81: Chapter 81 Preparing for War Against the Ancient Demon

The environment of the Ancient Demon Battlefield is extreme and fraught with danger. Sufficient Medicinal Pills, Talismans, Magical Artifacts, and Formation Plates are the fundamental guarantees for survival and completing the mission. As the acting Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, I have the authority to mobilize some of the Sect's resources, and I have made a huge contribution by setting things right. If I don't make full use of this now, when will I?

I must arm every member of the team with as many of those hidden treasures in the Sect's treasury as possible!

Lin Ye's thoughts raced, and he instantly had a complete plan. He looked at Chu Yun and the others: "Senior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Ying, Senior Sister Su, let's split up and prepare supplies as quickly as possible. We will rendezvous in front of the Scripture Pavilion in two hours."

"Fine." Chu Yun nodded, "I will go to the Divine Weapon Peak to exchange for some top-quality defensive Magical Artifacts and offensive Talismans."

"I will go to the Dark Hall's secret treasury to requisition some specialized tools for breaking Restrictions, concealment, and tracking, as well as poisons and antidotes." Ying's voice remained flat.

"I will go to Danxia Peak to find a few Junior Martial Uncles to prepare more High Grade healing, Qi-replenishing, detoxifying, and Evil Qi-resisting Medicinal Pills, as well as lamp oil for Junior Sister Su's 'soul-calming ancient lamp'." Su Waner said.

"I will go to the Scripture Pavilion and the Sect's General Treasury." Lin Ye said, "Let's try to choose items that are practical, highly targeted, and of High Grade. Contribution points are not an issue; we can use my authority and the special quota for this mission."

The four did not delay and immediately split up to act.

Lin Ye first went to the Scripture Pavilion. He did not go to the Cultivation Technique area, but headed straight to the side hall where miscellaneous studies, travelogues, and ancient secrets were stored. He needed more records about the "Ancient Demon Battlefield" and the "Soul-Locking Curse"; even a few words could be key.

Relying on his high authority, he retrieved dozens of relevant Jade Slips and quickly browsed through them. Sure enough, he found some scattered information:

In the core area of the Ancient Demon Battlefield, there is a place called "Meteor Demon Valley". It is said to be the place where a Soul Transformation Stage Devil Head fell. It retains extremely strong devilish thoughts and chaotic space-time rifts, but it may also hide the relics of that Devil Head. Zhao Kun's goal is likely related to this.

Regarding the Soul-Locking Curse, there were even fewer records. It only mentioned that this curse is related to the Divine Soul and dreams, and can only be cast by using the caster's blood essence or a specific "soul artifact" as a guide. The solution must also be approached from these two aspects. The "method of restraint" that the Golden Flame Valley might possess is perhaps related to some treasure that can stabilize the Divine Soul and dispel nightmares.

Lin Ye noted down the useful information and then headed to the Sect's General Treasury.

The manager of the General Treasury had already received the Grand Elder's decree to open high-level authority to Lin Ye's group. Like entering a treasure vault, Lin Ye began to carefully select items.

He first equipped everyone with a High Grade "Mysterious Turtle Armor" (inner armor, strong defense), a Low Grade "Vajra Talisman" (can block a full-strength blow from an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator), and a bottle of "Ten Thousand Year Stone Milk" (a holy product for rapidly recovering Spiritual Qi and healing wounds).

Then, targeting the environment of the Ancient Demon Battlefield, he selected several "Evil-Warding Talismans", "Soul-Suppressing Talismans" (to resist devilish thoughts and Evil Qi), several sets of "Concealment Formation Plates", "Warning Formation Plates", and a large amount of "Evil-Dispelling Incense" and "Heart-Cleansing Pills".

In terms of offense, he chose three powerful "Heavenly Thunder Talismans" (Low Grade, highly effective against evil spirits), and several one-time use Magical Artifacts like "Flame Burst Beads" and "Ice-Sealing Talisman Arrows".

He also specially exchanged for a sufficient amount of "Soul-Nourishing Green Grease" as lamp oil for Su Waner's "soul-calming ancient lamp". This item could greatly enhance the soul-calming and mind-stabilizing effect of the ancient lamp.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the deepest part of the treasury, to those few items protected by powerful Restrictions and exuding intense Spiritual Qi.

A Low Grade magical sword, the "red dragon sword" (fire attribute, immense power, just right for Chu Yun or himself to use), with a red body and fire Dragon patterns swirling on the blade.

A Low Grade shield, the "Mysterious Water Shield" (water attribute, extremely strong defense, can autonomously protect its master), with a Black Tortoise pattern carved on it and suffused with spiritual light.

And a bottle containing only three Low Grade Spirit Pills marked "Obstacle-Breaking Pill". This pill could help a Peak Qi Refining Cultivator increase their chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment by ten percent, which might be useful for Chu Yun. Lin Ye, who was also close to the ninth level of Qi Refining, could also keep it for backup.

Lin Ye did not stand on ceremony. Citing mission requirements and his own authority, he requisitioned these three most valuable treasures as well. Although the General Treasury manager hesitated, seeing Lin Ye holding the "Tianxuan Token" and the mission order, he could only comply.

Two hours later, the four reunited in front of the Scripture Pavilion, all with fruitful gains.

Chu Yun obtained a High Grade "Flowing Light Sword", several powerful sword Talismans, and a piece of soft armor. Ying collected a large number of Dark Hall-specific tools and poisons. Su Waner brought bags of Medicinal Pills and lamp oil.

Lin Ye distributed the exchanged supplies to everyone, giving the "red dragon sword" to Chu Yun (Chu Yun specializes in fire-attribute sword techniques), the "Mysterious Water Shield" to Su Waner (to enhance her survivability), and the "Obstacle-Breaking Pill" to Chu Yun. He kept the "Flame Burst Beads", "Heavenly Thunder Talismans", and other consumables, as well as the bottle of "Ten Thousand Year Stone Milk" for himself.

After being fully armed, the aura of all four changed, appearing even more formidable.

"Next, let's study the intelligence and formulate a plan." Lin Ye brought everyone to his temporary quiet room in the Law Enforcement Hall, set up a sound-proof Restriction, shared the intelligence he had obtained, and unfolded the map given by Immortal Master Tianxuan.

The map's markings for the Ancient Demon Battlefield were very simple, only outlining relatively safe areas on the periphery and a few known paths. The core "Meteor Demon Valley" had only a vague mark, with large blank areas around it, labeled with terms like "Extremely Dangerous", "Space-Time Rift", and "Domain of Devilish Thoughts".

"Zhao Kun has joined forces with the Yinkui Sect; their target is likely the 'Meteor Demon Valley'." Lin Ye pointed at the map, "We must get there before them, or tail them to find out their specific purpose. If they are trying to obtain the Devil Head's relics or perform some evil ritual, we must stop them."

"Looking at the map, there are three known paths to the Meteor Demon Valley, but all require passing through dangerous areas." Chu Yun analyzed, "Which one should we choose?"

"We won't take the known paths." Ying suddenly spoke, his voice low, "The Dark Hall's secret records state that on the northeast side of the Ancient Demon Battlefield, there is a forgotten 'Demon Hunting Path'. It was opened by ancient Cultivators to hunt Low Grade devil creatures. It is more concealed, but it requires passing through a 'Bone-Eroding Swamp' and a 'Soul-Bewitching Forest'. It is equally dangerous and may have unknown variables."

Demon Hunting Path? Lin Ye's eyes lit up. Concealment meant the possibility of avoiding the eyes and ears of Zhao Kun and the Yinkui Sect, and it could also allow them to catch them off guard.

"We'll take the Demon Hunting Path!" Lin Ye made the decision, "Senior Brother Ying, how much do you know about that road?"

"I know a little. I have special tools and methods for passing through the Bone-Eroding Swamp and identifying the path through the Soul-Bewitching Forest." Ying nodded.

"Good. Then we will cut in from the Demon Hunting Path and strike directly at the flank of the Meteor Demon Valley." Lin Ye set the tone, "Senior Sister Su, your soul-calming ancient lamp is crucial for us to resist devilish thoughts, so you must keep it nourished with Spiritual Qi at all times."

"I understand." Su Waner nodded solemnly.

"In addition, we need to agree on secret signals and emergency contact methods. Once we are separated, use this 'Child-Mother Induction Talisman' as proof; I have the Mother Talisman." Lin Ye took out the improved version of the Talisman Chu Yun had given him earlier and distributed it to everyone.

"After entering the Ancient Demon Battlefield, follow my command in all actions. However, if there is an emergency, you may make your own decisions; the priority is to preserve yourselves and complete the mission." Lin Ye emphasized at the end.

"Yes!" Chu Yun, Ying, and Su Waner responded in unison.

The plan was set, and supplies were ready.

The next morning, at dawn.

Under the gaze of countless Sect Disciples—some curious, some admiring, some worried—Lin Ye, Chu Yun, Ying, and Su Waner boarded a small Cloud-Piercing Boat, left the mountain gate of the Lingyun Sword Sect, and sped away towards the north, towards the vast, endless Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range shrouded in demon clouds.

Ancient Demon Battlefield, here we come.

The Cloud-Piercing Boat was extremely fast, traveling thousands of miles a day. Two days later, they had penetrated deep into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.

The deeper they went, the higher the rank of the Yao Beasts, and some troublesome flying Yao birds began to appear in the air. The four took turns piloting the flying boat, avoiding the strong and attacking the weak, passing through without danger.

On the afternoon of the third day, on the horizon ahead, a strange area appeared—permanently shrouded in gray-black mist, with a low-hanging sky and faintly visible blood-red lightning flashing across it. Even from a great distance, one could feel the heartbeat-quickening atmosphere of chaos, violence, and ancient vicissitudes.

The Ancient Demon Battlefield had arrived.

The Cloud-Piercing Boat landed in a hidden valley at the edge of the battlefield. The four put away the flying boat, took anti-poison pills, activated their protective spiritual light, and stepped into the gray-black mist.

As soon as they entered the range of the mist, they immediately felt the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi become extremely mixed and violent, mixed with thick Devilish Qi, Evil Qi, and Death Qi. Vision was severely obstructed, and the range of spiritual sense exploration was compressed to less than a hundred zhang. It was as if countless wronged souls were whispering in their ears, disturbing their minds.

Su Waner immediately activated the "soul-calming ancient lamp". The cyan-white flame emitted a circle of soft halo, enveloping the four. The whispering and hallucinations were immediately greatly reduced, and their minds cleared.

"Good lamp!" Ying praised.

"According to the map and Senior Brother Ying's guidance, the entrance to the Demon Hunting Path should be about thirty miles to the northeast, in a stone forest." Lin Ye identified the direction, and the four formed a simple formation (Lin Ye in front, Chu Yun on the left, Ying on the right, Su Waner in the middle holding the lamp), and cautiously moved to the northeast.

Along the way, the ground was scorched, as if it had been burned by flames and soaked in blood, scattered with the bones of unknown creatures and rusted weapons. Occasionally, twisted plants exuding Devilish Qi (demonized plants) tried to attack, but they were easily dealt with. They also encountered some Low Grade Yao Beasts (demonized Yao Beasts) that had been eroded by Devilish Qi and lost their sanity; they were not strong, but even more fearless of death.

After walking for about twenty miles, a stone forest with jagged rocks, shrouded in light purple mist, appeared ahead. Deep in the stone forest, strange howling sounds could be faintly heard.

"The Soul-Bewitching Forest has arrived. Follow me closely, and watch your feet and the shadows of the stone pillars; 'Soul-Devouring Demon Vines' may be hidden there." Ying whispered a warning, took out a compass engraved with strange runes, injected Spiritual Qi, and the compass needle began to slowly rotate, pointing in a direction deep in the stone forest.

The four followed suit, closely behind Ying, and stepped into the stone forest.

Inside the stone forest, the light purple mist was thicker, obscuring their vision. The jagged stone pillars were strangely shaped, like clawing monsters. The ground beneath their feet was slippery and soft, covered with moss and unknown fungi.

As they walked, Lin Ye suddenly felt something trip him. Looking down, it was a pale human arm bone, half-covered in moss.

Just as he was about to step over it, suddenly, the five fingers of that bone skeleton bent sharply, like an iron hook, and grabbed his ankle tightly! At the same time, from the shadows of several stone pillars around them, dozens of pitch-black, barbed vines shot out like poisonous snakes, entangling the four!

Soul-Devouring Demon Vines! And there were quite a few of them!

"Watch out!"