Previously, he’d had too many Skills to cultivate, and he couldn’t afford the exorbitant purchase prices or the required resources for any Forbidden Technique-level Daoist Arts.

But now, that could be arranged immediately.

In short, by putting all these arrangements in place, how could he fail to send Lu Guanghua to an early grave?

And so, under a sea of gazes—some filled with excitement and admiration, others with resentment and envy—Zou Feng led Gongsun Jinghong and the other women straight off the Dao Discussion Platform.

But he didn’t leave the crowd immediately. Instead, he scanned his surroundings and, just as he’d expected, spotted Jing Huaisong.

Even though he was nearly a cripple after having his sword bone gouged out, Jing Huaisong had been sustained by his hatred, determined to witness Li Dingjie’s downfall.

His wish had now been granted, yet with his vengeance achieved, he was overcome by a sense of aimlessness. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Hey, catch!"

The next moment, Zou Feng’s sudden voice snapped Jing Huaisong out of his daze.

He reflexively put out a hand and caught the object Zou Feng had tossed him.

This is...

Li Dingjie’s sword bone?!

Jing Huaisong stared at Zou Feng in disbelief, completely unable to fathom his intentions.

Zou Feng waved his hand. "Take it. It was yours to begin with."

With that said, he turned and left without a moment’s hesitation.

This act, of course, sent the crowd into an uproar once more, with many shouting praises of Brother Feng’s righteousness.

As for Zou Feng, while the sword bone was valuable, it was of little use to him.

For one, he couldn’t use it himself, so his only option would be to sell it for Immortal Fate.

But he wasn’t short on Immortal Fate at the moment, so he might as well grant an easy favor.

If Jing Huaisong managed to rise again, it would be his second time rising from the ashes. His future would be limitless.

’This is an early investment in a capable subordinate for when I eventually conquer the Outer Realm alone.’

Before Zou Feng even made it back to the Hongxing Inn, the Immortal Fate he had won was deposited.

Over nine hundred thousand points of Immortal Fate—a fortune that made him a veritable tycoon among Inner Sect Disciples.

Finally, he wouldn’t have to worry about Immortal Fate for a while.

With this much Immortal Fate, he could not only purchase Forbidden Techniques and the necessary resources but also act on a previous idea of his ahead of schedule.

Namely, opening a private kitchen somewhere in the Inner Sect.

After all, he couldn’t just live off his winnings; he needed to establish a business that would generate a steady income.

The only trade Zou Feng knew was that of a Spirit Chef. And with the boost from his "Hand of Poisoning," his advantage was considerable. He wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of business.

「Meanwhile, somewhere in the sky.」

True Monarch Tianyan, Nangong Chu, still sat enthroned upon the giant beast, all three of his eyes still filled with bewilderment and doubt.

"Nangong, your reputation as a flawless strategist has been utterly shattered this time..."

A woman’s voice echoed from the void.

Nangong Chu ignored her taunts, closing his eyes. "I fear the boy has some kind of rare treasure that’s interfering with my divination!"

"’Rare treasure?’" the woman scoffed. "If he really possessed such an extraordinary treasure, wouldn’t it have been detected at the Kouxian Gate?"

Her words finally frayed Nangong Chu’s patience. "The Celestial Dao Cauldron at the Kouxian Gate is primarily used to detect any infiltrating Alien Races, not to pry into the disciples’ secrets. Don’t tell me you don’t even know that?"

"Heh, even if he did have a rare treasure, could a mere Inner Sect Disciple at the Spiritual Energy Realm truly control it?"

"Nangong Chu, just admit when you’re wrong. Stop trying to brush this off with flimsy excuses. It only makes me look down on you even more!"

Nangong Chu’s expression shifted. "Junior Sister Liu, whether you respect me or not, what does that have to do with me?"

"’Getting defensive, are we?’" The woman abruptly changed the subject. "’How about this? Transfer your Black Gold Realm to me, and I’ll take care of that boy for you...’"

Before she could finish, Nangong Chu cut her off. "Unnecessary!"

"A trivial matter like this is hardly enough to disrupt my state of mind!"

"Besides, your so-called solution is just to make the boy one of your concubines... Since you’ve already set your sights on him, there’s no need to involve me!"

After a moment of silence, the woman muttered, "How dull," and her aura vanished.

Once her aura was gone, Nangong Chu’s previously calm, indifferent expression suddenly darkened.

The vertical eye on his forehead looked as though it might spit fire...

「Hongxing Inn.」

Zou Feng had, after all, just come from a major battle. Upon returning, he meditated until late at night to restore his energy.

Unexpectedly, the moment he recovered, Gongsun Jinghong, Teng County, and Qiu Lan pounced on him in perfect sync, initiating the Cultivation of the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill.

Qiu Lan was especially vigorous.

She looked as if she had finally had an epiphany.

Their Cultivation continued until dawn.

Qiu Lan no longer needed to enter seclusion. At long last, just like Teng County and Gongsun Jinghong, she broke through to the Spiritual Energy Realm at the very peak of their Cultivation.

Her long-held wish of becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was finally fulfilled.

This wasn’t solely thanks to the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill; it was also a boon gained from "borrowing momentum."

While it surely wasn’t as profound as the way Lu Guanghua had wanted to borrow momentum from Li Dingjie—a process which might have even involved some Secret Technique—the results were clearly just as impressive.

Seeing that Qiu Lan, too, had successfully broken through, Zou Feng couldn’t help but feel a little impressed with himself.

’Looks like I really do have some kind of supportive buff in that department...’

’Thinking back, even before I cultivated the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill, I helped Tian Yun achieve a breakthrough while we were intimate.’

’So if Tian Yun and Bian Yixia could make it to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, the boons they’d receive would be no less than Qiu Lan’s.’

Recalling the first two women who had followed him, Zou Feng felt a desperate urge to bring them to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, but he currently lacked the power to do so.

After all, to safely cross the Fallen Immortal Sea without relying on sheer luck, one needed to have, at the very least, established a Dao Foundation.

And even if he did establish his Dao Foundation, he still had to watch out for Lu Guanghua’s revenge, meaning he couldn’t leave the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect rashly.

The thought made Zou Feng eager to burn through Lu Guanghua’s already dwindling lifespan as quickly as possible.

’Speaking of which, how many years does that guy have left?’

’Given how desperate he was before and how utterly he despaired in the end, his lifespan is probably less than ten years, right?’

’After all, if he still had forty or fifty years, he wouldn’t have been in such a rush.’

’In that case, the choice for the next Forbidden Technique I should prioritize is clear.’

At this thought, Zou Feng immediately pulled on his pants, escaped the tender embrace of his companions, and went to the front yard pavilion. There, he began to carefully browse the available Forbidden Techniques.

So-called Forbidden Techniques were, in reality, Evil Arts with massive side effects.

The reason the purchase price was so high was clearly that the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect didn’t want too many disciples cultivating them.

Or rather, they didn’t want too many disciples who overestimated their abilities to attempt them.

It was easy for a disciple to get themselves killed, and worse, they could cause all sorts of trouble within the Immortal Sect.

Even if someone went mad, they would surely be suppressed immediately, but the resulting damage would be irreversible.

Therefore, setting a high price to raise the barrier to entry was essential.

Disciples with enough Immortal Fate to afford them were generally either highly capable or had powerful backing. The risks were much lower when people from this group purchased Forbidden Techniques.

Zou Feng’s goal was crystal clear: he was only looking for Forbidden Techniques that consumed one’s lifespan.

Finally, his eyes settled on a Forbidden Technique called the *Sui Fire Sutra*.

Its Cultivation required burning one’s own Essence Blood to temper the internal organs and Spiritual Qi.

Once mastered, one’s Spiritual Qi would be imbued with Sui Fire, which could exorcise evil, shatter illusions, shine brilliantly in all directions, and even ignite the hidden evil thoughts deep within an opponent’s heart.

As for the side effects, the most dangerous was, of course, the drain on one’s lifespan.

Among the Inner Sect disciples, it was unlikely anyone would choose this Skill unless they were confident they could establish their Dao Foundation in a short period.

Zou Feng, however, found the Skill perfect. It could be used to wear down Lu Guanghua and send him to an early grave, while also boosting his own combat strength.

Furthermore, since the Cultivation method involved burning one’s own Essence Blood, the only required resources were large quantities of Elixirs that could replenish qi and blood.

In his daily diet, he would also just have to eat more ingredients that replenished qi and blood.

All in all, the *Sui Fire Sutra* was a relatively inexpensive Forbidden Technique.

His mind made up, Zou Feng immediately confirmed the purchase. Eighty thousand points of Immortal Fate vanished in an instant.