Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 169 Eradicating the Cult, Learning Chapter 1 Northern Emperor's Black Laws

Following the waiter's directions, Lü Qian arrived at the large locust tree. The place was bustling with noise, and countless figures were bowing to the temple with devout and fanatical expressions on their faces.

"We pay homage to Heaven and Earth and the gods, and pray to the Heavenly Mother. With a compassionate heart, the Heavenly Mother has specially dispatched a celestial master to enlighten all living beings."

He walked expressionlessly through the crowd of worshippers, completely out of place with the frenzied atmosphere around him. As he got closer to the City God Temple, the absurd offerings became increasingly apparent.

Jewels and gold, young children and women, flesh and blood sacrifices...

Two rows of wooden frames were placed along the roadside. On one of the frames, several children aged six or seven were tied up. Fresh blood and organs were flowing from their bodies, and dried reddish-brown bloodstains covered the ground beneath the frames.

On another row of wooden racks hung several young women, their clothes torn and dried blood flowing beneath them.

At the temple entrance, there are five statues of gods, one large and four small. The largest one in the middle is the Eternal Mother, and the other four are Confucius holding a scroll, Buddha sitting on a lotus, Lao Tzu riding backwards on a blue ox, and Jesus bound to a cross.

It can be described as a chaotic mix of Chinese and Western elements, a mere patchwork of different styles.

A large cauldron was placed on a fire beside the temple gate, simmering a dark, foul-smelling liquid. Several people in colorful clothes used long ladles to scoop the liquid from the cauldron and distribute it to the fanatical believers who were waiting in line.

"You beasts of Quanxing, get out here, you Daoist!"

Lu Qian drew his sword and unleashed a sharp golden sword beam that blasted towards the temple gate, shattering the plaque on the gate into pieces.

With his sword in hand and his feet moving without stopping, he swung his sword once and then again, aiming at the large pot next to the temple gate. The sword energy rose again, directly overturning the pot of bubbling black water.

"Ah, talismanic water, our talismanic water..."

Thick, foul-smelling soup splattered out, pouring directly onto the people in colorful clothes. The scalding heat made them lie on the ground howling in agony, and the believers who had been lined up all turned red with envy at the sight.

They rushed onto the people in colorful clothes, tearing at their flesh and trying to lick the foul-smelling broth.

The scene descended into chaos. From inside the dust-filled temple gate, a lean man wearing a Vairocana hat, a Taoist robe, and carrying a cross, and adorned with gold and silver jewels, burst forth from the dust.

"Ha, I thought some Taoist master had come down from the mountain, but he's just a greenhorn."

The wiry man first kicked over the statue blocking his way in a panic, intending to run away, but when he caught sight of Lü Qian's youthful figure, he pulled back the leg he had taken.

"Clang, clang..."

With his movement, the gold and silver jewelry that had been hanging on him jingled, the crisp sound echoing throughout the square in front of the temple.

"Kid, you..."

Before he could even utter a few harsh words with a smile, Lü Qian, sword in hand, flashed forward and charged straight at him.

"Bang!"

The fist, wrapped in layers of force, struck the lean man's chest directly. The force, like ripples of water, spread out, causing the man's chest to explode with a muffled thud, and he was sent flying backward into the temple.

Amidst the dust and smoke, several blood-red steel needles shot out from the temple, heading straight for Lü Qian.

"Ding!"

With a flick of his whisk, Lü Qian's three thousand white hairs transformed into a gentle stream, carrying the steel needle to the ground. Several wisps of black energy drifted out from the holes punched by the steel needle.

"Hehehe, so you're a genius after all. What I love most is killing geniuses like you from righteous sects."

The lean man emerged from the dust with his outer robe exposed. Beneath the torn robe, a deep fist mark was imprinted on the thick, gleaming golden armor.

He looked down at the fist mark on his chest, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "This fist is like Tai Chi but not quite Tai Chi. It has a bit of the flavor of the Lü family's Ruyi Jin."

"Luckily, I've practiced the blood sacrifice technique, otherwise you would have really landed a solid punch on me. Little Taoist, you'll stay here today."

He brandished the glittering golden cross in his hand, stood in front of the temple gate, and shouted to the chaotic believers below, "This demon disrespects the old mother and the leader of this sect. Whoever kills him will be rewarded with thirty merits by the leader of this sect."

Upon hearing this, the crowd that had been scrambling for the talisman water immediately turned to look at Lü Qian, their eyes revealing greed.

"Thirty merits, that can be exchanged for quite a bit of gold and silver, right?"

"Why bother with gold and silver? Thirty merits are enough for the Daoist master to preach and impart the Dharma. This little demon is mine, and none of you are allowed to take him from me."

……

A deep greed shone in the eyes of these fanatical believers, as if Lu Qian before them was not a person, but countless treasures and gold and silver. However, they hesitated and shrank back when they saw the wooden sword shining in his hand.

Soon, when one person couldn't resist rushing towards Lü Qian, the crowd that had been hesitating followed suit, baring their teeth and claws as they charged towards Lü Qian.

"I now understand why, in the phrase 'eradicate evil and eliminate wickedness,' 'eradicate evil' comes before 'eliminate evil.'"

"Because you people who have lost the hearts of the people, you who wear human skin, are what we call wicked and evil."

He used his Qi Observation Technique to confirm that the other party was just a group of ordinary people, but the deep fanaticism in their eyes made him lightly turn the whisk in his hand. They were a group of brainwashed believers.

Throughout history, cults have typically chosen remote and underdeveloped areas to establish themselves, then recruit followers and brainwash them, with a particular focus on the elderly and women.

Because the elderly and women are not only easily deceived, but they can also be used to control individual families and continuously influence the next generation, thereby expanding their influence.

These brainwashed believers also hinder the righteous forces' efforts to suppress and search for them. They help the cult conceal its whereabouts and even risk their lives to prevent the righteous forces from suppressing it.

The golden sword in Lü Qian's hand shone brightly, its dazzling golden light spreading across the entire dark blade. He held the sword in one hand and a whisk in the other, his expression calm and serene.

Ripples formed from the void, instantly piling up into surging waves. With a stomp of his foot, Lü Qian caused the waves to surge and churn, and the towering waves, fueled by the convergence of force, engulfed the believers at the forefront.

Crimson blood gushed from the spray of the water, and the fanatics at the forefront were torn to pieces by the raging torrent of force.

"I'll give you one more chance. Once I kill this beast, those of you who remain here can go to hell with him."

Before the remaining fanatical believers could react, he stepped on the ripples and his figure blurred as he rushed back to the lean man.

Golden light shone brightly from Lü Qian's hand, and the wooden sword seemed to transform into a streak of light, thrusting straight towards the lean man from all directions.

The lean man hadn't recovered from the shock of Lü Qian, a righteous man, killing ordinary people when a dazzling, sharp golden light arrived in the blink of an eye. He waved the cross in his hand to defend himself.

But the cross made of jade and gold and silver, under the slashing of the wooden sword, seemed like a clay sculpture, breaking into several pieces amidst the flashing light and shadow of the sword.

"ah--"

Golden light flashed across his limbs and joints. The lean man gritted his teeth and spat out several scarlet steel nails, aiming them at Lü Qian who was standing close by.

This is a method he developed using fresh human blood mixed with various filthy poisons, specifically designed to break the purity of those who cultivate.

Three thousand white threads swept across the void, sometimes like flowing water, turning the steel nails around, and sometimes like sharp swords, where the blades and light sprayed out warm flesh and blood, but not a single white thread stuck to them.

"what!"

A scarlet steel nail, carried by a whisk, was driven into the wiry man's forehead, and dark mist rose from the wound.

"Thump!"

The lean man stared blankly with his lifeless eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he knelt down on the ground.

"An eye for an eye."

Lu Qian turned and swung his sword, the wooden blade slicing down the man's drooping head, and a blood-stained head rolled to the ground.

He turned to look at the believers in the square in front of the temple. Because of Lü Qian's ruthless methods, some people had already left, but there were still quite a few left.

They stared at the grotesque head on the ground, but showed no fear. Instead, they glared angrily at Lü Qian, their curses ringing out.

"You audacious madman, what have you done to the Daoist leader?"

"You fiend, aren't you afraid of being punished by the Heavenly Mother?"

……

"It seems you are all prepared to die."

Lu Qian looked calmly at the crowd who had lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Waves of water emanated from his body, which in the blink of an eye transformed into a towering wave.

With a flick of his sleeve, a wave engulfed the headless corpse beside him, tearing it to shreds in the blink of an eye by the surging force.

"Splash splash splash..."

The waves surged and swept through the entire alley in an instant. Lü Qian stepped out of the City God Temple street, calmly walking away from the waves.

"We must eradicate evil completely. I wouldn't feel at ease letting your poison spread. Since that's the case, then let's learn from the Northern Emperor Sect."

Lu Qian strode towards the city gates, saying, "This upright and ruthless approach can be quite useful sometimes."

"The evil man of Quanxing must die. He aided and abetted the wicked, and this beast who has lost his humanity should also be put to death."

……

Lu Qian continued his journey. After leaving the small town in the Qinling Mountains, he saw a group of scholars, some of them short in stature, fiddling with various instruments, seemingly sketching the mountains and terrain.

"Wait a minute, Japanese?"