Chapter 53: Chaos!
“Kill!”
“Not good, the Palace of Blazing Fire and the Pavilion of Mystic Sound have turned against each other!”
“Treasure! My treasure!”
In the blink of an eye, the entire Bamboo Mountain Marketplace descended into chaos. Battles broke out everywhere as countless cultivators, eyes bloodshot, began plundering madly.
“The Gathering Treasures Pavilion and the Many Treasures Pavilion have Foundation Establishment Pills, get them!”
In the midst of the chaos, someone shouted. Immediately after, hordes of cultivators with bloodshot eyes charged toward the Gathering Treasures Pavilion and the Many Treasures Pavilion.
“Damn it!”
As blood splattered everywhere, one crazed cultivator attempted to loot during the confusion, only to be mercilessly struck down by Lin Chang’an inside the courtyard.
The terrifying aura of someone at the Eighth Level of Qi Refinement swept out, finally calming the blood-crazed cultivators nearby.
They had actually dared to covet the possessions of a cultivator at the late-stage Qi Refinement.
“Damn it, how did everything spiral into chaos so suddenly?”
Watching the marketplace engulfed in flames, Lin Chang’an felt numb. However, from the bits and pieces of information amid the chaos, he was able to piece together what had happened.
The Secret Realm was real—it belonged to an ancient Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
Sects, clans, rogue cultivators, bandit cultivators, and even the demonic path hiding in the shadows—given all that, the result was predictable: a chaotic free-for-all that completely unraveled everything.
“The cave dwelling relic of an ancient Nascent Soul cultivator... even the three major sects of Yue Kingdom will likely be dragged into this.”
From the direction of the Many Treasures Pavilion and the Gathering Treasures Pavilion, raging flames erupted amidst the turmoil.
The sudden chaos in the marketplace left Lin Chang’an feeling powerless. Everything had been going well. If things had stayed stable for a few more years, he would have had a chance to form his Foundation.
“I really wonder how many high-grade magical artifacts and pills are inside... There might not be Foundation Establishment Pills, but Foundation Establishment materials are certainly there.”
If not for his golden finger and his ability to earn spirit stones ten times faster than other talisman masters of the same level, then today, even with his high-grade magical artifacts and his cultivation at the Eighth Level of Qi Refinement, he would still have had to gamble his luck.
For rogue cultivators seeking a chance at Foundation Establishment, it truly was like ten thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge—far too difficult.
The entire marketplace was plunged into chaos. In the past, no matter how chaotic things became, no one dared to lay a hand on the Gathering Treasures Pavilion and the Many Treasures Pavilion of the two great sects.
But this time was different. The emergence of the Secret Realm had completely unleashed the cultivators’ greed. On top of that, cultivators from the Divine Sword Sect and the demonic sect secretly stirred up the chaos without holding back.
This turmoil only escalated further.
At the same time, news of the ancient Nascent Soul cultivator’s relic Secret Realm discovered in the Cloudmist Mountain Range spread. Countless cultivators rushed over upon hearing the news. Even nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators were frantically heading this way.
……
“Protector Xiang, this is your so-called ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’!?”
In the Cloudmist Mountain Range, Yun Yao’s injured face turned grim as she spoke. Opposite her, the demonic sect’s Protector Xiang—at the Pseudo Core Realm—also looked pale, clearly heavily wounded.
“Damn that Pavilion of Mystic Sound girl Nixiang. She actually hid two Heavenly Thunder Seeds powerful enough to rival the strike of a Golden Core cultivator.”
Thinking of this, Protector Xiang of the demonic sect was so furious that his blood surged and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
A sinister smile appeared on his face as he rasped:
“At the very least, our goal has been achieved. Yue Kingdom is already in chaos. You saw the madness of those people.”
The chaos erupting in the Secret Realm of the Cloudmist Mountain Range grew bloodier and more brutal.
In the face of a heaven-defying opportunity, cultivators with bloodshot eyes no longer cared which sect or clan one belonged to.
With fortune descending from the heavens, if one seized it, they might become the next legendary cultivator.
Yun Yao pondered briefly, then said in a deep voice, “I’ve already sent word to the sect, reporting the opportunity of the ancient Nascent Soul cultivator here to the sect patriarch.”
“Hoh hoh, very good. Soon, all of Yue Kingdom will be in utter turmoil.”
……
Just as the demonic sect pulling strings behind the scenes had planned, with the appearance of the Secret Realm, the entire Yue Kingdom fell into chaos.
First, the Palace of Blazing Fire and the Pavilion of Mystic Sound turned on each other. Even the Golden Core ancestors of the two major sects fought several times, and the Divine Sword Sect seized the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive.
The entire Yue Kingdom cultivation world became flooded with bandit cultivators and demonic cultivators.
At the Bamboo Mountain Marketplace—
In the distant Cloudmist Mountain Range, dark clouds covered the sky as thunder rumbled endlessly.
“This disturbance... most likely means the Golden Core cultivators from the two great sects have arrived.”
That was no thunder. It was clearly the aftermath of a battle between Golden Core cultivators. Even at such a distance, the rumbling of their spell duels could still be heard.
Inside the courtyard.
As the chaos intensified, Lin Chang’an, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, and the crippled Wei Buyi were all huddled within a single courtyard.
The auras of Lin Chang’an and Shen Lie, both at the late-stage Qi Refinement, were enough to deter those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos.
“The Gathering Immortals Tower... it’s over...”
Under the setting sun, Shen Lie, standing in the courtyard, could see the crumbling remains of the distant Gathering Immortals Tower. A trace of sorrow unconsciously surfaced on his face.
Such a vast business enterprise, gone just like that.
More than a month had passed since the Secret Realm erupted, and the entire marketplace had since fallen into unprecedented turmoil.
Seeing Shen Lie’s grief, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but offer comfort.
“As long as we’re still alive, it’s enough.”
“Yes, at least we’re alive. Qingqing and the children are still safe.”
Inside the house, the two children sat quietly without saying a word. In the courtyard, Lin Chang’an and Shen Lie exchanged glances and both revealed a faint smile of relief.
This was the cultivation world—no one could predict whether tomorrow or disaster would arrive first.
“The Zhou Clan is completely sealed off. Erniu sent a letter earlier, telling everyone to be careful. He’s safe within the Zhou Clan.”
In times of chaos, the advantages of being part of a clan became apparent.
Though a clan could be a burden, it was also a protective umbrella.
“Things are getting messier outside. Some say the Wang Clan seized a treasure. Others say the Pavilion of Mystic Sound and the Palace of Blazing Fire are fighting over it. In any case, things have gotten completely out of hand lately.”
“Even Fellow Daoist Yun hasn’t been heard from in a long while.”
With the marketplace in such chaos, they had no choice but to join forces for mutual protection.
It wasn’t just the Bamboo Mountain Marketplace. Throughout the entire cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, the three great sects’ territories interlocked like the teeth of a comb. Rogue cultivators ran wild, bandit cultivators were rampant, and demonic cultivators stoked the fire from the shadows. Everything had turned into a complete mess.
Yue Kingdom had remained stable for so long—once chaos broke out, it was staggering.
“Brother Lin, Brother Shen, I’ve refined a batch of healing pills. Take them for self-defense.”
Inside a room, as the firelight dimmed, Wei Buyi’s voice came through.
In the past two years, after losing the use of his legs, Wei Buyi’s temperament had changed significantly. He no longer strove to compete in everything. Now, he only wanted to live peacefully with his daughter.
As a result, he threw himself entirely into the path of alchemy, and unexpectedly made significant progress. By now, he had become a genuine mid-grade first-rank alchemist.
Meanwhile, in another room, Lu Qingqing was calming the two children.
“Brother Shen, do you know where in the marketplace one can buy a second-rank spirit brush recently?”
Shen Lie had always been in business and naturally had more connections in this regard. So Lin Chang’an asked.
“A second-rank spirit brush? That won’t come cheap.”
Shen Lie frowned slightly upon hearing this, though he didn’t question Lin Chang’an’s intentions.
Just like alchemists—better tools naturally produced better (drawn) results.
In times of turmoil like this, such items would depreciate. Cultivators with surplus resources would often choose this moment to sell.
“Second-rank spirit brushes... during the earlier chaos and the fall of the Wang Clan, quite a few items were scattered. Now, with sect authority weakened in the marketplace, cultivators have formed their own temporary rules.”
“Every day at noon, there’s a market held for an hour on East Street of the marketplace, organized by several dozen late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.”
Lu Qingqing’s crisp voice rang out, prompting Lin Chang’an to nod secretly.
Given the current situation, he needed to quickly craft a batch of high-quality, premium-grade first-rank talismans. Then, even if he faced a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he’d at least have a chance to escape.
Even if the chance was slim, it was still better than having no hope at all.