Chapter 286: Natural Foe, Sorting Through the Gains

Chapter 286: Natural Foe, Sorting Through the Gains

July 21, 2024

"This, how is this possible?"

The figure stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest. He hadn't sensed any attack, yet his heart was missing.

"Old Fourth, what's wrong?" His companion noticed his odd behavior and asked anxiously.

"He's dead!"

But at that moment, Lu Qing's blade had already arrived. With a swift strike, he cleaved the assassin, whose heart had been extracted by Xiao Li, into two halves.

"Ah! Old Fourth!"

The remaining two assassins witnessed their companion's death and the bloody hole in his chest, their eyes widening in fury and shock. A chilling fear gripped their hearts as they realized they hadn't even seen their assailant coming.

Up until now, they still couldn't discern who their attacker was, and yet two of their companions had already perished. Moreover, the way they died was incredibly swift and decisive, without even a chance to put up a decent resistance.

The most baffling part was the disappearance of Old Fourth's heart. How had it vanished when this person hadn't even come close to them?

The fear in the surviving assassins grew as they pondered these questions. After all, they were all peak Innate Realm cultivators!

Admittedly, when they had broken through, they had taken a shortcut, using a clever method that exhausted their potential. But even with their potential drained, they were still solidly in the peak Innate Realm.

Yet, they had just witnessed their companions being slaughtered effortlessly by this mysterious figure in black, which was unimaginable. Even an Innate Realm cultivator at the perfection stage might not be able to achieve such a feat. Just what kind of monster was this person?

As the remaining two assassins from Wujiange stared at Lu Qing in shock and terror, Lu Qing himself was also slightly taken aback. He had found it odd that these assassins, despite being at the peak Innate Realm, exuded a somewhat unstable aura, as if their power was more for show than substance.

And indeed, the two he had just slain hadn't displayed the strength one would expect from peak Innate Realm cultivators. They were only slightly stronger than the assassins who had attacked the small courtyard earlier, but not by much.

They were far inferior to his master, and even the Xuan Nu Monk, whom he had injured during the day, was far more powerful than them.

However, despite his curiosity, Lu Qing didn't let down his guard. He sensed that the two remaining assassins had a strange power flowing from their heart regions, and their auras were rapidly surging.

"Are they trying to use a desperate secret technique?"

Lu Qing recalled what the Tianji Pavilion Master had said and immediately transmitted his voice to Xiao Li through their soul connection. "Xiao Li!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Li's figure emerged from the space in front of the assassins, and his claws reached for one of their hearts.

What kind of demon was this?!

This time, the two assassins, with their senses heightened to the extreme, finally detected Xiao Li's presence. But it was too late.

Xiao Li's claws had become even more peerlessly sharp after his bloodline had undergone several transformations and with the cultivation of the heritage in his mind. They could easily destroy ordinary divine weapons.

Although the assassin reacted swiftly, blocking his chest with the short sword in his hand the moment he sensed Xiao Li's presence, it was all in vain against Xiao Li's indomitable claws.

In a flash of cold light, the assassin's divine short sword was sliced apart, and Xiao Li's claws penetrated his chest. With his heart extracted, the assassin's body stiffened, his eyes reflecting endless fear.

Before he could react further, Lu Qing's blade arrived, beheading him instantly.

"Ah!!!"

The other assassin, who was in the midst of activating his secret technique, lost his composure completely as he watched yet another companion die before him. Ignoring the fact that his technique was only half-completed, he mustered all his strength and lunged at Lu Qing, stabbing his sword forward.

He knew that if he didn't act now, he might never get another chance.

However, this final assassin only managed to stab his sword halfway before he felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing his movements to freeze. He looked down and, as expected, saw a gaping hole in his chest.

Sensing the life force draining from his body, the assassin managed a bitter smile. He knew his death was certain.

Even for an Innate Realm cultivator at the perfection stage, losing one's heart meant certain death.

But before he died, there was one thing he had to find out, or he would never rest in peace.

The assassin stared fixedly at the ghost mask on Lu Qing's face. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

"Remnants of the Endless Abyss, you deserve to be eradicated by all."

"Lu Qing's voice deepened.

The last assassin's eyes widened as he realized that their opponent indeed knew their identities and had come specifically for them.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something more.

But Lu Qing didn't give him another chance as he swung his long sword, sending the assassin's head flying. His body twitched a few times before collapsing to the ground with a loud thud.

"Indeed, there's something odd about these killers' cultivation."

After finishing off the last assassin, Lu Qing activated his ability and looked at the corpse.

Soon, several notes floated up from the assassin's body.

He quickly scanned through the notes, and understanding dawned on him.

These assassins from Wujiange were indeed at the peak Innate Realm, but their cultivation had been artificially enhanced using Wujiange's secret method, which came at the cost of depleting their potential.

While they possessed the realm, their foundation was weak, and their strength was only slightly better than that of an average Innate Realm minor completion cultivator.

Compared to those who had diligently cultivated to reach the peak Innate Realm, they were far inferior.

In truth, they could only be considered 'pseudo-peak Innate.'

"However, Xuan Kong Mountain, your audacity knows no bounds."

Lu Qing's eyes narrowed as he read the last note, a chill in his tone.

The note indicated that these assassins were sent by Xuan Kong Mountain, and it hinted at even more sinister deeds hidden within the mountain.

Suddenly, Lu Qing's expression changed, "Someone's coming. Xiao Li, let's go."

Immediately, he retracted his aura, and Xiao Li vanished without a trace.

Before leaving, Lu Qing made sure to collect the assassins' weapons.

Although he no longer had any use for ordinary divine weapons, the materials used to create them were extraordinary, and he might find a use for them in the future.

As soon as Lu Qing and Xiao Li left, a powerful figure appeared on the wall, staring at the scene below with widened eyes.

More figures with formidable auras soon arrived, their eyes widening in surprise at the collapsed house and the chaotic scene before them.

"Brother Fang, you arrived first. What happened here?" one of them asked.

"I don't know either. I only arrived a few breaths earlier than you, and this is how I found it," replied the one who had come first.

"It seems there was a battle between experts here."

One of the figures leaped down from the wall, his gaze sweeping over the corpses, sensing the lingering auras.

The others followed suit, jumping down to inspect the scene.

After examining the corpses, they realized that the deceased were no weaker than the Innate Small Completion stage.

However, they were baffled as to how these powerful warriors had been slain.

After all, they hadn't taken long to arrive after sensing the disturbance.

Judging from the warmth still emanating from the corpses, these people had only just died.

In such a short time, to be able to kill four powerful warriors at the Innate Small Completion stage or above was an astonishing feat.

The strength of the person who did this must be immeasurable.

For a moment, the newly arrived group was shaken, their vigilance rising as they warily scanned their surroundings.

They began to regret their hasty decision to come here.

If the killer was still nearby, they would be in grave danger.

Thankfully, after a while of heightened alertness, they relaxed, realizing that the mysterious killer had likely already left.

"Who are these people, and when did such powerful Innate Realm cultivators arrive in the Holy City?"

Once they felt safe, their curiosity about the identities of the deceased grew.

One of them continued to examine the corpses, and his gaze landed on the conspicuous tattoo on the chest of the assassin who had been cleaved in half. His eyes narrowed as he felt a sense of familiarity.

He couldn't quite place it, but something about this tattoo seemed familiar.

As he tried to recall where he had seen it before, his eyes widened in shock, "This is..."

...

Lu Qing was unaware of the events that transpired after he left.

Upon sensing someone approaching, he had immediately departed with Xiao Li.

Whether or not the people who came later discovered the assassins' identities was of no concern to him.

In fact, he welcomed the exposure of Wujiange, as it would make it easier for others to take action against them.

As for Xuan Kong Mountain, they must be more cautious of their underhanded schemes from now on, even if it means reconsidering their use of assassins.

Upon returning to the small courtyard, the old doctor was sitting in Lu Qing's room.

Little Yan was sleeping soundly on the bed as usual.

The little one's sleep remained undisturbed, even by the ruckus caused earlier by the assassins.

"Is it done?" The old doctor asked upon seeing Lu Qing and Xiao Li return.

"Mhm." Lu Qing nodded.

"Then I'll head back to my room to rest." Without inquiring about Lu Qing's sudden departure, the old doctor returned to his own room, trusting that his disciple had his reasons.

After his master left, Lu Qing sat cross-legged on his bed. The events of the night had been eventful, and he needed to take some time to think and process everything.

First, there was the sudden appearance of Wujiange. Lu Qing didn't feel overly apprehensive about them.

After the battle earlier, he had realized that both he and Xiao Li seemed to have a particular advantage over Wujiange and those like them.

As assassins, the strong cultivators produced by Wujiange primarily specialized in assassination techniques, relying on extremely powerful aura-concealing methods to strike suddenly and decisively against their targets.

However, their actual close-combat abilities were not particularly remarkable.

But the so-called aura-concealing methods were virtually useless against Lu Qing's terrifyingly powerful spiritual soul perception and Xiao Li's uniquely uncanny perception abilities.

Furthermore, when it came to aura concealment, Lu Qing, with his spiritual soul talisman, and Xiao Li, with his innate divine ability, could perform even better than the assassins of Wujiange.

As a result, Wujiange's assassins were utterly overwhelmed by Lu Qing and Xiao Li in every aspect.

They posed no threat to the duo whatsoever.

What truly concerned Lu Qing was Xuan Kong Mountain. The fact that they could even mobilize Wujiange, which had been absent for hundreds of years, was alarming.

It was evident that as one of the most mysterious and powerful forces in the world, Xuan Kong Mountain was even more formidable than he had imagined.

Who knew what other monstrous beings lurked within their secret lands?

For now, Lu Qing and Xuan Kong Mountain had become sworn enemies, and he would need to be cautious of their treacherous schemes going forward.

Unfortunately, Lu Qing had no idea where Xuan Kong Mountain was located. Otherwise, he would have considered finding an opportunity to strike a heavy blow against them.

Aside from Xuan Kong Mountain, there was also the matter of his cultivation.

Tonight's breakthrough had caught Lu Qing by surprise. He hadn't anticipated that his own robust foundation would end up hindering his breakthrough into the Innate Realm.

Currently, although he had cultivated true qi, increasing his strength, he had not yet refined his body into an Innate one, and the true qi he cultivated lacked a bit of spirituality and the essence of life.

The most obvious consequence was that, despite his cultivation, he still had the lifespan of a Post-Innate Realm cultivator, with a maximum lifespan of only about 120 years.

True Innate Realm cultivators, on the other hand, had a lifespan of 300 years.

In other words, if he couldn't enter the Innate Realm, even with his current strength, capable of slaying Innate Realm cultivators, he would still face the limitations of the heavens' rules once his lifespan of 120 years was up, and his physical body and soul would decay and perish.

"The difference between Post-Innate and Innate is not just in strength but, more importantly, in the very essence of life itself."

After tonight's breakthrough, Lu Qing gained a deeper understanding of the distinction between the Post-Innate and Innate Realms.

"I can sense that the next time the heavenly dao sounds, the rules that evolve will likely be sufficient to support my breakthrough.

And this time shouldn't be too far away."

Lu Qing sat cross-legged on the bed, his aura vast as he used his powerful spiritual soul to sense the changes in the surrounding heaven and earth.

Although he hadn't officially broken through to the Innate Realm, his physical body and spiritual soul had been nourished by the true qi, resulting in some enhancement.

If he had possessed his current strength during the day, then with a single slash of his sword, Xuan Nu Monk would have suffered far more than just serious injuries.

Lu Qing was confident that if his opponent didn't have any stronger trump cards, he could completely shatter the monk's Vajra Body with a single strike, cleaving him in two!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end