Another year of seasonal change, Hidden Dragon Cave.

Chen Sheng sat cross-legged on the Cold Jade Meditation Mat, a wisp of faint purple rainbow light entwining his fingertips.

This rainbow light was the "Purple Thunder Rainbow Light" he had spent half a year painstakingly seeking out, a Tier Two Top Grade with a unique speed advantage.

He slightly closed his eyes, mana continuously flowing like a stream into the rainbow light, repeatedly honing and refining it.

The spiritual energy within the cave was drawn by the rainbow light, forming a visible vortex to the naked eye.

As the refining deepened, the color of the rainbow light became increasingly profound, faintly flashing with electricity.

After three hours, Chen Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, withdrawing the spell at his fingertips.

The Purple Thunder Rainbow Light curled up like a Spiritual Snake, turning into a light needle about an inch long, which he absorbed into his Dantian for nurturing.

The next moment, with a thought, the light needle in his Dantian shot out and merged with his figure.

Chen Sheng's figure transformed into a streak of purple rainbow, soaring into the sky, spiraling and shuttling through the Cloud Sea around Pill Furnace Peak.

The purple rainbow streaked through the sky, circling Pill Furnace Peak seven or eight times in just a moment, finally returning like a homing bird to the cave mansion.

"Traveling with light, no less than the speed of escape techniques." Chen Sheng dissipated the rainbow light, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He took a deep breath, and the Purple Thunder Rainbow Light followed the path into his body through his nose, settling into the Qi Sea of his Dantian, continuing to be nurtured by mana.

He sat back down on the meditation mat.

Chen Sheng began his daily cultivation, the "Pure Yang Qi Technique" slowly circulating within, transforming the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his own mana.

After several hours, a sense of swelling and pain came from his meridians, reaching the daily limit of cultivation.

He sank his heart and spirit into the Dantian, introspecting the continuously rotating Qi vortex.

Within the vortex, twenty-two drops of chicken blood-colored liquid mana floated quietly, each drop containing incredibly pure power.

"After making connections with the Chen, Li, and Hua families, the refining resources obtained are enough to support my cultivation to Body Refining Sixth Layer Perfection."

Chen Sheng estimated secretly:

"The spirit stones earned by the firm over the year, most have been spent on Qi Refining cultivation."

"In just a year, one drop of liquid mana has been condensed. At this rate, in another twenty-eight years, I can attempt to reach mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

He nodded lightly, quite satisfied with this progress, knowing that this speed didn't lag behind some cultivators with Earth Grade Spiritual Roots.

"This is the power of consuming pills."

"At this pace, Foundation Establishment Perfection is finally promising."

Just then, the Communication Jade Order at his waist suddenly trembled softly.

Chen Sheng's Divine Sense penetrated it, his eyebrows slightly raised.

He immediately stood up, his figure flickered, the Purple Thunder Rainbow Light wrapped around him as he rushed out of the cave, transforming into a streak of light heading towards Qinghua Villa.

The Purple Thunder Rainbow Light was extremely swift, crossing dozens of miles of mountain paths in just a moment, arriving at Qinghua Villa located in the inner sect area.

This place was the dwelling of the female members of Chen Sheng's family.

The purple rainbow entered the backyard, the radiance dissipated, revealing the figure of Chen Sheng.

In the courtyard, a dozen or so women in splendid garments were taking advantage of the sunny day to dry Spirit Tea. Upon his arrival, they promptly set down their tasks and paid their respects:

"Greetings, my lord."

These women were clan members sent from noble families like Chen, Li, and Hua, each possessing exceptional spiritual root qualifications.

Chen Sheng nodded lightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:

"I'll be staying here tonight, where is your eldest sister?"

Hua Yuzhen, standing at the front, stepped forward, cupping her hands and replied:

"Elder sister is in the front yard, receiving a guest."

Chen Sheng acknowledged with a hum and walked towards the main hall.

Just as he reached outside the hall, he overheard Wu Lingshuang's gentle voice inside, seemingly comforting someone.

He opened the door and entered, seeing that besides Wu Lingshuang, there was a middle-aged ugly woman sitting inside.

The woman wore coarse clothing, her face marked by the ravages of wind and frost, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deeply etched like knife cuts, yet only her eyes exuded a bit of resilience.

Chen Sheng looked at the ugly woman, finding her inexplicably familiar, meticulously searching through fragments of memories in his mind, hesitantly spoke:

"Are you... Gu Caiju?"

The ugly woman trembled all over upon hearing this, suddenly stood up from her seat, and knelt on the ground with a thud, her voice tinged with sobs:

"Indeed, it's Caiju, greetings to Uncle Chen!"

Only then did Chen Sheng confirm his guess, couldn't help but sigh:

"It really is you... It's been only over ten years, how did you end up like this?"

Gu Caiju was the youngest daughter of Gu Taohua.

In Chen Sheng's memory.

She was a well-behaved young girl with twin-braided pigtails, bearing quite the grace of Gu Taohua between her brows. But the woman before him appeared aged as if she had weathered decades of hardships.

Gu Caiju lay prostrate on the ground, her shoulders slightly trembling, her voice mournful:

"After mother disappeared back then, my tribe married me off to a cultivator from a neighboring clan..."

She recounted her experiences haltingly:

Shortly after marriage, her husband's family was exterminated due to involvement in conflicts between the two clans.

She fled with her young son but was ambushed by a Tribulation Cultivator midway, her son was abducted, and his life remains uncertain to this day.

Alone, she wandered and struggled, barely making a living with a few array scriptures left by her mother.

She finally settled in a small clan, only for the clan to be annihilated in a demon beast tide...

Chen Sheng heard this.

He couldn't help but sigh at this person's resilience.

Gu Caiju looked up, her eyes sparkling with hope:

"Several years ago, I found an array disc in the southern Liuyun Market, and the array pattern technique was clearly my mother's handiwork."

"Moreover, it was made no more than three months ago, with her unique 'Peach Blossom Seal' on it."

"I traced the origin of the array disc for years, only to find it came from the Li Family of Thousand Machines Workshop."

Chen Sheng frowned slightly, "Li Family of Thousand Machines Workshop?"

Gu Caiju nodded, "Exactly."

"It's said that this Li Family was also a Foundation Establishment Deserving Clan over a hundred years ago, later exterminated by the Zhou Clan, leaving a few descendants to roam and struggle."

"Until twenty years ago, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator named Li Hansong allied with a group of tribulation cultivators to wipe out the Zhou Clan and rebuilt their foundation in Thousand Machines Workshop."

She paused, her tone becoming more urgent:

"Uncle Chen, I found out that my mother and Uncle Wang were not killed back then, but were captured by Li Rulong and taken to the Li Family to make talismans and formations, and have been imprisoned ever since!"

"Please, Uncle, for the sake of past ties, save them!"

Chen Sheng was stirred by waves of emotion upon hearing this.

After listening to this narrative, how could he not realize—that Li Family was indeed Li Huayao's maternal clan.

He sighed inwardly:

"I vaguely remember back then the Zhou Clan, with their three Foundation Establishment cultivators, annexed the Zhang Family and Li Family, how grand they were."

"In less than two hundred years, fortune has turned, and they became the ones annihilated."

To outsiders, this might be just a piece of past history, but to Chen Sheng, who lived through those years, the emotions were indescribable to outsiders.

"Speaking of this, the Li Clan avenged my past grudge."

In his past life, the reason he stayed hidden in the market was largely due to his fear of the Zhou Clan.

The Lin Clan of Chongyun wanted to eliminate him, and they hired the local power of the Zhou Clan to help.

The elders of the Zhou Clan had invited him several times, and even the death of his young son by tribulation cultivators had hints of the Zhou Clan's involvement...

Seeing Chen Sheng remain silent for a long time, Gu Caiju grew anxious and quickly added:

"Uncle, Li Rulong had ulterior motives from the beginning when he associated with you guys."

"You are an alchemist, Uncle Wang is a talisman master, and my mother is an array master, how could it be such a coincidence? He definitely wants to control all three of you!"

"Enough."

Chen Sheng raised his hand to interrupt her, his voice calm but with undeniable authority.

"Let me think for a moment."

He closed his eyes and recalled the details from back then, indeed remembering that the first time he met Li Rulong, Li frequently inquired subtly about his family's background.

At the time, he thought it was usual inquiry, but now he realizes there was ulterior motive, along with subsequent exploration missions, and buying Tier Two Talismans from him...

Chen Sheng felt a hint of disgust.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and took out a golden token engraved with the character "Chen" from his storage pouch.

This token symbolized the identity of a true disciple of the Qinghua Sect, possessing this token allowed one to mobilize part of the sect's power in Immortal City.

Chen Sheng held the golden talisman, infusing it with mana from his fingertips, causing the token to emit a faint golden glow.

He handed the golden talisman to Wu Lingshuang, saying in a deep voice:

"Take my golden talisman and order the Li Family of Thousand Machines Workshop to release the captives within three days and bring Li Rulong tied to Pill Furnace Peak to face punishment."

"If they dare to defy, gather the forces of the trading firm to exterminate the entire clan."

Thousand Machines Workshop was within the Qinghua Sect's sphere of influence, and being a true disciple of the sect, as well as the future pillar of the Pill Hall, at his command, countless people would be willing to serve him.

Not to mention the current power of the Chen Trading Firm—boasting five to six Foundation Establishment Cultivators, wiping out a small Foundation Establishment Clan was just a matter of flipping a hand.

Wu Lingshuang took the golden talisman, bowed, and replied:

"Yes, my lord."

Gu Caiju knelt on the ground, stunned.

She originally thought this matter would require a lot of effort, and was even prepared to plead for days.

Yet she didn't expect Chen Sheng to agree so easily, with a tone so casual as if he was talking about a trivial matter.

It wasn't until Wu Lingshuang left with the golden talisman that she came back to her senses, looking at Chen Sheng's back with an indescribable respect and awe.

Is this the Uncle Chen of today?

His power has reached such heights.

Chen Sheng looked at her stunned expression and said calmly:

"Stand up, in three days, if your mother and Uncle Wang return safely, bring them to see me."

His words carried an invisible might.

Gu Caiju then awoke as if from a dream, hurriedly bowing her head:

"Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Uncle!"

Chen Sheng waved his hand, saying no more, and turned to walk toward the inner courtyard.

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