Evil Mage Cultivation: The Immortal Enslavement Path Chapter 60

Within the Luo estate stood a grand pavilion. Inside it lay a secret chamber filled with mechanisms meant to block prying eyes and ears. Only those of the highest rank could enter, and every movement inside was recorded in detailed logs.

"Luo Chen, care to explain what is going on with the Sacred Tear Refiner?"

Today’s agenda was longer than usual. After finishing the usual clan matters, Luo Phen, the First Elder of the Luo clan, brought out the final topic of the day.

It was an emergency matter.

"S-Sacred Tear Refiner!?" Luo Fai, the Second Elder, an elderly woman, widened her eyes. Her expression turned sharp with anger. "That is a chamber reserved only for emergencies. What did you do?"

Seated at the highest position, Luo Chen let out a slow sigh. Not only had this meeting dragged on for hours, now he had to deal with this as well.

"I gave it to our dear guest," he said calmly.

"What!?"

Bang!

Luo Phen slammed his hand onto the table, shattering it into pieces. "You gave our clan treasure to an outsider!?"

"The authority to decide when it is used lies with the clan leader," Luo Chen replied coldly. His aura filled the room, heavy pressure spreading toward the elders as his gaze sharpened. "Which is me. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Ugh." The First Elder’s face twitched under the pressure.

Before he could speak again, another voice rose.

"Of course not, Clan Leader. But you must at least give us a reason."

The speaker was a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty. His voice carried confidence and restraint. Luo Bo was the newly appointed Third Elder, a fresh face among the seats of power.

"Even if the right to use it belongs to you," he continued, "whether this truly counts as an emergency should be decided by all of us together."

"And I hope you remember that personal use for one’s own benefit is strictly prohibited and can be considered treason."

His eyes narrowed like a snake’s, filled with venom.

"Yes, yes, he is right!" the Second Elder, Grandmother Luo Fai, quickly stood up in agreement. "If such a reckless decision damages our reputation, and if this secret spreads outside, will we even be able to protect it?"

The Sacred Tear Refiner was an extremely powerful formation, built by their Nascent Soul ancestor. Even outsiders would find it valuable enough to slaughter an entire clan for.

Because no matter how strong the Luo clan was within this town...

Compared to the old monsters outside, they were still nothing.

"Remember that our guest is the disciple of the Miracle Doctor himself. I am certain this will benefit us greatly in the long run," Luo Chen said, irritation flashing in his eyes as he looked at the Third Elder.

This was what he had endured for years.

Every meeting, the elders sought a chance to weaken his authority and replace him with a political puppet. Now they had found a crack, and Luo Chen understood the risk he had taken when he handed the refiner to Wu Han.

He knew his daughter had lied to obtain the map.

How could a girl who had spent most of her life isolated, suddenly lie to her own father, a man whose entire existence revolved around politics?

It had been his own judgment to give Wu Han the map.

And also a test, to see whether he could truly unlock the secret hidden within it.

The elders and even he himself had been alerted the moment the formation was activated, because the entire Luo clan system was interconnected.

Still, after learning that Wu Han had exhausted the reserves of the Sacred Tear Refiner, Luo Chen chose to defend him.

"Who cares!?" Luo Phen roared. "You only did this for your own daughter, didn’t you!?"

"We have already arranged her marriage. The selection ceremony will take place in two months. After she wins the tournament, the envoy of the Imperial Phoenix Family will come and take her away. She will be cured anyway."

The room fell silent at his words.

Luo Chen’s fist clenched in anger.

These useless old fools had sold his daughter without even asking his permission.

They had secretly sent letters to the imperial palace and issued a formal invitation for them to come and visit.

Of course, they wanted the Extreme Yin Physique.

As a cultivation cauldron.

The imperial family specialized in heavy Yang arts. His daughter would be the perfect vessel to further their cultivation.

"She will be sacrificed," Luo Chen thought coldly.

"It is a mess we can settle later. Both she and our guest are extremely talented, and with his master’s influence, I believe the imperial palace will be willing to show mercy and overlook this misunderstanding."

Luo Chen’s true plan was clear.

He would send his daughter to the imperial palace together with Wu Han.

It was a gamble, but at least this way, her fate would not be sealed yet.

As long as Zhong, the Miracle Doctor, stood beside her, even the imperial palace would know where to draw the line. They would be forced to give Luo Lan time to grow on her own, instead of using her as a tool and letting her die after bearing a child.

"That’s madness! You want us to die!?" Luo Fai screamed in panic.

She pointed at him with a trembling finger, enraged.

"Enough!!"

Luo Chen’s aura burst outward. The force of it drove Luo Fai back into her seat, her knees weakening as she collapsed.

"Our average cultivation level has dropped by two whole stages, and all you people can think about is how to profit from my daughter!"

His voice shook the hall.

"She has never been allowed to enjoy the rewards of the tournaments she won. Never had the feast she deserved. Never even had the right to choose her own man. And you fools still want to use her like a tool. Can you fools stop for once?"

Luo Chen had reached the end of his patience.

"You’re the fool here," Luo Bo sneered. "Your daughter is going to die anyway. Why waste resources on her? Wasn’t the secret underground chamber you built with clan funds already a huge expense just to prolong her life?"

He smirked.

"Maybe that’s why your wife—"

The words made both Luo Phen and Luo Fai stiffen in shock.

Luo Chen vanished.

In the next instant, he appeared before Luo Bo. His hand shot out and seized Luo Bo by the throat, lifting him into the air. The pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator crushed down on him.

Luo Bo could not even breathe.

"Say another word," Luo Chen said coldly, "and we will have a new Third Elder."

Luo Phen and Luo Fai watched in silence.

They dared to challenge him in politics.

They dared to argue about power and right.

But they would never insult his daughter.

And never, ever speak of his wife.

Because in the end...

Luo Chen was the strongest man in Azure Peak Town.

"I... s-sorry..."

Luo Bo choked as he struggled for breath, his face slowly turning purple.

"Hmp. If you dare say something so foolish again, there will be no warning."

Luo Chen released him and returned to his seat.

He let out a long sigh.

"A spy has learned that the Miracle Doctor Zhong has assigned a special mission to the Han clan."

His words alone shocked all three of them.

"How!?" Luo Phen blurted out. "Isn’t his disciple staying with us? If anything, it should be our clan carrying out his task!"

Luo Phen might have been skeptical of Luo Chen’s investment in the Miracle Doctor, but even he could not deny Zhong’s value.

He had seen how Luo Lan’s condition improved after just one visit.

He had seen the changes within the town.

The healing potions and lesser antidotes that spread at low prices worked better than even the most expensive alchemist products.

"That is what I want to know as well..." Luo Chen said quietly. "Or perhaps he saw how rotten we have become and chose another path."

He pressed his fingers to his temple.

"After all, his disciple lives among us. And he has already been challenged by some of our own disciples."

Luo Chen’s expression darkened.

It was not only their cultivation strength that had declined.

Their discipline. Their quality of character.

All of it had fallen in recent years.

"Then what should we do?" Luo Fai asked, panic creeping into her voice.

If the Miracle Doctor truly gave his support to the Han clan, then forget about seizing the clan leader’s authority.

They would not even be able to keep their position as the number one clan.

"Maybe we should—" Luo Bo tried to speak.

Luo Chen’s pressure slammed down on him, forcing him back into silence.

"You fools decided that the previous Third Elder broke clan rules by allowing him to learn the Origin Ember Heart Law," Luo Chen said coldly. "And when the one who helped him was expelled by all of you, do you even know how that made us look?"

His gaze swept across them.

"If he learns that the person who supported him was driven out by this council, what do you think he will believe about us?"

Before, the elder council had been split evenly, two voices against two.

But after the old Third Elder, the woman who had helped Wu Han reach the third floor of the cultivation tower, was voted out, everything changed.

Now Luo Chen was forced to deal with a new ambitious fool who had not even earned his seat.

"So what is your plan, Clan Leader?" Luo Phen asked.

"It’s simple. My plan is to—"

Knock. Knock.

Before he could finish, a knocking sound came from the sealed gate.

Only an emergency would warrant an interruption during a council meeting. Luo Chen halted the discussion and rose to open the door.

"What is it?" he demanded.

Outside stood Tong, the clan’s trusted lieutenant. Panic was written all over his face.

Behind him were two other figures, standing side by side.

"I-it’s... it—" Tong stammered, unable to finish his words.

Wu Han raised a hand, stopping him, and stepped forward.

"Esteemed elders and Clan Leader of the Luo clan," Wu Han said, bowing deeply.

Then he lifted his head, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Master Luo Chen, may I ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage?"