Just as Lu Qing was sorting himself out, in a magnificent building in the Holy City.
A large number of powerful figures are gathering together.
In the middle of them, several corpses were neatly arranged, their bodies covered with white silk.
"Sect Leader Qiu, what brings you here so late at night?"
A tall, burly man with arms reaching his knees asked in a deep voice.
"Gentlemen, please look at these corpses."
With a flick of his sleeve, Sect Master Qiu created a gust of wind that swept away the white silk covering the corpses, revealing their full forms.
When they saw the appearance of the corpses, everyone was shocked.
Because none of those corpses were intact.
Not only were their heads severed, but three of them also had large holes ripped open in their chests.
The last body was even more gruesome; the person was split in two, a truly horrific sight.
However, everyone present is a renowned martial arts expert from Zhongzhou, and they have seen all kinds of scenes.
Although they were initially shocked by the gruesome sight of the corpses, they quickly regained their composure.
"Sect Leader Qiu, who are these corpses, and what is their connection to your summons?"
The tall, burly man continued to ask.
"Do any of you find anything special about these corpses?" Sect Leader Qiu asked.
"The only special thing about these corpses is that they died a rather gruesome death. What else is so special about them?"
The group continued to examine the corpses.
However, it was soon discovered that these corpses were indeed different from others; they were all experts at the Innate Realm.
Moreover, their cultivation level in life was not necessarily weaker than those of the people present here.
Immediately, everyone's expression turned serious.
Four corpses of Innate Realm experts suddenly appeared, and they had no recollection of what these people looked like.
There's a lot of information revealed here.
However, this was not the end of it. Seeing that everyone's expressions had become serious, Sect Master Qiu pointed to one of the corpses.
"Look again, everyone, is there anything special about the tattoos on this corpse?"
"Tattoo?"
Everyone looked at the corpse.
Upon seeing the tattoo that Master Qiu had mentioned, some people felt bewildered, while others felt a sense of familiarity.
Those who felt a sense of familiarity, after a period of deep thought, suddenly felt a jolt throughout their bodies, and their eyes widened abruptly.
"This tattoo, could it be..."
"It seems that Senior Yue has recognized the origin of this tattoo."
Seeing this, Sect Leader Qiu smiled slightly.
“Indeed, this tattoo is very similar to the one recorded in the records of my Guiyuan Sect. But this is impossible. Wasn’t that sect uprooted and completely wiped out long ago?”
Senior Yue said in disbelief.
"It is obvious that the sect was not completely wiped out back then. Some remnants survived, and after hundreds of years of recuperation, they have now grown stronger again."
Sect Leader Qiu's expression also turned serious.
"Senior Yue, Sect Leader Qiu, what are you talking about? What sect is this tattoo related to?"
The tall, burly man listened to their conversation, feeling completely bewildered, and finally couldn't help but ask.
"The Tower of No Return!"
At this moment, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face said in a deep voice, "There's no mistake, this tattoo is the unique mark of the Wujianlou more than three hundred years ago!"
Clearly, he also recognized the origin of the tattoo.
Many people were immediately shocked by these words.
"What, the Infinity Tower?"
"Senior He, are you telling the truth?"
"I remember now, this tattoo looks exactly like the symbol recorded in my sect!"
"But wasn't the Wujian Tower destroyed hundreds of years ago?!"
Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Sect Master Qiu said:
"Gentlemen, there's no need to doubt it anymore. Brother Fang and I have already checked it."
The cultivation methods practiced by these individuals are quite peculiar, exactly the same as those recorded in the top-secret records of our sect.
Therefore, these people must be the remnants of the Infernal Tower.
"However, according to the records, the Wujianlou should have been wiped out by the joint efforts of various sects hundreds of years ago."
Why did they suddenly reappear? Where have they been hiding for the past few centuries?
Furthermore, why did they suddenly die here, and who was it that killed them?
Immediately, a series of questions were raised.
"Regarding this, Brother Fang and I also have many doubts, which is why we invited everyone here," said Sect Leader Qiu. "I have a feeling that our ancestors might have been tricked back then..."
...
In the Holy City, people from various sects were shocked to discover that remnants of the Wujianlou still existed.
On the sacred mountain, in a cluster of exquisite buildings, several monks in red robes were gathered together.
"Senior Brother Xuanming, I just received a message from the secret agents. The operation by Wujianlou has failed," Xuan said angrily.
"I knew it! Those few good-for-nothings wouldn't amount to anything!"
A hint of anger appeared on the face of one of the senior monks.
Those good-for-nothings always boast about how amazing their assassination skills are.
But they couldn't even handle a young boy or an old man.
They shouldn't have taken in these good-for-nothings in the first place at Suspended Mountain; they're utterly useless!
"Senior Brother Xuanming, now that the Wujianlou operation has failed, other sects will probably soon find out that Wujianlou has not completely disappeared."
What should we do?
Xuan asked angrily.
Before Xuanming could speak, the old monk continued:
"Hmph, so what if we know? The reappearance of the Infernal Tower has nothing to do with us."
Besides, it's good to let these lunatics cause some trouble outside.
As you can see from this trip out, things have been peaceful outside for far too long.
We have secluded our several secret locations, living in seclusion for so long that the world has almost forgotten our majesty.
Even a mere disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion dared to disobey the Buddha's orders and speak out against him.
I think we should let the Wujianlou cause some trouble and let the sects outside know.
How did the world achieve hundreds of years of peace back then?
"Without our secret territories maintaining order, how could they have enjoyed hundreds of years of peace and prosperity?"
Xuan Nu didn't say anything more, but a look of agreement appeared on his face.
"Amitabha."
At this moment, Xuanming, who had remained calm and silent all along, finally spoke:
“Although Xuan Yan’s words are contrary to Buddhist principles, they are not without reason.”
You should have felt it by coming out this time.
For hundreds of years, I have lived in seclusion on Suspended Mountain, never appearing in the world.
This deprived the outside world of the illumination of Buddhism and the teachings of Buddhist principles.
They have lost all reverence for Buddha.
Without reverence, there is no order; without order, ambition and turmoil easily arise.
This is not a good thing for all people, but a calamity.
Therefore, for the sake of all people, it is necessary for us at Mount Suspension to let the world rediscover the greatness of Buddhism.
"Senior Brother Xuanming truly understands Buddhist principles."
These words convinced Xuan Nu and the others.
"Then, senior brother, what should we do next?"
All the Wujianlou disciples we brought with us this time have been lost.
That little beast is still alive and well. As long as he lives, the other secret locations will likely have another day to laugh at us.
"It's just a matter of temporary honor or disgrace. You've been practicing Buddhism for so many years, how come you can't even see through this mental obstacle?"
Since the boy was able to survive, it was clear that his fate was not yet over; this was the will of Heaven.
Since it is the will of Heaven, what is so difficult about us going along with it for now and letting him live a little longer?
Our most important purpose in coming out this time is to complete the task assigned by the abbot and seize the opportunity.
If we can seize that opportunity, the future of my Suspended Mountain will be bright for the next thousand years.
Don't put the cart before the horse and forget your mission because of a little hatred.
Xuanming spoke earnestly and meaningfully.
"But Senior Brother Xuanming, the abbot said that the opportunity lies on the Holy Mountain, but we have been here for so long and haven't seen a trace of it. When will it appear?"
"Don't be impatient, and avoid arrogance and impatience." Xuanming closed his eyes and spoke slowly, "I can sense that the opportunity should be coming soon."
Seeing that Senior Brother Xuanming had entered a meditative state, Xuan Nu and the others, even if they still had questions in their hearts, dared not disturb him any further.
In the following days, undercurrents surged within the holy city.
The Wujianlou resurfaced and reappeared, and it didn't take long for the major sects of Zhongzhou to learn of it.
Suddenly, the entire Central Plains was secretly shaken.
Fortunately, this matter was only known to the high-ranking members of the major sects, and it has not caused any turmoil.
But in an instant, the thoughts of the various sects were in turmoil, and even the atmosphere in the Holy City became strange.
There's a feeling that a storm is brewing.
However, all of this had nothing to do with Lu Qing and the others.
Since Lu Qing and Xiao Li took care of the assassins from the Infernal Tower that night, they have not been attacked again.
Even the Lord of Tianji Tower, after taking away the corpses of those Wujian Tower assassins, never appeared again, and no one knows what he was busy with.
Therefore, Lu Qing and the others have been leisurely staying in the small courtyard next to Lin Zhirui for the past few days.
Every day I just practice martial arts, drink tea, and enjoy cooking and other delicious food.
They were enjoying their time immensely, completely unaffected by the atmosphere of the holy city.
"Young Master Lu, look!"
In the courtyard, Lu Qing was sitting on a stone bench, carving something with a fine carving knife in his hand.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Li sat obediently beside him, waiting.
At this moment, Hu Zezhi skipped and hopped over to Lu Qing and spun around a few times.
"Oh, Miss Hu's leg has fully recovered?"
Lu Qing didn't stop what he was doing. He looked up at Hu Zezhi and smiled.
"Sister Hu, is your leg better?"
Xiaoyan's eyes lit up as well.
"Yes, I'm completely healed. I have to thank Young Master Lu. If it weren't for the medicine you prescribed, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly," Hu Zezhi said gratefully.
It is said that it takes a hundred days to recover from a bone or muscle injury.
Hu Zezhi was well aware of how serious her leg injury had been.
It is amazing that he has made a full recovery in such a short time, without any lingering problems.
More importantly, not a single scar was left.
This was entirely thanks to Lu Qing's superb medical skills; her gratitude was truly beyond words.
"My medicine is good, but it's also because you, Miss Hu, have been taking it on time and exercising regularly that you've recovered so quickly."
"Otherwise, no matter how good the medicine is, it will be in vain if the patient does not cherish their health and does not follow the doctor's orders," Lu Qing said gently.
Hu Zezhi felt a warmth in her heart and was about to continue expressing her gratitude when she finally noticed Lu Qing's hand gesture.
So the words of gratitude turned into curiosity: "Oh, Young Master Lu, what are you busy with?"
"No, I'm just fixing up this pendant."
As Lu Qing answered, the carving knife in his hand had reached the final stage of carving.
With a gentle wave of his hand, he used a fine carving knife to outline a mysterious rune, which was then imprinted into the pendant in his hand.
The next moment, the pendant emitted a hazy white light, which then subsided, and the pendant returned to its original form.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that deep within the warm, jade-like, semi-transparent pendant, there seems to be a mysterious rune flickering.
"Okay, all done, Xiaoyan, stick your head over here."
Hearing her brother's words, Xiaoyan obediently stretched her head over.
Lu Qing gently helped her put the pendant on.
"Remember, you must wear this pendant at all times and cannot take it off by yourself."
Lu Qing adjusted the length of the rope to ensure the little guy couldn't untie himself, and then gave him further instructions.
"Xiaoyan understands!"
Xiao Yan responded sweetly.
He then happily touched the pendant.
She felt that the fish-shaped stone pendant seemed to have become even more beautiful after her brother carved it.
"Young Master Lu, what was that just now?"
Hu Zezhi, who watched the whole process from the side, looked astonished.
She recalled the scene in Yunlai Town when Lu Qing used his godlike skills to refine the jade bottle.
"This pendant was a gift I gave to Xiaoyan before. I'm just fixing it up to make it look better," Lu Qing explained.
"That's right, Sister Hu, this is the first gift my brother gave to Xiaoyan. It's made from a fish stone he dug out of the mouth of a big bluefish!"
Xiao Yan proudly showed off to Hu Zezhi.
"I see, no wonder it looks so good," Hu Zezhi said with a hint of envy.
Seeing that Hu Zezhi did not ask any further questions, Lu Qing smiled.
His carving just now was certainly not just a simple embellishment.
Instead, a basic defensive formation was engraved into the fish-shaped stone.
In the future, whenever Xiaoyan encounters danger, the array within the fish stone will automatically activate to protect her.
In this way, even if something unexpected happens in the future, and he and Xiao Li cannot be there for Xiao Yan in time, the little one will at least have one last line of protection.
Lu Qing had actually wanted to do this for a long time.
However, in the past, although his spiritual power was strong, he still found it somewhat difficult to inscribe an array in a small pendant.
Just a few nights ago, he attempted to break through to the Innate Realm. Although he didn't succeed completely, he did manage to cultivate some true qi.
Nourished by true qi, not only did his physical and spiritual strength increase again, but his control also improved significantly.
That's how such an exquisite array was successfully carved.
After the protective array was engraved, this pendant became Xiaoyan's true talisman.
Hu Zezhi wisely refrained from pressing further, and Lu Qing, of course, wouldn't reveal everything.
However, the successful engraving of the formation this time also inspired Lu Qing.
Perhaps he could carve more similar items, just in case?
Just as Lu Qing was considering the feasibility of the matter.
Suddenly, he shuddered and looked up at the sky.
At the same time, a tremendous fluctuation in the heavens and earth suddenly resounded, echoing throughout the world.
