Elder Mu, the newly bound Heavenly Immortal, had never moved with such panicked urgency, nor such perfect tactical precision. He flew through the lower clouds of the Immortal Cloud Continent, towing a field of purified Immortal Qi that held the infant master, Lin Tian. The massive, shimmering fortress of the Azure Sea Sect's Jade Spring Valley was dead ahead, veiled in smoke and resonating with the violent energy of a hundred clashing techniques.
"Master," Mu transmitted mentally, his voice trembling slightly. "The chaos is absolute. The Valley's core defense array has been completely disabled-only a force of unimaginable purity and precision could achieve that. Mei Lan... she has done our work."
Lin Tian, now adapting smoothly to the Tier 2 energy, confirmed the state of the battlefield with the Observer's Eye.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Jade Spring Valley. Spiritual Structure: Critically Unstable. Primary Resource Vault Breach: 99%]
The battle was a swirling maelstrom of destruction. The Elder Council of the Azure Sea Sect, primarily composed of Heavenly Immortal Stage 5 and 6 cultivators, were desperately fighting the rogue cultivators and opportunists drawn by the initial blast. The Sect's main focus was entirely on neutralizing the Blade of Purity-Mei Lan-who was currently inside the inner vault, extracting the final, most valuable spiritual materials.
"We move in now," Lin Tian commanded Mu. "The chaos is our window. Follow the receding energy signature of the Sword Soul. She will leave a path."
Elder Mu plunged toward the fortress. They bypassed the external conflict entirely, diving straight into the collapsed main entrance-a clean, massive spiritual wound in the barrier created by Mei Lan's singular focused intent.
They navigated the inner halls, which were littered with wounded Azure Sea disciples and shattered jade tablets. Mu, guided by Lin Tian's precise mental commands, moved like a shadow, ignoring the injured and focusing only on the residual, untapped wealth.
"The secondary vaults, Master," Mu reported, his eyes gleaming with professional greed. "They contain the Immortal Purity Pills-Tier 2 resources we desperately need for your stabilization, but the locks are complex, even for an Immortal."
"The complexity is irrelevant," Lin Tian transmitted. "Follow the flaws. Mei Lan's pure energy introduced spiritual static into the formations. Use that static."
Mu, following the pinpoint accurate instructions from the infant's mind, channeled a tiny, flawed burst of his own Wood Dao Qi into the lock of the first vault. The energy, normally useless, interacted perfectly with the weakness Mei Lan had created, triggering a catastrophic sympathetic failure. The vault door dissolved.
Inside were hundreds of bottles of Immortal Purity Pills. Lin Tian's HSDS instantly commanded Mu to begin the acquisition.
[Resource Acquisition: Immortal Purity Pills (x500) secured. Status: Critical Energy Buffer Established.]
Mu moved from vault to vault, performing the complicated lock-failure trick with terrifying speed. In minutes, they acquired thousands of units of Tier 2 spiritual wealth-wealth that the Azure Sea Sect had hoarded for centuries.
As they reached the deepest part of the Valley, they felt a terrifying surge of energy. Mei Lan was leaving. The chaos had peaked.
Lin Tian's Observer's Eye focused on the massive, pulsing core of the valley-the Azure Sea Vein itself. This was the source of the Sect's power, a miniature Spiritual Vein dedicated entirely to Immortal Qi.
[Target: Azure Sea Vein. Status: Actively Unstable (Mei Lan is attempting to overdraw). Estimated Remaining Resource Purity: 88%]
"Mei Lan has destabilized the vein," Lin Tian instructed Mu. "She overdraws for her own core. We will take the residual spiritual overflow. Use your Wood Dao to gently guide the escaping energy into the reserve seals."
Elder Mu, though overwhelmed by the sheer power of the vein, obeyed. He threw out massive, delicate shields of Heavenly Immortal Qi, designed to capture the spiritual energy that was violently leaking from the over-stressed vein. This was harvesting pure, chaotic spiritual runoff.
In the center of the chamber, Mei Lan emerged from the final vault, her Divine Core glowing with destructive satisfaction. She saw Mu and the infant master.
She gave them a brief, cold look-a silent acknowledgment of their coordinated theft-before channeling a final burst of pure Sword Intent that tore open a massive hole in the ceiling, providing her exit. She vanished through the breach.
Lin Tian and Elder Mu were left alone in the treasure chamber, bathed in the spiritual light of the destabilizing vein.
"Master, we must leave! The Azure Sea Elders will return soon, and the vein is collapsing!" Mu cried, finishing the capture of the spiritual runoff.
"No," Lin Tian commanded. "One final act of protection."
Lin Tian directed Mu to activate a reverse sequence on one of the Azure Sea Sect's remaining, undamaged defensive arrays. The array, now commanded by Lin Tian's Divine Purity signature, didn't defend the valley-it locked it down entirely.
The spiritual locks sealed the vast valley shut. When the Azure Sea Elders finally fought their way free from the rogue cultivators and returned, they would find their Jade Spring Valley empty of wealth, sealed by an unbreakable, high-tier array, and utterly useless. The source of their power was neutralized.
Lin Tian allowed Mu to retreat, leaving the entire valley as a massive, worthless tomb.
[Resource Harvest: Complete. Tier 2 Resource Buffer Established. Tier 2 Stabilization Protocol Initiated. Efficiency: 99.99%]
Mei Lan is chaos. I am the collector of chaos, Lin Tian mused. Now, to turn this acquired wealth into permanent power.