Chapter 62: Meng Tianhai's Reinforcements

Feeling the terrifying phenomenon unfolding before him, Lu Qingyun naturally did not dare to act rashly.

Within his line of sight, at least three distinct forces had already emerged.

Auras of brilliant light radiated from them, causing their energies to detonate violently across the sky and drawing the absolute attention of everyone present. Their power was unimaginably dreadful; a single moment of carelessness would spell certain death.

"Roar—!"

Right at that critical juncture, Lu Qingyun summoned his Azure Dragon martial soul, having prepared himself for this scenario beforehand.

The Azure Dragon had previously promised him that when a crucial moment arrived, it would certainly intervene to protect his life. Because the two of them were currently in a symbiotic state, should Lu Qingyun perish, the Azure Dragon's remaining soul fragment would vanish as well.

The instant the Azure Dragon martial soul appeared, its dazzling cyan radiance filled everyone with profound shock.

Yet, the individuals who had already launched their attacks, though perhaps somewhat surprised, showed no intention of pulling back.

After releasing his martial soul, Lu Qingyun felt a surge of tyrannical power within his body, filling his heart with immense exhilaration. Since his breakthrough, he had not yet summoned his Azure Dragon martial soul, and doing so now brought him a deep sense of release.

He had certainly never experienced such a sensation before. At this moment, it felt remarkably comforting, even when facing the figures hurtling down from the sky.

Lu Qingyun did not slacken in the slightest. Fearless though he was, he knew he had no way of enduring such a bombardment on his own.

Just as those attacks were about to land, Elder Hong and the black-robed elder moved swiftly.

"Ah—!"

The two of them simultaneously unleashed the energy within them, crimson and dark currents clashing directly against the might of the sky.

Ye Xiang also dashed out rapidly. As an assassin, he was clearly unsuited for this kind of frontal combat.

Even so, his speed was extraordinary. He hurried to the side of the Cui family and shouted loudly, "Patriarch Cui, this young man cannot be killed!"

At last, Lu Qingyun caught sight of the Cui family members. They were uniformly dressed in purple robes adorned with dark, gold-thread-embroidered patterns.

In their hands, they held various top-tier weapons, and even the Cui family patriarch at the very forefront wielded a divine artifact.

Though its design appeared somewhat peculiar, the shimmering light radiating from the weapon made its razor-sharp deadliness palpable.

Lu Qingyun had never expected that he would actually alarm the Cui family patriarch. It seemed this clan truly cherished their reputation, or rather, that the Cui family patriarch simply doted heavily on his youngest son.

If not for profound affection, how could he possibly have traveled here in person to exact revenge?

Hearing Ye Xiang's words, the Cui family patriarch furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with killing intent as he roared, "What did you say? You want me to just let it go? Have you lost your mind? My son has suffered extreme humiliation out here, and you actually expect me to stop?

"What do you take me for? What do you take the Cui family for? I told you to protect my son and eliminate them if necessary, and this is how you do your job?"

The Cui family patriarch was utterly furious, practically interrogating Ye Xiang, who slowly shook his head, wearing a deeply distressed expression as he replied, "I can explain the situation to you slowly. But if you have him killed right now, the consequences will be unthinkable. There are countless secrets resting on him!

"Take my advice: he is currently working for that madman of a Lord of Bixiao City. If you kill him and provoke that lunatic, do you really think you can bear the fallout?"

Listening to their conversation, Lu Qingyun found it rather amusing. Initially, he had merely thought the Lord of Bixiao City was overwhelmingly arrogant, tyrannical, and utterly unreasonable while within his own domain.

Never had he imagined that out in the wider world, the man possessed such a reputation, actually being referred to by others as a lunatic.

Yet, upon second thought, it seemed quite fitting. To be dubbed a lunatic by others—and such a renowned one at that—was truly an immensely interesting affair.

Indeed, when he thought about it, the description was entirely accurate; the man thoroughly deserved to be called a madman.

When someone refused to forge a demonic artifact for him, he simply chose to slaughter them. It was truly hard to fathom how a person could act with such utter madness, or what on earth drove such insanity.

Naturally, it stemmed from his overwhelming strength—a might so peerless that no one could possibly oppose him.

Moreover, his background was exceptionally special. Many experts who knew of certain events from the past naturally understood that he had ties to the Holy Land.

With someone like that, who would dare to easily cross him? The consequence of opposition was likely only death.

The Meng family possessed such vast connections and a profound foundation, yet he had dared to annihilate them. What was there that he did not dare to do?

Thus, hearing him evaluated this way, Lu Qingyun indeed found it fascinating—a true case of living up to his reputation.

Hearing Ye Xiang's loud cry, not only did the Cui family patriarch hesitate, but the others who had initiated the attack also wavered, their unleashed force growing markedly less ferocious than before.

Elder Hong also shouted toward an elder clad in white robes, "He's the one who destroyed a room on the great ship and caused severe damage to the deck above! He must pay you compensation!"

The white-robed elder asked with a trace of doubt, "As the guardians of the great ship, how could you let someone damage the deck? There are strict rules aboard the vessel forbidding any form of combat. Have you forgotten?

"When he was channeling his spiritual energy, could you not sense it? Is this how you handle your duties? You are far too disappointing."

Clearly, this great ship belonged to the white-robed elder. Facing his reprimand, Elder Hong and the black-robed elder evidently felt a pang of apprehension.

Elder Hong could only brace himself and say, "He... he suddenly broke through on the ship, and I had no idea what was happening..."

Elder Hong feigned ignorance. That white-robed elder was naturally the master of the great ship, Tang Heming!

Tang Heming turned his gaze toward the black-robed elder, his expression extremely grim as he asked, "Is what he said true?"

Clearly, while Elder Hong dealt with numerous people every day, the black-robed elder rarely interacted with anyone in his daily life.

Therefore, Tang Heming chose to place more trust in him.

Naturally, the black-robed elder would speak the truth. He slowly nodded and said, "Indeed. This brat is somewhat peculiar, and I am not entirely sure what is going on with him. We can chat about it slowly when there is time, but he truly did achieve a breakthrough on the vessel..."

Tang Heming clearly believed his words. Elder Hong appeared somewhat awkward, but since he worked under him, obeying orders was only natural.

Working for someone else meant paying attention to their moods; otherwise, the consequences would be severe.

Tang Heming turned his gaze to the Cui family patriarch and shouted, "Patriarch Cui, he damaged my ship, which means he broke my rules. He must compensate me before you can take him away!

"Since I own this great ship, I cannot allow anyone to subvert my rules. Therefore, he must accept my punishment before he dies!"

Lu Qingyun had not expected Elder Hong's suggestion to be so effective; gaining his backing was undoubtedly a tremendous boon.

Especially given Tang Heming's uncompromising stance, ordinary people truly had no way of matching him.

However, the Cui family patriarch was enraged to the extreme. His most beloved younger son had been bullied, and as a father, he naturally had to exact vengeance.

His eyes brimming with killing intent, he spoke with a grim expression, "What of those broken trinkets on your ship? So what if they were damaged? At worst, I will compensate you for them. No matter what, I am going to kill him today!

"I don't care what any of you think, nor do I care about your intentions. If you think you can protect him with such tricks, you are merely daydreaming!"

The Cui family patriarch stared at him impassively, his utterly resolute demeanor carrying a terrifying majesty.

Lu Qingyun had momentarily felt a glimmer of fortune, but now that optimism vanished entirely.

Before someone so consumed by rage, all schemes would be blasted away by fury. Lu Qingyun furrowed his brow, his expression deeply troubled.

Above all, the spiritual energy within him was nearly exhausted. If his energy ran dry, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Lu Qingyun could not rely on others forever, nor would he let others carry his burdens indefinitely.

Yet, Tang Heming was certainly a man who cared deeply about his face. Possessing a ship of that magnitude, his status was something others could not easily covet.

Hearing the Cui family patriarch speak thus, Tang Heming furrowed his brow and said with a dark expression, "Cui Longtian, aren't you going too far? Do you even know what you're saying? Do you understand the meaning of your own words?

"I said I want him to compensate me—did you not understand? Do you think I care about those spirit jades? Do I need your charity? What I want is to uphold my rules!"

Lu Qingyun had originally been the absolute center of this affair, the very eye of the storm. He had assumed his ploys had lost all effect.

Never had he imagined that the situation would take such a twist; Elder Hong was truly dependable.

The fact that Tang Heming could remain so unyielding left Lu Qingyun feeling immensely gratified.

Yet, this also proved that one had to possess strength. Without power, acting unyielding was utterly meaningless.

After all, this was a world where martial prowess reigned supreme. Only by possessing terrifying strength could one attain supreme authority.

Even though the Cui family appeared to possess formidable might, reality was not quite so simple.

Though Tang Heming also projected an intensely aggressive posture, his faction seemed to be locked in a stalemate with the Cui family.

A blazing fire burned in the eyes of the Cui family patriarch as he said in a low voice, "Tang Heming, what do you mean by this? Are you deliberately making an enemy of us? Are you determined to fight us to the end? No matter how much strength you have, how can you possibly compare to us?

"Are you unaware of the formidable experts within the Cui family from top to bottom? By openly opposing me, what benefits do you expect to gain?"

Lu Qingyun truly had not anticipated such a turn of events. He had expected everyone to launch a frenzied assault against him, much like the moment they had first met.

Instead, everyone seemed to have shifted their focus to the confrontation between these two heavyweights, with some even adopting the demeanor of casual spectators.

After all, everyone loved a clash between titans; only such battles could capture universal attention.

Although Lu Qingyun was still struggling to hold on, with two factions pulling their forces away, he no longer needed to expend vast amounts of energy to resist.

In particular, those two parties were now locked in a state of hair-trigger tension.

It felt as though they might strike at any second. After all, both were major powers, and should a conflict erupt, it would inevitably escalate into a massive war!

Just then, Meng Tianhai arrived with a retinue, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present.

Naturally, their attention was not on Meng Tianhai himself, for few people nowadays knew of the Meng family.

What caught their eyes was the group standing behind Meng Tianhai.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd:

"Well, well, aren't those people from the lofty Long family? Why would they appear in a place like this? Could such a trivial matter possibly alarm them?"

"Who knows? I'm clueless about the specifics. Even major events rarely draw their attention, don't you think? Could it be related to that Azure Dragon martial soul?"

"I can't guess either. Matters of the Long family are far beyond our reach. Today's show is truly worth watching—I never expected to witness something so spectacular!"

Lu Qingyun watched the group walking over. They were dressed in uniform yellow robes, each emanating a terrifying aura.

Only a young woman walking at the very rear appeared somewhat lively.

As they passed, the onlookers whispered among themselves, but the moment the group truly arrived, the murmurs abruptly ceased, leaving not a single person making a sound.

Even the glances cast in their direction were stolen, lasting no longer than five seconds.

Meng Tianhai nodded toward Lu Qingyun, giving him a reassuring look.

Lu Qingyun had never imagined that he could stir up such a massive commotion.

At that moment, a young man from the Long family stepped forward and slowly spoke:

"Everyone, Lu Qingyun is an honored guest of the Long family. Can you all give the Long family some face and allow me to take him away today?"