Buzz!
Just as a few Foundation Establishment cultivators were facing off.
A fiery red light curtain suddenly appeared over Qingyang Market, enveloping the entire Tier Two Cyan Water Curtain Array within.
This red light curtain was clearly also an extremely advanced Tier Two Array, and an immense spiritual power rapidly spread outward.
Countless strange runes swam like little fish within the red light curtain.
Boom!
Suddenly.
The red array launched an attack, and from the four corners—southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast—several dazzling magical attacks erupted.
Crack!
Qingyang Market’s Tier Two Cyan Water Curtain Array shattered like broken glass in an instant.
Bam!
With the final magical strike, the defense array that had protected Qingyang Market for many years dissolved in this moment.
"Who comes here?"
"It’s actually array breaking an array! A high-tier Array Master!"
The terrifying might above the celestial vault drew everyone within the market to raise their heads and look up.
As the light curtain dispersed, the figure of a tall cultivator in a black robe appeared, wearing a Buddha mask, emanating surging demonic qi, standing in mid-air.
He quietly gazed down below.
"It’s the demonic cultivator Lin Zixiao!"
"Even this evil star has come!"
"Things are dire!"
The next moment.
Lin Zixiao moved, casting several black ribbons from his hands, cutting through everything. Several cultivators below in the market who were contesting for the token were all slashed into pieces.
He raised his hand to grab, and the last Dragon Token fell into his hand.
Lin Zixiao did not linger, turning into a black escape light and disappeared into the horizon.
From when he entered, broke the array, and snatched the Dragon Token, it only took a brief moment.
The forces of all sides hadn’t even reacted yet.
In an instant.
Someone shouted loudly:
"The last token was taken by Lin Zixiao, now all tokens have been gathered."
"He must be headed to the ruins."
"Yet without the tokens in our possession, he can’t get in either."
"He’s surely gone to the ruins, everyone charge together!"
With this shout, many sects’ and family forces’ people began to chase in the direction of Lin Zixiao.
Next.
The cultivation realm’s most genuine scene began to unfold.
With several major sects and family cultivators leaving.
And no longer having the market’s defense array.
Countless loose cultivators and third-rate powers exposed the dirtiest side of human nature, starting to loot and pillage.
Just like what the Tribulation Cultivator did at the start.
"Damn it, who was the one that tossed the last Dragon Token up in the air just now?"
"I vow to fight them to the death!"
"I think it was Elder Gue from Spirit Feather Sect."
"Yes, yes, exactly him, I saw it very clearly!"
"Alright! Let’s start by killing those from Spirit Feather Sect!"
Instantly, the forces remaining in Qingyang Market turned their spearheads towards Spirit Feather Sect’s cultivators, slaughtering them mercilessly.
...
Within Qingyang Market, thick smoke billowed, flames soared into the sky, with sounds of smashing, looting, shouting, and crying intermingling.
Qin Ming saw that nearly everything was done, then summoned the Spiritual Light Shuttle and flew in the direction where Lin Zixiao and others had headed.
He followed distantly behind those few sect members.
Continuing southward for a day and a night.
Suddenly.
A vast plain appeared ahead in Qin Ming’s sight, with a massive sinkhole several miles wide exposed at the center.
Inside was shrouded in a layer of dense gray mist.
If one explored carelessly, even their Divine Sense would be sucked inside.
All around the sinkhole lay numerous broken ruins.
At this time.
Nearby, cultivators from the seven great sect and family powers had already gathered, with Lin Zixiao standing at the edge of the sinkhole.
Even the cultivators from Thunder Origin Sect were here in dozens, subtly indicating the seven great powers being led by them.
Qin Ming expanded his Divine Thought to sweep around, discovering many cultivators from smaller powers lurking in the shadows, intending to take advantage of the chaos.
At this moment.
Lin Zixiao flew into the sky, embedding the three tokens in his hand onto a large stone tablet at the edge of the sinkhole.
As he completed his actions.
In the crowd from various sects, others followed Lin Zixiao’s example, embedding token after token into the stone tablet.
Until the last token was placed.
Rumble!
Roar~
The phantom of a giant dragon roared, flying from within the stone tablet, instantly diving into the dense mist within the sinkhole.
In no time at all.
The earth began to tremble.
The dense fog dispersed, and a golden light shot skyward. After the runes dissipated, a grand and imposing underground palace was revealed within the sinkhole.
All the cultivators present immediately focused their gaze upon it.
Each one excited, their breathing heavy.
Suddenly.
Lin Zixiao took the lead by leaping into the underground palace and, before leaving, he channeled his mana and shouted to the many sect influences below:
"Hahahaha!"
"You bunch of useless people, Spirit Feather Sect’s Yuwen Hong secretly advanced to the Golden Core Stage at the Tier Three Spirit Vein without anyone knowing."
"Yet all of you came here to fight for opportunities."
"When he breaks through to the Golden Core Stage."
"It will be the end for your sect influences."
With these words, the cultivators of Thunder Origin Sect and the Seven Great Powers were instantly halted, taken aback.
"Is he lying?"
"Such a demonic instigator dares to deceive people."
"Yuwen Hong is merely at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment. How can he possibly have achieved the perfection of the Golden Core breakthrough?"
Lin Zixiao chuckled, "Humph! You fools, who told you Yuwen Hong is only at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment? Spirit Feather Sect has concealed his talent; he is a Celestial Spirit Root cultivator of the Metal Element."
"My information is very reliable, and I disdain arguing with you. Believe it if you will, but he might indeed break through in the next two days."
With that, he ignored the reaction of these sect cultivators and turned to fly into the underground palace.
Above ground.
Several major sect influences hesitated momentarily.
"Better to believe it than not."
"If true, Spirit Feather Sect has significant ambitions, we must quickly send this news back to the sect."
The cultivators of Thunder Origin Sect looked very grim.
If Lin Zixiao’s words hold any truth, Spirit Feather Sect is poised for a complete rise.
Thunder Origin Sect, as Wei Country’s undisputed top sect, is extremely unwilling to see such a situation unfold.
The other sects were equally puzzled.
They quickly sent this earthshattering news back to their respective sects.
Qin Ming observed from afar, furrowing his brow, silently thinking: Lin Zixiao surely has an insider in Spirit Feather Sect, he knows even such top-secret information.
Afterward.
Most cultivators of Thunder Origin Sect and the Seven Great Powers changed direction, flying toward the Tier Three Spirit Vein.
Only a few cultivators entered the underground palace among the ancient ruins.
Seeing the timing was right, Qin Ming activated his Spiritual Light Shuttle and flew off in another direction.
After the time of one incense stick.
He followed the guidance of the beast hide map and arrived before a massive waterfall.
Then, his divine thought left his body to scan behind the waterfall.
Finding no anomalies there.
Qin Ming promptly threw out the beast hide in his hand, fixing it in midair, and cast mana with a finger.
The beast hide seemed to be drawn by some force.
It stopped at a point in the middle of the waterfall, then emitted a golden barrier that landed on the waterfall.
Instantly revealing a twisted spatial entrance.
A delighted expression appeared on Qin Ming’s face as he swiftly entered it, then took the beast hide back.
The twisted spatial entrance quickly closed, reverting to its original state.
Qin Ming felt a momentary dizziness and was instantly transported to an inner part of the ruins.
As he regained his composure and looked around, he found himself in a two-acre medicinal garden!
Except, there were no spirit medicines planted inside.
The garden was occupied by over ten stone platforms, each shielded by a light cover.
The largest shields were a black, a purple, and a blue one, emitting the strongest light from the innermost area.
It seemed the items inside must be the best.
Even when Qin Ming tried with his divine thought, he couldn’t see the items inside clearly.
"It seems to be some kind of unique restriction."
He exerted all his strength to attack these shields but they remained unmoved.
Qin Ming walked around the stone platforms, taking out the two pieces of beast hide.
In an instant.
A complex rune lit up on the beast hide, resonating with one of the light clusters inside a stone platform.
Surprisingly, it was the light shield among the strongest three, the purple one.
Qin Ming waved the beast hide forward, the rune entered the light shield.
The restriction above instantly dissipated, revealing the item inside, it was a scroll of beast hide scripture.
Excited, Qin Ming reached out to grab it.
Then flipped it open to take a brief look.
"Indeed, it’s the follow-up technique of the ’Hundred Treasures Glaze Scripture’!"
"It not only includes Body Refining techniques for the Foundation Establishment Stage but can also be cultivated to Foundation Establishment Perfection!"
He was overjoyed, having experienced the powerful strength brought by cultivation techniques, he found it hard to resist their allure.
Next, he picked up the other beast hide map.
Trying each in turn, when he approached the third blue light shield.
It responded again.
The light shield disappeared, revealing a jade bottle, radiating astonishing spirit charm.
Qin Ming opened the jade bottle, peered inside and widened his eyes.
Inside was a mass of frozen blue flames.
"It’s Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire!"