"Next, open your mind of your own accord. Do not resist."
Zhou Qing looked at Lu Mu, intending to cast the Soul-Enthralling Spell and question him again.
The so-called Soul-Enthralling Spell was similar to hypnosis on "Earth."
With his Foundation Establishment Realm divine sense, Zhou Qing could enthrall a middle Qi Refining period cultivator and leave him unable to conceal anything.
Whatever he asked, Lu Mu would answer.
As for why he did not simply search his soul... forcibly searching a soul could result in incomplete memories.
Moreover, soul-searching could easily trigger the target's instinctive resistance. After a forced soul search, the victim would most likely become an idiot, which was little different from death.
Thus, Zhou Qing intended to enthrall him first, then search his soul.
That was the safest approach.
"All right."
Lu Mu steadied himself.
The next instant, Lu Mu felt an irresistible divine sense spreading toward his sea of consciousness.
What misery. He really is a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator...
Lu Mu's mind trembled. The instant the Soul-Enthralling Spell struck him, he dimly sensed the vast fluctuations of Zhou Qing's divine sense.
Those fluctuations far surpassed the Qi Refining Stage.
Then Lu Mu could no longer feel anything.
Zhou Qing looked at Lu Mu's stiff expression and began questioning him.
"First, tell me about yourself and why you came to the Mortal Qian Kingdom..." Zhou Qing's tone was calm.
"My name is Lu Mu. I cultivate the Nine Yin Demon Scripture and am currently at the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Ten years ago, enemies hunted me down, forcing me to flee into the mortal world..."
Lu Mu answered everything in full.
"The Nine Yin Demon Scripture?"
Zhou Qing's expression shifted slightly.
Across his two simulations, Zhou Qing had rarely encountered demonic cultivation methods.
"More than forty years ago, I discovered the remains of a demonic cultivator in a cave. I found this cultivation method on him, along with several related secret arts..."
Lu Mu spoke truthfully.
He also divulged the Nine Yin Demon Scripture and every secret art he knew.
"Demonic cultivation methods really are extreme."
After studying it briefly, Zhou Qing reached that conclusion.
Ordinary cultivation methods absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and converted it for personal use.
Demonic cultivation methods, however, devoured living beings and converted them for personal use.
"But some demonic secret arts have rather unusual applications..."
Zhou Qing pondered this, then continued questioning him. "Do you know any Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators?"
This question was meant to probe what backing Lu Mu had.
"I'm just a rogue cultivator. How could I know any lofty Foundation Establishment Realm seniors..."
Lu Mu answered without hesitation.
This was also within Zhou Qing's expectations.
If Lu Mu truly had Foundation Establishment Realm backing, why would he have hidden in the mortal world to recover?
"Besides bewitching the Qian Emperor into collecting mortals' blood essence to heal your injuries, what else did you have him do?"
Zhou Qing continued his questioning.
"The Qian Emperor's son, the crown prince, didn't really trust me, so I had the Qian Emperor..."
Lu Mu answered.
"But even without me, I felt it was only a matter of time before the Qian Emperor acted against his crown prince son. I merely gave him a reason to do so..."
Lu Mu added.
Hearing this, Zhou Qing fell silent.
Together with his experiences in the two simulations, he had finally uncovered the truth behind the extermination of the Zhou Family.
On the surface, it had been caused by the bewitchment of Lu Mu, a demonic sect cultivator.
But at its root lay the Qian Emperor's own greed and attachment to power.
After all, Lu Mu had never coerced the Qian Emperor from beginning to end, nor could he have. The Qian Kingdom's imperial family also had a middle Qi Refining period cultivator guarding it.
"You said you could help the Qian Emperor extend his lifespan. Was that true?"
Zhou Qing asked.
"No."
Lu Mu answered without hesitation, "I merely overdrawn a little of that old fellow's potential, letting him feel the hope of extending his lifespan. Once the blood essence was all collected, I naturally wouldn't bother with him anymore..."
At this point, all the doubts in Zhou Qing's mind had been resolved.
So the Qian Emperor was taken for a free ride? No wonder he died so quickly in both simulations.
Next, Zhou Qing asked numerous questions covering various matters and received all the answers he wanted.
"Soul-Searching Art."
Zhou Qing proceeded to use the Soul-Searching Art directly on Lu Mu.
From the many questions he had just asked, Zhou Qing had also learned what sort of person Lu Mu was. There was scarcely an evil deed he had not committed.
Thus, Zhou Qing felt no burden about searching his soul.
Buzz-
After spending the better part of an hour searching his soul, Zhou Qing compared the memories he had obtained with Lu Mu's earlier answers.
Once he confirmed that nothing had been overlooked, he raised his hand and burned Lu Mu's corpse to ashes.
"Time to return to the Zhou residence..."
Zhou Qing rose. He had instructed Dachun to return beforehand and have his parents and brothers wait at the residence.
His purpose had been to deal with the Qian Kingdom's imperial family first.
The Zhou residence.
"Dachun, where exactly did Qing go? When will he return?" Zhou Shizhong sat in the seat of honor, looking at Dachun with a frown.
"Master, I don't know either." Dachun scratched his head and answered guilelessly.
"You don't know either?" Zhou Shizhong's brows knitted tightly. If he had not been certain that Dachun would not lie, he would already have slammed the table and risen.
"Husband, what's the hurry?" Madam Zhou immediately said beside him.
"Father, we only need to wait a little. Third Brother must have something important to do if he hasn't returned for so long," Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu said, nodding.
"All right."
Zhou Shizhong nodded.
Having not seen Zhou Qing for more than half a year, Zhou Shizhong actually missed him dearly too.
Unfortunately, even after mobilizing all his connections, Zhou Shizhong had failed to locate Zhou Qing anywhere in the Qian Kingdom.
Just then.
"The third young master is back! The third young master is back!" A servant of the Zhou residence hurried over.
"Qing..." Madam Zhou's expression filled with excitement as she saw a white-robed man walk in.
"Third Brother!"
Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu immediately came forward to greet him too.
Once the greetings were over, Zhou Qing began demonstrating his strength as an immortal cultivator.
This was a necessary step. Without revealing that he was an immortal cultivator, he would have no way to explain what came next.
"An immortal cultivator? Qing, you've become an immortal cultivator?" Zhou Shizhong's pupils abruptly contracted.
As a high-ranking figure in the Qian Kingdom, he
knew that immortal cultivators existed, and even knew that some guarded the imperial family.
They were the true foundation ensuring the continuity of the Qian Kingdom's imperial line.
And now his own son had become an immortal cultivator?
"Third Brother, they say immortal cultivators can soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth. Can you fly too?"
His second brother, Zhou Wu, could not help asking.
"Fly?"
Zhou Qing paused slightly.
In the second simulation, Zhou Wu had asked the same question after Zhou Qing displayed his strength to the Zhou Family.
Zhou Qing's answer had been no.
After all, in that simulation, Zhou Qing had only possessed the strength of the middle Qi Refining period.
He had been unable to truly soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth.
But now.
"I can."
Zhou Qing answered with a smile.
Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth through their own power alone.
"You can fly..." Zhou Wu looked excited and was about to ask more.
But Zhou Shizhong interrupted him.
"Qing, what have you returned to do this time?" Zhou Shizhong asked solemnly.
The birth of an immortal cultivator in the Zhou Family was a joyous event of monumental proportions, and Zhou Shizhong now took Zhou Qing more seriously than ever before.
"Here's the situation."
"The Qian Emperor intends to act against the eldest prince. Our Zhou Family will be exterminated in the struggle for imperial power."
Zhou Qing's tone was calm, but his words caused everyone present to pale.