"This matter has come about so abruptly, we were just saying the Devil Cultivators were still active in Lin County...! How did they manage to cross the vast Mushroom Forest Plain and appear in Lixia County as if entering an uninhabited land..."

"Does Xiao Chuting know about this?!"

He silently shrank into a corner, avoiding detection by others, and couldn't help associating...

"The market has always been under the protection of Xiao Yongling. But five years ago, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator Xiao Yongling was transferred, leaving only Qi Cultivating Xiao Ruyu... No, perhaps Xiao Ruyu hasn't been on the mountain for a long time!"

Li Xuanxuan looked up at Guanyun Peak, shrouded under the oppressive dark clouds, feeling a sense of unease, realizing that if even the Gonzhi-named cultivator at the Qi Cultivating Peak had been dispatched to the market as an internal support, then the group of black-robed cultivators surrounding Guanyun Peak could only be at the Foundation Establishment level!

"Four of them..."

Li Xuanxuan focused his observations for a moment, then fell silent, realizing that since Xiao Yongling was transferred, there could only be one or two Foundation Establishment Cultivators left to guard the market of Guanyun Peak. Presumably, they could not overpower the enemy and hence stayed holed up.

"It takes a stick of incense to get here from Xianyou Peak, and a quarter of the time has already passed."

Li Xuanxuan's face turned ugly. His cultivation level was not high, being only at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation, and he was not skilled in combat. If chaos ensued later on, he feared he would not fare well.

\\------------

"Boom!"

The pavilion in front of him exploded with a thunderous bang, the scorching blaze rushing towards him. Li Qiuyang's hurried footsteps abruptly halted as he witnessed the streams of light fill the sky, an internal struggle raging within him:

"Most of those black-robed cultivators are likely Devil Cultivators... Xuanxuan let me out probably to seek help from the Xiao Family... But with the situation as it is now, with the People of the Xiao Family barely able to protect themselves, how can they spare any efforts to help!"

The market surrounding Guanyun Peak was built around the mountain, with the Great Formation atop the Guan Jade Peak as the main formation, and numerous nodes set within the market, enveloping the whole space. Now, with dark clouds covering Guanyun Peak and the occasional black-robed cultivators conspicuously standing in mid-air, Li Qiuyang didn't even consider ascending the peak to seek help.

There were already black-robed cultivators engaging in fights and looting around him, the sounds of shouting and anger rising and falling. A foreboding premonition rose in Li Qiuyang's heart, and he anxiously pondered under the eaves of a hidden corner:

"Xuanxuan must be fighting that person by now, and with that person at the Qi Cultivating Peak, how could Xuanxuan stand a chance..."

Thinking this, Li Qiuyang wanted to stride away, yet he stood frozen on the spot, not daring to move:

"But I'm just a cultivator with mixed Qi, let alone returning to save Xuanxuan, I'd be killed by the Devil Cultivators after just stepping outside. I don't have the capability to help him!"

With blood and flesh flying outside, accompanied by continuous screams, he gritted his teeth, realizing that if he stayed put, he would inevitably be noticed by the Devil Cultivator. He formed a spell in his hand to conceal his Qi, and cautiously moved out.

The Devil Cultivator before him was dressed in a black robe, a Qi Cultivator at the early stage, wielding a large axe that glowed blood-red and cleaved with an unstoppable momentum. He occasionally burst into loud laughter, punctuated by rounds of curses.

The cultivators on the opposite side formed a defensive array, looking like they were from the Xiao Family, with the lead cultivator at the initial stage of Qi Cultivation. Li Qiuyang, having spent many years in the market, recognized this person and had a brief acquaintance with him.

Behind were five Cultivators at the third or fourth layer of the Fetal Breathing stage, with shimmering Dharma Light between their hands, spouting forth and forming a small array that wobbled unstably under the assailant's strikes.

A chill crept into Li Qiuyang's heart. In the market, he had seen the cultivators of the Xiao Family resolve disputes several times, always capturing the troublemakers decisively. It was his first time witnessing such a large-scale conflict, and he surmised:

"The Xiao Family's cultivation techniques are profound, and they are usually dominant among their peers. To think that they now need to form an array just to barely hold off this Devil Cultivator!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He patted his sleeve and fished out two talismans, one for the early stage of Qi Cultivation and the other for the middle stage, originally intended for sale at the shop. He now silently took them out, clutching them in his palm.

The Xiao Family cultivator, drenched in sweat from urgency, inadvertently glanced up and caught sight of Li Qiuyang hiding under the eaves in the distance. Overjoyed internally, he feigned even more anxiety on the surface, while secretly gathering strength, ready to coordinate his strike.

Li Qiuyang, catching that glance, understood the signal. He channeled mana into the talismans in his hand, emitting red glows, and shouted loudly:

"Activate!"