Chapter 95

Lei Di suddenly stepped forward, his figure hovering in the void leapt down and lunged at Lu Fan.

The Martial Venerable's might burst forth, an irresistible pressure sweeping toward Lu Fan.

Across the void, across the runic war chariot, the martial artists below all felt it, each shocked to the core, as if surrounded by raging waves, their whole bodies like a tiny boat ready to capsize.

Even Zhao Zhenchuan, Zu Qing Tan, and the others couldn't help but shrink their necks, unable to stare directly at the Martial Venerable's might above.

As the eye of the storm, Lu Fan remained composed, staring at the charging Lei Di, slowly raising his hand and pointing at him while shouting.

"Runic True Principle, separate the original phases!"

As his voice rose, the runic war chariot burst with radiant light, its runic seals rippling upward, condensing in the void into a crystal longbow; almost instantly it vanished, like a teleport, shooting straight toward Lei Di.

Lei Di's face turned pale with shock, instinctively sensing a mortal danger. With no time to think, his readied Dark Fiend Nether Hammer smashed forth.

"Crack!" a crisp sound rang out—the crystal longbow had no force at all, like a delicate porcelain bow, it shattered into countless fragments, reduced to powder.

At this moment, Lei Di felt no joy, only a deathly pallor. Though the crystal longbow appeared to have shattered into powder, it actually dissolved into countless runes, thick and dense. The slightest contact with his hammer caused the treasure's radiance to peel away, and the Dark Fiend Nether Hammer's aura dimmed accordingly.

As a sixth‑rank Martial Venerable and an elder of the Dark Fiend Sect who had weathered life‑and‑death battles, his experience was vast; he paused not a moment, hovering mid‑air then leaping up, shaking off most of the powdered runic seals.

The onlookers below were bewildered—clearly Lei Di had smashed the crystal longbow with his hammer, yet he ended up on the defensive, fleeing in disarray!

Lu Fan sighed, somewhat helplessly: "After all, he's a sect elder, well‑versed and experienced; my little trick probably can't take him down!"

He shook his head, focused his will, and with a single hand beckoned to the void. The powdered runic seals flew back, re‑forming before him as a crystal furnace, which he grasped carefully and rubbed gently.

Lei Di fled several dozen zhang, his face grim as he stared at Ye Fei; his former contempt had vanished, replaced by uneasy apprehension.

"Don't look at me like that; honestly, your strength is not bad—I really can't take you down!"

Ye Fei casually twirled the crystal longbow in his hand and chuckled: "I spent three whole days just to barely repair this war chariot, enough to condense a single true‑principle crystal longbow. Once it entangles you, under the mystery of the runic seals you'll instantly turn to flying ash, vanish, and your body will be refined into drifting dust."

His light‑hearted words sounded to Lei Di's ears like a bone‑chilling chill; inwardly he felt a flicker of luck—had he reacted a beat slower, he would have been refined into dust, leaving no corpse.

The martial cultivators below were utterly numb, only able to marvel. Saying Lu Fan suppressed Qin Zhen was merely clever force, exploiting the opponent's deep affection for his offspring; but dealing with this Lei‑robed Martial Venerable was truly an unfathomable, marvelous method.

As for Zhao Zu and the other runic cultivators, their eyes burned with fervor, hearts filled with admiration. Though the Dharma‑Propagation Assembly had not yet begun, they had already witnessed a runic truth so lofty it could hardly be attained in a lifetime.

The rune war chariot, the 'Illusion Technique' divine ability that seems real yet false, and also that marvelous to the point of being unimaginable method of controlling runes and commanding formations—none of these are something the rune cultivators present can possess or even hope to attain.

The source energy accumulated in this rune war chariot has been completely exhausted; it simply cannot hold up any longer!

Just at this moment, a hearty laugh rang out, and immediately a youthful figure appeared, wearing a Confucian robe and jade belt, looking refined and elegant. His expression was even more gentle; from whichever direction you looked, he seemed to be smiling at you, involuntarily evoking a sense of goodwill.

Lu Fan followed the sound and looked over; his expression showed no surprise, nor any annoyance at having his true nature exposed, and instead he lightly nodded and said calmly:

Your eyesight is not bad, but your patience leaves much to be desired! This war chariot indeed has some problems; it's nearly at its limit and difficult to use!

He had no intention of denying or concealing anything; as soon as his words fell, the crystal crossbow in his hand shattered, turning into a rune seal that burrowed into the war chariot beneath his feet.

At the same time, the rune war chariot, which had been surrounded by radiant light and possessed an extraordinary aura, instantly dimmed, barely hovering in the void—clearly its power was gone.

Lei Di, seeing this scene, narrowed his eyes, looked enlightened, then his face lit up with great joy as he laughed loudly: "Hahaha, now I understand. I said, what gives a mere rune master like you the right to control a rune war chariot? It turns out you're not hesitating to drain this treasure's power just to fight me!"

Just a moment ago he wore an expression of dread and was extremely nervous, but now he was overcome with excitement, his face full of arrogance. He casually flicked his sleeves, pointed at Lu Fan and shouted again: "Kid, offer up the rune war chariot, hand over Qin Zhen and his son, kneel down and listen to this venerable one's judgment!"

Lei Di's words were vicious, his presence imposing, bearing the air of one who looks down on others and gives orders. He appeared even more formidable than when the martial sovereign's power had just erupted earlier.

The crowd below stood stunned; although they couldn't make out the exact situation, the outcome was now clear as day. Lu Fan, who had brought surprise and shock to everyone, seemed to have run into trouble.

After all, he was merely a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth; although exceptionally talented, he had achieved dual cultivation of runes and martial arts at such a young age, reaching the level of a third-stage martial artist and rune master. Yet compared to a qi-refining martial sovereign, a sixth-stage expert, the gap was too great.

Without the rune war chariot, Lu Fan could not possibly be a match for the Lei Pao martial sovereign.

Even Zhao Zu and these two, the people who understood Lu Fan best, also had grim expressions and didn't know what to do.

Ah! What a pity! Truly a pity! Such outstanding talent, I fear he will perish today—truly my misfortune, Mingyue!

This martial sovereign is truly shameless, bullying the weak with his strength, oppressing the feeble with his power. If shamelessness could be used to rank realms, I believe he would surely be able to suppress all directions among the shameless, and becoming a venerable one would pose no problem at all.

Hmph! Even someone like him can cultivate to become a martial sovereign—Heaven really is blind. How come I, Old Man Wu, don't have such good fortune?

The martial artists could no longer bear it, exchanging cold mockery and hot ridicule, speaking various remarks without restraint. As soon as he appeared, he bore the air of one who would suppress everyone present, and at this point, no one held back any longer.

When everyone is out to kill you, if you can't even utter a single defiant sentence, that's truly suffocating. Why bother cultivating martial arts or comprehending the Dao? Might as well just die outright.

Although the rune war chariot's might was gone, Lu Fan's expression remained normal; he simply stood by quietly observing the surroundings, showing no particular reaction.

Hahaha! Brother Lu, you're truly no ordinary person—undaunted in danger, I admire you, I admire you!

The Confucian-robed youth laughed heartily, clasped his fists toward Lu Fan and said. He had completely forgotten the peril of this situation; his sudden appearance, which "exposed" Lu Fan's true nature, was the cause.

Lu Fan gave a slight smile, casually glanced at the other's figure, and said: "This is all thanks to you; come to think of it, I should actually be grateful to you! But I find it strange that you would jump out at this moment—surely you have some other motive, right?"

The Confucian-robed youth blinked slightly, his face seeming a bit embarrassed as he said: "I am Zhang Heng, a citizen of Longxiang State. A few days ago at Yuhua Hall I rescued your cousin Chen Dongming; I didn't intend to look for him again today, but upon noticing something suspicious, I came here to remind Brother Lu."

Zhang Heng recounted his background, then without changing expression briefly mentioned what had happened three days prior inside Yuhua Hall; afterward his gaze grew somewhat odd as he fixed it on Lei Di, implying something.

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan's pupils contracted sharply; the strangeness that had occurred today suddenly linked together in his mind. His thoughts raced, and a bad idea surfaced.

What's going on? No one from my Lu family has come here today—could it be related to this guy?

Just thinking of the Lu family members, Lu Fan lost his earlier composure, his expression turning solemn. He pointed at Lei Di and loudly questioned Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng never expected his evasive wording to be seen through by Lu Fan in an instant; he couldn't help but wryly smile. Such perceptiveness—it's practically a monster!

He had no reply, while Lei Di's face on the other side turned ferocious as he laughed loudly: "Hahaha, so you are the remnant of the Lu family. This venerable one, out of great compassion, tells you that all members of your Lu family have been trapped by my Yin Sha Ghost Fire Formation and are being refined. If you go back now, you might still make it in time to meet the souls of your kin; any longer, and they will lose their sanity and completely turn into ghostly beings."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan's expression turned cold. The other's words exactly explained why no one from the Lu family had come here. The entire Lu family, it seems, truly as he said, has been trapped by the "Yin Sha Ghost Fire Formation".

Lei Di gazed at Lu Fan's changing expression with a sinister smile, licked his lips, and then said proudly: "The Chen Dongming that the Junzi Hall kid mentioned—must be him, right?"

Before his words even finished, with a "pa" sound, a figure was thrown out, covered in blood, on the verge of death, flying toward Lu Fan—it was Chen Dongming.

Lu Fan's expression changed drastically as he hastily caught Chen Dongming; the latter's whole body was wrapped in yin energy, clearly having been tortured for a long time. Yet he still retained a trace of consciousness, and upon seeing Lu Fan, he immediately burst into tears.

"Lu… young master, it's terrible, something major has happened to the Lu family! The entire residence is empty of anyone, and…"

He had been tortured for three days, exhausted to the point of collapse; upon seeing Lu Fan now, his mind and spirit were agitated, and before he could finish speaking, he fainted outright.

In the crowd below, Zhan Xiao's expression froze; he instantly recognized Chen Dongming and shouted loudly: "Chairman, three days ago someone gave Chen Dongming a hard time, but I intercepted him then. Chen Dongming left safely, and afterward he went to the Lu residence to look for you, which is how he ended up like this."

Lu Fan's eyes narrowed as he nodded toward Zhan Xiao.

The crisis facing the Lu family is now mostly clear. Three days ago, he killed Wei Kuangdao of the Shengwu Dian Hall, then left the Lu family. Afterward, Lei Di together with the Qin clan joined forces to set up a formation, encircling the Lu family manor.

And Chen Dongming, for unknown reasons, went to the Lu residence to look for him, encountered disaster, and only now has this scene unfolded.

Understanding these, he nevertheless calmed down, and regained his previous nonchalance, then shouted at Lei Di: "Three days ago you already set up the formation, but even now you are still alone. No one from the Qin family has appeared; it seems they are all guests in my Lu household. How is it, how is our Lu family's hospitality?"

The Lu family is one of the Four Great Families of Bright Moon, and with Lu Shanxing and those four Enforcers holding the fort, the Qin family could never be taken down. Even with the aid of Lei Di of the Yin Sha Sect, at most they could only trap us in a formation for a short while; there is absolutely no problem.

As expected, when Lu Fan spoke those words, Lei Di's expression changed, his eyes turning sharp. Evidently he hasn't been having an easy time these past three days; it's far from what he claimed: the Lu family's people have already been taken down by him, turned into resentful spirits.

"Hmph! Under the encirclement of my Yin Sha Ghostfire Formation, you're merely clinging to life. Fine! You remnants of the Lu family here, I'll take you all down!"

Seeing that deception was no longer possible, Lei Di stopped wasting words, gave a loud shout, leapt up, and lunged at Lu Fan once again.

The Martial Venerable of the Qi Refining Realm strikes again—how is Lu Fan, without his Runic War Chariot, supposed to respond?

Zhan Xiao, Zhang Heng, and even the hidden experts around, those of extraordinary perception, all had this same doubt.

Although reason clearly told them that Lu Fan was surely at the end of his rope, they inexplicably felt anticipation, their faces filled with excitement.