Brothers at War

Lu Yangong stretched out his body and shot into outer space in an instant. He was still only a few dozen li above the ground, however, and monitoring that distance was naturally child's play for the Spirit-Devouring Beast's powerful divine sense, which covered a radius of a thousand li.

Through the Eye of Divine Sense, Liu Xing saw a streak of black light sweep through space and stop before Lu Yangong in the blink of an eye. As its radiance gradually faded, a tall, imposing man appeared before Liu Xing's eyes.

Judging by his appearance, the man was about fifty, with a burly frame, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. Though his full beard was already flecked with gray, nothing could conceal his fierce, domineering air.

A pitch-black greatsword hung on the man's back. Hilt and blade together were nearly as long as he was tall, almost two meters.

Though the greatsword was pitch-black and gave off no radiance, it drew the Spirit-Devouring Beast's divine sense into circling it for an inspection before withdrawing slightly with a faint trace of appreciation.

From the Spirit-Devouring Beast's response, Liu Xing guessed that the greatsword on the man's back was probably another extraordinary treasure. Even so, it was far inferior to the Red Round Stone and Green Fruit he had obtained, or the Blue Crystal Lu Xuanqing had taken.

The Spirit-Devouring Beast showed only mild appreciation for the greatsword. Unlike when it discovered the red stone, green fruit, and blue crystal, it did not urge Liu Xing to seize it at once in its delight.

Naturally, the man carrying the greatsword was Sun Yanbo, Lu Xuanqing's other grandmaster-uncle. A cultivator's age could not be judged by appearances. Though Sun Yanbo looked to be in his fifties, his actual age was at least ten times that.

At that moment, the Spirit-Devouring Beast divided its divine sense into two strands, keeping watch on Sun Yanbo and Lu Yangong separately. Nothing the two did in space could escape Liu Xing's covert observation.

What surprised Liu Xing even more was that the Spirit-Devouring Beast's divine sense could not only "see," but also "hear"! Every word Lu Yangong and Sun Yanbo spoke reached Liu Xing's ears clearly.

Liu Xing knew that outer space was a complete vacuum, where sound could not travel. Lu Yangong and Sun Yanbo could converse only because they were using a secret voice-transmission technique.

Every technique relied on spiritual energy. Under the scrutiny of the Spirit-Devouring Beast's divine sense, even the faintest spiritual energy used for secret voice transmission could be sensed with perfect clarity, no matter how tightly it was contained.

Thus, before Liu Xing, secret voice transmission was no longer secret at all.

The instant Sun Yanbo came face-to-face with Lu Yangong, he drew the greatsword from his back and pointed it at him. "Eldest Senior Brother, I've finally caught up with you. But do you still deserve to be called my eldest senior brother?"

Lu Yangong snorted coldly. "I joined the sect over a hundred years before you. Why wouldn't I deserve that title?"

Sun Yanbo said angrily, "Since you still have the gall to call yourself my eldest senior brother, why did you betray the Heavenly Demon Sect and collude with the Heterodox Aristocratic Clans?"

Lu Yangong replied, "What collusion? It is merely an alliance between strong powers, raising the Heavenly Demon Sect to even greater heights!"

Sun Yanbo fell silent for a moment, then said, "Eldest Senior Brother, I've never had a way with words, even as a child. But the Heavenly Demon Sect has a legacy stretching back nearly ten thousand years, and we have our own rules. Whether to form an alliance, and with whom, should be decided by our sect master. Though you are our eldest senior brother, your position is merely that of a sect elder. You have no authority to represent the entire sect!"

Lu Yangong waved a hand. "Don't mention that scoundrel Lu Yanzhen. Back then, he did nothing but flatter Master, until Master passed over the elder disciple in favor of the younger and handed him the position of sect master. Why should I, the eldest senior brother, have to watch that junior brother throw his weight around? The world outside is changing drastically. Our Heavenly Demon Sect is at a crossroads between survival and destruction. How can we allow Lu Yanzhen to keep wavering? With the Lin Household and Bai Family joining forces, what power in the Northern Milky Way can stand against them? If our Heavenly Demon Sect follows the Lin Household in restoring the Purple Thorn Dynasty, we will count among its founding heroes. Then we can choose a planet rich in spiritual energy as our sect's home. That would be far better than continuing to suffer suppression by the orthodox path, as we have for over a thousand years!"

Sun Yanbo shook his head. "My insight is naturally no match for yours or our sect master's, but even I understand the saying, 'How could anyone let another snore beside his bed?' If the Lin Household truly succeeds in restoring the dynasty, how could they allow our Heavenly Demon Sect to remain independent and keep its own grounds? If joining the alliance between the Lin Household and Bai Family offered such benefits, why have great sects like Carefree Valley, the Six Harmonies Sect, and Dark Nether Palace all declared they would rather die than submit? Only second- and third-rate minor sects have truly joined the Lin-Bai alliance. Does our Heavenly Demon Sect have so little backbone, far less than great sects like Carefree Valley?"

Lu Yangong said, "How can adding flowers to brocade compare with delivering charcoal in the snow? If our Heavenly Demon Sect takes the lead among the great sects in declaring its willingness to form an alliance, our standing in the Northern Milky Way Galaxy will naturally be transformed. Must we really wait until the Lin Household has conquered everything before Lu Yanzhen agrees to lead a band of battered troops and defeated generals into surrender?"

Sun Yanbo said, "The Lin Household and Bai Family may be powerful, but conquering everything is easier said than done! Even setting aside the many great sects in the Northern Milky Way Galaxy that have already united against them, great sects such as Emei and Kunlun in the Southern Milky Way Galaxy, along with the Song Family in the Southern Star System, are almost all no weaker than the Lin Household. What makes the Lin Household think it can conquer everything?"

Lu Yangong said, "Junior Brother Sun, Lin Jingtian, head of the Lin Household, possesses astonishing strength. There is no one in the entire universe who can match him. His ultimate victory is only a matter of time. Lu Yanzhen refuses to give up his throne as sect master and would rather put the entire sect in danger. Why must you risk yourself alongside him?"

Sun Yanbo sighed. "It seems the one who truly cannot let go of the sect master's position is still you, Eldest Senior Brother! In cultivation, temperament, and ability alike, our sect master is the most outstanding of us three fellow disciples. Master was entirely justified in passing the position to him. After all these years, can you still not let it go?"

Lu Yangong's expression hardened, and he said coldly, "So, Junior Brother Sun, you've made up your mind to defend that scoundrel Lu Yanzhen and deliberately oppose me?"

Sun Yanbo's expression likewise hardened. "I drew my sword against you the moment we met. That should have made my position clear. From this day on, there is no brotherhood between us! As the Heavenly Demon Sect's enforcement elder, I have only one purpose: to escort a traitor back to the sect to face judgment under our rules!"

With that, Sun Yanbo stood with his sword in hand and spoke no further to Lu Yangong.

PS: To push for a place on the new book rankings, there will be another update after midnight tonight. I hope all you brothers and sisters still online then will give me plenty of support with your recommendation votes. We finished this week in sixteenth place on the new book rankings. I believe that with everyone's recommendation votes next week, breaking into the top fifteen will be just around the corner!