Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The twelve bone beads spun and dispersed, and twelve pale, cold pillars of fire shot into the sky, weaving together in the air to form a strange net that enveloped the Spirit Fixing Seal from all directions.

The Yin Fire specifically burns the soul and defiles the spiritual light of magical artifacts, hissing and crackling, causing the spiritual light on the surface of the Spirit-Stabilizing Seal to dim at a visible speed.

After the gray mist completely dissipated, Bone Fiend True Man revealed his true form.

A gaunt old man, hunched over, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his skin dry and withered like old tree bark.

Dingling Zhenren's pupils contracted.

It wasn't because of the White Bone Yin Flame Pearl—he already knew about this magic weapon; it was a high-grade third-tier item, on par with the Spirit-Stabilizing Seal.

What chilled him to the bone was something else entirely.

The aura emanating from Bone Fiend.

Peak Core Formation Realm.

This old guy has broken through.

No wonder he dared to cause trouble for him today.

Bone Fiend Master let out a ghostly laugh and said, "Spirit Fixer, your seal is not bad. Leave it with me, and I will let you go today."

The twelve pillars of Yin Fire tightened simultaneously, attempting to completely lock down the Spirit-Stabilizing Seal.

The Spirit-Stabilizing Seal trembled violently in mid-air, its spiritual light flickering uncertainly under the erosion of the Yin Fire.

The Spirit-Stabilizing Immortal's expression remained unchanged, but he began to fully activate the Spirit-Stabilizing Seal to break free from the Yin Fire's seal.

On the Dinghai, Master Wenjing kept a close eye on the battlefield.

He also sensed something was wrong, and formed hand seals to communicate with the ship's formation.

A thick beam of spiritual energy shot out from the bow of the Dinghai ship, traversing dozens of miles, and precisely injected into the Dingling Seal.

The spiritual light of the Spirit Stabilizing Seal surged, forcefully shaking open a corner of the Yin Fire Net, and transformed into a beam of red light that flew back into the Spirit Stabilizing True Person's hand.

When Dingling Zhenren returned to the third-tier main ship and landed on the deck, his footsteps swayed almost imperceptibly.

His face was a little pale, clearly having suffered a minor setback in the brief exchange just now.

But there's nothing seriously wrong for now.

After he steadied himself, he looked up at the gray, dense array of ships opposite him and took a deep breath.

The old ghost Bone Fiend spoke sweet words, telling them to leave.

If he doesn't demonstrate enough strength to intimidate his opponents today, he won't be able to leave at all.

Moreover, if he does nothing and simply abandons the cultivators on the thirty second-tier ships, the reputation of the Dingling Merchant Guild will be ruined.

Who would dare to take their boats out to sea in the future?

Although Bone Fiend broke through to the peak of Core Formation, his magic weapon couldn't keep up.

The strongest one is that third-tier high-grade magic weapon, the White Bone Yin Flame Pearl.

Moreover, his Spirit Fixation ability was not to be underestimated; the third-tier sea ships opposite were just ordinary goods and nothing to fear.

If this drags on, it's hard to say who will win or lose.

He turned and exchanged a glance with Daoist Wenjing and Madam Yunxiang. The two nodded.

Dingling Zhenren, Wenjing Daoren, and Yunxiang Furen simultaneously formed hand seals, summoning a purplish-red net.

The network cable was as thin as a hair, yet it exuded a strong stench of blood; each cable looked as if it had been soaked in blood.

Purple Blood Fiend Net. A top-grade, third-tier magic weapon.

The blood-red web spread outwards from the Dinghai, instantly covering the sea surface for hundreds of miles around.

A crimson aura shot into the sky, merging the three people's domains together to form a purple-red blood domain.

Lady Yunxiang sat cross-legged at the stern of the boat, pressed her hands down, and poured spiritual energy into the sea.

Her domain merged with the underwater world, drawing in the auras of countless low-level demonic beasts deep within the sea.

Drawn by the blood energy, the demonic beasts surged in from all directions, crashing into the Purple Blood Domain, where they were instantly devoured and transformed into blood mist that merged into the net.

The vast sea was teeming with bloodlust.

The Violet Blood Fiend Net was like a greedy living creature, devouring countless wisps of blood energy, growing brighter and more ferocious with each bite.

Bone Fiend squinted for a moment, then chuckled twice: "Spirit Fixer, you guys look more like pirates than I do. Have you ever considered joining Six Directions Island?"

None of the three paid any attention.

Standing at the bow of the ship, the Spirit-Stabilizing Master manipulated the Spirit-Stabilizing Seal, engaging in a direct confrontation with the Bone Fiend's White Bone Yin Flame Pearl from a distance.

The illusory mountain and the pale pillar of fire collided repeatedly on the hundred-mile sea surface. Each impact created a ring of air currents, raising waves tens of feet high.

Daoist Wenjing was stationed at the center of the formation, gathering the spiritual energy of the thirty second-tier sea ships together through the formation nodes to continuously power the Purple Blood Fiend Net.

Most of the second-tier ships entered their designated positions as instructed, forming a continuous formation with the main ship.

But there are still six ships missing.

They rushed towards the "way out" to the south.

The monks on the ship wanted to escape.

Let the main force of the caravan hold off the pirates while they escape.

Master Wenjing glanced at them coldly and ignored these fools.

Go ahead and try to die.

Sure enough, in less than half an hour, three of the six ships returned in a sorry state, chased back by the pirate ships that had been lying in ambush on the outskirts.

The ship was covered in wounds, and corpses lay on the deck.

The remaining three ships have disappeared without a trace, and their fate is likely grim.

The three ships that escaped dutifully entered the node and provided energy.

The remaining cultivators also gave up completely and prepared to fight to the death with their last resort.

The hundred-mile blood domain formed by the Purple Blood Fiend Net and the hundred-mile law domain of the Bone Fiend True Man collided head-on at sea.

On one side, blood and qi surged, and a purplish-red mist blotted out the sky.

On one side, the eerie flames of bone fire burned silently on the sea.

The two forces eroded and crushed each other, and the seawater at the junction was squeezed to form a wall of water that stretched for dozens of miles.

The five Core Formation cultivators under Bone Fiend Master led countless pirates to besiege the fleet from the outer perimeter of the Law Domain.

Taoist Wenjing needed to preside over the formation and couldn't leave his post.

Lady Yunxiang stood alone on the outermost edge, her magical domain repelling the pirates' first wave of attacks.

Even those pirates at the Core Formation stage dared not easily step into the Hundred-Mile Blood Domain—ordinary Core Formation cultivators would be doomed to die if they entered in the face of this level of domain collision.

They cast spells and used magical artifacts from afar outside the law's domain, constantly harassing, probing, and searching for weaknesses like a pack of wolves.

On the contrary, the pirates who had mastered Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment were more courageous.

They sailed into the lawless territory in all sorts of ships, roaring and yelling.

Their low cultivation level actually made them fearless—both sides, having reached the Core Formation stage, were desperately suppressing each other's domains and had no time to deal with these small fry.

However, when it comes to cultivators fighting each other, the Dingling Merchant Guild also has no shortage of desperate individuals.

After an hour of fierce fighting, the two sides were locked in a tug-of-war at the edge of the blood domain.

There was even a pirate in the early stage of Core Formation who was attacked by dozens of late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators because he got too close.

Several of them took out the life-saving trump cards given to them by their elders who had reached the Core Formation stage—and bombarded the Core Formation cultivator with them, shattering his protective aura, causing him to cough up blood and flee in a sorry state.

The monks in the caravan cheered.

But this doesn't change the overall situation.

Once a Core Formation level cultivator uses a life-saving technique, that technique becomes one less available.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator tries their best, they can only turn the tide once or twice in certain areas.

One of the early-stage Core Formation cultivators was injured, while the opposing team still had four intact Core Formation cultivators.

The three Core Formation cultivators on the Chamber of Commerce's side were still being held back tightly.

At this rate, the caravan won't be able to sustain itself for long.

It requires the intervention of a true Core Formation cultivator.