"Shut up!"
At Lu Qing's icy voice, everyone's heart trembled, and they involuntarily fell silent, no longer daring to beg for mercy.
But the next moment, something even more terrifying happened.
Lu Qing simply waved his arm, and a gentle breeze swept by.
With a loud bang, the man who had been standing there for so long suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood mist, leaving no trace of his body, and he died completely.
Everyone was immediately terrified.
They finally understood why, apart from this man, the other people from the previous group had disappeared, leaving only a few bloodstains on the ground.
So, they were all crushed by Lu Qing!
He could easily crush several Golden Core cultivators, even in this strange secret realm, without caring about the consumption of his magical power.
Immediately, everyone understood.
The young man holding the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} strange spirit beast must be one of the most outstanding Golden Core cultivators.
Just like Ba Tian of the Overlord Clan, Shen Zangfeng of the Heavenly Sword Clan, and the Holy Maiden of Biluo Palace.
He is a powerful being who stands at the pinnacle among all cultivators who enter the secret realm.
Only beings with immense magical power, an astonishing background, abundant wealth, and numerous spirit stones would dare to squander their magical power so extravagantly in this strange and mysterious realm.
This made everyone's hearts tremble even more.
Someone like Lu Qing is practically invincible in this strange and mysterious realm.
To control them would be incredibly easy.
Immediately, some people wanted to beg for mercy again, but at that moment, Lu Qing's cold gaze swept over them, and everyone involuntarily shut their mouths, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
Looking at the seven or eight people being suppressed, Lu Qing activated his supernatural ability and looked at them.
He had just used his 【Illusion】 supernatural power to obtain a lot of information from the man's soul.
He knew the general situation in this secret realm, but there were still some things he wanted to ask these people first.
As Lu Qing used his special ability to examine the information of everyone in front of him, the group of cultivators who were suppressed and unable to move felt an overwhelming chill rising in their hearts.
It was as if all her secrets were laid bare before the young man in front of her.
"Um?"
Lu Qing was checking the information of everyone when suddenly his gaze turned cold.
The look in his eyes as he looked at one of them was full of disgust.
"You deserve to die."
With that, he waved his hand lightly, and before the man could react, he was instantly reduced to a cloud of blood mist.
Seeing Lu Qing suddenly strike, the others were even more terrified.
But they still dared not utter a sound, their gazes toward Lu Qing filled with growing fear.
At this moment, they already regarded Lu Qing as a terrifying being who was capricious and enjoyed torturing and killing cultivators.
Therefore, they dared not make any move, for fear of angering Lu Qing.
Fortunately, Lu Qing did not continue to kill after killing that person.
Instead, he said calmly, "Tell me everything that happened after you entered the secret realm. Whoever tells me in a way that satisfies me, I will consider sparing their life."
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, their eyes lit up, and a sudden desire for life arose in their hearts.
"What does Senior wish to know? We will answer all your questions without reservation!" one of them quickly asked.
“Tell us everything you know. If you withhold anything, you should know what will happen.”
These words sent a chill down everyone's spine. Immediately, no one dared to be negligent, and everyone rushed to tell what they knew.
They were terrified that if they were even a step too slow, they would incur Lu Qing's displeasure and be crushed into a bloody mist.
Amidst their chatter and the information they had just gleaned from the man's soul,
Lu Qing gradually gained a clearer understanding of the current situation in the secret realm.
It turned out that the secret realm had suddenly opened ahead of schedule that day, and everyone rushed to the sacred mountain to enter the secret realm.
Once inside, they discovered the strangeness of this secret realm.
Upon entering, one will immediately be placed anywhere within the secret realm.
More importantly, the spiritual energy in this secret realm is extremely thin, and the spatial rules are extremely strange.
This means that whether they are using Taoist arts or flying, the amount of magical power they need to consume is ten times, dozens of times, or even hundreds of times that of the outside world!
The strange beasts in this secret realm are also extraordinary, each possessing exceptionally powerful physical bodies.
The physical strength of many Foundation Establishment stage beasts was actually stronger than that of these Golden Core stage cultivators.
This also meant that many cultivators, upon first encountering those strange beasts, would be crushed to death on the spot due to carelessness.
Among them, three members of Scarface Liu's team perished shortly after entering the secret realm for this reason.
The spiritual energy is thin, the rules are strange, and the strange beasts here are extremely dangerous.
This also meant that on the very first day of entering the secret realm, countless cultivators perished there.
The terrifying living environment immediately made many cultivators want to give up this opportunity and leave the secret realm.
However, something even more terrifying happened: they couldn't find a way to leave the secret realm.
Not only did the spatial vortex that sent them in disappear without a trace, but it also became impossible to find them.
The method of obtaining the Secret Realm Pearl by slaying the spirit beasts within the secret realms that once appeared on the sacred mountain seems to have failed in this strange secret realm.
There are no Mystic Pearls inside those physically powerful beasts!
This also means that no one knows how to leave this mysterious place.
Tens of thousands of cultivators are trapped in this secret realm!
"So, none of you know how to leave the secret realm?"
After listening to their stories, Lu Qing frowned.
"Reporting to senior, that is indeed the case. Otherwise, we would not have been reduced to robbing other fellow Daoists. It is because we have almost run out of pills and spirit stones in our battles with those strange beasts these days. In order to survive, we have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
One of the Golden Core cultivators answered cautiously.
"That's right. Besides us, there are quite a few other cultivators in the secret realm who have already started looting. Because no one knows when they will be able to leave this strange secret realm, everyone wants to hoard as many spirit stones and pills as possible so that they can last longer."
Another Golden Core cultivator echoed the same sentiment.
At this moment, everyone realized that Lu Qing must have been teleported to a remote area when he entered the secret realm.
Or perhaps they have just entered the secret realm.
Otherwise, they wouldn't seem completely unaware of the situation in the secret realm.
Lu Qing fell silent for a moment.
He hadn't expected the situation in the secret realm to be so dire; his earlier premonition had come true.
The cultivators who entered the secret realm were trapped inside because they could not find a way out.
Without the replenishment of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and with their magical power being depleted day by day, their demand for spirit stones and elixirs is becoming increasingly strong.
It has now escalated to the point where they are plundering each other.
"You say you can't find a way to leave the secret realm. Don't the Dao disciples and saintesses of those powerful forces have any clues either?" Lu Qing asked.
"This is beyond our knowledge. The Dao disciples and saintesses of those powerful forces are not people like us who are independent cultivators."
This answer made Lu Qing pause slightly, but upon reflection, it made sense.
Given the strength of those Daoist disciples and saintesses, they probably wouldn't bother with these rogue cultivators who are only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
Given the current situation in the secret realm, independent cultivators will likely have to avoid those major powers.
After all, who can guarantee that the other party won't take advantage of their strength to rob them?
"However, we see that those major powers do not seem to be worried about the situation in this secret realm. They are still keen to explore this secret realm, and some powers have already ventured into the depths of the secret realm."
Therefore, some speculate that the powerful forces likely know a way to leave the secret realm, but are keeping it a secret.
At this moment, another Golden Core cultivator spoke up.
"Oh, is that so?" Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat. "You mean those powerful forces are exploring the secret realm?"
"That's right. We rogue cultivators are timid and hesitant when facing those powerful beasts. We dare not get too entangled with them, for fear of exhausting our magic power and making it difficult to even survive."
However, the Daoist disciples and saintesses of those powerful forces are all deeply rooted in their own right, and the amount of spirit stones and pills they carry is unknown.
They naturally wouldn't have to worry about running out of magic power, so there was no need to rush to leave the secret realm.
Although this secret realm is strange, it must also have its own mystical aspects.
Just like here in these deep mountains, there's an ancient ruin, and many forces have already gone in to explore it.
"There is an ancient ruin in these mountains. What kind of ruin is it?"
Lu Qing's expression shifted, and he immediately asked.
"I don't know." The Golden Core cultivator shook his head. "That ruin is very strange. Even just the outer perimeter has a very powerful distribution of rules."
Each step deeper requires a significant amount of magical power.
Furthermore, there are many powerful exotic beasts guarding the area, making it impossible for us rogue cultivators at the early stage of the Golden Core realm to venture into it.
Even some weaker forces dared not venture too deep.
"I only dare to explore slowly on the outskirts..."
As the Golden Core cultivator recounted his story, Lu Qing learned that, thanks to the explorations of so many cultivators over the past few days, they had made quite a few discoveries.
Several ancient ruins were discovered.
However, these rogue cultivators have been living in these mountains since entering the secret realm. They have only heard about the other ancient ruins from other cultivators and have never seen them with their own eyes.
Moreover, as time went on, due to the scarcity of spiritual energy and the shortage of spirit stones and pills...
The situation in the secret realm also became tense, with the rogue cultivators either robbing each other or becoming wary of one another.
But the atmosphere of frequently sharing information, which was present when we first joined, is gone.
After listening to the Golden Core cultivator's account, Lu Qing pondered for a moment.
"In other words, most of the independent cultivators in the secret realm are struggling to survive, while the major powers are still leisurely exploring the secret realm."
Therefore, they might actually possess information on how to leave this secret realm.
After pondering for a while, Lu Qing continued to ask, "So, which forces are currently exploring that ancient ruin in these mountains?"
Next, as Lu Qing asked questions, he learned all the information he wanted to know before he stopped asking.
The group of cultivators also quieted down, looking at Lu Qing with unease.
During their conversation, they discovered that the young man before them did not seem to be the twisted, capricious, cruel, and bloodthirsty person they had imagined.
But who knows if this is just a facade put on by the other party?
Therefore, no one was sure whether Lu Qing would ultimately let them go.
Seeing that Lu Qing seemed to be thinking, no one dared to disturb him.
He could only wait in fear and unease for his final fate.
Lu Qing stood there, slowly sorting through the information he had just obtained.
After a while, feeling that he had grasped the situation, he looked up at the crowd in front of him.
The group of rogue cultivators immediately tensed up, anxiously awaiting Lu Qing's announcement of their final fate.
Looking at the fear and fawning on the faces of these rogue cultivators, Lu Qing couldn't help but sigh.
With his cultivation level, he could naturally tell that what these rogue cultivators were saying was basically the truth.
Moreover, much of the information he had previously obtained from the man's soul matched it.
They did indeed meet their own requirements, speaking frankly and without deceiving themselves.
Therefore, he also decided to let these people off this time.
Facing the expectant gazes of the group of rogue cultivators, Lu Qing said calmly, "Very good, you have been honest enough and have not talked nonsense. I will let you off this time."
However, the necessary punishments must still be imposed.
Wait a moment, hand over all the cultivation methods you are carrying.
If you can satisfy me, I'll let you leave. Are you willing?
"Yes, yes! We are willing!"
Upon hearing this, the group of independent cultivators immediately nodded in agreement, and not one of them dared to disagree.
After all, what is a mere cultivation method compared to life?
In this strange and mysterious realm, even spirit stones and pills are more precious than cultivation techniques.
They would be willing to exchange their cultivation techniques for their lives, or even for spirit stones and pills.
So, after all the rogue cultivators had offered up the jade slips containing their cultivation techniques, Lu Qing gently waved his hand and removed the sealing power from their bodies.
"Alright, you can all leave now."
"Thank you for your magnanimity, senior!"
"Thank you for sparing my life, senior!"
The rogue cultivators were overjoyed and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.
He immediately used his movement technique to escape into the distance.
He was afraid that if he was even a little slow, Lu Qing would change his mind.
Some of the fearful rogue cultivators, disregarding the depletion of their magical power, transformed into streaks of light and fled.
After all the rogue cultivators had left, Lu Qing turned his head and looked towards the Five Treasures Taoist.
The Five Treasures Taoist priest stood up, having already finished regulating his breathing and recovering.
However, seeing that Lu Qing was interrogating those rogue cultivators, he did not get up.
"Master, you heard what they said just now, didn't you? What are your thoughts?"
Lu Qing had naturally sensed it long ago; the Five Treasures Taoist had finished his meditation, so he wasn't surprised.
"According to those rogue cultivators, those powerful forces might actually know something. If we want to leave the secret realm, we probably have no choice but to start with them."
The Five Treasures Taoist priest analyzed.
