The Fire Cauldron, which had been brewing for a long time and had absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy, was brought to life under Lu Qing's control.
With a roar that shook the very soul, it hurtled towards the mountain peak where the red-faced old monk and the others were located at an incredible speed.
"not good!"
Sensing the terrifying, mountain-like power emanating from above, the red-faced old monk's expression changed drastically, and his pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinholes.
But he had no time to warn the other disciples, so he could only frantically pour his divine soul power into the array flag in his hand.
With the activation of a large amount of divine soul power, the mountain where the red-faced old monk was located shone brightly with the light of the array, and a light screen of the array rose up, covering the entire mountain.
Even after doing all this, the red-faced old monk still felt no sense of security.
A golden light burst forth from his body, transforming into a protective shield that enveloped him.
It's a long story, but in reality, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
From Lu Qing urging the Fire Cauldron to smash downwards to the red-faced old monk activating the formation, it was all just a matter of a breath.
The moment the array's light screen lit up, the Fire Cauldron had already smashed into it.
The power of a spiritual weapon is terrifying. Even though Lu Qing's current cultivation level is not enough to unleash even one percent of the power of the Fire Cauldron, this long-awaited, earth-shattering strike is still beyond the reach of the hastily set-up formation on Suspended Mountain.
Therefore, the defensive light barrier activated by the red-faced old monk had only been lit up for less than a breath when it was smashed to pieces by the falling Fire Cauldron, just like an eggshell.
Then, amidst the horrified gazes of the many disciples of Suspended Mountain, it slammed heavily onto the mountain peak.
boom!
The Fire Cauldron, as large as a small mountain, crashed onto the mountain peak, causing the earth to shake violently in an instant.
The incredibly hard cauldron blasted a huge crater into the entire mountain peak.
Its overwhelming force swept away everything, leveling almost all the buildings and trees within a radius of a hundred feet.
Even more terrifying was that the spiritual fire spewed out from the Fire Cauldron spread out, turning the entire mountain into a sea of fire.
"ah!"
"No! Elder, save me!"
"What kind of fire is this? Why can't it be put out!"
...
The power of the Fire Cauldron's earth-shattering strike was truly immense.
Those disciples from Suspended Mountain hadn't escaped very far to begin with. Some of the slower disciples were crushed to death the moment the Fire Cauldron struck the mountain peak by the terrifying impact, their internal organs shattered and their bodies reduced to dust.
Those disciples who managed to escape quickly enough and weren't killed by the shockwave couldn't escape the raging flames that descended from the sky behind them.
The flames spewed from the Fire Cauldron are spiritual fire; they burn not only the physical body but also the soul.
Once a tiny bit gets on it, unless one has special techniques or is protected by a magical artifact, it is almost impossible to extinguish before the target is completely burned.
The most powerful disciples of Suspended Mountain were only at the Qi Refining stage of the Innate Realm. How could they possibly withstand the scorching heat of this spiritual weapon's fire?
No matter how much he tried to protect himself with his true energy or spiritual energy, or even rolled around on the ground, he couldn't extinguish the spiritual fire on his body in the slightest.
In an instant, the entire mountain peak was filled with the screams of the disciples of Suspended Mountain, a scene brimming with despair.
Looking down at the scene below, which resembled a living hell, Lu Qing's expression remained unchanged.
From the time they were on the Holy Mountain, when the bald monk from the Hanging Mountain tried to forcibly convert his master, to the subsequent attempts to assassinate him by sending assassins from the Wujianlou.
Between him and the suspended mountain, it was destined that it would be either him or me; only one could survive.
Since they are enemies, there is no reason for us to be soft-hearted.
Looking indifferently at the disciples struggling and screaming in the sea of fire below, Lu Qing waved his hand, and a large cauldron burning with flames slowly rose from the deep crater smashed into the mountain peak.
It shrank as it moved closer to him.
When it arrived in front of him, it had shrunk to the size of a thumb and landed in Lu Qing's hand.
"Young man, I can't help you anymore. Be careful."
A weak voice, "Yan," echoed in Lu Qing's mind.
"Don't worry, senior, you can rest assured."
Lu Qing nodded seriously and put away the Fire Cauldron.
He could sense Yan's weakness.
This is what makes magical artifacts so precious.
Because of the existence of the artifact spirit, it can exert great power without the need for the master's control.
In fact, given Lu Qing's current cultivation level, if it weren't for the existence of "Flame," he would never have been able to unleash such power from the Li Huo Cauldron.
The sheer volume of spiritual energy alone could drain him dry in an instant.
However, that attack just now had completely depleted the spiritual energy that the Fire Cauldron had accumulated over a long period of time.
Without a period of rest and recuperation, it would be difficult to recover.
"Um?"
Just as he put away the Fire Cauldron, Lu Qing's expression changed, and he looked down.
Then he saw a figure slowly crawling out of the deep pit created by the Fire Cauldron; it was the red-faced old monk.
However, the red-faced old monk at this moment no longer had his previous composure; his appearance had become extremely miserable.
His clothes were tattered and worn, and half of his body was completely devoid of flesh and blood, leaving only a charred skeleton.
In the dim light, one could still see the throbbing internal organs inside, which looked extremely horrifying.
If it weren't for the golden light protecting his internal organs, he would probably have already perished.
However, the red-faced old monk was completely disregarding his own injuries at this moment.
He didn't even care about the disciples around him whose screams were fading; he just looked at Lu Qing in the sky with extreme fear.
That earth-shattering blow just now was truly terrifying.
If he hadn't used the half-break of time during which the array's light barrier blocked his path at the most crucial moment to use his movement technique and avoid being directly hit by the Fire Cauldron, he would have been in serious trouble.
He's probably already smashed to pieces, and his body can't even be found.
"The Li Huo Cauldron! The Li Huo Cauldron, the most treasured spiritual artifact of the ancient immortal sect Li Huo Sect, is actually in your hands. Are you a successor of the Li Huo Sect?"
The red-faced old monk spoke in a hoarse voice, his tone filled with disbelief.
Seeing the appearance and power of the giant cauldron that Lu Qing had just summoned, he finally recalled some records in the ancient books in the temple.
"Old bald monk, I didn't expect you to have some skill, actually able to withstand a blow from my Fire Cauldron."
Looking at the golden light protecting the internal organs of the red-faced old monk, Lu Qing realized that the other party must possess a treasure.
Otherwise, even if he wasn't directly hit by the Fire Cauldron, he shouldn't have survived that terrifying power just now.
He secretly admired him, thinking to himself, "He truly deserves to be called a powerful cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage."
Their methods of survival are truly remarkable.
"It really is the Fire Cauldron!"
Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, the red-faced old monk knew he had guessed correctly, and he found it even more unbelievable.
According to the ancient records in the temple, the ancient immortal sect, Li Huo Sect, should have been destroyed long before the previous era of cultivation came to an end.
Their sect's most prized spiritual artifact, the Fire Cauldron, also disappeared.
Now, tens of thousands of years later, as spiritual artifacts are revived, the Li Huo Cauldron has reappeared in the world.
Furthermore, it is in the hands of a highly skilled and mysterious expert.
Could it be that the destruction of the ancient immortal sect, Li Huo Sect, was just a facade, and that it, like the four great secret realms, was actually lurking in some secret place, having survived this long period of spiritual energy depletion, and is now about to emerge?
But why would the Li Huo Sect want to antagonize the Xuan Kong Mountain Sect? Even in the ancient era of cultivation, there shouldn't have been any major enmity between the two sects.
In an instant, many guesses and thoughts arose in the mind of the red-faced old monk.
But the next moment, a strong sense of danger arose in his heart.
Without a second thought, the red-faced old monk suddenly shifted to the side, trying to dodge away.
Just as he moved, a sharp blade of energy grazed his body and struck the ground, leaving a deep gash where he had just stood.
But before he could even catch his breath, a barrage of sword energy rained down from the sky, intertwining and slashing towards the red-faced old monk.
"He just activated his magical artifact, so why does he still have such abundant spiritual power!"
Looking at the sky filled with sword energy, a look of despair appeared on the red-faced old monk's face.
He had already exerted all his strength to resist the power emanating from the Fire Cauldron.
Now, not only is he severely injured and his protective magic treasure damaged, but he also has very little spiritual power left. He has no strength left to resist Lu Qing's storm-like sword energy attack.
At the same time, he couldn't understand it either.
Why was Lu Qing able to unleash such an attack as if nothing had happened after activating the Fire Cauldron? This was completely against common sense.
It looked like the red-faced old monk was about to be torn apart by Lu Qing's sword energy.
Just then, a streak of light flew in from afar at great speed, arriving before Lu Qing's sword energy. It transformed into a semi-transparent golden bell, enveloping the red-faced old monk within it.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Lu Qing's sword energy struck the golden bell, but it couldn't break through its defenses.
Although he made the golden bell tremble, he was still unable to break through its defenses and kill the red-faced old monk inside.
"Elder Jin Zhong!"
Looking at the golden bell enveloping him, the red-faced old monk's face lit up with ecstasy.
"Um?"
Lu Qing also sensed something and looked up at the distant horizon.
Then he sensed several powerful auras rushing towards him from the depths of the mountains.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he knew that reinforcements from the Suspended Mountain had arrived.
Without further ado, the golden boat beneath his feet emitted light, and he transformed into a streak of light, flying away towards the outside of the mountain.
Less than ten breaths after Lu Qing left, several figures exuding powerful auras also appeared in the air.
They were several elderly monks, dressed in gray robes, just like the red-faced old monk.
"Trying to leave?!"
The old monks were initially shocked and furious at the horrific scene below, then looked in the direction Lu Qing had left and were about to chase after him.
"Elder Jinzhong, wait! This person cannot be pursued!"
Upon seeing this, the red-faced old monk was greatly alarmed. Ignoring his own injuries, he immediately activated his spiritual power and shouted loudly.
He was so excited that his internal organs, which had been protected by the power of the magic weapon, ruptured, and he spat out blood.
Seeing his intense emotions, the old monks, though puzzled, could only stop and land beside the red-faced old monk.
"Elder Chixin, how are you? Why won't you let us pursue that demon?" an old monk asked.
"This demon has a mysterious origin and possesses a magical artifact. If we rashly pursue it, it's hard to say what might happen!"
The red-faced old monk quickly replied.
"A magical artifact! How is this possible!"
The old monks were shocked upon hearing this.
"It's absolutely true. See the spiritual fire around you? It's emitted by that spiritual artifact."
This fire is extremely powerful, capable of burning anything. Any living being touched by it is utterly unable to withstand it unless they are cultivators at least at the Foundation Establishment stage; they will simply be burned alive.
Several old monks looked at the burning flames around them, their expressions changing slightly.
With their keen eyesight, how could they not see the power of these spiritual flames?
An older monk, his face grim, asked, "This fire is so powerful, what about the disciples...?"
In their spiritual perception, the entire mountain peak is now devoid of any other living beings except for the red-faced old monk.
The red-faced old monk sighed, "They have all perished in the sea of fire. That demon came too suddenly. Before the disciples could disperse, they were burned to death by his magical weapon."
It turned out that in just a short time, those disciples of the Suspended Mountain who had been touched by the spiritual fire had all succumbed to the flames and were burned to death.
"They all perished?"
The eyes of the old monks suddenly widened, their hearts filled with even greater grief.
You have to understand, the disciples they sent out this time were almost half of the temple's elite disciples, and they were all gone in an instant?
"You demon, I swear I will not be human if I do not avenge this!"
An old monk gritted his teeth and immediately swore a solemn oath.
"Elder Chixin, you fought with that demon. Do you know who he is and why he is so vicious, harming my disciples of Xuankong Mountain in such a cruel way?" another old monk asked.
"I can't recognize his identity either, but I do recognize the spiritual artifact he used. It's the Li Huo Cauldron, the lost treasure of the Li Huo Sect from the ancient era of cultivation!"
...
Just as the red-faced old monk was telling the other old monks his guess.
Above the sky outside the Lingshan Mountains.
A faint, almost imperceptible aura was hidden within a white cloud.
"Who exactly is that mysterious ghost-faced man, that he can actually control a magical artifact!"
Looking towards Mount Ling, where the raging fire was still burning, Yangming Daoist's eyes revealed an expression of utter shock.
Previously, he followed the direction of the golden light and arrived at the outer edge of the Lingshan Mountain Range.
Then he saw a scene that shocked him immensely.
The mysterious, ghostly-faced figure hovering high in the sky, wielding a giant cauldron, crashed down with boundless power onto the tallest mountain below.
The disciples of Suspended Mountain were utterly powerless against this earth-shattering attack, easily killed like ants and moths.
Even the majestic mountain, one of the symbols of the ancient suspended mountain, was blasted with a huge hole and burned beyond recognition by the raging fire.
Having sensed the power emanating from that giant cauldron, Yangming Daoist, who came from a secret place, immediately understood that it was a genuine spiritual artifact!
The Suspended Mountain has actually provoked a terrifyingly powerful expert who possesses a spiritual artifact!
Upon realizing this, Yangming was both shocked and excited.
The appearance of the magical artifact was naturally shocking.
What excites them is seeing that their arch-enemy has actually provoked such a formidable foe, knowing that their future days will surely be difficult.
At the same time, he became even more curious about the identity of the mysterious ghost-faced man.
That's a magical artifact! Even their Qingyang Temple only has one, and because it's used to suppress the secret realm, it can't be brought out.
What is the origin of that mysterious ghost-faced man, that he can control a complete spiritual artifact!
