The three major cities of Bu, Black Stone, and Fire Cloud represent two major powers. Some have submitted, while others have joined external sects, involving a large number of cultivators and numerous experts.
The core sect of Fengdu City is Qingxuan Sect. Once Xuan Qingwen and the other eight elders become elders of Blackstone City in the outside world, it will be a great honor for Qingxuan Sect, which is far better than eradicating or annihilating Northwest Imitation City.
Senior Brother Hua understood this very well. Once Xuan Qing Suo submitted to the Lei Mansion, Lord Lei would definitely publicize Xuan Qing Suo's submission, at which point the Lei Mansion would instantly become the most powerful force in the outside world! This appeal would be immense, and no other force could compare to it.
Senior Brother Hua stopped talking and simply sat cross-legged on a huge rock, closing his eyes to cultivate, appearing confident and composed. Seeing this, his other junior brothers followed suit and fell silent.
Time passed second by second, and the Northwest City was now in complete chaos.
The monks and merchants on the street, in particular, looked extremely grim. They had finally found a place to hide, and now they had to move.
When Lei Mansion first informed them, half of the shops in the Northwest Imitation Market had already moved out. The remaining shops wanted to make one last big profit before leaving, but unexpectedly, only half a month later, Lei Mansion changed its mind and expelled the Northwest Imitation Market from the market ahead of schedule.
"The Lei family's actions are contradictory and dishonest; this tactic is hardly honorable."
"The one-month deadline has now been reduced to half a month. Could it be that someone from the Qingxuan Sect in the Northwest Textile Market has recently angered Lord Lei?"
"It's said that the crystal mine in Lei Prefecture has already started mining crystals! Does this Northwest City have some kind of mineral deposit?"
"Lei Mansion is a force under the jurisdiction of Blackstone City, while Qingxuan Sect is a major force in Fengdu City. The two are competitors, so it's strange that Fengdu City only sent a low-level cultivator this time!"
"I heard that the Lei family wants to recruit Xuan Xianzi as an elder. That's true." "Really?"
"I wonder what Fairy Xuan will decide, and which path she will choose?"
The streets were in chaos, filled with chatter and discussion. Shop owners had no choice but to pack up their goods and hurry away. If this place turned into a battlefield, their goods would be lost.
In the assembly hall of the fake market, Xuan Qingwei and the others remained silent, filled with worry and anger. The Lei family had gone too far! They had originally hoped that the Northwest fake market could provide the Qingxuan Sect with enough financial resources to support its external expansion. But unexpectedly, the Lei family acted domineeringly, suddenly announcing the establishment of Black Wind City, a name only one character different from Black Stone City, but the identity behind it all was now clear.
Then, it was announced that a crystal mine beneath Blackwind City would be mined. This caused a huge stir! This was the first crystal mine in the outside world!
Then came the announcement of the establishment of a teleportation array, which had already set up operations in the outside world.
This has threatened the existence of the Northwest Imitation City.
Now, Senior Brother Hua has brought a group of Lei Mansion experts to force Xuan Qingban and the others to abdicate. Giving them two paths is practically the same as having no path at all.
The eight men with the dark blue spots represent the Qingxuan Sect and its reputation. If they submit to the Lei Mansion, it would be tantamount to surrendering to Black Stone City, which would be a fatal blow and a significant weakening to the Qingxuan Sect.
With its prestige gone, how can Qingxuan Sect win the allegiance and support of other forces?
Therefore, retreat is the only option.
"Retreat? Where should we retreat to? Black Wind City has divided its influence across the entire west and northwest. Although the city's sphere of influence is already divided, it will inevitably be divided again this time. The entire south will also be within its sphere of influence. The Extreme Dao Sect and the Myriad Sun Sect are in the east and north, respectively. Only overseas is currently a blank slate for their influence." Ouyang Qingtong said, frowning.
Overseas? The others felt even heavier. Land was one thing, but overseas was no less complex and dangerous!
With the arrival of cultivators in the outside world, everything is quietly changing.
In that vast overseas region, is there any threat to cultivators? No one can say for sure.
"This is infuriating! With the Lei family's strength, how could they possibly occupy such a large area of land? Senior Sister, can't we try to fight for it? Although Senior Brother Hua is only level 48, we might still have a fighting chance." Han Peng said angrily.
This suggestion silenced many. To fight for something comes at a price. Not only is Senior Brother Hua's cultivation level high, but the others are also beyond their reach; the disparity in strength is too great. Once war breaks out, the Northwest City side will inevitably suffer countless casualties.
“Brother Han is right. Submitting to the Lei family is absolutely out of the question! Otherwise, what will others think of the Qingxuan Sect?” a guest elder also said.
Everyone looked at Xuan Qingwei. This matter needed to be decided by Xuan Qingwei.
"Actually, overseas isn't bad either. It's said that overseas resources are much richer than on land, and many of the Cultivator Guild's missions involve overseas locations. This might be an opportunity for my Qingxuan Sect!" Qi Hui said at this moment.
His master is dead, so he lacks influence within the sect. However, although his character is questionable, he is very loyal to the sect.
"Then shall we leave and find an island overseas as our place to live?" Xuan Qingying frowned, but said firmly.
"Senior Sister, are we just going to show weakness and leave like this?" Han Peng asked anxiously.
“Yes, we’ll leave just like that!” Xuan Qingwei said calmly.
"How can this be allowed?"
“Junior Brother Han, Senior Sister has considered things very carefully. We are no match for Senior Brother Hua and his group outside. If there are still people from the Lei family lying in ambush outside, what if we are seriously injured and encounter interception and attacks once we engage them? Leaving now will allow us to maintain our fighting strength!” Zhou Xie said.
"Yes!" Everyone's expression changed drastically.
…Six things, many people did not expect that if the Lei family in the Northwest City only had Hua Shixiong's group, there was another or two groups in the dark, the situation would be even more dangerous!
It's best to retreat! Now is not the time for a battle of wits. Since we've decided to retreat, we must act quickly, and we must do so without letting the merchants on the street know. There will inevitably be sacrifices involved.
The three hours were only given by Senior Brother Hua. However, Xuan Qingbo and the others could not expect Shi Fang to keep his word.
The protective array above the Northwest Imitation Market can now be used to exit, but not enter. It can temporarily stop the enemy! But the cultivators and merchants here want to leave, taking goods and information with them.
It wasn't difficult for the other party to find out Xuan Qingwei and the others' decision, so they were in a hurry!
"Only half an hour. After half an hour, we must all evacuate. Take all the important goods and cargo with us! Once half an hour is up, gather immediately. If there are things we can't take, we'll abandon them!" Xuan Qingban used his brain, decisive and swift. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The group split up and took action.
The once-famous "Number One Restaurant" in Northwest Textile Market is now completely empty.
The head manager here, Wei Yan, is now extremely anxious.
When Zhang Guodong sent me here, I took on the important task of running the restaurant, which reduced my cultivation time. However, I had no shortage of crystals, so I lived a comfortable life.
She has now successfully cultivated to level six. Although she is still a minor cultivator, no one dares to regard the head manager of the First Restaurant as a minor cultivator.
Even disregarding the protection from Xuan Qingban and others, Zhang Guodong's reputation alone is not something ordinary people dare to provoke.
There is no such thing as a secret that cannot be kept forever.
When the First Restaurant first opened, only a few people knew that it shared the same owner as the "Wanxian Restaurant" in the Southwest Textile Market. But a month later, those who were interested discovered the secret.
The news spread like wildfire, and naturally most people dared not act recklessly. Leaving aside Zhang Guodong's ruthlessness and immense wealth—thirty mid-level talismans thrown into the crowd and detonated, severely injuring twenty or thirty cultivators—the fact that he survived a three-strike challenge from a near-great expert already demonstrated Zhang Guodong's power; he was a man with supernatural abilities!
Furthermore, if the restaurant goes out of business, what will the cultivators eat and drink? Currently, no restaurant can compare to the "Ten Thousand Immortals Restaurant." Anyone who dares to make things difficult for Zhang Guodong, or even the "Number One Restaurant," is essentially making an enemy of all the cultivators. While this statement cannot be entirely believed, it certainly makes a lot of sense.
Therefore, no one dared to do anything to Wei Yan, this minor cultivator.
In fact, Wei Yan ran the restaurant very well, which pleased Zhang Guodong. Wei Yan herself also grew to enjoy this lifestyle.
She had seen all sorts of monks in the restaurant; they lived very hard lives. Compared to the leisurely and safe environment of the restaurant, her life was very happy.
Unfortunately, the Northwest Imitation Market suffered a calamity, and the First Restaurant also faced the prospect of having to close down. And now, the owner, Zhang Guodong, still hadn't shown up. What should they do?
There were still some low-ranking disciples working in the restaurant, of varying backgrounds, but most of them had already left. Only three remained: one man and two women. The man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was a cook chosen by Xiao Hu; he had nowhere else to go besides working at the restaurant.
The two women were slightly older, but still young and beautiful.
Now, the three of them, with Wei Yan in the lead, anxiously awaited her words to decide what to do and where to go.
"Sister Yan, what should we do? The master hasn't come. But I heard that the Lei family has already reached the gates of Fangshi and is about to break through!" A woman asked Wei Yan anxiously.
The streets were in chaos. They naturally knew this, and it would be easy for them to find out what was going on.
"Wait a little longer!" Wei Yan said, somewhat impatiently. She was in charge of this restaurant. She really didn't want to give up. The owner must have heard about the crisis in the Northwest market and was already on his way here, right? "The owner will definitely come!"
There was one more thing that prevented Wei Yan from leaving immediately: the large number of crystals on the top floor! If she left, they would all be lost.
The top floor was protected by an array, and Wei Yan didn't know how to get in or out, but she left all the crystals inside, treating it like a warehouse.
“Our cultivation levels are very low. Even if we escape, where can we go? We might be ambushed along the way!” Wei Yan sighed and said again.
"Sister Yan, why is that?"
Wei Yan had to explain, "Because we are from the First Restaurant and our cultivation level is low, we were caught off guard and had no power to resist."
Even the lowest-ranking disciples at the First Restaurant earn more than those at other shops. Some people really don't care about the amount of crystals; they'll just kill someone without hesitation. Stealing crystals is too easy.
The three of them were immediately frightened.
I was only thinking about leaving this place, but I didn't expect that this layer of danger was actually the safest place in this restaurant.
"Everyone, please be patient. Even if the Lei family leads their men to break through the formation, our restaurant will be basically safe. You don't know, but the First Restaurant and the Wanxian Restaurant in the Southwest City are actually owned by the same person!" Wei Yan said helplessly.
When Wei Yan uttered the word "Ah," it had a tremendous effect on calming people's hearts.
"Boss, where are you? Come over quickly!" Wei Yan was extremely anxious. (More!)
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