172: Chapter 172 Delivering Intelligence? Shadow Gains a Buff

After the second Sealing Formation was broken, the Qingyan Rich Mine completely turned into a carnival ground for players.

The clinking and clanging of mining echoed from inside the mine all the way to the valley entrance.

Lin Zhe, however, did not go inside.

He stood outside the mine, his gaze crossing over the churning depths of Black Wind Valley.

There lay the third Sealing Formation.

The dark aura was heaviest there.

Ao Ning frost stood by his side, her old left arm wound already healed, her silver eyes cold with battle intent.

"The third formation is the last of the outer grand formations."

"Break it, and Black Wind Valley will no longer have any sealing barriers."

Lin Zhe nodded faintly. Just as he was about to step forward, the air behind him suddenly darkened.

Whoosh.

A black figure emerged from the shadows on the ground.

Shadow Seven knelt on one knee, holding a scroll of obsidian in both hands.

"Mr. Lin Zhe, Pavilion Master Pavilion Master Ye Ling has ordered me to deliver the latest top-secret intelligence."

Ao Ning frost's eyes narrowed.

Lin Zhe looked up: "Speak."

Shadow Seven immediately unfurled the scroll.

Buzz—

A map of the depths of Black Wind Valley spread out in mid-air.

Three dark red light points on it formed a triangle, positioned exactly at the edge of the third Sealing Formation.

"The third Sealing Formation has a total of three formation cores."

"The eastern core is hidden beneath the Dragon-Severing Stone; its weakness is water."

"The western core is buried at the roots of the Rotting Bone Forest; its weakness is natural purification."

"The central core is twenty zhang beneath the ground of Black Wind Valley. The outer layer has three false inscriptions; the true core is briefly exposed when the inscriptions reverse."

Shadow Seven tapped again.

On the other side of the map, the coordinates of a black underground palace lit up.

"This is the storage location for the remaining dark dragon flame bombs of the Rebel Elder Qing Yan."

"Thirty in total."

"All are high-power finished products."

"Hidden in the underground palace on the north side of Black Wind Valley, guarded by two hundred men, with three layers of hidden doors outside."

Ao Ning frost's face instantly turned cold.

"Thirty high-power Dragon Flame Bombs?"

If these things exploded during the final battle, the casualties would certainly not be small.

Shadow Seven's voice dropped lower: "There is one more thing."

"The rebel army will send five hundred elites to circle back and launch a sneak attack on the Wanlong City grain depot tonight at the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat."

"They plan to burn the front-line supplies and then transfer the Dragon Flame Bombs amidst the chaos."

"The time margin of error is no more than ten minutes."

The area outside the mine fell instantly silent.

Qing Yu gripped her longbow: "What audacity."

Lin Zhe looked at the map, his expression unchanged.

This intelligence was very accurate.

The cores of the third Sealing Formation, the Dragon Flame Bomb palace, the sneak attack time—it was all there.

What Pavilion Master Ye Ling gave this time wasn't ordinary intelligence.

She was directly flipping Qing Yan's last few cards onto the table.

Lin Zhe said indifferently: "Deploy defenses."

Ao Ning frost immediately turned around: "Silver Dragon Guard, send orders to Wanlong City: the grain depot should be loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Replace all oil carts with empty barrels."

Qing Yu also spoke: "The personal guard will ambush at the eastern low wall; Archers, get on the warehouse roof."

The player Vanguard Army was even faster.

Hearing that rebels were coming to steal grain, dozens of small teams signed up on the spot.

"Ambush? I'm an expert at that!"

"Five hundred elites, huh? They're just delivering points!"

"Meet at the grain depot tonight. Whoever runs is a coward!"

Night fell quickly.

Outside the Wanlong City grain depot, the guards appeared sparse.

A few lanterns hung at the entrance, and several Dragon Race guards were yawning, looking completely defenseless.

The third quarter of the Hour of the Rat.

In the darkness, five hundred rebel elites crept over silently.

The leading Black Dragon Commander lowered his voice: "Move fast. Retreat as soon as the burning is done."

"Lin Zhe is still over at the mine; he won't expect us to circle around."

The five hundred men scaled the wall and entered.

The next second.

The gates of the grain depot slammed shut!

Buzz—

Pale gold restrictions lit up simultaneously on all four walls.

On the warehouse roof, Qing Yu raised her longbow.

"Fire."

Swish, swish, swish!

A rain of magic-breaking arrowss fell instantly.

From the shadows on both sides, the Dragon Race Silver Dragon Guard charged out at the same time.

The player teams were even more excited, their eyes turning red.

"Points are here!"

"Don't let them escape!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fireballs, ice spears, sword qi, and arrow rain smashed into the crowd wave after wave.

The rebel army fell into immediate chaos.

"It's an ambush!"

"The intelligence was leaked!"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

But just as they tried to use teleportation, the law inscriptions beneath their feet flashed; Return City, Teleport, and Stealth all turned grey.

The front gate was blocked by the Silver Dragon Guard.

The back wall was blocked by players.

And on the warehouse roof were Qing Yu's arrows.

The five hundred rebels were like beasts trapped in a cage; in less than fifteen minutes of fighting, they were beaten to a pulp.

The last Black Dragon Commander was about to detonate the Fire Core in his arms when the countermeasure inscriptions laid by Lin Zhe lit up.

Boom!

The Fire Core produced a shockback on the spot, blowing him into a charred heap on the ground.

[The rebel sneak attack team has been completely wiped out!]

As soon as the announcement popped up, the world channel exploded instantly.

"Hahaha, five hundred people went to steal grain and ended up as free deliveries?"

"Big boss Lin Zhe must have known long ago!"

"Shadow Pavilion is awesome! This intelligence was too accurate!"

At the same time, Ao Ning frost personally led the Silver Dragon Guard to strike the northern underground palace according to the coordinates given by Shadow Seven.

Three layers of hidden doors.

Two hundred guards.

But the coordinates, traps, and patrol routes were all clearly marked.

The Silver Dragon Guard broke the doors, and the players charged the formation.

In less than an hour, the underground palace was completely leveled.

Thirty high-power dark dragon flame bombs were neatly arranged in the deepest part of the palace.

Not a single one was missing.

After Lin Zhe arrived, he waved his hand.

Whoosh!

They were all stored into his storage bag.

Ao Ning frost looked at the emptied palace and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"The threat of the Dragon Flame Bombs is gone."

The killing intent in her eyes grew even colder.

"Qing Yan has now lost one of his most poisonous claws."

Lin Zhe nodded faintly and turned to look at Shadow Seven.

"Pavilion Master Ye Ling was a huge help this time."

Shadow Seven immediately bowed his head: "The Pavilion Master only said that whenever the Gentleman needs intelligence, Shadow Pavilion will be the first to deliver it."

Lin Zhe raised his hand, and pale gold law inscriptions spread out.

The next second, a server-wide announcement popped up.

[Server Announcement: Shadow Pavilion provided top-secret intelligence on the Dragon Domain rebels, assisted in the total annihilation of five hundred sneak-attacking rebels, and captured all remaining dark dragon flame bombs!]

[To thank Shadow Pavilion for their contribution, Lin Zhe is granting a dedicated permanent buff to all Shadow faction players!]

[Effect: Critical Hit Rate +10%!]

[Simultaneously, Shadow Crystal Mine exchange permissions now have a 50% discount!]

The world channel completely blew up.

"Shadow players are taking off!"

"Permanent 10% crit? This is too sweet!"

"Pavilion Master Pavilion Master Ye Ling made a massive profit this time!"

"Shadow faction brothers, let's kowtow to big boss Lin Zhe!"

Countless Shadow players were ecstatic on the spot.

The shadow aura on Shadow Seven's body even vibrated slightly, his voice unable to suppress his excitement: "On behalf of the Pavilion Master, I thank the Gentleman for this generous gift!"

In Lin Zhe's mind, a system prompt sounded accordingly.

[Ding! Detected that the top-tier female NPC, Shadow Pavilion Master Pavilion Master Ye Ling's favorability toward the host has increased to 30!]

[Eighth Bond trigger progress increased to 7%!]

Lin Zhe's gaze shifted slightly.

In the distance, the third Sealing Formation in the depths of Black Wind Valley was still churning.

But now, the locations of the cores, the weaknesses, and the rebels' trump cards were all in his hands.

Lin Zhe put away the map, his voice calm.

"Pass the order."

"Tomorrow, we break the third formation."