Chapter 230 Island Conspiracy
Stone Ridge Cave, with the development of the Lin Family, had already seen a large row of underground stone chambers.
Besides Lin Houyong, Lin Shijie and other cultivators who were already present, the Lin Family had once again summoned some more cultivators.
The entire Lin Family now had over four hundred cultivators, which was five to six times more than when Lin Shiming first became the Family Head.
Previously, due to the lack of high-level combat power in the clan during the war, the mines, markets, and trade caravans had all been in a state of cessation.
Now that the cultivators of Yunzhou had all returned, although many loose cultivators had fallen, the market had also begun to recover, and the Lin Family naturally wanted to seize the opportunity.
The family's Artifact Refining Pavilion was operating at full capacity, requiring a substantial amount of Golden Iron Stone as well.
In Lin Houyong's stone chamber, Lin Shiming used his divine sense to scan the surroundings, found Lin Shijie was not there, and asked,
"Uncle Wu, has the Golden Iron Crystal already been mined?"
"Mhm, Family Head, it has already begun. With the Huang Family and the Li Family gone, the Third Rank Magic Artifact market in Qingyun Market is vast. Now, besides Lin Shizhong, our family already has two cultivators who can refine Third Rank Magic Artifacts!" Lin Houyong said with some excitement.
For some unknown reason, the Qian Family of Yunzhou had remained silent and had been particularly low-profile over the past few years.
In the entire Yunzhou, they, the Lin Family, were now considered a major clan, with most of the shops in Qingyun Market in their hands.
Besides the portions given to Zi Xuan Hermit and Great Cultivator Xie, the Lin Family's revenue was extremely considerable, indirectly increasing the spiritual forest for their Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now, the Lin Family had six Foundation Establishment cultivators, with three more in seclusion.
It was natural and imperative to mine the Golden Iron Crystals!
Lin Shiming nodded. In the past decade, the family had made full progress in both artifact refining and alchemy.
Adding on the profits from Monkey Wine, and earnings from delicacies such as Spirit Fish and Demonic Alligators, the family had not only avoided financial issues with so many new cultivators but had also become subtly wealthier.
After discussing family affairs with Lin Houyong for a while, Lin Shiming then made his way towards the underground mine.
He quickly found Lin Shijie in the mine rich with Golden Iron Crystals and took two cultivators with him.
One of them was an old man with the surname Chen who was at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Level and a cultivator with the surname Xu.
Lin Shiming took the two men, along with Lin Shijin and Lin Shizhong, and headed towards Poison Valley once again.
...
In the great hall of Poison Valley, with the appearance of the Transmission Formation, both loose cultivators were shocked.
Although they had never seen a Transmission Formation, they had certainly heard of its reputation.
Particularly since Lin Shiming had brought them here secretly, they both began to feel uneasy.
"You two are smart men. Head to the other side of the Transmission Formation, gather intelligence, and you must return in half a day!"
"Otherwise, the Curseheart Pill will take effect, and you don't want to see the consequences of the Curseheart bug's outbreak, do you?"
Lin Shiming took out two bottles of the Curseheart Pill's antidote.
The old man with the surname Chen and the cultivator with the surname Xu both ingested the Curseheart Pill, which had been administered precisely six days prior, meaning if they could not return on time, the Curseheart bug curse would be triggered.
"Elder Lin, the other side of this Transmission Formation…" The old man with the surname Chen was the first to react, his face showing a hint of difficulty.
"Quit the haggling. Are you going, or are you not? Elder Lin still has time to find replacements!" Lin Shiming's gaze suddenly turned sharp, and the two men were struck with immense fear, promptly kneeling down.
Seeing this, Lin Shiming took out three Superior Grade Spirit Stones and handed them to the old man with the surname Chen.
The rich spiritual energy relaxed the latter's expression, revitalizing his spirit.
This was the first time the two had seen Superior Grade Spirit Stones, and their eyes showed avid greed. But they quickly suppressed it, and it disappeared from sight.
"These are your Superior Grade Spirit Stones for when you return!" Lin Shiming instructed them further.
He then took out four Teleportation Talismans and handed them over to the two men.
Taking the Spirit Stones and Teleportation Talismans, they stepped onto the transmission platform.
Lin Shiming then placed the Superior Grade Spirit Stones on the array.
As the three Spirit Stones were embedded, streams of Spirit Light began to circulate, forming a web that covered towards the center of the transmission platform.
One after another, Spirit Patterns emerged, like a shimmering vast starry sky, dazzling and splendid.
Lin Shizhong, standing to the side, continually recorded the process with a Jade Slip, while Lin Shijin's expression was extremely solemn.
Whether the Teleportation Talisman would work was also a test of his ability to refine Spirit Talismans.
Even Lin Shiming felt a bit nervous at this moment, as the system prompt he imagined did not appear.
"Shizhong, prepare to destroy the Transmission Formation if necessary!" Lin Shiming conveyed to Lin Shizhong with extreme seriousness.
If enemies were to come through the transmission from the other side, the prearranged method to sabotage the Transmission Formation would need to be initiated immediately.
As a flare of sparkling light appeared, their eyes experienced a momentary blindness.
The next instant, the light faded, and along with it, two Loose Cultivators vanished.
And upon the transmission platform, the luminescence of the three Superior Grade Spirit Stones dimmed by one-tenth, indicating that they were only sufficient for ten transmissions.
This time, even Lin Shiming felt somewhat pained by the loss.
He didn't have many Superior Grade Spirit Stones, and if the other side of the transmission formation turned out unprofitable or dangerous, it would mean wasting at least three Superior Grade Spirit Stones.
Of course, what he should be most concerned about at this moment was the potential crisis that might arise.
Lin Shiming casually summoned both the Golden Winged Mantis and the Red-haired Demon Monkey, awaiting any eventuality with a grave expression.
All three of them had long committed to memory the parts of the Transmission Formation that could be fixed and those that needed to be destroyed, and if a powerful enemy were to arrive, Lin Shiming wouldn't hesitate to destroy the entire transmission platform.
...
In an underground hall, which was exceedingly dim, devoid of any light.
A moment later, a surge of intense white light appeared, and both the elderly man surnamed Chen and the cultivator surnamed Xu appeared together.
Dizzy, they clutched tightly to the Superior Grade Spirit Stones and the Teleportation Talisman, only revealing an expression of resentment after confirming there was no danger nearby.
Lin Shiming had used them as cannon fodder to scout ahead, and what's worse, he hadn't even allowed them to negotiate terms.
"Chen, are you really content working for the Lin Family, here at the other end of the Transmission Formation?" The cultivator surnamed Xu asked first, unable to contain his rage, even kicking the transmission hall violently with his foot.
However, he dared not use his full strength, fearing that damaging the Transmission Formation would lead to a torturous death by the Curseheart Gu.
"Of course not. We'll find an opportunity to retaliate, even if it kills us, and ensure the Lin Family doesn't get off easily. A mere boy with high talent, yet he likely hasn't faced much adversity!" the elderly man surnamed Chen scoffed in disdain.
After exchanging glances, they extended their Divine Sense outward.
"Is this an island in the sea? Have we arrived on the territory of the Heavenly Demon Sect of Chu Country?" The cultivator surnamed Xu exclaimed in surprise.
"No, it seems to be the Outer Sea, there are no traces of cultivators' movements here. This island even has a clear presence of a Second Rank Superior Grade Spirit Vein!" the elderly man surnamed Chen replied.
Then the two, using the Earth Escape Skill, made for the island.
"There are so many resources on this island!" the cultivator surnamed Xu soon exclaimed again in amazement!
The island was not small, with a vast expanse of Spirit Coconut Trees along the beach radiating intense Spirit Light. From time to time, a beast bird would peck at the Spirit Coconuts, and the rest of the Spiritual Medicines on the island were also plentiful, resembling a Secret Realm.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Indeed, this kind of place is perfect for both of us to undergo arduous cultivation!" said the elderly man surnamed Chen, brimming with delight!
"Xu, we just need to figure out how to kill a few of the young bird beasts to draw out the Third Rank birds. Then, when we give our statements together, we'll get Lin Shiming to come here and let them fight a battle to the death!"
"Right, Lin Shiming never intended to give us the antidote to the Curseheart Pill from the very beginning; we can't let him off that easily!" the cultivator surnamed Xu nodded in agreement.
After calibrating their testimonies, the two started to take action...