I attained sainthood through alchemy on the cliff.

Chapter 32 The Avengers and the Spy

The arrival of reinforcements from the three major martial arts schools was far more impressive than the previous one.

From the direction of the Rock Martial Arts Academy, a group of more than ten people came with heavy steps. The leader was a middle-aged man who was eight feet tall and had bulging muscles like a giant granite man. He was none other than Shi Gan, the master of the Rock Martial Arts Academy!

His aura was as steady as a mountain, and the ground trembled slightly as he walked, revealing that he was at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm!

The disciples following behind were also all powerful and vigorous, at least at the mid-stage of the Body Refining Realm.

On the other side of the Gale Martial Arts Academy, a group of gray-blue figures swept past like the wind. The old man at the head was thin, but gave people a sense of elusiveness. He was none other than the academy's master, Liu Suifeng!

His cultivation level was similar to Shi Gan's, both being at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm, but his aura was more sharp and swift.

There were not many disciples accompanying him, but each of them had bright eyes and a light, agile breathing, clearly skilled in assassination techniques.

At the Iron Bone Martial Arts School, Li Feng and his men were already waiting.

The leader of the reinforcements was a middle-aged man whose face resembled Li Feng's, but was more imposing and cold. He wore a broadsword at his waist. He was none other than Liu Zhenwei, the master of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School!

He was also at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm, with a faint metallic clang emanating from his body, exuding an imposing aura.

Besides several elite instructors, he also brought an old man dressed in black robes with a cold aura, who seemed to be a martial arts master enshrined in the academy.

The three museum owners made a personal appearance!

This lineup is enough to sweep through the entire Qing Shi Town!

This shows just how determined they were to obtain the "earth vein chalcedony".

The three families gathered, and without much small talk or pleasantries, immediately set up heavy security in the core area of ​​the Sun family mansion, which was occupied by the Iron Bone Martial Arts School, and began their secret talks.

Deep underground, A-Tu, like the most patient shadow, had already silently infiltrated directly beneath the Sun family's council hall, following Yang Jin's instructions. He maximized his vibration perception to transmit every word of the sounds above to Yang Jin, who was far away in the blacksmith's shop.

"...The entrance to the underground cave is narrow, easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are countless centipedes inside, and three strange beasts at least in the mid-to-late stage of the Bone Refining Realm are also entrenched. One of them may have already touched the threshold of the Bone Refining Realm." This was Li Feng's voice reporting to Liu Zhenwei.

"Hmph, just a few beasts." Shi Gan's voice was like muffled thunder. "By combining the strength of our three families, we will set up the 'Three Talents Extinguishing Array,' and then Master Liu and Master Liu will directly restrain the strongest one. My disciples and I will work together to kill the other two and eliminate the centipede swarm. The Earth Vein Jade Marrow will then be ours!"

"Master Shi, do not underestimate our enemy." Liu Suifeng's voice was shrill. "That strange beast that touched the threshold of the Refining Realm is no ordinary creature, and it has the advantage of terrain. Even if we capture it through a direct assault, our losses will be considerable. Moreover, the precious medicine is about to mature, and unusual phenomena will occur soon. We cannot afford to delay."

"What are your thoughts, Master Liu?" Liu Zhenwei asked in a deep voice.

"Tomorrow at noon, when the earth's yang energy is at its peak, it will also be the time when the yin-attribute beast's aura is slightly suppressed by the yang energy of heaven and earth," Liu Suifeng said. "At that time, our three elite forces will launch a thunderous all-out attack! My Gale Martial Arts Academy will be responsible for disrupting the centipede swarm with the 'Thousand Shadows Bewildering Array' and seeking an opportunity to destroy any yin-evil nodes that may exist inside the cave. Rock Martial Arts Academy will be responsible for directly resisting the beast's attack. Iron Bone Martial Arts Academy will be the main attacker, breaking through the beast's defenses and directly seizing the earth's leyline jade marrow! All disciples below the Flesh Refining Realm will be deployed on the perimeter, clearing out any stragglers and preventing interference from other forces or beasts!"

"Okay!" Shi Ganweng agreed in a deep voice.

"Alright! It's set for tomorrow at noon!" Liu Zhenwei made the final decision. "After it's done, the distribution of the Earth Vein Jade Marrow will be discussed later. But let me make this clear: if anyone harbors ulterior motives and tries to sabotage us, don't blame me for being ruthless with my heavy sword!"

"Don't worry, Master Liu, we will work together to seize this opportunity."

The secret meeting ended quickly, and the three parties began to make preparations in earnest.

Manpower was mobilized, pills and weapons were distributed, and weaponry and battle flags were inspected. A tense atmosphere of impending battle permeated the entire Black Mountain Pass.

The Sun family mansion was completely requisitioned, and Sun Mancang and his son were not even allowed to get close to the core area; they could only anxiously wander around the perimeter.

Inside the blacksmith's shop, Yang Jin slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint in them.

"Tomorrow at noon, the final assault on the underground caves..."

He repeated this crucial information in a low voice.

Chen Shan stood to the side, his expression grave: "With the three masters all here, plus the existing experts, this force is something those strange beasts in the cave, even with their geographical advantage, will find extremely difficult to withstand. The outcome will be decided by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"Our opportunity lies in the moment when they launch their final assault and their attention is completely drawn to the underground cave." Yang Jin looked at Chen Shan, his killing intent undisguised. "Sun Yaozu, Sun Mancang... it's time to settle accounts with them."

Chen Shan nodded: "The remaining strength of the Sun family is insignificant compared to the three major martial arts schools, but we still need to be careful. Although the martial arts schools have occupied the core of the Sun family mansion at the moment, Sun Mancang and his son will definitely be hiding in their own inner courtyard, where the defenses are strongest and they are most familiar with it. Tomorrow, when the main force of the martial arts schools is out, it will be the time when their interior is empty and they are uneasy."

He spread out a simple sketch of the Sun residence and pointed out, "Sun Mancang's inner courtyard is here. There are high walls and at least six guards inside. Two of them should be at the late stage of the Skin Refining Realm, and the rest are skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Sun Yaozu is most likely with his father. Forcing our way in would be too noisy; we need to outsmart them."

"A-Tu's secret passage... the one leading to the area near the underground cave isn't fully open yet, but the one leading to the outer perimeter of the Sun residence, and even close to the inner courtyard wall, has been opened, and can be infiltrated at any time." A glint of light flashed in Yang Jin's eyes. "What I mean is..."

"Tomorrow morning, I'll have A-Tu go to the Sun residence to observe the outer defenses and the movement of the martial arts school personnel, and leave some 'things' behind," Yang Jin calmly analyzed. "When the main force of the martial arts school is deep into the mine at noon, and the Sun family's attention is also drawn, I'll use the tunnel A-Tu dug in advance to sneak directly into the inner courtyard below, launch a surprise attack, and finish the job quickly! With my current strength, combined with a sneak attack, it won't be difficult to take down the Sun father and son. Even if we're surrounded by guards, we can escape unscathed. After that, we can just withdraw through the tunnel."

Chen Shan pondered for a moment: "The plan is feasible. But we need to pay attention to two points: First, the timing of the attack must be precise. We must strike when the battle between the martial arts school and the strange beast is at its most intense and noisiest, to cover up the noise. Second, Sun Mancang is cunning and treacherous; there may be traps and secret passages in the inner courtyard. We must prevent him from escaping. After we succeed, we must not be greedy for the loot and must leave immediately. We can deal with the remaining two treasure locations of the Sun family another day."

"I understand." Yang Jin clenched his fist, and the blood and qi beneath the stone skin began to boil slightly.

The moment of revenge has finally arrived.

"Also," Chen Shan added, "after you succeed, you and A-Tu shouldn't go back to the blacksmith shop. Go directly to the abandoned mine tunnel and prepare at the entrance of the branch secret passage near the cave. If any unexpected changes occur at the three major martial arts schools, you need to be able to use A-Tu's passage to try and approach the cave area as soon as possible. Don't aim to steal the treasure, just try to see if there's a chance to grab some scraps in the chaos."

The mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind.

What Yang Jin needs to do is to play the roles of "Avenger" and "Spy" well at the same time.

He wanted revenge, and he didn't want just scraps.

That night, Yang Jin did not cultivate. Instead, he adjusted his state to the best and repeatedly simulated the steps of tomorrow's operation in his mind, checking each piece of equipment—stone armor, a sharp machete, several packets of specially made lime powder and paralyzing herbal powder, and several stone balls to be used to create chaos or hinder the enemy at critical moments.

Atu, on the other hand, was much busier, needing to precisely carve out two underground passages:

One tunnel leads from the back of the blacksmith's shop to a hidden corner outside the inner courtyard wall of the Sun residence; the other tunnel continues digging from that hidden corner down into the inner courtyard until it is as close as possible to the ground beneath the main house, with a designated spot prepared for the tunnel to break through the soil.

At the same time, it also had to devote some energy to carefully widening the "secret passage for observing the battle" leading to the vicinity of the underground cave, which could be used to fish in troubled waters.

The moonlight was cold, and the Black Mountain was silent.

But beneath the surface, a deadly intent is already brewing, ready to be unleashed at any moment.