Chapter 2836 - Benefitting From a Disaster
No one had anticipated that Su Yi had a backer as powerful as Lu Hongpao.
It was thus easy to imagine how shocked they were when she announced that she planned to handle the aftermath.
It wasn’t just Limitless Palace; the experts of the Court of the Southern Heavens, Sevendeaths Court, and the Heart-Tempering Sword House felt chills course through their hearts. All of them realized that this didn’t bode well.
The cultivators of the Literati Continent sighed to themselves. The tables have turned!
Bu Meng’s chest heaved with excitement. He knew that he no longer needed to worry about Light Beam Sword Pavilion's safety.
Over in Blueleaf Sword Sect’s camp, waves of emotion coursed through the gathered experts' hearts, as if the clouds had parted and they could finally see the sun once more.
“Senior, aren’t you afraid of creating an irreconcilable rift between our factions if you do this?” Wu Yu asked gravely.
Lu Hongpao ignored him, but Yao Monarch Lian Luo cursed Wu Yu out. “So, you’re allowed to shamelessly team up to bully my master’s good brother, but my master isn’t allowed to get even on his behalf?
“Three Heavenly Sovereign factions and the Heart-Tempering Sword House worked together to set a trap just to defeat His Excellency Su, a single Unfettered Realm cultivator. Don’t you think that’s excessive?” Lian Luo’s eyes flashed like cold lightning. “Now you’re even threatening us with an ‘irreconcilable rift’? Very well. In that case, allow me to overstep just this once and speak on my master’s behalf. This time... all of you can forget about leaving!”
The crowd’s heart shook. He’s going to launch a massacre!
But then, Lu Hongpao turned and smiled at Xia Rouyun. “Girl, you’ve got keen eyes and good taste, too. Eternal Lightning Court didn’t participate in all this, so that naturally doesn’t apply to you.”
Xia Rouyun was briefly stunned, but then, she smiled and bowed. “Thank you, Senior!”
Heavenly Monarch Jin Xun felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. That girl Xia Rouyun might talk a lot of nonsense, but there’s no denying her good fortune!
“You’re not bad either, girl.” Lu Hongpao looked at Lian Yue next. “Maintain that mentality, and the Grand Dao will be yours for the taking. In light of your bravery, I’ll let the Court of the Southern Heavens off this time. When you see Heavenly Sovereign Changhen, tell him that I’ll be visiting him to demand an explanation down the line!”
Lian Yue was briefly stunned, but she quickly clasped her fist. “Senior, your forthrightness has moved me. I’m wholeheartedly convinced.”
Granny Snake and the other Court of the Southern Heavens experts inwardly sighed in relief.
The arrival of a Heavenly Sovereign put far too much pressure on them. If Lu Hongpao killed them all, the sect might well do everything it could to avenge them.
But even if Heavenly Sovereign Changhen intervened personally, there was no guarantee that he could kill Lu Hongpao!
Now, out of respect for Lian Yue, Lu Hongpao had decided to spare them. This was undoubtedly an unexpected reprieve!
Next, Lu Hongpao turned to look at the Heart-Tempering Sword House.
Its experts’ hearts clenched. All of them felt intense pressure bearing down on them. They’d been at the helm of this trap targeting Su Yi. Given the circumstances, how could Lu Hongpao possibly let them off lightly?
“Senior, you can punish us as you see fit. We have nothing to say,” an old man with a goatee said gravely. “The sword cultivators of the Heart-Tempering Sword House have never been afraid to die!”
Lu Hongpao sneered. “The juniors might not know the truth, but all of you old-timers know that Jiang Wuchen entered the cycle of reincarnation a long time ago, and that Su Yi and your founder are one and the same.
“The ‘founder’ you recognize now is no more than a heart devil, yet you obey his every command and joined forces with Heavenly Sovereign factions to set a trap for your own founder’s reincarnation. What were your intentions?”
The old man’s expression shifted. “Senior, you’re a distinguished Heavenly Sovereign, but that doesn’t give you the right to slander us!”
Lu Hongpao laughed. “Su Yi is my good brother, and he founded the Heart-Tempering Sword House himself. Now that he’s returned, I naturally won’t overstep by intervening in its affairs. That said...”
She suddenly raised her hand, and a streak of sword qi flew forth.
Splurt!
The old man’s body shattered into pieces, his Dao destroyed. He was a Heavenly Monarch, yet he’d been crushed like an ant, unable to even struggle!
Countless people jumped in fright, their hair standing on end.
“Why do you think I killed him, Lian Luo?” Lu Hongpao asked casually. She took out the jug of wine Su Yi had given her and had a sip. Little remained, so she cherished every drop.
Lian Luo didn’t even pause to think. “He’s a sword cultivator, yet he refused to admit the truth and accused you of slander. Someone like that is far too detestable.”
Lu Hongpao shook her head slightly. “You’re wrong. I just didn’t like the look of him.”
No one knew what to say to that.
Except for Lian Luo, who sighed in admiration. “Master, you follow your heart and act without reservation. Your subordinate cannot hope to reach your level. I can only long for it!”
But then, his face filled with unwillingness. “How could someone you found unsightly possibly have been worthy of dying by your hand? He got off too easily. He received the honor of ‘dying at the hands of a Heavenly Sovereign’ for free!”
This was blatant flattery, yet he made it sound utterly sincere. Many of the onlookers looked at him strangely, but none of them dared say anything.
Lu Hongpao wasn’t one to provoke lightly, and neither was Lian Luo. The burial mound atop White Sparrow Tower now housed the skulls of too many experts to count!
“I won’t meddle in the Heart-Tempering Sword House’s affairs. My good brother will naturally settle things with you later,” said Lu Hongpao. “Watch yourselves.”
With that, she returned her attention to Limitless Palace.
Wu Yu and the others’ whole bodies tensed.
“You’re called Dong Liujia?” asked Lu Hongpao, disregarding everyone else.
Dong Liujia nodded.
Lu Hongpao said approvingly, “I’ve got to say, Limitless Palace has found itself a good seedling. If I were Heavenly Sovereign Wen, I’d train you as a future palace master!”
Dong Liujia was stunned. He quickly realized that his attempts to dissuade his seniors from seeking revenge had won him Lu Hongpao’s approval.
But he shook his head. “You exaggerate, Senior. I just think that even if we have an irreconcilable enmity with Su Yi, we shouldn’t take out our anger on the innocent!”
He paused, then said solemnly, “I trust that you aren’t the type to wantonly massacre the innocent, either. If at all possible, I hope...”
Lu Hongpao shook her head. “I watched this entire death trap unfold. No matter how outrageous your actions in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone were, I didn’t intervene. I didn’t rush to kill you after you left, either. That isn’t because I’m compassionate, but because in my eyes, all of this was just a test for my good brother. I was just here to ensure he survived it.
“Unfortunately, only Limitless Palace refused to do what’s good for them. They lost, so they turned their anger on innocents. You can’t blame me for stepping in.”
Her words spread throughout the area. Only now did everyone realize that this Heavenly Sovereign saw everything that transpired in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone!
Liu Dongjia couldn’t help but argue, “But none of that happened, right?”
“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t shown up?” asked Lu Hongpao.
Dong Liujia had nothing to say to that.
Lu Hongpao put away her jug of wine. “If I acted without reservations and launched a massacre on my good brother’s behalf, how many of those present would survive?”
Deathly silence descended over the area. No one responded.
“Since you’ve decided to show mercy and spare the other factions, why not give Limitless Palace an opportunity?” Wu Yun couldn’t help but interject, his aged face pale. There was no sign of his earlier contemptuous bearing.
“When Dong Liujia returns to the sect, he can ask Heavenly Sovereign Wen himself,” said Lu Hongpao. You all, however... must die!”
She’d only just said this when the hum of a sword rang out. Heaven and earth dimmed, and everyone felt a stinging pain in their eyes. Their hearts and minds went blank.
It all happened in an instant. The hum died down, and all strange phenomena faded away.
By the time the world came back into view, everyone in Limitless Palace’s camp was dead, save for Dong Liujia. Wu Yu and the other experts were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they’d evaporated into thin air. All that remained of them were pools of blood and treasures strewn across the ground.
All of them were dead!
An instant had been enough to determine their life and death. No one could even tell what exactly Lu Hongpao had done.
This scene astonished everyone present.
“That I chose to attack means I’m not afraid of your sects’ old-timers seeking revenge,” said Lu Hongpao. “However, if any explicable disasters befall Light Beam Sword Pavilion or Blueleaf Sword Sect after this, I’ll take it as a declaration of war. Weigh the consequences of that for yourselves!”
The crowd shook.
Who could have failed to realize that she was announcing that Light Beam Sword Pavilion and Blueleaf Sword Sect were now under her protection?
Both were just Heavenly Monarch factions of the Literati Continent. They couldn’t compare to the major factions of the Five Great Continents.
Even so, with a Heavenly Sovereign behind them, who in the Eternal Heavens Domain would dare to look down on the two sects going forward?
Waves of emotion coursed through the other Literati Continent experts’ hearts. What does it mean to benefit from disaster? What does it mean to rise up after hitting rock bottom? This is it! With the Red-Robed Heavenly Sovereign’s pledge, both Light Beam Sword Pavilion and the Blueleaf Sword Sect are sure to grow more and more prosperous!
The experts of the Blueleaf Sword Sect were completely flabbergasted. It was as if meat pies were raining down from the heavens, only to smack them in the head, leaving them dazed.
The rims of Bu Meng’s eyes reddened, and his fists clenched as he forced his excitement under control.
Life had its ups and downs. He’d faced death, yet here he was, alive. He’d found hope in the throes of despair. Of course, he’d lost his composure!
This was what it meant to go mad with joy.
“Thank you, Senior. And... I’ve got to thank that good brother of yours, too.” Bu Meng bowed.
Lu Hongpao laughed and said from the heart, “When it comes to keen perception, not even that Xia Rouyun girl can compare with you!”
Yao Monarch Lian Luo laughed, too. It’s true. Bu Meng and His Excellency Su met when His Excellency’s situation in the Literati Continent was at its worst. Times of crisis are a true test of friendship. Yet Bu Meng tenaciously forged a bond with his Excellency Su. His perception is impressive indeed!
Receiving a Heavenly Sovereign’s praise made Bu Meng so happy that he could barely close his mouth.
The others watched on, their expressions conflicted.
They could already picture Light Beam Sword Pavilion rising to prominence in the Literati Continent.
