Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 56 Foundation Building and Planning
"what happened!"

Everyone was awakened. Lin Chang'an and Shen Lie, with solemn expressions, climbed onto the roof to check the situation. Even Wei Buyi, who was leaning on his iron crutch, poked his head out, looking extremely nervous.

The wind and snow howled, but the two people on the roof looked at each other and saw shock and unease in each other's eyes.

"This is a demon beast!"

Shen Lie nervously swallowed, while Lin Chang'an stared intently into the distance, his voice low and serious:

"Indeed, judging from the sound and momentum, it is a second-tier demonic beast, and there is more than one."

In the darkness, screams and chaos echoed from the outskirts of the market, while inside the market, in the area protected by the two major sects, a defensive array slowly activated.

Some large clans also reduced their numbers and activated small-scale defensive formations.

This caused great hardship for the independent cultivators on the outskirts. Although they had paid spirit stones, the strongest cultivators responsible for protecting them were only at the late Qi Refining stage. How could they possibly protect them?

Therefore, in the darkness, the roles of offense and defense shifted, and the cultivators became food for the demonic beasts.

Seeing the defensive formation rise, Shen Lie on the rooftop secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"These ten spirit stones weren't paid for in vain."

However, Lin Chang'an looked solemn, thinking about the countermeasures taken by the sects and these powerful clans during this period.

"Could it be that these powerful clans and sects already knew about the leak of spiritual energy and the impending attack of demonic beasts?"

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. These behemoth sects were the ones who devoured people without spitting out the bones.

"Brother Lin!"

Shen Lie, standing to the side, swallowed nervously; even the darkness of night couldn't hide his panicked expression.

"Have you noticed that the spiritual energy seems to be more concentrated than usual this winter, under the cold wind and snow?"

At this moment, Shen Lie activated his Heavenly Eye Technique and naturally noticed the abnormality of the spiritual energy.

Shen Lie seemed to have thought of something terrible, while Lin Chang'an's expression was gloomy, as if his previous guesses were being confirmed.

This secret realm likely has a high-level spiritual vein, which will attract all sorts of demonic beasts to gather here.

The disasters brought by the demonic beasts will also attract countless cultivators to flock here.

Establish a new market town, primarily based on high-level spiritual veins!

The Qingzhushan Market was established using the same method as when a low-level spiritual vein was discovered.

"Brother Shen, be careful what you say!"

Lin Chang'an's throat was a little dry, and the scenes from when he first entered the market couldn't help but float into his mind. He was very familiar with the establishment of the market in Qingzhu Mountain.

If a low-level spiritual vein is already so devastating and chaotic, he can't even imagine how chaotic a high-level spiritual vein would be.

"But I'm not the same person I was back then, relying solely on passion!"

Lin Chang'an gritted his teeth inwardly. Back then, when his cultivation level was low, he was able to survive by relying on his innate martial arts skills. Now, he was already a Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator.

He had everything: magical artifacts, spirit pets, and spirit stones, making him far superior to the lower-level cultivators on the outskirts.

The fact that monsters represent countless resources, and there's no need to venture deep into them, is incredibly appealing.

……

The next morning.

The three-foot-thick snow was blown away by magic, and the entire market returned to its former prosperity.

"How many people can a monster attack and devour in one go?"

Seeing this scene, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He didn't know when it had started, but his heart had also grown cold.

Hunting demonic beasts to obtain resources, while the demonic beasts also feed on human cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, what are you going to do?"

Early in the morning, Lin Chang'an saw Shen Lie and his wife struggling for a while, and finally Lu Qingqing clearly lowered her head, leaving Lin Chang'an with a puzzled look.

The couple had always had a good relationship. "Juxianlou is gone, and I don't have Brother Lin and Brother Wei's skills. We can't just sit around and do nothing."

Shen Lie smiled helplessly, then put on his usual confident smile and patted his storage bag.

"We don't have any other skills in this life, but we are good at speculation and doing business. Right now, with monsters running rampant, there is definitely money to be made in the monster meat business."

At this point, Shen Lie turned around and, seeing Lu Qingqing's worried expression as she held the child, he smiled nonchalantly and said:

"Qingqing, don't worry. It's not like I'm the one who goes to hunt monsters. I'm just going to find some acquaintances in the market to buy some monster meat and earn some spirit stones."

Good heavens, Lin Chang'an's lips twitched after seeing this.

It's true that humans have humanity; even rat offspring are born knowing how to dig holes.

Shen Lie truly deserves Yun Yao's favor; he's a natural-born businessman.

He was worried things would get chaotic, but Shen Lie saw a way to make money right away.

There's really no way to compare these people.

"Monster meat? If possible, Fellow Daoist Shen, could you also help me purchase some high-grade monster meat?"

"Don't worry, Brother Lin, I guarantee I won't make a single penny off the monster meat you want."

Upon hearing that Lin Chang'an wanted high-grade demon beast meat, Shen Lie grinned.

He was sincere, but although it seemed like he didn't make any money, he actually did.

High-grade monster meat is precious and naturally expensive. Lin Chang'an's request is equivalent to opening a door for Shen Lie.

At the same time, Lin Chang'an nodded secretly, as the nourishing effects of high-grade demon beast meat were also very beneficial to cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining.

After Shen Lie left, Lin Chang'an also went to the market to gather information.

……

"Have you noticed that the spiritual energy seems to be much denser after this heavy snowfall?"

"I can tell just by using the Heavenly Eye Technique. I dare say this secret realm is definitely the Daoist temple of a powerful being. Otherwise, how could it be affected at such a distance?"

On the streets of the market, countless cultivators whispered among themselves, but they weren't talking about the monster attack from the previous night; instead, they were discussing the secret realm.

After all, life and death are commonplace for cultivators. While attacks by demonic beasts may seem dangerous, they can also present opportunities.

Lin Chang'an even saw many demon-hunting teams gathering manpower and preparing to set traps, just waiting for the demon beasts to attack.

"The increase in monsters seems to have some benefits as well."

Along the way, Lin Chang'an disguised himself and sold talismans. Seeing so many cultivators in the market preparing to fight back against the demonic beasts, he had another idea.

One of the main ingredients in refining Foundation Establishment Pills is the demon core.

However, second-tier demonic beasts are all located deep within the Cloud Mist Mountains. Now that a large number of demonic beasts have come out, it seems that there are more opportunities to hunt them.

"Perhaps I'll have the chance to buy another demon core outside."

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly. If it could be bought with spirit stones, why risk one's life?

However, this is a strategic resource, and even if it flows into the market, it will be controlled by sects and major families, making it extremely difficult for it to reach independent cultivators.

"We need to be prepared for both possibilities, and talismans are also essential."

Lin Chang'an always prepared for the worst. He aimed to break through his skills as soon as possible and create a first-tier high-quality talisman. This would ensure his own safety and his ability to hunt monsters in the future.

Despite the howling wind, more and more rogue cultivators were pouring in from outside, and even cultivators from other countries were also coming in.

After this snowstorm, Lin Chang'an turned fifty.

Meanwhile, Qingzhushan Market became increasingly prosperous.

Tomorrow is Monday, which is also the author's final sprint to the fourth round. Fellow readers, please remember to give me twenty seconds to follow along on Monday and Tuesday.

Don't wait any longer to put the book on hold; it'll be available for purchase soon. Once it's available, the author will be able to update full-time, ensuring consistent quality. Updating 8,000 words a day should be quite stable, as long-time readers know.

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(End of this chapter)