I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 477Book 2: : Difficult to Manage the Sect, Lu Clan Accepts New Members

Book 2: Chapter 477: Difficult to Manage the Sect, Lu Clan Accepts New Members

Vol 2 Chapter 477 Difficult to Manage the Sect, Lu Clan Accepts New Members

After hearing Zheng Fa's question, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Yun and Luo clans fell silent, unable to respond.

Right, why would Jiushan Sect want them?

What Zheng Fa said could be translated simply as—I'm not here to persuade you to surrender, but to give you a chance.

Pure manipulation.

But it was also the truth. Although the Yun and Luo clans had strength, they were not so important to the current Jiushan Sect.

Jiushan Sect was willing to give them a chance partly because it wanted chaos within Haori Mountain. Internal strife in Haori Mountain would always be easier to deal with.

On the other hand, it was aimed at Haori Mountain’s protective mountain formation.

Because of Tianhe Venerable, Xuanwei cultivators were painfully aware of the power of formation spells.

Haori Mountain was no exception.

Their protective mountain formation, called the Golden Sun Burning Sky Formation, spread throughout Haori Mountain.

Its power and functions, Zheng Fa had not fully grasped yet:

This great formation had always been controlled only by the Lu Clan’s direct descendants. Perhaps Immortal Yun knew some details, but the Yun clan’s higher-ups had no access to it—it was a well-guarded secret of Haori Mountain’s sect.

But no matter how strong the protective mountain formation, it was vulnerable to internal breaches.

The Yun and Luo clans might not be useful to Jiushan Sect, but to Haori Mountain, they could be a matter of life and death.

Everyone looked around uncertainly, but it was Yun Fan who figured it out and asked Zheng Fa, “Stone Patriarch, do you have any solutions?”

“I’ve dealt with Jiushan Sect’s Zheng Fa before. They don’t kill indiscriminately, but they don’t accept just anyone.”

Zheng Fa spoke as if it were a fact.

But the Yun and Luo clans were not surprised;Shi Nandang was almost the first person in Haori Mountain to know Zheng Fa, so his understanding of Jiushan Sect was the deepest within the sect.

“Moreover, even if they are willing to accept you, are you willing to be like those scattered cultivators?”

Luo Yun answered honestly, “Of course not.”

Haori Mountain had always been dominated by the Three Clans. The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Yun and Luo clans were long accustomed to their superiority. Starting from scratch was a heavy burden for them.

“So don’t ask whether they’re willing to accept you;ask yourself what you want and what you can offer Jiushan Sect.”

Someone from the Yun clan suddenly realized, “A loyalty pledge... Jiushan Sect wants Haori Mountain?”

Yun Fan shook his head, “Haori Mountain is just a façade. They want spirit stones, spirit veins, people... And they want to reduce losses, preferably without sending a single soldier.”

These people, having cultivated to Nascent Soul and in charge of clans, were mostly not fools. After some back and forth, someone figured it out:

“Offering the sect?”

Once these words came out, the entire cave fell silent, as if everyone was hesitating.

Eyes exchanged glances. Someone bit his teeth and shouted, “If the Lu Clan can offer their own brothers to the Demon Ancestor, why can’t we?”

This finally changed the expressions of most people.

The man continued, “We have no choice!”

Finally, everyone in the cave made up their minds and clasped their hands toward Zheng Fa, saying, “Stone Patriarch, can you truly persuade Jiushan Sect?”

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“I can guarantee it.”

The Yun and Luo clans exchanged glances, understanding that this Stone Patriarch must already have connections with Jiushan Sect. In the past, they would have rejected this, but now this connection had become their lifeline!

“Please, Stone Patriarch, show us the way!”

“If the Lu Clan wants a blood sacrifice, I think Jiushan Sect wants people. A broken Haori Mountain is worthless to them.” Zheng Fa said straightforwardly. “Remember, you are not betraying the sect, but protecting your brothers and preserving the flame of Haori Mountain.”

“Yes!”

“The treasury and secret treasures must be guarded well.”

“We understand!”

“Do you know about the Golden Sun Burning Sky Formation?”

“Stone Patriarch, to be honest, besides the Lu Clan’s direct descendants, only our sect’s Holy Patriarch could control it somewhat.”

Zheng Fa recalled that Immortal Yun seemed to be from the Lu Clan.

He was not in a hurry;Jiushan Sect also had direct descendants of the Lu Clan.

After everyone dispersed from Shi Nandang’s cave, Haori Mountain’s sky changed.

......

Several Lu Clan disciples were escorting a group of scattered cultivators along the back mountain of Haori Mountain.

The scattered cultivators had iron chains tied around their waists, expressions numb, staggering and kneeling as they trudged along the mountain path.

Faint sobbing echoed through the mountain range, mixing with the cold mountain wind, making the despair even more palpable.

“Catching people now is much harder than before.”

A Lu Clan disciple complained in a low voice.

“Don’t worry, Haori Mountain is so big, there are still plenty to catch.”

“But cultivators aren’t easy to catch.”

The scattered cultivators behind raised their eyes.

The snow atop Haori Mountain shimmered with a golden light that never extinguished over ten thousand years—one of Haori Mountain’s most obvious symbols.

In the past, watching this golden light always filled them with yearning, envy, and longing.

But now, these scattered cultivators only felt the scent of blood within the golden light, making them nauseous.

“If it weren’t for the Yun and Luo clans, we wouldn’t have died so much...”

“Shut up!”

A leading Lu Clan disciple suddenly shouted ahead.

Everyone looked up to see a graceful figure blocking the mountain path with a group of people—none other than Luo Yun.

“Fairy Yun!”

Behind them, they dared to curse, but facing her, the Lu Clan disciples all clasped their hands and bowed.

Luo Yun looked at the despondent scattered cultivators, recalling the despair she felt when the Gu Insects crawled past her before. She waved her hand, and the Luo Clan disciples behind her surged forward, casting formation spells to unlock the iron chains around the scattered cultivators’ waists.

“What are you doing?”

A Nascent Soul Lu Clan cultivator was about to stop them but suddenly his body stiffened. In the blink of an eye, he saw Luo Yun holding a short dagger, ready to attack them.

“Fairy Yun! Who gave you the courage to obstruct the Lu Clan’s actions? Are you trying to incite internal chaos?”

Although the Three Clans were nearly at each other’s throats, these Lu Clan disciples did not expect the Yun and Luo clans to be so openly defiant.

They had never suffered such humiliation in Haori Mountain!

Luo Yun sneered coldly in her heart. When they captured her Yun clan members, didn’t they think about internal chaos?

She also understood that the Lu Clan’s status in Haori Mountain was special. They never regarded themselves as equals with the other two clans. In their eyes, they alone were the masters of Haori Mountain. Some things the Lu Clan did, the Yun and Luo clans were forbidden to do.

But today, she would show them otherwise!

“By order of the Stone Patriarch, release them!”

Luo Yun’s voice was cold as she stared fiercely at the Lu Clan disciples, even hoping they would resist.

Hearing this, the Lu Clan disciples, seeing their hostile looks, gritted their teeth and said, “Shi Nandang... fine, go!”

They understood and gave up on those scattered cultivators.

Luo Yun watched their backs and felt a surge of satisfaction at her revenge.

The freed scattered cultivators collapsed to the ground. Though weak and powerless, they still kowtowed desperately, saying, “Thank you, Fairy...”

Luo Yun turned her gaze away, hearing them say, “Haori Mountain still has such a merciful fairy.”

She was silent. She didn’t care about these scattered cultivators—firstly to strike at the Lu Clan, secondly to preserve Haori Mountain’s strength and curry favor with Jiushan Sect.

Seeing the scattered cultivators’ overly sincere gratitude, she felt a faint satisfaction.

After sending away these grateful scattered cultivators, a Luo Clan disciple behind her said, “Our Haori Mountain should be a fairy sect...”

Luo Yun said nothing but strangely felt she had gained something unexpected.

.....

Haori Mountain had a peak called Thousand Wonders Peak. Over a hundred caves on the peak served as Haori Mountain’s treasury.

For several eras, most of Haori Mountain’s treasures had been stored there.

This Thousand Wonders Peak was naturally a key place for Haori Mountain. It was long controlled by Lu Clan loyalists. Later, as the Yun and Luo clans rose, most of the storerooms still remained under the Lu Clan’s control. The peak master had always been from the Lu Clan for generations.

“Where is Lu Xun!”

A sharp call came from Thousand Wonders Peak.

“Who dares make noise here!”

A middle-aged Lu Clan man flew up—it was the peak master Lu Xun. He looked up and saw Yun Fan standing in the air, looking down at him from above.

“Yun Fan, you trespass on Thousand Wonders Peak and make such noise. What is the meaning of this?”

“By order of the Stone Patriarch, I hereby assume the position of Thousand Wonders Peak master!” Yun Fan said loudly.

“Shi Nandang? What a joke!” Lu Xun sneered. “Since when can he decide the position of Thousand Wonders Peak master?”

“You used to call him Stone Patriarch, and he really thought he was Haori Mountain’s ancestor?”

“Even if he were a Dao Fruit cultivator, he has no authority to appoint the peak master!”

Yun Fan glanced coldly and said, “Then you refuse to obey the Stone Patriarch’s orders?”

“A joke. He’s just a Hujie, why should I obey him?” Lu Xun said coldly.

Yun Fan was not surprised.

Apart from the key position of Thousand Wonders Peak master, the benefits were not something outsiders could imagine.

Lu Xun was also a Hujie. It seemed he did not accept the Stone Patriarch, and neither officially nor privately would he give up his position.

“Then forgive me for being rude, senior nephew.”

“You? You’re stuck at Yang Spirit, unable to become Hujie.” Lu Xun seemed amused but also angry. “What courage do you have to speak of rudeness before me?”

Yun Fan smiled coldly. Behind him, purple clouds rolled, partially covering the golden light atop Haori Mountain.

“Hujie!” Lu Xun’s expression suddenly changed as he shouted, “When did you break through?”

“Thanks to guidance from the Stone Patriarch.” Yun Fan smiled softly, his voice ethereal amid the clouds. “Of course, you don’t have this opportunity.”

.....

“Shi Nandang has gone mad!”

In Shi Nandang’s master cave, Lu Clan Nascent Soul cultivators gathered, all with angry expressions.

“Not only did they block our blood sacrifice to the Gu God, they even snatched the position of Thousand Wonders Peak master! How dare they!”

“Then we must ask how the Seventh Patriarch taught his disciples!”

Shi Nandang’s master’s face darkened but he had no retort.

“Enough. Now is not the time to attack each other. Our Lu Clan’s current situation cannot afford more infighting.”

An elder said coldly.

“Yes, Great Elder!”

The speaker was the Lu Clan’s highest-ranking Hujie and current Great Elder. After he spoke, others stopped arguing but asked,

“So what should we do now?”

“Yes, the Yun and Luo clans only listen to Shi Nandang now, constantly obstructing!”

“Our Lu Clan’s cultivation resources are already insufficient!”

Shi Nandang’s master gritted his teeth and said bluntly, “If it were up to me, I would activate the great formation and directly eliminate Shi Nandang!”

“Impossible. The great formation involves the Holy Patriarch’s relics,” the Lu Clan Great Elder shook his head. “Besides, there’s Jiushan Sect to deal with.”

“Then we let Shi Nandang continue to bully our Lu Clan?”

“It doesn’t matter. They seem to fear the great formation and won’t push too hard,” the Great Elder said sternly. “Once we obtain the Holy Patriarch’s relics...”

Though some were still unwilling, the Great Elder’s authority made others follow him.

“How many died in the clan last time?”

“Many.” Shi Nandang’s master looked twisted in pain. “Over fifty Nascent Souls died, even seven Nascent Souls died, and many more disciples... Thirty percent were of the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline.”

Hearing this, even the Lu Clan elders were furious: “Shi Nandang deserves to die!”

The Lu Clan’s direct descendants were different from the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline.

For example, Shi Nandang, if successful, could advance to become a direct descendant disciple of the Lu Clan.

But he could never be of the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline. Because of this, the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline was far more respected within the Lu Clan.

Especially now, when they needed the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline to find the relics.

“Our Lu Clan’s vital energy is badly damaged. Even without Shi Nandang, it will be difficult to suppress the Yun and Luo clans.” The Lu Clan Great Elder pondered and resolutely said, “We cannot wait any longer.”

Shi Nandang’s master hesitated, “But... we don’t have enough manpower now. Many disciples we selected before died at the mouths of the Gu Insects.”

“...Select more from within the clan!” The Lu Clan Great Elder seemed determined. “This time, only the Holy Patriarch’s bloodline!”

“Yes!”

Lu Yan followed his sister, speeding across Haori Mountain’s main peak.

His sister was still reminding him, “This is your great opportunity. I told you to find more resources and cultivate well before, all for now!”

“What opportunity?”

Lu Yan asked.

“The chance to obtain the Holy Patriarch’s relics!” His sister glanced back at him excitedly. “Originally, the clan didn’t want a Golden Core cultivator like you entering Nine Luminaries Heaven, but now, manpower is insufficient.”

When mentioning this, the excitement on Lu Yan’s sister’s face faded, replaced by an unhappy expression.

Lu Yan lowered his head, secretly thinking the clan had planned this long ago.

He looked ahead, feeling uneasy. He did not know if others were impersonating Lu Clan members.

If so, once he was exposed, it wouldn’t implicate other Jiushan disciples.

Lu Yan could only act as if he had no help, remaining cautious everywhere. Fortunately, he knew his family was already settled. His real sister had become a disciple of Huang Tai Shang—one of the benefits of the Intelligence Division;family members of Intelligence Division disciples could enter the Four Great Academies with reduced scores.

Moreover, the sect leader was also on Haori Mountain, in an even more dangerous and conspicuous position than himself.

He secretly looked back at the Three Palaces, then turned his head and followed his sister forward.

“Where are we going?”

“To Yuanzun Peak.”

Lu Yan’s heart jolted. He had gathered a lot of intelligence on Haori Mountain and had heard of Yuanzun Peak.

Yuanzun Peak was the most special mountain in Haori Mountain. Legend said it was where Haori Mountain’s first ancestor proved the Dao and was the origin of the entire sect.

It was also one of the Lu Clan’s secret places. Others could not enter—not because they dared not, but because they simply did not know where Yuanzun Peak was.

Seeing his curious expression, Lu Yan’s sister said nothing and just led him, following the mountain ridge’s curve in flight.

The two finally stood at the highest point of Haori Mountain’s main peak.

Around them was a vast expanse of snow and ice, almost nothing else visible.

“Yuanzun Peak...”

“Wait.”

From all directions, many Lu Clan members gathered. The Lu Clan Great Elder appeared before them at some unknown time. He looked around and said solemnly:

“Our Lu Clan has reached a critical point!”

“You were chosen—the purest bloodline of the Holy Patriarch. The Lu Clan lives, you live. The Lu Clan dies, you cannot survive.” The Great Elder’s voice was grim. “Remember, except for those around you, everyone in Haori Mountain—even the Lu Clan’s direct disciples—cannot be trusted! The secrets inside Yuanzun Peak must never be revealed to outsiders, even if it costs your lives!”

“Yes!”

The Great Elder scanned the crowd and his gaze softened slightly as it landed on Lu Yan, whose aura was pure and face resolute. He had thought the hastily selected clan members were all useless, but unexpectedly, some had potential.