Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Dao Ancestor of Alchemy and Talismans

Six months later, the Blood Fiend Sect will join forces with the surrounding Black Wind Stronghold and several other calamity cultivator forces to break through the protective array of Qingya Market, massacre the entire market, and seize the ancient talisman seal. At that time, any cultivator in the market, regardless of rank, who resists will be killed without exception.

The last line of the diary was written hastily and forcefully: "Where the blood demon goes, lives are lost. Those who inherit my legacy must be careful. If you have the ability, protect the lives of one or two innocent rogue cultivators. Qingxuan will be eternally grateful in the netherworld." Xu Yuan closed the diary, his fingertips icy cold.

The system's previous warning only told him that there would be a massacre of the entire neighborhood in six months, which he took as an unwarranted disaster.

But now, he finally sees the full picture of this disaster.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment robbery, but a premeditated massacre. Three evil cultivators at the late Foundation Establishment stage, hundreds of evil cultivators, and an inside agent would break through the protective array.

With his current cultivation level of the fifth level of Qi Refining, he is not even an ant in this massacre.

Xu Yuan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, only calmness remained in them.

I'm afraid it won't be of any use.

He now possesses a complete collection of pill formulas, a fragment of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, a high-grade pill furnace, and information about the Blood Fiend Sect. He has far more cards to play than before.

What he needs to do is seize every minute and second to become stronger.

Xu Yuan carefully put away the diary and the "煞" token, and thoroughly inspected the cave to make sure that nothing was missed and no trace of himself was left behind. He put the stone box back in its original place, the stone walls of the secret chamber returned to their original state, the posture of the skeleton remained unchanged, and even the dust he had stepped on was smoothed away with his spiritual power.

Stepping out of the cave, he followed the same method as before, rotating the array's key stones. The Crouching Tiger Boulder slowly returned to its position, and the concealment array was reactivated. From the outside, it looked exactly the same as it had decades ago; even the moss he had touched had returned to its original state.

The morning mist had dissipated, the sun had risen, and Xu Yuan, still hunched over, quietly left the ruins along the same path he had come from, without encountering a single person or alerting any guards.

No one in the entire Qingyafang knew that the Foundation Establishment stage alchemist's inheritance, which had been hidden for decades, had been quietly taken away by this usually inconspicuous rogue cultivator.

Back in the courtyard with its blue tiles, I closed the door, bolted it, and unlocked the barrier.

Xu Yuan let out a long breath, took everything out of his arms, and placed it on the table. Just as he was about to reach for the first-order pill formula book, suddenly…

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!" The piercing alarm sounded from the direction of the Zhao family's main residence, its sharp sound echoing throughout every corner of the market!

Immediately afterwards, Xu Yuan felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth above his head suddenly stagnate, and a huge light curtain of pale gold instantly rose from all around the market, firmly covering the entire Qingya Market!

The protective array is fully activated!

From the direction of the four gates of the market town came the heavy slamming of the gates shut, followed by the hoarse shouts of the Zhao family guards carried on the wind: "By order of the Zhao family patriarch! The entire market town is under martial law! All four gates are sealed! Everyone must immediately return to their residences and are not allowed to go out! No gatherings are permitted! Violators will be treated as accomplices in the robbery and will be executed without exception!"

The piercing alarm echoed repeatedly above Qingyafang, and the golden protective light curtain covered the entire area, casting a gloomy, oppressive yellow hue on the sunlight filtering through it.

Chaos erupted instantly within the neighborhood. The rogue cultivators scrambled to their homes in a panic, leaving only the sound of the Zhao family's guards rushing through the streets and the crisp clatter of their armor plates, stirring up a sense of unease. Anyone who lingered on the road for even a moment was immediately tackled and detained by the guards, charged with being suspected of being an accomplice of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Xu Yuan stood by the window, calmly gazing at the chaos outside, his fingertips lightly touching the steward's token given to him by Li Qinghe at his waist.

The day has finally come.

He had just returned from the abandoned cave, having concealed all his trump cards. Upon encountering martial law, his first reaction was not to hide, but to find out the reason. In the path of survival, the worst thing is to fall into danger without knowing why; only by having information can one proceed steadily.

Without further hesitation, Xu Yuan condensed a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertips and injected it into the token, contacting Li Qinghe in the manner previously agreed upon.

Before half an incense stick's time had passed, the token emitted a subtle vibration of spiritual energy. Li Qinghe's low, somewhat urgent voice came through the token: "Brother Xu, tonight the Zhao family guards secretly arrested two Blood Fiend Sect spies. After severe interrogation, they learned that there are more than a dozen lurking mobs in the neighborhood. The patriarch is furious and has immediately ordered the activation of the neighborhood's protective formation, imposing a city-wide curfew and conducting door-to-door searches. Anyone suspicious must be apprehended and thoroughly investigated! You must stay in your courtyard and not go out. If I lead a search party to your location, I will know what to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, the spiritual power of the token returned to calm.

Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

With over a dozen inside agents, the Zhao family's large-scale search is bound to cause chaos in the market, and his small courtyard happens to be within the search area.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling the intelligence that the system refreshed at midnight last night. The inconspicuous white report instantly appeared clearly in his mind: "Today, the Zhao family is conducting a city-wide search. The search route is from east to west. The search will reach the Xijiao area around Shenshi (03-004 PM). Your courtyard is within the search area. You need to avoid it in advance."

Fortunately, he was always cautious, and after reviewing the intelligence last night, he made thorough preparations overnight.

He took out the concealment array plate he obtained from the Qingxuan Alchemist's cave and set it up around the small courtyard to completely conceal his spiritual energy fluctuations and the residual medicinal aura from alchemy in the courtyard. He then dug a small secret room under the floor tiles in the house and hid the complete first-order alchemy formula, the incomplete Foundation Establishment Pill formula, the high-grade alchemy furnace, all the talismans and pills, and the Blood Fiend Sect diary inside. He then sealed it with soil and laid floor tiles on top, leaving no trace.

After doing all this, he changed into a set of faded ordinary rogue cultivator clothes, sat cross-legged on the couch, and suppressed his spiritual power, deliberately keeping his aura at the third level of Qi Refining, just like an ordinary rogue cultivator who secluded himself to cultivate all day long and had no presence.

Time flies, the sun gradually sets in the west, and the hour of Shen (3-5 PM) arrives as scheduled.

A series of rapid footsteps approached from afar and stopped at the entrance of Xu Yuan's courtyard, followed by a loud banging on the door.

"Open the door! The Zhao family's guards are searching!"

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his expression calm, and slowly got up to open the courtyard gate.

Outside the gate, dozens of Zhao family guards stood solemnly, each holding a spirit blade and surrounded by surging spiritual energy. The leader of the group was none other than Li Qinghe.

Li Qinghe's gaze swept across the courtyard. The courtyard was simple and tidy. Apart from Xu Yuan, who was all alone, there was no one else in sight. A few ordinary herbs were piled up in the corner of the courtyard, making it look like the dwelling of a destitute rogue cultivator.

He looked at Xu Yuan again. His aura was calm, and his cultivation level still appeared to be at the third level of Qi Refining. His eyes were clear and calm, without the slightest hint of guilt or panic.