Bang!
At that moment, the courtyard door was suddenly slammed open.
A stranger, bathed in blood, rushed in with a horrified expression, his voice hoarse as he shouted, "Help!"
By his attire, he seemed to be one of the patrolmen.
Before Xu Ping could react, a dark shadow suddenly leaped from behind the courtyard door, swiftly knocking the cultivator to the ground.
It was a wolf beast the size of a calf, its fur bristling, eyes gleaming with a crimson light. It opened its gaping maw and lunged at the cultivator's left arm, blood splattering instantly.
Damn!
Xu Ping's heart surged with fury, his blood boiling. Without hesitation, he thrusted a sword finger towards the wolf beast.
A fierce and unstoppable Geng Metal energy ray sliced through the darkness, striking the wolf beast's head!
The beast let out a low whine upon being hit, blood spraying out wildly, quickly staining the courtyard's soil red.
However, the ordeal was far from over.
Out of the surrounding darkness, three or four wolf demons suddenly emerged, each covered in black fur, eyes flashing with a fierce light, clearly kin to the wolf beast.
"Awoo....."
They growled lowly, charging towards Xu Ping as if seeking vengeance for their fallen comrade.
Xu Ping's face darkened as the Qinghe Sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
With a few flashes of sword light, these wolf demons were all quickly decapitated.
Given his current swordsmanship, killing a few First Rank Lower Grade demon beasts posed no threat to him.
After dealing with the wolf demons and confirming there were no further movements around, Xu Ping approached the cultivator's body.
His throat had been bitten through by a wolf demon, one arm missing, a vast pool of blood flowing out.
Without a doubt, he was dead.
Facing the corpse, Xu Ping's expression remained unchanged.
But his heart was restless.
The patrol team usually consisted of ten people, led by a Late-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator.
Yet, here was only one person.
Had the entire team been wiped out? Or were they unable to resist and scattered in escape?
Whichever reason, it was not good news for Xu Ping.
He crouched down, searching the body for anything useful.
Just then.
Rumble~
The sky suddenly echoed with crackling thunder.
Instinctively, Xu Ping looked up.
He saw a gigantic bird of prey darting among the thunderclouds, as if trying to tear apart the night sky.
"Foul beast!"
At this moment, the array within the market suddenly activated, with two streams of light shooting towards the bird at a stunning speed.
Along with the streams came an aura of immense terror!
"Foundation Establishment cultivators!" Xu Ping's face revealed astonishment as he thought to himself that things were not looking good.
For two Foundation Establishment cultivators to step in, that beast had to be a Second-stage Demon Beast.
"Are you kidding me? How did a Second-stage Demon Beast show up!" Xu Ping felt bitter inside.
In a few days, he was supposed to leave; couldn't things just stay quiet?
Because of the distance and the night sky.
Xu Ping couldn't clearly see the specifics of the battle.
But even from so far, he could sense the intensity of the battlefield.
Waves of terrifying power continuously surged from the center of the battle.
Even standing this far away, Xu Ping still felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
Yet, in the face of this power, he did not feel disheartened, but instead, his gaze grew more vibrant, and his thirst for strength burned ever fiercer.
Just then.
The battlefield seemed to change.
An agonizing screech pierced the sky, making the surrounding air tremble, followed by a radiant orb like the sun exploding.
The intense light made Xu Ping squint momentarily.
The orb appeared quickly and disappeared just as fast.
In an instant, the orb vanished, and darkness reclaimed the surroundings.
A moment later.
Two escape lights ascended into the sky, finally merging into the market.
"Luckily, the Foundation Establishment cultivators won." Xu Ping quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
If the demon beasts had won, losing the protection of the Foundation Establishment cultivators over Dongwu Market would have likely led to its destruction.
He wasn't sure he would survive.
"Let's hope for some peace in the coming days." Xu Ping sighed helplessly, cleaning the Demon Beast Flesh before turning to enter the house.
In front of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Second-stage Demon Beasts, he was still too weak.
...
...
Inside a luxurious house within the market.
"Senior Brother Qing, that demon bird appearing at night wasn't ordinary. Even though it's only early Second-stage, it managed to escape from us."
"Maybe it has a Demon Core inside, a pity it got away." The young man lamented.
A single Demon Core could easily fetch eight or nine thousand Spirit Stones, and with other demon beast materials, it would be worth over ten thousand Spirit Stones—a significant fortune for them both.
The middle-aged man beside him appeared more composed, speaking slowly, "This demon beast's bloodline is extraordinary. If we had truly slain it, it might have caused trouble. Scaring it off isn't too bad."
"What trouble could there be? The sect's reinforcements will arrive in a few days." The young man was unconcerned.
The middle-aged man didn't say more, just shook his head helplessly.
Guarding a market close to the wilderness, stability was key.
He's still too young; he'll understand after a few setbacks.
...
Night was as dark as ink.
In the wilderness, a loud bird cry echoed in all directions, carrying a mysterious undertone.
Like an aggrieved child outside, calling for its parents.
A moment later, a terrifying pressure soared from deep within the wilderness.
Instantly, the demon beasts in the wilderness—fighting, running, feeding—crouched and trembled, not daring to move.
...
This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
The battle between the Longevity Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Second-stage Demon Beast was witnessed by almost everyone in the market.
The sheer oppression left them still feeling a tingling in their scalps.
Although the Foundation Establishment cultivators eventually won, it left countless people anxious and uneasy.
After all, in past beast tides, there were no Second-stage Demon Beasts.
However, there was little they could do, only silently hoping that no more Second-stage Demon Beasts would come, and that the beast tide would fade away.
But reality often doesn't align with one's wishes.
Though no more Second-stage Demon Beasts appeared, the beast tide intensified, making the demon hunting teams afraid to venture out.
The pressure on the patrol teams increased sharply, but luckily the Foundation Establishment cultivators intervened, slaughtered a batch of demon beasts, and barely maintained the market's stability.
...
...
Four days later.
Xu Ping, holding the Qinghe Sword, focused his attention, gently digging in the soil in the corner of his bedroom.
With each shovelful of effort, several ceramic jars gradually became visible.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but become anxious, fearing he might accidentally damage the Hundred Flowers Brew.
Not until he dug out all the ceramic jars intact did he breathe a sigh of relief.
The Hundred Flowers Brew had been painstakingly made with time and Spirit Stones, and now, finally brewed, he would be heartbroken if he accidentally damaged one.
He put all the other wine jars into his storage bag, leaving only one behind.
Xu Ping opened the lid.
Immediately, a rich aroma of wine and flowers surged into the room like a tide, intoxicating and delightful.
He wasn't a connoisseur, but it didn't stop him from praising, "Good wine."