Lu Shang did not rescue Steward Chang outright. Instead, he slipped a medicinal pill into his mouth.
Lu Shang smashed apart the cell imprisoning Steward Chang, along with the shackles that completely restrained his movements.
Lu Shang left him there.
None of the cultivators inside the cave abode escaped.
Lu Shang discovered that Steward Chang was not the only one imprisoned there.
But none of that had anything to do with Lu Shang.
Perhaps some of them really deserved to be locked up!
For now, Lu Shang had not intended to visit the Po family, since he had already obtained the spirit stones for two fifth-rank demon beasts here.
But considering the trouble that might arise, Lu Shang decided he should pay them a visit after all.
Within moments, Lu Shang left the Po family's trading market and headed for their main territory.
The Po family's main estate stood on an island at the very center of the Guluan Islands.
Since the Po family had ruled it for centuries, their ancestors had named this little island Yeshang Island.
Lu Shang hovered above the island, surveying everything below.
The Po family had established their estate in the middle of the island.
"Who is the head of the Po family? Get out here!" Lu Shang commanded loudly from above their estate.
Until they heard Lu Shang's voice, the people below had not noticed that a harbinger of disaster had silently arrived overhead, much less realized what awaited them.
After hearing Lu Shang's voice, the Po family's disciples began looking up one after another.
They whispered among themselves, some puzzled, others worried and frightened.
When no one emerged after a short while, Lu Shang grew impatient.
Lu Shang raised his hand slightly, and over a hundred streaks of sword qi appeared out of thin air around him.
"You have three breaths left. If no one comes up here, don't blame me when my sword shows no mercy!"
Just as Lu Shang issued his final deadline, a voice rang out.
"I'd like to see who this is! Do you think being in the outer sea means you can act without restraint?"
As those words fell, a bald old man flew out swiftly.
His aura was at middle Core Formation, but beneath his aged face was a burly physique.
He was not only bald, but also had a disheveled, gray-white beard.
Had his bulging muscles not emphasized his powerful build, anyone would have taken him for a Core Formation cultivator whose life flickered like a candle in the wind.
Even from far away, Lu Shang could sense the anger in his words and the unsettling aura he radiated.
Had Lu Shang not cultivated the Wild Desolation True Demon Art, the old man's imposing aura might truly have overshadowed his own.
Since the old man was being so direct, Lu Shang saw no need to yield.
His aura surged as he activated the Wild Desolation True Demon Art.
In an instant, the spiritual energy nearby turned into something like a bloody mist, swirling around Lu Shang.
Lu Shang had only come to lay down a few instructions. Originally, everything could have been settled as soon as the Po family head appeared.
Now Lu Shang had no choice but to make these little
ants bleed again.
A moment later, the old man appeared before Lu Shang.
"Brat, you dare spoil my fun? You're courting death!" the bald old man threatened.
"Heh, heh, hahaha!"
Lu Shang said nothing, merely letting out a contemptuous laugh.
"Fellow Daoist, I'll give you one last warning. Either get lost, or go enter the cycle of reincarnation!"
As he spoke, the old man's aura erupted.
Seeing the bald old man do nothing but run his mouth, Lu Shang had long since grown impatient.
"If you're going to fight, hurry up. I still have things to do after dealing with you!" Lu Shang said bluntly.
"Fine! Since you insist, I'll show you the power of my demonic art!"
With that, black vapor spread from the bald old man's body.
Moments later, the vapor formed armor-like black plating over his hands and head.
Lu Shang yawned.
"Brat! Die!" the bald old man roared.
An instant later, he appeared just over ten feet from Lu Shang.
To the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining cultivators below, all of this looked like teleportation.
But to Lu Shang, the old man's attack was merely average.
Besides, he seemed to have far too many misgivings.
He spoke with such arrogance, as though no one else mattered, yet dragged his feet like this when it came time to fight.
Just as the bald old man's fist came within a foot of Lu Shang, Lu Shang swiftly shifted left.
The bald old man reacted promptly as well.
After seeing Lu Shang dodge effortlessly, he tried to turn and continue attacking.
None of this escaped Lu Shang's divine sense.
But Lu Shang had no intention of letting the bald old man have his way.
Lu Shang raised his right leg, lightly activated the Wild Desolation True Demon Art, and kicked the bald old man in the back.
Unable to dodge, the bald old man was sent flying over a hundred feet away.
To Lu Shang, that kick had used only a tiny fraction of his strength.
Lu Shang did not intend to end things immediately.
Although he was only at middle Core Formation, Lu Shang believed that, with the third level of the Wild Desolation True Demon Art unleashed at full power, he could conceivably defeat even two or three peak Core Formation cultivators.
If he also brought out the Silver Frost Dragon Halberd and wielded it at full strength, he could defeat even three or four late Core Formation cultivators.
Now, Lu Shang believed that even an early Nascent Soul cultivator would not subdue him easily.
He could even escape using the crimson thunder in his dantian.
After all, the thunder did not consume much spiritual power.
What the lightning escape technique consumed most was the thunder itself.
By a rough estimate, the thunder currently in Lu Shang's dantian would allow him to use it at least a dozen times in succession.
With repeated uses, he stood a very good chance of evading a Nascent Soul cultivator's search.
But his opponent was only at Core Formation.
That Core Formation cultivator could only pray that he had not stirred Lu Shang's killing intent!
After all, lightning escape was not merely useful for fleeing. Pursuing someone with it was just as easy.
By now, the bald old man had recovered his senses.
His face was filled with shock.
Not only had Lu Shang effortlessly dodged his attack, but a single kick had sent him flying over a hundred feet despite the body-tempering demonic art he was so proud of.
More importantly, there was the cultivation technique Lu Shang had used. As another practitioner of demonic arts, how could he fail to recognize it?
Moreover, this demonic art seemed to stir a memory, as though he had seen it somewhere before.
"This is no time to let your mind wander!"
Lu Shang's words interrupted his thoughts.
"Fellow Daoist, wait!" the bald old man called out, interrupting Lu Shang just as he was about to attack.
Interrupted, Lu Shang had no interest whatsoever in hearing what the old man had to say and unleashed the Wild Desolation True Demon Art at full power.
"Hmph! There's nothing to discuss! Die!"
In an instant, Lu Shang once again transformed into a four-armed demon.
"Aaaah!!!" Lu Shang threw back his head and roared, as though venting his emotions.
The old man watched Lu Shang's transformation as though it had confirmed what he wanted to know.
But in the next instant, he snapped back to his senses.
He noticed that Lu Shang seemed to have gone mad.
Only then did he realize what he was facing.
"No... no... no!"
"I don't want to die yet!"
His face was filled with terror.
Now completely ruled by fear, he fled in every direction, trying to avoid Lu Shang's attacks.
But how could that possibly work?
Moments later, one of Lu Shang's enormous hands seized him.
Lu Shang hurled him forcefully, sending him crashing into a cliff.
In an instant, Lu Shang appeared again outside the hole where the bald old man had smashed into the rock face.
Lu Shang unleashed all four arms, raining punches into the opening.
Just like that, a cultivator who was also at middle Core Formation could no longer stand, less than a quarter of an hour after the fight began.
Seeing that the man had been reduced to pulp, Lu Shang dispelled his four-armed form.
Indeed, Lu Shang had not lost control at all. He had merely felt a sudden urge to let out a roar.
As for the bald old man's behavior just now, Lu Shang had thought there was something seriously wrong with him.
Lu Shang could never have guessed that, when he revealed his four-armed form, the bald old man had mistaken him for the disciple of a certain Nascent Soul cultivator.
His body-tempering cultivation technique bore some resemblance to Man Huzi's. In the Chaotic Star Sea, no one possessed such a powerful body-tempering demonic art apart from Man Huzi's Heaven-Supporting Demon Art.
In his four-armed form, he also looked like someone else the old man absolutely could not afford to provoke.
As for going mad, ever since cultivating the Pure Leaf Soul-Calming Art, Lu Shang had never suffered a repeat of his previous mishap.
Lu Shang sent his divine sense inside to investigate. Only after confirming that the man was truly dead did he turn his gaze toward the Po family.
Before you continue