Free Web NovelChapter 449: Chapter 279: Sword Array
Lu Heyun was stunned. He stared at Yang Jing, sitting before him, and almost thought he had misheard.
Annihilating the Wu Family was no small matter. Besides Wu Jingyuan, a Perfect Golden Core Cultivator, the Wu Family also had over thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a thousand Qi Refining Cultivators.
’More importantly,’ Lu Heyun thought, ’as a True Disciple of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect, isn’t he afraid of being reprimanded by the Sect for so unscrupulously interfering in the internal affairs of a Fiefdom?’
’If any survivors from the Wu Family escape and report this to the other Five Sects—that a disciple of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect wantonly slaughtered a Fiefdom’s Cultivators—even the Five Elements True Spirit Sect wouldn’t be able to protect him. He would be punished with at least sixty years of solitary confinement.’
All these concerns made Lu Heyun hesitate to make a decision.
"Rest assured, there will be no repercussions. If you’re willing to pay the Spirit Stones, Fellow Daoist Lu, Wu Jingyuan’s head will be on your desk before long. The Lu Family will return to its position of sole dominance in the Lu Kingdom."
Yang Jing said, his eyes fixed on the Lu Family’s ancestor.
The Lu Family’s ancestor had led his family for over three hundred years; he was no indecisive fool. He looked at Yang Jing’s confident gaze, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind.
"The Lu Family is willing to offer 360,000 Spirit Stones!"
As the Royal Family in control of a kingdom, the Lu Family possessed immense wealth and numerous Spiritual Objects, but their need for Spirit Stones was also great.
360,000 Spirit Stones was all the Lu Family could hastily gather on short notice.
After scraping together so many Spirit Stones, the Lu Family would have to tighten their belts for the next few years.
If not for Yang Jing’s status as a True Disciple of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect—which meant Lu Heyun didn’t have to worry about him taking the Spirit Stones and running—he never would have agreed to such an absurd transaction.
After all, in the Golden Core Realm, each minor realm represented a significant gap in Power.
That Wu Jingyuan had been a Perfect Golden Core Cultivator for over thirty years.
Lu Heyun even had a malicious thought. ’It would be for the best if this Yang Jing died at Wu Jingyuan’s hands. That way, the Five Elements True Spirit Sect would never let the matter rest. The Wu Family might end up in even greater trouble.’
’These 360,000 Spirit Stones would be the price on Yang Jing’s head.’
To his surprise, after hearing the astonishing figure of 360,000 Spirit Stones, Yang Jing actually shook his head.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, Wu Jingyuan’s status is extraordinary. To take his life, a mere 360,000 Spirit Stones is not quite enough. In addition, I must also select three treasures from your Lu Family’s secret vault, each worth no less than 30,000 Spirit Stones."
Hearing this demand, a vein throbbed on Lu Heyun’s forehead. ’Is this Yang Jing trying to use this opportunity to empty out the Lu Family’s entire treasury?’
He was about to refuse outright.
Yang Jing said in a leisurely tone,
"Surely, Fellow Daoist, you wouldn’t want Wu Jingyuan to find out that you were willing to spend the vast sum of 360,000 Spirit Stones for his head, would you?"
Lu Heyun’s vision went dark. If not for Yang Jing’s status as a True Disciple of the Six Sects, he would have activated the Array and ended him right here.
"Fine!"
he agreed through gritted teeth.
"However, Fellow Daoist Yang, Wu Jingyuan’s Power is extraordinary. It would be difficult to find his equal across the five neighboring Fiefdoms."
Although Yang Jing’s reputation was great, Wu Jingyuan had genuinely suppressed all the Golden Core Cultivators in the Lu Kingdom and several surrounding nations. Lu Heyun had never fought Wu Jingyuan, but he knew with certainty that he was no match for him.
The only reason the Lu Family could resist was a Tier Four Magical Treasure left by a Nascent Soul ancestor; the Golden Core Cultivators of the Wu Family truly could not contend with it.
"That is not something you need to worry about, Fellow Daoist Lu,"
Yang Jing said with a flick of his sleeves.
He cupped his fists in a salute to Lu Heyun, then transformed into a streak of Tunneling Light and shot into the sky.
A moment later, a Golden Core Cultivator of the Lu Family entered.
"Ancestor, that man was so arrogant. Is he truly the Yang Jing from the rumors?"
he said to Lu Heyun, his expression reverent.
Although the Lu Family had many Golden Core Cultivators, their foundations were shallow. Nearly all of them were stuck at the Early Stage Golden Core Realm, trapped by a bottleneck and unable to advance a single step.
Only their ancestor, Lu Heyun, had a Cultivation at the sixth layer, reaching the Middle Stage of the Golden Core Realm.
If not for the sudden rise of Wu Jingyuan, he would have been the number one expert in the five kingdoms.
"The man immediately demanded Spirit Stones for Wu Jingyuan’s head, yet he wouldn’t even accept a deposit. He is clearly supremely confident in his own Power. In recent years, there is no one else among the Six Sects I can think of, other than Yang Jing, who could reliably defeat a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator while only at the Early Stage Golden Core Realm,"
Lu Heyun said to the junior member of his family.
’As long as the Wu Family is destroyed,’ he thought, ’the Lu Family will once again be the undisputed masters of the Lu Kingdom.’
The streak of Tunneling Light that was Yang Jing soared into the air. Among the Fiefdoms of the Western Continent, there was a clear hierarchy.
At the top were the Fiefdoms established by Noble Families from the Six Sects who had broken away from their parent Sects. A top-tier Fiefdom like the Dong Family could even contend with the Eastern Army Governor’s Mansion on equal footing.
Next were the Fiefdoms granted to a Sect’s True Disciples for meritorious service.
Below them were the Fiefdoms granted to Immortally Cultivation Clans for meritorious service.
The lowest tier of all were Fiefdoms like the Lu Kingdom, which had been obtained through usurpation. If the Zhang Family hadn’t had such a poor reputation among the Six Sects, and if the Lu Family’s ancestor at the time hadn’t paid an enormous price, the Six Sects would have likely sent troops into the Lu Kingdom to restore the Zhang Family to power.
It was precisely because their claim to the throne was illegitimate that the Lu Family’s rule over the Lu Kingdom could be threatened by Wu Jingyuan.
Consequently, they were willing to pay any price to maintain their fragile rule.
Having secured nearly 450,000 Spirit Stones’ worth of assets from the Lu Family, Yang Jing was very satisfied. With this huge sum, the pressure of building his Flying Boat was greatly reduced.
