Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao glanced at them. Sure enough, there are fools everywhere. Or rather, greedy bastards.

He didn't use his magic domain. He simply summoned the Rune Yuan Sword Dragon. This time it was very small, only half a zhang in size, coiled around his arm. Silver-black sword light peeked out from between its scales.

The Stegosaurus flew off his arm.

The dragon's body stretched into a black line in the air, piercing through the first person's chest and exiting from his back. The person looked down at the hole in his chest, not yet reacting, before the sword dragon had already circled behind the second person's neck. With a flick of its tail, a head flew into the air.

The third man tried to run. The sword dragon bit through his back. The fourth man had already run more than ten steps. The sword dragon caught up, wrapped around his waist, and tightened its grip. A cracking sound rang out. The fifth man drew his sword, the runes on the blade glowing. The sword dragon rammed into him, the sword breaking in two, its claws tearing open his throat.

Five people, three breaths.

The other people on the island stood still, not daring to move.

The senior sister of Tianfeng Martial Arts School held onto the boat, her knuckles white. She recognized the five people; two of them were well-known martial arts masters in the city, but they were like paper in front of Lin Zhao.

There aren't many martial arts instructors at Tianfeng Martial Arts School.

If Lin Zhao wanted to, she could wipe out the martial arts school in an instant by herself.

The senior sister's gaze towards Lin Zhao completely changed; before it was polite, now it was filled with utmost respect.

Lin Zhao saw it but didn't say anything.

The Stegosaurus flew back to Lin Zhao's side, coiled around his shoulder, and then dissipated into black and silver specks of light.

He simply shook his head; his strength was far inferior to that of a true powerhouse.

Leaving aside the Nascent Soul True Monarchs outside, he wasn't confident about even the Myriad Spirits Saint Son who had caused such a huge commotion in the secret realm. The Myriad Spirits Sect had been besieging the city for several months; he didn't know how much longer that ancient city could hold out.

He wanted to understand the mysteries of the Dharma realm as soon as possible.

It seems too late for normal comprehension. He needs to use his biggest trump card.

Innate supernatural power – Heavenly State.

The boat docked. Su Huai was still fishing in his usual spot, seemingly oblivious to what had happened on the island.

As Lin Zhao walked past Su Huai, he paused for a moment, and a thought suddenly popped into his head.

He might as well come fishing too. Join the ranks of (air force) fishermen. Just like when they enter the secret realm—you can't get anything by directly confronting the Dharma realm.

By immersing yourself in it, you can gain even more. For example, knowledge of runes. For example, the mysteries of the magical realm.

He'll come tomorrow. He'll fish and ponder things at the same time.

Su Huai felt that Lin Zhao's gaze was a little strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but a chill ran down his spine. Little did he know, he was about to gain another fishing buddy.

The next day, Su Huai stared blankly as Lin Zhao sat next to him, carrying a set of fishing gear.

Su Huai stared at Lin Zhao for a long time, his lips twitching.

What are you doing here?

"It's nothing," Lin Zhao said, casting her fishing line into the water. "I'll fish too."

Su Huai suddenly felt a toothache. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling that this fishing paradise was about to become unsafe.

Lin Zhao settled down by the lake.

To outsiders, it just looks like two fishermen sitting by the lake, lost in thought.

One has been fishing for who knows how many years, while the other is a beginner who doesn't even know how to bait the spot?

The lake water was crystal clear, and my divine sense probed downwards along the fishing line. Below the surface lay another world. Yuan energy flowed in the water like undercurrents, surging up from a certain direction at the bottom of the lake and converging towards the Holy Island.

Like invisible threads, they extend from the bottom of the lake, connecting to the sacred island, to the stone pillar, and to every corner of the entire secret realm.

To put it simply, the power in the lake is a projection used by the spiritual treasure to protect the fourth-tier opportunity.

The fifth-tier spiritual treasure has become one with the secret realm, and its power permeates every inch of the secret realm.

Lin Zhao's divine sense probed downwards along these threads. During the day, he used his divine sense to explore the power within the lake. At night, he returned to compare his insights from the day with the Luo Tian runes.

He calmed his mind and summoned the figure deep within his consciousness. Golden light rapidly spread, like a golden sun descending, dispelling all distracting thoughts.

Then, borrow that transcendent power, the state of heaven.

Under the terrifying deductive power of the Heavenly State, Lin Zhao dissected, categorized, and absorbed the comparison between the Luo Tian runes and the power of the Dharma Realm, bit by bit.

He extracted the logic of the rune system and abstracted the operational laws of the magical realm into a more fundamental set of rules. The two sets of things began to merge in his sea of ​​consciousness, like two rivers converging.

He had a gut feeling that once he mastered these things, his innate talents would be fully awakened.

In the deepest part of the sea of ​​consciousness, something is glowing.

One method wheel.

It floated in the deepest part of his consciousness, so deep that he had never touched it before.

The wheel slowly rotates, composed of countless incredibly fine runes—each rune is born and dies, like stars being born and then extinguished. Light flows across the surface of the wheel, like nebulae drifting slowly in the universe.

Vast. Majestic. Unfathomable.

That was Lin Zhao's innate talent that had not yet been awakened.

I don't know how much longer.

But it will be soon.

The ancient city besieged by the Wanling Sect looked the same from the outside. The Yuan Power barrier remained lit day and night, and the guards took turns guarding it without stopping.

The soldiers guarding the city walls were unaware that their ancient city had already been breached.

In the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion in the core area of ​​the ancient city, the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits sat in the main seat.

There were nine people standing behind him, all of whom were disciples of the Myriad Beasts Spirit Venerable Mansion.

The hall was filled with kneeling people. These included high-ranking officials of the ancient city, heads of cultivation families, owners of martial arts schools, and presidents of chambers of commerce.

Everyone's eyes were open, but their pupils were unfocused and vacant. They were still alive, but their consciousness had been swallowed up.

A voice behind the Holy Son of All Spirits spoke up: "Holy Son, no reinforcements have come from the other ancient cities. It seems the plan to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements has failed."

"It doesn't matter." The Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits' voice wasn't loud. "The fate of these people in the secret realm is already sealed."

He paused, then asked, "How are the preparations for those flesh worms going?"

"We're still short 300,000."

"Three days. If you don't have enough worms, you'll have to fill them in yourself."

The man nodded, his voice trembling slightly: "Yes."

The Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits withdrew his gaze and glanced at the people kneeling on the ground. These people were no longer of any value. Their minds had been erased, their cultivation crippled, and their remaining bodies were perfect for feeding demonic beasts.

"Take them away," he said.

This ancient city also has a so-called sacred site.

The way the Holy Son of All Spirits activates it is simple—blood sacrifice.

The mortals living in the secret realm have lived there for generations, and their auras have become connected with the fifth-tier spiritual treasures.

Every mortal's bloodline contains a trace amount of spiritual treasure energy. A mortal is insignificant in comparison.

But 100,000 people, 1 million people, 3 million people—extracting the aura of these people is a key to unlocking the sacred land's restrictions.