Chapter 1755: Preparing a Plot Against Someone

A short, thin person often looks like they have a large head. This individual's facial features were all bunched together, but their eyes seemed to drift outwards, giving them a distinctive appearance.

The others all appeared to be elite.

The fact that two immortals were dispatched to a single mine underscored Bai Ziqi's considerable emphasis on this location.

He Lingchuan's strategy to disperse the enemy's forces was already showing initial results.

The newcomers lit red candles but did not tread lightly. The mine guards rushed out again, shouting loudly, "No loitering! Who are you?!"

Anyone coming here in the middle of the night could not possibly be a casual passerby.

So, they were quickly beaten to the point of spitting blood. Then, they were seized by their heads and shoved directly to the edge of the mine entrance. "Open the barrier," their assailants demanded.

"We... we can't open it," they stammered. "Only those above the rank of Deputy Guard Captain know the incantation."

"Has anyone come through here just now?"

"No... no."

The short immortal reached out and slapped the top of their heads, saying gravely, "Break the barrier. The Illusion Sect most likely already knows we're here."

There was no need to conceal their presence anymore.

The person holding the red candle stepped forward, aimed the flame at the cave entrance, and blew forcefully.

"Whoosh—"

Red smoke drifted into the cave entrance, casting a reddish glow on the cave walls, and finally coalescing into a series of talismans.

This was a barrier set by the Illusion Sect at the cave entrance; any unauthorized intruder would immediately be blasted by lightning and utterly destroyed.

After seeing the true form of the barrier, the short immortal told the Fire Salamander, "This one's yours."

Everyone else retreated about ten feet away. True Immortal Jieshui slowly stepped forward two paces, took a deep breath, and his loose neck skin visibly caved in.

He Lingchuan wondered if it was an illusion, but he felt its body suddenly swelled by another circle.

The next moment, it spewed crimson flames towards the mine entrance.

Before the flames entered the cave mouth, the Eyeball Spider in the tree discovered that it was unmistakably the form of a fire serpent. Its head, flickering tongue, and scales were vaguely visible, and its eyes were burning white flames.

One was not enough; True Immortal Jieshui only stopped after releasing six fire serpents in a row.

A flash of green light appeared at the entrance, and the barrier stubbornly resisted. However, True Immortal Jieshui's divine power was simply too potent. By the time the third fire serpent appeared, the barrier truly could not hold up anymore. Stone dust began to trickle down the cave walls, and soon, even the stone cave itself began to melt, with the surface of the rock walls glowing with a dazzling crimson.

The barrier could no longer hold and was completely burned away.

After destroying the barrier, the fire serpents did not cease their advance but proceeded directly into the depths of the mine.

Although they appeared to be engulfed in blazing flames, in reality, the mine shaft two or three feet away was not heated or burned.

There were many artificial structures inside the mine, with wooden reinforcements every few dozen feet. If these supports were burned down, it would be of no benefit to the fire serpents' exploration of the tunnels.

The six fire serpents split up and swept through the mine shafts.

The mine was intricate and complex, making it difficult for outsiders to navigate. So, True Immortal Jieshui sent the serpents down first to scout the way and to burn away any barriers they encountered.

These six fire serpents indeed burned away everything in their path. And if there were still living people at the bottom of the cave, they wouldn't mind putting an end to them.

Their movement speed was fast. Before long, He Lingchuan heard a whooshing sound from above.

The fire serpents were coming.

These creatures must be True Immortal Jieshui's scouts. Even if they killed them, True Immortal Jieshui would know that there were formidable opponents in the mine.

Luo Xie immediately pointed forward, exclaiming, "There's a large pit around the corner where we can hide!"

Everyone quickened their pace and indeed found a large, recessed pit at the bend. Its entrance was small and well-hidden, easily missed if one wasn't careful.

As everyone jumped in, Elder Liu's hand flashed with black light, and a fine-tipped brush appeared in his grasp.

He took two steps forward, stood in front of everyone, and began to draw freehand in the air with the brush.

What was miraculous was that the air directly in front of him seemed like a vertical sheet of paper, and he actually painted on it, using ink that matched the color of the mine's rock.

Despite the pressing time, Elder Liu still had the leisure to add two small crystal clusters to the painting!

He Lingchuan had to admit, Elder Liu's painting skill was truly excellent, bringing it to life with just a few strokes.

The fire serpents were coming soon, and dazzling red light was already emanating from the tunnel above.

Elder Liu also jumped into the pit and added the final strokes with a backhand motion.

Now, everyone was hidden in the recessed pit, separated from the outside tunnel only by a painted air wall.

But if one were to walk up to the air wall and look at it directly, it would appear to be an ordinary rock wall, with an uneven, undulating surface, a small stalactite hanging from the top, water stains on the wall, feeling damp to the touch, and with a rough stone texture.

The mining pit behind them was completely covered, so no one could see it.

Then, the fire serpents arrived.

Standing in the recessed pit, everyone could sense the change in light from the tunnel. As the fire serpents passed, it seemed as bright as day outside.

They glided past directly in front of them, without pausing, heading towards the deeper parts of the underground.

The perfect disguise Elder Liu had painted easily deceived the fire serpents.

"What a marvelous brush!" He Lingchuan praised. "How long can the painted wall last?"

"For one hour," Elder Liu replied, gently flicking the brush tip. "This is the Spirit Immortal Brush bestowed by the Immortal Venerable."

The body of this brush was not like ordinary bamboo or wooden tubes; it was light silver with a hint of iridescence under the light.

Luo Xie stared at the brush with genuine curiosity and instinctively asked, "Can you make anything appear just by drawing it?"

"Only small objects," Elder Liu replied. "Someone once used it to draw gold and silver to deceive people." He continued, "The Immortal Venerable said that if it continues to evolve and improve, one day it will be able to draw mountains and seas effortlessly, and then it can be called the 'Brush of Creation'."

This divine power was truly remarkable; He Lingchuan could instantly think of a hundred uses for the Spirit Immortal Brush.

Everyone chatted idly in the pit, not rushing to leave. Sure enough, before long, the tunnel outside brightened like daylight once again—

The fire serpents passed by again.

"Their divine power scouting is complete; they should be coming down now," Elder Liu whispered. "It's a pity the barriers we set were all burned away by the fire serpents."

True Immortal Jieshui released the fire serpents not only to scout the path and clear obstacles but also to check for enemies at the bottom of the cave.

Ever since he saw the Spirit Immortal Brush in Elder Liu's hand, He Lingchuan had an idea. He suddenly said, "This brush can make fakes indistinguishable from reality, and Elder Liu's painting skills are profound. Let's set up new traps."

"Very well," Elder Liu said, taking out the Spirit Immortal Brush. "What do you want me to draw?"

"Profound crystals. The bigger the better," He Lingchuan replied, then asked Luo Xie, who was beside him, "Can the profound crystals in this mine get as tall as half a person?"

"Definitely," Luo Xie said without exaggeration. "Some are even taller than a person. When they were first dug out from underground and saw the light, hmph, not even gold could compare to their radiance!"

"Extravagant!" Dong Rui, who was nearby, muttered to himself.

At the lakeside lighthouse, Bai Ziqi called Wu Shidao back.

The work still had to be completed step by step.

"When you operate on Stone Dragon Peak, are you monitored by the Haoyuan Golden Mirror?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"As long as the sect doesn't suspect me, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror won't pay attention to me," Wu Shidao said confidently. "With over a thousand people moving in and out of the sect, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror mostly ignores them."

"Excellent," Bai Ziqi said. He had kept Wu Shidao here and spent much effort convincing him, precisely for his upcoming plan. "I have a task for you."

Wu Shidao knew he was alive because he was useful. "Please, please instruct me, my lord."

"Where are the Illusion Sect's profound crystals stored?"

"Ah, the profound crystals are stored in three locations," Wu Shidao replied. He truly lived up to his reputation as a walking encyclopedia, not only naming the three storage locations but also knowing their approximate quantities.

Bai Ziqi seized on the key point. "So, more than sixty percent of the profound crystals are stored in Immortal Light Cave?"

"Yes, yes. The other two storages combined hold less than thirty percent."

Bai Ziqi took out a pouch and gave it to him. "Go to Immortal Light Cave and sweep all the profound crystals into this, take as much as you can."

"Huh?" Wu Shidao took the pouch with both hands and cautiously reminded him, "My lord, that's an enormous amount of profound crystals, enough to fill the entire Great Rock Cave! This pouch's capacity..."

*Can it hold that much?*

Over the past 150 years, the Reversed Heavenly Constellation Array had indeed sent a substantial amount of spiritual energy. So much so that even after being cut off for more than half a year, Qianhuan and his subordinate immortals still hadn't exhausted it. Bai Ziqi smiled and casually dropped a silver ingot into the pouch.

With a "clink," the silver ingot actually fell out of his sleeve, landed on the tabletop, and rolled twice under Wu Shidao's astonished gaze.

"This is called a Bottomless Pouch," Bai Ziqi explained. "It has no capacity of its own, because anything thrown into it is directly transmitted to me!"

But from Inverted Lake to Stone Dragon Peak, the distance was quite far... Wu Shidao suddenly realized that it was better to have ears than a mouth. Had the Heavenly Palace not considered these issues beforehand? Was it his place, a surrendered soldier, to ask so many questions?

As a subordinate, it was best to just do as told. In the past few decades in the Illusion Sect, he had never been this enthusiastic.

So he quickly replied with two "Yes"es.

In reality, the Bottomless Pouch was a set of two: one given to Wu Shidao, and the other hidden in Bai Ziqi's sleeve.

One receives items, and the other dispenses them.

This was very similar to the Small Mountain-Moving Array, which could also transport objects, but the difference was that the Bottomless Pouch had an enormous transmission range, with an effective distance of an astonishing thirty *li*, whereas the Small Mountain-Moving Array could only move things two or three *li* and was affected by teleportation-blocking spells.

But Bai Ziqi would, of course, not explain the principle to Wu Shidao. He merely instructed him: "Remember, this pouch can only hold objects two feet square. Too large, and it won't fit. Living creatures won't fit, nor will other storage spaces. And it only lasts for three *shichen*!"

After three *shichen*, the pouch would automatically disappear.

Because it was essentially a solidified divine power: a signature skill of the Goddess Fenghuo, spatial folding!

This involved folding two spaces together to create a passage. Its principle was different, and it was not affected by teleportation-blocking formations.

But because the distance between them was extremely far, the folded space was very small, only able to accommodate small objects.

It wasn't sufficient for large treasures, but it was handy for holding gold, silver, jewels, or profound crystals.