Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

Eight days later.

The flying ships traveled at a speed of a thousand miles a day, traversing vast mountains and rivers in the northwest of the Yue Kingdom.

The scenery beneath our feet gradually transformed from the desolation of Jingu Plain into lush greenery. The smoke of war dissipated, replaced by rolling green hills and winding blue waters.

A place yet untouched by war.

Lin Feng stood at the edge of the deck, holding onto the railing, looking down at the scenery rushing past below.

The northwest of Yue was much richer than other places. It had beautiful mountains and clear waters, more orderly farmland, and more prosperous towns.

Occasionally, one can see a few ordinary cities, with square walls, crisscrossing streets, bustling with people and vehicles, a scene of prosperity.

"Interesting," Lin Feng thought to himself. "It seems that the invasion of the demonic path hasn't had much of an impact on mortal towns for the time being."

"What is Junior Brother Lin thinking about?"

A voice came from beside me.

Lin Feng turned his head and saw Nie Ying.

Her blue palace dress shimmered softly in the sunlight, her black hair cascaded down her back, and her skin was as white as snow. She stood on the deck, the wind ruffling her robes, making her appear ethereal and otherworldly.

"Nothing," Lin Feng said, withdrawing his gaze. "I was thinking about the Liu family."

Nie Ying nodded slightly, walked to his side, and also held onto the railing, gazing into the distance.

Lin Feng glanced at her.

The woman, known as the "most beautiful woman in Huangfeng Valley," had no expression on her face and her eyes were vacant, as if she were lost in thought.

Nie Ying was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "We're almost there. Let's discuss attacking the Liu family."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked back to the cabin.

Lin Feng watched her figure disappear behind the cabin door, shook his head, and then turned and went inside as well.

Inside the cabin, five Foundation Establishment cultivators were already sitting around a wooden table.

Nie Ying, Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Xiao, Han Tianya, and that Junior Sister Ye.

Lin Feng found a seat and sat down.

Nie Ying sat in the main seat. She was the leader of this mission. Although her cultivation level was not the highest, she was Lei Wanhe's personal disciple and represented the will of the Core Formation Elder.

Senior Brother Chen spoke first.

He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Tianque Fortress, around forty years old, with a burly build, rugged face, and a loud voice; he was a straightforward person.

"Fellow disciples, how should we attack the Liu family?" Senior Brother Chen's gaze swept over everyone. "Although the Liu family's combat strength is not high, they rely on the mountain-protecting formation, so it probably won't be easy to break through, right?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked thoughtful.

Senior Brother Chen is right. Although the Liu family only has four Foundation Establishment cultivators, their strength is far inferior to the Seven Sects Alliance, but they have a mountain-protecting formation.

If the opponent defends according to the formation, the seven factions will have to spend a lot of time attacking the formation.

If the process drags on for too long, it will fail to achieve the "plowing the courtyard and sweeping the cave, killing the chicken to scare the monkey" effect required by the Core Formation Elder.

If word gets out that the Seven Factions have been fighting a small family like the Liu family for so long, where will their face be?

Ye, the junior sister of the Hidden Moon Sect, pondered for a moment and said, "How about we launch a surprise attack and sneak in before their formation is fully activated?"

Senior Brother Xiao shook his head. He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, around thirty years old, with a cold and stern face, sinister eyes, and an air of madness.

"While a sneak attack might catch them off guard, it would be far less effective in making an example of them."

Nie Ying pursed her lips slightly, then smiled faintly.

She took out a small cone-shaped ritual implement from her storage bag and placed it on the table.

The magical artifact was only the size of a palm, silver-white in color, with fine array patterns engraved all over its cone-shaped body. It shimmered with spiritual light and faintly flickered with lightning.

"Master and the others have already considered this situation and specially bestowed this 'Chaotic Spirit Cone' upon us." Nie Ying's voice was cold, but carried a hint of confidence.

"The Chaotic Spirit Cone?" A hint of interest flashed in Senior Brother Xiao's eyes. "Is that the strange magical artifact that can disrupt the flow of spiritual energy in an array?"

"Exactly." Nie Ying nodded.

"This magical artifact has the effect of disrupting the spiritual energy flow of the formation. The Liu family's protective mountain formation can only defend against attacks from early-stage Core Formation cultivators at most, and its strength is limited. When the time comes, we only need to gather the strength of six people to attack one point of the formation, supplemented by a group of Qi Refining disciples, and then use the 'Disruptive Spirit Cone' to attack the formation's core. This will surely stop the formation from operating. At that time, the formation will definitely break."

"This battle must be fought with an honorable and righteous force, crushing all obstacles."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Senior Brother Chen slapped the table and laughed, "Good! The elders have thought this through. What are we waiting for?"

Senior Brother Xiao stood up, a hint of killing intent and excitement flashing in his eyes. He licked his lips and said, "That's right, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can call it a day."

He was the first to step out of the cabin.

Seeing this, the others also got up and followed them out.

Lin Feng walked at the very back, his gaze lingering on Nie Ying's back for a moment.

"They're really well-prepared. It seems they're determined to wipe out the Liu family," he thought to himself. "This battle is a foregone conclusion."

The flying ship continued forward.

After flying for another half an hour, the outline of a city built against the mountain began to appear before everyone's eyes.

The city covers an area of ​​several thousand acres and is inhabited by hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, most of whom are ordinary members of the Liu family without spiritual roots.

The city wall is over ten feet high and made of bluestone. Inside the city, houses are lined up one after another and streets are crisscrossed. You can vaguely see people walking on the streets.

Behind the city is a mountain, not very high, about four hundred feet high, covered with lush greenery and dense bamboo forests.

Above the mountainside, some pavilions and towers can be vaguely seen, hidden among the bamboo forest, appearing and disappearing.

Lingcui City.

Lingcui Mountain.

Most of the cultivators of the Liu family live on Lingcui Mountain, which has an ordinary spiritual vein and is rich in a kind of Lingcui bamboo that can be used for refining weapons. Lingcui Mountain is named after this.

The Liu family also established a small market town using this spiritual vein, providing a place for independent cultivators in the surrounding area to trade and practice.

Supported by these industries, the Liu family gradually grew from a small clan into a powerful clan that had achieved the Foundation Establishment stage.

If it weren't for the fact that their defection to the demonic path was discovered by the seven sects, making them the scapegoats, they might have successfully developed into a Core Formation family.

Unfortunately, they didn't have that chance.

A moment later,

The flying ship did not slow down at all and flew directly to the sky above Lingcui Mountain.

The colossal ship, tens of meters long, hovered in mid-air, casting a large shadow and exuding a strong sense of oppression.

The array patterns on the ship's hull lit up, their spiritual light flowing, like a giant beast coiled in the air, looking down at its prey.

The scenery on the mountain is spread out before your eyes.

The houses stand side by side, stretching from the foot of the mountain all the way to the top. The pavilions and towers are arranged in a well-organized manner, with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters.

The bamboo groves are lush and green, neatly tended, with the bamboo leaves rustling in the wind.

It was early morning, and sunlight streamed into the bamboo forest, causing dewdrops to glisten on the bamboo leaves.

Some cultivators from the Liu family, who were at the Qi Refining stage, were busy in the bamboo forest—watering, removing insects, and pruning branches and leaves, creating a thriving and peaceful scene.

Business as usual.

Until, the flying ships arrived.