Chapter 177 : Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Playing Dirty, Crisis for the Zhao Family
Lu Xiaoyao looked up and saw Lu Qingyun grinning down at him with a beaming smile.
"Ah — sister, you cheated!"
At this point, how could Lu Xiaoyao not see it? This was a scheme hatched by Sister Qianxue and his sister together.
They had counted on the fact that the moment Lu Xiaoyao saw his sister charging headlong without dodging, he would instinctively pull his strike and lose focus.
And that moment of distraction was all Lu Qingyun needed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"A bet's a bet, brother. You lost."
With things as they were, Lu Xiaoyao had no choice but to accept his fate.
After all, if he had lost focus like that in an actual life-or-death battle, his head would have been rolling on the ground.
And so, Lu Qingyun successfully defeated Lu Xiaoyao and advanced to the next round.
Meanwhile.
Looking down at Zhao Xiaoyi lying on the ground before her, Luo Qianxue gently shook her head.
"Just surrender. You're no match for me."
"I know I'm no match for you, but I still have to try!"
Zhao Xiaoyi gripped her sword in one hand, her expression steeled with resolve.
Seeing this, Luo Qianxue let out a soft sigh, then waved her hand. In an instant, Zhao Xiaoyi was sent flying.
Luo Qianxue — victorious.
And this scene happened to be witnessed by Zhao Wutian and Li Xianling, who had just arrived.
"Daughter!"
Li Xianling rushed over at once.
Only after confirming that her daughter was unharmed did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mother, what are you doing here? And Uncle, too."
Zhao Xiaoyi rose to her feet. Spotting Li Xianling and Zhao Wutian, surprise crossed her face.
Li Xianling shot her a reproachful look.
"News of you has spread across the entire Tiansheng Continent. How could our Zhao Family not know?"
"So you've come to drag me back for the marriage alliance?" Zhao Xiaoyi's guard went up instantly.
"Oh, don't even bring up the marriage alliance. You've already broken through to the Saint Monarch Realm — the family would never send you off to be married now."
"And besides, did you really think you could have escaped the Zhao Family under the Patriarch's nose back then if your father hadn't been secretly protecting you?"
Li Xianling huffed.
Zhao Xiaoyi's expression turned complicated.
She had never realized that it was her father who had helped her leave the Zhao Family back then.
That made sense, though. The marriage alliance had been decreed by the Patriarch himself.
Escaping from under the watchful eye of a Saint Emperor would have been all but impossible on her own.
Just as Zhao Xiaoyi was about to say something, Zhao Wutian beside her produced a glowing Sound-Transmission Jade Talisman. The instant the connection was established, Zhao Wuji's voice came through.
"Big brother, the family is under attack by the Xue Family! Do not come back!"
"What?! What happened?"
Zhao Wutian's anxiety spiked and he demanded answers.
But no further messages came through the talisman. Panic-stricken, Zhao Wutian prepared to rush back immediately.
Beside him, Zhao Xiaoyi and Li Xianling were equally frantic.
Zhao Xiaoyi's expression shifted as she made up her mind. She was about to go request Lu Xunxian's help.
But just then, a figure appeared before her.
"Let's go. Our master sent me to help you resolve your family's crisis."
Li Xianling and Zhao Wutian didn't recognize Fu Qitian, but the moment Zhao Xiaoyi saw him, relief washed over her.
She knew exactly how powerful Fu Qitian was. With Uncle Fu stepping in, the Xue Family would be nothing to worry about.
With no time to explain to her mother and uncle, Zhao Xiaoyi spoke hurriedly.
"Then I'll be in your care, Senior Fu. Let's go."
In the next instant, Fu Qitian swept Zhao Xiaoyi up and shot toward the Zhao Family's territory in the Eastern Region.
Li Xianling and Zhao Wutian scrambled to follow, but within moments, Zhao Xiaoyi and Fu Qitian had vanished from sight.
"That man — he's a Saint Emperor!"
It finally dawned on Zhao Wutian, and shock flooded his face.
He never expected his niece to have befriended a Saint Emperor.
And from what he could sense, that man was even more powerful than their own Zhao Family Patriarch.
With a cultivator of that caliber lending aid, their family's crisis would surely be resolved with ease.
But in contrast to Zhao Wutian's relief, Li Xianling's face was etched with worry.
Only she was concerned about where her daughter had come to know such a powerful figure — and the fact that someone at that level had spoken of having a "master." Did that mean her daughter had paid some terrible price in exchange for this help?
But for now, despite her countless doubts, Li Xianling could only wait until she saw her daughter again to demand a full explanation.
At that moment, high above the Zhao Family estate in the Eastern Region, Zhao Family Patriarch Zhao Tianqian was locked in a standoff with Xue Family Patriarch Xue Annian.
"Daoist Xue, are you truly intent on going to war with our Zhao Family? Is there no room left for negotiation?"
Zhao Tianqian's expression was extremely dark. He had been deep in Seclusion when Xue Annian suddenly led the Xue Family in an assault.
Down below, Xue Family clansmen were slaughtering the Zhao Family without mercy.
Because the attack had come without warning, the Zhao Family had already suffered devastating casualties. Combined with the Xue Family's overall superiority in strength, it was only a matter of time before the Zhao Family was annihilated.
Xue Annian responded with a cold laugh.
"Old Ghost Zhao, don't blame me. Blame your Zhao Family for producing such a remarkable prodigy."
"As for you — go to your grave in peace. I'll send the rest of your clan down to join you soon enough."
With that, Xue Annian attacked, lunging at Zhao Tianqian.
Zhao Tianqian had no choice but to fight back, but clearly, he was no match for Xue Annian.
After all, Xue Annian was younger and on the verge of breaking through to the Mid Saint Emperor Realm. The battle was entirely one-sided, with Zhao Tianqian being beaten into retreat at every turn.
"Daoist Xue, our Zhao Family is willing to hand over the prodigy! Can we put an end to this?"
Zhao Tianqian attempted to negotiate, but Xue Annian didn't so much as flinch.
"Not a chance. How could I ever trust a Zhao to serve the Xue Family? No — your entire Zhao Family will serve as a funeral offering for that clansman of yours!"
Down below, Zhao Wuji — as Family Head of the Zhao Family — was at the Peak of the Saint Monarch Realm, but even he had been singled out for special attention, with a full three Peak Saint Monarchs targeting him at once.
While desperately fending off their onslaught, Zhao Wuji racked his brain for an escape plan.
The situation was clearly beyond saving for the Zhao Family as a whole. All he could do was help as many clansmen as possible break out and preserve whatever embers remained, so that one day — once they had grown strong enough — they could take their revenge.
Among the three Peak Saint Monarchs attacking Zhao Wuji, the Xue Family's own Family Head, Xue Shenjiang, was naturally among them.
As though reading Zhao Wuji's thoughts, Xue Shenjiang let out a cold sneer.
"Zhao Wuji, you can forget about that. Before we attacked, our Patriarch set up a grand formation around your estate. Not a single one of your Zhao Family is getting out alive."
"As for any clansmen outside the estate, our Xue Family will use death curse arts to track them down and send them to join you — one by one!"
Hearing this, fury surged through Zhao Wuji. He roared.
"The Xue Family is courting death! Sons and daughters of the Zhao Family, hear me — fight to the last!"
With those words, Zhao Wuji began burning his own Blood Essence, attempting to force a breakthrough to the Saint Emperor Realm.
If the breakthrough succeeded, perhaps the tide of this battle could still be turned.
But clearly, the Xue Family was not about to give Zhao Wuji that chance.