Chapter 361

Chapter 361: Mental Recovery, Changes in the World, and Lu Qing’s Plan

When Lu Qing awoke from his trance and put away the Lihuo Cauldron,

Wei Xinghe hurriedly asked, “Young Master Lu, how is it?”

Having previously witnessed Lu Qing summon the Lihuo Cauldron, Wei Xinghe had vaguely guessed that the demon cultivator might not have completely perished.

After all, he had clearly seen a flash of black light emanate from the demon cultivator’s body as Lu Qing collected it.

Later, it was Lu Qing who collected it into the Lihuo Cauldron.

So, he probably understood what Lu Qing was talking about.

“It will take some time to completely remove the spells from Zihao and the others.

But I’ve found a way to restore their minds,” Lu Qing said.

“Really?”

Wei Xinghe was overjoyed.

What had previously pained him most about Zihao was his completely changed personality.

That cold, ruthless, and indifferent demeanor still chilled him to the bone.

Now, hearing Lu Qing say he could restore their minds, how could he not be overjoyed?

“Let me give it a try.”

Lu Qing formed a hand seal and, with his mind energizing it, sent strange vibrations seeping into the minds of Wei Zihao and the other Qingyun Sword Pavilion disciples.

Wei Zihao and the others were still at the post-natal realm, their brow acupoints still undeveloped, and their spirits were weak.

Furthermore, they were still unconscious, making them naturally unable to resist Lu Qing’s mental intrusion.

Soon, Lu Qing located the demonic energy imprint left by the demonic cultivator within their minds, controlling their minds.

Following the control technique taught by the demonic cultivator, Lu Qing mobilized his spiritual power and quickly dispelled the demonic energy.

He then stimulated the minds of the disciples, awakening them.

“Ahem!”

Wei Xinghe watched nervously as Lu Qing performed the spell. He then saw Wei Zihao and the others shudder and slowly open their eyes.

“What happened? Where are we?”

After waking up, Wei Zihao and the others glanced around, bewildered.

They were now in a cave, with only a flickering firelight, making it impossible to discern their location.

“Zihao!”

Wei Xinghe saw his son’s eyes were clear, no longer the strange and cold look he had had in the city. He realized he had truly regained his sanity and was overjoyed.

“Father, why are you here?”

Wei Zihao was startled at the sight of his father. He was about to stand, but he found himself utterly weak and aching, barely able to move. He was even more shocked.

“My body…”

“Don’t get up yet,” Wei Xinghe stopped his son. “You have been controlled by that demonic cultivator, losing your mind. A spell has been planted within you.

Now that the spell is deeply embedded, it’s continuously draining your vitality. That’s why Young Master Lu has temporarily sealed your energy…”

Wei Xinghe slowly recounted what he had learned.

“The demonic cultivator controlled your mind, lost your mind, and planted a spell…”

As Wei Zihao and the others listened to Wei Xinghe’s account, memories of their time under control began to slowly surface.

Pain gradually crossed their faces.

This was the terrifying aspect of the demonic cultivator’s spell.

The demon servants under his control only had their minds twisted, but their consciousness remained.

Even if the demonic mark controlling the servants was one day dispelled, the memories of their time under control would not vanish.

Such evil memories could easily corrupt a person’s mind, leading them back to the path of evil.

Fortunately, Wei Zihao and his companions were not under his control for very long, and to conceal their tracks, the demon cultivators had them secretly deploying formation nodes but not engaging in further evil deeds.

As a result, while Wei Zihao and his companions recalled memories of their time under control, their minds were at least intact, preventing their degeneration.

“Zihao, how did you become controlled by that demon cultivator? And how was Qingyun Sword Pavilion destroyed?”

Wei Xinghe finally asked, after Wei Zihao and his companions had recovered and were no longer seriously injured.

Lu Qing remained silent. Although he had already learned the details from the demon cultivators, he wanted to hear Wei Zihao and his companions’ side of the story.

To verify whether the demon cultivators were deceiving him

, Wei Zihao and his companions’ expressions suddenly became complicated.

There was fear and grief in his eyes.

After a long while, Wei Zihao calmed down and said, “Father, that evil cultivator was actually none other than our Sword Pavilion’s great-grandmaster.

And our Sword Pavilion was destroyed by him. Even the sect leader was tortured to death by him…”

Wei Zihao and the others immediately talked one after another, slowly recounting the process of the destruction of Qingyun Sword Pavilion.

Wei Xinghe’s heart trembled after hearing this. He never expected that Qingyun Sword Pavilion actually had such an evil and strange great-grandmaster.

He had sent his son to learn martial arts, which was really a tiger’s nest.

If Lu Qing hadn’t been there this time, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not only would they, father and son, die, but the entire provincial capital would also be in an irretrievable situation.

“After our sect leader was tortured to death by our great-grandmaster, he caught up with us before we could even escape Jeju. He also stole the sect’s hidden treasures.

Later, he controlled our minds and cast a spell on us.

Under our great-grandmaster’s great-grandmaster’s instructions, we spent months quietly laying out numerous formation nodes in the prefectural capital.

Later, you, father, learned everything about what happened after the formation was activated.”

At this point, Wei Zihao’s eyes revealed a look of deep guilt.

From his memory, he knew that after the formation was activated, many citizens in the prefectural capital perished.

Although they were under the control of the demon cultivators and set up the formation,

they were indeed partially responsible for the deaths of the city residents.

So Wei Zihao felt bad.

Several other Qingyun Sword Pavilion disciples also showed guilt on their faces.

“Okay, it’s all over. Now the formation in the provincial capital city has been broken and the demon cultivators have been killed. What you did in the city was against your will. It was not your fault. Don’t worry too much.”

Wei Xinghe saw the guilt in his sons’ hearts and comforted them.

As for whether they can let it go, it depends on their own character.

Fortunately, Wei Zihao and others are disciples of famous sects after all, and they are quite strong-willed.

After a while, they all calmed down temporarily.

Wei Zihao asked, “By the way, Father, where are we now?”

“We’re in a cave not far from the provincial capital.

Young Master Lu said that the demonic spell that has gripped you is extremely formidable.

It’s draining your vital energy in exchange for strength.

If it’s not resolved quickly, you’ll soon die from the exhaustion of your vital energy.

Young Master Lu just helped you break free from the control over your minds, allowing you to regain your sanity,”

Wei Xinghe explained.

Wei Zihao and the others shuddered, looking at Lu Qing with awe in their eyes.

Since they hadn’t lost their memories of the time their minds were controlled, they all knew the terrifying nature of this young man before them.

The Qingyun Sword Pavilion disciples, for example, had personally experienced Lu Qing’s power.

They still didn’t know what power Lu Qing had unleashed, easily suppressing them, then at the level of the Innate Realm, without them even moving.

As for Wei Zihao, this was even more of a mystery.

Several of his fellow disciples were suppressed by Lu Qing in advance and fell unconscious, so they were unable to see his battle with the demon cultivator.

But Wei Zihao had watched the battle from beginning to end.

Therefore, he knew even more deeply the terrifying depths of Lu Qing’s strength.

It was a level he couldn’t even dream of.

“Thank you, Young Master Lu, for saving my life, and for slaying that demonic cultivator, avenging our Qingyun Sword Sect’s blood feud.”

Unable to rise, Wei Zihao could only reluctantly clasp his fists and bow, his face filled with gratitude.

“Thank you, Young Master Lu, for saving my life!”

Several other Qingyun Sword Sect disciples also thanked him respectfully.

“No need for formalities. Here’s a bottle of healing medicine. Share it among you.

I’ve temporarily suppressed the spells within you.

After you take the medicine, your injuries should be healed by tomorrow.

We’ll then depart for Cang County and see how the spells are removed.”

Lu Qing produced a bottle of medicinal pills and handed them to Wei Zihao and the others.

As they took the medicine to heal their wounds, his mind once again returned to the Lihuo Cauldron.

“Master, have their minds recovered?”

Upon seeing Lu Qing enter, the demon cultivator immediately greeted him with eagerness.

Everything was sealed within the spiritual artifact’s space, and at his current level, the demon cultivator couldn’t sense anything outside.

“Indeed, I’ve removed the demonic mark from their minds, and they’ve regained their sanity.

You’re sensible enough not to lie to me,”

Lu Qing nodded.

“How dare this little slave! I’m enslaved now, and if I had second thoughts, how could I hide them from you, Master?” the demon cultivator exclaimed hurriedly.

Lu Qing had imprinted the demon cultivator’s soul mark upon his true spirit, completely enslaving him.

Any thought he harbored that might harm Lu Qing would be detected.

Therefore, he absolutely dared not entertain any other thoughts.

Hearing this, Lu Qing remained silent.

While he admittedly could sense the demon cultivator’s thoughts at any moment under his soul enslavement, he could still sense them.

But even so, he wouldn’t completely trust the demon cultivator’s words.

He knew the world of cultivation was vast, with countless masters of profound cultivation.

For example, in the Tianyuan World, countless beings possessed profound supernatural

powers. The myriad of strange and bizarre cultivation techniques were even more numerous. Who

knew if there were some strange technique capable of dispelling soul enslavement?

Who knew if this demon cultivator had cultivated some unholy technique that could conceal his thoughts from his perception?

“Alright, considering you’re relatively honest, I’ll grant you some demonic energy to help heal your soul.

Once you’ve recovered to a certain level, immediately remove the spells from Wei Zihao and the others.”

Lu Qing said this, and a severed black palm suddenly appeared before him, which he tossed to the demon cultivator.

It was the same hand he had severed with his sword during their earlier battle.

“Thank you, Master!”

The demon cultivator, overjoyed at the sight of the severed palm, immediately pounced on it and began to absorb the demonic energy within.

Having previously been refined by Lu Qing’s spiritual fire in the cauldron, his essence had been largely depleted, leaving him in a precarious state.

If he didn’t quickly absorb the demonic energy to replenish his essence, it wouldn’t be long before he would collapse and dissipate without Lu Qing’s intervention.

While the demon cultivator was absorbing the demonic energy to recover,

the figure of “Yan” appeared beside Lu Qing.

“Young Master, do you intend to spare this demon cultivator’s life?”

“For now, let’s keep him. This demon cultivator has an extraordinary background. I have something I want to learn from him. He’s still useful for the time being,” Lu Qing said calmly.

This demon cultivator’s predecessor hailed from the Tianyuan World, and Lu Qing was quite curious about this.

“Young Master, it’s good to be aware of this. However, demon cultivators are naturally cunning, and this demon has a strange origin. You’d better be careful. Soul enslavement isn’t foolproof,” “

Yan” warned.

“Don’t worry, senior. I have my own plans,” Lu Qing said.

He had never considered releasing this demon cultivator from the spiritual artifact space.

As long as he was in the spiritual artifact space, Lu Qing had a thousand ways to control him.

Besides, he had never said he would definitely let him live.

Seeing Lu Qing’s confidence, Yan nodded and said nothing more.

It had witnessed Lu Qing’s meticulousness. When

this young man really tried to scheme, even it had fallen flat on its face.

Since he had already made his plans, there was no need for further persuasion.

Lu Qing’s conversation with Yan seemed to be conducted in front of the demon cultivator, but the demon cultivator remained unmoved.

This was because within the spiritual artifact space, Lu Qing and Yan were in charge of everything.

Their conversation naturally wouldn’t reach the demon cultivator.

After tossing the severed palm to the demon cultivator, Lu Qing’s mind didn’t linger long in the Lihuo Cauldron, quickly withdrawing.

He glanced over and saw that Wei Zihao and the others were still healing, so he didn’t disturb them. He

continued to sit cross-legged, his spiritual power surging from the acupoint between his eyebrows, radiating outward, sensing the surrounding space and heaven.

The Dao Sound of Heaven and Earth rang out for the fourth time today, but he hadn’t had time to fully sense the changes within.

Lu Qing’s spiritual power was now immense, comparable to that of a true Foundation Establishment cultivator.

So he quickly felt the difference between heaven and earth.

Needless to say, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth became more abundant.

What most concerned Lu Qing was that after the fourth Heavenly Dao Sound, the laws of heaven and earth had evolved, becoming even more stable and complete.

The invisible suppression he had felt after reaching the Great Perfection of Qi Refining had vanished.

He knew this was due to the further evolution and perfection of the laws of heaven and earth, allowing them to accommodate even more powerful cultivators.

This meant that in the days ahead, he wouldn’t have to worry about his rapid cultivation leading to a similar experience as he had on his way to Zhongzhou.

He had reached the required cultivation level, but the imperfections of the laws of heaven and earth prevented

him from breaking through. This time, the evolution of the laws of heaven and earth was finally advancing his cultivation.

From now on, as long as he cultivated step by step, his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage should be unimpeded.

Upon realizing this, Lu Qing felt a surge of joy.

While the further refinement of the laws of heaven and earth had significantly weakened the constraints on the powerful,

those mysterious secret places might reveal a truly powerful being.

However, with Lu Qing’s current strength, he wouldn’t be intimidated even by a true Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Furthermore, he possessed several spiritual artifacts.

With these powerful weapons in hand, he has the confidence to fight against even a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator, let alone an ordinary one.

“Xuankong Mountain, I hope you can give me some surprises when the time comes.”

A fierce look appeared in Lu Qing’s eyes.

(End of this chapter)