And this time, Murong Kang had succeeded.

For the next six months, the Bloodline seed took root and sprouted within his body. It branched out into countless, fine bloodlines that threaded through his flesh, organs, and bones, turning him into a marionette.

"Daoist Li, please, spare my life! I was forced into this! I’m willing to work with you against Murong—"

BOOM!

Before he could finish speaking, the Bloodline in Wu Huaiqian’s body abruptly exploded, and he died instantly!

Li Chang’an’s expression grew taut. He immediately cast out his Divine Sense to search the surrounding area but detected no trace of Murong Kang’s presence.

The Puppets he had stationed in various locations also found no sign of Murong Kang.

Soon, Dahuang and Xiaohai returned, both reporting that they hadn’t found Murong Kang.

’Murong Kang must be proficient in some profound Concealing Technique.’

Li Chang’an’s expression was grim.

He knew Murong Kang was somewhere nearby, but he couldn’t find him.

’Now that this attack has failed, he’ll probably try something else.’

Li Chang’an mused silently.

Previously, the reason he had been in such a hurry to kill Sima Rui was his fear that Sima Rui would call upon Huang He Master.

But Murong Kang was different.

The man practiced the Demon Planting Technique and was shrouded in secrets; he would never dare to involve Huang He Master.

When faced with a heaven-defying opportunity like the Demon Planting Technique, Huang He Master wouldn’t care one bit about the bond between master and disciple.

If he were to discover Murong Kang was cultivating the Demon Planting Technique, he would almost certainly torture the technique out of him before killing him to ensure he was the only one who possessed the Demon Technique.

’There’s no need to rush. I just have to wait for him to slip up.’

...

「The next day.」

Li Chang’an went out.

He traveled to Yellow Crane Immortal City to find Xu Fugui, Chu Daniu, and the others, warning them to stay away from Murong Kang.

Li Chang’an didn’t tell them the specific reason.

Xu Fugui and the others didn’t press for details; they all trusted Li Chang’an.

"Don’t you worry, Big Bro. I’ve never liked the look of that guy anyway!"

"Fugui, don’t let your guard down. Stay vigilant at all times."

Li Chang’an took several Tier Two Top Grade Puppets from his Storage Pouch and lent them to Xu Fugui and the others to ensure they had enough strength to protect themselves.

「A few days later.」

He arrived at the base of Changqing Mountain and activated his Stone Eye, scanning the entire Marketplace below.

Before long, he spotted several Loose Cultivators who had been implanted with the Bloodline.

These Loose Cultivators were clearly Murong Kang’s eyes and ears!

Without hesitation, Li Chang’an killed them on the spot.

Afterward, he summoned Jiang Muyu and Luo Yunshu. He gave them two Tier Two Top Grade Puppets for their protection and gave them the same warning about Murong Kang.

...

For a while, things remained relatively peaceful on Changqing Mountain.

「On this day.」

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power on the mountain suddenly stirred.

Two Grand Arrays concealed the disturbance, making it undetectable to outsiders.

Before long, the disturbance ceased. The Profound Water Turtle had officially advanced to the Tier Two Late Stage!

’It’s finally reached this stage.’

A gratified look appeared on Li Chang’an’s face.

He was very pleased with the Spirit Turtle’s growth Speed.

Next, the Profound Water Turtle would have to face the difficult barrier to Tier Three.

Unfortunately, Li Chang’an had no Treasure on hand that could help it break through to Tier Three, simply because such items were exceedingly rare.

There were very few Tier Three Demon Kings raised by cultivators in the entire Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm.

Even Golden Core Masters struggled to obtain Treasures that could facilitate this Tier of advancement, let alone a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Li Chang’an.

’The Beast Taming Zhou Family should have something.’

Li Chang’an’s gaze deepened as he looked off in the direction of the Zhou Clan Territory.

He had recently gathered quite a bit of information on the Zhou Family.

According to his intelligence, everything at the Zhou Family was normal, with no signs of anything unusual.

It seemed what Zhou Shangshan had written in his letter before his death was merely a personal hallucination.

’I can’t go to the Zhou Family yet. I’ll wait and see.’

Li Chang’an was in no hurry.

The Profound Water Turtle had just broken through to the Tier Two Late Stage. It still needed time to accumulate Magical Power.

...

「In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.」

Over the course of the year, Li Chang’an had slain dozens of Cultivators implanted with the Bloodline.

As time went on, fewer and fewer such Cultivators appeared.

Murong Kang had clearly realized that Li Chang’an possessed some method of detecting the Bloodline, as he no longer used it to probe him so readily.

While the two were locked in their standoff, the Sect war throughout the Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm continued to rage on.

「On this day,」

a shocking piece of news spread like wildfire.

Patriarch Mo, while aiding the Cyan Cloud Sect, had been killed in a joint attack by Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and the Artifact Refining Ou Family. He had fallen in battle within the Ancient Ruins!

For the Patriarch of one of the Seven Great Noble Families to fall in battle—it was truly shocking news.

’I didn’t think a Patriarch would fall so soon.’

Li Chang’an soon learned of the news.

Although Patriarch Mo was not a Golden Core, he was at the Foundation Establishment Peak of Cultivation. More importantly, he possessed Tier Three Puppetry Skill and was capable of repairing the Mo Family’s Tier Three Puppet.

His death was a devastating blow to the Mo Family.

However, over the past few years, the Three Great Sects and several Noble Families had all suffered considerable losses.

Even the three families that had remained neutral—the Mu Family, the Jin Family, and the Xiao Family—had incurred losses.

The overall strength of the entire Southern Domain Cultivation Realm had declined significantly since the beginning of this great turmoil.

’They’ve been fighting all this time with no signs of stopping. I wonder when this great turmoil will ever end.’

Li Chang’an performed his usual divination, but the only future he could foresee was one of endless bloodshed.

「A few more days passed.」

Another piece of news arrived.

The Mo Family had chosen a new Patriarch.

This new Patriarch did not immediately retaliate against the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and the Ou Family. Instead, he announced that there were internal problems within the Mo Family. He claimed that over the years, many miscarriages of justice had occurred, causing countless Mo Family disciples to renounce the clan.

He sent word that he would right these wrongs, expressing his hope that all the unjustly exiled disciples would return to the Mo Family.

’Righting the wrongs?’

Li Chang’an was lost in thought as he read the news.

The Mo Family was indeed a mess internally.

Otherwise, Mo Feng and his sister would never have been forced to leave the clan and become Tribulation Cultivators.

Both siblings were quite talented; they had a fortuitous encounter many years ago and both managed to become Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

’Does the Mo Family really intend to right the wrongs done to its disciples? Or have their ranks been so thinned by constant warfare that they’re just desperate for reinforcements?’

Li Chang’an suspected both might be true.

’Either way, I hope the Mo Family can stay stable, at least until Mo Qingxue achieves Core Formation.’

He couldn’t afford for anything to happen to Mo Qingxue; after all, she still owed him four favors.

「A few days later.」

A letter arrived on Changqing Mountain.

The letter was handwritten by Mo Qingxue herself.

In it, she stated that she would be attempting her breakthrough to Core Formation in three months.

If Li Chang’an was interested, he was welcome to come to the Mo Family to observe the process.

’Three months?’

Li Chang’an was shocked. ’How could it be so soon?’

’Mo Qingxue is even younger than I am. Although she has an Abnormal Spirit Root and her cultivation Speed is fast, there’s no need for her to rush her breakthrough to Core Formation.’

’She has plenty of time. She could easily spend another decade or more refining her foundation and accumulating a deeper reserve of Magical Power.’

’Could it be that the Mo Family can’t even afford to give her that decade?’