Chapter 183: CH. 183 | Five Halls and Main Palace
Zhu Xian stepped forward and stood right beside Lin Tian, turning her head to look at him.
"Based on what she told us, there’s a good chance many powerful cultivators have gathered there. Lingxian Sect won’t be destroyed that easily," Zhu Xian said.
Lin Tian listened to her words. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the anxiety in his heart.
In a situation this dangerous, acting recklessly was not the right choice.
He waved his hand, releasing Si Lingxi from the pressure of his cultivation. Finally free, she let out a sigh of relief before turning to face him.
"You stopped me from going. You’d better have a plan for this, Lin Tian!" Si Lingxi said firmly. The determination on her face was unmistakable.
"There’s a chance... they still don’t know we’re here."
"That could work to our advantage," Lin Tian replied.
"Our advantage?" Zhu Xian asked.
Lin Tian stepped forward with both hands behind his back, carrying himself with natural authority. He turned his head toward the devastated village, where suffering filled every corner.
"We can’t save the mortal world while we’re trying to save the cultivation world."
"What we need to do is divide their attention."
He turned back to face Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi, "We’re attacking their sect headquarters."
"But isn’t your sect under attack right now?" the female cultivator asked.
"It is."
"But I’m not too worried about it."
"Besides the fact that all of the strongest cultivators have gathered there, the sect’s protective formation is also at the Soul Formation level," Lin Tian explained.
"They’ll be able to hold out for now."
Zhu Xian nodded before approaching the female cultivator, who was still hovering in the air.
Lin Tian watched as Zhu Xian asked for permission to examine her memories.
At first, the woman hesitated and shook her head. Allowing someone to read her memories meant Zhu Xian would learn countless details about her life.
However, when she looked at Lin Tian, he simply gave her a brief nod.
It was as though he was telling her that she had nothing to fear from whatever Zhu Xian was about to do.
In the end, the woman agreed.
Zhu Xian formed a series of hand seals before pointing a finger at the woman’s forehead. Her eyes immediately glowed with a bright blue light as the memory-reading technique began.
It didn’t take long. Once she found the important memories related to Yuanmo Sect’s invasion, Zhu Xian ended the technique.
"I’ve seen everything," Zhu Xian said, glancing at Lin Tian.
"There are five halls and one main palace belonging to Yuanmo Sect, scattered throughout the Qin Kingdom."
"Five halls?" Si Lingxi asked.
Zhu Xian turned toward her and nodded, "According to her memories, those five halls are used to extract life essence from both mortals and cultivators."
"Their targets are mortals, young people, virgins, and cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm."
Lin Tian turned toward the woman in the torn sect robe.
It made perfect sense why those two Yuanmo Sect members had been chasing her.
She was young, most likely still a virgin, and her cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
"Is each hall guarded?" Lin Tian asked.
This time, it wasn’t Zhu Xian who answered. The female cultivator spoke instead.
She explained that she had once overheard her seniors talking about the Senior Hall Elders of Yuanmo Sect. Each of them possessed Peak Nascent Soul cultivation.
"Besides the Senior Elder, each hall also has at least fifteen junior elders with cultivation ranging from Core Formation to Nascent Soul," she said firmly.
Lin Tian listened carefully before narrowing his eyes.
If every hall is guarded by a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator, then each one must be extremely important to Yuanmo Sect.
If one of those halls is destroyed, the monsters surrounding my sect will be forced to return.
Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi both looked toward Lin Tian, who remained silent.
His eyes slowly swept across the surrounding landscape.
Near the mortal village stood a barren rocky mountain where every trace of vegetation had withered away, leaving only dust and lifeless stone.
To him, it was the perfect place to establish a special altar.
A flash of white light streaked across the sky as Lin Tian instantly appeared atop the rocky mountain.
Zhu Xian, Si Lingxi, and the female cultivator followed behind him.
Upon reaching the summit, Lin Tian planted both feet firmly on the rocky ground.
His hands formed a series of seals before he projected an array core into the air.
A glowing white array rune appeared both on the ground and above it, forming what looked like a massive cylindrical structure.
The three women arrived just in time to see him form another hand seal using only one hand.
A tiny black sphere appeared above his palm. It resembled a miniature black hole.
The moment he released it, the black sphere rapidly expanded, forming a unique portal.
All three women stared in shock.
A powerful suction force flowed from within the black sphere.
Fortunately, Lin Tian reinforced the surrounding array by infusing it with his primordial qi.
"W-What is that... Lin Tian?"
"A Void Portal."
"I created it as our escape route," Lin Tian answered.
"Void? I’ve never heard of something like that before."
Lin Tian turned around and raised one finger toward the three women.
Three orbs of primordial qi shot from his fingertip and entered their bodies, causing each of them to briefly shine with a golden light.
"The Voidness Dimension is extremely corrosive, corruptive, and dangerous. Without my primordial qi protecting you, your souls would be absorbed and trapped within the endless void forever."
"That’s terrifying!" Si Lingxi exclaimed.
"Is Voidness your Dao?"
Lin Tian gave a brief nod before walking toward the cliff at the mountain’s summit.
Si Lingxi and Zhu Xian exchanged a glance, unable to hide the admiration in their eyes.
"I want you to stay here and guard this portal," Lin Tian said to the female cultivator.
"What’s your name?"
"I... I’m Zhou Ru."
"Can you do that for us, Zhou Ru?" Lin Tian asked.
Zhou Ru’s expression immediately became resolute.
She felt honored that he trusted her with such an important task, even if all she had to do was protect the portal and make sure the array wasn’t damaged or destroyed.
"I’ll do it, Senior."
Lin Tian gave a cold nod. He tapped his bag of holding and took out a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone before handing it to Zhou Ru.
The rocky mountain contained very little spiritual energy, so the spirit stone would help her recover.
Zhou Ru accepted it with gratitude.
Lin Tian turned his gaze toward the distant horizon beyond the cliff.
"You know where it is, Zhu Xian?"
"I do. I can take you there."
"Then let’s move," Lin Tian said, "It’s time to strike back!"