Lushan Town

Lushan Town is a small town with a population of only a few tens of thousands. The two largest power-holding families in the town are the Yan Clan and the Luo Clan.

Unlike the sprawling Yan Clan, the Luo Clan is not only small in number but has always kept a low profile. To the average resident of Lushan, the Luo Clan is not a prestigious family, but merely a middle-tier household. Only a few powerful forces, including the Yan Clan, are aware of the true strength of the Luo Clan.

On the evening of this day, the direct descendants of the Luo Clan all gathered at the Luo Clan Ancestral Hall, located in the restricted rear courtyard of the Luo Mansion.

Many of the family's major decisions are finalized here.

The current head of the Luo Clan is named Luo Dingyi, who is already over seventy years old. He has two sons, Luo Kaifeng and Luo Kaiyu.

Like his father, the eldest son Luo Kaifeng has two sons of his own, Luo Caiyang and Luo Caiguang, while the second son Luo Kaiyu has only one daughter, named Luo Caiyue.

The entire direct line of the Luo Clan consists of only these few people from top to bottom. Among them, Luo Caiguang and Luo Caiyue are only twelve and eight years old respectively; this means the true combat strength of the Luo Clan actually rests solely on Luo Dingyi and his three grandchildren.

Yet, the Luo Clan, supported by only these four people, is able to stand on equal footing with the Yan Clan, which has nearly a hundred direct family members. This speaks volumes about the individual strength of the Luo Clan.

"Grandfather, Father, Second Uncle, the Yan Clan is truly pushing us too far. It's not enough that they occupy the vast majority of the market in Lushan, but now they actually want to touch our Luo Clan's copper mine. They are simply tired of living. Why don't we just go over and kill them? Why bother with this negotiation the day after tomorrow? Given our strength, wiping out their Yan Clan would be a trivial matter."

The eldest grandson of the Luo Clan, Luo Caiyang, spoke up, his voice filled with disdain.

"Big Brother is right. What is the Yan Clan anyway? To dare to come and run wild in our Luo Clan—just because they produced one disciple for the Hundred Leaf Sect, what is so impressive about that?" Although his younger brother Caiguang is not yet twelve, he has exceptional talent in cultivation and has been arrogant since he was a child.

"That's right, Father. I also don't understand. For so many years, our Luo Clan's strength has clearly been far above that so-called Yan Clan. Why do we always tolerate them so much, as if we were truly afraid of them?" The second son, Luo Kaiyu, also did not quite understand the decision made by his father and elder brother.

"Second Brother, why are you joining the children in making a scene? Our family ancestral teachings state that one should keep a low profile in all matters. Unless absolutely necessary, we must never reveal our true strength." Within the entire ancestral hall, only the eldest son, Luo Kaifeng, supported the decision of the family head, Luo Dingyi, and immediately explained.

Unlike the high-profile Yan Clan, the only foundation the Luo Clan has in Lushan is a medium-sized copper mine in their hands. The family's financial expenditures are basically supported by it. This is the Luo Clan's lifeline, so naturally, it cannot be allowed to be seized by the Yan Clan.

"That's right, children. Our ancestral teachings are as they are. Since they are ancestral teachings, they naturally have their reasons. You must not ruin our Luo Clan's rules because of a moment of anger. The day after tomorrow, Kaifeng will take the brothers Caiyang and Caiguang to go there. Let the two brothers gain some experience. Remember, do not go too far. Just show enough strength to suppress the Yan Clan. I believe that as long as Yan Huishan is not a fool, he will surely know when to retreat."

The family head, Luo Dingyi, said indifferently, seemingly not taking this matter to heart.

"Yes, Father."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Luo Kaifeng and his two sons replied in unison.

As the head of the family, Luo Dingyi holds great prestige in the Luo Clan. Once he expressed his stance, no one else dared to object, except for one person—Luo Kaiyu's daughter, the eight-year-old Luo Caiyue.

"Grandfather is biased! Why take Big Brother and Second Brother, but not me!" Hearing that they were going to "gain experience," Luo Caiyue assumed it was something fun. Since she wasn't being taken along, she immediately became unwilling. She ran to Luo Dingyi and shook him, acting like a spoiled child.

"Alright, alright. When Yueyue is a little older, Grandfather will take you personally, okay?"

Luo Dingyi, who had just been stern, had no way to deal with his only little granddaughter. His icy expression immediately melted into a gentle one, and the doting look on his face was plain to see.

"No, no, I want to go with Big Brother and Second Brother!" Who would have thought that Old Luo's submissiveness would have no effect on her? Luo Caiyue shouted with puffed-up cheeks.

"Yueyue, we adults are discussing serious matters. Don't be naughty." Caiyue's father, Luo Kaiyu, found it hard to watch and quickly stopped her, his voice clearly carrying a hint of sternness.

Seeing her father get angry, little Caiyue felt a bit intimidated. She looked at her grandfather, then at her father, and the expressions on her face became complex. She wanted to cry but didn't quite dare, or perhaps she felt embarrassed.

Everyone couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, Second Brother, don't scare Yueyue. Since this is a family meeting, Yueyue, as a member of the family, naturally has the right to speak. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let her come here!"

"Since Yueyue wants to go, let her go along. The Yan Clan is just a bunch of clowns. Are you satisfied now, Yueyue? Hahaha, hahaha..." Luo Dingyi's laughter immediately ignited the entire ancestral hall, and the others followed suit. A very harmonious family atmosphere spread among the members of the Luo Clan...

"What a bunch of clowns!"

Just as the Luo family was laughing heartily in the ancestral hall, a cold, sharp voice suddenly came from outside, causing the laughter of the Luo family to come to an abrupt halt.

"Who is it?"

"What kind of petty thief is that?" Several people shouted one after another, and Luo Kaifeng immediately wanted to rush out of the ancestral hall.

"Stop, Feng'er. You all stay inside. I will go out and take a look. Without my order, no one is allowed to leave the room!" Luo Dingyi suddenly stopped his son, then slowly stood up. The look in his eyes as he stared outside was infinitely grave.

The person who arrived was clearly a supreme expert; otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to appear under his very nose without him sensing anything until the other party spoke.

Could it be an expert invited by the Yan Clan? No wonder the Yan Clan dared to target their copper mine this time; it turns out they had such a super expert to hold the line. The problem is, how could a small family like the Yan Clan possibly invite such an expert? Could it have been invited by Yan Huishan's grandson, Yan Wuji? It is said that Yan Wuji has had extraordinary talent since childhood, and half a year ago, he even joined the Hundred Leaf Sect, a first-tier power in the Yunli Kingdom. That's it—only the Hundred Leaf Sect could have such an expert. But what could this small Lushan Town possibly have that the Hundred Leaf Sect would care about? Could it be someone from the "North"?

That also seems impossible.

Luo Dingyi's thoughts raced, but it only took an instant. After clearing his general train of thought, he opened the door of the ancestral hall and stepped out with large strides.

Standing before Luo Dingyi were an old man and a young boy. The young one was only about ten years old, with weak breath and a pale face, clearly suffering from illness. Moreover, there was no spiritual energy fluctuation on him at all, which was not a problem. The old man was dressed in black, with a thin, frail figure and a face that looked incredibly aged. The spiritual energy fluctuations on his body were also flickering in and out, very blurry. At first glance, they looked like two ordinary people who had never cultivated spiritual energy.

But this was impossible. Ordinary people could not have appeared before him so silently, and furthermore, although the old man did not reveal much aura, Luo Dingyi felt a deep chill from his sharp eyes. He actually could not see through the other party's cultivation.

This meant that the other party's realm was very likely above his own.

"Take this!" Before Old Luo could react, the black-clad old man had already struck. A withered palm attacked like a ghost.

Luo Dingyi felt a panic in his heart. The other party had attacked without a word, looking as if they had been prepared for a long time. It seemed difficult to handle the aftermath today.

"Ugh..." Luo Dingyi suddenly let out a long roar, then threw himself forward to meet that withered yet terrifying palm.

Inside the ancestral hall, the members of the Luo family were all shaken. The family head's roar just now clearly meant that he had encountered an irresistible enemy, signaling them to escape quickly through the secret passage of the ancestral hall.

"Big Brother, let's go out and help Father," the second son, Luo Kaiyu, asked anxiously.

"That's right, Father, let's go out and fight the enemy with Grandfather," the brothers Caiyang and Caiguang also shouted in unison. With Luo Dingyi gone, Luo Kaifeng was the backbone of the Luo Clan.

"Don't be foolish. An enemy that even Father cannot handle is not one we can deal with. Going out would only be throwing our lives away. The ancestral teachings state that when the Luo Clan encounters an irresistible force, preserving the Luo bloodline is the top priority. Let's go, quickly!" As the eldest son, Luo Kaifeng knew far more than the others, and at this moment, he vaguely guessed something.

"But Father..."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Father is not here right now, and I am the head of the family. I order you all to leave immediately. I will clear the path, and Second Brother will cover the rear..." After Luo Kaifeng finished speaking, he grabbed the still-bewildered Luo Caiyue and quickly triggered a secret mechanism in the ancestral hall.

The others gritted their teeth and followed suit. In the blink of an eye, the ancestral hall, which had been filled with warmth and laughter just moments ago, became as still as stagnant water.

Thud.

Luo Dingyi was ruthlessly slammed onto the ground in front of the ancestral hall's gate by the man in black.

The strength of the man in black was terrifyingly high. He hadn't even used a single Spirit Skill; with just one palm, he had rendered Luo Dingyi completely powerless. He was at least at the level of a Spirit Emperor. Even if Luo Dingyi unleashed his secret arts, he would be no match for him, and once he used those arts, his true identity would be completely exposed. No, he could not use his secret techniques unless it was a matter of life and death. At this moment, Luo Dingyi had only one thought: to stall the man in black for as long as possible so that Kaiguang and the others would have enough time to escape. The longer he held out, the greater their chances of survival.

"I wonder how long you can keep blocking me?" The man in black did not seem to be in a hurry, strolling slowly toward Luo Dingyi.

"Hmph, you can defeat me if you want, but if you want to enter the Luo Clan's ancestral hall, you'll have to step over my corpse," Luo Dingyi said fiercely as he slowly climbed to his feet and wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.