Two Years Later

Two years later.

The Lin Household's council hall.

The group of cultivators sat on both sides, their expressions somewhat grim.

The Lin Household patriarch frowned, and facing the seated Daoist Fuchen, he said:

"Fellow Daoist Fuchen, we have annihilated two small Barbarian Tribes. It's time to retreat. If we continue fighting, Shangyu Market will be completely wiped out."

"That's what I mean too. Recently, many Rogue Cultivators in the area have been fleeing, fearing that we will capture them and conscript them into the army. We have already given the explanations that the three major sects demanded, and the war must not continue."

The war, which lasted for more than two years, consumed astronomical amounts of manpower and financial resources.

Despite the remarkable achievements, it was difficult to maintain the scale of Shangyu Market any longer.

Daoist Fuchen frowned slightly and said:

"Anyone who dares to escape will be treated as a deserter and their entire clan will be wanted."

The Lin Household patriarch hesitated for a moment and asked:

"There are just too many people fleeing; should we issue arrest warrants for them all?"

"Hmph, without rules, there can be no order. This matter must be handled officially, and we can't use the excuse that 'the law doesn't punish everyone' to justify it."

"But what about afterwards..."

After pondering for a moment, Daoist Fuchen continued:

"It's time to switch from offense to defense; let's lift the slamming on the city gates."

"You've all worked hard these past two years. I'll be returning to the Azure Wood Palace to report on our past achievements. Rest assured, the three major sects will not treat you unfairly."

Barbarian Tribe and humans have always been different; they are nomadic peoples who have no fixed abode.

The tamed Demon Beast roam wherever they go, and that's where their homes are, making it extremely difficult to find their gathering places on ordinary days.

The fact that Shangyu Market has wiped out two small tribes is a great honor for the Chinese people.

Upon hearing this, the Fairy Caiyi also cupped her hands in a respectful gesture.

"Fellow Daoists, I haven't been back to the Azure Wood Palace for quite some time, and I'm planning to go back for a visit this time, so I'll take my leave now."

The two walked out of the lobby one after the other, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

After a long silence, the Lu Household patriarch suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Lin, have we been tricked?"

The Lin Household patriarch raised an eyebrow:

"What makes you say that, fellow Daoist?"

"We've put in a lot of manpower and effort over the past two years, and while the results have been good, we've almost exhausted our resources. Now that they've achieved their goal, they've simply left. How will we defend ourselves against the Barbarian Tribe counterattack if they ever do so?"

Upon hearing this, the Lin Household patriarch fell into deep thought.

With the departure of the two, they were essentially missing two Foundation Establishment cultivators, a significant impact.

The Rogue Cultivator in Shangyu Market were almost impossible to mobilize, and it was absolutely impossible for them to survive or perish together.

If the barbarian army attacks, this city will be very difficult to defend.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, we have been rivals for many years, do you still harbor resentment towards me?"

After a long while, the Lin Household patriarch actually asked such a question.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I said I don't hold a grudge, but since Tianchou was taken away, I don't want to fight for anything anymore."

The Lu Household patriarch sighed softly and said.

"Alas... How could I not know what Fellow Fuchen and his companion were planning? It's just that there was nothing I could do. Now that they've left, we should also make our own plans."

Upon hearing this, the Lu Household patriarch nodded thoughtfully.

After returning to the Chamber of Commerce, Fairy Caiyi immediately summoned Tang Zhan and the others.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, she didn't waste any words and directly stated her purpose.

"I intend to return to the Azure Wood Palace soon. Would you all like to leave with me?"

The members of the Chamber of Commerce are efficient and have amassed a considerable amount of Spirit Stone for her over the years. She plans to leave with everyone to avoid wasting any more time cultivating them.

Tang Zhan and the others exchanged glances, all somewhat puzzled.

"Could it be that the city gates have been unsealed?"

"Good, from now on, everyone can come and go freely."

Everyone was overjoyed to receive a definite answer.

However, they hesitated when faced with the invitation from the Fairy Caiyi.

"Senior, could you allow us a few days to discuss this? Qin Fei and Tiezhu are both absent now, so we cannot make a decision on our own."

The Fairy Caiyi waved her hand and said:

"In that case, I will return to the Azure Wood Palace first. If you have made up your minds, you may come to find me with this token."

With that, she left behind a token, then transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky.

Tang Zhan put the token away, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Let's contact Brother Qin and Tiezhu first and see what they think."

"Didn't Qin go out to gather resources for Foundation Establishment? He shouldn't be back so soon, right?"

Let's give it a try first.

Soon, everyone received a reply from Tiezhu.

He was on a mission at the military camp at the time. After learning that everyone was leaving, he told them to go ahead and just leave them the specific location, and he would go there to regroup.

However, when Qin Fei was contacted, the communication talisman did not respond.

"The communication talisman has exceeded the distance; it seems Brother Qin has not returned yet."

"What should we do then?"

"Let's wait. The city gates are already open, so we can leave anytime. There's no rush."

Everyone nodded in agreement, Old Zhang suddenly said:

"I'll go to the puppet junkyard, at least to leave some trace for him, so he can contact us as soon as he gets back."

"Great idea, let's all go together."

The group arrived at the puppet scrapyard, pushed open the gate, and found the courtyard empty.

A thick layer of dust has settled on the stone table in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

It looks like it hasn't been tended to for some time.

Old Zhang pondered for a moment, then carved a line of large characters on the table.

The others also searched for conspicuous places to leave marks so that Qin Fei could see them immediately upon his return.

After doing all this, everyone closed the shop completely and went into hiding.

From then on, the Star Radiance Merchant Association disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Luoping Mountain Range.

The mountains are layered with peaks and dense forests.

This is a paradise for Demon Beast.

As the largest Demon Beast Mountain Range near Shangyu Market, it is also a place that monster hunting teams often come to.

The mountains are fraught with danger; some have even seen second-tier Demon Beast.

At this moment, in a secluded cave, a man in black robes rapidly changed the Method Formula in his hands.

At his feet lay the corpses of several Yin Wind Wolves.

The wounds on his body were still steaming, as if he had only recently died.

After the man finished casting the Method Formula, he stretched out one hand and enveloped the corpse's head.

Then he gently pulled it outwards, and a grayish-white, soul-shaped ball of light floated out.

The man was slightly pleased, but dared not relax. He carefully approached the second corpse and repeated his previous actions.

After repeating this process several times, several more orbs of light appeared.

With a slight lift of his palm, the ball of light floated in the air and began to rotate slowly.

He put two fingers together, circled them in the air a few times, and suddenly a faint light appeared at the tips of his fingers.

Then he stretched out his finger and gently touched the ball of light in the air.

As if receiving instructions, the soul-shaped orbs of light slowly merged together, forming a new orb of light.

The aura of the new light group was significantly stronger, far surpassing what it had been before.

"It's done! The Soul Condensation Technique is truly amazing!"

The man was overjoyed and carefully placed the ball of light into a jade bottle.

This is of utmost importance in controlling the second-tier puppet.

By the dim light of the campfire in the cave, one could vaguely make out the man's profile.

It was Qin Fei had disappeared long ago.