Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed cultivator remained expressionless, but a sense of unease began to stir within him.

This isn't what we agreed on. How come a Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly appeared in the Liu family? As a result, the plan to strike the merchant ship and then run away might be delayed by this Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Liu family.

So he said, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak:

"Qingxuan Sect? Since I dared to come, I am naturally confident that I can escape."

"But you, a mere Foundation Establishment junior, dare to shout at me like that?"

"court death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the black-robed cultivator suddenly raised his hand, unleashing his full magical power without reservation.

hum-

The blood-red flying sword let out a mournful cry, suddenly swelled up, and transformed into a blood-red streak tens of feet long, carrying rolling baleful energy, traversing the sky and slashing down towards the Liu family's Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He went all out from the very first move!

The Liu family's Foundation Establishment cultivators clearly hadn't expected their opponent to be so reckless, and in their haste, they had no choice but to unleash their natal magic weapon to fight back.

boom--!

The two magical artifacts collided violently in mid-air.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth trembled violently, and a visible shockwave of spiritual power spread out like a whirlwind sweeping across the land.

Below, the defensive array of the Liu family's merchant ship flickered wildly, with large patches of spiritual light flashing erratically, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Even in Black Stone City, dozens of miles away, one could feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth becoming violent and chaotic.

In the marketplace, countless cultivators looked up at the sky, their faces filled with horror.

Li Mufeng stood in the crowd, his pupils slightly contracting.

Is this a battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators?

With every gesture, he exuded such power that Qi Refining cultivators were like ants compared to him.

Just then, a fragrant breeze swept past her, and Liu Yan'er had appeared on the street without her noticing.

When she saw the willow leaf distress signal in the sky, her pretty face turned pale instantly.

Seeing this, Li Mufeng gently comforted him:

"Don't worry, the Qingxuan Sect's enforcement team has already gone there. We are just Qi Refining cultivators, so even if we go, we won't be of much help."

Even so, he was also somewhat anxious.

Because on that merchant ship was the inner core of a second-tier demon beast that he had been waiting for for half a year.

If the caravan is robbed and all the goods are lost, then his work on condensing the Mountain and River Body will probably have to be postponed for a long time.

But the thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.

Li Mufeng quickly suppressed his impulse.

The battlefield where Foundation Establishment cultivators clash is simply beyond his control.

When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.

As for the inner core of a second-tier demon beast... there will always be opportunities in the future.

Just then, another beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from the depths of the market.

As one of the ruling families in Black Stone City, the Bai family naturally could not stand idly by and watch the Liu family's caravan be robbed near their own territory.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Bai family burst forth from the sky, transforming into a long rainbow and heading straight for the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the battle has already been decided.

The Liu family member, whose foundation was ultimately too shallow, turned pale after taking the full force of the opponent's attack. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward dozens of feet.

Upon seeing this, the black-robed cultivator burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! The Liu family is nothing special!"

With a flick of his sleeve, a large swath of blood-red light swept out, instantly engulfing several storage boxes and a large number of spiritual items on the merchant ship.

Then, with a flicker, he transformed into a streak of crimson light and fled into the distance without looking back.

Just then, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Bai family and the law enforcement cultivators of the Qingxuan Sect arrived.

In the sky, the situation instantly turned into a three-on-one chase.

Three streaks of light pierced the sky, carrying immense spiritual pressure, and chased after the crimson rainbow before disappearing into the horizon.

Not long after those four streaks of light disappeared into the sky.

A strange change has occurred in Blackstone City!

boom!

On the east side of the market, a medicine shop suddenly exploded, splinters flew everywhere, and a beam of blood-red light shot into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of blood-red streaks of light rose simultaneously from all parts of the market. Each streak possessed a fierce aura, with the lowest level of Qi Refining cultivation. Without a word, they attacked the nearby shops and cultivators.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were actually feigning an attack; the ones who truly made the move were those hidden within the market.

"A calamity cultivator!"

"The bandits have stormed into the market!"

"Run! It's a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator!"

In an instant, the entire Black Stone Market was thrown into complete chaos.

The monks scattered and fled in all directions on the streets.

Some were struck by the spell, screaming as they collapsed in pools of blood; others clutched their storage bags and fled for their lives; and still others, shopkeepers, roared hoarsely as they desperately activated the formation.

"Don't steal it! This is all my possessions! Help! Someone please save me!"

"Where is the Bai family's enforcement team?! They've all vanished by now."

Cries, explosions, and the roar of spells mingled together, turning the once bustling and peaceful market into a living hell in an instant.

What's most chilling is that, as order collapsed, some rogue cultivators who were originally hiding in the corners also began to turn their eyes red.

Some people silently put on their hoods to cover their faces.

Taking advantage of the chaos, some people kicked open the shop doors and rushed in to ransack the place.

Even low-level rogue cultivators who wouldn't dare step into the shop normally had their eyes bloodshot and joined the looting frenzy.

D.

Such an opportunity may only come once in a lifetime, and human greed is laid bare in this moment.

……

In front of Wanfu Zhai.

Liu Yan'er's pretty face paled slightly as she stared intently at the end of the street.

There, three figures were flying towards them: two at the eighth level of Qi Refining and one at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Clearly, these people had planned this all along, and it seems they already knew where the most valuable pieces of meat were in the market.

Two are at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and one is at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Fellow Daoist Li."

Liu Yan'er took a deep breath, her voice unusually serious.

"You go back to the shop and use its defensive formation to guard it. You're not good at fighting, so I'll take care of these people."

Before she finished speaking, she pushed Li Mufeng into the shop without saying a word.

boom!

The gate is closed.

The next moment, the shop's defensive formation was fully activated, and a layer of pale yellow light rose up, enveloping the entire Wanfuzhai.

Liu Yan'er stood in front of the door, her expression resolute.

Her plan was simple: she would hold off the few bandits while waiting for reinforcements from the market to arrive.

By having Li Mufeng stay in the shop to oversee the formation, she could at least protect Wanfuzhai, which was the best solution she could think of in an instant.

Inside the shop.

The two apprentices, Liu Qinghe and Chen An, were already so frightened that they hid behind the counter, their faces pale and their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"Uncle Li... Uncle Li..."

Li Mufeng didn't say anything, but took out two golden talismans and stuck them on the two little guys respectively.

A faint golden light rose, instantly making the two little ones feel much safer.

"Hide here and don't move. No matter what happens outside, don't come out."

The two children nodded vigorously, and Li Mufeng slowly stood up.

His principle has always been to avoid war whenever possible.

He simply couldn't bring himself to let a woman stand in front of him while he hid behind like a coward.

Moreover, although the opponent has three people, they are only two at the eighth level of Qi Refining and one at the ninth level of Qi Refining. This is far from the despair-inducing gap in strength between Foundation Establishment cultivators. I may not be without the ability to fight them.

If all else fails, with the help of high-quality Concealment Talismans and Flying Escape Talismans, escaping should not be a problem.

Thinking of this, Li Mufeng took out a high-quality Concealing Yuan Talisman and gently patted it on his body.

In a flash of inspiration, he immediately suppressed his aura to the extreme.

He then quietly left through the back door of Wanfuzhai and sneaked towards the front yard.