Chapter 36: The Power of Foundation Establishment
It was precisely because of the existence of this seal that True Master Chengshan took the title "Chengshan" as his Taoist name.
This was the signature artifact he had refined for many years!
The Green Mountain Seal flew out of True Master Chengshan's hand, spinning in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, it expanded dramatically.
From a miniature mountain that could be held in the hand, it transformed into an enormous boulder several meters in size!
Such a massive Green Mountain Seal could unleash unimaginable power with even a casual smash.
Now wielded by a Foundation Establishment master and enhanced by the power of the Foundation Establishment stage, its might was naturally beyond question.
The Green Mountain Seal had yet to fall.
He Song noticed a group of black-clad cultivators frantically fleeing from the outer edge of the Immortal Market, desperately escaping beyond its boundaries.
These fleeing cultivators were the evil cultivators who had previously battled the Enforcement Squad.
Perhaps their intelligence was inaccurate.
Or perhaps they were simply too greedy.
These evil cultivators had wreaked havoc in the Immortal Market for several days and still had the audacity to remain there.
However, upon seeing their numbers, He Song furrowed his brow slightly.
There were too few of them—only a dozen or so.
A dozen cultivators shouldn't have posed such a massive threat to the Immortal Market's Enforcement Squad.
Suspicion filled his heart.
Yet He Song's expression remained unchanged. Without blinking, he kept his eyes fixed on the Green Mountain Seal hovering in the air.
This was his first time witnessing a Foundation Establishment master in action.
Before, having never left the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, he hadn't even seen the full power of a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
Now that he had the chance, he naturally wanted to broaden his horizons.
Under the watchful eyes of numerous cultivators in the market, many like He Song, the Green Mountain Seal in the air began to move.
It wasn't as cumbersome as He Song had imagined.
The enormous Green Mountain Seal streaked through the air like lightning, propelled by True Master Chengshan's spiritual energy. It hurtled toward the black-clad cultivators like a meteor.
The black-clad cultivators were quick to react. Seeing the Green Mountain Seal bearing down on them, they scattered like startled birds, fleeing in all directions.
He Song narrowed his eyes and noticed that they were fleeing in completely different directions.
Except for avoiding the market itself, the fleeing cultivators scattered toward nearly every direction.
It seemed this group of evil cultivators were all well-versed in escaping, instinctively knowing to spread out while fleeing.
Boom!
A deafening explosion followed.
The massive Green Mountain Seal smashed into the ground with tremendous force, creating a colossal crater in the once-solid earth.
Carried by its momentum, the massive boulder continued forward, carving a deep trench into the ground.
At first glance, the scene seemed devastating.
But in reality, it was all show and no substance.
Despite the powerful attack that gouged a deep trench in the earth, not a single hair of the fleeing evil cultivators was harmed.
For a moment, the cultivators watching this unfold in the Immortal Market were left dumbfounded.
Even He Song couldn't help but look at True Master Chengshan with a hint of disbelief.
A Foundation Establishment master?
Is that all?
Even throwing an artifact at someone can miss?
Where's your spiritual sense?
However, just as these thoughts crossed He Song's mind, his peripheral vision caught a subtle yet startling detail.
A faint golden thread, nearly invisible to the naked eye, had quietly linked all the fleeing black-clad cultivators together.
If not for He Song's sharp eye catching the subtle difference of the golden thread against its surroundings, he might have entirely overlooked this nearly imperceptible line.
Shifting his gaze away from True Master Chengshan, He Song's eyes darted, quickly confirming that he hadn't seen incorrectly.
And in that moment—
True Master Chengshan let out a cold snort. With a slight movement of his finger, the golden thread vanished into his hand.
Immediately after—
The black-clad cultivators who had been fleeing in all directions suddenly collapsed, their heads severed cleanly from their bodies. Blood spilled everywhere, turning them into grotesque rolling gourds.
Not even a scream escaped their lips before their lives were snuffed out.
In the blink of an eye, a dozen cultivators were decapitated, their bodies and heads strewn across the ground.
These black-clad cultivators—
Some were in the late stage of Qi Refinement, others in the mid-stage.
For He Song and the cultivators living on the outskirts of the Immortal Market, these individuals were of high cultivation and formidable strength.
Facing them directly offered no chance of resistance; their only hope was not to be targeted.
But when confronted with a Foundation Establishment master, these cultivators—who had once terrorized the market's outskirts—were like ants, easily exterminated by True Master Chengshan.
With a casual gesture, True Master Chengshan wiped them out, leaving their corpses scattered across the ground.
For a moment—
The entire Immortal Market was silent, the quiet so profound that a pin drop could be heard.
Everyone was stunned by True Master Chengshan's display.
Killing a dozen evil cultivators with such ease showcased the undeniable power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He Song's scalp tingled as his gaze swept over the bloody remains outside the market.
So this is the Foundation Establishment realm?
What majesty!
What authority!
What terrifying strength!
However, after dispatching the evil cultivators, True Master Chengshan turned his gaze toward the distance and let out another cold snort.
"You're lucky you ran fast!" he remarked, his tone icy.
Then, turning his attention to the Immortal Market, he frowned slightly.
"What are you standing around for? Get moving and rebuild the market!"
With that, True Master Chengshan waved his hand, and a dozen storage pouches flew from the ground into his grasp.
At the same time, an earthy-yellow streak of light shot toward the center of the market, landing directly in the exquisite courtyard at its heart.
Only after True Master Chengshan's figure completely disappeared, a full quarter of an hour later, did the silent Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market slowly "come back to life."
After several days of evil cultivators wreaking havoc, the outskirts of the market had been almost entirely destroyed.
The rental houses in the outer sections were mostly in ruins, with only a few unoccupied rooms still intact.
However, with True Master Chengshan's return, the security of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market had increased exponentially.
The Enforcement Squad, which had been bearing the brunt of the crisis, no longer seemed as tense.
Even He Song felt emboldened to step outside with Wei Fan to survey the surroundings.
The outside world was safe now.
As He Song and Wei Fan walked out, a shared sense of relief at having survived flickered in their eyes.
But when their gaze fell upon the dilapidated houses in the market's outskirts, a wave of sadness washed over them.
"Sigh, I wonder how many of my friends survived this disaster," Wei Fan murmured as he walked beside He Song, his eyes scanning the wreckage.
Although he had not warned those friends to leave the market and seek refuge,
Although he had not chosen to protect them,
Although he had done nothing for them—
His sighs of regret were plentiful.
After all, most friends were just casual acquaintances, not as close as He Song or Meng Guan.
If they died, he wouldn't feel heartbroken. If they lived, there might not be much benefit.
In the ruthless world of cultivation, survival was the only thing that mattered.
At the same time, indifference to the lives of others had become a fundamental norm among cultivators.
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