Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

A blinding white light instantly engulfed everything! The valley within several hundred meters trembled violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over!

The terrifying power of lightning erupted the moment it struck its target.

It transformed into a destructive energy shockwave interwoven with crimson and silver, sweeping wildly in all directions in a ring shape!

The rocks at the bottom of the valley instantly vaporized, and the surrounding trees were first charred black, then turned into dust! This attack was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Lin Zhao had already moved a hundred meters away from the valley and was hiding behind a giant rock.

He felt an irresistible force slam into his back, the protective Four Elements Pearls flashed violently, and a sweet taste rose in his throat as he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

He managed to steady himself, and looking back, his eyes were filled with shock and awe.

This is the power of heaven and earth in the world of cultivation!

Even a single bolt of lightning, barely guided by an array and probably less than a tenth the power of natural thunder, is already terrifying!

What kind of demeanor must a Nascent Soul cultivator, who is said to be able to summon wind and rain and control thunder, possess?

The white light gradually faded, and the echoes of thunder reverberated through the valley. In the world, only the torrential rain continued to pour down.

After an unknown amount of time, the rain gradually stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the ravaged valley.

The group gathered where the Crimson Flame Tiger had stood. The tiger's remains were still there, flickering with tiny arcs of electricity.

The valley was filled with the smell of burning, mixed with the earthy odor of rain.

The crowd stared at the charred, massive pit at the bottom of the valley, more than ten feet in diameter. The rocks on the pit walls had become vitrified, reflecting an eerie luster in the sunlight after the rain.

"The power of this lightning is truly terrifying," Cheng Jin muttered to himself, instinctively taking a half-step back.

It was as if one could still feel the devastating aura from before.

No wonder there are legends of people using lightning to kill second-tier demonic beasts; even Foundation Establishment cultivators probably wouldn't dare to withstand such an attack.

Gao Yuan calmly dispelled everyone's reverie: "Don't be fooled by appearances. This time, both timing and location are indispensable."

The power of lightning has very strict conditions for use and is completely uncontrollable.

The lightning bolt didn't actually hit the Crimson Flame Tiger; the beast was merely caught in the aftershock. The beast's intelligence is low, which is why it fell into the trap.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions tightened, and they noticed that there were indeed several charred tiger claw marks remaining at the edge of the valley, clearly indicating that the Crimson Flame Tiger had tried to escape at the last moment.

Old Wu stroked his beard and sighed, "Fortunately, we chose this valley bottom, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides, sealing off all the aftershocks of the lightning."

If he were to unleash his power on the plains, the surrounding area for miles would likely suffer.

Everyone quickly cleaned up the remains of the Crimson Flame Tiger; anything that could survive the power of lightning was a valuable item.

While cleaning up the wreckage, Li Hao dug out a demon core the size of an egg, entirely crimson, from the scorched earth.

Previously, the Poison Toad had a demon core because it had been entrenched in one place for many years. I didn't expect the Crimson Flame Tiger to have one too. Normally, only commander-level demon beasts and Foundation Establishment-level demon beasts have them.

"The second demon core," Chu Xin said softly, "it seems this Crimson Flame Tiger is only half a step away from breaking through to the Commander level."

Pharmacist Chen carefully examined the demon core, his tone grave: "If it weren't for the help of heavenly lightning, even if we used all our trump cards, we might not have been able to keep it. This time we were really lucky."

For more than a month afterward, the team proceeded with increasing caution.

Cheng Jin's spirit detection disc remained within its maximum sensing range, and even Lin Zhao constantly released his divine sense to be alert to the surrounding movements.

After three months, the group arrived at the outer edge of Wind Spirit Canyon.

Gao Yuan was worried and waited another half month before preparing to return to the market.

Just as they were crossing the Wind Spirit Canyon, the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar.

A group of over thirty cultivators marched in formation, all dressed in the standard blue robes of Qingfeng Market; this was the Tianfeng Demon Hunting Team.

"Follow behind them," Gao Yuan whispered. "Keep your distance."

The Wind Spirit Canyon has a complex terrain, and sometimes rogue cultivators hide there to ambush you.

Gao Yuan's team was not in good condition at the moment, so it would be safer for them to go with the large monster-hunting team.

The Tianfeng Demon Hunting Team belongs to the Fangzhu faction and has always had a good reputation. They also cooperate with Pojun on many occasions.

In addition, it's not far from the market, so safety is relatively guaranteed.

The Tianfeng team was used to this, and some even turned around and nodded to the Po Jun squad.

The outline of Qingfeng Market finally came into view.

The array's detection power enveloped everyone, and they all instinctively slowed their breathing.

Fortunately, Pharmacist Chen was reliable; the array swept over everyone as usual.

Seeing that nothing unexpected had happened, the guarding monk waved for them to pass.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The familiar hustle and bustle of the market came rushing in, with shouts of vendors, bargaining, and the cries of spirit beasts all intertwined.

The team members had experienced life and death, and it felt like a different world.

Gao Yuan stopped and glanced at each team member: "I need some time to process the monster materials this time. We'll meet at the usual place in three days."

There are no events scheduled for the next six months, so everyone should take a good rest.

The group exchanged smiles and then dispersed to their respective homes.

When Lin Zhao returned to the shop, he still carried the bloody stench of the monsters from the Yunxia Mountains.

Inside the shop, only Zhao Ziming was dozing off; his father and Lin Xuan were still nowhere to be seen.

He had no interest in examining these details. Upon returning to his room, he collapsed onto the couch without even changing his clothes.

He slept for three days and three nights.

This demon-hunting journey was arduous; Lin Zhao faced danger several times, especially from the Crimson Flame Tiger.

He faced it all alone, and the slightest mistake could have killed him, but luckily he survived.

Even in my sleep, the scorching breath of the Crimson Tiger seemed to still surge behind me.

He trembled several times in his sleep, his fingertips unconsciously condensing into faint sword energy, leaving fine cracks on the pillow.

On the third day, he was finally awakened by hunger.

The hustle and bustle of the market outside the window drifted through the room; he stared blankly at the roof beams.

It wasn't until the spiritual energy within his body began to circulate on its own that he truly realized he had returned.

The team reunion was held three days later. The spirit stones from Gao Yuan's storage bag were spilled onto the table.

The team had a great haul this time, including the corpses of a green-eyed poisonous toad, a bewitching fox, and a crimson flame tiger, two demon cores, and other demonic beasts and spiritual plants.

"Four hundred spirit stones each." Gao Yuan distributed the spirit stones to each person.

If we add the items from the sect disciples and the Bewitching Fox's essence blood from before, each member of the team received nearly a thousand spirit stones.

One sudden windfall can be more than an ordinary team can earn in several years; no wonder people say that fortune favors the bold.

"Don't let spirit stones blind you. We've made quite a few mistakes this time," Gao Yuan said, tapping the table lightly.

"If it weren't for Lin Zhao's repeated interventions and Chen Yaoshi's many tricks, we would have become withered bones in the mountains long ago."

His gaze swept over the newly added scars on everyone's bodies. "Ordinary monster-hunting teams have to replace a lot of members every year; they're all risked their lives to survive."

The private room fell silent for a moment, and the steam rising from the spirit tea on the table blurred the complex expressions on everyone's faces.

"We'll take six months to recuperate," Gao Yuan broke the silence. "We'll convert the spirit stones into cultivation points, hoping to see everyone break through to the late stage of Qi Refining."