Thoughts Unhindered!

Li Qingshan remained perfectly calm, dodging while searching for an opening.

He noticed that Uncle Feng seemed somewhat arrogant, failing to defend with his full strength.

Perhaps, this is my chance!

A sharp glint flashed in Li Qingshan's eyes.

Now!

He abruptly channeled the Flying Rainbow Technique, his figure twisting like a ghost in a sharp turn. He narrowly avoided a lethal beam of sword light and instantly closed the distance to Uncle Feng!

Uncle Feng clearly had not expected such bizarre movement, and he faltered for a split second.

In that flash of lightning, Li Qingshan pressed his fingers together like a blade, the massive Longevity Technique true essence within him surging wildly!

"Fire Arrow Technique: Hundred Arrows!"

In an instant, hundreds of highly condensed, searingly bright emerald-green flame arrows materialized out of thin air, raining down upon Uncle Feng like a violent storm!

Enhanced by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, this Fire Arrow Technique was already a peak first-grade spell; its power was no less than a spell cast by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Driven now by Foundation Establishment true essence, its lethality was terrifying!

Uncle Feng's expression changed drastically. In his haste, he erected a spiritual barrier while simultaneously recalling his flying sword to block.

Boom, boom, boom!

The flame arrows slammed frantically into the barrier and the sword, erupting in a continuous roar!

The barrier twisted violently, on the verge of shattering!

Seizing this opportunity, Li Qingshan gathered the vast true essence he had gained from his recent breakthrough—far exceeding that of an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—into his right hand without reservation!

His palm turned emerald green like jade, imbued with terrifying life force and destructive power!

This was the manifestation of the Longevity Technique's true essence at its peak condensation!

"Die!"

Li Qingshan let out a low shout, his figure moving like lightning as he struck with his palm!

At that moment, Uncle Feng had just blocked all the arrows. His old strength was spent and his new strength had yet to arise, and his barrier had already shattered. He watched with horror and disbelief as that jade-like palm rapidly enlarged before his eyes!

"No—!"

Squelch!

The palm, containing massive Longevity Technique true essence, shattered his skull as easily as crushing a watermelon!

Red and white matter splattered!

An early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, dead!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that the triumphant smile on Zhang Hongxiu's face had not yet faded before it froze completely!

She stared blankly as the headless corpse slowly collapsed, then looked at the cloaked figure slowly retracting his palm. When the cold gaze beneath the hood turned toward her, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her soul scattering in terror!

"You... you... you actually killed Uncle Feng?!" Zhang Hongxiu's voice was shrill, laced with endless fear as she shrieked, her bravado failing her. "My grandmaster is Zhang Yuzhen, a Golden Core elder of the Spring Autumn Sect! If you dare touch a hair on my head, my grandmaster will extract your soul and refine your spirit, ensuring you never reincarnate! Kneel and beg for mercy now, offer up your treasures, and perhaps I can beg my grandmaster to spare your life!"

As she spoke, she subconsciously retreated, her hand secretly clutching a distress jade talisman.

Looking at this woman who remained arrogant and failed to see the situation for what it was, Li Qingshan felt his century of endurance, his wasted years in Peach Blossom Village, his hardships in the Hall of Discarded Treasures, and the fury from the ambush just now all intertwine, transforming into monstrous killing intent!

He knew he could not let her leave, or there would be endless trouble!

Without a word, Li Qingshan moved again!

"You dare!" Zhang Hongxiu was terrified to the point of madness. She crushed the distress talisman while simultaneously summoning a small shield artifact!

But all of this was futile in the face of absolute strength and killing intent!

Although the Crimson Dragon Sword was damaged, it remained sharp! A streak of crimson light flashed, precisely bypassing the shield and instantly piercing Zhang Hongxiu's throat!

Her scream cut off abruptly. Her beautiful eyes widened, filled with disbelief and resentment, as if she never imagined he would truly dare to kill her. Her body went limp and collapsed, dead.

Li Qingshan remained expressionless. He quickly collected the two storage bags and the low-grade spirit weapon flying sword, flicked a fireball to turn the two corpses into ashes, and carefully scrubbed all traces from the scene.

Having done this, he dared not linger for a second. His figure turned into a faint gray shadow, and he cast the Five Elements Escape Technique: Earth Chapter, instantly sinking into the ground and speeding away in the direction furthest from the Spring Autumn Sect.

Deep within the mist-shrouded immortal mountains of the Spring Autumn Sect, inside a cave dwelling rich with spiritual energy.

Golden Core elder Zhang Yuzhen was sitting with her eyes closed, surrounded by swirling spiritual light, her aura as deep as the sea.

Without warning, the blood-red jade pendant at her waist—engraved with the character "Sleeve" and nurtured by her essence—emitted a crisp crack. It was instantly webbed with fissures before dimming and shattering into dust!

"Hm?!"

Zhang Yuzhen snapped her eyes open, a sharp light shooting from them. An indescribable sense of heart-palpitating panic instantly seized her!

This bloodline Soul Jade was linked to the life of her only direct descendant, Zhang Hongxiu. The shattering of the jade meant...

"Hongxiu!!!"

A shrill, shocked shriek that instantly transformed into monstrous fury erupted from the cave, sounding like a thunderclap from the heavens and spreading across half the Spring Autumn Sect in an instant!

Boom!

The stone door of the cave was blasted open by a violent surge of spiritual energy!

Zhang Yuzhen's figure transformed into a golden rainbow, soaring into the sky as she unleashed the terrifying pressure of her Golden Core stage without reservation, shrouding the entire area!

At this moment, she no longer possessed her usual grace and luxury; her face was twisted by extreme rage and agony, and flames of destruction burned within her eyes!

"Who?! Who dares to kill a descendant of this Zhang Yuzhen?!!"

Her voice was like ten-thousand-year-old ice, containing boundless killing intent that caused the countless disciples below, who felt this pressure, to turn pale and tremble, looking up at the sky in terror.

"It's Grandmaster-Uncle Zhang!"

"What happened? Why is Grandmaster-Uncle Zhang so furious?"

"It seems... it seems something happened to Senior Sister Zhang Hongxiu?"

"What? Who would dare touch Senior Sister Zhang?!"

Within the sect, several equally powerful divine senses swept over rapidly, carrying notes of shock and inquiry.

"Junior Sister Zhang, why are you so enraged?" An aged voice arrived; it was another Golden Core elder.

"My descendant's Soul Jade has shattered! Her life was extinguished outside the sect! This grudge is irreconcilable!" Zhang Yuzhen's voice was bone-chillingly cold, filled with frantic killing intent. "No matter who the murderer is, no matter if they flee to the ends of the earth, I will extract their soul, refine their spirit, and grind their bones to dust!"

Before the words had even faded, she did not wait for a response, instead rapidly forming hand seals and chanting, seemingly casting some kind of tracking secret technique.

A moment later, she snapped her head up, her gaze shooting toward the Black Wind Mountain Range in the north like a sharp sword!

"Found you! Little thief, pay with your life!"

Golden light erupted from her body, instantly tearing through the sky as she sped toward the direction she had sensed with a speed that nearly rent space itself, leaving behind a sect full of bewildered and gossiping disciples and elders.

"Hiss... Zhang Hongxiu has actually fallen?"

"Who could be so bold? To dare kill the direct descendant of a Golden Core elder!"

"Looking at the direction Grandmaster-Uncle Zhang took, she went to the Black Wind Mountain Range in the north? Has there been anything unusual there lately?"

"I heard there were shocking celestial phenomena over there a few days ago; could it be related to this?"

"Disaster, this is a disaster! In her fury, Grandmaster-Uncle Zhang is likely to stir up a storm of blood!"

The entire Spring Autumn Sect was shaken by Zhang Yuzhen's rage and the fall of Zhang Hongxiu; the news spread like the wind, leaving everyone feeling insecure while simultaneously filled with curiosity and speculation.