Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

"Use an array to counter an array." Lin Zhao's face was pale; this attack had nearly drained thirty percent of his spiritual power, but he stood firmly at the core of the array. "As long as I don't fall, these three fortresses... cannot be breached!"

The beast tide seemed enraged by this sudden turn of events, and its attack became even more frenzied. Several mid-Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts no longer concealed themselves and joined forces to attack the array.

Lin Zhao sneered, unfurled his Azure Lotus Sword Wings, and merged with the sword, transforming into a streak of azure light that swept across the battlefield, weaving through and counterattacking amidst the encirclement of several demonic beasts.

With each flash of sword light, a spray of demonic blood would erupt. He held back the most threatening demonic beasts, relieving pressure on the fortress below.

Time slowly passed amidst bloodshed and slaughter.

-----

As the sun set and the last rays of light disappeared below the horizon, the terrifying beast tide that had lasted all day finally receded slowly, like the receding tide.

The setting sun, like blood, illuminated the ravaged land.

Along the defensive line stretching for hundreds of miles, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and corpses piled up like mountains, human and beast, almost indistinguishable from one another.

The blood flowed into the Jinsha River, turning the river water dozens of miles downstream into a dark red color.

Lin Zhao slowly retracted the Four Elements Array Diagram, staggered, and barely managed to stand by using his sword for support.

Aside from the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon, he had used almost every trick in the book. In this battlefield with over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, he ultimately needed to keep a trump card in hand.

Fortunately, those late-stage Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts were all entangled by late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market and did not come here.

He looked around. The three fortresses still stood, and although the formation was severely damaged and the spiritual light was dim, the core area was not lost.

Inside the fortress, the survivors helped each other up, their faces filled with the joy of surviving a calamity as they watched the retreating beast tide.

Soon, a rough battle damage report was delivered to each Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At the Jinsha defense line, 27,000 civilian soldiers were killed or went missing.

More than 4,700 cultivators were killed or wounded, including four Foundation Establishment cultivators who perished and seven who were seriously injured.

The seventeen forward fortresses upstream were completely lost and destroyed by the monsters.

Hundreds of fortresses have been damaged to varying degrees, and a full restoration would require a massive amount of resources and time.

According to various sources, the number of monsters involved in this raid is over one million.

More than 120 second-tier demonic beasts have been confirmed.

A fierce conflict comparable to a sect war.

Inside the quiet room of Jinsha Palace, only the workshop owner Zhu Yi and Zhou Xun were present; the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost palpable.

Zhu Yi, his black dragon-patterned armor stained with blood and scorch marks, looked as if he had aged ten years overnight. His eyes were bloodshot, yet burned with a chilling rage.

"...Seventeen fortresses, tens of thousands of soldiers, and four Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

His voice was hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Fine, very well, do you really think my Jinsha Square is made of clay?"

Zhou Xun leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, his face gloomy.

Zhou Xun suddenly straightened up and walked to Zhu Yi's side: "Old Zhu, do you understand now? This is no longer a simple beast tide."

Someone is using the demonic beast as a weapon to cut into our Jinsha territory, to test our bottom line, and... to force us to take a stand.

He paused, then said meaningfully, "You need to make up your mind. Will you continue to hold onto this position as the head of the workshop, watching your brothers die one by one in conspiracies and schemes? Or..."

He didn't say anything more.

Zhu Yi slowly raised his head, the weariness and struggle in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a long-lost cold and sharp light.

The Hundred Flavors Spiritual Cuisine Restaurant, a property under the Thousand Glory Sect, is located in a secret chamber deep underground. Three people are currently holding a meeting there.

Cai Kuo of the Thousand Glory Sect leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping the table unconsciously; he was clearly in a bad mood.

Xue Ya of the Black Fiend Pavilion sat opposite him, his voice filled with dissatisfaction: "Brother Cai, your actions... are too much."

So many people died, seventeen fortresses collapsed, and four Foundation Establishment cultivators were killed. We were only ordered to suppress Jinsha Market, not to cripple it.

His words were half true and half false. It was a consensus that the three major sects were suppressing the market, but he personally did not want to get deeply involved. At this moment, he felt like he was being roasted over a fire.

Cai Kuo retorted, "Isn't it all Zhu Yi's fault? He's incompetent and unwilling to let my Qianhuang Sect take action, which has led to the current situation. What does it have to do with us?"

The captain of the Shadow Hunting Demon Team was wrapped in a black robe, not even a finger was visible.

Upon hearing this, a soft, emotionless chuckle came from the shadows: "Fellow Daoist Xue is being tactful. True Disciple Cai, you're simply after Zhu Yi's position."

But rules are rules. The three major sects can influence the market, but their disciples cannot sit directly in that chair.

The market town needs a local strongman like Zhu Yi to hold the line. If you really take him down, who will clean up this mess? If the demon beasts actually destroy the market town and endanger the dynasty below, and the sect holds you accountable, will you take the blame?

Cai Kuo paused, then raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife in the shadows: "Rules? Ha."

He leaned forward slightly. "Have you ever encountered any 'rules' in your respective sects?"

Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking to himself, his voice filled with a burning ambition: "The rules are set by power, set by the True Immortals of Core Formation! I, Cai Kuo, bear the name of a true successor, and there are True Immortals of Core Formation in my family!"

As long as I can take over Jinsha Market and integrate all its resources to contribute to the sect, I will have a chance to form a Core Formation!

"Once I complete my elixir, who will remember how many people died today? They will only remember that a True Man Cai emerged from Jinsha Market!"

His eyes shone brightly: "As for what will happen to the market in the future... what does it have to do with me? If I succeed in my cultivation, I can simply let my subordinates manage this mere market."

Xue Ya remained silent, and the captain's aura fluctuated for a moment before finally settling back into stillness.

Having said all that, there's no need for further explanation.

The three parted on bad terms, and the protective energy of the secret chamber flickered several times before the figures disappeared one after another.

That night, Lin Zhao was quietly adjusting his breathing, but the details of the battle kept replaying in his mind.

The precise control of those blue-scaled demonic beasts.

The orderly retreat of the beast tide did not resemble a complete rout.

Also... there was a thick layer of demonic beast corpses on the outskirts of the fortress, where the spiritual energy of a cultivator remained.

Although it was obscured by the stench of blood and the demonic power of monsters, he still managed to detect that slight discordant fluctuation of spiritual energy.

There were human cultivators who secretly operated during the beast tide.

He opened his eyes, and there were two things in front of him. On the left was a spirit-sealing box he had brought from his family, inside which a miniature dragon claw emanated a chilling aura.

On the right are the scales that were brought back earlier, belonging to those "Azure Scale Beasts".

Lin Zhao stretched out her finger and gently touched a scale.

At the same time, his divine sense connected with the dragon claw in the spirit-sealing box.

hum...

The scales trembled slightly, and a sense of resonance originating from the depths of his bloodline returned to him through his divine sense.

"As expected..." Lin Zhao murmured. Not only were their appearances similar, but their primal auras were also connected.

He turned the scales over and examined them closely. These monsters seemed to have been created by some kind of force.