The old man of the underworld was truly shocked.
He hadn't expected that this kid would not only see through his hiding place within the magical artifact at a glance.
Now even his condition is described in perfect detail.
In an instant, Lu Qing became unfathomable in the eyes of the Old Man of the Underworld.
Even in the ancient era of cultivation, the method of seizing spirits was a secret technique that only cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm or above could master.
This kid is from a different era; where did he learn such secrets from?
The Old Man of the Underworld also noticed that Lu Qing had used the word "again" earlier.
Could it be that he had encountered other beings who used the Soul-Stealing Technique?
The old man of the underworld looked at Lu Qing with a look of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.
The people around seemed somewhat bewildered.
After all, what Lu Qing said was still too advanced for them.
"I told you, you have no right to ask me questions."
Faced with the question that the old man of the underworld blurted out, Lu Qing did not answer his question, but instead said calmly.
The old man of the underworld paused, his heart filled with immense anger.
He has lived for so many tens of thousands of years, when has he ever been treated like this?
Although this kid in front of me is a bit strange, if it were me tens of thousands of years ago, I could have crushed him with one hand.
Now that he's fallen from grace and has been humiliated by a mere brat, how could he not be filled with murderous intent?
However, no matter how much resentment one feels, the current situation is beyond one's control.
Therefore, the Old Man of the Underworld forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and did not let it out, but just stared coldly at Lu Qing.
"Young friend, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"What are you trying to do?" Lu Qing smiled and said, "You are hiding in this ghostly claw, secretly bewitching Meng Dian, trying to stir up conflict among the righteous and disrupt the world's situation."
They wanted to take advantage of the chaos and refine living beings to restore themselves.
Do you really think it's possible to deceive everyone and get away with it without anyone noticing?
The old man of the underworld fell silent.
He knew that he had indeed been a bit rash this time.
Before they had fully recovered, they incited Meng Dian to rise to prominence and seize the position of leader of the righteous path.
However, due to the unique nature of his cultivation technique, without the assistance of a living soul, relying solely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it's uncertain how long it will take him to recover to his peak condition.
Only by completely disrupting the world's situation can he control Meng Dian and refine living beings on a large scale.
That's why he tricked Meng Dian into seizing the throne at the Holy Assembly.
Besides the fact that it was indeed a good opportunity, the more important reason actually stemmed from his inner pride.
They believed that with his ancient primordial spirit power, dealing with a group of junior Golden Core cultivators would be a piece of cake.
But unexpectedly, there was a monster like Lu Qing.
He was clearly just a callow youth, but his strength was beyond even his comprehension.
He also controls the Li Huo Ding, which restrains him.
This development was something the Old Man of the Underworld could never have foreseen.
He had been hiding inside Meng Dian's body before, so he wasn't unaware of Lu Qing's name and deeds.
Although surprised, I still think that no matter how monstrous a Golden Core Realm kid is, how far can he defy the heavens?
Unexpectedly, when they actually faced Lu Qing, the other party turned out to be so unfathomable.
"Young friend, your insight is keen and your cultivation profound. I admire you greatly."
After a moment of silence, the old man of the underworld slowly spoke.
"I never imagined that such a peerless figure as you could be born when the world had just begun to recover and the spiritual energy was not yet abundant enough."
This time, I admit defeat. Tell me, what do you want in order for me to release this remnant soul of mine?
Whether it's a cultivation technique or a treasure, I can give it to you.
I was once a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and I know countless profound techniques and supernatural abilities.
It can allow you to easily step into the supreme realm of the primordial spirit.
They also know the locations of the cave dwellings of many ancient immortal sects and the methods for opening secret realms and spiritual lands.
"Anything you want, this old man can give you!"
There was a strange, seductive quality to the old man's tone.
What he said was even more shocking and tempting.
Hearing this, the powerful figures around him all had burning eyes and were filled with excitement.
Even the old Taoist priest, with his unwavering resolve at the Golden Core stage, found his breathing becoming heavier.
Only Lu Qing remained calm and unmoved.
Instead, he looked at the gray, ghostly face that the old man of the underworld had transformed into with a half-smile.
"With your meager skills, don't bother using them and making a fool of yourself."
Moreover, your inherited skills are mere trifles; I wouldn't even look at them.
Such humiliating words immediately made the Old Man of the Underworld change color.
But Lu Qing ignored him and continued:
"As for why I forced you out, it's actually quite simple."
I just want to see what the powerful cultivators of the primordial spirit stage in the previous era of cultivation were like.
And, in front of so many people, I'll refine you to death!
As soon as he finished speaking, countless transparent flames rose up again from the illusory cauldron, enveloping and burning the gray ghost face and gray bone claw that the old man of the underworld had conjured!
"Ah! You dare to do this, you brat!"
Lu Qing's sudden change of attitude caught the Netherworld Elder off guard, leaving him both shocked and furious.
But it was too late for him to lash out any further.
He discovered that the Southern Bright Fire that Lu Qing activated this time was even more ferocious than before.
In just a few breaths, it burned and purified his gray ghost face, and began to directly refine the body of the Netherworld Ghost Claw.
The gray energy he activated was completely unable to withstand it.
The Old Man of the Underworld knew that this time, Lu Qing was serious.
Immediately, he disregarded everything else and had no choice but to unleash the full power of the Netherworld Claw to resist.
Otherwise, once the Southern Ming Fire invades the Ghost Claw's interior, he will be plunged into a truly irredeemable state.
However, when the Old Man of the Underworld was doing his best to resist the Southern Bright Fire, he was horrified to discover that...
The power of the Southern Bright Fire that Lu Qing activated was beyond his imagination.
The gray aura of the Netherworld Claw offered no resistance whatsoever.
The mere touch was like snow touching a red-hot iron, instantly melting and burning into nothingness.
"Impossible! This kid is only at the Golden Core stage, so why is the Southern Bright Flame he's wielding so terrifying!"
The old man of the underworld was filled with disbelief.
Although he couldn't see through Lu Qing's specific strength and realm, he was certain that Lu Qing had definitely not entered the Nascent Soul Realm.
Because the world has only recently begun to recover.
The rules of heaven and earth have not yet evolved to the point where they are sufficient to give birth to powerful beings at the Primordial Spirit Realm.
Let alone the Nascent Soul Realm, even the late Golden Core Realm wouldn't be able to achieve that.
However, the power of the Southern Bright Fire that Lu Qing is now activating has far exceeded what a Golden Core cultivator can activate.
Even compared to the Nascent Soul Realm, it's probably not inferior.
"Could it be that the spirit of this Fire Cauldron is still alive and has already recognized this kid as its master?"
Even so, a mere Golden Core cultivator shouldn't be able to fully unleash the power of a mid-grade spiritual weapon!
The old man of the underworld was racing with thoughts, but he couldn't figure it out no matter what he did.
Seeing that the gray energy accumulated by the Netherworld Ghost Claw was almost exhausted, the Southern Bright Fire was also about to break through the last layer of protection and truly invade.
The Old Man of the Underworld was in a panic.
He roared, "Boy, are you really so ruthless, so determined to wipe us all out?!"
"Good and evil cannot coexist. What kind of courtesy do I have with an ancient ghost like you?"
Lu Qing's gaze was icy. Instead of slowing the flames, he reached out and grabbed them.
With this action, the power of the Nanming Fire within the illusory cauldron surged once more and was suddenly compressed towards its center.
With a deafening roar, it incinerated the last layer of ash and surged into the interior of the Netherworld Claw.
The powerful flames instantly burned away the layers of restrictions within, heading straight for the core.
"No!"
The Old Man of the Underworld had not expected that Lu Qing still had some strength left.
Seeing the Southern Brightness Fire surging like a raging tide, the Old Man of the Underworld truly panicked.
He hurriedly cried out, "Fellow Daoist, please have mercy! I am willing to submit to you, acknowledge you as my master, and become your spiritual weapon!"
Not a single mistake, not a single song, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single 6-9 book, not a single bar, take a look!
At this moment, the Old Man of the Netherworld could no longer care about his reputation as an ancient primordial spirit, and immediately begged for mercy.
"A mere heretical magical artifact dares to acknowledge me as its master?"
However, Lu Qing showed disdain when faced with the old man's pleas for mercy.
The Nanming Fire, which had already surged into the Netherworld Claw, showed no mercy, directly breaking through the core restriction within and sweeping towards the wisp of spirituality that the Netherworld Elder had transformed into.
"ah!!!"
The Old Man of the Underworld abandoned his physical body and possessed the spirit of a vessel.
Although he survived the five signs of decay and his life was spared.
However, it was still severely weakened and inevitably fell into a deep sleep.
In addition, during the tens of thousands of years of spiritual depletion, it has never received spiritual nourishment.
This has resulted in him not fully recovering to this day, and his spirit is not strong.
Because, at the moment he was surrounded by the Southern Bright Fire, the Old Man of the Underworld was gripped by immense fear.
They felt their own spiritual power being rapidly burned and disintegrated.
The excruciating pain that pierced his very soul could not suppress the terror in the old man's heart.
He screamed in terror, "Spare me, young friend, spare me!"
But in return, it brought an even more raging fire from the Southern Ming Dynasty.
Sensing Lu Qing's determination to kill, the Netherworld Elder was filled with despair.
At that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret.
He shouldn't be too hasty; he should continue to lie low and slowly recover his strength.
In that case, even if the recovery would be slower, it wouldn't have come to this.
After surviving for tens of thousands of years, they ultimately met their end, their bodies and souls annihilated.
"Ah! I hate it! You brat, you'll die a horrible death!!"
As the last vestige of his spirit was burned away, the old man of the underworld let out a shrill curse.
Then there was no more sound, and he perished completely amidst endless regret and resentment.
Sensing the disappearance of the Netherworld Elder, Lu Qing withdrew his magic, and the surging Southern Bright Fire slowly dissipated.
The illusory, fiery red, ancient cauldron also vanished.
Only a white bone claw remained, suspended in mid-air.
Lu Qing reached out and took the white bone claw in his hand.
The bone claws at this moment had completely changed their appearance compared to before.
Instead of looking ferocious, it has a texture like white jade, and it even has a faint sense of holiness.
"Young master, this bone claw was originally a strange treasure that the old ghost of the underworld obtained from who knows where."
It was refined by him with evil magic for countless years before it became that ghostly claw of the underworld.
Now that you have refined it with the Southern Bright Fire, all evil energy has been removed and all sins have been absolved.
It has probably already become an extremely valuable material for refining weapons.
The sound of "Yan" entered Lu Qing's mind.
As a master nearing the final stage, "Yan" possesses an incredibly sharp eye for identifying various refining materials.
Moreover, Lu Qing had previously used the power of the Southern Bright Fire when he activated it.
Therefore, it already had a certain understanding of the material of the white bone claw.
Upon hearing Yan's words, Lu Qing nodded slightly.
He casually put the white bone claw away.
There are more important things to do right now; we can talk about weapon crafting later.
After putting away the white bone claws, Lu Qing looked around.
But he saw that the powerful figures around him were all looking at him with utmost awe.
He was not surprised.
Or rather, this was the effect he wanted all along.
Why did he choose to expend more energy refining the Netherworld Old Ghost using the Illusory Cauldron instead of directly using the Blazing Fire Cauldron?
The intention was to make an example of someone, killing an ancient primordial spirit in front of so many people.
It seems that the results are quite good.
When they saw Lu Qing looking over, all the powerful figures around them subconsciously avoided his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
There's no way around it, this one is just too terrifying.
What was that just now? It was the remnant soul of an ancient primordial spirit, a powerful being who had survived from the previous era of cultivation and possessed countless secrets.
Lu Qing said he would refine someone to death, and that was it; he didn't leave them any way out.
Even when tempted by countless techniques and magical treasures, he remained unmoved.
His decisive nature and ruthless methods instilled immense awe in all the powerful figures present.
At this moment, no one dared to doubt that Lu Qing's earlier statement about killing them all was a lie.
If you really anger him, he really will do something to wipe them out!
After looking around and seeing that no one dared to meet his gaze, Lu Qing's eyes finally landed on Meng Dian, who was lying on his back on the ground.
Feeling Lu Qing's gaze, Meng Dian trembled, fear appearing in his eyes.
"Meng Dian, what else do you have to say?" Lu Qing said calmly.
Meng Dian's face turned deathly pale, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.
Lu Qing shook his head: "Although you were bewitched by this old ghost of the underworld, you have no evil intentions in your heart, so the old ghost of the underworld cannot tempt you."
Those creatures that were refined were also those who truly died at your hands.
No matter how you try to justify it, the sins on your hands can never be cleansed.
Despite being a righteous cultivator, he harmed many living beings and refined evil treasures.
How is such behavior any different from heretical practices?
Your sins deserve death!
Upon hearing Lu Qing's last words, Meng Dian's eyes widened suddenly, revealing immense fear.
However, before he could even beg for mercy, an invisible sword aura had already landed on his brow.
They pierced his skull, completely destroying the acupoint between his eyebrows, and utterly annihilated his soul and consciousness.
Meng Dian's body stiffened, then his limbs went limp, and he completely lost consciousness, his life force extinguished.
