"Ah... Si Yangze, save me..."

Lv Jianben let out a heart-shaking cry as two jets of blood sprayed from his wound, their color a vibrant red. His face was etched with terror, and his eyes were filled with venomous resentment. At this moment, he had truly reached a dead end.

However, although the Flying Sword had pierced his chest, he had managed to avoid his vital organs. His heart was spared, which was why he could still cry out to Si Yangze for help. His heart was now filled with regret for underestimating Zhang Bin and the Taiqing Sect. Having only cultivated to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core Realm, he was no match for Zhang Bin, who possessed two Middle-Grade Magical Treasures. If only he had reached the Late Stage, he might have had a chance. He had been too impulsive.

"Die." Zhang Bin, wary of Si Yangze intervening, dared not delay. With a single thought, his Flying Sword reversed course, shooting toward the back of Lv Jianben's head with overwhelming killing intent. Now that Lv Jianben was gravely injured, he had no way to parry the attack. This time, his death was certain.

"Lv Jianben is doomed. What a pity for a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator."

"It's not that his power is lacking, but his treasures are inferior."

"With two treasures like those, Zhang Bin definitely has the strength to kill a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator."

Many cultivators sighed with lament.

"Kill, kill, kill..."

"Senior Brother, kill him..."

"BWAHAHAHA... Serves you right for being so arrogant! Now you know how powerful we are, right?"

Ma Rufei and the other two goofballs became incredibly excited, waving their arms frenetically and shouting like madmen. They nearly burst Wu Qianqian's eardrums.

Just as the Flying Sword was about to annihilate Lv Jianben, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared. No one saw how he got there. It was none other than the Sect Leader of the Daoyi Sect, Si Yangze. He stood like an unshakable mountain behind Lv Jianben, his burning gaze fixed on the incoming Flying Sword. He suddenly bellowed, "Five Thunder Righteous Method!"

Before his words had fully faded, a dazzling bolt of lightning erupted from each of his ears, smashing into Zhang Bin's Flying Sword with a force that seemed capable of destroying everything.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound echoed as if the heavens and the earth were splitting apart. Enveloped in thunder, Zhang Bin's Flying Sword was struck by the immense force and sent tumbling away, its power to kill Lv Jianben completely gone. The terrifying might of a Cultivator at the Peak of the Golden Core Realm sent a silent shock through everyone present.

Zhang Bin was also extremely apprehensive.

With his current strength and two Middle-Grade Magical Treasures, he could deal with Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivators but not those in the Late Stage, let alone someone like Si Yangze at the Peak of the Golden Core Realm. If he were to fight Si Yangze in a battle to the death without any other trump cards, his only option would be to use Sword Control to flee back to Sanchahe Village. Otherwise, his fate would be tragic.

By all rights, Zhang Bin should have been furious that Si Yangze had broken the rules by intervening to save Lv Jianben. However, to everyone's confusion, a strange smile appeared on Zhang Bin's face, as if he were overjoyed.

Indeed, at that moment, Zhang Bin was so elated he almost shouted for joy. He had suddenly understood a line from the Tao Te Ching: "Thunder is in the ears." This phrase had always seemed mundane. Zhang Bin's previous understanding was simple: one hears thunder through the ears. A deaf person could see lightning but never hear thunder. Therefore, thunder is in the ears. But just now, he had seen Si Yangze use his ears to produce thunder. Coupled with his recent comprehension of the phrase "the sun is in the eyes," his understanding suddenly expanded. It turned out that "thunder is in the ears" didn't just mean the ears hear thunder. Rather, because the ears can hear thunder, they are special organs capable of storing it. To cultivate the Thunder Technique, one must start with the ears! In the past, when he fought the Genetically Enhanced Humans from America, he had noticed they could emit thunder from their ears. At the time, he was confused and couldn't grasp the mystery. But now, he understood completely. He had comprehended it. For any other Cultivator, even with such an epiphany, cultivating the Light System Dao Method and the Thunder Technique would be incredibly difficult without the proper Cultivation Technique. Only disciples from powerful sects possessed the techniques and secret incantations, which, combined with exceptional talent, allowed them to succeed. Although Zhang Bin had obtained the Qingmu Longevity Technique and the Pure Heart Mystique, he had not received the orally transmitted secret incantations, as not even Gao Si had mastered them. Secret incantations, by their nature, could not be written down; they had to be passed on by word of mouth. Only in the face of an unexpected, life-threatening situation with no disciple or successor to pass them to would they be recorded in writing. The annotations in the Tao Te Ching were, in fact, such secret incantations, likely written under those very circumstances to ensure the legacy would not be lost. But even then, they were written vaguely. An outsider who obtained them would likely be unable to comprehend them. Only a member of the sect could decipher them using their cultivation experience and the sect's techniques and scriptures. Zhang Bin should not have been able to comprehend them either, because the inheritance he received from Daoist Elder Taiqing was incomplete. It only contained cultivation methods up to the Golden Core Realm, lacking the techniques to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. However, Zhang Bin had also acquired two Magical Techniques from the Xuanwu Star: the Qingmu Longevity Technique and the Pure Heart Mystique. The Qingmu Longevity Technique could be cultivated all the way to the Divine Tree Realm, while the Pure Heart Mystique specialized in Cultivating Special Abilities, which in essence was a wondrous technique for cultivating Daoist Magic. The only thing missing was the oral teachings from Xuanwu Star. No, no, no, perhaps Xuanwu Star had no oral teachings at all. Perhaps with diligent cultivation of the Pure Heart Mystique and extraordinary talent, one would naturally develop various kinds of Daoist Magic over time. But Zhang Bin was being targeted by the terrifying Netherworld Organization, and time was what he lacked. He couldn't afford to slowly grow stronger step-by-step. He needed to become stronger quickly, and he had been struggling to find a way. But now, he had one. As long as he cultivated the Pure Heart Mystique while striving to comprehend the secret incantations in the Tao Te Ching, he was certain to grow stronger at a rapid pace. Even major sects like Kunlun only had Cultivation Techniques for True Qi and secret incantations for comprehending Daoist Magic; they didn't possess a wondrous technique like the Pure Heart Mystique. Therefore, this was Zhang Bin's advantage.

Having realized all this, the joy in Zhang Bin's heart was overflowing. No matter how hard he tried to feign anger, he simply couldn't manage it.

"Thank you, Sect Leader, for saving my life," Lv Jianben shouted gratefully, his face a mask of ecstasy.

"No need for thanks, Brother," Si Yangze replied, seemingly on very good terms with Lv Jianben. "Just focus on healing. Leave everything to me."

Once Lv Jianben sat down cross-legged and began consuming healing elixirs, Si Yangze turned his icy gaze upon Zhang Bin. He said coldly, "Zhang Bin, you and Lv Jianben signed a life-and-death contract, an agreement that you wouldn't be held responsible for killing each other. However, Lv Jianben, having cultivated to the Golden Core Mid-Stage, has made significant contributions to the nation. His title, the Butcher of Bloody Hands, was not earned by killing our own people, but the enemies of our country. Whenever foreign powers invaded, their cultivators would attack in tandem. Lv Jianben earned his title by slaying countless such enemy cultivators. He should not die at the hands of his own people, and you have no right to kill him. That is why I intervened. Do you have any objections?"

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