Immortal Road.

After searching for half a day, Lin Shan and Xiong Shan finally discovered something amiss somewhere.

It turns out that there was a hidden world hidden in the stalactite forest above our heads!
At first, they couldn't find it anywhere, but then they unexpectedly discovered a group of disciples from the Tai Xuan Holy Land who had gone out. After following them around and around, they finally returned to the cave above their heads.

Due to the magnetic field, the mantle layer causes visual confusion, making the top and bottom appear reversed. In reality, the upper part is the gateway to the deep underground, where the earth's veins are rooted, absorbing the essence of the earth's core flowing out from below, remaining motionless like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

The rock layers at the Earth's core are extremely dense and under unprecedented pressure, with scorching heat. It would be very difficult for cultivators to excavate them. It would be much faster to use the ladders that have already been connected by the earth's veins and climb down!
Moreover, while people may not be able to find underground treasures, the places where the earth's veins are rooted are definitely treasure lands!

As the two watched the disciples disappear into the cave, Xiong Shan nearly crashed into the barrier, but Lin Shan stopped him in time.

"Don't alert them. Let's sneak in and take a look first."

Both of them were extremely cunning and immediately became furtive.

Xiong Shan watched as Lin Shan pulled out a limp worm and began to stroke it up and down, then sprayed out a stream of mucus to open a gap in the barrier, and Xiong Shan couldn't help but feel very curious.

"Brother Dao, your worm is quite large. I wonder if I could borrow it to play with for a while?"

Lin Shan's face darkened. He didn't know what kind of fetish this was and told him to go do his own thing.

The two went into the cave and found the group of disciples they had lost earlier, sneaking into the group without anyone noticing.

Anyway, it was pitch black inside, and they couldn't see each other at all, so they were allowed to swagger in!
The leader, a Golden Core cultivator, led the group to a pre-excavated stone hall. He instructed everyone to wait there, while he went inside through a side door to report the situation to the higher-ups.

The lower-ranking disciples outside began to whisper among themselves, saying things that Lin Shan and Xiong Shan found quite unexpected.

"Where did Qianbu's men go? We've searched for ages but haven't found them. Could they have already gone back?"

"I guess so. That guy is a prodigy from the Ghost Valley Holy Land. He's very skilled at leading troops and fighting battles. He's probably never free for a moment. He has other tasks waiting to be assigned to him!"

"Our Taixuan Holy Land feels the weakest of the four, and the chances of us winning the Spirit Tide are slim. It's just a pity that the Holy Land's higher-ups naively thought we could pick up the scraps."

"Who says otherwise? In my opinion, we should just do the same as the previous two waves and find a second or third-tier spiritual tide to compete for. There's still hope if we go for it. Going to a first-tier tide and clashing with the mainstream top holy lands is just asking for trouble!"

"Alas, it's a pity that we are just lowly people with little influence. Although we have brilliant strategies, we are not valued by the higher-ups and can only do odd jobs. When will we ever have a chance to get ahead?"

Listening to these young cultivators speak fluently and eloquently, pointing out the flaws in the world and discussing the current state of affairs, Lin Shan and Xiong Shan couldn't help but think of their younger selves.

Well, it seems like another group of talented but unappreciated young people!
The Golden Core cultivator who had been leading the group came out after giving his report.

What are you all chattering about again?

Everyone fell silent, addressing him affectionately as "Grandmaster" and "Master," all traces of their previous resentment gone.

"Get to work if you have nothing else to do! Is the earth vein tunnel dug yet? Is the Yin-Yang Staircase opened? Get to work now!"

The group of small fry immediately took notice and scurried off to another cave entrance, where construction was underway.

A thousand people are digging around an extremely thick ley line, starting from the very center!

This ley line churned and struggled incessantly, even making cries, which amazed everyone.

This group of people were clearly not here for the first time. They skillfully stepped forward to help pull the iron chains and bind the entire earth vein dragon. Every ten steps, the chains were inserted into the surrounding mountain walls to secure them.

The group chatted as they worked:

"It is said that this ley line has long been spiritually connected and can make sounds by resonating with spiritual energy. How wonderful it would be if we could take it back and use it to suppress it down in our holy land!"

"You wish! This thing is probably hundreds or even thousands of miles long. Do you think you can pull it out of the ground?"

"But wouldn't forcibly opening it up destroy this rare ley line? It would be such a waste."

"It will most likely be destroyed. What if it keeps struggling and shakes away the Yin-Yang Staircase we built?"

"Sigh, what a wonderful ley line! Even if our Holy Lord were to personally intervene, it wouldn't work?"

The group was chatting casually when they suddenly heard someone chime in.

"What's so difficult about that? Since the ley lines have already developed sentience, why don't we just possess them?"

"!!!"

Possessing the earth's veins?

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all nodded in approval, praising the idea as truly imaginative.

As long as it is a living being, it can be possessed. Once possessed, there is no need to fear damaging the earth's veins, and it can even actively send the people above down, which can be described as the best of both worlds!

"Great! This is a great idea."

They were just about to go see who was so clever when they suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Um???"

Lin Shan and Xiong Shan, who had somehow acquired a set of Tai Xuan Holy Land attire, casually strolled in and even volunteered to work together, tapping and tinkering around the earth's veins.

Not only did he not keep a low profile, but he also took the opportunity to infiltrate the enemy's ranks and start chatting with them!

Just now, Master Xiongshan was listening intently and couldn't help but chime in. When the others heard that the voices sounded unfamiliar, they realized that there were two strangers next to them.

"Who are you two? We've never seen you before."

Lin Shan quickly tugged at Xiong Shan secretly, telling him to shut up, and then stepped forward to make up a story.

"We are disciples of Elder Qin Luan's lineage. While working over there, we heard that you gentlemen have some insightful views, so we came here specifically to listen in. Please do not take offense."

When he came in, he noticed that Qin Luan was among the Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the Tai Xuan Holy Land who were reporting inside. He guessed that there must be some of his disciples here, so he decided to impersonate him.

These lower-ranking disciples had no doubts. The Holy Land was so vast and had so many people; it was impossible for them to recognize them all!

At this moment, he approached her very enthusiastically:
"Oh my, so you're a senior brother from Elder Qin Luan's direct lineage. We're from the Right River lineage, so we have some connection with you."

Even if a nobody seems arrogant and boastful, when they actually encounter someone with connections, they'll fawn over them faster than anyone else!
Lin Shan smiled and mingled with them, managing to extract quite a bit of information from them along the way.

However, he was discovered slacking off by a Golden Core cultivator who was supervising the work.

"What are you all doing gathered together? Instead of working properly, you're slacking off. When will the Yin-Yang Mystic Ladder be completed?"

The group was startled and scattered back to their workstations to start hammering and tinkering.

Lin Shan and Xiong Shan quickly grabbed a drill and started digging.

The Golden Core cultivator, looking suspicious, pointed at the two of them and asked:

"I don't recognize you. Which family do you belong to?"

Lin Shan neither humbled nor arrogantly stated that he was a direct descendant of the main branch of the family.

The Golden Core cultivator had no doubts. After hearing this, he immediately nodded and didn't cause him any more trouble. He simply told him to "be careful" and let him go.

The two then took on the role of laborers, digging day and night. The Tai Xuan Holy Land continuously mobilized manpower, and as those in front dug deeper and deeper, the ladder behind required even more people to maintain and repair it. The Yin-Yang Mysterious Ladder was beginning to take shape.

And for the two of them to blend in, as late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, disguising themselves was not difficult; ordinary people simply couldn't see through them.

It wasn't until three months later.

Lin Shan suddenly sensed that the backup plan left by the Xun Gu Sect's supervisory delegation had been activated. He stopped what he was doing and Xiong Shan, who was already somewhat familiar with him, asked him what was wrong.

"It's nothing. I might have to leave for a while. You can stay here in Taixuan Holy Land and continue mining. I'll be back when the time comes."

"Oh, no."

Xiongshan was starting to panic!

You led me into this den of dragons and tigers, and then you ran away, leaving me all alone. What kind of nonsense is this?

"I'll go with you, otherwise I'll be all alone here."

"It's alright, I'll be right back. Just stay put and don't reveal your identity, there won't be any problems."

Lin Shan ignored him and quietly slipped away again.

Somewhere in a magma sea.

Master Mandeng and Dong Chanzi led their people to search everywhere, following the mission assigned by the Ghost Valley Holy Land, to find traces of fixed earth veins.

After the unprovoked attack by Qianbu, Chief Liang quickly sent someone to apologize and offer condolences.

This matter was neither a major nor a minor one. The two of them, adhering to the principle that they could not jeopardize the leader's grand plan, generously forgave each other.

Later, when I heard that Qian Bu had been sent to the front lines to fight against the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect, I gradually breathed a sigh of relief and stopped paying much attention to him.

But what followed was...

It was Elder Huimiao who appeared!
This woman led her people to search everywhere, not even sparing the inspection team of the Ancient Search Sect, checking them one by one and saying that outsiders had infiltrated.

After a period of chaos and confusion, things finally calmed down after finding nothing.

Then came the attack by a group of masked men!

These people are all elites, and it's clear at a glance that they are not easy to deal with. In the underground level, there is no one else but the Four Holy Lands who can field such a lineup!
"Who are you people? This is the territory of the Ghost Valley Holy Land. Why are you attacking us from another region?"

"Haha, the mantle layer is shared by everyone, so what's this talk about crossing boundaries?"

The opposing leader was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He spoke lightly, but inwardly he cursed himself for being too arrogant and wished he had brought more people.

Because the Xun Gu Sect's underground surveillance team has array masters who set up layers of arrays wherever they go, if they really drag things out for a while, the Ghost Valley Holy Land might react!
The information Hui Miao gave was far too inadequate. If you're going to use someone else to do your dirty work, at least you should sharpen the knife, right?
But since things have come to this, let's deal with the Xun Gu Sect first!

When the entire inspection team is wiped out, and the news reaches the Jade Shattered Cold Pool layer, let's see how you explain it to the Seeking Ancient Sect.

They've shot themselves in the foot! Hui Miao still wants to use us? Dream on!
Meanwhile, Elder Huimiao was also observing the battle from the shadows. She discovered that the opposing side was completely masked and dressed to conceal their identities, and immediately understood their intentions.

She originally used someone else to kill him because she couldn't swallow her anger. It was purely for the sake of a smooth Dao heart and revenge. Otherwise, with this pent-up resentment in her chest, even if she were given resources, she wouldn't be able to transform her primordial spirit.

At the same time, they wanted to incite hatred between the Seeking Ancient Sect and other holy sites, causing them to fight like dogs.

The other party was also shrewd and did not want to give her the opportunity to frame someone. Instead, they wanted to confuse the public and leave some clues so that the Xun Gu Sect would suspect Elder Hui Miao of being the culprit, thus causing internal strife within the Gui Gu Holy Land!

Both sides had their own ulterior motives, but the Xun Gu Sect's supervisory delegation became the victim.

This struggle beneath the Thunderwave Sea is part of the grand scheme, with all the major holy sites working at full speed to excavate deeper and reach the core of the spiritual tide as soon as possible.

But that doesn't stop them from causing trouble for their opponents!

After resisting for a while, the Ancient Seeking Sect gradually became unable to hold on. Even though the spiritual energy concentration in the mantle layer was extremely high and the array could continue to operate without relying on spiritual veins or spiritual stones, it could not withstand the interference of the magnetic field!

The Five Elements Grand Array was unreliable at times, and the light barrier swayed precariously, making those inside tremble with fear.

"No, we probably won't be able to hold out much longer if this continues. We should retreat quickly and seek help from Chief Liang. There might still be a chance for us to survive!"

Master Mandui was covered in sweat, and he was almost losing control of the formation in his hands.

Dong Chanzi comforted her from the side.

"Hold on, I've already sent someone to the rear to inform Master Liang. He'll definitely send someone over as soon as he gets the news."

There was one more thing I didn't say: before the cult leader left, he gave him a talisman. He only needed to crush it when he was in danger, and the other party would sense it.

Compared to Master Liang, they still trust their own leader more.

"Whoosh! Bang!"

With a loud bang, a powerful magnetic storm swept over, and the array's light barrier instantly shattered into countless points of light!

"kill!!!"

The enemy leader shouted, though his voice was blown away by the magnetic storm, but the army behind him could clearly see the situation and rushed into the enemy formation.

The disciples of the Seeking Ancient Sect knew that there was no way out at this point; they could only fight to the death.

The moment the two sides came into contact, the situation escalated to a fever pitch.

The forces under the Xun Gu Sect should not be underestimated. The fact that they were able to fight the other side to a standstill was mainly due to the masked leader's strict order not to use holy land methods to expose their identities, which greatly limited the strength of their subordinates.

The two sides clashed fiercely in the magnetic storm, suffering heavy casualties every moment. The scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere made Elder Huimiao, who was watching the battle from the outside, very happy.

A hint of pleasure flashed in her eyes.

Recalling what the leader of the Ancient Search Sect had done to him on the surface of the Dark River, all that he was seeing now was far from easing even a fraction of the humiliation he had suffered!

What she needs to do is completely destroy the Xun Gu Sect so that she can vent her anger and clear her mind before transforming her primordial spirit!

"Fight, fight! It would be best if both sides were severely injured, then I'll clean up the mess and leave behind irrefutable evidence."

Just as she was looking forward to it, she suddenly noticed a dark figure that had appeared behind the battlefield, which was blurry and indistinct.

With just a wave of his hand, a dense swarm of insects appeared, fiercely attacking the masked man's rear and instantly disrupting his formation.

Moreover, there were several fifth-tier insect kings inside, each with a body length exceeding ten zhang, spewing infernal demonic fire that spread wildly in the magnetic field storm, burning the masked man and causing him to flee in all directions.

"Who? Who dares to ambush us?"

The Nascent Soul stage leader in front was shocked and quickly turned around to look. He was immediately startled!

Seeing his elite subordinates being easily surrounded, his first thought was:
Oh no, I've been tricked by that woman Huimiao!

Could it be that she used the Xun Gu Sect as bait to lure us into a trap, setting up an ambush to wipe us all out?
(End of this chapter)