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墨書 Inktalez
In the Green Forest, Li Hong sat cross-legged on the ground, operating the third technique of the Six Spirit Salty Ritual.
Inside the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, a light golden liquid Awareness was rapidly spinning. The Supreme Celestial Stone in his hand was shrinking quickly. A rich Multicolored Spiritual Energy continuously flowed through the labor palace point in his palm, entering the Pericardium Meridian, then ascending into the Upper Dantian before circulating down through the Ren Meridian, flowing throughout his body's extraordinary meridians.
After a Great Circulation, the Multicolored Spiritual Energy transformed into Awareness and compressed into a liquid state.
Li Hong's current method could be described as opportunistic. With the vast amount of Supreme Celestial Stones in the Cosmic Bag, his progress was rapid. The liquid Awareness in the Purple Palace grew larger, and the small Fake Dan at its center gradually deepened in its bright golden hue.
Li Hong understood well that it was likely due to needing to form ten Golden Pills simultaneously or because this large Golden Pill was exceptionally strange, requiring an immense amount of energy. In reality, he was still far from truly forming a Golden Pill. Up until now, there were no signs of activating the Heart Demon Barrier.
His cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Heart Refinement, yet on the surface, it remained at the Mid Stage of Cautionary Practice. The Heart Demon Barrier had yet to appear, leaving him puzzled. It seemed he was at a bottleneck stage.
This Supreme Celestial Stone was small and was soon absorbed completely. Li Hong stood up and stretched his legs.
The sky was already dimly lit. He walked to the back of the building to pick up a shoulder pole and water bucket in preparation for fetching water to wash up.
Little Fei silently slipped out from behind the porch, its green eyes staring at him for a moment before lazily returning to the main hall.
Inside, Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball were curled up together sleeping soundly, with large clusters of golden Revival Maple branches piled up to the ceiling beside them; their bodies were almost buried within.
These branches had been cut two days ago, and even now, the three little ones had not finished gnawing on them. They certainly had enough food now.
Little Fei jumped onto Silver Ball's back to find its usual sleeping spot, stretched lazily, closed its eyes, and began to snore again... It believed Li Hong did not need its company.
Clever little thing! Li Hong chuckled as he glanced toward the second floor. Chuxiong was still cultivating; a red glow flickered at the window, illuminating the entire second floor as if it were on fire.
He quietly lifted the water bucket and circled around the Green Pavilion toward the waterfall on the front mountain.
As he turned a bend on the mountain path, a tremendous sound of rushing water immediately roared in his ears. Li Hong reached the Azure Stone Bridge and extended his bucket into the waterfall, quickly filling it up. He carried the bucket back with nimble steps; both buckets hardly swayed at all. Just as he crossed over the bridge, he paused and listened intently.
There were unusual movements coming from halfway up the mountain. Several people were moving quickly as if something was happening.
At that moment, Li Hong's gaze flickered, and he immediately set down the water bucket and flew toward the mountainside. His white figure glided down like a large bird spreading its wings, gracefully descending through the treetops.
The sky was still early, and in front of the Three-Story Pavilion, several Wingless Ships were haphazardly parked on the Clearing, seemingly having landed in a hurry. A dozen figures were gathered in front of the Three-Story Pavilion, moving restlessly. Upon seeing Li Hongfei arrive, they all looked at him, and someone said, "Alright, Brother Chu Hong is here. He has influence; let's talk to him and have him go to Nine Separation Peak to bring Grandmaster back to make a decision."
"What happened?" Li Hong asked in surprise. He recognized these dozen people as disciples under Ling Shizi, Master Uncle. This month it was their turn to be on duty, handling kitchen duties and purchases.
One person stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "The sixteen of us went out together to make purchases, but due to the ongoing battles everywhere, we couldn't find much. We went to Jiangnan instead. However, Brother Chulin has gone missing; we've searched for a long time but couldn't find him, so we had no choice but to come back first. Grandmaster is not here; we ask you for help, Brother Chu Hong." He looked at Li Hong, his face clearly showing signs of anxiety in the morning light.
Someone is missing? Li Hong pondered; this matter seemed significant. He nodded, "I'll head to Nine Separation Peak right away."
"I'll go," someone hurriedly flew over. Li Hong saw it was his senior brother Chuming. He had also been alerted and came quickly. The two exchanged a few brief words before Chuming immediately took flight on his sword toward Nine Separation Peak.
The disciple was puzzled and continued muttering to himself, "Brother Chulin has always been cautious; how could he go missing? It's really strange."
Li Hong felt a sinking sensation in his heart and asked for details about what had happened.
Since the war had intensified, items and food that could previously be purchased in the Capital of Jingzhao or Taiyuan Prefecture were now completely unavailable. The dozen of them were responsible for this month's purchasing task for Nine Vermilion Peaks, so they went to Jiangnan. After several years of conflict, they had made this trip multiple times and were quite familiar with the route. They quickly procured the necessary items and only stayed one night before returning to Mountain Gate.
They entered Mountain Gate not through the Heaven and Earth Platform or Azure Oil Temple exit but through another exit at the Jiangnan outer sect's Taoist temple. That temple had significantly reduced in scale but still had dedicated elders and outer sect Steward Disciples guarding it. However, just before entering, it seemed that Chulin noticed something amiss and turned back out of the temple. After that, he never returned.
The group waited around for him but found nothing after searching thoroughly nearby; feeling increasingly suspicious and not daring to linger any longer, they informed the elders and activated the teleportation back.
Li Hong pondered deeply. The Heaven and Earth Platform had several fixed teleportation points leading to the outside world; Luliang's Azure Oil Temple was one such point. The Western Region was another but had been destroyed in the last great battle. Now they knew about the Jiangnan exit as well. How many teleportation points did Heaven and Earth Platform actually have?
This Heaven and Earth Platform was indeed extraordinary in its utility.
Putting that aside for now, the biggest issue was that the Western Region Exit had already been exposed and destroyed; what about the Jiangnan exit? Thinking about this made cold sweat break out; could it be that the Demon Sect Monsters had discovered the Jiangnan exit as well?
He quickly asked, "Did you notice anyone following you while making purchases?"
The disciples exchanged glances with each other; some began to feel frightened.
After a while, someone whispered, "It seems there isn't, but who can say for sure? We won't be discovered by the Demon Sect Monster, will we?"
"Then do you remember to be careful in hiding your tracks?" Li Hong asked.
"Of course! Ever since the Immortal Sect and Demon Sect started fighting again, everyone has been extremely cautious. When going out, we disguise ourselves as ordinary commoners and change our outfits each time. Brother Chu Hong, look, we haven't even changed our clothes yet," said the person, tugging at his collar.
In the faint morning light, Li Hong could see clearly. He was indeed not wearing the standard white silk robe of the Nine Li Sect disciples but rather a hemp shirt typical of common folk. He had a black silk headscarf wrapped around his head and was wearing straw shoes. The other disciples were dressed similarly. This kind of attire was usually worn by merchants with some money; it was neither too flashy nor shabby, striking a balance that should not attract attention.
Li Hong thought carefully and walked into the Wingless Ship to take a look. There were some food supplies inside, but not much. He turned to Ask the Way and asked, "Where are the items you bought? What kind of livestock did you bring when you went out?"
They were left speechless.
After a while, someone finally replied, "When it's our turn to buy supplies, we can borrow the public storage bags which can hold several carts of items. Who would still bring livestock…"
At this point, his voice trailed off as he understood the underlying issue.
Li Hong smiled wryly and said, "You all dress like you're going out to buy things, but with so many people here, no one is carrying packages or luggage, and no one brought livestock or baskets. The items you bought have vanished in an instant. Tell me, how big of a flaw is that?"
"Chu Hong is right!" A figure descended swiftly; it was Spirit Stone, followed closely by the senior brother Chuming.
Spirit Stone's eyes widened in anger as he shouted, "You fools! Do you still think this is a peaceful time? We're currently at war with the Demon Sect! I've said it hundreds of times before; when going out to buy supplies, you must be extremely careful. If you think you won't make mistakes just because you're used to it, look! Even Chu Hong, who has never been outside, thinks there's something wrong with you. Not to mention that the Demon Sect Monster is searching for us everywhere!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "If this time the Jiangnan exit is exposed, you'll be the ones responsible! You won't be on duty this month; I'll have your master Ling Shizi come over!"
The group of over ten people left in dejection.
Li Hong scratched his head and laughed, "Master, don't be so tense; it's not a big deal..."
Before he could finish speaking, Spirit Stone interrupted him angrily: "Don't plead for them! I'm going to report to the sect leader immediately. If there's nothing wrong, that's best; if there is something wrong, none of us will have good days ahead!" He grew more flustered as he spoke and quickly took off towards Nine Separation Peak.
Before long, Zhu Feng Ling's clear voice echoed throughout Nine Li Cave Heaven.
The Elders responded promptly; this time it was to investigate the Jiangnan exit.
Li Hong looked up at the beams of sword light swiftly flying towards Nine Separation Peak, feeling a hint of worry in his heart.
Days passed, and bad news came one after another.
The Elders gathered to investigate, which was certainly much more effective than the low-ranking disciples conducting their own inquiries. They quickly discovered that there were traces left by Demon Sect Monsters near Jiangnan Daoist Temple. Chulin had vanished without a trace, and it was certain that he was in grave danger.
At this point, no one cared about his life or death; although it was somewhat cruel, everyone was more concerned about the exposed situation at the Jiangnan exit. Ling Xuzi swiftly responded by announcing the closure of the Jiangnan exit and preparing to withdraw all Elders and Outer Sect Steward Disciples stationed there.
However, it was too late. Before the order could be issued, the Elders and Outer Sect disciples stationed there were ambushed by the Demon Sect.
No one knew the exact number of Demon Sect members involved. However, according to the Elders who managed to retreat in time, the main attackers from the Demon Sect were at least at the Golden Core Stage, and there were too many to count. Moreover, there were over a dozen extremely powerful presences in the air above the Daoist temple, all at least equivalent to Old Demons of Nascent Soul Stage.
In a state of panic, the Jiangnan exit was quickly closed, but most of the Elders outside did not make it back in time.
Inside Nine Li Peak Great Hall, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive as everyone lowered their heads with grim expressions. Ling Xuzi's hands tightly gripped the arms of his hard Black Jade Chair.
Currently, Nine Li Sect had only a little over two hundred Elders above Golden Core Stage. This time, more than ten Long Old Eight were sent to join the Immortal Sect forces, leaving less than one hundred fifty remaining inside. This included various Elder Brothers and supervising Elders, many of whom had their own duties to attend to. It was certain that those thirty or so Elders outside would sacrifice themselves, and there was also one Ancestor at Nascent Soul Stage inside. Perhaps everyone except him would not return, and maybe even that Nascent Soul Stage Ancestor would not come back either.
This already meant a significant loss of strength for Nine Li Sect.
Ling Xuzi's heart bled as he pressed his hands into the armrests, leaving deep finger marks. After a while, he raised his head with tears glistening in his eyes: “We will wait for ten days. If there is no news after ten days, it means they have all perished. At that time, we will reopen the ancestral hall for public mourning. But now, I have something I want to get everyone's consent on: I want to temporarily close Heaven and Earth Platform. What do you all think?”
He did not want to do this but felt he had no choice. The Heaven and Earth Platform had several fixed entrances and exits for teleportation. As long as the Demon Sect captured an Elder and activated the teleportation spell, this exit would automatically open and send enemies directly to Heaven and Earth Platform opposite Nine Separation Peak in Nine Li Cave Heaven.
This absolutely could not happen! It would be like opening the door for enemies to enter!
Just thinking about those Elders who would never return filled Ling Xuzi with deep sorrow and guilt.
The people in the hall nodded in silence. No one opposed Ling Xuzi's plan. Although Heaven and Earth Platform was convenient for entry and exit, it was not easy to guard. It was a two-way fixed Teleportation Array. Closing it now was the best course of action; even if the Demon Sect captured hostages, they still could not enter.
"What about the Li Fire Formation passage?" asked Spirit Stone.
"The Array Hall is currently severely understaffed. We are deploying all available personnel to guard several main exits. After all, the Li Fire Formation is quite formidable. Hmph! For the Demon Sect Monster to get in, they must first pass through the Li Fire Formation! I doubt they have that capability! But just in case, we will still station heavy troops inside and outside the Li Fire Formation passage, ensuring that we are completely secure," Ling Xuzi declared loudly.
The Heaven and Earth Platform rumbled, with eight towering Coiling Dragon Pillars spinning rapidly around the platform. Strands of red light flashed across the platform and its base. The entire mountain trembled.
After a long while, the red light suddenly dimmed, and the Heaven and Earth Platform stabilized.
Once everything calmed down, the Heaven and Earth Platform closed. The dragons coiled around the eight Coiling Dragon Pillars immediately lost their vitality, appearing like ordinary stone carvings. A dead silence fell as the mountain breeze blew.
By the Ghost Stream, Yun Jiuzi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky and muttering to himself, "The Heaven and Earth Platform has closed. The last time it closed was Three Thousand Years Ago. It seems this situation is as tense as it was back then. But will there be someone like my master today?"
He took out a Yellow Gourd and took a big gulp of Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Wine. A warmth surged in his chest, and he suddenly laughed: "Now I need to think of a way for Chu Hong to form his Golden Core. I'm quite curious to see what kind of strange Golden Core he will create. Perhaps he will soon become the youngest elder of the Nine Li Sect!"
After a few sips of wine, the face of Heavenly Danzi gradually overlapped with that of Li Hong in his mind. Yun Jiuzi felt a surge of emotions, lost in thought.
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