It only took a few breaths of time for Lu Changming to stand with his hands folded behind his back, indifferently stating, "Although Lu Chen has committed a capital offense, by the ancestral teachings of the Lu Family, benevolence is paramount. We will give you a chance to live. Go fend for yourself in Yuzhou City! Someone, escort Lu Chen down the mountain!"
"Uncle Changkong," at that moment, Lu Zhan stepped forward and spoke up in a clear voice, "Lu Chen and I still have a pledge of life and death on the dueling platform! Even if you wish to expel him from the clan, shouldn't it be after the duel on the platform? Lest the people of Yuzhou City ridicule our Lu Family!"
"Zhan'er is right," Lu Changkong said faintly, "It concerns the face of the Lu Family. Since the challenge came before Lu Chen's wrongdoing, it is indeed proper to expel him from the Lu Family after the duel on the platform! Someone, take Lu Chen to heal!"
A girl with tears streaking her face finally staggered through the crowd, using her frail shoulders to prop up Lu Chen and laboriously returned to a thatched hut.
Lu Chen's left eye was streaming with blood while the girl clumsily tried to bandage him, but nothing seemed to stop the bleeding.
"Yaotiao, do you think... I was wrong?"
Lu Chen seemed to have forgotten the pain, murmuring the question.
Qin Yaotiao shook her head repeatedly, crying even harder, "Young Master did nothing wrong, it's all Yaotiao's fault! Last night, Yaotiao went looking for the Young Master but saw the mistress and Young Master Zhan in an indecent act on the platform..."
"Yaotiao was too shocked to approach, and had no choice but to look elsewhere for the Young Master, searching all night until dawn when the news was heard."
"Young Master, if Yaotiao had just come over and argued in your favor earlier! You wouldn't have been framed so unjustly!"
Hearing this, Lu Chen was completely stunned, and then a surge of anger rose within him. He couldn't help but clench his fists until his nails dug deeply into his palms!
"Yaotiao, it's not your fault. If you had defended me, you would be dead by now!"
Lu Chen suppressed the anger in his heart, as he had already figured out why all this had happened!
He wasn't foolish, and upon reflecting on the cause and effect, it appeared that Lu Zhan had long been conspiring with Xu Yueru!
Lu Zhan wanted to make sure he secured the position of the family head beyond any doubt!
And Xu Yueru...
She probably wanted the jade pendant left to him by his mother!
Once he died, even if his biological parents returned, the jade pendant would have already fallen into Xu Yueru's hands, and Lu Chen would have died at the hands of Lu Zhan on the dueling platform. Xu Yueru would remain untainted by the scandal, and no one would suspect her!
This was indeed a well-calculated plan!
"Xu Yueru, even if I die, I won't let you find my mother's belongings!"
The only remaining eye of Lu Chen gleamed fiercely, and he decided to swallow the jade pendant.
"Yaotiao, I'm thirsty, fetch me a bowl of water."
After sending Qin Yaotiao away, Lu Chen took out a jade pendant the size of an eyeball from his clothing, but unexpectedly, as soon as the jade pendant touched the blood on Lu Chen's hand, it flew directly into his eye socket!
In the instant it fit perfectly in place, the jade pendant burned like a red-hot iron brand, causing Lu Chen to let out an agonized scream!
"Ah!!!"
In just a few moments, Lu Chen fell into unconsciousness!
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chen slowly awoke to find himself in endless darkness.
"Where is this?"
His head didn't reach the sky, his feet didn't touch the ground, and he couldn't see his own hands when he stretched them out. Lu Chen couldn't help feeling a bit panicked.
"This is the ancestral land of the Hateful Sky Clan!"
A voice that seemed to have traversed countless years echoed from the depths of antiquity!
"Who are you?"
Lu Chen had never heard of the Hateful Sky Clan and asked subconsciously, only for the space before him to suddenly change!
He saw shadows swirling in the darkness ahead, condensing and eventually forming a colossal stone statue!
The statue was like a towering pillar that reached the heavens, yet to Lu Chen's eyes, it was completely visible in its entirety!
"I am the totem of the Hateful Sky Clan! With hatred as boundless as the ocean, you have opened the path to the ancestral land! By entering our land, you are now a member of the Hateful Sky Clan! As a descendant of the Hateful Sky, you are to seek revenge for the clan!"
Lu Chen could only smile bitterly, "Totem elder, I am now a broken man incapable of even avenging my own grievances, how can I think of anything else?"
His only intention was to ensure that even in death, Xu Yueru would not be able to find the jade pendant by swallowing it.
"Hahaha," the totem laughed boisterously, "As a member of the Hateful Sky Clan, you shall fully partake in the resources of the ancestral land! Let me ask you, how do ordinary mortals cultivate?"
Lu Chen found the question odd, as it was common knowledge even to children, but he answered, "The Skin Refinement Realm, the Flesh Refinement Realm, and the Bone Refinement Realm are the phases of martial prowess that belong to those who cultivate after reaching physical maturity. There are three more realms, the Marrow Refinement Realm, the Visceral Refinement Realm, and the Soul Refinement Realm, which belong to the innate martial artists! As the names suggest, these six realms involve the continuous refining of body and soul. After breaking through these realms, one enters the Qi Refinement Realm, draws spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth for one's own use, from the inside out, until one finally comprehends the Great Tao and ascends by daylight!"
The totem spoke, "Correct. Martial cultivation progresses from the outside in, while from the Qi Refinement Realm, it proceeds from the inside out! So why don't you begin cultivating directly from the inside out? Wouldn't this help you bypass the problem of not being able to cultivate martial arts due to the lack of a Dantian?"
Lu Chen said incredulously, "Cultivation requires one to proceed step by step, in an orderly manner. If one does not even know how to walk, how can one think of running? How does that conform to the natural laws of the heavens?"
The totem laughed heartily, "We of the Hateful Sky Clan despise the heavens, so why should we conform to the laws of heaven? Moreover, cultivating immortality is inherently a defiance of the heavens! My boy, do you comprehend my intention?"
Trembling, Lu Chen uttered, "You mean to say..."