Chapter 71: Lu Kaishan Has Died

Lu Kaishan’s hand weakly unclenched, and the fiery red long saber in his grasp slipped away. He then swayed and collapsed to his knees in front of Xu Yang, dead.

Instantly, both the soldiers at the foot of the mountain and the disciples of the Tianlan Sect were dumbfounded.

The dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with astonishment, unsure of how to react.

“What… what just happened?” one Nascent Soul cultivator stammered in disbelief.

“Is Lord Lu Kaishan truly dead?” another Nascent Soul cultivator asked, equally incredulous.

Lu Kaishan was a powerful expert of the Cavern Heaven realm, invincible on the battlefield.

Yet, today, he had inexplicably perished in Qizhou, a remote and desolate land.

They felt as if they were dreaming.

“Should we go and avenge Lord Lu Kaishan?” one Nascent Soul cultivator said at that moment, a look of utter confusion on his face.

“What are you talking about? Lu Kaishan was a Cavern Heaven realm cultivator. If even he wasn't his match, are we going up there to seek death?” another Nascent Soul cultivator retorted.

After a brief discussion, they exchanged glances and quickly fled.

It was truly a case of much ado about nothing. Just fifteen minutes earlier, they had surrounded the Tianlan Sect with overwhelming momentum.

Fifteen minutes later, their commander Lu Kaishan was dead, and they were fleeing for their lives like stray dogs.

Xu Yang turned, his gaze fixed on the Tianlan Sect, which was engulfed in raging flames.

Fortunately, Xu Yang had managed to divert some spiritual energy to protect the Tianlan Sect disciples. Although the damage appeared extensive, mercifully, no disciples had been killed or injured.

With a wave of Xu Yang’s hand, a streak of blue spiritual energy shot skyward like a bolt of lightning.

Boom… the spiritual energy exploded in the air, sending out a white shockwave that spread like ripples.

The surrounding clouds were instantly pulverized upon contact with the shockwave.

Soon after, a torrential thunderstorm erupted, extinguishing the massive fire.

By then, however, the entire Tianlan Sect had been reduced to ashes, leaving only ruins.

Xu Yang’s face darkened. His momentary carelessness had allowed Lu Kaishan to inflict such damage upon the Tianlan Sect!

Seeing the fleeing soldiers, Xu Yang leaped forward, appearing before them. He continuously waved his large hands, unleashing torrents of chaotic spiritual energy.

Immediately, a group of cultivators were shredded by the spiritual energy.

“You came here, and now you think you can just leave?” Xu Yang’s calm voice resounded.

Xu Yang’s gaze swept over them, landing on the dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators.

Xu Yang instantly appeared before them and declared, “If you don’t give me an explanation today, none of you will leave.”

The Nascent Soul cultivators nearly died of fright upon seeing Xu Yang.

Xu Yang’s heroic feat of instantly killing Lu Kaishan, a Cavern Heaven realm cultivator, had left an indelible impression on their minds.

If Xu Yang could instantly kill Lu Kaishan, dispatching them would be effortless.

“Everyone, stop! If any of you dare to run, I’ll send you to meet the King of Hell!”

Xu Yang spoke, and though his voice was not loud, everyone heard it.

Especially the Nascent Soul cultivators, who were right in front of Xu Yang, held motionless by his dark, intense gaze. How could they dare to move?

“Lord, this is all a misunderstanding! Our presence here was not our intention; Lu Kaishan brought us,” they pleaded.

“Yes, yes! The Emperor originally ordered us to return to the imperial city. Lu Kaishan brought us here privately, and we dared not defy him,” another added.

The Nascent Soul cultivators eagerly shifted all blame to Lu Kaishan.

Xu Yang listened quietly. After they finished, he calmly said, “Are you done? If so, go and repair the damaged buildings for me.”

The Nascent Soul cultivators stared blankly at Xu Yang, unsure of what he meant.

Xu Yang pointed at the unrecognizable ruins of the Tianlan Sect, saying,

“You did this. You destroyed it, and now you want to just leave? You’re dreaming. If you can’t restore it for me, then none of you are leaving.”

Xu Yang said, smiling at them.

In truth, the old Tianlan Sect had become quite dilapidated over the years. This fire, which thoroughly razed it, was actually a good thing.

Moreover, the burning wasn't in vain. With over ten thousand people here, having them rebuild the Tianlan Sect meant it would be completed much faster.

The Nascent Soul cultivators breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

As long as their lives weren't at stake, anything else was acceptable.

Threatened by Xu Yang, the dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators could only go and threaten the Core Formation cultivators below them.

The Core Formation cultivators, in turn, mobilized the regular soldiers.

Soon, the army of over ten thousand people began enthusiastically rebuilding the Tianlan Sect.

Though these were just regular soldiers, even the lowest-ranking soldiers possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation.

With the addition of several hundred Core Formation cultivators and dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, the reconstruction progressed remarkably fast.

By the end of the first day, a rough outline of the sect was already in place.

By the second day, all reconstruction was complete.

The entire Tianlan Sect was completely revitalized.

As for the people, Xu Yang felt they were right; Lu Kaishan had brought them here, and their personal involvement was minimal.

Therefore, Xu Yang released all of them.

Of course, before letting them go, Xu Yang thoroughly plundered them, yielding a bountiful haul.

Xu Yang looked at the mountain of various treasures, feeling a little amused.

Lu Kaishan truly was a good man. Not only did he travel a thousand miles to deliver his own head, but he also brought so many treasures...

At this thought, Xu Yang couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

Just then, Xu Yang suddenly noticed a faint, almost transparent dark shadow rapidly drifting through a corner.

Xu Yang's eyes narrowed. “I didn’t expect you to be so good at hiding!” he muttered.

With that, Xu Yang pursued the dark shadow.

The shadow seemed to sense danger and swiftly darted in one direction.

“It really is you. Your evil magic is quite advanced; I almost didn't notice you,” Xu Yang said, increasing his speed to give chase.

This faint dark shadow was a wisp of Lu Kaishan’s divine sense that had escaped.

At the Core Formation stage, cultivators could achieve rebirth if their physical body died but their Golden Core escaped.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, even if the physical body perished, as long as the Nascent Soul escaped, one could be reborn and retain most of their previous strength.