Frankly, while Zou Feng had previously thought a young genius from the Central Plains Region like Zhang Xun was certainly worth paying attention to, he didn’t feel particularly threatened after actually meeting the man.

’It doesn’t feel like... this guy is any stronger than He Yuan, the Flying Snow Sword, or Yin Suhong, both of whom I’ve already taken down.’

After all, Zou Feng could kill a Third Grade expert when he was only at the Fourth Grade Realm. Now that he was Third Grade himself, it was only natural that he no longer considered the realm a big deal.

The Five Poison Holy Lotus Skill, which was at the Extraordinary to Saint level, also gave him the confidence to back up his attitude.

Having locked onto his target, Zou Feng assumed his stance, activating the Scorpion Stance.

He clasped his hands and stretched them out, his fingers forming a Sealing Technique as he joined his middle fingers.

Then, with this unconventional "handgun" gesture, he aimed at Zhang Xun.

The next moment, a Fire Lotus imbued with a Saint Tier aura began to spin violently at his feet.

At the same time, the tips of his middle fingers seemed to transform into the stinger of a red Giant Scorpion’s tail.

From within Qingchuan City, the closer residents and the Martial Artists who had rushed over upon hearing the news could all see it from afar. On the arrow tower, Zou Feng’s figure was rapidly merging with that of a ferocious Poison Scorpion.

In a sudden encounter, Zou Feng would almost never use his Crimson Poison Needle technique.

The reason was simple: the wind-up took too long.

Therefore, he typically only used this move when an opponent was trying to escape, or for a sneak attack.

The power of the Crimson Poison Needle had already been proven back in his Gang Qi Realm days; both its piercing strength and toxicity were absurdly high.

Now that Zou Feng had advanced to the True Qi Realm, its power had been elevated to a whole new level.

Most importantly, the fired "Poison Needle" could come to life.

However, Zou Feng still wasn’t satisfied. Zhang Xun was a genius, after all, and he deserved to be shown the proper respect.

That was why he had already silently contacted Xiaolv.

When Xiaolv flew over, it immediately dripped the repeatedly mutated venom from its stinger onto Zou Feng’s middle fingers.

The venom was quickly absorbed by his fingers, causing the crimson energy of the nascent needle to take on a faint, dark green hue.

Even Zou Feng himself couldn’t predict the world of hurt this single needle would unleash upon Zhang Xun...

"Three—"

Zhang Xun’s countdown wasn’t fast, giving Zou Feng ample time to prepare.

"Zou Feng, it seems you won’t be satisfied until you’re staring at your own coffin!"

With a cold snort, his flame-like True Qi erupted, and Zhang Xun slowly began to rise into the air.

Seemingly holding back, he clearly had no intention of charging into Qingchuan City proper.

In any case, he had already confirmed the location of the Hongxing Martial Arts Hall. For now, he would just continue to probe with long-range attacks.

However, just as Zhang Xun leaped up, before he was even ten feet in the air, Zou Feng seized the chance to launch his attack.

True Crimson Poison Needle!

A streak of red light flashed into existence, tearing across the sky.

Even though it was broad daylight, the flash was seen with perfect clarity by everyone nearby who was watching.

Merely seeing the red flash was enough to make one’s heart pound with terror from its thick, ominous aura.

In fact, in the instant before the Crimson Poison Needle burst forth, Zhang Xun had already sensed that something was wrong.

A boundless fear, the likes of which he hadn’t experienced in a long time, triggered an instinctual premonition of death.

With his hair standing on end and cold sweat pouring down, Zhang Xun let out a furious roar as his flames instantly formed the Molten Heart Flame Armor to protect his body.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xun had never expected Zou Feng to possess such a terrifying long-range attack. He was caught completely off guard; although the Molten Heart Flame Armor had formed, the "Crimson Poison Needle" had already pierced through his chest.

Fortunately, Zhang Xun’s reputation as a genius wasn’t just for show. Even in such a dire situation, he still managed to dodge in time, avoiding a fatal blow to his heart.

’It’s fine, this isn’t a big deal! I just need to suppress the poison with my True Qi. It’s just a minor piercing wound!’

Remaining calm in the face of crisis, Zhang Xun coolly continued to circulate his True Qi.

At the same time, his Molten Heart Flame Armor transformed into a Fire Qilin, helping him burn away the toxins in his body.

The Cultivation Skills of the Xuanhuang Sect were predominantly Fire Element.

And it went without saying that Fire Element Skills were excellent at counteracting all sorts of poisons.

With Zhang Xun’s power, he could incinerate any poison, no matter what it was.

He could even use his body as a "Melting Furnace," burning the toxins while simultaneously using Refinement to convert them into a harmless, nutritious substance he could absorb.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xun’s current assessment of the Crimson Poison Needle was completely and utterly wrong.

It was true that he had avoided a direct hit to his heart, but this Poison Needle was "alive." After entering his body, it automatically began burrowing toward his heart...

The Fire Force within Zhang Xun’s body tried desperately to stop it, but in his haste, it had little effect.

Then, Zhang Xun’s expression suddenly went rigid. He froze in mid-air as if struck by an Immobilization Spell.

The next moment, he plummeted straight down, smashing heavily onto the ground.

"Martial Nephew!"

"Junior Brother—"

In the distance, two figures rushed over at top speed. Both were experts of the True Qi Realm.

Just as Zou Feng had expected, Zhang Xun hadn’t come alone.

He was, after all, the Sect Leader’s personal disciple and the future public face of the Xuanhuang Sect.

So, even if Zhang Xun wanted to act willfully and charge in recklessly, the Xuanhuang Sect would always have his back, both overtly and covertly.

Seeing this, Zou Feng was immensely glad he hadn’t chosen to leave the city to face Zhang Xun head-on.

Releasing the "Scorpion Stance," Zou Feng blew on his fingers, then turned and leaped off the arrow tower.

At the foot of the arrow tower, City Lord Murong Yuan and his son, Murong Yunhai, had naturally already arrived.

For the City Lords of the Southern Border, the Xuanhuang Sect was, of course, part of a hostile faction.