Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

On the wall of that secret room hung a huge map of the entire Zixuan Dynasty.

The map shows five names, with each red dot surrounded by densely packed small characters.

King of Qin.

Peak Foundation Establishment, 137 years old, the current master of the Qin Prince's Mansion.

He was a man of few words and meticulous in his actions, and rarely left the palace.

The Prince's Palace has a second-tier top-grade magic array that is difficult for those below the Core Formation stage to break. He has more than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators and three thousand Qi Refining cultivators under his command.

During the war, he led his men to break through two markets and killed thirty-seven Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Evaluation: Hiding away and refusing to come out; difficult to crack.

The patriarch of the Wang family, a family that has built a foundation for future generations.

At the peak of Foundation Establishment, aged 182, he was the ancestor of the Wang family, the number one Foundation Establishment family in Zi Xuan.

The Wang family has dominated Nanyang County for eight hundred years and has attempted to reach the Core Formation stage twice. Although they have declined, they still possess profound cultural heritage.

The clan elder himself lives a secluded life. The clan's territory is protected by a large array, and there are no fewer than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Assessment: Old fox, no detailed information.

A lone cultivator.

At the peak of Foundation Establishment, he calls himself "Xuan Guangzi," and his origins remain a mystery.

They appeared suddenly during the suppression of the unrest, and their methods were ruthless, destroying two markets in succession.

He disappeared without a trace afterward, and no one knows his whereabouts.

There are rumors that he was originally a spy trained by the dynasty, specializing in handling shady matters.

Assessment: Their whereabouts are uncertain, and they cannot be found.

They offered amnesty to the leaders who had robbed and exiled the cultivators.

At the peak of Foundation Establishment, his name is Zheng Tu—it is said that he originally had no name or surname, but was given a surname after being recruited by the Zheng family.

He was once the leader of the Jiexiu in Dingfeng Plain.

Now, he is kept in the capital by the Zheng family patriarch and is not allowed to go out easily.

Nominally a guest minister, but in reality a core-forming servant.

Assessment: In the capital, they are not to be touched.

The last person's name has the most characters next to it.

Blood Phoenix Princess.

At the peak of Foundation Establishment, she was about 150 years old, but looked to be in her thirties. She was bright and charming and liked to wear blood-stained clothes.

Possesses a third-tier magic weapon—the Blood Phoenix Bow.

This man is arrogant and domineering, acts in a high-profile manner, keeps dozens of male lovers, and travels around all year round.

He was the most ruthless when suppressing the unrest, leading his men to destroy three markets, slaughtering tens of thousands of cultivators, and seizing countless resources.

It is rumored that she herself possesses at least five second-tier top-grade treasures plundered from Foundation Establishment families, and may even have third-tier spiritual items hidden within.

Evaluation: The strongest in combat among the five.

-----

Lin Zhao stared at the intelligence reports for a long time.

"She's the one."

Blood Phoenix Princess.

This female cultivator, who is said to possess a magical artifact, the Blood Phoenix Bow,

Legend has it that she was betrayed in her youth, killed her husband and son, and afterwards she seemed to become a different person.

He now keeps a bunch of male lovers, and they come and go with great pomp and circumstance. He is arrogant and domineering, and acts in a high-profile manner.

A hundred years ago, the Core Formation Ancestor of another nearby dynasty passed away. She rushed over first and, after a fierce battle, seized the Blood Phoenix Bow, a third-tier magic weapon of that family.

However, because he is not a bloodline descendant, he cannot gain the approval of the magic weapon.

Legend has it that in order to control this treasure, she sacrificed thousands of members of that family to barely bind it.

This treasure is now connected to her soul, and no one else can use it, not even those who have reached the Core Formation stage. Since she is a descendant of the Core Formation stage, no one pursued it, and the treasure has remained in her possession ever since.

Lin Zhao smiled slightly upon seeing this.

Just because others can't use it doesn't mean he can't.

Disciples of a sect have plenty of ways to handle these kinds of things.

The Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool is recovering to become a third-tier magic weapon—perfect for refining the Blood Phoenix Bow in the future.

Moreover, even if she didn't have any other third-tier spiritual items, this one third-tier magic weapon alone was worth it.

If all else fails, you can exchange it for a third-tier spiritual item; you won't lose out.

---

Six months later.

The Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool has finally completed its transformation and officially entered the ranks of third-tier magic treasures.

The spiritual liquid that had previously dried up in the pool was now completely filled.

On the day the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool was restored, the entire mine was illuminated by lightning.

It became.

Three days later, he and Yan Chiheng left Cangyun Mountain quietly.

Both of them changed their aura. Lin Zhao wore a completely black toad mask on his face, and the mask was pressed against his face, and a cold sensation spread instantly.

Yan Chiheng stood beside him, also wearing a similar mask.

They came to a low hill.

The mountain is not high, but its location is superb—a hundred miles to the southeast lies a continuous cluster of ruined buildings.

That place used to be the territory of a Foundation Establishment family, but now only ruins remain. Occasionally, a few streaks of spiritual light flash by, indicating Qi Refining cultivators coming to pick up scraps.

Their target was not the ruins.

It is the road between the ruins and the capital.

After a year of investigation, they figured out some patterns. Every year in this month, the dynasty would hold a high-level gathering. The specific content was unknown, but all five Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators would be present.

After the gathering, everyone went home.

This is the only place the Blood Phoenix Princess can pass through.

The two dug a simple cave on the low hill, set up a concealment formation, and began to wait.

One day, two days, three days...

Based on past patterns, she should be back in three days at most.

Three days passed, and there was still no sign of them.

The fourth day, the fifth day...

Yan Chiheng began to feel a little anxious.

Lin Zhao, however, was like a stone, sitting in meditation at the cave entrance every day, occasionally opening his eyes to look into the distance before closing them again.

tenth day.

In the afternoon, a streak of blood-red light suddenly appeared on the horizon.

The crimson light pierced through the clouds, approaching from afar at a slow speed, but with an astonishing aura—it was a magnificent carriage, a second-tier high-grade magic artifact, entirely crimson, and its chilling bloodthirsty aura could be felt even from more than ten miles away.

At the very front of the carriage, a large blood-red flag fluttered in the wind.

In the center of the flag, a huge "Phoenix" character surrounded by blood-red color was clearly visible even from dozens of miles away.

The carriage slowly approached.

Inside the carriage, Princess Blood Phoenix leaned against a soft couch. She looked to be in her thirties, dressed in a blood-red palace gown, with a bright and charming appearance, and her eyes and brows exuding allure.

Several young men sat beside the soft couch. Some were massaging her legs, some were peeling spirit fruits for her, and one was whispering something in her ear, making her chuckle.

Twelve crimson spiritual lights guarded the front and rear of the chariot.

They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, dressed in uniform, with calm and composed auras—they were her Blood Guards.

Yan Chiheng subconsciously held his breath.

Lin Zhao slowly stood up and moved her wrists.

The eyes beneath the mask remained unmoved, fixed on the approaching carriage as if it were a piece of merchandise awaiting its arrival.

"It's time to make a move."

Yan Chiheng took a deep breath and nodded.

In the distance, the blood-red carriage was slowly approaching, completely unaware that two pairs of eyes had already locked onto it.

The carriage was getting closer and closer.

Forty li.

Twenty li.

Twelve miles.

Yan Chiheng took a deep breath and gripped the magic weapon in his hand tightly.

"Get ready," Lin Zhao said.

Yan Chiheng's spiritual power began to circulate wildly, the lightning of the second-tier magic weapon Thunder Hammer in his hand surged, and the Qiankun Thunder Control Ring above his head rotated faster, emitting a buzzing tremor.

"Let's do it!"

Two figures rushed out from behind the low hill at the same time, one in front of the other, like arrows released from a bow!