24: Chapter 24 The Evil Neighbor Spying, Setting an Ambush Before the Battle

Before the night had fully receded, the spirit boat had already turned back.

The boat was loaded with three full batches of Spirit-Sealing Wooden Chests and over a dozen Storage Pouches. Inside, the Star Sand resembled clusters of suppressed cold fire, and even through the Spirit-Sealing Wood, it was still faintly exhaling spiritual energy.

The cabin was deathly quiet, and even those responsible for moving the cargo dared not take a second look.

Everyone knew that these wooden chests contained the lifeblood that was enough to make the surrounding islands turn hostile on the spot.

Lu Changyuan stood at the bow of the boat, remaining silent the entire way. It was not until the spirit boat pulled back into the small port on the west side of Blue Moon Island that he spoke in a deep voice: "The three batches of Star Sand are to be put into storage via two routes. One route goes into the highland secret warehouse, and the other goes directly to the Second Workshop. It must not pass through the public ledgers. Everyone who went out to sea tonight is to claim they were on external patrol duty. Anyone who dares to leak even half a word will be treated as colluding with the enemy."

"Yes!" Lu Hu and Shi Jian responded almost simultaneously.

At the Pier, which should have been at its busiest, it was so quiet that only the sounds of footsteps and wooden chests hitting the ground remained. All the auxiliary soldiers involved in the transport kept their heads low, daring not to look too much or ask questions, simply moving the chests one by one to the area below the highlands along the designated routes.

Su Qingli did not go to the Workshop but instead took the smallest Spirit-Sealing Wooden Chest and entered the meeting hall.

As soon as she sat down, she lifted the lid of the chest by a crack. The silver-blue Star Sand instantly illuminated half of her pale face.

She barely had time to catch her breath, dipping her fingertips into the sand and quickly sketching lines on the reef area map spread out on the table.

"The North Port auxiliary formation eye can be placed."

"The west side secret channel can also be reinforced."

"There is one more thing."

She looked up, and in her eyes, besides exhaustion, there was only a sharpness left, as if pushed to the extreme.

"If we are truly going to fight the first battle in the reef area, we can build a temporary Killing Array right now."

Lu Changyuan's gaze shifted: "Continue."

"That area of reefs has chaotic terrain and fragmented ocean currents. If we extract a small batch of the Star Sand we just brought back and combine it with the auxiliary Formation Plate and the natural Qi of the fragmented reefs, I can temporarily set up a Second-tier Phantom Killing Array there."

"The array is not large, it won't last too long, and it won't stop a direct bombardment from a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator."

"But if the ones who come are the first batch of rabid dogs that smelled the scent, it will be enough to cut them to pieces."

Lu Hu immediately frowned: "We just finished mining, and you want to send the Star Sand back out immediately?"

"If we don't send it out, we will have to pay with our lives." Su Qingli pressed the charcoal pencil heavily onto the reef area map.

"Our biggest advantage right now is that the people outside don't know how much we have actually mined, nor do they know how far our preparations have gone. As long as it isn't a large coalition army, but rather the first greedy force to smell the scent, they will definitely scramble to be the first to take a bite."

"These kinds of people are the easiest to kill."

Leng Feng, standing by the door, suddenly spoke: "People are already scouting."

Everyone looked at him simultaneously.

"I circled twice before returning to the island and saw a light boat in the northwestern open sea. The bottom of the boat was carved with the old seal of the Ironwood Island Chen Family. It was hidden very well, but the people were too impatient."

Lu Hu's expression sank instantly. The Ironwood Island Chen Family.

That was one of the oldest Foundation Establishment Family clans closest to Blue Moon Island. They made their fortune in the shipping trade and had always survived by dominating several trade routes and nearby resource points. If it were just ordinary fluctuations in spiritual energy, they might not have reached out so quickly, but the scent of the leaking Star Sand main vein was too strong. At this close distance, if the Chen Family hadn't smelled it, it would be a miracle.

A flash of coldness passed through Lu Changyuan's eyes.

"It seems they arrived even faster than I thought."

He did not hesitate and immediately issued his orders one by one.

"Lu Hu, pull fifty Dao soldiers. Do not return to the camp. After a half-hour rest, come with me for another trip."

"Shi Jian, select eighty steady-handed individuals from the remaining Mortals. Their sole task is to move chests, bury flags, and hide crossbow positions. Once done, they are to withdraw immediately; do not let them see the full map."

"Leng Feng, return to those waters and keep an eye on the Chen Family's scouts. If a single boat approaches, intercept it if you can. If you can't, force them to delay knowing the full picture by at least half an hour."

"Su Qingli."

"I am here."

"How much Star Sand do you need for this Phantom Killing Array?"

Su Qingli glanced inside the chest and quickly calculated a few things on the map.

"Not too much. Any more, and the island's main formation will be slowed down."

"If we are only taking down the first batch of people coming to scout the mine, two chests are enough. Combined with two of the three auxiliary Formation Plates, plus a few spiritual energy gathering flags and the natural Qi of the fragmented reefs, it can be done."

Lu Changyuan nodded: "You have it."

"There is more."

Su Qingli looked at him, her voice dropping slightly: "This array is only suitable for cutting down Qi Refining Cultivators and a few Early Foundation Establishment Cultivators. If someone at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage or higher is commanding, I can only help you delay them at most."

"That is enough."

Lu Changyuan placed his hand on the edge of the sea map. His knuckles turned white, but he remained steady without a tremor.

"First, chop off the hand that reaches out first, and those behind will feel the pain."

Before dawn broke, the entire Blue Moon Island was in motion once again. The Second Workshop still had its fires burning, as if it were rushing to produce crossbow arms and Array Patterns as usual; there were still people stacking stones on the highland outer walls; and in the spirit fields, there were even people bending over to clear the irrigation ditches. If viewed from above, the island seemed to be in a state of emptiness, just after a major construction phase.

But in the shadows, everyone truly capable of wielding a blade had already been dispatched to the northwestern open sea.

Lu Changyuan led the team himself, taking advantage of the heavy morning fog to press back into that reef area. After the Star Sand main vein leaked, the spiritual energy in the sea breeze was indeed more chaotic, as if something was buried on the seabed, slowly seeping blood upward.

Su Qingli barely spoke along the way, only quickly assigning personnel after disembarking. Where to bury the Formation Flags, where to place the Star Sand, where to use the reef backing as a blind spot, and where to let the Xuanwu Killing Formation hide its sharp edge—she was extremely precise about every detail. She didn't look like she was setting up an upright island defense formation, but rather like she was weaving a net across the reef sea, specifically waiting for someone to drill into it.

The eighty Mortal auxiliary soldiers brought by Shi Jian only knew that they were moving wooden chests, burying small flags, and stacking reef stones throughout the process. They did not know what was buried beneath, nor did they know how this Killing Array would ultimately be activated. But precisely because they did not understand, they worked more cleanly, withdrawing as soon as they finished, with no one looking around or asking questions.

Lu Hu, leading the fifty Dao soldiers, was testing positions and calibrating blade lines block by block behind the reef group. The Xuanwu Killing Formation relied on stability, but this place was full of fragmented reefs and tidal lines of varying heights. If a position was off by even half a foot, once the formation was activated, his own men could be cut apart by the ocean currents and thick fog first.

Lu Hu became more and more serious as he tested. The disdain he had felt for Su Qingli had long since vanished since last night. By the time she stood on a black reef and casually circled the most dangerous backflow points and fog line intersections with a few strokes, the way he looked at her was completely different from before.

By noon, the last auxiliary flag had disappeared behind the reefs.

Su Qingli jumped down from the reef, her face pale as paper, but her voice was calm.

"The formation is seventy percent complete."

"The remaining thirty percent depends on how the enemy moves. If they are greedy and drill into the central axis themselves, we can take them all. If they are cautious and test the perimeter first, the formation can only trap them first, then kill."

Lu Changyuan looked at the reef sea in front of him, which was as chaotic as ever, perhaps even calmer than usual, and nodded.

"Seventy percent is enough."

It was at this moment that Leng Feng returned.

The hem of his robe was still soaked with seawater, but his eyes were colder than before.

"I intercepted a light boat and killed three people."

"But it was still too late."

"The Chen Family already knows there is something here."

Lu Hu couldn't help but curse.

Leng Feng continued: "It wasn't a report from an ordinary scout. The Chen Family directly raised their clan flag, and the Inner Harbor sent out three fire signals in succession. Looking at the formation, they won't just send light boats."

Su Qingli's fingers, gripping the charcoal pencil, tightened slightly.

This meant the Chen Family intended to seize it openly.

Sure enough, by evening, the low sound of horns could be faintly heard from the northwestern sea. The sea breeze carried the sound over in layers, as if some behemoth were pushing in from behind the fog.

Lu Hu crouched behind a reef to look into the distance, only to see three black shadows pressing out of the fog layer at the edge of the horizon. The spirit boats rose above the crests of the waves, and the large flag with the black wood pattern on a green background hung from the bow—it was the Family crest of the Ironwood Island Chen Family.

When the first ship appeared, everyone could still hold their breath. When the second broke through the fog, even the most composed Dao soldiers subconsciously tightened their breathing. When the third warship finally revealed its outline, only suppressed, low breathing remained behind the reefs. The Chen Family had come to swallow this piece of meat in one bite.

On the bow of the ship, an old man draped in a robe with black wood patterns stood with his hands behind his back. His hair and beard were half white, his brow bone was set high, and his gaze swept over the sea as if he were looking at a hunting ground that already belonged to his Family.

Even from a great distance, Lu Changyuan could feel the pressure emanating from the opponent, which was clearly stronger than that of an ordinary Early Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

And not the kind that had just broken through, but an old Cultivator who had been immersed at this level for many years.

Su Qingli leaned behind the reef and whispered: "Who is this person?"

Lu Hu gritted his teeth and replied: "The Chen Family's Grand Elder, Great Elder Chen Xinglie."

"The old bastard has always been ruthless. When he was young, he made his fortune through naval warfare and later seized many mines for the Chen Family. If he came in person, it means the Chen Family has treated this sea as their lifeblood."

Lu Changyuan did not speak, only slowly lifting his eyes to watch the three warships approach step by step.

The Chen Family had come very quickly, and they were very greedy.

This was exactly the situation he wanted to see most.

Because the faster they came, the more it proved they didn't have time to share the news with others; the more urgent they were, the more it proved they would take a bite immediately rather than sitting down to negotiate slowly. As long as they were urgent enough, this Phantom Killing Array would be worth it.

On the bow, Great Elder Chen Xinglie had clearly already smelled the pure spiritual energy remaining on the sea surface, and the greed in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress.

He didn't put the scattered reef currents and dense fog ahead in his eyes at all. He just scanned the sea surface and sneered aloud.

"Are mere rats hiding their heads and showing their tails worthy of occupying such a treasure land?"

He waved his hand, and the two warships behind him immediately separated, pressing toward the two wings of the reef area.

"Get off the reefs and search."

"Whoever finds the mine entrance first will be rewarded with three hundred Spirit Stones. Anyone caught hiding it will be skinned and have their soul extracted."

As soon as the command was given, figures moved on the decks. Large groups of Qi Refining Cultivators and Family soldiers leaped off the warships, some controlling instruments, some riding the waves, like a school of sea sharks smelling blood, diving straight into the center of the reef group.

Behind the reefs, Su Qingli slowly closed her eyes, pressing the last wisp of spiritual power into the Formation Plate in her palm. Lu Hu drew his blade from its sheath bit by bit, the footwork of the Xuanwu formation having already passed through his mind three times. Leng Feng was like an arrow pulled to the limit, his entire body almost pressed into the shadow of the reef.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the first batch of prey to walk right onto the blade's edge.

The moment the first wave of Chen Family Cultivators completely stepped into the main reef line, the sea breeze suddenly swirled, and the fog deepened violently.

Great Elder Chen Xinglie stood at the bow, first startled, then narrowed his eyes.

But before he could speak, a young yet cold and hard voice pressed down from behind the higher black reef in the distance.

"The people of the Chen Family have come quite quickly."

Lu Changyuan rose slowly, his robes fluttering in the sea breeze, his gaze crossing the stretch of reefs, falling straight onto the face of Great Elder Chen Xinglie.

"Want to take the mine?"

"Then you must first ask my Blue Moon Island if we agree."