Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 788 Lu Fusheng Makes a Move

"Where are you hiding?" Yang Zhengshan continued to ask.

He naturally knew where the other party was hiding, but he still wanted to ask, mainly so that Lu Jianghua would know.

"In a village called Dahuaishu Village in the northwest of Nanxia County!" Zhou Yuntao said dejectedly.

He knew he was finished.

Although he confessed everything he knew, he knew very well that the Lu family would not let him go.

But he still honestly confessed everything, all he wanted was a quick death.

Yang Zhengshan stood up, looked at Lu Jianghua, and smiled, "Young Master Lu, I'll leave this man to you. I strongly suggest that the Lu family send men to eliminate this group as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the greater the threat to the Lu family!"

"Thank you for your care, senior. I will report back to my family as soon as possible!" Lu Jianghua stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.

……

Inside the Lu family mansion in Shanggu County.

Lu You'an, the head of the Lu family, stood before the stone gate engraved with intricate runes, his face solemn as he called out, "You'an respectfully requests Father to emerge from seclusion!"

A deep, resonant voice came from within the stone gate, "What is it?"

"Four days ago, markets in Tianbao County, Suihua County, and Nanxia County were attacked simultaneously. According to the investigation, the perpetrators who attacked the markets came from Dazhen, Nanzhao, and Dayun respectively!"

"The three wars have not ended, and there are hidden troubles behind them. You'an is incompetent and can only ask Father to come out of seclusion to take charge of the overall situation!"

Lu Youan said in a somber tone.

Since the Lu family took over Shanggu County, Lu Fusheng has been in seclusion almost all the time. At first, Lu Fusheng was trying to break through to a higher level, and later he was trying to consolidate his cultivation. Now, Lu Fusheng is still in seclusion year-round.

All the affairs of the Lu family fell on the shoulders of Lu Youan, the head of the family.

Faced with the pressure from the Illusion Moon Sect, Lu Youan could barely cope, which was nothing more than forcing those martial arts families to send people to Yushan Town to participate in the battle.

However, Lu Youan was somewhat overwhelmed by the combined attack of three dynasties.

The main problem is that he is currently facing a shortage of manpower, and the Lu family can no longer spare more resources to deal with the provocations of the three major dynasties.

The stone door slowly opened, and a tall figure walked out from inside.

Lu Fusheng was tall and broad-shouldered, his posture upright like a pine tree. His face was handsome, exuding determination and composure. His beautiful beard flowed freely beneath his chin, like ink-dyed silk threads, gently swaying in the wind. His eyes were deep and bright, as if they held the stars and the sea. His aura was natural and powerful, like a majestic mountain, imposing without being angry.

Judging by appearance alone, he really looks alike to Yang Zhengshan, but Yang Zhengshan's temperament has changed a lot now.

His imposing aura, which had been emanating without anger, became ethereal and otherworldly, losing some of the martial prowess of a warrior and gaining more of the refined and otherworldly air of a Taoist immortal.

"How is the battle going in the east?" Lu Fusheng asked.

When Lu Youan saw him, his somewhat somber expression immediately relaxed considerably.

"The stalemate continues, with significant casualties on both sides, including the three major sects! The Wuxiang Sect has suffered the greatest losses!"

The Wuxiang Sect is located on the east side of the Lingxiu Sea, which means it faces the attack of the Youyu Gate directly.

The main force in this battle almost all came from the Wuxiang Sect, so the Wuxiang Sect suffered the greatest losses.

Lu Fusheng slowly walked out of the stone chamber, then looked up at the azure sky. "Let's go, let's take care of those clowns first!"

……

On Lingxi Mountain.

Wang Lei handed twelve storage bags to Yang Zhengshan with a grin.

"Master, we've struck it rich!"

"Unexpected windfall?" Yang Zhengshan picked up a storage bag in surprise and began to examine its contents.

His eyes lit up; there were actually six or seven hundred spirit stones inside, as well as quite a few pills.

"Patriarch, take a look at these two!" Wang Lei selected Zhou Yuntao's and Wu Dashan's storage bags and handed them to Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but look astonished after reading it.

Each of the two storage bags contained more than seven thousand spirit stones, as well as a large number of pills, spirit fruits, spirit medicines, and spirit weapons.

However, he quickly understood what was going on.

"Heh, these people are pretty quick at dividing up the spoils!"

It's obvious that these all come from Fangshi, Nanxia County.

“These people must have gained a lot from the market in Nanxia County. Patriarch, should we take them?” Wang Lei’s eyes gleamed.

Yang Zhengshan slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't even think about it. No one will care if we take these, but if we take them all, the Lu family will definitely come after us!"

This is their spoils of war, and he obtained it while protecting Lu Jianghua. Even if the Lu family knew, they wouldn't have the audacity to come and ask for it back.

But if they were to besiege Mo Changbin and pocket all the things he had stolen from Nanxia County, even if the Lu family wanted to save face, they would probably come after him to settle accounts.

After all, these things don't just belong to the Lu family; they also belong to other prominent families.

“That makes sense.” Wang Lei understood Yang Zhengshan’s meaning, but he still couldn’t help but suggest, “What if we hide our identities?”

As the saying goes, wealth can move people's hearts, and Wang Lei is no exception.

However, cultivation resources worth two to three hundred thousand spirit stones are still a considerable fortune for the Spirit Source Land, even with its annual income of nearly one hundred thousand spirit stones.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head. "These are turbulent times; it's not wise to act rashly!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and threw all twelve storage bags in front of Yang Chengmao in the clan hall.

This was his personal spoils of war and should belong to him. However, he didn't need many of the items, so he simply handed them over to the clan hall for disposal.

As for the spirit stones inside, Yang Chengmao will send them to Lingquan Mountain Plain; he doesn't need to give any instructions.

"Just wait and see, I reckon Lu Fusheng will make his move soon, we can't afford to run into him!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

Wang Lei scratched his head, "I'm hoping to make a windfall!"

Yang Zhengshan glanced at him and said, "I'll give you a bonus!"

"Hehe, forget about the bonus, how about the patriarch rewards me with a Jade Marrow Pill!" Wang Lei laughed.

"Come to me for a Jade Marrow Pill when you break through! It's too wasteful for you to take one now!" Yang Zhengshan said casually.

Jade Marrow Pills are not very precious to him. Now his pill-making success rate has increased to 40%, and he can occasionally refine a few mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills.

However, since only he himself could refine the Jade Marrow Pill, he couldn't spend too much time on it, which is why the Jade Marrow Pill seemed somewhat scarce.

Giving one to Wang Lei wouldn't be out of the question. Wang Lei and Li Chang were his closest and longest-serving followers, and he had even spent more time with Wang Lei and Li Chang than with the four Yang brothers.

Therefore, Wang Lei and Li Chang were not only his close followers, but more like his apprentices.

"Thank you for the reward, Patriarch!" Wang Lei said happily.

Seeing his reaction, Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, stop fooling around. Tell the Chiyan Army down the mountain to strengthen their defenses to prevent another attack!"

“Yes!” Wang Lei replied.

...Dahuaishu Village is just an ordinary village. As the name suggests, it is named after the large locust tree in the center of the village.

There used to be some villagers in Dahuaishu Village, but more than two years ago, all the villagers were massacred overnight, and the village became a ghost town.

Later, rumors of ghosts spreading through Dahuaishu Village began to circulate. Some people even claimed to have seen ghosts around the village, prompting Lu Jianghua to send people to investigate.

Because ghosts truly exist in this world; since there is the path of immortals, there will naturally be ghosts.

However, the conditions for the formation of ghosts are extremely demanding. Generally speaking, ghosts will not form in places suitable for human habitation. As for the idea that hatred, obsession, and resentment can cause people to become ghosts after death, that is utter nonsense.

True ghosts are spirits born in special environments. Note that it is spirits, not human souls. People who possess spirits are either immortal cultivators or martial artists above the Martial God realm. Therefore, ghosts are very rare in this world.

There were no ghosts in Dahuaishu Village, so the investigation by Nanxia County came to nothing. However, the surrounding people still regarded Dahuaishu Village as a forbidden place, and no one dared to approach it again.

While searching for a hiding place, Mo Changbin heard the rumors about Dahuaishu Village and immediately took a liking to it.

The village is small and not particularly secluded, but few people approach it, and it can easily accommodate more than 300 people.

Therefore, they have been hiding here for the past six months.

At this moment, Mo Changbin stood at the entrance of Dahuaishu Village with a furrowed brow, gazing at the long-abandoned dirt path.

"It's been four days, why haven't they come back yet?"

He was waiting for Zhou Yuntao and Wu Dashan. According to their previous agreement, Zhou Yuntao and Wu Dashan would return within three days, regardless of whether the matter was resolved or not.

But four days have already passed.

Mo Changbin had a bad feeling.

"Can't wait any longer!"

Things changed, and he decided to lead his men away from Big Locust Tree Village to another hiding place.

Just as he turned to walk back into the village, a loud eagle cry rang out in the air.

Mo Changbin froze, then slowly looked up at the sky.

The vast sky was filled with drifting white clouds, like cotton wool dancing in the air. Amidst this, a giant golden eagle soared, its wings outstretched. The eagle's feathers shimmered like flowing gold, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight.

Upon seeing that golden radiance, Mo Changbin's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Lu family's Golden Feather Eagle!

Without any hesitation, Mo Changbin's true essence surged, and he transformed into a streak of light, flying close to the ground towards the north.

"You think you can escape?"

The sound, like thunder, exploded in the air, and the sound waves rolled in with terrifying power.

In an instant, a crimson flame fell from the sky like a meteor.

"No!"

Mo Changbin roared in fear and swung his long sword, attempting to block the crimson flames.

Boom~~
The flames struck the ground with a deafening roar, and instantly scorching flames shot into the sky.

Mo Changbin was engulfed in flames, burning like a rag doll. The shockwave from the explosion blew his body away, and when he crashed to the ground again, only half of his chest and head remained.

Flames clung to his body, and all he could see were flames rising and leaping.

His charred lips trembled slightly, but in the end he made no sound as his mangled body turned to charcoal.

In the sky, a golden eagle soared, and a burly figure stood on its back, holding a crimson spear, his eyes indifferently looking down at the village.

Sparks swirled around him before falling.

Fireballs the size of carriages crashed into the abandoned village like meteorites.

Amidst the deafening explosions, terrified figures fled in all directions. Flames leaped and roared, and in a matter of moments, the entire village was engulfed in flames.

Apart from the raging flames, there was no other sign of life to be seen.

Lu Fusheng stared indifferently at the raging flames, his brows furrowing slightly.

"These immortal spells are so difficult to control!"

Every martial artist at the Martial God Realm harbors both doubt, awe, and longing for the path of immortality.

What we revere is the mystery of the immortal path, and what we yearn for is its power.

They cannot cultivate immortal techniques, but they desperately want to obtain the power of immortality, so many Martial God Realm experts have immortal techniques to cultivate.

However, they lack spiritual apertures, making it impossible for their souls to perfectly merge with the true essence within their bodies.

Although they have begun to cultivate their divine souls, no matter how much they increase the strength of their divine souls, they cannot become true immortal cultivators.

Lu Fusheng was no exception; he wanted to master the magic of immortality.

In fact, he was already very powerful. In just a few years, he had cultivated the immortal arts of fire control and fireball techniques to an extremely high level.

However, the limitations of his soul meant that he could only unleash powerful force, but could not make precise control, and could only use the two spells in a rough manner.

Lu Fusheng glanced at the sea of ​​fire below, then looked away and said softly, "Golden Spear, go to Lingxi Mountain!"

The golden eagle beneath him let out a loud cry and then soared eastward.

In a short while, they arrived above Lingxi Mountain.

……

On Lingxi Mountain, in the study.

Li Chang, who had just returned, was reporting the situation in Wuxiang City to Yang Zhengshan.

"The two sides are still deadlocked, but the three sects have suffered heavy losses, especially the Wuxiang Sect, which lost more than 30 inner disciples last month alone!"

"According to the information we have gathered, ten years ago the Wuxiang Sect had about three hundred inner disciples, but now the Wuxiang Sect has less than two hundred inner disciples left!"

"Furthermore, we've heard that the three major sects are seeking aid from Hidden Sword Mountain!"

Li Chang said with a somewhat strange expression.

"Hidden Sword Mountain?" Yang Zhengshan looked up at him in surprise.

“That’s right, it’s Hidden Sword Mountain! It seems that the three major sects want the support of Hidden Sword Mountain!” Li Chang said.

"Isn't Hidden Sword Mountain at odds with the three major sects?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Lan Peng once said that the relationship between Cangjian Mountain and the three major sects was not good, and there had been many conflicts. However, Lan Peng did not know much about Cangjian Mountain, and the information he knew about Cangjian Mountain came from hearsay.

“We don’t know either. We heard some information about Hidden Sword Mountain from an inner sect deacon of the Wuxiang Sect. According to that inner sect deacon, Hidden Sword Mountain is the real immortal cultivation sect!” Li Chang said.

Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought.

He had heard many rumors about Hidden Sword Mountain, but he had never come into contact with it. He had never even met any of its affiliated forces, let alone its people.

(End of this chapter)