You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Jiang He added from the side.

“Xing San excels at attacking strongholds and direct confrontations. This exploration of the Immortal Realm is fraught with unknown risks, so we need combat power like his. The Luan Feng sisters’ combined attack technique is more suitable for holding the line, so we left them at the base.”

Chen Yang nodded knowingly.

"I see.

With you all traveling with me, I feel much more confident about this trip.

Jiang He, seeing that everyone had arrived, stopped exchanging pleasantries and spoke seriously.

"Gentlemen, the situation is urgent. We can talk about pleasantries on the way. Let's set off now."

Sect Leader Chen, your people over there…

"I have already contacted them, and they are coming from different locations. We have agreed to meet on the tarmac."

Chen Yang said.

"it is good!

Then we'll wait on the tarmac.

Jiang He waved his hand.

"set off!"

The group quickly left the office building and walked briskly toward the helipad on the west side of the headquarters.

On the way, Jiang He briefly introduced the general situation of the Qinling Immortal Site and the mission objectives to Qiu Niu and the others. Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group became serious.

Upon arriving at the spacious helipad, two medium-sized transport helicopters were already slowly starting their rotors, emitting a loud roar. Several fully armed special agents stood nearby, conducting final checks.

"We will go in two groups."

The river raised its voice, drowning out the engine noise.

"The preliminary reconnaissance team and some supplies have already set off by land. We will take a helicopter directly to the temporary forward base on the outskirts of the Qinling Mountains, and then decide whether to transfer to special vehicles or enter the target area on foot based on the actual situation."

This is the fastest way!

Chen Yang nodded in agreement.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, several streaks of light flew in from the horizon and landed at the edge of the helipad. The light faded, revealing several figures.

The man in the lead was wiry and powerful, with a deep and composed aura; it was none other than Uncle Li.

He nodded silently to Chen Yang and then stood aside.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Yu also arrived with three elders from the Qingwei Sect.

Chen Yang knew all three elders; they were all pillars of the sect, with solid cultivation and rich experience.

"Sect Leader!"

Liu Yu quickly stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

"As you instructed, the person has been brought."

These three are Elder Zhao, Elder Qian, and Elder Sun.

The three elders also bowed to Chen Yang.

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

Chen Yang returned the gift.

"I appreciate the trouble you three elders have made this trip. Elder Liu must have explained the details to you on the way. You must be extra cautious on this trip, follow instructions, and act according to the circumstances."

"I will obey the sect leader's command!"

The three elders responded in unison.

Seeing that both sides had arrived, Jiang He counted the number of people. The Special Administration Bureau had Jiang He, Qiu Niu, Su Meng, Xing San, and four special operations team members who looked very capable.

On the Qingwei Sect's side were Chen Yang, Liu Yu, Uncle Li, and three elders. A total of fourteen people, a well-trained team.

"Everyone's here! Let's board!"

Without further delay, he waved his hand.

The group quickly split into two teams and boarded two helicopters that had already been warmed up. With the rotors reaching their maximum speed and a tremendous roar, the two helicopters lifted off the ground, piercing the sky and speeding towards the Qinling Mountains in the southwest.

The cabin was very noisy, and most people closed their eyes to rest and adjust their state, with only a few people exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

Looking out the porthole at the mountains and rivers rushing past below, Chen Yang's thoughts were in turmoil. Immortal traces, the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Dark Star, blessed lands... various clues intertwined, as if an invisible net was tightening around them.

This trip to the Qinling Mountains is unlikely to be peaceful.

After flying for some time, the helicopter began to descend. Below lay the rolling, verdant Qinling Mountains, their peaks overlapping, shrouded in mist, exuding a primitive and mysterious aura.

Soon, the helicopter landed on a simple, leveled open area halfway up the mountain.

Several camouflage tents have been set up here, and a few off-road vehicles are parked, which is obviously the temporary forward base that Jiang He mentioned.

As everyone disembarked, special administration personnel who were waiting there immediately came up to greet them and quickly reported the situation to Jiang He.

"...There are currently five confirmed energy anomalies, scattered within a radius of about fifty kilometers. The largest number of people are gathered near points 1 and 3, including at least seven sects and a large number of independent cultivators."

Points 2 and 4 are relatively remote, but we still detected energy responses from the 'Tiandao Alliance' logo and traces of suspicious individuals.

Point 5... has the weakest fluctuations and is the most concealed. No large-scale gatherings have been detected so far, but our drones captured footage of a small team, seemingly dressed in 'Dark Star' style combat suits, entering the area and then disappearing.

As Jiang He listened, he looked at the map markings on the combat tablet, his brow furrowed.

"Five points... Are they trying to expand across the board, or do they each have their own objectives? Old Wang, which point is the most urgent or the most valuable right now?"

The on-site manager, known as "Old Wang," pointed to point 3 on the map.

"Here! Point 3 is located in a deep valley, where the energy fluctuations are most intense. Moreover, just half an hour ago, obvious spatial ripples appeared at the valley entrance, suggesting that an entrance is stabilizing and forming!"

Everyone's rushing over there, and several small-scale clashes have already broken out. Our people are monitoring the situation from the outside, but they're almost losing control!

Jiang He made a decisive decision.

"Then let's go to point 3 first!"

Sect Leader Chen, what do you think?

Chen Yang nodded.

"Can.

Now that the entrance is about to open, it will inevitably become the focal point. Let's secure the situation first, then consider other options.

"it is good!

Everyone, check your equipment. In five minutes, we'll head to point 3! Old Wang, you lead the way!

Jiang He gave the order. The group quickly checked their weapons, magical artifacts, and supplies.

Five minutes later, they boarded three modified off-road vehicles and sped along the rugged mountain road toward the deep valley where point 3 was located.

The mountain road was difficult to traverse, and the forest was dense, but the off-road vehicle was powerful, and the drivers, including Lao Wang, were highly skilled. Despite the bumpy ride, they maintained a steady speed. After about forty minutes, the road ahead completely disappeared, and the vehicles could no longer pass.

"Get out of the car! Proceed on foot! There are still about three kilometers of mountain road to reach the target valley!"

Old Wang was the first to jump out of the car.

Everyone got out of the car and followed Lao Wang and several guides into the dense primeval forest, quickly heading towards the deep valley.

Everyone held their breath and tried not to make any loud noises, but their pace did not slow down at all.

The mountains and forests were unusually quiet, with very few sounds of birds and animals. A faint, unsettling pressure of energy permeated the air, becoming more pronounced the closer one got to the deep valley.

Occasionally, one could see figures hurrying along from different directions, exchanging wary glances before quickly separating; they were clearly all cultivators heading towards the deep valley.

Finally, after passing through a dense thicket of bushes, the view suddenly opened up.

They stood on a high ridge and looked down, where they could see a deep, basin-like valley of considerable size.

At this moment, several hundred people have gathered in the deep valley, especially in the area near the center!
These people, in groups of three or five, some standing and some sitting, belonged to different camps, clearly divided and subtly forming a confrontation.

At the valley entrance, a patch of air about ten meters in diameter rippled like water, emitting increasingly intense spatial fluctuations and iridescent light. A blurry, vortex-shaped portal, seemingly made of light, was slowly taking shape—that must be the entrance to the Immortal's Lair!

However, after Qiuniu strained his eyes to carefully scan the entire deep valley and the surrounding mountain walls, he couldn't help but mutter a question in a low voice.

“Jiang Bu, Chen Shuai… are you sure the intelligence is correct? Here… besides this portal that’s about to open and all these people gathered here, why don’t I see any other traces of ‘immortal relics’? Weren’t there supposed to be several? Did we… come to the wrong place? Or perhaps the other ‘immortal relics’ aren’t even in this valley?”

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Yang immediately focused his attention and looked down into the deep valley and around the mountain walls.

The shimmering, taking shape portal in the center of the valley is exceptionally conspicuous, and the gathered crowd is also clearly visible. However, apart from that, inside and outside the valley, as far as the eye can see, there are only ordinary rocks, trees, and streams. There are no ruins, ancient building complexes, or strange landforms with unusual energy gathering that resemble "fairyland relics."

Just as Qiuniu said, apart from the portal that was about to open, this place looked like an ordinary deep mountain valley, at most with a slightly richer spiritual energy than the outside world, but it was far from the scene of multiple "miracle traces" appearing at the same time that he had imagined.

"The intelligence should be correct. The Special Administration Bureau's monitoring system wouldn't mislabel even the energy fluctuation points."

Chen Yang frowned slightly, a question also rising in his mind.

"Perhaps... the so-called 'celestial traces' do not exist in the form of physical ruins as we imagine? Or perhaps the entrances to the other 'celestial traces' are not concentrated in this valley, but scattered throughout the Qinling Mountains, and this place simply has the most obvious fluctuations, attracting the most people?"

He had barely finished speaking when he sensed a swift and concealed presence rapidly approaching from his side and rear. The newcomer had clearly also noticed them and was deliberately concealing most of its energy.

Chen Yang and Jiang He were immediately alert, but they quickly recognized the person and relaxed their guard.

A gray shadow flashed by, and Uncle Li's lean and steady figure quietly landed not far from Chen Yang, giving Chen Yang a slight nod.

"Master."

Concise and concise.

"Uncle Li, you've come at the perfect time."

Chen Yang nodded in response.

Before long, several more streaks of light shot in from different directions and landed on the mountain ridge. They were the three Qingwei Sect elders led by Liu Yu.

Besides the three elders Zhao, Qian, and Sun mentioned earlier, there was also an elderly man with a refined appearance and otherworldly temperament, Liu Yun Zhenren, who was of high seniority in the Qingwei Sect and skilled in formations and investigation; Qian Mo Zhenren, who was tall and had a booming voice; and Yu De Zhenren, who had a warm smile and deep eyes.

These three are all veteran Golden Core cultivators of considerable strength and rich experience in the Qingwei Sect.

"Sect Leader!"

Liu Yu stepped forward to report.

"I have also invited the three True Immortals, Liuyun, Qianmo, and Yude. Together with Elders Zhao, Qian, and Sun, we have a total of six True Immortals on this trip. Do you think that is enough?"

Master Liuyun stepped forward first, bowed to Chen Yang, and spoke in a calm voice.

"Sect Leader, I have come uninvited, please forgive me."

Hearing of unusual activity in the Qinling Mountains, involving petty villains like the 'Heavenly Dao Alliance,' this old Taoist, having long sought refuge in the mountains, decided to come with Elder Liu, hoping to offer my humble assistance.

Master Qianmo also spoke in a loud voice.

"Sect Leader, how could such a lively event be complete without me, Lao Qian? I'm an expert in both fighting and treasure hunting!"

He had a loud voice, which drew the attention of the Special Administration personnel around him.

Master Yude cupped his hands in greeting towards the river and smiled as he greeted them.

"Minister Jiang, it's been several months since we last met, and you're even more impressive than before."

Jiang He recognized these individuals as the backbone of the Qingwei Sect, especially Liu Yun and Yu De, who were quite renowned in the cultivation world. He quickly returned the greeting.

"Master Liuyun, Master Qianmo, Master Yude, I am deeply grateful for your presence! With your help, our chances of success on this trip have greatly increased!"

Qiu Niu, Su Meng, and Xing San also greeted the real people, and the atmosphere on the ridge became much more lively as everyone got to know each other.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Qiuniu couldn't help but ask the same question again.

"Minister Jiang, Commander Chen, seniors, we're all here now, but where are these Immortal Traces... besides the gate below? We can't just sit here and wait, can we? What if all the other treasures have already been snatched up by others? Wouldn't we have made a wasted trip?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang He smiled slightly, appearing confident and composed.

"Qiuniu, calm down."

The information Director Wang gave me included not only the general area, but also the precise coordinates.

As he spoke, he gestured to Su Meng.

Su Meng understood and immediately took out an exquisite metal box from her tactical backpack. When she opened it, there were a dozen or so thin, silver-gray, coin-sized devices with bluish edges neatly arranged inside.

"This is the third-generation improved version of the 'Ling Shu Detector' developed by our bureau's technical department, codenamed 'Di Ting'."

Jiang He picked one up and showed it to everyone.

"It integrates functions such as high-precision spiritual energy fluctuation detection, microsatellite positioning, short-range encrypted communication, environmental parameter analysis, and basic biological sign monitoring."

Most importantly, it uses the latest neural connection technology, requiring no handheld use. Simply place it behind the ear in a specific location, and it connects to the user's nerves via microcurrents, enabling thought control and information projection with virtually zero latency, making it extremely convenient.

As he spoke, he distributed the detectors to several True Persons and Elders of the Qingwei Sect, two to each person.

"Sect Leader Chen, you should give it a try too."

Elder Liu, Uncle Li, these are for you.

Chen Yang took the small detector; it felt slightly cool to the touch and had a delicate texture.

He did as instructed and placed it behind his ear. Sure enough, he felt a slight tingling sensation. Then, a clear, semi-transparent light screen that only he could "see" appeared at the edge of his field of vision, displaying a simple status bar and operation prompts.

"This stuff is good."

Chen Yang tried to access a map using his mind, and a clear 3D map marked with mountains, rivers, and several red dots immediately appeared before his eyes. One of the dots was at their current location, while the others were distributed over a radius of tens of kilometers. (End of Chapter)