Officially Leaving the Pass

Huang Changling left a little over half a day later.

Huang Tankong, who had been lying in wait in the dense forest, finally stopped and flew towards the southern part of the Liang Kingdom.

A murderous intent flickered in Lan Chang'an's eyes.

Not only did Huang Tankong kill Mu Renlong in the air raid, but he also wanted to lie in wait here and perish together with him?

However, Lan Chang'an rationally considered that killing the elderly Huang Tankong was not worthwhile.

This person only has half a year left to live, while I myself have over four hundred years to live.

Go to the trouble of killing him? The cost-benefit ratio is too low!

The risks, however, are not low.

Huang Tankong was eager for him to appear. As Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, burning his last bit of life force in a desperate fight, it was impossible to predict what kind of methods and backlash he might employ.

Lan Chang'an, however, was determined not to let him have his way.

Compared to Golden Cloud Valley and Jade Moon Lake.

Wuqi Mountain is closer to Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market.

Seven days later.

The hilly area 800 li away from Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

An elderly man in his seventies, with prominent cheekbones, rode Flying Boat, his expression forlorn and slightly weary.

It was Huang Changling, the Foundation Establishment of the Huang Family, who was about to return to Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market.

Um?

Huang Changling suddenly felt a premonition.

From the ravine below, a dark shadow swooped down, seemingly some kind of bird.

A sweep of Divine Sense.

It was a Puppet bird; the sharp gusts of wind from its claws sent a chill through Huang Changling.

It was clearly a top-tier first-order Puppet.

"Court death!"

Huang Changling's expression darkened, and with a flick of his sleeve, a dark blue ice pillar grew six or seven zhang in the wind, slamming into the Avian Puppet.

Bang! Crack!

The Avian Puppet was knocked dozens of feet away, its wings and claws broken, and its surface covered with large patches of frost.

Where is it...?

Huang Changling wasn't stupid; he was wary of the master behind the Puppet.

A dark shadow suddenly appeared in the distant ravine.

The next instant, his mind went blank, and his body swayed, almost falling.

An invisible blade of Divine Sense, carrying eerie shockwaves, caused him to lose his mind and suffer excruciating pain.

"Not good!"

Huang Changling's face was deathly pale. He had just struggled to his feet and instinctively activated his Law Power protective shield.

Boom!

A bolt of blue lightning, as thick as an arm, descended from the sky, accompanied by large, forked arcs of electricity that roamed freely, covering an area of several feet in radius.

Huang Changling's Law Power shield shattered instantly, as if made of paper.

The power of this Law Technique reaches the level of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage stage.

"Foundation Establishment Late Stage? No--"

Huang Changling felt a chill run down his spine, and inwardly screamed:

A powerful cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage actually dared to ambush and scheme against someone in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

A bloodcurdling scream.

Huang Changling's entire body was charred black, surrounded by flames, and he and the Flying Boat, carrying a powerful impact, plummeted towards the hills below.

"Rise!"

The damaged, smoking Flying Boat, before it even hit the ground, was caught steadily by a fair hand.

"Yeah, completely dead."

Lan Chang'an scanned Huang Changling's charcoal-black corpse with his Divine Sense, but he could not recognize the face at all and there were no signs of life.

Just now, he used a Second-Order High-Grade Lightning Talisman.

The Thunder Method attack, comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, instantly killed Huang Changling, who Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

Because of the open terrain and the fact that the opponent was flying at a high altitude, it was impossible to assassinate him at close range as before.

The combination of Puppet and Divine Sense attacks is to ensure absolute safety.

It is impossible to determine what means the other party has to save their life and escape.

If one possesses a top-tier defensive Law Artifact, one can at least struggle and resist; if one has a high-quality Escape Talisman, there is a small chance of escaping.

Plop!

Huang Changling's Storage Bag burst open, scattering his spoils all over the ground.

Fortunately, Huang Changling withstood most of the lightning's power. The Storage Bag was made of sturdy material and had protective Restriction, so only a few items were damaged.

Lan Chang'an used his Law Power to collect the spoils of war.

They then put Huang Changling's corpse, along with the damaged Flying Boat and Puppet, into an empty Storage Bag.

If you take the body and the stolen goods away, there will be no clues or traces left.

Previously, Lan Chang'an used his hands to hold the Flying Boat back from crashing to the ground, mainly for this reason in addition to reducing the noise.

After completing the final work, the entire process takes no more than ten minutes.

Lan Chang'an completely concealed his Law Power, relying solely on his physical body to traverse at a speed comparable to that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

In a flash, his figure blended into the depths of the mountains and disappeared without a trace.

Even if a passing cultivator happens to spot them, it won't be a big problem.

Through Body Refinement Technique and disguise, Lan Chang'an now appeared as a burly man.

Ten miles away, a small iron Law Artifact, carrying an old man and a child, flew towards Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

"Grandpa! That lightning bolt looked like a lightning Law Technique?"

The young man in the Qi Refining Realm narrowed his pupils as he gazed at the lightning streaking across the distant sky.

"Run! That surge of Law Power is probably a battle between mid-to-late Foundation Establishment!"

The hunched-over, White-Browed Elder, Qi Refining Late-Stage, showed a look of terror.

He had witnessed a battle Foundation Establishment Early Stage, which was far less impressive than the lightning Law Technique he had just witnessed.

Without a second thought, he manipulated the iron boat Law Artifact and turned back.

"I've heard that this Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market was once surrounded by chaos and plagued by Evil Cultivator. It's definitely not a place to come here."

The White-Browed Elder was still shaken.

The grandfather and grandson fled in panic, vowing never to return to such a dangerous Marketplace.

One hour later.

Deep in the mountains, thousands of miles away from Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

Lan Chang'an quickly inventoried the spoils of war, using his powerful Divine Sense to investigate any suspicious items.

Among the spoils of war were more than three thousand Spirit Stone, including a top-grade defensive Law Artifact and three High-Grade Magic Item.

There were more than a dozen second-tier Talisman and more than a dozen bottles of second-tier pills.

Other Law Artifact, spirit wine, tea, spirit fruit, and a whole host of other materials and supplies.

This includes two types of Breakthrough Pill for the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining.

"Huang Changling, as expected of a veteran Foundation Establishment who has long been in charge of the Marketplace, is much wealthier than Young Master Huang."

The gains from this trip exceeded Lan Chang'an's expectations.

"Huh! These materials..."

As Lan Chang'an was sorting through a pile of medicinal herbs, he couldn't help but feel that they looked familiar.

Isn't this... an ingredient for Foundation Establishment?

Apart from the Mystic Spirit Fruit, all the main ingredients are gathered, and most of the auxiliary ingredients are also available.

The materials are over 70% complete.

"The Huang Family has the convenience of the Marketplace, abundant resources, and they're plotting to obtain the Foundation Establishment."

Lan Chang'an smiled knowingly.

Sixty years ago, the Maple Leaf Huang Family was known for having three members who had Foundation Establishment.

In fact, in recent decades, the Huang Family has produced not only one Young Master Huang Foundation Establishment, but two.

Of the first three Foundation Establishment cultivators, one died of old age.

This is the advantage of the Huang Family opening Marketplace; their wealth flows in from all directions, and even one or two branches of the Beast Taming Zhou Family, have been bought off and won over by them.

After killing Huang Changling, Lan Chang'an quickly returned to Wuqi Mountain, since it was relatively close by.

Seven days later, on the evening of [date missing].

Lan Chang'an quietly returned to Wuqi Mountain.

With his ability to conceal his aura, the other two Peak Master could hardly detect him.

Hidden among the vines halfway up Small Turtle Peak, Lan Chang'an found the entrance to the tunnel and returned to the Secret Chamber of his mountaintop cave.

Even if this hidden tunnel were discovered, it wouldn't lead to the mountaintop.

Because there is also Lan Chang'an's protective formation on the mountaintop, and only those with the formation's Formation Token can freely enter and exit.

In the Cultivation World, as long as it is a normal cultivation force, the Mountain Protection Array also has an isolation effect on the underground.

In his Previous Life, Lan Chang'an had read a book on cultivation, which described how someone had easily infiltrated the gate of a super sect by digging a tunnel underground.

Secret Chamber.

Lan Chang'an recalled the operation, wondering if there had been any oversights.

This time, he did not impersonate Liang Shaotian.

If Liang Shaotian is blamed twice in a row for killing members of the Huang Family's Foundation Establishment, it would be too much of a coincidence.

This will attract the sect's attention and investigation.

The effect he wants to achieve is:

Huang Changling mysteriously disappeared. The clan could only confirm his death through his Soul Tablet, but could not find any clues or traces.

Lan Chang'an killed the body instantly once again, taking all the corpse and belongings with him.

When he made his move, he scanned the surrounding area with his Divine Sense and found no other cultivators nearby.

"This time, the operation wasn't as perfect as last time. Sigh, mainly because no one's taking the blame."

"Killing Huang Changling might lead the Maple Leaf Huang Family to suspect me, but it's impossible to be certain."

Lan Chang'an was aware of this.

Huang Tankong and Huang Changling came over to keep watch on him.

Huang Yingchun, another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Huang Family, should know this, and a few core figures may know a little about it.

Lan Chang'an didn't think it was a big problem.

Firstly, the Huang Family had no clues or evidence, at most only suspicions.

Over the decades, the Huang Family has expanded its power, including by opening Marketplace, and has made quite a few enemies in the process.

Secondly, with the Huang Family Huang Changling, a Foundation Establishment, gone, and Huang Tankong nearing the end of his lifespan, the Huang family is left with only one Foundation Establishment female cultivator.

A female cultivator at the Foundation Establishment cannot simultaneously control both the Huang Family's Spirit Vein base and the Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market; this will inevitably attract unwanted attention.

At that time, the Huang Family will face a crisis and be unable to take care of themselves.

Thirdly, as Second-Order Talisman Master, Lan Chang'an has considerable connections. Killing someone in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage who plotted against him is not excessive and is perfectly justified.

The weak Huang Family is prone to suspicion, lacks moral standing, and is left with no other choice.

"Heh, the materials the Huang Family used to plan the Foundation Establishment have also become my spoils of war. Not only is the clan facing a crisis, but it will also be difficult for them to produce new Foundation Establishment in the short term."

Lan Chang'an chuckled.

If Lan Chang'an hadn't provoked Huang Tankong before his lifespan was about to end, he wouldn't have needed to take action.

Previously, the only personal feud between the Huang Family and the Young Master Huang; there were no other grudges or conflicts.

The next day.

Lan Chang'an "officially emerged from seclusion" and took a comfortable bath with Guan Qiaozhi's help.

Two days later, Lan Chang'an finally set off for Jade Moon Lake.

As for Huang Changling's body, it was disposed of outside as waste ash from alchemy.

Ten days later.

Approaching Jade Moon Lake by several hundred miles, Lan Chang'an concealed his aura and landed on the ground to continue his journey.

His Divine Sense was stronger than Huang Tankong's, and he wasn't worried about being ambushed when he was on guard.

We passed through a canyon.

Lan Chang'an slowed down, because this place was a necessary stop on the normal route from Wuqi Mountain to Jade Moon Lake.

He disguised himself as an ordinary martial arts practitioner.

The aura of the Evergreen Art is so concealed and simulated that even Pseudo-Core True Person cannot see through it.

"Huh! Huang Tankong isn't here?"

Lan Chang'an's mind merged with the Second Life of the Nine Imprint Tablet, and his Divine Sense was greatly enhanced, at least comparable to that of the Golden Core Realm.

Because one's mind and consciousness must be integrated into the Nine Imprint Tablet, this perceptual ability can only be used in non-combat situations.

Half a day later, the familiar Jade Moon Lake came into view.

Lan Chang'an was a little surprised.

Was Huang Tankong lying in wait for him near Jade Moon Lake?

As he approached Jade Moon Lake, he slowed down to try and pinpoint Huang Tankong's location.

Lan Chang'an might not necessarily cause trouble for the other party; if he could pinpoint their location, he would have a better understanding of the situation.

Could it be...?

Lan Chang'an thought of a possibility.

Perhaps Huang Tankong guessed that he was being cautious, avoiding the normal route, and that his ambush location was in an unconventional, roundabout way?

Lan Chang'an shook his head inwardly, no longer dwelling on it.

As he approached Jade Moon Lake, he reverted to his original form and flew to the Mu Family's residence.

They sensed the presence of the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

A slightly overweight middle-aged man with puffy eyes flew out of Moon Heart Island.

"Big brother, you're finally back."

Li Erqing's eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted. Seeing Lan Chang'an, he felt a great sense of relief.

(I really ran out of drafts. Although I didn't have a fever those days, I felt very unwell. I could only manage to maintain a daily update of 6,000 words for now. I'm posting two chapters early today, and from now on, updates will resume during the daytime.)

(End of this chapter)