Chapter 142 - 113: Chaotic Feng City, the Hua Family of Jia City

Chapter 142: Chapter 113: Chaotic Feng City, the Hua Family of Jia City

Lu Changfeng returned to the former site of the Changle Martial Arts Hall, where he saw the old acquaintance who had taken it over. Of course, the man didn’t recognize him.

The man was sighing as he watched his disciples help him move, lamenting that Feng City had finally been plunged into the chaos of war.

Even the Wang Family had fled. For the mere master of a Martial Arts Hall like him, fleeing was the only sensible choice.

No Martial Arts Power in Feng City was naive enough to think they could resist the Profound Nether Sect’s Martial Arts Army.

Most of those who remained believed that joining the Profound Nether Sect was the best option.

Lu Changfeng went outside the city, where Zhang Desheng’s tombstone was already covered in weeds.

It was so overgrown he almost couldn’t find it.

So many years had passed.

His True Disciples were either dead or had left. In all of Feng City, there was surprisingly no one left to tend to his grave.

Lu Changfeng took it upon himself to clean Zhang Desheng’s tombstone.

Finally, Lu Changfeng arrived at the shores of Fengtian Lake.

The vast Fengtian Lake was as magnificent as ever.

Lu Changfeng was surprised to see fishermen still on the shore.

He led Bai Touweng over. "Old Sir, war is coming. Why haven’t you fled?"

"And where would I run?" the old man replied philosophically. "I don’t have any skills besides fishing. I couldn’t survive away from Fengtian Lake."

Lu Changfeng nodded, took out one tael of silver, and tossed it to him. "Take me for a trip around the lake."

The old man beamed as he caught the silver. Without another word, he went to prepare the boat.

"Saint Master, is there something special about this lake?" Bai Touweng asked, scratching his head in confusion as he followed Lu Changfeng onto the boat.

Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. "If you’re ever hunted in the future, dive to the bottom of this lake. It might just save your life."

"Oh?" Bai Touweng committed Lu Changfeng’s words to memory.

The small boat made a trip around Fengtian Lake.

While in the center of the lake, Lu Changfeng fought the urge to dive in and investigate.

In the end, he forced himself to resist.

’The time isn’t right yet,’ Lu Changfeng thought.

’Entering the lakebed prematurely probably won’t lead to anything good.’

And so, the fishing boat returned to shore. With no lingering attachments, Lu Changfeng turned and headed back to Rong City.

「The next day.」

The Profound Nether Sect clashed with the Yunyang Prefecture army again.

This time, the battle between the Rebirth Realm experts was especially fierce.

It was said that after half a day of fighting, their Spiritual Power was nearly depleted to the point that it began to affect their Spirit Bodies, and only then did the battle end.

But what happened that night shocked everyone: Lii Tianxing launched a sneak attack and successfully killed a Rebirth Realm expert from Yunyang Prefecture.

Lii Tianxing was already capable of fighting two opponents at once.

Now that one of Yunyang Prefecture’s Rebirth Realm experts was dead, they could no longer hold their ground.

And so, the Yunyang Prefecture army began to retreat.

Lii Tianxing’s terrifying strength once again made a name for him throughout the Martial Arts Realm of Song Country.

In the Rebirth Realm, possessing the strength to kill an expert of the same level made one an existence that absolutely everyone would fear.

Lii Tianxing dispatched his army, conquering city after city, including Feng City.

In less than a month, the Profound Nether Sect had successfully brought all five cities in southwestern Yunyang Prefecture under its control.

The Yunyang Prefecture Martial Arts Army retreated to defend Phoenix City.

The Profound Nether Sect’s advance forced Xuansha and his people to conquer the two remaining cities in southeastern Yunyang Prefecture as quickly as possible.

This time, knowing the Saint Demon Sect’s intentions, the Martial Arts Powers within those two cities fled quickly.

They grouped together and fled north before the Saint Demon Sect’s army even arrived, allowing the sect to take control of the two cities bloodlessly.

With this, the Saint Demon Sect now held a territory of six cities in Yunyang Prefecture.

The population under its rule exceeded twenty million people.

Seeing that a three-way standoff had formed and the situation in Yunyang Prefecture had stabilized, Lu Changfeng publicly announced he was entering seclusion, then quietly left the prefecture with Bai Touweng.

Lu Changfeng’s cultivation speed already far surpassed that of many geniuses.

But even so, Lu Changfeng still felt his strength was insufficient for the current situation.

’If my own strength were great enough, I wouldn’t need to be this cautious at all.’

’Instead, I could have used my absolute power to suppress the other Demon Sects, unify the Saint Demon Sect, and then lead the Six Great Demon Sects on a rampage of conquest.’

’Recently, I’ve raised my banner as Saint Master and conquered six cities in the southern part of Yunyang Prefecture. I’ll see how the remaining Demon Sects react. It would be best if they came to pledge their allegiance on their own.’

’My power would swell once more, and I’d gain at least four or five more Rebirth Realm experts.’

’If not, I’ll have to wait until I reach the Jade Bone Realm, and then I’ll pay them all a visit, one by one.’

’And then there’s the Demon Cave gathering at the end of the year. I have no idea what that inscrutable Sect Leader is planning.’

...

「One morning.」

Lu Changfeng and Bai Touweng were driving a horse-drawn carriage toward Jiangnan Prefecture.

Under Bai Touweng’s astonished gaze, Lu Changfeng activated his Disguise Transformation ability, turning into a handsome young man.

He changed into a pale, moon-colored robe and strapped a longsword to his side. In an instant, he had transformed into a noble swordsman with an extraordinary air.

"This is my other identity: Lu Changfeng, one of the Nine Talents of Jiangnan," he explained briefly.

Bai Touweng nodded in understanding and didn’t ask any further questions.

He, in turn, was dressed as a coachman for a noble family, a role that suited his appearance surprisingly well.

The road from Rong City to Jiangnan Prefecture was a vast wilderness.

The carriage ride through the wilderness was extremely bumpy, but at least the path was passable.

Lu Changfeng was in no hurry. He focused on adjusting his mindset in preparation for reaching the Jade Bone Realm.

Thanks to his Ba Snake Space, Lu Changfeng could retrieve fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat whenever he wanted.

Having lived in seclusion for so long, that old fellow Bai Touweng had become a decent cook, and their three daily meals were quite pleasant.

Their journey through the wilderness felt more like a leisurely excursion.

After three days of travel, they were halfway there.

At noon on the third day, Lu Changfeng encountered another pair of travelers on the road—a master and a servant.

The pair consisted of an old man and a girl of about fourteen or fifteen.

Their identities didn’t seem simple. According to Bai Touweng’s senses, the old man possessed profound Inner Strength; like Lu Changfeng, he was a Grand Martial Artist at the peak of Tendon Transformation.

One might not think much of this level, given that Lu Changfeng’s subordinates now started at the Bone Refining Realm, but that was only because he was the Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect.

He was one of the most powerful figures in all of Song Country.

To ordinary people, a Grand Martial Artist was an incredibly formidable existence.

The fact that a Grand Martial Artist served as her attendant spoke volumes about the girl’s extraordinary family background.

"Young Sir," the girl’s old servant began, "to meet in the wilderness is a stroke of fate. Are you also headed to Jiangnan Prefecture? Demon Beasts roam this wilderness. Why don’t we travel together for safety?"

The girl’s old servant, noticing Lu Changfeng’s kind face and the extraordinary air of his coachman—who had white hair yet a youthful complexion—took the initiative to extend the invitation.

Lu Changfeng was already in a relaxed state of mind, hoping to clear his head to facilitate his breakthrough to the Jade Bone Realm, so he naturally agreed. "You make a good point, good sir. Old Bai, let’s slow down and travel with them."

"You got it!" Bai Touweng called back.

The two carriages proceeded side-by-side. Through a curtain fluttering in the breeze, Lu Changfeng caught sight of the girl in the other carriage.

Their eyes met for a moment before the young girl shyly turned her head away, a charmingly quaint reaction.

Lu Changfeng leaned out of his carriage to converse with the girl’s old servant.

He learned that the old servant was accompanying the young girl on a trip from Qin City to Yunyang Prefecture. Unfortunately, they arrived just as the Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect was conquering Rong City.

The two of them had spent several terrifying days in the city. As outsiders, they were spared Lin Erfeng’s indoctrination sessions.

However, from their inn, they could see with their own eyes how the people had come to accept the Saint Demon Sect and its Saint Master.

Although they had relaxed somewhat upon seeing that the Saint Demon Sect’s actions weren’t what they’d imagined, they had still decided a few days ago to stock up on supplies and take the wilderness route back to Qin City in Jiangnan Prefecture.

Qin City was located in the northeastern part of Jiangnan Prefecture, where the situation was still relatively stable.

Furthermore, the girl was a member of Qin City’s foremost Martial Arts Family, the Hua Family. She was the family’s eighth daughter.

Although the Hua Family was no longer one of Jiangnan Prefecture’s Eight Great Martial Arts Families, it had a long and storied history, having once been ranked among the top three Martial Arts Families in the prefecture.

Though they had declined, they still possessed the means to protect themselves and the foresight to navigate these chaotic times.

"Ah, the Hua Family. I’ve heard a great deal about you."

"May I ask the names of the young lady and the good sir?"

Lu Changfeng asked with a smile. ℯℯ𝑙.

"You may call me Hua Hu, Young Sir. My young lady’s name is Hua Yiran."

"You also have an extraordinary air, Young Sir. May I ask which family you hail from?" Hua Hu asked tentatively.