Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Inside the array pavilion, Zhao Qingyan was no longer facing a massive protective array diagram, but rather stacks of specially made blank talisman papers and bottles of demon beast essence blood containing different attributes of spiritual power.

She abandoned complex and ornate composite talismans, focusing instead on imprinting the runes of basic spells such as "Fire Crow," "Golden Shield," and "Swiftness" onto talisman paper in the most concise and stable way, pursuing the ultimate success rate and activation speed.

"When drawing runes, spiritual energy must be evenly distributed; when starting and ending a stroke, the intention must be consistent... The structure must be stable, able to withstand the instantaneous influx of spiritual energy without collapsing..." She often sat for a whole day, and when she got up, she was surrounded by stacks of talismans, and her face was as pale as paper, her spiritual energy greatly depleted.

However, the low-level talismans she draws are full of spiritual energy, activate quickly, and are nearly 30% more powerful than similar products on the market!

When the first batch of two hundred "Fire Crow Talismans" and one hundred "Golden Shield Talismans" were completed, even Elder Han Lin stroked his beard and exclaimed after inspecting them: "My niece Qingyan's mastery of talismans has reached a transcendent level. Given time, she will surely become a grandmaster of talismanic arts!"

Shi Tie, on the other hand, became the busiest person. He carefully selected eight disciples to form a team codenamed "Shadow Shuttle".

The team members were all clever and resourceful, skilled in disguise, concealment, tracking, and counter-tracking. Like true shadows, they used several precious short-to-medium range escape talismans and concealment arrays provided by Shen Mo to transport the supplies produced by the Pill Hall and Array Pavilion in batches to several secret handover points arranged by the Hundred Treasures Pavilion hundreds of miles away under the cover of night.

The handover process was extremely cautious. Shi Tie and his men never met with the buyers, or even with the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's overt personnel. They hid the goods in pre-designated tree hollows, rock crevices, and even abandoned monster lairs, leaving specific markings before quickly making their escape. The goods were then retrieved by Hundred Treasures Pavilion's "undercover agents," and after several intermediaries, finally reached the front lines of the Black Wind Mountains.

In return, they received a large quantity of glittering spirit stones, as well as some rare ores, medicinal herb seeds, and even several incomplete ancient cultivation manuals that sects urgently needed but were difficult to acquire on a regular basis.

This "war spoils" were like a timely rain, greatly alleviating the resource pressure brought about by the rapid development of Qingyun Sect. Spirit stones quickly piled up like small mountains in the warehouse, and the disciples were much more generous when exchanging for cultivation resources, further boosting their enthusiasm for cultivation.

However, Shen Mo was not blinded by immediate profits. This kind of high-risk, dangerous business was not a long-term solution and was extremely risky.

Once the two factions discover something amiss, the Qingyun Sect will face annihilation. Its true foundation lies in improving its own strength and... developing more stable and secure resource channels.

On this day, he summoned Su Xiao alone to the Enlightenment Cave.

"Junior Sister Xiao, these clandestine transactions need to be controlled in terms of scale and frequency. We should know when to stop. From now on, our focus should shift to the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm," Shen Mo said in a deep voice.

Su Xiao was slightly taken aback: "Sect Leader, are you planning to...?"

"The difficulty of the 'Flowing Clouds' secret realm is such that I'm prepared to explore it myself." Shen Mo's gaze was profound. "The ancestral master's travelogue is vague about this place, only saying that it is extremely dangerous, but also contains great opportunities."

"With the outside world in turmoil, this is an opportune time to explore the depths of the secret realm and find the foundation for the future development of the sect. During my absence, sect affairs will be jointly managed by you and Elder Han, with Junior Brother Tie assisting you. In case of emergency, the 'B' contingency plan can be activated."

Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat. The "Flowing Clouds" difficulty level was the highest level of the secret realm, infamous for its ferocity, and no disciple in history had dared to set foot there! The sect leader was actually going to risk his life himself?

"Sect Leader! 'Flowing Clouds' is too dangerous. Should we reconsider? Or should we have Senior Brother Shi lead a team to scout ahead?" Su Xiao asked worriedly.

Shen Mo shook his head, his tone leaving no room for argument: "No need. My mind is made up. If the sect wants to rise, it can't always rely on petty squabbles and opportunistic tricks."

"The Flowing Cloud Secret Realm is the greatest treasure left by our ancestor. It may hold the key to solving our sect's resource crisis and even dealing with a greater crisis in the future. This matter will be kept secret for now."

Seeing that Shen Mo was determined, Su Xiao said no more and bowed deeply: "Junior Sister Xiao understands! I will definitely guard the mountain gate and wait for Senior Brother's triumphant return!"

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few. Shen Mo quietly arrived at the white jade archway at the entrance to the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm, without disturbing anyone. He adjusted himself to his peak condition and stepped into the swirling vortex of light.

The moment the figure disappeared, the light on the archway seemed to flicker slightly, as if welcoming the long-awaited explorer.

Seven days have passed since Shen Mo entered the "Flowing Clouds" difficulty area of ​​the Flowing Clouds Secret Realm. Inside the mountain gate, everything seems normal, and the cultivation frenzy continues. However, Su Xiao, Han Lin, and other core members of the leadership all have a weight on their minds.

The secret realm is of the highest difficulty, fraught with unpredictable danger. The sect leader ventures in alone, his fate uncertain. However, the sect's development cannot be halted, and the storms of the outside world will not wait for anyone.

On the third day after Shen Mo entered the secret realm, a group of people, travel-worn and ragged, staggered to the outside of the protective array of Qingyun Mountain. Leading them was Zhao Yuanming, the patriarch of the Zhao family of Black Mountain City.

At this moment, he had long lost the air of a powerful figure he once was. His face was sallow, his eyes were sunken, and his magnificent brocade robe was covered with mud and blood. The dozens of clansmen following him were all injured and looked terrified, like frightened birds.

"Quickly! Go and announce it! Zhao Yuanming from Black Mountain City requests an audience with Sect Leader Shen! Please, Qingyun Sect, consider our past relationship and save us!" Zhao Yuanming rushed to the stone tablet at the mountain gate, his voice hoarse and tearful, bowing repeatedly to the disciples guarding the mountain, almost kneeling down.

Zhang Daniu, who was on duty, recognized Zhao Yuanming. Seeing the situation, he was greatly surprised and quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Patriarch Zhao! What happened to you? Get up quickly! I'll go inform Elder Su right away!"

The news quickly reached the main peak. Upon hearing the news, Su Xiao and Han Lin immediately rushed to the mountain gate. Seeing the tragic state of the Zhao family members, their hearts sank.

"Lord Zhao, what's the matter that you're so panicked?" Su Xiao stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

Upon seeing Su Xiao, Zhao Yuanming grasped at a lifeline, tears streaming down his face: "Elder Su! Elder Han! It's over! Black Mountain City...it's finished!"

He began to sob intermittently. It turned out that the great battle between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Yin Sect in the Black Wind Mountains was spreading to an increasingly wider area.

A few days ago, a group of scattered Xuan Yin Sect cultivators wandered to the vicinity of Black Mountain City, burning, killing, and looting, causing heavy casualties among the city's defense forces. As a prominent local clan, the Zhao family bore the brunt of the attack, their family estate destroyed, and their members scattered and fled.

He led the last group of core disciples and their families, fighting desperately to break through the encirclement, hiding and fleeing all the way, and finally managed to escape to the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

"Sect Leader Shen promised that if the Zhao family were in trouble, we could come and seek refuge with him! We beg the Qingyun Sect to have mercy and take in our remnants, and give us a way to live!" Zhao Yuanming knelt down with a thud, and the Zhao family members behind him also knelt down, their cries and pleas filling the air.

Su Xiao and Han Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness and dilemma in each other's eyes. Taking in the Zhao family meant providing protection, consuming resources, and potentially offending the Xuan Yin Sect, which could backfire on them.

However, turning them away would be morally wrong, and the Zhao family has a long-standing relationship with the sect, especially through their cooperation with the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, which serves as an important external channel.

"Please rise, Patriarch Zhao. This matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration." Han Lin stepped forward to help Zhao Yuanming up, his tone gentle yet cautious. "Our Sect Leader is currently in seclusion, and Elder Su and I are temporarily handling sect affairs. Please allow us a moment to discuss this."