Trap

Liu Yuanchen carefully examined the Toxic Thorn Vine. This section of vine was only five or six inches long and as thick as an adult's thumb.

The vine was covered in countless tiny thorns, each less than half an inch long and as fine as cow hair.

Without close inspection, they would be impossible to notice.

However, the vine's leaves had completely withered, and its bark was already dried up. It looked dead.

Yet several mature seeds still grew on the vine.

He probed it with his Divine Sense and discovered a trace of emerald-green energy within it—the vitality of vegetation.

As long as vitality remained, it meant the vine had not completely died.

If he cast Entangling Art or Ten Thousand Woods Become a Forest on it and infused it with spiritual power, there was still a chance of saving it.

The seeds contained considerable life force, so getting them to sprout would not be a problem.

He nodded slightly. "Not bad. The Divine Farmer Art texts also mention Toxic Thorn Vines.

"This section of vine looks exactly like the records describe.

"Although the vine has withered, it has several mature seeds that can be cultivated."

"I'll take this section of Toxic Thorn Vine. How many Spirit Stones do you want for it?"

Shopkeeper Du took out a wooden box and carefully placed the Toxic Thorn Vine inside.

"It's just a section of vine. It can't even be used as medicine, so it isn't worth many Spirit Stones.

"If Young Master Liu likes it, please take it."

Liu Yuanchen said seriously, "What are you saying, Shopkeeper Du? The Myriad Treasures Trading Association does business openly. How could I take it for free?"

Shopkeeper Du laughed. "This thing is hard to sell. Just give me twenty Spirit Stones.

"My young master has already instructed us that whenever Young Master Liu comes to our shop to buy something, everything is twenty percent off.

"Together with the Black Cloud Robe from before, that comes to one hundred and seventy-six Spirit Stones."

After paying, Liu Yuanchen returned to his temporary residence with the items he had bought.

His hands were wrapped in a layer of bluish-black Astral Force as he took out the Toxic Thorn Vine.

A stream of emerald-green spiritual power entered it, and the Toxic Thorn Vine's life force instantly became active.

Though the vitality was not yet abundant, it had already begun to grow stronger.

Joy appeared on Liu Yuanchen's face. "There's hope. This Toxic Thorn Vine should be able to survive."

He plucked off the several seeds from the Toxic Thorn Vine and nurtured them with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art.

The next time he went to the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm, he would plant them there.

As for whether they could be enlightened in the future, that would depend on their own fortune.

After all, enlightening spirit plants would harm the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling.

To avoid draining the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling too much, he should wait until they showed signs like Xiao Yu's, of being about to give birth to a Wood Spirit, before using the Enlightenment Secret Art.

There was still no news regarding the capture of the evil cultivators, so he was in no hurry to patrol Yujin Mountain again.

With nothing else to do, he cultivated at his temporary residence.

He also found time to refine several batches of pills, mainly Grain-Banishing Pills and Antidote Pills.

Three days later, Elder Mo Lianshan sent him a message. The evil cultivator they had captured earlier had revealed important information and wanted him to come over.

Upon receiving the message, Liu Yuanchen immediately rushed to the Mission Office of the Azure Elixir Pavilion.

Hu Shanren and Mo Lianshan were both at the Mission Office.

Liu Yuanchen bowed. "This disciple greets Deputy Hall Master Hu and Elder Mo."

Hu Shanren beamed. "Not bad. Nephew Yuanchen is truly an outstanding talent. What a pity you are not a disciple of my Guard Hall.

"If that were not the case, I would definitely take you as my disciple.

"You rendered great merit by capturing a live target this time."

Liu Yuanchen looked puzzled. "The evil cultivator this disciple captured should merely be an independent cultivator.

"Even if he had joined the Demoncloud Sect, he should not have held any position of importance. What vital information could he possibly reveal?"

Mo Lianshan chuckled. "That fellow's status is indeed low, and his talent is nothing remarkable.

"But he has a close friend who is a Demoncloud Sect disciple and holds some status."

"We searched his soul and found quite a bit of information.

"This time, the Demoncloud Sect has sent more than ten Sea of Qi Realm cultivators and over three hundred Qi-Nourishing Realm independent cultivators to plunder the Qingshui River region.

"These Demoncloud Sect cultivators have split into more than a dozen groups, each with a temporary hideout.

"Through the soul search, we have learned the location of one temporary hideout."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanchen understood.

If they eliminated this temporary hideout, all the disciples in Qinghe Town would earn merit, and his own contribution would only be greater.

"So, we'll be dispatching people to wipe out this hideout next?"

Deputy Hall Master Hu nodded. "Correct. The location of this hideout is troublesome—it is on Jintong Mountain.

"There is a Gold-Spotted Copper Ore Vein on Jintong Mountain, an important source of income for the sect.

"If we do not eliminate them, the Jintong Mountain mine will always be under threat."

Hearing this, Liu Yuanchen broke out in a cold sweat.

Jintong Mountain was not far from Yujin Mountain, only a little over fifty li away.

His previous patrol area had been the fifty-li radius around Yujin Mountain.

In other words, he had passed near the evil cultivators' temporary hideout many times during his patrols.

If those evil cultivators had not wanted to expose themselves, he might already have been killed.

If they did not flatten this temporary hideout, it would be far too dangerous for him to patrol Yujin Mountain again in the future.

Hu Shanren continued, "We have decided to send people to wipe out the evil cultivators' hideout on Jintong Mountain.

"You deserve much credit for discovering this hideout.

"Therefore, I want you to take part as well.

"As long as you can capture another one or two evil cultivators, I can assign you the chief merit.

"After returning to the sect, obtaining the status of a direct disciple will be no problem at all."

Liu Yuanchen understood. Deputy Hall Master Hu wanted to build goodwill with him.

The Liu Family was not particularly close to Hu Shanren, but Liu Yuansi was a Guard Hall disciple. Their regular interactions were unavoidable, and their relationship was fairly good.

Mo Lianshan was very close to the Liu Family and had likely spoken well of him too.

Although Liu Yuanchen did not want to face Sea of Qi Realm evil cultivators, both elders were showing him favor. Refusing would offend them.

He knew that with Zhao Hong, his powerful master, behind him—

Whether he wanted to stand out or not, he would attract some people's attention.

To conceal his secrets, he could not keep acting like a turtle hiding in its shell. He had to behave normally.

Among a crowd dressed in gold and silver, those in splendid clothing did not stand out. Those dressed in rags were the most conspicuous.

Under normal circumstances, it was only natural for a cultivator in his twenties, having become the disciple of an elder with real authority, to gain some attention.

He merely needed to control how much attention he drew.

Drawing a little attention was fine, but if he stood out too much, many Sea of Qi Realm cultivators might start watching him.

"This disciple is willing to participate, but I dare not claim the chief merit.

"The intelligence we obtained this time mainly relied on the elders' methods.

"The primary credit for wiping out the evil cultivators' hideout should also belong to the Sea of Qi Realm cultivators."

Seeing that he agreed, Mo Lianshan smiled broadly. "In that case, we will not force the matter.

"I will personally lead this operation to eliminate the evil cultivators on Jintong Mountain.

"According to the information gained from the soul search, that group of evil cultivators has only one Sea of Qi Realm cultivator, and he is merely in the Early Sea of Qi Realm.

"If I bring two Sea of Qi Realm cultivators, taking Jintong Mountain will be no more than child's play.

"Go back and prepare. We depart tomorrow."

Liu Yuanchen was relieved upon hearing this.

They would have three Sea of Qi Realm cultivators on their side, including one at the Peak Sea of Qi Realm.

With such a lineup, would dealing with one Early Sea of Qi Realm cultivator not be effortless?

He only needed to find opportunities to knock out a few Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators from behind. Completing the mission would be easy.

Early the next morning, Liu Yuanchen arrived at the Azure Elixir Pavilion.

More than twenty Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators had already gathered in the large courtyard behind the Azure Elixir Pavilion.

Before long, Mo Lianshan entered the courtyard with two middle-aged cultivators.

Mo Lianshan took out a flying boat five or six zhang long. Once everyone had boarded, the flying boat slowly rose into the air.

It then flew in a direction slightly south of due west.

That was the direction of the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate, while Jintong Mountain lay slightly southwest of Qinghe Town. The difference between the two directions was considerable.

After flying for half an hour, the flying boat changed direction and headed southeast. This time, it was indeed traveling toward Jintong Mountain.

So they had taken a wide detour to confuse the evil cultivators.

Another half hour passed, and a range of low mountains appeared ahead. It was Jintong Mountain.

A Gold-Spotted Copper Ore Vein ran through the mountains, while the mine lay north of Jintong Mountain.

To the southeast of Jintong Mountain was a small valley, around ten li from the mine.

The flying boat landed in the valley, and the disciples filed out.

The valley was thick with vegetation, though most of it was wild grass and shrubs. Only the northern side of the valley held a small patch of dense forest.

Mo Lianshan pointed at the woods. "Surround this place."

The disciples spread out and encircled the small forest.

Liu Yuanchen took the Black Cloud Robe from his storage pouch and put it on.

He then used Wood-Shadow Evasion and vanished before everyone's eyes.

Mo Lianshan smiled faintly and thought, He found a famous master at such a young age, yet he is still so cautious.

If Yuan Si had even half his caution, I would not have to worry so much.

He then entered the small forest with the two Sea of Qi Realm cultivators.

There was an inconspicuous cave in the mountainside behind the forest.

According to the information obtained from the soul search, this cave was where the group of evil cultivators had taken shelter.

The three blocked the entrance to the mine tunnel, and Mo Lianshan produced a red-skinned gourd.

After infusing it with spiritual power, he unleashed a torrent of crimson flames.

The flames transformed into a fire serpent and slithered into the mine tunnel.

Suddenly, an azure-blue flash shot out from the mine tunnel, extinguishing all the flames Mo Lianshan had released.

Watching the battle from afar, Liu Yuanchen was alarmed. Mo Lianshan was at the Peak Sea of Qi Realm, yet that evil cultivator had easily broken his spell. He could not possibly be in the Early Sea of Qi Realm.

That meant the intelligence might have been wrong. More powerful evil cultivators were hiding here.

At that thought, Liu Yuanchen wanted nothing more than to flee at once.

But deserting in the middle of battle was a grave crime.

To be safe, he first retreated more than ten zhang to the southeast.

Mo Lianshan naturally noticed the abnormality as well.

He exchanged glances with his two Sea of Qi Realm assistants. Each took out two or three formation disks and arranged them outside the mine tunnel entrance.

Before the formation could be activated, an azure-blue streak of escape light shot out of the mine tunnel and headed straight for Mo Lianshan.

The aura emanating from that streak of light was not the slightest bit inferior to his own.

Seeing this, Liu Yuanchen retreated another dozen or so zhang toward the outskirts.

Mo Lianshan produced a crimson shield and held it before him.

Clang!

A sharp metallic crash rang out as Mo Lianshan and the streak of escape light were both driven back.

Several formation disks were scattered by the impact, making it impossible to set up the formation.

The escape light faded, revealing the figure of an old man.

The old man wore a blue robe embroidered with black clouds. It was the standard Daoist robe of the Demoncloud Sect.

"Mo Old Ghost, you're not dead yet?"

Mo Lianshan sneered. "Ding Old Ghost, you, an elder of the Demon Cloud Sea, dare come to the heartland of my Azure Elixir Sect to set up an ambush? Aren't you afraid you will not make it back?

"Any other old fossils, come out together."

Three middle-aged men and a young man walked out of the mine tunnel. Their auras were all extraordinary, and they too wore the standard Daoist robes of the Demoncloud Sect.

Fifteen or sixteen cultivators in all manner of clothing followed behind them. They were likely independent cultivators.

Five Sea of Qi Realm cultivators and fifteen or sixteen Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators.

The Demoncloud Sect's forces here already surpassed those of the Azure Elixir Sect.

Liu Yuanchen's legs trembled, and he nearly fled first.

Ding Old Ghost's face was fierce. "I'm the only old fellow here, but we have two more Sea of Qi Realm cultivators than you do.

"We originally wanted to hook a few big fish, but we never expected to catch an old fossil like you.

"This time, none of you are leaving alive."

Before his words had faded, a silver streak of escape light descended into the valley.

This man appeared to be in his fifties and wore the standard Daoist robe of the Azure Elixir Sect.

"I have guarded Jintong Mountain for many years. Ding Old Ghost, have you forgotten me?"

Ding Old Ghost's expression remained unchanged. "So what if there is one more of you? It only means one more dead man. We still have one more Sea of Qi Realm cultivator than you."

After saying that, he looked toward a young cultivator at the edge of the forest. "Mo Old Ghost, I heard that despite your age, you still had a son with decent talent. His name seems to be Mo Linghai. That should be the boy, right?"

Mo Lianshan's expression turned grim as he shouted, "Activate the formation!"

Ten Ninth Layer of the Qi-Nourishing Realm Azure Elixir Sect disciples each took out a formation flag and activated them at the same time.

The ten formation flags blazed with light, which condensed into a defensive barrier that protected the ten disciples within.

Then, the phantom of a fierce tiger emerged from the barrier, hovering above them all.

Seeing this, Liu Yuanchen found the courage to stay.

Mo Lianshan chuckled softly. "I've already sent word. This formation should be more than enough to hold off a Sea of Qi Realm cultivator for two quarters of an hour, right?"

Jintong Mountain was a little over a hundred li from Qinghe Town. Once word had been sent, reinforcements would certainly arrive within two quarters of an hour.

Ding Old Ghost was utterly unconcerned. "The Tiger Roaring Mountain Forest Formation truly is not bad. Then let's see whether your son can survive until the reinforcements arrive.

"All cultivators, heed my order. The one wearing the silver crown is Mo Linghai.

"Whoever kills him, this old man will take them as a nominal disciple."

At those words, the dozen or so independent cultivators' eyes turned red.

On the Red Wasteland, independent cultivators were the beggars among cultivators.

Without some special skill, they could only trade their lives for Spirit Stones.

Even outer disciples of the Demoncloud Sect lived far better than independent cultivators.

A nominal disciple of an elder was an inner disciple!

Before Ding Old Ghost had even finished speaking, they had already closed in around Mo Linghai.

Mo Lianshan's face turned livid as he shouted, "Attack!"

With that, his entire body transformed into a fiery serpent and charged straight at Ding Old Ghost.

The other three Sea of Qi Realm cultivators also became entangled in battle with the three middle-aged cultivators from Demon Cloud Sea.

The aftershocks of the spell battle continuously swept up clouds of sand and dust, forcing the Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators who were not involved in maintaining the formation to retreat far away.

The young Sea of Qi Realm cultivator from the Demoncloud Sect glanced at the Tiger Roaring Mountain Forest Formation and released two streams of Black Mist from his sleeves.

As they drew near, the Black Mist abruptly transformed into a black skull dozens of zhang wide, opening its jaws to swallow the fierce tiger phantom.

The spiritual light around the ten cultivators maintaining the formation flashed, and the fierce tiger phantom instantly expanded to dozens of zhang in length.

Its claws swung repeatedly, knocking the skull back, though both tiger claws were bitten and wounded by the skull.

In this clash, neither side gained the upper hand.