Translator: Cinder Translations
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Song Wen recalled the Sacred Gus that were guarding the perimeter, put away the formations, collapsed the temporary cave dwelling, and flew towards the market on his boat.
Before his Foundation Establishment, when he left the market, he had found Zhao Dapeng, paid half a year's rent, and informed him that he would be away for a while but wanted to keep the courtyard reserved.
Perhaps because of Song Wen's prior notice, the courtyard had not been rented out when he returned.
Walking into the courtyard, he used wind spells to clean up the dust and fallen leaves. Then, Song Wen sat down on a chair in the courtyard to rest.
Suddenly, a rapid knocking on the door startled Song Wen.
His eyes turned cold. Earlier, he had detected three unfamiliar individuals outside in the alley. He thought they were just passing by and paid them no mind. He didn't expect they were here to find him.
Before Song Wen could get up, the person outside impatiently kicked the courtyard door, causing the wooden door to splinter and crack.
The leader of the three outside was a tall, muscular cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
The burly cultivator stepped into the small courtyard. Seeing Song Wen sitting leisurely on the chair, he glared fiercely and shouted, "Are you Zhang Cheng?"
Song Wen frowned slightly. He did not know this person and had no grievances with him.
The man's arrogance and commanding tone irritated Song Wen.
Song Wen replied coldly, "Who are you, and why are you barging into my courtyard?"
The burly cultivator took two steps forward, staring at Song Wen who was still sitting on the chair.
"A loose cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining shouldn't ask so many questions. Just answer if you are Zhang Cheng."
Song Wen stood up from the chair, brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes, and looked calm.
"It seems you are here to cause trouble. This is Huafang Market, under the jurisdiction of the Beastmaster Sect. You should think carefully, as the market's enforcement team is not far from here."
The burly cultivator snorted disdainfully, his face full of contempt.
"Using the enforcement team to pressure me? What a joke! Our Su family from Qingping Mountain taking away a loose cultivator at the Qi Refining stage from the market—do you think the Beastmaster Sect would care?"
Song Wen frowned deeply.
The Su family of Qingping Mountain!
He had never had any dealings with this cultivation family. Why were they looking for him?
Wait a minute!
Ai Kun had mentioned the Su family. Could this be related to him?
While Song Wen was pondering, the burly cultivator was also scrutinizing him. With a puzzled expression, the cultivator whispered, just loud enough for only Song Wen and himself to hear, "Didn't they say you practice the 'Longevity Technique'? Why don't I sense any of its aura from you?"
"Do you have a way to conceal your aura? Then your actual cultivation should be more than the sixth level of Qi Refining, right!"
At this last sentence, a trace of imperceptible delight flashed across the burly cultivator's face.
He waved to the two people behind him, "Capture him alive. If he resists, cripple him."
With that, the two cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining lunged at Song Wen.
Song Wen watched the two attackers calmly.
In his dantian, the Cold Moon Blade trembled slightly, ready to strike!
Since these so-called Su family members were courting death, Song Wen would oblige them.
However, the burly cultivator's kick that damaged the courtyard door had already attracted the attention of many neighbors who were now standing outside in the alley, watching.
"It seems that the identity of 'Talisman Master Zhang Cheng' can no longer be used," Song Wen thought to himself.
Killing these three would certainly expose his identity.
Suddenly, he noticed two figures among the onlookers outside who stood out—they were members of the market's enforcement team.
The Su family had the tacit approval of the enforcement team to capture him!
Killing the three Su family members would be easy, and so would killing the two enforcement team members.
But the enforcement team had emergency communication methods. Killing the Su family members would mean becoming an enemy of the enforcement team, leading to being surrounded by them. The enforcement team had many Foundation Establishment cultivators and a Golden Core elder stationed in the market.
Suppressing his urge to kill, Song Wen stood still, letting the two Su family cultivators approach him.
"Can you tell me where you are taking me?" he asked.
Seeing Song Wen not resisting, the burly cultivator said, "You are quite sensible."
He glanced at the watching loose cultivators behind him. Perhaps not wanting to tarnish the Su family's reputation, he raised his voice and explained loudly, "Don't worry. Our Su family has no ill intentions towards you. We just noticed your talent in talisman making and want to invite you to join our family as a talisman master."
"Our Su family is eager to recruit talented individuals. This time, we have invited many loose cultivators. To show our respect, we have dispatched a large airship to transport you all. The airship is parked just over ten miles east of the market."
Song Wen's mouth twitched. He didn't believe a word of what the other party said.
Who invites someone with such arrogance?
He was just a talisman master who could only draw flying talismans and beginner-level talismans. Was he worth all this trouble from the Su family?
However, after hearing what the other party said, Song Wen had a plan in mind.
Since the airship was outside the market, he would make his move once they were out of the market, making it easier to escape.
Seeing that Song Wen did not resist, the Su family members did not forcibly take him.
The burly cultivator summoned a flying boat, lightly jumped onto it, and called out, "Bring him!"
The other two took Song Wen onto the flying boat.
The flying boat ascended, quickly reaching a height of several hundred meters.
At this moment, a chain appeared in the burly cultivator's hand. The chain moved like a snake and swiftly bound Song Wen.
"What are you doing?" Song Wen struggled with all his might, but the chain did not budge.
Song Wen's face was full of anger, and he glared at the burly cultivator with eyes full of rage, looking just like someone who had been deceived but was powerless.
The burly cultivator sneered at Song Wen with contempt. "Idiot!"
After saying that, he no longer paid attention to Song Wen, focusing instead on piloting the flying boat towards the outskirts of the market.
Moments later, the flying boat left the market.
From a distance, Song Wen saw a large ship over fifty meters long hovering in mid-air, more than ten miles away from the market. A black flag with gold and silver embroidery, bearing a large 'Su' character, hung from the ship's mast.
As the flying boat drew closer, Song Wen pondered to himself.
He couldn't board the ship. Such a large vessel would surely have many strong cultivators aboard.
Being so close to the market, he dared not use corpse control techniques. Once aboard, it would be difficult to escape.
After leaving the market by several miles, Song Wen suddenly mustered all his strength and gave a mighty struggle.
The magical chain instantly shattered into pieces.
The sound of the chain breaking alerted the three Su family members.
Before they could react, a cold light flashed and disappeared.
The three felt a sudden dizziness. When they looked at their decapitated bodies, they realized:
They had been beheaded!
Zhang Cheng was not just a loose cultivator at the Qi Refining stage; he was a formidable Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Then, everything went black as their consciousness faded.
A flash of lightning surged from Song Wen's body, transforming into a humanoid bolt of lightning that shot directly into the dense forest below.
The sudden change immediately caught the attention of those on the large ship.
A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Su family flew out on their swords, pursuing Song Wen.
Rushing through the dense forest, Song Wen continued to use the Thunder Escape Technique, moving swiftly through the woods, avoiding the ship's location, and heading away from the market.
The speed of the Thunder Escape Technique was rapid, and the three pursuers soon fell behind.
Seeing that they couldn't catch up, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Su family took out a sword-shaped jade slip and crushed it with all his might.
A giant spiritual sword, dozens of meters long, appeared in mid-air.
The Su family cultivator shouted, "Slash!"
The giant sword, like a dragon, sliced through the sky and clouds, descending rapidly towards Song Wen.
Seeing the formidable giant sword above, Song Wen dared not take it head-on. The spiritual giant sword's power was equivalent to a full-strength attack from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Electricity crackled around Song Wen as he changed direction, darting out diagonally.
"Boom!"
The giant sword struck the ground, causing the earth to tremble and rocks to fly, making a deafening noise.
A wave of violent aftershocks spread in all directions.
Barely dodging the giant sword, Song Wen was enveloped in a green glow that protected him from the aftershocks, though the force propelled him forward.
The commotion caused by the giant sword's strike was so loud that it could be heard clearly several miles away in the market.
Several miles away, in a cave mansion atop a small mountain, a beautiful Taoist nun in her forties opened her eyes.
Her eyes were bright and profound, like a deep, unfathomable lake.
She was the Golden Core cultivator sent by the Beastmaster Sect to guard Huafang Market.
TL: Finally something is happening again, it's been quite tedious the past few chapters...
(End of the Chapter)
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