When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

There are two main methods for judging the cultivation level of other cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm.

You can judge by the aura emanating from the other party, or by using your divine sense to make a direct judgment.

The latter is exclusive to those at the peak of Qi Refining (pseudo-foundation realm).

The former is often inaccurate, and can only be accurately sensed when casting spells.

At this moment, Song Chen's aura was completely undisguised, revealing him to be at the ninth level of Qi Refining!

Zhang Qian was covered in sweat. Judging from the breathing, he couldn't win a head-on fight.

There are only two paths to survival.

First, the aura emanating from Song Chen was fake.

Secondly, kneel down and beg for mercy, pleading with the other party to let you go.

Apart from these two options, he has only one other option: death.

Of course, even the second option doesn't guarantee survival.

Therefore, Zhang Qian can only gamble, betting that Song Chen is the first possibility, which is just bluffing and all show and no substance!

He gritted his teeth and thrust his right palm toward Song Chen's chest, intending to launch a sneak attack and win.

puff!

Blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Zhang Qian coughed up blood, his eyes filled with disbelief, when he caught a glimpse of a hand piercing through his chest.

That hand belonged to Song Chen.

Song Chen's lips curled up, and he pulled out his right hand, grasping a still-beating, hot heart in his palm, and threw it toward the distant pool of water.

thump!

The heart fell into the water, gradually lost its vitality, and sank to the bottom.

Zhang Qian rolled over and fell to the ground, motionless.

Song Chen raised his eyes, drew his black sword, and a large cloud of black energy condensed and gathered on the blade, transforming into an enormous black sword!

Everyone in the room was terrified and scattered in all directions.

Song Chen shouted, "Take me to the Zhang family's treasure vault, and I'll spare your life!"

"Kill the rest!"

I don't know if nobody really knows, or if nobody is pretending not to know.

None of the fugitives responded; they continued running on their own.

"Then we can't let you stay!"

A black blade flashed by, swirling with black energy, as if a demon had descended to earth.

A middle-aged man with a child knelt before the gate of the Zhang family mansion, tears streaming down his face, begging for mercy:

"My lord, I am guilty! I deserve to die! I served the Zhang family for ten years, and my hands are stained with the blood of a hundred people. I am guilty!"

"But my child is innocent! Please, I beg you, spare him!"

The child, about half a person's height, had bloodshot eyes and supported the man with his right hand: "Dad!"

The middle-aged man kowtowed deeply and said sincerely, "My lord! The Zhang family has committed numerous evils, but is there such a thing as black and white in this world?"

"There are good people in the Zhang family too. Please, have mercy on them and let them go!"

Song Chen stopped wielding the knife and turned to look at the man.

Seeing this, the others also knelt down and begged for mercy, kowtowing and wailing.

"My lord! I've been bound to the Zhang family for years, my life is not my own! It's all the Zhang family's fault!"

"My lord! I have a three-year-old son who has just learned to walk, and an eighty-year-old mother who is bedridden. I beg you, my lord, to show mercy!"

"My lord! I have a beautiful young girl in my household, in the prime of her youth, whom we may offer to you!"

......

Song Chen's icy gaze swept over everyone present, neither accepting nor refusing: "Take me to the treasure vault, and I might spare your lives!"

The entire room fell silent.

Song Chen continued, his booming voice echoing throughout the room: "Otherwise, kill without mercy!"

Still no one.

Song Chen sighed and casually killed one person with a single slash.

"what!"

Screams echoed through the crowd.

The others looked terrified and shouted:

"Where are the stewards? Don't they know where the treasure vault is?"

Upon hearing this, Song Chen stopped wielding his blade, and everyone looked at each other, turning to look at one person.

The man stood up, appearing quite polite, and said helplessly, "I know where the treasure vault is!"

"Come with me!"

He walked in front, Song Chen followed behind, and a group of people followed behind Song Chen.

A group of people went together to the side of the Zhang family mansion.

There is a hidden door here. Opening it leads to a tunnel. Going inside, you'll find a locked door!

Song Chen stepped forward to touch it, but was immediately pushed away.

He was slightly surprised.

Even a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining might not be able to open this door!

The man, his forehead flushed red, stood in front of Song Chen and explained:

"My lord, to open this lock, we must use the blood of the Zhang family patriarch."

Song Chen turned to look at the man and asked, "Wasn't the Zhang family patriarch long ago?"

The man trembled all over, struggling to steady himself, and continued:

"My lord, you may not know this, but anyone who is bound to the Zhang family's fortune will have their blood transformed into the blood of the family head, and will then be able to open this door."

"Four years ago, the patriarch disappeared. Now, the one whose fate is intertwined with the Zhang family and who possesses the patriarch's blood is Zhang Qian!"

"His blood will surely open this door!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sound came from outside, and Zhang Qian's body was brought in.

Song Chen looked at the corpse lying on the ground, then glanced at the bright black eyes of everyone present, and understood.

Without further ado, he sent the remaining blood from the corpse into the doorway.

The door opened.

As expected, the interior was magnificent and resplendent, filled with all kinds of spiritual stones, minerals, magic spells, and magical artifacts.

Greed gleamed in everyone's eyes, but they dared not make a move because Song Chen was in front of them.

Song Chen walked into the building from a distance, searching around.

It took him a while to find the spell that would help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He immediately put it in his pocket and headed outside.

When the others saw Song Chen walking out, they immediately swarmed forward and frantically looted the wealth inside.

"Damn it! Go to hell!"

"Don't take mine! Get lost!"

Within a very short time, the group even began to exchange blows and magical attacks.

Song Chen ignored them all and simply closed the door silently.

This lock is essentially an array, or it could be related to talismans, or it could be a mechanism.

But it doesn't matter.

Since entering requires blood, it's natural that exiting also requires blood!

"He's going to trap us here! Demon, open the door!"

"You beast! Open the door! I don't want to stay here!"

"No! You son of a bitch..."

Ignoring the frantic banging and cursing behind him, Song Chen leisurely walked out of the tunnel and closed the side door.

He turned around and checked the mansion again to make sure it was empty before flying away from the place.

In mid-air, he looked back.

Several patrolling monks have discovered the anomaly at the Zhang family residence and have begun a preliminary investigation.

But the mastermind, Song Chen, had already made a triumphant departure.

"Huanbei isn't far from Wanhe Island. The news of the Zhang family's annihilation is probably already widely known, right?"

Song Chen chuckled softly.

He can no longer continue to wipe out the enemy in the North Ring Road area.

They would certainly take precautions in advance, and it's not impossible that they might even use the power of a sect to send out guards to suppress them.

Song Chen was unaware of the relationship between the Lower Sword Sect and the mortal families, so he dared not act recklessly.

However, with several key figures of the Zhang family dead, only the restless Zhang Jiu remains, who is unlikely to amount to much.

Thinking of this, Song Chen couldn't help but feel sad.

Zhang Jiu had helped him, so he naturally wouldn't repay kindness with enmity.

However, the Zhang family was Song Chen's enemy, and he had no choice but to eliminate them.

Song Chen had considered what to do if this action created a formidable enemy in the future.

Even if he thought of it, there was nothing he could do.

Ingratitude.

Song Chen doesn't know about others, but at least he can't do this kind of thing right now.

"Forget it, whatever, it's over now. I'll just be myself."

Song Chen summoned the flying boat, lay down on it, and gazed at the sky with a melancholy look in his eyes.