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

"Ancestor, everything...everything is here except for what was destroyed."

In the main hall of the Qin family, several elderly men with gray hair knelt down, their bodies hunched over. The one in the lead was holding a tray with dozens of jade tubes on it with both hands.

Su Ming and several demonic cultivators took turns attacking for half a month, also using psychological tactics. The faction led by these Qin family elders could no longer endure it and betrayed the one holding the array plate, opening the array in exchange for a chance to live.

Then, when his in-laws came to his aid, they said that Su Ming was the Qin family's young master who had run away many years ago, and that this was an internal family matter, thus keeping him out of the fray.

Su Ming picked up the jade tube, casually scanned it with his spiritual sense, tossed it to the demonic cultivator beside him, sat back down in the main seat, and said in a casual tone, "Am I more trustworthy than your in-laws?"

The old man below forced a grim smile and said tremblingly, "My family and relatives by marriage all have Foundation Establishment ancestors. This situation is untrustworthy precisely because of this relationship. If we let them in, my family will only be divided up. It's better to..."

"Ancestor, I know everything about my family's secret treasury. You may use it at will. Please allow the Qin family to borrow your name and establish a marriage relationship. Only then will they be mindful of appearances and not make things too ugly."

Qin Qixiu lamented inwardly. Who knew that Qin Yue would be killed so easily, without even having time to use the life-saving talisman in his storage bag?

After discussing with the Grand Elder, who held the array plate, for several days, he finally came up with this drastic measure, hoping to do his best to protect the clan's members.

The demonic cultivators are driven by profit, and now the area around the Qin family's territory is full of spies from other families. Without the support of the spirit stones in the secret vault, the magic array cannot last long. As long as these demonic cultivators are not insane, they will not be killed off.

Since the upper sect was exorcising demons, they dared not stay too long. The best solution for both sides was for the Qin family to give them a large sum of spiritual resources and let them leave through the secret passage.

Afterwards, the Qin family used the pretext of this Foundation Establishment cultivation to promise to provide him with spiritual resources every five years, and to lead his clan to flee whenever they found an opportunity.

"If you're too focused on the dough, won't it look too bad?"

Qin Qixiu nodded hurriedly, but suddenly caught a glimpse of the complex expression on the young man's face at the head of the table. He seemed to want to laugh, but it was also tinged with deep sorrow.

Su Ming felt he should be laughing heartily now, as his father and clansmen were probably watching him. He tried to force a smile, but in an instant, only calm remained.

"The feud with the Su family ends here."

Su Ming looked at the old man in front of him, who had become dazed, drew his long sword, and said softly, "If any of your family's escaped members succeed, I will also take on the Qin family's vengeance."

On the 28th of September, blood flowed like a river outside the main hall of the Qin family, and gray-red flames shot into the sky. Several families who had been watching from outside hurriedly gathered their forces and rushed over. In one day, the formation was broken, and the Qin family was destroyed.

Three months later…

"My lord, that man gave us some supplies and then headed south!"

A monk looked at the several demonic cultivators kneeling trembling before him, a smile on his face, and said kindly, "Oh? What kind of technique did he use?"

"It's fire, and birds!" Zhang Luyuan answered most enthusiastically, his face full of flattery: "That person used some kind of evil magic, able to conjure gray-red firebirds from his sword, and anyone hit by those birds instantly turned into three!"

"Wonderful, wonderful!" The monk's face became even more amiable. He waved the golden bowl in his hand, and the demonic cultivators behind Zhang Luyuan turned into several white pills and entered the bowl.

Then a golden light shone down on Zhang Luyuan, who was trembling all over. Just as he was at a loss, the golden light was withdrawn into the bowl.

The monk began to examine the scene in the golden bowl: the bowl shimmered with golden light, and a middle-aged man with a charred face was leaning against a bed in a dilapidated house, coughing up blood. Zhang Luyuan in the scene looked anxious and brought over a bowl of water for him to drink.

The scene shifts, and the blood coughed up by the middle-aged man turns blackish-red. He tries to stand up with a look of shock and anger, but only kicks the ground in vain, clearly poisoned.

Zhang Luyuan's face was filled with excitement and ferocity. He rushed forward and killed the middle-aged man in a few steps. After snatching the long knife from his hand, he laughed in a low voice, his expression greedy.

The monk raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Luyuan, who was kneeling on the ground, with a surprised expression: "Oh, so you're also someone with a destiny for the Dharma~"

He watched for a while, then gently shook the golden bowl. The few white pills completely dissolved, and Su Ming's blurry figure appeared in the rippling golden light. Then, a long-tailed bird condensed and remained for a moment before the golden light dissipated without a trace.

The monk's kind expression vanished into greed. Although he couldn't recognize the bird or understand the mystery of the demonic cultivator's spell, he was certain that the aura of destiny was real.

"This person is destined to be my mentor, and this opportunity should be our connection!"

Si Luo's heart pounded. He had been in [Sattva] for a long time. If he could convert this person back, it might be a great achievement.

He was peacefully preaching in a small temple, and it was only thanks to a wandering monk under his command that he was informed of the situation here. However, the south was the abode of immortals, and if this monk were to openly go there...

Si Luo brought the golden bowl close to his face, examining it for a while. Hesitation and greed flashed alternately in his beady green eyes. After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke: "That person... is he a member of a powerful clan?"

"No... that person was already at the Foundation Establishment stage, and they were even using a Nascent Soul sword technique when they arrived!"

Si Luo burst into laughter: "What a wonderful predestined connection!"

Then, he placed a finger on Zhang Luyuan's forehead, applying a touch of gold paint. As strands of Zhang Luyuan's hair fell down, he smiled and said, "You wretch, have you understood?"

The initial shock on Zhang Luyuan's face gradually turned into overwhelming joy, and he quickly clasped his hands together, saying, "Disciple will remember Master's great virtue!"

"Hmm, come south with me and bring that person here." Si Luo hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dared not call him a disciple. That person's fate was extraordinary, and if he were to enter Buddhism, his achievements would surely surpass his own.

------

Wangyue Lake...

Su Ming furtively pushed open the door of the thatched hut and peered inside. Seeing that it was empty, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The sound of something cutting through the air came from behind him. Su Ming quickly turned around and caught a spear that had been thrown at him, forcing a smile on his face.

"Oh, so my young master actually knows how to come back. I thought he'd been seduced by some wild woman!"

Ignoring Su Ming's pleading gaze, Li Qinghong smiled, bowed respectfully, and then rode away.

Seeing this, Su Ming had no choice but to put on a stern face: "How can you talk like that? I'm a Foundation Establishment cultivator and you're a Qi Refining cultivator. Don't be disrespectful."

That night, after a feast, Yu Yuxi finally calmed down. She buried her face in Su Ming's arms for a long time before finally asking, "Don't you want to come back to Jin Yu with me?"

"Of course I want to..."

Stop lying to me.

Su Ming fell silent for a few moments before finally speaking, "I want to stay at Wangyue Lake, to stay in Jiangnan."

"This time when I went north, I actually wiped out an entire clan. Those children, who were only a few years old, knew nothing and did nothing."

"But, like I said, sometimes, living is a source of hatred. I... personally killed them all, simply because my surname is Su."

"Yu tide, I've had enough of this. From now on, I only want to live for myself and be a rogue cultivator named Su Ming."

"I... can take you back."

"Did I say I was leaving?" Yu Yuxi asked with a smile. "I'll go with you, anywhere is fine!"