suī rán zì jǐ cái jìn jiē yuán yīng hòu qī bù jiǔ ， bù guò duì yú yǒu zhāo yī rì tà rù lí hé ！ nǎi zhì yú dù guò tiān jié ， fēi shēng líng jiè ， lín xuān xìn xīn shí zú 。
虽然自己才进阶元婴后期不久，不过对于有朝一日踏入离合！乃至于度过天劫，飞升灵界，林轩信心十足。
Although Lin Xuan had only recently advanced to the late Essence Spirit stage, he was confident about one day entering the Separation Realm and even passing through the heavenly tribulation to ascend to the Spiritual Realm.
zài yuǎn zhī qián ， tā zhǔn bèi dà lì fú chí bài xuān gé ， hǎo ràng yī fù yú zì jǐ de xiū xiān zhě ， néng yǒu yī ān shēn lì mìng zhī suǒ 。 rán ér bài xuān gé suī xióng bà yōu zhōu ， dàn méi yǒu yī míng wú yīng qī gāo shǒu 。 zhè xiǎn rán shì bù xíng de 。 ń yào zhǎn ， zhè shì yī hěn dà de chè zhǒu 。
在远之前，他准备大力扶持拜轩阁，好让依附于自己的修仙者，能有一安身立命之所。然而拜轩阁虽雄霸幽州，但没有一名无婴期高手。这显然是不行的。嗯要展，这是一很大的掣肘。
Before this, he planned to strongly support the Buxuan Pavilion so that the cultivators who relied on him would have a place to settle down. However, although the Buxuan Pavilion dominated Youzhou, it lacked any Core Formation experts. This was clearly unacceptable. He needed to expand his power, but this posed a significant constraint.
zì jǐ yòu bù kě néng yǒng yuǎn zuò zhèn cǐ chù ， yíng ér xiū wèi tài dī ， rú guǒ zhāo mù yuán yīng qī xiū xiān zhě ， zì jǐ yí dàn lí kāi ， jiù jí yǒu kě néng bèi duó quán 。
自己又不可能永远坐镇此处，盈儿修为太低，如果招募元婴期修仙者，自己一旦离开，就极有可能被夺权。
He couldn't remain here forever; Ying'er's cultivation level was too low. If he recruited Essence Spirit cultivators and left, they might seize control of the Buxuan Pavilion.
lín xuān zǎo yǐ kǎo lǜ guò mén pài zhǎn de fāng fāng miàn miàn 。
林轩早已考虑过门派展的方方面面。
Lin Xuan had already considered all aspects of his sect’s expansion. However, this was a dead end, one he didn’t know how to solve. But looking at the puppet in front of him, Lin Xuan's frown eased.
rán ér zhè ge wèn tí shì yí gè sǐ zhào ， lián tā yě bù zhī dào gāi rú hé jiě jué 。 bù guò kàn zhe shēn qián de kuǐ lěi ， lín xuān de méi tóu què shū zhǎn kāi 。
然而这个问题是一个死诏，连他也不知道该如何解决。不过看着身前的傀儡，林轩的眉头却舒展开。
With caution, he wouldn't absorb any high-level experts until his apprentices formed their cores. But he could bring back some Essence Spirit puppets; it would be a win-win situation.
bào zhe jǐn shèn de tài dù ， zài jǐ gè yā tou jié yīng yǐ qián ， bù gǎn xī nà gāo shǒu ， dàn zì jǐ kě yǐ nòng yī xiē yuán yīng qī de kuǐ lěi huí lái 。 yī jǔ liǎng dé ！
抱着谨慎的态度，在几个丫头结婴以前，不敢吸纳高手，但自己可以弄一些元婴期的傀儡回来。一举两得！
Of course, implementing this was not easy. Although Cloud Province had puppetry techniques circulating, even Wu Yun'er knew something about them, the true masters were limited to only one sect: the Heavenly Craft School.
dāng rán ， jù tǐ cāo zuò yě shì hěn bù róng yì de ， yún zhōu suī rán yǒu kuǐ lěi shù liú chuán ， shèn zhì lián wǔ yún ér yě shāo dǒng yì diǎn ， bù guò zhēn zhèng jí dà chéng zhě ， jǐn yǒu tiān qiǎo mén yī jiā 。
当然，具体操作也是很不容易的，云州虽然有傀儡术流传，甚至连武云儿也稍懂一点，不过真正集大成者，仅有天巧门一家。
Essence Spirit puppets rarely left that school, and even if he had enough crystal stones, there would be no place to buy them from—there was a market for rare items!
duì fāng nǎi yún zhōu qī dà shì lì ， yuán yīng qī de kuǐ lěi ， hěn shǎo cóng gāi pài liú chuán chū lái ， biàn shì yǒu zú gòu de jīng shí ， yě méi dì fāng mǎi 。 yǒu jià yuán shì ！
对方乃云州七大势力，元婴期的傀儡，很少从该派流传出来，便是有足够的晶石，也没地方买。有价元市！
Lin Xuan's brows furrowed tightly. However, difficulty didn't mean finding no solution; it just required the right opportunity. Suddenly, his expression changed as he transformed into a streak of startling light.
lín xuān méi tóu jǐn jǐn zhòu qǐ ， bù guò nán ， bìng dài biǎo zhǎo bú dào jiě jué de zhǔ yì ， zhǐ shì xū yào hé shì de jī yuán 。 tū rán ， lín xuān shén sè yī dòng ， zhuǎn shēn huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng ……
林轩眉头紧紧皱起，不过难，并代表找不到解决的主意，只是需要合适的机缘。突然，林轩神色一动，转身化为一道惊虹……
In the valley, flowers bloomed in profusion, but from outside, they were shrouded in thin mist. A fiery light circled outside several times before being blocked by an illusory array. A flash of green light and Lin Xuan appeared at the entrance of the valley. His face showed no surprise or joy as he raised his right hand slightly, inserting a voice transmission talisman into his palm. He sank his spirit sense.
shān gǔ zhōng bǎi huā shèng kāi ， rán ér cóng wài miàn kàn ， què lǒng zhào zài báo báo de mí wù zhōng ， yī dào huǒ guāng zài wài miàn pán xuán ， jǐ cì shì tú jìn rù lǐ miàn ， dōu bèi huàn zhèn dǎng le xià lái 。 qīng guāng yī shǎn ， lín xuān chū xiàn zài le gǔ kǒu wài miàn 。 liǎn shàng wú jīng wú xǐ ， yòu shǒu wēi tái ， nà chuán yīn fú jiù zhěn rù le zhǎng xīn lǐ miàn 。 shén shí chén rù 。
山谷中百花盛开，然而从外面看，却笼罩在薄薄的迷雾中，一道火光在外面盘旋，几次试图进入里面，都被幻阵挡了下来。青光一闪，林轩出现在了谷口外面。脸上无惊无喜，右手微抬，那传音符就诊入了掌心里面。神识沉入。
Soon, Lin Xuan's expression turned grim. Green light enveloped him as he shot towards the horizon. Meanwhile, in Juelingshan.
hěn kuài ， lín xuān de biǎo qíng jiù biàn dé nán kàn qǐ lái ， hún shēn qīng máng yì qǐ ， xiàng zhe tiān biān fēi lüè ér qù 。 yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， jiǔ líng shān 。
很快，林轩的表情就变得难看起来，浑身青芒一起，向着天边飞掠而去。与此同时，玖凌山。
From afar, one could see a cluster of琼楼玉宇 (jade palaces), the former Blood Shadow Sect headquarters now occupied by the Buxuan Pavilion. After some time, it had taken shape and various prohibitive arrays were set up around it. This was precisely the right time to expand his influence. However, in the grand hall where important matters were discussed, the atmosphere was tense.
yuǎn yuǎn wàng qù ， jiù kě yǐ kàn jiàn yī piàn qióng lóu yù yǔ ， xī rì de xuè yǐng zōng zǒng tán ， rú jīn yǐ bèi bài xuān gé zhàn jù ， jīng guò zhè xiē shí rì de zhǎn ， yǐ chū jù guī mó ， gè zhǒng jìn zhì dà zhèn yě dōu zài zhōu wéi bù xià le 。
远远望去，就可以看见一片琼楼玉宇，昔日的血影宗总坛，如今已被拜轩阁占据，经过这些时日的展，已初具规模，各种禁制大阵也都在周围布下了。
"Head Elder, we can't let this go; we must avenge our deceased disciples!" spoke a tall man standing eight feet high, his imposing figure marred by blood-soaked clothes. He was a Core Formation中期 cultivator. "Revenge? We need to consider this carefully," said an old man in a Daoist robe, stroking his beard. "Agreed. Vengeance begets more vengeance; according to my view, we should send someone to probe the other side's intentions."
rú jīn de ， què qià hǎo shì dà zhǎn quán jiǎo de shí hòu 。 rán ér cǐ kè ， zài zǒng tán yì shì de dà diàn zhōng ， qì fēn què shí fēn níng zhòng 。
如今的，却恰好是大展拳脚的时候。然而此刻，在总坛议事的大殿中，气氛却十分凝重。
Another middle-aged scholar dressed in a Confucian-style robe also spoke up. "Elder Guo and Elder Ma, what do you mean by this? How can it befit our Buxuan Pavilion’s fallen brothers?" The tall man was enraged, his eyes blazing as he glared at the two. However, they ignored him.
“ gé zhǔ ， zhè kǒu qì wǒ men jué bù néng yàn xià ， yí dìng yào wèi sǐ qù de dì zǐ bào chóu ！” shuō huà de shì yī shēn gāo bā chǐ de dà hàn ， xíng mào wēi wǔ ， rán ér ；$ shēn de yī fú què bèi xiān xuè jìn shī ， xiū wèi dào yě bù \}” nǎi shì níng dān zhōng qī de xiū xiān zhě 。“ bào chóu ， cǐ shì hái xū cóng cháng jì yì 。” yī shēn chuān dào páo de lǎo zhě niān le niān hú dǐ ”“ bù cuò ， yuān yuān xiāng bào hé shí le ， yǐ wǒ suǒ jiàn ， hái shì pài rén qù shì tàn yī xià duì fāng de kǒu fēng 。” lìng yī rú shēng dǎ bàn de zhōng nián rén yě kāi kǒu le 。“ guō zhǎng lǎo ， mǎ zhǎng lǎo ， nǐ liǎ zhè huà shén me yì si ， duì bú duì dé qǐ wǒ bài xuān gé sǐ nàn de xiōng dì 。” dà hàn wén yán dà nù ， yuán zhēng shuāng mù ， hěn hěn dèng le liǎng rén yī yǎn 。 rán ér liǎng rén què shì ruò wú dǔ 。“ zhōu xiōng ， nǐ yě bié zháo jí ， wǒ men bìng fēi zhēn duì nǐ ， zhǐ shì jiù shì lùn shì 。
“阁主，这口气我们绝不能咽下，一定要为死去的弟子报仇！”说话的是一身高八尺的大汉，形貌威武，然而；$身的衣服却被鲜血浸湿，修为倒也不\}”乃是凝丹中期的修仙者。“报仇，此事还须从长计议。”一身穿道袍的老者拈了拈胡抵”“不错，冤冤相报何时了，以我所见，还是派人去试探一下对方的口风。”另一儒生打扮的中年人也开口了。“郭长老，马长老，你俩这话什么意思，对不对得起我拜轩阁死难的兄弟。”大汉闻言大怒，圆睁双目，狠狠瞪了两人一眼。然而两人却视若无睹。“周兄，你也别着急，我们并非针对你，只是就是论事。
"Brother Zhou, don't rush; we're not targeting you. We’re just discussing matters."
“ jiù shì lùn shì ？” dà hàn lěng xiào yī shēng ：“ wǒ bài xuān gé jià zhí shí wàn jīng shí de huò wù ， bèi qiān yǐng zōng gěi qiǎng le ， hù sòng de dì zǐ ， yǒu wǔ míng níng dān qī zhǎng lǎo zhàn sǐ ， zhù jī qī dì zǐ ， gèng shì shāng wáng le qī shí bā rén zhī duō ， nán dào wǒ men hái néng rěn xià zhè kǒu qì me ？”
“就事论事？”大汉冷笑一声：“我拜轩阁价值十万晶石的货物，被千影宗给抢了，护送的弟子，有五名凝丹期长老战死，筑基期弟子，更是伤亡了七十八人之多，难道我们还能忍下这口气么？”
"Just discuss the matter," the tall man sneered. "Our Buxuan Pavilion lost goods worth ten thousand crystal stones to the Thousand Shadow Sect. Five Core Formation elders and seventy-eight Foundation Establishment disciples died protecting them. Can we really bear this humiliation?"
“ huà suī bù cuò ， kě zhōu xiōng yě yào míng bái ， xiū xiān jiè ruò ròu qiáng shí ， qiān yǐng zōng běn shēn de shí lì bú yòng shuō ， zài yún zhōu ， yǐ suàn shì èr liú de zōng mén ， guāng shì yuán yīng qī de tài shàng zhǎng lǎo ， jiù yǒu shí yú rén zhī duō yī yī yī yī yī yī ” jiǎng dào zhè lǐ nà dào zhuāng lǎo zhě jiāng shǒu yī bǎi =“ zhōu xiōng nǐ xiān bú yào chā zuǐ ， děng lǎo fū bǎ jiǎng huà shuō wán 。”
“话虽不错，可周兄也要明白，修仙界弱肉强食，千影宗本身的实力不用说，在云州，已算是二流的宗门，光是元婴期的太上长老，就有十余人之多一一一一一一”讲到这里那道装老者将手一摆=“周兄你先不要插嘴，等老夫把讲话说完。”
"True, but Brother Zhou must understand that in the cultivation world, survival of the fittest applies. The Thousand Shadow Sect is already a second-rate sect in Cloud Province with over ten Core Formation Supreme Elders. Even if our Lin Elder is incredibly brave and can single-handedly defeat the Thousand Shadow Sect, how could he handle the seven major forces entrenched here? I’m not afraid of death; continuing to conflict with them would be like throwing a rock at a wall."
dà hàn yuán běn yǐ zuǐ bā zhāng kāi ， zhǐ hǎo bù gān xīn de yòu bì le qǐ lái 。
大汉原本已嘴巴张开，只好不苷心的又闭了起来。
"But those disciples died for nothing. Besides, we might provoke them further," the tall man knew the old man's words were valid but still couldn't accept it.
“ wǒ zhī dào zhōu xiōng xiǎng shuō ， běn mén lín zhǎng lǎo nǎi yuán yīng hòu qī de dà xiū xiān zhě ， kě hǎo hàn dí bù guò láng duō ， hé kuàng nǐ bú yào wàng le ， qiān yǐng zōng suī dú zì kāi shān lì pài ， ér qiě chuán chéng de nǎi shì xiū yāo yī mài ， dàn guī gēn jié dǐ ， tā men nǎi shì yī fù yú wàn fú zōng de shì lì ， jiù suàn lín zhǎng lǎo yǒng měng wú bǐ ， néng yǐ yī rén zhī lì ， tiāo le qiān yǐng zōng ， kě nán dào tā hái duì fù dé le gēn shēn dì gù de qī dà shì lì ， lǎo fū bú shì pà sǐ ， zhǐ shì yǔ qiān yǐng zōng chōng tū xià qù ， bù guò shì ná jī dàn pèng shí tou ér yǐ 。”
“我知道周兄想说，本门林长老乃元婴后期的大修仙者，可好汉敌不过狼多，何况你不要忘了，千影宗虽独自开山立派，而且传承的乃是修妖一脉，但归根结底，他们乃是依附于万佛宗的势力，就算林长老勇猛无比，能以一人之力，挑了千影宗，可难道他还对付得了根深蒂固的七大势力，老夫不是怕死，只是与千影宗冲突下去，不过是拿鸡蛋碰石头而已。”
"This is something that depends on how we negotiate with them…" The old man stroked his beard. But before he could finish, a clear voice echoed in his ear: "Negotiation? Cultivators bully the weak and show mercy to the wicked. You retreat one step, they advance ten. If no one provokes me, I won't provoke anyone; if someone does, I… kill them all!"
“ kě nà xiē dì zǐ ， nán dào bái sǐ ， hé kuàng wǒ men rěn qì tūn shēng xià qù ， shuō bù dìng duì fāng fǎn ér huì dé cùn jìn chǐ 。” dà hàn zhī dào dào zhuāng lǎo zhě shuō dé bù qiāng ， dàn yī jiù yǒu xiē bù gān xīn de kāi kǒu le 。
“可那些弟子，难道白死，何况我们忍气吞声下去，说不定对方反而会得寸进尺。”大汉知道道装老者说得不锖，但依旧有些不甘心的开口了。
"Master."
“ zhè ge ， hái yào kàn wǒ men zěn me yǔ duì fāng jiāo shè ……” lǎo zhě niān le niān hú xū 「 kě tā huà hái méi yǒu shuō wán ， jiù yǒu yī qīng liàng de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr biān ：“ shén me jiāo shè ， xiū xiān zhě dōu shì qī ruǎn xù è ， nǐ tuì yī chǐ ， tā néng jìn yī zhàng ， rén bù fàn wǒ ， wǒ bù fàn rén ， rén ruò fàn ii！：……r……”“ shào yé 。”
“这个，还要看我们怎么与对方交涉……”老者拈了拈胡须「可他话还没有说完，就有一清亮的声音传入耳边：“什么交涉，修仙者都是欺软恤恶，你退一尺，他能进一丈，人不犯我，我不犯人，人若犯ii！：……r……”“少爷。”
Seated in the center of the grand hall, Ying'er, who hadn’t spoken until now, stood up and bowed before the streak of light that entered the hall.
zuò zài dà diàn zhōng jiān ， yì zhí méi yǒu shuō huà de shào nǚ yíng yíng zhàn qǐ ， chōng zhe nà jìn rù dà diàn de jīng hóng bài le xià qù 。“ gěi dà zhǎng lǎo jiàn lǐ 。”
坐在大殿中间，一直没有说话的少女盈盈站起，冲着那进入大殿的惊虹拜了下去。“给大长老见礼。”
"Greetings to the Head Elder."
qí tā de níng dān qī xiū xiān zhě ， tóng yàng lù chū bì gōng bì jìng zhī sè ， duì yú lín xuān zhè wèi yuán yīng hòu qī de dà xiū xiān zhě ， tā men xīn zhōng shì wú xiàn jìng yǎng de 。“ bà le d” qīng guāng sàn kāi ， lín xuān bǎi le bǎi shǒu ， yǐ tā de xìng gé ， běn lái jiù bù xǐ huān bǎi jià zi 。
其他的凝丹期修仙者，同样露出毕恭毕敬之色，对于林轩这位元婴后期的大修仙者，他们心中是无限敬仰的。“罢了d”青光散开，林轩摆了摆手，以他的性格，本来就不喜欢摆架子。
The other Core Formation cultivators also showed utmost respect. They revered Lin Xuan, an advanced Essence Spirit cultivator. "Forget it," said Lin Xuan, waving his hand as he didn’t like putting on airs.
lín xuān mù guāng zài sì zhōu sǎo guò ， zuì hòu luò zài nà dào zhuāng lǎo zhě shēn shàng le ：“ nǐ de fēn xī wǒ tīng jiàn le ， biǎo miàn méi cuò ， bù guò bèi rén qī shàng mén lěi ， nǎ néng rú cǐ cáng tóu suō wěi ， fǎn ér huì bèi rén gèng kàn bù qǐ de 。”“ nà yī dà zhǎng lǎo de yì si ， rén ruò fàn wǒ ， yīng gāi rú hé ？” lǎo zhě liǎn shàng lù chū wèi jù zhī sè ， dàn yī jiù zhàn zhàn jīng jīng de kāi kǒu le 。
林轩目光在四周扫过，最后落在那道装老者身上了：“你的分析我听见了，表面没错，不过被人欺上门耒，哪能如此藏头缩尾，反而会被人更看不起的。”“那依大长老的意思，人若犯我，应该如何？”老者脸上露出畏惧之色，但依旧战战兢兢的开口了。
Lin Xuan’s gaze swept around until it landed on the old man in robes: “I heard your analysis; while it has its merits, hiding and retreating when someone comes to our doorstep won't impress anyone.” "Then according to Head Elder's opinion, what should we do if someone does provoke us?" The old man showed fear but still spoke cautiously.
“ hěn jiǎn dān ， wǒ bù yǐ jīng shuō le ， rén bù fàn wǒ ， wǒ bù fàn rén ， rén ruò fàn wǒ 「 wǒ …… tiān tā mǎn mén ！” lín xuān zhè fān huà yuē dì yǒu shēng ， yī gǔ shā fá zhī qì cóng tā shēn shàng sàn ér chū ， zài chǎng jī hū suǒ yǒu de xiū xiān zhě ， dà duō lù chū le jìn ruò hán chán de shén sè 。
“很简单，我不已经说了，人不犯我，我不犯人，人若犯我「我……天他满门！”林轩这番话约地有声，一股杀伐之气从他身上散而出，在场几乎所有的修仙者，大多露出了噤若寒蝉的神色。
"It’s simple. I already said: If no one provokes me, I won’t provoke them; if they do, I… kill their entire family!" Lin Xuan’s words carried weight as a killing intent emanated from him. Most of the cultivators present had a look of abject fear.
lín xuān què bù kàn tā men de biǎo qíng ， zhí jiē lái dào zhǔ wèi shàng zuò xià ：“ yíng ér ， wǒ zhǐ tīng le gè dà gài ， jù tǐ qíng xíng rú hé ，$$； zǐ xì shuō shuō 。”“ shì ， shào yé 。” lù yíng ér xíng le yī lǐ ， suí hòu yīng chún gǎn qǐ ， wěi wěi de kāi shǐ jiǎng
林轩却不看他们的表情，直接来到主位上坐下：“盈儿，我只听了个大概，具体情形如何，$$；仔细说说。”“是，少爷。”陆盈儿行了一礼，随后樱唇橄启，娓娓的开始讲
Lin Xuan didn't pay attention to their expressions and walked directly to his seat: "Ying'er, I only heard an overview; tell me more about the specific situation."
qí shí shì qíng yě méi yǒu shén me hǎo fù zá de ， bài xuān gé yǒu le luò jiǎo zhī chù ， suī rán zūn zhào lín xuān de fēn fù ， zàn shí hái shì fèng xíng dī diào de yuán zé ， dàn yǐ jīng kāi shǐ wǎng zhōu biān tuò zhǎn shāng lù 。
其实事情也没有什么好复杂的，拜轩阁有了落脚之处，虽然遵照林轩的吩咐，暂时还是奉行低调的原则，但已经开始往周边拓展商路。
"Yes, Master," Ying'er bowed and began speaking as her lips parted.
jīng guò zhè xiē shí rì de nǔ lì ， yě yǒu yī xiē jìn zhǎn ， zuò chéng le jǐ bǐ hái suàn fēng hòu de shēng yì ， yě jiàn mǎng zài fù jìn yǒu le yī xiē yǐng xiǎng 。
经过这些时日的努力，也有一些进展，做成了几笔还算丰厚的生意，也渐漭在附近有了一些影响。
In fact, things weren’t complicated. The Buxuan Pavilion had found a foothold. Although it followed Lin Xuan’s instructions to maintain a low profile for now, they were gradually expanding their commercial routes.
yī qiè dōu hěn shùn lì ， kě shù rì yǐ qián ， què yíng lái le yī cì kǎo yàn 。！
一切都很顺利，可数日以前，却迎来了一次考验。！
After some effort, they made several profitable deals and started gaining influence in the surrounding areas. Everything went smoothly until a few days ago when they faced a test.
Although Lin Xuan had only recently advanced to the late Essence Spirit stage, he was confident about one day entering the Separation Realm and even passing through the heavenly tribulation to ascend to the Spiritual Realm.
Before this, he planned to strongly support the Buxuan Pavilion so that the cultivators who relied on him would have a place to settle down. However, although the Buxuan Pavilion dominated Youzhou, it lacked any Core Formation experts. This was clearly unacceptable. He needed to expand his power, but this posed a significant constraint.
He couldn't remain here forever; Ying'er's cultivation level was too low. If he recruited Essence Spirit cultivators and left, they might seize control of the Buxuan Pavilion.
Lin Xuan had already considered all aspects of his sect’s expansion. However, this was a dead end, one he didn’t know how to solve. But looking at the puppet in front of him, Lin Xuan's frown eased.
With caution, he wouldn't absorb any high-level experts until his apprentices formed their cores. But he could bring back some Essence Spirit puppets; it would be a win-win situation.
Of course, implementing this was not easy. Although Cloud Province had puppetry techniques circulating, even Wu Yun'er knew something about them, the true masters were limited to only one sect: the Heavenly Craft School.
Essence Spirit puppets rarely left that school, and even if he had enough crystal stones, there would be no place to buy them from—there was a market for rare items!
Lin Xuan's brows furrowed tightly. However, difficulty didn't mean finding no solution; it just required the right opportunity. Suddenly, his expression changed as he transformed into a streak of startling light.
In the valley, flowers bloomed in profusion, but from outside, they were shrouded in thin mist. A fiery light circled outside several times before being blocked by an illusory array. A flash of green light and Lin Xuan appeared at the entrance of the valley. His face showed no surprise or joy as he raised his right hand slightly, inserting a voice transmission talisman into his palm. He sank his spirit sense.
Soon, Lin Xuan's expression turned grim. Green light enveloped him as he shot towards the horizon. Meanwhile, in Juelingshan.
From afar, one could see a cluster of琼楼玉宇 (jade palaces), the former Blood Shadow Sect headquarters now occupied by the Buxuan Pavilion. After some time, it had taken shape and various prohibitive arrays were set up around it. This was precisely the right time to expand his influence. However, in the grand hall where important matters were discussed, the atmosphere was tense.
"Head Elder, we can't let this go; we must avenge our deceased disciples!" spoke a tall man standing eight feet high, his imposing figure marred by blood-soaked clothes. He was a Core Formation中期 cultivator. "Revenge? We need to consider this carefully," said an old man in a Daoist robe, stroking his beard. "Agreed. Vengeance begets more vengeance; according to my view, we should send someone to probe the other side's intentions."
Another middle-aged scholar dressed in a Confucian-style robe also spoke up. "Elder Guo and Elder Ma, what do you mean by this? How can it befit our Buxuan Pavilion’s fallen brothers?" The tall man was enraged, his eyes blazing as he glared at the two. However, they ignored him.
"Brother Zhou, don't rush; we're not targeting you. We’re just discussing matters."
"Just discuss the matter," the tall man sneered. "Our Buxuan Pavilion lost goods worth ten thousand crystal stones to the Thousand Shadow Sect. Five Core Formation elders and seventy-eight Foundation Establishment disciples died protecting them. Can we really bear this humiliation?"
"True, but Brother Zhou must understand that in the cultivation world, survival of the fittest applies. The Thousand Shadow Sect is already a second-rate sect in Cloud Province with over ten Core Formation Supreme Elders. Even if our Lin Elder is incredibly brave and can single-handedly defeat the Thousand Shadow Sect, how could he handle the seven major forces entrenched here? I’m not afraid of death; continuing to conflict with them would be like throwing a rock at a wall."
"But those disciples died for nothing. Besides, we might provoke them further," the tall man knew the old man's words were valid but still couldn't accept it.
"This is something that depends on how we negotiate with them…" The old man stroked his beard. But before he could finish, a clear voice echoed in his ear: "Negotiation? Cultivators bully the weak and show mercy to the wicked. You retreat one step, they advance ten. If no one provokes me, I won't provoke anyone; if someone does, I… kill them all!"
"Master."
Seated in the center of the grand hall, Ying'er, who hadn’t spoken until now, stood up and bowed before the streak of light that entered the hall.
"Greetings to the Head Elder."
The other Core Formation cultivators also showed utmost respect. They revered Lin Xuan, an advanced Essence Spirit cultivator. "Forget it," said Lin Xuan, waving his hand as he didn’t like putting on airs.
Lin Xuan’s gaze swept around until it landed on the old man in robes: “I heard your analysis; while it has its merits, hiding and retreating when someone comes to our doorstep won't impress anyone.” "Then according to Head Elder's opinion, what should we do if someone does provoke us?" The old man showed fear but still spoke cautiously.
"It’s simple. I already said: If no one provokes me, I won’t provoke them; if they do, I… kill their entire family!" Lin Xuan’s words carried weight as a killing intent emanated from him. Most of the cultivators present had a look of abject fear.
Lin Xuan didn't pay attention to their expressions and walked directly to his seat: "Ying'er, I only heard an overview; tell me more about the specific situation."
"Yes, Master," Ying'er bowed and began speaking as her lips parted.
In fact, things weren’t complicated. The Buxuan Pavilion had found a foothold. Although it followed Lin Xuan’s instructions to maintain a low profile for now, they were gradually expanding their commercial routes.
After some effort, they made several profitable deals and started gaining influence in the surrounding areas. Everything went smoothly until a few days ago when they faced a test.