After this conversation ended, Linglong and Hua Jian’s lives once again fell back into their regular rhythm.
Linglong went about her usual routine of provoking the Spirit Beasts, continuously tormenting the nearby cultivators’ ears with her presence.
Meanwhile, Hua Jian took advantage of everyone’s attention being drawn to Linglong to quietly set up an Array of Bewilderment within the Territory of the Spirit Beast.
Not wanting to risk messing up the plan, Hua Jian used various precious items she usually hesitated to expend, constructing a formation so complex even she wasn’t sure exactly how powerful it was.
In any case… once a Ling Master Realm cultivator stepped inside, unless she willingly let them out, not a single one would escape.
As for how much the Spirit Beasts would be affected, that was unknown, but she assumed the effect wouldn’t be too weak.
After all, Spirit Beasts of this rank generally had poor resistance to illusions.
The Purpleflame Black Tiger was not a particularly formidable Spirit Beast, and it definitely lacked any sort of illusion resistance.
Hua Jian believed her array would at least buy Linglong a delay of two time periods.
“Within two time periods, you should be safe. You can search freely inside the Spirit Beast’s Nest, but after two time periods, the danger increases with every passing moment.”
“From what I know about Linglong Pavilion, they definitely won’t let you leave the Secret Realm easily with the Dragon Scale, so there might be something on the Dragon Scale that causes the Spirit Beasts to relentlessly chase you. What you need to do is complete your search and evacuation within those two time periods.”
She spread a hand-drawn map out on the ground and pointed to various planned locations as she explained to Linglong.
In the past few days, Hua Jian had refined her plan, combining the distraction of those waiting at the Exit Point with the delay of the Spirit Beasts into a single stage.
Linglong’s task was straightforward: go straight to the heart of the Spirit Beast’s Nest, grab the treasure deep inside, and run.
“What? You ask what if there’s no Dragon Scale in the Spirit Beast’s Nest? What can I say, blame Linglong Pavilion for being stingy.”
At any rate, Hua Jian had done everything within her power, completing her end of the bargain with Linglong.
“Tomorrow, I’ll try attacking a few cultivators to draw their attention onto myself. When the plan begins late tomorrow night, I’ll lead them into the Array of Bewilderment and trap them along with the Spirit Beasts.”
This way, the biggest obstacle on Linglong’s escape route would be cleared.
“I’ll leave the things you need to take at this spot. Remember to pick them up when you pass by.”
Hua Jian circled a spot on the map again — that was where she’d hidden the spoils.
The plan was simple: Hua Jian would use the array to trap both Spirit Beasts and cultivators, Linglong would take advantage of the chaos to directly raid the Spirit Beast’s Nest, secure the valuable items, then evacuate.
During her escape, she’d pick up the spoils Hua Jian had hidden beforehand, ensuring Hua Jian’s sacrifice, if it came to that, would not be in vain.
“Any other questions?”
“None!” Linglong shook her head.
Hua Jian’s plan seemed simple, but simplicity meant it was flexible, able to be adjusted at any time depending on circumstances.
In truth, Hua Jian had never intended to dictate Linglong’s exact actions.
She only set a rough operational outline; as long as Linglong completed the objective within the allotted time, what she did in between was irrelevant.
After all, Hua Jian didn’t know what Linglong was truly capable of. Rather than be presumptuous, it was better to trust the Saintess’s wisdom.
“Good! Then the plan begins!”
……
That day, the Anti-Bandit Alliance received news that filled them with both excitement and indignation.
After a long period of silence, the Evil Bandit had reappeared, attacking two cultivators within the Alliance.
Unlike before, this time the bandit didn’t steal the victims’ Storage Pouches (though they had none to begin with), but left behind a harsh warning:
“You’re messing with my business, so don’t blame me if it’s a fight to the death!”
This was undoubtedly a declaration of war — a declaration against all the righteous cultivators in the Secret Realm!
Furious, the entire Anti-Bandit Alliance gathered, charging fiercely toward the location where the two unlucky cultivators had been ambushed.
Such a commotion naturally caught the attention of other cultivators. After only a moment’s hesitation between old and new excitement, the thrill-seekers decided to go see the new event.
They’d grown tired of Linglong’s prolonged battles with the Spirit Beasts.
Now that fresh excitement had arrived, how could they not go watch? Maybe they could even pick up some loot.
In this way, almost the entire Secret Realm’s attention focused on that one spot, waiting to see which side — Evil Bandit or Anti-Bandit Alliance — would emerge victorious.
From a strength perspective, the Alliance was clearly the stronger party; their numbers were overwhelming, and each member could easily drown the bandit in their spit.
Although many had lost valuable items to the bandit’s treachery, these lower-rank cultivators differed from their high-rank counterparts outside — their strength was more self-reliant, less dependent on powerful Spirit Tools.
Because they simply couldn’t afford such high-quality equipment.
Though it was a bitter reality, under these circumstances, it was actually an advantage.
If someone had lost a super-powerful Spirit Tool or a Spiritual Garment, the problem would be much worse—the bandit would be much harder to deal with.
Seizing Body with powerful fighting skills and dual guns was worlds apart from possessing little to no combat ability.
Fortunately, this time it was the latter.
Some cultivators noticed an issue with the attack’s location: it was close to the Spirit Beast’s Territory, far from the Exit Point.
Was the bandit trying to play a ruse, luring everyone away and then escaping on the side?
Faced with these doubts, the Alliance Leader Lu said he had certainly anticipated such possibilities.
The Anti-Bandit Alliance wasn’t rushing out in full force — they had left some people guarding the Exit Point.
If the bandit tried to slip away, those on watch would immediately send a signal to recall the others.
Previous encounters showed the bandit wasn’t strong in direct combat. They only needed to stall for time until the main force could return and trap the bandit.
The plan was flawless, and every member of the Alliance was brimming with confidence. This time, they absolutely would not let the bandit get away!
As for how to divide the spoils after killing the bandit… that was another matter. First, they had to deal with the bandit.
Soon, the squad sent to investigate the scene reported back— they had been ambushed by the bandit.
The bandit tried their old trick to knock them unconscious, but the squad had taken Poison-Dispelling Pills in advance and successfully foiled the bandit’s scheme, forcing the bandit to flee wildly.
“Hahaha, so this is your day of reckoning!” Alliance Leader Lu laughed heartily at the news. “Everyone, today is the day we take revenge! Let this Evil Bandit pay for her crimes!”