Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Luo Wen was not doing well either; the light of the Luo Huang Ding dimmed, and the sun, moon, and star patterns on the cauldron became blurry.

His face was as white as paper, his lips were black, and blood vessels were seeping from the corners of his eyes. The backlash from the fourth-tier magic weapon was coming, and his body felt like it had been burned by fire. His internal organs were convulsing.

The power of the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits is indeed terrifying.

In his youth, Luo Wen was an invincible force in the secret realm. Even in middle age, his strength did not decline; on the contrary, it reached a higher level.

However, in the battle just now, even with the continuous power of the Luo Huang Cauldron, he was still being suppressed by the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Each of the demon's attacks was incredibly powerful. If the Luo Huang Cauldron hadn't deflected the Blood Spear and tricked the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits, it would have been hard to say who would have won.

The battle raged across an area of ​​dozens of miles. Most of the defensive line collapsed, and countless craters appeared in the ground, the deepest of which was over ten feet deep.

The corpses of the demons piled up like mountains. Some were torn apart by the aftershocks, while others were trampled to death by their own kind after being poisoned by the golden disc machine.

The demon army began to retreat, like the receding tide of black water, revealing trampled earth and dried bloodstains. The defenders did not pursue. Corpses piled up several feet high beneath the city walls; the living leaned against the walls, panting, some clutching severed arms in a daze.

Both sides suffered heavy losses.

The battlefield has reached a stalemate.

The demons suffered heavy casualties, but their numbers still numbered in the millions, crouching in a dark mass outside the city.

Human casualties were fewer – the fighting mainly took place outside the city, while those inside were protected by the city walls and the Luohuang Cauldron.

Now it all depends on who recovers first. If the Holy Son of All Spirits recovers first, the demons will attack the city again; if Luo Wen recovers first, the defenses will be able to hold out.

Now, the key to victory or defeat is no longer on the battlefield.

The remaining ancient cities have not yet taken action and are remaining neutral.

The rulers of those ancient cities are still observing; whichever side they lean towards, the balance of power will tilt in that direction.

Various rumors also spread throughout the secret realm.

News from the outside world.

The secret realm is merely a small, exiled world. There is a much larger world beyond.

Cultivators can summon wind and rain, move mountains and overturn seas, and live for thousands or tens of thousands of years.

The Nascent Soul True Monarch was watching intently from the void outside the secret realm.

The end of the secret realm may be a year from now, or it may be tomorrow. Everyone will have to make a choice.

Panic gripped the people. Some said the Nascent Soul True Lord outside would save them, while others said he was far more terrifying than the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Some say the Luo family has already sided with a powerful outside force, while others say that siding with such a force is their only way to survive.

Someone was cursing, cursing the Holy Son of All Spirits, cursing the Luo family, cursing all the cultivators from the outside world.

There are different opinions.

Time is running out for the secret realm.

----

The number of anglers by the sacred lake has dwindled significantly.

Some people fled, some were conscripted to defend the city, and some became demons.

Lin Zhao was still fishing. He had arrived very early and sat down before dawn.

With the help of the heavenly state, he had gained a general understanding of the power of the Dharma realm by observing the power of the sacred lake.

Su Huai was still there, but he was getting restless.

Now he stands up every now and then, walks back and forth along the lake, looks into the distance and then back at Lin Zhao.

Information from the outside world kept coming in.

Most of it was bad news.

Which city fell? Which army was besieged? Which ancient clan sided with the Church of Ten Thousand Spirits?

By the time the news reached Su Huai's ears, it had passed through several intermediaries, making it impossible to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

The Su family is also discussing it internally.

Su Huai is not the head of the family, but he holds a high position in the Su family and his words carry weight.

He had already heard the clan's debate several times—which side to side to join?

The Hundred Arts Immortal Alliance is neutral, but only promises to protect a small number of people who can afford the price; they don't care about ordinary people.

The Yunhai Cangming Sect promised to protect everyone, but they only managed to hold off the Wanling Sect by combining the power of the remaining five ancient cities.

The Myriad Spirits Sect is the strongest, with tens of millions of demons. The Holy Son of Myriad Spirits alone can withstand the Luo Emperor Cauldron.

But they are truly inhuman.

The Three Deadly Poisons, used for blood sacrifices to destroy cities, render mortals not even worthy of being called flesh worms, but merely consumables.

Joining the Church of All Souls is worse than death.

How long you survive after joining the Hundred Arts Immortal Alliance depends entirely on how much you have in your pocket.

They sought refuge with the Yunhai Cangming Sect, but could they defeat them?

Su Huai walked over and sat down next to Lin Zhao, remaining silent for a long time.

"Brother Lin," his voice wasn't as relaxed as usual, "could you give me some advice, even just some words of comfort, out of consideration for us both being fishermen?"

Lin Zhao opened her eyes.

"I've never met the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits, how would I know he's so strong? I'm just a nobody in the sect, my strength is too low, I definitely can't beat him."

Lin Zhao paused for a moment, "Qin Tianjun and Xia Jin are the disciples with Nascent Soul backgrounds. Only they can compete with the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits."

Su Huai looked at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Does Lin Zhao think people are idiots?

After the secret realm was made public, Pei Yue, in order to win over various forces, boasted to the sect disciples who entered the secret realm.

Especially Lin Zhao. First place in the sect competition, from an ordinary family...

Lin Shanhe, the head of the Lin family... Have you no manners? So what if the Lin family is just an ordinary family? Did we eat your rice?

Lin Zhao makes a comeback against the Nascent Soul disciple, defeating Qin Tianjun, who possesses both the Five Elements Spiritual Body and the Nine Swords Spiritual Body, in a direct confrontation.

Pei Yue's mouth can turn three points into ten, and ten points into a crushing defeat.

As a result, each of the ancient cities learned some information about Lin Zhao.

None of the sect disciples who could enter the secret realm were weak, and Lin Zhao was among the strongest of them.

The top Foundation Establishment disciple of the Cangming Sect, on par with the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Even if he's not as good as the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits, even if we discount him and consider him half as good, he's still someone who can sweep through an ancient city.

After all that effort, Su Huai got nothing.

But I felt a little comforted.

Lin Zhao wasn't in a hurry, which in itself spoke volumes. The secret realm was in complete chaos, yet he was still fishing, acting as if nothing was wrong.

This composure stems either from an incredibly carefree attitude or from a strong sense of self-assurance and an indifference to others.

Su Huai prefers the latter.

Now that Lin Zhao has come to Xuanze City, the Su family should treat him well. This will give them more time to observe the situation before making a decision.

Lin Zhao probably knew what they were thinking.

But he wasn't lying. He didn't know how strong the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits was, but he really couldn't win against him right now.

Look over there, what kind of demons and monsters are they? — The Holy Son of Ten Thousand Spirits, a fourth-order incomplete magic weapon, a hundred-foot-tall demonic body of ten thousand beasts, immortal and indestructible.

The legacy of the Luo Tian Sect spanning ten thousand years includes the Luo family's fourth-tier magic treasure, the Luo Emperor Cauldron, and the Luo Emperor Golden Body.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators like Xia Jin and Qin Tianjun are practically relegated to being bystanders on the battlefield.

Lin Zhao was in a bad mood. The ancient city wouldn't be affected by his presence or absence.

Unless Lin Zhao uses that great divine power that is not yet fully completed.

The Five Prisons Suppress the World's Heavenly Dragon.

However, this thing is to be used as a trump card. Lin Zhao does not want to use it before it is fully completed. Even if he does use it, it may not be able to counter a fourth-tier magic weapon.