Around the Ling Mine of the Qingfeng Sect, master and disciple crouched down quietly.
Li Yingling cautiously looked up, observing the situation below, while keeping a close eye on his second junior brother. He said with some concern, "Master, isn't this too risky for Second Junior Brother?"
"Theoretically, you're in more danger than him."
Upon hearing this, Li Yingling looked at his master with a hint of confusion.
Chu Xingchen had his reasons for saying so. The talisman that could withstand attacks from the Golden Dan stage was still on Li Xingtian, along with two teleportation talismans. If something went wrong, Li Xingtian would be the fastest to run away. So, purely in terms of danger, Li Yingling beside him was actually in more danger.
At this moment, Li Xingtian was disguised as a miner and had blended into the mine.
Just as Li Xingtian had speculated, those core disciples of the Qingfeng Sect wouldn't bother to carefully count whether there were more or less ants in the mine. Coupled with his years of mining experience, Li Xingtian was familiar with the environment and his disguise went smoothly.
He was currently pushing a cart, his gaze scanning over everyone who passed by, searching for Ning Qianqian's father.
In the dilapidated temple, Chu Xingchen had drawn a sketch of Ning Qianqian's father based on her description, and the level of realism had been approved by Ning Qianqian herself. So, as long as Ning Qianqian's father was still alive in this mine, there wouldn't be a situation where they wouldn't recognize each other if they met.
Chu Xingchen relaxed slightly. It seemed that the backup plan wasn't needed for now. Now, they just had to wait for Li Xingtian's signal.
Ning Qianqian had no cultivation and it was meaningless to bring her along. They might even have to distract their attention to take care of her, so it was more suitable to leave her in the dilapidated temple. Therefore, only the three of them, master and two disciples, were involved in this operation.
Li Xingtian was the observer, carefully examining the mine and finding Ning Qianqian's father. Chu Xingchen was the attacker, who would directly target the spirit stone warehouse guarded by the Golden Dan cultivator and attract everyone's attention, covering for his disciples' retreat. Li Yingling was the backup, and if there were any special circumstances, he would step in.
Moreover! If everything went very smoothly, Li Xingtian had also devised an ultimate plan: to destroy this damn mine and release everyone inside. Although Chu Xingchen wasn't optimistic about this plan, and releasing all these people might not be a good idea because the Qingfeng Sect would inevitably trace their whereabouts and interrogate them afterward. However, Li Xingtian said that staying there was a certain death, and trying to escape was the only way to survive. He was just giving those people a chance to live, and those who didn't want to run could choose not to.
Regarding Li Xingtian's plan, Chu Xingchen suggested a more direct approach: when they were strong enough, they would directly destroy the damn Qingfeng Sect. Li Xingtian didn't object to his master's decision, but after hesitating, he still nodded in agreement. However, it seemed that Li Xingtian felt that his own plan wasn't very reliable.
In short, for now, all plans had to wait for Li Xingtian's message. They could only make decisions based on the actual situation after the operation started, and they might not even find Ning Qianqian's father.
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It had to be said that pushing this damn cart to transport spirit stone ore was something Li Xingtian hated very much. Especially this route, even after so many years and having experienced more dangerous realms, his heart still couldn't calm down when he stepped onto it again. There was only one thought occupying Li Xingtian's mind at this moment: in his past life, after reaching the Yuan Ying stage, he should have destroyed this damn Qingfeng Sect immediately! The trauma caused to Li Xingtian by this damn mine was no less than that caused by that damn evil cultivator woman!
Li Xingtian lowered his head, quickly scanning the miners who were carrying and crushing stones outside, but he didn't find Ning Qianqian's father among them. Most likely, he was mining in the mine shaft, so he needed to find a chance to blend in. Li Xingtian glanced slightly and secretly made a gesture in the direction of his master.
After a short wait, a sharp sword chime sounded in the distance. Three Qingfeng Sect disciples who were chatting on the side suddenly looked towards where the sword chime came from. Two of them quickly got up and ran towards the source of the chime. The remaining one rang the huge bell in the center of the mine.
The clanging of the bell quickly spread. Many miners stopped what they were doing, and a hint of fear appeared on their numb faces. They didn't understand what had happened, but it was most likely not something good. The noise quickly echoed through the valley. The crowd began to panic and unconsciously gathered together. Li Xingtian also decisively blended in with them.
Soon, two Qingfeng Sect disciples flew in from the distance. They were on alert on the outskirts, and when the bell rang, they quickly rushed over. They quickly became vigilant, suppressing the restless crowd. At the same time, a Qingfeng Sect disciple also ran out of the mine shaft. Many miners followed him out. He sharply scanned the panicked crowd and immediately shouted loudly, "Everyone, stand in your assigned shifts!"
With this shout, the restless crowd quickly calmed down and began to find their positions. Li Xingtian's gaze quickly swept over the crowd that had run out, and he soon spotted Ning Qianqian's father. He was now almost emaciated and would have probably lost his life if it weren't for his Qi refinement cultivation. But at least he was still alive.
Li Xingtian then glanced at the warehouse, waiting to see if the Golden Dan cultivator inside would appear. This person was the key figure who would determine how far the plan could go.
After a quarter of an hour, the two Qingfeng Sect disciples who had gone to investigate returned together and lifted the alarm. Li Xingtian quickly blended in with the miners and, under the arrangement of the Qingfeng Sect disciples, began to walk towards the mine shaft. However, the Golden Dan cultivator they had anticipated did not appear.
"I'm going back to the sect to report to the sect leader and elders now. Be careful and stay vigilant," said an older Qingfeng Sect disciple who was in charge. "This is a critical moment, and we must keep the mine operating normally no matter what. Everyone, stay focused!"
The other Qingfeng Sect disciples quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Senior Brother!"
Having successfully blended in with the mining group, Li Xingtian also followed the large group and slowly entered. He then quickly approached Ning Qianqian's father and secretly handed him the so-called keepsake that Ning Qianqian had brought, placing it in the hand of Ning Kun, Ning Qianqian's father.
In the somewhat dark mine shaft, Ning Kun's gaze locked onto Li Xingtian, and he tightly gripped the cloth that felt like hemp in his hand. Li Xingtian didn't look at him, just whispering, "Qianqian."
Ning Kun's eyes lit up, and then his expression changed drastically. He anxiously asked, "She..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Xingtian raised his hand to interrupt and扫 (swept) his gaze over him, saying, "Follow me closely, no matter what happens later!"
"What are you doing? Hurry up!" The Qingfeng Sect disciple in charge of supervision urged loudly from the side, "If you don't meet the quota, you won't even be able to sleep!"
Li Xingtian ignored Ning Kun and quickly picked up the pickaxe that had been dropped aside, then walked forward. After walking about ten steps, there was a corner. At the corner, the faint yellow candlelight flickered.
Li Xingtian looked at the candlelight, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. A chill ran down his spine. An extremely ominous feeling instantly spread through his heart.
This mine... why does it feel a bit off? This didn't happen when he was mining here in his past life.
He quickly grasped the thousand-mile teleportation talisman his master had given him and cautiously followed the crowd around the corner.
What appeared in front of him was not a mine shaft waiting to be excavated, but an extremely eerie and terrifying scene.