Chapter 425: Negotiating Terms? Just Refine to Death!
"An oath upon the Divine Soul is unnecessary." Lu Qing smiled slightly.
He could naturally discern that the words of the gray-robed man were half-truths.
However, he didn't care, as long as he could confirm that the other party wasn't aware of this world's impending revival and had come only to invade.
With a casual flick, a fluctuation fell upon the gray-robed man, invading his forehead acupoint.
"Let me verify if your words are truthful."
"Wait..."
Feeling that familiar, terrifying fluctuation, the gray-robed man was greatly alarmed and shouted hastily.
However, before he could finish shouting, illusions already surrounded him, and in the next moment, he was once again plunged into the boundless Illusion Realm.
More than ten breaths later, Lu Qing withdrew the Divine Power, and the gray-robed man slowly regained consciousness.
But this time, his eyes appeared much more exhausted.
When he looked at Lu Qing, his eyes were filled with fear.
"It seems, sir, that you didn't entirely speak the truth just now." Lu Qing looked at the gray-robed man blandly, "So, what exactly is the Pure Lotus?"
The gray-robed man was greatly alarmed, having his deepest secret exposed made him unable to remain calm.
With a move of his Heart and Spirit, he attempted to communicate with the storage artifact on his body, intending to destroy it.
But just as his Heart and Spirit moved, he was taken aback.
Because he found that his storage bag had long since disappeared.
He suddenly looked up, only to see Lu Qing with a half-smile on his face.
"Are you looking for this?"
In Lu Qing's hand appeared a delicate little bag with mysterious patterns on its surface.
The gray-robed man stared intently; wasn't this his storage bag?
Instantly, a look of desolation appeared on his face.
He understood that his final bargaining chip in negotiations was gone.
Trapped within the space cage, his Divine Soul Power was also sealed, unable to escape this prison, let alone destroy the storage bag.
"I admire the elder's meticulousness." The gray-robed man said dejectedly.
"Just a bit cautious, that's all, not meticulous." Lu Qing smiled slightly.
The storage bag hung so obviously at the other party's waist, how could he not take notice?
However, there was a restriction on the storage bag, and he couldn't open it for the moment.
"Elder is curious about what the Pure Lotus is, isn't it? I dare to propose a trade.
If elder swears to spare me this time,
Not only will I offer the Pure Lotus with both hands, but I will also reveal the method of its use. What does the elder think?"
The gray-robed man cautiously proposed.
"Bargaining with me?" Lu Qing glanced at the gray-robed man, "Judging by your expression just now, if I'm not mistaken, the so-called Pure Lotus should be inside this storage bag, right?
Since that's the case, with the item already in my possession, why should I negotiate with you?"
"The Pure Lotus is indeed in the storage bag, but it's inside a Treasure Box, not afraid to tell the elder, that Treasure Box has a restriction set by me.
If I die, the Divine Soul Mark within will disappear, and the Treasure Box will self-destruct.
The Pure Lotus inside will also be utterly destroyed.
The elder doesn't know much about the Pure Lotus, right? It's a supreme spiritual medicine.
It can enhance a person's comprehension, increase cultivation, and refine the Golden Core.
Even a Primordial Spirit Great Power would go crazy for such a supreme precious medicine!
The elder wouldn't want such a precious medicine to be destroyed, right?"
The gray-robed man tightly stared at Lu Qing, uttering each word with emphasis.
"Are you threatening me?" Lu Qing's gaze became sharp, "In that case, go ahead and die."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of blue Spiritual Fire emerged from the gray-robed man's space cage, then swelled fiercely.
The next moment, the entire space cage was filled with Spiritual Fire.
"Ah!"
With Lu Qing's current strength, the Spiritual Fire unleashed from the Leaving Fire Tripod was terrifyingly powerful.
It was something the severely injured gray-robed man couldn't possibly resist.
Almost instantly, his physical body began to melt.
Even when using the protective silver light within him, it was to no avail, merely delaying the melting speed of the physical body for a short time.
"Elder, spare my life! Elder, spare my life!"
Terror filled the gray-robed man's eyes.
He never imagined that even after revealing all the Pure Lotus's value, Lu Qing would show no hesitation and act without reservation.
Does he really have no fear that the Pure Lotus might be lost forever?!
Feeling the continuous melting of his physical body and the terrifying power of the Spiritual Fire, his protective magic and magical treasure couldn't defend against it at all.
Under the intense threat of death, the gray-robed man could no longer care about the face of the Golden Core Realm and begged Lu Qing desperately.
But Lu Qing remained completely unmoved, merely keeping a cold, hard face.
Molding a spell silently, the power of the Spiritual Fire in the space cage doubled once more.
The originally blue flames gradually lightened in color, almost turning transparent.
With this change, the speed at which the gray-robed man's physical body melted accelerated once more.
This Spiritual Fire not only refined the physical body but also scorched the Divine Soul. Under boundless pain, he could no longer even utter pleas for mercy.
In endless fear and agony, he could only watch helplessly as his physical body, along with his Divine Soul, was rapidly burned away.
Moreover, under the suppression of the powerful spatial force, even his attempt to self-destruct his Magic Power Golden Core was impossible!
In just over ten breaths, he was reduced to a pool of molten flesh, continually shrinking.
At this point, the gray-robed man finally realized he was beyond salvation.
In despair, he let out a piercing Divine Soul scream:
"Ah! Demon, you won't die a good death! Just wait, my sect will avenge me!"
After that, there was no sound.
When Lu Qing dispersed the Spiritual Fire, only a few dim Treasure Light clusters and a golden bead the size of an infant's fist remained in the space cage.
As for the white-robed man's physical body, it had long been thoroughly refined away, vanishing without a trace.
"Young Master, I thought you would forgive his life."
"Yan" said to Lu Qing in some surprise.
After all, the gray-robed man's words had moved even him.
If that Pure Lotus was as precious as he claimed, trading it for his life didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing didn't care at all and executed him without hesitation.
"This person's mind is cunning and deceitful. If he were allowed to live, I'm afraid it would lead to significant trouble later. A mere spiritual medicine is not worth the risk." Lu Qing said calmly.
The gray-robed man had a background. If he were released, who knows what plots and schemes he might concoct upon returning to his sect someday.
Although confident, Lu Qing didn't believe he could manage an Immortal Sect from a larger world.
After speaking, Lu Qing's Heart and Spirit permeated the storage bag in his hand.
He discovered that the Divine Soul Mark within had vanished, rendering the storage bag an unclaimed object.
It indicated that the gray-robed man had indeed completely perished.
With a thought, Lu Qing easily refined the restriction within the storage bag, imprinting his own Divine Soul Mark to claim it.
Then his Heart and Spirit probed into the storage bag.
Soon, he raised a brow, extracting a Jade Box from the storage bag.
Employing his Superpower to scrutinize it, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
He directly opened the Jade Box, and seeing the crystal-like spiritual medicine inside and the rich Spiritual Energy it emanated, a smile surfaced on his face.
"It seems, even in the Golden Core Realm, one can speak any number of lies to save their life."