Chapter 230: Five Hours

"Now that you've all taken my poison pills, don't even think about running. The poison will activate in five hours. If you don't return in time, you can wait for death. The first person to return with accurate information will get the antidote."

As a rogue cultivator, Wei Hai didn't have many sophisticated spells or techniques at his disposal. However, he had obtained numerous poison pills during his time in the cultivation world, more than sufficient to control a few Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Hearing the words of this Nascent Soul powerhouse, the disciples felt a wave of despair. This meant that, at most, only one of them would survive.

They couldn't understand why, seemingly overnight, their sect had been overturned. When the elders of the sect had fled, they had only taken a few elite disciples with them, leaving the ordinary ones behind to fend for themselves.

But there was no time to dwell on their misfortunes. Five hours was not much time. It would take a while just to reach Liaojufu from Shangyang Sect, and they had to factor in the round trip and gathering information. Time was of the essence.

Without delay, the disciples rushed out of the sect gates, each one desperate not to be the last, knowing that missing even a moment could cost them their lives.

Watching these cultivators work so fervently for him, Wei Hai felt utterly satisfied. Life in the mortal world was indeed preferable. Here, he could treat these low-level cultivators however he liked, without worrying about retribution from their elders. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could dominate this realm with ease. A mere flick of his finger, and these lesser cultivators wouldn't dare rebel. With just a few minor tricks, they were forced to serve him faithfully. This sense of supreme power was intoxicating.

If only the resources weren't so scarce, and the spiritual energy more abundant, with some opportunities for growth, he wouldn't even consider returning to the cultivation world, where he had to play the subordinate.

With that, Wei Hai leisurely reclined back onto the chaise, waiting for the disciples to return with news. A new sect in the mortal world? The strongest they could possibly have would be at the Golden Core stage, right? Dealing with such a sect would be as easy as crushing an ant...

——

As the disciples rushed to Liaojufu to gather information on Lingxian Sect, Mo Yuanjiao was also leading General Mo and Mo Que back to Liaojufu. It was already evening by then. Although General Mo had years of experience in war, his age was catching up with him, and the weariness from the journey was evident.

So, Mo Yuanjiao decided they would spend the night in Liaojufu, allowing his father to rest well before continuing to Shuxi Village the next day.

Not long after they checked into the largest inn in Liaojufu, an elderly man dressed in simple clothing also arrived alone and requested a second-class room.

——

Late at night, in Shuxi Village, Tie Tou was patrolling the village perimeter. Since Liu Yunian had assigned the task of patrolling the village, Tie Tou had become the captain of the patrol team. The patrol team, however, only consisted of three members: Tie Tou, the cat demon Fang Tuantuan, and Lin Xiao's cousin, Lin Lei.

They didn't have enough people for more patrols. The patrollers had to be reasonably skilled, which excluded the newly inducted disciples. They also couldn't be too young. Sending seven or eight-year-olds like Liu Shengsheng and Lin Ying on patrol would have the entire sect constantly on edge. The patrollers also had to be reliable—someone like the mischievous Xiaoluan was automatically ruled out.

Of those remaining, only three were available and had relatively flexible schedules. Normally, Fang Tuantuan handled the night patrols since, being a cat, it was most active at night. But tonight, it had specially asked to swap shifts with Tie Tou so it could visit Granny Fang's house in the county for the night.

As Tie Tou carefully watched the surroundings, he suddenly sensed a high-level cultivator approaching. He hesitated between confronting the person directly or returning to the sect to report but ultimately decided to question the stranger first.

He intercepted the cultivator at the village entrance and asked, "Excuse me, senior, what brings you here?"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator, clearly in a hurry, was annoyed to be stopped by a mere mortal youth. With a wave of his hand, he snapped, "Get lost!"

Tie Tou, caught off guard by the sudden hostility, was sent flying ten meters away. The cultivator paid him no further attention and continued toward the northern mountain where Lingxian Sect was located.

Despite the pain, Tie Tou quickly used a teleportation talisman to return to the sect and reported the situation to Liu Yunian, who was staying at Guiyuan Mountain Residence. Upon hearing the news, Liu Yunian sent his mother to fetch some of Sun Yigao's healing pills for Tie Tou, then hurried to inform Elder Liao.

The two of them immediately rushed to the foot of the mountain and concealed themselves, keeping watch on the village's approach.

They soon spotted a cultivator hurriedly approaching. After confirming the surroundings matched the description he had received, the cultivator quickly left.

Both Liu Yunian and Liao Pantou were puzzled. What was that person here for?

After staying hidden for a while longer and confirming the cultivator hadn't returned, they were about to head back up the mountain when another Foundation Establishment cultivator arrived in haste.

This one also inspected the area, peering at the private school and the peach blossom-covered mountain path before attempting to leave.

Liao Pantou, after a brief moment of thought, sent a measured spiritual sense attack at the cultivator, causing him to feel a sharp, dizzying pain. Although he managed to stay conscious, the cultivator realized he had been attacked by a powerful spiritual sense and immediately tried to flee.

But Liao Pantou, having anticipated this, quickly pulled a binding rope from his soul and flung it at the cultivator, restraining him instantly.

The cultivator found his spiritual energy completely sealed, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.

Liu Yunian, who had watched Elder Liao effortlessly capture a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was deeply impressed by his strength.

But Liao Pantou paid no heed to Liu Yunian's admiring gaze. Instead, he gestured for Liu Yunian to step forward and question the captive.

Following the elder's telepathic instructions, Liu Yunian asked the man, "Are you with the person who came before you? What are you here to investigate? What are your intentions?"