Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Two months later, in the sea of ​​clouds in Tianyunfang City, in the direction of Lin Zhao's villa.

On this day, the once calm sea of ​​clouds was suddenly disturbed by a beam of light shooting into the sky!

The spiritual light was not malevolent; on the contrary, it exuded a purity and sharpness. In the distance, there seemed to be dragon-shaped shadows and sword energy surging and roaring. The spiritual light lasted for several hours before slowly receding and merging into the clouds.

The foundation has been laid.

When Lin Zhengfeng emerged from seclusion, his aura had been completely stabilized at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. His bloodthirsty aura was contained, and only his eyes shone with a terrifying light.

He bowed deeply to Lin Zhao without saying much, his gratitude conveyed entirely.

He then hurriedly left and returned to Qingxi Mountain—at a crucial moment in the family's planning for the Hidden Mist Market, having one more Foundation Establishment cultivator meant having one more important force.

Lin Zhao's life seems to have returned to its previous track.

Two months later, an encrypted message talisman pierced through the sea of ​​clouds and landed in Lin Zhao's hands.

The message came from clan leader Lin Shanhe, consisting of only a brief sentence: "The time has come. Three days from now, three hundred miles east of Hidden Mist Market, at Eagle Falling Gorge."

Lin Zhao put away the jade talisman, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

He stepped out of the courtyard, gave a few brief instructions to Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao who were under the Azure Jade Tree, and then transformed into a streak of azure light, leaving the summit of Cloud Sea Peak.

They sped off silently toward Hidden Mist Market.

-------

One hundred miles east of Yinwu Market lies Luoying Gorge.

This place is nestled between two mountains, with a deep ravine running through the middle, making it the only way to reach the market town.

At this moment, on a calm, desolate beach outside the ravine, seven figures stood silently.

The Lin family patriarch Lin Shanhe, Lin Zhao's grandfather, Lin Yuanfeng of the Black Fiend Pavilion's hidden lineage, Lin Zhengfeng, the newly promoted sword cultivator, Shen Qianshan of the Breaking Army, the Qin family's Foundation Establishment, and Lin Zhao.

"There are eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market, two in the mid-stage, the current head of the Yun family and the one who married into the family, and nine in the early stage," the patriarch said in a deep voice. "The Foundation Establishment cultivators we have contacted will remain neutral, and six will join the formation."

Lin Zhao's presence outside serves two purposes: firstly, to intercept Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside the area to provide support; secondly, if unrest occurs in Hidden Mist Market, other markets might intervene. Hidden Mist Market has been in turmoil for years, and it's not just the Lin family that has their eyes on it.

Secondly, in case of unforeseen circumstances, he could break through the formation from the outside to support their escape. Of course, the Lin family is well-prepared, so the probability of this is very low.

Lin Zhao glanced at the clan leader but said nothing.

This old fox, who said he had "no plan" before, now seems to have planted a hidden trap in this Hidden Mist Market decades or even centuries ago.

Recalling how the Yun family constantly sought sons-in-law to maintain their position as the masters of the market, it seems that some people in the Lin family's history also disappeared without a trace, such as Lin Xuan's eldest brother who vanished.

This arrangement of contacting neutral parties and quietly navigating the market's maze was not something that could be accomplished in ten years.

Without further thought, he flipped his hand and took out three dark red talismans with a subtle aura, yet which inexplicably sent chills down one's spine. These were the [Spell-Breaking Nether Needles], which he handed to the clan leader: "They contain powerful magic. Use them with caution."

The clan chief solemnly accepted it and nodded.

Immediately, the six transformed into streaks of light and silently disappeared into the distant outline of the market town shrouded in a light gray mist. The array's light screen rippled slightly before returning to normal.

Lin Zhao withdrew his gaze. His mission was clear: to intercept any possible external interference cultivators and, in the worst-case scenario, to serve as a backup and a trump card for breaking the formation.

He learned from his previous experience of intercepting the head of the Liu family and activated the formation in advance.

They selected an open area in front of Falling Eagle Gorge and took out the [Four Elements Array Diagram], which was neither silk nor cloth and had a warm, smooth feel to the touch.

He poured his magic power into it, and the array flew out of his hand, unfolding in mid-air.

"Buzz—!"

A deep, resounding roar, like a dragon's cry, echoed throughout! At the center of the array, four-colored spiritual light burst forth as if alive, instantly spreading out a huge, semi-transparent scroll of light within a radius of five miles.

On the scroll, countless intricate runes flowed and disappeared, faintly resonating with the earth's veins beneath their feet.

At the four corners of the array, the phantom images of four elemental orbs, which had already been upgraded to second-tier magic artifacts, appeared, suppressing the array's core and forming a perfect cycle. In an instant, the concentration of spiritual energy within the array soared, as if it had become a small world of its own.

Lin Zhao's thoughts stirred slightly. As the array diagram shimmered with spiritual light, a silver-white "sword dragon" composed of countless intricate sword energy runes materialized within the array, its scales and claws clearly defined, its sword intent chilling.

On the other side, a pair of broad wings made of wind and fire runes unfurled, and the phantom of "Yinglong" gracefully appeared, its agile eyes scanning the array.

Both of these array spirits possess the combat power of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and relying on the grand array, their energy is almost inexhaustible.

After setting up the formation, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged at the core of the formation, his aura merging with the entire Four Elements Formation, like a silent mountain rock.

The first day passed peacefully. Until late at night, in the direction of the Hidden Mist Market in the distance, the gray mist that shrouded the market seemed to churn more violently, with occasional muffled rumbling and flashes of spiritual light piercing through the mist, clearly indicating that the battle for the formation had begun.

However, the "Mist-Locking Spirit Array" of the market formation has not been fully activated, indicating that the battle is still ongoing and no clear winner has emerged – which in itself is good news.

The following evening, Lin Zhao suddenly opened her tightly closed eyes and arrived.

Four Foundation Establishment auras of varying strength appeared at the edge of my divine sense, rapidly approaching and finally converging three miles outside the formation. After a brief hesitation, they rushed straight towards Eagle Falling Gorge. The four were clearly a hastily formed team, with two at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and two at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

As soon as they stepped into the open area, Lin Zhao took action.

"rise."

With a single, calm word, the Four Elements Array Diagram, which had been poised to unleash its power, shone brightly. The semi-transparent light shield instantly solidified, engulfing the four unsuspecting individuals along with the surrounding five-mile area!

The scene within the formation changed abruptly, with four-colored spiritual light flowing around, and sword energy and the power of wind and fire spreading.

The sword dragon roared and pounced on a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator; the Yinglong flapped its wings, unleashing a torrent of magic upon another.

The battle erupted instantly, with bursts of spiritual light and surging waves of energy, but the array remained as stable as a mountain, absorbing and dissipating all the aftershocks.

Lin Zhao's figure slowly emerged at the center of the formation, his gaze falling on the remaining two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

One person was dressed in the Thousand Glory Sect's standard robes, with a calm expression; the other was dressed in black, with sharp eyes that conveyed urgency.

He pointed his finger, and the Azure Lotus Sword shimmered with light. Seventy-two azure lotus leaves suddenly fell off, trembling and deforming in the air. Under the control of the sword intent, they transformed into seventy-two crystal-clear azure jade swords, each radiating sword energy.

The small sword did not attack randomly, but as if it had a life of its own, it instantly formed a sword formation, subtly surrounding the Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Thousand Radiance Sect at the center. The sword energy intertwined into a net, sealing off all directions, creating a strong sense of oppression, but it did not launch a preemptive attack immediately.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Thousand Radiance Sect slightly moved his eyes, raised his hand to summon a blue water shield to protect himself, his posture was very defensive, but he also had no intention of taking the initiative to attack, he just cautiously observed Lin Zhao and the formation.