Chapter 234 - 209: Subordinates return allegiance, Wei Family pledges allegiance_1

The first thing to do upon returning to Changfeng City was to enter the second level Blood Land Vein and get the people out.

Now, there was no need to hide the matter of the second level Hidden Blood Land Vein anymore.

Upon seeing Li Xingchen, Li Wenxin immediately asked what had happened during this period.

Li Xingchen explained it all.

After hearing this, Li Wenxin’s emotions fluctuated and she couldn’t calm down.

Especially when looking at Lu Yan, she was filled with awe.

"Lu... Elder Lu, after the fall of Li Wenxuan and Li Xinghen, the Li family is without a leader and might be taken advantage of by the Gao family. I need to return to the Li family as soon as possible to hold the fort," Li Wenxin said, bending over with her fist held in front of her, as she stood before Lu Yan.

In Li Xingchen’s words, Lu Yan was undoubtedly the top master of Lingdong today, which was enough to cause Li Wenxin to show respect.

"No need to be so formal, just call me Lu Yan, or you can refer to me as Lord Lu," Lu Yan said with a smile. "If the Li family needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Lord Lu," Li Wenxin said. She then set off towards Baicao City with Li Xingchen, Li Cangqing, and others.

The Qiu family originally sent hundreds of soldiers to guard Changfeng City, but they scattered in a panic when Lu Yan and his companions returned.

Lu Yan then ordered Wang Lin, Wen Yuan, Li Quan, and others to mobilize the Six Bureaus and get things back on track swiftly.

The news of Lu Yan breaking through to the level of grandmaster spread like a hurricane, along with his reputation as the first master of Lingdong.

Those connected with Lu Yan, including the disciples of the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall, Wang Lin, Wen Yuan, Li Quan, Zhang Jun, etc. were naturally thrilled when they heard about it.

Those who had conflicts with Lu Yan, on the other hand, fell silent.

A few days later, Zhou Zhengkong hurried over to pay his respects to Lu Yan.

"Subordinate Zhou Zhengkong, greeting Lord Lu," Zhou Zhengkong said respectfully as he kneeled on one knee in the main hall, with Lu Yan sitting at the head.

He hadn’t referred to himself as a ’subordinate’ when facing Lu Yan before now.

However, now he was willingly taking on that title, showing his determination to truly integrate the Zhou Clan into Changfeng City.

"Stand up," Lu Yan waved his hand.

Zhou Zhengkong got up and respectfully said, "I congratulate Lord Lu on reaching the grandmaster level and dominating Lingdong. I believe that achieving the True Body is entirely within your grasp in the near future. My admiration for you, Lord Lu, is like an endless river flowing..."

"Enough," Lu Yan interrupted Zhou Zhengkong’s flattery. "You didn’t run here from Qingyang City just to say this, did you?"

"Lord Lu, I brought most of the Zhou Clan’s martial chefs and exotic beast breeders to Changfeng City. I wish to serve you in any way you need and find work here," Zhou Zhengkong said.

He felt complicated inside.

He couldn’t help but think back to the first time he met Lu Yan.

Back then, Lu Yan was just a Limit Breaking Warrior, while he was already at the peak of Fifth Breakthrough.

Who would have thought that now, Lu Yan has become a Grandmaster and is hailed as the number one master of Lingdong. None of the other Grandmasters have come forward to dispute this, so it’s obviously well-deserved.

And him? After all these years, he had only managed to become a Martial Marquis Level Two.

The gap just kept getting wider.

"That’s good. The Martial Chef Bureau is indeed short-staffed. The position of the head of the Martial Chef Bureau, I’ll give it to you. Don’t disappoint me," Lu Yan said.

"Thank you, Lord Lu," Zhou Zhengkong, overwhelmed with joy, knelt again.

Being the head of any of the Six Bureaus was a position with real power.

Now that Lu Yan had reached the grandmaster level, his power was set to grow rapidly, comparable to a Grandmaster-level Feudal Lord. This was a foregone conclusion. The position of a bureau chief was far superior to that of the Clan Head of the Zhou Clan.

In fact, Lu Wenxuan would be more suitable for this position as he was a master martial chef.

But Lu Wenxuan had not yet truly committed to them, so this important position wasn’t appropriate for him yet.

"Lord Lu, I’ve heard that after the great battle, many grandmasters fell and experts perished. The Wei Family of Lian’an County doesn’t even have a single Grandmaster left and no longer qualifies to hold the Li’an City and the second level Blood Land Vein. Why don’t we march north and claim Li’an City?" Zhou Zhengkong suggested.

"As for this matter, I have my own plan. You can retreat," Lu Yan waved his shoulder.

Zhou Zhengkong bowed and retreated.

The next thing was to go to Moling Mountain and send people out of Lingdong to report to the Mansion of King Ming about the Spirit Sect.

Lu Yan went to Kunwu Mountain to meet up with Guan Shan.

A day later, representatives from the Ding and Zhao families respectively, both grandmasters, arrived.

A few of them rode the Blood Slaughter and Blood Kill to Moling Mountain.

Moling Mountain stretched for thousands of miles, separating Lingdong from the outside world.

The six principalities of Lingdong, also known as the Lingdong Peninsula, were cut off from the rest of the world.

Moling Mountain, also known as the Land of Demonic Fall, was said to be the place where a terrifying great demon fell long ago. The Demonic Qi was preserved for millennia, and numerous monstrous beings were nurtured within.

The majority of Moling Mountain was a forbidden area. Dense Demonic Qi pervaded the area, enshrouded by black mist all year round; any creature that entered never returned.

Even the monstrous creatures didn’t dare venture too deeply into these parts.

Furthermore, the airspace above Moling Mountain was enveloped by an eternal thunderstorm, blocking the passage of birds and making it impossible for aerial alien beasts to cross.

There were only two paths to get out of Lingdong.

Of the two passages through Moling Mountain, both had a thin amount of Demonic Qi and could be traversed in and out.

These two passages used to be controlled by monsters and guarded by powerful figures of the Spirit Sect.

The party landed on the entrance of one of the passages and stepped into Moling Mountain.

Growl...

In the depths of Moling Mountain, ancient trees towered, and occasionally, the roars of monstrous beings could be heard.

Surrounding them, the air was filled with demonic qi, causing a strong sense of unease and oppression for those wandering into it.

The individuals gathered their breaths and concentrated intently, inspecting their surroundings.

The passage wasn’t wide, only around two meters, and as it extended on each side, the concentration of demonic qi became astonishingly thick. Even grandmasters would suffer greatly should they step into it.

Even within the passage, the demonic qi was only relatively sparse. Only high-level Limit Breaking Warriors could barely resist it.

Ordinary people would find it extremely difficult to pass through.

This meant that ordinary people from the six counties of Lingdong, unless under the protection of a strong warrior, could never leave Lingdong in their lifetime.

This is also why the powerful feudals outside have never deployed their troops to enter Lingdong and occupy Lingdong.

With this too narrow passage, it was tough for the army to march through.

Moving at a slow pace, it took them nearly half a day to cross the Moling Mountain Range and reach outside of Lingdong.

Looking around, an endless expanse of flat land stretched out before them; it was vast and boundless.

"Outside of Lingdong, among the 72 provinces of Da Chu, how vast it is! This world is many times larger than Earth in my previous life."

Lu Yan lamented.

However, he didn’t plan to leave Lingdong yet.

The situation in Lingdong was still not stable.

In the six counties of Lingdong, there were still many martial arts to cultivate. He decided to stay a little longer, gradually increasing his strength. Only when his strength could no longer be improved would Lu Yan consider leaving.

"Gentlemen, I’ll go to the Mansion of King Ming to report the Spirit Sect incident. Once the experts from the Mansion of King Ming arrive, we no longer need to fear the Spirit Sect’s revenge."

Said a Ding Family grandmaster.

"We appreciate your efforts, Brother Ding."

The few of them thanked him with a bow.

The grandmaster from the Ding Family left speedily, disappearing on the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yan and the others returned.

The Master of Zhao Clan returned to Lingwang City, whilst Lu Yan and Guan Shan went to Kunwu Mountain first.

Lu Yan journeyed to Kunwu Mountain to acquire level-3 Martial Foods naturally.

In this battle, hundreds of alien beasts died on Kunwu Mountain, among which there were level-3 beasts. Since Guan Shan could cook, it would be a waste not to take these.

At the same time, Lu Yan also brought back some level-2 and level-3 alien beast meat, as well as a recipe for making level-3 Martial Foods, and handed them over to the Zhou Clan’s Martial Chef and Lu Wenxuan for research.

Upon receiving the level-3 alien beast meat and recipes, Lu Wenxuan was overjoyed. His attitude towards Lu Yan became much more respectful.

In these few days, he has heard that Lu Yan has broken through the Grandmaster level, which shocked him greatly.

Now with the level-3 alien beast meat and recipes, his heart began to waver.

Actually, following Lu Yan might not be a bad idea.

"Cook the level-3 Martial Food as soon as possible. In the future, you won’t lack level-3 alien beast meat."

Said Lu Yan.

"Yes, yes, leave it to me, I can definitely do it."

Lu Wenxuan vowed, patting his chest.

A Martial Chef, once familiar, has a chance to cook level-3 Martial Food.

Lu Yan nodded, saying: "I will assign several senior Martial Chefs to assist you. Teach them as much as you can."

Counting on Guan Shan to keep helping him cook level-3 Martial Food wasn’t realistic. It was still necessary for his own people to master the skill.

It would be best if they could cultivate several Martial Chef Masters.

Cooking level-3 Martial Food certainly refines one’s cooking skills, and he hoped to see results.

Afterwards, Lu Wenxuan selected several senior Martial Chefs from Zhou Family and went to study Martial Food.

In a blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

In this half month, the six counties of Lingdong were experiencing turbulent times.

After Zhao Clan returned to Lingwang City, the remaining martial forces gradually returned.

Zhao Clan regrouped its forces, not only recapturing Lingwang City but also advancing north, collecting the second-level Blood Land Vein that used to belong to the Tu Family into their control.

In Dongshan County, all was under Zhao Clan’s control.

Within Zijing County, the Lin Family, a Grandmaster-level feudal lords, was destroyed by the Spirit Sect. All Grandmasters fell, suffering heavy losses.

The Ding Clan took this opportunity to move north, taking control of the Blood Veins that once belonged to the Lin Family, thus controlling an entire county.

In Nanyi County, Li Family quickly took control of the situation after Li Wenxin and Li Xingchen returned. They reintegrated the Li Family and quickly sent out troops to seize the second-level Blood Land Vein left by the Tuoba Clan in Baiyue City.

The Qiu Family, Ouyang Family, Fang Family, Bai Clan, Gao Family, with a Martial Spirit appearing among their clans, feared retaliation and dared not make rash moves. They withdrew their troops from their territories and shrank their military defences.

"Lord, ten Martial Marquises from the Wei Family are requesting an audience outside the gate."

Li Quan reported upon entering.

Lu Yan’s expression shifted, he nodded and said, "Let them wait for me in the reception hall."

"Yes!"

Li Quan retreated.

Half an hour later, Lu Yan arrived at the reception hall.

"We greet Lord Lu."

The ten Martial Marquises of the Wei Family knelt down on one knee and bowed.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Lu Yan pretended to be surprised.

Kneeling on one knee was a big salute to martial cultivators, usually performed when subordinates greeted superiors.

The Wei Family did not join Changfeng City and could only be regarded as cooperative partners.

"We plead for Lord Lu to take over Li’an City. We are willing to lead the Wei Family to follow under Lord Lu’s command and serve loyally."

Said the eldest Marquis. His name was Wei Xishan and his cultivation level was at the Martial Marquis Level Five, making him the oldest among the ten Marquises.

"I didn’t wait for this half a month in vain, these Wei clan members are not stupid after all."

Lu Yan thought to himself.