I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Although the auction had ended, many cultivators remained in the market.

When these people talked in private, they inevitably brought up the great battle in Red Maple Valley the day before.

Although the battle in Red Maple Valley lasted only a short while, the sight of the flames that shot into the sky that night and the simultaneous lighting up of all the spiritual trees on the mountain had already become the talk of the town.

Many who witnessed it firsthand still feel terrified when they recall it now.

"I heard from the Luo family that the fire talisman is called the Mountain-Swallowing Flame Talisman, and it's a mid-grade second-tier talisman!"

"It is said that once this talisman is used, even cultivators in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage must temporarily avoid its power."

"I never imagined that Senior Xu's formation was so powerful."

"Could it be that Senior Xu cultivates both alchemy and array formation, and his array formation skills have reached the second level?"

Even seasoned array masters in the marketplace who have dedicated their lives to studying array formations find it difficult to give a definitive answer to this question.

Shen Guanlan pondered this at home without finding a solution, so he contacted several like-minded friends to gather at Zuixianju to discuss whether Xu Zhou's array formation level was actually at the second rank.

"The power of that Mountain-Swallowing Flame Talisman is enough to shake a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. If it weren't for a second-tier formation, how could it withstand it?" someone said emotionally.

Another person shook their head: "Not necessarily. Senior Xu's grand formation was originally connected to the spiritual wood by utilizing the terrain. This type of wood-elemental grand formation is best at generating life continuously."

"What you're saying is ridiculous. No matter how much you've accumulated, how could you possibly cross ranks? If you're so capable, why don't you prepare for a few years and see if you can withstand an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"If it were truly a complete second-tier formation, that evil cultivator might not have been able to escape last night."

Shen Guanlan pondered for a while before reminding him, "Since Senior Xu dared to offer a bounty for this person's capture, he must have a backup plan."

The debate went on for a long time, but no one dared to definitively say whether Xu Zhou was a second-tier array master or not.

...

Hundreds of miles outside the market town.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators are scattered, searching for the Ghostly Gentleman's whereabouts.

Among them, another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Luo family was in charge of coordinating the positions of everyone and constantly using communication talismans to coordinate the encirclement routes of cultivators from various families.

"Fellow Daoist Hu."

A message talisman flew through the air and landed precisely in front of Hu Wenjun.

A calm voice from the Luo family cultivator came from within: "Traces of escape have been discovered in the eastern mountains. Go and take a look over there."

Hu Wenjun raised his hand to receive the message and responded softly.

After the communication talisman burned out, she did not set off immediately.

Instead, he stood still and remained silent for a long time.

"waste."

She suddenly muttered a curse.

She had originally planned to secretly slow down the search and let the Ghost Prince escape from Mu Kingdom on his own.

Unexpectedly, two days have passed and the other side still hasn't broken through the encirclement!

Thinking of this, Hu Wenjun's eyes gradually turned cold.

The Ghost Gentleman is now seriously injured.

If the search continues, they will be caught sooner or later.

This person is ultimately not on the same page as the Hu family. If he's allowed to speak recklessly later, the consequences will be dire...

The thought of the consequences sent a chill down her spine.

The Hu family secretly plotted to harm the Foundation Establishment alchemist of the Golden Flame Sect.

If this is indeed true, even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Hu family, she will find it difficult to bear the consequences.

She finally sighed softly, narrowed her eyes, and gazed towards the east.

"In the end, we couldn't keep them."

A moment later, Hu Wenjun rose and leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light and flying away into the distance.

...

Three days later, Red Maple Valley.

Xu Zhou is replanting the spirit trees in the valley.

After the great battle, the entire valley was severely damaged.

Even though Xu Zhou has been repairing the formation these past few days, he has only managed to restore it to a partial state.

Just then, a beam of light suddenly descended from outside the valley.

Xu Zhou looked up and recognized them as the major Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market.

The person in the lead was none other than Luo Lingxiao.

"Fellow Daoist Xu."

Luo Lingxiao stepped forward, his expression softening slightly: "The person has been found."

Xu Zhou slowed his movements, then carefully put away the wooden seed in his hand: "Where is he?"

"He's dead."

Luo Lingxiao explained, "This person fled all the way and almost escaped beyond the borders of the Mu Kingdom. Fortunately, the fellow Daoists cooperated well and managed to stop him."

However, he had been struck by Fellow Daoist Xu's Wood Element Divine Power, and his injuries were already extremely severe. He could not hold on for long after the exchange.

With that, he flicked his sleeve and placed a mangled corpse on the ground.

The body was severed at the waist, half of the torso was charred black, and the look of terror on the face remained.

His left arm was completely shattered, and strange, wood-grain-like marks could be faintly seen spreading through the flesh at the break.

These unique wounds were indeed inflicted by the Azure Wood Divine Light of the Thousand Wood Formation.

Xu Zhou remained silent for a moment before speaking again: "Who is this person?"

Luo Lingxiao replied in a low voice, "According to the Luo family's investigation over the past few days, this person may be a cultivator from the Liang Kingdom. He established his foundation more than forty years ago and is known as the 'Ghost Gentleman.' Few people know his real name."

He paused, then said loudly, "Of course, all this information is just rumors. Within the borders of my Mu Kingdom, this person is merely a vicious and wicked cultivator."

Xu Zhou understood what he meant, nodded, and said nothing more.

Then, his gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

He paused for a moment when he saw Hu Wenjun.

Hu Wenjun remained calm and even took the initiative to speak, saying, "Such evil cultivators dare to attack the alchemists of the Golden Flame Sect; they deserve to die."

But unnoticed by anyone, his fingers inside his sleeve had already tightened slightly.

Xu Zhou remained calm and didn't even linger his gaze before moving on to the other side.

Luo Lingxiao gently waved his sleeve, and a pitch-black storage bag landed in front of Xu Zhou.

"We did not touch anything on this beast's body."

Since Fellow Daoist Xu is the aggrieved party, this item should naturally be disposed of by you.

Xu Zhou was slightly taken aback.

He then nodded in acknowledgment before accepting the storage bag.

He slowly raised his hand again and bowed to the Foundation Establishment cultivators before him: "This time, I, Xu, thank you all for your help."

He spoke in a serious tone, enunciating each word clearly: "I once said that if someone brings this thief before me, I will then refine pills for him three times."

"Everyone helped me capture this thief; everyone did their utmost. I am deeply grateful and dare not show favoritism. My previous promise stands with all the fellow Daoists present."

Upon hearing this, many Foundation Establishment cultivators present showed slight changes in their expressions.

Ghost Gentleman was killed by the joint efforts of the Luo family cultivators and Hu Wenjun. Many of them did not arrive in time and thought they would not be able to accept Xu Zhou's favor.

I came along this time only to get acquainted with Xu Zhou, so that I could at least save face for him.

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhou remembered the kindness shown to everyone present.

A second-tier alchemist has three opportunities to refine pills.

This promise is by no means light.

At that moment, all the cultivators returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xu, you are too kind."

"These heretical cultivators have always been a scourge on the market, and it is only right that they be executed now."

Xu Zhou nodded slightly and bowed to each of them to express his gratitude.

The group did not linger. After exchanging a few words with Xu Zhou, they quickly took their leave.

Even when facing Hu Wenjun, Xu Zhou's tone was sincere, showing no difference whatsoever.

However, both of them had a vague feeling about it.

Some things are probably different from what they used to be.

...

After everyone left, Xu Zhou turned back to look at the corpse of the Ghost Lord.

After a moment of silence, he finally raised his hand and released a flame, slowly burning the corpse to ashes.

The flickering firelight cast his expression in shifting light and shadow.

"I spent too much time in the sect before, and I never imagined that the cultivation world would be so dangerous."

"In the end, their strength is still a bit lacking."

If he possessed the strength of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator or the skills of a second-tier array master, why would he need to rely on others to kill this person?

Thinking of this, Xu Zhou slowly raised his head and looked towards the distant market area.

He then put the storage bag in his pocket and turned back to the valley.

The newly grown spiritual trees in Red Maple Valley shimmered with a faint light, as if breathing, enveloping everything in the valley once more.