126: Chapter 126 Nascent Soul Pressure and Treasure Hunting Time

Above the walls of Qingyan Pass, the cheers of those who had survived the disaster had not yet fully subsided when a new, suffocating pressure quietly spread over everyone's hearts like a rising tide.

Lin Cangchen was happily introspecting the 【second rank low grade Rock Armor Bear inner core card】 in his System space, calculating that adding this to the Crimson Flame Golden Eye Tiger inner core card he already had, his Grand Elder was two steps closer to the great goal of personally refining a foundation establishment pill. Suddenly, he felt the surrounding air seem to solidify.

It was not an illusion.

An indescribable, terrifying Aura, like an ancient giant beast awakening from its slumber, slowly rose from the unreachable depths of the Qingyun Mountain Range. This Aura was not targeted at anyone but covered the entire world like the might of Heaven. The noise on the city wall instantly died out. All Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage, including Lin Lingfeng and Lin Lingyan, who were at the Qi Refining Late Stage, felt as if a thousand-jin boulder had been pressed onto their chests. Breathing became extremely difficult, the circulation of Spiritual Qi became sluggish, and cold sweat seeped from their foreheads.

Even the imposing Foundation Establishment Cultivator Clan Leader, who had just slain two Yao Beasts, had a grave expression. His figure was slightly tensed, and he only managed to stand firm by relying on his Foundation Establishment Spiritual Qi to autonomously counter the pressure. Feeling that vast, abyss-like Aura carrying wild Demonic Qi, he was shocked in his heart: "This... this is definitely not something a Third-Rank Great Demon could possess! It is a Fourth-Rank Demon King!"

Just as everyone was so oppressed by this Demon King's Aura that they could barely breathe, worrying whether this terrifying existence would descend personally and grind this small county-level 2 stronghold into powder—

Hum! Hum!

Almost simultaneously, from behind them—the direction of Qingyun Prefecture—and from the edge of the Qingyun Mountain Range on the other side, where the Demonic Path forces were entrenched, two equally vast and boundless, yet completely different Auras rose up!

One was upright and peaceful, yet carried an unquestionable, magnificent heavenly might, as if representing order and rules; the other was gloomy and strange, permeating with an atmosphere of death and the netherworld, making one shiver.

Three Auras, which could be described as world-destroying, collided violently in the distant sky, separated by who knows how many ten thousand li!

No sound came, but everyone felt as if an invisible thunderclap had exploded within their Divine Soul. The clouds in the sky were stirred by invisible forces, changing into various strange shapes, and the light flickered. The defensive light shield of the entire Qingyan Pass rippled violently, emitting an unbearable humming sound.

The low-level Cultivators on the city wall were in a miserable state. Their faces were deathly pale, they were swaying, and some even collapsed to the ground. Even Lin Cangchen felt his head buzzing, as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer.

"Damn it... is this the power of high-level Cultivators?" Lin Cangchen cursed inwardly, quickly using a 【trace mental power card】 on himself to calm his nerves. Although the effect was negligible, it was at least a psychological comfort. "If it has this effect from so far away, I'd probably be reduced to dust if I were up close, right?"

He secretly glanced at the Clan Leader. He saw that although the Clan Leader's expression was grave, his back was straight, and his eyes were looking sharply in the direction where the Auras were clashing, as if he were trying to sense something. This composure made Lin Cangchen secretly admire him.

This standoff between the three Auras did not last long. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they dissipated simultaneously without warning, just as they had appeared.

Peace returned to the world, but the heart-palpitating aftertaste still lingered in everyone's hearts.

And with the calming of the Auras, the groups of Yao Beasts under the city, which had been in a dilemma and restless due to the loss of their second-rank leaders, seemed to receive a clear order. Like a receding tide, they quickly retreated, darting into the dense mountains and vanishing. After a moment, apart from the mess, broken Yao Beast corpses, and dark red bloodstains outside the city wall, not a single living Yao Beast could be seen.

Had the real crisis been resolved?

About half an hour later, just as everyone was suspicious and wondering what that earth-shattering clash of Auras meant, the familiar Deacon Wang from the Azure Cloud Sect appeared on the city wall. He channeled his Spiritual Qi, and his voice clearly spread throughout the entire stronghold:

"Fellow Daoists, please calm down! I have just received a message from the higher Sect!"

Everyone immediately pricked up their ears.

Deacon Wang had an expression of relief mixed with unconcealable shock on his face as he said loudly: "The three Auras just now originated from the Fourth-Rank Demon King in the depths of the Qingyun Mountain Range, the Nascent Soul Ancestor sent by our Tianyan Prefecture's guardian Sect—the Tianyan Sect, and the Nascent Soul Ancestor from the Demonic Path's Mingquan Sect!"

"Whoa—"

Although they had guessed it, hearing the words "Nascent Soul Ancestor" and "Fourth-Rank Demon King," a wave of irrepressible exclamations erupted on and off the city wall. For the vast majority of Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, a Golden Core True Person was already a legendary existence. Nascent Soul Ancestors and Fourth-Rank Demon Kings were simply Immortal figures living in stories! They never expected to "feel" their existence in this way today.

Deacon Wang continued to announce: "After negotiations between the three Old Ancestors (and Demon King) from afar, an agreement has been reached: The Black Fiend Cult forces will retreat fifty thousand li starting from today! Within ten years, the three parties must not engage in large-scale fighting! After ten years, even if there are conflicts, no power exceeding the Foundation Establishment Stage (Second Tier Demonic Beast) may directly intervene!"

He paused, looked around at everyone, and raised his voice: "This means that the war, which has lasted for several years, has come to a temporary end! Our Qingyun Prefecture has won ten years of breathing room!"

"Great!"

"It's finally over!"

"Ten years! We have ten years to recuperate!"

The immense joy and sense of relief instantly dispelled the previous fear and oppression. A cheer more enthusiastic than the one when they killed the Second Tier Demonic Beast erupted on the city wall! Many Cultivators even cried with joy. This damn war, these days of walking on thin ice, had finally seen an end! Although it was only a ten-year truce and small frictions were inevitable, at least they wouldn't have to face the terrifying existence of Golden Core or Nascent Soul levels!

The Clan Leader's eyes flashed with a glint, and he nodded slightly. This result was undoubtedly extremely favorable for the Family. Ten years was enough to rely on the Secret Realm to raise the Family's strength to a huge new level!

After everyone's emotions calmed down a little, Deacon Wang coughed and returned to his official tone: "Since the war has temporarily ceased and the beast tide has retreated, according to the convention, we will now begin to clear the battlefield, count, and distribute the spoils of war."

His gaze swept over the representatives of the various families and the leaders of the Loose Cultivators, finally resting briefly on the Clan Leader, nodding to signal: "Each Family and fellow Loose Cultivators, please clean up and collect the Yao Beast Materials within your respective defensive areas. The proceeds belong to each of you and do not need to be handed over."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes lit up!

Yao Beasts were treasures from head to toe! Their fur, bones, blood essence, claws, and even flesh were of great use to Cultivators! The large number of Yao Beast corpses killed during the defense were still lying below! This was a huge windfall!

The situation during the war was urgent, and it was reasonable for the Clan Leader to act as the only Foundation Establishment Cultivator (on the surface) in the stronghold to temporarily command everyone's defense. But now that the war was over and order was restored, the authority of the Azure Cloud Sect naturally returned. As a Sect Deacon, it was only right for Deacon Wang to be responsible for organizing post-war matters. The Clan Leader was happy to be idle and would never come out to fight for command at this time; knowing one's place was very important.

"Congratulations, Senior Lin. The Lin Family has gained both fame and fortune this time." Deacon Wang walked up to the Clan Leader and bowed politely. His attitude was even more respectful than before, after all, the other party was a solid Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and he had just demonstrated powerful combat strength.

"Deacon Wang has worked hard, congratulations to you too." The Clan Leader returned the salute, his tone peaceful.

"Haha, the number of Yao Beasts killed in the Lin Family's defensive section must be the highest, especially those two Second Tier Demonic Beasts..." Deacon Wang smiled meaningfully, "The harvest will certainly be substantial. Senior should hurry and take the Clan Members to clean up, lest some short-sighted people take advantage."

"Thank you for the reminder." The Clan Leader nodded.

Soon, the city wall became lively. The major families and Loose Cultivators organized their men one after another, rushing out of the defensive light shield, eager to head to their own "treasure hunting zone."

The Lin Family members were even more energetic.

"Quick! Quick! Quick! Move faster!" Third Elder had the loudest voice, commanding the Clan Members, "Ling Yan, you take a team to the left! Ling Feng, you take people to the right! Cangchen, you see which Yao Beast Materials are useful for formations and Alchemy, collect them first! Keep your eyes sharp, don't miss any good things!"

"Don't worry, Third Elder!"

"Alright!"

The Lin Family members laughed and joked, like tigers descending the mountain, rushing toward the messy battlefield. The area below the city wall for which they were mainly responsible was piled high with Yao Beast corpses, especially the area where the Clan Leader had finally entangled with the Rock Armor Bear, which was scattered with the remains of many peak of first tier Yao Beasts.

Lin Cangchen was not idle either. While using a Storage Pouch to collect some Yao Beast bones and specific fur that looked full of Spiritual Qi and might be used for refining Formation Flags, he was blooming with joy in his heart.

"Tsk tsk, this wave is not a loss, it's a huge profit! As expected, risk and reward coexist!" He watched the Clan Members working vigorously to decompose the Yao Beasts, collecting the valuable Materials one by one, as if seeing countless Spirit Stones and contribution points beckoning to him.

The Clan Leader did not go down to pick up Materials himself; such trivial matters were naturally handled by the Clan Members. He stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the city wall, looking deeply at the gradually receding Qingyun Mountain Range, then swept over the busy Liu Family and other Cultivators, and finally fell back on his own vibrant Clan Members.

He knew clearly in his heart that after this battle, the Lin Family had truly established a foothold in this Luoxia County, and even the cultivation world of Qingyun Prefecture, as a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan.

So, where should the Lin Family go from here?

Should they continue to develop with a high profile, relying on the Secret Realm and the foundation of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators to expand rapidly? Or should they maintain a certain low profile and make a fortune in silence?

Having revealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation, gained a ten-year peace period, and harvested a large amount of Yao Beast resources and merits (although they were almost exhausted before, this defensive battle must have yielded a lot of merits), it was time to re-plan the Family's development strategy.

He looked at Lin Cangchen, who was squatting on the ground, proficiently dissecting a first-tier high-grade Wind Wolf, humming an unknown tune, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

With this kid around, the future of the Lin Family surely wouldn't be boring.

"Let's go, let's return to the residence first and count the harvest." The Clan Leader transmitted his voice to the Grand Elder, Great Elder beside him, "Then, we must have a good discussion about the path the Lin Family will take next."

Great Elder nodded silently, and a light of contemplation flashed in his eyes as well.

Huge opportunities and challenges had arrived together with the title of Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan.