Immortality Cultivation: I can use my clansmen’s energy and blood to add points.

He did not directly reveal his identity as a disciple of Qingyun Sect. It would be better to be cautious until the situation became clear.

The guard leader looked them up and down suspiciously, his gaze lingered on Lin Wan'er and Su Xiaowan for a moment, and a barely perceptible strange color flashed in his eyes.

"You can enter the market, but you have to pay an entrance fee of ten low-grade spirit stones per person. In addition, private fighting is prohibited in the market, and violators will be severely punished!" The guard leader said coldly.

"Ten low-grade spirit stones?" Su Xiaowan almost cried out. In the past, Qingyun Market did not charge any entrance fee, but now it actually requires ten spirit stones per person. This is simply robbery!

Luo Qingchen secretly pulled Su Xiaowan, signaling her not to say anything more. He took out thirty low-grade spirit stones and handed them over. He was no longer the impoverished young man he was before, and he didn't care about these spirit stones.

The guard leader took the spirit stone and waved his hand, signaling to let them pass.

Entering the market, the scene on the street made Luo Qingchen and the other two feel depressed. The streets that were bustling in the past now seemed a little deserted. Many shops were closed, and most of the shops that were open were deserted. The monks who were in a hurry had a trace of vigilance and uneasiness on their faces. The whole market was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere.

"It's so strange, why has the market become like this?" Su Xiaowan pulled Lin Wan'er's arm and whispered, "It feels dead."

"It seems that something big must have happened in the sect or nearby during the time we were away." Lin Wan'er frowned and responded softly.

Luo Qingchen didn't say anything. He walked while carefully observing his surroundings. He found that the number of monks patrolling in the market was several times more than before, and they were all monks wearing standard armor. The Qingyun Sect disciples were rarely seen.

"Let's find an inn to stay in first, and then go out to get some information." Luo Qingchen murmured.

The three of them found an inn that looked relatively clean and stayed there. After settling in, Luo Qingchen told the two girls not to go out for the time being, and he changed into inconspicuous clothes, disguised himself a little, and left the inn.

He did not go to those restaurants and teahouses that seemed to be well-informed, as those places were often crowded with people and easily exposed. He chose to wander around the inconspicuous alleys and street stalls in the market and listen to the gossip of those low-level casual cultivators.

Soon, some scattered news came into his ears.

"Have you heard? The Qingyun Mountains have been in turmoil recently. Several affiliated families have suffered..."

"It's not just unrest, it's a panic! It's said that there are demons and monsters causing trouble, specifically targeting small sects and families like us..."

"A demon? I heard that there was a problem within the Qingyun Sect. It seems that they were fighting over some treasure and it was a mess..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't say that! Can we discuss the affairs of Qingyun Sect?"

There were various versions of the rumor, some saying it was an invasion by demons, some saying it was a riot by monsters, and some even saying it was an internal strife in the Qingyun Sect. But no matter which version, they all pointed to one thing - the Qingyun Sect, or the entire Qingyun Mountain area, was in a state of turmoil.

The more Luo Qingchen listened, the gloomier his heart became. What he was most worried about was the rumors about the internal strife in Qingyun Sect. If there really was a problem within the sect, then the situation would be too bad.

He continued to collect information calmly, and gradually, a relatively clear outline formed in his mind.

About a few months ago, a group of mysterious black monks suddenly appeared near the Qingyun Mountains. They acted strangely and ruthlessly, and specifically attacked some small affiliated families and spiritual mines under the jurisdiction of Qingyun Sect to plunder resources. At first, Qingyun Sect did not pay much attention to them, just thinking that they were some wandering magic cultivators. But as the situation escalated, more and more families and strongholds were attacked, and even some tribute teams to Qingyun Sect mysteriously disappeared. Qingyun Sect realized the seriousness of the problem.

The sect leaders were furious and sent out elders and elite disciples to clear out the enemy. However, those black-clad men were extremely slippery and would often flee thousands of miles after a successful attack, making it difficult to catch them. Several large-scale encirclement and suppression operations had little effect and resulted in the loss of many people.

What made things even more complicated was that while Qingyun Sect was fully engaged in dealing with external threats, some discordant voices seemed to have arisen within the sect due to the allocation of certain resources and power struggles. Some conflicts that had been pent up on a daily basis also took the opportunity to erupt.

As for why the market has become what it is now, it is because some time ago, those mysterious men in black were so bold that they raided a spiritual medicine garden outside the Qingyun Market, not only stealing a large number of rare spiritual medicines, but also killing and injuring dozens of Qingyun Sect disciples who were guarding the medicine garden. After this incident, Qingyun Sect strengthened the security of the market and entrusted several large affiliated families with close relations with the sect to send private soldiers to assist in defense.

"Black-robed monks...internal and external troubles..." Luo Qingchen rubbed his brows and felt a splitting headache. He didn't expect that during the time he was away, the sect had experienced so many changes.

As he was thinking, suddenly, a commotion in front of him attracted his attention.

At the end of the street, a group of monks dressed in the clothes of Qingyun Sect inner disciples were surrounding a young man in brocade clothes, walking towards them with a proud look. The young man had a handsome face, but there was an lingering arrogance and hostility between his eyebrows. His cultivation was about the late stage of foundation building.

"Isn't this Brother Fang from the Inner Sect Law Enforcement Hall? Why is he here in the market?"

"Looking at his posture, he must be here to show off his power again. I heard that he relied on his uncle being the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall to bully others in the sect on weekdays. I didn't expect that he would be so arrogant in the market."

The casual cultivators around were whispering to each other, and there was a hint of fear and disgust in their eyes when they looked at the young man.

Luo Qingchen's eyes fixed, he recognized the young man, his name was Fang Hao, he was indeed the nephew of Fang Zhenxiong, the elder of the Inner Sect Law Enforcement Hall. This man bullied others by taking advantage of his power and had a very bad reputation in the sect.

At this time, Fang Hao and his group just walked near Luo Qingchen. Fang Hao's eyes swept casually and suddenly fell on an old man who was setting up a stall on the street. In front of the old man were several spiritual herbs that looked good.

"Hmm? This 'Purple Magnolia' is good. I want it." Fang Hao stopped and pointed at one of the spiritual herbs condescendingly, his tone brooking no room for argument.

Upon hearing this, the old man at the stall showed a trace of bitterness on his face and said, "Mr. Fang...Mr. Fang, I have already agreed to sell this purple magnolia to..."

"Snapped!"

Before the old man could finish his words, a lackey-like inner sect disciple behind Fang Hao slapped the old man in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"How dare you! It's your honor that Senior Brother Fang likes your things! And you dare to bargain?" The disciple shouted sternly. The monks around were angry but dared not say anything.

Fang Hao had a proud look on his face and bent down to pick up the purple magnolia.

When Luo Qingchen saw this scene, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Although he didn't want to reveal his identity too early, he couldn't stand by and watch his fellow disciples bullying the weak.

Just when Fang Hao's hand was about to touch the purple magnolia, a slender and powerful hand suddenly stretched out and took the spiritual herb in its hand.

"I want this purple magnolia."

The calm voice was like throwing a little ice into boiling oil, making the noisy streets stagnate for a moment.

The smug smile on Fang Hao's face froze. He slowly turned his head, his eyes like a poisoned knife, shooting at the young man who dared to intercept him. He was wearing plain clothes, had an ordinary face, and his cultivation seemed to be mediocre. Where did this nobody come from?

"Who are you? How dare you snatch things from me?" Fang Hao's voice was cold and distorted with a hint of being offended. In his opinion, except for a few people who should not be provoked in the market, the rest can be manipulated at will.

Luo Qingchen seemed not to have heard his words. He took out a rather bulging spirit stone bag from his arms and stuffed it into the hands of the old man who was knocked to the ground. He said in a gentle voice: "Old man, these spirit stones should be enough to buy all the spirit herbs you have here. I'm sorry that you were frightened by what happened today."

The old man was already disheartened, and now holding the heavy bag of spirit stones, he looked at the strange young man in front of him, and was stunned at first, and then filled with deep gratitude and worry. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but was stopped by Luo Qingchen's soothing eyes.

"Boy! Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!" Fang Hao was so angry when he saw Luo Qingchen completely ignoring him and only cared about "acting" with the old man. He waved his hand fiercely and said sternly: "What are you still standing there for? Catch him for me! Break his arms and legs, and I'll see how he can still be so arrogant!"

The lackey inner disciples behind him had been rubbing their hands in anticipation, and immediately pounced on him like wolves and tigers upon hearing his words. The leader even grinned, and grabbed Luo Qingchen's wrist holding the purple magnolia with one claw, obviously wanting to take the spiritual herb back first.

"You don't know your own limits." Luo Qingchen raised his lips with a faint sneer. The power of chaos turned slightly in his meridians, and although the majestic momentum had not yet fully erupted, it had already made the surrounding air condense.

The disciple who rushed forward first only felt a flash before his eyes, and the originally clear target suddenly became blurred. Then, an overwhelming force hit him from the side, as if he was hit by a monster rushing at high speed.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, the disciple didn't even have time to scream before he flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, and hit the wall several feet away with a bone-breaking sound. He slid to the ground and fainted.

This sudden and swift action startled the remaining disciples and Fang Hao himself. They didn't even see how Luo Qingchen made his move!
"Let's attack together! Kill him!" Fang Hao was shocked and angry. He didn't expect that this ordinary-looking guy was actually such a tough guy.

The remaining three disciples exchanged glances, each mobilizing their spiritual powers to attack Luo Qingchen in a siege. One used a sword, the sword light flashed; one used a fist, the fist wind whistled; and another offered a talisman, which turned into a fire snake and rushed straight to Luo Qingchen's face.

Luo Qingchen stood still, without moving, but he casually waved the hand holding the purple magnolia. This seemingly casual movement brought up an invisible gust of wind.

When the sharp sword light approached Luo Qingchen three feet away, it was like piercing into a sticky swamp, and its speed suddenly slowed down. Then it was deflected by a clever force and passed by the corner of Luo Qingchen's clothes. The disciple wielding the sword felt his wrist numb and the long sword almost slipped out of his hand.

The whistling fist wind was even more unbearable, and was eliminated by an invisible air wall in front of Luo Qingchen, without even blowing his clothes.

As for the fire snake transformed from the talisman, when it was about to touch Luo Qingchen, he slowly opened his mouth and blew gently.

"call--"

A weak air current, but carrying an extremely cold feeling, the fire snake seemed to have met its nemesis. It let out a wail and disintegrated into sparks, extinguishing in mid-air.

"What kind of magic is this?" The three disciples were horrified. They had never seen such a strange way of dealing with things. The opponent clearly did not show any earth-shattering fluctuations in his cultivation, but he was able to dissolve their joint attack so easily.

"Too weak." Luo Qingchen shook his head, seeming a little disappointed. "When did the inner disciples of Qingyun Sect become so vulnerable?"

Although his words were plain, they were like a loud slap in the face of Fang Hao and those disciples.

"You... who are you?" Fang Hao finally realized that something was wrong. The man in front of him was definitely not an ordinary casual cultivator. He was able to play with his three Foundation Establishment period subordinates in the blink of an eye. His strength was probably far beyond his expectations. He shouted fiercely: "Tell me your name! You dare to act wild in Qingyun Market, do you know who I am?"

"Shut up." Luo Qingchen's eyes turned cold, and he no longer held back. His figure swayed slightly, leaving a faint afterimage, and his true body appeared in front of a disciple like a ghost.

The disciple felt a chill in his stomach before he could react. He looked down and saw a gleaming sword tip that had pierced through his body. No blood flowed out, but the spiritual power in his body was rapidly draining away like a flood. It was the scabbard of the Black Dragon Sword! Luo Qingchen didn't even draw his sword!

"Ah..." The disciple let out a short cry of pain, his eyes rolled back, and he fell down limply.

Luo Qingchen flicked his wrist, and the scabbard was pulled out, leaving a trace of afterimage, and pointed at the brow of another disciple at an incredible angle. The disciple was horrified and hurriedly retreated, while offering a small bronze shield to protect himself.

"Ding!"

With a slight sound, the bronze shield shattered, and the tip of the scabbard accurately hit the disciple's forehead. A strange shock force penetrated into the sea of ​​consciousness, and the disciple groaned, his eyes instantly blurred, and he fell straight back, and was actually knocked unconscious.

In the blink of an eye, two of the four lackeys died and two fainted.

On the street, the monks who were originally just watching from afar were now stunned and silent. (End of this chapter)