Chapter 353

"Ah Qing, did you say the talisman you gave to Xinghe has been used?"

Wei Shanhai was startled.

Based on the travel schedule, Wei Xinghe should have just arrived at the prefecture city.

For him to use Lu Qing's talisman so quickly, does this mean that he had already gotten into a fight as soon as he entered the city?

"There's no need to worry too much, Senior. The talisman the Wei family used was the Concealment Talisman. Perhaps he's just on the road and hasn't actually engaged in battle."

Lu Qing reassured him.

However, deep down, his heart felt heavy.

The talismans he gave to Wei Xinghe were personally crafted by him.

Each one contained a trace of his soul aura.

But because of the great distance, the only time it would resonate with his soul aura would be when the talisman was destroyed.

In other words, not only had Wei Xinghe used the Concealment Talisman, but it had also been broken by someone?

For someone to be able to break through the power of the Concealment Talisman, the opponent must certainly not be an ordinary Precelestial Realm expert.

Could it be that Wei Xinghe had already crossed paths with members of that mysterious faction?

As Lu Qing's thoughts swirled, pondering over the possibilities, he suddenly felt his soul stir once again.

This time, he realized that even the Sword Talisman he gave to Wei Xinghe had been triggered.

This time, Lu Qing was genuinely shocked.

Of the three talismans he gave to Wei Xinghe, the Sword Talisman was the most unique.

It had been crafted from leftover materials when he was refining the Spirit-Converging Monument.

The jade used for it had been further purified, making it more refined than the other jade talismans, allowing it to contain more power.

As a result, the Sword Talisman possessed the greatest strength of the three.

Lu Qing estimated that even a formidable Precelestial Realm expert would have a hard time defending against the sharpness of the Sword Talisman if caught off guard.

But now, even the Sword Talisman had been used. Clearly, Wei Xinghe had encountered an enemy beyond his imagination.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used two talismans in such a short amount of time.

"Master, Senior Wei, this situation is not looking good. I fear I must make a trip to the prefecture city."

Lu Qing turned, looking toward the direction of the prefecture city.

Through the resonance he just felt in his soul, he faintly sensed a warning.

"Ah Qing, do you need me to accompany you?"

The old doctor asked upon seeing Lu Qing’s expression.

He could tell that something was off with Lu Qing’s demeanor.

Moreover, he too had an ominous feeling, as if a shadow was looming over them, and it seemed to be coming from the direction of the prefecture city.

"No need, Master. You need to stay and watch over the village. I'll take Xiao Li with me.

Also, Xiao Yan just recently broke through, so she’ll need your guidance and care."

After saying this, Lu Qing’s figure flickered, and he was already out of the courtyard.

In another flash, he had disappeared completely.

"Lu Xiaolangjun..."

Wei Shanhai hadn’t expected Lu Qing to leave so quickly. He wanted to call out to him but realized that Lu Qing was already nowhere to be seen.

"Old Wei, there's no need to worry. With Ah Qing's help, the Wei family head should be fine."

The old doctor didn’t know what had happened either, so he could only offer words of comfort.

Wei Shanhai said nothing, but inwardly, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

He knew that Lu Qing must have sensed something, otherwise, he wouldn’t have left in such a hurry.

But no matter how worried he was, all he could do now was wait for Lu Qing to return and explain what had happened.

After leaving Jiuli Village, Lu Qing held Xiao Li close.

A yellow light emanated from his body, neutralizing most of the Earth Vein Magnetic Force, making his body feel incredibly light.

Then, a bright orb of light emerged from the brow acupoint in his forehead, summoning a gust of wind that swirled around him.

In the next moment, with a slight push of his foot, he transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the prefecture city.

"Young Master, did you discover something?"

Yan’s voice echoed in Lu Qing’s mind.

Yan had noticed the change in Lu Qing’s expression earlier; it was the first time he had seen Lu Qing look so serious.

"Senior, do you know anything about demonic cultivators?"

Instead of answering directly, Lu Qing posed a question of his own.

"Demonic cultivators?"

Yan was taken aback, not expecting Lu Qing to suddenly bring up this topic.

However, he quickly replied, "Demonic cultivators are tricky to deal with. Those people are cunning and ruthless, using any means necessary. Even in the ancient cultivation era, they were difficult to handle.

In terms of the evil and malicious nature of their techniques, not even the Plague Elder compares to them.

Young Master, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"A few days ago, I gave several talismans to the Wei family head, each containing a trace of my soul aura.

Just now, I sensed that one of the talismans had been destroyed.

Before the soul aura dissipated, I seemed to have detected a trace of demonic energy."

"Demonic energy? Are you sure, Young Master?"

Yan was shocked.

What surprised him even more was that Lu Qing was able to sense movements from so far away.

Under normal circumstances, a Qi Refinement cultivator shouldn’t possess such an ability.

Lu Qing's soul power must be incredibly strong.

It seemed that this young man still had many secrets Yan had yet to discover.

"I'm certain. I wouldn’t mistake the aura of a demonic cultivator. I’ve encountered one before."

Lu Qing continued, recalling the demonic cultivator he had encountered in the Sacred City.

"A demonic cultivator who can use the Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique."

Yan was even more astonished. "The ones who know that demonic art aren’t simple.

Even during the ancient cultivation era, only the most orthodox demonic cultivators could perform this technique.

Could it be that one of those old monsters survived the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and has been hiding all this time?"

"I don’t know, but the aura I sensed just now was identical to the one I encountered in the Sacred City.

Even if they aren’t the same person, the two are definitely connected."

Lu Qing remembered the scene he had sensed before the soul aura in the talisman dissipated.

Wei Xinghe seemed to be trapped somewhere, with demonic energy surging all around, and faintly, it seemed that many people were wailing in agony.

Unfortunately, his soul wasn’t strong enough.

The fragment of his soul aura wasn’t powerful, and the distance was too great, so what he could sense was vague.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have to guess like this.

Now, only by reaching the prefecture city would he be able to uncover the truth.

The only question was whether Wei Xinghe could hold on until he arrived.

With this thought, Lu Qing urged his mind, and the wind swirling around him grew even stronger.

At the same time, his speed increased once again.

From a bird’s-eye view, he was nothing but a streak of blue and yellow light racing across the land toward the prefecture city.

The prefecture city was a thousand miles away from Jiuli Village. When Lu Qing was still in the Postnatal Realm, he had once traveled through the night to kill the Precelestial Realm elder of the Zheng family.

Now, his cultivation was more than ten times stronger than back then.

His speed was no longer comparable to what it had been before.

Therefore, even though he departed in the afternoon, by the time dusk approached, the prefecture city was already in sight.

"Hmm?"

However, as Lu Qing looked at the prefecture city, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He saw that the city, which usually lay sprawled on the ground like a massive beast, was now shrouded in a layer of black light.

That black light exuded a sinister and evil aura, appearing exceedingly ominous.

"This is a demonic array. Who would go to such great lengths to set up an array of this scale?"

Yan’s figure materialized beside Lu Qing, gazing at the prefecture city with astonishment.

"It's not just the array. There's also a magical artifact involved."

Lu Qing stared at the black barrier. Soon, several lines of information appeared in his vision.

【Ten Directions Blood-Melting Soul Refining Array: An ancient demonic array inherited from the Black Heaven Demon Lord of the Tianyuan World, extremely malicious and sinister.】

【Blood-melting and soul-refining, a mysterious demonic cultivator seeks to use this array to refine the citizens of the entire city into a blood sacrifice to forge a demonic body.】

【This array is a simplified version, constructed with a demonic artifact as its core. Its power is less than one-millionth of the original array.】

...

"A demonic cultivator wants to refine the people of this entire city into a blood sacrifice to forge a demonic body?"

Upon reading the information on the slip, Lu Qing's expression darkened immediately.

He even temporarily disregarded the mention of the Black Heaven Demon Lord on the slip.

No wonder his soul aura had sensed the wailing of countless people around Wei Shanhai earlier.

And no wonder he had felt a forewarning in the depths of his soul.

It turned out that a demonic cultivator had laid down a massive array, intending to refine the entire prefecture city’s population into blood sacrifices to forge a demonic body.

One must know that the prefecture city had tens of thousands of residents.

"Young Master, what did you say?" Yan asked in shock. "That demonic cultivator wants to refine the entire city’s populace? How could they dare?"

"Didn’t you say, Senior, that demonic cultivators are ruthless and disregard human life? What would they dare not do?"

"This is different," Yan replied. "Though demonic cultivators are cruel and bloodthirsty, they have limits.

Doing something like refining an entire city’s populace would create boundless sin.

Even a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator wouldn’t dare attempt it.

Otherwise, the Heavenly Dao would deliver punishment, and no one could withstand it."

"Then how do you explain the current situation, Senior?" Lu Qing gestured ahead.

"..."

Yan was speechless.

After a moment of consideration, Yan said, "Perhaps this array is only meant to trap the city and not necessarily refine everyone inside."

"Whether that's true or not, we’ll find out soon enough."

Lu Qing didn’t rush to enter the city. Given the current situation, the prefecture city was under siege, and entering recklessly might only complicate things.

"Xiao Li, guard me."

After giving Xiao Li a brief instruction, Lu Qing sat cross-legged, calming his mind and entering a meditative state.

From this distance, he should be able to sense the soul aura left in the talisman.

Sure enough, before long, Lu Qing sensed a faint aura within the city, one that shared the same origin as his own.

However, because of the array’s interference, connecting with it would take some effort.

Immediately, Lu Qing began channeling his mind technique, attempting to link with that fragment of soul aura.

While Lu Qing was focused on making the connection, deep within an alley in the prefecture city, Wei Xinghe was clutching a shattered jade Sword Talisman, staring at the familiar yet strange figure in front of him with utter despair.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his son to have turned into this monstrous form—neither man nor ghost.

"Father, I told you, your resistance is futile.

You might as well follow me and serve the Demonic Lord, building a great legacy for him."

Before him stood Wei Zihao, his body radiating black energy, a black mark on his forehead, his face filled with wickedness as he smiled faintly.

"Zihao, tell me, who turned you into this?"

Wei Xinghe's heart ached as he gazed at his now completely unfamiliar son.

"Why, Father, don’t you think your child is better like this?"

Wei Zihao stretched out an arm covered in eerie runes. "But I think this is great.

Father, you saw it for yourself just now—my cultivation now far surpasses yours.

Even the Sword Talisman you pulled out, I didn’t suffer a scratch from it."

Seeing this, Wei Xinghe’s heart broke even more.

"Zihao, wake up! You’ve fallen into the demonic path! Do you really believe that the power you have now belongs to you?"

"Father, you must be joking. If this power isn’t mine, whose is it? Yours?

However, if you’re willing to listen to me and submit to the Demonic Lord...

With your Precelestial Realm cultivation, gaining this kind of power wouldn’t be difficult.

So now, please come with me to meet the Demonic Lord.

The Demonic Lord said earlier that he is very interested in the Sword Talisman you used."

As he finished speaking, Wei Zihao reached out toward Wei Xinghe.

The seemingly casual gesture made Wei Xinghe’s face change dramatically.

Without a second thought, he stepped back rapidly.

"Father, it’s useless. You can’t escape."

Wei Zihao smiled slightly as two black serpents formed from the black energy in his hand and coiled toward Wei Xinghe.

The speed of the black serpents was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, they had caught up to Wei Xinghe.

Wei Xinghe had witnessed the terrifying nature of the black energy before, so he dared not let it touch his body.

But his speed was no match for this strange power.

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and activated the last talisman on him.

In the next moment, a green light surged from Wei Xinghe’s body, instantly boosting his speed severalfold.

Not only did he quickly widen the gap between himself and the black serpents, but with a few quick leaps, he vanished from Wei Zihao’s sight.

Initially confident, Wei Zihao’s expression immediately changed.

He hadn’t expected that his father still had a trump card hidden.

However, his expression quickly returned to a smile.

"It’s useless, Father. Under the cover of this array, you cannot escape this prefecture city."

With that, his figure turned into a black shadow, pursuing Wei Xinghe.

Having escaped the alley, Wei Xinghe didn’t dare stop for a moment.

Based on what Lu Qing had told him when giving him the talismans, the effects of the Lightness Talisman would only last for fifteen minutes.

He had to escape the city within that time.

Otherwise, not only would he die here, but the entire prefecture city would also be turned into a hellish furnace.

He couldn’t forget the terrifying figure he had seen earlier.

Wei Xinghe knew that now, in all of Cangzhou, only Lu Qing had the power to save the citizens of this city.

Of course, that was only if he could manage to escape.

As Wei Xinghe ran for his life, a wave of soul energy suddenly rippled from his body.

"Master Wei, can you hear me?"

"Lu Xiaolangjun?!"

Hearing the voice, Wei Xinghe abruptly stopped, his face lighting up with joy.

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