Lin Jinghong, upon hearing Wang Xiaoqiang's voice, felt his facial muscles twitch as if electrified and repeatedly thought to himself, "I must kill him, I absolutely must kill him!"

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan, upon hearing what Wang Xiaoqiang said, couldn't help but smile and let out a long sigh of relief. They felt much more at ease, influenced by his mood, and sat down again to enjoy the food and drinks.

Wang Xiaoqiang had just demonstrated his mighty power by slapping Lin Jinghong into making a mistake, reaffirming his strength. The two girls looked at him with renewed respect and spontaneously started urging him to drink. The food and drinks at Immortal Gathering Tower were authentic and very much like the cuisine from Wang Xiaoqiang's hometown, which was beyond his expectations and to his satisfaction.

During the meal, Ling Qiyan informed Wang Xiaoqiang about some of the rules within the Taiyi Sect. There was a prohibition against private fighting within the sect. Normally, disciples could spar on the Martial Arts Stage, where fights must stop at the touch and not endanger lives. There was also another arena called the Life and Death Stage, intended for resolving personal grievances among disciples. On the Life and Death Stage, injuring or killing was permitted without repercussions. After explaining this, Ling Qiyan cautioned, "Little Qiang, I think Lin Jinghong won't let things go easily. He belongs to a faction in Taiyi called the Crown Prince Faction. This faction consists of ten members, all outstanding young disciples from the eastern and western sects, including four at the Golden Core Cultivation and the least advanced at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. So, be wary in the future and avoid falling into their trap..."

"Sister Qiyan, I think you are being too cautious. As long as Little Qiang doesn't agree to fight on the Life and Death Stage, what can they do to him?" Ye Qingcheng was quite unconcerned. "But Little Qiang, you should also avoid leaving the grounds of the Taiyi Sect; otherwise, if you're ambushed, the sect won't protect you."

"Pssh, I'm really not afraid of them. If they dare to come after me, I'll face them one by one, and I won't be merciful," Wang Xiaoqiang boldly stated. During the recent encounter with Lin Jinghong, he felt that being at the Golden Core Stage was nothing special, and he had a hundred Spiritual Springs he hadn't used yet. Otherwise, a single slap back then would have killed or severely injured Lin Jinghong.

The two girls, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's bold and fearless demeanor, felt much more reassured and subtly started to see him as their leader and someone they could rely on.

After the meal, the three of them walked out only to see some disciples gathered outside the inn, gazing over from a distance and whispering about the recent incident. They knew that before long, Wang Xiaoqiang's reputation would spread through Taiyi Sect. However, being the focus of so many gazes made them uncomfortable, especially Wang Xiaoqiang who, feeling like needles were on his back, quickly left with the two girls.

Ye Qingcheng invited Ling Qiyan to visit Wang Xiaoqiang's villa. Ling Qiyan didn't refuse. The two women were close friends and often hung out together.

As the trio headed to the villa district, someone stealthily followed them, maintaining a distance of fifty meters. To avoid losing them, this person kept activating his Divine Sense, closely monitoring their path.

"No way, you two, are you together?" Ling Qiyan arrived at Wang Xiaoqiang's rented villa and discovered Ye Qingcheng had moved in as well, and she couldn't help but laugh in surprise.

"No, Sister Qiyan, it's not what you think. I live upstairs, he lives downstairs; it's like sharing an apartment, ahem, sharing..." Ye Qingcheng, wary of being exposed by Wang Xiaoqiang, shot him a threatening glance, then grabbed Ling Qiyan's hand, "Come on, Sister Qiyan, let's go upstairs and talk..."

As Ye Qingcheng was leading Ling Qiyan toward the staircase, she turned back to Wang Xiaoqiang and said… "Remember our three rules; I won't let you off easily if you break them..."

Ling Qiyan, seeing Ye Qingcheng talk to Wang Xiaoqiang in such a manner, and Wang Xiaoqiang just giving a bitter smile, realizing their relationship had reached a subtly delicate stage. Otherwise, Wang Xiaoqiang wouldn't act so submissive in front of a woman.

When the two women reached upstairs, they entered the bedroom. Ling Qiyan, seeing the large bedroom and balcony, exclaimed, "Ah, living in a villa is so nice, Qingcheng, I am really envious of you..."

"Envious of what? You can rent a villa if you want to,"

"Psh, as if I can afford it." Ling Qiyan teased, "Unlike you, who hooked a senior and got to live in a free house..."

Ye Qingcheng was shocked, "How did you know that? Did he tell you?"

"No, I was bluffing you, but I didn't expect it to actually be true, hehe~~"

"Ah, I'm going to smack you." Ye Qingcheng raised her fist playfully and started punching Ling Qiyan on the shoulder, while the two girls playfully scuffled on the bed.

Wang Xiaoqiang returned to his bedroom, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began his cultivation. He could now channel Spiritual Energy within his body for the Grand Circulation. However, what he didn't know was that the Spiritual Energy in the Land of Sacred Emptiness was relatively dense compared to other areas, where it was even scarcer.

However, Wang Xiaoqiang's cultivation was not aimed at increasing his cultivation base, but rather to better consolidate and control the Spiritual Energy within his body, directing it into his Dantian.

After cultivating for a while, Wang Xiaoqiang took his Basic Cultivation Technique, the Fire Qilin Art, the Message Jade Slip, and the Amulet with him, and walked out to the living room. Seeing Ye Qingcheng and Ling Qiyan watching TV, he said, "I have to make a trip back to Taiyi Sect... you two take care of yourselves."

"Little Qiang, do you have to leave in such a hurry? It could be dangerous," the two girls felt it was all too sudden, and were somewhat uneasy. After all, he had just developed a feud with Lin Jinghong. If Lin planned to target Wang Xiaoqiang, he would utilize the power of the Crown Prince Faction in areas outside the Land of Sacred Emptiness to ambush him, putting him in danger.

"Right, I need to deliver this Amulet to my family to ensure their safety," Wang Xiaoqiang firmly replied. "No matter the danger, I have to go."

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's resolve, the two girls knew they couldn't dissuade him. Ye Qingcheng immediately said, "Little Qiang, I'll go with you. It's better to take care of each other on the road."

"I'm coming too!" Ling Qiyan added, her expression turning somewhat resolute.

"No, I don't want you to follow me. I appreciate your good intentions, but having you with me would only be a burden. You just need to protect yourselves," Wang Xiaoqiang said.

Upon hearing this, the two girls felt that it made sense. If Wang Xiaoqiang really encountered an ambush by the Crown Prince Faction, two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage would be of no help at all and would only burden him. So, they both obediently nodded in agreement.

"Little Qiang, shall I accompany you to ask for leave?" Ye Qingcheng approached, taking Wang Xiaoqiang's hand, her eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

Before Wang Xiaoqiang could respond, Ling Qiyan interjected, "That won't do. Qingcheng coming along would be too conspicuous and could easily draw the attention of the Crown Prince Faction. If they knew Little Qiang was asking for leave to go out, they would surely ambush him. It's better to keep a low profile."

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded and said, "Mm, Senior Sister Ling makes sense, Qingcheng, you shouldn't follow me. I can go by myself."

Ye Qingcheng obediently nodded, her eyes brimming with worry and reluctance.

Wang Xiaoqiang left the villa and headed to the Deacon Hall to ask for leave. Along the way, a figure closely followed him.

When Wang Xiaoqiang reached the Deacon Hall, he overheard two administrators discussing the incident that had occurred at the Immortal Gathering Tower at noon. Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't expected the news from the Immortal Gathering Tower to spread so quickly; it wasn't even half a day, and it had already reached the Deacon Party. As the two administrators were assessing Wang Xiaoqiang, upon seeing him enter, they immediately fell silent, one of them covered his face with a smile, and the other also showed a smile, saying to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Daoist Friend Wang, welcome, welcome... What can we do for you?"

Seeing the two men's attitudes, extremely obsequious. Their gazes towards Wang Xiaoqiang were even filled with awe. Although Wang Xiaoqiang had slapped Lin Jinghong into silence and not many had seen it, the news had still reached their ears. After hearing this, they naturally felt awe towards Wang Xiaoqiang.

Without much conversation with them, Wang Xiaoqiang asked for leave and did not linger, turning around and leaving. Upon exiting, that following shadow remained behind, still tracking him closely, until Wang Xiaoqiang walked out of the Taiyi Sect's main gate, and the person quickly returned back.

This person hurried to a villa where Lin Jinghong was staying. In the living room of the villa sat nine people, Lin Jinghong and eight members of the Crown Prince Faction, all showing great anger on their faces, intermittently cursing, looking as if they wished they could flay someone alive.

Upon seeing that person enter, all nine quickly turned their gaze to him, asking collectively, "Why didn't you follow anymore?"

"Good news, Wang Xiaoqiang has left the Taiyi Sect."

"Really?" their faces lit up with joy as they all asked.

"I saw it with my own eyes, absolutely true. He went to the Deacon Hall to ask for leave, and then he left the Taiyi Sect alone,..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Ambush Wang Xiaoqiang and avenge Jinghong," said a tall, fair-faced man at the Mid Golden Core Stage, clapping his hands together.

As he finished, his gaze swept over the crowd, "Who's willing to join me?"

"I will,"

"I will too..."

"Let's all go together..."

...

Soon, aside from Lin Jinghong, who still couldn't speak, the other eight all responded one by one.

"To kill a person at the Early Golden Core Stage, we don't need so many people; besides, having so many people come out all at once is too eye-catching. If the Master discovers us, the suppression we'll face will outweigh the gain," analyzed the tall, fair-faced man.

Upon hearing his reasoning, no one else spoke up; they all nodded, clearly regarding him as their leader.

In fact, this tall, fair-faced man, named Jiang Yulong, was the leader of the Crown Prince Faction, and the other nine members all referred to him as 'boss.'

"Here's what we'll do, I'll pick two people, Ji Ning, Yinn Xuege, just the two of you follow me,"

Faces of Ji Ning and Yinn Xuege showed an excited lust for slaughter as they chorused, "Yes!" (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote and support on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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