Chapter 378 - 354: Great Battle at Fengjinpu
Chapter 378: Chapter 354: Great Battle at Fengjinpu
The sky was just beginning to lighten as Zhao Lin pushed open the door and stepped out of his guest room.
The courtyard was silent, with only a single servant standing guard outside.
"Where is your Patriarch?"
Zhao Lin hadn’t slept well last night. He hadn’t dared to sleep too deeply while on someone else’s territory.
"The Patriarch is in the main hall. He said that if the Immortal Master is awake, you may go see him."
The servant bowed and answered respectfully.
"Alright, take me there."
’Are they waiting for me just to say goodbye?’ Zhao Lin wondered.
"Young friend, how did you rest last night? I trust the accommodations were to your liking?"
As he walked into the main hall, Li Chenglin enthusiastically approached and asked before Zhao Lin could even speak.
"Very well! Thank you for your hospitality, Master Li. This junior has come to take his leave."
Zhao Lin said, cupping his hands in a salute.
"Mm, I won’t keep you then."
Li Chenglin nodded and gestured to the side. A servant immediately walked over carrying a wooden tray.
On the tray was a money pouch made from beast hide.
"Here are one thousand Spirit Coins. A humble gift, just a small token of my appreciation."
Li Chenglin took the pouch and placed it in Zhao Lin’s hands.
"Master Li, you are too kind."
"It is my pleasure. Please, you must accept it."
After a few polite refusals, Zhao Lin accepted it.
Stepping out of the Li family’s main gate, he breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickened his pace toward the mountain gate.
Three Mountains County was different from Han Chi County. Because of the presence of cultivator families, it had a large mortal population and was built up like a mundane provincial capital.
The streets were wide and bustling with people, and there were even vendors selling breakfast.
Zhao Lin had no desire to linger. Once outside the mountain gate, he activated his Body Technique and sped toward the ferry post.
After traveling for a few miles and seeing no one around, he took out the money pouch Li Chenglin had given him.
He opened it to find ten Spirit Coins, each worth one hundred.
Zhao Lin took out the Spirit Coins and examined them one by one, only putting them back after confirming they hadn’t been tampered with.
Just as he was about to continue on his way, he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.
The scent was fresh, with a slight hint of bitterness.
’What is that smell?’
Zhao Lin grabbed the money pouch and brought it to his nose. He discovered the scent was coming from the pouch itself.
His heart sank.
’Maybe it’s just ordinary incense, but what if it’s used for tracking?’
He glanced around, saw a patch of tall grass to his right, and tossed the money pouch into it without hesitation. He then bolted to the left.
The ferry post was only about seven miles from the mountain gate. He would be safe once he got there.
A short while later, three cultivators approached at a brisk pace.
Leading them was a tall, elderly man with a hooked nose, thin lips, and a sharp gaze. Behind him followed Tao Huang and Li Yuanzhi.
All three wore plain robes, with no family crests on them.
"He threw it away! And he didn’t even touch the money inside."
Li Yuanzhi said, picking up the money pouch from the tall grass, his face full of surprise.
"He’s not simple. Quite perceptive, actually."
Tao Huang narrowed his eyes and looked toward the ferry post. "Good thing we have Yuanlie waiting in ambush up ahead."
"Did he really think he could get away with just that?"
The tall elder sneered. "You two follow me. Remember to cover your faces when we make our move."
With that, he soared into the air like a great bird, circling up to a height of several thousand feet before fixing his gaze on the ground below.
Zhao Lin hurried on for several more miles and arrived before a series of rolling hills flanked by sparse woods.
The hills were littered with a disorderly mess of rubble, bricks, and wooden planks—a scene of crumbling ruins, vaguely showing signs of a past settlement.
Atop the ridge stood a dilapidated memorial archway, on which was inscribed the single word "Fengjinpu".
According to a cultivator on the airship he took on the way here, Three Mountains County was originally small. It only began to prosper after a massive Celestial Star Sand Ore deposit was discovered several hundred years ago.
The original market and ferry post became inadequate, so they were demolished and new ones were built a short distance away.
’Looks like this must be the site of the old market.’
Zhao Lin felt a little more at ease. Just as he was about to cross the ridge, a sudden sense of alarm washed over him, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
According to the feedback from his ultrasound sense, someone was approaching him at an extremely high speed.
Not from the front, nor from behind, but... from above!
Horrified, Zhao Lin looked up. A figure was plummeting down from several thousand feet in the sky, like a goshawk swooping down on its prey.
’Flying through the air... It’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator.’
A chill ran through Zhao Lin’s heart, and cold sweat dripped down his back.
Acting like this, the person was clearly coming for him.
’A rogue cultivator?’
’Impossible!’
Three Mountains County wasn’t like Qiuyang County. It had numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators; how could they let a rogue cultivator run rampant right on their doorstep?
The faces of Li Chenglin and Tao Huang flashed through Zhao Lin’s mind. A bitter taste filled his mouth; he couldn’t understand how simply delivering a message could bring about such a disaster.
While his thoughts were racing, three masked figures rushed over.
One of the figures was quite familiar. Even with the mask, Zhao Lin could recognize him: Tao Huang!
The three formed a pincer, one in front and two behind, clearly intending to trap Zhao Lin.
Without a second word, Zhao Lin took out a Hongyan Talisman and slapped it hard with his palm.
Facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had no chance of victory. His only hope was that his opponent would be wary of the Hongyan Talisman.
TWANG!
The Hongyan Talisman flashed with red light and let out a piercing shriek, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight into the sky.
It flew several hundred feet high, then released thousands of silver rays that poured down toward the ground.
"I am Zhao Lin from Han Chi County! The ones trying to kill me are the Li family and the Tao family of Three Mountains County!"
Zhao Lin shouted, standing amidst the silver light, as he took a Concealment Talisman from his storage pouch and hid it in his sleeve.
The Foundation Establishment elder frowned. He had originally planned to kill Zhao Lin with a Magic technique before he could react.
He hadn’t expected Zhao Lin to be able to sense his presence, nor to react so quickly by immediately activating the Hongyan Talisman.
"I’ll block the Flying Talisman! You two kill him!"
The Foundation Establishment elder roared. He spread his fingers, and hundreds of pale cyan beams of light shot out from his palm.