Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

The black-clad man in the Bone Forging Realm whom he killed seemed to have mentioned something about the Vacuum Pure Land before he died.

Cao Xiong felt a strange sense of familiarity with those four words, as if he had heard them somewhere before.

"Yes, General, the White Lotus Sect." The man in black kneeling on the ground quickly answered Cao Xiong's question.

"So, the White Lotus Sect is behind the rebels in Zezhou?" Cao Xiong asked in a heavy tone. He knew the White Lotus Sect all too well; they were a group of warmongers who would always stir up trouble during times of chaos.

Upon hearing this, the man in black quickly shook his head. "General, you misunderstand. We were only ordered to arrest Fu Tianchou's family members. We were not involved in the rebellion in Zezhou."

"As for whether the higher-ups of the White Lotus Sect participated in the rebellion, I have no idea."

Cao Xiong pondered to himself that this person's status was too low, and he was unaware of deeper matters.

In his view, the White Lotus Sect must have been behind this uprising in Zezhou.

However, this matter is not of much concern to him yet. The most urgent task is to find the whereabouts of Vice Minister Fu's other family members.

"Tell me, how are the other family members of Minister Fu?"

"General, I don't know either. There were skilled fighters around Vice Minister Fu's wife and daughter who risked their lives to stop us at the crucial moment."

Cao Xiong was somewhat disappointed; it seemed that this group of men in black were also clueless.

"Besides you, how many other men in black are tracking us?"

"There are still more than ten people, including a hall master. They continued to chase them inside. General, that's all I really know."

The man in black knelt on the ground, hurriedly explaining.

"By the way, General, I also know a secret about the White Lotus Sect, Xu Hong..."

"Bang!"

Just then, the man in black suddenly exploded.

A wisp of white cloud rises from the spot.

Suddenly, the cave was filled with smoke, and visibility became blurred.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the last man in black lunged at Cao Xiong, a dagger hidden in his sleeve falling into his hand, and stabbed at Cao Xiong's face.

"Sss~" Cao Xiong turned to the side and raised his hand, thrusting a finger straight into the throat of the last man in black.

"Trying to scheme against me?" Cao Xiong sneered, pulling his finger out and wiping it clean on the man in black's clothes.

The man in black's eyes flashed with resentment, his mouth slightly open, and the dagger in his hand fell to the ground.

[Defeat a late-stage Skin Tempering Realm martial artist, 0.05 fragments]

Cao Xiong stood up and walked out of the cave.

The White Lotus Sect member whose body suddenly exploded died suspiciously, as if he had triggered some kind of restriction.

"It seems that what he's about to say involves the secrets of the White Lotus Sect. Such strange methods suggest that the White Lotus Sect is very powerful."

Cao Xiong looked down at the gray wolf. "Let's go, let's keep looking."

"Woohoo~"

The gray wolf howled to the sky, nuzzled Cao Xiong's clothes, and continued walking deeper into the area.

……

……

……

The mountains stretched endlessly as night faded.

Within the nameless valley, two groups of people faced off across the distance.

A man, who appeared to be around thirty years old and was dressed in black, was smiling as he looked across at the other side.

Behind him stood eight warriors dressed in the same black clothes as him.

Unlike others, the man had a white lotus flower printed on his chest.

"Mrs. Fu, you can't escape this time, can you?"

The man's voice was hoarse for his age.

There were only five people opposite the man; three male martial artists were protecting the two women behind them.

Upon hearing the man in black's words, the five men's expressions turned extremely grim.

Finally, the older, beautiful woman stepped forward and said, "I'm willing to go back with you, but you must let the others go."

The man in black chuckled. "Mrs. Fu loves to joke."

"You and your daughter must come with me. Our leader has long admired you."

Upon hearing this, the three Fu family guards standing next to the beautiful woman were filled with boundless rage.

"Madam, you and the Second Miss must not fall into the hands of the rebels, otherwise..." The servant who spoke only said half of his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

The beautiful woman turned and took her daughter's hand, saying, "Everyone, it is we, mother and daughter, who have been a burden to you."

The three retainers quickly clasped their hands in greeting, "Madam, you flatter us. We are born into the Fu family, and we will die as ghosts of the Fu family."

"Why are you chatting now?" The man in black on the other end of the line said impatiently.

"Looks like they'd rather die than submit? Go." The black-clad man's aura suddenly turned fierce, revealing the oppressive presence of a martial artist at the Tendon Refining Realm.

The men in black behind the man, each wielding a long sword, spread out and surrounded the five members of the Fu family.

"Protect the lady and young lady, kill!"

The three retainers of the Fu family stepped forward simultaneously.

The beautiful woman held her daughter in her arms, her eyes fixed on the leader of the men in black who was slowly walking towards them.

"Yuechi, don't be afraid, Mother will be with you."

"Mother, I'm not afraid," the girl said firmly.

"Awoo~"

Just as the two sides were about to clash, a wolf's howl broke the heavy atmosphere.

Along with the howling of wolves came Cao Xiong's angry roar.

"Bold traitors, who hunt down and kill the families of imperial officials, deserve to be executed!"

Cao Xiong used the "Leaf-Picking Step" technique, wielding a long sword, and in a few leaps, he had already covered several meters.

The two sides, who were about to clash, were drawn to Cao Xiong's attention.

"Madam, we're saved! It's a centurion from the imperial court!" One of the Fu family's guards couldn't contain his joy when he saw Cao Xiong's armor.

"Hoo~" The beautiful woman exhaled a long breath, then her face showed a worried expression.

"But I only see one person coming. Even if he's a martial artist at the Tendon Refining Realm, can he defeat the rebels?"

The Fu family retainer sensed Cao Xiong's imposing presence and said firmly, "Don't worry, Madam, the person who came is no ordinary person."

While the Fu family members were still discussing, Cao Xiong had already arrived at the scene.

His inner strength surged, his armor clanged, and he raised his sword with both hands, slashing at the leader of the men in black.

"A lackey of the imperial court? What arrogance!" The man in black stomped his right foot on the ground, his body shooting straight at Cao Xiong like a lead bullet.

"Boom!"

Two completely different internal forces collided.

"A furious glare that could shatter a river!"

Cao Xiong changed his stance with his longsword, using the "Maha Saber Technique".

A wisp of golden light flashed across the blade, and chanting Buddhist hymns swirled within its inner force.

The man in black fell back to the ground at an even faster speed.

"Bang!"

The man in black smashed a deep crater in the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"kill!"

Cao Xiong, seizing the opportunity, pressed his advantage and stabbed the fallen man in black with his long knife.

Meanwhile, at the same moment Cao Xiong clashed with the leader of the men in black, Gray Wolf also rushed into the remaining men in black and fought with them.

The three Fu family retainers escorted the beautiful woman and Fu Yuechi to a deeper part of the valley, protecting them from the fighting.

Sensing Cao Xiong's murderous intent, the leader in black rolled over and struggled to his feet.

He pulled three talismans from his pocket, channeled his inner energy to attach them to their surfaces, and then threw them at Cao Xiong with a "whoosh!"