Grave Miscalculation

"Something wrong?" City Lord Zhao Wuya's expression turned cold.

He feared Old Ancestor Tianyan, but he did not fear Lu Chen.

"It seems the City Lord has forgotten something!"

Zhao Wuya narrowed his eyes.

"It appears the City Lord truly has no intention of handling this. Then I can only do it myself. But let me make this clear—when you can't contain the consequences, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Zhao Wuya said stiffly, "I will give you an explanation!"

"No. I'm coming with you. I want to see with my own eyes how you handle this matter!"

"Young man, know when to stop. Some matters..."

"I've already died once. Do you think I care about that?"

Zhao Wuya looked at Lu Chen and fell silent, though his gaze seemed to be warning him to know his place.

"Senior, I promised to enter Tianyan Academy, but on one condition: dig three feet into the ground and root out every force colluding with Black Collar Prison Heaven Cave, along with every accomplice. Spare no one. Exterminate their nine clans!"

Zhao Wuya's expression changed drastically, and the old man from Tianyu Academy felt a chill run down his back.

If that happened, Chixiao City would surely be turned upside down. It might even spread to Yanjing.

"Good, very good! This is exactly the temperament I like. Do it—make the matter as big as possible! Hahaha..."

Old Ancestor Tianyan burst into laughter. "And I'll protect you."

Zhao Wuya and the other man were thoroughly shaken.

"Old Ancestor, how could we trouble you with this? Let me handle it. I will absolutely give you and young friend Lu a satisfactory explanation!"

Zhao Wuya hurriedly made his promise. He truly did not dare to confront them head-on anymore.

Lu Chen knew the waters ran deep, so naturally he would not plunge in headfirst.

Seeing Zhao Wuya relent, he gave him a three-day deadline.

The next day, the Wan Family, Chixiao City's foremost lineage, was wiped out root and branch.

A large number of secret letters exchanged with Black Collar Prison Heaven Cave were found in the Wan Family residence.

After a brief interrogation, the Wan Family's upper echelon was taken to the Southern City execution ground and beheaded.

It greatly intimidated the other lineages and factions.

King Yanbei's infiltration of Chixiao City suffered a devastating blow.

It also drew the attention of Great Yan's imperial clan, forcing them to halt their actions against Chixiao City.

As the victim, Lu Chen also received some compensation: one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

For a Qi Surge Realm cultivator, that was a generous compensation.

But to Lu Chen, who had already emptied two treasure vaults, it was truly not worth noticing. It felt merely so-so.

"Actually, you were a little too aggressive!"

After it was over, Old Ancestor Tianyan started playing the wise prophet after the event.

"This counts as aggressive?" Lu Chen snorted. "I dare say that if we dug deeper, even the City Lord wouldn't be able to clear himself of involvement!"

"Alas!" Old Ancestor Tianyan sighed. "That means you've placed yourself in opposition to Tianyu Academy!"

Lu Chen's scalp went numb, and he stammered, "N-no way, right?"

"The City Lord studied under Tianyu Academy. Today, Tianyu Academy stands above imperial authority. Its disciples are spread throughout the world, colluding with one another. Selling a slave is an everyday occurrence to them. What do you think they will do?"

"Will they help you continue cutting out the poison, or will they deal with you?"

Lu Chen's back stiffened, and even his throat went rigid as he cried out, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I couldn't dampen your spirit!"

"But you pushed me straight into a pit!"

"That word 'pushed' is wrong. You jumped in—you jumped in yourself!"

"Then... will you still take me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? Tianyan is not afraid of Tianyu, much less will we bow our heads to evil forces."

"Don't worry. With me covering you, wreak havoc however you please! Hehe..."

Lu Chen eyed Old Ancestor Tianyan suspiciously. He always felt this old man was taking pleasure in his misfortune.

With the matter settled, the two set off, heading straight for Yanjing, the capital of Great Yan.

As for the Lu Family, though most of its upper echelon had died, with Lu Ran as its formidable banner, the other lineages did not dare do anything to them.

In fact, seeing their weakness, quite a few lineages offered aid—those with people sent people, and those with funds contributed funds. The Lu Family would soon recover its vitality.

However, Lu Ran's relatives and the Lu Family elders gathered around him had all been stripped clean. This grudge had been firmly forged.

One was the hatred of having one's bloodline stripped away; the other was a hatred that could not exist beneath the same sky. What kind of sparks would they create?

Many people in Chixiao City were watching and waiting.

In a study within a residence in Yanjing's western district, an elegant young master listened to his subordinate's report, then set down the scroll in his hand and smiled.

"I've been idle so long my brain has gone dull. At last, there's something to do. Hehe..."

The subordinate shuddered violently.

Needless to say, this Lu Chen was going to be in for trouble—terrible trouble.

The young master before him looked harmless to man and beast, but amid laughter and conversation, he could make people vanish into ash and smoke.

He strategized beneath the command tent and secured victory a thousand miles away.

How could it end well once he had taken an interest in someone?

And under his shocked gaze, Young Master Qiu brushed his hand across the table and unfurled a scroll filled with information on Lu Chen.

Along the way, the two traveled at an unhurried pace.

As he walked, Lu Chen refined the energy accumulated within the Myriad Manifestations Furnace. He showed signs of breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Surge Realm.

Old Ancestor Tianyan paid it no mind, though inwardly he was delighted beyond measure.

He had picked up a treasure. His efforts over this period had not been wasted.

After entering Yanjing, the two finally stopped before a barren slope.

Lu Chen rubbed his eyes hard, nearly flying into a rage.

Amid the broken walls and ruins hung a crooked, peeling plaque, upon which the words "Tianyan Academy" could barely be made out.

Wild grass overran the mountain path. Many stone statues leaned half-buried in the earth—some held swords aloft to question the heavens, others raised sabers to cleave with all their might, their heroic bearing extraordinary.

Sword intent, saber intent, spear intent, and more lay in utter disorder.

Light leaked through the tiled roof of the great hall. A cold wind swept through its corridors, making the cobwebs in the corners tremble violently.

"This is Tianyan Academy?" Even Lu Chen's throat went rigid.

"You don't understand, do you? This is called returning to simplicity!" Old Ancestor Tianyan kicked open the creaking hall doors, startling a nest of gray pigeons from the beams.

"Returning my ass!" Lu Chen's face turned green.

"Old swindler! Even rats would starve to death in this place, damn it..."

What a miscalculation. A grave miscalculation!

"Wahaha, the old man is back!"

A deep, booming voice exploded from behind the hall.

A tower-like woman charged out with a black iron hammer over her shoulder.

Her knotted muscles were wrapped in a short beast-hide outfit, and every step she took made the floor tiles tremble.

Behind her followed a lean young man, an iron pot and wooden ladle hanging at his waist. Grinning broadly, he slipped forward with a whoosh and said,

"Dean, the food expenses. Hurry up!"

Lu Chen felt his head spin as he looked at the woman before him.

So muscular!

She was twice as thick as him, with solid muscles all over. Fortunately, she was not ugly. Looking at her face alone, she was absolutely a beauty in the making.

But that figure...

The man behind her gave off nothing but a sleazy impression.

Looking at the clanging iron pot and wooden ladle, Lu Chen howled inwardly. What the hell kind of outfit is this?

"Xiong Yao, Tianyan Academy's chief senior disciple!" The woman slammed her iron hammer onto the ground with a boom, shaking down half a window frame and sending dust flying.

"Fang Jiuding, Tianyan Academy's second seat. Hehe, Third Brother, greetings. Please hand over the food expenses!"

Fang Jiuding unceremoniously held out his hand.

Lu Chen's eyelid twitched wildly. So direct!

"There's plenty of it. I saw him collect one hundred low-grade spirit stones, hehe..."

Old Ancestor Tianyan smiled, then sprang onto a crossbeam. Leaning against a wooden pillar with one leg crossed over the other, he said smugly,

"The first entry examination: guarantee the food expenses of the three of us for three months. If you can't guarantee it, sorry, Tianyan won't take you!"

Lu Chen staggered, feeling as though he had been scammed into a pit.

"I dare say that without Tianyan Academy's signboard, you wouldn't last three days in Yanjing. Don't believe me? Try it, hehe..." Old Ancestor Tianyan said, raising his brows smugly.