Chapter 20 The Gatekeeper's Sorrow
The setting sun is a celestial phenomenon, and the grotto is a solitary stone mountain.

There are thousands of caves of various sizes on the stone mountain. These caves have no traces of artificial chiseling, but this is definitely not formed naturally. There is not an inch of soil on the entire stone mountain, and no vegetation grows. The history here is older than any history book today. There are no murals or stone carvings in the caves, so there is no way to verify it.

Lu Chong looked at the "riddled with holes" stone mountain, a faint smile crossed his lips, and he recalled some unbearable and shameful memories: "Every cave here has been empty. Those who have seen the wonders of the Luoxia Grottoes are all shocked by it. Many people want to comprehend the dusk martial arts from it, but unfortunately no one has succeeded so far."

He had also had such a dream before, imagining that one day he would be able to comprehend the twilight martial spirit from this wonder, step into the immortal realm, and lead his family into the first-class realm. It was not until he passed the age of dreaming that he realized a truth: dreams are always just dreams and will never become reality.

"I'm afraid there was a lot of trouble when setting up the venue?"

"Trouble? After all, my Lu family has the final say in Jueshui City. Confiscating their tickets is already merciful. What's more, it only takes up some time. This world has always been a place where the strong prey on the weak." Lu Chong said coldly. What you get in return for concessions is just false reputation, which is meaningless. Only tyranny can make people fear you.

"Most of the people who dream here are second-grade warriors who haven't touched the threshold of martial spirit. However, without the inheritance of the holy marks, it is not easy to comprehend the unique martial spirit from the natural environment!"

The law of the jungle applies to all worlds, and its cruelty is hard to imagine for those who have not truly experienced it.

"So many people!"

"It is said that there are more than 5,000 warriors participating in the competition, and there are even more people watching the fun."

Most of these five thousand people were just there to join in the fun, and their realm was only the third or fourth grade. Over endless years, the classes in the Chongming Realm had long been solidified, and unless commoners could join a sect, it was rare for them to reach the first grade, let alone before the age of fifty.

The spiral plank road surrounding the stone mountain extends outward in a "卐" shape, with many platforms and intersections. Twenty-four divine mirrors, sixth-level treasures, are hung in the sky to capture the exciting scenes of the competition and project the scenes to all directions for bettors to watch.

This project may seem huge, but the cost is not high. It is made of conventional materials and is done by warriors. It is efficient, fast and cheap. It is a disposable item and not a permanent building. The most expensive thing is the divine pattern formation on the top of the mountain. It protects the competition field and the contestants in the lower half. Otherwise, the noobs below will die before the first-class melee above can decide the outcome.

The bigwigs from all sides had already sat on the clouds. Lu Anping's bear-like body was still tall and strong, and his white hair was meticulously groomed, full of oppression, but the smell of decay emanating from his body could not be concealed.

Death is approaching and there is no turning back!

Looking at Lu Anping above, all the Lu family members could not suppress the sadness in their eyes. This was the pillar of the family, but unfortunately this pillar was about to collapse and they had no way to do anything. They didn't even have someone who could take over.

"Senior Lu, can you say a few words?"

"Young people don't like to be nagged, let's just get started!" Lu Anping waved his hand. This martial arts conference was nothing more than a deal with several major sects. Given the current situation, he was not in the mood to perform in front of the younger generations below. He just let the person in charge of related matters in the clan preside over it. It would be embarrassing enough for him to show up.

"Elder Li seems to be in a good mood." Lu Anping glanced at the youngest elder of the Three Saints Sect [Moon Temple].

After all, the form of a clan is not as good as that of a sect. It is too difficult to absorb truly outstanding people from other families. "I have had some insights recently." Elder Li chuckled. In terms of strength, he is far from being Lu Anping's opponent, but he is young! Being young is the biggest advantage. His future has unlimited possibilities, and at this time, Lu Anping is just holding on to his last breath to pave the way for the family.

sorrow!

People like Lu Anping are jokingly called "gatekeepers of the Immortal Realm" in the Chongming Realm. These people who once glimpsed the scenery of the Immortal Realm through the cracks in the door may have their way forward blocked due to various reasons such as lifespan, hidden injuries, or state of mind, but they are absolutely crushing in the Molten God Realm, and this will not change just because their death is approaching.

When facing such a person, we should still show due respect.

"Congratulations!" The big guys around congratulated him one after another. The growth of the Rong Shen Realm was accumulated by repeated insights. This was indeed a happy event, at least much more serious than a birthday celebration.

"Let's start now, let's get down to business first!"

"Yes, yes, let's do business first!"

This time they came with a mission, to select disciples!
The Lu family has tried hard for so many years but has not been able to send their children to other sects except the Mengshen Sect. Why did it work this time?

It's very simple. It didn't work before because it wasn't given enough. As the one who pushed the Lu family to its current height, Lu Anping knew the situation of the four parties very well. How could the Lu family dominate in Jueshui City? In addition to his strength and strategy, it was more due to his achievements in fighting in the battlefields of the two worlds for three hundred years!

At present, he has not been able to protect the family for several years. The gatekeeper, in addition to the so-called "immortal gatekeeper" in terms of strength, people around him are more accustomed to calling him "Jueshui City Gatekeeper". In addition to the helplessness of no successor, as he is getting old, the open and covert struggles within the family are becoming increasingly fierce, and there are wolves all around.

Being a gatekeeper is never an honor, it is nothing but sadness!

Too much wealth will only become the root cause of destruction. The current Lu family will only end up dead if they maintain their status quo.

He had started planning this martial arts conference many years ago. In exchange for 50% of the Lu family's wealth and the interests of Jueshui City, the Three Saints Sect, the Wuhen Sect, the Ruyi Sect, and the Yuanbao Sect would select two to three Lu family disciples on the spot.

The targets were all young people below the first rank. It was hard to say how many of them could grow up, or even that all of them could be mediocre. It didn't matter. The key was to balance the forces that were about to settle in Jueshui City. Only by introducing multiple forces could the Lu family survive in this gap after his death. Only by having the soil for survival could there be a possibility of rising again!
The major sects are well aware of Lu Anping's plan, but would they not eat the meat that is right in front of them?
What's more, as long as you gain merit in the battlefield between the two worlds, you can obtain corresponding status and care for your relatives. This is the rule set by all the sects in the Chongming Realm. This is the bottom line. Otherwise, who would be willing to fight in the battlefield between the two worlds?
The ten prizes are gifts to the four sects. Who can get them and how much they can get depends on their ability. The four sects also regard this martial arts conference as a test for their disciples.

Mengshen Sect was naturally aware of this, as Lu Anping had already made arrangements in advance. The Lu family was too large, with more than one million people, including the main branch, minor branches, direct lineage, and branch clans. If they wanted to move to Dongzhou, they would not be able to find a place with sufficient resources to settle down.

Lu Anping looked down at the sea of ​​people rushing towards the Thousand Caverns. He would have to hold on for a few more years. Whether he lived or died would depend on his descendants. After all, he was just a molten god. When he died, nothing would be left behind. But even if the Jueshui Lu family could not be saved in the end, the Lu family bloodline would not be extinct!

that's enough!

(End of this chapter)