70: I am at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!

"Bastards! No matter who you are, the Gray Hand Gang is conducting business here today. If you don't want to die, get lost immediately!"

Ah Da's heart sank; the difficulty of the situation before him had far exceeded his expectations.

One of the two groups had many people, but they weren't particularly difficult to deal with.

However, on the other side, someone had actually reached the stage of Initial Completion of the dao body, only needing to overcome the Divine Sense hurdle to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment!

Although he wasn't sure how many "more people" the other party mentioned, for now, both of these forces were extremely difficult to handle for anyone below the Foundation Establishment Stage.

If he were dealing with only one side, he could still manage, but in a three-way chaotic battle, there was no way he could successfully kill Jiang Hongyue.

It seems... I have no choice but to use that trump card.

The masked man also sensed the Aura approaching Foundation Establishment from the elderly man who arrived later, his heart turning cold. This was likely the real Gray Hand Gang.

If he said there were reinforcements, then there definitely would be.

Once reinforcements arrived, the situation would spiral completely out of control. They had to settle this quickly, or the mission to seize the flood dragon egg and kill Xiao Sheng would surely fail.

The old man's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, equally indecisive.

Warden Zhao clearly only said to intercept and kill someone at Qi Refining Perfection. Why did two groups of people suddenly appear?

The intelligence hadn't mentioned this development at all.

If he acted now and failed to capture Zhou Yan, only for someone else to succeed, wouldn't he have taken a beating for nothing and gained no rewards?

Just as the three parties were at a stalemate, Zhou Yan suddenly shouted loudly.

"Co... Could it be that you were sent by Li Zhe to steal my Heirloom Bow and one hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones?"

"One hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Heirloom Bow!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the two opposing groups were instantly shaken.

The masked men were originally mercenaries temporarily recruited by various families, their initial goal being only to reclaim the flood dragon egg.

But now, hearing that there was also a Magic Treasure and a huge amount of Spirit Stones, how could they not be tempted?

The old man's eyes also flickered. If he could take all of these for himself and flee to another region, becoming a Core Formation Old Ancestor in the future might be just around the corner!

"Nonsense!" Ah Da forcefully suppressed the scene. "The Gray Hand Gang is acting; how dare you interrupt! Move, seize him!"

He had to silence him as quickly as possible and could not allow Zhou Yan to continue revealing secrets.

"I'll see who dares!" the leader of the second group of masked men shouted sternly. "Make things clear first! What Magic Treasure? What Spirit Stones?"

They were here for profit; if the value of this "Xiao Sheng" far exceeded the originally agreed-upon reward, it wouldn't be impossible to let him go.

Seeing this, the old man grew even more suspicious. The reactions of these two groups were strange; they both seemed to want to capture the target, yet they were wary of each other.

He snorted coldly and shouted aloud.

"Everyone stop! This person is the target of the Gray Hand Gang. If you interfere further, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He intended to control Zhou Yan first and get the truth out of him.

But the more forceful he became, the more the other two parties suspected that this old fellow wanted to silence the boy first and keep the treasures for himself.

"It's over, it's all over... Could it be that the flood dragon egg, those Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Plants, and Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Ores on me... have all been exposed?"

Zhou Yan wore a mournful face, looking as if he were scared out of his wits, and continued with a trembling voice.

"Three groups of people are all coming for these few things of mine... Why am I so unlucky!"

"I'll give you everything... can you let me go? The things are right here... who should I give them to first?"

Before Zhou Yan's voice even faded, the air between the three parties seemed to freeze completely, like a bowstring stretched to its limit. Killing intent and greed intertwined, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

Ah Da knew he absolutely could not let Zhou Yan speak again. A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and without further hesitation, he barked.

"Stop playing tricks and die!"

Before his voice had even settled, he was the first to move. His figure was like lightning as his five fingers formed a claw aimed straight for Zhou Yan's throat, attempting a killing blow to eliminate all variables.

This movement instantly shattered the fragile balance!

"Trying to silence him?"

"Not so easy!"

Seeing this, the leader of the masked men immediately concluded that Ah Da wanted to snatch the boy first and then run.

With profit at stake, how could he let someone else go first? He immediately unsheathed his longsword, and a sharp Sword Qi swept out diagonally. It wasn't aimed at Zhou Yan, but slashed directly across Ah Da's path, forcing him to defend.

Almost simultaneously, the elderly man from the Gray Hand Gang who arrived later also moved.

Though he was full of suspicion, seeing Ah Da act and the masked man intervene, the situation spiraled out of control in an instant.

Regardless of whether what Zhou Yan said was true or false, the target must not fall into the hands of others!

"Arrogant juniors, you dare to compete with my Gray Hand Gang!"

He snorted angrily, his sleeves billowing as a fierce blast of energy surged forward. It wasn't aimed at any single party but struck both Ah Da and the masked leader simultaneously, intending to force them back with power so he could seize the initiative and capture Zhou Yan.

The three leaders attacked almost at the same time, yet their objectives were different.

Ah Da wanted to kill, the masked man wanted to block, and the old man wanted to snatch.

This moment was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg!

In the end, suspicion and greed completely gained the upper hand.

The three parties no longer cared about Zhou Yan, the "main target," and charged at each other with roars, instantly descending into a chaotic brawl!

Spells flashed in all directions, and the clanging of swords rang out incessantly as the three groups that had been in a standoff just moments ago fell into a total melee.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yan had already rolled silently behind a massive boulder, perfectly concealing his Aura. He joyfully watched the chaotic battle he had personally instigated, muttering under his breath.

"Good fight! Tsk tsk, all for those 'heirloom treasures' of mine..."

"Ooh, that Fireball Spell was cast well, just lacked a bit of accuracy."

"That's why I say, one should be honest. If there's something you want, can't you just say it? All this fighting and killing is so uncivilized."

The three leaders had actually begun to regret their sudden impulsiveness, but it was hard to back down.

But at that moment, the old man's reinforcements successfully arrived—a stronger and more professional team.

The three groups stood opposed once more, instantly pushing the battle to a climax as they fought with bloodshot eyes.

Spells collided and Sword Qi flew everywhere as the three figures had been locked in combat for quite some time.

Ah Da threw a punch at the old man's back, and the old man quickly summoned an Earthen Wall to block it. Debris immediately shot like raindrops toward the nearby masked leader.

The leader hurriedly swung his sword to parry, his movement faltering, while Ah Da's claws reached his face once more. The three attacked, blocked, and restrained each other, with no one gaining the upper hand in the chaotic scene.

Just then, a voice shouted at the top of its lungs.

"Everyone stop! What's the point of us fighting to the death first!"

The shout instantly drowned out the sounds of battle.

"What if that kid takes the chance to run away! Wouldn't we have fought for nothing!"

All movements stopped instantly.

Fists were frozen in mid-air, the glow of Spells gradually dissipated, and swords were lowered.

Ah Da, the old man, the masked leader, and all their subordinates suddenly turned their heads to look at the massive boulder not far away.

They saw that Zhou Yan had emerged from behind the rock at some point and was now leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

There wasn't a trace of fear on his face; instead, he wore a smile as if he were watching a play, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.

The scene suddenly became exceptionally quiet, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.

Being stared at by so many people, Zhou Yan's smile became even more pronounced.

He slowly stood up straight, no longer leaning against the rock, and then walked step by step toward the stunned crowd.

He stopped several yards in front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping across their faces one by one.

He cleared his throat, a faint smile still lingering on his face as if he were about to say something important.

"You've fought enough, and I've seen enough."

"So, it's time for this farce to end."

After Zhou Yan finished speaking, the three groups all thought he had been scared out of his wits and had gone mad.

But Zhou Yan had already opened his inventory and clicked to consume the foundation establishment pill.

"Iron cages lock the bones, Meridians are severed; yet the red heart remains unyielding, the will like a rock."

"Breaking through the walls, meeting a master and returning to the Sect; angrily slaying enemies to clear a deep-seated grievance."

"Refining the Dao in the Mortal World, sharpness restrained; surrounded by villains, the mind remains at ease."

"At the moment of Foundation Establishment, wind and thunder arise; standing tall amidst the siege, striking fear into the hearts of the bandits."

With every line of the poem Zhou Yan recited, his Aura rose by another notch.

By the time he finished reciting all the lines and walked in front of everyone, Zhou Yan's Aura had reached the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment!

"I am at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. If you all haven't hidden your cultivation, then you can prepare to perish."