After resting in the cave to recover his true energy for a night, the next day dawned, and Chen Xuan headed towards the small valley. Along the way, every monster he encountered was slain by him, their inner cores absorbed. The operation of his Swallowing Heaven Technique, at the Seventh Stage of the Heavenly Realm, was becoming faster and faster, absorbing everything within minutes of acquiring it.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy as the elderly man sitting in the first seat asked, "Lihao, did you personally witness Xuan killing the dozen or so people from the Wu and Li families?"

The tone of the old man's voice indicated disbelief.

"Yes, grandfather. Not only was I present, but other disciples of the family were as well. Xuan killed fourteen of them by himself, with seven of them dying from a single blow, and the remaining one escaping," said a young man standing at the lower end.

"Xuan's cultivation jumped from the Fifth Stage to the Sixth Stage so quickly after his experience outside. Four Seventh Stage Heavenly Realm cultivators are no match for him," the old man observed as he looked at the various martial arts manuals in his hand.

"It seems Xuan's encounter was quite significant. No one is allowed to inquire about it," the old man said sternly.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

"Wu's family has invited a Lingwu Realm cultivator to deal with our Chen family. What do you all think?" the old man asked again.

The dozen or so people sitting below frowned.

"Previously, Wu's family and Li's family together only had two Lingwu Realm cultivators, and our Chen family could handle them. Now they have one more. It seems they are planning to act against us," said a middle-aged man.

"Big brother, I think we should move the younger generation of the family away to continue the family bloodline. We old folks can stay here. If necessary, we'll resort to desperate measures," said an older man, Chen Xuan's second grandfather, a fiery-tempered elder.

Chen Xuan's father, upon hearing about his son's remarkable encounter and advancement, should have been delighted. However, the family was now facing pressure from the combined forces of the Wu and Li families, leaving him with no time to consider his son's affairs.

"Family head, can't we seek help from outside as well?" a middle-aged man stood up and asked.

"Seeking help? Do you think I haven't considered that? The area around Hongling Town is only a hundred miles in radius. There are hardly any high-level martial artists in the Lingwu Realm coming here. Usually, only low-level martial artists come here to train in the Sunset Mountains. I don't know where Wu's family found a Lingwu Realm cultivator!" Chen Batian, the family head, said.

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"They still dare not act against us for now. Their interests have not been fully distributed. We need to be prepared. Recently, we need to strictly control the family disciples. If they can avoid going out, they should. In the past, several families would secretly assassinate each other's disciples, but Xuan killed a dozen of them this time. We don't know if that will pass, but this time, someone came back directly and exposed everything," he continued.

...

It took Chen Xuan two hours to reach the entrance of the small valley. The scenery was still enchanting, but he was not in the mood to appreciate it. What he needed now was strength.

The valley was not large, only about two kilometers in diameter when combined. Concealing his aura, Chen Xuan cautiously moved forward. Ninth-stage monsters generally had awakened intelligence, so Chen Xuan didn't dare to be careless.

Arriving at the back of the small valley, Chen Xuan found a cave. He could feel a terrifying aura lurking inside. The nine-stage monster that Elder Li mentioned should be in this cave.

"Old Li, how do we deal with it next?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Lead it out. Your strength won't be fully utilized inside the cave," Elder Li replied.

"How do I lure it out?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Provoke it. Monsters hate being provoked," Elder Li said.

Chen Xuan approached a distance from the cave entrance and shouted with a provocative tone. A roar came from inside the cave, followed by the sound of something crawling out. Chen Xuan grabbed his steel knife and retreated dozens of meters.

Chen Xuan saw a huge head poking out from the cave.

"What kind of monster is this? It looks like a python," Chen Xuan muttered.

At that moment, Elder Li's urgent voice echoed in Chen Xuan's mind.

"Kid, this is a Jiao. It's not something you can deal with now. Retreat quickly."

"This is a Jiao about to enter the Lingwu Realm. It contains a trace of dragon's vein in its body. No wonder no one has entered this small valley. There's such a terrifying creature living here," Elder Li urged Chen Xuan to retreat.

Although Chen Xuan had no problem dealing with a Ninth-stage Heavenly Realm monster, facing a monster about to enter the Lingwu Realm was quite difficult.

When Chen Xuan heard that it was a Jiao about to enter the Lingwu Realm, he became more spirited. Its blood was green. If he could absorb its inner core, he could reach the Eighth Stage of the Heavenly Realm.

While Chen Xuan was thinking, the entire body of the Jiao emerged from the cave. Chen Xuan was shocked. The Jiao was about ten meters long, with a thickness comparable to a water tank. It was like a giant in Chen Xuan's eyes, making him look like an ant in front of it.

Fight or retreat? Chen Xuan quickly analyzed in his mind.

"Let's fight. If I retreat now, every future confrontation will have the thought of retreat, leaving a shadow on my future cultivation. I must be resolute in my practice!"

The Jiao saw a weak human standing before it, its eyes showing a hint of disdain. It seemed that this Jiao was quite intelligent.

"Roar!"

It roared, causing large chunks of rocks to fall from the mountain. The sound waves even surpassed the Sonic Technique. Chen Xuan covered his ears and retreated dozens of meters to withstand the impact of the sound.

"The Jiao doesn't intend to harm you. It's probably trying to drive you away during its critical advancement," Elder Li analyzed for Chen Xuan.

The fact that it didn't intend to harm Chen Xuan didn't mean Chen Xuan didn't want to kill it.

With a swoosh, Chen Xuan moved to the side of the Jiao and fiercely slashed at its abdomen, but the blade couldn't even pierce its skin. Chen Xuan was just testing it out.

Chen Xuan's true energy had increased by nearly three times from the Sixth Stage to the Seventh Stage, so he thought he could easily defeat the Jiao just like the previous battle with the Demon Bear.

The Jiao felt the pain, though the skin wasn't broken. The impact of the true energy caused it discomfort.

Originally, I wanted to spare you, but you dared to provoke me.

"Dragon's Tail Sweep!"

The Jiao's tail swept towards Chen Xuan. If hit, Chen Xuan would become its meal.

Chen Xuan jumped ten meters high, narrowly avoiding the Jiao's tail sweep. As he descended, he slashed fiercely at the Jiao's waist. This time, he used all his strength.

"Chi!"

A one-meter-long wound appeared on the Jiao's skin, and blood gushed out from it. The Jiao roared in pain and anger, swinging its tail wildly at Chen Xuan.

Rocks flew around as the Jiao swept its tail. Dozens of boulder-sized rocks were lifted by the Jiao and thrown at Chen Xuan.