Chu Fan

"Old Xue Wuliang pays his respects to the two Mountain Lords of the Dao Tian Sect. For the two Mountain Lords to attend this old man's banquet truly gilds my face."

At this moment, the Xue Family Old Ancestor ignored the crowd kneeling below and instead smiled respectfully at Li Zhōujūn and Murong Xue.

"Old Ancestor Xue, there is no need for such courtesy," Li Zhōujūn said with a chuckle.

"You are too courteous, Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord. Please, both Mountain Lords, come inside the mansion for a chat," Xue Wuliang said with a smile.

"We shall trouble Old Ancestor Xue, then," Li Zhōujūn said.

As they spoke, Li Zhōujūn brought Sū Nán with him as he and Murong Xue flew down from the Nine Dragon Chariot.

Xue Wuliang instructed the Xue Family members, "See to the Dao Tian Sect's Nine Dragon Immortals properly. If there is any neglect, the family laws will deal with you."

"We understand!"

The Xue Family members hurriedly replied.

Then Li Zhōujūn's group followed Xue Wuliang into the Xue Family Mansion.

"Only people from the Dao Tian Sect could make the Xue Family Old Ancestor personally come out to welcome them."

Seeing Li Zhōujūn and the others enter the Xue Family Mansion under the Xue Family Old Ancestor's lead, the cultivators still waiting in line could not help sighing in admiration.

Meanwhile.

Xue Wuliang was leading Li Zhōujūn, Sū Nán, and Murong Xue through the Xue Family's residence, where pavilions and courtyards rose everywhere, like a small city.

Li Zhōujūn said to the system, "System, sign in."

[ Ding: Congratulations, Host, for successfully signing in and completing the mission! ]

[ Ding: The system has issued the reward, "One Punch Annihilates Integration Stage!" ]

[ One Punch Annihilates Integration Stage ]: The Host's physical body may condense an ultimate punch, capable of killing any cultivator below the Tribulation Crossing Stage. Note: This punch may only be used once!

"This is fierce..."

Seeing the reward issued by the system this time, Li Zhōujūn sucked in a breath of cold air.

On the Qingzhou Continent, the Integration Stage was absolutely top-tier combat power!

While Li Zhōujūn was immersed in the system, little Sū Nán was looking all around the Xue Family.

Although Sū Nán had been born into a wealthy family, it had only been a wealthy family among mortals. Seeing a cultivation family that used an entire small city as its residence for the first time still left her inwardly shocked.

Seeing this, Xue Wuliang smiled. "This disciple of the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord is quite spirited."

"Xue Family Old Ancestor, you jest," Li Zhōujūn said with a slight smile.

"This is no jest. Your esteemed disciple possesses a Saint-grade Ice Spirit Root. To be able to take such a disciple as your apprentice, the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord must not be ordinary either," Xue Wuliang said with a smile.

"If you put it that way, then I suppose I was overly modest," Li Zhōujūn said with a laugh.

As everyone chatted, they had already arrived at an enormous plaza.

At this moment, the plaza was filled with banquet tables.

"We pay our respects to Old Ancestor Xue."

Upon seeing Xue Wuliang, everyone in the plaza rose and bowed.

"Guests are guests. There is no need for such formality," Xue Wuliang said with a smile. He then introduced Li Zhōujūn and the others to the crowd in the plaza. "These two are the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord and the Lingxue Mountain Lord of the Dao Tian Sect."

"We pay our respects to the Lingxue Mountain Lord and the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators all addressed Li Zhōujūn and Murong Xue respectfully.

However, after learning that the young man was the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord, a trace of mockery inevitably appeared in their eyes.

Unlike an old fossil like Xue Wuliang, who had been in seclusion for centuries, they had heard that the Dao Tian Sect's Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord was a thoroughgoing Cultivation Waste.

Still, since he more or less represented the Dao Tian Sect, the cultivators gave Li Zhōujūn some face and addressed him as the Cloud Dwelling Mountain Lord.

But just then, a sudden change occurred.

A deafening boom suddenly erupted from the Xue Family gates, and the Xue Family Mountain Protection Array shook violently. Myriad golden runes lit up in the void, flickering brightly and dimly as though they might shatter at any moment.

"Someone actually dares to storm the Xue Family grounds knowing full well that the Xue Family Old Ancestor has broken through to the Integration Stage?!"

"Are they courting death?!"

Just as the cultivators were struck pale with alarm, the myriad runes overhead shattered with a thunderous crash.

Immediately afterward, everyone saw a streak of black mist slash across the sky like a meteor. It finally stopped above the plaza where the Xue Family was holding its banquet, transforming into a person clad in a black robe and wearing a white mask.

Through the eyeholes of the person's white mask, one could see a pair of crimson pupils, brimming with ferocious Baleful Intent.

"White Masked Crimson Eyes—could this person be the Crimson Eyed Demon Lord who stirred the Qingzhou Continent into wind and clouds thousands of years ago?"

"The Crimson Eyed Demon Lord? Wasn't he slain back then by a Void Immortal Expert of the Dao Tian Sect?! Yet judging by his cultivation now, he seems to have reached the Integration Stage!"

After someone recognized the newcomer, the cultivators spoke in great shock.

"Who goes there, daring to trespass upon my Xue Family grounds!"

Xue Wuliang saw the newcomer and could not help but snort coldly.

"What, Old Dog, you don't recognize me anymore?" The Crimson Eyed Demon Lord chuckled coldly, then removed the mask from his face.

A young, ordinary-looking face was revealed before everyone.

"It's you!"

When Xue Wuliang saw the newcomer, his expression changed in surprise. He then sneered. "Hmph, I never expected you to still be alive."

"Heh, Old Dog, if you aren't dead, how could I bear to die?" The Crimson Eyed Demon Lord sneered. "You've broken through to the Integration Stage, and I had no gift to offer you. So I'll give you the heads of these two little dogs instead."

As the Crimson Eyed Demon Lord's words fell—

Two bloody heads rolled out from beneath his black robes. After hitting the ground, they rolled all the way to Xue Wuliang's feet.

"Those are the heads of Xue Zhan, the Xue Family Patriarch at the Virtual Immortal Realm, and his son, Xue Wenyan!"

"A Virtual Immortal Realm expert died just like that..."

Some cultivators in the square recognized the owners of the two heads. They were none other than Xue Zhan and Xue Wenyan, who had greeted them at the Xue Family gates!

The bloody scene made Li Zhōujūn look worriedly at Sū Nán, only to find that although the girl had gone a little pale, she showed no excessive reaction.

Li Zhōujūn was surprised, but he understood at once.

In these times, it was common enough in the mortal world for people to freeze to death in the streets or be killed in street vendettas. It was nothing unusual, so the little girl's reaction was understandable.

"Outrageous!"

At this moment, when Xue Wuliang saw the two severed heads at his feet, his face darkened completely. A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from him, its might enough to drain heaven and earth of color, instantly frightening the cultivators in the square pale.

"Oh? You're angry?" Seeing Xue Wuliang bristle with fury, the Crimson Eyed Demon Lord laughed maniacally. "When you forced your own daughter to her death back then, why didn't I see you this angry?"

"Seeing what you've become—a member of the Demonic Path—I was right not to give my daughter to you back then." Xue Wuliang snorted upon hearing the Crimson Eyed Demon Lord's words.

"Heh." The Crimson Eyed Demon Lord sneered.

His name was Chu Fan. Back then, he had merely been a mortal, a penniless, foolish young man. Yet by a twist of fate, he had fallen in love with Xue Wuliang's daughter, Xue Ying.

Back when he was still the Xue Family Patriarch, Xue Wuliang had arranged a childhood betrothal with another family before his daughter was even born.

Thus, when Xue Wuliang learned that his daughter had fallen in love with a mortal, he flew into a thunderous rage and married her off to that family that very night.

His daughter was strong-willed as well, and the next day, she took her own life in the bridal chamber.

When Chu Fan learned the news, all hope drained from his heart.

He had wanted to die, but a demonic cultivator took a liking to him and accepted him as a disciple.

From that moment on, he swore that one day, he would slaughter that old dog Xue Wuliang and avenge his Ying'er.

But Xue Wuliang had already possessed the strength of the Virtual Immortal Realm at the time.

If Chu Fan wanted to increase his cultivation and take revenge, he had to keep killing people and refining pills.

When his cultivation reached the Nascent Soul Realm, he was slaughtering an entire city when a passing Void Immortal Expert of the Dao Tian Sect killed him with a single palm strike.

Fortunately, he knew that what he had done would sooner or later draw the pursuit of righteous cultivators, so he had long hidden a wisp of his Nascent Soul within a stone.

So long as he died, that wisp of Nascent Soul could become his second life.

After gaining life for the second time, Chu Fan no longer acted flamboyantly. Instead, he lay low for several thousand years. Only after breaking through to the Integration Stage a hundred years ago and making all the necessary preparations did he come knocking today, ready to seek revenge on Xue Wuliang.