Inside the second floor of Jufu Pavilion sat ten people: two youths and eight middle-aged men and women. A barrier was set up around them so that no one outside could hear what they were saying. They were talking about the Wu family.
"Eight years ago, the Wu family was wiped out, leaving only a few survivors. Outsiders don't know exactly how many are left, but the entire starry sky has been in an uproar because of this Wu family!" Jiang Yu recounted the events on behalf of the group. When she first heard about it, she realized just how terrifying this Little Master of theirs was. The Peerless Demon Monarch! He was considered the number one monstrous genius of the starry sky, having wielded peak Divine Venerable combat power at the age of five. Even though it wasn't his own strength, absolutely no one else in the world could have pulled it off!
"Hmph! Eight years... so I am already thirteen years old! Go on," Wu Tianjun said indifferently.
"First, a powerhouse from the Feng clan descended and took away Wu Tianfeng, who possesses the Heavenly Phoenix Physique. It is said that she has become one of the three great saintesses of the Phoenix Sacred Palace. Her exact cultivation realm remains unknown to this day; perhaps only the high-level powerhouses of the Phoenix Sacred Palace have any inkling of it."
"Five years ago, Wu Shiyue, a direct descendant of the Wu family, broke through to the Deity Realm in the Taiyin Secret Realm and was hunted down by powerful experts. It is said that someone wanted to eradicate the remnants of the Wu family, claiming that the Wu family belonged to the Demon Race and had no right to exist in the territory of the Human Race."
"Remnants of the Wu family? Demon Race? Heh." Wu Tianjun let out a cold laugh.
"Fortunately, a passing powerhouse found the situation distasteful and intervened. He even declared that the Wu family had been forced into their actions back then, calling those Sacred Gods shameless. However, no one knows who he was. On the other hand, the four Sacred Gods who acted back then were Jin Huang, Hong Luan, Ri Yun, and Sage Tianhe. They are all rogue cultivators, so I suspect someone requested their help or offered a price to hire them."
"Hmph! As expected...! What about my other clansmen?" Wu Tianjun had already anticipated this.
"It is rumored that near Qingyun Star, the Sacred Lord of the Heavenly Soul Sacred Ground took away someone with the Heavenly Soul Physique, though we don't know if..." Jiang Yu added.
"Oh! Haha, Second Brother is alive..." Wu Tianjun was delighted. As long as they were alive, there was hope.
"Second Brother..." The others sitting there were thoroughly shocked. This Wu family actually had another Heavenly Soul Physique.
"Hmph! Continue," Wu Tianjun urged.
"In the Desolate Plains, a descendant of the Thunder God Clan appeared. Shrouded in black lightning, he claimed to be a member of the Wu family. He slaughtered four experts of the Fifth Heaven of the Deity Realm on the spot, declaring that he would hunt down and take revenge on everyone who had wronged the Wu family back then. However, he vanished afterward, and his whereabouts remain unknown."
"My father appeared in the Desolate Plains... Hmph! I'll look for him later." Wu Tianjun was overjoyed. "Hurry up and tell me the rest!" he urged impatiently.
"That's all. There is no other news regarding the Wu family. However, the surviving members of the Wu family are not doing very well right now. Some say the Wu family is associated with the Demon Race, so many people dislike them..." Jiang Yu said with a slight frown. At the same time, everyone present was startled. It seemed that the tribulation of that Thunder God Clan descendant also contained Lightning Tribulation Liquid. What kind of family was this? It was said that back then, they only had a single Half-step Divine Venerable.
"Ha, good! Let them be," Wu Tianjun smiled faintly. "Ah! Is there anyone else undergoing the lightning rain?" as if suddenly remembering something, Wu Tianjun asked.
"What? How do you know?" Jiang Yu gasped in shock. "Over a year ago, in the Demon Source Mountain Range, someone underwent a lightning tribulation. A Saint Ancestor witnessed it and said he hadn't even reached the Saint Ancestor Realm yet..." Jiang Yu spoke with a hint of trepidation. Aside from this Master of theirs, there was actually another monstrous genius. This era...
"Haha, as expected! So my big brother is in the Demon Source Mountain Range..." Wu Tianjun laughed.
"Your big brother..." The several powerhouses shuddered. Wasn't the number of geniuses in this clan simply absurd? Once they grew up and restored the Wu Clan, who in this entire starry sky would be able to stop them?
"Hmph! It seems that's not enough. What happened back then wasn't just that," Wu Tianjun glanced at Jiang Yu and said.
"It is said that back then, the Wu Clan's ancestor, Wu Xingchen, decided to establish the Wu Clan on Qingyun Star because he wanted the clan to suppress a powerful Demon Race expert for generations. That was why, even when the Wu Clan faced the threat of annihilation, he refused to leave. He didn't dare tell anyone about this, because if the Demon Race found out and helped that demon escape, it would surely trigger a bloodbath. Later, when various powerhouses attacked to seize the Heavenly Phoenix Physique, the Wu Clan suffered devastating losses. Wu Xingchen released the seal, allowing that Demon Race expert to escape. However, instead of turning on the Wu Clan, that demon actually helped them. He bestowed his power upon you, Master, and another person, allowing both of you to reach the peak of the Divine Venerable Realm to rescue the Wu Clan members. After this incident, the entire starry sky was shaken. The Demon Race also intervened to search for the Wu Clan members, but not to hunt them down; rather, they wanted to ask about the whereabouts of that powerful expert. It is rumored that a Demon Race powerhouse claimed that expert was their clan's ancestor. On the other hand, the forces that took part in besieging the Wu Clan became the laughingstock of many other factions..." Jiang Yu's voice trembled slightly. By now, she had come to understand some of the Wu Clan's tragedy. Their ancestor had bound himself for over ten thousand years for the sake of the Human Race, only for numerous human forces to stab the Wu Clan in the back just for a Heavenly Phoenix Physique, nearly wiping them out. What a tragedy, what a joke! If her Master truly wanted to fall into the demonic path, with his talent, the Demon Race would surely welcome him and aid his growth. At that time, the Human Race would have another formidable enemy—a supreme enemy!
"Haha, back then, thanks to the Old Demon's help, I managed to break through the encirclement and rescue my clansmen. However, the Old Demon has truly fallen, and I don't know if he will ever be reborn..." Wu Tianjun laughed, a trace of killing intent in his voice. "Heh, is that so? There's no news of the remaining clansmen, so it seems you don't know either. Well, I'll look for them later. There are several ancient physiques that no one knows belong to my Wu Clan. They will eventually reveal themselves, and I can just bring them back then," Wu Tianjun murmured. But who were the people sitting here? They were top-tier powerhouses. The eight of them looked at Wu Tianjun as if he were a monster. There were *several* more ancient physiques? They must be his younger brothers and sisters. The outside world had no news or information about them yet, but once their ancient physiques awakened after some time, they would be much easier to find—though it would also be much more dangerous.
"Hmph! Let's see who dares to touch them!" Wu Tianjun suddenly raised his head and snorted coldly, as if reading the thoughts of Wu Zixuan and the others.
"..." Wu Zixuan and the others shuddered. It seemed this man intended to protect those children as they grew. That's right, guardians! They suddenly recalled what Wu Tianjun had said earlier about wanting them to be called the Twelve Guardians in the future! Before they could think any further, Wu Tianjun spoke.
"From now on, Wu Zixuan will be the First Guardian, Mo Lian the Second Guardian, Chi Danzi the third, and Jiang Wu the fourth. The rest of you will be ranked according to your strength. In the future, you will be the Twelve Guardians of my Wu family. I know some of you are rogue cultivators while others already belong to certain factions, so find a mask to wear if you do not want your identities known. For a period of time, we will not show ourselves to the world. Once I have gathered enough people, we will return to the Yuanmu Star Forest!" Wu Tianjun said firmly. He wanted to train the people he had recruited for a time before letting them out to temper themselves in the outside world.
"As you command, Master!" Wu Zixuan and the others replied in low voices. This master of theirs was already starting to build his forces in the shadows.
"Master! Why am I only second?" Mo Lian said, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Because I want it that way," Wu Tianjun said, looking at him indifferently.
"Uh..." Mo Lian could only accept his fate.
"As for you, follow me from now on. Rest assured, I will show you what true cultivation is, and let you see the rules of the strong in this world," Wu Tianjun turned to Lu Yunzheng and said.
"Yes! Thank you, Young Master!" Lu Yunzheng said, his voice trembling with excitement. From listening to their conversation, he had pieced together an earth-shattering truth. The peerless Demon Lord Wu Tianjun, who was supposed to have died eight years ago, was still alive! This man was the dream of all the youths of every race in the starry sky, regarded as the number one monstrous genius of the contemporary era. It was believed he had fallen, yet here he was, alive and well. Not only that, but he had also taken a group of powerful experts of unknown realms as his subordinates. And now, this legendary figure was taking him in and even helping him cultivate...
"There's no need to be so excited. In fact, you aren't bad at all; you just don't know it yet. You will understand later," Wu Tianjun said, looking at him.
"Yes, Young Master!" Lu Yunzheng said with a hint of joy. To receive praise from this man was an honor very few could boast of.
After their conversation, Wu Tianjun sat back down and continued eating, lost in thought. Half an hour passed, during which almost only Wu Tianjun and Lu Yunzheng were eating.
"It's time to go. Chi Danzi should be finished on his end by now," Wu Tianjun said, being the first to stand up.
"Yes!" The others stood up, preparing to leave.
"Master, what about that Jun family?" Mo Lian suddenly asked. For cultivators like them, killing and slaughter were commonplace, not to mention they were all old monsters who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
"Hmph, let's pay them a visit," Wu Tianjun said, his eyes flashing.
"What's going on...?" Wu Zixuan and the others asked in confusion, and Mo Lian quickly explained.
"Ha! That kid from the Jun family sure is arrogant..." a Saint God sneered.
"There is no need for this Jun family to exist anymore," another Saint God chimed in. It was merely a tiny family. Forget about the Jun family, he could crush the entire Green Demon Star with a single palm strike.
"There's no need for that. The one who did the deed should bear the consequences. We will leave after killing that Jun Wuyuan," Wu Tianjun said, looking at the powerful experts. He was not currently inclined to annihilate entire families at the slightest provocation.
"Oh? The aura of a Saint God..." Wu Zixuan suddenly said, looking toward the sky.
"Hmph, a Saint God has made a move. It's Chi Danzi and the others," Mo Lian added.
"They are just playing around. It's only an early-stage Saint God, and it doesn't seem to be someone from the Yan family," Jiang Wu remarked, having also sensed it.
"They can handle it," Wu Tianjun said, having also noticed. After all, his cultivation realm was still inferior to theirs.
"Yes, Master! Let's head to the Jun family then," the others chimed in.
"Lu Yunzheng, lead the way," Wu Tianjun said, turning to Lu Yunzheng.
"Yes, Young Master!" Lu Yunzheng said, a hint of fear in his voice.
"Haha, there's no need to be afraid. In the future, you'll realize that the Jun family is nothing more than a minor clan," Ma Lian chuckled. With his sharp eyes as an old monster, how could he not see through the kid's apprehension?
"Ah! I'm just a little worried!" Lu Yunzheng said sheepishly.
They quickly walked out of the Jufu Pavilion. As they passed Shopkeeper Lai, Lu Yunzheng trembled slightly, but he quickly composed himself. Following this Wu Tianjun would surely help him become stronger.
"Don't worry! In the future, when the Jufu Pavilion sees you, they will have to welcome you from afar," Wu Tianjun said, patting his shoulder. An Earth Spirit Body trained by him would absolutely not be weaker than any monstrous genius—in fact, he would become a top-tier genius!
"Yes!" Lu Yunzheng's eyes filled with determination. He swore he would not let down this Young Master, even though the youth was younger than himself.