"How is this possible?"
The figure stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest.
He hadn't noticed any attack at all, so why was his heart missing?
"Fourth brother, what's wrong?"
His companion noticed something was wrong with him and asked urgently.
He's dead!
But at that moment, Lu Qing's blade had already arrived.
With a single slash, he cleaved the assassin, whose heart had been ripped out by Xiao Li, in two.
"Ah! Fourth Brother!"
The remaining two assassins stared in horror at their companion's death and the bloody hole in his chest.
At the same time, a chill ran down my spine.
To this day, they still don't know who came, and as a result, two of their companions have already died on the spot.
Most importantly, they all died very quickly, without even being able to put up a decent fight before being killed.
How did the fourth brother's heart disappear? This person in front of them clearly didn't get close to them!
The two surviving assassins felt increasingly uneasy as they thought about it.
You must know, they are all powerful experts who have reached the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm!
Although he took shortcuts and used tricks when he broke through, he exhausted his potential.
Even if their potential is exhausted, they are still genuinely at the peak of the Innate Realm.
However, the mysterious man in front of them killed two of them as easily as slicing melons and vegetables, which was simply unimaginable for the remaining two.
Even someone at the peak of the Innate Realm couldn't do that, so what kind of monster is this man in black?
Just as the remaining two assassins from the Wujianlou were looking at Lu Qing in fear.
Lu Qing was also somewhat surprised.
He had found it strange earlier that these assassins in front of him, although they were all at the peak of the Innate Realm.
But the aura always felt somewhat weak, as if it were flashy but not substantial.
The facts proved that the two people he had just killed did not display the strength expected of someone at the peak of the Innate Realm.
They were at most slightly stronger than the assassins who attacked the courtyard earlier, but only by a limited margin.
Not to mention comparing them to their master, even the Xuan Nu monk whom he injured during the day was far stronger than them.
However, despite feeling somewhat puzzled, Lu Qing did not take it lightly.
He sensed a strange power flowing through the chests of the two remaining opponents, and at the same time, their auras were rapidly escalating.
"Trying to unleash a life-or-death technique?"
Remembering what the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion Master had said before, Lu Qing immediately used his divine soul to call out, "Xiao Li!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xiao Li's figure emerged from the space in front of the two assassins, her claws reaching for one of their hearts.
What the hell is this?!
This time, the two assassins, whose minds were on edge, finally noticed Xiao Li's whereabouts.
But it was too late.
Xiao Li's claws, after undergoing several transformations in her bloodline and cultivating the inheritance in her mind, have long since become even sharper and more unparalleled.
Even ordinary divine weapons can be easily destroyed.
Although the assassin reacted quickly, he immediately held his short sword in front of his chest the moment he spotted Xiao Li.
But all efforts were in vain before Xiao Li's indestructible claws.
A flash of cold light appeared, and the assassin's divine weapon, the short sword, couldn't withstand it for even a moment before it was slashed in half by Xiao Li's claws and embedded in his chest.
As Xiao Li removed his heart, the assassin's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes filled with boundless fear.
Because the next moment, Lu Qing's knife was already in front of him, severing his head in one stroke.
"ah!!!"
Another assassin, who was activating a secret technique, completely broke down when he saw yet another comrade die before his eyes.
Ignoring everything else, even though he had only used half of his secret technique, he mustered all his strength and lunged at Lu Qing, thrusting his sword out.
Because he feared that if he didn't act now, he would never have another chance.
However, the assassin only managed to thrust his sword halfway before feeling a sharp pain in his chest, causing his movements to halt abruptly.
He looked down at his chest, and unsurprisingly, there was a large hole there.
Feeling the life force draining from his body, the assassin gave a bitter smile.
He knew he was doomed.
Without a heart, even a top-tier expert at the peak of the Innate Realm would find it difficult to survive.
However, there was one thing he had to figure out before he died.
Otherwise, even if he dies, he will not rest in peace.
The assassin stared intently at the ghost mask on Lu Qing's face: "Who exactly are you, and why did you attack us?"
“The remnants of the Wujianlou should be killed by everyone,” Lu Qing said in a low voice.
Finally, the assassin's eyes widened suddenly. The other party really did know their identities and had come specifically for them.
His mouth was slightly open, as if he was about to ask something else.
But Lu Qing was no longer willing to give him another chance. With a light swing of his longsword, the assassin's head flew off, his body struggled a few times, and then crashed to the ground.
"As expected, there's something wrong with the cultivation levels of these people."
After killing the last assassin, Lu Qing activated his supernatural ability and looked at the corpse.
Soon, several notes appeared on the assassin's body.
He quickly read through the notes and immediately understood.
These assassins from the Wujianlou were all at the peak of the Innate Realm, but their cultivation levels were forcibly increased using Wujianlou's secret techniques at the cost of consuming their potential.
He possesses the realm, but his foundation is weak, and his strength is only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary beginner innate realm.
Compared to the true mastery of the Innate Realm achieved through down-to-earth, arduous cultivation, it is far inferior.
In reality, they can only be considered "pseudo-mastery of innate abilities".
"However, you guys at Suspended Mountain are quite daring."
Lu Qing stared coldly at the last note floating on the corpse.
The note indicated that these assassins were not only ordered by Suspended Mountain.
It even subtly suggests that the Hanging Mountain may be hiding more sins.
Suddenly, Lu Qing's expression changed: "Someone's coming, Xiao Li, let's go."
Immediately, he completely concealed his aura, and Xiao Li disappeared without a trace.
However, before leaving, Lu Qing quickly took away the weapons of those assassins.
He no longer even looked down on ordinary divine weapons.
However, those that can be forged into divine weapons are made of extraordinary materials, and perhaps he will be able to use them in the future.
As soon as Lu Qing and Xiao Li left, a figure exuding a powerful aura appeared on the wall.
Upon seeing the situation below, his pupils contracted.
Just then, several more powerful figures appeared.
Seeing the collapsed houses and the scene of utter devastation below, I was equally shocked.
"Brother Fang, you arrived first. What's going on?" someone asked immediately.
"I don't know either. I arrived a few breaths earlier than you, and this is what I saw as soon as I got here."
The first figure to arrive answered.
"It seems that there have been battles between experts here."
One of the figures moved slightly, landing on the ground, and began examining the corpses.
Several other figures also jumped down.
After examining the bodies of the assassins, the group felt a chill run down their spines as they sensed the lingering presence on them.
They discovered that these corpses, in life, seemed to be no weaker than them; at least they were all experts at the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm.
But how could such a powerful martial artist be killed?
It should be noted that from the moment they sensed the commotion to the moment they arrived, it didn't take them much time.
Judging from the still-warm bodies of these dead people, they had only just died.
In such a short time, he was able to kill four powerful martial artists who had reached the Lesser Mastery of the Innate Realm on the spot.
How strong must the person who made the move be?
For a moment, the people who had rushed over felt their hearts tremble and looked around warily.
They were beginning to regret coming so rashly.
If the killer is still nearby, wouldn't they be in danger?
Fortunately, after being on guard for a while and seeing that nothing unusual was happening around them, the group breathed a sigh of relief.
The nameless expert who killed these four people should have already left.
"Who are these people? When did so many experts at the Innate Realm arrive in the Holy City?"
Once they felt safe, some people became interested in the identities of the deceased.
He continued examining the body, and suddenly, he noticed a prominent tattoo on the chest of one of the corpses that had been cut in half. He was momentarily stunned.
For some reason, he felt that the tattoo looked somewhat familiar.
But when he thought about it carefully, he could never remember it.
The man stared at the tattoo, deep in thought.
Finally, a flash of inspiration struck him.
His eyes widened, shock filling them: "This isn't..."
...
Lu Qing was unaware of what happened after he left.
Upon realizing that someone was approaching, he took Xiao Li and left immediately.
He didn't care whether the people who came later would discover the identities of the assassins.
Since everyone hates the Wujianlou, it would actually be a good thing for it if other forces discovered that it still existed.
At least after the Suspended Mountain incident, even if they wanted to use these assassins again, they would have to think twice.
Back in the courtyard, the old doctor was sitting in Lu Qing's room.
Xiaoyan was fast asleep in bed.
The little one is sleeping as well as ever.
Even the commotion caused by the assassins who came to kill her earlier failed to wake her.
"Is everything done?"
When the old doctor saw Lu Qing and Xiao Li return, he asked...
"Mm." Lu Qing nodded.
"Then I'll go back to my room to rest."
The old doctor didn't ask Lu Qing why he suddenly went out, and went back to his room.
Anyway, he knew that Lu Qing must have had his own reasons for going out.
The absolute trust between master and disciple does not require everything to be explained clearly.
After his master left, Lu Qing sat cross-legged on his bed.
A lot happened tonight; he needs to think it through.
First, there was the sudden appearance of the Wujianlou (Infinity Tower).
Lu Qing wasn't too wary of the Wujianlou.
After the battle just now, he had discovered that he and Xiao Li seemed to be particularly able to restrain an existence like the Wujianlou.
Because, as an assassin organization, the strong individuals trained by the Wujianlou are basically all engaged in assassination.
It relies on an exceptionally powerful method of concealing one's aura, which can suddenly erupt and instantly kill the enemy.
Their actual ability to engage in direct combat is not particularly outstanding.
However, the so-called method of concealing one's aura was almost useless in the face of Lu Qing's terrifyingly strong spiritual perception and Xiao Li's even more unreasonable and peculiar sensing ability.
Moreover, when it comes to concealing one's aura, there's Lu Qing, who possesses a soul talisman, and Xiao Li, who has innate supernatural abilities.
Their method of concealing their presence is even more perfect than that of the Wujianlou.
In this way, the assassins of the Wujianlou were in front of Lu Qing and Xiao Li.
In every aspect, they were completely crushed.
Naturally, they could not pose a threat to them.
Compared to the Wujianlou, what Lu Qing truly feared was the Suspended Mountain.
The Suspended Mountain was even able to summon the Wujian Tower, which had disappeared for hundreds of years.
It is obvious that they are one of the most mysterious and powerful forces in the world.
The water in this strange place was deeper than he had imagined.
Who knows what kind of monsters are lurking in that mysterious place in the suspended mountain?
They have now become mortal enemies with the Suspended Mountain, and they must be careful of the other side's insidious methods in the future.
Unfortunately, Lu Qing did not know the true location of the Suspended Mountain.
Otherwise, he really wanted to find an opportunity to give the other party a hard time.
Besides the suspended mountain.
Another aspect is one's own spiritual practice.
Tonight's breakthrough was truly unexpected for Lu Qing.
He never expected that his breakthrough to the Innate Realm, which he had always been most confident about, would ultimately be blocked because his foundation was too strong.
Although he has now cultivated true qi and his strength has reached a new level.
However, since the innate body was not refined, the true energy cultivated lacked a trace of spirituality, and the essence of life did not undergo a transformation.
The most obvious example is that, even though he is still in the Acquired Realm, his lifespan has not increased; at most, he can only live for 120 years.
A true Innate Realm cultivator possesses a lifespan of three hundred years.
In other words, if Lu Qing is unable to reach the Innate Realm, even if he is incredibly powerful and can, like he is now, use his acquired body to slay an Innate being.
But one hundred and twenty years later, under the constraints of the laws of heaven and earth, when his lifespan comes to an end, his physical body and soul will decay and he will eventually die.
“The difference between acquired and innate qualities is not just a matter of strength; the most important difference lies in the fundamental nature of life.”
After tonight's breakthrough, Lu Qing has a deeper understanding of the difference between the Acquired Realm and the Innate Realm.
"I can sense that the next time the Dao of Heaven and Earth resounds, the rules that evolve will be sufficient to withstand my breakthrough."
Moreover, this time shouldn't be too far off.
Lu Qing sat cross-legged on the bed, his aura deep and ethereal, using his powerful spiritual energy to sense the changes in the surrounding world.
Although he did not formally break through to the Innate Realm, after cultivating True Qi, his physical body and spiritual power were enhanced to a certain extent by being nourished by True Qi.
If he had his current strength during the day...
If that bald monk Xuan Nu were to be struck by his blade, it wouldn't just be a matter of serious injury.
Lu Qing was confident that if his opponent didn't have any stronger trump cards, he could completely destroy his Vajra Body with just one strike, severing it in two!
