Chapter 1107: The Strength of Unity
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Cheng He was the Guild Leader of the Alchemists Guild's Main Guild in the Southern Outer Land and a grade one alchemist.
Naturally, he would not be such a huge threat to the Lu Clan if he was only a grade one alchemist. However, the person who posed the greatest threat was none other than Leng Chi, the green-clad middle-aged man who followed him around.
Leng Chi's strength was not inferior to the strongest person in the Lu Clan, Lu Qiu.
Three months ago, Cheng He had brought Leng Chi to the Lu Clan. At that time, their target was Duan Ling Tian. However, they failed to get what they wanted and could only leave miserably due to Lu Qiu's interference and the Lu Clan's three great Guardian Elders.
After three months, they came back with two helpers in tow.
One of the helpers was the Guild Leader of the Weapons Craftsmen Guild's Main Guild in the Southern Outer Land – Mo Jie.
Mo Jie was a grade one weapons craftsman. Since he had focused on the Weapons Refinement Dao, his growth was limited in the Martial Dao. Similar to Cheng He, he was an ordinary First Level Monarch Stage martial artist.
Cheng He had asked for his help not because of his strength but because of the person who always followed him around to guard him. It was none other than the blue-clad old man always following Mo Jie.
In terms of strength, the blue-clad old man was in no way inferior to Leng Chi and Lu Qiu. His strength was quite terrifying as well.
The other helper was Ou Lie, the current Clan Leader of the Northern Mountain Land's Ou Clan.
Ou Lie was a Martial Dao genius who only appeared every 1,000 years in the Ou Clan. When he was in his forties, his cultivation base successfully broke through to the Martial Monarch Stage, and thus, he became a Martial Monarch powerhouse.
His current strength was on par with Leng Chi and Lu Qiu as well.
The three powerhouses with strength that was on par with Lu Qiu was Cheng He's biggest support. He believed the Lu Clan would not dare to directly confront them if they were smart.
Apart from that, it would also be easy for him to forcefully bring Duan Ling Tian away.
"Clan Leader Lu, you must make your decision wisely. Don't let the Lu Clan suffer from unnecessary damage just because of a momentary burst of courage," Cheng He said victoriously as he stared at Lu Rui.
"Hurmph!" Lu Rui snorted before he mocked, "What now? Don't tell me you plan to annihilate our Lu Clan, Guild Master Cheng?"
"I know I don't have the ability to wipe out the Lu Clan. However, if the Lu Clan lost a few of its Martial Monarchs, I believe the few forces in the Inner Land won't avenge the Lu Clan," Cheng He replied nonchalantly. As he reached the end of his sentence, a malicious smile crept up on the corner of his mouth.
"YOU!!" Lu Rui's face darkened instantly. He was so angry that he felt as though his blood was boiling. However, he knew what Cheng He said was the truth.
Whether it was Cheng He, Mo Jie or Ou Lie, none of them possessed the courage to annihilate the Lu Clan. This was because the Lu Clan was protected by a few first-rate forces in the Inner Land.
Naturally, those first-rate forces would only make their move if the entire Lu Clan was annihilated. They would remain unmoved even if all the Martial Monarchs in Lu Clan died.
Lu Rui took a deep breath and looked at Leng Chi with dread in his eyes before he shifted his gaze to Ou Lie and the blue-clad old man behind Mo Jie.
These three Martial Monarchs had strength that was in no way inferior to Lu Qiu, the strongest person in their Lu Clan.
If the Lu Clan battled it out with them, they would definitely suffer a great loss.
The three Guardian Elders might not even survive.
Lu Rui was caught in a dilemma.
On one hand, he had the few main backbones that held the Lu Clan up. It was currently faced with the risk of falling apart.
On the other hand, he had the future pillar of the Lu Clan who was also the person Cheng He wanted to take away.
If he wanted to save these few backbones, he would have to give up the future pillar of Lu Clan. The Lu Clan would lose a rare opportunity. This opportunity was enough to let the Lu Clan soar to the top and stand at the peak on Cloud Continent.
After all, the background of that pillar was incredibly terrifying.
He was a person who had stood at the peak on Cloud Continent in his previous life. Currently, he was in the form of his final reincarnation so he would definitely achieve much more than he did in his past lives.
Naturally, this was only true provided he did not meet with any mishaps along the way.
If he died now, it would be pointless to discuss the future.
"If we hand Elder Duan over, our Lu Clan won't suffer any loss. However, Elder Duan would be taken away by them. If we don't hand Elder Duan over, our Lu Clan will suffer a great loss. In the end, Elder Duan will still be taken away by them. Both scenarios have the same outcome, but at the core of it, it's different! In the former scenario, it's us who give up on Elder Duan. Even he doesn't hate us, our relationship will definitely sour! As for the latter scenario, we'll give our all to protect Elder Duan. Even if we can't protect him and he's taken away, he'll still feel grateful." Lu Rui was deep in thoughts at this moment. He was feeling deeply conflicted.
In the end, he could not help but turn to look at Lu Qiu, wanting to get his opinion.
"Clan Leader, from now onward, every matter regarding the Lu Clan is up to you to decide. No matter what your decision is, I'll always support you," Lu Qiu said before Lu Rui even had the chance to open his mouth.
"Clan Leader, all of us will support your decision." Lu Yuan, Lu Gui, and Lu Zhi nodded their heads as well. They had the same mindset as Lu Qiu.
For a moment, Lu Rui could feel the weight of a mountain on his shoulders, and he could hardly breathe.
"If I choose the former and give up on Elder Duan… If Elder Duan manages to escape this calamity and rise to the peak again, he won't bother with us anymore even if he doesn't settle the score with us." One choice was enough to cut off the friendship between the Lu Clan and Elder Duan.
"If I choose the latter, the three Guardian Elders will most likely meet their ends. Even the Former Clan Leader will be in danger too… Elder Duan will still be taken away. However, if Elder Duan manages to survive, our Lu Clan's future will definitely be bright!" Another choice would cause the Lu Clan to suffer great damage, and nobody was able to predict the future regarding Elder Duan.
However, if Elder Duan somehow survived, the Lu Clan would definitely be able to ride on his success!
Lu Rui was in a dilemma. He could not make up his mind at all.
"Clan Leader Lu, I hope that you'll be able to give us an answer after the span of ten breaths. After the span of ten breaths, we'll start playing rough if you still don't give us an answer!" Cheng He smirked as he looked at Lu Rui. "At that time, please don't blame the three of us for not taking our friendship into consideration!"
"There's no need to wait for ten breaths!" At this moment, Lu Rui clenched his teeth and made his decision. "It's impossible for the Lu Clan to hand Elder Duan over to you! From the moment Elder Duan became the First Interim Advisor of Lu Clan, he's already a part of our Lu Clan! Our Lu Clan has a 10,000 years legacy. It's impossible for us to betray friends for the sake of our own personal gain! Today, we'll give our all to protect Elder Duan even if it means we'll have to face death." Lu Rui's words were incredibly loud and crisp as it spread in the air.
The moment the Lu Clan's three great Guardian Elders heard this, their eyes lit up as they faced Cheng He and the other four in a poised and brave manner. Although they knew the strength of the three people on the other side was far stronger than theirs and could kill them in mere seconds, they did not feel even the slightest bit of fear.
This was all for the sake of Lu Clan!
For the sake of Lu Clan, they had no regrets even if they died in the battle!
They were the embodiment of the word 'Guardian' in their title Guardian Elders. They did not bring shame to their title at all.
Fight!
Lu Rui's words also entered Lu Qiu's ears. He was initially nervous, but he had a smile on his face now. The nervousness in the depth of his eyes disappeared without a trace.
Whoosh!
At the same time, Lu Qiu appeared in front of the three great Guardian Elders of the Lu Clan and coldly glared at Cheng He and the others.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
…
Soon after, many figures flew in from all directions. They were the Lu Clan's elders who were watching from afar.
Their sense of hearing was greater than ordinary Lu Clan's disciples. They had heard the exchange between Lu Rui and Cheng He. They were all affected by Lu Rui's words as well, and their blood was boiling with righteous indignation.
"Let us fight to the death!"
"Protect Elder Duan with our lives!"
"You'll have to cross over my dead body if you want to kill Elder Duan!"
…
A group of Lu Clan's elders surrounded Cheng He and the other four. They were yelling at the top of their lungs in an imposing and majestic manner.
"What?! That five men came for Elder Duan?" Soon after, the Lu Clan's disciples who were watching afar was also in an uproar.
"Originally, my Second Uncle forbade me from saying this. However, I think I should say it no matter what." One of the Lu Clan's disciple said through clenched teeth, "Earlier, my Second Uncle told me those people want to bring Elder Duan away, but the Clan Leader rejected them. Now, the Clan Leader has declared a war with them! However, their strength is strong. The outcome seems grim for the Clan Leader, Former Clan Leader, and the three Guardian Elders!" The Lu Clan's disciple said all this in one breath.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"They want to take Elder Duan away?! F*ck you, man! Now that there's a grade one alchemist in our Lu Clan, don't even dream of taking Elder Duan away from us!"
"It seems like this entire matter is instigated by Guild Master Cheng He of the Alchemist Guild's Main Guild. I think he feels Elder Duan — the second grade one alchemist to appear in the Southern Outer Land after him — is a threat to his status so he wants to eliminate Duan Ling Tian."
"Those who are men and have balls, follow me now! Let f*ck that son-of-a-bitch Cheng He till he dies!"
"Let's go!"
…
Soon after, each and every one of the Lu Clan's disciple flew out in a mighty formation. With three layers inside and another three layers outside, they surrounded Cheng He and the other four tightly in a dense and dark mass. They appeared like a dark cloud that hung over the city.
"Good! Good!" Lu Rui became emotional when he saw this scene. This was his first time seeing their Lu Clan so united.
Lu Qiu and the three Lu Clan's Guardian Elders smiled as well.
Even if they died today, it would not be in vain!
This was the Lu Clan that they spent their entire lives protecting!
Although they might die, they would go to their graves with no regrets at all!
"As expected from an ancient clan with a 10,000 years legacy! Such unity is not easily found in ordinary forces. The disciples of ordinary forces would've fled if they saw such a calamity approaching them!" Xiong Quan was struck dumb when he saw the scene unfolding before his eyes.
When Feng Tian Wu saw this scene, even the frost on her beautiful and delicate face slightly thawed. She was moved by this group of Lu Clan's disciples.
At the same time, Cheng He and the other four's faces turned pale immediately when they saw the Lu Clan's elders and disciples had them surrounded three layers inside and another three layers outside.
It would only be a small matter if they killed a few people from the Lu Clan. It was not enough to provoke the first-rate forces from the Inner Land that protected the Lu Clan. However, if they killed all these people, they would have to face their own dooms as well.