Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

But the nine people had already moved.

The leader, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, sneered and with a flick of his hand, a large silver net flew out from his sleeve, instantly covering the white spirit boat with a length of several tens of feet.

A silvery light shimmered on the netting, and as soon as the brother and sister got close, they were bounced back and slammed heavily to the ground.

"Why are you running?" the Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator said slowly. "Once you're here, you're not leaving."

The nine people spread out, forming an encirclement that trapped everyone in the center.

The sounds of the ritual implements were incessant, and various colored lights shone, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

"If you know what's good for you, hand over your storage bag." A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator licked his lips. "I'll leave you with a complete corpse."

The brother and sister were deathly pale. The brother gritted his teeth and stood in front of her, holding a second-grade low-level sword-shaped magic weapon in his hand, but the tip of the sword was trembling.

The elderly man surnamed Zheng struggled to his feet, shielding the brother and sister, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth. He stared at the nine people and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, I am from the Zixuan Dynasty and also a guest elder of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce. These two are also members of the Core Formation royal family."

Please be lenient and let this matter be treated as if it never happened.

"The Purple Profound Dynasty, the Azure Sea Chamber of Commerce?" The Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator laughed. "Old man Zheng, do you think we're easily intimidated? This place is tens of thousands of miles from the Immortal City. If I kill you, who will know?"

The old man surnamed Zheng's face darkened.

The brother and sister behind him were utterly desperate—nine Foundation Establishment cultivators, four late-stage cultivators and one peak cultivator, plus the three of them who were injured, plus the seemingly weak Cui Jun and his two companions, how could they possibly fight them?

My sister burst into tears.

Cui Jun clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain, but inwardly he was furiously cursing—

What happened to my meticulously planned adventure?

Shouldn't we first feign compliance, then engage in scheming and intrigue for seven or eight rounds, before finally revealing the most hidden cultivator for a peak showdown of wits and courage?

Why did you attack right away? You started fighting already? Are all you cultivators so lacking in martial ethics?!

Lin Zhao stood still, her expression behind the mask completely unchanged.

He glanced at the nine people—their magical artifacts were varied and numerous, making them appear impressive, but in reality, they were full of flaws.

Especially those few Foundation Establishment cultivators, their eyes kept glancing at the brother and sister, clearly thinking about how to divide the spoils later.

He sighed.

Sometimes, this world really is just a makeshift operation.

He originally thought that someone who could set up such a trap would at least have some skill and patience, and would wait until they entered the cave before making their move.

As a result, these people didn't even bother to pretend; they overturned the table before even opening the cave door.

Indeed, one should never have any expectations of so-called "treasures".

If there were really good things, they would have been taken long ago. How could they possibly have gotten their hands on them?

His gaze swept over the nine still-shouting cultivators, then looked at the "severely injured and dying" Cui Jun beside him and the expressionless Zhou Yuan.

Finally, the tears fell on the brother and sister whom the elderly man surnamed Zheng was protecting. The sister was still crying, and the brother was trembling with gritted teeth.

I've never seen such a weak Foundation Establishment cultivator before, and I don't know how this brother and sister managed to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Lin Zhao withdrew her gaze.

Forget it.

Let's just consider this... practice.

His fingers twitched; the two second-tier high-grade magic artifacts in his storage bag were ready to be used at any time.

He raised his eyes and looked at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The man was still saying, "...If you know what's good for you, just end it yourself, so we don't have to do it and suffer more—"

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Because he saw that the "Jie Xiu" wearing a black mask was looking at him with a strange gaze.

There was no fear, no anger, not even tension in his eyes.

There was only a faint... boredom.

His heart skipped a beat—something was wrong.

-----

Lin Zhao was too lazy to waste words. He patted his storage bag, and the Three Absolute Demon Drum flew out and hovered in front of him.

It was a large, black drum with a grotesque shape, covered with the hide of an unknown animal.

Lin Zhao raised her hand.

The first strike.

"Thump—!!!"

An invisible sound wave distorted the air and swept outwards, scattering fragments of stone everywhere.

The encirclement set up by the nine people was instantly disrupted—several cultivators in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage staggered backward, blood seeping from their ears and noses.

The second blow followed immediately.

"Thump—whoosh—!!!"

The tone suddenly became sharp, penetrating directly into the cultivator's dantian and causing a surge of magical power!

Those cultivators in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage felt their internal magical power surging wildly and completely out of their control.

The third strike.

"Thump—Buzz—!!!"

The drumbeats transformed into countless mournful howls and wails of wolves and ghosts, surging towards everyone, ignoring defenses, directly penetrating the sea of ​​consciousness, tearing at the mind, and creating terrifying illusions!

The three ultimate techniques were unleashed simultaneously. The physical body trembled, the magical power became disordered, and the mind lost its composure.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators are turned into lambs to the slaughter under this system.

Although Lin Zhao didn't specifically target the brother and sister, they were still affected. The sister screamed and crouched down, covering her head, while the brother gritted his teeth and endured it, his face as pale as paper.

The old man surnamed Zheng grunted and stood protectively in front of the brother and sister, veins bulging on his forehead.

The four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were already half-crippled, lying limp on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

The other four late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were also affected, their faces grim. Only the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator snorted coldly, his spiritual light surging, and he withstood the attack.

But his expression changed as well.

This "Jie Xiu" wearing a black mask, he used such a deadly move right from the start?!

Before he could react, Lin Zhao waved his left hand.

Four thin, almost completely transparent black needles, as thin as a hair, shot out silently from his hand.

Breaking the Law with the Needle of Darkness.

The needle is imbued with pure power of the Void, specifically designed to break through protective spiritual light and erode magical power and vitality.

They were almost invisible in the air, with only very faint fluctuations of spiritual energy, like four wisps of smoke.

That Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator noticed it.

"careful--!"

He had barely uttered the words when four Nether Needles pierced the chests of the four Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators who had collapsed to the ground.

Their protective aura from their magical artifacts was easily penetrated, as if it were made of paper.

There was no bloodshed, no screams; the four men simply jolted in unison, and then…

A cold, deathly power, seemingly capable of devouring everything, suddenly erupted within them.

Their dantian and dantian were instantly eroded, their vitality vanished like a tide, and in the blink of an eye, their eyes dimmed and their auras disappeared completely.

One shot, four kills.

The entire battlefield seemed to have been paused.

The brother and sister stared wide-eyed; the sister even forgot to scream, her mouth agape, frozen in place.

The elderly man surnamed Zheng's pupils contracted sharply, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his hands protecting his brother and sister trembling.

He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and had seen quite a bit of the world in the Tongming Domain.

But he had never seen such a move before—in a single exchange, instantly killing four mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, as cleanly and efficiently as stepping on four ants.