Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The moment the pill exploded, a dense aura of bloodlust spread out, causing the outer pack of wolves to go berserk and begin tearing at each other.

"roar--"

A majestic wolf howl came from the middle of the pack, and the wolf king finally appeared, attempting to calm the pack.

It had been hiding among the wolves, but now it had removed its disguise and revealed its true form. Its silver-gray fur gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and a white mark on its forehead was particularly striking.

Two large guard wolves stood on either side of him.

However, the moment the Wolf King appeared, Chu Xin, Lin Zhao, and the other two emerged from not far behind him like ghosts.

Using his brief flight ability from the late stage of Qi Refining, Gao Yuan leaped down from above, his heavy sword charged with intense flames, aiming straight for the wolf king's head.

Seven small purple flags flew out from the array plate in Chu Xin's hand, instantly unfolding a 'Dragon Trapping Array' with a radius of thirty meters, trapping the wolf king and its two guards together.

"Rise!" Chu Xinqing shouted, and seven purple chains coiled around the wolf king like serpents.

The two guard wolves reacted extremely quickly; the guard wolf on the left opened its mouth and spewed out dozens of wind blades, attempting to cut the chains.

The one on the right lunged at Gao Yuan, its claws whistling as they tore through the air.

"Your opponent is me!" Lin Zhao's Qingfeng sword transformed into a streak of green light, precisely blocking the guard who was spewing wind blades.

The sword flashed with a bright blue light, blocking all the attacks from the guard wolf.

Another guard wolf pounced on Gao Yuan, its blood-red maw snapping at his neck with a stench.

On the other side, Chu Xin activated the Dragon-Trapping Formation and then disregarded everything else. Her blue ice sword flew out of her hand, carrying a chilling aura, and struck the waist of the guard wolf that was lunging at Gao Yuan.

The ice crystals spread rapidly, freezing half of the wolf demon's body stiff.

"Aww!" The guard wolf cried out in pain, and its attack immediately stopped.

Gao Yuan seized this fleeting opportunity and thrust his heavy sword even faster.

Crimson flames and purple chains struck the wolf king simultaneously, unleashing a deafening roar.

The wolf king let out a mournful howl, and a charred sword mark appeared on its silver-gray fur, from which blood gushed out. The wolf king had been severely wounded by Gao Yuan.

Lin Zhao was already engaged in combat with the guard wolf, who was at the late stage of Qi Refining. The azure light and the demonic light were clashing fiercely, but every slash of Lin Zhao's Qingfeng sword was blocked.

The guard wolf was surrounded by a flowing light, which deflected most of the sword's force, preventing it from truly harming the wolf demon.

Unlike humans, demonic beasts do not have as many magical artifacts and pills to aid them. They only have powerful bodies and common spells. In addition to wind blades, the Wind Howling Wolf in the late stage of Qi Refining has an extra layer of protective spiritual light compared to ordinary wolf packs.

This protective aura blocked half of the Azure Edge Sword's power; the remaining half could only inflict minor damage on the Howling Wolf, but not seriously injure it.

The Azure Edge Sword broke through the spiritual light defense, but only managed to leave a bloody gash on the wolf's back.

"Roar!" The guard wolf roared in pain and rage, its protective aura flickering, and its sharp claws, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, lunged straight at Lin Zhao's face.

At this critical moment, the situation on the other side suddenly changed!

The wolf king, trapped in the dragon formation, suddenly roared to the sky, and its body shone with a blazing blue light like the sun.

Four of the seven purple chains snapped instantly, and the shattered spiritual light scattered like meteors.

Gao Yuan's expression changed drastically: "This beast is going to fight to the death!"

The white mark on the wolf king's forehead suddenly opened, revealing a vertical pupil with a deep blue vortex of wind frantically gathering within it.

Even more terrifying is that its howls carry a strange rhythm, and the air seems to freeze wherever the sound waves pass.

Gao Yuan and Chu Xin's movements froze instantly, and even Lin Zhao's sword light slowed down by a third.

At the critical moment, the calming mirror in Lin Zhao's arms spontaneously emitted a soft white light, rippling away the sound waves like water.

Without hesitation, he summoned the Water Element Pearl, its azure light transforming into a water curtain that barely blocked the oncoming guard wolves.

As the vertical pupils fully opened and locked onto Gao Yuan, a giant wind blade, about ten feet in diameter, roared out, shattering earth and rocks wherever it passed.

The giant wind blade had arrived, and the black gold shield that Gao Yuan had hastily summoned let out a mournful cry of being unable to bear the weight.

The shield trembled with a dark, flickering light, and cracks spread. The immense impact sent him and the shield flying.

A human-like smugness flashed in the wolf king's eyes, but the expression froze instantly.

Just as he was being sent flying backward, a dark light silently shot out from Gao Yuan's sleeve.

The jet-black throwing knife was no more than three inches long, yet it was faster than the eye could see, drawing a strange arc in the air before precisely piercing the wolf king's throat.

"Pfft!"

The wolf king stared wide-eyed at the bloody hole in his throat in disbelief.

Its desperate attack had exhausted its demonic power, leaving it no time to activate its protective aura.

Its massive body swayed and then crashed to the ground.

Gao Yuan landed gracefully, and apart from being slightly pale, he was completely unharmed.

He nodded slightly to Lin Zhao, and his figure shot off like an arrow towards another battle.

Chu Xin had just recovered from the shockwave when she began to wield her blue ice sword with impenetrable speed, but she was being forced into a retreat by the guard wolves.

At this moment, Gao Yuan and Chu Xin combined their swords, and the crimson flames and icy blue sword light intertwined to form a net, instantly suppressing the remaining guard wolves.

Lin Zhao thought to himself that Gao Yuan was indeed the captain. Previously, Gao Yuan had always been the one to put out fires for the team and had not shown much strength. But just now, his thunderous strike was perfectly timed. He killed a wolf king with a single move and did not even suffer any minor injuries.

At this moment, Gao Yuan and Chu Xin joined forces, reversing the tide of battle. Crimson flames and icy blue sword light intertwined to form a net, trapping the guard wolf in the center.

The sounds of burning wolf fur and shattering ice crystals filled the air; the outcome was decided.

Lin Zhao took a deep breath and took out the "Stabilizing Mirror". The Stabilizing Mirror in his hand emitted a soft white light.

The mirror surface rippled like water, creating a silvery light.

His divine sense locked onto the guard wolf that was still frantically attacking the water element barrier ahead. The beast's massive body suddenly stiffened, and a trace of panic flashed in its scarlet eyes.

It's now!

Holding the Qingfeng sword, Lin Zhao thought of a sentence: "The sword is a weapon of killing."

He recalled the feeling when he activated the Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman, and frantically poured all his spiritual power into the Qingfeng Sword.

The sword trembled violently, its azure light pulsating and faintly emitting a sword's cry. It began to simulate the conversion of sword energy. Previously, he relied on the 'Gengjin Sword Energy Talisman,' but now he could directly simulate the feeling of sword energy. With a single strike, he already possessed seventy percent of the power of normal sword energy.

"cut!"

The Qingfeng Sword slashed down from above, and a condensed, almost tangible, azure sword light burst forth.

This sword strike had already subtly touched the threshold of sword cultivation; where the sword light passed, the air seemed to be sliced ​​open.

The protective aura surrounding the wolf shattered instantly, but the residual force of the sword's power continued, leaving a huge wound on the wolf's body.

The wolf demon let out a mournful howl. Its body was almost severed by the sword, but it was not killed directly. Lin Zhao's sword energy was still a bit weaker than that of a true sword cultivator, and the wolf demon was not killed.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Zhao's eyes as he took out the Fire Element Pearl. With a flick of his wrist, the Fire Element Pearl flew out, its crimson light tracing a scorching trajectory in the air before crashing heavily onto the wolf demon's head.

"boom--"

The severely wounded wolf demon was powerless to resist, and flames exploded, filling the air with a burnt smell.

This was the first time Lin Zhao had killed a powerful enemy at the late stage of Qi Refining on his own. His hand holding the sword trembled slightly, whether from exhaustion of spiritual energy or turbulent emotions, it was hard to tell.

At the same time, Gao Yuan and Chu Xin also dealt with the last guard wolf. The three of them rushed out of the Dragon-Trapping Formation, and the scene before them made their hearts tighten.