Chapter 152: In the Spotlight

Gao Wanping let out a low roar, his hands gripping the massive warhammer as his entire body spun rapidly like a high-speed top. Combined with the sheer weight of the weapon, the momentum was astonishing.

Lu Yan leaped backward, avoiding the brunt of the attack while searching for an opening.

Having sustained injuries, such an explosive burst from Gao Wanping could not possibly last. After forcing Lu Yan back, he turned and bolted.

Yet how could his speed compare to that of Lu Yan?

With just a few strides, Lu Yan caught up to him.

"Get lost!"

Gao Wanping swung the heavy hammer downward.

Lu Yan slashed out with his saber, meeting the blow head-on and sending Gao Wanping stumbling back repeatedly.

"Your Excellency, I know you want the Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal. I can give it to you, I only beg that you spare my life!"

Gao Wanping cried out.

With no other choice, injured as he was, he was no longer a match for Lu Yan. If this continued, he feared he would lose his life right here.

"Very well, hand it over," Lu Yan said.

"You must swear an oath first. If I give you the fiend crystal, you must promise never to strike at me again," Gao Wanping demanded.

"Alright, I swear..."

Swish!

Before Lu Yan had even finished his sentence, he lunged forward once more, bringing death upon Gao Wanping. The blade's radiance tore through the void, accompanied by the low rumble of thunder.

This was the Nine-Slashes Divine Thunder Saber.

Fierce and tyrannical, the Nine-Slashes Divine Thunder Saber featured nine consecutive strikes that rolled on endlessly like a tide, each blow growing stronger than the last.

It was best suited for attacking opponents whose physical strength was inferior to one's own.

Spare Gao Wanping? How could that possibly happen?

Gao Wanping belonged to the Gao clan of Southern Yi. If one were to take his fiend crystal and then let him go, it would be akin to releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

It would be a miracle if the man did not harbor a grudge.

Only the dead harbored no grudges.

Such a formidable enemy had to be completely eradicated.

"Despicable!"

Gao Wanping had clearly been on guard against Lu Yan. The moment Lu Yan moved, he swung his heavy hammer to parry.

Clang, clang, clang...

There were no flashy techniques between the two; it was a direct confrontation of pure force, colliding repeatedly.

After five strikes, Gao Wanping's face turned pale and his arms went numb.

After six strikes, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

By the seventh strike, he staggered back more than ten steps, his arms trembling so violently that the heavy hammer nearly slipped from his grip.

Immediately following, Lu Yan executed the eighth slash. Where the blade passed, peals of thunder echoed, and the weapon seemed to be wreathed in thousands of thunderbolts.

Under this strike, Gao Wanping's warhammer was blasted directly out of his hands, and the unstoppable blade descended upon his head.

Half of Gao Wanping's skull was cleaved away, his eyes wide open in lingering resentment and disbelief.

In a direct clash of might, he had been slain by Lu Yan's sheer strength.

This should have been his own domain of superiority.

He possessed an Innate Martial Physique and three strands of bone qi. Had he not been injured beforehand, how could Lu Yan possibly have killed him?

Lu Yan sheathed his saber and walked over to the corpse. Reaching into the garments, he retrieved a fiend crystal roughly the size of a child's fist.

"A Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal. This is more than enough to secure a top-three ranking."

A smile touched Lu Yan's lips.

Continuing to search the body, he found a cloth pouch at the waist.

Opening it, Lu Yan discovered roughly a dozen more fiend crystals inside, all of them belonging to the Martial Lord tier.

Alongside them was a stack of gold and silver notes totaling around fifty thousand taels of silver.

Not a bad haul at all.

Having stowed everything away, Lu Yan flashed out of the area and headed toward Lingwang City.

Maintaining his top speed without a single pause, Lu Yan soon returned to Lingwang City.

Upon arrival, he did not rush to turn in the fiend crystals, choosing instead to wait quietly.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The various Grandmasters had pursued the enemy across thousands of li, chasing them all the way to the vicinity of the Demon Ridge Mountain Range.

Along the way, they had slain three more Grandmaster-tier fiends.

Regrettably, they failed to trap the Fiend King, which ultimately escaped into the depths of the Demon Ridge Mountain Range.

Meanwhile, that mysterious Martial Spirit had also vanished during the pursuit.

At the foot of the Demon Ridge Mountain Range, a total of eighteen Grandmasters had gathered, including those from the Zhao clan.

"Everyone, the fiends have suffered heavy casualties and their vitality is severely damaged. This is the precise moment to completely eradicate them. I propose that we push into the Demon Ridge Mountain Range, slay the Fiend King once and for all, wipe out the fiends within, and re-establish the connection between the six counties of eastern Ling and the outside world," Zhao Tiansheng declared.

"The Patriarch's words are entirely correct. Ever since the fiend uprising, the Demon Ridge Mountain Range has become a forbidden zone, making it exceedingly difficult for us to leave, while outsiders rarely venture in. This is highly detrimental to our development. To say nothing else, those possessing Innate or Acquired Martial Physiques find it extremely difficult to break through to the Grandmaster realm; only by sending them to the Sacred Profound Sect is there any hope," another Zhao clan Grandmaster chimed in.

Subsequently, the Grandmaster of the Tu clan also spoke up, endorsing Zhao Tiansheng's proposal and agreeing to enter the mountains to purge the fiends.

However, the Grandmasters of the other powerful clans remained silent.

"What are your thoughts, everyone?" Zhao Tiansheng asked again.

"Patriarch Zhao, the Demon Ridge Mountain Range is the lair of the fiends. In ancient times, it was a land of fallen demons, saturated with thick miasma and foul qi. The fiends are as comfortable as fish in water within those mountains, possessing combat prowess far surpassing what they exhibit outside, especially the Fiend King, who is terrifying indeed. If the few of us rashly force our way in, I fear our strength will prove insufficient," stated a Grandmaster from the Gao clan of Southern Yi City.

"Indeed, and the Demon Ridge Mountain Range undoubtedly harbors countless more fiends that have not yet emerged. We have no clear idea of their numbers. Should there happen to be other Fiend Kings lurking within, charging in blindly would be no different than walking into a tiger's den," remarked a Grandmaster from the Qiu clan.

"Both of you speak with reason. The fiends have already been heavily battered by us and should lack the strength to infringe upon human territory for a short time. We ought to return, recuperate, and plan our next move carefully."

Another Grandmaster spoke up, and the representatives of the remaining clan-affiliated Grandmasters nodded in agreement.

Zhao Tiansheng sighed inwardly.

How could he fail to understand what these Grandmasters were truly thinking?

For the clans situated outside Dongshan County, leaving a moderate presence of fiends intact served their interests better.

The Zhao clan of Lingwang City was already the premier clan among the six counties of eastern Ling, boasting ten Grandmasters and over a hundred Martial Lords within a single lineage. Their overwhelming strength left the other clans gasping for breath.

The remaining clans could only join forces to keep the Zhao clan in check.

Allowing the fiends to remain in the Demon Ridge Mountain Range acted as a massive deterrent against the Zhao, and could even gradually erode the Zhao clan's power.

If the fiends were completely exterminated and that deterrent vanished, the Zhao clan would have their hands free to slowly devour surrounding forces and accumulate power. If things continued down that path, no clan would be able to oppose them, and they might even eventually unify the six counties of eastern Ling.

That was precisely the outcome the other Grandmaster clans wished to avoid.

From their perspective, they would rather remain cut off from the outside world than allow the Zhao clan to grow overwhelmingly dominant.

"Everyone, the events of this incident bear an eerie aura. A Grandmaster-tier Martial Spirit actually appeared to aid the fiends and prevent us from slaying the Fiend King. I suspect this fiend uprising is intimately connected to that Martial Spirit. If this matter is not thoroughly resolved, it may well breed a catastrophic disaster in the future," Zhao Tiansheng continued his persuasion.

"Patriarch Zhao's words have merit, but from my perspective, the fiends are no longer much to be feared. The Martial Spirit, however, cannot be ignored. Upon our return, the major clans should step up their investigations and root out that Martial Spirit."

"Quite right. A lone Martial Spirit might be manageable, but the real danger is if it has already quietly cultivated a substantial faction under the surface."

Several Grandmasters spoke one after another.

Yet not a single one uttered a word about entering the mountains to suppress the fiends.

It was not that they failed to realize the Martial Spirit was likely tied to the fiends—most probably attempting to use the fiends to sever communications between eastern Ling and the outside world, thereby preventing news from reaching Prince Ming and avoiding a purge by his experts.

Relying on others to carry out active communication when the chances were so slim was simply too impractical.

Yet they always chose the course of action most advantageous to themselves.

Zhao Tiansheng knew that trying to convince everyone to enter the mountains to exterminate the fiends today was an impossible endeavor.

Each of the major Grandmaster-tier clans harbored their own agenda.

With the Zhao clan's current strength, they were still far from capable of issuing commands that the other factions would follow.

"Since that is the case, I shall not force the matter. Everyone, let us return to Lingwang City. My thanks to you all for your assistance this time; the rewards promised shall not be diminished by even a fraction."

With those words, Zhao Tiansheng rose, casting a glance toward the Demon Ridge Mountain Range. A hint of deep worry flickered in his aged eyes.

Then he strode away.

......

Back in Lingwang City.

The Martial Lords who had ventured out to hunt fiends gradually returned, beginning to turn in their fiend crystals in exchange for military merits, which could then be traded for various resources.

The subject drawing the most intense speculation was which three individuals would secure the top three rankings.

Since not all hunters had returned from the exterior, the final list for the top three remained undetermined.

Moreover, a rumor was gradually circulating throughout Lingwang City.

A Grandmaster-tier fiend, battered to the brink of death, had been surrounded and attacked by multiple top-tier Martial Lords.

In that battle, several top-tier Martial Lords had been slain by the giant bear fiend, but ultimately the creature itself perished within the mountain forests, and its fiend crystal had been seized.

People speculated endlessly: just which fortunate soul had laid hands upon the Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal?

After a few more days, when nearly everyone had returned and the stream of individuals turning in fiend crystals began to dwindle, Lu Yan finally made his way to the Affairs Office.

"You... is this a Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal?"

The two elderly men staffing the Affairs Office stared with eyes wide in shock.

"This junior was merely fortunate. A Grandmaster-tier giant bear was on the verge of death from severe injuries, and I happened to pass by and pick up the spoils," Lu Yan replied smoothly.

"So you were that lucky dog," one of the elders sighed, a trace of envy coloring his tone.

Lu Yan felt rather helpless about it.

Once one acquired a Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal, whether turning it in early or late, attracting intense attention was an absolute certainty.

Fortunately, the identity of 'Lu Ren' was intended to be a disposable one. Let them stare all they wanted; once he secured his rewards, he would simply vanish.

"A Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal is of extraordinary significance. We cannot make the decision on this alone; a Grandmaster must inspect it personally. Please wait a moment."

With that, the other elder hurried away.

The wait lasted nearly half a day before the elder respectfully escorted a robust, middle-aged man into the room.

"Greetings, Grandmaster."

With a tightening in his chest, Lu Yan bowed respectfully.

"Mm."

The robust man grunted in acknowledgment, picking up the giant bear's fiend crystal to examine it. After a moment, he said, "Indeed, this is a Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal. Little fellow, your luck is quite good."

"Purely by chance, purely by chance," Lu Yan replied hastily.

"A Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal is worth three thousand merits. You two, tally up his other fiend crystals and calculate his total merits."

The robust man instructed the two elders.

The elders promptly tipped out the contents of Lu Yan's cloth pouch.

Fiend crystals of varying sizes instantly spilled out, carpeting the tabletop.

This time, even the robust man showed a slight change in expression. "Obtaining a Grandmaster-tier fiend crystal may rely on luck, but acquiring this many Martial Lord-tier crystals requires more than just fortune—it demands true strength. It seems you possess an Innate Martial Physique."

"Your discernment is truly brilliant, Senior. This junior indeed possesses an Innate Martial Physique," Lu Yan answered.

The robust man nodded once more and said nothing further.