Chapter 131: What exactly had been overlooked? (Returning the first chapter for our alliance leader, "ks Matcha")

Jiang Lin, brandishing a crystal-clear sword of pristine snow, mounted his flaming rooster and, flanked by an ice dragon, charged headlong at the nine-tailed black fox!

Seeing his approach, the leader of the Solitary Demon Sect, the eight-tailed black fox, was slightly stunned. "You're still alive?"

"How could your daddy ever die!"

With a swing of his sword, the ice dragon surged toward the fox with overwhelming momentum.

However...

With a flick of her tail, the eight-tailed fox shattered the ice dragon into mere frozen shards.

"What the..."

Like a cow swatting a fly, Jiang Lin and his mount, Tan Xiao, were sent flying through the air, tracing a beautiful, albeit pathetic, arc. The eight-tailed fox anticipated his landing trajectory, and a black beam of light slowly gathered in her maw.

"Xiao Lin!"

"Jiang Lin!"

Xiao Xueli and Lin Qingwan rushed over, shielding Jiang Lin with their bodies just as the Tailed Beast Bomb struck.

"Dragon Gate Jade Shield!"

At the moment of impact, a piece of green jade flew from Lin Qingwan’s acupoints, forming a massive green barrier that enveloped them like a sphere.

"Boom!"

They slammed into the street, creating a deep, circular crater. Tan Xiao was pinned beneath Jiang Lin, who in turn was pinned by both Xiao Xueli and Lin Qingwan.

"Xiao Lin..."

Lin Qingwan looked down at him, her eyes welling with tears. She reached out, her delicate fingers kneading and poking at his face, unable to believe he was still alive.

"Ah... Senior Sister, stop poking. It’s really me, I’m not dead. Ah, poking my face is one thing, but stop biting my nose! My nose is real, too! Ah... my ears as well..."

"Jiang Lin... Jiang Lin..."

As Jiang Lin twisted his head to escape his senior sister’s frantic nibbling, Xiao Xueli, who was on his left, pressed her hands firmly against his chest, tears streaming down her face as she whispered his name.

"Huh? Miss Xiao, what are you saying? Wait, why are you crying?"

As Jiang Lin stood bewildered, he realized his hands were in a very compromising position, tightly clutching her waist. Even in this world of cultivation, it was an ancient society, not as liberated as the modern world. Holding a woman’s waist was nearly as scandalous as seeing her ankles.

But there was no need to cry, surely?

"Miss Xiao, I didn't mean to, I swear!" Jiang Lin panicked, apologizing profusely (without letting go). Would she try to kill him with her sword for this?

"It's... it's alright..." Xiao Xueli wiped her tears on his chest and clung tightly to his clothes, remaining silent.

Jiang Lin stared at her, stunned. Why was she using his clothes to wipe her tears? They weren't exactly clean.

"Junior Brother, Senior Sister... could you please get up? I'm dying here..."

As the two girls gazed at him with longing, and Jiang Lin remained as oblivious as a block of iron, the muffled voice of Tan Xiao rose from beneath them. He felt as though his spine had been pulverized.

Ten minutes later, inside a tavern, the group huddled by the entrance. Jiang Lin was busy realigning Tan Xiao’s vertebrae while the two women sat nearby. Recalling their earlier behavior, both girls flushed crimson, kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed and hands resting on their thighs, acting uncharacteristically demure.

"Senior Sister, Miss Xiao, you were far too reckless. Challenging an Jade-Purity Realm black fox alone? That’s just asking for death!" Jiang Lin scolded, his voice tinged with genuine anger.

"Xiao Lin, I'm sorry... I thought... I thought..."

"Huh? Thought what?"

"Nothing... it's nothing."

Listening to his reprimand, his senior sister bowed her head even lower, looking like a young bride being scolded by her husband for getting out of bed while still ill. Beside her, Xiao Xueli also kept her head lowered; though she said nothing, her apologetic expression and trembling eyes instantly extinguished Jiang Lin's anger.

In truth, Jiang Lin wasn't even sure why he had been so angry. Was it just frustration at his teammates' suicidal tactics?

"Ahem... well, Junior Brother, let's discuss our next move." Tan Xiao, tired of being fed this romantic tension, spoke up awkwardly.

"Oh, right." Remembering the mission, Jiang Lin pulled out a messenger flying sword. He had intercepted it while racing to support the others. He channeled a strand of spiritual energy into it, and the sword opened to reveal a letter and a small storage pouch. He emptied the pouch, revealing nearly twenty spiritual C4 explosives and some newly developed detonators.

"Xiao Lin, what are these?"

"Oh, these are tools from our Sun-Moon Sect." Jiang Lin spread the letter out for them to see; there was no need for secrets.

[Dear Brother Jiang:
Seeing these words is like seeing me, the Black Flame Envoy. Our Demon Sect's great cause is witnessed by heaven and earth! That you would go to Donglin City to rob the robbers and oppose the righteous organizations fills me, the Black Flame Dragon, with emotion. Countless dark organizations have tried to assassinate me, but all were thwarted by my Flame Dragon Left Hand and the True Eye of the Evil King. I believe in you, Brother Jiang...
... (A long string of adolescent, edgy dialogue omitted) ...
Regarding your request for the Blood Name Array, I do not understand why anyone would still use such an archaic, idiotic formation... Here is how to identify the twelve auxiliary arrays.
...
May your martial fortune be prosperous!]

After reading the cringe-inducing letter written by the True Monarch Tai Er, everyone except Jiang Lin looked bewildered.

"Xiao Lin, why is this letter so incomprehensible?"

"This... Senior Sister, Miss Xiao, don't worry about it. This person isn't quite right in the head." Jiang Lin shoved the letter away, feeling deeply embarrassed.

Still, the True Monarch was reliable. Following the information provided, Jiang Lin had pinpointed the locations of the twelve auxiliary arrays—and sure enough, the Spring Breeze Pavilion was one of them.

Once rested, the group prepared to set the explosives. Because the girls were injured, Jiang Lin didn't trust them to operate separately. Of course, he also felt safer keeping them close.

Excluding the Spring Breeze Pavilion, the twelve locations were not far apart. Once the C4 was planted at the auxiliary arrays and the main array in the central tower, he only needed to press his spiritual "Bluetooth" remote, and all thirteen formations would be obliterated!

Yet, for some reason, Jiang Lin felt that something was off. He felt as though he had overlooked something.

But... what could it possibly be?