← 百炼成仙

第五卷 天云十二州 第九百四十九章 险棋

Phantom Sun Mountain was located west of Mantis Stone City, about a million miles away. It was one of the famous Fire Veins.

The new main hall of Spirit Medicine Mountain was situated here.

Not only did the place have abundant underground fire resources, but it also had quite decent spiritual energy. Originally belonging to a cultivation family, it had been coveted by Spirit Medicine Mountain.

Thus, there was some competition, which wasn't surprising in the world of cultivators where survival of the fittest reigned supreme—killing and robbing, or competing over veins and mines, were common occurrences.

Although Yunzhou was a holy land for cultivation with overall higher levels than Youzhou, it was rife with small sects and families, more numerous than mushrooms after rain.

The family that had occupied Phantom Sun Mountain was merely an average-sized cultivation clan. Although they had several peak Core Formation cultivators, their strength paled in comparison to the two Senior Immortals of Spirit Medicine Mountain.

Knowing their power was inadequate, yet unwilling to give up a land passed down for ten generations, the family elders rejected Spirit Medicine Mountain's suggestion to leave.

Their boldness stemmed from some advantages. First, they had operated here for countless millennia, deeply rooted and with formidable protective arrays. Second, although Spirit Medicine Mountain had Senior Immortals, they were outsiders, while this clan had some local connections.

In short, they had the advantage of timing, location, and support. Thus, they decided to take a gamble.

But Master Xu Yingsheng was a cunning character. Once he realized Phantom Sun Mountain's importance, he knew he must seize it. He had anticipated every possible scenario.

The outcome of their struggle was predictable: while the protective arrays did provide some defense, expected reinforcements never arrived. They had been bought off by Spirit Medicine Mountain with medicinal pills. Consequently, the family that once controlled Phantom Sun Mountain was now under threat from both sides.

"What a tricky situation, Brother," Xu Yingsheng said. "Although it's clear someone is framing you, our sect has long been at odds with Spirit Medicine Palace. They might exploit this to their advantage."

"Indeed, Old Devil Jia has coveted us for a long time. He won't miss such an opportunity. Moreover…" Master Xu Yingsheng smiled bitterly as he continued: "I happened to be in the rubble field and even fought against the two elders of Mantis Stone City. This makes it harder to clear my name."

"Still, we can't blame you; it's just a coincidence," Xu Yingsheng sighed, trying to comfort his comrade.

"But others won't see it that way. Although Mantis Stone City and Spirit Medicine Palace haven't acted yet, they definitely won't let us off the hook."

"What do you suggest, Brother?" While Xu Yingsheng was the top cultivator of Spirit Medicine Mountain in terms of cultivation level, his intelligence couldn't match Master Xu Yingsheng's.

"Things have reached this point. Explanation is futile…" Master Xu Yingsheng looked contemplative and spoke slowly: "Let's ask for aid from the Spirit Control Sect."

"But Brother," Master Xu Yingsheng frowned, "Spirit Medicine Palace wants to eliminate our sect. The Spirit Control Sect isn't any better; although we have a good relationship with them, it's merely mutual exploitation. They're just as bad as Spirit Medicine Palace. Seeking their help now would be like inviting wolves into the fold."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Let me think…" Master Xu Yingsheng tapped his knee with his finger for a long time before his eyes hardened: "We must take a risk and stir up trouble…." He lowered his voice, using secret transmission.

"What? Brother, this is too bold. If we're discovered, our sect will be the target of everyone's anger!" Xu Yingsheng was shocked, rarely losing composure as an Intermediate Stage Senior Immortal.

"Hmph, if not now, when? As they say, fortune and misfortune come from danger! To resolve crises, sometimes one must take risks," Master Xu Yingsheng's face contorted into a sinister grin.

"Alright, but we must carefully select the disciples for this task. There can be no room for error." Xu Yingsheng's expression was grim as he finally sighed in agreement with his comrade.

Although it was a risky move, if executed well, it might indeed help resolve their crisis.

"This is natural; I'll personally choose them."

In the following months, southern Yunzhou, centered around Mantis Stone City, became unstable. A series of major events unfolded.

Master Xu Yingsheng's robbery of shops in Mantis Stone City, though efforts were made to suppress the news, still spread, causing a stir.

The shop was operated by Spirit Medicine Palace; Master Xu Yingsheng had such nerve! However, some dismissed it as absurd and suspected someone was framing him.

But their debate didn't last long. More shocking events followed.

First, several properties of the Spirit Control Sect were attacked, resulting in dozens of low-level disciples' deaths. Survivors reported that attackers wore clothes with Spirit Medicine Palace's insignia.

Spirit Medicine Palace denied it; they hadn't done anything. Even if there was a dispute between the two sects, attacking dozens of灵动期 disciples wouldn't make sense.

Nonetheless, relations between the two major sects became tense.

That afternoon, another small family allied with Phantom Soul Valley was also wiped out. Although this family had only a dozen members, they were still protected by Phantom Soul Valley. As the saying went, "Even a dog's owner matters."

This act didn't harm Phantom Soul Valley's strength but was like slapping them in the face.

The bodies were destroyed by fire bombs, leaving no clues at the scene. However, someone claimed that Spirit Control Sect cultivators had been seen nearby before the incident.

Considering the three major sects' animosity and lack of unity, everyone began to speculate.

And this was just the beginning.

Over the next few days, attacks on personnel or properties of Spirit Medicine Palace and Mantis Stone City occurred frequently.

Not only did these events affect them; several other sects within a million miles radius were also targeted. The identities of the attackers remained unclear.

Phantom Sun Mountain, Phantom Soul Valley, Spirit Medicine Palace, and Mantis Stone City seemed to be the culprits, as if they were retaliating against each other, leading to chaos. However, closer analysis revealed that all attacks shared a common trait: their targets were low-level cultivators. So far, no peak Core Formation cultivator had been injured, explaining why these attacks succeeded.

The situation was complex, but every sect in southern Yunzhou felt threatened. Suspicion and distrust spread everywhere.

With these events as background, Master Xu Yingsheng's shop robbery didn't seem so significant anymore. Most people began to believe he was indeed framed.

Spirit Medicine Mountain breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Xuan heard the news and marveled at it.

Unlike other sects, although Lin Xuan wasn't entirely sure, he was about 70% certain that this was his mentor's doing—using poison to counter poison, employing risky strategies to resolve crises. Lin Xuan felt pleased.

Although he didn't have much attachment to Spirit Medicine Mountain, as it was where he once trained, he still wanted to help the sect out of its crisis without needing to take any action himself. He found this development quite convenient; originally, he had returned to Mantis Stone City to aid Spirit Medicine Mountain, but now, staying here seemed like a good idea.

Apart from the good spiritual vein, the city was bustling with cultivators, offering various valuable items. Although Lin Xuan had only been in Yunzhou for a few days, he felt lost and decided to stay put, waiting for opportunities.

Of course, Lin Xuan wasn't idle; his first task was to try condensing a demon core again. Success would increase his strength slightly, allowing him to continue practicing Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Technique.

However, before that, Lin Xuan planned to do one more thing: eliminate the Fang cultivator.

During his time at Spirit Soul Pavilion, he had felt an extremely dangerous presence from this person. Moreover, they had chosen a cave near his own, clearly harboring ill intentions.

Although there hadn't been any suspicious actions recently, Lin Xuan still felt uneasy. As the saying went, "A bed is not safe when someone else sleeps in it." He needed to remove this threat to focus on cultivation.

Reading Settings

18px
1.8
65ch
Show Pinyin + Chinese + English