Chapter 318: I'll Kill You, No Reason Needed

Chapter 318: I'll Kill You, No Reason Needed

August 22, 2024

Upon hearing the Fifth Elder of the Qi family's shout, Qinglong City Lord felt a sense of foreboding.

He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

The Precelestial Realm powerhouses surrounding them had already turned their gazes upon him.

Even Lu Qing looked up, fixing his eyes on the City Lord.

"City Lord Qinglong?"

Lu Qing directed his gaze at the middle-aged man, the most powerful among the Precelestial Realm cultivators present, who had been the first to arrive yet had remained a passive observer until now. Naturally, he couldn't afford to ignore such a figure.

However, he hadn't expected this person to be the City Lord of Tianxia's First Pass.

Sensing Lu Qing's gaze, City Lord Qinglong hesitated for a moment. Realizing that he could no longer avoid the situation, he descended from the roof and bowed respectfully, "I am Zhang Yizhi, the City Lord in charge of guarding this city. It is an honor to meet you, Young Master Lu."

As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone present was stunned.

City Lord Qinglong's statement revealed a lot of information.

First was his attitude.

As the City Lord of Qinglong City, his position and influence in the city were unquestionable.

His strength was also exceptionally formidable, making him one of the most powerful figures in the city, with no one daring to challenge him.

Even the Four Great Families had to treat him with respect.

Yet, facing Lu Qing, he displayed such a low stance.

Moreover, from his choice of address, it was clear that he was aware of the fearsome young man's background and held a deep sense of reverence and wariness.

This caused the hearts of the other powerhouses present to stir, leading them to connect the dots and speculate wildly.

No wonder he had remained a silent observer upon his arrival, not uttering a single word. Everyone had found his behavior strange, but now it seemed there was more to it.

As for the Fifth Elder of the Qi family, he was left dumbfounded.

He had called out the City Lord's identity to provoke him into taking action.

After all, as the ruler of the city, allowing an outsider to slaughter its citizens without intervention would deal a significant blow to his authority.

However, he never expected City Lord Qinglong to be so deferential to Lu Qing.

Not only was his tone extremely respectful, but it also carried a hint of fear.

A sense of foreboding filled the Fifth Elder, and he hastily cried out, "City Lord, this person is cruel and has repeatedly harmed my second and eldest brothers. Now, he even spews slanderous accusations. Please, you must stand up for our Qi family!"

However, City Lord Qinglong didn't even spare the Fifth Elder a glance.

Instead, he kept his eyes on Lu Qing and said respectfully, "I apologize for not welcoming you sooner, Young Master Lu. I only sensed the outbreak of Precelestial Realm auras and came to investigate. Had I known it was you, Young Master, I would have never interfered. This Qi family brought their doom upon themselves by offending you. I have no intention of meddling in this matter."

Seeing City Lord Qinglong's determination to distance himself from the Qi family, the crowd was once again astonished.

Who exactly was this Young Master Lu that even the powerful and influential City Lord feared and respected so much?

The Battle of the Holy City?

Could it be that something earth-shattering had recently occurred in the Holy City?

The powerhouses present had varying thoughts, and they all made up their minds to send people to investigate what had transpired in the Holy City as soon as they returned.

"I think you've misunderstood, City Lord," Lu Qing shook his head. "I didn't kill the eldest of the Qi family and the others merely because they offended me. It's because the Qi family bears heavy sins. Their crimes are unforgivable, and their deaths are well-deserved."

"Could it be because of the plague in Fengzhou, as you mentioned earlier?" City Lord Qinglong asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Indeed. The Qi family is the root cause of the plague in Fengzhou, which claimed the lives of over a hundred thousand people. City Lord, don't you think they deserve to die for their sins?" Lu Qing replied.

Before City Lord Qinglong could respond, the Fifth Elder of the Qi family shouted angrily, "You slander us with false accusations! If you claim that my family is responsible for the plague in Fengzhou, where is your proof?"

"I know where the evidence is!"

At that moment, a voice rang out, capturing the attention of everyone present.

When everyone turned to look, they were surprised to find that the speaker was none other than Hu Laosan.

No one expected a Postnatal Sinew and Bone Realm cultivator to dare to speak up at this moment.

Elder Five of the Qi family stared at Hu Laosan, his mind racing as he tried to recall any past dealings with this insignificant ant.

"Father!"

Even Hu Zezhi was astonished, looking at her father with a mix of surprise and confusion.

However, Hu Laosan had no time to spare for his daughter at the moment.

He took a few steps forward, clasped his fists, and bowed respectfully, "Hu Laosan, the gatekeeper, pays his respects to the City Lord!"

City Lord Qinglong was taken aback, not expecting the one who dared to stand up against the Qi family to be one of his subordinates.

As a gatekeeper, Hu Laosan held a lowly position, and City Lord Qinglong naturally did not recognize him.

However, seeing Hu Laosan emerge from behind Lu Qing, his expression softened as he said, "No need for formalities. You mentioned earlier that you know where the evidence of the Qi family's involvement in the Fengzhou plague is located. Are you speaking the truth?"

"Yes, I dare not speak falsely, City Lord," Hu Laosan replied.

"Then where is the evidence now?"

"The evidence is not with me, but with Young Master Ji San."

This statement surprised everyone once again.

How did this matter involve the third young master of the Ji family?

"Fei'er?" At that moment, a startled cry rang out, and a figure descended from the roof. "Mister, do you know where my son Fei'er is?"

Everyone looked over and saw that it was the head of the Ji family, who had landed in the courtyard.

Seeing the anxious look on the Ji family head's face, everyone understood.

Rumors had it that the Ji family's youngest son had been missing for some time, and it was no wonder that he was so distraught upon hearing news of his son.

"Head Ji, please rest assured. Young Master Fei'er is temporarily safe," Hu Laosan reassured.

Hearing that his son was still alive, the Ji family head's tension eased slightly, and he continued to ask, "Then where is my son now?"

"I'm sorry, Head Ji, but I can't tell you that right now. Young Master Fei'er is injured, but his life is not in danger.

I cannot reveal his whereabouts."

"Yes, yes."

The Ji family head suddenly realized that Hu Laosan had just mentioned that his youngest son had evidence of the Fengzhou plague.

It seemed that his recent disappearance was related to this matter.

If his hiding place were to be revealed now, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A cold sweat broke out on the Ji family head's back as he realized that if Hu Laosan hadn't been cautious, he might have endangered his son just now.

Thinking of this, he looked at Hu Laosan with gratitude in his eyes.

"Hu Laosan, you said that Young Master Fei'er has evidence of the Fengzhou plague. Is this true?"

City Lord Qinglong remained calm and waited until the Ji family head had calmed down before asking.

"This is indeed true. Young Master Fei'er left a handwritten letter for me, and I swear I am not lying," Hu Laosan replied.

"Then where is the letter now?"

"I destroyed the letter. I had just finished reading it and was about to report to the Ji family when Qi Siji led his men to break in.

I had no choice but to destroy the letter to protect Young Master Fei'er's whereabouts."

Hearing this, Elder Five of the Qi family, who had been feeling apprehensive, finally relaxed a little.

He first glanced at Qi Wenzheng's corpse, cursing him silently for not reporting such a major incident to the family beforehand.

Then, he started to cry out in grievance, "City Lord, you heard him. This is all one-sided slander.

These people are suspicious and are trying to smear our Qi family. Please, you must stand up for us!"

Seeing Elder Five of the Qi family acting so wronged, Lu Qing gave him a strange look, causing him to feel a chill down his spine.

However, Lu Qing knew that he could not back down now.

If they were truly implicated in the plague, the Qi family would face irreversible consequences.

Thus, despite his misgivings, Elder Five shouted defiantly, "You dare to look at me like that, you little thief? Don't think that just because you have a high cultivation base, you can do whatever you want.

If you dare to slander our Qi family, I will report this to the Holy Mountain and ask the three Holy Masters to give us justice!

How dare you start a Precelestial Realm battle within the city and slaughter our Qi family's Precelestial Realm cultivators, violating the Holy Mountain's edict.

I don't believe that even the Holy Mountain won't give us justice!"

Hearing Elder Five of the Qi family bring up the Holy Mountain, everyone's hearts trembled.

Although the Holy Mountain rarely interfered in worldly affairs, the prohibition against starting Precelestial Realm battles within the city was one of their strictest rules.

Once someone violated this rule, they would be pursued by the Holy Mountain even to the ends of the earth.

However, when Elder Five of the Qi family said this, Lu Qing remained calm, but City Lord Qinglong looked at him with a strange expression.

Unexpectedly, Qi Family's Fifth Elder failed to notice the change in his expression.

At that moment, all of his hatred was directed at Lu Qing.

"As expected, the guilty ones are the first to accuse others."

Lu Qing shook his head, no longer wishing to engage in pointless banter.

With a slight movement of his mind, he condensed a blade of Qi and slashed towards the Fifth Elder.

The Elder's eyes widened in shock as he never expected Lu Qing to make his move at this moment.

He tried to dodge, but being already severely injured, how could he possibly evade Lu Qing's fierce blade of Qi?

In an instant, he was sliced in half, his death instantaneous.

"What gave you the impression that I needed a reason to kill you? Do you think I would care about the Holy Mountain's opinion?"

Lu Qing's voice sounded indifferent as he casually killed the Fifth Elder.

"What?!'

Lu Qing's sudden action took everyone by surprise.

The crowd of powerful cultivators stared at him in shock.

They couldn't believe that he dared to kill in front of them even after the Fifth Elder mentioned the Holy Mountain.

This was clearly a sign of blatant disregard for the Holy Mountain's authority!

Only City Lord Qinglong maintained a calm expression, though his heart skipped a beat. However, he didn't seem surprised by Lu Qing's actions.

"City Lord, since Young Master Ji has the evidence, I won't waste any more words. If you still have doubts, you can investigate the truth yourself. I won't bother with you any longer."

After killing the Fifth Elder, Lu Qing's expression remained unchanged, as if he had just squashed an ant.

"Young Master Lu, you jest. The way Qi Family's Fifth Elder was acting just now, it's clear that he has a guilty conscience. Even if the Qi Family isn't the main culprit behind the plague in Fengzhou, they must be somehow involved. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and won't let the Qi Family off the hook."

Upon hearing these words, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

This guy is incredible! The City Lord seemed to be siding with Lu Qing and was even willing to abandon his usual principles to curry favor with him.

"Since that's the case, I shall take my leave."

Lu Qing turned and said to Hu Zezhi, "Miss Hu, Uncle Hu, it seems you can no longer stay in Qinglong City. Why don't you come with us for now?"

"Okay."

Hu Zezhi didn't hesitate for a moment and readily agreed.

As for Hu Laosan, he hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't object.

This time, they had truly offended the Qi Family.

He wasn't sure if the Qi Family would fall because of this incident, but he knew that he and his daughter could no longer stay in the city.

Otherwise, they might meet an untimely end in their home one day.

"Dad, let's pack our things!"

After their journey in Zhongzhou, Hu Zezhi had gained some experience.

Ignoring the crowd of powerful cultivators, she supported her father and headed inside to pack their belongings.

Soon, the two of them gathered their valuables and emerged with two bundles.

"Young Master Lu, we're ready."

"Alright." Lu Qing nodded and turned to leave. "Let's go."

"Head of the Ji Family, the location of Young Master Ji San is written on this piece of paper. Young Master Ji is severely injured, so please hurry. If you're too late, I'm afraid he won't make it."

Hu Laosan took out a piece of paper and handed it to the Head of the Ji Family.

After the Head of the Ji Family received the paper, he followed Hu Zezhi and her father out of the courtyard, taking one last look at the home he had lived in for decades.

Seeing Lu Qing and his group leave so boldly, the crowd of Precelestial Realm cultivators exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

However, none of them dared to take action.

After all, even the City Lord hadn't moved, so how could they dare to do anything?

It was only after sensing that Lu Qing and his group were far away that someone approached City Lord Qinglong.

"City Lord, are you really going to let them go just like that?"

"Do you want to stop them?"

City Lord Qinglong glared at the person who had just spoken, his expression stern.

"City Lord, what is the background of this young man that makes you so cautious? He started a Precelestial Realm battle in the city and left arrogantly. We didn't even make a single move to stop him. What if the Holy Mountain blames us? Won't we all be punished?"

Another person asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Rest assured, the Holy Mountain won't punish us." City Lord Qinglong said mysteriously.

"Because this young man is someone even the Holy Mountain doesn't dare to offend easily."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end