Chapter 229: Not One Left Behind

Taking off the storage spirit rings from the five people, Lin Dong followed Yun Lan out of the Illusory Sand Formation. What greeted them were pairs of eager eyes.
Lin Dong glanced at everyone and said solemnly, “All five elders of the Ningji Sect have been left behind. Another elder was also left at the Guhuan Sect the day before yesterday. As for the over four hundred disciples who entered the spirit formation and those outside, we’ll give you the rules of the formation later. Whether you can keep them depends on how hospitable you are.”
Everyone was stunned. After briefly processing the meaning of his words, aside from Xiao Tianchi, who remained relatively calm, all the disciples and elders of the Guhuan Sect—including Huo Yuan, who usually had a stern expression and rarely spoke, now tightly bandaged—raised their fists as thunderous cheers and roars erupted from their throats.
Half a month of frustration, half a month of anxiety, half a month of sorrow… it all poured out in these cheers and roars.
Huo Yuan ripped off the white cloth from his hand. The storage spirit ring on his index finger glowed, revealing a dark iron fist glove, which he then stuffed firmly into his blood-soaked palm.
A disciple with his right arm cut off at the shoulder stretched out his left hand, tore off the white cloth covering his left eye, and swiftly drew the sword at his waist. A cold silver light flashed with fierce intensity.
In an instant, the white cloth fluttered in the air, turning into pieces of snow tinged with crimson, drifting everywhere.
Xiao Tianchi didn’t miss this rare boost in morale, nor did he let it go to his head. While Yun Lan began to write down the rules of the Illusory Sand Formation, he immediately started organizing the team and distributing pills. Once he had studied the rules, he quickly arranged the troops and led them into the formation.
The battle lasted until nightfall before Xiao Tianchi led his team out. Though their faces showed undeniable exhaustion, they also carried a bloodthirsty excitement.
“Four hundred thirteen—none left behind!”
Xiao Tianchi’s wrinkled face showed a grin of triumph.
“What about those outside?” Lin Dong asked.
“Let them rest for two hours. Once they regain some spiritual energy, they can use the darkness to familiarize themselves with the terrain. With a surprise attack, since the enemy is scattered across Guhuan Mountain, we’ll make them all stay behind,” Xiao Tianchi said coldly.
Lin Dong nodded. “Did the Guhuan Sect suffer heavy losses in this siege?”
Xiao Tianchi took a deep breath and replied gravely, “Over half of the disciples were injured. Two elders died in battle. One hundred twenty-three disciples were killed or disabled.”

Lin Dong remained silent. The strife within sects was even more brutal than the family conflicts in the secular world. In the secular world, the powerful Tianwei Pavilion loomed over all major families, so as long as there were no deep-seated grudges, at least no one’s entire family would be wiped out so easily.

This time, the Ningji Sect not only wanted to destroy the entire Guhuan Sect but also intended to leave no survivors among those on the mountain.

“Shopkeeper Lin, Miss Yun…” Xiao Tianchi suddenly bowed deeply to the two of them. “Without you two, the Guhuan Sect would likely be utterly destroyed today.”

Lin Dong shook his head. “Sect Master Xiao, there’s no need for such formality. There’s no need to draw too clear a line between the Guhuan Sect and Lin’s Inn.”

Xiao Tianchi glanced at Yun Lan, wishing to forge a friendship, but knowing that she was concerned about her sect and unlikely to reveal her identity, he could only regret it inwardly. He had witnessed the power of the Illusory Sand Formation and was well aware of Lin Dong’s strength. To kill five elders, Miss Yun’s abilities were undoubtedly at an astonishing level.

Shopkeeper Lin truly always acts in extraordinary ways. I wonder where he met such a formidable friend. Given time, this friend will likely become even more powerful.

“Sect Master Xiao, what plans do you have regarding the Ningji Sect?” Lin Dong asked.

“Although our Guhuan Sect is small, we’re not easy prey,” Xiao Tianchi said resentfully. “After this battle, even if the Ningji Sect still believes in its strength, it won’t dare send people over casually for a while. I’ll figure out why they forced us to hand over the ore first before making a decision. Whether to retreat or defend, we’ll endure this. If it doesn’t work in ten years, it will take twenty; if not twenty, then thirty. Our Guhuan Sect will surely rise again, and we’ll repay the Ningji Sect tenfold or a hundredfold for this disaster.”

“Ten years, twenty years…” Lin Dong smiled coldly. “Sect Master Xiao has that patience, but I don’t.”

Xiao Tianchi was stunned, then looked at Yun Lan with joy. “Is Miss Yun willing to help?”

Yun Lan remained silent, hesitantly looking at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong shook his head. “She can’t. With her strongest spiritual technique, her identity could easily be exposed unless everyone is killed.”

Xiao Tianchi was astonished. Killing everyone meant, presumably, including the disciples of the Guhuan Sect as well.

“Moreover, even with her strongest spiritual technique, along with the Guhuan Sect, it’s likely not enough to deal with the entire Ningji Sect,” Lin Dong said slowly. “Even if they could destroy the Ningji Sect, it would be a hard-fought victory at best.”

“So what does Shopkeeper Lin mean…” Xiao Tianchi was puzzled.

Lin Dong smiled. “Has Sect Master Xiao forgotten that I told you some time ago to prepare the growing conditions for the Red Flower Tree and Blue Green Fruit?”

“You mean you’re willing to use high-grade spirit herbs to accelerate the growth of these two types of spirit materials?” Xiao Tianchi asked anxiously, “And then provide them to our Gu Huan Sect?”
Lin Dong nodded. “It depends on what price Sect Master Xiao is willing to pay.”
Xiao Tianchi was overjoyed. Strengthening his sect’s strength before seeking revenge on Ning Ji Sect would be far better than relying on a stronger opponent.
Suppressing his excitement, Xiao Tianchi gritted his teeth and sneered, “Although Gu Huan Sect has suffered heavy losses this time, thanks to Manager Lin and Miss Yun stepping in to save us, our foundation remains intact. Moreover, through this incident, I’ve gained a better understanding of which sect disciples are truly loyal to Gu Huan Sect. With the Wan Hong Fruit and Qing Lan Fruit, along with the spirit array, I’m confident I can gain the strength to challenge Ning Ji Sect within a year.”
Lin Dong nodded. Sect Master Xiao had already stated his requirements; all that remained was the price.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Tianchi firmly said, “We’ll use the entire strength of our sect to repay Manager Lin for his efforts. If that’s not enough, we’ll make up for it slowly from Ning Ji Sect or elsewhere. I grant Manager Lin temporary authority over half of our sect’s disciples for ten years. If I’m not driven out of Gu Huan Sect by my own disciples during that time, Manager Lin can deploy them in any battle, even to kill members of the royal family—I’ll fully cooperate.”
“Deal!” Lin Dong hesitated not at all. As for the costs, he could claim as much as he wanted. The authority granted by the sect master was equivalent to tying Gu Huan Sect’s fate to his own.
Xiao Tianchi was really betting big this time.
“Manager Lin…” Xiao Tianchi suddenly smiled. “You surely won’t let Tian Hao inherit a hollow sect, right?”
Lin Dong smiled without responding. It would depend on whether Lin’s Inn would encounter major trouble. If Gu Huan Sect became hollow, they could simply give him a new sect later. Sect Master Xiao’s plans were definitely off track this time.
Xiao Tianchi couldn’t help but laugh too. He was even more convinced that even if Gu Huan Sect killed the royal family, this amazing Manager Lin would find a way to handle it.
“By the way!” Lin Dong suddenly remembered the plantations and pastures and reminded him, “Although Ning Ji Sect’s goal this time is minerals, once they’ve seen the plantations and pastures, they’ll definitely want to seize Gu Huan Sect even more desperately. They might even mobilize the entire sect to attack. And even if we manage to fend off their next attack or even destroy them, if one of them escapes, it will still pose a huge threat to Gu Huan Sect.”
Xiao Tianchi was shocked. He was deeply worried—he had completely forgotten about this. If the news leaked, it could lead to endless troubles.

Not daring to delay any longer, Xiao Tianchi quickly bowed and said, “Shopkeeper Lin, Miss Yun, I’ll go first to gather people to find a way to encircle Gu Huan Mountain. What about you two—do you plan to find a place to cultivate or something else?”
Lin Dong hesitated for a moment before deciding, “The two of us will head ahead first to see if we can set up some undetectable spirit arrays along the key routes of Gu Huan Mountain during the night.”
Xiao Tianchi was overjoyed. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Shopkeeper Lin, and Miss Yun.”
Lin Dong shook his head. The plantations and pastures were his own property; Gu Huan Sect merely took care of them on his behalf. In fact, it was he who should thank Xiao Tianchi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made decisions for Yun Lan without her consent.
Only after Xiao Tianchi left did Lin Dong explain the situation to Yun Lan. Since they had already stayed for two days, one more night didn’t matter much. Yun Lan naturally said nothing, and the two immediately rushed back to the spirit array they had used to enter and slipped out quietly.
Along the way, they encountered only one disciple of Ning Ji Sect. After learning all the details about Ning Ji Sect’s forces, they continued their journey down the mountain. Yun Lan was responsible for setting up the spirit arrays, while Lin Dong prepared the spirit stone powder needed for them as per her instructions. Their efforts complemented each other, and within half a night, they had circled the entire Gu Huan Mountain.
When they returned to the pasture, Xiao Tianchi had already made all the arrangements. Not only were nearly a hundred disciples stationed at the foot of Gu Huan Mountain to coordinate with each other, but disciples were also hidden in dozens of passages below the mountain. If any enemies slipped through, they could immediately send messages back to the sect.
With everything in place, at Xiao Tianchi’s command, all the combat-ready disciples of Gu Huan Mountain, aside from those left behind to chase down any who escaped, rushed out from both sides of the four Illusion Sand Arrays. They killed any enemies they encountered or surrounded them and forced them into the Illusion Sand Arrays.
After clearing out the disciples of Ning Ji Sect left outside the Illusion Sand Arrays, the disciples of Gu Huan Sect divided into groups of twenty, starting from the Illusion Sand Arrays, and began to eliminate the remaining isolated disciples of Ning Ji Sect one by one.
They worked until dawn, counting every corpse of Ning Ji Sect’s disciples. Including the five who were trapped in the spirit arrays, there wasn’t a single one missing—exactly matching the number Lin Dong had obtained through interrogation.
As for whether news might leak about the plantations and pastures, the only remaining concern was the disciples of Gu Huan Sect who possessed high-grade spiritual materials, but Lin Dong wasn’t worried about that. With Xiao Tianchi’s abilities, he would surely be able to handle it.
Once things settled down, Xiao Tianchi was busy leading people to reorganize Gu Huan Sect and treat the injured disciples. Lin Dong didn’t stay any longer either and rushed back to Xilan City with Yun Lan.

Opening the storage room, Lin Dong immediately saw Ma Chun walking back and forth in front of his door with his head down. Judging from his anxious expression and hurried steps, it was clear he had something to discuss with him.