The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

The terrifying power of blood and qi transformed into a surge of energy, which surged out like a tide, extinguishing the remaining bonfire in the dilapidated temple.

He Xiao and Ni Heng retreated repeatedly.

Zuo Qi stood still, while the energy emanating from Liu Chong's body swept past him like a great river crashing against a table.

"Use your strongest power to kill me! Let me know what my son went through before he died, and I'll repay you with a method a hundred times more painful than his!"

Liu Chong moved swiftly, lunging towards Zuo Qi like a ghost.

The Qi and blood of the peak Fourth Refinement stage cultivator burst forth from his body, condensing into a visible crimson aura in the air.

With a single palm strike, the air exploded, and the remaining wooden pillars in the dilapidated temple were struck by the palm wind and shattered on the spot.

Zuo Qi raised his hand and threw a punch to meet the attack.

Ice Sea Fist Seal - Third Level!

Fist and palm collided, the cold air and the fierce energy clashed, producing an extremely muffled explosion.

Zuo Qi took three steps back, feeling a numbness in his arm where he had struck Liu Chong, and saw a faint flash of lightning when he raised his hand.

As a senior fourth-level practitioner, Liu Chong naturally possessed no shortage of fundamental techniques and martial arts skills, both of which were at the Xuan level. His fundamental technique was called Eight Thunder Sounds, and his martial arts skill was the Thunderclap Fist.

Its explosiveness and domineering power are enough to shatter metal.

The difference between the third and fourth training sessions is greater than I imagined!

The Jade Pavilion Qi and Blood within the body, carrying meteor fire, swept through the body, dispelling the Thunderous Qi that had seeped into it.

"Three training sessions?"

Liu Chong was initially puzzled, then sneered, "Is this what you're relying on to kill me?!"

Zuo Qi did not answer. He activated the Twelvefold Jade Tower within his body to its limit, and his blood and qi were as smooth as jade and as misty as clouds.

In the blink of an eye, the body's Qi and blood are transformed into fire.

He wielded the lifeless halberd continuously, and a fiery dragon could be vaguely seen on the halberd's tip, spewing out fierce flames and energy. Combined with its own weight, it seemed to carry the power to overturn mountains and seas.

The air was compressed, creating visible ripples.

When using the Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique with fire-elemental blood and qi, its power is increased by more than 30%.

Liu Chong snorted coldly, his palms flying, unleashing four streams of internal energy like blades, accompanied by flashes of lightning.

The two fought fiercely in the dilapidated temple, causing walls to collapse and the ground to shatter wherever they went.

He Xiao and the others had already left the temple, and could only hear the rumbling sounds coming from inside.

After a few moves, surprise appeared in Liu Zhong's eyes.

Although Zuo Qi had not yet completed the fourth training, he wielded a divine weapon and possessed the Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique, which grew stronger with each battle, making him far more difficult to deal with than expected.

He couldn't take it down for the time being.

A fundamental law of very high grade, a spiritual divine weapon—there's a secret about Zuo Qi.

He became increasingly certain that Liu Gongming's death was related to Zuo Qi, something that ordinary people couldn't have done so cleanly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Liu Chong caught sight of He Xiao and his companion hesitating outside. He sneered, flicked his wrist, and rose into the air like a wild goose, landing like a phantom. He then slapped He Xiao in the chest with his palm.

He Xiao coughed up blood and flew backward.

"Xiao'er!"

Zuo Qi's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Liu Chong grinned, bloodstains on his teeth, his smile twisted and terrifying. "When you killed my son, did you ever think about my feelings? Did you feel any remorse when you killed him?"

"Now you know how to feel sorry? Too late! Today I'm not only going to kill you, but also your two brothers. I'll send all three of you down to join my son!"

He became increasingly frantic as he spoke, and his actions became more and more ruthless.

His peak fourth-level internal energy erupted completely, and the entire dilapidated temple swayed precariously under the force of his palm strike.

Zuo Qi took a deep breath and activated the Jade Tower Twelvefold to its maximum.

The internal energy surged, and the spinal column emitted a slight humming sound.

As the meteorite fire matures and is incorporated into one's blood and qi, the sweeping power of the halberd becomes even greater.

However, Liu Chong was too fast. The Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique was powerful and heavy, so speed was naturally not its strength, and it was difficult to break through after a long attack.

Taking advantage of Liu Chong's peripheral vision glancing at Ni Heng, Zuo Qi took a step forward, and his third eye suddenly opened.

Dark, menacing light surged within his golden pupils.

"Soldier's Curse!"

A beam of dark gold light shot out, as thin as a hair and as fast as lightning, piercing straight into Liu Chong's chest.

Liu was shocked and quickly blocked with both palms.

The clash between the protective energy and the weapon's aura produced a piercing shriek.

The evil spirits were blocked by the protective energy, but Liu Zhong's hands were also numb from the shock, and a scorched mark appeared on his palm.

"Supernatural power!!!"

Liu Zhong never expected that Zuo Qi possessed the Life Bone.

Zuo Qi did not answer.

The second wave of enemy soldiers has already been launched.

Liu Chong blocked it again.

His protective energy was mostly dispersed, and the tiger's mouths on his hands split open, bleeding profusely.

"You think you can kill me with this?" Liu Chong roared, his blood and qi surging wildly, his remaining qi coalescing once more. "You, a mere third-stage cultivator, what makes you think you can kill me!"

Zuo Qi remained silent.

His vital energy was being rapidly depleted.

The two wisps of evil spirits had already depleted twenty of his vital essence and blood.

But he showed no sign of stopping.

His third eye, located between his brows, was wide open, and the final ray of malevolent light was poised to strike. All the remaining blood and energy in his body surged into his third eye, and the Jade Tower Twelve Levels were activated to their limit.

However, Zuo Qi did not unleash the third beam of the weapon's mysterious light, even as Liu Chong was on high alert.

Instead, he took a step forward and swept his halberd horizontally, the entire halberd filled with ghostly blue meteor fire.

Liu Chong unleashed both palms simultaneously, unleashing the full power of his four-stage internal energy.

collision.

silence.

Then came a deafening explosion.

The main hall of the dilapidated temple finally gave way and collapsed with a crash.

Rubble, timber beams, and dust filled the air.

The dust has settled.

Amidst the ruins, Zuo Qi knelt on one knee, his face as pale as paper, bloodstains on his mouth and nose, and a visible black crack on his shoulder.

Before him, Liu Chong lay face up, a fist-sized, charred wound piercing his chest, the blood long since evaporated by the flames of the halberd.

Liu Chong is not dead yet.

He lay in the ruins, his eyes fixed on the collapsed roof and the pitch-black night sky.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he were saying something.

Zuo Qi moved closer.

"...Gongming..."

"Father... has come to keep you company..."

Liu Zhong's voice grew softer and softer, and the light in his eyes gradually faded.

"Don't worry, I'll bring your remaining children to see you too."

"you!"

As if in a final burst of energy, Liu Chong's eyes flashed with ferocity. "You'll die a horrible death!"

His eyes were filled with deep resentment.

Zuo Qi glanced at the Wusheng Halberd and remained silent.

The first time you kill someone, your opponent will hold a grudge.

He raised his hand and struck Liu Chong on the head with a halberd, which exploded.

"I have no resentment this time."

"Brother Qi!" Ni Heng and He Xiao staggered over.

Zuo Qi waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.

Outside the temple, Zhao Kai and his two companions watched this scene with complex expressions.

Song Ze and Wang Kaiji exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.

Practice your inner energy and fight back against evil.

What kind of monster is this Zuo Qi?

Zuo Qi ignored their gazes.

He bent down and searched Liu Chong's body for a moment, finding a centurion's token, several silver notes, three yellow jades sealing the essence of demons, and a thin envelope.

The cover reads "A Letter to My Meritorious Deeds".

Zuo Qi opened the book; the first page contained only one line of text.

"My son is wise and capable, but his father is incompetent. I only wish that you will never have to depend on others like I have in this life."

Zuo Qi remained silent for a moment before placing the book back into Liu Chong's arms.

He glanced at Zhao Kai and the others again, and nodded slightly in understanding.

That night, Zuo Qi and his two companions returned to the city with the heads of a group of Flying Sand Bandits, suffering heavy losses. Among the Flying Sand Bandits, a second master of the third level of martial arts had emerged, displaying extraordinary strength.

……

Liu Chong's death did not attract much attention. As a centurion of the Fourth Training Corps, he had not discovered a body, and most people would not have thought that he was already dead.

Zuo Qi and his two companions quietly returned to the city and continued their peaceful lives.

Fortunately, the three of them were not poor anymore, and they had a lot of wound medicine at home.

To avoid revealing his injury, Zuo Qi deliberately concealed it. (Everyone knew Liu Zhong's moves; seeing the injury would easily lead people to associate it with Liu Zhong.)

Fortunately, no one noticed.

With Liu Chong gone, Zuo Qi and his two companions had Lu Xun's backing, and not many people dared to cause them any more trouble.

Regarding Wang Zheng's death, Zuo Qi didn't know how Lu Xun had handled it, nor was he interested in it; Lu Wan had already given him what he wanted.

However, I heard that Qin Chen is still working in the City Guard, which may be because the forces behind him have made a compromise with the Wang family.

In the days that followed, in order to avoid arousing suspicion about the three of them, Zuo Qi had He Xiao and the other person receive missions from the Six Doors, which were mostly about bandits, strange beasts coming down from the mountains, and occasionally demons.

However, for demons, twenty years of cultivation seems to be a hurdle, and very few of the demons that have been tracked down have more than twenty years of cultivation.

Demons that are over twenty years old usually appear when they manifest in their demon lair. For example, when Guangming was chased by the Four-Train Demon, it was because it escaped from its demon lair.

Spring has already begun, and there should still be some mountain demon nests in the mountains, but you have to go deep into the mountains to find them.

Fortunately, the Six Doors have a lot of demon spirits that can be exchanged for merit points. The exchange price is not too high: one spirit requires 10 merit points, two spirits require 30 merit points, three spirits require 100 merit points, four spirits require 200 merit points, and five spirits require 500 merit points.

However, Zuo Qi noticed one thing: all the demon spirits were ferocious beast demons, a type of demon known for their sheer numbers.