Chapter 124

In the forest, Lu Qing was relentlessly pursuing the young man in white.

“You, a mighty Internal Organs Realm expert, have come here and now flee without a fight. Aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?”

Seeing the young man in white not far ahead, Lu Qing spoke loudly.

The young man in white was both furious and alarmed upon seeing Lu Qing catching up.

He was angry that a mere Tendons and Bones Realm boy dared to mock him, showing no respect.

He was alarmed because if Lu Qing dared to chase him so boldly, it meant he had some backing, likely the person who killed Lao San and Lao Qi nearby.

Thinking of this, although the young man in white was enraged and wished to capture Lu Qing immediately, his feet only moved faster.

Ever cautious, he had already decided to report the situation here to his master and request the help of his senior brother.

Though he was jealous of his senior brother, he had to admit that in terms of strength, his senior brother far surpassed him.

An Internal Organs Realm at its peak, reaching the limits of the Postnatal realm, was almost the most powerful martial artist if Precelestial experts were absent.

With his senior brother’s intervention, there would be no need to fear any hidden experts.

By then, capturing Lu Qing, a mere Tendons and Bones Realm boy, would be as easy as turning his hand.

Seeing the young man in white running even faster, Lu Qing sighed inwardly, realizing that using taunts to make him stay was unlikely.

Recently, his realm had soared, and he wanted to test his current strength against an Internal Organs Realm expert.

Unexpectedly, the young man in white was so cautious, giving him no chance.

As the young man in white was about to escape his sight, Lu Qing had no choice but to shout, “Xiao Li, stop him!”

As soon as he spoke, the young man in white immediately felt an intense sense of danger from behind, making his back chill.

“How is this possible?!”

The young man in white was shocked.

Lu Qing should be more than twenty zhang away. How could he be so close behind?

Feeling the piercing cold behind him, in a moment of crisis, the young man in white could only stab backward with his folded jade fan.

Whoosh!

The young man in white’s strike, powerful and sharp, met with empty air the next moment. His hand felt light.

His jade fan, made of hard jade and as strong as steel, had been cut in half!

His hand ached, and if not for his quick withdrawal, his wrist might have been severed.

What?!

The young man in white was horrified.

He quickly hid behind a tree thick enough for a person to embrace and looked back.

To his shock, there was nothing behind him.

The nearest was Lu Qing, more than ten zhang away, running towards him.

What had just attacked him?

Staring at the shattered jade fan on the ground and the deep cuts on his hand, the young man in white felt a heavy sense of dread.

The unknown was the most terrifying.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of attack could almost disable his hand in an instant.

But he knew it was definitely related to Lu Qing.

Because it was right after Lu Qing’s shout that he was attacked.

“Take this!”

While the young man in white remained vigilant, Lu Qing showed no concern for his shock.

Seeing Xiao Li stop the man, Lu Qing charged forward, his speed undiminished, drawing his long sword and slashing with unstoppable force.

The momentum of the slash seemed to want to cut both the young man in white and the tree in half.

This blade technique!

Feeling the force of Lu Qing’s slash, the young man in white couldn’t help but shudder.

He sensed danger in this slash.

If he wasn’t careful, even he would be seriously injured.

A mere Tendons and Bones Realm boy, able to perform such a blade technique, who was this kid?

Though shocked, the young man in white didn’t hesitate, controlling the bleeding from his right hand and drawing a silver light from his waist with his left hand, which shot towards Lu Qing’s throat like a venomous snake.

At this point, the young man in white no longer cared what had attacked him. His only chance was to quickly capture Lu Qing to force the mysterious entity into a dilemma, giving him a chance to escape.

“A flexible sword?”

Seeing the true nature of the silver light, Lu Qing was surprised.

He thought the jade fan was the young man’s weapon but didn’t expect his true skill lay in swordsmanship, particularly the challenging flexible sword technique.

This matched the youth's cunning nature.

The flexible sword in the young man’s hand wobbled like a snake, quickly breaking through Lu Qing’s blade stance and aiming for his throat.

Just this move displayed his excellent swordsmanship.

Using the tree trunk for cover and suddenly striking like a snake, it was extremely lethal and precise.

A typical Tendons and Bones Realm warrior, even at the peak, would find it hard to block this and would be fatally pierced.

But Lu Qing was clearly no ordinary Tendons and Bones Realm fighter.

Feeling the flexible sword faster than his saber, he swiftly changed his move.

His powerful saber technique transformed into a flowing, binding force, deflecting the flexible sword.

His wrist turned, and with a fluid motion, his saber curved around the tree towards the young man’s neck.

“This kid’s saber technique!”

The sudden change caught the young man off guard.

Seeing the saber about to slice his neck, he quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade.

Rolling away to distance himself, he looked at Lu Qing in shock.

He had lost count of how many times he’d been surprised by Lu Qing.

But Lu Qing’s saber technique was beyond his expectations.

Switching from hardness to softness so smoothly was unprecedented.

This level of blade mastery, even he had never seen before.

“Combining hardness and softness, meticulous and masterful. Kid, did you kill Lao Qi?!”

The young man in white suddenly recalled Lao Qi’s death in the unnamed valley and blurted out.

Lao Qi had been beheaded, his armor split, but his body wasn’t heavily damaged.

It was clear the enemy’s strength was insufficient to cut through Lao Qi and his armor in one blow.

Back then, he wondered why, despite the lack of strength, Lao Qi was killed so easily.

Now, seeing Lu Qing’s saber technique, he finally understood.

If it were this kid, Lao Qi indeed stood no chance.

Lu Qing ignored the young man’s outburst.

He knew Lao Qi was likely Tong Canglang.

But he would not answer such questions. Seizing the moment while the young man was distracted, Lu Qing advanced, slashing again.

“Hmph, a master of blade technique is still just a Tendons and Bones Realm. Do you think I fear you?”

The young man in white was enraged by Lu Qing’s silence.

Though he couldn’t fathom how Lu Qing had achieved such mastery at a young age, realm still required strength to support.

If an Internal Organs Realm warrior wielded a master’s blade technique, he’d have no choice but to flee.

But a Tendons and Bones Realm was different.

The gap between realms couldn’t be easily crossed.

As Lu Qing’s fierce slash approached, the young man’s flexible sword thrust out, aiming for Lu Qing’s wrist.

Lu Qing’s wrist twisted, avoiding the thrust, and his saber continued its arc.

Clang, clang, clang...

The sound of blade and sword clashing was continuous, silver lights flashing.

In mere moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows.

One had deep cultivation, immense power, and lightning speed.

The other had profound blade mastery, executing flawless techniques.

For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Clang!

Another loud clash, Lu Qing’s strike was again blocked.

The young man in white used the rebound force to retreat, momentarily escaping Lu Qing’s range.

This time, Lu Qing didn’t chase, standing still.

Seeing Lu Qing’s calm demeanor, the young man was resentful.

If not for his right hand’s injury, using his left hand would not be so clumsy, and Lu Qing couldn’t have blocked his strikes so easily.

Now, as an Internal Organs Realm expert, he was fighting a Tendons and Bones Realm to a draw, an utter disgrace!

Seeing the young man’s sour expression, Lu Qing sighed inwardly.

He noticed the young man’s sword technique, though fierce, was somewhat disjointed.

Likely due to unfamiliarity with using his left hand.

Otherwise, it would be tougher for Lu Qing.

Lu Qing also realized he could only barely match the young man; killing him was nearly impossible.

An Internal Organs Realm was indeed formidable, even injured, far from what a Tendons and Bones Realm could easily kill.

If the young man knew Lu Qing’s thoughts, he’d be even angrier.

A mere Tendons and Bones boy, lucky to fight him to a draw, still dreaming of defeating him was sheer arrogance!

But the young man was struggling internally.

In normal combat, he couldn’t defeat Lu Qing.

Should he use his secret technique?

He hesitated.

The secret technique could instantly double his strength, making it easy to defeat Lu Qing.

But it was his last resort, reserved for the mysterious entity that had wounded him.

Using it now left him defenseless against that hidden threat.

Moreover, the technique would weaken him afterward. If he failed to capture Lu Qing quickly, it would be his end.

“Xiao Li, attack!”

As the young man hesitated, Lu Qing suddenly ordered Xiao Li.

Since he had gauged his strength, there was no need to prolong the fight.

This grindstone had no further value.

With the order given, Lu Qing charged with his saber.

Clearly abandoning martial ethics, intending to gang up with Xiao Li.

Hearing Lu Qing shout the name again, the young man’s heart trembled.

The previous chill returned.

Without hesitation, he stimulated his qi and blood, activating his acupoints.

With the secret technique in motion, powerful energy surged from within.

But the next moment, an intense chill gripped him. In the void before him, a small white claw appeared, reaching for his chest!

What kind of monster was this?!

The young man was horrified, never imagining such a strange occurrence.

Without thinking, his flexible sword vibrated, striking towards the claw.

Clang!

The claw was deflected by a blade tip, and a small black beast leapt from the void, evading the sword, and pouncing on his chest.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed as the young man felt pain and something leave his body, weakening him rapidly.

Looking down, he saw a gaping hole in his chest, his heart gone.

The special inner armor seemed to provide no protection.

The young man incredulously looked up, but a blade had already reached his face, decapitating him.

As the young man’s head fell, his dying thoughts recalled the sight in the unnamed valley.

He suddenly understood how Lao San had died.

Plop.

As the head hit the ground, Lu Qing’s expression remained unchanged.

Xiao Li alone could have killed the young man.

But to avoid complications, he chose a quick end.

Looking at the corpse, Lu Qing sighed.

It seemed he was at odds with Wang Cangyi.

In such a short time, three of his disciples had died by his and Xiao Li’s hands.

If that Precelestial expert knew his identity, he’d seek revenge relentlessly.

Thinking this, Lu Qing grabbed the body and head, heading deep into the mountains.

Finding a secluded valley, he buried the remains.

Only after this did he relax.

In the vast mountains, finding a living person was hard, let alone a corpse.

Wang Cangyi finding his second disciple’s remains was near impossible.

Though it couldn’t completely deceive him, as long as the body was missing, Wang Cangyi couldn’t be sure he was dead.

Buying time until his master’s strength increased would change the situation.

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