Chapter 54

Of all sects most skilled in fire-based cultivation methods, I don’t know the distant ones, but among the Four Sects of Great Ming including Tongzhou, it’s definitely the Sunset Sect.

The Sunset Sect’s Crimson Sun Great Art, when cultivated to its peak, is said to be able to melt mountains and boil lakes, and is famously powerful throughout the Wu Kingdom.

Besides that, the Four Symbols Sect’s Dispersing Fire Scripture is also renowned; it’s said that at its ultimate level, it can summon a true strand of Zhuque fire.

As for the remaining Thousand Bamboo Sect and Jin Gang Temple, I’ve never heard of any notable fire-based cultivation methods from them.

“Thank you for your guidance, brother.”

Wang Yu thanked him repeatedly, exchanged a few more polite words, then left the shop.

Standing on the street, he furrowed his brow and began to think seriously.

According to the short-haired man, his elemental affinity alone might make joining a sect difficult—but he didn’t know about his bloodline awakening talent; combined, the two would likely make the sects accept him.

Given the current conditions, joining the Four Symbols Sect seems the best choice.

First, this sect excels in beast taming and places great value on physical bloodlines; second, it possesses a famous fire-based cultivation method; third, with the Yin family as a referral, his admission would be smoother.

Of course, whether the short-haired man told the truth entirely still requires time to verify—he must at least learn more about the specific circumstances of the Four Sects of Great Ming.

But before that, he needed to find Wu the Blacksmith and establish contact with the Yin family first.

With a plan in mind, Wang Yu immediately turned back toward the blacksmith shop he’d seen earlier.

……

“What? Wu the Blacksmith just died?” Inside the shop filled with swords and blades, Wang Yu stood before a dark, muscular man, eyes wide in shock.

“Yes, three days ago the furnace exploded suddenly. Old Wu couldn’t dodge in time—he died on the spot. A pity; his skill in forging thousand-fold iron is probably lost forever.” The man sighed.

“Did Wu the Blacksmith have any family or relatives in the marketplace?” Wang Yu pressed on, unwilling to give up.

“Old Wu was just a mortal; he could only enter Guangyuan Marketplace thanks to his craftsmanship and shop guarantee. Even if he had family, they couldn’t enter. And he was a reclusive man with few friends here.” The man shook his head, then turned to greet another customer who had entered, ignoring Wang Yu entirely.

Wang Yu walked out as if in a daze, looked up at the sky, and let out a bitter laugh.

This is truly troublesome now.

Yin Linglong had given him only this one contact—perhaps he should ask around again and find the Yin family’s exact location.

After all, the Yin family is a subsidiary clan of the Four Symbols Sect; someone in Guangyuan Marketplace must know where they are.

Wang Yu was frowning in distress, but the next moment, his expression froze.

For beside the fiery sun in the sky, several dark shadows had suddenly appeared—growing larger by the second, as if plummeting rapidly downward.

Not just Wang Yu, but other pedestrians on the street also noticed this anomaly and looked up in astonishment.

“No—it’s a talisman artifact!”

“Enemy attack!”

“Activate the defense array immediately!”

Someone, having recognized the true nature of the shadows, suddenly shouted out.

The moment he spoke, the street erupted into chaos; alarm-like shrieks erupted everywhere, and several colored fireworks shot skyward simultaneously from different shops.

“Hummm”

Amid the low hum, white pillars of light erupted simultaneously from the four corners of Guangyuan Marketplace, and a semi-transparent barrier suddenly appeared in midair, completely enclosing the valley beneath it.

But at that very moment, the dark shadows had swollen to the size of houses—massive, jet-black square seals, their surfaces inscribed with floating patterns, wreathed in swirling black mist.

“Good heavens—Black Soul Seals! Second-rank talisman artifacts, the Black Soul Seals!”

“It’s the Black Soul Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators—more than one!”

……

Screams like the end of the world erupted again, but before anyone could react, the colossal objects crashed down like meteorites onto the barrier.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” …

The sky turned utterly dark as massive black orbs exploded across the barrier’s surface, obscuring most of the heavens; the semi-transparent shield rippled violently—but within a single breath, it shattered with a crisp “crack,” like glass.

The black giant seals descended Shunshi , landing across different areas of the marketplace.

Wang Yu felt a series of thunderous roars in his ears, followed by violent tremors—the ground shook, splitting open into massive fissures.

Several people had no time to react and screamed as they tumbled into the cracks.

“Activate Hyper-Senses!”

Without hesitation, Wang Yu barked a low command, dropped to the ground, and leapt forward with all limbs, barely avoiding a sudden fissure opening beneath his feet.

But he had no time to dwell on it—under the enhanced senses, he saw far off on the horizon more dark shadows emerging in dense clusters, hurtling toward Guangyuan Marketplace at incredible speed.

Wang Yu, filled with shock and fury, instantly pulled a yellow talisman from his body, slapped it onto himself—a gentle breeze wrapped around him, making his body as light as a swallow.

It was one of the protective talismans Yin Linglong had given him—the upgraded “Wind-riding Talisman.”

With the talisman’s power, Wang Yu’s body darted like a wild beast, leaping three or four zhang with each bound, crossing several collapsed shop rooftops, heading straight for the slope at the valley’s edge.

Not just Wang Yu—countless figures in the marketplace scattered like ants, and dozens of flying talisman artifacts rose into the air.

“Black Soul Sect! How bold you are—to dare invade Great Ming! Don’t you fear the Four Sects uniting to erase your sect from Yu Kingdom?”

From the peak of the mountain behind the marketplace, a man’s roar echoed—and with a tiger’s howl, a massive blue tiger soared into the sky, carrying a golden-armored man.

Behind the tiger, over a dozen wolves, leopards, and other beasts burst forth, each bearing riders clad in various armors—men and women alike.

“Hehe, so it’s Brother Yue of the Four Symbols Sect guarding here—but too bad, you’re the only Foundation Establishment cultivator here. This time, six of our sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators strike together; even if you have heavenly talent, you won’t escape alive.” A cold laugh rang from high above, and six hazy figures slowly descended, surrounding the tiger’s rider completely.

At that moment, the distant shadows drew near—revealing themselves as massive bone boats, each five or six zhang long, wreathed in black mist, their decks crowded with countless figures.

Someone gave an order—crowds on the bone boats cheered and leapt downward, chasing after the fleeing cultivators in the marketplace.

The giant bone boats also accelerated, charging straight toward the flying talisman artifacts rising into the air.

Wang Yu had already sprinted to the slope at the valley’s edge; seeing this scene from afar, he shuddered, turned, and leapt down the opposite side of the slope without looking back.