Chapter 565

Chapter 565

I Can See Through Everything

Deep underground, within a certain cave dwelling, the blood in a pool twisted and churned.

Finally, a blood-colored figure slowly emerged from the pool.

When its face became fully visible, it was shockingly the visage of Li Motian.

Struggling to pull himself free of the pool, Li Motian collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

His aura was feeble, devoid of any trace of his former Golden Core might.

But Li Motian couldn’t care about that now.

His heart was filled with only one thing—terror.

“Who the hell is that man?”

The moment he recalled Lu Qing’s sword-point technique, Li Motian's heart still trembled. It felt as though that sword intent capable of cleaving all things still lingered between his brows.

Ever since he obtained demonic powers, he had never imagined suffering such a crushing defeat at the hands of a fellow Golden Core cultivator.

More importantly, he could tell—

Lu Qing hadn't even used his full strength from beginning to end.

“Damn it! Years of scheming, success within reach, all ruined by some random freak that showed up out of nowhere!”

Li Motian’s eyes were filled with unwillingness, and his heart seethed with hatred.

He had planned meticulously to win Zixiao and the others’ trust and lure them to this demonic cave dwelling.

Everything had gone smoothly. He’d secured the artifact left behind by a senior Demonic Cultivator and captured Zixiao and the others.

According to his plan, all he needed was to throw their bodies into the blood pool.

With the help of their essence blood and souls, he could have reforged his fleshly body.

Not only would he have truly stepped into the late stage of the Golden Core Realm, but even his foundations and aptitude would have transformed, greatly increasing his chances of forming a Nascent Soul in the future.

But who could have expected someone so powerful it drove people to despair to appear out of nowhere, shattering all his plans.

Now his physical body and artifact were lost, and the cultivation he spent years honing was utterly wiped out.

If not for planting a trace of his soul as a seed in the blood pool ahead of time, allowing him to be reborn through the Blood Demon Rebirth Technique…

He would already have perished completely—body and soul extinguished.

“You damned bastard, I’ll remember you. One day, I will tear your body to pieces, rip out your soul, and torment you for eternity!”

His years of scheming had crumbled to dust in an instant.

His hateful growl echoed in the cave like something clawing its way out of the nether abyss.

Li Motian’s hatred toward Lu Qing at this moment surpassed even that which he felt toward Qian Lingxiao and Gongshu Zheng—the ones who had slaughtered his family and destroyed his homeland.

But the next instant, Li Motian froze.

A calm voice suddenly echoed out: “Oh? I’d like to see how you plan to tear me to pieces and rip out my soul.”

Footsteps rang out, unhurried yet steady, as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness and approached the blood pool.

“You!” Li Motian’s eyes widened in horror. “You didn’t leave? No… how could you have found this place?!”

He stared at the newcomer in disbelief.

That plain-robed man, with a strange spirit lynx perched on his shoulder, was none other than the very person he'd just been cursing with boundless hatred—

Lu Qing!

“This isn’t exactly an impregnable dragon’s lair,” Lu Qing said coolly. “Why wouldn’t I be able to find it?”

“Or did you think that your incomplete Blood Demon Rebirth Technique could sever all karma and escape everyone’s detection?”

“You know the Blood Demon Rebirth Technique?! Who the hell are you?!”

This startled Li Motian like nothing else.

The Blood Demon Rebirth Technique was a secret of the Demonic Race—almost no one should have known it.

Yet this man not only knew of it, but seemed deeply familiar with its workings. How could Li Motian not be shaken?

“Who I am is irrelevant.”

Lu Qing looked at him, his eyes calm.

“At first, I considered sparing your life—your past was pitiful after all. Perhaps destroying your body and punishing you lightly would have been enough.

“But now, I see that those deemed pitiful often bring disaster upon themselves.

“Stubborn to the end, and growing ever more depraved… You are no different from Qian Lingxiao and Gongshu Zheng, the ones who ruined your home.

“You’ve become a devil who tramples over innocent lives for his own ambitions.

“In that case, your life has no reason to continue.”

As he spoke, Lu Qing raised a hand and pointed gently.

His words stirred violent waves in Li Motian’s heart.

“You even know my past… Did Zixiao and the others tell you? Who the hell are you?!”

But Lu Qing said nothing more.

His sword-point finger slowly pressed toward the center of Li Motian’s brow.

Li Motian wanted to dodge, but even in his prime, he couldn’t withstand a single strike from Lu Qing.

And now, having just reformed his body through the Blood Demon Rebirth Technique, his power was barely one percent of what it was.

There was no way he could escape Lu Qing’s sword intent.

Under its suppression, even moving a single inch was impossible.

Feeling the despairing aura of death envelop him, Li Motian panicked.

The Blood Demon Rebirth Technique was profound, but not omnipotent.

A Golden Core cultivator could only use it once.

Which meant, if this body died, he would be truly and permanently dead.

Gripped by death, Li Motian dropped all pretense.

Terror and desperation filled his eyes. “Exalted one! Please, spare me! I won’t dare again—please, spare my life!”

But Lu Qing’s resolve was like forged steel. With his killing intent already decided, how could such feeble begging sway him?

Without the slightest pause, his sword finger touched Li Motian’s brow once more under that horrified gaze.

The sword intent exploded.

The newly formed body couldn’t withstand it at all.

In an instant, it shattered into dust and disappeared without a trace.

That wisp of soul was annihilated as well, with no possibility of resurrection.

The cave dwelling fell silent once again. Even the turbulent blood pool stilled.

“Ah Qing, is he really dead this time?” Xiaoli asked softly.

“Yeah.” Lu Qing nodded gently.

His eyes, however, held a trace of sorrow.

Back when he had struck Li Motian down on the surface, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

The man had a sliver of spiritual essence that slipped away underground in a strange manner.

If not for Lu Qing’s sharp perception, he might have missed it entirely.

But he’d delayed his pursuit in order to treat the wounded disciples from the Qiankun Sect.

During that, he had also discovered fragments of Li Motian’s memories through his abilities.

Some of those memories hinted at tragic events.

At the time, Lu Qing had hesitated—he had genuinely considered giving Li Motian another chance.

But while healing the young man in purple and the others, he noticed the demonic rune marks Li Motian had planted in them.

His decision changed.

He recognized those symbols—they were part of a cruel and evil blood sacrifice technique.

The demonic general’s residual soul that Lu Qing had enslaved had once mentioned this dark art.

That was when he understood:

Li Motian had already fallen completely into the path of the demonic.

His actions weren’t just about vengeance anymore.

Or perhaps… vengeance had only ever been an excuse for his descent into darkness.

He had become a Demonic Cultivator who would do anything for power.

Thus, Lu Qing parted ways with the young man in purple and the others—not just to avoid entanglement with the Qiankun Sect…

But also to utterly eliminate Li Motian.

Because he knew that after using the Blood Demon Rebirth Technique to reconstruct his body, Li Motian would surely begin hunting for blood sacrifices to regain his strength.

Such an outcome would have been a catastrophe for the humans in this region.

“Maybe… at the beginning, when you chose demonic power, it really was for revenge.

“Unfortunately, now, you’ve been thoroughly corrupted by the demonic path and lost yourself completely.”

Lu Qing gazed silently at the still and lifeless blood pool.

At this moment, he finally came to understand the true terror of the demonic path.

No wonder the Righteous Path and the Demonic Race in the Tianyuan Great World were locked in such bitter enmity—sworn enemies to the death.

After standing there for a moment in silence, Lu Qing suddenly flicked his sleeve. In the next instant, a transparent flame of Nanming Bright Fire surged forth and dropped into the blood pool before him.

A chilling, blood-curdling scream rang out.

Though the blood pool appeared calm on the surface, once touched by the Nanming Bright Fire, it twisted and shrieked like a living thing, writhing in agony.

Countless fleshy blood-red tendrils rose from the pool, trying desperately to extinguish the flame.

But the Nanming Bright Fire conjured through the Lihuo Cauldron was nothing short of terrifying.

Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would not dare face it head-on.

Despite its unnatural properties, the blood pool stood no chance against such flames.

Eventually, after a brief struggle, the flesh tendrils stilled.

The blood pool rapidly evaporated, drying up before long.

But Lu Qing did not stop there.

With another wave of his hand, more Nanming Bright Fire emerged from the void, spreading to every corner of the underground cave dwelling.

The Nanming Bright Fire’s devastating power spared nothing—it was the nemesis of all demonic abominations.

In no time, the entire cave was ablaze.

By the time Lu Qing returned to the surface, the sun was already sinking in the west.

“Ah Qing, where are we going now?”

“To the east,” Lu Qing replied. “I recall old man Qiao saying that in the eastern region of Tianshu Continent, there's a vast divine mountain filled with secret realms and countless opportunities.

“Numerous sects and cultivators are gathered there as well.

“I’ll need to study a variety of cultivation methods if I’m to develop the next stage of my own technique.

“We’ll go there and see if we can find some fortune.”

“Tianshu Continent, huh?” Xiaoli’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Back in the caravan, when old man Qiao had spoken of the divine mountain in Tianshu Continent, Xiaoli had been nestled in Lu Qing’s arms, listening closely.

Now that they were actually going there, it couldn’t help but get excited.

After all, according to the old man’s tales, treasures were everywhere on that mountain.

You might even kick a rock on the roadside and stumble across some rare artifact.

And as a Black Night Spirit Lynx with an innate sense for treasure, how could Xiaoli not be thrilled?

“Ah Qing, let’s hurry! I heard Tianshu Continent is still really far away!”

“Alright, let’s head out now.”

Lu Qing smiled, then transformed into a streak of light, flying eastward at full speed.

This time, he truly departed.

…

While Lu Qing made his way toward the Tianshu Continent…

On the other side, the young man in purple and his companions, after days of urgent travel, finally returned to the Qiankun Sect.

Upon arriving at the sect, Senior Sister Ye did not immediately report the matter of Li Motian.

Instead, after giving the others some instructions, she went directly to her master.

“What did you say? Li Motian is a Demonic Cultivator, and the reason he invited you to travel with him was for ulterior motives?”

Her master, Daoist Mo Xuan—one of the Qiankun Sect’s Supreme Elders—was greatly shocked upon hearing this.

“It’s true,” said Senior Sister Ye. “Li Motian had long fallen into the demonic path. His cultivation was strange and powerful. We were no match for him.

“If not for the will of Heaven sparing us, and a powerful stranger passing by and saving us just in time…

“I fear we would’ve already become the nourishment for Li Motian’s demonic arts, never to return.”

She shuddered slightly at the memory of that day.

“Tell me everything—quickly and in detail!” said Mo Xuan anxiously.

“Yes, Master. That day, we accepted Li Motian’s invitation to travel…”

“Master, here is Li Motian’s corpse.”

After recounting the events in full, Senior Sister Ye brought out Li Motian’s body from her storage artifact.

“He really did cultivate demonic arts!”

Upon seeing Li Motian’s drastically altered corpse and the lingering demonic aura on his body, Daoist Mo Xuan had no more doubts.

Li Motian had indeed fallen into the demonic path and become a Demonic Cultivator.

Yet rather than relief, a deep seriousness overtook his expression.

He turned to his disciple. “You haven’t told anyone else of this, have you?”

“No, Master. We’ve only just returned and haven’t reported to the sect yet. I’ve already warned Zixiao and the others not to speak of this for now.”

“Good. You did well.”

Daoist Mo Xuan nodded with satisfaction—his disciple was indeed quick-witted.

He turned his gaze back to Li Motian’s body, falling silent as his expression shifted subtly. It was clear he was deep in thought.

“Master,” Senior Sister Ye spoke again, “we were only friendly with Li Motian. We didn’t live together and couldn’t have noticed his cultivation had turned demonic.

“But Elder Qiance was his master, a cultivator of profound power.

“Li Motian was his prized disciple and served at his side daily.

“Are you saying Elder Qiance didn’t notice anything?”

“Watch your words!” Mo Xuan blanched and rebuked her sharply.

Senior Sister Ye paused, then muttered defiantly, “But Master, am I wrong?”

Seeing his beloved disciple's unwillingness to yield, Daoist Mo Xuan sighed.

“This matter is of great consequence. From now on, say nothing more. Leave everything to me. Do you understand?”

Noticing the gravity in her master’s expression, Senior Sister Ye realized this might be more serious than she had imagined.

She nodded at once. “I understand.”

Only then did Daoist Mo Xuan relax.

Staring once more at Li Motian’s corpse, he suddenly remembered something.

“Right—you said that the man who saved you killed Li Motian with just a single move?”

“Yes.”

Senior Sister Ye pointed at the sword mark on Li Motian’s forehead.

“That cultivator surnamed Chen killed him with just one sword-point.”