167: Chapter 167 Foundation Establishment Death

Cheng Lan's expression stiffened, and the members of the Cheng Family behind her each looked as if they wanted to speak but stopped, similarly caught in a dilemma.

The Foundation Establishment Factions of Qingyuan had been guarding against one another for years, fearing that one side would produce multiple Foundation Establishment Cultivators and become the overlord of Qingyuan, seizing everyone's cultivation resources.

In the end, despite all their precautions, they never expected the Su Family to appear out of nowhere.

Not only did they produce two Foundation Establishment Cultivators at once, but both were Sword Cultivators with extremely strong combat power for their Realm.

If Cheng Lan did not act, the Su Family would become the overlord of Qingyuan; but if she did, she might not be able to take down two Sword Cultivators. Once the attempt to suppress and kill them failed, her Cheng Family would also be destroyed.

Should she choose to live a ignoble life under the Su Family's authority, or gamble everything at the cost of annihilation?

Su Xuanheng spoke up at the right time, reminding her in a steady tone, "Family Head Cheng surely knows that the Su Family has always adhered to the principle of 'we will not attack unless attacked'."

"Even if we become the overlord of Qingyuan Market in the future, we will not wantonly destroy other factions."

He paused slightly and continued to reveal, "To be honest, Family Head Cheng, the Su Family's ambitions are not limited to the small place of Qingyuan."

"In fact, the plans of the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce have already extended to all the major Cultivation Markets."

The implication was that the Su Family was different from them.

They were only staring at the resources of this tiny corner of Qingyuan Market, while the Su Family had long since set its sights on the broader world outside.

Even if the Su Family became the overlord of Qingyuan, they would still leave a bite of meat for everyone else.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Lan's brow unfurled, as if a heavy burden of a thousand pounds had been lifted.

She took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with the relief of having made a decision, as well as a hint of helplessness. She then remained silent, making no further indication of intent.

This move caused Jiang Wuyu and Hou Zhang's faces to darken instantly.

Cheng Lan's silence signaled that she had ultimately chosen compromise and observation, handing the future of Qingyuan over to the Su Family.

"Cheng Lan!! You will definitely regret today's decision!"

Hou Zhang roared. Seeking a sliver of survival, he held nothing back and suddenly sacrificed a Talisman Treasure, blasting it toward Song Baiqing.

The Talisman Treasure suddenly erupted with blinding golden light, manifesting in mid-air and instantly condensing into the majestic phantom of a Suanni.

Its body was entwined with golden lightning, and it let out an earth-shattering roar as it charged toward Song Baiqing.

Song Baiqing's expression was calm as his sword momentum instantly rose to its peak. His Qingyuan Sword Intent erupted, and a solid-looking azure sword strike slashed out to meet the Suanni phantom!

Sword Qi collided with lightning, exploding into a sky full of spiritual light and electrical arcs, grinding the surrounding mountains and forests into dust.

Taking advantage of Song Baiqing's struggle with the Suanni, Hou Zhang turned into a streak of light without looking back, fleeing rapidly away from Wangchuan Valley.

Seeing this, Jiang Wuyu was first stunned, then his face turned ashen with rage as he began to curse loudly.

He never expected that the ally who had been fighting side-by-side with him just moments ago would now flee alone to save his own life.

However, despite his anger, his own foundation was shallow, and he could not produce any stronger trump cards.

In his desperation, he could only send a spiritual transmission to Wei Yan, threatening through gritted teeth, "I know the secret that everyone in your Su Family has Spiritual Roots! Let me leave, and I can swear upon my Dao Heart never to reveal this, otherwise I will tell the secret to everyone right now!"

Wei Yan turned a deaf ear to this, her offensive remaining as fierce as ever.

Suddenly, she threw out a Formation Plate, which lit up with profound Formation runes, quickly expanding into an invisible barrier that completely enveloped her and Jiang Wuyu within.

She intended to use the Formation to seal off the space, cutting off all sound and spiritual transmissions from leaking out.

Jiang Wuyu's eyes narrowed slightly as he instantly saw through her intention, a mocking sneer pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"You really won't give up... do you think this can keep the secret?"

He pinched a Void-Breaking Talisman between his fingers.

This Talisman specifically countered all types of sealing Formations. With just a spark of activation, it could forcibly tear a gap in the Formation. At that time, his spiritual transmission would instantly spread out, making the Su Family's secret public knowledge.

However, at the very moment he was about to activate the Talisman, Su Xuanjing and Su Xuanling outside the Formation also sensed something was wrong.

Although the two did not know Wei Yan's specific intention, they reacted extremely quickly, striking almost simultaneously.

Su Xuanling's slender hand lightly pressed the zither strings, and a clear zither note rippled out.

The sound waves condensed into golden Formation runes, spreading down like a net, layering another Formation over Wei Yan's.

Su Xuanjing raised her fair wrist, and a stack of Talismans scattered into the air.

Red-gold runes flowed, weaving into a glowing Great Talisman Formation in the sky, isolating the two existing layers of Formations.

Triple Formations, interlocking with each other, sealed the heavens and locked the earth.

The Void-Breaking Talisman in Jiang Wuyu's hand had just begun to glow when it felt as if it had fallen into a swamp; its talismanic power was neutralized and sealed layer by layer, unable to tear even a tiny crack.

His face finally turned completely pale.

Accompanied by a thunderous boom, the Suanni phantom in the sky was blown apart by a single sword strike from Song Baiqing, dissipating into wisps of lightning at the horizon.

Song Baiqing locked onto Hou Zhang's aura and used the Lesser Five Elements Escape Technique to pursue the direction Hou Zhang was fleeing.

His body seemed to exist between reality and illusion, silently penetrating all obstacles ahead.

Whether it was towering peaks, dense forests, or the ceaseless curtain of a waterfall, the moment they touched his body, he passed through them as if they were nothing.

Mountains, forests, and water all belong to the Five Elements.

The wonder of the Lesser Five Elements Escape Technique lay in its ability to briefly integrate a Cultivator's body into the Five Elements of heaven and earth; anything with Five Elements attributes could be passed through, touched as if it were a void.

If one cultivated the Great Five Elements Escape Technique, not only would their escape speed be extraordinary, but they could also break through the limitations of the Five Elements attributes. Legend has it that at the highest Realm, one could even escape the shackles of heaven and earth, traversing the boundaries of life and death.

Under the extreme speed of the Lesser Five Elements Escape Technique, the distance between Song Baiqing and Hou Zhang closed rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, he had already caught up behind Hou Zhang.

A cold light flashed in Song Baiqing's eyes as his Qingyuan Sword momentum erupted.

Hou Zhang was fleeing at full speed when he suddenly felt a freezing killing intent behind him. His Divine Sense swept out, and he was scared to the point of his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

He was already injured, and activating the Talisman Treasure earlier had consumed a large amount of spiritual energy. Facing this sharp Qingyuan Sword momentum, he simply had no time to mount an effective defense.

"No—"

Accompanied by a shrill and unwilling scream, the azure sword light was like a blade through rotten wood, instantly piercing through his protective spiritual light and accurately stabbing into his heart from behind.

Hou Zhang's body shook violently, and a mouthful of hot blood sprayed from his mouth, his eyes filled with horror and despair.

His lips moved as if he still wanted to say something, but Song Baiqing gave him no chance.

Without withdrawing the sword momentum, a burst of Sword Qi erupted from the tip of the blade, piercing through his skull in an instant!

All of Hou Zhang's unspoken words were forever stuck in his throat.

Song Baiqing took the storage ring and swiftly moved toward Jiang Wuyu's direction.

Jiang Wuyu's heart grew increasingly anxious and uneasy. He had originally been able to hold his own against Wei Yan's Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, but now, due to his mental collapse, his movements gradually became disorganized, and flaws appeared frequently.

With Song Baiqing's appearance, Jiang Wuyu's composure was completely shattered.

This person's appearance meant that Hou Zhang had already perished! And the next one to die would be him!