Chapter 220: Missed Opportunity, Changing World, Spirit Energy Emerges

"Why can't I calculate it!"

The disheveled figure stared at the pebbles scattered before him, forming a peculiar array, and madness flashed in his eyes.

"Why can't my calculation method predict the location of that Lu Qing and his group? Even though the laws of the world are changing, the transformation is not yet complete. At most, it can only confuse the senses of mortal predictors. In theory, it shouldn't be able to block my heart demon calculation."

The disheveled figure was perplexed. He glanced at the still-pouring rain outside the cave and suddenly realized something.

"Is it because this cold, killing rain has completely concealed their traces?"

"No wonder you're the child of fortune. Even the heavens themselves are helping you hide your secrets, Lu Qing. The fortune you carry is truly enviable."

"However, the more so, the more valuable you become. I can't wait to devour you."

A chilling light shone in the disheveled figure's eyes.

He had a hunch that if he could swallow Lu Qing, he would gain his fortune.

Perhaps it would be even more beneficial than devouring a hundred young geniuses. Then, he would become the one with the strongest fortune at the beginning of the revival of spirit energy!

"Just you wait, Lu Qing. You won't escape my grasp. Since I can't find your trace, I'll go straight to Zhongzhou and wait for you there. I refuse to believe that the heavens will protect you at all times. I've killed a child of fortune before, so you're nothing special!"

A gloomy and vicious voice echoed from within the cave, and the next moment, the disheveled figure disappeared.

He didn't know how long this cold, killing rain would last, but he had lost patience and couldn't afford to wait any longer.

What if Lu Qing reached Zhongzhou before him? Then, he didn't know how much effort it would take to find the boy again.

The disheveled figure sprinted through the rain, an unusual aura surrounding him. It kept the mysterious cold and killing intent of the rain at bay.

Although the killing intent was troublesome, the world had just begun to change, and both spirit energy and killing intent were still weak and couldn't harm a strong cultivator like him.

The disheveled figure continued to rush forward, heading in the direction of Zhongzhou.

He didn't stop even when he passed through small towns, forging ahead without rest.

Soon, he sped through a forest, unaware of anything, and continued on his way.

"Hmm?"

Lu Qing, who was in the midst of refining the Earth Spirit Pearl, suddenly opened his eyes, his spiritual sense stirring.

At the same time, the old doctor who was reading a medical book also looked up.

Little Li's ears twitched, but seeing that Lu Qing didn't move, he went back to playing chess with Xiao Yan.

The divine soul talisman between Lu Qing's eyebrows trembled slightly, and his spiritual sense extended outward, greatly increasing its range.

However, he found nothing.

A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.

Just now, while he was immersed in refining the Earth Spirit Pearl, he suddenly felt an extremely evil aura flash by at the edge of his spiritual sense.

But when he tried to sense it carefully, the aura had already disappeared.

He glanced at his master's expression and knew that he probably hadn't found the source of the aura either.

After pondering for a moment without gaining any insight, and with the aura not reappearing, Lu Qing decided to put it out of his mind for now.

However, he remained vigilant.

The aura from earlier, although not powerful, was more evil than anything he had ever encountered.

He thought of what Zhi Rui, the master of Tianji Tower, had said: "The world is undergoing a great change, and evil beings are rampant. Could that aura from earlier be one of them?"

It was a pity that he had been focused on refining the Earth Spirit Pearl and hadn't been able to capture that aura immediately. Otherwise, he would have gone out to investigate.

The rain lasted for three consecutive days before finally stopping.

During those three days, no one had come to the Taoist temple, which put Fang Tao and the others at ease.

The people from Liuyun Sect were probably also hindered by the heavy rain and had lost track of them for the time being.

On the morning of the fourth day, sunlight shone into the temple, filling Lu Qing and the others with delight.

The rain had stopped, which meant they no longer had to remain confined to the temple and could finally set out on their journey.

"Old Doctor Chen, Young Master Lu, the rain has finally stopped. I think it's time for us to part ways."

At this moment, Fang Tao approached with his daughter and disciples.

"Thank you, Old Doctor Chen and Young Master Lu, for your treatment. Xiao Rou is forever grateful and will remember this kindness," Fang Rou said, bowing gracefully to the old doctor and Lu Qing.

Over the past three days, with the old doctor's acupuncture treatment and Lu Qing's medicinal meals, Fang Rou's condition had improved rapidly. Not only had her injuries healed significantly, but she was also able to get out of bed and walk around. Aside from still being a bit weak, she was mostly recovered.

Chapter: "The Journey Begins"

"There's no need to be so polite." The old doctor helped her up, "The fact that you're recovering so quickly is also due to your body's strong foundation. Otherwise, no matter how good the medicine is, it wouldn't have taken effect so soon."

"However, you should also remember that in the coming days, you should refrain from strenuous activity and continue to rest and recuperate to make a full recovery."

"Yes, I understand, Uncle Chen." Fang Rou replied obediently.

"Old Doctor Chen, since we have troubles of our own, we shall take our leave here. These past few days, we've imposed on you and Young Master Lu, and I, Fang Tao, shall never forget this kindness. If the opportunity arises, I will definitely repay it tenfold." Fang Tao bowed deeply.

Although the Liuyun Sect hadn't pursued them during these few days, he remained vigilant. Now that the rain had stopped, it was the perfect opportunity to get a head start on their journey. Only when they reached Qingzhou could they truly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Take care, Fang Zhuangzhu." The old doctor nodded in agreement.

"Goodbye, Sister Fang!"

Little Yan, who had occasionally played with Fang Rou during their stay, came to bid her farewell as well.

"Goodbye, Little Yan."

As Fang Tao and his group prepared to leave, their figures gradually fading into the distance, the atmosphere was filled with a sense of reluctance and sadness at parting ways.

"Master, should we be on our way as well?" Lu Qing suggested at this moment.

"Yes, we've lingered here for a few days, it's time to move on." The old doctor nodded in agreement.

"I'll go and get everything ready." Magu left to make the necessary preparations.

Once Magu had harnessed the horses to the carriage and Lu Qing had gathered their belongings, they were ready to depart.

"Hmm?"

As Lu Qing stepped out of the main hall and stood outside, his expression shifted as he turned to his master.

"Master, it feels like something about the world has changed."

"Yes, it has." The old doctor nodded, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Yes, I feel it too, Old Doctor. Perhaps it's because of the recent rain, but the air today feels especially fresh and invigorating." Magu added his observations as well.

"Alright, let's get going. We can discuss this on the way." The old doctor, carrying their belongings, climbed into the carriage.

"Yah!"

Once Lu Qing and the others were settled in the carriage, Magu snapped the reins and the carriage began its journey downhill, leaving the temple behind.

Seated in the carriage, Lu Qing's soul power quietly extended outwards, sensing and exploring the surrounding space.

He felt a subtle, indescribable force permeating the heavens and the earth, infusing everything with a newfound vitality.

"Is this spiritual energy?"

Lu Qing's soul power sensed the ethereal essence, and a realization dawned on him.

However, this essence was still extremely weak and had not yet significantly affected the world.

Weaker cultivators would be unable to detect these subtle changes.

Only those with powerful soul power, like Lu Qing and the old doctor, could perceive the underlying mysteries.

They could sense the changes, but attempting to absorb and refine this ethereal essence was beyond their current capabilities.

Lu Qing's acupoints remained closed, preventing him from drawing in this energy.

As for the old doctor, he lacked the knowledge of cultivation techniques and didn't know how to refine this mysterious energy.

"Now that spiritual energy has truly started to revive, perhaps it's time for me to teach Master a method of cultivating qi." Lu Qing thought to himself.

His master was a powerful innate realm expert with open acupoints.

In the path of cultivation, a head start meant a continuous advantage.

If his master could learn to refine and absorb spiritual energy, his cultivation might even experience a qualitative leap.

As Lu Qing was deep in thought, he suddenly sensed a strange disturbance. Upon further investigation, he realized that the disturbance was coming from the Qiankun One Qi Bag at his waist.

"Do you want to absorb the spiritual energy in the world?"

Lu Qing was surprised by the fluctuations emanating from the Qiankun One Qi Bag.

However, he quickly understood the reason.

Of course, his acupoints were still closed, temporarily preventing him from absorbing and refining spiritual energy.

But the Qiankun One Qi Bag, being a spiritual artifact, had no such limitations.

Lu Qing's consciousness stirred, and he activated the restrictions within the Qiankun One Qi Bag.

Immediately, an invisible force emanated from the bag, drawing in the ethereal essence that permeated the heavens and the earth, pulling it into the bag.

Seated in the carriage, the old doctor, who had been meditating with his eyes closed to sense the changes in the world, noticed this shift and opened his eyes.

However, upon realizing that the change was emanating from Lu Qing, he merely smiled and closed his eyes again, continuing his meditation without a word.

He had long since become accustomed to the mysterious occurrences surrounding Lu Qing.

Unless Lu Qing offered an explanation, he would never inquire about them.

Chapter: "Trouble in Qingfeng Town"

"Because Lu Qing and the Old Doctor are both immersed in their cultivation, the carriage continued its slow journey in silence.

Despite the heavy rainfall over the past few days, the road remained surprisingly free of mud and sludge. In fact, the rain had washed away the dirt, leaving the path looking refreshed and much cleaner. Aside from a few soft and muddy patches, there weren't any major issues.

However, the horse-drawn carriage that Wei Jia had specially commissioned for a hefty sum easily navigated these minor obstacles.

As the carriage continued along the official road, the surroundings gradually became more populated.

"Old Doctor, I just asked around, and Qingfeng Town is right ahead. Should we go in?" Magu asked.

The Old Doctor pondered for a moment before replying, "Let's go in. We've depleted quite a bit of our supplies over the past few days, and we need to restock."

During their stay at the Taoist temple, they had shared their food and provisions with Fang Tao and his group since they had lost their luggage. As a result, their supplies had diminished rather quickly.

If they didn't replenish their stocks, they wouldn't be able to sustain themselves for long.

"Yes," Magu acknowledged.

He steered the horses and drove the carriage toward the town.

Clip-clop, clip-clop... Before long, Magu spotted a town appearing in the distance.

Just as he was about to snap the reins to urge the horses forward, he noticed several people running toward them in a panic, glancing back anxiously as they stumbled along.

"Whoa!"

Just as the carriage was about to collide with the people, Magu pulled hard on the reins, bringing the horses to a halt.

He then scolded the startled individuals, who had nearly been run over: "Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Can't you see there's a carriage here?"

"Master, what's going on?" Wei Zian poked his head out of the carriage.

"Nothing, just a few clumsy fellows not watching where they're going. They almost got themselves trampled," Magu replied irritably.

"Are they alright?" the Old Doctor asked, concerned.

"Yes, I pulled the reins in time, and we didn't hit them," Magu assured him.

However, the Old Doctor's gaze fell upon the individuals who had been startled by the near collision and were now picking themselves up from the ground. He noticed their anxious expressions, drenched in sweat, and immediately understood their distressed state. Just as he was about to get down from the carriage to check on them, he saw them scramble to their feet and dash off in the direction they had come from.

One of them, while running, called out: "Old man, you should flee too! There's a group of evil men in the town, randomly killing people! If you don't run now, you might suffer the same fate!"

"People are being randomly killed in the town?"

The Old Doctor's expression changed, and he looked toward the town.

Before he could get a clear view, a cold voice rang out: "You little brat, where do you think you're running? Your master, senior martial brother, and senior martial sister have all been captured. Do you really think you can escape by yourself? If you kneel and beg for mercy right now, I might consider sparing you some pain and suffering!"

At the same time, a familiar figure stumbled into view, running awkwardly toward them.

"It's Sister Zhao!"

Little Yan's sharp eyes immediately recognized the approaching figure.

Lu Qing and the others also recognized the person as Zhao Qianlin, one of Fang Tao's disciples, with whom they had spent several days at the Taoist temple.

However, in the short time they hadn't seen each other, Zhao Qianlin's appearance had changed drastically. Her hair was disheveled, and her body bore several bloody wounds. Without her weapon, she could only clutch her shoulder and run unsteadily.

Behind her, more than a dozen figures were in pursuit.

The cold voice belonged to the leader of the group, a middle-aged man dressed in gray.

Hearing Little Yan's childish voice calling out to her, Zhao Qianlin looked up and initially felt relieved. But then, remembering her master's instructions, her expression changed, and she bit her lip, veering off toward the nearby woods.

"You little brat, how dare you ignore me!"

The gray-clad man had been enjoying the sight of Zhao Qianlin's desperate escape, but her disregard for his words and attempt to flee into the woods irritated him.

His face darkened, and he took a hard bow and arrow from one of his companions. He nocked an arrow and drew the string, aiming directly at Zhao Qianlin's knee.

The arrow flew swiftly and fiercely, and Zhao Qianlin, already exhausted, was unable to dodge in time.

Despair filled Zhao Qianlin's eyes as she watched the arrow hurtling toward her knee.

Ding!

Just then, a crisp sound rang out.

The arrow, which had been about to pierce Zhao Qianlin's knee, suddenly veered off course as if struck by something. It narrowly grazed her leg and embedded itself in the ground beside her.

"Who dares?!"

The gray-clad man was astonished that someone had dared to interfere with his sure-hit arrow.

His face darkened as he directed his gaze toward the carriage.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end