Chapter 563

Chapter 563

I Can See Through Everything

In the heart of the valley, spiritual energy surged violently.

The woman drew in vast amounts of this energy, absorbing it into her body to aid in her recovery.

A cultivator at the Golden Core Realm possessed astonishing vitality.

Even if clinging to just a sliver of life, once they could absorb spiritual energy on their own, survival and recovery became possible.

Not to mention, Lu Qing had already set her broken bones and cleared her meridians.

Added to that was the white fruit juice she had taken earlier.

All of it allowed her wounds to heal at a rapid pace.

A quarter of an hour later, the woman stopped absorbing spiritual energy for the time being.

By now, her body had mostly recovered—aside from still-depleted magical power, there were no major issues.

Even the ghastly scars on her face had vanished completely, revealing her stunning beauty.

Lu Qing, naturally sensing this, withdrew the golden needles he had inserted into her body at just the right moment.

Her previously suspended body slowly drifted down to the ground.

She turned to Lu Qing and gave him a solemn bow. “Many thanks for lending a hand to save my life, fellow cultivator.”

Though the woman still wasn’t entirely sure what had transpired during her unconscious state, it was obvious that the young man before her had saved her.

“No need for thanks. I only did what I could—couldn’t just stand by and let someone die. Do you feel any lingering discomfort, Miss?” Lu Qing replied with a smile.

“Senior Sister Ye!”

Just as the woman was about to respond, a figure suddenly dashed over and threw herself into her arms, hugging her tightly.

“Senior Sister Ye, you’re finally awake! We thought you were already…”

“I’m fine, Xiaojing. Didn’t I tell you all to run when things turned bad? Why are you still here? What happened afterward? Where are Zixiao and the others?”

The woman gently held the girl close and asked, a bit helplessly.

This rash little one—luckily her own injuries were no longer serious. If they had been, this wild pounce might have aggravated them.

“Right! Senior Brother Zixiao and the others!” Startled by the question, the girl suddenly turned and pointed. “They’re over there!”

Following her gaze, the woman spotted the three of them placed on a large boulder—and was instantly alarmed.

“What happened to them?”

Focused on healing just now, she hadn’t realized that Zixiao and the others were so close.

But their auras were extremely faint, clearly gravely injured.

“Senior Sister Ye, this is what happened… In that underground palace, you stayed behind to hold off Li Motian and told us to run first…”

“…In the end, Senior Brother Zixiao and the others fought with all their might to stop Li Motian, giving me a chance to escape.

But I was still caught by him afterward—it was this fellow cultivator who saved me.”

After hearing the girl out, the woman finally realized how brutal the situation had become after she lost consciousness.

“What about Li Motian? Did he escape?”

The girl’s reply shocked her to the core.

“Li Motian is dead.”

“What? Li Motian is dead? How? Are you sure?” she asked urgently.

“He was slain by this fellow cultivator. His corpse is in the forest a dozen miles from here.

I rushed over immediately because I was worried about you all, so I didn’t check the body closely.”

“This fellow cultivator did it?”

The woman immediately turned to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing nodded slightly. “If the man you speak of was radiating demonic energy, then yes—I killed him.”

“Li Motian… actually died…”

The woman was deeply shaken.

She had fought him herself and knew full well how powerful Li Motian had become after falling into demonic cultivation.

By then, he had the strength of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Otherwise, as someone who had reached the sixth transformation of the Golden Core, how could she have lost so quickly?

And according to Xiaojing, Li Motian had obtained a treasure in that underground palace that made him even stronger.

Not to mention his sinister demonic techniques…

Such a powerful foe, brought down by this young man—ordinary in appearance, seemingly unremarkable, and without a particularly overwhelming aura?

Her heart was a storm of shock and disbelief.

“Senior Sister Ye, you have no idea how amazing this fellow cultivator is!

Li Motian used all his power to set up a terrifying demonic array, but he was no match at all.

This cultivator defeated him with a single move!”

The girl looked at Lu Qing with undisguised admiration.

“A single move to slay Li Motian?”

Now the woman was truly stunned, and her gaze toward Lu Qing grew intense.

“This young lady exaggerates,” Lu Qing said modestly, scratching his head. “I did use nearly all my strength to kill that demonic cultivator. In any case… should we check on your companions? They don’t seem to be in great condition.”

Seeing that Lu Qing hadn’t denied the claim, the woman realized Xiaojing had spoken the truth.

Though still in shock, she turned toward Zixiao and the others at his suggestion.

“Yes, Senior Sister Ye!” the girl added quickly. “Li Motian didn’t kill them directly for some reason.

But now Senior Brother Zixiao and the others remain unconscious.

I gave them our sect’s Jade Dew Vital Essence Pill, but it didn’t help much.

I don’t know why.”

“Even the Jade Dew Vital Essence Pill didn’t work? Let me take a look!”

Though still curious about Lu Qing, the woman prioritized her fellow disciples’ safety.

She pushed aside her doubts and hurried to where the three men lay.

The moment she saw their condition, her pupils narrowed slightly.

A green-black energy had spread over their faces and arms.

Occasionally, the black mist twisted into eerie runes, strange and menacing.

“Senior Sister Ye, I don’t know what this dark aura is, but it seems to be why they can’t wake up.

Even the pill’s medicinal power didn’t seem to take effect,” the girl explained.

The woman checked them over and found that it wasn’t just their outer bodies—their dantians, qi seas, and meridians had all been infiltrated by the black mist.

That was why the Jade Dew Vital Essence Pill had failed.

They simply couldn’t absorb its effects.

After thinking a moment, she said, “Li Motian must’ve used some kind of demonic art to seal them.

There are rumored to be many such techniques among the Demon Clan—rituals that refine human cultivators' blood and flesh to increase their power.

Since Li Motian allied himself with the Demon Clan and became a demonic cultivator, he likely knew such arts.

He probably didn’t kill us immediately because he intended to use some evil method on us.

Thankfully, he’s dead now, and the demonic energy inside them is without a master.

Otherwise, Zixiao and the others wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

“That monster really was venomous. I knew he wouldn’t show mercy!” the girl said, her face filled with anger.

But then she looked confused. “But… why are you fine, Senior Sister?”

“That must be thanks to this fellow cultivator,” the woman replied, glancing at Lu Qing.

She clearly remembered that during the battle in the underground palace, she had also been infected by Li Motian’s demonic aura.

Yet now there was no trace of it in her body—not even the slightest remnant.

She couldn’t imagine Li Motian having a change of heart and withdrawing it on his own.

There was only one plausible explanation—this mysterious young man who had pulled her back from the brink of death.

"That's right. While treating your injuries, I also took the liberty of removing the demonic energy from your body," Lu Qing said with a nod, making no attempt to deny it.

He was no stranger to demonic energy.

After all, sealed within his Li Huo Cauldron was the remnant consciousness of an ancient Demonic Cultivator’s divine soul, marked with a slave imprint.

That soul had once belonged to a Nascent Soul-level Demonic Cultivator, one deeply versed in the ways of the demonic path.

Though Lu Qing himself did not cultivate the demonic arts, he understood them extremely well.

So to him, Li Motian's little tricks were nothing especially troublesome.

"I knew it was your doing, Fellow Daoist!" the woman said with delight. "Benevolent one, would you be willing to save my fellow disciples as well?

The Qiankun Sect will never forget this kindness—we will surely reward you handsomely in the future!"

"Let me take a look first."

Lu Qing didn’t refuse. He stepped forward to examine the conditions of the purple-robed cultivators, then nodded slightly.

"It’s doable."

The woman was overjoyed and bowed deeply to Lu Qing. "Then I shall entrust them to your care, Benevolent One. Please, save my junior brothers."

Lu Qing said no more and brought out his set of golden needles again.

Using his magical power, he suspended the unconscious cultivators in midair and began expelling the demonic energy from their bodies.

Golden light shimmered as each needle pierced into their vital acupoints one by one.

Before long, the woman and the girl saw faint wisps of black energy slowly being drawn from Zixiao and the others' bodies.

This set of golden needles was a custom-crafted artifact Lu Qing had personally refined.

Though small, each needle was inscribed with a variety of healing formations.

Moreover, the needles could link together to form a formation, greatly enhancing their power.

They combined detoxification, healing, exorcism, calming, sealing, and more—all in one.

As an artifact, it was a high-grade magical treasure worthy of being called a wondrous treasure of the healing arts.

Lu Qing had forged the set back in his home world, when he still had access to the vast resources of the Sacred Mountain.

He had gathered countless rare materials and eventually refined two full sets.

One had been gifted to his master.

The other, he kept for himself.

Until now, he’d rarely encountered situations dire enough to use it.

Even when treating Mo Hongyun, this artifact hadn’t been necessary.

This was the first time he’d used this treasured healing tool in front of others.

Under the effect of such a powerful medical artifact—and with no one controlling the demonic energy within the victims—plus Lu Qing's deep understanding of the demonic path,

He easily forced out every trace of corruption from their bodies.

Once the demonic energy was expelled, the medicine the girl had administered earlier began to take effect.

The Jade Dew Vital Essence Pill was a secret healing elixir of the Qiankun Sect, famous even among Golden Core-level pills in the Tianyuan Great World.

Its healing effect was outstanding, and it also had properties that replenished and strengthened one’s foundation.

The reason it had failed earlier was simply because the victims’ meridians and acupoints had been sealed by demonic energy, preventing any absorption.

Now that the corruption was gone, their bodies instinctively began absorbing the pill’s medicinal power.

Lu Qing used his golden needles to assist in rapidly refining that power.

To the woman and the girl watching, the most obvious sign was this: the aura of life within the wounded cultivators surged back rapidly.

At last, when Lu Qing retrieved the golden needles—

The purple-robed cultivator with the highest cultivation slowly opened his eyes.

"Senior Brother Zixiao!"

"Senior Sister Ye? Xiaojing? Why are you two here?"

Hearing their familiar voices, Zixiao looked up, dazed. The moment he laid eyes on them, he trembled and his expression turned to one of disbelief.

Especially when he saw Senior Sister Ye—hadn’t she already died at Li Motian’s hands? Why did she look completely unscathed now?

But then, Zixiao’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.

"I see… so I’ve reached the Netherworld after all. I can’t believe even Junior Sister Xiaojing couldn’t escape Li Motian’s pursuit in the end.

Though… the Netherworld doesn’t seem as gloomy and dark as the legends claim.

And Senior Sister… has the sect not noticed our deaths? Why hasn't anyone burned even a single joss paper offering?

To think you're still dressed in tattered robes… you couldn’t even afford something decent to wear?"

He truly believed he was dead—and that seeing his uninjured Senior Sister Ye was merely a vision of the afterlife.

Hearing his words, the woman’s face instantly darkened.

"Zixiao! Enough nonsense! You're not dead—none of us are!"

"Senior Sister, that’s a good joke. If you weren’t dead, how could you be completely unharmed? I saw it with my own eyes—Li Motian dragging your corpse out…”

Seeing that Zixiao was still rambling, the woman finally lost patience.

She flicked a small stone into her hand and sent it flying.

It whistled through the air and struck Zixiao right on the forehead with a sharp

thwack

, drawing a yelp of pain.

"Ow! Senior Sister Ye, don’t hit him! He just woke up—you’ll knock him out again!" the girl cried in alarm.

"It hurts?" Zixiao clutched his forehead, then finally realized something was off. "Wait… Senior Sister… are we really alive?"

"Of course we are. But if you're so eager to die, I can send you straight to the real Netherworld and let you see what it’s truly like."

The woman pulled out a robe from her storage artifact and draped it over herself, though her face was still dark with annoyance.

She had fought to the death with Li Motian before and had her battle garments completely ruined.

After regaining consciousness, she’d been so focused on checking on these idiots that she hadn’t cared about appearances.

And now the first thing this brat said when he woke up was a jab at her clothing.

"N-no, no need for that, Senior Sister! Not dying is definitely better!"

Zixiao finally began taking in his surroundings properly.

This was the same valley where they had fought Li Motian.

He could feel his real body again—feel the faint pain in his forehead.

And he finally accepted it: he wasn’t dead.

Senior Sister Ye and Xiaojing were both very much alive.

But now, new questions flooded his mind.

Hadn’t he seen Li Motian kill Senior Sister Ye with his own eyes?

He and his two fellow disciples had fought to the death, trying to buy Xiaojing enough time to escape, only to be swiftly and gravely wounded.

So why was Senior Sister unharmed, and why was he himself still alive, with no visible injuries?

What exactly had happened?

Just as Zixiao was about to voice his questions—

Two faint groans came from nearby.

The other two disciples of the Qiankun Sect were finally regaining consciousness.