NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 14 Liu Feihu
To be known, the vital energy from living beings in the Mortal World is considered a premium supplement for Shadow Souls. However, yin and yang are interdependent and mutually restraining. If the vital energy is potent enough to transform into blood energy, it can actually suppress Shadow Souls. This is why Ghostly Wraiths dare not provoke healthy young men and those from the Martial Arts World.
"Haha, don't worry, big brother. I am no longer the person I used to be; encountering those Ghost Kings and Ferocious Ghosts, I consider it their luck if I don't seek them out for their ominous presence," he said.
Watching his extraordinary brother, Lu Xing suddenly relaxed. His worry had clouded his judgment, but now he realized that his brother, able to enter the Netherworld in his physical body, was no ordinary being. As far as he knew, only those called High Immortals had such capabilities.
"Have you become an Immortal?" Lu Xing asked hesitantly.
"After years of cultivation, I've finally crossed into the threshold of the Immortal Dao. It's not incorrect to say I've become an Immortal," he replied.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xing couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Haha, my brother has become an Immortal! I've always felt you were extraordinary from childhood and now you truly have reached the esteemed status of an Immortal."
"Now that you are an Immortal, come quick and take a look at the changes in our ancestral house. These past few days, my mind has been uneasy. I can't figure out where this change is coming from; the fortune and destiny are difficult to predict," Lu Xing pointed at the mansion and said.
"There's no hurry for that—I came here for this matter. Let me pay respects to our parents first, then I'll discussed it with you in detail!" he said.
The two brothers entered together, paying respects to their parents whom they hadn't seen in many years.
The elderly couple, with tears in their eyes, held Lu Yu's hands and spoke of their longing and worries over the years, which even made Lu Yu's eyes red with emotion.
Speaking of the changes in the ancestral house, Lu Yu said, "Father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, don't panic. This change signifies that Zhanger's fortune and destiny are beginning to manifest, bringing glory to our ancestors.
Should he one day unify the realm, this Pure Land will transform into the Nether Dragon Court, safeguarding the descendants of our Lu Family and his military forces beneath him."
Lu Yu's words greatly uplifted everyone in the family; however, thinking of the fates of those rebels from the legends, they couldn't help but show a worried expression.
"The era of Great Chen nears its end, as decreed by fate. Heroes are vying for supremacy, and the outcome of their conflicts is unpredictable. But since I have acquired the Fruit of Tao of an Immortal, naturally, I can protect our nephew. Even in failure, there is no worry about his life. Rest assured," he added.
"It's just that our family, after all, is of humble origin, unlike those rooted Noble Families and Clans, especially in the Nether Dragon Court which lacks management. It is known that if the foundation of the Netherworld is damaged, the lighter consequence would make one's personality greatly altered, and the more severe could affect the power struggle.
My entry into the Netherworld this time is precisely for this reason," he continued.
The family members looked at each other, not sure what to do. They ultimately had limited experience and, despite knowing the importance of this Pure Land, didn't know where to begin.
Lu Xing, being the head of the family, soon figured out the key points, "According to your meaning, we probably need to establish a military force like those Ghost Kings to protect the Pure Land, but as you know, Dad and I are ordinary people, clueless about the art of war, and frankly, we don't know where to start."
Lu Yu, however, already had a plan in mind, "Don't worry, big brother, I've already chosen someone knowledgeable in military affairs. I'll bring him over shortly, and from then on, you'll need to take charge. After all, securing the foundation sooner will also help Zhanger on his path to power struggle," he said.
After this conversation, he briefly bid farewell to his parents, preparing to visit the family of Liu Qingyun.
Liu Qingyun's father, Liu Feihu, was the Marquis Wu'an of Great Chen, a veteran who had commanded troops for years. If talking about military knowledge, one might search all of Great Chen and find few as skilled as him. Lu Yu had long decided to put him in charge of training troops in the Netherworld.
Holding a strand of Liu Qingyun's vital energy in his hand, Lu Yu deduced the direction and, amid his family's astonished gazes, transformed into a flying rainbow and disappeared into the horizon.
Soon he arrived deep in the wasteland, where he saw a different scene: it was populated mostly by ferocious ghosts, sinners of the worst kind who had lost their reason due to the evil karma power surrounding them, wandering the wasteland like wild beasts.
Among these ferocious ghosts was a group of ghosts who seemed out of place. Although enveloped in powerful evil karma, they had not lost their sanity and were united in resisting the assaults of the surrounding ferocious ghosts.
"Such a ruthless emperor, to have designated Marquis Wu'an as a criminal, condemning him never to transcend," Lu Yu realized the secret behind this scene.
Clearly, the current ruler feared that Marquis Wu'an might accuse his ancestors after death, so he used the Fortune and Destiny of the Human Path to forcibly declare him guilty. This was why these people, despite their deep sins, still retained their sanity. However, it was these very sins that prevented them from entering the Dragon Court, leaving them to suffer on this desolate plain.
Liu Feihu, wielding a long spear, fiercely defended the elderly and women of his clan along with the clan's wrongfully deceased youths. If devoured by these ferocious ghosts, their souls would scatter, and they would lose even the chance for reincarnation.
They collaboratively repelled one wave after another of assaults, yet reality plunged them into immense despair. The wasteland was overrun with ferocious ghosts; had these ghosts not lost their rationality, his family would have been devoured long ago.
Even so, they felt increasingly overpowered. The current situation left them with no hope; even with all their might, they were merely postponing the inevitable day of death.
"To think, I, Liu Feihu, have been loyal all my life, and my Liu family is a house of goodness. How unjust is the Heavenly Dao to make us suffer this fate; the tyrant is ruthless, seeking to scatter the souls of my whole family!" Liu Feihu cried out in despair, the resolute man now utterly exhausted.
"Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all beings as straw dogs; why then lament the Heavenly Dao?" A clear voice rang out, and the ferocious ghosts attacking Liu Feihu seemed to sense something and scattered in all directions.
This voice seemed like the wind howling through the mountains, yet also like the sound of a stream flowing over pebbles, bringing a trace of soul-deep coolness to the desperate and helpless Liu Feihu.
It was as if he saw himself again, leading his troops across the plains. He saw the joyful scene when his child was born, the whole family beaming with happiness.
Lifting his face, worn and aged by fate, he saw the person who had appeared before him.
A young scholar, dressed in a gray scholar's robe, with a treasured sword at his waist and an ebony hairpin in his hair, radiating a unique aura, airy as a gentle breeze and flowing clouds.
"I pray, High Immortal, save the lives of my family!" Liu Feihu immediately realized that this scholar was no ordinary person, and without worrying whether his guess was right or wrong, a man dangling from a cliff will not forsake any straw.
Lu Yu, looking at this legendary unyielding Marquis Wu'an, also sighed softly to himself. Fate really was unfair to him; despite his loyalty, in the eyes of the emperor, he was merely someone to be eliminated. Even though he wanted to protect his family, he could only watch helplessly as it fell apart under his watch.
With a thought, a blue light flickered from his body, carrying the endless Starlight.
This was Lu Yu's Primordial Spirit Light, also the Light of Redemption, a radiance Lu Yu formed by consuming his own mana, Fortune and Destiny, and virtue. It could alleviate the suffering of the world and transcend lost souls.