After the witch ripped out his heart, this mortal body began to lose control.

By 9:00 AM, the sun had risen quite high, and warmth spread throughout the city.

The usually packed Zuixianlou restaurant, which is always full from morning till night, was unusually quiet and deserted today.

The manager cleared the place an hour in advance and then ordered more than a hundred waiters to clean the entire nine-story Drunken Immortal Restaurant inside and out.

All for the sake of leaving a good impression on distinguished guests who come to visit.

Two pure white ice spirit steeds pulled a carriage carved entirely of white jade, their hooves never touching the dust, their steps light and graceful as they walked along the road.

Four Foundation Establishment stage female guards, each riding an ice spirit steed, accompanied them on both sides. All four were veiled in black, and their auras were calm and composed. Passersby avoided them and no one dared to look them in the eye.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the entrance to Zuixianlou.

The carriage curtain made of ice silk was pulled open by two beautiful maids.

Shen Qinghe slowly stepped down from the carriage. She was wearing a plain white dress, and the icy aura around her spread rapidly with each step she took.

The surrounding temperature dropped by more than ten degrees in an instant, and a thin layer of white frost appeared on the ground beneath her feet.

Before the person even entered the building, the intimidating aura had already made the atmosphere in the entire building stagnant.

Outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, the onlookers were completely silent. Shen Qinghe was surrounded by a chilling aura, as aloof and otherworldly as a fairy in the moon.

It wasn't until she led them into the house that they, with their remarkable composure, suddenly realized what was happening and began praising her as a fairy descended from heaven.

The innkeeper respectfully led the way, guiding the group of seven to the top floor, Qingyun Pavilion.

at this time,

Li Wanguan had been waiting quietly in Qingyun Pavilion for more than a quarter of an hour, and had already changed his teacup twice, but his mind was still uneasy.

Since his Li family was promoted to one of the four great families, he had never felt so uneasy.

But the thought of his son ruthlessly killing Lu Changsheng and losing three Foundation Establishment experts, including Chi Feng and the Xue brothers, made his heart sink to the bottom.

As footsteps approached from downstairs, the temperature inside the pavilion plummeted, and wisps of cold air pierced the skin like fine needles, instantly causing a layer of white frost to condense on the surface of the teacup.

He then knew that Shen Qinghe had arrived.

"The Shen family's niece!"

Li Wanguan suddenly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and forced a smile on his face.

But the moment her gaze fell upon Shen Qinghe, her smile froze on her face.

She entered slowly, dressed in a simple white gown, surrounded by a chilling aura like celestial mist.

With a cool and aloof demeanor, he exuded a sense of detachment. Even without uttering a word, the pressure emanating from him made the two remaining mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators on the Li family's side, as well as Li Wanguan himself, feel a tightness in their hearts.

Four female guards, all mid-Foundation Establishment stage and veiled in black, stood on either side of the door, their auras as cold as knives, completely sealing off any escape routes for the three members of the Li family.

Upon first encountering setbacks, Li Wanguan's attitude changed drastically. He immediately cupped his hands and bowed, adopting an extremely humble posture, completely abandoning any trace of the arrogance of the Li family head.

"Miss Shen, it is an honor to have you here. I, Li, have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Shen Qinghe didn't even glance at him, and went straight to the main seat in the pavilion to sit down.

She lowered her eyes and rubbed her fingertips, her voice clear and cold, devoid of any warmth:

"There's no need to beat around the bush anymore. Your Li family sent people outside the city to hunt down my Shen family's son-in-law, intending to kill him. You should be prepared for the worst-case scenario of annihilation."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Yin energy surged violently, its pressure overwhelming Li Wanguan. The pressure was so strong that even the teacups on the table shattered instantly.

Li Wanguan, overwhelmed by the oppressive aura, turned pale but forced himself to remain calm and speak:

"Young Miss, this is all a misunderstanding!"

My son merely sent Chifeng to invite the Shen family's son-in-law to our residence for a visit; he had no intention of harming him.

Perhaps the Xue brothers have a personal grudge against your husband and acted on their own; this has nothing to do with my Li family!

"Misunderstanding?" Shen Qinghe raised his eyes, his cold gaze piercing Li Wanguan like a blade. "Chifeng is a guest of your Li family, and the Xue brothers are also guests of your Li family. Four Foundation Establishment cultivators besieged and killed a Qi Refining Peak cultivator, and you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"

Since your Li family is unwilling to give an explanation, then there's nothing more to say. All three of you, come at me together!

As he spoke, Shen Qinghe slammed his palm down on the tea table beside him, shattering it, and the powerful spiritual pressure emanating from his body intensified even further.

At this moment, Li Wanguan felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, his face turned completely ugly, and cold sweat slid down his forehead. He knew that if this matter was delayed any longer, the three of them would probably die at Zuixianlou.

"Shen, Shen... Miss, please calm down! This was my son's momentary lapse of judgment. I, Li, will definitely discipline him severely and give the Shen family an explanation!"

Furthermore, my Li family is willing to fully assist the Shen family in the search and capture of the fugitive villain Xue Yan, and will also pay 10,000 spirit stones as compensation!

Shen Qinghe's lips curled into a cold smile as he spoke domineeringly:

"You think you can settle this with a mere ten thousand spirit stones? That's far too lenient a price."

As he spoke, Shen Qinghe took a step forward, unleashing the Taiyin Profound Technique, and the chilling air poured directly into the entire room.

The three members of the Li family showed signs of freezing over in an instant.

If Shen Qinghe doesn't stop, the three of them will become three ice sculptures in no time.

"My son-in-law of the Shen family almost lost his life. Do you think you can settle this with ten thousand spirit stones? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

Since you're not going to bring Li Yuansheng, the culprit, then the three of you can die here!

Upon hearing this, Li Wanguan became truly anxious:

"Niece of the Shen family, please have mercy! As long as you are willing to spare us, just name your price."

Faced with life and death, Li Wanguan dared not play any more tricks.

He hadn't seen Shen Qinghe for many years and originally thought that she was a junior and should be easy to fool, and that 10,000 spirit stones would be enough to get rid of her.

But she turned out to be so difficult to deal with now; if he didn't compromise, he might really lose his head.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe finally stopped what he was doing: "Since you're willing to talk properly, then I'll state my conditions."

"First, hand over Li Yuansheng and let the Shen family deal with him as they see fit;"

Secondly, the Li family will compensate my Shen family with 30,000 spirit stones, plus a spirit mine located in Chengnan Village.

Effective immediately, all the shops belonging to your Li family in the south of the city belong to my Shen family, and you are forbidden from setting foot in the south of the city again.

"If you don't agree to these two conditions, then... I'll raze your Li family to the ground!"

Li Wanguan trembled as he looked at the woman before him, at her fierce and ruthless eyes, and at the oppressive aura emanating from her.

Knowing that if they did not yield today, the Li family would surely face annihilation.

He clenched his teeth, and finally collapsed to his knees in despair.

"I will agree to your second condition, but could you... spare my son's life? If you can spare my son, I am willing to give you an additional 30,000 spirit stones."

----------------

Bamboo Grove Courtyard

It was midday, the sun was blazing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Lu Changsheng, dressed in a light blue cultivation robe, stood on the tips of bamboo, eyes closed, concentrating.

In his mind, he kept refining the Wind Control Technique he had found in the Crimson Wind Storage Bag.

The Wind Control Technique is a light-body escape technique attached to a wood-attribute main cultivation method called the Heavenly Evolution Longevity Technique.

The reason I was chased so badly yesterday was because of my cultivation level; I couldn't escape from a Foundation Establishment expert.

He knew how important this Wind Control Technique was to him at this stage.

Body tempering must continue, and the Wind Control Technique must be cultivated to perfection.

After his experience last night, he felt that his cultivation techniques were much smoother and less strenuous than before. Now, when he cultivated the Wind Control Technique, he felt that he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.