"Zhou Yunqiong sent someone?"
Inside his room, Lu Yuan could not help but frown upon hearing the report. Since their encounter at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, he had not had any contact with her. Why had she sought him out all of a sudden?
"Yes, King Lu," Zhu Qingyu replied before him. "They claim they've come to apologize and clear up past misunderstandings. Winged Celestial is here as well."
At present, whenever Lu Yuan stayed at Mount Tai, she essentially served as his liaison. Whether matters were great or small, she was the one to pass word along. This had been an intentional arrangement by Elder Ji. After all, they could hardly expect King Lu to handle every trivial detail personally, and having an attentive young woman by his side made things far more convenient.
Zhu Qingyu naturally had no objection to this duty, seeing it as a chance to spend more time around him. Whenever anything arose, she made sure to inform him first.
"Clear up misunderstandings?"
A faint smile appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes. "Interesting. Bring them in, then."
Had this been his previous life, he certainly would have paid close attention to someone like Zhou Yunqiong. But through his past experiences, he had come to understand her thoroughly: she was deeply calculating and harbored enormous ambitions. To make matters more complex, she possessed a terrifying bloodline and was bound to become an exceptional powerhouse in the future. Moreover, after learning of her connection to the Ji clan through Jiang Ningxian, Lu Yuan felt his understanding of Zhou Yunqiong was still incomplete. His curiosity was piqued, and he wanted to see what she was actually plotting.
"Understood." Zhu Qingyu nodded upon hearing his command and stepped out of the room.
Lu Yuan walked out to wait in the courtyard, which was spacious enough to handle whatever might unfold.
Before long, two figures appeared: Uncle Zuo and Yi.
Upon entering the courtyard and seeing Lu Yuan, Uncle Zuo immediately stepped forward and offered a slight bow. "King Lu."
He was exceedingly polite, his tone brimming with deference, and he kept his posture exceedingly humble. Part of this was due to Zhou Yunqiong's instructions, but another reason was his clear awareness that Lu Yuan's strength far surpassed his own. Such deference was only natural.
Yi, by contrast, retained his usual haughty bearing, cold indifference lingering in his gaze. He had clearly not come of his own free will.
Lu Yuan said nothing, merely watching them in silence.
"King Lu, I have come on Eldest Miss's orders to apologize for what occurred at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum," Uncle Zuo said with a smile. "Eldest Miss has felt uneasy about the trouble caused to you back then, but she has been terribly busy of late and only recently found the time. Thus, she instructed Yi to accompany me, hoping to obtain your forgiveness."
With that, he produced a box. Resting inside were three spirit fruits, their surfaces shimmering with wisps of misty radiance and radiating an exceptionally pure energy. They could practically be considered divine items, though they remained worlds apart from treasures on the level of the Ancient Bodhi Tree. Still, for Zhou Yunqiong to offer such items—and three at once—demonstrated considerable sincerity on the surface.
"In truth, there is no misunderstanding between her and me, so there is no need for this."
The moment Lu Yuan saw the three spirit fruits, he saw right through the gesture. After learning of his strength, she had decided he possessed sufficient value, and had swallowed her pride in an attempt to mend relations. It was simply far too transparent—scarcely resembling Zhou Yunqiong's usual style. Yet on second thought, it made sense; in her eyes, his rise had been too meteoric, completely defying her expectations, forcing her hand. Even so, he had no interest in playing along.
"Regardless of whether King Lu feels there is a misunderstanding, that is not the heart of the matter," Uncle Zuo pressed on. "What matters is that this represents Eldest Miss's sincere regards. She truly hopes King Lu will accept."
In Uncle Zuo's mind, so long as the gifts were accepted, his mission would be complete. Thus, he maintained his deferential posture and chose to persist.
"I understand her intention." Lu Yuan rose to his feet. Now that their purpose was clear, he had no desire to waste further words. "Please relay to her that I bear her no resentment, but whatever ties existed between us belong strictly to the past. There is nothing to mend, nor any need to."
His meaning was unmistakable: each would walk their own path, and there was no need to remain entangled. In truth, Lu Yuan had never intended to maintain any relationship with Zhou Yunqiong. A woman with such deep schemes was best avoided. Of course, should she insist on provoking him, he had nothing to fear.
Uncle Zuo was far too shrewd not to catch the underlying message instantly, and his brow furrowed.
Beside him, Winged Celestial could hold back no longer. He took a stride forward, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Lu Yuan, Yunqiong gave the word, and I personally came all the way to Mount Tai—that is already giving you tremendous face! You had best accept, or you will live to regret it!"
He had been coerced into coming in the first place, forced to obey Zhou Yunqiong's commands. Yet standing before Lu Yuan, he found it impossible to swallow his pride. Why should he be the one to apologize? Why should this man overshadow him at every turn? A deep well of resentment burned within him. Even though Zhou Yunqiong had strictly warned him before they set out not to speak out of turn, his arrogant nature refused to endure it any longer. He carried the bloodline of the Celestial Clan. And what was the man before him? Nothing more than an ordinary human! Yet now, outsiders hailed Lu Yuan as peerless under heaven, the foremost fighter of all. Winged Celestial felt his self-esteem utterly battered.
"Mr. Yi!" Seeing this, Uncle Zuo immediately tried to rein him in. Then, turning back toward Lu Yuan with another bow, he continued, "I pray King Lu will not take this to heart. Since you have already made up your mind, I shall not impose any further. Mr. Yi, let us go. You are no match for King Lu at present."
As he spoke, he moved to pull Winged Celestial away, yet the implication behind his words carried a peculiar edge.
Sure enough, hearing that, Winged Celestial flew into a rage.
"I may not be his match right now, but I am a scion of the Celestial Clan, bearing an ancient heritage!" Winged Celestial erupted, glaring at Lu Yuan with a frigid expression. "Today, whether you wish to accept this apology or not, you will accept it! Otherwise, when my clan descends upon this world, the tables will turn!"
Indeed, his greatest backing was his soon-to-arrive kinsmen—a mighty interstellar clan renowned for their prowess in battle. For Lu Yuan to refuse him face after he had come in person was something he simply could not stomach. Since the advent of the New Era, Winged Celestial had always been the center of adulation; being suppressed like this had festered into bitter resentment.
At these words, Uncle Zuo's brow knitted tightly, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes, yet strangely, he made no move to stop him.
Across from them, Lu Yuan remained entirely composed. He slowly rose to his feet. "As I recall, back at the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, you revealed murderous intent toward me more than once, didn't you?"
"So what if I did?" Winged Celestial took a step forward, his eyes sharp as daggers. "I may indeed fall short of you right now, but do not forget: no matter how strong you are, you are still only one man—"
Boom!
Before he could finish, Lu Yuan took a sudden step forward, unleashing his full, terrifying aura.
Waves of golden vital blood surged and rolled like an erupting volcano.
Opposite him, Winged Celestial felt a crushing weight crash over him. Before he could even register what was happening, he was forced back step after step. The disparity between them was too vast; by sheer force of presence alone, Lu Yuan sent him flying backward.
"Aaargh!"
Winged Celestial roared, his entire body instantly engulfed in brilliant light. His black hair turned silver, his frame expanded, and a pair of pure white wings sprouted from his back. With a slight flap, arcs of lightning crackled across the feathers, lending him an imposing, otherworldly appearance. This was the true form of the Celestial Clan, a state that multiplied his combat prowess several times over. Though he still stood within the Shackle Realm, unleashing his full power elevated his strength to a degree where he could rival an ordinary Awakened of the Golden Body Realm.
Without hesitation, Winged Celestial dove straight toward Lu Yuan. His wings of wind and thunder beat furiously, churning formidable power around him with a deafening roar.
Outside, Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and Zhu Qingyu were drawn over by the commotion. Seeing Winged Celestial strike at Lu Yuan, they were momentarily taken aback, yet none stepped forward, knowing there was no need. Jiang Ningxian also emerged from the side, watching with mild amusement. "A Celestial Clan bloodline? Passable, but hardly exceptional—far inferior to the direct line."
Bzzzt!
Arcs of lightning danced and crackled wildly throughout the courtyard. Ordinarily, a clash of such destructive force would have leveled the entire compound in an instant. Yet Lu Yuan stood firm as an unshakeable pillar, his golden vital blood rolling outward to completely suppress every shred of power Winged Celestial unleashed.
Then, Lu Yuan took another step forward.
His heart beat with a resonant thrum. Every onlooker felt a boundless, suffocating pressure bear down upon them. Across from him, Winged Celestial, who had just assumed his clan's true form and prepared for battle, began to shudder violently throughout his entire body. The physique he took such pride in fractured on the spot, blood pouring from the cracks. Yet because of the unique resilience of his bloodline, it was not immediately fatal; after all, he was not entirely human.
Even so, this was merely the beginning.
Lu Yuan clenched his right fist, golden light erupting as his vital blood converged. In that instant, Winged Celestial felt the cold, undeniable terror of imminent death.
"You dare?! I belong to the Celestial Clan! The Celestial Clan is an interstellar powerhouse, and before long, we shall descend upon this world! If you kill me, you make an enemy of the entire clan! Not only you, but everyone connected to you will pay the price!"
Panic crept into his voice, though he tried desperately to maintain his composure, invoking the name of his clan in hopes of intimidating Lu Yuan. He had heard countless times how terrifyingly powerful his kin were—any one of them who walked forth into the universe was a true powerhouse.
Yet to all of this, Lu Yuan remained entirely unmoved.
Drawing upon a sliver of the power from the Great Sun Smelting, he carefully regulated his force and simply drove a punch forward.
Boom!
Splaaat!
In the next instant, Winged Celestial's body completely disintegrated. The blood that burst forth was instantly vaporized by the sheer heat. Just like that, the figure once revered as one of the Five Great Sovereigns was reduced to nothingness beneath a single blow.
"Good thing. It almost dirtied my courtyard." Having finished the deed, Lu Yuan casually glanced around to check if any mess had been made, as if slaughtering Winged Celestial carried no weight whatsoever.
The onlookers exchanged silent, astonished glances, while Elder Ji and Elder Yun remained standing quietly where they were. At this point, they backed Lu Yuan in virtually everything he did—especially when the other party had been the one to instigate trouble.
As for Uncle Zuo from the Wuzhou Group, he gently closed his eyes upon witnessing the scene. Taking a deep breath to steady his racing thoughts, he said, "King Lu, I only wish to know: why are you unwilling to let bygones be bygones with Eldest Miss? With your strength, combined with Eldest Miss and the Zhou family's vast resources and heritage, your future achievements would surely be boundless."
Rather than dwelling on Winged Celestial's death, he asked about this instead. It struck everyone present as deeply peculiar. Winged Celestial was supposed to be one of the most valued figures within the Wuzhou Group, yet his death seemed entirely disregarded.
Turning back, Lu Yuan replied softly, "It is not that I am unwilling, but that I have no desire to."
"I understand." Hearing this, Uncle Zuo bowed slightly and turned to leave without another word.
"Wait," Lu Yuan called out abruptly. "Tell Zhou Yunqiong to keep her schemes away from me. Otherwise, I will pay a personal visit to both the Wuzhou Group and the Zhou family."
Chapter 121