Fang Hao, who had been "panicked" and "ready to hand over the items," suddenly had a terrifying light burst from his eyes! The Aura he had been restraining erupted violently! He was no longer a disguised Early Golden Core Stage, but a Perfected Golden Core, and his Aura was so solid and heavy that it far surpassed an ordinary Perfected Golden Core!

At the same time, his figure vanished from the spot like a ghost! In the next instant, he appeared in front of that tall and thin Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his speed exceeding the reaction time of the three!

"Watch out!" The gloomy middle-aged man realized something was wrong and shouted sharply, but it was already too late.

Fang Hao’s fist had no spiritual power fluctuations, only pure, terrifyingly extreme Physical Body strength. Carrying a shrill whistle that tore through the air, it was like a cannonball leaving the chamber, slamming heavily into the snake-shaped longsword that the tall and thin Foundation Establishment Cultivator had hurriedly raised!

Crack! Pfft!

The snake-shaped longsword, made of refined iron, snapped into several pieces like rotten wood! Fang Hao’s fist’s momentum did not decrease, and it landed squarely on the Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s chest!

There was no scream, only a dull explosion. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s chest instantly collapsed around Fang Hao’s fist, his back suddenly bulged out, his eyeballs nearly burst from their sockets, and his whole body flew backward like a broken sack. He crashed into a broken wall over ten zhang away and slumped to the ground. Blood mixed with internal organ fragments sprayed wildly from his mouth and nose; it was clear he wouldn’t survive.

One punch! With just one punch of pure Physical Body strength, he instantaneously killed a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

"A Body Cultivator?! Perfected Golden Core?!" The gloomy middle-aged man and the short and stout Golden Core Cultivator’s pupils shrank, their faces filled with unbelievable horror! They never expected that this seemingly ordinary "Early Golden Core Stage" Loose Cultivator was actually hiding such terrifying cultivation and strength! Especially that pure Physical Body strength—it was simply unheard of!

"Attack together, kill him!" The gloomy middle-aged man reacted the fastest. With a sharp shout, a pair of shining black hook claws appeared in his hands. His figure was like lightning as he lunged toward Fang Hao, the claw wind fierce, aimed straight for Fang Hao’s throat and Dantian! He was, after all, a Middle Golden Core Stage with rich combat experience. Although shocked, he did not panic, and his first move was a killing blow.

The short and stout Golden Core also roared, waving a pair of black short halberds, stirring up layers of halberd shadows to block Fang Hao’s left and right escape routes. Black light flickered on the halberd blades, clearly coated with deadly poison.

Facing the siege of two Golden Core Cultivators, Fang Hao’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. He just happened to want to test how strong he had become now that his "Golden Qi Marrow Cleansing" had reached Perfection and his strength had greatly increased!

Instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting the gloomy middle-aged man’s hook claws with a punch! The punch was silent, but it carried a terrifying Aura as heavy as a mountain and as sharp as a blade! Upon the fist, platinum and dark red light faintly flashed and vanished.

The gloomy middle-aged man only felt an irresistible force coming at him. His hook claws, infused with all his spiritual power, collided with Fang Hao’s fist, actually producing a loud clang like metal striking metal. Then, a scorching, sharp, and overwhelmingly terrifying force transmitted through the hook claws!

"Pfft!" The gloomy middle-aged man felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His face instantly turned red, his throat felt sweet, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He was like someone hit by a prehistoric Vicious Beast, stumbling back seven or eight steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground. Fine cracks actually appeared on the hook claws! His eyes were filled with absolute horror. This power... this was simply not the power a Golden Core Cultivator should have! And that scorching, sharp Qi coming from the fist could actually penetrate a Magical Artifact and burn his Meridians!

As for Fang Hao, his figure only swayed slightly before he appeared like a ghost at the side of the short and stout Golden Core Cultivator. Ignoring the vicious halberd shadows sweeping toward his ribs, he delivered a seemingly simple whip kick. With a shrill sound of breaking air, it slammed heavily into the short and stout Golden Core’s waist and abdomen!

The short and stout Golden Core was greatly alarmed. He hadn’t expected Fang Hao to be so brave as to dare to take his short halberds head-on. He roared, changing his halberd move to block in front of him, while an earth-yellow protective spiritual light lit up on his body.

Boom!

Fang Hao’s whip kick was like a steel whip or an iron pillar, slamming heavily onto the short halberds. The short and stout Golden Core only felt an indescribable force. The short halberds shook violently, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split, and his protective spiritual light shattered like paper. He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, smashing through half a ruined wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and who knows how many ribs were broken. He lay on the ground, struggling, but unable to get up for the moment.

In just one encounter, of the two Golden Core Cultivators, one was dead and one was heavily injured! Only the gloomy Middle Golden Core Stage man, relying on his cultivation and Magical Artifact, barely managed to block a punch, yet he also suffered significant internal injuries.

"You... who exactly are you?!" The gloomy middle-aged man clutched his chest, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of fear. He no longer had the slightest bit of contempt, only boundless chill in his heart. This young man before him—how was he some Early Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivator who could be easily handled? He was clearly a prehistoric Vicious Beast in sheep’s clothing!

Fang Hao did not answer. He took a step forward, his figure like lightning, rushing toward the gloomy middle-aged man again. Since he had already made a move, there was no need to leave any survivors! It seemed he could no longer stay in Tiangong City. He had to deal with the tails before more people were alerted, and then leave quickly!

A fierce light flashed in the gloomy middle-aged man’s eyes. Knowing that things would not end well today, he suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the pair of cracked hook claws in his hand, shouting, "Nether Ghost Claws, go!"

The pair of black hook claws absorbed the essence blood, and the black light flourished, transforming into two ten-foot-sized pitch-black ghost claws. With the sound of shrill ghostly wails, they clawed at Fang Hao from the left and right. The Yin Qi on the ghost claws was bone-chilling, seemingly able to freeze the Soul, and their power was several times stronger than before! It was clearly a desperate secret technique that consumed one’s Origin.

At the same time, he retreated rapidly, a silver Talisman already gripped in his hand, about to be activated for escape! He was completely terrified and only wanted to flee this place immediately to bring the news back to Elder Mo!

"Want to leave?" Fang Hao’s eyes were cold. Facing the two massive pitch-black ghost claws, he neither dodged nor avoided them. He simply raised his right hand, and in his palm, a strange flame interwoven with dark gold and blazing white quietly emerged.

The flame was not large, only the size of a fist, burning quietly, but it caused the surrounding temperature to rise sharply and the air to distort. The gloomy ghostly Qi permeating the two ghost claws seemed to have met its nemesis, making "chi chi" sounds as it rapidly melted away!

"What kind of fire is this?!" The gloomy middle-aged man was struck with horror. From that flame, he felt a scorching heat and sharpness that made his Divine Soul tremble!

Fang Hao didn’t give him any chance. He pushed his palm lightly, and the ball of dark gold and blazing white flame flew out as if it were alive, meeting the two pitch-black ghost claws.

Chi—!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a slight sound like a hot knife cutting through butter. The two seemingly infinitely powerful pitch-black ghost claws, the moment they were touched by the flame, melted and vaporized like ice and snow under the sun, without leaving even a trace of black smoke!

"No—!" The gloomy middle-aged man’s eyes nearly split. Those were his life-bound Magical Artifacts that he had refined for many years, and they were destroyed so easily! His mind suffered a heavy blow, he spat out another mouthful of blood, and his activation of the silver Talisman was a beat slower.

In that split second of delay, Fang Hao’s figure appeared before him like a ghost. A palm glowing with a faint platinum luster pressed lightly against his Dantian under his terrified and desperate gaze.

In the palm, the dark gold and blazing white flame flashed and vanished.

Bang!

A muffled sound. The gloomy middle-aged man’s body suddenly stiffened, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed. He lowered his head, looking in disbelief at the charred handprint on his Dantian. There, his Golden Core, along with his Dantian and Meridians, had been instantaneously incinerated and pierced through by an extremely scorching and sharp power!

"Earth... Earth..." His lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something, but he could no longer make any sound. His body slumped down, devoid of any breath.

Fang Hao withdrew his hand, not even looking at the corpse on the ground, and turned his gaze toward the short and stout Golden Core who was struggling to get up.

That short and stout Golden Core had already been scared out of his wits. Seeing the gloomy middle-aged man killed so easily, his heart and gall were split. Ignoring his heavy injuries, he scrambled to escape, screaming, "Spare me! Senior, spare me! It was Elder Mo... Mo Yunhe sent us! It has nothing to do with me..."

Fang Hao’s eyes were cold. He flicked his finger, and a dark golden spark as thin as a hair shot out like lightning, instantly entering the back of the short and stout Golden Core’s head.

The short and stout Golden Core’s body stiffened, the life in his eyes quickly dissipating as he fell forward. There were no obvious wounds on his body, but his Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul had been completely incinerated by that wisp of Earthly Fiend Golden Flame.

In an instant, the three trackers—two dead and one heavily injured (the Foundation Establishment Cultivator was already dead)—were all executed.

Fang Hao was expressionless. He quickly collected the three’s Storage Pouches and the damaged hook claws, then flicked a dark golden spark onto the three corpses. The flames rose silently, and within a few breaths, the three corpses along with the bloodstains were burned to ashes, leaving not a single trace.

Having done all this, his figure swayed and disappeared from the spot like green smoke, rushing toward a more remote and desolate direction, opposite to the way he came. With a few leaps, he vanished into the intricate ruins of Tiangong City’s streets and alleys.

This place was not suitable to stay for long. Since that Elder Mo had sent people to track and intercept him, if one attempt failed, there would surely be follow-up moves. Moreover, although the fight just now was brief, energy fluctuations were inevitable, and it had likely alerted some nearby Cultivators.

"I must leave Tiangong City immediately!" Fang Hao’s thoughts turned rapidly. The "ten thousand year ironwood heart" couldn’t be found for the time being. The priority was to find a safe place to deal with the outer shell of the "void stone," extract the "void crystal" from it, and then repair the golden puppet. As long as the golden puppet could recover part of its combat power, he would have more confidence even if he faced that Elder Mo.