In the evaluations of these people, Lu Feng’s character was deemed quite poor.
Of course, overall, Lu Feng was very good to his friends and family.
Otherwise, even if Su Dongjing were to be pestered by his sister for another hour, he wouldn’t have grudgingly sat here and discussed matters with him.
Su Dongjing’s appearance was not as handsome as Lu Feng’s. Like Wu Tao, he was the kind of person who would be unremarkable if you saw him on the street.
Especially when he stood next to Su Dongjing, the contrast became even more apparent.
Su Dongjing was the type of person who was serious, giving off a very spirited yet cold impression. His clothes were also all black.
This created a stark contrast with Lu Feng, Hong Bo, and Zhang Lingxi among them. They were completely opposite extremes, giving off a feeling of being out of place.
In fact, it wasn’t just Su Dongjing who was unwilling to attend the banquet with Lu Feng and the others; Lu Feng and his group also didn’t want to be accompanied by Su Dongjing.
According to Lu Feng himself, Su Yi’er’s brother was a person who was not interesting in the slightest from beginning to end.
Not only could he not utter a word for half a day, but he also wore a stern face all day long, as if everyone owed him a lot of money. Being alone with such a person would surely be suffocating.
Even if they weren’t alone, his presence during gatherings would also hinder the atmosphere.
However, Su Yi’er understood her brother very well. In her eyes, her brother was perfect in every way except for his terrible personality.
Even though she knew Lu Feng’s personality was completely different from her brother’s, Su Yi’er still went to great lengths to have Lu Feng attend the banquet with her brother.
After all, for men, it was easy to learn bad habits and difficult to learn good ones.
Under their influence, her brother’s personality might just improve a little.
What should have been a pleasant banquet was now soured by the presence of one more person, which made Lu Feng quite displeased.
The banquet had already been going on for over an hour. Although Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi wanted to liven up the atmosphere, after all, it was rare for everyone to get together.
But with Su Dongjing nearby, he was like a giant block of ice, and the atmosphere simply couldn’t be uplifted.
…
On the other side.
Inside the entrance of Qianlong Residence, there were restricting talismans, capable of blocking a full-powered strike from a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Wu Tao, after traversing countless streets, finally arrived in front of Qianlong Residence.
The gate of Qianlong Residence was tightly shut. Inside, dozens of Qi Refining stage guards were on duty, with a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator leading them.
Qianlong Residence was protected by formations and restrictions at every step.
Wu Tao arrived at the gate and drew his Chuxi sword.
A sword light shot out, and with a crunch, the large gate instantly shattered into countless fragments.
The huge commotion also attracted the attention of the guards.
From within the gate came the furious shouts of the guards: “Who dares to cause trouble here, are you tired of living?”
At this moment, Wu Tao had already stepped inside.
Within Qianlong Residence, although the standards for guests were high, Wu Tao met the requirements. It was just that today, Wu Tao was an unwelcome guest.
Seeing Wu Tao, who held the Chuxi sword and clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with, these more than a dozen guards were already on high alert. Just as they were about to summon their magic artifacts, Wu Tao casually unleashed a wave of sword energy, sending them all flying.
As Wu Tao didn’t want to escalate the matter too much, he didn't kill them, merely knocking them unconscious.
Wu Tao walked past them as if they were invisible, traversing corridors, crossing small lakes, and entering Qianlong Residence as if he were walking through an empty land.
Passing through gardens that changed scenery at every step, Wu Tao headed towards the tallest tower.
On top of the tower, Hong Bo raised his cup and said loudly: "With so many friends present today, and with the next Human Emperor competition about to begin, Brother Lu Feng now has a late-stage Core Formation cultivation, he should be one of the eighty-one characters of the next Human race!"
Lu Feng raised his cup and smiled, his demeanor elegant.
Zhang Lingxi chimed in, saying: "The daughter of Deputy City Lord Lu, originally had decent cultivation and character, but after associating with that rude fellow, she was also corrupted by him!"
"Now her reputation is damaged, what is to be done?"
…
Before he could finish speaking, a loud shout came from outside.
"What kind of mad dog is yapping here, does a mere dog deserve to critique the full moon?"
The cup in Zhang Lingxi’s hand fell to the ground with a sharp shattering sound. Everyone present was greatly shocked.
They wondered who had the guts to speak such arrogant words in front of so many Core Formation stage cultivators.
They all turned to look outside, and saw a slender figure holding a celestial sword, slowly approaching from a distance.
Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi’s faces first lit up with joy, but after exchanging glances, their expressions suddenly turned grim.
Hong Bo’s eyes darted around, and he deliberately exacerbated the conflict by saying: "What kind of lowly creature! We are in a good mood today and don't wish to argue with you. Hurry and drag him out!"
Zhang Lingxi chimed in beside him: "Exactly, exactly, hurry up and let him get lost."
Several Foundation Establishment stage guards from the banquet, hearing this, nervously stepped forward, attempting to drag Wu Tao out.
Wu Tao extended his sword fingers with one hand, and sword energy transformed into threads, directly binding these Foundation Establishment stage guards.
This was not all. He strode forward, his entire body transforming into a golden giant.
Two golden hands reached out, grabbing Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi, with whom he had a grievance, respectively.
"Third-grade divine ability – Imperishable Golden Body Dharma Manifestation!"
The colossal golden palm covered the sky and the sun, encompassing everything with an undeniable and immense power, pressing down upon Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi.
Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi, while adept at manipulating people and stirring up trouble, were not skilled in divine ability combat and had little experience fighting cultivators of the same level.
They were considered third-rate among Core Formation stage cultivators.
At this moment, facing the pressure of the "Third-grade divine ability – Imperishable Golden Body Dharma Manifestation," they were actually stunned and became flustered.
Hong Bo frantically used his "Fifth-grade divine ability – Descent of the Wood Realm," transforming into a lush sea of trees, attacking Wu Tao.
On the other side.
Balls of Nine Flame Spiritual Fire rolled out from Zhang Lingxi's mouth, forming waves of fire. This was his "Fifth-grade divine ability – Nine Flame Breath."
Their combined effort managed to slightly impede Wu Tao's "Third-grade divine ability – Imperishable Golden Body Dharma Manifestation," preventing immediate embarrassment.
Seeing this, Wu Tao sneered and said: "With such meager abilities, you dare to insult others behind their backs? Haven't you even looked in a mirror?"
With that, he waved his Chuxi sword. As pure sword energy flowed, it shattered the forest and sliced through the Nine Flame Spiritual Fire.
Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi's bodies trembled, and they were suddenly thrown backward, falling to the ground and spitting blood uncontrollably.
After just two moves, they had lost to Wu Tao without any suspense.
Although they hadn't used their full strength and still had magic treasures to deploy, had Wu Tao used his full strength? Did he not have magic treasures either?
However, the protagonist of today was not these two, but Lu Feng.
Lu Feng had already noticed the subtle machinations of Hong Bo and Zhang Lingxi, who wanted to use him as a pawn.
But, out of sheer boredom, he was willing to pretend to be oblivious and see what these two were up to.
Now, seeing Wu Tao storming the scene, his hands, which were already itching for a fight, couldn't resist stepping in.
Immortal light manifested behind him, revealing an earth-attributed divine ability. This was a "Third-grade divine ability – Immortal Gate Suppressing the World."
This was a divine ability that transformed one’s spiritual energy into an immortal gate, usable for both defense and offense.
Typically, once the Immortal Gate appeared, cultivators with lower cultivation levels would find it difficult to retaliate.
Third-grade divine ability against third-grade divine ability.
Earth-attribute was best at a delayed counter-attack, and the "Third-grade divine ability – Immortal Gate Suppressing the World" was also one of Lu Feng’s more proficient divine abilities.
With a resounding boom, the "Third-grade divine ability – Immortal Gate Suppressing the World" and the "Third-grade divine ability – Imperishable Golden Body Dharma Manifestation" clashed head-on without any fancy maneuvers.
Wu Tao’s palm strike, which seemed capable of cleaving mountains, was inexplicably blocked after colliding with the Immortal Gate.
Within this Immortal Gate, there seemed to be some hidden mystical power, especially when facing a powerful attack, this power was fully stimulated.
After the brief contact, Wu Tao immediately launched another attack without pause.
Sensing the aura emanating from Wu Tao, Lu Feng, who had previously been nonchalant, finally showed a trace of solemnity.
Wu Tao's body suddenly moved. He formed a hand seal, using himself as the source, and azure starlight condensed behind him, forming a brilliant river of stars.
If the previous clash between Wu Tao and Lu Feng only used thirty percent of his strength, then at this very moment, he was using seventy percent.
Lu Feng's expression changed for the first time. His previously flippant demeanor vanished, replaced by seriousness.
Although Wu Tao's cultivation was only at the middle stage of Core Formation, the moment the brilliant river of stars appeared, Lu Feng distinctly felt the pressure.
With a single step forward, the power of the stars was unleashed with full force.
"Third-grade divine ability – Star River Torrent!"
At this moment, Wu Tao seemed to have disappeared from everyone's sight, replaced by a dazzling river of stars laden with countless celestial bodies.
Lu Feng's expression finally changed completely. This aura, this terrifying power…
As a man, Wu Tao hated it the most when others set their sights on his woman, let alone insulted her name.
This was a humiliation, and humiliation could only be washed away with blood. Either the enemy's blood, or his own.
When Wu Tao arrived here, he had already considered the worst-case scenario. If he couldn't erase this humiliation, how could he love Lü Yuehua? How could he know that he could protect her?
After a moment, Lu Feng's expression also calmed down, and a large amount of spiritual energy condensed around his body.