Chapter 319: The Path of the Sinister Cultivator, The Miasma Mark

Chapter 319: The Path of the Sinister Cultivator, The Miasma Mark

"Your Honor, what did you say?" Everyone stared at the Qinglong City Lord, astounded.

They wanted to see if there was even a hint of a joke on his face.

What a joke! In this world, was there an existence that even the Sacred Mountain wouldn't dare to provoke?

Even the four legendary secret lands could only be considered on par with the Sacred Mountain at best.

They were far from being untouchable, even by the Sacred Mountain.

"Don't you think I'm joking," Lord Qinglong sighed. "Do you know what this young Master Lu did in the Holy City not long ago?"

"What happened in the Holy City?" Everyone's hearts stirred as they recalled the City Lord's previous words.

They all knew that within the City Lord's mansion lay a mysterious formation.

It allowed seamless communication with the Holy City, thousands of miles away, facilitating rapid messaging.

It seemed that the City Lord had received some startling news.

"Just a few days ago, on the day the Sound of the Heaven and Earth Path resonated again, this young Master Lu summoned tribulation clouds with his physical body within the Holy City.

He weathered nine tribulation thunderbolts and became the first person in the world to undergo tribulation since the change in the Heaven and Earth, and the revival of spiritual energy.

After overcoming the tribulation, he went on to slaughter countless eminent monks of the Xuankong Mountain sect.

Even the Third Sacred Master, who tried to stop him, fell to his blade.

He struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the Holy City, and none dared to provoke him.

In the end, the Sacred Mountain didn't punish him for his actions.

Do you think someone like that is someone we in Qinglong City can afford to offend?"

The first person to undergo tribulation since the change in Heaven and Earth! Slaughtered eminent monks of Xuankong Mountain and defeated the Third Sacred Master in battle! Each sentence uttered by the Qinglong City Lord made the hearts of the Precelestial Realm cultivators tremble.

Especially the part about defeating the Third Sacred Master—it left everyone in a state of shock.

In their hearts, the three Sacred Masters were akin to invincible beings.

Now, they were being told that one of them had fallen to a young man.

It was hard for them not to find this incredulous.

"Your Honor, are you telling the truth? That young master is just a youth, yet he possesses such terrifying power?" Someone asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"Didn't you all just see it? The cultivation of the eldest of the Qi family was no weaker than yours.

Yet, he was crushed into a meat patty by that young man in the blink of an eye.

Who among you can stand against such might?" The City Lord asked, reminding them of Lu Qing's bizarre display of power moments ago.

The crowd fell silent, thinking back to Lu Qing's mysterious abilities.

Forget about standing against him; they didn't even understand what power Lu Qing had wielded.

"Also, not to mention Young Master Lu, even his master, that old man from earlier, is no ordinary person.

In the Sacred Mountain, he once displayed a Sword Qi Domain.

Its might was so powerful that even the absolute peak experts from the four secret lands were left in awe.

They claimed that below the perfect Precelestial Realm, there would be few who could rival him!"

Sword Qi Domain...

At these words, the crowd fell silent once more.

The domain was a realm they could only dream of attaining.

Those in the Precelestial Realm who possessed a domain were, in a sense, even rarer than those who had reached perfection in the Precelestial Realm.

And among the various domains, the Sword Qi Domain was known for its unparalleled lethality.

That unassuming old man from earlier was actually such a fearsome expert?

At this point, the group of powerful cultivators finally understood why the City Lord had been so humble earlier.

In the face of such an extraordinary, abnormal genius, humility was the only option.

If he dared to act arrogantly toward someone who had killed members of Xuankong Mountain, why would he spare a mere city lord like himself a second thought?

If he were to be angered, none of them here would escape unscathed.

With this realization, the crowd's previous disdain for the Qinglong City Lord instantly vanished without a trace.

Instead, they even felt a hint of gratitude toward him.

They were fortunate that he had managed to calm the young master; otherwise, they, in their ignorance, might have already offended him.

"Your Honor, what should we do now?" Someone asked.

"Let's first investigate the Qi family matter." The Qinglong City Lord coldly laughed.

"There were already suspicions from the Sacred Mountain about the plague in Fengzhou, thinking it strange that it erupted so abruptly without any signs.

Now it seems that someone was indeed stirring up trouble in the dark!"

The crowd looked at the dead Precelestial Realm cultivators of the Qi family, understanding that with this order, the Qi family was finished.

Regardless of whether the Qi family was responsible or not, since they had attracted the young master's attention, the City Lord would not let them off easily to appease his anger.

"Elder Qi, that Hu Laosan said that your young master has evidence of the Qi family's involvement in the plague.

Please retrieve the evidence," the City Lord said, addressing Elder Qi. "As for the rest of you, follow me to the Qi family.

We'll take control of the rest of the Qi family members."

The Qinglong City Lord was a decisive person. Once he made up his mind, he immediately gave his orders.

"Yes, we understand," the crowd replied in unison. In times like these, they wouldn't dare go against the City Lord, especially those who already had conflicts with the Qi family. The Qi family had been domineering in the city, relying on their numerous Precelestial Realm cultivators and their vast influence. Many of the other powers in the city had clashed with them at some point. Now that the Qi family was about to be annihilated, who wouldn't be excited?

At that moment, the Jia family head led his family's Precelestial cultivators to retrieve his young son, following the instructions left by Hu Laosan. The others followed the Qinglong City Lord in a formidable procession toward the Qi family.

...

"...At that time, Young Master Jia must have been targeted by the Qi family. He said that he had been marked with a miasma mark. If he entered the city, not only would there be a risk of discovery, but he could also bring the miasma into the city and harm the citizens. That's why he had to hide outside the city walls. I was on duty at the city gate when a child suddenly handed me a letter. Strangely enough, the Qi family seemed to have noticed something amiss. I had just returned home and finished reading the letter when Qi Wenzheng led a group to break into my house."

As the Precelestial cultivators made their way to the Qi family, Lu Qing and the others were also heading toward the city gate. Along the way, Hu Laosan recounted the events that had transpired before Lu Qing's arrival. His injuries had largely healed, thanks to the medicine prepared by the old physician.

"Miasma..." Lu Qing fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "You being discovered by the Qi family was likely unrelated to the letter. The problem probably lies with the mark itself."

"The letter?" Hu Laosan asked, confused.

"Indeed. If Young Master Jia was marked with the miasma, then any object he came into contact with would bear a trace of it. Although it would be faint, if the Qi family possessed the appropriate artifact or cultivation technique, they might be able to sense it if they got close enough."

"Artifact?" Hu Laosan was even more perplexed.

"You can think of it as an object imbued with special power," Lu Qing explained briefly. "However, that artifact shouldn't be too powerful, or the Qi family member wouldn't have hesitated to use it earlier."

Lu Qing provided a brief explanation but fell into contemplation. According to Hu Laosan's account, the situation with Young Master Jia seemed rather dire.

The miasma mark was no ordinary thing. Only a true sinister cultivator, one who had achieved a high level of mastery in the sinister path, could impart such a mark. From the note he had obtained from the eldest Qi brother, Lu Qing already knew about the Qi family's involvement in the plague in Fengzhou. However, he didn't know the specifics of their methods. Now, upon hearing Hu Laosan's words, he immediately sensed something amiss.

With a furrowed brow, Lu Qing called out, "Uncle Ma, stop the carriage for a moment."

Ma Gu pulled the carriage to a halt.

"Little Qing, what's wrong?" The old physician asked.

"Master, if Young Master Jia is indeed marked with the miasma, then this matter is far more serious than we thought," Lu Qing said, his expression grave.

"This miasma mark can only be imparted by a true sinister cultivator. And such cultivators often bring disaster and calamity wherever they go, leaving a trail of death in their wake. In severe cases, they can cause widespread epidemics and devastate entire populations."

"You mean a sinister cultivator!" The old physician's face paled as he recalled the information jade slip Lu Qing had inscribed for him, which included brief introductions to various ancient cultivation sects, including the sinister path. He now understood the true terror that a sinister cultivator represented.

"Little Qing, do you mean that sinister cultivator is hiding within the Qi family?" The old physician's expression turned grim. If that were true, it would spell disaster for the citizens of Qinglong City.

"They're probably not there anymore," Lu Qing shook his head. "If there were a sinister cultivator in the city, I would have sensed it. My soul sense is strong enough to detect even the faintest traces of their presence."

He was quite confident about this. Ever since his Spirit Rune had reached the Precelestial Realm and evolved into the Yang Rune, his soul power had become formidable enough to awe all Precelestial cultivators. If there were a sinister cultivator hiding in the city, they wouldn't be able to conceal their presence from him completely.

Moreover, sinister cultivators who cultivated the path of miasma and toxic qi were inherently bearers of calamity. They couldn't stay in populated areas for long, as the qi they exuded would spread epidemics and easily attract attention. With so many Precelestial cultivators in the city, it would be extremely difficult for them to remain hidden.

"So, it's unlikely that the sinister cultivator is hiding within the city."

"The most likely scenario is that he's hiding and cultivating somewhere outside the city."

With that thought in mind, Lu Qing suddenly asked, "Uncle Hu, do you remember where the third young master of the Ji family was hiding?"

Hu Laosan was taken aback for a moment before replying, "Of course, I remember. But I already told the head of the Ji family about that place earlier."

"We're running out of time. Let's go find him first. If we're any later, I'm afraid that third young master will be in danger," Lu Qing said.

"Then let's hurry!" Hu Laosan exclaimed.

He was genuinely concerned about the third young master's safety.

After all, the two of them had stood guard at the city gate together for so long.

Although the third young master was there to gain life experience, they had still forged a bond of friendship.

"Once we're out of the city gate, just tell us the direction," Lu Qing instructed.

Ma Gu started the carriage, and as soon as they left the city gate, Hu Laosan pointed out the direction.

Qingfeng appeared, and the carriage transformed into a streak of green light, speeding forward at an incredible pace.

Hu Laosan had never experienced such a speed before.

As he looked at the scenery outside the window, blurred by their rapid movement, his face paled.

He couldn't help but wonder just how fast the carriage was going.

With the speed of the formation carriage, it didn't take long for Lu Qing and his companions to reach the place Hu Laosan had mentioned.

It was a small mountain village, desolate and filled with broken walls and dilapidated houses, seemingly abandoned for a long time.

When they got off the carriage, Hu Laosan's face showed a hint of bewilderment.

After all, the place he had indicated was dozens of miles away from Qinglong City.

Yet, in just a short while, less than even half an hour, they had already arrived here.

The speed was truly terrifying.

"Uncle Hu, is this the place you mentioned?" Lu Qing asked.

Hu Laosan snapped out of his daze and nodded, "Yes, this used to be a plague village. There was an outbreak of leprosy here, and many people died.

I came here once with the city lord and his men."

Lu Qing nodded. He had already sensed some faint auras in the village.

Apparently, there were still people hiding and living here.

One of the auras was particularly strong, stronger than that of an ordinary person, indicating the presence of a martial artist.

Furthermore, this aura was somewhat familiar to him; it belonged to the third young master of the Ji family.

However, the condition of this aura was not ideal.

It fluctuated between strong and weak, and the vital energy was extremely weak, as if the person was suffering from a serious illness.

Lu Qing said, "I've already sensed the aura of the third young master. Let's go in."

It was difficult for the carriage to navigate through the broken walls and houses in the small village.

So, Ma Gu and Wei Zian stayed behind to guard the carriage while Lu Qing and the others entered the village on foot.

As they walked through the village, Lu Qing and his companions felt that they were being watched from the dilapidated houses on both sides.

When they looked over, the gazes would quickly shift away.

Lu Qing didn't pay much attention to these villagers and headed straight toward the location where he sensed the aura of the third young master of the Ji family.

It was a shabby thatched cottage. As Lu Qing pushed open the door, a startled cry came from within, but it was a young girl's voice.

"Little sister, don't be afraid. We're here to save the young master," Lu Qing said gently.

The thatched cottage was dimly lit, but it posed no obstacle to Lu Qing, who possessed night vision.

He immediately saw a girl of about ten years old holding a wooden stick, warily watching them.

Behind her, on a wooden bed, lay a figure.

However, despite Lu Qing's gentle tone, the girl still didn't trust them.

She continued to grip the wooden stick tightly and stared at Lu Qing and his companions, not giving an inch.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside, and a group of raggedly dressed villagers slowly approached them, holding wooden sticks and iron forks.

Lu Qing, of course, didn't consider these physically weak villagers a threat.

However, he didn't make any unnecessary moves and instead called out, "Third young master, are you still awake? We're here to help you."

At the same time, Hu Laosan also shouted, "Third young master, it's me, Old Hu. I've brought people to save you!"

Hearing Hu Laosan's voice, the figure lying on the bed finally stirred.

A weak voice sounded, "Little Ru, don't be afraid. Step back. They are my friends. They're here to help us."

Hearing these words, Little Ru slowly stepped back to the side of the wooden bed.

The group of ragged villagers outside also stopped in their tracks.

Thus, Lu Qing and his companions were able to enter the cottage.

However, when they saw the state of the third young master of the Ji family, their bodies couldn't help but tremble slightly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end