As these words fell, a figure descended between Lu Qing and the group of Precelestial Realm cultivators.
The newcomer had white hair and beard, exuding an aura of celestial eleganceâhe was none other than the master of Tianji Tower.
However, at this moment, the expression on the masterâs face was far from calm.
Only when standing directly in front of Lu Qing did he truly feel the terrifying intensity of the killing intent emanating from him.
Despite his formidable cultivation, he felt his skin prickle with pain, his mind tremble, and an overwhelming urge to immediately turn and leave.
But the master of Tianji Tower knew he couldnât leave.
If he allowed Lu Qing to massacre so many Precelestial Realm cultivators from various factions, it would cause a massive upheaval.
Not to mention the sects to which these Precelestial Realm cultivators belonged, which would never let it go.
Even the three Holy Lords would certainly intervene.
At that point, even Tianji Tower would struggle to bear the consequences.
"Young Master Lu, please give this old man some face and spare these fellow Daoists this time."
The master of Tianji Tower bowed to Lu Qing and pleaded earnestly.
Lu Qing quietly gazed at the master of Tianji Tower without speaking.
Similarly, the killing intent radiating from him did not diminish.
"Young Master Lu, do not act impulsively!"
Lin Zhiruiâs figure appeared at the courtyard gate, his face filled with urgency.
If Lu Qing were to start a massacre here, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Despite Lin Zhiruiâs attempts to dissuade him, Lu Qing remained unmoved.
"A Qing, listen to the masterâs advice."
At this moment, the voice of the old doctor rang out.
Only then did Lu Qing slowly retract his killing intent.
All the Precelestial Realm cultivators who had been terrified by the intense killing intent finally breathed a sigh of relief, sweat beading on their foreheads.
However, before they could fully relax, Lu Qing had already pointed his long blade forward.
"Very well, Master, I will give you this face. However, even if I do not kill all of them, this one must die!"
Lu Qingâs long blade was aimed at the small, thin Precelestial Realm cultivator who had previously threatened him with Xiaoyanâs life.
Feeling the murderous aura emanating from Lu Qing, the small Precelestial Realm cultivatorâs face changed drastically.
His two companions beside him subtly stepped away by two paces.
The small Precelestial Realm cultivatorâs face changed again, realizing that the others had been so frightened by Lu Qingâs earlier killing intent that they wanted nothing more to do with him.
His mind raced, and he forced a smile onto his face, bowing and apologizing to Lu Qing.
"Young Master, please donât misunderstand. I was merely joking with you earlier and had no intention of actually threatening you.
I sincerely apologize. As long as you, Young Master, do not hold a grudge against me, I will obey any command you have in the future!"
Seeing the small Precelestial Realm cultivator grovel and apologize, the other Precelestial Realm cultivators were taken aback.
They all knew that this cultivator had always had a fiery temper.
In the past, even towards fellow Precelestial Realm cultivators with lower cultivation, he would always act arrogantly.
This was the first time they had seen him lower himself to this extent.
But recalling the earlier scene, they fell silent once more.
The killing intent Lu Qing had just displayed was truly terrifying.
It was the first time they had so clearly felt the threat of death.
In the face of death, all pretense was meaninglessâsurvival was all that mattered.
For a moment, the other Precelestial Realm cultivators couldnât help but feel fortunate.
Luckily, they had not threatened Lu Qingâs companions; otherwise, they would now be the ones begging for their lives.
Despite the small Precelestial Realm cultivatorâs apology, Lu Qingâs expression remained unchanged.
He coldly said, "Itâs too late. The moment you spoke those words, your fate was sealed."
Upon hearing this, the small Precelestial Realm cultivatorâs heart sank.
Without thinking, he immediately gathered his qi and prepared to flee.
However, just as he moved, an invisible force suddenly pulled him back, pinning him in place, unable to escape.
"What is this?"
The small Precelestial Realm cultivator was horrified.
He could sense that the force restraining him was different from the earlier killing intentâit was a real, tangible power, like a spiderâs web, completely binding and suppressing him, making his body feel unbearably heavy.
Though he could still move, it was impossible to escape using any technique.
"What is this technique?"
The other Precelestial Realm cultivators were shocked when they saw the small Precelestial Realm cultivator mysteriously pulled back to his original spot and almost completely immobilized.
They couldnât understand what method Lu Qing had used to achieve such an astonishing feat.
After restraining the small Precelestial Realm cultivator with magnetic force, Lu Qing raised his blade and began walking toward him step by step.
The master of Tianji Tower hesitated but ultimately did not speak to dissuade him.
He knew that his earlier intervention to stop Lu Qing from committing mass slaughter had already caused this young man to harbor some resentment.
If he continued to obstruct him, even the prior goodwill might be exhausted.
As for the other Precelestial Realm cultivators, having witnessed Lu Qingâs strange and powerful techniques, they were already deeply fearful and dared not hinder him in the slightest.
Thus, Lu Qing walked step by step toward the small Precelestial Realm cultivator, lifting his blade to meet the terrified face of his opponent.
"SpareâŠ"
Before the small Precelestial Realm cultivator could finish begging for mercy, the blade fell, and his head flew high into the air.
Slash!
As the small Precelestial Realm cultivatorâs body collapsed to the ground, Lu Qing casually slashed out another blade of energy, striking the already unconscious Wang Cangyi.
Wang Cangyiâs body shuddered violently, and his barely perceptible breathing ceased entirely as his life force slowly dissipated.
"Master!"
Zhao Xiongâs eyes widened in fury as he prepared to charge at Lu Qing.
But just as he raised his head, a bladeâs light already filled his vision.
Slash!
Watching Zhao Xiongâs towering figure being split in half by Lu Qingâs blade energy, all the Precelestial Realm cultivators trembled, deeply fearful of Lu Qingâs ruthlessness.
This young man had such a heavy killing intentâwhat kind of calamity had they provoked this time?
Even the master of Tianji Tower was startled by Lu Qingâs decisive slaughter.
He had heard Lin Zhirui mention that Lu Qing was inherently a man with a strong inclination toward killing, but he had found it hard to believe.
After all, since he had known Lu Qing, the young man had always seemed quite amiable.
But now, seeing Lu Qing coldly and swiftly slay three Precelestial Realm cultivators, he realized his discipleâs words were not unfounded.
After killing Zhao Xiong, Lu Qing turned his gaze to the remaining Taishang Elder of the Tian Cang Sect.
Feeling the murderous intent in Lu Qingâs eyes, the Taishang Elder was instantly terrified.
He quickly said, "Young Master, please understand, I was unaware of the enmity between Wang Cangyi and you, and this matter has nothing to do with me!"
At this moment, the master of Tianji Tower also spoke up, "Indeed, Young Master Lu, according to our Tianji Towerâs investigation, Wang Cangyiâs siege of the Wei family back then was a decision he made privately."
Only then did Lu Qing shift his gaze away, slowly returning to his original spot, and looked at the remaining dozen or so Precelestial Realm cultivators.
"What, youâre still not leaving? Are you planning to spar with me again?"
With these words, the remaining Precelestial Realm cultivators were as if granted a pardon.
"Thank you, Young Master, for your mercy!"
"We are grateful for Young Masterâs generosity!"
"We have caused you much trouble; we shall take our leave!"
After a round of flattery, the Precelestial Realm cultivators immediately used their techniques to leave the courtyard.
Their speed was even faster than when they had arrived.
As for the three corpses, no one dared to clean them up, leaving them in place.
"Young Master Lu, you were too impulsive. Killing these three will likely bring you considerable trouble in the future," the master of Tianji Tower sighed.
"I had no choice, Master. You wouldnât let me kill them all," Lu Qing said calmly.
"Young Master Lu, please donât take it personally. Itâs not that I insisted on stopping you, but among the people who came just now, many were high-ranking members of various sects.
If you had killed them all, once their sects caused a commotion, the three Holy Lords would undoubtedly come out to uphold justice.
No matter how things played out, it would be highly unfavorable to you."
The master of Tianji Tower explained.
Lu Qing fell silent.
In fact, he had considered this issue.
Slaying over a dozen Precelestial Realm cultivators at once would definitely cause a stir.
Given Sacred Mountainâs usual stance, they would certainly send people to investigate.
While he wasnât too concerned about the others, he had always been wary of the three enigmatic Holy Lords.
Thus, from the beginning, except for Wang Cangyi, he hadnât immediately slaughtered the others.
It was only when the small Precelestial Realm cultivator threatened Xiaoy
anâs life that he truly decided to start a massacre, intending to kill them all.
However, though killing them would be easy, it would bring great difficulties afterward.
If Sacred Mountain intervened, it would be uncertain whether they could safely leave Zhongzhou.
After all, the three Holy Lords were truly unfathomable. Even with the Spirit Artifact in his possession, Lu Qing couldnât say for certain that he had nothing to fear.
Not to mention that after nurturing the Qi Bag for so long, it still had only one strikeâs worth of power.
Once used, it would require a significant amount of time to recover.
Ultimately, it was because his strength was still too weak.
With this in mind, Lu Qing immediately bowed to the master of Tianji Tower.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I was indeed rash earlier."
Seeing that Lu Qing was not angry, the master of Tianji Tower smiled.
"Fortunately, you restrained yourself in time. Although you killed three people, Wang Cangyi and his disciple already had a grudge against you.
Moreover, they attacked you first this time, so killing them is just a personal vendetta, which is reasonable.
As for that Cold Tao, although he is somewhat troublesome, he threatened your family first. Even if the matter is taken to Sacred Mountain, it would likely just end in a dispute without much impact on you.
So thereâs no need to worry too much. Things havenât escalated to an uncontrollable level.
Even if they appeal to Sacred Mountain, the three Holy Lords probably wonât care."
Lu Qing nodded.
He had gained some understanding.
It seemed that unless it involved matters that could affect the overall situation, the three Holy Lords wouldnât bother with ordinary vendettas and disputes.
"By the way, Master, earlier, among the white vortexes on Sacred Mountain, many streams of light flew out.
Some of them landed in our hands. Do you know what this means?"
Lu Qing showed the stream of light he had been holding to the master of Tianji Tower.
He wasnât worried that the master of Tianji Tower would covet the World Origin Qi.
First, he hadnât sensed any greed from the master.
Secondly, he was confident that no one, except for an absolute martial expert at the pinnacle of the Precelestial Realm or beyond, could easily take anything from him.
As expected, when the master of Tianji Tower saw the stream of light in Lu Qingâs hand, although he was amazed, there was no hint of ill intent.
He only smiled and said, "They say that opportunities are determined by heaven. Since these streams of light flew to you on their own, it seems that the heavens have deemed you worthy of this opportunity. This is fate, so thereâs no need for concern."
"Earlier, I saw that streams of light fell in other parts of the Sacred City, not just here. Do you know what happened there? Were there also conflicts?" Lu Qing asked.
A trace of sorrow appeared in the masterâs eyes, "To be honest, Young Master Lu, I just returned from outside. You guessed correctlyâthere were indeed conflicts where the streams of light fell, and many people were killed or injured."
If not for this, he wouldnât have returned so late and almost failed to stop Lu Qing from starting a massacre.
Lu Qing understood.
He wasnât surprised by what the master had said.
After all, if so many Precelestial Realm cultivators had gathered here, how could there not be anyone trying to seize those streams of light in other places?
Seeing the sorrow on the masterâs face, Lu Qing knew that this elder was genuinely concerned about the worldâs well-being.
Seeing so many casualties in the city, he must have felt deeply distressed.
But Lu Qing said nothing more.
With the masterâs experience and wisdom, he understood the world far better than Lu Qing did.
It wasnât his place to try to comfort him.
He thought for a moment. Given the current chaos in the city, who knew what might happen next?
The most urgent task now was to increase his own strength.
He immediately said to the master, "Master, my teacher and I were fortunate enough to obtain this opportunity.
We need to refine it as soon as possible to conceal its aura.
Otherwise, if other martial experts sense it, it will undoubtedly bring more trouble."
"Indeed, this matter cannot be delayed," the master agreed, "You should quickly refine this opportunity to avoid further complications. Zhirui and I will stand guard for you."
The most important thing was that if someone came to seize the opportunity and provoked Lu Qingâs murderous intent again, even he might not be able to stop him from starting a massacre.
Immediately, the master of Tianji Tower and Lin Zhirui sat cross-legged outside the courtyard.
Mago and his disciple also stood guard outside.
As for Lu Qing and the old doctor, they took Xiaoyan, Xiao Li, and Hu Zezhi back into the house.
"Master, Xiao Li, you two refine the World Origin Qi first, and Iâll stand guard for you," Lu Qing said.
Even though the master of Tianji Tower and Lin Zhirui were guarding outside, Lu Qing remained vigilant.
He didnât want to entrust his safety entirely to others.
"Hmm."
The old doctor nodded without saying much, then absorbed the stream of light he had been holding into his body and began refining it.
As for Xiao Li, she, as usual, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Young Master Lu, what about us?" Hu Zezhi asked.
The earlier confrontation had terrified her.
She had never imagined that one day she would be targeted by so many Precelestial Realm cultivators.
"Your cultivation and Xiaoyanâs are still shallow, so you canât refine the World Origin Qi for now. Just leave it be; it will naturally merge with your bodies in a few days.
When I have time, Iâll make you two talismans to conceal your aura," Lu Qing explained.
"Then Iâll trouble you, Young Master."
Seeing that Lu Qing had a solution, Hu Zezhi breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, a powerful aura suddenly emanated from the old doctor.
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