Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

On the other side, the battlefield is where the Tiger Roar Master is facing off.

The Lord of Wanheng Market, who was holding the Dragon-Trapping Flute, paused for a moment, clearly having received the message as well. A slight disturbance appeared in his purplish-black domain.

Taking advantage of the situation, Master Yue Shan forced his opponent back with a single strike, without pursuing him.

Yue Shan, carrying a battle sword as big as a door, grinned and said, "What's wrong? Your plan doesn't seem to be going too well? Still want to fight? I haven't had enough yet, but that flute of yours is really a bit of a headache. Be careful you don't end up not being able to bring it back."

The owner of Wanheng Market had a grim expression. He gave Yue Shan a deep look.

With the dragon fallen and the Ghost Cry Palace retreating, the tide has turned.

"...Hmph." He finally just snorted coldly, put away the magic flute, and the terrifying pressure of the third-tier magic weapon receded like a tide.

He turned around and returned to the black spirit boat. Without stopping, the spirit boat transformed into a black rainbow and sped towards Wanheng Market, without even leaving behind a harsh word.

Yue Shan watched the other party leave, curled his lip, and the terrifying beast markings and aura on his body slowly subsided. "A third-tier magic weapon... damn, they're rich."

He muttered to himself, looking down at the forest below—the incredibly imposing black and gold throne, which had long since fallen to the ground, had been completely destroyed in the battle, turning into a pile of rather artistic scrap metal.

"Alright," Yue Shan scratched his head, his body hovering in the air. "I've always thought this thing was all show and no substance, and it's uncomfortable to sit on. How about we try a flying carpet next time?"

He stretched his limbs, determined his direction, and flew towards Jinsha Market. "Time to collect my reward. That kid Zhu Yi really suffered a huge loss this time fighting a third-tier magic weapon; I need to give him a good talking to..."

-----

Not far from the main battlefield, atop a mist-shrouded mountain, stood nine figures, all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The leading cultivator in the green robe possessed a profound aura; he was none other than Qingming Shangren, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Lin Shanhe stood at the end of the group, his face respectful, but his heart was in turmoil.

He only recently joined this loose alliance secretly formed by various workshop leaders.

Of the nine, besides Lin Shanhe, who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, there were four in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, three in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and one in the peak stage of Foundation Establishment.

This was Zhu Yi's second backup plan. The ten markets were interdependent, and if Tianyun Market did not act, Qingming Shangren would lead them to join forces with the Foundation Establishment cultivators left behind in the market to block the Ghost Cry Hall. However, this would leave Jinsha Market in a huge debt of gratitude.

On their way, they noticed the Zhong family's spirit boat and turned to come here to see if they could gain anything. Unexpectedly, they witnessed a battle between Core Formation level cultivators.

The battle between the Nascent Soul cultivators in the distance had only lasted a few hours, and the fluctuations of the energy vortex had begun to subside, leaving the outcome uncertain.

"Once the Core Formation stage is reached, victory or defeat is no longer our concern." Master Qingming gazed at the gradually calming celestial phenomena in the distance and spoke slowly, his voice calm.

"At present, Jinsha Market has been severely damaged but not destroyed; Qianhuang and Wanheng Markets' schemes have failed, and Guiku Market has returned empty-handed."

Tianyun Market remains aloof... For us, the ten lower markets, this is the best outcome.

He paused, then turned his gaze to another direction, where more than ten powerful demonic auras were lingering: "There are a few ignorant beasts over there who have been watching the show for quite a while. Go and take them out; that's doing my duty as a neighbor. Then, everyone go back to your homes."

The crowd nodded silently, then transformed into several streaks of light, silently encircling the Foundation Establishment demon beasts that were trying to scavenge the spoils.

In the end, apart from the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc in the late Foundation Establishment stage that escaped, the remaining ten second-tier demonic beasts were all killed.

-----

When Lin Zhao returned to Jinsha Market, Zhu Yi and the others had already returned.

The streets of Jinshafang Market became deserted and desolate, many buildings collapsed, and the brilliance dimmed.

The casualty briefing was cold and jarring.

When Lin Zhao arrived, there were 100,000 mortal soldiers and 30,000 cultivators.

After the chaos caused by the dragon, only 40,000 mortal soldiers remained, and the number of cultivators has just exceeded 10,000. The total population of the market has decreased by 60%.

This does not include the hundreds of fortresses on the periphery that need to be rebuilt or completely abandoned, as well as the massive loss of spirit stones and other resources.

More urgently, of the hundreds of thousands of monsters that had been scattered and unrestrained by the previous battle, at least 100,000 had broken away and were heading downstream.

The steel defense line downstream, composed of millions of mortal soldiers, has been completely breached by the beast tide, and countless monsters have poured into the mortal dynasty.

Urgent messages poured in from the downstream Dayun Dynasty like snowflakes.

There was no time for grief, not even time for rest; the remaining forces had to be mobilized immediately.

Zhu Yi's voice was hoarse, yet it brooked no argument: "Those who can move, pick up your magical artifacts! Clear out the beast tide, reclaim lost territory, and aid the refugees!"

Thus, even Yue Shan, the Tiger Roaring Immortal who had just arrived and was about to demand his reward, was stopped by Zhu Yi, whose eyes were red: "Brother Yue! You'll get your share of the dragon demon core! But right now, please lend me a hand! The mortals downstream can't wait!"

Yue Shan looked at the group of ragged cultivators in front of him, cursed under his breath, and finally joined the extermination team with his sword.

Lin Zhao is no exception.

He didn't even have time to properly heal the injuries he sustained in the battle with Wan Heling before flying along the Jinsha River towards the mortal dynasty that had been submerged by the beast tide.

The next three months were a bloody and exhausting process of killing and rescue.

Lin Zhao witnessed the once bustling villages turn into ruins, the hastily built earthen walls collapse under the onslaught of monsters, and the mortal soldiers use their flesh and blood to delay the monsters, buying the elderly, women, and children a pitiful amount of time to escape.

He slew tens of thousands of demonic beasts with his sword, and the light of his Azure Lotus Sword tore through hordes of beasts countless times, saving squads of wounded soldiers and groups of refugees.

But the demonic beasts had already completely dispersed, and his individual strength seemed rather insignificant.

He once stood atop the ruins of a breached county town, gazing out at the vast, fertile fields devoid of human habitation, only exposed bones lying in the wilderness, the cries of crows echoing in the setting sun.

That deep-seated sense of desolation and powerlessness is more suffocating than any powerful enemy.

Ultimately, the dynasty's official statistics showed that more than three million mortals were killed or wounded, and more than 500,000 soldiers died in battle.

Behind the cold, hard numbers lie countless broken families and lights that have been completely extinguished.

-----

Three months later, the beast tide was finally suppressed and dispersed, and the surviving monsters fled back to the deep mountains, and the downstream area temporarily returned to a brief period of calm.

Exhausted, Lin Zhao returned to the devastated Jinshafang City.

At the moment of parting, the atmosphere inside the Jinsha Palace in the market was somber.

Zhu Yi looked as if he had aged ten years, but his back was still straight.

He beckoned Lin Zhao to his side and took out a spirit boat that was shimmering with spiritual light, had a beautiful streamline, and was about the length of a shuttle.

Zhu Yi's voice was hoarse but solemn: "Your contributions during this calamity have been seen by everyone in Jinsha."

This Qinglin ship originally belonged to Cai Kuo. It was damaged in a previous battle, but it has now been repaired and has been infused with some materials from the Jiaolong (a type of dragon), giving it a blessing in water-based environments.

A second-tier, high-grade spirit boat, with superior speed and defense. Consider this a reward for your efforts these past few days. May your path to immortality be smooth and your immortal fortune prosperous in the future.

Lin Zhao did not refuse. "Take care, Master Zhu. Take care, fellow Daoists." Lin Zhao cupped his hands and bid farewell to Bai Zhi, Zhou Xun, Xue Ya, Gao Yuan and the others.

He didn't offer many words of comfort; all words seemed pale in the face of such a heavy price.

Board the brand-new Azure Scale and infuse it with spiritual energy.

The spirit boat emitted a deep hum, its entire body shimmering with a bluish-green, water-like halo, and it rose gracefully into the air, far superior to his damaged Cloud Flying Boat.

He took one last look at the dilapidated yet stubbornly standing market below, and at the surviving soldiers in the distance who were silently repairing the fortress, their eyes weary but their light still burning.

The Azure Scale transformed into a streak of azure light and sped off towards Tianyun Market.