Outside the Lingxu Market, sword energy crisscrossed as spies from a mysterious force clashed fiercely with the market's guards and arriving sword cultivators. Knowing their mission had failed and their escape route was blocked, the spies decided to fight to the death.
A scout brandished a black dagger, its blade swirling with eerie black smoke. He roared and unleashed the "Dark Sky-Splitting Slash," a black crescent-shaped sword aura slashing towards the sword formation. It collided with the sword aura of the Spirit Sword Sect cultivators, erupting in a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, the other scouts also cast strange spells. Some summoned black demonic shadows, which lunged at the guards with bared fangs and claws; others hurled black poison mist bombs, the mist rapidly spreading, attempting to erode the spiritual energy of those nearby.
Undeterred, the guards of the Spirit Ruins Market swiftly formed a defensive formation, wielding spiritual energy shields to repel the attacks of the poisonous mist and demonic shadows. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect, meanwhile, stabilized their sword formation while searching for an opportunity to counterattack. Su Ran moved freely within the sword formation, seizing the moment to unleash the advanced technique of "Sword Controlling the Wind and Clouds," "Wind and Cloud Transformation into Dragon." A sword aura transformed into a gigantic azure dragon, carrying powerful wind pressure and sharp sword intent, charging towards the scout who had unleashed "Dark Sky-Splitting Slash."
The scout's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly held his black short blade horizontally in front of him, channeling all his spiritual power in an attempt to block the attack. "Boom!" The azure dragon collided with the black sword energy, the immense impact sending the scout flying backward, spitting out blood.
But the spies from the mysterious force did not give up. They cooperated and unleashed a combined attack spell. Hand in hand, they formed a circle, within which black spiritual energy swirled wildly, creating a massive black vortex. From within the vortex came eerie roars, as if countless vengeful spirits were howling.
"Oh no! They're casting an even more powerful spell! Everyone be careful!" Su Ran shouted a warning. He quickly instructed the sword cultivators to strengthen their sword formation defenses, while also having the guards prepare spiritual energy amplification items to deal with the impending attack.
The black vortex spun faster and faster, and suddenly a thick black beam of light shot out from it, carrying an aura of annihilation, rushing towards the sword formation and the guards. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect circulated the spiritual power of the sword formation to its limit, and the sword formation shone brightly, forming a layer of multicolored light screen. The guards also poured their spiritual power into the light screen.
"Boom!" The black beam of light crashed into the multicolored light screen, unleashing a deafening roar. The light screen trembled violently, cracks appearing everywhere. The people in the Spirit Ruins Market felt an immense force surge towards them, as if it were about to tear their bodies and souls apart.
"Hold on! We can't let them succeed!" Lin Yang arrived at the scene and shouted to boost morale. A longsword gleaming with golden light appeared in his hand; this was a magical artifact he had acquired by chance, the "Starry Golden Sword." Lin Yang poured all his spiritual power into the sword and unleashed the "Starry Sky-Splitting Slash," a golden sword aura carrying the power of stars slashing towards the black pillar of light.
Golden sword energy collided with the black pillar of light, radiating brilliance. As they remained locked in a stalemate, a scout from a mysterious force suddenly broke away from the spellcasting group and rushed into the Spirit Ruins Market. His goal was to obtain crucial intelligence on the defensive deployment; he was willing to sacrifice all his companions if he could successfully infiltrate.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" A Qingyun Sect disciple noticed his intention and quickly gave chase. As he pursued, the Qingyun Sect disciple cast the "Qingyun Binding Spell," sending strands of azure spiritual energy towards the scout, attempting to bind him.
The scout moved nimbly, constantly changing direction to evade the attacks of the spiritual energy ropes. At the same time, he took out a black pill from his robes and swallowed it. Instantly, his speed increased several times over, widening the distance between him and the Qingyun Sect disciples.
Just then, an intelligence agent from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce happened to pass by. Seeing this, he immediately realized the urgency of the situation. Without hesitation, the agent swiftly retrieved a specially crafted "tracking talisman" and a "fixation talisman." He threw the "tracking talisman" at the spy, and it transformed into a beam of light, closely following the spy. Then, he used his spiritual power to launch the "fixation talisman," which instantly enlarged in mid-air, enveloping the spy.
The scout sensed the attack from behind and tried to dodge, but the "Immobilization Talisman" was incredibly fast, instantly sticking to his body. The scout felt his body stiffen, instantly unable to move, as if frozen in mid-air. The Qingyun Sect disciples seized the opportunity to catch up and subdue the scout.
Meanwhile, Lin Yang's "Starburst Sky-Splitting Slash" finally successfully blocked and shattered the black pillar of light. Without the support of their core power, the combined attack spell cast by the mysterious force's spies instantly collapsed. Taking advantage of the situation, the people of the Spirit Ruins Market launched an attack, subduing all the remaining spies.
After interrogation, the group learned that the artifact found by the leader of the mysterious force was called the "Dark Soul-Eating Cauldron." This cauldron could not only amplify the user's spiritual power, but also cast a terrifying "Soul-Eating Curse," which would gradually erode the soul of the victim until it dissipated. However, the artifact required a certain amount of preparation time to activate, and the user would also suffer a certain backlash after casting the "Soul-Eating Curse."
"It seems we must launch an attack before they activate their artifact and disrupt their plans," Lin Yang said. The leaders of each sect nodded in agreement.
Therefore, the Lingxu Market and various sects quickly adjusted their strategies. They decided to take the initiative, gathering superior forces and striking directly at the mysterious force's camp before it was fully prepared. Each sect began selecting its most elite disciples to form a strike force. The Lingjian Sect selected sword cultivators with superb swordsmanship and excellent sword formation coordination; the Qingyun Sect selected disciples skilled in various powerful spells and possessing profound spiritual power; and the Zixiao Palace dispatched disciples proficient in talismanic arts who could provide various forms of support in battle.
Once the assault team was formed, it immediately began targeted training. They developed a detailed operational plan based on the terrain of the mysterious force's camp and potential defensive measures. Simultaneously, the Wanbao Pavilion equipped the assault team with the finest magical artifacts, specially modified to counter the mysterious force's techniques and defenses.
Meanwhile, the mysterious forces, upon discovering their scouts had gone missing, realized their plan might have been exposed. Their leader flew into a rage: "Useless! They can't even handle this simple matter!" He immediately reinforced the camp's defenses, setting up more traps and defensive formations, while urging his men to expedite preparations for activating the divine artifact, the "Dark Soul-Eating Cauldron."
A thrilling head-on confrontation is about to unfold. Will the assault force of Lingxu Market be able to successfully destroy the mysterious force's camp and prevent the activation of the "Dark Soul-Eating Cauldron"? How will the mysterious force respond to Lingxu Market's proactive attack? The situation in the cultivation world is becoming increasingly tense, and everyone is watching this decisive battle closely.
The assault troops' training was proceeding intensely and systematically. The Spirit Sword Sect sword cultivators practiced sword formation variations in a simulated mysterious force's camp terrain, striving to quickly launch attacks and defenses in complex environments. Su Ran continuously explained the mysterious force's possible tactics and countermeasures to the sword cultivators: "The mysterious force's techniques are unpredictable; they might suddenly launch an attack from underground. Everyone must remain vigilant at all times, and the defense below the sword formation cannot be relaxed in the slightest."
The disciples of the Qingyun Sect focused on the coordination and enhancement of their spells. They experimented with combining different spells to achieve a more powerful attack. An elder of the Qingyun Sect instructed them, "You can first use the 'Qingyun Illusionary Thunder Technique' to disrupt the enemy's vision and spiritual perception, and then immediately follow up with the 'Qingyun Earth-Splitting Curse' to inflict heavy damage on the enemy."
The disciples of Zixiao Palace were busy crafting various talismans. Based on the needs of the battle, they created attack talismans, defensive talismans, and some special disruptive talismans. "These 'confusing talismans' can be thrown at the enemy at crucial moments to disrupt their minds and create opportunities for us to attack," a Zixiao Palace talisman master explained to his companion.
While training, the Linghe Chamber of Commerce's intelligence agents were also constantly gathering the latest information on the mysterious force's camp. They discovered that the mysterious force had set up a three-layered defensive array around the camp. The outer layer was the "Dark Thorn Array," in which the thorns were not only incredibly hard but also highly poisonous. The middle layer was the "Netherworld Illusion Array," which would create various illusions to confuse the enemy and launch attacks. The inner layer was the "Blood Demon Guardian Array," with the powerful Blood Demon power at its core, capable of withstanding powerful attacks.
After learning this intelligence, Lin Yang discussed the battle plan again with the leaders of various sects. "These three layers of defensive formations are not easy to deal with; we must develop a detailed plan to break them," Lin Yang said.
The Pavilion Master of Wanbaoge took out several newly developed magical artifacts and said, "To counter the 'Dark Thorn Array,' we have developed the 'Ice-Breaking Poison-Melting Blade.' This blade can release high temperatures to melt the thorns and dispel toxins at the same time. For the 'Netherworld Illusion Array,' the 'Heart-Cleansing and Soul-Suppressing Bell' can emit special sound waves to break the illusions and stabilize the mind. And against the 'Blood Demon Guardian Array,' the 'Demon-Breaking Vajra Pestle' can break through the Blood Demon's defense with the power of Vajra."
The leaders of various sects praised the magical treasures of Wanbaoge. An elder of Lingjian Sect said, "With these magical treasures, our chances of breaking the formation have increased significantly. However, we must be careful, as the mysterious forces will definitely have deployed heavy troops to defend the formation. We must be prepared for a tough battle."
After careful discussion, the battle plan was finalized. The assault force would be divided into three squads, each responsible for breaking through one of the three layers of defensive formations. The first squad, mainly composed of sword cultivators from the Spirit Sword Sect and equipped with the "Ice-Breaking Poison-Melting Blade," would be responsible for breaking through the "Dark Thorn Formation." The second squad, mainly composed of disciples from the Azure Cloud Sect and wielding the "Heart-Cleansing Soul-Suppressing Bell," would break through the "Netherworld Illusion Formation." The third squad, composed of disciples from the Purple Cloud Palace and some experts from the Spirit Ruins Market, would use the "Demon-Slaying Vajra Pestle" to break through the "Blood Demon Guardian Formation."
With everything prepared, the assault team, under the cover of night, headed toward the mysterious force's camp.
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