Ch. 381It Was All Shen Chong's Idea to Gang Up on You
Key plot points and events
- Lu Yuan realizes Azure Jade Palace deliberately massacred Qing Province’s inhabitants to force him to reveal himself. He blames Elder Shen Chong for devising the plan and decides the palace deserves no mercy.
- Revealing the extraordinary strength of his body—now comparable to the peak of the Heavenly Realm—Lu Yuan moves so quickly that Shen Chong cannot finish her warning.
- He kills an elder with a single kick, crushing her Dao Abyss Dharma Aspect and body. He then overwhelms a white-robed demon cultivator, who tries to plead that he was only passing through and insists the attack was Shen Chong’s idea.
- Lu Yuan ignores the pleas and beats the man to death, devastating the palace grounds in the process. Two powerful Demon Saints are clearly killed; Shen Chong also believes the attack has brought the total to three, including her senior martial brother.
- The palace’s disciples panic, and palace master Ao Qing halts her advance. Shen Chong orders the palace to form its protective formation and attack Lu Yuan, while privately recognizing that his combat power exceeds her own.
Character developments and interactions
- Lu Yuan shifts from guarded suspicion to open, uncompromising fury. His enhanced physical power and relentless violence make him appear almost demonic, and he refuses to entertain his victims’ excuses.
- Shen Chong goes from confidence in her plan and her own strength to alarm. She recognizes that she badly underestimated Lu Yuan and seeks to rally the palace through its grand formation.
- Ao Qing and the disciples are overwhelmed by the sudden slaughter; Ao Qing’s anger turns to terror, while the disciples collapse in panic.
- The white-robed cultivator desperately tries to save himself by blaming Shen Chong, but Lu Yuan’s silence and continued assault leave no room for negotiation.
Significant themes
- Underestimating an opponent: Shen Chong’s mistaken assessment of Lu Yuan’s cultivation leads to catastrophic consequences.
- Violence and accountability: Lu Yuan treats the massacre of Qing Province as a crime demanding immediate retribution.
- Fear and the collapse of authority: The palace’s confidence and hierarchy crumble when its strongest fighters are defeated so quickly.