Chapter 398 - 212: Throwing Your Weight Around? Courting Death

Chapter 398: Chapter 212: Throwing Your Weight Around? Courting Death

"SCREECH!"

The eagle’s cry pierced the heavens, its sound shaking the lands.

The Iron-Winged Giant Eagle spread its cloud-like wings, circling several times high in the sky before finally hovering a thousand feet above Luoyun Manor.

Atop the eagle’s back, Granny Wuhua gazed down, her brow suddenly knitting together as her expression darkened.

Lu Xuanzhou, who had been about to call out for his father to welcome him, found his own expression changing drastically.

The eager smile on his face froze into astonishment and disbelief the moment his eyes fell upon the scene at the manor.

Below, the once majestic Luoyun Manor was now utterly unrecognizable.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but broken walls, crumbling ruins, and charred, fallen timbers.

Plumes of thick, lingering smoke rose from the rubble, mixing with dust to stain the sky a hazy gray.

The ground was mottled with bloodstains, so dark they were nearly black, and the pungent stench of blood saturated the air.

Numerous Jianghu folk in assorted attire scrambled frantically through the ruined courtyards. Spotting the giant, sky-blotting eagle and the figures on its back, they looked up in terror, glancing around in a panic.

Lu Xuanzhou leaped from the eagle’s back. As his feet touched his homeland, the ground felt unsteady beneath him.

His arms trembled uncontrollably as he surveyed the surroundings, his eyes filled with disbelief. ’It’s only been a few days,’ he thought. ’How could the once-glorious Luoyun Manor have ended up like this?’

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

Lu Xuanzhou abruptly reached out, his fingers like hooks, and snatched a burly man who was trying to flee behind a broken wall. He pulled the man through the air, grabbing his collar and roaring the question, his eyes bloodshot.

"Young... Young Master Lu... It... It wasn’t me!"

The burly man recognized Lu Xuanzhou and was scared out of his wits, stammering nonsensically in his own defense:

"This humble one just... just heard that Elemental Crystals were dug up here and wanted to try my luck... Spare me, Young Master Lu, spare my life!"

"Speak! What happened here? Tell me everything, and don’t leave out a single detail!"

Lu Xuanzhou’s voice was hoarse, each word seemingly forced through gritted teeth. The surging killing intent was so tangible it nearly suffocated the burly man.

"The... the day before yesterday..."

The burly man, drenched in a cold sweat, haltingly recounted everything he knew. With every sentence he spoke, he felt the fingers on his neck tighten. By the end, his face was ashen, and his whole body trembled.

"Where is my father?" Lu Xuanzhou suddenly interrupted, his voice terrifyingly low.

"Ma-Manor Master Lu... he’s... dead... His head is... is hanging in front of the Jingwu Bureau’s gates..."

Before the man could finish, Gang Qi erupted violently from Lu Xuanzhou’s body. The man in his grasp didn’t even have time to scream before he exploded in a BANG, showering Lu Xuanzhou’s brocade robes with a spray of hot, foul-smelling blood.

Seeing this, the already terrified Jianghu folk scattered in every direction like ants from a disturbed nest, screaming as they fled.

"Junior Brother, my condolences."

A clear, gentle voice sounded from beside him.

Yu Suzhen had appeared at Lu Xuanzhou’s side at some point, her jade-like face wearing a perfectly measured expression of pity and sorrow.

Lu Xuanzhou turned his head and looked at his senior sister’s face, as lovely as a peach blossom. He tried to force a smile, but his lips only twitched before his expression crumpled into misery. ℴ

Suddenly, he spun around and fell to his knees with a heavy THUD before Granny Wuhua, touching his forehead to the ground.

"I beg you, Granny, to seek justice for the thousand souls of my Luoyun Manor!"

Granny Wuhua’s expression was glacial, a harsh glint flashing in her eyes.

She had originally entertained the thought of mediating. Considering the positions of the Government Office and the Nie Family, she had only planned to issue a minor punishment, get both sides to stand down, and preserve the dignity of the Vast Sea Upper Sect.

But now, Luoyun Manor had been completely annihilated!

’This isn’t just the destruction of some minor sect!’ she thought.

’This is a blatant disregard for the Vast Sea Upper Sect! It’s trampling all over my, Granny Wuhua’s, authority!’

’If I let this slide, who will be willing to pledge their allegiance and become a Tributor in the future?’

’Where will the Vast Sea Sect’s prestige be then?’

"Let’s go. To the Jingwu Bureau!"

Granny Wuhua snorted coldly. Her figure flickered, and she drifted back onto the Iron-Winged Giant Eagle’s back like a withered leaf.

Lu Xuanzhou suppressed the towering wave of grief and fury in his heart and followed close behind.

"Junior Sister Yu, Junior Brother Lu has suffered a great tragedy. He’s miserable enough. Listen to your senior brother’s advice: be merciful when you can. Don’t go too far."

Wei Jing, dressed in magnificent blue robes, had taken in the entire scene. He finally couldn’t resist sending a voice transmission to Yu Suzhen.

"I’m afraid I don’t follow, Senior Brother Wei."

Yu Suzhen smiled sweetly, her gaze shifting to Wei Jing.

"When have I ever wronged Junior Brother Lu?"

"Junior Sister Yu, why pretend to be confused? It’s always wise to leave a way out, so you can meet again on good terms," Wei Jing said, his brow slightly furrowed.

"That’s no concern of yours, Senior Brother Wei."

The curve of Yu Suzhen’s lips deepened, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

"If you have so much free time, Senior Brother, you might want to think about the situation at hand. Luoyun Manor has been destroyed, and Granny Wuhua will not let this go. It’s likely you’ll be asked to ’invite’ that Chen Sheng back to the sect.

But I’ve heard that Chen Sheng has deep ties to the Nie Family. And you, Senior Brother, have been fond of Miss Lingshan for many years... If you end up on bad terms with the Nie Family over this, heh, I’m afraid all your efforts will have been for nothing."

"My affairs are none of your concern," Wei Jing said, his gaze turning cold.

"And my affairs are certainly none of yours, Senior Brother."

Yu Suzhen flicked her sleeve and looked away from him.

"Are you not coming up?!"

Granny Wuhua’s impatient call came from ahead.

Wei Jing and Yu Suzhen immediately leaped up, landing lightly on the eagle’s back.

Yu Suzhen walked straight to Lu Xuanzhou’s side, comforting him with soft, low words, which made him feel a surge of gratitude amidst his grief.

SCREECH—

The Iron-Winged Giant Eagle cried out again, powerfully beating its wings. It stirred up a fierce gale and shot off toward Ning’an Prefecture City.

...

「Before the gates of the Jingwu Bureau.」

The Iron-Winged Giant Eagle made no attempt to conceal its fierce and domineering Demon Beast aura. It hovered in mid-air, casting a vast shadow like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.