Chapter 364: Xizhou Spirit Mountain, Infiltration, Sudden Murder

Chapter 364: Xizhou Spirit Mountain, Infiltration, Sudden Murder

"This Xizhou has indeed undergone many changes. The Hanging Mountain's ambitions are truly grand." Lu Qing sighed.

At this moment, he was outside a small town in Xizhou, standing before a not-so-tall mountain.

On the mountain's slope, construction was underway, with workers building a Buddhist temple and carving Buddha statues.

Down the mountain, commoners were making their way up, bowing every step, their faces filled with devout reverence.

Lu Qing had witnessed similar scenes on his journey here.

Although he had never been to Xizhou before, he had a general understanding of the region.

He knew that while there was a tradition of Buddhism here, the level of devotion he was witnessing was far beyond what he had expected.

"If this continues, it won't be long before Hanging Mountain completely controls Xizhou."

Lu Qing was well aware of the power of faith.

With Hanging Mountain's methods, if given more time, it wouldn't take long for them to firmly grasp the entire Xizhou, making it as solid as gold.

By then, once they free up their hands, they will likely turn their attention to dealing with him.

"These bald donkeys, after tens of thousands of years, are still playing the same old tricks."

"Flame" observed the scene before him and said, "During the Ancient Cultivation Era, Xizhou was the stronghold of various Buddhist sects.

I never expected that this time, Hanging Mountain would dominate."

"That's not necessarily true," Lu Qing said calmly, "For Hanging Mountain to regain control of Xizhou, we'll have to see if they have the capability."

After saying this, he left with Little Li, continuing on their journey.

The workers building the temple and carving the statues were ordinary craftsmen, and Lu Qing naturally wouldn't make things difficult for them.

His target was elsewhere.

After leaving the small town, Lu Qing once again used a Spirit Talisman, and like a gentle breeze, he traveled through the forest.

This time, he didn't go anywhere else and headed straight for the western part of Xizhou.

Now that he knew Hanging Mountain's intentions in Xizhou, there was no need to waste time on other trivial matters; he could go straight to the heart of the matter.

With the support of the Spirit Talisman, Lu Qing's speed exceeded the Primordial Realm.

Half a day later, he arrived in the western region of Xizhou.

Lu Qing looked ahead and saw the continuous mountain ranges stretching before him.

The most eye-catching was a towering, majestic mountain that stood tall on the vast land.

Clouds and mist could only swirl around the mountain's waist, concealing the scenery above.

"Spirit Mountain Range, I should have guessed that this is where Hanging Mountain's secret realm entrance is located."

Lu Qing gazed at the majestic scene before him, his heart silently reciting.

Although the Spirit Mountain Range was not as vast and majestic as the Central State Holy Mountain, it was still an awe-inspiring mountain range in his eyes, second only to the Holy Mountain.

Compared to the Hundred Thousand Mountain Range after Nine Li Village, it was far less impressive.

"I came to the Spirit Mountain Range once before."

The figure of "Flame" appeared beside Lu Qing, looking at the cloud-shrouded mountains ahead, his eyes revealing an indescribable expression.

"During the Ancient Cultivation Era, this place was the ancestral home of the Buddhist Sect. At that time, the Spirit Mountain Range was much more majestic and awe-inspiring than it is now.

Any cultivator passing through here had to fly in the sky, and it was forbidden to fly over the mountain.

Otherwise, it would be considered a provocation to the Buddhist Sect."

"So these bald donkeys have been this domineering since the Ancient Era," Lu Qing chuckled, "As the saying goes, 'The fish rots from the head down.' If the roots are crooked, how can the tree be straight?"

"Little Li, let's go."

The Soul Talisman in Lu Qing's brow center acupoint trembled, and his aura began to rapidly condense, becoming almost imperceptible.

At the same time, his figure gradually disappeared, eventually vanishing completely.

As for Little Li, it was even simpler.

With a light leap, it had already hidden itself in the spatial layer, more thoroughly concealed than Lu Qing.

Soul Concealment Technique, Invisibility Charm.

Watching Lu Qing use these two techniques to completely hide himself, "Flame" was amazed.

Lu Qing knew too much.

The heritage of the Divine Talisman Sect and the Flamefire Sect allowed his understanding of talismanic arts to rival his achievements in physical cultivation.

Moreover, Lu Qing was even more cautious than "Flame" had imagined.

He had used transformation techniques to alter his soul aura and physical appearance, and he didn't just stop at wearing a mask.

Now, he was also using concealment techniques and invisibility charms to completely hide his figure.

He was being extremely cautious.

For some reason, "Flame" felt a bit of pity for Hanging Mountain.

They had provoked an enemy with formidable strength, extreme caution, and most importantly, a cultivation talent that defied the heavens.

Adding to the mix, there was also a mysterious and elusive Black Night Spirit Raccoon with spatial abilities...

Just the thought of it made "Flame" feel a chill down his spine.

He could already foresee the dire situation that Hanging Mountain would face.

After concealing their presence, Lu Qing began to stealthily advance towards the Spirit Mountain Range with Little Li.

Before long, they reached the most majestic and towering mountain.

The journey was smooth and uneventful.

After all, Hanging Mountain had only recently emerged, and with the recent focus on subjugating various sects in Ji Prefecture, it had been busy establishing its own power.

There hadn't been enough time to truly develop the Spirit Mountain Range, and even the Mountain Defense Array hadn't been set up yet, so it was natural that Lu Qing's movements went unnoticed.

As they neared the majestic mountain, a cacophony of voices reverberated from the mountain into Lu Qing's ears.

The mountain was also bustling with construction, with temples being built and Buddhist statues being carved.

The scale of the construction was even more massive than what Lu Qing had seen elsewhere in Ji Prefecture.

For instance, from a distance, he could see numerous craftsmen with martial cultivator cultivation levels carving a brand-new, colossal Buddhist statue on a nearly hundred-zhang high cliff.

The head of the statue alone was over ten zhang tall, an awe-inspiring sight.

Observing the half-completed giant statue, Lu Qing's heart stirred, and he quietly approached it with Little Li.

Soon, he reached the base of the hundred-zhang cliff and also spotted several bald monks wearing red robes and large earrings.

Sensing the aura of these monks, Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat.

The blood energy of these bald monks was exceptionally robust, and even the weakest among them had reached the Minor Primordial Realm.

One of them, the leader in red robes, had a perfectly harmonious Qi flow, as if he were about to merge with the surrounding environment.

He was indeed a powerful cultivator at the Complete Primordial Realm.

This was the first time Lu Qing had encountered someone at the Complete Primordial Realm.

The Third Sage Lord he met in the Holy City of Central Province didn't count, as he had used a puppet body at the time.

Although the puppet body was powerful, there was still a significant difference compared to a true cultivator at the Complete Primordial Realm.

Moreover, Lu Qing vaguely sensed that this leader in red robes possessed a unique Qi flow in addition to his powerful blood energy.

Lu Qing immediately activated his extraordinary ability and observed the monk.

After a few breaths, dense golden light of his extraordinary ability emerged from the leader's body.

At the same time, several words appeared:

[Xuanyi: Great Elder of Hanging Mountain.]



[Cultivation: Body and Technique Cultivator, Complete Primordial Realm.]



[Possesses Buddhist Treasures, formidable in both offense and defense.]



...

Lu Qing shifted his gaze to the other bald monks, and as expected, they were also elders of Hanging Mountain.

This didn't surprise him.

According to "Flame," the four secret places' forces had retreated into secret realms, preserving their heritage for tens of thousands of years.

However, in the end, they were merely clinging to survival.

Even secret realms were dependent on the main world, unable to completely block the rules of the main world from infiltrating.

Therefore, it was impossible for extremely powerful beings to emerge within the secret realms.

At most, they could reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

It was impossible to achieve the Golden Core Realm.

Because to condense a Golden Core, one must undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, and only after passing through the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation can it be achieved.

This was an unbreakable law of cultivation, and no cultivator could defy it.

And since the Heavenly Tribulation couldn't be gathered within the secret realms, it was impossible for Golden Core cultivators to exist there.

It was precisely because of this hidden law of cultivation that Lu Qing dared to come alone to Ji Prefecture to stir up trouble for Hanging Mountain.

With his Spirit Tool, even if he couldn't defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators, he was confident he could escape unscathed.

"Great Elder, Chan Xin has sent news that the Iron Sword Sect in the south has also agreed to submit and serve under our Hanging Mountain."

Just as Lu Qing finished scanning with his extraordinary ability, a bald monk spoke from ahead.

"Excellent! With the Iron Sword Sect's submission, Ji Prefecture is once again firmly under the control of our Hanging Mountain."

Xuanyi nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmph! If not for the depletion of Spirit Qi, the cost of opening the secret realm would be too great, making it inconvenient for us to come and go.

Ji Prefecture would never have been in such a chaotic state, filled with these stubborn and obstinate people! It's their fortune to be able to take refuge in Buddhism now!"

Another monk in red robes coldly huffed.

"Junior Brother, don't be angry. It's precisely because people are stubborn that they need the guidance of Buddhism. This is also a form of cultivation for us."

Xuanyi consoled.

"Senior Brother Xuanyi, now that Ji Prefecture has returned to the control of Buddhism, what should we do about the other matter the Abbot mentioned?"

"So, you're saying that the demon who killed Xuan Ming and the others was a demon?" Lu Qing's heart stirred upon hearing the mention of his name.

A red-robed monk spoke up, "Xuan Yi, what do you think about the information that the Infinite Tower gathered recently? Can we trust it?"

Xuan Yi replied after a moment of contemplation, "The Infinite Tower wouldn't dare deceive us. They need our Hanging Mountain's mercy to ensure their clan's survival. Even if they had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare harbor any ill intentions. Furthermore, when the Tower Master came to report, my Wisdom Heart didn't sense any lies from him."

"So, you're saying that the Infinite Tower's findings about the demon's hidden cultivation place are true?"

"It's highly likely."

"I never expected that demon to come from such a remote and obscure place like Cangzhou. No wonder such places breed demons! Xuan Yi, the Abbot and the Supreme Elder have ordered us to capture that demon and convert it for our use. When will we set out?"

Xuan Yi slowly said, "There's no rush. That demon carries the fortune of a state, and it has even survived the Heavenly Tribulation. Its strength might not be inferior to ours. To capture it alive, we need a well-thought-out plan and careful strategizing. Let's wait until the Spirit Mountain Range is fully established and the Mountain Defense Array is in place before making our move."

Lu Qing, hidden in the shadows, suddenly realized the situation. The Infinite Tower assassin who had escaped the flying sword attack at Wei Mansion and returned safely to the Hanging Mountain's secret realm was the same person who had reported the information to the Hanging Mountain.

Lu Qing felt relieved that he had come early. If he had waited until the Hanging Mountain truly stabilized the situation in Xizhou and set up the Mountain Protection Array, it would have been much harder for him to infiltrate unnoticed. By then, he would have been forced to endure the attacks passively.

After all, he could leave whenever he wanted, but the villagers of Nine Li Village and the Wei family would be in danger.

Lu Qing's killing intent surged as he thought of this. From the conversation he had just overheard, he realized that there were indeed hidden experts within the Hanging Mountain's secret realm. The so-called Abbot and Supreme Elder were likely powerful cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage or above.

However, among those in the Spirit Mountain Range, the most formidable were undoubtedly these red-robed monks, especially Xuan Yi, who was referred to as the Great Elder. He must be the leader of the Hanging Mountain's expedition.

By killing Xuan Yi, Lu Qing believed he could create chaos within the Hanging Mountain for a while.

As his killing intent swirled in his mind, Lu Qing's gaze became increasingly calm. He first used soul transmission to instruct Xiao Li, then quietly retrieved his battle sword from the Heaven and Earth Qi Bag.

Without making a sound, he slowly approached the group of red-robed monks.

When Lu Qing was about ten zhang away from them, Xuan Yi's expression suddenly changed, and he looked in Lu Qing's direction with a mix of surprise and suspicion.

Lu Qing's heart stirred, realizing that his presence had been exposed. Without hesitation, he unleashed an overwhelming aura, and a dazzling blade light flashed from his body, sweeping towards the monks!

"Who's there?" The red-robed monks were all Primordial Realm experts. As soon as Lu Qing's aura erupted, they sensed it.

They were all shocked beyond measure. How could someone have gotten so close without them noticing? But what shocked them even more was the blade light that Lu Qing unleashed.

It was incredibly condensed and powerful. Just sensing it made their hair stand on end, and a bone-chilling coldness rose from the depths of their souls.

"Get out of the way!"

In the blink of an eye, all the monks reacted. Some tried to dodge using body techniques, while others summoned the protective aura they had cultivated to block the blade light. A few monks even brandished the short staffs they carried, attempting to deflect the blade light.

Only Xuan Yi, the most advanced in cultivation, paled upon sensing the blade light. He shouted for everyone to move aside.

But it was already too late.

Lu Qing's blade light, unleashed with great momentum, was incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, it reached the monks.

It swept past their bodies and flew towards the cliffs behind them.

Finally, it slashed a deep gash into the cliff, coming to a stop.

Boom!

With the sound of the blade aura striking the cliff, several streams of blood splattered.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end