Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Ma Liang was completely unaware that Han Li had come to the Chaotic Star Sea. At this time, he had already broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and was still living in seclusion in his cave, refining pills and medicines and taking pills all day long, single-mindedly honing himself and daring not to slack off in the slightest.

Not long after Han Li entered the cave, he activated the formation and began his secluded cultivation.

Time seemed to fly by outside the two cave dwellings like flowing water. Occasionally, cultivators passing by would stop and look at the two cave dwellings, which were always silent.

On this day, Ma Liang remained seated quietly in his cave.

He had just swallowed a pill and was circulating his energy to refine its medicinal power when his spiritual power suddenly surged violently.

Realizing this was an opportunity for a breakthrough, Ma Liang dared not slack off in the slightest. He immediately raised his hand and summoned three pills that could enhance cultivation. These pills flew out of the jade box in front of him and he swallowed them all.

"Break it!"

A deep shout burst forth from his throat, and a surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from his body, causing his aura to surge dramatically, reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Ma Liang felt the surging spiritual energy within his body and was overjoyed. He had finally broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment!

Ma Liang suppressed his overwhelming joy, quickly composed himself, and circulated his cultivation technique to stabilize his newly broken-through realm.

At this moment, a surge of powerful spiritual energy suddenly erupted from the stone chamber beside them, engulfing the entire cave.

Ma Liang looked towards the stone chamber, and at that very moment, Jingzhe broke through!

Just as Ma Liang was about to go and investigate, he saw a huge snake head emerge from the doorway of the adjacent stone chamber.

The snake slithered out, its body swelling segment by segment as it crawled, growing longer and thicker.

When its entire body had settled into the outer chamber, it had already occupied a small portion of the space, its scales gleaming in the dim light of the cave.

Ma Liang strode forward and patted Jingzhe's hard scales. "Jingzhe, not bad! You've advanced to the third level of demon beast in one fell swoop. Looks like those pills weren't wasted on you, hahaha!"

Jingzhe raised its enormous snake head, its eyes gleaming with a lively light. It flicked its tongue and emitted a low hum from its throat, its appearance revealing a hint of smugness.

Just as the Awakening of Insects was feeling triumphant, it casually swept its tail.

"Clang!"

They smashed the tables and chairs inside the stone room to pieces.

Looking at the increasingly cramped cave, Ma Liang frowned and patted Jingzhe's head: "Looks like we should find another place."

He sighed, his gaze sweeping over the few spirit stones and pills scattered in the corner. "If I want to improve my cultivation further, these low-level resources will be insufficient."

"To break through to the Core Formation Realm, the low-level resources in the market are simply not enough. Next, I need to venture into the Chaotic Star Sea."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Jingzhe beside him let out an excited hiss, its tail swishing loudly.

Ma Liang patted it and said, "You're quite enthusiastic, but do you know how dangerous the Chaotic Star Sea is? If we're not careful, we'll both lose our lives in there."

As he was speaking, a sudden inspiration struck him.

"It seems that Han Li obtained the Dust-Subduing Pill by participating in the Demon-Suppressing Ceremony on Kui Xing Island back then."

Although Han Li ultimately stole the pill, it was still a legitimate way to obtain a Core Formation pill.

I wonder how long until the Demon Suppression Ceremony is. If I can make it in time, I might as well try my luck.

"Let's go, it's time for us to leave the pass."

Just as Ma Liang was about to step out of the cave, he suddenly stopped, slapped his forehead, and came back to his senses.

"No, we can't just go alone like this; we need to prepare first. That demon-suppressing ceremony is rigged!"

"Jingzhe, you should go inside the spirit beast pouch and stay there for a while."

Jingzhe immediately nudged his arm with her head, clearly unwilling.

"Listen to me, if you go out now, you might be mistaken for a demon beast and hunted down by other cultivators, who will skin you and extract your bones to refine materials."

Jingzhe shook its head, but ultimately, unwillingly, it transformed into a ray of light and entered the spirit beast pouch.

Over the next few months, Ma Liang buried himself in his cave, meticulously planning the demon-suppressing ceremony and preparing numerous backup plans.

When everything was ready, it was early morning.

"Boom!"

The stone door, sealed for twelve years, has been opened once again.

Ma Liang stood at the entrance, and with a flick of his long sleeves, the layers of formations surrounding the cave entrance activated in response.

Unlike ordinary restrictions, these formations drawn by the divine brush leave no trace of array artifacts; they transform into a sky full of spiritual light with a mere wave of the hand.

Ma Liang stepped out of the cave, stretched lazily, and took a deep breath in the sea breeze that was blowing in his face.

The salty, fishy taste of the sea, imbued with a spiritual energy, instantly invigorated him the moment it entered his lungs.

He casually glanced around, his gaze settling on the cave dwelling not far away.

A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy was spreading out from the direction of the cave.

Ma Liang immediately released his divine sense to probe over there.

Someone actually lives in this cave. Could it be... Han Li? He frowned, unsure for a moment.

Ma Liang stopped worrying about who the owner of the cave was; if it was Han Li, that would be even better.

This at least proves that those guys won't cause trouble this year's Demon Suppression Ceremony.

He transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Kui Xing Island.

The moment Ma Liang stepped onto the island, he felt no sense of novelty whatsoever.

The realm of cultivation is inherently less subject to the rapid changes of the mortal world.

He walked slowly, his gaze casually sweeping over the surrounding vendors and pedestrians. Suddenly, he stopped and fixed his eyes on a family of three not far away.

That man was Wen Qiang!

In my memory, Wen Qiang was always alone, but at this moment, he was holding his wife's hand and a little girl who looked to be five or six years old.

Ma Liang watched this scene and felt a surge of emotion.

He composed himself and walked over.

Wen Qiang was playing with his child and chatting happily with his wife when he suddenly noticed someone standing in front of him and instinctively looked up.

The other person was carrying a scroll on his back, with an upright posture, but his aura was so calm that it was almost eerie, making it impossible for him to discern his true strength.

Wen Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly suppressed his smile. "May I ask what guidance this senior may offer?"

At this moment, Ma Liang had already suppressed his cultivation level to the early stage of Foundation Establishment. If it weren't for the fact that his cultivation level far surpassed Ma Liang's, ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would not have been able to detect anything unusual.

Ma Liang, not wanting to beat around the bush, asked directly, "How long until the Demon Suppression Ceremony begins?"

Wen Qiang dared not be negligent. "Reporting to Senior, the grand ceremony will begin in seven days."

He pressed further, "Are you also going to join in the fun at this year's Demon-Suppressing Ceremony?"

Wen Qiang was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly not having grasped the deeper meaning behind his words.

His partner, however, reacted quickly, "Reporting to Senior, my wife and I do indeed intend to join in the fun and witness the grand ceremony."

No sooner had he said this than Ma Liang's expression turned cold. "You don't need to attend this year's Demon Suppression Ceremony."

Wen Qiang's partner turned pale and could only brace himself to ask, "Senior, why...why is this? My wife and I have never met you before, we have no grudge against you, why are you suddenly stopping us?"

Ma Liang looked at the little girl and suddenly asked, "Are you called Wen Qiang?"

"It is indeed I, the junior. May I ask how you came to know me, senior?"

"Never mind how I know."

"If you care about your child, you shouldn't go to this year's Demon Suppression Ceremony. If you insist on participating, you will surely lose your lives at the ceremony."

He glanced at the bewildered little girl staring at him, then added, "What will happen to this child if anything happens to you?"

Ma Liang stumbled and brushed past them.

The Wen Qiang couple, holding Wen Siyue's hand, stood there, stunned and bewildered.

Wen Siyue tugged at her father's sleeve, tilted her little face up, and asked timidly, "Dad, Mom, what did this senior... mean?"

Wen Qiang snapped out of his daze and looked at his Daoist partner beside him. "Wife, what do you think about this?"