Tie Dan stayed in Yingzhou for a day, first to rest and replenish his Qi, waiting for Xiao Ming to gather all the knives, and also to calculate the variables and plan strategies to maximize his own benefits.
Actually, he didn’t need to calculate and deduce much. Just seeing how powerful that tree-planting old man was, he had a sense of the difficulty he would face. He knew that this mission was fraught with challenges and wouldn’t be as simple as delivering a letter, exchanging goods, and rescuing someone.
Considering the current situation, after much deliberation, it boiled down to choosing between two battles.
One was to take the nine knives and break the old man’s great array together to rescue someone.
The second option was to go alone, defeat at least seven Nascent Souls, break Lanling, and snatch the Immortal Ganoderma from the Xiao Family.
Actually, he also hid a third option, which was to directly attack the tree-planting old man’s array, but Tie Dan admitted to himself that he couldn’t handle that plan, so he developed a new sub-plan.
Of course, there’s always option three: give up and let it be. That’s also fine, but that would mean the end of this Immortal Fate series. But if one doesn’t fight or compete, then why bother cultivating immortality?
Considering the Xiao Family had given him so many things, and he still had many good things in hand, Tie Dan thought about it and decided to choose the first option.
However, he secretly wanted to choose option four, which was to take everything. First, rescue the person, and then find an opportunity to steal the Immortal Ganoderma. At the very least, get acquainted with the Xiao Family enough to sip their soup.
After all, it’s crucial material for breaking through to Divinity Transformation! It’s a rare opportunity; miss this village and you won’t find another shop. How could he miss it? Go for it! Transform a bicycle into a motorcycle!
However, the Xiao Family kept it so secretly and had such deep foundations. It’s unknown where the Immortal Ganoderma is currently hidden. Better take it step by step, start by rescuing someone first.
Thus, Marquis Xichang made some preparations and finally, relying on the prestige of his treasure sword, invited nine top Tribute experts to join Tie Dan in rescuing the person.
Of course, calling them experts, but in Tie Dan’s eyes, they were only average.
Although Marquis Xichang was imitating his ancestor, forging swords and winning hearts, he was still young, with shallow influence and not enough foundation. Moreover, he couldn’t just hire anyone to be his trusted subordinates, resulting in him only sending out nine Court Ceremony Blades besides Tie Dan.
Among them, seven were given to fighters promoted from the army, Divine Gang Realm martial artists, those with Martial God potential, but their current strength was still far off, the types who "needed another hundred years of training."
As for the Nascent Soul Level experts, there were only two people: One was Xiao Bing, an old retainer of the Xiao Family, a death soldier trained by Xiao Fa to protect Marquis Xiao closely. Although he could protect and assassinate to some extent, his abilities in direct confrontation were limited.
The other Nascent Soul was a Tribute at the Marquis Xichang Mansion, Immortal Guan, of the Inner Elixir Dao, but merely a Mixed Cultivator.
Certainly, true Nascent Soul True Men from the Three Great Sects are rare treasures, the kind of experts who could establish a sect outside. If they served as a Tribute to the Xiao Family Ancestor, it would make sense. Why would they listen to side branch commands?
Even Immortal Guan, as a Mixed Cultivator, was enticed by Marquis Xichang’s efforts, taking his granddaughter as a concubine and spending the entire mansion’s resources to recruit him. But Immortal Guan was of some use; however one put it, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the Court Ceremony Blade was refined with his help.
So frankly, the reinforcements this time were not outstanding. Tie Dan could probably clear through alone, but something is better than nothing.
Marquis Xichang knew his limited coveted resources, so he also mobilized a squad of a hundred elite personal soldiers from the mansion, all at Foundation Establishment, to operate the Flying Boat Ironclad Ship, filling it with gold and silver, to ransom the hostage. If the ransom failed, they’d fight to the death.
Tie Dan also adjusted his breathing and cultivated his Qi along the way, so on the seventh morning, the group arrived at the tree grove planted by the old man.
Standing at the ship’s edge looking out, Tie Dan felt his scalp tingling when he saw,
Vivid green moss covering an ancient path, towering ancient trees obscuring cloud and moon
Vines curled like dragons binding thick mist, wisps of purple smoke reflecting morning glow
Emerald canopies reaching for the High Watchtower, rustling leaves dancing in the wind
In Thorny Ridge where dragons and serpents emerge, multiple layers of deadly traps set heaven and earth awry
Holy moly...
In just seven days, the casually planted trees had turned into a primordial forest...
Tie Dan flew out for a look and saw the forest had expanded a hundredfold, almost beyond the limit that the local Spirit Vein could bear, requiring special magic treasure charging to maintain.
However, the array had already formed. It was a towering forest, dense woods, thorny ground, intertwining vines. Everywhere he looked were huge trees with four-person grips, and looking down, there were thorns and vines on the ground, with almost nowhere to land. Green clouds hovered over the forest top and the sound of wind whistling like tigers, full of killing intent, even birds would bypass it.
Well, this old thing clearly calculated that he couldn’t get back the Immortal Ganoderma, and made all these combat preparations in advance, tricking him to buy time, now with the array set, he held the winning hand.
If only those two buddies had acted sooner and used magic treasures to help him, he could have forced his way through. Now, what to do...
The rescue troops sent by Marquis Xichang were also dumbfounded. Although they accepted the Marquis’s kindness and promised to help, the current state of affairs was just too bizarre, and those nine blades didn’t want to fight a top-tier Demon Sect expert either.
To be honest, with their limited capabilities, would desperation help? The opponent had already set up a grand array, what’s the point of fighting? This isn’t some joke; the Emperor himself couldn’t take them down; do you think you’re playing around??
"Daoist Liu, what do you think of this array..."
Immortal Guan, knowing his limits, came up to discuss with Tie Dan directly.
There was indeed a way to break the array, for every array must have an entrance and exit and a method to break it, but the problem was someone needed to execute it.
Tie Dan looked at the aid troops staring blankly at him and felt a bit at a loss.
"Does the True Man recognize this array?"
Immortal Guan was straightforward:
"I don’t recognize it."
Tie Dan was silent for a moment,
"Then is the True Man skilled in the transformations of the Purple Mist lineage’s Daoist escape arts?"
Immortal Guan shook his head:
"I practice Yin Yang Dual Cultivation, achieving my inner core through chamber cultivation. I’m not proficient in the Five Elements Great Escape, just have a basic understanding."
Tie Dan was speechless with shock,
"Then, does the True Man have any powerful Red Evil magic treasures?"
Immortal Guan replied candidly,
"I have a fan, used for alchemy and artifact refining, for fanning the flames. What do you think, is it alright?"
Useless piece of junk...
Tie Dan rubbed his forehead, suppressing the urge to curse,
"Can the True Man hold his own? You don’t need to penetrate the array, just block and defend for a while..."
Surprisingly, Immortal Guan directly handed over a box of ointment.
Tie Dan looked at the ointment, puzzled,
"What is this? Healing treatment?"
Immortal Guan cheerfully introduced it:
"I’ve observed, Fellow Daoist, your Red Bird Star is moving, your aura entangled in a love calamity.
Apply this Nine Doubts Jade Bone Heavenly Fragrance Ointment, and it will ensure your divine spear never fails, you’ll never falter in a hundred battles, your Golden Body remains impeccable, and you’ll overcome any calamity without being defeated~~"
Tie Dan was stunned for a long while, staring at him.
"...What’s the use of this for me?"
"Of course it’s useful, only then I’ll let you use it."
Giving a little gift, Immortal Guan grinned and whispered,
"Fellow Daoist, you’re also aware of the Demon Sect’s prowess. You seem knowledgeable and trained, and can observe how atypical this situation is.
This is all about capturing heavenly essence, gathering the quintessence of the universe. Compared to it, we’re not even in the same league. Trying to fight would be like an ant attempting to shake a tree; I genuinely fear not being able to withstand even one blow.
So I’m suggesting, if it really doesn’t work out, we’ll just return home. The Marquis is an adult and will understand: great favors will have repayment opportunities, and women are everywhere; it’s unnecessary to lose your life for one flower."
Tie Dan was speechless, then looked at Xiao Bing beside him,
"What did the steward say?"
Xiao Bing handed over a Storage Jade, bowing,
"The Heavenly Materials and Treasures of the Marquis are here with this old servant, and the Marquis has ordered to allow Young Master Liu to use them at will."
Tie Dan also felt a headache, but leading these people to fight the grand array of the Old Xuan Sect, he knew it was a certain death.
"Forget it, you all stay here and don’t move. I’ll go inside the array to negotiate."
Seeing that Tie Dan was willing to take the lead, the others were relieved and watched from the sidelines, waiting for the negotiation results.
Tie Dan calculated and searched for the life gate, flying into the forest.
"Elder, I have returned."
Then a gentle wind curled by, fallen leaves drifted, branches and wood formed, gathering into a wooden figure on the tree trunk. Mana condensed, revealing an incarnation of the tree-planting old man, bowing,
"Young friend indeed kept his word. Where are the things?"
Tie Dan raised the Jade Pendant in his hand,
"Elder, why make it difficult for a few women? There are treasures within this Jade Pendant from the Marquis Mansion, and outside there’s a ship of gold and silver, enough to buy a few lives, isn’t it?"
The old man shook his head, sighing repeatedly,
"Young friend, this is not a proper way. What use do I have for such trash?
Even if you indeed couldn’t get the Immortal Ganoderma, you should have at least found out some information for me to conclude this matter.
In this current situation, do you think you can break my array? That’s not the solution, not at all."
Tie Dan said,
"Elder, you don’t need to test me anymore; I have seen through your calculation.
I originally thought Lanling was a dragon’s den and tiger’s cave. For someone of your ability, it’s surprising that you couldn’t acquire what you wanted. Setting up such a complicated layout.
But after personally trying those people’s methods, their skills were only so-so. By my estimation, with the elder’s cultivation, you could have stormed in and snatched the item. Those few drunk bags couldn’t stop you.
However, I think Mystic Sect’s experts always plan everything without missing a trick, and with their seven Nascent Soul Realm powerhouses stationed in Lanling, the spiritual charm of the Immortal Ganoderma must be hidden within the Xiao Family. I didn’t sense any trace of Heavenly Materials Treasures.
So, either the time hasn’t yet come for the Immortal Ganoderma to emerge, or the Xiao Family indeed has some blood vitality, setting up an array to hide it, with the ancestor personally watching over the item. Thus, you’re worried that forcefully taking it might destroy this Immortal Fate, thus hesitating.
So, this time capturing hostages, perhaps you didn’t expect to actually obtain the item, just trying to lure away and question some rescuers to find out the location of the Immortal Ganoderma.
In that case, the lives of a few women don’t concern you. Why not give me this favor?"
The old man was amazed,
"Oh, your arithmetic isn’t bad? Then if I grant you this favor, how would you propose to resolve this predicament?"
Tie Dan openly laid his cards on the table,
"I have requested reinforcements. Later, I will lead them in attacking the array, and you can show a weakness, allowing me to rescue people out.
Returning to Lanling, the Xiao Family must at least treat me to some food and drink to show their gratitude.
Then we will cooperate from inside and outside, annihilating them completely."

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