Chapter 843: Aftermath: Bonds, Schemes, and Stirring Undercurrents

Afterwards!

Afterwards!

Afterwards!

Lu Changsheng lounged on the bed, holding Nangong Mili and Meng Xiaochan in his arms. He looked perfectly content as he lay back and chatted with them about private matters.

“I’m thinking of helping Minghuang find a few wives and concubines, so he can settle down soon.”

Nangong Mili, her mesmerizing beauty tinged with a lingering blush, pouted playfully as she spoke in a sweet, teasing voice.

Lu Changsheng had always been open-minded about his children starting families, even looking forward to it.

Still, he was a little surprised that Nangong Mili brought it up out of nowhere.

With a lazy, captivating look, Nangong Mili nestled into Lu Changsheng’s embrace and softly explained, “Minghuang just isn’t mature enough. He needs someone at his side to keep him grounded.”

“So I’m thinking about picking a few suitable matches for him. Besides, his cultivation method isn’t suited for wandering the outside world; he should focus on steady cultivation at home instead.”

“Settling down earlier will be good for his growth and his cultivation.”

Nangong Mili spoke gently, her enchanting voice trailing in the air. Her alluring fingertips, stained with a deep red flower pigment, traced lazy circles across Lu Changsheng’s chest.

Lu Changsheng glanced at the beauty in his arms, getting a sense of what she was thinking.

He took her soft hand, squeezed it lightly, and replied in a warm voice, “If Minghuang’s willing, then I have no objections.”

“Why would he refuse when it’s his parents’ arrangement?”

Nangong Mili responded right away, not thinking their son’s opinion mattered much in this.

In her mind, she was only acting for his sake.

After spending this time together, she could tell Lu Quanzhen was ambitious and had no intention of staying in Jin Kingdom or the Yin Ghost Sect forever.

Someday, he’d probably leave.

When that day came, the massive inheritance of the Yin Ghost Sect would likely fall to her son.

But her son’s temperament and abilities worried her—a heavy responsibility he might not be up to.

To keep her son from squandering the family fortune to other Lu Family heirs, she wanted to find him some wise wives to help.

With the prestige of being the son of the Yangming True Lord, whether it was the Five Poisons Sect, the Heavenly Corpse Sect, or now the Yin Ghost Sect, there were countless female cultivators eager to marry Lu Minghuang.

Once he married into those lines, the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Five Poisons Sect, and Yin Ghost Sect would draw even closer to him.

Besides, she noticed Lu Changsheng had a special fondness for his descendants, believing in the blessings of a large family.

She remembered him mentioning the holy emperor of Central State, and figured her son’s ability was just average—so if he could father talented grandchildren that would do just fine.

Those grandchildren could become the Lu Family’s foundation in ruling the Jin Kingdom someday.

After all, most of Lu Changsheng’s children were born with rare gifts and talents far beyond the ordinary.

Her own son carried his blood, so his children definitely wouldn’t be lacking—superior to most by far.

.

Even though these ideas were completely normal in both the mortal and cultivation worlds…

…Lu Ancestor had always respected his children’s wishes, never interfering in their marriages.

“Major decisions like this should be up to Minghuang. You can talk with him, ask how he feels about it, but don’t force him into something like this.”

Lu Changsheng’s voice was warm as he spoke.

Nangong Mili pursed her crimson lips, a little vexed that Lu Changsheng could be too soft at times.

Then again, she remembered how easily he’d crushed True Lord Mingsha and swept through the Yin Ghost Sect, uniting the Jin Kingdom—and realized he only acted this way with those dear to him.

That was why, despite being a Nascent Soul True Lord, she was allowed to act spoiled and playful around him—even submissive at times.

Thinking of this, Nangong Mili tilted her head and gazed at Lu Changsheng’s perfectly handsome face, her eyes full of misty allure as she purred, “Mmm~”

When he saw those long, glimmering eyes brimming with affection, Lu Changsheng’s heart skipped a beat.

He couldn’t help himself—rolling over, he pinned her enchanting, devilish body beneath him once again.

“Mmm~” A low, sweet moan escaped, and soon the air filled with intimacy and desire.

Seeing her lover and Master so tangled up in sweet affection, Meng Xiaochan’s delicate face bloomed with a lingering blush.

But then she remembered he’d soon be heading back to Jiang Kingdom, and her gaze grew even softer as she pushed up on trembling arms.

No one knew how long their night lasted, but finally Nangong Mili and Meng Xiaochan collapsed from exhaustion, drifting into a deep, satisfied sleep.

Still, Lu Changsheng hadn’t forgotten his new concubine, Yin Yuge.

Even after these fierce battles…

…his body-refining advantages were showing themselves perfectly.

And more than that, with his Chaos Body and the Kidney Divine Treasure,

his stamina, vitality, and endurance far surpassed the usual body cultivator.

Even with three or five more female cultivators, it’d be hard to wear out the Lu Ancestor.

After their wedding night, Lu Changsheng had thrown himself into the Artifact Refining Hall, staying busy and leaving Yin Yuge anxious and restless all this time.

She worried that bringing up the female corpse might’ve angered this powerful True Lord.

Now that he’d finally come for her, she became especially charming and obedient, trying her hardest to win his favor.

A few days later, Lu Changsheng finally settled Yin Yuge in.

He appointed her as the Heavenly Corpse Sect’s representative overseeing the Yin Ghost Sect, giving her real influence.

Afterwards, Lu Changsheng spent his days with his children, carefully guiding their cultivation.

Half a month later, Lu Changsheng spoke earnestly to Lu Mengchan and Lu Minghuang: “Mengmeng, don’t worry about forming your core—just follow your mother’s arrangements.”

“Minghuang, in the coming days, study artifact refining under Master Ou and the others. If you hit a wall, just ask them for help.”

“As for marriage, follow your own heart—don’t force yourself.”

Lu Changsheng already decided these two would stay here in Jin Kingdom with Nangong Mili and Meng Xiaochan.

He then gently reassured his daughter Lu Jiangtang, reminding her to train hard, learn from her siblings, and promised he’d visit as soon as his affairs were in order.

“Daddy, Liya will definitely work hard on her cultivation! Remember to visit us.”

Lu Jiangtang was as understanding as ever, though her small face brimmed with longing and reluctance.

With more time spent together, Lu Mengchan had also started voicing her own dependency and attachment—hoping her father would come home soon.

“Alright. When Daddy’s done with work, I’ll come see you.”

Lu Changsheng ruffled his daughter’s hair, his eyes full of affection and pampering.

Even if Lu Mengchan’s temperament wasn’t to Nangong Mili’s taste,

as her father, it was enough that she was sweet and well-behaved. He just wanted her to be happy, carefree, and at peace.

After saying his goodbyes, Lu Changsheng turned to his son Lu Quanzhen one last time. “Quanzhen, if anything comes up, contact me as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, Father,” Lu Quanzhen replied solemnly.

At that, the Soul-Taking Beast perched on his shoulder waved goodbye to Lu Changsheng as well.

To guard against surprises, Lu Changsheng chose to leave the Soul-Taking Beast at the Yin Ghost Sect.

First, the Yin Ghost Sect’s environment was perfect for the Soul-Taking Beast; it was completely at home there.

Second, the Soul-Taking Beast was no match for Zhenhai Patriarch in a fight.

So it was better off here, helping Lu Quanzhen defend the Yin Ghost Sect—deterring the Ancient Blood Bat, ghost kings, and spiritual soldier corps alike.

With that, Lu Changsheng quietly left the Yin Ghost Sect with the Golden-Winged Roc, returning to Jiang Kingdom.

After killing True Lord Mingsha, Lu Changsheng immediately sealed the sect’s gates and used divination to mask what had happened.

He also had help from the Five Poisons Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect to keep information locked down.

But there’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t leak.

With more than half a year passed, the recent moves of the Five Poisons Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect, plus the Yin Ghost Sect’s increasingly withdrawn stance, all looked suspicious.

Many spies embedded throughout Jin Kingdom noticed something was off.

When they tried to reach contacts hiding inside the sect, they found every one of them unresponsive.

Some bolder cultivators sneaked to the Yin Ghost Sect to investigate, only to see the sect locked up tight.

Unless a disciple was personally summoned, no one could approach.

Next door, the Heavenly Sword Sect—always watching the Yin Ghost Sect—caught wind of this right away and got very concerned.

“Could it be… Ghost Bat is about to reach Nascent Soul?”

The sect master’s face grew grim as he got the news.

He didn’t consider the possibility the entire Yin Ghost Sect had been wiped out—it seemed too outlandish.

Instead, based on experience and logic, he figured someone was about to break through to Nascent Soul.

In the world of cultivation, making a breakthrough to Nascent Soul was always top priority.

Whenever major sects prepared for a Nascent Soul attempt, sealing the sect and pulling back their forces was standard procedure.

Over the years, under True Lord Mingsha, the Yin Ghost Sect had been making strange moves.

Notably, they’d gone on killing sprees in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, making the Heavenly Sword Sect suspect they were collecting Ten Thousand Spirit Blood to help Ghost Bat advance.

Although Ghost Bat was no match for Lu Changsheng—instantly killed by him—he was still the sect’s Grand Elder, widely recognized for his power and talent, and seen as a real contender for Nascent Soul.

This was a big deal. The Heavenly Sword Sect Master promptly shared his suspicions and analysis with True Lord Juejian.

Then he dispatched a core formation cultivator to the Yin Ghost Sect to investigate, determined to uncover the truth.

If Ghost Bat really was about to break through, the Heavenly Sword Sect would have to prepare now.

Otherwise, if the Yin Ghost Sect produced a second Nascent Soul expert, Jiang Kingdom would be in grave danger.

The already collapsing Liang-Yue War would only fall apart faster.

Jiang Kingdom, Bihu Mountain.

Earlier, Lu Changsheng had promised he’d only be gone for a year.

But now, a full year had passed and there was still no sign of him.

So Lu Miaoyun, following the plan, ordered a family ceremony to see off Lu Qingxian.

This was the Talisman Lu Family’s way of sending him back to the front, supporting the war effort.

They also sent out invitations for Wang Yanjing’s core formation ceremony.

Lu Qingxian leading family cultivators to fight in the Liang-Yue War didn’t grab much attention.

After all, everyone expected the Talisman Lu Family—first among Jiang Kingdom’s noble houses—to contribute heavily in wartime.

If every small family was being drafted and fighting on the front, how could a major clan like the Lu Family get away with doing little? That would never sit well.

Even though Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge had both slain core formation enemies and earned plenty of credit at the front, it’d still be hard to win over the crowd otherwise.

But as soon as news spread of Wang Yanjing’s upcoming core formation ceremony, the whole Lu Family territory—and even the entire Jiang Kingdom cultivation world—was shaken.

Countless cultivators and factions were stunned, all eager to know: who was this Wang Yanjing?

How had the Talisman Lu Family produced a core formation cultivator with a different surname?

When they learned Wang Yanjing was the wife of Lu Xingchen, son of Changsheng True Lord, the news left everyone speechless and bewildered.

Just over two years ago, Lu Qingxian had only recently advanced, yet here was another core formation phenomenon.

Everyone speculated about who it could be.

Most assumed it was Lu Wangshu—daughter of Changsheng True Lord and Xi Yue, the family’s famed Fairy of Talismans.

No one expected it to be Changsheng True Lord’s daughter-in-law, the wife of one of the Lu Family’s foundation cultivators.

It was downright astonishing—almost unbelievable.

With such talent, someone capable of forming a core chose to get married?

And not to well-known family prodigies like Lu Ping’an or Lu Qingxian,

but to the relatively ordinary, less famous Lu Xingchen.

For a moment, cultivators everywhere felt nothing but envy—and a bit of resentment—towards Lu Xingchen.

How did a foundation cultivator land such an exceptional wife?

In the cultivation world, female experts at the higher levels were rare.

Most male cultivators had to pair with those below them.

Back when Lu Changsheng married Xiao Xiyue, everyone said it was a case of marrying up.

Now Lu Xingchen had actually married a woman of such talent and grace.

“Seems like Lu Xingchen inherited some of Changsheng True Lord’s luck. According to The Legend of Changsheng True Lord, he married into the Qingzhu Mountain Lu Family. When that Lu Family joined forces with the Hundred Bird Lake Bai Family against the Hongye Valley Chen Family, they owed it all to a female cultivator smitten with him.”

“Back then, Changsheng True Lord was just a Qi Refining cultivator and son-in-law—yet even a powerful Foundation Establishment female cultivator admired him.”

“My great-grandfather fought in that war. He said the woman was so devoted to him, she brought a dowry and offered herself as a concubine, willingly.”

“Looking back, that woman sure had an eye for talent—she saw Changsheng True Lord’s potential before anyone else did.”

“So maybe Lu Xingchen also has something special, to win a woman like this.”

“Yeah—his father is Changsheng True Lord.”

Discussions about Lu Xingchen buzzed everywhere, even turning attention to the Lu Family’s legendary ancestor.

For centuries, Changsheng True Lord had been the brightest star of the Talisman Lu Family.

His story was a favorite topic, inspiring countless cultivators and even earning its own books.

For most independent cultivators and small sects, Wang Yanjing’s achievement just provoked envy for Lu Xingchen.

But the older, more established factions found out that Wang Yanjing had once been the direct daughter of the Five Elements Wang Family—a top core formation prospect.

Quickly, they realized she must have had help from the Talisman Lu Family to become a core formation cultivator.

Without that support, her chances of breaking through were less than thirty percent.

That the Lu Family could afford to help an outsider advance—even with so many of their own waiting for resources—spoke volumes about their foundation.

Changsheng True Lord was one of the highest-ranked talisman makers in Jiang Kingdom and certainly had a fortune in rare resources, but still, this level of generosity left others shocked.

Many began to consider marrying their talented daughters to Lu Family heirs.

Normally, such gifted women would never marry out, but…

…if it meant a shot at core formation, that was different.

If a woman could break through, one round of thanks to her family would already be worth more than any Foundation Establishment-level son-in-law could provide.

No one was more stunned, though, than Huang Yuan Mountain.

Huang Yuan Mountain was the old Five Elements Mountain.

Years ago, Master Huang Yuan and friends took the Five Elements Mountain and renamed it.

Never in their wildest dreams, after so many years, did they expect a new core formation expert to rise from the once-fallen Wang Family.

Their own mountain boasted two core formation cultivators and a third-rank demon king, so they weren’t worried about just one more.

But the problem was, this Wang Family core formation cultivator was the Talisman Lu Family’s daughter-in-law.

That raised serious concerns—what if the Lu Family decided Bihu Mountain wasn’t enough and wanted the Five Elements Mountain?

Maybe they’d use Wang Yanjing as a pretext to snatch it away.

The core formation master keeping watch at Huang Yuan Mountain sent an urgent message to Master Huang Yuan on the front lines.

Then the clan prepared gifts and set out in person for Bihu Mountain, hoping to gauge the Lu Family’s attitude.

“Seventh Uncle, I made it clear—I won’t get involved with the Wang Family anymore.”

On Bihu Mountain, Wang Yanjing faced the swiftly arriving Wang Family cultivators and spoke calmly.

She’d already done her duty, asking her husband and mother-in-law to intervene and borrowing the Nine Nether Hound to save the Wang Family at Five Elements Mountain. She owed them nothing more.

More than that, everything she had now came from Lu Xingchen and her in-laws.

She had no spare resources to give the Wang Family.

All she wanted was to serve the Lu Family and provide for her son Lu Xuangen’s training and core formation.

As for the Five Elements Mountain, she had no claim to it.

She wasn’t strong enough to face Huang Yuan Mountain anyway.

Even if she was, she’d leave it for Xuangen to reclaim once he formed his core.

Otherwise, people would keep arguing over whether it belonged to the Wang Family or the Lu Family.

“We understand.” The family elders sighed softly, clasped their hands, and dared not say more before her.

She was a core formation cultivator now—she outranked them all.

Trying to use family ties to press her would only anger her and sever what connection remained. That would hurt them more.

This link at least allowed them to keep their footing in the region and live well.

Meanwhile, Lu Miaoge, Lu Miaoyun, and the rest had no idea what was happening with Wang Yanjing or the mountains.

At that moment, the Lu Family’s main madams were all inside the Sumeru Cave Heaven,

quietly watching as Lu Miaohuan was about to attempt her core formation breakthrough!