Chương 130: Chapter 19: Rushing to Huizhou

Reyn's brow tightened as his gaze swept across the horizon. Before him, where the original Lei Clan Compound had once stood, a formidable new structure had risen. A massive perimeter wall, nearly eighty feet high and constructed from monolithic slabs of azure-green stone, snaked across the landscape. It enclosed hundreds of acres, effectively creating a fortified city-within-a-city that commanded the surrounding terrain.

"When did the Lei Clan Compound transform into this?" Reyn murmured, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

"To occupy such a vast expanse... where were the neighboring families relocated?" A group of men clad in pitch-black combat robes stood guard at the perimeter. Observing Reyn's extraordinary temperament and the natural authority that laced his tone, they hesitated to act rashly. After a moment of deliberation, the leader of the guards stepped forward, his chest swelling with pride.

"Three months ago, Elder Reyn performed a monumental service for the Xuanxiao Sect. In recognition, the Immortal Master Qingxiaozi issued a divine decree, granting Thunder Abyss City to the Lei Clan. Furthermore, the surrounding eleven towns and one hundred and eighty-three villages within a three-hundred-mile radius have been designated as the ancestral domain of the Lei Clan!" He paused, gesturing toward the sprawling construction.

"As for the families near the old estate, upon receiving the Sect's command, they voluntarily relocated to the northern district to make room for this expansion. This wall, stretching thousands of meters, was raised in a single night by the Immortal Master using profound divine arts!" Reyn was momentarily stunned, a surge of genuine gratitude welling up within him.

The Xuanxiao Sect's gesture was more than a reward; it was an unprecedented elevation of his family's status, cementing their legacy for generations to come. At that moment, a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in vibrant, floral-patterned robes, leapt from the top of the massive wall. A streak of light erupted from beneath her feet as she began to circle the area with practiced agility.

"Move along, quickly!" the lead guard hissed, his expression turning pale.

"The Fairy has begun her patrol. If you arouse her suspicion, you won't be able to leave even if you want to." However, he was a second too late. The streak of light faltered mid-air, then pivoted sharply, hurtling toward their position like a bolt of lightning.

"Dammit! You've caught the Lady's attention," the guard whispered urgently.

"Keep your mouth shut and don't say a word. Maybe you'll still get out of this in one piece!" As the light descended, the guards immediately dropped into deep, respectful bows.

"We pay our respects to Fairy Ling!" they shouted in unison. Before they could even finish their salute, the streak of light bypassed them entirely. The young woman landed gracefully, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of reverence and awe. She dropped to her knees in a formal kowtow.

"Disciple Ling Jue'er pays her respects to Martial Uncle Reyn." Behind her, the guards froze. Their faces drained of color as the realization hit them like a physical blow. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads as they hurriedly threw themselves back onto the ground, trembling.

"Heh, all of you, rise," Reyn said with a light wave of his hand. He sighed softly, looking at the towering walls.

"It's only been a few months, yet I feel like I hardly recognize my own home anymore." Ling Jue'er offered a clever, charming smile. She subtly crushed a transmission jade slip in her palm to alert the inner compound before speaking with a hint of bashful restraint.

"Actually, according to Martial Brother Ma's original plan, the expansion was supposed to be even larger. However, the Clan Elders were worried about disrupting the common folk too much, so they limited the enclosure to these few hundred acres." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Reyn nodded with a smile. As they exchanged a few more words, the massive gates began to groan open.

A procession of Clan Elders, flanked by a phalanx of guards, hurried out to meet him with jubilant expressions. That night, the Lei Clan erupted in celebration. Every member of the lineage gathered in the grand hall, the festivities lasting until the early hours of the morning. Reyn spent time briefing the elders on the clan's current standing and left behind a significant cache of spiritual herbs and pills to bolster their cultivation.

Later, in the quiet of his private courtyard, Reyn held a deep, late-night discussion with Elder Sun and Elder Ma. Despite Reyn's lack of pretension, the two elders remained exceptionally deferential, treating him with the etiquette one would show a venerable senior. Rumors of Reyn slaying the Ancestor Ming Diao had already reached their ears; in their hearts, his status was now equal to, if not greater than, a Golden Core cultivator.

As the first light of dawn touched the horizon, the two elders finally withdrew, clutching the precious bottles of pills Reyn had gifted them, their faces glowing with excitement. Reyn did not linger. By noon the following day, after bidding farewell to the clan elders, he took to the sky. A streak of blue and red light pierced the clouds as he set his sights on Huizhou. The Zhao State was divided into eight major provinces: Huizhou, Quanzhou, Yanzhou, Dananzhou, Jinzhou, Qingzhou, Youzhou, and Beiyuezhou.

The ranking of these states reflected the strength of their respective cultivation worlds. Beiyuezhou, situated on the remote fringes near the Hundred Thousand Desolate Mountains, was the weakest, with Golden Core cultivators being a rare sight. To reach Huizhou, Reyn needed to traverse Quanzhou and Dananzhou. Even at top speed, the journey would take over ten days. He dared not waste a moment, pushing his flight speed to the limit as he blurred across the sky.

In the northern city of Mocheng within Beiyuezhou, Reyn descended and walked directly into a grand hall.

"Activate the teleportation array," he commanded.

"I am heading to Fenghuo City in Dananzhou." Though the traveler appeared young, the two disciples guarding the provincial-level array sensed a terrifying pressure emanating from him. They bowed low and worked with frantic efficiency. Moments later, a flash of blinding light filled the hall, and Reyn's silhouette vanished.

In Dananzhou, a streak of light tore through the atmosphere. Below, two middle-aged men locked in a life-and-death struggle suddenly froze. Their faces twisted in terror as they sensed the approaching aura, hurriedly breaking their engagement to retreat to the sidelines. They stood trembling as the light ignored them completely, screaming past like a falling star and vanishing into the distance within heartbeats. Five days later, at the edge of Dananzhou in Fenglei City, Reyn landed at the teleportation hall.

He retracted his aura and stepped inside, disappearing from the public eye once more.

In the teleportation hall of Quanzhou, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Two grim-faced old men stood at an impasse, their eyes flashing with murderous intent.

"Fellow Daoist, I have an urgent matter that requires immediate transport. Can you not wait a mere moment?" one snapped.

"I arrived first," the other retorted coldly.

"I have an auction to attend that cannot be delayed. I will not yield." Both men were at the Late Foundation Establishment stage. As they clashed, their auras surged, causing the air to vibrate. The two disciples managing the array could only exchange bitter looks, cowering in the corner to avoid being caught in the crossfire. A few other cultivators stood further back, waiting their turn, their faces filled with suppressed indignation but lacking the courage to speak up against such powerful figures.

At that moment, a young man in green robes walked through the entrance. His gaze swept across the hall with icy indifference as he walked straight toward the already-primed teleportation array. The two bickering elders darkened.

"Brat! Do you have a death wish?" one snarled, his voice dripping with malice. The green-robed youth spared them a single glance. His eyes were as black as ink, bottomless and cold. Simultaneously, a titanic wave of Divine Sense erupted from his body, sweeping through the hall like a physical hammer.

"A Golden Core cultivator!" Feeling the sheer weight of that spiritual pressure, the two elders turned deathly pale. Their aggressive auras vanished instantly as they stumbled back several steps, their faces masks of pure shock. Reyn flicked his sleeve, ignoring them entirely. He stepped onto the array and tossed three mid-grade spirit crystals to the attendants.

"Huizhou, Tianli City," he said flatly. The attendants, now trembling with awe, hurried forward to strike the activation mudras. The array erupted in a pillar of white light. When the glow faded, the youth was gone. The two elders stood in the silent hall for a long time, their expressions shifting between shame and lingering fear. Ultimately, they abandoned their plans for teleportation and slunk away into the shadows, their previous arrogance utterly shattered.