Chapter 292: Nuisance, Opportunity or Calamity?

Chapter 292: Nuisance, Opportunity or Calamity?

As these words fell, a figure descended and landed between Lu Qing and the group of Innate Realm cultivators.

The newcomer, with white hair and a sage-like appearance, was none other than the Master of the Tianji Tower.

However, at this moment, even the Master of the Tianji Tower couldn't maintain his composure.

Standing before Lu Qing, he finally understood just how terrifying that murderous intent was.

Despite his formidable cultivation, he felt his skin prickling, his heart trembling, and an urge to turn around and leave immediately.

But the Master of the Tianji Tower knew he couldn't leave.

If Lu Qing were to slaughter all these Innate Realm cultivators from various factions, it would undoubtedly cause a huge upheaval.

Not only would the sects these cultivators belonged to refuse to let it go, but even the three Holy Masters would surely intervene.

At that time, even the Tianji Tower would find it difficult to bear the consequences.

"Young Master Lu, please give this old man a face and spare these fellow cultivators this once."

The Master of the Tianji Tower bowed to Lu Qing, earnestly requesting.

Lu Qing gazed at the Master of the Tianji Tower quietly, saying nothing.

Similarly, the murderous intent emanating from his body did not subside.

"Lu Qing, don't be impulsive!"

Lin Zhirui's figure appeared at the gate as well, his face filled with worry.

If Lu Qing were to unleash a massacre here, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, Lu Qing remained unmoved by Lin Zhirui's attempt to stop him.

"Qing, listen to the Master of the Tianji Tower," the old doctor's voice sounded at that moment.

Only then did Lu Qing slowly suppress the murderous intent emanating from his body.

All the Innate Realm cultivators who had been intimidated by that terrifying killing intent finally breathed a sigh of relief, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

However, before they could fully relax, Lu Qing pointed his long sword forward.

"Very well, Master of the Tianji Tower. I'll give you this face, but even if I don't kill all of them, this man must die!"

Lu Qing's sword was pointed at the thin and small Innate Realm cultivator who had threatened Xiao Yan and the others earlier.

Feeling the murderous aura emanating from Lu Qing, the thin cultivator's expression changed drastically.

His two companions, however, quietly took two steps to the side, distancing themselves from him.

The thin cultivator's face twisted further as he realized that the other Innate Realm cultivators had been scared by the killing intent Lu Qing had displayed earlier and didn't want to be associated with him anymore.

His thoughts raced, and he forced a smile, bowing and scraping before Lu Qing.

"Please don't misunderstand, young master. Earlier, I was just joking around and didn't truly intend to threaten you.

I apologize to you here. As long as you, young master, don't hold this against me, I will heed any of your instructions in the future!"

Seeing the thin cultivator groveling and apologizing, the other Innate Realm cultivators were astonished.

After all, this cultivator usually had a very arrogant attitude.

In the past, even towards fellow Innate Realm cultivators, as long as their cultivation was lower than his, he would act superior.

This was the first time they had seen him in such a lowly posture.

However, remembering the scene from earlier, they fell silent once more.

The murderous intent Lu Qing had revealed earlier was truly terrifying.

It was the first time they had felt such a genuine threat of death.

When faced with death, one's status didn't matter—only survival was real.

For a moment, the other Innate Realm cultivators couldn't help but feel relieved.

They were fortunate that they hadn't threatened Lu Qing's companions; otherwise, they would be the ones groveling for mercy right now.

Facing the thin cultivator's apology, Lu Qing's expression remained unchanged.

In a cold voice, he said, "It's too late. The moment you uttered those words, your fate was sealed."

Upon hearing this, the thin cultivator immediately knew something was amiss.

Without hesitation, he tried to escape, channeling his energy to activate his movement technique.

However, just as he began to move, an invisible force pulled him back and pinned him to the ground, immobilizing him.

"What is this?"

The thin cultivator was shocked as he felt this restraining force, different from the intimidating killing intent from before.

It was a tangible, invisible force, like a spider web, binding and suppressing him, making his body feel incredibly heavy.

Although he wasn't completely unable to move, he found that he couldn't use his movement technique to escape.

"What kind of technique is this?"

The other Innate Realm cultivators were astonished as they saw the thin cultivator, who had been backing away, suddenly pulled back to his original position and restrained as if he were trapped in a strange force that prevented him from moving.

They were all shocked and confused, unsure how Lu Qing had achieved something so inconceivable.

Lu Qing advanced step by step toward the thin cultivator, having bound him with his Yuan Magnetism power.

The Master of the Tianji Tower hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided against trying to stop him.

"He knew that by appearing to stop Lu Qing from a slaughter, he had probably planted a seed of resentment in the young man's heart.

If he were to obstruct him further, he feared that even their previous friendship would be exhausted.

As for the other Innate Realm cultivators, having witnessed Lu Qing's bizarre and ever-changing abilities, they were already filled with dread and dared not hinder him in the slightest.

And so, Lu Qing took step after step towards the skinny Innate cultivator, his sword raised as he faced the man's horrified expression.

'Spare...'

Before the skinny Innate cultivator could finish pleading for his life, Lu Qing's sword flashed, and a perfectly good head soared high into the air.

Swish!

As the skinny cultivator's body fell to the ground, Lu Qing casually slashed out with his sword, sending a blade of energy towards Wang Cangyi, who was already unconscious.

Wang Cangyi's body trembled, and the faint breath he had left stopped completely, his life force slowly dissipating.

'Master!'

Zhao Xiong's eyes widened in fury, and he was about to rush towards Lu Qing.

But just as he lifted his head, a sword light filled his vision.

Swish!

Zhao Xiong's large body was split in two by Lu Qing's sword energy.

All the Innate Realm cultivators shuddered, deeply chilled by Lu Qing's ruthlessness.

This young man had such heavy killing intent. They wondered what kind of scourge they had provoked this time!

Even the Master of the Tianji Tower was shocked by Lu Qing's decisive slaughter.

Previously, he had heard Zhirui mention that Lu Qing had a heavy killing intent deep within him, but he hadn't quite believed it.

After all, in his interactions with Lu Qing, the young man had always been quite amicable.

Now, seeing Lu Qing expressionlessly behead three Innate Realm cultivators, he knew that his disciple hadn't exaggerated.

After killing Zhao Xiong, Lu Qing turned his gaze towards the remaining Elder of the Tiancang Sect.

Sensing the killing intent in Lu Qing's eyes, the Elder's face twisted in fear.

He quickly said, "Young Master Lu, please be merciful. Whatever enmity Wang Cangyi had with you all was unknown to me, and I have nothing to do with it!"

At this moment, the Master of the Tianji Tower also spoke up, "Indeed, Young Master Lu. According to our Tianji Tower's investigation, it was indeed Wang Cangyi's personal decision to besiege the Wei family back then."

Lu Qing finally turned away, slowly returning to his original spot and looking at the remaining dozen or so Innate Realm cultivators.

"What? Are you all still not leaving? Do you want to spar with me some more?"

At these words, the remaining Innate Realm cultivators felt as though they had been granted a great pardon.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Young Master Lu!"

"We are grateful for your generosity, Young Master Lu!"

"We have disturbed you enough, so we shall take our leave!"

After a round of flattery, the group of Innate Realm cultivators immediately used their movement techniques to leave the courtyard.

Their departure was even faster than their arrival.

As for the three corpses, no one bothered to collect them, leaving them where they lay.

"Young Master Lu, you were still a bit too impulsive. By killing these three, you may have created future troubles for yourself." The Master of the Tianji Tower sighed.

"I had no choice, Elder. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have killed them all," Lu Qing replied calmly.

"Young Master Lu, please don't take offense. It's not that I wanted to stop you, but among those who came earlier, there were high-ranking members from seven or eight major sects and factions.

If you had killed them all, once their sects made a fuss, the three Holy Masters would definitely intervene to uphold justice.

At that time, no matter the circumstances, it would have been extremely unfavorable for you."

The Master of the Tianji Tower explained.

Lu Qing fell silent.

Indeed, he had considered this possibility.

Slaughtering over a dozen Innate Realm cultivators would definitely cause a stir.

Given the consistent stance of the Holy Mountain, they would definitely send people to investigate.

He wasn't too concerned about the others, but he held a deep wariness for the three enigmatic Holy Masters.

That was why, at the beginning, aside from Wang Cangyi, he hadn't immediately killed the others.

It was only when the skinny Innate cultivator threatened Xiao Yan and the others that he truly felt the urge to slaughter them all, regardless of the consequences.

However, while killing them would be easy, they would likely face immense difficulties afterward.

If the Holy Mountain intervened, it would be uncertain if they could smoothly leave the Central Plains.

After all, those three Holy Masters were extremely profound and mysterious. Even with a spiritual weapon, Lu Qing wasn't entirely confident in facing them without fear.

Not to mention, the Primordial Chaos Pouch had only recovered enough to unleash a single strike.

Once used, it would take quite some time to restore it to full power.

In the end, it all came down to his insufficient strength.

Lu Qing thought about this and immediately cupped his fists towards the Master of the Tianji Tower.

"Thank you, Elder, for your guidance. Indeed, I was too impulsive earlier."

Seeing that Lu Qing wasn't angry, the Master of the Tianji Tower smiled.

"Fortunately, you managed to restrain yourself. Although you killed three, Wang Cangyi and his disciple had a personal grudge against you all, and it was they who made the first move this time.

"As for Leng Tao, although he's caused some trouble by threatening your family, even if it's brought up to the Holy Mountain, it'll just be a dispute, and it shouldn't affect you too much."

"So, you don't need to worry too much. The situation isn't as dire as it seems."

"Even if they take it to the Holy Mountain, the three Holy Masters will most likely not bother with it." Lu Qing nodded, understanding the implications.

It seemed that the three Holy Masters only intervened in matters that affected the grand scheme of things and didn't concern themselves with personal grudges and disputes.

"Right, Elder Tianji. Earlier, amidst the white vortex above the Holy Mountain, numerous streams of light flew out. Several of them landed in our hands. Do you know what they are?" Lu Qing asked, holding up the stream of light he had caught.

He wasn't worried that Elder Tianji would develop greedy intentions and try to take the Primal Origin Qi away from him. Firstly, he hadn't sensed any greed from the elder, and secondly, he was confident that unless the person was a supremely powerful innate warrior, no one could take anything from him against his will.

As expected, Elder Tianji's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the stream of light in Lu Qing's hand, but he didn't show any signs of covetousness. Instead, he smiled and said, "Opportunities are fated by heaven. Since these streams of light flew towards you, it means that the heavenly path considers you worthy of this opportunity. It's destiny, young Lu, so you need not worry."

"Elder Tianji, I noticed that not only did streams of light fall into my hands, but they also landed in other places in the Holy City. Do you know what happened in those places, and if there were any conflicts over them as well?" Lu Qing inquired.

A hint of sadness appeared in Elder Tianji's eyes as he replied, "I won't hide it from you, young Lu. I just returned from outside, and your guess is correct. There were indeed conflicts and casualties in the places where the streams of light fell."

If not for that, he wouldn't have arrived so late, almost allowing Lu Qing to unleash a massacre.

Lu Qing understood. He wasn't surprised by Elder Tianji's words, as it was only natural that others would try to seize the opportunity presented by the streams of light.

Seeing the sadness in Elder Tianji's eyes, Lu Qing knew that this elder was a man who cared deeply about the world's affairs. Witnessing the deaths and chaos in the city must have pained him greatly.

However, Lu Qing didn't say anything. With Elder Tianji's experience and wisdom, he had a deeper understanding of the ways of the world than Lu Qing, a mere youth. It wasn't Lu Qing's place to offer consolation.

Lu Qing thought for a moment, aware that the city was still in chaos and that anything could happen next. For now, the most important thing was to increase his strength.

He turned to Elder Tianji and said, "Elder Tianji, my master, Xiao Yan, and I have fortunately obtained this opportunity. We need to refine this Primal Origin Qi as soon as possible to conceal its aura. Otherwise, if other powerful martial artists sense it, we might face more trouble."

"Indeed, we must not delay," Elder Tianji agreed, snapping out of his reverie. "You should quickly refine the opportunity while Master Lin and I guard you."

Most importantly, if someone else tried to take the opportunity away, it might trigger Lu Qing's killing intent again, and even Elder Tianji might not be able to stop him from unleashing a massacre.

Without further ado, Elder Tianji and Lin Zhirui took their seats outside the courtyard to guard it.

Ma Gu and his disciple did the same, standing guard outside.

As for Lu Qing, the old doctor, Xiao Yan, and the two children, they returned inside the house.

"Master, Xiao Li, you two should refine the Primal Origin Qi first. I'll protect you during the process," Lu Qing said.

Even though Elder Tianji and Lin Zhirui were guarding them outside, Lu Qing remained vigilant. He didn't want to entrust his safety entirely to others.

"Mm," the old doctor nodded, also understanding the gravity of the situation. He began to refine the stream of light he had been holding, absorbing it into his body.

As for Xiao Li, she had already dozed off, as was her habit.

"Lu, what about us?" Hu Zezhi asked, still shaken by the earlier events. She had never imagined that she and Xiao Yan would become the targets of so many Innate Realm cultivators.

"Your cultivation is still shallow, and you can't refine the Primal Origin Qi yet. Don't worry about it for now. In a few days, it will naturally merge with your bodies. When I have time, I'll refine a couple of talismans for you to conceal your auras," Lu Qing explained.

"Then we're indebted to you, Lu," Hu Zezhi said, greatly relieved that Lu Qing had a solution.

Just then, a powerful aura burst forth from the old doctor's body.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end