Chapter 659

Chapter 659

I Can See Through Everything

When Lu Qing emerged from the underground cavern, his expression was grim, the killing intent around him still lingering, unwilling to dissipate.

Looking up at the azure sky, he recalled the events from moments ago.

Inside that cavern, he had been unable to restrain the murderous rage in his heart. With a surge of Divine Ability, he had dragged all of the Black-Heart Bandits into an illusion.

Within that illusion, he tormented them endlessly until, one by one, their minds shattered and their souls collapsed under the agony. Only then did he stop.

Yet even that failed to quench the fury burning inside him.

Because in the end, the few surviving women in the cavern had chosen to take their own lives before his eyes.

He had intended to rescue them. But when he tried, they had only shaken their heads.

They had been taken captive by the Black-Heart Bandits. Their husbands, children, and families had already been slain. Some of their loved ones were among those boiled in the massive cauldron…

They themselves had long been humiliated beyond words. Weak and powerless, they hadn’t even been able to claim death for themselves, forced to endure in shame.

Now that release had come, they first kowtowed to Lu Qing in gratitude. Then, picking up discarded blades, they took their own lives, right before him.

He could have stopped them.

But when he saw the determination in their eyes, he held back. He only watched as they fell, their final expressions ones of relief, their souls returning to the Netherworld.

Yet what stirred in Lu Qing’s heart was not solace, but a deepening of his murderous intent.

“Ah Qing…”

Xiao Li lay upon his shoulder, gazing at him with worry.

It had been a long time since it had seen Lu Qing exude such overwhelming killing intent.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

He reined in the murderous aura, gently stroking Xiao Li’s head to soothe it.

“Ah Qing, where are we going now? To complete the next mission?” Xiao Li asked softly.

“Yes. But before that, there’s another matter we must handle.”

“Guiyuan Sect…”

The name stirred a glint of malice in his eyes, recalling the information he had wrung from that burly bandit within the illusion.

In the next instant, his body became a streak of flowing light as he rose into the sky, flying swiftly westward.

…

Guiyuan Sect was not considered a powerful sect within the Tianyuan Great World. Its greatest strength lay in a few Golden Core late-stage Elders and its Sect Master.

But in recent years, the Sect Master had secluded himself often, seemingly on the verge of a great breakthrough.

Rumors had spread that he was preparing to strike at the Nascent Soul Realm. The disciples were filled with fervor. If their master ascended, Guiyuan Sect’s foundation would rise tremendously. Expansion into neighboring lands—and even annexing rival sects—would no longer be a dream.

“Do you think the Sect Master can truly step into the Nascent Soul Realm this time?” a disciple asked idly.

“Of course. With his peerless talent, he’s bound to succeed!”

“Indeed! Once our Sect Master becomes a Nascent Soul cultivator, even Su Xin Sect and Burning Heaven Sect won’t dare look down on us. Our territory will expand for sure!”

As they chattered excitedly, one suddenly glanced upward. His eyes widened.

“Look! Someone is flying above our sect!”

“What arrogance! Who dares to fly over Guiyuan Sect?”

“Does he not fear being struck down by the protective formation?”

“No… something’s wrong. He doesn’t look friendly! Sound the alarm—this could be an enemy attack!”

The bell tolled. The sect stirred into chaos.

Above the sect, Lu Qing floated silently, clad in a black cloak and ghostly mask. The moment the disciples saw him, a chill gripped their hearts.

The Sect’s protective formation flared as elders rallied the disciples. Yet Lu Qing merely stood in the air, quietly sensing, his aura cold enough to freeze their courage.

At the front, an elder with formidable Golden Core late-stage cultivation stepped forward.

“Honored one,” he called up, “who might you be? Why have you come to Guiyuan Sect?”

“Send out Ning Jizi,” Lu Qing’s voice was cold and sharp.

The elder’s face darkened. The disciples behind him stirred uneasily.

For Ning Jizi was none other than their Sect Master.

“Our master is in seclusion. What business do you have with him?” the elder asked carefully.

But Lu Qing had no patience for words. With his powerful Divine Soul perception, he had already pinpointed his target.

“If he won’t come out, I’ll tear apart his den!”

With a sweep of his arm, a slash of Sword Qi shot forth, descending toward a palace below.

The protective formation shattered like paper. The Sword Qi cut straight through the hall, splitting the mountain beneath it, leaving a massive scar across stone and earth.

From a hidden chamber, a figure burst out, shaken but alive, landing before his disciples with wary eyes locked on Lu Qing.

“Sect Master!”

The disciples, horrified by Lu Qing’s sword strike, immediately steadied when they saw their master appear. With him, they felt hope.

“You are Ning Jizi?” Lu Qing’s voice was ice.

The purple-robed middle-aged man stood proud. His aura revealed a Golden Core Ninth Transformation—perfection at the peak.

Yet Lu Qing did not trust appearances. He activated his ability, confirming.

“I am Ning Jizi, Sect Master of Guiyuan Sect. I do not know you. Why do you seek me?” Ning Jizi asked gravely, wary of Lu Qing’s terrifying display. That earlier Sword Qi had nearly slain him.

Lu Qing answered not with courtesy but with evidence. From his storage pouch, he produced a severed head, tossing it down.

It rolled to Ning Jizi’s feet, its face twisted in fear.

“Du—Duan shixiong? Wasn’t he missing?” gasps rang out.

“Didn’t Senior Brother Duan perish in the Flamefire Secret Realm thirty years ago?”

Even the elders stared in shock. The head was indeed that of Duan Xin, a true disciple who had vanished decades past.

Lu Qing’s voice rang coldly. “So you all recognize him.”

Ning Jizi’s expression tightened, but he forced composure. “Yes, this was once one of my sect’s disciples. Tell me, how did you obtain this head? Did he fall to your hand after surviving all these years?”

The disciples’ gazes hardened with hostility. This masked man was now their sworn enemy.

Lu Qing’s tone cut like steel. “Still pretending? Will you also claim you don’t know this man was the leader of the Black-Heart Bandits?”

“What?! Duan Xin was the Black-Heart Bandits’ leader?”

“Impossible!”

“Our Senior Brother Duan was a righteous man!”

Their outrage filled the air.

Ning Jizi’s heart trembled at the mention of the Black-Heart Bandits. But, hearing his disciples’ denials, he steadied himself.

“My disciple’s reputation was spotless. He was praised as a hero before his disappearance. He could never be the bandit leader you claim,” Ning Jizi said firmly.

Lu Qing only shook his head. “His soul has already confessed. You planted forbidden seals on him, faked his disappearance, and set him loose to plunder merchants as the bandit chief. The spoils fueled your cultivation, letting you advance so quickly. Without such vile methods, how could you possibly reach Golden Core Perfection in mere decades?”

Most disciples still denied, but doubt flickered on some faces—especially among the elders.

“Baseless slander!” Ning Jizi roared, unleashing his aura. He could not let Lu Qing’s words shake his sect.

“I already said, your denial means nothing. I speak only to let you know why you die today. So that, when you reach the Netherworld, you’ll understand whose hand claimed your life.”

Lu Qing’s fingers traced sword lines in the air.

Terror gripped Ning Jizi’s heart. Before he could react, his limbs went cold.

His arms and legs fell, severed by invisible Sword Qi.

At the same time, an overwhelming force bound him tight, dragging him upward toward Lu Qing.

“Release our Sect Master!” the elders cried, launching their artifacts and techniques.

“Suppress.”

With a single word, Lu Qing unleashed an unimaginable power of suppression. All artifacts and spells froze midair. The elders themselves were locked in place, unable to move.

“Since you were unaware, I’ll spare you this time. But resist again, and I’ll erase Guiyuan Sect altogether.”

The disciples trembled as they watched their crippled Sect Master pulled before Lu Qing.

“Senior… this truly has nothing to do with me. I beg you, do not be deceived…” Ning Jizi pleaded in terror.

Lu Qing’s voice was colder than death. “Do you know what the Black-Heart Bandits did to their victims after raids?”

Ning Jizi faltered.

“No? Then allow me to show you. Killing you outright would be far too merciful. Instead, I’ll let you suffer as those slaughtered children did… their agony multiplied a hundredfold.”

Horror filled Ning Jizi’s eyes. He tried to beg, but the illusion already engulfed him.

His last sight was the twisted, ghostly mask on Lu Qing’s face, seeming alive, leering with cruel mirth.

Then, a scream of unbearable agony tore through the skies.