Chapter 451 - 424: Infiltrating the Contact Point

Chapter 451: Chapter 424: Infiltrating the Contact Point

The next afternoon. Inside the stone house, the lamplight was a faint yellow.

On the low table, several books on Artifact Refining from Chen Yi were spread out, consisting of both jade slips and paper books.

The edges of the pages were slightly curled, clearly having been flipped through many times. Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his fingertips fiddling with a beast-skin page as thin as a cicada’s wing. His Divine Sense slowly swept along the Spirit Pattern circuits recorded on it.

The book detailed the three most common joint structures used in Tier Two Magical Artifacts.

One prioritized Spiritual Power conductivity, another prioritized stability, and the third was used to reconcile conflicts between Spiritual Materials of different attributes. Taken individually, none were particularly complex. But when combined in the same Magical Artifact, the choices made—what to use and how to arrange it—determined not whether it could be successfully refined, but whether the final product would be Low Grade, Middle Grade, or little more than scrap.

Li Yuan finished the last page and closed his eyes for a moment.

In his mind’s eye, several Spirit Pattern structures rapidly disassembled and reassembled within his Divine Sense, their points of conflict and areas for optimization appearing one by one. The nodal connections that had once seemed awkward and difficult now finally felt smooth and natural.

A moment later, the panel trembled slightly.

[Tier Two Artifact Refining Proficiency increased: Minor Achievement]

Li Yuan opened his eyes, his expression calm.

Reaching Minor Achievement in Tier Two Artifact Refining meant he had truly crossed the threshold from being able to refine to being skilled at it. With the added buff from the entries in his equipment slots, his current Artifact Refining capabilities could be pushed to the level of Tier Two Great Success.

With a wave of his hand, the Spiritual Fire in the small Artifact Refining furnace beside the table ignited.

Several Cold Attribute Spiritual Materials were tossed into the furnace. Guided by his Divine Sense, the molten liquid flowed slowly, drawing out fine Spirit Patterns. Li Yuan wasn’t crafting a Magical Artifact; instead, he was attempting to reverse-engineer the complete structure of the Mirror Binding Talisman.

Ice Soul Paper, Cold Pattern Sand, Condensed Water Spirit Liquid.

Under the combined control of his Spiritual Fire and Spiritual Power, the three materials quickly fused. The surface of the talisman paper shimmered with a faint blue light. Hair-thin patterns spread out from the center like natural cracks forming on ice, yet they returned to an orderly design just before reaching the edges.

After an hour, Li Yuan gazed at the arrangement of Spirit Patterns, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

He picked up a brush, and the first talisman was complete.

Li Yuan picked up the Talisman. Its surface was faintly cold, with wisps of pale white frost clinging to its edges. Inside the talisman’s body, over twenty main lines and dozens of Spiritual Power nodes were nested together. Though cruder than the Celestial Peak Sect’s original version, the structure was complete.

Within a three-foot radius, the entry perception was triggered.

[Equippable item detected: Mirror Binding Talisman (Complete)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Frost-bound Meridians (Green)]

[Effect: When an ice-type skill hits a target, it can cause the Spiritual Power in the target’s meridians to slowly freeze and stagnate.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Successfully bind a target at or above the Foundation Establishment realm ten times (0/10)]

[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]

Li Yuan’s gaze lingered on the panel for a moment.

The new entry’s power wasn’t overwhelming, but its practicality was its strength. The activation condition, "triggers on hit with an ice-type skill," was a perfect match for the Ice Seal Skill he already possessed. If it hit an opponent during a fight, it wouldn’t just freeze their body’s surface but also slow the flow of Spiritual Power or Demonic Qi in their meridians, making it effective even against Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The permanence condition wasn’t difficult, either.

Binding a target at or above the Foundation Establishment realm ten times—as long as he found suitable opportunities to act, it was only a matter of time.

Li Yuan didn’t replace an item in his equipment slots just yet.

He put away the Mirror Binding Talisman and walked over to the other side of the stone table. A black wooden box sat there, containing the Dark Demon Token Chen Yi had previously given him, as well as a grayish-white mask as thin as human skin.

「Less than an hour later, beneath the abandoned post station west of Skeleton Ridge.」

Li Yuan placed a hand on the phantom mask. It molded to the contours of his face like a living thing, subtly altering his aura, features, and skin tone. He then circulated the Demon Essence Skill, causing the Spiritual Power within him to quietly recede. Strands of pure, cold Demonic Qi slowly seeped out from his meridians, completely transforming his presence.

A moment later, the original market supervisor was gone.

In his place stood a grim-faced, cold-auraed Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator.

Li Yuan put away the wooden box and pushed the door open.

The night was heavy.

The wind howled west of the Ghost Mist Forest, and fog churned between the trees. Li Yuan sped along an old, long-abandoned road, carefully controlling his Tunneling Speed. He moved neither too fast nor too slow, maintaining the normal pace for a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator on the move.

Four hours later, Skeleton Ridge appeared at the edge of his vision.

A miasma hung over this mountain range year-round. The rocks and soil were grayish-black, and sections of ghastly white beast bones protruded from the mountainside, making it look like an ancient burial ground from a distance. At the western foot of the mountain, the crumbling ruins of the abandoned post station were hidden in the darkness. Its gatehouse was half-collapsed and its walls were covered in black moss, showing no signs of anything unusual at first glance.

But under his Dark Evil Insight, the post station was not empty.

Behind the walls, thirty feet underground, three signals of Demonic Qi remained stationary. Their auras were steady, like Cultivators guarding an entrance. Deeper still, there were more chaotic fluctuations, waxing and waning in strength, clearly indicating another space below ground.

Li Yuan waited for a quarter of an hour.

He waited until a Late-stage Qi Refining Demon Cultivator returned from outside. The man held a Token and crossed the back courtyard, and a hidden door in the wall of a well opened with a very faint scraping sound. Li Yuan used the moment the door opened to silently draw near. The Dark Demon Token in his sleeve glowed faintly, successfully fooling the simple Restriction inside the door that identified Demonic Qi.

Once underground, his vision abruptly darkened.

The sides of the corridor were embedded with a few dim yellow Moonstones, casting mottled light on the stone walls. The air was filled with the faint smell of blood and a sinister, baleful aura. The ground underfoot was damp; this place was clearly not a temporary hideout, but one that had been in operation for a long time.

At the end of the corridor was an underground stone chamber that had been converted into a meeting hall.

The chamber wasn’t large, but it was divided into two sections, an outer and an inner one. In the outer section were two long tables laden with jade slips, ledgers, and sealed wooden boxes. A few Demon Cultivators moved back and forth, handling registration, handovers, and inventory. The inner section was separated by a translucent black screen, through which one could vaguely see a stronger-auraed old man sitting in the main seat. His Cultivation was around the Foundation Establishment Perfection realm; he was clearly the person in charge here.

Li Yuan stood at the edge of the corridor and didn’t step out, instead using his aura-concealing ability to hide himself.

To the left of the chamber was a naturally recessed shadow, conveniently obscured by a thick stone pillar, making it extremely difficult to notice from the outside.

Before long, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Three Cultivators entered the chamber. The leader wore a deep cyan robe and a Jade Pendant engraved with the character for "Lu" and a branch marking hung from his waist. His aura was that of a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The two behind him carried a long wooden box, its body sealed with a preservation Spirit Talisman. The distinct, fresh fragrance of Spirit Grass faintly wafted from the cracks in the box.

The black screen behind the main seat stirred slightly, and the old man, the manager at Foundation Establishment Perfection, spoke in a raspy voice.

"Have you brought the goods?"

The Lu family Cultivator cupped his hands, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. "As agreed, three stalks of Seven-leaf Cold Ganoderma, five stalks of Red-striped Spirit Ginseng, twelve catties of Cyan Dew Grass, and two portions of Tier Two meridian-nourishing Spirit Grass. This is everything our branch’s herb garden has gathered in the last three months."

As he spoke, he signaled for the two men behind him to place the medicinal ingredients on the long table.

A Demon Cultivator stationed by the table stepped forward, removed the sealing Talisman, and inspected the items one by one. A thicker medicinal fragrance soon filled the room. Several extremely well-preserved Spirit Grasses glowed with a faint Spiritual Light under the Moonstone illumination, their quality clearly not lacking.

The old manager glanced over and nodded slightly.

"The Lu family’s goods are better this time than the last."

The Lu family Cultivator smiled. "We were rushed last time, but we came fully prepared this time. We just hope that what you’ve brought for us hasn’t been scaled back as well."

As his words fell, another Demon Cultivator brought a black wooden box from the back and opened it.

Inside the box were six ink-black Array Stones, stacked neatly. Wisps of Demonic Qi swirled within them, and their surfaces were engraved with simple Array Patterns.

The Lu family Cultivator didn’t take them immediately. Instead, he picked up one Array Stone and injected a trace of Spiritual Power to test it.

The surface of the Array Stone flashed with a dark light. The Demonic Qi inside flowed steadily, showing no signs of tampering.

"It’s good."

After the deal was done, the two parties didn’t disperse immediately but exchanged a few more words in low voices.

"Next delivery time?"

"In fifteen days..."

...

Li Yuan committed every word of their conversation to memory.

Compared to the goods on the ledger, details like the handover procedure, contact methods, and timing were often more valuable. They revealed how a contact point actually operated, not just that it existed.

Fifteen minutes later, the people from the Lu family’s branch left with the black wooden box.

The stone chamber returned to its usual busyness.

The old manager handled two more small transactions, then, as if remembering something, stood up and walked toward the back of the inner chamber. Before he left, he said to the Cultivator in charge of records, "Leave the register for now. I’m going to check the receipts from the eastern line. If anyone comes for today’s dispatch slip, tell them to wait."

"Yes, sir."

The recording Demon Cultivator acknowledged, but just then, he was called away by someone outside to move a box.

For a moment, the area around the long table was empty.

’My chance has come.’

He stepped out from the shadows, his movement as light as a wisp of wind. In the very next instant, he was beside the long table, his Divine Sense sweeping over the black-covered register on top.

Li Yuan’s Divine Sense was extremely fast. He memorized all the coordinates, marking methods, and contact codes, then flipped to the supply dispatch records further in.

Within the last twenty days, aside from the routine dispatches of Spiritual Materials, blood food, and Low Tier Talisman materials, there were a few specially marked entries:

"One Tier Three Breaking Charm, to be transferred through the northern line and delivered to the western line within twenty days."

"Twelve Nourishing Evil Array Stones, to be sent to Liangzhou in three separate batches."

"Remnants of old arrays and auxiliary materials for ancient inscriptions: continue acquisition, source unlimited."

Li Yuan’s eyes flickered.

The first two entries were relatively normal, but the third made his heart sink slightly.

Remnants of old arrays, auxiliary materials for ancient inscriptions.

These were not things a typical Demon Sect would need in large quantities for expansion. It looked more like a long-term collection effort for specific ancient Array Materials with a clear purpose. Combined with the clues he had previously obtained, he could be almost certain that they were still searching for Array Dao remnants originating from the same source as the Profound Nether Sect.

But what concerned him more was that several pieces of information didn’t match the intelligence he already had.

According to the intelligence Chen Yi had provided, the second backup contact point on the western line was supposed to have been abandoned and relocated half a month ago. Yet, the latest record in the register showed that supplies had been transferred there just three days ago.

Furthermore, the amount of Spirit Grass just delivered by the Lu family’s branch also differed slightly from what was recorded in the ledger. There were at least two portions of Tier Two meridian-nourishing Spirit Grass in the box, but the register only noted one portion of a substitute material.

’It wasn’t a mistake.’

The manager of a contact point like this wouldn’t make such a basic error.

’Then there are only two possibilities.’

’Either the ledger was deliberately falsified to conceal something, or the register itself wasn’t entirely genuine and contained false information planted to bait a mole.’

Li Yuan noted down all the anomalies. Just as he was about to retreat, his ears suddenly caught the sound of footsteps coming from the inner chamber.

’He’s back.’

Without hesitation, Li Yuan’s figure flickered and he vanished back into the shadow behind the stone pillar.

At almost the same moment, the old manager pushed aside the black screen, walked out, and sat back in his original seat. His gaze swept indifferently over the long table, detecting nothing amiss. The Demon Cultivator in charge of records also returned from outside, carrying a wooden box, and resumed organizing the ledgers and jade slips.

It was as if nothing had happened in the stone chamber.

Li Yuan remained hidden for a little longer. After confirming there was no more information to be gleaned, he silently retraced his steps and exited the corridor.

By the time he left the abandoned post station through the hidden door in the well, the night had grown deep.

He had gained quite a lot from this trip.

The coordinates of three backup contact points on the western line, recent supply dispatch records, the stable trade channel between the Lu family’s branch and the Evil Slaying Sect, and even clues about the acquisition of a Tier Three Breaking Charm and ancient array auxiliary materials. If this intelligence were given to Chen Yi, it would be enough for the Primordial Yang Sect to make another round of precise arrangements.

But the few inconsistencies also put him on high alert.

The night wind whistled through the forest, stirring a faint rustle of leaves and branches. Just then, within the passive perception of his Dark Evil Insight, an extremely slight anomaly appeared in the texture of the background Spiritual Qi.

Far in the distance.

Two faint Demonic Qi signals were slowly approaching from the direction of Skeleton Ridge.

Their direction was the same as his.