UGB Chapter 117 The henchmen of the Xuanmen come to steal the jade pendant!
Chapter 117 The henchmen of the Xuanmen come to steal the jade pendant!
The air in room 506 of the boys' dormitory instantly froze.
Lu Jingchen held the yellowed old photograph between his fingers, his knuckles turning slightly white. The kind smile of his master in the photo contrasted sharply with the cold eyes of the bronze-masked man beside him.
"Mysterious Gate... Dragon's Lair... Master..."
He murmured to himself, countless moments of his time with his master flashing through his mind. His master had taught him martial arts, medicine, and metaphysics since he was a child, but he had never mentioned his past, nor had he ever mentioned the words "Xuanmen" (mystical sect).
Could it be that Master left the deep mountains back then not because he was tired of solitary cultivation, but because he broke with the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)?
What secret does that half of the jade pendant hold? What are the people of the Xuanmen sect trying to achieve after searching for so many years?
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the wooden door of the dormitory was kicked down.
Amidst the flying sawdust, three men dressed in black trench coats and wearing silver masks entered. They exuded a chilling aura, their eyes like those of venomous snakes, fixed intently on the jade pendant in Lu Jingchen's hand.
"Hand over the jade pendant."
The leader's voice was hoarse and devoid of any emotion: "This is not something you should touch."
Ma Xiaodong and Shi Lei instantly jumped out of bed, their drunkenness almost completely gone.
"Who are you? How dare you barge into our dorm? You're asking for trouble!"
Ma Xiaodong rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush forward when the leader casually waved his hand, and a black energy struck his chest. He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Dongzi!"
Shi Lei roared and charged forward, only to be knocked away in one move and fall to the ground, unable to move.
Su Muyue's expression changed, and she instantly assumed a fighting stance, her fingertips gathering a faint aura of true energy: "Who exactly are you people?"
"The affairs of the Xuanmen are not for idlers to handle."
The other man sneered and raised his hand to unleash a burst of black energy at Su Muyue.
Lu Jingchen's eyes turned cold, and he flashed to block Su Muyue's path. With a casual wave of his hand, his golden true energy instantly dispersed the black aura.
"You dare touch my people? You're asking for death."
The three masked men's eyes narrowed simultaneously when they saw the golden true energy emanating from Lu Jingchen.
"He does have some skill. No wonder he was able to deal with that vengeful ghost Chen Yu and drive away that good-for-nothing Xuanzhen."
The leader of the men said in a sinister tone, "But in front of our Xuanmen, your skills are simply not enough. Quickly hand over the jade pendant and then cripple your martial arts, and we might spare your dog's life."
"The Xuanmen?" Lu Jingchen's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I haven't even come looking for you yet, and you've delivered yourself to my doorstep. Perfect, I have a few questions to ask you."
He shook the jade pendant in his hand: "Is my master a member of your Xuanmen sect?"
The leading man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You mean that traitor Lu Xuanfeng? That's right, he was our Xuanmen's Left Protector back then, and a genius the Xuanmen saw only once in a century. What a pity, he was so ignorant of the times, daring to betray the sect leader and steal half of the Dragon's Lair Jade Pendant. He deserved to die!"
"Lu Xuanfeng..."
Lu Jingchen silently recited his master's name in his heart. This was the first time he had ever known his master's real name.
"Why did my master betray the Xuanmen?" Lu Jingchen asked coldly.
"Why?" The man sneered. "Because he's a hypocrite! The sect leader wants to open the dragon's lair, obtain the ancient inheritance within, revitalize the Xuanmen sect, and allow it to once again dominate the entire Xuanxue world. But that traitor Lu Xuanfeng actually said that opening the dragon's lair would trigger a natural disaster, killing countless innocent people, and even colluded with outsiders to stop the sect leader."
"Not only that, he also stole half of the Dragon's Lair Jade Pendant, delaying the sect leader's plans for a full twenty years! If it weren't for him, our Xuanmen would have unified the world long ago!"
Another man continued, "But now things are fine. As long as we get your half of the jade pendant, plus the other half the sect leader has, we can open the Dragon's Lair. Even if that traitor Lu Xuanfeng dies, he can't stop the sect leader's grand plan!"
"I see."
Lu Jingchen's eyes instantly turned cold. He finally understood why his master had hidden him deep in the mountains all those years ago, and why he had never allowed him to reveal his strength.
The master wasn't hiding from a life of leisure; he was hiding from the Xuanmen's pursuit.
He was afraid that the people of the Xuanmen sect would find him, and even more afraid that they would harm him.
These so-called members of the Xuanmen sect, for their own selfish gain, disregarded the lives of countless people and attempted to open some kind of dragon's lair. It's utterly depraved!
"My master is right. People like you don't deserve any ancient inheritance."
Lu Jingchen's voice was icy cold, "The Dragon's Lair Jade Pendant is in my hands. Come and take it if you dare. But I warn you, if you dare to harass the people around me again, I don't mind making the Xuanmen disappear from this world completely."
"How arrogant!"
The leader of the group flew into a rage, yelling, "Attack! Kill him and take back the jade pendant!"
The other two men attacked simultaneously, forming hand seals and chanting incantations.
"Netherworld Ghost Claw!"
Two black claws appeared out of thin air, carrying a chilling aura, and reached out to grab Lu Jingchen. Wherever the claws passed, the air was torn apart, making a sizzling sound.
Su Muyue's expression changed drastically: "Lu Jingchen, be careful! This is an evil technique from the Xuanmen sect!"
Lu Jingchen stood still, motionless.
Just as the claws were about to grab him, he slowly raised his right hand, and a dazzling golden aura condensed in his palm.
"You dare to show off your meager skills in front of me?"
He gently slapped out with his palm.
"Bang!"
Golden true energy erupted like a tsunami, instantly tearing apart the two black claws. Its momentum undiminished, it slammed heavily into the chests of the two men.
"ah--!"
Two piercing screams rang out at the same time.
The two men were sent flying like tattered sacks, crashing heavily into the wall, spitting out black blood, and instantly losing consciousness. The black aura around them dissipated instantly, and their masks fell to the ground, revealing two young but ferocious faces.
The leading man's expression changed drastically, staring at Lu Jingchen in disbelief: "Impossible! How could you be so strong? How old are you?"
"What my master taught me is ten thousand times better than all your crooked and evil ways."
Lu Jingchen walked towards him step by step, his eyes cold. "Now, it's your turn."
The man was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, secretly reaching into his pocket to pull out a black bell, which he then shook vigorously.
"Ring ring— Ring ring—"
The piercing ringing of the bell instantly chilled the entire dormitory. Countless black shadows surged out from all directions, emitting shrill screams, and pounced on Lu Jingchen.
"Hahahaha! This is my Hundred Soul Bell! There are a hundred wronged souls inside. Today, I'll have them tear you to pieces!" The man laughed maniacally.
Su Muyue, Ma Xiaodong, and Shi Lei on the ground were all terrified, their faces turning deathly pale. The resentment emanating from those ghostly figures was far stronger than that of Chen Yu at the Cloud Top Hotel.
Lu Jingchen snorted coldly, formed a hand seal, and chanted an ancient incantation.
"The mysteries of heaven and earth are the origin of all things. Through countless eons of cultivation, I will attain divine powers."
As he chanted his incantation, a golden light emanated from him, enveloping the entire dormitory.
The ghostly figures that touched the light barrier instantly let out a shrill scream and vanished in a wisp of black smoke.
In just a few seconds, all the ghostly figures were completely purified.
The Hundred Soul Bell fell to the ground with a clang and broke in two.
The man was completely terrified. His legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Spare me! Master, spare me! I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"
He kept kowtowing, his forehead bleeding from the effort. "The sect leader sent me! I'm just a messenger! Please, spare me!"
"Where is your sect leader? Where is the Xuanmen headquarters?" Lu Jingchen asked coldly.
"Sect Master... Sect Master is at Xuantian Palace in Kunlun Mountain... The Xuanmen headquarters is also there..." the man stammered. "And... in three days, the Sect Master will bring all the elders to Jiangzhou to find you and retrieve the jade pendant. He said... he said he would kill you with his own hands to avenge what happened back then."
"Coming in person?" Lu Jingchen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Perfect, saves me the trouble of making a trip to Kunlun Mountain. Go back and tell your sect leader that I'll be waiting for him in Jiangzhou in three days. If he dares to come, I'll bury him and the Xuanmen here together."
"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely pass it on! I will definitely pass it on!"
The man scrambled to his feet and ran away without looking back, not even bothering to look at his two unconscious companions on the ground.
Lu Jingchen watched his fleeing figure, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.
Master, don't worry.
What you didn't finish back then, I will finish.
The people you didn't protect back then, I will protect now.
What the Xuanmen owes you, and what it owes those innocent people, I will make them repay double.
Su Muyue walked to his side and gently took his hand: "Lu Jingchen, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Lu Jingchen turned to look at her, smiled gently, and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you."
Ma Xiaodong and Shi Lei also got up from the ground, looking at Lu Jingchen with admiration:
"Big brother! You're amazing! Those so-called mystical sects couldn't even withstand a single move from you!"
"Yeah, boss! From now on, if anyone dares to cause trouble again, we'll fight alongside you!"
Lu Jingchen chuckled and patted them on the shoulder: "Alright, enough of that. Hurry up and pack up, we have things to do tomorrow."
He looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, then at the night sky outside the window.
Kunlun Mountain, Xuantian Palace.
I will personally visit you in three days.
Let's see just how capable your so-called sect leader really is.