92: Border garrison

What surprised him even more was that even at such high speeds, sitting on the gourd remained as stable as flat ground, with no need to divert his attention to steady his body.

After a series of tests, Lin Feng reached a conclusion.

Its speed was fast enough to give him every advantage during the Foundation Establishment Stage; whether pursuing, escaping, or traveling long distances, it would yield twice the result with half the effort.

He piloted the gourd, transforming into a stream of light, and returned to Baoyue Peak silently.

Landing in his Immortal Cave, Lin Feng stirred his Divine Thought, and the wine immortal gourd spun around as it shrank, finally becoming the size of a palm.

He casually hung it at his waist, his fingertips brushing over the gourd's body, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. This Artifact Refining had been time-consuming and arduous, but it had not been in vain.

A few days later, while purchasing Artifact Refining Materials at the Sect's marketplace, Lin Feng inadvertently overheard the conversation of several newly promoted Inner Sect Disciples.

"Have you heard? Martial Uncle Lu from Yunmiao Peak has come out of seclusion. It's said that she is going to formally take in a Personal Disciple this time."

"Martial Uncle Lu? Could it be that… the youngest Core Formation Elder in the Sect, Martial Uncle Lu Yuchan?" The other person gasped, their eyes full of awe. "It's said that her talent is peerless among her generation; she reached Mid-stage Core Formation before the age of one hundred. Her Sword Qi cultivation is unfathomable, and while her beauty is peerless, she is as cold and aloof as the moon…"

"Exactly. If one could be accepted as her Disciple and receive even a little of her guidance, their path of Dao would be smooth sailing." The first person nodded repeatedly. "It's just that Martial Uncle Lu is rumored to have incredibly high standards; her demands regarding a Disciple's Heart-Nature and talent are extremely harsh. Ordinary Geniuses simply cannot catch her eye."

As they discussed, Lin Feng listened quietly from the side, his expression unchanged.

A young female Core Formation Cultivator with transcendent talent did indeed sound extraordinary. However, having just reached Foundation Establishment, possessing the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art for his Cultivation Technique, and not lacking resources for the time being, he was not eager to seek a master.

He preferred to explore his path of Dao on his own and had no intention of attaching himself to someone else's Sect at the moment.

The recent atmosphere within the Sect truly did not allow him to be too distracted by other matters. In the marketplace and outside the Shang Gong Hall, the conversations among the Disciples inevitably mentioned the increasingly tense situation.

"The friction in the west with Xuan Yin Valley is increasing more and more… I heard that several affiliated Families have been wiped out."

"It's not just Xuan Yin Valley; those demonic women from the Hehuan Sect are also appearing frequently in the southern border, seducing people's hearts and draining their cultivation, making them impossible to guard against."

"The Sect has already issued a mobilization order, and many Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters have been sent to garrison the border. I'm afraid… the peaceful days are over."

The righteous and Demonic Paths had long-standing grievances, and in the last year or two, conflicts had escalated sharply, with small-scale skirmishes occurring frequently. Even the Tianxuan Sect could feel the pressure of the impending storm.

Sure enough, a few days later, the Sect's Shang Gong Hall issued a series of missions to garrison, patrol, and clear out infiltrating Demonic Path forces at various frontline strongholds. The rewards were generous, but the danger level was also extremely high.

Lin Feng pondered for a moment before accepting a patrol mission to the "Black Wind Pass." He was actually somewhat familiar with this place; when he went out for training before, he had obtained a Blood Essence Ginseng at "No-Thought Mountain" in the Black Wind Mountain Range nearby.

This place was an important pass leading to the western border, and recently there had been rumors of Demonic Path Cultivators appearing. Feeling that his strength had improved, he needed real combat to sharpen his skills and could also contribute to the Sect.

He packed up slightly, summoned the wine immortal gourd, and turned into an Escaping Light to depart from the Sect.

On the way to Black Wind Pass, one had to cross a continuous mountain range. Just as Lin Feng was piloting the wine immortal gourd, traveling at a leisurely pace through the clouds, a stream of ice-blue light swept silently across the sky ahead.

Wherever it passed, the clouds seemed to be frozen, leaving behind a long-lasting trail of ice crystals. Its speed and sharpness were far beyond what a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could hope to achieve.

Above the stream of light, a graceful figure could be vaguely seen, dressed in white as snow with hair like a waterfall. Although it was only a fleeting glimpse and they were far apart, making it impossible to see her specific features, she possessed an air of cold, aloof, and transcendent elegance.

She did not seem to notice Lin Feng and disappeared at the edge of the sky in an instant.

Lin Feng's heart stirred, and he slowed down. The aura from just now was far superior to any Foundation Establishment Cultivator he had ever seen; it was undoubtedly a Core Formation expert. Judging by her direction, she also seemed to be heading to the western border.

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. The movements of a Core Formation Cultivator were not for him to speculate upon. He composed his mind and continued his journey.

Several days later, Lin Feng arrived at Black Wind Pass. The atmosphere here was indeed tense, with patrol teams moving back and forth frequently. After handing over his mission, he was assigned to patrol a certain area.

Not long after, he encountered a group of Xuan Yin Valley Cultivators. Upon meeting, there was no idle talk, and a fierce battle broke out immediately.

After refining the bodhi seed, his Sword Qi had undergone a qualitative change. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Yin Evil protective techniques of the Xuan Yin Valley Cultivators met their nemesis, emitting "hissing" sounds of dissolution as they were easily torn apart.

With one sword strike, the black Evil Qi shield hastily erected by an Early Foundation Establishment Stage Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator shattered instantly. The remaining momentum of the Sword Qi did not fade, precisely piercing into his glabella and leaving a tiny blood hole.

The ferocity in that Cultivator's eyes froze instantly, turning into an expression of disbelief and emptiness as his body fell straight backward.

Almost at the same time, a fierce wind attacked from behind his head. Lin Feng slashed backhand, his verdant Sword Qi acting like a blade, severing the wrist of another Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator who was trying to sneak attack from behind. The scream came to an abrupt end because a follow-up Sword Qi had already sealed his throat.

Just then, another Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator quietly sneaked to Lin Feng's flank, the poisoned bone thorn in his hand gleaming with a ghostly light, about to succeed. Lin Feng stirred his Divine Thought, and the mouth of an inconspicuous spirit beast pouch at his waist opened quietly.

A gray shadow shot out like lightning, its speed so fast that it only left a blurry afterimage; it was the Shadow Scale Snake.

It lunged at the attacker, its fangs piercing deeply into the Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator's wrist.

The Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator's movements stiffened, a trace of shock flashing across his face. The paralytic toxin in the venom took effect instantly, causing his entire arm and even half his body to lose sensation. He fell to the ground, unable to even let out a follow-up scream.

Lin Feng did not even turn his head; his Sword Qi surged and spat, and another Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator fell to the ground.

The high-intensity battle lasted for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Lin Feng had killed several enemies, but his spiritual power consumption was also not small, and his breathing was slightly rapid.

What was more troublesome was that in the chaotic battle, a tricky Ghost Claw technique grazed his arm. The black Evil Qi it brought not only tore his flesh but also penetrated deep into the bone, lingering and emitting a "hissing" sound, causing agonizing pain. Blood quickly soaked his sleeve.

Enduring the severe pain, he summoned the azure flood dragon banner. An azure flood dragon phantom forced back the two Xuan Yin Valley Cultivators in front of him, and he quickly retreated behind a relatively safe rock.

Leaning against the cold rock, he immediately took out a Medicinal Pill for healing from his black jade bracelet and swallowed it, while simultaneously circulating his spiritual power to suppress the raging Yin Evil Qi at the wound, his face looking slightly pale.

The few remaining Xuan Yin Valley Cultivators saw him retreat and, thinking they had an opportunity to take advantage of, rushed up with roars.

However, a gray shadow was faster than them. The Shadow Scale Snake, which had been lurking in the shadows all along, shot out, its fangs piercing into the ankle of the Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator who was charging at the front.

The Xuan Yin Valley Cultivator let out a miserable scream and fell to the ground, losing his ability to move. This sudden attack caused the remaining Xuan Yin Valley Cultivators to pause slightly, looking at the surrounding shadows with suspicion and uncertainty, not daring to rush forward rashly again.