Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

Qin Yan was terrified. The fire that had entered her body through the sword was now rampaging. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and forcefully activated her spiritual power, intending to retaliate.

But then a flash of cold light appeared before his eyes, and his vision suddenly began to spin.

"Clatter~"

As her head fell to the ground, Qin Yan's face beneath the mask was filled with disbelief.

Zhang Zeguan leisurely wiped the blood from his longsword onto Qin Yan's robe, then yanked off her storage bag. A quick scan with his spiritual sense revealed only a few spirit stones inside.

Clearly, this woman had planned a double-cross before she came, and even if she died, she wouldn't leave anything behind to aid the enemy.

He didn't mind and quickly picked up everything on the ground.

He then turned to look at Su Ming, who was squatting next to the corpse after picking up the head and examining it, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

When this woman was about to fight to the death, her aura revealed her cultivation level as the fifth level of Qi Refining, but she was only able to react when this cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining got close enough to pierce her chest with a long sword.

Zhang Zeguan really couldn't figure out what level the concealing magic artifact on this kid was. It couldn't possibly be a Purple Mansion Spiritual Treasure, could it?

He chuckled at his own thoughts, but if he truly possessed the Purple Mansion Techniques, how could he possibly survive, and why would he need to go through such trouble?

Suddenly, Zhang Ze saw that Su Ming was about to use a spell to burn the entire corpse, and he quickly spoke up to stop him.

"This... Senior, isn't this a bit inappropriate..."

Su Ming hesitated. He had heard from an elder of his clan that demonic cultivators often lived on the edge of life and death and most of them had some mental problems. Although he had a grudge against this woman, she was now dead and the debts were settled. He didn't want to let her corpse be desecrated.

At this moment, Qin Yan's mask had been removed by him. In order to thoroughly verify her identity, Su Ming also removed her black robe, leaving her body lying on the ground covered only by a cloth, her curves fully exposed.

Seeing Su Ming's hesitant appearance, Zhang Zeguan frowned and immediately understood his meaning. He angrily cursed, "What do you take me for? It's not easy to get a Qi Refining cultivator's corpse. I'm using it to turn into blood essence as a medicinal ingredient."

He slashed at the corpse with his knife, chopping it into pieces and putting them into his storage bag, saying casually, "Besides, you're burning the corpse here, so your fire is more powerful than the average person's, but that's also a disadvantage."

"There aren't many cultivators at the Fire Realm to begin with. A skilled investigator could easily pinpoint your location. Didn't you think of that?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ming's face froze, and he muttered, "Right, why didn't I think of that?"

"Wait, this... Senior, how do we break the formation next?"

Zhang Zeguan shook his head: "Forget it. According to what you said, this woman is quite powerful. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave this area. We need to hurry up and get going."

"Kid, we're even now. Remember, this woman's corpse is in my hands. If you sell me out, well, you'll regret it."

After saying that, he turned to leave, but Su Ming suddenly spoke up.

"Senior, could you please do me a few more cuts..."

Zhang Zeguan stopped in his tracks, drew his long sword, and said with a hint of appreciation on his face, "My name is Zhang Zeguan. You don't seem like someone who's well-liked. Why don't you come with me to join the demonic path?"

Even though he was being chased like a mouse, he still blurted out, "I'll make sure you live a life of luxury, and you can play with any noble lady you want."

Seeing Su Ming shake his head, he looked somewhat regretful. A wisp of bloody aura surged from his blade as he swung it straight up.

Half a month later...

"Second Master, Second Master, Young Master... Young Master is back!"

"Bang!"

Su Yunji, who was drinking alone in his room, kicked the door open and staggered as he anxiously scanned the courtyard.

Then, Su Ming, dressed in tattered robes stained with blood, stood upright in the courtyard, sword in hand, his face filled with murderous intent, gripping the neck of Qin Yan's personal maid.

Just as Su Yunji was about to speak up to stop her, there was a click, and the maid stopped struggling, completely lifeless. Her body was thrown aside by Su Ming like a rag.

His aura was high, yet his voice was soft: "Father, where is that vile woman?"

Su Yunji opened his mouth, feeling a chill run down his spine. Su Ming's current appearance and demeanor were almost identical to a demonic cultivator he had encountered during his youthful training.

His throat was dry as he stiffly walked down the steps before finally speaking: "Ming'er, it's good that you're back. You... put the sword down first."

Su Ming's nose twitched slightly. At this moment, Su Yunji had a faint fragrance on him in addition to the smell of alcohol. This fragrance was exactly the same as the one on the maid he had just strangled.

He felt even more disgusted and wished he could kill Su Yunji with a single sword stroke.

Su Ming's voice grew even colder: "Father certainly has a good interest. Fine, I'll ask you, where is that bitch?"

Upon hearing this, a fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Su Yunji's face, but anger flared within him. He snapped, "You beast, you've lost your sense of propriety after just one trip out? How dare you speak like that?"

His response was a longsword that was placed against his shoulder the next second.

"I'm asking you, where is that bitch?"

Su Yunji's anger froze, instantly turning pale. He then tilted his head slightly, swallowed, and suddenly met those eyes, filled with fear.

When Su Yunji was young, he was quite ambitious. However, after his parents were killed by the enemy clan, he lost everything. Fortunately, his second son's lineage was not prosperous, and he was able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining by relying on his status.

In recent years, he has become addicted to wine and women. He knows that if it really came down to a fight, he would probably be no match for Su Ming. So he could only avoid Su Ming's eyes and pretend to be calm.

"Ming'er, you..."

A flash of cold light passed by, blood flew up, and half of Su Yunji's ear fell to the ground.

He was in so much pain that his face was covered in sweat, but he dared not cover it, or even move, because the sword was already at his neck.

"Father, don't make me ask a third time."

"She...she...she went to find that rogue cultivator. Your soul lamp went out, and everyone in the clan who knew about it sent people to look for your body. The rogue cultivator was hired by her family, and she was in charge of finding him!"

Su Yunji collapsed to the ground, his face covered in sweat, panting heavily.

"Oh? Where is she? What about that so-called rogue cultivator?"

Su Ming gently wiped the bloodstains from the longsword, his tone playful.

"Her...her soul lamp has gone out too..."

Sheathing his longsword, Su Ming scoffed, "If Father had spent more of his time cultivating instead of playing with women, none of this would have happened."

"What kind of bullshit rogue cultivator is he? He's just a demonic cultivator who was bribed by that bitch and disguised himself to take my life."

Su Ming finally smiled: "I managed to escape this time, but I never expected that this bitch would be taken advantage of and wiped clean."

Su Yunji and the two clan elders who rushed to the courtyard gate after hearing the news were stunned. In just a few breaths, the clan elders outside the gate quickly made a spell and killed all the servants sweeping around the courtyard.

A burly elder strode in, his brows furrowed: "Su Ming, this matter is of utmost importance. Come with us to the ancestral hall and we'll explain everything clearly."