funbook-pk Chapter 15 An Ant Trying to Shake a Tree
Chapter 15 An Ant Trying to Shake a Tree
One thousand two hundred kilometers is the distance between the capital and Jiangzhou.
The high-speed rail takes five hours to travel, and the commercial airliner takes two hours, but Lu Yuan can travel on his sword in just fifteen minutes.
When that azure rainbow tore through the clouds above the capital and swooped down with earth-shattering force, the entire air defense radar network of China was paralyzed for three seconds in an instant—without warning, without tracking, this figure seemed to be an existence above the rules, unstoppable and unpredictable.
"Ugh—!!!"
A piercing air raid siren suddenly blared over the Xishan villa area, its sharp sound piercing the night and breaking the luxury and tranquility of the Zhao family manor. Like a death knell, it instantly seized everyone's hearts.
Inside the banquet hall, before the guests could recover from Long Yuan's warning to "wash your neck clean," a piercing alarm suddenly blared. Everyone covered their ears, their faces turned pale, and they scattered in panic. The originally elegant and luxurious banquet instantly turned into chaos.
"What's going on? Why is the air raid siren sounding?!"
"Is it an air raid? Or an earthquake? Look, even the chandelier is shaking!"
Screams, cries, and the clatter of tables and chairs mingled together. Zhao Tiangang's face was ashen. He shoved aside the butler who was blocking his way, strode to the French windows, pressed his hands firmly against the cold glass, and looked up at the night sky—that scene made his blood freeze instantly.
A blinding blue light, moving at a terrifying speed that defies the laws of physics, hurtled straight toward the Zhao family manor like a falling meteor. The air along its path was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek, and even the night sky seemed to be dyed blue.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening roar erupted, shaking the entire manor violently. The crystal chandelier in the banquet hall shattered with a crash, its fragments raining down. In the very center of the manor, the white marble fountain, costing thirty million to showcase the Zhao family's power, was instantly vaporized by the terrifying shockwave, leaving not a trace.
Water droplets mixed with pebbles flew everywhere like bullets, slamming into the floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall. With a few cracking sounds, the huge glass shattered instantly, and sharp shards swept across the entire room. Several wealthy businessmen who couldn't dodge in time were cut in the face by the glass shards, falling to the ground screaming and groaning, their expensive gowns stained red with blood.
Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring the sky and the pungent smell of dust mixed with the stench of blood.
A moment later, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, revealing a deep pit, over ten meters in diameter, where the fountain had once stood. The pit walls were smooth and radiated a scorching heat. A figure in a green robe slowly emerged from the bottom of the pit, his robes fluttering in the wind, his posture upright, surrounded by a faint blue aura, like an immortal descending from the dust, yet carrying an aura of bone-chilling coldness.
Lu Yuan stepped through the rubble and shards of glass, walking into the illuminated area of the banquet hall. His shoes crunched over the shards, each step seeming to pound on everyone's heartbeats. His gaze was indifferent; he ignored the guests huddled in the corner, trembling with fear. His eyes pierced through the chaotic crowd, precisely locking onto Zhao Tiangang, who stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor, his face deathly pale.
"Head of the Zhao family."
Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a penetrating power, clearly drowning out all the chaos, screams, and gasps at the scene, steadily drilling into everyone's ears, cold and resolute, without the slightest ripple.
"I've come to collect the debt."
Zhao Tiangang gripped the stair railing tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, the veins on the back of his hands bulging as if they were about to burst the skin. He stared intently at Lu Yuan's face, his pupils shrinking, his whole body trembling slightly—he recognized the face; it was the poor Jiangzhou student in the photo, the one he had a 10 billion bounty on and whom he considered an ant!
Long Yuan wasn't lying! This kid really did storm the capital! And he caught him completely off guard with this divine intervention and earth-shattering force!
After a brief moment of shock, a surge of offended rage instantly overwhelmed Zhao Tiangang's reason. This was Beijing! This was the Xishan Villa District! This was the Zhao family's century-old stronghold, a place where tigers coiled and dragons crouched! Even if this kid had some skill, even if he was a dragon crossing the river, he would have to obediently kneel down on Zhao family territory!
"The guards!! Where the hell are they?!"
Zhao Tiangang stood on tiptoe, roaring hoarsely, his features distorted by extreme madness, his voice filled with violence and murderous intent, "Come out here! Tear this arrogant little beast to pieces!"
"Thump thump thump—!!!"
Heavy footsteps echoed from all directions of the manor, shaking the ground slightly. Hundreds of fully armed bodyguards in black surged into the banquet hall like a tidal wave, quickly surrounding Lu Yuan and forming an impenetrable human wall.
These men were no ordinary security guards, but rather a private armed force secretly trained overseas by the Zhao family at great expense, each a battle-hardened elite. They carried identical German-made HK416 assault rifles, their muzzles black, aimed at Lu Yuan; they wore specially made bulletproof vests with astonishing defensive capabilities; several even carried individual rocket launchers, their muzzles pointed directly at the center. This firepower configuration was sufficient to win a small-scale local war, Zhao Tiangang's most prized asset.
"Fire! Kill him!" Zhao Tiangang roared, pointing at Lu Yuan, his eyes flashing with cruelty. "Turn him into mincemeat! I want him to know who the real master is in the capital, in the Zhao family!"
He didn't believe that a body of flesh and blood could withstand the concentrated fire of hundreds of assault rifles or the bombardment of a rocket launcher! Even if this kid could cripple Long Yuan with a single finger, he would only become a sieve in the face of modern firearms!
"Da da da da da—!!!"
The deafening gunfire instantly tore through the air of the banquet hall. Dense bullets rained down like a storm, the metal barrage weaving into a net of death, whistling through the air as it fiercely enveloped Lu Yuan. Even the light was shattered by the intense firepower.
The guests who had been huddled in the corners were terrified and fled in panic, cowering under the tables, trembling all over, afraid of being hit by stray bullets. Cries and pleas rose and fell, and their former demeanor of power and privilege was now completely gone.
Zhao Tiangang stared intently at Lu Yuan, who was engulfed by fire and barrage of bullets, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth, as if he could already see Lu Yuan being beaten into a pulp.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The gunfire abruptly ceased, and the guards stopped firing, looking smugly at the center, waiting for the smoke and dust to clear so they could enjoy Lu Yuan's miserable state.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, the figure in the center was revealed.
The cruel smile on Zhao Tiangang's face froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, his mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg, his face was filled with disbelief, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze completely at that moment.
In the center of the hall, Lu Yuan remained standing, his posture upright. His blue robe was spotless, not a single hem was torn, and not a single hair was disheveled. Around half a meter of him, thousands upon thousands of brass bullets hovered motionless in mid-air, as if time had been paused—a chillingly eerie sight.
All the bullets were blocked by an invisible wall of air, which was invisible to the naked eye, and could not advance even an inch.
"This...how is this possible..." The guard captain trembled all over, staring at the hovering bullet. His legs shook uncontrollably, and the HK416 assault rifle in his hand fell to the ground with a thud, breaking the deathly silence of the scene.
He had been in the martial arts world for many years and had seen many martial arts experts. Martial arts grandmasters could indeed release their true energy to block ordinary bullets, but there were limits to that! The concentrated fire of hundreds of assault rifles would force even a peak War God Realm expert to temporarily avoid the attack and exert all their strength to barely withstand it. But this kid didn't even raise his hand and stopped all the bullets in mid-air.
This is something no human could do!
Lu Yuan lowered his head, glanced at the hovering warheads around him, and slowly shook his head. His tone was full of undisguised contempt, and each word was clear and distinct: "Toys."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his right hand and flicked his index finger lightly in mid-air.
"bite--!"
A crisp metallic clang echoed throughout the banquet hall, seemingly faint, yet carrying an irresistible force.
The next second, thousands of bullets hovering in mid-air instantly changed direction, their tips all pointing at the fully armed guards, flying back along the same path at ten times the speed at which they were fired!
"Puff puff puff puff puff—!!!"
The dull thuds of flesh being pierced echoed repeatedly, one after another, without a moment's pause. The speed was too fast; the guards didn't even have time to react, not even a scream, before they collapsed into pools of blood.
The specially made bulletproof vests were more fragile than a piece of toilet paper in front of these bullets that Lu Yuan had infused with his true energy. They were instantly pierced, and the bullets exploded inside their bodies, splattering blood and bits of flesh, staining the entire banquet hall red.
Hundreds of fully armed guards were riddled with bullets in the same second. Mutilated corpses fell like wheat being harvested, piling up like mountains. Blood instantly soaked the expensive Persian carpet in the banquet hall, and the strong stench of blood filled the air, making people nauseous.
Several female guests with poor mental resilience could no longer hold back and fainted; some other guests lay on the ground vomiting violently, their bodies shaking like sieves, and they didn't even have the courage to lift their heads.
Standing on the stairs, Zhao Tiangang felt a violent spasm in his stomach, a surge of acid rising in his throat, which he forcibly swallowed back. His prized private army, built at great expense, the very foundation of his survival—had it all vanished just like that? Completely annihilated in less than a second?
"Master, step back!"
Just then, four dark figures suddenly leaped down from the crossbeam of the banquet hall. They were as fast as lightning, agile, and exuded a strong aura of true energy. These were the four internal strength masters whom the Zhao family had paid a lot of money to support. They usually lived in seclusion and would only step in to protect their master when the family faced life or death. They were the Zhao family's last trump card.
The four men occupied the four cardinal directions, their steel short knives gleaming with a cold light and whistling through the air as they precisely targeted Lu Yuan's vital points, each strike deadly and without any mercy.
"Form a formation! Strangulate!" The leading grandmaster roared, his voice booming. With his true energy flowing in, the short sword became even sharper. The true energy of the four men instantly merged into one, forming an impenetrable strangulation net that fiercely enveloped Lu Yuan, determined to tear him to pieces.
Lu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids, nor did he even glance at them. His expression remained indifferent, as if these four masters of internal energy were nothing more than four insignificant ants.
He simply took one step forward.
"Snap—!"
The marble floor tiles beneath his feet were instantly crushed by an invisible force, sending fragments flying. Immediately afterward, an overwhelming and terrifying pressure erupted from Lu Yuan, sweeping across the entire banquet hall. The air was compressed and distorted, and even light could not pass through normally.
No moves, no weapons, not even the use of true energy are needed.
This was merely a wisp of protective aura at the peak of the Golden Core stage, unintentionally released by a Great Ascension stage Immortal Venerable under the suppression of Earth's laws, yet it was enough to crush all ordinary mortal powerhouses in the world.
The four internal energy masters had just approached within three meters of Lu Yuan when it was as if they had collided with a high-speed maglev train. An irresistible, violent force instantly engulfed them.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Four muffled thuds rang out in succession, and four dazzling clouds of blood mist exploded in mid-air. There were no screams, no struggles, and the four masters of internal energy were crushed into powder by the violent energy, leaving not even bone fragments behind. The powder scattered with the wind.
Zhao Tiangang's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the stairs with a thud. His whole body trembled like a sieve, his face was ashen white, devoid of any color, his lips twitched incessantly, and his eyes were unfocused, filled with extreme fear.
He looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, at the glaring blood, at the young man in a blue robe walking towards him step by step through the blood, and the string of reason in his mind snapped completely.
Monster! This isn't human! It's a monster from hell!
"Don't come any closer...don't come any closer!" Zhao Tiangang scrambled backward, his voice trembling with undisguised sobs. Gone was the last trace of the Zhao family head's authority; only a deep-seated fear and pleading remained. "What do you want? Money? I'll give it to you! The entire Jiangzhou territory, I'll give it all to you! Women? As many as you want, I'll find you! Please, please spare my life!"
Lu Yuan slowly walked up to him, stopped, and looked down at him with a cold and indifferent gaze, as if he were looking at a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
"I only want one thing."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute killing intent, clearly reaching Zhao Tiangang's ears, each word piercing his heart.
"The lives of your Zhao family, a total of 137 people."