Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 75 Old Friends of the Heavenly Star Sect

As the evening glow filled the sky, a streak of blue light suddenly came to a stop.

Lin Jingchu's bones crackled all over his body as he suddenly grew taller and his shoulders and back broadened.

His facial skin rippled and reshaped like water, instantly transforming into a fierce face with thick eyebrows, leopard eyes, and a short beard.

Lin Jingchu put away the Azure Wing Boat, took out the Xuan Chi Heavy Sword, and stepped onto it to continue flying.

This sword was a top-tier magical artifact that he specially crafted before leaving the sect, to help him disguise his identity.

The two days ago, he killed the "Black Wind Trio," but his gains were meager. The spirit insect, the golden bee, had already been subdued and recognized as his master by the black-faced cultivator, so he could no longer control it.

The only decent-quality round shield was also half-damaged by the Embroidered Spring Blade. Lin Jingchu didn't really care about the remaining magical artifacts. The three of them only had a little over a thousand spirit stones in total, which was less than 30% of what he had on hand.

However, they did obtain a map of the local powers in the northern prefectures and counties of the Yuanwu Kingdom, and the map was marked in great detail.

Lin Jingchu then decided to stop by a market town on the way, hoping to find something unexpected.

Although the area where Black Stone Workshop is located is not a spiritual vein, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is still very rich.

After this place was occupied by five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, they spent a considerable amount of money to set up a large protective array.

They turned this place into a trading and resting base for independent cultivators, earning spirit stones by collecting rent.

The market town is not large, and it is laid out in concentric rings. At the very center are seven huge black stone buildings, which are the residences and shops of the five market town owners.

Lin Jingchu landed at the entrance of the market, sheathed his greatsword, and stepped inside.

Lin Jingchu's fierce appearance did not attract much attention - many pedestrians on the street either covered their bodies or, like him, exuded a fierce aura, clearly indicating that they were "not to be messed with".

Lin Jingchu walked along the street, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides. Most of the stalls sold ordinary ores and herbs that were ten years old or so. The stall owners on the outer edge were all Qi Refining cultivators, so it was indeed difficult to find anything of good quality.

He quickened his pace and soon reached the inner layer, where he finally saw some decent items: not only were there pills to improve cultivation or heal injuries, but there were even top-tier magic artifacts.

But none of them were what Lin Jingchu needed. Just as he was about to go to the stone shop in the core area, his eyes suddenly lit up.

A talisman stall caught Lin Jingchu's attention; the stall owner was a charming young woman in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeing him stop, the young woman glanced at him with her phoenix eyes, her tone elegant yet tinged with a hint of self-satisfaction: "Fellow Daoist, do you need talismans? I was once a talisman master at the Wanmiao Temple, and these mid- to low-grade talismans were all handmade by me."

She certainly had reason to be proud—Wanmiao Temple was renowned in the cultivation world for its talisman techniques. Of course, the prices weren't low either; a single mid-level talisman would cost at least one or two hundred spirit stones.

Lin Jingchu's target wasn't the talismans, but rather a dark gold talisman brush on the stall: "You sell this brush too?"

The young woman nodded: "This is the Black Blaze Brush. The tip is made from the tail hair of a level three demonic blazing wolf. Using it to draw intermediate talismans can increase the success rate by 30%."

Lin Jingchu picked up the talisman brush and examined it. With his current discerning eye, he could easily tell that the materials and craftsmanship of the brush were of the highest quality. "How many spirit stones?"

The young woman's eyes showed reluctance, but she still said, "One thousand spirit stones."

Lin Jingchu put down the talisman brush immediately: "The price is too high. I'm just a beginner in this field and want to buy one to try it out."

Seeing this, the young woman said in a slightly urgent tone, "Fellow Daoist, do you know that this is a special talisman brush used by the Wanmiao Temple? It is now rarely seen on the market. In that case, I will also give you a basic talisman drawing guide from the Wanmiao Temple."

"Can I use a ritual implement as payment?"

After some haggling, Lin Jingchu finally traded a top-tier magic weapon obtained from the Song Yu quest in the system for the Black Blazing Brush and the Jade Slip of the Myriad Wonders Temple.

He packed his belongings and turned to walk towards the core area of ​​the market.

He had only walked a dozen or so feet when a hidden detection technique suddenly swept over Lin Jingchu's entire body. If it weren't for the slight stagnation in his blood and qi circulation caused by maintaining the 'Thousand Forms' illusion, he would have barely noticed this anomaly.

Of course, as the secret technique of the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Great Luo Thousand Illusions Technique should not be so easily deciphered, even if it is only the first level.

Lin Jingchu remained calm and continued walking as usual. At the same time, he quietly spread his divine sense, deliberately avoiding the places where late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators might be located in the core area of ​​the market, and keenly detecting every abnormal movement around him.

In a matter of breaths, he pinpointed the source:

Beside a stall selling magical artifacts, a short, stocky cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage appeared to be selecting items, but his hand, hidden in his sleeve, held an ancient bronze token, from which the detection fluctuations were emanating.

Lin Jingchu carefully sensed the area and discovered that it was being probed over a large area.

"I originally planned to sell one or two more magical artifacts in this market." Lin Jingchu judged that the other party was not after him, but he decided to abandon the original plan.

He strolled around casually for a couple of minutes, then turned and headed towards the market exit. After stepping out of the archway, he immediately ascended into the air on his sword and disappeared into the twilight.

After flying a hundred miles on his sword, Lin Jingchu returned to his original form, switched to the Azure Wing Boat to continue flying, and finally landed at an open space at the foot of a mountain.

Lin Jingchu took out three sets of magic formations—a warning formation, a concealment formation, and a protective formation—and began setting them up. He planned to meditate and recuperate for one night before setting off again the next day.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Jingchu had finished setting up the first magic array—the Azure Mist Protection Array. He filled the array with spirit stones, activated the array, and a light blue hazy protective shield rose up, almost blending into the surrounding twilight forest.

Just as he was preparing to set up the second layer of concealment array, three black dots suddenly appeared in the dim sky.

The black dots were moving extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they were close to Lin Jingchu's location. It could be seen that they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, riding different magical artifacts. Two people were chasing one person, and the person being chased was gradually forced into a desperate situation.

Just as Lin Jingchu was considering whether to pack up the array plates and flags and leave, the person being chased suddenly changed direction and rushed straight towards him, shouting loudly, "Which fellow disciple is setting up an array here? We are both from the Tianxing Sect, please lend a hand!"

Lin Jingchu frowned, not because he still had much affection for the Tianxing Sect, but mainly because the voice that was shouting sounded somewhat familiar.

In a flash, memories surged! A serious face, with a shrewd glint in its eyes, appeared in my mind.

It was him? Deacon Yang of the Heavenly Star Sect?

When Lin Jingchu first joined the Tianxing Sect, he came under this person's jurisdiction. He treated him fairly well, neither showing concern nor making things difficult for him.

Moreover, when Lin Jingchu had questions about the formations back then, this Steward Yang was quite patient, and he should never forget this kindness in guiding him.

At this moment, the old friend from the Heavenly Star Sect had already arrived in his flying shuttle, crookedly rushing closer. Seemingly lacking spiritual power, he fell from a height of two zhang and rolled several times on the ground before stopping.

Ignoring his tattered gray robe, he gasped for breath, "Please...please save me, fellow Daoist! I will repay you handsomely!" He had clearly long forgotten the ordinary outer disciple he once was.

When Lin Jingchu saw his old friend again, his former martial uncle, who was still in such a sorry state, seeking help, a slight ripple stirred in his heart. He smiled slightly and said, "How have you been, Deacon Yang?"

Deacon Yang's face, already pale from exhaustion of spiritual energy, instantly lost all color—oh no, this person also knew his identity? Amidst the turmoil, several strange black lines on his neck quietly spread upwards.

At the same time, the two cultivators who had been chasing after them also caught up. One of them was none other than the short, stocky cultivator that Lin Jingchu had seen in Black Stone Market.

The two of them scanned Lin Jingchu with their divine senses and found that he was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, so they were immediately relieved.

The short, stocky cultivator said in a cold, hard voice, "The Fu family is handling matters. Fellow Daoist ahead, please refrain from meddling in other people's business."

Although their tone was still "polite," the magical artifacts floating beside them were already emitting spiritual light, clearly ready to make a move at any moment.

Lin Jingchu raised his eyes and calmly looked at the two menacing Fu family cultivators in the air.

The tall cultivator was actually a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, Lin Jingchu was eager to exchange blows with a mere late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Lin Jingchu made a hand seal, and a portal opened in the "Azure Mist Array" light barrier behind him. He said to Deacon Yang, who was slumped on the ground, "Let's go inside the array for now."

Before Deacon Yang could respond, another tall cultivator with a sinister face shouted in mid-air, "We are the Fu family of Zidao Mountain! Fellow Daoist, please do not jeopardize your own destiny!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingchu sneered inwardly: Since you're all going to die sooner or later anyway, I might as well send you on your way early.

With his killing intent aroused, he said no more, activated the Water Ripple Step, and his figure flashed behind the two like a ghost. The Embroidered Spring Blade in his hand condensed a chilling light, and the crescent blade light flew to slash at the vital points of his opponents.

The tall cultivator, while defending himself, exclaimed in shock and anger, "Who are you?! How dare you interfere in the affairs of the Fu family!"

Lin Jingchu burst into laughter, his voice echoing across the surrounding area: "What is the Fu family! Do you think my Qin family would be afraid of you?"

Before the words were even finished, the flashing blades surged forth like a bursting dam.

The spells and offensive/defensive magical artifacts used by these two Fu family cultivators were significantly more powerful than those of the "Black Wind Trio" from before.

But for Lin Jingchu, it just meant he would need to put in a little more effort. The only concern was that if they scattered and fled when things went wrong, some might escape alive.