There were still two days left before the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Grand Meeting began.
Alchemists from every region continued to gather toward Jia Ma Sacred City, and the number of registered participants had already exceeded two thousand. If nothing unexpected happened, this session of the Alchemist Grand Meeting would become the largest one in nearly a hundred years.
Under such circumstances, Jia Ma Sacred City was naturally more bustling than ever before.
In sharp contrast, Misty Cloud Sect was filled with a grim and oppressive silence, as though a violent storm was about to break.
Inside the main hall of Misty Cloud Sect, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Yun Shan sat alone upon the central throne, while the sect's upper echelon stood below.
Everyone stared at the three heads being held by three disciples in front of the, Yun Leng, Yun Du, and Yun Sha. Shock and grief filled their eyes.
On the throne, Yun Shan clenched a letter that had arrived together with the severed heads. Vast Dou Qi circulated around him, radiating a dark and terrifying aura.
A moment later, the letter in Yun Shan's hand was crushed into powder. His icy voice, suppressing immense fury, echoed through the hall.
"Investigate. Leave no stone unturned! Find out which survivor from twenty years ago slipped through the net. That damned bastard learned a little skill and dares come back to seek revenge on my Misty Cloud Sect. Once I catch him, I will tear him to pieces to vent my hatred!"
Hearing Yun Shan's ruthless words, everyone in the hall felt a chill in their hearts. They had never seen him so enraged.
After a while, Yun Shan concealed the anger on his face and looked toward a gentle-tempered middle-aged man below him, the Yun Lan Sect Second Elder, Yun Ming, a four-star Dou King.
"Yun Ming, you will temporarily assume the duties of Great Elder and take over all matters Yun Leng handled. You must ensure the sect continues to operate normally."
"Yes, Sect Leader," Yun Ming replied respectfully.
"You may all leave." Yun Shan waved his hand. "Let this Sect Leader have some peace and keep Yun Leng, Yun Du, and Yun Sha company a little longer."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
After bowing, everyone withdrew from the hall.
However, not long after they left, the great doors of the hall suddenly slammed shut without warning. A strange black mist drifted out from the darkness within the hall, followed by a sinister laugh.
"Heh heh heh Misty Cloud Sect lost three elders in one blow, and they were your most loyal ones at that. How pitiful. Yun Shan, you and your sect are truly useless."
Yun Shan's expression darkened slightly. After a moment of thought, he said respectfully, "Protector Wu, you and the Hall of Souls possess boundless means. Could you lend me a hand and uncover the mastermind behind this matter, then eliminate him? According to the letter, this person seems intent on harming Misty Cloud Sect."
A moment later, a cold and mocking laugh came from the black mist.
"Heh heh heh Yun Shan, do you and Misty Cloud Sect deserve the Hall of Souls or this Protector to act for you? Have I been too kind to you, giving you such delusions?"
"You handle this matter yourself. If you cannot even solve something like this, what qualifications do you have to be a partner of my Hall of Souls?"
"This Protector did not appear today to listen to your fantasies. I came to inform you that the interception mission will be moved forward by one day. Make your preparations. If you delay a major matter, then Misty Cloud Sect will lose far more than just three elders. Heh heh heh..."
"Remember this forever. Everything the Hall of Souls and this Protector gave you can be taken back at any time."
Yun Shan's expression changed slightly, and fear appeared in his eyes. With a dry laugh, he said, "Many thanks for Protector Wu's reminder. I understand. I will certainly not delay your affairs or those of the Hall of Souls."
"Good. Then do your work well, and maintain the value of you and Misty Cloud Sect. Do not disappoint me."
The black mist rippled, then gradually faded. Moments later, it completely vanished from the hall.
Watching the mist disappear, the fear on Yun Shan's face instantly faded, replaced by a trace of ridicule.
"It seems my acting is still decent. That fellow did not notice or suspect anything."
"Though the greater reason is that he simply disdains bothering to guess my thoughts or intentions. On the Dou Qi Continent, the thoughts of the weak hold no value to the strong."
"Good. Since he looks down on Misty Cloud Sect so much, then after my 'death,' the sect should no longer be qualified to serve as one of their chess pieces. That way, it should be able to survive this storm safely."
At that thought, Yun Shan revealed a bitter smile that held both sorrow and relief.
He sighed and looked at the three floating heads with complicated eyes.
"Yun Leng, Yun Du, Yun Sha—you three were the most loyal to this Sect Leader. But forgive me. For the continuation of Misty Cloud Sect, I had no choice."
"You are meritorious figures of Misty Cloud Sect. In the future, you shall be buried with me in the Gate of Life and Death."
Having settled his resolve, Yun Shan stored the three heads into his storage ring, as though he were also burying a heavy burden and grief deep within his heart.
Then he slipped his hand into his sleeve and used the Purple Jade Scale Serpent hidden there to transmit a message into the distance.
"Alchemist friend, Protector Wu has changed the schedule. The interception operation has been moved forward by one day. It will take place in three days."
At the Mittel Family residence, within a secluded and hidden training chamber.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged upon a stone platform with his eyes closed, his hands forming cultivation seals. The powerful aura radiating from his body showed that he had already broken through the small bottleneck of the mid-stage five-star level.
At that moment, Qing Lin's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Young Master, urgent news."
Lin Yuan opened his eyes, withdrew his hand seals, and rose to walk outside.
When Qing Lin saw him emerge, she hurried forward and said anxiously, "There is an urgent message from Yun Shan. Also, Elder Sister Queen has arrived in the Jia Ma Empire."
"The details are as follows."
As she spoke, her emerald eyes flashed. Using Illusory Pupil techniques, she directly transmitted the information into Lin Yuan's mind.
After receiving it, Lin Yuan quickly digested the contents and immediately understood the situation.
"Protector Wu moved the operation forward by one day? And the Queen has already gone to the designated location in the Magical Beast Mountain Range according to plan. Good. That means our manpower is more than sufficient."
He looked at Qing Lin.
"Qing'er, since they moved early, we'll move early as well. Begin preparations now."
Qing Lin nodded.
"Yes, Young Master."
Immediately, both of them formed identical hand seals.
"Shadow Clone."
Very soon, one of Qing Lin's clones appeared before her, with strength roughly equivalent to a one-star Dou King clone.
Lin Yuan created two clones. One emitted the aura of a one-star Dou King, while the other radiated dense soul-force fluctuations.
Once the clones appeared, Lin Yuan and Qing Lin changed their hand seals.
"Solid Soul Garment."
Soon, all of the clones were covered in mysterious soul robes.
Qing Lin summoned the Winged Serpent King, whose speed rivaled that of a Dou Emperor, while Lin Yuan tossed a storage ring to the clone rich in soul power.
Then the three clones mounted the Winged Serpent King and flew toward Wu Tan City.
"Young Master, just in case, my true body should also depart early for the designated location. Over the next few days, I will operate the Heavenly Network at full capacity to ensure smooth communication."
Although Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had greatly increased their communication range after her cultivation rose, they still could not directly span the distance between Jia Ma Sacred City and Wu Tan City.
Therefore, for this plan to seize the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade, the communication chain Lin Yuan intended to establish was:
Lin Yuan (Jia Ma Sacred City) → Qing Lin's true body → Qing Lin's familiars → Qing Lin's clone → Lin Yuan's clone (Wu Tan City).
This newly designed chain was sufficient to support the remote seizure of the Ancient Jade.
And the place Qing Lin was heading to was the midpoint Lin Yuan had chosen.
"These next few days will be hard on you, Qing'er. Thank—"
Before the word "thanks" could leave his lips, Qing Lin's index finger pressed lightly against them, cutting him off.
She smiled brilliantly, her eyes gleaming with a captivating light as she said softly, "Don't say 'thank you.' I am Young Master's dao companion. Isn't all of this only natural?"
Without waiting for Lin Yuan's reply, she quickly turned around, spread her wings, and flew toward the target location.
Lin Yuan quietly watched her departing figure for a moment, then muttered, "How did this girl become so proactive? What exactly did Her Majesty teach her during those few days?"
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and returned to his room to continue cultivating.
He had no intention of wasting the acceleration effect of the Qing Yuan Pill.
Meanwhile, Qing Lin, who was flying toward the designated location, had ears and cheeks flushed crimson.
Yet when she recalled Lin Yuan's momentary expression of surprise just now, excitement unconsciously appeared in her eyes.
"I-I did it Hehe, Big Sister Queen was right after all."
"Next, I need to keep working hard and press on."
Meanwhile, in a hidden mountain valley some distance away from Jia Ma Sacred City, Xiao Yan was attempting to refine the Qing Yuan Spirit Forging Pill.
At this moment, the pill refinement had reached the most crucial stage, the merging of the pill.
Xiao Yan stared unblinkingly at the medicinal cauldron before him. Surging Spiritual Strength spread outward from between his brows as he focused entirely on controlling and sensing the multiple medicinal liquids within the cauldron as they fused together.
Suddenly, however, a deep muffled bang rang out from inside the cauldron.
Violent energy erupted within it, and fine cracks instantly appeared across its surface. Faint black ash spilled out through the fissures.
"Damn it!"
Xiao Yan stared at the cauldron with reddened eyes.
He had clearly felt that he was just about to complete the most difficult part of refinin the Qing Yuan Spirit Forging Pill, the merging stage. Yet at that critical moment, this cauldron, which had been used for a long time, could no longer endure it.
At that moment, Yao Lao's voice sounded beside him, carrying more sternness than usual.
"Do you feel unwilling? That you were only one step away from succeeding?"
"Yet I had already expected this failure."
"The medicinal cauldron you used for so long without proper maintenance was absolutely incapable of enduring the burst of energy released at the instant a peak-tier fourth-tier pill completed its merging."
"Too many successes have made you slowly forget and neglect some of the most basic preparations before refining."
"Xiao Yan, remember this well: when learning alchemy, always maintain a humble heart."
"I taught you those preparatory steps long ago. Though they may seem tedious, they are common experience accumulated by countless predecessors. Before your own standards have reached sufficient height, do not cast them aside so casually."
Xiao Yan stared deeply at the cracked cauldron before him, then nodded seriously.
"I understand, Teacher."
"Good."
Seeing the expression on Xiao Yan's face, the sternness on Yao Lao's face gradually faded, and he chuckled softly.
"There are still a few portions of ingredients left. You still have chances."
"Next, let your teacher give you a long-overdue live demonstration."
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up with delight and admiration.
"Teacher, are you going to refine a pill?"
"Yes. A Sixth-Grade pill."
Yao Lao nodded slightly, taking ingredients out of the Bone Chilling Ring.
"I got some materials from Tian Shu yesterday. There is one Sixth-Grade pill useful for emergencies that can now be refined."
"That is also why I brought you here today. This place is far from both Jia Ma Sacred City and the Misty Cloud Sect, so concealing the unusual phenomenon caused by the formation of a Sixth-Grade pill will be much easier."
As he spoke, he took out the Black Demon Cauldron, and a strand of pale flame appeared at his fingertip.
As extreme cold and searing heat spread outward simultaneously, the pill refinement began.
Two days later, in the back mountain of the Mittel Clan estate.
Lin Yuan, who had been cultivating cross-legged atop a green stone, suddenly opened his eyes. A trace of joy appeared on his face.
"Excellent. Every point has reached its designated position."
"Next, it is time to conduct a remote coordination test."
With that thought, Lin Yuan ended his cultivation, took out the Purple Jade Scaled Snake, and connected to the Heavenly Network.
Then, through the Heavenly Network, he controlled the snake to send a prearranged signal to his clone thousands of li away as a test.
The message passed through Qing Lin's main body, Qing Lin's familiars, and Qing Lin's clone before quickly reaching Lin Yuan's clone.
At this moment, Lin Yuan's shadow clone was in a valley not far from Wu Tan City.
Upon receiving the message, the clone immediately sent back a reply.
The returning message passed through Qing Lin's clone, Qing Lin's familiars, and Qing Lin's main body before swiftly arriving in Lin Yuan's hands.
Lin Yuan nodded slightly. After confirming the accuracy of the information, he relaxed and began calculating the round-trip transmission time.
"Less than two seconds for a full round trip?"
"Subtracting the time spent thinking in between, the actual transmission itself takes less than one second."
"Hiss Such a long distance, yet information travels this quickly."
"Though the Dou Qi Continent has many strange communication methods, the message transmission ability of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils should rank among the very best."
"Next, I need to use the clones to gather intelligence, then calibrate and perfect the detailed plan."
With that, Lin Yuan took out several maps and documents he had obtained from the Mittel Clan archives.
As a commercial clan, the Mittel Clan placed great importance on intelligence work and carefully recorded all manner of information around their auction houses.
The materials in his hands contained highly detailed maps of Wu Tan City and its surrounding terrain, along with various related data.
Lin Yuan studied the materials carefully, constantly marking the maps with his pen and noting all possible variables and key points requiring attention.
At the same time, with Qing Lin's assistance, Lin Yuan directed his clones, as well as Qing Lin's snake-type magical beast familiars stationed inside and outside Wu Tan City, to gather information and use it to fine-tune the plan.
By the time night fell, Lin Yuan had finally completed the final calibration of the plan.
He rubbed his temples, stretched lazily, then let out a long breath as his blazing gaze turned toward the direction of the Yun Lan Sect.
"With this, both the primary plan and the backup plan are ready."
"All that remains now is to wait for Yun Shan's message and begin the operation."
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