Chapter 104

Zhan Xiao listened to these words, also nodded, and said: "Not bad, exactly so. Speaking of which, those six are blind, but the chief, you are magnanimous, there's no need to quarrel with them."

The triangular‑eyed ones and the others all had grim faces; a junior dared to be so arrogant, yet they were utterly helpless. Although they had not yet revealed their hidden strength, facing a fifth‑level Mystic Array, they could hardly afford to be careless.

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, never expecting that these six had been invited by the Tian Yuan Academy. In that case, he really ought to let those six go.

"Never mind! They're just six jumping clowns; letting you lot leave is no big deal—just leave behind one mystic artifact each and you can go!"

The six Martial Sovereigns' faces changed dramatically, full of humiliation. A junior daring to be so brazen, openly demanding benefits—simply outrageous.

No need for more words—his six companions' true qi surged, and they were about to attack.

However, at that very moment, the rune chariot hovering in the air gave a 'humming' sound, its radiance surged, the seal formulas flowed, and its mighty power was fully displayed.

The power of the entire array converged, and instantly six crystal bolts condensed on the rune chariot, their seal formulas intertwined, clear and bright, ten times mightier than before.

A sudden life‑and‑death crisis gripped their hearts; the triangular‑eyed ones and the others turned pale with fright, not even thinking, they immediately restrained their true qi, painfully pulling out mystic artifacts from their Qiankun bags, wearing looks of submission.

When the situation overpowers people, these six, seasoned veterans, instantly shifted their attitude at the first sign of trouble, refusing to engage in mutual destruction.

Lu Fan sneered, swept up the six mystic artifacts in one motion, opened a corner of the array, leapt onto the rune chariot in midair, and, bringing Zhu Ge Qing Ming and the others, shot straight out toward the Lu family residence.

Zhao Zu and the others all frowned, finding it strange. Lu Fan didn't even bother to greet them—really odd!

The wind howled, power surged, and the rune chariot flashed past East City at breakneck speed, light and shadow flickering around. Han Zhen paid no heed to the scenery, his brows tightly knit, puzzled as to why Lu Fan had just let those six Martial Sovereigns go, and he could not help but say:

"Young Master Lu, those six came with ill intent; letting them go like this will likely make them hard to deal with when they return for revenge!"

Zhu Ge Qing Ming also seemed doubtful and could not help but say: "Under the circumstances just now, it was hard to wipe them all out in one go, but merely killing a chicken to scare the monkeys—leaving one or two behind—would be more appropriate; why are you in such a hurry, Young Master Lu?"

Lu Fan glanced at the two of them, then pointed at the dazed Qin Zhen standing aside and said helplessly: "Something has happened to the Lu family; I have no time to deal with those jumping clowns. For now, the only plan is to use Qin Zhen and his son to test our luck."

As soon as his words fell, Zhu Ge Qing Ming and Han Zhen's expressions changed, and they suddenly understood. No wonder Lu Fan was so agreeable, even letting those triangular‑eyed fellows go. Perhaps letting those few produce their mystic artifacts and end it there was merely a pretext, so as not to let them notice the abnormality of the Lu family.

The rune chariot ran at full power; the city below flashed by like fleeting light, and in the blink of an eye it arrived before the Lu family residence.

With a roar, the rune chariot slowly descended, and Lu Fan leapt into the air, eager to enter the Ye family residence.

At that very moment, a flash of mystic light burst forth, and immediately gloomy ghostly qi spread, wailing spirits disturbed the mind and pierced the ears.

Lu Fan's expression hardened, then he exploded in anger, thrusting out his palm; the technique‑refined crystal furnace whirled out, seal fire blazed, turning into a sky‑covering blaze that rolled toward the ghostly qi and spirits before him.

Flames are the strongest counter to yin‑evil demons, yet something strange happened: when the ghostly qi and spirits touched the seal fire, they offered no resistance at all; instead, the yin‑evil qi surged and condensed into strands of ghost fire.

As soon as this ghost fire came into being, it fiercely dove into the seal fire, instantly devouring it and turning it into nourishment. Ghost fire filled the sky, spirits wailed, and the entire Lu family manor instantly transformed into a blazing nether realm, shocking to behold.

"The Yin‑Evil Ghost Fire Formation seems rather mysterious!"

Lu Fan furrowed his brows, his face turning icy cold, then suddenly turned his head and waved at Qin Zhen on the rune chariot.

Radiance burst forth, forming a silken band that wrapped around Qin Zhen and instantly brought him before Lu Fan.

He grabbed the opponent's shoulder, and with a thunderous surge of mighty force pressed down, causing the other to kneel. Then he let out a deafening roar, his true qi mingling with supreme aura, which instantly drilled into Qin Zhen's mind.

Since Qin Zhen's defeat until now, he had been in a daze, but this time he felt a clear light appear in his mind, gradually awakening.

The scene before him resembled a ghost realm, yet it did not frighten him at all; instead, his face lit up with excitement, as his long‑held plot finally unfolded before his eyes—he had no time to ponder prior events, and he shouted wildly:

"Lord Lei Di, you have truly done it. This is wonderful—my Qin family has finally risen in the Mingyue Empire; from now on, no one will……"

He seemed not to have awakened at all, still believing that Lei Di had brought him here.

Lu Fan gave a cold shout and sneered: "Qin Zhen, look at your situation clearly—the Lei Di you speak of has long been dead and gone; now you are merely my captive."

Qin Zhen blinked, only then realizing he should observe his surroundings; his face instantly turned to shock. He found himself kneeling before a junior, his entire strength suppressed by an overwhelming force, unable to move.

"You… beast, release me quickly, otherwise Lei……"

He simply did not believe Lu Fan's words, thinking it mere deceit, and still maintained a lofty attitude, even threatening Ye Fei.

"Slap!"

Lu Fan gave a cold snort, slapped a palm onto the opponent's face, his expression full of disgust. Though the man claimed to be the head of one of the Four Great Families of the Mingyue Empire, defeated by Lu Fan he had lost his mind, dazed and confused. Such character paled in comparison to his second uncle Lu Gucheng—who knows how many times worse.

Qin Zhen stared blankly; the huge gap between his psyche and reality lay before him, and he could not collect himself at all.

"No, impossible! This is absolutely impossible. My Qin family mobilized its entire nest, and Lord Lei Di is lending aid—how could a tiny Lu family possibly fail to take it?"

His face twisted with madness as he scanned the ghostly qi and spirits before him—clearly the true might of the Yin‑Evil Ghost Fire Formation. If the formation is intact, where are the Qin family's people?

Lu Fan's brows knit tightly, his face grim. He knew Qin Zhen's thoughts well—perhaps the Qin family's people were not even here, yet the formation's mighty power made no sense; it was truly strange beyond doubt.

A weak wail rang out, and Chen Dongming actually woke up, calling out to Lu Fan feebly.

"Lu…… young master, something has happened to the Lu family……"

He seemed not to realize where he was at all, his mind still hazy, but he clung to a single obsession: to inform Lu Fan of the news about the Lu family.

Lu Fan shook his head, and suddenly the other's earlier words echoed: Chen Dongming should have entered the Lu family manor three days prior, and it too was empty of people. At that time, the 'Lu family' ought to have been a blend of virtual and real in the formation, without such ghostly qi and spirits.

Such a change before his eyes must have been caused by some incident.

His thoughts reaching this point, he suddenly realized and murmured: "It seems that earlier disturbance triggered a change in the formation, its power surging, even causing the Qin family's people to disappear."

"Hmph! No matter what strangeness it holds, I, Lu Fan, will definitely break through this formation!"

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold, gave Qin Zhen a chilly look, then curled his lip and pointed a finger at the rune chariot from afar.

Mystic light flowed, spatial undulations arose, and several dozen figures emerged—none other than Qin Feng and his entourage of martial guard.

"Father!"

Upon appearing, Qin Feng paid no heed to anything else and immediately rushed toward Qin Zhen. He had previously been imprisoned in the rune chariot's formation space, but the scene of Lu Fan and Qin Zhen clashing he had seen clearly through the formation's light curtain.

Qin Zhen stared at Qin Feng with a dazed expression, then became dazed, unable to distinguish reality from illusion, and stood frozen on the spot.

"Hmph! You father and son have brought this on yourselves; since you dared to plot against my Lu family, you must be ready to suffer the same fate. Let the Yin‑Evil Sect's Yin‑Evil Ghost Fire Formation test its power on you two!"

Lu Fan gave a cold snort, swept his hand, and in one motion slammed Qin Zhen and his son into the formation. At the same time, he kicked out a few times, driving the ten‑odd martial guards into it as well.

In an instant, ghostly wails and wolf howls rose, yin winds swirled, and the ghostly spirits and fire turned into a vortex that coiled toward Qin Zhen and the others.

At this moment, Qin Zhen seemed to finally come to his senses, his face turning pale with fright, and he forcibly drove his true qi to lash out.

With the strength of a Martial King, it erupted instantly; in a few punches and kicks he shattered several specters. To Lu Fan's surprise, these specters were thin and ordinary, not at all like the earlier ones that had feared the seal fire.

"Young Master Lu, these are probably just ordinary spirits. Your seal fire being restrained is likely just a trait of the Yin‑Evil Ghost Fire Formation, with nothing else strange about it."

Zhu Ge Qing Ming seemed to have grasped a hint of the formation's mystery, and reminded Lu Fan.

However, just as his words fell, the collapsing and scattering Yin souls re-condensed; the originally vague apparitions instantly solidified, taking the form of a middle-aged man.

"Master, why are you killing me..."

That Yin soul suddenly opened its mouth to speak, wearing a strange grin, indescribably ferocious. Qin Zhen and his son were startled, incredulously exclaiming in panic:

"Butler, you, you... you how are you here?"

That question was extremely strange; the butler merely gave a heh heh laugh, his ghostly hand suddenly lashed out, and the hazy phantoms around gathered, each face becoming clear.

They turned out to be members of the Qin family—household guards, direct relatives—each with a ferocious face, a strange grin, baring fangs and claws as they lunged.

Qin Zhen and the others turned pale with shock, brandishing their weapons and unleashing divine abilities, yet these Yin souls seemed indestructible; even when blown apart into green smoke, they would instantly recover and lunge again with vicious ferocity.

"Fan Shao, what is this? Could it be some kind of illusion?"

Zhu Ge Qing Ming's face showed some embarrassment, but more so curiosity, as he directly asked:

Lu Fan solemnly said: "This is no illusion; these people must be the Qin family members who besieged my Lu family. This Yin Sha Ghost Fire Formation was clearly meant to be used against my Lu family, yet it seems others have exploited it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ge Qing Ming suddenly realized. Though the formation's exact rank was unclear, it was undoubtedly a mystic formation; to generate such power and even suppress the Lu Family Residence Guard Grand Formation could not be done in a short time.

At the very least, the Qin family's means couldn't achieve this; otherwise they wouldn't need to besiege three people. Even its family head had to go alone to the Rune Cultivators Guild.

"Fan Shao, why not blast open the formation with this Runic War Chariot?"

Han Zhen also offered his ideas; in his view, this Runic War Chariot was an incredible treasure, capable of anything.

"Ah—"

A bloodcurdling scream rang out; the martial artist whom Lu Fan had just kicked away fled madly, only to be seized by a Yin soul and torn in half.

Qin Zhen and his son, along with the martial artists, were panic-stricken, wildly brandishing their weapons in utter chaos.

Several Yin souls howled, seemingly delighted, scrambling to devour the flesh of the martially slain warrior, a gruesome and terrifying sight.

These Yin souls seemed even more vicious and ferocious than before, while the surrounding ghostfire winds had thinned, as if their power had suffered great loss.