Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

But the Foundation Establishment cultivators in Wanheng Market are not fools.

Although they were the ones executing the plan, they also had their own agendas.

Once the third-tier dragon is born, although Wanheng Market has some special beast-taming techniques, it will probably still be no match for the stronger Qianhuang Sect.

Therefore, they secretly kept a backup plan.

Besides a Foundation Establishment Peak Elder in the workshop who was overseeing the dragon's advancement, the Deputy Workshop Master, Wan Heling, who was also the unlucky guy's master outside, extracted some of the dragon's original power to nurture the dragon egg in front of him.

Wanheng Marketplace, without the knowledge of Qianhuang Sect, carried out this shady business.

The reason why the dragon has been unable to break through to its peak for so long is probably because of their secret interference.

Lin Zhao's divine sense swept over another jade slip, and his gaze suddenly sharpened, chilling him to the bone.

Inside was a terrifyingly detailed map showing the formations, terrain, and power distribution of Shaoyang Market!

Not only were the array nodes marked, but the locations of the cave dwellings and daily routines of the Lin family's Foundation Establishment cultivators were also included!

There were also several lines of smaller text beside it, mentioning that "the Lin family has seen a frequent emergence of Foundation Establishment cultivators in recent years, suggesting the existence of a secret treasure or special inheritance, which is worth investigating further..."

Yes, back then, when the Lin family sealed off the mountain to build their foundation, it was this person who forcibly broke in to investigate.

Later, the Lin family rose to power and took control of Shaoyang Market, becoming a target for some people.

The master and apprentice Wan Heling have probably been coveting the Lin family for quite some time.

"Good, very good." Lin Zhao slowly put away the jade slip, his eyes filled with pure killing intent.

The jade slip also mentioned that the dragon egg was about to hatch, and Wan Heling would personally come to preside over the final ceremony in three days.

time is limited.

Lin Zhao quickly sorted out her thoughts.

He took out a specially made communication jade talisman and entered information about the location of the late-stage Foundation Establishment of the Flood Dragon, which was breaking through to the peak, the conspiracy of Wanheng Market and Qianhuang Sect, and the "Walking the Flood Dragon" plan into it.

However, he didn't mention the cave, the dragon egg, or Wan Heling at all, only saying that "if important clues are discovered, we will try to transfer one of the enemy's late-stage Foundation Establishment core combatants away to reduce the pressure on the sect leader's actions."

The jade talisman transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the water and speeding towards the direction of Jinsha Market.

After doing all this, Lin Zhao did not leave immediately.

He left the cave and came to the giant water cave.

Outside, the light from the three stone pillars had dimmed, but even after the forced extraction stopped, the tens of thousands of demonic beasts remained in a dazed state, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

The three Foundation Establishment demonic beasts barely managed to lift their heads, their eyes flashing with blood-red light, but they didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"Perfect, let's clean up the battlefield so they don't recover and cause trouble."

Lin Zhao showed no mercy. In less than half an incense stick's time, there was no longer any living creature in the cave, only piles of corpses and an overwhelming stench of blood.

I have to say that in the past six months in Jinsha Market, I haven't gotten many spirit stones or treasures, but I have accumulated a lot of monster materials.

Unfortunately, the storage bag had limited space, so Lin Zhao could only pick and choose, collecting the materials from the three Foundation Establishment demon beasts and the late-stage Qi Refining demon beasts.

After cleaning up, he returned to his cave and put away the sealed evil array, the dragon egg, and the unconscious black-clad cultivator—the latter being an important witness.

Then, he arrived at the surface of the Bailishui Marsh.

He chose this place as the battlefield; a storm is sure to follow. This is a secondary battlefield far from the second-generation Jiaolong.

Lin Zhao took a deep breath of the humid air, her eyes sharp as swords.

He took out the "Four Elements Array Diagram" that was neither silk nor cloth.

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 scroll on the water's surface.

On the scroll, countless intricate runes flowed and disappeared, subtly resonating and connecting with the water beneath their feet.

At the four corners of the formation, the phantom images of four precious orbs appear, suppressing the core of the formation and forming a perfect cycle.

As the array's spiritual light flowed, a silver-white "sword dragon" composed of sword energy runes condensed and took shape within the array.

On the other side, a phantom image of a pair of wings made of water and wind runes, known as "Yinglong," appeared.

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

The sword dragon and the Yinglong sank into the water, lurking in the shadows, and the spiritual light of the array diagram slowly faded and sank into the water.

Then, he made his Flowing Cloud Flying Boat float quietly on the open water of the marsh.

He deliberately placed the dragon egg at the very front of the flying boat's deck; it was the most direct bait, and Wan Heling would never ignore it.

Finally, he sat cross-legged at the stern of the flying boat and began to check the magical artifacts he would be using later: the Azure Lotus Sword, the Eight Desolations Ancient Seal, the Nine-fold Thunder Pearl, the Yin-Yang Ring... He repeatedly checked whether the spiritual power flowed smoothly and whether the runes were intact.

There was also a pile of crafted fire-refining artifacts that hadn't been handed over to the clan leader, miscellaneous items, black hourglasses, and so on.

This was the first time he had faced a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on.

Although he was confident that he could contend with or even defeat a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator through various means, that was, after all, only in theory.

In a real life-or-death struggle, there are too many variables.

Wan Heling was not one of the ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators he had killed before, but a seasoned late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Wanheng Market.

Lin Zhao had a general understanding of the origins of Wanheng Market based on Tianyun Market and the information he obtained from him.

There are seven overlords in the Cangyuan cultivation world, and the Yunhai Cangming Sect behind Lin Zhao is one of them.

In the distant Southern Continent, there exists another powerful force.

"The Palace of the Spirit Lord of Ten Thousand Beasts"

Its style is completely different from that of the Yunhai Cangming Sect, which emphasizes order and tradition.

It is ruled by a coalition of several ancient demon beast bloodline families, and adheres to a strict law of the jungle.

Their techniques and secret arts are mostly related to activating and fusing the bloodlines of demonic beasts. Disciples often coexist with powerful demonic beasts, and some even go so far as to become half-human and half-demon.

The internal competition is brutally cruel; blood ties and the size of one's fist are the only truths.

Plunder and conquest are almost ingrained in their nature.

Because of the harsh internal environment, weaker branches or families often flee the Southern Continent and scatter to other continents.

The Beast Spirit Lord's Palace usually doesn't care, regarding these escapees as weaklings who have been eliminated.

Wanheng Market is very likely one such force that ended up in the Yunxia Mountains.

Their background shaped their behavior: domineering, greedy, vindictive, and utterly bestial.

Lin Zhao was not afraid of the reputation of the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Venerable Mansion, and the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect was not afraid of any force.

But he was afraid of trouble, afraid of being targeted by this mad dog-like force.

But he couldn't stay in Shaoyangfang forever.

Therefore, the best solution is to completely resolve the "trouble" of Wan Heling right here.

Although Lin Zhao's cultivation level is still in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he cultivates a fourth-level Nascent Soul technique. His magical power is far superior to that of other cultivators of the same level. His solid foundation brings him the ability to fight beyond his level, and the resources required for each breakthrough in a small realm are several times that of other cultivators of the same level.

This is why his cultivation is slow, but if he didn't have such a strong foundation in magic power, how could he possibly drive several second-tier high-grade magic artifacts at the same time?

Now, what makes him dare to fight against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with only early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation?

The mist drifted slowly over the swamp, and time passed little by little.

Lin Zhao closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, adjusting himself to his peak condition.