"Devouring Heaven Demonic Art!"
Black Demonic Qi surged from Su Han's hands and landed on the captain of the guards, rapidly enveloping him. The Demonic Qi roiled, devouring the guard captain's flesh, Spiritual Energy, and soul.
A tremendous flood of energy poured into Su Han's body, causing his realm to rise swiftly once again.
Foundation Establishment Realm, Seventh Layer!
Foundation Establishment Realm, Eighth Layer!
The guard captain was a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist. The energy within his flesh and blood was denser than Manager Li's, which not only helped Su Han break through the Seventh-Layer bottleneck but also propelled him directly to the Eighth Layer.
The robust energy filled his body, bringing a gleam of joy to Su Han's eyes.
At this rate, it won't be long before I can break through to the Divine Sea Realm. The Great Crown Prince was previously at the Third Layer of the Divine Sea Realm, and now with the Dragon Phoenix Saint Body, his cultivation is surely even faster. If I want to defeat him in the autumn examinations, I'll need the power of the Divine Sea Realm at the very least. Regrettably, my physical body is frail and has a limited capacity for energy. Otherwise, if I had devoured and refined the remaining guards, I might have reached the Divine Sea Realm directly.
Such a cultivation speed would surely make jaws drop if word got out, but Su Han remained unsatisfied.
The Empress must have issued a kill order. Lu Mingxuan's desire to kill me is undying. After this, he will surely take action personally. I need to get stronger, fast.
Su Han understood that he and the Lu Family had now shattered all pretenses. Furthermore, while he had killed their people, this whole affair had given Lu Mingxuan the moral high ground he desired. Next, he would surely take action himself. Lu Mingxuan was a powerhouse at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Sea Realm. With Su Han's current strength, he stood no chance against him.
Get stronger! Only by becoming stronger can I take control of my own fate.
With this thought, Su Han approached Lu Yunxian.
"Fairy Sister Yun Xian, let's go to the storeroom!"
"The storeroom?" Lu Yunxian was slightly taken aback, confusion flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"The storeroom holds the Lu Family's treasures. I need these treasures to break through to the Divine Sea Realm," Su Han explained while pulling Lu Yunxian along. "Besides, these items were originally gifts I bestowed upon the Lu Family, and I personally set up the formations there. They should hold."
The storeroom was constructed with Su Han's assistance from the very beginning. He knew every mechanism and Spiritual Formation there better than Lu Mingxuan. Of course, he had another purpose: to find Spiritual Medicines imbued with life force to replenish Fairy Sister Yun Xian's blood and Qi.
"Su Han, perhaps… we should leave the Lu Family instead!" Lu Yunxian said cautiously, worried that some misfortune might befall Su Han.
"The Lu Family repays kindness with enmity. I intend to settle my scores with them, one by one. Fairy Sister Yun Xian, rest assured, I know what I'm doing!"
Su Han's mind was made up.
In this world, backing down doesn't mean others will spare you. They'll only see it as a sign of weakness and take even more from you. The kind are always bullied!
Su Han had already experienced this truth firsthand.
Soon, Su Han and Lu Yunxian arrived at the Lu Family's storeroom. Just then, an old man emerged. This was Elder Lu Xiong, the one who managed the storeroom and also a powerhouse at the First Layer of the Divine Sea Realm.
"Su Han? You're nothing but a cripple now. You have no right to come to the storeroom. Get lost!"
Elder Lu Xiong, who had once fawned over Su Han, now looked at him with disdain, as if staring at a pile of dog filth. The Su Han of today was no longer the revered Ninth Prince. The Empress had personally crippled him, rendering his princely status a title in name only. With the Empress's support, he couldn't care less about a cripple like Su Han.
"Draw Sword Slash!"
Facing Elder Lu Xiong, Su Han wasted no words and struck immediately. Demonic Qi infused the war blade, turning it pitch-black and exuding a bleak, biting chill as it cleaved down toward the elder.
Although Lu Xiong was at the First Layer of the Divine Sea Realm, Su Han had just broken through to the Eighth Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Coupled with the surprise attack, Elder Lu Xiong had no time to react.
SPURT!
Blood splattered as a severed arm fell to the ground. Elder Lu Xiong's right arm had been severed directly—a ghastly sight.
"Ahhh, my hand!" The intense pain twisted Elder Lu Xiong's features into a mask of unbearable agony.
But he was a Divine Sea Realm expert, after all. He quickly reacted and put distance between himself and Su Han. Unfortunately for him, Su Han's combat experience was incomparable to that of a pampered elite like Elder Lu Xiong.
Almost at the same instant he struck, Su Han took a large step forward, closing the distance and slashing with his war blade again.
"Yellow Rank High-Level Martial Technique: Mysterious Iron Palm!"
Elder Lu Xiong had no room to dodge and could only meet the attack head-on. He raised his left hand, which took on a metallic luster. The technique was capable of shattering stone tablets, its lethality astonishing.
CLANG!
The Draw Sword Slash collided with the Mysterious Iron Palm, producing the sound of ringing metal. Elder Lu Xiong's Mysterious Iron Palm was indeed hard, but Su Han's blade was sharper still.
The blade carved a bloody gash on Elder Lu Xiong's hand. Icy Demonic Qi immediately burrowed into the wound, and soon, his left hand turned numb and cold, losing all sensation.
"What is this?" Elder Lu Xiong looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
With his right arm severed and his left hand numb, his strength was severely diminished. How could he possibly fend off Su Han?
BOOM!
Su Han stomped his foot, shattering the bluestone slab beneath him. At the same time, war blade in hand, he lunged like a man-eating tiger, pouncing upon Elder Lu Xiong once more.
Elder Lu Xiong's expression changed drastically, but with no one around to help, he could only try to save himself.
"Spiritual Attack!"
An invisible fluctuation burst from Elder Lu Xiong's eyes, like a steel needle aimed straight for Su Han's eyes. The Foundation Establishment Realm was about accumulating Spiritual Energy and opening meridians, while the Divine Sea Realm involved unlocking the Sea of Consciousness and cultivating spiritual power. Spiritual power was formless and intangible, capable of probing, defending, and attacking.
Elder Lu Xiong, being at the First Layer of the Divine Sea Realm, had modest spiritual power, but it posed a deadly threat to a Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist.
If Su Han is struck by the spiritual power, he will inevitably suffer a splitting headache and his consciousness will blur. At that point, whether I choose to flee or launch a counterattack, I will succeed.
Elder Lu Xiong's calculations were sound, but he had sorely underestimated Su Han.
"Devouring Heaven Demonic Art!"
Su Han activated the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, directly consuming the spiritual attack. Although his head felt like it was splitting, he could endure it.
"What? How is this possible!" Feeling his spiritual power inexplicably vanish, Elder Lu Xiong could no longer maintain his composure, his face a mask of terror.
In that moment of mental turmoil, Su Han seized his chance.
His blade was already drawn, thirsty for blood. Elder Lu Xiong didn't even see how fast it moved. It was like a fierce tiger pouncing, biting through his throat in a single motion.
Darkness engulfed his vision as Elder Lu Xiong lost consciousness completely.
At that moment, his bloodied head soared high into the air as a spray of blood erupted, blooming like a bewitching datura flower.
Beheaded in a single slash, Elder Lu Xiong was dead.
Given Elder Lu Xiong's strength, he shouldn't have been killed so easily. But he had been far too careless, and his years of comfortable living had dulled his combat experience. How could he possibly compare to the battle-hardened Su Han?
"Fairy Sister Yun Xian, let's go in!"
Retrieving his blade, Su Han held it in one hand and dragged Elder Lu Xiong's corpse with the other as he and Lu Yunxian stepped into the Lu Family's treasure vault.
The day I emerge from seclusion will be the day of reckoning for the Lu Family!