In the dense forest, the roars and sounds of battle from numerous cultivators continuously rang out, startling nearby birds and beasts into scattering in all directions.

When Qin Lu arrived, the first thing he saw was that familiar figure.

It was Lu Anchen!

Nearly twenty cultivators were engaged in combat in the clearing.

They wielded various magical artifacts, constantly releasing beams of multicolored light. Combined with attacks from various talismans, the scene was dazzling to the eye.

Many cultivators already lay fallen on the ground; some were unconscious, while others were corpses.

The combatants were divided into two factions. One side had only five people, who stood close together, jointly resisting the siege of over ten cultivators.

This was Lu Anchen’s group.

All five were injured to varying degrees. Lu Anchen, in particular, had a pale face with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. It was clear he was seriously wounded.

“Little Lu! What’s going on here?!” Qin Lu shouted loudly as he approached.

This sudden voice startled all the cultivators present, causing them to look toward Qin Lu and his two companions.

Seeing Qin Lu, Lu Anchen was overjoyed and hurriedly called out, “Uncle Qin! Come quickly and lend me a hand! These people are trying to rob us on the road!”

Hearing this, Qin Lu’s expression tightened, and he immediately moved toward Lu Anchen.

He naturally wouldn’t stand idly by while Lu Anchen was in danger.

Not to mention that their families had been close neighbors with a good relationship. Just the fact that Qin Lu and Lu Xian had fought side by side as comrades-in-arms meant Qin Lu couldn’t simply wash his hands of this.

“Hey!”

A fierce-looking man wielding a broadsword blocked Qin Lu’s path. He leveled his blade and said viciously, “I advise you three not to interfere in this matter!”

Qin Lu stopped running and stood still, staring at the man. He said in a low voice, “If I were you, I’d take my people and leave immediately to save your lives.”

As he approached, Qin Lu had already used the [Heavenly Eye Technique] to assess the cultivation levels of everyone present.

The broadsword-wielding man’s side had twelve people in total: eight at the mid-Qi Refining stage and four at the late-Qi Refining stage.

The one with the highest cultivation level was this very broadsword-wielding man before him, having reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

But Qin Lu wasn’t worried. He believed that with him, Cao Yunxi, and his wife joining the fight, these people would be no match.

“Boss, these two are the ‘Black Ape Duo’ who sell meat at the market…” Suddenly, a cultivator approached the broadsword-wielding man and whispered.

The broadsword-wielding man’s expression tightened. He shifted the tip of his blade toward Cao Yunxi. “Black Ape Duo! Do you dare interfere in Royal Dragon Gang business today?!”

Cao Yunxi glanced at Qin Lu’s back. Steeling his resolve, he declared clearly, “My brother has already said it. If you leave now, we’ll spare your lives. Otherwise, blood will surely flow like a river later!”

“Hmph! Think carefully! The Wei Family stands behind our Royal Dragon Gang! You two meat-selling stallholders really dare to interfere today?!” The broadsword-wielding man threatened.

Hearing this, Cao Yunxi and Qi Xiaofeng’s expressions changed simultaneously.

They hadn’t expected these people to be part of the Wei Family’s forces. They had just settled down in the market district. If they offended the Wei Family now, the consequences would be unthinkable.

“No need for you two to worry!”

Lu Anchen clutched his chest and shouted loudly, “We are trusted followers of the Xuanyang Sect! If you help us greatly today, I will definitely report to our Sect Leader upon returning, and he will ensure your safety!”

Cao Yunxi’s expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this, but his heart was still pounding. What a coincidence to run into a conflict between two Foundation Establishment-level forces…

“Get lost!” Qin Lu roared angrily.

“Damn it!” The broadsword-wielding man spat out a curse and swung his blade. “You really think I’m afraid of you? Kill them all!”

With his order, everyone’s magical artifacts once again emitted various colored lights. Accompanied by thrown attack talismans, battle erupted instantly!

Qin Lu had been prepared for combat ever since he approached. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately slapped a defensive talisman onto himself.

A layer of golden light enveloped his entire body; the light shield looked extremely sturdy. It was precisely the [Golden Light Talisman] sold on the market for ten Spirit Stones!

As soon as the battle began, over ten opponents split into two groups. One continued besieging Lu Anchen’s group. The other group, led by the broadsword-wielding man, charged toward Qin Lu’s trio.

Qin Lu flicked his finger; a strange wind force instantly shot from his fingertip.

This move was colorless and traceless, yet extremely fast. It directly shattered an oncoming cultivator’s protective light shield.

“Be careful! This is a wind-element spell!” The broadsword-wielding man immediately shouted a warning.

The several cultivators charging forward were all seasoned fighters who had lived by their blades. With their leader’s warning, they quickly reacted and began dodging.

But they clearly underestimated their opponent this time.

In the next moment, everyone witnessed an astonishing scene.

They saw Qin Lu continuously flicking his fingers; swift and fierce gusts of wind shot out one after another!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

…

It seemed as if this spell required no spiritual energy consumption at all. Over thirty sharp gusts of wind sprayed out without pause, covering all the charging cultivators within their range.

Even though a few reacted quickly and took out defensive talismans to block, they still couldn’t withstand the powerful [Finger Flick Technique].

In less than several breaths’ time, three cultivators among them died miserably on the spot—all with their heads blown apart—completely dead.

“I’ll handle this!”

Cao Yunxi suddenly let out a loud shout. He leaped out from beside Qin Lu and joined Qi Xiaofeng in confronting two cultivators who had slipped closer.

Qin Lu no longer hesitated, either. His Green Rainbow Sword left its sheath immediately as his figure flashed forward.

He casually employed the Soft Body Technique; his body flitted past like a ghost as he joined their battle formation.

The two cultivators who had approached were both at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Back when he was only at the fifth layer, Qin Lu had already killed opponents of this level.

Now that he had reached the seventh layer himself—his reactions and speed were countless times stronger than before—and with Cao Yunxi and his wife providing support…

Qin Lu cut through them like melons and vegetables. Within just a few breaths’ time, he beheaded these two as well.

“This… how is this possible?!” The broadsword-wielding man stared at this scene with an expression of utter disbelief.

These two men were his right-hand men… how could they die so easily?

Before he could even figure out what happened, he saw Qin Lu pouncing toward him. At that moment, a thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind:

He, too, was going to die…

Not long after, corpses lay strewn across the ground.

Everyone present looked at Qin Lu with deep awe in their eyes.

Because among those twelve Royal Dragon Gang cultivators, ten had died by his hand—including all four of the strongest late-stage Qi Refiners present!

Most exaggeratedly, from start to finish, this entire battle lasted only about thirty breaths’ time before every single Royal Dragon Gang member lay dead.

This left everyone present momentarily unable to process what had happened so quickly.

“Little Lu… are you alright?” asked Qin Lu softly while walking over to stand beside the injured young man.

“No… no problem…” Lu Anchen replied, looking dazed and stammering slightly.

This Uncle Qin… turned out to be even fiercer than he had imagined.