A public notice was posted seeking a wife, and a female saint from the Immortal Sect was found.

Li Hong stood above the Thirty-Six Spirit Springs, his eyes taking in the mangled corpse of Zhao Dezhi and the traces of battle on the ground.

Soon, his expression changed from gloomy to unprecedented solemnity.

"A surprise attack, two moves..."

The first strike was likely a lightning strike, as evidenced by the obvious charred marks on the ground. The second strike was probably some kind of sharp blade that killed Zhao Dezhi instantly, and its power was so fierce that it shattered Zhao Dezhi's body.

The fact that two strikes killed an early Foundation Establishment cultivator proves that the attacker was at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, or possibly even stronger.

Such a powerful person would not kill without reason, and after killing someone, he obviously fled immediately, which means that the killer probably knew that Zhao Dezhi had such a master behind him.

With this in mind, Li Hong was certain that the person who made the move must be someone he knew.

Thus, the scope immediately narrowed down. Within a radius of three thousand miles, the only acquaintances of Zhao Dezhi with Foundation Establishment strength who could kill him were those few from the Purple Pill Sect.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that other Foundation Establishment cultivators have secretly investigated the Zhao family's situation. For example, Foundation Establishment cultivators often pass through Qingyang Market.

After thinking for a moment, the seriousness in Li Hong's eyes deepened. After much consideration, he concluded that Liu Can was the one with the strongest motive for murder.

The Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon is about to condense. By eliminating Zhao Dezhi, Liu Can will naturally get a larger share of the Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon. But that's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is that he and Zhao Dezhi are master and disciple, and Zhao Dezhi is much stronger than Liu Can.

Now that Zhao Dezhi is gone, Liu Can is no longer afraid of the master and apprentice teaming up to double-cross him.

All things considered, the biggest beneficiary of Zhao Dezhi's death was Liu Can.

After pondering for a long time, Li Hong's figure flickered and he quickly appeared on Qing Shi Mountain, entering the cave.

There was nothing unusual inside the cave. A sophisticated pipeline had been installed inside the cave, which collected dozens of spiritual springs and stalactites into a stone pit. The spiritual energy emanating from the stalactites inside was becoming increasingly concentrated.

Taking a deep breath, Li Hong calmed down. He actually hoped that Liu Can had killed Zhao Dezhi, because that would mean that the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis had not been exposed.

If it was other cultivators who made the move, then the matter of the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis would most likely have been discovered by another Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With this thought in mind, Li Hong's figure flickered, streaking across the night sky and quickly appearing in Qingyang Market.

He landed directly in front of the Spirit Breath Pavilion. Since it concerned the earth vein spirit pupa, how could he not take it seriously?

Upon entering the Spirit Pavilion, the furnishings on the first floor were very simple: a counter, an old man with white hair, and nothing else.

Li Hong walked straight to the counter, looked at the white-haired old man, raised his hand in a salute, and said, "Sect Master Xu, I have a matter that I need Lingxi Pavilion's assistance with."

This white-haired old man, named Xu Chang, was only at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, but even someone like Li Hong, who was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, would show him some respect in the Spirit Breath Pavilion.

Xu Chang glanced at Li Hong, a smile appearing on his wrinkled face, and said, "My esteemed customer, Fellow Daoist Li, what can I do for Lingxi Pavilion? Please speak."

"I want to know who killed Zhao Dezhi," Li Hong said directly.

Xu Chang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Zhao Dezhi is dead? Your disciple had only recently advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage; it's a pity he's gone."

Then, Xu Chang held up three fingers and said, "If you find the information within six months, you only need fifty bottles of Foundation Building Pills; if you find the information within three months, you need one hundred bottles; if you find the information within one month, you need three hundred bottles. You choose one."

Li Hong shook his head. Even a month was too long for him, and it would cost him three hundred bottles of Foundation Condensation Pills, which was simply not worth it.

He stared at Xu Chang and asked, "If I want to know accurate information within three days, or at most seven days, what price will I have to pay?"

Xu Chang seemed to perk up, his smile becoming even more friendly as he said, "Fellow Daoist Li, as you requested, the Spirit Breath Pavilion can also do it. However, we need to apply to the main pavilion to send a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage or above. With the special methods of our Spirit Breath Pavilion, the truth will be revealed very quickly."

At this point, Xu Chang finally revealed the price: "To get a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage to make a move, the price is... Fellow Daoist Li must become a slave and serve the Spirit Breath Pavilion for five years."

Li Hong's aura turned solemn, and he almost wanted to smash the old man in front of him with a single palm strike. To become a slave and serve the Spirit Breath Pavilion for five years? Even a fool wouldn't have the heart to agree to such a price.

After a moment of silence, Li Hong suppressed his murderous rage and cupped his hands, saying, "I apologize for disturbing you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

…………

The next day, Liu Can appeared at the Zhao family. At this time, the entire Zhao family was as if they had lost their souls. The death of Zhao Dezhi had completely devastated the Zhao family.

"Did you do it?"

In the secret room, Li Hong met Liu Can and, without any attempt to hide anything, asked him directly.

Liu Can could easily understand the meaning behind Li Hong's words. His expression immediately changed, and he said, "Brother Li, you have reason to doubt me, but have you considered that the time for the Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon to condense is approaching? I would never have the thought of killing Zhao Dezhi. I only seek stability and to obtain the Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon smoothly. You and I both understand that just one Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon is enough for us to quickly break through to the Golden Core stage."

At this point, Liu Can gritted his teeth and said as if making a vow: "If I killed Zhao Dezhi, may I never be able to break through to the Golden Core stage for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong sighed inwardly and said, "If you didn't kill it, then it must have been someone else. And someone else means that the matter of the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis may have been leaked."

After saying this, a fierce glint flashed in Li Hong's eyes, and he said, "From now on, I will personally oversee the cave, while you will secretly mobilize the Purple Pill Sect's forces to closely monitor the movements near Green Stone Mountain."

"In this way, with one in the light and one in the dark, we can ensure that the earth vein spirit pupa is not lost. As for other matters, we can deal with them after we obtain the spirit pupa."

Liu Can nodded. He had no objection to Li Hong's arrangement. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Since we were unable to successfully annex the Chen family, we have encountered many setbacks. Brother Li, to be honest, I even feel that the Chen family is an obstacle in my life."

"Other matters can be put aside for now. Let's proceed with the plan to wipe out the Chen family. It would be like removing a thorn from my side. What do you think, Brother Li?"

What Liu Can said was entirely from the heart. With just two pill formulas, Chen Yi had made Liang Shanlong, the head of the Sect Affairs Hall, even more powerful in the sect than Liu Can himself.

He had actually been holding back this anger for a long time.

Li Hong's eyes suddenly narrowed. He remembered that Zhao Dezhi's death was also beneficial to the Chen family. The Chen family obtained thirty bottles of Foundation Condensation Pills from Zhao Dezhi and set a one-month deadline. Now that the one-month deadline was approaching, Zhao Dezhi died. Could there be a connection between the two?