49: Drastic change, chaos

Old Ancestor Murong hadn't anticipated Yellow-brow Daoist's sudden attack.

“Zheng Tianming, you’re going too far!”

Outside the Grand Formation, Yellow-brow Daoist ignored Old Ancestor Murong's roar.

His Aura remained undiminished, and he controlled the bronze cauldron, smashing it against the Azure Sky Overcast Cloud Grand Formation again and again.

However, a Tier 2 Formation was a Tier 2 Formation after all. Although the spiritual light rippled from the bronze cauldron's impact, it still held firm.

A moment later, Yellow-brow Daoist stopped attacking. He knew he couldn't break the Formation in a short time.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he looked at Old Ancestor Murong inside the Formation and grinned.

“Old Ghost Murong, don’t think you’re safe just because you’re hiding in a turtle shell.”

After speaking, Yellow-brow Daoist took out a jade box, covered in Restrictions and shimmering with spiritual patterns.

He formed a hand seal and pointed a finger at it. Immediately, the Restrictions on the jade box shattered and dissipated.

Without the Restrictions, the jade box opened on its own, and a lotus flew out from it.

Its color was crimson like blood, and its twelve lotus petals seemed to break free from their constraints, unfurling.

In an instant, an extremely rich fragrance spread out.

“jade blood demon lotus! Zheng Tianming, are you insane!?”

Old Ancestor Murong let out an angry roar, his figure soaring into the sky, standing in mid-air, glaring at the yellow-robed Daoren through the Formation.

Yellow-brow Daoist gazed at the blood lotus in his hand, sighed, and said with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

“Brother Murong, you forced my hand!”

Then, his tone shifted, and he stared at Old Ancestor Murong within the Formation, speaking coldly.

“Hand over that Core Formation Cultivation Technique. We’ll share it, otherwise, consider the consequences.”

He said, raising the hand holding the blood lotus.

Old Ancestor Murong's expression changed several times, finally returning to calm.

Without saying anything more, he turned and returned to the Murong Family, having already expressed his stance with his actions.

Yellow-brow Daoist's face turned grim, then he laughed in anger.

“Good, good, good, Old Ghost Murong, I hope you don’t regret your decision!”

Then he looked at the many tense Cultivators in the market below and said with a playful tone.

“The Murong Family is immoral, disregarding your lives and deaths, so you can’t blame this Old Ancestor.”

After speaking, he vibrated his magical power, transforming the blood lotus into a sky full of blood mist. With a wave of his hand, he spread it out, and the blood mist sprinkled down.

After doing all this, Yellow-brow Daoist left without looking back.

Below.

Watching Yellow-brow Daoist leave, Lu Ming was utterly bewildered.

“Eh, are they not fighting anymore?”

His tone was hard to tell if it was disappointment or relief.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators were already rare to see, and not witnessing a fight was a bit regrettable, but Lu Ming was also worried about being affected, so it was better not to fight.

However, as soon as he thought about the words they had spoken, Lu Ming's heart began to ponder.

“Core Formation Cultivation Technique…”

He surmised it was related to the Immortal Cave and ore veins discovered in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, but it seemed they had fallen out.

“I just don’t know what he meant by those last words. This old fellow isn’t going to stir up trouble, is he?”

Lu Ming thought of Yellow-brow Daoist’s final action.

He had never heard of the jade blood demon lotus, but seeing Old Ancestor Murong's horrified expression, he knew it couldn't be anything good.

Just then, Lu Ming's expression shifted slightly. He directed his gaze towards the golden book in the Void Realm.

The golden book opened, and as its pages turned, it quickly skipped the first page.

In the blank space at the top of the second page, a name slowly appeared.

[Zheng Tianming]

“Holy crap, a whole new page!”

Looking at the golden book's new change, Lu Ming felt no excitement about recording a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; instead, he really wanted to curse right now.

There was no need to guess, this Zheng Tianming was definitely not targeting him.

It must be that dog-thing that did something, with such malicious intent that it targeted the entire market, and he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire!

“Foundation Establishment Cultivators fight, Qi Refining Cultivators suffer.”

Lu Ming felt an itch all over, and he wanted to leave right now.

But the market had already activated its Formation, so there was no way to get out now.

Lu Ming completely didn't expect the Murong Family to do anything for Loose Cultivators; he had to find a way himself.

“I need to figure out the current situation first!”

Having made his decision, Lu Ming controlled his Clone to move through the market.

However, he didn't approach the central area but quietly moved towards the edge of the Formation.

He wanted to see if he could find a way to slip out.

But the further he went, the more serious Lu Ming's expression became.

Along the way, he saw many Cultivators rushing frantically towards the interior of the market.

It was as if something was chasing them from behind.

Lu Ming no longer cared about potentially exposing his Clone. He controlled his Clone to leap into the air, coming to a stop mid-air to look outside the Formation.

Standing in mid-air, his vision became wide and unobstructed.

Through his Clone's perspective, Lu Ming stared blankly in the direction of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

Beyond the market, on the distant horizon, a sky full of dust rose, like a sandstorm, sweeping down towards the market.

However, that wasn't the key; it was the culprit creating the dust cloud!

Countless Yao Beasts from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range were rushing towards the market. As they approached, sand and rocks splashed up, and dust swirled.

Giant Yao Wolves, two-headed fierce tigers with lightning patterns all over their bodies, huge birds with wingspans of tens of meters...

For a moment, as far as the eye could see, the entire region was filled with Yao Beasts!

Even more terrifying, there were more Yao Beasts hidden within the swirling dust.

“I *f***ing* *swear*!”

The Azure Sky Overcast Cloud Grand Formation blocked the might and roars of many Yao Beasts.

But the terrifying oppressive Aura was almost suffocating.

“Things are about to change…”

Lu Ming's face was extremely grim. He knew without thinking that this was Zheng Tianming's doing, and that blood lotus was probably the reason for attracting the Yao Beasts.

But realizing it now was meaningless.

Lu Ming didn't know if the Formation could hold, but he understood that he shouldn't seek death by going out now.

Surviving was the most important thing!

Lu Ming summoned his Clone to return to his main body. There might be a tough battle ahead, and he needed to face the enemy in peak condition.

In the small courtyard, Lu Ming's main body opened his eyes, and his body squirmed, transforming into a burly man with bulging muscles.

He might have to act soon, and his original appearance was not suitable.

But as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he heard shrill screams and sounds of fighting echoing through Qingyu Alley.

Lu Ming had already noticed that the order in some areas of the market had begun to collapse when his Clone returned.

Those Murong Family Law Enforcement Teams were now too busy with their own affairs, retreating to the core area, who would still care about the safety of the Loose Cultivators here.

Lu Ming originally didn't want to bother, but some people insisted on seeking death.

“Fellow Daoist, hand over your Storage Pouch, lest we harm our harmony.” “…”

Lu Ming silently looked at the three Cultivators blocking his path. They wore black clothes, their faces were covered, and their cultivation was all at Qi Refining Level 6.

They were now approaching Lu Ming in a triangular encirclement.

Lu Ming chuckled in anger.

These idiots, instead of thinking about escaping now, they were imitating others and robbing.

“What are you laughing at? Hurry up and hand over your Storage Pouch, and we’ll spare your life!”

One of the Cultivators, seeing Lu Ming still laughing despite being surrounded, felt an ominous premonition.

But after looking at his companions beside him, his confidence grew by three points, and he sternly threatened Lu Ming.

Lu Ming was too lazy to waste words with them now.

He activated the Blood Burning Secret Technique, and the Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art was released.

His Aura suddenly soared to Qi Refining Level 8.

Before the few could react, Lu Ming transformed into a blood-red shadow and vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was in front of one of them, his right hand, shrouded in black lightning, gripping that person's head.

Lu Ming bared his white teeth, looking at the terrified Cultivator before him.

“Why seek death?”

Bang!

A muffled sound came, and that person's head shattered like a watermelon, followed by a headless corpse slumping to the ground.

The ink-black flames in Lu Ming's hand flashed, and the bloodstains disappeared.

The remaining two only now came to their senses, staring blankly at their companion's headless corpse.

“Qi Refining Level 8… How is that possible!”

The two trembled all over, their eyes filled with terror, their faces incredulous.

Thud.

The two quickly knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

“Fellow Daoist, no, Senior… Senior, spare our lives!”

“Senior, we didn’t mean to, listen to my explanation.”

Lu Ming had a gentle smile on his face.

“You’re truly sensible.”

The two looked delighted.

“But… I’m not listening.”

The next moment, Lu Ming pounced like a hunter after prey, his body wreathed in blazing blood flames.

Thunder gathered in his palm, and he pressed it down towards the two.

“Not good!”

One of them shrieked, conjuring a bronze bell to cover both of them, attempting to block the attack.

“You like to block, huh…”

Lu Ming’s indifferent words echoed in the area.

The two suddenly felt their hair stand on end, their spiritual senses frantically warning them.

Zzzzt zzzzt

Lu Ming closed in, then slammed his palm fiercely onto the bronze bell.

Dong—

Thunder rumbled and bell chimes rang out in the alley.

“Ah ah ah…”

Inside the bronze bell, the two bled from their seven orifices, their faces contorted like malevolent ghosts.

Lu Ming gave them no chance to breathe.

He unleashed several more Yin Thunder Palms, like a force of ten thousand jin, smashing onto the bronze bell.

“You like to block, huh!”

“Brotherly love, huh!”

“I’ll let you block!”

“…”

The sound of the great bell, like a tidal wave, assailed the two inside.

The two could no longer hear any sounds; they only felt their internal organs shattering and shifting amidst the sound waves.

Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs continuously gushed from their mouths.

Finally.

The bronze bell, covered in cracks, its spiritual light dim, then shattered into countless bronze fragments scattering everywhere.

The two inside the bell knelt on the ground like dead dogs, with more air going out than in.

Lu Ming shook his somewhat numb hand, not knowing if it was from being shocked by himself or something else.

Ignoring the two's pleading eyes, he stomped on each of their heads, crushing them.

Various red and white substances splattered, covering the ground.

Looking at the three headless corpses in the area, Lu Ming smacked his lips.

“But fighting beyond my level is really exhilarating! I even shattered a Medium Grade Magical Artifact!”

“But when did I develop the habit of headshots…?”

Lu Ming looked at his battle results, nodding with satisfaction, gaining a deeper understanding of his combat power.

It was just that this habit of headshots wasn't very good; his boots got dirty.

Lu Ming shook off the red and white substances from his boots.

Without further delay, the battle ended quickly, but the commotion was a bit loud.

Lu Ming bent down to pick up the Storage Pouches of the few, then put the three corpses into an empty Storage Pouch.

This was sustenance for the Three Yin Nether Fire; it couldn't be wasted.

If it weren't for the current inconvenience, he would have refined them on the spot.

After cleaning up the scene, to prevent any more clueless fellows from getting in the way, he no longer activated the Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art.

His magical power circulated, transforming him into an afterimage that vanished.