Chapter 229. Let Bygones Be Bygones? No Way, Terrifying Killing Intent
Chapter 229. Let Bygones Be Bygones? No Way, Terrifying Killing Intent
"Wait."Lu Yuan stood suspended in the air, his gaze falling upon Zhou Yunqiong in the distance. His expression remained calm, betraying no hint of emotion.
Yet everyone present, from the four beast kings to Uncle Zuo and the Zhou Family's subordinates, sensed that his single word carried weight, and it was deliberate.
Jiang Ningxian stood nearby, a faint smile playing on her lips. She had already guessed what was about to unfold.
"Is there something else?" asked Zhou Yunqiong with wariness creeping into her voice.
She was no fool, and she knew there was a reason he decided to stop her from leaving. However, she could not understand why. She hadn't done anything wrong. During her battle with the four beast kings, she even held back.
She had shown Lu Yuan respect by doing that, so why was he acting this way?
If this was about the past, about her sister's death at the Mausoleum at Mount Li, she had never held those against him. By all rights, there ought to be no grudges between them. And yet...
"What happened just now has been settled. Now, let us discuss the matter between the two of us," Lu Yuan said, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Zhou Yunqiong. "I'm talking about Winged Celestial God. Some things were left unspoken, but that does not mean they did not happen."
"What do you mean?" Uncle Zuo stepped forward, extremely wary. "Winged Celestial God apologized and submitted to you, yet you killed him anyway. What does that have to do with our Young Miss?"
He had assumed the matter was behind them. He had not expected it to be brought up again. Unfortunately, his defensiveness betrayed his guilt.
"That Winged Celestial God came from the Celestial Race. The Celestials had no enmity with King Lu. Yet Miss Zhou sent that man at the critical juncture at the time. Why did she do that?" Jiang Ningxian asked, speaking up in Lu Yuan's stead with a smile on her face.
"It was obviously to use him. She wanted to create enmity between King Lu and the Celestials. Miss Zhou, you'll admit to that little scheme of yours, won't you?"
She had witnessed everything back then. Knowing that Lu Yuan intended to settle the matter here, she decided to lay it bare.
"I only wanted to mend my relationship with you. I never intended any of that."
Naturally, Zhou Yunqiong wouldn't admit to it. She had already decided to repair her relationship with Lu Yuan and bring him into the Zhou Family. If she were to admit and say that she had schemed against him, how could she win him over?
"I know you are no ordinary person, and we're both smart people here. There's no need to play dumb. The reason I asked you to stay here is to address that issue. The grievances between us should end here," Lu Yuan said calmly.
He had no intention of letting Zhou Yunqiong leave unscathed. She had been scheming against him for quite some time now, and she even involved the Celestials.
He was not afraid of them, but he couldn't accept being manipulated. Now that they had crossed paths, he would show no mercy to her.
"Lu Yuan," replied Zhou Yunqiong, realizing that there was no escaping this. She frowned and said, "I admit I had certain designs on you, but it was all in the past. You can see that I wish to reconcile with you, can't you?
"Let bygones be bygones. What do you say?"
Since she could not avoid it, she might as well confess outright. She believed Lu Yuan was merely holding a grudge against her. If she admitted her mistake and became polite, she believed their history all the way from university would help dissolve his grudge against her.
"How laughable." Jiang Ningxian shook her head. "When you were scheming against King Lu, did you ever consider the consequences of doing that? Now that the situation has turned against you, you want to let bygones be bygones and sweep everything under the rug?"
She found Zhou Yunqiong's audacity to be quite astounding. She had schemed against Lu Yuan, and now, she wanted to let bygones be bygones. Did she really think a few words could make what she had done disappear?
Zhou Yunqiong's expression turned cold, and fury simmered inside her.
In the end, she chose not to argue and turned her gaze to Lu Yuan instead.
"What is done is done, and one ought to reap what they sowed," Lu Yuan said. He would not forgive her over a few empty words. She had already targeted him once, so there was no guarantee she would not do so again.
BOOM!
Lu Yuan stepped forward, and waves of golden energy erupted from him, sweeping outward like tidal waves. Lu Yuan's mere presence was overwhelming, as he stood at the peak of the Venerable King Realm. One more step, and he would enter the Sage Realm.
Zhou Yunqiong's heart lurched as a sense of foreboding gripped her. However, she refused to believe that he would attack her, so she hurriedly said, "Lu Yuan, the fact that I've managed to come this far means I have a powerful backer behind me. He's someone you cannot oppose.
"Yes, I made a mistake, but if you let me go, I can promise you that I'll resolve every enmity you have with anyone, whether with the Celestials or any other clan or race.
"You've become so strong by yourself. Surely you won't make an enemy out of the entire world, will you?"
Zhou Yunqiong decided to remind Lu Yuan of her formidable backer. She also laid out the stakes for Lu Yuan, as she believed he was intelligent enough to weigh his options.
After all, her backer was one of the top ten across all starfields, a direct descendent of one of the Five Emperors. Of course, she knew that alone wouldn't be enough to intimidate Lu Yuan, which was why she decided to go the logical way while being polite at the same time.
Jiang Ningxian shook her head at her words. She found it remarkable that Zhou Yunqiong, who had known Lu Yuan far longer, understood him less than she did.
Did she really think a few words could change his mind?
"Once I've decided to do something, no one can stop me. So what if the entire world becomes my enemy?"
Sure enough, Lu Yuan spoke without the slightest hesitation, despite knowing Zhou Yunqiong's backers. So what if they became his enemies? He was not afraid of anyone.
BOOM!
He took another step forward, and his golden vital qi erupted, engulfing the surroundings at once.
Zhou Yunqiong's expression finally changed. She abandoned any thoughts of further persuasion and raised her hand. A jade hairpin appeared, emanating waves of Sage-level power.
"In that case, then show me just how strong you really are, Lu Yuan!"
She knew she was no match for him, but she was planning on using the divine artifacts she had obtained from the Ji Clan to fight back. Besides, she still had other cards to play.
"You want to see how strong I really am? I'm sorry, but you're not strong enough for me to go all out," Lu Yuan replied. Then, he made his move. In an instant, he appeared before Zhou Yunqiong, and a boundless pressure descended on her.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan seemed to have transformed into a primordial beast, carrying an aura of absolute supremacy. His eyes were as calm as a placid lake, yet they shimmered with terrifying killing intent.
BOOM!
Lu Yuan punched out, and a wave of formidable energy burst out.
Zhou Yunqiong was strong enough to remain unafraid against any being from the Outer Cosmos, but her opponent was Lu Yuan. His aura alone forced her to retreat.
Shock and fury suffused Zhou Yunqiong's face as she asked, "Lu Yuan, are you really planning on killing me?!"
"Of course," Lu Yuan replied calmly. Then, his next strike came down even harder than the last.
As he said, once he had decided to do something, no one could stop him!