Immortal Road.

The Lei Bo Sea is very large, with a radius of thousands of miles. A hundred thousand troops jumped in and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Deep underwater, colorful lights appear.

Lin Shan did not follow the Taixuan Holy Land. Instead, under the guidance of Elder Hui Miao, he followed the path of Liang Maizhu of Guigu Holy Land, descended several miles to the bottom of the lake, and then followed the cracks into the underground river.

There is a different world underneath. After the spiritual tide erupted, a lot of material from deep inside the earth gushed out. The squeezing of the earth's crust plates caused cracks in the ditches to form one after another. If such a large army goes astray, they will easily be separated.

In order to ensure that the team did not get lost, monks from the Xun Gu sect accompanied them from the front and back to maintain order.

But even so, there were still people who scrambled for and even fought over various treasures they picked up at the bottom of the lake along the way!

Especially in many small sects, even the Jindan ancestors couldn't help but be tempted when they saw the treasures. They ignored the warnings and rushed to snatch them, which seriously slowed down the team's progress.

Finally, Elder Hui Miao in front couldn't bear it anymore!

"Master Lin, this won't work. Not only will we not be able to catch up with my brothers, but we will also be left further and further behind."

Lin Shan turned around and asked Lu Xiuming to go to the back to see what was going on.

After a while, a loud noise was heard from behind, and a large group of spiritual light was rioting, but it was quickly quelled and everything returned to silence.

Lu Xiuming came back to report.

"Master, a total of eight disobedient Jindan-stage cultivators have been killed, and the remaining troublemakers have also been severely punished. There should be no problem for the time being."

"Ah."

Elder Hui Miao who was standing by was surprised and couldn't help but look at Lu Xiuming twice more. She didn't expect that this man, who looked gentle and refined, would act cleanly and decisively without any mercy, which was exactly what she wanted.

As the saying goes, a kind person cannot command an army. If it were Guigu Holy Land, the punishment would probably be even more severe.

However, Master Zhan Kong, Wu Hanqiao and others standing behind him felt a little reluctant. They came from Confucian schools and did not agree with overly harsh criminal laws. If you want to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, just kill one or two, why kill eight at once!

Every Jindan-stage cultivator has gone through untold hardships to reach this point, and killing them just like killing chickens is really a waste.

However, considering the overall situation, Lin Shan didn't say anything, and they didn't say anything either.

Going down along the deep ditch, winding and moving forward, the water pressure did not increase but decreased. The Qi training disciples who had been humming just now relaxed their brows one by one, and the protective spiritual light that was about to collapse gradually condensed again.

"We have crossed the sedimentary layer and arrived at the dark river layer. Don't let the underground water come into contact with your skin. It is possible that the heat and poison of the underground fire has not subsided and it will burn your cultivation."

Elder Hui Miao reminded the entire team and led them to keep drilling in and out of small cracks and crevices. Lin Shan was always afraid that the people behind him would fall behind, so he asked his men to count the number of people every once in a while.

"Don't worry, Master. Elder Lu Que and Mu Yan will be the rear guards. Anyone who dares to escape will be killed immediately!"

Everyone knows that those small sects are cunning and may take the opportunity to escape and retreat halfway, but they have no choice here.

It's okay if one or two people run away, but what if the people around them see someone running and start running too? Then everyone will run away and the team will be dispersed.

Until a red light flashed in front, as if some creature was spying in secret. Elder Hui Miao looked at the cave in front of him, seemed to recognize something, turned around and said to Lin Shan.

"Master Lin, for the rest of the journey, we need to divide our forces and set up camps to occupy all the larger caves in these underground fissures one by one."

"Oh? Any idea?"

Lin Shan took a quick look around. The passage was only about fifty steps wide, but there were seven or eight of them. The holes through which the river water flowed were densely packed, and there were countless cracks.

Although the underground cave is relatively dark, it is not a big deal for practitioners with spiritual consciousness.

"The brothers ahead sent me news that the entire rock layer here is a gathering place for micro rock moss. This moss is formed by the essence of the earth's core that surged up during the spiritual tide explosion, and was suppressed by the lake water and deposited here. It had no choice but to be absorbed by the deep water moss here, forming a unique spiritual object."

"This thing is extremely useful, because the essence of the earth's core is similar to the nectar of heaven and earth, and it is of great help in improving comprehension. Therefore, it can be taken by anyone whether it is for Qi training, foundation building, elixir building, or even the soul building. A little bit adds up to a lot, which is very significant!"

"At our level, if we encounter a great magical power or a sect-defending magical power that we cannot comprehend, we can also use this to assist us throughout the process, providing a constant stream of wisdom and inspiration. We may be able to comprehend it successfully, and use it in cultivation, alchemy, and refining to improve efficiency and concentration."

After some introduction, everyone in Xun Gu Sect realized that this thing was indeed a strategic material!
It's tiny and inconspicuous, but in large quantities it becomes quite noticeable.

The key is that it has no limit on your level of cultivation and has a wide range of uses, so you can’t miss it if you pass by.

Elder Hui Miao walked to a crack, stretched out his finger and wiped it. He could see that the originally dull moss immediately flashed red.

"This creature only has a lifespan of one day. Because it has not evolved to the point where it can carry the essence of the Earth's core, it is born in the morning and dies in the evening, repeating the cycle over and over again like a flash in the pan. A large number of people are needed to harvest it every day."

"According to the speculation of the previous people, the upwelling of the essence of the earth's core will probably last for a long time, so we must send people to stay there permanently!"

"There are many similar spaces in the underground river of Leibo Sea. Each cave has so many passages, which are complicated and resemble a maze. They need to be guarded by elite troops!"

"We also need to guard against sneak attacks from other holy places, so we have to control every choke point."

Everyone looked solemn after hearing this.

I didn't expect that as soon as I came in, I would immediately face a big battle!

Lin Shan extended his spiritual sense and immediately took a breath of cold air.

"There is so much space in the cave below. How many troops should we send out? We are just getting started. We don't need any more troops in the front, right?"

"Don't worry about the front for now, just seize the opportunity behind you. My senior brother is leading people step by step to go deeper. He will explore the way and take all the risks. Master Lin, you will be responsible for the end. Isn't it good to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor~"

Lin Shan felt a little uncomfortable with Elder Hui Miao's words.

Having said that, being in the front does involve risks and pressure, but once you come across any top treasures, you will naturally grab them at the first moment!

If you hide in the back and know nothing about the front line, wouldn't it be easy to miss some treasures?
But if you think about it patiently, the major holy places are currently making every effort to develop the area, and the fog of the map of this area has not yet been revealed, so it is not the time for you to emerge yet.

High risk, high reward. If you volunteer to go, there is a high possibility of huge casualties.

The foundation of Xun Gu Sect is here, and he does not want to damage his own strength. Moreover, no matter how resilient Guigu Holy Land is, it will definitely get tired, and there will be a time when its cannon fodder is exhausted, and then he will have to take over.

If you want to be full, don’t ask for anything. Only those who can endure loneliness can have the last laugh!
"In that case, Lin will naturally wait for your arrangements."

Elder Hui Miao was very satisfied with his attitude. After all, this was only the initial stage of the cooperation. Although the Guigu Holy Land gave the Xun Gu Sect a great deal of autonomy, it was also a bit cautious. It was impossible to let them get in touch with the core right away. Trust needed to be cultivated step by step.

"Then it's Master Lao Lin. But don't worry, we have agreed in our agreement that all the harvest will be divided into 20% and 80%. We will not deduct the 20% from the Xun Gu Sect. The things collected here will be distributed to you on the spot. I will also accompany you throughout the process and be responsible for liaison between the two parties."

"Okay, if you need anything, just let me know."

The so-called companionship is actually military supervision, which is normal. He would also feel uneasy if it were him.

Next, whenever they passed by a cave, he asked Lu Xiuming to assign people to stay behind to guard it. Usually, they would select people from several sects that were not familiar with each other to form a team to prevent these people from forming a group and stealing. A disciple from Guigu Holy Land and a disciple from Xun Gu Sect would be left in each place as the captain and deputy captain.

The subordinates were not informed of the effects and functions of these mosses. They were just asked to collect them regularly and then hand them over to the two team leaders.

According to Elder Hui Miao's proposal, each area must be guarded by a Jindan-stage cultivator, and every ten areas require a Yuanying-stage cultivator!

The underground river at the bottom of the lake had numerous caves that were interconnected and it took them a full half month to find them.

We found more than 3,000 in total!
There were nearly 50,000 monks who were separated, accounting for half of the total number, and they set up a terrifying net.

Even though Xun Gu Sect and Gui Gu Holy Land each left two Nascent Soul cultivators, it was still difficult to take care of everything as it was too big. Moreover, everything was done in the dark, and no one knew how much dirty stuff was going on behind the scenes.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators left behind by Lin Shan were Master Zhan Kong and Ru Yu.

"You two have steady personalities, get along harmoniously with the two fellow Taoists from Guigu Holy Land, don't get into any disputes, and just take the two cents that belong to us."

The two of them responded.

"Master, rest assured, we know the pros and cons."

The two Nascent Soul cultivators who stayed behind at Guigu Holy Land obviously looked down on the two men. They simply said hello and left. After all, the early Nascent Soul cultivators outside were no different from casual cultivators without inheritance in front of the holy land. They were not in the same league at all.

The people of Xun Gu Sect also discovered it after spending these days together!

Everyone in Guigu Holy Land behaves like this. Maybe after the first two rounds of spiritual tides, they have become accustomed to the strength of other cultivators on the continent. They feel that they are no match for them and are simply from two different worlds, so there is no need for them to interact with each other at all.

After the spiritual tide ends, they return to their holy land. Parallel lines never intersect, and these Yuanying stage monks outside
Whether one can survive the oppression remains to be seen.

The top leaders of the Holy Land do think highly of Lin Shan, but they only have eyes for him. Because they need his leadership and cooperation, their words and attitudes are relatively polite.

After inspecting the underground cave, Elder Hui Miao began to tell Lin Shan about the actions on the front line in recent days.

"Senior brothers have already broken through this layer and descended to the Jade Shattering Cold Pond."

"According to archaeological discoveries, there was originally a huge piece of frozen jade soil underneath, which was formed after countless years of erosion by the Leibo Sea. It blocked the rising of the earth fire and had already taken shape as a treasure. However, it just happened that the spiritual tide broke out and the movement of the earth's crust crushed it!"

"There is a lot of ice jade essence inside. The four holy places are fighting with each other, trying their best to catch it, interfering with each other, and hindering each other."

"Master Lin, in order to put pressure on the other holy places, we have decided to launch an operation in the dark river layer above. You will attack the rear of the other holy places!"

Lin Shan was stunned. It seemed a little different from what he thought.

"Don't you need me to go down and help?"

"No, you can just make trouble here and cut off the retreat routes of other holy places in the dark river layer. As the saying goes, avoid the strong and attack the weak. They will definitely panic and be forced to dispatch troops to return from below, which will indirectly reduce our pressure."

Hearing this, Mu Yan at the back couldn't help but asked in a deep voice:
"Elder Hui Miao, you, the Guigu Holy Land, are too disrespectful. You let us, the Xun Gu Sect, do some petty things in the back while you take advantage of the situation in the front?"

"You are."

Elder Hui Miao didn't know Mu Yan and looked at Lin Shan with a questioning look.

"He is Elder Tianjiao Mu of my Xun Gu Sect."

"Oh, so it's a genius. Xun Gu Sect also has geniuses. Well, Elder Mu, this is the case. This time we are facing the main forces of the other three holy places. Your Xun Gu Sect itself is small in size and power, and the strength of the disciples is uneven. I am afraid that you will suffer heavy losses if you go to the front line, so I am also considering you."

When Elder Hui Miao heard that the Xun Gu Sect also had a genius, she was speechless on the spot. She wanted to laugh but forced herself to hold it back. She really didn't know what was so great about a mere small sect.

Are your geniuses worthy of being called geniuses? Have people outside really seen what a true genius is?
Mu Yan also heard the hidden meaning and became furious. He was just about to ask who she looked down upon, but he was angered again by her last sentence.

"Considering us? Just leaving us behind for our sakes, just letting us do the dirty work for our sakes, just eating alone at the front for our sakes? You haven't even told me what the Ice Jade Essence is for!"

Patriarch Lu Que at the side quickly pulled him back, telling him not to continue arguing with the people from Guigu Holy Land.

Elder Hui Miao was indeed very uncomfortable after hearing this.

"Elder Mu, please think before you speak. Now that the Xun Gu Sect and Gui Gu Holy Land have formed an alliance, allies should have a division of labor. What's wrong with letting you attack from the rear? Are you wronged?"

"Okay, okay, come back first and stop talking."

Seeing Mu Yan's violent temper, Patriarch Lu Que was afraid that he would force his way through the checkpoint, so he decisively pulled him back.

Lin Shan smiled and accepted the order calmly.

"Okay, since Elder Hui Miao said so, then I will obey your orders. Leave the rear matters to me."

"Master Lin is sensible. We will not embezzle 20% of the treasures distributed to the front line. We will send them back to you in a few days. Don't worry, take your time."

After Elder Hui Miao walked away, all the members of Xun Gu Sect surrounded him, all with unhappy faces.

"Master, Guigu Holy Land is clearly marginalizing us. They don't even want us to have a share. We agreed to 20%, but we have no idea how much they got before. We can only rely on charity. This is not a solution!" (End of this chapter)