The blood mist rapidly retreated.
Within the fog, countless strange human-shaped figures—thousands of them—were clearly visible, illuminated briefly by a burst of golden light.
They were like ashes of burned paper, exploding into vast clouds of dust that scattered with the wind.
It was obvious just how devastating the strike from Lu Qian’s secret treasure had been to those sinister beings within the blood mist.
Yin Yuan’s face broke out into a joyous smile.
Yin Xing clapped enthusiastically.
Even the Empress Dowager and Le Wu couldn’t help but applaud, exclaiming in amazement, “Spectacular!”
Yu Changle and Yu Sandou, their faces tense moments ago, now also showed faint smiles.
Then, the two old eunuchs exchanged a glance—eyes sharp as blades—and violently clashed their gazes.
Among the red-robed generals of the Imperial Guard surrounding Yin Yuan and Yin Xing, Luo Qingzhou was so jealous that saliva practically dribbled from the corners of his mouth. “My goodness, Brother Lu Qian is about to hit the jackpot, truly hit it big.”
He had heard in the Imperial Guard that the Marquis of Heavenly Grace, Lu Tai, had once risked his life to save the reckless Emperor Jiayou, Yin Yuan.
Although Yin Yuan was often wild and impulsive, he was unexpectedly loyal and sentimental—one who, having his own stubborn mind, directly conferred the title of Marquis of Heavenly Grace onto Lu Tai, who was then only a low-ranking soldier in the Feathered Forest Army.
Within a few short years, he even threw tantrums before the Empress Dowager to secure Lu Tai’s rise to become the Supreme Commander of the Northern Frontier City’s armies.
And today, Lu Qian hadn’t just saved Yin Yuan, but also the Empress Dowager, the Grand General, and the King of Lancang…
Tsk.
Given Yin Yuan’s temperament, it was clear that Lu Qian would soon receive some richly deserved rewards.
As for the Empress Dowager and the Grand General… do you really have the face to not give Lu Qian a token of appreciation?
If, after Lu Qian saved everyone today, you dare withhold your gratitude, don’t be surprised that your followers and soldiers will likewise care little for you from now on.
“To have saved the Emperor… and the Empress Dowager, the Emperor himself, the Grand General, the King of Lancang—today, the top four figures in the imperial court—all at once… tsk, and also the two Chief Stewards, Yu Sandou and Yu Changle…”
Luo Qingzhou’s mind drifted, already seriously considering whether he could find a chance to swear brotherhood with Lu Qian.
Golden light swirled around, and a peaceful aura soared to the heavens.
Amidst faint chanting, a profound compassion and serene power filled the air.
Everyone could feel it as if a pair of magnificent, boundless, all-knowing and all-seeing gentle eyes quietly observed them.
Under the gaze of these eyes, there was no fear, no terror, no despair, and no trace of negative emotions.
All those dark feelings were instantly cleansed away.
This was a purifying power.
It could wash away evil spirits and inflict fatal blows on all that was negative, dark, oppressive, and twisted.
Just as with Qi Fei and Lvqiao now.
They were trapped deep in the core of the golden light’s embrace, their bodies constantly spewing white thick mist.
High above, more than a dozen red lanterns emitted cries resembling a woman’s wailing.
Blood-colored beams kept descending from the sky, trying to merge into Lvqiao and Qi Fei’s bodies.
Yet no matter how fiercely those dozen or so red lanterns swayed in the high air—shaking so violently that their frames almost shattered—the red light that fell touched the golden flames and immediately burst into flames, turning into strands of white vapor that vanished without a trace.
Lvqiao and Qi Fei screamed out in despair.
Qi Fei was bewildered as she hoarsely called out, “It’s that damned thing again… damn it…”
Lvqiao cried out sharply, “The Fayanzong Sect’s ‘Pure Zen Light’… cursed bald thief…”
Lu Qian raised an eyebrow.
Qi Fei only knew that this treasure was in Qifang Garden and had dealt them heavy damage before.
But Lvqiao clearly stated the origin of the golden light and chanting—how could a lowly sold maid like her, who was sold off as a wretched servant, know anything about “Fayanzong” or “Pure Zen Light”?
Therefore, at this moment, Lvqiao was no longer truly Lvqiao.
Maybe possessed and replaced, or united with some strange existence… in any case, she was no longer the original, pure Lvqiao.
Lvqiao howled and cursed madly, slinging abuse at the “bald thief,” while swords vibrating fiercely and constantly spewing white mist whirled rapidly around her.
She screamed and charged straight at Lu Qian.
Her original target had been the Empress Dowager, but now her only target was Lu Qian.
Lvqiao lunged to kill, and Qi Fei followed, flying pounces toward Lu Qian.
Around Lvqiao, sword light swirled.
Qi Fei’s face was pale as death; bloody tears streamed from her eyes.
Her ten fingertips’ nails extended three feet long, gleaming blood-red like ten long swords aimed straight at Lu Qian’s heart.
Lu Qian held the lotus-shaped secret treasure in his left hand and, with his right hand, shook his tiger-head golden spear.
The spear’s tip brushed along his left palm, staining the spearhead with a trace of blood.
Yin Xing danced excitedly, “Ha! Children’s blood, hey!”
Honestly, no one knew what Yin Xing was excited about.
Lu Qian shook the spear in his right hand and let out a long roar.
The mighty Canghai primal energy burst forth, cloaking the spear in a faint bluish water light.
Under the cover of that watery glow, very fine gusts of wind, driven by soul light, twined around the spear shaft like a spiraling thread, spurring the spear forward in a swift thrust.
With a “swish,” the spear shot straight at the charging Lvqiao.
The spearhead trembled; Lu Qian’s spear technique was honed from years of hard training—precise and refined.
A flick of the wrist sent sparkling spear flowers blossoming about the size of a water basin, thirty-six clusters of cold light bursting open like snow plum blossoms as they clashed with the incoming flying swords.
The clangs of metal rang endlessly.
One by one, the blood-colored flying swords shattered under the spear’s shock, exploding into blood-red sparks that dissipated in the golden flames.
Lvqiao stared at Lu Qian in horror and hissed, “Impossible!”
Before she could finish speaking, the spear tip wrapped in swirling winds already pierced her chest with a sharp “pichi.”
Lvqiao’s body stiffened.
Clutching the spear shaft tightly with both hands, she suddenly gave Lu Qian a deeply seductive wink.
“Darling, I’ll remember you… heehee. From now on, let’s be paired partners!”
Lu Qian’s hand jolted.
Lvqiao’s corporeal body exploded as if it were a real entity.
The fragments carried golden flames, and those flames burned fiercely as tremendous, extremely pure energy flowed through the spear shaft straight into Lu Qian’s body.
Lu Qian’s mind erupted with spirit light, expanding rapidly.
The speed of growth was a million times faster than when Lu Qian had relied wholeheartedly on the five great masters of the Big Yellow Dog to raise his cultivation in the past.
In just a single breath, the spirit light's growth equaled what he’d gained from three full years of intense cultivation!
A throbbing at Lu Qian’s temples.
The hastily rising spirit light gave him an unshakable feeling that he held the whole world in the palm of his hand and was capable of anything—reckless and unrestrained.
But Lu Qian’s deeply ingrained instincts of “caution” and “clinging to life” quickly suppressed this wild confidence without trace.
He took deep breaths.
After six calm, slow breaths, the strange power flowing from Lvqiao gradually eased.
But by then, Lu Qian's spirit light had already increased to an amount equivalent to eighteen years' worth of full-power cultivation.
The spirit light mass had grown many times larger—dense and gleaming, like a half-solidified gelatinous orb floating in his mind.
Then ripples of water swirled gently, and pure droplets of water essence steadily dripped from the spirit light, sounding “ding-ding-dang-dang.”
The water essence seeped into Lu Qian’s entire body within moments—skin, flesh, bones, meridians, and all his organs wrapped in shimmering water light.
Lu Qian’s twelve primary meridians swelled as if inflated by air and, on top of being previously blocked, grew stronger by more than threefold.
Such strength was earth-shaking and shocking—one might even call it utterly relentless.
The three meridians Lu Qian had already opened continuously unleashed primal energy torrents like waterfalls.
Meanwhile, the remaining nine meridians Twitched violently, then, with a series of nine thunderous booms—“boom, boom, boom”—all nine meridians he had planned to open someday instantly opened.
The nine booms echoed, shaking the area for miles around.
Yu Sandou, Yu Changle, Le Wu, Le Shan, and all experts present whose cultivation surpassed the Meridian Opening Realm suddenly changed expressions.
In a blink, nine meridians opened all at once?
Especially because with nine meridians newly opened, the Qi within Lu Qian’s twelve meridians flowed smoothly, primal energy circulated perfectly, and torrents of Canghai primal energy surged out of the twelve meridians—especially from the freshly opened nine—rapidly gathering and fusing at his dantian.
A faint water-blue glow shimmered over Lu Qian’s bronze skin.
“Primal energy perfected, Qi flows throughout the body,” Yu Sandou exclaimed, “A sixteen-year-old perfect Meridian Opening Realm? This kid… absolutely impossible.”
Behind Le Wu, Le Shan and Le Shui stared hard at Lu Qian like wolves eyeing their prey.
Amidst golden light, Qi Fei staggered, charging at Lu Qian.
“Die! Die! I only want revenge, I only want to let out my anger, I only… want to become immortal!”
Lu Qian glared at Qi Fei, the murderous aura rising all around her as she closed in, and shouted fiercely, “Revenge, venting anger, becoming immortal… you think killing so many innocent people will make you immortal, vent your rage, or get revenge?”
“Foolish woman, you deserve the nineteen years you spent in the cold palace!”
Qi Fei had severed all her ties in life by massacring everything related to her—makeup shops, confectioneries, jewelry stores; from owners and managers to waiters and servants—killing them all clean.
On Youluzi Street, Lu Qian had just witnessed her wipe out the entire family of a jewelry store.
Truly a foolish woman.
Lu Qian straightened his tiger-head spear and roared.
One strike pierced through Qi Fei’s chest.
The Empress Dowager suddenly burst into loud laughter, clapping and praising, “Lu Qing is right—Qi Fei is indeed a foolish woman who deserved nineteen years in the cold palace… Heh, seeking revenge on me? Venting resentment on me? Killing me to become immortal?”
“Look around! Under my command are countless elite troops and talented generals, including Lu Qing, such a capable and loyal subject. A mere ghost like you dares to challenge me? Just because you enjoyed the late emperor’s favor? What a joke!”
Qi Fei glared intently at the Empress Dowager.
Her body exploded into pieces on Lu Qian’s spear.
Lu Qian’s body shook, and a mouthful of blood sprayed far away…
From Qi Fei’s body surged energy even purer and more immense than that from Lvqiao.
As Lu Qian’s twelve meridians had all opened, the internal pressure built to an extreme.
With this power surging in, he immediately coughed up blood to release pressure.
With a cracking sound, the lotus-shaped secret treasure in Lu Qian’s left hand shattered.
Everyone saw clearly—a faint golden, glittering, ornate rune flew out of the treasure and lightly merged into Lu Qian’s palm…
Witnessing this, the Empress Dowager, Yin Yuan, Le Wu, Yin Xing, and the others all gasped in shock.
Their gazes upon Lu Qian were as if they had found a rare human-shaped treasure.
“This treasure… actually bonds with this kid!” Yin Xing whispered, “Why? Just because he’s the rare flower of Haojing City? Oh, oh… how can you argue against that?”
(End of chapter)