26: Chapter 26 The Master of the Green Robe Hall Arrives

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed, and the spiritual fields of Sunset Town welcomed a modest harvest.

While the morning dew still clung to the leaves of the profound ice grass, Lin De was already busy in the spiritual fields with three medicine apprentices, carefully harvesting the first batch of mature spirit nurturing flowers.

Once the pale purple petals were plucked, they were immediately placed into bamboo baskets lined with spirit silk. The spiritual beads condensed on the petals shimmered in the sunlight.

With a gentle touch, they transformed into pure Spiritual Qi, making the surrounding air significantly fresher.

"Clan Chief, look at the quality of these spirit nurturing flowers!"

Lin De carried the bamboo basket to Lin Yue, his face full of joy.

"After being watered with the spirit river water from the Grotto-heaven, the purity of the spiritual beads is nearly thirty percent higher than what is recorded in the ancient texts. If used to assist in the refinement of qi condensing pills, the medicinal efficacy can be increased by at least another ten percent!"

Lin Yue picked up a spirit nurturing flower and brushed his fingertip over the spiritual beads on the petals, feeling the gentle yet full Spiritual Qi within.

He nodded. "Not bad. First, extract the spiritual liquid and distribute it to the children of the Family at the Middle Stage Qi Refining so they can hurry and break through to the Late Stage."

"Yes!"

Lin De excitedly led the medicine apprentices to the alchemy room.

Lin Yue turned and walked toward the plane secret chamber.

During these days, he would find time every day to enter the Grotto-heaven to check on it. The growth rate of the World Tree made him increasingly satisfied.

As his consciousness sank into the Grotto-heaven, the first thing that caught his eye was the world tree sapling.

In just seven days, the sapling had grown nearly two inches taller, its stalk had thickened, and the pale gold patterns were as clear as tree rings, with leaves spread out like umbrellas.

Silver patterns flowed in the spiritual wind, and the speed at which it drew Spiritual Qi from the Chaos mist was nearly twice as fast as before.

The "Tall, Thin Cultivator" sat beside the sapling, his complexion looking better than before—

Although the qi gathering pills Lin Yue gave him were not enough to restore him to his Peak, they could maintain a basic supply of spiritual power.

At this moment, he was mechanically channeling spiritual power into the sapling. The initial resentment in his eyes was gone, replaced only by numbness.

Lin Yue ignored him and turned his gaze toward the spiritual field plains.

The growth of the profound ice grass and purple leaf orchid was as expected, and the Spirit River and Mineral Vein were also developing steadily. After making some minor adjustments, he exited the Grotto-heaven.

Just as he stepped out of the secret chamber, Lin Hu ran over with a solemn expression, clutching a broken arrow shaft in his hand—

The character for 'Guard' carved on the shaft was stained with blood; it was the signal arrow used by the guards monitoring the Black Wind Forest outpost.

"Clan Chief, the two brothers who went to the outpost haven't returned. We only found this in the rock pile at the edge of the forest."

Lin Hu's voice was tight. "The arrow was shattered by someone using spiritual power. The aura remaining at the break is very overbearing, much stronger than that 'Tall, Thin Cultivator' from before."

Lin Yue's fingertip brushed over the break in the arrow. A sliver of violent spiritual power surged toward his fingertip, carrying the distinct pressure of a Middle Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

His eyes darkened. "It seems the Hall Master of the Green Robe Hall has come in person."

"The Hall Master? That Late Foundation Establishment Stage old monster?"

Lin Hu's face turned pale.

"Can our Formation stop him?"

"It's hard to say."

Lin Yue walked quickly toward the town wall.

"First, have the Grand Elder push the Formation to its limit. The entire Guard Team is to be on full alert. Then, have Lin Shi distribute all the newly forged Spirit-Breaking Spikes."

On the town wall, Lin Cang had already commanded the clansmen to reinforce the formation eye, with over thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones embedded into the Formation base.

The pale green mist of the "Four Symbols Maze Array" instantly thickened several times over. The phantoms of the Four Symbols within the mist became increasingly clear, and even the air trembled slightly due to the condensation of spiritual power.

"Clan Chief, the Formation has been boosted to eighty percent power. The inner defense runes can withstand three heavy strikes from a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and the middle-layer illusion array can confuse their senses for the duration of an incense stick."

Lin Cang wiped his sweat and pointed toward the Black Wind Forest.

"Look over there."

Lin Yue looked in the direction he pointed. The mist at the edge of the Black Wind Forest was being dispersed by a powerful surge of spiritual power.

Over twenty Cultivators dressed in green robes walked out slowly, surrounding an old man in black robes.

The old man had white hair and a white beard but a ruddy complexion. He leaned on a bronze cane with a green lotus carved at the head—

This was the Hall Master of the Green Robe Hall, the rumored Green-faced Elder who had already stepped halfway into the Peak of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Little brat of Sunset Town, come out and answer me!"

The Green-faced Elder's voice was like a great bell, penetrating the mist to reach inside the town. It carried an intimidating spiritual pressure that turned the faces of the lower-cultivation clansmen pale.

Lin Yue stood atop the town wall, his voice infused with spiritual power. "Hall Master Qing, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

"Honor?"

The Green-faced Elder sneered and struck his cane against the ground, causing several fine cracks to appear.

"My deputy went missing in your Sunset Town. What do you think I'm here for?

If you're smart, hand him over and offer up the companion spirit iron ore vein. I might spare your entire Family from death!"

"Hall Master Qing must be joking."

Lin Yue's tone was calm. "Your deputy went missing in the Black Wind Forest area. What does that have to do with my Sunset Town?

As for the Mineral Vein, it is the foundation of my Family's existence. It is even more impossible to surrender it."

"You refuse the easy way and choose the hard way!"

A fierce light flashed in the Green-faced Elder's eyes as he pointed his cane directly at the town wall.

"I will give you one last incense stick's worth of time to consider. Either open the gates and surrender, or... let this Formation become your grave!"

Lin Hu said anxiously from the side, "Clan Chief, why waste words with him?

Just activate the illusion array and daze them!"

"No."

Lin Yue shook his head. "The opponent has a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator. The illusion array won't trap them for long. Once it's broken, the Formation's power will be greatly reduced.

We need to stall and wait for reinforcements from the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce."

He had already contacted Deacon Zhang via a transmission talisman, and the other party said they could arrive by dusk today at the earliest.

The incense stick soon burned out.

Seeing no movement from within the town, the Green-faced Elder's face darkened completely. "Since you are looking for death, don't blame me for being heartless!"

He raised his hand and struck toward the mist. His dense spiritual power transformed into a giant green palm, smashing toward the town wall with a force that could destroy anything in its path.

"Activate the inner defense!"

Lin Cang shouted sternly. The Spirit Stones in the Formation base glowed brightly, and a tortoise-shell-shaped defensive light screen emerged within the mist.

"Boom!"

The giant palm collided with the light screen, producing a deafening roar. The light screen trembled violently, its pale green light dimming slightly, and the clansmen inside the town walls all felt their blood and qi churning from the shock.

"It does indeed have some tricks."

The Green-faced Elder raised an eyebrow. "But it's not enough!"

He raised his hand again, and this time the green light on his cane surged. He was clearly about to get serious.

"Clan Chief, if we take another hit, the defense runes will crack!" Lin Cang shouted urgently.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yue's eyes, and he suddenly called out loudly, "Hall Master Qing, I might know some clues about your deputy's whereabouts!"

The Green-faced Elder's movements paused, and he looked at him suspiciously. "You know? Where?"

"He came to spy outside the town several days ago, was injured by my Family's Formation, and fled into the depths of the Black Wind Forest."

Lin Yue spoke with a composed tone, mixing truth with lies. "The guards I sent to investigate also disappeared. Perhaps they were dragged away by some Yao Beast."

"Yao Beast?"

The Green-faced Elder frowned. There were indeed several Rank 2 Yao Beasts in the depths of the Black Wind Forest. If an injured Foundation Establishment Cultivator encountered them, there would indeed be danger.

He stared at Lin Yue for a long while, seemingly judging the truth of his words.

Lin Yue took the opportunity to add, "If Hall Master Qing doesn't believe me, you can send people to check the depths of the forest. My Family is willing to provide a detailed map of the Yao Beast distribution.

After all, we have no grievances. There's no need for both sides to suffer just for one missing person, don't you agree? After all, my Lin Family is still a Foundation Establishment Family."

These words both gave the other party a way out and contained a subtle threat—

If a real fight broke out, the Green Robe Hall wouldn't come out on top either.

The Green-faced Elder pondered for a moment and tapped his cane on the ground. "Fine, I'll believe you this once.

But if no one is found, I will flatten this Sunset Town!"

He said to the Cultivators behind him, "Old Third, take five people to check the depths of the forest. The rest of you wait here with me!"

A One-eyed Cultivator took the order and led five people into the Black Wind Forest.

On the town wall, Lin Hu breathed a sigh of relief. "Clan Chief, that trick really worked!"

"It's only a temporary measure."

Lin Yue gazed at the Green-faced Elder's figure. "He is old and cunning; he might not truly believe me. He's just waiting for an excuse.

Tell the brothers to stay sharp. Until the reinforcements arrive, we cannot relax for a moment."

Outside the mist, the Green-faced Elder sat on a large rock with his eyes closed, seemingly resting, but in reality, his spiritual power was constantly locked onto the town wall.

Having lived for nearly a hundred years, how could he not see that Lin Yue was stalling?

It was just that the previous palm strike had tested the Formation and found it to be truly troublesome. Forcing his way in would cause too many losses. It was better to wait it out until the scouts returned, then use "failing to find the person" as a pretext to attack.

Time passed bit by bit, and the sun gradually sank in the west. There was no movement from the depths of the Black Wind Forest.

The Green-faced Elder's patience was also nearing its end. His fingers tapped lightly on his cane, producing a dull sound like the beat of a countdown drum.

The clansmen inside the town walls had sweaty palms. Lin Cang stared intently at the Spirit Stones in the Formation base, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Lin Yue, however, looked toward the western horizon, where spiritual power fluctuations were faintly coming from the clouds—

It was the Cultivators of the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce!

"Hall Master Qing, it seems your deputy was indeed not captured by my Family."

Lin Yue spoke again, his tone carrying a hint of "regret."

"Why not stop here? It would be better for our future meetings."

"Stop?"

The Green-faced Elder suddenly snapped his eyes open, a fierce look fully revealed. "My people haven't returned yet. Who said anything about stopping?"

Just then, a miserable scream came from the direction of the Black Wind Forest, followed by the loud bang of spiritual power colliding.

The Green-faced Elder's expression changed, and he stood up abruptly. "That's Old Third's voice!"

Just as he was about to rush over, a loud laugh suddenly came from the western sky. "Hall Master Qing, what great bluster, to actually use force on the territory of the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce?"

A streak of light descended. Deacon Zhang, leading over ten guards dressed in black, landed by the town wall. At their head was a middle-aged Cultivator with a majestic expression and an aura as steady as a mountain—

This was the head of the guards responsible for the surrounding area for the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce, the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator Zhao Meng.

Seeing Zhao Meng appear, the Green-faced Elder's face instantly turned ugly.

He knew that reinforcements had arrived, and it was no longer possible to make a move.

"Head Zhao, this matter has nothing to do with you. It is a private grievance between me and Sunset Town."

"Sunset Town is a trading partner of our chamber. Their business is my business."

Zhao Meng took a step forward, and the pressure of a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator spread out.

"Hall Master Qing, either take your people and leave now, or... just stay here forever."

The Green-faced Elder stared fixedly at Lin Yue, then looked at Zhao Meng, and finally grit his teeth.

"Fine! I will remember today's humiliation! Let's go!"

The group angrily ducked into the Black Wind Forest and soon disappeared.

It wasn't until the people from the Green Robe Hall had completely left that everyone inside and outside the town walls truly breathed a sigh of relief.

Deacon Zhang stepped forward and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Lin, I'm sorry you were startled."

"It's all thanks to the timely arrival of Deacon Zhang and Head Zhao. Great kindness needs no words of thanks." Lin Yue cupped his hands in gratitude, a heavy stone finally lifting from his heart.

The afterglow of the setting sun pierced through the mist, spilling onto the rooftops of Sunset Town and dyeing the halo of the "Four Symbols Maze Array" a warm gold.

Lin Yue looked toward the distance, knowing that although this maneuver had secured a temporary peace, the threat of the Green Robe Hall had not been eliminated.

He needed to grow faster so that Sunset Town and that Grotto-heaven would truly possess the foundation that no one would dare to challenge.

As night fell, the world tree sapling in the Grotto-heaven absorbed spiritual power and emitted a soft light, as if accumulating strength for the future of this land.