Immortal Road.

Chapter 136 Preparation before the war
"Your Excellency, I have gained some enlightenment from my practice, but I forgot about the weather and am willing to accept the punishment!"

Lin Shan knew that he was in the wrong. If he tried to make excuses in front of the law enforcement team, he would most likely be arrested on the spot. It would be better to tell the truth, and perhaps he could get a lighter sentence.

Dharma Protector Yin stared at him intently. This was the critical moment when Master Gui was seriously injured and they were only one step away from catching him in three years. However, someone neglected his duty, which made him very angry.

However, considering that the target was likely hiding in the Ezo Sea, changing the generals at the last minute might shake the morale of Lin Shan's men, so after thinking for a while, he decided to put the overall situation first.

"This will not happen again."

"Thank you, sir!"

Lin Shan felt relieved when he saw that Yin Wuming no longer pursued the matter.

After all, there are more than a dozen Jindan and hundreds of cultivators in the joint law enforcement team. If they really want to arrest me and punish me for a small reason, I'm afraid I will have no choice but to accept the punishment obediently, and by then I might lose my salary for several years.

They hold the power of life and death, and everything is focused on hunting down and searching for fugitives. Dereliction of duty is a serious crime.

Fortunately, although Yin Wuming came from the extremely bloodthirsty Blood River Palace, he did not lose his mind at the critical moment. He first briefly inquired about the recent situation in the surrounding waters, and Lin Shan answered truthfully.

However, he concealed the fact that he had destroyed the bodies and looted Master Gui and his disciples.

Dharma Protector Yin did not expect him to find out anything, so he simply waved his hand and one of his men came forward and spread out the map. A dozen Jindan-stage warriors began to discuss the process of deploying defenses and casting a net to search.

Seeing this, Lin Shan tactfully retreated, then flew out of the island and began his routine patrol.

……

The following search and arrest operation by the three evil sects was predictable. When the situation was originally going well, suddenly there was no trace of Master Gui. Everyone became like headless flies, gaining nothing every day.

In fact, of course there was no trace of it. It had all been burned to ashes by Lin Shan. It would be strange if these people could find it.

However, because he was not particularly clear about the mysterious high-end combat power of this world and the special means of the immortal civilization, he was still a little uneasy.

It was not until two months later when the law enforcement team still hadn't made any progress that they finally felt relieved.

In the past two months, Lin Shan did not act rashly, but just patrolled and practiced as usual. He did not dare to do anything else under the eyes of a group of Jindan stage cultivators. The Black Skull Demon Lord was not idle either, hiding in his cave all day to improve his strength.

Even if it was scanned by the spiritual sense of a Jindan cultivator, an ordinary skeleton creature would not arouse any interest. There are also demonic cultivators who play with skeletons, but it is just a side path.

Seeing that the one-year mission of preaching in the Black Lotus Sect was about to expire, the joint law enforcement team still did not allow Lin Shan to leave and vowed to find Gui Zhenren before they would give up.

Lin Shan had no choice but to continue to work hard. All the elixirs were used up, and the micro-spiritual eye of Ezo Island was destroyed by himself. His cultivation was as slow as a turtle. He had no choice but to refine the Hypericum wood "Bean Soldier" while learning some basic spells from Gui Zhenren.

For example, the "Soul Extraction and Spirit Refining" that every magic cultivator knows has another derivative equivalent to the "Soul Searching Technique". As for the other "Illumination Technique", "Breath Concealment Technique", "Adsorption Technique", "Levitation Technique" and other miscellaneous small spells that everyone knows have also been learned.

Finally, I made up for my shortcomings in various aspects and enriched my spell library, so I didn't have to face the embarrassment of being a cultivator in the foundation-building stage and not knowing even some of the most basic spells in the world of immortal cultivation.

In this way, more than half a year passed. They searched several nearby sea areas and dug deep into all the islands, but found nothing. The law enforcement team of the three sects of the magic sect finally realized that Master Gui must have really escaped.

It is very likely that it has already fled to the open sea and is no longer staying in the East China Sea.

The outer seas are inhabited by monsters and alien races. It is difficult for humans to move forward there, so there is basically no need to worry about escaping there.

News also came from the temporary headquarters of the Demonic Path that most of the reinforcements from the State of Lu had arrived, and all deployments were almost complete. They decided to formally attack the inland of the Song Dynasty and confront the three righteous sects head-on.

The leader of the Blood River Hall, Yin Wuming, had no choice but to lead the team back. Lin Shan also lifted the ban and gave him freedom.

After dragging on for more than half a year, Lin Shan didn't want to stay in this desolate Ezo Island anymore, so he hurriedly took a group of his brothers back to the Volcanic Islands, the temporary headquarters of the three sects of the Demonic Path, to report.

……

"You did a good job this time!"

In a cave on the mountainside, the Black Lotus Sect's guardian Yan Yuanchun was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Behind her, the little girl Luanchun was massaging her master's shoulders. According to her, she had returned half a year ago.

Lin Shan, who was sitting opposite, gave a general report of what he had seen and heard in the past year and a half. He did not mention the matters concerning Master Turtle and the Black Skull Demon Lord, but he did not hide the fact that he had killed the two evil spirits Black and Red and injured the man from Xiongshan.

Yan Yuanchun had no comment on his actions of killing independent cultivators and injuring his fellow disciples.

Master Xiongshan's faction is not a direct descendant of the State of Lu. They are merely independent cultivators from the East China Sea who have come to join the sect. They are the weakest link in the chain of contempt within the Black Lotus Sect.

The Lu faction looked down on the local faction, and the local faction looked down on the independent cultivators who came to the East China Sea to join them.

Besides, it is a demon sect after all. If there are any disputes among the disciples, it is normal to fight and kill. The strong prey on the weak, and the fittest survive. The demon sect is originally a competition that grows bigger step by step in the breeding of Gu, and it is impossible for the righteous sect to protect you everywhere.

Speaking of this, Lin Shan suddenly recalled that when he was in Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty, as soon as Lin Fan showed up, his senior brother Lei Yunzi saved Lin Shan from the old man who established the foundation of the royal family.

At the ruins of the Huanxi Sect in Jiangdong, Lin Fan was chased by Zen Master Xingtai, and he sent a message to his senior sister Lei Yuzi for help.

When Lei Yuzi was under siege by demons on Diaobie Island in the East China Sea, Zixiao Sect even sent Yuanying Zhenjun to rescue him from afar.

Thinking of this, Lin Shan made a comparison and suddenly realized that the orthodox sect was still better! The brothers and sisters were as close as a family, and the elders also protected the younger ones from afar.

If something happened to Lin Shan outside, there would probably be no reaction from the Black Lotus Sect at all. At most, they would investigate the situation afterwards and arrange someone to take over his job.

Yan Yuanchun did not mention this matter much, but instead asked Lin Shan to prepare for the upcoming battle between good and evil.

"The three factions have made a decision. In at least ten days or at most a month, they will launch a full-scale attack on the coastal areas inland from Song Dynasty."

"Although you are the altar purifier, and you don't have to fight on the front line, but are only responsible for preaching and harvesting in the rear. However, in this battle to recover the homeland, your contribution during the war will be doubled, which is a good opportunity to make achievements."

"As a casual cultivator, you should know that cultivation is all about money, companions, Dharma, and land. If you want resources, you need to actively fight for them."

"It's up to you to decide whether to go or not. Come back to me in half a month after you've made up your mind."

After saying that, Yan Yuanchun ordered everyone to leave. Apparently, she also had a lot of pre-war mobilization to do. The little girl Luanchun behind her also pouted her nose provocatively, with a proud expression on her face.

"I will also go to this battle between good and evil. All the sisters from Yichuan will go. If you are brave, come with me!"

Lin Shan walked out of Protector Yan's cave and ignored Luanchun's shouting.

The war between good and evil is obviously a catastrophe that occurs only once in a thousand years in the Song Dynasty's cultivation world. It is also an opportunity. It would be a lie to say that one is not tempted.

The temporary headquarters of the three demonic sects is now bustling with people. All the monks are in a hurry, going back and forth between the mission hall, the exchange hall, the internal affairs hall, the foreign affairs hall, etc.

There are more monks coming back from afar to report, or going out from the headquarters to carry out missions.

Lin Shan first went to collect this year's salary from the sect, 1,800 spirit stones, and a bottle of foundation-building elixir "Biluo Dan". Although it was only a fraction of the huge inheritance of 200,000 spirit stones that he had inherited from Master Gui, the foundation-building elixir was a valuable item that was in short supply.

After completing the mission of preaching, he obtained a sum of contribution points within the church. He went to the exchange hall to take a look. He found that many natural treasures, skills and magical powers that could be exchanged were already on display, and a large amount of wartime resources were transported from the State of Lu.

Lin Shan didn't pay too much attention to other things. He just looked at the amount of "Bi Luo Dan" that needed to be exchanged, then looked at his contribution points, sighed, and left without looking back.

……

One thousand miles southwest of the temporary headquarters of the Demonic Path is the famous Yuyan Sea City in the East China Sea.

A young man in white was walking on the street, visiting the surrounding shops and stalls as he walked. He had several jade pendants hanging around his waist, including a small skull pendant.

During this period, many cultivators in the Qi training and foundation building stages entered Haishi. Most of them were cultivators from the three sects of the devil, who were making final preparations for the battle between good and evil.

"Kaka, what are you going to do this time, brother? It looks like you're going to join the battle between good and evil?"

Not only did the mini skeleton in the pendant scream, but it could also speak human language. Some casual practitioners in the Qi training stage who were passing by were so scared that they quickly ran aside.

The Black Skeleton Demon Lord has now rebuilt his skeleton body and restored his peak strength in the late stage of Qi training, but going one step further would be Lin Shan's red line, and he knew better than to touch it.

However, as a creature from hell, it is inconvenient for a skeleton monster to walk outside, so it shrinks itself into a pendant and follows Lin Shan, making it convenient for the two to communicate at any time.

"How could we not go to this once-in-a-millennium showdown between the two camps?"

If he could concentrate on practicing and improving his strength, Lin Shan would not be in any rush.

But the problem is that the Black Lotus Sect's Buddha statues can only be harvested every 19 years, and he can't just stay at home and practice during this time. Meditation and practice by himself are too slow, and he needs more elixirs to assist in practice during the foundation-building period. The little offerings from the sect are not enough.

There are twelve pills a year, and he takes one pill for ten days. He will use up all the pills in four months. What should he do with the remaining two-thirds of the time?
The Black Lotus Sect's Exchange Hall does have more elixirs to exchange, but his contribution points are not enough. The Altar Cleansing Envoy's mission is the easiest, so the reward is the least.

If you want to earn contribution points, this battle between good and evil is your opportunity.

Apart from the sect channels, cultivation elixirs above the foundation-building stage are simply not available on the market. No matter how many spirit stones you have, this monopoly material is firmly controlled by the big forces. This is also the unchanging jungle law of the cultivation world for countless years.

Another reason for participating in the battle between good and evil is that the Bianliang Palace, as the capital of the Song Dynasty, must have a large number of antique calligraphy and paintings by famous people.

There is even a giant black lotus Buddha statue that was collected from southern Xinjiang.

Lin Shan had not forgotten these things, these were all ancient rhymes! If he missed this battle, if the palace was breached by the magic path, then these things would definitely not fall into his hands.

Even if he doesn't guarantee that he will get it after participating, he should still try to fight for it.

The spirit stones that Lin Shan currently has cannot be converted into contribution points, and he cannot learn the elixirs and minor magical powers from the sect either. He can only come to Haishi to spend some money first.

As the great war between good and evil is imminent, all cultivators are trying to find ways to improve their all-round strength, and merchants are taking the opportunity to sell off all kinds of inventory.

Although the prices are slightly higher than usual, opportunities to make a fortune from war are rare, and you can only accept it if others want to rip you off.

Lin Shan's purpose of this trip was very clear, mainly to buy some array materials for reserve. As a master of refining, the Black Skull Demon Lord was also a master of arrays, so he naturally had to find ways to use them and couldn't let him have too much free time.

The Black Skull Demon Lord didn't care about this. Lin Shan helped it recover to the peak of Qi training, so it naturally had to show its due value. Refining weapons and formations were its specialties, and it could also secretly use some private goods to repair itself.
The "summoning flag" has been upgraded to a high-level magic weapon. It is time to capture the Foundation Establishment Stage monsters for summoning and binding.

He went in and out of various shops, picked and chose at various stalls, chatted with the Black Skull Demon Lord, and bought a map of the monsters that had appeared in various sea areas in the East China Sea recently.

Adding the various materials for setting up the formation and refining the equipment, the total cost was nearly 50,000 spirit stones!
"It's so expensive to set up a demon-luring formation? You're not trying to enrich yourself, are you?"

Lin Shan took a breath as he saw his pocket was one quarter empty. He had never spent so many spirit stones at once.

You know, at the Yichuan auction, fifty thousand spirit stones could buy two fragments of magic weapons!

The Black Skull Demon Lord was holding the storage bag that Lin Shan gave him and transferring all kinds of materials into it. He was so happy.

"Brother, you don't understand. With these materials, I can set up a spirit gathering array, an illusion array, an enemy trapping array, an attack array, and even the demon luring array you'll be using later!"

"Think about it, these are formations that are effective even for those in the Foundation Establishment Stage. How can they not be expensive?"

Lin Shan looked at this fellow doubtfully. If the war between good and evil was not imminent, he would definitely not give the Black Skull Demon Lord such a large space to operate. However, he would have to use his formation to capture the Foundation Establishment Stage monster, so he could not sacrifice the child to catch the wolf.

"I'm warning you. You are not allowed to secretly advance to the foundation-building stage without my consent. This is the consensus of our cooperation!"

"Don't worry, there's a long way to go, brother."

The Black Skull Demon Lord smiled happily, but his hands were not idle. He put the materials worth 50,000 spirit stones into his pocket and swallowed the storage bag in one gulp, looking like a money-grubber.

Next, Lin Shan toured Haishi and even attended an impromptu auction. However, with his current wealth and vision, it was difficult for him to find anything on the market that would interest him.

……

In the cave on the mountainside, a luminous pearl was hung. A man and a skeleton were leaning over a table, pointing and discussing an enormous sea chart.

"There is a tribe of sand crabs in the Yellow Sand Sea, and the leader is a Foundation Establishment Stage demon beast, which completely meets your requirements!"

"No, crabs can only move sideways, and their combat radius is only 180 degrees."

……

"There's a cave in the Firefly Grass Sea, and there's a sea snake in it. I think it's pretty good!"

"Once the water snake comes ashore, its combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

……

"There is a colony of water bears in the Stormy Sea. This should meet your requirements, right?"

"According to intelligence, there are three Foundation Establishment stage monsters among these dozens of monsters. I'm afraid I won't be able to swallow them and my teeth will break."

"Are you going to catch him or not?"

The Black Skeleton Demon Lord finally lost his patience. Facing the picky Lin Shan, he could no longer hold back his temper. He hated the indecisiveness in his life, and was as hesitant as a woman getting dressed to go out.

Lin Shan quickly apologized and said, "Then let's go catch the water bear."

(End of this chapter)