Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

For the next two weeks, huge commotions came from the depths of the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm from time to time. Even thousands of miles away, the mortals on Dingfeng Plain could feel the ground trembling. Every one or two days, the ground would shake.

The number of Core Formation cultivators has also increased, now exceeding thirty.

Every now and then, enormous beams of light would shoot into the sky, pillars of light shooting from the ground into the sky, then exploding, turning into a rain of light that filled the sky—a sign of the death of someone who had reached the Core Formation stage.

Each time the light shone, the cultivators on Dingfeng Plain fell silent. A Core Formation True Person, normally a regional overlord who could support a dynasty, could simply vanish here.

This shows that the negotiation between Taixu Pavilion and Tongming Immortal City is not completely over. Even if a Nascent Soul level Dharma Body is not yet complete and its strength is not strong, it is not something that Taixu Pavilion can simply give up.

However, two fists cannot fight four hands. Taixu Pavilion dared not use the power of all its Core Formation cultivators, while Tongming Immortal City could use the righteous cause of eliminating demons to gather Core Formation cultivators from all walks of life.

Some powerful cultivators who knew the inside story even came from other immortal cities. A dharma body that wouldn't attract the attention of a Nascent Soul cultivator and was destined to be attacked was a good target that was hard to find.

They also jointly explored the depths of the core area. Although they were quickly forced out and left in a sorry state, everyone returned alive, which was reassuring. The quasi-Dharma body was indeed not strong, and no one wanted to miss the opportunity to beat a dog when it was down.

Zhu Yan sat high up in the town's mansion every day, gazing towards the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm thousands of miles away.

He sat from morning till night, and from night till morning, like a stone. No one knew what he was thinking. Perhaps he was thinking about the past of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, or perhaps he was thinking about those who would never return.

Zhu Yan is only a low-grade Golden Core cultivator, and his future cultivation will be difficult to improve. As for revenge—even if he finds out who the culprit is, he may not be able to defeat him.

Lin Zhao was helpless. He was just an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and there were some things that were beyond his control.

Half a month later, the depths of the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm were temporarily quiet, but everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

Master Qianqiu has returned. He looked somewhat disheveled when he entered the garrison.

The left sleeve of the black feather robe was torn—only then did Lin Zhao realize that this seemingly inconspicuous black robe was actually a high-grade third-tier magic treasure. Magic robes are inherently more valuable than magic treasures of the same tier, and the fact that it could be damaged shows how intense the battle was.

But Master Qianqiu was in a good mood. He sat down and took a sip of tea.

"Three months later, we launched an attack to surround and kill the Dharma Body."

He didn't go into details about the gathering, only the outcome. Lin Zhao didn't ask either. With all the commotion beforehand and so many Core Formation cultivators dying, the process certainly wasn't peaceful.

The crowd sat around Master Qianqiu, and no one spoke.

Master Qianqiu took something out of his storage bag and threw it to Zhu Yan: a head. It belonged to a middle-aged man, whose expression was frozen in death, as if he had seen something he couldn't believe.

The crowd was somewhat puzzled.

"One of the nine Core Formation cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Merchant Guild, mid-stage Core Formation." Master Qianqiu's tone was as if he were remarking on the weather: "The culprit behind the destruction of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty."

Zhu Yan held the severed head in his hands, his fingers trembling. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

He thought he would never be able to take revenge in this lifetime, and he thought he would never find the mastermind hiding in the shadows. Unexpectedly, Master Qianqiu threw the mastermind's head right in front of him.

He didn't doubt what Master Qianqiu said. This matter didn't have much to do with Master Qianqiu, so there was no need for him to lie. Besides, Master Qianqiu came from the Enforcement Hall of the Holy Sect, so his profession was a perfect match.

He stood up, intending to bow to Master Qianqiu.

Master Qianqiu raised his hand to stop him. "I'm doing this for those who died in the Heavenly Fire Dynasty." He paused, "There's going to be a big commotion soon, and the mortals at Dingfeng Plain still need someone to guard them. Go."

Zhu Yan remained silent for a moment, then put the severed head into his storage bag. He kept the matter in mind, bowed deeply to Master Qianqiu, and turned to leave. His back was much straighter than before, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

Over the next few days, intelligence gradually came back.

Lin Zhao then learned what True Person Qianqiu had done recently. He had killed seven Core Formation True Persons in the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm, and most of the previous commotion was caused by him.

Those killed were all opportunists who took advantage of the disaster in the Heavenly Fire Dynasty—including sect cultivators, rogue cultivators at the Core Formation stage, and people from the Taixu Pavilion. Among them was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, who was said to be a Supreme Elder of a sect. He had the highest cultivation level and died the most tragically.

Even the people of Tongming Immortal City were not spared. Yang Qingxuan even sent a message to complain that Master Qianqiu was too ruthless and had taken action before investigating some matters.

Lin Zhao ignored him. If the people of Tongming Immortal City were clean, True Person Qianqiu wouldn't have made a move. Yang Qingxuan complained, but didn't dare to say anything more.

As for whether it will provoke retaliation? If Master Qianqiu were afraid, he wouldn't have come.

The sky over Yunzhou belongs to the Yunhai Cangming Sect. Previously, the sect simply didn't take it seriously. Now that True Person Qianqiu has arrived, none of the cultivators who were involved in this storm before will escape.

This is the true style and skill of Master Qianqiu. His position as the deputy head of the sect's law enforcement hall is no empty title.

He resolved most of the Tianhuo Dynasty's affairs with ease, bringing the surrounding area to a complete standstill.

Once that Dharma body is dealt with, this matter will be completely resolved.

At this moment, Lin Zhao arrived at the deepest part of the garrison's mansion, the weapon-refining room, hundreds of feet underground. In the center of the weapon-refining room was a three-zhang square earth fire chamber, with crimson-gold flames leaping out of the pool, roasting the weapon-refining furnace above.

After Master Qianqiu returned, he first used the weapon-refining room to repair his magic robe. Only then did Lin Zhao realize that Master Qianqiu was also a third-tier high-grade weapon refiner.

Come to think of it, he has so many powerful magic treasures, it's impossible that they were all forged by others. Lin Zhao also guessed that Master Qianqiu should also be a formation master, but he didn't know his rank. Master Qianqiu didn't say, and Lin Zhao didn't ask.

Lin Zhao came here because he happened to have a key material for refining a third-tier magic weapon—the Crimson Feather Robe.

When Master Qianqiu found out, he decided to help him refine the magic weapon. Lin Zhao originally planned to refine it himself slowly, as his weapon refining skills were at the second-tier top level.

If he could break through to the third rank during the process of forging the Crimson Feather Robe, it would be of great help to him. A third-rank weapon forging master would be an honored guest in any outside power.

However, refining magical artifacts is not something that can be done overnight. At his current level, it would take him at least ten or eight years to refine one.

With Master Qianqiu's guidance and help, it can be completed in a month. Although it wasn't forged independently, the weapon-forging level can be improved to near-third rank. It can be improved gradually in the future.