Come, Let's Settle the Score

Little Willow Marsh, a shallow beach.

Chen Kexing felt as if he had been granted a pardon and had his life spared.

He quickly raised his head, his face covered in mud and water. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, for sparing my life!"

He reluctantly tossed the Storage Bag out.

He quickly released his Divine Sense to search for the severed hand. After a few breaths, he managed to retrieve a few remaining fingers from the water, still stained with sparks.

"My Dharma body!" In that instant, Chen Kexing felt extreme resentment and wished he could fight Zhou Ning to the death!

Once a cultivator's physical body is severed, even if it grows back later, it will never be as effective as the original body, and it will be extremely difficult to advance further in cultivation!

Unless one possesses a third-tier celestial treasure.

He was filled with hatred, but his fear only intensified. In the distance, the Gale Eagle was still engulfed in raging flames, igniting the waters.

The wound on Chen Kexing's wrist was excruciatingly painful, forcing him to desperately use his Law Power to suppress it, leaving him extremely weak.

"What kind of Cultivation Method does this kid practice?" Chen Kexing was terrified and dared not linger for a moment, fearing that Zhou Ning would strike him again.

He thought maliciously: I'll go back and report to the head of the family!

This child must be skinned alive and tortured to death!

How dare a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator be so arrogant!

Zhou Ning watched his figure. This man had been so arrogant when he arrived on his eagle, and now he was in such a sorry state.

He murmured, "Are the Foundation Establishment in this world really that weak?"

Although Chen Kexing was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, he was still considered a veteran Foundation Establishment and had some reputation.

Unexpectedly, he was no match for him.

[Que Flowing Fire] Immortal Foundation is full of wonders. Not only is it extremely sharp, but its Law Power also carries the golden flame of the Si Fire. Once it is injured, the golden flame will stick to the wound like a bone-deep sore, causing people to suffer burning pain.

If he had added another attack, Chen Kexing would probably have died on the spot.

The reason he didn't make amends is that his main enemy is the Su Household, while the Chen Household also has Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator. Injuring someone is acceptable, but there is still room for maneuver.

But if you kill him, you'll create a blood feud, and the other party will have no choice but to fight.

He doesn't want to fight on two fronts at the moment, which would provoke public anger and lead to attacks.

"I hope the Chen Household Chen Household patriarch has some sense, otherwise he won't force me to make this trip in person."

Of course, Zhou Ning did not underestimate the Foundation Establishment cultivators of this realm.

Even among those of the same level, there is a huge gap. Isn't Daoist Mu an exception? Killing cultivators of the same level is as easy as killing a chicken for him.

Zhou Ning glanced at the Gale Eagle. Not far away, the spirit turtle and spirit fish stood guard quietly, as if waiting for a gluttonous feast.

He returned to the villa, inspected the Snow Cherry Fruit, which was intact, and then checked the Spirit Vein.

The island has First-Tier Superior-Grade Spirit Vein, almost the same as Bamboo Creek Island. Now that he has reached the Foundation Establishment, it is not enough for him to cultivate.

Unless the Spring of the Spirit Eye is planted.

"If only we could take this place—" Zhou Ning.

After learning about the rarity of Ceramic Crystal Sand, he used his Divine Sense to explore the spiritual mud at the bottom of the water two years ago, and indeed, there were scattered crystal sands.

The [Earth Marrow Fluid-Drawing Instruction] that He Zhuoran gave him has a miraculous effect on refining such spiritual substances.

Unfortunately, although Little Willow Marsh is not large, it still has wetlands and shallows covering an area of twenty miles. Even for Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would take a lot of effort.

"It would be best to take this opportunity to wipe out the Su Household; at the very least, cripple them and occupy this place in the name of righteousness."

Zhou Ning only came here on his way to verify his strength.

He didn't linger any longer, but rode the wind and flew towards Fortune Star Market.

"Heh, I remember the Su Household is currently cooperating with the Sun Household."

Old Jia and Jia Tingwan should be nearby. Zhou Ning plans to go and ask them about the situation and explain the pros and cons.

If they are unwilling to leave the Su Household and are subsequently implicated, Zhou Ning will have a clear conscience.

Mount Xiangtu, the heart of the Chen Household territory, inside the palace.

Chen Kexing knelt on the ground. "Patriarch, the wild dog Zhou Ning has managed to successfully Foundation Establishment, and he is extremely arrogant. He even dared to ambush me. I was careless for a moment and suffered a fatal attack. I beg the patriarch to kill this man for me!"

Opposite him stood a middle-aged man in a green robe, whose eyes were also small, but whose aura was much stronger.

He squinted. "A rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

He hadn't heard of it in a long time.

The head of the Chen Household family was the ninth son in the family. He was called Lao Jiu (Old Ninth) since childhood, and he didn't change his name when he grew up. He was known as Chen Old Ninth).

"Could a Rogue Cultivator really beat you so badly?" Chen Old Ninth questioned.

Chen Kexing said with grief and indignation, "I don't know what kind of Cultivation Method this scoundrel has cultivated. I tried to reason with him as soon as we met, and he immediately stabbed me—"

He was still shaken; the Law Technique was too fast. He only had time to turn his body slightly, otherwise he would have been split in two.

"I hope the patriarch will slay this scoundrel and restore the prestige of the Chen Household!" Chen Kexing tried to clasp his hands in supplication, but then realized he was missing a hand and couldn't clasp his hands properly.

His resentment grew even stronger.

A patriarch at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage will surely be able to kill this man and retrieve his Storage Bag!

Chen Old Ninth snorted coldly and did not reply.

He finally reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and had a chance to touch the Core Formation path. Why should he risk his life for someone who's Foundation Establishment Early Stage? What if he accidentally falls into a trap?

Lineage? They're just a tool for him to make money!

A member of the clan can be reborn after death, but if he dies, the Lineage might be wiped out.

If it were a Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator, Chen Old Ninth would have used swift and decisive methods to kill him instantly.

Chen Old Ninth pondered for a moment, then tossed out a jade box. "Heal the wound on your hand first."

Chen Kexing quickly kowtowed in thanks. Inside the box was a Frost Flower. He squeezed out the medicinal liquid and poured it on his severed hand. The excruciating pain immediately subsided considerably.

Chen Old Ninth's eyes flickered, and after pondering for a long time, he said, "Zhou Ning has a grudge against the Su Household. Now that he has successfully Foundation Establishment, he will surely take revenge—"

"That's right, Patriarch! We can take this opportunity to attack from both sides!" Chen Kexing's Dao Path was crippled, and he was determined to kill and seek revenge.

Chen Old Ninth glanced at him. "People hate kicking someone when they're down the most. Who knows, if he gets desperate, he might not attack the Su Household but instead target my Chen Household. What should we do then?"

A scheme began to take shape in his mind.

At this moment, Chen Kexing let out another wail, and a golden flame burst forth from the severed hand as if oil had been poured on it.

Chen Old Ninth frowned, grabbed a bead gleaming with ice, and released a shimmering ball of icy energy. The bead landed on the wound, slowly suppressing the golden flames, but it still couldn't extinguish them.

"It's somewhat like the inner fire of Core Formation Cultivator!" Chen Old Ninth pondered.

Could it be that Zhou Ning possesses Core Formation fortuitous opportunity? His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly gave up.

Regardless of whether he has the fortuitous opportunity to Core Formation, this person's Law Power is strange, and getting involved with him would be troublesome; he probably has some hidden trump cards.

Let someone else try it first.

Chen Old Ninth said, "I plan to transfer Little Willow Marsh to Zhou Ning. In this way, he and the Su Household will share Little Willow Marsh, which will only exacerbate the conflict."

"Once the two sides go to war, my Chen Household will launch a swift and decisive attack to seize the Su Household's enclave."

"Afterwards, we will observe the struggle between Zhou Ning and the Su Household to test his abilities. If he shows any weakness, our Chen Household will then press on and annihilate him!"

There was something he didn't say: if Zhou Ning had the upper hand, he could have resolved the conflict.

After all, he knew Chen Kexing's foul mouth; he offended people everywhere. Otherwise, why would Zhou Ning have gone so far as to kill him?

Upon hearing this, Chen Kexing was greatly dissatisfied. Hadn't he been beaten for nothing?

Chen Old Ninth said, "Take the contract to Little Willow Marsh, be respectful, and ask him to help you heal the wound on your hand."

Chen Kexing wanted to refute, but the excruciating pain rendered him speechless.

He felt a deep sorrow. There were better spirit medicine in his home, but they were more valuable than the Foundation Establishment Pill, and he was not qualified to use them.

Zhou Ning appeared outside Fortune Star Market. He stood higher than the Heavenly Ridge branch, looking down at the surrounding area.

He has purchased almost all of his medicinal herbs from this market over the past few years, so he knows a lot about it.

"The Sun Household has Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, but Fortune Star Market only has a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator in charge year-round."

"Although it is near a mountain range, the formation is only a mid-grade second-tier defensive formation."

Because once a beast tide appears, even a top-tier second-order magic array won't be able to withstand it.

The Sun Household didn't have a genius array master like Su Youyou, and they didn't want arrays to consume too much Spiritual Qi, so they simply set them up directly, as long as they were sufficient.

Zhou Ning, too lazy to conceal his presence, released his immense Divine Sense, covering the entire market to search for Jia Tingwan and Old Jia's whereabouts.

The area to the north of the market is the highest and has the most abundant Spiritual Qi.

Inside a mansion, flowers bloomed in profusion, a riot of colors, just like the face of Alchemist Tang, whose makeup made him look like a ghost.

Alchemist Tang sat slumped in his chair, his chin creased, talking to the two people opposite him.

Alchemist Xu was dressed in white, with a handsome face and refined manners.

--

The Pharmacist Lan had a gentle face, a quiet temperament, and eyes that held a detached indifference that seemed to see through everything. She would occasionally respond with a word, just like a lady from a noble family.

No wonder Lin Qing, Puppet Technique, took the initiative to pursue her.

"Alchemist Tang, your technique for handling medicinal herbs is excellent, which greatly increases the success rate of pill formation." Alchemist Xu, as a Alchemist regarded as an honored guest by the Sun Household, was virtually unmatched in alchemy skills among first-tier alchemists.

The plump and robust Alchemist Tang forced a charming smile, "Oh dear, this is my forte. There's nothing to be proud of. You flatter me."

Out of the corner of her eye, Pharmacist Lan glanced at a woman standing not far away, looking like a lackey. She thought to herself, "That's certainly an overstatement."

Because the woman named Jia Tingwan was in charge of those medicinal herbs, she saved Alchemist Tang a lot of trouble, but she only received very low wages.

Sometimes, she couldn't even bear to watch it.

Alchemist Xu, a passionate alchemist, clasped his hands in greeting and said, "I wonder if Alchemist Tang has some free time today? May I ask you for some guidance?"

Alchemist Tang paused for a moment, glanced at the sky, and said, "Of course I'm free, but I think it's almost time, so let's eat first!"

Alchemist Xu had no choice but to agree.

Alchemist Tang loves to eat; otherwise, he wouldn't have eaten more than two Pharmacist Lan.

She grew tired of the food provided by the Sun Household, so she asked her apprentice to order food from a restaurant in the market.

Jia Tingwan took the food box and carefully placed it on the table. Then she arranged the dishes one by one: steamed jade perch, fresh pine mushrooms from the mountains, and cloud pigeons raised on spirit rice—a table full of delicacies.

She served him like a maid, and even helped scoop out rice.

Alchemist Xu took a sip of tea and said, "Your apprentice is quite good; he knows how to take care of people."

Alchemist Tang looked smug. "Her grandfather was a retainer. I put in a good word for the Su Household, otherwise he would have been sent to the front lines long ago!"

Upon Jia Tingwan felt even more uneasy.

Pharmacist Lan found it amusing. The Su Household was so domineering; how could Alchemist Tang possibly be any better?

It's just a scam, but the little girl is incredibly naive.

Alchemist Xu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Alchemist Tang is truly kind and benevolent!"

Alchemist Tang was somewhat displeased. This Alchemist Xu was so clueless; she had already praised Pharmacist Lan for her beauty and kindness, yet she praised her for being kind-hearted. Did she think she was too plump?

Just then, the charming and lovely Jia Tingwan brought over a bowl of rice, a large bowl overflowing with it.

Alchemist Tang was extremely displeased, her jealousy flaring up, and she cursed, "Serving so much, are you feeding it to pigs?!"

It's all that little brat's fault! She ate so much and got so chubby!

Jia Tingwan blinked her almond-shaped eyes, looking somewhat aggrieved. "No, I served it to you."

In her memory, Alchemist Tang always ate this much, and she would always ask for more bowls.

When Alchemist Tang noticed Alchemist Xu staring at her, she immediately felt embarrassed in front of her refined and elegant beloved.

Enraged, he unleashed the pressure of Qi Refining Ninth Layer, intimidating Jia Tingwan was at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Alchemist Tang, now brimming with arrogance, demanded aggressively, "You dare talk back to a mere servant?"

Just as Jia Tingwan was at a loss, she heard a vast voice come from the sky. "Oh? Aren't you a pig?"