Poison Cultivation

"This is a third-tier demonic beast! Everyone, be on high alert and make sure to seal the entrance!"

A streak of light pierced through the air, landing on a pale-faced old man.

He gazed at the hundred-foot-long dragon whale, his voice booming like a bell, echoing across the surrounding wilderness.

The sharp-eyed cultivators in the hamlet had already recognized his identity:

"It's Elder Sun of the Sanxia Sect, a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level. With him here, we have nothing to worry about!"

"Worry-free my ass! That beast outside is also at the third rank!" someone shouted angrily, while drawing out a magical artifact and becoming alert.

Everyone knew perfectly well that if there was even the slightest breach in this formation, all the living beings in the village would perish in the bellies of beasts, never to be redeemed again.

As everyone held their breath in anticipation, the dragon whale outside, seeing the situation, suddenly shook its head and rammed heavily into the array of light!

boom--!

The earthquake was deafening, and golden waves of light rippled through the entire market town, causing it to tremble.

The cultivators who had previously said "it's all settled" suddenly turned pale and were terrified.

Some even lost their composure and cried out in alarm:

"The formation is about to break! The formation is about to break!"

laugh--!

A golden light shot out like lightning, piercing through the brain, and the person who cried out in alarm had his head instantly shattered, blood splattering everywhere.

Elder Sun's eyes flashed with a chilling aura as he swept across the entire room, and he said in a deep voice:

Anyone who tries to demoralize our troops again will be executed without mercy!

Seeing the crowd fall silent, his expression softened slightly, and he continued:

"Rest assured, everyone. Even in this perilous situation, the Sanxia Sect will stand with you to the death. Quickly pack your belongings and prepare to block the breach!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening bang shook the heavens and the earth, the sound of waves crashing and echoing through the sky.

Strangely, the tremor did not originate from what was in front of him.

Elder Sun's eyes widened suddenly as he looked southwest, seemingly having sensed something amiss, and his expression changed drastically.

"You all stay here and await further instructions. Do not fail me. I will be right back!"

Having said that, he mounted his escape light and vanished in an instant.

That night, the council hall of the Li family estate was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Li Chongyun frowned deeply and summoned all the servants of the manor to sit in order.

Chen Luoxin had just entered the gate and was seated at the lower end. He did not know why he had been summoned so urgently, so he simply sat quietly and waited.

After a short while, Li Chongyun spoke:

"Today, the southwest corner of the formation was breached by a demonic beast. Although Elder Sun managed to stop it in time, the patriarch has already issued a decree that there is a high probability that a fourth-tier demonic beast is lurking in the sea."

"A fourth-tier demonic beast?"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

Fourth-tier demonic beasts are comparable to Golden Core cultivators in the human world, possessing great supernatural powers. If such a beast were to truly appear, the market would likely be overthrown in an instant.

Xiao Qiyuan suddenly stood up and said urgently:

"Brother Li, if that's truly the case, we'd better withdraw as soon as possible and retreat!"

Li Chongyun sighed and shook his head:

"Whether to retreat or not is not up to us; we must obey the orders of the Sanxia faction."

Moreover, it is only suspected at present, and the patriarch has only ordered us to make preparations in advance.

and……"

He looked out into the hall; the night was deep, the lamplight dim and flickering. He spoke slowly:

"At this moment, the people in the town are in a state of panic, and some cultivators have already gathered outside the clan's territory."

If left unchecked, once they gain strength, internal strife will inevitably erupt, and they will likely attack our territory first.

Xiao Qiyuan roared, "If they dare to make a move, we'll fight them to the death!"

The other worshippers and alchemists on the side also showed indignation, united in their hatred of the enemy.

Li Chongyun waved his hand: "Fighting each other is ultimately the worst strategy."

My mind is made up:

First, let in a group of those with higher cultivation levels to assist in the defense.

"At that time, we will have enough manpower and resources, and we will not have to fear those rabble causing trouble."

This is a superior strategy of appeasement: win over one faction while attacking the other. All the retainers nodded in agreement.

"Old Li's words are wise and prudent, and they are feasible!"

"We agree!"

Thus, the matter was settled.

The next day,

The Li family issued a notice urgently seeking a group of highly skilled individuals to jointly combat the beast tide.

Once the notice was posted, those with lower cultivation levels naturally complained bitterly, angrily denouncing the Li family for favoritism and profiting from the national crisis.

Those with higher cultivation levels eagerly signed up, creating a lively scene.

It's worth mentioning that two of the recruits this time were actually acquaintances of Chen Luo.

One of them was Wu Ce, who had initially offered to buy the elixir formula and provide protection.

The other is the man with the mustache who lost the competition and left proudly in the end; his real name is Feng Wude.

Both men were at the seventh level of Qi Refining. The former claimed to have a large and well-equipped team in the market. However, for some reason, he came to apply for the position alone this time.

As soon as these people entered, Li Chongyun assigned them duties, specifically responsible for suppressing and monitoring people gathering outside the clan's territory.

With this group of lackeys, Chen Luo and the other retainers finally felt relieved.

However, the matter did not end there.

As time went on, external pressure increased, and rumors began to circulate:

Some say a fifth-order demonic beast has appeared in the sea, while others say the Sanxia Sect is preparing to flee.

Some even openly vandalized, looted, burned, and killed in the market.

Although it was stopped in time by the disciples of the Sanxia Sect, the impact was still extremely negative.

At the same time, more and more people gathered at the residences of the various families.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Li Chongyun's hair turned white one strand after another due to worry, and he had no choice but to call another meeting.

"Nowadays, the scattered cultivators outside are growing stronger and stronger, to the point that they are difficult to control. If we are not careful, we will surely be doomed."

I intend to issue another recruitment notice, inviting a group of experts to oversee the area. What do you all think?

Xiao Qiyuan frowned, feeling deeply that this method was somewhat dangerous, and advised against it:

"Brother Li, we only have a small number of people to support, enough to suppress the newcomers."

Recruiting a second batch would be like inviting trouble into the house, a recipe for disaster!

Other worshippers also looked worried, whispering among themselves; some were concerned, while others disagreed.

Chen Luo sat at the very bottom of the table, and he had many doubts about this, but if asked to come up with a solution, he had no idea.

Li Chongyun was well aware of everyone's concerns, but there were simply too many people gathered outside the clan's territory, making it difficult to maintain order.

At this point, even a tiny spark would ignite it completely.

Given his current abilities, he can only resort to short-sighted measures, prolonging the situation as it comes.

"The situation is critical right now; we must remain stable for as long as possible, without any further thought!"

At his insistence, the second wave of recruitment began again, and a large number of outside cultivators began to pour into the Li family territory.

then,

It's the third batch, the fourth batch...

this day,

After completing his inspection, Chen Luo returned home with a heavy heart, cursing the Sanxia Sect to death in his mind.

These bastards, I don't know what they're waiting for.

The situation is currently chaotic, and the Li family's territory is a mixed bag of people. During just one inspection, he settled seven lawsuits with various individuals.

Even someone like him, from the bottom rungs of society, could see that if they stayed any longer, chaos would ensue sooner or later.

But the Sanxia faction still refuses to leave.

"Damn! What on earth are these higher-ups up to?"

He muttered curses under his breath and slumped down on the stone bench.

Wen Ruan quickly offered a cup of tea and gently advised:

"Uncle Luo, don't be impatient. They hold high positions and their perspectives are different from ours. Let's wait patiently."

Chen Luo sighed and shook his head helplessly:

"I fear that if we wait any longer, we will turn into withered bones before the beast tide even arrives."

The voice just fell,

Then there was a loud bang!

Suddenly, a hundred-foot-long, ferocious flame shot up into the sky above the market, with fire snakes dancing wildly and flames soaring into the air, seemingly about to devour half the sky!