The Luo Family's Desperate Straits

"Take me as your disciple?" Luo Hai froze, finding it both unbelievable and hard to accept.

After all, this man was a Chaos Realm powerhouse.

Fang Xing also looked at Zhen Yan in astonishment. When his gaze fell on Luo Hai, his eyes were filled with envy. This was a Chaos Realm powerhouse. Becoming the disciple of a Chaos Realm powerhouse was something he had never dared dream of in his entire life.

A Chaos Realm expert was an existence on the same level as the Twisted Sea City Lord, standing high above all others and ruling over a great city. In all of Twisted Sea City, there were probably no more than three Chaos Realm experts. Becoming one of their disciples was naturally something countless people yearned for.

"What? You're unwilling?" Seeing Luo Hai's dazed expression, Zhen Yan deliberately put on an indifferent look.

"No, no, no. This disciple is willing. This disciple greets Teacher!" Luo Hai immediately came to his senses and knelt in the air.

"Good. Then you, Luo Hai, are one of my disciples. Rise." Zhen Yan smiled.

Luo Feng had once been his disciple, and now Luo Feng's son was also his disciple. Teaching two generations of the same family seemed perfectly logical. Zhen Yan clasped his hands and stroked his chin.

Fang Xing, standing nearby, was full of envy. Brother Luo's luck was simply too good. Out of nowhere, he had gained a Chaos Realm teacher. Fang Xing immediately looked at Zhen Yan. "Senior, what do you think of me? This junior also wishes to take you as my master!"

Zhen Yan glanced at Fang Xing. This fellow had come with Luo Hai, so the two presumably had some connection. However, he would not accept disciples at random. If not for Luo Hai's name, he probably would not even have accepted Luo Hai as a disciple. As for anyone else, there was even less reason to do so.

Still, even if he did not accept him as a disciple, taking this fellow in as a subordinate might not be a bad choice.

Zhen Yan said, "I have no plans to accept any more disciples. However, for the sake of your friendship with Luo Hai, I can take you in as a follower under my command. From now on, follow Luo Hai. Following him is also equivalent to following me. Are you willing?"

"I am willing. Fang Xing is willing." Fang Xing was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

He was going to follow Luo Hai anyway. Now that Luo Hai had found such a powerful backer, he could follow along as well. His future would naturally be boundless.

Luo Hai was currently a Void God, but with a Chaos Realm teacher, he would most likely be able to advance to the Eternal God level in the future. Although an Eternal God did not hold as high a position in Twisted Sea City as a Chaos Realm ancestor, they were still figures beneath one and above countless others, respected wherever they went.

Zhen Yan nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the surrounding void. Everything here was unfamiliar to him.

He had only recovered his memories after breaking through to the Chaos Realm. Before that, he had never left Mirror Moon Continent and knew nothing about the outside world.

He wanted to return to Mirror Moon Continent, but he could not do so now. Perhaps he would have to wait until later. As for Primordial Spirit Heaven, he had done all he could. If that God King truly made a move, there was nothing he could do. By the time he rushed back, there would probably be nothing left.

He could only return after his strength had grown to the point where he no longer feared a God King.

"You said this place is Twisted Sea City. Which country does Twisted Sea City belong to, and what kind of experts are nearby?" The information Zhen Yan had obtained contained almost nothing about places beyond Mirror Moon Continent. Mirror Moon Island was separated from the outside world by an immeasurably vast sea. Without the strength of an Eternal God, one could not leave at all. Thus, only a very small number of people knew about the outside world, and their information was often severely outdated.

"Reporting to Teacher, Twisted Sea City is a saint-level city of the Winged Kingdom. There are five such saint-level cities within the Winged Kingdom, and Twisted Sea City ranks around the lower-middle. Its strongest expert is the Twisted Sea City Lord, a second-level Chaos Realm powerhouse. Aside from the City Lord, there are rumors of two other suspected Chaos Realm experts. Beyond that, there are no other Chaos Realm experts in the vast region surrounding Twisted Sea City." Luo Hai recounted everything he knew.

Zhen Yan nodded slightly. In that case, there was nothing here that could threaten him.

The only thing that worried him was whether the ruler of the Winged Kingdom had sensed him when he used his secret technique to cross space and arrive here. After all, an unfamiliar Chaos Realm expert posed a certain threat to any nation.

However, his secret technique was rather advanced. Unless someone had happened to be monitoring this place, the chance of being discovered was low.

"I understand. For now, I will reside with you in Twisted Sea City. But remember this: although I am your teacher, I do not want you spreading information about me. This concerns not only my situation, but also your safety." Zhen Yan looked at Luo Hai, then turned to Fang Xing. "The same goes for you. You must both keep this matter secret. You cannot reveal my information to the public."

"Also, I promise you that I will not harm you, nor will I do anything against the ruler of the Winged Kingdom." Zhen Yan's expression was solemn.

"Yes." Luo Hai and Fang Xing both understood the gravity of the matter and responded repeatedly.

After giving a few more simple instructions, Zhen Yan gathered the belongings left behind by the three Star Surpassing Race members and tossed them directly to Luo Hai. "Your teacher arrived in a hurry and has not yet thought of what gift to prepare for you. Take these for now."

"Thank you, Teacher." Luo Hai accepted the items. Those three Star Surpassing Race fellows had been far wealthier than he was. These were all excellent treasures. Aside from the supreme treasures, the rest combined were also an enormous fortune.

"Also, your saber is not very good. Use this one from now on." Zhen Yan gave him another saber-type supreme treasure at the peak Eternal God level. Back at Dark Saint Mountain, he had obtained quite a few Eternal God-level treasures from the Black White Twin Saints, including even Chaos Realm-level treasures.

"Thank you, Teacher." Luo Hai accepted the supreme treasure as well, gently stroking it with eyes full of light.

Zhen Yan smiled and nodded. As for Fang Xing, he could have directly given him a portion, but he wanted to see how Luo Hai would handle it. That would also reveal Luo Hai's character in this life.

"Next, return to Twisted Sea City first. I still have some matters to deal with. Once I am done, I will go to the Luo Family to find you. I have a set of saber techniques and a divine power secret art here. You need to study them after you return. When I come to find you, I hope you will have mastered them. I will personally test you then. If you have not learned them, perhaps our teacher-disciple relationship will end there." As Zhen Yan spoke, he looked at Luo Hai and took out two Memory Crystal Balls.

Luo Hai accepted the crystal balls and immediately said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher. Luo Hai will definitely not disappoint you."

These were saber techniques and secret arts bestowed by a Chaos Realm powerhouse. They were surely more advanced than what he had obtained from the Luo Family. This would be Luo Hai's opportunity to rise within the Luo Family. The Luo Family had two Eternal Gods, and below them were Void Gods like himself. Yet among the Void Gods, Luo Hai was not among the best. On the contrary, he was rather old, and his talent could only be considered ordinary, so he had never received particularly good resources from the family.

Now, with these saber techniques and divine power secret arts, his strength could surely improve further.

What Luo Hai had not noticed, however, was that his willingness to face death this time had caused a subtle change in his mentality. This would affect his future talent and comprehension.

Zhen Yan nodded. With that, he had completed the matter of accepting Luo Hai as his disciple. His divine power and will had both been greatly depleted. To guard against unexpected changes, the most important thing was to recover his strength first. Only then would he have the confidence to face sudden developments.

"I'll leave first. Remember my words." As Zhen Yan's voice fell, he vanished from where he stood with a teleportation.

Watching Zhen Yan leave, Fang Xing felt slightly disappointed. He had thought he might receive some treasures, but Zhen Yan had not left him anything. When he looked at Luo Hai, his eyes were filled with intense envy.

"Don't rush. Part of what I have belongs to you." Luo Hai glanced at Fang Xing and could not help but laugh.

Within an independent space on Nine Realms Mountain, Dao Peak Continent.

Luo Feng gazed into the distance in that direction and nodded slightly. In truth, when Zhen Yan had used his escape secret technique to traverse time and space from Mirror Moon Island, Luo Feng had not expected him to arrive so coincidentally near Luo Hai. If Zhen Yan had not appeared, he would probably have arranged for someone to act in secret.

This time, he had seen the initial results of Luo Hai's growth.

At the very least, Luo Hai's mentality had improved somewhat compared to before. The only issue was that Luo Feng had overshadowed his talent too much, so even when he had been prepared to give up his life, he still had not managed to seek a breakthrough in desperate circumstances on his own.

"Now that Teacher Zhen Yan has taken you as his disciple, I can be somewhat at ease. I just wonder whether you can rely on your own abilities to break through to the Saint Realm next." Luo Feng thought to himself.

Chaos City Lord and Zhen Yan had both recovered their memories. Chaos City Lord was even stronger than Zhen Yan, aside from willpower. Luo Feng was very reassured about the reincarnations of these two teachers. Now that Zhen Yan was watching over Luo Hai, his future growth should improve as well.

As for the three Lords, aside from their own cultivation, they were now mainly focused on nurturing experts from the Source World. Luo Feng devoted more of his energy to Dao Peak Continent.

Unfortunately, a long time had passed since he returned from the Eternal Land, yet the Source World had still not produced a Primordial Chaos Lord.

"The bloodline power of the Netherblood Core is simply too complex. We can only take it slowly."

Luo Feng sighed inwardly. During this period, cultivation and bloodline research had proceeded almost in parallel. Yet the matters involved in bloodline power were far too intricate and complicated, utterly incomparable to the era of the Original Universe.

Elsewhere.

Twisted Sea City, Luo Family.

The moment Luo Hai stepped through the Luo Family's gates, he sensed several hostile gazes directed at him. It immediately reminded him of what had happened in the Hunting Ground today.

"Luo Zhenxiao." Luo Hai looked at the leading man. He was one of the Luo Family's powerful Void Gods, and he was very young—far younger than Luo Hai. He was one of the more talented geniuses in the Luo Family.

They had clashed in the past over minor benefits. After Luo Hai had gained the upper hand several times, Luo Zhenxiao had held a grudge ever since and had even secretly acted against him.

What had happened in the Hunting Ground today might even have been this fellow's doing in collusion with the people there, because they had made a wager before entering the Hunting Ground.

"What? I thought you couldn't afford to lose. I thought you wouldn't dare come back after losing in the Hunting Ground. I didn't expect you to actually have the nerve to return." Luo Zhenxiao looked at Luo Hai and smiled faintly.

The few people behind him looked at Luo Hai with arrogant expressions, not taking this "old fellow" seriously at all.

"I accept my loss. A loss is a loss. The item is yours." Luo Hai did not care much. He directly tossed out a jade-disc-shaped supreme treasure from his hand.

Luo Hai could not be bothered to deal with him any further and headed straight toward his residence.

Luo Zhenxiao caught the jade disc and watched Luo Hai's departing figure, narrowing his eyes slightly. Luo Hai seemed completely unconcerned about losing a domain-type supreme treasure, which made Luo Zhenxiao feel somewhat displeased.

"I didn't expect your life to be so tough. I thought you would be finished after escaping the Hunting Ground beasts and those Star Surpassing Race fellows... But a domain supreme treasure is only the beginning of your repayment to me. For the humiliation you brought me in the past, I will make you repay it with your life. I have now entered the Void God Realm as well. We are on the same level, but I am more talented than you, and my current strength is no weaker than yours. In the future, I will have plenty of time to play with you slowly."

Luo Zhenxiao gently stroked the jade disc as he watched Luo Hai leave, a trace of killing intent in his eyes.

Within the Luo Family, anyone who became a Void God could be considered an important family member. After all, the entire Luo Family had only two Eternal Gods and around twenty Void Gods, many of whom had accumulated over a long period of time. Luo Hai was considered somewhat gifted among the older generation, and he held a certain amount of influence in the family.

As for Luo Zhenxiao's branch, his father had lived under Luo Hai's suppression. Only after Luo Zhenxiao appeared had their situation eased.

Therefore, although they were of the same clan, the hatred Luo Zhenxiao held toward Luo Hai had reached an extreme.

In family disputes, what was fought over was resources. To gain more, one could only suppress one's competitors...

Upon returning to his courtyard, Luo Hai announced that he would enter long-term secluded cultivation.

In the dark and lonely space, Luo Hai entered alone and sat down cross-legged. He lightly sensed the time acceleration within, then said softly, "Adjust the time acceleration to its maximum." At the same time, with a wave of his hand, he sent all the energy crystals into the surrounding void.

Luo Hai quickly entered a cultivation state. From the saber techniques to the divine power secret arts, everything required his careful contemplation and study. This time, he would remain in seclusion until he had mastered both the secret art and the saber techniques.

Time passed swiftly.

Luo Hai devoted nearly all his heart and mind to cultivation, forgetting the passage of time.

The dark cultivation chamber remained peaceful, but outside, things were far from peaceful.

Not long after Luo Hai entered seclusion, the Star Surpassing Race and the human Luo Family began clashing on multiple fronts. Over the deaths of Lu Hezhen and the other two, the Star Surpassing Race directly placed the blame on the Luo Family.

The Star Surpassing Race and the Luo Family had always been mortal enemies, and the Star Surpassing Race was now stronger than the Luo Family. Naturally, they would make use of such an excellent excuse.

The two forces now competed on multiple fronts, and the Luo Family suffered a crushing defeat. Even seven Void Gods had died, not to mention those at the True God level and below. The Luo Family had only around twenty Void Gods to begin with. Losing seven Void God generals was an enormous blow.

This nearly one-sided victory pushed the war between the two forces into its final stage.

Above the Luo Family in Twisted Sea City, three Eternal God experts of the Star Surpassing Race stood in the void. Their voices thundered over the Luo Family. "Luo Fatian, get out here! After today, there will no longer be a Luo Family in Twisted Sea City!"

Their voices resounded, audible throughout the Luo Family's territory.

Behind the three Star Surpassing Race ancestors, there appeared to be more than a dozen Void Gods.

The Luo Family had now almost reached the point where the ancestors themselves had to fight. Once the ancestors lost, it would mean the Luo Family would lose its right to exist in Twisted Sea City.

Inside the Luo Family's main hall, many figures had gathered, mostly the Luo Family's Void Gods and two Eternal Gods.

"Everyone, the Luo Family has reached its most critical moment. If Starsea Ancestor and I die in battle, there will no longer be a Luo Family in Twisted Sea City. Within Twisted Sea City, fighting is prohibited only in public areas. There is no such restriction within Luo Family territory. Furthermore, the Twisted Sea City Lord has a better relationship with the old patriarch of the Star Surpassing Race. He has already tacitly approved all this."

"So we cannot avoid this. This time, we must settle matters completely with the Star Surpassing Race. Is anyone afraid of death?" Luo Fatian, the Luo Family's foremost ancestor in Twisted Sea City, spoke within the hall, his voice carrying a trace of madness.

"Ancestor, we are not afraid of death. This time, we will fight those Star Surpassing Race bastards to the end!" Voices immediately rose from below.

"That's right, fight to the end! Our Luo Family may be weaker, but we are not afraid of them."

"Even if I die, I can take one or two of them down with me. What is there to fear?"

Many of the Luo Family Void Gods spoke up at once. Each had a ferocious expression, their eyes filled with madness.

"Ancestor, at a time like this, Luo Hai claims to be in seclusion, yet he still has not emerged. He has even cut off all information. I suspect he may have long since betrayed our Luo Family!" Luo Zhenxiao swept his gaze around. Luo Hai, also a Void God, was not present, which made him resentful. He spoke indignantly.

Over this long period, the conflict between the Luo Family and the Star Surpassing Race had grown increasingly intense, yet Luo Hai had never appeared. He was said to be in seclusion, but should he not emerge at such a time, when the family's survival was at stake? Naturally, this made Luo Zhenxiao suspicious.

Thank you all for your rewards. It seems there are readers from QQ Reading as well. Thank you, fellow Daoists.

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