Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans...

Chapter 145 Someone is making trouble
"Brother Lin, there have been quite a few second-tier pills and talismans appearing in the market recently. There are really a lot of outsiders."

Sitting in the trading market, Old Hu spoke casually, but the smile on his face was undeniable.

The more good stuff a black market has, the more people it attracts, and the more money they make.

"Old Hu, it's not just here. There have been too many cultivators in Tianxuan City in recent years. They've been selling all sorts of things like pills, talismans, and magical artifacts. I've even heard that second-tier formations have appeared on the black market."

Lin Chang'an shook his head, realizing that his few talismans and pills were insignificant.

Moreover, Tianxuan City is so big, and there are many other black markets besides theirs, with plenty of good stuff available.

“That’s true, but Brother Lin, you haven’t seen the female cultivators of the Shayun Kingdom. Their attire is so exotic, unlike the ones in our Yue Kingdom, which are too proper.”

In a restaurant in the market, Lin Chang'an was speechless as he watched Lao Hu's conversation become increasingly outrageous.

"Old Hu, if you're really interested, it's not impossible."

Faced with Lin Chang'an's teasing, Old Hu waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly, saying:
"No way, I, Old Hu, am just joking around. I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, I can't let myself be dragged down."

As business in the market flourished, especially with the six Foundation Establishment cultivators under their jurisdiction still wielding considerable influence.

This also made them realize the benefits of cultivating power.

"Look at Lao Jia, he's worked hard for decades and was just getting to the last step, but he gave up like this. It's such a pity."

Old Hu sighed helplessly, his eyes filled with regret, after his friend Old Jia shifted his focus to his descendants.

Another like-minded fellow practitioner has stopped on the path of cultivation.

They encountered too many things along the way, and for various reasons, they stopped their single-minded cultivation and chose to bless those who continued on their journey.

Along the way, they have also come to understand this loneliness.

"Sigh, things are getting more and more chaotic lately. There are more monsters, and there are also more people taking advantage of the chaos or harboring malicious intentions. Several incidents have already occurred in the market recently."

Although Master Lu's disciples led the guards of Tianxuan City to defend it, Master Lu was in seclusion year-round and couldn't possibly oversee everything.

Even their market town is usually overseen by two Foundation Establishment cultivators, which gives you an idea of ​​how chaotic it is.

"Yes, a storm is brewing. I wonder how many more years this false peace can last."

Lin Chang'an also sighed and shook his head, looking out the window at the cultivators hurrying about in the black market looking for their desired items. This scene seemed familiar.

It's as if I'm seeing them from the past.

Back then, he was just one of the many people in the crowd, always afraid of being targeted, and had to be careful in everything he did.

"You mean one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators causing trouble wouldn't warrant activating the Heavenly Profound City's grand formation? Besides, so many cultivators from the seven kingdoms have come."

They all outwardly claim to be here for the beast tide, but in reality, they're all after the resources and benefits. Many even secretly hope for trouble in Tianxuan City so they can take advantage of the chaos and profit from it.

Old Hu sneered at the thoughts of these cultivators, and everyone knew what was going on.

It can only be said that the local Tianxuan City cultivators, who are rooted here and rely on this place, are actually the ones who least want Tianxuan City to be in turmoil.

This creates a natural conflict between locals and outsiders.

Outsiders don't care about Tianxuan City, so they can act quite recklessly.

They instinctively think, "I can just walk away, what can you do to me?"

"Ok?"

Just as he and Lao Hu were chatting, their expressions changed slightly, and a quarrel was clearly breaking out at a stall in the distance.

Moreover, this aura clearly belongs to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Damn it, these outsiders are causing trouble again."

Old Hu snorted coldly, slammed down his wine glass, and flew away.

Lin Chang'an shook his head and sighed, then followed.

These things have been happening quite frequently lately, which indirectly proves one thing.

That is because Master Lu has not shown his face for a long time, and the prestige of Tianxuan City is gradually weakening.

……

In front of a stall in the black market.

"You scoundrel, this magic artifact belongs to my nephew. You'd better hand it over now and explain how you obtained it."

The two burly Foundation Establishment cultivators were naturally enraged when they saw the relics of their junior disciple that they had brought with them.

The stall owner was merely a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Faced with the oppressive aura of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, he turned pale but still managed to suppress his fear and explain.

"Seniors, this was something I found by chance while hunting monsters with my friend..."

"Bullshit! You scumbag, show me your true colors and reveal all your accomplices!"

Just as the two burly Foundation Establishment giants roared and prepared to force the Qi Refining cultivator, a cold glint flashed.

"Shh!"

The two burly Foundation Establishment cultivators also shouted coldly, activating their mana shields to defend themselves, but with a crisp sound, cracks clearly appeared on the mana shields.

This caused their pupils to shrink, clearly showing some apprehension.

"Still causing trouble? I really don't know if you outsider cultivators are ignorant of the rules or if you're truly fearless!"

With a flash of cold light, a throwing knife appeared and landed in front of Old Hu.

At this moment, Lao Hu seemed to be looking at the two of them in a nonchalant manner, but his aura was not weak at all, and he held a long knife in his hand.

The back of the blade is surrounded by three blades, which is clearly a rare set of magical artifacts.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an also appeared, calmly protecting the cultivators doing business in his market behind him, the Green Bamboo Sword in his hand flashing with sword light.

"Fellow Daoists, since we are in a foreign land, there are some rules that must be followed."

The appearance of Lao Hu and Lin Chang'an, two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, brought a sense of reassurance to many cultivators in the black market.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside, one in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and the other in the early-Foundation Establishment stage, showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, they coldly shouted:

"This man killed my nephew. Do you two fellow Daoists really intend to oppose us for the sake of a mere Qi Refining cultivator?"

They're here to cause trouble!

Lin Chang'an and Lao Hu exchanged a glance and immediately understood.

It seems they weren't just envious of the black market's profits, but were either acting under orders to disrupt Tianxuan City, and they were caught in the crossfire.

But that's no longer important.

A cold glint appeared on Old Hu's face. He had staked most of his fortune on the black market, and he hadn't even broken even yet.

Take the cultivation materials provided by the black market every month, for example. Now that someone is causing trouble, it's an act of obstructing the path.

Just then, a voice transmission reached their ears.

"Brother Lin!"

"Old Hu!"

With a single glance, the two made a decision, and Lin Chang'an's expression turned sharp.

"Such arrogance! We don't care about anything outside this market, but as long as it's within this market, anyone who dares to break the rules shouldn't blame us for being ruthless."

Despite his cold expression, the long knife in Lao Hu's hand already exuded a sharp aura.

The surrounding cultivators who were watching the spectacle kept their distance.

"Good! Good! Very good! But a few rogue cultivators have colluded to set up a black market, and now they're brazenly talking about rules."

You bunch of rogue cultivators are nothing but a group of lowly people.

In an instant, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators let out a cold shout, their bodies radiating a bronze color.

Upon seeing this, Lao Hu immediately shouted a warning: "Brother Lin, be careful! These two are cultivators from the Vajra Sect of the Shayun Kingdom, and they follow the path of body cultivation."

However, a golden bell radiating majestic power suddenly descended from the sky and crashed down on the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator with a loud bang.

This happened so fast that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Shayun Kingdom didn't even have time to react.

Old Hu was even more astonished. Brother Lin usually looked like a Confucian gentleman, but when he started fighting, he was even faster than a Tribulation Cultivator.

"Brother!"

After being instantly suppressed, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Shayun Kingdom was filled with shock and anger.

He hadn't expected these two rogue cultivators to be so decisive and ruthless in their attack.

"mean!"

Amidst the clanging of metal, a streak of cyan sword light attacked from behind.

At the same time, Lao Hu was quick to strike, throwing three flying knives at the eyes and groin.

At the same time, Lao Hu brought the cold blade he was holding to his front.

"Body cultivator! You really think highly of yourself. I, Old Hu, don't believe your skin is thicker than that of a demon beast."

At the same time, the black market's formation was activated, directly blocking the other party's attempt to escape.

This scene alarmed countless cultivators in the black market. At the same time, these people were not stupid. With the formation activated, who would dare to cause trouble at this time? Wouldn't that be like trapping a dog inside a closed door?

In the instant the Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed, Lin Chang'an and Lao Hu cooperated seamlessly, using speed to overcome slowness.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators were ruthless in their attacks; when they did strike, it was always aimed at vital points. "How dare you!"

"Haha, the Vajra Gate is quite imposing, but this is the Yue Kingdom. If your Shayun Kingdom wants to come to the Yue Kingdom, you'll have to kill your way through the two countries along the way first."

Old Hu was seething with murderous intent. He had caused trouble in his market and blocked the road. If he didn't make an example of him today, he would be in trouble in the future.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator, who was suppressed by the Yellow Dragon Bell, attacked the bell with furious rage, his eyes wide with rage.

Despite the continuous echoing of the bell, it remained steadfast.

"Brother Lin!"

"coming!"

Although the body cultivator was strong, he was facing two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and Lao Hu and Lin Chang'an were also sword cultivators with extremely strong attack power.

In the blink of an eye, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator had several wounds on his body. He exclaimed in shock and anger, "If you dare to kill me, the Vajra Sect will not let you get away with it!"

"Go to hell!"

If trouble breaks out in Tianxuan City, then Master Lu will be the one to take the blame.

With a wave of his hand, Lao Hu instantly bound the man with a magical chain.

As Lin Chang'an raised his hand, five second-tier ice talismans were used as an extra layer of protection.

At the same time, the two of them flew into the sky together.

Greatsword Technique

The next moment, countless cultivators stared in shock at the sky above the black market.

Two beams of light appeared, one a giant cyan sword, the other a blade radiating golden light.

As two gleaming sword and saber beams, each over ten feet long, appeared, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator below was filled with terror.

"No! Fellow Daoists, I will leave immediately..."

"die!"

Under the cold gazes of Lin Chang'an and Lao Hu, he suddenly made a sword gesture.

The two giant swords, carrying a majestic divine power, crashed to the ground, and the Foundation Establishment cultivator let out an angry and unwilling roar.

The defensive magical artifacts blocking his way were torn apart, and even his proud physical body could not withstand the attack.

This was a full-force attack from two mid-Foundation Establishment sword cultivators. Not to mention a mid-Foundation Establishment body cultivator, even a mid-Foundation Establishment body cultivator wouldn't dare to take it head-on with their physical body.

"Junior brother!"

As the smoke and dust billowed, the cultivator trapped inside the Yellow Dragon Bell was filled with shock and anger. He had never expected that the two rogue cultivators would be so ruthless.

Boom!
After the Yellow Dragon Bell emitted a dull thud, it was lifted by this person.

The Yellow Dragon Bell, emitting a chiming sound, returned to Lin Chang'an's palm, which was why he hadn't used his full strength.

After all, the Yellow Dragon Bell is a top-grade spiritual artifact, and it needs to be kept hidden.

"Nothing happened today..."

This Foundation Establishment stage cultivator from the Shayun Kingdom originally intended to escape, but before he could utter his harsh words, a cold glint suddenly appeared behind him.

As the defensive magical artifacts blocked the attack, he turned around in horror to see the black-clad female cultivator coldly staring at him.

The spear in his hand, radiating a chilling aura, was deflected by the defensive magical artifact, and then he used the force of the impact to deflect the spear.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, blood splattered from his chest, and the cultivator's eyes were filled with disbelief.

The person who arrived was Yun Yao; all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

From Yun Yao's surprise attack that deflected the opponent's defensive magical artifact, to her all-out spear strike that instantly killed the opponent.

"How...how is this possible..."

"Shouldn't you give us an explanation for what happened today?!"

Yun Yao's cold voice echoed through the market, and the spear in her hand emitted a chilling aura. The cultivator's skin was visibly covered with a layer of frost.

"Late stage of Foundation Establishment..."

The hoarse voice and the terrifyingly cold power within his body caused the Foundation Establishment cultivator's hands to tremble, as if his internal magic power had been frozen.

In the end, he didn't even have a shred of strength left.

With a clean and swift flick of the gun, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator fell to the ground.

This scene happened too fast.

In a short time, two Foundation Establishment cultivators from foreign countries caused trouble and perished here.

This shocked, yet also somewhat reassured, countless cultivators in the black market.

When Lin Chang'an saw Yun Yao, who was holding a cold spear and looking heroic, he was slightly stunned.

This scene seemed familiar; back when he was in the Prince's mansion, he had taught this young princess a spear technique.

The moment the market formation dissipated, news of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator spread like wildfire.

The patrol team from Tianxuan City arrived late, but their spirit stones were well spent; Tianxuan City truly takes responsibility when trouble arises.

They directly claimed responsibility for the matter.

……

"My goodness! No wonder Fairy Yun had Brother Lin guarding the market all this time. It turns out she had reached this bottleneck during her seclusion."

In the black market restaurant, Old Hu looked at Yun Yao with envy. "Late stage of Foundation Establishment!"

There aren't many of these even in Tianxuan City.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Yun."

Lin Chang'an also bowed with envy.

When Yun Yao was planning to establish her foundation, he was in the Qi Refining stage. At that time, Yun Yao was already a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He has only recently broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while his opponent has already broken through to the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

The two were always just one step apart, but Lin Chang'an was confident that the gap would narrow in the future.

"Brother Lin, you're too kind. After years of hard work, I've finally broken through the bottleneck."

Yuan Yao said with emotion, "Old Hu doesn't know, but how could Lin Chang'an not know?"

Yun Yao is not even seventy years old. Such a young late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator will be able to complete Foundation Establishment by the age of one hundred and begin to plan for Core Formation.

too young.

Everyone sighed with emotion, but Old Hu couldn't hide the joy on his face.

Their black market business was already quite good, and there were many people secretly watching them. Now that a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator has appeared, their deterrent power has increased significantly.

Although the benefits still need to be redistributed, they will benefit more from it.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength is paramount, and Yun Yao's late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level is enough to make them each give up some of their benefits.

"The people of Shayun are known for their fierce and savage nature, and have always been called barbaric bandits. They are the least popular among the seven kingdoms. Perhaps they are being manipulated by someone..."

The reason why Lin Chang'an and Lao Hu were so decisive in keeping the two of them was actually because they had secretly received a message from Yun Yao.

The allure of black market profits is irresistible. When they can enjoy such vast resources without risking their lives to hunt monsters, it's inevitable that they will attract envy.

And cultivators who secretly harbor malicious intentions and want to disrupt Tianxuan City.

So they had already made this preparation long before they opened the black market.

"There are gains and losses, but overall, with Tianxuan City as our backing, outsiders dare not act seriously, but we are truly willing to kill."

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly; the benefits given to Tianxuan City were definitely not given away for nothing.

These outsiders are at most just causing trouble; if they really make a move, they're likely to be hunted down by Tianxuan City.

Of course, some also had the idea of ​​making a quick buck and then leaving Tianxuan City.

But they are different; they are part of Tianxuan City and abide by its rules.

It's perfectly normal that they resorted to more extreme measures to sabotage things now.

Otherwise, why would Tianxuan City allow these black markets to exist? Aren't they sometimes used as weapons?

However, the person who uses the knife is also the one who will truly take responsibility for you.

Otherwise, if a knife kills someone, there's no reason to blame the knife; the problem lies with the person wielding it.

"Come, let's drink a toast to Fairy Yun."

Old Hu's face was flushed, and he was extremely pleased.

They commit murder, and Tianxuan City bears the responsibility. At the same time, this gives them a reputation in the black market and deters villains.

They make a lot of money.

(End of this chapter)