Chapter 22 : The News Brought by Yun Yao

Chapter 22: The News Brought by Yun Yao

Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace.

Even under the howling wind and snow, the marketplace remained bustling.

The chaotic demon beasts within a thousand miles had now become spirit stones in the eyes of many cultivators.

"Princess, Qingqing and I lost all the goods."

Inside the room, the Minor Marquis Shen Lie dragged his weak and injured body, confessing to Yun Yao who had just arrived.

Lu Qingqing, beside him, remained silent, offering no defense for herself.

"How much was lost?"

Yun Yao, who had just arrived at the marketplace, remained calm as if she could remain composed even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her.

However, when hearing the specifics of the loss, the slightly trembling knuckles of this Little County Princess’s pale fingers told Lin Chang’an that she was probably not as calm inside as she appeared on the surface.

Understandably so—seven to eight hundred spirit stones’ worth of goods, originally intended to seize the lively opportunity of the marketplace and pave the way for her future Foundation Establishment.

Who would have thought they’d run into such trouble?

Although Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing admitted their fault, Yun Yao did not heavily blame them, merely sighed deeply and chose to let them continue managing the guild.

After all, the fact that they survived the chaos was already fortunate enough.

As long as they were alive, the guild could still earn spirit stones for her.

In the tavern.

This time, Lin Chang’an and Li Erniu hosted a welcoming banquet for Yun Yao, an inner disciple of the Lihuo Palace.

Inside the private room, the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy.

Seeing this, Lin Chang’an changed the subject and asked curiously.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, has something major happened within the borders of Yue Kingdom this time?"

Yun Yao, being someone of firm resolve, was the first to show a smile, as if the previous loss meant nothing to her.

"An elder of the Shensword Sect broke through to the late Core Formation stage, and the sect has allied with Xuanyin Pavilion."

With Yun Yao’s explanation, Lin Chang’an and the others came to a realization.

No wonder the support for just one marketplace this time had such a grand scale—there was even a flying vessel not belonging to Lihuo Palace.

Yue Kingdom had three major sects: the Shensword Sect, Lihuo Palace, and Xuanyin Pavilion.

The Shensword Sect had always been the strongest, and now it was the first among the three to have a late Core Formation stage cultivator, causing a sense of crisis for Lihuo Palace.

"Moreover, the elder of the Shensword Sect who broke through is very young, not even three hundred years old."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, even they could understand the implications.

A late Core Formation cultivator under three hundred had a great chance of becoming the first Nascent Soul True Lord of Yue Kingdom.

But for Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion, this was not good news.

"No wonder the Treasure Pavilion is being so generous this time—mid-grade first-rank inheritance arts are being opened to the public."

Lin Chang’an secretly clicked his tongue, and Yun Yao nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Not only that, Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion have officially allied and will fully open all marketplaces under their jurisdiction."

Even the usually honest Li Erniu sensed something and couldn’t help blurting out, "Is war going to break out?"

War in the cultivation world—such a strange yet familiar phrase.

"Not yet, but they are preparing in advance."

"This time, the alliance between the two major sects involves not only mid-grade skill inheritances but even top-grade skill inheritances and Foundation Establishment Pills being made available to the public."

As Yun Yao revealed this information, Lin Chang’an and the others were both excited and slightly anxious.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

Foundation Establishment Pills had always been monopolized by the three major sects, but now Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion were openly offering them—just bring the ingredients and the sects’ alchemists would refine them for you.

However, the conditions were extremely harsh—one had to risk their life.

"There’s now a path to ascend—either sell your life to the two sects as cannon fodder, or go into the Shensword Sect's territory, create chaos, and kill cultivators of the same realm."

Lin Chang’an was secretly alarmed. At this rate, rogue cultivators might become even more rampant in the future.

After all, if Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion could use drifting cultivators as cannon fodder, so could the Shensword Sect.

When sects went to war, the ones who suffered first were always drifting cultivators treated as disposable pawns.

Even the honest Li Erniu had a gleam of excitement in his eyes amid the concern brought by this wave of shock.

"This time, it’s obvious that Yun Yao came to the marketplace for Foundation Establishment!"

The core spiritual ingredient of the Foundation Establishment Pill was no secret in the cultivation world, and though lacking the core spiritual herb, it was not entirely irreplaceable.

The substitute was the demon core of a second-rank demon beast, which had already transformed into an inner core.

The Yunwu Mountain Range was the best hunting ground for this.

The somewhat stifling welcome banquet dispersed, and Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing continued running the guild with guilt.

Amid drifting snow, on the side of the Treasure Pavilion within the marketplace, a building of the Xuanyin Pavilion had already appeared.

One couldn’t help but marvel at the speed of the cultivation world.

"Big Brother Lin, do you think the Little County Princess can establish her foundation this time?"

On the way back, Li Erniu scratched his head and whispered in a low voice:

"Second-rank demon beasts are all Foundation Establishment level, and the Little County Princess is only at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining."

Lin Chang’an lowered his head and sent a voice transmission:

"Erniu, the Little County Princess’s Foundation Establishment brings us only benefits and no harm, but we can’t help in this matter."

Even Li Erniu had seen the issue.

This time, so many people from the two major sects had come—it was clearly a preparation to delve deep into the Yunwu Mountain Range.

And Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace was to become the strategic rear base for the alliance between the two sects.

On the street.

"Did you hear? Xuanyin Pavilion brought a second-rank alchemist. As long as we prepare enough ingredients, we can have a Foundation Establishment Pill refined."

"It’s not that easy. Even if you risk your life to gather the materials and are lucky enough to establish your foundation, then what? The major sects clearly intend to use us drifting cultivators as cannon fodder."

"But if we don’t fight for it, we won’t even qualify to be cannon fodder!"

A cultivator at the late Qi Refining stage spoke with determination, causing many drifting cultivators who heard him to nod silently.

The fear was in not even having the qualifications to be used as cannon fodder.

Along the way, news of the alliance between Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion had already spread, and after exchanging glances, Lin Chang’an and Li Erniu both fell silent.

That sentence might be cruel, but it was a reality.

If you could become cannon fodder, you still had value. As long as you had value, there was still hope. But if you didn’t even have that value, then there wasn’t a trace of hope in sight.

"Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace will definitely be expanded, and might even become a jointly operated marketplace of the two sects. By then, the number of cultivators coming here will multiply, especially those at the late Qi Refining stage."

Back at home, Lin Chang’an quietly calculated.

Although his cultivation level wasn’t high, it came with both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage was that with the increase in marketplace cultivators, it would be easier to discreetly sell mid-grade talismans. After all, the market would be bigger, and he wouldn’t even cause a ripple.

The downside was also obvious—chaos would follow, and who knew when war might break out.

"A sect war in the cultivation world—this really is something both familiar and unfamiliar."

Lin Chang’an sighed with melancholy. From a single glimpse, the whole could be seen. The mere unrest caused by marketplace pioneering had already made him tread carefully, not to mention a war between major sects.

The alliance between Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion showed they intended to go on the offensive. After all, it was they who were anxious now, not the Shensword Sect.