The Great Qi Cultivation World stretched across a landmass so vast that even most Golden Core cultivators would never see its borders in their lifetime.
The continent was divided into five major regions.
The Northern Icelands.
The Eastern Provinces.
The Western Wastelands.
The Southern Archipelagos.
And the mysterious Central Domain.
Among them, the Eastern Provinces was regarded as one of the most prosperous regions of the human race.
Countless mountain ranges rose from the earth.
Ancient ruins hidden by time lay scattered throughout the land.
Secret realms appeared and disappeared unpredictably.
Forbidden zones swallowed countless experts every year.
The opportunities were endless.
So were the dangers.
The entire Eastern Provinces consisted of twelve provinces.
Each province possessed its own ruling power.
Some were sects.
Some were families.
But every single one shared one thing in common.
Golden Core experts.
Only Golden Core powers possessed the qualifications to govern an entire province.
Above them stood the true overlords of the Eastern Provinces.
Nascent Soul powers.
Also known as Upper Sects.
Existences capable of influencing the fate of millions with a single decision.
As for Cloud Mist Market—
It was merely a small corner of one province.
Dragon Yuan Province.
A province governed by the Lin Family.
A Golden Core family whose influence extended across countless cities, markets, and cultivation settlements.
Dragon Yuan Mountain stood at the center of the province.
The ancestral land of the Lin Family.
A place countless rogue cultivators dreamed of entering.
Beneath the Lin Family existed numerous Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion powers who managed various territories on their behalf.
After all—
To be considered a genuine cultivation power one needed at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Without one, survival itself was uncertain.
And right now—
Deep within the core region of Cloud Mist Forest—
Guardian Zhao understood exactly how serious the current situation was.
The stolen cub of a Mutated Thunder Yao Beast.
A creature capable of reaching Rank 3.
Perhaps even beyond.
Such a treasure was enough to make countless Foundation Establishment experts lose their minds.
Even Purple Mansion cultivators might become interested.
If news spread—
Half the province would descend into chaos.
The demonic cultivators knew this.
The Thunder Beast knew this.
And Guardian Zhao knew this.
That was why this battle could not continue.
The beast had to die.
The cub had to be recovered.
The hidden forces behind this beast tide had to be rooted out.
Otherwise—
The consequences would be immeasurable.
Looking toward the wounded Thunder Beast before him, Guardian Zhao slowly raised his hand.
A talisman appeared.
The moment it emerged—
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Ice rapidly spread across the ground.
The very air seemed to freeze.
Even spiritual qi movement became sluggish.
The Thunder Beast's pupils contracted instantly.
A Rank 3 Talisman.
Ice Breaking Talisman.
A treasure capable of threatening Purple Mansion cultivators.
Anything below the Purple Mansion Realm would be frozen solid if struck directly.
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators would die instantly.
Even Xuan Gang experts would freeze instantly.
The moment the talisman appeared—
The Thunder Beast understood.
If it allowed that attack to land.
It would die.
Without hesitation—
The beast released a furious roar.
ROOOOAAARRRR!!!
Lightning exploded across its body.
Countless purple arcs danced wildly through the sky.
Its aura began rising rapidly.
Seeing this Guardian Zhao frowned.
The fluctuation was strange.
Far too strange.
Then—
The Thunder Beast opened its mouth.
A purple rune suddenly emerged from deep within its body.
The moment Guardian Zhao saw it—
His expression changed.
"Yao Divine Ability?"
Shock appeared in his eyes.
Divine Abilities were not ordinary techniques. Nor were they cultivation methods.
They were innate powers inherited from ancient bloodlines. Abilities engraved directly into one's blood.
Only beasts with extremely powerful ancestry possessed them.
Normally such abilities only appeared among Rank 4 and above yao beasts.
Yet this Thunder Beast had awakened one already.
Even if it was incomplete—
The implications were terrifying.
This meant the beast's potential exceeded expectations.
Which also meant—
The value of its cub had just increased dramatically.
For a brief moment even Guardian Zhao felt temptation.
A Mutated Beast possessing a Divine Ability.
If nurtured properly—
It could become the guardian beast of an entire sect.
Fortunately—
His will was firm.
He immediately suppressed those thoughts.
A treasure only mattered if one lived long enough to enjoy it.
Right now—
Survival came first.
The next moment—
The sky exploded.
BOOOOM!!!
Dark clouds that had gathered above the forest suddenly ruptured apart.
A massive pillar of purple lightning descended from the heavens.
The lightning was unlike anything ordinary cultivators had ever seen.
It was almost black.
Filled with destructive power.
Even space seemed distorted around it.
The moment it appeared—
Guardian Zhao's scalp tingled.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Without hesitation—
He activated the Ice Breaking Talisman.
The talisman exploded into countless icy runes.
A massive glacier-like barrier appeared above him.
The descending lightning collided with it instantly.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The world turned white.
The glacier shattered.
The lightning weakened considerably.
Yet it did not disappear.
Instead—
The remaining power continued descending.
Towards both combatants.
The Thunder Beast laughed madly.
Its eyes filled with madness.
This was its final move.
Tribulation Thunder Spike.
A self-destructive Divine Ability.
If it could not survive—
Then neither would its enemy.
BOOOOM!!!
The remaining lightning engulfed both figures completely.
A terrifying shockwave erupted outward.
Trees collapsed instantly.
Mountains trembled.
Spiritual qi storms swept across the entire forest.
The impact reached all the way to Cloud Mist Market.
On the battlefield—
Countless cultivators were blown off their feet.
Many weaker combatants coughed blood immediately.
Even Innate martial artists felt their internal organs shake.
Lin Sheng's Mental Field instinctively expanded.
His eyes narrowed.
"Rank 3..."
The Chip rapidly calculated.
Even after being weakened by the talisman.
The remaining attack power had still reached the threshold of Rank 3.
No wonder the Thunder Beast dared to use it.
The entire battlefield temporarily froze.
Everyone stared toward the core region.
Waiting.
Praying.
Wondering who had survived.
Meanwhile—
Within the center of the explosion.
A massive crater had formed.
Thousands of meters of land had vanished.
Residual lightning continued crackling through the air.
Ice qi drifted like mist.
The scene resembled the aftermath of a heavenly punishment.
Within the crater—
A figure slowly stood.
The Thunder Beast.
Its condition was miserable.
Half its scales had been destroyed.
Blood poured continuously from its wounds.
One of its legs was barely functional.
Yet it was alive.
Looking around and seeing no sign of Guardian Zhao, the beast suddenly laughed.
A deep victorious laugh.
"Hahaha..."
"It seems I won."
As a Thunder Beast—
It naturally possessed resistance to lightning.
That was why it had gambled everything.
Looking toward the sky, it prepared to leave immediately.
The beast tide no longer mattered.
The cub no longer mattered.
All that mattered was survival.
Yet—
Before it could move.
Crunch.
A faint sound entered its ears.
The Thunder Beast froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
It turned around.
A figure emerged from the smoke.
Guardian Zhao.
His robes were torn.
Several deep wounds covered his body.
Blood dripped from numerous cuts.
Yet compared to the Thunder Beast—
His condition was infinitely better.
The beast's pupils shrank.
Then it noticed something.
Faint runes were dissipating around Guardian Zhao's body.
A defensive talisman.
Another Rank 3 treasure.
The realization filled the beast with despair.
Guardian Zhao had used two Rank 3 talismans consecutively.
One offensive.
One defensive.
Such wealth was enough to bankrupt most Foundation Establishment powers.
Yet the Lin Family could afford it.
The Thunder Beast suddenly understood.
From the beginning—
Its defeat had been inevitable.
Guardian Zhao slowly raised his saber.
Killing intent filled the air.
The Thunder Beast attempted to move.
Attempted to resist.
Attempted to fight.
Yet its body had already reached its limit.
The next moment—
A green saber light flashed.
Shiiiiing!
Silence.
Then—
A massive head flew into the sky.
Blood erupted like a fountain.
The Thunder Beast's corpse collapsed heavily onto the ground.
BOOM!
The ruler of Cloud Mist Forest had fallen.
For several breaths—
The forest became completely silent.
Even the surrounding yao beasts seemed to sense it.
Their king was dead.
Guardian Zhao exhaled slowly.
The pressure weighing on his shoulders finally lessened.
Yet—
His expression did not relax.
Instead—
He looked toward several distant directions.
His eyes filled with coldness.
Then he sneered.
"You've watched long enough."
The forest remained silent.
However—
Within Guardian Zhao's perception.
Several hidden aura fluctuations existed.
Human.
Not beast.
Cultivators.
And not ordinary cultivators.
The remnants of demonic aura around the Thunder Beast's territory had already confirmed his suspicions.
Someone had manipulated this situation.
Someone had stolen the cub.
Someone had deliberately provoked the Thunder Beast into launching a beast tide.
And now—
Those people were still watching.
Waiting.
Like vultures waiting for prey to die.
Unfortunately for them, guardian Zhao was still standing.
His grip tightened around his saber. The killing intent around him intensified.
Deep within the forest shadows.
Several hidden figures immediately felt their scalps go numb. Because they suddenly realized something. The Guardian had won.
And now—
His attention had turned toward them.