jdhmnovel Chapter 183: Falling into a trap
Chapter 183: Falling into a trap
Amidst the tensions and discord among the three major sects in the Yuan Dynasty's cultivation world, An Lushan, leading a group of experts dispatched by the Ming Dynasty's imperial family, quietly arrived at the Yuan Dynasty's border.
A majestic flying spirit beast slowly descended onto a grassland.
A magnificent pavilion landed steadily on his back, and the doors slowly opened. An Lushan, dressed in a splendid python robe with the Emperor's Sword hanging at his waist, walked out with steady steps.
Behind him, several cultivators with restrained auras filed out, each emanating chilling spiritual energy fluctuations.
"Prince An, why do you want to stop here?"
A Golden Core cultivator turned around and asked respectfully.
"Now that we're in the territory of the Great Yuan Dynasty, there's no rush. Let's enjoy the scenery on land!"
An Lushan's lips curled up slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
At this moment, an old man in a gray robe frowned, stepped forward and said, “Prince An, the situation is tense now. The three major factions of the Great Yuan are on the verge of war. If we delay on land, something unexpected may happen.”
An Lushan waved his hand, looking relaxed: "Elder Huang, don't be anxious. I have my reasons for daring to do this."
An Lushan gazed into the distance, the Emperor's Sword at his waist trembling slightly, as if responding to his interest.
"Elder Huang, if I remember correctly, there should be a large spirit mine area 500 miles ahead, right?"
Upon hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator known as Elder Huang frowned deeply.
Emperor Zhu Songke repeatedly emphasized to him that An Lushan's safety must be guaranteed.
I had planned that with the speed of a flying spirit beast, I could reach the Great Yuan Imperial City in less than ten days, complete my mission, and then return.
But An Lushan didn't seem to have any intention of returning to the Ming Dynasty quickly.
The Golden Core cultivator surnamed Huang looked helpless and hurriedly said, "Prince An, we are on a mission to the Great Yuan royal family this time. This spirit mine area is the property of the Xuan Tian Sect, and it will definitely be heavily guarded. We'd better avoid causing any unnecessary trouble!"
An Lushan chuckled and gently stroked the Emperor's Sword at his waist. "Elder Huang, you've misunderstood. I'm not after these spirit mines. And could you please stop frowning all the time?"
The cultivator surnamed Huang's lips twitched, his expression remaining tense as he looked at An Lushan with some confusion.
An Lushan looked up into the distance and said to himself, "This spirit mine is owned by the Xuantian Sect. Now that the three major sects of the Great Yuan are at odds, how could the Xuanhuo Sect and Xuanjian Sect not have their own ideas? Let's stir things up in this spirit mine and completely intensify the conflict between the three major sects. When they are too busy to take care of themselves, we can go to the Great Yuan Imperial City and it will be as if we are entering an empty land!"
Elder Huang's eyes lit up when he heard An Lushan's words, but he immediately hesitated.
“Does Prince An intend to frame the Xuanhuo and Xuanjian sects? This plan is ingenious, but the spirit mine area is heavily guarded and has high-level cultivators stationed there. If we act rashly, we may not come out on top.”
Elder Huang couldn't help but voice his concerns.
An Lushan narrowed his eyes slightly, a ruthless smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Elder Huang, there's no need to worry. Let's gather our elite forces for a surprise attack. We must inflict heavy losses on the Xuantian Sect and kill one or two more high-level cultivators. That way, the three major sects of the Great Yuan Dynasty will have no chance of reconciliation!"
Elder Huang frowned and cupped his hands, saying, "Prince An, the Xuantian Sect values this spirit mine area highly and must have made many preparations. Even if we succeed in our sneak attack, it will be difficult to escape unscathed. If we lose the elite of our Great Ming, how will we explain it to His Majesty?"
An Lushan stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, and glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the Emperor's Sword at his waist.
"Elder Huang, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub! This operation is risky, but the rewards will be beyond imagination. When the three major sects of the Great Yuan Dynasty completely break apart and fall into chaos, that will be the time for our Great Ming to make its move!"
Seeing that An Lushan's mind was made up, the cultivator surnamed Huang knew that further persuasion would be useless, and said in a deep voice, "Since Prince An has made his decision, I will do my best to carry it out. May I ask how Prince An plans to proceed?"
An Lushan narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing within them, and said, "Elder Huang, listen to my command! Immediately gather your men and divide them into two groups. One group will act as the vanguard to launch a surprise attack, while the other group will be ready to provide backup! Once it gets dark, infiltrate the spirit mining area under the cover of night. After entering, first destroy their mines and teleportation arrays to lure out the high-level cultivators, then concentrate your forces to annihilate them!"
Elder Huang said no more and accepted the order with clasped hands.
Night fell quickly, and the moonlight, like water, spilled over this vast land.
A pair of people and horses sped towards the spirit mine area like ghosts.
An Lushan sat upright in a cave, his hand always resting on the Emperor's Sword at his waist, his expression cold and stern. This was his first action since surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, and he could not afford to fail...
Meanwhile, in a secret room of the Eastern Palace of the Yuan Dynasty, Kongming sat cross-legged, surrounded by dense starlight, as if he were in a vast galaxy.
The starlight seemed to have a life of its own, constantly revolving around him, sometimes merging into his body, and sometimes overflowing from his pores, in an endless cycle.
As starlight continued to pour in, Kongming felt a powerful and pure force coursing through his body, every cell cheering and greedily absorbing this pure energy.
The Seven Stars Divine Transformation Technique is extremely profound. It uses the power of the seven stars as a guide to temper the soul and condense spiritual energy.
At this moment, it seemed as if seven stars were slowly lighting up inside Kongming's body, forming a unique spiritual energy cycle that continuously nourished his soul and body.
Kongming's consciousness became increasingly clear, and his senses became exceptionally sharp, allowing him to clearly perceive the sounds of the wind and insects in the outside world.
"It's still close!"
Kongming frowned slightly. Recently, he had felt that his magical power was lingering at a bottleneck, and he was only one step away from the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
During these days, he secluded himself day and night, pushing the Seven Stars Divine Transformation Technique to its limit. However, every time he was close to breaking through, an invisible force would always stand in his way, causing him to fail at the last moment.
Perhaps the right opportunity for a breakthrough hasn't arrived yet!
Kongming stopped thinking about it, straightened his clothes, and disappeared into the secret chamber...
"Fellow Daoist Zhuge, just as you predicted, An Lushan has already dispatched cultivators to the Xuantian Sect's spirit mine!"
On a hilltop, Wu Guanqing was respectfully reporting to Kongming.
"Very well, I hope these three factions disappoint me!" Kongming waved his feather fan, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"However, this fellow is cunning and shrewd; he didn't go along but instead hid."
Wu Guanqing said with some regret.
"Hmph, as expected. An Lushan, you won't escape this time! We need to find his hiding place as soon as possible."
A cold glint flashed in Kongming's eyes, his tone resolute, as if everything was under his control...
Meanwhile, An Lushan sat upright in his cave, rhythmically tapping the stone table beside him with his fingers, deducing his next plan.
Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy came from outside the cave. An Lushan had a bad feeling and stood up abruptly.
A streak of light shot towards him at lightning speed, transforming into a cultivator whose aura appeared slightly disordered before him...