In the following days, the beast-hunting operation at Qingyun Lake continued smoothly.
Every morning, the Foundation Establishment cultivators dispersed to hunt demonic beasts. Li Hu was always at the forefront, his movements swift and decisive, slaying far more demonic beasts than the other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
He not only hunted low-level demonic beasts but also occasionally assisted his fellow disciples in restraining stronger Foundation Establishment demonic beasts. His actions were prudent and measured, quickly earning him the approval of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
That evening, during a break, Lin Zhentian specifically approached Li Hu: "Li Hu, your performance this time was outstanding. You've fought bravely for days, slaying countless demonic beasts! After this mission, the sect will surely reward you handsomely. Keep up the good work!"
Li Hu quickly rose and bowed respectfully, his expression humble: "Thank you for your praise, Elder Lin!"
Li Hu's demeanor was modest, without a trace of arrogance. His smile was genuine and natural; anyone who saw him would think he was a loyal, diligent, and ambitious disciple.
In truth, Qin Changsheng was already fully aware of Li Hu's well-behaved behavior these past few days.
Li Hu's forbearance and quiet demeanor were merely a prelude to the full moon the following day.
The seal on the Qingyun Lake treasure would only loosen on the night of the full moon, when spiritual energy was at its peak. Only then could the seal be broken, and the treasure seized.
Qin Changsheng didn't rush to attack, nor did he deliberately test Li Hu. He continued to disguise himself as an inconspicuous outer disciple, spending his days with the others collecting monster corpses, secretly observing Li Hu's every move, while silently recuperating his spiritual energy, preparing for the treasure hunt on the night of the full moon the following day.
The next morning, Lin Zhentian issued the order to continue clearing out the monsters. The Foundation Establishment cultivators continued their scattered attacks, with the outer disciples following closely behind, collecting corpses and inventorying supplies. Everything was as orderly as the previous days, showing no signs of abnormality.
Qin Changsheng remained among the outer disciples, casually collecting the monster remains along the lakeshore with a simple knife, but his divine sense never left Li Hu.
However, Li Hu remained completely undetectable during the day.
It wasn't until evening, when Lin Zhentian ordered the group to retreat, that Li Hu began to act strangely.
Li Hu looked around and, seeing no one was paying attention, used his movement technique to run westward.
Qin Changsheng followed Li Hu's aura, quietly trailing behind him.
Shortly, Qin Changsheng followed Li Hu to a secluded bay on the western side of Qingyun Lake.
The area was overgrown with weeds, completely obscuring the view, making it extremely hidden. Without careful searching, it would be impossible to find.
On the open ground beside the bay, Ma Yingjie stood with more than ten cultivators dressed in red robes.
Although there was some distance between them and the light was dim, Qin Changsheng immediately recognized them as members of the Blood Demon Sect!
Moreover, most of these cultivators were at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Ma Yingjie quickly bowed and said, "Young Master, I have brought all the Foundation Establishment disciples nearby as you instructed!"
Li Hu nodded slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the dozen or so Blood Demon Sect figures beside Ma Yingjie before finally settling on Ma Yingjie.
Li Hu slightly turned to Ma Yingjie and asked, "Ma Yingjie, where is the array master? There must be a sealing array outside the secret treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake. Breaking the array is of utmost importance and cannot afford the slightest mistake."
Ma Yingjie gestured to an elderly man in a Taoist robe and said, "Young Master, this is Master Chen of our Blood Demon Sect. He is proficient in all kinds of sealing and defensive arrays. He has broken many troublesome arrays in the cultivation world in the past. His array-breaking techniques are extremely skillful."
Master Chen slowly stepped forward and bowed slightly to Li Hu: "This old servant greets Young Master."
Li Hu's gaze fell on Master Chen. "Elder Chen," he asked, "how long will it take to break that great formation?"
Master Chen lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. "Young Master," he replied, "the time it takes to break a formation depends on its level and complexity. If it's an ordinary, low-level sealing formation, this old servant can break it smoothly in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!"
"If it's a high-level, complex seal, or a formation enhanced by the spiritual power of a demonic beast, it will take at most a quarter of an hour to create a breach."
Li Hu didn't immediately respond. His brows furrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought.
He knew very well that the treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake was an ancient relic. The sealing formation surrounding it was far from an ordinary, low-level formation. Furthermore, with a Golden Core demonic beast guarding it year-round, the formation would undoubtedly be enhanced by the beast's spiritual power, making its complexity far greater than ordinary formations.
While Elder Chen's estimate of a quarter of an hour was within his expectations, he had to be fully prepared to ensure every step was flawless.
Li Hu stepped to the front of the crowd and began issuing orders: "Ma Yingjie, you personally select two of the strongest Blood Demon Sect disciples to infiltrate Qingyun Lake and find a way to lure that Golden Core demon beast towards Lin Zhentian's camp!"
"Remember, be extremely careful. The Golden Core demon beast must not detect any flaws, and Lin Zhentian and the others must not discover your identities. Simply lure the beast there, and let Lin Zhentian hold it off!"
"Yes, sir!" Ma Yingjie quickly bowed and accepted the order.
Li Hu nodded slightly, then looked at Elder Chen, his tone softening slightly but still retaining its authority: "Elder Chen, once the Golden Core demon beast is lured away and the image of the secret treasure appears on the lake's surface, I will trouble you to personally take action. You must break the formation within a quarter of an hour; there can be no delay!"
Elder Chen bowed slightly, his tone resolute: "Young Master, rest assured."
"Very good!" Li Hu said in a deep voice, "After the formation is broken, everyone listen to my command, cooperate fully, and seize the secret treasure! Once the treasure is in hand, immediately evacuate Qingyun Lake without hesitation, lest the Heavenly Sword Sect discover anything amiss!"
"Yes!" the Blood Demon Sect disciples responded in unison.
Li Hu raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Before the night of the full moon arrives, everyone must conceal their aura and remain in the lake bay. Do not act rashly or reveal your presence, lest you attract the attention of the Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators and disrupt our plans."
Everyone concealed their auras and silently retreated to hidden spots in the lake bay, quietly awaiting the arrival of the full moon.
Li Hu still seemed a little uneasy, and he quickly asked Ma Yingjie, "Where is Hu Nan now?"
"Young Master, my surveillance disciple just reported that Hu Nan is currently slaying a demon beast with Jiang Lijuan!" Ma Yingjie replied.
"Good, good..." Hearing this news, all of Li Hu's worries disappeared.
After all, the Misty Forest was tens of thousands of miles away, and Hu Nan couldn't possibly arrive here in a short time.
Meanwhile, Qin Changsheng, not far away, silently began to calculate the possibility of seizing the secret treasure.
Firstly, it would be difficult for him alone to seize the treasure from so many Blood Demon Sect experts.
He needed Hu Nan to come here and restrain Li Hu.
As for how to get Hu Nan to come,
Qin Changsheng had already made up his mind: suicide.
After Hu Nan's suicide, Qin Changsheng only needed one hundred spirit stones to summon him again.
Thinking of this, Qin Changsheng didn't hesitate at all. He closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and his divine sense, like an invisible blade, pierced through the dense forest by Qingyun Lake, arriving at Hu Nan's location in the Misty Forest.
At this moment, Hu Nan was resting in a tent in the camp, while outside the tent, several cultivators were monitoring the area.
Qin Changsheng knew at a glance that these people were all from the Blood Demon Sect.
"Hu Nan, disintegrate," Qin Changsheng commanded.
Hearing Qin Changsheng's words, Hu Nan didn't hesitate. He condensed a wisp of pure spiritual energy in his palm and, without a second thought, struck directly at his dantian, a vital point.
"Pfft—" In the next instant, Hu Nan's figure transformed into specks of light and vanished from the tent.
The Blood Demon Sect members monitoring outside seemed to have no reaction.
After all, they were only monitoring Hu Nan, preventing him from leaving.
Qin Changsheng waved his hand, and one hundred spirit stones appeared not far away. As Qin Changsheng chanted an incantation, Hu Nan's figure appeared there.
More than ten minutes later, beneath the surface of Qingyun Lake, a sky full of red light suddenly appeared.
The red light churned and surged in the air, like boiling blood, eventually slowly converging and gradually solidifying into a circular mirror shape.
The mirror pierced through the churning lake water, reflecting brilliantly in the night sky.