Lu Qingshan flew towards the exposed Qingluo Gate on his sword.
Because the sect's formation was broken, Qingluo Sect increased its vigilance during this period and sent out disciples to take turns patrolling outside the sect.
A young disciple on patrol thought a stranger was a bad guy when he first saw him. He was about to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by an older senior brother with more advanced cultivation.
"Senior Brother?" The young disciple asked in confusion.
"Just take a closer look at who he is..." The senior brother's voice trembled slightly.
Lu Qingshan's escape technique was extremely fast, and at this time the young disciple could already see the figure in the sword light clearly.
"It's him... Why is he back again?!" The young disciple trembled all over, and his eager heart suddenly calmed down, and he no longer dared to mention stopping him.
——How dare he stop someone when even his own ancestor couldn’t stop him?
With no one trying to stop him, Lu Qingshan went straight into the sect.
…
Qingluo Sect, the main hall of the sect.
No one goes to the temple unless he has something to do.
After Lu Qingshan explained his purpose, Sect Master Pu Ze couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He took a sip of tea, looked at the expressionless Lu Qingshan, and said slowly: "You came at an untimely time. The ancestor said that there were some urgent things to do. He just left the sect three days ago and his whereabouts are unknown."
"Gone?" Lu Qingshan let out a breath and murmured.
Silence is better than words at this time.
Although he didn't ask the answer, Lu Qingshan had already got the answer.
Ancestor Qingluo had sealed himself in the underground of Qingluo Sect for thousands of years. He left at this time, not earlier or later. The meaning of this is self-evident.
…
Tianji View.
Lu Qingshan returned with a heavy heart.
This trip to Qingluo Gate cannot be said to be completely fruitless, but it cannot be said to be a huge gain either.
At least, apart from further confirming his conjecture, it doesn't have much practical significance.
At present, he does not have much energy to spend on tracking down the person behind it.
The most important thing at the moment is King Qing’s bloody massacre.
However, Lu Qingshan also understood that unless he could reach the level of Li Qiubai, personal strength would be too weak in such matters, and in the end, it would still depend on the power of Dao Zong.
Now, he was counting on the fact that the Master of Shuiyue Temple would be able to gain something from his trip to Tianhe City.
After entering Lotus Peak, Lu Qingshan first asked about the situation, "Has the Master of Shuiyue Temple returned?"
"She just came back not long ago. The peak master also instructed that if Mr. Lu comes back, he can just go find her directly." A young nun from Lotus Peak said respectfully.
Lu Qingshan nodded and headed towards the temple of the abbot of Shuiyue Temple.
In the pavilion.
In addition to the master of Shuiyue Temple, there was also a male cultivator present.
Master of Jinghu Temple.
"You're here," the head of Shuiyue Temple nodded when he saw Lu Qingshan coming in, and then asked, "How is it, what did you gain from your trip to Qingluo Sect?"
Lu Qingshan shook his head and briefly explained the situation.
"Like this..." The master of Shuiyue Temple raised his eyebrows and said softly.
"Master, have you made any discoveries? Is the bloody massacre by King Qing... true?" Lu Qingshan hesitated for a moment, but finally chose to get straight to the point and asked.
The head of Shuiyue Temple shook his head, "The situation is a bit complicated..."
She explained in detail: "I went to Tianhe City on purpose and informed the abbot of the matter. The abbot also took it very seriously and immediately used the Heavenly Secret Mirror to carefully inspect the situation in Qingzhou, the fief of King Qing."
"What is the result...?" Lu Qingshan asked.
"Everything is normal. There is no unrest or abnormality in the fiefdom of King Qing. King Qing can even be considered a good prince. Under his governance, there are very few unrests in Qingzhou. The north of Qingzhou used to be a wild land with monsters everywhere, which invaded the surrounding cities from time to time, causing the people of Northern Qing to live in misery. It was precisely because King Qing went to war and directly quelled the monster chaos in Northern Qing, and built a Zhenbei City there, not sparing a large amount of resources every year, and sent many monks to suppress the monsters. Since then, there has been no monster invasion in Northern Qing. Therefore, King Qing has a very high reputation in Qingzhou, and is regarded as a patron saint by many sects and people, and is respected. Such a person, no matter how you look at it, does not look like someone who would be cruel and do bloody things..."
In the past life, many philanthropists who appeared in the open were also despicable in secret... Lu Qingshan would not simply believe Prince Qing because of his reputation in Qingzhou.
but……
If the bloody massacre was really going to be carried out, King Qing would have to mark out a large area in advance. It would be impossible for him to decide on the location of the massacre when the time came.
Since preparations were made in advance, it stands to reason that there must be traces left.
Moreover, for a royal family member like King Qing, who has a noble status and his own fiefdom, it is undoubtedly most appropriate to enclose this bloody land in his own fiefdom, Qingzhou.
After all, what they did was so horrific that once it was discovered, they would become the target of public criticism.
Therefore, if they want to conceal the truth, they can only do it in the territory that they completely control - Gyeongju, where they have theoretical room for maneuver.
If it were in other states, simply sending people there would arouse the vigilance and suspicion of the governor of the state, let alone making many arrangements.
Another very important point is that in order to avoid suspicion, Cheonji Temple did not send any supervisory disciples to Gyeongju.
However, in other states, most of them have disciples who are well aware of the situation in their own state.
Just as Lu Qingshan said before, the disciples of Tianji Temple monitor the world in the name of supervision, so the reason why they have no information about the bloody massacre of King Qing is that there are only two most likely possibilities.
First, the story of Prince Qing’s bloody massacre was fabricated.
The second is the bloody massacre, which was secretly carried out by King Qing in Qingzhou and happened in the blind spot of Tianji Temple.
But now, the ability of the master of Tianji Temple to see into the secrets of heaven is beyond doubt.
There is no need to explain how powerful the Tianji Mirror is.
Since the master of Tianji Temple personally used the Tianji Mirror to investigate the situation in Gyeongju, if there were any ghosts in Gyeongju, it would definitely not be hidden from his eyes.
But, it didn’t…
That only means that there are really no ghosts in Qingzhou, and it is not the place of bloody slaughter chosen by King Qing.
Logically speaking, the bloody massacre would most likely not have happened.
"This matter is of great importance. Qingzhou may not be a place of bloodbath, but it does not mean that the bloodbath did not exist."
The head of Shuiyue Temple frowned and agreed softly, "This is a serious matter. We cannot be careless and must investigate it thoroughly. However, the situation in Tianhe City is getting more serious day by day, and the head of the temple is focusing most of his energy there. Since the current situation is that the blood slaughter incident is most likely just nonsense, the head of the temple can't put more energy on this matter."
"After all, the source of this information is too strange. It might be a smokescreen deliberately thrown by the underworld to throw us into disarray and distract our attention."
"Indeed, this possibility does exist." The master of Jinghu Temple responded to the opinion of the master of Shuiyue Temple.
The head of Shuiyue Temple glanced at Jinghu who was sitting upright, and without saying anything more, he continued, "Prince Qing is currently under investigation in Chang'an City because of the incidents of Donglin, Tai'an and other three cities that you mentioned earlier. The Qingmai monks and the heirs of Prince Qing who participated in the incident of the three cities will also be punished after the investigation is completed and the truth is revealed."
"So, during this period of time, I will have my disciples on duty to investigate the areas under their jurisdiction and look for any possible traces of the bloody massacre. At the same time, we will also wait for the results of the investigation in Chang'an."
"From a rational point of view, I don't believe that Prince Qing would do such a bloody massacre."
The Master of Jinghu Temple sighed and said in a deep voice: “Although he had conflicts with Li Qiubai and the current Lord for the position of Lord, his achievements in the battlefield outside the domain are also obvious to all.
"Back when Xia Xuanji was still in office, a tragic : the Giant Spirit Demon Clan launched a surprise attack, mobilizing a large number of demon cultivators, intending to wipe out all of our small and medium-sized cities on the battlefield outside the territory in one fell swoop. The human cultivators were caught off guard and could only stay in the city and struggle to hold on, unable to even send out intelligence for help."
"It was Prince Qing who single-handedly risked his life to break out and pass on intelligence in time, which helped to quell the turmoil. It was also because of this incident that Prince Qing was regarded as a great general of Daxia and his reputation was unparalleled."
"It is hard for me to believe that a man who once had such a pure heart would now wield a butcher knife against the human race he protects, against his own people." The past events came to his mind, and the master of Jinghu Temple was filled with emotion.
Lu Qingshan was silent.
But he was not convinced by the master of Jinghu Temple.
Human nature is inherently changeable.
No matter how much Prince Qing cared about the human race in the past, it does not contradict the fact that he has become cruel now.
There is precedent for this.
In his previous life, in the long history of his country, there were also many people who were persistent and determined. They risked their lives to save a nation and a country, but in the end they chose to betray their country and collaborate with the enemy.
Because in the darkness, groping forward with difficulty, they raised the white flag and surrendered for their nation in advance, feeling that there was no hope, and allowed interests to erode their beliefs.
Such people are hateful because they betray their compatriots.
But they are also pathetic. No matter how strong they are or how high their status is, they cannot hide the cowardice and fear in their hearts.
Moreover, the conclusion drawn by the Master of Tianji Temple is completely different from that of...
Lu Qingshan has always believed that the bloody massacre by Prince Qing was most likely true.
Because, in his previous life, although he had not experienced the event of the three cities being empty, before he came to this world, the version he was in was called "The Sword Opens the Sky Gate", and the subtitle was "The Mystery of the Blood Slaughter"!
However, this version has just started not long ago, and players have not yet figured out whose sword is the so-called sword that opens the sky gate, what the sky gate is... and what the mystery of blood slaughter means, before they caught up with the tenth anniversary event of "Jiu Tian" - "War of God Slaying".
There is no need to say more about what happened next.
Although Lu Qingshan has not yet figured out that the main plot of this version is about coming to this world, there is no doubt that since the subtitle of this version is "The Mystery of Blood Slaughter", this matter must exist.
This is what Lu Qingshan, as a high-level player and a veteran player who has studied the plot in depth, should understand about the moral character of the group of Jiutian game planners.
Of course, the players at that time just thought that the so-called blood massacre referred to the demons invading the human race and slaughtering the human domain.
Therefore, players have always regarded this version as the version in which the war between the two races officially started.
Lu Qingshan thought so too.
Who could have thought that the "mystery of the blood massacre" actually happened within the human race and pointed to King Qing, one of the three kings of the Great Xia royal family.
The only question now is where is the location chosen by Prince Qing for the massacre?
However, he could only keep these words in his heart and could not tell others unless he could find evidence.
So, in the end, Lu Qingshan could only raise his eyelids, look at the master of Shuiyue Temple and say solemnly: "Master, although there is not much evidence at present, only some specious doubts, please believe me this time, the matter of King Qing's bloody massacre must be treated seriously."
"I understand." Seeing Lu Qingshan so serious, the master of Shuiyue Temple immediately straightened his expression and assured without hesitation.
——Ever since Lu Qingshan went deep into the Demon Realm and returned safely, although Lu Qingshan is still just a junior in the eyes of others, her trust in Lu Qingshan is growing day by day.
However, the master of Jinghu Temple, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but narrow his eyes and snort through his nose to express his dissatisfaction when he saw the reaction of the master of Shuiyue Temple.
Although he was dissatisfied, he did not speak out against it.
As the deputy abbot of Tianji Temple, he can still grasp the severity of the matter.
…
In the side room.
Tan Tai Qingrun half leaned on the bed, and Lu Qingshan briefly told her the information that the master of Shuiyue Temple had obtained.
The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"So, this is just fake news?"
The bloody massacre was too horrifying, it would be best if it were fake.
"It's hard to say," Lu Qingshan shook his head and said seriously, "On the contrary, the more this happens, the more worried I am."
"If Prince Qing really planned the bloody massacre, this is how it should be done. It won't be easy to find the flaws."
Who can become Emperor Wu easily?
"But... this is the information obtained by the master of Tianji Temple personally." Tan Tai Qingrun said subconsciously .
It’s not that she didn’t believe Lu Qingshan’s judgment, but the authority of the master of Tianji Temple had long been deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
"Hearing is not as good as seeing, so I have to go to Qingzhou to see the situation myself," Lu Qingshan narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly in an unquestionable tone: "You should stay here and recuperate first."
Tan Tai Qingrun frowned and was about to suggest going with Lu Qingshan, but because of his impatience, the blood in his body churned and his face turned pale.
Lu Qingshan naturally saw her intention, and pressed Tan Tai Qingrun's shoulders and pushed her back to the bed, "Don't be so stubborn, just leave this matter to me."
Tan Tai Qing Run could only nod silently and said no more.
…
Qingcheng.
There are nearly a hundred states in Zhongtian Territory, and Qingzhou is ranked among the top five in all aspects.
Taken together, its total strength is enough to rank among the top three, second only to Yongzhou where Chang'an is located and Guzhou where Tianji Temple is located.
The person in power in Qingzhou today is the monk King Qing, who is from the royal family of Daxia.
Historically, Qingzhou was just a vast and desolate place, and was not well developed. It was the monks of King Qing's lineage who continuously developed Qingzhou, leading to its current situation.
From this perspective, Prince Qing's contribution is unquestionable.
Qingcheng is the capital of Qingzhou, located in the center of the state.
On this day, in the teleportation array in the corner of Qingcheng, a light flickered and the figure of a young monk suddenly appeared.
The moment he appeared, he first looked around, and finally raised his head to look at the towering city walls of Qingcheng not far away.
The walls are engraved with complicated and strange array patterns, covering every corner of the city wall.
The city is extremely lively. At a glance, one can feel the powerful aura of many monks.
This is Qingcheng, a big city that ranks among the top three in Zhongtian Domain and is even second only to Chang'an.
Such a prosperous place was built up after exhausting countless efforts and time of the cultivators of King Qing's lineage. Could King Qing really bring himself to slaughter them all just to break through himself?
Lu Qingshan, who had just rushed to Qingcheng from Tianji Temple to investigate the situation, thought so in his heart.