Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

He had been running around for over a century, using every means imaginable, from deception to robbery, and had only managed to gather about four hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. Many of them were even placed under restrictions, making their loyalty questionable.

But the enemies that appeared in the light screen all possessed pure magical power, clearly indicating that they came from great sects!

What chilled him to the bone even more was that these two thousand-plus Foundation Establishment cultivators might just be the vanguard! Were there any Foundation Establishment mid-to-late stage cultivators later on?

Even... are there Core Formation cultivators hiding nearby, just waiting for him to show himself?

The thought of escaping gnawed at him like a venomous snake.

But when his gaze swept across the palaces, medicine gardens, and earth fire alchemy rooms he had built with his own hands in the mirror, how could he easily abandon the fruits of his labor for over a hundred years?

He was unable to make a decision for a long time.

He didn't notice that a faint, eerie blue light had appeared deep within his pupils.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure had quietly emerged from the shadows behind him—it was none other than Master Mingjing.

He held an old bronze mirror in his hand, the mirror surface also emitting a faint blue light.

A normal Core Formation cultivator, upon seeing such a well-organized early Foundation Establishment army, would immediately flee thousands of miles away.

The hesitation at this moment is itself abnormal.

-----

Inside the valley, Lin Zhao did not participate in the siege of the remaining Foundation Establishment defenses. Top prodigies like Pei Yue were leading the charge there.

His gaze swept across all parts of Crimson Fire Valley.

Screams, roars, the sound of buildings collapsing, and excited shouts mingled together.

Various magical lights rose and fell in the valley, mostly bombarding the restrictions on the buildings and caves.

The accumulation of hundreds of years by a third-tier sect is undoubtedly a huge temptation for many disciples from ordinary backgrounds who rely entirely on sect points for survival.

The war to exterminate the sect was a naked war of plunder.

"ah--!"

A scream came from the side.

Lin Zhao looked up and saw a Qi Refining disciple of a sect excitedly manipulating a magical artifact to fiercely attack the restrictions on a Foundation Establishment cave dwelling on the mountain wall.

The cave's protective barrier had been partially breached, and below were several half-collapsed stone houses built against the mountain wall, clearly belonging to the lowest-ranking servants or dependents in the valley.

At this moment, large rocks collapsed from above, burying most of the stone house, and faint cries could still be heard coming from inside.

Lin Zhao frowned slightly. In a flash, he appeared above the ruins.

He didn't even glance at the Qi Refining disciple, and lightly pressed down with his left hand.

"Certainly."

A massive surge of spiritual energy swept down, instantly stopping all the rolling rubble.

Even the Qi Refining disciple was frozen in place by this spiritual pressure, unable to move, and his face drained of all color.

Then, Lin Zhao gently raised his palm upwards.

"rise."

The boulders and broken beams that buried the stone house seemed to be lifted up steadily into the air by an invisible hand.

Below, a dozen or so ordinary people, men and women, and a few children, were huddled together, their faces covered in terrified dust.

The pressure on the Qi Refining disciple eased, and he almost collapsed.

He quickly climbed off his flying sword, bowed deeply to Lin Zhao, his voice trembling.

"Senior Brother Lin Zhao! I didn't know you had taken a liking to this cave dwelling. I'll gladly offer it to you!"

He recognized Lin Zhao, ranked seventeenth in the Cloud Tower, a true top genius among this group of disciples.

Lin Zhao didn't say much, his gaze falling on the cave's protective barrier. He pointed with his finger.

"go."

The Azure Lotus Sword at his waist was drawn with a clang, transforming into a streak of azure light that pierced straight into the core of the restriction.

At the same time, the sword sheath transformed into more than ten green lotus leaves, which arrived first and nailed to the key nodes of the barrier.

The lotus leaves shimmered with light, and the spiritual energy flow of the restriction immediately stalled, its light dimming.

The next instant, the Azure Lotus Sword pierced precisely into the obstructed spot—"Sizzle!" Like the sound of tearing silk, the restrictions of the Foundation Establishment Cave were cleanly and decisively torn open, and then completely collapsed.

This is the sect's foundation: the art of breaking formations and restrictions, which is also part of the curriculum.

It all depends on how much you can learn.

The Azure Lotus Sword flew back, carrying several of the most conspicuous magical artifacts, materials, and a bottle of pills from the cave. The Azure Lotus Leaf also brought back some scattered spirit stones and jade slips.

Lin Zhao glanced at it, then placed about one-fifth of the materials suitable for the Qi Refining stage on a lotus leaf and presented it to the Qi Refining disciple.

"You also have a share of the cave. These are yours. Leave this place and do not harm the innocent."

The disciple was both surprised and delighted. He quickly accepted the gift with both hands, thanked the disciple repeatedly, and then rode away swiftly on his flying sword, not daring to look back even once more.

Lin Zhao then looked at the group of mortals who were still in shock.

Then he raised his hand, drawing upon the surrounding spiritual energy to set up a simple four-element magic array around the ruins, covering an area of ​​a hundred meters in radius.

This formation is derived from his second-tier formation diagram. Although it is a simplified version, it can withstand attacks from cultivators at the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage without any problem.

"Stay within this formation, and you'll be safe for now," he said calmly.

Just as he turned to leave, a young woman among the group of mortals, whose clothes were worn and whose face was haggard but whose former beauty was still faintly visible, suddenly rushed forward a few steps and knelt down before Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao raised her hand, and a gentle force supported her, preventing her from actually kneeling down.

"The immortal master saved my life with boundless kindness..."

The woman's voice choked with emotion, but she forced herself to remain calm, took a piece of cloth from her bosom, and offered it to him with both hands.

"This item... might be useful to a celestial master. This is... the location of the cave dwelling of a late-stage Foundation Establishment elder within the valley."

Lin Zhao took the piece of cloth, on which was drawn a rough map. The starting point was a cave located deeper in the valley.

The route twists and turns outwards, clearly a carefully planned escape route.

He examined the woman's clothing; it was not the style commonly seen in Crimson Fire Valley.

She seemed to guess what Lin Zhao wanted to ask.

"Tianhao Domain...we were kidnapped," the woman whispered, her eyes filled with indelible pain.

Lin Zhao remained silent for a moment, without pressing for details about the blood and tears.

"Stay put. Once this matter is settled, someone will arrange for you to return home."

He looked at the four-element protective array again, thought for a moment, and then pointed to the light shield and drew in the air.

As the light flowed, a cloud pattern representing the Yunhai Cangming Sect appeared, and below the cloud pattern were two small characters: Lin Zhao.

The title of seventeenth in the Cloud Tower serves as a small but significant protective charm for the sect's disciples.

Having done all this, Lin Zhao didn't linger. He transformed into a streak of green light and headed towards the depths of the valley the woman had indicated.

Almost at the same time that Lin Zhao went deep into the Crimson Fire Valley.

Inside the underground Crimson Fire Palace, Crimson Fire Immortal was finally enraged by the sight of the light screen "stealing" him, or rather, his last shred of reason was ignited by that eerie blue light.

"This is outrageous! Do you really think I'm made of clay?!"

He let out a low roar, and his figure suddenly transformed into a blazing flame, piercing through layers of rock walls and appearing abruptly above Crimson Fire Valley!

The pressure of the Core Formation stage descended without reservation!

"boom--!"

Centered on him, towering flames appeared out of nowhere and spread wildly, instantly covering an area of ​​nearly thirty miles!