Chapter 658

Chapter 658

I Can See Through Everything

“An assassin of grade B can apply for an assessment and has a chance to join the Netherworld Palace?”

Lu Qing pondered silently.

He wasn’t particularly interested in joining the Netherworld Palace, but the promotion system revealed a great deal of information.

After all, assassinating someone like Gongshu Lian, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was merely considered a grade C mission.

From this, it was clear how terrifyingly strong a grade B assassin must be.

At the very least, they would be an experienced Nascent Soul expert.

And yet, reaching that level only granted the qualification to apply for assessment—it still didn’t guarantee entry into the Netherworld Palace.

From one leaf, he could see the vastness of the whole tree. Just this detail alone made Lu Qing deeply aware of how terrifying the Netherworld Palace’s foundations truly were.

No wonder the three great races were so wary of it. This mysterious force was far too dreadful.

Moreover, Lu Qing knew that the Netherworld Palace in the Tianyuan Great World was only a branch. The true Netherworld Palace must be unimaginably stronger.

“Looks like I can only let Gongshu Lian live a while longer. No matter. I’ll start with some grade D missions to raise my assassin rank first.”

Having figured out the system, Lu Qing understood he had to postpone the idea of taking on a grade C mission.

So he returned to the mission wall to make his selections.

This time, he focused on the grade D missions, slowly scanning through them.

Of course, grade D missions offered far lower rewards than grade C.

Most were between a few hundred and a few thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones, with very few exceeding ten thousand.

After some time, he went back to the rabbit-masked woman.

“Senior, are you sure you want to accept all of these missions at once?”

She was shocked again.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“Senior, you must know—our Netherworld Palace missions all have completion deadlines.

If you fail to finish them within the allotted time, your mission points will be deducted.

Once your points drop below minus ten, your status as an outer member will be revoked.

So if you take on too many at once and can’t complete them in time, the penalty may not be worth it.”

The rabbit-masked woman tried to warn him.

“It’s fine. The missions I chose are all fairly close to where I am. It shouldn’t be an issue.”

Lu Qing brushed it off casually.

She gave him one last deep look, then didn’t try persuading him further.

In her eyes, this senior was simply brimming with confidence in his own strength.

She had seen many such people before. They would never listen to advice—only after running into walls themselves would they understand that Netherworld Palace missions were not so easily accomplished.

A quarter of an hour later, Lu Qing withdrew his consciousness from the Netherworld Jade Token. His awareness returned to his body, though his eyes still held faint wonder.

That soul-space had been too marvelous.

Not only could it manifest tangible buildings, but it also allowed countless soul forces to take form and interact.

It was hard to imagine what level of cultivation the mighty one who created it had reached.

Putting away the Netherworld Jade Token, Lu Qing began to plan.

In the soul-space just now, he had accepted ten grade D missions.

Each required completion within one month. The schedule was tight.

But for Lu Qing, it wasn’t an issue.

“Xiao Li, let’s go.”

“Where are we going, Ah Qing?”

“To complete missions, of course.”

…

Half a day later, Lu Qing stood in a deep mountain, gazing at a very ordinary cave entrance at the foot of a hill.

“This should be it—the lair of the Blackheart Bandits.”

He activated his Spiritual Powers and peered into the cave. Soon, a few floating characters appeared before his eyes. He smiled faintly.

“Ah Qing, this is the first mission you accepted?”

Xiao Li poked her head out of his hood, curiously peering ahead.

“Yes.”

Lu Qing nodded.

Though he wanted to earn Spirit Stones through the Netherworld Palace, he would not take just any mission.

The ten he selected were all tasks he could accomplish without violating his principles.

Like this one—the Blackheart Bandits, a group of marauders, had long plagued traveling merchants and wandering cultivators.

Their hideout sat at the borders of several small sects, in a lawless zone.

They also supposedly possessed a treasure that concealed their presence, and they were extremely cautious with each raid.

Striking like the wind, the moment anything seemed amiss, they would vanish into their underground caves.

The terrain was complicated, the subterranean passages like a maze. Even top-tier Golden Core cultivators struggled to catch them.

And since the nearby sects were all small without Nascent Soul experts, no one had been able to eliminate them.

Other assassins of the Netherworld Palace had taken this mission before, but the bandits’ vigilance and cunning thwarted every attempt.

The bounty wasn’t high, either, so over time, no one bothered taking it.

“Good at hiding, are they?”

Lu Qing thought for a moment, then instructed Xiao Li.

As she listened, her eyes grew brighter. She nodded eagerly. “Don’t worry, Ah Qing. I’ll find them all!”

With that, her figure melted into space and disappeared.

Lu Qing smiled and stepped into the cave.

He sent Xiao Li ahead to locate the bandits first.

As for her safety, he had no concerns.

According to Netherworld Palace intelligence, the Blackheart Bandits’ leader was only at Golden Core Sixth Transformation.

Even if their information was outdated, he could be no more than late Golden Core at best.

But Xiao Li’s spatial Divine Ability could evade even an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

There was no chance these bandits could detect her.

Indeed, before long, Xiao Li reappeared on his shoulder, eyes gleaming. “Ah Qing, I found them!”

“Good. Lead the way.”

Following her guidance, Lu Qing advanced deeper underground.

The deeper he went, the clearer it became why past assassins had failed.

The subterranean Earth element force here was thick, greatly suppressing spiritual sense.

Tracking targets by Divine Sense was nearly impossible.

And the tunnels ran deep—cause too much commotion here, and one risked disturbing the earth veins, collapsing the caves.

Even a late Golden Core might not escape.

But none of this troubled Lu Qing.

He tapped his foot, yellow light flickering across his body. A formless wave pulsed outward.

Instantly, movements within dozens of miles came into his perception.

“With the Earth Spirit Pearl, this place is a gift.”

He marveled softly, then sped forward.

Through the earth vein’s magnetic field, he easily pinpointed the bandits.

And of course, his own presence was completely undetectable to them.

Moments later, he stopped abruptly.

“Cautious indeed.”

Ahead, he sensed the faintest of fluctuations—an alarm array, cleverly hidden.

Its energy merged seamlessly with the earth vein’s aura. Even a late Golden Core cultivator would struggle to notice it.

And even if noticed, bypassing it without triggering it was difficult.

Only Xiao Li, slipping into another layer of space, could glide past unseen.

But for Lu Qing, this was trivial.

He examined it briefly, then with a few hand seals, disrupted its flow.

He stepped forward—no alarm triggered.

More arrays followed, but he neutralized each one effortlessly.

At last, he passed the final array and faintly heard boisterous voices.

The bandits were drinking and making merry.

But amid the laughter, faint screams could also be heard.

Lu Qing’s brows furrowed.

He extended his Divine Sense.

And when he “saw” the scene, his eyes grew cold, killing intent erupting.

“You all deserve to die!”

His voice thundered into the depths, shaking their souls. His aura surged, yellow light spreading outward and sealing everything within miles.

Instantly, silence fell.

“Ah Qing…”

Xiao Li gasped, softly calling.

But Lu Qing didn’t answer. His face was grim as he strode forward.

After several turns, he entered a vast cavern.

A bonfire blazed at the center. Wine and meat filled the tables.

Dozens of men sat around, some drinking, some eating.

Others, naked, were ravaging women.

On a massive jade throne, a burly man reclined, arms around two women, laughing wildly.

But now, every one of them was frozen—suppressed by the earth vein’s magnetic force, unable to move.

Only the terror in their eyes, and the life force still lingering in their bodies, proved they yet lived.

Lu Qing ignored their fear. His gaze fell upon a giant cauldron above the flames.

Within, broth bubbled. From time to time, human heads surfaced.

Scattered nearby were bones—gnawed, broken—some so small they could only belong to children.

Lu Qing’s killing intent surged, impossible to restrain.

“You vermin!”

He released the bandit leader from part of his suppression.

“Senior! Spare me—”

The burly man immediately begged.

Though he had recently advanced to Golden Core Seventh Transformation, this masked man had crushed him effortlessly.

There was no way he could resist.

But before he finished speaking, Lu Qing’s Divine Sense struck his brow acupoint.

The man’s body stiffened, his mind thrown into endless illusions.

Through the phantasm, Lu Qing swiftly pried out all his secrets.

“So many victims already?”

His expression grew darker still.

Releasing the illusion, he let the man awaken.

The instant the leader’s eyes met the mask, sheer terror overcame him.

A foul stench filled the air—he had lost control of his body.

“Senior, I was only following orders! Most of the spoils were tribute to our sect! Please, spare me! Spare me!”

He sobbed, groveling desperately.

Had his body not been bound, he would have crawled to kiss Lu Qing’s boots.

No one knew what horrors Lu Qing had shown him in the illusion, but his fear was absolute.

“Did your sect also force you to eat people?”

Lu Qing’s voice was cold, emotionless. The man’s pleas faltered.

Before he could answer, Lu Qing spoke again.

“Vermin like you won’t die so easily. You’ll all be cast into illusion, to suffer torments a hundred, a thousand times worse than what you inflicted.

Feel your sins before the end.”

“No! Don’t!”

The man screamed in terror.

But Lu Qing’s Divine Sense descended once more, enveloping him and every other bandit in the cavern.