Chapter 118: Returning to Canglan Prefecture City (1)

Several elders hurried towards the middle aged man lying against the cracked wall, while others stood guard around them, their expressions still filled with lingering fear.

The family head coughed several times before finally managing to sit upright.

His face was pale, and his throat hurt with every breath.

However, compared with his physical injuries, the humiliation he had suffered was considerably more difficult to endure.

Someone had entered the Liang Family’s main hall, seized him before the entire clan, and threatened to annihilate his family, yet he was powerless to resist.

He clenched his fists.

"Find out who that person is!"

His voice was hoarse, but the anger within it was unmistakable.

An elderly clan member hesitated.

"Family Head, perhaps we should first report this matter to the Moonlight Pavilion. Given that the senior brother of our eldest young master is an inner disciple, we might be able to obtain some assistance."

The family head fell silent.

He naturally understood the suggestion.

The Liang Family’s greatest advantage was its connection to the Moonlight Pavilion. If they could obtain the assistance of a sufficiently powerful cultivator, they might be able to discover the masked man’s identity.

However, he also remembered the sensation of being lifted into the air with one hand.

The other party did not even need to exert much strength to do that.

If that person truly intended to kill him, would he have survived long enough to seek help?

After a moment, the family head finally spoke.

"Investigate him first. Do not provoke Zheng Hui or interfere with his business until we understand the situation."

He glanced at the surrounding elders.

"Remember, I am not telling you to abandon our interests. I am telling you not to act recklessly."

The elders nodded in agreement.

For now, they could only endure.

Whether the mysterious cultivator’s threat was genuine or not, the Liang Family could not afford to gamble its entire future on a guess.

...

Meanwhile, Lu Yang had already left the county town.

By the time the sun began setting, he was moving through the wilderness towards Canglan Prefecture.

His affairs in the county were more or less settled.

Zheng Hui had received the initial capital, the Great River Escort Agency had been instructed to cooperate with him, and the Liang Family had been warned against interfering.

There was no reason to remain there any longer.

Of course, he would eventually return, after all, he had given Zheng Hui two years to establish his business. He would need to inspect the results personally when the time came.

Until then, the man would have to manage things himself as he had other matters to attend to.

As he traveled, his thoughts briefly returned to the Liang Family.

His threat was rather straightforward.

If they interfered with Zheng Hui, he would destroy the entire family, and even an elder of the Moonlight Pavilion would have a hard time after crossing him.

However, the truth was that he could not necessarily carry out that second threat at present.

The Moonlight Pavilion possessed an Essence Gathering Realm powerhouse, while most of its elders had reached the later stages of Spirit Awakening Realm.

Although Lu Yang’s foundation was extraordinary, his actual cultivation was only at the First Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm.

Even with his accumulated experience and talent, he could not casually bridge such an enormous gap.

If he encountered a late stage Spirit Awakening cultivator in battle right now, he would have to flee at the first instance.

Consequently, if the Liang Family truly sought assistance from a powerful elder of the Moonlight Pavilion, the situation could become troublesome.

Fortunately, Lu Yang did not believe they would act so recklessly.

The Liang Family had spent generations establishing its wealth and influence. Its members were not necessarily fools who would risk everything merely to preserve their pride.

At the same time, they only had connections with an inner disciple, not the entire Moonlight Pavilion.

Just because they wanted to, could they truly invite an elder?

Even more importantly, he had given them a simple choice.

They could continue conducting their business without interference, or they could risk provoking someone whose origins they did not understand.

As long as they were sensible, there was no reason for conflict.

And if they were not sensible... he would deal with that problem when it arose.

After all, the strength he possessed today was not the limit of what he could achieve.

Give him another ten or twenty years, and he won’t fear anyone other than a Essence Gathering cultivator.

As Lu Yang continued traveling, another thought gradually emerged in his mind.

The Moonlight Pavilion.

He had paid particular attention to the name of this faction.

The Azure Spirit Sect once possessed the Body Tempering and Essence Gathering Realm Chapters of the Azure Moon Spirit Control Art, while the Lu Family had inherited the Spirit Awakening Realm Chapter, known as the Azure Moon Spirit Water Technique.

Unfortunately, the Essence Gathering Realm Chapter had disappeared after the Azure Spirit Sect’s destruction.

Lu Yang always intended to investigate its whereabouts.

Now, the Moonlight Pavilion had caught his attention.

It had risen to prominence after the Azure Spirit Sect’s fall, and its name also contained a reference to the moon.

Although a name alone was hardly sufficient evidence, and there could be countless reasons for a sect to choose such a name.

Nevertheless, Lu Yang could not help but feel that the two might be connected.

Perhaps the Moonlight Pavilion had obtained a portion of the Azure Spirit Sect’s inheritance during the turmoil, acquired the Essence Gathering Realm Chapter through some other means, or there was no connection at all.

He would have to investigate personally before reaching a conclusion.

At present, the Moonlight Pavilion was not particularly powerful compared with the great factions of the wider cultivation world.

It possessed only one Essence Gathering Realm cultivator. But for the current Lu Yang, that was already a great obstacle.

If it truly possessed the inheritance he sought, he would need to consider his approach carefully.

After all, an inheritance was valuable, but losing his life over it would be a rather poor exchange.

Lu Yang shook his head and put the matter aside. There was no need to make plans based on speculation alone.

He would gather information first and cultivate through the Spirit Awakening Realm. ℯⅇ𝙡.

Everything else could wait.