, What do you think of this machine?

Three hundred miles away, at the bottom of a desolate valley.

The Void-Crossing Divine Ship landed silently, the runes faded, and it shrank to the size of a palm before being put into Youyue's sleeve.

Chu Yuan put his feet on solid ground and took a deep breath.

"Finished? Or just broke through the formation?" Li Tu sniffed.

Qianji's black robe twitched slightly, and a tortoise-shell compass slid out from his sleeve.

With a light tap of his fingertip, a shimmering light appeared on the compass, outlining the illusory shapes of the nearby mountains and earth's veins.

"The outer layer of the Water Moon Sect's Azure Water Curtain Formation has been breached. The Poison Scorpion people are analyzing the core formation eye; it seems they intend to take it completely, not just by brute force."

Li Tu cracked his knuckles and grinned, saying:

"That old poisoner is quite particular."

"It's not about being particular, it's about being greedy."

Qianji puts away the compass:

"The core of the complete formation is of considerable value. Dismantling it and selling it for money, or moving it back to one's own mountain, would be a windfall."

Chu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it hadn't completely penetrated; there was still time.

"Youyue, go and find out the Poison Scorpion's troop deployment and location. Litu, scout the surrounding area to see if there are any ambushes, and also find an escape route. Qianji, come with me to set up the Soul Imprisoning Array on the outer perimeter."

"yes!"

The three responded in unison.

With a flicker, Youyue's figure transformed into a faint black shadow and disappeared into the mountains and forests.

Li Tu grinned, soared into the sky, and spread his divine sense like a net.

Chu Yuan looked at Qianji:

"How large a range of spirit-trapping array can it cover?"

Qianji made an estimate:

"If we only need to cover the core area of ​​the Shuiyue Sect's mountain gate, the materials I have are sufficient. However, we need to get closer to find spiritual energy nodes."

Qianji lowered his voice:

"Master, Linbo City is the largest settlement of mortals outside the Shuiyue Sect's mountain gate, and also one of the outer spiritual energy nodes of the mountain-protecting formation. Where should we go?"

"Yes, we'll disguise ourselves as a rogue cultivator and sneak in."

Chu Yuan glanced at his own dark black robe, which was too conspicuous.

He rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out two plain, dusty gray robes, tossing one to Qianji:

"Put it on."

Qianji took it and silently put it on.

The black robe was removed, and a burst of light appeared on his face, revealing an ordinary middle-aged face, the kind that would be easily lost in a crowd.

Chu Yuan also changed his clothes and concealed his aura.

The fluctuations of a peak Qi Refining cultivator...

Yeah, no need to hold back, just be yourself.

The two exchanged a glance.

Chu Yuan: "Does it look like a rogue cultivator?"

Qianji nodded seriously: "Exactly. Down on his luck, poor, and with low cultivation."

Chu Yuan: "...Let's go."

"Walk."

Chu Yuan turned and sped towards the direction of the Water Moon Sect.

He is currently at the peak of Qi Refining, so his speed is naturally not very fast, but the physical strength brought by the Nine Revolutions Undying Body makes him run quite fast, with steady steps.

Qianji silently followed, watching the leader's simple and unpretentious way of traveling, and felt a surge of emotion in his heart.

The cult leader's state of returning to simplicity is truly profound; he doesn't even need to fly!

……

Thirty li outside Shuiyue Sect lies Linbo City.

The once bustling town, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, is now a scene of utter devastation.

Broken tiles and extinguished lanterns were scattered throughout the streets, and many shops had broken doors and windows, leaving them empty.

There were few pedestrians, and those who were there all looked frightened and hurried along.

Chu Yuan and Qian Ji changed into ordinary gray robes worn by rogue cultivators, concealed their auras, and blended into the city.

The sight before him made Chu Yuan frown.

Several people dressed as disciples of the Xuantian Sect swaggered out of a pharmacy, carrying large and small bags of spiritual herbs. The shopkeeper followed behind, his face full of obsequious smiles.

Further away, one could hear a woman's screams and a man's maniacal laughter.

"It's only been a few years..."

Chu Yuan muttered to himself.

This was completely different from what Chu Yuan had expected.

He had imagined it would be cruel, but at most it would only be between cultivators.

The so-called cultivators go against the will of Heaven.

You can't blame anyone if you die.

But what does that have to do with ordinary people?

In the original owner's memories, although the Xuantian Sect was domineering, it was at least bound by its rules and maintained basic order over its affiliated forces and mortal towns, so it did not burn, kill, and plunder so openly.

Does this mean that if I strive to become the Demon Lord, I'll have to protect these people in the future?

Chu Yuan fell silent for a moment.

"Master, the city's ley lines are connected to the Water Moon Sect, and there are seventeen small spiritual energy nodes in total, which are suitable as extension bases for the Spirit Imprisoning Array."

Qianji transmitted his voice, his tone calm.

He had seen these scenes far too many times in his thousand-year life.

Looking at Qianji's indifferent expression, Chu Yuan suddenly asked:

"Qianji, what do you think?"

Qianji turned to look at Chu Yuan and said seriously:

"The demonic path has been out of order for far too long!"

Chu Yuan murmured:

"Is it just disorder...?"

Qianji looked at the cult leader with suspicion:

"The cult leader?"

The cult leader's expression was very complicated at this moment.

Did I say something wrong?

Chu Yuan did not answer, but calmly said:

"Let's set up the formation!"

Qianji suppressed his doubts, nodded gently, and led Chu Yuan to a temple.

Chu Yuan watched from the side as Qianji used his spiritual power to inscribe array patterns on the ground and buried a specially made array base jade talisman.

Just as the burial was completed, a commotion arose outside the ancestral hall.

"You little brat! Hand over the stuff!"

An arrogant voice rang out.

Looking through the broken window, Chu Yuan saw three Xuan Tian Sect disciples surrounding a thin boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old.

The boy clutched a faintly glowing jade pendant tightly to his chest, his face bruised, but his eyes were defiant.

"This was left to me by my mother...it's not a sacred material!"

The boy cried out.

"I don't care what you say! If I like something, it's mine!"

The leading disciple raised his foot to kick.

Chu Yuan's eyes turned cold.

He cannot reveal himself at this moment, but...

With a barely perceptible flick of his fingertip, a wisp of extremely fine Geng metal spiritual energy shot out, precisely striking the numb tendon on the side of the disciple's knee.

"Ouch!"

The disciple's legs went weak, and his kick went astray. He staggered a couple of steps and almost fell.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the boy suddenly slipped under his arm and ran away as fast as he could, clutching the jade pendant.

"Damn it! This is unbelievable!"

The disciple rubbed his knee and cursed, then looked up and saw that there were actually two people in the ancestral hall. He angrily said:

"You two! What are you doing?!"

A sharp shout.

Chu Yuan stood up calmly.

The three disciples walked over, eyeing him and Qianji, who had emerged from the shadows, with hostile intent.

The leader had triangular eyes and his cultivation level was around the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"We're asking you a question! What are you doing sneaking around this abandoned waterworks?"

The triangular-eyed man's gaze fell on the storage ring on Chu Yuan's hand.

Before Chu Yuan could speak, a skinny man next to the triangular-eyed man sneered:

"Senior brother, why waste your breath talking to two rogue cultivators in the Qi Refining stage? Look at that kid, he's at the peak of Qi Refining, right? He's dirt poor, this bag is probably more than half empty!"

They couldn't see through Qianji's cultivation level, but Chu Yuan's peak Qi Refining stage was no different from him running around naked in their eyes.

The man with the triangular eyes grinned, greedily eyeing Chu Yuan's storage bag:

"Kid, you'd better hand over your storage ring, and we'll let you go if we're in a good mood. Otherwise..."

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked.

Chu Yuan sighed.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Even if you go out to set up a formation, you might still encounter robbers.

He was robbed by a low-ranking disciple of his own sect.