CHAPTER 495

"Junior Sister Xiaoyan, is that demonic cultivator dead?"

Mu Tian looked at the fallen figure of the demonic cultivator ahead and asked.

Although the Death Aura attack unleashed by the demonic cultivator earlier was formidable, those standing beside Lu Qing naturally remained unharmed.

"He should be dead."

Xiaoyan responded somewhat uncertainly.

From her perception, the demonic cultivator’s aura had completely dissipated, showing no signs of life.

However, her brother had once told her not to rely solely on soul perception. When facing an enemy, even if they appeared lifeless, one must remain vigilant.

Moreover, this demonic cultivator was clearly skilled in corpse refinement, making her even more cautious.

Xiaoyan couldn't help but glance at her brother.

Lu Qing smiled faintly. "Since you're unsure, what did I teach you before?"

Xiaoyan thought for a moment before realization dawned on her.

She retrieved a fiery-red talisman from her storage artifact.

With a thought, a dragon's roar echoed through the air.

A blazing fire dragon burst forth, surging toward the fallen demonic cultivator.

Boom!

The power of the fire dragon was immense, equivalent to a full-force strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As it struck the demonic cultivator’s corpse, the body was swiftly incinerated, turning to ashes at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In no time, only a pile of dust remained, along with a few pitch-black artifacts scattered on the ground.

Throughout the entire process, the demonic cultivator did not move an inch.

"Brother, he’s dead now," Xiaoyan reported to Lu Qing.

"……"

Mu Tian and the others were momentarily speechless.

When Lu Qing spoke earlier, they thought he had taught Xiaoyan some secret technique to verify if an enemy was truly dead.

Unexpectedly, the method was simply burning the body to ashes—a straightforward but effective approach.

Nevertheless, this method ensured absolute confirmation.

The demonic cultivator was undoubtedly dead beyond all doubt.

Lu Qing nodded.

Of course, he could have determined whether the demonic cultivator was truly dead.

But caution was a lesson Xiaoyan needed to learn.

And from what he saw, she had indeed taken his teachings to heart.

"Not bad. It seems you've grasped the essence of Master’s swordsmanship," Lu Qing praised.

Xiaoyan’s execution of the flying sword technique earlier had been precise and controlled. She had even integrated it with her innate ice-attribute spiritual power, effortlessly slaying a Foundation Establishment realm opponent. ɽαꞐÔᛒÊş

This level of mastery left him quite satisfied.

To be honest, Lu Qing was a bit surprised.

Back when Xiaoyan reached the peak of the Precelestial Realm, he had asked her what combat techniques she wished to specialize in.

To his surprise, the little girl had chosen flying sword techniques.

As a result, Lu Qing had specially forged a high-grade treasured flying sword for her.

Over the years, she had diligently practiced swordsmanship under their master’s guidance in Jiuli Village.

Judging from today’s performance, her efforts had paid off.

However, during this battle, Xiaoyan had not even used her life-bound flying sword.

The one she had wielded was merely an ordinary treasured sword.

Had she used her life-bound flying sword, a weapon Lu Qing had spent considerable effort refining, even a Golden Core cultivator would have suffered greatly if caught off guard.

"Hehe, Brother, I haven’t slacked off in my cultivation, right?"

Hearing her brother’s praise, Xiaoyan beamed with joy, looking just like the little girl who used to follow Lu Qing around years ago.

"Mm, you’ve passed the test. I’ll reward you later," Lu Qing said with a smile.

"Really?"

Xiaoyan’s excitement grew even more.

Mu Tian and the others, overhearing the siblings’ conversation, understood immediately.

Indeed, Xiaoyan came from an extraordinary background.

But which powerful sect or faction did she belong to?

Could she be from one of the Three Great Secret Lands?

Mu Tian and the others mentally reviewed the top sects of the world but couldn’t recall any with such a prodigious disciple as Xiaoyan.

After all, she had just slain a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator.

More importantly, she was still so young.

Such extraordinary talent would surpass even the most elite true disciples of Zhongzhou’s top sects.

The only possibility they could think of was that she hailed from one of the Three Great Secret Lands, shrouded in mystery for ages.

Even the Holy Mountain had never heard of such a peerless genius.

While they speculated, Lu Qing stepped forward and picked up the pitch-black artifacts left behind after the demonic cultivator was burned to ashes.

Most of these demonic artifacts had suffered damage from the talisman’s flames, significantly reducing their power.

Only one remained intact—a black jade pendant.

"Hmm?"

Lu Qing examined the jade pendant and let out a soft hum.

From his perception, the craftsmanship of this pendant was quite intricate, far beyond what a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could create.

Moreover, it lacked the ancient aura of relics from bygone eras.

Clearly, this was a recently crafted artifact, not some lost treasure from antiquity.

"Brother, what’s wrong?" Xiaoyan asked.

"It’s nothing."

Lu Qing shook his head and activated his special ability while continuing to observe the jade pendant.

Soon, a faint golden glow shimmered over the pendant.

Several lines of floating text emerged.

【Profound Nether Jade Pendant: A high-grade artifact forged from Profound Nether Black Jade.】

【Profound Nether Black Jade: A rare gemstone found deep underground in areas saturated with Death Aura.】

【This jade pendant was crafted by a certain Golden Core demonic cultivator. It possesses the ability to stabilize the mind and suppress inner demons.】

"Profound Nether Black Jade, huh…"

Seeing the floating text, Lu Qing understood immediately.

The Li Huo Sect’s records contained mentions of Profound Nether Black Jade.

This type of black jade could only be found in places of death and desolation, where it formed after centuries of exposure to Death Aura.

It was renowned for its calming effects, suppressing inner demons and clearing the mind.

For cultivators, it was a precious artifact for maintaining mental stability.

For demonic cultivators and devil practitioners, it was even more valuable.

Since their cultivation techniques often led to frequent inner demons, they coveted Profound Nether Black Jade immensely.

The highest-grade Profound Nether Black Jade could tempt even Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivators.

However, the pendant in Lu Qing’s hand was low-grade, made from inferior Profound Nether Black Jade.

Its effects were limited, useful only for Foundation Establishment cultivators at best.

For someone of Lu Qing’s level, it was practically useless.

But what caught his attention wasn’t the jade’s properties.

It was the other piece of information revealed by his ability:

"Forged by a certain Golden Core demonic cultivator."

"So, there’s someone else behind this…"

Lu Qing’s gaze darkened as he looked at the black jade pendant, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.