Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

At this point, cultivators need to step in. Mortal soldiers are generally only there to provide support, and can only rely on fortress formations and magical artifacts.

During the march, they encountered several groups of scattered low-level demonic beasts. Lin Zhao didn't need to take any action; the soldiers worked in teams of ten, shields in front and spears thrusting forward, cooperating perfectly.

The tip of the talismanic spear touched the monster's carapace, and with a flash of runes, it easily pierced through.

Occasionally, a demonic beast would pounce, and the crossbowmen in the rear would activate their crossbows, the bolts carrying a faint light as they pierced through the beast. Meanwhile, the cultivators would patrol the perimeter, specifically targeting swift-moving demonic beasts or those at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Five hours later, Wolf Fang Fortress came into view.

It was a three-story fortress built against a steep cliff, its surface covered with marks of hacking and magical burning.

At this moment, a dark mass of thousands of demonic beasts, mainly Ironback Wolves and Rock-skinned Boars, had gathered outside the fortress, frantically attacking the pale yellow light barrier activated by the fortress's formation. The light barrier flickered, clearly struggling to hold on.

"Form ranks! Arrowhead formation, break through!" the cultivator leader shouted.

The cultivators instantly split into several groups, like red-hot knives cutting into butter, their magical light flashing and sword energy crisscrossing, tearing open several gaps in the beast horde.

The mortal soldiers followed closely behind, forming a tight circular formation. The light from their talismans merged into one, firmly blocking the demonic beasts that were trying to close in.

Lin Zhao hovered in mid-air, not making a move easily.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his battlefield wasn't here, but rather with those powerful second-tier demonic beasts.

His divine sense covered the battlefield, and he would only point when he saw a defensive line about to collapse or a soldier or cultivator in a mortal crisis.

A sharp cyan sword aura pierced through the air, precisely striking the monster's head.

An hour later, the reinforcements finally broke through the horde of beasts and joined up with the garrison inside the fortress.

After more than an hour of busy work, including handing over and settling the wounded, the crisis at Langya Fortress was temporarily averted.

Hundreds of wounded soldiers and exhausted monks needed to retreat to the market to rest.

The leader of the group clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Zhao, earnestly requesting the Foundation Establishment senior to escort them for a while—although the journey was not long, carrying wounded individuals would make them easy targets for the beast horde.

Lin Zhao nodded in agreement.

The group began to retreat. After traveling less than a few miles, hundreds of demonic beasts emerged from the forests on their flanks, clearly drawn by the scent of blood.

Lin Zhao stopped and said to the team leader, "You guys go first, I'll be there shortly."

He turned to face the surging tide of beasts.

With a thought, the Azure Lotus Sword hovered in front of him, its blade ringing out. Seventy-two jade lotus leaves fell from the sword, transforming into seventy-two shimmering streams of light that circled around him.

"go."

The sword's finger makes a forward, indistinct gesture.

Seventy-two streams of light, like a sudden storm, poured into the beast horde!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a continuous series of soft hissing sounds.

With each streak of light, several demonic beasts fell to the ground. The sword light was too fast and too dense; the demonic beasts didn't even have time to scream before falling silently in droves.

In just a few breaths, hundreds of demonic beasts within sight were all killed. The few remaining demonic beasts that had been spying in the distance let out terrified growls and fled into the deep mountains with their tails between their legs.

Lin Zhao recalled the Azure Lotus Sword, caught up with the group not far away, and said calmly, "Let's go."

There were no further disturbances along the way.

The wounded were safely transported back to the market, and the handover was completed late at night.

Zhu Yi handed over a new mission jade token: "For the next ten days, you will be responsible for the daily patrols of the ten fortresses from the 20th to the 30th, rotating every ten days."

The main defense is against small groups of Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts infiltrating, or large-scale beast hordes causing disturbances. Other time is up to you; you can cultivate, rest, or take on odd jobs.

Remember, your main battlefield isn't on the ground, it's in the air, in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. That's where the battle will be decided.

Lin Zhao accepted the jade token and nodded.

He knew that what he saw today was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Jinsha defense line.

Lin Zhao's patrol days were more peaceful than she had expected.

The ten fortresses under his command were scattered along the north bank of a tributary of the Jinsha River, forming a winding arc. Most of these fortresses were three-story stone structures, with walls covered with various claw marks, burn marks, and signs of repair.

Every day, he rides his cloud-flying boat along a predetermined route, his divine sense spreading out like a net, covering an area of ​​five miles.

The river breeze swept through the gorge, carrying the stench of water and a faint smell of rust. Occasionally, small groups of monsters could be seen darting through the forest, but they were never large and were dealt with by the fortress garrison or the nearby monster-hunting teams.

On the seventh day of his patrol, he made a brief stop at a fortress. This fortress was quite large, and it was garrisoned by a detachment of the "Broken Army" demon-hunting team.

When asked about Gao Yuan and Chu Xin, the gatekeeper said that Commander Gao and Deputy Commander Chu had led several hundred cultivators upstream a month ago, where a herd of beasts, numbering over ten thousand, was suspected to be gathering and needed to be intercepted in advance.

Lin Zhao nodded, but didn't go in. He only asked the cultivator to pass on a message: "If Commander Gao returns, tell him that an old friend from Tianyun Market has come to visit." After thinking for a moment, he added, "His surname is Lin."

The cultivator from the Broken Army respectfully agreed repeatedly.

As the January patrol was drawing to a close, they finally encountered some serious activity.

That was in a valley outside the Twenty-Two Fortresses.

Lin Zhao sensed with his divine sense that two fierce Foundation Establishment auras were flowing downstream from upstream at an extremely fast speed!

He flashed and appeared above the valley. Below, a giant crocodile-like "Ironclad Dragon Turtle" covered in bluish-black scales roared as it charged toward a thousand-strong supply convoy on the riverbank.

In the shadows of the nearby cliff, lurked a shadow ferret, its body entirely gray and white, only the size of an ordinary wolf, yet exuding a cold and eerie aura.

Both are second-order.

The former is in the early stage, while the latter is actually in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment!

"You beast!"

Lin Zhao pointed his finger, and the Azure Lotus Sword transformed into a stream of azure light, shooting straight at the armored crocodile dragon! At the same time, seventy-two azure lotus leaves flew out of their sheaths, forming a sword array in mid-air, enveloping the shadow sable.

The dragon turtle reacted quickly, swinging its massive head and its tail, covered in bone spurs and enveloped in an earthy yellow demonic light, fiercely lashing at the Azure Lotus Sword!

"clang--!"

A deafening clang, like metal clashing, reverberated through the valley! The Azure Lotus Sword was slightly deflected by the blow, but its momentum remained undiminished. The sword's azure light surged, and with a "swoosh," it pierced through the demonic light, carving a deep, bone-revealing gash on the dragon turtle's back!

The dragon turtle howled in agony, its demonic energy surging wildly. The flesh at its wounds tore open, yet began to heal at a visible speed. The vitality of demonic beasts was indeed formidable.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Sable's figure blurred the moment it was enveloped by the sword formation, transforming into hundreds of indistinguishable gray shadows that scattered in all directions! The sword formation's attack only destroyed a dozen or so illusions; its true form had already fled hundreds of feet away, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest, its aura rapidly fading into the distance.

Ran.

Lin Zhao frowned. This Shadow Sable was extremely fast and adept at concealment. If they insisted on pursuing it, they might be able to catch up. However, behind it was the fortress, and on the riverbank was that terrified transport team.