Chapter 243

Chapter 243: Xiao Tong’s Confession

Watching the three of them actually leave just like that, the members of the remaining three families exchanged glances. Unwilling to linger here any longer, Jiang Wuyue said to Han Tianfang, "Then us sisters are leaving too!"

Han Tianfang nodded. "I shall also return with Ling Shu!"

After speaking, the three paid no heed to Xiao Tong and Lou Yun’s group, truly turning around and departing.

At this point, Leng Cangqiong cast Lou Yun a questioning look, clearly asking if they were really just letting them go like that.

Lou Yun nodded slightly. Whether it was the Jiang family or the Han family, he shared some degree of connection with them. Therefore, he did not wish to detain members of those two families. Besides, one member of the Xiao family was still present here.

The Xiao family shared no bond with him; on the contrary, that Hai Yixiao had nearly claimed his life back then. Naturally, Lou Yun had no intention of letting Xiao Tong leave so easily.

At that moment, Xiao Tong stared at the departing backs of the three, a particularly sinister smile spreading across his face. After standing silently for a moment, he too turned, intending to leave. However, Lou Yun’s figure flashed, instantly appearing before him.

"They can leave. You cannot!" Lou Yun stated coldly.

Xiao Tong glared hatefully at Lou Yun. While he itched to slap Lou Yun dead with one strike, he knew he was currently isolated and outnumbered. Lou Yun not only had numerous allies, but especially that last-arriving man in white clothes with white hair, who had effortlessly deflected Helian Kuang’s attacks with just two casual moves. His formidable strength was clear. Thus, he could only suppress his inner fury, staring coldly at Lou Yun as he asked, "What do you want?"

"It’s simple. Just tell me why the four of you collaborated to invite me here!"

After a thoughtful pause, Xiao Tong nodded. "Fine, I’ll tell you. But once I’ve spoken, you must not let those people know it was me who spoke. And… you cannot kill me!"

Lou Yun laughed loudly. "Xiao Tong, do you really think you are in any position to negotiate terms with me right now?"

"Then you will learn nothing!" Xiao Tong seemed to regain some composure, the faint smile on his face finally looking somewhat normal.

Truthfully, Lou Yun had no intention of killing him. After all, his nephew—Xiao Qingyu, one of the Xiao family’s finest talents of this generation and heir to the clan head—was already dead. Although killed by Wen Hou, Xiao Tong was the mastermind. Even if he returned to the Xiao family, death was unlikely, but his future freedom was doubtful. Killing him truly didn’t matter.

Yet Lou Yun wouldn’t have guessed that Xiao Tong had long since resolved not to return to the Xiao family.

"Very well, I promise you. As long as everything you say is true, I will spare your life!"

"Good! Since you are straightforward, I won’t beat around the bush either. To be honest with you, the reason we invited you here was to obtain the whereabouts of that Divine Weapon Emperor from you!"

"Divine Weapon Emperor?"

Lou Yu pondered briefly and understood. The reason the Lou family had been hunted by the other nine families was that they had obtained a Divine Heavenly Weapon far more potent than those acquired by the others. It turned out this divine weapon was called the Divine Weapon Emperor!

However, Lou Yu was deeply puzzled. He continued to ask, "Are you telling me that as descendants of the Nine Clans, none of you ever heard your ancestors recount the scene where they all joined forces against my Lou family ancestor?"

Back then, to protect his descendants, the Lou ancestor had specifically sent them to the Spirit Weapon Star first, then personally summoned the other nine clans to settle the feud completely. The outcome of that battle was utterly devastating. Though the nine clans paid a heavy price, the Lou ancestor also tragically fell. The most powerful Divine Heavenly Weapon he had wielded ultimately transformed into a stream of light that shot into the sky, never to be seen again.

Naturally, this story had been passed down through generations among the nine clans. Xiao Tong indeed nodded, "I know of it. I always believed the Divine Weapon Emperor had truly vanished… until you appeared!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Originally, the nine clans could still trace your Lou family’s movements on the Spirit Weapon Star. But suddenly, we lost all trace of your Lou family. Naturally, unwilling to accept this, the nine clans undertook their first cooperative venture on the Spirit Weapon Star: jointly searching for your family’s whereabouts. Hard work paid off! While we didn’t find you, we did locate a peculiar region. To our spiritual perception and innate senses, this region was utterly blank… yet we could observe people constantly entering and leaving it. At that moment, we realized this must be the hiding place of your Lou family—Lingjiang City! Somehow, your Lou family had managed to render the city imperceptible to us!"

Regarding Lingjiang City, Lou Yun recalled Chang Xiang mentioning the matter. There truly was such an occurrence back then. Lingjiang City had been enveloped by a mysterious, restrictive energy barrier—a barrier specifically designed to confound the spiritual perception and innate senses of the nine clans, preventing them from discovering it.

Later, however, when Lou Yun was born, a nine-colored glowing sphere suddenly appeared in the night sky. It descended from the heavens, landing directly on the Lou family residence, and coincidentally shattered that barrier.

"With your birth, that barrier was broken. Though our nine clans could have easily annihilated the Lou family then and there, we refrained. Why? Because we intensely wondered how you had created that energy barrier. Later we understood that not a single soul in your entire Lou family was capable of such a feat. This meant the energy barrier had been set up by someone else. Who was this person? Why did they understand our nine clans so well? Setting up a barrier targeting one clan is no monumental task, but designing one that simultaneously counters all nine clans? That is nearly impossible!"

"It’s obvious this person or faction who created the barrier was absolutely helping your Lou family. Judging by the barrier they crafted, their strength must be terrifyingly high. So, we didn’t act rashly. Instead, we decided to wait it out, to see if we could lure out this powerful faction backing your Lou family!"

"From then on, your Lou family’s every move was under the close surveillance of our nine clans. Consequently, all nine clans are intimately familiar with your story, Lou Yun. From a childhood genius to a waste for nine years, miraculously becoming a genius again at age fifteen, then advancing through your cultivation path by leaps and bounds. This captivated us, and we began analyzing the reasons for your transformation."

"After repeated analyses, we split into two factions. One faction believed it must be the person or faction behind that energy barrier secretly guiding you. With his or their strength, molding you into a powerhouse would be effortless. The other faction suspected you had obtained that Divine Weapon Emperor itself, that it had bestowed its power upon you, allowing your abilities to surge within such a short time."

Throughout Xiao Tong’s account, no one interrupted—neither Lou Yun, Leng Cangqiong, nor even Xia Zhilan, Wen Hou, or Shui Lingluo. All had deep ties to Lou Yun and were intensely curious about any matters concerning him.

Xiao Tong seemed greatly to savor this feeling of being the focal point. Halting here, he looked around at their absorbed expressions, smiled faintly, and then continued. "Though opinions were divided, neither faction dared move lightly against you. That is, until the Han family cracked first. They seized an opportunity, captured members of your Lou family while you were absent, set intricate traps, and lured you onto their turf. Honestly, their objective was identical to ours this time: to pry from you the whereabouts of that mysterious backer or the Divine Weapon Emperor!"

Hearing this, Lou Yun remembered the confrontation with the Han family within the imperial palace. The Han family Elder had indeed specifically ordered those fighting him to keep him alive by "a single breath." It now seemed clear they wanted to interrogate him. Supporting Xiao Tong’s narrative.

A mocking smile played on Xiao Tong’s lips. "Our other eight clans were aware of the Han family’s actions, but we didn’t intervene. Frankly, we were curious too. However, most of our eight families opted for secluded lives, while the Han family chose interaction with the world. So, we figured letting their family ‘give it a try’ was perfectly acceptable!"

"The result? Not only did the Han family fail utterly in their objective, but you utterly routed them. Moreover, you even managed to free the rest of the Lou family members they captured!"

Lou Yun couldn’t help but glance at Leng Cangqiong. If his elder brother hadn’t appeared just in time back then, he and the entire Lou family would certainly have perished!

"As for the cause of that failure, the Han family was evasive, providing minimal detail. We never learned the specifics. Understandable, though! They mobilized so many forces yet couldn’t capture you, a lone opponent; instead, you defeated them! Of course they wouldn’t trumpet such a humiliating defeat!"

Xiao Tong’s laughter now was wholly sincere, plainly delighting in the Han family’s disgrace.

"The Han family’s failure struck like a warning bell for the nine clans, making us even more wary of moving against you rashly. Yet, some stubborn souls remained. We knew, for instance, that the Huangfu Family had actually extended an invitation to you before you dealt with the Han family—an invitation you simply hadn’t yet fulfilled."

"Then came the four of us. We four had encountered each other during missions in the past and were considered old acquaintances. Happening to meet again recently, during our casual chat, your name inevitably surfaced. After discussing it, we decided we might as well secretly invite you out ourselves! See exactly what you were capable of! If luck favored us, we might snatch unimaginable benefits!"

"Concerned we couldn’t handle you alone, each of us returned home and brought one extra helper… Well, what happened next, you already know. There’s no need for me to recount it!"

Naturally, Xiao Tong stopped here because he had remembered Xiao Qingyu, killed by Wen Hou. His mood soured dramatically, causing him to lose all desire to continue.