had no hope of winning, not to mention, they were in his array.
[Blast it! The Venerables should be meeting this punk, not us! Why did it have to be us? I knew I should’ve picked another array!]
They felt close to tears as they pinned their final hopes on having the four Radiant Stage experts hurrying with breaking through the array and coming over to help.
Like that’ll ever happen! Out of their knowledge, the four had long fallen in Zhuo Fan’s trap, with two already dead and the last one making one last ditch effort before succumbing as well.
They were having a hard time saving themselves, yet, they were putting their meager hope on someone in an even worse state than them…