Chapter 0670: The Conclusion to the Battle!
When Li Luo and Jiang Qing"e walked out of the underground palace, House Luolan’s headquarters was in a state of fervor. Under Cai Wei"s instructions, countless people were cleaning up the destroyed structures, but they stood at attention when they saw the two emerge.
"We greet the House Lord!" Listening to that new t.i.tle being proclaimed caused Li Luo to feel a little lost.
Jiang Qing"e smiled as she explained, "You beat Pei Hao in the Housemeet, so you are the true House Lord of House Luolan in name."
Li Luo grinned as well. The t.i.tle of House Lord didn"t matter to him. Strictly speaking, it was no different from being the Young Lord.
He surveyed his surroundings carefully. Although there had been a ma.s.sive battle the previous night and the headquarters was in a state of chaos, House Luolan"s members all seemed to be high-spirited and excited. Both trust and confidence could be seen on their faces now.
Li Luo knew that this sort of self-confidence wasn"t really borne because of him.
It was due to Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan"s appearance.
The two Dukes were the true pillars of House Luolan"s previous brilliance.
They had disappeared for countless years without a trace, and there were rumors they had already fallen in the battlefield. Thus, even the members of House Luolan had their trust gradually eroded over time. Otherwise, Pei Hao"s machinations could not possibly have corrupted the hearts of so many.
Now that their projections had appeared for all to see, it shattered all notions of their death. Although it didn"t necessarily mean that they would be able to leave the n.o.bles" Battlefield alive, it had definitely rea.s.sured them and seeded doubt into their enemies.
Especially with Tan Tailan"s domineering display of prowess, chasing away the almighty Regent with just a projection. Her sheer might left people overwhelmed with emotions.
Although Li Luo"s performance had shocked everyone, truly raising his influence in the hearts of the members would require him to reach the Duke Stage.
Still, Li Luo"s mood had improved quite considerably, so he was now more at ease. No matter what, Pei Hao was gone without a trace and the appearance of his parents had stabilized the situation completely. Even though the Regent still coveted House Luolan"s treasures, he would have to steal them more subtly, no longer acting brazenly. At the very least, he now knew for a fact that his parents were alive and the Regent would not make a move any time soon.
"It looks like I can finally cultivate in peace." Li Luo sighed. He could now fully focus on the important things on hand. Plus, he only had four years left, so he could not slack off.
At this point, a figure floated down, landing before Li Luo and Jiang Qing"e.
The hulking figure with a meaty face was naturally Ox Biaobiao.
Li Luo hurriedly moved over as he asked worriedly, "Uncle Biao, are you alright?"
Ox Biaobiao smiled and shook his head whilst glancing in the direction of the underground palace. "Have they left?"
Jiang Qing"e replied, "Uncle Biao, you should have gone over to greet the Master and Mistress."
"Hmph! It"s them who dare not greet me! They knew that the moment we met, I would give them a piece of my mind and flood them with a torrent of abuse! Those two brats actually scurried away to gallivant carefree whilst leaving me behind to babysit! Is that even humane?!" Ox Biaobiao grumbled.
The two of them grinned.
Now that they thought about it, Ox Biaobiao should have known about their parents’ projection. The underground palace was something he had been guarding all this time, and their means would not have been hidden from him.
"Uncle Biao, if you long knew of this backup plan, why did you not tell us!? We were fraught with countless sleepless nights as a result!" Li Luo griped unsatisfactorily.
Only the heavens knew how many stressful and hair-wrenching moments Li Luo had to undergo during the past year.
"They didn"t allow me to speak about it. Plus, it was a great trial for the two of you. It helped refine your mental states." Ox Biaobiao grinned.
Li Luo opened his mouth but could not find the words to retort. Indeed, if not for Pei Hao as the motivating factor pushing them forward, perhaps Qing"e and him would not have acted so urgently for the past year. Pei Hao"s chaos had caused significant amounts of trouble, but it had also similarly allowed House Luolan to rid itself of an insidious poison. Purging this problem would now allow for House Luolan to become more united and improve its situation.
Sometimes, Li Luo even wondered if this disaster had been orchestrated by his parents.
If that were true, Pei Hao was the most pitiful individual ever. Being used by everyone.
At this point Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and Yuan Qing quickly rushed over.
"Congratulations, Young Lord, for ascending to the position of House Lord." Cai Wei laughed before continuing seriously, "However, a problem has arisen which requires the two House Lords" input. What do we do with the people who supported Pei Hao? They have all been captured, including Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng. Additionally, we also have the two neutral Pavilion Masters. How do we deal with all of them?"
They const.i.tuted half of House Luolan"s upper echelons, and if they were dealt with immediately, House Luolan"s comprehensive power would rapidly weaken within a short period of time.
Li Luo also understood this well, so he fell into deep thought before glancing at Jiang Qing"e.
"You make the decision." Jiang Qing"e shook her head, forcing him to make the decision.
Li Luo spent quite a bit of time pondering a solution before finally answering, "Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng have committed unpardonable sins. There is no need to be merciful towards them because of their strength. Directly deal with the treasonous individuals as per the rules of the house. For the Pavilion Masters who supported Pei Hao, remove them from their positions for a year and observe them closely. If they contribute immensely, they can regain their prior positions. For the neutral ones, admonish them and demote them to the position of Vice Pavilion Masters. If their performance is great, we will restore them to their rightful positions."
Jiang Qing"e nodded in agreement. "That works."
Cai Wei solemnly accepted the order. Li Luo"s words sentenced the two Heavenly Resonance Stage cultivators to death, and if his words were spread, it would undoubtedly cause tremors throughout the house. However, this would also increase his own prestige and influence, and it was a good solution.
"After this, I will have to trouble you to recruit new members, Sister Cai Wei," Li Luo continued. House Luolan"s strength would decline after this great purge, but from another point of view, it could now grow immensely once again. Thus, they had to use this opportunity to revitalize the ranks with new blood.
"With the two old House Lords" mighty support, that will not be hard to accomplish." Cai Wei beamed coquettishly.
Li Luo nodded. House Luolan had overcome its tribulation, and he believed that once news spread, its name would spread to every corner of the Xia Kingdom. All the factions would re-examine their relationship with the house and it would usher in new life and glory.
...
As the situation in House Luolan calmed down, deep within the southwest mountains a distance away from Xia City. Terrifying amounts of resonant power blasted out like a storm and collided with each other in the mountainous forest, tearing out huge ravines and uprooting entire forests from the aftermath.
Numerous a.s.sa.s.sins from House Lanling were standing by in the shadows, idly watching, unwilling to take any action. Their fearful eyes continued to watch the showdown as two figures clashed cataclysmically within the depths of the mountains.
One was their House Lord and the other was once a violet vibrance mentor of the Astral Sage College.
Unsurprisingly, it was Chi Chan.
She had suddenly barged into House Lanling"s headquarters and started to tear apart their gate without saying a word. The huge covert operation that they had been planning had been halted. If not for the House Lord"s intervention, even their entrance would have been smashed to pieces by this seemingly elegant and beautiful female mentor.
The battle between the two continued to rage for a significant amount of time.
All of a sudden, House Lanling"s lord stopped.
He was garbed in black and his entire being seemed to meld into the shadows. At this point, it seemed as though he had received the news from Xia City which that even caused him to feel shock.
"Mentor Chi Chan, there is no need to act any longer. House Luolan"s Housemeet has concluded," the black-robed House lord huskily announced.
Mentor Chi Chan listened, but her gaze shrunk, her heart trembling.
“Now that things have concluded... Li Luo... did he succeed? Or fail?”
Behind her, the azure resonant power that manifested as the sea stopped undulating. The ma.s.sive, blue tiger that was standing defiantly atop the sea also similarly began to sink into the depths. It was as the House Lord had said, regardless of the result, there was no need to continue the fight.
"Mentor Chi Chan, you"re just the brat’s teacher. I can"t understand why you would choose to break the college"s rules," House Lanling"s House Lord said.
"I am no longer a mentor of the college," Chi Chan indifferently replied.
"Then that makes even less sense. You and Li Luo merely have the relationship of a teacher and disciple. Why would you go to such an extent?" House Lanling"s House Lord probed.
"It"s just the pure intention of a mentor wanting to protect her talented student. I"m unwilling to see him die just like that."
"You"re too emotional." House Lanling"s House Lord shook his head. As a cold-blooded killer, this was something that made no sense to him.
Mentor Chi Chan was uninterested in speaking further, only turning to leave.
Seeing her departing figure, House Lanling"s House Lord spoke out a last time. "Mentor Chi Chan, Li Luo was victorious. House Luolan will not be in any danger as Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan descended with their projections. They have yet to die."
Mentor Chi Chan paused. It could be seen that her tense body had relaxed slightly at this point. House Lanling"s House Lord"s news had calmed her racing heart.
"Thank you." With that, she turned into a flash, disappearing into the distance.