Immortal of the Ages - Chapter 518: Lord Lu!
“Ah?” Yuan Gang was taken aback.
“After I crossed over, I found this on the surface of the lava!” Lu Changfeng held a jade pendant in his hand, marked with the number two. “This thing was drifting slowly on the surface of the lava. Everyone thought it was just moving on its own, so we didn’t pay it any mind…”
“So, the person is missing, and only this is left?” Yuan Gang’s voice trembled.
“Yes! What do we do, Old Yuan? This girl is the apple of my father’s eye, and now something’s happened to her in our Skyruler Immortal Manor!” Lu Changfeng’s face was pale.
“Quick, get out there and call in a hundred brothers to search together!” Yuan Gang hurriedly said.
“The Arbiter examination isn’t over yet, and you want so many brothers to come in?” Lu Changfeng asked.
“At a time like this, who cares about the Arbiter examination? Are you still acting like a brother?” Yuan Gang said, exasperated.
“Right, right, right, my mind’s just a bit scrambled.” Having said that, Lu Changfeng gritted his teeth and turned to rush out of the Black Demon Cavern.
“Li Qianxin, immediately summon a hundred Arbiters!”
Once outside, he shouted at the female Arbiter.
“Deputy Lu?” Li Qianxin was stunned.
His shouting disturbed Liu Mumu, who was at the Hall of Celestial Law organizing examination papers. She put down what she was doing and went outside to address Lu Changfeng, “The Arbiter examination is in progress, and no one but the examiners may enter.”
“My sister is missing!” Lu Changfeng roared.
Liu Mumu was taken aback and asked, “How did she go missing?”
“Just this is left, no sign of her!” Lu Changfeng presented the token with the jade pendant.
Liu Mumu pursed her lips and said softly, “Perhaps she’s just being mischievous and tossed this away.”
“Shut your mouth!” Lu Changfeng gave her a cold look. At such a moment, he naturally didn’t regard Liu Mumu as his superior.
And by now, the Madame, who had been resting, had heard the news. Her face ashen, she staggered as she asked Lu Changfeng, “Is it true?”
“It’s true! Forget the examination, we need to find her!” Lu Changfeng shouted.
“Search for her!” The Madame, her eyes red and swollen, commanded the surrounding Arbiters.
At her word, the Arbiters sprang into action. Li Qianxin issued a rallying call, and within moments, over 200 white-armored Arbiters assembled and marched into the Black Demon Cavern.
Such commotion during an Arbiter examination was unprecedented. Ten years ago, when Lu Yao disappeared, there was scarcely a ripple until the examination concluded. Back then, only a few like Lu An and Liu Mumu had gone in search after much delay.
But now, the entire Guard of the Arbiters was in disarray.
It wasn’t just the Guard; the Skyruler Immortal Manor itself seemed in turmoil, with Arbiters abandoning their duties to join the search in the cavern. Within half an hour, a thousand had entered.
As time passed without a sign of her, the Madame collapsed to the ground, her complexion ghostly pale as tears streamed down her face, crying openly in despair.
“If she’s not found, none of you shall have an easy time!” In her anguish, the Madame shouted these biting words.
Just then, two formidable presences arrived.
The leader, a middle-aged man in a white robe with black hair and white eyebrows, held a whisk as if he were a celestial being from beyond the clouds. Yet, his brow was furrowed, his eyes fierce as the sea in a storm.
“Lord Lu!”
Upon his arrival, all the True Immortals bowed respectfully.
“Have you found her?” Lord Lu helped the Madame to her feet, his voice booming like thunder.
“Lord Lu, 1,500 Arbiters have entered the Black Demon Cavern… There’s still no word,” Liu Mumu reported.
“Liu Chaochao!” Lord Lu turned to look at a tall man who had arrived with him, with black hair tied back and eyes sharp as jade, resembling Liu Mumu slightly.
This was Liu Mumu’s elder brother, currently holding a high position in Sky Soaring City as the Sky Protector, a prestigious Rank 7 Heavenly Officer.
“Lord Lu, I am here,” Liu Chaochao stepped forward, his brow furrowed.
“Send another thousand!” Lord Lu’s voice was deep, his expression twisted.
Such a display of emotion from Lord Lu showed how dearly he cherished and loved his daughter.
“Yes,” Liu Chaochao glanced at Liu Mumu.
Liu Mumu rolled her eyes, issued the rallying call, and muttered to herself sarcastically, “A princess of the Celestial Court goes missing, and it doesn’t cause as much stir as your family does.”
Lord Lu not only called for more people but also entered the cavern himself with Liu Chaochao.
“The Black Demon Cavern is only so large; you’re filling it to the brim.”
Liu Mumu glanced at the time; the Arbiter examination was nearly over.
One by one, the candidates emerged from inside, looking utterly bewildered.
“Hand over the Arbiter Tokens here.” Liu Mumu continued her duties, unaffected by the ongoing search.
Indeed, no one else concerned themselves with her task.
As the candidates handed over their edicts one by one, the Arbiter examination was drawing to a close.
Yuan Gang and Lu Changfeng emerged from the Black Demon Cavern, both with heads bowed and faces grim.
“Where is she? Where is Xiaolu?” the Madame cried out in sorrow.
“Mother, we haven’t found her yet… But don’t worry, Father has personally gone in,” Lu Changfeng said.
“Then why did you come out?!” the Madame scolded.
“Father told me to get out…” Lu Changfeng replied helplessly. The favoritism towards his sister usually caused no issue, but now that there was trouble, he found himself blamed both inside and out.
Both men stood aside, visibly agitated.
The ordeal in the Black Demon Cavern was nearly over, with all but Yun Xiao and Lu Xiaolu—the remaining 98 candidates—having emerged.
This in itself indicated that the dangers of the Arbiter examination were actually minimal. The likelihood of mishaps was very low!
“Do you think we’ll still find Xiaolu?” Lu Changfeng whispered to Yuan Gang.
“I don’t know…” Yuan Gang took a deep breath and looked at Lu Changfeng seriously. “Actually, for you, this might not be entirely bad.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Lu Changfeng clenched his teeth.
“Right.” Yuan Gang nodded. “And with the imposter also gone, there’s even less interference for you.”
As his words fell, a series of subdued exclamations suddenly came from elsewhere.
“Over 100 Arbiter Tokens!”
“Who is this?”
“Lu Yao!”
Hearing this, Yuan Gang could hardly believe his ears. He stared in disbelief toward Liu Mumu, where an unscathed young man in white stood holding a large bunch of Arbiter Tokens.
He even turned his head and gave Yuan Gang a slight smile.
“I thought you said you took care of him!?” Lu Changfeng was taken aback, glaring at Yuan Gang.
“Impossible! I saw him fall deep into the magma!” Yuan Gang said incredulously.
“Falling into your mother!” Lu Changfeng cursed in frustration. His sister was missing, yet this impostor was alive and had just publicly submitted over 100 Arbiter Tokens, breaking a century-old record.
“There’s something off about this kid!” Yuan Gang stared daggers at Yun Xiao, his voice cold as ice.
“Better think about how to explain my sister’s disappearance to my father first!” Lu Changfeng hung his head, his heart filled with turmoil.
Meanwhile, Liu Mumu was also surprised by the large number of tokens.
“You’re truly strong for a Yang Immortal.” Liu Mumu praised.
“Please, you’re flattering me,” Yun Xiao replied modestly.
“Don’t be modest, I just previewed your exam paper.” Liu Mumu looked at him intently.
“How is it?” Yun Xiao asked.
“Bring your mother to the front of Skyruler Immortal Manor this afternoon,” Liu Mumu instructed.
With her words, Yun Xiao felt reassured.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.” Yun Xiao bowed.
“Wait.” Liu Mumu looked around to make sure no one was nearby and whispered, “Xiaolu is missing.”
“I heard.” Yun Xiao nodded. “This uproar is ironic for Lu Yao.”
“Did you do it?” Liu Mumu raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t talk nonsense, I am an honest man.” Yun Xiao shook his head.
“Go on, then!” Liu Mumu waved him off.
“Thank you!” With that, Yun Xiao quietly left amid the commotion.
Once outside the Skyruler Immortal Manor, Yun Xiao glanced to the side where a huge glowing leaderboard stood.
This afternoon, the new list of Arbiters would be announced, under the watchful eyes of all cultivators in the city.
“A moment to shine gloriously for the ancestors.” Clutching a spherical object in his hand, Yun Xiao sneered and headed in the direction of Arbiter Lu’s home.