Chapter 147: Xu Kong, the Ancestor of the Xu Family

Boom, boom, boom!

Caught off guard, subjected to a close-range, unshielded explosive impact and the sweeping power of top-grade talismans, even though Xu Feng had already reached the Great Completion of the Foundation Establishment stage, his body was blown backward through the air like a tattered sack.

Suspended in mid-air, his clothes were completely shredded. One of his arms and both legs had long since vanished, leaving only his left hand exposed as bare, white bone. Blood gushed freely from his chest and abdomen, revealing cracked and shattered internal organs.

"Such a vicious woman, I will never let you go!"

Realizing that his body could no longer be repaired, Xu Feng's soul shrieked as it bolted outward, attempting to snatch his storage bag and flee.

After all, his storage bag was capable of withstanding a self-detonation without damage, meaning its grade was extraordinary. Furthermore, as long as he could crush the jade talisman stored within it, he would be able to leave the Lingtian Canyon and retain a chance to seize a body and be reborn.

The idea was sound, but Chu Xin'er, who had already deployed her Vajra Sword and Willow Leaf Saber, had no intention of giving him such a chance.

As the saying goes, do not do things by halves; to cut the weeds, one must eradicate the roots. Chu Xin'er did not know if she could keep this hidden from the higher-ups of the Lingtian Sect, nor did she know what troubles awaited her in the future, so she could only focus on the immediate present.

"Die!"

As the young girl formed hand seals and urged them forward, the golden sword and the willow leaf saber whistled through the air, slashing repeatedly at Xu Feng's soul. Amidst his venomous curses, his already feeble soul directly dissipated into nothingness.

Hoo... Having finally eliminated the formidable enemy, Chu Xin'er could not help but let out a long breath of relief. Just at that moment, a grey shadow flashed, and Xiao Wenzi materialized at the exact spot where the self-detonation had occurred.

"Damn it, who on earth did this?"

At the same time, deep within a cavern inside the Lingtian Sect, a red-faced elder retrieved a shattered soul tablet from his storage bag, his face filled with shock and fury.

He was none other than Xu Kong, the patriarch of the Xu family and one of the Nascent Soul elders of the Lingtian Sect. His cultivation had reached the Great Completion stage many years prior, and he was currently in seclusion trying to comprehend the bottleneck of the Deity Transformation stage.

Xu Feng was a direct descendant of Xu Kong, which was why his soul tablet remained in the elder's possession. With his great-grandson's soul scattered, a furious Xu Kong no longer had the heart to meditate. He directly left his cavern and headed toward the grand hall where the sect master resided.

"Elder Xu, what did you say? Disciple Xu Feng is dead? How is that possible?"

A moment later, within the main hall of the Lingtian Sect's primary peak, the middle-aged man seated in the center asked in disbelief, while the other elders nearby exchanged bewildered glances.

Aside from Sect Master Qin Yi who had just spoken, the few individuals present were mostly elders in charge of sect affairs. How could they not know the level of Xu Feng's cultivation?

To be able to scatter his soul and overwhelm even the life-saving measures bestowed upon him by Xu Kong, how terrifying must the enemy have been? Could it be a Nascent Soul expert from the Extreme Demonic Sect?

"It is definitely not any Nascent Soul cultivator, nor is it even likely to be a Golden Core cultivator. Who on earth is it? And how did he manage to eliminate Xu Feng?"

Others might not know the inside story, but Qin Yi was well aware that Xu Feng, along with Zhou Peng, Yang Hong, and others, had entered the Lingtian Canyon to execute a mission assigned by the Supreme Elders.

Furthermore, the rules of the Lingtian Canyon did not permit cultivators above the False Core realm to enter, and those who passed the preliminary selection could not possibly exceed that threshold. Why would Xu Feng die so quickly?

Upon hearing Qin Yi's explanation, the expressions of Xu Kong and several other elders of the Lingtian Sect turned solemn.

Undercurrents surged within the immortal cultivation world. The Lingtian Sect, which appeared glorious on the surface, was actually on the verge of a precarious storm; otherwise, the three Supreme Elders would not have anxiously initiated their plans time and time again, this time even breaking precedent by allowing outsiders to enter the Lingtian Canyon.

As the matter concerned the future prospects of the sect, Qin Yi and Xu Kong could not make the decision alone, and they quickly reported the incident upward.

"That brat Xu Feng was actually killed in an instant. The opponent truly possesses formidable methods."

Thousands of feet away from the bluestone platform where Zhou Tong had been teleported, inside a pavilion atop a peak, a middle-aged man with a black beard stroked his beard and muttered in contemplation.

"Could it be that Old Demon Yan and the others caught wind of something and deliberately sent people to cause trouble?"

The woman in white frowned as she chimed in, her pretty face filled with anxiety.

The immortal-looking elder remained the most composed. He pondered for a moment before waving his hand.

"That is highly unlikely. We only issued the opening order temporarily after the disciple selection was completed. Even if Old Demon Yan caught wind of some rumors, it would be impossible for him to deploy people in advance...

Besides, given the rule restrictions left behind by our founding patriarch, even the Foundation Establishment avatars refined by you or me cannot enter. That Old Demon Yan certainly has no way of sneaking in."

"Does Senior Brother mean that the troublemaker this time is definitely still at the Foundation Establishment stage, and was able to eliminate Xu Feng perhaps because they carried a one-time-use high-magnitude attack magical treasure?"

"That must be the case. In that case, it becomes simple. Have Disciple-nephew Qin Yi send some more capable disciples inside to thoroughly root out this hidden danger..."

Hearing the elder's analysis, both the black-bearded middle-aged man and the woman in white breathed sighs of relief.

This was the only logical explanation; otherwise, if the plan had not yet been completed and enemies had already managed to sneak in, wouldn't the sect be in danger?

As for how to ferret out the "spy" within the Lingtian Canyon, they were not worried at all, because Foundation Establishment cultivators could not wield magical treasures—even single-use ones—without suffering severe damage to their vital energy in order to activate them.

Moreover, one-time high-magnitude attack magical treasures were not dime-a-dozen items. For the opponent to possess even one sealed within their body without being detected would already be the absolute limit. Now, having used it, the "weakened" culprit would simply be unable to escape the search of their disciples.

Chu Xin'er did not know that because of her, many more elite Foundation Establishment disciples of the Lingtian Sect had entered the Lingtian Canyon, but she did know very well that she could not run around blindly like a headless fly.

Under the circumstances, abandoning the opportunity, crushing the jade talisman, and fleeing far away from the Lingtian Sect was the best choice, yet she did not dare to do so.

Because she had no idea what the destination of the teleportation would be; perhaps the moment she appeared, she would be surrounded by powerful experts of the Lingtian Sect, and at that point, she would truly have no wings to fly away.

Of course, staying here was also extremely dangerous, but at least until she was tracked down by other elite disciples, she remained safe.

After careful consideration, Chu Xin'er decided to first find a secluded spot to establish a cavern and practice the Blood Soul Escape technique recorded in the Blood Soul Scripture. With this escape divine ability, she would gain an extra layer of security.

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. A fierce explosion had just occurred here, and the vital energy of heaven and earth was completely chaotic, making it the perfect environment to conceal her aura.

Chu Xin'er picked up her spoils of war and lightly stroked her storage bag, causing a yellowish-brown talisman to appear in her palm.

It was a mid-grade Earth Escaping Talisman, purchased from the young clerk at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion. Its effect was to submerge the user deep into the earth for a short period of time. Chu Xin'er had never used it, and had kept it until now.

"Wait, Xin'er, bring that fellow's corpse along. I need his blood."

Just as Chu Xin'er intended to activate the talisman and submerge deep into the earth, Xiao Wenzi's voice transmission rang out in a timely manner.

Xu Feng was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Great Completion cultivator; absorbing his blood should be no less effective than ordinary spirit pills, and leaving it behind would simply be a waste.

Furthermore, once she hid deep underground, it would be difficult for him to acquire a large amount of system coins in a short period of time, which was why Xiao Wenzi made this suggestion.

Chu Xin'er did not refuse. With a wave of her hand, she collected Xu Feng's severed remains. Naturally, she did not forget to take his storage bag, as it undoubtedly contained good items.

Immediately afterward, the Earth Escaping Talisman was crushed. Amidst a flash of earthy-yellow light, she directly tunneled into the mountain wall below and vanished without a trace.