Chapter 76: My dear nephew~~ He really scared his aunt to death~~

Lu Yuan and the other two snapped back to attention and exchanged a look.

There was no panic in that glance, only a sliver of cold, shared understanding.

Without Lu Yuan giving any order, the next second the three of them grit their teeth and, moving like the wind, suddenly turned back toward the main gate!

Damn it!

Beyond the gate, the snow glowed a sickly white, casting four or five stretched, twisted silhouettes.

Foul curses mixed with lingering booze breathed out, sounding especially harsh in the silent snowy night:

“Goddamn it… hic… we just put the talismans up and someone already dares tear them down!”

“What mountain did these wild Taoists crawl out from? Are they blind? Can’t they even see the three big characters ‘Biyu Temple’!”

Before the last word fell, Lu Yuan and the other two had already burst out of the pear garden like phantoms.

Everything outside was revealed in an instant.

Four Taoists wearing Biyu Temple-style padded robes stood there, their leader a young man with triangular eyes and drooping brows.

They were the same crew who had been making a scene at Songtao Pavilion earlier, insisting on going up to the second floor!

If Lu Yuan remembered correctly, this guy had introduced himself as Zhao Bing.

Now the four smelled less of alcohol than before, evidently sobered up, but their faces still bore the flush of drinking and their eyes had only grown more arrogant and overbearing.

Zhao Bing’s gaze landed first on a torn talisman, wadded up and tossed into the snow.

Rage flared in his triangular eyes.

Then he raised his head and swept his gaze across Lu Yuan and the others.

When he saw Lu Yuan’s overly young face and the ordinary padded robe that wasn’t any recognized temple uniform, contempt and disdain on his face dropped all pretense.

“So that’s who it is—some country bumpkin crawled out of a corner.”

He pointed his peach-wood sword at Lu Yuan’s nose, voice sharp:

“You know the rules or not?!”

“Pack up your trash and get the hell out of here!”

Lu Yuan ignored his shouting.

His eyes didn’t even linger on Zhao Bing’s face for a moment.

His gaze passed over these braying clowns and fixed, unblinking, on the snow behind them.

The altar had been kicked over.

The incense burner had rolled into the snow, ash scattered across the ground, mixing with dirty slush into a muddy mess.

The candles were stomped into halves.

The ancestral tablet engraved with the founder’s name lay toppled and crooked, half buried under filthy footprints.

A scene of utter ruin.

Admittedly, Lu Yuan was someone who usually kept his emotions steady.

He wasn’t hot-tempered or easily set off.

Cultivators keep their hearts like ancient wells, unmoved by worldly things.

Without that steadiness, he wouldn’t have come this far.

But now Lu Yuan snapped.

Not because of Zhao Bing’s filthy words, but because of the desecrated altar!

And the fallen ancestral tablet and incense burner.

An altar is not something used every day.

Only when raising an altar for ritual work do you put out things like a wooden sword, a compass, bowls, and so on.

But it’s the last line of defense for a Taoist.

On it sits the founder’s ancestral tablet.

If you ever run into a demon you can’t defeat and are about to die with no escape, the last hope is to kowtow before the founder’s tablet, beg for the founder’s spirit to possess you and snatch a sliver of life.

Of course, the founder may not show up even if you plead for ages, but it’s still the final thread of hope.

Lu Yuan and the others were already entering the pear garden, already starting their work.

Zhao Bing and his men had kicked over Lu Yuan’s altar—that was effectively trying to take their lives!

And beyond life itself, Taoists value other things more.

Every trade has its rules.

Bandits have rules: “don’t prey on local rabbits,” “don’t rob the seven, don’t snatch the eight,” “three no’s” of the road.

Craftsmen have rules: “Better to give up a gold piece than spill a secret,” “enter a home as a guest, don’t reach out unless invited,” “competitors are foes, but don’t steal each other’s work.”

Casinos and brothels have rules: “no father-son in the casino; cheaters lose hands,” “brothels don’t withhold clients’ money or goods,” “fence without asking origin.”

And the Taoist path has its own rule—probably the most important:

“You may fight to the death, but never lose your incense; quarrels may cost lives, but do not touch the founder.”

Plainly put: no matter the hatred or grievance, you can smash anything else, but do not touch someone’s ancestral tablet, incense burner, or founder’s portrait!

This rule isn’t written in any scripture, yet every practitioner is beaten on the hand by his master and warned of it from the first day.

The tablet holds the faithful spirit of the god; the founder represents the lineage’s inheritance.

Smashing these is not merely breaking wood and porcelain.

It’s digging up someone’s roots and severing their lineage!

It condemns the master and disciples for generations to become lonely wandering spirits before the gods.

For a Taoist, that is worse than killing one’s parents.

When Taoists fight—over territory, work, techniques, even life and death—there is one bottom line:

don’t insult the fundamental faith.

If you win, you can force the opponent to yield, pay, or leave, but you cannot smash their altar or ancestral images.

To do so is sacrilege and utter contempt—it means you don’t regard the other as a fellow practitioner, or even as a human.

Once done, it’s a grudge that will never end.

Crack—!

A faint sound, almost imperceptible.

Sizzle… sizzle!

Zing—pop!!

A dense, teeth-grinding crackle of electricity suddenly ripped through the dead-silent snowy night!

Countless silver arcs as fine as cow hair shot out from Lu Yuan’s center, frenziedly bursting and spreading outward!

They danced wildly around him, burning the air and sending up smells of singe!

Zhao Bing’s swagger froze the moment the electric light flashed.

The three companions behind him stood as if their souls had been sucked out.

Heavens… a Celestial Master?!

This was the kind of thunder law only a true Celestial Master could unleash!

How could this be?

This kid who looked barely eighteen or nineteen—how could he be a Celestial Master!

Lu Yuan’s face was expressionless, chin slightly raised, and his left hand gathered with electrified light as he suddenly clenched it toward the void!

Boom!!

A thunderous roar like an ancient war drum exploded in his palm!

“Today, I will kill you no matter what.”

Lu Yuan spoke without any warmth. After finishing, he let his eyelids drop, tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth.

He closed his breath and focused inward, turning his ancestral aperture.

His entire aura pulled away from the mortal world, becoming lofty and indifferent, as if he had become an executor of Heaven’s will.

Zhao Bing and the others were completely stunned.

They never imagined that a drunken show of force would run straight into a true Celestial Master!!

Especially when Zhao Bing, after coming to his senses, looked at Lu Yuan—eyelids lowered, holding his breath, eyes inward—these four men were utterly frightened.

None of them were Celestial Masters, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t seen Celestial Masters in action before.

As top-tier practitioners, Biyu Temple boasted seventeen Celestial Masters, and their master was one of them.

So seeing this sudden display from Lu Yuan, images of terrifying scenes they’d seen before flashed through their minds.

No…

It can’t be…

This posture…

He… he’s not going to…

In an instant, Zhao Bing and two others snapped awake and, in a clatter, dropped to their knees, loudly begging for mercy:

“We were wrong!!”

“We’re really wrong!!”

“We drank too much tonight, our heads are fuzzy!!”

“Immortal sir… please don’t be angry, we’ll fix this right away!”

Lu Yuan did not speak.

He simply faced the southeast, the position of wind and thunder, and stood still.

Then his left foot stepped first, striking the “Three-Five Flying Step” formation.

Each step matched a chant, crossing the Big Dipper positions.

“One step, the heavenly star turns; two steps, thunder roars; three steps, lightning shakes; four steps, drive away cloud thunder; five steps, thunder breaks forth; six steps, mountain ghosts collapse; seven steps, gather the evil!”

Zhao Bing and the others: “????”

Their eyes nearly popped out.

No…

This… he actually stepped the formation…

This… this isn’t a bluff!!

“Immortal!!”

“Don’t be rash!! We’ll compensate!”

“Tell us what you want and we’ll give it, we will personally come and apologize!!”

Lu Yuan showed no reaction.

His steps seemed to tread on burning coals, his figure swaying like an oar in a river, the wide sleeves of his robe billowing though there was no wind.

When he stepped to the “Heavenly Pivot” position, he stamped his heel hard into the packed snow!

“Open the earth gate that shakes the ground!”

His left hand instantly formed the “Thunder Formation.”

The little finger hooked over the ring finger, the middle finger returned to press the “child pattern” on the palm—the transverse crease at the base of the hand.

The index finger pressed against the back joint of the middle finger, the thumb clasping the index middle phalanx.

This was the “Five Thunders Finger,” symbolizing the Five Thunder Envoys, the Five Breath returning to the origin!

His right hand formed the sword seal!

Index and middle fingers extended together, thumb pressing down on the ring and little fingertips, as if holding an invisible magic sword.

Left hand simultaneously formed the “Xun pattern” at the second knuckle of the index finger.

“Eastern wood thunder, life force surges!”

Left hand thunder formation, right hand sword seal!

Finally, the “Thunder-Release Seal”!!!

Sword seal raised high above the head, thunder formation pressing the wrist pulse, arms crossed, forming a fierce “thunder-fire cross” stance!

The moment this seal appeared, wind and thunder seemed to surge in the heavens, rumbling far off.

Zhao Bing and the others completely lost it.

They could clearly feel the air thickening and turning violent, fine electric arcs hopping on their hair and sleeve hems.

Zhao Bing and his men: “????”

They watched the left hand’s thunder formation and the right hand’s sword seal.

And most importantly, everyone there—whether Lu Yuan and his two or that group—felt their hair lift like static.

Now Zhao Bing’s party understood.

He wasn’t joking!!

He was really going to roast them alive with thunder magic!

He wouldn’t accept any pleas for mercy!

How dare he?!

We… we are from Biyu Temple!

Even if you’re a Celestial Master!!

But… but you can’t just kill people!!

At worst, report this to Biyu Temple and have us expelled!!

You can’t just murder like this!!

At this point, Zhao Bing and his group’s legs had gone weak, but some surge of will to live suddenly rose up.

Zhao Bing sprang up like a madman and bolted across the street, screaming:

“Run for your lives!!!”

“He’s really going to kill us!!”

Now run?

Too late.

Lu Yuan felt a blank clarity fill him.

He knew what he was about to do would cause him enormous trouble.

Not just the squabble between sects.

The secular world wouldn’t let him off either—this was murder.

If they locked him up for it, he wouldn’t be able to go clear his Nurturing Malevolence site.

But whether right or wrong, consequences and so on, Lu Yuan no longer cared.

If his founder’s tablet had been destroyed and the founder disgraced, and he could just swallow that—then he might as well be a living turtle!

Besides, if he let this grievance fester and didn’t vent it, his heart would become a knot and his cultivation would never advance another inch in this life!

So leave the aftermath for later!

Now Lu Yuan was angry.

Then damn everyone!

Lu Yuan’s indifferent gaze locked onto the four fleeing backs. He chanted the true words quickly, each syllable like thunder.

“Primordial open the chart, Five Thunders receive the breath.”

“Heaven’s cave, heaven’s truth.”

Lu Yuan traced the character “Thunder” in cloud-script with his sword finger across the thunder pattern on his left palm.

Then he stamped his foot again!

“Underworld, underworld masters.”

He lifted the sword finger to point at the sky, his sleeve swelling though no wind blew.

“By the edict of Jade Purity!”

The next second, Lu Yuan wrote the “Xin” thunder talisman in the void; as it formed the smell of sulfur spread.

“Summon Lord Xin of the Thunder Division!”

“Borrow the might of ten thousand chariots!”

“Seize shining thunder and lightning!”

“Break filth and dispel miasma, crush demons and vanquish evil!!”

As his incantation reached its end, Lu Yuan’s right hand sword seal shifted into the Five Thunders Finger!!

“Swift as the nine-heavens respond, thunder voice transforms; by heavenly edict!”

“Break!!!!”

Boom!!!!!

A flash of silver suddenly exploded over Fengtian City!!

A bucket-thick silver thunder-dragon ripped roaringly through the leaden clouds, tearing heaven and earth asunder!

The lightning swallowed the four fleeing figures in an instant!

The dazzling silver light turned the whole block as bright as day, then a deafening thunderclap shattered the silence!

When the light faded, four charred human shapes lay on the ground, wreathed in faint smoke, reeking of burned protein.

But…

One of them still had a breath.

Lu Yuan’s brow tightened and his gaze dropped to Zhao Bing’s waist.

The “Yellow Immortal Tribulation Knot,” also called the “Three Lights Life-Protecting Tassel,” at Zhao Bing’s waist glowed faintly yellow.

This life-saving talisman had some tricks— it allowed them to cling to life under a Celestial Master’s thunder.

But…

It saved them this time—what about next time?!

Lu Yuan’s Five Thunders Finger shifted back to a sword seal, fingertip gathering electric light again to summon a second heavenly bolt!

Today he would fry these bastards to death!!

Rumble rumble!!!

Thunderclouds boiled again above, and a more terrifying pressure pressed down!

Just as this apocalyptic strike was about to descend, a deep, mountain-heavy shout cut clearly through the roaring thunder, sounding in everyone’s ears:

“Fellow Daoist, wait! Hold your anger!!!”

Lu Yuan ignored it completely, not even lifting an eyelid!

No one coming now would stop him.

Even if Shen Jizhou from Wuqing Temple came to plead, Lu Yuan would still strike them dead!!

At this moment, the snow within three feet of Lu Yuan had all turned to vapor from the thunder qi radiating off him.

The second heavenly bolt, carrying world-destroying force, crashed down!!!

The one who shouted was utterly stunned—he hadn’t expected Lu Yuan to be such hardened meat, unyielding and murderous to the bone!

The silver thunder was about to hit Zhao Bing’s charred body.

At the last instant—

A more piercing shout rang out from afar!

“Blood offerings to the ancestral hall, summon the founder’s dharma body!!!”

Before the shout finished, a great vermilion-gold apparition arrived ahead of time, moving faster than the thunder itself!!

It intercepted between Zhao Bing and the deadly silver thunder!

The apparition solidified into the image of an ancient elder wearing a tall coronet and broad ceremonial sash, features indistinct.

This was the founder’s dharma body of the Biyu Temple’s main lineage!

Between the founder’s hands hovered an ancient jade seal carved with tortoise-shell patterns.

One of Biyu Temple’s three treasures, the “Spirit Tortoise Carrying Mountain Seal”!

Lu Yuan’s silver thunder smashed into the seal’s apparition.

Instead of the expected cataclysmic roar, a high-pitched, teeth-chilling screech rang out—like the finest needle scraping glass.

The seal projection’s tortoise patterns spun frantically, and within each groove countless grain-sized golden seal-characters surfaced.

They were forcibly parsing and digesting Lu Yuan’s terrifying thunder strike!

At the same time, a middle-aged Taoist in a cyan robe stamped through the snow and rushed forward!

In his left hand he held a nine-section bronze whip engraved with thunder patterns.

His right hand had index and middle fingers pressed together, dripping fresh blood from the fingertips.

That blood coagulated in the air into red threads, linking to the majestic founder-dharman projection.

The man was Zhao Bing’s master, Daoist Lingchen!

“Young friend! Such temper!”

“What couldn’t be discussed calmly that you must take such a deadly step and put my disciple in the ground!”

Lingchen panted and fixed his gaze on Lu Yuan.

But when he saw Lu Yuan’s overly young face and the violent electric arcs dancing around him—almost corporeal—this famed Celestial Master felt his heart seize.

This?

This age… a Celestial Master?!

Before Lingchen could fully recover from his shock, Lu Yuan lifted his eyelids.

Cold eyes passed over him, then he pointed with a finger to the ruined altar not far away.

“Deserve to die or not?”

Lingchen’s body stiffened; he subconsciously followed the direction of the finger.

One look and he froze.

The incense burner lay toppled, the ancestral tablet crooked, offerings scattered everywhere—a ruin!

In an instant, Lingchen found himself speechless. He didn’t even have to ask if his disciple had done it.

If he hadn’t, why would a promising young Celestial Master accept the karmic stain of initiating heavenly thunder just to shred them to ash?

The pleas that had been ready on Lingchen’s tongue stuck like molten iron in his throat.

To destroy a tablet, step on a founder—this is monstrous!

At that moment, the founder’s blurry apparition began to dissipate visibly.

It was not that Lingchen withdrew his spell.

Rather…

The founder found it disgusting and left on his own…

Looking down at Zhao Bing, who was barely holding a breath and charred to human form, Lingchen’s eyes finally showed a trace of pity.

After all, this was his disciple.

From a boy in his teens to a man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he’d raised him—no one could truthfully claim no feeling.

“Fellow Daoist… hear me out. It has come to this. Even if you kill him, you’ll only stir up blood and trouble and gain nothing.”

“The Luotian Grand Offering is coming. If you are detained for murder, won’t you miss the grand ceremony?”

“If you spare his life, name any condition you like, and we Biyu Temple will satisfy you!”

Lingchen lowered his posture, but seeing Lu Yuan’s unshaken, icy face, his heart sank as he added:

“Our Biyu Temple is the top sect beyond the Wall. The master is the current Celestial Master!”

“As long as you give Biyu Temple face, the master himself will give you a satisfactory answer!”

“We are all of the same Dao…”

Even Lingchen’s soft words couldn’t move Lu Yuan to spare Zhao Bing.

And then Lingchen added that line about having a Celestial Master at home?

Having a Celestial Master at home, able to trample my founder?!

If Lu Yuan released Zhao Bing today, his own head would be smashed before his founder’s tablet tomorrow!

“Fuck you!!”

“Your Biyu Temple’s face means nothing to me!!”

“Even if Shen Jizhou of Wuqing Temple came himself, I’d still fry him!!”

“Thunder, help me!!!”

Lu Yuan struck with no wind-up; cursing finished, he unleashed the lightning!

Boom!!!!!

Seeing this, Lingchen’s face turned iron gray. He changed his mudra and barked:

“Biyu Temple disciples, even if they have committed heinous errors, should be judged by our Discipline Court!”

“The honor of Biyu Temple must not be lost here!”

Hum!!

A heavy golden light dome instantly shielded Zhao Bing, who was barely alive!

Boom!!!!

Lu Yuan’s heavenly thunder crashed solidly onto the golden shield!

A tremendous impact rang out, spiderweb cracks shot across the golden dome, but it did not shatter.

Both sides felt the shock to their core.

Lu Yuan was astonished Lingchen’s cultivation could actually withstand his thunder.

Lingchen was even more shocked—his best Golden Light Charm had been cracked by a single strike from a newly minted Celestial Master!

After a short stunned moment, the clash escalated into a far more violent duel of Dao!

After several exchanges, Lu Yuan fell into the worse position.

After all, he had only reached Celestial Master days ago; Lingchen was a veteran of that realm.

Worse, Lu Yuan sensed figures moving in the darkness.

More and more people from various sects, drawn by the commotion, closed in.

This could not continue!

Although this was Fengtian City, Zhenlong Temple was not here.

And Zhenlong Temple had no powerful people—just Lu Yuan and his old master.

And the old man wasn’t here…

If this dragged on, busybodies or mediators friendly with Biyu Temple would surely come out!

Then there’d be no chance left!

So—

The next second!

A burnished ancient longsword was drawn from thin air and gripped in his hand!

At the sword’s reveal, a cutting, unmatched killing aura leapt skyward!

Lingchen, who had been exerting full force to suppress Lu Yuan, and all the watchers in the dark felt a moment of disorientation.

Huh?

Where did this kid pull a magic implement from?!

As Lu Yuan prepared to risk everything for a killing blow, suddenly—

Bang!!

Two crisp gunshots tore through Fengtian’s heavy night.

Two blinding beams of light shot in from the end of the street, making everyone squint.

A covered military truck roared up.

Soldiers in yellow wool uniforms jumped down, carrying old-style rifles.

This was…

Fengtian City’s Security Regiment!

At the same time, the passenger-side door opened.

Two gloriously sexy, mature women hurriedly stepped down from the vehicle.

“What’s the matter, good nephew!”

Aunt Qiao’er, wrapped in a costly cloak and wearing red high heels, scampered toward Lu Yuan, face full of worry.

Aunt Qin descended and immediately saw the four charred figures not far off.

Then a man in his thirties with a clipped moustache and a crisp stand-collar officer’s uniform emerged from the driver’s cabin, his features somewhat like Aunt Qin’s.

Lu Yuan glanced at them once and ignored them.

All his focus locked on Lingchen across from him.

Lingchen looked at Lu Yuan and shouted angrily:

“Young friend!! Enough!!”

“Even if my disciple committed a grave mistake, it is not a crime deserving death!!”

“Our Biyu Temple will give you an explanation!!”

After saying this, Lingchen turned to the officer and called loudly:

“Commander, this is an internal dispute of our sect.”

“This boy, he’s trying to kill people in the street!”

The middle-aged officer showed no expression and merely waved his hand.

Two columns of soldiers behind him spread out and trained their muzzles inward, surrounding everyone on the scene.

Seeing this, relief washed over Lingchen’s face.

He turned to Lu Yuan, lifting his chin slightly:

“Young friend, let it be, don’t create killing—”

Bang!

Another gunshot suddenly exploded.

Everyone was stunned and looked toward the sound.

They saw…

Aunt Qin acted like a startled fawn, face full of “fear.”

She twisted her ample, intoxicating body and, in a coquettish, bone-melting voice, ran up to Lu Yuan:

“Aiya~~”

“Good nephew, you really scared your auntie to death~~”

“This gun… why did it go off~~~”

Song Zonghu, captain of the Fengtian Security Regiment, in a military greatcoat, slowly lowered his head.

He glanced at the Mauser still smoking in his hand—who knew when it had been shoved into it.

He then looked at the voluptuous woman cooing to Lu Yuan, his biological sister.

Then he glanced once more at the four charred bodies not far off…

Zhao Bing—who had earlier still been breathing—now lay with a bullet hole in his forehead, completely dead…

Song Zonghu: “…”

Ugh!!!!

I really salute you!!!!

Song Meiqin!!!!

You truly are my sister!!!

You sure know how to get me into trouble!!!!!