148: Arrival at the battlefield of Jingu Plain! A golden opportunity!

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight: Arriving at the Golden Drum Plain Battlefield! Gold Opportunity!

Several blue flying boats of uniform style, their hulls branded with the mark of Yellow Maple Valley, were lined up in an orderly formation like a flock of migrating geese, flying through the slightly gloomy sky.

Below them were continuous mountains and wilderness receding rapidly, while the air was filled with an increasingly thick scent of gunpowder and a chilling aura.

Lu Qiu and Han Li rode on the same flying boat, standing on one side of the gunwale.

The strong wind blew against their robes, making a flapping sound.

On the other flying boats were more than ten fellow Foundation Establishment Cultivators; most had solemn expressions, either closing their eyes to rest or talking in low voices, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Their mission was clear: escort a batch of important strategic supplies to the Golden Drum Plain front line and be incorporated into the combat sequence on the spot to help resist the Demonic Path's offensive.

"Senior Brother Lu."

Han Li looked at the vast plain in front of them, which was faintly visible and shrouded in a light Evil Qi, and asked in a low voice: "In your opinion, what will be the final outcome of this struggle between Yue Country and the Demonic Path?"

Lu Qiu's gaze calmly swept across the continuous outline of the camps on the distant horizon, which were becoming clearer and looked like crouching giant beasts. After a moment of silence, he slowly uttered four words: "Inevitable defeat."

Han Li's pupils shrank slightly, and a flash of surprise and suspicion crossed his face.

He knew this Senior Brother Lu had extraordinary insight and acted decisively; he was definitely not someone who spoke without thinking.

"Why is Senior Brother so certain? Although the Demonic Path is powerful, our Seven Sects of Yue Country are connected by blood and defend difficult terrain; we might not lack the strength for a fight..."

Lu Qiu shook his head slightly, interrupting Han Li's words, his gaze still fixed forward, his voice flat but carrying a kind of indifference that saw through the situation: "The foundation of the Six Demonic Sects is deep, far beyond what is seen on the surface. The Seven Sects of Yue Country... seem united, but in reality, each has its own agenda, and internal conflicts have accumulated for a long time. Moreover, the Demonic Path's invasion is not a sudden whim, but a long-premeditated, step-by-step plan. Under such circumstances, the outcome is already predetermined."

He paused and glanced sideways at the frowning Han Li: "The specific reasons are extensive, and there's no use saying more. Junior Brother will understand in the future."

He did not explain in detail the power behind the Demonic Path, nor did he point out that certain forces in Yue Country had already secretly colluded with them.

Hearing this, Han Li fell into silence.

Although he did not fully understand the basis for Lu Qiu's judgment, his intuition told him that what this Senior Brother said was probably not alarmist.

A deeper worry quietly surfaced in his heart... Two days later, the flying boat formation finally arrived at their destination—Golden Drum Plain.

This was an extremely vast plain with slightly undulating terrain, sparse vegetation, and large areas of exposed grey-yellow soil.

Above the plain, a thin reddish mist, composed of a mixture of Evil Qi, blood scent, and various spiritual power residues, lingered year-round, making the daylight appear somewhat dim.

On the east and west sides of the plain, facing each other from afar, large-scale camp clusters had been established.

The eastern camp had banners fluttering, mainly the flags of the Seven Great Sects; it was where the Yue Country Allied Forces were located.

The western camp was filled with Devilish Qi and ghost banners; it was the front-line headquarters of the Six Demonic Sects.

The two massive camps were like two ancient beasts in a standoff, and an invisible chilling aura filled the air over the entire plain, making it suffocating.

The flying boats slowly landed in the designated landing area of the eastern camp.

Cultivators responsible for receiving them had already come forward to count the supplies and verify the personnel.

After some busy work, Lu Qiu, Han Li, and the others were assigned temporary residences.

A row of stone houses simply built with heavy stone and equipped with basic protective Restrictions; the conditions were simple, but enough to provide shelter and a brief rest.

Lu Qiu and Han Li's stone houses happened to be adjacent.

"Tomorrow at the hour of the dragon, head to the 'Cold Wind Slope' area to perform missions of blocking and harassing Demonic Path Cultivators. Specific squad assignments and mission details will be notified later." A Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator wearing the attire of a Yellow Maple Valley deacon hurriedly gave the instructions and then went to attend to other matters.

After settling down, Lu Qiu did not rest immediately.

He walked out of the stone house and moved within the allowed range of the camp, seemingly casual but actually quietly collecting information, talking with some "old-timers" who seemed well-informed to understand the specific situation of the current Golden Drum Plain battlefield.

Soon, a rather "peculiar" battlefield rule was presented to him.

It turned out that after the first few months of tragic and chaotic full-scale conflict, both sides realized that a head-on clash was extremely costly and it would be difficult to completely crush the opponent in a short time.

Whether by mutual understanding or some unspoken rule, the Golden Drum Plain battlefield gradually formed a strange balance and "custom":

There would be a "major battle" once a month.

Both sides would send out thousands of Cultivators, mainly in the Foundation Establishment Stage, mixed with some Core Formation and a large number of Qi Refining, to conduct large-scale battles in a designated area in the center of the plain.

But these "major battles" were often more about show than substance; unless one side was determined to fight to the death, most Cultivators on both sides would activate their strongest defensive means and exchange blows symbolically, so the actual number of casualties was limited.

On ordinary days, "minor battles" were constant.

From dawn to dusk, it was designated as the "hunting time" for Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

Both sides would send varying numbers of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, either in small teams or acting alone, deep into the central area of Golden Drum Plain and some surrounding dangerous areas to search for, ambush, and hunt down the opponent's isolated or small groups of Foundation Establishment forces.

These small-scale, high-frequency contact battles were the main cause of continuous casualties among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of both sides.

At night, it was the turn of the Core Formation Stage experts to take the stage.

They would leave the camps and duel in the sky over Golden Drum Plain or in certain specific areas.

However, Core Formation Cultivators had many life-saving means; defeating them was easy, but killing them was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

After several months, hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from both sides had been lost, but not a single Core Formation Cultivator had fallen, leaving the high-level officials of both sides somewhat pained and helpless.

As for Qi Refinement Stage Disciples, because their magic power was low, their role in this level of confrontation was limited; instead, they were well-protected as reserve forces and logistics personnel, remaining relatively intact.

After learning about this, Lu Qiu was speechless for a while.

"What is this? Using Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators as consumables to be 'harvested' periodically? While Core Formation Cultivators stop at the right moment to preserve their strength?" He shook his head inwardly.

This war mode, which seemed "civilized" but was actually cruel, undoubtedly pushed the Foundation Establishment Cultivators to the most dangerous front line.

The Seven Sects of Yue Country and the Six Demonic Sects seemed to be using this Opportunity to consume the opponent's backbone while honing their own Disciples and filtering out the true elites.

"I must act carefully." Lu Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although he was confident that with his False Core cultivation and many trump cards, he would find few rivals within the Foundation Establishment Stage, there were too many variables on the battlefield.

If he performed too outstandingly and attracted the special "attention" of the Demonic Path Core Formation Cultivators, or was treated as an "ace" by his own high-level officials and constantly sent to perform dangerous missions, that would be troublesome.

Keeping a low profile, being cautious, and taking the Opportunity to obtain his own benefits while completing basic missions was the best strategy.

He returned to the stone house, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing, adjusting his state to the best to deal with tomorrow's unknown mission... The next day, the light of dawn broke.

Lu Qiu ended his brief meditation and, as per custom, checked today's refreshed Opportunity information.

[white information]: In the southwest corner of the camp, behind the third row of stone houses under an abandoned Pill Furnace, are buried a dozen or so Low-Grade Spirit Stones left by a fallen Cultivator.

[silver information]: Ghost Spirit Sect Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator Lü Yang will set an ambush in "Yuanling Valley" in the central-western part of Golden Drum Plain today at the hour of the monkey to kill a team of Seven Sects of Yue Country Cultivators. He carries the rare "Crystal Condensing Marrow," which is one of the precious spiritual items for assisting in Core Formation.

[gold intelligence]: Joyous Union Sect Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator Liu Feng was seriously injured tonight at the hour of the rat near "Soul-Severing Gorge" in the northern part of Golden Drum Plain due to a fight with a Seven Sects Core Formation Cultivator; his Storage Pouch contains a tattered map marking the location of an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave.

A sharp light flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes!

As expected!

Although the battlefield was dangerous, it was also a place where Opportunities gathered!

A large number of Cultivators were active, fighting, and falling here, and all kinds of treasures, spiritual items, and Legacy clues that were usually hard to find might be exposed with their fall or activities.

The Golden Finger's information refresh was simply like a fish in water here!

The silver Opportunity pointed to a "Core Formation spiritual item"—Crystal Condensing Marrow!

This item could slightly increase the success rate of condensing a Golden Core and help stabilize a newly formed Golden Core; for Lu Qiu, who was at the False Core Realm and about to prepare for Core Formation, its value was self-evident!

And the gold intelligence actually pointed directly to a Core Formation Cultivator and an "ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave map"!

To be called an "ancient Immortal Cave," the Legacies and treasures within were probably extraordinary!

He quickly calmed down and began to analyze.

"Ghost Spirit Sect's Lü Yang, Late Stage Foundation Establishment, setting an ambush in Yuanling Valley at the hour of the monkey to kill Seven Sects Cultivators... This means there will be a battle there, and perhaps there's a 'fisherman' role to play." Lu Qiu took out the simple map of Golden Drum Plain he had been given and found the location of "Yuanling Valley."

Coincidentally, his mission location today, "Cold Wind Slope," was less than fifty miles northeast of Yuanling Valley!

After completing the blocking mission at Cold Wind Slope, if he was fast enough, it was entirely possible to arrive near Yuanling Valley before or at the beginning of the hour of the monkey.

"This is indeed an Opportunity. I can try to seize the Crystal Condensing Marrow and accumulate military merits at the same time, killing two birds with one stone." Lu Qiu made a plan in his heart.

As for the gold Opportunity... "Joyous Union Sect Core Formation Cultivator Liu Feng, seriously injured... Ancient Immortal Cave map..." Lu Qiu frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

The temptation was huge!

A seriously injured Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator; if he could take the Opportunity to kill him, he might not only obtain his entire net worth but also get that mysterious ancient Immortal Cave map.

But the risk was also extremely high!

First, the information clearly stated "tonight at the hour of the rat," which meant the battle would take place late at night, the time when Core Formation Cultivators were active.

For a "Foundation Establishment Cultivator" like himself to rashly get involved in a struggle at the Core Formation level was inherently extremely dangerous.

Secondly, "seriously injured" was relative.

Core Formation Cultivators had tenacious vitality and many life-saving trump cards; even in a seriously injured state, a deathbed counterattack was definitely not something a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could easily withstand.

What if the opponent still had companions to receive him or had set a trap?

Finally, and most importantly, the source of information was the Golden Finger, but the specific battle process, the degree of injuries on both sides, and whether others were watching were all unknown.

Going there rashly was no different from gambling, and the stake was his own life.

"Not appropriate."

After weighing it repeatedly, Lu Qiu slowly shook his head, a flash of regret in his eyes, but more of it was rationality.

"Although an ancient Immortal Cave is good, I don't urgently lack Legacies or treasures at the moment. Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique, Heavenly Talisman Scripture, Myriad Poisons Gu Scripture, Qing Yang Pill Scripture... which one isn't top-tier? I also have trump cards like the Six Ding Heavenly Armor Talisman and the Four Symbols Demon Slaying Array, as well as the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis and the soon-to-wake Bloodline Flood Dragon.

The top priority is to steadily increase my cultivation to Core Formation, repair the ancient teleportation array, and go to the Chaotic Star Sea to open up a broader world.

There's no need to take such a huge risk for an uncertain ancient Immortal Cave clue."

He quickly put the gold Opportunity out of his mind and refocused his attention on the silver Opportunity and today's mission.