Chapter 651

Chapter 651

I Can See Through Everything

Cang Jue fixed his gaze tightly on Lu Qing. For some reason, the eyes of the man before him—hidden behind a ghost-face mask—filled him with a strange sense of alarm. It was as though he was being seen through completely, stripped bare of all secrets. The sensation made him deeply uncomfortable.

“Oh? You don’t like it? And what of it?” Lu Qing spoke with amusement. “You’re nothing but a little demon brat. Do you truly think you can overturn the heavens?”

The moment those words fell, silence struck like a hammer.

Far in the distance, the demons gaped, their mouths hanging wide and their eyes bulging as they stared at Lu Qing. They couldn’t believe it—this masked youth had dared to call Lord Cang Jue a demon brat, and to his face no less.

Even the Dao Heir of Dao Xu Temple and the Holy Maiden of Bilu Palace froze, stunned by Lu Qing’s audacity. Inside the mysterious space where a dozen hidden figures observed, a ripple of disturbance stirred as well.

“He’s finished. That ghost-faced brat is doomed.”

“Death alone won’t satisfy Cang Jue. With his cruelty, he’ll torture the boy until there’s nothing left before granting release.”

“He’s far too arrogant. He has no idea how terrifying Cang Jue truly is.”

The watchers shook their heads. In their eyes, the masked youth’s fate had already been sealed. Cang Jue was the very embodiment of ruthlessness, the kind who paid back an insult a hundredfold. To mock him so brazenly was courting certain doom.

As expected, Cang Jue froze at first, then slowly turned to look at Lu Qing. A cruel smile crept across his face.

“Very well, little insect. You’ve succeeded in angering me. I’ll strip your bones one by one, wrench out your soul, and fuse it into my Heavenly Demon Bone Claw. Then I’ll burn you with demonfire for all eternity, never allowing you life nor death!”

Each syllable dripped with killing intent. Even the distant demons shuddered, chilled to the marrow. They knew—the masked boy was as good as dead. Their lord was truly enraged.

“You sure do like to chatter,” Lu Qing replied lightly.

With a flick of his arm, the heavens trembled. A sword qi, towering dozens of zhang high, tore through the void, descending upon Cang Jue. Its force was enough to split heaven and earth. Demons of weaker cultivation felt their souls splitting just from gazing upon it, paling in horror. Even the elephant-nosed man’s expression hardened, sensing danger from the strike.

The Holy Maiden of Bilu Palace and the Dao Heir of Dao Xu Temple both straightened, eyes lighting up.

A swordsman!

Sword cultivators were famed for their overwhelming attack power, often surpassing peers of the same realm. Could this masked man truly contend with Cang Jue?

Even Cang Jue was momentarily surprised. The sword’s power was stronger than he expected. Yet his expression remained cold, tinged only with disdain.

A phantom bone claw materialized above him, meeting the sword qi with a crushing grip.

Boom!

The phantom of the Heavenly Demon Bone Claw shattered Lu Qing’s sword qi. But to everyone’s astonishment, the scattered fragments didn’t vanish. Instead, they splintered into countless smaller blades of sword qi that swarmed Cang Jue like a shoal of fish.

Black flames burst from his body, blocking them all. Watching his demonfire consume the sword qi, his sneer deepened.

“Petty tricks…”

But before he could finish, his face darkened. He looked to his side—where the Holy Maiden of Bilu Palace had been imprisoned. She was gone.

His eyes snapped forward. A cyclone of sword qi spiraled ahead, carrying the Holy Maiden toward Lu Qing. The once-deadly energy now swirled around her like docile fish, leaving her unharmed.

So that was it—Lu Qing’s strike had been nothing but misdirection, severing Cang Jue’s seal on her while spiriting her away!

“Insect, how dare you!”

Cang Jue erupted in fury. His black flames surged skyward, burning away all remnants of sword qi. The true form of the Heavenly Demon Bone Claw shot forth, brimming with overwhelming might. Even the elephant-nosed man recoiled in fear, retreating at once. He was lucky—the claw wasn’t aimed at him.

But Lu Qing was faster still. In the instant the claw flew, his body transformed into sword-light, flashing to the Holy Maiden’s side. He seized her, and in the blink of an eye, streaked beyond the reach of the claw.

The Heavenly Demon Bone Claw returned to Cang Jue, unable to match his speed. And then, impossibly, the fleeing sword-light swerved back. Lu Qing reappeared, standing boldly once again before Cang Jue.

Shock rippled through both the demons and the hidden observers.

“What speed is this?!”

“Not even a superior-grade demonic artifact can suppress him?”

Their disbelief mounted.

“So, that’s it,” Lu Qing said with mock enlightenment, his hand gripping the Holy Maiden’s shoulder. “You’re not strong at all. You’re just hiding behind an artifact. How generous your master must be, to place such a treasure in the hands of a brat like you. Did he never consider you’d be slain and robbed here in the Trial Space?”

The Holy Maiden, dazed, slowly realized the truth. Though grievously wounded and sealed by Cang Jue’s talisman, unable even to speak, her heart trembled with sudden joy.

Cang Jue, however, glared at Lu Qing in smoldering silence before growling, “Insect, I underestimated you. But to snatch my woman before my eyes—you are already dead! No one under heaven or earth will save you. I’ll capture you, torture you, and make you regret ever being born!”

His words chilled the air like a decree from hell. Yet Lu Qing’s expression remained calm.

“Oh? Your woman? You mean this one?” He gave the Holy Maiden’s shoulder a slight shake, eyes filled with scorn. “You’re pathetic. All bluster, yet you couldn’t even protect your own woman. I took her right from under your nose. What can you do about it? An artifact in your hands is nothing but dust. Trash holding treasure is still trash.”

Cang Jue’s face turned black with rage. The demons were stunned. The Dao Heir below, once insulted by Cang Jue, now felt a surge of vindication. Finally, someone was humiliating this devil in kind. As for the Holy Maiden, her face flushed with anger and shame at being claimed as Cang Jue’s woman. Worse still, fear gnawed at her—was she merely passing from wolf’s den to tiger’s lair?

“His tongue is sharper than his sword,” one hidden watcher muttered.

“Even so, Cang Jue may not be able to touch him. That speed defies the very suppression of a superior artifact.”

“Indeed. Cang Jue stands in invincible ground with his demonic artifact, yet this masked swordsman stands invincible with speed. Neither can defeat the other.”

“So then, who will claim first place in this trial? If the great one truly seeks a disciple, which of them would he choose?”

Silence followed. One voice finally said, “If it were me, I’d choose the masked swordsman. Cang Jue is strong, but only because of his artifact. The youth’s talent is far more dazzling.”

“Perhaps. But that lord’s choices are beyond guessing.”

Their speculation was cut short by a sudden roar. On the light screen, Cang Jue’s black flames erupted skyward.

“Insect! You think you’ve seen my full strength? I’ll show you what true despair is!”

His demonic aura surged like a storm. The distant demons fell trembling, some collapsing to their knees in worship. The elephant-nosed man backed away yet again, secretly grateful he hadn’t fought Cang Jue earlier.

Lu Qing, watching the transformation, finally grew serious. With a pulse of power, he sent the Holy Maiden into the Li Huo Cauldron for safekeeping.

“Let’s see your so-called full power. But don’t disappoint me. Don’t let it turn out that you’re still nothing but trash.”

Cang Jue’s body warped in the flames. His horns lengthened. His mouth split to reveal jagged fangs. The purple glow in his eyes turned jet black. His hands stretched into skeletal claws, burning with demonfire. Gone was the handsome face—only a monstrous visage remained, exuding a power more terrifying than before.

“A transformation?” Lu Qing’s eyes narrowed with intrigue. “So your demonic artifact can fuse with your body? Interesting.”

For the first time, he admitted surprise. The demonic artifact was indeed unique—blending weapon and wielder into one.

Cang Jue’s voice rasped like grinding steel. “All who witness this form must die. And you, insect… you’ll be the first!”

His figure vanished. When it reappeared, it was before Lu Qing—faster than even Lu Qing’s sword-light.