Translator: AnubisTL

"A G-Golden Core True Lord!" The ugly man's face paled instantly as he watched Li Qing approach step by step. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees.

Thud!

"This humble servant, Wulong, greets Senior!"

Wulong's head slammed heavily against the ground, and he didn't dare lift it, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

He never imagined he would be targeted by a core formation realm expert.

Could this senior be the one who abducted the virgin boys and girls?

Wulong didn't dare dwell on the thought. Even if he scoured every corner of his memory, he couldn't recall ever seeing this man before.

Li Qing strolled leisurely toward Wulong, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression utterly calm.

"You're a demonic cultivator? What do you need a hundred virgin boys and girls for?"

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Li Qing's eyes.

Having once been a mortal himself, Li Qing found the practice of abducting mortals to cultivate demonic arts particularly abhorrent.

In Wulong's worldview, however, there was nothing wrong with it.

This was the Great Wilderness Southern Region, the chaotic border between two demonic path sects.

Abducting mortals to refine their blood and souls, thereby enhancing one's demonic cultivation, was commonplace in this lawless region.

"I dare not deceive you, Senior. I intend to refine a Nine Sons Demonic Child and require a sufficient number of virgin boys and girls for the ritual."

"If Senior desires it, I can offer you the refinement method for the Nine Sons Demonic Child."

Before the man could finish speaking, Li Qing's hand flashed, and a condensed stream of true essence erupted from his palm, cleanly severing the man's head.

Thud!

Wulong's head rolled several times across the ground, his lifeless eyes staring up at Li Qing with disbelief and resentment.

He couldn't comprehend why he had died so abruptly and decisively.

Even in death, he remained clueless about the true reason for his demise.

Boom!

A crimson pill fire erupted, swiftly incinerating the headless corpse into ashes.

Under Li Qing's control, only a withered storage pouch remained intact amidst the ashes.

As Li Qing picked up the worn pouch, the Old City Lord immediately knelt beside him, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you, Immortal! Thank you for saving our lives!"

"May I ask your esteemed name, Immortal? I will immediately order the construction of a Longevity Shrine in your honor, where people will worship you day and night."

Li Qing ignored the Old City Lord's endless expressions of gratitude, his ears ringing with the man's effusive words.

He quickly scanned the contents of the storage pouch, losing interest almost immediately. It was pitifully meager, containing little more than eight hundred spirit stones, a few crudely refined magic artifacts, and a handful of jade slips.

As expected, the jade slips likely contained the demonic path inheritance the man had cultivated.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao," Li Qing asked casually, after stowing the pouch, "do you plan to rest in the city for a while?"

As for the Old City Lord's proposal to build a Longevity Shrine in his honor, Li Qing dismissed it as unnecessary and paid him no further attention.

The situation in the Great Wilderness Southern Region was far too complex. He understood perfectly what the mortal Old City Lord was after: to use the shrine to establish his authority and deter any demonic cultivators with designs on the city.

If Li Qing had already achieved invincibility, he wouldn't have minded such trivial matters. The mere threat of his reputation could safeguard a mortal town, and he would have gladly lent his name to the cause.

But alas, he had not yet reached that stage.

Establishing a Longevity Shrine bearing his likeness in the Great Wilderness Southern Region would inevitably attract trouble in the future.

Therefore, Li Qing had no intention of letting the old man build a Longevity Shrine to worship him day and night. Instead, he planned to erase all memories related to himself from the old man's mind.

Before Zhao Tianxiong could even speak, Li Qing acted.

His divine sense surged forth, instantly invading the mortal Old City Lord's Sea of Consciousness.

Li Qing's divine soul power was exceptionally potent and his control was meticulous, ensuring he didn't harm the mortal's fragile soul in the slightest.

Soon, a flood of memories surged forth—scenes the old man had personally experienced.

Within moments, Li Qing sifted through the vast sea of memories and located those related to himself.

Hum!

With a subtle shift of his divine sense power, Li Qing swiftly erased all memories connected to himself.

Having completed this task, he gently lowered the unconscious old man to the ground.

"True Lord Li, my mana reserves are still ample. Let's continue our journey. If we head southwest for a while longer, we should be able to find that secret realm," Zhao Tianxiong said, his expression complex.

He had witnessed everything that had just transpired. The Limitless True Lord's actions were truly flawless, leaving no trace behind.

After slaying a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, Li Qing not only used pill fire to obliterate the corpse, but also erased the nearby mortal's memories of the event.

In doing so, he had both punished evil and promoted good without attracting unnecessary trouble.

At that moment, Zhao Tianxiong felt deeply grateful for having secured such a capable ally for the Zhao Family's future.

He had initially been somewhat conflicted about Li Qing's tendency to meddle in affairs. Such people rarely lived long, but now it was clear that Li Qing's caution was commendable, far from the behavior of someone destined for an early grave.

On the contrary, this man possessed a strong sense of morality and trustworthiness. Entrusting the Zhao Family's future to him would allow Zhao Tianxiong to rest easy.

"Let's continue our journey," Li Qing said with a sigh, soaring into the air without another word.

Zhao Tianxiong followed closely behind. Hearing the sigh, he couldn't help but ask, "True Lord Li, why do you sigh? Is something troubling you?"

After a moment of silence, Li Qing revealed some of the memories he had inadvertently glimpsed within the Old City Lord's Sea of Consciousness:

"The southern region truly suffers under oppressive rule. I initially thought the old man was lying about the hundred abducted boys and girls to deceive the demonic cultivator, but after searching his memories, I discovered it was actually true."

A mortal's memories cannot lie. What Li Qing saw in the memory images was the truth.

He had personally witnessed a group of unidentified immortal cultivators intercept and seize the hundred young boys and girls the Old City Lord had prepared as tribute for Wulong.

Hearing this, Zhao Tianxiong, who was following behind, fell silent.

Though the Zhao Family had never aligned themselves with either the righteous or demonic paths, they could not tolerate such depraved acts.

The mere thought of sacrificing a hundred innocent children was utterly barbaric.

"True Lord Li, this is the Great Wilderness Southern Region. Things were better when the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty still ruled, at least they cared for the mortals under their jurisdiction. But since the dynasty's fall..."

Zhao Tianxiong trailed off, but Li Qing understood his meaning.

With the Immortal Dynasty gone, these abandoned mortals had become mere resources for demonic cultivators, especially rogue cultivators, to fuel their cultivation.

To these demonic cultivators, the powerless mortals were no different from pigs, dogs, cattle, or sheep.

In the worldview of many demonic path cultivators, mortals and immortal cultivators were essentially different species.

Such was the cruel and bloody reality of the demonic path.

"Ah, well, enough of that. There are too many injustices in the world. I can only deal with what's right in front of me." Li Qing shook his head, resolving to put the matter aside and focus on his journey.

His gaze returned to the mortal town he had just passed. In the shadows between the houses, a humanoid figure began to materialize.

Moments later, a figure half-cloaked in black emerged from the darkness.

"Damn it! Wulong is dead, and they took his storage pouch too."

"The worst part is, this person is an unidentified Core Formation True Lord. This is going to be a real headache."

"Now it'll be even harder to retrieve that extraordinary technique."

This individual was remarkably skilled at concealing their aura and hiding their presence. Even Li Qing's powerful divine sense had failed to detect them.

If Li Qing had seen this figure lurking in the shadows, he would have immediately recognized the problem.

The figure's attire was strikingly similar to the one he had glimpsed in the old man's Sea of Consciousness.

The mysterious cultivator who had abducted the young boys and girls had also worn this distinctive half-cloak, completely concealing their face and form.

(End of the Chapter)

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