Infiltration

The night was deep, with the bright moon hanging high.

A gentle breeze swept through the maple forest, rustling the leaves with a 'swish-swish' sound.

Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on a large rock amidst the maple forest, silently circulating his profound techniques to refine the high-grade flying sword 'Crimson Dragon' he had won. This was a fire-attribute flying sword that perfectly matched his personal attributes. It was forged using Earth Flame Crystal, which surged from the earth's core, and three rare 'Fire Flood Dragon Pearls' as its core. The sword was four feet two inches long and two inches two fen wide. Its entire body flickered with red light, exuding an imposing heat. It was truly a top-tier magical artifact. According to the common four-level classification in the cultivation world – Magical Artifact, Treasure Artifact, Spirit Artifact, and Immortal Artifact – a top-tier Magical Artifact was considered excellent equipment even now.

He spat a mouthful of vital essence onto the Crimson Dragon. The dragon suddenly transformed into a red light about ten feet long, circling Lin Xiao nine times. Lin Xiao let out a soft hum, his hand seals shifting. The Crimson Dragon twisted and thrashed in the air, stirring up a sky full of red light and heat waves. The Sword Control Art of the Great Luo Pill Dao could only be described as unsightly, but the Crimson Dragon itself was very powerful. Lin Xiao had never seen what true sword cultivators looked like when controlling their swords; he was quite satisfied with its might after using it to cleave a giant rock, about ten feet square, in half.

The Great Luo Pill Dao's Sword Control Art was extremely poor, and its Sword Sheathing Art wasn't much better. True sword cultivators could achieve unity of body and sword, and their intent merged with the sword, wielding infinite power. As for the Daoists of the Great Luo Pill Dao, they could only lug their sword scabbards around. Lin Xiao didn't mind. He slung the Crimson Dragon's scabbard onto his back, controlled the Crimson Dragon to return to its sheath, and then casually ran his right hand over the hilt. He felt he had a bit of the aloof demeanor of a master, which made him even happier.

After initially refining the Crimson Dragon, Lin Xiao took out a bottle of 'Minor Restoration Pills' and swallowed one to replenish his depleted true essence. He then took out the defensive magical treasure 'Scattering Light Scarf' from his winnings and focused on refining it. When not in use, the Scattering Light Scarf was a palm-sized piece of soft, three-colored silk. Once deployed, it could transform into a sheet of colorful, multicolored light that enveloped the entire body, capable of withstanding the full force of a Golden Core Stage cultivator's attack. For a disciple like Lin Xiao, who had only been cultivating for a short time, it was a very good defensive magical treasure.

The Scattering Light Scarf was not of high grade, merely a mid-tier Magical Artifact. Defensive magical artifacts were rarer than offensive ones to begin with.

After initially refining the Scattering Light Scarf according to the refining spiritual art, Lin Xiao tucked it into his storage bracelet. Now, with the Crimson Dragon for offense, the Scattering Light Scarf for defense, and a large supply of Spirit Stones for his use, Lin Xiao seemed to see an incredibly bright future for himself. The Great Dao felt so close at this moment; Lin Xiao vaguely felt that even breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, cultivating a Nascent Soul, and becoming an immortal and indestructible rogue cultivator wouldn't be difficult.

Satisfied, he stretched lazily and gently moved his body. Lin Xiao prepared to end his evening practice for the day and return to his wooden cabin to rest.

Suddenly, a faint sound of air being broken came from above. Lin Xiao quickly looked up, gazing with unconcealed envy at two senior brothers on patrol, who were gracefully flying past on their swords. Sword flight, for disciples of the Great Luo Pill Dao, was no easy feat. In short, as mentioned before, the sword control techniques taught by the Great Luo Pill Dao were truly lacking. Every year, many disciples who obtained flying swords would fall and be sent back to the Pill Room for rescue with broken bones and dislocated joints during their first attempts at sword flight.

"One day, I'll be able to do it too!" Lin Xiao said softly, patting the Crimson Dragon as he watched the receding figures of his senior brothers. He returned to his wooden cabin in a good mood.

The two patrolling disciples who had flown past Lin Xiao's head were also discussing him. This junior brother, who had astonishingly refined a Universe Grade Pill Poison during the sect's grand competition and thus 'luckily' received generous rewards, was truly envied by them. However, who could they blame? They could only say that Lin Xiao had a good master's wife and was indeed very lucky.

Who would have thought that a mere Cosmos Grade Blazing Flame Pill could transform into a Universe Grade Pill Poison after the application of some auxiliary ingredients? Furthermore, it was a Universe Grade Pill Poison that a disciple of Lin Xiao's cultivation level could refine! This was equivalent to the Great Luo Pill Dao possessing a convenient and highly destructive poison, the benefits of which for the Great Luo Pill Dao were self-evident.

As the two patrolling disciples were muttering, a faint fluctuation of spiritual power suddenly came from a distance, as if something had triggered the protective mountain array of Spring Return Valley. The two of them hurriedly turned their sword light and shot towards the source of the spiritual power fluctuation. One of them even had a pre-warning signal flare ready in his hand; if he discovered an external enemy, he would launch the flare to gather fellow disciples to resist the enemy!

The two arrived at the location where the spiritual power fluctuation originated. It was a small river valley entrance, with the river flowing out of Spring Return Valley. The surroundings were desolate, and no one usually came here. Besides Spring Return Valley's protective mountain array, dozens of small warning formations were also set up here. The two patrolling disciples searched the area for a while but found that the protective mountain array still firmly covered the area, and there were no signs of the warning formations being triggered.

"Strange, why isn't there any anomaly?" one patrolling disciple exclaimed in surprise. "Did we just sense it wrong? Even if we were wrong, it wouldn't be both of us at the same time, right?"

The patrolling disciple holding the warning signal flare looked left and right in astonishment, then gently shook his head. Although the spiritual power fluctuation was weak, it was very clear. How could both of them be wrong at the same time?

Just as he was about to signal his companion to conduct a thorough search of the vicinity, his and the other patrolling disciple's shadows suddenly erupted, pouncing on them like living creatures. The two let out miserable cries as their primordial spirits were instantly devoured, and their eyes suddenly emitted two gloomy, deep green lights.

Their bodies twitched for a moment before they fell heavily to the ground.

After a while, they both simultaneously flipped over and stood up. They looked at each other and simultaneously spoke mockingly, "The protective mountain array of the Great Luo Pill Dao isn't as powerful as the rumors say."

"Did you remember all their memories?"

"If you remembered, how could there be a problem with mine?"

"Then, we are now—"

"We are now Lin Xin and Lin Xing, patrolling disciples of the Great Luo Pill Dao. Hmm, our status is quite good; we're even direct disciples of a Purple Robe Elder! Excellent!"

"It is excellent. This identity is very useful to us. Junior Brother Lin Xin, let's continue our patrol!"

"Senior Brother Lin Xing is absolutely right. Let's continue our patrol and wait for the Ancestor to make complete arrangements. By then—"

"Heh heh, heh heh!" The two looked at each other and smiled, their sinister laughter scaring the snakes, insects, ants, and mice in the nearby grass into fleeing in all directions.

"The Jimo Sect is useless!"

"Aren't they? The Blood Kill Demonic Path are also incompetent trash!"

"If we want to succeed, the Ancestor still has to rely on us, the Yin Specter Sect!"

"That's right, that's right! This Great Luo Pill Dao isn't a pushover. What can those good-for-nothings do? At most, they'll just add another merit to someone's demon-slaying achievements!"

The two muttered softly, then flew away on their swords. (To be continued)