CHAPTER 507

Lu Qing silently led Xiao Yan and the others back to Sacred Mountain.

His authority within Sacred Mountain was exceedingly high—aside from the three Holy Lords, no one else had the right to seek an audience with him.

Thus, whether he went out or returned, hardly anyone knew, and his movements never stirred up any waves.

However, on the second day after his return, the disciples of Sacred Mountain discovered that the list of treasures available for exchange at the Hall of Merit had a new addition—a talisman called [Demon-Suppressing Talisman].

Its primary function was its immense suppressive power against demonic cultivators, allowing one to easily kill demonic and devilish practitioners.

At the same time, the Mission Hall introduced a new [Demon-Slaying] long-term task.

From now on, Sacred Mountain disciples who captured or eliminated a demonic cultivator would receive double the merit points as a reward.

With this announcement, the entire Sacred Mountain was immediately set ablaze with excitement.

Merit points were incredibly valuable within Sacred Mountain.

Not only could they be used to exchange for various treasures and techniques, but with enough merit points, one could even request guidance from the elders in cultivation.

Now, seeing that the [Demon-Slaying] mission offered double merit points, every disciple was eager and ready for action.

Countless disciples immediately took up the task and descended the mountain to hunt down demonic cultivators.

Even some elders, unable to resist the temptation, secretly took on the mission and left Sacred Mountain.

After all, there were items and techniques in the Hall of Merit that even they coveted.

Thus, the demonic cultivators of the world suddenly found themselves in dire straits.

Within just a few months, they were relentlessly pursued and slaughtered by Sacred Mountain disciples, suffering massive casualties.

Only a few, skilled at hiding, managed to escape to even more remote and desolate places, barely surviving.

For a time, demonic cultivators nearly vanished from the world.

Sacred Mountain's prestige soared, earning even more reverence from countless sects.

However, the one who had orchestrated this upheaval—Lu Qing—paid little attention to the outside world.

He had already foreseen this outcome when he issued the mission.

Those who practiced demonic arts were merely rats lurking in the shadows. They had yet to become a true threat, and in the face of Sacred Mountain’s purge, they naturally stood no chance. ꭆäΝŎꞖЕ𝓢

Thus, after setting the task in motion, he quickly turned his focus to a more important endeavor.

…

Inside his cave abode on Sacred Mountain, Lu Qing stood before a now-enlarged Li Huo Cauldron, his expression solemn.

His fingers swiftly formed intricate hand seals, sending a series of profound seals and restrictions into the cauldron, which contained a mysterious artifact under refinement.

With the final seal completed, a burst of dazzling light erupted from within the Li Huo Cauldron, rapidly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy from the cave abode to fuel the transformation of the artifact inside.

Massive torrents of spiritual energy surged violently, continuously being drawn in by the artifact.

In just a few breaths, the amount of spiritual energy absorbed had already far exceeded the limits of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Fortunately, Sacred Mountain, as the heart of Zhongzhou, was incredibly rich in spiritual energy.

Even if dozens of Golden Core Realm cultivators cultivated here simultaneously, the spiritual energy supply would still be sufficient.

Thus, despite the commotion Lu Qing was making, it had little impact on Sacred Mountain as a whole.

For a full quarter of an hour, the Li Huo Cauldron continued to draw in spiritual energy before finally coming to a halt.

The artifact inside had completed its transformation.

With a flick of Lu Qing’s hand, a stream of radiant light shot out from the cauldron and landed before him.

It was a humanoid Puppet Avatar, roughly the same build as Lu Qing, though its facial features were still indistinct.

“At last, it’s finished.”

Lu Qing smiled as he examined the Puppet Avatar, then activated his spiritual ability.

A moment later, a violet glow radiated from the Puppet Avatar, revealing several floating lines of information:

[Golden Core-level Puppet Avatar]: A powerful puppet avatar crafted from numerous rare materials.

This puppet avatar possesses exceptional abilities, reaching the Golden Core Realm in power.

It embodies the Five Elements and can wield Five Elements-based abilities.

This puppet avatar has growth potential and can enhance its power through cultivation.

…

“Not bad. It has indeed reached the Golden Core level.”

After reading through the floating information, Lu Qing nodded in satisfaction.

No wonder it had taken him a massive amount of merit points to exchange for numerous rare materials from Sacred Mountain’s treasure vault.

Not to mention the several months of effort he had spent refining it.

From the start, this Puppet Avatar already possessed combat strength equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator.

After admiring his creation for a moment, Lu Qing made a move—a wisp of his spiritual soul flew out from his brow acupoint and entered the Puppet Avatar’s forehead.

This was a Soul Seed, which he had cultivated over the years using Soul Splitting Technique.

The moment the Soul Seed took root in the Puppet Avatar, it began to undergo a transformation.

Its body shape adjusted to match Lu Qing’s exact appearance.

Its previously indistinct facial features sharpened into an identical likeness of Lu Qing himself.

Then, the Puppet Avatar opened its eyes.

Within them, spiritual intelligence gleamed, meeting Lu Qing’s gaze.

“What a fascinating sensation.”

Lu Qing found the experience intriguing.

At this moment, it felt as though he had become two separate beings, standing opposite one another, staring into each other’s eyes.

It was a strange but novel experience.

However, given his cultivation level, he quickly adapted.

Once a cultivator reached a certain stage, they could already split their consciousness to multitask.

The Soul Splitting Technique was similar in nature—his two consciousnesses originated from the same soul, merely offering an additional perspective.

“The Puppet Avatar’s strength… should surpass the three Holy Lords.”

Lu Qing estimated its combat power carefully.

Over the years, the three Holy Lords had occasionally sought his guidance, so he had a clear understanding of their capabilities.

This Puppet Avatar, however, lacked an actual Golden Core, spiritual artifacts, or inherited divine abilities.

Its power source was instead a pseudo-core, modeled after Lu Qing’s own Golden Core, though it had not undergone tribulation refinement and thus was not a true Golden Core.

As a result, while it was far inferior to Lu Qing’s actual self, it still exceeded the strength of the three Holy Lords.

Lu Qing estimated that with his current cultivation level, even if he fought all three Holy Lords simultaneously, he would likely still hold the advantage.

But the greatest value of this Puppet Avatar was its growth potential.

Although its pseudo-core was not a true Golden Core, it could still absorb and refine spiritual energy, steadily increasing its power.

If refined further, reaching the peak of Golden Core Realm was not out of the question.

“The Soul-Molding Clay truly is extraordinary… No wonder it’s so highly coveted by the Heavenly Puppet Sect.”

The growth property of this Puppet Avatar was entirely thanks to the Soul-Molding Clay.

The Heavenly Puppet Sect regarded it as one of the most treasured materials for crafting high-level puppets, and now Lu Qing understood why.

After becoming familiar with the Puppet Avatar’s abilities, he left it in the meditation chamber to cultivate independently.

Then, he stepped outside.

Since bringing Xiao Yan and the others to Sacred Mountain, he had set aside several meditation chambers for their training.

Seeing that they were still in closed-door cultivation, Lu Qing did not disturb them.

Instead, he took a leisurely walk through Sacred Mountain to relax.

…

However, before long, Lu Qing sensed something unusual.

Looking up, he saw a streak of light approaching Sacred Mountain from the distance.

A graceful figure emerged from the glow.

At the same time, a glowing invitation flew into Sacred Mountain.

“This aura… So she’s finally broken through?”

Sensing the familiar presence, Lu Qing's eyes flickered with thought.

It was none other than Han Lingshuang, the Palace Master of Cold Water Palace.

Ten years had passed since their last meeting—now, she had reached the Golden Core Realm.

Watching her step onto the rainbow bridge leading into the mountain, Lu Qing pondered for a moment before heading downhill.