I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

The world created by Han Paopao in "Luanxinghai" is all in "I'm in Huangfeng Valley, and I Have an Equipment Slot!"

"Zhou Yuan obeys!"

Zhou Yuan did not hesitate at all.

He reached out and caught the sect leader's token that was floating in front of him, his tone crisp and decisive.

He knew that in the current state of sect warfare and the extraordinary period when all seven sects were fully mobilized, any refusal, delay, or feigned compliance with sect missions would be regarded as desertion or betrayal, with serious consequences.

In order to stabilize their rear and enforce discipline, the seven factions had already jointly established an enforcement team with several Core Formation cultivators in charge, wielding the power of life and death.

Zhou Yuan had no intention of challenging the authority of the seven sects of Yue Kingdom at this time. Being hunted down by a group of Core Formation cultivators and countless Foundation Establishment cultivators on his own territory would be a dead end.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's quick agreement, the late-stage Foundation Establishment deacon's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Junior Brother Zhou is very understanding. Please come with me!"

Zhou Yuan followed the senior brother in charge, riding a flying magical artifact, and returned to the square in front of the main hall of the Yellow Maple Valley sect several hours later.

At this time, a small group of people had gathered in the square, clearly divided into distinct groups.

On one side were four Foundation Establishment cultivators, three of whom were in the early stage of Foundation Establishment and one in the middle stage. Judging from their attire, they were all fellow disciples of Yellow Maple Valley.

On the other side were twenty Qi Refining stage disciples, all looking tense and fully armed, clearly aware that this mission was no small matter.

The senior brother in charge stepped forward and gave a brief introduction to both parties: "This is Junior Brother Zhou Yuan, whose cultivation has reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Junior Brother Zhou will be in full charge of this escort mission."

He pointed to the four Foundation Establishment disciples, "These are Junior Brother Wang, Junior Brother Li, Junior Sister Zhao, and Junior Brother Sun, all of whom are assisting with this mission. The rest are Qi Refining disciples who are accompanying us."

Upon hearing this, the four Foundation Establishment cultivators all turned their gazes to Zhou Yuan.

Among them, Junior Brother Wang, who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage (a middle-aged man with an honest face), showed a hint of surprise on his face. He had obviously heard of Zhou Yuan's reputation and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

The other three also exchanged greetings and had no objection to Zhou Yuan leading the team.

After all, Zhou Yuan's "deeds" in the Crimson Forbidden Land and his current cultivation level are there for all to see.

At this moment, Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao walked out of the main hall with a solemn expression.

He went straight to Zhou Yuan and took out ten bright red, palm-sized but bulging storage bags from his storage pouch. Each storage bag was covered with a complex spirit-sealing talisman.

Next, he took out a jade box engraved with protective array patterns and carefully placed ten red storage bags into the jade box.

Then, he formed hand seals and applied several more layers of restrictions to the jade box. It was only after a flash of spiritual light that the process was complete.

Zhong Lingdao solemnly handed the jade box to Zhou Yuan, saying in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Zhou, this is a batch of high-purity spirit stones urgently needed by the frontline camp. It concerns the operation of the Golden Drum Plain defensive array and the safety of our seven sects' disciples. There can be no mistakes! Be extremely careful on your journey and return as quickly as possible!"

"Rest assured, Senior Brother Sect Leader, Zhou Yuan will do his utmost to deliver this item safely!"

Zhou Yuan accepted the jade box with both hands; it was quite heavy. He solemnly assured them.

With the task clear, Zhou Yuan didn't delay any longer.

He glanced at the queue in the square and took out a blue flying boat that was about five or six zhang long, of ordinary style but spacious enough, from his storage bag.

This was one of the less conspicuous flying artifacts he had previously seized, but it was perfect for transporting the troop.

After all, although the kamikaze boat is fast, it is small in size and not suitable for carrying so many people.

"Fellow disciples, please board the flying boat. We're about to depart!" Zhou Yuan said loudly, leaping onto the front of the flying boat first.

The others dared not delay, and the four Foundation Establishment cultivators and twenty Qi Refining disciples boarded the flying boat one after another.

Zhou Yuan placed the jade box in front of him and infused it with his magic power to propel the flying boat.

The azure flying boat shone brightly, slowly ascended into the air, and then transformed into a streak of azure light, carrying twenty-five people as it sped toward the Jingu Plain on the border of the Yue Kingdom.

The flying boat pierced through the clouds and mist; its speed wasn't the fastest, but its stability was its greatest asset.

Zhou Yuan stood at the bow of the boat, steering the ship, but his thoughts were in turmoil.

He looked at the heavily guarded jade box in front of him, which contained a huge fortune worth at least tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

The next upgrade to the equipment slot will require a "recharge" of 100,000 spirit stones.

This is a sum that would drive any Foundation Establishment cultivator mad! If obtained, it would bring a qualitative leap to their equipment inventory...

An extremely dangerous thought quietly took root: with his current strength, it was not impossible for him to suddenly launch an attack, using the Thousand Blade Technique, the Twelve Divine Court Stabs, the Black Dragon's Robbing, the Broken Gold Sword, and other trump cards to kill the four Foundation Establishment disciples and twenty Qi Refining disciples on the flying boat.

Then, they would take the spirit stones and fly far away, find a secluded place, and gather 100,000 spirit stones to upgrade their equipment slots...

The idea was like the devil's whisper, full of temptation.

But only for a moment.

Zhou Yuan forcibly suppressed the thought, and even a little cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Although there isn't a particularly strong sense of belonging, there is still some connection to the family line.

The sect leader Zhong Lingdao, his master Li Huayuan, and even some of his fellow disciples owe him nothing.

Now that the demonic forces have invaded, the Yue Kingdom is in turmoil, and the cultivators on the front lines are fighting a bloody battle, consuming an enormous amount of spirit stones every day.

This batch of spirit stones is likely to be a crucial supply for maintaining the frontline defense array and protecting the lives of many fellow disciples!

If he were to abduct them, causing a breach in the defenses, countless cultivators from the seven sects would lose their lives.

Perhaps some of them are people he knows.

Although Zhou Yuan acts decisively and can sometimes be considered ruthless, he is not, at heart, a pure demon without any bottom line who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

He couldn't bring himself to do something so selfish and tantamount to treason, harming others (especially a large number of his own allies).

Moreover, the consequences would be far too severe!

Huangfeng Valley and even the seven factions will never let this go.

Looting such important strategic materials is like stirring up a hornet's nest.

At that time, not only the law enforcement team, but even Core Formation cultivators like Li Huayuan will likely be dispatched to investigate.

Once exposed, he will have nowhere to stand in the Yue Kingdom, and it may even disrupt his plans to go to the Chaotic Star Sea.

"The right way is to complete the task honestly and then find a chance to get away."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes regaining their clarity and determination. He stopped looking at the jade box and focused on piloting the flying boat.

A few days later, the flying boat finally approached the Jingu Plain area on the northern border of the Yue Kingdom.

As far as the eye can see, there is a desolate plain stretching to the horizon.

The ground was sparsely covered with vegetation, and the wind whipped up yellow sand. A faint smell of blood and lingering spiritual energy filled the air.

The ground is littered with huge craters, scorched earth, broken rocks, and occasionally fragments of magical artifacts that reflect a metallic luster.

In some places, one can even see fragments of corpses and clothing that have not been cleaned up in time, and have long since dried or are half-buried in the dust.

The cruelty and desolation of war were laid bare on this land.

This area was originally the border region between the Yue Kingdom and the Cheqi Kingdom.

After Cheqi Kingdom was captured by the six sects of the Demonic Path and became a springboard for their attack, Jingu Plain became the first and most important line of defense for the seven allied forces against the southward advance of the Demonic Path.

Zhou Yuan dared not be careless. He ordered the flying boat to lower its altitude and fly close to the ground at high speed. At the same time, he activated his divine sense and vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

After flying for another three or four hundred miles, a huge plateau, with its distinctly raised terrain resembling a natural fortress, came into view on the horizon ahead.

Above the plateau, a huge, transparent light shield, covering an area of ​​dozens of miles, emitting various colors of spiritual light and constantly changing, is like an inverted giant bowl, completely enveloping the entire plateau.

Within the light barrier, one could vaguely see densely packed, irregularly sized, and crudely designed wooden and stone houses scattered haphazardly.

This is the most important frontline camp of the seven allied forces of Yue on the northern border—the Jinguyuan Camp!

Zhou Yuan's spirits lifted, and he steered the flying boat to accelerate toward the edge of the camp's protective barrier.

Several miles away from the main camp, the flying boat was locked onto by several powerful divine senses.

Immediately afterwards, a patrol of cultivators dressed in a mix of clothing from seven different sects, exuding a fierce aura, flew out from within the light barrier and blocked their path.

"Halt! State your identity and purpose!" shouted the leader, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Zhou Yuan stopped the flying boat, calmly took out the token given to him by the sect leader Zhong Lingdao, and announced loudly, "Zhou Yuan, a disciple of Huangfeng Valley, has been ordered by the sect leader to escort the supply spirit stones for handover!"

The patrolling cultivator took the warrant, carefully examined the markings and aura on it, and then looked at the clothing and cultivation levels of the people on the flying boat. After confirming that everything was correct, his expression softened. The leading cultivator sent a transmission talisman into the light barrier.

A moment later, the light barrier covering the plateau rippled, and a temporary gap about ten feet wide quietly appeared near Zhou Yuan's flying boat.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, please come in! The handover point is in the northwest corner of the camp, and there are people to meet you there." The patrolling cultivator stepped aside to make way for him.

Thank you for your trouble.

Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and slowly maneuvered the flying boat into the gap in the light shield.

A more intense, complex aroma, a mixture of medicinal, sweaty, metallic, and faintly bloody scents, wafted towards us.

Inside the light barrier, the scene became clearer. The houses were arranged haphazardly, the roads were muddy, and the cultivators were hurrying about, some healing their wounds, some exchanging ideas, and some preparing their magical artifacts. The atmosphere was tense and busy.

Following the directions, Zhou Yuan quickly located the supply handover area in the northwest corner of the camp.

A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Huangfeng Valley, who looked to be in his forties, with a tired face but sharp eyes, was already waiting there.

After verifying their identities, Zhou Yuan handed over a jade box containing ten red storage bags to the other party. The other party carefully checked the restrictions and the quantity and quality of the spirit stones inside. After confirming that everything was correct, a handover certificate was issued.

"The transaction is complete. Mr. Zhou's mission is accomplished. I will take my leave now."

Zhou Yuan put away the voucher and then planned to leave with the four Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples who had come with him.

However, the late-stage Foundation Establishment senior brother in charge of the handover called him back:

"Junior Brother Zhou, please wait."

Zhou Yuan turned around and looked at the other person.

The senior brother's face showed a hint of helplessness and apology, but his tone left no room for argument:

"Junior Brother Zhou, the border war is currently intense, and all defense lines urgently need reinforcements. Since your team has completed its escort mission and has no other specific orders, according to the temporary management regulations of the main camp, you need to be temporarily incorporated into the main camp's garrison order and await further orders to strengthen the frontline forces. This is a unified arrangement by the Allied Command, and I hope you understand."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan frowned immediately, inwardly realizing something was wrong.

They were escorting spirit stones, but they were actually "detained" on the front lines?

This completely disrupted his plans!