Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Yan Chiheng leaned over for a look and gasped.

"The Zheng family patriarch...did he really kill her?"

Lin Zhao didn't speak, she just stared at the severed head.

Yan Chiheng frowned: "She was his direct descendant, connected by blood. To justify reconciliation, he just killed her?"

He paused, his voice tinged with complexity: "What a cruel heart."

Lin Zhao raised her hand.

A flame appeared in his palm and landed on the person's head.

The flames burned silently, turning the head and the remaining power of the void into nothingness.

He looked at the flame and said softly, "In the world of cultivation, only those with value can live."

Yan Chiheng remained silent.

Lin Zhao continued, "Her biggest problem is that she has lost her value. She was hit head-on by the Magic-Breaking Needle and lost her magic weapon, so she cannot quickly dispel the power of the Void."

Ultimately, this resulted in his foundational cultivation being half-ruined and unable to be repaired; at least, the Zheng family patriarch could not do it.

She harbors resentment towards us, and keeping her around is a potential threat. If we want to reconcile, she's the best option to pledge allegiance.

He paused, the flames burned out, and the last wisp of ash drifted into the air.

"When it comes to interests... feelings aren't always that important."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xu Chuan's voice came from the doorway: "Who said that?"

Lin Zhao turned around, and Xu Chuan and Fang Yue walked in.

Xu Chuan said earnestly, "That's not how we are. You think Fang Yue and I would travel all the way here to help you just because you sent us a message?"

Lin Zhao was taken aback.

Then he laughed.

"Yes," he said, "some people just don't change."

He glanced at the three people in front of him—Xu Chuan was grinning, Fang Yue was expressionless, and Yan Chiheng stood to the side with a faint smile on his lips.

Suddenly, I realized that this battle was worth it.

Lin Zhao raised her hand, as if raising a glass.

May our friendship last forever.

Xu Chuan chuckled: "So cheesy."

Fang Yue's lips twitched.

Yan Chiheng turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

But no one refuted it.

After seeing Xu Chuan and Fang Yue off, Lin Zhao stood alone in the courtyard.

The matter between Princess Blood Phoenix and the Core Formation Ancestor of the Zheng family is now considered closed. He is wary of Lin Zhao's background, but Lin Zhao is also wary of his strength.

Lin Zhao has already obtained what he wanted, and turning a Core Formation cultivator into a mortal enemy will not benefit him.

As the sun sets, it bathes the entire market in a warm orange hue.

He suddenly thought of his parents.

I wonder how they are doing now.

Based on the timeline, they should be preparing to lay the foundation now.

He recalled his childhood, when his father taught him cultivation and his mother cooked for him. They had no demands on him, only kindness towards him.

Lin Zhao gazed at the sunset on the horizon, a slight smile curving his lips.

The struggle between Cangyun Mountain Market and the Zixuan Dynasty has thus come to an end.

But everyone knows that things are different now.

In the days that followed, the market town of Cangyun Mountain was bustling with activity.

Every day, Foundation Establishment cultivators come to the market to request an audience with Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao initially received a few guests, but later she couldn't take it anymore.

He summoned Old He, told him to "handle it," and then hid in the garrison headquarters.

Old He smiled and agreed.

Two weeks later, Xu Chuan and Fang Yue were also leaving.

They have their own things to do and can't stay here forever.

Lin Zhao said, "Be careful on the road."

"Don't worry, you've driven away all the Core Formation cultivators, who would dare mess with us now?" Xu Chuan said with a grin. "Let's go, let's go."

Two beams of light rose up and quickly disappeared into the sky.

---

A month later, another group of people arrived.

This time, Lin Zhao didn't dodge.

Su Qianxue.

His fellow villager, a cheap senior female student,

She brought several people from Xuan Chen Valley with her, saying it was a visit.

But she had secretly sent the message beforehand.

Lin Zhao naturally knew that they were there to probe their intentions.

As a long-established power in the Tongming Domain, Xuanchen Valley has six Core Formation experts stationed there, making it a dominant force in the vicinity of the three major dynasties.

They didn't care about ordinary Core Formation cultivators, but Lin Zhao was different.

He is a disciple of the Holy Sect, and his strength is comparable to that of a Core Formation cultivator. If he were to establish himself nearby, Xuan Chen Valley would have no shortage of headaches in the future.

They need to figure out what Lin Zhao is planning.

Lin Zhao received them at the garrison headquarters.

During the meal, the leader of Xuan Chen Valley, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, subtly inquired about Lin Zhao's plans.

Lin Zhao didn't hide anything and said it directly—he came to Cangyun Mountain for cultivation resources and would leave in thirty years at most.

The man visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Xuan Chen Valley can afford to wait thirty years.

After seeing them off, Lin Zhao looked at Su Qianxue, who had been sitting quietly beside him, and suddenly smiled.

"Senior sister, how much did you earn from this sect mission?"

Su Qianxue was taken aback, then smiled.

When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

"One hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow: "So many? Shouldn't you share some with me? After all, I helped you complete the mission."

Su Qianxue glared at him: "Why should I?"

"Because I'm your junior brother."

"Junior brother isn't real."

"Then the senior sister isn't real either."

The two looked at each other, and Su Qianxue couldn't help but laugh first.

She took out a mid-grade spirit stone and slapped it into Lin Zhao's hand: "Here, here, don't say anything more."

Lin Zhao held the spirit stone in his hand, thinking it was better than nothing.

---

A few days later, more people came.

Heavenly Fire Dynasty, Zhu Yan.

This time he came much more sincerely than last time.

First, he paid a visit, respectfully presenting his visiting card. Upon meeting him, he first praised "Guardian Lin's divine might".

Then they got down to business—the final payment for that second-tier high-grade spirit boat, which they brought directly.

But I want to leave the spirit boat at Cangyun Mountain first.

Lin Zhao looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Zhu Yan didn't mince words and laid his cards on the table: "The Heavenly Fire Dynasty doesn't lack a second-tier high-grade spirit boat. What we want are the blueprints and technology for its manufacture."

Lin Zhao shook his head: "The diagrams are impossible to give out."

Zhu Yan seemed to have expected this, nodding: "I heard that there's a special area in the market for making spirit boats... We can learn from each other and exchange ideas on the spirit boat manufacturing process."

Lin Zhao thought about it and finally agreed.

Zhu Yan thanked him and then brought up another matter—the Crimson Flame Demon Blade.

Lin Zhao had previously asked for third-tier refining materials for that second-tier top-grade magic weapon, but the Heavenly Fire Dynasty had not budged on the offer.

But now, they're starting to loosen up.

"Lord Lin," Zhu Yan said, "could I try out that knife? I need to see its power with my own eyes before I can go back and persuade my superiors."

Lin Zhao agreed.

In business, there's bargaining, back and forth, and testing the waters is normal.

The next day, not far from the market.

Zhu Yan stood in mid-air, holding the Crimson Flame Demon Blade.

The blade was dark red all over, with a faint flow of blood, and the hideous demonic patterns on the back of the blade pulsated slightly like the blood vessels of a living creature.

He took a deep breath, and his spiritual power surged into the blade.

boom--

The Crimson Flame Demon Blade suddenly erupted with a dazzling red light, and a hundred-foot-long blade of light shot straight into the sky!

The blade's light was not ordinary flame, but a dark red, almost inky, like solidified magma, heavy and violent.