The battlefield had already descended into complete chaos.
Explosions echoed endlessly.
Roars shook the heavens.
The walls of Cloud Mist Market trembled under the relentless assault of thousands of yao beasts.
Blood stained the streets.
Broken corpses littered the ground.
Cultivators and beasts alike fought desperately for survival.
Yet amidst the chaos—
One figure stood out particularly prominently.
A young cultivator wearing a pure white mask.
The mask itself was a magical artifact.
A support-type treasure designed to disguise one's appearance while concealing aura fluctuations.
To ordinary cultivators, he appeared completely unremarkable.
However—
Lin Sheng immediately recognized him.
It was the talisman cultivator from the black market.
The same mysterious lightning cultivator who had slaughtered the robber cultivators months ago.
At that time, Lin Sheng had secretly marked his aura.
Thus even with the disguise artifact—
He still recognized him instantly.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Several mid-stage Rank-1 yao beasts were instantly blasted backward.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Arcs of silver lightning danced wildly across the battlefield.
The masked cultivator moved like a ghost.
His movements were swift.
Precise.
Ruthless.
Every spell contained astonishing destructive power.
Whenever beasts attempted to surround him—
Several talismans would activate automatically.
Whoosh!
A golden barrier emerged.
Boom!
A fire shield exploded outward.
Bang!
Wind blades tore apart incoming claws.
His combat style was completely different from martial artists.
Rather than relying on direct confrontation—
He continuously combined spells with talismans.
Attack.
Defend.
Attack again.
The coordination was flawless.
Even Lin Sheng couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
"This guy is stronger than before."
The Chip quickly analyzed the battle.
Peak Qi Refining.
Lightning spiritual root.
Talisman specialist.
Extremely high threat level for demonic cultivators.
If he successfully established his Foundation—
His combat power would become terrifying.
After all—
Lightning cultivators were universally acknowledged as one of the strongest offensive cultivators.
Their killing power was among the highest of all elemental paths.
Meanwhile—
Hidden throughout the battlefield—
Several pairs of eyes were already watching him.
Dark.
Cold.
Filled with malice.
Demonic cultivators.
Among all geniuses present today—
This masked lightning cultivator was one of their primary targets.
Because they understood something clearly.
A Foundation Establishment lightning cultivator was a nightmare for demonic cultivators.
Lightning naturally restrained Yin energy.
Restrained blood techniques.
Restrained corpse techniques.
Restrained evil qi.
Many demonic arts feared lightning more than anything else.
Thus—
If such a genius could be recruited—
Excellent.
If not—
He had to die.
This was one of the unwritten rules of the Demonic Path.
As long as sufficient benefits existed—
Killing geniuses was considered a merit.
Especially during a beast tide.
Countless deaths occurred every hour.
The perfect cover.
Meanwhile—
The masked cultivator remained completely unaware.
Or so it seemed.
Boom!
Another lightning arc erupted.
Several charging beasts exploded apart.
At that exact moment—
A bloody red mist suddenly appeared above him.
Whoosh!
The crimson mist descended like a sea of blood.
The surrounding air instantly became cold.
Many nearby cultivators felt their hearts tremble.
"Demonic Art!"
"Watch out!"
Someone shouted.
Unfortunately—
It was already too late.
The sea of blood descended rapidly.
Within it could be seen countless twisted faces screaming in agony.
The attack had clearly been prepared for a long time.
The moment it appeared—
The hidden demonic cultivator revealed himself.
A black-robed figure stood atop a ruined building.
His eyes glowed scarlet.
A sinister grin covered his face.
Yet—
To his surprise—
The masked lightning cultivator remained calm.
Almost as if he had expected this.
Without hesitation—
He pulled out a talisman.
A talisman unlike any ordinary Rank-1 talisman.
The paper itself emitted powerful sword intent.
Even from afar—
Lin Sheng felt danger from it. After all only his attack using his mind has reached Second- tier level, his defense from his body Refining and Qi field might actually crack from an attack like that.
The lightning cultivator spoke coldly.
"Break."
Whoosh!
The talisman ignited instantly.
The yellow paper turned into ash.
Then—
A dazzling sword light erupted into existence.
It resembled a heavenly river descending from the sky.
Sharp.
Dominating.
Unstoppable.
Shiiiiing—!
The sword light slashed upward.
Boom!!!
The blood sea was split in half instantly.
Countless blood spirits screamed.
The entire technique collapsed immediately.
The crimson mist dispersed.
The attack vanished completely.
The hidden demonic cultivator's expression changed drastically.
"A First-Tier Peak Grade Heavenly Sword Talisman?!"
His face darkened instantly.
That talisman alone was worth thousands of spirit stones.
Even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators would treasure such an item.
Clearly—
This masked cultivator possessed a frightening background.
Unfortunately—
The demonic cultivators had already committed themselves.
The ambush had failed.
Now only force remained.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several black figures emerged from different directions.
Rooftops.
Alleys.
Ruined buildings.
Ten demonic cultivators surrounded the lightning cultivator completely.
Blood-colored qi rose from their bodies.
Their killing intent startled nearby birds into fleeing.
The battlefield around them suddenly emptied.
Nobody wished to become collateral damage.
The leader stepped forward.
Peak Qi Refining Great Perfection.
Only half a step away from Foundation Establishment.
Behind him stood four late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
The remaining five were all mid-stage.
An extremely dangerous lineup.
The masked cultivator finally spoke.
"Ten against one?"
The leader smiled coldly.
"We're honoring your talent."
"If you join us, we can spare your life."
The lightning cultivator laughed.
The laughter carried clear disdain.
"Join the Demonic Path?"
"You're dreaming."
The leader's expression immediately darkened.
"Kill him."
Boom!
The demonic cultivators moved simultaneously.
The battle erupted instantly.
---
Elsewhere on the battlefield—
Another ambush had already begun.
This time—
The target was Bai Ling.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted behind her.
Dust filled the air.
Several alliance members shouted in alarm.
"Bai Ling!"
Yet before anyone could react—
A figure slowly emerged from the smoke.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Bai Ling walked out calmly.
Completely unharmed.
The hidden demonic cultivator's pupils contracted.
The sneak attack had clearly connected.
It should have pierced her heart.
Yet somehow—
She remained alive.
As the dust settled—
Everyone finally saw the truth.
A layer of pale jade covered Bai Ling's skin.
The jade coating was translucent.
Beautiful.
Yet incredibly sturdy.
It resembled armor formed directly from her flesh.
Lin Sheng immediately recognized it.
The Jade Cover True Scripture.
A famous Earth-element martial scripture.
Unlike ordinary defensive techniques—
This technique permanently strengthened the body.
Using Earth-attribute True Qi—
The practitioner could gradually condense protective jade skin.
At low levels—
It merely enhanced durability.
At high levels—
The jade skin became comparable to magical artifacts.
The demonic cultivator's attack had pierced her defensive armor.
It had broken through her True Qi Field.
Yet—
It failed to penetrate the jade skin itself.
Bai Ling slowly looked toward her attacker.
Her eyes were ice-cold.
The demonic cultivator suddenly felt danger.
A moment later—
He attempted to retreat.
Too late.
Boom!
Earth-attribute True Qi erupted from Bai Ling's body.
Her momentum surged.
The surrounding ground cracked.
Whoosh!
Her spear pierced forward.
The attack seemed simple.
Direct.
Without any unnecessary movements.
Puchi!
The demonic cultivator's chest exploded instantly.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
His corpse flew backward like a broken ragdoll.
Dead.
Several nearby alliance members inhaled sharply.
Even they rarely witnessed Bai Ling revealing her full strength.
Peak Outer Strength.
Peak Momentum.
Peak Earth-attribute defense.
No wonder she was considered the strongest among the alliance leaders.
Meanwhile—
Far away—
Lin Sheng watched everything through his Mental Field.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The situation was becoming increasingly interesting.
The demonic cultivators had finally begun revealing themselves openly.
Their targets were obvious.
Talented cultivators.
Future Foundation Establishment candidates.
Alliance leaders.
Core disciples.
Anyone with potential.
And if his guess was correct—
This was only the beginning.
Because demonic cultivators were not fools.
For them to act so openly—
It meant they possessed confidence.
Confidence that something much bigger was about to happen.
Above the battlefield—
The sky gradually darkened.
In front of the higher ups stood 3 black robed cultivators with a pressure around them stopping them front interfering