Chapter 207 - 187: Lu Zhao Takes Action, the Le Family Bows Down
Chapter 207: Chapter 187: Lu Zhao Takes Action, the Le Family Bows Down
Seeing this, Lu Zhao no longer restrained the pressure of his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
In an instant, a terrifying, overwhelming pressure, like an invisible mountain, descended with a crash, crushing everything in all directions! The air seemed to solidify in a heartbeat, growing thick and heavy.
Below, the middle-aged man desperately fleeing with the little girl, and the two pursuing parties hot on his heels, all felt the immense pressure—a power far beyond Qi Cultivation, one that belonged to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. They froze as if struck by lightning, their Heart Spirits violently shaken!
The middle-aged man was pinned in place as if by a giant, invisible hand. His body went rigid, and his mind seemed to grind to a halt. He stopped dead in his tracks, the color draining from his face, leaving it a mask of horrified, deathly pallor.
The little girl was even more terrified, her little face turning ashen as she clutched tightly to the man’s robes.
The two pursuing groups also stopped dead in their tracks, as if an Immobilization Technique had been cast upon them. The few Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivators at the very front felt their legs give way under the pressure. They nearly collapsed to their knees, their chests so tight they felt they might burst, each breath becoming a desperate struggle.
For a moment, everyone was frozen in place. Fear, suspicion, and utter confusion warred on their faces. As if drawn by invisible strings, all eyes shot toward the source of the pressure—the figure on the back of the giant, circling Golden Feather Bird, radiating the might of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Both pursuing parties hesitated, caught in a stalemate. They wanted to continue the chase but dared not advance, yet they were unwilling to simply retreat.
However, after only a moment, a look of conflict flashed across the faces of the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Cultivators leading each party. They were clearly acting under some immense pressure or a direct order.
The two leaders exchanged a glance, each seeing the resolve in the other’s eyes. Finally, they gritted their teeth and, steeling themselves, pushed through the suffocating pressure. They forced their way through the crowd, laboriously shuffling step by step in Lu Zhao’s direction.
When they finally reached a spot not far below the Golden Feather Bird and could just make out the unfathomable depth of Lu Zhao’s Cultivation, a chill went down their spines. Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, they immediately bowed low in a profound salute, their heads lowered, their voices trembling with unmistakable awe.
"We, Le Family Elders Le Mingfeng and Le Mingyu, pay our respects to you, Senior!"
One of them, the Cultivator who called himself Le Mingfeng, suppressed the fear in his heart and spoke cautiously. Though his words were respectful, they held a faint undercurrent of confidence befitting a member of a prominent family. "We were unaware that Senior was in seclusion here and have disturbed you. We deserve to die for our transgression! We are Cultivators from the Le Family of Celestial Mirror Lake, acting on the Patriarch’s orders to capture the traitorous son-in-law Le Qingshan, who betrayed our family and stole a treasure, along with his vile spawn!"
He paused, stealing a glance at Lu Zhao’s impassive face before continuing, "These two were audacious enough to steal a great Treasure from our Le Family—an unpardonable crime! We had no choice but to pursue them here. If we have inadvertently offended you, Senior, we beg for your magnanimity. Please be lenient!"
The other man, Le Mingyu, quickly added his own piece, his tone carrying a subtle hint. "Senior, your Cultivation is peerless, and we would not dare to offend you. We ask that you leave us your name and the location of your Immortal Mansion so that when we report back to our family, our Foundation Establishment Ancestor can personally prepare a generous gift and visit to thank you for your mercy today! We only ask that you do us a small convenience and allow us to take these two traitors away to face our family’s justice!"
Their words were high-sounding, framing the pursuit as a simple matter of a family cleaning its own house. They even invoked the name of the Le Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor, a veiled warning that ’we have powerful backing, so it would be best for you not to interfere.’ This was coupled with the promise of a lavish gift—a classic carrot-and-stick approach.
At that moment, the pursued middle-aged man also recovered from his initial shock. He understood instantly: this unfathomable Foundation Establishment Cultivator was not with the Le Family! ’This might be my only spark of Vitality!’ he thought.
He abruptly pulled the little girl down with him, dropping to his knees with a THUD. He kowtowed repeatedly toward Lu Zhao in the air, his forehead striking the dirt with dull thuds as he cried out in a hoarse, urgent voice:
"Senior! Please, see the truth! Don’t listen to the lies of those Le Family scoundrels! My name is Lin Qingshan, and Wan’Er is not my daughter! I did not steal any treasure! I risked my life to escape!"
"The Le Family... they’ve lost their minds! They’re secretly capturing large numbers of Wanderers! Someone in the Le Family is cultivating an Evil Demon Technique that requires the Essence Blood and Souls of the living! I saw it with my own eyes! Senior! If you report this to the Law Enforcement Hall in Xuan Yang Immortal City, it will be a Great Merit of the highest order! The Le Family’s crimes are too numerous to list!"
Lin Qingshan’s words struck like a thunderclap, and the faces of Le Mingfeng and Le Mingyu instantly turned hideous.
"Shut your mouth, Le Yuanshan!" Le Mingfeng snarled, killing intent flaring in his eyes. "You traitor! Even at death’s door, you dare to spew such vile slander against the main family!"
"Senior! Don’t listen to this fiend’s ravings!" Le Mingyu hurriedly added, his voice laced with panic. "He’s like a cornered beast, trying to drag our Le Family down with him before he dies!"
Lu Zhao remained seated on the Golden Feather Bird, his expression as placid as a calm lake, as if the furious accusations and frantic denials below were nothing more than a gentle breeze rustling through the hills.
’The secret of the Demon Skill that Le Yuanshan revealed is certainly shocking, if it’s true,’ Lu Zhao mused. ’But what does it matter to me if the Le Family cultivates a Demon Skill or captures Wanderers? And a merit from Xuan Yang Immortal City? That’s an even bigger joke.’
’What I care about right now is the origin of that wooden token... and the strange sense of familiarity I get from that little girl. She reminds me of Wang Hui.’
His gaze traveled past the arguing men and finally settled on the little girl. She was huddled behind Le Yuanshan, her face pale and her eyes filled with terror, yet they held a strange glint of stubbornness.
The curve of her eyes and brows, the way she held her back straight despite her immense fear... it was almost identical to his memory of a young Wang Hui. ’This is no coincidence!’
Lu Zhao’s thoughts raced, and he instantly came to a decision. Ignoring the arguments of Le Mingyu and Le Mingfeng and the accusations of Lin Qingshan, he spoke. His voice was not loud, but it cut through the din with unquestionable authority.
"I have a great use for these two."
Lu Zhao’s words were succinct, yet they carried the weight of a royal decree.
Before his voice had even faded, Lu Zhao acted on a thought. The Golden Feather Bird let out a clear cry and, with a single flap of its wings, sent out a wave of gentle yet irresistible Magical Power. It enveloped Lin Qingshan and the little girl, lifting them from their knees as if held by a giant, invisible hand, and placed them gently on the bird’s broad back, right behind Lu Zhao.
Lin Qingshan felt his body grow light. The world blurred, and suddenly he was high in the air, standing on the back of the magnificent Golden Feather Bird. Shock and joy warred within him. He knew they were safe for now. He quickly pulled the little girl into a tight embrace, glaring warily at the Le Family Cultivators below.
The little girl, stunned by the sudden turn of events, clung to the hem of Lin Qingshan’s robes, her wide eyes timidly peeking at the back of the man in front of them, Lu Zhao.
"Senior! You cannot!" Le Mingfeng’s expression changed drastically. He instinctively moved to stop them. The Le Family Patriarch’s orders were to bring Le Qingshan back at all costs. If this unknown Foundation Establishment Cultivator took them, the consequences would be unthinkable!
But he had barely taken a step, his words still hanging in the air.
BOOM!
A wave of pressure from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—far more terrifying, more condensed, more tangible than before—crashed down like a colossal mountain, enveloping him and him alone!
Le Mingfeng’s vision went black. His chest felt as if it had been struck by a sledgehammer, sending his internal Spiritual Power into chaos. A sweet taste filled his throat, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His legs trembled uncontrollably. His knees buckled, and with a THUD, the sheer force of the pressure crushed him down onto one knee. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, his face was as pale as paper, and each breath was a struggle, as if an invisible hand were clamped around his throat.
Lu Zhao slowly turned his head. His icy gaze was like two sharp swords, piercing through space to pin the wretched Le Mingfeng where he knelt. His voice was flat, yet it contained a coldness that could chill one to the bone.
"Do you object?"
Those three words, like three Ice Cones, stabbed deep into Le Mingfeng’s heart. He felt not only the pressure that nearly crushed him, but also the undisguised killing intent in that gaze.
It felt as if he dared to utter a single word of defiance, he would be instantly beheaded, his very Soul shattered.
Watching from the side, Le Mingyu was scared out of his wits. He knew better than Le Mingfeng just how terrifying a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could be. Seeing Le Mingfeng suppressed so completely, left with no power to resist, how could he dare hesitate? With a THUD, he also dropped to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly toward Lu Zhao, his voice breaking into a sob, laced with absolute terror.
"We don’t! We don’t dare! Senior, please calm your anger! Please, calm your anger! We have no objections whatsoever! Please, do as you wish! Please, do as you wish!"
As he kowtowed, he frantically tugged at Le Mingfeng, who was still immobilized by the pressure, signaling him to apologize immediately.
Under Lu Zhao’s icy gaze and Le Mingyu’s desperate tugging, Le Mingfeng had no choice but to swallow the bitterness in his heart, no matter how unwilling he was. He lowered his head and forced out a few words: "I... I do not dare. Please, Senior, do as you wish..."
Lu Zhao indifferently retracted his gaze, and the terrifying pressure on Le Mingfeng vanished. Le Mingfeng suddenly felt the weight lift, and he gasped for air, his body completely drenched in cold sweat. His eyes, when they looked at Lu Zhao, were filled with profound fear and utter dread.
Without giving them another glance, Lu Zhao directed the Golden Feather Bird with a thought. The bird let out a piercing cry, spread its wings, and whipped up a great gust of wind. It transformed into a streak of brilliant golden light, soaring into the air and racing toward the distant horizon, vanishing from the Le Family’s sight in the blink of an eye.
Only when the golden speck of light had completely vanished over the horizon did Le Mingfeng, with Le Mingyu’s help, struggle back to his feet. His face was so dark it looked like it might drip poison, his eyes burning with venomous resentment and anxiety.
"Quick!" Le Mingfeng’s voice was hoarse and urgent, tinged with a hint of madness. "Mingyu, take some men and follow them from a great distance! Remember, just follow! Do not get close, and do not reveal yourselves under any circumstances! Just get a general idea of where they’re headed!"
He whipped his head around to face a trusted subordinate. "You! As fast as you can, use a Communication Secret Talisman and report everything that happened here to the Patriarch and my elder brother, word for word! Tell them... tell them the targets were taken by force by an unknown Foundation Establishment Cultivator, heading north, it seems...! And request the Patriarch’s decision!"
"Yes, sir!" The subordinate, knowing the gravity of the situation, didn’t dare delay for a second. He immediately pulled a faintly glowing Jade Talisman from his robes and, without hesitation, crushed it in his hand.
The instant the Jade Talisman shattered, a faint, almost imperceptible streak of light flashed and vanished.