Nanning

"Xuanyang, here."

Lu Xuanshan saw Lu Yang from afar. As the only person in the clan who dared to stand below the martial arts arena and cheer for Lu Cunyan, the elder of the Punishment Hall, Lu Xuanshan truly had a good impression of Lu Yang.

Lu Yang didn't expect that Lu Changfeng would bring Lu Xuanshan along this time. It seems that they are preparing for a protracted battle. Not only Lu Xuanshan, but Lu Yunchang was also brought out again.

There were also a dozen or so other members of the clan, most of whom were at the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining.

That's Lu Yunzhe. His aura seems much stronger than last time. Could it be that he has broken through?

Lu Yang had a deep impression of Lu Yunzhe, after all, he won his first battle on the martial arts stage, and won beautifully, which was really eye-catching.

The main thing is that his posture is also cool. It has to be said that sword fighting is much more visually appealing than ordinary fighting. However, although Lu Yunzhe uses sword techniques, it is not the Thunderclap Sword Technique. He must have inherited something else.

Previously, Lu Yang hadn't practiced swordsmanship, so he couldn't discern the skill level of Lu Yunzhe's swordsmanship. Now that he has practiced swordsmanship and is comprehending it again, he can sense the extraordinary nature of Lu Yunzhe's swordsmanship, which must be due to some other opportunity.

The clan does not force its members to hand over their opportunities. This is the norm for many cultivation families nowadays. After all, although cultivation families care a lot about improving their overall strength, if a member of the clan has a good opportunity and their cultivation advances by leaps and bounds, it is a great joy for the family.

Moreover, once this clansman's cultivation level is high enough, he will naturally pass on the opportunity. It's only a matter of time, so why hurt the clansman's feelings over this?

The greatest advantage of being a member of a family of cultivators is one's bloodline.

Everyone in the clan is family. As long as they are bound by blood ties, no matter how high a clansman flies, he will never truly leave the clan and disregard everything.

Lu Yang walked up to Lu Xuanshan in a few steps, "Brother Xuanshan."

Lu Yang had a deep impression of this person, after all, there was such an awkward scene off the martial arts stage, but it was even more exciting on the stage, with top-grade magic weapons being pulled out one after another, which was quite extravagant.

Making friends with such an elder brother is never a bad thing; it will also make weapon crafting easier in the future.

However, because he offended the Punishment Hall, he was not very popular, even less so than Lu Yunzhe. He was all alone, so Lu Yang's arrival didn't seem out of place.

"Xuan Yang, you've already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Your cultivation is progressing quite quickly."

Although Lu Xuanshan was not afraid of the gaze of his clansmen, he was happy to have a companion, so he inevitably talked more. Of course, most importantly, he truly admired Lu Yang.

With good aptitude, steady cultivation, and strong combat skills, plus a good character, Lu Xuanshan believed that associating with Lu Yang was a sure thing.

"You're not as strong as my brother. I see your aura has grown considerably stronger. Have you broken through?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuanshan couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face. "You've finally crossed the threshold of the late stage after a short breakthrough. By the way, here are a few of these Fire Poison Beads for you. This battle with the Southern Barbarians is no small matter."

With the Fire Poison Beads for self-defense, you'll be safer. Remember, don't be reckless; if you encounter someone stronger, run away—there's no shame in that.

Fire Poison Bead!

Lu Yang stared wide-eyed at the bead Lu Xuanshan handed him, genuinely pleasantly surprised. He had witnessed the power of the Fire Poison Bead on the martial arts stage; it was comparable to the attack of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, not to mention the extremely troublesome fire poison.

This is a strategic-level, one-time-use magic weapon. Later, Lu Yang heard a bit about it and realized that even in the weapon-refining hall, not many clansmen could refine this Fire Poison Bead.

After all, this stuff is too unstable. If you don't refine it properly, it will explode and probably destroy you completely.

Only Lu Xuanshan, with his exceptional skills and daring, dared to refine this Fire Poison Pearl, whose power was comparable to that of the late-stage Qi Refining Realm, even at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Now, it appears to be even more powerful than before.

Lu Yang really didn't want to refuse this life-saving item. "Brother Xuanshan, how can I take your things for nothing? How much are these three Fire Poison Beads? I'll buy them."

Lu Xuanshan had no intention of taking the money. He pushed the three Fire Poison Beads directly into Lu Yang's arms, saying, "Just take them. Why be polite with me? This is the last thing I need."

As he spoke, Lu Xuanshan pulled out another one.

Lu Yang's hand holding the spirit stones paused. How extravagant! He wondered which lucky person on the battlefield would encounter Lu Xuanshan. If he threw down a handful of fire poison beads, even a peak Qi Refining cultivator would gasp in shock, let alone someone in the late Qi Refining stage.

"Then thank you, Brother Xuanshan."

Whoosh!

Just then, a whooshing sound rang in everyone's ears. Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was Lu Changfeng arriving on his sword.

Needless to say, it can be summed up in one word: cool.

Without even touching the ground, Lu Changfeng approached and immediately launched the spirit boat, saying, "Get on board, let's go."

On the spirit boat, Lu Yang looked at the dozen or so people in front of him and secretly pondered. During this period, the Lu family had indeed been very busy. Having just acquired Kaiyang County, the Lu family had devoted a lot of manpower to managing and digesting the situation.

Now that the border region is asking for help again, and so many clansmen have been sent there, the clan's manpower is probably becoming increasingly stretched thin, with one mile away and another away.

Biennan County.

After the spirit boat entered Biannan County, it slowly came to a stop.

The Yang family is indeed in a sorry state now. Even though they have gathered scattered cultivators to fight the enemy, they have been forced by the Southern Barbarians to leave them with only three counties.

The strength of the second ancestor of the Yang family was indeed lacking. When they encountered Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Southern Barbarians, they seemed to have no victories and basically ran away as soon as they met them.

Now, not only has the Yang family's foundation been largely destroyed, but its members have also suffered heavy casualties. This is the first time Lu Yang has ever seen a Foundation Establishment cultivator with such a gloomy face.

"I am deeply grateful for Brother Changfeng's assistance; I am ashamed."

Nanning County.

Yang Tiantong, the second patriarch of the Yang family, led a group of people to personally greet Lu Changfeng, and his gaze toward Lu Changfeng was even more complicated.

Yang Tiantong and Lu Changfeng were actually from the same era. In terms of aptitude, Yang Tiantong's aptitude for earth spiritual roots was also quite good.

But now, looking at it again, Lu Changfeng has already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and has even the glorious record of killing the Southern Barbarian Evil Path and the Huang family of the Hidden Moon Lake who are both at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. As for Yang Tiantong, he has barely broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Not only is there no hope for his future cultivation, but even managing his household and business is now difficult. He originally thought he should persevere, even if it meant giving some of his wealth to the rogue cultivators, just to get through this period. After all, the Southern Barbarians could not possibly occupy Biannan County.

But he was wrong. The Southern Barbarians not only wanted to occupy Biannan County, but their ambitions were probably even greater. If things continued like this, not only would Biannan County be lost, but even the Yang family would be gone.

At this moment, Yang Tiantong also realized the reality: only by seeking help could the Yang family survive. Even if the Yang family could only become a vassal of the Lu family after the war, at least the Yang family would not have to leave Biannan County, and the Yang family would not have to worry about being destroyed.

Although he had resigned himself to his fate, Yang Tiantong still couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he saw Lu Changfeng. People have different fates, why does it have to be like this!

He didn't realize how difficult it was to carry a family forward when the Great Ancestor was there to support him. But now that the Great Ancestor is gone, he understands how incredibly difficult it is.

"Fellow Daoist Tiantong, you are too kind. The Southern Barbarians are ambitious and their intentions this time are not limited to just Biannan County. Even if you hadn't said anything, my Lu family could not have stood idly by."

Just as Yang Tiantong was about to lead Lu Changfeng and the others inside, two more spirit boats sped over.

Upon seeing this, Yang Tiantong's expression changed immediately. Given the current situation, with the emergence of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, could it be that the Southern Barbarian army has arrived?

Just as he was about to take charge of the security measures, Lu Changfeng waved his hand, "It's one of us, Chang Kong and the Chen family have arrived."

Lu Changkong! The Chen family!

Before Yang Tiantong could react, the spirit boat had already landed.

"Brother!"

"Brother Changfeng!"