This was a natural human reaction. As long as it didn’t violate his principles and bottom line, Lu Qing didn’t mind such trivial matters.
"Yan" heard this and stopped speaking.
It had only wanted to remind Lu Qing, and since he already understood, there was no need to elaborate.
After leaving Cold water City, Lu Qing continued his travels with Xiao Yan.
By evening, they arrived at a new city to settle for the night. After securing lodging in an inn, Lu Qing waited until Xiao Yan fell asleep before using his divine sense to enter the Li Huo Cauldron.
"Young Master," Yan greeted him immediately.
"What about Li Changbo?" Lu Qing asked.
"He's still imprisoned. The man is surprisingly composed. After an initial bout of panic, he’s calmed down completely," Yan replied, waving its hand to reveal a spatial prison, displaying the situation within.
Inside, Li Changbo sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in meditation, appearing entirely at peace. Of course, he was oblivious to the events outside and couldn't see Lu Qing or Yan.
Li Changbo instantly opened his eyes. When he saw Lu Qing and Yan, a look of shock flashed across his face. Especially upon seeing Yan’s form, he immediately realized this wasn’t a human.
"How have you been here? Comfortable enough?" Lu Qing asked indifferently.
"This place is dark but peaceful," Li Changbo replied.
Lu Qing chuckled and skipped pleasantries. "Li Changbo, your cultivation was built on spirit stones. Speak—where did you obtain so many?"
Hearing this, Li Changbo’s composure faltered. He stared intently at Lu Qing, struggling to fathom how this enigmatic young man knew his deepest secret. Even during the terrifying illusions he had endured earlier, he had not revealed a word of it.
"Surprised?" Lu Qing observed his expression and continued, "You think a secret is impervious to discovery? Your foundation is weak, far below the average Golden Core cultivator. You must have relied on some shortcut to rapidly increase your strength. In this world, only spirit stones can achieve such results."
Li Changbo’s face flushed. His greatest pride in life was surviving the Thunder Tribulation and achieving the Golden Core Realm, a feat that placed him among the elite cultivators of the world. For Lu Qing to dismiss him as weak stung deeply.
Still, despite his anger, Li Changbo dared not argue. Their prior confrontation had made it clear that Lu Qing's strength was unfathomable and far beyond his own.
After a deep breath to steady himself, Li Changbo spoke. "So, Senior captured me because of the spirit stones. That’s simple enough. If Senior swears a soul oath to release me and guarantee my safety, I’ll reveal their location."
"You know about soul oaths?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. "You must have received some inheritance from the ancient cultivation era."
In the previous cultivation era, the soul oath was a widely known technique. However, in the current age, few were aware of it. Li Changbo’s silence confirmed Lu Qing's guess.
Without the ancient legacy, Li Changbo would never have reached the Golden Core Realm on his own.
"Still," Lu Qing continued, "do you think you’re qualified to negotiate with me?"
These words made Li Changbo look up sharply, just as Lu Qing’s eyes glimmered with a strange light. Instantly, a wave of drowsiness overcame him.
Realizing something was wrong, Li Changbo tried to resist, but it was too late. Moments later, he found himself trapped in an even more horrifying illusion than before.
When he awoke again, his face was etched with exhaustion.
"As I said, you’re in no position to negotiate with me or keep secrets," Lu Qing said. His words made Li Changbo tremble, fear evident in his eyes.
In the illusion, Li Changbo had endured unimaginable torture, experiencing what felt like ten years of torment. Unable to bear the agony, he had revealed the spirit stones’ location.
"Senior, since you now know the location, may I humbly ask for mercy?" Li Changbo pleaded.
"What do you think?" Lu Qing asked, a faint smile on his lips.
"Senior!" Li Changbo panicked. "We bear no grudges. Why must you be so ruthless? If you spare me, I’ll swear a soul oath to serve you as your most loyal blade, willing to do anything for you!"
"I don’t need a servant like you," Lu Qing replied coldly. "You schemed against your wife and children for treasure and power. Someone so devoid of humanity isn’t qualified to serve me. Besides, I promised the Cold water Palace Master that I wouldn’t let you walk this earth again."
"Senior, please..." Li Changbo’s voice trembled with desperation, but Lu Qing had already lost interest in hearing him out.
With a single thought, a transparent flame ignited within the spatial prison, engulfing Li Changbo.
Terrified, Li Changbo mobilized all his power to resist the fire, only to realize with horror that it was futile.
"This fire… impossible!" he exclaimed as his body began to melt. His fire-elemental spiritual power offered no defense.
In mere moments, the transparent flames consumed him entirely, leaving only a fiery red bead behind.
"A weakling with a shaky Golden Core foundation, daring to resist the Southern Bright Flame of the Li Huo Cauldron? How laughable," Yan sneered. "Even far stronger Golden Core cultivators have perished under this flame in the ancient era."
Lu Qing reached out and retrieved the bead, finding it warm and smooth to the touch. Activating his spiritual powers, he quickly understood its essence.
It was none other than the artifact Li Changbo had tricked his wife into stealing from the Cold water Palace—a fragmented upper-grade fire-element artifact.