Bamboo Mound

"Although that mine is located on the border of Wangzhou Kingdom, and it is a relatively small mine, it is still under the noses of the Four Sects. If there is any mishap, the Four Sects will put a bounty on our heads, and we will have nowhere to live!"

Ignoring the spiritual pressure emanating from Lian Ping, Ning Chang also said calmly:

"As I said before, it depends on your plan and your helpers. If it sounds feasible, I will naturally participate; if your plan is not feasible, but I feel that it is not feasible, I will still provide you with a new plan."

Upon hearing this, a slight hint of displeasure appeared on Lian Ping's face.

"You've only just entered the second stage of the Spirit Platform realm. Are you really invincible because of your youthful arrogance?"

"I am more than ten years older than you, and my cultivation level is two ranks higher. Let's see how I will dampen your arrogance!"

As he spoke, Lian Ping's powerful aura surged towards Ning Chang like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping him completely!

Just as he was relaxing, Ning Chang, who was caught off guard, was suddenly immersed in this powerful aura. He felt his breath catch in his throat and felt a deep pressure all over his body!

Although he is sometimes deep in thought or pretending, he is mostly in a relaxed state of mind during those times, and is easily interrupted by sudden surprises.

The sudden turn of events left him momentarily stunned, but his internal spiritual energy circulated on its own, relieving some of the stiffness caused by the aura.

Then, he came to his senses, and a bamboo leaf came out of the bag. With a flash of green light, he arrived in front of Lianping.

After Lian Ping released his aura, he began to mobilize his spiritual power to pay attention to Ning Chang's condition. Upon discovering that Ning Chang had broken free of control, he immediately erected a defense.

At this moment, he held his right hand horizontally in front of him, while his left hand was filled with spiritual light, preparing for the next attack.

He dared not use any moves that were too impressive, lest he stray outside the shop and be discovered by outsiders.

The moment the bamboo leaf clashed with Lian Ping's brush, a resounding clang of metal clashing was heard!

The shock made Lian Ping momentarily dazed, and then a wave of astonishment washed over him.

Ning Chang's attack actually pierced through his protective spiritual energy and barely penetrated the skin of his arm!

Taking advantage of this, Ning Chang completely broke free from Lian Ping's sudden relaxation. He retreated slightly and then thrust three more bamboo leaves, imbued with spiritual power, at Lian Ping!

The hasty attack just now merely sent the bamboo leaf flying without attaching any edge. Now that it's out of control, it naturally needs to be imbued with spirit to counterattack.

Lian Ping could naturally sense that the spiritual power contained in the three bamboo leaves was different from that of this one, so he dared not underestimate it. He took out a short dagger and slashed around, leaving afterimages everywhere. The dagger and leaves made a continuous clanging sound as they clashed.

As for the bamboo leaf that was released earlier, Lian Ping tossed it aside and stopped paying attention to it after the other three were released.

Ning Chang naturally wouldn't waste it, and he also used the same bamboo leaf to launch an attack on Lian Ping.

This time, he didn't use any deceptive methods. The four bamboo leaves kept stabbing at Lian Ping from various tricky angles, while also trying to stay close to his body along their path, occasionally leaving a mark.

Even though Lian Ping's short dagger dance was impenetrable, he could only move around in the shop. After a few breaths, he was covered in wounds, and his short dagger, unable to bear the weight, broke into more than a dozen pieces with a clanging sound.

After that, Ning Chang also took back the bamboo leaves.

A brief display will suffice; we have no grudge against each other, and besides, we're waiting for him to find that spirit stone mine!

Seeing Lian Ping swallow two pills while panting, and his wounds healed, Ning Chang spoke again before he could make any further moves:

"Even outdoors, in any unrestricted location, if they are not four or five levels higher than me, or do not possess a speed-enhancing magical artifact, they still cannot dodge my move."

"How is this level of strength? Is it good enough for you?"

"Cough...ha..."

Lian Ping chuckled dryly as he straightened up, conjured up a new set of clothes to change out of his tattered garment, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Enough! Fellow Daoist's attack is fierce, a young hero indeed. I, Lian, humbly admit defeat!"

"Alright, now tell me your plan. When are you going to make your move? Are there any other people involved?"

Ning Chang swung his arm, signaling Lian Ping to begin the introduction.

"Before this, I hadn't managed to recruit any helpers. Most cultivators at the Spirit Platform Realm wouldn't come to this branch in the outer city. Those who would come here are mostly at the Spirit Fusion Realm, Spirit Gathering Realm, or young men from certain families."

"As for the Spirit Fusion Realm, it is basically useless in the operation to rob the mine, and you will have to pay attention to their actions."

As if afraid that Ning Chang would be unwilling to join if he heard that he had no help, Lian Ping's tone quickened a bit.

"But don't worry, the highest level of the guardian in the place I was looking at was only the fifth level of the Spirit Platform. He was only sent there because his talent had run out and it was difficult for him to advance further."

"As for the other few Spirit Fusion cultivators, there's even less need to pay attention to them."

"Although I am confident that I can fight against that Spirit Platform cultivator who is one level higher, I do not know what special magic weapon he may have. Once he has an opening, he will definitely use a communication talisman to notify the four sects. At that time, if the four sects send people to come through the teleportation array, it will be no different from sending them to their deaths."

"As for the plan, if you join us, I will deal with the Spirit Platform, while you take the opportunity to destroy the teleportation array and take care of the miner guards. Then we can join forces to kill the Spirit Platform."

Ning Chang did not agree immediately, but pondered for a moment.

He could indeed understand the plan to kill everyone in the mine.

Although we can let them continue mining spirit stones even if we don't kill them, we can catch them all when the four sects discover the anomaly!

However, while I understand, we still need to clarify how the unmined spirit stones will be accounted for.

Furthermore, he despises the act of slaughtering innocent and vulnerable people, regardless of the cause or effect.

"Keeping your mouth shut is indeed risky, but if we kill all the miners, what will we do with the spirit stones underground?"

"Well, all we need to do is prepare some space bags and pack them in whole pieces, regardless of the individual pieces."

Lian Ping looked relaxed.

“Those miners were all vicious criminals who committed murder and arson in Wangzhou. That’s why they were exiled to those deep mountains. It’s fine to kill them.”

"Hmm... Sigh~"

Ning Chang sighed again.

"I'll deal with that Spirit Platform Realm cultivator. As for the other cultivators, miners, and teleportation arrays, you take care of those... It's best to get them done before I finish off that Spirit Platform Realm cultivator."

"Even if I can't handle it well, I won't help with the massacre!"

"However, if there are any other spiritual platforms, you can leave them to me as well."

Seeing Lian Ping hesitate, Ning Chang added, "The strength I used to deal with you just now was only the tip of the iceberg, and besides, I couldn't identify the formation."

"This... is fine too. If there's no interference from the spiritual platform, the rest will be a piece of cake!"

Lian Ping agreed after only one thought.