My starting summon is a small skeleton-Chapter 358 - 355 utterly destroys the will

"Die, you bastard!"

With Lu Wu’s furious roar.

The Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword was drawn!

The Divine Sword Skill slashed forth.

In an instant, the sky above the Cimu family was covered with dark clouds, a scene like the end of the world appeared.

In this changing of heaven and earth, Lu Wu’s sword struck Ibaraki Gangyan.

The power of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword and Lu Wu’s nearly King-level power fully erupted, making this sword even more terrifying than it was half a month ago.

When the sword fell, Ibaraki Gangyan shuddered in his mind.

A look of shock briefly crossed his face.

What shocked him was not the power of Lu Wu’s sword—though strong, it was merely at the King-level tier, nothing to someone of his level.

What shocked Ibaraki Gangyan was what Lu Wu’s sword contained.

It was a special mental realm, a special power, something that even those above King-level deeply coveted.

This caused Ibaraki Gangyan, who had initially planned to crush Lu Wu with a palm strike, to withhold his force and abandon retaliation, choosing instead to endure Lu Wu’s sword.

"Zi zi zi!"

Lu Wu’s Divine Sword Skill struck Ibaraki Gangyan.

The fearsome attack caused no harm to Ibaraki Gangyan, the sword’s light continuously extinguished in front of him, emitting a piercing sound.

Simultaneously, Ibaraki Gangyan closed his eyes, his face tinted with color and revealing ecstasy, obviously comprehending something from Lu Wu’s sword.

When Ibaraki Gangyan opened his eyes again, his gaze toward Lu Wu not only held hatred and murderous intent but also a deeper covetousness.

At this moment, Lu Wu, who had already struck, should have been fully aware of the other’s strength.

Undoubtedly, even if he might not be on par with Feng Xiu, Ibaraki Gangyan’s terrifying power was not something he could confront.

According to Lu Wu’s normal character, he should have turned and fled.

But at this moment, Lu Wu clenched the longsword in his hand, making a choice completely different from his usual self.

Despite breaking his head trying to understand why the vicious Cimu Qingzi would change so drastically, as though she’d become a different person, and why she’d go to such lengths for him.

But the scene just now was too much for Lu Wu to bear.

Even the usually cautious Lu Wu was completely incited and wanted to kill Ibaraki Gangyan despite knowing he couldn’t possibly be the opponent.

The enraged Lu Wu was about to lunge at Ibaraki Gangyan again but was suddenly grabbed by someone.

Granny had complex feelings about the sudden arrival of Lu Wu.

On one hand, she was relieved that at least Lu Wu could come back.

But this relief quickly turned into anger due to Cimu Qingzi’s plight.

She felt that Lu Wu was indirectly responsible for harming Cimu Qingzi.

Even so, Granny still chose to protect Lu Wu at this moment.

She grabbed the headstrong Lu Wu and passed the severely injured Qingzi into his arms.

"Take the young lady and go!"

As she spoke, she lunged herself towards Ibaraki Gangyan.

As she lunged forward, a mournful cry of a great beast burst from within her, indicating that she had unleashed her Beast Soul and was prepared to fight to the death to stop Ibaraki Gangyan.

At the same time, on Lu Wu’s side.

He, in the midst of his fury, was about to pounce again, but his expression suddenly changed.

Because when he held Cimu Qingzi, he discovered there was a problem with the lady’s attribute.

...

Name: Cimu Qingzi

Power: King Level 1 Star

Summoned Beast: Ghost Cut (Evil Artifact) (King Level 1 Star) (Severely injured and in a coma)

Skills: Omitted

Summoner Talent: Life towards death (When dealt a fatal attack, forcibly keeps blood locked for a period of time, if sufficient energy can be replenished within a certain time there’s a hope of survival.)

...

Staring at Cimu Qingzi’s attribute, Lu Wu was stunned, she wasn’t dead?

Indeed, thanks to Cimu Qingzi’s Talent, she was in a horrific state, and her life force was rapidly draining away, but she was indeed still alive.

This pulled Lu Wu out of his state of fury.

His attention shifted from the impossible task of killing Ibaraki Gangyan, to taking Cimu Qingzi and leaving to find a way to save her.

In this regard, Lu Wu did have an ace up his sleeve.

He immediately took out the random teleportation item Zhang Yunyi had given him to prepare for escape.

However, Ibaraki Gangyan was not to be taken lightly.

As Lu Wu took out the item, Ibaraki Gangyan expanded his Domain again.

The instant the Domain was expanded, Lu Wu found his item malfunctioning; usage was possible, but the casting time increased, and during the cast, it was clear Ibaraki Gangyan had noticed what he was attempting.

"Escaping? Can you really escape?!"

With a cold snort from Ibaraki Gangyan, his Domain trembled, and Lu Wu’s casting was interrupted.

At the same time, Ibaraki Gangyan repelled Granny, who was entangling him, freeing his hand to reach out towards Lu Wu.

The force from the full-blown strike of someone above King-level was terrifying, not aimed to kill Lu Wu, yet the pressure was immense.

Lu Wu felt as though the air around him had solidified.

He struggled with all his might to resist but found he couldn’t move at all.

At this moment, Granny still had the strength to struggle.

A more miserable beast’s cry rang out, Granny’s power surged wildly, instantly reaching the ceiling of King-level, barely brushing the threshold above King-level.

"Break!"

Granny gave her all to break open Ibaraki Gangyan’s Domain, but her efforts proved futile.

Beings below King-level, no matter how hard they tried, could not match an opponent above that level.

Granny’s forceful outburst resulted in Ibaraki Gangyan suppressing her with a palm.

Not only was Granny suppressed, Lu Wu was also seized by Ibaraki Gangyan.

As he grabbed Lu Wu, Ibaraki Gangyan immediately focused on the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword in Lu Wu’s hand.

With a motion, the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword passed from Lu Wu’s hands into his.

At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten his own grandson, even the tragic death of 65 members of the Cimu family, his eyes only had room for the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword.

Ibaraki Gangyan had advanced to a level above King-level eighty years ago.

Eighty years ago, he broke through during an unusual occurrence, full of youthful vigor with aspirations of taking a step further above King-level, reaching the realms spoken of in legend.

But he quickly realized that the path above King-level was much harder than he anticipated.

Since his advancement, for decades, he had not made even a single step forward.

While just moments ago, as Lu Wu unleashed the "Divine Sword Skill," he discovered that his power, stagnant for decades, seemed to have shifted, allowing him to see hope for advancement.

The elation even allowed him to temporarily set aside his hatred for his beloved grandson’s murder and not kill Lu Wu on the spot.

At this very moment, Lu Wu observed the expression on Ibaraki Gangyan’s face and, without saying another word, activated "Beast Soul Burst." But this time, what burst forth was not Han but the "Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword."

"Clang!"

The sound of a sword’s mournful cry shook the air, and the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword trembled so vigorously it pained Ibaraki Gangyan’s heart.

"Stop it! Do you want to die?"

Furious, Ibaraki Gangyan grabbed Lu Wu by the throat, and the more he did so, the more at ease Lu Wu became.

It seemed he would not die just yet.

Lu Wu ceased the "Beast Soul Burst," his eyes fixed on the old man before him.

"Whatever you want, I’ll cooperate, but before that, could you please save Qingzi first? It’s a precondition for our cooperation!"

Ibaraki Gangyan narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Are you threatening me?"

"Yes," Lu Wu nodded.

Ibaraki Gangyan looked at Lu Wu, hesitated for a moment, and finally extended his hand to draw away the energy in Qingzi’s wounds belonging to him and poured a bottle of green potion over her injuries.

Lu Wu glanced at it, and the potion was of no small potency. After one bottle, Lu Wu could clearly feel Qingzi’s breath growing stronger and her wounds healing slowly.

The other party’s decisiveness and generosity took him by surprise.

But the actions did not stop there. After administering the potion to Qingzi, he struck Granny with the back of his hand—a single slap causing her feeble body to collapse on one side.

This move caused Lu Wu’s pupils to contract sharply.

Then, Ibaraki Gangyan remarked, "I hear the Sakuragi Family is on good terms with you?"

That statement turned Lu Wu’s face an iron shade of blue.

Ibaraki Gangyan, as the true master behind the Cimu family, now demonstrated the strength and tactics he should possess.

Saving Qingzi meant grasping Lu Wu’s bottom line, ensuring he would not take any radical actions that Ibaraki Gangyan would not want to see.

Striking Granny was to show Lu Wu the price of a threat, and mentioning the Sakuragi Family was to make clear who truly had the upper hand.

In just a few moves, Lu Wu was completely under his thumb.

And after securing Lu Wu, Ibaraki Gangyan’s gaze returned to the "Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword."

"This sword had only erupted half a month ago, right?

How is it that you can make it erupt again now?

And more so, to unleash a might and power not present during the last eruption half a month ago?"

Ibaraki Gangyan was particularly interested in this, as he had witnessed the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword’s previous eruption—potent in strength and aura, but lacking the divine essence that could stimulate the advancement of his power.

Curious, Ibaraki Gangyan pressed on.

"It is capable of absorbing the power of other Divine Artifacts to enhance its own strength!"

Lu Wu did not conceal this aspect and answered honestly.

"How does it absorb power? Are there any restrictions?"

"Direct absorption, once a week, not exceeding one major level of its own strength."

...

Ibaraki Gangyan inquired in great detail about all aspects of the "Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword."

Lu Wu answered seriously.

Their exchange was so amiable that one could hardly tell these two had just been bitter enemies locked in a life-or-death struggle.

In this absurd world, anything is possible.

After roughly understanding the situation of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword, Ibaraki Gangyan found a Lord Level Divine Artifact among the still-warm corpses of the Cimu family and handed it to Lu Wu, asking him to demonstrate how the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword absorbed energy on the spot.

Lu Wu cooperated honestly, activated his Summoner Talent called "King of Divine Artifacts," and spent half an hour draining the energy from the Lord Level Divine Artifact.

Ibaraki Gangyan watched as the state of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword improved continuously with the absorption, eventually not only returning to its pre-Divine Wrath condition but even surpassing it.

Seeing the restoration of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword, Ibaraki Gangyan couldn’t wait to have Lu Wu hit him with another blast.

After another bout of chaos.

Ibaraki Gangyan received something satisfactory.

This time, he felt a clearer enhancement of his power.

The Divine Wrath of the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword indeed could help him increase his strength.

Once this effect was confirmed, it meant that for the time being, both Lu Wu’s life and Cimu Qingzi’s life were spared.

Ibaraki Gangyan wouldn’t let Lu Wu die easily until he had fully exploited Lu Wu’s value.

But not letting Lu Wu die didn’t mean he would let Lu Wu off easily.

After Lu Wu used the second Divine Wrath, Ibaraki Gangyan took away everything from Lu Wu, including the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword.

Then, Lu Wu’s power was sealed, and he was taken into the dungeons of the Cimu family.

"Give him the cruelest punishment of the Cimu family every day, and don’t let him die!"

After dropping such a line, Lu Wu fell into the Cimu family’s dungeon.

On the first day of his entry into the Cimu family, Lu Wu experienced the cruelest punishment of the Cimu family.

It was a punishment that seemed gentle at a glance.

A punishment that left no visible marks on the surface.

They would inject a special liquid into the veins of the punished, which coursed through the body with the blood and caused unimaginable pain during its flow.

Even the resilient Lu Wu and Han, experiencing it for the first time, couldn’t bear it.

Lu Wu lasted only half an hour before fainting.

When he fainted, no one cared. The executioner would wake him up and make him endure the entire punishment consciously.

Ibaraki Gangyan wanted Lu Wu to suffer this kind of punishment to break his spirit before using various methods to tame him into an obedient dog.

This process wouldn’t take long.

Even the strongest person lasted at most seven days; Ibaraki Gangyan didn’t think Lu Wu could endure any longer than the previous one. Even if Lu Wu could withstand more than the previous man, it didn’t matter.

He had plenty of time.

If not in 7 days, then in 14 days; if not in 14 days, then in 28 days.

Ibaraki Gangyan believed that one day he would tame Lu Wu into the most obedient dog.

While he was tormenting Lu Wu, he was also making every effort to save Cimu Qingzi.

He wasn’t fully dedicated to saving Cimu Qingzi just because she was the last direct descendant of the Cimu family.

He just suddenly felt that letting Cimu Qingzi die so easily was too lenient for her.

To kill a person, you must crush their heart!

Didn’t she slaughter the entire Cimu family for Lu Wu?

Ibaraki Gangyan planned to nurse her back to health and then have her kill Lu Wu, or have Lu Wu kill her.

In short, he would do whatever it took to make them miserable.