Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

His voice was deep as he began to recount a piece of history: "About two hundred years ago, in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River in the Yunxia Mountains, an extraordinary monster appeared—a powerful Blackwater Python."

It unleashed several beast tides, causing countless deaths and injuries to cultivators, and at one point, the Golden Sand River was stained with blood.

But that's not the worst part.

The clan chief's tone was grave. "This Blackwater Python accumulated power for hundreds of years, and in the end, it even attempted to trigger a heavenly tribulation to shed its python form and transform into a dragon!"

Lin Zhao was deeply shocked.

The python transforms into a dragon! That's the most important metamorphosis for any demon beast!

Once successful, its strength and potential far surpass those of ordinary Core Formation demon beasts, and are comparable to the geniuses among humans who have formed high-grade Golden Cores!

A superior-grade Golden Core has the potential to advance to the Nascent Soul stage!

"Look at these claws, did it succeed?" Lin Zhao's voice was a little hoarse.

"It succeeded, and it failed," the clan chief sighed. "It successfully withstood the heavenly tribulation, completed the most crucial transformation, and truly stepped into the threshold of the third tier. But because of this, it brought about... annihilation."

"Human cultivators, needless to say, are sworn enemies with demonic beasts; how could they allow such a great threat to arise? And what about the demonic beasts themselves..."

The clan leader glanced at Lin Zhao and said, "Deep within the Cloud Mist Mountains, the true royal family of demon beasts is the flying demon beast—the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc clan."

The Peng bird feeds on dragons and snakes, making it the most formidable of all natural enemies.

A dragon that could potentially threaten their future rule has appeared, and the Golden Roc clan is even more eager than we are to eliminate it.

Lin Zhao instantly understood, and a chill ran down his spine.

He recalled the flying demon beast he had killed during the beast tide years ago, the Purple Cloud Eagle, which was a commander-level beast and was very likely an annex of the Golden Roc clan!

In the human race, the Purple Cloud Eagle is equivalent to a Qi Refining prodigy from one of the three major Core Formation sects.

Not long after Lin Zhao killed it, a Foundation Establishment demon beast, the "Shadow Leopard," came to ambush him.

He had initially thought it was just bad luck, but now it clearly appears to be a flying monster coming to take revenge.

I was incredibly lucky to have survived such retaliation back then!

The clan leader continued, "Thus, an encirclement and killing took place in the Golden Sands River, where more than a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators from the market and sects formed a tacit alliance with the Golden Roc clan."

Those who could participate in the siege in that battle were at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and more than 50% of them perished.

In the end, the black dragon that had survived the heavenly tribulation and completed its transformation was relentlessly attacked and killed, its massive body being torn apart.

His gaze returned to the dragon claw on the stone platform: "This claw is the spoils of war that the first ancestor of the Lin family seized in that battle."

However, because of the struggle for this item, he formed a deadly feud with a certain force... After returning, the ancestor passed away due to severe injuries.

His failure to live to the lifespan expected of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is the greatest loss and regret for our Lin family.

The clan leader continued, "The first ancestor, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and extraordinary courage, concealed his identity and aura and forcefully took away one of his front paws."

After succeeding, he immediately used a secret technique to escape, but the treasure was too tempting to resist.

Master Yuntao, the owner of Hidden Mist Market, noticed him and followed him in pursuit.

Master Yuntao is at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he is in charge of a workshop. He is wealthy and possesses exquisite magical artifacts.

A life-or-death battle ensued, with the first patriarch displaying his fierce prowess.

Master Yuntao possessed numerous magical techniques and artifacts, and the two ultimately suffered heavy losses.

The first patriarch barely escaped with the dragon claw, concealed his identity, returned to the Lin family, and passed away peacefully.

Fortunately, the second-generation ancestor had already established his foundation by then, barely managing to keep the family afloat.

Although Venerable Yuntao stabilized his injuries by relying on the resources of the market, his foundation was damaged and his cultivation stagnated at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Even after his lifespan was exhausted, he was unable to advance to the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

The decline of Hidden Mist Market began at that time.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao exclaimed, "No wonder... even though the master of a sect is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his strength is probably comparable to that of the late-Foundation Establishment stage. The fact that the first ancestor could fight him to a draw is enough to show his ferocity."

Clan Chief Lin Shanhe nodded and continued, "The seeds of hatred have been sown. My Lin family's second-generation ancestor, although known to outsiders as a tortoise..."

He spent most of his life guarding Qingxi Mountain, but he never forgot this blood feud. He devoted all his energy to studying talismans and formations.

Lin Zhao recalled the family's secret technique used during the previous family ambush against the Azure Ape: the Azure Yang Flame Dragon Rune Array. The second-generation ancestor must have learned it from the dragon's claw.

"A hundred years later, Venerable Yuntao was very old, and he had not found out the identity of the first ancestor, so his vigilance was not as good as before."

The second-generation patriarch felt the time was right. He used a meticulously designed trap as bait to lure Master Yuntao away from the market and into the trap he had painstakingly laid over decades.

Lin Zhao held her breath.

A cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage planned for a hundred years to set a trap and kill a master of a workshop who was experienced, skilled, and powerful, comparable to a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

The scheming and ruthlessness involved are chilling.

The clan chief recounted in a cold voice, "Although Master Yuntao used many methods, he was old after all. In that battle, although he resisted, it did not last long before he died and his Dao vanished."

The century-long feud between the Lin and Yun families has finally come to an end, and my Lin family has obtained the most crucial key from his belongings.

Lin Zhao let out a long breath and could only sigh, "The second-generation ancestor... truly worthy of being a member of the Lin family."

This assessment is complex and difficult to articulate.

The clan chief's lips twitched slightly: "...If you can't speak properly, then speak less."

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing: "So, that 'key' is something that can control a part of Hidden Mist Market? The Lin family has been secretly plotting for years, and it's not just about Green Maple Market; they've been secretly plotting for Hidden Mist Market as well?"

"That's right." The clan leader nodded solemnly. "The reason why Hidden Mist Market was able to stand firm back then was because of the ten interconnected second-order formations set up by the first market owner. Six of them were of low grade, three were of medium grade, and the core was a second-order high-grade main formation—'Cloud Mist Locking Spirit Formation'."

After Master Yuntao's death, the Yun family's descendants became weak and could only barely maintain the situation by bringing in a "son-in-law" who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

What we obtained from its relics was the control array plate of the core formation!

Although it cannot completely control the grand formation, it can interfere with or even paralyze it for a period of time at crucial moments!

He paused, then continued his analysis: "The Hidden Mist Market has been declining in recent years due to internal strife within the Yun family and a lack of successors. A beast tide a few years ago almost destroyed the market..."

He spoke calmly, as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.

Lin Zhao gave the clan leader a deep look but did not ask any further questions.

Given the patriarch's methods, it goes without saying what role the Lin family played in the chaos within the market and the beast tide.

"Fortunately, the Lin family is blessed with a prodigy like you."

The patriarch looked intently at Lin Zhao, "The Hidden Mist Market is weak and vulnerable. The Lin family has risen to prominence and now holds the trump card of the array plate. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Lin family!"

Therefore, the Lin family needs these spirit stone resources from the Azure Talisman Alliance to plan the Hidden Mist Market. The Lin family cannot back down, nor can they afford to!