"I don't have time to waste with you guys."
Before Xiao Chen finished speaking, his figure darted out like an arrow, the rusty iron spear drawing a blue arc in his hand, pointing directly at Xu Qing's face—he knew very well that delaying would only bring more trouble, and he had to finish the battle quickly.
"Stop him!"
Xu Qing was caught off guard by Xiao Chen's sudden attack and hastily retreated, roaring angrily at his fellow disciples behind him.
Two late-stage Dao Seeking cultivators dressed in Burning Flame Valley attire immediately stepped forward, one wielding a sword and the other a shield, their spiritual energy surging as they attempted to block Xiao Chen's attack.
The other two cultivators, who were in the early stages of enlightenment, rushed towards the stone, clearly intending to deal with this seemingly "reckless" body cultivator first.
"You guys?"
Stone grinned and charged forward empty-handed. Instead of retreating, he advanced, crashing head-on into the swordsman's blade. The muscles in his arms bulged, and a flash of pale golden light appeared.
"clang!"
The sword struck the stone's arm, leaving only a shallow white mark, but the impact made the cultivator's hand go numb. Before the other could react, the stone's fist slammed out like a hot pot, landing solidly on his chest!
"Snap!"
The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible. The late-stage Dao Seeking cultivator coughed up blood and flew backward, crashing into the ancient tree behind him, lifeless—killed in one move!
On the other side, Xiao Chen had already engaged the shield-wielding cultivator. His rusty iron spear, like a snake spitting its tongue, evaded the shield's defense, its tip precisely aimed at the opponent's throat.
The shield-wielding cultivator hurriedly dodged to the side, but the spear tip still slashed his carotid artery, causing blood to gush out. He collapsed, convulsed a few times, and then fell silent.
In just two rounds, Xu Qing lost two of his fellow disciples who were at the late stage of the Dao Seeking Realm!
"What?!"
Xu Qing's pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
He only knew that Xiao Chen could defeat Shi Zhan, who was in the middle stage of the Dao Proving Realm, but he did not expect that the opponent's strength was so great that even the late stage of the Dao Seeking Realm could not withstand a single move.
He suddenly remembered his father Xu Hao's words of advice: "Xiao Chen can kill a late-stage Dao Proving cultivator. You are no match for him. Do not provoke him."
At the time, he was unconvinced and thought his father was making a mountain out of a molehill, but now it seems his father was right! He wasn't just looking for trouble; he was practically handing himself over for a beating!
If his father found out that he had brought people to kill Xiao Chen on his own and lost two fellow disciples, he would probably slap him to death!
"Stop! Stop hitting!"
Xu Qing shouted in a panic, while simultaneously giving a wink to his two remaining fellow disciples who were in the early stages of the Dao Proving Realm.
"We admit defeat! Brother Xiao, I was wrong before, and I'll apologize to you! Spirit crystals, magic artifacts, whatever you want, I'll give you!"
He just wants to cut his losses now. As long as he can leave alive, losing face or resources is nothing.
But Xiao Chen and Shi Tou showed no sign of stopping.
When Xu Qing led his men to surround and kill them, he didn't intend to leave any survivors; now that he can't win, he wants to make peace. Is it really that easy?
"Want to stop now? Too late!"
Xiao Chen snorted coldly, and his spear stance changed again. His azure spiritual energy condensed into several spear shadows, which rained down on Xu Qing and the two early-stage Dao Proving cultivators.
Stone, like a tiger descending a mountain, pounced on a cultivator in the early stages of enlightenment.
Just as the cultivator was about to unleash a fire-based secret technique, Shi Tou grabbed his wrist and snapped it off!
"ah--!"
Amidst screams, Stone's other fist slammed into his face, smashing his skull to pieces.
The remaining early-stage Dao-proving cultivator was terrified and turned to run away, but Xiao Chen pierced his heart with a spear shadow, causing him to fall to the ground, twitch a few times, and then die.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing's four fellow disciples were all wiped out!
"No!"
Xu Qing's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the corpses strewn across the ground, then at Xiao Chen closing in. His eyes were filled with terror and despair. He knew that begging for mercy was useless; he had no choice but to fight to the death!
"Burning Flame—Crimson Flames Burn the Sky!"
Xu Qing roared, unleashing his spiritual power without reservation. Crimson flames burned wildly around him, faintly condensing into a gigantic fire beast that lunged at Xiao Chen with a scorching aura!
This is his most treasured secret technique, the core cultivation method of Burning Flame Valley, which ordinary people in the mid-stage of the Dao Proving Realm cannot withstand!
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, but he showed no fear. He gripped the rusty iron spear tightly, and the spiritual power of his Dao Inquiry Realm cultivation merged completely with the spear's intent. A dazzling azure light emanated from the spear tip—it was the new move he had comprehended during his seclusion!
"break!"
With a low shout, Xiao Chen thrust his spear straight forward. The cyan spear light, like lightning piercing through the darkness, instantly penetrated the head of the fiery behemoth!
"boom!"
The fiery behemoth exploded with a deafening roar, its crimson flames scattering in all directions, but were blocked by the azure spiritual energy surrounding Xiao Chen. Xu Qing was thrown back by the shockwave, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly weakening, and the flames on his body dimming considerably.
He struggled to get up, only to find Xiao Chen already standing in front of him, the tip of his rusty iron spear pointed at his throat.
"You...you can't kill me!"
Xu Qing's voice trembled, carrying a final threat, "I am a disciple of the Burning Flame Valley! My father is the city lord of Windless City! If you kill me, neither the Burning Flame Valley nor my father will let you off!"
Xiao Chen's eyes were cold, and he did not hesitate at all.
"Since you dare to come and kill me, you must be prepared to die."
With a slight thrust of the spear tip, it pierced Xu Qing's throat.
The fear in Xu Qing's eyes froze, and her body went limp as she collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.
After eliminating all the enemies, Xiao Chen and Shi Tou stopped. Shi Tou, panting heavily, rubbed his arm that had been burned by the flames and grimaced, saying, "This guy's flames are pretty hot."
Xiao Chen didn't speak, but bent down and quickly searched the bodies of the others.
Xu Qing and his fellow disciples were all from the Burning Flame Valley, and they indeed possessed quite a few valuable items—several thousand spirit crystals and several healing pills.
A basic flame cultivation technique from the Burning Flame Valley, and a crimson token that Xu Qing always carried, engraved with the words "Inner Sect of Burning Flame Valley".
"Keep it safe, it'll be useful." Xiao Chen handed the item to Shi Tou, who skillfully stuffed it into his storage bag.
Without lingering, the two quickly left the battlefield, cleaning up any traces of the fight—the Misty Valley was fraught with danger, and they didn't want this battle to bring them any more unnecessary trouble.
In the ancient forest, only five cold corpses and bloodstains scattered on the ground remain, which will soon be covered up by the ferocious beasts or spiritual energy in the secret realm.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou had already disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, heading towards the more central area of Misty Valley.
The spiritual energy in the dense forest deep within Misty Valley is becoming increasingly abundant, but an invisible barrier has also emerged.
Xiao Chen took a step, feeling as if he were enveloped in a viscous liquid, each step consuming even more spiritual energy—
This resistance is not a physical entity, but rather a "domain force" emanating from the core area of the secret realm. The closer one gets to the center, the stronger the domain force becomes, as if it is filtering out cultivators who are qualified to approach the core opportunity.
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