Chapter 9

"Lu Zheng, you are being too disrespectful to your elders..." an elder of the Lu family said with a frown.

"Shut up!" Lu Zheng shouted, "When my father was murdered, what were you, the third, fourth, and fifth branches of the Lu family, and all the people of the Lu family doing? Do you deserve the kindness my father bestowed upon you? You aided in the evil deeds and are all accomplices in my father's murder!"

The anger and injustice that had been suppressed for two years finally erupted. Lu Zheng's voice was stern and fierce, like an angry deity, looking down on everyone present. Everyone who met his gaze either avoided it or lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Lu Junyi did not intend to continue this topic with Lu Zheng, "I won't waste words with you, you little beast. Hand over the cultivation technique for your protective body method, and I will allow you to commit suicide on the spot, letting you die painlessly and leaving your body intact. I will bury you in the Lu family ancestral tomb." As he spoke, fine purple light, as thin as hair, extended from his arm.

"You actually still covet my protective body technique? Dream on!" Lu Zheng said, and with a powerful kick from his feet at the edge of the platform, he rushed outward at an incredible speed. Since he couldn't leave honorably, he could only fight his way out.

Lu Zheng was fast, but Lu Junyi was even faster. After all, Lu Junyi was a well-known expert who had long entered the Bone Refinement stage. When he ran, he left a trail of purple afterimages, and he arrived in front of Lu Zheng before him. "Little brat, your strength is not enough to escape. Hand over your protective body technique again! Otherwise, I will make you suffer all the torments of the world, then crush your bones and scatter them, leaving you no place to be buried."

"Get lost!"

Lu Zheng's response was a punch!

Faced with Lu Zheng's attack, Lu Junyi did not take it seriously. He lightly deflected Lu Zheng's punch with his hand, and at the same time, he moved close to Lu Zheng's body and delivered several dozen close-range punches in a split second.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."

Lu Junyi's strength far exceeded that of the other Lu family disciples. The Bone Refinement stage could reach the strength of one cauldron, while the Viscera Refinement stage possessed the strength of three cauldrons!

Such terrifying punch power poured into Lu Zheng's body, which converted it into a warm current. However, the power was too immense, exceeding Lu Zheng's conversion limit. A part of the force could not be converted in time, and it was this remaining force that injured Lu Zheng.

"Spit!"

Lu Zheng was thrown backward, hitting the ground, and then he flipped up, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

Seeing that Lu Zheng could still stand up after taking so many punches, Lu Junyi's thoughts grew hot: "This protective body technique is really remarkable. Hand it over, and I might consider letting you live in the Lu family!"

"You scoundrels, your words are like flatulence. Do you think I would believe you?" Lu Zheng said while adjusting his breathing. After landing, Lu Zheng felt that all his bones were incredibly light, as if the warm current had cleansed the impurities from his bones after being hammered by Lu Chengyun and Lu Junyi!

After a month of hammering, Lu Zheng had already reached the peak of the Bone Refinement stage. However, because his body's strength had increased and the Lu family disciples' strength was insufficient, there was a lack of warm current to cleanse his bones, making it difficult to break through further.

But after being beaten by Lu Chengyun and Lu Junyi, a large amount of warm current was generated in his body, which helped Lu Zheng hammer out the remaining impurities from his bones.

Now, the impurities in his bones were completely cleansed, and every bone in his body was pure.

At this moment, he felt his body was incredibly light, and every bone in his body had a sense of vitality, allowing him to control them freely. His breathing frequency also changed, with each breath lasting half as long as before, making his breath deep and continuous, and his breathing and exhalation smooth.

This was the sign of entering the Viscera Refinement stage!

Power, immense power surged into Lu Zheng's body, and he was overjoyed, but his face remained calm.

"Stubborn! I hope your mouth is still as hard when the torture is applied!" Lu Junyi approached again, this time determined to capture Lu Zheng in one move.

But at that moment, something astonishing happened!

As Lu Junyi approached, Lu Zheng quickly threw a punch.

The speed of this punch was extremely fast, and Lu Junyi, caught off guard, was hit directly.

After entering the Viscera Refinement stage, Lu Zheng's control over his bones was nearly perfect, and the power he exerted far exceeded that of the Bone Refinement stage. However, Lu Junyi did not know that Lu Zheng had entered the Viscera Refinement stage and had a mistaken estimate of his strength.

This punch hit Lu Junyi, instantly sending him flying three yards away, rolling on the ground several times before getting up.

"You, you have actually entered the Viscera Refinement stage!" Lu Junyi clutched his chest, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, his face full of disbelief.

Lu Zheng sneered, dismissing Lu Junyi's words with contempt.

He scanned the entire Lu family, asking, "Now, who dares to stop me?"

No one dared to respond, and the entire training ground was silent.

Even Lu Junyi, who had been injured by Lu Zheng, had no one who could match him.

At this moment, a voice drifted from a corner, "I dare to stop you."

Then, from a corner, a middle-aged man in white walked out. He was handsome and graceful, like a deity who had cultivated to sainthood, exuding a refined aura with every movement.

"Lu Bingquan!"

Seeing that person, Lu Zheng's brows furrowed.

If there was one person Lu Zheng least wanted to encounter at this moment, it was his second uncle, Lu Bingquan. He was the mastermind behind his father's murder, while the third uncle, Lu Junyi, who was injured by Lu Zheng, was only an accomplice!

As soon as Lu Bingquan appeared, a tangible aura emanated from him, rushing toward Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng braced himself, every muscle and bone in his body entering a state of readiness!

Lu Bingquan's strength had already surpassed the Marrow Refinement stage. Although he had not entered the Innate Secret Realm, one foot was already in, making him a "half-step innate" expert!

Lu Zheng had just entered the Viscera Refinement stage, and there was a whole Marrow Refinement stage gap between him and Lu Bingquan!

For Lu Zheng, this was an existence he could not currently surpass, not an opponent on the same level.

But he would not give up!

If he were to give up, Lu Zheng would have given up two years ago!

Heaven had shown mercy, giving Lu Zheng a chance to turn the tide. He was frantically warning himself that he could not die here, and his desire to survive was incredibly strong.

Lu Zheng remained silent for a moment, quietly taking a deep breath, and without any warning, he wildly mobilized his strength, striding forward with powerful legs, shooting outward.

But before he could run two steps, a long sword enveloped in purple energy flew toward him, nailing itself in front of him, blocking his path.

Lu Zheng twisted his waist, trying to dodge the purple sword, but another purple sword blocked his direction. Then, more purple swords continuously shot toward Lu Zheng, forcing him to step back step by step.

Under the pressure of the purple swords, Lu Zheng was forced back to his original position, his expression turning very grim. The Innate Secret Realm could control true qi, and although Lu Bingquan was only a half-step innate, the power was already terrifying...

Lu Bingquan, with his hands behind his back, said, "You, the remnant of a traitor, I let you live in the Lu family out of a bit of sentiment, but you did not behave yourself. You even injured your third uncle and tried to leave the Lu family! Since you seek death, I will grant it to you!"

Purple swords spun up from the ground, piercing toward Lu Zheng from different directions. Lu Zheng's eyes were bloodshot; he had no way to avoid them. Even if his body was as hard as a mystical weapon, his defense against a half-step innate like Lu Bingquan was as fragile as paper!

Deep resentment rose in Lu Zheng's heart.

At this moment, Lu Junyi suddenly intervened, "Second brother, don't kill him yet."

Lu Bingquan controlled the purple swords aimed at Lu Zheng and asked, "Why?"

"This boy has had some extraordinary encounter, and his body's strength far exceeds that of ordinary people. Moreover, his cultivation speed is comparable to that of Pei Ran and Chengyun after taking the Heaven-Earth Creation Pill," Lu Junyi explained.

Lu Bingquan aimed a purple sword at Lu Zheng's forehead and said expressionlessly, "Speak, what extraordinary encounter did you have?"

Lu Zheng sneered, knowing that speaking would mean death and not speaking would also mean death. He did not want to waste his words and did not say a single word.

At this moment, the plaque on the Lu family's main gate suddenly exploded, and a copper furnace, taller than a person, fell from the sky, landing heavily with a "clang," making the Lu family disciples' ears ring.

The copper furnace rolled down the steps, colliding with the Lu family disciples, causing them to fall and scream in pain.

"Who is causing trouble?"

Lu Bingquan coldly snorted and controlled the purple swords to turn, rising and piercing toward the rolling copper furnace.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!"

The purple swords clashed with the copper furnace, producing a clear sound, but they could not stop the furnace's forward movement.

After rolling down the steps, the copper furnace suddenly turned in place and rolled toward Lu Zheng. Seeing this, Lu Bingquan said, "Not good," and used his body technique to rush toward Lu Zheng.

But the copper furnace was faster, and as it approached Lu Zheng, a withered hand suddenly emerged from the furnace, grabbing Lu Zheng and pulling him inside.

"Want to run? No way!" Lu Bingquan, seeing Lu Zheng being taken by the person in the copper furnace, reached out and grabbed the edge of the furnace, fixing it in place.

Inside the copper furnace, the withered hand transformed into a claw, suddenly grabbing at Lu Bingquan.

Lu Bingquan reacted quickly, slapping the withered hand with his palm, forcing him to retreat several steps. He said with a grim expression, "Are you Yelang?"

As Lu Bingquan spoke, an old man, extremely emaciated and terrifying like a skeleton, crawled out of the copper furnace.

Yelang, emerging from the copper furnace, laughed, "Ha, good luck, good luck. I didn't expect to find such a treasure by chance. This person has a special scent, similar to the weapons I have forged. He is most suitable to be forged into my weapons, so I am taking him!"