54: Both sides suffer losses

This subtle movement instantly pierced into Lin Feng's mind, perfectly overlapping with the memory of that Masked Man rubbing the surface of the black iron plaque with his fingers when he received it.

'That Masked Man is nine times out of ten this Meng Tianqing.'

'But he was clearly at the auction site at the time, witnessing my conflict with Jiao Xuan and my successful bid for the earth origin spirit mushroom. Why did he wait until I had fled to appear and demand the iron plaque? And why wear a mask to conceal his identity?'

'That black iron plaque... what on earth is it? To make this Meng Family Young Lord go to such great lengths and hide his identity just to get his hands on it?'

Lin Feng's curiosity was instantly ignited. 'Any item that can make the Meng Family Young Lord care this much must involve something huge.'

He finished the spirit tea in the pot, left a Spirit Stone, stood up silently, left the restaurant, and merged into the crowd.

A team of Meng Family Cultivators was escorting several crates of Materials engraved with formation patterns, rushing towards the direction of Black Wind Pool. Lin Feng quietly followed them.

"The Black Water Marsh Restriction has been fluctuating severely recently..."

"The Family Head has transferred quite a few men over there in the past few days..."

"The Young Lord said that this time, it can finally be truly opened..."

'Did he not kill me back then just to make me draw away the Jiao Family?' Lin Feng had a rough guess and decided to verify his hypothesis.

'Let me add some fuel to the fire; one test will tell.'

His fingertips lightly brushed over his Storage Pouch, and two most ordinary blank Jade Slips appeared in his hand. With a slight movement of his Divine Sense, he quickly carved two completely different pieces of information into them.

The first Jade Slip was for the Jiao Family:

"The one who killed Jiao Xuan is a member of the Meng Family. The black iron plaque is in the hands of Meng Tianqing. The Meng Family seems to have unusual movements in the Black Water Marsh recently."

The second Jade Slip was for the Meng Family:

"The Jiao Family seems to have sensed the unusual movements in the Black Water Marsh and is secretly gathering death squads, intending to seize it at any cost."

After finishing the carving, he hired two inconspicuous little beggars begging on the street.

The little beggars clutched the Spirit Stones and Jade Slips tightly and scurried away.

Half an hour later.

A Jiao Family steward picked up the Jade Slip at the main gate. After a scan with his Divine Sense, his expression changed drastically, and he rushed into the mansion, almost tumbling as he went.

Almost at the same time, a Meng Family guard also picked up that Jade Slip from the side gate. After seeing the content, he gasped and rushed towards the high platform.

On the high platform, Meng Tianqing took the Jade Slip handed over by his confidant and scanned it with his Divine Sense.

He stood up abruptly, his gaze sweeping across the entire market.

'The plan has been leaked? Who is it?' He could no longer sit still.

Almost at the same time, several powerful Spiritual Pressure fluctuations erupted from within the Jiao Family mansion. Immediately after, teams of Jiao Family Cultivators rushed out with livid expressions and raging Killing Intent. They no longer patrolled but charged straight towards several key industries controlled by the Meng Family.

"Meng Family thieves. This is too much!" some Jiao Family Cultivators roared.

The news spread through the market like wildfire:

"They are fighting. The Jiao Family has directly taken action."

"I heard the Meng Family not only killed Jiao Xuan but also wanted to steal the Jiao Family's ancestral Treasure Trove."

Watching the chaos that erupted below, Meng Tianqing's expression became incredibly ugly. He had not expected the Jiao Family's reaction to be so intense and rapid. This disrupted all his pacing.

"Stabilize the situation. Stop them." He had to order sternly, forced to move from behind the scenes to the front, personally directing the response.

He tried to trace the source of the information, but those two little beggars were long gone, and the Jade Slip was too ordinary to be tracked. All leads were severed.

A few months after Lin Feng fled far away, the Meng and Jiao families finally completely tore off their masks. Even their Foundation Establishment Old Ancestors fought, ultimately resulting in both sides suffering, their strength greatly damaged. This Double Dragon Market also changed to a new master.

At this time, Lin Feng was already hundreds of miles away. He had originally intended to find a secluded mountain valley to thoroughly consolidate his cultivation at the Peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, then return to the Tianxuan Sect to use the Sect's resources and connections to prepare for Foundation Establishment.

With the earth origin spirit mushroom already in hand, returning to the Sect to find Su Sizhu was the safest choice.

However, just as he was resting in a remote town, the loud conversation of several Cultivators at the table next to him in the restaurant caused his teacup to pause slightly.

"Hey. Have you heard? A few days ago, a heaven-piercing treasure light appeared in 'No-Thought Mountain' deep within the Black Wind Mountain Range. Although it only lasted for an instant, it was definitely no ordinary item."

"How could I not know? It is said to be a treasure of extremely dense Qi and blood, which is likely to be of great benefit for Foundation Establishment. Many people are rushing there now."

"Tsk tsk, that is a dangerous place, rampant with Yao Beasts... Are you going to try your luck?"

"I'll pass. You can go if you want."

A few days later, on the rugged mountain path leading to No-Thought Mountain in the Black Wind Mountain Range.

Lin Feng suppressed his aura to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, his gaze scanning the surrounding environment, his Divine Sense maintaining high vigilance.

At a bend in the mountain road ahead, a wave of spiritual power and faint conversation drifted over.

Lin Feng paused, quietly hiding to the side, suppressing all sound and aura.

He saw four Cultivators taking a short break. A middle-aged Cultivator with a steady expression and Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation appeared to be the leader.

There were also a pair of brothers who looked similar and a charmingly smiling female Cultivator. They also looked like Loose Cultivators who had temporarily banded together.

"...Brother Dao, the miasma gets thicker further ahead, and our Divine Sense will be limited. It might be inconvenient to walk alone; we should work together." One of them said.

"Hmm, this place is weird. Cooperation is mutually beneficial." Old Dao responded in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

Just then, the leader's gaze suddenly turned towards where Lin Feng was hiding: "Which friend is there? Why hide your head and show your tail? Why not come out and meet us?"

He had apparently detected the aura that Lin Feng had failed to completely suppress earlier.

Lin Feng emerged, looking slightly dishevelled, with a trace of embarrassment on his face, and cupped his hands towards the four:

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists. I am traveling alone and have absolutely no ill intent. I only heard that the area ahead is dangerous, so I was a bit cautious."

The leader scanned him: "Qi Refining Sixth Layer? Traveling alone here?" A trace of scrutiny flashed in his eyes, but his vigilance eased slightly. A Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivator did not pose much of a threat.

The charmingly smiling female Cultivator next to him immediately interjected: "Is Fellow Daoist also here for the treasure light of No-Thought Mountain? It is too risky to be alone; why not travel with us? We can look out for each other."

The pair of brothers also sized him up, remaining silent, their eyes flickering.

Lin Feng showed a look of being moved, pondered for a moment, and then reluctantly nodded: "In that case... many thanks, Fellow Daoists."

On the way, they encountered attacks from powerful Yao Beasts several times. Lin Feng always displayed the strength expected of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer at just the right moment: his Spell power was mediocre, and he appeared slightly dishevelled when dodging, but he managed to just happen to interfere with the Yao Beast's actions, unintentionally creating attack opportunities for his teammates.

"Kid, you have good luck." After working together to kill a Yao Beast equivalent to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, Old Dao shook the blood off his blade and glanced at Lin Feng with a hint of approval.

The Wang brothers snorted coldly, obviously feeling that Lin Feng just had dumb luck and still did not take him seriously.