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After the closure of the Heaven and Earth Platform, all available forces of the Nine Li Sect were concentrated at the entrance and exit of the Li Fire Formation.
The once heavily guarded Elder Peak was now deserted, with all artifact refining and Scripture Repository activities halted. Except for Yue Changzi himself, almost everyone had been reassigned to guard the great formation. Even Yue Changzi's three direct disciples were no exception. The only place still operating as usual was the newly opened Heavenly Pill Hall.
A new regulation was imposed on the disciples of the Nine Li Sect: all outdoor activities were suspended, and purchasing supplies was prohibited, with everything left to the Elders.
It wasn't long before issues arose. The majority of the disciples in the Nine Li Sect were low-ranking disciples. While it was manageable to suspend supplies of writing materials and daily necessities, feeding so many people became a significant problem. Relying solely on the Elders' occasional outings could not procure enough food. It should be noted that there were thousands of low-ranking disciples in the Nine Li Sect.
Most low-ranking disciples could not endure prolonged fasting. After sealing the Mountain Gate, the first issue that emerged was a shortage of food supply. Previously, there were three ample meals provided daily; now only a thin porridge was served at noon, with all meat and vegetables disappearing. Since entering the Nine Li Sect, while they weren't living in luxury, at least their basic needs were met. However, after just one month, many unaccustomed low-ranking disciples fell ill, with many actually succumbing to hunger.
Seeing that this was not a sustainable solution, Ling Xuzi began to assign some Elders specifically for purchasing supplies. After some time, this alleviated the immediate crisis. However, soon after, problems began to arise again.
Although Nine Li Cave Heaven is considered another space, the entrances and exits of the Li Fire Formation are fixed and primarily located near Lüliang. This area happened to be at the forefront of the ongoing war between Song and Jin. Nearby counties were constantly moving troops; Song and Jin were engaged in a seesaw battle here, with frequent advances and retreats. The common people either died or fled, leaving vast stretches of farmland desolate and nearly devoid of human presence apart from the fighting. It became increasingly difficult for purchasing Elders to find food for thousands of people near Lüliang, leading them to venture further away.
Before long, even those Elders sent out to purchase supplies began to go missing. Ling Xuzi was troubled by this situation. Upon Spirit Stone's suggestion, he decided to form a Patrol Team to patrol near Lüliang—one part to assist purchasing Elders and another part to keep watch for any sudden appearances of Demon Sect monsters.
The lack of manpower was currently the biggest issue. Even so, Ling Xuzi did not draw personnel from Heavenly Pill Hall. He thought that as long as they could refine pills, even if it was just Pill of Starvation, it would solve many problems.
Thus, the issue of scarce herbs was brought back into focus.
Ling Xuzi was now busily running around every day like a fire-fighting team, always managing one crisis only for another serious problem to emerge. He wore a worried expression all day long and couldn't even find time to meditate.
In such circumstances, how could Spirit Stone remain idle? He and Ling Xiangzi along with Ling Yi Zi volunteered to take charge of the Patrol Team, drawing upon any available disciples—even those at Refining Heart Stage—from Nine Vermilion Peaks, Nine Purple Peak, Nine Beam Peak, and Jiu Tan Peak to form a Patrol Team dedicated to patrolling outside Mountain Gate near Lüliang.
With tension in the air, Nine Li Sect had entered a standard state of war chaos.
At this point, no one had time to pay attention to updates regarding the combat teams jointly formed by Immortal Sect that were fighting outside; everyone was too preoccupied with their own affairs to worry about the overall situation. The battle situation remained stalemated; most of the time Nine Li Sect didn't even know where their dispatched Elders were located.
The biweekly reports from Immortal Sect had become meaningless documents. They always mentioned going somewhere that might hide demonic traces but encountered no enemies. Or they reported when they did encounter enemy traces—fierce battles ensued with casualties among their ranks.
Fortunately, casualties were not severe and remained within an acceptable range for Nine Li Sect. Ling Xuzi could only focus on immediate concerns.
Li Hong heard that even Refining Heart Stage disciples were needed for forming the Patrol Team; his senior brother Chuming happened to be at Refining Heart Early Stage and had already joined. Immediately feeling inspired, he approached Spirit Stone volunteering for duty but was promptly scolded back by Spirit Stone with just one sentence.
He glared with his yellow eyes and shouted, "Don't cause me trouble at this moment! Think about those two things in your Upper Dantian; do you think I can take you? Stop dreaming and just focus on your cultivation!"
After saying that, he hurriedly left.
Li Hong was so angry that he could only stare, feeling helpless. He was extremely frustrated and flew over to Yun Jiuzi to vent his feelings. In the end, he thought Yun Jiuzi would comfort him, but instead, he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Spirit Stone is right! If you get caught by the Demon Sect, the entire Nine Li Sect will be exposed. You have to remember that because of that old dragon, you can pass through the Li Fire Formation without fear of True Fire! The Li Fire Formation is our last line of defense in Nine Li Cave Heaven. At this critical moment, it’s best for you to stay calm."
Li Hong wanted to say that he had the Forehead Band to disguise himself, but Yun Jiuzi saw through his thoughts and laughed, "That thing is useless against those Old Demons. Not to mention what's in your Upper Dantian; just your physique is something the Demon Sect covets. They might grab you as soon as they see you. Once they take you back for research, even a hundred or eighty Forehead Bands won't help. Besides, you've already shown your face in front of the Old Demons of the Demon Sect. That person is very interested in you."
Li Hong felt stifled and speechless, so he obediently returned to Nine Vermilion Peaks. Behind the building in the Green Forest, he took out the Supreme Celestial Stone and began to cultivate fiercely. He was already at the Late Stage of Heart Refinement and could easily fast, so he simply closed himself off and didn’t come down from the Summit for an entire month.
However, he was currently at a small bottleneck stage; no matter how hard he cultivated, signs of the Heart Demon Barrier still did not appear. It was as if he were a big-bellied Maitreya Buddha who could consume anything without limit. He absorbed vast amounts of Spiritual Energy, yet the Fake Dan remained a Fake Dan.
One day, after thinking it over, he finally decided to come out of seclusion. Feeling gloomy, he walked out of the Green Forest and shouted at Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball before tossing Little Fei onto the roof. Watching these three creatures angrily howl at him made him feel slightly better.
He laughed heartily and said, "Don’t you have wings? Why don’t you grow some wings and fly down yourself? Hmph! I won’t catch you!"
Little Fei bared its teeth and made many fierce faces before skillfully flipping down from the eaves, leaving him momentarily speechless. He scratched his head and said, "I’ll give you credit for that..."
At that moment, a fleet of Wingless Ships flew overhead, and a loud voice came from halfway up the mountain: "Master is back!"
It was Chuxuan's voice.
Li Hong's spirits lifted as he quickly flew down the mountain.
The fleet of Wingless Ships landed chaotically in front of the Three-Story Pavilion Clearing. He immediately spotted Spirit Stone.
Spirit Stone had been patrolling outside for a month, and it was clear that this month had not been easy for him. He had become much thinner; his face was darkened, his beard and hair were tangled, and he looked filthy as he bent down to carry someone out from the Wingless Ship.
That person was covered in blood, and upon seeing Li Hong's expression as if struck by lightning, he exclaimed, "What happened to Senior Brother?"
"We fought with the Demon Sect; he's injured! No time for nonsense! Quickly help me carry him up; we need to treat his wounds!" Spirit Stone said anxiously.
He struggled with one arm, but Li Hong hurriedly rushed forward to pick up Chuming.
Chuming's face was pale, his breath weak, and his body covered in numerous wounds. His Dantian was nearly empty, with only a faint red dot at the center. This indicated that Chuming had fought until his spiritual energy was exhausted; if he didn't quickly heal and enter seclusion, he might lose all his cultivation, and the wounds were secondary.
After rushing a few steps into the Quiet Room, Spirit Stone immediately drove everyone out, and the door to the Quiet Room closed.
Li Hong walked out of the Three-Story Pavilion with heavy steps, feeling very worried. This meant that the Demon Sect had gained some understanding of the entrances and exits of the Nine Li Sect Li Fire Formation, and now they had come knocking. Although they couldn't enter for now, who knew what strange methods they would come up with!
A fire burned in his heart; Li Hong's expression was grim as he wanted to shout in frustration. His gaze swept around and noticed that both Chuxuan and Chu Liang were present, but he did not see Chuxiong. Just as he was about to ask, he saw a figure rapidly descending from the sky—it was the tall figure of Chuxiong. He called out from a distance, "I heard Master has returned; I came to present my treasure!"
He flew down excitedly, but as soon as he landed, he received a heavy slap from Li Hong. Li Hong shouted, "The Senior Brother is seriously injured; Master is healing him. Shut up!"
Chuxiong was suddenly stunned, and an object slipped from his hand. It was a large Fire Mouse, three feet long, already skinned and cleaned. He murmured, "I wanted to find Master to roast it and drink some wine. Senior Brother, is he okay..." He slumped down on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"You!" Li Hong was furious; no wonder he hadn't seen him after exiting seclusion—he had been thinking about the Fire Mouse. Was this something that could be casually eaten? Just this one Fire Mouse could land him in the Disciplinary Hall for three to five years! Flames burned in his eyes; he almost wanted to kick him.
Chuxuan grabbed him and said softly, "The disciples in the Disciplinary Hall have all been dispatched; even Elder Yue Mangzi has gone to guard the formation. There's no need to worry about violating the Rules of the Sect. Besides, apart from Rice Noodles, meat supplies have long been cut off. This isn't the first time for Old Seven. He just wanted to treat Master."
Not the first time! Li Hong was so angry that his hands trembled, stars dancing before his eyes. However, seeing Chuxiong sobbing on the ground like that made him soften again. He pulled up Chuxiong and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother isn't dead; why are you crying! Quickly clean up this Fire Mouse, and when Senior Brother is healed, we can nourish him back to health. Go!"
********
Three days later, the door of the Quiet Room finally opened. Spirit Stone walked out wearily; his skin had turned translucent white due to excessive consumption of spiritual energy.
Without saying a word, Li Hong tossed him a bottle of Fire Origin Pill. Spirit Stone swallowed three pills in quick succession and silently circulated his mental technique; after a while, his complexion returned to normal. He said with relief, "Fortunately, your Senior Brother's cultivation has been preserved; as long as he enters seclusion for a while, he'll recover."
Everyone rushed into the Quiet Room, where Chuming was weakly leaning against a cushion, showing some color back in his face.
Seeing his junior brothers looking extremely concerned, he smiled and said, "I'm fine; I made you all worry. Sigh, I'm really useless—I couldn't even handle a few Cautious Phase demons; I embarrassed Master too much."
"Don't talk nonsense! Those weren't just a few Cautious Phase demons; there were dozens or even hundreds of them. Those 'things' are definitely problematic." Spirit Stone said solemnly: "This time you brought honor to Master; if it weren't for you, your Ling Panzai Master Uncle would have almost been ambushed by those 'things'." He turned to Li Hong: "How many more Fire Origin Pills do you have in stock? Bring them all out; I'm in dire need of them."
There are still about ten bottles in the Cosmic Bag, all of which Yun Jiuzi had prepared for himself in the Ancient Celestial Field. Li Hong has no use for them at all, so he pulls them all out and hands them over to Spirit Stone.
Spirit Stone hands one bottle to Chuming and carefully puts the remaining ones back into his Cosmic Bag, extending his hand towards Li Hong: "More!"
"There's none left."
"Really none? Don't think Master won't search you!" Spirit Stone really walks over to Li Hong.
Li Hong is quite speechless, spreading his hands: "There really isn't any left."
Spirit Stone finally believes him. He looks at the crystal-clear jade bottle in his hand and muses, "If there were a few more bottles, your senior brother wouldn't be so badly injured. What should we do now? The stock of Fire Origin Pills from Nine Vermilion Peaks has been exhausted, and the inventory from Nine Separation Peak has also run out. Old Six, why don't you ask Elder Yao to try refining some more?"
Li Hong ponders; Master has never been so concerned about ordinary Fire Origin Pills used for replenishing spiritual energy. Thinking about what senior brother Chuming just said about not being able to defeat a few Cautious Phase Demons, it’s absolutely impossible. There must be something suspicious going on here.
He looks seriously at Spirit Stone: "Master, clarify things. What exactly did you encounter out there?"
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