Chapter 65: The Great Elder

"Lu Lao Er, I ask you, what kind of force is the Wanling Hall of the Longxiang Dynasty?"

His piercing gaze swept over Lu Erye, causing the other man to shiver and jump in fright.

"Lu Fan!" he shouted angrily, feeling extremely humiliated. He was, after all, his own uncle; to be addressed this way was extremely insolent.

What was even more humiliating was that he actually felt afraid. As the person currently in charge of the Lu Family, being scolded by a junior until his heart trembled was something he simply could not accept.

"Audacious Lu Fan, how dare you be so insolent to the Patriarch! Do you want to rebel?" Guard Commander Li Bokang shouted coldly, his courage extraordinary. He had long been unable to watch this, but unfortunately, under the cover of the surrounding array, he was unable to act and could only engage in verbal sparring.

Lu Fan's gaze narrowed as he looked at the man, expressing a bit of appreciation, "Although you are only a Great Martial Master, this courage is indeed rare. It seems my Lu Family still has some capable people!"

Everyone around them looked ashamed and humiliated. As the Lu Family's guard Martial Masters, seeing their Patriarch being humiliated, they didn't even have the courage to speak.

Lu Erye felt even worse upon hearing this. Lu Fan had long been expelled from the family by him, at least on the surface. He never expected that after three years of not seeing him, upon his return, he would suffer such humiliation. He was the person in charge of the Lu Family and a Martial King; how could he be humiliated by a junior?

"Hmph! Lu Fan, I underestimated you! But with just this array, you cannot trap me! Once I summon the Lu Family elders, let's see how you can still be so arrogant!"

As soon as Lu Erye finished speaking, he leaped away. The power of the Small Formless Array could not suppress him, and it looked like he was about to tear through the array.

"Young Master Fan, Lu Lao Er is not simple. If he escapes, I fear it will be disadvantageous for you in the future!"

Lu Shanxing looked nervous. Given the current scene, he should have taken the other party down without hesitation. But at this moment, he was seeking Lu Fan's opinion.

Lu Lao Er was Lu Fan's own "uncle," and the two seemed to be at odds. Lu Lao Er's hatred for Lu Fan was particularly obvious, but Lu Fan remained calm, which left him confused.

If he acted rashly and Lu Fan still cared about family ties, and the two reconciled later, he would be the villain, and it might plant the seeds of disaster today.

Lu Fan glanced at Lu Shanxing faintly; he saw through the man's thoughts at a glance. However, he did not show any displeasure, remaining unusually calm, and instead turned his gaze to Qiuxiang beside him, smiling:

"Grandmother is here; she must be worried. Come with me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he wrapped one arm around her slender waist and took a light step. Under the blessing of the array, his speed was incredibly fast, as if he were teleporting, and he actually arrived ahead of Lu Lao Er, opening the array's power.

A kind old woman with silver hair and a cane appeared before everyone's eyes; it was the Lu Residence's Lao Taijun.

"Fan'er, what are you two..."

Qiuxiang was dressed in men's clothing, and no one would have any good thoughts upon seeing this. Moreover, Lu Fan was holding her waist, and there was no sign of resistance from her. With such an appearance, anyone would probably guess that something had already happened between them.

However, Lao Taijun did not have such thoughts. She had watched Qiuxiang grow up; the little girl was well-behaved and would not do such an immodest thing. And Lu Fan was her most beloved grandson; although she hadn't seen him for three years, she didn't believe he would do anything absurd.

Qiuxiang realized this at this moment, feeling slightly flustered, and quickly pushed Lu Fan away, her pretty face flushing red.

Lu Fan smiled slightly and said softly, "Grandmother, I haven't seen you for three days. As soon as I saw you, I couldn't wait to bring Qiuxiang over!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Taijun was slightly dazed. Lu Fan and the other had appeared before her just now like a gust of wind; she thought they must have used Martial Artist methods.

However, she was still a bit puzzled, gently pulling Qiuxiang over, and said to Lu Fan, "Xiang'er is a good girl; you must not bully her!"

Lu Fan nodded repeatedly; he didn't want the old lady to worry. However, an inharmonious voice came from behind; it was Lu Erye.

"Hmph! This little beast has been wild outside for too long; heaven knows what his nature is like. Lao Taijun, don't be fooled by him!"

Lu Erye's face was filled with gloom, his eyes flickering. He had clearly been a step ahead of Lu Fan, but he never expected to fall behind him. And this boy had brought a maid with him, yet was still able to arrive first; it was truly unimaginable.

"Little beast?" Lao Taijun frowned, her face filled with anger, saying, "Lao Er, look at yourself. Do you still look like an uncle? With your father and eldest brother gone, our Lu Family has been ruined by you!"

As she spoke, her heart was very agitated. Thinking of her husband and children over the past few years, she felt sorrowful and actually began to shed tears.

Upon seeing Lao Taijun like this, Qiuxiang repeatedly stroked her back, helping her smooth out her breathing. Lu Fan, however, had a cold expression, staring fixedly at Lu Erye.

He had roughly understood the reason for the other party's hatred of him, and he no longer felt the resentment he had for his experiences over the years. He even felt a little sympathy for this "second uncle."

However, the other party's actions today left him very disappointed.

"Second Uncle!" Lu Fan suppressed his anger and called him Second Uncle for the first time in front of Lao Taijun, "You have gone too far today. I didn't take your ill will toward me to heart. But you actually dared to entrust the safety of my Lu Family to outsiders—it is wishful thinking and extremely foolish!"

Lu Fan's voice revealed a chilling coldness, like a cold wind from a ten-thousand-foot snowfield, freezing people to the core.

Lu Erye was slightly stunned. In his memory, Lu Fan had always called him "Lu Lao Er" directly. Now, this was clearly a deliberate act to win Lao Taijun's favor.

He was furious. Just now, Lu Fan had used the power of the array to make him lose face. Now, it was like this again; how could he endure it?

"Little beast, you are good at acting. Let's see how you can contend with me without the array's blessing!"

As soon as Lu Erye's voice fell, he rose to his feet, his aura surging, and his Martial King cultivation erupted completely.

Lu Fan was only a mere Tendon Refining Realm Martial Master. Now that he had left the range of the Small Formless Array, without the array's assistance, he couldn't borrow even a shred of strength. For him to fight a Martial King in the Opening Origin Realm, there was no chance of victory.

However, his expression remained as usual. He glanced faintly at a corner beside him and said loudly, "You have been hiding for so long, and your aura has been lingering around my second uncle; I think it's time for you to come out!"

Before his voice had even faded, a weathered old man with white hair and beard appeared, followed by three young people. Lu Ran, Lu Tianchou, and a young girl in red were among them.

"Hehe! It seems Tianchou's loss was not unjust. Among the juniors remaining in the Lu Family, no one is your match!"

The old man stroked his beard and laughed. Although he was only walking slowly, every step spanned several feet, and in the blink of an eye, he stood between Lu Fan and Lu Erye.

"Great Elder, what is the meaning of this?"

Lu Erye frowned. The old man was the Lu Family's Great Elder, his clan uncle. He had been in seclusion for years; why would he come out at such a time?

"Breath like gossamer, voice like a bell—this is clearly a sign of the Opening Origin Realm reaching perfection. It seems you are only one step away from the Qi Refining Realm Martial Venerable!"

Lu Fan glanced faintly at the Great Elder, exposing the other party's true state in one sentence.

The Great Elder was slightly stunned. He had only broken through half a month ago and hadn't even come into contact with many people; how did this half-grown boy know? But thinking back to the intelligence he had gathered, that even a Qi Refining Realm Martial Venerable hadn't been able to take this boy down at the palace banquet, he felt relieved.

Upon hearing this, Lu Erye looked incredulous, subconsciously probing, and then was shocked, retreating "thump, thump, thump" repeatedly.

"Impossible? You are so old; the vitality in your body has long since declined. Maintaining your cultivation without regressing is already rare; how could you possibly advance further?"

In Martial cultivation, if one cannot enter the Martial Master realm before thirty, one's life is at an end. If one cannot break through to the Martial King realm before fifty, one has basically reached one's limit.

The Great Elder was long past the age of fifty; logically, his Martial cultivation could not have any more breakthroughs, so it was no wonder Lu Erye was so shocked.

"Hehe! Lao Er, I don't like hearing you say that. What? Are you unhappy that your uncle has broken through?" The Great Elder chuckled, a cold glint suddenly exploding in his eyes, pointing directly at the current person in charge of the Lu Family, without any concealment.

Upon hearing this, Lu Erye's expression changed drastically. The Great Elder had long coveted the position of Patriarch; this was no secret. He had failed to compete for the position with his grandfather decades ago, went into seclusion to practice hard, and served as the Lu Family's Great Elder.

Three years ago, when his grandfather and eldest brother both left the Lu Family, the other party had also had other thoughts. It was only because he had used forceful means to take him down that he hadn't succeeded; he never expected that at this moment, it would be rekindled.

"Our Lu Family has always respected strength; the capable should do more. The position of Patriarch must be held by the person with the highest cultivation in the clan. Second Uncle, you have worked too hard for the Lu Family these past few years; it is time to rest and enjoy your old age!"

The girl in red covered her mouth and giggled. Although she was not old, her words were very sharp.

Lu Erye's face was as cold as frost. A junior speaking like this gave him no face at all. If it were in the past, no one in the Lu Family would dare to treat him this way, but today the situation had changed. His confidants were still trapped by Lu Fan in that Small Formless Array, and he vaguely felt that he was fighting a losing battle.

"Lu Shanlin, you are already decades old; why bother fighting for the position of the person in charge of the Lu Family? Although Lao Er is dull and stubborn in character, he has done his best for the Lu Family, and the old man and his eldest brother are both at ease."

Lao Taijun never expected such a sudden change. A moment ago she was scolding Lu Erye, but now she was defending him.

Lu Fan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. The Great Elder was coming aggressively; I fear it will be difficult for Lu Erye to end well today. With Lao Taijun here, it will inevitably implicate her heart and mind.

He turned his head slightly and said to Qiuxiang, "Qiuxiang, Lao Taijun is tired; take her back to rest!"

Upon hearing this, Qiuxiang immediately came to her senses, supporting Lao Taijun while tirelessly comforting her.

Lao Taijun was unwilling to leave, but in the end, Lu Fan whispered a few words to her, and Lao Taijun left with a helpless expression. She looked back three times with every step, full of worry toward Lu Erye's direction.

After the figures of Lao Taijun and the other disappeared, the situation in the field became subtle in an instant. The Great Elder and Lu Erye both had cold expressions, but neither spoke, just staring coldly, like statues.

Lu Fan had a strange expression, smiling and saying to Lu Ran behind the Great Elder, "I am very curious, as Lu Lao Er's precious son, how did you end up with the Great Elder?"

Lu Ran narrowed his eyes, his face cold, "Today is a major event for the Lu Family to change Patriarchs; there are no fathers, sons, uncles, or nephews. As a member of the Lu Family, one only needs to consider the future of our Lu Family!"

The Great Elder looked at Lu Ran with great satisfaction, then smiled at Lu Fan, "Lu Ran is right. I see that your talent is good; in the future, you will surely be a pillar of our Lu Family. Lu Lao Er is poor at judging people, but I, Lu Shanlin, do not lack such vision and will certainly know how to use people well!"

Such a blatant recruitment was clear to everyone present. Lu Erye's face was even colder, but surprisingly, he did not speak, and even his own son's words did not elicit the slightest reaction; it was truly extremely strange. ===== CHAPTER 66 =====