Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 462 Does the Hunter Have No Right to Seek Revenge on the Marquis?
The onlookers' claim that Huo Xingyuan was the one who seemed to be on drugs was actually unfair.

Although Huo Xingyuan did use pills to level up, it wasn't much, and the pills refined in the immortal alchemy furnace didn't have much of the so-called "weak foundation" problem, so his cultivation was relatively solid.

Due to the differences in cultivation methods between ancient and modern times, after the implementation of the nine-rank system, there are not only more thresholds between the first and second ranks, but also a greater gap in combat power. Modern people often feel that there is a huge difference between the two ranks.

However, for those who practice ancient methods, there is not such a big difference.

To put it bluntly, they are all at the Cloud Ascension stage. The difference between the second and first rank is simply the difference between the middle and late stages of Cloud Ascension. Although there is a difference in strength, it is not that much. The quality of their respective cultivation techniques and combat skills can barely make up for this gap.

Some people possess all the skills they've learned, and they dare to chase down late-game opponents even in the mid-game.

In reality, it was Lu Xingzhou who was not strong enough; otherwise, the difference in quality between the cultivation techniques they practiced alone would have been enough to prevent them from taking even half a step back.

He spent too little time on cultivation, resulting in a lack of unique skills and magical treasures. His Taoist cultivation was unbalanced and lagging behind, leaving him only with martial arts cultivation.

However, when Lu Xingzhou received a move from Huo Xingyuan that day and only managed to retreat, leaving Huo Xingyuan stunned, he knew that there was a fight going on... and after breaking through to the middle stage of the second rank in the past two days, there was an even greater chance of a fight.

Especially now, Huo Xingyuan, having learned he had been deceived and watched helplessly as his son died without seeking revenge against his enemies, was consumed by rage and acted like a mad tiger, a major taboo in battle.

Lu Xingzhou's expression was icy cold as he fought and retreated, trying to deflect the enemy's attacks.

In the blink of an eye, their fists and swords had already clashed more than ten times. Huo Xingyuan was even more annoyed and angry when he saw that his defenses were impenetrable.

Lu Xingzhou deliberately provoked further anger, for example...

"Boom!" Another punch was thrown.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou had shown Huo Xingyuan the scorching sun twice.

One instance was during a sneak attack in the northern border region, where the Flaming Hell Remnant Sun Fist technique was used. However, due to the sneak attack, it was merely a fist move, without any external fist technique, no imagery of the remnant sun, and no incorporation of the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame.

The second time he faced off against the Huo family, he also used the Fiery Prison Sunset. That time, the scenery was fully revealed, with the sunset resembling a prison. The flame he used was the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame, used to judge his sins.

The differences were so great that Huo Xingyuan couldn't tell that the two were the same technique.

But this time, Lu Xingzhou deliberately suppressed the external scene, withdrew the red lotus, and threw a simple punch. Even the posture was exactly the same as when he ambushed her, and he even had a mocking smile on his lips as if he were looking at an idiot.

Huo Xingyuan figured it out.

"It was you! You were the one who launched the sneak attack!" Huo Xingyuan was furious, and the thought of how this guy had pretended to be concerned afterward only fueled his rage: "Die!"

Under the intense heat, all power converged, and a powerful sword slashed down fiercely.

The sword energy flashed, and the entire long street seemed to be split in two. Its power was terrifying, seemingly exceeding what a mid-level first rank should possess.

Lu Xingzhou wanted this moment.

In any fight, one should always hold back three-tenths of their strength, never using it all, otherwise they will be unable to cope with unforeseen circumstances. Moreover, Huo Xingyuan, in his rage, had lost his vigilance regarding other unforeseen events.

Lu Xingzhou dodged the most dangerous point with a swift movement, followed by two consecutive kicks.

A foot blazes, a crimson lotus blooms, the setting sun paints the sky. His crime is judged, his sentence is handed down.

A single step can unleash a torrent of water, like a river accumulating water and then bursting its banks, surging across the land.

Fire is actually a limiting force, while water is an attacking force.

This contrast alone is enough to make most opponents who encounter each other for the first time extremely uncomfortable.

While the dazzling visual effects obscured his vision, Lu Xingzhou secretly waved a small banner in his hand.

The ghostly spirits of the first and second-rank royal assassins, who had just been collected into the banner less than an hour ago, roared in and rushed straight at Huo Xingyuan's crown chakra.

At the same time, Ah Nuo's small figure appeared silently behind Huo Xingyuan and punched him in the back.

Among the onlookers, a few who had studied Lu Xingzhou's record all had a strange thought: Lu Xingzhou had repeatedly targeted the Huo family father and son, but he almost never asked for help from others, not even his own wife, as if he didn't want to rely on others. Only this little girl was like his Siamese twin, always taking action.

It seems that this little girl made the move herself, not through someone else.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides' offense and defense had already clashed.

"Bang!" Lu Xingzhou dodged the strongest point of the sword energy, but still couldn't completely evade its fierce and unparalleled sharpness. The sword energy sliced ​​across his chest, tearing his outer garment and revealing an inner armor underneath.

Dragon-Subduing Armor.

The sword energy struck the armor, but only left a scratch; it didn't even break the armor.

The remaining force was neutralized and entered the body, but was completely eliminated by the Tai Xu Lun Huan, leaving no injury whatsoever.

Moreover, this residual power was within a usable range. To the onlookers, Lu Xingzhou, struck by the sword energy, merely took a slight step back, then used the momentum to stomp on the ground and shot forward again.

The Tai Chi Heavenly Gang in his hand had already condensed, and this time its power was even more ferocious than before.

They fight harder and harder!

On the other hand, Huo Xingyuan was not having an easy time.

Lu Xingzhou's Fiery Sunset combined with the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame created a "heavenly tribulation" effect, a control technique that even the strongest cultivators couldn't escape, easily causing a brief period of paralysis. Meanwhile, the roaring water power surged into his meridians, frantically washing over them, requiring him to circulate his internal energy to neutralize it. At this moment, several first and second-grade Yin spirits rushed into his soul sea, tearing at him wildly, while A'nuo's fist struck his back again.

"Get lost!" Huo Xingyuan unleashed his hidden power, forcefully shaking the Yin spirit away, and then turned around and punched A Nuo's small fist.

Everyone thought the doll was about to be blasted away...

With a "bang," it was Huo Xingyuan who was blasted back.

Huo Xingyuan never imagined that this chubby kid's strength was as monstrous as a dragon's. His own body was stiff, and his meridians were still dissolving the water element invasion. In his hasty counterattack, he was completely outmatched and was sent flying backward by a single punch.

At that moment, Lu Xingzhou's fist, which had been thrown back, slammed into his lower back.

Huo Xingyuan's response was clearly chaotic, and in his haste, he could only twist his body, trying to dodge the attack with his agility.

The ghostly spirit that had just been shaken off clung desperately to his foot, unable to dodge for a moment.

"Bang!" Lu Xingzhou's fist was about to hit him, and Huo Xingyuan could only barely block it by pushing back with his elbow.

But this punch was no longer the water and fire of before; it was the violent explosive force of Tai Chi Heavenly Gang. The onlookers almost all heard a "crack" sound of a bone breaking. Huo Xingyuan let out a muffled groan as his hand bone broke.

Ah Nuo swung a large pancake and slammed it down on Ah Nuo's head.

Huo Xingyuan raised his sword to parry, but the sword trembled uncontrollably. With a "smack," Dabing knocked the sword away, even smashing his hand and forefinger into a bloody mess.

The master and apprentice attacked from both sides, crippling Huo Xingyuan's hands.

The next moment, Lu Xingzhou kicked out and slammed his foot hard into Huo Xingyuan's dantian.

"Bang!" Huo Xingyuan spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, flying more than ten zhang away before crashing heavily onto the long street.

None of the onlookers expected this outcome.

The battle was short-lived. Apart from the initial ten or so exchanges, by the time the two sides clashed, it was only a few rounds of attack and defense. Huo Xingyuan, the famous First-Rank Marquis of Zhenyuan in the Great Qian Dynasty, was already covered in blood on the long street like a rag doll.

Only then did the guards seem to wake from their daze, rushing forward to stop them: "Stop!"

The reason they didn't make a move before was twofold: firstly, they were intimidated, and secondly, they didn't think Huo Xingyuan would lose.

But unexpectedly, we actually lost!

As soon as the guards stopped him, Huo Xingyuan, who had just fallen to the ground, immediately sprang to his feet and tried to escape.

Defeating someone is easy, but killing someone is never that simple.

People can run, especially when they are skipping levels.

But just as he was flying away, several sword lights came straight at him, and Yang Dechang's calm voice came from the front: "My lord, you should stay!"

Several other people followed Yang Dechang; they were all retainers of the Huo family.

The onlookers were dumbfounded.

Lu Xingzhou didn't rely on others; he relied on the Huo family. This was a much bigger blow to Huo Xingyuan than to outsiders.

The wounded and fleeing Huo Xingyuan was no match for the encirclement of his own third-rank retainer. He took a sword strike and fell backward, gritting his teeth: "Yang Dechang! I have treated you well!"

Yang Dechang scoffed, "You're just fooling yourself. I'm currently a retainer of the Lu family and only take orders from the magistrate of Danxia County."

Huo Xingyuan had no time for a verbal battle. Just as he was about to change direction and flee, Lu Xingzhou and Anuo had already shaken off the guards' interception, and their two iron fists once again slammed into his back.

Exhausted and at his last gasp, Huo Xingyuan could no longer hold on. With two loud bangs, his ribs shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.

Lu Xingzhou squatted down in front of him with a smile.

Huo Xingyuan's mouth was full of blood, and his eyes were blazing with fury: "Lu Xingzhou..."

Lu Xingzhou said with a smile, "Alchemy furnace, offerings, servants... betrayed by everyone, you have nothing left. How does it feel?"

Huo Xingyuan coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"These past two days you've bought several concubines and been desperately trying to conceive, which has somewhat affected our combat strength... Actually, whether they're pregnant or not, if I killed those women, I would have nothing left. But I'm kind-hearted, so I gave you a sterilization drug early on. All your efforts these past two days have been in vain, so I don't need to kill any innocent women. Say thank you now."

Huo Xingyuan pointed at him with a trembling finger: "You are not Huo Shang... What has my Huo family done to offend you... that you would be so vicious..."

"Do you think that, apart from Huo Shang, no one else has the right to seek revenge against you?" Lu Xingzhou patted his cheek. "Don't the hunters of Danxia Mountain have the right to seek revenge against the Marquis?"

Huo Xingyuan suddenly realized: "You are... Huo..."

“Yes, I also have the surname Huo. My great-grandfather’s generation was one of us.” Lu Xingzhou said calmly, “Huo Qi is still on his way to exile, isn’t he? I told him back then that I would take over everything in the Huo family. Do you think that counts now? Look, I’ve even taken over the ancestral hall for you. It’s just that the ancestral tablets inside no longer include your branch. Are you happy?”

Huo Xingyuan gasped for breath: "His Majesty... will not let you go..."

"Whether His Majesty will let me go is hard to say, but you certainly won't be able to see it, right?" Lu Xingzhou clenched his fist and slammed it hard into his chest: "There's also Old Deng, I'll send him down to keep you company soon."

(End of this chapter)