"Thunderfire Poison Dragon Drill" and "World-Ending Destruction Spear" were the two ultimate techniques Teng Qingshan had mastered over the past six months. Having comprehended the 'Way of Water,' combined with his physical strength, Teng Qingshan had essentially grasped nine-tenths of the world's power. Therefore, he desperately needed techniques suited to channel this immense power.

The Thunderfire Poison Dragon Drill was a move created using the 'Poison Dragon Drill' as its prototype. Its sheer destructive force wasn't overwhelming; it consumed no internal energy and offered no multiplier effect, leveraging only the force of the nine-tenths of world power he commanded.

The World-Ending Destruction Spear was different. The Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting had originally been a terrifying axe technique centered on annihilation and slaughter. If the first thirty forms corresponded to the Five Elements, then the thirty-first through thirty-sixth forms were stances executed from different perspectives of that axe art. After comprehending the 'Way of Destruction,' Teng Qingshan re-examined these six forms. Gaining new insights, everything merged into his spear work, culminating in the creation of this technique—the World-Ending Destruction Spear! A fierce spear thrust, primarily rooted in the Realm of Destruction. It channeled nine-tenths of his world power but unleashed a force equivalent to ten-tenths, perhaps even slightly more!

"Pfft!"

Teng Qingshan violently retracted the Reincarnation Spear. Blood immediately spurted from the Blind Sword Saint's throat. The man’s entire body weakly collapsed, sinking to his knees. A faint, fierce glare still flickered in his clouded eyes before dissipating. He spat a few indistinct sounds mixed with blood from the corner of his mouth, then his head dropped heavily, utterly motionless.

"Grandmaster!!!" A shrill cry echoed from not far away. It was Tie Pan, the 'Island Master' of Qinghu Island.

"It's over. Everything is over."

Teng Qingshan held the Reincarnation Spear in one hand. Faint traces of the Blind Sword Saint's blood adorned the spear tip and the red tassel. "The feud between me and Qinghu Island is finally settled!" In that moment, numerous faces flashed through Teng Qingshan's mind—those lost because of Qinghu Island: Miss Qing, Teng Yongxiang, the brothers of the Black Armored Army who perished under countless arrows, and Elder Wu of the Void Realm from the Guiyuan Sect.

"The conclusion: Qinghu Island is wiped out! Yang Province belongs to my Guiyuan Sect."

A faint light glimmered in Teng Qingshan's eyes. "However, this is merely the beginning!"

Whoosh!

With the Reincarnation Spear slung on his back, grasping the corpse of the Blind Sword Saint in one hand, Teng Qingshan shifted his body in a flash, arriving beside Tie Pan, who was already utterly devastated and on the verge of collapse. When Teng Qingshan fought the Blind Sword Saint, Tie Pan had never considered fleeing. Firstly, a Void Realm expert could clearly perceive a thirty-four-li radius; with his Dantian ruined, it would take him at least half an hour to escape that distance. Secondly, even if he escaped now that the Blind Sword Saint was dead, what would be the point?

"Xiao Qing!" Holding the Blind Sword Saint's corpse in his left hand and Tie Pan in his right, Teng Qingshan leaped a hundred zhang into the sky.

"Screeeech~~"

The Undying Phoenix let out an excited cry before gliding over. Teng Qingshan landed neatly upon its back. Then, with a flap of its wings, the Undying Phoenix soared directly northward, leaving nothing behind on the boundless plains but a pool of blood.

Under a pavilion in the western garden of Teng Family Village, Zhuge Yuanhong sat quietly, able to faintly hear the synchronized 'Heh-ha!' cries of a group of youths practicing in the outer training grounds. The West Garden was vast, accommodating not only the residence of Teng Qingshan and his wife but also ninety-eight youths, as well as the living quarters for Teng Beast and other guests.

"Whoosh!" A streak of fiery red light descended from the sky, landing beside the pavilion.

"Qingshan." Zhuge Yuanhong stood up, but upon seeing the two individuals Teng Qingshan was holding, he couldn't help but reveal a look of shock.

Teng Qingshan placed the Blind Sword Saint’s body on the nearby lawn. Then, he casually tossed the still-living Tie Pan to one side.

"This... is this the Blind Sword Saint, 'Tie Wu'?" Zhuge Yuanhong walked over, examining the corpse closely. The Blind Sword Saint was clad in black, a gruesome wound visible on his throat, still stained with blood that hadn't fully dried.

"I killed him outside Lu City," Teng Qingshan confirmed with a nod.

Zhuge Yuanhong stared at Tie Wu’s corpse for a while, then threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Good riddance! Well slain!"

With a thud, Zhuge Yuanhong knelt facing the east, hitting his head heavily on the ground. Then, looking up, he called out, his voice trembling slightly, "Grandmaster, Qingshan has avenged you! Did you see? That Tie Man, he's dead!" Tears were glistening in Zhuge Yuanhong's eyes.

Zhuge Yuanhong had been personally tutored by Elder Wu; though he called him Grandmaster, their relationship was closer to that of master and disciple.

The death of Elder Wu had always weighed heavily on Zhuge Yuanhong’s heart, but he lacked the power to take revenge, forcing him to endure!

"Zhuge Yuanhong, what are you gloating about, shouting like that? No matter what, wasn't your Guiyuan Sect's Void Realm expert still killed before my Grandmaster?" Tie Pan, filled with internal pain, couldn't help but sneer.

"Hmph," Zhuge Yuanhong glanced at him but responded with a light smile. "Island Master Tie, master of a doomed island, you still have the leisure to care about who died first."

"Tie Pan, listen carefully," Zhuge Yuanhong said with a gentle smile. "Within ten days, all of Yang Province will belong to my Guiyuan Sect. There will be no place left for Qinghu Island to stand. Keep your eyes open and watch clearly!"

...

The death of the Blind Sword Saint was a devastating blow to the high-ranking members of Qinghu Island.

And the capture of the Island Master, Tie Pan, dealt an equally enormous shock to the rank-and-file disciples and army members of the island. In just seven days, the Longgang Army swept through and captured the last three commandery cities in Yang Province. With the high command demoralized and the lower ranks lacking morale, Qinghu Island lost the will to even fight to the death.

Thus, all thirteen commanderies of Yang Province fell into the hands of the Guiyuan Sect.

**

In a mountain village in southern Yang Province, bordering the Southern Savage Lands.

Whoosh!

A blurry phantom shot out from the edge of the desolate wilderness, advancing at an astonishing speed, soon darting into the village and directly into an ordinary house within a manor.

"Hmm?" A silver-haired elder inside the room started, and upon seeing the arrival, immediately displayed a look of surprise, bowing respectfully: "My Lord!"

"The intelligence."

The person who arrived was clad in rough grey linen, his long hair loose, barefoot, resembling a wild man. It was Gu Yong, the former Island Master of Qinghu Island.

"My Lord." The silver-haired elder painfully handed over a stack of intelligence reports, urgently stating: "The Grand Elder has been killed, and the Island Master has been captured alive by the Guiyuan Sect. Even our island’s last three commanderies have been seized by the Guiyuan Sect. Our Qinghu Island... is finished. My Lord, what should we do now?"

The surviving members of Qinghu Island scattered across the regions were gripped by fear and uncertainty.

And now, the only one who could lead them, the one who could rally everyone with a single call, was Gu Yong!

Gu Yong flipped through the reports. As he read the words on the papers, his hands trembled slightly. He remained silent. After reading everything, he set the intelligence down.

"My Lord, what exactly should we do?" the silver-haired elder asked again.

"As previously decided. Go into hiding," Gu Yong stated coolly. "Cultivate the next generation of disciples for our Qinghu Island. Hopefully, after several centuries, our island can rise again. As for me... you do not need to look for me again." With that, Gu Yong transformed into a phantom and vanished into the distant south under the elder’s despairing gaze.

Deep within the Savage Wilderness.

Gu Yong knelt alone beside a mountain stream, his body trembling as he let out muffled sobs.

"Aaaaah~~"

Amidst a terrifying, hoarse roar, there were also strange sounds, as if flesh and blood were being torn apart.

Suddenly—

Gu Yong, who had been kneeling, snapped his head up. He saw a hideous, terrifying 'face' covered in claw marks, with blood and flesh churning. His face... it was completely disfigured! This visage was something that would likely cause nightmares in any ordinary person who saw it; it could barely be called a face anymore.

"Guiyuan Sect! Teng Qingshan! I will return! I definitely will!!!"

Like a desperate beast, after letting out a roar, Gu Yong dove directly into the depths of the Savage Wilderness and vanished.

**

While the remnants of Qinghu Island despaired, the families that had once held sway under Qinghu Island’s banner were either fleeing, being captured, or surrendering—a symphony of grief. Conversely, the hundreds of thousands of disciples of the Guiyuan Sect erupted in joyous celebration. The Guiyuan Sect had finally become the foremost sect in all of Yang Province!

Renowned as one of the Seven Great Sects of the Nine Provinces!

In Jiangning Commandery, whether in taverns, cloth shops, or even the fields, one could hear discussions everywhere. All of Yang Province knew the heavens had changed; the sky no longer belonged to 'Qinghu Island,' but to the 'Guiyuan Sect.' This transformation was credited entirely to the peerless figure emerging from the Guiyuan Sect: 'Teng Qingshan.' Instantly, tales of Teng Qingshan—some true, others entirely fabricated—spread across the Nine Provinces.

Young men filled with hope listened to stories of Teng Qingshan and began to strive diligently.

Hoping one day to achieve fame across the world.

...

A celebratory atmosphere permeated Teng Family Village. Within a hundred-li radius, every young woman in every village wished to marry into the Teng Family Village. For them, marrying in meant an end to want, security from danger, and returning to their maternal home brought immense prestige. This also made all the men in Teng Family Village extremely happy, and many young children diligently practiced the Twelve Forms of Xingyi Boxing.

The Twelve Forms of Xingyi and the Three-Posture Stance had become mandatory studies for every man in Teng Family Village.

...

On the sixteenth of April, within the legendary Teng Family Village.

Teng Qingshan and Zhuge Yuanhong stood side-by-side in a corner, watching a group of youths practice their fist forms on the training ground.

"Qingshan, are the boxing styles you created truly that remarkable? Without needing to sit cross-legged to practice internal energy, just practicing these movements... can it generate internal energy? And significantly increase physical power?" Zhuge Yuanhong couldn't help but sound disbelieving as Teng Qingshan detailed the advantages of internal martial arts. "Possessing both internal energy and superior physical strength. Isn't this stronger than the Daoist or Buddhist schools?"

"Each has its strengths and weaknesses," Teng Qingshan stated confidently. "Master, my internal martial arts require extremely high aptitude. Among twenty ordinary youths, perhaps only one can be selected to study internal martial arts. The requirement for talent is high, and—to open all meridians throughout the body and reach the Grandmaster Realm, which is the Innate Realm—is incredibly difficult."

"However, once successful, one achieves Gang Qi comparable to Innate True Essence, coupled with astonishing physical strength. At the same level, my internal martial arts masters will absolutely overpower Daoist or Buddhist practitioners." Teng Qingshan spoke with absolute conviction.

Zhuge Yuanhong listened with amazement, but then his expression shifted slightly.

"Qingshan," Zhuge Yuanhong's voice became serious.

"Master?" Teng Qingshan paused, turning to look at him.

"Tell me honestly," Zhuge Yuanhong said in a low tone. "Are you planning to establish your own school and pass down this lineage of internal martial arts?"

Teng Qingshan was momentarily stunned but then nodded.

Zhuge Yuanhong frowned. "If you are founding a sect, where does that place my Guiyuan Sect?"