Chapter 172 - 164: Unexpected Gain, Encountering Possession

Before this, despite having Foundation Establishment Techniques, Li Chang’an had rarely fought against a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse.

Let alone killed one with his own hands.

Ultimately, he still held a certain reverence for this realm.

But after today.

Everything was different.

He stood by the stream with his eyes slightly closed, taking deep breaths of the blood-tainted air. A new, indescribable quality seemed to settle over him.

’So this is all a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse amounts to.’

Li Chang’an suddenly smiled, a newfound ease in his expression.

In that moment.

Many people came to his mind.

Murong Kang, Chu Xiong, Cao Shaolong...

’They’re all at Foundation Establishment, which means they can all be killed!’

Just then.

Suddenly, the aura of a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse flared on the distant horizon.

’Zheng Feihong?’

Li Chang’an recognized the aura.

With a casual wave of his hand, he disguised his appearance and recalled the Profound Water Turtle, leaving himself standing there alone.

A moment later.

Zheng Feihong arrived, halting in mid-air to regard Li Chang’an with caution.

He could sense Wu Lianshan’s aura saturating the blood-red stream.

In other words.

His old rival had died here!

Slain by the stranger before him.

"Friend..."

Zheng Feihong cupped his fist in salute and carefully probed Li Chang’an’s aura, discovering it was slightly weaker than that of a typical Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

But if that was the extent of his power, he couldn’t possibly have killed Wu Lianshan.

This meant that Li Chang’an was concealing a portion of his aura.

It was also possible that he’d been injured while killing Wu Lianshan, causing his aura to diminish. Regardless, he could not be underestimated.

"Friend, was it you who killed Wu Lianshan, the Wu Family Ancestor?"

Zheng Feihong asked cautiously, inwardly on high alert.

Li Chang’an glanced at him, his tone indifferent.

"That’s right. He was passing through and spoke rudely to me. I got angry and killed him."

’Spoke rudely?’

Zheng Feihong was inwardly alarmed.

’Wu Lianshan was fleeing for his life. Why would he have stopped to insult someone?’

As he saw it.

’This mysterious Foundation Establishment Cultivator must have seen that Wu Lianshan was severely injured and decided to kill him for his treasure.’

"Friend, Wu Lianshan was a great enemy of our Zheng Family."

Zheng Feihong spoke again.

"By eliminating him, you’ve done our Zheng Family a great service. Would you honor us with a visit to the Zheng Clan Territory for some tea?"

"There’s no need. I have other matters to attend to."

With that, Li Chang’an didn’t linger.

He performed the Little Five Elements Escape Technique, transforming into a streak of light that vanished over the horizon in an instant.

Zheng Feihong watched the retreating figure, his eyes filled with deep apprehension.

Because...

He had noticed that there were few signs of a battle here.

In other words, Wu Lianshan had put up little to no resistance. He might not have even had time to react before he was torn to shreds.

’Could this person be at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment? Just who is he?’

Zheng Feihong slowly descended to the stream’s edge. He stared at the crimson water, lost in thought.

After a moment.

Zheng Qingqing also arrived.

She glanced at the stream, her delicate brows knitting together. "Wu Lianshan is dead?" she asked.

"Yes. A mysterious Foundation Establishment Cultivator killed him."

At his words, Zheng Qingqing scanned the surroundings. She too was surprised to find so few signs of a battle.

’Even if Wu Lianshan was already severely injured, he couldn’t have been killed this easily.’

This situation.

Could only mean one thing.

The attacker’s strength far surpassed Wu Lianshan’s!

’Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!’

Zheng Qingqing’s expression grew solemn.

Several figures flashed through her mind, but none seemed to match the profile.

Just then, an image of Li Chang’an flickered through her mind.

She couldn’t help but shake her head. ’That’s absurd. Why would I even think of that?’

...

「That evening.」

Li Chang’an returned to his residence.

Before heading back, he had gone to check on the Wu Clan Territory, hoping to scavenge for more spoils amidst the chaos.

Unfortunately,

the Zheng Family Ancestor, Zheng Yuandao, was already there.

Li Chang’an had no choice but to withdraw and return to Yellow Crane Immortal City.

’Wu Lianshan was an ancestor, after all. His Storage Pouch should be filled with treasures.’

He took out the Storage Pouch and borrowed some of the Profound Water Turtle’s power to erase the restriction on it. Then, he opened it to have a look.

The next moment.

Li Chang’an’s gaze was immediately drawn to an Elixir Pill.

’This is... a Foundation Establishment Pill!’

His eyes widened in sheer delight.

’I took this risk for a Tier Two Body Refining Technique...’

’I never imagined...’

’...that I’d end up with a Foundation Establishment Pill!’

Excited, Li Chang’an immediately took it out.

However,

the moment it was in his hand,

much of his excitement faded.

’This Foundation Establishment Pill is flawed. It’s not a genuine one, but an Inferior Grade at best.’

Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed as he held the Elixir Pill, carefully sensing its properties.

His proficiency in Alchemy had long since reached the Tier One Peak.

While he wasn’t capable of refining a Foundation Establishment Pill himself, he could easily discern its quality.

After all, he often produced Inferior Grade Elixir Pills during his own Alchemy.

’Thankfully, the flaw in this Foundation Establishment Pill isn’t too great. While it won’t reach the twenty percent success rate of a genuine pill, it should still have about a fifteen percent chance.’

’Fifteen percent!’

That was already quite high.

It was important to remember that many cultivators could only rely on a Vein Protection Pill when attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Even though this Foundation Establishment Pill was an Inferior Grade, if word of it got out, it would undoubtedly cause a bloodbath.

’I’ll consider this pill my safety net.’

Li Chang’an examined it for another moment before carefully putting it away.

All things considered,

he now had both a Foundation Establishment Pill and a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

It’s just that the pill was of poor quality and the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object was incomplete. Neither was perfect.

’With my current resources, even with this inferior pill and the incomplete Seven-leafed Colored Lotus, my chances of reaching Foundation Establishment are still quite high. There should be almost no issue.’