Chrysanthemum Douluo's Attitude

After Xiao Chen defeated Lu Xiao, he chatted with Yan and Xie Yue for a few moments under the guise of "Mystic Spear."

Shortly after, the Lu Family members tasked with monitoring "Mystic Spear" watched as Yan and Xie Yue invited him into their lounge.

An hour later, Xiao Chen left the Great Soul Arena with Xie Yue and the others, now appearing as "Absolute String."

The four of them shared a meal in the city before boarding a carriage and departing Xilu City.

A group of experts from the Lu Family immediately followed; they did not intercept the group, choosing instead to trail behind and keep Xiao Chen and his companions within their line of sight.

Inside the Great Soul Arena, Chrysanthemum Douluo had not yet departed.

He sat comfortably in a VIP lounge with Ji Chuan, leisurely sipping tea and chatting.

Before long, the sound of Lu Zheng knocking on the door echoed from outside.

Chrysanthemum Douluo did not deliberately make things difficult and allowed him to enter the lounge directly.

As soon as Lu Zheng stepped inside, he scanned his surroundings; the lounge was not large, and its layout was clear at a glance, leaving no corner hidden from view.

Finding no third person present besides Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ji Chuan, he became even more convinced that "Mystic Spear" must have disguised himself as "Absolute String" to slip out.

As for where "Absolute String" was, he did not care;

His current priority was to confirm one thing—did "Mystic Spear" have any connection to the senior before him?

"Senior, this humble one dares to ask: what is your relationship with that 'Mystic Spear'..." Lu Zheng went straight to the point, his attitude extremely respectful.

"He has nothing to do with me; he simply happens to be quite compatible with those juniors of mine!" Chrysanthemum Douluo replied.

Lu Zheng felt a surge of joy; as long as he could confirm that "Mystic Spear" had no ties to this senior, he could rest easy.

"Senior must already be aware that 'Mystic Spear' publicly executed the next patriarch of our Lu Family. Our family cannot let this matter rest," Lu Zheng said in a deep voice.

He paused for a moment, his tone turning slightly more deferential: "However, if you intend to protect that 'Mystic Spear,' our Lu Family is willing to give you face and let the matter drop here, pursuing it no further."

Chrysanthemum Douluo took a light sip of his tea and spoke indifferently: "Patriarch Lu, there is no need to probe so deliberately. I only protect my own juniors; I have no interest in interfering in the affairs of others."

Lu Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He had originally expected to pay some price to keep this senior on the sidelines, never imagining he would achieve his goal so easily.

"Senior, may I ask what the intentions of your four juniors are?" Lu Zheng continued.

"Young people are hot-blooded and have always loved meddling in affairs that do not concern them. There are some lessons that can only be learned after suffering setbacks and paying a price," Chrysanthemum Douluo said.

The meaning behind these words was crystal clear.

In Lu Zheng's eyes, it was obvious that this senior wanted to use this incident to teach his juniors a lesson.

He immediately stated his position: "Senior, rest assured! We will only target 'Mystic Spear' and will absolutely not harm your four juniors!"

"Patriarch Lu, that is where you are mistaken. You have seen the strength of those four; snatching someone from their hands will not be an easy task!" Chrysanthemum Douluo said with a faint smile.

"Then what is your meaning, Senior?" Lu Zheng immediately asked for guidance.

Chrysanthemum Douluo set down his teacup and smiled: "I know the temperaments of those four better than anyone. Since they have decided to protect someone, they will certainly give it their all."

"Therefore, Patriarch, do not hold back. They all carry life-saving items and will not be in any danger of losing their lives. On the contrary, if the Lu Family members act timidly or hold back, they will be the ones more likely to suffer casualties."

Chrysanthemum Douluo intended to use the Lu Family to test the combat capabilities of Xiao Chen and his group, so he naturally needed the Lu Family to go all out without reservation.

Lu Zheng had originally harbored concerns, fearing that harming the four might make it difficult to answer to this senior.

Now that he had heard this, his worries vanished into thin air.

He realized that this senior wanted to use the Lu Family to sharpen his juniors, and he did not care about the consequences.

The people he had dispatched were all Soul Kings and high-level Soul Ancestors above level 45.

Even though Xiao Chen and his group had displayed astonishing strength in the arena, he did not believe for a second that the four of them could withstand a joint siege from seven or eight Soul Kings and over a dozen high-level Soul Ancestors.

Furthermore, he could tell from Chrysanthemum Douluo's attitude that the other party had no intention of restricting him—a Soul Emperor—from making a move, so he naturally had no further reservations.

Consequently, he immediately transmitted the message.

As for himself, he was in no hurry to leave.

In his view, the operation was now foolproof, and feeling secure, he took the opportunity to try and build a connection with Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Outside Xilu City, the Lu Family members received Lu Zheng's message and immediately accelerated to intercept the carriage.

Yan, who was driving, knew the fish had taken the bait and deliberately spoke up: "How unlucky! We run into road-blockers the moment we leave the city."

The leading level 58 Soul King of the Lu Family immediately explained: "You have misunderstood. We are from the Lu Family. You surely know why we have come, so we hope you will not stand in our way!"

"What Lu Family? I don't know them! Why are you blocking our path?" Yan said with a tough attitude.

Seeing this, the Lu Family members had no choice but to be blunt: "As long as you hand over 'Mystic Spear,' we will let you pass immediately!"

"What Mystic Spear, Gold Spear? If you want weapons, go to a smithy! We don't have any here!" Yan curled his lip.

The leader of the Lu Family waved his hand, and four Soul Kings closed in on the carriage, forming a perimeter.

However, before the four could get close, they felt a wave of mental interference.

The next moment, cold light erupted. Several sharp flying blades and arrows, accompanied by the sound of tearing air, shot out from within the carriage, aiming directly for the vital points of the four Soul Kings.

The four Soul Kings reacted quickly, either darting away to dodge or raising their hands to condense Spirit Power for defense, successfully evading the attacks from Xiao Chen and Xie Yue.

"I warn you, move aside immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!" Yan spoke up at the right moment.

The four Soul Kings of the Lu Family immediately turned to look at their leading elder, whose eyes sank as he commanded, "Make your move, but don't hurt them!"

Although the message Lu Zheng sent back stated there was no need to hold back, deep down, he was ultimately unwilling to easily offend the forces lurking behind Xiao Chen and his three companions.

He knew full well that Xiao Chen's group possessed formidable strength, but they were, after all, only Soul Ancestors in their early forties; if not for the need to guard against the Cang Family, the Lu Family certainly would not have mobilized so many elites.

This fifty-eight-level Soul King shared the same mindset as Lu Zheng: they both understood clearly that as long as the forces behind Xiao Chen's group chose to remain silent on this matter, Xiao Chen and his companions could not be considered a true obstacle.

However, they soon paid the price for their contempt.

The four Soul Kings who moved to attack were all in their early fifties; under normal circumstances, such a lineup would be more than enough to deal with four Soul Ancestors in their early forties.

Yet, how could they have imagined that Xiao Chen and Hu Liena would unleash a Martial Soul Fusion Skill right from the start?

To deal with Soul Kings, Xiao Chen and Hu Liena only needed to perform a dual Martial Soul Fusion; the mental domain formed by the String Fox Phantom Bow was vast, capable of shrouding a radius of one hundred meters.

The closer one drew to Xiao Chen and Hu Liena, the more intense the surrounding mental charm became.

The four Soul Kings charging forward bore the brunt of it; they felt a sudden wave of dizziness and lethargy wash over their minds, and the surrounding sound of the wind and fluctuations of Spirit Power all became blurred and illusory.

A soft yet overbearing mental force invaded their consciousness directly; their souls felt as if they were being entangled and pulled by invisible threads, their gazes suddenly grew unfocused, their footsteps faltered involuntarily, and the Spirit Power circulating through their bodies stagnated, causing them to fall directly into a hazy, illusory realm.