Chapter 53

In an instant.

Two black dragons had already arrived above the Su Family.

Su Zhiyuan watched, sweat pouring down his back.

These evil cultivators were so fierce; he was no match for either of them, let alone with Fang Zhang added in.

He hastily retracted the Green Bamboo Sword and changed his hand seals.

A gray-white small shield blocked the path of the two black dragons.

Boom!

One black dragon exploded on impact, and Su Zhiyuan, caught off-guard in defense, spat blood and was flung backward.

He could only watch helplessly as the other black dragon slammed into the Su Family.

He silently cursed his fate.

If it came to one-on-one combat, he might not even hold off one evil cultivator—so why were the evil cultivators still allied with the Fang Clan?

What were they after?

Meanwhile.

On the second floor of Lingzhu Restaurant.

All surrounding buildings had collapsed, leaving only the restaurant and five jars of Jianzhu Chun wine.

A slender figure rested her chin by the window, draining her cup in one gulp, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

She let out a drunken burp and glanced toward the Su Family.

She flicked her fingers.

As if shooing away a fly that had landed before her cup.

But the black dragon's form suddenly froze.

In an instant, it turned into an ice sculpture from head to tail, dissolving into crystalline shards in the thunderstorm.

Su Zhiyuan and the other two were stunned; only Fang Zhang had a faint suspicion.

"Li Zhiwei? Why are you meddling in this mess?"

He simply could not fathom why she was here.

Even when the sect issued orders, she had refused several times—what had gotten into her now?

"The elder himself gave the order; I'm just as miserable. Why don't you all come keep me company?"

After drinking, Li Zhiwei seemed like a different person.

Pouring herself another cup, she changed the subject.

"Forget the evil cultivators—how about you, Fang Zhang?"

As the word "you" left her lips.

Fang Zhang felt a sudden pull, and when he blinked again, his feet were firmly frozen in place.

He remained calm, slashing his hand to shatter the ice.

Still three against two—no matter how brilliant Li Zhiwei was, she couldn't...

He suddenly sensed something and snapped his head up.

Five figures lit up in the rain-soaked night, each with a different color of Spirit Qi, their aura unmistakably Foundation Establishment.

Half the Discipline Hall Elders had arrived!

Fang Zhang's heart sank.

The rescue message only mentioned two Qi Refining Great Perfection evil cultivators.

At the time, evil cultivators were also causing trouble in the market below; the elders agreed he could go alone to preserve combat strength.

It seemed the truth had come to light.

So what? He had already obtained the method for the Jiesha Pill—find another place, and he could still form a Golden Core!

And the two evil cultivators showed not the slightest fear.

"Pity—the Foundation Establishment ones who came are too few. Not enough to satisfy the Vice Sect Leader's appetite."

No sooner had the words left his mouth.

All the elders felt a tightening behind them.

A vast torrent of Evil Qi surged like an ocean wave, blotting out clouds and moon.

The City-Protecting Array shattered on contact, failing to hold even for a breath.

False Core Real Person!

Seeing this, Li Zhiwei immediately grabbed a wine jar and leapt into the air.

Mounting a Flying Boat Dharma Treasure, she sped off in the opposite direction.

And ahead of her, there was another Flying Boat.

Chen Zhao?

How had the three of them gotten ahead of her?

The Evil Qi instantly engulfed the five elders.

One of them unleashed a Top-Grade Magical Tool and detonated it—but it did not even scratch the enemy, and instead, he suffered backlash, vomiting blood immediately.

Another elder tried to detonate his own body to clear a path, but others stopped him, saying it would be useless.

Su Zhiyuan's face twisted in despair.

He understood the evil cultivators' setup.

If they had directly attacked the Su Family, Tiankui Sect might not have intervened.

They used the Fang Clan's betrayal, framing it as an internal sect matter, to lure all the Foundation Establishment elders here—and then killed them with the False Core Real Person.

From start to finish, their target was Tiankui Sect.

In no time, the entire city was bathed in crimson, and many survivors had fallen into demonic deviation.

Only the Su family's high-ups, relying on Chen Zhao's Nourishing Spirit Pills, could hold out for a little while longer.

Above the clouds, a massive crimson palm slowly pressed downward, its size rivaling half the Immortal City.

The entire city trembled; the ground had sunk two zhang!

Whether Su Family, Fang Clan, or Sect Elders, all could only await their doom.

Qi Refiners see Foundation Establishment as if gazing at the blue sky, and Foundation Establishment cultivators—do they not see False Core in the same way?

The crowd looked up in despair as the palm's ridges steadily grew larger.

Until it loomed just five zhang above.

Suddenly.

The horizon seemed to brighten.

It was not yet midnight—how could the sun rise?

Yet in the blink of an eye, that glow expanded violently, like a galaxy.

Wherever it passed, mountains, clouds, and thunder all faded.

Between heaven and earth, only a single streak of starlight remained.

Only when it drew near did the Elders realize—it was no starriver, but a Sword Qi spanning heaven and earth!

The Sect Master's Sword Qi!

Though the blood palm was now within arm's reach, the crowd began embracing and weeping, celebrating their survival.

And the moment the first cheer rang out,

the blood palm vanished instantly, and the Evil Qi throughout the city was swept clean!

The crowd looked up to see ten thousand li of dark clouds parting one by one, revealing a clear night sky stretching far toward Tiankui Sect.

Long moments passed,

then rain finally fell, dripping onto Su Zhiyuan's aged cheeks.

He felt as if in a dream.

To ride a Spirit Steed from Tiankui Sect to the Immortal City takes seven days; a Foundation Establishment cultivator flying at full speed takes three hours.

Then what of a Golden Core's Sword Qi?

Two breaths? One breath?

After a long while,

a resonant sword tone rang out across heaven and earth.

A hoarse, aged voice finally came from the horizon:

"That villain is dead. You younglings may rest easy."

Chen Zhao, riding his Flying Boat, had already left the city. Hearing this, he turned to head back—only to see Sister Li already within the city.

He gazed from afar at the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators and sighed with relief.

The Evil Cultivator elder was dead; Elder Fang was no longer a threat.

Only Fang Zijing remained.

Chen Zhao stroked his chin, having heard the man had gone to the Rainbow Crystal Mine—he hoped the False Core's strike had spared him no chance of survival.

He landed slowly with the two women at the Su Family Ancestral Hall.

The great battle in the Immortal City had left this place utterly untouched.

There, Su Can stood beside a cave entrance, sighing frequently.

Chen Zhao stepped forward to ask what he was sighing about.

He replied that Fang Zijing's group had used a Secret Technique to break open a corner of the seal and entered the Sect Ruins.

But Su Can's cultivation was too high, and the seal had not fully opened, so he could only guard outside.

No one knew if the Sect Ruins had any other exits.

"Why not let us go investigate? Consider it my request after completing the commission."

Su Can listened, lowering his head in thought.

Logically, rescuing Su Wanyao, uncovering the Fang Clan's ambitions… then using Su Muqing to set the trap, contacting the Sect to annihilate the Fang Clan and Evil Cultivators—

Chen Zhao had done much.

But the Su Family had suffered heavy losses; everything was in ruins, and they were in dire need of Spirit Stones…

"Grandfather, the reward for the commission was set by the Su Ancestor, and your life was saved by him,"

Su Muqing, sensing her chance, interjected quickly:

"If we break our word and fail to reward our benefactor, won't that harm our future prospects?"

"You little brat—I never saw this in you as a child! You always side with outsiders!"

Su Can, hearing this, abandoned his scholarly composure and raised his cane to strike.

But after a moment's thought,

he had few years left; when he died, Su Boyi would take over, and his daughter Su Wanyao was Chen Zhao's friend.

This boy was no bad sort—forging a good connection now might help the Su Family later.

"Fine. I'll do as you say. I hope you'll look after Wan Yao in the future."

Chen Zhao gave a slight nod.

He was not a cold-hearted man.

As long as it didn't involve too much, Chen Zhao would help if he could.

Moreover, he had a good impression of the Su Family; the Su Ancestor and the Family Head were no fools, and could serve as one of his resource sources.

Seeing Chen Zhao nod, Su Can stepped aside one pace and let the three of them enter the cave.