Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Sudden Change
Translator: 549690339
“What a potent poison, like bone maggots. What kind of opponent did you encounter?” the old man muttered under his breath, pulling out a stalk of medicinal herb from the Nine Palace Bag at his waist.
The old man brought the herb to the woman’s mouth. Struggling, she bit down on the herb and began to chew slowly.
In no time at all, the woman’s face began to regain its color, looking considerably better; the toxins within her body were also rapidly being expelled.
Seeing that the woman was no longer in imminent danger, the old man finally relaxed his furrowed brows.
After a while, the woman regained her consciousness. Upon seeing the old man standing before her, she was momentarily startled before struggling to stand up.
“You’ve been severely injured,” the old man said gently.
The woman bit her lip, her face full of resentment. “I was careless. There’s a very powerful person on the mountaintop.”
Without a hint of surprise, the old man sighed, “You failed this time, do you still want to persist?”
The woman abruptly looked up, her tone particularly resolute, “It was left by my ancestors. I must retrieve it no matter what.”
The old man observed the woman and seeing her determination, refrained from persuading her otherwise.
“I don’t have much time left; with the small amount of life I have left, I’ll lend you one last hand,” said the old man, laughing.
The woman’s heart trembled. She understood the old man’s meaning. She pursed her lips and said, “You don’t need to act, I can handle it.”
The old man shook his head, “Your actions have already alerted them. You won’t be able to invade White Elephant Mountain by yourself anymore.”
Although the woman wanted to argue, she was not foolish. She was aware that her failure would put those stationed on White Elephant Mountain on high alert. For her to sneak in unnoticed would now be impossible.
“Then, do you have a plan?” asked the woman.
The old man gave a small smile, “I may not have much, but there are some favors I have yet to collect. What one person alone can’t accomplish, many people can.”
The woman nodded thoughtfully.
For several consecutive days, no one else intruded on White Elephant Mountain. Fang Lin also mostly recovered from his injuries, so he continued his daily routine of comprehending the statues on the mountain.
However, the people were no less vigilant, with all the hidden arrays on White Elephant Mountain activated, ensuring that no martial artist below the
Heavenly Origin level could sneak into White Elephant Mountain undetected.
As Fang Lin continued to study, he gradually discovered that the stone statue not only contained knowledge of martial arts: it also seemed to hold a powerful force sealed within it.
When Fang Lin fully comprehended the martial arts within the statue, he clearly felt the terrifying power of the sealed force for the first time. If unleashed, it seemed capable of wiping out any living being on White Elephant Mountain.
Regarding the origin of this statue, Fang Lin became increasingly curious. The person who could have left such a treasure here might very well have been the powerful figure spoken of by the nearby villagers.
Later, Fang Lin spent several more days and faintly grasped how to unseal the power.
However, Fang Lin did not dare to attempt it, for once the seal was unleashed, he, himself, could very well be the first to be obliterated.
As night fell, Fang Lin returned to the base, seeing Dugu Nian quietly refining pills. Not wanting to disturb her, he retreated to his room.
Before long, Dugu Nian came over, her face glowing with excitement, “Fang Lin, I think I can go take the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner examination.”
Fang Lin didn’t even look at her, simply responding with a noncommittal hum.
Dugu Nian didn’t mind; she was still immersed in her excitement, probably fantasizing about passing the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner examination and becoming a Second Cauldron Pill Refiner.
Just as Fang Lin was about to begin practicing, there was a sudden anxious shout from outside.
“We are under attack!”
From outside the base, shadows began closing in from all sides, charging towards the front gate.
The four disciples of the Pill Sect responsible for the night watch panicked, calling for help.
The two elders reacted quickest, rushing out. When they saw the multitude outside, they changed colors.
“Who are you to dare cause a ruckus in the Purple Mist Sect’s territory!” Dong Qing roared.
Without a response, the thirty-some-odd masked men launched their unified attack.
Dong Qing and Xu Shugong did not dare to underestimate them. Under the onslaught of 30 men, they quickly fell into a disadvantage.
As the people from within the base rushed to assist, Xu Shugong shouted,
“Run!”
At that moment, several of the black-robed men freed their hands and lunged at Fang Lin and the other disciples.
“Run!” Fang Lin shouted, throwing out two bottles. A dense poisonous fog soon filled the area.
Taking advantage of the fog to slow the black-robed men, Fang Lin quickly urged everyone to flee the base and head up towards White Elephant Mountain.
“Fang Lin, what do we do if we’re cornered on the mountain?” Some were hesitant, feeling that it wasn’t wise to flee towards the mountain. As Fang Lin ran, he said, “Either you follow me, or you run off on your own.”
Dugu Nian stayed close behind Fang Lin. Of the other twenty-six disciples, three didn’t feel the situation was right and split off to escape separately.
The rest chose to trust Fang Lin and followed him up White Elephant Mountain.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Some of the black-robed men chased after them. Feng Lin glanced back then grimly threw several more bottles behind him.
“Damn it, where did these people come from?” Fang Lin cursed inwardly. The black-robed men all had Earth Element power, several of them even being at the sixth level or higher. With the Pill Sect disciples’ abilities, if they had to confront these men, they’d likely all be killed.
The three disciples who had separated didn’t get very far before they were overtaken and killed on the spot by two of the black-robed men.
Dong Qing and Xu Shugong who were surrounded by even more men had difficulty defending. The number of black-robed men was simply too many; there was no way they could win with their abilities.
Seeing the black-robed men chasing after Fang Lin and the others, Xu
Shugong let out a roar and held them back at the cost of severe injuries.
Meanwhile, Dong Qing broke free from the encirclement and managed to escape without looking back.
Upon seeing Dong Qing escape, Xu Shugong revealed a relieved smile. However, he was promptly pierced through by numerous swords, collapsing onto the ground lifelessly.
Not far away, the old man and the woman stood side by side. Seeing the massacre at the base, neither showed any expressions..