As various factions in the Lingxu Market busily prepared plans to counter the mysterious force, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly. However, beneath the calm surface, a sudden upheaval was quietly brewing.

While gathering intelligence, the joint intelligence team encountered a series of bizarre events. Several intelligence agents mysteriously disappeared during missions, leaving no trace. The first to notice the anomaly was an intelligence officer from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce. While tracking a suspected contact point of a mysterious force with his partner, his companion suddenly vanished before his eyes, as if swallowed by darkness in an instant.

This news caused a huge uproar when it reached the Lingxu Market. Upon learning of it, Lin Yang immediately realized the situation was dire. He urgently summoned the leaders of various factions to discuss countermeasures. The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy, and a cloud of gloom hung over everyone's faces.

"This must be a retaliatory action by a mysterious force. They discovered our intelligence gathering work, which is why they targeted our people," the Spirit Sword Sect elder said solemnly.

Zhao Wanbao, the head of Wanbaoge Pavilion, nodded in agreement: "That's right, and their methods are so bizarre that our intelligence personnel can't defend against them. If this continues, our intelligence work will come to a standstill."

Lin Yang frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "We cannot back down now. But we do need to adjust our intelligence gathering methods and improve the vigilance and self-defense capabilities of our intelligence personnel. From now on, each intelligence team must increase its size and be equipped with sufficient defensive and communication equipment. At the same time, we must strengthen the training of our intelligence personnel so that they are familiar with the various methods that the mysterious forces may use."

However, one problem after another arose. Just as everyone was discussing how to deal with the disappearance of the intelligence personnel, the upgrade of the defensive array in the Lingxu Market also encountered obstacles. At a critical stage of the array upgrade, the key material used to reinforce the array—Star Meteorite Iron—was stolen. Star Meteorite Iron is an extremely rare material that plays a vital role in enhancing the power of the defensive array.

The guards at the Linghe Merchant Guild's warehouse, responsible for storing the meteorite iron, recalled that on the night of the incident, they suddenly heard a strange sound, like some kind of mysterious incantation. When they came to their senses, the door to the secret chamber where the meteorite iron was stored had been opened, and the meteorite iron had vanished.

This theft has put the upgrade of the defensive array in jeopardy. Without the meteorite iron, the array's power will be greatly reduced, failing to achieve the expected defensive effect. The president of the Linghe Merchant Guild was furious, his face flushed with anger. He blamed himself, saying, "It's all my fault for being negligent and not strengthening the guard on the warehouse. Now that the meteorite iron has been stolen, what will happen to our defensive array?"

Lin Yang comforted him, "President, there's no need to blame yourself. This is clearly a carefully planned conspiracy by a mysterious force. They know we are preparing defenses, so they are trying every means to sabotage our plans. The most urgent task is to retrieve the Star Meteorite Iron as soon as possible, and at the same time find other materials to replace it, so that the upgrade of the defensive array can continue."

Thus, the various factions in the Spirit Ruins Market sprang into action once more. On one hand, they intensified their investigation into the disappearance of their intelligence personnel, dispatching experienced trackers to search along the last known trails. They meticulously searched the mountains and towns, leaving no stone unturned. On the other hand, they devoted themselves to tracking down the Star Meteorite. The Spirit Union Merchant Guild offered a large reward of spirit stones for clues about the Star Meteorite. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion, meanwhile, used its vast intelligence network to spread the word throughout the cultivation world, hoping to obtain information about the thief.

Inside the Spirit Ruins Market, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Everyone sensed the power and cunning of the mysterious forces, who always seemed to be one step ahead, disrupting the market's defense plans. However, the various factions within the Spirit Ruins Market were not defeated by these setbacks. They knew that unity was crucial, especially in such difficult times. Lin Yang encouraged everyone: "The mysterious forces' tactics are merely an attempt to disrupt our rhythm. We cannot let them succeed. As long as we work together, we will surely overcome these difficulties and find a way to deal with the mysterious forces." Members of each faction responded enthusiastically, their eyes revealing unwavering determination. However, numerous difficulties lay ahead: finding the missing intelligence personnel, recovering the Star Meteorite, and continuing to advance the defense plan—each task fraught with challenges. The future of the Spirit Ruins Market remained shrouded in mystery.