Chapter 230: Encounter on the Road, A Call for Death

Master's breakthrough has bolstered Lu Qing's confidence in their journey to Yunzhou.

Having reached the pinnacle of the Initial Heaven stage, coupled with his dual innate true qi and his innate domain, Lu Qing surmised that his master would now be a force to be reckoned with, even against a true Great Perfection of the Innate Realm.

Even the most powerful Innate Realm experts from Liuyun Sect might not be as formidable as a Great Perfection. Otherwise, Liuyun Sect wouldn't be just one of the three major sects in Yunzhou.

After breakfast, Lu Qing and his companions resumed their journey.

It was a bit odd, as they had officially entered Yunzhou territory and had been traveling along the official roads, yet they hadn't encountered anyone from Liuyun Sect for several days.

Lu Qing wondered if Liuyun Sect hadn't sent anyone to look for their young sect master yet, or if they had taken a different route.

If it was the latter, it wouldn't bode well for Lu Qing and his group.

Just as Lu Qing was contemplating whether to find an excuse to rush back and check on the situation, his expression shifted as he looked ahead.

Soon, he spotted a group of powerful martial artists riding tall horses toward them, stirring up clouds of dust in their wake.

"It's true when they say you get what you think about." Lu Qing murmured.

"What is it, Qing?" The old doctor lifted the carriage curtain and asked.

Before Lu Qing could answer, the mounted martial artists ahead shouted loudly.

"Get out of the way, carriage ahead! Move aside within three breaths, or you shall die!"

Three breaths passed in an instant, and Magu could only bring the carriage to a halt, unable to move it off the road in time.

Upon seeing this, the martial artists' expressions turned grim. A gust of wind picked up, and several long whips lashed out toward the carriage.

From the whistling sound, it was clear that if the carriage was struck, it would either be reduced to pieces or flipped over by the road due to the immense force contained in the whips.

Magu's face changed, and just as he was about to block the attack, he heard a series of sharp sounds by his ear.

The few martial artists who had taken action suddenly cried out, blood splattering from their foreheads as they toppled from their horses. The long whips in their hands went limp, failing to reach the carriage.

"What?!"

This sudden turn of events took the opposing group by surprise.

The fall of the leading martial artists particularly shocked them.

Fortunately, the group from Liuyun Sect consisted of skilled martial artists, adept at riding horses. In this critical moment, they pulled on the reins and leaped with their horses, avoiding the gruesome fate of being trampled by their own companions.

However, this also meant that everyone was now blocked.

Even if they hadn't been stopped, these martial artists wouldn't have simply left.

They realized that although their fallen companions hadn't been trampled, they also hadn't gotten up or even moved. They were dead!

"Brother Zhao!"

"Brother Huang!"

"Brother Wang!"

This shock was no small matter.

The deceased were all exceptional martial artists, at least at the Great Perfection stage of the Sinew Changing Realm. Yet, they had died in an instant.

The faces of all the martial artists turned ashen.

"Who dares to ambush us and seek death?!"

A robust man with a date-red complexion, a long saber at his waist, shouted at the carriage.

"The scum of Liuyun Sect never changes. No matter where they go, they act arrogantly and trample on people's lives." Lu Qing said coldly before the martial artists could fully recover from their shock.

"Brother Lu Qing, are you sure these people are from Liuyun Sect?" Magu asked.

"Yes, look at their clothing." Lu Qing replied.

Magu focused his gaze and noticed that the martial artists' attire was indeed familiar, especially the flowing clouds embroidered on their sleeves, which matched those of the Liuyun Sect disciples they had slain in Qingfeng Town a few days ago.

"They truly are the dregs of Liuyun Sect." Magu realized.

"You brat, how dare you insult us?!"

"You know nothing of death!"

"You're asking for it!"

The Liuyun Sect disciples were furious at the blatant insult from Lu Qing and Magu.

The leading man with the date-red complexion had a cold glint in his eyes. With a ring, his long saber was unsheathed, and its chilling light reached Magu in an instant.

It was clear to the date-red man that Lu Qing's cultivation was not high, only at the Qi and Blood Realm, and Magu was at most at the Great Perfection of the Sinew Changing Realm.

It was impossible for the two of them to have taken down their companions in an instant.

That could only mean one thing—the assailant was still hiding in the carriage.

Lu Qing was about to continue observing the situation, but Magu's outrageous words stirred up murderous intent within him.

"Bring it on!"

The sudden strike of a blade didn't frighten Magu. Instead, he looked excited, and the battle sword on his back unsheathed instantly, blocking the deadly blow in a risky maneuver.

"What?!"

Surprise flashed across the date-red man's face, but before he could make another move, Magu leaped out of the carriage and lunged at him.

"Haha, Lu Qing, hold on a moment. Let me have some fun first!"

Magu laughed as he hung in the air.

His battle sword descended with the force of a collapsing mountain, slashing horizontally toward the date-red-faced man.

"This sword technique?!"

The date-red-faced man sensed the power of Magu's strike, and his face reflected his astonishment.

Without time to think, his instincts kicked in, and he forcefully pushed off from his horse, retreating backward.

Swish!

A thick scent of blood filled the air as Magu's powerful strike sliced the tall horse in half at its waist!

Without pausing, Magu lightly tapped his feet and pursued the date-red-faced man, slashing downward with another strike.

"Magu, be careful. Your opponent is an expert at the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm."

Lu Qing offered a word of caution.

However, his expression remained unconcerned.

Upon hearing Lu Qing reveal his cultivation level, the date-red-faced man, who had intended to conceal his true strength, was now shocked. He had planned to guard against the hidden weapon expert within the carriage, but now his body suddenly stopped retreating, and a fierce look appeared on his face. Powerful energy erupted from within him, and the speed of his battle sword increased abruptly.

Clang!

A piercing sound of metal clashing filled the air, and the violent force sent Magu's body, which had been lunging forward, flying backward.

"Can you escape?"

Seeing that his powerful strike hadn't killed Magu, surprise flashed in the date-red man's eyes.

His murderous intent soared, and with a boom, he pursued Magu in midair, intending to slice him in two with a single blow.

Swoosh!

Just as the date-red-faced man was about to catch up to Magu and deliver the fatal blow, a piercing whistle sounded.

An extreme sense of danger suddenly emerged in the date-red man's heart, piercing his heart with a painful contraction.

Startled, he didn't have time to react. His well-trained warrior instincts took over, and he raised his battle sword to block his brow.

Bang!

A loud noise reverberated, and the date-red-faced man's body shook violently. Not only did his forward charge stop, but he also stumbled backward several steps before managing to halt.

When he finally came to a stop, he looked at his battle sword in astonishment.

The wide blade, which he had acquired at a high price, was now bent and deformed.

At the point of impact, a puff of stone dust clung to the blade, almost piercing through the sword.

"Elder Hong!"

The other Liuyun Sect disciples exclaimed in shock.

"Not bad, you managed to block my stone."

Lu Qing was a little surprised that the date-red-faced man had blocked his attack.

"Brother Lu Qing, this red-faced guy's sword technique is indeed fierce. I'm no match for him."

Magu flipped in the air and landed safely, then commented with a shake in his voice.

At that moment, his hands, which gripped the sword, were slightly trembling, and blood seeped from his tiger mouth—injuries sustained from the previous clash of swords.

"He's at the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm, and his sword technique is also very high-level. It's normal that you're not his match, Magu." Lu Qing smiled.

In fact, if Magu hadn't cultivated Wei Shanhai's Heaven-Defying Sword, a technique passed down by a peak-level innate realm expert, he might not have been able to withstand the opponent's strike at all.

"Who are you? Why are you targeting our Liuyun Sect?"

The date-red-faced man forcibly suppressed the boiling blood within him and looked at Lu Qing with shock and fear.

At this moment, he realized that he had misjudged the situation.

The young man before him was not a novice at the Qi and Blood Realm but a hidden dragon, a deeply concealed expert.

To be able to destroy his thousand-refined treasure sword with a single stone, shaking his very essence, this opponent was undoubtedly a peak warrior, an absolute expert that they couldn't afford to offend.

Recalling Lu Qing and Magu's earlier attitude toward their sect, the date-red-faced man felt a sense of despair.

The mysterious figure before them seemed to hold a deep grudge against their Liuyun Sect.

"Liuyun Sect? I thought you truly didn't care about your young sect master. However, your reaction is a bit slow. You're only appearing now."

Lu Qing glanced at the word floating above the date-red-faced man's head and said indifferently, a chill lurking in his eyes.

"Do you know our young sect master?"

The date-red-faced man feigned surprise, but his heart sank as a chilling realization dawned on him.

He knew that the young sect master was dead; this was something the Grand Elder had personally confirmed.

And now, these people were mentioning the young sect master, which could only mean one thing...

"I wouldn't say I know him, but I did slaughter him a few days ago."

"Run!"

Hearing these words, the date-red-faced man's heart filled with icy dread, and he immediately shouted, "Escape!"

Simultaneously, he turned and fled with all his might.

The other Liuyun Sect disciples were taken aback, but in the next moment, they heard a series of sharp whistling sounds. One by one, they felt a sharp pain in their brows before losing consciousness.

As he fled, the date-red-faced man kept an eye on the movements behind him.

Seeing his disciples being taken down one by one by the boy's terrifying stone projectiles, his heart trembled with fear.

Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the energy within him, causing his escape speed to surge.

He even resorted to using explosive secret techniques, disregarding the consumption of his qi.

In his heart, he cursed his misfortune. This stretch of the official road was flanked by fields, with not a single patch of forest in sight, leaving him nowhere to hide. All he could do was flee in a straight line.

At this moment, the date-red-faced man deeply regretted his decision to volunteer for this mission to search for the young sect master's trail.

He never imagined that by randomly choosing a direction, he would encounter a calamity like Lu Qing!

Bang!

As the date-red-faced man was fleeing at full speed, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his legs, paralyzing them and causing him to lose his balance. He tumbled forward onto the road.

Even as he tried to break his fall with his hands, he couldn't steady himself and ended up rolling on the ground.

"So, you're not running anymore?"

Lu Qing's indifferent voice rang out as he appeared before the man.

"Your skill with hidden weapons is unparalleled. I admire you," the date-red-faced man said, his eyes flicking between Lu Qing and the bodies of the Liuyun Sect disciples lying on the ground.

Then, he looked at his own legs, which had been struck and broken by Lu Qing's stones, and a bitter smile appeared on his face as he turned to Lu Qing. "However, there's one thing I don't understand. I hope you can explain it to me so that I can die with peace of mind."

"What is it?" Lu Qing asked, looking down at him.

"Who are you, and what deep-seated grudge do you hold against our Liuyun Sect? Why did you kill our young sect master, and why did you use such ruthless means against us the moment we met?"

"Don't act so innocent," Lu Qing said indifferently. "Weren't you the ones who attacked us first? If we were ordinary people, your whips would have destroyed the carriage and taken our lives, wouldn't they?"

The date-red-faced man paused, taken aback.

"In the end, you're just a bunch of bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. Don't put on that pitiful act," Lu Qing scoffed. "All I've done is what you so proudly preach—the law of the jungle."

The date-red-faced man's face turned pale, and he fell silent.

"As for your question about why we hold a grudge against your Liuyun Sect... Strictly speaking, we have no grudge against your sect."

The date-red-faced man's face lit up with hope.

However, before he could truly feel relieved, Lu Qing's next words caused his expression to stiffen once more.

"It's just that your young sect master and some of your Liuyun Sect disciples committed unforgivable crimes in a small town, and we just happened to run into them, so we slaughtered them."

"That was just the young sect master's personal behavior, and it has nothing to do with our Liuyun Sect! If I had been there, I definitely would have stopped him. Our Liuyun Sect is a righteous sect, and we would never tolerate such actions..." The date-red-faced man quickly tried to explain, his voice filled with urgency.

Although he didn't know exactly what the young sect master and the others had done in that town to incur such wrath from this mysterious expert, he knew that he had to dispel Lu Qing's killing intent at all costs, or he would surely die.

"A righteous sect?" Lu Qing's lips curled in scorn. "Hong Houyi, do you remember how your sister-in-law died?"

"How do you know...?" The date-red-faced man's body trembled, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Your parents passed away early, and your older brother and sister-in-law raised you with great difficulty. Yet, you harbored lustful thoughts toward your sister-in-law and tried to force yourself on her. When she resisted, you strangled her to death and even killed your drunk brother. Am I right?"

"Who are you? How do you know about this?" The date-red-faced man's hidden secret, something he had concealed for decades, had been exposed, and he couldn't contain his hysteria any longer.

"I am the person your brother and sister-in-law asked to come and take your life!" Lu Qing's face took on a strange expression.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end