Chapter 246: Destroying the Sect, Seeking Treasures

Boom!

A powerful punch struck Mo Zhen in the chest, causing his chest cavity to completely cave in. He couldn't steady himself and flew backward.

Puh!

In mid-air, Mo Zhen couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

However, due to his formidable Blood Demon physique, he didn't die. The crimson energy within his body surged wildly, and his chest cavity healed at a visible rate.

But it didn't end there. Just as Mo Zhen was about to leave Lu Qing's attack range, Lu Qing reached out again and grasped the air. A strange force appeared out of thin air, binding Mo Zhen's body and pulling him back.

"This thing again! What the hell is it?!"

Feeling that bizarre power once more, Mo Zhen roared inwardly.

Previously, he had been bound by this invisible force, slowing him down and preventing him from blocking Lu Qing's punch.

He knew that if he were pulled back into Lu Qing's combat rhythm, he would be in serious trouble.

Mo Zhen could no longer hold back. He roared, and a powerful aura burst forth. A bloody aura shrouded him, instantly pushing back the invisible force and regaining control of his body, stabilizing his form.

"Kid, your power is indeed bizarre, but if you think you can defeat me with just this side trick, you're being ridiculously overconfident."

Mo Zhen stood in his original spot, the bloody aura surrounding him emitting a strong bloody stench. Coupled with his scarlet eyes, he looked like a terrifying demon.

The strange binding force still lingered around him but no longer had a significant effect.

His chest cavity had also returned to its original state, as if it had never been injured.

Such formidable regenerative abilities caused the old doctor and the sword-wielding man observing from the mountain gate to change their expressions slightly.

Especially the sword-wielding man; the aura Mo Zhen was exuding made even him feel a tremor in his heart.

"Is that so?"

Lu Qing smiled faintly and didn't try to pull Mo Zhen back again.

He had only mastered this new power a few days ago, and the strength he could currently exert wasn't sufficient to restrain Mo Zhen, who was going all out. This outcome was within his expectations.

However, he had only intended to test out this newly acquired power and didn't think that he could force a cultivator at the early stages of the Innate Realm into a desperate situation with just this one move.

Now that he had gauged the limits of this move, there was no need to continue testing.

With a thought, he retracted the strange force, drawing back the yellow light emanating from his body into his body as well.

Without the restraint of the strange force, Mo Zhen instantly felt lighter.

But he didn't feel any relief; instead, a sharp sense of impending death shrouded his heart.

The Blood Demon physique had affected his rationality, but it had also granted him a beast-like instinct.

At this moment, his instinct was telling him that the Lu Qing before him was even more dangerous than before.

He immediately heightened his vigilance and dared not launch another careless attack.

At this moment, Mo Zhen no longer held any contempt for Lu Qing; instead, he felt deep wariness.

The young man before him was too mysterious, forcing him to be cautious.

Lu Qing slightly adjusted his stance, a golden light glowing from his brow chakra, and the Earth Spirit Pearl, like a miniature star, slowly rotating.

"Then, I can also truly let loose without worrying about accidentally killing you."

As his words fell, a blast sounded, and white mist erupted from where Lu Qing had been standing. In the next moment, he appeared before Mo Zhen and punched him in the abdomen.

"What?!"

Feeling the intense pain in his abdomen, Mo Zhen's eyes widened, and his body arched. He was shocked to his core.

He hadn't expected to be hit despite focusing all his attention on defense.

Lu Qing's speed was too fast. Even without being restrained by the strange force, Mo Zhen still couldn't react in time to block Lu Qing's punch.

"Such swift movement!"

Even the old doctor and the sword-wielding man on the mountain gate were startled by Lu Qing's speed.

Seizing the advantage, Lu Qing didn't hold back. With a twist of his foot, he retracted his fist, punched the air, and unleashed another fierce punch that slammed into Mo Zhen's head.

This punch was even more powerful, deforming Mo Zhen's head and causing his eyes to glaze over. There was no way he could defend against Lu Qing's attacks now.

And so, the following moments became a one-sided display by Lu Qing.

Chapter: The Bloody Demise

Mo Zhen's body was pummeled relentlessly by Lu Qing's heavy punches, each one landing with the force of a battering ram. His body twisted and deformed under the onslaught, the shockwaves of each blow exploding the air behind him.

The violent currents of air swept around the two combatants.

The sword-wielding man on the mountain gate stared, dumbfounded, at the scene unfolding before him. He never expected that Mo Zhen, who had made his heart tremble just moments ago, would be so thoroughly crushed by Lu Qing in the blink of an eye.

This was no longer a battle; it had become a one-sided beating.

Mo Zhen was not only unable to fight back, but he couldn't even block Lu Qing's attacks.

Lu Qing's relentless assault continued for ten breaths before he finally paused, allowing the air to settle into stillness once more.

Before him stood Mo Zhen, or rather, what was left of him—a mangled mess of flesh barely resembling a human form. The only part that retained its shape was his head, still clinging to a faint trace of life.

"Don't waste your energy," Lu Qing said indifferently. "Your Blood Demon physique, barely at the initial stages, stands no chance of regeneration, even if you had perfected it. It's futile."

The lump of flesh trembled once, then stilled. Mo Zhen's head, however, lifted slightly, as if he wanted to ask something.

But he was too far gone to speak or even send out soul fluctuations.

Lu Qing, as if reading his mind, said, "Your realm is too low. You rushed to gain power through evil arts, but you lack understanding and control over your body. How could you possibly withstand my fist techniques?"

He continued, "You are stronger than your grandfather, though. He could only endure my fist techniques for three breaths before he couldn't take it anymore."

The mangled flesh twitched again.

Lu Qing didn't bother prolonging the conversation. With a slight lift of his foot, he kicked Mo Zhen's glabella, erasing the last vestige of his consciousness.

As Mo Zhen's consciousness faded, his body, like a lump of mud, trembled violently before going still, devoid of any signs of life.

"Young man!"

At that moment, a voice rang out. The old doctor and the sword-wielding man had descended from the mountain gate and now stood beside Lu Qing.

"Young man, we never expected your fist techniques to be so formidable. Mo Zhen's strength was already close to the initial stages of Innate Realm Minor Success, yet you completely suppressed him from start to finish without so much as a hair on your head being harmed." The sword-wielding man looked at Lu Qing with awe.

"Senior Yan is too kind," Lu Qing replied with a smile. "Mo Zhen's power is a result of taking shortcuts through the cultivation of evil arts. He has the strength but lacks the realm to fully utilize it. He's still far from a true initial stage of Innate Realm Minor Success."

"Otherwise, his evil arts are indeed powerful, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be a match for him," the sword-wielding man added, shaking his head.

He had personally experienced the surge of Mo Zhen's aura earlier, and it had filled him with a sense of unease. He knew that if he had faced Mo Zhen, he might not have been able to withstand his power.

Lu Qing smiled but didn't continue the discussion. Instead, he turned to the old doctor and said, "Master, I believe the disciples of Flowing Cloud Sect have all perished under Mo Zhen's evil formation. Now that he's dead, the sect has been utterly annihilated."

"Indeed, I never imagined it would end like this," the old doctor sighed.

Through his soul sense, he could perceive that the Flowing Cloud Sect was now empty, devoid of any living beings.

"This is karma," the old doctor continued. "Evil deeds will eventually lead to self-destruction. The Flowing Cloud Sect has committed countless atrocities in Yunzhou for many years, and their disciples were arrogant and domineering. I doubt they ever imagined that their end would come at the hands of their own sect master."

The sword-wielding man also sighed, sharing the sentiment. "Evil arts disrupt the harmony of the heavens and will inevitably incur heavenly retribution. Their fate was sealed the moment Mo Zhen and their Elder began treading the path of evil arts."

Lu Qing shook his head. "Evil arts go against the natural order, and their practitioners are doomed. My sect's legacy has taught me this."

He went on, "In the Legacy of the Li Fire Sect, there are records about the Demon Path and the Devilish Path. These records state that the cultivation methods of the evil and devilish paths may grant rapid progress and immense power in a short time..."

But the cultivation method of the Demon Path is too cruel and ruthless, disrupting the harmony of the heavens and courting the wrath of destiny.

When one's realm is low, one might not notice it, but as one's realm improves, this targeting becomes more apparent.

Take tribulation, for example. When one reaches a certain profound realm in the path of cultivation, one must undergo the tribulation of lightning.

Ordinary cultivators, though they may also struggle to pass through the lightning tribulation, still have a certain chance of success.

However, for cultivators of the Demon Path, the odds of passing through the tribulation are more than ten times more difficult than for ordinary cultivators.

It can truly be described as a life-and-death situation, and out of a hundred cultivators of the Demon Path attempting the tribulation, it is feared that only a handful will make it through.

Even those with profound cultivation in the Demon Path struggle to escape the scrutiny of destiny, let alone half-baked semi-heretics like Mo Zhen and Mo Hu.

To cultivate evil ways and still dare to act so arrogantly and domineeringly is truly inviting self-destruction.

Only now did Lu Qing understand why his master had such a premonition when he saw the round, fat middle-aged man and his disciples.

That was probably the so-called will of heaven, warning his master and signaling that he wanted to use his hand to eliminate the malignant tumor that was the Flowing Cloud Sect.

Looking at it this way, his master was truly blessed by heaven, with even destiny favoring him.

Lu Qing's gaze toward his master suddenly became a little strange.

"Qing, what's wrong?"

The old doctor noticed his disciple's gaze and was somewhat perplexed.

"It's nothing," Lu Qing retracted his gaze and said, "Master, now that the Flowing Cloud Sect has been destroyed, I want to go in and investigate to see if there's anything we can use. Senior Yan, I hope you don't mind."

The last sentence was directed at the sword-wielding man.

"Of course not!" The sword-wielding man quickly replied, "It was thanks to you and the senior that we were able to wipe out the Flowing Cloud Sect and rescue our fellow cultivators from Yunzhou. The treasures within the sect are naturally your spoils of war. Please take them as you wish, and we will not interfere."

"Taking them all would be excessive. I'll take a look and see if there's anything useful," Lu Qing said with a light smile, and with a light step, he made his way toward the majestic complex of buildings within the Flowing Cloud Sect.

"Please forgive my disciple's impudence, Senior Yan," the old doctor said apologetically to the sword-wielding man.

"Not at all," the sword-wielding man quickly replied, "But I must say, I didn't expect Young Master Lu to have such a playful side. I always thought he was the stoic and composed type."

The sword-wielding man was not just being polite; he was genuinely surprised.

Up until now, Lu Qing's actions had always exuded an air of mystery, and he had seemed as steady as a mountain, as if everything was under his control.

He had not displayed the carefree attitude typical of youths.

His sudden change in demeanor had genuinely taken the sword-wielding man by surprise.

"Qing has always been quite interested in treasures," the old doctor smiled.

Lu Qing moved swiftly through the Flowing Cloud Sect, his ability to sense the unusual already activated as he searched.

He had high hopes of finding something valuable.

As the saying goes, a horse needs night grass to thrive, and in this world, the vast majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of the great families and sect powers.

This includes all manner of strange and wonderful things.

These powerful forces, after hundreds of years of accumulation, may well possess some unique and wondrous treasures.

Take the Wei family and the Zheng family, for example. The former possessed the Spirit Furnace Cauldron, a spiritual artifact, while the latter had the Earth Spirit Pearl, an earth-type treasure.

The Flowing Cloud Sect had a heritage spanning nearly a millennium, and its influence and depth far surpassed those of the Wei and Zheng families. If they happened to possess any treasures that caught Lu Qing's eye, it would make this trip well worth it.

As he swiftly moved through the Flowing Cloud Sect, his search led him to discover several human-shaped bloodstains covered with clothing.

They were the same as the ones he had seen in Flowing Cloud Town.

They were likely the result of Mo Zhen activating the Flesh and Blood Refining Soul Array, refining away their flesh and blood.

Judging from the clothes, the owners were probably servants or low-ranking disciples.

No wonder he hadn't sensed any signs of life within; they had all been refined to death.

Lu Qing frowned, thinking that Mo Zhen was truly heartless, even refining away the lives of these ordinary people. He should have tortured Mo Zhen a bit more for that.

Putting those thoughts aside, Lu Qing ignored the bloodstains and continued his search through the buildings.

Finally, he stopped in front of a tall tower.

"Treasure Pavilion? You're the one," Lu Qing said with a smile.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end