Chapter 243

Chapter 243: Changes in People’s Hearts, Holy Orders Are Useless

“Brother!”

Seeing the hook-nosed elder’s head severed by a single sword strike, the black-robed figure’s eyes lit up with horror, radiating a violent surge of spiritual power.

A chilling chill also emanated from his heart.

If even his brother was dead, then he surely wouldn’t survive!

Lu Qing was also somewhat surprised by his master’s sudden killing.

It seemed his master was truly enraged by the brothers’ brutal actions, even striking so decisively.

Now that the hook-nosed elder was dead, there was no point in keeping another alive.

Ignoring the black-robed figure’s pleading gaze, Lu Qing flung a stone, piercing his forehead, annihilating his spiritual power and utterly killing him.

Thus, the Liuyun Sect’s greatest strengths, two Innate Realm Grand Elders, had both perished at the hands of Lu Qing and his disciple.

However, despite having slain the culprit, Lu Qing felt no joy.

The old doctor was even more so. After beheading the hook-nosed elder, he stood there speechless for a long moment.

“Master.”

Lu Qing, noticing his master’s cheerful mood, called out softly.

“Ah Qing, I think I understand why I had that premonition when the sound of Heaven and Earth’s Dao resounded,”

the old doctor suddenly spoke.

Lu Qing was stunned.

“The changes in the heavens and earth have transformed not only the cultivation environment, but also people’s hearts.

What has revived is not just spiritual energy, but also all sorts of evil and demonic energy that can cloud the mind.

The shifting laws of heaven and earth have gradually clarified the previously shrouded path of martial arts, opening up the possibility of further advancement.

To achieve breakthroughs, some warriors will do whatever it takes to break through bottlenecks, even at the cost of violating taboos.

I have a feeling that the rules set by the Holy Mountain will soon become useless.”

Lu Qing fell silent.

He knew his master was right.

Warriors are obsessed with becoming stronger.

Now that the heavens and earth are changing and spiritual energy is resurrecting, martial arts practice has become even more full of possibilities.

Especially among those warriors in the Xiantian realm, those with exceptional talent have a great chance of breaking through their bottlenecks and ascending to higher levels.

It would be fine if one achieved this through honest and upright understanding of the changes in heaven and earth.

The fear is that some Xiantian Realm warriors, unwilling to follow the righteous path, will instead take shortcuts and devious means, harming sentient beings to achieve breakthroughs.

Just like the two brothers from the Liuyun Sect, they sacrificed lives, plundering their vital energy, blood, and souls to strengthen themselves.

Such a scenario would undoubtedly be a catastrophic disaster for all the people of the world.

As for the Holy Mountain’s prohibitions,

they might have been effective when the world was stable and power was balanced.

But now, with the world in flux and the rules loosening, each faction is scheming for its own interests. Who would truly heed such so-called prohibitions?

Perhaps the Holy Mountain itself is already overwhelmed.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t the Liuyun Sect cause such a commotion in Yunzhou this time, with no one from the Holy Mountain?

Even the Tianji Tower, known for upholding the Holy Mountain’s rules and possessing unparalleled intelligence, showed no disciples.

This can only mean one thing: something truly unsettled has occurred in Zhongzhou, leaving the Holy Mountain unable to attend to matters elsewhere.

“Master, it seems we must reach Zhongzhou soon to understand the true state of the world,” Lu Qing said.

“Very well, once this matter is resolved, we’ll depart immediately.” The old doctor nodded.

Zhongzhou is the most prosperous region in the world, a single state rivaling the sum of all the others. Only there can one truly understand the true state of the world.

“Senior! I’m here to help you!”

Just as Master Lu Qing and his disciple chatted, a figure flew in front of them. It was none other than the sword-wielding man.

“Senior, are you all right?”

the sword-wielding man was about to ask, but was suddenly taken aback by the sight of the old doctor.

It turned out that the old doctor had previously elevated his spirit and energy to peak form in order to break through the bloody realm, reverting to his middle-aged appearance, having just reached the Xiantian realm.

The sword-wielding man was stunned upon seeing this.

“It’s alright, those two evil thieves have been slain. There’s no need to worry.”

The old doctor, realizing what was happening, gathered his energy and blood, his hair and beard gradually turning white, and soon returned to his former self.

Seeing this, the sword-wielding man realized that the old doctor had deliberately maintained his aged appearance.

But he soon stopped dwelling on the question and was instead struck by the old doctor’s words.

“Senior, you said you’d killed the Mo Hu brothers…”

The sword-wielding man paused before he could finish his words.

Only then did he see the bodies of the hook-nosed old man and the black-robed figure lying on the ground, and his eyes widened.

“They were just two wanton villains who murdered lives at will. They deserve to be killed,” the old doctor said casually. “But sir, how are your disciples and fellow Daoists from Yunzhou doing?”

The sword-wielding man withdrew his shocked gaze, a look of sorrow crossing his face. “They’re not in good condition. Half of them have been killed by the Mo Hu brothers. The

rest have had their Qi and bone marrow drained of them through unholy means. Some of the weaker ones are nearing the end of their strength.

I’ve used my Qi to heal their injuries, and they’ve stabilized their condition for now.

But even so, I’m afraid some of my fellow Daoists won’t survive the day.”

If not for this, he wouldn’t have spent so much time at the restaurant.

“Oh, so serious?” The old doctor was surprised and said immediately, “Then let’s go over and take a look. I know some medical skills and may be able to help.”

“Senior, you know medicine?” the sword-wielding man exclaimed in surprise.

Given the old doctor’s unfathomable cultivation, his knowledge must be extraordinary.

“Just a little bit. Let’s go without delay.”

“Senior, please follow me!”

The sword-wielding man took one last look at the corpses of the Mohu brothers and immediately walked forward.

Lu Qing retrieved his longbow and followed him with his master.

The three of them quickly arrived at the restaurant. As they walked in, they were stunned by the sight of the dried corpses scattered all over the floor.

They knew these were the warriors killed by the hook-nosed old man’s evil magic.

They hadn’t expected their deaths to be so tragic.

“Grand Elder!”

“Senior Yan!”

The Silver Moon Sect leader and his companions, who were sitting cross-legged on the ground, healing their wounds, were initially surprised to see Lu Qing and his companions enter. Then, upon seeing Lu Qing and the old doctor, their faces turned wary.

“This is Senior Chen and his most talented disciple. Please step aside. Senior Chen is an expert in medicine. Let him check on the disciples from the Hundred Flowers Palace,” the sword-wielding man shouted.

The Silver Moon Sect leader and his companions were startled at first, then quickly stepped aside, revealing several figures lying behind them.

They were young women in white, their eyes now closed, unconscious. Their faces were pale and haggard, and even their once-glowing black hair had turned withered and gray.

The old doctor placed two fingers on the wrist of one of the women, quietly injecting a trace of innate true energy into her body to examine her internal condition.

Soon, the old doctor’s expression grew solemn.

Just as the sword-wielding man had said, the women were in dire straits.

Their Qi and blood were depleted, their pulses weak, and their vital energy practically extinguished, truly on the verge of exhaustion.

“Senior, how are my Baihua Palace disciples doing? Can they be saved?”

Deputy Palace Master Liu of Baihua Palace cautiously and respectfully asked the old doctor.

Seeing that even the Silver Moon Sect’s Grand Elder treated the old doctor with such respect, she naturally dared not neglect him.

“I’ll try my best,” the old doctor said solemnly. He pulled a needle bag from his bosom and turned to Lu Qing, saying, “Ah Qing, go get the medicine box. I need some medicine.”

“Yes, Master.”

Lu Qing had been using his supernatural powers to quietly check everyone in the restaurant, looking for anyone with ulterior motives. He

had just finished checking everyone when he heard his master’s instructions.

He nodded, turned and walked out of the restaurant, using his agility to quickly move in the direction of the carriage.

Seeing the seriousness on his master’s face, Lu Qing even briefly used the power of the Earth Talisman in his eyebrow acupoint to increase his speed.

He quickly returned to their tent.

“Young Master!”

“Brother!”

“Young Master Lu!”

Seeing Lu Qing return, Ma Gu and the others were all overjoyed and gathered around him.

“Don’t ask about the situation yet. I’ll tell you later. Master Ma, pack your things immediately and drive the carriage to town.

Master is saving someone in town and needs medicine. I’ll be leaving first. Xiaoyan, be good and don’t run around.”

Lu Qing interrupted everyone’s attempts to question him, shouldered a medicine box, and disappeared into the woods again.

The Ma Gu and the others were stunned.

“Master Ma, look at this…”

At this moment, the chubby middle-aged man politely addressed Ma Gu.

“Let’s do as the young master said. Since he’s let us go, the danger in town is clearly over. Let’s set off immediately

.” Ma Gu thought for a moment and said bluntly.

“Okay, let’s do as you say, Master Ma,” the chubby middle-aged man said quickly.

Ma Gu gave him a strange look.

He noticed that since his trip to the treetop, this man’s attitude towards them had become a little strange, he seemed much more respectful and reserved.

What had this Senior Xu seen in the treetops that caused such a drastic change in his attitude?

Ma Gu had a suspicion, but he didn’t expose it. Instead, he greeted Wei Zi’an and began packing.

After retrieving the medicine box, Lu Qing quickly returned to the restaurant.

“Master, here’s the medicine box,” Lu Qing handed it over.

The old doctor took it, opened it, and pulled out a white jade bottle. Uncorking it, he dripped a few drops of liquid medicine into the mouths of the unconscious Hundred Flowers Palace disciples.

Lu Qing recognized that the master was using the same precious life-saving elixir they had devised together, a combination of earth vein spirit fluid and century-old ginseng as the main ingredients, supplemented with other precious herbs.

He had used this same elixir to save Madam Wei from a critical illness, and Wei Zi’an from poisoning during an assassination attempt.

After administering the life-saving elixir, the old doctor began acupuncture, using the power of acupuncture to activate the medicine’s effects.

Soon, a hint of color appeared on the previously pale and haggard faces of several Hundred Flowers Palace disciples.

The faint breaths had become much more steady.

The warriors still alive in the restaurant were all exceptionally skilled. Even if they were frail, they still possessed considerable experience.

They could all see that the condition of the Hundred Flowers Palace disciples was clearly improving.

At least, they were much better than their earlier, lifeless state.

“Alright, their condition has stabilized for now,” the old doctor said softly.

Baihua Palace’s Deputy Palace Master Liu was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply to the old doctor, “Thank you, senior, for your help. This kindness will be forever remembered by everyone in Baihua Palace!”

“No need for such formalities. While their lives are not in danger for now, they are still very weak. For the next few months, they should refrain from engaging in combat and rest in peace. You must remember this,” the old doctor said gently.

“I will remember this,” Deputy Palace Master Liu replied respectfully.

After removing the needles from several of the Baihua Palace’s female disciples, the old doctor looked around, pondered for a moment, and then said,

“I see your qi and blood aren’t looking good either. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take your pulses and see how I can treat you.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at this.

They had all witnessed the old doctor’s medical prowess.

The condition of those Baihua Palace disciples was truly grave; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were halfway to the underworld.

Yet, even so, the old doctor had managed to save them in such a short time.

Such medical prowess could be described as bringing the dead back to life.

Remember, they had previously been drained of their vital energy and spirit by the Liuyun Sect’s Grand Elder through unholy means.

Though they’d survived, their bodies were severely weakened, and it wasn’t even clear if there were any underlying health issues.

Now, with such a miraculous doctor offering to diagnose and treat them, how could they refuse?

They all bowed and saluted: “Thank you, senior!”

Seeing that the master had already started to take the pulse of other people, Lu Qing also walked around the restaurant.

Soon, he stopped before a corpse.

Unlike the other shrunken corpses in the restaurant, sucked to dust, this one’s flesh was still alive.

A sword had pierced his forehead, and there was a slight strain on his right shoulder, as if his scapula had been broken.

“This person appears to be a disciple of the Liuyun Sect. When I entered, he attempted to hold other Yunzhou disciples hostage in the restaurant and threaten me, but I stabbed him to death,” the

sword-wielding man explained, having been keeping an eye on Lu Qing.

Lu Qing nodded and asked, “What about the Liuyun Sect leader? Didn’t you see him?”

“No,” the sword-wielding man shook his head. “He got a warning from the Mo Fox and fled. I was using my zhenqi to heal the injuries of the Baihua Palace disciples, so I didn’t pursue him.”

At this point, the sword-wielding man felt a little annoyed.

Mo Zhen’s cultivation was not low. He had already forged his own spiritual power, and was only a step away from the Xiantian realm.

Now that he has escaped, if he enters the Xiantian realm in the future, he will probably cause great trouble.

An Xiantian realm cultivator hiding in the shadows is still very terrifying.

Lu Qing saw the regret in the sword-wielding man and said nothing.

He was the one who let the person go, so any consequences in the future will only be borne by him.

Seeing Lu Qing’s silence, the sword-wielding man hesitated for a few breaths, and finally asked:

“Young Master, did you kill that black fox?”

(End of this chapter)