Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

into the night.

The Hundred Household Office in Guobei County was quiet, with only the guards and patrolling soldiers moving about, and occasionally the sound of armor rubbing against swords could be heard.

"Clang~"

The faint tremor of the Evil-Sniffing Longsword made Cao Xiong's eyes snap open.

Ever since he learned that the Evil-Sniffing Longsword had the ability to warn others, he would place the longsword next to Cao Xiong's pillow every time he went to sleep.

It's cloudy tonight, and the room is pitch black with no lights on.

Cao Xiong's hand reached for the hilt of his knife, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

The next moment, Cao Xiong felt a chill run down his spine, and he quickly rolled over.

He fell from the bed to the floor.

"Whoosh~"

The door opened, and a silver needle shot in from outside, multiplying into two, then four...

When they landed on the bed, they were densely packed.

"who!"

"Such keen perception; it was worth the trip I made."

The sound grew louder as it approached, and a thin figure drifted into the room.

Cao Xiong has adapted to the dark environment and his eyesight has improved.

However, he could only see it vaguely and could not make out the person's appearance.

But Cao Xiong already had the answer in his heart: Zhuquanzi.

After returning from the county town, Cao Xiong had been on guard against this person.

Soldiers were stationed outside the barracks, and when they saw Zhu Quanzi swaggering in, it was clear that the two soldiers had been murdered.

"To attack an official of the imperial court—how dare you!"

Cao Xiong got up from the ground and stood facing Zhu Quanzi.

His internal energy circulated rapidly, and he gripped the hilt of the knife tightly with his right hand. He could feel the intense pressure emanating from Zhu Quanzi.

He had to use his full strength to draw his sword, and he only had one chance.

At this point, it is inevitable that time will be delayed.

Zhu Quanzi also noticed Cao Xiong's unusual behavior, but he didn't care at all. In his eyes, Cao Xiong was no different from an ant.

However, Zhu Quanzi had cultivated for decades and had witnessed countless dangers in the world.

There are also many cases of boats capsizing in the gutter.

He chuckled lightly, seemingly unintentionally.

"Haha, Commander Cao, normally I would naturally not want to be an enemy of the imperial court and get involved in its consequences."

"If I kill you, I'm afraid I'll be marked by the destiny of the Ming Dynasty and will never be able to easily set foot in any Ming city again."

"It's a pity that I accepted someone else's commission, and I'm a person of my word."

As the last word fell, Zhu Quanzi made a sudden move.

A fireball was flung out by Zhu Quanzi, and the blazing, bright flames illuminated the entire room as if it were daytime.

In an instant, Cao Xiong saw Zhu Quanzi's appearance clearly: a hooked nose, a chiseled face, and a sinister look.

Cao Xiong could only use the Leaf-Picking Step to escape to the other side of the room.

They went all out right from the start; this Zhuquanzi isn't someone to be fooled.

"Boom!"

The fireball landed on the ground and exploded with a bang, creating a shockwave that spread the fire.

The entire room was engulfed in flames.

Seeing Cao Xiong dodge, Zhu Quanzi immediately released a second fireball, which was faster and more powerful.

"go!"

Cao Xiong took out the Yin Thunder Pearl that Nie Xiaoqian had given him from his bosom.

When the Yin Thunder Pearl touched the fireball, it immediately exploded, and streaks of lightning formed a dense net, extinguishing the fireball.

"Boom!"

Thunder on the ground.

Three thick bolts of lightning shot straight towards Zhuquanzi.

"not good."

Zhu Quanzi looked horrified; the three bolts of lightning gave him a sense of impending doom, as if a natural disaster had struck.

He hurriedly took out a handful of talismans from his storage bag and threw them out without caring about their type.

The talismans burned, ice arrows flew, fireballs raged, and earthen walls formed a dazzling display.

The barracks could not withstand the impact and collapsed directly. Cao Xiong and Zhu Quanzi jumped up at almost the same time and arrived outside the barracks.

The lightning gradually weakened under the continuous obstruction of various talismans.

Zhu Quanzi felt as if his heart was bleeding. These talismans were his most treasured possessions, and he would never use a single one normally.

After the lightning passed through the ice mountain and the sea of ​​fire, although its power was greatly reduced, it seemed to have identified its target and fell towards Zhuquanzi again.

Zhu Quanzi then took out a black shield from his storage bag.

"Boom!"

"Click~"

The lightning dissipated, and the shield in Zhuquanzi's hand was covered in cracks.

Zhu Quanzi looked at Cao Xiong, his killing intent almost tangible.

"die!"

Just as Zhu Quanzi was about to make another move, Cao Man suddenly appeared, wielding a giant axe with both hands, and chopped down at Zhu Quanzi.

"Hmph~"

A gust of wind rose around Zhu Quanzi, and with one hand raised, he steadily blocked Cao Xiong's falling axe.

His spiritual energy surged wildly, and Cao Man, having exhausted all his strength, turned red in the face, unable to advance the axe any further.

"Go!"

Zhu Quanzi's hair was disheveled, and with a sudden burst of strength, he pushed the axe and Cao Man backward, sending them flying and crashing to the ground.

"Sword Drawing Technique~"

Cao Xiong had been waiting for this moment. He drew his Evil-Sniffing Blade, its blade flashing as fast as the wind.

Zhu Quanzi formed a hand seal, and a sea of ​​fire appeared in front of him, engulfing Cao Xiong.

The next moment, the sea of ​​fire was cleaved in two by a single slash, and Cao Xiong had already arrived beside Zhu Quanzi.

"Ah~"

Cao Xiong directly severed half of Zhu Quanzi's body.

Cao Xiong knelt on the ground, this was the first time he had used his full strength to draw his sword after breaking through to the Tendon Refining Realm.

As expected, Zhu Quanzi collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, and was no longer able to fight.

At this moment, other officers and soldiers heard the commotion and rushed over, surrounding Zhuquanzi.

"Cut off his other arm, lock him up, and remember to bandage him up so he doesn't die too quickly."

Cao Xiong was temporarily unable to make a move. Upon hearing his order, Yu Tong walked to Zhu Quanzi's side and chopped off his left arm with a single stroke.

After the battle, Zhu Quanzi was taken away by two soldiers, while the others busied themselves putting out the fire at Cao Xiong's barracks.

Exhausted, Cao Xiong slept for the night in Wei Qiang's barracks.

The next morning, Cao Xiong woke up and went to the cell where the prisoners were held.

In the huge prison cell, there was only Zhu Quanzi.

Unlike his high spirits last night, Zhu Quanzi is now a useless person, listless and weak.

Seeing Cao Xiong approach, Zhu Quanzi remained unmoved, showing no hatred, no emotion, and didn't even lift an eyelid.

A soldier followed Cao Xiong and carried a chair outside Zhuquanzi's prison cell.

Cao Xiong sat down with an air of authority.

"Zhuquanzi~"

Only when he heard Cao Xiong call his name did Zhu Quanzi look at Cao Xiong.

"You actually know me?"

"I know more than just your name; I knew two months ago that Yaksha had sent you to kill me."

An expression of disbelief appeared in Zhuquanzi's eyes.

"Hahaha, I, Zhuquanzi, died without cause. Hurry up and do it."

"No rush. You just need to answer a few questions, and I can give you a quick death, or even let you go."

"As a Qi Refining cultivator, you might still have a chance to recover."

Cao Xiong was not in a hurry to kill Zhu Quanzi. There was no reason not to use the tool placed in front of him.

"What a joke! With my body crippled now, how could I possibly pursue immortality? Let's get started."

Cao Xiong could tell that Zhu Quanzi's heart was dead, and he wouldn't get anything out of her by asking, but he still wouldn't give up.

If he won't take the soft approach, he'll take the hard one.

"Zhuquanzi, you will cooperate with me."