Chapter 257: I'm Backing Them
"Very good, you've done well this time."
Hearing the young man's repeated assurances, the middle-aged cultivator at the Core Formation stage nodded. To the Fenghua sect, the Lu family was nothing more than a tiny shrimp — so small that the sect hardly spared them a thought. A few subtle hints from the sect were enough for such a small clan to slowly wither away.
Yet no one expected that this little shrimp, originally on the verge of decline, would somehow latch onto the great warship that was Shennong Valley. That forced the Fenghua sect to take them seriously.
This Core Formation cultivator had once followed the sect from the Tianyuan Cultivation Realm to the Qinghe Cultivation Realm, so he knew well how formidable Shennong Valley was.
Of course, powerful as Shennong Valley was, it held little influence in Qinghe. The Fenghua sect, however, had already risen to stand among the very top sects of this realm.
If it were only an ordinary disciple of Shennong Valley trying to make the Fenghua sect back down, that was clearly impossible. Normally, the sect barely paid attention to shrimp like the Lu family — but that didn't mean the Lu family could rise again. Anyone who offended the Fenghua sect, no matter how small, had to pay the price.
"This is all thanks to Elder's constant teachings. Only then was I able to act so." The youth bowed deeply, his heart surging with excitement.
Before long, streaks of light fell upon the Lu family. Without waiting for an announcement, they barged straight in — that was the Fenghua sect's arrogance.
But this time, they had clearly kicked an iron wall. As soon as the Core Formation cultivator landed, a tremendous power slammed into him head-on. In the next instant, he was blasted away, crashing heavily onto the street outside the Lu estate.
Of course, the young man was sent flying alongside him.
"Fenghua sect's Ying Bo, requesting an audience with Shennong Valley's honored guest!" Crawling up from the ground, Ying Bo spat out a mouthful of blood. The arrogance on his face was gone, replaced by deep humility as he bowed respectfully toward the Lu family gates.
Strength was the quickest way to force a man to recognize reality. From that single blow just now, Ying Bo knew all too clearly — if the attacker had wished, killing him would have been effortless.
"Leave him outside for now."
Gu Mo waved his hand when Fang Jiaoyan wanted to bring the men in. He wasn't afraid of offending the Fenghua sect. On the contrary, he even hoped they'd come make trouble for him — that way, he'd have every reason to strike back.
"Yes!"
Fang Jiaoyan dipped slightly in a bow, her heart brimming with satisfaction. The Lu family had been bullied for so long, and at last they could breathe a little easier.
This senior brother from Shennong Valley had, with a mere wave of his hand, tossed out a Fenghua sect Core Formation elder. His strength was truly unfathomable.
"Isn't that one of Fenghua sect's elders? What's going on?" As time passed, people soon noticed the Core Formation cultivator waiting outside the Lu family gates.
Ying Bo's face was widely known, as he handled the sect's external affairs. Now, this elder was standing humbly before the Lu gates. Naturally, the scene drew a crowd of curious onlookers.
"You don't know? The Lu family's daughter was taken in by Shennong Valley. She's returned now, accompanied by a senior from her sect."
"Shennong Valley! That's a top-tier sect. The Lu family has truly soared this time."
"Exactly. The Fenghua sect is so domineering, yet now they're forced to stand meekly outside. When have you ever seen them behave like that?"
"Looks like I'd better inform my clan. We need to re-establish ties with the Lu family as soon as possible."
…
In less than a day, all of Yuntian Immortal City knew that the Lu family now had Shennong Valley as their backer — a backer even the Fenghua sect dared not offend.
"Bring them in."
After calculating the time, Gu Mo judged the news had spread enough, and only then did he allow the Fenghua sect cultivators to be brought in.
Leaving them outside wasn't just for retaliation. More importantly, he wanted the public to know the Lu family had a powerful backer. That was the only way to completely resolve their crisis.
"I greet Shennong Valley's honored guest!"
Following the Lu family attendants, Ying Bo entered and bowed deeply to Gu Mo. As for the youth, he was still lying outside. During all this, Ying Bo hadn't even tried to heal him — the man wouldn't die anyway, and Ying Bo had no wish to risk displeasing this guest from Shennong Valley.
"The Lu family is under my protection. Does your Fenghua sect have a problem with that?" Gu Mo didn't bother with pleasantries, speaking bluntly.
"This…"
Faced with the question, Ying Bo froze. The Lu family might be small, but it was still tied to the Fenghua sect's dignity. If the sect backed down here, wouldn't it make them look like cowards?
The Fenghua sect's dominance in the Qinghe Cultivation Realm rested on both strength and their ruthless reputation. Whoever defied them would face overwhelming retribution. That was how they kept the local sects in line.
"I cannot decide this matter."
After a pause, Ying Bo chose to push the thorny issue up to the sect's higher-ups.
Hearing that, Gu Mo waved him off and ordered them shown out. To truly resolve the Lu family's trouble, it was best to force the Fenghua sect's top leaders to appear.
Leaving the Lu estate with the injured youth in tow, Ying Bo hurried away.
Before long, the report reached the sect. The Lu family might be a small affair, but with a Shennong Valley Core disciple involved, they couldn't ignore it. Especially since that disciple had declared he would protect the Lu family — something that clashed with the Fenghua sect's established rules.
"I'll go meet this disciple of Shennong Valley." The news quickly reached He Zhangcheng, the Fenghua sect's Nascent Soul Patriarch. Immediately, he decided to step in personally.
Against a top sect's Core disciple, an ordinary Core elder was useless. Only a Nascent Soul True Lord like him could suppress the situation. His goal was simple: to use sheer cultivation pressure to make this disciple of Shennong Valley recognize reality.
"Shennong Valley disciple, come out and greet my sect's Patriarch!" Ying Bo once again barged into the Lu estate, this time emboldened by his powerful backing.
Slap!
A resounding crack rang out. Ying Bo was sent flying once more, blood spraying from his mouth, landing heavily on the street outside — right at He Zhangcheng's feet.
Seeing this, He Zhangcheng's face instantly darkened. This was nothing less than a slap to his own dignity.
"Youngster, did your elders never teach you how to respect your seniors? Since they failed to do so, allow this old man to instruct you on what respect truly means." His voice boomed with the crushing weight of a Nascent Soul's aura.
"It's… it's a Nascent Soul True Lord from the Fenghua sect…"
The onlookers, who had been watching events unfold at the Lu estate, trembled in terror beneath the overwhelming pressure. None of them had imagined that a matter concerning the Lu family could draw the attention of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
At that moment, the clans and factions who had considered reconnecting with the Lu family all dropped the idea immediately.
"Well, if it isn't a narrow road for enemies to meet again."
Gu Mo suppressed the killing intent rising in his heart. Back then, it was this very man who had destroyed his incarnation. Of course, the current Gu Mo could easily destroy him in turn — but now was not the right time.
The Fenghua sect had three Nascent Soul cultivators. It would be best if at least two of them appeared before he struck. If he killed this one too soon, the remaining two might never show themselves.
Gu Mo didn't know what hidden cards the Fenghua sect still had, so storming their mountain gate outright carried great risk. But if he could lure their experts out one by one, it would be much safer.
"Old man, shut your mouth."
Gu Mo stepped out of the Lu estate, his gaze fixed on He Zhangcheng. He couldn't attack for now, but when it came to words, he felt no need to hold back.
As soon as Gu Mo's words fell, a sharp intake of breath echoed all around.
"As expected of a disciple of a top-tier sect—hot-tempered. I wonder if he'll end up lying down just as quickly."
"Fenghua Sect might not dare touch a disciple of a top-tier sect."
"True. Fenghua Sect only acts tough around here. When it comes to a sect like Shennong Valley, all they can do is swallow their anger."
The murmurs spreading around made He Zhangcheng's eyes narrow. Clearly, someone was deliberately trying to provoke hostility between Fenghua Sect and Shennong Valley.
But the young man before him was indeed far too disrespectful. He needed to be taught a lesson—to know what attitude one should hold when facing a Nascent Soul True Lord.
"Hmm?"
Just as He Zhangcheng was about to strike, his eyes caught the dark-green belt at Gu Mo's waist. His heart gave a violent jolt—something about it seemed very familiar.
"Dragonblood Kelp!"
He immediately recognized the origin of Gu Mo's belt. Back when he was hunting down the remnants of Qinglu Sect, he had clashed with this Dragonblood Kelp in the sea.
But since when had the Dragonblood Kelp become the belt of this Shennong Valley disciple?
Sensing He Zhangcheng's gaze, the Dragonblood Kelp wriggled, then uncoiled into a massive dark-green dragon behind Gu Mo.
The aura of a fourth-rank Demon King erupted.
"Heavens—a Demon King has entered the city!"
The moment its presence spread, all of Yuntian Immortal City was thrown into an uproar. When He Zhangcheng had released his Nascent Soul pressure earlier, the city's cultivators had felt no cause for alarm.
But the appearance of a Demon King left no one calm.
"Return."
At Gu Mo's command, the Dragonblood Kelp shrank back down, re-forming into a belt around his waist.
He Zhangcheng's pupils shrank to pinpoints. That Dragonblood Kelp, with dragon blood in its veins, was infamous for its arrogance—yet here it behaved as meekly as a puppy.
"Who are you?" He Zhangcheng demanded solemnly.
"You already know, don't you? A disciple of Shennong Valley." Gu Mo spoke with indifference. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh—an inner-transmission disciple."
"What!"
At the words "inner-discple," He Zhangcheng's heart pounded wildly. The true inheritors of a top-tier sect were peerless prodigies whose combat power rivaled Nascent Soul True Lords, and their status was on equal footing with them.
So, when Gu Mo had just called him "old man," it hadn't really been out of line. And suddenly, it made sense how the Dragonblood Kelp had been subdued.
The kelp was a spirit-plant Demon King. Facing a Shennong Valley true inheritor—renowned for mastery over spiritual flora—it was entirely possible for it to be tamed.
"By the way, didn't you just say you wanted to teach me a lesson? Go on, then." Gu Mo's gaze was calm, fixed on He Zhangcheng.
"Cough, cough…"
Brought back to the subject, He Zhangcheng's expression stiffened. Truth be told, against a true inheritor of a top-tier sect, he had little confidence—especially when the other had a fourth-rank Demon King at his side.
Never mind anything else—he alone could not handle the Dragonblood Kelp. And besides, if he fought a Core Formation cultivator and won, it would be only natural. If he lost, however, he would lose both dignity and face.
"Since you are a true inheritor of Shennong Valley, let us address each other as equals." When he said this, He Zhangcheng's face burned hot with shame.
But circumstances were stronger than pride. If it had been an ordinary Core Formation disciple of Shennong Valley, he could still have relied on his realm to press down. Against a true inheritor, though, it wasn't so clear who would be the one suppressed.
"In that case, if I call you 'old man' and you call me 'young man,' that's perfectly normal, isn't it?" Gu Mo twisted the knife.
"Normal."
Though He Zhangcheng ground his teeth with hatred, he could only grit his teeth and accept. Inwardly, he pondered whether he could rally two fellow sect Nascent Souls to jointly rid them of this arrogant inheritor.
Three Nascent Soul True Lords together—surely they could slay one Core Formation disciple, true inheritor or not.
If Gu Mo had known He Zhangcheng's thoughts at that moment, he would have been delighted. He was just waiting for Fenghua Sect's Nascent Souls to come at him, so he could cut them all down at once.
Unfortunately, He Zhangcheng quickly abandoned the idea. Killing an ordinary disciple of Shennong Valley could be concealed, but to kill a true inheritor of a top-tier sect would be poking a hornet's nest.
"Well then, is there anything else?"
The playacting finished, Gu Mo was ready to send him off. From this moment on, the Lu family's crisis was completely resolved. After all, with the backing of a Shennong Valley true inheritor—someone even Nascent Souls had to respect—the Lu family's rise was just around the corner.
He Zhangcheng left, but Gu Mo did not.
"Greetings, True Inheritor!"
Before long, a middle-aged man appeared—the City Lord of Yuntian Immortal City, Yun Chen. When He Zhangcheng had unleashed his Nascent Soul aura earlier, Yun Chen had already arrived, though he hadn't shown himself.
Thus, he had witnessed everything. To a true inheritor of a top-tier sect, he too extended the courtesy of equal footing.
"Greetings, City Lord Yun."
Gu Mo responded politely. The Lu family's survival until now had been thanks in part to the city's protection.
Soon after, Gu Mo accepted Yun Chen's invitation to the City Lord's manor as a guest. Once he left, the Lu estate was immediately surrounded by people eager to present gifts and curry favor.
In the City Lord's manor, Gu Mo and Yun Chen spoke with great enthusiasm. Especially upon realizing Gu Mo had grievances with Fenghua Sect, Yun Chen's heart was gladdened. Fenghua Sect's rise had put enormous pressure on Yuntian Immortal City.
Worse, Fenghua Sect was even preparing its own immortal city, threatening to steal Yuntian's trade—a blow to its very foundation.
Yet Yuntian Immortal City had been helpless before Fenghua Sect's strength. If they could ally themselves with a true inheritor of Shennong Valley, however, the benefits would be immeasurable.
Hearing Yun Chen's hints at alliance, Gu Mo wasn't surprised. Once he revealed his identity and his enmity with Fenghua Sect, it was only natural that factions hostile to Fenghua Sect would seek to draw him in.
Yuntian Immortal City was merely the beginning. As word spread, more and more powers would follow.
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