Chapter 209: Refusing Face When Its Given (1/2)

Even Lu Yun was a little taken aback by Lu Shenhou's suggestion. Teach the Lu cultivators?

As soon as it was on the table, a number of his clansmen lit up with anticipation. Lu Yun was the First Youth Sovereign, number one among all cultivators!

Sure, there were probably some experts hidden away in various corners of the world, but he’d killed peerless immortals and dueled dao immortals; he more than lived up to his name!

Indeed, Lu Yun was idolized by countless cultivators. Many set reaching his heights as their goal in life, and the youth of the Lu Clan were no different! They hated him, but at the same time respected his strength. It was a paradoxical conundrum, to be sure.

”I won't refuse what Lu Shenhou has asked of me,” Lu Yun nodded. Everyone watched him quietly, a bigger audience gathering by the minute.

Rrr—

The young man waved a hand, throwing the Sugato Sword aloft. The weapon exploded with intent and will, gathering the ambient immortal qi around it into the shape of a steely pagoda. It spun around a single time, then landed in front of the clan hall.

Mauve Peace Paradise's natural energies rushed in, solidifying it through their absorption.

”This is….” Lu Shenhou, Lu Qianjun, and even Lu Daoling's eyes widened.

”I'm at an important juncture in my own cultivation, so I don't have the energy to spare on teaching,” Lu Yun mused. ”Instead, this is an inheritance tower via Lord Sugato's treasured sword, the very same as the tower outside Dusk City. All Lu cultivators are free to make use of it as you like.

”Although, it doesn't have the inheritance at the top,” he added. ”That's reserved for the actual pagoda, of course.”

”Enough! That’s more than enough! That's more than enough… hahahaha!” Lu Qianjun burst into unhinged guffaws as tears streamed down his face from the force of his mirth. ”There is hope for the Lu Clan! Hope at last!”

Although there wasn’t an inheritance at the top of the tower, every floor contained a test imbued with Lord Sugato's grasp of the dao. Cultivators weren't the only ones who could benefit, either. Every person in the clan, up to dao immortals—even including Lu Daoling—had much to learn from this tower of trials.

The gift Lu Yun had presented was too valuable to refuse, instantly evaporating collective enmity.

Back in Dusk Province, underhanded dealings by Lu Yuanhou, his uncle Lu Qingxuan, and Lu Qishan at the North Sea had soured Lu Yun’s feelings to the point of hating his clan.

His later encounter with Lu Qingyi, however, had slightly changed his mind. The bloodcorpse in Lord Sugato’s tomb had scared everyone off, save for the Lu Clan immortal. Doubts that perhaps the clan wasn't as bad as he thought had crept in then. Those who’d wanted to make him their puppet were probably only a minority.

Right now, the Lu Clan needed his help to reestablish itself. At the same time, Lu Yun didn't mind having a large clan as his backing. Otherwise, a so-called First Youth Sovereign was no better than a mere ant to some.

The inheritance tower was formed from Lord Sugato's lingering will and surrounding natural energies. If he wanted, he could use the Sugato Sword to make any number of new duplicates. The only restriction was his current level of cultivation; he’d created this replica back on the banks of Sword Lake with his then-power of a celestial emperor.

Thanks to the inheritance tower, the congregated clansmen’s opinion of him flip-flopped in an instant. Those who harbored ill will toward him had no recourse but to deeply bury their malice out of dejection.

…...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Lu Clan was very peaceful during that time. Nearly everyone had eagerly filed into the tower to cultivate. Xiankan, on the other hand, was a vastly different story.

Aoxue had stood outside Triprime Perfection Paradise for three days and nights, slaying eighty-one Qing peerless immortals during that time. None had survived more than three blows!

The entire capital was boiling over, but the Qing Clan was strangely silent. If none of their august immortals could defeat Aoxue in the span of a month, it would be a severe blow to their reputation. Though there wouldn’t be any tangible, material loss, the clan’s name and standing would freefall. Various vassal factions would also lose confidence in their liege.

Inside Triprime Perfection Paradise, reticence grew perilous. The clan's third-best august immortal had been cut down only moments prior, and in three attacks, no less!

Aoxue was far too strong; she fought much harder than any august immortal had a right to. Having devoured the blood dragon’s body, she’d become a true blood dragon in every way. Among her peers in the same realm, only the blood phoenix, Huangqing, could match her.

”Let Qing Han go,” the Qing patriarch sighed wistfully. ”We all know what Lu Yun wants.”

The friendship between Lu Yun and Qing Han was an open secret.

”Absolutely not!” an elderly, white-haired golden immortal objected angrily. ”We only just managed to recapture that reprobate. Releasing that bastard will only mean further trouble! He’s the one who caused all of this in the first place.”