Xiuxian, I have a high martial arts world

Chapter 113 Undercurrents, Three Weird Things
No one noticed anything unusual about Li Zhenqian.

All the foundation-building disciples present focused their attention on Lin Chen.

And sent an invitation to Lin Chen.

"Brother Lin, will you join us in suppressing the bandits and restoring peace to Yanlai?"

These people have all witnessed Lin Chen’s performance in the sect competition.

Moreover, he is so brave in the late stage of Qi Refining, and has built a perfect foundation... I am afraid that there will be no rivals for him except those in the late stage of Foundation Building?
After hearing this, Lin Chen also pondered for a moment.

Although he was confident that he could suppress the bandits alone, he had three groups of robbers after all. If he could go with these sect disciples, he could also test the waters.

First, let's see the level of the three robbers, and then it won't be too late to take action alone...

Thinking of this, Lin Chen bowed and said:

"That's great. I'll be grateful for your care from now on!"

Soon, a dozen foundation-building disciples discussed and made preparations.

An hour later, the disciples gathered in the square.

Lin Chen didn't have to prepare much. He first returned to the market at the foot of the mountain, explained everything to Huang Xin, and took an advance payment of next month's salary in spirit stones.

When Lin Chen left, more than two hundred disciples looked at him eagerly, all with admiration in their eyes.

Where can I find a boss who will give me an advance on my salary when I need help?
……

After returning to the Disciple Square, Lin Chen waited for a while, and then the Foundation Establishment disciples arrived one after another.

I saw Junior Brother Nie coming towards me and greeting Lin Chen:
"Senior Brother Lin has made great progress! It hasn't been long... and he has already reached the middle stage of foundation building!"

As he spoke, there was a hint of envy in his tone.

Lin Chen smiled, then asked with some doubt:

"Brother Nie, why are you alone here...and Brother Ping not here?"

Nie and Ping were the fellow disciples who had worked with Lin Chen to eliminate the robbery cultivators more than a year ago. Li Zhenqian was also present at the time.

Later, the two men said they were going back to prepare for the foundation-building process, and they hadn't been seen for a year.

After hearing this, Junior Brother Nie sighed and said with sadness on his face:

"Brother Ping had not yet established his foundation, and was later killed by a robber during a mission..."

"It's a pity that back then, the two of us brothers swore to build the foundation together, but now I'm the only one left..."

After hearing this, Lin Chen fell silent.

Nearly a quarter of the inner disciples of Changchun Sect have died in the past year.

The death of Senior Brother Ping also seems to make sense...

"My condolences, Brother Nie!"

Lin Chen patted his shoulder and comforted him.

Soon, more than ten foundation-building monks each flew their own weapons towards the north.

Lin Chen also took out the purple jade gourd, stepped on it, and followed the crowd at a steady pace.

The intelligence of this mission flashed through my mind:
The destination of their trip was Yudai City, two thousand miles north of Changchun Gate.

Yudai City is also an important city in Yanlai. There are nearly one million mortals in the city, and there are also some cultivators living in the city.

Three hundred miles away from Yudai City, there is a mountain called Yudai Mountain.

Originally, the calamity cultivator on Jade Belt Mountain was nothing to worry about.

But after more than a year of war, the remnants of the robbery gangs within a thousand miles were gradually absorbed into the Jade Belt Mountain.

The reputation of the Jade Belt Village grew, with hundreds of Qi Refining cultivators and seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The leader of the Yudai Village calls himself the Yudai Scholar.

He is good at planning and is proficient in magic and swordsmanship. He is a cultivator at the sixth level of foundation building.

The goal of everyone this time is to completely destroy the Jade Belt Mountain Tribulation Cultivator.

……

Heading north, more than a dozen foundation-building monks flew on flying weapons.

In just a few hours, they had crossed mountains and rivers and traveled more than 2,000 miles.

Before evening, everyone arrived at Yudai City.

In order to avoid being spotted by the robbers in Yudai City, everyone dressed up in disguise and entered the city one after another.

Afterwards, they moved into the agreed inn in batches.

It was not until night that everyone met together.

"Everyone, the Jade Belt Mountain Tribulation Cultivator is very powerful, we still need to act with caution."

"How about we find the sect's spies tomorrow and ask them about the first-hand situation before formulating a plan?"

Li Fengping is a smart man, he said so.

After hearing this, everyone nodded.

"Indeed, it is not easy to capture a large mountain stronghold with hundreds of robbers. Let's get the first-hand intelligence first..."

"Then tomorrow at noon, we will find the spies in Yudai City and make a decision after we get detailed intelligence!"

The group quickly made a decision and returned to their respective rooms in the inn.

"Brother Lin? When did you enter the middle stage of foundation building?"

After entering the room, Li Zhenqian, who had been holding it in for a whole day, finally couldn't help but ask.

Lin Chen glanced at him indifferently. Due to the limited rooms in the inn, he had to share a room with Li Zhenqian.

"Uh, about a month ago? How..."

Lin Chen glanced at Li Zhenqian and said casually.

Li Zhengan gritted his teeth when he heard this. He had just broken into the third level of foundation building a few days ago.

This shows that the gap between the two is getting bigger and bigger!
Thinking of this, Li Zhenqian pointed at Lin Chen and said:

"Brother Lin, you go to sleep... I'll keep watch!"

Lin Chen shook his head and said:
"I usually don't sleep, I just practice instead..."

As he spoke, Lin Chen found a corner and sat cross-legged, taking out the spirit stone and practicing in silence.

When Li Zhenqian saw this scene, he clenched his fists even tighter, with only one thought in his mind:
"Li Zhenqian, Li Zhenqian! There is someone who is more talented than you but works harder than you. You must surpass him!"

Thinking of this, Li Zhenqian simply did not sleep and spent the whole night learning to meditate and practice like Lin Chen.

A real scholar!

But unfortunately, his attention was on Lin Chen, and he didn't concentrate on practicing all night.

……

Early the next morning.

When Lin Chen finished his practice, he saw Li Zhenqian in another corner staring at him with dark circles under his eyes.

"Uh, Junior Brother Li, are you practicing eye-related magic? Is it the Bright Eyes Technique or the Purple Eyes Thunder Technique?"

Lin Chen asked curiously.

Li Zhenqian looked a little unhappy, and he only stammered, "Let's go, according to the plan, we have to find spies in the city..."

Lin Chen nodded slightly. They did take on this burden yesterday.

So the two of them left the inn and wandered around Yudai City.

There were many stalls and shops on both sides of the street, which was about ten feet wide.

Rouge, powder, candied fruit and snacks, or restaurants and inns, jade pawnshops...

This Yudai City is a major economic city in the north. It is famous for the beautiful jade produced in the Yudai River outside the city, so the economy of the city is very developed.

Although it is not as big as the capital Yanlai, it is also the second largest city in Yanlai Kingdom.

Lin Chen strolled along the way, occasionally buying two pieces of beautiful jade to enjoy himself.

After walking for a while, Li Zhenqian behind him suddenly sneered.

"Haha, I'm afraid all the men in Yudai City are dead? Why do they let women come out to set up stalls and sell goods?"

Lin Chen frowned and was about to speak, but suddenly realized that it seemed to be true.

Along the way, I saw that most of the vendors were women, but there were very few men.

This is not reasonable. After all, in this ancient society, it makes no sense to let a woman of the family show herself in public.

"Well, Junior Brother Li is indeed a careful observer... This is indeed a little unreasonable."

Lin Chen exclaimed in praise.

Li Zhenqian behind him was stunned for a moment. He just complained but didn't realize the meaning behind it.

The two walked all the way to the entrance of a small alley and saw a blind man setting up a stall.

According to intelligence, this blind man is the sect's spy in Yudai City.

Lin Chen took a careful glance and felt that the blind man looked familiar.

So he asked tentatively: "A plate of pig's head?"

"Two taels of white liquor!" the blind man blurted out, but was shocked for a moment.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, he packed up his stall and walked towards the alley behind him, making a gesture to Lin Chen before leaving.

"Sure enough, wasn't this guy the insider in Guangyuan Town? How did he get transferred to Yudai City..."

Since he was an acquaintance, Lin Chen felt a lot more relieved.

So he took Li Zhenqian for a few more rounds and then turned into the alley.

After seeing Lin Chen, the blind fortune teller took off his sunglasses, looked around and muttered:

"Why is it you, my good boy? You have already established your foundation in just one year?"

"Haha, I just built my foundation by luck... Why did you transfer to Yudai City?" Lin Chen asked in confusion. "Ah..." The blind fortune teller began to complain.

It turned out that more than a year ago, since the war broke out, all towns and cities needed spies, and Guangyuan Town was not far from Changchun Mountain, so the spies were transferred to the front line.

And this blind fortune teller has come to Yudai City for more than a year.

After Lin Chen understood the situation, he nodded slightly and said:

"Fellow Daoist, why don't you tell me about the situation in that mountain stronghold first?"

After hearing this, the blind fortune teller said:
"The Jade Belt Village is not an ordinary robbery cultivation force, especially the Jade Belt scholar who is very cautious."

"He has many spies in Yudai City, observing the monks coming and going... Were you not discovered when you came?"

Lin Chen shook his head. They came in batches and should not be discovered.

The blind fortune teller heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, and then he told the information he had obtained.

"The Jade Belt Scholar, it seems that he is at the sixth level of foundation building...but whether he has any hidden abilities is still unknown."

"Besides him, there is also a second-in-command in the middle stage of foundation building in the village, and six foundation building cultivators..."

"This group of Tribulation Cultivators are fierce and aggressive, and are good at magic. They also got a batch of Five Thunder Seeds from somewhere. They are incredibly powerful and can threaten cultivators who have reached the Perfection of Qi Refining... Be careful when you see them!"

"At the same time, there are many secret hideouts on Jade Belt Mountain, with hundreds of robbery cultivators taking turns to guard... Be careful if you want to enter the mountain! I heard that there is a secret passage in the mountain village that was used by the Jade Belt scholar to escape..."

The blind fortune teller gave a general idea of ​​the situation in the mountain village.

Lin Chen frowned slightly after hearing this. It seemed that this cultivator was indeed a bit difficult to deal with.

He set up a sentry post on the mountain and dug a secret passage so he could escape at any time... This Jade Belt Scholar was indeed a cautious person.

But what Lin Chen cared about more was the Five Thunder Seeds!
"This batch of Five Thunder Seeds was most likely sold by me..."

Lin Chen thought silently.

Over the past year, he has sold more than thousands of Wu Lei Zi, most of which were purchased by individual cultivators.

It is inevitable that the robbery repair forces will also be mixed in and secretly purchase a batch.

But Lin Chen couldn't just give up because of the fear that a robbery cultivator might buy his magic weapon without earning spirit stones.

After the blind fortune teller told him all the information about Yudai Village, Lin Chen couldn't help but ask a question:
"Fellow Daoist, I have been walking along the road today, and I have seen that most of the people in this city are women selling goods on the streets. Why are there so few men?"

After hearing this, the blind fortune teller's face changed slightly, but he still whispered:
"Three strange things have happened in Yudai City over the past year..."

"The first strange thing is that a year ago, Zheng Gongzi, the lover of the city's famous Liannan Lingling, came home drunk and was found dead on the street the next day. Only his skin was left, and his flesh and bones were gone..."

"Since then, every three to five days, no matter if it's day or night, there are always mortals in the city who are skinned and killed tragically... Many of the immortal cultivation families in the city have investigated, but to no avail."

"Since then, only women in Yudai City have gone out to make a living, while men dared to stay at home and did not dare to go out easily."

Lin Chen frowned slightly after hearing this.

Dead in the street, only skin left but no flesh and bones... this is too creepy!
The blind fortune teller continued:
"The second strange thing is that there are many ghost cries in the cemetery outside the city. Any mortal who passes by the cemetery will fall seriously ill."

"What's even more bizarre is that most mortals in the city have said that they have received dreams from their ancestors in their past lives, asking them to go to the cemetery to pay homage... But those who went came back in a daze and died within a few months..."

"This third strange thing is related to this second strange thing."

"After the incident at the cemetery, the wealthy families in the city paid for many Qi-refining monks to come and check it out, but to no avail."

"Only the Wild Dog Gang in the south of the city sent out hundreds of black dogs, using black dog blood to exorcise the evil spirit, and finally subdued the ghost in the grave..."

"This is a good thing, but a passerby who happened to pass by the cemetery saw the black dog transformed into a human form, digging graves and gnawing bones. It was chilling..."

After hearing the blind fortune teller's words, Lin Chen and Li Zhenqian frowned and looked at each other.

In troubled times, there are many evil spirits.

The strange things happening in Yudai City are indeed quite shocking...

"Brother Lin... Senior Brother Lin, let's go report the situation in the mountain village first. We haven't accepted any of the strange missions in the city..."

Li Zhenqian, who was standing by, shuddered. Looking at the dark alleys around him, he felt cold all over.

Although he has the skills to protect himself, he is only fifteen or sixteen years old after all, which is the right time to believe in ghosts and gods...

After hearing this, Lin Chen touched his chin and said to the blind fortune teller:
"Thank you for your advice, fellow Daoist. Once this matter is resolved, you can be transferred back to the rear..."

After hearing this, the blind fortune teller sighed and said, "I hope so!"

……

After returning to the inn, Lin Chen told everyone the information about Yudai Village and also mentioned the strange things happening in the city.

Li Fengping frowned slightly after hearing this and said:

"In troubled times, the common people cannot live in peace!"

"But we are here to suppress bandits... Let's report the strange things happening in the city to the sect first and wait for a decision!"

The others nodded slightly after hearing this.

"Next, let's make a plan to attack the mountain!"

A senior brother with a righteous look expressed his thoughts.

"There are a large number of robbers in Yudai Mountain, which is very difficult to deal with. There are also sentinels inside and outside to explore. I am afraid that we will be ambushed before we even attack the mountain."

"Besides, there is a secret passage in the mountain. If we act rashly, I'm afraid we won't be able to annihilate the enemy leader!"

After hearing this, Lin Chen nodded slightly. The man who spoke was called Wan Xun, the only cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage among the crowd.

Wanxun glanced around and looked at Li Fengping.

"Brother Li, you are good at formations... In your opinion, before we attack the stronghold, can you set up a formation in advance to gain the upper hand?"

After hearing this, Li Fengping pondered and nodded:

"Theoretically, it is possible, but the area of ​​Yudai Mountain is too large, and it is difficult for me to set up the formation alone."

He looked up at Li Zhenqian, Ao Shixiang and other disciples who were good at formations, and added:
"However, if we can find out the exact coordinates of the Tribulation Cultivator in advance, and then have several of us Foundation Establishment Cultivators work together to set up the formation, it might be feasible!"

Lin Chen nodded when he heard this.

Indeed, a strong attack is not the best strategy. If you can deploy your formation in advance and gain the upper hand, you can save a lot of energy.

Therefore, Wanxun's plan was unanimously recognized by everyone.

"In that case, we will act in batches... Some monks will follow me to explore intelligence and the layout of the mountain stronghold."

"How about having a fellow Taoist who is good at formations prepare the details of the formation?"

Wanxun acted like a senior brother and took the lead.

Li Fengping also nodded, came to Lin Chen and said:

"Junior Brother Lin, you are also quite good at formations. Why don't you join us in setting up the formation?"

Lin Chen thought about it for a moment and agreed.

So, for the next three days, the group was divided into two groups.

Wanxun led four foundation-building disciples to explore the terrain of Yudai Mountain, as well as the distribution of major outposts and mountain strongholds in advance, and drew a detailed map.

Li Fengping led the remaining five people to prepare the formation layout.

……

By the fourth day, the intelligence and terrain had been basically surveyed, and Li Fengping led a few people to Yudai Mountain.

"Everyone, there are four strongholds on Yudai Mountain, each several miles apart..."

"In your opinion, which formation is better?"

Li Fengping looked around and set his sights on Lin Chen.

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, "I think the Earth Dragon Confining Elephant Formation that Senior Brother Ao is good at is the most suitable..."

Upon hearing this, the group looked at Ao Shixiang.

He had demonstrated the power of the Earth Dragon Elephant Trapping Formation during the previous sect competition.

On the Jade Belt Mountain with its rich earth veins, the power of the Earth Dragon Elephant Trapping Formation can be further enhanced.

After hearing this, Ao Shixiang pondered for a moment and nodded:

"Yes, if we set up an Earth Dragon Confining Elephant Formation, we only need to set up five formations... to cover the four strongholds, and finally link them together to bring more vein power into the mountain village."

“By then, even a foundation-building cultivator won’t be able to escape easily.”

"However, the arrangement of the Earth Dragon Confining Elephant Formation will inevitably cause abnormal movement of the earth veins. If it is discovered by the robbery cultivators..."

After hearing this, Li Zhenqian on the side spoke up.

He took out a set of battle flags from his storage bag and said:

"This formation is a great formation that conceals the aura of our Li family, which was passed down from our ancestors. It is most effective in concealing the abnormal fluctuations caused by the formation."

"As long as we set up this formation in advance, the Earth Dragon Trapping Elephant Formation will not be discovered!"

Ao Shixiang's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he sighed, "As expected of the Yanlai City Li family, they really have a rich heritage!"

"Okay, since that's the case, I'll take care of the formation. You can just listen to my instructions and assist me later!"

Everyone showed joy on their faces as soon as the Earth Dragon Elephant Trapping Formation was released.

The robber cultivator on Yudai Mountain was like a turtle caught in a jar, with no chance of escape.

After hearing the praise, Li Zhenqian looked at Lin Chen with a smug look on his face, feeling light-hearted.

So, everyone followed the plan and set up a concealing formation first.

Afterwards, they worked together to set up the Earth Dragon Trap Elephant Formation.

During this period, everyone had to hide their whereabouts to avoid being discovered by the robbers in the mountains.

Therefore, it took a whole night to set up the formation, and it was not until the early morning of the next day that the five Earth Dragon Trap Elephant Formations were set up.

Li Fengping took a long breath to relieve his fatigue, then looked up at the sky. It was still two hours before dawn.

So he said:

"Everyone, take a short break..."

"Before daybreak, we will activate five formations at the same time, first take out the sentries... and then launch a general attack on the mountain stronghold!"

(End of this chapter)