"Impossible! There's no way Eldest Senior Brother would do something like that!"
The violet-robed young man blurted out as soon as he heard Li Motianâs words.
The others also showed expressions of disbelief.
Especially the young woman, who directly shouted, "You're slandering him! How could Eldest Senior Brother possibly commit such a massacre against commoners?!"
"Impossible, is it?" Li Motian sneered coldly. "I know you donât believe me, but I saw it with my own eyes back then.
Qian Lingxiao and Gongshu Zheng, the direct heir of the Gongshu Clan, were having a duel to compare their Dao techniques.
Just the aftershocks from their exchange flattened my hometown.
Not a single villager survived.
Even if Qian Lingxiao and Gongshu Zheng were turned to ashes, Iâd still recognize their faces!"
Eldest Senior Brother and Gongshu Zheng!
Upon hearing those names, the violet-robed young man and the others all trembled.
Because they knew very well that Gongshu Zheng, the Dao Heir of the Gongshu Clan, had indeed been on very close terms with Eldest Senior Brother.
It was said that the two had become friends through battle, eventually becoming bosom companions.
Even they had seen Gongshu Zheng visit Eldest Senior Brother more than once.
Still, they found it hard to believe that Eldest Senior Brotherâalways so gentle and refined, like a noble young gentlemanâcould have done something so atrocious.
Gongshu Zheng, too, was a famous scion among the younger generation of noble families. He certainly didnât seem like someone who would senselessly slaughter commoners.
The violet-robed youth immediately challenged, "You claim you saw Eldest Senior Brother and Gongshu Zheng destroy your hometown, but you said you were just a child at the time. How did you escape their perception and survive?"
"Perhaps it's because your Eldest Senior Brother never considered us common folkâmere antsâworth noticing," Li Motian replied with a bitter smile.
"One was a core disciple of a major sect, and the other the Dao Heir of one of the Thirty-Six High Clans.
Back then, whether in terms of cultivation or status, they were at the very pinnacle of the Tianyuan Great World.
Why would they even bother to kill me, an insect not worth squashing with their own hands?"
"In that case, everything youâve said is just your side of the story. Thereâs no proof, no way to confirm its truth. I say you're defaming Eldest Senior Brother!" the young woman shot back instantly.
"Exactly! With Eldest Senior Brother's character, he could never have done something like that. You, on the other hand, have joined the Demon Clan and cultivated demonic artsâyour words are clearly meant to sow discord. We wonât be fooled!"
Another young man shouted.
"Call it slander if you will."
Li Motian didnât seem surprised by their response.
Qian Lingxiaoâs facade was just too perfect. If he hadnât witnessed that beastâs actions with his own eyes back then...
He probably wouldnât believe it eitherâthat someone so outwardly noble could actually be such a demon in human skin.
Moreover, the man was the Sect Master's son, an inner sect core disciple of the Qiankun Sect, and a peerless genius who reached the Nascent Soul Realm in under two hundred years.
No matter how he explained it, no one would believe that someone like that could be so monstrous.
"I told you all this not to convince you. It's only because we were once fellow disciples that I wanted you to die with clarity, rather than perish as confused and bitter souls."
"Not good!"
Hearing Li Motianâs increasingly cold tone, a chilling dread suddenly surged in the violet-robed young manâs heart.
He knewâit was time to fight for their lives.
Without hesitation, he spat out a purple talisman from his dantian.
As he activated it with his mind, the talisman rapidly expanded to half his height, crackling with lightning and radiating immense power.
The oppressive aura that had been pressing down on them ever since Li Motian appeared was instantly swept away.
The violet-robed youth shouted, "Run! Iâll hold him off!"
"A natal talisman?"
Li Motian glanced at the purple lightning talisman, his expression unchanging.
"This superior-grade natal talisman is indeed impressive. Unfortunately, your cultivation isnât deep enough to fully unleash its power. You still canât stop me."
But the violet-robed youth ignored him and shouted again, "Go, now!"
With a flick of his hand seal, a blast of thunderbolts surged toward Li Motian.
Boom!
Dust and smoke billowed across the sky.
âŠ
"Strange⊠Ah Qing, it feels like there arenât any more treasures left in this mountain range."
In a forested mountain area, Xiaoli stood on Lu Qingâs shoulder, her voice puzzled.
"Of course. We've almost combed the entire range over the past few days.
You've probably sniffed out every treasure there is.
So Xiaoli, maybe itâs time we moved on," Lu Qing replied, a bit helpless.
Ever since theyâd found that Dragonblood Vermilion Fruit, Xiaoli had inexplicably become obsessed with treasure hunting.
It was as if some primal instinct had been awakened, and sheâd dragged Lu Qing through the mountains, poking into every nook and cranny.
Fortunately, there were no Nascent Soul-level beings nearbyâotherwise, their antics wouldâve caused serious trouble.
Still, theyâd reaped quite a haul over the past few days.
Theyâd found several medium- and high-grade spiritual herbs.
They even stumbled across the hidden cave dwelling of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and retrieved some valuable treasures from within.
But over the past two days, they hadnât sensed anything new.
It seemed theyâd pretty much cleared out all the high-grade treasures from the area.
"Looks like youâre right. Letâs search again when we reach other places," Xiaoli said with a trace of regret.
"Exactly. This mountain range is nothing special in the Tianyuan Great World.
Once we reach the famous mountains and great rivers, we can really hunt for treasures," Lu Qing replied quickly, breathing a silent sigh of relief.
The little oneâs sudden treasure-hunting mania had finally subsided.
As for Wuxing, that guy had finally managedâafter some rather shameful flatteryâto get a Golden Core Realm spirit beast carcass from Xiaoli two days ago.
He was now inside the Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag, slowly digesting it.
Boom!
Just as Lu Qing was about to leave the mountain range with Xiaoli, a sudden surge of powerful magical energy erupted ahead.
"Thatâs the energy of human cultivatorsâsomeoneâs fighting ahead?"
Lu Qing paused, slightly surprised.
The fluctuations didnât seem very strong.
He immediately rose into the air to take a look.
As soon as he ascended, he spotted a figure flying unsteadily toward him.
It looked like a young woman.
Before he could make out what was happening, the girl also saw him.
Her face filled with panic as she shouted, "Fellow Daoist, run! Thereâs a demonic cultivator behind meâ!"
But before she could finish, a hand formed entirely of black mist shot out from the forest below, seizing her in its grasp and yanking her down.
In a panic, the girl cried out in despair toward Lu Qing:
"Run! Go to the Qiankun Sect and tell themâwe were killed by the Demon Clan traitor, Li MotianâŠ"
Then she saw itâa white sword light flew in from ahead and landed squarely upon her.
In the blink of an eye, it sliced apart the black mist hand that had bound her, freeing her from its grasp.
As the young woman stood stunned, a calm and gentle voice rang out.
"Miss, if thereâs something to report, youâd best do it yourself. I wouldnât even know where the Qiankun Sect is."
She jerked her head up to find the young manâwho had just been a hundred feet awayânow standing right in front of her.
He wore plain, homespun robes, and on his shoulder perched a scruffy spirit beast that looked like a mottled-furred lynx.
"You saved me?" she asked in a daze.
"I did," Lu Qing replied with a faint smile.
The young woman suddenly came to her senses and quickly pleaded, "Please, Fellow Daoist, help me save my senior brothers and sisters! Theyâve fallen into the hands of a demonic cultivator. If you help me rescue them, Iâll do anything you ask!"
"The demonic cultivator youâre talking aboutâis it that person up ahead?" Lu Qing asked, not committing, and pointed forward.
The young woman whipped aroundâand immediately trembled.
There, not far behind her, stood Li Motian, his body wreathed in black flames as he stared coldly at them.
Seeing only Li Motian had pursued her, the young woman quailed and shouted,
"Li Motian! What have you done with Senior Brother Zixiao and the others?!"
"No need to worry. Youâll be able to see them underground very soon," Li Motian replied coldly.
"Li Motian, you beast! Senior Brother Zixiao treated you like a close friend, and this is how you repay him?!"
She was overwhelmed with grief and fury and cursed at him loudly.
But Li Motian didnât even glance at her.
His gaze was fixed on Lu Qing, and there was a trace of seriousness in his eyes.
Though this manâs aura appeared weakâno more than a first-transformation Golden Core cultivatorâhe had just broken his
Heavenly Demon Palm
, which gave him pause.
"Who are you? Do you intend to meddle in my affairs?" he asked darkly.
"Not at all," Lu Qing shook his head. "Iâve no desire to get involved in your vendettas."
Though Lu Qing could tell this flame-wreathed youth was a genuine demonic cultivator, he wasnât from the Tianyuan Great World. He didnât share the same visceral hatred for demonic cultivators that locals did.
Without knowing the full story, he wasnât about to blindly take sides in someone elseâs grudge.
Hearing this, the young woman widened her eyes in disbelief.
Li Motian, too, was briefly stunned by the response.
But he quickly recovered.
"In that case, I ask you to hand over that woman beside you."
To his surprise, Lu Qing again shook his head. "That, Iâm afraid, I canât do. Judging from your expression, if she falls into your hands, she probably wonât survive, right?
Iâm not in the habit of throwing strangers to their deaths."
"Youâre playing with me?" Li Motianâs eyes narrowed, a chilling aura rolling off him.
"You think breaking one of my minor techniques qualifies you to stop me?"
"Of course not," Lu Qing said mildly. "But I donât take kindly to threats."
At that moment, a set of character notes on Li Motian appeared in Lu Qingâs vision.
"So thatâs it⊠Orphaned by the aftermath of a duel between two powerful cultivators. Lost his family and hometown.
Deliberately embraced the demonic path to gain the power for revenge⊠aligned himself with the Demon Clan."
In just a few lines, Lu Qing grasped Li Motianâs background.
He now understood the girl hadnât been lying.
But the youth before him, saturated with demonic aura, wasnât just any ordinary demonic cultivator.
"In that case, allow me to see just what you rely on!" Li Motian snapped, no longer wasting words.
With a wave of his hand, a stream of black fire shot toward Lu Qing.
It was a strange flameâthin as an arm when it launchedâbut as it flew, it greedily devoured the spiritual energy in the air, swelling rapidly.
In mere moments, it transformed into a massive dragon, jaws gaping toward Lu Qing.
More unnerving still, despite its vast size, the surrounding air remained utterly cool.
Instead, both the young woman and Xiaoli felt a soul-deep chill creeping over them.
"Watch out!" the girl cried out.
She had already witnessed the terror of Li Motianâs black flames.
They looked harmless, but were terrifyingly insidious.
Even someone as strong as Senior Brother Zixiao had been forced to sever a limb after getting caught by just a trace of itâonly to have his
natal talisman
burned away by the flames soon after.
"Interesting."
Lu Qing looked at the dragon of black fire approaching him, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes.
Then he brought his fingers together like a sword and waved them gently.
A whirlwind of sword qi formed in front of him.
The sword qi whirlwind surged forth and instantly swallowed the fire dragon whole.
Countless tiny sword energies swirled around the fiery beast, each strand capable of erasing a thread of the black flame.
In less than three heartbeats, the terrifying black fire dragon was completely goneâutterly annihilated.
"Impossible!"
Both the young woman and Li Motian were stunned.
Even Li Motian could no longer maintain his cold demeanor.
Watching his trump card so easily destroyed, his eyes filled with disbelief.
His
Soul-Devouring Demonic Flame
wasnât ordinary fire.
It could devour spiritual energy to grow stronger, and even magical power couldnât extinguish itâit would only feed the flame and make it fiercer.
Once a cultivator was touched by it, only by immediately severing the affected body part could they survive.
Any hesitation, and the flames would engulf their entire body, burning them to death, soul and all.
And now, this plain-looking youthâwho seemed no more powerful than an average Golden Core cultivatorâ
Had destroyed it with nothing but sword qi?
Not even late-stage Golden Core experts could do that!
"Who are you, really?" Li Motian could no longer stay calm. His eyes brimmed with wariness as he stared at Lu Qing and asked in a low voice.