Despite Han Ling Shuang's repeated attempts to persuade Lu Qing to stay, Lu Qing ultimately chose to leave.
"Sister Ling Shuang, we're leaving now. Remember to come visit Xiao Yan next time!"
Outside the Ice Palace, Xiao Yan said with some reluctance.
"Okay, I'll definitely come to see you when I have time."
Han Ling Shuang also adored this cute little sister.
She was the daughter of the previous palace master, born into a noble family. From a young age, she was respected by everyone in the Cold Water Palace.
It was rare for someone to be so close to her, and she felt a little reluctant to part with them.
After the two said goodbye, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan's hand and flew into the air, heading towards the outside of Hanshui City.
Han Ling Shuang stood there, watching until their figures disappeared.
"Palace Master, has the Supreme One left?"
At this moment, several figures appeared behind Han Ling Shuang.
“That’s right. The Venerable One said that his trip was to take Xiao Yan to travel the world. It was just a coincidence that we met in our Cold Water City,” Han Ling Shuang nodded.
“Then Li Changbo...” someone asked hesitantly.
"The Supreme Being said that he will no longer appear in this world."
Upon hearing this, everyone else felt a great sense of relief.
Otherwise, the existence of a Golden Core Realm expert in the Cold Water Palace who hates them to the bone would truly make it difficult for them to eat or sleep.
After relaxing, the group felt like joking around.
Some people exclaimed, "I never imagined that he has reached such an unimaginable level. Even a Golden Core cultivator is powerless against him."
“Yes, back in Zhongzhou, we watched him transcend tribulation and enter the Innate Realm. How long has it been, and he has already become so powerful.” Another person sighed.
"The first person to undergo tribulation after the revival of heaven and earth, and who could trigger a lightning tribulation when breaking through to the innate realm, is indeed beyond our comprehension."
It turns out that these people were the core disciples that Han Shui Palace sent to Zhongzhou to compete for opportunities.
Although they were watching Lu Qing undergo his tribulation at the time, they knew that this young man's future achievements would certainly not be low.
But no one could have imagined that the boy would defy the heavens to such an extent.
In just two or three years, he was already able to kill Golden Core Realm experts at will.
Even the Suspended Mountain, whose strength and foundation were far superior to theirs, was completely destroyed by him.
Thinking of the suspended mountain, the group felt a surge of relief.
Fortunately, they hadn't offended him back in Zhongzhou.
Otherwise, their Cold Water Palace might cease to exist before Li Changbo even attacks.
"However, being able to befriend this person is a great thing for our Cold Water Palace. At least, anyone who wants to mess with our Cold Water Palace in the future will have to think twice," someone said with a smile.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Since that shocking event decades ago, the foundation of their Cold Water Palace has been greatly weakened.
Many of the older generation of powerful figures perished in that dramatic upheaval.
It's just that because they all happened in secret places, they were unknown to the outside world.
This time, the old palace master failed to transcend the tribulation, and Li Changbo came knocking on their door, directly exposing their weaknesses.
That is their Cold Water Palace, which currently lacks powerful combat forces above the Golden Core realm.
They were initially worried that after this incident, many forces would become restless and covet their Cold Water Palace.
But now, there's the connection with Lu Qing.
Other forces, even if they have their own intentions, will certainly not dare to act rashly.
This is also why no one objected when the Palace Master opened the treasure vault and allowed Lu Qing to choose whatever he wanted, even offering up the most core and profound 【True Record of Frost】 from their Cold Water Palace.
Because right now, they desperately need to latch onto this person's coattails.
"Don't let your guard down too much."
Hearing what those people said, Han Ling Shuang said calmly.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others; you can only hold onto a tiger's skin for a short time."
Even if the Supreme Being can deter villains, there are too many fools in the world. Over time, it is hard to guarantee that someone will not want to do something foolish.
Ultimately, maintaining and restoring the dignity of our Cold Water Palace depends on ourselves.
As long as someone from our Cold Water Palace can successfully transcend the tribulation and become a few Golden Core cultivators.
Where in the world would anyone dare to harbor any wicked thoughts?
Even someone like Li Changbo, a Golden Core cultivator, wouldn't dare to bully us like this.
Therefore, in the days to come, you must cultivate diligently and strive for a breakthrough as soon as possible, so that our Cold Water Palace can regain its glory.
These words immediately made the expressions of the group serious, and they all respectfully replied, "Yes, Palace Master!"
After instructing the disciples, Han Ling Shuang once again looked at the sky in the direction Lu Qing had left.
He gripped the jade slip of inheritance in his hand even tighter.
From their time together, she could naturally sense that Lu Qing didn't care much about her.
In the eyes of the other person, I am probably no different from a passerby.
From Lu Qing's speech, she could sense that his vision was probably no longer limited to this small world.
Rather, it is the far more expansive world beyond the starry sky.
She even learned from Lu Qing that there was such a vast world beyond the heavens.
My mindset has also changed in some way.
A strong longing arose for that unknown, vast world.
She held the jade slip in her hand and said silently, "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will definitely reach the Golden Core realm and will not let you down."
...
"Young master, that Palace Master of the Cold Water Palace is probably using you."
After leaving the Cold Water Palace, "Yan" transmitted a message to Lu Qing through his soul.
"Oh, how do you know?" Lu Qing asked with great interest.
"The Cold Water Palace is clearly in serious trouble; its strength has declined significantly."
As one of the four great secret lands, it has been so long since the spiritual energy has recovered, yet it doesn't even have a single Golden Core cultivator.
Even someone as inexperienced as Li Changbo, who had just entered the Golden Core Realm and whose foundation was weak, could still act arrogantly and domineeringly towards them.
It is conceivable that something must have happened to the Cold Water Palace, greatly diminishing its strength.
Especially this time, after Li Changbo's incident, the problems of Hanshui Palace were completely exposed.
It's hard to say whether other forces might harbor ulterior motives.
That's why the Palace Master of the Cold Water Palace is trying so hard to please you; he wants to use your influence to intimidate other powerful forces that might have ulterior motives.
"Yan" gradually analyzed Han Shuigong's thoughts.
"Let them take advantage of this situation," Lu Qing said nonchalantly. "It's just a matter of mutual benefit. The Fire Spirit Orb is quite useful to me, so these are all minor matters."
Lu Qing naturally knew Han Ling Shuang's little scheme.
However, this is only human nature. As long as his principles and bottom line are not violated, he doesn't care about such trivial matters.
Upon hearing this, Yan said no more.
It just wanted to remind Lu Qing that since he understood everything, there was no need for it to say anything more.
After leaving Hanshui City, Lu Qing continued his travels with Xiao Yan.
As evening fell, they arrived at a new city and stayed at an inn for the night. After Xiaoyan fell asleep, he then used his mind to enter the Fire Cauldron.
"Young master."
"Yan" immediately came to meet them.
"How is Li Changbo?" Lu Qing asked.
"He's being held captive. He's quite patient; aside from his initial panic, he's regained his composure now."
With a wave of his hand, Yan created a spatial cage, revealing the situation inside.
Li Changbo was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, looking very calm.
Of course, at this moment, he could not sense the situation outside, nor could he see Lu Qing and the others.
Upon seeing this, Lu Qing's mind stirred slightly, and he removed the shielding power of the spatial cage.
Then, Li Changbo immediately opened his eyes, and when he saw Lu Qing and "Yan", his eyes showed shock.
The image of "Yan" in particular made him realize immediately that this was not a human.
"Are you comfortable here, Your Excellency?" Lu Qing asked casually.
"Although it's dark here, it's still quite quiet," Li Changbo replied.
Lu Qing smiled, not bothering with pretense, and said directly, "Li Changbo, your cultivation level is built up with spirit stones. Tell me, where did you get so many spirit stones?"
The version is flawless, found in the 1619 book forum!
Upon hearing this, Li Changbo could no longer remain calm.
He stared intently at Lu Qing, utterly unable to fathom how this unfathomable young man knew about this matter.
You should know that this was his biggest secret.
Even during that terrifying illusion, he didn't reveal a single detail.
"What, do you find it unbelievable?" Lu Qing asked, seeing Li Changbo's expression. "You think such a secret should be unknown to anyone?"
Your foundation is weak, much weaker than that of an average Golden Core cultivator.
They must have used some means to quickly improve their cultivation level.
"And now, in the entire world, only spirit stones can have this effect."
Upon hearing Lu Qing say that he was much weaker than the average Golden Core cultivator, a blush appeared on Li Changbo's face.
He has always had an extreme thirst for power, and his proudest achievement in this life is that he survived the tribulation of lightning and achieved the Golden Core realm.
Looking at the whole world, they can be considered to be one of the most prominent entities.
Now, Lu Qing actually described him as weak, how could he accept that?
Even if he was dissatisfied, Li Changbo didn't dare to refute it.
His previous encounter had already shown him that the young man before him possessed terrifying strength, far beyond his comprehension.
Circumstances dictate that one must submit to them; Lu Qing said he was weak, and he could only accept it.
Take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down.
Because he knew this was his chance.
Li Changbo remained silent for a while before saying, "So, senior captured me here because you coveted the spirit stones on my body."
That's simple, as long as the senior is willing to make a soul oath.
After I have explained, please let me out and guarantee my safety.
"Then I will inform you of the location of the spirit stone, senior."
"You also know about soul oaths?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Judging from your appearance, you must have also received some inheritance left over from the ancient era of cultivation."
In the previous era of cultivation, the oath of the soul was a technique that most cultivators had to learn.
But in this era, not many people know about it.
Li Changbo remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
If he hadn't received the inheritance, how could he have cultivated to the Golden Core realm all by himself?
"However, do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?"
However, Lu Qing's next words made Li Changbo suddenly look up.
Then he saw that Lu Qing's eyes were emitting a strange light.
Suddenly, a feeling of drowsiness arose in his mind.
Li Changbo knew things were going badly, but it was already too late.
The next moment, he was once again lost in the illusion.
Moreover, this illusion was even more terrifying than the ones he had experienced before.
Fifteen minutes later, when Li Changbo woke up from the illusion again, his eyes were full of fatigue.
"I told you, you have no right to negotiate with me, and you have no secrets from me."
Lu Qing's words made Li Changbo tremble, and his gaze towards him was filled with fear.
Just now, he experienced unimaginable torment in the illusion.
In his perception, he had been tormented in the illusion for ten years.
"Senior, now that you know the location of the spirit stone, could you please spare this junior this time?"
Li Changbo pleaded with his eyes.
Indeed, in the illusion, he finally couldn't bear the endless torment and revealed the location of the spirit stone he possessed.
"What do you think?" Lu Qing looked at Li Changbo with a half-smile.
"Senior!" Li Changbo said anxiously, "I have no grudge against you, so why do you have to be so ruthless and leave me no way out?"
If you, senior, spare me this time, I will swear an oath to become your servant.
From this day forward, I pledge my allegiance to you, becoming the sharpest blade in your hand! I will do anything for you!
“I don’t need a servant like you.” Lu Qing shook his head. “You’re willing to scheme against your own wife and children for treasures and power.”
A person as inhuman as you is not qualified to be my servant.
Furthermore, I promised the Palace Master of Cold Water Palace that I would not let you live in this world any longer.
"senior......"
Li Changbo was terrified upon hearing this and was about to beg for mercy, but Lu Qing had no interest in listening to him anymore.
With a thought, a transparent flame emerged from the spatial cage and swept towards Li Changbo.
Li Changbo was shocked and immediately activated his internal magic power to try to resist the burning of the spiritual fire.
But then, a look of utter terror appeared on his face.
"Impossible! This flame!"
The transparent flame touched Li Changbo's body, and his flesh immediately began to melt.
His fire-elemental magic was completely useless.
In the end, within a few breaths, it was engulfed by the transparent flames and burned to ashes, leaving only a fiery red bead behind.
"A mere early-stage Golden Core cultivator with a fragile foundation dares to resist the burning flames of the Southern Bright Flame Cauldron? He's overestimating himself!"
Seeing Li Changbo burned to ashes, "Yan" showed disdain on his face.
In the ancient era of cultivation, many Golden Core cultivators, far more powerful than Li Changbo, perished under the burning of his Southern Bright Fire.
It shouldn't be too easy to kill a mere early-stage Golden Core cultivator who doesn't even have many magic treasures.
Lu Qing beckoned and took the fiery red bead.
The beads feel warm and smooth to the touch.
Lu Qing activated his supernatural ability and looked in that direction.
Soon, a look of understanding appeared on his face.
It turns out that this bead was the rare treasure that Li Changbo had persuaded his wife to steal from the Cold Water Palace.
It is a flawed, high-grade fire-elemental magic weapon.
