A Complete Collapse

Without hesitation, Ye Zhengwen took Kuai Wu's place in the formation. A tremendous force struck him, almost causing him to lose his footing and fall to the ground. After a moment of embarrassment, he finally regained his footing and stabilized the formation.

"Damn it, when are your Foundation Establishment from the Chongming Sect coming?!" Standing next to Ye Zhengwen was the manager of the Tie Household Talisman Shop. He was an old cultivator with long eyebrows who was known for his good temper in Chongming Market and loved to chat and laugh with people.

At this point, he was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and uttering foul language.

White steam rose from the head of the long-browed old cultivator, a sign that his spiritual energy was completely depleted. However, the cultivator beside him was in even worse shape, on the verge of fainting, but he had no choice but to continue.

"No need to worry, Senior Black Shoes will be here soon. Then the Demon Beast in front of us will become spiritual materials and Spirit Stone, and everyone will make a fortune!" Ye Zhengwen had no idea when Daoist Black Shoes would arrive, and he didn't even know if Daoist Black Shoes was still in the Chongming Sect. But when he was replying to Elder Long Eyebrows, he still raised his voice so that all the cultivators in the formation could hear him clearly.

Although the one-eyed giant rarely interacted with others, everyone knew that the information he sold was mostly accurate.

His loud response at least managed to reassure everyone.

The Demon Beast beasts weren't without losses either; the corpses of Demon Beast piled up in front of the formation. Although the cultivators in the formation also suffered losses, their situation was much better than that of the Demon Beast.

As the tide receded, the cultivators in the formation, though still gritting their teeth and daring not to relax, gradually calmed down as they saw the beast horde shrinking in size.

The spiritual patterns on the array flags gradually calmed down, and the array's protective barrier stabilized, except for occasional tremors, which boosted the confidence of the cultivators in the array as they awaited reinforcements.

"Alright, that's enough. Now, let's urge all the Demon Beast up. They'll collapse on their own before we have to attack for long!" The female cultivator in the tiger-coat laughed and waved her hand. The short, thin cultivator, upon receiving the order, took out a short flute and blew it. The Yellow-Beaked Ink Owl swooped and circled in the air, sweeping low over the large group of beasts still hiding in the mountains and forests, and let out a long cry.

The cultivators guarding the formation saw a cloud of dust rise from the opposite forest, much larger than before. A much larger herd of beasts surged in, giving the cultivators in the formation little time to react. They directly overwhelmed the weakened first wave of Demon Beast and crashed into the formation's protective shield.

"Crack," "Crack," a series of sounds echoed within the formation. One after another, the array flags that had been fluttering in the wind snapped and fell, making the protective shield of the magic array increasingly thin. In the blink of an eye, several more cultivators were directly knocked away, their fates unknown.

This rabble could not withstand the pressure. In an instant, more cultivators made mistakes in their incantations, their spiritual energy stagnates, the shock-absorbing power of the formation is completely lost, and they are violently killed on the spot by the fierce impact of the Demon Beast.

Seeing this scene, with blood and beast roars all around, most of the cultivators guarding the formation looked desperate. At this point, the reinforcements far away could no longer appease them; they only thought about escaping for their lives.

However, before they could even disperse, Ye Zhengwen, who had just been encouraging everyone, shouted "Run!" and scrambled away in a flying boat.

It wasn't just him who acted quickly; cultivators with a bit of sense, like Lu Yunniang and the Xue Household cultivators, were originally doing their best to defend the formation, but seeing the larger horde of beasts rushing towards them, they had already made preparations.

Although they were in their positions, they ran much faster than the Rogue Cultivator preparing for battle, leaving the latter far behind in just a few breaths. This infuriated the latter, who jumped up and down cursing.

"Demon Beast is coming! Run!"

"Damn it, where the hell are those Black Shoes Seniors and Foundation Establishment Grannys from the Chongming Sect?"

"Only an idiot like you would believe that. I told you long ago not to worry about all that, just go to these shops and find some valuables, then run away when the formation breaks. This Chongming Market is just a joke set up by a few minor Qi Refinement Refining sects. They don't have the ability to search the mountains and seas to find us afterwards."

"Stop talking about that, run! If you're any slower, you'll really die here!"

"Damn it, Xun Sanlang, how dare you cut me! What are you doing coveting that Law Artifact I won from you at a time like this?"

"Haha, Seventh Brother, come quick! There are still pills in the Chongming Sect's shop! Come quick! Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother, come save me! Moon Spirit Tiger is coming!"

Chaos erupted in the market. The steward hired by Kuai Wu, who had some dealings with him, even dragged him a few steps.

However, the several Demon Beast behind them gradually drew closer and closer, until the steward could smell the foul stench emanating from their mouths, causing a conflicted expression to appear on his face.

"Put me down, Old Dai, put me down, go on your way, thank you." Kuai Wu endured the excruciating pain all over his body and managed to utter a few words to the steward.

"Brother Kuai, you are so kind. I will take my leave now." Manager Dai felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Although he knew he would eventually abandon Kuai Wu and run away, the fact that the latter was so understanding and took the initiative to offer his help made him feel a little guilty.

As soon as Kuai Wu Fang Yi the word "go," the steward surnamed Bai left him behind and fled without looking back.

Before Kuai Wu could finish speaking, he was too weak to stand up and could only watch helplessly as a Red-Maned Mountain Boar charged toward him.

He seemed unaware that the steward surnamed Bai had already left his side, and was still muttering, "Please go back. Go tell... tell Sect Leader Kang that my little sister and... with Pei..."

After a "crack" sound, a heavy hoof, as thick as a bowl, slammed directly into Kuai Wu's throat, cleanly splitting him in two.

It wasn't just Kuai Wu; the cultivators in the market were completely powerless against the demonic Demon Beast that outnumbered them several times over. Even the mountain dwellers who were used to making a living in the Cold Crow Mountain Range were helpless.

These reckless rogue Rogue Cultivator usually hunted down many Demon Beasts. Sometimes, three or four Qi Refinement Rogue Cultivator at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining could bring back the corpses of one or two First-Tier Superior-Grade Demon Beast, making a fortune.

But this time was different from the usual time when they would make ample preparations before entering the mountains to hunt some kind of Demon Beast.

Without that preparation, they might not be able to defeat the murderous Demon Beast of the same level. Demon Beast are never just cultivation resources that cultivators can easily pick; the latter can also be a piece of tender meat in the mouths of the former.

One cultivator after another was slaughtered by various Demon Beast. The market that the Sect Leader Kang Da had painstakingly cleaned up was transformed into a slaughterhouse in an instant, stained with the blood of humans and beasts mixed together, turning it into a hellish place.

Ye Zhengwen showed little panic at this moment. Back then, his cultivation was only at the Middle Qi Refinement, yet he and Kang Dabao managed to escape with their lives from the Foundation Establishment cultivators who attacked the Jiang Household Trading Company. His survival skills were beyond question.

Although the beast horde behind him was terrifying in its power, there was no Second Tier Demon Beast leading it. His cultivation had also improved considerably compared to before. As long as he wasn't unlucky enough to be surrounded and entangled by the Demon Beast, escaping wouldn't be difficult.

"Phew, I'll still try my best to help that guy surnamed Kang bring his two little ones back. Now I should be able to repay the favor, right?" Ye Zhengwen unleashed another wind blade, easily slicing aside a Tiger-Striped Horned Beast blocking his path.

Ye Zhengwen, wanting to find someone, naturally wouldn't try his luck like a headless fly. When he grabbed Jin Shilun earlier, he had placed a spiritual energy mark on him, but now the small market had been ravaged by the hundreds of Demon Beasts that had poured in, and the spiritual energy was extremely chaotic, making it impossible for him to find the person for the time being.

Most businesses in Chongming Market are small-scale enterprises, and they don't have extra Spirit Stone to install any fancy magic arrays in the rented shops.

Before long, apart from a few shops, the entire Chongming Market was almost completely razed to the ground by these Demon Beasts.

More and more cultivators hidden inside the buildings were exposed to the Demon Beast's sight, and were picked out, torn apart, and devoured by the ferocious Demon Beast.

Even cultivators who choose to escape on their swords are not guaranteed a safe retreat. Flying high above offers no cover, and if their sword-flying skills are lacking, they become easy targets for the Demon Beast on the ground.

If you were to be hit by a barrage of wind blades and fireballs, without the best possible protection, you would be blasted down and smashed into a pulp, no matter how high you flew.

Even though Ye Zhengwen's skills were far superior to those of ordinary cultivators, and he was piloting a fairly decent First-Tier Superior-Grade flying boat, he still took four or five fireballs. One side of the flying boat was charred black, and even the protective array plate of the flying boat was cracked with a little finger-width.

Ye Zhengwen quickly changed the spell in his hand to stabilize the flight path of the flying boat, but was then entangled by the two demonic birds.

After he used his skills to kill them, several more demonic birds surrounded him.

A golden-armored Yellow-Scaled Tiger crouched on the ground and viciously spat out a white flame at Ye Zhengwen, who was dodging the demonic bird.

Fortunately, Ye Zhengwen was on guard and spurred the flying boat, narrowly avoiding the danger.

Fortunately, there were few demonic birds among the beasts, and seeing that Ye Zhengwen was difficult to catch, they dispersed to find other cultivators.

With such an easy prey right in front of them, there was no reason to keep chasing after Ye Zhengwen, this tough nut to crack.

After shaking off the demonic bird, Ye Zhengwen did not slow down. He sped through the air above the market, quickly searching for Jin Shilun and Zhou Xinran. At the same time, he thought to himself that he probably couldn't search for too long, or he might get stuck here.

"But if I really leave like this, that Kang fellow is petty and narrow-minded. If we meet again in the future, he might blame me."

Just then, a commotion arose from the rear of the beast horde. A group of soldiers dressed in the armor of the mythical beast Xie Zhi suddenly appeared behind the horde, formed a battle formation, and fearlessly charged towards the beast horde, which outnumbered them several times over.

Despite being only a hundred people in formation, their combined strength had already formed a several-zhang-tall image of a mythical beast.

This giant beast was covered in thick, dark fur, had golden horns on its forehead, and exuded an imposing aura even without anger.

After a single roar, the beasts froze, as if the effect of the colorless fragrance had been instantly wiped out.

Not only were the Demon Beast stunned into immobility, but the "Yinglin Maoyu Kun" in the arena were also jolted back to their senses by the roar, and their violent killing intent diminished considerably.

"This is the Xiezhi Iron Guard Tie Liuyun trained in Jingnan Prefecture. It is said that it has already taken the form of a Daoist army! Run!" The female cultivator in the tiger-coat, who was hiding in the shadows, was so shocked that her pupils dilated and she shouted. As soon as she turned around, she saw that her three junior brothers were nowhere to be seen. She immediately cursed and then flew away without looking back.

The outcome of the battle was reversed the moment Tie Liuyun's Xiezhi Iron Guard appeared on the battlefield.

Without the allure of the fragrance, and given that the Demon Beast are not mindless fools, there's no reason for them to risk such heavy casualties to continue fighting the cultivators to the death.

The cultivators, who were at a disadvantage, gradually regained their courage when they saw reinforcements arrive.

Amidst the rising and falling waves, coupled with the fierce array of the Xiezhi Iron Guard, the enormous Xie Zhi Dharma Image, radiating mysterious light, plunged into the dense horde of beasts, wantonly waving its giant claws. The Demon Beast that touched it died instantly, and those that grazed it perished.

In no time at all, the area was cleaned up.

The beasts screamed in terror, and the Demon Beast scattered and fled.

The surviving cultivators cried and laughed, fought and cursed.

"Kang Dabao, afflicted by the plague, has no ability to build any market! He couldn't even hold it back!"

"That bastard! Just wait and see how you deal with him when you see him!"

"Where are the people from the Chongming Sect? Come out now! Don't you have an explanation yet?"

"Stop cursing. I just came back from Jin County. There are hardly any survivors in the market there. This place is considered good." Tie Liuyun said softly, silencing the noise in the area.

He first gazed at the retreating herd of beasts, a strange light flashing in his eyes, before landing from a sturdy Mystic Falcon.

"Where is Kang Dabao? Is he still alive?" Tie Liuyun looked around but couldn't find the person he wanted to see, so he asked.

"Reporting to Commander Tie, Kang Dabao is not here, but there are still people from their Chongming Sect. That one-eyed brute is his so-called Foreign Affairs Elder." A rogue Rogue Cultivator whose face was half torn off by Demon Beast stood up with a face full of hatred, pointing at Ye Zhengwen who was huddled in the flying boat and shouting.

He had dutifully helped guard the formation, but this guy almost sold him to Demon Beast, so he was naturally angry.

Ye Zhengwen glared fiercely at the Rogue Cultivator. He had no intention of directly confronting a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he had no choice. He immediately disembarked from the flying boat and bowed deeply to Tie Liuyun, saying, "Greetings, Commander Tie."

"Well done. There's still Linghe Market to save, so I can't stay long. Continue to guard this place. Tell your Kang Dabao to wait for me inside the sect; I need to speak with him later."

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