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

Wangyue Lake.

A female cultivator hurriedly landed by the lake and called out to Su Ming, who was practicing his swordplay by the thatched hut: "Senior Su, that golden mace has been taken by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Qingchi Sect. This is the magic sword he received in exchange."

As he grasped the longsword, a warm, smooth sensation washed over him upon contact with the hilt. A look of delight crossed Su Ming's face. Then, he drew a vermilion longsword, its surface speckled with dark red spots, resembling dried blood.

[Bing Huo] is inherently a weapon that can be damaged, and that golden mace should be of the [Geng Jin] type, so Su Ming naturally could not keep it in his possession and entrusted it to the Li family to exchange for it early on.

Li Qinghong watched Su Ming fondling the longsword with great affection, feeling somewhat helpless. His family had originally intended to leave this golden mace for Li Xuanfeng. The southern border was treacherous, and although Li Xuanfeng was skilled with a bow, having such a golden mace by his side would be extremely beneficial.

However, Foundation Establishment artifacts are precious and cannot be measured in terms of spiritual resources and spirit stones. Su Ming does not lack these, so his family naturally cannot exchange them for [Azure Ruler].

The Xiao family didn't have any suitable Foundation Establishment swords, so they had to entrust them to Qingchi. The worst part of this was that the golden mace ended up in Yu Muxian's hands, which was actually a way to help the enemy.

Li Qinghong composed herself and, after speaking briefly with Yu Yuxi beside her, suggested, "The Foundation Establishment Sword is precious; why don't you give it a name, Senior?"

Su Ming had destroyed quite a few longswords, but he had never named them. After thinking about it carefully for a while, he said, "This sword is crimson and warm, so how about we call it... [Ye Zhu]?"

Li Qinghong's eyes lit up, and then she thought of something and smiled, "Senior is much better at naming things than my brother. If my brother were to name it, it would definitely be called Crimson Sword or Vermilion Sword."

"Boom!"

As the three were talking, the sky suddenly brightened, and a loud bang rang in their ears.

Then, golden light flowed in the sky, and the clouds were also illuminated by the bright light. The entire lake was covered with a layer of golden light. The strange phenomenon lasted for several breaths before slowly fading away.

"On the 27th of May, the [Eastern Fire Cave Heaven] fell, and strange phenomena arose on the horizon, with many spiritual fires and waters emerging, and numerous destined individuals wandering among them. I possess a secret technique, and the Li family also has investigative abilities. Li Yuanjiao is about to emerge from seclusion; if we can bring him along and act discreetly, we might be able to profit from the chaos!"

Su Ming had already taken to the sky when the strange phenomenon first appeared. In a flash, he used his escape technique to intercept a passing rogue cultivator and drag him to the ground.

"Grandmaster, spare me! Grandmaster, spare me! I was just passing through!"

When the rogue cultivator saw Su Ming pull him down without saying a word, he thought he had offended the man by flying over there, so he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Su Ming casually pulled him straight up, saying irritably, "Why are you so nervous? Let me ask you, why are you rushing east like this? Is it related to the strange phenomenon we just witnessed?"

The rogue cultivator breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Ancestor, this strange phenomenon must be related to the [Eastern Fire Grotto-heaven] that is widely rumored in Yu Fu County. The grotto-heaven is full of spiritual resources, and it is currently in a state of extreme chaos. I must go to the outer perimeter to try my luck!"

Su Ming questioned him carefully again, and seeing that the rogue cultivator looked anxious and kept glancing at the streaks of light flying across the sky, he casually waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go now."

Li Qinghong, who was listening nearby, looked somewhat tempted. The family had changed its clan system and set up many positions, which increased the consumption of spiritual resources in the clan by several times.

Li Yuanping was already troubled by Li Ximing's matter, and with Li Yuanjiao in seclusion, almost all the affairs fell on his shoulders, making his face even paler, which she noticed.

If it were just her alone, she might have some concerns, but with Su Ming, a ready-made Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's a different story. Plus, he has the Immortal Mirror to avert disaster beforehand. So, she simply asked softly, "Senior, what do you think?"

Su Ming pondered for a moment: "No rush. With something this big, Qingchi and the other sects can't possibly remain silent. Why don't you go back to the mountain and ask your elders first..."

As they were talking, an elderly figure hurriedly flew over from the lake. It was Li Xuanxuan who had come looking for him. As soon as he landed, he said urgently, "We can't go! We can't go to Yufu County!"

Li Qinghong quickly stepped forward to support Li Xuanxuan, who was staggering from his hurried steps, and patted him on the back to help him catch his breath: "Uncle, don't worry, Senior Su just asked Qinghong to come up the mountain to ask."

Li Xuanxuan held Li Qinghong's hand tightly, as if afraid she would leave in a huff, and said, "Yu Fu County is where the True Lord descended to earth for pleasure. If you go there, you will surely be killed. You mustn't go!"

Su Ming raised an eyebrow: "What makes you say that, senior?"

Then Li Xuanxuan recounted the many secrets he had heard from the Kong family. Su Ming suddenly understood why the words in his mind said that there were many destined people gathered there, and he also had an urge to fight.

"Oh, no, I only thought of going to fight because of the words in my head!" Su Ming tightened his grip on the longsword and smiled slightly.

The dream he had a few days ago about the monk from the [Great Desire Path] converting him had truly given him a fright. That night, he immediately asked Yu Yuxi twice about it, and only felt relieved when she had no recollection of it. Naturally, he didn't want to miss this opportunity to improve his strength.

Li Qinghong remained silent for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and speaking: "Uncle, since we have been informed in advance, we will naturally not venture into Dongli Mountain to take risks, but we will also not go to the outskirts to compete with those rogue cultivators for food."

Li Xuanxuan was startled and quickly examined Li Qinghong's eyes carefully. Seeing that her eyes were clear, he was relieved. After hesitating for a few moments, he whispered, "What does Hong'er mean?"

Li Qinghong naturally wouldn't mention the Immortal Mirror in front of Su Ming, an outsider. She simply took out a map from her storage bag and explained her thoughts one by one before saying:

"The three of us are acting cautiously, and we are all skilled in combat. Senior Su is also a Foundation Establishment cultivator with extensive knowledge. We are absolutely confident that we can stop those rogue cultivators from taking the plunge. We can give it a try!"

Li Qinghong looked at Li Xuanxuan with some expectation, but saw that he still hesitated. After a moment of silence, she advised, "Why don't we wait a few more days... Yuanjiao is still breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and Xijun is quick-witted. Let's discuss it again and make a decision..."

Li Qinghong looked somewhat disappointed and secretly glanced at Su Ming and Yu Yuxi beside her, hoping they could join in and try to persuade them.

Yu Yuxi naturally listened to Su Ming's opinion and didn't say anything. Su Ming was still waiting for Li Yuanjiao to come out of seclusion, so he just smiled casually and agreed, "The old senior's words are wise. I also plan to wait by the lake. There's no rush."

Li Xuanxuan smiled. Seeing that Su Ming had said this, Li Qinghong had no choice but to sigh and say, "This junior has learned a lot."

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Southern Xinjiang forests…

Minghua sheathed his longsword and casually summoned a stream of water to catch the head of a demon. This practice was naturally for the purpose of more precise control over the "Fountain of Rebirth".

Her face was thoughtful, but a sudden feeling arose in her heart.

The little demon, who wasn't quite dead yet, naturally didn't dare to run around after coming back to life. It immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

After a few moments of silence, the woman asked, "How do I get to Yufu County?"