The destruction of the Azure Cloud Herb Outpost sent shockwaves through the local region of the Nine Immortal Realms. The humiliation was twofold: a Nascent Soul Elder had already been crippled in Jade Peak Town (Chapter 27), and now two more had been utterly neutralized by a small, unknown mercenary crew.
The Jade Lake Palace responded with cold, measured fury.
The Impending Siege
Within forty-eight hours of the raid, intelligence gathered by Lin Yue confirmed the worst: the Palace was sending a punitive expedition led by an expert in the Early Spirit Severing Realm (equivalent to an even higher Immortal Stage) to wipe out Jade Peak Town and annihilate the Bladefang Mercenaries.
"Master Ling Tian, the Spirit Severing Elder, Gao Feng, is known for his cruelty and swiftness," Lin Yue reported, her voice laced with fear. "He can shatter the entire canyon with a single technique. Jade Peak Town must be evacuated!"
Ling Tian, now comfortably in the Mid-Golden Core Realm after forcibly absorbing the Immortal Vein Branch, remained calm.
"Evacuation is for the weak," Ling Tian dismissed, sitting cross-legged as he refined a new batch of detoxification pills. "We will not flee. We will use this attack to solidify our standing and acquire a true base."
Hu Lie, pale and terrified, rushed into the room. "Master Ling Tian, what should we do? Our mercenaries are starting to panic!"
The Demand for a Base
Ling Tian looked at Hu Lie and the few loyal mercenaries. He knew Jade Peak Town, with its exposed position and weak Qi, was not a viable base for his burgeoning power.
"We need a fortress," Ling Tian declared. "A secluded, defended location with a stable Immortal Vein that can withstand the attack of a Spirit Severing expert. Lin Yue, where is the most defensible, easily secured abandoned fortress in this region?"
Lin Yue immediately pointed to a location on the map: The Hidden Peak Citadel.
"It was an old training ground for a rival sect, abandoned decades ago," she explained. "It has strong natural formations and a small Mid-Grade Immortal Vein—far superior to the one we just drained. But the formations are decaying."
"Perfect," Ling Tian smiled—a chilling, tactical smile. "Hu Lie, gather all the Immortal Crystals, high-grade scales, and remaining Tier-7 herbs we stole. We are leaving Jade Peak Town behind. We move to the Hidden Peak Citadel immediately."
The Final Transaction
Ling Tian knew the Citadel's formations would be key to surviving the Spirit Severing expert, but they needed immediate repair.
He isolated the most valuable materials—the Tier-7 herbs—and began an intense session of refining. He was not making combat pills; he was making Tier-8 Formation Repair Pills, powerful alchemical artifacts that could instantly restore a decaying formation.
He gave one to Lin Yue. "You understand the Jade Lake formations. Use this Pill to study and repair the Citadel's defenses. Concentrate the power at the main gate."
"And what about the Spirit Severing expert?" Hu Lie asked, his voice trembling.
Ling Tian stood up, his Mid-Golden Core energy humming with silent power.
"Elder Gao Feng will arrive to find an empty town," Ling Tian explained, a cold glint in his eyes. "He will follow our trail to the Citadel. When he arrives, his fury will blind him. I will be waiting, and I will use his sheer power to propel my next breakthrough."
Ling Tian was no longer running. He was luring a powerful enemy to a battlefield of his choosing, where the odds would be secretly stacked in his favor.