Lu Qing did not explain the reason directly. Instead, he found a cave and asked Wei Xinghe to watch over Wei Zihao and the other disciples of Qingyun Sword Pavilion.
He then instructed Xiao Li to secretly protect him.
Only then did he summon the Fire Cauldron and enter it with his mind.
"Young master."
Upon seeing Lu Qing enter the spiritual artifact space of the Fire Cauldron, "Yan" also manifested its form, still bearing the same double horns on its head.
"Senior Yan, what about the demonic cultivator's soul?"
"Here."
With a wave of his hand, Yan conjured a cage within the spiritual artifact space, inside which was a wisp of black energy.
The black mist kept changing, and every now and then a face would appear and roar.
There was the disheveled figure Lu Qing had seen before, the blue-faced, fanged monster that had turned into it, and even some other forms he had never seen before.
However, because the spatial cage could shield all senses inside, the demonic cultivator's roar could not be heard.
“Young master, this demonic cultivator must have an extraordinary background. He wasn’t even at the Foundation Establishment stage before, yet he possesses such a refined divine soul essence.”
Even after being stripped of its body, it still did not dissipate.
Such skill is something even a master cultivator at the Golden Core stage might not possess.
"Yan" looked at the wisp of divine soul trapped in the spatial cage with astonishment and exclaimed in surprise.
It has lived for tens of thousands of years and this is the first time it has seen such a situation.
"This demon does indeed have a different background."
Lu Qing nodded, but did not reveal any further information.
Yan's heart stirred, recalling what the demonic cultivator had said earlier.
"Senior Yan, please release it first."
With a wave of his hand, Yan removed the spatial cage that had trapped the demonic cultivator's soul.
Once the spatial cage was gone, the demonic cultivator's soul immediately tried to escape.
But soon, an incredibly powerful binding force suppressed it, rendering it completely immobile.
"You little devil, don't bother struggling. You can't achieve anything in my space."
"Yan" saw that the demonic cultivator's soul was still struggling, so he spoke calmly.
The demonic cultivator's soul froze for a moment, realizing that escape was indeed impossible, and he stopped struggling.
"Kid, I never expected you could control two magical artifacts at the same time."
If I'm not mistaken, I am currently in a spiritual artifact space.
The cloth bag you threw out to collect my body was also a magical artifact, wasn't it?
The demonic cultivator's soul emitted waves of energy.
“You guessed right.” Lu Qing did not deny it.
"A mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator actually possesses two spiritual artifacts. Kid, your luck is so abundant that it would make anyone jealous."
However, as I said before, sometimes, having too much luck is not necessarily a good thing.
Kid, do you realize you've sown the seeds of disaster, and you could very well find yourself in a place of utter ruin in the future!
The demonic cultivator, though trapped in a cage, did not seem flustered. Instead, he issued a warning to Lu Qing.
"Oh, how am I doomed to eternal damnation?" Lu Qing asked.
"Boy, don't think I'm just trying to scare you." The demonic cultivator's soul pulsed, "The stronger your luck, the more blessings you will receive from heaven and earth."
The deeper one's entanglement with the Heavenly Dao of this world, the more karma one will bear.
You won't notice anything now, but it will happen when your cultivation level rises and you reach the primordial spirit realm.
You will find that if the karma on your body is not cleared, it will be almost impossible to make any further breakthroughs in your cultivation.
You will be trapped in the primordial spirit realm forever, unable to make any progress.
Moreover, some karmic consequences will transform into inner demons when you overcome the tribulation of your primordial spirit, devouring your soul.
Then you will know what it means to be entangled in karma and suffer a fate worse than death!
The demonic cultivator's words became increasingly terrifying, even making "Yan" feel a little frightened.
He recalled some words spoken by the Nascent Soul experts of the Li Huo Sect about the Nascent Soul realm, and his heart trembled even more.
On the contrary, Lu Qing remained calm and composed, seemingly unfazed by the demonic cultivator's words.
He simply asked, "Since you know so much about this, do you have a way to resolve it?"
"What, are you scared?"
Upon hearing these words, the demonic cultivator's soul secretly relaxed a little.
However, he did not show it, but solemnly said:
"It's not difficult to find a solution."
If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can teach you the way to avoid disaster.
Don't doubt my ability. Since you know my background, you should also know that, given my past status, mastering such a method wouldn't be difficult for me.
"One of the 108 demon generals under the Black Heaven Demon Lord of the Tianyuan Great World, his background is indeed quite impressive."
However, do you think that since I know your origins, I don't know the method to eliminate karma?
Lu Qing's tone remained calm.
But his words shocked the demonic cultivator, even distorting his divine soul.
Unable to resist, he blurted out, "Who exactly are you?"
The demonic cultivator believed he had hidden himself well enough and had never revealed his true identity to anyone.
So he couldn't understand how Lu Qing knew his background.
You should know that back then, he was being hunted down by the righteous path, fleeing through the starry sky, and was on the verge of perishing.
He randomly chose a direction and used the Reincarnation Technique.
Even he himself wasn't sure if he could successfully reincarnate back then.
Even in this life, it was a wisp of origin that had reincarnated many times before, by chance, breaking through the mystery of the womb and awakening.
If he were to reincarnate one or two more times, his very essence would likely be obliterated, and he would never have the chance to awaken again.
Having been reincarnated so many times, he is now completely unrecognizable, and his very soul has been altered.
Logically speaking, even his former colleagues, who served under the Demon Lord, should have had a very difficult time recognizing him.
How exactly did Lu Qing discover his true identity?
But who exactly is he?
The demonic cultivator was completely baffled, but Lu Qing showed no intention of explaining.
Instead, he said calmly, "You little devil, don't waste your time. Your little schemes won't escape my discerning eyes."
I came here for only one thing.
If you remove the talismans from those Qingyun Sword Pavilion disciples you're controlling outside, perhaps I can give you a quick death.
If you refuse, then I will refine this wisp of your soul.
"It will extinguish your true spirit, leaving you with no chance of reincarnation."
"You came here for those few ants?" The demonic cultivator's soul was taken aback.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Lu Qing came for such a trivial matter.
However, a glimmer of hope soon appeared in his heart.
Because he realized that this might be his chance to escape.
"Okay, so are you willing or not?"
"It's not impossible for you to ask me to remove the spells on them."
"If you swear an oath to your very soul that you will release me, then I will agree!"
Upon hearing this, the entire magical artifact space suddenly fell silent.
Lu Qing stared silently at the wisp of demonic cultivator's soul, without saying a word.
Only after seeing into the depths of the demon cultivator's soul did he slowly say, "Demon brat, it seems I didn't explain myself clearly enough."
What I mean is, as long as you remove the talismans from them, I can still leave you a trace of your true spirit, giving you a chance to be reincarnated.
If you refuse, then I will destroy your very soul!
"Impossible! Once the soul is destroyed, what use is the true spirit if it still exists!"
Even if I were to be reincarnated, I would no longer be myself.
Kid, if you don't give me a way out, then we'll all go our separate ways!
But let me tell you, the moment my soul perishes, those few ants outside will surely die as well, perishing with me!
However, before the demonic cultivator's spiritual fluctuations could subside, countless flames suddenly appeared around him.
Along with that came Lu Qing's icy words: "What gave you the illusion that you have the right to negotiate with me?"
Or do you really think I would be threatened by you for the sake of a few ants?
"Since you're unwilling, then go and die!"
After saying that, countless flames burned towards the demonic cultivator's soul.
As soon as they approached, wisps of black energy would rise from the demonic cultivator's soul and be completely refined.
"ah!!!"
The demonic cultivator's soul hadn't expected that Lu Qing would turn on him so suddenly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Feeling the demonic energy within him being continuously refined, he knew that once that last bit of his essence dissipated, he would truly perish.
"Sir, let's talk this out!" the demonic cultivator's soul shrieked. "Even if you refine me, it won't do you any good."
I know you must have come here for Wei Zihao, the son of your friend.
If he dies, you will definitely have a hard time explaining it to him.
Since that's the case, why don't we each take a step back?
"As long as you promise not to refine this wisp of my soul, I am willing to open my heart and mind, serve you as my master, and become your servant!"
In order to survive, the demonic cultivators disregarded everything else.
Even becoming Lu Qing's slave would be better than dying.
As long as you're alive, there's still hope.
"Alright, now relax your mind and let me imprint my soul mark on you!"
Lu Qing's cold and ruthless voice came through.
This time, the demonic cultivator's soul dared not hesitate in the slightest.
Even as he begged for mercy, Lu Qing did not slow down his refining of his soul.
If he doesn't act decisively soon, he might perish within moments.
The demonic cultivator immediately opened his mind completely, daring not to hold back in the slightest.
Almost instantly, the moment his mind opened, a divine soul imprint descended from the sky and struck the demonic cultivator's true spirit core.
At the same time, the raging spiritual fire that had been burning his soul also dissipated instantly.
It was as if it had never existed; everything that had been let go was merely an illusion created by the demonic cultivator.
However, the demonic cultivator's soul knew that what he had just experienced was not an illusion.
Because in those few short breaths of burning, two-thirds of his divine soul essence had already dissipated.
He was just a hair's breadth away from being completely refined.
"Greetings, Master!"
Sensing the divine soul imprint on the core of his true spirit, the demonic cultivator dared not be negligent. Ignoring his weakened divine soul, he bowed to Lu Qing.
With his true spirit marked, he was completely enslaved by Lu Qing and had no room for resistance.
"Very good, now remove the talismans from Wei Zihao and the others."
Lu Qing did not show leniency to the demonic cultivator because of his weakened soul, but instead gave the order directly.
The demonic cultivator's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously said, "I dare not lie to my master. My soul is weak and I have lost my physical body."
"We are no longer able to use incantations, and it seems there's no way to remove the talismans from Wei Zihao and the others for the time being."
"So, you were lying to me before?" Lu Qing said coldly.
The demonic cultivator was greatly alarmed and quickly said, "This servant did not mean to deceive Master. It was only in a moment of desperation that I resorted to this desperate measure."
"Master, rest assured, as soon as my spiritual power recovers somewhat, I will immediately remove the talismans from Wei Zihao and the others."
"Then how can you recover?" Lu Qing asked.
The demonic cultivator paused for a moment before cautiously saying, "As long as this little servant can absorb some primordial demonic energy, she should be able to recover quickly."
"Let me think about it carefully before we discuss this matter."
Is there any other way to remove the spells from them?
Or perhaps the talisman could temporarily stop draining their life force.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing immediately understood the demonic cultivator's intentions.
What shares the same origin as the demonic cultivator is naturally his demonic body.
However, considering the demonic cultivator's origins, Lu Qing did not want him to return to his demonic body now.
After all, this demon has a deep background, coming from the mysterious and unpredictable Tianyuan Great World.
Although he is currently enslaved by his own soul, who knows if he has any secret methods to break free from this enslavement?
Nothing in this world is absolute, and Lu Qing did not want to create any unnecessary complications before he had absolute certainty.
"Master is right!"
Although the demonic cultivator was disappointed, he also knew that since he had just been enslaved, it would not be easy for him to gain Lu Qing's trust.
So he didn't show it, but instead said very humbly, "If it's not about completely removing the spell, but just stopping the spell from working, then it would be much simpler."
All you need to know is the control technique, which I will now teach to my master.
Having said that, the demonic cultivator transmitted a wave of energy to Lu Qing through the divine soul imprint on his true spirit.
The mark of soul enslavement is the key connecting the two.
This allows the enslaved and the enslaved to communicate mentally at any time.
However, such connections can only be categorized as primary or secondary.
The enslaved are unaware of any movement from their masters.
Even when communicating telepathically, he could only transmit his thoughts in a manner that sought instructions.
Whether the other party accepts it or not depends on the owner's mood.
Conversely, as the master, Lu Qing holds absolute initiative.
Not only can he sense the thoughts of demonic cultivators at any time, but if he wants, he can even instantly control their minds and make them self-destruct.
Moreover, if the demonic cultivator dies, it will have no effect on him, but if he dies, the demonic cultivator will also perish.
This is the horror of enslaving the soul.
If it weren't for being forced to, or if there were truly no other way, no cultivator would willingly accept such enslavement.
【Inheritance discovered. Should we perform a download simulation?】
Upon receiving the thoughts transmitted by the demonic cultivator, Lu Qing also had a similar message in his mind.
Without hesitation, he chose to simulate the download.
