Chapter 324

Chapter 324: Surviving for Tens of Thousands of Years, Negotiations and Threats

Around noon, Magu found a forest to park the carriage.

Lu Qing found a large rock nearby, jumped onto it, and sat cross-legged.

His mind quickly immersed itself in the Qiankun Yiqi Bag.

The old doctor stood by to protect him.

Meanwhile, within the Qiankun Yiqi Bag, the Plague Gourd was emitting waves of powerful energy, attempting to break free and escape.

However, as a spiritual artifact favoring space and wind, one of the Qiankun Yiqi Bag’s most powerful abilities was suppression and restraint.

Not to mention the Plague Gourd itself was damaged, it was ownerless, without anyone to control or activate it.

Even if it were intact and full of power, without anyone to activate it, it would be difficult to break free for a while.

However, Lu Qing also stored a lot of things within the Qiankun Yiqi Bag.

Although he had carefully suppressed the Plague Gourd in a separate location when he put it away,

if it recklessly wreaked havoc within, it could still destroy the contents.

“Old fellow, don’t waste your energy. You can’t get away with anything from my magic weapon.”

As Lu Qing’s mind was absorbed, the suppressing force within the Qiankun Qi Bag suddenly surged.

The Plague Gourd, which had been struggling and trembling slightly, was instantly pinned down, unable to move an inch.

Seeing no hope of escape, the Plague Gourd simply ceased its struggles and regained its composure.

However, it made no further movement, remaining still, as still as a dead object.

Lu Qing emitted a wave of spiritual energy: “Old fellow, you were struggling in there just to attract my attention, weren’t you? Why are you feigning death now?”

The Plague Gourd remained silent, seemingly oblivious to Lu Qing’s words.

Seeing this, Lu Qing didn’t want to indulge it.

“Since you’re feigning death, expect to be imprisoned here for ten or eight years.”

With this, he attempted to withdraw his mind.

Suddenly, the being within the Plague Gourd became restless.

If Lu Qing really wanted to trap him here for eight or ten years, without the nourishment of spiritual energy, his true spirit would probably be extinguished.

After enduring tens of thousands of years, he finally waited for the day when spiritual energy would revive. He absolutely did not want to fail at this moment.

“Wait, young man, we can discuss things slowly. Why are you so impatient?”

“Old man, you finally spoke?” Lu Qing smiled, but his tone was not very friendly. “I thought you were so stubborn and would keep pretending to be dead.”

“Why are you so aggressive, young man? I have no grudges against you. You keep saying bad things to me. This is not the demeanor of a cultivator, right?”

“No grudges?” Lu Qing sneered. “Old man, have you been in this broken gourd for too long? Your brain is not working well.

Weren’t you hostile to us before and almost hurt my master?”

“That was really forced. I didn’t want to be an enemy of you, young friends, but as a spirit of the weapon, I have no control over myself. Life and death are all in the hands of the master.

Qi Changfeng wants to be an enemy of you. How can I, a small spirit of the weapon that has been refined, disobey the master’s orders?”

The existence in the gourd sighed.

“Really?” Lu Qing sneered even more. “You’re feigning innocence, but, Plague Ghost, do you really think no one can see through your true nature?

You abandoned your body and possessed the spirit of your own magical weapon, lingering for tens of thousands of years before the opportunity for spiritual energy to revive.

Would you be so willing to be refined by a mere Xiantian realm cultivator?

In my opinion, Qi Changfeng is just a puppet you’ve bewitched.

You pretended to be refined by him, then took advantage of the opportunity to deceive the Qi family and unleash a plague in Fengzhou.

In this way, you cultivated the plague energy and restored your own health. Am I right?”

“How did you know?!”

These words immediately caused the Plague Gourd to vibrate. The

being within was in shock.

Not only was Lu Qing’s plan accurately explained, but

he also knew his true identity. After all, no one witnessed him possess his own magical weapon.

Such a secret, suddenly revealed,

was a matter of profound shock.

“Who are you?”

The being in the gourd could no longer remain calm and asked anxiously.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. The important thing is, old plague ghost, I know all your details. No matter how you pretend to be a ghost, it is useless to me.” Lu Qing said in an inexplicable tone.

But invisibly, it put a lot of pressure on the being in the gourd.

He originally thought that with his mysterious identity and tens of thousands of years of experience, it would be easy to control and bewitch a young boy.

But now he suddenly realized that his background had been completely seen through.

And he knew nothing about the other party’s origins.

He suddenly became a little panicked.

However, after all, he was an ancient being who had lived for tens of thousands of years.

The being in the gourd was only confused for a while, and soon regained his composure.

He thought for a moment and said frankly, “I didn’t expect you to know my background. Yes, I am the Plague Old Man.

I wonder which old friend of yours is with you? Could you please let them come out and chat with us?”

Indeed, the Plague Old Man immediately realized that there must be someone similar to himself around Lu Qing.

There must be an old fellow from tens of thousands of years ago who, like him, had survived the terrible Five Decays of Heaven and Man and survived to this day.

Otherwise, he would have found it hard to believe that a mere brat like Lu Qing could see through his tracks,

and know his identity and origins so clearly.

Was it the spirit of the Qiankun Yiqi Bag, or some other old, monstrous soul like him?

“Trying to trick me, Plague Old Ghost, stop dreaming!”

Seeing that the Plague Old Ghost seemed to have misunderstood, Lu Qing didn’t argue, but instead sneered.

“You alone aren’t worthy enough to force him to reveal himself!”

“Boy, don’t be so arrogant!”

Seeing Lu Qing constantly calling him “old ghost,” the Plague Old Ghost finally lost his patience.

“Since you know who I am, how dare you be so presumptuous! Didn’t the person next to you tell you about my former fame?”

“What, you still dare to be angry?” Lu Qing chuckled. “Plague Old Ghost, I think you’re just blind to reality and your own situation. Do

you think you still have the wherewithal to threaten me?”

The Plague Old Ghost fell silent.

He felt the repressive force emanating from the gourd and knew that Lu Qing was right.

In the current situation, he really didn’t have the qualifications to threaten the other party.

But of course, he couldn’t show weakness like this.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Boy, what do you want?”

“It’s simple. Release your true spirit and let my spiritual power leave a mark.” Lu Qing said bluntly.

“Impossible!”

However, the old man of plague refused without hesitation.

What a joke! Release the True Spirit and brand it.

If that were to happen, he would be completely refined, and his life or death would depend on Lu Qing’s thoughts.

As an antique who had lived for tens of thousands of years, how could the old man of plague possibly accept such an outcome?

“My young friend, it is impossible to ask this old man to release his true spirit. How about this.

Since you know my origin, you must have heard of my reputation in the world of immortal cultivation.

I know countless secret techniques of cultivation and magical powers. Any one of them is enough to make many geniuses in the world of immortal cultivation fight for it.

I will make a deal with you. As long as you send me out, I will teach you all these magical skills. How about it?”

“No, old ghost Plague, at this point, you still want to deceive the people with your lies. Do you think I am a fool like the fourth son of the Qi family, who practices your evil skills and then is controlled by your bewitchment?

There is only one way for you to leave here, that is to release your true spirit and let me refine you.

Otherwise, you will be trapped to death in my Qiankun Yiqi bag!

You old ghost have suffered for tens of thousands of years, and your true spirit must have been rotten long ago.

Without the nourishment of spiritual energy, I wonder how long you can last!”

Lu Qing was not tempted at all and threatened directly.

“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. A while ago, I was nourished by the plague energy condensed from the vitality of tens of thousands of people. My true spirit has long been restored, and it’s no big deal for

me to live for another thousand years. Maybe even if you die, I’ll still be alive and well.

Boy, you’re still a little naive to threaten me!”

Seeing that Lu Qing was unmoved, the old man finally understood that the boy in front of him was far more cunning than Qi Changfeng, the young man.

He simply tore off his face and disappeared into the depths of the gourd, no longer making a sound.

Seeing that he had been silent for a long time, Lu Qing thought, and in the space inside the Qiankun Qi bag,

countless strong winds suddenly appeared around the plague gourd, attacking it.

The Plague Old Man within the gourd, sensing this, couldn’t help but sneer.

“Boy, don’t waste your energy! While the Qiankun Qi Bag is powerful, its gale force can’t do anything to my Plague Gourd.

If you’re truly determined, consider my proposal carefully.

I always keep my word. If you’re willing to let me out, I’ll teach you unparalleled divine skills.

Even refining the Golden Core and achieving the Primordial Spirit will be a breeze in the future!”

“Really, old ghost? Do you really think I can’t do anything to you? Then just wait and see.”

Seeing that the gale force couldn’t do anything to the Plague Gourd, Lu Qing decided not to waste his energy.

After all, activating the Qiankun Qi Bag’s power was a tremendous drain on his mind.

However, seeing that the Plague Old Man seemed certain to defeat him, he also lost his temper.

After dispersing the gale force, he withdrew his mind from the Qiankun Qi Bag, refusing to engage in further conversation.

With Lu Qing’s mind withdrawn, the space within the Qiankun Qi Bag returned to calm.

The Plague Old Man waited for a long time. Seeing Lu Qing fall silent, he knew he was gone.

He quietly sensed the situation outside and found that the suppressive force exerted on the Plague Gourd remained, making it difficult for him to move. He

knew that Lu Qing had not lowered his vigilance against him.

Although he felt frustrated, the Plague Old Man could do nothing about it.

Although he had successfully possessed the spirit of the weapon, avoiding the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, greatly extending his lifespan and maintaining his true spirit,

he survived the tens of thousands of years of spiritual energy depletion. But this was not without a price.

On the contrary, the price he paid was extremely heavy.

First, after possessing the spirit of the weapon, he became the spirit of the Plague Gourd, and his once-astonishing cultivation vanished.

Aside from a trace of his true spirit, no power remained.

Second, although he could control the power of the Plague Gourd after becoming a spirit, he had lost the ability to cultivate independently.

To improve his rank, he needed assistance.

This was also why he chose Qi Changfeng to perform the initial refinement of the Plague Gourd.

Restoring his true state on his own would be far too slow.

This was also a flaw of spiritual artifacts.

As magical instruments imbued with the power of laws and endowed with a hint of spiritual immortality, spiritual artifacts had lifespans far exceeding those of any cultivator below the Ascension Realm.

However, this immortality also constrained them.

Breaking free from their constraints and ascending in rank was practically impossible on their own.

Only with external assistance was it possible.

But getting the Plague Old Man to accept his refinement was also a complete impossibility.

In that case, his life and death would be controlled by others, making him even worse off.

Therefore, no matter how Lu Qing threatened, the Plague Old Man would not release his true spirit.

All he had to do now was wait. Only when Lu Qing realized he was truly powerless could he begin the real negotiations.

Of this, the Plague Old Man was confident.

Although he had never personally confronted the Qiankun Yiqi Bag, the spiritual artifact, he had witnessed its power.

To be fair, at its peak, this magical weapon was no less powerful than his Plague Gourd.

However, it was a spiritual weapon imbued with the laws of space and wind,

and while it was indeed powerful in killing and suppressing enemies, it was impossible to forcibly break through the Plague Gourd’s protection and refine itself.

Therefore, the Plague Old Man possessed ample patience, waiting for Lu Qing’s willingness to negotiate.

His only concern was the last time he had instigated Qi Changfeng to unleash the plague in Fengzhou.

The plague energy, condensed from the vitality of over a hundred thousand people, nourished him and prevented the collapse of his true spirit.

However, that didn’t completely repair his true spirit.

If he didn’t receive nourishment from external spiritual energy within three years, his true spirit would collapse again.

His only hope now was that Lu Qing wouldn’t have the patience to wait that long.

“I just can’t believe a mere brat has the patience to keep me trapped for three years!”

The Plague Old Man raged, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent within him.

He swore that if he ever escaped, he would do everything in his power to exact revenge on the boy who had humiliated him so repeatedly today. If

this hatred remained unresolved, even if he could finally break free, cultivate his magical body, and regain his freedom, his thoughts would likely remain elusive.

“Ah Qing, what’s wrong?”

The old doctor on the boulder saw Lu Qing wake up and asked hurriedly.

“The problem is temporarily resolved,” Lu Qing said.

However, there was a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

“Master, let’s hurry back to Jiuli Village. There’s an old man I want to kill quickly!”

(End of this chapter)