A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Clang! Clang!"

"Clang! Clang!"

........

A loud alarm sounded from the main gate of Jin Yuan, waking everyone from their dreams. There was still less than an hour until dawn, and no one knew what had happened.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Shouts from the guards echoed throughout the Golden Garden, and then members of the Golden Clan rushed out of the houses and quickly gathered at the entrance.

Zhou Ping was immediately awakened by the commotion outside. He quickly dressed, and in a flash, he arrived in the courtyard. He glanced towards the main gate and then darted off in that direction.

Under the cover of night, his figure moved through the alley like a ghost. Before long, he arrived at the tallest house. With a slight push of his toes, he landed on the roof without making a sound.

Zhou Ping looked up and gazed towards the doorway; the distance was enough for him to see the general situation in the distance.

A dense crowd surged forth from the only cliff path leading to the inner gate, confronting the Jin clan members who had immediately assembled at the gate.

Zhou Ping stared grimly at the two groups of people, never expecting that someone could reach the Jin clan's doorstep.

It seems that the Green Bamboo Sect has opened its doors wide to invading forces. He had just told Chef Wang the information in the brocade pouch during the day, and now such a huge change has occurred.

It's obvious that this is related to Ma Liuyun and Feiying Hall, and it's even possible that Jin Yunfeng, the leader of Qingzhu Sect, is the mastermind behind it all.

Zhou Ping recalled the secret correspondence between Ma Liuyun and Jin Yunfeng and immediately understood the key point.

The fact that the Jin Clan was able to detect the attack so quickly, even though it happened in the dead of night, suggests that their defenses are not as simple as they appear, and that they must have hidden sentries outside.

Otherwise, if the enemy had launched a surprise attack under cover of darkness, there would probably have been heavy casualties by now, and there would have been no chance of a stalemate.

Is this the unexpected turn of events that Ma Liuyun had hinted at earlier? It seems that things are starting to develop in the direction he hoped for.

After Zhou Ping noticed Ma Liuyun's unusual behavior, he realized that some people in Feiying Hall, or rather Qingzhu Sect, had already developed a rift with the Jin Clan, and the two sides were no longer an impenetrable alliance.

If he were to face the impregnable Jin Clan and Qingzhu Sect, he would have no chance of escaping Jin Jingtian's control. However, if the Jin Clan were to fall apart, he would have a great opportunity.

He needed to go back and prepare. He couldn't act rashly before the outcome was decided. Otherwise, if the Jin clan came back to cause trouble for him, he could escape, but his family couldn't.

Looking down at the identity card in his hand, a resolute glint flashed in Zhou Ping's eyes. He had kept the smoke inside since it was generated two days ago, in order to deal with such emergencies and to have an extra powerful trump card for himself.

........

"This calamity is ultimately inescapable..."

Jin Jingtian tilted his head back and swallowed a wood-green pill in one gulp.

"Unfortunately, there's only one day left. Let's go meet these traitors first."

In the council hall of the Jin clan, several elders paced back and forth anxiously, having already dispatched all the clan's elites to the main gate, ready to fight any invading enemy at any time.

When Jin Haiming saw Jin Jingtian enter, he hurriedly went to greet him.

"Jing Tian! What exactly happened to my Green Bamboo Sect? How could the enemy have directly attacked Jin Yuan?!"

"Jing Tian, ​​why...why do you look so old?!"

Upon getting closer, Jin Haiming saw the person's appearance clearly and exclaimed in shock.

"No need to worry. There was a slight mishap during his training. The fact that the enemy was able to get here means that Jin Yunfeng has already defected. Go and retrieve the sacred artifact left by our great-uncle. We should be able to use it later."

Jin Jingtian spoke calmly, appearing completely unfazed.

"Jin Yunfeng? How dare he?! A mere member of a small branch dares to betray our clan and defect to the enemy! Wait, Jing Tian, ​​judging from your expression, did you already know?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Haiming was first shocked and angry, then asked in astonishment.

"That's right, just a bunch of clowns. How else can we lure them out from underground?"

Jin Jingtian spoke expressionlessly, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Jin Hong! Quickly bring out our great-uncle's protective artifact; Jing Tian and I are going to confront these traitors!"

Jin Haiming hurriedly gave instructions to Jin Hong, who looked flustered, and then followed Jin Jingtian out of the main hall.

.......

At this moment, deafening shouts of battle had already resounded at the entrance of Jin Yuan.

Once assembled, the Longquan Sword Sect, under Mo Liancheng's command, launched a full-scale attack on Jinyuan.

"Sect Leader Jin, our sneak attack was flawless, so how did the Jin Clan manage to detect it beforehand?"

Mo Liancheng's expression was rather unpleasant as he questioned Jin Yunfeng, who was standing to the side.

"Patriarch Mo, even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. You don't think the Jin Clan, which is so large, has no defensive measures at all, do you?"

"Such hidden sentries are so rare that even within the Jin Clan, let alone my Green Bamboo Sect, very few people know about them."

Jin Yunfeng replied indifferently, somewhat helpless in the face of the situation. He estimated that even among the three main branches of the Jin clan, let alone his branch, few people knew about the secret spies.

"Jin Jingtian is quite composed. Even with the enemy at his doorstep, he can still hide inside and not show his face."

Seeing that the two sides were already embroiled in a chaotic battle, yet still hadn't found the powerful patriarch of the Jin clan, Mo Liancheng couldn't help but sneer.

"Patriarch Mo, when Jin Jingtian comes out later, we'll have to rely on you. Among those present, only you, a Grandmaster, can rival him."

As a martial arts grandmaster, Jin Yunfeng naturally knew that he was no match for Jin Jingtian. A grandmaster could fight against several martial arts masters at the grandmaster level without being at a disadvantage. Only Mo Liancheng, who was also a grandmaster, could put up a fight against him.

"Don't worry, Master Jin. There are more experts coming this time. If your secret methods are effective, Jin Jingtian will have no chance to escape."

"As for our agreement, Sect Master Jin, please don't forget that all the secrets hidden within the Jin Clan belong to my Sword Sect. After we have helped you eliminate the three branches of the Jin Clan, we will retreat the way we came, and we will continue to live in peace. Your sect should not do anything unwise."

Mo Liancheng stroked his silver beard, replying in a tone that was half a reminder and half a warning.

"Master Mo, rest assured, I am only interested in gaining actual control of the Jin clan and have no interest in anything else."

.......

"Master, a fight has broken out down there! Come and see, it's really interesting!"

Liu Feng watched the chaotic battle at the foot of the mountain with great interest. Although he was far away, the light in his eyes shone like fireflies in the dark night, allowing him to see the battle situation below clearly.

"What's there to see? A bunch of bugs biting each other. Wait until they've bitten enough before you wake me up. I'm going to take a nap."

Tongxin Daoren lay on the smooth boulder, turned over so that his backside was facing his disciple Liu Feng, and said nothing more.