On the other side of the clearing, while Cen Chunshan dealt with Gu Xiu and worked to remove the final restriction, Cen Qiushan kept watch over the surroundings.

His primary concern was the cultivators from the Wanbao Pavilion, who might attack at any moment. The longer he waited, the more anxious he became. His elder brother had been gone for quite a while; if they delayed any further and Wanbao Pavilion arrived, escape might become impossible for both of them.

As for that white-haired rogue cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining?

Don’t be ridiculous.

Cen Qiushan paid no mind to such an insignificant ant. His elder brother could crush a person like that with a single finger. What was there to worry about?

Fortunately, just as Cen Qiushan was about to lose his patience, a spiritual energy fluctuation at the ninth level of Qi Refining suddenly erupted.

“Elder Brother has made his move!”

Cen Qiushan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he turned and rushed towards his brother’s location, intending to regroup and escape together.

On the way, Cen Qiushan fantasized: Wanbao Pavilion is a prestigious merchant house; their goods must contain treasures! If the resources are plentiful, and ideally include Foundation Establishment Pills, perhaps my brother and I can both advance together!

Just think about it. Two great bandits at the Foundation Establishment stage! The reputation of the ‘Spring and Autumn Twin Evils’ would become even more terrifying. They could continue killing and seizing treasures, perhaps even paving a path to the Golden Core stage in the future.

Tsk tsk tsk. Life is full of promise!

“Elder Brother!”

Happily imagining the future, Cen Qiushan spotted his brother’s back. Cen Chunshan was standing still, looking down at something. Probably checking the spoils of battle.

But… looking past Cen Chunshan, Cen Qiushan felt a bit strange.

“Elder Brother, where’s that kid’s corpse? Did you pulverize it directly into dust?”

“Elder Brother, your skills seem to have improved again!”

As he spoke, Cen Qiushan arrived beside Cen Chunshan. He glanced sideways and saw his brother holding the Wanbao Box they couldn’t touch before. The object made Cen Qiushan’s eyes burn with desire.

But…

Drip!

A drop of bright red blood suddenly fell from above, landing on the Wanbao Box and blooming like a macabre flower.

This is…

Cen Qiushan froze, his gaze slowly moving upward.

With just one look, a chill surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Because he saw…

His elder brother, the ‘Spring Evil’, that ruthless and notoriously fierce ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator… was dead!!!

On his left chest was a bloody hole that had shattered his heart meridian; faintly visible within were fragments of his ruined heart. That drop of blood had fallen from there!

“El… Elder Brother?”

“You… how… how could… how could this happen?”

Cen Qiushan’s calves cramped; terror swept through his entire body.

Who? Who killed Elder Brother?

That white-haired rogue cultivator from before? But… he was just a minor cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining!

Clack—!

Right at this moment, a pebble suddenly shot out from the brush, striking a nearby tree. Cen Qiushan jumped in fright and looked back, but he didn’t see who threw it.

Instead, he saw a team of cultivators dressed in Wanbao Pavilion attire rushing out from the woods not far away.

They spotted Cen Qiushan immediately and shouted angrily.

“Stop right there, thief!”

“How dare you kill our Wanbao Pavilion people! You’re seeking death!”

Cen Qiushan was scared out of his wits. Though he didn’t understand where the pebble came from, the arrival of powerful enemies left him no choice. Without hesitation, he transformed into a streak of light and fled swiftly to the side!

Seeing this, some of the pursuers immediately gave chase. But more of them headed straight for the Wanbao Box. The goods were the priority!

However, when they arrived before Cen Chunshan’s corpse and saw that the restriction on the box had already been opened and the three storage rings inside had vanished…

The cultivators’ expressions darkened instantly.

“The Spring and Autumn Twin Evils had an internal conflict!”

“Cen Qiushan killed his own brother and stole the goods!”

“Chase him! Bring him back!”

“Damn it! Pass the order: issue a kill order for him! No matter where he flees, even to the ends of the earth, we must execute this man!”

“How dare he touch Wanbao Pavilion’s property! Execute him!”

Soon, a chaotic chase unfolded within the Tianqi Mountains.

But all this had nothing to do with Gu Xiu.

At this moment, he was walking along a main forest road, not hiding or concealing himself, but openly continuing towards Yunxiao City.

He truly had been trapped in the forbidden land for five hundred years. After returning, he had indeed stayed within the Qingxuan Holy Land. But this didn’t mean he was foolish enough to have no experience in the Jianghu—to be sold out while helping count the money.

Before entering the forbidden land, Gu Xiu had traveled extensively. And even during his time there, the dream spanning ten thousand years had taught him much. Although he watched as an observer, he saw enough to understand the darkness of the human heart.

In fact, relying on his affinity with the Dao Rhyme, Gu Xiu had discovered both brothers right from the start.

Everything afterwards lay within his calculations. Including exhausting Cen Chunshan’s spiritual energy, seizing the opportunity to kill him when his guard was down, and… ultimately framing Cen Qiushan for the crime!

“Stop right there!”

Just then, a rainbow streak shot over. Gu Xiu immediately halted, standing still and watching the approaching figure alertly.

The person rode upon a flying sword, slowly landing before Gu Xiu—the ability to ride a sword proved the opponent was a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator. Moreover, this person wore the attire of the Wanbao Pavilion!

Although vigilant, Gu Xiu didn’t panic. He proactively asked, “May I ask Senior why you are stopping this Junior?”

The newcomer didn’t answer immediately but first investigated Gu Xiu’s cultivation level. When he saw a mere fourth-level Qi Refining rogue cultivator before him, he relaxed somewhat.

“Have you seen a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator using a wind escape method to flee?”

Gu Xiu shook his head, indicating he hadn’t.

Obtaining the answer, the cultivator didn’t bother further. He immediately mounted his longsword and quickly departed. Clearly, a fourth-level minor cultivator traveling slowly along the main road couldn’t possibly be related to the Spring and Autumn Twin Evils. It was unnecessary to waste time on him.

Gu Xiu was unsurprised. Seeing the other depart, he silently proceeded forward.

Afterwards, he encountered several more inquiries, all from Wanbao Pavilion cultivators. But without exception, after seeing Gu Xiu’s cultivation level, they abandoned their suspicions.

However, just as dusk was about to descend and Gu Xiu was planning to find a place to stay for the night, another rainbow streak arrived.

Similar to the previous times, the other party obtained Gu Xiu’s clueless reply. Discerning his low cultivation, the cultivator lost interest and prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to depart, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He turned back sharply, his gaze fixing sinisterly on Gu Xiu.

“Do you possess a storage treasure?”

Gu Xiu raised an eyebrow, extremely vigilant, but ultimately nodded. He pointed to the storage pouch at his waist. “Senior, this is Junior’s storage pouch. May I ask Senior…”

“Hand it over!”

The person extended his hand. “This Venerable suspects you possibly colluded with the bandit Cen Qiushan. I require you to submit your storage treasure for inspection!”

The words were spoken righteously, but the flash of greed within his eyes revealed his true purpose.

Gu Xiu frowned. One hand secretly grasped the finger bone hidden in his sleeve.

He had been reluctant to use this finger bone, even when facing a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator like Cen Chunshan. After all, unleashing the finger technique required spending a large amount of spirit stones to restore. Unless necessary, he was unwilling to employ it.

But now, perhaps he had no choice.

The only question was whether the power hidden within the finger bone was capable of killing the Foundation Establishment cultivator before him…