The battle at Soul-Severing Gorge had settled. Fang Hao hid within the Chaos Grotto-Heaven, recovering his breath while taking stock of the spoils he had looted from Gong Mingyuan. This old fellow was indeed wealthy; in particular, that deep blue poisoned short sword, ’Shadow Kill,’ was of extremely high quality—sinister and ruthless, a fine weapon for sneak attacks. There were also several life-saving Talismans and Medicinal Pills, all of which were of considerable value.

However, there wasn’t much joy on Fang Hao’s face. He sat cross-legged in the hazy Grotto-Heaven, his brow slightly furrowed, his mind as clear as a mirror.

"Killing Gong Mingyuan can be considered as avenging the grudge from Heavenly Wolf Pass. It’s satisfying, truly satisfying," he muttered to himself. "But the core of the Gongming Family remains completely unshaken."

He counted on his fingers: Who was left in the Gongming Family? The Early Nascent Soul Stage Old Ancestor, Gongming Xuan, was their pillar of stability; he stayed in secluded cultivation year-round, but once he emerged, it would be with thunderous rage. The Family Head, Golden Core Great Perfection, a Great Perfection of Golden Core Stage, was also no pushover; having led the Family for many years, his methods were surely ruthless. These two were certainly huddled deep within the core of the Family estate’s turtle shell now, protected by layer upon layer of grand Formations.

"What do I have now? A golden puppet with Middle Nascent Soul Stage combat power—awesome! But it can only pin down one. Do I pin down the Old Ancestor or Golden Core Great Perfection?" Fang Hao curled his lip. "Regardless of which one is pinned down, the remaining one can free up a hand to deal with me. I’m just a Late Foundation Establishment Stage; even if my Formations are powerful, facing a Golden Core Great Perfection or a Nascent Soul Ancestor head-on? That’s not bravery, that’s seeking death!"

Recalling the faint Formation fluctuations radiating from the Gongming Family estate, his heart sank further. The old nest of a Family with such a long Legacy would definitely have defensive Formations that were anything but simple; there might even be hidden trump cards. With his current level of Formation attainment, fighting guerrilla-style or setting ambushes outside was fine, but a frontal assault to break the Formations? The difficulty was too high.

"Charge through the front door and fight to the end?" Fang Hao shook his head, discarding that unrealistic thought. "That’s not revenge; that’s delivering my head on a platter. Man, I haven’t lived long enough yet."

He calmed down and reassessed the situation. This trip to Black Rock City had actually exceeded his goals. Initially, he just wanted to retaliate and vent some frustration. The result? He had quietly taken out three of the enemy’s Golden Core Elders (Gong Mingliang, Gong Ming Hui, and Gong Mingli), plus the just-slaughtered Gong Mingyuan. The Gongming Family’s visible Golden Core combat power now consisted only of the Family Head, Golden Core Great Perfection, and that Early Nascent Soul Stage Old Ancestor. He had also conveniently cleaned up several elite disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

It could be said that the backbone of the Gongming Family had been thrown into chaos by him alone, their Origin Qi severely damaged! Without decades or even a century, they wouldn’t be able to recover. In the short term, let alone organizing a force to hunt him down, they’d be lucky to protect themselves and stabilize the situation in Black Rock City.

And most crucially—the Gongming Family was likely still completely in the dark! They only knew a powerful enemy was targeting them from the shadows, causing heavy losses, but who exactly did it? Was it an individual or an organization? Why target them? These key pieces of information were likely blurry to them. Every time Fang Hao acted, he was clean and efficient—either using the golden puppet for a trace-free instant kill or using Formations to trap and kill while destroying all evidence. He had even intentionally left misleading clues. Even if Golden Core Great Perfection suspected him, without concrete evidence and given the current precarious situation, would he dare to easily leave his nest and run to the Seventh Princes Mansion’s territory in Tianqing City to find trouble? The risk was too great!

"Heh," Fang Hao thought of this, a cold sneer curling his lips. "I bet that Golden Core Great Perfection is currently overwhelmed, trying to soothe the panic within the clan while investigating the true culprit, all while keeping an eye out for other predatory rivals looking to strike while they’re down."

As one side ebbs, the other flows. The Gongming Family’s strength was greatly diminished, and they were trapped in internal strife and external threats. And him? Not only was his great grudge avenged and his frustration vented, but he had also hauled in a large amount of Cultivation resources, and his strength was steadily improving. More importantly, he had won precious, undisturbed time for development!

"Quitting while ahead is what a smart person does." Fang Hao made his decision. Staying near Black Rock City would only get riskier. After suffering such a huge loss, the Gongming Family would surely search like mad. If that Nascent Soul Ancestor used some special method to sniff out a clue, it would be troublesome. Furthermore, he had been away from Tianqing City for a while. Although a Guest Elder was relatively free, not showing up or taking missions for a long time would inevitably attract the Mansion’s attention. If he were deemed ’missing’ or a ’deserter,’ it would be more trouble than it was worth.

"Go back first!" Fang Hao took a deep breath and told himself inwardly. His gaze fell firmly on the distance, as if he could already see the familiar walls of Tianqing City and the gates of the Seventh Princes Mansion.

Tianqing City was his safe harbor. There, he held the status of a Guest Elder of the Seventh Princes Mansion. While this status might be insignificant to some, for Fang Hao, it meant relative safety and abundant resources.

Returning to Tianqing City, he could settle his mind and properly digest the gains from this adventure. These gains included not just material wealth, but more importantly, the experience and insights accumulated in actual combat. Only by converting these gains into true strength could he walk further on his future path.

"When my strength is sufficient in the future—say, when I’ve formed my Core or become even stronger—I’ll come back to settle the final score with the Gongming Family!" Fang Hao clenched his fist tightly, his voice revealing a sense of resolve and confidence.

At that time, he would no longer be that slighted minor character, but a Cultivator with powerful strength. He would make the Gongming Family pay for everything they had ever done to him, and it would be far more than just assassinating a few Elders!

At this thought, the unwillingness and impulsiveness in Fang Hao’s heart gradually subsided. He understood that revenge was not a matter of momentary impulse, but required patience and the accumulation of strength. His current strategic retreat was only to be able to more thoroughly settle the Gongming Family’s crimes in the future.

"One day, I will let you know the consequences of offending me!" Fang Hao swore inwardly.

He delayed no longer. After restoring his state to its peak within the Chaos Grotto-Heaven, he quietly left and appeared in a desolate mountain range hundreds of miles away from Black Rock City. He carefully checked himself to ensure no tracking marks were left behind, then disguised himself as an ordinary merchant and brought out the low-profile silver light shuttle.

The flying boat soared into the sky, speeding towards Tianqing City. Standing at the bow, Fang Hao looked back at the shrinking silhouette of Black Rock City, his eyes calm yet carrying a hint of coldness.

"Gongming Family, consider yourselves lucky this time. Keep guarding your turtle shell well... we have a long time ahead of us."

The flying boat cut through the clouds and disappeared into the distance. The grievances of Black Rock City were temporarily concluded. But for Fang Hao, a new journey had just begun. He needed to return to Tianqing City as soon as possible and use the Mansion’s resources to push his cultivation and Formation attainment to a new height.