Inside the Lingxu Market, the atmosphere was as heavy as the calm before a storm. Lin Yang and the leaders of various factions gathered together, and the elder of the Lingjian Sect recounted in detail what he had seen and heard in the extreme cold, as well as the chilling and insane plan of the "Shadow Society." After listening, everyone's faces were solemn.
Zhao Wanbao, the head of Wanbaoge Pavilion, broke the silence first. He frowned and said with a worried expression, "'The Shadow Society' is attempting to awaken an ancient evil being, which is undoubtedly a catastrophe. If they succeed, the entire cultivation world will be plunged into endless darkness. We must come up with a solution as soon as possible."
The president of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce chimed in, "Indeed, the most urgent task is to strengthen the defenses of the Lingxu Market, while also finding a way to stop the 'Shadow Society's' ritual. But since they have been preparing for this for a long time, the ritual site must be heavily guarded."
Lin Yang pondered for a moment, then surveyed the crowd with a firm gaze and said, “Everyone, in the face of this crisis, we must unite as one. The Lingxu Market is our home, and we must not allow it to fall into the hands of the Shadow Society. On the one hand, we must strengthen our defenses and prepare to resist the Shadow Society’s attacks; on the other hand, we must assemble an elite team to infiltrate the enemy camp and disrupt their rituals.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and began discussing specific countermeasures. On the defense front, Wanbaoge was responsible for further strengthening the defensive array of the Lingxu Market. The master craftsmen within the pavilion worked day and night to create a batch of powerful defensive magical artifacts, such as the "Spirit Rhinoceros Guardian Sphere" that could automatically track and attack enemies, and the "Myriad Manifestations Glazed Shield" that could form multiple layers of spiritual energy shields, cleverly integrating them into the array. Simultaneously, Wanbaoge disciples operated various monitoring magical artifacts to conduct comprehensive, all-encompassing surveillance of the area surrounding the Lingxu Market, ensuring that any disturbance was detected promptly.
The Linghe Chamber of Commerce, leveraging its extensive network and resources, urgently allocated various supplies. Large quantities of spirit crystals, elixirs, and materials for magical artifacts were continuously transported to the Lingxu Market, providing ample material support for defense and combat. The Chamber's alchemists worked day and night, refining various powerful elixirs, including the "Rejuvenation Pill" for rapidly restoring spiritual energy, the "Healing Pill" for treating injuries, and the "Explosive Energy Pill" for temporarily boosting combat power. Furthermore, the Chamber organized a group of experts skilled in divination and military strategy to set up various traps and illusionary formations around the market to increase the difficulty of enemy attacks.
In addition to assigning some sword cultivators to defensive duties, the Spirit Sword Sect also selected a group of elite disciples to join its elite teams deep into enemy territory. Under the guidance of their elders, these sword cultivators underwent intensive special training, honing a more formidable sword technique tailored to the combat characteristics of the "Shadow Society" members. Sword formation drills were also conducted more frequently, striving to maximize their power in actual combat.
The joint intelligence team intensified its intelligence gathering efforts against the "Shadow Society." They delved into every corner of the cultivation world, establishing connections with the intelligence networks of various factions, and even risking their lives to infiltrate some of the Shadow Society's outlying strongholds. Through tireless efforts, they gradually uncovered some of the Shadow Society's operational patterns and the approximate location of their rituals.
While defensive preparations proceeded smoothly, the formation of an elite force to infiltrate enemy territory was also underway. Lin Yang personally selected top experts from various factions to form a powerful team. This team included elite sword cultivators from the Spirit Sword Sect, whose swordsmanship was superb and whose sword energy was sharp; disciples from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion who were skilled in manipulating magical artifacts and could unleash powerful magical artifacts at crucial moments; and experts from the Spirit Harmony Chamber of Commerce who were proficient in Qimen Dunjia and various mysterious spells, providing various forms of assistance and support to the team.
After the team was formed, everyone began to study how to infiltrate the "Shadow Society's" ritual site. According to intelligence provided by the joint intelligence group, the ritual site was most likely located in an abandoned ancient city northwest of the Spirit Ruins Market. The ancient city was heavily fortified by the "Shadow Society," and the surrounding area was filled with various traps and evil formations.
To overcome these difficulties, the experts of the Linghe Merchant Guild conducted a detailed analysis of the ancient city's terrain and defensive layout, creating a comprehensive map. They also devised methods to break some of the traps and formations, and passed these methods on to every member of the team.
Wanbaoge provided the team with a batch of specially made magical artifacts, which had special effects such as concealing one's presence and dispelling evil forces. For example, the "Concealment Cloak" allowed the wearer to blend into the surrounding environment and be almost undetectable; the "Evil-Dispelling Sword Talisman" could instantly break some low-level evil formations.
The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect, led by their elders, conducted tactical training. They simulated various possible battle scenarios and developed detailed countermeasures. During training, the sword cultivators cooperated closely with members of other factions, gradually developing a certain level of teamwork.
With everything prepared, the elite team, having infiltrated the enemy camp, set off on a dark and windy night. Dressed in black, they moved stealthily towards the abandoned ancient city like ghosts. Along the way, the group remained highly vigilant, using magical artifacts to conceal their presence and carefully avoiding the eyes and ears of the "Shadow Society."
As the group approached the abandoned ancient city, a thick, malevolent aura swept over them. The sky surrounding the city was shrouded in a layer of black mist, within which eerie lights flickered. The experts from the Linghe Merchant Guild took out their detection artifacts, carefully examining the traps and formations ahead.
"An evil formation has been discovered ahead, seemingly used to detect external spiritual energy fluctuations. Everyone be careful and try to suppress your spiritual energy," a merchant guild expert whispered.
Upon hearing this, everyone circulated their spiritual energy, concealing their auras to the lowest possible level. Then, led by the experts from the Chamber of Commerce, the group carefully bypassed the formation along a narrow passage.
Continuing onward, they encountered another area riddled with spikes, which glowed with a black light, clearly coated with poison. The experts from the Spirit Harmony Merchant Guild cast spells, creating a bridge of spiritual energy above the traps. The group swiftly crossed the bridge, successfully avoiding the traps.
However, just as the group was about to enter the ancient city, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out. Immediately afterwards, a group of dark figures flew in from all directions. These figures resembled bats, but had human faces, with ferocious expressions, and emitted piercing cries.
"It's the Bat Demons of the 'Shadow Society'! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Lin Yang shouted.
The teams quickly formed battle formations. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect drew their swords, their sword energy crisscrossing; the disciples of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion manipulated their magical artifacts, their light flashing; and the experts of the Spirit Harmony Chamber of Commerce unleashed various spells. In an instant, light and sword energy intertwined as they engaged in a fierce battle with the Bat Demon.
The bat demons were numerous and incredibly fast, weaving nimbly through the air and relentlessly attacking the group. Some spewed black flames, while others shot out sharp, poisonous stingers. The group fought back with all their might; the sword energy of the Spirit Sword Sect cultivators slayed many bat demons, and the light emitted from the magical artifacts of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion also repelled some.
During the battle, a disciple of the Wanbaoge Pavilion discovered that the Bat Demon seemed highly sensitive to a certain peculiar spiritual energy fluctuation. He quickly informed the others of this discovery and then manipulated a magical artifact to emit a special spiritual energy fluctuation. Affected by this fluctuation, the Bat Demon's movements became sluggish.
Taking advantage of the situation, the experts from the Linghe Merchant Guild used illusionary magic to trap most of the bat demons in a hallucination. The sword cultivators of the Lingjian Sect seized the opportunity, unleashing their fierce sword techniques to deliver a final blow to the bat demons. After a fierce battle, they finally annihilated the entire group of bat demons.
The group continued onward and finally arrived inside the ancient city. The city was deathly silent, its eerie atmosphere sending chills down the spine. Most of the buildings lining the streets were dilapidated, their walls covered with various malevolent runes.
Following the map, the group headed towards the center of the ancient city, which was highly likely the location of the Shadow Society's ritual. However, they knew that the closer they got to the center, the greater the danger. But determined to stop the Shadow Society's insane plan, they had no intention of backing down.
In the heart of the ancient city, a colossal dark altar appeared before everyone. The altar was covered in eerie runes, which shimmered with a dark red light, as if whispering ancient and sinister secrets. Around the altar, a group of members of the Shadow Order were busily preparing for a ritual.
Lin Yang and his companions remained hidden in the shadows, observing the Shadow Society's every move. They knew they had to wait for the perfect moment to launch a surprise attack and disrupt the ritual. Meanwhile, the Shadow Society seemed to have sensed the unusual atmosphere and began to heighten their defenses. A breathtaking battle was about to unfold before this dark altar; the fate of the Spirit Ruins Market, and even the future of the entire cultivation world, hinged on this battle.
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