Li An repeatedly used his divine thought to scan, and the magic box buried beneath the soil was vividly clear in his mind.

He confirmed that it must have been placed by the Yin Yang Demon Sect; the presence of the Yin Yang Demonic Qi was unmistakable.

Moreover, judging by the condition of the soil on site, it should have been there for one or two months.

This means that the Yin Yang Demon Sect had been restructuring the layout in Qingyang market for a month or two already?

"The Yin Yang Demon Sect has gone quiet in recent years, even making the world believe for a time that they had been completely eradicated..."

"If they were truly on the decline, they would never dare to attempt something this significant, preparing to strike at Profound Yang Sect's market!"

"All these years, they've been putting on a show for the three great sects? Lulling them into a false sense of security!"

"This is the most likely scenario!"

"And now, they've seized the opportunity, so they are ready to strike..."

Li An pondered, the string that had been tightly wound for years finally began to play the prelude to a conspiracy.

He quietly left, erasing any traces of his presence there.

After leaving, he didn't go to other parts of the grand array.

Because he was worried there might be a demon cultivator watching from the shadows.

In the following three days, he staggered the times, appearing casual and natural, and checked the remaining parts of the grand array without anyone noticing.

"The grand array in Qingyang market has a total of seven array corners; currently, demon cultivators have already placed breaking charms at two key points."

"They are very cautious!"

"At their rate of setting up, there should be at least four or five months of buffer period."

"Moreover, Qingyang market is only an outlying area of the Profound Yang Sect; when they strike at the outskirts, the core area of the sect will certainly be attacked simultaneously."

Li An was absolutely certain that there must be an inner spy within the sect.

Because, with the previous experience of the attack on Qingyang market, the sect has been extremely secretive about the market's protective array, only the real core high-level members might know.

The fact that the demon cultivators could arrange the array so accurately means they could get information from within Profound Yang Sect's inner circle.

"If I were a demon cultivator, I would attack both inside and outside simultaneously when striking at Profound Yang Sect…"

"Moreover, the key to victory in this conspiracy actually lies with Profound Yang Master."

"If Profound Yang Master is not dead, even if Profound Yang Sect is severely damaged, recovery is only a matter of time..."

"Therefore, it is crucial to settle with Profound Yang Master first."

"A frontal confrontation? That's unlikely. Even if they win, there would be a hefty price; it would certainly be a scheme, such as poisoning or traps… now that the demon sect's insider has already infiltrated Profound Yang Sect's high ranks, it's not difficult."

"And after Profound Yang Sect is attacked by the demon sect, if Profound Yang Master has an accident, there would only be one outcome… defeat and escape!"

"Where could they escape to? Who would flee, and who would be the specific targets of the demon sect? Would the demon sect pursue and block them, or let them be?... "

Li An repeatedly deduced in his mind, putting himself in the shoes of both Profound Yang Sect and the demon sect.

Early the next morning, Li An sneaked out of the market, heading towards Liuyang River market.

He didn't enter Liuyang River market, instead, he wandered between Liuyang River market and Profound Yang Sect for a month!

—After much contemplation by Li An, under the collapse of Profound Yang Sect, Liuyang River market is likely to become the last stable place for Profound Yang Sect.

The reason is simple: it is very close to Hundred Beasts Sect.

If the demon sect's strength is lacking, they probably won't directly attack this place, to avoid provoking the involvement of Hundred Beasts Sect.

By then, most of the remaining disciples of Profound Yang Sect will certainly flock to Liuyang River market.

The Yin Yang Demon Sect will most likely set up a deadly ambush along the way, to reduce the remaining forces of Profound Yang Sect.

He was looking for possible ambush points by the demon sect.

Profound Yang Sect and Liuyang River market are over eight hundred miles apart, there are too many possibilities in this distance.

Finally, Li An pinpointed a ferry port fifty miles from Liuyang River market!

Liuyang River market is different from Qingyang market, it is built along the banks of Liuyang River, plus it's too far from Profound Yang Sect's main branch, so Profound Yang Sect has set up heavy protections for this market.

Firstly, the entrances and exits of the market are river routes, only accessible by boat.

Secondly, the market's grand array is very special, making the river segment within the market flow gently, while the downstream river outside the market is rapid, spawning many spirit beasts and spiritual qi vortices, preventing anyone from sneaking in underwater.

Ma Mountain Ferry is the most convenient ferry to proceed to Liuyang River market, disciples fleeing from all directions are likely to gather here, and take boats to enter the market.

The vast river flows continuously, with many big and small boats anchored at the ferry, all managed by low-level cultivators.

Li An lingered here for three days, considering all sorts of possibilities.

Then, he finally left and returned to Qingyang market.

The first thing he did was check the grand array of the market, and as he expected, yet another array corner had been set with a breaking charm.

It's getting closer!

Li An kept calm; the next day, he did two things.

First, he went to see Long Tao, the owner of the array shop, to help him order a set of Tier Two array.

Over the years, he has collaborated closely with Long Tao, and their interests are heavily intertwined, so although Long Tao was puzzled, he didn't ask much. After receiving a deposit of a thousand Spirit Stones, he helped Li An order it—this was already a special treatment for Li An; generally, ordering a Tier Two array would require at least a deposit of two thousand Spirit Stones!

but it would take two months for the goods to arrive.

Second, Li An coordinated with the sect to increase the demand for the spirit talisman shop, asking the Talisman Hall to supply more goods.

Ordinarily, the sect supplied goods for the spirit talisman shop, such as talismans, talisman pens, talisman papers, etc., worth about fifteen hundred Spirit Stones a month.

Now, he had the sect supply two thousand Spirit Stones' worth of goods each month.

The amount increased significantly, but it wouldn't draw too much high-level attention!

After all this, Li An began a closed cultivation, aiming to break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer!

"My spirit root sensitivity has reached 57 points… very close to a Yellow Rank Middle Grade spirit root."

"In fact, if in some sects, where the testing isn't very precise… I could be directly assessed as Yellow Rank Middle Grade!"

He was filled with confidence, and directly consumed two Primordial Spirit Pills!

...

With the improvement of the spirit root, coupled with increased dosage of the Primordial Spirit Pill, Li An's breakthrough went very smoothly.

A month and a half later, he officially entered the Qi Refining Eighth Layer!

"Sixty-eight years old, approaching ancient age..."

He sighed; at this age, he was generally considered a senior cultivator.

But actually, to Li An, he is still quite young!

After reaching Qi Refining Eighth Layer, his lifespan extended to nearly three hundred years!

This already surpasses an ordinary Qi Refining stage by far.

So, although he's sixty-eight, he is still considered to be at a level comparable to a cultivator in their thirties.

He is still in his prime.

"Immortal Master, you finally emerged..."

And his apprentice, Xiaogou, hurried over when he saw him emerge, "We've got some inventory piling up from our order; should we discount it for sale?"

During this time, the spirit talisman shop had a backlog of more than a thousand Spirit Stones worth of goods.

Even if they were sold at a discount now, it would still incur some loss and attract blame from the sect!

Li An suddenly said coldly, "Do I need you to teach me how to do my work?"

"Get out; starting today, you don't need to come to the spirit talisman shop, leave Qingyang market—"

Upon hearing this, Xiaogou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly knelt down on the ground, crying, "Immortal Master, Xiaogou won't dare to speak out again… please don't make Xiaogou leave, please don't drive Xiaogou away!"

He originally came from a destitute farming family, participated in Profound Yang Sect's assessment but only had chaotic spirit roots, hence was not selected. A lifelong stranger to the path of immortality, during his wandering, due to being sincere and industrious, was taken in by Li An as an apprentice.

Over the years, he diligently worked in the spirit talisman shop, and Li An treated him quite well. He actually managed to cultivate his chaotic spirit roots to the perfection of the Qi Refining First Layer, and can even now attempt a breakthrough into the Qi Refining Second Layer.

Now, just because of one comment, he was being driven out by Li An... it was very hard for him to accept.

"Get out,"

Li An threw him a small bag of spirit stones, "Don't bother me—"

Saying this, Li An left abruptly.

Xiaogou knelt there motionlessly, for three consecutive days.

Li An came and went, completely ignoring him.

Xiaogou knew Li An's decision was final, and finally, on the fourth morning, bowed several times towards Li An's room, wiped his tears, and left the spirit talisman shop.

...

A dozen days after Xiaogou's departure, which was the third month since Li An discovered the demon sect's trace.

The Tier Two array that Li An ordered finally arrived.

He went to the array shop to pick it up, and after verifying the array, he nodded and then suddenly said, "Brother Long, can I delay the remaining payment for two months?"

...

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