Chapter 607

Chapter 607

I Can See Through Everything

“Brother Chen has already been in seclusion for three days and still hasn't come out.”

In the valley, Chu Xiaojing propped her chin with one hand, gazing at the wooden hut where Lu Qing was cultivating, and sighed.

“It's only been three days. For us cultivators, even ten or twenty years of seclusion is quite normal. You're too impatient, little girl.”

Ye Qingzhu, who was meditating nearby, replied casually.

“If we were cultivating out in the open, that might be true. But we’re in a secret realm. Shouldn’t our main goal be to seek out opportunities?”

Chu Xiaojing continued, “I heard that over the past few days, aside from those top-tier forces, quite a few other factions have joined together and managed to breach the tower. Even Gongshu Yu and the others have entered. Isn’t Brother Chen worried that all the opportunities will be snatched up?”

“That only means Fellow Daoist Chen believes that his current cultivation is more important than the opportunities within the ancient tower,” Ye Qingzhu replied, still calm.

“But I never expected that night Brother Chen went out, he’d cause such a huge commotion. He didn’t just slaughter nearly a hundred Golden Core Realm Guardian Beasts—he even suppressed the combined forces of Lanhai Sect and Xuan Yuan Sect all by himself! Just how powerful is Brother Chen?!”

Chu Xiaojing exclaimed in awe once more.

Hearing this, Ye Qingzhu's expression grew dazed for a moment.

It truly was a shocking tale.

Although she had already heard about it the day before, it still felt surreal even now.

Over the past few days, they hadn’t simply been hiding in the valley doing nothing—they’d gone out to gather information.

And what they’d heard had been nothing short of astonishing.

For instance, many factions, finding themselves unable to get past the Guardian Beasts blocking their way into the ancient tower, eventually chose to join forces.

Several succeeded after paying heavy costs.

Even Gongshu Yu and his group had teamed up with another powerful force and entered the tower.

That was why Chu Xiaojing felt so anxious.

She didn’t care if other factions gained opportunities, but if the Gongshu Clan did, just thinking about it made her feel extremely upset.

Even more shocking was the feat Lu Qing had accomplished near the tower a few days ago.

It turned out that the night before he entered seclusion, Lu Qing had slain nearly a hundred Guardian Beasts near the ancient tower.

Later, Yu Dahai, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator from Lanhai Sect, led dozens of Golden Core cultivators to block his path—only to be suppressed by Lu Qing with a single counterattack.

Yu Dahai was crippled by a single punch, and the rest were so terrified they nearly lost their minds.

In the end, they had no choice but to beg for mercy, each offering up a Golden Core-level Technique just to spare their lives.

“Did Brother Chen go into seclusion to comprehend those Golden Core Techniques he just acquired? Senior Sister Ye, Brother Chen has really offended the Lanhai Sect and Xuan Yuan Sect badly this time. Will he be in danger once he comes out?”

Chu Xiaojing suddenly voiced her concern.

“I don’t know either,” Ye Qingzhu shook her head. “But Fellow Daoist Chen doesn’t strike me as someone reckless. Since he acted this way, he must have confidence and isn’t afraid of those sects.”

“That’s true. Brother Chen has never spoken of his origins, but his background must be extraordinary. Those sects probably won’t be able to touch him.”

While the two of them were chatting, inside the wooden hut, Lu Qing—the very person they were discussing—was at a critical point in his cultivation.

His eyes were tightly shut, and an invisible aura emanated from him, distorting the air and causing the space around him to tremble.

A terrifying aura filled the entire hut. If not for the Concealment Array Lu Qing had set up in advance, the entire valley would’ve been alarmed.

“Is Ah Qing about to break through?”

Xiaoli had already curled up in the corner.

Even though Lu Qing’s aura wasn’t directed at it, the oppressive force still made it instinctively retreat.

Staring wide-eyed at the steam-like distortions around Lu Qing, Xiaoli’s gaze was filled with both awe and anticipation.

Over the past three days, it had watched Lu Qing refine Guardian Beast bloodlines one after another.

By now, he had refined seventy to eighty bloodlines, even those of mid-stage Golden Core Realm Beasts.

It seemed a breakthrough was finally at hand.

Lu Qing could naturally sense Xiaoli being pushed to the corner, but he had no time to care.

Having refined a massive amount of Witch Bloodline Essence, his physical body had reached its limit—ready to break through and undergo a true transformation.

His flesh was undergoing an unimaginable metamorphosis from the deepest levels.

Every inch of flesh, every bone, even his meridians and acupoints, were transforming—becoming more vibrant, teeming with life.

This wasn’t just a boost in strength—it was a complete transformation, an evolution of life itself.

So overwhelming was this transformation that the life force emanating from him alone caused the surrounding space to shudder.

The transformation lasted nearly an hour before it finally came to an end.

“What state is my body in now?”

When it was over, Lu Qing felt a bit dazed.

His body wasn’t just several times stronger than before.

More importantly, the Life Force within him had grown more than tenfold!

He estimated that his Life Force now was probably comparable to the Ancient Dragon Tortoise from his home world.

That creature wasn’t just massive—it had a body at the Nascent Soul Realm!

The Life Force it harbored was unimaginably vast.

And now he could rival that? Unbelievable.

“With the Life Force I have now, even if my heart were crushed or my skull shattered, I could likely regenerate instantly.”

Lu Qing couldn’t help but marvel in his heart.

“But the most important part is still…”

He willed his Perfect Golden Core to dissolve, fusing it into his flesh.

At that moment, his bodily strength surged once more, and the aura around him skyrocketed.

Even the Concealment Array he had personally laid down couldn’t fully contain it—some of the aura leaked out.

In that instant, outside the hut, all the disciples of Qiankun Sect in the valley jumped up as if pricked by needles.

“What’s going on?!”

“What is that aura?!”

“Are we under attack?!”

The disciples looked around, tense and alert.

That sudden burst of aura was simply too terrifying.

For a moment, they all felt the shadow of death looming over them.

“What just happened?”

Qin Zheng, who had been cultivating in another hut, also appeared with a grim expression.

But all he saw were his junior brothers and sisters looking around in a panic.

Only Ye Qingzhu and Chu Xiaojing were staring at Lu Qing’s hut with uncertain expressions.

“That aura just now—it seemed to come from Brother Chen’s room…” Chu Xiaojing said, unsure.

“Fellow Daoist Chen?”

Qin Zheng and the others immediately looked toward the wooden hut where Lu Qing had been cultivating.

But now, the hut was once again calm—there was no longer any trace of that terrifying aura.

Just as they were unsure of what to do next, the door to the hut suddenly creaked open.

Lu Qing stepped out slowly, holding Xiaoli in his arms.

“Fellow Daoist Chen!”

“Brother Chen!”

The disciples of Qiankun Sect all cried out in surprise.

“I must thank all of you for standing guard for me these past few days. Chen is deeply grateful,” Lu Qing said with a smile.

Qin Zheng hesitated slightly. “Fellow Daoist Chen, that aura just now…”

“There was a minor breakthrough in my cultivation just now. I disturbed everyone—please accept my apologies.”

“So it really was Fellow Daoist Chen. We thought it might have been an enemy invasion. What a scare!”

Qin Zheng and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That aura earlier had been too terrifying. Had it been from an enemy, they likely would have stood no chance.

As for Lu Qing, after hearing about the commotion he’d caused near the ancient tower a few days ago, they found it easier to accept such a presence.

Still, it was hard to fathom—Lu Qing’s strength had already been unfathomable, and now he had broken through again. Just how powerful was he now?

“I was careless to let it disturb your cultivation,” Lu Qing said apologetically.

“Not at all. A breakthrough is a joyous occasion—we should be congratulating you!” Qin Zheng said with a smile.

“It was only a minor improvement. Nothing worth mentioning,” Lu Qing replied modestly.

Though he said so, inwardly, he was still savoring the experience.

Just earlier in the hut, he had tested the shapeless, formless transformation ability of his Perfect Golden Core—freely merging and dispersing its power into his body.

The result had been as though he’d broken through some unseen barrier—his physical strength surged to an astonishing level.

The aura from his fleshly body alone had shattered the defenses of the Concealment Array, leaking outward.

If he hadn’t realized it in time and reined it in, the entire array might’ve been destroyed—and the hut along with it.

After some casual conversation, everyone was clearly delighted by Lu Qing’s emergence from seclusion.

After all, they had already heard of the uproar he’d caused at the ancient tower.

And they were fully aware that many factions now regarded Lu Qing as one of the most terrifying figures in the secret realm—on par with Dao Heirs like Batian and Shen Zangfeng.

Being with such a figure greatly increased their own safety.

“Brother Chen, now that you’ve come out of seclusion, what are your plans?” Chu Xiaojing suddenly asked.

“From the sound of that, Miss Chu, I take it some things have happened in the secret realm during my seclusion?”

Lu Qing asked with interest.

“Yes! You don’t know, but in the past few days, a bunch of factions have joined forces and managed to break into the ancient tower. No one knows if they got any opportunities though.

Even the people from the Gongshu Clan got in.”

“Oh? The Gongshu Clan entered the tower too?” Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. “With their strength, they shouldn’t have been able to get past those late-stage Golden Core Realm Guardian Beasts, right? Weren’t they trying to force you all into joining them not long ago?”

“I don’t know what tricks Gongshu Yu used, but he somehow convinced the people from the Cangming Sect to team up. They eventually succeeded in breaking into the tower, though I heard they paid a hefty price—some of their clan members and disciples died in the process.”

Chu Xiaojing sounded gleeful as she spoke.

Ever since the Gongshu Clan had set them up, leading to Senior Brother Zhao Gang’s death, she had been wishing for the entire clan to perish within the secret realm.

“I see.” Lu Qing nodded slightly.

He wasn’t familiar with the Cangming Sect, but for someone as proud as Gongshu Yu to seek their help, they had to be a very powerful sect.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, do you plan to enter the ancient tower as well?” Qin Zheng asked at that moment.

“I do,” Lu Qing answered without hesitation. “After all, we haven’t yet found a way to leave this secret realm. A journey to the ancient tower seems unavoidable.”

Qin Zheng nodded—he wasn’t surprised. With Lu Qing’s strength, it would have been stranger if he didn’t plan to enter.

“What about you, Fellow Daoist Qin? Do you plan to enter the tower as well? If so, I don’t mind going in with you.”

Lu Qing had gotten along well with the disciples of Qiankun Sect over the past few days.

If Qin Zheng and the others wanted to enter the tower, he didn’t mind lending them a hand.

At those words, the eyes of all the Qiankun Sect disciples lit up, turning toward Qin Zheng.

With a powerhouse like Lu Qing joining them, their chances of success would rise dramatically.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, after a moment of silence, Qin Zheng shook his head.

“Better not. We’ve decided not to enter the tower.”

That stunned not only the Qiankun Sect disciples, but even Lu Qing was caught off guard.

“You’ve decided?”

“I have.” Once he spoke the words, Qin Zheng’s expression grew resolute. “The ancient tower is shrouded in mystery—there may be incredible opportunities or treasures within.

But by the same logic, the greater the opportunity, the greater the danger.

We were already struggling to deal with the Guardian Beasts outside. I dare not imagine what perils lie inside.

Junior Brother Zhao Gang has already lost his life. I cannot let more of my junior brothers and sisters meet the same fate.

No matter how great the tower’s opportunities, they are not meant for us.”

Hearing their second senior brother speak so seriously, the disciples gradually calmed down.

They began to feel that his reasoning made sense.

Yes—if they couldn’t even handle the beasts guarding the outside, how much more dangerous must the inside be?

If the dangers within surpassed even those beasts, they would surely perish.

Given the tower’s mysterious origins, not even Lu Qing could guarantee their safety.

No matter how powerful he was, he was still only at the Golden Core Realm. The ancient tower was clearly constructed by an unfathomable expert.

With that thought, the disciples let go of their earlier disappointment.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Qing smiled slightly and gave Qin Zheng another appreciative glance.

What he had said was something most veteran cultivators understood—but the ability to resist temptation and make such a difficult choice was truly worthy of respect.

“So it seems you’ve all made your decision.”

“In the end, we’re simply not strong enough. The treasure mountain lies before us, but we lack the strength to seize its fortune,” Qin Zheng said with a sigh.

Lu Qing’s heart stirred, and he suddenly smiled. “That may not necessarily be true. Even if the tower’s opportunities are out of reach, there may still be other fortunes within this secret realm.”