Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Although the black-spotted insects are small individually, their terrifying numbers have indeed created a situation where "too many ants can kill an elephant."

Undeterred by death, they overwhelm their opponents with their bodies and acid.

The difference between humans and demonic beasts lies here: humans, upon reaching the late stage of Qi Refining, can briefly fly using magical artifacts.

Black-spotted worms cannot fly and pose little threat to human cultivators.

But demonic beasts are different. Apart from flying demonic beasts, only second-tier Foundation Establishment demonic beasts can fly.

Many enormous demonic beasts, whose strength has reached the late stage or even the peak of Qi Refining.

Under the relentless onslaught of insect swarms, it could only let out a defiant roar before finally succumbing to exhaustion and being swallowed up.

Above this battlefield where demonic beasts and insect hordes fought bloodily, the figure of a human cultivator would occasionally appear, moving swiftly through the air!

They all possessed late-stage Qi Refining cultivation and, relying on their brief low-altitude flight capabilities, piloted various flying magical artifacts.

Like vultures that have caught the scent of blood, whenever a powerful monster dies under the siege of the insect swarm.

They would then seize the opportunity, swooping down to quickly collect the most valuable monster materials, or even the entire corpse.

Then, before more black-spotted insects could surround it, it narrowly escaped and soared into the sky.

The beast tide started a year ago, why hasn't it subsided yet?

The reason why black spot worm infestations pose little threat to humans is that they are very dangerous to animal populations.

This insect swarm has been guided by humans over the past year, destroying hundreds of animal populations and fighting across thousands of kilometers.

The humans of the Cloud and Mist Mountains truly live up to their reputation as having fought against demonic beasts for thousands of years, possessing a multitude of methods.

Lin Zhao's figure blurred, as if he had transformed into a wisp of elusive green smoke, silently flitting across the edge of the chaotic battlefield to begin searching for Gao Yuan's team.

Lin Zhao's divine sense is now powerful enough to cover a range of 300 meters. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he quickly locked onto a seemingly ordinary mountain wall.

There were faint fluctuations of an array there, almost imperceptible if not for his keen spiritual sense—

It was the "Phantom Concealing Breath Array" that Gao Yuan's Po Jun squad was used to use.

In just a few breaths, he landed steadily on the mountain platform shrouded by the array.

"Everyone, I'm back."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the formation.

Li Hao, who was intently observing the movement of the insect swarm below, suddenly turned around.

Upon seeing the figure in green robes suddenly appear within the formation, his pupils constricted, and he instinctively drew his massive black iron shield.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, an incredulous look of surprise instantly lit up his cheeks: "Ha! Lin Zhao! You're finally back!"

On the other side, Wu Laodao, who had sensed the formation being activated and was preparing to activate the hidden attack formation, also let out a long sigh of relief and dissipated the spiritual light from his fingertips.

He chuckled and scolded, "You brat! You're back, so what? You made such a commotion, you almost scared this old man to death! Your cultivation is getting more and more frightening."

Lin Zhao smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping across the somewhat empty camp. Apart from Li Hao and Old Wu, there was no one else.

He frowned slightly: "Where are the others? Aren't they here?"

Mentioning this, the smile on Old Wu's face faded slightly, and he fell silent for a moment.

He slowly opened his mouth, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy: "That kid Cheng Jin, last time he hunted a demon, he obtained the essence blood of the Bewitching Fox..."

He successfully broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining by refining the Breakthrough Pill, and once again became a direct descendant of the Foundation Establishment family.

He has already left our demon-hunting team. Pharmacist Chen was originally a disciple of a sect, and during this beast tide, all the disciples of their sect acted as a unified force, so she naturally went with the sect.

He paused, looked towards the depths of the beast tide, and continued, "That girl Chu Xin, I don't know what kind of opportunity she had, also broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining."

She and Captain Gao Yuan went deep into the beast tide.

Although it's dangerous there, there are also many opportunities. If you're lucky, you can find the corpses of a few late-stage Qi-refining monsters, and the harvest will be equivalent to what we did in half a month on the outskirts.

"This camp is now only guarded by the two of us, two old, weak, and disabled cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

Listening to this, Li Hao clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. How could he not want to go deeper?

However, with a cultivation level at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, one can only pick up small advantages on the outskirts of the beast tide; venturing into the depths of the beast tide is simply suicide.

The last demon hunt was very fruitful, and everyone's fate was changed.

Gao Yuan was originally a key figure in the Po Jun sect's training program, while Chen Yaoshi was a disciple of a sect.

Chu Xin and Cheng Jin broke through their bottlenecks and became late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Lin Zhao's cultivation level broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining, and his family also became a Foundation Establishment power.

Only Li Hao and Wu Laodao remained at the same level in terms of cultivation.

Sensing the somber atmosphere, Li Hao shook his head abruptly, strode forward, and forcefully put his arm around Lin Zhao's shoulder.

He chuckled casually, "Well done, kid! I thought that once your Lin family became a Foundation Establishment family, you would soar to the top and become the young master of the family!"

Now it seems they're no different from us poor folks; they still have to go out and fight for resources themselves.

Lin Zhao could sense a subtle bitterness in his words.

He didn't struggle; instead, he went along with his words and, unusually, even cracked a joke.

His tone was somewhat exaggerated: "That's right! You didn't see it, the day our clan patriarch successfully established his foundation..."

The processions of various factions bringing gifts stretched from the mountain gate to the market street! The spiritual light emanating from the treasures almost illuminated the sky!

"How about it? It's not too late to curry favor with me, the future Foundation Establishment cultivator. You won't get another chance later!"

His rare boasting prompted Old Wu to chuckle and curse, calling him a "slippery fellow."

The previously somewhat dull atmosphere immediately became much more lively.

Old Wu, being old and experienced, knew perfectly well that with Lin Zhao's current status and strength, it was impossible for him to return to the Po Jun Squad.

This friendship is already quite rare; the Daoist path values ​​privacy, and it has always been so.

Chen Jin left immediately after his breakthrough in cultivation.

Gao Yuan didn't object to Chen Jin leaving, but wanted him to stay in the team a little longer.

He refused the offer to wait until the beast tide was over before leaving the team and left directly.

At night, Gao Yuan and Chu Xin returned, covered in dust and lingering traces of blood and a faint murderous aura, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.

But when they saw the smiling young man in a blue robe by the campfire, all their fatigue seemed to vanish.

"Lin Zhao!"

Exclamations of surprise rang out in the camp.

The group sat back around the roaring campfire, the flickering flames illuminating every familiar face.

Lin Zhao noticed that the scars on Chu Xin's face had disappeared, and her skin was smooth and flawless.

There are many methods in the cultivation world, so removing scars is not difficult; it's just that she didn't want to remove them before.

Gao Yuan recounted his experiences and gains deep within the beast tide, with Chu Xin occasionally adding a few words.

Li Hao and Wu Laodao listened with great interest, occasionally expressing their amazement or making jokes.

Lin Zhao listened quietly, savoring this long-lost affection.

At the same time, Lin Zhao's gaze shifted slightly, and he saw the unintentional understanding and occasional glances exchanged between Chu Xin and Gao Yuan under the firelight, and he understood.

It seems that this year, not only has everyone's cultivation level changed, but some people and things have also quietly changed.