CHAPTER 68: REVENGE WAITS FOR NO ONE

Nantian Wan'er was nearby, and she sensed the violent rage radiating from Lu Chen.

She grabbed his arm tightly, channeling the cold spirit qi of the Yin Ocean Pearl into his mind to help calm him down. "Lu-gege, what's wrong with you?"

Feeling Nantian Wan'er's icy energy, Lu Chen gradually regained a bit of clarity in his mind. He let out a loud laugh. "Hahaha, Wan'er, I'm fine. I've been waiting for this for so long. This must be the gift Flame Demon spoke of."

He picked up the Hunyuan Greatsword once more, patted Nantian Wan'er's hand, and slowly stepped forward. "To me, there's no greater gift than this. Revenge waits for no one."

With a roar, Lu Chen infused his spirit qi into the Hunyuan Greatsword, gripped it with both hands, and slashed at the stone gate.

The gate shattered into pieces with a thunderous boom. Behind it stood the cultivator Lu Chen had gone through countless hardships to find—the leader of the group that had attacked Greenhaven Village. He was now gravely wounded, his cultivation having fallen to mid-level Qi Regulation Realm, and his aura was weak and unsteady.

Lu Chen seized the moment, using the cover of dust and debris to launch another strike.

The cultivator had just been basking in the joy of his escape when the sudden attack caught him off guard. He dodged quickly but still got grazed on the arm by the sword. Blood slowly began to trickle down. "Who's there?!"

Clutching his wounded arm, the leader stared at Lu Chen warily. "Fellow cultivator, we've never met. May I ask why you ambushed me out of nowhere?"

In the past six months, Lu Chen's cultivation had advanced rapidly, causing his physique to change drastically. The leader didn't recognize him as the same child he had once toyed with.

As he questioned Lu Chen, the leader also discreetly scanned the surroundings, preparing to escape at any moment.

Lu Chen ignored the question. Having landed his strike, he simply watched the man's subtle movements in silence.

Wind Dragon circled above him, his eyes glowing with a greenish-blue light. "Little Lu, with the way he is now, he could at most only unleash strength up to level-three Qi Regulation Realm. You can handle him with ease."

Lu Chen gave a slight nod, then rushed forward at full speed, aiming to quickly subdue the man and question him about his grandpa's whereabouts.

Upon seeing Lu Chen suddenly attack the leader, the cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Hall quickly drew their weapons, preparing to rush in to help.

Sensing their intention, Lu Chen released the vines from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and formed a net-like wall that sealed off the stone gate, preventing anyone from following him.

Nantian Wan'er gave the group a polite bow to express her gratitude. "Thank you, fellow brothers, but this is Lu-gege's personal matter. He doesn't want others to interfere, and he can handle it on his own."

Hearing this, Nantian Yijian immediately recalled the massacre of Lu Chen's village. "Is this the cultivator who slaughtered Little Lu's entire village?"

"That's right. But Lu-gege wants to deal with it by himself. Let's leave it to him."

The surrounding cultivators grew even angrier. Trained under Jun Wudi, they despised nothing more than the strong preying on the weak. Furious, they once again raised their weapons, ready to charge in.

Sensing the fury still burning inside Lu Chen, Jun Wudi stopped them. "Let Little Lu handle it himself. He can only ease the pain by avenging his village with his own hands. Go clean up the battlefield instead."

"Yes, sir."

The cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Hall gave one last angry glance before reluctantly putting away their weapons and returning to clear the battlefield and tend to the wounded.

Nantian Wan'er bowed to them once again, then turned to face the stone cave.

Inside, the fierce battle continued. The cultivator leader was severely injured, while Lu Chen was at his physical peak, unleashing one powerful technique after another without pause.

The walls of the cave cracked and shattered from the shockwaves of their fight.

Realizing he was no match for Lu Chen in his current state, the leader took one look at the collapsing walls and tried to flee.

Lu Chen shouted and chased after him with the Hunyuan Greatsword in hand. "Trying to run?"

Seeing Lu Chen about to catch up, the leader frantically hurled talismans from his body in an attempt to slow him down.

Lu Chen kept a close eye on the man's movements and remained vigilant. As the talismans flew toward him, he instantly shifted his stance and dodged with precise footwork.

"Green Sovereign Divine Tree, Binding Strike."

Lu Chen channeled his spirit qi, and a portal opened in the air. Hundreds of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree's vines emerged, wrapping tightly around the fleeing leader and dragging him back.

With no other option, the leader prepared to fight head-on.

Lu Chen poured all his strength into the assault, striking relentlessly with the Golden Snake Nine Variations Art, the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, and Heaven-Splitting Six Yang Palms.

Their battle ripped through the cave, shaking it from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Dust billowed with every strike, and the radiance of surging spirit qi dazzled the onlookers.

The surrounding cultivators gasped in awe at Lu Chen's ferocious combat style.

Nantian Yijian stared intently at Lu Chen, murmuring to himself, "Little Lu is a genius... In just a few days, the gap between us has become as wide as the one between heaven and earth."

Jun Laoye nodded in agreement as he also kept his eyes on the fight. "He truly is."

He had a feeling that Lu Chen wasn't even showing everything he had.

Jun Wudi watched Lu Chen's every move with a complicated sense of pride. "Haha... this kind of cultivation speed is rare, even among the Jun Clan."

Nantian Wan'er looked at the billowing dust cloud on the battlefield, her expression still filled with concern. "Lu-gege... please be careful."

The fight raged on, but the tide of battle gradually turned one-sided.

Finally, Lu Chen ended it with the Frost Sun Lifts The Sky, sending the enemy cultivator crashing to the ground.

As the dust settled, he summoned the vines of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and tightly wrapped the enemy in them.

The cultivator leader struggled to break free. "Who... who are you?"

Lu Chen stepped up and pointed the Hunyuan Greatsword at the man's abdomen. "Me? I'm the one who came to end you."

Sensing what was coming, the man struggled even harder.

Lu Chen, however, merely sneered. He then thrust the sword forward, piercing through the leader's abdomen and destroying his Heavenly Pool.

"No!"

"Heh... too late."

The spirit qi within the Hunyuan Greatsword exploded in the leader's abdomen, severing his cultivation foundation entirely. For a cultivator, having their foundation destroyed was far more devastating than being killed outright.

Sensing the Heavenly Pool within his body had been destroyed, the leader instantly fell into despair.

He twisted his body, lifted his head, and roared at Lu Chen in fury, "What are you trying to do? We don't have any enmity between us! Why are you doing this to me? Why?!"

Lu Chen replied coldly, "No enmity? When you slaughtered those innocent villagers, did you ever stop to think that you had no grudge against them either?"

He stripped the leader of all his enchanted treasures, then used the Green Sovereign Divine Tree to drag him to the center of the cave.

Lu Chen recalled every torture method in his memory and carried them out one by one, such as shattering bones, tearing tendons, draining blood, and casting him into deadly illusions.

The leader's expression grew increasingly terrified. He pleaded again and again, "No, please... I beg you, let me go. I never harmed any innocent people!"

Lu Chen's eyes turned icy as he watched the man scream in pain. He exerted even more force with his hands. "Do you remember Greenheaven Village? I was that child back then. Tell me, do you think I would let you go? Do you think those villagers you butchered would want to forgive you?"

The leader froze in shock. "What? You mean—"

Lu Chen stared at him and gave a chilling smile. "Heh... so you do remember. I'm that kid. Bet you didn't expect that."

The leader muttered, eyes wide with regret. "So you're that strange brat... I should've killed you back then. Now look at the mess I've left behind."

Realizing there was no way out, he stopped begging. Instead, he broke into maniacal laughter, like a madman who had lost all reason.

Lu Chen's grip tightened again, resuming the torture. "Tell me what you did to my grandpa, and I'll give you a quick death."

The leader sneered, "That old bastard?"

He spat out a mouthful of blood at Lu Chen."He's long been handed over to our chief. By now, he's probably reincarnated. Don't worry, once you're dead, you two can reunite in the afterlife. Hahaha!"

Hearing those words, Lu Chen froze. He truly believed Blindman Lu had been killed, and a moment of daze overtook him.

The leader seized the chance and shot out a silver needle he had hidden in advance. The offensive artifact glowed brightly as it shot straight for Lu Chen's forehead.

Nantian Wan'er shouted and rushed forward. "Lu-gege!"

Still stunned, Lu Chen failed to react in time. The impact forced him several steps back.

With no spirit qi infused within it, the silver needle only caused dizziness and failed to break through Lu Chen's defenses.

The leader crushed a disposable talisman in his mouth, releasing high-level flames stored within it and directing them at the Green Sovereign Divine Tree.

The tree's vines were instantly burned away.

The cultivator leader leapt to his feet and rushed at Nantian Wan'er, who did not radiate any spirit qi. He planned to use her life as a bargaining chip to escape.

Seeing this, Nantian Yijian and the others quickly gathered their spirit qi to strike.

Just then, Nantian Wan'er raised her hand and summoned a sword forged of spirit qi that slashed the leader into the air.

Blood sprayed from his mouth midair, and regret flooded his heart. Now he truly wished he had never stepped into this secret realm.

He could not have known that Nantian Wan'er's Heavenly Pool had fused with Lu Chen's and been rebuilt. Moreover, after a hundred years in the illusion realm, she had mastered several powerful techniques.

The surrounding cultivators were left stunned by the spirit qi sword. "She's also in the Qi Regulation Realm? So many prodigies have emerged in recent years..."

They had thought Lu Chen was already a monstrous talent, but they never expected the girl who appeared even younger than him to have reached the same level.

Jun Wudi sighed. "It seems a new golden age is truly upon us in this lifetime."

Realizing he had failed to seize a hostage, the cultivator leader turned and bolted for the teleportation formation. Before he could reach it, a short sword of condensed spirit qi pierced through his heart..

Lu Chen approached and stared down at the leader's corpse, feeling a twinge of regret. He had acted out of worry for Nantian Wan'er and ended up killing the enemy too quickly.

He searched the body, but found no clues or any identifying information. Now that the man was dead, the only lead he had was gone.

Noticing Lu Chen's discouragement, Nantian Wan'er softly said, "Lu-gege, don't be disheartened. At least today, we've avenged the villagers. As long as you're still alive, there's always hope of finding your Grandpa."

Lu Chen looked back at her, his expression tinged with sorrow, but he smiled and nodded. "I understand, Wan'er. I'll bring him back for sure."

She stepped forward and held his hands. "Lu-gege, I'll always be with you to find your grandpa."

Seeing her smile, Lu Chen's heart felt lighter. "You're right, Wan'er. At the very least, I've avenged the villagers."

He reached out and held her hand tightly.

Nantian Wan'er could feel the warmth and vitality of youth from his grip. It was the familiar feeling she had longed for.

She knew in her heart that in this very moment, Lu Chen had truly returned, not as the person trapped in the illusion realm, nor as the boy who once carried the villagers' hatred and guilt alone.