Just as the two men edged closer, tension coiling and ready to snap, Xiao Hongye’s voice drifted out from behind the main doors. “Brother Lu! It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. This man is merely the Lord Officiator’s house servant—he wasn’t aware of our relationship. The Lord Officiator has traveled far and wide to preside over the situation.”
The door creaked open. Xiao Hongye leaned out, sweeping his gaze over the disturbance outside. “Lord Officiator invites you inside.”
Officiator?
Lu Sheng’s brows tightened. He had not expected an Officiator to appear here, without warning.
His gaze flicked between Xiao Hongye and the one-eyed old man beside him. Judging by Xiao Hongye’s tone alone, this Officiator from Ashoka Manor held a rank far above him.
After a brief moment of thought, Lu Sheng forced down the fire surging within his chest and let the inner Qi in his hand gradually recede.
“Alright. I also have matters that must be discussed. Everyone, wait outside.”
Issuing the command to the Sect members, he strode forward through the gap opened for him.
Xiao Hongye maintained a pleasant smile, yet a glimmer of astonishment flickered in his eyes. He had not expected Lu Sheng to restrain himself even now.
Stepping into the courtyard, Lu Sheng was immediately met with the sight of a white-haired elder seated at its center, an urn of wine resting in his grasp.
The elder had the air of a seasoned beast—fierce, relentless. Though his hair and mustache were stark white, the vigor rolling off him felt like the roar of a maddened lion. His muscles were solid, sharply defined, no different from those of a warrior still in the prime of youth.
But above all, the moment Lu Sheng crossed the threshold, he felt faint strands of killing intent drifting through the courtyard… subtle, yet unmistakable.
His eyes narrowed. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a presence. Ever since mastering the Yang Extreme Mode, his strength had climbed beyond measure. Not even the Scarlet District’s umbrella girl had given him this sensation of danger.
“This old man has already received the name list Sect Master Lu sent over—quite satisfactory. Also, the man who delivered the letter had firm, supple meat. I couldn’t resist roasting him for a meal. He was merely a mortal; I trust Sect Master would not mind?” The Officiator’s wrinkled face curved into a smile as his gaze locked onto Lu Sheng.
The moment their eyes met, a violent numbness swept across Lu Sheng’s entire body. It felt as though some tremendous force had pinned him in place. His inner Qi trembled uncontrollably, surging into motion as if it, too, sensed imminent danger.
This tingling dread was identical to what he had felt the very first time he encountered the supernatural.
Lu Sheng knew this sensation well—this was what it felt like to face an opponent so overwhelmingly powerful that resistance was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Powerful… terrifyingly powerful.
His blood surged, instincts screaming to strike, yet he forced every shred of will he possessed to smother that impulse.
‘This man must be a top-tier expert sent from Ashoka Manor to officiate the Ritual Offering. With this level of oppressive aura… I stand no chance against him as I am. Still, with the Shangyang family behind me, he won’t act recklessly.’
Everything became clear. This was a trap—no, a test—laid specifically for him. Duan Meng’an was merely a casualty, swept into the plot without meaning to be. The real target from beginning to end was Lu Sheng himself.
He remained where he stood, unmoving. The inner Qi spiraling within him spun faster, hotter, until a faint burn radiated into the air around him.
Only after several slow breaths did he manage to suppress the blazing fury within and answer in a low, steady voice, “…Of course… a mere mortal. There’s nothing worth minding. Lord Officiator, you needn’t concern yourself with it.”
His expression remained composed, unreadable. But deep within, rage churned violently, a savage desire to kill rising uncontrollably from the depths of his being.
Lu Sheng could accept that Ashoka Manor had tested him once. But this second test—killing one of his trusted aides as casually as slaughtering livestock—made his thoughts turn cold. If they dared to do this now, would the next step be to wipe out the entire Lu Family?
The Officiator smiled and nodded. “Sect Master Lu sees the bigger picture—very good. Now then, if there’s nothing else, why don’t you sit and drink with me? This wine and meat were personally prepared by me; not everyone has the honor of tasting them.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Sheng caught sight of a bloodied, mangled corpse hanging from a tree not far away. Another white-haired servant stood beneath it, calmly slicing chunks of fresh flesh from the body.
Lu Sheng recognized it immediately: Duan Meng’an.
His heart cooled further as he looked back at the Officiator, who spoke with the same ease one might use when discussing the flavor of common livestock.
“There’s no need. Since this is a misunderstanding, it is good that it is resolved. I won’t disturb Lord Officiator’s meal and will take my leave,” he replied evenly, head slightly bowed.
“That’s fine as well. Sect Master Lu, pass a message to Niece Jiuli for me. Tell her to visit when she has time. This old man will be residing here at Emissary Xiao’s place from now on,” the Officiator said with a pleasant smile.
“I’ll make sure she receives the message.” Lu Sheng nodded, then respectfully turned to leave.
As he stepped away, his gaze lingered one final time on the corpse. Bright crimson blood dripped from Duan Meng’an’s head—he had been hung upside down from a branch, his legs bound with a metal hook driven through his feet, like a butchered pig or goat. His abdomen had been split open, many organs missing—whether discarded or eaten, there was no telling.
On the stone table before the Officiator lay several plates piled high with deep-fried and roasted meats and vegetables. For all Lu Sheng knew, some of that meat once belonged to the man who served him faithfully.
He tore his gaze away, the cold seeping deeper into his bones.
“Farewell, Sect Master.” The one-eyed elder bowed with a courteous smile as Lu Sheng passed.
Lu Sheng met the one-eyed elder’s respectful smile with a cold, unblinking stare before striding past him without another word.
Once he stepped through the manor’s main doors, he turned to the three Elders and said in an icy tone, “Retreat.”
No one understood what had occurred. The Sect Master entered, emerged moments later with an unreadable expression, and then ordered a full withdrawal without so much as an explanation.
Confused as they were, their trust in Lu Sheng outweighed their doubts. The sect members quickly pulled back, and the commander of the city guards stepped forward to greet him before likewise withdrawing with his unit.
After Lu Sheng’s departure, the Officiator rose to his feet in the Xiao Manor courtyard. The smile that had hung on his face slowly drained away.
“This man’s strength is impressive. Even among Noblemen, he ranks as a capable expert. Calling him the Number One Expert in this barren, god-forsaken Northern Land would not be an exaggeration.” He lifted his gaze toward the empty space beside him. “Well? Is it him?”
Bai Jing appeared from the shadows, her black dress fluttering as she walked forward unhurriedly.
“He resembles the person in question… but the disparity is too large. The details don’t fully match the information we gathered. I can’t confirm it yet.”
“Bai Jing, you’re always so indecisive,” a tall, fair-skinned scholar drawled as he strolled out of the main hall. “In any case, I have a piece of rather good news.”
“Speak, Emissary Quan,” the Officiator said, looking toward the scholar.
Emissary Quan shot Bai Jing a smug glance before fixing his eyes on the Officiator. “I’ve just received word. This Sect Master Lu is planning to meet Li Shunxi to exchange certain items. I know the time and place.”
The Officiator’s eyes brightened. “Oh? And the source—reliable?”
“Absolutely. The information came directly from someone close to Li Shunxi,” Emissary Quan boasted. “It also seems to have some connection to the Martial League.”
“The Martial League? Those vermin… Excellent. We can capture them all in one sweep,” the Officiator murmured, interest reigniting. “Then? The details?”
“At the mouth of Windless Valley, at the foot of Eastern Mountain outside the city. Noon, five days from now.”
…………
BAM!!!
Lu Sheng’s palm crashed against the wooden wall beside him, shattering it and leaving a basin-sized hole in its wake.
“ASHOKA MANOR!” he roared, face twisted with fury.
After returning to the sect, he immediately announced Duan Meng’an’s death. He fabricated a story, claiming it had nothing to do with Xiao Manor and was instead caused by other forces still under investigation. At the very least, this explanation eased the doubts brewing in the hearts of his subordinates.
But inside, Lu Sheng seethed. Ashoka Manor had pushed him to the brink without the slightest restraint. If not for the Shangyang Family backing him, that Officiator might have butchered him on the spot. No wonder they had so brazenly sacrificed countless lives during the Blood Offering.
He could still clearly feel the enormous gap between his strength and that of the elder. Confronting that man, his inner Qi had instinctively surged in self-defense, reacting to the Bind poison naturally emanating from the Officiator’s body. Once the poison grew potent enough, even the surrounding air felt tainted.
‘Seems like I still can’t afford to relax…’ Lu Sheng’s eyes darkened. ‘First, I must strengthen my inner Qi—push it to the point of liquefaction. There’s no time to waste. Power… I need more POWER.’
He turned to his personal guard. “Men! Inform Jade Lotus that I am entering seclusion. He is to manage all sect affairs. Until I emerge, no one is to disturb me.”
“Yes, Sir!”
The sect member hurried off to deliver the message.
Lu Sheng gathered his tools and medicines before heading straight for the specially designated quiet room aboard the Crimson Whale—a chamber forged entirely of steel.
Carrying everything inside, he shut the door firmly and sat cross-legged in the center of the room.
“Deep Blue,” he called silently, summoning the Modifier.
A pale blue frame materialized before his eyes. His gaze locked immediately onto the most striking line—Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill.
“Begin extrapolating martial arts?”
A dialogue box hovered before him, awaiting his command.
Lu Sheng stared at the Modify button glowing faintly beneath the martial arts skill. After a brief pause, he drew in a long breath—then pressed it firmly with his mind.
In the next heartbeat, his body erupted. A torrent of Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies inner Qi surged through his meridians, boiling and rampaging with violent intensity.
His clothes ignited in an instant, bursting into flames before crumbling into blackened ash. The hairs he had only just grown were burned to dust in the blink of an eye.
“Bring it on! It’s life or death!!”
Lu Sheng roared. Agony lanced through every nerve as his Yang Extreme Mode triggered without warning, his body expanding rapidly.
BOOM!!!
A shower of blazing sparks exploded outward as his physique forcefully swelled, growing past two meters in mere seconds until he resembled a monstrous behemoth.
Muscles bulged like swelling growths beneath his skin—layer upon layer, packing tighter and tighter as more erupted. His entire body became veined with a grayish-green webbing, snaking across his skin like a living tattoo.
Upon entering Yang Extreme Mode, his arms and shoulders flushed a deep crimson. Blisters and darkened lumps of various sizes rose across his skin, warping and shifting with each pulse of power.
The pain was staggering—an unending barrage crashing and tearing through him as if clawing for a way out.
But Lu Sheng endured.
With Yang Extreme Mode awakened, his hard-body skills reached their absolute peak. In terms of sheer toughness and raw strength, none in the past had ever been like him… and it was likely that no one in the future ever would.
With nowhere else to go, the excess inner Qi from the Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill compressed itself deeper and deeper within him, growing denser, heavier, and more violently concentrated.
The mounting pressure forced the blood vessels across Lu Sheng’s entire body to bulge upward, writhing beneath his skin like green-purple steel cables coiling around his frame.
The sharp, tearing pain made his eyes widen until they seemed ready to burst. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Sweat poured from him in sheets—only to sizzle into vapor the moment it touched his scorched skin.
Most startling of all, the muscles along both sides of his temple began to swell and rise, inflating slowly until they resembled two curved, horn-like protrusions pushing against his skull.
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