81: Chapter 81 Dead End? I'll Call for Help First!

Zhao Ruoan's mind was buzzing, the System's alarm sound sharp and urgent, just like a death warrant.

Seeking survival in a desperate situation?

A dead end?

Are you kidding me!

He had undergone Transmigration here, obtained such an awesome System, and taken an Immortal Emperor as his Master. Only a few good days had passed, and now he was about to be packed up and taken away?

Blood Sea Sect, Nether Cult...

Three Peak Spirit Pill Realm experts, ten Late Stage Spirit Pill Realm experts, fifty Middle Stage Spirit Pill Realm experts!

What kind of ghost lineup is this? Not to mention a tiny Mid-Grade Spirit Stone mining area, even any random Main Peak of the Qingxuan Sect would be enough to suffer immensely.

The crucial point is that the target is to capture the host alive!

They were coming for me!

Zhao Ruoan forced himself to calm down. The System suggested running away, but where should he run? They had already said it was an encirclement from all directions, so wouldn't running now just mean slamming straight into the net?

No, he couldn't run. At least not right now.

He quickly took stock of the cards in his hand.

In terms of strength, he was at the Middle Stage Pulse Condensation Realm, but he possessed Fifth-Order Sword Intent, and his true combat power far exceeded his Realm. His trump card was the Burning God Scorching Heaven Art. Opening the first layer tripled the amplification, allowing him to contend with an Early Stage Spirit Pill Realm cultivator, and opening the second layer increased it by five times, which might allow him to clash with a Late Stage Spirit Pill Realm cultivator. But there were too many opponents; a war of attrition could exhaust him to death.

Not to mention that side effect; once used, he would be completely drained, and by then he would truly become meat on the chopping block.

In terms of equipment, he had the High Grade Earth Rank xuanlin inner armor, plus a defensive jade pendant. His tankiness was enough, but it wasn't invincible. Being bombarded by dozens of Spirit Pill Realm experts would turn even an iron-willed person into slag.

What was his greatest advantage?

Zhao Ruoan's gaze flickered.

It was information!

He knew who was human and who was a ghost in this mining area!

This was a point that could be utilized.

Also, Revered Master!

Three days ago, he had already sent a Jade Slip to Revered Master. Given Revered Master's fiercely protective personality, she must already be on the way. How far was it from Qinghan Peak to here? How fast was Revered Master's traveling speed?

He didn't know, but he could only gamble—gamble that Revered Master could arrive in time.

Therefore, what he needed to do right now was not run away, but stall for time!

How to stall?

Waiting for death definitely wouldn't work. He had to take the initiative, muddy the waters, and prevent the enemies from comfortably setting up a trap and waiting for him to walk right into it.

"Young Lord, what's wrong with you? Your expression is so ugly?" Qiuyin's voice rang in his ear, carrying a hint of worry.

Zhao Ruoan snapped back to his senses, looking at the two little maidservants before him.

Qiuyin was tilting her head to look at him, and although Xiamo was standing a bit further away, the care in her eyes couldn't be faked.

The two of them were now his own people, and having just switched to cultivating a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, their strength had undergone a qualitative leap; they were no longer pure burdens.

There were some things that they should also be made aware of.

"Qiuyin, Xiamo, come over here." Zhao Ruoan's tone was very serious.

The two women's hearts tightened, and they obediently walked in front of him.

"What I'm going to say next, you must remember word for word in your hearts, and absolutely must not spread it outside, understand?"

"Yes, Young Lord!" the two said in unison.

Zhao Ruoan took a deep breath and said in the most concise language: "We are in big trouble. This mining area will soon suffer a massive attack from the Nether Cult and the Blood Sea Sect. The enemies are very strong, and there are many of them. Their target is me."

"Ah?!" Qiuyin's small mouth opened into a round shape, her eyes filled with terror.

Xiamo's body also tensed up. She thought more than Qiuyin. Since the enemy's target was the Young Lord, weren't they already trapped in the encirclement right now?

"Young Lord, then... then let's run quickly!" Qiuyin was so anxious she was about to cry, "Ask the Sect for reinforcements! Have Elder Qian send people to escort us away!"

"It's too late." Zhao Ruoan shook his head, "The enemies have already surrounded this place. Moreover, in this mining area, there are internal traitors everywhere; we can't trust anyone."

Internal traitors!

This word made the hearts of the two women sink to the bottom of the valley.

They recalled the ambush the Young Lord had encountered previously; wasn't that because an internal traitor leaked his whereabouts?

"Then what should we do, Young Lord?" Xiamo's voice trembled slightly, but her gaze was very firm, "Qiuyin and I swear to protect the Young Lord to the death!"

"Right! Whoever wants to harm the Young Lord must step over our corpses!" Qiuyin also puffed out her small chest, looking like she was ready to face death unflinchingly.

Looking at the two of them like this, a trace of warmth flowed through Zhao Ruoan's heart.

Not bad, he hadn't spoiled them in vain.

"You don't need to die." Zhao Ruoan tapped the table, his gaze turning sharp, "Now, listen to my plan. If we want to survive, we must actively do something."

He stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

"The enemy is powerful, and we cannot fight them head-on. But they are not monoliths either. The Nether Cult and the Blood Sea Sect are Demonic Path Sects, always putting interests first while maintaining a facade of harmony. And in this mining area, there are not just spies from these two factions, but also the Black Wind Fortress, the Blood Blade Sect... all sorts of monsters and demons."

"The first step of my plan is to utilize these internal traitors to create chaos among their own people."

"Ah? How do we utilize them?" Qiuyin listened with her head in the clouds.

Zhao Ruoan smiled, but his smile carried a trace of coldness.

"For instance, make the people of the Blood Blade Sect think that the Nether Cult wants to play dog-eat-dog and swallow them up. Or for instance, make the people of the Black Wind Fortress feel that the Blood Sea Sect has discovered their tracks and wants to make an example of them."

He looked at the two maidservants: "What I want you to do is help me spread some 'rumors'. The two of you are unfamiliar faces and also my maidservants, so you won't easily arouse suspicion."

"Us?" Xiamo lacked some confidence, "Can we do it?"

"You can." Zhao Ruoan's tone allowed no room for doubt, "I will tell you specifically who to find and what words to say, and you just need to follow instructions. Remember, safety first; the moment anything seems wrong, run immediately, understand?"

"Understood!" The two women nodded heavily.

"Alright, this is the first step, called 'Fishing in Troubled Waters'." Zhao Ruoan paused and continued, "The second step, we need an ally who can hold down the fort and is absolutely reliable."

"Who?" Qiuyin asked.

"The garrison Elder here, Qian Kun." Zhao Ruoan said.

"But Young Lord, didn't you say we can't trust anyone?" Xiamo raised a question.

"He is an exception." Zhao Ruoan was very certain. The information probed by the System couldn't be wrong; Qian Kun was an honest man, and he was fiercely loyal to the Sect. Such a person, in a desperate situation, was the most trustworthy force.

"I am going to have a showdown with him. Only by winning him over can we mobilize those Disciples in the mining area who are loyal to the Sect, construct a defense line, and buy time for Revered Master's arrival."

"Th-Then would Elder Qian believe you?" Qiuyin asked worriedly, "You've only been here for a few days."

"Therefore, I need a token of allegiance." Zhao Ruoan's gaze cast toward outside the window; the night was growing deep.

"Before the enemy launches a general offensive, I will help Elder Qian pull out a major thorn in the mining area!"

He already had a target in his heart.

That Inner Sect Disciple who had undergone Possession, Li Gui!

Using him as an example was most appropriate. It could both deter other internal traitors and make Qian Kun completely trust him.

The plan took shape in his mind, and Zhao Ruoan felt the panic in his heart subside quite a bit.

A dead end?

As long as he wasn't dead yet, it wasn't a dead end!

My fate is up to me, not the heavens, and even less so up to you group of Demonic Path brats!

He looked outside the window; there seemed to be a trace of faint light on the horizon.

The storm was coming soon.