Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

“These talismans are ones I learned from an ancient sorcerer, and they are perfect for reinforcing the village’s defenses,” Xu Fu said, showing the parchment to Yang Ling as they walked.

Yang Ling nodded, his sharp gaze seemingly able to pierce through the fog. "We need to set up the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Formation around the village, using the power of the celestial stars to draw upon the earth's energy and create an unbreakable defensive line."

The two arrived at the east side of the village and began to set up the talisman. Xu Fu took out a golden talisman and chanted an incantation. The talisman slowly burned in the air, turning into a golden light that quickly spread along the ground, forming a trail of light that circled the village before disappearing back to its starting point.

Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, and an ominous aura rose from underground. Yang Ling and Xu Fu exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

"This is bad; it seems we've triggered something," Xu Fu said nervously.

Yang Ling calmly analyzed, "Perhaps our talismans have triggered some kind of seal. We must find out the reason."

Just as they were preparing to investigate further, the sky suddenly darkened, a huge black cloud rapidly gathered, thunder rumbled faintly, and lightning flashed. The villagers rushed out of their homes in panic, looking up at the sky.

“This is no ordinary storm.” Li Si stepped out from the crowd, his staff already ignited with blue flames.

Yang Ling nodded. "Prepare for defense; there may be uninvited guests."

Just as everyone was on high alert, lightning converged in the sky, forming a giant ball of electricity. Then, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky like a tornado, striking straight at the center of the village. At the critical moment, Ying Zheng swung his sword, unleashing a sword aura that collided with the lightning, producing a deafening roar. The light and energy surge snapped nearby trees in two.

"Thanks to Ying Zheng for stopping it in time." Ziya patted Ying Zheng on the shoulder. The latter was pale, obviously his actions had exhausted his true energy.

“We can’t just defend without attacking.” Yang Ling frowned. “We need to find out what force is trying to destroy the village.”

Yang Ling and Li Si quickly organized the villagers, preparing for a large-scale investigation and confrontation. Li Si plunged his staff into the ground, and the blue flame at the top of the staff turned purple, spreading outwards to form a huge protective circle that enveloped the entire village.

“This can protect us for now, but we need to find the person behind this as soon as possible,” Li Si said, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding villagers to make sure everyone was within the safety perimeter.

Ziya and Ying Zheng were responsible for maintaining the village's defenses. Ziya's whip continuously traced patterns on the ground, forming a series of complex protective runes to strengthen the protective barrier. "This protective barrier can block external attacks, but if the enemy has already infiltrated inside, then all of this will be in vain."

Meanwhile, Yang Ling and Xu Fu ventured deeper into the western part of the village, where an ancient forest lay, said to have been the training ground of a powerful sorcerer. They suspected that the key to triggering today's strange phenomena might be hidden there.

The two walked through the dense forest. Yang Ling's eyes were sharp, trying to find clues in every unusual detail. Xu Fu carefully unfolded a detection talisman, the runes on it shimmering softly in the breeze.

Suddenly, Xu Fu's talisman emitted a sharp alarm, followed by a slight tremor in the ground. Xu Fu hurriedly shouted, "Brother Yang, be careful! Something is moving underground!" Yang Ling immediately drew his longsword from his back, focused his energy, and prepared to meet any possible attack. Before long, a huge earth dragon burst from the ground, its scales gleaming with a bronze luster, its eyes burning like raging fire.

The earth dragon roared and charged towards Yang Ling and Xu Fu. Yang Ling swiftly unleashed a move called "Sword Piercing the Nine Heavens," the tip of his sword drawing a beam of light as it slashed directly at the earth dragon. At the same time, Xu Fu chanted an incantation, and the talisman in his hand transformed into a golden light, striking the earth dragon along with the sword beam.

The earth dragon staggered back a few steps under the dual attack of the sword light and golden light, but its wounds healed rapidly. Yang Ling and Xu Fu then realized that their opponent's recovery ability was exceptionally amazing.

Yang Ling frowned, realizing that the two of them alone would likely be unable to subdue the earth dragon. He said to Xu Fu, "We need stronger firepower. I'll lure it away, and you go back to the village for reinforcements!"
Although Xu Fu was unwilling to leave Yang Ling to fight the earth dragon alone, he knew it was the only way. He nodded and quickly ran towards the village, while Yang Ling used his agile movements to constantly maneuver around the earth dragon, trying to avoid a direct confrontation.

At that moment, in the village, Li Si sensed the turmoil outside and hurriedly said to Ziya and Ying Zheng, who were present, "Yang Ling and Xu Fu are in trouble. We must go and provide assistance immediately!"

The three immediately sprang into action. Li Si and Ziya were responsible for reinforcing the protective perimeter to ensure the safety of the village, while Ying Zheng led a group of villagers to Yang Ling's location.

When Ying Zheng and the villagers arrived, they found Yang Ling in grave danger, and the earth dragon's attacks were growing increasingly fierce. Without hesitation, Ying Zheng drew his sword and joined the battle. His sword light cascaded down like a waterfall, putting even more pressure on the earth dragon.

At the same time, Ziya led the remaining support team to the scene, and together they launched a fierce attack on the earth dragon. Under the combined assault, the earth dragon finally could not withstand the onslaught and collapsed, turning into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating into the air.

Although the crisis was temporarily averted, Yang Ling and his team understood that this sudden attack was no accident and that a deeper conspiracy must be behind it. They decided to conduct an in-depth investigation of this ancient forest to find the true cause of everything. Yang Ling returned to the village, reported the situation to the village chief, and organized a larger investigation team to thoroughly investigate the root cause of this series of events.

Yang Ling stood in the center of the village, his gaze sweeping firmly over the group surrounding him. Each person wore a talisman made of paper to ward off potential magical attacks.

“We must act tonight.” Yang Ling’s voice was deep and powerful, breaking the silence of the night. “We know the enemy will not give up, and we must find out the truth behind all of this.”

Xu Fu nodded slightly, the talisman in his hand trembling in the wind, as if sensing the hidden power around him. "I can feel the deep magical fluctuations beneath this land; perhaps we are not far from the answer."

Yang Ling turned to Ying Zheng and Ziya, both of whom were ready for battle. A thin layer of lightning crackled around Ying Zheng's sword, while Ziya's whip shimmered with cold starlight.

"Ying Zheng, Ziya, you two are in charge of the left flank. Xu Fu and I will attack the front. Li Si, you and the other mages will be responsible for the rear, ensuring we are not surrounded by the enemy." As Yang Ling assigned tasks, everyone listened attentively, understanding the importance of this battle.

The group moved slowly deeper into the forest. Ancient trees flourished, and moonlight filtered through the sparse leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, creating a mysterious atmosphere. Li Si's staff emitted a soft glow, illuminating the group's path. (End of Chapter)