Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

In the backyard of the garrison, Xu Chuan was holding a photographic stone and gesturing towards the sky.

"Come on, Fang Yue, stand over there. Yes, this is the angle—hey, don't move."

Fang Yue stood there expressionless, like a piece of wood.

Xu Chuan snapped a few photos, then turned around and took pictures of the market outside.

Then he took out his sect token and fiddled with it for a while.

"Done," he said with satisfaction. "It's been posted to our year's sect forum."

The title was simply—Shocking! The number one Foundation Establishment cultivator actually did this to a Core Formation cultivator!

After reading the title, he burst out laughing.

Fang Yue's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Lin Zhao happened to walk out and, upon hearing this, gave Xu Chuan a speechless look.

"Can't you be serious for once?"

"I'm being very serious," Xu Chuan said with a grin as he put away the recording stone. "This is called recording history, but it's a pity it's too far from the sect. It will take them at least several days to see the information."

If this were within a sect, a reply would be received instantly—tsk tsk, that would be quite a scene.

Lin Zhao ignored him.

But he knew that Xu Chuan was trying to ease the tension.

Although Lin Zhao was somewhat confident, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous facing a true Core Formation cultivator.

Xu Chuan's jokes were simply meant to help everyone relax.

---

Seventh day.

Just past noon, the sky suddenly darkened.

The once clear sky seemed to be obscured by something, and the light quickly dimmed.

A chilling pressure descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Cangyun Mountain market.

Inside the market, all the cultivators froze simultaneously.

The disciples in the Qi Refining stage were deathly pale, their legs went weak, and some collapsed to the ground.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were in no better shape; they were all sweating profusely, their hearts pounding, as if they were being watched by some terrifying being.

Some people trembled as they looked up in the direction from which the oppressive aura emanated.

Twenty miles outside the market town, a black dot appeared in the sky.

The black dot was getting bigger and closer—

is a person.

An old man dressed in a purple robe stood in mid-air.

He just stood there, doing nothing, but the spiritual energy throughout the entire market seemed to be submitting to him.

The surrounding clouds were pushed aside by an invisible force, forming a huge vacuum behind him.

The sunlight shone on him, but it seemed to be swallowed up by him, and the surrounding light dimmed a bit.

The ancestor of the Zheng family.

The only Core Formation True Person in the Zi Xuan Dynasty.

Lin Zhao walked out of the garrison headquarters and looked up at that figure.

Twenty li.

For a Core Formation cultivator, twenty miles is but a fleeting moment.

The old man was also looking at Lin Zhao.

His gaze was calm, without anger or murderous intent; he simply looked on.

But when that gaze swept over him, Lin Zhao felt the hairs on his body stand on end—as if he were being stared at by a sleeping giant beast, and could be swallowed whole at any moment.

The two looked at each other.

The entire Cangyun Mountain was deathly silent.

The Zheng family patriarch stared at Lin Zhao for a long time.

"A disciple of the Cloud Sea Azure Sea Sect." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Do I know where I am?"

Lin Zhao remained silent.

The patriarch of the Zheng family paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the entire market.

"Last time, those thirty-odd disciples died here, and I dealt with them without paying much of a price. Do you know why?"

Lin Zhao remained silent.

"Because the Holy Sect has too many disciples," said the Zheng family patriarch. "So many that they don't care about these ordinary disciples at all."

The Holy Ancestor needed an explanation, so those 300,000 people died, I gave an explanation, and that was the end of it.

His tone was flat, as if he were stating a fact.

"But you are different."

His gaze returned to Lin Zhao.

"You stole Blood Phoenix's things: a third-tier magic weapon and core-forming resources—those are the foundation of the Purple Profound Dynasty's future."

Lin Zhao finally spoke: "So?"

The Zheng family patriarch remained silent for a while.

"The Zixuan Dynasty needs new Core Formation cultivators, and those five people are the candidates I have prepared."

Blood Phoenix was the most promising one—now she's lost her third-tier magic weapon, her Core Formation resources, and she's completely ruined.

"This is not just a matter of resource loss."

His eyes sharpened.

"I previously planned to kill three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, which created a powerful momentum."

That overwhelming force temporarily deterred outsiders from invading the Zi Xuan Dynasty, but your intervention has shattered that momentum.

"Next, the remaining four people will also be targeted and devoured one by one by external forces. The Zixuan Dynasty will be destroyed in the future."

Lin Zhao listened quietly without saying a word.

The Zheng family patriarch looked at him and suddenly sighed.

"To salvage the dynasty's fortunes, I must act today."

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something that couldn't be helped.

"After I kill you, I will go to the Chengtian Dynasty. They will find a way to help me ward off the Holy Sect's wrath. The dead are of little value."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lin Zhao.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Lin Zhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, as faint as the reflection on a knife blade.

"Yes," he said.

The Zheng family patriarch looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

Lin Zhao raised his head and looked directly into the eyes of the Core Formation cultivator.

"Can you kill me today?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

In the backyard of the garrison, Xu Chuan's smile faded, and he slowly stood up.

Fang Yue opened his eyes, and spiritual energy began to circulate around his body.

Yan Chiheng gripped the thunder hammer tightly, and the Qiankun Thunder Control Ring above his head began to spin.

The four of them looked up at the figure standing in mid-air.

The Zheng family patriarch remained silent for a moment.

Then, he smiled too.

That smile contained admiration, regret, and something else entirely.

"interesting."

The patriarch of the Zheng family raised his hand.

There was no complicated opening stance, no thunderous roar—just a simple, understated lift.

Then, the entire sky changed color.

Centered on him, a purple halo suddenly spread out, covering an area of ​​thirty miles in the blink of an eye! That was his domain—the Purple Extreme Domain.

Within the domain, countless spiritual energies were forcibly extracted and gathered into hundreds of purple rays nearly ten feet in size.

The purple rays floated in the air, densely packed, like an inverted meteor shower.

The patriarch of the Zheng family gently tapped his finger.

"go."

Hundreds of purple rays fell simultaneously!

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

Purple light rained down like a storm, one after another striking the protective array above the market.

Each strike is equivalent to the full-force attack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator; hundreds of strikes combined—

What terrifying power that was!

The pale golden light screen of the market formation surged violently, and dense runes appeared on its surface, each one spinning rapidly.

It flickered, desperately resisting the relentless bombardment.

The light screen was repeatedly smashed, causing it to dent deeply inward, only to be barely repaired by the power of the array, twisting and trembling repeatedly.

The shockwave exploded outwards in concentric circles, creating visible ripples in the air.

The ripples spread to the ground, causing the entire market to tremble violently.