Shadow of the Raider Cultivators
After confirming that Song Wen was only a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator, the scholar relaxed considerably. No matter how powerful the opponent was, he would hardly be a match for the six of them.
After Song Wen approached, seeing that Song Wen had no intention of making a move, the scholar signaled the other five to be on guard.
This place is too close to the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine; it's best to avoid fighting if possible. Once they clash, it will definitely attract the attention of the Su Clan, which would be disadvantageous for the six scholars.
He questioned Song Wen sternly.
"Fellow Daoist, what is your purpose in following us?"
"Please don't misunderstand, everyone. I just accidentally discovered that the six of you were monitoring the Su Clan's mine. It just so happens that I have some grudges against the Su Clan, and I want to join forces with you to deal with them," Song Wen said.
Upon hearing this, the six men exchanged bewildered glances; Song Wen's answer was clearly unexpected.
"Fellow Daoist, we are complete strangers. How can we trust you? What if you are a spy for the Su Clan?" the scholar said.
"If I were a spy for the Su Clan, I wouldn't show myself. Instead, I would secretly inform the Su Clan to capture all six of them in one fell swoop."
"Perhaps you're planning to play the long game and lure out the people behind us," the big-eyed female cultivator suddenly interjected.
Upon hearing this, Song Wen's eyes lit up.
There were others behind those six!
With the strength of the six people in front of them, they really pose no threat to the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine. Only if there is an even more powerful force behind them could they possibly pose a threat to the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine.
The intelligence Song Wen purchased at the Ghost Market indicated that the Su Clan had a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who had been stationed at the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine for a long time.
"It seems you all find it hard to trust me. In that case, let's leave each other alone. I'll depart now."
After saying that, Song Wen turned to leave.
"Coming and going as you please? It's not that easy," the big-eyed female cultivator snapped.
Song Wen smiled faintly, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to bluff. If you wanted to make a move, you would have done it already. This place is so close to the spirit mine; making a rash move would only alert the Su Clan. At that time, the Su Clan will definitely strengthen their defenses, and it will be much more difficult for you to do anything to the Redblood Crystal Mine."
The big-eyed female cultivator wanted to say a few more words of reprimand, but the scholar stopped her.
The scholar said, "In my opinion, you are indeed not a member of the Su Clan, but your secret following of us is probably not for good purposes. You simply want to gather information so that you can take advantage of the chaos when we raid the spirit mines and make some profits."
When his scheme was exposed, Song Wen didn't try to hide it and readily admitted it.
"Fellow Daoist is exceptionally intelligent, I admire him. Since there is no possibility of cooperation between us, I will take my leave now, as if we had never met."
"Fellow Daoist, please wait."
The scholar suddenly called out to Song Wen.
"It's not impossible for you, fellow Daoist, to join forces against the Su Clan. If you have the courage, you can meet with us here at noon three days from now to discuss attacking the Su Clan's Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine."
Song Wen glanced at the scholar, then clasped his hands in greeting.
"Thank you for your trust, fellow Daoist."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Wen vanished into the depths of the dense forest as a fleeting shadow.
The big-eyed female cultivator looked at the scholar and asked skeptically.
"This person's origins are unknown; how can you trust him so easily?"
The scholar shook his head and said with a sneer.
"Of course I don't believe him, but he certainly doesn't seem like a member of the Su Clan. I was just misleading him, making him believe that we wouldn't act until three days later."
"In three days, the Su Clan's Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine will have been completely looted by us. Let's go!"
The six figures quickly disappeared from the spot.
Song Wen, who was already several miles away, extended his Divine Sense through the Sacred Beetle Gu and detected this scene, a smile appearing on his lips.
All that previous pretense and maneuvering wasn't in vain; at least we got some useful information.
The other party should be able to take action within the next two or three days.
After stealthily traversing the dense forest and getting away from the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine, Song Wen flew towards Clearpeace Mountain.
Upon arriving at Clearpeace Mountain, Song Wen went straight to the Alchemy Chamber halfway up the mountain.
"Deacon Su, an old friend of mine is visiting, and I would like to request three days' leave."
Su Yuehua, who was organizing the accounts of the Alchemy Chamber, was immediately displeased upon hearing this.
This newcomer, Yuan Cheng, had only been at the Su Clan for a few days, yet he had repeatedly asked for leave, which annoyed her somewhat.
Her voice involuntarily turned stern.
"Alchemist, if you fail to submit enough pills by the end of the month, your monthly salary will be deducted."
Song Wen's expression became conflicted and hesitant, as if he had been thinking deeply before speaking.
"Thank you for the reminder, Deacon Su, but my old friend has come to visit. It would be quite impolite of me not to spend a few days with him. I hope Deacon Su will understand."
Su Yuehua looked up, staring at Song Wen with an impatient expression.
"Go ahead, go ahead! It's not my monthly salary that's being deducted. But remember, outsiders aren't allowed to stay at your place without permission."
Song Wen, beaming with joy, quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, Steward Su. Don't worry, I won't bring my friend to the Su Clan. I'll have him stay in Northland Market."
After leaving the Alchemy Chamber, Song Wen returned to his residence, pretended to pack some things, and then headed towards the Northland Market.
After wandering around the market for a while, disguising himself and changing his appearance, he headed towards the Crimson Blood Spirit Crystal Mine.
Ten miles away from the mining area, Song Wen released six Sacred Beetle Gu Worm monitor the surrounding area and the movements within the mining area.
He then found a Cave and set up the <Qi-Sealing Spirit-Isolating Formation> and the <Nine-Palace Yin-Transforming Formation>.
The Pill Furnace was taken out, and the Alchemy began.
Before coming to the Su Clan, he bought a lot of medicinal materials for Blood Qi Pill and Beast Brocade Pill in the Ghost Market.
These two types of pills are almost gone, so I'll use the waiting time to refine some more.
Song Wen didn't know when the scholar's group would launch a surprise attack on the Su Clan's spirit mine. In order not to abandon the Alchemy halfway and waste the spirit medicine, he chose to refine the Blood Qi Pill, which takes less time.
After you run out of Beast Brocade Pill, you can use Silver-Shining Stone as a substitute.
In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed.
Song Wen successfully refined the first batch of Blood Qi Pill.
After a short rest, just as he was about to start refining the second batch of pills, the Sacred Beetle Gu outside sent a message.
To the north of the mining area, a group of more than a dozen Rogue Cultivator appeared, all of whom were at the Foundation Establishment stage. Among them were the six scholars that Song Wen had previously encountered.
By this time, it was past the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and the dense forest was pitch black.
This group of Rogue Cultivator had a clear objective: they rushed directly to the courtyard in the center of the mining area. Apart from taking care of a dozen or so Su Clan sentries, they did not engage in indiscriminate killing.
The leader of the Rogue Cultivator was an elderly man with white hair and a pine-like appearance, possessing Foundation Establishment Late Stage level.
The old man charged ahead, and as he approached the Small Courtyard, he patted his waist, and a late-stage second-tier ghost general suddenly appeared.
The ghost general transformed into a ghostly shadow, raising its Yin Qi claws and grabbing directly at the large array that constantly shrouded the courtyard.
The great array barrier was attacked and suddenly burst out with a blinding golden light.
The golden light fell on the ghost general, making him extremely uncomfortable, and he hurriedly withdrew.
The sudden change naturally alerted the Su Clan members within the formation.
Dozens of members of the Su Lineage appeared in the open space in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the dozen or so Rogue Cultivator in mid-air.
One of the middle-aged cultivators from the Su Clan, who Foundation Establishment Late Stage, saw the old ghost cultivator and his eyes blazed with rage.
"Jing Lu, it's you again, you evil fiend! You've repeatedly opposed the Su Clan. Do you really think the Su Clan has no one left to rely on!"
Upon hearing this, Jing Lu said coldly.
"My family and your Su Clan were originally mindful of our own business, each pursuing our own path and cultivating our own immortality. But your Su Clan, under the guise of subduing demons and monsters, destroyed my sect and killed my disciples. Naturally, you must pay the price."
Then, he waved to the dozen or so Rogue Cultivator cultivators behind him,
"Break this turtle shell for me."