"Lu… Lu Zheng! What just happened?" Chen Ju asked.
"Oh? I just found a new weapon" Lu Zheng replied casually.
"Why did it try to kill you?" Chen Ju's tone was quizzical.
"It did?" Lu Zheng smiled and didn't say anything else.
"Fine, keep it to yourself and don't tell me anything" Chen Ju crossed her arms indignantly and walked away.
"Junior Brother Zheng, you've grown quite strong" Lu Zhao punched Lu Zheng playfully on the shoulder.
"Senior brother exaggerates" Lu Zheng smiled.
"You've finally caught up with me" Lu Zhao said with mixed emotions. No one could understand how he felt at the moment.
Lu Zheng wanted to speak but did not say anything else. This was how cultivation was.
Those who were talented enough would grow beyond everyone else and only those with a strong will and determination could reach the very peak.
"Lu Zheng, thanks" Hong Haoyu clasped his palms in gratitude.
"Ah, it's nothing. I would have killed them anyways. Anyone who attacks my relations is a sworn enemy of mine, that's all" Lu Zheng said.
"Hmm, that's true" Hong Haoyu replied. "Your beast is imposing"
"Ah, thanks. I had to beat him to make him accept the beast contract" Lu Zheng smiled.
"Hmph! And one day, I'll pay you back" Themur suddenly appeared and said with a snort.
"We should leave for Juanshei Sect now.
These people ambushed us on our way before" Hong Haoyu said.
"Okay" Lu Zheng said as he decided to walk along with the rest to learn more about the state of China and the battle.
At the moment, the battle was still a very hot matter and there were no signs of compromise, at least at the Sect level.
Skirmishes like today's were a normal thing and the death count was astronomical.
At the same time, the pressure of death had pushed many to breakthrough to higher realms like in Lu Zhao's case.
Soon, the group made it to Juanshei Sect. The sect was very large, hundreds of times larger than Lu Clan village and it was bustling with activity.
People of various cultivation bases walked around and even the rare Sky realm martial practitioners were a frequent sight.
"So this is a Sect" Chen Ju marvelled at the sight of such powerhouses.
Themur felt fear from the auras of those Sky realm martial practitioners and knew that he couldn't survive an attack from any of them.
He did his best to remain unnoticeable which was difficult for someone of his size.
"We'll part here" Hong Haoyu said with a deep bow. He and his clansmen then went their own way as did the Bai clansmen.
Lu Zhao led the Lu clansmen to where they were staying in Juanshei Sect.
"Ah? They've returned! Lu Fu, I told you they'd return!" A female ran all over the place after seeing Lu Zhao and the rest.
After a while, she returned with Lu Fu, another cousin of Lu Zheng's.
"Senior Brother Zhao, you are alive" Lu Fu had a big smile as he patted Lu Zhao's back.
"Of course, what's with the long face? Did you see a ghost or something?" Lu Zhao laughed heartily.
"Huh? Who's this young master Zhao?" The female asked pointing at Lu Zheng.
Lu Fu also noticed Lu Zheng and stared at him as if trying to remember something: "Junior Brother Zheng?"
"Senior Brother Fu" Lu Zheng replied.
"Wow! Family head must hear of this. When did you return?" Lu Fu had a mouthful of words.
"Hehe" Lu Zhao scratched his head. "You did better than me Junior Brother Fu. I could barely recognize him"
"Hehehe. Who would forget this brat?" Lu Fu laughed. "Come, come, you lot must be tired"
"Then I won't stand on courtesy" Lu Zhao smiled as he followed Lu Fu.
"You should see family head" Lu Fu said to Lu Zheng before walking in with Lu Zhao.
"Young… master… Zheng" The female muttered incoherently as she stared at Lu Zheng. She found it hard to believe that the five year old boy was now this.
"Lan Ting, don't overthink it. You'll get used to it" Chen Ju said to the female. "Now, tell me, how you have been doing this past four years"
Chen Ju walked away with Lan Ting leaving Lu Zheng and Themur behind.
Lu Zheng scratched his head: "How would I now find father?"
Picking a random direction, Lu Zheng walked with Themur in hopes of finding Lu Shantian. With the aid of his Sea of Consciousness, he was able to locate his father after some while.
"Father" Lu Zheng bowed to Lu Shantian who sat mid-air with his eyes closed. A column of fire surrounded him as strong fire Qi radiated from him.
"Another Sky realm expert" Themur muttered as he stared at Lu Shantian.
Slowly, Lu Shantian opened his eyes as two lines of fire shot out of them before quickly disappearing.
"Zheng'er, you have come, and with company" Lu Shantian said slowly.
"Your aura… you've reached the Void Passage realm?" Lu Zheng asked after probing slightly.
"Ah? Your senses are quite keen. Yes, I recently broke through" Lu Shantian confirmed Lu Zheng's guess.
"Void Passage realm!" Themur stilled in fearful awe.
"Follow me, your mother wants to see you" Lu Shantian said to Lu Zheng.