Chapter 101: Fishing
Meanwhile, in the ancestral grounds of the Liu family.
Liu Lu knelt on the ground below, while a middle-aged female cultivator glared at her with fury.
"You little wretch, why didn't you die instead?"
"Father, Yuan'er was your own grandson! You must avenge him for me!" the middle-aged woman shouted angrily.
If it weren't for a gloomy-faced middle-aged man holding her back, she would have lunged at Liu Lu and torn her apart.
"Grand Elder, earlier, the Guan family obtained our map, and the Abyssal Pavilion's people followed us into the Demon Abyss. If it weren't for a senior passing through that valley, none of our Liu family would have returned," Liu Lu said with a sorrowful expression. "Liu Yuan was killed by Guan Wentao. I had to promise the senior to sell off the assets of our branch to gather 1 billion spirit stones, just to save our lives."
"Before the senior arrived, Liu Yuan was already killed. But Guan Wentao, who killed Liu Yuan, was also slain by the senior. Moreover, when we left the Abyssal Mountains, the senior also killed the Abyssal Pavilion's master and the Guan family's head. In a way, this avenged Liu Yuan."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Liu Beizheng, the Liu family's only remaining Great Ascension cultivator, showed a hint of joy on his face.
"Are you certain Mo Chenggui and Guan Wenlong are dead?"
"Absolutely certain. They died right in front of me," Liu Lu declared firmly.
"Good, good, good!" Liu Beizheng exclaimed with a smile. "You've done well this time. The 1 billion spirit stones won't need to come from your branch; the clan will pool together to cover it."
The Abyssal Pavilion, the Guan family, and the Liu family were the three most powerful factions within a radius of 100,000 miles. Now that the elites and leaders of the other two factions had been wiped out, it was the perfect opportunity for the Liu family to rise. Compared to this, the death of a talented grandson was nothing.
"Father, you—" Liu Yuan's mother tried to speak again.
"Enough! This matter is over!" Liu Beizheng glanced at her coldly. "I've already said, the one who killed Yuan'er is dead. Stop making a fuss!"
With that, Liu Beizheng turned to Liu Lu and said, "Follow me. Some important figures want to know what happened in the Demon Abyss. You'll report to them with me."
He then led Liu Lu toward a luxurious courtyard.
Five days later.
A group of people appeared at the entrance of the Liu family's courtyard where Li Changsheng was staying.
Among them was the current Liu family head, Liu Beizheng, as well as two figures cloaked in black robes, emanating faint traces of demonic energy.
Liu Lu's delicate figure was pressed tightly against one of the black-robed individuals. Upon closer inspection, her face bore a faint flush, clearly having just finished an intimate encounter.
She leaned against the black-robed figure and said in a sweet, clingy voice, "Senior, the mysterious man is inside the courtyard. Our Liu family has already surrounded the area for several miles; not even a mosquito could escape."
Liu Beizheng, seeing how well Liu Lu had ingratiated herself with this senior, showed a pleased expression. These two were from the General's Mansion. As long as they could secure the General's Mansion's favor, the Liu family could dominate the surrounding territories without fear of opposition.
"Let's go. We'll meet this mysterious powerhouse," the other black-robed figure said indifferently.
Creak!
At that moment, the courtyard gate opened on its own.
"Since you're all here, why not come in?" Li Changsheng's voice echoed from inside the courtyard.
"Go!"
The two black-robed figures stepped into the courtyard first, followed closely by Liu Beizheng and the Liu family's experts.
Upon entering, they saw a small boat on the courtyard's lake, with a young man in green robes sitting on it, holding a fishing rod.
The moment they stepped into the courtyard, the young man lifted his fishing rod, reeling in a koi fish with a cultivation level of peak Qi Refining.
The young man smiled, removed the koi, and said indifferently, "After waiting for five days, the fish has finally bitten!"
???
The two black-robed figures froze. The Liu family members also looked uneasy. From the young man's words, it sounded like he had been waiting for them?
"Stop with the theatrics!" the black-robed figure holding Liu Lu said coldly. "Kid, do you have any connection to Baicao Hall?"
After receiving news of the Abyssal Pavilion and Guan family's destruction, the Young General had dispatched them to investigate the matter. He had also instructed that if the mysterious powerhouse was linked to Baicao Hall, they were to eliminate him without hesitation.
Li Changsheng ignored the black-robed figure, placing the koi into a fish basket. He said calmly, "Does it matter who I'm connected to? I waited for you for five days just so you could gather enough spirit stones. Otherwise, I would've acted sooner!"
With that, Li Changsheng flicked his fishing rod. The fishing line, formed of sword energy, shot toward the people at the courtyard entrance.
"How dare you!" the unpaired black-robed figure roared. His body rapidly expanded into a three-meter-tall giant, covered in scales, with claws that gleamed coldly. He slashed at the sword energy line.
Crack!
The fishing line sliced through. One of the claws flew into the air, as dark green blood gushed from the severed stump, splattering onto several nearby Liu family cultivators.
Sizzle!
The moment the dark green blood touched them, the Liu family cultivators reacted as if struck by concentrated sulfuric acid. Their bodies corroded, and before they could even scream, they dissolved into puddles of blood.
"This…" Liu Beizheng was stunned.
The General's Mansion's powerhouse... didn't look human.
"This one's tough. Attack now!" The black robe shattered, revealing a crocodile-like head beneath.
Croak! The black-robed figure holding Liu Lu let out a frog-like croak, and its tongue shot toward Li Changsheng on the boat.
The jade boat emitted a faint light, deflecting the tongue back effortlessly. This boat was a quasi-immortal artifact Li Changsheng had obtained from Luo Changqing.
"What kind of creature is this?" Li Changsheng frowned slightly, flicking his fishing rod again. The fishing line erupted with dazzling sword light!
Slicc!
The sword line passed through the two black-robed figures before they could react, cutting them in half at the waist.
Two shadows shot out of the corpses, fleeing westward at high speed.
"Think you can escape?" Li Changsheng's expression remained unchanged. He flicked his fingers, and two blinding sword lights materialized from the void, shredding the shadows into pieces.
Li Changsheng lightly stepped off the jade boat, which rapidly shrank and returned to his hand. Approaching the corpses, he waved his hand, and the black robes disappeared, revealing their true forms.
One resembled a crocodile, covered in scales, while the other had warts like a toad, with yellowish fluid dripping from it. These two monsters seemed to have Transcendence Realm cultivation, but it appeared they had been forcibly elevated to that level. They could bully Great Ascension cultivators, but any Transcendence Realm expert could easily kill them.
Ugh! Upon seeing the toad-like creature, Liu Lu turned and vomited.
Although the creature had taken human form when she served it yesterday, the thought of its true form was too much to bear.
Li Changsheng glanced meaningfully at Liu Lu and muttered, "The cultivators in this world sure know how to play."