Huang Gongdu

"Uncle, even if we killed those few people, the Huang Clan of Hundred Leaf likely won't let this rest. One of their Treasure Refiners died in Lushan, and sooner or later, they will hold us accountable. And what about the families of those dead soldiers? If we are going to kill, we must kill them all."

Facing the carnage, Sanbao did not feel much fear; such were the rules of survival in this world.

"That is the only way. Kaifeng, handle this matter yourself. Ensure there are no mistakes." Luo Dingyi replied helplessly.

"Hmph, so what if it's the Hundred Leaf Sect? If they really push us too far, we'll just fight them to the death. Didn't Father say he was going into seclusion to break through? Once he reaches the Spirit Emperor realm, what is there to fear?" Luo Kaifeng, on the contrary, felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"Exactly. When soldiers come, we block; when water comes, we earth-cover. We aren't afraid." Sanbao was young and vigorous, his spirit soaring.

"Sigh, but is that so easy?" Old Luo knew the bitterness of his own situation. Every breakthrough in a Spirit Cultivator's rank was a difficult task, and it only grew harder as one progressed. Without a special opportunity, even ten peak Spirit Emperors would struggle to produce a single Spirit Emperor.

The next morning, news unfavorable to the Luo Mansion spread through Lushan Town: Widow Tian and her daughter had been brutally murdered. The finger of suspicion pointed directly at the Luo Clan, especially since Widow Tian had gone to the Luo Mansion to cause trouble just the night before.

Undoubtedly, they had been killed by the associates of that Treasure Refiner and the Yan Clan. It was unclear why the Yan Clan dared to frame them in such a way.

It seemed the Yan Clan was truly ready to tear off the mask, but it was unknown where their confidence came from. Did they not know that if the Luo Clan truly acted ruthlessly, they could even wipe out their entire family?

While the Luo family members were puzzled, inside the VIP hall of the Yan Mansion, the Yan Clan was hosting several mysterious guests.

Looking at Yan Huishan's beaming face, it was clear there was a joyous occasion. Only the core members of the Yan Clan knew that this family head had actually broken through to the Spirit King realm two months ago, which left them overjoyed.

The humiliation suffered at the hands of the Luo Clan a year ago had been a massive stimulus to Yan Huishan. After hardening his heart and entering seclusion, he had actually broken through to the Spirit King realm. This meant the Yan Clan now had a Spirit King expert, and when facing the Luo Clan again, they would not be without the power to resist. Furthermore, the Yan Clan was populous; if a real fight broke out, they would not be much weaker than the Luo Clan. Besides, Yan Wuji had incited the Huang Clan of Hundred Leaf to participate in the strike against the Luo Clan, and these very people were the guests in the hall.

"Tell me, Family Head Yan, has there been any news about my son? Why haven't I seen him yet?" a dark-faced man in the hall asked coldly.

This person was the father of the purple-robed youth killed by Luo Kaifeng yesterday, an elder of the Huang Clan of Hundred Leaf named Huang Gongdu, who was a Spirit King realm expert.

"Elder Huang, do not be anxious. The young master must have felt bored; perhaps he went somewhere to amuse himself last night and hasn't woken up yet?" Yan Huishan said with a smile.

"I hope so. But is the information you provided true or false? If it is false, I don't think your Yan Clan needs to bother staying in the Yunli Kingdom anymore~" Huang Gongdu asked sternly.

"Elder Huang, the source of the information is absolutely..." Yan Huishan had just started to explain when a frantic report arrived.

"Report! It's bad, my lords! Someone saw Young Master Huang dead at the Lichun Brothel."

Crack! The fine stone table beside Huang Gongdu was smashed into a pile of rubble.

"What? Who killed my son? I will exterminate their entire clan..."

When the group arrived at the number one brothel in Lushan Town, the Lichun Brothel, the entire place was already in chaos, with only a group of Yan Clan guards standing watch, allowing no one to enter or leave.

Inside the room of the top courtesan, Lanxiang, the young master of the Huang family lay dead, stark naked. Beneath him, Lanxiang, also stripped of all clothing, had long since breathed her last.

When Huang Gongdu pushed open the door, he saw that the young master's entire back had been viciously stabbed dozens of times, each wound fatal.

"Slut!"

Huang Gongdu was overcome with rage. He lifted his son's body and, in his fury, struck Lanxiang with a palm, turning her into a mass of flesh, before hugging his son and weeping bitterly.

"What exactly happened?" Yan Huishan asked the kneeling madam outside the door with a dark expression; with the Huang family young master dead in Lushan, the Yan Clan could not escape responsibility.

"My lords, I don't know! Last night, Lanxiang was booked by a mysterious guest. We didn't see any movement this morning, so we came in to check..."

"Enough, get out of my sight..." Yan Huishan, frantic and angry, waved the madam away before stepping forward to console Huang Gongdu.

"Elder Huang, please accept my condolences. This, this..."

"Accept my ass! Find the murderer immediately; I want to tear them into ten thousand pieces."

"Elder Huang, your son was a dignified Spirit Commander expert. In our Lushan, besides the Luo Clan, I'm afraid..." Yan Huishan whispered a reminder, secretly feeling smug. Luo Clan, let's see how you explain this.

"Fine! Take men to the Luo Mansion. We go now!" Huang Gongdu shouted at the top of his lungs.

Half an hour later, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Luo Mansion, led by Huang Gongdu and Yan Huishan.

Soon, Luo Kaifeng led Sanbao and the others out of the Luo Mansion.

"Yan Huishan, what kind of show are you putting on today? Have you forgotten what happened a year ago? Is your skin itching for another beating?" Caiguang, young and hot-headed, shouted with a laugh.

"You, you all!"

At the mention of the shameful events from a year ago, veins bulged on Yan Huishan's forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "This is Elder Huang of the Hundred Leaf Sect. Elder Huang's son was assassinated last night. Don't think you can deny it; in Lushan, besides you, no one has the strength..."

"What a joke. Why don't you say your Yan Clan did it? I think you have the strength as well." Luo Kaifeng replied calmly, seemingly aware that the real antagonist today was likely not Yan Huishan.

Sure enough, Huang Gongdu stepped forward slowly and asked loudly, "My son was a Spirit Commander expert; how could an ordinary person kill him? If your Luo Clan has the guts, just admit it."

"We didn't. Before this, I didn't even know you, and we have no grudges. Why would we do such a thing? Elder Huang, you must think carefully; do not fall for someone else's scheme to sow discord." Luo Kaifeng explained unhurriedly, seemingly not wanting to offend Huang Gongdu.

Huang Gongdu was naturally no fool. Although he knew Yan Huishan intended to sow discord, the grief of losing his beloved son was overwhelming. Even if he couldn't find evidence against the Luo Clan, he wouldn't give up this opportunity. After all, if that information were true, he would have to strike at the Luo Clan sooner or later.

"Since that is the case, then I must trouble you all to accompany me to Lishan. If you did not kill my son, I will naturally offer an apology and send you all back. How about that?"

"Do you take us for three-year-olds? We didn't kill anyone, so why should we go to Lishan?" Sanbao shouted back.

Given Sanbao's age, this logic was hard to refute; even a child knew the other party's request was a far-fetched excuse.

"Exactly. A man who dies on a woman's belly—what is there to be angry about?" Caiguang didn't forget to add a sarcastic remark.

"You, you all..."

Huang Gongdu suffered in silence, inwardly cursing his son for being so useless.

"Whether you go or not is not up to you. Today, you are going, whether you want to or not!" Seeing that reasoning was futile, Huang Gongdu had no choice but to use force.

"Is that so? Then we shall see if you have the strength to back that up," a tall, burly figure suddenly stepped out from the Luo Clan.

"That is the head of the Luo Clan, Luo Dingyi. His strength is formidable," Yan Huishan hurriedly warned Huang Gongdu.

"Really? In that case, I shall request a pointer or two from Clan Head Luo," Huang Gongdu, confident in his own power, did not take the head of such a small clan to heart.

"Do not move yet. Wait until I have captured this man," Huang Gongdu commanded his subordinates before drifting forward, a slender, azure-colored precious sword in his hand.

"First, I must state that your son's death has absolutely nothing to do with our Luo Clan. If Elder Huang insists on listening to slander, I have no choice but to see this through to the end!" Old Luo wore a solemn expression, his posture humble and restrained.

To outsiders, the Luo Clan was acting entirely in self-defense, and even Huang Gongdu felt a flicker of hesitation: perhaps it truly wasn't the Luo Clan's doing, as they stood to gain nothing from offending the powerful Hundred Leaf Sect.

Even if Huang Gongdu were a hundred times smarter, he could never have guessed the details of last night, but since he had already arrived, he was not about to let the matter rest.

Sooner or later, he would have to take a blade to the Luo Clan; today would serve as a test of their mettle.

"Watch the sword, Azure Cloud Sword Technique!"

Huang Gongdu appeared relaxed, but deep down, he was quite tense. He had already learned from the Yan Clan the approximate strength of Luo Dingyi and his two sons, knowing they were at least Spirit King experts.

As Huang Gongdu unleashed his sword technique, layers of sword light rained down upon Luo Dingyi, covering the sky; it was clearly a Spirit Weapon, for otherwise, it would be impossible to manifest so many sword beams.

However, Old Luo did not engage him directly, relying instead on his footwork to constantly weave and evade. Only when he could not dodge did he casually flick out two streaks of golden light, neutralizing the offensive entirely.