jiàn lín xuān mò mò bù yǔ ， yǐ nà lǎo wèi de jǐ míng xiū shì zì rán yě bù gǎn dǎ rǎo ， shù shǒu zhàn zài yī biān ……
见林轩默默不语，以那老为的几名修士自然也不敢打扰，束手站在一边……
Seeing Lin Xuan remain silent, the few cultivators with him naturally dared not disturb him and stood idly by...
“ nà nǐ men yòu wèi hé duì xiū shì de shēn fèn jìn xíng pán chá ， nán dào wǒ men rén lèi zhī zhōng ， jìng rán hùn rù le guǐ wù de jiān xì ？” lín xuān míng zhī gù wèn de kāi kǒu le ， qí shí àn zhào tā de xiǎng fǎ ， qī jué tiān zhè méi àn qí ， bù yīng gāi zhè me kuài jiù bào lù ， yǐ hòu zài yòng ， xiào guǒ huì gèng jiā de míng xiǎn 。
“那你们又为何对修士的身份进行盘查，难道我们人类之中，竟然混入了鬼物的奸细？”林轩明知故问的开口了，其实按照他的想法，七绝天这枚暗棋，不应该这么快就暴露，以后再用，效果会更加的明显。
"Then why are you questioning our identities as cultivators? Don't we humans have spies among us?" Lin Xuan asked deliberately. Actually, according to his thoughts, this hidden move of the Seventh Extinction Heaven shouldn’t be exposed so quickly; it would be more effective if used later.
“ qián bèi yǒu suǒ bù zhī ， wǒ men rén lèi zhī zhōng ， què shí chū xiàn le bài lèi ， qī jué tiān jū rán yǐ jīng àn zhōng xiàng jǐ wèi guǐ dì xiào zhōng 。” lǎo tàn le kǒu qì ， yǎo yá qiè chǐ 。
“前辈有所不知，我们人类之中，确实出现了败类，七绝天居然已经暗中向几位鬼帝效忠。”老叹了口气，咬牙切齿。
"The esteemed one is unaware that traitors do exist within our human ranks. The Seventh Extinction Heaven has already secretly pledged allegiance to several ghost emperors," the old man sighed and gritted his teeth.
“ shén me ？” lín xuān àn dào guǒ rán rú cǐ ， dàn liǎn shàng ， què shì yī fù jīng yà fēi cháng de mú yàng ：“ qī jué tiān jū rán zuò chū zhè yàng de shì ？”
“什么？”林轩暗道果然如此，但脸上，却是一副惊讶非常的模样：“七绝天居然做出这样的事？”
"What?" Lin Xuan thought as expected, but his face showed great surprise: "The Seventh Extinction Heaven actually did such a thing?"
“ shì a ， zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn ， shuí yòu néng xiǎng dào ， wǒ men yōu zhōu zuì dà de shāng méng ， jū rán shì guǐ wù jiàn lì de jiàn dié zǔ zhī ， zài nà xiē lì guǐ dòng jìn gōng de qián yī kè ， qī jué tiān jiù pài chū le dà liàng rén shǒu ， xiǎng yào pò huài guǐ luó chéng zhōu wéi de jìn zhì ……”
“是啊，知人知面不知心，谁又能想到，我们幽州最大的商盟，居然是鬼物建立的间谍组织，在那些厉鬼动进攻的前一刻，七绝天就派出了大量人手，想要破坏鬼罗城周围的禁制……”
"Yes, one cannot know people by their faces. Who would have thought that our largest commercial alliance in Youzhou is actually a spy organization of ghosts. Just before the ghostly forces attacked, the Seventh Extinction Heaven dispatched numerous people to try and destroy the禁制 around Ghost Net City..."
“ tā men kě yǒu dé shǒu ？” lín xuān yì cháng guān qiè de kāi kǒu ， yào zhī dào guǐ luó chéng lǐ suī rán cháng zhù de xiū shì ， jiù yǒu jìn wàn zhī duō ， dàn xiāng bǐ yīn hún xiá gǔ de shí lì ， yī rán yuǎn yuǎn bù jí ， shuō bái le ， zhè lǐ jǐn shì rén lèi jiān shì guǐ wù de yí gè qián shào jù diǎn ér yǐ 。
“他们可有得手？”林轩异常关切的开口，要知道鬼罗城里虽然常驻的修士，就有近万之多，但相比阴魂峡谷的实力，依然远远不及，说白了，这里仅是人类监视鬼物的一个前哨据点而已。
"Did they succeed?" Lin Xuan asked with unusual concern. After all, while there were nearly ten thousand cultivators permanently stationed in Ghost Net City, their strength was still far inferior to that of the阴魂 Valley. In essence, this city was merely a human outpost for monitoring ghosts.
dāng rán ， yě bù néng duì gāi chéng de shí lì wàng zì fěi bó ， chú le zhǔ chéng yǐ wài ， guǐ luó chéng sì zhōu ， hái zhù yǒu qī bā zuò wèi chéng ， rú zhòng xīng gǒng yuè yì bān 。
当然，也不能对该城的实力妄自菲薄，除了主城以外，鬼罗城四周，还筑有七八座卫城，如众星拱月一般。
Of course, one shouldn’t undervalue its strength either. Besides the main city, Ghost Net City had several other fortresses built around it, like stars surrounding the moon. With重重禁制 and constantly updated arrays, it would not be easy for the ghostly forces to breach this city even after a thousand years.
zài jiā shàng chóng chóng jìn zhì ， yǐ jí wàn nián lái bù duàn fān xīn de zhèn fǎ ， yīn hún xiá gǔ zhōng de lì guǐ xiǎng yào jiāng gōng pò ， yě jué fēi yī jiàn róng yì de shì 。
再加上重重禁制，以及万年来不断翻新的阵法，阴魂峡谷中的厉鬼想要将攻破，也绝非一件容易的事。
"No," the old man shook his head with a relieved expression: "Although the Seventh Extinction Heaven is one of those ghosts’ hidden spies, having existed for nearly ten millennia, not everyone in its upper echelons was willing to become slaves. They could still endure when there were no open conflicts. Now that humans and ghosts are about to engage in battle, someone has informed us."
“ méi yǒu 。” lǎo yáo le yáo tóu ， lù chū yī sī qìng xìng de biǎo qíng ：“ qī jué tiān suī rán shì nà xiē lì guǐ shè xià de àn zhuāng ， dàn chuán chéng le jìn wàn nián ， gāo céng zhī zhōng 。 yě bú shì rén rén dōu yuàn yì dāng guǐ wù dì nú lì ， shuāng fāng méi yǒu sī pò liǎn pí de shí hòu hái néng yǐn rěn ， rú jīn rén lèi yǔ lì guǐ dà zhàn jiāng qǐ jiù yǒu rén xiàng wǒ men tōng fēng bào xìn 。”
“没有。”老摇了摇头，露出一丝庆幸的表情：“七绝天虽然是那些厉鬼设下的暗桩，但传承了近万年，高层之中。也不是人人都愿意当鬼物地奴隶，双方没有撕破脸皮的时候还能隐忍，如今人类与厉鬼大战将起就有人像我们通风报信。”
"The Elder Council will immediately take measures, dispatching elite cultivators to protect the禁制 arrays. The loyalists of the阴魂 within the Seventh Extinction Heaven, seeing their efforts futile, fled out and joined with the ghostly forces. We check identities because we fear spies from the Seventh Extinction Heaven.”
“ yuán lǎo huì lì kè cǎi qǔ cuò shī ， pài qiǎn jīng ruì xiū shì qián qù bǎo hù zhèn fǎ jìn zhì ， qī jué tiān zhōng de nà xiē yīn hún de sǐ zhōng pài jiàn shì bù kě wèi ， lì kè táo le chū qù 。 yǔ lì guǐ men huì hé ， wǒ men jiǎn chá xiū shì de shēn fèn jiù shì pà hùn jìn qī jué tiān de jiān xì 。”
“元老会立刻采取措施，派遣精锐修士前去保护阵法禁制，七绝天中的那些阴魂的死忠派见事不可为，立刻逃了出去。与厉鬼们汇合，我们检查修士的身份就是怕混进七绝天的奸细。”
"Then I see," Lin Xuan frowned deeply, feeling bitter in his heart. Although he had guessed that ghosts were secretly plotting against humans, he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
“ yuán lái rú cǐ 。” lín xuān méi tóu shēn zhòu ， xīn zhōng zé kǔ xiào bù yǐ ， suī rán tā yǐ cāi dào lì guǐ men wò xīn cháng dǎn ， yǔ rén lèi kěn dìng hái yǒu yī zhàn 。 dàn yě méi yǒu xiǎng dào zhè me kuài jiù huì dào lái 。
“原来如此。”林轩眉头深皱，心中则苦笑不已，虽然他已猜到厉鬼们卧薪尝胆，与人类肯定还有一战。但也没有想到这么快就会到来。
Truly, one crisis after another.
zhēn shì yī bō wèi píng yī bō yòu qǐ 。
真是一波未平一波又起。
The Great Battle of Good and Evil was already raging, but the ghosts had inserted themselves into this conflict as well.
zhèng mó dà zhàn yǐ shā dé xuè liú chéng hé 。 guǐ wù jū rán yòu héng chā yī jiǎo jìn lái 。
正魔大战已杀得血流成河。鬼物居然又横插一脚进来。
It seemed that a great calamity was inevitable in Youzhou.
kàn yàng zi 。 yī cháng hào jié zài yōu zhōu yǐ shì wú fǎ bì miǎn zhī shì 。
看样子。一场浩劫在幽州已是无法避免之事。
Lin Xuan sighed and asked a few more questions before leaving for the market. When he arrived, although the market still appeared bustling, it was merely a small fraction compared to now. The number of cultivators there had increased by at least tenfold.
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì 。 yòu xiàng lǎo wèn le jǐ jù 。 jiù xiàng fāng shì zhōng zǒu qù 。
林轩叹了口气。又像老问了几句。就像坊市中走去。
This wasn’t surprising given that most of the ghostly forces in the阴魂 Valley were now attacking human outposts fiercely. According to the reports, while the city hadn’t yet fallen, several fortresses had already been taken over by the ghostly forces.
lái dì shí hòu 。 fāng shì suī rán yě hái suàn rè nào 。 dàn yǔ xiàn zài xiāng bǐ 。 bù guò shì xiǎo wū jiàn dà wū ér yǐ 。 lǐ miàn xiū shì dì shù liàng 。 yǐ jīng duō le shí bèi bù zhǐ 。
来地时候。坊市虽然也还算热闹。但与现在相比。不过是小巫见大巫而已。里面修士地数量。已经多了十倍不止。
Regardless of whether they were commoners or cultivators, no one survived inside; the entire city was bloodied and turned into a true hell.
bìng méi yǒu shén me hào qí guài 。 rú jīn yīn hún xiá gǔ zhōng dì guǐ wù qīng cháo ér chū 。 zhèng duì rén lèi dì jù diǎn měng gōng bù zhǐ 。 gēn jù chuán huí lái dì xiāo xī 。 suī rán zàn shí hái méi yǒu xiàn luò 。 dàn yǐ yǒu jǐ zuò wèi chéng 。 luò rù le lì guǐ men dì shǒu lǐ 。
并没有什么好奇怪。如今阴魂峡谷中地鬼物倾巢而出。正对人类地据点猛攻不止。根据传回来地消息。虽然暂时还没有陷落。但已有几座卫城。落入了厉鬼们地手里。
With insufficient manpower, Ghost Net City could not counterattack. It relied on several禁制 arrays to slow down the enemy’s advance.
lǐ miàn wú lùn fán rén hái shì xiū shì ， wú yī shēng huán ， zhěng zuò chéng shì bèi xuè xǐ ， biàn chéng le zhēn zhèng de xiū luó guǐ yù 。
里面无论凡人还是修士，无一生还，整座城市被血洗，变成了真正的修罗鬼蜮。
At the same time, messengers had already been sent out to various sects for aid from both sides of the conflict. However, with Youzhou already in chaos, even if the forces of Good and Evil temporarily ceased hostilities for the greater good, it would take some time to obtain such support.
ér guǐ luó chéng rén shǒu bù zú ， bìng bù néng dòng fǎn pū ， zhǐ néng yī kào jǐ zuò jìn zhì dà zhèn ， yán huǎn duì fāng jìn gōng de jiǎo bù 。
而鬼罗城人手不足，并不能动反扑，只能依靠几座禁制大阵，延缓对方进攻的脚步。
Moreover, Ghost Net City was surrounded by a large army of ghosts. In other words, their path back into the city had been cut off.
tóng shí chéng nèi yǐ jīng pài chū xìn shǐ 。 qián wǎng gè mén gè pài 。 zhèng mó shuāng fāng ， qián qù qiú yuán le 。 bù guò rú jīn yōu zhōu běn yǐ luàn zuò yī tuán ， jiù suàn zhèng dào yǔ mó dào gù quán dà jú zàn shí tíng zhàn 。 tā men xiǎng yào dé dào zhī yuán yě bú shì yī tiān liǎng tiān 。
同时城内已经派出信使。前往各门各派。正魔双方，前去求援了。不过如今幽州本已乱作一团，就算正道与魔道顾全大局暂时停战。他们想要得到支援也不是一天两天。
In addition to besieging this important human outpost, thousands of ghosts were wandering around, hunting humans outside the city.
ér qiě guǐ luó chéng sì zhōu ， yǐ jīng bèi yīn hún de dà jūn bāo wéi ， huàn jù huà shuō ， tā men xiǎng yào huí dào chéng lǐ de lù ， zàn shí yǐ bèi qiē duàn le 。
而且鬼罗城四周，已经被阴魂的大军包围，换句话说，他们想要回到城里的路，暂时已被切断了。
Cultivators could only retreat towards the Ten Thousand Mountains; most ended up here in the end.
chú le wéi gōng rén lèi zài cǐ chù zuì zhòng yào de jù diǎn ， hái yǒu shàng qiān de lì guǐ sì chù yóu dàng ， liè shā chéng wài de rén lèi 。
除了围攻人类在此处最重要的据点，还有上千的厉鬼四处游荡，猎杀城外的人类。
Lin Xuan didn’t need to seek out such information deliberately. Although cultivators weren’t living in constant fear, many faces showed deep concern. Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they exchanged intelligence. With his powerful divine sense, Lin Xuan could easily gather useful information just by paying attention.
xiū shì men bù dé yǐ ， zhǐ hǎo wǎng shí wàn dà shān dì fāng xiàng tuì bì ， zuì hòu ， shí zhī ** dōu jù jí zài le zhè lǐ 。
修士们不得已，只好往十万大山地方向退避，最后，十之**都聚集在了这里。
As he walked slowly, Lin Xuan began to ponder his next move.
yǐ shàng de xiāo xī ， lín xuān yě bù yòng kè yì dǎ tīng ， xiū shì men suī bù néng shuō huáng huáng bù kě zhōng rì ， dàn dà bù fèn rén de liǎn shàng ， yě dōu xiě zhe shēn shēn de yōu lǜ ， ér qiě bù guǎn hù xiāng rèn bù rèn shí ， dōu zài yì qǐ jiāo huàn qíng bào ， yǐ lín xuān dì qiáng dà shén shí ， zhǐ xiāo lüè yī liú yì ， jiù bù nán dǎ tīng dào duì zì jǐ yǒu yòng de xìn xī 。
以上的消息，林轩也不用刻意打听，修士们虽不能说惶惶不可终日，但大部分人的脸上，也都写着深深的忧虑，而且不管互相认不认识，都在一起交换情报，以林轩地强大神识，只消略一留意，就不难打听到对自己有用的信息。
Ghost Net City was out of the question; it was heavily surrounded by ghosts. Even if his concealment techniques were extremely effective, entering would be perilous.
cǐ shí lín xuān yī biān màn màn de zǒu zhe ， yī biān zài xīn zhōng pán suàn zhe zì jǐ xià yī bù yīng gāi rú hé 。
此时林轩一边慢慢的走着，一边在心中盘算着自己下一步应该如何。
Moreover, according to Lin Xuan’s estimation, even with重重禁制, Ghost Net City might still fall to ghostly forces. Entering would only lead to certain death. Such a foolish act was out of the question for him.
guǐ luó chéng shì huí bù qù le ， nà lǐ chù zài yīn hún de chóng chóng bāo wéi zhī zhōng ， jiù suàn zì jǐ de yǐn nì zhī fǎ zài shén miào ， chuǎng jìn qù wēi xiǎn yě shì dà dào le jí diǎn 。
鬼罗城是回不去了，那里处在阴魂的重重包围之中，就算自己的隐匿之法再神妙，闯进去危险也是大到了极点。
He wondered if he could bypass the ghostly blockade and return to Spirit Medicine Mountain, but this hope quickly vanished. If they could leave, why would cultivators stay here? All exits were heavily guarded by ghosts.
hé kuàng àn zhào lín xuān de gū jì ， guǐ luó chéng suī rán jìn zhì chóng chóng ， kǒng pà hái shì hěn nán dǐ dǎng guǐ hún men de jìn gōng ， chéng pò zhǐ shì chí zǎo ， jìn qù wú yì yú zì xún sǐ lù ， zhè yàng de shǎ shì lín xuān zì rán bú huì qù zuò 。
何况按照林轩的估计，鬼罗城虽然禁制重重，恐怕还是很难抵挡鬼魂们的进攻，城破只是迟早，进去无异于自寻死路，这样的傻事林轩自然不会去做。
After analyzing all the information in his mind, Lin Xuan didn’t find a miraculous way out. Reluctantly, he decided to remain here and wait for developments.
bù zhī dào néng bù néng rào kāi lì guǐ men de fēng suǒ ， huí líng yào shān ， kě xī zhè ge xī wàng hěn kuài jiù pò miè le ， rú guǒ néng zǒu ， xiū shì men qǐ huì shǎ shǎ de zài zhè lǐ dòu liú ， suǒ yǒu lí kāi zhè lǐ dì lù quán dōu yǒu lì guǐ men dì zhòng bīng bǎ shǒu 。
不知道能不能绕开厉鬼们的封锁，回灵药山，可惜这个希望很快就破灭了，如果能走，修士们岂会傻傻的在这里逗留，所有离开这里地路全都有厉鬼们地重兵把守。
Of course, Lin Xuan wouldn’t wait blindly; some preparations had to be made in advance.
jiāng suǒ yǒu de xiāo xī zài nǎo hǎi zhōng fēn xī le yī biàn ， lín xuān yě méi xiǎng dào shén miào tuō shēn zhī cè ， wú nài zhī xià ， zhǐ hǎo jì xù zài zhè lǐ dòu liú ， jìng guān qí biàn 。
将所有的消息在脑海中分析了一遍，林轩也没想到神妙脱身之策，无奈之下，只好继续在这里逗留，静观其变。
Thus, Lin Xuan began frequenting pharmacies in the market.
dāng rán ， lín xuān yě bú huì máng mù dì děng dài ， yī xiē zhǔn bèi kěn dìng shì yào wèi yǔ chóu móu 。
当然，林轩也不会盲目地等待，一些准备肯定是要未雨绸缪。
He planned to prepare "Golden Wound Pills" and "Hidden Spirit Pills," which could aid in healing or support. Compared to cultivation-enhancing pills, these were common in the cultivation world but crucial during battles; they might even save his life. Therefore, he needed to have them ready.
yú shì lín xuān kāi shǐ zài pín fán guāng gù fāng shì zhōng de yào diàn 。
于是林轩开始在频繁光顾坊市中的药店。
These medicinal herbs weren’t hard to find, and soon, he had gathered most of what was needed—just a few more ingredients left. Lin Xuan walked towards the largest pharmacy in the market.
tā zhǔn bèi liàn zhì “ jīn chuāng wán ”，“ yǐn líng dān ” děng liáo shāng huò yǒu fǔ zhù zuò yòng dì yī xiē líng dān 。
他准备炼制“金疮丸”，“隐灵丹”等疗伤或有辅助作用地一些灵丹。
"Red Silk Grass, Purple Gold Wheat, Thousand Leaf Mist. Please wait, I’ll get it right away," a short and plump cultivator bowed respectfully. The current situation was dire; his future uncertain, he had no mood for business. However, facing a condensation stage cultivator, he勉强 managed to muster some spirit and responded.
yǔ zēng qiáng xiū wèi de dān yào xiāng bǐ ， zhè xiē dān yào zài xiū zhēn jiè pǔ tōng yǐ jí ， bù guò dòu fǎ de shí hòu què yǒu dà zuò yòng ， nòng bù hǎo ， hái néng jiù zì jǐ yī tiáo xiǎo mìng ， lín xuān zì rán shì yào bèi qí 。
与增强修为的丹药相比，这些丹药在修真界普通以极，不过斗法的时候却有大作用，弄不好，还能救自己一条小命，林轩自然是要备齐。
Not long after, the cultivator brought the herbs. Lin Xuan scanned them with his divine sense—correct. He placed them in his storage bag, paid enough crystal stones, and was about to leave when the store owner hesitated: "May I ask, esteemed one, are you skilled in alchemy?"
zhè xiē yào cái bù nán zhǎo xún ， hěn kuài ， tā jiù còu zú le shì shí zhī qī bā ， zhǐ chà liǎng sān wèi le ， lín xuān xiàng fāng shì zhōng zuì dà de yī jiā yào diàn zǒu qù 。
这些药材不难找寻，很快，他就凑足了是十之七八，只差两三味了，林轩像坊市中最大的一家药店走去。
Lin Xuan frowned and coldly glanced at him without saying a word.
“ hóng líng cǎo ， zǐ xīn hé ， qiān yè lán ， qián bèi qǐng shāo děng ， wǎn bèi zhè jiù qù qǔ 。” yī ǎi pàng xiū shì diǎn tóu hā yāo ， yī fù gōng jìng de biǎo qíng ， rú jīn xíng shì wēi jí ， qián tú wèi bǔ ， tā yǐ jīng méi yǒu xīn qíng zuò shēng yì ， bù guò miàn duì yī wèi níng dān qī de dà xiū shì ， tā hái shì miǎn qiǎng dǎ qǐ jīng shén ， zhāo hū yìng chéng 。
“红绫草，紫鑫禾，千叶岚，前辈请稍等，晚辈这就去取。”一矮胖修士点头哈腰，一副恭敬的表情，如今形势危急，前途未卜，他已经没有心情做生意，不过面对一位凝丹期的大修士，他还是勉强打起精神，招呼应承。
"Please don’t misunderstand; I only guessed that these ingredients can be used for Golden Wound Pills. Perhaps ghosts will soon attack here, and such healing pills are currently very scarce. If you are proficient..."
Seeing Lin Xuan remain silent, the few cultivators with him naturally dared not disturb him and stood idly by...
"Then why are you questioning our identities as cultivators? Don't we humans have spies among us?" Lin Xuan asked deliberately. Actually, according to his thoughts, this hidden move of the Seventh Extinction Heaven shouldn’t be exposed so quickly; it would be more effective if used later.
"The esteemed one is unaware that traitors do exist within our human ranks. The Seventh Extinction Heaven has already secretly pledged allegiance to several ghost emperors," the old man sighed and gritted his teeth.
"What?" Lin Xuan thought as expected, but his face showed great surprise: "The Seventh Extinction Heaven actually did such a thing?"
"Yes, one cannot know people by their faces. Who would have thought that our largest commercial alliance in Youzhou is actually a spy organization of ghosts. Just before the ghostly forces attacked, the Seventh Extinction Heaven dispatched numerous people to try and destroy the禁制 around Ghost Net City..."
"Did they succeed?" Lin Xuan asked with unusual concern. After all, while there were nearly ten thousand cultivators permanently stationed in Ghost Net City, their strength was still far inferior to that of the阴魂 Valley. In essence, this city was merely a human outpost for monitoring ghosts.
Of course, one shouldn’t undervalue its strength either. Besides the main city, Ghost Net City had several other fortresses built around it, like stars surrounding the moon. With重重禁制 and constantly updated arrays, it would not be easy for the ghostly forces to breach this city even after a thousand years.
"No," the old man shook his head with a relieved expression: "Although the Seventh Extinction Heaven is one of those ghosts’ hidden spies, having existed for nearly ten millennia, not everyone in its upper echelons was willing to become slaves. They could still endure when there were no open conflicts. Now that humans and ghosts are about to engage in battle, someone has informed us."
"The Elder Council will immediately take measures, dispatching elite cultivators to protect the禁制 arrays. The loyalists of the阴魂 within the Seventh Extinction Heaven, seeing their efforts futile, fled out and joined with the ghostly forces. We check identities because we fear spies from the Seventh Extinction Heaven.”
"Then I see," Lin Xuan frowned deeply, feeling bitter in his heart. Although he had guessed that ghosts were secretly plotting against humans, he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
Truly, one crisis after another.
The Great Battle of Good and Evil was already raging, but the ghosts had inserted themselves into this conflict as well.
It seemed that a great calamity was inevitable in Youzhou.
Lin Xuan sighed and asked a few more questions before leaving for the market. When he arrived, although the market still appeared bustling, it was merely a small fraction compared to now. The number of cultivators there had increased by at least tenfold.
This wasn’t surprising given that most of the ghostly forces in the阴魂 Valley were now attacking human outposts fiercely. According to the reports, while the city hadn’t yet fallen, several fortresses had already been taken over by the ghostly forces.
Regardless of whether they were commoners or cultivators, no one survived inside; the entire city was bloodied and turned into a true hell.
With insufficient manpower, Ghost Net City could not counterattack. It relied on several禁制 arrays to slow down the enemy’s advance.
At the same time, messengers had already been sent out to various sects for aid from both sides of the conflict. However, with Youzhou already in chaos, even if the forces of Good and Evil temporarily ceased hostilities for the greater good, it would take some time to obtain such support.
Moreover, Ghost Net City was surrounded by a large army of ghosts. In other words, their path back into the city had been cut off.
In addition to besieging this important human outpost, thousands of ghosts were wandering around, hunting humans outside the city.
Cultivators could only retreat towards the Ten Thousand Mountains; most ended up here in the end.
Lin Xuan didn’t need to seek out such information deliberately. Although cultivators weren’t living in constant fear, many faces showed deep concern. Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they exchanged intelligence. With his powerful divine sense, Lin Xuan could easily gather useful information just by paying attention.
As he walked slowly, Lin Xuan began to ponder his next move.
Ghost Net City was out of the question; it was heavily surrounded by ghosts. Even if his concealment techniques were extremely effective, entering would be perilous.
Moreover, according to Lin Xuan’s estimation, even with重重禁制, Ghost Net City might still fall to ghostly forces. Entering would only lead to certain death. Such a foolish act was out of the question for him.
He wondered if he could bypass the ghostly blockade and return to Spirit Medicine Mountain, but this hope quickly vanished. If they could leave, why would cultivators stay here? All exits were heavily guarded by ghosts.
After analyzing all the information in his mind, Lin Xuan didn’t find a miraculous way out. Reluctantly, he decided to remain here and wait for developments.
Of course, Lin Xuan wouldn’t wait blindly; some preparations had to be made in advance.
Thus, Lin Xuan began frequenting pharmacies in the market.
He planned to prepare "Golden Wound Pills" and "Hidden Spirit Pills," which could aid in healing or support. Compared to cultivation-enhancing pills, these were common in the cultivation world but crucial during battles; they might even save his life. Therefore, he needed to have them ready.
These medicinal herbs weren’t hard to find, and soon, he had gathered most of what was needed—just a few more ingredients left. Lin Xuan walked towards the largest pharmacy in the market.
"Red Silk Grass, Purple Gold Wheat, Thousand Leaf Mist. Please wait, I’ll get it right away," a short and plump cultivator bowed respectfully. The current situation was dire; his future uncertain, he had no mood for business. However, facing a condensation stage cultivator, he勉强 managed to muster some spirit and responded.
Not long after, the cultivator brought the herbs. Lin Xuan scanned them with his divine sense—correct. He placed them in his storage bag, paid enough crystal stones, and was about to leave when the store owner hesitated: "May I ask, esteemed one, are you skilled in alchemy?"
Lin Xuan frowned and coldly glanced at him without saying a word.
"Please don’t misunderstand; I only guessed that these ingredients can be used for Golden Wound Pills. Perhaps ghosts will soon attack here, and such healing pills are currently very scarce. If you are proficient..."