### Chapter 135: A Single Strike to Kill

Seeing this, Chen Zhong threw his head back and laughed heartily.

He quickly sat down cross-legged and began absorbing spirit stones to replenish his spiritual energy.

He wasn't skilled in breaking formations through clever means, but brute force was something he was familiar with.

As a rogue cultivator, he had encountered similar formations before. Such formations would collapse once the spirit stones powering them were depleted.

With his protective magical tool and ample supply of pills and spirit stones, he could endure the formation's attacks for a long time.

Once the formation's spirit stones were exhausted, it would naturally dissipate.

At that point, he would be able to claim the legacy left behind by the senior cultivator.

With this thought in mind, a broad smile spread across Chen Zhong's face, as if he could already see the so-called legacy before him.

However, just as he sat down to absorb spiritual energy, He Song, who had been hiding several miles away, returned to the valley using his Earth Traveling Art.

He summoned his Crimson Gold Sword and Earth Shield, holding several high-grade Earth Talismans in his hand.

Calmly, he observed Chen Zhong sitting inside the Five Elements Formation, absorbing spiritual energy.

Without hesitation, He Song unleashed his Mountain-Suppressing Sword Art.

A flash of crimson-gold light streaked through the air.

Inside the Five Elements Formation, Chen Zhong, who had been fantasizing about obtaining the senior's legacy and advancing further on his cultivation path, suddenly collapsed in shock.

Even as his head was severed by the Crimson Gold Sword, he couldn't comprehend what had happened.

Why had the attacks from the Five Elements Formation suddenly become so terrifying? Everything had been fine moments ago.

His shield had been able to block all the attacks, and he only needed to sustain his spiritual energy output to hold out for a long time.

But then, a crimson-gold flash had appeared, and the next thing he knew, he was staring at a headless corpse. He recognized the corpse—it was his own.

As his head rolled to the ground, Chen Zhong saw the attacks from the Five Elements Formation cease, and He Song's figure appeared.

Only then did he realize the truth.

"So, someone had already taken this place," he thought, his final sight being He Song casually pointing a finger and summoning a massive fireball that engulfed his body.

Chen Zhong never realized that what he and his so-called "Brother Li" had been searching for wasn't a senior's legacy at all.

Instead, it was a spirit field capable of producing over 20,000 pounds of spirit rice annually, which could yield more than 2,000 spirit stones in a single year.

If they had managed to seize this spirit field, their lives would have changed dramatically.

They might even have had a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future.

Unfortunately, Chen Zhong had arrived at the wrong time.

If he had come ten days or half a month later, He Song would have already left, and the valley would have returned to its original state, leaving no trace of the spirit fields.

If He Song hadn't been concerned about exposing his identity, Chen Zhong might not have met such a tragic end.

After incinerating Chen Zhong's body and collecting the ashes into his storage pouch for later use, He Song picked up Chen Zhong's storage pouch.

It was a low-grade pouch, typical of most mid-stage and even late-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivators.

Flipping through its contents, He Song's eyes flickered with surprise.

Aside from spirit stones and magical tools, the pouch was filled with pills for restoring spiritual energy.

The sheer number of pills was worth a considerable amount.

After calculating, He Song estimated that the contents of the pouch were worth over 700 spirit stones, making Chen Zhong a relatively wealthy mid-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivator.

"It seems this guy really had some idea of what he was getting into and came well-prepared," He Song muttered, storing the pouch away. He then sighed and sat down to meditate.

Having just killed someone, He Song decided to wait in the valley for a while.

He wanted to give the weeds time to grow and restore the valley to its natural state, ensuring no one would notice anything amiss.

With the Five Elements Formation and Maze Formation in place, he didn't need to worry about his safety.

Even if someone stumbled upon the valley during this short period, He Song could easily escape using the formations if necessary.

Since there was no immediate threat to his safety, He Song saw no harm in waiting until the valley returned to its original state before leaving.

After all, if he left too soon and someone else discovered the anomalies, it could lead to more trouble.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. During this time, He Song erased all traces of himself, the spirit fields, and the formations from the valley.

By now, he had even dismantled the Five Elements Formation and Maze Formation.

The valley, which had once held twenty acres of spirit fields, was now overgrown with weeds, showing no signs of its previous use.

The sparse spiritual energy in the area had allowed the plants to grow rapidly.

With all traces thoroughly erased, He Song sank into the ground and swiftly departed.

As he traveled, He Song began searching for a new location to cultivate spirit fields. The valley near the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was no longer usable.

He couldn't guarantee that someone else wouldn't follow the trail and find it.

Therefore, it was better to find a new, more secluded location to start over.

After leaving the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market far behind, He Song emerged from the ground and began using the Mountain-Linking Wind Art to travel back toward the Earth Sect while scouting for a new hidden location.

Unconsciously, he deviated from the direct route back to the sect, taking a detour as he continued his search.

Several days passed, and He Song still hadn't found a suitable location for cultivating spirit fields. Such places were indeed rare.

Nevertheless, He Song pressed on, though his path had shifted slightly from his original route.

As he moved forward, a casual glance suddenly caught his attention. Without realizing it, he had arrived above a valley.

Below, the valley was shrouded in mist, with a vast interior surrounded by towering mountains. The sight filled He Song with excitement.

"This place... it seems like it could be turned into spirit fields," He Song thought, his gaze growing intense.

This valley appeared even larger than the one he had first cultivated.

A rough estimate suggested that it could accommodate up to thirty acres of spirit fields.

Thirty acres of spirit fields! That would yield over 30,000 pounds of spirit rice annually, which could be sold for more than 3,000 spirit stones.

With this thought, He Song immediately descended into the mist-covered valley.

He scanned his surroundings.

The valley was hidden by the mist above, and a clear stream flowed through it like a jade dragon.

The soil was fertile, and the lack of dense spiritual energy meant it wouldn't attract other cultivators.

The more He Song looked, the more satisfied he became.

This was indeed an excellent location for cultivating spirit fields.

Moreover, it was only a few thousand miles from the Earth Sect, much closer than the previous location, which had been over ten thousand miles away.

Establishing spirit fields here would be far more convenient than continuing to operate near the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

However, before he could begin cultivating, He Song needed to set up a Maze Formation, a Five Elements Formation, and a Spirit Gathering Formation large enough to cover thirty acres of land.

Once he had a plan, He Song acted quickly. Over the next few days, he set up the formations, completely enveloping the valley.

After finishing, He Song glanced at the storage pouches on his person and decided it was time to dispose of the loot.

"It will take two years for this valley's soil to fully transform into spirit fields, and another year before it can produce spirit rice. In the meantime, I should sell the spirit rice I have and get rid of the other items. I need to find an immortal market."

Recalling the maps he had studied, He Song quickly determined his current location and identified the nearest immortal market.

"The Ten Thousand Blossoms Immortal Market?"

(End of Chapter)

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