Chapter 111: "I'm a Buddhist, I don't kill."

Chapter 111: "I'm a Buddhist, I don't kill."

Just then—

Ning Wuping, surrounded by a group of young masters, noticed Chen Qiu and his companions standing amidst the crowd. He let out a cold laugh, waved his hand, and led his entourage of hangers-on towards Chen Qiu.

Standing before Chen Qiu, Ning Wuping intentionally used his spiritual energy to project his voice, ensuring everyone heard his mockery, "Oh, isn't this Chen Qiu who just obtained the Law Cult Heritage?"

"What?"

"You're still not satisfied, and you want to try your luck at obtaining the Supreme Treasure crafted by my grandfather, Ning Taiping, upon breaking through the Golden Core stage?"

"What were you doing earlier? Why didn't you bid just now? Was it because you couldn't afford it?"

"You said Artificers are all trash, so why are you silent now? Keep talking."

". . ."

Chen Qiu remained silent, merely glancing at Ning Wuping. He had one advantage; he never spoke much to the dead, as they would soon become vengeful spirits to cool his temper. There was no benefit in saying more.

The Artificers present frowned and whispered amongst themselves, all eyes on Chen Qiu.

"Did Chen Qiu really say that?"

"He must have said it. If he didn't, he would have refuted it. But Senior Ning and Ning Wuping mentioned it twice in front of him, and he didn't react at all. He's basically admitting he doesn't have the guts to refute it."

"Hmph, it's normal to be a little arrogant after obtaining the Law Cult Heritage."

For a moment, many people's gazes towards Chen Qiu carried a hint of disdain and contempt.

If they were alone with Chen Qiu, they wouldn't dare show such expressions. After all, he was Heaven's Pride, having obtained the Law Cult Heritage, and his abilities were surely superior to theirs. But Chen Qiu didn't retort even after being repeatedly insulted by Senior Ning and Ning Wuping.

This could only mean he was either weak-willed or aware of his inferior strength.

They could join in the mockery, and many did, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction as they openly ridiculed Heaven's Pride for the first time. It was a thrilling experience, as if they had suddenly risen above their station.

"Get back to your Northern Continent!"

Suddenly, a cultivator in the crowd shouted at Chen Qiu.

This seemed to embolden others, and they no longer whispered but joined in, shouting angrily at Chen Qiu.

"Fat City doesn't welcome scum like you!"

"Go back to the Northern Continent, you country bumpkin!"

"You're just lucky to have obtained the Law Cult Heritage; don't think you're someone important!"

"Acting all high and mighty, but you're just following Senior Ning, begging him to forge a Spirit Treasure for you."

"Pah! You're not worthy of being called Heaven's Pride!"

Ning Wuping hadn't expected this reaction, and almost everyone present was now emotionally charged, standing on his side. He felt like raising his arms and shouting, feeling even more satisfied as he looked at Chen Qiu with mocking laughter.

"Chen Qiu, I know you desperately need a Supreme Treasure to participate in the Heaven's Talent Competition in four days."

"If you can kneel here and bark like a dog three times in front of everyone..."

"I'll have my grandfather forge a new Foundation Establishment Peak Spirit Tool for you. How about it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone from the crowd rushed forward, knelt down, and barked three times, looking at Ning Wuping with anticipation, "Ning Wuping, I've barked three times. Can I have it now?"

"Get lost!"

Ning Wuping impatiently kicked him away, then fixed his gaze on Chen Qiu, his eyes darkening, "Don't take advantage of my kindness after all I've said."

"How long do you plan to stay silent?"

"So, the one who obtained the Law Cult Heritage is just a coward."

Laughter erupted from the crowd again.

At that moment—

"Haa!"

Ning Taiping, seated cross-legged and meditating, had almost completed his preparations. His face contorted as he roared, and forty-nine medium-grade Spirit Stones burst into a brilliant light, the spiritual energy from the Spirit Gathering Formation instantly absorbed by Ning Taiping.

His eyes shut tight, his face flushed, and steam rose from his body.

With that roar, the scene fell silent, everyone's gaze filled with envy and admiration as they looked at Ning Taiping in the center. A hint of curiosity flashed across Chen Qiu's face as well; this was the first time he had witnessed someone breaking through the Golden Core stage.

He then glanced at the old man in black robes beside Ning Taiping.

He couldn't sense this person's cultivation level.

But he guessed that this man was a Golden Core expert, invited by Ning Taiping to protect him during his breakthrough. It was risky to break through the Golden Core stage in public, but with a Golden Core protector, the danger was significantly reduced.

Chen Qiu's gaze quickly swept over the man in black, not lingering for long, lest he arouse suspicion.

The plan had changed.

If it were just a newly-broken-through Golden Core Artificer, he wouldn't need to use his trump card of self-destructing entries. He could handle it with his known strength, but now there was an unknown Golden Core protector.

A new plan was needed.

Attacking the protector with self-destructing entries wasn't a good idea. His success in killing the Ask Heaven Market's master was mainly due to the master's lack of caution against them, several Foundation Establishment cultivators. Additionally, the master's distracted state allowed Chen Qiu to self-destruct multiple entries, killing him before he could launch a Divine Sense attack.

The Golden Core protector would undoubtedly be alert, fearing interference during the critical breakthrough. From a distance, Chen Qiu's self-destructing entries at the Golden Core eighth stage might kill the protector, but he would also die from the protector's final Divine Sense counterattack.

He had the "Nine Heavens Divine Perception Array" set up by a Law Cult Heritage senior in his Sea of Divine Perception, which, although not fully effective at the Foundation Establishment stage, could defend against some Divine Sense attacks. He might severely injure himself and escape, but the Fat Dragon and the others would surely perish.

So the best choice is still...

"Flame Seven Kill Array Disc."

"Once formed, it can kill Golden Core Fifth Stage Cultivators at its peak."

He had obtained it from the Ask Heaven Market's leader, and using it here was just perfect. As long as that Golden Core protector didn't have the cultivation level of a Golden Core Fifth Stage, he would most likely die.

As for the other onlookers here...

Chen Qiu calmly glanced at the surrounding crowd who had come to witness the ceremony, and a middle-aged man standing next to him, seeing Chen Qiu's gaze, immediately raised his fist in the air with contempt, threatening, "Look at your father again, and I'll smash your head!"

Chen Qiu turned towards the middle-aged man's fist, which was raised in the air, and suddenly couldn't help but laugh, "I see your cultivation level is only at the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, while mine is at the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer, and I've even obtained the Law Cultivator heritage. Even without mentioning my fame, I'm not afraid of you."

"With your cultivation level, how dare you speak to me like this?"

"When I was at your level, I wasn't so brave."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's pupils regained a hint of clarity, and he slightly retracted his head, but remembering Chen Qiu's previous weakness, he still stubbornly scoffed, "If you have the guts, go complain to Senior Ning or Young Master Ning."

"What's the big deal about bragging to me?"

"Useless."

After this verbal exchange, perhaps the middle-aged man also felt something was amiss, and quickly retreated to the back of the crowd, changing his position to continue witnessing the ceremony.

"Good."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly, then remained silent, standing quietly like the others, witnessing the ceremony. The vast Life Energy from the Medium-grade Spirit Stones was almost completely absorbed into Ning Taiping's body.

Suddenly, Ning Taiping's eyes snapped open, and his eyes shone with brilliance. The Golden Core in the jade box instantly flew into the air, and under the impact of the surging Life Energy, it turned into powder and merged into his body.

Then—

Ning Taiping waved his left hand, and a brown forging furnace slammed heavily onto the ground. He waved his hand again, and countless Heavenly Materials fell into the furnace.

As the Life Energy continued to surge out, orange flames rose within the furnace.

The heat wave constantly pushed back the onlookers, and those with lower cultivation levels couldn't help but retreat a few steps.

In just a few hundred breaths—

Ning Taiping shouted again, and a silver-white liquid-solid mass flew straight out of the furnace, hovering in mid-air. Ning Taiping didn't hesitate; he took a hammer from his embrace and, borrowing the power of heaven and earth that a Golden Core cultivator could touch, he quickly hammered with a flushed face.

His hammering was incredibly fast.

Only countless hammering shadows could be seen.

The silver-white liquid-solid mass in mid-air gradually took the shape of a long sword under the countless blows, until Ning Taiping shouted again and slammed the long sword into the prepared Yin Water beside him.

"Sizzle!"

The red-hot long sword dropped into the Yin Water, emitting a sizzling sound like cold water being poured into a hot oil pan.

Then, Ning Taiping, with a flushed face and his entire body's cultivation rising, grabbed the silver-white long sword with his right hand without hesitation, ignoring the heat. He held the sword in the air, pointing it towards the sky.

At this moment—

Under the sky full of sparks, Ning Taiping's white beard was dyed orange-red, and his cultivation finally entered the Golden Core First Layer. The Supreme Treasure was also completely forged.

"I've succeeded, Master Dao!"

Ning Taiping stood in the open space among the crowd, pointing his sword towards the sky, his face flushed as he looked up at the dense clouds that had gathered above his head without him noticing. The depression in his chest vanished, and he felt the vast and powerful Life Energy within him. He was extremely excited and proud, roaring loudly.

"I've succeeded! Haha, I've finally made it!"

Everything went according to his plan, stepping into the Golden Core stage under everyone's watchful eyes, gaining the greatest prestige, and everything was normal. Moreover, there was an unexpected joy—Chen Qiu, who had just obtained the Law Cultivator heritage, came to him, allowing him to step on Chen Qiu's rising momentum and gather even stronger power for himself.

Who asked you to seek help from others?

He had no reason not to step on him.

But...was this dense cloud a bit too thick, and a bit too close to him?

The next moment! A powerful Life Energy fluctuation instantly enveloped the entire Cauldron Peak. Everyone was caught off guard as tens of thousands of white lines composed of Life Energy formed a cage-like structure, covering the peak.

Ning Taiping, who hadn't realized what was happening, was already pale-faced. The Golden Core protector he had arranged in advance grabbed Ning Taiping's right arm and tried to escape before the array was fully formed!

It's the array disc! And it's a Golden Core Fifth Stage array disc!

He was only at the Golden Core Third Layer, and there was no way he could withstand it.

However...

It was too late. The tens of thousands of Life Energy lines quickly converged in the air, forming an enormous Life Energy prison made of vast Life Energy.

The Golden Core protector turned into a golden glow, colliding with the Life Energy prison wall and bouncing back, his face turning pale as he scanned the surroundings in fear. His throat trembled as he said, "Ning Taiping, this is a Golden Core Fifth Stage array disc. The array is complete, and there's no escape."

"It's an array disc that primarily attacks with Earthfire, and those below the Golden Core Fifth Stage will surely die."

"Such an array disc is not cheap. Who have you offended to make them use such a grand method to kill you?"

"I..."

At this moment, Ning Taiping also lost his composure, his entire body shaking with fear, his voice even turning into a sob.

When he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he feared everything—poverty, lack of prospects, but not death.

When he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he gained some fame and started to fear death a little, but he wouldn't back down when it was time to fight.

Now that he had stepped into the Golden Core stage, his future was just beginning, and he feared nothing but death.

Just then—

"First Kill, Earthfire."

The air suddenly formed words made of Life Energy.

The scorching heatwave instantly swept across the entire mountain peak, and a massive surge of life energy condensed into blue flames, engulfing the ground in an instant. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators who didn't have time to fly into the air were engulfed by the flames, wailing in agony as they fell into the sea of fire.

The blue flames seemed like corrosive poison; once touched, they couldn't be extinguished.

At this moment, Chen Qiu and the others were sitting in mid-air.

"Tsk."

Fat Dragon was looking at the words formed by life energy in the sky with great interest: "The Formation Cultivator who created this array seems to have a sense of ceremony, adding this little thing, the Flame Seven Kill Array Disc. It seems to imply that there are seven kills in total."

Just then—

The Golden Core protector in mid-air also noticed Fat Dragon sitting there with a smile. He instantly realized something, his expression turning grim as he sent his Divine Sense surging towards the group. Only the perpetrator of such a grand formation would be so carefree amidst the chaos.

These people were merely at the Foundation Establishment level, and his Divine Sense could easily kill them by invading their Sea of Divine Perception.

With the main array controller dead, the formation would naturally collapse.

However, just as his Divine Sense attack, which was almost always effective against Foundation Establishment cultivators, was about to reach Chen Qiu and the others, a faint blue light shield suddenly emerged around them, rendering his attack completely ineffective, like a stone sinking into the ocean.

This commotion caught Fat Dragon's attention.

He looked at the Golden Core protector whose face was filled with anxiety and fear, then raised his hand and knocked on the faint blue light shield that had enclosed them, grinning: "What are you thinking, buddy? This is a middle-grade Golden Core array disc. Do you think there's no way to protect the main array controller?"

"This is the array core."

"The array core won't be broken until the formation is broken."

"Ask the old man in your hand. Didn't he just say that I, Lord Ye, have succeeded? I'd like to see what he meant by that. He was so excited, as if I had become invincible in the world."

-

"Second Kill, Flaming Sky."

-

The air once again formed words made of life energy.

Countless flame-like chrysanthemum flowers suddenly emerged from the flower sea on the ground and began shooting into the air. Numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators were instantly killed upon contact!

"Please, please!"

At this moment—

Ning Wuping, barely surviving with the protection of his body's spirit treasure, knelt in the sea of fire, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness. He raised his head towards Chen Qiu and the others in the air, trembling with anger and shouting hoarsely: "Please let us go! We only cursed at you a few times, what crime did we commit to deserve this?"

"If you kill over a minor quarrel, what's the difference between you and evil cultivators?"

"If you felt uncomfortable, couldn't you have cursed back?"

"It was just a small matter, today was supposed to be a day of great joy, everything was perfect, why did you have to ruin everything? Why?!"

By the end, Ning Wuping stood up, his eyes filled with unwillingness and anger, and glared at Chen Qiu with a hideous roar.

"Is it because you didn't forge a spirit treasure for me?"

"Is it because you took my two entry scrolls?"

"You're so petty, unworthy of being an Alchemy Cultivator!!!"

". "

Chen Qiu glanced at Ning Wuping, who was furious below, and waved his hand casually. Countless sparks enveloped Ning Wuping, and life energy surged out, retrieving the storage ring from his embrace. The hideous roar suddenly stopped, and he still didn't say a word.

Only when he saw Ning Wuping's vengeful spirit appear on his shoulder did he chuckle, patting its head.

"Much cooler now."

It had to be said that these Artifact Cultivators carried quite a few treasures on them.

"Chen Qiu!"

Many Artifact Cultivators, relying on their spirit treasures, were barely surviving in the sea of fire. Seeing that Ning Wuping's pleas were ineffective, they gritted their teeth and threatened Chen Qiu with sinister smiles.

"My grandfather is an elder of the Ten Thousand Artifacts Gate in Fat Province. If you kill me, he will use all his connections to hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"

"If you let me go, this matter will be over."

"My master is..."

"My family is..."

". "

Chen Qiu looked at the Artifact Cultivators in the sea of fire below, who had just mocked and insulted him, and waved his hand again. Countless sparks instantly enveloped them, and no more voices could be heard.

Before the "Third Kill" could fall, only the two Golden Core cultivators remained on the mountain peak.

"Young friend."

Ning Taiping, suspended in mid-air, was so distressed by his grandson's death that he didn't even have time to grieve. His face turned pale as he stared at Chen Qiu, pleading with a trembling voice: "Killing me won't benefit you. Spare me, and I'll be your servant."

"I'll forge spirit treasures for you for the rest of my life."

"My forging skills are excellent, and I can provide the greatest value if I stay alive."

"Killing me serves no purpose. I know you might have some misunderstandings about me, but I can assure you that I have no ill intentions towards you. I only wanted to surpass you, never to kill you."

"Spare my life. I've just advanced to the Golden Core stage, and my life has just begun. I can't die in such a remote and impoverished place!"

Chen Qiu's expression remained calm as he met Ning Taiping's pleading eyes, which concealed deep resentment. He laughed and responded for the first time.

"You're wrong."

"Your death is of greater value to me."

"And this isn't a remote and impoverished place. Isn't this Cauldron Peak, the sacred land of Artifact Cultivators?"

Just then—

"Third Kill, Fire Rain."

Dense flames, like rain, shot towards the two from the sky.

Half an hour later.

The array disc that supported the entire formation finally shattered as the life energy was exhausted, and the formation slowly dissipated, revealing the entire Cauldron Peak, which had been over a hundred feet tall, was now gone. Amidst the dense fire rain, there were no corpses, no blood, only the intense heatwave, reminding the world to stay warm during the winter.

Chen Qiu stepped out of the formation, his mood considerably improved by the lingering heat from the residual flames. The scorching heat was a welcome contrast to the low temperatures caused by the vengeful spirits, creating a perfect and comfortable balance.

The storage rings and bags of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been completely destroyed.

However, Ning Taiping's and the Golden Core Guardian's nine storage rings were already safely tucked away in Chen Qiu's embrace.

Chen Qiu was quite curious about the possessions of an Artificer, especially since Ning Taiping alone had seven storage rings.

Moreover, his harvest far exceeded his expectations.

Not only was Ning Taiping a Second Rank Golden Core, but the Golden Core Guardian was also a Second Rank Golden Core. This meant he had acquired two Second Rank Golden Cores, and now he only needed seven more to reach his goal of nine.

It was indeed a double celebration.

After the restrictions on the storage rings were removed, he found at least ten thousand Spirit Stones, which perfectly replenished his currently depleted supply. The over ten thousand Spirit Stones he had spent at the auction would be reimbursed, and even after deducting the service fee, he should still have at least ten thousand left.

Just then—

"Clap, clap, clap."

The crisp sound of applause suddenly echoed through the night.

A young woman with a hint of charm in her appearance stood atop a tall stone, wearing a low-cut qipao with her legs crossed. She looked down at Chen Qiu with a smile that seemed both amused and mocking, "Not bad, little guy. You've really exceeded expectations by obtaining the Law Cult Heritage."

"Congratulations on catching my eye. Now you can—"

Before she could finish her sentence—

Over two thousand Lightning Dragons abruptly appeared in mid-air, exuding an incredibly terrifying might. They silently roared towards the woman whom Chen Qiu had locked onto with his Divine Sense.

The woman's smile froze, and her face paled as she quickly retreated. However, her reaction was a split second too slow.

After countless explosions—

Chen Qiu's expression remained indifferent as he glanced at the deep pit that had replaced the giant stone. He waved his hand dismissively and continued walking forward, muttering nonchalantly, "These days, anyone can act tough."

"Do they have the strength to back it up?"

"I like to call it."

Just then—

A middle-aged man with a pained and furious expression suddenly emerged from the bushes. After seeing the woman's body shattered into pieces, he glared at Chen Qiu with a hideous expression, and his Foundation Establishment Apex cultivation surged forth without restraint.

"You dare kill my young miss! You're dead meat!"

"No one can mess with us!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was engulfed by over a thousand Lightning Dragons, and his words abruptly ceased.

"Unbelievable."

Chen Qiu shook his head and continued on his way.

However, at that moment—

The Ning family members, who were originally planning to celebrate the Supreme Elder's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, were shocked to see that Cauldron Peak had been reduced to rubble. They noticed Fat Dragon holding a long sword with the Supreme Elder's aura in his hands, and their faces turned pale. A glimmer of disbelief flashed through their minds, and they immediately blocked Chen Qiu and the others.

"Stop right there, old man!"

"Boom!"

After over a thousand Lightning Dragons struck, the entire world fell silent once again.

No one else came.

". . ."

Chen Qiu stood in place, gazing at the bright moon overhead with a dazed expression, and muttered, "It's getting colder. I'm feeling a bit chilly."

He couldn't understand why these people were so bold, whether it was the Ning family or the onlookers. Why would a Foundation Establishment Third Layer cultivator dare to provoke him, thinking that numbers would protect them?

He also couldn't fathom why the Ning family was so fearless, disregarding him even after knowing that he had obtained the Law Cult Heritage, which hadn't been passed down for over a thousand years.

Moreover, why did they insist on calling him a Loose Cultivator? It sounded truly unpleasant.

Didn't they know he had a Sect? Had everyone forgotten this fact?

Chen Qiu stood in place, turned around, and looked back at the flattened Cauldron Peak. He smacked his lips and suddenly turned back, setting up a sign amidst the ruins with four lines of words carved on it:

"I'm a Buddhist, I don't kill."

"Who said that?"

"They said it."

"Mock Heaven Sect Master, Chen Qiu."

If he were just an ordinary genius, being publicly humiliated and used as a stepping stone at the start of his journey would have been a life-and-death grudge that could destroy his Dao heart.

Blocking his path would be a deadly enmity.

And yet, Ning Wuping dared to say it was just a few words of insult.

Chen Qiu was indeed surprised by this.

Shaking his head, Chen Qiu didn't linger any longer. He led Scholar and the others, and within a few breaths, they returned to the inn in Fat City.

It was almost midnight.

His Celestial Path Cultivation Pill for the day should have arrived, so he needed to cultivate promptly.

Only with a higher cultivation level could he remain unperturbed in the face of this unexplained hostility. It was a matter of confidence. If he had only been at the Foundation Establishment First Layer and suddenly experienced this, perhaps he would have felt resentment in his heart.

But he wasn't.

He could remain emotionally unaffected even when insulted, and he had no desire to engage in pointless conversations with the dead.

Fat City, Inn.

Scholar and the others had already returned to their rooms to rest, and Fat Dragon had also retired after collecting the Celestial Path Cultivation Pills in the Little World and delivering them to Chen Qiu.

Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed alone.

After circulating his cultivation techniques for several weeks, he focused his mind and entered the Little World. He flew on his sword above the back mountain of the Mock Heaven Sect and took out a long sword, aiming it at his own arm and stabbing it repeatedly.

His spiritual energy had been almost depleted at Cauldron Peak, so he replenished it before cultivating. After all, there was no rush, and he could save some Spirit Stones.

Under the combined effects of the "Revival Breeze" and "For My Use" techniques, the wounds on his arm healed rapidly, and his spiritual energy also recovered at an accelerated rate.

After less than a thousand stabs—

His spiritual energy had been completely replenished, and the efficiency was impressive.

With the "Slippery Hands" technique in effect, Chen Qiu's entire body continuously teleported in mid-air, creating a rather eerie sight.

Chen Qiu nodded, looking at his arm, which didn't even have a scratch. Suddenly, he thought of something and turned his head, deep in thought.

The Artificer had died too soon.

He really needed an Artificer now.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end