Chapter 451 (1)

Li Changbo stared intently at the flame in Lu Qing's hand.

He was certain it was the cyan flame he had painstakingly refined.

Yet the youth before him casually held it as if it were nothing.

The searing heat of the flame had no effect on him whatsoever.

“Who are you?”

For the first time, a sense of unease rose in Li Changbo's heart.

Although Lu Qing's aura only suggested the Precelestial Realm, Li Changbo found it impossible to believe that someone at such a level could hold his mana-refined flame barehanded.

The other onlookers in the city were equally stunned. They had seen firsthand the terror of the cyan flame.

The gaping holes melted into the city structures served as irrefutable evidence of its destructive power. Yet here it was, grasped in the hand of a youth who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Moreover, before Lu Qing spoke, no one had noticed him standing atop the tavern roof.

At that moment, everyone understood: this youth was no ordinary person.

“That’s…”

The Palace Master of Cold Water Palace, still trapped in midair, also spotted Lu Qing. Her eyes widened in recognition.

She had seen his portrait before.

“Who am I? Just a passerby, enjoying the show,” Lu Qing said, his lips curving into a faint smile as he noticed the wariness in Li Changbo’s eyes.

“But you’re a bit too heavy-handed. There’s always a cause for grievances and a debtor for debts. If you’re here to settle scores with Cold Water Palace, so be it, but there’s no need to harm bystanders.

“Luckily, I’ve got some skills. Otherwise, my sister and I might have been reduced to ashes by your spiritual flame.”

“In battles between the strong, collateral damage is unavoidable,” Li Changbo retorted coldly. “Blame these ants for their ignorance. How dare they imagine they could spectate a fight between Golden Core Realm cultivators?

“In this world, the strong reign supreme, and the weak are nothing more than prey. Only those with power have the right to speak. Surely, you understand this principle.”

“Survival of the fittest, is it?” Lu Qing mused, as if savoring the words. Then he chuckled. “You’re not wrong. The world is indeed ruled by the strong.”

“Since you agree, why meddle in matters concerning mere ants?”

Relief flickered across Li Changbo’s face. The youth’s aura unsettled him, and he was not eager to provoke someone whose depths he could not gauge.

However, Lu Qing’s next words made his expression change drastically.

“Who said I was standing up for them? Didn’t you hear what I just said? Your flame disrupted my peace.”

Lu Qing casually pinched his fingers together, extinguishing the cyan flame in his hand.

“I was here to enjoy a good show. But then your flames almost injured my sister. That, I cannot tolerate.”

“In that case, are you determined to oppose me?” Li Changbo’s voice darkened.

“Oppose you?” Lu Qing raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “With your weak, unstable, inferior-grade Golden Core, you’re not even qualified to be my opponent.

“As you said, this world is ruled by the strong. To some cultivators, mortals are no more than ants.

“But you’re no exception.

“In my eyes, you’re nothing more than a slightly bigger ant.”

The city fell silent. No one could believe their ears.

This youth had called a Golden Core cultivator—a man who had endured the Thunder Tribulation—an ant.

“Good! Very good!”

Li Changbo’s face turned crimson with rage. As a newly ascended Golden Core cultivator, he had been riding high on his newfound power, only to be humiliated so thoroughly in public.

His fury burned away all his caution.

“If you’re so eager to die, then let me see what you’re made of!” he roared.

With a sweep of his sleeve, a massive column of cyan flames shot toward Lu Qing and Xiao Yan.

The flames distorted the air with their intense heat, a testament to their destructive power.

Li Changbo’s gaze fixed on Lu Qing, intent on seeing how he would counter this move.

Would he rely on a powerful artifact? Or some other trick?

There was no way a mere boy could withstand his mana-driven flames without external aid.

But the next moment, Li Changbo’s eyes widened in shock.

Lu Qing didn’t flinch as the flames hurtled toward him. He didn’t even blink. Instead, he raised a single finger and flicked it gently.

A ripple of invisible energy spread outward.

In an instant, the overwhelming cyan flames, capable of melting mountains, vanished.

Not scattered, as they had been during his battle with the Palace Master of Cold Water Palace.

They were snuffed out entirely.

“Impossible!”

A chill ran down Li Changbo’s spine. Not only had his proudest technique been neutralized with casual ease, but he also had no idea how it had been done.

Even more terrifying, there was no sign of Lu Qing using any artifact. This feat was likely accomplished with his own power.

Realizing the depth of Lu Qing’s strength, Li Changbo’s survival instincts kicked in.

He made a decisive choice.

Reaching for the Cold Water Palace Master, he began to retreat. His plan was to use her as leverage while making his escape.

But just as his hand reached for her, a calm voice echoed in his ears.

“Freeze.”