Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao leaped up and landed on the giant dragon head.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind high above, and under the lightning surrounding him, he looked like a god descending to earth.

The Thunder Gathering Pool slowly rotated deep within his dantian, continuously transforming spiritual energy into lightning power to supply the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon beneath his feet.

Although this quasi-magic weapon has not been fully repaired, the power it is currently displaying is enough to make any Foundation Establishment cultivator tremble with fear.

The other side finally realized what was happening.

The golden array light screen suddenly shone brightly, with layers of spiritual light overlapping, clearly indicating that the mountain-protecting array had been activated to its maximum.

Beneath the light screen, seven or eight figures could be vaguely seen rising into the air, standing at the edge of the formation and looking in this direction.

Lin Zhao didn't move, but waited quietly.

A few breaths later, a streak of light flew over and stopped inside the barrier—it was a middle-aged man in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, wearing a brocade robe, his face was a little pale, but he was still quite calm.

"May I ask which senior has graced us with their presence?" He cupped his hands in greeting, his voice carrying from afar, "This junior is Zhou Mingyuan, an elder of the Zhou family. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me—"

"Do you recognize me?" Lin Zhao interrupted him.

Zhou Mingyuan was stunned. He stared at Lin Zhao for a moment, then his face turned even paler.

Of course he knows.

Six months ago, Cangyun Mountain changed its garrison commander. The original garrison commander was knocked to the ground with a single palm strike by the newly arrived mid-Foundation Establishment stage garrison commander.

Later, news spread that the Hundred Beast Foundation Building Pills would be auctioned off, and this news had already spread far and wide.

"It seems we know each other." Lin Zhao nodded. "That makes things easier. I'm here today for only one thing."

He paused, his tone as flat as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

"The battle flags in the market should have been returned six months ago. Since you've been delaying their return, I have no choice but to come and collect them myself."

Zhou Mingyuan opened his mouth, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"This...Guard Lin, there are other hidden circumstances in this matter. May I—"

"No need."

Lin Zhao was too lazy to listen anymore.

The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon beneath his feet suddenly spun around, its massive body drawing a purple arc in the air, its mouth gaping wide!

"boom--!"

A purple lightning bolt, several meters in size, shot out from the dragon's mouth like a sword of divine punishment!

Lightning bolts pierced the heavens and earth, instantly striking the golden array light barrier.

Boom—!!

The entire hill trembled three times.

The array's light barrier trembled violently, scattering countless fragments of spiritual light, but—it actually withstood it.

Zhou Mingyuan and the other seven Foundation Establishment cultivators joined forces, pouring their spiritual power into the array's core, and managed to block the lightning pillar, which was comparable to a full-force attack from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something—

When I looked up, I was stunned.

Above Lin Zhao's head, a thundercloud covering several miles in radius had gathered.

The purplish-black clouds churned, with countless electric snakes crackling and darting within them.

The Nine-Luminous Heavenly Dragon roared to the sky, opened its massive maw, and inhaled sharply—

The lightning power of the entire thundercloud surged into the dragon's mouth like rivers flowing into the sea!

Each of the dragon's scales shone with dazzling lightning, the two lightning cores in the dragon's eyes spun faster, and the dragon's body swelled from forty zhang to forty-five zhang, its momentum reaching its peak.

"This...how is this possible..." Zhou Mingyuan muttered to himself.

Lin Zhao did not answer.

He simply raised his chin slightly.

The Nine-Luminous Heavenly Dragon opened its mouth again—

A lightning pillar, several times more condensed than before, burst forth!

It was no longer purple, but a deep purple tinged with a ghastly white, the color that only appears when lightning is compressed to its extreme.

Wherever the lightning bolt passed, space seemed to be distorted.

boom--!!

The golden array light barrier was as fragile as paper, and a tear tens of feet wide was instantly torn open!

The lightning bolt pierced through, and the five Foundation Establishment cultivators who were hit first—including Zhou Mingyuan and the late Foundation Establishment ancestor—were reduced to ashes in the lightning before they could even scream.

The lightning bolt, still powerful, blasted into the formation.

Rumble—!

Lightning raged, and electric snakes darted about.

The exquisite pavilions and towers collapsed in the lightning and fire, the spiritual fields were plowed with deep furrows, and the clansmen who could not escape in time were swept by the lightning and fell to the ground.

The sounds of wailing, crying, and pleading for help mingled together.

Lin Zhao stood on the dragon's head, looking down at the scene with a calm gaze, as if he were watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

He gave them six months.

Over the past six months, the market authorities have sent three messages, but the family has never responded.

Old He even came in person, but couldn't get in.

Since they are all from the same family, and have enjoyed the benefits of the family, they should naturally also bear the consequences of the family's decisions.

This principle applies everywhere.

He didn't make another move; he just waited quietly.

A full incense stick's time later, two streaks of light emerged from the ruins and landed in front of him.

Both the man and the woman were in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

The man was ashen-faced and covered in blood, while the woman had red eyes but remained relatively calm and bowed respectfully.

"Zhou Mingyu and Zhou Mingxue of the Zhou family greet Garrison Commander Lin."

Lin Zhao glanced at them but didn't say anything.

The female cultivator reacted quickly, gritted her teeth, pulled a storage bag from her waist, and used her spiritual power to carry it to Lin Zhao. The male cultivator also quickly took out his storage bag.

"This is...this is the battle flag. It should have been returned six months ago. We were foolish."

Lin Zhao took it and scanned it with his divine sense—it was indeed the array flag of the Cangyun Mountain Market Formation.

He still didn't say anything.

The female cultivator bit her lip, then turned and flew back to the ruins. When she returned, she had six storage bags in her hands—five belonging to the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had just died in the lightning pillars, and one that she had just dug out of the ruins.

Eight Foundation Establishment storage bags floated neatly in front of Lin Zhao.

"This is our apology from the Zhou family. We made a mistake and should pay the price."

Lin Zhao finally nodded, and with a flick of his sleeve, he put the eight storage bags into his pocket.

"Today is a lesson for you all." He said calmly, "If your alliance causes trouble for the market again..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already quite clear.

The female cultivator nodded quickly: "Understood, this junior understands."

Lin Zhao ignored them and flew back in the direction he came from, with the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon beneath his feet spinning.

Behind them, Zhou Mingyu and Zhou Mingxue stood above the ruins, watching the lightning bolt gradually disappear into the distance, speechless for a long time.

In the ruins beneath their feet lay a clansman in the early stages of Foundation Establishment—he hadn't died directly from the lightning pillar, but had been caught in the raging lightning and had already breathed his last.

"Let's go," Zhou Mingyu said hoarsely, "to clean up this mess."

Zhou Mingxue wiped her eyes and asked softly, "Did we...do we do something wrong?"

Zhou Mingyu did not answer.

Three months ago, those Foundation Establishment cultivators who had escaped from the market came to our door.

They say Lin Zhao is young and nothing to fear; as long as everyone sticks together, he won't dare to make a move.

They believed it.

Now—of the family's thousands of cultivators, more than half have died or been injured.

It's too late to say anything now.