A Family of Hopeless Romantics, Except for the Evil Little Junior Brother-Chapter 12: A True Powerhouse

Ahead, a flying sword—"Spring."

Behind, two puppet scorpions that had been lying in wait, launching poison needles.

At this moment, Murong Mo still hadn't realized the severity of the situation.

He was still shocked by Li Xuanxiao's cultivation.

Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage

Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage

Spirit Transformation Stage, Body Fusion Stage

Tribulation Stage, Great Ascension Stage.

"........"

A cultivator with a Qi Refining Stage of level three or above could activate low-grade spiritual artifacts and talismans.

At level six, one could fly on a sword.

The Foundation Establishment Stage was divided into early, mid, late, and great perfection.

After reaching this stage, a cultivator's lifespan could extend to two or three hundred years.

Their appearance would still age, but pills could preserve their youth.

Reforging the body, absorbing spiritual energy to sustain oneself—food was no longer necessary.

One would develop divine sense and a sea of consciousness, capable of probing surroundings and manipulating objects through divine sense.

They could already wield mid-grade magical artifacts and talismans and even use high-grade ones with minimal spiritual energy consumption.

It was a fundamental leap in power compared to the Qi Refining Stage.

If an ordinary martial artist could sometimes manage to kill a Qi Refining cultivator,

Then against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would stand no chance.

At this moment, Murong Mo sensed that the opponent's aura was only slightly weaker than his own.

Hiding his strength!

The other party must have been wearing some kind of treasure that concealed their cultivation.

Otherwise, he would have noticed something.

Murong Mo sensed the deadly strikes from both the front and the back and was just about to summon his magical treasure.

But before he could, the poison needles had already struck him.

So fast! Even faster than the flying sword.

Murong Mo tried to mobilize his true essence, but his right hand suddenly went limp and fell.

The poison from the needle had sealed three of his acupoints—Yemen, Zhongzhu, and Yangchi.

These three acupoints happened to align with the flow of true essence needed to activate his magical treasures.

This...

If meridians were likened to a river, then acupoints were like gates.

They awaited the rush of true essence to break through and activate the power within.

Only after true essence successfully passed through these acupoints could one unleash their magic.

But now, the key three acupoints in Murong Mo's body were temporarily blocked, preventing the flow of true essence.

For the first time, Murong Mo panicked.

The enemy had planned this!?

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Murong Mo had no idea that this was all set up after Li Xuanxiao learned that Silver Sword Peak's disciples had unfinished mission quotas.

It was then that he decided to kill Li Xuanxiao in Wuwang Mountains of the Southern Border.

He had been quite pleased with himself, thinking he was the hunter.

Little did he know, the real hunter had been preparing for over half a year.

Since Murong Mo and Su Wan had a falling out, since he had shot a glare toward Silver Sword Peak—

From that moment on, Li Xuanxiao had been on guard against him.

Over six months, through various means—

Even down to what flavors Murong Mo preferred in his meals and what color underwear he usually wore—

Li Xuanxiao had figured it all out.

Let alone the magical artifacts he frequently used.

According to Li Xuanxiao's predictions, there was a 70% chance that Murong Mo would habitually use that silver ring artifact.

This was also his best defensive tool against flying swords.

So, another 20% probability was added to the calculation.

The poison needles of the scorpion puppets had been modified by Li Xuanxiao,

Exchanging power and toxicity for speed.

They could only briefly paralyze the Yemen, Zhongzhu, and Yangchi acupoints.

But these three acupoints were precisely the key to activating magical treasures.

Murong Mo's biggest mistake was his arrogance and underestimation.

After his first attack, he didn't immediately recall his flying sword.

The second time, when facing Li Xuanxiao's counterattack, he was momentarily stunned

Because Li Xuanxiao had stopped suppressing his aura.

That brief hesitation cost him the chance to dodge.

Confidently, he had tried to wield his magical treasure.

And then—

He had no more chances.

He was facing someone who had spent a full six months preparing, someone who knew everything about him.

Spring—Spring Thunder.

Renowned for its speed.

The flying sword pierced through Murong Mo's brainstem.

The light in his eyes froze for a moment before fading entirely.

The entire battle, excluding Murong Mo's initial nonsense, had lasted no more than an instant.

Murong Mo fell backward, landing with a dull thud.

The fallen leaves on the ground scattered from the impact.

Even in death, Murong Mo probably didn't understand—

How did he die so easily?

He was still stuck in that moment when the opponent had suddenly stopped concealing his true strength.

With the battle over, Li Xuanxiao quickly withdrew his aura.

The former Sect Leader—who was now long dead—had once taught him a secret to defeating stronger enemies.

It was very simple: act ordinary.

Make your enemies underestimate you.

Make everyone assume you're just a nobody.

The world was never short of powerful cultivators,

But many had lost their lives due to a single moment of carelessness.

By making the opponent misjudge his strength,

By exploiting the gap between perception and reality—

He could deceive and kill them.

That was the simplest method...

“Phew~”

Li Xuanxiao let out a slow breath.

He sheathed Spring Sword into its sword case.

The two scorpion puppets let out a soft poof before turning into wisps of green smoke.

As for Murong Mo’s corpse, he definitely couldn’t just leave it here.

If someone found the wounds and linked them to his sword—

There would be no way to explain it.

Even if he could explain, Murong Mo’s family and his close senior brothers would still be a threat.

That would put him in danger.

Li Xuanxiao scattered some beast-attracting poison powder on the corpse and then hid nearby.

Soon, a black panther appeared.

Li Xuanxiao concealed his presence, watching as the panther devoured Murong Mo's body completely.

For ferocious beasts, a cultivator's body was the ultimate nourishment.

Watching this, Li Xuanxiao then tracked the panther for two full days—

Before finally striking and killing it.

In this era, where one can descend into darkness over a love dispute, slaughter the entire world, and take countless innocents to the grave, living and cultivating truly requires utmost caution—caution, and more caution.

"............."

Li Xuanxiao headed in the opposite direction. The most important task for this trip was to find key materials for crafting puppets.

Two days passed.

Most of the materials Li Xuanxiao needed had been gathered according to plan.

On this day, he stood in a valley.

Out of habit, he cast a divination—three copper coins.

One throw per line, six throws to form a hexagram.

This time, just as he reached the fifth throw—

Suddenly, an incredibly powerful energy wave surged forth like a raging tide, sweeping through everything as if it could tear the world apart.

At the same time, from a great distance, an earth-shattering explosion roared like thunder from a clear sky, deafening and terrifying.

Looking out, he could see that the energy's radiance illuminated nearly half the sky, so dazzling that it was impossible to stare directly at.

It was like a cloud ablaze with roaring flames, spreading with unstoppable force.

Such a shocking eruption of energy and deafening sound—

Could it be that a true powerhouse was locked in a life-and-death battle!?

A true powerhouse.