CHAPTER 496

As he gazed at the Profound Nether Jade Pendant in his hand, a hint of coldness surfaced in Lu Qing’s eyes.

The image of that mother and child’s withered corpses resurfaced in his mind.

Earlier, he had refrained from taking action because it was Xiao Yan’s trial.

Now that he was aware of a stronger force behind this demonic cultivator, he had no intention of letting it go unchecked.

From his Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag, Lu Qing retrieved an Eight Trigrams Artifact.

This artifact had been obtained when he slew one of the two extraterrestrial invaders, a gray-robed man, and looted his storage artifact.

Later, Lu Qing discovered that this was a remarkable divination artifact known as the Mysterious Eight Trigrams Compass.

Its primary function was to trace back to the source and deduce causal connections.

Placing the Profound Nether Jade Pendant into the Mysterious Eight Trigrams Compass, Lu Qing activated it with his spiritual sense, causing the artifact to spin rapidly and begin its deduction.

Lu Qing waited patiently.

The Mysterious Eight Trigrams Compass was incredibly potent at deducing causality.

Unless the Golden Core cultivator backing the demonic cultivator had a treasure or secret technique capable of concealing cause and effect, there was no way they could escape its calculations.

Sure enough, after a series of rotations and deductions, the Mysterious Eight Trigrams Compass gradually came to a stop.

A thin, red Thread of Causality emerged from within, pointing toward a distant direction.

"Big Brother, what are you doing?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

As for Mu Tian and the others, they naturally did not dare to interrupt Lu Qing.

From the way the siblings spoke, it was clear that Xiao Yan relied heavily on Lu Qing.

If Xiao Yan was already so powerful, then just how terrifying was the older brother she depended on?

Unconsciously, Mu Tian and his group felt a deep sense of awe toward Lu Qing.

"It’s nothing," Lu Qing replied with a smile. "It seems there’s a more powerful figure behind this demonic cultivator, so I’m using a treasure to divine some answers."

"Did you figure it out, Brother?" Xiao Yan asked, unfazed by the revelation that the demonic cultivator had backing.

Lu Qing nodded. "Yes, I’m planning to track them down. Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course!" Xiao Yan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

It had been a while since she had gone on an adventure with her brother.

"In that case, let’s finish up here and head out."

At that moment, Lu Qing sensed several burning gazes on him.

Turning his head, he saw Mu Tian and his group looking at him with eager expressions.

Lu Qing hesitated. "You all want to come too?"

Mu Tian and the others nodded enthusiastically.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Qing said, "That’s fine. We’ll go together. But first, let’s deal with the demonic corpses in this village."

His impression of Xiao Yan’s friends was rather favorable.

Even in such a desperate situation, they had refused to beg or surrender to the demonic cultivator.

At the very least, their willpower and moral compass were upright.

Letting them tag along to gain experience wasn’t a bad idea.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chen!"

Mu Tian and the others were overjoyed.

Under Lu Qing’s guidance, they gathered and piled up all the demonic corpses.

"Senior Brother Chen, we’ve checked. All the demonic corpses from the village have been brought here," Mu Tian reported.

"Well done."

Lu Qing gazed at the small mountain of dried corpses in the village center and let out a sigh.

Among them were elders, women, and children, numbering nearly a hundred in total.

It was evident that the entire Qiu Clan Village had been slaughtered by the demonic cultivator.

A cold killing intent flickered in Lu Qing’s heart.

With a flick of his fingers, a transparent flame emerged from his fingertips and landed on the corpse pile.

In an instant, blazing flames soared skyward, engulfing the entire pile.

These corpses had been converted into demonic corpses through a Corpse Refining Formation.

Even in death, their bodies were saturated with Death Aura, making it impossible to bury them properly.

If left unattended, they could easily contaminate other living beings, causing unnecessary disasters.

The only solution was to burn them, completely erasing the Death Aura.

Lu Qing’s Nanming Bright Fire was immensely powerful. Even the remnants of the three Iron Corpses had been unable to withstand it.

In a short period, the small mountain of corpses was reduced to nothing but white ashes.

Afterward, Lu Qing meticulously removed all remnants of the Corpse Refining Formation from Qiu Clan Village.

Once he confirmed that there were no lingering hazards, Lu Qing finally spoke:

"Alright, let’s move out."

"Senior Brother Chen, which way should we go?" Mu Tian asked.

"No need to worry. Just follow me."

As he spoke, Lu Qing waved his hand, and a small boat suddenly appeared out of thin air.

In an instant, the boat expanded, becoming large enough to accommodate multiple passengers.

It was the golden flying boat, Lu Qing’s most frequently used flying artifact.

However, to conceal his identity, he had adjusted its appearance, only allowing it to emit a faint golden glow.

Even so, Mu Tian and the others were shocked beyond belief.

"This… this is a flying artifact?!"

Mu Tian stared at the hovering boat in utter disbelief.

Zhao Feng and the others wore similar expressions of astonishment.

In recent years, as spiritual energy continued to revive, many ancient ruins had begun to reappear.

Some lucky individuals had obtained ancient treasures, including artifacts and magical tools.

However, most of these ancient artifacts had long since lost their luster, their power greatly diminished.

Only after years of refinement had some of them been partially restored.

Among all types of magical artifacts, the most highly coveted by cultivators was none other than flying artifacts.

Flight was an invaluable ability for cultivators.

Whether for escaping danger or chasing down enemies, those who could fly had a significant advantage.

But mastering flight techniques was no simple feat.

Only Golden Core True Beings could achieve true flight by transforming into streaks of light.

For cultivators below the Golden Core Realm, there were only two options to achieve flight:

Cultivating flight-related secret arts, such as the Lightness Technique.

Using external tools like charms or flying artifacts.

Among these methods, flying artifacts were the most precious and rare.

Not only were they incredibly fast, but they also possessed strong defensive capabilities, preventing cultivators from being ambushed mid-flight.

It was no exaggeration to call them one of the most desirable magical artifacts.

However, flying artifacts were exceptionally scarce.

Only the most powerful sects could afford to possess them, and even then, they were strictly controlled, rarely allowed to be taken outside.

Thus, seeing Lu Qing casually summon a flying artifact, Mu Tian and the others were utterly shocked.

"Let’s go."

Used to their constant amazement, Lu Qing simply cradled Xiao Li in his arms and stepped onto the flying boat.

Xiao Yan and Wu Xing followed suit.

Finally, Mu Tian and the others, still filled with awe and apprehension, carefully boarded the flying boat.

Once everyone was on board, Lu Qing activated the artifact, and the flying boat transformed into a streak of light, following the Thread of Causality revealed by the Mysterious Eight Trigrams Compass, and sped off into the distance. R̃äΝȏВЕś