Chapter 182: Heavenly Thunder Meets Earthly Fire
In the eyes of the Lu Clan’s high-ranking officials, after Lu Jian injured Lu Chou and fled from the Finance Department, they expected him to leave the capital city immediately. Therefore, most of their attention was focused on investigating the various city gates to determine where Lu Jian had exited. Unexpectedly, Lu Jian dared to be so audacious that he not only remained in Luojing but was also hiding in the residence of a Lu Clan member in North of the Luo River.
Lu Jian had always acted boldly and meticulously, knowing that the most dangerous place is often the safest. No one would have guessed that in such a situation, he would still dare to hide under the noses of his pursuers. This was all part of his prior plan. Although he had decided to take a desperate risk, he also anticipated the possibility of failure and had prepared for the worst.
A few days before the incident, Lu Jian used his authority to siphon off all the money from the Finance Department. He also took hundreds of thousands of guan in funds from the Storage Department and even borrowed a large amount of capital from various clans and merchant families under the Lu Clan’s name for short terms. He prepared this in case his plan failed, so that he could make a comeback with this vast sum, even if he had to flee the country.
Of course, if the matter had not been exposed, he would have returned the money he had taken and borrowed, and continued to be a steward of the Lu Clan.
As a result, the matter was indeed exposed, but Lu Jian did not immediately flee with the vast sum of money. He was originally a respected steward of the Lu Clan, a strong candidate for the next Sect Master. Moreover, he was only a hair’s breadth away from the Great Perfection of the Transforming Circle into Square realm. Once he achieved Transforming Circle into Square and brought the Heaven and Earth Righteous Law to Great Perfection, he would be able to open up the Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Main Meridians, and advance to Grandmaster. At that point, the position of Clan Leader would undoubtedly be his!
However, after Lu Xin returned to the capital, everything took a sharp turn. He became entangled in troubles, his reputation was ruined, and his only son was murdered. This caused severe trauma to his mind, making it impossible for him to ever truly achieve completeness and pass through the Heavenly Rank gate that was so close!
Now, he was disgraced and had lost everything. In Lu Jian’s opinion, it was all Lu Xin’s doing. If he couldn’t get revenge, he would go mad. Furthermore, considering the astonishing speed of Lu Xin and his son’s advancement, if he didn’t act immediately, he might never have the chance to get this revenge…
At the very least, he had to kill Lu Yun first, eliminate the future Grandmaster that Lu Xian had spoken of, and then let Lu Xin taste the grief of losing a son.
That’s why Lu Jian hid at Lu Ren’s house, which was also part of Lu Jian’s long-term plan. He discovered that this younger cousin, who was within five degrees of kinship, had a very similar appearance, build, and skin tone to himself. Moreover, as far as he knew, Lu Ren’s parents had both passed away, his wife and children were scattered, and he lived alone in the most remote part of North of the Luo River. This was practically as if heaven had tailor-made him for Lu Jian.
This is why Lu Jian could tolerate Lu Ren’s constant pestering for days. He observed the person’s demeanor and mannerisms, and memorized his voice and intonation. After his plan failed, he hid at this person’s home, killed Lu Ren, peeled off his facial mask, and made a human skin mask. Then, he assumed Lu Ren’s identity and came to Lu Xin’s new residence in broad daylight!
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In the front hall, the guards outside heard the commotion and rushed to investigate, only to find one of their companions dead on the spot. Several guards, enraged, were about to draw their weapons and charge forward when Lu Yun stopped them, saying, “Everyone out, you are no match for him!”
In the face of an Earth Rank Grandmaster, these guards, who hadn’t even reached the Black Rank, would only be sending themselves to their deaths.
The guards dared not disobey. They stood there, their eyes wide with fury, and said, “Young Master!”
“Go and invite my Master,” Lu Yun said, adjusting his breathing and facing a formidable enemy. “Don’t alert anyone else.” In the Lu Clan, only Lu Xian could truly handle this Lu Jian.
“Yes!” A guard responded, and one of them turned to run and report.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Lu Jian was still planning to kill Lu Yun’s entire family and wait for Lu Xin to return! How could he let Lu Xian ruin his plans?!
Before he finished speaking, he lunged towards the doorway. However, Lu Yun flashed in front of him and said coldly, “Your opponent is me.”
“Overestimating yourself!” Lu Jian snorted coldly and casually slapped a palm towards Lu Yun.
His Righteous Qi surged out, immediately sending Lu Yun flying backward.
With a bang, Lu Yun smashed through the ward gate and fell heavily to the ground, unable to move at all.
“Lu Xian praised you a few times, and you think you can contend with an Earth Rank Grandmaster?” Looking at Lu Yun, who was slumped on the ground, Lu Jian spat contemptuously and laughed wildly with a distorted face. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily. I’m going to torture you slowly and let Lu Xin witness your miserable state with his own eyes!”
Lu Yun’s eyes blazed with fire. He struggled to get up, but coughed up blood and slumped back down.
Lu Jian temporarily spared Lu Yun and lunged towards the guard who had fled. In the blink of an eye, he had passed Lu Yun, raised his palm again, and was about to kill the guards on the spot!
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a strange turn of events occurred. A ghostly figure appeared behind Lu Jian and launched a silent punch towards his back.
It wasn’t until the punch was only a few inches away that Lu Jian was startled. But by then, he had no chance to block or counterattack. He only managed to twist his body to the side, avoiding a fatal blow to his vital back, and was struck on his right shoulder!
With a thunderous explosion, a sound like thunder in silence!
This was followed by a chilling crackling sound. A long-lost, bone-chilling pain surged over him. Lu Jian was horrified to realize that his protective True Qi had been broken, and his right shoulder blade had been shattered!
“Ah! Lu Xin, you’re actually home!” Lu Jian let out a terrible howl. He could no longer spare a thought for chasing the guard and spun around like a top, dodging the opponent’s follow-up attacks and retreating to the center of the room, where he finally saw the person who had ambushed him!
Who else could the white-clothed youth with blood at the corner of his mouth be, if not Lu Yun?!
“You?!” Lu Jian was stunned. He had initially thought Lu Xin was hiding in the dark and ambushed him. He never expected that the one ambushing him was Lu Yun, whom he had knocked to the ground with a single palm strike, rendering him immobile!
Lu Yun ignored Lu Jian. He looked at his hands and shook his head in dissatisfaction.
‘I should have used ninety percent of my True Qi just now…’ Lu Yun thought with annoyance.
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As soon as he confirmed that the opponent was Lu Jian, Lu Yun knew he was facing the most dangerous battle of his life. He had thoroughly studied the details of Lu Jian injuring Lu Chou through Lu Xin and knew that the opponent had achieved Transforming Circle into Square. Although it was an imperfect Transforming Circle into Square, it was enough to crush all Grandmasters of the same rank as him!
Although Lu Yun could crush ordinary Grandmasters by using his full strength, the after-effects would be too severe. Lu Xian had strictly warned him not to use more than eighty percent of his Vital Energy, otherwise, he risked his meridians bursting and dying!
Therefore, Lu Yun had to outwit the opponent by exploiting his underestimation of him. He deliberately took Lu Jian’s palm strike, feigning immobility, and then, while Lu Jian was pursuing the guard who had gone to report, he seized the opportunity for a surprise attack! To ensure a successful strike, he unleashed his ultimate skill from the start—the Divine Heaven Five Thunder Technique from the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill!
Who knew that even though he had completely deceived the opponent, he had failed to deliver a fatal blow, and his subsequent continuous killing moves were also evaded by the opponent…
Clearly, this Lu Jian was far more formidable than Xiahou Lei had been at the time!
“You ambushed me just now?!” Lu Jian felt the True Qi that had invaded him still causing chaos within his body. He raised his fingers and tapped his right shoulder several times, temporarily sealing the acupoints there, while staring at Lu Yun with a look of disbelief and suspicion.
“Is there anyone else here?!” Lu Yun sneered, his hands forming seals. He bent his middle and index fingers, with the tip of his thumb pinching the Hai-shaped mark, and his little finger extended straight. He lunged at Lu Jian again.
“What kind of Kung Fu is this?!” Lu Jian’s pupils contracted sharply. In his eyes, Lu Yun had transformed into an incomparably sharp Golden Saber, ready to split him in two.
