Chapter 547

"...When that time comes, I shall make you wish you were dead yet unable to die, and for all eternity, you shall be trapped within the unceasing hellfire of purgatory!"

With that cold and emotionless threat, Supreme Mistress Miaoyu's Avatar finally collapsed and dissolved.

Under the continuous refining of the talisman array and sigils, it was completely reduced to nothingness.

Only that lingering chill seemed to echo still in the hall.

Yet even in the face of Supreme Mistress Miaoyu’s final threat, Lu Qing’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

The moment he chose to help Mo Hongyun dispel the curse, he was fated to provoke a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul cultivator.

So this threat didn’t even register to him.

In his eyes, it was nothing more than the impotent rage of a failing Avatar.

Moreover, this wisp of the Supreme Mistress’s consciousness had already been isolated from its main body by his formation.

Whether her true form even knew what had happened here remained uncertain.

Even in the worst case—if the divine powers of a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul were beyond his imagination, and her true form could still sense something upon this wisp’s destruction—Lu Qing remained unafraid.

Having refined a Perfect Golden Core and gained the ability to become formless and traceless, he could alter his aura and even suppress his divine soul fluctuations at will.

Even if he stood face-to-face with Supreme Mistress Miaoyu, she might not be able to recognize him.

With this confidence, Lu Qing had dared to help Mo Hongyun lift her curse.

Otherwise, how could he have so carelessly made such a formidable enemy?

After examining carefully with his spiritual powers and confirming that the Avatar's consciousness was indeed fully annihilated, Lu Qing finally formed a hand seal.

The towering talisman array quivered slightly before dispersing into countless runes, returning into the formation.

The light curtain that had shrouded the area also faded and was reabsorbed into the formation.

Only after all this did Lu Qing send a spiritual message, calling out to the still-unconscious Mo Hongyun.

Outside the formation, the Canglan City Lord was already standing there, utterly dumbfounded.

He stared in stunned silence at the scene before him.

“He actually refined an Avatar of Supreme Mistress Miaoyu? Even the Avatar’s consciousness was completely annihilated?”

The Canglan City Lord’s face was full of disbelief.

An Avatar of a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul expert—no matter how weak—should not have been something a mere Golden Core cultivator could handle.

And yet, he had just watched Lu Qing crush it without the slightest resistance.

From beginning to end, the Avatar couldn’t even mount a proper counterattack before disintegrating entirely.

Every move had been within Lu Qing’s calculations—so effortlessly executed it defied belief.

“Tower Master, it is done. You may return your mind.”

Deep within her mind, where she had been guarding her soul’s radiance, Mo Hongyun suddenly heard Lu Qing’s voice echoing from within.

“It’s Fellow Daoist Lu’s voice... he succeeded?”

Joy surged in her heart. She had already felt a sudden lightness in her divine soul moments earlier.

Without hesitation, she returned her mind to her body, taking control once more.

As her mind settled back into her body, Mo Hongyun immediately sensed the difference.

A feeling of perfect unity and effortless flow surged through her.

Looking down, she saw that the strange, crimson curse mark that had haunted her heart like a nightmare—bringing endless pain and despair—was now completely gone, without a trace.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, this is...?”

Mo Hongyun stared blankly at her chest, dazed.

“Hongyun, the Heart-Corroding Joy Curse has been completely lifted by Little Daoist Lu. Even Supreme Mistress Miaoyu’s Avatar has been refined and annihilated.”

The Canglan City Lord quickly explained.

Mo Hongyun sharply looked up at Lu Qing.

He nodded slightly and smiled. “Tower Master, you can rest easy now. With the Heart-Corroding Joy Curse gone, Supreme Mistress Miaoyu can no longer sense your presence or control your fate at will.”

“I... I’m finally free?”

Hearing his confirmation, Mo Hongyun became dazed again, murmuring to herself.

For so many years, the shackles of fate that had bound her in despair were finally broken.

Yet the first emotion she felt wasn’t ecstasy, but a deep confusion—almost lost.

After a long pause, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a heavy thud, bowing deeply to Lu Qing.

“Thank you for saving my life, Fellow Daoist Lu. I shall never forget this great kindness!”

“Please, Tower Master, rise. There’s no need for such formality.”

Lu Qing gently swept his sleeve, lifting her with a formless force.

“These past days, Tower Master showed me kindness and opportunity. I am merely returning the favor.

“But even though the Heart-Corroding Joy Curse is lifted, Supreme Mistress Miaoyu will not let this go easily.

“You must leave the Xiao Cang Realm as soon as possible. It’s best she can’t find you at all.

“And since your karmic ties with her run deep, you should wear a treasure that can shield you from causal divinations—to prevent her from locating you through karma.”

Lu Qing warned solemnly.

“You’re right, Hongyun,” added the Canglan City Lord. “Supreme Mistress Miaoyu is a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if she does not specialize in divination, her skill in karmic calculation must be formidable.

“You must be cautious.

“I have here a spiritual artifact known as the

Pearl of Causality

. Wear it at all times, and even across great worlds, she will be unable to divine your location.”

From his storage pouch, he retrieved a thumb-sized pearl of chaotic hue and handed it to Mo Hongyun.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Mo Hongyun did not hesitate, taking the

Pearl of Causality

and beginning the ritual to refine it.

Indeed, she had no other treasure that could block karmic tracking. Such items were rare—spiritual artifacts of this type rarer still.

Even her Treasure Pavilion had none in stock.

Lu Qing had gone to great lengths to lift the curse for her; she would not let that effort go to waste over sentimentality.

The Canglan City Lord had already erased his spiritual mark from the pearl before giving it to her.

So Mo Hongyun easily imprinted her soul upon it and successfully refined it, then wore it close to her body.

The Canglan City Lord finally showed a relieved smile.

With this, Mo Hongyun was truly safe at last.

Even Supreme Mistress Miaoyu would struggle to find her now.

“Tower Master, knowing Supreme Mistress Miaoyu’s temperament, I doubt she will swallow this humiliation. She may descend in person.

“You must leave soon—Xiao Cang Realm is no longer safe.”

Lu Qing advised again.

“Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Lu. Before I came, I had already disbanded the Treasure Pavilion.

“The treasures and spirit stones have been divided among the elders.

“I can leave at any moment.”

However, Mo Hongyun merely smiled sweetly and shared something that took Lu Qing by surprise.

“You actually disbanded the Treasure Pavilion?” Lu Qing asked in astonishment.

“That’s right. So, Fellow Daoist Lu, you need no longer address me as Tower Master. Just call me Hongyun,” she replied with a smile.

Lu Qing sighed with admiration.

As expected of a woman who single-handedly built the colossal commercial force that was the Treasure Pavilion—such bold decisiveness was rare indeed.

“Hongyun, what are your plans now?” the Canglan City Lord asked. “Truthfully, the safest place would be our Nangong Clan.

“No matter how powerful Supreme Mistress Miaoyu is, she wouldn't dare act recklessly within our Nangong Clan.

“If you stay with us—”

He tried to persuade her, but the cold look in Mo Hongyun’s eyes silenced him, his voice fading until he dared not continue.

Only after her uncle tactfully fell silent did Mo Hongyun withdraw her gaze.

With a soft sigh, she said, “It doesn’t matter where I go. I have no more attachments now. Perhaps leaving the Xiao Cang Realm is for the best.

“These past years, because of the Heart-Corroding Joy Curse, I was always reluctant to cultivate.

“No matter how much my cultivation improved, it would all be for someone else’s benefit.

“But now, I want to travel the world and cultivate earnestly.

“If I am fortunate enough to one day step into the Nascent Soul Realm and fully master the

Profound Yin Jade Body

, perhaps no one will ever again be able to control my fate.”

Watching the determination on her face, Lu Qing thought for a moment.

Then he reached into his Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag and took out a jade talisman.

“Tower Master, take this talisman and refine it. Once refined, store it within your Golden Core.

“It should help you conceal your aura and prevent others from seeing through the mysteries of your

Profound Yin Jade Body

.”

“This talisman can conceal the aura of my

Profound Yin Jade Body

?”

Mo Hongyun stared at the jade talisman in shock.

“Yes. Once refined, unless someone probes you deeply with divine soul power, even Nascent Soul cultivators should find it hard to detect your special physique,” Lu Qing confirmed.

The talisman was based on the formless transformation abilities of his own Perfect Golden Core.

Using his mastery of the Way of Runes, he had derived this transformation talisman.

Even Xiao Li and the Five Elements beasts could remain undetected under the noses of Nascent Soul experts thanks to the same concealment rune he had placed on their demon cores.

“To think such a miraculous talisman exists... Fellow Daoist Lu, your accomplishments in the Way of Runes are truly awe-inspiring.”

Overjoyed, Mo Hongyun accepted the talisman and immediately began refining it.

Once refined, she absorbed it into her dantian.

With a single thought, her aura shifted dramatically.

Her originally cool and alluring presence immediately faded into something entirely ordinary.

Even the Canglan City Lord, a Nascent Soul expert, felt that her aura had changed so thoroughly that, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed she was his niece.

“Excellent! With both the

Pearl of Causality

and this talisman, Hongyun, you can now travel without worrying about your secret being exposed,” he said happily.

Mo Hongyun was even more excited.

What had troubled her most throughout her life was her

Profound Yin Jade Body

.

This naturally alluring and furnace-like constitution had drawn too many covetous eyes.

Even while traveling, she had always needed to stay vigilant to prevent others from discovering her secret.

But now, with Lu Qing’s talisman, the odds of being discovered were drastically reduced.

How could she not be thrilled?

If she’d had such a talisman back then, perhaps Supreme Mistress Miaoyu would never have noticed and targeted her.

After calming down, Mo Hongyun took out a storage pouch from her person.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, I truly have no other way to repay your kindness. Please accept this pouch.”

“Tower Master, this is...?” Lu Qing didn’t immediately take the pouch, instead looking at her.

“It’s just some spirit stones,” Mo Hongyun said softly. “You seem to value them, and after years of running the Treasure Pavilion, if I have nothing else, I certainly have no shortage of spirit stones.

“So please, take it.

“If I accept your immense kindness and offer nothing in return, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Lu Qing saw the sincerity in her expression, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled and took the pouch.

“In that case, I shall respectfully accept.”

Seeing him accept the pouch, Mo Hongyun finally smiled in relief.

What followed was simple.

Lu Qing collected the 108 high-grade Golden Core-level talismans scattered on the ground.

He then erased all traces of the formation.

The array he had used this time had been a spontaneous creation.

Yet its effect had been extraordinary.

Even a wisp of consciousness from a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul cultivator had been trapped, suppressed, and refined.

This marked a major breakthrough in his path of rune formations.

This formation might be of great use to him in the future.

So he couldn’t let anyone decipher its secrets too easily.

“Little Daoist Lu, your accomplishments in formation arts are truly awe-inspiring.

“It’s said that truly powerful formation masters possess divine and ghostly powers.

“Given enough time to set up an array, they can shift mountains and overturn seas, even challenge higher realms.

“Today, I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

The Canglan City Lord watched as Lu Qing erased the traces on the ground, recalling the earlier scene and marveling aloud.

He also remembered the moment when Lu Qing had effortlessly crushed Gongshu Yu.

His sense of Lu Qing’s power and mystery grew stronger.

He now even suspected that if Lu Qing had enough time to prepare an array, even with his own injuries fully healed, he might not be able to defeat the young man so easily.

“You flatter me, City Lord. This time, I had the advantage of foresight and planning. Supreme Mistress Miaoyu simply underestimated her enemy.

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy to trap and refine her.”

Lu Qing humbly shook his head.

“No matter what, for you to refine an Avatar of a Four Tribulations Nascent Soul cultivator while still in the Golden Core Realm—if word of this spreads, it will cause an uproar even in the Upper Realms.”