Chapter 455: Han Lingling's Realization, The Missing Spirit Stone

Chapter 455: Han Lingling's Realization, The Missing Spirit Stone

January 12, 2025

Despite Han Lingling's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Lu Qing ultimately chose to depart, leaving her with a heavy heart.

"Sister Lingling, we're off. Remember to come and visit Yan later," Yan said, her voice filled with reluctance as she stood outside the Ice Palace.

"Of course, I'll definitely visit you when I have the time," Han Lingling replied, feeling a deep affection for this adorable and lively little sister.

Han Lingling was the daughter of the previous Palace Master, born into a noble status. From a young age, she had been held in high regard by everyone in the Frostwater Palace.

It was rare for someone to treat her with such closeness, and she, too, felt a sense of reluctance.

After bidding farewell, Lu Qing took Yan's hand and flew into the sky, heading out of Frostwater City.

Han Lingling stood in place, watching until their figures disappeared from sight.

"Palace Master, did the Upper Elder leave?" Several figures appeared behind Han Lingling.

"Yes, the Upper Elder mentioned that he was taking Yan to travel the world. His visit to our Frostwater City was merely a coincidence," Han Lingling explained with a nod.

"What about Li Changbo...?" someone asked hesitantly.

"The Upper Elder said he would no longer be in this world," Han Lingling replied.

Upon hearing this, the others felt a sense of relief.

Otherwise, having a Golden Core Realm cultivator who held a deep grudge against the Frostwater Palace would have made it difficult for them to rest easy.

Now that the tension had eased, some of them even felt like joking around.

"I never imagined that he would reach such an unimaginable realm, to the point where even a Golden Core Immortal would have no power to resist him," someone sighed in awe.

"Indeed, back in Central State, we witnessed his tribulation and entry into the Primordial Realm. It hasn't been long since then, and yet he has already become so powerful," another person added.

"After the revival of the world, he was the first to undergo tribulation, and even during his breakthrough into the Primordial Realm, he attracted the attention of the Thunder Tribulation. It's no wonder we couldn't fathom his potential."

These individuals were the core disciples sent by the Frostwater Palace to Central State to seize opportunities.

Although they had witnessed Lu Qing's tribulation and knew that this young man would achieve greatness, they never imagined that he would defy the heavens to such an extent.

Within just two or three years, he had become capable of effortlessly slaying Golden Core Realm cultivators.

Even Hanging Mountain, with its deeper cultivation resources and heritage, had been completely annihilated by him.

Thinking of Hanging Mountain, they felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, during their time in Central State, they had not offended Lu Qing.

Otherwise, their Frostwater Palace might have ceased to exist before Li Changbo's arrival.

"However, establishing a good relationship with him is a great opportunity for our Frostwater Palace. At the very least, any force that dares to target us in the future will have to think twice," one of them said with a smile.

The others nodded in agreement.

Ever since the shocking incident decades ago, the Frostwater Palace's foundation had weakened significantly.

Many of the older generation's powerful cultivators had perished during that event.

The fact that it occurred in a secret realm kept it hidden from the outside world.

But this time, with the previous Palace Master's failed tribulation and Li Changbo's intrusion, their weakness had been exposed.

The Frostwater Palace currently lacked cultivators above the Golden Core Realm.

Initially, they had been concerned that after this incident, many forces would harbor ill intentions towards their palace.

However, with Lu Qing's connection, other factions would think twice before acting on any schemes.

This was why the Palace Master had opened the treasury, allowing Lu Qing to choose freely, and even offered the most profound and core manual of the Frostwater Palace, the 'Frost Jade True Record'. No one objected because they desperately needed Lu Qing's support.

"Don't become too complacent," Han Lingling said calmly, addressing the group.

"Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. The tiger's skin can only deter the weak for a while.

Although the Upper Elder can intimidate the small fry, there are too many fools in this world. Over time, someone will inevitably try to stir up trouble.

To restore the prestige of our Frostwater Palace, we must rely on ourselves.

As long as we have cultivators who successfully undergo tribulation and reach the Golden Core Realm, no one in the world will dare to have malicious intentions towards us. Even a Golden Core Realm cultivator like Li Changbo wouldn't dare to invade us so brazenly.

Therefore, you all must work hard in your cultivation and strive to break through as soon as possible. Let's restore the glory of our Frostwater Palace."

Han Lingling's words instantly sobered the group, and they all replied respectfully, "Yes, Palace Master!"

After instructing the disciples of the sect, Han Lingling once again gazed towards the sky where Lu Qing had departed.

Holding the jade slip containing the inherited techniques, Xiao Yan's grip tightened slightly.

From their interactions, she naturally sensed that Lu Qing's attitude towards her was rather indifferent.

In his eyes, she was probably no different from any passerby.

Through Lu Qing's words, she could feel that his vision was not limited to this small world.

Instead, it extended to the even vaster world beyond the starry sky.

After learning about the vast world outside from Lu Qing, Xiao Yan's mindset underwent a subtle change.

She yearned to explore the unknown, expansive world, a desire that grew stronger.

Gripping the jade slip in her hand, she silently vowed, "Supreme Elder, rest assured. I will surely enter the Golden Core Realm and not let you down."

...

"Young Master Lu, I suspect that the Palace Master of Frostwater Palace is using you," Yan said to Lu Qing via divine soul transmission after they left Frostwater Palace.

"Oh? How so?" Lu Qing asked with interest.

"Frostwater Palace has obviously encountered a major problem. The strength within the sect has significantly declined. As one of the Four Great Secret Realms, despite the long period of Essence Qi revival, they don't even have a single Golden Core Realm cultivator. A mere Li Changbo, who has just entered the Golden Core Realm with an unstable foundation, is able to flaunt his power over them. It's evident that Frostwater Palace must have encountered some mishap, resulting in a significant decline in their foundation. Especially after the Li Changbo incident, Frostwater Palace's issues have been fully exposed. It's hard to say that other forces won't develop different intentions. That's why the Palace Master of Frostwater Palace is trying to win you over, hoping to use your influence to deter other powerful forces that might have ulterior motives."

Yan carefully analyzed Frostwater Palace's intentions.

"If it's about borrowing influence, so be it," Lu Qing said nonchalantly. "It's just a mutual exchange of needs. The Fire Spirit Pearl is quite useful to me, and these are all minor matters."

Lu Qing was well aware of Han Lingshuang's thoughts.

However, he didn't mind such trivial matters as long as they didn't cross his principles or bottom line.

Hearing this, Yan didn't say more.

It merely wanted to remind Lu Qing, and since he understood everything, there was no need for further explanation.

After leaving Frostwater City, Lu Qing continued his journey with Xiao Yan.

In the evening, they arrived at a new city and found accommodation at an inn. After Xiao Yan fell asleep, Lu Qing entered the Li Huo Ding with his spiritual consciousness.

"Young Master Lu," Yan immediately greeted him.

"How is Li Changbo doing?" Lu Qing asked.

"He's currently imprisoned. He's quite composed, except for some initial panic," Yan replied, waving his hand to reveal a spatial cage, showing Li Changbo's situation inside.

Li Changbo was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, appearing calm.

At this moment, he couldn't sense the outside situation and couldn't see Lu Qing or Yan.

Upon seeing this, Lu Qing slightly moved his spiritual consciousness, removing the barrier of the spatial cage.

Li Changbo immediately opened his eyes, and when he saw Lu Qing and Yan, his eyes revealed a look of shock, especially at Yan's appearance, which made him instantly realize that Yan was not a human.

"Are you comfortable here?" Lu Qing asked indifferently.

"It's dim, but it's quiet," Li Changbo replied.

Lu Qing smiled and didn't engage in idle chat. He directly asked, "Li Changbo, your cultivation is built upon a vast number of spirit stones. Tell me, where did you obtain so many spirit stones?"

Hearing these words, Li Changbo's face lost its composure.

He stared intently at Lu Qing, unable to fathom how this unfathomable youth before him knew about his secret.

This was his most significant secret, something he had never revealed, even in the terrifying illusion he experienced before.

"What's wrong? Do you find it hard to believe?" Lu Qing said, noticing Li Changbo's expression. "You think such a secret should be unknown to others? Your foundation is unstable, and your strength is much weaker than an average Golden Core Realm cultivator. You must have used some method to rapidly enhance your cultivation. In this world, only spirit stones can have such an effect."

Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, Li Changbo's face turned slightly red.

He had always craved power, and his greatest pride in life was successfully passing the thunder tribulation and achieving the Golden Core Realm.

In his eyes, he stood at the pinnacle of the world.

In Lu Qing's words, he was described as weak, which made it hard for him to accept.

But even if he couldn't accept it, Li Changbo dared not refute it.

Their previous encounter had already shown him the terrifying strength of this young man, far beyond his comprehension.

Circumstances were stronger than him, and as Lu Qing called him weak, he could only endure it.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his mind.

Because he knew this was his chance.

After a moment of silence, Li Changbo spoke, "So, Senior, you brought me here because you wanted the Spirit Stones I possess."

This was simple. As long as the senior was willing to swear a Soul Oath.

"After I tell you where the Spirit Stones are, you can let me go and guarantee my safety."

"You know about Soul Oaths?" Lu Qing's eyebrows rose, "It seems you've obtained some ancient cultivation legacy from the previous era."

Soul Oaths were a common technique among cultivators in the previous cultivation era, but in this age, few knew of them.

Li Changbo remained silent, implying his agreement.

Without the legacy, how could he have cultivated to the Golden Core Realm on his own?

"But do you think you have the qualifications to negotiate with me?" Lu Qing continued.

However, Lu Qing's next words made Li Changbo abruptly raise his head.

As he looked into Lu Qing's eyes, he saw a strange light emanating from them.

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.

Li Changbo realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.

The next moment, he found himself sinking into an illusion once more.

This illusion was even more terrifying than the previous ones he had experienced.

After a quarter of an hour, when Li Changbo finally woke from the illusion, his eyes were filled with exhaustion.

"I told you, you have no right to negotiate with me, nor do you have any secrets to hide," Lu Qing said, causing Li Changbo's body to tremble as he looked at him with fear.

In the illusion, he had just endured unimaginable torment.

In his perception, he had suffered in the illusion for a decade.

"Senior, now that you know where the Spirit Stones are, can you spare me this time?" Li Changbo pleaded.

Indeed, in the illusion, he couldn't bear the endless torment and revealed the location of the Spirit Stones he knew.

"What do you think?" Lu Qing asked, looking at Li Changbo with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Senior!" Li Changbo exclaimed anxiously, "I have no grudge with you, so why must you eradicate me without leaving any chance of survival?

If you spare me this time, I'll swear a Soul Oath and become your servant.

I'll be loyal to you and become your sharpest weapon, ready to do anything for you!"

"I don't need a servant like you," Lu Qing shook his head, "You're willing to scheme against your own wife and child for treasure and power.

Someone as heartless as you doesn't deserve to be my servant.

Moreover, I promised the Palace Master of Frostwater Palace that I wouldn't let you live in this world."

"Senior..."

Li Changbo was terrified by Lu Qing's words and wanted to beg for mercy, but Lu Qing was no longer interested in listening.

With a thought, a transparent flame emerged from the spatial cage and surged towards Li Changbo.

Li Changbo was shocked and immediately activated the magical power within his body to resist the burning of the spiritual fire.

But soon, a look of extreme terror appeared on his face.

"Impossible, this flame!"

The transparent flame, upon touching Li Changbo's body, immediately began to melt his physical form.

His fire-attributed magical power was of no use.

In just a few breaths, he was engulfed by the transparent flame and turned into ashes, leaving behind only a fiery red pearl.

"A mere beginner at the initial stage of the Golden Core Realm, thinking you can withstand the burning of the Nanming Fire from the Li Fire Cauldron? You overestimate yourself," said the man with the 'Yan' face, showing disdain.

In the previous cultivation era, even Golden Core cultivators much stronger than Li Changbo had perished under the burning of this Nanming Fire.

It was effortless to refine a small Golden Core cultivator with few magical treasures.

Lu Qing waved his hand and took the fiery red pearl.

The pearl was warm and smooth to the touch.

Lu Qing activated his ability and examined it.

Soon, understanding dawned on his face.

This pearl was the treasure that Li Changbo had persuaded his wife to steal from Frostwater Palace—a damaged high-grade fire-attributed magical treasure.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end