Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

The fifth day in the forbidden area.

Lin Feng emerged from a hidden cave, patted the dirt off his body, and stretched lazily.

Today is the day we agreed to block the door.

Over the past day and a half, he cautiously circled the central area and reaped some rewards.

Besides the two Heavenly Spirit Fruits, he found three more ancient medicinal herbs: a Ganoderma lucidum, a Polygonum multiflorum, and a Polygonatum sibiricum.

Including the three plants he had previously found in Zhao Heng's storage bag, as well as five Jade Marrow Fungus plants and two Heavenly Spirit Fruit plants, he now possesses thirteen century-old spiritual herbs.

Thirteen plants.

This number is definitely among the top in the disciples participating in the forbidden area trial. Although it can't compare to Han Li, who has an unfair advantage, it's still better than most.

Besides the elixirs, he also encountered several scattered monsters: two mid-level level 1 poisonous lizards, three mid-level level 1 vampire bats, and a high-level level 1 unicorn python.

They weren't any troublesome targets; a few shots with the broken wind gun would kill them.

"Luckily, I'm not that jinx Han Li." Lin Feng muttered to himself as he walked. "That kid always runs into robbers wherever he goes, but I've been walking for five days and haven't encountered a single one."

This is probably the negative effect of the protagonist's halo.

Lin Feng didn't have this problem; his journey was going very smoothly, so smoothly that it was almost boring.

Now I'm going to rob someone.

At noon, Lin Feng arrived near the exit.

The exit is on a wide, flat area paved with bluestone slabs, surrounded by low hills.

A faint ripple of spiritual light emanated from the sky above the flat ground. That was the weakest point in the forbidden area's grand formation. Once the Core Formation elders cast their spells, the passage would open from there.

Lin Feng did not rush to approach the exit. Instead, he circled the perimeter to make sure there were no ambushes before slowly approaching.

There were already two people waiting at the exit.

One was Han Tianya. Dressed in a blue robe and carrying a folding fan, he was leaning against a large rock, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes and smiled slightly at Lin Feng.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you've arrived quite early."

"Fellow Daoist Han is not late either." Lin Feng nodded, then turned his gaze to another person.

The man appeared to be in his early forties, of medium build, with uneven eyes and a face covered in pockmarks. He carried seven or eight bags of different sizes, each bulging, seemingly containing some kind of demonic beast.

Spirit Beast Mountain, Zhongwu.

With a cultivation level of thirteenth level of Qi Refining and a calm demeanor, he was clearly the kind of person not to be trifled with.

"Fellow Daoist Zhongwu," Lin Feng said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Zhong Wu nodded slightly as a greeting, without saying anything. His gaze lingered on Lin Feng for a moment, as if assessing something, before shifting away.

"Feng Yue hasn't arrived yet?" Zhongwu asked.

Han Tianya shook his head: "They haven't arrived yet. Let's wait a little longer."

The three of them waited there.

One incense stick, two incense sticks, half an hour.

Feng Yue never appeared.

Lin Feng knew in his heart that Feng Yue wouldn't be able to come.

In the original story, Feng Yue, the madman of Tianque Fortress, encountered Han Li in the forbidden area, only to be killed by Han Li in return. He died silently, without even making a ripple.

"I'm not waiting anymore." Han Tianya stood up, closed his folding fan, and his smile faded slightly. "Feng Yue won't be coming."

Zhong Wu frowned: "How did you know?"

"I have a feeling," Han Tianya said calmly. "Anything can happen in the forbidden area. It's not surprising that one person is missing."

Zhong Wu remained silent for a moment, then nodded without asking any further questions.

Lin Feng secretly admired Han Tianya's judgment. This guy had survived the forbidden area three times; he was indeed quite capable.

"Three people are enough." Han Tianya looked at Lin Feng and Zhong Wu. "You both know the Three Talents Formation, right?"

Lin Feng nodded. The Three Talents Formation is the most basic combined attack formation. The three people stand in a triangle, forming a triangle with each other, integrating offense and defense. He had learned it in Yellow Maple Valley. Although he hadn't used it much in actual combat, setting up the formation was no problem for him.

Zhong Wu nodded as well.

"That's good." Han Tianya took out three array flags from his storage bag and handed one to Lin Feng and one to Zhong Wu. "Stand according to the Three Talents Array and seal the exit. After the passage is opened, anyone who wants to leave must first hand over spiritual herbs. Those who disagree—"

He flicked his folding fan and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Lin Feng took the array flag, his heart filled with vigilance. Han Tianya had even prepared the array flag, which meant that he had planned this scheme long ago, and it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.

This person is very shrewd and calculating.

The three of them spread out according to the positions of the Three Talents Formation, surrounding the exit in the middle.

Lin Feng stood in the southeast corner, Han Tianya in the northwest corner, and Zhongwu in the due north.

The three stood about ten feet apart, with array flags planted at their feet. They infused the flags with spiritual energy, and a faint spiritual light connected the three flags, forming a triangular blockade line.

"Remember," Han Tianya's voice came, "Now that there are three of us, each of us will receive three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs. This will reduce the toll and should result in less resistance. As for those who don't hand over the herbs—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Time passed little by little.

The spiritual light above the exit was fluctuating more and more intensely, as if something was churning within it. Lin Feng looked up and knew that the passage was about to open.

It was three quarters past the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

"boom--"

With a loud bang, the spiritual light above the exit suddenly exploded, and a dark crack appeared in mid-air, like a giant eye slowly opening.

The passage is open.

Outside the forbidden area, the Core Formation elders of the seven sects were casting spells to maintain the passage. The passage would last for about two hours, enough time for all the survivors to leave.

Almost as soon as the passage opened, the first person appeared.

She was a female disciple of the Qingxu Sect, at the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Her white robe was stained with blood, her hair was disheveled, and there were several wounds on her face. She stumbled and ran from a distance, and when she saw the three figures at the exit, she suddenly stopped.

"What...what are you doing?" the female disciple asked, her voice trembling.

Han Tianya said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, you can leave, but you must first hand over three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs."

"Three plants?" The female disciple's expression changed. "Where would I get so many spiritual herbs?"

"Then there's nothing we can do." Han Tianya shrugged, his smile unchanged. "The passage is right there, but if you want to get through, you'll have to get past us first."

The female disciple gritted her teeth, standing still, caught in a dilemma.

She didn't rush over rashly, nor did she hand over the elixir. Instead, she retreated to a distance and observed.

A few more people arrived one after another.

There were people from the Giant Sword Sect, the Pure Void Sect, the Heavenly Palace Fortress, and the Yellow Maple Valley. Upon seeing the three people at the exit and the array flags planted in the ground, everyone reacted similarly. First, they were stunned, then their faces turned grim, and finally they retreated to a distance to observe.

No one dared to be the first to step forward.

Lin Feng watched coldly, secretly admiring Han Tianya's brilliant move.

The worst thing about blocking a door isn't that someone resists, but that no one resists. If the first person backs down, everyone else will follow. That's human nature.

"There are seven people in total." Lin Feng glanced at the crowd gathered in the distance. "They're all watching and no one dares to make a move."

Han Tianya had clearly noticed this situation, but he wasn't in a hurry. The passage would be open for two hours; he had plenty of time to wait.

Another incense stick burned.

A Taoist priest walked towards them from a distance.

He was from the Qingxu Sect, around forty years old, and at the twelfth level of Qi Refining. His gray Daoist robe was torn in several places, and there was a deep wound on his left shoulder, the bleeding still not stopped. He clutched the wound, his face pale, his steps unsteady, clearly seriously injured and in urgent need of leaving the forbidden area to heal.

The Taoist priest frowned when he saw the three people at the exit, but he did not stop walking.

"Halt." Han Tianya spoke, his tone still gentle. "Fellow Daoist, if you want to leave, you must first hand over three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs."

The Taoist priest stopped and looked at Han Tianya, his voice hoarse: "This humble Taoist doesn't have that many spiritual medicines on me, and my injuries are severe; I urgently need to go out to heal. If you three fellow Taoists would do me a favor, I will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

"No elixirs?" Han Tianya's smile remained unchanged. "Then I'm sorry. The passage is right there, but if you want to get through, you have to follow the rules."

The Taoist priest's face darkened.

"Are you three going to ambush us on the road?"

"That's not how it works," Han Tianya shook his head. "We're just collecting a toll. You've worked so hard in the forbidden area for so many days, you should have some reward, right? If you don't have any spiritual herbs, you can leave your magic tools, pills, and spirit stones behind; we'll use them as payment for a few spiritual herbs, how about that?"

The Taoist priest's expression turned even uglier.

He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly took out a talisman from his sleeve, infused it with spiritual power, and the talisman glowed with golden light.

"I'll say it again, get out of the way."

Han Tianya looked at the talisman, his smile widening.

"Golden Armor Talisman? A good item. But fellow Daoist, are you sure you want to use it?"

The Taoist priest did not answer. The golden armor talisman exploded on his body, transforming into a set of golden spiritual armor that enveloped his entire body. He took out a cyan flying sword from his storage bag, its blade gleaming fiercely.

"I'm asking one last time, are you going to let me through or not?"

Han Tianya sighed, looking quite helpless.

"No."

The Taoist priest stopped talking and his flying sword transformed into a streak of green light, heading straight for Han Tianya's face.

Han Tianya did not move.

He didn't even open the folding fan.

The flying sword flew to within three feet of Han Tianya, when it suddenly seemed to hit an invisible wall and bounced back violently. The Taoist's expression changed, and before he could react, Han Tianya's figure had already appeared in front of him.

The folding fan is opened.

A beam of green light shot out from the fan, as fast as lightning, heading straight for the Taoist's throat.

The Taoist instinctively raised his hand to block, and the golden armor of the talisman blocked the attack, but the huge impact sent him flying, crashing to the ground and rolling twice.

"What a tough golden armor talisman," Han Tianya exclaimed, but he didn't stop walking.

He walked up to the Taoist priest and waved his folding fan again.

This time, the blue light was even brighter than before.

A crack appeared on the Taoist's golden armor, which quickly spread, covering his entire body like a spider web. The next second, the armor shattered with a crash, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating.

The Taoist priest was deathly pale and tried to get up, but Han Tianya's folding fan was already pressed against his throat.

"I said, follow the rules." Han Tianya looked down at the Taoist priest, his smile still gentle, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. "Since you are unwilling to hand over the spiritual medicine, nor the magic weapon or pills, then I have no choice but to send you on your way."

With a single stroke of the folding fan.

Blood splattered.

The Taoist priest's body slumped to the ground, his eyes wide open, and he did not close them until his death.

Han Tianya squatted down, searched the Taoist's storage bag and magical artifacts, stood up, casually stuffed the items into his robes, closed his folding fan, and slowly walked back to his seat.

The entire process takes no more than ten breaths.

The crowd watching from afar fell silent.

Everyone's expression changed.

That Taoist priest was an inner disciple of the Qingxu Sect, at the twelfth level of Qi Refining. Although he was injured, he couldn't even last a single round against Han Tianya.

"Who else wants to try?" Han Tianya looked around with a beaming smile.

No one speaks.

Standing in the southeast corner, Lin Feng watched all this, and his opinion of Han Tianya rose even higher.

This person is not only powerful, but also ruthless and decisive. He killed a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining without batting an eye, as if killing a chicken.

"I need to be wary of this kind of person," Lin Feng silently warned himself.

Zhong Wu remained silent and still throughout. He stood there like a stone, expressionless, his thoughts unreadable.

The onlookers in the distance began to stir.

Some people whispered among themselves, some hesitated, and some quietly retreated, seemingly looking for other exits.

"There are no other exits." Han Tianya's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "There's only one passage. If you want to get out, you have to go through here. Three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs for a life—it's a good deal."

silence.

A long silence.

Finally, the first person moved.

She was a female disciple from Spirit Beast Mountain, at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, with delicate features. She stepped out from the crowd and walked up to Zhong Wu. "Senior Brother Zhong, we are from the same sect, could you please make an exception for us?"

Zhongwu grinned. "If Junior Sister doesn't want to give it to us willingly, we can take it ourselves. I believe we can get even more."

Helpless, the female disciple from Spirit Beast Mountain had no choice but to take out three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs from her storage bag and place them on the ground.

"May I leave now?"

Han Tianya glanced at the three spiritual herbs and nodded in satisfaction: "Of course, please go ahead, fellow Daoist."

The female disciple strode towards the passage, and in a flash, disappeared into the dark crack.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

A male cultivator from Tianque Fortress stepped forward, handed over three spiritual herbs, and passed the test.

Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth...

More and more people joined, and the queue stretched into a long line.

Lin Feng stood in the southeast corner, watching the disciples walk past him, hand over their spiritual herbs, and enter the passage. He was calculating how many spiritual herbs he could get from this gate-blocking incident.

According to Han Tianya, all the medicinal herbs should be divided equally among the three of them.

"This wave is in the bag." Lin Feng's lips curled up slightly.

But he did not let his guard down.

There are too many variables involved in blocking the door. Who knows if someone will suddenly attack? Who knows if someone is hiding some deadly weapon? Besides, there's Nangong Wan and Old Man Xiang involved. Should I run away first?

He maintained the flow of spiritual energy, holding the array flag in his hand, ready to deal with any emergencies at any time.