Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Those palaces stood silently amidst the radiant light and mist, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

Unlike the surrounding ruins, these palaces are relatively well-preserved, although the traces of time are still unavoidable.

"Legend has it that this core area once had thirty-six palaces, corresponding to the number of the Heavenly Dipper," Xu Chuan pointed ahead, recounting them with great familiarity.

"Over the course of a thousand years, the formation has crumbled, yet it remains intact."

Only these thirteen remain that are worth exploring.

The closest one to us is the fifth palace.

The two walked along the cool, smooth black stone path, approaching the fifth palace.

The protective aura surrounding the palace gates had dimmed.

After a brief exploration, Xu Chuan suggested, "Brother Lin, to be more efficient, let's each take one side and explore separately. As for the harvest, that'll depend on luck. What do you say?"

Lin Zhao nodded in agreement.

He chose the area on the left, carefully avoiding the occasional flickering remnants of restrictions in the palace, and pushed open one heavy stone door after another, carved with blurry animal patterns.

The palace interior is spacious, but mostly empty.

It had clearly been visited countless times by predecessors. The air was still thick with the stench of decay.

His powerful divine sense carefully scanned every corner, not missing any abnormal energy fluctuations.

In some secluded side rooms and collapsed areas, he found a few "escaped fish".

Several pieces of refining materials of acceptable quality but with most of their spiritual essence lost, and a bottle of unknown pills sealed in chalcedony that, by sheer luck, had not yet lost their effectiveness.

Finally, behind a wall cavity, they discovered a formation. After breaking it open, they found a second-tier spiritual herb called "Mist Concealment Flower" that had been born by gathering spiritual power through the formation!

The seeds weren't too old; they were probably left behind by cultivators who entered earlier, who intended to cultivate them using the energy of the array.

He had planned to have the later arrivals collect the items, but now that Lin Zhao had benefited, he happily accepted them.

Several hours later, the two met at the palace gate.

Xu Chuan's face beamed with the joy of his harvest, and he chuckled, "I'm lucky, I found two second-tier 'Earth Spirit Grasses'!"

Although it's relatively young, it's still a genuine second-tier spiritual herb! Brother Lin, what about you?

Lin Zhao then showed off her harvest, including the Misty Hidden Flower.

Xu Chuan's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up: "Brother Lin is indeed meticulous! You can find good things even in these nooks and crannies. I admire you!"

Seeing Xu Chuan's genuine happiness for him, Lin Zhao's opinion of the man improved even more.

In this perilous and unpredictable secret realm, to encounter someone with such a cheerful personality and so few guiles is truly remarkable.

This is truly rare; this person is someone I can gradually get to know.

"Let's go to the Seventh Palace! I heard it used to be one of the alchemy workshops, maybe there are even better things there!" Xu Chuan said excitedly.

The two left the Fifth Palace and, following Xu Chuan's directions, headed to the Seventh Palace.

The journey involves crossing a massive arched bridge spanning a deep valley.

The bridge is constructed entirely of a type of black jade and is over a hundred feet long.

The bridge is carved with ancient patterns of dragons and phoenixes, which, despite the passage of time, still exude a warm and radiant glow.

Just as they reached the middle of the arched bridge, suddenly, from the direction of several other palaces in the distance,

Intense fluctuations of spiritual energy and explosions, along with the sharp clanging of magical artifacts clashing, were heard!

"A fight has broken out!" Xu Chuan's expression sharpened. "It seems people from other markets have also entered. We need to act quickly!"

The two quickened their pace, crossed the arched bridge quickly, and arrived at the Seventh Palace.

This palace is larger in scale, and the security measures at its entrance are stronger than those of the Fifth Palace.

But with the erosion of time, it is no longer what it used to be.

The two of them used some effort to break through the remaining restrictions, and still adopted the strategy of searching separately.

Lin Zhao carefully searched the side hall, which was filled with a faint fragrance of cinnabar and the smell of decay.

Perhaps the restrictions on this place are too strong, and previous explorers have not explored it thoroughly enough.

He was actually in a hidden compartment surrounded by restrictions, beneath a place that had once been used for alchemy.

Another second-tier spiritual herb, the "Crimson Sun Flower," has been found! The fire-attribute spiritual energy contained within it is incredibly pure.

It was clearly saved by the fire elemental energy left over from the alchemy above.

"The fourth one!" Lin Zhao was slightly pleased. He had already collected four of the five second-tier spiritual herbs that Master Mingxuan had requested!

The main goal of this trip is almost achieved.

However, just as he was preparing to continue his exploration, from the direction of the main hall on the right, which Xu Chuan was responsible for exploring,

Suddenly, a muffled sound rang out, accompanied by a low shout from Xu Chuan!

Lin Zhao's heart tightened, and he immediately used his movement technique, transforming into a streak of green and rushing away.

In the blink of an eye, he rushed into the main hall.

The main hall was quite spacious, and Xu Chuan stood in the center with a solemn expression.

Opposite him, near a huge pillar, leaned a female cultivator, her aura weak and her body covered in blood.

Her clothes were torn in many places, revealing deep wounds that exposed bone, and a strange black aura lingered around the wounds.

It continuously eroded her vitality, and even the spiritual light from taking the elixir was quickly polluted by the black energy.

She wore a plain white mask that concealed her face, but Lin Zhao recognized her immediately through his divine sense.

It was Chen Yaoshi, a member of the Po Jun Demon Hunting Team, and a female cultivator from the Hundred Herbs Sect wearing the same mask!

Although everyone tries to conceal their identities once they enter the secret realm, cultivators mainly rely on their divine sense to identify each other.

"What happened?" Lin Zhao asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the wounds on the female cultivator's body, which carried a chilling, deathly aura.

This aura was very similar to that of the corpses of Black Jade Pavilion members he had seen on the outskirts before!

When the female cultivator saw someone else approaching, she raised her head warily, her eyes beneath the mask filled with pain and vigilance.

"Who...are you?" Her voice was weak and hoarse.

Tianyun Market

Lin Zhao gave the name of the market, and then he asked about her identity, but when he heard that she also had the surname Chen...

He couldn't help but recall the alchemist cousin that Pharmacist Chen had mentioned, the one who could refine the essence blood of the Bewitching Fox into a Breakthrough Pill.

"It can't be that coincidental," Lin Zhao thought with a sense of foreboding.

He didn't press her further about why she was there, but instead went straight to the heart of the matter: "Fairy Chen, what exactly happened to your injuries? Who did it?"

The female cultivator surnamed Chen took a deep breath, which seemed to aggravate her wound; a flash of pain crossed her face.

He said haltingly, "It was the Thousand Radiance Sect and the Tiger Roar Market who joined forces. They suddenly attacked our Hundred Herbs Sect's team."

Among them was a strange fat man who seemed to be able to manipulate people's minds, causing us to kill each other.

Her words were like thunderclaps, exploding in Lin Zhao and Xu Chuan's ears.

The strongest sects, Thousand Radiance Sect and Tiger Roar Market, have joined forces? And there are cultivators who can manipulate minds?