268: Brother Chu, how have you been?

Chu Yu's eyes widened in disbelief!

Yu Ji covered her mouth, her eyes filled with admiration!

Even Wan Hongxiang froze in place, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest!

He stared intently at Lu Chen, and suddenly, an unprecedentedly terrifying aura emanated from the latter's body—

Golden Core!

And it was... Middle Stage Golden Core and above!!

"You... you..." Wan Hongxiang's voice trembled, almost speechless, "How old are you?! How could you possibly... reach Golden Core?! This is impossible! Even a Genius couldn't Break through from Foundation Establishment all the way to Middle Stage Golden Core within ten years!!"

"Unless... you obtained an ancient Legacy!!"

Lu Chen, however, did not answer. He merely walked slowly towards Chu Yu: "Brother Chu, it's been a while... I hope Lu Family Village is doing well!"

Chu Yu nodded repeatedly: "Brother Lu, rest assured, during the time you were gone, I always looked after Lu Family Village. They are doing very well. There's a boy named Lu Xiaohu who has even reached Foundation Establishment! He has become the pillar of your Lu Family Village!"

Lu Chen smiled faintly. That's good!!

Lu Chen was afraid that Chu Yu, because he had disappeared and was no longer useful, would drive out Lu Family Village. If that happened, Lu Chen would probably not have saved Chu Yu, but killed him instead!!

Wan Hongxiang finally realized—

The Hegemon Body he had waited twenty years for, the dream of becoming the Lord of the Southern Barbarians he had plotted for so long,

Perhaps... today, it would all be destroyed by Lu Chen.

Wan Hongxiang regretted it. He wished he had listened to his daughter Wan Feiyan ten years ago. At that time, Wan Feiyan had secretly brought back the "Universal Cultivation Method," which even ordinary people could Cultivate, and said that Lu Chen was very terrifying and should be eliminated.

Unfortunately, Wan Hongxiang thought at the time, how powerful could a mere teenager be, no matter how Heaven-Defying his talent? He planned to deal with Lu Chen after he obtained the Hegemon Body.

But now, it was too late.

Wan Hongxiang's heart was filled with surging regret, churning like a tempest—he wished he had listened to his daughter Wan Feiyan ten years ago!

At that time, Wan Feiyan had secretly stolen a Cultivation Technique from Chu Territory, named the "Universal Cultivation Method."

As long as ordinary people Cultivated according to this method, they could open their Meridians, draw Qi into their bodies, and within a few months, step into the Qi Refining realm!

The person who created this Cultivation Technique was Lu Chen!!

Wan Feiyan knelt in her father's study, holding the Cultivation Technique with trembling hands, her voice filled with fear:

"Father, that Lu Chen... he's only a teenager, yet he can create such a Heaven-Defying Cultivation Technique. This child must not be kept! Such a person... if left alive, will surely become a great disaster! I beg you... while his wings are not yet fully grown, eliminate him as soon as possible! Otherwise, there will be endless troubles!"

Unfortunately, Wan Hongxiang scoffed at the time, sneering: "How powerful can a mere teenage brat be, no matter how Heaven-Defying his talent?! Now I am only one step away from seizing Chu Yu's 'Heavenly God Hegemon Body' and refining his Bloodline to achieve the true Golden Core Dao. At that time, I will sweep across the Southern Barbarians and declare myself king! A mere Lu Chen? When my success is complete, I can crush him with a flick of my hand. Why rush?!!"

But now—

It was all too late.

He watched helplessly as Lu Chen walked slowly, his expression indifferent, yet he extinguished ten Foundation Establishment blade-wielding axe-men with just one finger, his every move like a mountain pressing down!

He was wrong.

Completely and utterly wrong.

Wan Hongxiang's eyes were bloodshot. He was unwilling! He was absolutely unwilling!

Twenty years of forbearance, twenty years of plotting, was it all just to be crushed like an ant today?!

If he had listened to Feiyan's words and killed Lu Chen ten years ago, how could it have come to this?!

"I don't believe it!!" He roared, his voice like a beast, "How could a young man in his early twenties reach Golden Core?! This is impossible!! It must be an illusion! It's a trick!!"

Wan Hongxiang suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of vital blood. He formed an ancient Demonic Seal with his hands, and the Demonic Bloodline hidden within his body erupted!

In an instant, his skin cracked, black scales grew, his eyes turned into vertical pupils, fangs sprouted from his mouth, and Demonic Qi surged around him, actually showing signs of transforming into a "Half-Demon True Form"!

This was his last trump card—at the cost of burning his Lifespan, he forcibly activated the power of his true Yao Race form, even if it meant Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, he would fight to the death!

The myriad phenomena blade hummed and vibrated in his hand, gathering all his Demonic Qi, and slashed out a black blade-aura that tore through the Void Realm, directly striking Lu Chen!

"Lu Chen! Die!!!"

However—

Lu Chen didn't even move his feet.

He merely made a grasping motion in the air, his five fingers slightly bent, and an extremely condensed Dragon Claw manifestation formed out of thin air, like the claw of an ancient Divine Dragon, spanning space, and crushing that blade-aura in one grasp!

Immediately after, the Dragon Claw tightened again, directly dragging Wan Hongxiang down from mid-air, holding him tightly in its palm as if he were an ant!

Wan Hongxiang was utterly powerless to resist, struggling desperately, Demonic Qi surging, scales cracking, blood gushing, yet there was not even a sliver of a chance to break free!

"Ah ah ah ah—!!!"

"I refuse to accept this! The Heavenly Dao is unfair! Why do you treat me like this!"

Lu Chen looked at Wan Hongxiang, who was restrained by the Dragon Claw manifestation, his expression still indifferent, as if it were nothing more than an insignificant farce.

He slowly withdrew his hand, and the Dragon Claw phantom dissipated, leaving only Wan Hongxiang limp on the ground, covered in Demonic Blood, his aura weak.

Then, he turned to Chu Yu, his voice as calm as water: "Chu Yu, this person... I leave him to your discretion."

Chu Yu slowly stood up, the wound on his left shoulder still seeping blood, but he felt nothing. He walked step by step towards Wan Hongxiang, each step heavy as a mountain, treading on the broken stone bricks, emitting a dull echo.

He bent down and picked up the hegemon halberd, its tip dripping blood, its cold light chilling.

A cold smile appeared on Chu Yu's lips: "City Lord Wan, thank you for your generous treatment all these years. Don't worry, I will only kill you. Your wife, children, and elders, I will send them all out of the city, allowing them to go far away. If they want revenge... they can come find me anytime."

Just as the hegemon halberd was about to pierce Wan Hongxiang's heart!

A slender figure suddenly rushed out from the side hall, blocking in front of Wan Hongxiang, tears streaming down her face: "Brother Chu! Please spare my father!! You promised me! You said that if I told you about my father's conspiracy, you would spare his life! I believed you... you can't go back on your word!!"

It was Wan Hongxiang's daughter, Wan Feiyan!

Wan Hongxiang was shocked: "Feiyan! Why are you here?! Didn't you go to the East Sea to join the Cangming Sword Sect?!"

It turned out that Wan Feiyan had lied to Wan Hongxiang. In these ten years, from initially disliking Chu Yu, she was gradually attracted to him, and in a very dramatic way, fell in love with him.

She told Chu Yu her father's true intentions and urged Chu Yu to leave quickly.

She hadn't expected Chu Yu not only not to leave but to also keep the appointment.

Chu Yu's steps did not stop, his gaze like ice, looking down at her coldly:

"I also wanted to spare your father's life, but unfortunately... he was so despicable as to threaten me with my beloved Yu Ji. I cannot tolerate it; he must die today!!"

The hegemon halberd was raised high, its shaft entwined with black battle flames, and the power of the Hegemon Body erupted!

"Pfft—!!!"

The long halberd, like lightning, pierced through Wan Hongxiang's heart!

Blood gushed out, Wan Hongxiang's eyes widened, a gurgling sound came from his throat, and finally, his head tilted, and he completely stopped breathing.

"Father!!" Wan Feiyan cried out in pain, throwing herself onto the corpse, trembling as she stroked her father's cold face, "It's all my fault... I told Brother Chu your plan... If I hadn't... you wouldn't have died... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

She suddenly drew the short sword from her waist and, without hesitation, plunged it into her own heart!

"I... will go with you..."

Blood stained her clothes, and she slowly fell, collapsing beside her father's corpse, a relieved smile on her lips.