Chapter 481: Lu Heng's Plan
Ban Qi's wailing for mercy sounded utterly desperate.
This young man, whose cultivation can hardly be considered outstanding, is undoubtedly a rising star among the foreign guests. In his own world, he should have a remarkably bright future.
However, it is unfortunate that such a prodigious genius is now destined to fall.
Lu Heng looked at him with an indifferent expression and said, "Why stoop so low? You know full well that I won't spare you just because you beg for mercy. Why not, like your companions, meet your demise with generosity and leave behind a final semblance of dignity?"
Lu Heng inquired of this once confident and proud prodigious genius.
Before Ban Qi knelt down, all the cultivators in the underground magma lake succumbed one by one beneath the Heaven's Divination Sword.
The Annihilation Venerable One, one of the thirteen Buddhist Venerable Ones renowned in the Earth Spirit Realm, clashed with Lu Heng for less than a quarter of an hour, only to have his golden body destroyed, pierced by the sword energy, and his form and spirit annihilated.
Clearly, the strength of this Buddhist Venerable One is not as formidable as he presumes, utterly incapable of withstanding the mighty power unleashed by Lu Heng's simultaneous display of five swords.
Even the mightiest Buddhist Venerable One has fallen, and naturally, the rest of the insignificant ones were not spared, being consecutively slain one by one by Lu Heng.
However, when it came to the final moment, this cultivator named Ban Qi unexpectedly knelt down in despair, wailing and begging for mercy, completely devoid of the dignity and decorum befitting a cultivator of his innate caliber.
As Lu Heng beheld his remorseful and conflicted countenance, there was, however, no semblance of compassion within his heart.
Because he believed that if it were Lu Heng who was defeated today, even if he were to kneel and beg for mercy, weeping in the most pitiable manner, this group of people would not show an ounce of leniency. After all, their purpose in coming here is to annihilate all living beings in the Celestial Desolation Realm.
And Lu Heng's inquiry caused Ban Qi's sobbing to diminish somewhat, to which he hastily pleaded, "Heavenly Lord, spare me! I truly am visiting the Celestial Desolation Realm for the first time, never before have I harmed a single life in the Celestial Desolation Realm! Even when I arrived in the Celestial Desolation Realm, I have never laid a hand on anyone, not even slaying a single evil demon!"
"Pray, Heavenly Lord, grant me mercy and, considering my willingness to repent, allow me to return, I solemnly promise to never set foot in the Celestial Desolation Realm in this lifetime! I implore, please bestow your grace, Heavenly Lord!"
Ban Qi's wailing and begging for mercy, in that pitiful state, displayed no trace of the grace and dignity befitting a master.
Even the white dragon girl behind Lu Heng could no longer bear witness to such a sight.
She couldn't help but speak out, saying, "You, of all people, can't you have some self-respect?! A mighty martial cultivator at the innate realm, crying like a timid little mouse! Can't you stand tall and face death with dignity? You have brought shame upon your comrades!"
The white dragon girl reproached harshly, while Ban Qi shook his head with bitterness, and said, "It is not that I'm shameless, but rather that I cannot die here! If I were to die alone, it would be one thing, but if I were to die here, my young child would be left without a father… It is not that this humble junior fears death, for I am not kneeling for the sake of myself!"
Ban Qi pleaded in agony, his words sincere and heartfelt.
He completely opened up his heart and soul, allowing Lu Heng to vividly sense that every word spoken by the young man before him was genuine.
However, Lu Heng's expression remained aloof.
"There are not just you alone who have children and families. In the Celestial Desolation Realm, there are billions of living beings, each one being someone's parent, child, family member…"
After finishing speaking, Lu Heng's gaze turned icy. In a swift motion, a glimmer of cold light flashed as the sharp Tianji ancient battle sword sliced through a spurting head.
Along with what was eradicated, the soul of this young man was also extinguished.
Thus, all the cultivators from other realms who had participated in the extermination of the Ancient Divine Beast Wudou were besieged and killed.
Annihilated completely.
Standing in the void, Lu Heng coldly surveyed everything around him, where a bloody storm and a dense atmosphere of death permeated the underground lava lake. So many cultivators at the innate level met a tragic end on the spot, and the deathly aura here was so thick that it almost solidified into substance.
However, he was well aware that compared to the true Earthly Catastrophe, everything before his eyes was nothing more than child's play.
Giving a cold glance at the corpses in the lava lake, Lu Heng uttered, "Let's go."
Saying so, he flew outward with the young girl by his side.
Upon seeing Lu Heng intending to depart, astonishment spread across the countenance of the white dragon girl, who hastily exclaimed, "Master! Are we truly leaving so soon? Shall we not scavenge the spoils? It appears that several formidable interdimensional cultivators have met their demise here! Merely collecting a few of their artifacts could lead to a substantial fortune!"
The white dragon maiden exuded distress, her eyes wandering anxiously over the corpses of those formidable warriors from other realms and the carcasses of mythical beasts bobbing within the lava lake.
However, Lu Heng shook his head and said, "You dare to use the Magical Tools of the foreign cultivators? Beware of the curse and witchcraft!"
Saying this, upon witnessing the white dragon girl's crestfallen expression, Lu Heng added further, "When the Heaven's Divination Sword obliterates their very souls, it shall also annihilate all their accompanying Magical Tools and personal belongings. It is a precaution against any vile curse that these individuals may seek to unleash posthumously."
"If you are truly interested in the treasures of the deceased, come with me to the north. There will undoubtedly be a great battle ahead, and then you'll have plenty to pick up."
As Lu Heng uttered these words, the two of them had already departed from the underground lava lake and returned to the ethereal skies of the outside world.
The pale light eloped towards the northern direction, leaving the white dragon girl astounded, "Ah? Towards the north? Master, have you finally made up your mind to teach a lesson to Senior Sun Yan? And perhaps even slay the Lord of the Nine Phoenix Palace?"
Lu Heng glanced at her and said, "Who told you that I am going to take action? I am merely taking you to the northern region to witness the spectacle. Haven't you heard what those demons and monsters are saying? Sun Yan is now on the verge of ascending to a higher realm with his flesh and blood. The Heavenly Court is mobilizing its forces to obstruct him. When the inevitable clash between gods and demons ensues, countless casualties are bound to occur. You may freely collect the treasures as you please."
Lu Heng's words caused the white dragon girl's eyes to widen even further.
"Martial Master! Are you implying… that you intend to simply spectate? Regardless of the conflict between Sun Yan and Martial Sister Xiao Ai? Are you planning to let them fight it out until the bitter end?"
With a chill laughter, Lu Heng nodded in agreement.
The white dragon girl was instantly bewildered, hastily clutching the sleeve of Lu Heng, imploring, "Please, Master! Although Brother Sun Yan and Martial Sister Xiao Ai have indeed been excessively unruly, they are still your disciples, after all!"
"And now, the enemies of the World of Eight Desolations are about to descend. They have already dispatched their vanguard forces! Perhaps tomorrow, the Earthly Catastrophe will be upon us, and all those old monsters from the World of Eight Desolations will pour in to slaughter."
"At this critical moment, we cannot afford to waste lives by fighting amongst ourselves! We must promptly put an end to the meaningless conflict between Sun Yan and Martial Sister Xiao Ai, preserve all the living forces, and utilize them to confront the impending formidable foes from the otherworld!"
The white dragon maiden exclaimed anxiously, "Wasn't it you, master, who said it? We must unite all the available forces! We must consolidate the entire military might of the Celestial Desolation Realm in order to alter the wretched state of constant devastation inflicted upon the Celestial Desolation Realm by the World of Eight Desolations… Have you forgotten all the words you said, master?"
The white dragon maiden beseeched fervently.
However, amidst the escaping radiance, Lu Heng remained unmoved.
He shook his head coldly and said, "It is precisely because the Earthly Catastrophe is imminent that I have no intention of getting involved in this conflict."
"Isn't Sun Yan aiming for ascension of flesh and blood? Isn't Xiao Ai striving to vanquish the demonic forces?"
"So, I will carefully observe who will have the last laugh in the final struggle for their respective legacies!"
