A tense atmosphere descended upon the Lingxu Market, with all forces mobilizing to deal with the successive crises. During the investigation into the disappearance of intelligence personnel, a tracking expert from the Lingjian Sect discovered a clue in an abandoned village dozens of miles from the Lingxu Market. An eerie silence permeated the village, and a faint aura of darkness lingered among the broken walls and ruins.
The skilled trackers searched meticulously and discovered a jade pendant bearing the distinctive mark of the Linghe Merchant Guild beneath the ruins of a collapsed house. This pendant belonged to the missing intelligence agent, and it still emitted faint fluctuations of spiritual energy, suggesting the agent had attempted to send a distress signal when in danger. Following the direction of the energy fluctuations, the trackers arrived at a dense forest. The trees formed a canopy overhead, with sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow. However, this seemingly tranquil forest concealed a deadly danger.
The expert tracker proceeded cautiously when suddenly he sensed unusual fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy. Before he could react, a group of dark figures darted out from all directions. These figures were ghostly and incredibly fast, instantly surrounding him. The tracker's heart tightened, and he immediately drew his sword, unleashing a torrent of sword energy in an attempt to break through the encirclement. However, the dark figures were exceptionally agile, constantly dodging the sword energy and launching attacks intermittently.
Just as the expert tracker was locked in a fierce battle, he noticed that one of the shadowy figures was moving slightly slower, seemingly having just been injured. A thought struck him, and he concentrated his power to attack the figure. With a single sword strike, the shadowy figure let out a scream, turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing, leaving behind a black scale on the ground. The expert tracker picked up the scale and discovered strange runes engraved on it, remarkably similar to the aura emanating from the mysterious figure he had encountered earlier.
Meanwhile, during the investigation into the whereabouts of the Star Meteorite, news came from the Wanbaoge intelligence network. In a cultivation town south of the Lingxu Market, a suspicious person was spotted. This person exuded a mysterious aura and kept inquiring about transactions involving the Star Meteorite. The Linghe Chamber of Commerce immediately dispatched elite members to the town to investigate.
When they arrived in town, they found that the suspicious person had just left. After some inquiries, they learned that the person had headed towards a valley outside the town. The group quickly gave chase and discovered a hidden cave in the valley. The cave was filled with a pungent odor, seemingly indicating the operation of some kind of special formation.
The guild members cautiously entered the cave, which was dark and damp, with eerie lights flickering on the walls. As they proceeded along the passage, they suddenly heard an argument ahead. Approaching stealthily, they discovered a group of mysterious people arguing about the distribution of the Star Meteorite. The Star Meteorite sat on a stone platform in the center of the cave, emitting a faint glow.
The guild members exchanged glances, deciding to seize the opportunity to reclaim the Starfall Iron. They launched a swift attack; magical light flashed, and shouts of battle echoed through the cave. The mysterious figure, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, was thrown into disarray. However, they quickly recovered and organized a counterattack. A fierce battle ensued.
During the battle, the guild members discovered that the mysterious figures varied greatly in strength and lacked coordination. They exploited this weakness, gradually gaining the upper hand. After a fierce struggle, they finally repelled the mysterious figures and successfully reclaimed the Star Meteorite Iron.
Meanwhile, in the forest, the tracking expert from the Spirit Sword Sect returned to the Spirit Ruins Market with the black scales. Lin Yang and his companions studied the runes on the scales and discovered that they were related to an ancient dark summoning technique. Through further analysis, they deduced that the mysterious force might be hiding in a mysterious valley west of the Spirit Ruins Market.
The emergence of these two important clues gave the various forces in the Lingxu Market a glimmer of hope. Lin Yang quickly gathered everyone and said, "Now that we have new clues, we might be able to find the mysterious force's lair and completely resolve this crisis. But we cannot be careless. Since the mysterious force is so cunning, it must have set up many traps in its lair. We need to develop a detailed plan to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
The leaders of each faction nodded in agreement and began discussing their operational plan to penetrate the mysterious valley. They knew it would be a difficult battle, but for the peace of the Spirit Ruins Market and to find their missing intelligence operatives, they had to give it their all. In the following days, the Spirit Ruins Market bustled with activity once more, as each faction meticulously prepared various magical artifacts and elixirs to strengthen their forces, making final preparations for the impending decisive battle.
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