Chapter 1026: Chapter 1025: The Stone Tablet Belongs to Lu Zheng
Goodness, it’s really true that birds of a feather, they all have talent!
Lu Zheng only felt his horizons broadened; if he hadn’t been living here for so long, he might have thought he’d entered some special kind of script.
"Who are they?" Deng Yu looked at Zhu Xiulan with shock in his eyes, "You, why would you..."
Seeing only the short-bearded man, Deng Yu, Yang Rongrong, and four unknown individuals at the scene, Zhu Xiulan hardened her gaze and waved her hand, saying, "Quick and decisive, leave no one alive!"
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The short-bearded man reacted the quickest and turned to flee, only to see a masked figure already by his side as soon as he turned his head.
The short-bearded man’s pupils shrank, and his palms suddenly grew larger, striking backward.
"Boom!"
Their palms collided, and although the masked figure was forced back three steps, the short-bearded man retreated even more, moving directly out of the woods and to the edge of the pond.
And Deng Yu and Yang Rongrong, who were weaker, naturally couldn’t escape either; after just a couple of exchanges, they were forced to join up with the short-bearded man.
"Senior brother, now’s not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. We need to break out first; we can’t let them steal the Hundred Peaks Stele!" Deng Yu shouted.
The short-bearded man’s gaze shifted, and he leapt to Lu Zheng’s side, "Brother Liu, I’m sorry to involve you this time. You don’t need to worry about us, just break out!"
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, a smile on his lips, and as he noticed a group of black-clad individuals focusing their attention on him, he nodded solemnly, "It’s okay, it’s not your fault. But does that promise to give me the Hundred Peaks Stele still stand?"
Short-bearded man: ???
"You said your master is dead, and now you’re the sect leader of the Hundred Peaks Sect. You asked me to witness the affair between your wife and your junior brother, and as compensation, you’re willing to give me the Hundred Peaks Stele." Lu Zheng said, "I remember all of that."
"Senior brother?" Deng Yu looked at the short-bearded man with a peculiar gaze.
"Huang Zhen?" Yang Rongrong looked as if she didn’t recognize her own husband.
Zhu Xiulan looked at the short-bearded man as if he were an idiot.
The short-bearded man became furious, "When did I ever promise to give you the Hundred Peaks Stele?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng slammed the table, "Are you trying to renege? Your master is dead, and I witnessed the scandal between your wife and your junior brother. I’ve done everything you asked, so you must keep your promise!"
Liu Qingyan and the other two women: "..."
The short-bearded man and the others: "..."
Lu Zheng coldly glanced at the short-bearded man and the group of black-clad individuals, sneering, "I say, this woman is your junior brother’s wife, and those black-clad people aren’t your fellow disciples, acting out a play with you, right?
Let me tell you, since you’ve promised to give me the Hundred Peaks Stele, you can’t back down. The stele is already mine, and it doesn’t matter who comes!"
Lu Zheng is a disciple of the Renowned and Orthodox Sects and would never take someone else’s belongings without reason. But since the other party promised and then backed out, he has no qualms about taking action.
The logic is sound! The reason is just!
The short-bearded man took a heavy breath, while Zhu Xiulan let out a cold laugh, "Nonsensical, a family of fools, and friends as stupid as pigs, all with pretty faces for nothing."
Seeing Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying’s looks, Zhu Xiulan’s heart hardened, and jealousy rose, so she waved her hand, "Kill them all!"
"Clang!"
A clear dragon roar sounded, and a chilly azure light drew a silver streak in the air, flashing by instantly.
The three black-clad masked men charging at Lu Zheng halted instantly, terror in their eyes, and then a bloodline appeared on their necks.
In the next moment, three heads flew into the air, a spurt of blood showering the earth.
"Sword Cultivator!?"
"Sword Immortal!?"
Everyone collectively took a step back, staring at the Silver Feather Cyan Mist Sword hovering by Lu Zheng’s side, faces full of shock and fear in their eyes.
Of all present, the highest in cultivation were the short-bearded man and two other black-clad individuals, but none had reached a hundred years of Dao Practice. The short-bearded man focused on the Martial Dao, while the group of black-clad individuals employed spells, yet they were all rather weak.
Such figures hadn’t crossed Lu Zheng’s path in a long time.
"Pr... predecessor..." the short-bearded man swallowed hard, shifted his eyes, and immediately pointed at Zhu Xiulan’s group, "Predecessor wants the stele; I’m willing to offer it with both hands, but these people also aim for the stele. Please help judge, predecessor!"
The group of black-clad people immediately backed away, as Zhu Xiulan quickly said, "Predecessor, Huang Zhen is just the first disciple of the Hundred Peaks Sect; he can’t call the shots for the sect. If you want the stele, why not kill these three and let me take you to Hundred Peaks Cave to retrieve it?"
Lu Zheng smiled slightly, looking at Huang Zhen and Zhu Xiulan, "You two just tried to kill me?"
As soon as he spoke, Huang Zhen and Zhu Xiulan’s expressions drastically changed, and they flipped around to flee.
"You wanted to kill us to cover this up just now, and now you try to curry favor. Do you think this matter will just pass like that, and that I’m easy to fool?"
Lu Zheng said lightly, and the Silver Feather Cyan Mist Sword turned into a silver light, shooting out in a flash.
Huang Zhen felt a sharpness closing in from behind; he roared angrily, turned back to strike, only to see a streak of silver light flash past the corner of his eye.
Zhu Xiulan, meanwhile, fled while screeching sharply, "Block the flying sword for me!"
However, this group of black-clad people clearly lacked the heart and the strength; the two strongest didn’t even bother, leaping to dash into the forest.
A shroud of cloud qi suddenly enveloped the scene, intangible and hazy, and the group of black-clad people ran wildly, only to feel the forest tantalizingly near, yet no matter how they sprinted, they were still on the grass.
"Spare us, predecessor!"
"We were just following orders, we didn’t..."
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
After a few soft sounds, more than a dozen black-clad people were all pierced by the flying sword.
The mist dispersed; Deng Yu and Yang Rongrong, standing stupefied and at a loss, saw Zhu Xiulan, who had run the furthest, fall headfirst at the edge of the forest, just three feet from the bushes.
Lu Zheng set down the grilled fish, clapped his hands, "You two just now, did you also want to lead the trouble away from yourselves?"
Deng Yu fell to his knees with a thud, "Spare us, predecessor, I’ll take you to Hundred Peaks Cave!"
"Smart!" Lu Zheng nodded, taking the last bite of grilled fish into his mouth, then set down the wooden stick, saying to the group, "Let’s go see what sort of thing both sides value so much in this stele."
...
To be honest, Lu Zheng was just a bit curious, given both sides were quite weak, so what good thing could this Mountain-Suppressing Stele be?
It’s probably just left by an Abnormal Person with some cultivation, likely not even matching Liu Qingyan in power, but with nothing else to do, he’d go take a look, treating it as a digestif after the meal.
Of course, if the stele truly had something magical about it, Lu Zheng wouldn’t mind taking it along; after all, it’s already his now.
Quickly, Deng Yu and Yang Rongrong led the group to Hundred Peaks Cave, and Lu Zheng snapped his fingers, putting the two guards at the cave entrance to sleep.
"Predecessor, what about us..."
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed, and Deng Yu and his companion looked like they were drunk, a dazed look passing through their eyes. They then retreated hand in hand, disappearing into the depths of the forest.
"Let’s go in and take a look."
Lu Zheng led the three women into the cave, surprised to find it quite deep. Torches were mounted on the walls, lighting the way, and after many twists and turns, they reached a space deep within the cave.
Then, before his eyes was a large stone stele, seven feet high and three feet wide, with a Mountain and River Map drawn on its front, depicting over a hundred mountains on the relatively small surface.
Before Lu Zheng could examine it closely, an old voice spoke beside him.
"Lu Xiaoyou?"
