Seeing Zhang Hao's murderous intent, Qin Changsheng frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that he would only be able to enter the ruins one step ahead of Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao had decided to kill him?
"Useless! You're quite fast!" Zhang Hao stopped, his tone filled with murderous intent.
Ever since Zhang Hao became the senior disciple of the outer sect,
all the Qi Refining disciples in the sect treated him with utmost respect.
But unexpectedly, today a mere Qi Refining disciple dared to steal his thunder,
making him lose face in front of everyone.
As Zhang Hao spoke, he slowly approached, his gaze sweeping over Qin Changsheng's longsword, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.
He recognized the longsword as a low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon with just a glance.
He never expected that an ordinary outer disciple would possess a low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon longsword.
However, this low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon longsword was now his.
Seeing Zhang Hao's greedy expression, Qin Changsheng frowned slightly.
Qin Changsheng hadn't wanted to bother with Zhang Hao and his group at all.
He wouldn't have cared if Zhang Hao robbed those outer disciples.
However, Zhang Hao had now foolishly chosen this path, coming here to cause trouble for Qin Changsheng.
Seeing Qin Changsheng remain calm and composed, showing no fear whatsoever, Zhang Hao's anger flared even more, his face turning increasingly ashen.
He coldly snorted, raised his hand, and shouted fiercely to his subordinates behind him, "Attack! Take this piece of trash down! This senior brother will personally kill him, let him know the consequences of provoking me!"
"And that longsword, I've got my eye on it!"
Several subordinates responded in unison, a fierce glint in their eyes. They gripped their magical weapons tightly and charged towards Qin Changsheng, their momentum overwhelming, as if they wanted to tear Qin Changsheng to shreds instantly.
Zhang Hao, however, stood still, arms crossed, his gaze icy as he stared at Qin Changsheng, a cruel smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see Qin Changsheng's demise, to vent his hatred.
Qin Changsheng stood rooted to the spot, his gaze calmly fixed on the charging subordinates, his eyes utterly devoid of emotion.
It was as if the approaching figures weren't ferocious cultivators, but rather a few insignificant ants.
Just as the men reached Qin Changsheng, he finally moved.
Without any unnecessary movements, he merely stirred his mind and uttered two words: "Fire Serpent Technique."
The instant his words fell, a blazing flame shot from his hand, rapidly coalescing in mid-air into a lifelike, crimson fire serpent.
The fire serpent was engulfed in raging flames, radiating a scorching aura. Its scales were clearly visible, its mouth wide open, emitting a piercing hiss, as it lunged at the charging cultivators.
This Fire Serpent Technique was not a low-level spell that Qi Refining cultivators could control; rather, it was a mid-level spell that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could skillfully execute.
Wherever the fiery serpent passed, the air was distorted and scorched. The surrounding malevolent energy and dust were instantly engulfed by the flames, and the scorching heat swept across the entire area, causing the temperature of the entire middle-level zone to rise sharply.
The fierce expression on the face of the seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator at the forefront froze instantly, replaced by unbelievable fear.
He tried to dodge, but the fire serpent was too fast, giving him no chance to react before instantly pouncing on him.
"Sizzle—" Flames spread instantly, and before a scream could even escape, the cultivator's body was engulfed in flames. Clothes, flesh, and bones were rapidly reduced to ashes by the scorching heat, vanishing without a trace in an instant, leaving only a wisp of black smoke slowly dissipating in the air.
The remaining subordinates trembled in fear, their steps halting instantly, their faces filled with terror and despair, all traces of their previous ferocity gone.
They tried to turn and flee, but the fire serpent was incredibly fast, weaving through them like a ghost. Each strike was accompanied by a fleeting figure and a wisp of black smoke.
In the blink of an eye, all of Zhang Hao's subordinates had been slaughtered by the fire serpent technique. Not a single one survived. Only a few wisps of black smoke remained on the stone path, proof that they had been there.
Throughout the entire process, Qin Changsheng remained standing still, his expression calm, not even moving an inch, as if he had merely done something insignificant.
Zhang Hao, standing rooted to the spot, froze instantly with a cruel smile. His pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with disbelief, shock, and fear. His body trembled uncontrollably, as if all his strength had been drained away, making it difficult for him to even stand.
He stared intently at Qin Changsheng, then at the lingering black smoke on the ground, his mind blank.
The power of that Fire Serpent Technique was terrifying, far beyond the capabilities of a Qi Refining cultivator. Even for him, a Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator, it was utterly impossible to withstand, leaving him no chance to even react.
Just then, Qin Changsheng's concealment technique quietly dissipated, releasing a vast and condensed pressure that swept towards Zhang Hao like a tidal wave.
This oppressive aura was steady and heavy, carrying the unique aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was far beyond what Zhang Hao, at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, could withstand. Simply being enveloped by this pressure caused Zhang Hao excruciating pain throughout his body, his blood churning, a sweet taste in his throat, and he nearly coughed up blood.
"Foundation…Foundation Establishment cultivator?!" Zhang Hao stammered, his voice hoarse, filled with deep fear and disbelief. His eyes widened, staring intently at Qin Changsheng, as if he were seeing this person for the first time.
He simply couldn't understand how the seemingly insignificant ant in the Misty Forest, with only the fourth level of Qi Refining and whom he could easily crush, the seemingly worthless trash who dared to enter the ruins first and whom he had disdained to even glance at, was actually a Foundation Establishment expert!
Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, seemingly only a step apart, were in reality worlds apart, like the difference between clouds and mud.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily crush countless Qi Refining cultivators with a single move. He, a Qi Refining cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, was still an ant before a Foundation Establishment cultivator, utterly ineligible to resist.
The immense disparity plunged Zhang Hao into extreme fear. Cold sweat instantly soaked his brocade robes, his legs trembled, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
But Zhang Hao quickly regained his composure. His master was Lin Zhentian, an elder of the Enforcement Hall, a powerful Golden Core cultivator!
Zhang Hao secretly pondered: Although Qin Changsheng was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he might not dare offend Elder Lin Zhentian!
As long as he mentioned his master Lin Zhentian's name, Qin Changsheng would definitely be wary and wouldn't dare to make things difficult for him, perhaps even sparing his life!
Thinking this, Zhang Hao's fear subsided slightly. He took a deep breath: "Boy! You dare kill my subordinate? Do you know who I am? I am Elder Lin Zhentian's disciple!"
"If you dare lay a finger on me, my master will definitely not let you off, he will tear you to pieces!"
As he spoke, he stared intently at Qin Changsheng, hoping that upon hearing Lin Zhentian's name, Qin Changsheng would show fear and let him go.
In his view, Lin Zhentian's name was his talisman, enough to intimidate this Foundation Establishment cultivator before him.
But there wasn't even a trace of fear in Qin Changsheng's eyes.
Knowing that Qin Changsheng dared to kill even Lin Zhentian's son, Lin Hao, would he be even more likely to kill a mere disciple?
Seeing Qin Changsheng remain silent, Zhang Hao assumed he was afraid.
He was about to utter a few threats when Qin Changsheng gave him no chance to speak.
With a wave of his hand, Qin Changsheng conjured an even hotter and thicker fire serpent, which hissed piercingly as it lunged at Zhang Hao.
This time, the fire serpent was faster and more powerful; its scorching heat almost burned Zhang Hao's skin.
Zhang Hao's pupils constricted, his face filled with despair. He tried to dodge, to beg for mercy, but his body was firmly bound by the pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage, rendering him completely immobile. He didn't even have time to scream before being instantly engulfed by the fire serpent.
A raging inferno engulfed everything. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Hao's body, like his subordinates, turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into the air without a trace, leaving only a lingering, burnt smell that slowly permeated the stone path.
Qin Changsheng didn't immediately head to the core to search for the Heavenly Dao fragments. His gaze slowly swept across the stone path.
On the open ground ahead, he saw only two storage bags of different sizes.
One was made of fine material, embroidered with faint cloud patterns, and felt warm to the touch—clearly Zhang Hao's item; the other was more ordinary, made of rough cloth, without any decoration, and likely belonged to one of Zhang Hao's subordinates.
He first picked up the storage bag embroidered with cloud patterns and carefully examined it.
He saw hundreds of low-grade spirit stones neatly piled on one side of the storage bag.
On the other side of the storage bag were several bottles of pills, each labeled simply: Qi Gathering Pills and Healing Pills. These were all low-grade pills, but sufficient for a Qi Refining cultivator's daily practice.
There was also a stack of talismans, mostly low-grade defensive and offensive talismans, about a dozen in total. While their power was ordinary, they were better than nothing.
"Just some ordinary low-grade resources," Qin Changsheng thought to himself, his face expressionless. He carefully collected the spirit stones, pills, and talismans, then casually put Zhang Hao's storage bag into his own storage space.
For him now, these resources were insignificant, but better than nothing.
Then, he picked up the ordinary storage bag, infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy, and released the seal.
Compared to Zhang Hao's storage bag, this one contained far fewer items. Only a few dozen low-grade spirit stones were scattered throughout. Besides that, there were no pills, talismans, or anything like that. Only two tokens lay quietly in a corner of the bag.
Qin Changsheng picked up the two tokens and examined them closely.
One token was entirely cyan, with the three ancient characters "Heavenly Sword Sect" engraved on it, and the characters "Ma Cheng" on the back.
But when he picked up the other token, his expression changed slightly.
This token was pitch black, its material cold. Engraved on it was a ferocious, blood-red skull pattern, and below the skull were two dark red characters: "Blood Demon."
"A Blood Demon Sect identity token?" Qin Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected that a cultivator he had casually killed would actually be a Blood Demon Sect spy.
Qin Changsheng carefully put away the two tokens and then headed towards the core of the ruins.
Qin Changsheng traveled at breakneck speed, traversing the gap between the middle and core areas of the ruins for an entire day.
Abandoned palaces stretched along the way, most of their protective barriers ineffective; the few remaining arrays he encountered were easily broken by him.
He concealed his presence, stealthily avoiding several scattered groups of demonic beasts, focusing solely on the direction indicated by the golden inscription.
Finally, the terrain opened up before him, revealing a vast valley.