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

"Who?! Get out here! You cowardly rat hiding your head and tail!" Scarface's eyes were red as he frantically scanned the hall, brandishing his long sword and slashing wildly with spiritual energy, but he couldn't even see Xu Yuan's shadow.

Xu Yuan hid on the crossbeam, not showing himself, but flicked out two more high-quality rock-cracking talismans from his fingertips.

Two earthen-yellow rock blades materialized out of thin air, carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, and accurately slashed towards the remaining three Tribulation cultivators.

"Pfft! Pfft!" With two crisp sounds, the remaining two Qi Refining Stage 7 Tribulation cultivators, who were already seriously injured, could not withstand this full-force attack and were instantly cleaved in two by the rock blade, their blood splattering on the spot.

Only Scarface remained, managing to withstand the attack, but his spiritual energy shield shattered completely, and a deep, bone-revealing gash was slashed open in his chest, gushing blood.

Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, he finally became afraid, turned around and crashed into the light barrier, trying to break through.

But Xu Yuan had anticipated his move. With a flick of his finger, two thick earth talismans were activated simultaneously, and two heavy earthen walls instantly rose from the ground and slammed into him.

With a crisp "crack," several of Scarface's ribs broke on the spot, and he fell to the ground like a tattered sack, spitting out blood and completely losing the ability to resist.

Xu Yuan then jumped down from the crossbeam and landed steadily in front of him, his face still covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

"Who...who are you?!" Scarface lay on the ground, staring at Xu Yuan with eyes full of terror. He couldn't understand how he had been exposed and how someone had precisely cornered him in this dilapidated temple.

Xu Yuan had no intention of wasting words with him. With a flash of his fingertip, a sharp blade talisman ended his life cleanly and decisively.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all five late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were killed, without even being able to utter a cry for help.

Xu Yuan didn't linger for a moment and immediately began collecting the spoils of war.

The five storage bags contained over two hundred high-grade spirit stones, as well as a large quantity of rare talisman cinnabar, medicinal herbs, and high-grade healing pills. What surprised him most was a second-tier maze talisman, marked that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be trapped for three breaths.

Three breaths is enough time for him to do a lot of things.

In addition, he also found a Black Wind Stronghold token and several sealed letters in Scarface's arms.

After searching everything, Xu Yuan took out the corpse-dissolving powder and sprinkled it evenly on the five corpses. After a hissing sound, the corpses turned into a pool of yellow liquid in no time and seeped into the cracks of the dilapidated temple floor tiles.

He then detonated two more Explosive Talismans, blasting most of the dilapidated temple into collapse, making it appear as if it had been neglected for a long time and collapsed naturally, thus completely erasing all traces.

After doing all this, it was still dark, and the night was still thick. Under the cover of the morning mist, Xu Yuan quietly returned to Qingyafang, climbed over the courtyard wall, and returned to his own courtyard without disturbing anyone, as if he had never gone out at all.

After closing the door and shedding his disguise, Xu Yuan sat down at the table and opened the secret letter.

But when he saw the contents of the letter, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers gripping the letter tightened sharply.

The letter was written in illegible handwriting, with a single, glaring line: "The sect leader has ordered that the raid be moved forward to five days from now, at midnight. Use the unusual movement of the protective array as a signal to coordinate an attack from within and without, and take down Qingyafang."

The surprise attack, originally scheduled for ten days later, has been brought forward again, leaving only five days!

The contents of the secret letter were so bright and painful to the eyes under the cold light of the luminous pearl.

Xu Yuan's fingers tightened slightly as he held the letter close to the candle flame, burning it into fine ashes that were scattered without a trace by the wind.

The raid was brought forward by half, from ten days ago to five days later. It seemed like it caught him off guard, but in fact it was exactly what he had anticipated.

Since the Blood Fiend Sect and Black Wind Stronghold have already infiltrated the market with their vanguard and their inside agents are in place, they naturally won't wait until ten days later when things might get complicated.

He sat at his desk, his fingertips tapping lightly on the surface, his mind racing through all the possibilities, and soon he formulated a complete response plan.

Running away now would mean certain death. Black Wind Stronghold had set up camp in Black Wind Valley, thirty miles outside the market, and had deployed sentries at every intersection, canal, and forest to intercept any fleeing rogue cultivators. Even if he were alone, let alone with a large amount of supplies, it would be difficult for him to break out of the encirclement alive.

Staying in Qingyafang, seemingly in the eye of the storm, actually gave him a greater chance of survival because of the protective formation and the Zhao family guards in front of him. He also had prior knowledge of the entire attack plan, the list of inside agents, and the key points for breaking the formation.

However, when seeking survival, the worst thing one can do is to place all one's hopes on others.

Whether the Zhao family can withstand the Blood Fiend Sect's surprise attack is still unknown. He must ensure he has an absolutely safe escape route, a hiding place where he can both attack and defend.

This was the first and most crucial step in his plan: to create a safe and secure cave that no one knew about.

As night deepened, the shouts of the treacherous cultivators could be faintly heard from Black Wind Valley outside the market. The patrolling guards inside the market quickened their pace, and the entire Qingya Market was shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere as if a storm was brewing.

Xu Yuan remained seated on the couch, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, adjusting himself to peak condition, and quietly waiting for the intelligence update at midnight.

He needed a perfect hiding place, and the system's intelligence never disappointed him.

As the clock hands just passed midnight, the familiar system notification sounded in my mind right on time.

[Ding! Today's intelligence has been updated.]

[Qingdao Daily: Ten miles outside the market town, on Wohu Mountain, lies a natural underground cave with an underground river. The entrance is concealed by vines and rocks, making it extremely well-hidden, easy to defend, and difficult to attack; it has never been discovered. The cave is rich in spiritual energy and free of demonic beasts, making it an excellent hiding place.]

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of secret joy in his heart.

Tiger Mountain, ten miles away, is neither too close nor too far from the market. It is neither too close to the battlefield and thus not too far to keep track of what is happening in the market. It perfectly meets all his requirements for a hiding place.

He immediately got up, affixed two top-grade concealment talismans to completely conceal his Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation, changed into an inconspicuous coarse cloth outfit, and carried a pre-prepared bag containing array plates, talismans, corpse-dissolving powder, and other items for setting up formations. Under the cover of darkness, he silently slipped out of the water channel on the west side of the market.

Sure enough, hidden among the weeds on both sides of the canal were Black Wind Stronghold sentries.

Xu Yuan held his breath, his steps as light as a cat's, moving close to the shadows on the ground. The concealment talisman perfectly hid his presence, so even though the sentry was only three zhang away from him, he was completely unaware of his existence.

In less than half an hour, he arrived at Wohu Mountain without incident.

"Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Daoist Ancestor" is full of classic quotes, come and find resonance.