Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The uncle and nephew wielded swords, one with a cold, moon-like aura, the other with a misty haze that froze the ground wherever it passed, causing the ferocious beasts to become sluggish and stiff.

A blazing, sharp light, intertwined with platinum and crimson, precisely targeted and killed the Foundation Establishment demonic beasts that were trying to break through the entanglement of the cold mist.

They did not seek to annihilate the enemy completely, but only to delay the pursuing forces as much as possible.

Ahead of them, along the retreat route and on the abandoned positions, Li Tongya had already hastily laid down a large number of trigger-activated self-destruct talismans and simple magic arrays.

These things are just blatantly displayed in the middle of the road.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

During and after the retreat, continuous explosions rang out among the beast horde, with fire, lightning, ice explosions, and poisonous smoke raging.

Although it couldn't kill too many Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts, it effectively disrupted the pursuers' formation, buying valuable time for the main force to retreat.

Only after the last group of people covering the retreat had retreated into the slightly undulating pale golden light curtain of Luoxia Market did Li Xiaoyao and Li Chijing manage to fly away.

Behind them, a torrent of ferocious beasts, fueled even more violently by the self-destructing trap, surged forth.

The core of the market town, the central hub of the battle formation.

Li Tongya's face was pale, his back soaked with sweat, and his hands danced almost indistinctly on the array plate.

The "Thick Earth Golden Light Array" light screen fluctuated violently under the impact of countless evil beasts, emitting a hum that could not bear the burden.

"The array base is being eroded by the baleful energy too quickly! The spiritual energy consumption is exceeding expectations!"

He said urgently.

Li Xiaoyao strode in, his gaze sweeping over several rune nodes on the array plate that had already developed fine cracks:

"Brother, use all the earth and metal elemental spirit stones, as well as the Condensed Pattern Jade and Solidifying Law Metal Essence that we exchanged last time."

"Tongya, listen to my instructions. Adjust the core Earth and Metal rune structure, and we'll forcibly upgrade the formation to a second-tier top-grade level!"

"Regardless of the losses, our only goal is to survive this!"

Li Mutian was resolute.

With Li Xiaoyao's unconventional array optimization approach (combining modern modularization and efficiency maximization concepts) and Li Tongya's solid foundation, massive resources were invested, and the core array patterns were forcibly reconstructed and reinforced.

Several hours later, with a deep rumble that sounded like the pulse of the earth, the entire Luoxia Market trembled slightly!

The pale golden light curtain that enveloped the market suddenly deepened in color, transforming into a more solid and heavy dark golden light shield with a metallic texture and the phantom of mountains and rivers—a second-tier top-grade "Mountain and River Golden Light Array"!

Its defensive capabilities and resistance to evil have been significantly enhanced, and the fluctuations in the light barrier have temporarily subsided.

Li Tongya was almost exhausted, but his eyes were shining.

This upgrade came at the cost of sacrificing the formation's lifespan and a large amount of rare materials. It can only be maintained for a limited time, but at this moment, every breath is crucial.

However, outside the market, the dark, surging tide of beasts not only did not disperse, but instead gathered in ever greater numbers.

The column of malevolent energy emanating from the direction of the sanctuary had expanded to the point of obscuring the sky, its dark red core radiating a blinding light, like a malevolent, filthy creature about to explode.

Two more days passed amidst the fierce defense.

The number of ferocious beasts outside the market has reached a despairing level.

The aura of the Foundation Establishment stage was dense and numerous, with several particularly deep and obscure ones causing Li Mutian and other Foundation Establishment cultivators to feel a sense of unease.

The light screen of the Mountain and River Golden Light Array began to flicker violently and change direction again.

All the cultivators had reached their limits.

Li Xiaoyao stood atop the bell tower, gazing at the boundless crimson tide below, then looked up at the sky.

The airships that had been hovering for so long finally began to slowly turn.

The ship's hull glowed with a dangerous light, pointing towards the Sanctuary, clearly preparing for some large-scale operation.

Li Xiaoyao indifferently withdrew his gaze.

What the people on the airship wanted to do was no longer relevant to those struggling to survive in the market.

Their lives depended solely on the small patch of ground beneath their feet, and on the dark golden light curtain that would soon bear the final blow.

The destructive thunder has already exploded in my ears.

Above the sky, seven flying ships, like ferocious void beasts, silently hovered above the rolling clouds of malevolent energy.

Inside the main ship, a jet-black flying boat, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

The scarred man—the leader of this team of seal breakers, codenamed Iron Face—stood in front of the main control screen.

He coldly gazed down at the battlefield shrouded in dark red light and an endless black tide of beasts.

Behind him, eleven team members stood solemnly, their auras sharp, calm, or unpredictable, but without exception, they all carried the coldness and efficiency of someone who had been through countless battles.

They did not bear any markings of the Qingxiao Immortal Sect or other common major sects.

The cuffs of the black outfit were embroidered with a simple yet ancient rune in dark silver thread.

It didn't belong to any known mainstream lineage; it was more like a mark of some clandestine organization.

"The concentration of malevolent energy in the target area has reached a critical point, and the frequency of the internal cage's oscillations is in line with expectations."

A female cultivator in charge of monitoring reported in a cold, emotionless voice.

"The outer 'Yin Yang Great Five Elements Ancient Seal' has developed seventeen obvious weak points due to the influence of the Blood Moon Tide and internal impact."

"Three of them met the minimum penetration standard of the boundary cone."

Iron Face nodded slightly, his scarred face expressionless. "What about the other teams?"

"All are in position, communication runes confirmed. The Shadow, Crimson Demon, and Black Tortoise teams will focus their attacks on the nodes we marked: A3, B7, and C9."

"The Hundred Blades and Wind Scythe teams are responsible for clearing away any stubborn remnants of seals that may interfere with the node."

"The Poison Spider Team is prepared to deal with any unexpected changes."

Another team member responded quickly.

They spoke concisely and had a clear division of labor, clearly demonstrating their familiarity with similar operational procedures.

His iron-faced gaze swept across the crystal screen at the cultivator strongholds that were struggling against the beast tide, like a few small boats in a raging sea.

He paused briefly at the Sunset Market, which shimmered with a dark golden light, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

He muttered something to himself and then stopped paying attention.

The struggles on the ground are nothing more than background noise to them, a negligible speck of dust in the process of achieving their goal.

"Chief, the density of the beast tide below is extremely high. Although most of them are of inferior quality, their sheer numbers may interfere with the flight trajectory and final landing accuracy of the Boundary-Breaking Cone. Direct deployment carries risks."

A thin, pale-faced man reminded them that he was the team's formation and equipment master.

His stern gaze turned cold: "These worthless beasts dare to be an obstacle?"

"Order all teams: Deploy the first wave of 'Scavengers' according to the pre-arranged plan to attract and eliminate the main flying monsters and high-threat ground targets."

"After an incense stick has burned, launch the 'Boundary-Breaking Cone' simultaneously."

The command was quickly sent out via encrypted messages.

The next moment, several rows of neat hatches opened simultaneously on the sides or bottoms of the seven airships.

A series of dense, slight clicking sounds.

Hundreds and thousands of fist-sized metal spheres covered with fine runes poured out of the hatch and fell toward the battlefield below.