"Boom!"
With a resounding explosion, the formation before them shattered into pieces under this sword strike.
Lin Chen, holding Zhang Ying, strode forward resolutely.
Today, the Ghost God Sect would surely spill rivers of blood!
Meanwhile, deep within the mine, in a cave dwelling, a man with a sinister appearance suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.
"After three years of seclusion, I've finally broken through to the middle stage of Core Formation!"
"Zhang Yunlong, oh Zhang Yunlong, I owe all of this to the elixirs you brought back!"
Xiao Kui laughed maliciously and happily, then strode out.
"Sect Master, you've come out of seclusion!"
Seeing Xiao Kui emerge, Zhou Tianguo, who had been guarding outside, immediately stepped forward, his face filled with joy.
With the Sect Master's emergence from seclusion, it meant that their Ghost God Sect finally had a Core Formation stage cultivator!
"How is it, Tianguo? Have there been any major events in the sect recently?"
Xiao Kui asked Zhou Tianguo with a cold smile.
The entire Zhejiang province cultivation world, including Zhou Tianguo before him, believed he had just broken through to the Core Formation stage. However, in reality, he had already reached the middle stage of Core Formation!
This was his cunning and his trump card!
In the cultivation world, those who were too kind rarely lived long.
If Zhang Yunlong back then had possessed even a shred of cunning, how could he have suffered the ruin of his family and the death of his kin?
"Reporting to the Sect Master, there haven't been any major events. However, I discovered an alchemy prodigy in Hangzhou and brought him back to the sect for training. He can now refine the Grade 1 Spirit Guiding Pill."
"From now on, our Ghost God Sect will have its own alchemist!"
Zhou Tianguo said obsequiously to Xiao Kui.
Wasn't he doing all this now just to gain Xiao Kui's approval?
He was not an outsider, and naturally knew that Xiao Kui's breakthrough to the Core Formation stage was entirely due to the gourd he had snatched from Zhang Yunlong, which contained dozens of elixirs!
As for the news of Xiao Chuan's death, he had not reported it immediately. If Xiao Kui's realm was unstable and he knew this news, he might suffer qi deviation like Zhang Yunlong, and then Zhou Tianguo would surely die!
"Oh? Has this person's background been thoroughly investigated? Is he not someone sent by the Liu family?"
Upon hearing Zhou Tianguo's words, Xiao Kui's first reaction was not joy, but suspicion.
How could an alchemy genius from the mortal world be so coincidentally discovered by Zhou Tianguo?
"Reporting to the Sect Master, all of this person's information has been investigated. He is definitely not from the Liu family, please be at ease, Sect Master!"
Zhou Tianguo immediately guaranteed.
What a joke! He knew Xiao Kui's suspicious nature, so he had conducted several rounds of background checks on Lin Chen, and had found no suspicious issues.
"Hahaha, then this means it is destined for my Ghost God Sect to flourish!"
Receiving Zhou Tianguo's assurance, Xiao Kui finally felt a little relieved.
He knew Zhou Tianguo's character. Although somewhat utilitarian, he was very meticulous and diligent in his work. If an identity had been verified by him, there was certainly no need to doubt it further.
"Indeed, our Ghost God Sect now has an alchemist, and you, Sect Master, have broken through to the Core Formation stage. We should flourish, we should greatly flourish!"
Hearing Xiao Kui's words, Zhou Tianguo also became excited.
"Boom!"
However, just as the two were extremely pleased, an explosion sounded, and the entire mine trembled.
The Ghost God Sect's protective mountain formation was also automatically activated at this instant.
"What's going on? Could it be that the Liu family has attacked? That's why the protective mountain formation activated automatically?"
Seeing this, Zhou Tianguo was stunned.
Now that Xiao Kui had broken through to the Core Formation stage, in the entire Zhejiang province cultivation world, only the Liu family could rival them.
Could it be that the Liu family intended to take advantage of Xiao Kui's unstable realm this time and catch them off guard?
"Go out and see. If the Liu family truly dares to come, we will ensure they never return!"
Hearing Zhou Tianguo's words, a hint of killing intent appeared on Xiao Kui's face.
However, when the two arrived at the top of the mine, they found that apart from the activated protective mountain formation, the outside was calm. There were no enemies at all!
"Greetings, Sect Master, greetings, Great Elder. May I ask, what exactly is happening? Why did the protective mountain formation suddenly activate?"
At this moment, the Fifth Elder was also observing outside. Upon seeing Zhou Tianguo and Xiao Kui arrive, he quickly saluted.
"What's going on? Could it be that the protective mountain formation is old and malfunctioning?"
Hearing the Fifth Elder's question, Zhou Tianguo frowned slightly and speculated.
"Of course not. I activated this protective mountain formation!"
As soon as Zhou Tianguo finished speaking, Zhang Ying, dressed in white and with a white cloth wrapped around her hair, appeared in the sky above the mine.
"Zhang Ying? It's you? How is this possible? Weren't you bound by the Soul Locking Nails? How could you be out?"
"Lin Chen, where is Lin Chen? Did he release you?"
"You vixen, what did you do to Lin Chen?"
Zhou Tianguo immediately thought of Lin Chen.
It must be that this vixen had tempted Lin Chen and made him open the Soul Locking Nails!
"Great Elder, you guessed correctly. I released her."
However, before Zhou Tianguo could finish speaking, a light voice reappeared beside him.
Lin Chen held his precious sword, a mourning band made of white cloth wrapped around his head, his expression filled with killing intent.
"You... Lin Chen, what do you want? Let me tell you, this Zhang Ying is a vixen. Don't be infatuated!"
Seeing Lin Chen and Zhang Ying in this state, Zhou Tianguo was stunned.
Even now, he still believed that Lin Chen must have been bewitched by Zhang Ying's enchantment techniques, which was why he was here.
"Great Elder, you are mistaken. I was not infatuated by her. I released her myself."
"I should truly thank you. Thank you for sending me to her side, which allowed me to understand the truth of twenty years ago."
Lin Chen smiled coldly, no longer hiding his aura, which was now fully revealed.
"Core Formation stage cultivator? Are you the so-called alchemy prodigy that the Great Elder mentioned?"
"You two appear here dressed in mourning, are you here to avenge Zhang Yunlong?"
"She is Zhang Yunlong's daughter, so seeking revenge is only natural. But what about you? Are you Zhang Yunlong's nephew or junior?"
Only Xiao Kui, looking at Lin Chen, let out a cold smile.
"Indeed, Sect Master Xiao, Great Elder. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Lin Chen, the last disciple of Zhang Yunlong. Today, I am here to avenge my master's wife. I invite all elders of the Ghost God Sect to descend into the Yellow Springs!"
As he spoke, Lin Chen flicked his hand, and his low-grade magic weapon sword was instantly unsheathed, exuding a fierce killing intent.