The Great Terror, Sister Youqin Falls From the Sky

Meanwhile, in a hidden valley, several dark figures lurked within a thicket of bushes, continuously discussing matters.

"Boss, Yang Dang's soul lamp has gone out. The auras of the other four, along with those two disciples from the Immortal Crossing Sect, have also vanished. Something's off here."

The leader pondered for a few moments. "I know it's off, but the arrow is already on the string—we have no choice but to loose it. Is the Dragon Trapping Formation ready?"

"It's ready. It will definitely trap that True Immortal from the Immortal Crossing Sect."

"Good. Since the situation has changed, we'll concentrate our strength and strike directly. Capture those two disciples and lure them into the trapping formation, then lead that True Immortal in as well. Once this is done, we'll have control over the Sixth Princess, and our Restoration of the Kingdom can be completed. Of course, it will also let the Fourth Young Master get what he wants!"

A crude joke drew a few light chuckles from the black-clad men. After sharing knowing laughter, they pressed their hands to their chests and replied, "Understood!"

"Yes!"

The black-clad men dispersed. Half a day later, several of them launched a direct ambush, knocking Wang Qi and Liu Yan'er unconscious and taking them away.

Fairy Jiujiu, who had been sitting cross-legged in the air above Yuan Qing and Youqin Xuanya, suddenly jolted alert. Her instinct was to rush to their rescue, but then she recalled the warnings from Li Yang and Li Changshou. She promptly brought Yuwen Ling along as well. The distance between them wasn't too great—at most half an hour's travel—so even if something happened to Yuan Qing and Youqin Xuanya, she was confident she could return in time.

Along the way, Yuwen Ling, who had only just stepped into the Immortal realm, struggled to keep up with her speed. She, in turn, was charging too fast. By the time she found Liu Yan'er and Wang Qi, she had already fallen into the Dragon Trapping Formation.

Fairy Jiujiu now looked around at the dense white fog everywhere. Her Immortal Sense probed in all directions, but all she found was an endless expanse of white. She tried to fly out, but could only circle in place, leaving her—never skilled in formations—frustrated and furious.

But soon, she thought of one person: Yuwen Ling, who had lagged behind her.

"Big Guy, can you hear me? If you can, hurry and protect—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

She wasn't stupid. She recalled the warnings from Li Yang and Li Changshou again, and also remembered the strangeness about Yuwen Ling. Yuwen Ling was supposed to protect Youqin Xuanya, yet he had followed her without a word. Adding this trapping formation to the mix, this wasn't just off—it was extremely off. These people's target was likely Youqin Xuanya and Yuan Qing.

"I'm screwed. I think I've been tricked. Damn it, I shouldn't have let him follow, and I shouldn't have let them split up. I wonder if Li Changshou and Li Yang are okay. How infuriating! And this formation—it's driving me crazy!"

Fairy Jiujiu fumed with rage, but no matter what she did, she couldn't escape. Her chest heaved with anger, and the cord tying her linen short shirt seemed ready to snap.

'Star Stones... these things are easy enough to find, but damn, they're a pain to dig out.'

Inside a mine shaft, a dozen or so Li Yangs swung their pickaxes wildly.

This was a small Star Stone vein he had discovered, but unfortunately, most of it had already evolved into various Star Minerals. The unevolved Star Stones lay deep within the vein, forcing him to dig with all his might.

If you asked him why he didn't just use his divine powers to take the entire vein, the answer was simple: Star Minerals and Star Stones were far too heavy. Forget his current cultivation—even his three hundred Origin Immortal clones couldn't budge them! Moreover, because they were so heavy and extremely hard, smashing them into pieces to carry away in batches was out of the question.

He could only try to dig from different angles, disrupt the structure, collapse the vein, and then take it away. But even so, he had to extract the Star Stones first. These things were far too rare on the continent, and any loss would pain him deeply. After all, this material was tied to his Immortal Path.

"Bang!"

The usually crisp sound suddenly turned dull, sending Li Yang into delight.

"Jackpot! Hahaha, I've been digging for nine days and nine nights, and finally hit paydirt!"

Excited Li Yang, Miner Number One, rushed forward and gently tapped around the Star Stone with a chisel, not daring to use the pickaxe. Half a day later, he finally pried the Star Stone out.

"Perfect, fist-sized. This is enough for me to refine a hundred 'Golden Pills'."

Li Yang was overjoyed. A hundred 'Golden Pills'—if all those 'Golden Pill' clones reached the Immortal level, the Star Dou Great Array they set up would provide an even greater boost to his Sanctuary. Most importantly, this vein clearly wasn't fully mined yet. He could keep digging. By his estimate, he'd reach the core in another half day.

Finally, using a technique he had specifically created to detect Star Stones, he could fully survey the remaining quantity and mark them. Then he would shatter the vein and pack it all up.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

The excited dozen or so Li Yang miners once again swung their pickaxes with full force and speed.

As he swung, he pondered.

The Work-Life Balance trait's rest period is now a full eighteen months. In two more months, it'll be twenty.

Converted at a one-to-ten ratio, my next cultivation window is two months.

Two months is enough time for me to break through and become an immortal.

But the moment he recalled the assassination attempt not long ago, Li Yang's cheerful mood evaporated.

In the original story, Senior Brother meets Youqin Xuanya around the twelfth day. It's already the eleventh day now. I'll just have to see if he runs into her tomorrow.

This was Li Yang's test. Logically, his little butterfly had been flapping its wings hard, yet the assassination still landed on Senior Brother. There was no reason not to overthink it.

So this test had to be done.

At the very least, he didn't want to draw the attention of that schizophrenic lunatic right now.

After all, that madman would do anything for so-called "greater trends."

That was why he was so desperate to become an immortal.

If he could ascend before Senior Brother was fully on that person's radar, then even if schemes came, he could stall until the Golden Immortal stage.

Whether Senior Brother was already being watched was the purpose of this test.

Martial Aunt Jiujiu is definitely fine, but Youqin Xuanya...

Sorry!

If this test actually changed things, then for Youqin Xuanya, it might be...

Li Yang steadied his mind, stopped dwelling on it, and sped up his mining.

The Youqin Xuanya of the original story was the original story's Youqin Xuanya. The current Youqin Xuanya had no connection to him.

Half a day passed quickly. Li Yang dug up seven Star Stones of varying sizes.

The largest was the size of a basketball, the smallest the size of a ping-pong ball.

Then, over a dozen Li Yang miners simultaneously cast their techniques, and invisible vibration waves echoed back and forth through the vein.

"The Star Stones in the vein have been marked. Not a small number, but the sizes are a bit small. Still, it's enough. Even a mosquito's leg is meat."

"Now, shatter the vein."

Just as Li Yang began to break the vein, he suddenly felt the earth tremble.

"That's not right? I haven't even cast the technique yet?"

A bewildered Li Yang quickly stopped being bewildered, because the tremor came from a vortex forming in the sky. Then a fiery red figure tumbled out of the vortex and slammed down right in front of him.

The moment Li Yang recognized the face of that figure, every hair on his body stood on end.

"Holy shit, Youqin Xuanya!!"