BANG! A mangled body flew backward, not stopping until it slammed into a wall.

In the distance, Lü Zhong expressionlessly recalled his Shuo Jin Sword and commanded his men to press forward.

Yongling City’s waterways, a network of old and new, were undeniably intricate. However, that didn’t mean they were untraceable. The system consisted of three main drainage outlets and seven water inlets. No matter how winding, all other branches eventually connected to one of these ten points.

The area he was now responsible for was one such water inlet.

All he had to do was follow the map and methodically eliminate the Allied Army Cultivators entrenched in the waterways.

As for the Yin Scythe Rats and Moon-Gazing Toads, they were targets for the next phase.

’Less than an ancient hour has passed, and we’ve already run into three waves of Allied Army Cultivators,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself as he walked with the group. ’Seems there’s no shortage of rats hiding in these sewers.’

It was obvious the Allied Army Cultivators had realized the Heling Sect had launched a campaign to exterminate them and were starting to take action. The fighting to come would only grow more brutal.

Just then, the sounds of battle erupted from ahead and to the left.

"Senior Brother Lü, we’ve run into a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Luoyun Sect up ahead! We need your help!" an Outer Disciple yelled as he rushed over. He was panting, covered in fresh gashes, and looked utterly exhausted.

"Alright," Lü Zhong nodded.

He summoned a Spirit Wind, and his speed instantly surged.

A moment later, he arrived in a large underground chamber.

There, a Luoyun Sect cultivator in a blue Dharma Robe was surrounded by ten Heling Sect disciples in a combined-attack formation. He was attacking relentlessly, trying to break through their encirclement.

Seeing Lü Zhong arrive, the Luoyun Sect cultivator intensified his attacks.

But before he could strike more than a few times, Lü Zhong’s Shuo Jin Sword was upon him.

CLANG! A shower of sparks erupted.

After the collision, the two magical artifacts recoiled through the air.

When Lü Zhong got a clear look at the man, he was slightly surprised. It was a Talisman Maker who had lived in Qingliu Square years ago and had even organized the Talisman Maker Mutual Aid Association.

Back then, the man’s cultivation had been higher than his.

But now, they were both at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, on equal footing.

"Fellow Daoist Lü, it’s you!"

Chen Shaoyan panted heavily, his gaze fixed on the approaching Lü Zhong, and his expression grew grim. A glance at the Shuo Jin Sword, which was wreathed in roaring flames, filled him with dread.

Without another word, they both summoned their magical artifacts once more.

Here in the underground waterway, Chen Shaoyan, who had joined the Luoyun Sect, held a clear advantage in both his Cultivation Technique and the terrain by summoning his Jade Water Bead. But unfortunately for him, Lü Zhong had already condensed his Divine Sense, which easily nullified that edge.

BANG!

An explosion of superheated steam swept through the vast underground chamber.

In an instant, everything as far as the eye could see was shrouded in white.

The steam was thick with Spiritual Power, rendering even the Qi Observation Skill useless for seeing clearly. This was bad news for the Heling Sect disciples.

A sudden series of explosive pops echoed out, followed by a piercing scream. Chen Shaoyan, using the Luoyun Sect’s Secret Technique, the Water-Cloud Eye, had seen through the thick steam and successfully ambushed and killed a Heling Sect Outer Disciple.

With one man down, the combined-attack formation instantly fell apart!

But before a hint of joy could cross Chen Shaoyan’s face, he realized he had lost all feeling below his stomach.

A searing pain washed over him, accompanied by the stench of burning flesh. He looked down in horror to see the Molten Fire Sword Tip protruding from his lower abdomen.

Lü Zhong watched, his face devoid of any expression.

The Sword Mantra formed by his hands changed again, and a streak of golden light flashed across Chen Shaoyan’s neck.

Instantly, the man’s head tumbled to the ground.

He beckoned again, and two streaks of sword light flew back to him, bringing with them a gold-embroidered Storage Bag.

After stowing the Storage Bag, Lü Zhong turned to the others and said coldly, "Keep searching. Don’t let a single Allied Army cultivator escape!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The purge continued. Most of what they encountered were Low Tier Allied Army cultivators putting up a stubborn resistance, or even just recently recruited Loose Cultivators serving as cannon fodder. Against the Heling Sect disciples in their formation, they were utterly powerless and usually obliterated in a single exchange.

Killing enemies not only earned them Sect Merits, but also often yielded considerable spoils.

These spoils might be Pills, Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, or assorted spiritual materials, most of which were looted from the workshops in Yongling City after its fall. Selling them could fetch a good number of Spirit Stones.

This was why the Heling Sect disciples fought with increasing fervor.

Lü Zhong had no interest in squabbling over such petty profits, so he hung back, guarding against the potential appearance of more Late-stage cultivators from the Allied Army while he began to inspect the Storage Bag he had just acquired.

Chen Shaoyan’s Storage Bag wasn’t large, but it was packed with items.

"Hm? What’s this?" Lü Zhong murmured in surprise as he took a jade box from the bag.

He peeled the sealing talisman from the surface of the jade box and opened it. Inside lay a brown pill, about the size of a longan fruit, that emitted a soft blue glow. In the vision of his Qi Observation Skill, it shone with exceptional brilliance.

"It really is a Vein Protection Pill!"

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected to find such a prize.

The Foundation Establishment Pill wasn’t the only type of pill that could aid in the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. Many spirit fruit pills had their own unique effects that could, directly or indirectly, provide varying degrees of assistance in the process.

The Vein Protection Pill was one of them.

Vein Protection Pill, a Tier Two Pill.

It could protect one’s heart meridian from damage in the event of a failed Foundation Establishment attempt.

It was essentially a "simplified" Foundation Establishment Pill, one that lacked the effect of increasing the Foundation Establishment Success Rate.

Since the Vein Protection Pill cost only thirty percent of a Foundation Establishment Pill, it became the next-best option for many cultivators and had helped quite a few of them successfully break through to Foundation Establishment.