Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The second feather had already appeared silently behind Lin Zhao, equally deathly gray and equally silent.

The moment it transformed into the Xuan Yu Divine Light, it was less than ten feet away from the back of Lin Zhao's head.

The first attack was aimed at Lin Zhao's brow, intended to force him to reveal his trump card. He had already witnessed the Divine Fiend Sword Qi in the Heavenly Wrath Ruins, so any trump card that had been revealed before was no longer a trump card.

The second beam of Xuan Yu Divine Light was the real killing move—taking Lin Zhao's life in the instant before his old power was exhausted and his new power was generated.

Even under the siege of the Four Symbols Sword Formation, True Monarch Gray Owl still managed a cold smile.

So what if he's a secret holy son?

How many prodigies have died at his hands? Once they're dead, they're no longer prodigies.

Being able to personally kill a Saint Son-level figure, the merits he gained in the Misty Heaven Alliance were enough for him to advance his cultivation level by another stage.

The cost of losing one's Dharma body is worthwhile.

Lin Zhao's pupils suddenly contracted as he sensed the killing intent behind him, but he did not turn around. A magic sword flew out from his body.

The sword's blade was as clear as a ruby, with countless tiny golden Sanskrit characters flowing within it. The Blood Crystal Maha Sword—a top-grade third-tier magic weapon.

It was formed from fragments of the Blood Crystal Maha Sword, nurtured for ten years in the blood pool of the Blood Essence Bone Fiend Palace.

The Blood Crystal Maha Sword collided head-on with the second beam of Xuan Yu Divine Light.

The ruby-like sword exploded with a burst of bloody light, which was the eerie power of Maha. The Xuan Yu Divine Light was gradually worn away by the power of Maha.

The two forces were locked in a stalemate for a few moments before exploding simultaneously, causing both of Gray Owl True Monarch's killing moves to miss their mark.

Gray Owl True Monarch's expression finally changed.

A mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, with one trump card after another in hand.

The Crimson Bone Palace, with its eerie sword energy, thunderous palace, and Four Symbols Sword Formation, now boasts a third-tier top-grade magic weapon.

A dignified Nascent Soul True Lord, through deception and sneak attack, expended two of his natal feathers, yet couldn't even scratch his opponent's skin.

Are the secret holy sons really that hard to kill?

Now it was Lin Zhao's turn to retaliate. He summoned the Blood Essence Bone Fiend Palace to hang above his head for defense, and held the Starry Sky Rift Sword in his hand.

Under his will, the Four Symbols Sword Formation operated at full power, and the four Heavenly Beasts launched attacks simultaneously. Countless sword lights poured down from all directions, completely engulfing True Monarch Gray Owl.

The current Four Symbols Heavenly Dipper Sword Formation is far more powerful than it was back then. Lin Zhao's strength has increased several times over, with all four symbols gathered, and further enhanced by a fourth-tier magic weapon.

Even Gray Owl True Monarch was in a sorry state. Despite the protection of three magic treasures, he was still struggling to defend himself. The purple pearl transformed into a light barrier for defense, but it was cracked by the sword light. The white mirror's rebound speed could no longer keep up with the speed of the sword energy.

However, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, his reaction speed and explosive power far surpassed those of a Core Formation cultivator, allowing him to consistently find gaps in the sword formation and dodge attacks.

However, after being surrounded by the Four Symbols Sword Formation, he no longer had the strength to attack Lin Zhao.

But Lin Zhao simply couldn't win him over.

There is ultimately a huge gap between the Nascent Soul stage and the Core Formation stage. It is already quite difficult for him to suppress his opponent. He is still far from being able to completely defeat him.

The battle reached a stalemate.

The sea was torn apart and then closed again by the aftershocks of the battle.

The Qingyu Clan cultivators on the distant island had already scattered and fled, and the mountain-protecting formation had long been destroyed in the aftershocks of the battle at the Nascent Soul level.

Bai Jingzheng and Cangying Faxiang were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

With each flap of its wings, the eagle statue could unleash a tsunami hundreds of feet high, and countless gusts of wind carved deep trenches into the sea.

The Nascent Soul cultivator who released this Dharma image was already nearing the end of his lifespan. Since the Misty Heaven Alliance offered a fourth-tier life-extending spiritual item as bait, he naturally put in his utmost effort.

Bai Jing was even more insane than him.

She tossed the Soul-Devouring Scythe into the air, and the scythe trembled violently in mid-air.

It split into hundreds of white bone scythes, each over ten feet long, drawing pale white trails in the air.

Hundreds of scythes, like a blizzard, slashed at the Azure Eagle Dharma Image from all directions.

The wind barrier surrounding the Azure Eagle Dharma Image trembled violently after being struck, revealing spiderweb-like cracks.

She moved freely across the battlefield.

The Heavenly Nether Demonic Qi circulated to its limit, causing his figure to leap constantly between reality and illusion. One moment he was beneath the left wing of the eagle...

The next instant, it appeared on the back of its neck, the destructive demonic energy wrapped around the Soul-Devouring Scythe of Ten Thousand Bones so thick it was almost dripping ink.

She gripped the hilt with both hands, unleashing a devastating slash that tore through the sky. The black light ripped through the air, and the wind barrier hastily formed by the Azure Eagle Dharma Image was shredded like paper.

The black light left a gash tens of feet long on its back, from which gray mist gushed out.

The power of this strike has firmly reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.

Seeing that its defenses were ineffective, the Azure Eagle Dharma Form simply stopped defending.

The phantom eagle let out a piercing cry, its thousand-foot wingspan suddenly contracted, and all the wind energy was completely converted into an attack, with hundreds of azure wind blades shooting towards the white crystal at the same time.

The Dharma Image's claws emerged from the void, each claw tens of feet in size, its tips gleaming with a cold light, directly grabbing at Bai Jing's true form.

Bai Jing grinned, neither dodging nor avoiding, holding the Soul-Devouring Scythe of Ten Thousand Bones horizontally in front of him, ready to meet force with force.

A small bone scythe clashed with countless wind blades; the Yin-Slaying Slash battled the Eagle Claw.

At this moment, Tianhao found himself in a passive position.

He was facing a Hou, Lin Zhao was just an avatar, and Bai Jing's status was not as high as his.

Hou seemed convinced that Tianhao was the one with the strongest luck, and every time its claws swung down, they carried a ferocious power capable of tearing space apart.

Tianhao's strongest weapon—the Heavenly Law Decree—is completely ineffective against Hou.

The chain spell conjured by the Dao Order landed on the Hou, and a golden halo appeared on its dark gold scales. The chains shattered instantly, unable to withstand even a single breath.

That halo seemed to be naturally able to suppress all spells. Tianhao changed four different Dao commands in succession: imprisonment, weakening, sealing, and interference. All of them were like mud oxen entering the sea, unable to even stir up a ripple.

Nine Radiant Pearls danced around him, forming layers of radiant walls.

But when the Hou swung its claw, the light barrier shattered like glass, and the precious pearls flew backward, three of which had already lost their luster.

He could only barely withstand the attack with the True Yang Spirit Shield, and even though it was a fourth-tier magic weapon, small scratches appeared on the shield's surface.

Although the magical artifact can repair itself as its spiritual light flows, the repair speed is gradually falling behind the rate of damage.

Tianhao could only take out a fourth-tier life-saving jade talisman.

The moment the jade talisman shattered, a golden lightning bolt, comparable to the full-force attack of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, erupted, forcibly blasting the Hou back dozens of miles.

Tianhao took the opportunity to catch his breath.

No one expected the Mitian Alliance's counterattack to be so fierce.

They unleashed a devastating attack right from the start: two Nascent Soul avatars plus a Hou, a creature comparable to a Nascent Soul. This lineup would be more than capable of taking down a true Nascent Soul cultivator.

That is to say, all three of them are secret disciples of the dominant forces, and they have enough trump cards to barely hold on.

If three normal peak Core Formation cultivators came, they probably wouldn't last even half an incense stick's time.

But where are the Nascent Souls behind them?