68: intruder

"You seem to really hate Evil Cultivators?"

Zhang Daobai asked curiously after sensing Lin Luoxue's extreme aversion.

"I once saw an Evil Cultivator massacre a Mortal village. He didn't even spare newborn infants."

As Lin Luoxue spoke, that horrific memory couldn't help but resurface in her mind.

He didn't even spare infants?

Isn't that just like those monsters!

Zhang Daobai changed his thought and quickly understood Lin Luoxue's feelings.

"They truly deserve death!" Zhang Daobai nodded in agreement.

Soon, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue arrived outside the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

Compared to other places, the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce looked completely undamaged. Just as Zhang Daobai had guessed, that group of Evil Cultivators did not dare to attack the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

At this time, the business of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce not only hadn't decreased but had subtly increased.

After all, while the Evil Cultivators were rampaging and looting Purple Maple Immortal City, the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce was able to remain safe and sound, making all the Evil Cultivators wary. This fully demonstrated the security and power of a major force.

After entering the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, Zhang Daobai seemed to have a great fate with Steward Wang, as he ran into Steward Wang passing by as soon as he entered.

"Hmm? Fellow Daoist Zhang!"

When Steward Wang saw Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue, a look of pleasant surprise immediately appeared in his eyes.

He had previously been worried that if Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue had perished in this calamity caused by the Evil Cultivators, the order worth 1.86 million would become void.

As a result, he ran into Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue just as he came out to inspect.

"Steward Wang, you look quite surprised to see me?" Zhang Daobai joked with a smile.

"No! This is a pleasant surprise! I am very happy to see that both Fellow Daoists are safe!" Steward Wang explained with a laugh upon hearing this.

Steward Wang quickly led the two into a reception room to sit down.

"Fellow Daoists, the spiritual materials you ordered are already on their way. I will notify you immediately once they arrive."

After Steward Wang instructed a maid to prepare tea, he spoke about the transportation status of the three spiritual materials.

"Then we'll have to trouble you, Steward Wang." Zhang Daobai said with a smile.

After achieving the purpose of their visit to the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, Zhang Daobai spent the rest of the time chatting casually with Steward Wang.

"Right, Steward Wang, do you know what happened to the Tang Family's purple maple spirit tree?"

Zhang Daobai recalled the green flame on the purple maple spirit tree that day and couldn't help but ask curiously.

Steward Wang immediately perked up upon hearing this. He lowered his head slightly and whispered, "I just received news about this myself."

"It is said that that night, the Evil Cultivators of the Yinmo Sect breached the Tang Family's ancestral grounds, intending to refine everyone in the entire Tang Family."

"As a result, the Great Elder of the Tang Family used the Spirit Ascension Array, sacrificing the purple maple spirit tree, and his cultivation briefly Broke through to the Half-step Nascent Soul Stage."

"He forcefully killed half of the Yinmo Sect's Evil Cultivators and destroyed the Soul Extraction and Blood Refining Array, thus avoiding the tragedy of Purple Maple Immortal City being refined."

"Spirit Ascension Array?"

Zhang Daobai couldn't help but feel curious about what kind of Formation this was, capable of elevating the Great Elder of the Tang Family's cultivation to the Half-step Nascent Soul Stage.

Seeing Zhang Daobai's curiosity, Steward Wang proceeded to introduce the information regarding the Spirit Ascension Array.

After learning about the drawbacks of the Spirit Ascension Array, Zhang Daobai quickly lost interest in the Formation.

"What happened next? What happened after the Old Ancestor of the Tang Family returned?" Zhang Daobai immediately pressed on with curiosity.

Steward Wang took a slow sip of tea upon hearing this, then continued, "After the Old Ancestor of the Tang Family returned, he left the city to pursue those Evil Cultivators, chasing them for hundreds of miles."

"However, he later encountered a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator who blocked him, preventing him from wiping out all the Evil Cultivators."

"A Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator!"

Hearing this, Zhang Daobai's hand holding the teacup paused, feeling a little surprised.

"It is said to be the Grand Elder of the Yinmo Sect," Steward Wang said calmly, taking a sip of tea.

Through this casual chat, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue gained a general understanding of the current situation within Purple Maple Immortal City.

The Li Family, Xu Family, and Su Family had no power to resist when the Evil Cultivators invaded because all the Golden Core True Persons in their clans had gone to the Xuantian Mountain Range.

The clan members who stayed behind in the Families were slaughtered, leaving less than one in ten, and the Family treasuries were completely looted.

It can be said that these three Families suffered the greatest losses in this Evil Cultivator invasion.

As for the Tang Family, because the Great Elder of the Tang Family was present, although they also suffered losses among their clansmen, it was much better than the other Families, and their Family treasury was not breached by the Evil Cultivators.

As for the other Families, they were not so lucky. Some Families were left with only a few survivors, while others were directly annihilated.

At the same time, the Loose Cultivators within Purple Maple Immortal City also suffered heavy casualties. According to incomplete statistics, at least ten thousand Loose Cultivators were killed during this Evil Cultivator invasion, and some of their bodies have yet to be collected.

Deducting the Loose Cultivators who had died, gone missing, or fled, the number of Loose Cultivators in Purple Maple Immortal City has decreased by a full fifty percent!

Listening to Steward Wang's words, Zhang Daobai grew increasingly alarmed. This was the first time he had encountered such a large-scale casualty event.

At the same time, he gained a deeper understanding of the dangers of the Cultivation World.

Since Steward Wang still had work to attend to, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue did not disturb him for too long, bidding him farewell and departing after a while.

After leaving the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue returned to their Small Courtyard.

Before even entering the door, Zhang Daobai noticed signs that the Small Courtyard's wooden door had been forcibly damaged. Clearly, someone had broken into their home.

"There is someone inside!"

Lin Luoxue suddenly sensed a presence in the Small Courtyard, so she took out her Spirit Sword and watched the doorway vigilantly.

"Can you sense their strength?" Zhang Daobai asked, his expression turning cold.

"Purple Mansion Middle Stage."

Lin Luoxue swept her Divine Sense and quickly confirmed the Cultivation of the person inside.

A hint of killing intent flashed in Zhang Daobai's eyes upon hearing this. A Purple Mansion Middle Stage Cultivator had forcibly entered their Small Courtyard.

He was eighty percent certain that this person was an enemy, not a friend.

The best way to handle this sort of thing would be to find the Tang Family's patrol team, but Purple Maple Immortal City had just experienced an Evil Cultivator invasion, and all the major Families were preoccupied. How could anyone possibly deal with this matter?

Thinking of this, Zhang Daobai turned and nodded to Lin Luoxue; the killing intent in his eyes made his decision clear.

Zhang Daobai quickly released White Moon, then instructed it to use the Spirit Concealing Mist to shroud the entire Small Courtyard.

"Let's go. Let's go in and meet this little thief."

After completing all this, Zhang Daobai immediately said to Lin Luoxue.

After entering the Small Courtyard, the first thing Zhang Daobai saw was fragments of wood scattered on the ground—it was the recliner he used to rest on.

Seeing this, a cold light flickered in Zhang Daobai's eyes. He then looked up toward the main house, whose door was wide open.

"He's in the house," Lin Luoxue said, looking toward a specific spot in the main house.