txolops Chapter 93 What ominous divination? This is an opportunity!
Chapter 93 What ominous divination? This is an opportunity!
Inside the huge cave dwelling.
Yu Xing gathered the reinforcements led by Lü Tianmeng and the original garrisoned cultivators.
The existing defensive formations and daily patrol arrangements of the spirit stone mine were described in detail.
As the team leader, Lü Tianmeng took the lead and began to deploy new defenses.
He took out a set of "Four Fiends Formation" equipment consisting of more than a dozen array plates and dozens of array flags, and directed everyone to set it up inside the original illusion array, forming a double defense system that could both attack and defend.
Once activated, the Four Fiends Formation forms a gray light shield that combines defense and counterattack capabilities, making it far more stable than the previous single illusion formation.
He then divided all the monks into groups, taking turns to patrol and guard the canyon and mine entrances, while the rest could meditate and recover in the caves or their own temporarily constructed stone chambers.
And it was strictly forbidden for anyone to venture deep into the mine shafts without authorization.
Lin Chuan and Han Li were assigned to the same patrol group and were among the first to carry out the mission.
The monotonous patrols continued for half a month. Apart from the sandstorms, nothing unusual happened on the wasteland.
When it was time to rest, Lin Chuan did not seize the time to recover his mana or study spells like other cultivators. Instead, he turned his attention to the mine tunnels of the spirit stone mine.
He used his rest time to quietly sneak into the depths of the mine.
The area is a maze of passages, with numerous abandoned branches and countless forks in the road. The deeper one goes, the more chaotic and mixed the spiritual energy becomes, interfering with even the most discerning spiritual senses. It is the perfect place to search for that deeply hidden ancient teleportation array.
Lin Chuan was prepared. During the time he was lying in wait for the support team, he used some ordinary materials to make dozens of small puppets that looked like pangolins and geckos.
These puppets are only the size of a palm, move silently, are adept at traversing rock crevices and narrow passages, and consume very little energy. They are powered by small, embedded low-grade spirit stones and can operate continuously for months.
He released these small beast puppets in batches, instructing them to explore the abandoned mine tunnels in different directions, searching for any abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations, ancient artificial traces, or runes or array remnants related to teleportation arrays.
The puppet contains a trace of Lin Chuan's divine consciousness. Once it discovers something, it will transmit a simple signal in a special way.
However, the search did not go smoothly.
The mine tunnels were too deep and too wide, limiting the little golem's exploration range. Many areas were blocked by rubble left over from mining, or filled with dangerous poisonous gas and unstable rock formations.
For several days in a row, the information transmitted back by the released puppets was nothing but worthless repetition.
The daily updated divination results are mostly neutral and do not reveal any useful information about the location of the teleportation array.
Time passed by in a somewhat anxious wait and search, and two months quickly went by.
During this period, the seven sects successively sent several more batches of reinforcements to this important spirit stone mine, increasing the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the canyon to more than ten, and the number of Qi Refining cultivators to more than fifty. The defensive strength was greatly enhanced.
The newly arrived cultivators brought some news from the front lines, the most eye-catching of which was the "big news" about Spirit Beast Mountain.
According to the excited recounts of these new reinforcements, the Spirit Beast Mountain, one of the seven sects, was actually a branch of the Yuling Sect, one of the six sects of the demonic path, which had planted spies in the Yue Kingdom many years ago!
This invasion by the demonic forces aims to coordinate an attack from within the Spirit Beast Mountain, repeating the remarkable success of quickly conquering the Jiang Kingdom and the Cheqi Kingdom.
However, after thousands of years of independent inheritance and development, the upper level of Spirit Beast Mountain has long been a self-contained entity, with its interests deeply intertwined with the seven factions of Yue Kingdom. It is unwilling to be controlled by the Spirit Control Sect and become cannon fodder.
They secretly colluded with the high-ranking members of the other six factions, pretending to cooperate with the demonic path, and lured an elite demonic team led by two Core Formation cultivators to launch a sneak attack on a key stronghold of one of the seven factions.
As a result, this demonic team stepped into the ambush carefully laid by the seven sects halfway there, and suffered a crushing defeat with heavy casualties.
It is said that two Core Formation stage cultivators were killed on the spot!
Ling Shou Shan fought "fighting to the death" in this battle and suffered considerable losses, which made them appear even more "loyal".
The news of this "brilliant victory" was like a shot in the arm for the Yue Kingdom's cultivation community, which was shrouded in gloom and low morale.
Inside the cave dwelling in the canyon, besides the newly arrived reinforcements, even the previously worried old man Yu Xing and the Qi Refining disciples who had been stationed there for a long time and were on edge showed a long-lost look of excitement and hope. Their tone of voice was also much lighter when they talked, as if they had seen the dawn of victory.
Only Lin Chuan watched the crowd's jubilation with a cold eye, his heart unmoved, even carrying a hint of sarcasm.
As a transmigrator, he clearly remembered that this so-called "great victory" and the "unwavering loyalty" of the Spirit Beast Mountain were nothing more than a charade put on by the demonic path and the Spirit Beast Mountain for the seven factions of Yue Kingdom!
The goal was to gain the complete trust of the seven factions and lull them into a false sense of security, so that they could deliver a fatal blow from within at the most critical moment of the future war.
Who knows if those two Core Formation cultivators who were "lost" were pawns who were already arranged to be sacrificed?
The current excitement is nothing more than a brief, false prosperity before destruction.
He became even more determined to find the teleportation array and leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.
Another half month of peaceful days passed.
It was Lin Chuan's day off. He sat cross-legged in the makeshift stone chamber, waiting for the divination results to be updated.
A golden light appeared before my eyes:
Today's divination result: Moderately inauspicious.
[The divination reads: Today, a demonic squad attacked the spirit stone mine. The cultivators guarding the mine were no match for them and chose to retreat through a secret passage. During the retreat, the demonic forces used an earth-shaking talisman, causing the passage to collapse. After you exited the collapsed area, you discovered Lu Tianmeng and his group from Spirit Beast Mountain in a passage. Soon after, you discovered an ancient teleportation array. Lu Tianmeng wanted to keep the secret of the ancient teleportation array for himself and ambushed you while everyone was working together to deal with the Blood Jade Spider...]
"They're here!"
A glint flashed in Lin Chuan's eyes; far from being afraid, he was actually somewhat expectant.
"It seems that only the Earth-Shaking Talisman can blast open the internal passage where that ancient teleportation array is located."
He understood.
As for the "moderately inauspicious" omen indicated by the divination, Lin Chuan didn't pay much attention to it.
Lü Tianmeng? A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, he might have some tricks up his sleeve, but he wasn't worth taking seriously.
The only thing to be wary of is the Blood Jade Spider lurking near the teleportation array, and other possible variables.
He continued to close his eyes and regulate his breathing, adjusting himself to his optimal state. At the same time, he checked several key magical artifacts, talismans, and the array plates and flags of the "Yellow Sand Small Array" on his body.
It was just past noon.
"Ugh—!!!"
The sharp, piercing alarm suddenly shattered the tranquility of the canyon!
Immediately following was Lü Tianmeng's urgent roar, imbued with magical power, echoing within the canyon:
"Enemy attack! The demonic villains are here! Everyone, move out immediately and prepare to meet them!"
Lin Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, stood up slowly, straightened his robes, and then calmly walked out of the stone chamber.
At this moment, above the canyon, the Four Fiends Formation, which was originally in a semi-activated state, was now operating at full power. The pale gray light shield firmly protected the entire canyon area, and the runes on the surface of the light shield flowed, exuding a murderous aura.
Lu Tianmeng from Spirit Beast Mountain, along with Han Wushuang, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Huadaowu who came to reinforce them, hovered side by side below the inner side of the Four Fiends Formation. They were currently in charge of the seven sects of cultivators at the Spirit Stone Mine.
Both of them had solemn expressions as they looked up at the light barrier at the top of the canyon, their magical power faintly visible.
Behind them were a dozen or so cultivators on duty that day, most of them looking tense, gripping their magical artifacts tightly, and looking up at the sky.
Only when they saw Lin Chuan, Han Li, and other cultivators on rest rushing out of various caves and stone chambers and joining the formation did the expressions of these on-duty cultivators calm down slightly.
Above the Four Fiends Formation's light barrier, more than thirty cultivators were floating! Moreover, each of them exuded an aura of Foundation Establishment!
These uninvited guests were divided into two groups: one group wore fiery red clothes, and the other group wore earthen yellow robes. Judging from the situation, they seemed to belong to two different demonic sects.
The two people in the lead were a young girl in red with an ordinary appearance but a hint of arrogance in her eyes, and an old man in yellow with a sinister face, who looked to be around sixty or seventy years old.
The two were not top-tier cultivators; the girl was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and the old man was at the late stage. They were standing side by side, chatting with relaxed smiles, as if victory was assured.
Lin Chuan understood immediately: the one in red was a cultivator from the Demon Flame Sect, and the young girl was presumably the young sect leader. The one in yellow was a disciple of the Heavenly Fiend Sect. The two sects had joined forces, clearly indicating they had come prepared.
Above, the old man in yellow seemed to have reached an agreement with the girl in red. Suddenly, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Make your move!"
Instantly, the dozen or so yellow-robed cultivators from the Heavenly Fiend Sect beside him transformed into streaks of yellow light, swooping down like meteors, and various magical artifacts and spiritual spells bombarded the gray light shield of the Four Fiends Formation like a torrential rain!
"Boom! Boom boom!"
The light shield vibrated violently, emitting a dull roar.
"Counterattack! We can't let them attack the formation with all their might!" Lü Tianmeng shouted the order. "First and third squads, go out and meet them! Engage them! Rely on the formation, fight and retreat!"
Lin Chuan and Han Li happened to be assigned to the "First Squad". The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of caution in each other's eyes.
Without saying much, they, along with four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators and nearly thirty Qi Refining disciples, flew out through the passage reserved in the great formation to meet the Heavenly Fiend Sect cultivators.