Chapter 2562: Mo Courtyard
"Bai Qian?" Fenglei Guanqin shouted. He and Luo Lao’er had gotten so caught up in discussing the Mu family’s matters that Luo Lao’er had forgotten to share much about being captured by Tu Shuangshuang. With the full explanation, Fenglei Guanqin was left completely shocked. "That Bai Qian?"
Luo Lao'er nodded. "I'm guessing Tu Shuangshuang let the rest of us go and took only Bai Qian."
Fenglei Guanqin nodded. "That's certainly possible, but from what you’ve told me already, it was a complete coincidence that Bai Qian was captured, and she was not Tu Shuangshuang's original target."
Lu Yin agreed, "That’s my feeling as well; Bai Qian was certainly not their original target."
"Could the targets have been Shao Qingfeng and the other top students?" Luo Lao'er wondered.
Lu Yin explained, "Tu Shuangshuang did say that she wanted to capture them, but someone else must have been her motivation for the entire scheme. We just don't know who that is. Besides, even if she wanted to capture someone, that isn’t a reason for her to just let everyone else go. Everyone she captured would have been a valuable prisoner.”
"My guess is it’s that freak," Luo Lao'er said, referring to Seruzen. "His status in the Arboreal Realm is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, just look at how Mu Mu treats him."
"It could also be He Shu. After all, he’s He Ran's younger brother," Fenglei Guanqin suggested.
Luo Lao'er added, "Shao Qingfeng is also possible."
"Stop making random guesses. Every last one of us who was captured is a possible target. Who knows, it could even have been you," Lu Yin told Luo Lao'er.
Luo Lao'er rolled his eyes. "I’m at least a bit aware of myself; they wouldn't look at me twice. Luo Zang, on the other hand, could certainly be a target. I have no idea where any of the others might have ended up, but if they ended up here like us, the Sixverse Association will definitely send a search party here and they’ll be returned to the academy."
That's why they were thrown into random parallel universes, Lu Yin thought to himself.
"Uncle, have you made a decision? You should leave first. With Brother-in-law and Zi Jing there, I'll be fine in the Transcendent Universe," Luo Lao'er pushed.
Fenglei Guanqin considered the proposal again. "Let me think about it."
"By the way, how do we get back to the Transcendent Universe?" Luo Lao'er asked.
Fenglei Guanqin answered, "Every year, we send resources there for youyou. This time, we’ll just send you with those resources and you’ll make the trip together."
"Resources? What resources?" Luo Lao'er wondered.
Fenglei Guanqin's expression changed. "You didn't receive the resources we sent for you?"
Luo Lao'er shook his head.
The two men stared at each other, and their expression quickly turned dark.
With a loud bang, Fenglei Guanqin smashed the table and chairs with a palm. "The Mu family has gone too far!"
Luo Lao'er clenched his teeth. "Those bastards! They’ve even stolen our resources!"
Lu Yin frowned. The Fenglei clan had been so severely oppressed by the Mu family that they had not even been able to send resources to Luo Lao’er.
"That path is cut off," Luo Lao'er declared.
Fenglei Guanqin's expression turned ugly. "I'll find another way."
Two days later, the territory under the Fenglei clan’s control shrank even further. In addition to the Fenglei clan, there were dozens of other powerful families and organizations of varying size and power that occupied the Lower King Domain. All of them had agreed to attack the Fenglei clan in some manner or another. On top of that, all of the women were taken away from the remaining Spring Lightning Manors, reducing the Fenglei clan to the laughingstock of the Lower King Domain.
Halfway through their third night with the Fenglei clan, Lu Yin opened his eyes. He had just sensed powerful experts.
Thunder echoed as Fenglei Guanqin bellowed, "How dare you attack my Fenglei clan? You won’t be leaving!"
"Hmph! Fenglei Guanqin, you think you can stop us? Your Fenglei clan's days are already numbered," a mocking voice rang out. Many members of the Fenglei clan were overcome with fear. Their opponent a Demi-Monarch, just the same as Patriarch Fenglei Guanqin himself.
Three times the two Demi-Monarchs collided, and each impact destroyed countless buildings that belonged to the Fenglei clan.
Lu Yin stood by a window. Fenglei Guanqin was strong enough to hold the attackers back, but not strong enough to keep them from escaping. The attackers were well prepared, as Lu Yin could sense other hidden experts, still some distance away.
Did the Three Monarchs Universe have many Demi-Monarchs? Three of them had been sent at the same time just to deal with the Fenglei clan.
"Brother-in-law." Luo Lao'er arrived, a panicked expression on his face. He asked Lu Yin to stay close.
Lu Yin was curious about what he was seeing. "There are at least two attackers who are as strong as your uncle. Does your Three Monarchs Universe have a lot of experts at that level?"
Luo Lao'er instantly grew somber. "In that case, they should be from the Mo Courtyard."
"Mo Courtyard?"
"It’s the defensive force that’s intended to exclusively guard the Emperor Domain. They only allow Demi-Monarchs into their ranks. According to the records, there are fifteen members, and they will only take action when the Emperor Domain is directly attacked by outsiders. I never considered the possibility that the Mu family would be able to ask these experts to perform personal requests. Just what was it that Monarch Mu did for Monarch Luo to consent to even the Mo Courtyard helping her family?" Luo Lao'er gritted his teeth.
Lu Yin's eyes flickered. A defensive force composed of fifteen Semi-Progenitor-level powerhouses, that was quite formidable.
If the Mu clan was able to utilize the Mo Courtyard, then the relationship between Monarch Mu and Xia Shenji was far more complicated than Lu Yin had imagined. He needed to return to his own universe as soon as possible.
After a little more than half an hour, the two Demi-Monarchs who had struck the Fenglei clan during the night finally retreated. However, the hidden Demi-Monarch never made a move. They had been waiting for the opportunity to land a fatal blow on Fenglei Guanqin, but the patriarch had risen to his current strength from the very bottom. He possessed impressive battle experience, and the assassin was given no chance to act.
It was likely that the three attackers had refrained from acting in unison out of fear that Fenglei Guanqin would do whatever it took to kill one of them, even if he was forced to sacrifice himself.
"In our Three Monarchs Universe, all cultivators are servants of the three Monarchs. Because of this, Father once laid down strict orders that any experts at the Attendant realm or above are not allowed to engage in fights to the death, as their lives belong to the three Monarchs," Luo Lao'er explained.
Lu Yin understood. No wonder a winner had not been determined even after half an hour of battle. It also made sense that the attackers had not dared to stick around for too long.
Breaking the rules was one thing, but blatantly ignoring them was something else all together. The Demi-Monarchs feared attracting Monarch Luo's attention.
Despite his injuries, Fenglei Guanqin made sure to take a moment to comfort Luo Lao'er and Xuan Qi before retreating to deal with his own injuries. He assured the two young men that he would arrange for them to leave the Three Monarchs Universe as soon as possible, as the Mu family was becoming increasingly bold and reckless.
After Luo Lao'er left, Lu Yin let out a deep breath. It was time for him to make his move.
Far away, three Demi-Monarchs gathered before heading north without a word between them. They were headed straight for the Upper King Domain.
Lu Yin followed close behind while concealing his presence.
In order to avoid being noticed, he had not asked for directions to the Mu residence, and had instead decided to follow the three attackers.
While there was a vast distance between the Lower King Domain and the Upper King Domain, it was a quick trip for powerhouses at the level of Semi-Progenitors.
Lu Yin soon caught sight of the Mu estate, as it was a grandiose edifice that far surpassed the grandeur of the Fenglei clan. Regal structures created a noble atmosphere that elevated the grounds to a different level from the Fenglei clan’s home.
The three Demi-Monarchs went directly into the Mu estate.
Lu Yin maintained a bit of distance from the Mu estate, and just quietly observed.
It was not long before two of the Demi-Monarchs left again. Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed; one of the powerhouses had remained inside the estate. There was also another Demi-Monarch who had already been in the Mu residence, which meant that there were two people with the strength of Semi-Progenitors. He needed to plan his actions carefully to ensure that he did not alert the three Monarchs.
Lu Yin raised a hand, and a purplish-black substance spread across his skin. Wielder realm battle force spread across his body as his pupils transformed into runes. Slowly, the runes enveloped the entire Mu estate. After that was accomplished, Lu Yin started observing the spatial lines, and then, a single step allowed him to enter the Mu family’s home.
The estate was massive. Lu Yin first moved towards the only one of the three Demi-Monarchs who had participated in the attack on the Fenglei clan. This was the person who had remained hidden throughout the entire attack.
However, the man was not resting, but was instead examining something.
Lu Yin again touched the spatial lines, instantly appearing behind the man and striking out with a Hollow Palm.
The Demi-Monarch sensed the sudden appearance of a formidable expert, but had not expected to be ambushed within the Mu estate. There was no hesitation as he tried to flee, only to be blocked by Lu Yin's sudden appearance. Lu Yin covered the man’s face with his left hand before lashing out at the man’s back with his right hand. The attack pierced the man’s body and shattered it. Lu Yin’s victim was unable to dodge his attack, or even release any sound.
The man's pupils contracted as his monarch essence erupted as he tried to fight back. He refused to die without a sound. He had to resist!
At that moment, runes created an impregnable cage that isolated the room. The cage nullified all of the Demi-Monarch’s strength. Lu Yin maintained a firm hold of the man's face, and then squeezed, shattering the man’s head into pieces.
A mighty Semi-Progenitor-level powerhouse had just been instantly and silently killed.
Lu Yin released the corpse. "I didn’t actually want to kill you. You can only blame your bad luck that you stayed behind."
After taking everything of value from the man, Lu Yin left. He next went to find the last Semi-Progenitor-level expert who was residing in the Mu estate. That person should be the one in charge of the family, just like Patriarch Fenglei Guanqin.
In another part of the Mu estate lay a vast courtyard that was filled with embroidered tapestries. At the center, a silver-haired old woman stared at a tapestry in a trance.
"Madam, there's still no news." A pale-faced young woman approached, despair filling her eyes. She trembled as she knelt down.
The silver-haired old woman answered in a soft voice, "It’s already been five days. Where has poor Zang'er been taken?"
The maid remained kneeling on the ground, afraid to make even the slightest movement. Beads of sweat streamed down her forehead.
All of the tapestries were red. This red did not come from paint, but from blood. Each of the tapestries had been soaked with blood.
"If Zang'er is not here, why are you?" The silver-haired woman looked down.
The young woman’s head shot up. Alarmed, she started pleading, "Madam, please spare my li-"
Before the woman could even finish, a needle pierced her arm, pinning her to a tapestry. Blood ran down the threads, staining the tapestry red. It took on an eerie crimson hue beneath the dim starlight. "Take her away."
Another person entered the courtyard and dragged the corpse away in a practiced manner.
"Tell that person, in five days, we'll go to the Fenglei clan again. This time, all three of us will take action. I don't believe that all of us won’t be able to deal with that old bastard Fenglei Guanqin. I will complete this embroidery with his blood!" the silver-haired woman said.
"Understood," someone answered from outside the courtyard.
The old woman closed her eyes. Zang'er, where have you gone?
As she turned around, a figure appeared in front of her. It was Lu Yin. His appearance startled the silver-haired woman, but she still reacted very quickly. Three silver needles appeared in her hand, and they instantly stabbed at her opponent. It was clear that the old woman possessed far greater combat experience than the Demi-Monarch Lu Yin had already dealt with. She clearly understood that trying to escape would only put her on the defensive.
As she released her monarch essence, her needles shot forward. As she attacked, numerous desperate roars rang out. They came from something that was reminiscent of a Semi-Progenitor’s inner world.
The old woman managed to react quickly, but Lu Yin responded even faster. With a single palm strike, the silver needles were shattered. The woman stared in disbelief as her opponent reached out and grabbed her arm, twisting it and pulling her back a step. The next moment, a card appeared beneath the two people’s feet. Both Lu Yin and the old woman disappeared from the courtyard. The entire ordeal lasted less than a second, and with runes suppressing the entire courtyard, not even the faintest bit of energy leaked out.
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