Lin Ke stood in front of the wooden cottage, considering what would happen once war broke out, while Fang Tong went to summon the farmers of Green Mulberry Garden.
Fang Tong was efficient. He, too, had heard the shocking commotion outside the sect-protecting formation, which made him move all the faster.
Before long, he had gathered everyone.
"You heard it yourselves. The Demon Race in the Poison Tempering Mountains has risen up. War will soon be upon us..."
Looking at his panicked subordinates, Lin Ke said gravely, "In a war, even we can hardly guarantee our survival, let alone mortals."
These words only made everyone more frightened and uneasy.
Lin Ke continued, "That is why I will buy a grand formation to protect Golden Silkworm Peak!"
"All of you can move beneath Golden Silkworm Peak. I will open up an underground world to guard against attacks by Demon Beasts."
An underground world had been part of his plans to begin with.
In a sense, the development of Insect-Breeding Mountain was also one of his secrets.
After all, the Spirit Power of ordinary Qi Refining and Dao Foundation cultivators could not sustain too many spirit insects. Moreover, different spirit insects had different tastes, so there was no need to raise too many insects as food.
What made Lin Ke different was that his Niwan Palace could fuse them, so the more varieties of insects he had, the better. It would be even better if one happened to fuse with a Blackgold Silkworm into a powerful spirit insect.
At the same time, he also had that "glutton," Lin Can. If he wanted to create an army of insects, he would need vast numbers of insects for feed and snacks.
Thus, Insect-Breeding Mountain truly was quite important to him.
However, Insect-Breeding Mountain was not particularly large. Even if he hollowed out the entire mountain, it would not hold so many people.
The best solution was therefore to use Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning to create various passages and rooms beneath Golden Silkworm Peak, then quietly, discreetly develop and grow stronger.
That would require manpower.
Lin Ke could not do so much alone. He still had to cultivate.
These tasks were best left to the mortals of Green Mulberry Garden. The sect did not care whether mortals lived or died anyway. Its attitude toward them seemed little different from its attitude toward chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs-once they were all gone, it could simply buy more.
It did not even need to buy them. It could just capture people from a few tribes, train them a little, and put them to work.
Lin Ke's Green Mulberry Garden was already remote, so it attracted even less attention.
"An underground world?" Fang Tong's expression jolted as he understood Lin Ke's meaning. He immediately bowed his head and answered, "Immortal Lin, we are willing to shelter underground!"
The others had been panicking, but after hearing Lin Ke's words, along with Fang Tong's mention of "shelter," they spoke up one after another as though clutching at a life-saving straw.
"I'm willing too! Me too!"
"I need to hurry and pack. My wife has far too much stuff."
"Son, go carry your grandmother over in a bit. Her legs aren't what they used to be."
Contrary to Lin Ke's expectation that they would be reluctant to go underground, every one of the farmers looked delighted.
Only then did Lin Ke realize what he had overlooked.
In troubled times, human lives were worth no more than grass.
That was all the more true in this world of cultivation, where mortal lives did not count as lives at all.
Even in peaceful times, cultivators treated mortals with the same indifference they showed ants.
If those Demon Beasts and spirit insects reached Green Mulberry Garden, probably not a single mortal would survive.
To them, moving everyone underground beneath the protection of a grand formation was genuine protection.
"Go and prepare, then." Lin Ke dismissed the crowd, then rose into the air and flew to the foot of Golden Silkworm Peak.
Green Mulberry Garden's five mountains were all unremarkable. Only Golden Silkworm Peak and Insect-Breeding Mountain had received some of his painstaking efforts.
He had to prepare for the worst: the sect-protecting formation breaking and Demon Beasts sweeping down from the north.
Green Mulberry Garden lay near the southern bank of the Red River. Even if it would not face the first wave of Demon Beasts, he still needed to prepare early.
His purse was thin. Buying a formation that enclosed all of Green Mulberry Garden was unrealistic. A defensive formation covering Golden Silkworm Peak was already his limit.
As for everything on Insect-Breeding Mountain, he only needed to move it all underground.
"Open!"
Lin Ke gave a low cry and instantly unleashed Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning. Masses of earth parted before him like waves, revealing a passage wide enough for one person.
He slowly walked downward, hard steps forming beneath his feet and leading into the depths.
Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning!
Turn Earth to Steel!
Rumble...
A faint white light shone in Lin Ke's eyes. Spirit Power shot from his fingertips, opening, stabilizing, and hardening the passage ahead.
After forging his Dao Foundation, he possessed immense Spirit Power, unlike during the Qi Refining Stage, when he had needed to rest after casting one or two Spell Arts.
Now he had not rested for even a minute. For two hours, he had kept alternating between the two spells, carving out an underground space roughly the size of eight or nine basketball courts.
But problems had also emerged.
No light!
No ventilation!
Dampness!
The entire underground space was pitch-black. He had only managed to excavate it by relying on his senses.
Although this open space was spacious and sturdy enough to accommodate everyone in Green Mulberry Garden, and could withstand geological disasters such as major earthquakes, it had its drawbacks.
It truly was not very suitable for human habitation.
That was without even considering how prolonged lack of sunlight would affect people's bones, skin, and so on.
The darkness, lack of oxygen, and dampness alone would have many harmful effects on living beings.
Using torches or oil lamps for lighting would make the air even worse, and consume large amounts of supplies.
How could he solve this... Lin Ke pondered solutions as he walked out from underground, just in time to see Zong Ya flying toward him from afar.
"Senior Sister!" Lin Ke immediately rose into the air. "Did you run into any trouble along the way?"
Zong Ya was a rare person worthy of his trust. Moreover, the original owner of this body had looked up to her with deep affection, so Lin Ke cared a great deal about her.
"The sect is in chaos! I couldn't buy anything either." A trace of worry lingered in Zong Ya's expression. "I contacted a few senior and junior sisters, but they all seem to be at Year Festival Square. They haven't returned to their residences yet."
Year Festival Square lay deep within the sect. Even Lin Ke's earlier flight there had taken a long time.
Everything had happened so suddenly that many people were probably unprepared. Some wanted to buy supplies, while others wanted to return to their cave dwellings. In short, it was bound to be utter chaos.
"It's all right. If necessary, I'll go take a look at the Yi-Wa Market," Lin Ke reassured her.
Green Mulberry Garden was in the southwest, while the Yi-Wa Market lay at the sect's southernmost edge, beside the Red River.
With the sect holding its Year Festival over the past few days, the Yi-Wa Market should have been much less crowded.
Still, the merchants should have left people behind to tend their shops.
"Junior Brother, put these away first." After landing with Lin Ke, Zong Ya took out two books.
"Mystic Vein Books?" Lin Ke was surprised. "Aren't these quite expensive?"
"We could always buy them through the Spirit Insect Cave. I simply hadn't bought any before." Zong Ya shook her head, looking at Lin Ke with concern.
"With this upheaval in the sect, I have already resigned from my post as steward of the Spirit Insect Cave with the elder. But before doing so, I used my purchasing privileges to buy two copies. If we are separated someday, we will still be able to contact each other."
"You thought ahead, Senior Sister." Lin Ke nodded slightly.
Zong Ya was neither hesitant nor prone to dragging things out as he might have imagined. Nor did she say anything about "staying at the Spirit Insect Cave" or "saving the other senior and junior sisters."
Sensible and decisive!
Lin Ke increasingly felt that Zong Ya was truly capable.
"Senior Sister, come with me." He led Zong Ya to the entrance in the ground and explained his plan to let the mortals shelter underground, hoping she might have some ideas.
To his surprise, Zong Ya really did have one.
"Glowshrooms aren't expensive. The Yi-Wa Market should have them," Zong Ya suggested. "They also attract certain underground insects. Once mature, they're often made into food for Ground Mole Crickets."
Ground Mole Crickets?
Lin Ke nodded slightly.
It was already good that these Glowshrooms could glow. They could also attract underground insects and even serve as feed, making them very suitable for growing underground.
"Junior Brother, keep expanding this place. I'll go to the Yi-Wa Market now and buy what we need!"
Before you continue