Extermination, Might of a Spirit Artifact!

Roar! The Li Fire Cauldron, which had been brewing for a long time and had absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy, was now under Lu Qing's control.

With a roar that shook the very soul, it hurtled towards the mountain peak where the Red-Faced Old Monk and the others were located at an incredible speed.

"Not good!"

Sensing the terrifying, mountain-like power emanating from above, the Red-Faced Old Monk's expression changed drastically, and his pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinholes.

But he had no time to warn the other disciples, so he could only frantically pour his Divine Soul Power into the Array Flag in his hand.

With the activation of a large amount of Divine Soul Power, the mountain where the Red-Faced Old Monk was located shone brightly with the light of the array, and a light screen of the array rose up, covering the entire mountain.

Even after doing all this, the Red-Faced Old Monk still felt no sense of security.

A golden light burst forth from his body, transforming into a protective shield that enveloped him.

It's a long story, but in reality, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

From Lu Qing urging the Li Fire Cauldron to smash downwards to the Red-Faced Old Monk activating the formation, it was all just a matter of a breath.

The moment the array's light screen lit up, the Li Fire Cauldron had already smashed into it.

The Might of a Spirit Artifact is terrifying. Even though Lu Qing's current cultivation level is not enough to unleash even one percent of the power of the Li Fire Cauldron, this long-awaited, Earth-Shattering Strike is still beyond the reach of the hastily set-up formation on Hanging Sky Mountain.

Therefore, the defensive light barrier activated by the Red-Faced Old Monk had only been lit up for less than a breath when it was smashed to pieces by the falling Li Fire Cauldron, just like an eggshell.

Then, amidst the horrified gazes of the many disciples of Hanging Sky Mountain, it slammed heavily onto the mountain peak.

Boom! The Li Fire Cauldron, as large as a small mountain, crashed onto the mountain peak, causing the earth to shake instantly.

The incredibly hard cauldron blasted a huge crater into the entire mountain peak.

Its overwhelming force swept away everything, leveling almost all the buildings and trees within a radius of a hundred feet.

Even more terrifying was that the Spirit Fire spewed out from the Li Fire Cauldron spread out, turning the entire mountain into a sea of fire.

"Ah!"

"No! Grand Elder, save me!"

"What kind of fire is this? Why can't it be put out!"

The power of the Li Fire Cauldron's Earth-Shattering Strike was truly immense.

Those disciples from Hanging Sky Mountain hadn't escaped very far to begin with. Some of the slower disciples were crushed to death the moment the Li Fire Cauldron struck the mountain peak by the terrifying impact, their internal organs shattered and their bodies reduced to dust.

Those disciples who managed to escape quickly enough and weren't killed by the shockwave couldn't escape the raging flames that descended from the sky behind them.

The flames spewed from the Li Fire Cauldron are Spirit Fire; they burn not only the physical body but also the soul.

Once a tiny bit gets on it, unless one has special techniques or is protected by a magical artifact, it is almost impossible to extinguish before the target is completely burned.

The most powerful disciples of Hanging Sky Mountain were only at the Qi Refining Realm of the Innate Realm. How could they possibly withstand the scorching heat of this Spirit Artifact's fire?

No matter how much he tried to protect himself with his true energy or spiritual energy, or even rolled around on the ground, he couldn't extinguish the Spirit Fire on his body in the slightest.

In an instant, the entire mountain peak was filled with the screams of the disciples of Hanging Sky Mountain, a scene brimming with despair.

Looking down at the scene below, which resembled a living hell, Lu Qing's expression remained unchanged.

From the time they were on the Holy Mountain, when the bald monk from the Hanging Sky Mountain tried to forcibly convert his master, to the subsequent attempts to assassinate him by sending assassins from the Avici Pavilion.

Between him and the Hanging Sky Mountain, it was destined that it would be either him or me; only one could survive.

Since they are enemies, there is no reason for us to be soft-hearted.

Looking indifferently at the disciples struggling and screaming in the sea of fire below, Lu Qing waved his hand, and a large cauldron burning with flames slowly rose from the deep crater smashed into the mountain peak.

It shrank as it moved closer to him.

When it arrived in front of him, it had shrunk to the size of a thumb and landed in Lu Qing's hand.

"Young man, I can't help you anymore. Be careful."

A weak voice, "Yan," echoed in Lu Qing's mind.

"Don't worry, senior, you can rest assured."

Lu Qing nodded seriously and put Li Fire Cauldron.

He could sense Yan's weakness.

This is what makes Spirit Artifact so precious.

Because of the existence of the Artifact Spirit, it can exert great power without the need for the master's control.

In fact, given Lu Qing's current cultivation level, if it weren't for the existence of "Flame," he would never have been able to unleash such power from the Li Fire Cauldron.

The sheer volume of Spiritual Power alone could drain him dry in an instant.

However, that attack just now had completely depleted the spiritual energy that the Li Fire Cauldron a long period of time.

Without a period of rest and recuperation, it would be difficult to recover.

"Um?"

Just as he put Li Fire Cauldron, Lu Qing's expression changed, and he looked down.

Then he saw a figure slowly crawling out of the deep pit created by the Li Fire Cauldron; it was the Red-Faced Old Monk.

However, the Red-Faced Old Monk at this moment no longer had his previous composure; his appearance had become extremely miserable.

His clothes were tattered and worn, and half of his body was completely devoid of flesh and blood, leaving only a charred skeleton.

In the dim light, one could still see the throbbing internal organs inside, which looked extremely horrifying.

If it weren't for the golden light protecting his internal organs, he would probably have already perished.

However, the Red-Faced Old Monk was completely disregarding his own injuries at this moment.

He didn't even care about the disciples around him whose screams were fading; he just looked at Lu Qing in the sky with extreme fear.

That Earth-Shattering Strike just now was truly terrifying.

If he hadn't used the half-break of time that the array's light barrier blocked at the most crucial moment to use his movement technique and avoid being directly hit by the Li Fire Cauldron, he would have been in serious trouble.

He's probably already smashed to pieces, and his body can't even be found.

"The Li Fire Cauldron! The Li Fire Cauldron, the most treasured spiritual Spirit Artifact of the ancient Li Fire Sect sect Li Huo Sect, is actually in your hands. Are you a successor of the Li Fire Sect?"

The Red-Faced Old Monk spoke in a hoarse voice, his tone filled with disbelief.

Seeing the appearance and power of the Giant Cauldron that Lu Qing had just summoned, he finally recalled some records in the ancient books in the temple.

"Old Bald Donkey, I didn't expect you to have some skill, actually able to withstand a blow from my Li Fire Cauldron."

Looking at the golden light protecting the internal organs of the Red-Faced Old Monk, Lu Qing realized that the other party must possess a treasure.

Otherwise, even if he wasn't directly hit by the Li Fire Cauldron, he shouldn't have survived that terrifying power just now.

He secretly admired him, thinking to himself, "He truly deserves to be called a powerful cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage."

Their methods of survival are truly remarkable.

"It really is the Li Fire Cauldron!"

Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, the Red-Faced Old Monk knew he had guessed correctly, and he found it even more unbelievable.

According to the ancient records in the temple, the ancient immortal sect, Li Fire Sect, should have been destroyed long before the previous Cultivation Era came to an end.

Their sect's most prized Spirit Artifact, the Li Fire Cauldron, also disappeared.

Now, tens of thousands of years later, as Spirit Artifact are revived, the Li Fire Cauldron has reappeared in the world.

Furthermore, it is in the hands of a highly skilled and mysterious expert.

Could it be that the destruction of the ancient immortal sect, Li Fire Sect, was just a facade, and that it, like the Four Great Secret Realms, was actually lurking in some Secret Realm, having survived this long period of spiritual energy depletion, and is now about to emerge?

But why would the Li Fire Sect want to antagonize the Hanging Sky Mountain? Even in the Ancient Cultivation Era, there shouldn't have been any major enmity between the two sects.

In an instant, many guesses and thoughts arose in the mind of the Red-Faced Old Monk.

But the next moment, a strong sense of danger arose in his heart.

Without a second thought, the Red-Faced Old Monk suddenly shifted to the side, trying to dodge away.

Just as he moved, a sharp blade of energy grazed his body and struck the ground, leaving a deep gash where he had just stood.

But before he could even catch his breath, a barrage of sword energy rained down from the sky, intertwining and slashing towards the Red-Faced Old Monk.

"He just activated his Spirit Artifact, so why does he still have such abundant Spiritual Power!"

Looking at the sky filled with sword energy, a look of despair appeared on the Red-Faced Old Monk's face.

He had already exerted all his strength to resist the power emanating from the Li Fire Cauldron.

Now, not only is he severely injured and his Protective Magic Treasure damaged, but he also has very little Spiritual Power left. He has no strength left to resist Lu Qing's storm-like sword energy attack.

At the same time, he couldn't understand it either.

Why Lu Qing able to unleash such an attack as if nothing had happened after activating the Li Fire Cauldron Spirit Artifact? This was completely against common sense.

It looked like the Red-Faced Old Monk was about to be torn apart by Lu Qing's sword energy.

Just then, a streak of light flew in from afar at great speed, arriving before Lu Qing's sword energy. It transformed into a semi-transparent golden bell, enveloping the Red-Faced Old Monk within it.

Clang! Clang! Clang...

Lu Qing's sword energy struck the Golden Bell, but it couldn't break through its defenses.

Although he made the Golden Bell tremble, he was still unable to break through its defenses and kill the Red-Faced Old Monk inside.

"Golden Bell Elder!"

Looking at the Golden Bell enveloping him, the Red-Faced Old Monk's face lit up with ecstasy.

"Um?"

Lu Qing also sensed something and looked up at the distant horizon.

Then he sensed several powerful auras rushing towards him from the depths of the mountains.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he knew that reinforcements from the Hanging Sky Mountain had arrived.

Without further ado, the Golden Shuttle beneath his feet emitted light, and he transformed into a streak of light, flying away towards the outside of the mountain.

Less than ten breaths after Lu Qing left, several figures exuding powerful auras also appeared in the air.

They were several elderly Red-Faced Old Monk old monk.

"Trying to leave?!"

The old monks were initially shocked and furious at the horrific scene below, then looked in the direction Lu Qing had left and were about to chase after him.

"Golden Bell Elder, wait! This person cannot be pursued!"

Upon seeing this, the Red-Faced Old Monk was greatly alarmed. Ignoring his own injuries, he immediately activated his Spiritual Power and shouted loudly.

He was so excited that his internal organs, which had been protected by the power of the magic weapon, ruptured, and he spat out blood.

Seeing his intense emotions, the old monks, though puzzled, could only stop and land beside the Red-Faced Old Monk.

"Red Heart Elder, how are you? Why won't you let us pursue that Evil Demon?" an old monk asked.

"This Evil Demon has a mysterious origin and possesses a Spirit Artifact. If we rashly pursue it, it's hard to say what might happen!"

The Red-Faced Old Monk quickly replied.

"Spirit Artifact! How is this possible!"

The old monks were shocked upon hearing this.

"It's absolutely true. See the Spirit Fire around you? It's emitted by that Spirit Artifact."

This fire is extremely powerful, capable of burning anything. Any living being touched by it is utterly unable to withstand it unless they are cultivators at least at the Foundation Establishment Realm; they will simply be burned alive.

Several old monks looked at the burning flames around them, their expressions changing slightly.

With their keen eyesight, how could they not see the power of these Spirit Fire?

An older monk, his face grim, asked, "This fire is so powerful, what about the disciples...?"

In their spiritual perception, the entire mountain peak is now devoid of any other living beings except for the Red-Faced Old Monk.

The Red-Faced Old Monk sighed, "They have all perished in the sea of fire. That Evil Demon came too suddenly. Before the disciples could disperse, they were burned to death by his Spirit Artifact."

It turned out that in just a short time, those disciples of the Hanging Sky Mountain who had been touched by the Spirit Fire had all succumbed to the flames and were burned to death.

"They all perished?"

The eyes of the old monks suddenly widened, their hearts filled with even greater grief.

Keep in mind, the disciples they sent this time comprised almost half of the temple's elite disciples, and yet they were all gone in an instant? "Evil Demon, I swear I will not rest until this grudge is avenged!"

An old monk gritted his teeth and immediately swore a solemn oath.

"Red Heart Elder, you fought with that Evil Demon. Do you know who he is and why he is so vicious, harming my disciples of Hanging Sky Mountain in such a cruel way?" another old monk asked.

"I can't recognize his identity either, but I do recognize the Spirit Artifact he used. It's the Li Fire Cauldron, the lost Spirit Artifact of the Li Huo Sect from the Ancient Cultivation Era Li Fire Sect!"

Just as the Red-Faced Old Monk was telling the other old monks his guess.

Above the sky outside the Spirit Mountain Range.

A faint, almost imperceptible aura was hidden within a white cloud.

"Who exactly is that mysterious Ghost Face Man, that he can actually control a Spirit Artifact!"

Looking towards Mount Ling, where the raging fire was still burning, Taoist Yang Ming's eyes revealed an expression of utter shock.

Previously, he followed the direction of the golden light and arrived at the outer edge of the Spirit Mountain Range.

Then he saw a scene that shocked him immensely.

The mysterious, Ghost Face Man hovering high in the sky, wielding a Giant Cauldron, crashed down with boundless power onto the tallest mountain below.

The disciples of Hanging Sky Mountain were utterly powerless against this Earth-Shattering Strike, easily killed like ants and moths.

Even the majestic mountain, one of the symbols of the ancient Hanging Sky Mountain, was blasted with a huge hole and burned beyond recognition by the raging fire.

Having sensed the power emanating from that Giant Cauldron, Taoist Yang Ming, who came from a secret place, immediately understood that it was a genuine Spirit Artifact!

The Hanging Sky Mountain had actually provoked a terrifyingly powerful expert who possessed Spirit Artifact! Upon realizing this, Taoist Yang Ming was both shocked and excited.

The shock stemmed from the appearance of the Spirit Artifact, while the excitement came from seeing that their mortal enemy had actually provoked such a powerful foe, knowing that their future days would surely be difficult.

At the same time, he became even more curious about the identity of the mysterious Ghost Face Man.

That's Spirit Artifact! Even their Green Goat Temple only has one, and because it's used to suppress the Secret Realm, it can't be brought out.

What is the origin of that mysterious Ghost Face Man, that he can control a complete Spirit Artifact!