Chapter 601
"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you heading to the ancient tower?" Qin Zheng asked in surprise.
The other disciples of the Qiankun Sect also turned to look.
"That's right. Yesterday, while battling that Black Wolf Beast, I gained so insight into one of my Techniques. Though I haven’t fully comprehended it yet, I’d like to head back and test it again, see if it yields anything new," Lu Qing explained casually.
"So that's it. Then let us accompany you," Qin Zheng said, suddenly understanding.
Insights related to cultivation were rare and invaluable. Missing such a mont might an waiting indefinitely for the next opportunity.
"There's no need for all that trouble. I can go alone. I'm already familiar with the path, and it won’t take
long to make the trip," Lu Qing declined.
He would likely need to visit the plains outside the tower several more tis. It wouldn’t be practical to drag everyone along with him each ti.
"But how could that be?" Qin Zheng protested anxiously. "There are surely powerful enemies hiding in the dense forest beyond the tower, and didn’t I just ntion? The Gongshu Clan is likely to strike from the shadows."
"No need to worry about that. While I may lack in other areas, escaping is sothing I excel at. As long as I'm cautious, I don't believe anyone in this secret realm can truly pin
down."
Seeing Lu Qing’s confident deanor, Qin Zheng was montarily at a loss for words.
The others felt the sa. They were uneasy about Lu Qing venturing out alone, but since he was their sect’s benefactor and had clearly made up his mind, there was little they could do to stop him.
In the end, under Lu Qing’s insistence, Qin Zheng and the others could only watch him leave the valley, worried looks on their faces.
"Second Senior Brother, what should we do? What if Brother Chen runs into a trap from the Gongshu Clan and sothing happens to him?" Chu Xiaojing said anxiously as she watched Lu Qing’s departing figure.
"Fellow Daoist Chen insisted on going alone. There’s nothing we can do about it," Qin Zheng replied helplessly. "With soone at his cultivation level, his will is bound to be firm. Once he’s made a decision, others can’t easily sway him."
"Even so…" Chu Xiaojing bit her lip, flushed with worry, but could not find another argunt.
Ye Qingzhu and the others felt the sa. They were deeply concerned but at a complete loss.
"Actually, there's no need to worry so much," Daoist Wubao suddenly said.
Indeed, even he hadn't been brought along by Lu Qing this ti.
"And why do you say that, Daoist?" Qin Zheng’s heart stirred.
"You’re worried that Fellow Daoist Chen might fall into a Gongshu ambush, but that’s unlikely," Daoist Wubao said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist Chen not only possesses unfathomable strength, but his Spiritual Sense is exceptionally sharp. Few can escape his detection.
"Moreover, that spirit beast of his is truly extraordinary. It appears to have a unique sensing ability, capable of perceiving things others cannot. Even the most advanced concealnt Techniques can't fool it."
That spirit beast?
Everyone recalled the raccoon-like spirit beast that usually lounged in Lu Qing’s arms, snoozing.
Who would've thought that aside from being adorable, it had such mystical powers?
Ye Qingzhu and Zixiao, however, rembered the terrifying aura that had briefly flared from Xiaoli back when they were at Viewing Peak, studying the Dao-Imbued Inscriptions of Tianxu City.
That mont had clearly not been an illusion. It seed that cute spirit beast really was sothing extraordinary.
"Even so, the Gongshu Clan is one of the top-ranking families among the Thirty-Six High Clans. Their foundations run deep. They possess not only powerful Techniques but also mighty artifacts. What if Gongshu Yu brought so treasure that conceals their aura? Fellow Daoist Chen and his beast might not detect it," Qin Zheng said, still uneasy.
He wasn't being paranoid. He simply understood all too well how fearso these high clans were. When such a force set their sights on you, no amount of caution was too much.
"In fact, before Fellow Daoist Chen and I t up with you all, we had already run into the Gongshu Clan," Daoist Wubao revealed. "That Gongshu Yu used a treasure to conceal his presence, but he was still exposed by Fellow Daoist Chen at a glance."
"You encountered the Gongshu Clan already?" Qin Zheng and the others were taken aback.
"That's right. It was in this sa forest. Gongshu Yu was shocked when his presence was uncovered. He even remarked that few had ever seen through the concealnt effect of his Unseen Mist Concealnt Technique…”
As Daoist Wubao recounted their earlier encounter, Lu Qing had already darted through the forest and arrived at the plains outside the ancient tower.
There, he suddenly froze.
In the area where he had killed a Black Wolf Beast the day before, another one now stood.
The plains still held eighteen Guardian Beasts, encircling the tower with an ironclad defense.
"Why is there another Black Wolf Beast?" Lu Qing muttered, a strange thought taking root. "Could it be that the Guardian Beasts of the plain are fixed in number? And if one falls, the ancient tower replenishes them?"
His heart surged with joy.
If that were true, he’d never need to worry about how to split the Golden Core-level True Blood with Xiaoli again.
"But I can’t be sure yet. I’ll need to test it again."
With that thought, Lu Qing vanished into the plain, stepping into the domain of one of the Black Wolf Beasts.
The beast imdiately stirred, roaring as it lunged at him.
"Still the sa trick?" Lu Qing smiled faintly. The Earth Vein Magnetism Field erupted beneath his feet, layers of magnetic force shackling the Black Wolf, drastically reducing its speed.
Lu Qing then raised his fists, and a tiger's roar and dragon’s cry echoed out, shaking the surroundings.
"Who dares approach the tower?!"
The commotion instantly drew the attention of many hidden experts lurking in the forest.
But by the ti they tried to investigate, the battle was already over. A single figure had darted back into the woods, completely vanishing without a trace.
They hadn’t even gotten a good look at him.
All they saw was the plain now short one Guardian Beast—one Black Wolf Beast was gone.
"Another Black Wolf Beast is missing—was it killed again?"
"Could it have been that young man who ca with the Qiankun Sect yesterday?"
"Most likely. That tiger’s roar and dragon’s cry was the sa fist manifestation he used yesterday."
"Why is he targeting these Black Wolf Beasts? Does he have a grudge against them?"
"Or is there so secret hidden inside these beasts?"
"If he keeps killing them, won’t he provoke those terrifying Guardian Beasts deeper inside the plain into taking action?"
…
Though the hidden experts hadn’t seen Lu Qing’s face, the clues left behind allowed them to quickly deduce that the one hunting the Black Wolf Beasts was the young man who had co with the Qiankun Sect.
What they couldn't figure out was why Lu Qing was doing it.
Was he planning to pick off the Guardian Beasts one by one to reach the tower?
Or was there so secret within these beasts?
For now, the hidden experts could only speculate.
As for Lu Qing, he had no ti to bother with any of that.
At that mont, Lu Qing was crouched atop a large tree on the edge of the forest, his aura concealed, eyes fixed intently on the plains.
With his Perfect Golden Core’s formless and shapeless nature, it was effortless for him to mask his presence—none could detect him.
He kept his gaze trained on the plains. After he had slain that Black Wolf Beast, the two nearby black wolves had stirred restlessly.
But before they could arrive, Lu Qing had already slipped away.
The two beasts could only howl in frustration at the edge of the plains for a while before returning to their original positions.
Once everything had quieted down again, Lu Qing’s eyes narrowed suddenly.
From the center of the plain, the ancient tower cast forth a beam of light, striking the area ahead.
When the light faded, another Black Wolf Beast—virtually identical—appeared precisely where the previous one had been slain, filling the empty slot.
"As I thought—the ancient tower replenishes any lost beasts, always maintaining eighteen Guardian Beasts!"
Witnessing this, Lu Qing felt a surge of joy.
That ant he could hunt these Golden Core Realm Beasts to his heart’s content, extracting the Primordial Blood of the Wu within them to further his own transformation.
And even Xiaoli’s share would be guaranteed.
“Ah Qing, if these beasts can be replenished, then doesn’t that an…” Xiaoli’s excited voice sounded in his mind.
“Yes, we’ll soon have a good stock of Golden Core bloodlines,” Lu Qing replied.
Without further delay, he leapt down from the tree and dashed toward the plains once more.
He quickly reached the area guarded by one of the Black Wolf Beasts.
But this ti, the mont he activated the beast in his zone, he also slashed out two streaks of sword qi, striking at the adjacent territories where two more Black Wolf Beasts stood.
Indeed, to increase efficiency, Lu Qing had deliberately provoked three Black Wolf Beasts at once.
As three furious roars shook the air, the many hidden experts in the forest—who had just withdrawn their Spiritual Senses—were startled anew.
"What now? Soone else trying to challenge the tower?"
"What is it with today? Why are so many people provoking the tower’s guards?"
"Wait, it’s him again—that sa young man!"
When the experts in the woods got a clear look, they were all stunned.
It was indeed the sa young cultivator who had slain a Black Wolf Beast the day before.
That confird he had also caused the earlier commotion.
"What is this person trying to do? Could it be there really is a secret inside those Guardian Beasts?"
They watched as Lu Qing used so invisible force to immobilize the three Black Wolf Beasts and then, with brutal precision, smashed their heads one by one.
He quickly collected their corpses—blood and all—and vanished back into the forest.
Even the dullest of onlookers now realized sothing was off.
There had to be sothing hidden within these Guardian Beasts that they hadn't discovered.
Otherwise, why would this young man repeatedly hunt them, leaving nothing behind—not even a drop of blood?
Suddenly, many of the hidden experts felt their minds stirring.
So of the more powerful ones were already wondering whether they, too, should hunt a Guardian Beast or two to investigate.
And they wasted no ti.
As Lu Qing prepared to move again—watching from a tree while the ancient tower once more released three new Black Wolf Beasts—he was stunned to see others beat him to it.
Several powerful figures erged from the woods, rushing onto the plains and attacking the freshly summoned Black Wolf Beasts.
"So they really have begun to suspect sothing because of my actions," Lu Qing realized.
He had known that repeatedly hunting Guardian Beasts was bound to attract attention.
But he hadn’t expected the other experts to react this quickly.
These forest-dwelling elites were no fools—they were sharp and perceptive.
It was only natural that they would grow curious about his motives.
"I guess this is as far as I go for today," Lu Qing sighed.
Though he’d anticipated this eventual scrutiny, he didn’t think it would escalate so soon.
He wasn’t ready to interact with these other forces yet, so he decided to retreat for now.
Silently, he slipped down from the tree, masking his aura, and began weaving through the forest with incredible speed.
With his acute Spiritual Sense—and Xiaoli’s otherworldly detection abilities—Lu Qing easily avoided every hidden expert in the woods, leaving no trace of his passing.
Soon, he returned to the valley without alarming a soul.
Although the protective formation over the valley had been set up by the Qiankun Sect disciples, Lu Qing had already been granted the incantation needed to co and go freely, so he didn’t have to trouble anyone to open it for him.
"Where are you all headed?"
As soon as he stepped into the valley, Lu Qing spotted Qin Zheng and the others gathered together, seemingly about to set out.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you’re back!" they all cried out in surprise.
"Qin Zheng and the others were just about to head out to find you," Daoist Wubao explained from the side.
It turned out that the roars of the Guardian Beasts had drifted faintly to their ears from the direction of the ancient tower. Fearing the worst, they had decided to go et Lu Qing.
Little did they expect he’d return just as they were setting out.
"I see. My thanks to you all," Lu Qing said gratefully. "But my escape skills are still quite excellent. Ordinary folks won’t be able to keep
down."
"Fellow Daoist Chen," Qin Zheng said, "from the sound of it, there was more than one beast involved. What exactly happened near the tower?"
Even now, the howls from that direction could still be faintly heard.
"There were other powerful cultivators fighting the Guardian Beasts. I didn’t want to get involved, so I ca back first."
"I see," Qin Zheng nodded, finally understanding.
That made more sense—Lu Qing was not soone who would be so careless as to get trapped by a pack of beasts.
"Everyone, I’ll need to enter seclusion for a while and would like to borrow the cabin again."
After explaining, Lu Qing spoke once more.
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