At the third watch, the Bladefang Mercenaries, fueled by Ling Tian's powerful pills and newfound terror-fueled loyalty, moved silently toward the Azure Cloud Herb Outpost.
The outpost was a fortified compound nestled in a valley, guarded by a dense energy barrier. Two auras of the Mid-Nascent Soul Realm radiated from the central building—the two Elders in charge.
Ling Tian, accompanied by Lin Yue, positioned himself near the Northwest Nexus point. Hu Lie and the mercenaries prepared for the outer guard confrontation.
"Remember the plan," Ling Tian instructed Lin Yue in a low voice. "Disrupt the nexus for exactly six seconds, no more. The moment the barrier flickers, I move."
The Distraction and the Breach
Lin Yue, utilizing her intimate knowledge of the Palace's techniques, quickly began pouring her Immortal Qi into the formation's weakness, augmenting it with a specially refined Chaos Dust Ling Tian had given her.
CRACKLE!
The Northwest Nexus screamed, overloading the formation. The massive energy barrier surrounding the outpost flickered, instantly dropping for a crucial five seconds.
"Go!" Lin Yue gasped, exhausted.
Ling Tian didn't waste a millisecond. He was an ethereal blur, moving toward the central building where the two Nascent Soul Elders were instantly alerted.
Elder Jin and Elder Mo burst out of the building, enraged by the attack. They were formidable cultivators, trained in synchronized attack formations.
"A breach! Capture the intruder!" Elder Jin roared, unleashing a massive, shimmering spell: the Azure Frost Bind, aiming to freeze Ling Tian in place.
The Chaos Bombs
Ling Tian ignored the freezing spell. He was moving too fast. He didn't engage them in a Qi battle; he aimed to cripple them instantly, just as he had crippled the previous Elder.
He tossed the two small, seemingly insignificant porcelain spheres—the Chaos Bombs—into the path of the freezing spell.
The Chaos Bombs were designed to simulate a massive self-detonation of a Tier-7 pill, enhanced by the corrosive nature of Primordial Chaos.
BOOOM!
The explosion was contained but devastating. It wasn't just physical force; it was pure foundational destruction. The explosion tore through Elder Jin's Azure Frost Bind and slammed directly into the two Elders.
Elder Jin and Elder Mo screamed as their spiritual defenses were instantly shredded.
The Primordial Chaos essence targeted their Nascent Souls, turning the perfected spiritual essence into rapidly decomposing sludge.
They collapsed, their cultivation bases irrevocably ruined, reduced to shrieking, helpless mortals.
The fight between the three strongest combatants lasted less than three seconds.
Securing the Resources
With the Nascent Soul Elders neutralized, the remaining fifty Immortal Foundation guards fell into immediate panic. They were no match for the determined Bladefang Mercenaries, who were now pumped full of Ling Tian's potent pills and fierce new loyalty.
"Secure the treasury! Do not harm the Immortal Vein!" Ling Tian commanded through his spiritual sense.
He walked past the two whimpering Elders, retrieved his Chaos Bombs' remnants, and entered the central treasury.
Inside, Tier-6 and Tier-7 Immortal Herbs were stored in shimmering boxes. More importantly, he located the small, stable Immortal Vein Branch—a pulsing, crystalline structure of concentrated energy.
Ling Tian spent the next hour working with brutal efficiency. He didn't take the herbs; he took samples, analyzed their structure, and immediately began a terrifying process:
He placed the Violet Thunder Cauldron (retrieved from his spatial ring) directly onto the Immortal Vein Branch.
ROOARR!
He forcibly activated the Immortal Vein Branch, drawing its pure Immortal Qi directly into his cauldron and his Dantian for immediate assimilation. The vein pulsed weakly under the assault, protesting the forced drainage.
The Immortal Qi here is pure enough. It will accelerate the Primordial Chaos Core conversion by five times!
By dawn, the Azure Cloud Herb Outpost was a ruin. The guards were scattered, the Elders were crippled, and the treasury had been emptied of its most valuable pills and herbs.
Ling Tian walked out, looking completely refreshed, his Perfect Golden Chaos Core having absorbed a vast amount of pure Immortal Qi. He was now significantly closer to the Mid-Golden Core Realm.
"The contract is complete," Ling Tian announced to the awestruck Hu Lie. "We return. The Jade Lake Palace will now move its main forces. We must prepare for a true siege."
The raid was successful, but Ling Tian knew this was just the beginning of a brutal war for resources in the Nine Immortal Realms.