CHAPTER 465: CHAPTER 435: HAN ZONGYUAN’S KARMA, FUYAO SECT’S HAN YUANQING

This cultivator from the Fuyao Sect appears to be in his forties and is an elder named Han Yuanqing.

His cultivation level has reached the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment, just one step away from the Crystallization Stage.

Among the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, his strength is considered top tier.

"Hmph, merely a minor sect leader from a Foundation Establishment Sect, what a display of might!"

Upon witnessing Lu Yuanshan’s appearance, being surrounded by a crowd of cultivators as if he were being worshipped, Han Yuanqing’s eyes flickered with a hint of disdain.

Why should someone with a lower cultivation level than himself get such treatment, when even he, a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator, doesn’t receive it?

Just for being a sect leader?

Tsk! Just the leader of a Foundation Establishment Sect, and yet truly considers himself someone remarkable.

At this moment, Han Yuanqing’s heart was filled with scorn.

No matter how he looked at Lu Yuanshan, he found him displeasing.

"Oh, is Elder Han eager to avenge your brother?"

Beside Han Yuanqing, another elder from the Fuyao Sect commented with a slight smile. This elder’s cultivation level was the same as Han Yuanqing’s, also Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment.

However, in terms of magical artifacts and cultivation techniques, this elder’s overall strength was slightly weaker than Han Yuanqing’s.

"Elder Zhao, the feud between me and the Lu siblings is none of your concern."

Han Yuanqing gave Elder Zhao a hard glare, keeping his eyes fixed on Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei without saying a word.

This Han Yuanqing is precisely the elder brother of Han Zongyuan, a cultivator from the Hengyue Sect.

Ever since Han Zongyuan was ambushed outside of Guangde County and was slain by the arriving Lu Yuanshan, the grudge between Lu Yuanshan, the slayer of his brother, and Han Yuanqing was established.

Now, upon seeing Lu Yuanshan appear, killing intent surfaced in Han Yuanqing’s eyes.

He wished he could act now and kill Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei here and now.

However, due to the explicit regulations of the Dubhe Institute, no cultivator is allowed to fight within the Purple Fire Castle.

If anyone violates these rules, they will be executed publicly.

Otherwise, Han Yuanqing would not have tolerated this until now.

Since the arrival of the Cyan Mountain Sect, Han Yuanqing had been observing their movements, looking for an opportunity to strike against Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei.

He has been biding his time for several days now.

"An Eighth-Layer Foundation Establishment and a Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment, their strength isn’t so great."

"However, to attack and kill them, I’ll have to wait until we’re outside the bounds of Purple Fire Castle."

"According to the current division of battle teams among the Eight Great Sects, the chances of being grouped with the Cyan Mountain Sect are high."

"Then, outside the range of Purple Fire Castle, there will be plenty of time to deal with the Lu siblings!"

Han Yuanqing contemplated in his heart, not acting rashly.

The Dubhe Institute’s rules were so strict that none of the Eight Great Sects dared to defy them.

No one dared to make a move here.

But every time Han Yuanqing saw Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei, he felt an itch to take action and eliminate the Lu siblings swiftly.

Waiting for the moment when the Fuyao Sect and Cyan Mountain Sect join forces and are deployed to the frontline against the Beast Tide, there will be an opportunity to deal with the Lu siblings.

With Lu Yuanshan’s Eighth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation and Lu Zhiwei’s Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation, how could they possibly turn the tables then? They wouldn’t escape being slain by my hand on the frontlines.

Outside Purple Fire Castle, there are countless ways to dispose of certain cultivators.

...

After Lu Yuanshan returned, he quickly received elixirs from the Dubhe Institute for healing, to recover Qi Blood.

The cultivator responsible for distributing the elixirs merely took note of Lu Yuanshan’s one-day delayed return and gave him an extra glance, devoid of any suspicion.

Cultivators like Lu Yuanshan, who hadn’t followed the team and rode the flying ship back to Purple Fire Castle, occasionally appeared, which was not uncommon.

However, at this time, Lu Yuanshan, who had deliberately hidden his cultivation level, was a mystery that none of the Dubhe Institute cultivators could discern.

Not even those around him, like Lu Zhiwei, could see through Lu Yuanshan’s cultivation level at the moment.

The reason Lu Yuanshan did this was simply to avoid explaining his cultivation surge to the Crystallization Stage upon returning to Purple Fire Castle.

Seeing Lu Yuanshan intentionally concealing his cultivation, some cultivators wisely refrained from probing into Lu Yuanshan’s cultivation matters.

Secrets that are not meant to be known often don’t lead to good outcomes once uncovered.

Not long after, Xu Lingxing also appeared.

Upon returning to Purple Fire Castle with Lu Zhiwei and the others, Xu Lingxing reported to Wind Yuzi about the Tier Three Demon Beast leading a beast horde at Bone Demon Cliff.

After learning of Lu Yuanshan’s display of divine techniques, single-handedly slaying the Black-striped Carving and Sky-Shaking Red Falcon with one sword, Wind Yuzi spent a short time pondering.

He contemplated why Lu Yuanshan’s strength had suddenly increased so rapidly.

Upon reflecting, he thought of Cyan Mountain as once being a Golden Core Sect, and even though the Cyan Mountain Sect has declined now, it surely retained some background resources within the sect.

Lu Yuanshan managing to elevate his cultivation from Foundation Establishment to Crystallization Stage in such a brief period wasn’t too surprising.

Because of this, Wind Yuzi didn’t comment further, though he did look at Lu Yuanshan with more appreciation in his eyes during the subsequent encounters.

"Sect Leader Lu, I’ve arranged a banquet at Drunken Immortal Tower, complete with spirit wine and delicacies aplenty. If Sect Leader Lu does not mind, would you grace us with your company and join us for a show at the brothel?"

An elder from the Taihang Sect chuckled warmly, appearing quite cordial as he extended the invitation to Lu Yuanshan for the second time.

The Taihang Sect, being a local sect of the Qi Kingdom, is a Foundation Establishment Sect in terms of strength.

The Taihang Sect is staffed with over ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Faced with the Taihang Sect’s second invitation, Lu Yuanshan, who found it hard to refuse such sincere hospitality, was contemplating how to politely decline when Lu Ping’s voice echoed in his mind.

"It wouldn’t hurt to go."

"This participation in the Dubhe Institute’s call to slay demon beasts and earn battle merits is one thing, moreover, it is also a good chance to network with other cultivators and expand connections."

"Not only the Taihang Sect, but if there are other sects that behave righteously and act with integrity, it’s also worth making their acquaintance."

Upon listening to Lu Ping’s words, Lu Yuanshan silently nodded, as he indeed had the intention of cultivating relationships with other cultivators.

After all, Lu Yuanshan wasn’t socially anxious at all.

As the sect leader of the Cyan Mountain Sect, interacting with high-ranking cultivators of other sects was inevitable.

Taking Lu Ping’s suggestion into account, Lu Yuanshan found no further reason to decline.

"Since Elder Xu is so hospitable, I really shouldn’t decline your kind invitation."

"Hahaha, Sect Leader Lu is straightforward and generous."

Elder Xu of the Taihang Sect laughed heartily, glancing at Lu Zhiwei, Song Minghui, and the others from the Cyan Mountain Sect, "Please, all of you from the Cyan Mountain Sect, come along as well."