Elite Sword Cultivator Jiang Hanyan
"The first priority in territory development is to eliminate hidden dangers and open up roads." Lin Xu glanced at the distant villages, thinking to himself, "Once the first batch of spirit fields is developed, we will begin constructing official roads leading to each village, and set up beacon towers and patrol posts along the way."
One territory development plan after another took shape in his mind, but he had already made up his mind that he would never start large-scale territory development unless the underground city and the Daoist temple were decided.
As Lin Xu walked along the desolate path, he frowned slightly. He quietly activated his Spirit Eye Technique, and the scenery ahead suddenly distorted, filled with a hazy spiritual light.
There's actually a formation in this wilderness!
"The Mountain-Shrouding Formation... Who set up this illusionary formation?" Lin Xu's Spirit Eye pierced through the mist, and the formation patterns appeared and disappeared in the void like a spider web.
A dilapidated courtyard came into view, with moss-covered broken walls and crumbling ruins.
Several monks dressed in grey and white Daoist robes had set up stalls in the courtyard, with some hiding their faces as they squatted in front of the stalls, picking and choosing items.
"It's the underground black market!" Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood.
In some territories with weaker control, underground black markets occasionally emerge. This is a quietly growing gray ecosystem where unofficial transactions and even dangerous NPCs circulate.
To linger.
Looking into the distance, Lin Xu could even see some monsters trading among the crowd, clearly indicating that a self-consistent underground order had been established here.
"Interesting~" He gazed at the black market from afar, thought for a moment, and then ordered the group to halt and disappear into the shadows.
Soon, a gray-robed cultivator who had completed the transaction hurriedly left the black market, Lin Xu quietly opened the other party's personal panel.
He was a heretical cultivator, skilled in curses.
Once the NPC was far from the underground black market, the Evil Eye roaming the sky launched their attack.
An invisible spiritual force extended along his field of vision, wrapping around his consciousness like spider silk. The gray-robed cultivator faltered, his pupils suddenly dilated, and he stumbled and crashed into a withered tree by the roadside.
After a few breaths, it stood up again, but its eyes were vacant and its steps were stiff like a puppet, as it slowly walked towards Lin Xu and his group.
It had already been mentally controlled by the Evil Eye. As soon as the gray-robed cultivator approached, it was immediately bound with hemp rope by the militia and taken to the prisoner group.
At this moment, its magical power had been sealed, and it was no longer a threat.
Lin Xu's gaze was fixed on the depths of the black market. With the help of the Evil Eye Dharma Protector's eyesight, he could easily see the personal information of each cultivator there.
These newly spawned NPCs come from diverse backgrounds and identities: Rogue Cultivator, abandoned disciples, demonic cultivators, monsters, and wanted criminals.
Lin Xu ignored the weak or worthless targets and locked onto a few "people". After nearly an hour, the Evil Eye quietly controlled two wolf demons and three Rogue Cultivators and abandoned disciples.
Until the last target...
"I actually caught a big fish!" His delighted gaze fell on a young female cultivator dressed in a dark Daoist robe.
Her temperament was as aloof as frost, yet the thin veil could not conceal her peerless beauty. A touch of vermilion between her brows, and her phoenix eyes seemed to reflect the moon in a cold pool, their cold light swirling within them.
The wide hem of her black Daoist robe fluttered in the wind, outlining her beautiful figure. Her long legs were encased in dark boots, highlighting her tall stature. Her steps were silent, yet seemed to shatter the ice.
A long sword hung at his waist, its scabbard as dark as ink. A chilling sword intent swirled around him, and the black market was filled with an evil aura, so no one dared to approach within three feet of him.
Jiang Hanyan, Elite Template, Level 5 Sword Cultivator, Strength: 13
Agility: 16
Physical condition: 12
Spirit: 10
Intelligence: 10
Charisma:12
Life: 1200
Mana: 1000
Talent: Translucent Sword Heart: Where the mind leads, sword intent arises spontaneously; sword speed +30%; perception of sword technique weaknesses greatly enhanced; sword skill training speed +50%.
Skill: Elite Template, 10x Health and Mana, Immune to Instant Death Damage, Base Resistance +30%, All Skill Effects +30%, Damage and Defense +30%
"Mountain Severing, Sheathless Step, Sword Breath Meridian Condensation, Heavenly Origin Sword Embryo Method Equipment: Elite Template Cold Light Sword!" Lin Xu's eyes burned with excitement. "This black market must be preserved!"
Even though it poses certain risks to the territory, he couldn't care less. Judging from the current situation, this special building can implicitly improve the quality of all types of criminals that spawn within the territory.
Even if only one Elite Template NPC is released every year or two, it's still a win for him!
Jiang Hanyan suddenly stopped, her phoenix eyes flashing like lightning as she pointed towards the direction where Lin Xu and his group were hiding.
Were we discovered?
Lin Xu felt a slight chill, but his gaze only lingered for a moment before disappearing like a cold blade returning to its sheath.
Watching the swordsman leave, Lin Xu did not immediately make a move. Now that the value of this black market had been confirmed, he needed to find a way to preserve it, so it was impossible for him to start a fight near the black market.
Several miles from the black market, the Evil Eye launched a silent attack.
A dozen Evil Eye simultaneously activated their Gaze Paralysis, and invisible beams of light silently attacked the sword cultivator.
"Whoosh~"
The swordsman's figure flashed, and he appeared more than ten meters away. The next instant, sword light tore through the sky, and the swordsman transformed into sword light and soared into the sky!
"It can fly!" Lin Xu was shocked. This sword cultivator's strength was even more than he had expected. Whether he could fly or not made a huge difference.
The spirit lamp flashed, and a line of fire attacked, instantly transforming into a fiery serpent that coiled towards the incoming sword cultivator.
"Whoosh~"
The swordsman neither dodged nor evaded; the Cold Light Sword flashed like lightning, instantly weaving into a net that shattered the fire serpent.
Immediately, the shattered fire serpent moved at will, transforming into firebirds that attacked the sword cultivator.
The sword light paused, clearly startled by Lin Xu's surgical technique. In the next instant, the sword light rained down, colliding with each of the attacking firebirds.
"Hiss~"
The firebird exploded into a sky full of sparks, which then transformed into a firestorm that swept towards the sword cultivator.
Lin Xu used the Glazed Spirit Lamp to manipulate fire magic, weaving a fire net in mid-air that scorched the sword cultivator's protective sword light.
"Whoosh~"
Sword Qi energy shot out, slicing through the sky, and attacked Lin Xu.
"Boom~"
A fireball collided with the sword light and exploded, creating a ball of flame in the sky.
Lin Xu dodged the weakened Sword Qi and quickly created distance. The remaining force of the sword light did not dissipate, but instead lingered in mid-air, circling three times like a dragon.
Under their leader's command, the Evil Eye quickly dispersed, forming a fan shape, their compound eyes flashing with eerie light, and dozens of Mind Blast beams intertwined into a net.
However, the sword cultivator's will was as hard as iron. Each Mind Blast that struck the sword cultivator's soul was instantly broken.
The two sides clashed in the sky. After realizing that the sword cultivator's will was unbreakable, the Evil Eye switched to using the more powerful Soul Shock Blast.
"Boom~"
Like thunder, invisible ripples tore through space, and several Mind Blast spread indiscriminately, instantly engulfing the attacking sword cultivator.