Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao took the command flag, weighed it in his hand, and understood what was going on.

Cangyun Mountain is built on a second-grade top-quality spiritual vein, and its protective array is also a second-grade top-quality array, covering an area of ​​more than 20 miles, capable of confronting a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator.

However, this kind of large-scale second-order formation cannot rely solely on the main formation plate; it also requires more than a dozen command flags for dispersed control.

The original garrison commander hastily left behind six sides, and with Meng Yong's three sides, Lin Zhao now controls nine sides—more than half, but still a few sides away from complete control.

The rest should be in the hands of those eight Foundation Establishment cultivators who are about to leave.

This is the price of forcibly seizing the garrison position.

The original town had been in charge of the business for decades, and his people were spread throughout the town.

Lin Zhao drove him away, but those people still held onto their hearts; it was impossible to win them all over at once.

But he doesn't regret it.

There are only so many resources in the cultivation world. If you don't compete for them, where will you get any extra resources?

Of the 100,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yunhai Cangming Sect, only a thousand Core Formation True Persons are visible on the surface. The rest either die of old age or in some secret realm or in battle.

If Lin Zhao wants to go further and higher, she must strive.

He came to Cangyun Mountain not only to manage his power, but also for his own cultivation resources.

With eight fewer people, there are indeed fewer people building the foundation of the market, but there are also fewer people sharing resources.

As for combat strength...

Lin Zhao already had a plan in mind.

The sect has various secret techniques that can "stimulate" the formation of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although the cost is high and the potential is limited, it is sufficient as a defensive force.

Over the years, he has gained experience and accumulated many techniques, including the demonic cultivation method of seizing the foundation, the demon core technique of Wanheng Market, the self-created Blood Fiend Dragon technique, and the sect's method of accumulating power through hard time.

Previously, when I went to Zhenhai Cliff, the Endless Demon Sea, it was very popular to use second-tier demon cores to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

With the experience gained from the trip to Zhenhai Cliff and the previous beast tide, he now has more than twenty second-tier demon cores in his hands, which he can slowly arrange later.

But for now, we need to reassure these people first.

Lin Zhao stood up and said to the three of them, "Come with me."

The four flew out of the garrison headquarters, took to the air, and hovered a hundred feet above the market.

It was evening, and the setting sun was bathing the entire Cangyun Mountain in a warm yellow hue.

The market town was filled with rows of buildings, and cultivators came and went in droves. Wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, and in the distance, the lights of the county town at the foot of the mountain gradually came on.

Lin Zhao looked down at the territory that was about to be under his control and took a deep breath.

Then, he raised his hand as if to grab something.

Four streams of light shot into the sky from the storage bag—

Azure Dragon! White Tiger! Vermilion Bird! Black Tortoise!

Four ancient statues, each several meters tall, hang in mid-air, positioned in the four cardinal directions.

The statue's surface was covered with the marks left by time, but at this moment, under the stimulation of Lin Zhao's spiritual power, every mark was glowing.

Lin Zhao closed his eyes, and the [Heavenly State] quietly descended upon his sea of ​​consciousness.

During these ten days, he not only organized the accounts, but also used his divine state to deduce several times how to integrate the Four Spirits Returning to Origin Formation into the protective formation of Cangyun Mountain.

How to combine and merge these two originally unrelated formations, and how to make the power of the Four Spirits statues a new foundation for the market?

After more than ten rounds of deduction, I finally found the balance point.

Now is the time to verify.

Lin Zhao opened his eyes, a glint of gold flashing deep within his pupils.

His domain suddenly expanded—the [Four Elements and Five Sacred Mountains Domain] enveloped most of Cangyun Mountain like mercury spilling onto the ground, and the power of the four elements resonated with the statues of the four spirits.

"melt!"

Lin Zhao gave a low shout, and his domain suddenly contracted, pulling the Four Spirits statues down slowly.

The moment the statue touched the protective array's light barrier, the entire Cangyun Mountain trembled.

Countless cultivators flew out of the pavilion, looking up at the sky with shock in their eyes.

They saw that the pale golden light curtain covering an area of ​​twenty miles was churning violently, like a pot of boiling water.

Countless runes appeared on the surface of the light screen; these were the original array patterns, now merging with the power of the Four Spirits statues.

The phantoms of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise emerged from the statue, growing larger and larger until they transformed into a gigantic spirit body tens of feet tall!

The Azure Dragon coils and twists, its scales a vibrant, glistening green; the White Tiger pounces, its malevolent aura soaring to the heavens; the Vermilion Bird spreads its wings, its feathers ablaze with crimson flames; the Black Tortoise coils, runes flowing across its tortoise shell.

Four spirit figures hung at the four corners of the market, illuminating the entire night sky.

Where the light passed, the previously anxious and fearful rogue cultivators gradually quieted down.

They looked up at the four enormous spirit figures and felt the overwhelming pressure—a power comparable to that of four peak Foundation Establishment cultivators!

With these four spirits guarding the area, the defenses of Cangyun Mountain Market are more than twice as strong as before.

Lin Zhao hovered in mid-air, standing with her hands behind her back.

He felt the gazes below him—shock, awe, reassurance, and submission.

The panic caused by the eight Foundation Establishment cultivators preparing to leave was completely suppressed at this moment.

But Lin Zhao knew in his heart that the statues of the Four Spirits had become somewhat hollowed out over time.

At this moment, it has only forcibly integrated into the formation and still needs time to adjust and recover its foundation with the help of the formation's spiritual power.

The old man surnamed He stood behind him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

The middle-aged man surnamed Zhou had a complicated expression. His lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.

Meng Yong grinned, his face covered in scars that looked like a bunch of knuckles.

Yan Chiheng flew up at some point and whispered to Lin Zhao, "You're something else, making such a big scene without even telling me beforehand."

Lin Zhao ignored him, his gaze sweeping across the entire market, and slowly said, "The market remains the same, the rules are as before. Those who should do business should do business, and those who should cultivate should cultivate."

The sound wasn't loud, but with the blessing of the Dharma Domain, it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Silence fell below, followed by a chorus of responses.

Lin Zhao turned around and flew towards the garrison headquarters.

Yan Chiheng caught up and chuckled, "You played that trick brilliantly. Now those Foundation Establishment cultivators who stayed behind should feel at ease."

Lin Zhao shook his head: "It's only temporary. The real trouble is yet to come."

"How so?"

"Those eight Foundation Establishment cultivators won't let this go easily, and the surrounding forces are also watching. We can't let our guard down until we've established a firm foothold."

Yan Chiheng nodded, unusually serious: "Alright, I'll continue fighting and beat those troublemakers a few more times until they submit."

Lin Zhao's lips twitched. Was this guy being a little too lively? He remembered that he was quite composed when he first met him.

Lin Zhao shook her head, too lazy to pay him any more attention.

Back at the garrison, he stood by the window, looking at the four spirit figures still slowly drifting in the night sky, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

The integration of the Four Spirits Returning to Origin Formation into the Mountain Protection Formation is only the first step.

The next step is to truly make this market town their real foundation.

The vacancies left by the eight Foundation Establishment cultivators who left must be filled as soon as possible.

It's time to start preparing those secret methods to facilitate foundation building.

There's also the situation in the Zixuan Dynasty; we need to send someone to find out more...

There's still a lot to do.

But Lin Zhao's lips curled up slightly.

This was the first time he had truly taken control of a territory of his own.

Although it was only the beginning, and although there were still countless troubles ahead, he was no longer a pawn who had to react passively.

From now on, he will be the one playing the game.

Outside the window, four ethereal figures moved slowly, illuminating the night sky above Cangyun Mountain.

The market was brightly lit, and the sounds of people gradually rose.