Chapter 147 - 144: Annihilating the Xu Family, Part 2
Chapter 147: Chapter 144: Annihilating the Xu Family, Part 2
Lu Zhao looked down at him, his eyes indifferent, as if gazing upon a corpse. He had no intention of answering any of Xu Cheng’s questions. Xu Cheng’s answer was an Ice Cone, radiating bone-chilling Cold Qi, that condensed at Lu Zhao’s fingertip!
PFFT!
The Ice Cone precisely pierced through Xu Cheng’s last shred of resistance and his Protective Spiritual Light, pinning him to the ground and completely immobilizing him.
Lu Zhao then crouched down, splaying the five fingers of his right hand. He aimed his palm at the crown of Xu Cheng’s head as an eerie, bloody light began to emanate from it.
"Blood Soul Search!"
Lu Zhao grunted, and the bloody light on his palm flashed. A powerful suction force instantly enveloped Xu Cheng’s head!
"GAAAH!" Xu Cheng let out a wretched scream that was barely human. His body convulsed violently and his eyes bulged as if he were enduring the most extreme agony in the world. Shards of his memory flooded uncontrollably into Lu Zhao’s Sea of Consciousness, like a dam breaking.
Scene after scene flashed rapidly before Lu Zhao’s eyes: more than twenty years ago, a drenched scout, looking both agitated and nervous, handed a Jade Scroll to Xu Cheng himself. Xu Cheng sent his Divine Sense into the Jade Scroll; the intelligence within was stark: "Lu Family Patriarch, Lu Hong. High-Grade Spirit Root. Concealing Cultivation. In truth, Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer."
Upon learning this news, Xu Cheng was naturally terrified. One had to understand that someone with a High-Grade Spirit Root had a thirty percent chance of reaching Foundation Establishment even without a Foundation Establishment Pill. He hastily convened a meeting with the Xu Family’s upper echelon that very night. After discussion, the family leaders decided this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After careful consideration, the Xu Family resolved to leak this intelligence to the Zheng Family. At the time, the Zheng Family was on edge and paranoid, gripped by panic after the unexpected death of their newest Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Upon receiving this intelligence, they naturally suspected the Lu Family of plotting something sinister. Moreover, the two families were not far apart. If the Lu Family Patriarch truly succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment, the Zheng Family would be the first to suffer. Thus, after deliberation, the Zheng Family’s leaders decided to annihilate the Lu Family.
When the last shard of memory dissipated, Lu Zhao slowly withdrew his palm. By now, Xu Cheng was completely lifeless. His Essence Blood had been drained, his eyes were wide open, and his face was frozen in a mask of ultimate pain and terror. His stiff body lay on the ground, utterly silent.
Lu Zhao silently rose to his feet. There was no ecstatic joy of vengeance on his face, only a bone-deep coldness and... a hint of indescribable weariness and desolation.
’High-Grade Spirit Root... Qi Cultivation 9th Layer... So that’s how it was.’ He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and dry. ’Innocence is no crime, but possessing a treasure is. Without strength, even heaven-defying talent is nothing more than meat on another’s chopping block.’ His gaze swept over the mountain of corpses and sea of blood in the square, finally landing on Xu Cheng’s contorted face, as if questioning this cruel world of Cultivation.
「One night later.」
Lu Zhao’s figure reappeared in the Cyan Stone Castle square. Following the information plundered from Xu Cheng’s memories, he emptied the Xu Family’s treasury, their secret vault, and the private stashes of several Core Elders. The haul was substantial—piles of Spirit Stones, materials, Pills, and Cultivation Technique Jade Scrolls. Yet, at this moment, Lu Zhao felt not a shred of joy from finding this treasure.
He only felt a heavy weariness. Expressionless, he roughly sorted all the items, stuffed them into a few confiscated Storage Bags, and hung them from his waist. ’What is it all worth? Take inventory and organize it? I’ll deal with it later, when my mind is calm.’
He gathered the bodies of all the Xu Family Cultivators, including Xu Cheng’s, in the center of the square. Looking at the mountain of corpses before him, he finally let out a long, slow breath, expelling the foul air that had been trapped in his chest for over twenty years.
"People of the Lu Family..." Lu Zhao’s low, hoarse voice echoed in the silent square, sounding somewhat ethereal. "Watch... Your blood feud... has been partially avenged today! The Xu Family... has paid their debt in blood! Rest for now... The Zheng Family... will absolutely... not escape!" His voice was not loud, but every word carried a will of steel.
After another moment, Lu Zhao considered for a second before waving a hand and storing Xu Cheng’s corpse away. ’This might be useful to me.’ Then, he collected all the Storage Bags from the remaining Xu Family Cultivators. Finally, he took out several Fireball Talismans, infused them with Magical Power, and hurled them viciously at the pile of corpses and the core structures of Cyan Stone Castle!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Blazing flames shot into the sky and spread rapidly, consuming the corpses, the bloodstains, and the buildings that symbolized the Xu Family’s foundation. The raging inferno painted half the sky red and illuminated Lu Zhao’s expressionless face.
As the entirety of Cyan Stone Castle was engulfed in a sea of fire, Lu Zhao turned and walked out of the castle without a backward glance.
Outside the castle, Qingshi Town, a town reliant on the Xu Family, had already descended into chaos. Countless mortals screamed in terror, fleeing with their families, running aimlessly through the streets like headless chickens. The sounds of crying, shouting, and crashing objects mingled together, creating a scene of apocalypse.
When Lu Zhao stood once again on the low hill at the edge of town, he glanced back at the fortress twisting and collapsing in the flames, then looked down at the chaotic scene of mortals fleeing like ants below.
A complex, unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes, finally turning into a nearly inaudible sigh.
’I’m not a bloodthirsty person, after all.’ He muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself. ’The Xu Family’s Cultivators have been executed, and the blood debt has been paid. As for these mortals of the Xu Family... let them fend for themselves.’
As his words faded, he lingered no longer. With a flicker, his figure became an afterimage and quickly disappeared into the distant mountain forest. He left behind only the burning ruins and a ’Mortal Town’ trembling in fear.