Seeing the unyielding sharpness in Xiao Chen's eyes, Elder Zu's turbid pupils suddenly contracted, and his tone turned completely cold: "Insolence!"

"You don't even have the most basic sense of belonging to the clan. Today you dare to kill Xiao Meng in the clan, tomorrow you'll dare to plot the slaughter of the entire clan!" He suddenly stopped using his cane, the end of which slammed onto the bluestone ground with a dull thud. "Keeping you around is like raising a tiger to cause trouble! Today, I will cleanse the house and eliminate this hidden danger!"

Before the words were even finished, the patriarch had already moved!

The pressure from the early Nascent Soul stage was like a mountain pressing down on Xiao Chen. The withered hand transformed into a claw, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound, aiming straight for Xiao Chen's heart! Its speed was far beyond what Xiao Meng could match!

Xiao Chen was shocked – he hadn’t expected the old patriarch to be so ruthless, killing without hesitation!

He hastily parried with his spear, and with a crisp clang, the spear trembled violently. A tremendous force surged through the shaft, causing his blood to surge and him to stagger back three steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth!

"The difference is so great?" Xiao Chen was shocked. He was now in the late stage of Golden Core, but he couldn't even withstand a single move from an early stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The elder, having gained the upper hand, pressed on relentlessly, his figure following closely like a ghost. His palm strikes were continuous, each carrying the terrifying spiritual power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, completely sealing off Xiao Chen's escape routes.

Xiao Chen gritted his teeth and pushed the "Prairie Fire Spear Scripture" to its limit, his spear shadows weaving into a net to barely defend himself. But the Elder's palm strike was fierce and unparalleled. Each collision made his arm bones go numb, and the wounds on his body kept increasing—his shoulder was swept by the palm wind, leaving a deep bloodstain that exposed the bone; his calf was grazed and instantly lost feeling; even the tiger's mouth where he held the spear had cracked open, and blood stained the rusty iron spear shaft red.

In contrast, the old man remained calm and composed, his clothes were neat and clean, and there wasn't even a trace of sweat on his face, as if he were just playing with a child.

"Xiao Chen, surrender!" Xiao Lie shouted urgently from the side, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Elder Ancestral Master is doing this for the sake of the family..."

"For the sake of the family?" Xiao Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood, his laughter tinged with the stench of blood. "For the sake of the family, you're going to kill me, the one you abandoned and who suffered endless humiliation?"

He looked at the palm strike coming from the patriarch again, a resolute glint in his eyes.

If this continues, we're doomed!

The only thing we can do is... loosen the seal on the gun a little!

He had long sensed the hidden power within the rusty iron spear given to him by his master, but he vaguely felt a terrifying power being sealed and locked away by layers of seals. His master had said, "Do not force it unless absolutely necessary, lest you suffer a backlash."

Now, it's a last resort!

Xiao Chen silently recited in his heart, and a thought sank into the rusty iron spear, touching the thick seal.

"Buzz—"

The rusty iron spear suddenly emitted a low hum, and a trace of rust on the spear shaft receded, revealing a dark metallic luster beneath! A spear intent a hundred times more powerful than before was slowly released, like a sleeping dragon awakening!

"Hmm?" Elder Zu's expression changed drastically. His hand, which was about to strike, suddenly stopped. A strong sense of dread rose in his heart—as if he was facing not a Golden Core cultivator, but a ferocious beast from the primordial era that could threaten his life!

This gun...something's strange!

Xiao Chen felt his spiritual energy resonating with the spear intent within him, every pore on his body spewing forth spear light, the surrounding air crackling as if being sliced ​​by the spear intent. But he also sensed that the power beneath the seal was too violent; if the first layer were completely broken, his meridians would instantly burst, resulting in his death!

"This is the best we can go!"

Xiao Chen let out a low roar, unleashing the power of the sliver of seal he had just broken to its fullest extent!

"boom!"

A dazzling spear light shot into the sky, carrying the momentum of a prairie fire, heading straight for Elder Zu! Within the spear light, there was also a wisp of spear intent that was faint yet extremely sharp, like a maggot clinging to a bone, silently bypassing Elder Zu and shooting towards Xiao Meng not far away!

The patriarch's pupils contracted sharply. He dared not be negligent and formed a hand seal. His spiritual power at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm erupted without reservation, forming a thick spiritual power barrier!

"Bang bang bang!"

The spear's edge collided with the barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. The beams and pillars of the entire Xiao family hall shook, and dust fell in a flurry! The patriarch was forced to take three steps back, his blood surging, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face—this spear intent actually had the potential to tear apart his spiritual energy barrier!

Just as he was desperately trying to block the spear's edge, the wisp of spear intent that had bypassed it silently struck Xiao Meng, who was lying on the ground!

Before Xiao Meng could even scream, a small blood hole appeared between his eyebrows, his eyes instantly glazed over, and he was completely lifeless.

"Not good!" Elder Zu suddenly realized and turned around to look, only to see Xiao Meng's corpse. Xiao Chen, who was originally in the same spot, had already disappeared!

It was as if the outburst just now was an illusion.

The elder was both shocked and furious. His divine sense spread out instantly, covering the entire Tianfeng City, but he couldn't even detect a trace of Xiao Chen's aura.

"Chase him! Chase him!" Elder Zu roared, his voice filled with unprecedented desperation. "Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find Xiao Chen!"

Xiao Lie and the elders looked at each other, trembling as they stared at Xiao Meng's corpse on the ground and then at the raging Zu Lao.

They never imagined that this "useless" person they had abandoned for so many years could actually kill Xiao Meng from the hands of an elder who was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm and escape unscathed!

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen had already used the cover of the burst of spear light to leave Tianfeng City and sped towards Qingyun Sect.

He glanced back at the city that held so much humiliation and hatred for him, a cold smile curving his lips.

The Xiao family, Su Wanqing, Li Batian...

The score for today is not yet settled.

But now, he must return to his sect to report back to his master.

That dilapidated yet warm Qingyun Sect is now his only refuge.

Seeing this scene, the patriarch looked at the Grand Elder and said, "The position of clan leader shall now be assumed by the Grand Elder."

Upon hearing the news, the Grand Elder was anything but happy. Normally he would have been overjoyed, jumping for joy, because his only son had been killed.

The culprit, Xiao Chen, is currently recuperating in an inconspicuous little cave not far from the city. After all, the reflection from the newly broken seal is still quite strong, even though the first layer has not been completely broken yet.

However, if someone could kill someone who was a whole realm higher than him, and if the first level were fully unlocked, even the Ancestor would be instantly killed, and he himself would also perish.

As for Su Wan of the Su family, I'll remember her. A top-tier power in the Northern Region, huh? Just you wait.

My current weakness doesn't mean I won't catch up in the future. Thinking of this, Xiao Chen felt a surge of spear intent fill the entire cave.