On Lin Dongcheng's right palm, True Yuan roiled. A radiant sword beam shot through the air, stabbing toward Chen Zheng! WHOOSH! The sword beam was incredibly fast, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

"Die!" Lin Dongcheng sneered, feeling utterly ecstatic. This attack will kill him for sure. Chen Zheng is bound to die!

But in the next second, the malevolent smile on his face vanished, replaced by sheer disbelief.

"Who did you just call a lapdog?"

Just then, Chen Zheng's calm, unbothered voice sounded out.

What? Lin Dongcheng froze, completely baffled. His eyelids began to twitch violently.

SPLAT!

The next moment, he watched with wide eyes as the terrifying sword beam pierced through his own throat, penetrating his entire head.

Lin Dongcheng was dead, unable to rest in peace. He hadn't seen how Chen Zheng had accomplished it. He only perceived a blur before a hole was punched through his neck.

"Lin Dongcheng!"

"Uncle Lin!"

Seeing this, the members of the Lin Family panicked and rushed to Lin Dongcheng's side, trying to help him.

"Lin Dongcheng is dead! Inform the family elders at once!"

"Lin Dongcheng is our Lin Family's top alchemist! His death is a major disaster for us!" a middle-aged woman from the Lin Family exclaimed sharply. As she spoke, she used her spiritual sense to probe Lin Dongcheng's condition, and a look of horror instantly spread across her face.

How could this be... He died so inexplicably! How did Chen Zheng do it? I'm afraid only a Golden Core Stage cultivator could perform such a technique! Could Chen Zheng... be a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator?!

The members of the Lin Family were terrified. The thought quickly struck them: if this "trash" Chen Zheng could kill Lin Tianyou, he could certainly kill them as well. At that realization, they were scared out of their wits, their faces turning deathly pale.

"How do you want to die?" Chen Zheng asked indifferently, his calm gaze sweeping over them.

"We… we surrender! We are willing to pledge our allegiance to the Lin Family!" a middle-aged man from the clan mustered his courage to say, his voice trembling.

"Pledge allegiance? Why should I believe you?" Chen Zheng shook his head. He could see right through them; they were bullies who feared the strong. Now that he had killed Lin Tianyou and Lin Dongcheng, they must hate him to the core.

"Chen Zheng, don't push me!" the middle-aged man's face darkened, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes as he spoke through clenched teeth.

"And what if I do?" Chen Zheng chuckled. "If you want to fight, then make your move. However, I advise you not to be impulsive. Your strength as a piece of trash isn't weak, but you're still leagues below me. If you provoke me further, your end will be miserable. You won't be as lucky as Lin Tianyou to simply die at my hands. Do you believe me?"

"You!" The man was so furious he nearly spat blood. He knew Chen Zheng was stronger, but he never imagined the gap would be so vast that he wouldn't even be a worthy opponent. Where did this freak come from?!

"You're ruthless!" the middle-aged man roared in anger, then turned and ran for the exit.

"Stop!"

"Get back here!"

The other Lin Family members shouted angrily as they gave chase.

The man's face turned ashen. He knew Chen Zheng was formidable, but he had not anticipated this level of power, so great that he couldn't even block a single blow! He involuntarily recalled the overwhelming power from the previous night, a force so terrifying it sent shivers down his spine. He had to admit that Chen Zheng's strength far exceeded his own. A deep sense of fear welled up in his heart. With Lin Tianyou dead, he didn't dare to linger, terrified that Chen Zheng would strike him down. Thus, he fled.

The remaining members of the Lin Family chased after him, but their strength was far too inferior to the fleeing man's, and they simply couldn't catch up. Seeing this, the man snorted coldly and his body suddenly vanished from sight.

The Lin Family members stopped in shock, realizing he had used some kind of spatial teleportation method. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! They each deployed their own secret techniques, their figures flashing through the air and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The man who fled felt an immense sense of humiliation. He couldn't believe that he, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been driven back by someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage. This was a monumental loss of face!

No! Something occurred to him, and he hurriedly took out a communication jade slip to report the matter to the Lin Family's elders.

「...」

"What? Lin Dongcheng was killed by an early Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"How is that possible? Lin Dongcheng is a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator! How could he be killed by someone in the early stage?"

"Something isn't right. This is definitely not normal. This person named Chen Zheng must have hidden his true strength. Lin Dongcheng must have chosen to fight because he misjudged him. We need to investigate this!"

"Right, we must investigate thoroughly. Otherwise, the Lin Family will never know peace!"

Almost simultaneously, figures darted out from their respective villas, all heading straight for Chen Zheng's room. Their goal was clear: to find out exactly who Chen Zheng was and why he was such a monster.

「...」

Chen Zheng paid them no mind. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, swallowing healing pills to restore his Primordial Spirit.

Before long, his condition had greatly improved. His strength had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, only half a step away from the Golden Core.

Phew.

Letting out a breath of turbid air, Chen Zheng slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed within them, and the corners of his lips curved into a smile. This time, his gains had been substantial.

My Primordial Spirit has recovered by seventy percent and my body by thirty percent. My Primordial Spirit has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and has even merged with my physical body. My combat power has surged by more than fivefold! Even against a mid-Golden Core Stage cultivator, I have enough confidence to fight! Chen Zheng grinned. He now felt an intense confidence that even an early-Golden Core Stage cultivator would not find it easy to kill him.

Just then, his expression changed.

Huh? What's this...

Suddenly, Chen Zheng's pupils contracted and his brows furrowed. The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a solemn look.

The spirit stone fragments in the bedroom were gone!

He scanned his surroundings but saw nothing unusual; the fragments seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Hmm?

Chen Zheng's eyes narrowed. With a single thought, the spirit stone fragments reappeared, floating in the air.

HUM! HUM!

The fragments trembled, and from within them, Primordial Spirits began to drift out. Each one emanated a faint, oppressive aura, as if they were incarnations of some powerful existence. Every one of these new Primordial Spirits was several times stronger than the previous ones.

What in the world is this? Chen Zheng's expression changed. He hadn't expected to acquire so many Primordial Spirits in just a couple of hours. It was shocking. My cultivation speed is already heaven-defying, but it seems all that was just an illusion. These Primordial Spirits are the true purpose, the very core of this world! This world is indeed a mystical and formidable place!

These Primordial Spirits are the native spirits of this world, present since its birth. They are pure Primordial Spirits, capable of self-destructing or condensing into Primordial Spirit beads. Although their power is somewhat weak, they are more than sufficient to deal with an average Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator. I wonder if these Primordial Spirits can help me advance further!

Chen Zheng murmured to himself, casually taking out a Primordial Spirit bead and placing it in his palm. He then circulated his Cultivation Technique, and a burst of flame shot from his hand, engulfing the bead.

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