When the gazes of several people at the Innate Realm fell upon Lu Qing, their expressions changed again.
Because they couldn't sense the unique innate essence of the Innate Realm from Lu Qing.
What does this tell us?
This means that Lu Qing is not yet a martial artist at the Innate Realm!
He wasn't a martial artist at the Innate Realm, yet he was able to kill Old Lady Zheng so easily.
In an instant, the several Innate Realm experts were greatly shaken and became extremely wary of Lu Qing.
Despite the gazes of four experts at the Innate Realm, Lu Qing remained calm.
However, without realizing it, he had already activated his supernatural ability and was calmly investigating the background and information of the people opposite him.
Seeing that Lu Qing remained silent and simply stared at them without any fear, the fear in the hearts of the several Innate Realm experts deepened.
After a long silence, the white-haired, youthful-looking old man spoke solemnly:
"Young friend, may I ask your name? What grudge do you hold against this old lady of the Zheng family that you would torture her to death?"
"Oh, do you have to have a grudge against her to kill her? Can't you just see injustice on the street, or you don't like her, so you just chop her up on a whim?"
By this time, Lu Qing had already investigated the information of the several Xiantian Realm experts opposite him.
He lingered on the refined old man for a moment longer.
Hearing the words of the white-haired, youthful-looking old man, he replied calmly.
"You!" The refined old man's eyes widened instantly, and his aura showed signs of erupting. "If you didn't like her, you could have just taught her a lesson. Why did you have to resort to such a vicious attack?"
"What use is there in keeping such a vicious woman alive? Old man, you surely know how wicked this old woman is, don't you?"
Although the information gathered indicated that the refined old man was not a particularly wicked person, Lu Qing still did not have a good impression of him.
A muddle-headed old sycophant attacked him without even asking what happened. The fact that he's tolerated it this long is already a testament to his good temper.
"This old woman, in order to vent her anger, is going to perform a human sacrifice for her dead scumbag grandson. Such a cruel and inhuman act deserves to be punished by heaven and earth. What's wrong with me killing her?"
The refined old man paused for a moment, but still argued, "This is just a rumor. The Zheng family has not done such a wrong thing. To judge others' mistakes based on something that has not happened is too arbitrary, isn't it?"
"Old man, I think you've really gone brain-dead from licking this old woman's boots!"
Seeing that the refined old man was still trying to defend the old woman, Lu Qing stopped being polite and started scolding him directly.
"Given this old woman's viciousness, can you guarantee she really wouldn't resort to human sacrifice?"
When Lu Qing directly called him an old man, the refined old man was immediately filled with anger.
But Lu Qing's next sentence made him hesitate.
He wanted to say no, but even he knew how weak and powerless such a guarantee would be.
Given Old Madam Zheng's personality, in the end, she might really risk going against the world's will.
Seeing that the refined old man was speechless after being rebuked, Lu Qing continued, "Moreover, do you think this old woman has never done human sacrifice before?"
Upon hearing this, the bodies of several Innate Realm martial artists trembled.
The refined old man, in particular, blurted out, "What did you say?"
The city lord of the prefecture also said in a deep voice, "Young friend, is this true? This old lady of the Zheng family has performed human sacrifice rituals before?"
"If you want to know the answer, you can go and open the grave of this old woman's eldest son. Everything you want to know is there," Lu Qing sneered.
The grave of Zheng's eldest son.
Several experts at the Innate Realm had a sudden thought, recalling the major event from back then, and the seemingly insane appearance of the old woman from the Zheng family at that time.
Unconsciously, he began to believe seven or eight parts of what Lu Qing said.
If we consider the grief and indignation that Old Lady Zheng felt back then, she might very well have done something that would incur the wrath of both heaven and man.
"Very well! Your Excellency, I must make this clear: we will go back and investigate. If there are no signs of a human sacrifice in the tomb of the eldest son of the Zheng family, don't blame me for demanding justice from you," said the refined old man.
"Old man, what right do you have to demand justice from me? Even if you're looking for revenge, it should be someone from the Zheng family, not you."
However, Lu Qing didn't hold back and directly mocked him.
"Besides, there's still a score we haven't settled."
"What debt do I owe you?" The refined old man was taken aback.
"Old man, you can't be that forgetful, can you? You just launched a sneak attack. Do you really think I'm so magnanimous that I'll pretend it didn't happen?" Lu Qing said coldly.
"So what do you plan to do?"
The refined old man was also angered by Lu Qing calling him "old fellow" repeatedly, and said coldly.
“It’s simple. You attacked me with three sword energies earlier. My request is not high. You take one of my sword strikes. If you can survive this strike, then we’re even.”
"Young man, you are very confident."
Hearing Lu Qing's arrogant tone, the refined old man laughed in anger.
"Although I don't know how you defeated Old Madam Zheng, do you really think our Innate Realm martial artists are made of clay?"
"Stop talking nonsense, do you dare to answer?"
"Fine, then I'll take your knife!"
Upon hearing the refined old man agree, the white-haired, youthful-looking old man was immediately surprised: "Brother Lin!"
"It's alright." The refined old man waved his hand. "I also want to see what kind of skills this man has that even Sister Yun is no match for him."
"Then you'd better be careful, Brother Lin."
Seeing his old friend call her "Yunmei" even more, the white-haired, youthful-looking old man knew he couldn't dissuade him.
He could only step aside with some concern.
As for the city lord and his companion, they had even less objection.
They would be more than happy to see someone volunteer to test the strength of this mysterious young man, so how could they possibly stop them?
However, at this moment, their gazes toward the refined old man held a hint of amusement.
Unexpectedly, this Lin family patriarch still harbored such feelings for the Zheng family matriarch. The world is indeed full of wonders.
"Please make your move."
The refined old man stood quietly, holding a long sword, and gestured calmly.
"good!"
Seeing this, Lu Qing didn't hesitate at all.
A golden light flashed slightly on his body, and a powerful aura rose from him. He was like a beast unleashed from its cage, pouncing towards the refined old man.
Clang!
The long sword was drawn, and a bright, gleaming blade, carrying boundless killing intent, slashed towards the refined old man.
The blade's power enveloped all directions, leaving no escape.
That swordsmanship!
Sensing the power of Lu Qing's strike, the refined old man was shaken to his core. The terrifying killing intent made his eyelids twitch.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing's move was such a terrifying killing move.
He could sense that Lu Qing's strike was both powerful and simple; the move appeared simple, but its variations were endless.
For a moment, he couldn't find any opening to retaliate.
This mysterious young man's knife skills were even better than his sword skills!
Although he couldn't believe it, the refined old man made his judgment in an instant.
He couldn't counter or dodge Lu Qing's move.
The only thing we can do is to take it head-on!
But if he takes the hit head-on, he could very well die!
Faced with the imminent threat of death, the refined old man lost all his previous composure.
His eyes were wide open, and his innate true energy was circulating rapidly. In an instant, he had already used his explosive secret technique.
Immediately, he channeled all his innate true energy into the longsword in his hand and thrust it out sharply to meet Lu Qing's blade attack.
boom!
As swords clashed, terrifying blade and sword energies scattered and tore through the atmosphere, slicing through everything around them.
Fortunately, the spectators were all powerful Innate Realm martial artists; otherwise, if this had happened in a busy city, countless people would have died from this clash alone.
In the midst of the violent collision, the refined old man's expression changed drastically, as he felt an incomparably powerful force slashing out from Lu Qing's blade.
His sword, imbued with all his strength, could not completely withstand the attack.
His arms trembled violently, and he lost his footing, staggering backward more than ten steps before finally stopping by bracing his feet against a large tree behind him.
He raised his head, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and stared at Lu Qing in utter horror.
Clearly, he had already suffered internal injuries in the exchange with Lu Qing.
What?!!
Upon seeing the refined old man, he was actually cut down by Lu Qing with a single stroke, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
The other three experts at the Innate Realm were all startled, almost unable to believe their eyes.
It should be noted that among these individuals, the refined old man's strength ranks among the top two.
His cultivation level has reached the peak of the initial stage of the Innate Realm, and he is only one step away from the minor completion stage of the Innate Realm.
Despite his immense power, he was forced by the mysterious youth to unleash an explosive secret technique and was even slashed back by the youth.
How could they not be shocked?
Most importantly, even now, they still haven't been able to detect a trace of innate potential in Lu Qing.
They could clearly see that what Lu Qing had just unleashed was merely the blood and qi power used by a post-natal martial artist.
Using the physical strength of an Innate Martial Artist, he slashed down a peak Innate Realm expert at the beginning of the Innate Realm.
Who exactly is this mysterious young man?
The elderly men with white hair and youthful faces stared at Lu Qing in utter shock.
“Not bad, you’re quite skilled to survive one of my blows, unlike this old woman who couldn’t even withstand one of my strikes.”
In this clash of attacks, Lu Qing also retreated.
However, compared to the disheveled appearance of the refined old man, he was much more relaxed and at ease.
He only took a few steps back before regaining his balance.
Looking at the refined old man with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, he nodded approvingly and gave his assessment.
"puff!"
Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, which sounded like he was commenting on a junior, the refined old man could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother Lin! Are you alright?"
The white-haired, youthful-looking old man was startled and quickly stepped forward, taking out a pill to give to him.
"I'm fine. My internal organs are slightly injured, and my internal energy is temporarily scattered. I'll be fine after a while of adjusting my breathing."
After taking the elixir, the refined old man spoke in a low voice.
"It's good that you're alright."
Hearing his old friend's words, the white-haired, youthful-looking old man felt relieved.
However, his apprehension towards Lu Qing intensified once again.
Brother Lin's strength was even greater than his, yet he was still slashed by Lu Qing, causing his true energy to become chaotic.
If it were him, wouldn't he be seriously injured?
"Since you've taken this blow from me, let's call it even. If you're still not satisfied and want to avenge this old woman, I'm ready anytime. But next time, you might not be so lucky."
Seeing the refined old man begin to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries, Lu Qing remained calm and was about to leave.
"Wait a moment, sir. Your cultivation is remarkable, and your swordsmanship is profound. We are truly impressed. May we ask your name?"
Seeing that Lu Qing was about to leave, the city lord hurriedly said.
"You are not qualified to know my name."
However, Lu Qing didn't stop at all; with a few leaps, he disappeared into the woods.
Their speed and agility were in no way inferior to those of them who were at the Innate Realm.
During this process, the group still failed to sense any trace of innate talent in him.
Several Innate Realm martial artists remained silent for a long time, staring in the direction where Lu Qing had disappeared.
Only after Lu Qing's aura had completely faded away did the middle-aged man with a face as white as jade suddenly say:
"Do you think this person is a genuine Acquired Realm cultivator, or is he pretending?"
"Is there a difference?" the city lord asked. "He was able to wound Senior Lin with a single strike, so his strength is no less than ours. Unless we join forces, we won't be able to stop him. The question is, do you dare to stop him?"
The man with a face as white as jade remained silent.
Indeed, if they had wanted to stop Lu Qing just now, it would have been possible if the group had worked together.
But they dared not.
There's no way around it, Lu Qing is just too mysterious.
Its true strength is even more unpredictable and mysterious.
It's simply unbelievable that someone with only the physical strength and blood energy of the Acquired Realm could defeat two Innate Realm experts.
Such a feat was something they had never even heard of, let alone seen.
Such a formidable figure would be unbelievable to them if he didn't have a powerful background.
Once they realized this, the city lord and the others no longer wanted to offend Lu Qing.
If we attract the attention of the sect behind them, who knows what kind of terrifying force it might be?
Therefore, they didn't dare to stop Lu Qing from leaving.
"As expected, the rumors are true. The world is about to change, and a monster will emerge. I never thought we would encounter such a peerless monster today."
After a long silence, the middle-aged man with a face as white as jade suddenly sighed.
The remaining three were all moved upon hearing this.
The man with the face like white jade was talking about rumors that had gradually spread throughout the world over the past two years.
It is said that a great change is about to occur in the world, and the world will undergo dramatic changes. Geniuses and prodigies will emerge out of nowhere, bringing chaos to the world.
They were initially skeptical of the rumor.
However, the mysterious young man they met today told them that the rumors might be true.
"It seems that this old woman is really unlucky, having provoked such a terrifying demon."
The man with a face as white as jade said with schadenfreude.
Of all those present, if anyone disliked Old Lady Zheng the most, it would undoubtedly be him.
Back when he hadn't yet reached the Innate Realm, he was subjected to a lot of suppression by the Zheng family.
Now that the old woman is dead, his joy is beyond words.
The others knew about his feud with the Zheng family. Apart from the refined old man, whose expression was somewhat somber, the other two showed no reaction.
"Gentlemen, what should we do next?"
The old man with white hair and a youthful face asked.
"Naturally, we should go to the Zheng family and open the grave of the eldest son of the Zheng family to see if what that person said is true," the city lord said.
"But......"
The refined old man was about to say something when the city lord interrupted him, saying, "Senior Lin, don't forget that human sacrifice is strictly forbidden by the Holy Mountain. If this old woman from the Zheng family really did this, as the city lord, I must investigate this matter thoroughly and punish her severely!"
The refined old man opened his mouth, but ultimately kept it closed.
He knew that it was only natural for the city lord to investigate this matter, and he had no reason to stop him.
But he also knew that if anything were discovered, the Zheng family would certainly face severe punishment.
Thinking of the promise he made to that person back then, the refined old man sighed inwardly, unsure of what to do next.
