Chapter 2943: A Fish On The Chopping Block  

Lu Qi leaned closer to stare at Yu Huo.

Yu Huo wished he could hit the man’s head, but for the moment, he could only pretend to be a dumb fish.

"There’s really no intelligence in its eyes, but the fish is very flexible, so the meat should be good. Okay, we’re having grilled fish tonight." As the man spoke, he threw Yu Huo to the ground. The fish was overjoyed when he saw that the man wanted to keep fishing, which meant that Yu Huo had a chance to escape. However, the very next moment, Lu Qi raised his hand up high and smacked Yu Huo's tail.

Yu Huo’s mouth fell open from the agony he was suffering, and he wanted to retaliate.

Lu Qi had smashed the fish’s tail and almost made Yu Huo become one with the ground. The man’s hand then swung to the side, aiming straight at Yu Huo's head. The fish’s head was jostled, and he fell to the ground.

"This way you can't run away." Lu Qi lifted his head back and turned to walk away with his fishing rod.

Yu Huo put on a show of being unconscious, but he was really glaring at Lu Qi's back in utter fury. He really wanted to kill this bastard, and one day Yu Huo would personally kill the human.

Still a bit dazed from the blow to the head, Yu Huo rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and then swept his fins back to cut off his own tail and make his escape.

Suddenly, he found himself staring blankly as a figure stepped out of the void a short distance away. At that moment, Yu Huo laid his head back on the ground and pretended to be dead.

After stepping out of the void, Lu Yin stared across the Middle Ocean. Many cultivators were in the sky above the ocean, and the entire Middle Ocean had grown quite chaotic.

Lu Yin did nothing to stop those people, as the chaos would all be worthwhile if Yu Huo was found.

"Hey, Little Seven, why are you here?" Lu Qi walked out, carrying his fishing rod with a new hook attached.

Lu Yin replied, "Mental relaxation.

"Dad, why are you still here? Hasn’t everything with the 100,000 currents been dealt with?"

Lu Qi said, "The environment here’s pretty good, and Ancestor Tianyi is worried that the Aeternals will do something. As you know, the war is no longer confined to the rear battlefield. In the past, the Aeternals would only show up with one or two of the Seven Skygods, and even then, the fighting would be limited to the rear battlefield. Now, we might be attacked by all Seven Skygods, as well as the True God Guard, Cheng Kong, and more. They might attack the 100,000 currents again."

Lu Yin nodded. This evaluation of their current risks was quite accurate. After all, Yu Huo had recently eliminated the White Dragon Clan.

Recently, Lu Yin had been conducting a high profile search looking for Yu Huo.

Lu Qi took a seat on the beach, still holding his fishing rod. "Was the White Dragon Clan wiped out?"

Lu Yin sat next to his father. "Yes. Only a few people survived."

Lu Qi stared off into the distance. "I really pity that girl Long Xi."

Lu Yin said nothing. He was still considering who could potentially serve as Long Xi’s master.

"Of the four ruling powers, I hate the White Dragon Clan the least, even if they were the ones who caused the Python Ancestor to roll over and throw us out," Lu Qi murmured.

Lu Yin was surprised. "Why don't you hate them?"

He had decided not to pursue revenge with the White Dragon Clan and had instead sent them to protect the Lower Realm. Lu Yin had assumed that this decision would upset at least a few members of the Lu family, but no one had revealed any dissatisfaction. Lu Yin had assumed that it was likely because of his own identity and how the entire family readily catered to his various desires.

Lu Qi sighed. "Do you know how the White Dragon Clan started?"

A short distance away, Yu Huo's eyes lit up, as he also wanted to know how the White Dragon Clan’s bloodline was so close to his own that they could be regarded as kin, and yet the White Dragon Clan was clearly human.

Yu Huo had been shocked when he had first learned of the White Dragon Clan’s existence.

Lu Yin felt rather puzzled. "How did they come to be?"

Lu Qi explained, "Humans have always tried all sorts of different methods to gain strength, especially when threatened by Aeternus.

"Most cultivators proceed down the typical path, while some of the more extreme ones, like the Xia family, will force their branch families into submission to the main family in order to promote those with the greatest potential.

"Even then, there are people who will take even more extreme actions, and try to integrate the power of other creatures in order to gain greater strength. That's how the White Dragon Clan started.

"There was once a powerful Progenitor in the Daosource Sect. Without saying anything to our Lu family, they chose a few people to integrate with the Python Ancestor’s blood. Ultimately, a single person succeeded, and they were the first member of the White Dragon Clan."

"Progenitor Long?" Lu Yin was stunned.

Lu Qi shook his head. "That first member of the White Dragon Clan didn’t live for very long, but before his death, he did leave an heir behind. Of the various descendents, Progenitor Long was the best.

"The pain of fusing a human body with the blood of the Python Ancestor is something that is difficult for outsiders to comprehend. The White Dragon Clan has survived that pain. Their existence is a failure of the Daosource Sect, and they can also be regarded as our Lu family’s failure.

"Progenitor Chen took the initiative to fuse with the blood of giants, which was something not accepted by most people at the time. As soon as the White Dragon Clan was revealed, the Progenitor responsible for creating them knew that he would die, so he charged to the very front of the war against the Aeternals and eventually was killed by them. However, his death did not bring things to an end. For many, many years, the White Dragon Clan has been looked down upon by others. The members of their clan enjoy a longer life expectancy than other humans, they can use the White Dragon Transformation, and they are generally far more talented than other people. Despite all this, they are still seen as outsiders.

"Many people have targeted the clan, both openly and secretly, and they have suffered far worse persecution than even Progenitor Chen. While our Lu family has helped the White Dragon Clan on several occasions, we are unable to eliminate the root of the animosity. It wasn’t until Progenitor Long was inspired by Progenitor Smoke that he was able to break through and become a Progenitor that the situation changed. After all, no one is willing to offend a Progenitor, not even massive sects like the Celestial Frost Sect or Shenwu’s Sky.

"The White Dragon Clan holds a grudge against other humans, and it all stems from the oppression that they have suffered for so many years. Their existence is a sign that our Lu family failed in our duty."

Lu Yin understood. "It is precisely because they were persecuted by other humans for so long that the White Dragon Clan did their best to rise up and gain a better status. They felt that the higher they could go, the better, and so they were used by the Celestial Frost Sect."

Lu Qi sighed. "Only people who lived through that era could understand what the White Dragon Clan lived through. Progenitor Chen's hatred for the Xia family’s main line incited him to steal a Mountain and Sea that should have belonged to the Xia family, taking control of an extra Mountain and leaving the Xia family without any of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. At the same time, his actions gave rise to Xia Qin, who also hates the Xia family. If this is what happened with Progenitor Chen, then the White Dragon Clan could only have an even worse attitude.

"When the Python Ancestor rolled over, not only did that throw our Lu family out, but also the previous main family of the White Dragon Clan. That incident eliminated the former White Dragon Clan and brought the four ruling powers into existence. Even so, that was not a true change, but rather the clan venting while also being used. The real change occurred for the White Dragon Clan only now.”

Lu Yin responded, "The White Dragon Clan has washed away all of their previous sins with the blood of their people, demonstrating their determination to never betray humanity. From now on, the White Dragon Clan will be seen as humanity’s White Dragon Clan, and they will be seen as true humans.

"This was the outcome that Elder Ni Huang wanted to see."

A short distance away, Yu Huo was furious at the idiots.

Yu Huo sadly found that he was currently unable to escape. How could there be any chance in the future?

He rolled his eyes as he started panicking. Was this what it felt like to be a fish on the chopping block?

"Little Seven, what are you going to do about that girl, Long Xi?" Lu Qi suddenly asked, turning to stare at Lu Yin with bright eyes.

Lu Yin felt torn, as he did not know how to answer this question himself.

"There’s also that daughter of the Lord of Lightning. Do you want Ancestor Tianyi to help you propose? It's time for your dad to have some grandkids. Right, there’s also that girl, He Ran, who is stunning. She went to the Transcendent Universe, right? Your dad thinks that she’s pretty good, too, not to mention that Madam Nalan fairy and...”

Lu Yin had a headache. "Dad, I have a wife."

Lu Qi pursed his lips. "It's not like you can only have one."

"Wasn’t my mother your only wife?"

"She was my true love."

Lu Yin stared at Lu Qi. The way the man could speak as though he did not fear being struck by lightning really made Lu Yin want to smack his father.

"Ha! We caught another fish. We’ll feast on grilled fish tonight! Little Seven, what kind of food do you want to have?" Lu Qi asked proudly.

Lu Yin smiled and turned to look out across the sea. He was enjoying this time. Things would be even better if his mother was still alive.

All he wanted was to reunite his family, spend some time chatting with his parents, drink with the Seven Heroes, and be accompanied by Yan'er. Such a life would hold no regrets. However, the simpler the desire, the harder it would be to achieve it.

"I need to go," Lu Yin said.

This was not what Lu Qi wanted to hear. "Why don't you just stay for some grilled fish?"

"Next time." With that, Lu Yin left.

Lu Qi shook his head, muttered something, and kept fishing.

Yu Huo was growing increasingly anxious. He was desperate to escape, but it was impossible. It seemed like, as soon as the bastard Lu Qi caught enough fish, everything would be over, as he would start grilling his meal. This was the end. Was Yu Huo really doomed to be eaten?

Lu Qi put his fishing rod away. "Just look at that. Those people are also crazily searching for fish across the entire Middle Ocean, which has chased a lot of fish over here. Haha, this works out great for me."

Yu Huo grew depressed, as Lu Qi had just described exactly how Yu Huo had ended up at the island.

Lu Qi grabbed Yu Huo with a hand. "Let’s go! It’s time to start grilling the fish."

Rage filled Yu Huo's eyes. He would do his best, and at worst, he would simply return to his own people. With his divine energy, there was a chance he could survive in that place. At the very least, it would be better than being roasted and eaten.

Just as Yu Huo made his decision, someone emerged from the void. They held a sword, and the blade flickered about, the attacks opening up the Hollow as the person stabbed at Lu Qi.

Lu Qi sneered. "How does some rat have the courage to ambush me?"

There was a snap, and the sword shattered. Lu Qi instantly grabbed his attacker with a hand. "Let me see who you are."

The attacker’s head snapped up, revealing a pale face. "I am Ye Bo!"

The moment the words were spoken, the body exploded.

Lu Qi waved a hand, slapping away the flesh and blood. "Ye Bo? That guy isn’t dead yet?"

No one noticed that the moment that Lu Qi was attacked, a fish had jumped into the Middle Ocean and quickly swam away, leaving behind only a smashed tail.

At the bottom of the Middle Ocean, Yu Huo grew excited that he had successfully escaped. What incredible luck that someone had attacked that bastard Lu Qi!.

When Ye Bo had attacked and then self-destructed, Yu Huo had leaped back into the sea. He had only barely managed to hear the name.

Aeternus was familiar with Ye Bo. He had dealt a great deal of damage to the Perennial World, and within it, he was nearly as famous as Cheng Kong. The Aeternals had initiated contact on several occasions, trying to recruit Ye Bo, but all of their advances had been rejected. Cheng Kong had even made a personal visit, only to fail without ever even learning of Ye Bo’s true identity.

The Aeternals were very intrigued by Ye Bo, but for many years, the man had not done anything at all. This had led Aeternus to assume that Ye Bo had died, so his sudden appearance was quite the surprise.

Had Ye Bo really returned? On top of that, it seemed like he was stronger than ever, as there was no other reason for him to be so confident as to directly attack Lu Qi.

If Yu Huo could recruit Ye Bo for Aeternus, it would be an incredible accomplishment.

Cheng Kong had recently died, but Ye Bo could fill that empty space.

Yu Huo’s mind churned as he swam off into the distance. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him. He instantly sped up, but the feeling of being watched only grew stronger.