Seeing their own elder killed by Lu Qing with a single sword strike.
The remaining members of the Guiyuan Sect stood frozen in place, not daring to utter a sound.
They were not angry; on the contrary, they were filled with fear.
Fearing that Lu Qing would take his anger out on them, they killed them as well.
Lu Qing naturally did not do that; he merely glanced at the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.
He said calmly, "I consider that your Grand Elder was bewitched by that Netherworld Old Ghost, which led him to commit this sin. Therefore, I will leave him with a complete corpse. Take him back and give him a proper burial."
"Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Upon hearing this, the disciples of Guiyuan Sect breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of relief at having survived a calamity.
They all bowed to Lu Qing.
Even the Second Elder, who was also at the Golden Core Realm, was no exception.
He dared not overstep his bounds in front of Lu Qing.
Lu Qing then looked around again, finally focusing his gaze on the First Holy Lord.
"Senior First Holy Lord, I think no one will have any objections to this Holy Gathering anymore. The rest is up to you."
Having said that, Lu Qing transformed into a streak of light, soared into the sky, and flew straight towards the Holy Mountain.
Lu Qing's sudden departure surprised and shocked everyone.
No one expected that he would leave so decisively.
However, once everyone was certain that Lu Qing had really left, they breathed a sigh of relief and truly relaxed.
There was no way around it; the pressure from this person was simply too great.
Even without emitting any aura, just standing there is enough to make everyone tremble with fear.
Now that he's gone, the heavy burden on everyone's hearts has finally been lifted.
"Gentlemen, may we now officially begin this holy gathering?"
At this moment, the voice of the First Holy Lord rang out.
The group of powerful figures felt a chill run down their spines when they saw the First Holy Lord's smiling face.
Previously, they all speculated about the purpose of the Holy Mountain's convening of this holy assembly, and what gave them the confidence to do so.
Now they knew that these three had actually invited that person.
Isn't it rumored that the three Holy Lords are at odds with that one?
Now it seems that's not the case at all.
There was not a hint of discord between the two sides; on the contrary, they were clearly quite friendly.
That person is so supportive of the Holy Mountain; I wonder how the three Holy Lords managed to persuade him.
Although they couldn't understand it, everyone knew that the outcome was already decided.
This holy gathering is now completely under the control of the Holy Mountain.
Sure enough, in the subsequent holy gatherings, no sect or force dared to provoke them.
Everything is proceeding smoothly.
Of course, the Holy Assembly is a matter of great importance and involves many aspects, and it cannot be completed in a short period of time.
It probably won't end for at least two or three days.
That's why Lu Qing left directly.
He had no interest in staying there to discuss those tedious matters.
After returning to the sacred mountain, Lu Qing entered the cave.
He has done what he was supposed to do.
The remaining matters were far beyond his expertise, so he didn't need to worry about them.
Sitting cross-legged in the cave, Lu Qing took out the white bone claw, activated his supernatural ability, and looked at it.
Before long, a rather rich purple color appeared on the bone claw.
Several notes floated out.
【Heavenly Demon Bone Claw: The bone claw left behind after the death of an ancient heavenly demon.】
【The ancient celestial demons were primordial beings born from the primordial energy at the very beginning of the evolution of this world.】
【The ancient celestial demons were born powerful, existing at the Nascent Soul stage from birth, and were exceptionally strong.】
【This bone claw was nourished for tens of thousands of years by the resentment of countless living beings, and then purified by the Southern Ming Fire. The resentment vanished, and it returned to its original state, undergoing a strange transformation.】
...
After reading all the notes, Lu Qing had a sudden realization.
No wonder this bone claw is so powerful. He had been wondering what kind of creature's claw could have such power.
It turns out that these were the claws left behind by an ancient demon that was born at the very beginning of the world's evolution.
Lu Qing wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this ancient demon.
That demonic cultivator started causing trouble after obtaining a piece of an ancient demon's bone.
I wonder if this Heavenly Demon Bone Claw and the demonic bone obtained by the demonic cultivator came from the same ancient Heavenly Demon.
After figuring out the origin of the bone claw, Lu Qing put it into his Qiankun Qi Bag.
This bone claw was made of extraordinary material. After Lu Qing used the Southern Bright Fire to destroy and purify the restrictions inside, he killed the artifact spirit.
Although it is no longer a spiritual weapon, it has been transformed into a better material for refining weapons.
If refined properly, he might be able to acquire another powerful spiritual artifact.
However, forging a magical artifact is not something that can be done in a short time.
It requires a long period of purification before it is possible to cultivate that trace of spirituality.
He doesn't lack magical artifacts now, so he's not in a hurry.
We can refine it slowly when the time is right in the future.
What matters most to him now is his own spiritual cultivation.
Having just broken through to the second stage of the Golden Core realm, he was making rapid progress and could not afford to slack off.
The holy gathering in the holy city was in full swing, but Lu Qing had already entered a deep state of cultivation.
Although he was not present, those sectarian forces no longer dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts.
They had no choice but to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the discussions of the Holy Assembly, trying their best to gain benefits for themselves.
Finally, two days later, on the huge stone platform in the center of the holy city.
The First Holy Lord stood solemnly, holding a jade tablet in his hand, looking around.
"Gentlemen, since there are no objections, let's establish the new ban according to the consensus reached at this Holy Council. Do you agree?"
"agree!"
"good!"
"Let it be promulgated accordingly."
...
Representatives from the surrounding major sects nodded in agreement.
"Then please, everyone, swear an oath before the sacred monument and leave your mark on it."
After saying this, the First Holy Lord extended his hand forward, and the jade tablet in his hand flew up, slowly growing in the air until it became a huge jade tablet several feet tall. It then landed on the ground and stood there.
The jade tablet was engraved with many characters, which were the prohibitions discussed and agreed upon by various sects and forces during this holy gathering.
The representatives of the various sects did not hesitate and stepped forward to take an oath.
And he left his mental imprint on the jade tablet.
After representatives of all sects and factions left their marks on the sacred monument, the three holy lords also imprinted their own spiritual marks on it.
The next moment, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Suddenly, the sacred monument emitted a dazzling light, soaring straight into the azure sky and reaching the heavens.
A huge vortex suddenly appeared and absorbed the light.
Immediately afterwards, all the powerful individuals who had left their mental imprints on the sacred monument felt a strange sensation arise in their hearts.
That is, their oath just now has been perceived by the will of Heaven in this place.
If one violates the prohibitions on the sacred stele in the future, not only will one suffer a backlash, but the fortune of one's sect will also be greatly diminished.
Upon realizing this, the representatives of all the sects understood.
This reveals the true purpose of holding this holy assembly on the holy mountain.
As the world changes, spiritual energy revives, and the rules of the world evolve, vows made in one's mind become more binding.
Those who swore an oath before the sacred monument would suffer a great loss of their sect's fortune if they did not wish to face a backlash in the future.
That means not only must one abide by the prohibition oneself, but also one's disciples must not disobey the prohibition.
Thus, the sacred mountain's objective was truly achieved.
The representatives of the various factions looked at each other, realizing that they had finally been outmaneuvered.
Fortunately, this ban was decided through discussions among everyone.
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!
Overall, the constraints on cultivators are not very strong.
Most importantly, cultivators must not arbitrarily harm ordinary people.
This is not difficult for righteous cultivators to do.
As for the battles between cultivators, as well as the conflicts and internal affairs of various sects, the Holy Mountain will not interfere.
Therefore, as long as the prohibition against arbitrarily harming the people is observed, the impact on various sectarian forces is not significant.
On the contrary, some relatively weak sects secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At least this way, people will be much more likely to follow the rules.
They no longer need to constantly worry that other sects will suddenly attack, swallow up, and destroy them.
Thinking about it this way, the convening of this holy assembly can truly be considered a good thing for them.
Just when the various factions had different ideas.
Another change occurred in the sky.
Several golden rays of light descended from the sky.
Three of the golden rays landed on the three holy lords.
Another, much thicker golden light flew towards the sacred mountain and disappeared into the cave where Lu Qing was in seclusion.
"Golden light of merit!"
This sudden and shocking change naturally attracted everyone's attention.
Among them were some knowledgeable cultivators who immediately recognized the origin of the golden light that fell upon the three holy lords.
That was none other than the legendary golden light of merit that only those who have accumulated great merit can gather!
"Such a rich golden light of merit!"
"To think that golden light of merit would descend at this moment!"
"The golden light of merit descending from the sky indicates that the will of Heaven also highly approves of this holy gathering brought about by the three holy lords, which is why it has specially bestowed merit!"
"It is said that the golden light of merit can bring good fortune and ward off misfortune. The three holy lords have obtained so much golden light of merit, their future cultivation will probably be much smoother!"
...
The cultivators, looking at the golden light of merit emanating from the three Holy Lords, began to discuss among themselves.
At the same time, his eyes revealed immense envy.
Although most of them had never personally witnessed the golden light of merit, they had heard various rumors about it.
According to legend, those who possess golden light emanating from their bodies are people who have accumulated great merit.
They are naturally blessed by the heavens. If they are ordinary people, they will have excellent luck, attract good fortune and avoid misfortune, and enjoy long life and happiness.
If one is a cultivator, then one's fortune will be prosperous, one's cultivation path will be smooth, and one will have many opportunities.
In short, it has many benefits!
However, although the light of merit has many benefits, it is extremely difficult to condense.
Some people, even if they do good deeds and accumulate merit, may not be able to gather even a ray of merit.
In other words, only those who have truly performed great deeds that benefit the world and the Way of Heaven can possibly be refined.
So how could everyone not be envious when they saw that the three holy lords had suddenly received so much merit?
However, no matter how envious they are, they can only feel jealousy and envy.
This holy assembly was originally convened and presided over by the three holy lords.
Clearly, the will of Heaven also believes that the credit belongs to them.
This is something that Heaven has decreed, and even if they are envious and jealous, they can only watch helplessly.
Moreover, the three Holy Lords did not receive the most golden light.
Just now, everyone saw an even thicker and denser golden light flying towards the sacred mountain.
It was clearly aimed at that person.
Therefore, even if they had opinions in their hearts, they dared not express them at all.
"This is... the golden light of merit..."
Even the three holy lords were momentarily stunned by the sudden golden light of merit that descended upon them.
The most important reason they convened the holy assembly was because of the great vow they had made in the past.
The intention was simply to achieve clarity of thought so as to better advance in spiritual practice; there were no other motives.
Unexpectedly, this sacred gathering will move Heaven and Earth, which will send down a special light of merit.
This surprised and excited the three holy masters.
The fact that Heaven bestowed merit indicates that Heaven and Earth have approved of what they did.
This was a tremendous encouragement to them.
"Golden light of merit?"
In the cave atop the sacred mountain, Lu Qing, who was in seclusion, was also awakened by the golden light of merit that suddenly descended upon him.
He used his spiritual senses, and after more than ten breaths, he finally understood what was going on.
"So the Holy Assembly has ended, the Holy Decree has been discussed and approved by many sects and forces in the world?"
Unexpectedly, this sacred decree could resonate with the will of Heaven, causing it to bestow the light of merit.
It seems that siding with the Holy Lord this time was the right choice.
Lu Qing felt the light of merit flowing into the acupoint between his eyebrows and smiled.
The light of merit he received this time was far more intense than the golden light of merit he received when he defeated the demonic cultivator and saved the people of the prefecture city.
It was more than ten times what it was back then.
Clearly, it is the will of Heaven that believes that this sacred decree will bring great benefits to all people under Heaven.
"In this way, there is hope that my 【Merit Robe】 will be formed."
Lu Qing felt a surge of joy as he sensed the rich golden light of merit.
He obtained two methods for using the golden light of merit from the demonic cultivator.
One of them is a garment of merit, condensed from the light of merit.
In critical moments, it can automatically protect its master, blocking all kinds of divine and soul attacks, secret techniques, and curses.
The merit garments created by this technique are graded according to the amount of merit accumulated.
These are the 【Garment of Merit】, the 【Dharma Garment of Merit】, and the most powerful 【Heavenly Garment of Merit】.
Among them, the 【Heavenly Robe of Merit】 is said to be able to ward off all evil spirits and be impervious to all magic once it is mastered!
Even powerful demons at the Nascent Soul level would be extremely wary and hesitate to approach.
Of course, to first condense the 【Heavenly Robe of Merit】, the amount of merit light required is enormous and almost impossible to accumulate.
However, the 【Heavenly Robe of Merit】 was out of reach, but this time, the golden light of merit was bestowed by the will of Heaven.
Lu Qing saw a glimmer of hope forming in that 【Merit Robe】.
