The Zhao Household, the Blazing Yang Sect, and the Divine Fire Gate had each dispatched four Foundation Establishment cultivators, twelve in total.
Such a formidable force certainly paid the Lu Household its due respect.
Even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit.
Precisely for this reason, this bandit cultivator force formed by the alliance of the three factions had succeeded every time it struck. In decades of operations, there had never been a single mishap.
This time would be no different.
"Attack together! Break the formation first!"
Law Artifacts descended from the sky, streaks of light plunging like falling stars, bearing terrifying might as they hurtled toward the ground.
Boom!
The tremendous noise startled every Lu Household cultivator on Heavenly Traversal Peak awake.
Including the Lu Household's four Foundation Establishment cultivators, they all came outside and gathered in one place, looking up at the sky with deeply furrowed brows and grave eyes.
There was also another Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Lu Household.
It was Quan Yong'an, who had come to set up the formation.
The formation was only half laid and still unfinished, so naturally, he had not left.
Now, he too emerged from the quarters the Lu Household had arranged for him. He watched as the formation he had painstakingly worked on for days, now nearing completion, was violently attacked from outside, battered until it tottered on the verge of shattering.
He felt both helpless and inwardly shocked.
No wonder the Lu Household wanted to upgrade its formation. So they had provoked enemies this powerful.
The twelve black-robed figures standing on flying swords in the sky were particularly conspicuous.
Twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators.
This was not a force an ordinary faction could dispatch.
Among the nearby established Foundation Establishment factions, none seemed to have so many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
A Golden Core faction?
Impossible.
If an existence of that level wanted to attack a Foundation Establishment faction, why go to such trouble and skulk about like this?
Quan Yong'an was not the only one puzzled. The Lu Household's disciples and four Foundation Establishment cultivators were equally bewildered.
Twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Not the Wang Household!
The Wang Household had originally had five Foundation Establishment cultivators. One had died, leaving four.
So where had these enemies who suddenly attacked their doorstep come from?
When had the Lu Household provoked such powerful foes?
"Patriarch, twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators-one at Foundation Establishment peak, three at Foundation Establishment late stage, six at Foundation Establishment middle stage, and two at Foundation Establishment early stage. Even with supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts and supreme-grade spirit talismans, we have no chance of winning!"
A sword immortal could fight across cultivation stages.
But Lu Changfeng was still a little short of breaking through to Foundation Establishment late stage.
As he was now, he could only slay Foundation Establishment late stage cultivators.
And that was in a one-on-one fight.
Since the enemy had chosen to attack their doorstep, they must have investigated the Lu Household's strength beforehand. How could they be foolish enough to send just one Foundation Establishment late stage cultivator to fight him alone?
So if a fight truly broke out,
Lu Changfeng's opponent would inevitably be the one at Foundation Establishment peak.
Perhaps even more than one.
As for the others, Lu Changgeng, Lu Xuanming, and Little Chenxing could not possibly hold them off.
Alas!
The gap in raw strength between the two sides was simply too great.
"Patriarch, what should we do?"
Cracks already covered the formation. One more strike from those people would break it.
Just then, Qin Wuxiang, among the black-robed figures above, issued another command.
"Again! Break the formation! Kill without mercy!"
As his words fell, streaks of light descended once more.
Another tremendous roar rang out, and the unfinished top-tier second-rank household-protecting formation died in the womb.
Lu Changfeng finally made up his mind.
"I'll use the Blood-Burning Secret Method to hold them off. Changgeng, take the other disciples of our Lu Household. Xuanming, take Little Chenxing. Flee in two different directions!"
There was no other way.
He could only fight to the death to hold off the attackers.
To buy the others in the household a chance to escape.
As for whether they could escape alive, that would depend on fate.
Lu Changfeng turned to Quan Yong'an beside him.
"Fellow Daoist Quan, our Lu Household does not know who these attackers are. They're concealing themselves with black-robed Law Artifacts that block Divine Sense. Skulking about like this, they're probably vermin who have fallen to becoming bandit cultivators. Such people generally strike with extreme ruthlessness and leave no survivors. I'm very sorry to have implicated you and brought this undeserved disaster upon you."
"I'll do my best to hold them off. Please flee on your own, fellow Daoist. If you manage to escape, please report what happened here to the Spirit Creek Sect on our behalf. The Clear Breeze Temple may have been wiped out for this very reason. How can such brazen, bloodthirsty people be allowed to ravage the cultivation world of Heavenly River Commandery? Please ask the upper sect to uphold justice for us lower sects!"
As he spoke, Lu Changfeng tossed him a Storage Bag.
Inside were fifty thousand Spirit Stones, both an apology and payment for passing on the message.
Such an understanding of worldly dealings
instantly multiplied Quan Yong'an's favorable impression of this Lu Household patriarch.
But he would not let that go to his head and choose to help the Lu Household resist its enemies.
Although his cultivation was also at Foundation Establishment peak, he could not withstand their numbers!
Most importantly, these were the Lu Household's enemies.
They had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
He was merely a pitiable man innocently caught up in the affair.
After offering a cupped-fist salute, Quan Yong'an said nothing more. He turned and rode his sword, preparing to leave the Lu Household.
The moment he moved, he drew the attention of Qin Wuxiang and the others in the sky.
"Foundation Establishment peak?"
"When did the Lu Household produce someone like him?"
"No, look at his clothing. He doesn't seem to belong to the Lu Household."
"Whoever he is, we can't let him leave so easily."
Just as the cultivators of the three factions were about to strike, a booming voice resounded through the clouds.
"I am a formation master of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. I came here for a transaction with the Lu Household."
"You cannot keep me here, and I have no wish to invite trouble."
"If you dare pursue me, I'll make you pay!"
Qin Wuxiang raised a hand to stop the others, who were itching to act.
"With these black-robed Law Artifacts concealing us, he doesn't know our true identities. Let him go."
Zhao Donglai added, "Killing someone from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion would bring serious trouble."
"In that case, let's kill the Lu Household people below first." Killing intent surged around Li Taichu, and the flying sword before him hummed incessantly.
He was already on the verge of losing control of his bloodthirsty urges.
Below, the Lu Household members, who should have split into three groups, had not moved.
All because of the words of a certain infant not yet a year old.
"Grandpa Patriarch, Grandpa Changgeng, Grandpa Xuanming, you don't need to do this. I have a way to annihilate the attackers!"
From the powerful enemies' arrival until now, Lu Chenxing had been silently listening nearby as the three old men discussed ways to repel them.
He had not expected the situation to become this dire.
They were actually going to have a sword immortal sacrifice himself to hold off the enemy and cover the others' escape.
With matters reduced to this state, however reluctant Lu Chenxing was, he had to use Truth.
After making his decision, he could not help sighing inwardly.
Alas, I can only waste a nuclear bomb!
Actually, it was not really a problem.
Great Xia could simply teleport more over to replenish what was used.
It was just that Truth was expensive to manufacture.
Of course, however expensive it was, compared with something as truly important as cultivation, Great Xia would still spare no effort to manufacture and send it over.
As Lu Chenxing's voice sounded in their minds, Lu Changfeng, Lu Changgeng, and Lu Xuanming all turned their gazes toward him.
This prodigy of the Lu Household was suspected to be the "reincarnation of a mighty being," yet seemed to have forgotten most of his previous life's memories.
What means did he possess to dare claim he could slay twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators?
"Grandpa Patriarch, do you remember that big thing I asked you to provide an open space for?"
"That thing can do it."
"Let's hurry over!"
Though Lu Changfeng had doubts, he did not hesitate. He chose to trust Lu Chenxing unconditionally.
"Everyone, follow me!"
At his command, the Lu Household members headed together toward a certain place within the household grounds.