All that was left for him to do was focus on cultivating the Yangsuijing and prepare for Foundation Establishment...

While everything was going smoothly for Zou Feng and developing as expected, some of his adversaries were having a rather difficult time.

In a remote corner of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, Fu Jiaming of the Purple Cloud Association was anxiously pulling at his hair in frustration.

He was currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Fu Jiaming had long ago made ample preparations for establishing an Earth Tier Dao Foundation.

He had been supremely confident in his ability to establish an Earth Tier Dao Foundation.

An Earth Tier Dao Foundation was actually quite impressive. While it didn’t guarantee becoming a True Disciple like a Celestial Tier Dao Foundation, the chances were still high, and it definitely promised a bright future.

However, ever since True Monarch Tianyan told him that Zou Feng would likely be his "death star," Fu Jiaming, who had been so sure of establishing his Earth Tier Dao Foundation, felt completely out of sorts.

This was especially true after Zou Feng killed the Reincarnated Sword Emperor on the Dao Discussion Platform, which made Fu Jiaming lose his appetite and ability to sleep.

Although True Monarch Tianyan’s prediction about whether Zou Feng would win the duel had been wrong, his reputation was still immense. Surely he couldn’t be wrong every time.

And the more he thought about the prediction that Zou Feng would be his death star, the more he felt it would come true...

With this worry constantly on his mind, how could Fu Jiaming possibly focus on Foundation Establishment?

Although he had already forced himself into seclusion, his unsettled mind had caused him to lose more and more confidence.

And so, he could only tear at his hair in a fit of impotent rage.

"Why?! I worked my ass off for the Purple Cloud Association! On what grounds do they just kick me aside like a dog over some minor slip-up?!"

"And you, Nangong Chu, you claim to be so infallible, but didn’t Zou Feng humiliate you all the same? Fucking blind bastard..."

Fu Jiaming started cursing True Monarch Tianyan, Nangong Chu, again, his words growing more and more vicious.

After a while, a sudden, heart-pounding palpitation brought Fu Jiaming to a halt.

"Who... Who is it?!" Sensing an unusual aura, Fu Jiaming’s face drained of color. He thought Nangong Chu might have happened to come by and overheard his curses.

But that couldn’t be right. Nangong Chu hadn’t returned to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect in ages; he’d been busy with something outside.

"You... harbor killing intent toward Zou Feng?"

After a bright flash of light, a blurry figure materialized a short distance in front of Fu Jiaming.

Fu Jiaming focused his eyes and saw that the person who had suddenly appeared was none other than Lu Guanghua—the True Disciple who had gone all-in betting on the Reincarnated Sword Emperor!

However, this likely wasn’t Lu Guanghua’s main body, but an external incarnation.

But even for an incarnation, the aura it radiated was completely different from before, as if he were a totally different person!

Fu Jiaming had, of course, been present to watch the entire duel between Zou Feng and Li Dingjie.

So, naturally, he had seen Lu Guanghua before.

But at that time, anyone could see that Lu Guanghua was significantly weaker than the other True Disciples, whose lifespans were still long.

Especially after Li Dingjie’s fall, Lu Guanghua, no longer able to "ride his coattails," emanated an aura of decay, as if he were on the verge of death.

Yet here and now, how could a mere incarnation suddenly seem so vigorous?

’This shouldn’t be happening. Could it be... a final burst of life before the end?’

"Answer my question!" Lu Guanghua’s tone hardened when he saw Fu Jiaming staring blankly.

Fu Jiaming snapped back to his senses and hastily replied truthfully, "Er... To be honest with you, Lu Zhenchuan, Brother Nangong once predicted that Zou Feng could become my death star, so I naturally hope that Zou Feng will..."

He knew Lu Guanghua hated Zou Feng to his very bones, so there was no point in hiding such things.

In truth, Lu Guanghua had already investigated this and was well aware of the details.

Asking him face-to-face was merely a test to see if Fu Jiaming would tell the truth.

The next moment, Lu Guanghua changed the subject. "It seems you’ve run into some trouble with your Foundation Establishment?"

Fu Jiaming gave a bitter smile. "Every time I look up at the sky, my death star seems to shine a little brighter. How can I possibly focus on Foundation Establishment under these circumstances..."

"I can help you!"

Fu Jiaming was taken aback. "Lu Zhenchuan, you mean you can help me successfully achieve Foundation Establishment?"

Lu Guanghua nodded. "I can see you’ve prepared thoroughly. Establishing an Earth Tier Dao Foundation should have been smooth sailing for you, but you’re being held back by an unstable state of mind."

"But you have one thing completely wrong. If you can achieve Foundation Establishment before Zou Feng does, how can a mere Spiritual Energy Realm cultivator possibly be your death star?"

Fu Jiaming said dejectedly, "But when Zou Feng reaches Foundation Establishment, he’ll most likely form a Celestial Tier Dao Foundation, and that day probably isn’t far off..."

"Enough! Look at this pathetic display!" Lu Guanghua interrupted impatiently. "Why not just kill Zou Feng right now?"

"But right now... there’s no way he’ll leave the Immortal Sect..."

Fu Jiaming knew full well that Lu Guanghua wanted to use him as a blade to get rid of Zou Feng.

Since Zou Feng was his death star, he didn’t mind being that blade. The problem was, Zou Feng would have to be kicked in the head by a donkey to leave the Immortal Sect right now!

Within the monitored range of the Celestial Dao Cauldron, it would be impossible for even someone of Lu Guanghua’s strength to trade his life for Zou Feng’s.

For a prodigy like Zou Feng—especially when everyone knew he and Lu Guanghua had a death feud—the Celestial Dao Cauldron had certainly increased its level of protection over him.

Therefore, forget about a life-for-a-life trade; as long as they were within the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s territory, Lu Guanghua couldn’t even get close to Zou Feng.

If he got within a certain distance, he would likely be warned by the Celestial Dao Cauldron at once.

Lu Guanghua naturally knew this as well, which was why he had to take a roundabout approach to deal with Zou Feng.

"He won’t leave the Immortal Sect?" Lu Guanghua gave a sinister smile. "I wouldn’t be so sure about that..."

As Lu Guanghua explained his plan, Fu Jiaming’s eyes, which had been devoid of hope, suddenly lit up.

’So that’s how it is! This plan might actually work!’

Even if they ultimately failed to kill Zou Feng, they could still throw his state of mind into chaos, likely preventing him from maintaining his current meteoric rise...

「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

After expanding its storefront, the "Crazy Stir-Fry" restaurant reopened for business.

Over the past half-month, Zou Feng had been either training his newly recruited apprentices or cultivating the Dragon and Tiger Kan and Li Skill.

Once "Crazy Stir-Fry" had reopened, Zou Feng prepared an extremely large supply of well-marinated spirit rice and planned to enter seclusion in the Demon Suppression Tower again.

This time in seclusion, he would officially use his Great Success Realm Yangsuijing to give Lu Guanghua a harsh lesson.

Not long after Zou Feng entered the Demon Suppression Tower, news that Fu Jiaming had successfully established an Earth Tier Dao Foundation spread throughout the Inner Sect...

At roughly the same time that Fu Jiaming established his Earth Tier Dao Foundation, in a place known as the Crimson Wasteland, extremely far from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, Jiang Wanzhao was sitting cross-legged on a sand dune, gazing down at a cave entrance that pulsed with red light.

’It’s been nearly a hundred years,’ she thought. ’It’s finally about to produce the Blood Jade Essence!’

Even Jiang Wanzhao couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

Back when she was still a Core Disciple, Jiang Wanzhao had accidentally discovered a blood jade mine in this location.

After becoming a True Disciple, she had naturally claimed it, and it became her own enterprise.

And now, the time to reap the rewards was at hand.

With so much Blood Jade Essence, she could definitely advance her Cultivation another step, allowing her to truly solidify her footing among the ranks of the True Disciples.

After all, having only recently become a True Disciple, her foundation was still too shallow compared to the others.

A moment later, Jiang Wanzhao seemed to sense something and frowned slightly.

"Old Man Lu, since you’re already here, there’s no need to hide!" Jiang Wanzhao said contemptuously, turning her head to the right.

Before her voice had even faded, Lu Guanghua’s figure appeared in a brilliant flash of light.

This time, it was not an external incarnation but his main body, which had left the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect and come here.

After Lu Guanghua appeared, Jiang Wanzhao continued, "Let’s skip the pleasantries. Zou Feng is under my protection now. If you’re smart, you’ll back off, and I’ll let you live out your final years in peace."

"But if you insist on being difficult... then you’ve just delivered yourself right to my doorstep..."

Although she didn’t know why Lu Guanghua had come, Jiang Wanzhao saw this as a golden opportunity to get rid of him for good and eliminate this future threat for Zou Feng.