Chapter 389: Sword Fiend Displays Power

White Moon Market City was established at the northernmost border of the state; beyond it lies the Snow Kingdom, the territory of another major sect in the Eastern Wilds, the Blowing Snow Palace. Upon his arrival, Chen Mobai smoothly completed his inspection task. The deacon in charge here was Jin Guozhang, a cultivator who exuded an air of stability. All the accounts were in perfect order.

"Sir Guard, this is the White Mist Spirit Bud from the Bai family, a second-tier spirit tea cultivated from branches of the Snow Needle Immortal Sprout. Tea pills refined from this spirit tea are the best elixirs for enhancing a cultivator's spiritual sense." Chen Mobai listened to Jin Guozhang, then lifted the clear, emerald-green tea in his hand and took a small sip. Indeed, a refreshing coolness surged through him, clearing his Sea of Consciousness in his Purple Mansion. Unfortunately, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator already at a bottleneck in his spiritual sense, this precious pot of spirit tea only gave him a slight shiver throughout his body. Liu Wenbai and Luo Yixuan, on the other hand, both had rosy complexions and bright eyes after drinking it, clearly having gained considerable benefits from the tea.

"Nephew Jin, are the Bai family's tea seeds for sale?""Reporting to the Guard, the Bai family has a dedicated shop in White Moon Market City that sells tea seeds. First-tier tea seeds cost 10 spirit stones per plant, and second-tier cost 200 spirit stones per plant.""What if I want to purchase branches of the third-tier Snow Needle Immortal Sprout?""For that, you would need to request them directly from the Bai family's main headquarters on Snow Peak. However, given your status as the Guard, the Bai family would certainly be willing."

No sooner had Jin Guozhang finished speaking than Bai Dingxian, the Old Ancestor of the Bai family, arrived to pay a visit. "Hahaha, I've long heard from Fellow Daoist Zeng that the Divine Wood Sect has produced an unrivaled sword dao genius. Seeing you today, the reputation is indeed well-deserved." Bai Dingxian was a ruddy-faced old man, only slightly younger than Liang Jinggui, but with the hair of a crane and the face of a child, and a beard like a deity. He looked vibrant and full of spirit, showing no signs of age. "Greetings, Clan Leader Bai."

Bai Dingxian and the Divine Wood Sect's Spirit Plant and Pill Refinement divisions shared an excellent relationship. Besides owning the largest tea plantation in the entire Eastern Wilds, the Bai family also cultivated hundreds of acres of medicinal fields. When the Divine Wood Sect refined pills, they occasionally needed to procure a good number of medicinal herbs from the Bai family. Furthermore, a portion of the tea pills the Bai family produced each year was exclusively supplied to the Divine Wood Sect. Chen Mobai had seen them on the exchange list in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, but he wasn't interested in the elixirs of the Celestial River Realm, so he didn't know their prices.

"It just so happens that a Snow Needle tea tree was harvested a few days ago and needs its branches pruned. Guard, please wait two days, and I will have an elder from my clan deliver them." Bai Dingxian readily agreed to Chen Mobai's request, even asking if he wanted any other tea seeds. This was because branches of the third-tier tea tree had been planted multiple times in the Great Wood Ridge but had never survived, whereas ordinary first-tier tea seeds had a fifty percent chance of growing. After hearing this, Chen Mobai nodded in gratitude, then inquired about the general situation of White Moon Market City from Bai Dingxian.

At that very moment, Bai Dingxian's expression suddenly changed dramatically, and he shot to his feet. "How audacious! Who dares?!" he roared. With a fierce cry, Bai Dingxian transformed into a streak of light and darted out of the Divine Wood Sect's shop.

Chen Mobai didn't react immediately, but he quickly felt the violent surge of earth vein spiritual energy—a sign that the defensive grand formation had been activated. "This is bad! Powerful attackers are assaulting the market city!" By this time, many rogue cultivators outside were already shouting, and White Moon Market City began to descend into chaos.

"You two, follow Nephew Jin's command and guard the sect's spirit stone vault here. If the grand formation is breached, have the sect disciples scatter and escape with spirit stones, magic artifacts, and elixirs. Remember, safety first!" Chen Mobai made a decisive move. After giving his orders to Jin Guozhang and the two disciples present, without waiting for their reply, he immediately rode his Scarlet Cloud Smoke Robe and flew out, following Bai Dingxian.

As soon as he soared above the market city, he saw three streaks of spiritual light approaching from the east, each wielding a dark talisman that slammed violently into White Moon Market City's defensive grand formation. Simultaneously, two more Foundation Establishment spiritual lights surprisingly rose from within the market city, and having seized the initiative, they had already damaged two crucial nodes of the formation. With flashes of spiritual light, the defensive grand formation's barrier flickered continuously, appearing as if it would collapse and break open at any moment.

With a hum. Bai Dingxian's figure burst out from a shattered shop within the market city. Frantically, he manipulated a formation plate, inserting an incredibly precious high-grade spirit stone into it, thereby activating the full power of the defensive grand formation to repel the five invaders.

"Damn it, the spiritual ley lines have been partially altered, not only weakening the formation's power but also cutting off the teleportation array, rendering it useless." Bai Dingxian knew that only Chen Mobai, the Divine Wood Sect's foremost sword cultivator, could save White Moon Market City now. So, while activating the defensive grand formation, he also explained the current situation in the simplest terms.

"The external enemies haven't even broken in yet, but chaos has already erupted internally." From mid-air, Chen Mobai watched as some rogue cultivators in White Moon Market City, relying on their higher cultivation, began attacking stall owners and brazenly plundering various elixirs and talismans. He couldn't help but sigh. The evil of human nature was particularly evident in this moment, in this place. He even saw many rogue cultivators, after robbing some street stalls, set their sights on the major shops, led by the Divine Wood Sect's Bai family, and began to charge in groups. It seemed they intended to grab a large sum and then flee. Among these, the Divine Wood Sect's spirit stone shop, which stored most of White Moon Market City's spirit stones, was already swarming with rogue cultivators of all kinds.

Chen Mobai saw that his two disciples, along with Jin Guozhang, were guarding the entrance of the spirit stone shop. All twenty Divine Wood Sect disciples in White Moon Market City were gathered there, having drawn their magic artifacts, confronting hundreds of continuously surging rogue cultivators.

Boom! Just then, the formation, whose ley lines had been altered and could no longer connect to the earth vein spiritual energy, finally succumbed to the relentless bombardment from the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, both from within and without, and a massive crack opened up. The three Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the formation immediately streamed in. One of them shrieked, bringing forth layers of ghostly shadows, seemingly splitting into dozens of apparitions, sweeping directly towards Chen Mobai. The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, while surrounding Chen Mobai, also launched spells at critical nodes where the market city's spiritual ley lines were located, intending to more thoroughly destroy the defensive formation.

This sight completely ignited the greed in the hearts of the rogue cultivators. Under the shout of one of them, many audacious pillagers had already scaled into the backyard of the spirit stone shop. A streak of green sword light, like a darting fish, flashed, blood splattered, and three heads flew into the air. It was Luo Yixuan, wielding the Divine Wood Sword. Her pretty face was cold, her eyes frosty, and as the third true successor, her strength was virtually overwhelming against these disorganized rogue cultivators, akin to a massacre. On the other side, Liu Wenbai also wielded his flying sword, guarding the main entrance of the spirit stone shop, leading the sect disciples in stopping dozens of Qi Condensation cultivators.

"Senior Brother, it's time to retreat." The Divine Wood Sword flew past, and two rogue cultivators who had tried to ambush Liu Wenbai from behind had their heads severed by Luo Yixuan. After clearing the immediate area, seeing the increasing number of cultivators rushing towards them, she decided to give up. "Hold on a little longer. Master is here; everything will be fine." Liu Wenbai activated his Green Scale Gauntlets, protecting himself and Luo Yixuan, while also holding a spirit stone to replenish the intense consumption from wielding his second-tier magic artifact. "Alright, but once our spiritual power depletion exceeds fifty percent, we should still follow Master's orders and prioritize our lives." Since Liu Wenbai wouldn't retreat, Luo Yixuan had no choice but to forcefully gather her spiritual power and defend for a bit longer. Although she had great confidence in her master, facing five Foundation Establishment cultivators, she estimated he wouldn't have any strength left to spare for them. In this situation, it would be best to follow their previous arrangement and leave first.

Just then, a dazzling green light, like a great sun, ignited in the sky. Accompanied by sizzling sounds! All cultivators in the market city involuntarily looked up. They saw a brilliant blue-green electric light erupting from the palm of a slender figure, instantly transforming into five blindingly bright columns of electric current, like lightning spears. These not only pierced and tore through the overwhelming ghostly shadows but also intercepted the spells launched by the other four Foundation Establishment cultivators.

With a scream and the smell of scorching, the head of the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had charged at Chen Mobai was shattered by the Wood Spirit Divine Thunder. The sky-filling ghostly shadows vanished, leaving only a corpse plummeting from above, crashing heavily onto the central street of the market city. After piercing one Foundation Establishment cultivator, the blue-green lightning column continued its momentum, crashing heavily onto the ground and sweeping fiercely in a circle around the perimeter of the Divine Wood Sect's spirit stone shop. Accompanied by screams and sprays of blood mist, seven or eight out of ten cultivators endlessly rushing towards the spirit stone vault in White Moon Market City were directly vaporized by this single Wood Spirit Divine Thunder spell. Since the Divine Wood Sect disciples were guarding inside the spirit stone vault, none of them were affected by this powerful lightning art. However, they witnessed firsthand how a dozen rogue cultivators, who had just been charging at them with ferocious expressions, turned into mere ashes on the ground after a thick column of lightning struck and swept through. This terrifying and immense power finally made these unsophisticated rogue cultivators understand just how terrifying Foundation Establishment cultivators truly were. Even a cultivator at the peak of Qi Condensation had no power to resist before a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Run!" "How could I have been so deluded as to try and rob the Divine Wood Sect's shop!" "Damn it, now we can only flee to the cultivation world of the Snow Kingdom!" After Chen Mobai's strike of Wood Spirit Divine Thunder, the rogue cultivators who had lost their minds and intended to plunder the spirit stone vault all completely sobered up. Liu Wenbai and the others, who had been struggling to hold on, saw the three Qi Condensation Layer 9 cultivators nearby who had escaped the lightning's devastation turn and flee in panic. In their shock, they even forgot to pursue them. Luo Yixuan, however, had cold light flickering in her beautiful eyes. With her pale white right hand controlling flowing water, she exhaled, and her Ice Art conjured three ice arrows that pierced through the last remaining enemy, freezing him to the core.

"Junior Sister, don't pursue a desperate enemy; it's more important for us to hold this position." Liu Wenbai thought Luo Yixuan intended to pursue, but she shook her head, her face filled with worry as she looked up into the sky. Chen Mobai was already surrounded by Foundation Establishment cultivators. At this moment, everyone knew that this ambush was aimed at the Divine Wood Sect's foremost sword cultivator.

"Before my eyes, any disguise you wear is useless." The attacking Foundation Establishment cultivators in White Moon Market City were all clad in black robes and black masks, with restrictions on the masks to block spiritual sense, clearly intending to conceal their identities. However, Chen Mobai's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes swept over them, and he clearly saw their true faces beneath the masks. "Yuan Hongyuan!" "Hong Xu!" "The Tang siblings!" "The only one whose origin I didn't know, I've already killed him." Chen Mobai pointed at the four individuals surrounding him, accurately calling out their names. The four exchanged glances, then all removed their masks, their eyes cold. "Form the array. Kill him."

With the Underworld Emissary reduced to charcoal, Yuan Hongyuan became the highest-cultivated individual. He roared, pulling a massive formation flag from his storage bag. Hong Xu and the Tang siblings then produced identical black formation flags. As the four combined their efforts, black clouds immediately filled the sky, like an endless expanse of dark clouds descending, enveloping half the sky above White Moon Market City.

"Sir Guard, I'll go to the Divine Wood Sect to call for reinforcements for you!" Seeing that Yuan Hongyuan and the others completely disregarded him, Bai Dingxian was both surprised and delighted. He then shouted at Chen Mobai, whose figure was barely visible through the black clouds, seizing this rare opportunity to deactivate the formation, board a flying shuttle, and rush out of White Moon Market City without a backward glance. "A coward afraid of death," Yuan Hongyuan said disdainfully, seeing Bai Dingxian's retreating back. Then, within the Myriad Ghosts Array of the Yellow Springs, he activated his own Five Smokes Cloud Net Array. With both formations deployed, Yuan Hongyuan confidently unleashed his powerful late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

"Kill him, then plunder the resources within the market city, and retreat as quickly as possible." After Bai Dingxian's escape, he would soon notify the Divine Wood Sect, but it would take some time for the Divine Wood Sect to send people over, which was enough time for them to complete their plan. "With the Underworld Emissary gone, we'll get a bigger share," Hong Xu said greedily. He then waved the black formation flag in his hand, continuously pouring his spiritual power into the Myriad Ghosts Array. In an instant, the black clouds became so dense that visibility was lost, and faint, shadowy figures of fierce ghosts began to form within, surging towards Chen Mobai in the very center, intent on devouring him.

Just then, a golden sun rose at the center of the Myriad Ghosts Array. Above Chen Mobai's head, the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror erupted with waves of pure yang fire, incinerating all the surrounding ghostly shadows and black clouds into nothingness. He lightly pulled open the lid of the yellow gourd at his waist, a hint of confusion on his face. Then, to the disbelief of Yuan Hongyuan and the other three, who were preparing to pour more spiritual power into activating the Myriad Ghosts Array's second transformation, a dazzling orange-red light flared. In an instant, the orange-red brilliance stretched into a slender beam a thousand meters long, sweeping in a circle around Chen Mobai, perfectly bisecting all four of them at the waist. Amidst the profusion of blood, their protective magic artifacts and spirit talisman light shields didn't even have time to activate. In a scatter of lights, they felt an excruciating pain in their waists, and then their upper and lower bodies separated. "I'm a bit puzzled. How dare you try to kill me?" Chen Mobai asked, a look of bewilderment on his face as he withdrew his Primal Yang Sword Aura and closed the lid of the yellow gourd.