The next day.
"Big Brother Lin, that bird last night was terrifying."
Li Erniu looked up at the azure sky, still shaken, while Lin Chang'an nodded gravely.
"Er Niu, don't leave the Market lightly for a while. Not only is that Wind-Splitting Eagle powerful, it also holds a fierce grudge."
Clearly, the scale of this Land Reclamation effort had thrown the Demon Beasts of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range into chaos. Such things had happened before.
But this was the first time a flocking Second-tier Monster Beast had launched an attack.
The entire Market was somewhat panic-stricken. Magical artifacts, Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and the like had actually begun rising in price.
"Big Brother Lin, I'm not stupid."
Even Li Erniu understood one thing: if flying Demon Beasts could not break through, Green Bamboo Mountain Market was an immovable turtle shell.
More importantly, that turtle shell probably could not endure for long.
"Once the formation sustaining the Market is activated, it will consume a huge amount of Mid-grade Spirit Stones. If the Second-tier Monster Beast Wind-Splitting Eagle cannot be dealt with, the Market's formation will definitely collapse first."
Lin Chang'an shook his head. That was precisely why prices within the Market had risen.
But the ones who should be worried were not minor cultivators like them, but Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion.
Sure enough, on the third night, more than thirty Second-tier Monster Beasts, Wind-Splitting Eagles, arrived as expected and launched another night of attacks.
But this time, Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion joined forces with the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Market, opening a gap during the Demon Beasts' attack before swiftly sealing it again.
Three Second-tier Monster Beasts, Wind-Splitting Eagles, were directly slain by the Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Market.
After that, the cultivators in the Market finally breathed a sigh of relief for several days in a row.
Five days later, amid howling cold winds, goose-feather snow drifted down.
[Name: Lin Chang'an] [Life Span: 45/106] [Realm: Qi Refining Fifth Layer (99/100)] [Technique: Evergreen Art (Grandmaster: 1899/5000)] [Skills: Golden Light Talisman (Grandmaster 158/5000), Godly Travel Talisman (Proficient 993/1000), Flying Sword Talisman (Grandmaster 879/5000)] [Spells: Wood Spirit Thorn [Perfect 195/10000], Fireball Technique (Proficient 921/1000), Breath Concealment Technique (Grandmaster 365/5000), Invisibility Technique (Grandmaster 102/5000), Object Manipulation Technique (Proficient 986/1000)...]
Inside the secret chamber, after the Spirit Stone in his palm dimmed, Lin Chang'an slowly opened his eyes.
"At most another half month, and I'll be able to break through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer."
Casually crushing the depleted Spirit Stone in his palm into powder, Lin Chang'an sighed with emotion.
Who could have imagined that five years ago, he had still been a dispirited Qi Refining Third Layer minor cultivator, his heart as dead as ashes as he prepared to return to the Mortal Realm?
Yet in five years, not only had he become a First-Order Mid-Grade Talisman Master, his cultivation was also about to break through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
"Though I can't compare to a genius like Yun Yao, at my current pace, I still have hope of planning for Foundation Establishment before turning sixty."
Lin Chang'an's face was full of delight. They said that in years of famine, those with a craft would not starve; that saying applied equally well in the Cultivation World.
Of the Hundred Cultivation Arts, anyone who achieved something in one could earn far more Spirit Stones than cultivators of the same rank, with far greater stability as well.
Just as Lin Chang'an snuffed out the candle and prepared to rest, a shrill scream suddenly rang out from beyond the snowy night.
Countless cultivators were immediately awakened.
"Something happened!"
Lin Chang'an instinctively gripped a magical artifact in his hand, carefully opened the door, and climbed atop the wall.
Yet the moment he climbed up, there came a thunderous sound of something heavy crashing down in the distance, followed closely by a tiger's roar.
"Demon Beasts are falling from the sky!"
Lin Chang'an's eyes widened. He watched with his own eyes as a Demon Beast fell from the heavens in the distance and smashed directly into a cultivator's home.
Miserable, terrified cries immediately followed, along with the booming roar of spells.
"What is going on!?"
Even though Lin Chang'an had established himself in the Cultivation World for over twenty years, he was dumbfounded at this moment.
This completely surpassed the bounds of his knowledge.
Since when could Demon Beasts fall from the sky?
Yet it was not over. In the snowy night Market, muffled thumps of heavy objects striking the ground rang out one after another. In an instant, the entire Market was brightly lit.
Especially among the Rogue Cultivators in the shantytown, whose cultivation was relatively low, the Demon Beasts falling down were almost all First-Rank Late Stage Demon Beasts.
This was simply a tiger falling into a sheepfold, immediately beginning a slaughter.
"Beasts!"
At that moment, following a furious roar within the Market, the defensive barrier over the Market's night sky opened in an instant, while the spells of Foundation Establishment Cultivators illuminated the heavens.
Only then did countless cultivators clearly see the scene in the sky.
Lin Chang'an's eyes widened even further. "It's that flock of Wind-Splitting Eagles again!"
Damn, this really opened his eyes.
More than thirty Wind-Splitting Eagles circled through the snowy night sky, several of them clutching living Demon Beasts in their talons.
The monster beasts falling from the sky were clearly the work of those Second-tier Monster Beasts, the Wind-Splitting Eagles.
This alone was enough to reveal the intelligence of Demon Beasts.
"I heard the leader of that flock of Wind-Splitting Eagles is already a Second-Order Late Stage Demon Beast. Better hide for now."
Lin Chang'an shrank his neck as he watched the chaos within the Market and the cultivators hunting Demon Beasts.
He was a noble Talisman Master. In one month, he could earn as much as ten ordinary Talisman Masters.
How many Spirit Stones could one Demon Beast even be worth? Why gamble with his life?
The next day, the entire Market became lively.
"Last night was truly terrifying. I heard a Second-tier Foundation Establishment Demon Beast even fell into the eastern district. If not for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Mystic Sound Pavilion taking action, who knows how many people it would have killed."
"This is far too chaotic, isn't it?"
"What do you know? The low-level cultivators throughout the Market are naturally in a state of panic now, but every Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator has red eyes. There's no need to risk searching for them at all. As long as you are lucky and join forces to kill one, you can obtain a Monster Core..."
"Damn it, which family's cultivators provoked those beasts this time, making them take such frenzied revenge?"
In the distance, Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu hurried toward Gathering Immortal Pavilion, Er Niu's face filled with worry.
"Big Brother Lin, it's been too dangerous lately. When will this end?"
Hearing this, Lin Chang'an let out a helpless sigh.
"Er Niu, we should both be careful lately. Don't leave the Market unless necessary. Cultivator Bandits have been especially active outside recently."
Cultivator Bandits killed for treasure. Some were professional Cultivator Bandits, while others were driven by greed and temporarily decided to play the part.
So long as the slightest disturbance arose, even the neighbor next door might be seized by greed and set their sights on your Spirit Stones.
Though these recent disturbances had seemed minor, they had all been suppressed by the cultivators of the Two Major Sects, Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion, within the Market.
Otherwise, chaos would have broken out long ago.
The reason the two had come to Gathering Immortal Pavilion this time was entirely because Junior Sister Lu Qingqing had sent someone to tell them there was news of Little Princess Yun Yao.
That was why the two had come together to Gathering Immortal Pavilion.
"What! Little Prin... Senior Yun has already achieved Foundation Establishment!?"
The moment they arrived at the private room in Gathering Immortal Pavilion and had just sat down, they heard this news. Li Erniu was so shocked that he cried out.
"Big Brother Li, I only learned about it last night as well."
Lu Qingqing wore an innocent expression as she explained.
"We don't know when Sister Yun returned either. Last night, disciples of Li Fire Palace sent a letter notifying us that Sister Yun successfully achieved Foundation Establishment within the sect two days ago. She will return to the Market after some time."
Not only Er Niu, even Little Marquis Shen Lie wore a face full of shock upon hearing the news.
Yet after his surprise, Lin Chang'an also somewhat understood why Little Princess Yun Yao had been so cautious.
Foundation Establishment was a matter of immense importance. If even the slightest bit of news leaked out, who knew what changes might arise along the way?
Not to mention cultivators outside; there were likely people within the sect watching her as well.
Who could have imagined that this Little Princess would suddenly return to the sect and directly enter seclusion to break through?
She acted decisively, without the slightest dragging of feet.
Before you continue