Venerable Deer Merchant’s arrival excited the crowd. They even rubbed their fists, seemingly getting ready. [1]

They patiently waited for the deer merchant to break into Mingluo and defeat Fiercest. This would grant them an opening for their own schemes.

Fiercest was something else. His take-down of the tree left them speechless and robbed them of their courage. No one dared to take half a step inside the city.

In their opinion, it was unrealistic to rely on Lightning Sword God and Famed Bamboo Heavenly Monarch.

This was no longer the case. The deer merchant’s arrival gave them hope. Everyone knew about the ongoing feud between these two.

As the leader of the federation, the deer merchant would never drop this issue. A siege against the city was only a matter of time, hence the crowd’s excitement and anticipation for Li Qiye’s defeat.

The reality was that they had no feud against Li Qiye. Some even admired him for protecting the natives. Unfortunately, treasures were too tempting.

The city was filled with immortal pulses right now. Even the blind could see that the stone was about to come out. They couldn’t just let him have it.

However, the deer merchant didn’t do anything after arriving. The lustful and beautiful forest with spirit deers remained but there was no sign of him.

Of course, no one dared to enter the forest without an invitation for fear of death due to his notorious reputation.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” A series of drumming interrupted everyone’s rumination.

“Alright, someone is finally attacking the city.” This was the first reaction.

However, they looked up and didn’t see an army, only a gigantic imperial ship slowly approaching.

On the deck was an old drum with a middle-aged man going hard at it. The drum echoed in a mighty and oppressive manner.

The ship was luxurious beyond words, made from precious Brilliantcloud Immortal Wood and decorated with gem squares for both the floor and roof. There were antique decorations such as paintings emitting either imperial or eternal aura.

They naturally came from powerful beings but were just used as decoration right now.

There was one imperial banner on the ship. Normally, only an emperor would hang such a banner.

“Is it Puresword True Emperor?” However, someone noticed the word “Lu” on it.

People couldn’t come up with an emperor with that last name in Imperial. They knew that there were two emperors right now - Jade-break and Puresword.

The most shocking thing was the impressive blessings and augmentations on the ship - more than enough to crush the firmaments for an eternity. This seemed to be the power level of a progenitor.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Which True Emperor is this? Probably above Jade-break and Puresword True Emperor.” The crowd was startled.

They also noticed a throne looming in the crowd. The same rule as the banner applied - emperor only.

A youth sat there, dressing on the verge of being ostentatious; his attitude full of disdain. His eyes were up in the sky as if looking at other people would dirty them.

Arrogance aside, one could see unyieldingness and ferocity in his appearance as well.

Five old men stood behind him - all incredible True Gods acting as servants. This pointed to the youth being a heaven-defying existence.

Even Jade-break and Puresword True Emperor didn’t have Eternals as servants. After all, Eternals were important and prestigious. One would need to be a progenitor to have this treatment.

Many could see that this youth wasn’t a True Emperor. His aura was ferocious indeed but it wasn’t as strong as the ones coming from the Eternals behind him. This naturally stunned the crowd.

“Is there an unstoppable Lu Clan in our world?” This question popped up.

“Who is this youth?” No one recognized the youth or knew his background.

“Boom!” The ship landed on the ruins outside the city.

“Su Mobai, Sha Yucheng, come for a drink.” The youth spoke, appearing very egotistical.

People glanced at each other since he addressed Lightning Sword God and the heavenly monarch with their real names.

Su Mobai had quite a reputation being the first disciple of Puresword True Emperor. The heavenly monarch was on the same seniority ranking as the True Emperor since they were sworn brothers. Many in Imperial assumed the role of a junior before him.

But now, this youth called them by their given names as if his status far exceeded these two.

“Brother Lu, excuse us for a lack of reception.” An awe-inspiring response came from the tree. A ray of light shot out. Next, the monarch landed on the great ship, pulsing with the glow of an Eternal. One found it hard to actually see his face.

“It is an honor to see you, Brother Lu. I regret not spending more time together during our previous meeting at the Mu.” Lightning Sword God also jumped on the ship and cupped his fist, acting appropriately to the occasion.

The crowd took a deep breath and exchanged glances, still perplexed about the youth’s identity.

The two weren’t angry at the lack of courtesy. In fact, they were so polite towards him.

“Let’s enjoy ourselves today, I have brought plenty of good wines.” The prideful youth said.

Next, he looked over towards the forest and cupped his fist: “Senior Deer Merchant, Esteemed Kings, I, Lu Weijun, greet you.”

Though this was a greeting, judging by his expression, he carried no respect for these five.

Remember, one would be hard-pressed to find an ancestor as strong as the deer merchant right now. Any junior would be full of reverence when talking to him. On the other hand, this youth remained casual as if it was no big deal.

“You’re too polite, Virtuous Nephew Lu. How is Senior Hundred-days doing?” An ancient voice came from the reclusive merchant inside the forest.

His reserved tone towards this junior shocked the crowd again, confirming the heaven-defying background of this youth named Lu Weijun.

1. Enough context to change Lu Keweng into Venerable Deer Merchant. All previous chapters are updated. To be honest, I like using the pinyin more than this long title